Chapter 36
“Who went inside…?”
If it had been one of the servants, they would surely have greeted him first.
Zeppelin walked forward with a suspicious step.
And the moment he opened the door—
“Zeppelin!”
Rebecca, dressed only in a thin chemise, suddenly threw herself into his arms.
As she pushed him out of the room, Rebecca glanced back to make sure the wardrobe door was shut.
A bit of sky-blue dress hem stuck out, but Kanna quickly stepped in front of it.
“Rebecca? You can walk again now?”
Seeing Rebecca walk into his arms on her own, Zeppelin spoke with a voice full of emotion.
Rebecca smiled shyly.
“Don’t look at me like that. I’ve just wiped my makeup off, so I don’t look very pretty.”
“You’re not overexerting yourself, are you? Since when have you been able to walk?”
“Not long. I wanted to surprise you, so I’ve been secretly practicing walking.”
“Ah, my lovely Rebecca. Just seeing you makes all the fatigue of the day disappear.”
Zeppelin hugged her tightly.
Rebecca silently endured the moment, counting backwards in her head.
“Do you realize how beautiful you are?”
Zeppelin lifted his face from her shoulder. From his inner pocket, he pulled out a pair of gloves and put them on.
He began gently caressing her face.
His hand traced over Rebecca’s eyes and nose.
His fingers soon teased along her lips, playing with them softly.
Rebecca, seeing his lips inch closer, quickly turned her head away.
She couldn’t risk him seeing the stiff expression that came over her face at what she knew would follow.
“People are watching us. It’s embarrassing.”
Startled by her evasive glance, Zeppelin froze for a moment.
A brief flicker of confusion crossed his eyes, but it vanished in an instant.
His eyes curved into a graceful arc.
“You’re right. Modesty is a woman’s virtue.”
Once again, Zeppelin looked at Rebecca with a sticky intensity.
Rebecca, desperate to break the mood, changed the subject.
“You said you’d be away for a long time, but you’ve come back early.”
“From the way you say it, you don’t sound too pleased that I’ve returned quickly, do you?”
Rebecca flinched under the sharp glint of his gaze that scanned her face.
He had always been remarkably perceptive.
But without showing her unease, Rebecca forced her smile wider.
“Of course not. I’m just so happy, that’s all.”
Zeppelin looked at the smile of the woman he loved so dearly.
Even without makeup, she was perfect to him.
Zeppelin let out a laugh and shook his head.
“I knew it. Just teasing. But it’s true I’ll be gone for a while. I only came to pack. I have to leave early tomorrow morning.”
So he will be away.
Rebecca felt relief wash over her.
“And so, Rebecca…”
Zeppelin pulled her closer by the waist, pressing her tightly against his body.
“Tonight, be with me. This time I’ll come to you, so what happened last time won’t happen again.”
Rebecca shuddered at his sweet, sticky breath against her.
“Achoo!”
Just as Zeppelin inhaled her scent, an unexpected sneeze escaped him.
Looking briefly puzzled, he rubbed at his nose.
“Then, wait for me.”
Leaving a meaningful smile behind, Zeppelin left the room.
“Madam Rebecca!”
As soon as Zeppelin vanished from sight, Rebecca’s legs gave out and she collapsed weakly to the floor.
Kanna rushed over, face full of worry.
Rebecca gave her a faint smile.
“I’m fine. But I came late, didn’t I? You must have been worried. Sorry, Kanna.”
“No, madam. But what about your plan? If this keeps up, you really might end up with the Count…”
“Kanna! What happened to your hand?”
Ignoring Kanna’s anxious voice, Rebecca cried out.
Kanna’s palm was streaked with blood, dripping along the crescent marks her own fingernails had dug in from clenching her fist too tightly.
Only then did Kanna realize she had injured herself. She quickly pulled her hand away.
“It’s nothing. Better not touch me, or the blood might stain you.”
“Kanna, you really…”
Kanna gave a crooked smile, acting as if it were nothing. Her expression looked impossibly gentle.
Rebecca was about to speak when a faint voice came from inside the wardrobe.
“Um… excuse me…”
Hearing Susan’s weak voice, Rebecca leapt to her feet and flung the door open in a rush.
Buried under dresses, Susan gave her a sheepish grin.
“Oh, Susan. I’m sorry. Things got tangled, and I forgot about you.”
“It’s all right. But… the plan didn’t fail, did it?”
At her careful question, Rebecca smiled.
“Don’t worry. It went perfectly.”
Yes. Today she had achieved everything she had set out to do.
And I even met Julian…
Rebecca recalled Julian’s lips as he chewed his food.
Despite his impatient nature, he wasn’t a messy eater.
