The next morning, Blair came down to the dining room and ate with Herdin as usual. The only sound in the dining room was the clatter of their cutlery.
In the now-familiar silence, Blair recalled the conversation with Agnes a few days ago.
It was when, after the counseling session ended, Blair had asked when the hypnosis could be performed. Agnes looked troubled and said,
"You must obtain His Excellency's consent regarding that matter first. He ordered it that way when we began the counseling."
Blair assumed that Herdin was doing this to observe the hypnosis process, just as he had before.
In any case, since it seemed Agnes would not proceed without Herdin's consent, Blair had obediently stepped aside.
However, after meeting Katrina yesterday, she felt a sense of urgency. It was not merely because of the contract with Herdin.
She was curious. She wondered what the truth was that Katrina feared so much.
"Herdin."
Instead of answering, Herdin raised his gaze to look at her.
Blair got straight to the point.
"I heard that your consent is required to perform hypnosis. Can you give your consent?"
Herdin, who had been listening silently, stopped staring.
Blair continued.
"Since they say her condition has improved a lot during counseling, if we try hypnosis again—"
"No."
Herdin answered firmly before Blair could finish.
Blair's puzzled gaze fell upon him. It was a silent question asking for the reason.
"I heard you are holding a banquet soon. It would be troublesome if you fell ill again like last time."
Only then did Blair recall the banquet schedule, which she had completely forgotten while distracted by her meeting with Katrina yesterday.
It seemed Mason had already reported it to Herdin.
"There is no need to rush at the risk of disrupting other plans."
"Then will you allow it after the banquet is over?"
"Well."
Herdin replied indifferently, raising his glass of water to moisten his throat.
At his ambiguous answer, Blair's delicate brow furrowed slightly. At the same time, her small lips were pressed shut in a look of dissatisfaction.
It seemed to be an unconscious action.
Herdin, gazing intently at the scene beyond the glass, smiled slightly, but it was obscured by the cup.
He set the glass down and added a beat later,
"We'll see."
Blair seemed displeased with the answer, but, appearing to have given up trying to persuade him further, she began to finish her meal.
As the meal wrapped up and they were getting up to leave, Herdin spoke up.
"Ah, Ruth will be helping with the banquet preparations today."
Blair's eyes widened at this unexpected news.
***
Ruth's expression was grim as she headed toward the drawing room where Blair was waiting. She looked just like a child going to do homework they didn't want to do.
Ruth let out a deep sigh and recalled the conversation she had with Herdin just moments ago.
"Mason is bedridden." "It seems his body isn't what it used to be."
"Well, considering his age, is he feeling very unwell?"
"The medicine seems to be working well, so there's no need to worry about him."
"That's a relief."
"Never mind Mason. You'll have to help Blair out today."
"Yes...Wait, what?!"
"He said he would start preparing for the banquet today."
Ruth, who had been blinking, unable to immediately grasp Herdin's words, realized it a beat too late and was appalled.
She found Blair uncomfortable.
In her presence, she feigned a moderately sociable smile and maintained just enough politeness not to be rude, but since Blair was her superior, she was simply treating her accordingly.
The Blair she had observed over Herdin's shoulder for the past few months did not seem like the same type of person as the existing members of the Imperial Family. Nevertheless, because she was a member of the Imperial Household, she remained someone Ruth had to keep in check.
Ruth hated that sense of disconnect. The more she realized that Blair was different from the members of the Imperial Family, the less she wanted to get close to her.
"Um, I don't even live in this mansion."
"That's true now. But you've lived here for a long time."
It was Herdin's mother, Eloise, who had brought a child who originally made a living as a pickpocket in the back alleys to the Duke's mansion and raised her.
Ruth had lived in this mansion all her life thanks to her kindness, until Herdin returned from the war, became his aide, was granted a title, and became independent.
Perhaps Ruth knew the inner workings of this mansion better than Herdin, and probably second only to Mason.
"Well, that is true, but..."
"Even so, you wouldn't go after her to catch her."
Herdin was scheduled to head to the outskirts of the capital today to hunt down monsters.
Reports had come in that the monsters, having entered hibernation, were waking up as spring approached and the weather warmed.
Thus, Herdin left, entrusting this inconvenient task to Ruth.
"Haa…"
Ruth let out a deep sigh as she arrived in front of the reception room before she knew it. Just as she was about to grab the doorknob…
"Lord Ruth."
