Chapter 85
Jahidra looked at him steadily, then gave a slow nod.
“You speak the truth. From this moment, Earl Zeppelin Devonshire is to be confined within his own manor. Alfred, send word to the nearest guards to keep the place under watch.”
A commotion broke out.
The people gathered in the Hall of Light were thrown into confusion, scurrying about like bags whose strings had snapped.
“This is slander! Your Majesty! Treacherous people have conspired to ruin me! Why would I commit such an act at my own banquet? And that painting— it was you who—!”
Zeppelin shouted as the emperor’s knights dragged him away.
But it was already too late.
“Silence!” Jahidra thundered. “The Knights of God will uncover the truth in due time. Take the earl back to his estate at once!”
“Jahidra! Your Majesty!”
As Zeppelin vanished from the Hall of Light, Jahidra let out a long sigh.
“Since matters have reached this point, it’s best we end the banquet here. The painting shall be kept in the palace to prevent any attempt at destroying evidence.”
At his words, the murmuring guests began preparing to leave.
From afar, Julian glanced toward Alicia, who was clinging tearfully to a man.
‘That must be Octavio.’
Octavio’s face was twisted with fury—almost grotesquely so. The gentle mask he always wore had long since fallen away. Thick veins stood out on his forehead.
His eyes, blazing with hatred, were fixed on the emperor.
It was the kind of look that could kill a man on sight.
Julian gave a silent whistle.
‘He really does look like the reincarnation of a demon.’
“How was my performance?”
Jahidra, his kindly expression restored, spoke to Julian in a quiet tone.
“Superb, Your Majesty.”
Jahidra’s attention drifted toward the crowd, listening to their scattered speculations.
“Do you really think the earl went mad and did that? He must’ve offended someone high up.”
“Who’s higher than him, though?”
“Maybe not someone higher. He’s got plenty of enemies. And since the Knights of God are involved, he’s as good as finished.”
“So that’s it for the earl, huh? What about my investment?”
“Let’s wait and see. I’m shelving my plans to invest in his new business for now.”
Just as Rebecca predicted, those who had been tempted by Zeppelin’s ventures were now hesitating.
Of course, this alone wouldn’t destroy the Earl of Devonshire, but the blow would be significant.
Jahidra began weighing what he might gain from all this.
His eyes wandered toward the painting of the zealot.
He studied it closely—and then his eyes widened.
“Wait… isn’t that Zeppelin?”
The expression was different enough to make it hard to tell at first glance, but upon closer inspection, it was unmistakably him.
Julian gave a small smirk.
“Yes. I played a little prank.”
“Uncharacteristically childish of you. That gives him room to deny it—he’d never willingly have his own face painted like that.”
“Or perhaps it’s the truth.”
“What?”
“Maybe he really is a zealot devoted to the temple, just as in the painting.”
“Do you have proof?”
Jahidra’s tone sharpened instantly.
Anyone with even a hint of collusion with the temple was a traitor in his eyes. Such a person had to be cut off immediately.
Julian’s voice remained calm.
“No proof. Just a thought.”
“Don’t speak nonsense.”
Looking weary, Jahidra turned his gaze forward again.
Julian said quietly, “We’ll find out soon enough—once we see how the Knights of God handle the earl. They’re said to ignore even the emperor’s orders, after all.”
“Indeed. We’ll see.”
Whether that meant Zeppelin or the Knights of God, Julian wasn’t sure even himself.
“D–Duke!”
Someone grabbed Julian’s arm in a panic.
Startled by the trembling grip, he looked down.
It was Canna.
Her dark brown eyes shimmered with desperate tears. She was drenched in sweat from running.
Tears spilled down her cheeks.
Julian’s face hardened as he looked at her.
“Lady Rebecca—Lady Rebecca is in danger!”
“What…?”
“There’s no time! Hurry!”
Canna seized his wrist tightly and bolted toward the exit.
Pedestrians scowled as she shoved past them, but she didn’t care.
Julian matched her frantic pace with his long strides.
Rebecca was in danger.
There was nothing more to find.
Rebecca replaced the ledgers back where she’d found them.
Once she locked the safe and straightened the bookshelf, the study looked exactly as it had before—like no intruder had ever been there.
Outside, she could hear the restless neighing of horses. The banquet must have ended.
Everything must have gone according to plan.
