Chapter 14
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Blair couldn't hide her bewilderment at the direct question. Unlike when he'd previously advised her to run away with her lover, this time there wasn't a trace of playfulness.
"Well... that's not something I can decide on my own."
"That sounds like you're saying you are willing."
"It's complicated... family circumstances are involved... I'm sorry. It's difficult for me to explain."
"I see. I understand. I've never been free from the shackles of my own family either."
Edmund responded lightly and didn't press further. The conversation ended there, and the atmosphere surrounding them grew awkward once more. The flickering light from the nearly melted candle trembled precariously.
Blair floundered alone in the uncomfortable silence. In stark contrast, Edmund appeared serene. His consistently composed demeanor and utterly unruffled posture revealed the steadfastness only a thoroughly disciplined person possessed. Had this man ever been overwhelmed by embarrassment even once in his entire life?
"Lord Liberte."
Blair cautiously broke the silence and met Edmund's gaze.
"Did the gift arrive safely that day?"
Blair hesitated even before voicing the question. But suddenly, she was curious. She couldn't bear not to ask.
What lay beneath that impenetrable facade? What was the man's true, human face? She wanted to know if the crack she'd seen in his eyes while looking at the gift box had truly been an illusion.
"I wonder if the lady liked the gift." (The gift for Edmund’s stepmother)
As she asked repeatedly, Blair licked her dry lower lip. She could almost hear the vigorous beating of her own heart.
Was it too personal a question? Or was it perfectly reasonable, yet she was overthinking it? Either way, the damage was done, so Blair decided to wait for his answer.
After staring at her for a moment, blinking, Edmund denied it in a calm voice.
"No."
"...Huh?"
"She didn't like it at all."
"I see. That... is truly disappointing."
Blair, stiff as a board, offered a suitable reply.
“As a woman myself, I might be able to help…”
“It’s not a matter of taste. No matter what I give her, she never accepts it graciously.”
“……”
"It's a shame I can't accept your help, Young Lady."
Edmund finished with a hint of jest and gave a slight smile. Blair smiled back, but couldn't help the fluttering in the corner of her heart.
As the air grew heavy, he stared intently at Blair across the flickering candlelight. The gaze, as if probing her innermost thoughts, made her catch her breath momentarily.
"We'd better pretend to look for the key now."
He looked away and gestured with his chin toward the tightly closed study door. It was a timely suggestion, and Blair nodded. They rose from their seats.
Edmund led the way, his footsteps echoing on the creaking wooden floor. Just five paces from the door, past the large bookcases, laughter drifted from beyond it.
Blair stopped dead in her tracks. The sound of several men and women chatting and giggling followed. Her heart pounded, though she hadn't done anything wrong. She didn't want to be caught coming out of the dark, secluded room alone with Edmund. Was it just an instinct not to become the subject of gossip? But they were all mingling together just fine.
Hesitating, Blair turned back and whispered to Edmund.
"It'd be better to leave once things quiet down."
"As you wish."
"There are people outside. I just don't think we should be seen together right now."
"It doesn't matter to me, so you don't need to make excuses."
His blunt tone made her feel slightly embarrassed. Blair leaned silently against the bookshelf, staring down at the tips of her shoes. Somewhere outside the door, the sound of cheerful chatter drifted faintly in.
Blair tried to listen intently while lost in thought. She remembered Edmund’s hearing wasn’t particularly good. When had it been? On that balcony overlooking the city as the sun set. He hadn’t heard that utterly embarrassing sound at all, yet he’d asked her to step aside…
Suddenly aware of a piercing gaze, Blair lifted her head. Edmund stood at a measured distance, utterly still, his eyes fixed on her. A gaze that seemed to observe something. Before she could look closely, Edmund stepped toward her. Startled, Blair pressed her back against the bookshelf.
With long strides, he quickly closed the distance and stood facing her. Then, casting a large shadow, he slowly raised his hand toward Blair's right cheek. Blair swallowed hard, utterly flustered.
She sensed it through her keenly heightened senses. The heavy scent mingled with body heat, the rise and fall of his chest with each breath, and the imposing presence of his sturdy build, felt even in the smallest movement.
What should she do? What was he trying to do? Surely he wasn’t going to kiss her... Then how should she react…
"Found it. The key."
His calm voice broke the suffocating silence, falling over her forehead. Blair blinked her wide-open eyes. Her heart was pounding so fast she couldn't even grasp what was happening.
"They hid it well in a place like this."
The key glinted momentarily in the flickering candlelight. Ah. It was the key. Isaac’s tedious treasure hunt game suddenly came back to her. Edmund had simply picked up the key from the bookshelf behind her.
Even after realizing this, she couldn't calm her racing heart. Her cheeks burned fiercely. What on earth was she thinking?
The man still didn't close the distance. He stood at a space close enough for their breaths to mingle, simply looking down at Blair, flushed with embarrassment, with quiet eyes.
"Why did you act as if we'd never met?"
“…Huh?”
"Earlier in the lounge, you treated me like we'd never met before. I'm asking why."
Blair, who had lowered her head in embarrassment, lifted her chin. A faint defiance rose within her. It felt like someone had opened her diary without permission. Now, a different kind of heat surged through her chest.
"I didn't know I was supposed to act happy to see you."
"No, Miss Twyford."
The man’s face, bathed in the deep crimson glow of the candles, tilted slightly.
"I was merely curious what you wished to conceal so fervently."
"What good would it have done to reveal I knew a friend of my fiancé?"
His gaze pierced through her, as if he’d seen everything. The thoughts she’d had about him, the fluttering she’d felt even before knowing his name, the sketches she’d hidden deep within her bedroom bookshelf so no one would see—all of it.
"You said it too, didn't you? That it felt awkward to spend time with another man while preparing for marriage."
It was disastrous. As he said, excuses to hide her impure thoughts followed.
"Yes. So revealing to my fiancé that I knew you would be like digging my own grave."
“That’s strange. We’ve only met twice.”
Edmund muttered softly, twisting his lips.
"You speak as if we've already been intimate."
His words crossed the line in an instant. Startled, Blair forgot whatever retort she’d been about to make. She couldn’t believe such words had come from the mouth of a man with such impeccably proper features.
...No, it would be a lie to say she hadn't imagined it. Blair could surprisingly easily picture the savage side lurking beneath that handsome mask.
"Miss Twyford. You should choose where you fall."
"......"
"Before someone pushes you."
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