Deceived, Yet Drawn to You - Chapter 128

She already felt as if she were abusing power unnecessarily, and Benjamin’s teasing remark made Blair’s cheeks flush faintly. Bringing guards with her all the way from the mansion did feel excessive. It wasn’t as if she were some politician who required personal protection, so why so many guards?

“He must have been very worried since he couldn’t come with you.”

“Edmund, worried? Marriage really does change people.”

They’d just reached the obstetrics examination room, and Benjamin opened the door and gestured inside.

“I’ll escort you in, then.”

“Thank you.”

Before entering, Blair glanced briefly at the guards standing like sentries at the entrance. Suppressing a helpless smile, she stepped inside.

***

The examination took longer than expected but ended smoothly. While the obstetrician led the process, Benjamin assisted at her side and personally recorded notes in the chart.

Fortunately, no abnormalities were found in any of the tests. Even before hearing the results, seeing Benjamin’s gentle smile reassured Blair. The easygoing doctor knew how to put people at ease.

“Overall, your test results are excellent. There’s nothing in particular to worry about.”

“Please be sure to tell Edmund that as well.”

At her reply, Benjamin laughed aloud. “It’s good to remain moderately active as you have been, but remember that peace of mind is the most important thing during this period.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“You’ve done well today. I’ll escort you to the entrance.”

“There are already three of my husband’s doubles waiting, so it’s alright.”

“If I don’t act like one as well, Edmund will scold me.”

And so, he insisted on escorting her outside the hospital.

As she left the hospital feeling far lighter after being seen off by her physician and was about to step into the car returning to the ducal estate.

More precisely, just before she stepped inside.

“Step back.”

A small commotion behind her made her stop. The guards surrounding Blair like a defensive wall were confronting someone.

“It will only take a moment. I have something I must tell my daughter directly.”

“We can’t permit an unidentified individual to approach.”

“What do you mean unidentified? Do you even know who I am?”

Blair doubted her ears for a moment. The man was hidden behind the tall guards, but there was no way she couldn’t recognize that indignant voice.

“My child, Blair! Blair…!”

Count Twyford forced his face between the guards and raised his voice desperately. At that call, her heart began to pound a beat too late.

Should she turn away and pretend she hadn’t seen him? Blair seriously considered it, and she could do so if she wished. She and Count Twyford were now no different from strangers. She still vividly remembered the face that had shamelessly demanded money while invoking his rights as the maternal grandfather.

“Please, Blair…! Please, just look at your father’s face.”

His voice was desperate. It was a tone she’d never imagined hearing from the man who had always been cold and strict throughout his life. Even so, her feet didn’t move toward him. There was no need to hear his purpose. It was obvious.

“I have something important to tell you! Whatever else, you must hear this!”

Blair didn’t answer until the very end. She turned her head again and placed her hand on the car door handle.

“It’s about your mother…!”

The hand gripping the cold metal froze in place. Her heart, which had been churning faintly, jolted violently and lost its rhythm, beginning to pound uncontrollably.

It was only a single sentence. There was no further explanation, but it was enough.

Blair, who had been about to ignore her father and get into the car, drew in a deep breath and turned back. Her fingertips trembled, but she didn’t stop her steps as she moved toward the count. The emotion pushing her forward in this moment was neither attachment nor curiosity, but anger.

“Please step aside for a moment. I know him.”

As she spoke while steadying her breath, the guards reluctantly moved aside. Even so, they retreated only enough for Blair to barely face Count Twyford, maintaining a firm boundary so he couldn’t take a single step closer.

Even that seemed to please him, and Count Twyford forced a smile. His appearance had grown noticeably more pitiful over just a few days, openly revealing his circumstances.

“To think I must go this far just to see my own daughter’s face. How disappointing.”

“What exactly are you doing?”

“This isn’t something to discuss here. It’s not a suitable topic for others to hear….”

“What exactly are you doing?”

When she pressed him again, the smile on Count Twyford’s face scattered like smoke. After glancing uneasily at the guards, he cleared his throat and continued, “A few days ago, I went to Glassford. It’s where you were born and raised.”

“It’s not a place that holds any good memories for me.”

“Will you at least hear your father out to the end?”

The count clasped his hands together as if praying.

“I discovered it while sorting through old belongings in the mansion….”

A bad feeling crept over her. She felt as if it were something she shouldn’t learn.

“Your mother left you a letter when she ran away with Alfred.”

Blair’s mind went completely blank as she slowly drew in a breath. She needed a moment to understand what she’d just heard.

Alfred was the name of the servant her mother had fallen in love with and fled with. And she’d left behind a letter when she ran away in the middle of the night. Despite all the years that had passed, Blair had never even suspected such a letter existed.

“…And you only discovered it now?”

“That’s right.”

“Show it to me.”

“Of course, I can show it to you. I left it at the townhouse… but before that, I’d like to speak with you. Please, Blair.”

Even as she looked at her pleading father, Blair didn’t answer immediately. His attempt to manipulate her emotions was far too obvious.

“Alright.”

At last, when she agreed, Count Twyford’s eyes flashed.

“But I have conditions.”

She had no intention of accepting his proposal without terms.

“These men will accompany us. And I will send a telegram to my husband immediately, informing him exactly whom I am meeting and where I’m going.”

“….”

“If you agree to these conditions, I’ll go with you.”

A heavy silence followed. Count Twyford’s displeased gaze shifted to the guards blocking him, then returned to Blair. His stiff lips trembled faintly before he finally spoke.

“…Very well. If you’re that uneasy, then so be it.”

“That won’t be permitted, madam.”

One of the guards, who had been observing the situation, suddenly stepped forward.

“We were ordered by His Grace to escort you directly back to the mansion after your examination. Any change in schedule is not authorized.”

“Then go to the hospital immediately and send a telegram to the ducal estate. Make sure His Grace confirms personally whom I’m with.”

Faced with Blair, who showed no sign of backing down, the guard hesitated. He seemed unsure whether to risk impropriety by lifting the duchess and forcing her into the car, or to send the telegram as she wished and wait for Edmund’s further instructions.

In the end, the guard lowered his head and walked toward the hospital. After a while, he returned from sending the telegram and rejoined the group. Blair nodded and looked straight at Count Twyford.

“Then I’ll go to the Twyford townhouse. I’ll see you there.”

“Since we’re going to the same place, is there any need to travel separately?”

He meant he wanted to sit beside her in the same car. As if it wasn’t even worth answering, Blair turned her back and got into the car she had arrived in.

She didn’t look back.

***

It had been a very long time since she last came to Count Twyford’s townhouse. But many things had changed from Blair’s last memory.

From the moment she passed through the main gate, the first thing she noticed was the neglected garden. The untrimmed shrubs had grown wild and tangled together, and unsightly weeds filled the spaces between the gravel path. It seemed the dried fountain hadn’t flowed in a very long time.

The interior was even worse. Dust had accumulated everywhere, as if no one had tended the place for ages, and small pieces of furniture lay scattered unpleasantly. The walls of the corridor leading to the drawing room were bare, making it clear that the oil paintings the count had treasured most were gone. And….

“There isn’t a single servant in sight.”

When Blair looked around, the count, who had been walking ahead, paused briefly before answering.

“They all left.”

“Even Mrs. Norris?”

“The head maid was the last to go. She wanted to see you.”

He added it with a faint smile, but the expression looked awkward, as if forced. Narrowing her eyes, Blair didn’t lower her guard.