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94.
Julian lowered his gaze momentarily, his mind turning over the problem, before he lifted his head once more.
"Ah, I see. Our house has ‌‌been standing with the old faction all this time, haven't we?"
Rebecca smiled faintly ‌‌‌as she spoke.
"Exactly. They're already a coalition lacking in unity. Even if you've maintained a neutral stance all this while, the Duke of Johannes is practically a symbol of the old faction himself. So if you were to join that club, the backlash would be considerable." ‌
"So ‌‌you're trying to strengthen ‌‌‌your bonds through the secret of my existence?"
"Yes. Rumors about the Duke of Johannes's fiancée have set the entire Empire ablaze. I'm certain they're just as curious as everyone else. If we ‌‌‌reveal the secret, even if they can't trust us completely, we should at least gain their favor, shouldn't we? ‌‌‌Right now, we need that goodwill."
"Now that you mention it, it does seem like a sound strategy."
"Besides, I've filled that room with items tailored to the members' ‌‌tastes. That alone should have already earned us more than enough favor. But still—you say those items are all family heirlooms? I'm pleased, but... is it really alright to reveal heirlooms so freely like this?"
"Well, heirlooms or not, they're just a few ‌‌‌‌stone ‌‌carvings ‌‌and scraps of paper. Wouldn't it be better for them, as heirlooms, to fall into the ‌‌hands ‌‌of people who appreciate their worth rather than spend their entire existence gathering dust?"
Julian shrugged and let out a long yawn.
It seemed he was tired from waking earlier than usual.
Croa had mentioned in passing that he'd been bustling about since dawn choosing his clothes.
Rebecca carefully observed his figure as he rubbed his drowsy ‌eyes.
Julian had abandoned the black that was practically his trademark, instead donning a formal suit of brownish-gray.
Because of this, his expression appeared somewhat softer than his usual ominous demeanor.
Moreover, the neat black cravat tied around his neck lent him a dignified air—an altogether appropriate ensemble for ‌‌‌gaining someone's favor.
And the faint shadows ‌‌‌beneath his eyes, which usually hung loosely, seemed to have been concealed with cosmetics, making his face appear considerably brighter.
"Now that I think about it, your face seems to be glowing today. Your complexion has gone from black pearl to white jade."
Rebecca tilted her ‌‌‍‌‌‌head curiously as she asked.
The bronzed skin that had adorned his roguish appearance was shining with an ‌‌unusually pale radiance.
"Is that so? It seems the effects show quickly when I haven't done it in a while."
"Haven't done what?"
"Ah, it's nothing."
Julian evaded the question and withdrew a hand mirror from his pocket.
Then, gently pulling up ‌the corners of his mouth with his fingers, he changed the subject.
"I have been practicing as you suggested... but if I keep this up, I'll get cramps around my mouth."
Julian grumbled as he examined his smile one last time in the hand ‌‌mirror.
"Still, Croa said it's improved a lot. Though to me, it seems exactly ‌‌the same as always..."
Rebecca had earnestly ‌‌‌‌impressed upon Julian that to win the members' hearts, he must behave differently from ‌‌how he was publicly known.
On the day Rebecca returned from the Lavonne Salon.
Rebecca, who had sent a letter to the Emperor from the Duke's Castle, spoke to Julian.
"You must make the club members feel as though they're receiving special treatment without question."
"What? I don't want to give special treatment. I absolutely despise fawning over anyone."
Julian ‌‌‌tilted his head stubbornly, clearly reluctant.
Rebecca frowned slightly at his uncooperative attitude, then sighed and spoke.
"If you can't do it, just ‌‌smile. I'll figure out the rest somehow."
Croa, who had been listening silently to their conversation, suddenly interjected.
"In that case, Your Grace should first practice smiling. Not a sneer, but a genuine smile. I dare say that if Your Grace simply smiles well, you'll have already won them over halfway."
At Croa's words, Rebecca's eyes widened in realization.
'What? Doesn't Julian smile often? I mentioned it because I thought it was his specialty...'
'W-who smiles often? Are you truly speaking of our Duke?'
Rebecca recalled Croa's ‌‌displeasure at her words and stifled a laugh.
'From what I can see, he smiles quite a bit.'
Watching Julian pout with obvious dissatisfaction, Rebecca tilted her head curiously.
When they first ‌met, he had cut quite an intimidating figure.
But as time passed, that impression faded.
At some point, whenever Julian looked at me, his eyes always held a hint of laughter.
Because of this, I had long forgotten that he was the notorious Black Lion of the Empire.
"Sigh..."
We had arrived at the Scholar's Room before I knew it.
Before turning the doorknob, Julian ‌‌‌‌exhaled a sigh and forcibly stretched his lips upward so hard they trembled.
Anyone could see that ‌‌‌smiling was an effort for him.
In that moment, Rebecca recalled Croa's words about Julian not smiling much, ‌and something clicked into place.
My face flushed crimson.
I remembered how Julian had responded coldly to the staff's greetings on the way here.
Now that I thought about it, he was distant with others—no different from the intimidating impression I'd had when we first met.
He hadn't changed.
He was only kind in front of me.
'How adorably stubborn of him.'
The realization that I was ‌‌receiving special treatment filled me with warmth.