Rebecca smiled faintly and took out the rope ladder she had brought. Then she opened the door to the balcony.
A rush of cold air swept into her lungs.
She lifted her head and looked at the sky.
“A full moon.”
The round, white moon hung behind a thin veil of clouds, casting dim shadows across the balcony.
Rebecca stepped into that shadow and approached the railing. Then she peered down.
Far below stretched an empty lawn—barren, with no trees or cover, to deter intruders.
Standing there, looking up, was Canna. When she spotted Rebecca, she waved frantically.
Rebecca exhaled in relief.
Now all that remained was to climb down and escape with Canna. Mission complete.
Before securing the ladder, Rebecca glanced toward the glass door leading back into the study.
Only her own reflection looked back at her.
‘Right, it’s one-way glass.’
That was inconvenient. Still, there were no signs of anyone nearby. Rebecca gripped the ladder hook and moved to fasten it.
“You! So it was you!”
The door burst open. Someone lunged at her.
Before she could hook the ladder, a rough hand seized her shoulder.
Pain flared, and Rebecca let out a sharp cry.
She tried to fight back, fumbling for the rope, but the man shook her violently.
Her hat and the rope ladder slipped from her hands and fell to the ground below.
‘Damn it!’
She glanced down just long enough to see Canna’s horrified face—and clenched her teeth.
“Where do you think you’re going? You were behind the Hall of Light, weren’t you? Who sent you?”
The voice, filled with rage, made her blood run cold.
Even without seeing his face, she knew.
Zeppelin.
He spun her around to face him, his eyes blazing.
“Answer me! Who ordered this? Was it Emperor Jahidra?”
He gripped her collar, forcing her halfway over the railing.
Her back arched dangerously. One slip, and she’d plunge headfirst onto the lawn below.
Stay calm.
Her body trembled, but Rebecca forced her breathing to steady.
Slowly, she lifted her eyes.
“Stop yelling. You’re giving me a headache.”
Rebecca grabbed the wrist holding her and met his eyes.
Zeppelin’s mouth fell open.
“You’re…?”
Her hat was gone, and golden hair spilled over her shoulders.
The clouds parted, and moonlight poured over her pale face.
Her sapphire eyes glowed softly, sharp and clear.
Her lips, red as ripe apples, curved into a faint smile.
“Long time no see.”
Zeppelin froze, stunned by the sight.
Rebecca seized the moment—
—and drove her forehead into his.
Crack!
Their skulls collided with a sickening thud.
Zeppelin staggered back, losing his balance, still clutching her collar.
Rebecca toppled with him but quickly scrambled to her feet, rubbing her sore forehead in irritation.
Looking down at him coldly, she murmured,
“Seems your skull’s healed nicely. You look well-fed too. Shame—I was hoping you weren’t.”
“You…” Zeppelin’s eyes were wide and glassy, disbelief clouding his face.
A gust of wind blew, whipping Rebecca’s hair across her cheek. She didn’t bother brushing it away.
Tilting her chin, she said coolly,
“You shouldn’t forget me. You still owe me—more than you could ever repay. Isn’t that right, my ex-husband?”
“Rebecca…”
Her name escaped his lips in a broken whisper.
He stared at her face, drinking in every detail.
His eyes began to redden.
The fog in his mind lifted, and color seeped back into his faded memories.
Suddenly, pain struck. Zeppelin clutched his head and screamed.
A flood of memories crashed into him all at once.
The girl laughing in the snow—Rebecca.
The woman shyly reaching for his hand amidst suitors—Rebecca.
The bride in a gleaming gown, eyes downcast and trembling—Rebecca.
The woman on their wedding night, flushed and gasping, radiant as a dream—Rebecca.
His angel, his only one, his bride.
Tears streamed down his cheeks as he fell to his knees before her.
Rebecca covered her mouth lightly.
“Oh my, so your memory’s back? Guess my headbutt worked.”
Zeppelin’s lips trembled. His tear-streaked face was filled with joy.
“You’ve come back to me. My Rebecca.”
Rebecca regarded his blissful smile with a look of disgust.
As always, his happiness made her sick.
She leaned down and whispered,
“Yes, I’ve come back. But not as your Rebecca.”
“No. You are mine. My beautiful Rebecca.”
Half-crazed, Zeppelin reached out a trembling hand toward her face.
Rebecca scoffed and slapped it away.
“Don’t touch me. You make my skin crawl.”
