Deceived, Yet Drawn to You - Chapter 108

The air in the reception room froze in an instant. Isabelle, stiff as stone at the unexpected words, couldn’t say anything. After staring straight at Blair, she lifted her gaze slightly to look at Edmund. As her eyes moved back and forth between the two standing side by side, a flicker of shock passed through them.

“How dare….”

A suppressed voice leaked out from between her trembling lips.

“How dare the likes of you, with no roots to speak of, dare to touch our family, our Rufus….”

Isabelle’s face, which had been burning red with rage, turned stark white in an instant. The change was so abrupt that Blair flinched and shrank back. At that moment, broad shoulders moved in front of her, blocking her view.

“Enough.”

The low voice cut cleanly through the tense air. Edmund positioned himself deftly in front of Blair so the two women couldn’t even meet eyes, and continued.

“Whatever you intend to say, I won’t listen any further. If you don’t feel the need to reveal Rufus’s whereabouts, that’s your choice.”

“….”

“Then I’ll have to find out myself.”

Edmund turned and tugged Blair’s hand.

“Let’s go.”

Following him half by force, Blair glanced back over her shoulder. Isabelle now wore a strange expression, as if every thought and emotion had been erased, her eyes unfocused like someone facing an unbelievable reality. The sight of her being left behind lingered in Blair’s mind for a long time.

***

Immediately afterward, the family’s senior retainers were summoned to the conference room. Among them were the legal adviser, the treasurer in charge of finances, senior servants including the butler, and even the captain of the guard who would oversee the search for Rufus. The mansion’s conference room, rarely used, was unusually crowded and noisy.

“At the very least, it’d be best to find him within a week.”

The treasurer, who handled House Libert’s finances and administration, spoke while looking over documents. He was racking his brain to minimize unnecessary losses.

“There are only ten days left until the date the Rorschach delegation is scheduled to arrive to escort the young master. Since preparations for the ceremony are already underway, we need to find him within a week to keep budget damage to a minimum.”

“Then we should deploy as much manpower as possible. Where might the young master be hiding?”

When the captain of the guard asked, the maid who had attended Rufus most closely hesitated before offering her thoughts.

“He rarely went out, so even within Eldenvale, I’m not sure where he might go….”

“Hmm, then is it likely he’s in Borsa?”

“Borsa is even harder to say. He did attend school there, but he quit partway through, and he barely keeps in touch with anyone….”

“He’s in Borsa.”

Edmund, who had been tapping his fingers on the table, stated it flatly. Everyone seated around the table turned to look at him. Blair, who had been listening in silence, also looked at him at the certainty in his voice.

“It’s a vast place that’s hard to track, and a transportation hub where it’s easy to move anywhere. The capital has many areas under Libert control, but that could also work in Rufus’s favor.”

Feeling their gazes gather on him, Edmund lifted his head slightly.

“But it’s meaningless to judge based on Rufus. The person we need to focus on right now isn’t Rufus, but my mother.”

“You mean the Dowager Duchess, who returned to the mansion?”

“She was the one who smuggled Rufus out in the first place, and any acquaintance willing to lend a hiding place would be part of her network. Remember that Rufus can hardly do anything on his own.”

“….”

“Track my mother’s movements and dig into her connections. Rufus will surface on his own.”

Blair, who had been listening quietly, suddenly felt a dull ache in her lower abdomen and shifted in her seat. She thought it would pass, but when the subtle pain continued, she gripped the armrest of her chair. Edmund, who seemed focused on the meeting, noticed the change instantly and placed his hand over the back of hers.

“Are you all right?”

“Ah… yes. It’s just a little….”

“I’ll suspend the meeting for now.”

Edmund declared to the executives, their faces now serious, then gently tugged Blair’s wrist. She was slightly flustered by the attentive touch, but she couldn’t bring herself to pull away and slowly stood.

The moment they stepped out of the conference room and into the corridor, Edmund gently cupped Blair’s cheeks with both hands.