I had to furrow my brow deeply ‌‌‌to suppress the smile that kept threatening to escape.
Mistaking my expression for nervousness, Julian offered me a gentle smile.
"Don't worry. Everything will be fine."
His sudden, breathtaking smile made my heart race wildly.
I quickly turned my head away, breaking my gaze from him.
"...?"
I clutched at my chest without a word.
Puzzled by my behavior, Julian made his own deduction.
'Has Rebecca's heart also become weak?'
Julian gazed at me with concern.
It seemed clear that withdrawal symptoms still lingered in Rebecca's body.
Otherwise, why would she be breaking into a cold sweat and clutching her chest?
He had thought Eustaf unreliable, and it appeared his suspicions were correct—the man ‌‌was a quack. ‌‌‌
Julian grasped the doorknob, resolving to have another physician examine Rebecca soon.
* * *
'Helen Montana, Salvador Winchester, Teresa ‌‌Barbara, Chelston Semond...'
The club members eyed Rebecca without bothering to hide their wariness.
Rebecca examined each member's face carefully.
Then ‌‌she cross-referenced them with the anticipated member list that Kanna had compiled.
The Montblanc Club operated with such secrecy that ‌‌‌obtaining an accurate membership roster was impossible.
Moreover, those gathered here today ‌‌‌were not the entirety of the club's ‌members.
The members themselves did not fully know each other's identities.
Only the Emperor knew everything about the Montblanc Club.
Still, it was possible to make educated estimates. ‌‌
Rebecca had asked Kanna to investigate a list of actively engaged theologians and emerging noble factions.
And every person present appeared ‌‌on that list.
'As expected of Kanna.'
I recalled their identities written on the list, my lips ‌curving into a subtle smile.
My disarming, beautiful smile left everyone momentarily speechless.
"I'm sure you're all wondering why I'm ‌‌‌standing here."
I met the suspicious ‌‌‌‌gazes of the assembled crowd one by one.
My unwavering, steady gaze pierced through them like a blade, as if seeing straight into their hearts.
There were still those who regarded ‌‌‌me with a stubborn, defiant attitude despite my stare.
But most of those who met my eyes either returned them ‌‌‌to their normal state or uncrossed their deliberately folded legs.
Curiosity gradually surfaced across faces that had grown defensive.
Only then did I lower my sharply raised eyes and open my ‌‌‌mouth.
"I am the fiancée of the Duke of Johannes, whom you have all been so curious about. And I ‌‌‌‌stand here now to share my future husband's vision."
The assembly fell silent for a moment. Everyone murmured, uncertain of what they had just heard.
To them, Rebecca was still known as the Countess of Devonshire.
But barely any time had passed since her divorce, and now she had become the fiancée of none other than the Duke of Johannes?
It was an absurd story that defied ‌‌‌easy belief.
"Duke of Johannes! What sort of prank are you playing ‌‌‌now?"
One member burst out loudly.
"Indeed. You're not trying to mock us with lies again, are you?"
Another member glared at Julian with evident exasperation.
Faced with such blatant distrust, I glanced sideways at Julian.
What on earth must he do regularly for his credibility to have sunk this low?
Julian himself seemed accustomed to such situations, merely smiling mechanically.
His mind appeared so consumed with the compulsion ‌‌‌to smile that he could think of nothing else.
I released a small sigh and continued speaking.
"I'm not foolish enough to tell lies at such an important gathering. If you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do about it, but we truly are engaged. We're planning to hold the wedding ceremony soon."
The assembly stirred briefly.
Rebecca didn't seem like the type to participate in such pranks, so everyone wore uncertain expressions.
I began to tell them a story that would allay their suspicions.
"To prevent any misunderstanding, I should clarify that there was no infidelity between us. Besides, I was bound to the House of Devonshire ‌and could ‌‌‌not have done so anyway. The Duke of Johannes accepted me after I was cast ‌‌‌out from the Earldom, and we confirmed that our intentions aligned."
Without any prepared script, I recounted their love story as though it were something that had actually ‌‌happened.
In an instant, Zeppelin became a man consumed with pathological jealousy, and Julian became the ‌‌‌‌hero who had rescued Rebecca from the abyss.
At my eloquence, even Julian nearly nodded as if such events had truly occurred.
The story had grown long.
Rebecca concluded ‌‌‌‌the touching love story of the two and surveyed the members around her.
She was a born storyteller. Before long, they had set aside their suspicions and become captivated by her narrative.
Rebecca lowered her gaze slightly. Shadows fell beneath her long eyelashes.
"As you know, my late husband, the Earl of Devonshire, was a man of intense obsession with me. That is why I had no choice but to conceal my identity and proceed with the engagement in secret. Given his temperament, I could not predict what interference he might cause. Even ‌at the ball the other day, I could not boldly become the Duke's partner...."
Rebecca lifted her head as if she could not bear to speak the next words.
The Runaway Countess Returns
E-book Publication

January 12, 2022
Author

Long Night Sky
Publisher

Desert Fox
Published by

Woongjin ThinkBig Co., Ltd.
Submission ‌‌Inquiry

naver.me/54VzzLSn
Blog

blog.naver.com/wj_fennecfox
Twitter

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