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Chapter 5
Would that make her seem lovable?
No. She was loathsome. So much so that Rebecca wanted to snap her neck right then and there.
But Rebecca hid her true feelings and rose to her feet.
“Of course not. Why would I ever hate Alicia?”
“See? You’re being formal with me again! It’s because I stole the Count from you, isn’t it?”
“Stole? I never gave Alicia anything to begin with. But seeing you come to apologize like this makes it clear you know your actions are shameful.”
Rebecca’s voice was cold.
Alicia faltered for a moment, then quickly shot out her words like bullets, as if she’d been waiting for this.
“Rebecca, I swear to heaven, I truly had no choice! A powerless maid can’t refuse the Count, you know that.”
She recalled the countless excuses she had practiced while Rebecca lay unconscious.
There were endless stories that could force the soft-hearted Rebecca to forgive her.
Rebecca! I had no choice either.
Suddenly, the very words Alicia had once spoken when betraying her in her past life flashed across Rebecca’s mind.
Rebecca clenched her fist.
“Enough.”
“Rebecca!”
“That’s why I gave you another choice. But you chose this path. You said yourself you were an adult, so take responsibility for your decision.”
When Rebecca learned Alicia was pregnant, she had urged her to run away.
She offered her a small house and enough money to live comfortably for the rest of her life.
But Alicia refused. That wasn’t the kind of life she wanted.
I’m sorry, but I’m an adult too. Don’t treat me like a child anymore. I’ll make the decisions about my child and my life.
Remembering her own words, Alicia pressed her lips shut. She glanced uneasily at Rebecca, feeling unsettled.
This wasn’t the Rebecca she knew.
The Rebecca she remembered would grant her every favor more easily than Zeppelin ever would, with just a flutter of her eyelashes.
Something’s wrong.
Suspicion flickered in Alicia’s eyes as she studied Rebecca.
Catching on, Rebecca quickly softened her expression.
“Let’s stop here. Now that things have turned out this way, it won’t do either of us any good to act like enemies. Our husband wouldn’t like it. We may never be as we once were, but I have no desire to fight with you.”
At the mention of Zeppelin, Alicia reluctantly nodded.
She hated to admit it, but Zeppelin cared for Rebecca. Whenever Alicia tried to speak ill of her, she was the one scolded instead.
But time would pass.
Once Rebecca grew old, Zeppelin would lose interest in her.
For now, Alicia decided to lie low.
Rebecca quietly smothered a laugh as she saw Alicia shrink back and lower her head.
Seen this way, Alicia was nothing more than a greedy child. And Rebecca had let such a girl toy with her all this time.
Rebecca put on a gentle smile.
“By the way, have you been the one caring for me until now?”
“What? Oh, well…”
“Thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to get up like this. I’d like to give you a gift of gratitude. Alice, could you bring me my jewelry box?”
At Rebecca’s words, Alice limped to the wardrobe and pulled out several ornate cases adorned with laurel leaves.
Alicia’s eyes gleamed at the sight.
“Go ahead, choose one.”
Rebecca slowly opened the boxes.
Zeppelin had spared no expense in adorning her with jewels.
So although she had no cash on hand, she owned plenty of extravagant dresses and jewelry.
These were things Alicia, newly married, did not have.
She was clever, but her greed often clouded her judgment.
Remembering this, Rebecca dangled a sparkling necklace in front of her.
Alicia’s eyes roamed the treasures until they fixed on one piece.
“My goodness, it’s beautiful!”
It was a lavish necklace encrusted with diamonds, crowned with a large blue diamond pendant.
Dazzled by its brilliance, Alicia reached out, entranced.
But before her fingers could touch it, Rebecca snapped the case shut.
With an awkward smile, she sighed.
“Oh dear, what is this doing here? My apologies. That’s a family heirloom from Zeppelin. I can’t give it away. But perhaps you’d like these earrings instead? They’re quite lovely.”
“Heirloom?”
“You didn’t know? The Devonshire family has many treasures passed down through the generations. The Countess receives one of them. Zeppelin gave me this on our wedding day, saying it matched the color of my eyes.”
“Then… could I receive one too?”
Rebecca had to cover her mouth to stifle a laugh at the greedy gleam in Alicia’s violet eyes.
“Well, I don’t know. Only the Countess can receive them… I’m not sure if a second wife qualifies.”
Alicia’s face twisted in frustration.
She wanted to insist that she too was the Countess, but in front of the first wife, she dared not.
“Everyone’s gathered here, I see.”
Zeppelin entered the room.
Alicia greeted him with a bright smile.
But he ignored her and went straight to Rebecca, pressing a kiss to her forehead first.
