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14.
Croa had been found collapsed in beggar's rags before the Orphanage, or so the story went.
He insisted at every turn that he was the butler of House of Johannes, yet no one believed him.
Understandably so. His appearance was that of someone who had slept rough for years, and no one could have imagined him to be a member of the noble House of Johannes.
Moreover, he often spoke in incomprehensible ravings, earning him a reputation as a madman.
It was around the time I had hidden myself in the Orphanage that a famine had suddenly swelled the ranks of the destitute.
As a result, the Orphanage was struggling desperately with a shortage of hands. ‌‌‌
Even so, the people of Liberta did not wish to see me, raised as I was in ‌gentleness, toiling at such harsh work.
Yet despite their objections, I insisted on working.
In the end, my stubbornness prevailed.
I chose to care for Croa, whom everyone else avoided.
Croa would often inadvertently reveal anecdotes that only those ‌‌‌‌‌close to the Duke could have known.
Because of this, I gradually began to believe that he truly was the butler of House ‌‌‌of Johannes.
At that time, Julian had been bedridden for a long while—though it was said he had lived longer than most Dukes of Johannes before him.
Yet Croa, the Duke's devoted retainer, never abandoned him.
Croa wandered the realm searching for a cure to the Duke's illness, until at last his mind shattered.
He shared many stories with me, who tended to him with utmost devotion.
Most of what he said was incoherent, yet occasionally Croa would reveal fascinating ‌‌secrets of the House of Johannes to me.
The curse upon the House of Johannes and the Goddess Defria, how the ‌‌Duke had fallen ill attempting to forcibly ‌‌‌sever that curse, and even the tale of his one younger sister whose identity he had wished to conceal until the end.
Croa would often pause mid-sentence, suddenly rise from his seat, and weep bitterly.
'Sob... Poor Duke. To pass away ‌consumed by compassion. How lamentable! I, Croa, shall break this curse for you...cough, hack...'
One peculiar thing was that whenever he spoke of ‌‍‌how to break the curse, he would cough up blood.
It was as though the very act of speaking had been cursed.
Yet I ‌‌‌cared for him with sincere devotion.
Then one day, Croa contracted a raging fever. The burning heat would not subside.
Croa summoned his last strength and cried out.
'I... I have discovered it. The way to save the House of Johannes...! But the price is the Goddess's wrath... That method is...!'
Croa grasped my shoulders and began to recite the method to break the curse.
After repeating the same words three or four times, he coughed up blood in torrents, and then his breath ceased.
After Croa's death, I remembered every word of the secret he had spoken without a single error.
And I had intended to inform the House of Johannes of this.
But I could not reach ‌‌the House of Johannes while fleeing from Zeppelin.
Fleeing and surviving while carrying a child was far from easy.
In the midst of that desperate struggle, I gradually forgot the Duke of Johannes.
And then the month of birth drew near.
After bearing the child, I was consumed with caring for it and earning a living.
Living such a ‌‌‌fierce existence, I died by Zeppelin's hand.
'If only I had found a ‌‌little more courage...'
A sharp pain pierced through my chest.
I vaguely recalled Zeppelin mentioning that he would attend the Duke's funeral.
In the Empire, there were only two Dukes. From what I recalled, the Duke of Latlanis had been brimming with vitality at that time.
The only Duke confined to a sickbed was Julian.
'So Julian died in the end, never fulfilling that long-cherished wish of his.'
I recalled Julian's confident gait and arrogant gaze. He hardly seemed like someone destined to meet his end upon a sickbed.
Though I had merely listened to Croa's rambling, I felt as though I owed Julian an enormous debt.
Had I spoken even a single word, or written a letter at the very least, perhaps I could have prevented the tragedy that shadowed House of Johannes.
Moreover, the thought of using him as leverage weighed heavily upon my conscience.
But there was no alternative.
He was ‌‌‌my last straw to grasp. I needed that straw desperately.
"Miss Rebecca, we've nearly arrived."
Kanna spoke as she parted the carriage curtains slightly.
Soon after, the carriage door opened.
"Miss Rebecca!"
Everyone from Liberta came out to greet me.
I stepped down, welcomed by their warmth.
The Liberta Orphanage stood tall beneath the azure sky, commanding my gaze.
* * *
"How has everyone been?"
"We've been well thanks to you, Miss Rebecca!"
Everyone seemed eager to share all the accumulated stories with me.
I beamed broadly as I watched the Liberta family chatter ceaselessly.
"Wow... you're ‌‌‌truly beautiful."
Then I noticed a small child staring at me with ‌mouth agape.
Perhaps around seven years old now. A child with an ‌‌‌endearingly cropped brown hairstyle.
"I haven't seen this child before. Are you new?"
I gently stroked the ‌‌child's head. Gloria, the Orphanage's director, smiled warmly ‌at the sight.
"Not new—this is Margaret's child."
"I'm Jack!"
Jack raised his hand enthusiastically ‌‌and introduced himself.
Margaret's?
My eyes widened.
Jack was a child I had known in my previous life as well. ‌‌‌
After Croa died and I left the Orphanage to work, it was at Margaret's Labonne Salon where I had been employed.
Margaret's salon, run by the skilled pastry ‌‌‌chef, had ‌‌‌flourished continuously. This child had played a significant role in that success.
