RCHR 18

Chapter 18

“Did you really have to go that far?”

Kanna asked as she rewrapped Rebecca’s bandages.

The doctors had said her arm and ankle ligaments were badly injured from tumbling down the stairs yesterday.

She was forbidden from doing any strenuous exercise for at least two months.

That included marital relations.

Since Zeppelin cared obsessively for Rebecca’s body, he would never force himself on her at the cost of her health.

“In comparison to what I gained, this is a very cheap price.”

Rebecca smiled with satisfaction.

In her previous life, Alicia had fallen down the stairs the exact same way yesterday.

And then, blinded by jealousy, she accused Rebecca of pushing her.

She had staged the trick so cleverly that there had been many witnesses.

That very day, twice as many attendants had been assigned to Rebecca.

And as punishment, she had been banned from visiting the Liberta Relief House.

To think she’d pull the exact same stunt again.

People truly never changed.

But circumstances could be changed.

“So, what happened with Alicia?”

“She’s surrounded by hounds. The count was furious. Thanks to that, on your side only Robert remains.”

“That’s perfect. By the way, what about the guest I asked for?”

“Yes. As soon as I sent the message, she said she would come today.”

“And Zeppelin didn’t object?”

“On the contrary, he said it was a good thing and asked me to invite her often for now. He was worried that you might be traumatized by this incident.”

“He’s unusually worried about my mind.”

Whatever his true intention, it was a good outcome.

Rebecca began preparing to receive her guest.

“Rebecca! What on earth happened! No, don’t get up.”

“Mother, it’s been a while.”

Rebecca greeted Danae warmly with a smile.

Seeing her eldest daughter lying there with her arms and legs bound in bandages made Danae’s heart feel like it was being torn apart.

“I heard that Alicia girl pushed you? Didn’t I tell you to be careful!”

“No. It was an accident. She slipped, and I tried to catch her…”

“How will you ever survive here being so soft-hearted!”

“Why? What kind of place is this?”

Rebecca’s eyes widened as she stared at Danae.

She knew her mother was powerless. But that didn’t mean she felt no resentment.

From what she had overheard in the study that night, the Obelia family had already been in decline long before she married Zeppelin.

The money Zeppelin offered as the price of taking Rebecca as his bride was enormous.

Rebecca, never have the count’s child. Even if you do, don’t give your heart away. The moment a woman bears a child, she’s shackled forever.

On her wedding day, Danae had placed a tiara on Rebecca’s head and whispered those trembling words.

They were not the kind of advice one gave to a daughter about to begin her married life.

Her mother had known everything. And so Rebecca could never shake the thought that her parents had sold her here for the sake of the family.

Seeing the pain in Rebecca’s eyes, Danae’s heart dropped like a stone.

She hated herself for being such an incompetent mother.

She had rushed to the count’s residence planning to confront Zeppelin after hearing Rebecca was hurt.

But Zeppelin hadn’t even come out to greet her, claiming he was busy.

Instead, the butler had only smiled awkwardly as he guided her inside.

As if to say she had been hired to comfort Rebecca, he handed Danae a thick envelope of money.

“The count asked me to… give you this for your trouble.”

Danae couldn’t bring herself to refuse the envelope.

Her pride weighed less than her family’s safety.

She still had two young daughters who hadn’t even debuted in society.

The family’s very survival depended almost entirely on Rebecca.

But seeing Rebecca wounded like this, she wondered what use any of that was.

Danae’s eyes reddened with tears.

Clasping Rebecca’s hand, she wept with repentance.

“No excuses. Rebecca, this place is dreadful. Why don’t we just run away? Let’s do it, Rebecca. We can go anywhere, live as farmers if we must. Anything would be better than this life!”

Rebecca looked down at her mother’s hand.

A surge of emotions welled up inside her.

But suppressing them, she answered calmly.

“Are you serious? Could you truly give up everything you’ve enjoyed so far and live like a commoner? Maybe you could, but what about Father? What about my sisters? Would you really demand that the three of them sacrifice themselves just for me?”

“Becky…”

Danae called her by her childhood nickname, her voice trembling.

Becky—the name her family used when she was a girl.

At that, Rebecca could no longer hold back her tears.

She thought she had grown strong enough. But in front of her mother, she always wanted to be that childish girl again.

But she couldn’t afford to.

Kanna silently handed her a handkerchief.

Rebecca dabbed away her tears firmly.

Noticing Kanna for the first time, Danae flinched and looked at her nervously.

She seemed worried that today’s conversation might reach Zeppelin’s ears.

“Don’t worry. Kanna is my person.”

Danae looked between Rebecca and Kanna in surprise.

