Deceived 19

Chapter 19

***

Sponsored by LC. Thank you ❤️ (9/10)

***

"Birthdays come around every year, but a son's wedding happens only once in a lifetime!"

“Miss Twyford, would you kindly step this way?”

Isaac cut off the Marquis of Doman’s lengthy speech and beckoned to Blair. Please, anything but that. She cried out silently, but it was useless. Blair finally rose from her seat and approached him.

Isaac held a small velvet box in his hand, and Blair knew exactly what it contained. Positioning her before him, Isaac continued in a manner mirroring his father’s.

"My wedding is approaching. Even if it's merely a formal procedure, it would be a great disservice not to share such a romantic moment with you all."

Blair, overwhelmed by the absurdity of this staged proposal, faltered. Edmund, standing just a few steps away from Isaac, was staring intently at her.

"Now, Miss Twyford."

With a click, the ring box opened and was suddenly held before her eyes. Isaac urged her to extend her hand with a smile, and Blair had no choice but to carefully lift her left hand.

And she watched as the engagement ring she herself had personally selected at the jeweler's was slipped onto her ring finger. She could only watch as that tiny gem inevitably bound her like a shackle. There was no other way.

"It suits you perfectly, as expected."

Isaac chuckled and cast his gaze toward the guests, inviting their applause. Cheers and clapping filled the banquet hall. Blair swallowed dryly, surrounded by the raucous noise.

More than the gazes pouring in from all sides, one particular gaze pierced her deeply. What on earth was Edmund thinking? Did he perhaps find it ridiculous? After all, it was the ring she'd chosen based on his advice.

"I'm afraid I must excuse myself for a moment."

From a distance, Nicoletta pressed her lips against the back of her hand, pushed back her chair, and stood up. She looked decidedly unwell.

"Oh dear. Miss Underhill, are you all right?"

"I'm fine. Leave me alone."

Waving off the concerned lady's offer, Nicoletta hurried away. Meanwhile, exhausted by Isaac's sudden ambush, Blair headed not back to her seat but toward the table laden with refreshments and assorted bottles of liquor. She didn't want to talk to anyone, but since she couldn't escape, she might as well drink alone.

Just as Blair reached the table and was searching for apple cider, a sound came from a few steps away. She turned her gaze and her eyes widened slightly.

Edmund, having slipped away from the noisy crowd, was filling an empty glass with a coffee-colored liquor. Tilting his head back lightly to take a sip, the man looked down at Blair as if it were the most natural thing in the world. His eyes, set against the light of the chandelier, seemed unusually dark.

"Miss Twyford."

"Good evening, Lord Liberte."

"We seem to be meeting quite often lately. Are you enjoying your evening?"

“…No.”

Perhaps not the answer he expected, Edmund maintained his silence, his deep pupils fixed on Blair.

“And how about you, sir?”

“As you can see. I’ve spoken too many insincere words, and now my throat is parched.”

When Edmund gestured toward his glass and spoke thus, Blair finally smiled. It could be called her first genuine smile of the day. The man, a faint curve now on his lips, met her gaze before shifting his eyes to her ring finger. It was the finger Isaac had just slipped the ring onto.

"The lantern release ceremony will take place in the outdoor garden. All guests are kindly requested to gather over here."

The footman of the Marquis of Doman, who had just entered across the hall, made the announcement. Nobles who had been eating and drinking throughout the banquet hall followed the footman with excited expressions. When Blair, standing before the table, didn't budge, Edmund tilted his head.

"Aren't you going to see the lanterns?"

"No. I'm not particularly interested in seeing it."

"I thought you might need a moment to catch your breath."

"Of course I do. It's just..."

A sudden impulse surged at the man's question. Her tongue tingled as if holding a secret she shouldn't speak. A dry swallow escaped her involuntarily. Breaking free from the mechanism trying to control herself, Blair continued.

"I just wanted to go somewhere quiet, where no one would see me."

She pulled up the corners of her mouth as she spoke candidly. Her fingers trembled slightly as she fiddled with her glass, but Blair waited calmly for Edmund’s response. At the same time, she seriously asked herself: What on earth do I want?

Edmund, who had been staring at Blair as if seeing through her clumsily revealed thoughts, soon gave a slight nod.

"It's fortunate I happen to know a suitable place."

He then downed the last of the drink in his glass in one gulp. Setting the empty glass down on the table, he led Blair toward the door leading out of the banquet hall.

"Let's go."

They blended naturally into the murmuring crowd. Amidst people chattering about how beautiful the lanterns would be, Edmund suddenly gripped Blair's wrist firmly, and she turned to follow him.

