IONDC 01

Chapter 1

The Second First Night

<Prologue>

Late at night, Blair stood in front of the bedroom door.

Today was her wedding day, and this room was where she would spend her first night with her husband.

After standing there blankly for a while, she covered her thin nightdress—which revealed the curves of her body—with a shawl and knocked.

“……”

It seemed her husband had not yet come to the bedroom.

Blair let out a small sigh of relief, entered the room, and sat on the sofa.

Then she waited.

Ten minutes.

Thirty minutes. Another thirty.

Even after an hour, her husband did not come—unlike in the past.

Is he not planning to come?

As she stared at the firmly closed door, Blair suddenly recalled the nature of this marriage.

Well… this isn’t a real marriage this time. It’s just a one-year contract.

A marriage formed purely for mutual benefit.

There was no need to fulfill the duties of a real married couple—like sharing the first night.

This is better, actually.

If she faced that handsome face again, if they shared warmth once more, she might fall into the illusion that he loved her.

Just like she had in her past life.

Spending the night with him… just once, on the day Asiel was conceived—that’s enough.

Since today wasn’t that day, it didn’t matter.

Concluding that her husband wouldn’t come tonight, Blair took out paper and a quill from the drawer.

She calmly began writing a contract to formalize this marriage.

Just as she finished the final line—

A sudden warmth brushed her back, and a large hand appeared, bracing itself on the desk.

Startled, Blair turned around.

Standing behind her was a man who had approached without her noticing.

Taller than most men, with a perfectly built physique visible beneath his robe.

Soft black hair, and beneath it, cold eyes like a summer night sky.

A face so beautiful it could make anyone—man or woman—hold their breath upon seeing it.

Duke Herdin Delmark.

From today onward, officially, her husband.

As if reading her thoughts from her startled gaze, he spoke:

“Why do you look so surprised? It’s our first night—it’s only natural for a married couple to spend it together.”

“…I didn’t think you would come.”

“Yet you stayed awake waiting?”

Caught off guard by his words, Blair pressed her lips together.

“I was just… in case. It would be rude to be asleep when you arrived. Duke—no… you.”

At the word “you,” something in Herdin’s gaze deepened.

“That sounds like you were prepared to spend the first night.”

Blair flinched at the feel of his hand brushing her cheek and his low voice near her ear.

But more than that, his words shocked her.

Why?

In her previous life, Herdin had accepted this unwanted marriage only to uncover the truth from her.

The first night, his kindness—it had all been an act to trap her.

That’s why, in this life, she had made a proposal before the wedding.

If you accept my offer, I’ll fully cooperate in uncovering the truth of that day.

She had offered him what he wanted—without deception.

So she thought he wouldn’t need to act anymore.

Once he gets the truth, won’t he have no use for me?

Just like before.

But his reaction was completely different from what she expected.

“I don’t think we necessarily need to spend the first night—”

“I want to.”

His low whisper was directed at her lips.

His thumb gently traced over them.

The heat from his touch made her heart pound rapidly.

Then their eyes met.

“Right now.”

His blue eyes burned with raw, unrefined desire.

Before Blair could pull away, his lips captured hers.

At that moment, she remembered—

He was a man.

Men can share their bodies even without love.

Yes. This wasn’t love.

Nor was it an act to fake love.

Just a moment of desire.

Thinking that way made it easier.

Blair closed her eyes, as if in resignation.

In the past, she had trembled in fear during these unfamiliar, intimate moments with him.

His large frame felt like a beast ready to devour her, or a cage trapping her.

And yet—she had loved the way his eyes looked only at her.

She had loved the warmth of his embrace.

She had mistaken it for love.

But not this time.

She would not be deceived again.

Spending the night with him had only one purpose—

To meet her child again.

Asiel… my baby.

If it meant seeing her beloved child again—

She could share the bed with the husband who might have killed her in her previous life.

<Chapter 1> The Second First Night

Today was the day Herdin returned to the townhouse after nearly a year.

It would be his first time back since Asiel was born.

Blair personally chose her dress and accessories for the day.

After finishing her preparations, she entered the adjoining room connected to her bedroom.

There was a small cradle.

Inside, the baby played quietly, moving tiny hands toward a mobile without fussing.

Blair smiled softly and picked the child up.

“My baby, you woke up and played so well without crying?”

“Uu… ah! Eubu!”

The baby giggled happily, babbling as if excited—perhaps sensing that today was the day to meet his father.

But as Blair looked out the window holding the child, her eyes dimmed with bitterness.

Not long after she became pregnant, Herdin had left for the northern duchy.

Officially, it was to subdue magical beasts.

But Blair knew he had left to avoid a wife he never wanted.

Still, she stroked her growing belly every day, praying for his safety.

Though he was a powerful war hero, she couldn’t help but worry.

She sent him letters constantly—

Saying the baby was healthy, wishing for his safe return.

But he never replied.

She told herself no news was good news.

She had to believe that.

Time passed. Summer and autumn went by.

Winter approached.

Still, he did not return.

Meanwhile, the baby grew, and she began to feel its movements.

From then on, Blair often cried through the nights.

It felt as though the child was searching for its father.

I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…

She felt heartbroken for the child who would not be loved by its father.

And she blamed herself.

Half a year later, in winter, Herdin finally came to the capital.

But he declared he wouldn’t visit the estate—only stopping by briefly before returning north.

Blair, heavily pregnant, went to see him anyway.

It had been six months.

Yet his eyes, when he saw her, were cold as a frozen lake.

Why are you here? You must be uncomfortable in your condition.

She couldn’t bring herself to say she missed him.

In front of him, she always felt like a sinner.

“…Herdin. Could you spare just an hour… or even thirty minutes?”

Her voice trembled slightly.

After a moment, he reluctantly agreed.

They rode together in a carriage.

Blair fidgeted nervously, unable to say what she wanted.

Then the baby suddenly kicked.

She winced, touching her belly.

“He seems healthy… he kicks so much I can’t even sleep.”

“I see.”

“…Would you like to feel?”

“…No. That’s alright.”

His indifferent response made her fall silent.

She had hoped—just a little—that he would understand her pain.

Perhaps she had even wanted to rely on him.

But she couldn’t say anything.

Tears threatened to fall.

That would be pathetic.

She looked out the window.

Soon, they arrived.

Herdin glanced at her belly and said:

“Have a safe delivery.”

Like speaking to a stranger.

As she hesitated, she finally asked:

“…Please name the child.”

After a pause, he answered:

“If it’s a girl, Diana. If it’s a boy, Asiel.”

She chose Asiel.

Because it was the first thing he gave the child.

But even after Asiel was born—

Herdin did not come.

Until now.

“Madam! His Grace has arrived!”

Blair kissed Asiel’s cheek.

“Asiel, your father is here.”

“Abu?”

She went downstairs.

Servants gathered.

A carriage approached.

Her heart swelled, despite everything.

Now, they had Asiel.

They could be a family.

Surely, once he saw the child, he would agree.

The carriage stopped.

Herdin stepped out.

Blair approached, excited.

“Herd—”

But he reached back into the carriage.

A beautiful silver-haired woman stepped out, holding his hand.

She stood beside him.

The servants murmured.

Blair froze.

Her violet eyes trembled.

Herdin’s cold gaze—and the woman’s golden eyes—met hers at the same time.

“Hello, Madam.”

The woman smiled sweetly.

Blair stared blankly.

The humid late-summer air felt suffocating—

Even more than the summer he had left her.