Kanna’s lips twitched upward.

She called me her person…

Kanna swore she would write today’s events in her journal.

Rebecca regained her composure and spoke again.

“Running away would accomplish nothing. First, I need to build a proper foundation…”

“A foundation for what?”

“So that I can leave on my own terms. Mother, let’s leave this accursed shadow of Devonshire together. With me.”

“Leave? How on earth?”

“I’m going to divorce him.”

“Divorce…?”

Danae was more shocked than ever, unable to close her mouth.

She wondered if this was truly the same Rebecca she knew.

“Yes. And I will remarry. To Duke Johannes.”

“My dear… you must be exhausted. Did you just say Duke Johannes…?”

“Please, keep this between us. Especially never tell Father.”

Danae looked into her daughter’s resolute face.

Rebecca’s eyes were sharp, her lips pressed tightly together.

It was a face she hadn’t seen in so long.

Before she became the countess, every time Rebecca wore that look, she had accomplished anything she set her mind to.

Danae asked no further.

Her daughter was struggling to survive in the hell she herself had thrown her into.

She could not drag her down further.

Danae nodded solemnly.

“All right. Tell me what I must do.”

At last, Rebecca smiled.

Her deep blue eyes, so much like Danae’s, shone with determination.

“Would you like to try your hand at a little business?”

After Danae left, Rebecca felt lonelier than ever.

Memories of joyful days with her family returned to her.

Back then, she had been a girl full of dreams, unable to imagine such a future awaited her.

“Do you feel stifled?”

Kanna threw the window wide open, letting in the cool night air.

Rebecca forced a smile.

“A little. It’s suffocating being confined to bed.”

“Then shall we take a walk?”

Rebecca lifted her bandaged foot.

“But I can’t walk. Even if I could, Zeppelin would never let me go out.”

“There’s always a way. You just haven’t looked for it.”

Without another word, Kanna came over and scooped her up.

“K-Kanna?”

Judging her weight, Kanna gritted her teeth.

“So light… That bastard Zeppelin, even if I devoured him it wouldn’t be enough…”

“Kanna, people are watching.”

“Don’t worry. At this hour, the hounds don’t patrol much. I checked—no one’s around.”

With that, Kanna leapt up to the window ledge.

“Ah!”

Looking down, Rebecca instinctively clung to Kanna’s neck.

At her touch, Kanna flinched for a moment before jumping straight down.

Rebecca squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for impact, but felt no shock at all.

Kanna landed softly on the ground and looked at her calmly.

“Where would you like to go?”

Rebecca had always sensed Kanna’s solid build, but she had never realized she was this strong.

“For now, I’ll be your legs. Just tell me where you wish to go.”

“Then… to the lilac garden.”

The lilac garden had been the late countess’s favorite.

But Zeppelin hated it, so aside from the gardeners, no one ever went there.

Now, in full bloom, the lilacs filled the air with their fragrance.

Carried in Kanna’s arms, Rebecca strolled through the garden.

Kanna moved faithfully wherever she pointed.

Apart from the steady sound of Kanna’s heartbeat, the night was utterly still.

Rebecca asked quietly from Kanna’s embrace:

“Kanna, why don’t you ask anything?”

“About what?”

“About what I talked about with my mother today.”

Rebecca kept remembering the look on Kanna’s face when she had pretended to faint yesterday.

Kanna had looked as though the world were collapsing.

With her sharp instincts, she must have known Rebecca was conscious—but she hadn’t.

Just the fact that Rebecca was hurt had already driven Kanna past reason.

And at that moment, Rebecca knew for certain: Kanna truly was her person.

That was why she hadn’t dismissed her earlier with her mother.

At length, Kanna answered.

“Because I trust you.”

“Hm?”

“Whatever choice you make—even if it leads straight to hell—I vowed I would follow you.”

Rebecca was struck speechless, staring up at her from within her arms.

There was no wavering in those deep brown eyes.

“Shall we rest here?”

Rebecca sat on a white marble bench.

Just as Kanna was about to drape a shawl over her shoulders, she suddenly stiffened, lifting her head sharply.

“Someone’s here. Lady Rebecca.”

A dark figure moved behind the trees.

Robert Crowley stared at Rebecca’s tightly shut door.

Since her limbs were injured, it wouldn’t open until Kanna came out again.

Glancing around, Robert slipped quietly into the garden.

Normally, he should have kept watch over Rebecca, but tonight he was too distracted to focus.

Knowing the patrol routes of most of the hounds, he slipped outside without being seen.

I need fresh air.

He recalled the contents of his mother’s letter from last night:

The spark of wisdom has not yet gone out.