Chapter 34
Disgrace. Blair couldn’t even bring herself to answer. She bent her knees and picked up the newspaper that lay scattered on the floor, then began reading through the neatly printed lines.
「An ambitious young lady ensnares two men?
The party held last night at the Bermondsey Gallery became the biggest topic of the season.
The host of the banquet, and a leading heir of the Libert ducal house, Edmund Roger Libert, finally revealed the object of his affection.
That brazen protagonist turned out to be the only daughter of the Count of Twyford, who had only just come of age, and shockingly, she was already engaged.
No one can say whether what she desired, with only days left before the wedding to the Dorman family’s only son, was love or reckless play. What is certain is that there were countless eyewitness accounts of her openly exchanging intimate whispers with the Libert bastard, and the sight of Lord Libert supporting her unsteady, seemingly drunken form as they left the gallery became fodder for many eager tongues.
The direction of the wedding currently under the watchful eye of Borsa’s social circle has, starting from this gallery party, become even more uncertain.」
Frozen like stone, Blair swallowed hard. The scent of ink from the still-damp newspaper seemed to sting her nose. She’d never imagined that what happened last night would already be exaggerated to this extent and fixed into print.
“Rumors will spread overnight.”
Edmund had told her that clearly. She’d been prepared for scandal linking the two of them to circulate through the capital’s social world. But she hadn’t anticipated it would be exposed as a gossip column in a daily paper and spread across the entire kingdom in a single night.
Did Edmund know? Or even if he did, would anything have changed? As Blair’s thoughts spiraled, she suddenly stopped.
“The photograph….”
Her trembling hand traced the black-and-white image beneath the text. It was a side-angle photograph of Edmund half-holding her as he helped her into a car. It felt unfamiliar, like looking at someone else’s face in a foggy memory, but the woman in the picture was undeniably herself.
“I saw the Marquis of Dorman this morning, and he was furious. He went on about how his dignity was trampled, how he’d call off the engagement at once. Do you have any idea how much trouble your lunatic behavior has caused our family?”
“….”
“They say his son suddenly fell ill yesterday and couldn’t attend. Did you ever consider what humiliation he’d have suffered if he’d been there to witness that scene?”
As she absorbed her father’s torrent of rage, Blair’s lips parted, then she lifted her head. Something surged up from deep in her chest.
“Lord Dorman… what exactly did they say he was ill with?”
“…What?”
“I’ve heard something about his condition. From Lord Dorman himself. Did you know as well, Father?”
The Count’s face twisted as if a sheet of paper had been crumpled. In an instant, he clenched his fist and slammed it down on the desk. The bang made Blair flinch and draw in her shoulders.
“Have you truly gone mad, taking after your mother? Listen carefully. The most important thing is that the engagement with the Dorman family is what sustains our house. One reckless act from you could bring everything crashing down!”
“Then answer me. Did you know what state Isaac Dorman is in? Knowing full well, did you still want me to bear multiple heirs for that man?”
The Count of Twyford’s eyes flashed like those of a madman. He strode toward her with heavy steps that shook the floor and raised his hand. A sharp pain burst across her cheek before she even realized it. A ringing buzz filled her ears, as if she’d lost her hearing for a moment.
Blair, breathing hard, slowly turned her head. Gritting her teeth, she looked straight at her father. It was the first time in her life she’d stood firm before an authority as vast as the sky without wavering.
“…So in the end, my body was the only tool meant to prop up the family.”
“You insolent wench!”
“Then don’t you also have a duty to protect it from being damaged? To me, and to yourself.”
He froze for a moment, his hand raised to strike her again. Facing her father, whose face twisted between rage and shock, Blair didn’t retreat.
“If I marry Lord Libert instead of Isaac Dorman, our family will gain more than it loses.”
“You, you! That filthy gossip column, are those words really… you’ve completely lost your mind!”
“I don’t know how much you know about Lord Dorman, but if his illness is serious, it might be difficult for him to produce an heir. Then the name that collapses won’t be Dorman, but Twyford. But Lord Libert is different. He’s a strong candidate to inherit a ducal house, and at the very least, he understands honor. Choosing him wouldn’t be a disgrace. It could be an opportunity.”
“Guards! Butler!”
