Chapter 21
The Woman You Will Fall in Love With
Blair stared blankly at Miella as she followed the priest into the room.
“Could it be… that these two have known each other since then?”
She had heard that Herdin had never been seriously injured in the past, but it was possible that his wounds were minor enough to just be treated discreetly and covered up.
Thinking that thought sent a cold chill through her entire body.
“Then, Miella, please take care of him quickly. The service will start shortly.”
The priest who had brought Miella requested.
Herdin’s gaze naturally fell on Miella. His eyes, however, were indifferent. In stark contrast to Miella’s almost hypnotized stare directed at him.
Those eyes were unmistakably the eyes of a man in love.
Miella stood there, momentarily dazed, captivated by Herdin’s gaze, until the priest, puzzled, called out to her.
“Priest Miella?”
“…Ah. I-I’m sorry!”
Startled, Miella hurried toward Herdin, but she hesitated, unable to touch his torso or even look directly at him.
Finally, as if she had made up her mind, she spoke.
“Th-then, excuse me for a moment, Duke.”
Her face flushed with unavoidable embarrassment as she placed her hands on his firm abdomen. She couldn’t bring herself to look at his stomach or his face, seemingly unsure of what to do.
Watching that, memories from before her time reset suddenly came to Blair’s mind.
Herdin holding Miella, his cold gaze that had not avoided her even when looking at her.
Recalling that memory made Blair’s body shake uncontrollably. Her heart pounded so fast she felt like she might vomit.
“…No.”
Blair pressed her fists against her chest, as if trying to suppress the surge of emotions. She then looked at herself with self-mockery.
Even after being hurt so deeply by him, she was still getting hurt for the same reason again. How laughable that was.
That she felt hurt and shaken by his relationship with Miella meant one thing: she still loved him.
Biting her lip, Blair turned her gaze away from the two of them.
She hated him.
She hated herself for still being unable to let him go.
Meanwhile, Miella’s fingertips glowed with a bright light as they touched Herdin’s abdomen.
Repeating the process a few more times, Miella looked at Herdin’s complexion and asked,
“I think it’s done now. How do you feel?”
“I feel fine.”
“I’m glad I could help.”
Miella smiled brightly at Herdin, as if her earlier embarrassment had completely vanished.
The observing priest spoke to Herdin.
“The service will start soon, so it would be best to prepare quickly.”
“Indeed.”
After exchanging a brief farewell, the priest left the lounge. Miella, hesitant to leave, bowed slightly to Herdin.
“May the goddess always grant you her blessing, Duke.”
After finishing her greeting, Miella left.
Herdin put his shirt back on and noticed Blair, who had been quiet until now, watching him.
Her normally pale face looked even paler than usual, fragile as if she might collapse at any moment.
Herdin approached her.
“Did you get hurt at the hunting grounds earlier?”
Instinctively, he reached out to support her, but Blair pushed him away.
“…I’m fine.”
Before he could respond further, Blair changed the topic.
“More importantly, you asked what I saw in the future earlier.”
Talks of the future or foresight had to stop. She had no intention of revealing everything she knew.
But seeing herself shaken by him made her feel that she needed to draw a line.
So this was—
“The priest you saw earlier is the woman you will fall in love with.”
It was a statement directed at him, but also a way for her to push him entirely out of her own heart.
“…What?”
“She might make a good partner for you, but it’s too soon to formally bring her into the court. As I said before, we can’t have any flaws on your part when we divorce.”
Herdin let out an incredulous laugh.
“But if we could prevent rumors—”
Before Blair could finish her sentence, Herdin’s lips suddenly captured hers.
He paused only after kissing her, letting her pull away in surprise, but he didn’t release his hold on her waist.
Looking into her eyes from so close, his gaze was cold yet intense.
“Even if that’s true, why should I care about bringing her into the court?”
“…”
“You have me.”
His large hands traced Blair’s spine. Gentle in touch, yet the emotions reflected in his cool blue eyes made the hairs on her arms stand on end.
“Until this contract ends, you are my wife. Everything I do, everything I will do beyond this, will only be with you.”
As his low, chilling voice resonated in her ears, his lips approached hers again, as if to claim them.
At that moment, a voice called out:
“Sir, the service is about to begin.”
It was Ruse, knocking and announcing.
Herdin let out a soft sigh, released Blair, grabbed his coat, and stepped out of the lounge first.
Blair watched his retreating figure in momentary confusion, then slowly accepted his feelings.
Anyone would fall in love with a woman they met for the first time—it would be absurd to deny it.
And just as he had in the past, Herdin would eventually fall in love with Miella.
Now, only she remembered a future that no longer existed—the memories and wounds within it. And therefore, only she could change that future.
Blair had no intention of altering his future.
“Even if his future changes and he loves someone else, it won’t be me.”
So, in this life, she would disappear from his life—for both their sakes.
As she collected herself to follow Herdin, she suddenly felt something at her feet and stopped.
It was Herdin’s cravat.
Herdin left the lounge and headed toward the main temple. Ruse had returned to handle errands Herdin had entrusted, and Blair followed behind.
Herdin felt her presence behind him and recalled her earlier words.
“The priest you saw earlier is the woman you will fall in love with.”
The content of the “future” Blair claimed to have seen was astonishing enough, but what angered him more was her expression.
She had spoken as if it were someone else’s story—completely calm, unaffected—yet the reason she said he shouldn’t bring her into the court yet was merely to ensure a safe divorce.
But that had always been the terms of their contract.
Why did it make him so angry?
“Herdin.”
Blair’s voice called from behind, breathless from keeping up with his long strides.
He let out a lazy sigh, casually brushing back his bangs. His pace gradually slowed.
Finally catching up, Blair, panting, held out his cravat.
“You dropped this.”
Herdin stared at the cravat in her hands, then leaned toward her.
“Tie it for me.”
Surprised by his request, Blair blinked. Seeing the coat in his right hand, she understood.
A bride learns to tie her husband’s cravat before marriage as part of her training—assisting him in public duties is part of a wife’s role.
Blair had known this even before her bridal lessons; she had tied his cravat countless times in the past.
He had often asked her to do so, using it as an excuse to get close and hold her in the mornings.
…Though all of that had been a lie.
Now she knew that this request had no meaning, yet after what had just happened, it was difficult to approach him. She was also uneasy about tying it directly herself.
Hesitating for a moment, Blair moved close, as if to embrace his neck.
As they closed the distance, the pale nape of her neck beneath her upturned hair drew nearer. The sweet scent of her body enveloped him.
Suddenly, memories of their first night together flooded his mind—the feel of her soft nape under his lips, her body shivering in his arms, and…
Her beautiful face looking up at him.
“…I’m really crazy.”
He regretted asking her to tie his cravat.
The suppressed desire it stirred slithered down his throat, yet his gaze remained fixed on her.
Blair, unaware of his thoughts, concentrated on tying the cravat.
Her slightly furrowed brows and pursed lips softened each time her fingers brushed his nape by mistake.
“It’s done.”
Blair stepped back after adjusting the cravat. Herdin, however, grabbed her hand.
Their eyes met—hers puzzled, his intent.
He realized he had unconsciously held her hand, frowning briefly. But the moment passed, and his blue eyes captured her entire presence.
As if he could devour her at any second.