ONDC 34

~Chapter 34~

The Magic of Time

Blair, who had barely managed to pull the bell rope, curled up on the bed again and waited for Lina.

The warmth of the fireplace still lingered in the room, making it cozy.

Heredin must have lit it in the morning before leaving and then put it out.

That thought suddenly crossed her mind.
‘It doesn’t seem like Heredin would be behind the attacker.’

The man who had readily admitted his mistake and apologized, the man who had stayed by her side because she feared fire—no matter how much he might have hated her, he didn’t seem like someone who would have tried to kill her.

Just as she was about to drift off thinking that, Lina’s voice came with a knock.
“My lady, I’m coming in!”

Lina entered the room carrying water for washing.

As Blair was about to sit up, she suddenly looked down at her body.

Her entire body was covered with red marks, as if flowers had bloomed all over it.

The traces of the night that had once embarrassed her in her previous life had now become familiar.
“Lina, could you give me some clothes?”
“Oh—yes!”
Lina quickly set down the basin and brought her fresh clothes.
“Thank you.”
Blair accepted the clothes Lina handed her and got dressed.

But Lina, who would normally chatter away while talking, was strangely quiet.

Finding it odd, Blair looked at her and saw that Lina was deliberately avoiding her gaze.

Only then did Blair realize Lina had noticed the marks left on her body and was feeling embarrassed.
‘In my previous life too, Lina suddenly became very quiet when she attended me in the mornings not long after I married.’

Suppressing a smile, Blair asked Lina,
“Where is the Duke?”
“Ah.

He left about an hour ago.

A knight from the imperial palace came saying that demonic beasts had appeared in the outskirts.”

Blair’s expression stiffened when she heard the news.

Maintaining order in the capital was clearly the responsibility of the Imperial Knights.

Yet in her previous life as well, Ivan had treated Heredin like his personal knight.

Saying that the knights from the north—where demonic beasts frequently appeared—were far more skilled at fighting them, and that he needed help.

Knowing that innocent citizens would suffer if he did not step forward, Heredin often went without showing any sign of reluctance.

Blair hated that.

She hated the thought of citizens getting hurt, and she hated the imperial knights getting hurt—but she also hated seeing Heredin forced to endure unfair demands.
‘If we divorce, my brother will lose the justification to ask him.’

Thinking that, she felt she could not remain idle.

Blair hastily put on her clothes and climbed down from the bed.

At that moment, the strength drained from her legs and she collapsed onto the floor.

Startled, Lina quickly supported her.
“My lady!

Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to just rest today?

You don’t have any busy schedule anyway…

And… you’ve been overexerting yourself lately…”
“No.

I’ll be fine soon.”

Ignoring Lina’s worried gaze, Blair stood up.

She almost laughed because she could feel Lina’s displeasure toward Heredin, the culprit behind this situation.

Lina, worried that Blair was pushing herself, brought the washing basin closer to the bed.

When Blair insisted she would go to the dining room to eat, Lina firmly stopped her and even brought the meal to the bedside.

After eating under Lina’s excessive care, Blair felt as if her strength had recovered a little.

Only then did she begin her day.

She first visited the room where Pippi stayed to check how much it had grown and played with it for a moment, then left the room and headed toward the mansion’s library.

She wanted to study the neighboring countries.
‘I’m planning to stay in the Kingdom of Clania until I give birth to Asiel, but after that I don’t know where I’ll settle, so it would be good to study the countries around the empire.’

However, the book Blair was looking for was not in the mansion’s library.

The librarian looked troubled.
“It seems one of the servants borrowed it.

Since it’s listed in the borrowing records, I can go retrieve it right away.”

Even though books had become somewhat more common now, they were still expensive items.

Because of that, nobles usually did not allow servants to enter their libraries.

But Heredin had opened the library freely.

So that anyone belonging to Delmark could read books whenever they wished.

Blair did not want to go against his intention.
“No, that’s not necessary.

It’s not urgent, and the person who borrowed it should read it first.”

Then Mason, who had been watching from the side, made a suggestion.
“My lady, how about checking His Grace’s private study?”

Heredin’s private study was connected to his office.

It had been designed so that he could freely come and go whenever he needed materials while working.

Because it felt like intruding into his personal space, she had never entered it in her previous life.
“Is it alright if I go in?”

Mason quietly looked at Blair as she asked cautiously.

Most of the people in the ducal household kept their distance from her.