In fact, he ate quietly, without making a single sound.
And surprisingly, he was talkative.
He chattered excitedly, analyzing each dish, naming which cuts of meat were used, where the spices had been sourced.
Thanks to that, their short dinner—something she had thought would be awkward—turned out quite pleasant.
How long has it been since I enjoyed a meal like that…
Rebecca remembered Julian’s face, smiling brightly whenever their eyes met.
His sharp, large eyes, when still, seemed fierce like a wild beast’s.
But when he smiled, the curve of his eyes was so beautiful that Rebecca sometimes forgot to chew, staring blankly at him instead.
Ah. This is bad.
Rebecca shook her head vigorously, trying to drive away the lingering images.
She knew exactly what state her heart was in now.
She had walked this path once before.
The difference was that this time, she knew very well where that road led.
So she would not let herself slip into it again before realizing it.
Once was enough for such a tragedy.
Zeppelin sat in his darkened study, lost in thought.
The moon, hidden by clouds, let only a dim trace of light seep in.
Turning his back to even that faint glow, Zeppelin thought of Rebecca.
He thought of her always, but today something felt different.
Sweat…
When Rebecca had embraced him, he had caught a faint scent of sweat.
She had never smelled of sweat before.
It wasn’t that he found it unpleasant. In fact, he was startled to find that he didn’t dislike it.
What puzzled him was why Rebecca, always immaculate, would smell of sweat at all.
Living in this mansion, there was nothing that could have made her sweat.
And then there was the way she avoided his gaze—embarrassed, yes, but with an odd chill in her eyes.
Most of all, when he said he would be away, the fleeting smile of relief that brushed across her lips.
Taken alone, nothing seemed unusual.
The watchdogs he set to observe her reported nothing amiss.
But when he pieced together these tiny fragments of doubt, an unsettling feeling took shape.
Suddenly, Zeppelin’s eyes widened.
Yes. It started from the victory banquet.
Since then, strange questions had gnawed at his mind.
At first, they were like tiny splinters under his nails.
But those splinters grew, until the pain interfered with his daily life.
Rebecca wants to leave me.
He had no solid proof.
Rebecca still stood at his side, radiant as the day he first fell in love with her.
She had no way to escape from the Count’s estate he had so carefully built.
Then why…
Why this gnawing unease?
Perhaps it was because of something Rebecca had once murmured.
“Do I… do I really look happy to you?”
At first, he thought he had misheard. But the more he turned it over in his mind, the clearer it became.
Yes, she had said it.
But it made no sense.
Why wouldn’t she be happy?
He had prepared everything for her—this perfect estate, servants dedicated solely to her.
And above all, she had him, the perfect husband.
That alone was enough to make any woman in the Empire envy her.
Just look at Alicia.
Alicia always gazed at Rebecca with eyes that said she wanted to take everything she had.
Yes. Rebecca was a woman who possessed happiness that others could only covet.
Then why…
Zeppelin rubbed his face with both hands, then opened his eyes wide in the dark, as if making up his mind.
It won’t hurt to be cautious.
He had never wanted to resort to this. But since he would be away for some time, he had no choice.
Zeppelin always trusted his instincts. And they had never failed him.
He pulled the black cord with tassels that hung on the study wall.
That cord was connected to a bell in the head maid Grace’s quarters.
Before long, the study door opened soundlessly.
Grace entered, gathering the hem of her black dress, which resembled mourning attire.
Zeppelin spoke.
“That thing I had prepared long ago… I think it’s time we use it.”
The clock struck eleven, its chime ringing with a chilling sound.
Zeppelin checked the grandfather clock, then left his room.
Rebecca was waiting for him.
As he descended the stairs, his steps grew lighter—until a sight stopped him in his tracks.
“My lord…”
Alicia stood in front of him, her chamber door wide open.
The dim candlelight barely lit the hallway, but from her room spilled a bold, colorful glow, enough to hold him in place.
Unlike her room, Alicia herself was plainly dressed. She rubbed her rounded belly with both hands.
Wearing a deeply suggestive smile, she said:
“I missed you.”
Her smile was overtly seductive, yet with a strange air of innocence.
Her loose, pale lavender hair tumbled down to her waist in waves.
It looked as though, if he slid his fingers into it, it would immediately tangle around them and pull him into her.
“Why are you awake at this hour?”
“The baby moved. I think it knows its father has returned.”
At the word baby, Zeppelin flinched, his body trembling. His feet still pointed toward Rebecca’s room.
Alicia lowered her ivory-like neck, caressing her belly.
A deep, tender smile lingered on her lips.
She looked every bit the image of a devoted mother.
And for the first time, Zeppelin thought Alicia was beautiful.
