Chapter 60
Zeppelin grew irritated by the increasingly heavy fragrance and hurriedly put out the candle.
The flame died without a sound, releasing one last wisp of smoke.
Zeppelin pressed his forehead.
His mind felt a little clearer than before.
With trembling hands, Zeppelin tried to piece together the scattered fragments of the past.
Rebecca dancing with Julian at the victory banquet. Rebecca tumbling down the stairs on the night she was supposed to spend with him. Rebecca asking if she looked happy. Rebecca carrying the faint smell of sweat. And the cat.
“A black cat!”
Zeppelin shot to his feet.
On the day he went to tell Rebecca about the divorce, she had been holding a black cat in her arms, speaking to it sweetly.
Now that he thought about it, even the day before, she’d been holding a cat in the garden.
It looked exactly like the black cat Julian always carried around.
He remembered how his nose always itched, or he sneezed whenever he was near Julian.
The day he smelled sweat on Rebecca’s body, in the garden, even in her room—he’d had the same symptoms.
“That’s impossible.”
An unthinkable idea tore through his head.
He kept telling himself it was impossible, yet his legs moved on their own.
A terrible feeling gripped him.
Goosebumps shot up his arms.
What if he hadn’t abandoned her—what if she had run away herself? What if she had run into another man’s arms?
The library door burst open.
A passing maid gasped at the sight of Zeppelin suddenly storming out.
He grabbed her shoulders and shook her.
“Kanna! Where is Kanna right now?”
If anyone had noticed something strange about Rebecca, it would be Kanna, who had always watched her closely.
Rebecca had relied on her quite a lot.
The maid stammered, pale with fright.
“S-since this morning, she’s been gone. All her belongings are gone too. The head maid was furious about it.”
“What? And why didn’t I know?”
“What is the matter?”
Octavio approached slowly.
Zeppelin shouted at him.
“Why wasn’t I told Kanna had vanished?”
“I did tell you. You brushed it off, said it didn’t matter. You’ve been complaining lately that your memory isn’t what it used to be. Seems you forgot. Once you’ve had a good sleep, your memory will return. They say sleep is the cure for all things.”
Octavio beamed as he tried to quietly lead Zeppelin back toward the bedroom.
Zeppelin shoved his arm away violently.
“The divorce… what about the divorce papers?”
“I told you already. They were sent this afternoon. I expected them to reach the palace tomorrow, but somehow, Collin delivered the finalized papers this evening. Said a kind gentleman gave him a ride. Said he’d never seen a carriage move so fast.”
“Lies! You never told me that!”
Zeppelin grabbed Octavio’s collar and shook him.
Ah, now he’s starting to annoy me.
Octavio’s face darkened with irritation.
This was the second time Zeppelin had seized him by the collar.
He had thought that once Rebecca was gone, he’d be able to manipulate Zeppelin as freely as before.
Yet here he was again, being defied.
Thunder crashed, rattling the mansion.
“Ugh!”
Zeppelin shrieked, flinching violently, letting go of Octavio’s collar.
He collapsed to the ground, clutching his head with both trembling hands.
The first day Jakim had locked him up, a storm just like this had raged.
Ever since, Zeppelin had been pathologically terrified of thunder.
Octavio looked down at him with contempt before gently placing a hand on his shoulder.
“Come now. Don’t sit here like this. Let’s return to your cozy chamber. A hot bath and a sweet treat will do wonders.”
Zeppelin only trembled in silence.
Octavio, patience fraying, raked his hand through his hair.
Leaning close so no one else could hear, he hissed quickly into Zeppelin’s ear.
His perpetually narrowed eyes widened for an instant.
“Are you going to keep acting like a fool? Get back to your place before I smash everything else you have left.”
“Re…”
“What?”
“I have to see Rebecca. I have to bring her back!”
“Argh!”
Zeppelin suddenly jerked his head upward, striking Octavio squarely in the nose.
Octavio clutched his bleeding nose and stared blankly at Zeppelin, who now stood amid deafening thunder.
Zeppelin bellowed Rebecca’s name and ran.
“Zeppel—!”
Octavio lunged to grab him as he rushed down the stairs, but his hand only scraped the air.
“Prepare a horse!”
Zeppelin shouted as he ran toward the front hall.
Servants, just waking from the commotion, froze at the sight.
He was crying.
