Deceived, Yet Drawn to You - Chapter 123

When Blair, seated beside him, asked that, Edmund turned his gaze away from the window. Unlike him, whose insides twisted with countless thoughts, Blair didn’t seem particularly tense.

Should he turn the car around even now?

Edmund could do it easily. He could order the driver to return to Chails immediately, lift Blair into his arms, and lock her inside the townhouse. Even now, he wasn’t completely certain whether it was right to take his pregnant wife to Eldenvale. What mattered to him wasn’t something like propriety.

What kind of idiotic act was this, to reverse a decision he’d already made, regret it to his very bones, and even feel the urge to overturn it entirely? Edmund was a man who had never once regretted or even reconsidered a path he chose himself. But Blair was always the exception. Aside from her, no one else in the world could make him this irrational.

His eyes darkened as he looked directly at Blair. He should have realized from the moment he first looked into those clear eyes that he would fall helplessly in love. If he had, would he have been able to fully prepare for the ruin awaiting him?

“…Ed?”

Only after hearing her clear voice call him again did Edmund emerge from his thoughts. What he needed to gather his fractured mind was a quiet breath she wouldn’t notice.

“My mother couldn’t accept Rufus’s death.”

“The madam….”

“She wasn’t prepared to hold the funeral, and she couldn’t reach an agreement with the church officiating the ceremony. For example, when transferring the body to the sanctuary, the church requires altar boys to form a procession and sing a funeral hymn, but my mother thought that would turn Rufus into a spectacle. Naturally, she also couldn’t accept me serving as the chief mourner.”

“…Ah.”

Because Rufus had met such an absurd death, Isabelle must have found any ceremony that exposed him to the world unbearable. Edmund recalled the letter sent from Borsa Cathedral yesterday and added quietly.

“The inability to narrow their differences became the problem, and it seems the priest who was supposed to officiate resigned abruptly the day before the ceremony.”

“I see.”

“I wasn’t supposed to receive any more contact regarding the funeral. Yesterday’s letter was an unexpected variable.”

A faint, hollow laugh escaped Edmund’s lips.

“You found out, after all.”

When he lowered his gaze as he said that, Blair showed a slightly apologetic expression. But even if she felt sorry, this stubborn woman would never bend her will.

“In any case, the funeral will be held privately and on a small scale. My mother refused to compromise on that, even if she set aside the other procedures.”

“In that case, it’s fortunate for me as well, since I won’t have to face many people.”

“How optimistic. My mother is more harmful than hundreds of mourners.”

When he spoke sarcastically, Blair gave a faint smile.

“Don’t worry too much. I haven’t forgotten the promise I made to you.”

“If you listen to me that well, you should have just stayed in Chails.”

“I don’t want to.”

“…Ha.”

“Anyway, I’ll stay by your side and won’t do anything that could be held against you, so don’t worry.”

Blair, without the slightest trace of fear, instead patted Edmund’s arm. It was so absurd he let out another hollow laugh. Protection and comfort were entirely his responsibility, so who exactly was trying to console whom? It made no sense.

It made no sense… yet the discomfort that had been festering since last night strangely began to dissolve. It was absurd that his mood improved simply from the warmth of a woman whose body was already burdened with severe morning sickness and discomfort.

Love was such an irrational, incomprehensible emotion. And Edmund didn’t dislike it.

***

As they entered Eldenvale, the scenery outside the car window changed noticeably. The bright colors of the capital gradually faded, revealing a city dulled to a gray, moisture-soaked gloom.

As the car passed through the fog-laden city center and entered the approach leading to the mansion, Blair swallowed dryly without realizing it. The ducal residence, which she’d returned to after so long, appeared even more imposing, wrapped in the cold air of early winter. She’d never imagined she would return here again for Rufus’s funeral.

‘But I’m not being dragged here. I’m walking in by my own choice.’

Isabelle would never welcome her and Edmund, and the rage of a woman who’d lost her son might fly at them like arrows. Still, if she hadn’t come to the funeral, that too would have become a subject of gossip. They would say she’d avoided responsibility, that she knew nothing of her duty as a member of the family.

Blair knew that once such a stigma was placed on her and people began whispering, malicious rumors would swell like a snowball, targeting not only Edmund but eventually even the child in her womb. If observing the minimum courtesy could block that threat in advance, who wouldn’t choose to do so?

She hadn’t come because she was fearless, but because there were things she wanted to protect even in the face of fear. Above all, she didn’t want Edmund to bear this burden alone.

“The servants have come out to receive us.”

As the car gradually slowed, Edmund glanced out the window and spoke. Just as he said, the butler Albert and several servants stood in a line before the main building. All were dressed in black mourning attire, and given the occasion, their faces carried shadows rather than any welcome.

“Welcome. We are relieved the Duke and Duchess have returned safely.”

As they stepped out of the carriage, Albert approached and bowed deeply. Then he examined Blair with a more cautious gaze.

“Your Grace the Duchess, did you experience any discomfort during the journey?”

“I’m alright. I didn’t overexert myself. Thank you for your concern, Albert.”

“That is a relief.”

The elderly butler, faintly smiling, turned his attention to Edmund.

“The funeral preparations are complete, so I will escort you directly to the chapel. Your Grace, upon arrival, you will offer the first moment of silence before the coffin, and then briefly confirm the proceedings with the officiating priest.”

“And my mother?”

“She is still preparing, but she will come down shortly.”

Edmund nodded in response and extended his arm toward Blair. After confirming her complexion as she placed her hand over his arm, he began walking slowly. His low voice fell above her head.

“I instructed them to prepare the waiting room on the east side of the chapel in advance. It’s originally reserved for mourners, but I had it cleared for you. If you feel unwell or need to rest, you don’t need to return to the main building. You can stay there and catch your breath. I’ll be right beside you.”

Even in the midst of her tension, Edmund’s excessive consideration made her smile faintly. Blair bit her lip.

“You… you’re far more anxious than you appear.”

“And who do you think made me this way?”

“Shh, we’re here now.”

As the servants threw open the massive doors of the chapel, heavy air swallowed them in an instant. Blair stepped into the silent space behind Edmund and looked around.

The spacious hall, where a somber funeral hymn flowed, felt entirely different from the atmosphere during the Duke Libert’s funeral. There was no endless line of mourners. In fact, only a handful of people occupied the seats.

As she approached the coffin where the priest was reciting a prayer, her heart pounded loudly. Fortunately, Rufus’s body was covered with a pure white silk shroud. Swallowing a breath of relief, Blair offered a brief moment of silence, then quietly returned to her seat.

She watched Edmund, who stood facing the priest, confirming the proceedings.

At that moment, the heavy doors behind them began to open with a low sound. As the silence broke, everyone inside the chapel turned their heads at once.

A woman stood there, a black veil draped over her head.

It was Isabelle.