# WebtoonLib — I Only Need the Duke's Child #16 ## Series - title: I Only Need the Duke's Child - slug: i-only-need-the-duke-s-child-t7h7gek5 ## Chapter - number: 16 - chapter_key: 16-5t2bbd - release_date: 2026-11-09 ### Summary Chapter 16 of I Only Need the Duke's Child opens as Blair's secret guild visit reaches Herdin's ears, and the Duke begins to suspect her intentions. Thinking that pressuring the Rivellus Guild will only push Blair further into hiding, Herdin decides to have her secretly watched for now. The chapter then jumps to the day before the New Year Festival; Blair meets hypnotist Agnes Loreline to recover her memories and tells her about her first encounter with Herdin at the Empress's palace when she was ten years old in her childhood. - summary_language: en - summary_source: chapter_translation - summary_verification: verified ### Key events - Agnes proposes slow recovery with weekly tea and childhood stories instead of force. - Blair meets hypnotist Agnes Loreline to help recover lost traumatic memories. - Blair recalls first meeting Herdin at age ten at Empress's palace on New Year Festival. - Blair reveals she must recover memories within six months before pregnancy and Aciel. - Jerome reports Blair and her maid secretly left for the Guild District and returned. - Herdin decides not to force Rivelus Guild and to keep Blair under secret surveillance. ## Spoiler - level: auto ### Safe teaser Chapter 16 of I Only Need the Duke's Child opens as Blair's secret guild visit reaches Herdin's ears, and the Duke begins to suspect her intentions. ### Spoiler summary Chapter 16 of I Only Need the Duke's Child opens as Blair's secret guild visit reaches Herdin's ears, and the Duke begins to suspect her intentions. Thinking that pressuring the Rivellus Guild will only push Blair further into hiding, Herdin decides to have her secretly watched for now. The chapter then jumps to the day before the New Year Festival; Blair meets hypnotist Agnes Loreline to recover her memories and tells her about her first encounter with Herdin at the Empress's palace when she was ten years old in her childhood. ## Status - data_status: complete - summary_status: editorial ## Transcript - transcript_source: community - transcript_language: en - transcript_bubbles: 96 ### Content SIR JEROME CAME TO REPORT WHAT HE'D SEEN WHILE PATROLLING THE ESTATE. HE SPOTTED HER GRACE AND HER MAID SLIPPING OUT ABOUT AN HOUR AGO. HE FOLLOWED THEM AND DISCOVERED THEY'D GONE TO THE GUILD DISTRICT. THE GUILD DISTRICT? AT THIS TIME OF NIGHT? YES, YOUR GRACE. THEY RETURNED NOT LONG AGO. WHO WOULD'VE THOUGHT MY SEEMINGLY WELL-BEHAVED WIFE HAD A PENCHANT FOR SNEAKING OFF ON SUCH RECKLESS ESCAPADES? I MUST ADMIT, I FEEL RATHER BLINDSIDED. SHOULD