Translator: Nox

Chapter 38

Zeppelin handed the key to Grace.

"The key is with the head maid. She will only unlock the cuffs briefly when absolutely necessary."

Zeppelin gave Grace a look full of trust.

Grace nodded, as dry as usual.

As she turned away, a subtle smile, unnoticed by anyone, appeared on her lips.

'Yes, let's just think of it as his last struggle.'

Rebecca frowned at the unpleasant weight on her wrist, but soon smoothed her face and smiled brightly.

And she waved for a long time until Zeppelin's carriage disappeared.

---

"I'm back, Rebecca."

Robert, who had come to Rebecca's room, knelt at her feet.

His cheeks were sunken more than the last time she saw him, as if he had suffered a lot.

He looked exhausted, but Robert seemed happier than ever.

Rebecca smiled and said, "It seems you've had some success?"

"Ah, no. I couldn't find the exact evidence you mentioned, Rebecca. However..."

"However?"

"I found someone who can give us information."

"Did you find someone who escaped from the island?"

At Rebecca's question, Robert said with renewed surprise, "How did you know...? I always think that if I had known your insight, Rebecca, I would have helped you sooner. If I had, I might not have suffered such humiliation as I do now."

Robert frowned at the dangling handcuffs on Rebecca's slender wrist.

Without hearing a detailed explanation, he knew what had happened at once.

'The Duke's obsessive sickness has returned.'

But this was too much.

No one, under the name of husband, could bind his wife with handcuffs.

In this state, she was no different from a prisoner.

The opinion among the Hounds was no different from his. They were all uneasy, saying that the Duke was going more and more insane.

They were anxious that the sparks might fly their way.

Unlike Robert, who was restless every time the handcuffs around Rebecca's wrist clinked, Rebecca seemed relaxed.

"Isn't this mild enough? Handcuffs. I imagined something worse, but I realized today that he doesn't have much of an imagination."

"Rebecca!"

"I'm joking. I'm rather grateful. Since he doesn't give me a chance to waver, I can punish him as much as I want. By the way, what was the reaction of the Hounds when they saw my handcuffs?"

"They are uneasy."

"As expected. Zeppelin has made things easier for me without any confirmation. Have you met the person who can give us information?"

"That's actually, his whereabouts are unclear... But if you give me time, I will definitely find him."

What Rebecca had asked Robert to do was to find clues about the island where Zeppelin had imprisoned the people he had kidnapped.

In response, Robert made an excuse that he was sick and looked into the islands owned by Zeppelin.

There were not many places that could hold a large number of people without attracting attention for a long time.

Therefore, Robert judged that the island where Zeppelin had imprisoned the people was Zeppelin's private property.

However, there was nothing strange on paper, and most of the islands owned by Zeppelin had been developed into resorts and were booming.

He had to bring in daily necessities secretly, and personnel had to be stationed to monitor the people.

And it was likely that they were all gathered together for easy management.

So Robert excluded the islands where tourists came and went from the list.

When he was focusing on an uninhabited island that was not even on the map, he heard that there was a vagrant who was talking about escaping from an island.

But he missed him by a hair's breadth, and since he had to return to the mansion, Robert returned without any harvest.

"I know this was the best you could do, but I'm still a little disappointed."

Rebecca fell into thought for a moment.

It was an opportunity that Julian had created with great effort. Even if it was just a part of the Hounds, she had to turn them to her side while Zeppelin was away from the mansion.

So she had secretly hoped that Robert would bring even a small clue.

But it didn't matter even if he didn't find a clue. It was difficult to do in a short period of time in the first place.

After much deliberation, Rebecca made a decision.

"Robert."

"Yes. Please speak."

"Are you good at lying?"

"Yes?"

"I'm thinking of telling a lie."

"A lie...?"

"Spread a rumor among the Hounds."

"What kind of rumor are you talking about?"

Rebecca unfolded her crossed legs. Then, she leaned toward Robert, who was still kneeling.

"Rebecca is a Saintess."

Unlike the word Saintess coming from her mouth, Rebecca was making a somewhat chilling expression.

Staring at Robert, who had a blank expression, Rebecca continued in a whisper.

"She can see the future with the grace of God. She sees the past clearly. Her marriage to Zeppelin is the Saintess's ordeal."

"A Saintess? You could be dragged away for blasphemy!"

"Don't worry, I'll take care of that part somehow. And haven't you all been calling me a Saintess from the beginning? An angelic Countess, a beautiful and kind Rebecca Devonshire who is worthy of being called a Saintess. What's wrong with becoming a real Saintess as they want?"

