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29. After seeing Zeppelin to ‌‌‌the entrance, I turned ‌‌‌my wheelchair around. My gaze met Alicia's cold stare from above. "Is there something you wish to say?" When I smiled brightly, Alicia raised her eyebrows slightly and pressed her ‌‌lips together. "Miss Alicia, it is time for you to retire to your room." At that moment, the Maid rushed over and cut off Alicia's words. It seemed there was an order to prevent her from speaking carelessly to me. Alicia glared at the Maid indignantly, then swept into the Mansion in her pale pink dress. 'Her spirit hasn't been broken. That's a relief.' Watching her, I felt oddly reassured. It wasn't that I was concerned for Alicia, but I still disliked the thought of her treading the same path as I had. "Everything is prepared." A Maid carrying a large basket whispered swiftly to me as she passed by. The Maid returned to her place as if she had never exchanged words with me. Watching her blonde hair braided neatly upward, I smiled with satisfaction. * * * Even for Zeppelin, it was impossible to hold leverage over every servant in the Mansion. Because of this, Zeppelin's hounds were few compared to the total number of employees. The rest who performed menial tasks had sworn their loyalty for coin. Among the servants who were not hounds, some had become Grace's eyes and ears. Grace gathered from them accounts of my and Alicia's daily activities, as well as rumors circulating inside and outside the Mansion. She then selected the important information and reported it to Zeppelin. Among them, Susan was the one who collected rumors from outside. With her ‌‌‌natural charisma, Susan had befriended servants from other estates and merchants at the Market, spreading ‌‌‌all manner of gossip. Most of it was useless ‌‌‌‌chatter, but occasionally she brought news of market price fluctuations or intimate ‌‌matters known only to servants. While her abilities were important, what truly captured my attention about Susan was her appearance. Susan had blonde hair and blue eyes. And crucially, ‌‌she was uncommonly similar in height to me. I waited for a moment when she was alone and approached her. "You're quite tall. Nearly as tall as I am." "M-Madam!" Though she had worked in the Mansion for years, this was the first time she had spoken with me, so Susan was startled and dropped the towel she had been holding. "Your name is Susan, isn't it?" "Y-You know my name?" "Of course. I know you always work so hard for me." Susan was nearly ecstatic that the beautiful Madam she had always admired was speaking to her. And to think she even knew her name. Her heart raced. Susan glanced around. The dimly lit ‌‌‌corridor, which had just finished being prepared, was empty. She felt slightly disappointed that there was no one to boast to about this moment. ‌‌‌‌As Susan kept her head bowed, my shoes came into her view. They were brilliant red shoes adorned with an intricate golden butterfly ornament. From the moment I became aware of Susan's existence, I had been watching her closely. Susan had gazed at Alicia's and Rebecca's possessions with a greed that surpassed any other maid's. Everything Zeppelin gave was of the highest ‌‌quality, ‌‌so it ‌‌‌was strange that the young maid would show no interest. Rebecca noticed the flickering desire in Susan's eyes and smiled softly. "Do you want these shoes?" "Pardon? Oh, no. I couldn't ‌‌possibly...." "I think they'd suit ‌you better than me. I'll give them to you." "What?!" ‌‌‌Susan gasped in surprise and let out an involuntary cry. Rebecca raised her index finger and brought it to her lips. "Shh. This is a secret between just us two. But nothing comes free." "Then...?" Susan had already fallen under Rebecca's spell, her mouth half-open. ‌‌‌Rebecca laughed with an enchanting allure. "Would ‌‌‌you like to play a game with me?" * * * "Do you really think it will work, ma'am? What if the Count finds out ‌later...." Even as Kanna dressed her, Susan continued to nervously pick at ‌‌‌her fingernails. Rebecca stopped Susan's hand as it moved toward her mouth again. "Hmm, you should wear gloves ‌‌on your hands. Just in case we're discovered. He won't be coming home for several days, so don't worry. My goodness, look at this. Even if someone said you were a born noblewoman, they'd believe it." Rebecca hurried Susan in front of the mirror, leaving no room for further worry. "Is that really me?" Susan stared at her reflection in disbelief. The sky-blue dress that matched her eye ‌‌‌color was adorned with delicate pink rose embroidery. And Kanna had perfectly concealed the freckles that had always been a source of her insecurity. Even the drooping corners of her eyes had been drawn upward like Rebecca's. At a glance, unless one looked closely, Susan bore a striking resemblance to Rebecca. "Good heavens! I've ‌‌‌become a lady! Oh! No, that's not what I meant.... I'm so, so sorry. I misspoke!" Susan, who had been excitedly crying out, trembled under Kanna's sharp gaze and lowered her head. Rebecca gently soothed her. "Did you forget? This game depends on how perfectly you become Rebecca Devonshire. Of course, you won't have much reason to speak." "Yes...." "Don't worry. You'll ‌‌‌be back in ‌‌a few hours. All you need to do is ‌‌enjoy this ‌‌‌little game while sitting in the wheelchair and drawing pictures." "But ma'am, I don't know how to draw!" ‌‌‌"Kanna will teach you, ‌‌so ‌‌‌there's no problem." Rebecca took Susan's hand. Susan was mesmerized by Rebecca's soft, cloud-like touch. It was such a stark contrast to her own rough hands. "Thank you. I've been so suffocated. Now that my husband is