Chapter 6

Herdin knocked and entered Blair's bedroom.

Contrary to what he had expected – Blair being surprised or asleep – she was sitting at the table, completely engrossed in something, oblivious to his arrival.

"What is she doing?"

Upon closer inspection, it seemed like she was writing something.

"…A letter."

Every time he looked at her, he felt it, but seeing her from a distance made her figure seem even smaller. The occasional dry cough that could be heard made her appear even tinier.

"By the way, it's quite chilly in here."

Despite the cold winter, the fireplace had almost gone out.

The white snow piling up outside the window, the chilly room, and the white woman in that landscape.

Herdin thought the nickname "Fairy of the Snow" suited her quite well and approached Blair from behind.

Up until that point, Blair, who had been engrossed in document preparation, hadn't noticed his presence.

Herdin leaned forward over her small back and observed what she was writing.

Only then did Blair sense his presence, and she looked up in surprise. In the process, her head bumped into his solid chest.

"Ah."

At the same time, her cold blue eyes looking down and her violet eyes looking up met.

"Why do you have such a startled expression? Today is our wedding night, so it's natural for a married couple to spend the night together."

"…I didn't know you'd come."

"You waited until now without sleeping?"

At his pointed question, Blair bit her lip tightly.

"Just in case. I mean, it's not polite to be asleep when you've come."

The term "you" that came from Blair's mouth intensified Herdin's gaze.

"What's this?"

He found the paper Blair had been working on and asked.

Blair quickly added an explanation.

"It's a contract. Anyway, it's a contract, so I thought it would be good to have it in writing."

Herdin picked up the contract and sat down in the adjacent seat, starting to read it.

"Article 1. Contracting party Blair Sonnet von Ardell agrees to cooperate to the best of her abilities in uncovering the truth of the Hwanghu Palace fire incident. The contract period is one year, but regardless of the period, the marriage contract will be terminated as soon as the truth of the incident is revealed. Responsibility for the truth will be in accordance with imperial law."

His deep, low voice resonated in the quiet room.

"Article 2. During the term of this contract, both parties must respect each other as spouses. Here, 'respect' means considering each other's dignity and fulfilling the responsibilities of a spouse. This includes having a meal together once a week and attending important banquets and events together."

As Blair listened to the clauses of the contract, she belatedly wanted to amend it. She had realized, without even realizing it herself, that she had written about her resentment for him in the contract.

However, what would the current him think about the way she had written those clauses…?

With a bitter smile, Blair opened her mouth.

"If you think adjustments are necessary, please let me know. Since I wrote the contract on my own, I'll gladly make changes based on your opinion."

At that moment, Herdin, who had been reading the contract, asked a question.

"What will you do if you don't adhere to the terms of the contract?"

Blair was momentarily at a loss for words. While she had thought about adjusting the contract's terms, she had never thought about violating the contract.

'As he said, there should be consequences for not adhering to the contract for him to want to keep it.'

After some thought, Blair opened her mouth with a determined expression.

"If I don't adhere to the contract's terms…"

"…Yes?"

"I won't file for a divorce."

While the marriage had been forced through the imperial decree, continuing this marriage would be truly horrifying for him. Moreover, he probably resented her.

"Ah, I see."

However, even in the face of Blair's terrifying ultimatum, he showed no signs of fear.

Did it feel like she was mocking him a bit? Or was it just his imagination?

As Blair had that thought, Herdin began reading the next clause of the contract.

"For the same reason, if the other party wishes to come together, they must fulfill the obligations of a couple up to twice a month…"

Herdin's gaze shifted from the contract to Blair. He put down the contract and spoke.

"I doubt that when my lady mentions 'coming together,' she means just holding hands like adults, right?"

Blair seemed a bit flustered by his mocking words, but she didn't argue.

So, her interpretation was correct.

"Do you expect me to warm the bed as well?"

…Do I really have to go this far?

At this point, he became curious.

What was the "real" purpose of maintaining this contractual marriage, even if the woman had to sacrifice her body?

So, he deliberately provoked her.

And as he intended, Blair took the bait and became agitated.

"Don't say it like that. I just…!"

