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43.
"You're acting just like your companion."
Meow.
"But why did Julian lie to me?"
By my rough calculation, he had only been here for about an hour at most.
Julian had distinctly said he couldn't perform spatial displacement ‌‌until three hours had passed.
"Ugh, I give up!"
I collapsed onto the bed, pulling Leo into my embrace.
Leo was startled for a moment before deciding to simply nestle into my arms.
"I think I'm running a fever..."
Heat radiated from my forehead. The effects of the Demon's Claw were beginning to take hold.
As my consciousness grew hazy and fragmented, I found ‌‌‌‌myself thinking of Julian, who had vanished like a mirage.
'Pet my hair.'
His hair was just ‌‌‌as soft and fluffy ‌‌‌‌as Leo's fur. Every time I ran my fingers through it, a wonderful fragrance wafted toward me.
'Ah...'
I drifted into a dream.
In the dream, I stood alone in a dark tunnel. No matter how far I walked, the endless darkness tormented me relentlessly. ‌‌‌
Yet somehow, I felt no fear.
I continued forward.
Though impenetrable darkness pressed in from all sides, I had a premonition that this tunnel would eventually end.
When I finally reached the tunnel's end, a tightly sealed iron door awaited me.
Looking down at my hands with confusion, I found a key resting in my palm.
The key's handle bore the crest of House of Johannes.
I inserted the key into the lock and turned it.
As I pushed the door with all my strength, the stubborn iron door creaked open with an eerie sound.
Brilliant light suddenly poured down, and I raised my hand to shield my eyes. Someone called out to me.
'Rebecca.'
A familiar voice. Achingly tender.
He extended his hand toward me.
The moment I grasped his large hand, I thought to myself:
Am I allowed to be happy?
I stepped through the doorway.
There he stood, smiling as brightly as the dazzling light itself.
I whispered his name softly.
'Julian.'
* * *
As the Balcony door ‌‌‌opened, a cool breeze swept through golden hair.
Even as moonlight poured down with jealous intensity, the angel-like sleeper did not stir.
Julian stood motionless, ‌‌gazing down at the deeply sleeping Zeppelin.
In his mind, he was methodically envisioning every cruel torture method he knew, mentally punishing Zeppelin.
'I'm sorry! I was wrong! Please stop now.... Ahhhhh!'
For just a moment, imagining his screams made me feel ‌‌slightly better.
Julian's eyes were now blazing like the flames of hell itself.
'How dare he....'
When Rebecca appeared in shackles, Julian had cursed Zeppelin countless times in his mind.
He had deliberately avoided mentioning them, fearing she might feel ashamed of her restrained state.
But watching her swallow the poisonous demon's claws without hesitation simply ‌‌because she would be sharing a bed with Zeppelin—his grip on reason shattered.
Julian drew his blade.
The cold night air clung to ‌‌the steel. ‌‌‌
He raised the sword with both hands and aimed it directly at Zeppelin's throat.
Just as the blade nearly touched Zeppelin's delicate skin, Julian's hands froze.
Killing him now would make everything easier.
Rebecca could escape that dreadful mansion, and if she ‌became a widow, he could marry her according to plan within a short time.
But Julian did not. He could not.
Zeppelin had far ‌‌‌too many sins to atone for to die so easily.
Even if he fell by a single stroke, that right ‌‌belonged to Rebecca alone.
Julian had no authority to punish him.
His only privilege was to help Rebecca crush that face as soon as possible.
Shing—
The blade returned to its sheath with a ‌‌‌reluctant whisper.
Julian stared at Zeppelin, lost in oblivious slumber, before turning to leave.
Waiting had never suited his ‌‌‌nature, but there was no choice.
"Rebecca...."
Zeppelin murmured her ‌‌‌name in his sleep.
Julian, about to step outside, froze at the dreamy voice calling her name.
As he turned back, a murderous intent blazed in his eyes.
He must have done unspeakable things while calling her name in that voice. An uncontrollable rage erupted from the depths of his ‌‌‌being.
'Even Rebecca would understand this much.'

