Deceived, Yet Drawn to You - Chapter 124

Blair unconsciously held her breath as she watched Isabelle approach. Even when she looked closely through the veil, she couldn’t see her face clearly, but the closer Isabelle came, the more obvious it became how much she’d changed since the last time Blair saw her.

She wore black gloves and a winter dress that rose to her neck, yet her wrist, briefly visible beneath it, showed protruding bones as if only skin remained. Her frail frame couldn’t be concealed even beneath the thick fabric, and each step she took looked dangerously unstable, as if she could barely support her own body. Her fingertips trembled faintly. The noblewoman who had once been strikingly beautiful even in middle age was nowhere to be found.

She had lost the son she cherished so dearly in an instant, so it wasn’t unreasonable that she looked like this. Blair felt a momentary pang of sympathy at the sight of Isabelle’s ruined state, but unease soon settled deep in her chest. She wasn’t sure whether it was right to feel pity or compassion for her.

From what she’d heard, Rufus’s death was a tragedy that occurred because the two had fled in the middle of the night. But would Isabelle ever accept that fact? She was the kind of person who would need to blame someone in order to endure such a miserable reality, and there was no guarantee that her anger wouldn’t be directed at Edmund.

‘…I need to stay calm.’

As Blair adjusted her posture, Isabelle continued forward without slowing. She stopped before the coffin where Rufus’s body rested and silently looked down at him beneath the silk covering. Following the procedure, she offered the first moment of silence. Then she slowly turned her head and looked at Edmund and Blair in turn. Even though her eyes couldn’t be seen behind the veil, her gaze seemed to slide downward, brushing past Blair’s abdomen.

Soon, Isabelle turned away and sat on a pew some distance from where Blair was seated. As the funeral formally began, the priest recited the requiem prayer in a solemn voice. Edmund quietly approached and took his place beside Blair, as if shielding her from Isabelle’s gaze. Blair closed her eyes and clasped her hands together.

She prayed sincerely that Rufus’s tragedy would come to an end here today, and that no one would carry lingering malice.

***

Normally, when someone in a noble family passed away, the funeral would be crowded with mourners and last for several days.

However, only a very small number of close relatives attended Rufus’s funeral, so all the procedures were completed in a single day.

Only the burial of the body in the Libert family cemetery was postponed until tomorrow. No mourners would be received then, and only family members residing at the ducal estate would attend the interment.

Now that the funeral was over, Edmund stood as the chief mourner, seeing off each guest as they departed the chapel. Blair, who stood beside him greeting the guests, suddenly glanced toward the corridor behind the chapel and flinched.

Isabelle stood there in the deep shadows. She remained completely still, as if time had stopped in that spot, silently watching Blair and Edmund. Or perhaps it was impossible to tell exactly whom she was looking at, since she still wore the black veil.

…Still, now that she had come this far, shouldn’t she offer her condolences directly to the woman who had lost her son?

“Ed.”

When Blair lightly grasped his arm, Edmund lowered his head and met her eyes.

“I’ll go speak with the madam for a moment.”

Instead of answering, Edmund lifted his gaze slightly and looked toward Isabelle standing at a distance. His eyes immediately filled with wariness.

“…Do you really need to uphold propriety to that extent?”

“Only enough to observe proper courtesy. I won’t move elsewhere. I’ll remain within your sight.”

Edmund stared at her silently, as if weighing Isabelle’s intentions, then let out a short sigh.

“Blair, remember that she’s someone who has nothing left to lose.”

“I’ll remember.”

“Go on.”

Once he finally gave permission, Blair began walking forward. The closer she drew to Isabelle, the faster her heart pounded, but she steadied herself and took a quiet breath.

“Madam.”

Standing face to face with Isabelle at last, Blair spoke carefully. Blue eyes beyond the finely woven veil met her gaze without a word.

“I offer my deepest condolences. I cannot begin to imagine what words of comfort would be appropriate… I wouldn’t dare presume to.”

As she lowered her head slightly, Isabelle’s faint breath answered in place of words. It sounded almost like a scoff, but Blair paid it no mind and finished her greeting.

“I’m truly sorry, madam.”

