Chapter 129
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130.
Julian awkwardly wiped his neck. His cheeks flushed slightly.
"I was... burning my skin."
"Burning your skin? Why?"
Rebecca tilted her head in confusion.
Pale, porcelain-white skin was the preferred complexion in the Rotandus Empire.
Skin darkened by the sun was considered a mark of the laboring classes, something everyone deemed vulgar.
Deliberately darkening one's skin was utterly beyond convention.
So Rebecca had assumed Julian's chocolate-toned complexion was natural.
Now that she thought about it, in the portrait of Julian as a child, he had possessed skin as white as snow.
Which meant he truly had darkened his skin intentionally....
As Rebecca stared at him with questioning eyes, Julian cast his gaze downward.
"I didn't want to appear too sacred."
Julian kicked at a small pebble at his feet.
"Unlike my father, who cowered like an angel, I thought if I acted menacingly, they wouldn't acknowledge me as the Duke of Johannes."
Rebecca caught her breath at the shadow cast beneath his long lashes.
"I thought once people began to criticize me, even the Temple would abandon me with open hands. But...."
Julian let out a hollow laugh.
"Instead, they found it refreshingly appealing. It backfired entirely. Now I'm so accustomed to dark skin that I habitually seek it out. Isn't that absurd?"
His lips smiled, but his eyes looked sorrowful.
Rebecca cradled Julian's cheek in her hand.
"No. It's not absurd at all. You were struggling to survive."
Julian's eyes widened briefly, then curved into crescents.
The sadness that had lingered in his gaze gradually faded.
He took Rebecca's hand that held his cheek and turned his head to press a kiss against her palm.
"That's the most comforting thing I've ever heard."
His chest warmed gently, as if hot tea had been poured into it.
Though it was Julian who had been comforted, Rebecca felt as though she herself had been consoled.
Zeppelin's cutting words had long since vanished from Rebecca's mind.
Coming to find him had been the right choice.
"You weren't around this morning. Where did you go?"
"Ah. I went to deal with a rather troublesome fellow."
Julian explained what had happened at the Auction House.
Rebecca, who had listened intently to his account, broke into a delighted laugh.
"Pablo? So quite the influential figure has joined our side. I'm grateful he's a man with a sharp mind for numbers. Of course, I don't expect him to persuade his retainers, but still—we've acquired a useful tool."
"If you say so, then it must be fortunate. Still, for now I intend to observe him carefully."
"A wise approach. One cannot easily trust someone who clings to every side."
"Ah, yes. While I was out, I brought back a gift."
"A gift?"
"Yes."
Julian sprang to his feet.
Rebecca had to crane her neck for quite some time before she could see his face above his long legs.
He extended his hand to her with an eager expression, impatient to give her the gift.
"Let's head to the Training Ground first."
Rebecca grasped his outstretched hand without hesitation.
* * *
Rebecca changed into the attire that knights wore during training and made her way to the Training Ground.
No matter how many times she had worn trousers, they still felt awkward and ill-fitting.
Rebecca shuffled along, quickly surveying the Training Ground in a circle.
Ever since Rebecca had requested training, the two of them had come to the Training Ground whenever time permitted.
Most of the activities were closer to building endurance than developing practical combat techniques.
'Why can't he teach me something actually useful instead of this? Like punching or kicking....'
After running about ten laps around the Training Ground, Rebecca would voice her complaints in a disgruntled tone.
Each time, Julian would wear a stern expression and dismiss her grievances.
'You're huffing and puffing after just this much running, and you're complaining? You need to build muscle first. If you start throwing punches prematurely, those twig-like wrists of yours will snap right off.'
"I suppose he'll just have me run again today."
Rebecca sighed and gazed enviously for a moment at Lily, who was wielding her sword with such vigor.
Even to her untrained eye, Lily's skill was extraordinary.
She was holding her own against a knight several times her size.
Lily was so focused on her sparring that she didn't even notice Rebecca watching her.
Someone placed a hand on Rebecca's shoulder as she stood mesmerized, watching the beads of sweat gathering on Lily's round forehead.
"There you are."
Julian gazed at Lily for a moment with a pleased expression.
Then he turned his face toward Rebecca.
"I'd like to watch Lily too, but we have our own tasks to attend to, don't we?"
Julian led Rebecca to the Shooting Range.
Rebecca stared blankly at the wooden target boards lined up in rows.
"The Shooting Range? Why here?"
"Bring that over."
Julian gestured to the Servant, who brought forth an ornate wooden box.
"This is my gift for you."
The Servant opened the box's lid toward Rebecca.
A silver gun with an ornate rose engraved upon it gleamed brilliantly in her direction.
Rebecca clumsily picked up the gun and examined it from various angles. The considerable weight caused her wrist to falter.
