Deceived 9

Chapter 9

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“It is an honor to see you again. I will show you to your private room.”

“No need. I’ll be leaving shortly.”

The man strode inside, lightly raising his hand to decline the attentive service. He walked straight toward Blair, who stood before the glass display case. Now barely a step away from the man, Blair placed a hand over her pounding heart. What should I do? Why am I shaking like this?

"I'll bring your reserved items. Please wait just a moment."

The manager attending to the man bowed respectfully and disappeared behind the display case. Conscious of him standing so close, Blair was suddenly struck by a strange question.

This was a jewelry store selling ladies' accessories. Just whose gift was he here to buy?

"How about the Fair Cut, Miss? Its design makes fingers look slender, so it's very popular with young ladies."

"......"

"It's lovely worn alone, but when you wrap the band with several colored gemstones like this, it becomes even more dazzling... Don't you like this one either?"

The salesperson, who had been showing various gems until then, glanced at Blair. Blair, who had been pointlessly pricking up her ears toward the man, snapped back to her senses as if waking from a dream.

"No, it's just..."

The moment she spoke, the man, who had been staring down with an indifferent expression, glanced up. Their eyes met instantly in midair. Blair stared up at him silently, her mouth closed.

Imagination was a terrifying thing. Since their first meeting, Blair had inflated what she called curiosity to frightening proportions, even drawing the nameless man on blank paper. Now, standing before him, she found herself experiencing an oddly pounding heart.

"The lady is having trouble choosing a ring."

The clerk, who had caught sight of Blair and the man standing side by side, chuckled. The man's long, narrow eyes held a faint smile.

"A ring? Surely not an engagement ring?"

Her ears flushed slightly at the blunt question. His gaze was fixed squarely on Blair, making it obvious who he was addressing. He didn't seem to be hinting at that night or trying to be overly familiar with her, so Blair replied quietly.

"Yes."

"How amusing. To see a lady come alone to pick out a ring."

"Exactly. It would have been less troublesome if someone had chosen it for me."

"That must be a heavy burden. Your fiancé seems to trust your tastes completely."

The remark pointing out Isaac Doman’s absence was clearly sarcastic. A perfectly polite smile played on the man's slightly tilted face; had one not heard his earlier words, he would have seemed nothing but a courteous gentleman.

Blair blinked, looking up at that perfect face.

"Wouldn't the burden be greater for you than for me?"

"What do you mean?"

"I can choose the ring I'll wear based on my own taste, but Your Grace must select a gift that perfectly suits your wife's taste."

After a brief pause, the man looked into her eyes one by one, then quietly lifted the corners of his mouth. Blair, whose curiosity about his marital status had been laid bare, barely met his piercing gaze.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm unmarried."

"......"

"And choosing a gift wouldn't have been a burden for me."

"I didn't realize you had such discerning taste."

"More than that, I would have quickly grasped the tastes of the woman I was marrying."

"Ah. You are a very confident person."

“Don’t you think that confidence might have been based on experience?”

Blair finally fell silent. It was surprising that a man who was clearly of noble birth was unmarried, but she didn't know how to respond to a question that seemed to imply extensive experience with women. Perhaps it was a joke.

"You've been waiting a long time, young master."

The manager, who had been hidden inside, appeared then. He carried a neatly wrapped accessory box.

"This is the item you ordered in advance. We've wrapped it as a gift, just as you requested."

"Thank you."

Unable to suppress her curiosity, Blair glanced at him. Judging by the size of the box the man received, it was more likely a necklace than a ring. Or perhaps a tiara.

But hadn't he said he was unmarried? So then, was he buying a gift for a lover, not a fiancée or wife?

"Would you like a card included this time as well?"

"No, the wrapping is sufficient."

“Jewelry truly is the most eloquent language. Since you’ve prepared the most beautiful gift again this year, your feelings will surely be conveyed.”

Blair, who had been focusing all her attention on the man, heard the added information that he had been giving jewelry to a woman every year and glanced up at him surreptitiously.

Instead of responding to the manager's fuss, the man lowered his eyes and smiled quietly. The impression that his gaze toward the gift box seemed slightly stiff might be because his eyes were somewhat sharply drawn.

Then, realizing she was paying too much attention to his private life, Blair looked away. How rude of her. She couldn't understand why she was acting so unlike herself.

"If I may offer some unsolicited advice to ease the young lady’s burden."

That was when a voice came from beside her. She looked up to find him still standing there, looking down at her.

"A classic round cut diamond would be fine."

“…Do you think so?”

"Yes. A design with side stones set into a platinum band would be nice to avoid monotony."

He gestured toward the display case with his chin.

"If you absolutely must choose from among those, that is."

Blair's gaze shifted to the jewels lined up on the navy velvet. Only then did they catch her eye, despite her previous disinterest. The selection presented by the salesperson wasn't extensive due to the limited budget, but the ring the man mentioned was undeniably the most beautiful.

"Your fingers are slender, so anything would suit you well, I imagine."

Their gazes met again in midair. The man's ash-gray eyes held a faint smile. What did that smile mean this time? Before she could grasp it, the gaze that had lingered briefly on her slipped away.

"I hope this was of some help."

“…Ah.”

Before she could respond, he turned without hesitation and walked toward the exit. It was just like before. That attitude of offering a troublesome favor to a complete stranger and leaving without a single trace of lingering regret.

"Would you like to try it on?"

The clerk across from her asked kindly. A beat late, she nodded. The clerk, who had retrieved the jewel, carefully slipped the ring onto Blair's ring finger. As the cold metal wrapped around her finger, her fingertips trembled slightly. Blair looked down briefly at the ring, boasting a dazzling brilliance under the lights.

A jewel symbolizing a once-in-a-lifetime moment for a woman. There was no flutter of excitement. Then where did this pounding in her chest come from?

"Will you take this ring?"

"Yes, I will."

"An excellent choice, Miss. We'll contact you once it's finished, made to the measurements taken today."

"Yes. Thank you."

Blair retrieved the lace parasol she had left behind and stepped out of the jeweler's. But she couldn't take more than a few steps before she had to stop abruptly.

Amidst the colorful crowd bustling through Fitzrovia, there he was. Dressed in a monochrome suit that mirrored the overcast sky, his sheer height made him stand out. 

Standing near a car by the sidewalk, the man was smoking. He drew a slow drag, exhaled, and brought the cigarette back to his lips at a deliberate pace, giving the impression he was deep in thought.

He wasn't a heavy smoker, but he did reach for one when the urge struck. What had made him think of a cigarette now?

Unless you're a smoker yourself, you can't know. Blair, who had been standing there watching the man as if stealing glances, suddenly realized she hadn't even exchanged names with him.