Before she could finish speaking, Count Twyford flung the door open and shouted at the top of his lungs. Two male servants rushed in, as if they’d already been waiting after sensing the disturbance inside the study.
“Take this wretch to her bedroom at once. Don’t give her a single bite of food all day, and lock the door tight so she can’t step outside even once.”
“…Yes?”
“She’s completely lost her senses. That look in her eyes, she looks just like her mother. I’m sure she took something other than alcohol last night.”
Muttering like a man possessed, the Count suddenly raised his voice again.
“What are you standing around for? Take her away, now!”
But the servants hesitated, unable to lay hands on the young lady they served. In that moment, Blair watched her trembling father, then walked out of the study on her own. She climbed the stairs toward the second floor.
Why had he felt fear? What was it that frightened her father so much?
…Yes. More than fearing the collapse of the family, her father was afraid of realizing that his once obedient daughter was no longer within his grasp. Of that, Blair was certain.
“Control is mostly an illusion.”
She didn’t know why Edmund’s voice suddenly surfaced in her mind.
“Even what you think you’re holding firmly in your grasp is no different from a current that can slip away at any moment.”
Perhaps it was because he was the first person to leave behind a teaching that felt like ripples. Letting her thoughts trail off without any clear conclusion, she collapsed back onto the bed. Her head was spinning, and she just wanted to close her eyes for a moment.
***
In the darkness draped over the bedroom, Blair suddenly opened her eyes. She blinked, then turned her head to look out the window. It was already deep night, with a full moon hanging in the sky. Maybe because she’d gone an entire day without eating, her body felt as though it were sinking deeply into the bed, making it hard to move. Before long, she realized what had woken her.
It was the sound of someone’s footsteps climbing the stairs at a slow pace and walking down the corridor. The footsteps drew closer, then stopped in front of the bedroom door. Soon, a knock broke the silence.
“Lady Twyford.”
Blair didn’t answer and remained curled up where she lay. She quietly watched only the shadow seeping in through the gap beneath the door. She couldn’t fail to recognize the owner of that familiar low voice. Strangely, she wasn’t surprised at all.
“I’ll come in for a moment.”
The subdued voice echoed from beyond the door, as if he knew she was awake. After a brief clatter of metal from outside, light seeped through the narrow opening as the door slowly opened. Only then did Blair sit up on the bed. She silently looked up at Edmund as he walked in with steady steps.
“You’re awake.”
Does this man only know how to appear like a savior? Thinking that, she drew in a breath. It was the first time in her life she’d received a visitor in such an uncomposed state, but she wondered what it mattered.
After all, she would be living as his wife, even if only for a year.
“I should’ve come sooner. I’m sorry.”
“…What are you doing here?”
“I spoke with your father regarding the article published today. He acknowledged that borrowing my name was the only way to settle the scandal, and he agreed to the marriage between you and me.”
Blair quietly lowered her gaze. The idea that her father, who’d raged and called her insane just hours earlier, had agreed to her marriage with Edmund so easily made even laughter feel hollow.
“I didn’t mention the details of our contract, of course, but in order to take you with me, I needed to make my responsibility clear.”
“…You told him you’d take responsibility for the financial losses caused by breaking off the engagement with the Dorman family.”
“Yes. He wanted to formalize it in writing, so we drafted a contract and signed one copy each to prevent any future disputes. If that makes you uncomfortable, I can also share it with you….”
Blair suddenly let out a hollow laugh, and Edmund stopped speaking. Only the dry echo lingered in the bedroom. His expression, backlit by the light, was hard to make out.
“In just half a day… it really was that simple.”
She added quietly, as if muttering to herself, “As you said, my father gave his permission. As if you were the only option left.”
“….”
“So, Lord Libert, what exactly brings you here?”
“Now that the engagement is settled, I thought it safest to keep you by my side from this point on.”
“You came to take me with you?”
“Yes.”
“Then let’s go.”
Blair nodded, fully rose, and planted her feet on the floor. Edmund watched her for a moment, then asked quietly.
“Are you sure?”
She wasn’t sure what, exactly, he was asking if she was sure about. Her completely twisted relationship with her father, the broken engagement with Dorman, the uncertain life waiting for her, or all of it at once.
As Blair pulled a travel bag from the wardrobe, she turned back to look at him.
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