Deceived, Yet Drawn to You - Chapter 22

At last, Blair found herself at a loss for words, her expression stiffening. Instead of answering, she avoided his gaze and bit down on her lower lip.

She would break off her engagement to Isaac. Then she would be swept into a scandal that followed in her mother’s footsteps, the mother who had run off with a stable hand. A year later, she would become a divorced woman. If she took the hand this man offered her, she would have to live bearing such dishonorable stains. Her vision darkened.

But what would she gain in return? A life of independence and ample funds. She could leave for a place where no one knew her and start a new life. After all, it was an age when money could determine a person’s worth more than title or status.

‘But… am I really ready?’

Ready to bear all of those stigmas, to abandon the name and honor of a noble family, and to choose a completely different life.

“You said you’d accept anything.”

Edmund pulled a cigarette from the inside pocket of his jacket, slipped one between his lips, and let out a short laugh. Click, the sound of the lighter rang out, and he asked back in a gentle voice, “Did you already change your mind?”

“….”

“Or are you scared now?”

The question struck directly at her competitive pride. Narrowing her eyes, Blair looked straight at the man exhaling a plume of pale smoke. A faint, teasing smile lingered in his gray eyes.

“I’m not scared. It’s just….”

She’d spent her entire life vowing not to live freely like her mother, confining herself to a rigid mold. She couldn’t overturn her life overnight as easily as flipping her hand.

Swallowing that truth, Blair continued, “I never imagined a proposal that goes so far beyond common sense.”

“And yet you grew curious about my proposal, and tempted by it. You wanted to try making a choice like this at least once, didn’t you?”

“That’s an incredibly arrogant assumption.”

Her words were sharp, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that he understood her. Had anyone ever pinpointed the tangled emotions inside her this precisely? It felt as though Edmund saw straight through her heart.

Blair had always moved according to her father’s will, living by locking herself inside a rigid frame to erase all traces of her mother. And now, for the first time, she stood at a moment where she could shape her own life.

After a long silence, Blair finally spoke, “Did you approach me from the beginning with this in mind?”

Perhaps the question was unexpected. Edmund didn’t answer right away. Tilting his chin slightly, he exhaled cigarette smoke. Even then, his deep gaze remained fixed on her.

“Are you suspecting an intentional approach?”

“Yes.”

“If I were that calculating, I would’ve presented the contract from the start.”

At his next words, Blair’s expression hardened.

“And not to you, but to Count Twyford. Wouldn’t that have been easier and more efficient for a businessman like me?”

“….”

“This is a deal I’m staking my life on as well. And Lady Twyford, I don’t make deals with people who don’t interest me.”

Edmund continued, his tone gentler now, as if soothing her, “It’s because I judged that you and I are similar kinds of people. That’s why I firmly believe we can maintain a good relationship. Try thinking of my proposal not as marriage, but as a turning point in your life. If you can handle it, it’s a freedom well worth enjoying.”

A turning point in life. She felt as though she’d secretly dreamed of such a path ever since she came down to Borsa.

She just hadn’t expected to face that imagined moment so abruptly today. Even less had she imagined that the man standing before her would be the one to bring that breakthrough.

Would it have been better if he’d approached her in a threatening or humiliating way? Then she could’ve turned her back without hesitation. But instead, he granted her a reprieve, allowed her time, and left the choice entirely to her without blame or coercion, which only made Blair more confused.

Edmund had approached her in exactly the way she’d always been most wary of. He persuaded her with logic, dismantled her with emotion, and steadily dug into her weakest point. Even as she wanted to run away, she found herself repeatedly caught by him.

Perhaps the illusion that someone truly understands you is the most dangerous temptation of all.

“I’d like a few more days… to think about it.”

“Of course. However, since I’ve also received an invitation to your wedding, I should remind you that you don’t have much time.”

Edmund, who’d cast his gaze out the window, added briefly, “It’s getting dark. Shall we end things here for today?”