Only afterward did he approach Alicia and kiss the back of her hand.
Noticing the difference, Alicia’s face stiffened.
Zeppelin slipped on his gloves and carefully cupped Rebecca’s face, inspecting it closely.
“They said you had a rash, but thankfully no scars. Still, your skin looks rough. You’ll need to take better care of it before the victory banquet.”
“Victory banquet?”
When Rebecca asked, Zeppelin raked his hair back with a scowl, already irritated.
“Looks like Duke Johannes has returned after sounding the victory bell. Would’ve been better if he’d just died on the battlefield.”
Rebecca looked at him, surprised at the harshness.
She remembered Zeppelin hadn’t liked Duke Johannes in her previous life either.
Alicia squealed excitedly.
“A banquet? You mean a party? I’ve never been to one before! I’ll need a dress, won’t I? What kind should I wear, my lord?”
Zeppelin looked at her babbling happily, then snorted.
“What nonsense. Alicia, you’re not going.”
“What?”
“This is an event hosted by His Majesty. There’s no way you could attend. You’re just a commoner.”
Alicia’s face flushed red, her eyes trembling with unshed tears.
Zeppelin softened his voice, resting a hand gently on her shoulder.
“Don’t make that face. I’ll buy you some jewels instead. Play with those and stay home quietly.”
“Then give me an heirloom.”
“An heirloom?”
Zeppelin glanced at the jewelry box spread across the bed.
Rebecca spoke with an awkward expression.
“Oh… I asked her to choose something as thanks for taking care of me. But I mistakenly showed her the heirloom.”
Zeppelin sighed heavily, pressing his forehead.
“Alicia. Only the Countess—Rebecca, the first wife—can receive those.”
“Why! I’m a Countess too! We had a proper wedding, didn’t we?”
“That’s—”
Zeppelin raised his voice, then darted a glance at Rebecca. He quickly grabbed Alicia’s arm.
“If Rebecca is to attend the banquet, she needs rest. Let’s talk outside.”
“You’re hurting me! Let go!”
“Wait a moment.”
Rebecca stopped them as they headed for the door.
“I’m curious. Why did you return so early from your honeymoon?”
Alicia glared resentfully at Zeppelin.
“Why else? Because this noble Count here sold our cherished villa to the Duke for nothing more than a few paintings.”
“Alicia! Watch your tone!”
Zeppelin dragged her out, her complaints echoing beyond the closed door.
Meanwhile, Rebecca sank into thought.
Duke Johannes…
“You look so beautiful!”
Alice gasped in awe at Rebecca standing before the mirror.
Grace, the head maid, smiled contentedly as she clasped a necklace around Rebecca’s neck.
Zeppelin loved showing Rebecca off, like parading a prized work of art.
But only when he accompanied her.
He never allowed any other man near her. People called him obsessively jealous, but Zeppelin didn’t care.
Rebecca was his treasure, for others to admire only from afar.
Only he—Zeppelin—was permitted to touch her.
The beads on her sapphire dress shimmered.
Rebecca toyed with the large blue diamond pendant.
Normally, she wouldn’t dare wear such a thing, but she’d chosen it now just to provoke Alicia.
I really was quite pretty, wasn’t I?
Just days ago, she had been a middle-aged woman on the brink of forty.
After escaping the count’s estate, hardship had ravaged her face.
But now, the wrinkles and scars were gone, replaced by smooth, pearly skin.
Her blue eyes sparkled with life, and her once-tangled blonde hair gleamed with soft luster.
Back then, Rebecca had compared herself to Alicia and fallen deep into self-loathing.
But looking now, she realized that while she might not match Alicia, she was still beautiful enough not to feel ashamed anywhere.
So it’s true—one always thinks their present self is the most wretched.
Rebecca regretted all the years she had wasted scolding herself.
As she traced her younger reflection, a memory surfaced.
That night, Zeppelin had been heavily drunk.
Normally he never drank on nights meant for their conjugal duty, but this time he had.
After the act was done, Zeppelin studied her face and noticed a fine wrinkle near her eye.
He touched it with his fingers and sneered.
“A flaw.”
Then he left the bed without even a goodnight, slamming the door behind him.
From that night on, he never came to her again, except when duty demanded it.
It was a revelation.
Alone each night, Rebecca had mulled over the past and slowly realized what she had mistaken for love was nothing more than the fondness one feels for a beautiful ornament.
Not long after she came to this bitter understanding, she discovered she was carrying the child Zeppelin had long desired.
She could delay no longer. Before the child’s existence was revealed, Rebecca fled the prison that was the count’s estate.
