RCHR 25

Chapter 25

“You must keep the little secret inside you well. After all, it’s your only treasure.”

Alicia gnawed at her nails, recalling what Rebecca had said.

“What could she possibly know? No way…”

A creeping sense of unease rose within her, but Alicia forced herself to shake it off.

“Impossible. There’s no way she could know.”

She took a deep breath, then sat at her dressing table, examining her face from every angle.

“My skin’s become so dry.”

It was the result of having nightmares every night since visiting the Hall of Light. Alicia never wanted to go back there again.

She thought that having a child would make everything fall into place.

She believed that Rebecca’s place, Zephyrin’s affection—everything—would become hers.

But nothing went as she planned.

Rebecca still held her position, and somehow Zephyrin seemed increasingly obsessed with Rebecca.

Alicia grew anxious. She feared that after giving birth, she might lose even her child and be driven out.

Then she would have to return to that muddy, miserable life.

She’d rather die than endure that.

She bit her lip.

“I’ll help you get ready.”

The maids rushed in to begin preparing Alicia.

“Wait.”

One maid held up a lotion bottle decorated with roses, but Alicia stopped her and pointed to another with a swan on it.

“Use this one. This is the one Rebecca uses, right?”

The maid hesitated at Alicia’s words.

A fleeting complex expression crossed her face, but it vanished almost immediately.

She returned to her usual impassive expression and began applying the lotion Alicia had indicated to her face.

Alicia stared intently at her reflection in the mirror as her appearance became increasingly glamorous.

She had never looked at herself so strangely in her life.

Yet she didn’t dislike it.

Alicia’s desire to abandon her original self only intensified.

She coldly examined her lifted lavender hair.

“Would blonde suit me too…?”

Kanna pushed Rebecca’s wheelchair toward the lavender garden.

Alicia and Fabiola had already arrived there.

“The tea isn’t warm. Could you pour some more?”

Fabiola, spilling the tea she had just poured onto the floor, extended the cup toward Alicia.

Alicia squinted sharply and refilled Fabiola’s teacup.

“Ah! Now it’s too hot!”

“Is that so?”

Slash—

Alicia snorted in disdain and slapped the maid who had brought the tea. The maid’s cheek turned red.

Fabiola, startled, shouted at Alicia.

“You! What do you think you’re doing?!”

“You complained that the tea was too hot, too cold, or that the flavor wasn’t right. Isn’t that the fault of the one who brought it? A servant who serves a poor master should be punished accordingly.”

“How can you do such wicked things while carrying a precious seed in your womb! Your nature truly shows in your actions.”

Fabiola leapt to her feet.

Alicia raised her chin in defiance.

“Yes. And just how great is your lineage that you cannot even receive a proper greeting from your noble son? You really haven’t changed at all.”

Alicia had observed Fabiola’s misdeeds ever since she had been Rebecca’s maid.

She knew that no matter what she did to Fabiola, Zephyrin would not side with her.

Rebecca watched the scene with mild amusement, seeing Fabiola being confronted by someone other than Zephyrin for the first time.

But when it seemed the argument would drag on, Rebecca decided to intervene.

“Mother, good afternoon.”

The elegant voice made both Fabiola and Alicia turn their heads.

Fabiola’s eyes swept over Rebecca’s eyelashes with meticulous attention, searching to see if even a single wrinkle had formed on her fair face.

Alicia silently glared at Rebecca’s luxurious wheelchair.

Once satisfied, Fabiola smiled broadly and spread her arms wide.

“Oh, Rebecca, so it’s true—you were hurt after all.”

“Yes. But it’s nothing serious. By the way, what brings you here? I heard the voices rising earlier.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Just teaching you some manners.”

“Is that so? Alicia, you’d better not act recklessly toward my mother. After all, she’s my husband’s mother.”

Rebecca feigned siding with Fabiola.

Alicia glared at Rebecca briefly before collapsing into her seat.

Fabiola examined Rebecca’s wheelchair with curious eyes.

“That’s a wheelchair I’ve never seen before. Quite pretty. Where did it come from?”

“He gave it to me. Zephyrin has a passion for everything beautiful.”

At those words, Fabiola flinched slightly.

Her late husband flashed in her mind, and the corners of her mouth stiffened.

Zephyrin had intensely disliked her father, yet they shared many similarities.

Fabiola composed herself, smiled, and turned her attention to Alicia.

