Chapter 125
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126.
Throughout the long span of her life, Julian occupied but a modest portion.
Yet he had taken root in Rebecca's existence faster than anyone before him.
Penetrating to her deepest, most vulnerable places, he had invaded even her heart.
Thinking of him set her pulse racing. Simultaneously, it ached.
He had healed her, and in the same breath, wounded her.
The chilling thought that perhaps it was she who would be unable to let him go in the end caused Rebecca to bury her face in her hands.
But soon she lifted her head with grim resolve.
"Let us return home."
I longed to see him. I wanted to meet Julian this very moment.
Rebecca rose from her seat.
As she turned toward the door, she paused and gazed back at the bed.
"Just to be safe...."
When she lifted the mattress, the box she had hidden before lay exactly where she had left it.
Rebecca opened the box and beheld the dazzling golden hair wrapped in paper.
She sealed the paper envelope firmly and placed it in her pocket.
She recalled the day after Kanna had cut his hair—the terrible screams that had echoed through the estate, Zeppelin's screams.
This was nothing less than a declaration of war, the herald of vengeance to come.
'Should circumstances turn against me in the future, I might use this to curse Zeppelin.'
Rebecca returned the mattress to its place and carefully opened the door.
She waited for the sound of footsteps to fade, then quickly slipped out of the room.
And she ran toward the Lobby, her breath coming in urgent gasps.
Far ahead, the coachman would be waiting for her with eager anticipation.
The coachman who would take her to Julian.
* * *
Rebecca strode swiftly along the Garden's narrow path before turning onto the sequoia-lined avenue.
It was a shortcut to the main gate, known to all in the House of Devon.
The trees, lined up like sentinels, blazed crimson as if consumed by flame, displaying autumn's splendor in full.
The fallen leaves crushed beneath her feet shrieked like cries of anguish.
Through the cacophony of rustling leaves, a voice called out softly behind her.
"Rebecca."
Rebecca instantly recognized the voice as Zeppelin's, but she feigned ignorance and quickened her pace further.
The broad footsteps pursuing her drew steadily closer.
Rebecca ran with all her might, but Zeppelin was faster.
Before she knew it, he had closed the distance and seized her wrist, spinning her around.
"Rebecca! Look at me."
"Let go."
Rebecca looked down at her wrist, which he gripped tightly. Then she slowly raised her gaze and fixed him with a sharp, piercing stare.
At the intensity in Rebecca's eyes, Zeppelin flinched and released her wrist without resistance. From the wedding ceremony before, he had learned much.
Rebecca had certainly changed. Now neither threats nor brute force could sway her.
Zeppelin recalled Julian in the Reception Hall, gazing at Rebecca as though honey dripped from his very being.
He must have coaxed her in that manner. Accustomed to Julian's honeyed words, it was only natural that she would not succumb to his own cold rationality.
When he thought about it, he had made an effort, but by any reasonable measure, he had been a stern husband rather than a particularly gentle one.
This was all because of his father, Jakim.
Since Jakim had never shown affection toward Fabiola, how could Zeppelin possibly understand what a tender husband should be?
Zeppelin felt an urge to visit his father's grave and deliver a resentful kick to the headstone.
As regret washed over him, Zeppelin grew anxious.
He should have been kinder. Had he been, she would never have fallen for Julian and his ilk.
Zeppelin forced the most genuine smile he could muster and spoke.
"I saw the House of Johannes carriage at the gate and knew you had come. I hear you rescued Alicia. Allow me to express my gratitude."
He bowed with elegant courtesy, but it only backfired.
Rebecca made no attempt to hide the disgust blooming across her face, striking him down with brutal directness.
"If you truly meant that gratitude, you wouldn't be speaking to me here. Your wife is giving birth to your child right now. Yet you've rushed after your former wife? I sincerely hope Alicia remains ignorant of this fact."
"My presence beside Alicia won't change the outcome anyway."
"You really are...."
Rebecca stood speechless, her mouth opening and closing like a fish.
Zeppelin shrugged with indifference and spoke.
"Alicia is merely fulfilling her duties as a wife. My role is to provide her with proper reward once she has discharged those duties. Standing by her side would be a waste of time. Do you know how long childbirth takes? I'm not a man of leisure."
He appeared utterly unmoved, as though discussing a servant's completion of assigned tasks.
It was hardly surprising anymore.
Rebecca glared at him with undisguised contempt.
Zeppelin approached her slowly, his expression tender even as he gazed upon her anger.
"But if it were you lying in that bed, things would be different."
He examined Rebecca carefully, as though she were autumn itself ripened to perfection.
Her hair gleamed like freshly harvested honey, luminous and rich.
Her cheeks, pleasantly full, bloomed with the natural rose hue of her own complexion, untouched by artifice.
The sight of her blossoming beautifully under another's care displeased him, and his brow furrowed.
Rebecca's appearance now was far more captivating than when she had been at his side.
And Zeppelin could not bear that truth.
He drew close to Rebecca, speaking in a low whisper.
Rebecca instinctively sensed the threat and stepped back.
Zeppelin laughed softly like a hunter who had spotted a fleeing rabbit, watching the distance between them expand.
