chapter 03
Gasp…! Hah…!”
As her fading consciousness suddenly returned, Blair snapped her eyes open.
Her blurry vision slowly cleared, revealing an unfamiliar ceiling.
No… that can’t be… that pattern…
Staring blankly at the ceiling, she realized—
It was the imperial palace ceiling where she had stayed before her marriage.
Why am I in the palace?
Her last memory was of being attacked by a masked assailant at the Holstein villa, far from the capital.
If she hadn’t died, she should have been receiving treatment there.
So why was she here?
Only one thought filled her mind.
Asiel!
My baby… he must have woken up and looked for me.
Panicking, Blair rushed out of bed toward the door.
At that moment, it opened from the outside.
“Oh! You’re awake, Your Highness? I was just about to wake you.”
It was Lina, her personal maid.
Lina, who had served Blair since childhood in the imperial palace, had followed her even after marriage into the Delmark household.
She was like a sister… sometimes a friend… and a trusted confidant.
“Lina, where is Asiel?”
“Asiel?”
“Yes. Asiel. Where is he?”
“Who is that?”
Lina tilted her head.
Then she suddenly seemed to remember something.
“Oh! Do you mean that cat that’s been wandering around the courtyard lately?”
Blair, already on edge, frowned.
“Lina, I’m not in the mood for jokes. Where is my son Asiel?”
“Your son…?”
Lina blinked in confusion.
“You’re not even married yet. How could you possibly have a son?”
“…What?”
Only then did Blair notice how Lina was addressing her.
Your Highness?
Her heart sank.
“Lina… how old am I right now?”
Though surprised, Lina answered easily.
“You are twenty this year. You reached adulthood two months ago.”
That’s impossible.
Hearing her age confirmed the impossible truth.
I’ve gone back three years.
Before Asiel was born. Before she married Herdin.
She was dragged, still in shock, to a formal luncheon.
A weekly family meal with her brother, Emperor Ivan, and their mother, Katrina.
Even though seven years had passed since the previous emperor’s death, the tradition remained.
But Blair’s mind was elsewhere.
I died… but came back to the past? Am I dreaming because I died? Or was my future life the dream?
She ate without tasting anything.
Then she concluded:
No. That wasn’t a dream.
It had been too real.
Asiel’s voice calling her. His warmth. His face.
All of it was too vivid.
And now—
My baby…
Even though she had returned to the past like a miracle, this world without Asiel felt like hell.
At that moment—
“Princess.”
Lina gently touched her shoulder.
“Ah…”
Blair snapped back to reality.
“Your Majesty is calling you, Blair.”
Empress Katrina looked irritated.
To her, the emperor son was her life’s achievement—a trophy.
Ignoring that trophy meant rejecting her entire existence.
“You’ve been absent-minded all morning. Did something happen last night?”
“I’m sorry… I had a bad dream. What were you saying?”
“Nothing important. Just prepare for your marriage with Duke Delmark.”
Blair’s eyes widened.
She had never been consulted.
Ivan continued casually.
“I’ve already arranged it. The Delmark duke won’t refuse.”
Blair froze.
Ivan added coldly:
“If you think you can refuse a political marriage, don’t embarrass yourself.”
Katrina chimed in:
“It’s an excellent match. Every noble woman in the empire wants to dance with him.”
“This marriage isn’t about love. It’s about politics. As a princess, you must be responsible…”
They spoke as if her objection didn’t matter.
Then—
Blair remembered.
In her previous life, she had refused this marriage.
“I’m sorry… but I don’t want this marriage.”
It had been her first act of defiance.
Not because she hated Herdin.
But because she feared him.
Ever since the imperial palace fire ten years ago.
But this time—
“I will do it.”
Her voice was calm.
“I will follow Your Majesty’s will.”
But her eyes were different.
This time, she had a reason to marry Herdin.
Back in her room, Lina watched her carefully.
Something is different…
But nothing unusual had happened the previous night.
Yet Blair’s behavior had changed.
Then Lina heard the news about the marriage.
And yet she looks… calmer? Even relieved?
Strange.
Everyone in the empire knew the Delmark family and imperial family were enemies.
Especially after the imperial palace fire incident.
Blair’s father, the late emperor, had two women:
- Empress Esmeralda (legitimate wife)
- Consort Katrina (Blair’s mother)
Katrina had been a powerless concubine from a traveling tribe—until she gave birth to Ivan.
Power shifted. Political factions formed.
The empress and concubine became rivals.
Yet the empress had treated Blair kindly—at least on the surface.
Until the fire.
The imperial consort’s palace burned.
The empress died.
Blair was gravely injured and lost her memories.
The investigation pointed to Empress Esmeralda.
Despite denial from the Delmark family, she was labeled a traitor.
Her nephew was Herdin Delmark.
So naturally—
Blair and Herdin’s marriage was meant to be political reconciliation.
But after everything—
Blair could not possibly want it.
“Lina.”
“Yes!”
“Send a message to the Delmark house. Tell them I want to meet tomorrow. If they’re busy, ask for a suitable date.”
Lina froze.
“You want to meet the Duke?”
“Yes.”
Lina was stunned.
Blair had avoided him even during past social events.
But she obeyed.
“Yes… I’ll send it immediately.”
Left alone, Blair looked out the window.
A carriage left the palace.
Inside that distant estate was the man she was about to marry.
And the child who resembled him perfectly.
Blair placed a hand over her stomach.
I will do anything to meet Asiel again.
Even if it meant repeating that lonely, miserable marriage.
Then only one path remained.
I will marry Herdin again.
If this was truly the past she had returned to, then everything should proceed as before.
But she wouldn’t leave anything to chance.
I will definitely meet my baby again.
Her dull eyes began to shine once more
