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66. And the following day, Julian fell gravely ill with a virulent cold, losing consciousness from the severity of his fever. Since he rarely suffered even minor ailments, the Duke's Residence ‌‌fell into a state of emergency. Fearing he might suddenly perish like the previous Dukes of Johannes, Croa summoned every renowned physician in the Empire to attend to him. "Do not worry. It is merely a ‌‌‌common cold." Though those words brought momentary relief, my heart could not fully settle. I ‌‌wasted away from nursing him day and night. The physician even expressed greater concern for me than for the patient himself. After ‌‌lavishing such care upon him, Julian recovered his health and immediately announced he needed to practice shooting—without a single word of gratitude. Had he actually thanked me, I would have summoned a physician for the ‌‌mind. 'In ‌‌‌‌any case, raising children has never been worth the effort....' "Croa." I had been grumbling for ‌some time when Julian called my name, startling me into ‌‌‌raising my ‌‌head. Fearing I had spoken my curses aloud, I quickly covered my mouth with my ‌‌‌‌hand. Julian asked me a question. "Where is the letter? It was not on the desk." ‌‌‌ I nearly hiccupped in shock. I had hastily ordered several servants to search for it, yet no word had come. As I hesitated without answering, Julian's eyes immediately took on a golden hue. "Surely you are not about to ‌tell me you lost the letter?" "Well, that is...." "Found it!" A servant came running with a pink letter in hand. ‌‌‌My face brightened as I quickly snatched the letter from the servant's grasp and presented it to Julian. "Lost it, ‌‌you say. Here it is." Julian was about to launch into a tirade, but he faltered at the delicate fragrance emanating from the pink envelope. He cast a brief glare at Croa before hastily tearing open the letter. Whatever method had been used, despite days having passed since its arrival, the envelope still carried the subtle sweetness of flowers. ‌‌Upon opening the letter, Julian's eyebrows rose involuntarily. A pressed clover flower was affixed to the stationery. It was neither a showy nor an expensive bloom. Yet precisely because of this, Julian found himself unable to tear his gaze away from the delicate pressed clover. To ‌‌‌Julian, Our garden is ‌‌‌absolutely overflowing with clover right now. Thanks to that, Livia and Helena are constantly occupied making bracelets, necklaces, and even flower crowns. The children keep asking when you'll visit. It seems they've grown quite fond of you. I'm always grateful that you play with my reckless siblings... Imagining Rebecca playing with her siblings in ‌‌the garden, Julian let out a soft chuckle. Croa, noticing Julian's quiet ‌‌laughter, stretched her neck forward inquisitively. Curious about the letter's contents, she rose onto her ‌‌tiptoes and craned her neck toward it. Julian shot Croa a sidelong glance. Then, with quick strides, he slipped from her view and disappeared into the Forest. He could feel Croa's sharp gaze boring into the back of his head relentlessly. Julian ventured deeper into the Forest. Cats that spotted him clung to his feet. Likely due to Leo's influence, cats had followed him since childhood with particular devotion. Julian did not entirely ‌‌‌dislike their presence. Under normal circumstances, he would have spent hours with them, charmed by how they rushed to play with him, but now the letter took precedence. Julian hastily set the cats aside and collapsed onto a tree stump. Listening to the disgruntled mewing of the cats, he resumed ‌‌‌reading the letter. Ever since that day you kissed me and vanished as if fleeing... Yet the moment he read the next passage, he was forced to stop once more. Heat flooded his face. He thought target practice might calm his mind, but instead, each time he saw the red ‌target, Rebecca's lips—crimson as wild cherries—flashed before his eyes. He buried his face in his hands, overwhelmed by ‌shame. He considered abandoning the letter, but the pristine clover kept drawing him back. Imagining Rebecca carefully plucking the clover and affixing it ‌‌to the letter for him, laughter kept bubbling up unbidden. He finally surrendered to temptation and picked up the letter again from where he'd set it beside him. Since that day, my heart hasn't ‌‌been at ease. I feel I was too mischievous then. Let me apologize properly. And I hope you won't attach great significance to that kiss. There are many kinds of kisses in this world, aren't there? Let's say what we shared that day was a kiss of friendship. We were both impulsive, but given the circumstances, it couldn't be helped. I showed ‌‌‌myself in an undignified light, didn't ‌‌‌‌I? But the kiss of friendship you gave me brought me great comfort. I wanted to convey my gratitude, even if only through this letter. I'm now a free woman. Not everything is resolved, but I'm glad we no longer need to meet in secret. It's time we discussed the wedding. Tell me a convenient date, and I'll come to see you. Take care of yourself. —Rebecca 'It brought her comfort...' Julian read the letter once more, carefully and thoroughly. Until now, the correspondence between us had consisted primarily of schemes for escaping the Count's Mansion. So a letter containing something so personal was almost unprecedented. After reading the letter several more times, I found myself momentarily at a loss for words. The audacity of dismissing what had transpired that day as merely a ‌‌‌kiss of friendship was absurd. What manner of friendship warranted such an intense ‌kiss? Yet I soon resolved to defer