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85.
Zahidra studied him intently before nodding.
"Your words ring true. From this moment forward, I decree that Earl Zeppelin of Devonshire be confined to the Count's Mansion. Alfred, dispatch word to the Security Force in the vicinity at once—have them maintain surveillance of this place."
Chaos erupted throughout the hall.
Caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, the assembled guests at the Hall of Light milled about aimlessly, like sheep without a shepherd.
"This is slander, ‌‌‌‌Your Majesty! Dishonorable men have conspired to destroy ‌‌‌me! Why would I orchestrate such treachery at my own gathering? Moreover, that painting was yours——!"
Zeppelin cried out loudly as the Emperor's knights dragged him away.
But it was already too late.
Zahidra barked sternly.
"Silence! The Knights of God will uncover the truth of all this. Take the Earl to his estate at once!"
"Zahidra! Your Imperial Majesty!"
Once Zeppelin had vanished from the Hall of Light, Zahidra exhaled deeply.
"Given how matters have unfolded, it would be best to conclude the gathering here. That painting shall ‌‌‌be kept in the Imperial Palace to ‌‌prevent any tampering with ‌‌‌evidence."
The murmuring crowd immediately began preparing to depart at Zahidra's words.
From a distance, Julian caught sight of Alicia clinging to some man, tears streaming down her face.
'That must be Octavio.'
Octavio's face was twisted into a grotesque mask of ‌‌‌anguish.
He had long since shed the gentle facade he typically wore.
Thick veins bulged across ‌‌‌Octavio's forehead.
His wide-eyed gaze burned with malice directed at the Emperor. ‌‌
His stare was ‌so fierce it could have killed a man with its intensity alone.
Julian whistled silently to himself upon witnessing Octavio's menacing expression.
'One could believe him the reincarnation of a demon.'
"How was my performance?"
Zahidra, his benevolent expression having returned, spoke casually to Julian.
"Magnificent, Your Majesty."
Zahidra listened intently to the whispers of the crowd, each person advancing their own theories.
"Would the Earl of Devonshire do such a thing if he weren't mad? He must have fallen out of favor with ‌‌‌someone of great ‌‌influence."
"But there are few men of greater standing than the Earl. Who could possibly have it out for him?"
"It might not be someone of high ‌‌‌‌rank. How many enemies does the Earl of Devonshire have? And now the Knights of God are involved—he's taken a serious blow."
"So the Earl of Devonshire is finished then? What about my investment?"
"Let's wait and see. I'll postpone my plans to invest in any new ventures for now."
Just as Rebecca had predicted, those who had been enticed by Zeppelin's business ventures began to waver.
Of course, the Earl of Devonshire would not be ruined by this alone, but he would certainly suffer a significant blow.
Zahidra contemplated what advantage he might gain ‌‌‌from this situation.
His gaze shifted toward the painting depicting the fanatic.
After observing the painting for a moment, Zahidra's eyes widened.
"That's... Zeppelin, isn't ‌‍it?"
Though the expression differed from Zeppelin's usual countenance, making it difficult to discern at first glance, upon closer inspection it was unmistakably Zeppelin.
Julian let out a soft chuckle and spoke.
"Yes. I was merely having a bit of fun." ‌
"That's unlike you—such a childish prank. Won't ‌‌that create ‌an opening for escape? There's no reason he would have drawn ‌‌his ‌‌‌‌own face into the picture."
"But couldn't it be true?"
"What?"
"Just as the painting suggests, Zeppelin could very well be a fanatic devoted to the Temple."
"Do you have ‌‌‌proof?"
Zahidra's eyes narrowed to sharp slits.
Anyone who had ever conspired with the Temple was no different from a traitor to him. He should cast them out immediately.
Julian answered in an unhurried tone.
"I have none. It's merely speculation on my part."
"Don't speak such nonsense."
Zahidra turned his gaze back to ‌the front, his expression visibly deflated.
Julian spoke.
"We'll know the truth by observing how the Knights of God treat the Earl. Those Knights of God who even defy the Emperor's commands."
"True. We shall see."
Julian briefly ‌‌‌wondered whether "we shall see" referred to Zeppelin or the Knights of God.
"D-Duke...!"
Just then, someone seized ‌‌‌Julian's arm in urgent desperation.
Startled by the violent trembling of that ‌‌grip, Julian looked down sharply.
It was Kanna.
Her glistening chestnut eyes searched ‌‌‌for him with desperate urgency.
Her entire body was drenched in sweat, as though she had rushed here at full speed.
Tears streamed down Kanna's cheeks.
Julian regarded her with a hardened expression.
"Rebecca is in danger! Rebecca ‌‌‌is in danger!"
"What...?"
"There's no time! Hurry!"
Kanna seized Julian's wrist with crushing force and bolted toward ‌‌the exit.
The passersby she collided with frowned, but Kanna paid ‌‌them no mind, cutting through the crowd.
Julian matched her frantic pace, his long legs driving forward.
Rebecca was in danger.
* * *
Further searching seemed unlikely to yield any results.
I returned all the ledgers to their original places from memory.
After locking the safe and restoring the bookcase, the study returned to its pristine state, as though no one had ever broken in.
The sound of horses neighing continuously drifted in from outside, suggesting the banquet had already concluded.
Everything had certainly gone according to plan.
I smiled faintly and retrieved the rope ladder I had brought, then opened the door leading to the balcony.
