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Chapter 17
Zeppelin lifted the corners of his mouth. In his mind, he thought he was giving Rebecca a reward for relieving the mess she had made of herself.
Carrot and stick.
It was a tactic Zeppelin often used on Rebecca.
But now, his affection for her was no longer a reward. Torture would have been preferable.
“It’s fine, Rebecca. You’ve been through this countless times.”
Even as she told herself that, she couldn’t stop her whole body from trembling.
Without even knowing how she had eaten dinner, Rebecca silently prayed for this time to pass quickly.
“Wouldn’t it be better to eat a little more if you want strength for dinner? No… that might make your stomach stick out. My mistake.”
As Rebecca hesitated, Zeppelin spoke with a gaze full of temptation.
As a result, she had to clench her fists so tightly throughout the meal that her hands turned white.
After dinner, the maids swarmed over.
They carefully bathed Rebecca in water scented with perfumed oils.
For some reason, the warm bathwater felt as cold as ice.
“How do you feel? Isn’t it perfect?”
Grace, who had finished dressing Rebecca, showed her a large full-length mirror.
The pure white silk dress accentuated Rebecca’s flawless figure.
Pearl powder sprinkled in her hair shimmered softly under the luxurious lighting.
Rebecca let out a small, bitter laugh as she surveyed herself.
It was a self-mocking laugh.
“Ha. Ridiculously beautiful.”
“Pardon?”
“No, nothing.”
Zeppelin was always like this. Perfect everywhere. Even in the bedroom, there were no exceptions.
The corset constricting her ribs felt like Zeppelin’s own grip.
Rebecca drew shallow breaths and forced herself to take reluctant steps.
She headed slowly toward the stairs to the third floor, feeling as if she were being dragged into hell.
“Are you going to the Count’s room?”
Alicia blocked her path.
Alicia’s eyes roamed over Rebecca from head to toe, taking in her fully adorned appearance.
“You’re truly… beautiful.”
Seeing the jealousy burning in Alicia’s eyes, Rebecca’s mind suddenly cleared.
A glimmer of hope reached her.
She smiled brightly at Alicia, genuinely.
“Really? Thank you for saying so.”
Alicia paused at Rebecca’s elegant smile.
Since the victory banquet, she had been holed up in her room, pondering how she had ended up in her current position.
And finally, she realized Rebecca had been toying with her.
Even showing her the family heirlooms had been part of a deliberate plan.
‘I was blinded by the jewels and let my guard down.’
Determined, Alicia decided to stop hiding her true intentions and confront Rebecca directly.
The Rebecca in front of her was no longer the Rebecca who had once cared for her.
Alicia scoffed.
“But don’t forget, that’s only temporary. Have you forgotten that I’m much younger than you, Rebecca? Time waits for no one. Soon the Count’s attention will turn to me.”
Is now the time?
Rebecca glanced down at the maids and servants bustling below.
Now might actually be a good opportunity.
She deliberately stepped up one more stair, tilting one side of her mouth in a mocking smirk as she looked down at Alicia.
“Go ahead. Take all the attention you want. But you’ll never be the first wife. And if I were to have a child today, your child, like you, would forever be second.”
Alicia’s shoulders trembled at Rebecca’s provocation.
Let’s see how long that arrogant smile lasts.
Alicia smirked and stepped back a few paces.
“You’ll regret saying that!”
She grabbed Rebecca’s hand and pressed it to her chest, letting out a loud scream as she tilted her head back.
“Ahhh! Re-Rebecca, how could you!”
Behind Alicia was the long staircase leading down to the lobby.
All eyes were drawn upward. Alicia lifted her feet off the stairs.
It was an excellent performance.
Seeing Alicia fall backward, joy surged across Rebecca’s face.
She immediately leapt forward, catching Alicia’s hands and pulling her into her embrace.
Expecting pain, Alicia had clenched her eyes shut—but then opened them to find herself pressed against Rebecca’s soft chest.
She stared at Rebecca in shock.
Rebecca had bumped her head on the edge of the stairs, wincing at the sudden pain.
Yet her lips remained curved in a smile, as she protected Alicia’s head like a precious treasure.
This was nothing like what Alicia had planned.
The Count’s two women tumbled down the stairs entwined in each other’s arms.
With a thud, the servants rushed forward.
Alicia emerged unscathed in Rebecca’s arms.
“Ah!”
Pain surged through Rebecca, and she cried out. Her arm, which held Alicia, wouldn’t move.
Her pure white dress was stained red from the blood dripping from her head.
“What happened?!”
Zeppelin, who had been waiting in his room, rushed out and found Rebecca on the stairs, wincing in pain.
His eyes widened, trembling as he approached. He saw nothing of the fallen Alicia.
“Rebecca!”