“Bearing a child is truly a blessing.”

Isabelle murmured in a dreamlike voice. The unexpected remark made Blair lift her eyes cautiously.

“When I carried Rufus, I realized it fully. I was so happy, it felt as if I could fly. Of course, I couldn’t rejoice entirely, since my husband brought in a mistress for breeding.”

“….”

“That’s what children are like. No matter how disappointing they are, no matter how many incomprehensible things they do… in the end, they’re something you can’t let go of, something you cling to until the very last moment.”

Isabelle turned her head toward the coffin where the body lay and let out a faint laugh. At that sound, Blair felt a chill spread somewhere deep in her chest.

“Isn’t that so for you as well?”

“…Pardon?”

“What’s inside your womb doesn’t even have a proper form yet, and still, wouldn’t you do anything already just to protect it?”

Without realizing it, Blair’s hand moved to cover her lower abdomen. It was an unconscious gesture.

“Of course… I would.”

“Yes. That’s what makes a true mother.”

Isabelle laughed softly, her voice slightly hoarse. Then she cast a sharp glance toward Edmund, who kept looking over at them.

“By the way, your father, Count Twyford.”

At the mention of someone she’d nearly forgotten entirely, Blair’s brows drew together faintly.

“I know how you regard him. Still, he’s the man who gave you life.”

“Madam, I have already….”

“You severed ties?”

Isabelle cut her off and clicked her tongue.

“Blood ties aren’t something you can sever on your own. Blood is blood, child. It isn’t something you can cut off and reattach at will.”

“….”

“I’ve invited Count Twyford to the ducal estate tomorrow. I thought it would be nice if we all shared a meal together.”

She invited her father here? What did that mean? Blair couldn’t hide her confusion and couldn’t respond. He was her biological father, but he was also the man who tried to sell her to Isaac Dorman, the one person she least wanted to face now.

At that moment, Edmund approached them, his patience clearly exhausted. Isabelle, as if she’d said everything she wished, brushed past Blair’s shoulder and crossed the chapel. As the black veil fluttered, only Isabelle’s faint scent lingered behind.

“Blair.”

Edmund carefully took hold of her shoulder and met her eyes.

“Are you alright?”

“…I’m alright. I just have something I want to ask.”

“Go ahead.”

“Is my father coming to the mansion tomorrow?”

Edmund’s brows narrowed slightly. “This is the first I’ve heard of it. Did my mother say that?”

“Yes. She said she invited him to the ducal estate.”

“It’s not surprising, whatever her intentions are. Just remember this.”

He found her hand and clasped it firmly in his own.

“My mother is not the mistress of this house. No matter whom she sent invitations to, it’s my decision whether to let them in or not.”

After a brief pause, he added, “And I will follow your decision completely. If you don’t want to see him, there’s nothing to discuss.”

She didn’t want to see him. There was a time when even the thought of her father’s shadow made it hard to breathe. A man who tried to sell his own daughter without hesitation to that vile man for the sake of his own greed. Just recalling his shameless face made her stomach churn again.

Even so, she didn’t want to keep running away forever. Not here, in this place where she finally had a rightful place of her own. And now, a new life was growing inside her.

Blair knew well that avoiding it forever was not the answer. Someone had to bring this relationship to an end, and that person had to be her.

“No. It’s better this way.”

“Better?”

“Whether I cut him off or accept him, family matters need to be settled clearly. If I leave it unresolved, it will return in the worst way someday. Especially someone like my father….”

Blair trailed off and tightened her grip on his hand, and Edmund nodded at once.

“Very well. Then let’s use this opportunity to settle things once and for all.”

“…I thought you would oppose it. What changed?”

“I realized it’s more efficient to follow your will than to waste time and emotion trying to break your stubbornness.”

Edmund, who finally made Blair smile despite her serious expression, pressed a brief kiss to her forehead.

“But if the count tries to hurt you, I will send him away immediately. You have no objections to that, do you?”

“No. None at all.”

The turmoil inside her hadn’t completely settled, but at least one thing was certain.

She was determined to put an end to the ill-fated tie that had threatened and crushed her all her life.