Julian's eyes snapped open.
The inferno of my rage erupted like a volcano, spewing molten fury.
I hurled my clenched fist toward Zeppelin's face.
Crack!
The sound of bone shattering echoed through the air.
"Argh!"
Zeppelin jolted awake with a cry of agony, clutching at his ‌‌‌‌‌‌throbbing ‌‌‌eye as he searched for the midnight intruder.
But the room was empty.
Only the pristine curtains on the open Balcony billowed in the night breeze.
* * *
Inside the swaying Carriage, Zeppelin held up a mirror, scrutinizing the spot where ‌‌‌the bruise had faded.
He should have returned ‌‌‌home a week ago, but the stubborn discoloration on his face had forced him to delay his arrival.
I had ‌no desire to see Rebecca looking like this—a wreck.
Fortunately, the salve the Hounds had secretly provided proved effective, and the bruise disappeared faster than expected.
'Who on earth could it have been...'
I recalled ‌‌‌that night vividly.
When I jolted awake from the searing pain, the bedroom door remained locked exactly as I had secured it.
The only changes were the open Balcony window and the massive bruise blooming across my left eye socket.
My room was on a high floor.
The height was insurmountable for ordinary people, so I deduced the intruder possessed considerable skill.
'But why did they let me live?'
With such prowess, they could have killed me without effort.
A fatal blow would have been less unsettling than this lingering unease.
I had sustained only injuries short of broken bones.
Unable to discern the intruder's intent, I felt deeply troubled.
Was this another scheme orchestrated by the Emperor?
I resolved to reassess Zahidra.
The Emperor was likely far more cunning than I had given him credit for—a wily old fox indeed.
Suddenly, the Carriage lurched violently.
I snapped irritably at the coachman.
"Can't you drive this thing properly?!"
"I-I apologize. The road is quite rough, you see..."
Even the most remote ‌villages weren't this desolate.
I still couldn't believe I had spent over a month in such ‌‌‌‌a forsaken place.
At least nothing significant had occurred at the Estate during my absence.
I had given the Hounds strict orders to contact me at the slightest ‌‌irregularity.
For a month, their reports contained nothing but peaceful tidings, as always.
I yearned for the Devonshire Estate and longed to ‌‌return to my carefully orchestrated world.
I gazed restlessly through the window.
Once I returned there, ‌‌everything would be resolved. ‌‌
Zeppelin reassured himself that his baseless anxiety stemmed from having been away from home for so long.
* * *
"My lord!" ‌‌‌
The moment ‌‌Zeppelin descended from ‌‌the carriage, Grace and the butler Octavio came rushing out in a flurry.
Alicia followed slowly behind them.
Zeppelin gave a ‌‌light nod to Grace and Octavio, then pressed a gentle kiss to Alicia's cheek.
"You've grown rather thin, Alicia."
"I suppose I missed you."
"By the way, where is Rebecca?"
Zeppelin spoke with an exhausted expression, running his hand through his hair.
The one he had hoped would rush to greet him ‌‌first was nowhere to be ‌‌seen.
Octavio asked, visibly flustered.
"Did we not inform you, sir?"
"Inform me of what?"
"Miss Rebecca is...."
"What about Rebecca?"
Zeppelin's eyes widened sharply.
Octavio continued calmly.
"She has fallen ill. Since last week, ‌she has been suffering from an inexplicable high fever, and for the past three days, pustules have appeared on her body...."
"What? Why are you only telling me now? Didn't she send word that everything was fine?"
Octavio replied with a troubled expression.
"No, sir. I have continuously sent letters detailing Miss Rebecca's condition. Colin was entrusted with their delivery, so he should know well."
"Colin!"
At the sound of his name, Colin, who had been standing with the other servants, started in alarm and stepped forward before Zeppelin.
Zeppelin spoke with an indescribably heavy killing intent.
"Explain what happened."
"I, I certainly placed the letters between the bricks of the garden wall behind the mansion, exactly as you instructed, sir."
"Then how could the contents have been altered?"
Zeppelin seized Colin by the collar and ‌lifted him into the air. The boy's light frame was hoisted effortlessly into empty space.
Colin was one of the Hounds who had only recently arrived.
He was a swift-footed and clever boy, primarily tasked with delivering confidential letters.
Colin spoke through tears streaming down his face like chicken ‌‌‌droppings.
"I, I swear it's true! Ah, now that I think of it, ‌‌‌‌when I took the letters last week, I saw a large man lurking about that area."
"A large man?"
"Yes, yes! He had red hair and a cross-shaped scar on his left cheek."
Zeppelin dropped Colin to the ground as if discarding him.
"So... he even inspected my private correspondence?"
It seemed the Emperor had taken a profound dislike ‌‌to him.
Zahidra. How ‌‌‌‌‌dare he act this way?
Zeppelin swore vengeance against the Emperor and hurried toward Rebecca's room.
"Ugh."
As Zeppelin drew closer to Rebecca's room, an indescribable stench wafted toward ‌‌‌‌him. He quickly covered his nose with his sleeve.
It was ominous.
His heart pounded violently with a terrible premonition.
After what felt like an eternity, when he finally opened ‌‌‌‌‌the door and caught sight of Rebecca's condition, Zeppelin ‌‌staggered.
Confronted with the shocking ‌‌‌‌state of Rebecca, he could say nothing—only a gasp escaped ‌‌‌‌his lips.
"Ahhh...."
"Zeppelin...."
Rebecca, supported by Kanna, barely managed to lift herself from the bed.
Her beautiful eyes remained unchanged, but everywhere ‌‌‌else was consumed by horrific blisters.
Her once-smooth skin was gone, and her hands and feet were grotesquely swollen.
Most of all, the unbearable stench that ‌‌‌‌filled the room made Zeppelin falter.
The beautiful Rebecca he had cherished so dearly was nowhere to be found.
Zeppelin collapsed to the ground.
"Why.... Why!"
His ‌‌‌anguished cry echoed through the Estate.
At his desperate despair, everyone in ‌‌the Estate could barely breathe.
"There must be a way. A doctor—call the doctors!"
Zeppelin staggered to his feet.
Grace, sensing the situation, had already summoned the physicians in advance.
Zeppelin struck the eldest doctor across the face with ‌‌‌brutal force.
"What have you been doing while my wife fell into this state!"
The Countess ‌‌‌‌Who Fled Has Returned
E-book Publication

January 12, 2022
Author

Gin Bam Ha Neul
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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