The morning and afternoon New Year's rituals were entirely adult affairs, so Blair spent the morning and afternoon playing with Ivan and her cousins before attending the New Year's banquet in the evening.
Blair sat with her imperial father, Empress Esmeralda, her mother Katrina, and Ivan, receiving New Year's greetings from the nobles.
As the tedious and ceremonial greetings continued, suddenly the nobles began to stir.
Wondering about the sudden change in atmosphere, Blair only realized the reason when she saw who stepped forward for the next turn.
It was Herdin.
The young duke, who had been in seclusion since the accident three years ago, had made his first public appearance today.
The nobles whispered as they watched Herdin approach the emperor.
"Oh my, the young lo... no, the Duke really came. I thought he wouldn't attend the banquet."
"Indeed. We were surprised he attended the morning hunt and service too."
"Well, he's the head of House Delmark now. Shouldn't he rebuild the family's prestige and become a pillar of strength for Her Majesty the Empress? Though it won't be easy."
At a glance, their words seemed to express sympathy for the young Herdin, but in reality, he was just an interesting piece of gossip to them.
Blair watched Herdin anxiously as she listened to their conversation.
"It is an honor to welcome the new year under the reign of Your two Majesties. Please continue to bestow your grace and watch over the empire this year as well."
Standing before the emperor and the nobles as the head of a family, Herdin, though still young, showed a presence no less than that of other family heads.
No, perhaps he shone even brighter because of his youth.
However, was it just her imagination that his calm performance of a family head's duties seemed precarious?
Blair continued to follow him with her eyes even after he safely withdrew from greeting the emperor.
After the round of New Year's greetings to the imperial family ended, the banquet began.
Amidst the nobles gathering in small groups to exchange greetings, Herdin kept to himself.
Though no one approached him, their eyes and whispering mouths were directed at him.
"The young lo... no, the Duke of Delmark. He was there when the previous Duke took his own life, wasn't he?"
"Goodness! Poor child. It's admirable that he's holding up with a clear mind."
"It's impressive, but on the other hand... he seems quite cold-hearted for someone so young."
Everyone talked about the misfortune that had befallen his family and his future. They lamented the misfortune of House Delmark while also enjoying it, and at the same time, they feared it.
"Rachel, don't go near him. What if he suddenly goes berserk like his father and tries to kill everyone?"
If Esmeralda had been there, they wouldn't have dared to gossip so freely, but unfortunately, Esmeralda had left early after receiving New Year's greetings due to poor health.
In other words, there was no one on Herdin's side in this banquet hall.
Blair looked with worried eyes at Herdin, who was silently enduring the whispers.
Though he was holding up with his usual indifferent face, could his heart truly be intact after hearing all this?
After a while, those who had been gossiping about Herdin and House Delmark soon lost interest and moved on to the next topic. As if moving on to the next course of a meal.
Only after the attention of others had been withdrawn did Herdin quietly leave his seat.
Concerned about Herdin's hollow-eyed appearance as he left the banquet hall, Blair followed him out to the rear garden.
As soon as she stepped into the rear garden, the cold winter wind scraped against her cheeks.
The night garden, dimly lit by soft lights, was quiet. If it had been summer, there might have been people out enjoying the banquet, but due to the cold weather, no one was around.
'Where did he go?'
As Blair was looking around for Herdin, she heard a pained groan not far away.
Search "child" at redcatty [.] com to read ahead up to chap 170.