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106.
'This vulgar creature....'
Murderous intent potent enough to ‌‌kill a man radiated from Leo's eyes.
Sacred power was a force that gave life, yet simultaneously, it was a force capable of taking it away. ‌‌‌‌
Black smoke curled and wisped from Leo's body.
If this smoke reached Zeppelin's heart, he would die on the spot.
"Zeppelin Devonshire!"
A shoe flew from somewhere and struck the back of Zeppelin's head.
As the sharp heel connected precisely with his skull, Zeppelin had no choice but to release his grip ‌‌‌‌on Leo.
"Leo! Come here quickly!"
Before Rebecca could even finish shouting, Leo was already rushing toward her.
Rebecca quickly scooped Leo into her arms and seized the other shoe, wielding it like a weapon.
Leo glanced down at Rebecca's bare feet.
Blood trickling from her heels stained her skin.
He slowly lifted his gaze to meet her ‌‌‌eyes, which were set in a fierce, determined expression.
Her trembling arms betrayed the fear she was experiencing.
Yet separate from her terror, her blue eyes blazed with fierce, burning rage.
'As expected, this child is not unfamiliar to ‌‌‌me.'
As Leo searched his memories, color flushed across Zeppelin's face.
"Rebecca! At last we can have a conversation."
"Shut up. Don't come any closer. You're worse than a beast."
At Rebecca's harsh tone, Zeppelin frowned briefly, but his expression soon cleared.
He had heard such words so often on the balcony last ‌‌time that they had become tiresome.
Now they hardly shocked him.
Spending time with Julian must have caused him to pick up that manner of speech and pass it on ‌‌‌‌to Rebecca.
But it didn't matter. Mistakes could be corrected.
Watching Rebecca, still beautiful even in her anger, Zeppelin made a firm resolve. ‌‌‌‌
He pulled one corner of his mouth upward.
A sneer escaped between his teeth.
"My dear Rebecca. What do you think you'll accomplish with a single shoe? Do you truly believe you can match the strength of an adult man?"
"I don't need to deal with you by my own hand. All I need ‌‌do is ‌call out, and there are many who would come running. This is my territory, Zeppelin Devonshire."
"Is that so?"
Zeppelin strode toward her with confident steps.
Contempt gleamed in his eyes. ‌‌
"Shall we wager which takes longer—the time it takes for you to scream and for people to come running, or the time it takes for me to overpower you?"
"What... what?"
"Those who arrive too late will find you in a pitiful, disheveled state. As for me, I'll ‌‌simply be a shameless man overcome with longing for my former ‌‌‌‌wife. It won't even be scandalous enough to last a week of gossip."
Zeppelin gradually ‌‌closed the distance between them.
Rebecca faltered and retreated backward.
Primal fear seized her.
"But you? Will that little brat Julian graciously accept a bride with ‌a blemish? Ah, perhaps it doesn't matter since he's already accepted one who's been held in ‌another man's arms? But here's the thing, ‌‌‌Rebecca. No man would take a woman defiled before his eyes as his wife. Especially not that arrogant little ‌‌‌duke."
Zeppelin closed the distance until his nose nearly touched hers.
He raked his eyes over Rebecca's body with a slimy smile, reaching toward her waist.
I had to run.
I needed to push him away and flee, but my body wouldn't obey.
A thought I'd never entertained since my regression—one I never wanted to entertain—screamed violently through my mind.
'Save me!'
"Rebecca!"
"Lady Rebecca!"
And in that instant, Kanna rushed forward like a flash of light, seized Zeppelin by the collar, and slammed him to the ground.
While Kanna subdued Zeppelin, someone wrapped their arms firmly around Rebecca's body.
A familiar scent washed over me. The comfort of those arms made my eyes well with tears.
"Y-Julian...."
"It's alright now. Rebecca. I'm here. I'm sorry. I should have dealt with that bastard sooner."
Julian breathed heavily as he examined Rebecca carefully.
He tucked her fallen hair behind her ear, then wrapped her in his embrace once more.
When his firm chest pressed against my cheek, I lifted my head to look at Julian.
Clear handprints marked his neck as his blazing eyes glared at Zeppelin.
Rebecca's face hardened at the sight of those marks.
"You bastard. How dare you lay hands on Lady Rebecca?"
"Kanna? This little ‌‌mouse was hiding here? Ugh...."
Kanna seized the moment and punished Zeppelin thoroughly.
With his arm twisted, Zeppelin could offer no resistance to Kanna ‌‌‌pressing down on his back.
Zeppelin knew Kanna's illustrious reputation better than anyone.
She was a fixer known throughout the back alleys by the name "Kanna ‌‌Who Does Anything."
Her commissions included assassination.
If Kanna decided to, she could snap his neck without batting ‌‌an eye.
"Damn...."
Rebecca watched the scene with wide eyes. Despite Kanna's much smaller frame, Zeppelin was completely immobilized.
Now that I thought about it, Julian had also been subdued by Kanna before.
'There has to be a way out of this.'
Zeppelin's eyes darted about shrewdly.
There had to be some clue to escape this situation....
Meow—
At that moment, Leo strolled leisurely toward ‌‌‌‌the immobilized Zeppelin.
Leo ‌‌‌plopped down before Zeppelin's eyes and raised his soft paws.
Sharp claws protruded between his fingers.
Simultaneously, Leo's mouth curved upward in a grin.