As he said, dusk had already fallen. Blair, who desperately needed time alone, agreed with the suggestion and rose from her seat. Edmund also stood smoothly and personally opened the door, making space for her to pass.

“Let me give you one piece of advice that may help you decide whether to sign the contract.”

Blair, who’d been about to leave the conference room, paused and turned her head back.

“About your fiancé. Lately, he seems to be receiving discreet medical treatment with notable frequency.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“It would be inappropriate for me to state the diagnosis directly to a lady. Would it suffice to say it’s a social disease brought on by a promiscuous private life?”

Edmund continued in a tone utterly devoid of regret, “It’s a fairly serious condition. Anyone sharing his bed should be concerned about infection. Especially given the clause requiring at least three heirs for the Dorman line, prudence would be wise. I find myself wondering whether your father is aware of this fatal defect.”

What was he talking about? Blair drew in a sharp breath, her brows knitting together. The fact that he seemed to know even the contents of the agreement between the two families was deeply unsettling.

“Is that true? And more than that, how do you know something like this?”

“Well. Wouldn’t it be better for you to verify the truth yourself?”

Blair clenched her lips tightly and swallowed her trembling breath. A grim premonition took hold, as if she were about to peer into a filthier abyss than she’d expected.

In stark contrast to her agitation, Edmund offered a quiet farewell, his gaze calm.

“Then, Lady Twyford. I look forward to seeing you again soon.”

***

Blair had asked Edmund for a few more days, but what she truly needed wasn’t time, it was the courage to decide.

When he extended his hand, she’d sensed vaguely that this might be the best option left to her. Which meant she had to choose whether to grasp Edmund’s hand and accept the stigma she’d feared so deeply, or continue living the life of an obedient noblewoman.

If I take that man’s hand… will I be able to live as my true self?

“I firmly believe we can maintain a good relationship.”

It was true that Edmund was the only person she’d felt genuine affinity toward since coming down to Borsa. He appeared whenever she needed him, and perhaps because they shared subtle similarities, he felt like someone she could rely on. Blair wanted to believe there was no error in her judgment.

‘Still, to make a proposal like a sham marriage… that man really isn’t ordinary either.’

Blair pressed a hand to her throbbing forehead and closed her eyes. She couldn’t just stand by and watch the situation slip past her helplessly. One way or another, she had to act in whatever way she could.

“We’ve arrived, miss.”

Just then, the wheels of the automobile, which had been rolling on without pause, came to a stop. Stirred from her thoughts, Blair looked out the window. With a resolute gaze, she stared quietly at the place they’d just arrived.

Filling her view was the Royal Library of Genoa. Located about a twenty-minute drive from where Blair lived, it was the oldest building in the kingdom. True to its reputation, its vast pale gray exterior loomed with a fortress-like, imposing presence.

“Thank you, Mr. Hamilton.”

“Then I wish you an enjoyable time.”

With the driver’s assistance, Blair stepped out of the automobile and climbed the tall stone steps. Each step she took, she steadied her nerves before heading inside.

The interior of the library was just as grand in scale. The ceiling, supported by antique stone pillars, stretched dizzyingly high, and countless books were packed tightly into the many tiered shelves lined up along both sides. Even as she crossed the marble-floored lobby and headed for the staircase, it was hard to keep her gaze fixed in one place.

‘Was it the second-floor special reading room…?’

Holding the hem of her skirt, Blair began climbing the staircase carpeted in red. By the time she reached the second floor, which felt closer to the height of a four-story building, her breath was caught at her chin. Hoping she didn’t look too unseemly, she walked down the corridor.

At last, when she reached the reading room, the footman guarding the door curved his lips into a polite smile.

“Welcome. Before you enter, may I see your invitation?”

“Here it is.”

Blair handed over the invitation she’d brought. The footman glanced down at it briefly, then inclined his head courteously.