Chapter 92

A suffocating silence settled over the table. Edmund lowered his gaze and turned her words over in his mind without saying anything.

That no love flowed in Libert blood. Perhaps that was true. It was almost laughable that he found himself agreeing with Isabelle, who for once spoke nothing but truths.

When Blair confessed her love in Chails, he gave her nothing in return. It felt as though everything he’d built up over a lifetime would collapse if he did. An emotion he could neither control nor calculate must not be allowed to undo him. So all he could do was stay silent and answer by holding the woman instead.

Did he truly have no regrets about that choice?

‘…Well.’

A hollow laugh escaped him. When he recalled Blair turning away from him in deep disappointment, it was clear enough who had betrayed whose trust.

At one point, Edmund resented his half-bloodline. Because he belonged to neither side, he always had to prove his worth, yet no effort ever earned him recognition. Never belonging anywhere, he couldn’t even be called a ‘true Libert’ in the end.

And only after ascending to the ducal seat did he fully realize it. That name he’d thrashed about for in childhood was merely another form of a curse, and that the truly vile source was Libert blood itself.

If he shattered everything and burned it all away, would the disgusting remnants lodged inside his body disappear as well?

In the end, only one path remained.

“I will prove it to you.”

He would prove it through destruction. He wanted to tear it all down anyway. That was why he seized the ducal seat in the first place.

Isabelle, her face twisted, stared down at Edmund for a brief moment before turning away. As if belatedly gathering up her shattered dignity, she left the reception room with elegant steps, without looking back.

A deep chill lingered in the reception room she left behind. Edmund remained seated for some time, unmoving, without lifting his lowered gaze.

Black tea spilled from the shattered teacup spread across the wooden floor. He watched the dark red liquid seep between the boards and dry into stains, then rose from his seat without a trace of emotion.

It was time to return to his place.

***

The sound of footsteps echoed at a steady rhythm down the long corridor. Neat and straight, those steps headed toward the Duke of Libert’s study without a moment of hesitation after leaving the bedroom.

The entire way there, Blair was taut with tension. It had already been a week since the will was read and Edmund became acting duke, yet from that day until now, the two of them hadn’t shared a proper conversation.

On the night they ran into each other in the rear garden, Blair worried about how she should face him, given that they shared the same bedroom. Unexpectedly, Edmund did not return to the bedroom at all. She thought he was keeping his distance to regain his composure.

The problem came the following night. Late at night, the bedroom door opened and he stepped inside. Blair, already lying in bed, held her breath as the man’s shadow slid long across the floor in the moonlight. Edmund approached the bedside and quietly lifted the covers. After lying down beside Blair, following a brief silence, he reached out without a word.

In that instant, Blair felt as though her breath stopped. The warmth of the man she’d yearned for felt strangely unfamiliar and frightening.

Why? Perhaps because she couldn’t read him at all. Was it comfort, desire, or a dutiful attempt to produce an heir in accordance with the will? How could she possibly know?

One thing was certain. If she accepted their relationship again this time, she would be the only one to break.

So she reflexively pushed away the hand reaching toward her.

Edmund withdrew without saying a word, and after that, he didn’t come to the bedroom again. She couldn’t tell whether it was consideration for her discomfort, or resignation.

Now, every time Blair faced him, it felt like walking on a tightrope. But today, even if she had to steady her precarious heart, she needed to confront him.

When Blair finally reached the duke’s study, she took a breath. It was a heavily guarded place, with two guards standing watch before the door. She quietly spoke in front of them.

“I wish to see Edmund… my husband.”

“Please wait a moment.”

The guard nodded, turned around, and without opening the door, delivered the message inside in a solemn voice.

“Your Grace, the duchess has come to see you.”

An answer did not come right away. Blair waited for a response, steadying her breath. What came next was not a low voice.

Creak. As the massive door opened, Edmund himself unexpectedly appeared. Unlike Blair, who flinched, he showed no sign of surprise.

“Let’s move elsewhere.”

With that brief remark, he started walking ahead. Following him without thinking, Blair quietly responded.

“You must be busy. We could talk in the study if that’s easier.”

“It’s because of the rules. Only the head of the house may enter the study.”

“But doesn’t the butler go in?”

“He’s considered an exception.”

With nothing more to say, Blair moved along in silence. The place Edmund headed for was the tea room at the end of the corridor. Unlike the bright tea room on the first floor that Blair often used, this one had clearly not been used for a long time.

Someone must have come in regularly to clean it, but the air was very cold, and the poor lighting let an old chill seep into every corner. Overall, it was a gloomy space.

Blair stiffened her shoulders as she breathed in the damp air. From the start, it felt like she was being pushed back by him. She hadn’t come to clash with him, so what was she supposed to do?

“Sit down.”

Edmund said indifferently, gesturing toward the tea table with his chin. Blair went over and sat down without a word. The man who took the seat across from her leaned back against the chair and met her gaze. His eyes held a faint sneer.

“How touching. To think you’d come looking for me first.”

“….”

“What is it?”

“I want to go to the capital to see Josephine.”

“Josephine?”

“Countess Gillingham.”

Edmund slowly blinked as he looked at Blair. Instead of answering, he rolled his tongue inside his mouth and deliberately paused. It was clear his mood had soured.

“To my knowledge, I haven’t received any telegram from her.”

“She didn’t request it. I’m the one who wants to see her.”

One corner of Edmund’s mouth twisted. “Is there a special reason?”

“Do you really need a reason to see a friend?”

“I hear the countess’s younger brother, that Brücken man, still hasn’t returned to his country. I wonder if you knew that.”

“…Marcel?”

Caught off guard by the news, Blair’s eyes widened. She had no idea. But the man in front of her smiled coldly, as if something deeply irritated him.

“It took you long enough to say my name, yet you so affectionately call a foreigner you’ve met only once.”

“…Anyway, I want to go to Borsa and talk to Josephine. We didn’t even get to properly greet each other at the funeral….”

“And if I don’t allow it?”

For a moment, Blair doubted her ears.

“You won’t allow it?”

“I can’t allow my wife to meet a Brücken man whose chastity is questionable.”

“What are you even….”

Blair clenched her fist, bristling. She did not even know where to begin pointing out what was wrong.

“Who I meet has nothing to do with you, does it?”

“Fulfill your duties as a wife, Blair. That’s the first clause of the contract we signed.”

“We’re not a real married couple. According to the contract, I only have to fulfill ‘superficial’ duties.”

“Isn’t following your husband’s wishes also a wife’s superficial duty?”

Edmund tilted his chin slightly and added offhandedly, “So carry out your duty.”

“I won’t. I’m going to see Josephine.”

Blair stubbornly met his gaze and bit her lip.

“You were right. After living in Eldenvale, I get it now. Even in a place this vast, it feels like invisible hands are choking me. I want to get away from here, even if it’s just for a little while.”

“Then that would be a breach of contract.”

“…What did you say?”

“May I take that to mean you want to be filthy entangled with me?”