I Only Need the Duke’s Child – Episode 53. Blair Disappeared
That feeling would disappear before long.
Like a fleeting spring breeze brushing past her cheek.
So…
‘I must not waver.’
Relying on that warmth, those touches—hoping alone, fluttering alone, getting hurt alone—had already been more than enough in her previous life.
Blair turned away, leaving Herdin’s back behind.
Just then Lina hurried over.
“Madam, it seems the tea time is over there!”
“Yes, let’s go.”
Rachel, who had been watching Blair head toward the tea time location from not too far away, stood up and followed the two.
* * *
The peaceful atmosphere of the tea time was broken when a maid from the Selden household rushed in.
“Joshua is missing?”
At the news that the child had disappeared, the face of the Viscountess Selden turned pale.
Joshua was the son of the young Viscount Selden and Rachel’s nephew, a four-year-old child.
At banquets and events, separate spaces were usually prepared for children.
It was considered improper for children to disrupt the adults’ social atmosphere.
And since children could play away from the adults’ critical eyes and socialize among themselves, it was a custom beneficial for both adults and children.
Even though the children were in a separate place, nannies and maids watched over them, so it was rare for a child to go missing.
Yet the child had disappeared.
When Blair heard the news, her heart dropped.
Because she knew, at least a little, the feelings of a mother who had lost a child.
“What… what do you mean, Cassie?
Where were you and the nanny all this time?”
Rachel also seemed shocked by the news and stood up abruptly, approaching the maid.
In the process, Blair’s teacup was pushed over.
The spilled tea poured directly onto Blair’s dress.
Fortunately, the tea had cooled enough and wasn’t hot.
Seeing that, Rachel froze in surprise.
“Oh my, I’m sorry.
Duchess.
I was so startled that…
Are you alright?”
Although seeing Rachel’s face was uncomfortable because of the previous incident, Blair felt more worried about the missing child than annoyed at her.
And in this situation, spilling the tea clearly wasn’t intentional.
Blair smiled as if it were nothing.
“I’m fine, so please hurry and go find the child.”
The noble ladies gathered around the Viscountess Selden, whose face had turned pale.
Most of them were mothers, so they sympathized with her situation.
“Madam, I’ll have our knights help search for the child.”
“Our knights will help too.
If many people work together, we’ll find him quickly.
So please don’t worry too much.”
“That’s right, sister.
Our Joshua is a smart child, so he’ll be fine.”
Everyone, including Rachel, comforted and reassured the Viscountess Selden.
Blair also looked at the viscountess with worried eyes when Lina, who had been examining Blair’s dress, spoke.
“Madam, you should go to the carriage and change your dress.”
The tea had stained the dress unpleasantly, and more importantly, it was completely soaked.
Besides, it didn’t seem like tea time would continue.
Blair quietly excused herself to a nearby lady and left the tea gathering.
But the pale face of the Viscountess Selden, worried about her child, kept coming to mind and made her uneasy.
After thinking for a moment, Blair said to Lina,
“Lina, could you call Sir Vane for me?”
The Delmark knight who had been guarding from a distance quickly approached.
“Did you call for me, Madam?”
“I heard the son of the young Viscount Selden is missing. Could you help search for him?”
“The young Viscount Selden’s son…”
“He’s my cousin’s child.
The viscountess seems very distressed, and other noble families have decided to help search as well.”
The knight recalled Herdin’s order not to leave Blair’s side.
“But I was ordered to guard you strictly…”
“I’ll only change my clothes in the carriage and stay with the ladies. Nothing will happen.”
The knight felt troubled.
From the situation, it seemed that as Blair said, knights from many families were gathering to search for the child.
If the Delmark knights alone did not participate, it would put Herdin and Blair in an awkward position.
This also concerned Delmark’s honor.
Especially if something unfortunate happened to the child.
After hesitating briefly, the knight looked at Lina beside Blair and at the noble ladies returning to their carriages after the tea gathering ended, and made a decision.
“I will obey your command, Madam.”
The knight gathered the other knights who had been waiting and went to join the search with the knights from other families.
Meanwhile, Lina brought out a spare dress.
“Madam, please come into the carriage.
I’ll help you change.”
But Lina’s complexion didn’t look good.
Noticing this, Blair asked,
“Lina?
