Chapter 19
Orphaned Cub
“Is it difficult? This should be simple enough.”
His cold gaze and mocking voice scraped past Blair like a blade. As she looked at him, her eyes wavered.
…He doesn’t trust me.
For the first time, she felt his true feelings so clearly.
She had been mistaken.
He only took her side in the Lina incident because he couldn’t tolerate the servants’ insolence—not because he believed her. To insult his wife would be to insult him.
How foolish she had been, expecting anything more.
Blair lowered her gaze to avoid his eyes. Her eyelashes trembled as she slowly closed and opened her eyes.
She pushed against his chest and pulled herself out of his arms.
“…I’m sorry. I think I was dreaming.”
Her voice shook despite her efforts to hide it. Without waiting for a response, she turned and left the room.
Heredin watched her retreating figure as the door closed, then downed the rest of his whiskey in one gulp.
The alcohol burned his empty stomach like fire.
A horse’s hooves echoed through the silent winter forest.
Startled birds took flight, and the heavy snow piled on the branches came crashing down in soft white waves.
The winter hunt was proceeding smoothly this year as well.
At the imperial hunting grounds, noble families were each tasked with capturing the first sacrificial beast to offer to the gods as part of the New Year’s Festival.
Unlike regular hunts, this one was not conducted in groups but individually by each house.
Since the value of the offering was believed to please the gods, the nobles quietly competed to capture better prey. It was a matter of pride.
Because it was a house competition, noble ladies and young women also accompanied their husbands and families on horseback. Blair was among them.
As Heredin scanned the snowy field for prey, his gaze drifted to Blair following behind him. Her flushed face in the cold reminded him of yesterday’s words.
“Monsters will appear at the hunting grounds tomorrow.”
If that was true, it meant monsters would appear here today.
Yet she had still come to this dangerous place herself.
What is she thinking?
Heredin let out a quiet sigh and called the captain of the Delmark knights riding behind him.
“Kyle.”
The knight approached.
“Ensure the Duchess’s protection.”
“As you command.”
The captain relayed the order, and the knights moved closer to surround Blair.
A faint cough came from behind Heredin. His brows furrowed slightly. His gaze swept over the snowy field.
Then, a beast’s cry echoed from afar.
“Kreeee!”
A boar.
The sound of flapping birds and Blair’s sharp inhale followed.
But the boar’s cries did not stop. Whoever was hunting it was failing to kill it cleanly, wasting arrows. The noise irritated him.
Idiot. How many arrows does it take to kill one animal?
As he sneered at the unknown archer, a knight suddenly shouted:
“Your Grace! A white marten over there!”
A white shape moved across the snow.
Marten fur was valuable—and white marten fur was especially prized. It would be suitable as a divine offering.
Without hesitation, Heredin drew his bow and fired.
The arrow pierced the marten cleanly, splattering blood across the white snow.
Confirming it was dead, he turned his horse to leave—but something caught his eye.
A hollow tree.
Dismounting, he approached and looked inside.
There, in the hollow, was a newborn marten cub—eyes still closed.
…A cub.
Heredin slowly drew a dagger.
At that moment, Blair’s voice came from behind him.
“Heredin… what are you doing?”
“Without a mother, it won’t survive long. It will become prey sooner or later. It is kinder to die now with its mother than to suffer later.”
“No!”
Blair quickly dismounted and grabbed his dagger-wielding hand. His brows furrowed.
“What are you doing?”
“It might survive.”
“A newborn that hasn’t even opened its eyes? In winter, when food is scarce?”
“Even if it doesn’t live long… that doesn’t make killing it an act of mercy. Living even one more day is better.”
Heredin let out a dry laugh.
Naive optimism—or hypocrisy. Either way, it was something he despised.
“Will you still say that while being eaten alive by wolves?”
He deliberately chose cruel words to break her resolve. But—
“I’ll raise it myself.”
The woman who usually yielded to him without resistance now stood firm.
Her eyes were sharper than ever.
Like a mother protecting her cub.
It irritated him.
What is so important about this insignificant creature?
“Strange. I wonder if it would want to be raised by the one who stood by while its mother was killed.”
Heredin’s words were sharp, aimed at her own position.
Blair’s expression twisted slightly, but she did not step back.
Looking at the dead marten being collected by the knights, she said quietly:
“…Even so, its mother would have wanted it to survive somehow.”
One of the knights, awkwardly watching the tension, spoke up:
“Uh… Your Grace, perhaps it’s fine to raise it. White marten fur is valuable, after all…”
He stopped immediately when Blair shot him a cold glare.
Heredin sighed and withdrew his hand. He turned away.
Taking the cue, Blair carefully lifted the cub from the hollow.
It was small enough to fit in her palm. Warmth radiated from its tiny body.
The cub cried weakly, searching for its mother. The sound tightened her throat.
What happened to Asiel after I died?
Only then did she think of the child she had left behind in her previous life.
Perhaps someone killed him after her death. Or if he survived, he would have been a thorn in Heredin’s side, since he loved Miela.
Either way, his ending likely wasn’t a happy one.
Strangely, she felt anger toward him.
Blair placed the cub inside her glove to keep it warm.
A knight extended a hand.
“My lady, I will take it. Please ride first.”
“No. I’ll take it myself.”
“But it will be difficult to ride like that. It’s dangerous—”
“I’ll walk.”
The knight hesitated, unsure what to do.
At that moment, Heredin approached.
Without warning, he lifted Blair onto his horse.
“H-Heredin…?”
Surprised, she blinked.
He mounted behind her and spoke to the knight:
“Take care of her horse.”
He wrapped one arm around her waist to hold her steady and took the reins with the other.
Though his gaze was fixed forward, his arm holding her was firm—as if refusing to let her go.
Blair lowered her head.
She should have been grateful for his help, but the soft cries of the orphaned cub made it hard to speak.
And yet… his cold body warmth felt strangely safe.
The winter wind swept past them in silence. Blair coughed lightly, and Heredin placed the fur hood over her head.
“Why did you come here if monsters are supposed to appear? You could have stayed behind.”
It wasn’t sarcasm—he simply seemed displeased she had come at all.
Now that I think about it…
No monsters had appeared yet. Only birds were flying in the distance.
Has the future already changed because I came here?
If so, she should dismiss it as a dream.
Just as she was about to answer—
Something appeared between the trees.
Blair’s eyes widened violently.
A massive eye stared through the forest.
And in the next instant, it moved—locking eyes with her.
A chill ran down her spine.
