Chapter 29
After seeing Zeppelin to the entrance, Rebecca turned her wheelchair around. She met Alicia's gaze, who was looking down at her coldly.
"Do you have something to say?"
Rebecca smiled faintly, and Alicia raised her eyebrows slightly before parting her lips.
"Lady Alicia, it's time for you to go to your room."
Just then, a maid rushed over and cut off Alicia's words.
It seemed she had been ordered not to let Alicia speak carelessly to Rebecca.
Alicia glared at the maid as if she was resentful, then flounced into the mansion, her light pink dress fluttering.
'Her temper hasn't died down. That's a relief.'
Rebecca felt somehow relieved at the sight.
It wasn't that she was worried about Alicia, but she didn't want her to follow the same path as she had.
"It's ready."
A maid carrying a large basket whispered quickly to Rebecca as she passed by.
The maid returned to her place as if she had never spoken to Rebecca.
Rebecca smiled contentedly as she watched the back of the maid with her neatly braided blonde hair.
* * *
Even Zeppelin couldn't possibly exploit and threaten every employee in the mansion.
Therefore, Zeppelin's Hounds were a minority compared to the total number of employees. The rest, who performed minor tasks, swore loyalty for money.
Some of the employees who weren't Hounds became Grace's eyes and ears.
Grace received reports from them about Rebecca and Alicia's daily routines and collected rumors circulating inside and outside the mansion.
She then selected important information and reported it to Zeppelin.
Among them, Susan was the one who collected rumors from outside.
With her unique sociability, Susan became close to the employees of other Count's Residences and the merchants in the market, bringing in all sorts of gossip.
Most of it was useless, but occasionally she would bring information that predicted market price changes or intimate stories that only employees would know.
Her abilities were important, but what caught Rebecca's eye was her appearance.
Susan had blonde hair and blue eyes. And, crucially, she was unusually similar in height to Rebecca.
Rebecca approached her when she was alone.
"You're very tall. Almost as tall as me."
"L, Lady!"
Susan was startled and dropped the towel she was holding, as it was the first time in years of working at the mansion that she had spoken to Rebecca.
"You're Susan, right?"
"D, do you know my name?"
"Of course. I know you always do hard work for me."
Susan was ecstatic that the beautiful Lady she had always admired had spoken to her. And she even knew her name.
Her heart pounded.
Susan looked around. The dimly lit hallway, where preparations for the night were just finishing, was empty.
She was a little dejected by the fact that she couldn't brag to anyone.
Rebecca's shoes caught Susan's eye as she lowered her head.
They were bright red shoes with delicate gold butterfly decorations.
Rebecca had been watching Susan ever since she noticed her.
Susan had always looked at Alicia and Rebecca's belongings more greedily than any other maid.
Everything Zeppelin gave was top-notch, so it would have been stranger if the young maid hadn't been interested.
Rebecca noticed Susan's wavering desire and smiled faintly.
"Do you want these shoes?"
"Excuse me? Oh, no. How could I..."
"I think they would suit you better than me. I'll give them to you."
"Really?!"
Susan was so surprised that she cried out without realizing it.
Rebecca raised her index finger to her lips.
"Shh. This is a secret just between us. But it's not for free."
"T, then...?"
Susan was already captivated by Rebecca and had her mouth half-open.
Rebecca smiled alluringly.
"Why don't we play a game?"
* * *
"Are you sure this will work, Lady? What if the Count finds out later..."
Susan continued to bite her nails anxiously even as Canna was dressing her up.
Rebecca stopped Susan's hand from going to her mouth again and said,
"Hmm, it's better to wear gloves on your hands. Just in case you get caught. He won't be home for a few days, so don't worry. Goodness, look at this. I'd believe you if you said you were a born noble lady."
Rebecca quickly pushed Susan in front of the mirror, as if not to give her any more time to worry.
"Is that me?"
Susan stared at her reflection in disbelief.
The sky-blue dress, which was similar to her eye color, was decorated with delicate pink rose embroidery.
And Canna had perfectly concealed her freckles, which she was usually self-conscious about.
Her drooping eyes were also drawn up like Rebecca's.
Unless you looked closely, Susan resembled Rebecca at first glance.
"Oh my goodness, God! I've become the Lady! Ack! Oh, that's not... I, I'm sorry. I misspoke!"
Susan, who had been shouting excitedly, trembled and lowered her head at Canna's sharp glare.
Rebecca gently comforted her.
"Did you forget? This game depends on how much you become like Rebecca Devonshire. Of course, you won't have much to say."
"Yes..."
"Don't worry. I'll be back in a few hours. You can enjoy this game and sit in the wheelchair and draw."
