Chapter 73

“May I ask what kind of excuse it is?”

“You’ll find out soon. There’s nothing you need to worry about, Blair.”

With that answer, Edmund began to undo the shirt buttons fastened all the way up to his throat, and the conversation came to a stop. Mindful of Blair, he stepped behind the screen to change, showing consideration. The screen wasn’t tall enough to completely hide his long frame, so Blair caught sight of his profile and fell into thought on her own.

It was certainly a relief that he seemed to have prepared something regarding the duchess’s party. The decisiveness in his tone, as if he’d been waiting for this moment for a long time, even carried confidence. Still, as always, he didn’t seem to intend to share the details with her.

Standing there hesitating, Blair soon remembered the gift she’d prepared for him and went to the wardrobe to take out the box she had put away. Just then, Edmund, now changed into loungewear, walked over. With a slightly nervous heart, she held out the gift box to him.

“I wanted to give you this.”

Edmund silently accepted the box. When he untied the ribbon and removed the wrapping, a neatly folded tie appeared. After looking down at it for a moment, he asked quietly, “A gift for me?”

“…Of course.”

“You know my taste better than I expected.”

“I thought it would suit you.”

“Thank you.”

As Edmund closed the lid of the box, a faint curve formed at the corner of his lips.

“I’ll wear it on an important day. You can put it on me yourself then.”

“I will.”

An unavoidable, delighted smile spread across Blair’s face. Then a fact she had to address came to mind.

“Actually, the cost of the tie was charged to your account. I don’t have an account under my own name yet.”

“I see.”

“It’s a gift I’m giving you, so it bothers me that it didn’t come from my own pocket. I want to pay you back for that much.”

“You worry about even such trivial things.”

“If it’s a gift, the giver’s sincerity should be fully in it. If it’s charged to your account, it feels like I borrowed half of that sincerity.”

Even though it was an absurd thing to say, that she bought a gift with his money, Edmund, who hadn’t minded at all, glanced at Blair.

“In that case, this works out well. While we’re on the subject, I’ll open an account in your name.”

“An account?”

“I’ll give you an allowance every month. You can buy whatever you want with it, or prepare gifts for others like this. You’re fulfilling your role as my wife well, so you can consider it a gift from me.”

Emphasizing the words ‘role as my wife’ while gesturing lightly with the gift box, Edmund added in an easy tone, “And the compensation to be paid after a year can be deposited there as well.”

“…Ah.”

Should she say thank you? Blair couldn’t bring herself to express gratitude right away. She couldn’t tell whether this was consideration, or a reminder of the reality that this was a conditional relationship.

She secretly hoped this relationship would last a long time. It was only natural to wish that he felt the same, that his feelings carried the same light. But his insistence on keeping a distance chilled one corner of her heart. A perceptive man like him couldn’t possibly be unaware of that wish.

In the end, Blair forced a smile.

“Then I’ll accept it gratefully.”

“Good.”

“About that tie.”

“Yes?”

“I didn’t buy it because I cared about other people’s eyes. And it wasn’t to keep up appearances as your wife either.”

She hesitated, then continued, “I just thought it would suit you.”

Silence fell between them. Edmund, who had been looking steadily at Blair, dropped his gaze to the gift box holding the tie. His eyes were unreadable. When he looked back at her, his expression was gentler than before.

“Alright. I’ll accept it gratefully too.”

“….”

“I’ll go wash up now.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

“It’s fine, go to sleep first. You must be tired.”

“…Alright.”

Edmund turned toward the bathroom. Even after hearing the door close, Blair stood there blankly for a while, then let out a sigh and walked over to the bed. As she buried herself in the bedding steeped in his deep scent, she closed her eyes. She wanted to fall asleep before he came back.

The man, who didn’t take long to wash, soon returned to the bedroom. He turned off all the lights, pulled back the covers, and lay down in the bed beside her. As the heavy scent grew stronger, Blair repeated slow, quiet breaths.

“Good night, Blair.”

His voice, warm as he greeted her after realizing she wasn’t asleep yet, was gentle. In the darkness, Blair blinked, then whispered softly.

“You too.”

And a heavy silence followed.

Spending the night in the same bed as him was easier than she expected. Maybe it was because they had already torn down all their defenses in the inn room. Even as she listened to his breathing so close by, her heart didn’t pound as if it might burst.

Of course, now that they were back in reality, there were no familiar embraces or kisses. Turning her back to him and letting out a quiet breath, Blair soon fell into sleep.

11. Projection

“The morning paper, madam.”

“Thank you.”

Several days later, as Blair finished breakfast alone in the dining room and sipped her coffee, a newspaper was placed beside her.

Blair’s gaze moved to it naturally, then froze. Doubting her eyes, she set down her teacup and picked up the paper. The bold headline seized her attention.

「Shame of Dorman, Ruining His Mistress and Family」

Blair swallowed dryly. There was no mistaking who the article targeted. It began like this.

「The only son of the Dorman family, Isaac Dorman, has recently been revealed to have contracted a ‘social disease,’ sending shockwaves through aristocratic society. After infecting his mistress, Nicoletta Underhill, he cruelly cast her aside, proving firsthand how hollow relationships disguised as affection can be.

Rendered infertile, the young lady of Underhill was unable to find a proper match and was ultimately forced into a marriage with a relative. This became the cause of internal division and financial collapse within the family. The once promising Viscountcy of Underhill has fallen into ruin amid discord.

The long-standing custom of Borsa’s social circles, which dismissed social disease as ‘not uncommon among men,’ has collapsed due to this incident. It has been laid bare that one man’s debauchery and irresponsibility endangered the survival of an entire family.

Businesses allied with House Dorman are withdrawing one after another amid the continuing scandals, and the power Dorman once flaunted at the center of high society is crumbling overnight.」

The person mentioned in the article was none other than Isaac Dorman. It detailed not only how he’d taken Nicoletta as his mistress despite being engaged to Blair, but also how he had driven both Nicoletta and the House of Underhill into ruin. After that, it went on to expose a string of corrupt dealings tied to the Dorman family’s businesses, crushing any remaining chance of recovery. As Blair read line after line of print, she nearly stopped breathing.

「It was also revealed that Blair Libert, Isaac Dorman’s former fiancée, had nearly been placed in grave danger due to his reckless conduct, according to Edmund Roger Libert.」

The article immediately went on to quote another voice.

「Lord Libert stated, “Anyone who causes harm to society must pay a price befitting their actions.” When pressed about the succession to the title, a question on everyone’s mind, he dismissed it, saying he had no time to concern himself with such matters, and added, “My father’s condition is grave, and I am staying by his side. The atmosphere within the ducal household is heavy, making it difficult to speak of any celebration.”」

So this was the excuse Edmund had meant. Nicoletta’s ruin was the excuse.

He had bound together the collapse of Nicoletta and the House of Underhill into a single article and used it to bury Isaac Dorman.

Being afflicted with a social disease alone wasn’t enough to bring a man down. Only when there was a victim, and when that damage spread to the level of an entire family, would it become something people talked about.

On top of that, Edmund had subtly inserted Blair, Isaac’s former fiancée, into the article and successfully shifted the focus of the interview onto himself. By emphasizing the gloomy state of the ducal household, he’d also destroyed the justification for the party Isabelle was planning for Rufus.