Chapter 12
“I will,”
Canna answered without a moment's hesitation.
Among the people of Liberta, Canna would do anything. She would carry out assassinations without hesitation, as long as they suited her.
The maids of the Count's Residence, especially those directly under Rebecca, were not chosen randomly. Outstanding talent was prioritized over background.
Therefore, Canna had been doing all sorts of things for many years, waiting for the day when her name would reach Zeppelin's ears.
Compared to that time, this was very easy.
Rebecca flinched at Canna's answer, which was without any hesitation.
Canna's eyes sparkled as they had when she was young.
After hesitating, Rebecca opened her mouth.
"If, if you really are on my side, Canna..."
"I am on Rebecca's side."
It was a warm statement.
Rebecca smiled faintly.
"I may not have much to offer, but I will be on your side too. So, Canna, don't betray me."
Canna felt sad.
Rebecca looked desperate. Her every word struck her painfully.
At the same time, she felt angry.
In Canna's world, the person who should be the happiest was Rebecca.
Tap, tap—
A sound of something hitting the window was heard. Canna glanced over and saw a black cat standing by the window.
Upon discovering the black cat, Rebecca hurriedly sent Canna out.
Canna followed Rebecca's instructions without asking anything.
"Hoo."
Rebecca put her ear to the door and waited until there was no sign of anyone.
When she heard no sound, Rebecca took a deep breath and approached the window.
The cat was patiently waiting for the window to open.
"You've been waiting long, haven't you? You must be Leo."
As the window opened, Leo yawned languidly and entered the room.
Around Leo's neck, which curiously examined every corner, was a necklace with a small box attached.
Rebecca poured water for Leo and took out the note from the box.
The note contained a single word written in a concise and powerful style.
<Let's meet and talk first.>
It was a somewhat Julian-esque answer.
It wasn't a definite answer, but she had succeeded in piquing his interest.
Rebecca wanted to cheer with joy.
But it was too early to celebrate.
After careful consideration, Rebecca began to write on the paper. Then, she folded the note small and put it back in the box.
Leo seemed to like Rebecca, rubbing his body against her legs.
Rebecca smiled gently and stroked Leo. The purring sound was pleasant to hear.
"This is a very important note, so I hope you deliver it accurately."
Leo nodded towards Rebecca.
Soon, Leo jumped out the window.
They say all cats are children of God. Leo, the leader of God's children, was a truly intelligent cat.
<Please come to the Liberta Poorhouse this Wednesday at three o'clock. You must come secretly in the most humble attire possible.>
"Telling me to come and go as she pleases, she's an interesting woman."
Julian read the note written by Rebecca and chuckled.
"Leo, good job. You must be tired."
Julian clapped his knee and called Leo.
Leo pretended not to hear him.
"Are you really sulking that much just because I asked you to do one errand?"
Leo lay down, turning his back to him without a word.
Julian looked at Leo with dumbfounded eyes. He could share thoughts with the cat whose soul was bound to him.
However, he could not forcibly read them if the other party did not want him to.
Julian tried to focus and read Leo's thoughts, but Leo blocked his intrusion.
"Leo, it can't be helped. You know how important this is. I couldn't ask another cat to do it."
Julian groaned and rubbed his forehead. Leo was usually cheerful, but once he sulked, it was hard to appease him.
'That woman, she resembles that child from back then.'
Suddenly, Leo's voice pierced through his mind.
Julian, who was examining Rebecca's note, paused and looked at Leo. It was the first time he had brought up that incident.
"That's impossible. That was a remote forest. You saw that woman. She doesn't even seem to have left the capital since she was born."
'I'm just saying what I felt. Anyway, she doesn't seem like a bad person.'
"Then that's a relief. But are you really okay? If that woman's words are true, she can break the curse. Then you..."
'It's okay. It's a life that was abandoned once anyway.'
"You always have to say things like that..."
'If you're done talking, I'll be going.'
After speaking, Leo stood up and walked away haughtily. Three black cats followed behind him.
Even while sharing thoughts, it was impossible to know what was in that small head.
Rebecca, she was similar to Leo in that regard.
Getting a divorce. And on top of that, marrying him?
It was an absurd story, but at the same time, it was an appealing proposal.
The temple was starting to send messages.
Right now, they were just letters asking about his well-being. But soon, they would start urging him to produce an heir to take care of the messenger of God.
The fact that she was a divorcee was not a problem for the temple. The Dephria Order was relatively free when it came to marital relations.
Whether it was polygyny or polyandry, it didn't matter. Divorce was also more lenient compared to other countries.
That was the doctrine of the state religion, but even so, openly taking a second wife was rare.
The Dephria Order valued the freedom of pleasure, but Rotandus's traditional culture was conservative.
