~Chapter 05~
I Only Need the Duke’s Child Episode 5. The Snow Fairy
After hearing the news from Lina, Blair immediately returned to the Princess Palace.
The moment she stepped into the reception room, what greeted her was Katrina’s hand.
The sudden slap sent Blair’s body staggering.
“Y-Your Highness!”
Lina, who had followed in behind her, quickly caught the swaying Blair in her arms.
Katrina raised her hand once more, but unable to bring it down, she burst out in anger.
“There’s a limit to how much you can ignore your mother!
How could you go see that woman the day before your wedding?
That woman who tried to kill you!”
Her cheek stung where she had been struck, but Blair did not let out even a groan. She simply looked at Katrina with calm eyes.
Katrina, whose low birth was her greatest complex, cared deeply about how others saw her.
No matter what she felt inside, she tried to behave as nobly, elegantly, and dignified as possible.
For someone like her to raise a hand personally was rare.
Blair had touched Katrina’s most sensitive nerve.
“Your mother is me!
I carried you for ten months and gave birth to you in pain.
Not that woman!”
A vivid madness flickered in the violet eyes that looked exactly like Blair’s.
Seeing that, Blair sneered inwardly.
The Empress Mother who hated it whenever Blair followed Esmeralda treated her daughter as nothing more than a chess piece for her son.
From the moment Blair began to develop into a young woman, Katrina had strictly controlled her daughter’s weight.
If she exceeded the target weight by even a little, the maids of the Princess Palace were whipped in her stead until their calves bled and were starved.
Claiming it was punishment for failing to serve their mistress properly.
Katrina whispered that all of it was for Blair’s sake.
‘Think about the end of that woman who was never loved.
To envy and resent someone who is loved, only to destroy herself—what a pitiful and useless life.’
‘……’
‘You must become a woman who is loved, Blair.
Just like your mother.’
And become a worthy support for your brother and for this imperial family that I built…….
On days when Blair felt she had gained even a little weight, she would shove her fingers down her throat and vomit up everything she had eaten.
It hurt so much that tears welled up from the nausea rising in her throat, but it was fine.
She thought it was fine.
Because Mother was doing this out of concern for me.
If I just endure it, the maids won’t be punished in my place, Mother won’t hate me, and everyone will see me as beautiful and pretty.
Everyone will love me.
Yes, it’s fine.
If I can just be loved, something like this is truly nothing…….
But the moment she held the newborn Asiel in her arms, she realized.
‘You must make Herdin Delmark fall for you.
And then make him become a strong ally for your brother.
Do you understand?’
If she truly loved her, she would not worry about her son before the daughter who was about to marry.
If she truly loved her, she could not fail to find it adorable when the child she loved ate with tiny chewing motions.
No matter what others said, to her eyes this child was so lovely and precious.
It hurt, but now she could no longer deny it.
Katrina’s love toward her had not been love.
That was why
she could finally refute Katrina’s words.
“Since when have you cared about me so much, Mother?”
Blair’s calm yet resentful voice and gaze pierced into Katrina.
“You……!”
Startled by the sudden change in the daughter who had always clung desperately to her love, Katrina was at a loss for words and raised her hand again.
At that moment, Blair spoke.
“Wouldn’t it be troublesome if the bride’s face were injured?”
At Blair’s words, Katrina’s hand, which had seemed ready to strike at any moment, halted.
Trembling with rage, Katrina eventually lowered it.
“So you’re determined to drive a nail into your mother’s heart.
Impudent child…….”
Katrina brushed past Blair and Lina and left the reception room just like that.
Blair closed her eyes as she listened to the fading sound of heels.
The sound hurt her a little, yet at the same time felt relieving.
It was the end of a terrible unrequited love.
* * *
The wedding was held at a temple located on the outskirts of the capital.
Countless people gathered to see the marriage between the emperor’s only sister and the Duke of Delmark.
Not only nobles, but even commoners.
In the bride’s waiting room, the maids in charge were busily finishing the adornment of today’s main figure, Blair.
“Thankfully the swelling has gone down quite a bit.”
The maid adjusting her makeup carefully brushed the cheek Blair had been struck on by Katrina yesterday and sighed in relief.
“That’s all thanks to the treatment you gave me.
Mother should give you quite a generous reward.”
“Her Majesty the Empress Dowager is really too much.
What is this to do to a bride’s face?”
Blair simply smiled faintly at the maid who spoke as if she herself were more upset.
At that moment, Lina, who was approaching with the veil, suddenly looked out the window and let out a small exclamation.
“Oh my, it’s snowing outside.”
“It seems the gods have come to congratulate Your Highness’s wedding as well.”
Looking outside, small white snowflakes were indeed fluttering down.
It had snowed during her first wedding as well.
Blair looked calmly at the snow she had once watched with excitement and fear.
The sound of knocking broke that calm.
“Are you ready?”
Hearing Ivan’s voice, the maids quickly placed the veil over Blair.
Because the bride’s beauty could only be seen first by the groom.
The maids bowed as Ivan entered the bride’s waiting room.
“If you’re ready, let’s go.”
Ivan approached Blair and extended his hand.
Blair stared at the hand for a moment before placing her own on top of it.
As they left the waiting room together, Ivan spoke.
