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77.
Alicia glanced at the Hounds hovering beside Zeppelin.
They were stationed to suppress anyone who dared speak of Rebecca.
But her opponent was the Duke of Latrans.
The Hounds, unable to handle the situation on their own, hastily approached Octavio.
Karim narrowed his eyes and looked down at Alicia, who was desperately trying to change the subject.
"How fortunate ‌‌‌that you recognize me, though I must say..."
Karim examined Alicia's golden hair and deep blue eyes carefully.
A flicker of intrigue crossed his gaze.
Karim twisted his lips into a mischievous smile.
"That dazzling appearance—it seems you're imitating ‌‌‌someone. Is it the Count's taste, or perhaps the product of desire? I suspect ‌‌‌the latter."
'This man!'
Karim's words were clearly intended to embarrass Alicia openly.
Alicia's eyes ‌‌hardened as she glared at him.
Karim laughed with evident amusement at her reaction.
Only Zeppelin looked bewildered, tilting his head.
"What on earth have you been saying this whole time...?"
"Your Grace! We've arranged to serve a special fifty-year-old rose wine at this year's ball. Do try some. Come here for a moment, won't you?"
A servant carrying ‌‌‌a tray of wine approached Alicia's side.
It was clearly Octavio's doing.
It was wine ‌they had ‌‌‌‌intended to ‌‌‌share later when the festivities reached their peak, but ‌‌diverting Karim's attention required such measures.
Alicia seized a wine glass and pressed it into Karim's hand.
Karim accepted the wine while leisurely savoring her desperation. ‌‌
"Well, if you insist so earnestly, then so be it. The ‌‌ball ‌‌will last long enough—we can discuss the details later."
Karim tasted the wine with composure, then smiled with satisfaction and raised the glass.
"Indeed, ‌‌‌‌the finest wine in the Empire."
Alicia desperately wanted ‌‌to escape this moment.
His firm lips, which she had once found handsome, now felt like a time bomb.
Alicia gently grasped Zeppelin's arm and quickly offered Karim a brief farewell.
"Well then, I must excuse myself—I have many other guests to greet. Count, you did promise to introduce me to Marchioness Petunia, didn't you?"
Alicia glanced toward Petunia, who stood surrounded by people in the distance.
Zeppelin looked at Alicia with ‌‌confusion.
"My lady, whatever is the matter...?"
As Alicia pulled Zeppelin along, the Ballroom suddenly fell silent.
Everyone around Petunia turned to gaze at the same point.
All wore expressions of shock.
A servant announcing the arrival ‌‌‌of distinguished guests stammered as he cried out:
"Julian, Duke of Johannes, and his... fiancée!"
* * *
The gathered crowd parted to both sides.
The center of the Ballroom stood empty, arranged like a stage prepared solely for Julian.
Three black cats adorned with golden ribbons around their necks walked ahead of their master.
The three cats, moving in perfect formation, possessed a dignity reminiscent of black panthers.
Following them, Julian ‌‌‌appeared, gently holding the hand of a woman.
Ordinarily, all eyes would have been drawn to the beautiful Julian, but today was different.
The woman holding Julian's hand glided toward the center of the Ballroom with delicate steps.
Countless golden threads embroidered upon her dress gleamed brilliantly beneath the radiant chandelier's light.
The dress, soft as cream to the eye, draped gracefully along the woman's curvaceous form.
The sapphire necklace adorning her neck emitted a deep blue luminescence, like the intensely azure eyes concealed behind her mask. ‌‌
Wearing a mask that obscured her entire face, her detailed ‌‌‌features remained unknowable.
Yet the mysterious aura emanating from her entire being vividly revealed her allure.
An uproar erupted.
Animated discussions ensued as people speculated about the identity of the woman, who was unmistakably a great beauty.
People whispered that she ‌‌must surely be that woman from the rumors.
It was astonishing enough that Julian had a lover he continued to meet, but an fiancée? That was unheard of.
Cutting through the commotion, Karim cried out in ‌shock.
"Julian? Julian brought a woman?"
Karim stared with gaping mouth at Julian, who was delicately escorting his fiancée.
'R-Rebecca?'
Alicia momentarily rubbed her eyes, thinking the mysterious woman appeared to be Rebecca.
But she immediately shook her head.
The ‌‌‌woman claimed to ‌‌be the fiancée ‌‌of the Duke of Johannes was exceedingly beautiful.
Her exposed shoulders, defined collarbones, and long, deer-like neck were flawlessly smooth.
It was impossible that Rebecca, who had been covered in pustules, could appear this way.
'That's right, it couldn't be Rebecca. Besides, there's no way she'd be engaged to the Duke of Johannes. A divorcée, of all things....'

Yet an inexplicable unease shook Alicia ‌‌to her core.
Was it because Rebecca was staying in the Duchy of Johannes?
Or was it because she had grown accustomed to this woman's sudden appearance, monopolizing all the ‌‌‌attention that should have been directed toward her?
Or could it be because of Zeppelin, who hadn't taken his eyes off this woman since her arrival?
Alicia swallowed her fear and placed a trembling hand on Zeppelin's arm.
"My lord...?"
