Chapter 5.
The Snow Fairy
“Your Highness, Her Majesty the Empress Dowager is waiting for you.”
Upon hearing the message from Lina, Blair immediately returned to the princess’s palace.
As soon as she entered the reception room, she was met with Katrina’s hand.
Smack!
Without warning, the slap sent Blair’s body staggering.
“Your Highness!”
Lina, who had followed behind her, quickly caught Blair as she swayed.
Katrina raised her hand again, but unable to bring it down a second time, she burst out in fury instead.
“There are limits to how much you can disrespect your mother! How could you visit that woman the day before your wedding? That woman who once tried to kill you!”
Blair’s cheek still burned, but she didn’t even let out a groan. She simply looked at Katrina with calm eyes.
Katrina, who had always been deeply insecure about her lowly birth, was extremely sensitive to how others perceived her. Whatever she truly felt, she always tried to appear noble, elegant, and dignified.
So for her to actually strike someone was rare.
Blair had clearly touched her reverse scale.
“I am your mother! I carried you for ten months, gave birth to you in pain! Not that woman!”
In Katrina’s violet eyes—so similar to Blair’s—fierce madness flickered.
Blair let out a quiet, scornful laugh at the sight.
The Empress Dowager, who despised Blair’s devotion to Esmeralda, in truth saw her daughter as nothing more than a chess piece for her son.
From the time Blair began to develop a woman’s figure, Katrina strictly controlled her weight.
If she exceeded her target weight even slightly, the palace maids would be punished until their calves bled—or starved. All in the name of “discipline for failing to serve their mistress properly.”
Katrina whispered that all of it was for Blair’s own good.
“Think of the end of that woman who was never loved. She envied those who were loved, and destroyed herself in jealousy. What a pitiful, worthless life.”
“……”
“You must become a woman who is loved, Blair. Like your mother.”
And thus, you must become the perfect foundation for your brother and this imperial house I built…
Whenever Blair felt she had gained even a little weight, she would force herself to vomit everything she had eaten.
The nausea was so intense it brought tears to her eyes, but it was fine. She told herself it was fine.
This was all for her mother. Because her mother worried about her.
If she endured it, the maids would not be punished. Her mother would not hate her. Everyone would see her as beautiful.
Everyone would love her.
Yes, it was fine.
As long as she could be loved, this much meant nothing…
But the moment she held newborn Asiel in her arms, she realized something.
“You must make Herdin Delmark fall for you. So that he becomes a strong ally for your brother. Do you understand?”
If she truly loved her, she could not prioritize her son over her daughter’s wedding.
If she truly loved her, she would not find her child’s eating habits adorable simply because she was “cute.”
No matter what others said, the child in front of her was precious beyond words.
It hurt, but she could no longer deny it.
Katrina’s love for her… was not love at all.
That was why Blair could finally speak back.
“Since when did you ever truly care about me?”
Her voice was calm, but filled with resentment. Her gaze struck Katrina.
“You…!”
Unable to respond to her daughter’s sudden defiance, Katrina raised her hand again.
At that moment, Blair spoke.
“If my face is scarred before the wedding, wouldn’t that become a problem?”
Katrina’s hand froze midair.
Trembling with rage she could not control, she eventually lowered her hand.
“You… you are truly stabbing your mother’s heart… you insolent child…”
Katrina walked past Blair and Lina and left the reception room.
Blair closed her eyes, listening to the fading sound of footsteps.
Strangely, it felt both painful and relieving.
The end of a twisted, one-sided love.
The wedding was held at a temple on the outskirts of the capital.
To witness the marriage of the Emperor’s only younger sister and the Duke of Delmark, a vast crowd gathered—nobles and commoners alike.
In the bridal waiting room, attendants worked tirelessly to finish dressing the bride of the day, Blair.
“Still, it’s a relief the swelling has gone down.”
A maid carefully touched Blair’s cheek—the place Katrina had struck yesterday—while fixing her makeup.
“It’s all thanks to your treatment. Her Majesty should really reward you.”
“The Empress Dowager is truly too harsh. The bride’s face on her wedding day… like this…”
The maid grumbled as if more distressed than Blair herself. Blair simply smiled faintly at her.
At that moment, Lina, who was holding the veil, suddenly looked out the window and gasped.
“Oh my, it’s snowing outside.”
“It seems even the heavens are celebrating your wedding, Your Highness.”
Outside the window, small white snowflakes were indeed drifting down. The same kind of snow that had fallen on her first wedding day.
Back then, Blair had watched it with both excitement and fear.
Now, she looked at it with calm detachment.
