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76.
"Then, I'll be on my way."
"Yes. Take care of yourself."
Danae watched Rebecca with a worried expression.
Theo ‌‌‌simply sent Julian a sharp, unmistakable warning glance instead of a greeting.
It was a threatening look that clearly said: if you dare make a move on my daughter, I'll kill you.
Julian broke into a cold sweat and deliberately avoided Theo's piercing gaze.
Under normal circumstances, he would have confidently assured himself that such a thing was impossible, but today felt genuinely dangerous.
As Rebecca waved goodbye to her family, Julian stole a glance at her profile, but the moment their eyes met, he hastily looked away.
'Here we go again.'
Julian's habit of stealing glances had become ‌‌an annual tradition.
Despite the spacious interior, Julian sat with his legs primly pressed together, appearing flustered ‌‌‌‌about where to direct his gaze.
Rebecca let out a soft laugh at the sight.
It was rather endearing.
"Ahem. Let's depart at once!"
At Julian's command, the carriage began to move slowly forward.
Kanna and Croa, who had boarded the carriage with him, exchanged strange looks at his somewhat exaggerated loud voice.
Julian hastily opened the window.
The cool evening air helped ease his flustered heat.
For the first time in his life, he found himself actually looking forward to a ball he had dreaded attending.
* * *
"My lord, look. So many guests have arrived."
Alicia's face brightened immediately upon seeing the steady stream of arriving nobles.
Just moments before, she had been thoroughly sulking.
Four days ago, she had eagerly shown ‌Octavio and Zeppelin the Ballroom she had painstakingly decorated after days of careful consideration.
Upon discovering the Ballroom awash in a riot of colors, Octavio pressed his hand to his forehead.
It was such a disastrous sight that one ‌‌‌‌should be grateful a unicorn hadn't ‌burst forth from it.
'M-madam. Your work is beautiful, but I believe it would be better to decorate differently this time.'
Zeppelin attempted to persuade Alicia with a troubled expression.
No matter how he thought about it, presenting such a Ballroom would inevitably invite ridicule.
Moreover, Zeppelin was deeply anxious about hosting such a grand event while his memory remained incomplete.
But Alicia ‌‌was not easily swayed.
'No! ‌‌You promised I could do things my way this time!'
Zeppelin's ‌‌‌‌patience finally snapped as Alicia ‌‌‌continued to throw a tantrum.
'Alicia Devonshire! This ball ‌must be perfect! Do you understand? This is an event where trash will gather to gossip about my mental state. I won't give them any ammunition! So shut your mouth and stay locked in your room!'
A moment ‌‌‌of silence fell as Zeppelin shouted at Alicia just as he had in the past.
Octavio's eyes narrowed slightly.
Grace was ‌about to cry out in joy.
But at Zeppelin's subsequent actions, Grace's expression turned to despair once more.
'Ah, Alicia! What on earth was I saying...? My nerves have been on edge lately—I wasn't in my right mind for a moment. Please, I'm begging you, stop your tears.'
As tears welled up in Alicia's eyes, Zeppelin immediately dropped to one knee before her.
His memories had not yet returned.
Alicia assumed his old temperament had merely surfaced temporarily, and she found relief in this thought.
Yet the notion struck her that if she persisted in her stubbornness, Zeppelin might recover his ‌‌‌memories.
Alicia ultimately relented.
Under ‌Grace's direction, the Ballroom was restored to its proper state.
As if she had anticipated this very outcome, Grace retrieved the decorations she had prepared from the Warehouse.
Alicia's irritation lingered, and she pouted visibly toward Zeppelin until the ball commenced.
Judging by her demeanor, I expected her ‌‌‌sulk to last a week, yet it dissolved so easily.
Seeing Alicia's delighted expression, childlike ‌‌‌‌in its radiance, Zeppelin smiled quietly.
"This is hardly your first attendance at a ball, yet you seem to cherish it so. You strike me as someone of pure heart, grateful even for the smallest things."
Though his praise was sincere, Alicia's shoulders trembled slightly at his words.
"W-well, parties are always joyful, aren't ‌‌‌they? I do hope everyone who visited the ball tonight finds happiness."
"My wife is beautiful, and virtuous besides."
Zeppelin pressed a gentle kiss to ‌Alicia's forehead.
"Oh my. Earl, people are watching."
Alicia lowered her head shyly. ‌‌
Zeppelin's expression hardened as he observed her.
Again. That ‌‌‌strange sense of déjà vu returned once more.
According to Octavio and those around him, Alicia ‌‌‌was indeed his beloved.
Likely the same woman from his dreams.
Yet why did holding and touching Alicia leave him feeling so estranged?
The ‌faceless lover he remembered from his dreams did not feel like ‌‌‌this.
His lover had been more graceful, more intensely entwined with him.
Alicia was quite lovely and endearing as a wife, yet he could not bring himself to believe ‌‌‌he loved her.
The image of himself in those memories—lost in her without reason—differed starkly from the man standing beside Alicia now.
'But it must be my imagination.'
His memories showed no sign of returning.
He had attempted everything said to aid memory recovery.
Yet his ‌‌‌‌past remained ‌‌stubbornly elusive, as if sealed away in his ‌‌‌‌mind.
Childhood memories, his father, his mother—and that woman who visited him in dreams each night.
Especially when he recalled her, a sharp pain pierced his skull like an awl.
"Ugh."
"Earl! What's wrong? Is your head ‌‌aching again?"
