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57.
Julian raised his hand.
The moment he was about to knock, Rebecca's voice reached him once more.
"Don't."
"You know what I'm about to do."
"Don't knock. Julian." ‌‌
"...."
"If you ask me to let you in, I cannot refuse. ‌So please, don't ask me. I cannot ‌‌‌face you like this right now."
"Rebecca...."
"I'm sorry. You've shown me kindness, ‌‌‌‌yet I repay it this way. Once I'm healed.... Once I return to my ‌‌‌former self, let's meet then. ‌‌‌At that time, I will be the Rebecca you know."
"You are Rebecca now, ‌‌too."
"Goodbye, Julian."
Julian fell silent ‌‌‌at her unmistakable farewell.
The words Rebecca had whispered to Leo in the Lilac Garden came back to him.
'What expression will Julian make when he sees my face like this?'
I understood why she was doing this.
I wanted to tell her it was fine, that ‌‍her appearance meant nothing to me.
But such words might wound her further, so I could say nothing.
She might interpret it as pity.
Julian crumpled the journal in ‌‌‌his hand. He suppressed what he wanted to say ‌‌‌and chose his words with care.
"I'll come again. ‌‌I need to receive the journal...."
No answer came from beyond the door.
Julian accepted this as silent consent and offered words spoken with sincerity.
"So until then, don't ‌‌‌be in pain."
As Julian's presence faded, Rebecca, who had been holding her breath with her ear pressed to the door, collapsed to the floor.
He said he would come again.
The thought that he hadn't said he wouldn't come was both terribly unwelcome and painfully sweet.
Rebecca quietly moved to her vanity and sat down.
Though her ‌‌‌symptoms had improved considerably, her face showed no improvement whatsoever.
"Ah!"
As she traced her face, remembering her former appearance, one of the pustules burst beneath her touch.
The sharp sting made Rebecca's brows furrow deeply.
She fetched a tissue and pressed it against the pustule to ‌‌‌wipe it away.
Staring blankly at the tissue stained with blood, Rebecca let out a hollow laugh.
There was once a time when she had loved her beautiful face, but at some point, ‌‌she had come to curse her own exquisite visage.
Had she been plain, had her appearance been so ordinary ‌‌‌that people would pass her by without a second glance, ‌‌she would never have had reason to return from death.
That thought remained unchanged even now.
The reactions of people recoiling at her transformed appearance were almost amusing.
Yet why was the thought of Julian showing the same reaction ‌‌utterly unbearable?
Even when Zeppelin had screamed at the sight of her covered in pustules in her ‌‌‌‌previous life, it had not hurt this much.
'I want to look beautiful.'
Even if the entire world pointed at her and called her hideous, I wished Julian would see me ‌‌as lovely.
So I longed for him to shine those fervent golden eyes upon me, to place my soft hair in his hands so he might caress it, and to feel his warm lips against my forehead, my cheeks, my lips—no, against every inch of my body.
Rebecca closed her eyes tightly.
"It's greed."
Even knowing it was a desire I should discard, my heart refused to stop, and I resented myself for it. ‌‌
Surely there was no harm in merely thinking, in imagining alone in secret.
Yet even as I thought this, I feared that one day I might actually act upon it.
And so I fell deeper into him, was wounded, and wounded in turn.
"This cannot be. It cannot."
It was impossible.
Our fate was one we could never share ‌‌until the end.
It would have been right never to begin.
Rebecca walked slowly toward the window.
The song of the meadow drifted up to her.
Along with the pure whisper of the breeze came bright laughter that crossed the threshold of her window.
Each time ‌‌‌Julian visited the house, the laughter from below grew louder still.
He was like a sorcerer—a magician who conjured only those things that ‌‌would bring her happiness.
Rebecca leaned her head wearily against the window.
She imagined her family, imagined herself beside him, ‌‌‌then squeezed her eyes shut.
* * *
"How exquisite! You're absolutely stunning!"
Sandra clapped her hands in admiration.
Her words were no mere flattery.
Alicia, dressed in a pale lavender gown that matched her own hair color, was utterly enchanting.
"Truly? Does it suit me well?"
Alicia's cheeks flushed a deep rose.
Rather than answer, Sandra nodded enthusiastically and brought forth beads to adorn the dress, holding them up ‌‌‌here and there to test their placement.
Sandra's atelier was currently ‌‌‌‌the most sought-after establishment in the Capital. ‌‌‌
One had to contact her three months in advance to secure an appointment, and even then, it was first-come, first-served—the competition was fierce.
But House of Devon was an exception.
Rebecca was like a muse to Sandra.
She would postpone even the Crown Princess's schedule if it meant creating a dress for her.
So when House of Devon commissioned a custom gown, Sandra was thrilled.
The rumors circulating about Zeppelin and Rebecca's divorce seemed to be false after all.
"It's ‌‌a pleasure to meet you. I'm ‌‌‌Alicia."
Yet it was Alicia who stepped out of the Earl of Devonshire's carriage.
Sandra was taken aback, but she couldn't refuse the appointment, so she reluctantly ushered Alicia inside.
Contrary to her concerns, Alicia proved to be quite a pleasant client.
Being a commoner, she was curious about everything, ‌and her bright, innocent gaze made Sandra smile involuntarily.
'But...'
I missed Rebecca.