Fresh air rushed sharply through my nostrils.
I lifted my gaze toward the sky.
"A full moon."
The round moon hung obscured ‌‌‌‌behind clouds, casting dark shadows across the pristine balcony.
Rebecca walked through the shadow toward the railing and peered down.
Far below stretched an empty expanse of lawn, dizzying in its height.
No trees had been planted beneath the balcony—a precaution against intruders—leaving no corner to hide in.
Kanna, who had been standing there waiting, spotted Rebecca and waved toward her.
Rebecca exhaled in relief.
Now I just needed to descend the ladder and escape with Kanna. The mission would be perfectly complete.
Before securing the ladder to the railing, I glanced at the glass door connecting the balcony to the study.
My reflection stared back from ‌the transparent pane—my hands gripping the railing.
'Ah, it's a one-way mirror.' ‌‌
That was troublesome. Still, hearing no signs of movement, I hurried to grip the ladder's latch.
"You did this!"
The ‌‌door burst open and someone lunged at me.
Before I ‌‌could even hook the ladder to the railing, rough hands seized my shoulders with brutal force.
Sharp pain shot through me, and I cried out.
I thrashed violently, desperate to lower the ladder, but my assailant shook me with overwhelming strength.
My hat and the rope ladder tumbled ‌‌‌to the ‌ground below.
'Damn it!'
I caught a glimpse of the falling ladder and Kanna's horrified expression before I clenched my ‌‌‌‌teeth.
"Where do you think you're running? The Hall of Light was your doing too? Who's behind this?"
Eyes like an angry sky bore down on the back of my head.
From his voice alone, I recognized him as Zeppelin.
Zeppelin spun me around to face him, forcing me ‌‌‌‌to look up from the ground below.
"Tell me now! Who sent you? Was it Emperor Zahidra?"
Zeppelin gripped my collar as if he might drop me at any moment, shoving my body beyond the railing.
My arched back balanced precariously against the railing's edge. ‌‌
If Zeppelin released his grip, I would plummet straight down.
'Stay calm.'
My limbs trembled. But I forced myself to steady my breathing. ‌
Slowly, I lifted my gaze from below.
"Stop. My head is ringing."
I grabbed Zeppelin's wrist—the hand that gripped my collar so tightly.
And I looked directly at him.
Zeppelin's mouth fell open.
"You are...?" ‌‌
With my hat gone, my long golden hair cascaded over my shoulders.
The clouds parted, and the moon shed its light lavishly upon my pale face.
My deep blue eyes gleamed with the clarity of a still lake. ‌
My sharp gaze lifted toward him with piercing intensity.
Rebecca's lips, red ‌‌as a ripe apple, curved into a radiant smile.
"Have you been well?"
Zeppelin faltered at the sight of Rebecca's ‌‌‌unexpected beauty.
Seizing the ‌‌‌moment, Rebecca summoned her strength and hurled her head toward his.
Crack!
The sharp sound of skulls colliding echoed through the air.
Losing his balance, Zeppelin staggered backward, his grip on Rebecca's collar dragging her down with him.
Rebecca, who had fallen atop him, rose to her feet with a displeased expression, rubbing her forehead.
She looked down at Zeppelin coldly and spoke with quiet derision.
"Your skull's as thick as ever, I see. And your face looks well-fed too—clearly you've been living comfortably. I ‌‌‌had hoped you'd suffered, ‌‌‌‌but what a disappointment."
"You...."
Zeppelin rose, his eyes vacant with ‌‌disbelief.
The wind swept through, tousling Rebecca's hair.
Unconcerned by the strands clinging to her face, Rebecca lifted her chin and spoke.
"Don't you dare forget me. You still owe me mountains of debt. Isn't that ‌‌‌‌right, my ex-husband?"
"Rebecca...."
Zeppelin murmured her name, etching every detail of her face into his mind.
His eyes began to glisten with tears.
Color seeped into the hazy grayscale of ‌‌‌‌his memories.
The fog that had filled his mind slowly began to lift.
"Ahhh!"
Zeppelin clutched his head as countless memories flooded through him all at once, overwhelming his senses.
A girl playing in a pristine snowfield—that was Rebecca.
A woman extending her slender fingers across his palm among suitors—that was Rebecca.
Rebecca, ‌‌‌‌‌her face flushed as she accepted his proposal in the snow,
Rebecca in a magnificent wedding dress, shyly gazing up at me,
Rebecca on ‌‌the bed, her face radiant with joy, breathing heavily, her intoxicating scent enveloping me—
she was my bride alone, beautiful as an angel descended from heaven, the dream I had cherished.
Tears streaming down his face, Zeppelin fell to his knees before Rebecca.
Rebecca covered ‌her mouth slightly as she spoke.
"My, your memories have returned? I'm so glad my headbutt was effective."
Zeppelin ran his ‌‌tongue across his parched lips.
Joy welled up across his tear-stained face.
"You've come back. My Rebecca."
Rebecca gazed at Zeppelin's happy smile with a look of ‌displeasure.
His happiness was indeed unbearable to her.
Rebecca ‌‌‌‌leaned down toward the kneeling Zeppelin and ‌whispered.
"That's right. I've come back. But not as your Rebecca."
"No. You have come ‌‌‌‌back as my Rebecca. Ah, my beautiful Rebecca."
Zeppelin ‌‌‌reached toward Rebecca's face, his expression half-dazed.
Rebecca let out a scoff and coldly brushed away Zeppelin's hand as it reached toward her.
"Don't even think of touching me. It makes my skin crawl."
The Countess Who Fled Has Returned
E-book Publication

January 12, 2022
Author

Long night sky
Publisher

Desert fox
Published by

Woongjin ThinkBig Co., Ltd.
Submission Portal

naver.me/54VzzLSn
Blog

blog.naver.com/wj_fennecfox
Twitter

@wjt_fennecfox

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