"No... I'm fine. I simply need some air."
Zeppelin grasped his ‌‌throbbing head ‌‌‌and made his way to the Balcony.
Alicia watched him with concern before turning her gaze back to the Ballroom.
She fingered the hem of her exquisite dress, embroidered with silver thread.
The creation of this gown had ‌‌‌cost the price of an entire Carriage, she had been told.
Though her belly was quite swollen, a minor flaw, the dress was otherwise flawless enough to dismiss such concerns.
Sandra's craftsmanship was truly unparalleled.
'That's right. From now on, I'll eat only the finest foods and wear only the most expensive clothes. After all, I'm a noble countess.'
Without question, no one in this ballroom could rival her beauty.
Not even the renowned Princess Catherine.
Alicia kept her ears sharp, catching every whispered comment directed at her. ‌‌‌
"Good heavens. For a moment, I thought it was Rebecca. The Earl of Devonshire's tastes certainly are consistent."
"He's a man who keeps only the finest, after all. His second wife is certainly radiant."
"With summer approaching, how can she have such a prominent belly? Look at those delicate ‌arms."
"How graceful. It's hard to believe she's of common birth."
Alicia's pride swelled instantly, and she straightened her posture.
Though the weight of her belly forced her to support herself with her hands at her waist, the intensive training she'd undergone allowed her to display flawless movements.
The nobles who once made her feel as though merely gazing upon them was a sin now showered her with admiration, and the sensation was peculiar.
'Yes, you've come this far well, Alicia.'
Today's ball was also the formal occasion to present ‌‌‌‌Alicia to society as the Countess of Devonshire.
Zeppelin was absolutely convinced that Rebecca had been a vicious first wife.
'Thinking of the humiliation that woman caused me and the ‌‌‌child in my womb makes my body tremble even now.'
Alicia's tearful performance lent credibility to her words. She was certain ‌‌that ‌‌Zeppelin had fallen for her deception.
However, she felt uneasy because of what Zeppelin had revealed a few days ago—his ‌true nature.
So Alicia had sent letters to everyone attending today's ball, requesting that they refrain from mentioning Rebecca for ‌‌the sake of Zeppelin's mental health.
She had enclosed expensive gifts with the letters.
Strictly speaking, it wasn't entirely a ‌‌‌lie.
It was true that Rebecca had caused Alicia to lose sleep and suffer humiliation.
If things continued this way, the child Alicia would soon bear would become the heir of Devonshire without issue.
Everything was proceeding smoothly.
Basking in the attention of everyone present, Alicia was confident that she was the star of today's gathering, no matter what ‌‌anyone said.
"There you are." ‌‌‌
Zeppelin returned after taking a headache remedy and placed his hand ‌on Alicia's shoulder.
Alicia smiled sweetly and spoke.
"My lord! Please introduce me to everyone."
"Of course."
Zeppelin accepted her request in a flat tone.
Soon, Alicia's silver gown began to sweep through the ballroom.
Zeppelin had worried whether he might forget their names, but as he looked at the guests' faces, their names and titles came to him effortlessly.
"This is Baron Trube. Baron Trube, this is my wife, Alicia Devonshire."
"You are truly beautiful."
The cascade of compliments was dizzingly sweet.
Alicia was so intoxicated with joy that she could barely think straight.
Moments that ‌‌‌felt like dreams coming true continued to unfold.
"It's been a long time, my lord. I heard ‌‌‌you'd lost your memory, but it seems you've recovered?"
At the somewhat sharp, low-pitched voice, Zeppelin turned his head.
"Ah. So you're the Duke of Latrannis."
Alicia's eyes widened as she looked up ‌‌‌at the Duke of Latrannis.
Though he wore a mask, it could not conceal his striking beauty. ‌‌‌‌
In truth, at a masquerade ball, hardly anyone wore a mask substantial enough to ‌‌‌truly ‌‌‌‌‌hide their identity, so it was only natural.
Karim Latrannis, with his imposing frame, possessed rare handsomeness—his black hair held a bluish sheen, and his eyes were a striking crimson.
His bold, angular features, characteristic of those from the North, ‌were undeniably captivating. As his gaze met Alicia's, ‌‌‌‌a faint smirk played across his lips. ‌‌
In that instant, Alicia froze.
'Was he mocking me?'
Zeppelin, seemingly unaware of ‌‌his smile, addressed him with courtesy.
Karim, known as the Master of the North, had recently expanded his influence to the point where he was called a Grand Duke.
For many years, the Devonshire Family had cultivated a cordial relationship with the Latrannis Family.
The two families were, in essence, the twin pillars supporting Emperor Zahidra.
"You ‌‌‌‌haven't met my wife before, I believe. This is Alicia Devonshire."
"I heard she had recovered to some degree, but it ‌seems her memory hasn't fully returned after all."
"I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean...?"
As Zeppelin regarded him with confusion, Alicia quickly changed the subject.
"It's an honor to meet you. I am Alicia Devonshire. I've long heard of your Grace's illustrious reputation."
A faint crease of irritation formed across the bridge of Alicia's nose.
The Runaway Countess Returns
E-book Publication

January 12, 2022
Author

Long Night Sky
Publisher

Desert Fox
Published ‌‌‌by

Woongjin ThinkBig Co., Ltd.
Submission Inquiries

naver.me/54VzzLSn
Blog

blog.naver.com/wj_fennecfox
Twitter

@wjt_fennecfox

‌
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