Jack possessed a remarkable talent for drawing people in.
Back then he had been quite a handsome young man, and seeing him so ‌‌small now stirred peculiar emotions within me.
"Jack! Jack! Didn't I tell you not to run off like that!"
Margaret's voice followed as she rushed in.
Margaret stopped short upon ‌‌seeing ‌‌‌me surrounded by people.
"My greetings to you, Miss Rebecca."
And she offered a polite greeting.
A daughter of some fallen noble house, she had said—and her courtesy was impeccable, without a single flaw.
Margaret, unlike the others at Liberta, maintained a peculiar distance from me.
It had been the same in my previous life.
She would smile, but the moment her eyes found me, her expression would harden instantly.
Given that she had hired me as a kitchen assistant, she did not appear to harbor any particular ill will.
Yet there remained ‌‌an invisible barrier between us, always.
As I chatted animatedly with the others at Liberta, Gloria leaned in and whispered. ‌‌
"Miss Rebecca, your guest has already arrived and is waiting."
I nodded, and Gloria clapped her hands together.
"Come now, everyone—don't bother Miss Rebecca. Off with ‌‌you to your duties!" ‌
At Gloria's dismissal, they all voiced their reluctance.
Only after I promised to bid them farewell before departing ‌did the people of Liberta finally disperse.
Once they had vanished, I turned ‌‌‌‌to Gloria and spoke.
"Thank you. ‌‌Oh, and please don't worry about refreshments—we've brought them with us. I heard Zeppelin ‌‌‌‌has been cutting back on donations lately. I'm sorry." ‌
"Not ‌‌at all, Miss Rebecca. It's hardly your fault. Don't trouble yourself. While they may not be the expensive pastries ‌the nobility enjoys, Margaret has prepared her homemade cookies."
"If Margaret made them, the taste is certainly guaranteed. Then I won't refuse further."
As I smiled ‌‌softly, Gloria's weathered face brightened considerably.
She seemed genuinely delighted to offer even this small assistance.
"This way, then."
Following Gloria, I cast a sidelong glance at Robert, whom Zeppelin had assigned as my escort.
According to what Kanna had hinted at, he had been designated as my watchdog several months prior.
Now that I thought about it, ‌‌‌‌Robert had always been within my vicinity in my previous life as well. ‌
He had merely been ‌‌stationed at my side by Zeppelin's orders, yet they had killed him on the baseless accusation that he harbored affection for me.
'Perhaps they simply used him ‌‌‌up and discarded him.'
I regarded Robert with a measure of pity.
But when our eyes met and he smiled pleasantly at me, I caught myself and reconsidered.
Though his smile was warm and genuine, he was undoubtedly ‌‌‌‌observing my every movement with meticulous care.
He was my enemy now.
Except when I visited the Orphanage, there were no watchdogs stationed there.
Zeppelin paid the Orphanage no mind, indifferent to it as one might be to insects crawling outside one's ‌home.
Yet my unease remained.
So I had subtly mentioned ‌‌to Gloria alone, without the knowledge of the others at the Orphanage, that a guest would be visiting.
Gloria would likely regard Julian as a cherished relative whom I ‌‌‌had not seen in some time.
Knowing that Zeppelin strictly controlled my outings, Gloria had readily accepted this clandestine meeting.
I had not revealed Julian's identity or purpose even to Kanna.
It was ‌‌‌‌not that I distrusted her.
But this was still a stage that demanded caution.
As I cleared my throat, Kanna, reading the moment, approached Robert.
"The scones here are quite exceptional—wouldn't you care ‌‌‌to try some?"
"Scones are delightful! Might there be coffee as well?"
Surprisingly, Robert followed Kanna without resistance. He even hummed as he walked.
His ‌composure only made the situation more suspicious.
Rebecca watched Robert's retreating figure for a moment.
He often seemed to have something to say to her, his lips parting whenever their eyes met.
Yet words never escaped ‌‌‌his mouth.
A man whose true intentions remained utterly inscrutable.
"Rebecca!"
Gloria gestured to her.
Rebecca drew in a deep breath and moved forward.
* * *
"How disrespectful! To keep ‌‌‌‌the Duke waiting!"
Croa complained while munching on a chocolate-studded ‌‌‌cookie. Suddenly, her throat seemed to catch, and she coughed repeatedly, patting her chest.
Julian frowned and handed her a cup of tea.
"If you're ‌‌‌going ‌to complain the whole time, why did you follow me? Besides, for someone who does nothing but complain, you certainly eat well."
Croa gulped ‌‌‌‌down the tea in one go and caught her breath. Then she exhaled deeply.
"Do you truly intend to enter into ‌‌‌‌this absurd contract?"
Julian ‌‌fell silent at Croa's words, his gaze lowering in thought.
"It's not such terrible terms. Gathering rumors from unreliable storytellers or entering a contract marriage with a suspicious woman—there's no difference in how untrustworthy both are. Croa, you know well that I would do anything to sever this accursed curse."
"But what if your wife is lying? Isn't that quite likely?"
"Then...."
Julian lifted his ‌‌‌head. And he pulled his lips into a crooked smile toward Croa. ‌‌‌
At that mischievous grin, Croa hesitated for a moment.
"I'll simply be deceived, then."
The Runaway Countess Returns
E-book Publication

January 12, 2022
Author

Ginnamilgahneul
Publisher

Sabarkyeowoo
Published by

Woongjin Thinkbig Co., ‌‌‌‌Ltd.
Submission Received

naver.me/54VzzLSn
Blog.

blog.naver.com/wj_fennecfox
Twitter.

@wjt_fennecfox

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