I HAVE OUR MEN FIND OUT WHAT SHE HIRED THE GUILD FOR? WHY BOTHER? FOR ALL WE KNOW, SHE MAY BE CONSPIRING WITH THE IMPERIAL FAMILY. PERHAPS SHE'S HELPING THEM DEVISE A PLAN TO PLACE HOUSE DELMARQUE ENTIRELY UNDER THEIR CONTROL. IF THAT WERE THE CASE, THEY WOULDN'T USE THE PRINCESS. IT WOULD IMMEDIATELY AROUSE SUSPICION, CONSIDERING SHE LIVES HERE. BESIDES, THE EMPEROR HAS COUNTLESS PAWNS AT HIS DISPOSAL. THAT IS TRUE... PERHAPS ONE DAY THEY'LL COME AFTER HOUSE DELMARQUE. BUT NOT YET. FOR NOW, THE EMPEROR STILL NEEDS MY STRENGTH. THEN WHY ON EARTH WOULD HER GRACE VISIT A GUILD? THAT'S WHAT I'D LIKE TO KNOW MYSELF... WHAT'S GOING ON INSIDE THAT LITTLE HEAD OF HERS? THE RIVELUS GUILD WOULD NEVER BETRAY A CLIENT'S CONFIDENCE. TRYING TO FORCE THEM TO SPEAK WOULD ONLY MAKE THINGS WORSE. AND IF BLAIR FOUND OUT I WAS INVESTIGATING HER, SHE'D HIDE HER TRUE INTENTIONS FROM ME COMPLETELY. KEEP AN EYE ON HER FOR THE TIME BEING. AND MAKE CERTAIN SHE DOESN'T NOTICE. THE DAY BEFORE THE NEW YEAR'S FESTIVAL IT'S A PLEASURE TO MEET YOU, YOUR GRACE. MY NAME IS AGNES LORELINE... ...AND I COME FROM ONE OF HOUSE DELMARQUE'S VASSAL FAMILIES. AGNES LORELINE HYPNOTIST I'LL DO EVERYTHING IN MY POWER TO HELP YOU RECOVER YOUR MEMORIES. THEN I LEAVE MYSELF IN YOUR CAPABLE HANDS. I DON'T INTEND TO FORCE YOUR MEMORIES TO RETURN ALL AT ONCE. I'D RATHER HELP YOU BECOME COMFORTABLE WITH THAT PART OF YOUR LIFE LITTLE BY LITTLE. YOU LOST YOUR MEMORIES AFTER EXPERIENCING SOMETHING DEEPLY TRAUMATIC, DIDN'T YOU, YOUR GRACE? PEOPLE IN YOUR SITUATION OFTEN BURY THEIR MEMORIES EVEN DEEPER WHEN THEY'RE FORCED TO CONFRONT THEM TOO QUICKLY. AND HOW DO YOU INTEND TO HELP ME BECOME COMFORTABLE WITH THAT PART OF MY LIFE? WE'LL START SIMPLY. WE'LL HAVE TEA TOGETHER ONCE A WEEK, JUST LIKE THIS. I'D LIKE YOU TO TELL ME STORIES FROM YOUR CHILDHOOD. WHATEVER COMES TO MIND. BUT... THAT WON'T BRING MY MEMORIES BACK QUICKLY ENOUGH. IF I CAN'T END THIS MARRIAGE SOON AFTER BECOMING PREGNANT... IT'LL BE IMPOSSIBLE TO KEEP MY CONDITION A SECRET FROM HIM. AND EACH TIME I ATTEMPT TO RECOVER MY MEMORIES, I FALL SO ILL THAT I'M CONFINED TO MY BED. ONCE I'M PREGNANT, I WON'T BE ABLE TO TAKE THAT RISK ANYMORE. I ONLY HAVE ABOUT SIX MONTHS LEFT BEFORE ACIEL COMES INTO MY LIFE. NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS... I HAVE TO RECOVER MY MEMORIES BEFORE THEN. YOUR GRACE, YOU NEEDN'T RUSH YOURSELF. I'LL DO EVERYTHING IN MY POWER TO HELP YOU RECOVER YOUR MEMORIES. ALL I ASK IS THAT YOU TRUST ME AND ALLOW ME TO GUIDE YOU. VERY WELL... I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING YOUR STORIES. TO KNOW ANOTHER'S LIFE IS TO BROADEN ONE'S OWN HORIZONS AND SEE THE WORLD ANEW. COME TO THINK OF IT, IT'S ALREADY THE LAST DAY OF THE YEAR. IT