Deceived, Yet Drawn to You - Chapter 134

Isabelle’s face turned pale, as if she were being strangled by an invisible hand. Though her face drained of color, she forced her eyes wide open and stared at Edmund. She seemed to be turning over the words she’d just heard in her mind, trying to digest them. Edmund silently waited for the moment that understanding twisted into pain.

“To Rufus, who has already passed away….”

Isabelle barely regained her composure and asked in a shaken voice, “What exactly are you planning to do?”

“Your son is no longer a son of House Libert. All qualifications attached to that name have been revoked immediately, and the honors that accompanied them are now invalid.”

Edmund continued with flawless clarity of pronunciation, “It means he has lost the right to be buried in my family cemetery.”

“…You’ve lost your mind.”

“I am perfectly sane.”

“So you’re saying you’ll dig up a dead man’s grave?”

“He will be reinterred in the public cemetery on the outskirts of Eldenvale. The family name will not be engraved on the headstone either.”

His cold voice added the words like a final verdict.

“There’s no longer any reason for privileges enjoyed under the Libert name to continue after death.”

Having finished his explanation, Edmund finally reached out and picked up his wine glass, as if he had nothing more to say. The sequence of movements as he leisurely drank the wine flowed smoothly, without the slightest hesitation.

Watching him, Isabelle realized this decision could not be reversed. Edmund had summoned her only to inform her of a judgment he made long ago.

And the reason for it was precisely….

“You believe I instigated someone to threaten the Duchess’s safety?”

Repeating Edmund’s accusation word for word, Isabelle laughed. The faint laugh leaking from her trembling lips sounded strange, like cracked glass.

“How ridiculous. Where did you even come to such a conclusion?”

“Are you denying it?”

“Yes, I deny it.”

Isabelle lifted her chin. The last remnants of dignity awkwardly settled over her pale face.

“It seems your wife was injured somehow, but I know nothing about it. And you, coward that you are, are once again trying to blame someone else for failing to protect your wife.”

Edmund’s brow, which hadn’t shown even the slightest disturbance until now, twitched faintly. Isabelle didn’t miss that moment.

“You have no evidence. So there’s no way any accusation of damaging your honor could be recognized.”

“You met Count Twyford before Rufus’s funeral. The head maid who worked at the count’s townhouse at the time is a witness. Coincidentally, it was after that meeting that the count began asserting his rights as a maternal grandfather.”

“That man’s greed is nothing new.”

“The more greedy a person is, the more readily they bite when the word opportunity is whispered in their ear.”

At the remark that seemed to see straight through the circumstances of the time, Isabelle pressed her lips tightly together.

“Blair’s examination schedule at the Royal Hospital of Borsa was information known only to a limited number of people within the ducal household. Yet on that very day, precisely when the examination ended, the count appeared and took Blair to his townhouse.”

“So?”

“I’m aware of the circumstances in which you summoned Blair’s personal maid and questioned her.”

Staring directly at Isabelle’s composed face, Edmund added as if grinding the words out, “If it wasn’t you, then who gave that man both the information and the justification at the same time?”

Isabelle let out a loud scoff. As if she’d already anticipated being questioned about this, she responded without surprise.

“Is it a crime to ask a few questions because I was concerned about my pregnant daughter‑in‑law’s condition? If so, then the maid who spoke carelessly must be a criminal as well.”

“….”

“If we’re speaking of Count Twyford, after your wife coldly turned him away following that dinner, he wished to restore their father‑daughter relationship. I merely felt sorry for him and thought it acceptable to share that much information.”

Edmund gave no reply. Taking advantage of the silence, Isabelle continued, presenting her argument as though it were perfectly reasonable.

“If your wife was injured, it was because of her father’s greed, not because of a single word from me.”

“You knew exactly what kind of person Count Twyford was.”

Edmund’s voice lowered further. “As a result of provoking such a man, the Duchess’s safety was endangered, and the succession of the Libert family was shaken.”

