Let’s Take Revenge
Blair calmed her anxious heart while looking out the window, then turned her head at the sound of a knock.
Lina entered holding a letter.
“Madam, an invitation to the hunting tournament has arrived from the imperial palace.” :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}
The hunting tournament was an event that signaled the arrival of spring.
Holding the letter, Blair thought to herself.
She would try to persuade Herdin once again.
* * *
After parting with the noble ladies and young ladies, Rachel left the temple with a much more refreshed expression.
It was far from enough to forget the humiliation Blair had inflicted on her, but at least doing this made her feel a little better.
Of course, the feeling wouldn’t last long.
Rachel walked toward the carriage of the Selden family that was waiting for her.
Seeing her, the coachman who had been waiting climbed down from the driver’s seat to open the carriage door.
Just as he was about to open it, an unwelcome voice sounded behind her.
“Rachel.”
Turning toward the voice, she saw Wesley standing there.
Rachel’s face twisted in displeasure when she saw him.
They had known each other since childhood, but after Wesley got involved in gambling two years ago, he had begun wandering around asking all his acquaintances to lend him money, and everyone avoided him.
On top of that, his drunken habits were atrocious, and he caused incidents everywhere he went.
Nothing good came from getting involved with him.
Rachel swallowed a sigh and gestured for the coachman to wait inside the carriage.
Once the coachman disappeared, she finally spoke.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you sober, Wesley.
Is the Marquis doing well?
He seems to have aged a lot lately because of you.”
“The old man?
He’s fine.
And your parents?”
“They’re doing well.
Unlike some people, they have a smart daughter who behaves properly, so what would they have to worry about?”
At Rachel’s words, Wesley chuckled as if he had heard something amusing.
Even that laugh irritated Rachel.
“Anyway, what brings you here?
You didn’t come to see me, did you?”
“Of course I came to see you.
If I want to meet the honorable daughter of the Selden Marquisate, I have to come to the temple, don’t I?”
“If you came to borrow gambling money again, get lost. And if it’s anything else, get lost too.
And don’t come looking for me again.”
After snapping coldly at him, Rachel turned and opened the carriage door.
Behind her, a whistle sounded along with his voice.
“I heard our imperial princess—no, the Duchess—really gave you quite a blow at the banquet held by the Delmark house.”
Rachel froze at those words.
When she turned around, her eyes trembled with anger.
More than the fear that someone had overheard what she said to Blair, the fact that someone had witnessed her being humiliated by Blair drove her mad.
For her entire life, she had believed Blair was beneath her.
Watching Blair be swayed by her every word and action had given Rachel a sense of superiority.
Whenever she manipulated Blair, it made her feel more noble than that high-born princess.
It was both her pride and her dignity.
Yet someone had witnessed the moment that pride had been crushed.
“They say birds hear words spoken during the day and mice hear words spoken at night.
Were you eavesdropping like some rat?”
At Rachel’s reaction, Wesley whistled and giggled.
“So before that little rat goes squeaking somewhere, let’s have a talk.”
Before Rachel could even give permission, Wesley climbed into the open carriage.
Frowning, Rachel reluctantly followed him inside.
Soon the carriage began moving.
Rachel glared at Wesley sitting across from her.
“So what’s your business?
Don’t tell me you’re using that as an excuse to ask me to repay your gambling debts.”
“I will borrow some money, but I’m not asking you to repay my debts.
I do have some shame, you know. I wouldn’t ask you for that.”
“Then what do you want?”
“Let’s take revenge.”
“…Revenge for what?”
“You want revenge on the Duchess too, don’t you?”
When the words Blair and revenge came from Wesley’s mouth, Rachel’s eyes changed slightly.
“Our Miss Rachel Selden has taken such good care of Her Imperial Highness all this time, yet she doesn’t even appreciate it.
And now she dares to defy you over just one man?”
“……”
“Shouldn’t we press her down so she never acts so arrogant again?”
As he said that, Wesley’s eyes gleamed with madness.
Rachel frowned as she looked at him.
