Chapter 4
Late at night, Alice took Hans and disappeared into the kitchen.
Rebecca saw Alice's gesture and quickly went up to the third floor.
Creak-
The sound of the door opening seemed as loud as thunder.
Rebecca held her breath and successfully entered the study.
"Haa..."
It was a study she had never entered even in her previous life.
Rebecca stood in front of the door for a moment, looking around the study.
The study was perfectly symmetrical.
The books that filled both sides were so numerous that she knew the number was exactly the same without counting.
It was a study befitting Zeppelin's obsessive personality.
Rebecca tiptoed carefully toward the desk.
Zeppelin would know at once if the angle of the carpet was even slightly off.
The desk drawer, which she expected to be locked, opened easily.
As if it didn't matter who read it.
The documents inside the drawer were perfectly organized.
Rebecca carefully took out the documents, being careful not to disturb them.
Rebecca scanned the names of the documents, which were arranged in alphabetical order, and froze on the spot.
Familiar names entered her mind in a jumble.
With trembling hands, Rebecca took out one of them.
<Obelia>
Rebecca Obelia.
It was her name before she became Rebecca Devonshire.
As Rebecca turned the pages of the documents related to her family, she was startled and covered her mouth with her trembling hand.
Her breathing grew increasingly rough.
"Oh my god..."
The documents detailed how Zeppelin had financially isolated the Obelia family.
Looking at the dates, it was a plan that had begun several years before he proposed to Rebecca.
Now, an old suspicion was resolved.
The Obelia family had a long history, but it was not a very famous family.
However, with fertile land and monthly income, the family had never struggled financially throughout the generations.
Yet, the Obelia family had suddenly collapsed. It was something that could not have happened without artificial intervention.
Rebecca gripped the documents tightly, as if they would tear.
The documents detailed how Zeppelin had bankrupted her wealthy family in just a few years.
"That bastard..."
Zeppelin was cleaning up her surroundings first in order to completely confine Rebecca in a cage.
Rebecca hurriedly picked up other documents with familiar names written on them.
The names of her childhood friends caught her eye.
After reading the contents, Rebecca covered her mouth again.
<I, Diana Judrian, on the condition that I will not meet Rebecca Devonshire during my lifetime...>
Zeppelin had taken advantage of her friends' weaknesses and received a vow that they would distance themselves from Rebecca.
Rebecca's hands trembled as she held the documents.
She was reminded of the past when she suffered from self-hatred after seeing her friends leave.
'Friends aren't answering your calls? See? I've told you time and time again that you sometimes have an annoying side. You should blame your friends for not having enough patience. But don't worry. You have me.'
Zeppelin's past abusive words echoed in her ears.
Rebecca staggered and grabbed the corner of the desk.
Tears streamed down her cheeks incessantly.
She had already realized that he was trapping her. That's why she ran away from the Count's Residence.
But she never thought that unrelated people around her would suffer because of it.
'Father-in-law, he asked for money again. He said it was for your sister's Debutante. Doesn't your family have the money to hold a Debutante? How long are you going to rely on me? But Rebecca, I'm different from other husbands. My wife listens so well, so I can do that much.'
"Aaaagh!"
Now she saw it. The tearing hearts of her parents, who couldn't resist even when their son-in-law took a second wife.
The document papers fluttered here and there.
Rebecca stood there and sobbed, not caring that the papers were being trampled under her feet.
Her hatred for him grew as high as the sky.
At that moment, the door burst open.
Rebecca raised her tear-stained face.
A man rushed in through the open door. It was Zeppelin.
Zeppelin, who was gasping for breath, frowned at the wildly fluttering documents.
"What is this, wife?"
* * *
"Zeppelin Devonshire! What the hell did you do to me!"
Rebecca threw the documents at Zeppelin's face. Zeppelin dodged the papers flying toward him.
"That's dangerous. What if my face got cut by the paper?"
He picked up a piece of paper that had fallen on the floor.
"Ah, this. It's nothing."
"Nothing? Ruining my family and threatening my friends is nothing?"
"Rebecca. You need to get your facts straight. This is all for you. In the first place, those friends weren't good enough for you. And I think it's a little unfair to say I ruined your family?"
"Don't come near me!"
Despite Rebecca's words, Zeppelin walked toward her without a care. And he hugged Rebecca, who was trembling.
Rebecca resisted fiercely, but the more she did, the tighter Zeppelin's arms became around her.
"How could I treat you, the one I cherish the most, like that? I was helping your father-in-law. You don't know how money works. I just lent your father-in-law money to invest."
Rebecca looked up at Zeppelin in disbelief. His blue eyes gleamed cruelly.
If it had been Rebecca from her previous life, around this time, she would have easily fallen for his words.
But after running away from the Count's Residence, Rebecca had gone through all sorts of hardships. She could see through obvious scams.