"Aargh!"
Ruth screamed in surprise at the voice coming from right beside her. Blair was just as startled by her boisterous reaction.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."
Ruth worried that Blair might have heard her sigh or seen through her underlying discomfort, but Blair's expression showed only surprise. Fortunately, it seemed she hadn't heard.
"Ah, no problem. I was distracted and didn't realize you were coming."
Ruth, who was about to enter the reception room without thinking, stopped, realizing there was no need to do so.
"Would you like to look around the banquet hall first?"
The two began to tour the mansion together. From the banquet hall to the lounges and balconies where guests could relax, the conversation flowed naturally once the topic of the banquet came up, contrary to Ruth's worry that it might be awkward.
Standing beside Blair, Ruth kept an eye on her while taking notes in her notebook on things she mentioned, such as areas to repair or decorations to add.
Blair was preparing for the banquet with far more skill and meticulousness than Ruth had anticipated.
"I heard that she rarely hosted banquets during her time as an Empress, but it looks like she has hosted many before."
Ruth followed behind her, inwardly admiring Blair's efficiency.
Next was the gallery, where one could learn at least a rough outline of Delmark's history.
The gallery displayed a variety of paintings, ranging from portraits of past Dukes of Delmark to portraits of the previous Duke and Duchess and Herdin.
This gallery was also opened whenever a banquet was held. While a banquet might simply be a day of enjoyment for the participants, it was also a day to introduce the family to the guests.
Although few paid much attention to it, it was an important venue for the host family.
As she entered the gallery, the first thing she saw was a massive tapestry embroidered with the wings of a divine beast.
'The Coat of Arms of Delmark.'
Blair knew the origin of that emblem.
Long ago, in a time when demonic beasts and demon races ran rampant, divine beasts lived in this world.
Like other demonic beasts, they had come from another realm, but unlike the beasts that caused chaos, they stood on the side of humans to safeguard the peace and order of this world.
As the world gradually found stability, the divine beasts left, declaring that their duty was complete.
Even though all their kin had departed, the last divine beast, who remained in this world out of love for a human woman, was plunged into grief after losing his lover in the final war.
Before leaving this world, he intended to pass on a portion of his power to the first emperor, who had been his lover's comrade. Although his lover was dead, he knew that she loved humans.
However, such immense power came with two flaws.
The first was that, since it involved housing power beyond the ordinary into a human body, there was a risk of it running wild if not handled properly.
The second restriction was that while one could draw upon immense power transcending limits in special circumstances, the price was the lifespan of a loved one.
Such a restriction had been imposed because it was an abnormal power that disrupted the balance of the world.
However, the Emperor refused the succession of this power.
The Emperor was the very center of the nation.
If a leader who must not waver at any moment were to be swayed by power and run amok, it would inevitably lead to a national crisis.
Instead, he bequeathed the power to the most trustworthy person: his close friend and loyal knight, the first Duke of Delmark.
Thus, the symbol of Delmark became not the Divine Beast itself, but its wings—wings that guarded this world now that its guardians had departed.
In this way, the power of the Divine Beast was passed down through the direct descendants of Delmark.
Then, one of the successive Dukes of Delmark, having lost a beloved lover as the price of this power, removed the second restriction. He did so hoping that his descendants would not suffer the same sorrow he had endured.
People condemned this as a terribly selfish choice, but they did not know how to reinstate a restriction that had already vanished.
As a result, Delmark's descendants were subsequently unable to use power beyond their limits; however, because they possessed the power of the Divine Beast, they remained strong, and Delmark was still going strong.
This was the story Blair knew.
'That is why I was so worried…'
While some envied and revered him for his insurmountable power, Blair worried about him. She feared that the weight of that power, given to him to protect others, might be so heavy that it might consume him.
Would he leave my side so sadly, just like his father, who met a tragic end crushed by that power?
However, knowing it was a wound he did not want to recall, it was a worry she could not bring herself to voice.
"This is the first head of the family."
Ruth guided Blair through the gallery, briefly explaining the figures in the portraits one by one. After all, knowing the history of one's family was a basic requirement for a Duchess.
Of course, having regressed, Blair already knew all of this.
As soon as Ruth finished explaining the portrait, Blair moved toward the next one.
At the same time, Blair's steps faltered.
'This painting is...'