"It's beautiful, but.... Can I actually use this? It's quite heavy."
"See that protruding petal on the handle? Try pressing it."
Julian pointed to the button on the grip. When Rebecca pressed it as he instructed, the gun's weight decreased noticeably.
"It's lighter!"
Rebecca delighted in swinging the gun about. The sight of her resembled a child who had just received a toy, and Julian found himself laughing inadvertently.
"It won't be as powerful as when it's heavy, but this setting will suit you better. Try pressing the button once more."
Rebecca pressed the button once more. This time, the gun shrank to the size of a palm.
"How adorable!"
"Press it again and it returns to its original size. You can keep it in your pocket or attach a holster to your thigh and hide it beneath your skirt. Ah, don't misunderstand—that's not my personal preference."
"That's quite a brutal gift."
"It would take you too long to subdue someone. I'd rather see someone else die than lose you."
Her tone was rather chilling.
At his cold words, Rebecca flinched and looked at him.
"But I don't think you'd be pleased if you actually killed someone. So I'll load this chamber with paralytic poison rounds. That way, you can avoid immediate danger."
As Rebecca exhaled in relief, his eyes sharpened once more.
"But from the third chamber onward, I'll load live ammunition. If you fire this gun twice, it means whoever you're facing deserves to die."
"Understood. I'll do my best to avoid firing more than twice."
"No. Rebecca."
Julian took her hand as she was returning the gun to its original size.
"I'll handle the consequences. If you find yourself in that much danger, don't hesitate to shoot. There is no one more precious to me than your life."
'That's not true. There is someone.'
Rebecca's expression darkened as she met Julian's resolute gaze.
"Shall we practice now?"
A servant promptly brought a training gun. It resembled the one Julian had gifted her.
"Now, grip it like this..."
Julian corrected Rebecca's posture from behind her as she held the gun.
Before she knew it, he was embracing her from behind.
Against the firm body pressed to her back, the sculpted nakedness she'd glimpsed earlier suddenly flashed through her mind.
Her lower abdomen burned with heat, and Rebecca instinctively leaned forward to avoid touching him.
"Don't bend your waist like that."
But Julian grasped her waist again and pulled her back against his own, continuing his explanation with utmost seriousness.
'I'm losing my mind.'
Cold sweat trickled down her back where it pressed against Julian.
Unlike Rebecca, Julian seemed entirely unaffected.
He even chided her for her poor concentration during the lesson.
'Is self-control something he was born with...?'
I couldn't fathom how he maintained such composure in this situation.
Or perhaps, as Julian suggested, she was simply a bit too forward.
"Rebecca, you need to focus. Alright. Pull the trigger in that position."
Bang!
The waiting servant hurried forward with the target board.
The bullet had cleanly missed the target, embedding itself in the blank space beside it.
As Julian examined the target closely, Rebecca seized the moment to speak.
"Pathetic, right? As expected. Maybe we should stop..."
"No. For a first attempt, this is quite respectable. Let's try again. I'll adjust your posture once more."
Before she could escape, Julian drew her back into his embrace.
Because of this, Rebecca had to calm her relentlessly pounding heart by reciting her family's name over and over.
When she reached the point where she could no longer bear it, Rebecca turned her head and asked Julian irritably.
"Are you truly unaffected by this situation?"
"Unaffected by what? Surely you're not saying you want to give up already?"
"That's not what I meant...."
Rebecca gazed into Julian's bright eyes and found herself at a loss for words.
"Never mind. Forget it. Just continue with the practice."
Rebecca resigned herself and directed her gaze toward the center of the target.
Julian's left cheekbone twitched as he watched Rebecca's back of her head, which radiated displeasure.
With his ears flushed crimson, he took Rebecca's hand.
* * *
"The Duke of Johannes was involved in Barinika's escape...?"
"Yes. That is correct. There is a witness who saw the Duke seeing off Barinika at the Harbor."
"Is this reliable information?"
"Yes. Though his face was concealed by a robe, his distinctive build caught the attention of the observer. Additionally, there were approximately two other witnesses."
"Very useful information indeed. Well done, Bates. Continue searching for Barinika's whereabouts."
"Yes. Understood."
Bates bowed silently to Zeppelin.
Zeppelin smiled with satisfaction as he observed Bates's impassive face.
Bates was Zeppelin's first Hound.
When Zeppelin turned nine years old, he caught Bates attempting to pickpocket his coin purse.
'You are dead as of this moment. From now on, you will serve me with loyalty.'
Instead of killing Bates, he made him his subordinate.
The Runaway Countess Returns
E-book Publication.
January 12, 2022
Author.
Long night sky
Publisher.
Desert fox
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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