When Blair stepped down from the carriage, a muscular man who had been waiting in front of the villa greeted her politely.
“I have been waiting, Madam.”
Startled by the appearance of an unexpected companion, Blair returned the greeting almost automatically and looked at Mikhail. He smiled and explained,
“It seemed about time to add another person to the scandal.
Wouldn’t three people together be more stimulating than two?”
Blair was shocked when she realized what Mikhail meant, but he was right.
The bigger the scandal, the better.
After exchanging brief greetings, the three of them entered the villa together.
Inside the villa it was quiet and clean, with no one around.
Although there were no people, the basic necessities for living were provided, making it seem like a good place to stay briefly.
Blair stared blankly at the dense forest visible through the large window in the living room.
The sound of the wind brushing against the branches and the occasional chirping of birds echoed through the scenery, which felt peaceful.
Listening to those sounds gradually relaxed her mind.
At the ducal residence, even stepping out of her room meant hearing the sounds of people everywhere, constantly sweeping her into a busy atmosphere where she felt compelled to do something.
‘When Asiel is born, it might be nice to live in a house in the forest like this.’
While Blair wandered near the large window and looked outside, the large man who had disappeared briefly returned carrying teacups.
“You must be thirsty. Please drink.”
“Thank you.”
After the two of them finished their tea, Mikhail spoke.
“Do you remember when I said I would show you a good place before?”
Blair recalled their conversation at the art auction house and nodded.
“If you don’t mind, would you like to take a short walk?
I’ll show you something nice.”
“Something nice?”
“We’ll be going into the forest path, so if you feel uncomfortable, please say so.”
Blair obediently followed behind Mikhail.
She had worried that the path might be rough, but fortunately it was a pleasant forest trail for walking.
In the quiet forest rarely visited by people, the only sounds were mountain birds and the wind.
Listening to those sounds and smelling the grass, simply walking made her feel at ease.
Matching his steps to Blair’s small stride, Mikhail spoke casually.
“It’s not really my place to say this since I brought you here first, but it would be better not to trust unfamiliar men too easily.
Especially when they suggest going to a secluded place like this.”
“It’s not because I trust you.
It’s because I trust the payment I promised you and my own status.”
At Blair’s calm but unmalicious answer—far from the naïve response he had expected—Mikhail burst into laughter.
He found that side of her amusing.
“It seems I worried unnecessarily.”
Blair looked at him.
Just as Herdin had said, she did not know much about him, and since he worked with a rough guild, he might not actually be such a good person.
However, at the very least, she could tell that he was not someone who would betray the trust between them.
After all, the fact that he had given her such advice proved that much.
Ever since meeting him again, Blair carefully spoke the words that had been lingering on her tongue.
“I would like to apologize on behalf of my husband for what he said at the gallery last time.”
Mikhail looked puzzled at Blair’s sudden apology, then a moment later realized what she meant.
“He shouldn’t have said it like that.
He spoke without knowing better, so please don’t take it to heart.”
“It’s alright.
Well, what His Grace said wasn’t entirely wrong either.”
Mikhail brushed it off lightly both then and now.
At the same time, he stopped walking.
“Ah, we’ve arrived.”
Blair followed Mikhail’s gaze and looked ahead.
There was a faint cluster of light in the middle of the forest, but from this distance it was not clear what it was.
As they slowly approached, the scenery gradually came into view.
In the middle of the forest was a small pond, and around it grew clusters of transparent, sparkling flowers that looked as if they had gathered light.
A pond in the forest was a common sight, but what made this scenery special were those uniquely shaped flowers.
The flowers, which Blair had never seen anywhere before, swayed like rippling water when the wind blew.
The scene looked like countless stars had fallen to the earth and were dancing.
“My goodness, it’s so fascinating… and beautiful.”
Mikhail watched Blair, who could not take her eyes off the scene, and explained with a small smile.
“They’re flowers called Glasica. By nature they’re extremely sensitive, and if they’re not planted where they first took root, they quickly wither and die.
I’ve heard nobles tried many times to move them into private greenhouses, but they always failed.”
“Thank you.
For letting me see such a beautiful sight.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
Blair sat on a nearby rock and quietly looked at the scenery.
