Deceived 20

Chapter 20

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“Did I want to get engaged? Father insisted I meet her just once. What could I do? You know I only have eyes for you, my Nicole…”

These were the very couple who had secretly met at the first banquet Isaac had showed up for.

"You said I was the only one for you, ugh, how could you do something like that? How could you put a ring on that woman's finger right in front of me?"

"I'm sorry. I had no choice because of my father... Haa... But I did let her pick the ring herself like you said, and you and I have been traveling together all this time. Cheer up. I'll be busier after I get married than I am now..."

"Marriage, marriage... I hate hearing it... That boring woman... She's probably boring in bed too."

"I agree, Nicole. Unless it's a matter of duty, I'll never go near that girl. For me, it's always been you, Nicoletta..."

"Liar, get lost…. I heard you had dinner with that opera singer recently, huh! Aha!"

With that vulgar exchange ending, a sound collided violently—something Blair didn’t even want to know about. Mixed with moans, it was a repulsive sound that made her feel like she might vomit at any moment.

The blood in her entire body froze cold. Shocked, Blair slowly backed away. Then she stumbled and buried herself against Edmund's chest, which had been standing behind her all along. He enclosed her in his solid warmth and looked down at her with calm eyes.

...Yes. She wasn't alone now. Realizing this a beat too late, shame made her legs tremble thinly beneath her dress. Blair let out a hollow sigh. Had Edmund not caught her arm, she might have fallen comically, revealing her presence to her fiancé and his mistress beyond the door.

‘They’re the ones committing the wrongdoing, so why must I hold my breath, afraid of being caught?’

But Blair didn't have the nerve to burst through the door and reveal herself to her fiancé, who was engaged in such a scandalous affair. Swallowing hard, she pulled away from Edmund's embrace. She merely turned, her face pale, her steps unsteady. She felt utterly wretched, as if covered in filth.

"Miss Twyford, wait a moment."

She had never loved a man like Isaac Doman, so she felt no sorrow at being betrayed. The engagement itself had been unwanted. She had endured it solely out of a sense of duty. But if even that duty was now stained with betrayal, what was she to do?

"Blair!"

Blair, who had been walking like a ghost, felt both shoulders seized by a strong grip. She gasped for breath, looking up at Edmund. Slowly closing and reopening her eyes, her blurred vision gradually came into focus.

Edmund stared blankly at Blair for a moment before sighing. Then, in a lowered voice, he continued.

"I understand you're shocked, but it would be best to regain your composure before returning to the ballroom."

"...I don't want to go back."

"Then are you just going to keep wandering the hallway? Come here. I'll get you some water, so just sit here for a moment."

"I don't want to."

Finding her repeated refusals odd, Edmund paused as he started to walk away, narrowing his eyes as he looked at her. Blair's lips, frozen stiff like ice, began to tremble. The feelings she'd locked away tightly burst out like a broken dam in an instant.

"I don't want to get married. I don't know what to do now... I hate it. I really hate it..."

Blair gasped for air like someone pulled from deep water. The breath rising to her throat made her breathing labored. Yet once her true feelings burst forth, they poured unstoppably from between her lips.

To avoid disappointing her father, to protect and bring honor to her family, and above all, to prove to herself that she was a good woman, she had always pretended to be fine, to be capable.

But it was all a false mask. Because from the start, no one had ever cared about her true feelings.

"Truthfully, I never wanted to marry a man like that from the start. If possible, I would have done anything to avoid it."

"......"

"...I want to break off the engagement."

The moment Blair finished speaking in a trembling voice, silence fell. The night beyond the window, shrouded in pitch-black darkness, was unusually still, making the silence between them feel even more thick and heavy.

Thoughts gained strength the more they were voiced. Only after finally spilling her true feelings did Blair realize she had crossed an irreversible river. Biting her lip, she couldn't continue speaking and quietly bowed her head.

Keeping her gaze lowered, she stared blankly at the engagement ring wrapped tightly around her left finger. Not only had she harbored a heart completely at odds with her father's will, which was like the heavens themselves, but she had also laid bare every single grain of that heart to a man who, until recently, had been a complete stranger. It was something the old her would never have dreamed of doing.

"Blair."

Blair, who had been fidgeting with the cumbersome ring, lifted her head. Edmund was standing so close now that he could almost touch her breath. His ash-gray eyes, bathed in moonlight, seemed to hold a strange gleam. With that peculiar look, Edmund asked her.

"What you just said... were you serious?"

“…How could it not be sincere…?”

"Wasn't that just a momentary reaction to witnessing your fiancé's betrayal?"

"Absolutely not."

What she had witnessed moments ago was perhaps merely the fuse. In truth, it was the voice of her will, long suppressed, finally speaking. Everyone who had urged her to form a bond with Isaac Doman seemed ridiculous. Isaac Doman, who had hidden a mistress and sought to marry her, was downright repulsive. Her father, who had prattled on about her need for a proper housewife, was equally detestable.

As these thoughts reached that point, Blair suddenly let out a self-mocking laugh.

"...But what can I do now? There's nothing I can do."

The familiar numbness settled over her like a dark shadow. This frustration, too, was surely the result of being imprisoned too long in the name of obedience.

Not only could she not dare defy her father's command, but her marriage was entangled in complex interests between families. Without even economic power, she couldn't arbitrarily break it off or refuse it. Even if she were to inform her father or the Doman family of Isaac's immoral behavior.

"...I'm sorry. I keep causing you trouble."

Blair muttered hollowly, pressing her forehead. Deep fatigue and a headache washed over her, but as Edmund had said, she needed to regain her composure and slowly make her way back to the banquet hall.

"If there were a way, what would you do?"

Blair’s wrist was suddenly seized as she struggled to compose herself. She looked up at Edmund with slightly startled eyes. She couldn’t tell if it was because of his unexpected words or the strength of his grip.

"A way? What do you mean?"

"I believe Miss Twyford’s will is paramount above all else. That's why I ask. If there were a way to break off the engagement with Isaac, would you have the will to push for it?"

Her heart pounded. Staring into the eyes of this man whose intentions were so difficult to read, Blair was consumed by doubt.

What on earth was this man thinking?

"If I had that will?"

"I have a proposal to make. Now isn't the right time or place, so it would be better to arrange a proper meeting."

Blair, who had been fidgeting with her frozen fingers, lowered her gaze for a moment. Then, meeting his eyes again, she asked back in a trembling voice.

"Can we discuss that topic?"

"Of course."

Edmund nodded, softening his voice. His strangely calm demeanor stood in stark contrast to Blair’s pale, drained complexion.

"Come to the Regent Central Bank tomorrow at 5 PM. Even after business hours, a separate space for distinguished guests remains open. Let's talk properly in a quiet place."