Therefore, people enjoyed various pleasurable activities, but they were reluctant to reveal them openly.
A bizarre harmony was formed between the tradition of valuing face and the faith of pursuing freedom.
Therefore, most affairs ended with lovers, unless there was a succession issue like in the case of Duke Johannes's family.
Zeppelin was a special case. Although he had not had a child for ten years, Rebecca was still young.
Taking a second wife when the first wife was still young was an act of openly ignoring the first wife.
'That bastard deserves to be divorced.'
Old memories came to mind, and Julian narrowed his brows.
He didn't like Zeppelin from the first time he saw him.
Because of his sickly mother, Julian was raised almost entirely by his nanny.
The nanny was an immigrant and a rough person. But the nanny was always in the few happy memories of his childhood.
But Zeppelin ignored that nanny. He openly shouted at her that she was dirty.
'A human trash.'
Julian recalled what Leo had told him about what had happened at the Count's Residence last night.
The very concept of punishing his wife was absurd. And that punishment was whipping a loved one in front of her.
How cruel was that?
He couldn't even imagine how much more she had gone through besides that.
"Ha. Now I understand why she was walking around like a corpse."
Julian thought of Rebecca at the banquet hall.
Her face that he had seen in the forest last night was not a hallucination.
Rebecca was not the Rebecca that Julian had seen until now. Her eyes shone straight, and there was strength in her words.
It was as if she had become a different person.
Julian thought of Rebecca.
Her slender neckline and the shining blonde hair that flowed down like a waterfall. A soft but firm voice. And a surprisingly thin waist.
'She was incredibly light when I lifted her.'
Even considering that she was a woman, it was a lightness that a person could not have.
'He must be starving her.'
Julian clicked his tongue and vowed that if Rebecca became the Duchess, he would feed her first.
Julian was a natural gourmet. The Johannes ducal family had several of the most skilled chefs in the empire.
Zeppelin Devonshire Earl's morning always went the same way.
At 6 a.m., a maid came in, drew the curtains, left the wash water, and quietly disappeared.
Zeppelin, who had opened his eyes, enjoyed the morning sunlight, completed a simple wash after that, lightly sprayed perfume, and then got out of bed.
Then, he entered the mirror room connected to the bedroom and performed the mirror ritual for exactly one hour.
Inside the room with mirrors on all sides, Zeppelin examined every corner of his naked body.
He loved all products of beauty, and he considered humans, especially beautiful women, to be the best.
But exceptionally, there was a man he thought was beautiful.
That was himself, Zeppelin Devonshire.
Only beautiful women could occupy the position of Devonshire Countess for generations. Zeppelin was the culmination of such an obsessive lineage.
His blonde hair fluttered softly. His light sky-blue eyes were reminiscent of sunlight breaking on the waves.
Overall, he had a boyish feel, but his high nose and strong lips were those of a solid man.
In addition, his delicately sculpted body contributed to his beauty.
Zeppelin hummed pleasantly and entered the mirror room as usual. Unlike the gloomy yesterday, the weather was very nice today.
He thought it would be nice to have a picnic with his two beautiful wives.
Of course, he had to bring a specially made parasol so that his face wouldn't get burned by the sun.
Zeppelin, who was looking in the mirror while sweeping up his hair, paused.
He wondered if he was still not fully awake, so he left the room and came back in.
"Aaaaaaah!"
A terrible scream was reflected in the mirror, filling the room. Zeppelin's knights rushed in.
"Earl! What's wrong?"
"My hair... my hair!"
His blonde hair, which should have been rustling near his ears, was cut off terribly.
One knight, who saw Zeppelin's shaggy hair, widened his eyes.
He desperately bit the inside of his cheek to hold back his laughter.
"Who is it! What bastard did this! Was it you?"
Zeppelin grabbed the knight's collar, who was holding back his laughter. The burly man was helplessly dragged by Zeppelin's hand.
"N, no. How dare I..."
Seeing Zeppelin's murderous eyes, the knight never laughed again.
Cold sweat dripped down his temples.
"How are you doing your job! Bring all the bastards who were on guard yesterday!"
Rebecca slightly opened the door to the commotion upstairs.
Zeppelin's excited voice could be heard all the way here.
Alicia was also curious, so she came out of her room and looked up.
Alicia, who was grabbing a passing servant and asking about the details, hurriedly closed the door and went inside when she met Rebecca's eyes.
Rebecca narrowed her eyes as she watched her.
Since Zeppelin had only taken Rebecca to the banquet hall, Alicia had been relatively quiet.
She must have had something up her sleeve.
Rebecca had a vague idea of what that scheme might be.
Rebecca pleasantly savored Zeppelin's screams before entering the room.
A small wooden box was placed on the side table.
