Chapter 107
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“What’s going on?”
“I think you should come out for a moment.”
The voice belonged to Albert, the butler. Unlike usual, his tone and manner deviated slightly from his customary politeness, which was uncharacteristic of a butler of his stature. Blair felt a chill run down her spine.
She had been half-mounted on top of Edmund and quickly pulled away. Edmund got out of bed, slipped on the robe lying on a chair, and headed for the door.
As soon as the bedroom door opened, Albert whispered something rapidly. As the message continued, a deep furrow formed between Edmund’s brows. From the icy look on his face, she could tell that something serious had happened.
“…Rufus?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll go down now.”
Edmund replied curtly, closed the door, and returned. He walked straight into the dressing room and changed his clothes. Blair followed suit, pushing aside the covers and getting up to hurriedly put on her dress.
“Ed, has something happened?”
“It’s nothing for you to worry about.”
Even as he hurried away, Edmund approached her and kissed her on the forehead.
“Stay here. I’ll be back soon.”
“Is it dangerous?”
“No. Just a commotion that needs to be checked out.”
“If it’s a commotion inside the house, shouldn’t I know about it too?”
Just as he was about to turn away, he paused and looked back at Blair.
“You said it wasn’t dangerous.”
“…….”
“…I want to come with you.”
As she finished her sentence hesitantly, a long silence followed. It was only belatedly that Blair realized the weight of her words. It meant she was stepping into the affairs of the Liberte family—affairs from which she had been excluded, whether by choice or by force. It was also a confession that, as his wife, she would stand by Edmund’s side in that very role she had always desired yet hesitated to claim.
Edmund, who had been watching Blair without immediately responding, quietly reached out his hand. She did not hesitate, clasping his hand firmly.
***
It was the hour when the blue twilight of dawn was fading and the first light of day was slowly breaking. At a time when the mansion would normally be quiet, the sound of footsteps echoing through the hall was nothing short of chaotic.
“What time was Rufus’s absence confirmed?”
“It was less than an hour ago, so around 5:00 a.m. We received a report that one of the guards was acting suspiciously, so we went to check, but by then he had already left the mansion.”
“And neither Mother nor Rufus were to be found?”
“…Yes, all the bedrooms were empty. None of the staff saw the two of them leave. It seems they slipped out of the mansion late at night in disguise.”
It wasn’t hard to figure out what had happened from the conversation between the butler and Edmund, who was following at a distance. Blair glanced up at Edmund, who was walking shoulder-to-shoulder with the old man, and swallowed hard.
‘The lady has taken master Rufus away.’
Wasn’t the marriage to Rorschach a matter of great importance involving the royal family? If they broke it off and fled, it wouldn’t be a simple elopement but could escalate into a diplomatic issue, and the repercussions would fall squarely on Edmund.
This was both Isabelle’s desperate attempt to protect her son and a direct blow aimed at Edmund.
In truth, it wasn’t entirely hard to understand why Rufus had run away from an unwanted marriage. With nothing to his name but a pretty face, anyone would have done the same if told to sell that very asset to prove his worth in the marriage. Though those were words Edmund had spoken to Rufus, didn’t Blair’s own heart ache a little at the thought?
Of course, she knew Edmund would never speak to her that way. After all, her situation was entirely different from Rufus’s. Rufus was an incompetent man who had lived his life shirking responsibility, while she was a woman caught up in her father’s greed for personal gain.
Therefore, the right course of action was to turn a blind eye to the lingering pain in her heart and follow Edmund’s decision by standing by his side. Above all, she didn’t want to be separated from the man who had to stand alone at the center of this turmoil. That was Blair’s true, unambiguous feeling.
“…Your Grace! Your Grace!”
Just then, hurried footsteps echoed from the end of the hallway, and a servant came running, gasping for breath.
“The Lady of the House returned to the mansion a short while ago.”
“Was she accompanied?”
“No. She went into the drawing room…”
Before the servant could finish his sentence, Edmund turned on his heel. Blair caught her breath and hurried after him.
When they reached the drawing room where Isabelle was staying, the elderly butler stopped in his tracks, and Edmund pushed open the door without even knocking.
“Where is Rufus?”
His voice was icy as he asked the moment he stepped inside. Isabelle, who had been brewing tea herself, glanced back at Edmund. She appeared so composed that she didn’t look like someone who had just returned to the mansion after secretly sending her son away. Blair, who had cautiously stepped inside, held her breath as she watched the unfolding situation over Edmund’s shoulder.
“Well, I have no idea.”
Isabelle replied nonchalantly and sat down at the tea table. Even the way she leisurely sipped the steaming black tea suggested the composure of someone who had anticipated this standoff.
“Do you even realize what you’ve just done?”
“I told you, I know nothing.”
“The marriage to Rorschach was personally approved by the royal family. If you violate this, it won’t end as a mere messy family affair.”
“Then why did you let things escalate to this point? If you’d treated us a little more like human beings, wouldn’t this whole commotion have been avoided?”
Edmund couldn’t suppress the sneer rising in his throat. That ridiculous nickname for Rufus, and the phrase “decent treatment”—it was not something a woman who had treated Edmund like a worm his entire life should be saying.
“I am aware that you bribed a guard under your patronage to smuggle Rufus out in the middle of the night. Reveal his whereabouts before this escalates further.”
“Well, well. It seems he has indeed made a midnight escape, as you say. I know nothing of it.”
“What kind of coward without a shred of dignity is that? Even a passing dog would laugh.”
Isabelle, who was about to take another sip of tea, paused and looked up at Edmund. As deep loathing flickered in her blue eyes, Blair cautiously placed a hand on Edmund’s back.
“There’s no way Rufus would have left the mansion on his own. To overturn an international marriage like this would be to destroy the family’s honor and authority with your own hands.”
“I’m surprised you think of our family that way. But Rufus is the very essence of Liberte.”
Isabelle glared at Edmund with blazing eyes.
“The thought of that precious child being dragged off to some vulgar place where he couldn’t even leave a name behind—I simply couldn’t stand by and watch.”
“Where is he?”
“……”
“Answer me.”
“You wretched creature, do you want to torment me and Rufus that much? Are you saying you want to sully this family that badly?”
“I simply wish to bring this to an end in the manner I have chosen.”
Edmund twisted his lips.
“By cutting out every rotten part.”
That single sentence seemed to tear at something deep within Isabelle. For her, who cherished Rufus not merely as a son but as her last shred of dignity and the sole proof of her standing within this family, it was the ultimate insult.
“You son of a vile whore!”
Isabelle leapt to her feet, kicking her chair aside. The face of a woman who had once been so elegant flushed crimson.
“Just as I expected from the son of the woman who ruined our family! He’s sneaked in like a thief, trying to devour everything!”
“Madam…!”
The moment those words crossed the line and flew toward Edmund, Blair could no longer remain silent. She raised one arm and gently pushed the man who was blocking her. As if she intended to take the brunt of the fiercely flying arrows herself.
“Please calm down… This won’t solve anything; it will only damage your reputation.”
At those words, Isabelle’s head turned slowly, her neck creaking. Her blue eyes glinted with madness.
“Now you’re going to lecture me on my reputation? Who on earth do you think you are?”
“I, I…”
“I didn’t give you permission to speak. Shut your mouth and step back.”
A very brief silence fell. Blair took a slow, deep breath before speaking.
“It doesn’t matter how you view me, my lady.”
Her voice trembled slightly, but it was firm with resolve.
“However, I have no reason to step back. I have become the Duke’s wife, and I have decided to stand my ground here alongside my husband.”
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