Chapter 17
Zeppelin quirked his lips upward. In his own way, it was a reward for Rebecca having eased his messed-up mood.
The carrot and the stick.
It was a tactic Zeppelin often used on Rebecca.
But now, Zeppelin's affection was no reward for Rebecca. Torture would have been better.
‘It’s okay, Rebecca. It’s what you’ve done countless times.’
Even as she steeled herself, she couldn't stop her whole body from trembling.
Without even knowing how she ate dinner, Rebecca just wished for this time to pass quickly.
"If you want to exert yourself in the evening, wouldn't it be better to eat a little more? No, you might get a belly. I misspoke."
Zeppelin said with a seductive look as Rebecca picked at her food.
Because of that, Rebecca had to clench her fists so tightly throughout the meal that her hands turned white.
* * *
As soon as dinner was over, the maids rushed in.
The maids meticulously washed Rebecca in bathwater infused with fragrant oils.
The warm bathwater somehow felt as cold as ice.
"How is it? Isn't it perfect?"
Grace, who had finished adorning Rebecca, showed her a large full-length mirror.
The pure white silk dress revealed Rebecca's perfect figure.
The pearl powder sprinkled in her hair shimmered subtly under the brilliant lights.
Rebecca, who had been scrutinizing herself, let out a snort.
It was a self-deprecating laugh.
"Ha. Disgustingly beautiful."
"Pardon?"
"Nothing."
She was going to have to take it off anyway, but Zeppelin was always like this. Perfect in every way. Even in the bedroom, there were no exceptions.
The corset, which was compressing her ribs, felt like Zeppelin's grip.
Rebecca took shallow breaths, forcing herself to take unwilling steps.
* * *
Rebecca slowly headed towards the stairs to the third floor, feeling like she was being dragged to hell.
"Are you going to the Count's room?"
Just then, Alicia blocked her path.
Alicia scanned Rebecca, who was all dolled up, from head to toe.
"Really, you look beautiful."
The moment Rebecca saw the jealousy burning in Alicia's eyes, she snapped to her senses.
A glimmer of hope came to her.
Rebecca smiled brightly and sincerely at Alicia.
"Is that so? Thank you for seeing me that way."
Alicia paused at Rebecca's elegant smile.
Since the victory banquet, Alicia had been holed up in her room, pondering how she had ended up in this situation.
And she finally realized that Rebecca had been playing with her.
Even showing her the heirloom was all part of a plan.
‘I was blinded by the jewelry and let my guard down.’
Alicia decided that, as things had turned out this way, she would stop hiding her true feelings from Rebecca and compete head-on.
The Rebecca of now was not the Rebecca of the past who had cared for her.
Alicia scoffed and retorted.
"But you know that's only temporary, right? Have you forgotten that I'm much younger than you, Rebecca? Time waits for no one. The Count's attention will soon turn to me."
Is it now?
Rebecca glanced down at the maids and servants bustling about on the lower floor.
It might be pretty good now.
Rebecca deliberately went up one more step.
Then, she raised one side of her mouth crookedly and looked down at Alicia as if she were pathetic.
"Go ahead. You can have that attention to your heart's content. But even so, you can never be the first wife. If I have a child today, your child will be second forever, just like you."
At Rebecca's provocation, Alicia trembled.
Let's see how long that arrogant smile lasts.
Alicia chuckled and took a few steps back.
"You'll regret those words!"
Alicia grabbed Rebecca's hand and brought it to her chest. Then, she screamed loudly and threw her head back.
"Kyaa! Re, Rebecca, how could you do this to me!"
Behind Alicia was the long staircase leading to the lobby.
Everyone's eyes turned upward. Alicia stepped off the stairs.
It was truly excellent acting.
Joy flashed across Rebecca's face as she watched Alicia fall backward.
Rebecca immediately threw herself forward, grabbed Alicia's hand, and wrapped her in her arms.
Alicia, who had tightly closed her eyes, expecting to feel pain, opened her eyes wide at Rebecca's soft chest.
And she stared at Rebecca with a look of horror.
Rebecca hit her head on the edge of the stairs and frowned at the surge of pain.
But Rebecca's mouth was still smiling. She protected Alicia's head as if it were a precious treasure.
This was not what Alicia had planned at all.
The two women of the Count's family tumbled down for a long time, embracing each other.
With a heavy thud, the employees rushed over.
Alicia was completely unharmed in Rebecca's arms.
"Aaaagh!"
A great pain washed over her. Rebecca screamed. The arm that had held Alicia wouldn't move.
Rebecca's pure white dress was stained red with blood flowing from her head.
"What's going on!"
Zeppelin, who had been waiting for Rebecca in his room, rushed out. And he found Rebecca writhing in pain on the stairs.
Zeppelin's eyes widened, then soon began to tremble. He didn't even notice Alicia lying on the ground.
"Rebecca!"
Zeppelin's hurried footsteps echoed as he ran down the stairs.
Rebecca whispered into Alicia's ear, who could only open and close her mouth without saying a word.