“That’s absurd….”

“According to Father’s will, I have the duty to preserve the honor and order of House Libert.”

Isabelle flinched and frowned as she recalled the will her husband left behind. Among William Libert’s final instructions, it was nothing more than a grandly worded foundational clause. She’d always regarded it as empty formal language meant only to preserve appearances. Only now did Isabelle realize that those words were being turned directly against her.

“Then bring him here.”

She suddenly slammed both hands onto the table. Bang. The wine glass toppled over, and dark red wine spilled along the edge of the table.

“Bring Count Twyford here and confirm with your own mouth whether everything you’ve said is true. Whatever he may have done….”

“Count Twyford is dead.”

Isabelle froze. She clearly hadn’t heard the news of his death, and her blue eyes shook violently. Edmund blinked slowly.

“He abducted Blair and tried to force her to sign a contract asserting his rights as her maternal grandfather. He was shot by his accomplice and ultimately didn’t survive.”

A suffocating silence settled over the room. Only the sound of wine dripping like blood filled the emptiness. After a long while, Isabelle let out a hollow laugh.

“What a… foolish man.”

The laughter continued spilling out before she could stop it.

“He kidnapped his own biological daughter? A contract obtained that way could never have been valid in the first place. Truly foolish.”

Edmund replied quietly, “He never even reached the stage of debating its validity. Because Blair endured until the end.”

“….”

“I’ll be leaving now. As a final courtesy, you may stay tonight at a hotel under the family name. Eldenvale is no longer a place you can return to.”

Edmund pushed back his chair and stood, looking down at Isabelle with cold eyes.

“Someone will come tomorrow morning to escort you to the place where you’ll be staying from now on.”

Without hesitation, he turned and walked away. Isabelle remained seated in a daze, listening only to the fading sound of his footsteps.

18. The Way Back

While staying in Chails, Blair gradually regained her vitality day by day. As she stepped back into daily life, her appetite finally returned, and she even began craving specific dishes again. At a single word from her, the servants in the dining room moved in perfect coordination, and an elaborate meal was prepared before long.

Seated at the table, Blair picked up her cutlery and glanced up. Edmund, sitting across from her, seemed slightly different from usual.

Why? His hair was neatly swept back as always, and his attire was flawless without a single crease. Everything about him was perfectly orderly, yet something felt subtly different. Like the faint traces one notices in someone who has spent a sleepless night….

Blair set her fork down for a moment and studied Edmund closely. If it wasn’t her imagination, a faint shadow lingered around his eyes.

“You stepped out for a while last night, didn’t you?”

Edmund lifted his head. It was only a brief hesitation, but it told her her guess hadn’t been wrong.

“How did you know?”

“I just… felt it.”

“I hurried back in case you woke up while I was gone. Were you upset?”

“No.”

Blair shook her head, took a quiet breath, then added carefully, “I was just curious.”

“I’ll inform you beforehand next time before I step out.”

Though he clearly understood what she was curious about, he gently blocked the question with a faint smile. Blair stared at his composed face for a moment, then lowered her gaze in silence. If he didn’t want to talk about it, she didn’t want to press him. Not right now.

“Speaking of which,”

Edmund changed the subject naturally.

“There will be an exhibition held in Eldenvale this time. It’s an official event hosted by the foundation where I serve as a director. Since it’s sponsored under the Libert name, it isn’t something I can excuse myself from.”

At the mention of an exhibition, Blair’s ears perked up without her realizing it. Noticing the change in her expression, Edmund’s face softened slightly.

“And?”

“If possible, I’d like you to attend with me. But if going out is uncomfortable, you don’t have to force yourself. It concerns our family affairs, so I wanted to tell you in advance.”

An exhibition. It wasn’t something she could dismiss lightly. Somewhere deep inside, her heart began to flutter faintly. Thinking back, the moment she first began to develop deeper feelings for Edmund had also started at Augier’s exhibition.