The person most pleased by his unexpected appearance was not Blair, but Baroness Sionel.
“Your Grace, you’ve come at the perfect time! It’s best when both of you try on the couple look together; it brings out the true vibe and makes the final adjustments much easier.”
Excited to see her creations modeled by such a perfect pair, she prattled on in her signature high-pitched voice.
“Now, children. Assist them.”
Baroness Sionel snapped her fan shut with a sharp click. As if it were a signal, her assistants moved in unison, ushering Blair and Headrin toward the dressing rooms.
Lina and Mely exchanged proud, knowing smiles. Then, Lina caught Mason’s eye and gave him a subtle thumbs-up. After all, it was largely due to his repeated, persistent urging that Headrin had come this far.
Mason’s expression remained characteristically stoic, though it seemed to soften ever so slightly.
Just as Ruth watched the trio with deep suspicion, Headrin stepped out, having finished changing. Blair followed shortly after.
Both were dressed in deep navy blue. The dark tones made the distinct features of the fair-skinned pair stand out with brilliant clarity. It was a color scheme that felt somewhat heavy for the bright daylight, but it was perfect for an evening banquet.
Seeing them, Lina thought to herself:
‘Honestly… they do look good together.’
Setting aside their backgrounds, personalities, or any other complications—looking solely at the exterior—she had to admit that there was no other man in the entire Empire worthy of standing beside Blair.
It seemed she wasn’t the only one who held that opinion.
Baroness Sionel, in particular, looked moved by her own handiwork and the models who brought it to life.
“Oh my, only when worn by the owners does the clothing truly come alive. You look like newlyweds with the fire of passion still burning.”
As the Baroness finished her final inspection, fussing over the pair, a servant knocked and entered.
“The painter tasked with your portrait has arrived.”
* * *
The two changed into the outfits for the portrait and headed to the greenhouse in the back garden. Inside, chairs had been arranged in the sunniest spot, surrounded by flowers in full, vibrant bloom.
Blair gazed at the scene with a sense of déjà vu. In her past life, it had been she who first suggested the portrait. Although everyone in the ducal residence disliked her presence as the mistress, she had wanted to feel like she truly belonged to the Del Marc household, if only in that way.
But this time, she had no intention of having a portrait painted.
She would be leaving this mansion in a few months, anyway. Since someone else would eventually become the mistress of this house, what good would come from leaving behind the traces of a duchess who only lasted half a year? It would only be a nuisance.
Yet, this time, Mason had been the one to suggest it.
‘As this is the first banquet you are hosting, Your Grace, how about having a portrait of the two of you made and hung?’
Blair had initially declined for the aforementioned reasons, but like the couple look, Lina and Mely had pleaded so desperately that she had reluctantly agreed.
However, there was one thing she hadn’t considered…
‘Why didn’t I think about the fact that I’d have to be stuck with this man for hours?’
Blair glanced sideways at Headrin, who stood beside her. Since the day they fought at the café in front of the art gallery, Blair had been avoiding him. It seemed he didn’t particularly want to see her, either.
And yet, here she was, forced to sit next to him for a portrait.
It was impossible to turn away the painter who had already been summoned, so there was no choice now. Following the painter’s instructions, Blair sat down.
“Your Grace, please place your hand on Her Grace’s shoulder like this… Yes, that’s good.”
As Headrin followed the instruction, his hand wrapped around Blair’s shoulder. She felt her body flinch at the touch. It would have been more comfortable to lean into him, but Blair sat with her back rigid, as if trying to put as much distance between them as possible.
Headrin watched her with a lingering gaze, but Blair refused to meet his eyes, clearly avoiding him. Sensing this, Headrin finally looked straight ahead, noticing the deep, shaky sigh his wife let out.
The portrait session lasted for over an hour.
“Would you two like to take a short break?”
The moment the painter suggested it, Blair stood up as if she had been waiting for the signal. She scurried out of the greenhouse, practically fleeing the scene.
Headrin watched her retreating back, leaning lazily with his chin on his hand, his expression cold and unreadable.
