Chapter 111
***
Isabelle’s dry, chapped lips trembled slightly.
In this large hospital equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and staffed by the finest specialists of the era, his wife had seen a female doctor. It took her quite some time to come to terms with that simple fact.
It was simply too hard to believe.
"...Why?"
Edmund said nothing. His expression was indifferent, as if to say there was no need for an explanation. That silence cut through her heart all the more cruelly.
The doctor, clueless as to what was going on, cautiously glanced at Isabelle before leaning toward Edmund. Then she whispered softly.
“Congratulations, Your Excellency. Joyful news has come to the Duke’s residence.”
The voice carried clearly enough for Isabelle, standing a few paces away, to hear. Isabelle glared at the doctor as she turned away, then raised her gaze sharply to look up at Edmund. The breath rising to her throat reeked of blood.
Congratulations.
Congratulations.
Congratulations.
How dare you? Rufus is dying over there. And you’re going to accept congratulations and embrace a new beginning?
It was at that very moment that the operating room door swung open.
A doctor, his white coat drenched in blood, walked out slowly. When he removed his mask, an extremely somber expression was revealed. There was absolutely nothing in that face that could be called hope. Isabelle’s heart pounded as if struck by lightning.
The doctor walked past the Duke’s men waiting in the hallway and approached Edmund. Before he could speak, Isabelle grabbed the front of his bloodstained coat.
“Rufus. What happened to my son?”
“….”
The doctor closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them and took a deep breath. His face clearly showed his hesitation over how to deliver the news.
“The medical team did everything they could.”
His voice was incredibly heavy as he spoke.
“He had already lost a significant amount of blood by the time he arrived. The injury to the back of his head was also fatal. We did everything we possibly could, but...”
The doctor couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence and fell silent. Isabelle’s hand, clutching his surgical gown, trembled violently.
“Tell me. Is my son alive?”
The surgeon’s eyes wavered slightly. That alone made the answer clear.
“…I’m sorry, ma’am.”
Isabelle’s vision went completely white. It felt as though a sharp ringing was echoing in her ears.
"...No, no... It can’t be... My child... Rufus...”
Isabelle, babbling in a daze, collapsed lifelessly. A hoarse, broken voice escaped her lips. The old Duchess, who had once shone brighter than anyone else, was now nothing more than a mother who had just lost her child.
Sitting on the floor, she suddenly sprang to her feet and staggered toward the operating room. Her speed was unbelievable.
“Wait...! Madam, you mustn’t go in...!”
“Leave her alone.”
As the doctor reached out, Edmund quietly stopped him.
“It won’t change anything if she sees the body.”
Edmund, who had been brushing his hair back with a somber expression, gave a slight nod to the captain of the guard. The man quickly approached.
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
“Send an urgent message to the Duke’s residence. We must immediately convey the news of Rufus’s death.”
“Understood.”
“And see to it that Mother is taken to the family-owned hotel so she can find some peace. It won’t do her any good to stay at the hospital for long.”
Having issued his orders succinctly, Edmund turned on his heel. As he hurried away, leaving the late Rufus behind, he still felt no particular emotion welling up within him.
15. A Dreamlike State
“Thank you for your hard work so early in the morning. ”
Benjamin, who had just entered the examination room, sat down at his desk and smiled. He was holding a medical chart—undoubtedly the record of the gynecological examination Blair had received earlier that day at the Royal Hospital.
“You must be tired, but you handled it well.”
“It was easier than I expected. Thank you for your concern.”
As Blair replied politely, he nodded once, his face still wearing that affable smile.
“Edmund himself hates regular checkups because he finds them a hassle. On the other hand, he’s quite attentive and enthusiastic when it comes to his wife’s health.”
“...Even though I told him I’m fine, he’s been insisting on getting it checked for a while now, saying my complexion looks different from usual.”
“There’s no harm in checking. Even if you feel fine, sometimes the person closest to you is the first to notice something’s wrong.”
True to his status as one of Edmund’s closest confidants, Benjamin naturally sided with him.
Speaking of “the person closest to him”—that phrase strangely tickled a corner of Blair’s heart. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she changed the subject.
“And yet, as soon as we got to the hospital, he said he had something to do and just disappeared.”
Benjamin, who had been smiling gently, froze for a moment and avoided her gaze. It was only for an instant, but Blair saw it clearly. She felt a sense of unease.
“Actually, it seemed like he received an urgent call in the early morning. He didn’t tell me about it, though...”
"...Oh. I see."
“I wonder if something’s wrong?”
“I don’t know.”
Benjamin smiled again as if he had no idea what she was talking about and rubbed the back of his neck.
“Anyway... I recommended a while back that you get a thorough checkup at the Royal Hospital of Borsa. Thanks to the new equipment they’ve brought in, they can examine you in great detail. Well, I’m the Duke’s personal physician, but I still have a consultation room here as well. Hmm… The results from the gynecology department should be in by now…”
Strangely, Benjamin’s speech dragged on. Just as Blair narrowed her eyes, a heavy knock sounded from outside.
Benjamin glanced briefly at Blair before rising from his seat and opening the door. Feeling slightly nervous, Blair looked over as well, and sure enough, Edmund was standing there, just beyond the office door.
“Oh, you’re just in time.”
“I’d like a moment alone with my wife.”
“Of course. I’ll step out.”
With those words, Benjamin hurriedly slipped out of his office. Edmund strode inside as if he were entering his own home.
His face was cold and stiff. The moment their eyes met, his icy gaze seemed to soften slightly.
"...You’re finally here?"
Blair slowly pushed back her chair and stood up. Edmund, who had naturally reached out to pull her into his arms, chuckled.
“You sound like you’re sulking because I’m late.”
“I am sulking. You said you’d be right here, so I waited, but you didn’t show up, so I had to get the exam done alone.”
Blair’s lips curled up slightly at a sudden thought. She now knew exactly how to provoke him.
“Well, strictly speaking, I wasn’t exactly alone. Mr. Jensen must have been worried about me, so he stayed by my side.”
“…Benjamin?”
“Yes.”
“While you were seeing the doctor?”
“I mean he accompanied me to the waiting room from time to time.”
“Hmm, there was no need for that. I’ll have to cut him loose.”
Startled, Blair pulled her face away from Edmund’s chest and looked up at him.
“Uh, what do you mean?”
“What do you mean? I mean I’ll fire him.”
“….”
“What on earth was my lecherous wife imagining?”
“Let me go now.”
“Blair.”
His voice, full of laughter as he called her name, was music to her ears. It was a tone that left no room for doubting his affection. Leaning down, Edmund showered her cheeks and the nape of her neck with kisses, tickling her. Blair shrank her shoulders and burst into laughter. Sunlight streaming through the window enveloped them in a warm embrace.
It was a moment so sweet it felt almost too precious. Nestled in such a wide, warm embrace, it seemed as though no anxiety could ever find its way in.
"...Blair."
This time, his voice was a little deeper. Blair lifted her head, still unable to shake off the lingering laughter. Edmund, who had slowly kissed the corner of her lips before pulling away, remained silent for a moment. The light-hearted playfulness from just a moment ago had vanished without a trace.
“Actually, I’m on my way back from hearing the results.”
Her heart raced. Blair met his gaze, waiting for him to continue.
“It seems we’ve borne fruit.”
***
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