FEELS AS THOUGH WE ONLY JUST WELCOMED THE NEW YEAR YESTERDAY. INDEED, TIME SLIPS BY SO QUICKLY. TRYING TO REMEMBER THINGS OUT OF NOWHERE CAN BE OVERWHELMING, SO LET'S START WITH SOMETHING SPECIFIC. WHY DON'T YOU TELL ME WHAT YOU REMEMBER OF THE NEW YEAR'S FESTIVAL FROM YOUR CHILDHOOD? THE NEW YEAR'S FESTIVAL? YES, LET'S THINK BACK TO THE FESTIVAL FROM THE YEAR THE FIRE HAPPENED. DO YOU REMEMBER ANYTHING AT ALL FROM THAT DAY? IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE ANYTHING SIGNIFICANT. EVEN THE FAINTEST MEMORY WILL DO. I REMEMBER THAT DAY QUITE WELL... IT WAS THE DAY I MET HERDIN FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME. I WAS TEN YEARS OLD THEN. IT WAS THE LAST DAY OF THE YEAR. I SPENT THE DAY PAYING VISITS TO MY RELATIVES AND WISHING THEM PROSPERITY IN THE COMING YEAR. AFTER SPENDING HOURS GETTING DRESSED, I WENT STRAIGHT TO THE EMPRESS'S PALACE. I NEVER KNEW WHY, BUT FOR SOME REASON, HER MAJESTY WAS BUSIER THAN USUAL AROUND THAT TIME, SO I RARELY HAD THE CHANCE TO SEE HER. I'M GOING TO ASK HER MAJESTY TO PLAY CARDS WITH ME. AND THIS TIME, I'M ABSOLUTELY GOING TO WIN. YOUR MAJESTY! OH, BLAIR. I'M DELIGHTED YOU'VE COME. YOUR TIMING COULDN'T BE MORE PERFECT. THAT BOY... HE MUST BE THE CHILD HER MAJESTY SPOKE OF. AS YOU KNOW, I HAVE ONLY ONE NEPHEW. HE'S ALREADY BECOME THE HEAD OF HOUSE DELMARQUE, THOUGH HE'S STILL SO YOUNG. I'M CERTAIN HE MUST FEEL TERRIBLY LONELY. I ONLY HOPE HE FINDS A TRUE FRIEND. SOMEONE LIKE YOU, BLAIR. YOU NEEDN'T WORRY, YOUR MAJESTY. WHEN WE MEET, I'LL BE HIS FRIEND. HERDIN... ...THIS IS HER HIGHNESS, PRINCESS BLAIR. I AM HERDIN DELMARQUE. IT'S AN HONOR TO MAKE YOUR ACQUAINTANCE, YOUR HIGHNESS, THE SHINING JEWEL OF THE EMPIRE. WOW, EVEN THE WAY HE BOWS IS SO GRACEFUL-- I-IT'S A PLEASURE TO MEET YOU TOO... DUKE DELMARQUE. I'VE ALWAYS HOPED THE TWO OF YOU WOULD MEET SOMEDAY. I'M DELIGHTED I'VE FINALLY HAD THE CHANCE TO INTRODUCE YOU TO ONE ANOTHER. HOW ABOUT ANOTHER GAME OF CARDS? REALLY? I'D LOVE THAT, YOUR MAJESTY! THEN LET'S HAVE HERDIN JOIN US AS WELL. COME NOW, BOTH OF YOU. SIT. I WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE STORIES SURROUNDING HOUSE DELMARQUE. THEIR FALL FROM GRACE... ...HAD BECOME A FAVORITE TOPIC OF GOSSIP AMONG THE NOBILITY, WHO RELISHED OTHER PEOPLE'S MISFORTUNE. I KNEW THE ORIGINS OF HOUSE DELMARQUE. I KNEW OF THE POWER THAT RAN THROUGH THEIR BLOODLINE... ...AND THE TRAGIC PRICE THEY ULTIMATELY PAID FOR IT. HE'S REALLY SCARY... ## See also - [WebtoonLib — I Only Need the Duke's Child #16](/series/i-only-need-the-duke-s-child-t7h7gek5/chapter-16-5t2bbd) - for_series_detail: /llms-series/i-only-need-the-duke-s-child-t7h7gek5 ## Usage AI grounding / search / summarization. Cite WebtoonLib for any included content.