He hired a con artist to approach Viscount Obelia. And the Viscount invested in the con artist and lost a lot of money.
Around that time, Zeppelin appeared like a savior and lent the Viscount money without any compensation.
The Viscount invested again in a fake business that Zeppelin had set up in order to get the money back.
That's how the debt grew.
It was an amount of debt that most families could not afford.
Rebecca trembled, her fists clenched tightly.
She couldn't say that her father was completely without fault.
But the ultimate cause was Zeppelin.
He had set out to deceive him, so it was only natural that her father, who trusted people easily, would be completely taken in.
Having learned the whole story, Rebecca raised her eyes as if she would slap Zeppelin in the face.
Her reason was already buried in the seething anger.
Rebecca opened her mouth to pour out all sorts of curses.
But at Zeppelin's next words, she couldn't say anything and froze on the spot.
"I understand that you're rebelling like this because I took a second wife, but you better behave. Otherwise, I'll kill Alice?"
Zeppelin cruelly wielded his three-inch tongue, which was sharper than a well-honed knife.
At the mention that Alice was in danger, Rebecca's shoulders drooped helplessly.
Alice was her only ally. She couldn't repeat the death of Alice because of herself.
"Now, you have to answer. My lovely wife."
"Okay..."
"Good. I'll turn a blind eye to what happened today with a generous heart just this once."
Zeppelin lightly kissed Rebecca on the forehead.
"Your Excellency, Lady Alicia has arrived."
A servant called out from outside the door.
Zeppelin took Rebecca's hand and went outside. Rebecca staggered and followed him.
"Your Excellency, why were you running so urgently? Oh, Lady Rebecca?"
Alicia, who had just entered the mansion, widened her eyes when she saw Rebecca standing with Zeppelin on the third-floor railing.
A carriage loaded with luggage had just arrived in front of the mansion.
Seeing this, Rebecca had one question.
'Why is she back?'
Clearly, in her memory, Zeppelin and Alicia had gone on a honeymoon for a week.
It was a fact she remembered clearly because Alicia had brought seven gifts and scratched her nerves in her previous life.
But the future had changed.
'Why? Because I came back early from the wedding?'
Rebecca's gaze, which had been scanning the lobby, met Alice's, who was being held by a servant.
Alice smiled brightly, as if to reassure Rebecca.
At that smile, Rebecca gave strength to her helplessly staggering legs.
She had to protect Alice. She couldn't lose that kind smile again.
Rebecca put her hand on Zeppelin's shoulder and pulled up the corners of her mouth as much as she could, to the point of cramping.
"I'm sorry for making a fuss. I was foolish. I didn't know your deep heart."
"People can make mistakes. Ah, don't worry about Alice. I'll just give her a light scolding and send her back. But she has to be punished for serving the wrong master, right?"
Zeppelin smiled crookedly. And he gestured to the servants.
Alice followed the servants obediently without resisting.
Rebecca felt unbearably sad at her back.
* * *
From the next day, Rebecca was very ill for several days.
She had a high fever, but no one could figure out why.
When she barely regained consciousness and opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Alicia, who was nursing her.
"You're awake!"
Alicia hurriedly called the doctor.
When the doctor said she was fine now, Alicia breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness! I was so worried that something would happen to Lady Rebecca."
Alicia in her prime was dazzlingly beautiful.
Rebecca admired Alicia for a moment before quickly coming to her senses.
Alicia was always like that.
She hid the desires that stirred inside her behind a kind smile.
Alicia moved strictly according to her own interests.
The reason why Alicia helped her escape in her previous life was also because she coveted the position of first wife.
Rebecca had vaguely known about Alicia's selfish side even in the past.
But she couldn't bring herself to hate Alicia.
Whenever Alicia acted friendly, Rebecca seemed to disarm and open her heart.
Rebecca willingly hugged Alicia, even though she knew she was a doll made of thorns.
It was painful and stinging, but she wasn't lonely.
That's how Rebecca fell for Alicia's schemes several times. At that time, she didn't even know they were schemes.
She lost the lives of valuable maids several times. She lost her room to her husband. Not to mention the jewelry and dresses.
And every time, she blamed herself.
Zeppelin manipulated Rebecca at will, who had become so weak.
Looking at it this way, Alicia and Zeppelin were the perfect partners with all the conditions to torment her.
What on earth did she believe in her previous life to tell Alicia where she was staying?
Regret crept over Rebecca.
As her old bad habits were about to repeat themselves, Rebecca squeezed her eyes shut.
'No. Don't blame yourself.'
Rebecca straightened her mind again.
The first resolution she made when she came back was not to blame herself.
It was all Zeppelin's fault. Rebecca decided to think that way.
Alicia stared at Rebecca, who didn't answer. Then she lowered her head with a trembling voice.
"You hate me, don't you, Lady Rebecca?"
