Deceived 114

Chapter 114

***

Edmund, standing behind her, still said nothing. All Blair could hear was the sound of him quietly catching his breath.

"...Point your finger this way."

He adjusted Blair’s grip on the barrel and changed the subject.

“It’s better to rest the butt of the gun here.”

“Where?”

“Here.”

Fingers with prominent knuckles traced down Blair’s neck and gently caressed her shoulder muscles. Even through her thick coat, Blair could feel a wave of heat spreading wherever his fingertips touched.

“You need to keep it pressed against this side to minimize recoil.”

Even though they were using a training rifle with almost no recoil, Edmund was utterly serious. It wouldn’t have been out of place if Blair had been holding a rifle loaded with live ammunition.

“Don’t grip it too tightly, but don’t hold it too loosely either… Think of leaning into it firmly. Try holding it again.”

“Like this?”

“…Not bad.”

Edmund gently wrapped his hand around her elbow to correct her awkward posture. She felt a laugh welling up, but Blair managed to hold it back. He was such a gentle and considerate man. Did Edmund even know that? Had anyone in his life ever told him that?

“Let’s give it a try now.”

Edmund spoke up. He was so close that his breath tickled her earlobe.

“Already?”

“Of course. Your back is straight, and your aim is good—you’re ready to pull the trigger right now.”

Blair was skeptical about everything she was doing, but she decided to trust him and give it a try. She fixed her gaze on the target far away and braced her legs. She took a deep breath to steady the gun, then held her breath for a moment. Then she pulled the trigger with her index finger.

Thwack!

Instead of a loud gunshot, there was the sound of a rubber bullet being fired. Blair flinched in surprise at the sound alone, but thanks to the man standing firmly behind her, she managed to keep her balance.

Narrowing her eyes, she stared at the red center of the target. The target, covered with thin paper, remained completely intact—not a tear or scratch in sight. That meant the rubber bullet hadn’t even grazed it.

“I guess I completely missed.”

“It’s fine. Even for your first shot, you showed almost no tremor. You moved exactly as instructed, and that’s excellent.”

Lest she be discouraged by her poor first attempt, Edmund showered her with praise. And before Blair could even burst out laughing, he whispered in a deeply sinister tone.

“It was the same in bed, wasn’t it? You were so skilled, I couldn’t believe I was your first.”

“…Why? Why are you suddenly bringing that up…!”

“I can’t wait to see just how skilled you’ll become. After all, even your very last experience will undoubtedly be mine.”

“…That remains to be seen.”

“What do you mean?”

At the sudden chill in his voice—as if he’d flipped a switch—Blair clamped her mouth shut and pretended to be busy with something else. Then, after letting out a short, hollow “Hmm,” Edmund spoke up.

“Blair.”

“Yes?”

“If you get it right even once, I’ll tell you a secret.”

“What kind of secret?”

“Whether that night was my first time, or not.”

Blair nearly jumped out of her skin.

“…What did you say?”

“So focus. There’s a secret at stake.”

Unable to concentrate at all, Blair finally turned around. Edmund was looking down at her with the calmest expression imaginable.

Could it be that it wasn’t his first time after all?

Come to think of it, there were more than a few suspicious details.

When they spent the night at the inn, Edmund wasn’t clumsy like her—he was skilled. Even though she was so flustered because it was her first time, she could still tell the difference. Besides, he wasn’t just a year or two older than her; hadn’t he been attending balls with countless partners ever since he was a mere fourteen? With his striking good looks, women must have flocked to him everywhere he went, so he certainly had plenty of opportunities.

But no matter who Edmund had been with in the past, it wasn’t her place to interfere....

As Blair struggled with these thoughts, she finally managed to voice her convictions.

“I don’t really like promiscuous men.”

“Oh, really.”

Edmund furrowed his brow as if in regret.

“I suppose I’ll just have to hit the mark to see if what you’ve had before is stale or not.”

Blair looked ahead with a pout. Yet, a competitive spirit rising from deep within her strangely sharpened her focus.

“Get into position.”

“Are you saying you’re going to cheat?”

“Yes.”

“…Your brazenness is so endearing, I don’t know what to do.”

Edmund let out a low sigh, then practically embraced Blair again, gently caressing her fingers gripping the rifle. Kindly, he even aimed the muzzle at the center of the target for her.

“Go ahead and shoot.”

“…”

“Come on. You need to make sure your husband’s equipment is still in good working order.”

“Shh, I need to concentrate.”

Ignoring Edmund’s snigger, Blair took a deep breath. With the rifle already aimed, it wasn’t that difficult. All she had to do was pull the trigger…

“…”

Just as she was gently tensing her index finger, Edmund’s hand slid around her lower abdomen. Blair flinched, and her grip on the gun wavered for a moment.

“You have to concentrate.”

Edmund whispered softly and pressed his lips against the spot where her cheek met her ear. The sensation was so gentle that a slight shiver ran down her spine. Feeling her breath quicken, Blair quietly swallowed. There was no way he wouldn’t notice her unease.

“Blair.”

“…Yes?”

“Why are you panting?”

“I’m… nervous.”

“Looks like you want to miss.”

“No, I don’t.”

She tried her best to ignore the distraction, readjusted her grip on the handle, and stared straight ahead, but regaining her focus once it had been broken was no easy task.

As she sharpened her senses, strangely enough, all her attention was drawn not to the target in front of her, but to the man behind her. His large frame, his cool scent mingled with the scent of the winter wind, and the sound of his breath—quiet and steady as if he were holding it just for her—kept sending Blair into a daze.

On top of that, that wicked hand, which had been lingering subtly on her lower abdomen, finally forced its way through the gap in her buttoned coat. The moment it crept upward and gripped her chest, Blair squeezed her eyes shut and pulled the trigger.

Thud!

The treacherous rubber bullet finally left the barrel. Still, she checked the target with a hint of hope, but it remained completely unscathed.

“Again.”

Edmund muttered teasingly, his voice laced with laughter. Unable to take it anymore, Blair spun around with a flushed face.

“Enough with the cheating already!”

“I’m not the one taking the test—how is this cheating?”

“That’s cowardly.”

“What’s cowardly about wanting to touch my own woman?”

“Choose a better time and place. This is a very important moment for me right now.”

“Were you that curious about my virginity? This is truly touching.”

As Blair clenched her teeth, Edmund held out both palms. In the bright sunlight, her eyes sparkled with particular resolve. This time, without his help, she intended to check her stance and aim all by herself before pulling the trigger.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

“…”

And the attempts continued several more times after that. Since Edmund had even reloaded the rifle himself, she couldn’t even count how many times they’d gone through the process.

Finally, Blair, exhausted from her own efforts, lowered the rifle. She glanced briefly at the spotless target before handing the training rifle back to him.

“I’ve had enough aiming practice for now....”

“For a first try, you did quite well. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

Edmund took the rifle and glanced at Blair, who was looking dejected. Then he blurted out,

“Actually, it’s just as you thought.”

"...What do you think I was thinking?"

“It’s true that I was just as nervous as you were that day.”

Blair, who had been blinking at the vague reply, slowly lifted the corners of her mouth. He met Edmund’s gaze with a smile, then pointed at the target.

“Show us what you’ve got, Edmund.”

“Hmm.”

"They say you hit everything you aim at. Let’s see just how good you are.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Blair added,

"If you hit the bullseye... I’ll tell you one of my secrets, too."