Chapter 62

“A little while ago….”

Milia sniffed and lowered her head. Blair gently placed a hand on her shoulder, urging her to continue.

“We brought in a rare species of tulip from Hampton. It hasn’t been long since they were transplanted into the greenhouse, so the duchess said they’d need special care for the time being.”

“Then why wasn’t the gardener doing that work?”

“The gardener is old and usually returns to his quarters early. So I ended up handling the finishing work….”

“And that’s when you ran into Sir Rufus on your way out of the greenhouse.”

“…Yes. I’d already locked the greenhouse door and was leaving, but he kept insisting that I go back inside.”

Blair deliberately frowned. She didn’t even want to imagine what Rufus might have intended to do with a young maid so late at night.

“He told you to go back into the greenhouse?”

“He said he wanted to check whether the tulips were arranged properly… that he needed to see if I’d made any mistakes….”

Milia’s mouth drooped as she buried her face in her hands. Blair sighed and finished the words the maid couldn’t bring herself to say.

“You sensed something was wrong and refused to go back inside.”

“…I just… had a bad feeling that I shouldn’t. I’d locked the door, but he kept trying to take the key out of my apron pocket….”

It seemed Milia had instinctively sensed the danger and resisted Rufus as best she could. But with her much smaller frame, weaker strength, and lower status, it would have been an uneven struggle from the start. Even if she blocked the glass greenhouse door, how could a maid who’d lived her whole life in obedience raise her voice against the young master of the estate?

That was when Blair appeared with a guard. Rufus hadn’t admitted any wrongdoing and had instead brazenly taken the guard as his own escort, but at least Milia had been pulled out of danger. That much was fortunate.

“Has anything like this ever happened with Sir Rufus before?”

“…No. I mean, he’s… never been this direct even once….”

All of a sudden, Milia grabbed Blair’s hand, her face drained completely of color in terror.

“Am I going to be thrown out of the estate?”

“No, Milia. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Blair shook her head firmly.

“In fact, you found the courage to stand your ground until the end. Why would anyone punish you for that?”

“But… even so, something disgraceful already happened…. The duchess will never forgive me. Please don’t tell the duchess. I truly have nowhere else to go if I leave this place.”

The maid pleaded desperately. She’d worked under Isabelle since the age when most girls would have entered primary school. Her trembling voice carried not only fear, but the deep-rooted obedience cultivated over more than ten years. Blair recognized it immediately.

“Please don’t cast me out. I promise I won’t tell anyone. Please, madam… act as if nothing happened. I beg you.”

Blair understood the instinctive desire to lock one’s tongue and survive by silence. Sorrow welled up in her, and she reached out to pull Milia into an embrace.

“Don’t worry. Nothing will happen.”

She said that, but no matter how much she thought about it, no clear solution came to mind. This wasn’t a problem she could handle on her own. As Blair stared out the window into the pitch-black darkness beyond, a light of firm resolve settled in her eyes.

***

At dawn the next day, when a fog so thick it was impossible to judge the surroundings had settled in.

Cutting through the hazy air, a black sedan with headlights flashing to life pulled up in front of the main building of the ducal residence. As a servant hurried over and opened the door, Edmund stepped out of the car with a weary face, a navy overcoat draped over one arm. The butler who had been waiting took a step forward and bowed.

“Welcome back, Young Master.”

“Albert.”

Edmund nodded as he handed over his coat. The butler then added in a lowered voice.

“You’ve returned at just the right time. His Grace has just regained consciousness. He’s still very weak, but the moment he woke, he asked that the family’s inheritance lawyer be summoned.”

Hearing this, Edmund headed straight for the main building. The reason the duke had called for his legal representative was obvious. He intended to revise his will. Perhaps he meant to add a new clause to clarify the line of succession.

“Does anyone else know that Father has regained consciousness?”

“Thanks to the attending physician strictly warning the servants to keep silent, no one else knows yet. However, Her Grace visits his bedroom in person every morning, so….”

That meant there wasn’t much time left before Isabelle made her move. If Edmund wanted to get ahead of her, he had to act now. Without hesitation, he turned his steps toward the duke’s bedroom.

“Good. I’ll see him at once.”

“Sir, and also….”

Despite the urgency, Albert caught Edmund’s arm with a hesitant tone.

“I mention this because I was asked to, but….”

“What is it?”

“Your wife wished to see you as soon as you returned.”

Edmund’s footsteps echoed against the marble floor, then stopped. He slowly turned around and met the butler’s gaze. From his bangs, damp with fog, a small droplet fell.

“Did she say it was urgent?”

“She didn’t give details, only that there was something she absolutely needed to discuss with you.”

“….”

“She came to see me after midnight. She looked deeply worried.”

The old butler likely added the unnecessary explanation because Blair’s face had looked so distressed. Edmund could easily imagine her still awake, waiting for him even now. After studying Albert’s clouded eyes for a moment, Edmund turned his head.

“I’ll see Father first.”

The order of priorities was clear. Restoring the shaken balance of power within this estate came first.

***

Edmund entered the duke’s bedroom, which was filled with the sharp scent of bitter medicinal herbs. It was the kind of air that would make anyone unaccustomed to the presence of illness frown instinctively. Heavy curtains were drawn in two layers to keep out even the slightest draft, and only a pale light illuminated the space from atop a table.

William Libert was propped against the headboard, his upper body barely upright. Benjamin, who had been checking his temperature, turned at Edmund’s arrival, gave a single nod, and quietly left the room.

Once the physician was gone, William, whose face was pale enough to resemble a corpse, cast a sidelong glance at Edmund. Even so, the gray eyes had not lost their penetrating force. It was likely the strength born of obsession.

“You’ve come.”

“Yes, Father.”

“Come closer.”

Edmund bowed lightly and approached his father, taking a seat. A deep shadow lay across the duke’s face, the kind one sees in those with death close at hand.

“Have you heard the news about Rufus as well?”

“I have. Most of the senior staff know by now.”

“Yes. Before I lost consciousness, Isabelle told me. She said Rufus has recovered…. That the boy, as proper blood of mine, is now ready to carry on our family line.”

“It seems Mother was so pleased that she exaggerated the situation.”

Edmund continued in a subdued voice, “My brother can barely maintain an erection for a few seconds, and he’s incapable of ejaculation. He may still have instincts, but it’s premature to claim that he can function as a man.”

“And you, who are contending with Rufus over the dukedom… do you think such a claim would sound credible?”

“It isn’t my claim. It’s the physician’s diagnosis. Jensen is waiting outside the door. If you don’t trust me, you can confirm it directly with him.”

William fixed Edmund with a lingering gaze, his eyes hazy like fog. Edmund calmly pressed on with his reasoning.

“Do you truly call that recovery? Do you recognize it as the ability to shoulder the continuation of this family’s bloodline? In reality, it’s nothing more than an incomplete possibility that could collapse at any moment.”

Unable to answer, the duke raised a handkerchief to his mouth and let out a dry cough. Even then, he looked at Edmund with eyes that demanded he continue. Edmund concluded, as if he had been waiting for this moment.

“By contrast, I have no impediment to producing an heir. And above all, I have a healthy wife who can carry my seed.”