It was surely impossible, but Zeppelin suddenly felt as though Leo were smiling wickedly at him.
As Leo raised his paw, Zeppelin thought of his own flawlessly smooth face.
Even the smallest of cats would leave hideous scars if ‌‌they raked across a face.
Leo's claws felt like massive blades.
'Anything but that!'
My concern for preserving my own face overpowered my fear of Kanna.
I twisted my body to evade ‍‌‌Leo's strike.
In doing so, Kanna stumbled and ‌‌‌collapsed to the floor.
"Kanna!"
At Rebecca's cry, Julian burst forward like a shot.
Just as he ‌‌was about to throw a punch at ‌me as I stood up, I kicked Leo in the abdomen.
"How dare this wretched beast!"
"Ugh!"
At the ‌same moment, Julian doubled over, clutching his stomach and crumpling forward. At his scream, I ‌turned with ‌‌‌‌a bewildered expression.
"Why... are you in pain?"
I hadn't even noticed ‌‌Julian rushing toward me.
I certainly hadn't lifted a finger, yet he was suddenly writhing on the ground, clutching his stomach.
Had he suddenly gotten a stomachache?
"Hey!"
It was Rebecca who called out to me as I stood there ‌‌‌dumbfounded.
Rebecca ‌approached with long strides, ‌her eyes blazing with fury and burst blood vessels.
"Did you just call me 'hey'?"
"Yes, you despicable wretch."
"Sigh... Rebecca Devonshire. It will be quite exhausting to restore you to your senses." ‌‌
"Who do you think you are? I'm Rebecca Obelia now. Wake up from your dream, Zeppelin."
"You won't even use the ‌‌‌‌Saint Johannes name? How absurd..."
"Zeppelin. Listen to me. I can tolerate you touching me, but..."
Rebecca clenched her left hand firmly. A large wedding ring gleamed on her left hand.
I didn't anticipate what she was about to do.
I simply grinned widely as Rebecca approached me, delighted.
"I won't tolerate anyone laying hands on my person. This ‌‌‌is Leo's revenge!"
Thwack—
At the dull sound, Kanna and Julian startled and looked up at Rebecca.
Rebecca had thrown a punch at me.
Her punch, lacking both strength and technique, wasn't particularly powerful.
But the wedding ring that Julian had personally placed on her finger amplified Rebecca's striking force.
I clutched my torn cheek and panicked.
"Blood... there's ‌blood on my ‌‌‌‌face..."
"And this is for Julian and Kanna!"
Rebecca lifted her leg with all her might toward the most vulnerable spot between my thighs.
I couldn't even scream ‌‌as I collapsed to the floor, clutching the attacked area.
"This is what I can do to you, Zeppelin Devonshire! Protect that small, fragile thing and get your filthy self out of here right now."
"I... I can't..."
Julian swallowed hard as he watched Zeppelin writhing in agony.
He made a silent vow never to provoke Rebecca's displeasure again.
"What... what on earth is happening here!"
Croa, who had been searching for the bride and groom after barely containing the Count Wagner incident, approached with visible exasperation.
Rebecca gazed coldly down at Zeppelin, who was groaning in pain, and spoke.
"My ex-husband attempted to harass me, and we simply responded accordingly. I'll leave the rest to Croa. Please quietly return him to the Devon Mansion without causing a disturbance."
Rebecca had said little, yet Croa grasped the entire situation immediately.
Deep contempt flickered in his green eyes.
"As you command."
Now that Zeppelin could finally breathe normally, all he could do was watch Rebecca's retreating figure, her skirts trailing an icy chill as she vanished into the ‌‌‌distance.
* * *
"You ‌‌have no intention of telling me where we're going, ‌‌do you?"
Rebecca asked ‌‌‌‌Julian, who was ‌‌‌‌massaging her feet with complete devotion.
"That's right. It's a secret."
"I don't intend for ‌‌‌‌‌the honeymoon to last long. Somewhere nearby would ‌‌‌‌be nice."
"I've told you until you're sick of ‌‌hearing it. It's close and beautiful. It's also my favorite place."
Rebecca rested her head against the carriage window and gazed at Julian intently.
He wasn't quite as skilled as a professional masseuse, but ‌his technique was quite competent as he relieved the fatigue from her legs.
He seemed remorseful for having her walk through the Reception ‌‌‌‌‌Hall all evening with swollen legs.
Though it wasn't truly his fault, the moment they boarded the carriage, he had placed Rebecca's legs across ‌‌his lap as though he were entirely responsible.
And without the slightest hesitation, he began massaging her calves, ankles, and even her toes.
A playful smile appeared at the corners ‌‌of Rebecca's lips as she observed beads of perspiration ‌‌forming on his forehead.
"You've become quite natural with physical contact now? You've grown remarkably bold since we married."
"I ‌‌‌was always... natural."
"No, you weren't. ‌‌You used to flinch whenever I linked my arm through yours."
Rebecca tilted her head ‌mischievously and began teasing him.
After deciding to accept Julian, Rebecca found herself able to treat him with greater ease than before.
Julian shot her a brief look as she smiled with cunning amusement, then quietly resumed his work.
"Then, should I look forward to our wedding night?"
"What did you say?"
The Runaway Countess Returns
E-book Publication

January 12, 2022
Author

Gin-bam Ha-neul
Publisher

Desert Fox
Publisher.

Woongjin ThinkBig Co., Ltd.
Submissions.

naver.me/54VzzLSn
Blog.

blog.naver.com/wj_fennecfox
Twitter.

@wjt_fennecfox

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