Chapter 46
Danae smiled gently.
"See? There's something you're good at too. So just stay put. I'll go earn the money."
"Okay... but don't overdo it."
"Don't worry. I'm more energetic than ever."
Danae's eyes sparkled with life as she said that.
Theo was mesmerized by the sight and blushed.
"Danae, if it's not urgent, how about we go upstairs for a bit..."
Danae glared and smacked Theo on the back.
"You have no shame in front of the children! I'm busy, so don't even dream about it."
Danae pushed Theo away and opened the front door.
As Livia dragged Theo away, Helena scurried over to Danae and whispered.
"Mom, leave Catherine Unni to us and go with peace of mind."
"...!"
Danae's eyes welled up at Helena's pretty, smiling face. Even though she hadn't said anything, her daughters knew everything.
'When did they grow up so much?'
To her, her three daughters still seemed like babies.
But before she knew it, they were growing up quickly and trying to rebuild the family that their parents had ruined.
She felt proud of her grown-up children, but also sorry at the same time.
'They are daughters too good for me.'
That's why Danae took a more energetic step forward.
* * *
"The abnormal shape of the Pustules, and it's a disease I've never seen before. I can prescribe medicine to reduce the fever, but it will only have a temporary effect."
The doctor, who said he came from the southern end, shook his head after finishing the examination.
Zeppelin, who didn't even have the strength to get angry anymore, slumped into a chair and buried his face in his hands.
'That's the twentieth...'
For nearly a week, the Empire's most renowned doctors had come to see Rebecca's condition.
And most of them just repeated that there was no hope.
Some boasted that they could cure her, but it turned out to be false, and they were beaten and kicked out.
'Of course. This isn't a disease, it's Devil's Claw Addiction.'
Rebecca gasped for breath.
The symptoms of the addiction were more painful than she remembered.
It felt like millions of insects were crawling all over her body, from head to toe.
But if she rashly scratched, the Pustules would burst and an unbearable burning sensation would begin.
But she never regretted it.
Seeing Zeppelin's hollow eyes as he looked at her, almost half-dead, gave her strength.
Zeppelin was constantly anxious about losing her, but when he saw her covered in Pustules, he kept gagging.
Rebecca opened her mouth with difficulty towards him.
"Zeppelin, just give up on me. I'm fine. You have Alicia."
"No. You're the only wife I have, Rebecca."
"Alicia will be upset if she hears you say that."
"I don't care. Rebecca, how did this happen? My lovely Rebecca..."
He looked pathetic, but it was funny.
The sight of him sitting far away from the bed in a luxurious chair, covering his nose with a handkerchief, worrying about her.
Knock- knock-
A cautious knock was heard.
Because all the doors had been opened to ventilate the stench coming from Rebecca's body, Rebecca could immediately tell who the knocker was.
"Excuse me."
Octavio approached Zeppelin and whispered something.
Zeppelin listened to his words with a serious face, then shouted in surprise.
"What? At the Rose Grapes farm?"
"I think you should go there right away."
"Damn it. Why at a time like this..."
"Leave this to me and go with peace of mind. And the temple has contacted you."
"The temple? Didn't I tell you it was a useless act?"
"Still, it's the last hope. It wouldn't hurt to try it once."
"No. Tell them I don't need it."
Zeppelin waved his hand, as if Octavio's persistent persuasion had failed.
A look of annoyance briefly flashed across Octavio's face, then disappeared again.
Zeppelin looked at Rebecca and said softly. His eyes were filled with deep fatigue.
"Rebecca, I think I need to go out for a while. Octavio will take care of you in the meantime, so stay put."
Stay put? How could she be any more still than she already was?
It seemed that the word had become a habit for him.
Rebecca nodded slightly.
As soon as Zeppelin left, Octavio sat in the chair where he had been sitting.
He had his usual smile on his lips and was scrutinizing Rebecca with his small, squinting eyes.
"Is there anything that makes you uncomfortable?"
Rebecca stared blankly at Octavio, who was smiling brightly.
She had known since her previous life that Zeppelin relied on him.
But she thought that the trust he placed in Octavio was nothing more or less than the trust he had in an employee who had been with him since childhood.
Zeppelin was not the type to open his heart to anyone.
But after watching Octavio's recent actions, Rebecca began to think about him again.
He had an extraordinary talent for disarming people.
With just a few questions, employees would spill their secrets. Most of them didn't even realize they were telling secrets.
After witnessing that scene a few times, she had a reasonable suspicion.
Was Zeppelin's twisted personality really only due to his father?
Octavio was the snake of this mansion.
A dangerous snake that wrapped around its master's neck and poured out all sorts of sweet words.
