Chapter 131
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132.
"So your memories have returned."
"Yes. All of it, from beginning to end. Even that revolting performance you and Alicia put on."
"A performance? It was for your protection. Think about it—one cannot tell terrible truths to an innocent child who knows nothing. Had I revealed the truth, you would surely have collapsed."
Zeppelin listened to him in silence.
Octavio's tongue moved as smoothly as flowing water.
"I was planning to tell you the truth once I saw you recovering your memories. But to think you've regained them so quickly—you are truly remarkable."
"Pfft."
"Why... are you laughing?"
"Because it's absurd that I fell for such nonsense all this time. You certainly have a gift for words."
"What do you mean—"
Zeppelin hurled a bundle of papers onto the desk.
"You know what's inside, don't you?"
Octavio approached the desk with a puzzled expression and unfolded the bundle of papers.
His eyes widened as he examined the contents.
But he skillfully masked his shock and tilted his head in feigned confusion.
"I'm not sure what this is. It looks like some sort of medicinal herb..."
"I knew you'd say that. Then I'll have to recite it for you myself."
Zeppelin raised his dagger and plunged it down into the bundle of papers.
The sharp blade tore through the paper, leaving gouges in the solid desk.
He struck each dried plant with his blade, naming them one by one.
"This is deadman's grass, and this is deafwort, and this flower was called the Specter's Whisper, wasn't it?"
"What does that prove?"
"These were the ingredients in the incense you burned in my room every night. Combined, they gradually steal one's memories until you become a simpleton who cannot even write your own name."
"That's mere speculation. Or slander. You know I only gave you the finest things!"
"Silence! You did this for me? Don't make me laugh. And what did it accomplish? Look at what you've done to me. Rebecca left me. Alicia gave birth to a son, not a daughter. My kingdom... my dreams have crumbled!"
Zeppelin kicked away from the desk and immediately pressed his dagger to Octavio's throat.
Octavio remained motionless, his gaze cold as he stared at the blade touching his neck.
Zeppelin lifted his eyes, burning with hatred, and spoke to him.
"What is your name?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Are you now refusing to answer even such a simple question?"
"I am Octavio."
"No. Say it properly."
"Octavio... Rimen."
"Yes. You are Rimen. A worthless Rimen who crawled in from who knows where. Since I've been too lenient and you seem to have forgotten your place, I'll remind you personally. You are nothing but a doormat my father purchased. Not the master of Devonshire, but a lowborn servant."
The threads of Octavio's composure began to fray and tremble.
A voice echoed in his ears like a phantom sound.
'Octavio. We cannot be together.'
That day—the day he lost Fabiola, the beginning of all tragedy.
Zeppelin had the exact same eyes as she did back then.
Sky-blue eyes as unreachable as the lofty heavens themselves.
That cold gaze from when she left him without feeling, discarding him like trash.
Octavio's lips trembled faintly.
His breathing grew ragged, like a bull that had spotted blood-stained cloth.
Octavio conjured countless methods of killing Zeppelin in the most agonizing way possible.
He extended his nails fully, continuing his horrific imaginings.
If he killed Zeppelin and then placed his own neck on the guillotine, would Fabiola despair?
The thought of watching that beautiful face contort didn't seem entirely unpleasant.
He gazed at Zeppelin's nape, gleaming pale as a doe's throat.
He knew well the extent of Zeppelin's physical strength.
Even with age, he could have killed such a scrawny creature right here and now.
"Are you finally afraid of me now?"
But Octavio quickly reconsidered. Zeppelin was grinning like a cunning child trying to overpower an adult.
Yes, he was merely a child.
'The past and present are different.'
With strength in his hands, why would he be the one to die?
He steadied himself by recalling everything he had built up until now.
'I've played the nursemaid for far too long.'
Octavio retracted the claws he had revealed.
"Of course, I understand well. I am your loyal servant. You asked me to relinquish the position of leader of the Hounds, did you not? Since it is the Count's command, I shall obey."
Having finished speaking, he obediently removed the brooch that signified leadership of the Hounds.
Zeppelin withdrew the sword he had aimed at him and gazed blankly at the brooch in his hand.
'What trick is this now?'
That he would comply so readily with his orders was not part of Zeppelin's plan.
"Is there anything else you require of me? If not, I shall take my leave."
Octavio bowed respectfully and walked slowly toward the Study door.
With each step he took, a thick darkness seemed to bloom in his wake.
Before turning the doorknob, Octavio paused briefly.
Then, turning to look at Zeppelin standing in a daze, he spoke.
"No matter what, shouldn't you at least visit Lady Alicia once? She has borne your successor."
"What successor? I never acknowledged any such thing."
"A son who is the very spitting image of you. Children grow quickly. It will be too late if you come to regret it later."
He left behind a meaningful smile, then opened the door and departed.
* * *
After a long and arduous labor, the child let out its first cry. Barely clinging to consciousness, Alicia asked weakly.