“The most certain way for a woman to secure her position in her husband’s family is to give that house a son.
You know that, right?”
Blair gave no response.
Ivan found it displeasing that his sister remained silent even after hearing his concerned advice.
“And as your older brother, here’s another piece of advice. You’re too stiff for a woman.
Being a proper lady is fine, but in bed you need to act a bit like a temptress if you want to be loved.”
“…….”
“Mother was very worried.”
Blair, who had kept silent the entire time, finally spoke when the word “Mother” came up.
“Please tell her that her daughter will live well anywhere, so she need not worry, Brother.”
Anywhere on this continent.
Once this contract marriage ended, Blair planned to free herself from the responsibilities of royalty and live traveling freely.
Together with her beloved son Asiel.
When Blair came out holding Ivan’s hand, the countless people waiting before them welcomed her.
The nobles could not stop admiring the silhouette of Blair beneath the veil.
Even though she wore a veil, her face was not completely hidden.
“My goodness, she looks like an angel descended from heaven.”
“She looks like a fairy of snow.”
Herdin listened to the nobles’ praises with one ear and let them pass out the other as he watched Ivan and Blair approaching.
For him, this wedding held no particular emotion.
Ivan, who had come up before him, placed Blair’s hand into Herdin’s.
“She’s a precious child raised with care.
Please cherish her.”
“How could I refuse an imperial command?”
Holding hands, the two stood side by side before the officiant, Pope Gerard.
Looking at the pair, he smiled with satisfaction.
“It warms my heart to see the princess grow safely and now celebrate her marriage.”
He was the one who had treated Blair when she was injured during the Empress Palace fire incident.
He had also attended the funeral of the former ducal couple as the pope and personally delivered the eulogy.
Thus his connection with both of them continued until now, and he had stepped forward to officiate the ceremony himself.
Soon the ceremony continued.
Among the excited crowd celebrating the marriage of the empire’s most beautiful man and woman, only the two people involved remained indifferent.
“Then please seal your vows with a kiss.”
Herdin lifted Blair’s veil.
At the same moment, their eyes met.
At that instant, the eyes that had been as calm as a winter lake rippled slightly.
The pure white dress and delicate platinum hair highlighted every color upon her.
Her pale face faintly flushed beneath the veil, the clear amethyst-like violet eyes upon it, and her crimson lips.
And behind her, the gently falling snowflakes outside the window formed the backdrop.
A snow fairy.
A woman of pure white to whom that phrase fit perfectly.
Thinking the nobles’ praises were not entirely exaggerated, Herdin willingly pressed his lips to the fairy’s lips.
* * *
After the wedding at the temple ended, a banquet was held at the imperial palace.
It was a celebration the emperor hosted to share the imperial family’s joyous occasion with everyone.
At the same time, as if considering the newly married couple, Herdin and Blair were allowed to leave early.
After organizing the documents that had arrived for Herdin throughout the day, Ruth opened the door to leave the office.
At that same moment, he collided with a large shadow.
“Ah! You startled me!”
Standing before him was Herdin, wearing a robe.
His hair was still damp, as if he had come straight after washing.
Ruth rubbed his startled chest and looked at him.
“Why are you here at this hour?”
“Do I need a reason to come to my own office?”
“No, that’s not what I mean. Tonight is your wedding night.”
“There are documents that need to be handled.”
“There’s nothing urgent enough to deal with on the day of your wedding.”
“You sound like you were hoping I wouldn’t come to the office.”
“Of course.
Who would want to be alone late at night with their boss?
Especially a boss who just got married today.”
A boss who visited his office where his aide was instead of his bride’s bedroom on his wedding night.
It was a combination that could easily lead to strange rumors.
Ignoring Ruth as he shuddered at the dreadful thought, Herdin sat at the desk in the office and put a cigar in his mouth.
Cold-blooded, truly cold-blooded.
That workaholic.
Watching Herdin actually begin reviewing documents, Ruth clicked his tongue before cautiously asking,
“……By the way, what are you going to do from now on?”
Though the object of the sentence was omitted, Herdin understood what Ruth meant.
“She said she would cooperate as much as possible in finding the memories related to the incident ten years ago.”
“Really?”
“Yes.
Though I don’t know whether she truly lost her memory or is pretending to have lost it for another purpose.”
He had accepted Blair’s proposal and married her, but he still could not trust her.
‘……Does it matter?’
Whatever her purpose was, she was now in his hands. As long as she remained there, he only needed to make the most of it and uncover the truth.
As Herdin sank into thought, Ruth carefully asked,
“But are you really not going to the bedroom?”
Suddenly, Herdin recalled the face of the woman who had stood beside him all day with the same expression like a doll.
A cold light entered his blue eyes as he remembered that pale face.
She was probably exhausted and had already fallen asleep.
It must have been a grueling schedule for such a fragile woman.
And above all, there was no need to perform a ritual like the first night in a contract marriage.
Surely she felt the same way.
But when his thoughts reached that point, his mind suddenly changed.
Herdin, who had been touching his lips and lost in thought for a moment, stood up.
“You’re leaving?”
At Ruth’s question, Herdin answered calmly.
“I suddenly became curious.”
What kind of expression that doll-like woman would make
when faced with a visit from her unwelcome husband.