Compared to the vague dreams she had within the imperial palace, the outside world was wider and more mysterious.
That realization made her heart pound.
But why, at this moment, did Herdin’s face come to mind out of habit?
“Shall we start heading back?”
While Blair was lost in thought, Mikhail noticed that the wind blowing through the forest carried the chill of evening and spoke.
Blair followed him and stood up.
But there was a problem.
“Ah…”
Her heel had been rubbed raw, and the wound stung with every step.
Since the shoes had not been made for walking, the heel had chafed and caused a wound.
Blair tried her best not to show it because she did not want to become a burden, but Mikhail quickly noticed her limping steps and frowned.
“I’m sorry.
I should have considered that your shoes might be uncomfortable.”
“No, it’s my own fault.
I can just fold the back of the shoe, so don’t worry about it.”
“If you expose a wound in a forest like this, it could become infected.
May I take a quick look?”
Blair sat on a nearby tree stump.
Mikhail removed Blair’s shoe and examined her foot.
The wound from the chafing was not deep, but there was enough blood that it had stained her shoe.
‘If it’s this bad, it must have hurt quite a lot.’
He newly admired Blair’s patience.
At this state, the best thing would be for her not to walk further, but knowing Blair’s personality, she probably would not allow herself to be carried or supported.
‘Then I suppose there’s only that method.’
After thinking briefly while examining her foot, Mikhail made a decision and looked up at Blair.
“Since you trusted me and entrusted me with this job, I will reveal one of my secrets as well.”
“A secret?”
Instead of answering, Mikhail gently touched Blair’s wound.
At that moment, a faint light flowed from his hand.
‘This is…?’
Blair blinked in surprise.
The power he had just used was clearly divine power.
But strangely, the wound did not heal immediately and remained.
At that, Mikhail frowned.
‘The healing magic… isn’t working?’
Mikhail raised his head to examine Blair’s condition and met Blair’s wide eyes, which were filled with surprise at his divine power.
And beneath her face, near her collarbone, he found the cause of the phenomenon.
A faintly glowing black magic circle.
‘…Black magic?’
He had heard that black magic possessed properties that resisted divine power, so sometimes divine power did not work well on black mages or those affected by black magic.
‘But black magic is a forbidden magic now, and hardly anyone uses it.’
Why would this woman have a black magic circle?
Mikhail examined Blair’s expression with disbelief, but there was no sign that she was hiding anything.
She seemed unaware of the existence of the black magic circle embedded in her.
The black magic circle disappeared before he had the chance to examine it properly.
Mikhail used a stronger healing spell and healed Blair’s wound.
Fortunately, the magic worked this time.
Blair, who had been watching, asked carefully,
“Why didn’t you become a priest?”
Divine power was a gift granted only to a small number of people chosen by the gods.
If one’s parents possessed divine power, the chances of inheriting it were slightly higher, but since the probability was still low, it was considered extremely precious.
Because of that, if someone was born with divine power, even if they did not accumulate enormous wealth, they could still become a priest and live an honorable and comfortable life.
So she wondered why he had chosen such a difficult and dangerous life instead.
In response, Mikhail smiled and gave a vague answer.
“A power that someone desperately longs for can become a trace someone else wishes to erase.”
He did not reject the question outright, but Blair understood from his vague answer.
He did not want to talk about this any further.
After finishing the treatment, Mikhail put Blair’s shoe back onto her foot.
His touch was extremely careful, like handling a piece of glasswork.
“Shall we return now?”
Blair stood up and walked ahead.
As Mikhail matched his steps with hers, his sharp gaze briefly swept over the area near Blair’s collarbone.
But the black magic circle was no longer visible.
* * *
The drowsy afternoon scenery passed outside the faintly swaying carriage window.
Watching the late afternoon sunlight that had begun to take on a pale platinum glow, Herdin naturally thought of Blair.
His wife resembled sunlight in many ways.
First there was the visible color of her hair, then her soft body warmth, and above all the faint atmosphere that seemed as if she might disappear even if he held her tightly in his grasp.
Was that why?
Even when she was within his sight, even when he held her in his arms, an inexplicable anxiety always lurked at his feet.
Especially after seeing the geography book he had found by her bedside this morning, he could not shake off that strange sense of unease