"If you were bearing my child, I would be holding your hand. I would shed endless tears of joy and wipe your cold sweat away with my own hands. I would gladly endure the stench of blood. I still cherish you that deeply."
"Should I cheer at hearing that? You were the one who drove me away because I couldn't conceive."
"Back then!"
Zeppelin suppressed his rising voice with effort.
"The circumstances were beyond my control. And wasn't everything that happened something you orchestrated?"
"My illness was real. I don't know how much longer I can endure this circular conversation. I'll say it one last time. I despise you. Those years as your wife were absolutely dreadful! I hate you! I abhor you!"
Between the scattering autumn leaves, Rebecca screamed as though her voice would tear through his eardrums.
She trembled violently, her words lashing out as though she could kill him on the spot.
"You said it yourself. That you wouldn't regret it. So keep your word. Let's make sure my patience doesn't run out and I end up doing something unfortunate—like killing you right here."
Rebecca finished speaking, gave him one last cold glare, and turned away with icy dismissal.
Zeppelin's face, which had been arranged in a gentle smile, contorted in an instant.
Why did she keep saying things he had never taught her?
It certainly couldn't be sincere.
Zeppelin brainwashed himself, insisting it couldn't possibly be genuine.
"What do I have to do!"
Even as Zeppelin's voice rang out in anguish, Rebecca didn't stop—she continued forward.
Suddenly, he remembered that time when he'd lost his memory, when she had turned away from him in the abyss.
Zeppelin called out to Rebecca as she receded into the distance.
"What do I have to do for you to come back to me!"
Had his desperate plea reached her?
Rebecca finally came to a halt.
She had already moved far enough that her features were barely visible.
But her resolute cry pierced his ears like a sharp thorn.
"Never. Not even if I were born again!"
Zeppelin gazed blankly at her retreating figure as she passed through the main gate.
He clenched both fists tightly.
"We'll see if you still say such things when you've lost everything."
Zeppelin watched until the carriage carrying Rebecca disappeared from view before finally turning back toward the Estate.
He surveyed all that he possessed, gleaming brilliantly beneath the sunlight.
There had been times when he thought this beautiful landscape was perfect, but that had changed now.
It was woefully insufficient.
He recalled his visit to the Duke of Johannes Castle in the past.
He had been struck by its grandeur on an entirely different scale.
Yes, what Rebecca now held in her grasp was something equally magnificent.
So of course his trivial House of Devon could never catch her eye.
Tear it all down. Rebuild it into something as splendid and magnificent as the Duke's Castle.
So that Rebecca would throw herself into his arms.
Zeppelin imagined Rebecca regretting her words, clinging to his feet.
And he even pictured Julian, reduced to a beggar, gazing blankly at the tender moments between himself and Rebecca.
His lips curved upward slowly.
With plans to rebuild the Count's Mansion taking shape in his mind, he moved briskly toward the Estate.
* * *
Julian set down the plate of hotcakes at Rebecca's bedside, holding his breath.
He was careful to cover the plate with a silver dome to prevent the soft butter and sweet maple syrup aroma from disturbing her peaceful sleep.
What had started as a tedious habit—explaining his tastes to the chef one detail at a time—had somehow become a hobby.
He had never considered it a particularly useful hobby, but watching Rebecca eat his cooking with such joy made him think it had been worth learning.
He hesitated for a moment, then pressed a kiss to Rebecca's forehead.
"Mmm...."
As Rebecca stirred at the kiss, Julian started in alarm and stumbled backward.
Fortunately, she did not wake.
Julian had been diligently studying the novels that Josephine, his governess, had collected.
'Your Grace... my collection?'
At first, Josephine had refused his proposal with excuses about limited editions and out-of-print books.
But when Croa Chenister whispered something to her, she reluctantly lent him the books with a troubled expression.
'These are limited editions. You mustn't open the books completely!'
'Your Grace! I told you to wear gloves when reading!'
'That, that is! Don't read that part! Heavens, please tell Croa Chenister that I will collect on this debt.'
Though he sometimes thought her fussiness over a single book was excessive, upon learning that this was Josephine's only solace, he began to handle the volumes with care.
Recently, he had begun to take note of every passing word spoken by the household staff.
He quietly observed from the side how Rebecca treated the servants of the Duke's Castle.
She was neither overbearing nor harsh, yet she maintained her dignity effortlessly.
The servants followed her in an instant.
Julian had always thought the servants were born with weary faces—that it was simply their nature.
But since Rebecca's arrival, smiles had bloomed on their faces.
Lily too wandered the castle with a noticeably brighter countenance.
Certainly, nothing had changed dramatically.
Even the smallest dust in the Duke's Castle remained as it was.
Yet with Rebecca's presence alone, the cold chill that had pervaded the Duke's Castle began to give way to a warm and gentle atmosphere.
Julian found this change pleasing.
The Runaway Countess Returns
E-book Publication
January 12, 2022
Author
Ginnabamhaneul
Publisher
Desertfox
Published by
Woongjin Thinkbig Co., Ltd.
Submission Received
naver.me/54VzzLSn
Blog
blog.naver.com/wj_fennecfox
Twitter.
@wjt_fennecfox
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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