Chapter 10
‘Wait a second, wait a second!’
‘What now?’
‘I forgot to pay, you see.’
‘There’s no need for that.’
‘Tsk! You’re rich, you can’t just do that. You have to pay honestly! Okay? You dine and dash thief.’
‘…Here, hurry up.’
‘Hurry up—hey, let go, you dine and dash thief!’
A vivid flash of memory struck Blair—her fist pounding on Cassel’s shoulder.
‘No! I have to pay, I have to… What about the owner… What if the shop goes bankrupt…’
‘….’
‘Hic, hic, sob. Poor shop owner… so sad…’
‘…Ha, here.’
‘There, done paying. Thanks for the meal!’
‘Satisfied now?’
“I must be insane.”
Blair clamped her hands over her mouth as the memories surfaced, clearer and clearer. Once the floodgate cracked open, the memories just kept pouring in.
‘Wow, you’re really so handsome.’
‘You’re really, really handsome, you know that? How is your face so perfect?’
‘Why are your eyes so big? And look at that nose bridge! You could slide down that thing.’
‘Are you sure you’re human and not an angel? Your face glows. Looking at your face is more fun than my whole life, hehe.’
‘…You’re completely drunk.’
‘But seriously, you barely eat but your body’s so good. It’s like a sculpture. Even if you wore a sack you’d look good.’
‘…Where exactly are you touching right now?’
‘Hey! Stay still, okay? A statue shouldn’t move! See? You’re like a statue—your body’s as hard as stone, wow.’
‘Haah, enough—’
‘Come on, hold still! You’re supposed to admire statues by touching every bit like this.’
‘…I’d better shut that mouth of yours first.’
“Ugh—stop! What is this!!”
Memories of that night poured down on her like a cold shower—memories she’d hoped were just a bad dream. Blair clutched her head and crouched down. Her hair stood on end even though the air wasn’t cold at all.
If only it had been just a nightmare.
‘You really don’t remember anything?’
Judging from the look in his eyes that night and what he said… it hadn’t been a dream, sadly.
“This is insane. What kind of mess was that? He must think I’m a total pervert.”
Not only had she insulted and hit her employer—she had even groped him. The wave of shame crashed over her and Blair dug her fingers into her scalp.
‘I didn’t expect some dramatic romance out of this contract marriage but…’
She hadn’t wanted to be remembered by the best-looking man she’d ever meet as the drunken weirdo who harassed him.
“Ugh, so humiliating… If I ever drink again, I’m a dog. A dog.”
Blair pressed her throbbing forehead.
‘How am I supposed to face him now? Should I apologize when he gets back?’
Sitting slumped at the foot of the male statue, Blair moaned for a while before springing to her feet. Well, what could she do? It was already done.
“Ugh, whatever! What’s done is done. Eyes forward!”
＊＊＊
The clouds were so thick that even the night sky looked pitch black.
At the border, a group of men in black cloaks stood face to face with dozens of holy knights. Outnumbered at a glance, the cloaked men showed not the slightest hint of fear.
“So we finally meet, the ones I’ve only heard rumors about. Where did you think you were coming, with so few of you? I’ll give you credit for your guts, at least.”
The leader of the knights—a middle-aged man—spoke, holding a pure white sword.
“You talk too much.”
Clang—
In an instant, the man standing at the front of the cloaked group leapt forward and crossed blades with the knight leader.
‘What is this monster…!’
They had barely locked swords, yet the crushing force radiating from the man’s blade made the knight grit his teeth.
In the blink of an eye, dozens of blows were exchanged. The middle-aged knight, overwhelmed by the relentless assault, was steadily driven back.
Seeing the duel turn against their leader, one of his men lunged forward to help.
“Yaaah!”
“I thought you holy knights at least had some sense of chivalry. I see I was wrong.”
The young man in the cloak murmured under his breath.
Boom!