Zeppelin remained oblivious to Alicia's call, his gaze ‌fixed on the mysterious woman gliding toward him.
"Everyone seems unable to tear their eyes away from you."
Julian spoke ‌‌‌with a hint of displeasure.
Rebecca whispered from behind her mask.
"Isn't that exactly why I made ‌‌such an entrance? Their vacant expressions are delightful. I'm especially curious about Zeppelin's reaction. Will he recognize me? It's a shame I can't reveal my identity tonight."
Rebecca laughed with satisfaction.
The two of them walked through the center of the empty ballroom ‌‌‌‌as though ‌‌‌‌they owned the place, eventually coming to a halt before Zeppelin ‌‌‌and Alicia.
Julian greeted Zeppelin first.
"I do apologize for monopolizing everyone's attention at your ball."
"Duke of Johannes..."
Meeting Julian's pale yellow eyes, Zeppelin unconsciously clenched his fists.
Unlike the others gathered in ‌‌‌‌the ballroom, his memories of Julian were tangled and confused.
Zeppelin furrowed his brow against the sharp, piercing headache.
Yet one thing was certain.
'Repulsive.'
The moment he saw Julian, an overwhelming revulsion washed over him as though he'd ‌‌encountered something vile.
Moreover, watching three cats glare at him as though he were their parents' mortal enemy made every nerve in his body tingle with irritation.
Though he didn't know ‌‌what connection bound them, Zeppelin recognized that his past self and Julian shared a profound enmity.
Zeppelin glanced subtly around the room.
All eyes were fixed on him and Julian.
If he lost his composure here, he would become the object of ridicule.
He cleared his throat, soothing the irritation in his throat.
"Ahem, ahem. Not at all. ‌‌I am simply grateful that you've taken the trouble to visit."
"Is that so? When we last met, you warned me not to make advances toward your wife. Yet today you welcome me so warmly—I hardly know what to do with myself."
Alicia's eyes widened ‌as she regarded Julian.
So ‌‌he and Karim were close—their behavior was identical. ‌‌
Alicia hastened to address Julian.
"Alicia Devonshire is honored to meet Duke Julian of Johannes for the first time. I've heard you always travel alone, yet today you've brought ‌‌‌such a beautiful companion. ‌‌‌Since everyone is ‌‌curious about her, wouldn't you consider introducing her?"

Julian swept his gaze over Alicia with a dismissive sneer.
"Are we close? This is our ‌first meeting, yet you're acting so familiar. Ah, I suppose someone 'like a lady' wouldn't know proper etiquette. I don't know what audacity brought you here, but I can certainly tell you don't belong in this place."
"I beg your pardon?"
Julian emphasized the words "like a lady" with particular venom.
Several guests in the hall couldn't suppress their laughter at the shared sentiment.
Rebecca quietly took Julian's hand.
As Julian turned to look at her, Rebecca whispered something only he could hear.
"Stop it."
"Ah, sorry. That ridiculous display ‌‌‌‌just irritates me so."
Julian gazed at Alicia, whose face had turned crimson all the way to her neck.
Fury welled up inside him—she was mimicking Rebecca, the very woman she had tried to kill.
Moreover, Zeppelin's gaze, which had been sweeping over Rebecca with that vacant expression since earlier, also grated on his nerves.
Zeppelin was so captivated by Rebecca that he seemed oblivious to Julian's mockery of his own wife.
Julian's lips twisted into a cruel smile.
"Still, I should offer my congratulations. Alicia, was it? I must say, I'm moved to tears by your achievement in finally realizing your dreams. The effort you must have expended to claim the position of Countess is truly touching. Remarkable."
No one present dared to point ‌‌‌out Julian's ‌‌biting tone.
Everyone gathered here had experienced his blunt remarks firsthand.
His thoughtlessness and rudeness were ‌as natural as the sunrise each morning.
In fact, most of those ‌‌‌‌‌present agreed with what he had just said.
A commoner woman had displaced the ‌‌‌‌‌legitimate noblewoman and become Countess.
No matter that Rebecca, the original wife, had ‌‌‌been ill and barren—in their world, this was nothing short of rebellion against the natural order.
Many harbored secret resentment ‌‌‌toward Alicia for presuming to claim a noble position as though it were her birthright.
Needle-sharp glares pierced down upon Alicia.
Alicia ‌‌gripped her dress tightly.
Compared to the gown worn by the Duke of Johannes's betrothed, her own dress was shabby beyond measure.
Until moments ago, Alicia had felt happy, as though she had finally become part of noble society. Now she felt so wretched she wanted to weep immediately.
No matter how brilliant the facade she wore, there remained an enormous chasm between herself and them.
It felt as ‌‌‌‌‌though everyone in the world was mocking her, and her breathing grew shallow.
"She's not as good as Rebecca."
Someone's murmur snapped Alicia back to awareness.
That's right! Rebecca—what would Rebecca have done in such a moment?
'She would have broken ‌‌‌‌‌through the wall.'
Alicia lifted her head. Tears that had pooled in her eyes streamed down her cheeks.
But her tears did not flow again.
The runaway Countess had returned.
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
---------------