Chap 6

"Gasping! Ugh…"

As her consciousness slowly returned, Blair's eyes snapped open.

Her blurred vision gradually cleared, revealing an unfamiliar ceiling.

"No, this pattern…"

Blair stared blankly at the pattern on the ceiling and remembered that it was the same pattern that adorned the ceiling of the palace where she had stayed before her marriage.

"Why am I in the palace?"

Her last memory was of being attacked by an intruder in Holstein's villa, far away from the palace. If she hadn't died, she should have been receiving treatment there. So why was she in the palace?

She didn't know what had happened, but at this moment, Blair had only one thought in her mind.

"Asiel!"

Our baby, he must have woken up and immediately searched for his mother.

Blair hurriedly got out of bed and approached the door.

At that moment, the door outside opened.

"Oh, you're awake, Your Highness? I was just about to wake you."

It was Lena, Blair's personal maid.

Lena, who had served Blair in the palace since childhood, had followed her to the Delmarc Duke's estate after her marriage.

To Blair, she was sometimes like a sister, sometimes like a friend.

"Lena, where's Asiel?"

"Asiel?"

"Yes, Asiel. Where is the child?"

"Who is that?"

Lena blinked in confusion, then let out a small gasp as if something suddenly came to her.

"Oh, is it the cat that has been hanging around the backyard lately? Is its name Asiel?"

In her heightened state of anxiety, Blair furrowed her brow.

"Lena, I'm not in the mood for jokes. Where is Asiel, my son?"

"What? Your son?"

It wasn't until now that Blair realized Lena was addressing her as "Your Highness."

"No way…"

Blair, with a confused look in her eyes, asked Lena.

"Lena, how old am I…?"

Lena was taken aback by Blair suddenly forgetting her own age, but it wasn't a difficult question, so she answered promptly.

"You turned twenty this year. You came of age two months ago."

This can't be.

Accepting her age, Blair had no choice but to accept the unbelievable reality.

"I've gone back three years…"

Before Asiel was born, before she married Herdin.

Blair attended the elaborate lunch without a moment to gather her thoughts.

It was a weekly family meal with Emperor Ivan, who was also her older brother, and their mother Katrina.

Seven years had passed since the Emperor, who had created such a family tradition, had died, but the tradition continued to be observed, just as it had been during his reign.

But Blair's mind was elsewhere.

"I thought I was dead, but I've come back to the past… Am I dreaming that I'm dead? Or is it a dream that I believe is the future?"

Chewing on food that she didn't even know the taste of, Blair pondered her memories.

"No, it's not a dream."

It couldn't be explained in words, but it wasn't a simple dream.

"Asiel's voice calling me, the warmth of his embrace, his face… It all feels so vivid."

And yet, this moment felt even emptier.

"My baby…"

She had miraculously returned to the past, but this reality without Asiel felt like hell.

Her hope, her life, everything that mattered to her had vanished in an instant.

Blair was lost in her emptiness.

"Your Highness."

Lena, who had been waiting behind her, called out softly, touching Blair's shoulder.

"…Ah."

Only then did Blair snap out of her daze.

"Her Majesty is calling for you, Blair."

Katrina was looking at Blair with a somewhat irritated expression.

To her, her son, who had become the emperor, was a source of pride and a trophy earned by dedicating her life to him.

Ignoring that trophy was akin to denying her entire life.

"You've been absentminded all morning. Did something happen?"

"I'm sorry. I had a restless night… What did you want to talk about?"

"It's not about the stars. Just prepare well for your marriage to the Duke of Delmarc."

Ivan mentioned the marriage without any special emphasis, as if it were a trivial matter, without ever discussing it with Blair.

Blair's eyes widened in surprise.

"We've already discussed it. I've given him suitable bait, so he's not likely to refuse."

For Blair, the engagement had proceeded without a single word.

Seeing Blair's surprised expression, Ivan quickly added, thinking that it might indicate her intention to oppose the marriage.

"Don't tell me you dislike a strategic marriage? I believe you're not making such childish complaints."

"Enough, he's a quite decent, or rather, an excellent groom. Many women across the empire want to dance with the Duke of Delmarc. Your mother has put a lot of effort into your engagement."

"Your marriage is not just about a man and a woman getting together. It's about improving the relationship between two families. As an imperial princess, you should take responsibility…"

Ivan and Katrina preemptively intervened, seeing Blair's reactions to this marriage.

Upon seeing the reactions of the two, Blair finally recalled her past memories.

"I'm sorry to both of you, but I don't want this marriage."

Before her regression, in the same situation, Blair had refused to marry Herdin.