Chapter 76

“Understood.”

The driver immediately turned the wheel and changed course. Blair turned her gaze back to the window and watched the downpour pouring so heavily it was hard to see ahead.

Spending the night at the Chails townhouse was unexpected. Still, with the car struggling to move through the torrential rain, staying in Borsa made more sense than forcing their way to Eldenvale.

Her heart raced for no reason. What kind of place was Chails? It appealed to her deeply, so quiet it felt as if Edmund’s shadow itself had been transplanted there. Like the tavern, it was a place where she didn’t need to wear a mask, yet the tension remained. Tonight as well, alone with him.

“Blair, you’ll be alright, won’t you?”

As if reading her thoughts, Edmund asked at just that moment. It wasn’t a question seeking her agreement. It sounded considerate, but it was merely a formality.

“…Yes.”

Blair gave a meaningless reply and lowered her eyes. Thankfully, the pounding rain was fierce. It hid the sound of her racing heart.

When the car slowly slid to a stop, the grand, multi-layered buildings of Chails came into view through the window. The stone exterior walls, washed by the heavy rain, stood out with an especially weighty outline.

Swaaah. As the car door opened, the roar of the downpour crashed in. Edmund stepped out first, opened an umbrella, and held out his hand toward her. Blair took it and glanced up at his face. Unlike her lingering awkwardness over what happened at the dinner, Edmund’s expression was flat.

Since there was only one umbrella, Blair walked almost pressed against him. Beneath the falling rain, in that cramped space, the man’s body felt large and solid. When she caught the familiar scent mixed with rain and felt his slightly higher-than-usual warmth, Blair’s chest pounded as if it might burst. That must have been why the short distance to the entrance felt strangely long.

“Let’s go in.”

Edmund nodded toward the open door as he folded the umbrella. As Blair stepped inside, she noticed one of his shoulders was soaked. He’d tilted the umbrella to keep her from getting wet as they walked.

The moment the door shut behind them with a click, silence fell at once. The torrential rain that had been pouring down vanished like a lie, leaving only stillness behind.

Unlike the grand mansion at Eldenvale, there were no solemn interior decorations here, no bustling presence of servants. Cold air settled in the space, as if it had been left empty for a long time.

“Um….”

After looking around, Blair spoke carefully.

“Do we need to use the same bedroom here as well?”

Edmund glanced at her. Turning his head away again, he took off his wet coat and hung it on the rack. In the dim light, a faint smile crossed the man’s profile.

“No, Blair. The people working at Chails are my attendants under contract, so there’s no need to go out of your way to play the role of my wife here.”

“…I see.”

“I’ll show you to the bedroom on the second floor you used last time.”

With that, he started up the stairs first. Blair followed Edmund upstairs without a word. The dim wall lamps stretched their shadows long along the way.

His steps leading the way were steady and unhesitating. In contrast, Blair’s footsteps were anxious and cautious. The man within arm’s reach felt unbearably distant, likely because the gap between him and her was simply too wide.

Edmund stopped in front of the bedroom door, turned the handle, and stepped inside first. After turning on the soft lighting to brighten the room, he looked back at her. His attitude toward her hadn’t changed at all, neither then nor now. Like a homeowner hosting a guest staying for the night, like a businessman dealing with a contractual partner.

As if she were a complete stranger with no connection to him at all.

If so, were his feelings the same?

“As you may remember, the bathroom is this way, and if you need anything, ring the call bell.”

There wasn’t a single trace of warmth in his gray eyes now. The heat that once filled them when they looked at her felt like an illusion.

“Blair?”

“…Ah. I will.”

Edmund walked toward her. His steps didn’t hesitate at all, yet they were slow as he stopped in front of her.

“Get some rest.”

“You too.”

Then he brushed lightly past her shoulder. The scent of his body, mixed with rainwater, washed over her, and only after she heard the door close behind her did Blair finally release the breath stuck in her throat.

“Haah….”

She stood there for a long while, staring blankly at the large bed. It felt like another night when she wouldn’t be able to fall asleep.

It was about two hours after she lay down.

As expected, unable to close her eyes and tossing restlessly, Blair shoved the blanket aside and got up. She clearly remembered Edmund telling her to ring the bell if she needed anything, but what she wanted right now was air to ease this stifling feeling.

When she opened the window, cool night air seeped into the room. Outside, heavy raindrops were still falling, and the leaves of the roadside trees, reaching up to the second floor, swayed while soaked through. After breathing in the damp scent of the city, Blair looked back at the tightly closed bedroom door. After a moment of hesitation, she turned away and pushed the door open.

The corridor, lit by faint lights, was empty. After glancing around, she headed down the stairs to the first floor. When she passed the bedroom door where Edmund would be staying, she had to step even more quietly.

Blair realized why she hadn’t been able to sleep at all.

This silent place felt like a world Edmund had created. A space ruled thoroughly by order and discipline, with no room for trivial emotions to slip in. Within it, she was the only unstable presence, left to wander like an outsider.

At last, her steps led her to an independent garden set in the center of the house. The beautiful hideaway she liked to call a glass greenhouse was transparent all the way to the roof, allowing her to look straight up at the shattering raindrops.

Before she even opened the glass door, Blair stopped short. In the dim garden bathed in moonlight, someone was already there. There was no mistaking who it was.

She had no intention of turning back, so she quietly opened the door and stepped inside. Barefoot, she crossed the stone floor and approached him. Edmund, who had been sitting on the sofa smoking, looked up at her.

“What is it?”

“…I couldn’t sleep.”

After hesitating, Blair asked, “May I sit down?”

“Of course.”

He shifted to the side of the sofa, making space for her. Sitting there, Blair kept silent for a moment. The ember at the tip of Edmund’s cigarette glowed red in the darkness.

“I want to apologize for what happened earlier this evening.”

The one who broke the silence first was none other than Edmund. Blair, who had only been fidgeting with her fingers, lifted her head. Her eyes widened slightly as they turned toward him.

“I reacted a bit sharply at the count’s dinner.”

“No. What you said was justified. It was a situation that could be misunderstood….”

After hesitating, she added, “I was the one who got defensive for no reason.”

“I was the one who lacked generosity. I’m sorry.”

At his frank admission, her chest tightened. Even as she told herself not to mistake him for someone else, that they were different people, her heart refused to follow reason.

“Honestly, it kept bothering me. I wondered if maybe you were jealous.”

“….”

“…Was I mistaken?”

Instead of answering right away, Edmund brought the cigarette to his lips and drew in a long breath. After taking a drag, he exhaled the smoke and simply looked at Blair.

Meeting his gaze in the silence felt suffocating. A dry swallow slipped down her throat on its own. Watching her show her unease, Edmund spoke in the low, firm voice typical of someone who rarely reveals emotion.

“I didn’t like seeing that man look at you when you smiled.”

“….”

“So you weren’t mistaken. You read it exactly right.”