Chapter 114

Standing behind her, Edmund still said nothing. Only the quiet sound of him steadying his breath reached her ears.

“…Your finger goes here.”

As he adjusted Blair’s grip around the barrel, he shifted the subject.

“It’s better to place the stock here.”

“Where?”

“Here.”

His knuckled fingers slid down her neck and brushed her shoulder muscle. Even through her thick coat, warmth spread wherever his fingertips touched.

“You’ll feel less recoil if you brace it here.”

Even though it was a training rifle with almost no recoil, Edmund remained completely serious. It wouldn’t have felt strange even if she were holding a rifle loaded with real ammunition.

“Don’t use too much force, but don’t let it go slack either… brace it firmly. Try holding it again.”

“Like this?”

“…Not bad.”

Edmund quietly wrapped his hand around her elbow and corrected her awkward posture. Blair felt like laughing for some reason but barely held it in. He was such a delicate and considerate man. Did Edmund know that? Had even one person ever told him that in his life?

“Now, try it,” Edmund said. He was close enough that his breath brushed her ear.

“Already?”

“Of course. Your back is straight, and your aim is good. You can pull the trigger like this.”

Blair doubted everything about herself, but she decided to trust him and fire once. She fixed her gaze on the distant target and steadied her stance. She took a deep breath to keep the barrel from shaking, held it for a moment, and pulled the trigger with her index finger.

Bang!

Instead of a loud gunshot, the sound of a rubber bullet popping out rang. Blair flinched in surprise, but thanks to the man firmly supporting her back, she didn’t lose her balance.

She narrowed her eyes and stared at the red center of the target. The thin paper covering it remained completely intact. The rubber bullet hadn’t even grazed it.

“I completely missed.”

“It’s fine. Even for your first shot, there was almost no shaking. You followed my instructions exactly. This is excellent.”

Afraid she might feel discouraged by her poor first attempt, Edmund showered her with praise. Then, before she could laugh, he whispered in a deeply suggestive voice.

“You were like that in bed too. So skilled it was hard to believe I was your first.”

“…Why, why did the topic suddenly jump there…!”

“I’m looking forward to how skilled you’ll become. Even your last experience will belong entirely to me.”

“…You can’t know that.”

“What do you mean?”

At the sudden chill in his voice, Blair shut her mouth and pretended not to notice. Edmund let out a short breath and spoke.

“Blair.”

“Yes?”

“If you hit the target even once, I’ll tell you a secret.”

“What secret?”

“Whether that night was my first time too, or not.”

Blair almost jumped in place.

“…What?”

“So focus. There’s a secret at stake.”

Unable to focus at all, Blair finally turned around. Edmund looked down at her with perfectly calm eyes.

Could it be that it hadn’t been his first time?

Now that she thought about it, there had been more than one suspicious detail.

When they spent the night at the inn, Edmund hadn’t been clumsy like her, but skilled. No matter how overwhelmed she’d been since it was her first time, she could still tell that much. Besides, he wasn’t just a year or two older than her, and hadn’t he attended countless balls with numerous partners since he was only fourteen? With his outstanding appearance, women would have followed him everywhere, so he must have had plenty of opportunities.

But no matter who Edmund had met in the past, it wasn’t her place to interfere….

Struggling with her thoughts, Blair finally managed to express her own beliefs.

“I don’t like promiscuous men very much.”

“Oh dear.”

Edmund frowned as if in regret.

“Well, to find out whether what you’ve tasted is stale or not, you’ll have no choice but to hit the target.”

Blair looked ahead with a distressed expression. But the competitive spirit rising deep inside her strangely sharpened her focus.

“Help me with my stance.”

“You mean you’re going to cheat?”

“Yes.”

“…Even your shamelessness is lovable. What should I do?”

Letting out a quiet sigh, Edmund held Blair from behind again and adjusted the fingers holding the rifle. He even kindly aimed the barrel toward the center of the target.

“Now shoot.”

“….”

“Go on. You need to find out whether your husband’s thing is new.”

“Shh, I need to focus.”

Ignoring Edmund’s scoffing, Blair took a deep breath. Since it was already aimed, it wasn’t difficult. She just needed to move the finger on the trigger….

“….”

Just as her index finger began to press down, Edmund’s hand slid over and wrapped around her lower abdomen. Blair flinched, and her stance faltered for a moment.

“Focus.”

Edmund whispered softly and pressed his lips against the spot between her cheek and ear. The soft touch sent a faint shiver down her spine. Blair felt her breathing grow uneven and swallowed quietly. There was no way he hadn’t noticed her reaction.

“Blair.”

“…Yes?”

“Why are you panting?”

“Because I’m… nervous.”

“You must want to miss.”

“No.”

She ignored the distraction and adjusted her grip, staring ahead, but regaining her lost concentration wasn’t easy.

As her senses sharpened, her attention shifted not to the target before her but to the man behind her. His large body, his heavy scent mixed with winter air, and his quiet, controlled breathing kept clouding her mind.

And the wicked hand that had lingered at her lower abdomen slipped inside her closed coat. As it slowly moved upward and grasped her breast, Blair squeezed her eyes shut and pulled the trigger.

Bang!

The merciless rubber bullet left the barrel. Even so, she checked the target with faint hope, but it remained untouched.

“Again.”

Edmund murmured teasingly, his voice laced with amusement. Unable to endure it, Blair turned around sharply, her face flushed.

“Stop cheating!”

“I’m not the one taking the test, so how is it cheating?”

“That’s unfair.”

“What’s unfair about touching my woman?”

“Choose the time and place. This is a very important moment for me.”

“Were you that curious about my purity. I’m touched.”

Blair clenched her teeth, and Edmund raised both hands. In the bright sunlight, her eyes shone with determination. This time, she intended to pull the trigger on her own, checking her stance and aim without his help.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

“….”

And after that, she tried several more times. Edmund even replaced the bullets himself, so she couldn’t count how many attempts she made.

Eventually, exhausted, Blair lowered the rifle. She glanced briefly at the still pristine target, then handed the training rifle back to him.

“I think that’s enough practice for my aim….”

“For a first attempt, you did very well. I shouldn’t have said that.”

Taking the rifle, Edmund watched Blair’s dejected expression. Then he spoke abruptly.

“It’s actually just as you thought.”

“…How do you know what I thought?”

“It’s true I was just as tense as you that night.”

At his vague answer, Blair blinked, then slowly lifted the corners of her lips. She met his eyes with a smile and pointed at the target.

“Edmund, show me your skill too.”

“Hm.”

“You said you hit everything you aim at. Let’s see how good you really are.”

After a brief moment of thought, Blair added, “If you hit the center… I’ll tell you one of my secrets too.”