Though she was the emperor’s sister and they could not openly mistreat her, they were not friendly enough to engage with her personally.

Blair never tried to curry favor with them or watch their reactions, but perhaps because she understood her own position, a certain carefulness was always present in her actions.

As if she were a guest in someone else’s house.

When Mason had first begun serving her as the lady of the house, he too had felt some reluctance, but after watching her closely these past few months, he felt he could understand.

The feelings Esmeralda must have had when she cherished the daughter of her enemy.

How could anyone not grow fond of a child who worked so hard to learn everything and who rejoiced so purely even at a single word of praise?

Blair resembled Esmeralda, the one who had raised her with love, far more than her own mother.

Others might laugh if they heard it, but Mason, who had long passed forty and was no longer swayed by the world’s prejudices, truly saw Blair that way.

Since they had already been bound by a marriage blessed before God, he hoped she would adapt well to this ducal house—and to his master as well.
“You are the mistress of the House of Delmark.

There is no place in this mansion you cannot enter, and nothing you cannot use.”

As if trying to reassure her, he added,
“His Grace has never said anything particular about the study either.”

After hearing that, Blair immediately headed toward Heredin’s office with Mason.

But the moment she stepped into the office, she regretted it.

The office that had been left in complete chaos ten days ago was now perfectly tidy, as if nothing had ever happened.

Heat rushed to her face.

Embarrassed, Blair quickly turned her gaze away.

Mason, puzzled, asked,
“My lady?

Is something wrong?”
“…No, it’s nothing.”

For the time being, she thought she should avoid coming anywhere near the office.

Thinking that, Blair followed Mason.

The passage leading to the private study was on the right side of the office.
“If you need anything, please call me.”

Mason guided her there and then stepped away.

When she opened the door and entered, the view of a large room surrounded by bookshelves covering the walls unfolded before her.

The study was spacious and quiet, and at first glance it looked tidy, but if one looked closely, there were books left unorganized here and there.

Since Heredin was the only one who used this study, they must be books he had been reading.
‘I thought he would prefer everything neatly organized.’

Finding this unexpected side of him interesting, Blair looked around the study and soon found the bookshelf containing history books from various countries.

The books she had been searching for were there.

She pulled out several volumes and was looking around for more books worth reading when a nearby bookshelf caught her eye.
‘What kind of books are on this shelf?’

Usually the category of the books was written in the middle of the shelf, but this one had nothing written on it.

That only made her more curious.

Blair moved toward that shelf.

It was filled with books written in an unfamiliar language.

Blair recognized the language immediately.
“Ancient language?”

Books written in the ancient language were usually magic books.

Which meant every book on this shelf was a magic book.
‘Come to think of it…’

Suddenly she remembered the sight she had seen during the New Year Festival.

The way he had wielded both sword and magic.

Those who were chosen by mana from birth studied magic through spellbooks and became true magicians.

Since Heredin was both a swordsman and a mage, he must have studied magic books just like other magicians.

She once again realized that he was the empire’s only magic swordsman with overwhelming power.

At the same time, the magic books before her piqued her interest.

It was because a childhood dream suddenly came to mind.

When she was young and didn’t yet know that not everyone could become a mage, Blair had wanted to become one.

Because she had thought that if she became a mage, she could fulfill any wish that was physically impossible.

So at one time she had diligently read the magic books in the imperial palace library.

Believing that learning from magic books would allow her to become a mage, she had painstakingly translated the incomprehensible ancient language with the help of a dictionary.

In the end she had never become a mage, but thanks to that she had at least learned to interpret some of the difficult ancient language.

While examining the shelf full of magic books, Blair discovered one resting on top of the others.

Blair pulled the magic book out.

It seemed to have been left in that state for quite a long time, as a thick layer of dust had settled on top of it, making her cough.

Blair coughed as she brushed off the dust and examined the cover.

⟨∞⟩

Unlike most books that had titles written on them, the black cover had only a single small symbol drawn on it.

It was the symbol for infinity.
‘Infinity?

What kind of magic would use a cover like this?’

Curious, she opened the cover.

The very first page appeared.

The paper had faded with age, proving how old the book was, and ancient letters were written upon it.

Blair recalled the memories of her childhood and deciphered the text.
“Time… magic.”

What kind of magic was time magic?

Although she had barely managed to read the title of the spellbook, it only made her more confused.

Just as Blair was about to turn the next page—