"Is it... a daughter?"
The midwife spoke with joy in her voice.
"Congratulations, Countess! You have a healthy son."
"Ah..."
And with that, Alicia lost consciousness.
When I dimly came to, I felt a large hand gently sweeping across my cheek.
Even in my hazy state, I thought it might be Zeppelin and felt a brief joy, but I was soon disappointed to realize his hand was far too rough.
I needed to open my eyes and confirm his identity, but my body refused to obey.
My eyelids felt as though they'd been sealed shut with adhesive, utterly immobile.
He drew up the blanket and adjusted the pillow properly.
The tender touch—as if he were tending to a child's bedding—made me relax my guard.
It had to be a dream.
There was no way anyone in this Mansion would care for me so attentively unless I were dreaming.
'An angel... perhaps.'
I recalled a fairy tale I'd read in childhood.
When a lovely baby was born, angels would gather from all around to see the infant.
The angels who came to visit would bestow all manner of blessings upon the child.
I was certain the one gazing down at me now was an angel.
If the baby resembled me, it would surely be lovely.
A faint smile bloomed at the corners of my lips.
I heard the angel's heavy footsteps.
He left the bed where I lay and moved toward where the cradle was placed.
After a moment of silence, a soft voice spoke.
"Arthur..."
The voice was far too deep for an angel's.
In my drowsy state, I listened intently to what the angel said.
"I wish your name were Arthur. It's a beautiful name that means hope."
Soon, footsteps sounded again—this time, each step was even more careful than before.
After hearing the door close, I fell back into a sleep as deep as unconsciousness.
* * *
When I awoke hours later, I blinked in the darkness.
Contrary to what one might expect from a room an angel had visited, a suffocating darkness now enveloped the space.
Tears streamed endlessly down my cheeks, soaking the pillow beneath me.
As the fog of sleep gradually lifted, the cruel reality struck me with piercing clarity.
"Why...?"
Unlike other men, Zeppelin had wanted a daughter.
I'd thought it peculiar, but the fact that he wanted something from me had been enough to bring me joy.
All the physicians had said it would certainly be a daughter. Even the head Maid had said the shape of my belly unmistakably indicated a girl.
But they were all wrong.
The fragile life sleeping peacefully in the cradle was not the daughter Zeppelin had desired.
I wished it were a dream. I couldn't accept that what I'd so carefully nurtured all this time had never been hope at all.
My entire body ached as though it had been beaten.
It felt as though someone had torn open my lower body with a blade and then sewn it back together.
But the reality pressing down on me now was far more agonizing than my battered flesh.
Zeppelin didn't even come to see the baby after hearing it was a son.
"Your memories... have returned, haven't they."
Alicia immediately noticed the change that had come over him.
Had his memories not returned, Zeppelin would have rushed over regardless of whether the child was a son or daughter.
The Zeppelin who had lost his memories was a good husband.
"You knew it wouldn't last long anyway."
Alicia let out a hollow laugh.
She had always known that Zeppelin would eventually return to his true self.
She had known that the happiness she'd tasted, however brief, was like walking a tightrope.
But that time had been so sweet, and she'd preferred not to wake from it even if it were a dream, so she'd simply mistaken it for reality and lived on.
Was this hollow ache in her chest the price of excessive greed?
"Now I... what do I..."
I couldn't stop crying. Since he knew I had deceived him, Zeppelin wouldn't stay silent.
Perhaps as winter approached, I would be cast out along with this newborn.
The future I had to bear responsibility for felt far too heavy.
And in this despair, the person who came to mind was, absurdly enough, Rebecca.
'Alicia, breathe deeply. Don't think of anything else right now—only of your child and yourself.'
I had tried to kill her. I had tried to plunge a poisoned blade into her.
I had stolen her husband, her clothes, and her jewels.
Yet Rebecca did not crumble.
When I had barely climbed one step, Rebecca had ascended ten times higher.
Without ever looking back once.
"Rebecca, what would you do? If I were Rebecca..."
Rebecca had become a Duchess in defiance after being cast aside in divorce.
At Petunia's tea party—clearly a trap meant to tear her down—she had instead made allies of her own.
"Turning crisis into opportunity..."
My father's words came to mind: when you fall, you must grasp even a handful of earth before rising.
I turned my head to look at the cradle.
Soft golden hair gleamed faintly in the moonlight.
Though this child had brought me only despair, it was remarkably lovely.
I gazed at the baby's tiny nose, which twitched occasionally.
It was proof that this small creature was struggling to survive by any means necessary.
I forced my aching body to rise somehow.
I couldn't stay collapsed here.
"You've come to your senses, it seems."
At the sudden voice, I turned my head.
A man stood leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, watching me.
The runaway Countess had returned.
E-book publication.
January 12, 2022
Author.
Long night sky
Publisher.
Desert fox
Published by.
Woongjin Thinkbig Co., Ltd.
Submission.
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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