“So, Alicia, are you studying etiquette? You’ll need quite a bit of training to enter society. You wouldn’t want to tarnish my son’s name, would you?”

Rebecca paused, watching Fabiola.

Normally, Fabiola would seize upon even the smallest flaw in Rebecca’s words, but today she seemed unconcerned.

‘Ah, her goals must have changed.’

Rebecca silently observed Fabiola’s gaze fixed on Alicia’s belly.

Today, Fabiola had come to confirm something:

Whose side Zephyrin’s affection leaned toward—Rebecca’s or Alicia’s.

If Zephyrin showed more interest in Alicia, Fabiola intended to crush her, ensuring she could not advise her son to abandon her.

‘Even if your son loves you, would you abandon your biological parents? I have many friends. If I let slip a bad word about you, you’d be ruined in society before you know it. And would my son, who cares so much about appearances, leave someone like you alone? So don’t try anything stupid. Don’t underestimate me.’

Rebecca recalled Fabiola’s past words to her and watched Fabiola’s sharp tongue lash at Alicia relentlessly.

‘Oh, look—a cake fell on the floor. I baked it myself. How can you treat your parents so carelessly, Rebecca? Why not pick it up and eat it?’

She glanced at her elegant blonde hair that Zephyrin would have admired.

Her water-colored eyes constantly schemed on how to torment Alicia further.

But Alicia was no easy target.

“Mind your own education. And you, mother, perhaps you should focus on your own manners? I’ve heard rumors about the wild parties you host every night—enough that even a commoner like me has heard.”

“W-wild?”

“Yes. Only young men are invited, I hear? And only poor, handsome noble youths. I can imagine what goes on behind those refined doors, shaking stacks of money. Do invite me once—I think it would suit my education perfectly.”

“You—you!”

Fabiola’s hand trembled.

Rebecca sipped her tea to suppress the laughter threatening to escape.

‘What’s this taste…?’

A subtle, exotic aroma lingered at the end of the tea. Bitter, yet foreign.

Rebecca caught Fabiola glancing at her as she drank and stiffened her expression.

Fabiola calmed herself and smiled again.

“This once, we’ll let it slide. It’s a beautiful day; no need to get our faces red. Alicia, take a sip too.”

The maid poured tea into Alicia’s cup.

It seemed Alicia hadn’t even taken a sip yet due to being harassed by Fabiola.

Seeing Alicia reach for the cup, Rebecca hastily pulled the tablecloth.

“Ahhh!”

The hot tea spilled onto Alicia’s dress. She grabbed her reddened hand, burned from the scald.

“My goodness! Alicia, I’m so sorry!”

“Rebecca! Did you do that on purpose?!”

“Why would I do such a thing? But burns can scar, you should check quickly.”

Hearing the word “scar,” Alicia paled, then hurriedly left with a maid.

After Alicia disappeared into the mansion, Fabiola looked at Rebecca suspiciously.

Rebecca smiled sheepishly.

“Just as you expected.”

“What do you mean, expected?”

“I spilled the tea out of jealousy toward Alicia.”

Fabiola’s eyes widened.

“You mean you’re saying you were jealous?”

Rebecca sighed deeply, her eyes quivering in a pitiful manner.

“Ha… yes. Alicia is prettier than me and even has a child. What if Zephyrin loves her more than me?”

Fabiola was dumbfounded.

No matter how much she tried to manipulate her, Rebecca always endured without showing emotion.

She always bowed gently like a fragile rosebud, which only infuriated Fabiola further.

Rebecca’s actions made her appear like a cruel daughter-in-law, which Fabiola hated.

She believed Zephyrin had fallen for Rebecca’s feigned expressions, driving her away.

Unlike her violent husband, she had poured love into Zephyrin, proud of raising him.

But now Rebecca had thrown off her mask and displayed true jealousy.

Spilling hot tea on a rival—Fabiola could scarcely believe her eyes.

‘Is she scheming something?’

Fabiola briefly suspected Rebecca’s intentions, but seeing the moisture in her eyes erased even that tiny doubt.

‘Well, she is a woman—of course she would be angry if her husband took another woman.’

For the first time, Fabiola felt pity for Rebecca.

Even though Zephyrin had many mistresses, he had never formally taken a second wife.

‘Compared to me, she has a pitiful life.’

A feeling of sympathy blossomed in Fabiola’s heart.

She liked the feeling, and gently took Rebecca’s hand.