"Just?"

Blair, who had been about to argue against his words, couldn't continue speaking.

This clause was the most important one for Blair, as it was intended to be used when it was time to have Asiel.

However, she couldn't tell him the truth.

She couldn't talk about her rebirth or such nonsense, and above all, he must not know about Asiel's existence.

If he found out, he might even try to eliminate Asiel, who could become an obstacle, in order to raise the child born from Miella as his successor.

That was absolutely unacceptable.

Blair's plan was to finalize everything related to him before having Asiel, and then divorce him and leave the empire before he could realize she was pregnant.

In the end, Blair came up with a plausible lie.

"I just… I want to get along with you, even if it's only for a while…"

Herdin smirked as he watched Blair, who was hiding her true thoughts.

"A good relationship, huh?"

How could we possibly have a good relationship?

With just one word from your mother, with just one statement from you, my deceased aunt was buried underground without even being able to defend herself, disgraced.

I didn't even know what the truth was, but I had to accept it.

Even if I didn't know what her purpose was, she seemed quite desperate, even willing to sacrifice her own body. Her appearance was amusing.

If you rejected my desperation and are now simply accepting everything from our side, well… That makes me feel somewhat belittled.

Herdin stood up and approached Blair.

In an instant, they were in close quarters, and Blair held her breath.

He was right in front of her, close enough that their breaths could touch if she exhaled.

"So, according to this clause, we must fulfill the obligations of a couple."

Blair trembled as she felt his hand gently caress her cheek, and his soft voice echoed in her ear. But what surprised her more than anything was his words.

She hadn't expected him to use this clause first. She had made the clause just in case, but she didn't think he would use it anymore now that he didn't have to pretend to love her.

"I want it right now."

His intense desire was clearly evident in his blue eyes as he gazed at her lips. His hand that encircled her cheek touched her lips with his thumb.

Feeling the warmth from his fingertips, her heart began to race rapidly.

At that moment, as Herdin looked at Blair's lips, their eyes met.

"Right now."

In his blue eyes, there was a raw, unbridled desire.

Blair, taken aback by the raw desire, had no time to react as his lips descended upon hers.

Suddenly, Blair remembered that he was a man too.

"Men can overlap with someone they don't care about," she thought.

Yeah, this wasn't love. It wasn't pretending to love for another purpose either. It was just a momentary desire.

Thinking this way, Blair felt more at ease. If it meant giving herself to him in exchange for being able to see Asiel again, she could do it anytime.

Blair collected her confused thoughts and closed her eyes in resignation.

Herdin, without delay, parted Blair's lips with his own and invaded her mouth. He found her quivering tongue and tangled with it.

"Umm…"

As their moist flesh touched, a moan escaped involuntarily. Breathing became erratic, and heat surged through her body. Her mind grew hazy.

His lips were still hot and sweet, almost cruelly so.

Herdin lightly embraced Blair and brought her onto his thighs, beginning to devour her in earnest.

Thick lips, soft tongue, labored breath, moans escaping like sobs, everything.

Herdin grabbed Blair's shoulder straps that had slipped down over her robe.

"Ah…!"

Startled, Blair tried to pull away from the sudden move, and Herdin stopped his kiss.

Blair hesitated for a moment when their eyes met. His eyes resembled the fierce gaze of a beast interrupted during its meal.

However, despite that, he showed no intention of letting her go from his embrace. As a result, his arms tightened firmly around her.

Because of that, something substantial could be felt beneath her tightly pressed thighs. Blair's body froze as she realized what it was.

She wanted to get up right away, but if she moved, she might get even closer to him.

Avoiding his gaze, Blair spoke in a small voice.

"Let's go to the bed… to the bed, please."

It was almost like begging.

Herdin looked at Blair in silence for a moment and then, as she requested, picked her up swiftly.

During that brief moment, he didn't stop kissing her throat. He sucked on it as if he were a hungry beast.

With firm steps, they walked to the bed, where Herdin gently laid Blair down. He had already begun to remove the nightgown that had been partially undone.

His gaze remained fixed on Blair throughout the process.

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This novel has been translated up to chapter 96.

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