Chapter 49
Zeppelin's sword trembled in his hand.
So Robert hadn't been spreading rumors.
How could that man have known more about Rebecca than he did!
Zeppelin's anger turned in the wrong direction. He regretted killing Robert so easily.
'Rebecca is too good for you.'
Damn it.
As Zeppelin struggled to calm his anger, Octavio hurriedly asked the priest, "Then are the pustules and fever on the Countess's body also due to Divine Power?"
The priest thought for a moment before speaking.
"In my humble opinion... yes, that's right. It's Divine Affliction. From ancient times, those with outstanding Divine Power who refuse to become vessels of God have sometimes suffered from Divine Affliction. Judging from the records of rashes all over the body and a raging fever, the Countess is currently suffering from Divine Affliction."
Upon hearing the name of the disease, Zeppelin grabbed the priest's shoulders and shook him violently.
"Then what's the solution! There is a way to return her to normal, isn't there?"
"There is one, but..."
"Tell me quickly!"
As Zeppelin snapped, the priest hesitated and said, "She must accept God. That's the only way."
Zeppelin felt the blood drain from his entire body.
Octavio quickly brought a chair and supported Zeppelin before he fell.
Zeppelin slumped helplessly in the chair and sighed.
"Ah..."
Becoming a Saintess or Saint meant serving only God.
If married, one had to divorce to be initiated.
It was a path of sacrifice, even abandoning one's children, so the path of choice was opened.
Zeppelin felt like he wanted to die.
To restore Rebecca to her original form, he had to give her up, and yet, keeping her by his side meant she would remain in that terrible state.
It wasn't the Rebecca he loved.
Regardless of how serious the situation was, Rebecca looked at the priest with interest.
'Hmm... his acting skills are top-notch. I should find out his name later.'
Feeling her gaze, the priest turned his eyes to Rebecca.
When their eyes met, Rebecca smiled brightly. The priest took it as a sign to help and suddenly wore a determined expression.
"Then you must decide now."
Zeppelin replied in a weak voice, "Decide what?"
"Whether or not Rebecca will become a Saintess."
"Of course, Rebecca will—!"
Zeppelin stopped himself from shouting.
He couldn't tell what was better.
Regaining the appearance he had dreamed of and having her taken by another, or keeping her by his side, hideous as she was, while cherishing the glory of the past.
As Zeppelin pondered, one thought flashed through his mind.
'Divine Affliction isn't hereditary, so we can have children...'
As he came to a conclusion, Zeppelin's anger gradually subsided.
He said in a calmer tone, "Rebecca will become a Saintess..."
"No. The spouse's opinion is not reflected."
The priest abruptly cut off Zeppelin's words.
"What?"
"The most important thing when entering as a Saintess is the person's own will. The Dephria Goddess, who loves freedom, does not want her followers to be unhappy."
Then, looking directly at Rebecca, he said, "Rebecca Devonshire. Will you become a faithful servant of the Dephria Goddess?"
Rebecca slowly scanned the faces of the gathered onlookers.
These many onlookers must also be Octavio's work.
Octavio nodded at her.
Rebecca stared at him intently before smiling knowingly and saying, "I..."
"Damn it!"
Octavio grabbed a fencing sword and mercilessly slashed at the human dummy.
Although it was a dummy, his cruel hacking was as gruesome as committing real murder.
Octavio caught his breath and swept back his navy blue hair.
His face sometimes looked like an old man's, and at other times like a boy's.
No one knew his exact age due to his ageless appearance.
"Dare to trick me?"
Octavio recalled what had happened during the day.
'I will not become a Saintess. I cannot imagine a life without Zeppelin.'
He swung the sword violently. The human dummy was instantly chopped into several pieces and fell to the floor with a thud.
In his judgment, Rebecca clearly wanted to leave Zeppelin.
She dared to dance with Duke Johannes in front of Zeppelin and secretly went out, which suggested that.
Besides, that look in her eyes!
The way she sometimes coldly looked at Zeppelin convinced Octavio.
He didn't know what change of heart had occurred, but Rebecca was not the kind of person to make such a face.
But why wouldn't she leave, even though he had opened the way for her?
'Did I overestimate her?'
He began to think that Rebecca might be a much more foolish woman than he had expected.
Someone who couldn't even judge what was good for her, the kind of moron he despised.
Now that he thought about it, he realized that swaying Robert might have been a simple coincidence rather than some kind of scheme.
She might have seduced him with her pretty face. Or maybe she gave him something more...
Thinking that way made him feel irritated.
He despised people who were born with things they didn't deserve.
As of today, he decided to consider Rebecca in the same category.