"That's true, but it doesn't mean a real Saintess."

"Robert, I didn't know you were such a rigid person. A lie becomes the truth the moment the other person believes it's true. Even if the person concerned comes forward and reveals it as a lie later, no one will believe it."

It was something Rebecca had experienced countless times in her previous life.

Depending on public opinion, the perpetrator became the victim, and some people were buried in society due to unfounded rumors.

Even if the truth was revealed later, people did not easily believe it. Once a stigma was stamped, it followed them like a label for the rest of their lives.

'I almost got kicked out of the village because of that.'

In her previous life, a married man had flirted with Rebecca.

Rebecca refused him outright, but somehow it was rumored that Rebecca had seduced him.

Thanks to the salon staff, who were members of Liberta, who worked hard to explain, the misunderstanding was resolved.

But even after that, the way the villagers looked at her did not return.

Before she knew it, Rebecca had become a bewitching woman who seduced men.

At that time, she felt the power of rumors to the bone.

"Tell them I have Divine Power. So I know where their families were kidnapped. Tell them that if they take Rebecca's side, they can rescue them. Your words will be credible."

"They are suspicious people. They won't believe my words right away."

"Of course. Robert, just float the idea. I'll take care of the rest. I can create the ability to see the future as much as I want."

Rebecca then began to explain her plan.

Robert's eyes were shaking violently, and Canna, who was listening silently in the corner, was smiling quietly as usual.

---

"Rodrigo, you seem to be in a good mood today."

"M-Madam!"

Rodrigo was startled by Rebecca's sudden greeting and straightened his body.

Perhaps because of what Robert had hinted at last night, he was more conscious of Rebecca today.

'I realized while watching, but I think Rebecca is a Saintess. She prays every day to overcome her trials.'

'I pray every day too. What's wrong with that?'

'She sees the future. You once told me to be careful of the water, Madam. Do you remember when I got splashed with water while doing repair work on the mansion? It happened a few minutes after you said it, Madam.'

'That's just a coincidence...'

'That's not all. Think about it. Rebecca meets all the conditions of a Saintess. Blonde hair and blue eyes similar to the Dephria Goddess, white skin like jade, kind nature, and even the ordeal of being the Devonshire Earl's wife.'

'Now that I hear it...'

'Isn't it strange? Why did she insist on building a Poorhouse as soon as she became the Countess? She has never accused the Earl of his strange behavior.'

'That's because Rebecca has a weakness, isn't it?'

'Only we Hounds know that she has a weakness. How would that innocent person know such a fact? And the fact that she was still when she was handcuffed this time. Anyway, there's something about her. Something...'

'Don't talk nonsense...'

But because those words came from Robert's mouth, Rodrigo was wavering.

Robert, as far as he knew, was not a person who would talk nonsense even by mistake.

'Come to think of it, she really seems like a Saintess.'

Rebecca, wearing a pure white dress and smiling innocently, looked like someone living in heaven.

The sunlight shining behind her was so dazzling that Rodrigo couldn't look at Rebecca straight.

"Ah, that's right, Rodrigo. Be careful of the sky."

"Yes?"

Rebecca pretended to raise her head and said in a sad tone.

"Why does God give trials to good people? I can only give you small clues to avoid terrible pain."

"......?"

Rebecca left behind a riddle-like remark and disappeared leisurely.

Rodrigo pondered her words and moved to change shifts with another Hound.

And at that moment.

"Watch out!"

A shout was heard, and a large flowerpot fell in front of his feet.

Rodrigo fell backward and grabbed his pounding heart.

The flowerpot was shattered miserably.

If he hadn't been paying attention to the sky and walking because he was worried about Rebecca's words, a major disaster could have occurred.

When he imagined that his head might have been in the shape of a broken flowerpot, goosebumps ran down Rodrigo's arms.

He swallowed hard and quickly made the sign of the cross.

'Saintess!'

---

"F-Finally!"

Gustav laughed like crazy, scattering his long silver hair.

The leaves, which had been dark red until yesterday, were completely dyed black.

The end of the leaf was sharply curved in the shape of a hook, making it look like the Devil's Claw.

Gustav carefully transplanted the Devil's Claw with thick gloves on.

The fully grown Devil's Claw was comfortably placed in a portable flowerpot with temperature control.

"Now the Duke's nagging will be reduced, right?"

It had already been a month since he came to this Montfort's laboratory.

At first, it was just sweet.

"You're giving me this great facility for free?"

"Of course. You are the person I need, Rebecca... no, me. Don't worry about anything else and just focus on your research. Ah, these are the employees who will help you."