As she approached the direction of the sound, she saw Herdin vomiting his guts out in one corner of the garden.
Blair hurriedly approached Herdin.
"Are you oka—?"
But the moment she tried to stroke his back, Herdin roughly shoved Blair away.
"Get lost!"
From the emotionally agitated blow, Blair tumbled helplessly backward.
Her bruised hip throbbed from the fall, but her surprise at the situation outweighed the pain. It was the first time anyone had shown her such clear hostility.
Though the situation left her dazed, her worry for Herdin took precedence. Blair blinked blankly before springing to her feet.
"Are you okay?"
Herdin's eyes wavered briefly upon seeing the fallen Blair, but they soon hardened coldly. And he lashed out even more harshly.
"Didn't you hear me tell you to get lost?"
Courtesy toward the princess had long been discarded.
Herdin took a menacing step closer to Blair and spat through gritted teeth.
"If you don't want to die, get lost."
A clear murderous intent emanated from Herdin's voice as he spoke.
Facing raw killing intent for the first time in her life, Blair instinctively shrank back, but the moment she saw his eyes, she couldn't flee. No, she didn't want to.
Despite his harsh words, the boy's distorted blue eyes somehow looked utterly lonely.
Suddenly, Esmeralda's words from yesterday came to mind.
'Honestly, Herdin isn't a warm child. He has many wounds in his heart, so he's awkward with people.'
Indeed, Herdin was neither affable nor the good person she had lied about. Just as Esmeralda said.
But….
'He's not a bad person either.'
He was just a boy struggling to bear the sorrow left behind.
"Wait a moment!"
Blair, staring up at Herdin intently as if recalling something, turned and dashed back into the banquet hall. She grabbed her item and hurriedly returned.
Running around like this was unladylike, as she had been taught, but Blair was in a hurry. Like when she fetched food for a cat that appeared in the backyard.
"Haa…. Haa…."
By the time she returned to the backyard, Herdin was nowhere to be seen.
Searching the garden, Blair found him on the opposite side of the wall where he had been first. Herdin sat leaning against the wall, face buried in his knees.
'Is he in a lot of pain?'
Recalling Herdin vomiting, Blair approached him worriedly, wondering if she should have brought medicine instead.
At that moment, a sigh escaped from Herdin, who had his face buried in his knees, followed by the rough voice typical of a pubescent boy.
"...Why did you come back?"
His tone was clearly annoyed, but this time he made an effort to be polite.
Before Herdin could push her away again, Blair quickly placed her item into his outstretched hand on his knee.
"I'll lend you this."
Only then did Herdin lift his head to look at what she held. It was rabbit fur earplugs.
"They're rabbit fur earplugs, and they block out sounds really well."
These earplugs would at least muffle the whispers a bit. It was winter, so no one would think it strange to wear them.
"And they're warm and super soft."
The rabbit fur earplugs were plushy. She loved the texture so much she wanted to keep touching them. Stroking the fur always lifted her mood.
'Then the duke's mood should improve too, right?'
As Herdin alternated between the earplugs and Blair's sparkling eyes with a bewildered gaze, about to say something—
"Your Highness! Are you here?"
A maid's voice calling for Blair rang out.
Hearing approaching footsteps, Blair jumped up. If they discovered Herdin hiding here, his pretense of composure at the banquet would be undone.
"I'll keep today's secret."
Blair left Herdin behind and quickly rounded the corner, scurrying to the maid. Her hand felt empty without the earplugs, but her heart was light.
That night, before sleep as always, Blair made a wish.
Please make Mother love me.
Please make Mother and Her Majesty the Empress get along.
To her daily wishes, she added one especially for someone else that day.
Though she was displeased that he had stolen Esmeralda's attention….
'Still, please make Duke del Mark happy.'
* * *
"So Her Majesty the Late Empress arranged the first meeting between Madam and the Duke?"
Agnes listened attentively to Blair's story with interest, despite it having nothing to do with her.
What Blair had told Agnes was only up to playing card games with him the day before the New Year's festival and that Herdin had attended the banquet. She hadn't mentioned him fleeing the banquet that day.
It was an old story, and even if someone learned now that he had run away that night, no one could mock the current him.
The current Herdin was the empire's greatest knight and war hero.
But even if that night's secret no longer held meaning, she didn't want to toss his wounds as fodder for others' gossip.
"A connection from childhood bearing the fruit of marriage—such a romantic tale."
"Is it?"
"Of course. It's the story every girl dreams of at least once. And with the Duke as the partner, no less…. Of course, what completes that romance is Madam's love."