If he had been born with Rebecca's looks, he might have been able to control a country.
But now she was losing even that and deciding to stay by the side of the insignificant Zeppelin.
'Foolish. Foolish.'
Octavio recalled Zeppelin grabbing his collar.
It was becoming increasingly difficult to control him. He needed a solution before Zeppelin completely slipped out of his hands.
"If I can't move him with my own hands..."
Octavio fell into deep thought.
At that moment, one of the Hounds knocked on his door.
The Hounds' information was reported to Octavio before it reached Zeppelin.
"What is it?"
"Lady Alicia has left her room."
Octavio's eyes flashed.
"That's right, the Count had another doll. An abandoned doll."
Alicia left her room silently.
For some reason, not a single candle was lit in the hallway, reminiscent of when someone had died.
Despite the eerie darkness that had fallen over the mansion, Alicia was not afraid.
Her steps were light but resolute.
When Rebecca fell ill, Alicia rejoiced. While she was bedridden, she would monopolize Zeppelin's love.
When no doctor could find the name of her illness, she shed tears of joy.
And today, when she learned that Rebecca had an incurable Divine Affliction, she offered a prayer of thanks to God.
In such a hideous state, she could not properly fulfill the duties of the Countess.
Zeppelin also wrinkled his nose at the stench coming from Rebecca's body.
Alicia thought it was a foregone conclusion that Rebecca would be kicked out and she would become the true Countess.
But she was greatly frustrated when she overheard Zeppelin whispering secretly to Octavio.
'What is the best way to have a child without touching her body as much as possible?'
And that afternoon, Grace began buying large quantities of herbs that were said to be good for conceiving.
Zeppelin had no intention of letting Rebecca go.
No, even if he abandoned Rebecca, Zeppelin would not give up the child born from her.
Thinking that way, she felt overwhelmed with resentment. If Rebecca had a child, Alicia and her child's position would be obvious.
A child with a mother of humble origins would not be welcomed in the aristocratic world.
Alicia stroked her swollen belly.
'I'll protect you.'
And with a determined look, she placed her hand on the door handle of Rebecca's room.
"What are you going to do with that little knife?"
Alicia was startled and almost dropped the dagger in her other hand.
Octavio looked at Alicia with a pathetic expression and clicked his tongue.
"No matter how much you swing that with your weak strength, you won't even be able to inflict a fatal wound. I've told you time and time again to think before you act."
"Octavio..."
"Well, now that things have come to this, I'll help you one more time."
Octavio took out a small bottle from his pocket.
The liquid inside, which had a deep purple color as dark as Alicia's eyes, sloshed in the bottle.
"What's contained here is the venom of the Dakota Viper."
"..."
"Why, are you scared now that you're actually going to kill her? Don't worry. This venom is famous for killing as if in a dream, so there won't be much pain."
Alicia looked up at Octavio silently.
Octavio leaned menacingly towards Alicia. Alicia flinched and took a step back.
"I promised you that I would make you the Countess. I'm kindly telling you the method, so follow it without complaint. Or do you want to go back to that swamp you were originally in? Just say the word. I can send you back there at any time."
"When did I say I didn't want to?"
Alicia glared at Octavio and snatched the bottle of poison from his hand.
Octavio smiled wryly and gestured towards the door.
Holding the bottle tightly in her hand, Alicia slowly opened Rebecca's door.
As soon as she opened the door and entered, Alicia briefly covered her nose with her sleeve due to the overwhelming smell.
The room, which had always been filled with the scent of flowers, now smelled of rotten fertilizer.
Rebecca was breathing regularly and was in a deep sleep.
Judging from the occasional frown, it seemed like she was fighting the disease even in her sleep.
'Rebecca...'
Alicia stood in front of Rebecca and scanned her.
The appearance she had admired was nowhere to be found, and she had become a monster that everyone shunned.
Alicia suddenly recalled the first day she had come here.
Octavio had approached her when Zeppelin had left and she was in despair.
He had tempted her by saying he would make Alicia the Countess. At the same time, he enthusiastically described the life in the magnificent mansion.
Alicia had no reason to refuse his offer.
She was eager to leave the small rural village.
Her beautiful appearance was poison in a small well.
Almost all the men wanted to possess her. Among them were some bad guys.
So anywhere was better than here.
Alicia had no intention of living like her mother, so she followed Octavio to Irencia.
Octavio's plan was successful.
After starving Alicia for several days, he threw her onto the promenade that Rebecca often frequented when she fainted.
Rebecca saved Alicia, and Alicia easily gained Rebecca's favor.
Alicia recalled the moment she first saw Rebecca on the day she regained consciousness. It was an unforgettable moment.