away, this is my chance. I wanted to be an ordinary person for a while, not the Countess." Susan couldn't understand Rebecca. Why would someone with such wonderful luxury ‌‌feel stifled? Yet the pleading light in her eyes moved Susan's ‌‌heart. Susan stared intently at her reflection in the mirror. A dazzling wonder never left her eyes. Kanna and Rebecca exchanged knowing smiles as they observed Susan's determination. Susan squeezed Rebecca's hand with newfound resolve, ‌‌‌her grip firm and unwavering. "I will handle it, madam. Please go without worry." * * * I adjusted my bonnet and mimicked Susan's waddling gait as I approached the mansion gates. The gatekeepers accepted the pass I offered with eyes cold and devoid of warmth. "Off you go." As I slipped through the open gates, they closed behind ‌‌‌me with mechanical precision. Those soulless men offered not even a cursory farewell—they resembled nothing so much as hollow shells. 'Which suited me perfectly.' This was my second escape. Robert's sudden illness had forced me to abandon my previous method, so I had spent several nights devising this alternative ‌‌scheme. The thrill was not quite as intoxicating as before, yet anticipation still quickened my pulse. As I ‌‌breathed in the air of freedom, Julian's face drifted unbidden into my ‌‌‌‌‌thoughts. The Duchy of Johannes bordered the city where the Count's Mansion stood. If I took a carriage in that direction, the distance was entirely traversable. Yet the ‌‌‌mere fact that I entertained such thoughts struck me as ‌‌‌‌absurd, and I let out a hollow laugh. 'Have I grown attached to him already? Rebecca, such presumptuous thinking is beneath you.' With that, I forcibly expelled ‌‌Julian from my mind and turned my steps toward the Market, my pace noticeably heavier than before. * ‌* * The Market thrummed with the ‌‌‌‌vibrant energy of life itself, voices and laughter erupting from every direction. Though momentarily overwhelmed, I found myself lingering far longer than prudence allowed, savoring this atmosphere I ‌had missed so dearly. "My goodness, Susan! What brings you here today?" But I was forced to abandon my reverie when merchants began addressing me as Susan. Susan was clearly a woman of considerable connections—merchants called out to her from every alley. I kept my face concealed beneath my bonnet and made my way toward the address Leo had provided. 【Tanisha Trading Company】 The building was neither ostentatiously grand nor shabby—perfectly unremarkable. I lifted my head and knocked upon the plain, unadorned door. "Come in." Tanisha opened the door with a melodious voice, then froze momentarily upon seeing me in commoner's attire. Yet her ‌‍eyes betrayed dignity and grace that belied her simple dress, and Tanisha found herself instinctively shrinking back. "Ah... what brings you here?" "I've come to meet the Trading Company's proprietor." "I am the proprietor. Who are you?" "You said you were ‌‌looking for me." At my words, Tanisha's eyes wavered—clearly startled by my appearance. I too was taken aback by Tanisha's youthful visage. I had anticipated meeting a seasoned gentleman of considerable experience, given Leo's praise of her competence. Instead, the Tanisha before me was a petite young woman with ‌‌‌dimples that deepened when she smiled. Yet the brilliance gleaming in her large, round brown eyes told Rebecca she had found the right person. "Then, could you possibly be that Rebec—" Tanisha hastily covered her own mouth before speaking Rebecca's name aloud. Then she quickly ushered Rebecca inside. 'So she knows exactly who I am.' Julian had insisted he hadn't revealed her identity to the Trading Company's proprietor. Yet the fact that she already knew ‌‌‌‌‌spoke volumes about her information network and deductive abilities. Rebecca ‌‌‌‌admired this silently, her gaze sweeping across the interior of the Merchant Building with detached interest. Objects lay scattered about in disarray. "I'm still in the process of organizing, so it's not quite perfect yet." Tanisha added the words somewhat sheepishly. The overall structure appeared ordinary, but upon closer inspection, considerable care had been invested in its design. Tanisha seemed quite attached to this place. Rebecca maintained a gracious smile while carefully observing Tanisha, whose eyes betrayed a hint of wariness. "You there, have some refreshments sent up to my room." Tanisha called out to a dark-haired young man moving busily in the distance. He appeared bewildered, as though refreshments weren't his responsibility, but at Tanisha's stern gaze, he quickly nodded. He set aside the documents he'd been organizing in a corner and disappeared into the small kitchen. After glancing at her employee's movements, Tanisha led Rebecca upstairs. The ‌‌‌‌second floor ‌‌‌held a room lined with bookshelves packed tightly together. Tanisha approached a large desk. An ornate nameplate sat upon it, clearly marking it as the proprietor's seat. Tanisha offered the chair reserved for the Trading Company's proprietor as she spoke. "By the ‌‌Duke's orders, you must sit here." A massive leather chair moved with a heavy sound ‌‌‌‌beneath Tanisha's hands. Rebecca gazed at the chair for a moment. The Runaway Countess Returns E-book ‌‌Publication January 12, 2022 Author Long Night Sky ‌‌Publisher Desert Fox Published by Woongjin ThinkBig Co., Ltd. Submission Received naver.me/54VzzLSn Blog. blog.naver.com/wj_fennecfox Twitter. @wjt_fennecfox

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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our ‌official site: valirscans.org

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