The Words He Wants
Blair, who lacked even the strength to smile, leaned her head weakly against the wall.
Her body, frozen by the cold that had slowly consumed it, could no longer feel the chill.
Rather than feeling cold, it felt as though heat was rising through her body.
At the same time, drowsiness washed over her and her consciousness began to fade.
In the quiet cold that now felt almost comfortable, the moment she sensed her own death—
‘…Heredin.’
Truly, pathetically, she wanted to see him.
Just as she was about to let go of the last lingering attachment she had barely been holding onto—
The closed door of the cabin opened, and he appeared.
Looking completely disheveled, unlike his usual self.
“…Blair.”
Ah…
Why is it that every time I feel like I’m about to collapse, you appear?
* * *
“Blair!”
Heredin strode over to the unconscious Blair and lifted her into his arms.
It was still spring, so the fabric of her clothes was not particularly thin—but even so, the warmth a living person should have had was absent.
Like a corpse.
His heart dropped.
“…Blair, you mustn’t fall asleep.
Stay awake.”
But the eyes that had been looking at him moments ago were now closed and unmoving.
A ripple passed through his blue eyes as he looked down at her.
Heredin wrapped Blair layer upon layer in his coat and the coats of the knights, then rode swiftly out of the forest.
At the forest entrance, now dark with night, only the imperial knights stationed by Ivan and the knights of Delmark summoned by Heredin remained.
He gave an order to one of the Delmark knights waiting there.
“Return to the estate first.
Have the physician ready and light the fireplace in the bedroom.”
Once he climbed into the carriage with Blair in his arms, the carriage immediately departed.
Heredin continued holding Blair rather than laying her down on the seat.
If he didn’t share his warmth with her like this, it felt as though the woman in his arms might truly die.
That couldn’t happen.
He still needed this woman.
Heredin removed his gloves and placed his hand against Blair’s cold cheek.
Her cheek was colder than his gloved hand had been.
Even though she was buried beneath so many layers of clothing.
After checking whether Blair was breathing, Heredin slipped his hand into the pile of clothes to find hers.
Even within the warmth of the clothing, her cold hand was easy to find.
As he grasped it, he noticed that her small hand was tightly clutching something.
She must have been holding it even before she lost consciousness in the cabin.
Heredin carefully pried the object from her grasp.
The moment he saw what it was, his eyes shook violently.
The thing she had clung to while dying was an old lighter.
‘No way.’
A dreadful premonition swept over him.
When he slowly pressed the lighter, a flame appeared.
“…Ha.”
A hollow laugh escaped Heredin’s lips.
His wife could have easily avoided ending up like this.
If she had simply lit this lighter.
If she had kept her body from losing warmth.
Then she could have waited safely by a warm fire until he found her.
But instead…
Because of that damned trauma, you almost died?
Because of something so trivial.
…Because of me.
Heredin clenched the lighter so tightly it seemed as though he might crush it, grinding his teeth.
The anger with nowhere to go drifted through the quiet carriage.
* * *
An aide has nothing to do during a hunting competition.
Because of that, Ruth had been idly passing the day at his residence when he heard shocking news and rushed to the ducal estate.
Just then, the physician who had finished examining Blair was leaving her bedroom.
“Your Grace, I’ll go in.”
When he entered the room, a wave of heat hit him.
Blair lay on the bed in the center of the warm room.
Her complexion was so pale that even Ruth felt his heart drop.
Heredin was sitting alone beside her.
The emotions flickering in his blue eyes as he looked at Blair were difficult to approach.
It was rage.
The kind of rage that seemed as if it might consume even himself.
Ruth hesitated for a moment before stepping closer.
Before he could even ask anything, Heredin spoke first.
“…Her body temperature dropped a lot.
They said it could have been dangerous if we had arrived a little later.”
“Is she alright now?”
Heredin stared at the sleeping Blair for a moment before replying slowly.
“Probably.”
“I heard she was lost.
How did she end up like that?”
“Strictly speaking, she wasn’t lost.
She was kidnapped and escaped.”
Ruth’s expression hardened when he heard that.
“Kidnapped?
Who would dare—!”
“Who do you think?”