Are you feeling unwell?”
“Huh?
Ah…
Maybe I ate something wrong at lunch. My stomach hurts a little.”
Blair took Lina’s hand.
Her hand felt warm as usual, but her face was pale.
“Does it hurt a lot?
Did you bring any medicine?”
“I don’t have any medicine…
But I’ll be fine soon.”
Lina forced a smile and helped Blair change her clothes.
But once Blair finished changing, Lina had begun to sweat coldly.
Blair wiped the sweat from Lina’s forehead with worried eyes.
“Lina, you really don’t look well.
I’ll go call the imperial physician—”
“N-no!
It’s not that kind of thing…”
“Hm?”
Clutching her stomach, Lina answered in a strained voice, then suddenly stood up as if she couldn’t endure it anymore.
“M-Madam.
Could I step away for just a moment?
Just a moment?”
“Ah…
Alright, don’t worry about me and take your time.”
Blair finally seemed to understand and nodded.
The moment she got permission, Lina hurried away.
A little while later, Lina returned to the carriage looking relieved.
“Ha…
I thought I was going to die.
Am I the only one like this?”
Earlier, while their masters were eating, the maids had gathered together to eat.
“If you all ate the same food, the others should be sick too.”
If that were the case, there would already be chaos, but the other households seemed fine.
Tilting her head in confusion, Lina reached the carriage—and her eyes widened in shock.
“…Madam?”
Blair had completely disappeared.
* * *
The forest became noisy.
As the knights began driving the prey forward, the once-quiet bushes started rustling.
Soon a stag appeared.
At that very instant—
An arrow shot straight through the stag’s neck.
Right after, a startled roe deer sprang out.
It too collapsed instantly from a single arrow.
Herdin calmly drew another arrow.
Killing something no longer stirred any feeling in him.
It wasn’t fun, nor was it horrifying.
As Herdin turned his horse to move elsewhere, Wesley emerged from the forest.
“Oh my, that’s too much.
How do you not miss even a single one?
You’ll end up catching every animal in the forest, Your Grace.”
Herdin looked at the joking Wesley with cold eyes.
Was it just his bad mood, or had this man been following him around the whole time?
At least he wasn’t chasing after Blair, but having him linger in his sight was extremely irritating.
“You should deliberately let one or two go sometimes.
People like me should at least get the thrill of a catch.”
“I’m not the type who finds satisfaction in yielding what’s mine to others.”
Herdin answered indifferently and turned away.
Just then, a rabbit appeared in their field of view.
Wesley’s eyes lit up as he raised his bow.
And the moment he drew the string—
Another arrow flew faster and struck a tree trunk near the rabbit.
Startled, the rabbit fled, and Wesley’s arrow hit the ground a moment too late.
When Wesley looked toward the direction the other arrow came from, he saw Herdin lowering his bow.
“Well, well. I got greedy and missed.”
But his expression showed no regret at all.
Wesley realized it hadn’t been a mistake.
A man who had been hitting every target couldn’t possibly make such a simple error.
It was a perfectly intentional miss.
A deliberate move to avoid letting Wesley take even one prey.
For a moment Wesley’s face stiffened, but he quickly concealed the emotion and laughed.
“They say even monkeys fall from trees sometimes.
I suppose even Your Grace has days when you make mistakes.”
Herdin looked at him strangely.
Something felt off.
This was the man who had spread rumors that Herdin struck him first after being beaten at the banquet—yet instead of avoiding him, he kept lingering nearby and flattering him.
‘Almost like he’s watching me.’
The thought suddenly stopped in place.
Herdin gave an order to the nearby knights.
“Knights.
We’re returning.”
Wesley flinched and approached.
“You’re leaving already?
If you catch just a few more, the victory of the tournament will practically be yours.”
Ignoring him, Herdin pulled the reins and turned his horse.
The closer he got to the entrance of the forest, the stronger the inexplicable sense of foreboding became.
When he finally reached the entrance, he encountered a knight who was just about to mount his horse.
It was Vane—the knight he had assigned to guard Blair.
“Y-Your Grace.”
The knight looked visibly flustered when he saw Herdin.
Behind him stood the Delmark carriage.
And Lina’s pale face.
But the one person who should have been there—
Blair—
was nowhere to be seen.
Instinctively, Herdin’s heart dropped