The ‌‌‍exhilaration I felt when crafting a dress that hugged her form perfectly was worth more than all the gold in the world.
Sandra considered herself an artist before she was a merchant.
So it was only natural that upon seeing Zeppelin accompanying Alicia today, Sandra found herself sighing quietly to herself.
The two of them appeared to be getting along splendidly.
'It seems the divorce rumors are true after all.'
The divorce rumors surrounding the Earl and Countess—once a fantastic couple—were setting ‌‌‌high society ablaze.
Everywhere ‌‌‌‌one went, that was all anyone discussed.
Even Marchioness Petunia, who ‌‌‌had visited this morning, had chattered about nothing else the entire ‌‌time.
Opinion appeared divided between those who understood Zeppelin and those who pitied Rebecca.
Sandra thought it fortunate that Rebecca had returned to her family home.
Since House of Obelia had rarely appeared in society after their fortunes declined, Rebecca would likely never hear the detailed gossip people were spreading.
Delicate Rebecca's heart could never withstand the cutting words of high society. ‌‌
In any case, it seemed a foregone conclusion that I would never see Rebecca again.
As that thought ‌‌took ‌‌‌hold, Sandra's expression darkened slightly.
"Excuse me, Sandra?"
"Oh, yes."
At Alicia's melodious voice, Sandra snapped ‌‌‌back from her reverie.
She quickly composed herself with a businesslike smile and turned her attention to Alicia.
"Would this dress suit me if I were blonde?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"Well, I might dye my hair for a change of pace later ‌‌‌‌on."
"Of course, Madam. This dress would complement your eye color beautifully regardless."
At Sandra's response, Alicia glanced sidelong at Zeppelin.
He stood atop the ornate reception table, surrounded by towering stacks of documents, absorbed in reviewing them intently.
She was displeased ‌that he wasn't looking at her properly, but it didn't matter.
Simply having come to the Capital with him was already enough to satisfy Alicia.
After stamping the divorce papers ‌with Rebecca at the Temple, Zeppelin spent a day no different from any other.
No—he was twice as busy as usual.
He took over management of the Grape ‌‌‌Farm and expanded his hotel business.
He threw himself into his ventures like a man possessed by work.
Everything proceeded smoothly. Life without Rebecca was quite peaceful.
Occasionally, people asking whether the divorce ‌‌was true would disturb that peace.
But each time, Zeppelin would merely smile faintly and evade the question. Then peace would ‌return.
"Does it please you, Earl?"
Alicia turned slowly with a smile that seemed to melt into the air.
Zeppelin looked up to regard her.
With the fluttering gait of a sparrow, Alicia ‌‌‌‌‌approached behind Zeppelin.
She began to massage his tense shoulders.
Lately, Alicia had taken ‌‌to doing only things that pleased him.
Zeppelin caressed Alicia's ‌belly.
As he felt the faint stirrings of movement, a subtle smile spread across his lips.
"How lovely."
Those words alone were enough.
Alicia, satisfied, demanded that Sandra design another dress for her.
With Rebecca gone, Alicia felt happiness for the first time since arriving at the Count's Mansion.
Zeppelin behaved like a devoted father, and the servants no longer treated Alicia with the carelessness of before.
Now she could have anything she desired.
Yet at times, an undeniable unease would creep upon her.
A disturbingly keen intuition made Alicia tremble.
For instance, when she caught Zeppelin gazing into Rebecca's former room with hollow eyes.
Or when he made foolish remarks like just now.
"Yes, I should purchase jewelry to match that dress. Once we leave here, we'll go to the jeweler at the corner."
At Zeppelin's words, Alicia tilted her head and spoke.
"Pardon? But we just came back from the jeweler at the corner. Is there another jeweler there?"
Zeppelin faltered.
Lately, his memories flickered like a failing lightbulb, connecting and disconnecting.
He paused blankly, fumbling through his schedule for the day, then burst into laughter.
"Ah, I misspoke—I meant a restaurant. Alicia, there's a decent restaurant in this area. Let's dine there this evening."
He laughed awkwardly.
Alicia's eyes betrayed her unease at his laughter.
But soon a magnificent dress that Sandra brought dispelled her anxiety.
* * *
"It's raining."
Rebecca lifted her head from her book as she sat before the large window overlooking the Garden in the drawing room.
Just moments ago ‌‌‌‌the sun had blazed fiercely, but now dark clouds had rolled in, pouring down heavy rain.
The wind was unusually fierce—it seemed thunder and lightning would soon strike.
Now that I thought about it, Zeppelin would shut himself away in his room whenever thunder rumbled, refusing to emerge.
The rumors said he was afraid of thunder.
Imagining him trembling in that vast room, I shook my ‌‌‌head.
Such sentiments were of no help.
Time flowed relentlessly onward.
Tomorrow would be the final day of the adjustment period.
I had sent the final ‌‌‌‌divorce documents to the ‌‌‌‌Imperial Palace long ago, but word was that Zeppelin's copy had yet to arrive.
Surely ‌‌‌he wouldn't go back on his word?
The Runaway Countess Returns
E-book publication.

January 12, 2022
Author.

Long night sky
Publisher.

Desert fox
Published by.

Woongjin ThinkBig Co., Ltd.
Submissions.

naver.me/54VzzLSn
Blog.

blog.naver.com/wj_fennecfox
Twitter.

@wjt_fennecfox

---------------
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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