Her peace was broken by a knock at the door.
“Is everything ready?”
It was Ivan’s voice. The attendants quickly placed the veil over Blair’s face. Only the groom was allowed to see the bride first.
The maids bowed as Ivan entered.
“If you’re ready, let’s go.”
He extended his hand to Blair.
After staring at it for a moment, she placed her hand on his.
As they left the waiting room together, Ivan spoke.
“A woman’s best way to secure her position in her in-laws’ house is to bear a son. You know that, right?”
Blair gave no response.
Ivan found her silence displeasing.
“And as your brother, I’ll give you advice—you’re too stiff. It’s fine to be proper, but in bed you need to act a little like a seductress if you want to be loved.”
“……”
“Mother was very worried about you.”
At the mention of “mother,” Blair finally spoke.
“Please tell her that her daughter will live well anywhere in this continent, so she need not worry, brother.”
Anywhere in this continent.
Once this contract marriage ended, Blair intended to leave the responsibilities of royalty behind and travel freely. With her beloved son, Asiel.
When Blair stepped out holding Ivan’s hand, the crowd waiting outside erupted in admiration.
Even with a veil, her silhouette was breathtaking.
“It looks like an angel descended from heaven.”
“She looks like a snow fairy.”
Herdin listened to the nobles’ praises with indifference as he watched Ivan and Blair approach.
To him, it was just another meaningless wedding.
Ivan soon reached him and placed Blair’s hand into Herdin’s.
“Though she is my precious sister, please take good care of her.”
“I have no choice under imperial command.”
The two stood side by side before the officiant, the High Priest Gerard.
He smiled warmly.
“To see the princess grow up safely and now be married brings me great joy.”
He had once treated Blair when she was injured during the Empress Palace fire incident. He had also attended the funerals of the former Duke and Duchess as the High Priest.
Thus, his connection with both of them had continued to this day, leading him to officiate the wedding personally.
The ceremony proceeded.
While everyone was excited at the union of the empire’s most beautiful couple, the two main figures remained indifferent.
“Now, please exchange your vow kiss.”
Herdin lifted Blair’s veil.
Their eyes met.
For a moment, his usually cold gaze—like a still winter lake—rippled slightly.
Her white dress and pale platinum hair made every color around her stand out.
Her slightly flushed white face under the veil, violet eyes like amethysts, and soft red lips…
And the snow falling gently outside the window.
A snow fairy.
The term suited her perfectly.
Herdin thought the nobles’ words were not entirely wrong, and gently kissed the fairy’s lips.
After the temple wedding, a banquet was held at the imperial palace.
It was hosted by the Emperor to celebrate the imperial occasion with everyone. Yet, as a courtesy, Herdin and Blair were allowed to leave early.
Ruth organized the documents that had arrived for Herdin that day and was about to leave the office when he opened the door—
And collided with a large shadow.
“Ah! You scared me!”
Herdin stood there in a robe, as if he had just bathed, his hair still damp.
Ruth sighed and looked at him.
“Why are you here at this hour?”
“Do I need a reason to come to my own office?”
“That’s not what I meant—it’s your wedding night.”
“There’s paperwork to handle.”
“There’s nothing urgent enough to deal with on your wedding day.”
“You seem disappointed I didn’t avoid the office.”
“Of course! Who would want to be alone with their boss this late at night? Especially on his wedding night?”
A boss spending his wedding night in his office instead of with his bride—this could easily spark rumors.
Ignoring Ruth’s panic, Herdin sat at his desk and lit a cigar.
He’s insane. A true work addict.
Ruth watched him work and sighed.
“…So what will you do now?”
Herdin understood what he meant.
“I agreed to cooperate in recovering memories related to the incident ten years ago.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I don’t know whether she truly lost her memory, or is pretending for some other purpose.”
Even after accepting Blair’s proposal, he still did not trust her.
“……Doesn’t matter.”
Whatever her goal was, she was now within his reach.
And while she was there, he would use her to uncover the truth.
Ruth hesitated before asking again.
“So… you’re really not going to the bedroom?”
Herdin suddenly recalled the doll-like woman who had sat expressionless beside him all day.
His blue eyes turned cold.
She was probably already asleep. A fragile woman like her would not withstand the day’s strain.
Besides, a contract marriage didn’t require a wedding night.
Just as he reached that conclusion, his mind changed.
After a moment of thought, Herdin stood.
“You’re going?”
Ruth asked.
Herdin replied calmly:
“I just got curious.”
What expression that doll-like wife would make when her inconvenient husband suddenly appeared.