Leaving the hall, they reached a corridor filled with the sound of crickets chirping. They passed through a hallway where not even an ant could be found and climbed the stairs. Finally, they arrived at a small balcony.

"Somehow, this space feels strangely familiar."

Blair murmured as she stepped onto the balcony, breathing in the cool air. Edmund, who had taken a cigarette from his trouser pocket and was putting one in his mouth, asked a beat later.

"Déjà vu?"

"The first place I met you was on a balcony just like this. Remember? It was a bit bigger than this one, though."

"Guess I can't offer you a cigarette this time either."

Edmund chuckled in agreement, flicking his lighter to ignite the tip of the cigarette. A sudden bright light flared, casting distinct shadows across his face. Blair, her arms resting on the railing, watched the man as he puffed out smoke.

"How did you find such a place at the Duke of Doman’s residence?"

"I spotted it on my way back from the smoking room. It's actually a hobby of mine—finding places where I can pass the time undisturbed, wherever I am."

It was an incredibly tempting hobby. Swallowing the desire to join him in his pastime someday, Blair blinked and asked again.

"Isaac mentioned that Lord Liberte was his classmate at the private school. Are you close?"

"Well..."

Edmund shuffled closer and stood beside Blair. He brought the cigarette held between his long fingers to his lips, drew it in, and exhaled. The hazy vapor spread slowly through the air.

"I wonder how Miss Blair defines 'close relationship'."

"Don't we call it close when we occasionally spend time alone together, and know each other well without needing to say much?"

"Then Lord Doman and I are not particularly close."

"I see."

"Whereas I seem to be quite close to Miss Blair."

Edmund smiled faintly. Blair didn't answer immediately, but looked up at him intently. His delicate lashes stretched long, contrasting with his sharp facial features. His eyes, brimming with moonlight, shimmered bluer than their natural hue. Looking into those eyes, Blair asked.

"Do you think you know me well?"

"Of course, it's too soon to say I know you well enough. I'm simply curious about the face I haven't seen yet."

"The face you haven't seen."

"Isn't everyone different? At a banquet, in front of family, and even when alone, you must be different."

A red ember burned steadily at the tip of his cigarette. Blair consciously watched his Adam's apple rise and fall as he replied.

"Which face of mine would you like to see?"

"The face even you don't know."

The low voice settled in her ear.

“I’m curious about the face that only others can draw out.”

Edmund used ambiguous phrasing, leaving room for imagination. Though curious about the meaning behind his words, she didn't ask. She didn't want to peel away the carefully crafted shell presented by the man wearing the mask of a perfect gentleman.

From the garden below, lanterns filled with light began to float upward. One by one, they flew past the railing where the two stood, filling the deep blue night sky like stars.

Standing side by side with Edmund, watching this fluttering spectacle, Blair felt the rhythm of his heartbeat quicken and surge within his chest once more. The presence of the man standing quietly beside her seemed to double in intensity. An instinctive wariness made Blair's lips move.

"I should be going now. I've been gone too long."

"I agree."

Edmund, who had just finished his cigarette, nodded and flicked the butt into the ashtray. His demeanor was as crisp and composed as ever. He then personally swung open the balcony door, creating space for Blair to exit.

The path back to the ballroom remained quiet. Descending the stairs alone with Edmund, Blair was relieved no one else was around and was about to turn into the hallway.

Just then, a strange wailing sound nearby seized her attention.

Blair frowned, her delicate brows knitting together, and turned to look behind her. Edmund also stopped, but he only watched her silently.

'I've heard that sound somewhere before.'

A woman's shrill voice. Not a cry, but a moan—that hideous sound. The same one that had come from the drawing room connected to that balcony... And what had she witnessed? Blair still didn't know their identities.

"Miss Twyford."

Blair moved, drawn by the sound. Edmund called her name softly from behind, but she hurried on as if spellbound.

Soon, she stopped before a wooden door. Even the crack in the door, split like a hairline, was the same as before. It felt unreal, like reliving a dream she had once had in reality.

"Ahh! Ahh! Huh!"

"Oh, I love you, Nicole... You know? You're the only one for me..."

Blair held her breath without realizing it. Unable to believe it, she cautiously reached out. The door creaked open silently.

Through the opening, she saw them moving relentlessly. Nicoletta, sitting on the console table with her legs spread wide like a frog, her bright red skirt fluttering, Isaac's lower body exposed with his pants down to his knees, and that disgusting rear view thrusting like a dog—everything came into view without exception.