"You have to protect the little secret in your belly. It's your only asset."
At those words, Alicia looked at Rebecca with a pale face.
Rebecca smiled meaningfully at the anxious Alicia.
Just then, Zeppelin, who had rushed over in a hurry, saw Rebecca's blood-soaked face and screamed like a madman.
Zeppelin glared at the innocent employees with murderous eyes.
"If Rebecca gets even one scar on her face, you're all dead!"
Rebecca said in a frail voice.
"Zeppelin, Alicia is not at fault. So, forgive her..."
Rebecca closed her eyes. Pretending to faint was easy.
Zeppelin shook Rebecca violently, trying to wake her up.
"Rebecca! Rebecca! No! Never... never!"
Zeppelin let out an almost desperate scream. He didn't even want to imagine a world without Rebecca.
Rebecca was his dream, his hope, his everything. A masterpiece he had created by devoting his youth.
Canna stopped Zeppelin, who looked desperate, with a look of despair.
"She's not dead yet. Quickly, take her to her room and call a doctor."
"Wh, what..."
"Quickly!"
Canna shouted. Her eyes were red. Canna hurriedly picked up Rebecca.
Zeppelin finally came to his senses at Canna's cry.
"Y, yes. Call a doctor right away."
Zeppelin blankly stared at Canna's back as she ran to Rebecca's room.
And he wiped his face. Damp tears soaked his hand.
Zeppelin reaffirmed his affection for Rebecca once again.
And how precious she was to him.
"Lo, Lord Count..."
Alicia instinctively grabbed her stomach and called out to him.
Zeppelin glared at Alicia with eyes burning with rage.
"Alicia. How dare you do something like this without knowing your place?"
Alicia had never seen Zeppelin so angry before.
Alicia's shoulders trembled like a rabbit in front of a predator.
"N, no, it, it was an accident..."
She tried to muster the courage to make excuses, but Alicia couldn't speak in the face of Zeppelin's murderous aura, which was filled with hatred.
Zeppelin coldly looked at the blood on his hand and gestured to the maids.
"Take her away."
The maids grabbed Alicia's arms.
Zeppelin wiped off the blood with a handkerchief.
"To the Hall of Light."
The Hounds, who knew what that place was, were startled and looked at Zeppelin.
But they couldn't dare to rebel and lowered their heads again.
The Hounds only had to do what Hounds do.
* * *
Danae Oberlia furrowed her brow, holding the tight budget proposal.
At this rate, they wouldn't be able to afford dresses for her daughters, let alone the desserts they only ate on special occasions.
At least it was fortunate that her husband Theo's investment sickness seemed to have subsided recently.
‘I feel like I want to go out and earn money.’
But she couldn't.
In the Rotandus Empire, women earning money was something only commoners did.
She didn't care what kind of treatment she received, but if she did that, her twin daughters Livia and Helena would be pointed at.
Besides, her eldest daughter Rebecca was a Countess. What a disgrace it would be if rumors spread that her mother was working.
"Haa."
Her chest felt stuffy.
The laughter of her daughters and Theo playing in the garden never ceased. Theo was a caring father and husband.
That was what she had fallen for and married in the first place.
But a good father and a good head of the household were different.
Theo was not a good head of the household.
He was too kind and gullible, so he had a chronic habit of investing without even checking here and there.
In the end, the once prosperous family was gradually sinking.
They were barely making ends meet.
Danae somehow felt that all of this was not a coincidence.
‘I will marry Rebecca.’
Danae thought of Zeppelin. He had come to marry Rebecca as if he were picking up an item he had entrusted to someone.
She didn't like him from the start. So, she initially rejected Zeppelin's proposal.
In the first place, the Devonshire Earl family and the Oberlia Viscount family were not a good match. Such a marriage was bound to be unhappy.
Danae thought of Zeppelin as one of the many suitors who were rushing at Rebecca's beautiful face.
She thought it would be a fleeting interest.
But unexpectedly, Zeppelin was persistent.
He came every day and knocked on the door.
And around that time, Danae learned about Theo's investment failure.
It was an investment that had poured almost all of the family's assets into, so the Oberlia family was on the verge of bankruptcy.
Then, as if he had known about this situation in advance, Zeppelin came with a large sum of money.
He even said he wouldn't accept a dowry.
It was a marriage that she couldn't refuse from her position. Even Rebecca said she liked Zeppelin.
So, it was okay. Even as she sold her daughter, Danae told herself that it was just a worry.
‘I was crazy. Danae, you don't even deserve to be a mother.’
After Rebecca became a Countess, Danae lived in regret every day.
As Danae had sensed, Rebecca was withering away day by day.
Her appearance was still beautiful. No, it became even more beautiful as the days went by.
But what good was it when she was trapped in a prison where she couldn't even visit her own family freely?
"Madam! An urgent letter...!"
Her only maid knocked on the door. She might have to let that maid go soon too.
Danae sighed deeply and received the letter that the maid handed her.
The seal of the Devonshire Earl family was stamped on the envelope of the letter.
Her heart pounded. She had a bad feeling.