In a heartbeat, a blast of blue aura surged from his sword, giving no time to dodge. As if it were a signal, the other cloaked men behind him charged all at once at the holy knights.
“Argh!”
“You bastards, how dare you!!”
The air was filled with the sickening stench of blood. Their blades showed no hesitation, no mercy—only the sound of holy knights falling like dead leaves echoed through the silence.
＊＊＊
Ten days had passed with no sign of Cassel returning home.
By day, Blair focused on her etiquette lessons; by evening, she buried herself in tending the garden. Thanks to Cassel’s parting instructions, a plot at the edge of the marquis’ back grounds had been cleared for her very own garden.
It was certainly easier to just lie around in bed, but every time she did, the memories of that night surfaced—clearer and clearer.
So she threw herself into gardening instead. The result? Blair’s garden had grown far bigger and denser than originally planned. Unless you stepped through the arched entrance, you couldn’t even see inside anymore.
“My lady, please take a break—it’s so hot. You’ll get sick at this rate.”
Whenever Blair was in the garden, Emma always looked at her with worry. Meanwhile, for some of the other maids who hadn’t exactly welcomed Blair, her behavior was perfect gossip material.
Blair had sensed it from the day she first set foot in the marquis’ estate—the maids didn’t look at her kindly.
Of course they wouldn’t. To them, Blair wasn’t worthy. Just the sight of her probably grated on them. So now, like hyenas, they pounced behind her back.
“Can’t hide that commoner blood, huh? She could’ve just asked the gardener, but no—she has to dig around herself.”
“Exactly. She should be using that time to study etiquette more. Making the marquis look bad.”
“She’s so crude and ungraceful—why did he even marry someone like her? If I’d known, I would’ve tried my luck, too.”
But Blair—who’d seen more than her fair share of trouble—just let their words drift in one ear and out the other. They weren’t cursing her to her face, they weren’t grabbing her hair, they weren’t slapping her—just whispering behind her back.
‘Let them talk. I’m leaving in a year anyway. People even badmouth the king when he’s not around.’
Blair straightened up from the herb patch where she’d been bent for ages. Dusk had already fallen.
“My lady, shall we go in now? It’s gotten so dark.”
Feri, the maid attending her, asked.
“When did it get so late? Could you bring me some cool water? I’ll sit for a bit before heading in.”
“Yes, right away.”
Blair wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief. Then she looked around her garden with a hum.
Through the archway draped in deep red roses, a small path stretched inward. On either side bloomed colorful flowers and herbs, and here and there young lilac trees, taller than Blair, brightened the whole place.
“Wow, it’s beautiful. It’s like my own secret garden, just like I imagined.”
A warm smile spread across Blair’s face—but only for a moment.
‘Hmm, I’ve planted everything I need for the potions, but there’s still some empty space. Should I plant a few more flowers over there?’
Though the place was already bursting with plants, Blair—an incurable plant lover—never felt satisfied. When else would she get the chance to plant expensive flowers without a second thought?
‘Right. Tomorrow, I’ll ask Emma to order exactly three more plants—just three.’
Her eyes curved like a mischievous crescent moon, plotting like a schemer. Just three more, she told herself with a half-hearted promise.
“Ugh, my back… Time to sit and enjoy it now.”
She headed for the wrought-iron gazebo she’d set up deep in the garden. She’d spent hours gardening, but somehow she felt more energized than ever.
Humming a tune she liked, Blair strolled slowly, swinging her hips when the mood struck her. It had been a long time since she felt so free.
“Seeing it from inside is a whole new vibe. I should really have a cold beer after working like this—nothing quenches thirst better.”
She flopped down on the chair with a sigh, mumbling to herself.
“I can’t cover for you if you get drunk in the garden though.”
A deep, familiar voice came from above the garden. Startled, Blair tucked her hair behind her ear, pushing it out of her eyes as she slowly looked up.
‘No way…’
“Uh…?”
There he was—her husband, Cassel, who had vanished since their wedding night.