* * *
After leaving the greenhouse, Blair parted ways with Lina, who had gone to fetch some snacks, and decided to use the brief window of time to tour the garden. Usually, no one ventured out here in winter, but with the spring banquet approaching, there was a risk of running into others.
‘The landscaping is well-trimmed, and the fountain is working perfectly.’
Blair scanned the garden with satisfaction, noting the care she, Mason, and the staff had poured into it. As her tension began to ease, she became aware of an aching pain in her back. The new dress from Baroness Sionel was exquisite, but perhaps she had tied the ribbon across her back too tightly; the fabric kept chafing against her skin.
Blair ducked behind a nearby hedge and looked around. No one was nearby.
She reached back, trying to loosen the ribbon, but since she couldn’t see, it was far more difficult than she had anticipated.
“It’s not working…”
As she struggled and fumbled with the knot, a familiar voice drifted from behind her.
“Surely, a noble lady like yourself isn’t planning on undressing out here.”
Blair whirled around in shock to find Headrin leaning casually against the wall, watching her—she had no idea how long he had been there.
What on earth does this man think of me?
Blair, understanding his implication a beat too late, narrowed her eyes and retorted.
“…Of course not.”
She tried to walk past him toward the greenhouse, but his firm arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her back. A sudden, intense warmth flared where his body pressed against hers.
“L-let go of me.”
Startled by the physical contact, Blair tried to pull away, but his voice descended from above, low and steady.
“Stay still.”
There was no aggression in his words, yet they carried a weight that made Blair stop struggling. Besides, resistance was useless.
Headrin released her waist to reach for the untied ribbon on her back. His fingers, long and heavy, brushed against the skin exposed by the opening. Every nerve in Blair’s body ignited, hyper-focused on that singular sensation.
She bit her lip to keep him from noticing her reaction and whispered a protest.
“I can do it myself.”
“It seemed to me you were struggling quite a while for someone who claimed they could.”
“…….”
He’d been watching the whole time.
The realization wounded her pride. Blair retorted, desperate not to lose the upper hand.
“I could have just gone back and asked Lina.”
“So you’d show this sight to other bastards instead?”
His voice was a level lower than before, though Blair barely registered it, distracted by the fear that her dress might have slipped too far. Because she had loosened the ribbon, the bodice had shifted, leaving her shoulder exposed. If she had returned to the greenhouse in that state, it would have been a disaster.
Unable to find a retort, Blair stayed silent. His next question hung in the air, heavy and sharp.
“How long do you intend to keep avoiding me?”
Blair was startled, but she attempted to feign ignorance.
“…I haven’t done any such thing.”
“And what about running away just now?”
“I’m just busy with work.”
One corner of Headrin’s mouth curled upward as he finished tying the knot.
What an unbelievable lie.
She had started avoiding him exactly the day after she had met Mihail. Of course, he had ignored her when she tried to see him off that morning, but that was because her face, incapable of deceit, had clearly shown she was doing so out of obligation.
But since then, Blair had been avoiding him as if she had been waiting for the chance. Since she was making it so obvious she was furious, it was impossible not to know.
“It’s pathetic if you’re doing this over a man who isn’t even anything to you.”
If she were simply angry at him, he wouldn’t have thought much of it. But the fact that she was angry because of a man named Mihail twisted his insides.
“Do you like him, perhaps?”
“…Is that important to you?”
“It is.”
Headrin added, letting go of the ribbon.
“Right now, you are my wife.”
“…….”
“I don’t like sharing what’s mine with other bastards. So…”
He wrapped his arms around her waist again. Before the startled Blair could escape, his lips descended onto the nape of her neck.
“What are you…!”
Headrin, paying no heed to her resistance, sucked against her delicate skin, leaving a prominent red mark.
Mine.
He quite liked that brand.
“While you are by my side, focus only on me.”
Along with his coldly sunken voice, his arms around her waist loosened. To be precise, he released her.
Just like a beast that had been leashed, then suddenly set free.