“I’ll take you back to the bedroom so you can rest. I’ll call the doctor right away.”

“Wait, I didn’t even say I was sick. You’re overreacting. It was an important meeting, and we even left in the middle of it….”

“Your complexion looks a little different from usual, so you need to see the doctor. There’s no reason for you to hide discomfort and stay seated.”

Without thinking, Blair turned her head and looked at the decorative mirror hanging on the corridor wall. To her own eyes, she looked no different than usual. What exactly looked different? Maybe he could tell subtle changes because he was the kind of man who liked studying works of art….

“How long has it even been since I last saw a doctor. What is this….”

Blair trailed off, then let out a small laugh at the expression that came to mind.

“You’re being overly protective. Like you’re taking care of a baby.”

“That’s not entirely wrong. I even feel like laying you in bed and keeping you there all day so you can’t move.”

“…I’m afraid someone might hear you.”

“Then let’s go to the bedroom. Come here.”

Edmund pressed a kiss near Blair’s temple and slyly pulled her toward him by their clasped hands. Letting out a helpless chuckle, she had no choice but to follow him.

***

After facing Edmund and Blair in the reception room, Isabelle remained dazed for quite some time. It was because the perfect image of a ducal couple she’d once dreamed of overlapped exactly with the two of them.

But she couldn’t stay lost in thought forever.

She barely pulled herself together and left the mansion for Borsa. There, she met with the team of lawyers she had arranged to see in advance and discussed countermeasures to block Rufus’s marriage. After that, she switched vehicles three times to muddle her trail. She was convinced Edmund would have people watching her.

‘How tiresome.’

If Edmund had planted surveillance on her, there was no need to even check how persistent it would be. Isabelle wandered through the city for a long time, deliberately dragging things out to shake off unseen eyes. As the time spent in the car grew longer with all the route changes, her strength drained rapidly, and by the time night fell, she was nearly exhausted. Only when it was so late that there were hardly any other cars on the road did she finally manage to reach the residence of the Marchioness of Rainworth.

However, waiting for Isabelle there was Rufus, unable to hide his irritation.

“Mother, why are you only getting here now?”

Rufus, who had run all the way to the entrance, complained petulantly. Isabelle’s heart sank at the thought she’d dreaded, and she hurriedly scanned the inside of the townhouse.

“Did something happen?”

“No, it’s not that.”

Rufus pouted and grumbled.

“I’m just bored to death. Sitting around in this cramped place doing nothing is driving me crazy. I want to go out and at least get some fresh air.”

“…Fresh air?”

“It doesn’t even have to be the city center. I saw on the way here that there’s a night market nearby. I want to go take a look, even if it’s just for a bit.”

Isabelle was at a loss for words for a moment. Rufus’s complete lack of awareness about how serious the situation was felt chilling. As she stared at her immature son, her heart tightened briefly, but as always, the urge to somehow understand Rufus came first.

She’d believed that a life in hiding in Borsa wouldn’t be difficult for him, since he’d spent nearly his entire life within the ducal estate. Instead, it seemed he felt even more suffocated now. That was hardly surprising. This was not Eldenvale, but the capital, Borsa. A city of indulgence, overflowing with noisy chaos and dazzling people everywhere. For Rufus, who had always longed for the outside world, it was only natural that his heart would be restless.

“But my child, now is not the time to go outside.”

“What? But you go out as much as you want, Mother.”

Isabelle drew in a breath and let it out, then spoke to Rufus in a tone far harsher than she would ever normally use on him.

“I have to meet with the lawyers, so I can’t stay hidden. And that man has put watchers on us. The moment you’re discovered, he’ll send you straight to Rorschach. Until your marriage is officially called off, wouldn’t it be better to be careful?”

She had never warned her precious son in such a low, grave voice before. But Rufus paid it no heed.

“We can just do what we did when we left the mansion. If I cover my face properly, no one will recognize me, right? Please, Mother. I’m begging you.”