Blair looked at Agnes with eyes questioning what she meant.
"Madam is the one who cherished that memory. There must have been many other memories from the New Year's festival, yet you remember it centered around the Duke, don't you?"
Blair's eyes blinked slowly in surprise at Agnes's words. It was a perspective she had never considered.
Agnes smiled gently and said,
"Madam must love the Duke very much."
Blair, mulling over the words dazedly, smiled faintly.
Yes, she had loved him. Perhaps, just as Agnes said, she had been drawn to him from that New Year's festival.
But not anymore.
However, as the Duchess, she couldn't tell a stranger she didn't love the Duke. Still, one thing she could say for certain….
"...I loved that time."
Herself, who had liked him so purely back then, and that era when those feelings weren't a sin.
Agnes nodded in agreement with Blair's words.
"Memories of happy moments can sometimes sustain us for a lifetime. I hope this year's New Year's festival brings Madam such sustaining memories too."
This year's New Year's festival was something Blair had already experienced once.
'Come to think of it, what happened at this year's New Year's festival?'
As Blair recalled the past, she paused.
Only then did she remember. The fact that an incident had occurred during the New Year's festival around this time before her regression.
* * *
That night, Blair paced her room, stroking her lips with her fingertips. It was because of the memory of the New Year's festival before her regression that had suddenly resurfaced.
Before her regression, an incident had occurred during the New Year's festival around this time.
Magic beasts had appeared at the imperial hunting grounds where family heads and matriarchs had gone to procure offerings for the gods.
Blair hadn't recalled it immediately because she had caught a cold that day and hadn't attended the New Year's festival.
All she had heard was from Rina the next morning after her fever broke.
Herdin had slain the magic beasts there, resulting in some injuries but no deaths. Herdin had returned covered in their blood but unharmed.
'What should I do...?'
If things proceeded exactly as in the past, it would pass without major issues, but what if her own interventions already caused deviations? Or worse, what if trying to prevent it backfired?
Numerous possibilities swirled in Blair's mind. She couldn't determine the right choice.
Above all, the reason she hesitated to warn of future events was the lack of explanation for how she knew.
Other than claiming she had regressed.
Would Herdin believe such an absurd tale of returning to the past?
'But he believed me about Rina.'
Without asking or questioning, he had sided with her and punished the maids.
Then perhaps he might believe her this time too. Though this story was incomparably more outlandish than Rina's incident.
However, even if he didn't believe her, she had to tell him.
Being aware and preparing countermeasures usually yielded better results than remaining ignorant.
It was about time for Herdin to return home.
After agonizing repeatedly, Blair went to Herdin's room. But there was no response even after several knocks.
'Is he already asleep?'
He wasn't one to sleep early, but considering tomorrow's schedule, it was possible.
As she debated returning to her room—
"What brings you here at this hour?"
Turning toward the voice, Blair's eyes met Herdin's. He leaned against the wall with arms crossed, watching her.
He appeared to have just bathed, dressed in a loose nightgown.
The moment their eyes met in the darkness, it felt like locking gazes with a beast eyeing its prey.
"...I have something important to tell you."
Blair spoke with grave resolve, her pale cheeks flushed red from the cold wind. Herdin gazed at her silently before entering his room.
Blair followed him into the bedroom. The warm air inside melted her chilled body.
Herdin strode to the table with long strides, wetted his throat with whiskey, and turned to Blair.
"So, what is it you want to say?"
"Magic beasts will appear at the hunting grounds tomorrow. It would be best to scout the surroundings beforehand and prevent it."
Herdin furrowed his brow at the out-of-nowhere claim.
"Where did you hear that?"
It was the reaction she had expected.
After hesitating briefly, Blair cautiously began.
"I... can see the future."
Herdin stared at Blair spinning her absurd tale for a moment before bursting into derisive laughter. He recalled Russ's words from the night Blair had visited the guild a few days ago.
Why come to him in the dead of night with such nonsense? What scheme was this innocent face hiding?
The sneer on Herdin's lips faded, leaving only cold eyes.
"You expect me to believe that?"
"I know it sounds utterly ridiculous, but preventing it in advance can't hurt…."
Mid-sentence, Blair stopped upon seeing him approach her in large strides. His chilling presence instinctively made her step back.
Herdin wrapped his arm around Blair's waist, blocking her retreat.
"Her—"
As she startled and tried to push him away, his lips drew near hers. So close that moving them would make them touch.
Pausing there, Herdin whispered,
"Then, guess what I'll do next."
His ice-blue eyes pierced like daggers.