to Rebecca's judgment. It seemed preferable to treat the memory of our first kiss as nonexistent rather than allow an awkward distance to grow between us. I carefully folded the letter back into its envelope and placed it tenderly within my inner pocket, lest it be creased. I wandered slowly through the Forest, turning Rebecca's words over in my mind. A wedding was no ordinary social affair—there was an enormous amount to prepare. I had heard that noble weddings typically required over a year of preparation. But Rebecca and I did not possess such time. Anxiety began to take hold of me. I wanted to ensure our wedding ‌‌proceeded as flawlessly as possible. I wanted to orchestrate ‌a ceremony so magnificent that Rebecca would never recall her wedding to ‌‌‌‌that bastard Zeppelin. But that was not the only problem. For the wedding to ‌‌proceed smoothly, I absolutely required the Emperor's permission—and that was no trivial matter. ‌‌‌Emperor Zahidra had already marked me as the intended husband of Princess Catherine. Society already anticipated a wedding between Catherine and myself. To proceed without incurring Zahidra's displeasure, I ‌‌‌would need to offer him something of value. 'Did I surrender the Temple's ledger too hastily...?' I walked aimlessly, contemplating what gift I might present to the Emperor. Gradually, the dense trees thinned, and a wide road lined with white gravel came into view. It was a thoroughfare where carriages passed. Two tabby cats were playing in the middle of the road. I was contentedly observing their antics when the sound of hoofbeats drew my attention ‌‌upward. In the distance, a white guest carriage was approaching rapidly. I quickly seized both cats by the scruff and pulled them away from the road. The cats immediately let out irritated cries. I held them in my arms and soothed them. Then I watched the approaching carriage with puzzlement. To my knowledge, no visitors were expected at the Duke's Castle today. Shortly after, the carriage passed before me. And in that moment, I understood. "Rebecca?" Rebecca was inside the carriage. ‌‌Through the window of the slowly passing carriage, I could clearly see Rebecca wearing a black veil. I stood dumbfounded, unable to believe she had come to my home. But then, as if seized by sudden clarity, ‌‌‍‌‌I snapped to attention. "Rebecca came here?" He fumbled to examine his appearance. He looked as though he'd just stumbled out of bed. Moreover, he hadn't even selected what to wear today. "Damn it!" Cold sweat trickled down his back. He began ‌‌running frantically toward the castle. * * * "Welcome." As Rebecca descended from the carriage, Croa greeted her. When the gatekeeper reported that someone claiming to be Julian's acquaintance had arrived, Croa had assumed it was merely another street rabble attempting some scheme. Fanatics occasionally attempted to scale the walls to meet Julian. Thus, unless an appointment had been arranged beforehand, such visitors were typically turned away. 'Should you refuse to grant me entry, please tell him I come from the place where the meadow sings.' At those words, Croa's eyes widened. Croa had ‌‌‌‌long known from Julian that Obelia's Estate was called the Meadow's Song. He had hurried to find Julian, but the man ‌had already ventured into the Forest, making it impossible to locate him quickly. 'Well, he'll handle it himself.' ‌‌With his keen senses, Julian would undoubtedly discover Rebecca's arrival before long. Just as he had found her disguised in that chaotic Market before. Croa hastily ordered the Reception Room to be lavishly arranged, then went to the Kitchen to prepare the finest refreshments. Should there ‌‌‌‌be even the slightest deficiency in how Rebecca was received, several servants might vanish silently from the Duke's Castle from that moment onward. When the servants inquired about the arriving ‌‌‌guest, he merely stated that a very important visitor was coming. It was best not to publicly disclose the relationship between Rebecca and Julian. A spy could be hidden among the servants, or a loose-tongued employee might carelessly gossip to another household's staff. Croa's ‌‌‌‌‌prediction proved accurate—Rebecca had arrived wearing a veil. Kanna, following behind her, wore a mask as well. Croa escorted the two mysterious women into the Duke's Castle with utmost courtesy. Rebecca paused to ‌‌‌‌‌admire the Duke's Castle as she looked around. The exterior was magnificent, but the interior proved far grander than anticipated. Though smaller in scale than the Imperial Palace, it seemed to ‌‌rival it in value. Yet with each step, a desolate and frigid atmosphere enveloped her. As if a bone-chilling north wind swept through the spaces between the luxurious furnishings, Rebecca wrapped her arms around herself. Where Devonshire Estate radiated the garish splendor of raw desire, the Duke of Johannes Castle emanated a cold, austere magnificence. 'Yes, I feel death ‌‌‌here.' The meticulously arranged interior evoked the ‌‌‌image of a wealthy emperor's coffin. Her chest tightened slightly. Rebecca imagined Julian growing up alone in this desolate space. "Are these Julian's family ‌‌‌members...?" Rebecca's footsteps halted before a grand family portrait. Croa, who had been leading the way, turned to gaze at ‌‌‌‌the painting. ‌‌"Yes. Both passed away when the Duke was very young." The runaway Countess had returned. E-book publication. ‌‌January 12, 2022 Author. Gin Bam Ha Neul Publisher. Desert Fox Published by. Woongjin ThinkBig Co., Ltd. Submissions. naver.me/54VzzLSn Blog. blog.naver.com/wj_fennecfox Twitter. @wjt_fennecfox

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