He smoothed his hardened expression and approached the two of them.
“I was wondering where you were going after mentioning an appointment with a friend, but to think we’d run into each other like this.”
Headrin held Blair’s hand as he looked at Mihail.
In truth, they had never discussed any plans for today, but upon spotting the art gallery director, Blair let her hand be held submissively. After all, publicly, he was her husband.
But in reality, he was nothing to her.
Just a fake husband by contract, that was all.
She had no reason to tell him in advance who she was meeting or what she was doing, nor any need to provide an explanation. As the other party to that contract, he knew that fact better than anyone.
Yes, he knew everything, but…
“Since it’s fate that we met like this, if you have time, let’s at least exchange pleasantries for a moment.”
Why was he so angry?
* * *
The three moved to a nearby café.
“Three coffees, please.”
Headrin ordered from the approaching employee. Blair hurriedly corrected him.
“Make one of them black tea.”
The employee confirmed the change and walked away. Blair added an explanation, as if for Headrin.
“I can’t sleep if I drink coffee.”
It was a fact he was learning for the first time. Headrin mocked himself for it.
Everything was a mess.
The fact that it had taken nearly three months of marriage to learn that detail, and the mess of his own feelings as well.
Leaning deep into his chair, Headrin swallowed his emotions, his Adam’s apple bobbing, and stared at the man before him. He found the guy’s handsome face deeply unpleasant.
Mihail wore a good-natured smile, but Headrin could see it wasn’t born from sincerity.
“First, let’s start with introductions.”
As he was a war hero and the Duke of Del Marc, it was impossible for the man not to know his name, so he was signaling for Mihail to reveal his own.
“I am Mihail Kiness. It is an honor to meet you, Your Grace.”
Upon hearing the name, Headrin’s gaze sank coldly.
*Not Aziel.*
When he had tasked Ruth with looking into a man named Aziel, there was no one who could have a connection to Blair.
It wasn’t a common name to begin with, and among noble families, few used the name Aziel Del Marc, the first head of the family. While there were occasional commoners who used the name, there was no connection to Blair—the most crucial factor.
So, he had assumed the man might be using an alias. It was merely a hypothesis, lacking any evidence or substance.
He had briefly wondered if this man might be the ‘Aziel’ she spoke of, but seeing Blair’s attitude, it didn’t seem like this man was her beloved.
“Kiness… It’s a family name I haven’t heard of.”
“I’m sure you haven’t. It is not a noble family.”
It was a statement that might have wounded one’s pride, but the man smiled without any such air, as if his status were no flaw at all.
While the man himself was composed, Blair intervened to clarify.
“He is the one who will help fulfill our contract later.”
Blair intended to reveal that Mihail was her scandal partner, but she had no intention of revealing his position as a guild master. Firstly, because she felt there must be a reason why Mihail hadn’t revealed that fact himself. Secondly, she hoped Headrin would never know.
After the divorce, she wanted no one—except for Mihail, who was handling the matter—to know her whereabouts. Not Ivan and Katrina, and certainly not Headrin.
As that tiresome word came from Blair’s lips once more, Headrin’s mouth twisted.
“…A contract?”
Just then, the employee brought the coffee and tea. Blair, who had paused for a moment, continued speaking after the employee walked away.
“…A divorce. We agreed that when the contract ends, we would divorce due to my misconduct, didn’t we?”
“Ah, divorce.”
Only then did Headrin realize why Blair had hesitated. She was remembering what he had said a few days ago.
“I do not know what that contract has to do with this man.”
“He has agreed to become one of the partners in my scandal.”
“…A scandal?”
“A scandal that the Duchess had an affair with several men.”
Headrin let out a hollow laugh. It was quite daring for such a suggestion to come from the mind of his naive wife.
He hadn’t thought about how to end this contract from the very beginning. Because he hadn’t been curious.
Why hadn’t he been curious sooner? There was no way a marriage arranged by the Emperor could be undone in a conventional manner.
*So, she intends to bear all that disgrace alone and get divorced.*
Does she have no lingering attachment to everything she will lose?
It was such a desperate, tragic love. Whoever that fellow named Aziel was.
Headrin picked up his coffee cup and glared at Mihail.