"But, Lady, I don't know how to draw!"
"Canna will teach you, so there's no problem."
Rebecca took Susan's hand.
Susan was mesmerized by Rebecca's cloud-soft hand. It was such a contrast to her rough hands.
"Thank you. I was so suffocated. Now that my husband is away, it's my chance. I wanted to be an ordinary commoner for a while, not the Countess."
Susan couldn't understand Rebecca. Why would this good fortune be suffocating?
But her pleading eyes moved Susan's heart.
Susan stared intently at her reflection in the mirror for a moment. A blissful light did not fade from her eyes.
Canna and Rebecca exchanged satisfied smiles as they watched Susan.
Susan squeezed Rebecca's hand, as if she had made up her mind completely.
"I'll do it. Lady, have a good time."
* * *
Rebecca pressed down her bonnet and imitated Susan's wobbly gait as she approached the front gate.
The gatekeepers accepted the pass Rebecca handed them with cold eyes.
"Go ahead."
As Rebecca passed through the open gate, they closed it mechanically.
They didn't even offer a common greeting; they looked as if their souls had been taken away.
'But that's why I like it even more.'
This was her second escape.
Robert was on sick leave, so she couldn't use the same method as last time. That's why she had spent several nights worrying and came up with this plan.
It wasn't as thrilling as the first time, but it was still exciting.
As she breathed in the air of freedom, Julian suddenly came to mind.
Duke Johannes's territory was adjacent to the city where the Count's Residence was located.
If she took a carriage, it was close enough for her to go to him.
But Rebecca scoffed at herself for even considering it.
'Have I become attached to him already? Rebecca, don't get ahead of yourself.'
With that, Rebecca forced Julian out of her mind. And she headed to the market with a heavier heart than before.
* * *
The market was overflowing with the vitality of life. The shouts and laughter of people could be heard from all directions.
Rebecca felt a little dizzy for a moment, but she was happy to be in this atmosphere after so long, so she lingered for a while despite the time constraints.
"Oh, Susan! What are you here to buy today?"
But she had to stop quickly because people recognized Rebecca as Susan.
Susan was truly a social butterfly. Merchants greeted her in every alley.
Rebecca covered her face as much as possible with her bonnet and headed to the address Leo had given her before.
<Tanisha Trading Company>
The building was neither overly luxurious nor shabby.
Rebecca looked up and knocked on the plain door of the ordinary building.
"Come in."
Tanisha opened the door with a clear voice. She looked up at Rebecca, who was dressed as a commoner, and froze for a moment.
Her eyes, unlike her attire, were full of dignity and grace, and Tanisha shrank back without realizing it.
"Um... what brings you here?"
"I've come to see the head of the trading company."
"I'm the head of the trading company. Who are you?"
"I heard you were looking for me."
Tanisha's eyes wavered at Rebecca's words. She seemed quite surprised by Rebecca's appearance.
Rebecca was also taken aback by Tanisha's youthful appearance.
She had expected an experienced old gentleman, as she had heard that she had found a capable head of the trading company.
But Tanisha in front of her was a small young lady with deep dimples.
However, Rebecca sensed that she had come to the right place because her large, round brown eyes were full of spirit.
"Then, could you be that Rebec..."
Tanisha hurriedly covered her mouth as she was about to say Rebecca's name. Then, she quickly brought Rebecca inside.
'So she knows my identity exactly.'
Julian had clearly said that he hadn't revealed her identity to the head of the trading company.
But the fact that she already knew meant that she was a person with considerable information or reasoning skills.
Rebecca admired inwardly and scanned the interior of the building with indifferent eyes. The goods were tangled in a chaotic mess.
"It's not perfect yet because we're still organizing."
Tanisha added quickly, looking a little embarrassed.
The overall structure seemed ordinary, but if you looked closely, you could see that it had been carefully crafted.
Tanisha seemed quite attached to this place.
Rebecca observed Tanisha, who was sending her wary glances, while smiling kindly.
"Hey, send some refreshments to my room."
Tanisha called out to a black-haired young man who was moving busily in the distance.
He seemed confused, as he wasn't in charge of refreshments, but he soon nodded at Tanisha's stern gaze. He put the documents he was organizing in a corner for a moment and disappeared into the small kitchen.
Tanisha glanced at the employee's movements and took Rebecca to the second floor.
There was a room on the second floor filled with bookshelves.
Tanisha went to a large desk.
A classic nameplate was placed on the desk, as if it were the head of the trading company's seat.
Tanisha offered the chair for the head of the trading company and said,
"You should sit here, as it's the Duke's order."
The heavy leather chair moved with a heavy sound in Tanisha's hand.
Rebecca stared at the chair for a moment.
