Chapter 88

There was a faint note of mockery in her voice. First night. Witnessing ritual. The words didn’t connect right away, lodging themselves in her mind instead. Blair, still unable to fully recover from the shock of the will, narrowed her eyes.

“What are you talking about?”

“Didn’t you know?”

Isabelle’s bright blue eyes glittered. Blair couldn’t bring herself to answer and pressed her lips together. Seeing that speechless expression, Isabelle twisted her brows as if she felt sorry for her.

“Oh dear. You really didn’t know. It seems Edmund never told you.”

“….”

“My husband was an extremely thorough man. He wanted his half-blooded son to prove, in bed, that he’d gone through a legitimate marriage. As you know, Edmund’s lineage is a bit… complicated.”

“I don’t really understand what you’re saying. This witnessing ritual, exactly what is it…?”

“A witnessing ritual is when a man and woman who have pledged marriage copulate in front of family witnesses. It’s an old Libert custom, a way of physically proving that they’ve become husband and wife. It hasn’t been practiced in recent years, but he wanted to revive it.”

Isabelle reached out and picked up her teacup. With flawless elegance, she took a few sips of black tea, then met Blair’s eyes as she continued.

“But given the times we live in, we couldn’t carry out a custom that disappeared over a century ago exactly as it was. So on the night you and Edmund consummated the marriage, we stationed the priest who officiated the wedding and seven attendants in the corridor, not inside the bedroom.”

Even after hearing that much, Blair still couldn’t speak. Like someone too slow to process anything, her lips only parted and closed.

Watching her expression, Isabelle added carefully, “My dear. In fact, Rufus also….”

“…What?”

“Rufus was there as well.”

At that moment, her heart, which had been racing as if broken, dropped straight to the bottom. A ringing filled her ears.

“Originally, the witnessing ritual requires not only a representative of God, but also key members of the family to be present. On our side, Rufus had to attend as the groom’s brother.”

Blair drew in a sharp breath and stared at Isabelle. It felt as if all the blood in her body rushed to her face. Shock was layered over with a vivid sense of humiliation. Then betrayal surged over her like a tidal wave.

Did Edmund know this?

“I’m sorry to tell you something like this.”

“…Are you really sorry?”

The fist Blair clenched on her lap trembled slightly.

“For something meant to be an apology, your words carry a very clear intention.”

“Intention?”

“You’re trying to drive a wedge between me and him.”

There were other words pressing up to her tongue, but she couldn’t show her doubt toward Edmund in front of Isabelle. She couldn’t let Isabelle turn that into a weapon.

“I’m afraid you’ve misunderstood. If that’s how you took it, then you’re mistaken.”

Yet the seasoned noblewoman smiled calmly, not batting an eye as she brought the teacup back to her lips.

“If you truly love each other, you wouldn’t waver no matter what anyone says.”

“All I can hear in your words is that I should waver.”

Under Isabelle’s unabashed gaze, Blair struggled to maintain her composure.

“You said that for my husband to formally inherit the title, he has to produce an heir. Then that means the key condition rests with me.”

“Do you love him?”

The question came out of nowhere. Blair stared at Isabelle without giving any answer. Even so, the cold voice continued.

“I loved William. But I regretted it deeply.”

“….”

“Loving an ambitious man is bound to end in regret.”

The smile that lingered at Isabelle’s lips deepened. She was speaking with complete sincerity now, not a trace of falsehood in it.

“Please don’t follow the same path I did, my dear. Those two men are frighteningly alike.”

***

Blair stood up after saying she would return to the mansion first, offering no excuses. It was the greatest rudeness she’d committed in her life, yet Isabelle showed no sign of taking offense.

She even graciously suggested Blair return in the same carriage they had come in, worried that the new duchess might faint after hearing such shocking news.

All the way back to the ducal residence, Blair was completely overwhelmed. She managed to hold herself together in front of Isabelle, but once she was alone and out of the woman’s sight, she had no choice but to admit it.

She was wavering. Helplessly, with nothing to steady herself. Her heart was already half collapsed, and she didn’t even know how to gather the pieces. In her muddled thoughts, memories of that night began to surface again.

The first night. How could she forget the wedding night they had to spend in the same bedroom by Libert custom? But Blair hadn’t slept with Edmund that night. It was a contractual marriage. Edmund had promised not to touch her, and the bedroom was a private space meant only for husband and wife, so no one could know what happened inside.

But could she really call herself an innocent woman who knew nothing after that night? Though there was no penetration, Blair allowed him to kiss and caress every part of her body. Edmund finished that messy act with movements indistinguishable from intercourse.

Why? Why did she do it? How did it come to that? Everything that happened on that bed that night unfolded in an instant. It was supposed to be a night where they wouldn’t even brush hands, yet they had clearly crossed the line. Why?

The strange thing was that Edmund hadn’t forced anything on her. If anything, it could be said that Blair had approached him first. She needed to reflect on the reason why.

Edmund, who had left the bedroom to wash in another bathroom, returned with a deeply dark expression. The moment she saw the shadow cast over his face, she knew. He must have had some conversation with Isabelle. Blair felt a deep compassion for him.

“Did you meet the duchess?”

She’d asked because she was worried. Edmund didn’t exactly deny it, and Blair wanted to hold him. She thought he must have been hurt.

He was always a man armored in cold composure. It seemed less like an inborn nature and more like armor he’d put on to protect himself. That was why Blair believed a man like Edmund needed trust all the more.

“There’s a difference between you noticing things on your own and me being honest with you.”

She remembered her own voice saying that. Standing face to face with Edmund, it was hard to read his thoughts from his eyes. All she could recall was how exhausted he looked.

“The former could be deception, but the latter means I didn’t want to deceive you.”

And the sincerity Blair had added back then was this.

“Even if we’re only a couple in name, I hope we can at least become people who trust each other. Just having someone by your side that you can open your heart to can be a great source of strength.”

That’s what she said. She really did say that. For a moment, it even seemed like he accepted it. Even so, Edmund still looked tired. Blair carefully approached and asked if there was anything she could do for him. She only wanted to comfort him. And what did he say then?

“Something you can do for me. There is one thing.”

What intention did he have when he said that?

“Don’t hold back your voice. I want to hear more.”

Even now, she could vividly recall the sensation of lips and fingers roaming over her sensitive skin. Edmund kept his promise not to take her, but it wouldn’t be wrong to say he did everything else he could. He was relentless, as if determined to draw out a woman’s moans.

Only now did she understand. He had to keep his promise not to mix bodies with Blair, and at the same time, he had to give the witnesses outside the door proof that they had become husband and wife. That was why he needed sound. That shameless, humiliating sound. Ah. It was a means to deceive the witnesses. From the start, what he wanted wasn’t comfort, but cruel proof.

That night didn’t come from his true feelings. It was a performance that cleverly touched Blair’s heart and led her to move first.

Blair bit down on her lower lip and held her breath. Otherwise, it felt like the tears would spill out in an ugly rush.