As Blair had said, she appeared to have no particular feelings for Mihail. However, the way Mihail looked at her was different from how one would treat a mere client. He seemed more adept at hiding his feelings than the other idiots who hung around trying to get a word in with her.
That made him an even more dangerous man.
Feeling it with the instinct of one who shared the same nature, Headrin’s mouth twisted.
“Ah, I see. You were so skilled at entertaining noblewomen because you’re an expert in that field.”
It was a remark meant to treat Mihail like a host entertaining noblewomen. Despite the obvious mockery, Mihail’s expression didn’t flicker. For someone who had worked as a bartender for a long time, it was a remark that dealt no real blow.
However, Blair did not seem to share that resilience; her delicate brow furrowed deeply.
“Headrin, don’t talk like that.”
“Superficially, he is your lover, is he not? I was merely complimenting him on being good at his job.”
Although her face was full of displeasure, Headrin ignored it.
“In any case, that plan does not seem like a good idea. Did you let the conversation from a few days ago go in one ear and out the other?”
At Headrin’s sharp words, Blair suddenly recalled his earlier warnings. He did not want any third party to know about the contract marriage. And there was logic to his words.
The more partners in the scandal, the more people who would know the secret. This was a fraudulent drama deceiving the Emperor—a matter that required extreme danger and caution.
However, there seemed to be no other alternative to carry out the divorce.
Headrin took advantage of Blair being lost in thought to speak to Mihail.
“It seems you were promised a fair amount of money, but will you not regret it?”
“…”
“You are the lover of an Imperial Princess. When that scandal erupts, how do you think His Majesty the Emperor will react?”
“…”
“I do not want to drag innocent people into our affairs.”
To the casual ear, it sounded as if he were worried for Mihail, but in reality, it was a threat.
However, the person who reacted was not Mihail, but Blair.
Her plan was only to use Mihail and his guild members to ruin her own reputation; she did not want him to act as her lover until the very end. That was too dangerous.
But if they were revealed to be her lovers, they would undoubtedly face the condemnation of many—just as Headrin had mocked him just now.
*It’s not like they are magically immune to criticism just because I paid them for it.*
She felt a fresh wave of guilt. Wondering if, as Headrin said, she had dragged innocent people into this.
Seeing Blair wavering, Mihail laughed dismissively.
“I am planning to leave the Empire once this job is finished. I appreciate the concern, but there is no need for you to worry so much.”
Look at this.
A sneer crept onto Headrin’s lips. The intention to alleviate the guilt he had just stirred up in Blair was painfully obvious. Furthermore, those words implying a plan for after his divorce from Blair grated sharply against Headrin’s nerves.
“Well, if you’re willing to risk your life to help, I suppose I should be grateful.”
Headrin deliberately used the word ‘life’ to assume a worst-case scenario. Even if the remark didn’t get to Mihail, it would be enough to shake Blair.
At that moment, the chiming of the bell from the plaza clock tower, signaling the hour, could be heard faintly. Headrin checked his wristwatch and set his cup down.
“I should be going now.”
As he rose from his seat, he said to Blair, “Is the Duchess not busy with preparations for the banquet? I shall escort you to the mansion.”
Blair still wore a displeased expression, but she would inevitably have to follow him. For now, he was still her husband.
But that fact gave him not even the slightest sense of superiority.
“Then go safely, Your Grace.”
Mihail, who had stood up after them, bowed. It was a polite, yet not servile, greeting.
Headrin turned away, leaving Mihail behind. He heard Blair saying something to Mihail, though he didn’t catch the words.
After finishing the payment and stepping outside, Headrin lit a cigar. When it had burned halfway, Blair emerged from the café.
“Get in the carriage first.”
However, Blair did not board. Instead, she approached him. Her reddish lips, stubbornly pursed on her pale face, stood out. It was that expression she wore when something displeased her.
“Headrin.”
After finally calling his name, she could not withstand the smoke and began coughing repeatedly. Even so, as if she had no intention of backing down, she continued through her coughing.
“That person… he is not the kind of man you think he is.”
Blair’s gaze, as she repeatedly defended her fake lover, was quite firm. Even as she coughed until her cheeks turned red, she would not yield.
He hated that stubbornness of his wife.
In the end, Headrin dropped the half-finished cigar to the ground and extinguished it.