Blair, having barely managed to pull the leash, curled up on the bed again and waited for Lina. The room was still warm, with the fireplace still lit. Herdin must have turned it on that morning.
A thought suddenly crossed her mind.
'I don't think Herdin is behind the assailant.'
He, who so readily admitted his fault and apologized, and who had stayed by her side because she was afraid of fire, no matter how much he hated her, it didn't seem likely that he would have killed her.
Just as she was about to drift off to sleep with these thoughts, a knock was followed by Lina's voice.
"Madam, I'm coming in!"
Lina entered the room with water for washing.
As Blair sat up, she suddenly looked down at her body. It was covered in red marks, as if flowers had bloomed. The traces of the night, which had been shameful in her past life, were now familiar.
"Lina, could you give me some clothes?"
"Ah, yes!"
Lina, having finished setting down the water, quickly brought over some clothes.
"Thank you."
Blair took the clothes Lina handed her and put them on. However, Lina, who would usually chatter endlessly, was strangely quiet.
Puzzled, Blair looked at her and saw that Lina was deliberately avoiding her gaze.
Only then did Blair realize that Lina was embarrassed by the marks on her body.
'In my previous life, Lina also became suddenly quiet while serving breakfast not long after I got married.'
Blair stifled a laugh and asked,
"Where is the Duke?"
"Ah. He left about an hour ago. A knight from the Imperial Palace came because monsters were appearing on the outskirts."
Blair's expression hardened at the news.
Maintaining public order in the capital was strictly the responsibility of the Imperial Knights. However, even in her previous life, Ivan treated Herdin like his own knight. He claimed he needed help, arguing that the knights of the North, where monsters frequently appear, would be much more skilled in dealing with them.
Herdin often stepped forward without hesitation, knowing that if he didn't, innocent people would be harmed.
Blair hated that.
She hated seeing the people or the Empire's knights get hurt, but she also hated seeing Herdin endure injustice.
'If he divorces me, he will lose the justification to ask for favors.'
Thinking that, she could not remain still any longer.
Blair hastily put on her clothes and got out of bed. At that moment, her legs gave way, and she slumped down.
Startled, Lina supported her.
"Madam! Are you alright?"
"I'm fine."
"Why don't you just rest today? You don't have a busy schedule anyway... and you've been pushing yourself too hard lately..."
"No. I'll be fine soon."
Blair sat up, turning away from Lina's worried gaze. She could feel Lina's displeasure toward Herdin, the cause of this situation, and she smiled faintly.
Worried, Lina brought the washing water closer to the bed. She stopped Blair from going to the dining room and even brought the meal to her.
After finishing her meal under Lina's care, Blair felt some strength return.
Only then did she begin her day.
She stopped by Pippi's room to check on her and played with her for a while, then left and headed to the mansion's library. It was to study neighboring countries.
'I plan to stay in the Kingdom of Clania until Asiel is born, but since I don't know where we will settle after that, it would be good to study the surrounding countries.'
However, the book she was looking for was not in the library.
The librarian looked perplexed.
"It seems one of the servants borrowed it. It is on the borrower list, so I will retrieve it right away."
Although books had become more common, they were still expensive. For that reason, nobles usually did not allow servants into the library.
However, Herdin kept the library open to everyone, so anyone in Delmark could read freely.
Blair did not want to go against his wishes.
"No, there is no need. It's not urgent, and the person who borrowed it should read it first."
At that, Mason, who had been watching from the side, suggested,
"Madam, how about visiting His Excellency's private study?"
Herdin's private study was connected to his office. It had been designed so he could easily access materials while working.
Blair had never been there before, feeling it was too private.
"Is it alright if I go in?"
Mason looked at her intently.
Most people in the Duke's household were wary of her.
As the Emperor's sister, they could not openly oppose her, but they were not friendly either.
Blair did not try to force closeness, but her behavior was cautious, like someone visiting a stranger's home.
Mason had felt the same at first, but after observing her, he came to understand.
Blair resembled Esmeralda more than Katrina.
A child who worked hard and was genuinely happy over small praise.
"Madam, you are the mistress of Delmark. There is nowhere you cannot go."
He added,
"His Excellency has not restricted the study either."
Hearing that, Blair went to the office with Mason.
However, the moment she entered, she froze.
The office, once a complete mess ten days ago, was now perfectly clean.
Her face flushed in embarrassment.
"Madam? What is it?"
"…Nothing."
I should avoid coming here for a while.
Blair followed Mason to the private study.
"Please call me if you need anything."
Mason left.
Inside, a large room filled with bookshelves unfolded before her.
At first glance, it looked neat, but some books were scattered.
These must have been Herdin's.
'I thought he preferred everything organized.'
Blair searched and found a shelf filled with history books from various countries.
The books she needed were there.
As she looked for more, another shelf caught her attention.
It had no label.
Curious, she approached.
The shelf was filled with books written in an unfamiliar language.
Blair recognized it.
"Ancient language?"
Books written in ancient languages were usually spellbooks.
That meant every book here was a magic book.
She remembered seeing Herdin at the New Year's Festival, using both sword and magic.
He was a magic swordsman.
Her childhood dream surfaced.
Before she knew the truth, she had wanted to become a wizard.
She had studied spellbooks, believing she could achieve anything.
Although she failed, she had learned to interpret some ancient text.
Blair looked through the shelf and noticed one book placed on top.
She took it down.
Dust covered it thickly, making her cough.
After brushing it off, she looked at the cover.
<∞>
There was no title, only a small symbol.
Infinity.
Curious, she opened it.
Ancient text filled the first page.
Blair tried to read it.
"The magic of… time."
What kind of magic was this?
Just reading the title made her more confused.
Blair reached to turn the next page.