Zeppelin Devonshire—who seemed incapable of bleeding even if pricked a hundred times—was crying, calling out the name of his former countess.
He flung the doors wide. Rain poured inside.
But he didn’t care. He raced toward the stables.
Mud splattered his neatly pressed trousers, but he ignored it.
The stable was empty of attendants; they must have been sleeping.
He mounted the fastest white horse.
The startled beast neighed and reared.
Zeppelin wavered but quickly seized the reins and spurred it forward.
The hooves thundered, mingling with the storm.
Lightning flashed as he passed through the main gate.
“Count! Count Devonshire!”
Grace called out desperately after him, but he never looked back.
Servants scrambled to contain the chaos.
Alicia stood frozen outside, her face grim.
Her new dress, the one Zeppelin had called beautiful, was ruined by the rain.
Tears—or perhaps raindrops—streamed endlessly down her cheeks.
It had all been an illusion.
The hope that she could take Rebecca’s place was nothing but a delusion.
She had only wished for ordinary happiness—like any noblewoman, a gentle husband and sweet children.
But even such a wish was too extravagant for the likes of her.
Though the rain stung her eyes, Alicia stared long at the direction Zeppelin had gone.
Octavio clicked his tongue and placed an umbrella over her.
“He’s never acted like this before. Seems he’s quite attached to this toy. Surely he doesn’t mean to reconcile with Rebecca?”
Alicia clenched her fists.
“Octavio.”
He looked at her questioningly.
“I heard you were searching for a new Rebecca.”
His eyes flickered in surprise, but Alicia’s face remained expressionless as she whispered.
“Arrange another meeting with that black-market dealer you introduced last time.”
“That’s not difficult… but why?”
“I… I’ll become Rebecca. When he comes back broken from losing his doll, I’ll be his new doll to comfort him.”
Her lips twisted into an exaggerated smile. Raindrops still streamed from her eyes, making her expression grotesque.
She was crying and smiling at the same time.
Octavio studied her briefly, then lifted his gaze toward the direction Zeppelin had vanished.
“We’ll see.”
Zeppelin headed straight for the Obelia mansion in his territory.
Only one thought consumed him.
He had to see Rebecca.
Whether by persuasion or force, he had to bring her back to his side.
He no longer cared how her face had changed.
She was his. Even if she was to break, she had to break in his hands.
The gates of the Obelia mansion stood wide open.
He entered, passed through the ruined gardens, and stopped before the house.
The mansion was dark.
It was late, yes—but something felt chilling. No trace of life.
Zeppelin dismounted and banged on the front door.
His drenched shirt clung to his bare skin.
His trousers were caked with mud—he was in no state to meet anyone.
But he was half-mad.
The meticulous Zeppelin Devonshire, who once wouldn’t allow a single strand of hair out of place, was gone.
“Rebecca! Theo Obelia! Danae Obelia!”
No answer. He rattled the doorknob so violently the door nearly splintered.
“Who’s there!”
Finally, an old man opened the door, grumbling.
Zeppelin seized his arm and shouted.
“Rebecca! Where’s Rebecca?”
“What—what are you doing!”
“Isn’t Rebecca Obelia here?”
“Obelia? Ah, they moved out long ago. The ownership changed hands this morning.”
“What? Then tell me where they went!”
“Ha! How should I know! I’m just the caretaker. Looks like you’ve been drinking. If you must, drink with some dignity!”
“Haa…”
Zeppelin let his hand drop limply.
His vacant eyes drifted over the ground.
How had things come to this?
The caretaker watched him pityingly.
“I don’t know your circumstances, but if you’ve nowhere to stay, you can spend the night here. The duke left me in charge.”
“Duke?”
Zeppelin’s hollow gaze suddenly sharpened.
“Yes. Duke Johannes. He bought this estate.”
“Johannes…”
Zeppelin blinked slowly, his pale eyes shining.
“Ha… ha, so… that’s how it is.”
A twisted laugh escaped him.
Madness glimmered in his eyes.
The caretaker’s gaze met his, trembling.
“So that’s it… That’s what happened! Julian Johannes stole my Rebecca!”
“What… what did you say?”
“Yes. Rebecca, my Rebecca, would never leave me. This is all that bastard Julian’s scheme. It all makes sense now. A man with the temple in his grip—it would be nothing for him to disguise Rebecca as a saint.”
Zeppelin stared down at his hands and laughed manically.