Instead of answering directly, Heredin returned the question.
After thinking briefly, Ruth easily reached a conclusion.
“Could it be that man from the Baldwin marquisate?”
“Since you and I think the same thing.”
“That disgusting bastard…”
Ruth muttered a curse before glancing awkwardly at the sleeping Blair and clearing his throat.
“He probably didn’t move personally.
Did you catch the kidnapper?”
“No.
Finding Blair was the priority.”
The man who carried out the kidnapping had probably already been found and killed by Wesley.
Heredin knew that.
And yet he let it happen.
Because he needed to send as many knights as possible to find Blair.
But he had no intention of letting this matter end quietly.
“Then do you have evidence?”
Heredin took something from his inner pocket and tossed it to Ruth.
“That’s your job now.”
Ruth skillfully caught the object.
His eyes sharpened as he examined it.
Then he slipped it into his pocket.
“I’ll bring you the answer you want as quickly as possible.”
After Ruth left the room, only Heredin and Blair remained.
In the quiet room, Blair’s occasional cough echoed softly.
Heredin watched her silently.
Except for the coat he had given Blair and the gloves he had removed in the carriage, he was still wearing his outdoor clothes.
His clothes were damp with the scent of grass from searching through the forest, but he couldn’t leave because he had to watch the fireplace.
After sitting quietly beside her, he took something from his pocket.
The old lighter Blair had desperately held onto.
Click.
Heredin repeatedly opened and closed the lighter without thinking.
The clicking sound echoed in the silent room.
After listening blankly to the sound he was making, he stopped.
He hated the oppressive silence that filled the room where he sat alone.
* * *
Blair, who had been sleeping deeply, slowly opened her eyes.
It was warm—almost too warm.
Because of the layers of blankets covering her.
She blinked slowly, trying to focus her blurry vision.
When she turned her head, she saw a familiar face.
Heredin was sleeping uncomfortably in a chair, leaning back with his arms crossed.
He was still wearing his hunting clothes, and his hair remained disheveled.
The warmth filling the room from the fireplace silently explained why he had fallen asleep here without even washing.
Blair sat up and reached out to hold his hand.
“Here—”
But before she could wake him, Heredin opened his eyes first, and their gazes met.
Unconsciously, he tightened his grip on Blair’s hand.
A ripple passed through the eyes that rarely showed emotion.
Blair hesitated for a moment before speaking first.
“I’m sorry, Heredin.
For causing such a commotion.”
“….”
“I’m fine now, so go and get some proper rest.”
As she spoke, Blair gently pulled her hand away.
But her fingertips trembled faintly.
The surprise that had briefly appeared in Heredin’s eyes faded, replaced by cold calm.
Why was it that even at this moment, the first thing this woman said was an apology?
Why was pushing him away her first reaction?
She looked as if she might collapse at any moment.
Why had she never leaned on him even once?
I was scared.
I’m in pain.
I’m exhausted…
Was she unwilling to show him even those words, even that brief moment of weakness?
“Is that all you have to say?”
Blair blinked at Heredin’s question.
His expression looked angry, but she couldn’t guess why.
She didn’t know what words he wanted to hear.
Looking at her, Heredin let out a quiet sigh and spoke.
“We’re searching for the person behind the kidnapping.
It will be revealed soon.”
Blair’s eyes widened when he mentioned the kidnapper.
Heredin hadn’t been there, and she had never told him about the kidnapper, so she had assumed he believed she had simply gotten lost.
She had intended to deal with the kidnapper herself.
“…Rest.”
After looking at Blair for a moment, Heredin stood up, extinguished the fireplace, and left the room.
Blair lay down again, trying to sleep.
But sleep refused to come.
The fireplace had been put out, yet warmth still lingered, and the blankets covering her body were warm.
Still, whenever she closed her eyes, the memory of being kidnapped returned and made her tremble.
Even though she knew she was safe now.
Even though she no longer felt afraid.
Her body reacted anyway.
Her body was exhausted from the long day, but she couldn’t fall asleep.
After tossing and turning for a long time—
She realized someone had entered the quiet room.
Because of the sound of the lighter.
At an hour when even the owner of the room should be asleep, there was only one person who could enter without permission