Chapter 58

Startled by the sudden assault of an obscene nude image, Blair stepped back. Seeing her shock, Rufus let out a leering, vulgar grin. A beat later, heat rushed to her face.

“W-what on earth are you doing?”

“What does it look like? I was simply trying to look at a book depicting the human body together. That aside, what do you think of this piece? Isn’t it highly artistic?”

Rufus gazed down at the explicit nude and slowly traced the curves in the illustration with his fingertips. When he flicked his eyes up at Blair, filthy desire churned in their depths.

“That picture is obscenity masquerading as art. You know that as well, don’t you?”

“How interesting. Isn’t that something the viewer decides? To the eyes of a pure new bride, it may look like nothing but something lewd. But once your eyes are opened like mine, capable of truly appreciating art, it looks quite different.”

“Then I’ll keep my eyes pure. I’ll be leaving now.”

“No, wait.”

Rufus hurriedly stepped in front of Blair as she tried to turn away. When his damp breath brushed her, Blair flinched and drew her shoulders in.

“Are you really that pure? You seem a bit curious, don’t you?”

Rufus was slimmer than most men, but to Blair, who was slight to begin with, the pressure he exerted felt overwhelmingly threatening.

“Did you come to the library using your husband as an excuse so you could sneak a look at forbidden books?”

Too taken aback to feel it was even worth responding, Blair pressed her lips together. The more she spoke, the more he would twist her words and lash out. But perhaps interpreting her silence however he pleased, Rufus grinned broadly, clearly amused.

“Edmund used to hole himself up in this place quite often when he was young too. I always wondered what he did here all day. Maybe he enjoyed decadent books like this as well.”

“If my husband frequented the library, it was for learning and reflection. Not to skulk around secretly looking at naked pictures of women.”

At that retort, all traces of a smile vanished from Rufus’s face. Just then, the faint sound of footsteps echoed as the librarian climbed the stairs, apparently to organize books. Seizing the moment, Blair slipped past Rufus’s side.

“I’ll be going.”

“I enjoyed our discussion, Lady Libert.”

The voice behind her deliberately stressed the words ‘Lady Libert’ with pointed intent. Blair didn’t look back and hurried away, her heart pounding wildly from the unexpected encounter.

***

From dawn, it had been a day destined for exhaustion. As soon as Edmund returned to the capital, he buried himself in stacks of documents related to the hotel expansion project and spent a long time reviewing them before heading to Chails Bank. There, he engaged in prolonged negotiations with investors over issuing bonds to secure construction funds. After barely wrapping up the talks, he went straight into a delayed regular meeting.

After that, he met with his personal legal representative to discuss inheritance matters, and that conversation proved even more unpleasant than the nearly five-hour bond negotiation.

Edmund’s position as heir had grown precarious. Although the Libert family’s major businesses were being transferred into his hands one by one, no contract contained any clause or wording that firmly guaranteed succession of the title. Until the duke explicitly stated it in his will, the lawyer’s opinion was that no one could be assured of inheriting it.

“Since the news about the eldest son’s recovery was delivered, have you spoken with His Grace?”

“Not yet. His condition worsens by the day, to the point that even within the family, preparations for the funeral are being rushed.”

The lawyer, who had been silent until then, added his opinion.

“Even after reviving the old custom and performing a ritual to prove the marital relationship, if succession still isn’t guaranteed, then there’s no choice but to show His Grace clearer proof.”

“For example?”

“Letting it be known that you’re making every effort to conceive an heir.”

A deep sigh escaped. Edmund leaned back heavily into the car seat and raised a hand to rub his brow.

“Share the bedroom with your wife. Even giving the impression that you’re making an effort every single day will be enough. His Grace doesn’t have much time left.”

It made sense. Noble estates generally had many bedrooms, and aristocratic couples didn’t necessarily share one unless there was a special reason. Simply combining bedrooms served as proof that the couple was ‘trying to have a child.’

Even if Rufus had partially recovered his sexual function, it was nothing more than a precarious candle flame. A tiny spark that could be snuffed out at any moment. With such an unreliable spark, how could he possibly find a suitable woman and impregnate her in time?

The duke, who was more obsessed with continuing the bloodline than anyone else, would inevitably weigh the odds between the two brothers. If Edmund, who stood in a far more advantageous position than Rufus, established a shared marital bedroom, then even a pretense of intent toward producing an heir would be proven, further solidifying the legitimacy of his succession.

No matter how he considered it, sharing a bedroom with Blair was the fastest way to secure the right of succession.

In truth, the easiest method would have been to impregnate a woman and produce a child, but he’d chosen a contractual marriage precisely to avoid that simple solution. He didn’t need a child. His sole objective was to ascend to the ducal seat. And so, to solidify his position as heir, he had to prove his will to his father.

However, in Eldenvale, he’d already promised Blair that they wouldn’t share a bedroom. Could he really overturn that agreement now? Each time he thought it through, he ended up back at the starting point, unable to reach a conclusion.

Edmund closed his eyes briefly, then opened them and cast his gaze out the car window. Eldenvale, shrouded in sudden rain and fog. A place he would inevitably have to return to. As he carried the weight of the long day and stepped inside, Blair’s face came to mind. Still, he felt relieved that he’d managed to return before dinner, just as promised.

Perhaps she had already heard the news, because Blair was waiting in the entrance hall to greet him. She hadn’t brought a crowd of servants, only Butler Albert at her side, as if she had come out simply because she wanted to see her husband.

“Welcome back. You worked hard today, Edmund.”

The way she greeted him so plainly made her look quite like a wife. Edmund smiled down at her.

“Nothing happened while I was gone?”

“…No.”

“….”

“I heard from the butler that you prefer to dine in the sitting room attached to your bedroom. Should I have dinner prepared there?”

“No. Let’s eat together in the formal dining room tonight as well.”

Edmund gave a brief glance of acknowledgment to the head butler, who bowed beside them, and continued, “I have a wife now. There’s no reason to eat separately.”

“Then I’ll have it prepared right away, so change your clothes and come down to the dining room.”

“Blair.”

Blair, who had been about to turn at Edmund’s call, looked up at him.

“Before that, could you help me change my clothes?”

“…Huh…?”

“I must be tired. My hands don’t seem to be working properly.”

Hearing the ridiculous excuse, Blair’s lips parted slightly. The old butler, who had been standing quietly nearby, retreated without so much as a cough, discreetly giving them space. Only then did she step closer to Edmund.

“What are you plotting?”

“I’m serious. If I were plotting to strip you, wouldn’t I have come up with a more convincing lie?”

As Blair merely blinked at him, Edmund added calmly, “Won’t you help me for a moment?”

“Even so, how could you make such an embarrassing request in front of an elderly butler?”

“My apologies. Next time, I’ll be sure to ask only when we’re alone.”

His easy apology left her momentarily speechless again. Edmund held out his arm toward her as he continued, “We can stop by my bedroom together and then head down to the dining room. Shall we?”

At that point, Blair had no remaining options. As she accepted his escort and headed toward the bedroom to help her husband change, Edmund let out a soft chuckle without realizing it.