Zeppelin’s frantic footsteps descended the stairs.
Rebecca whispered into Alicia’s ear, who could only gape with her mouth open.
“You must guard that little secret in your belly. It’s your only treasure.”
Alicia’s face turned pale as she looked at Rebecca.
Rebecca gave a meaningful smile to the terrified Alicia.
Just then, Zeppelin arrived, seeing Rebecca’s bloodied face, and screamed like a madman.
He glared at the innocent servants with murderous intent.
“If even a single scar appears on Rebecca’s face, consider your lives forfeit!”
Rebecca spoke in a fragile voice.
“Zeppelin, Alicia has done nothing wrong. Please forgive her…”
She closed her eyes, pretending to faint—it was easy.
Zeppelin shook her violently, trying to wake her.
“Rebecca! Rebecca! No! Never… Never!”
His scream was almost a wail. He couldn’t even imagine a world without her.
Rebecca was his dream, his hope, his everything—the masterpiece of his youth.
Canna intervened with a desperate expression.
“She’s not dead yet. Take her to her room quickly and fetch a doctor!”
“W-what…?”
“Now!”
Canna shouted, her eyes red. She hurriedly lifted Rebecca.
Only then did Zeppelin snap back to reality.
“Y-yes. Call the doctor immediately.”
He watched Canna rush to Rebecca’s room, stunned, then wiped his face. Damp tears soaked his hands.
Once again, he confirmed the depth of his love for Rebecca.
How precious she was to him.
“C-Count…”
Alicia instinctively clutched her stomach as she called to him.
Zeppelin glared at her with eyes burning in anger.
“Alicia. Do you even realize what you’ve done?”
Alicia had never seen Zeppelin so furious.
Her shoulders trembled like a rabbit facing a predator.
“N-no, I-it was… an accident…”
She tried to muster an explanation, but in the face of Zeppelin’s murderous rage, she couldn’t continue.
Zeppelin coldly inspected the blood on his hands and motioned to the maids.
“Take her away.”
The maids seized Alicia’s arms.
Zeppelin wiped the blood with a handkerchief.
“To the Hall of Light.”
The hounds who recognized the place flinched and looked at him.
Yet they dared not defy him, lowering their heads again.
A hound’s job was simply to do its job.
In Danae, Obelia pressed her forehead, staring at a tight budget.
At this rate, she wouldn’t be able to buy her daughters’ dresses, let alone the desserts for special occasions.
Fortunately, Theo’s recent investment mania seemed to have subsided.
‘I feel like I want to go out and earn money myself.’
But she couldn’t.
In the Rotandus Empire, women earning money was something only commoners did.
Her own treatment didn’t matter, but if she acted, even her twin daughters, Livia and Helena, would be subject to gossip.
Moreover, her eldest daughter, Rebecca, was now a Countess. Any rumors of a working mother would be scandalous.
“Sigh.”
The laughter of her daughters playing in the garden and Theo’s voice rang endlessly. Theo was a loving father and husband.
That had been part of the reason she married him.
But a good father and a good provider were different.
Theo was not a good provider.
His kind heart and gullibility led him to invest recklessly without due consideration.
Their once prosperous household was gradually sinking.
They barely managed to make ends meet.
In Danae, all of this seemed far from coincidental.
‘I will marry Rebecca.’
Danae recalled Zeppelin, who had sought her out as if retrieving a promised item.
From the start, she didn’t like him. She had initially refused his proposal.
The Devonshire Counts and the Obelia Marquises were mismatched in social standing; such a marriage was bound to be unhappy.
Danae considered Zeppelin one of many suitors drawn only to Rebecca’s beauty.
She thought his interest would fade quickly.
Yet, surprisingly, Zeppelin persisted.
He came daily, knocking at the door.
Around that time, Danae learned of Theo’s failed investments.
The Obelia family was on the brink of bankruptcy, having risked nearly all their wealth.
Then Zeppelin arrived, as if he had foreseen the situation, bringing a fortune with him.
He even refused a dowry.
From Danae’s perspective, it was an offer she couldn’t refuse. Even Rebecca liked Zeppelin.
So she told herself it was fine. Selling her daughter was only a needless worry.
‘I was crazy. Danae, you don’t even deserve to be a mother.’
After Rebecca became Countess, Danae lived every day in regret.
As Danae had predicted, Rebecca wasted away day by day.
Her appearance remained beautiful—if anything, it became even more so with each passing day.
But what use was it when she was imprisoned, unable to freely visit her family?
“Madam! An urgent letter…!”
Her only maid knocked on the door. Soon, this maid might also have to be let go.
Danae sighed deeply and took the letter from the maid.
The envelope bore the seal of the Devonshire Counts.
Her heart pounded. The premonition was not good.
