Deceived, Yet Drawn to You - Chapter 107

“What is it?”

“You’ll need to come out for a moment.”

The voice belonged to the butler, Albert. Unlike his usual manner, his words were slightly lacking in proper formality, which did not suit a seasoned butler like him. Blair felt a chill run through her chest.

She had been halfway on top of Edmund and quickly pulled back. Edmund rose from the bed, slipped on the robe draped over the chair, and headed for the door.

The moment the bedroom door opened, Albert whispered something rapidly. As the report continued, a deep furrow formed between Edmund’s brows. From the way his face hardened coldly, it was clear something serious had happened.

“…Rufus?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll go down now.”

Edmund answered shortly, closed the door, and turned back. He went straight into the dressing room and changed his clothes. Blair pushed aside the blankets and hurriedly gathered her dress to put it on.

“Ed, did something happen?”

“It’s not something you need to worry about.”

Even as he moved quickly, Edmund stepped over and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“Stay here. I’ll be back soon.”

“Is it dangerous?”

“No. Just a disturbance that needs checking out.”

“If it’s trouble inside the house, shouldn’t I know about it too?”

Just as he was about to turn away, he paused and looked back at Blair.

“You said it wasn’t dangerous.”

“….”

“…I want to come with you.”

Silence fell for a while after she hesitantly finished her sentence. Only then did Blair realize the weight of her words. It meant stepping into the affairs of House Libert, which she’d been excluded from, whether by choice or circumstance. It was also a confession, as his wife, that she would stand by Edmund’s side in the place she’d always wanted to be, yet hesitated to occupy.

Edmund, who had been looking at her without answering, quietly held out his hand. Without hesitation, Blair grasped his hand firmly.

***

The bluish haze of dawn was fading, and daylight was slowly breaking. At an hour when the mansion was usually silent, the sound of footsteps echoing through the corridor was nothing short of chaotic.

“What time was Rufus’s absence confirmed?”

“Less than an hour ago, so around five o’clock. We received a report that one guard’s behavior was suspicious. When we checked, he’d already left the mansion.”

“And Mother and Rufus were nowhere to be seen?”

“…Yes. Both bedrooms were empty. None of the servants saw them leave. It seems they disguised themselves and slipped out of the mansion late at night.”

From the conversation between Edmund and the butler walking a short distance behind him, it wasn’t hard to piece together what had happened. Blair walked shoulder to shoulder with Edmund, glanced up at him briefly, and swallowed dryly.

‘The duchess spirited Sir Rufus away.’

Wasn’t the marriage to Rorschach a serious matter involving the royal family? If Rufus fled and broke it, it wouldn’t be a simple escape but a diplomatic issue, and the fallout would fall squarely on Edmund.

This was Isabelle’s desperate attempt to protect her son, and at the same time, a direct strike aimed at Edmund.

To be honest, Blair couldn’t say she completely failed to understand Rufus running away from a marriage he didn’t want. All he had was a pretty face, and being told to sell even that to prove his usefulness in a political marriage would push anyone to flee. Those were Edmund’s words to Rufus, yet hadn’t Blair’s own heart throbbed painfully at them too?

Of course, she knew Edmund would never speak to her that way. And her situation was completely different from Rufus’s. Rufus was an incompetent man who had lived while shirking responsibility, while she was a woman caught up in her father’s ambition to secure advantage.

So the right choice was to turn away from the lingering ache in her heart and stand on Edmund’s side, following his decision. More than anything, she didn’t want to step away from the man who now had to stand alone at the center of this chaos. That, above all else, was Blair’s honest feeling.

“…Your Grace! Duke, Your Grace!”

At that moment, hurried footsteps echoed from the far end of the corridor, and a servant came running up, gasping for breath.

“The Dowager Duchess has just returned to the mansion.”

“Was she alone?”

“She was. She went into the reception room….”

Before the servant could finish speaking, Edmund turned on his heel. Blair steadied her ragged breathing and quickly followed after him.

When they reached the reception room where Isabelle stayed, the old butler stopped short, and Edmund pushed open the door without even knocking.

“Where is Rufus?”

His voice was cold as he asked the question the moment he stepped inside. Isabelle, who had been brewing tea herself, glanced sideways at Edmund. She looked far too calm for someone who had secretly sent her son away and only just returned to the mansion. Blair, stepping in carefully behind him, swallowed hard and watched the situation unfold over his shoulder.

“I have no idea.”

Isabelle answered indifferently and took a seat by the tea table. From the leisurely way she sipped the steaming black tea, she looked like someone who had fully anticipated this confrontation.

“Do you even realize what you’ve done?”

“I told you, I know nothing.”

“The marriage to Rorschach was approved directly by the royal family. If it’s broken, this won’t end as a mere ugly family matter.”

“Then why did you let it get that far? If you’d treated our Ru a little more like a human being, wouldn’t this commotion have happened at all?”

Edmund couldn’t suppress the sneer rising to his lips. That ridiculous pet name for Rufus, and the phrase ‘treated like a human being’.It was not something one would expect from the lips of the woman who had treated Edmund like less than a bug his entire life.

“I know you bribed the guard you sponsor and smuggled Rufus out in the middle of the night. Reveal his whereabouts before this grows any further.”

“Well. If what you’re saying is true, then I suppose Ru ran away in the dead of night. It’s not something I know about.”

“A spineless coward, honestly. Even a passing dog would laugh.”

Isabelle, who had been about to sip her tea again, paused and looked up at Edmund. Thick hatred pooled in her blue eyes, and Blair carefully placed her hand against Edmund’s back.

“There’s no way Rufus could’ve left the mansion on his own. Overturning a marriage between nations like this means destroying the family’s honor and authority with your own hands.”

“It’s surprising to hear you speak as if you care about our family. But Rufus is the true identity of House Libert.”

Isabelle glared at Edmund with blazing eyes.

“To think that precious child would be dragged off to some vulgar place where he can’t even leave his name behind. As his mother, I couldn’t possibly stand by and watch.”

“Where is he?”

“….”

“Answer me.”

“You wretched thing. Do you really want to torment me and Rufus that badly? Is that how far you’ll go to soil this family?”

“I just want to end this in my own way.”

Edmund twisted his lips.

“By cutting away every last rotten part.”

That single sentence seemed to rake hard across something inside Isabelle. To her, who didn’t cherish Rufus merely as a son but as her last shred of dignity and the only proof keeping her standing within this family, it was an insult beyond bearing.

“You disgusting mistress’s bastard!”

Isabelle kicked back her chair and sprang to her feet. The face that had once been so elegant flushed a vivid red.

“As if you weren’t the son of the woman who ruined our family! Crawling in like a thief and trying to swallow everything whole!”

“Madam…!”

The moment those words crossed the line and flew at Edmund, Blair could no longer remain silent. She lifted one arm and gently pushed aside the man who stepped in front of her to block the attack, as if she meant to take the incoming arrows herself.

“Please calm down. This won’t resolve anything, and it’ll only damage your dignity.”

At that, Isabelle’s head slowly creaked around. Her blue eyes gleamed wildly, stripped of reason.

“Now you’re lecturing me about my dignity? Who do you think you are?”

“I, I….”

“I didn’t give you permission to speak. Shut your mouth and step back.”

A very brief silence followed. Blair slowly steadied her breathing, then parted her lips.

“It doesn’t matter how you see me, madam.”

Her voice trembled slightly, but there was firm resolve in it.

“But I have no reason to step back. I’ve become the duke’s wife, and I chose to stand here with my husband.”