She could roughly guess why Wesley had developed such thoughts.
He probably still held a grudge from being beaten by Herdin at the Grand Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet.
Since Herdin was too powerful to take his anger out on, he had redirected that anger toward Blair.
But Rachel had no intention of joining him.
“You must have forgotten, but she’s my cousin.
No matter how much I dislike her, I won’t do something like that.
If you want to do it, do it alone.
Don’t drag me into it.”
“You’re just scared, yet you pretend to be virtuous.”
Wesley quickly changed his attitude, his mocking words digging into her weakness.
Seizing the moment, he continued,
“You don’t have to be so afraid.
I’m not suggesting we harm the precious imperial princess.
Just a little prank.
We suffered that humiliation, so shouldn’t we at least play a little trick?”
“……”
“The noble Miss Selden doesn’t have to dirty even a fingertip. Just lend me the money.
I’ll take care of the rest myself.”
“……”
“So? Interested now?”
Rachel stared at Wesley for a moment before finally speaking.
“Tell me your plan.”
* * *
In the room heated by the fireplace, the shadows of two people were tangled together.
With one arm wrapped around her waist, Herdin cupped Blair’s cheek with his other hand and pushed his thumb into her mouth.
When his thumb suddenly entered and toyed with her mouth, Blair instinctively bit his finger.
Herdin chuckled.
The bite was so weak it was almost cute.
At the same time, he wanted to see her face.
“Blair, look at me.”
But Blair could hardly regain her senses.
So Herdin turned her face toward him.
Her face was a mess, wet with tears.
Even that looked beautiful.
Herdin found himself amused by it, yet unable to resist his desire, and kissed her parted lips.
“Mm…”
A devouring kiss followed.
Then suddenly he pulled away.
“Herd—”
Before Blair could even question his sudden stop, Herdin turned her so she faced him and embraced her again.
Blair seemed to feel more when she couldn’t see his face, but Herdin preferred seeing hers.
The face of a woman flushed with heat and on the verge of tears gave him dizzying pleasure.
Herdin held Blair’s shoulders as she kept sliding up the bed under the force she could barely endure.
Her face was right before him, their breaths mingling even without their lips touching.
Herdin gazed into Blair’s eyes, twisted as she struggled to endure him.
In the moist violet eyes of the woman, only his reflection was visible.
Whenever he looked into those eyes, he felt the illusion that he was the only one in her world.
The voice that called his name half unconsciously, the small body clinging desperately to him because it could not endure everything happening.
If he truly were the only existence in that world, then it was only natural that he should claim every moment of the woman for himself.
They were already pressed together so closely they could not get any closer, yet this feeling of insufficiency remained.
Had this woman bewitched him?
Or had he gone mad?
If this unquenchable thirst was what people called desire, then he could somewhat understand those men who lost their senses over women.
Herdin looked at Blair as if engraving her into his eyes before pulling her into a tighter embrace.
As if calming the trembling of her body, he kissed and caressed her.
After a while, Blair caught her breath and slowly opened her eyes.
Her brilliant violet eyes reflected him.
Receiving his kiss, Blair carefully spoke.
“…Herdin.
Can we finish early today?”
“Early?”
“We have to wake up early tomorrow.”
“Ah.”
It sounded as if he had only just remembered that tomorrow was the hunting tournament.
He had briefly considered letting her sleep early tonight as well, but that had been before entering her bedroom.
Seeing her look up at him with pleading eyes, the sadistic impulse within him lifted its head.
Perhaps he had begun to enjoy watching his wife’s expressions.
Her tearful face, the face flushed with heat and helpless confusion, the face filled with embarrassment…
The doll-like woman who rarely laughed or cried in front of him showed so many different expressions in bed, and it fascinated him.
“Then as my wife wishes…”
Herdin said that while pulling his body back.
Or so it seemed.
The moment Blair relaxed her guard, he pulled her into his arms again.
“Ah!”
“I’ll try.
Quickly.”
“T-that’s not what I meant—”
Blair glared at him with obvious resentment, but Herdin merely kissed those eyes