She didn't want to think about how many people had been bitten by him and were slowly dying.
Rebecca stared at him blankly and opened her mouth.
"I'm fine. By the way, Octavio, what is Canna doing these days? Suddenly the maids have changed, so it's uncomfortable."
Octavio answered without hesitation.
"Canna is doing well in her new job. It seems to be her calling. From what I've seen, the Count seems to have judged that she is not a child to serve the mistress. The newly assigned maids are also competent, so please bear with it."
After Robert's death, the Hounds' personnel were reorganized across the board.
The Hounds' personnel was Octavio's unique authority.
He seemed to think that Canna was deeply involved with Robert, so he sent that talented child to the laundry room.
Octavio also seemed to have noticed that Rebecca was gaining the favor of the employees.
He assigned maids she had never seen before to Rebecca instead of Emily and Susan.
Rebecca, who couldn't move from the room, was suddenly tied hand and foot.
But now that all she had to do was wait, Rebecca didn't care.
Listening to Zeppelin and Octavio's conversation, it seemed that Julian had started working on the Rose Grapes.
The only weakness of the Rose Grapes, which were more robustly improved than the existing grape varieties, was the Svana Aphids.
The Svana Aphids blackened the leaves of the Rose Grapes and made the flesh mushy.
Originally, it would have happened a month later, but thanks to Justav's intervention, the timing came sooner.
A specific insecticide was needed to kill the Svana Aphids.
But that insecticide was a strong drug banned by law, so the only solution was the Tamara Ladybugs.
The Tamara Ladybugs had difficult breeding conditions, so an artificial environment had to be created.
And Rebecca had told Tanisha how to do this.
Tanisha moved quickly.
As soon as Rebecca hinted that she should monopolize the ladybugs, she began buying up bugs from all over the country.
In the first place, it wasn't a bug with a lot of demand, so Tanisha was able to monopolize it without difficulty.
The Tamara Ladybugs' babies had hatched, so she would have secured more than twice the number of bugs Zeppelin needed.
'Now all that's left is for Tanisha to sweep up the money on her own.'
Rebecca smiled slightly.
"You must have had a pleasant imagination."
Octavio asked, not missing the moment.
Rebecca stared blankly at Octavio, who was maintaining a smiling face. Come to think of it, she had rarely seen him not smiling.
"Yes. I was reminiscing about memories with my husband."
"I see. The couple's harmony is always good to see."
"But I know you have a lot of work to do, is it okay for you to be here like this?"
"I was just about to leave now anyway. I'll call a maid. Then please rest comfortably."
Octavio gave a greeting with a sinister smile and went outside.
As soon as he left, the maids came in.
"We will serve you."
The new maids were certainly skilled, but they seemed to lack a soul somewhere.
A cold ice pack was constantly touching the Pustules that were emitting heat.
Rebecca squeezed her eyes shut at the coldness that was so painful.
If things went smoothly, waiting wouldn't be a problem.
But the word 'temple' that she heard in the conversation between Octavio and Zeppelin bothered her.
Zeppelin was pro-Emperor. Therefore, he was in a position where he had to be more careful than anyone else about contacting the temple.
Octavio wouldn't be unaware of that.
Rebecca fell into thought.
What could be the reason for contacting the temple...?
'He thinks it's Divine Affliction.'
As soon as she thought that far, Octavio's intentions became even more questionable.
Did he really bring in the temple purely to cure her illness?
Besides, Divine Affliction was a matter that would be immediately revealed as false if the temple came to investigate.
A person like Octavio would certainly not believe the rumor that Rebecca was a Saintess.
So is he putting on a show to divert Zeppelin's attention?
A play to show that he is doing his best to cure Rebecca's illness?
'Well, even if it is discovered that she is a fake Saintess at the temple, he wouldn't lose much.'
Since Robert, the first speaker, was dead, he could blame everything on him and just get away with blasphemy.
But...
'Can't I use this?'
Unlike her limbs lying motionless, Rebecca's small head began to move actively.
* * *
"This is a fake. The flower pattern here is subtly different. We should cut off trade with this place."
Danae, who was carefully examining the pattern on the vase, said to Tanisha.
Tanisha's eyes widened and she looked at the part Danae pointed out.
Indeed, as she said, the shape was slightly different from the genuine product in the catalog.
While the salon building was being built, Danae frequently visited Tanisha's company to choose items to fill the salon.
Danae did not reveal her full name to Tanisha.
But looking at her hair color, blue eyes, and the shape of her eyes, it was not difficult to guess that she was Danae Oberia, that is, Rebecca's mother.
'Like mother, like daughter.'
