Chapter 133
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134.
Rebecca helped Lily into the cardigan.
Lily bounced on her toes, watching with barely contained impatience as Rebecca fastened each button of the cardigan one by one.
At first, I had been captivated by Rebecca's tender touch. But what had felt awkward then had now become familiar, as natural as breathing.
"There, all done. You can go play now."
At Rebecca's words, Lily bolted toward the beach like a puppy unleashed.
Tiny footprints dotted the quiet sandy beach in rapid succession.
Lily felt the sensation of sand grains between her bare feet, then became absorbed in collecting seashells with fervent enthusiasm.
"She's so happy...."
Julian clutched at his chest, weighed down by guilt, and gazed blankly at Lily's joyful face.
His expression was pitiful, but Rebecca offered him no comfort.
This too was a debt he had to repay.
"Beck!"
Just as servants were setting up a parasol, Helena and Livia came running toward Rebecca from a distance.
Lily, who had been listening to a seashell, opened her mouth wide in delight.
"Lily's here too! How have you been?"
"Great! How have you two been?"
The three girls, as if they'd met only yesterday, quickly began laughing and chattering away.
Watching the children holding hands and spinning in circles, Rebecca spoke with a stern expression.
"Helena, Livia. Lily is younger than you, so if you play with her the way you normally do, she might get hurt."
"Sister, what are you talking about? Lily is far more incredible than us. Last time, she walked around the entire garden while doing a handstand."
Helena chimed in agreement, nodding her head.
"That's right. She really was amazing."
"But what should we play today? Lily, what do you want to do?"
Lily squirmed as if she'd already thought of something, then spoke.
"Ball games...."
"Ball games?"
"In the fairy tale books, they throw balls and play on the sand. I wanted to do that!"
"But we don't have any balls...."
"Don't worry! We brought everything!"
Before Lily's exclamation even finished, Julian set down a bundle of toys on the sand.
He stood with his arms crossed, looking down at the squirrel-like girls as he spoke.
"Pick whatever you like."
Helena and Livia's eyes widened as they eagerly examined the toys.
It seemed every toy imaginable for use at the beach was contained within.
"My brother prepared all of this. Look at this—these are beads that change color when they touch water...."
Lily began explaining the toys with a proud expression, even perspiring from her enthusiasm.
Rebecca laughed at the sight of the children selecting toys with such serious expressions.
Rebecca had intended to introduce Lily to noble children her own age.
But for some reason, Lily had said she didn't want to play with such boring children.
While I was pondering, Livia and Helena met Lily, and the spirited girls grew close enough to exchange letters.
"Becky! Can I go in the water?"
Lily asked me, waving a duck-shaped toy.
"The water's too cold today. Let's come back when the weather warms up."
"Come back...?"
Lily paused, blinking as if my words were somewhat unfamiliar to her.
As she turned my words over in her mind, Lily's face suddenly broke into a radiant smile.
"Right! I can just come back again! Then I won't go in the water today!"
Her brief moment of disappointment tugged at my heart.
My bitter gaze followed Lily as she bounded toward the sandy beach.
"She's such a lively child. It's wonderful to see."
Danae smiled and sat beside me.
"Indeed. I'm simply grateful she's grown so well despite all the hardships."
"Hardships...?"
"Oh, it's nothing. By the way, where is Father?"
"Ah, Theo is over there with the Duke."
Following Danae's glance, I looked toward Julian.
Whatever they were discussing, he was listening intently to Theo with an unusually serious expression.
His shoulders were rigid with tension, quite unlike him.
With his hands folded neatly before him, he almost appeared to be receiving a scolding from Theo.
Danae gazed at the two of them with a contented smile.
"They seem to get along surprisingly well. I was worried Theo might be disrespectful to the Duke."
"Get along well? That...?"
"Yes. See how Theo is fiddling with his ear? That means he's in a good mood."
Danae's face glowed with adoration for Theo.
I stared blankly at her before quickly changing the subject.
I had no desire to hear about my parents' romance.
"How is the Salon business doing these days?"
At the mention of business, Danae's warm gaze toward Theo sharpened instantly.
"The venue rentals are doing well, but the Salon rooms still lack popularity. Perhaps the timing was premature?"
"That's possible. But Mother, the right moment never truly arrives on its own."
"Do you have a plan?"
Danae asked meaningfully, observing the brilliant gleam in my eyes.
Whenever I looked like that, anything became possible.
"Yes. But Mother, it may be a difficult request for you."
"What is it?"
"Could you meet with Empress Belona...?"
At my words, Danae's body stiffened.
Danae recalled her days as a lady-in-waiting to the current Empress Belona.
Though she held a lower rank than other attendants, Empress Belona cherished Danae for her refined tastes and brilliant wit.
Danae, in turn, followed Belona—the very embodiment of a benevolent superior.
But their bond fractured when Danae married.
"What could you possibly lack that you'd marry such an incompetent fool?"
Belona, who had already envisioned a far better match for Danae, disapproved of Theo.
"Danae, a man is more than just a face. If you marry someone so weak-willed, you alone will suffer. If you insist on this marriage, I cannot bear to see your face again."
But Danae had already fallen in love with Theo. She fled into marriage with him, and with that, her bond with Belona was severed.
For several years, happiness felt like a dream.
Theo was a devoted father and a tender husband. Laughter never ceased in Danae's home.
Yet soon, Belona's prophecy came to pass, and Danae descended into misery.
Had I prospered, I might have faced her with dignity. Perhaps I could have apologized later and become her friend once more.
Danae's eyes grew heavy with sorrow.
"I have no face to show her. She was so disappointed in me."
"Yet you wish to see Empress Belona, don't you?"
"How did you know that?"
"While I was home, I often saw you take out the letters you and Empress Belona exchanged. You miss those days, don't you?"
Danae fell silent for a moment.
The friendship of youth had gradually faded after marriage.
Once the children grew old enough, I might have found the time to rekindle that severed bond.
But I was too consumed with rebuilding my ruined household to even attempt it.
Many precious friendships had slipped from my grasp, the moment to mend them long past.
Among them, Empress Belona was the one I missed most.
Few had ever shown me such unconditional affection.
Rebecca gently rubbed Danae's hand, chilled by the sea breeze.
"I will provide the pretext. You need only mention that there is something that could benefit Princess Catherine."
"Princess Catherine? Wasn't she the one involved in marriage negotiations with the Duke? Wouldn't that be presumptuous?"
"Those negotiations cannot truly be called negotiations. The Emperor was unilaterally pushing for the match. Now that it has come to nothing, it is only natural that Princess Catherine has fallen out of the Emperor's favor. You know well how His Majesty's temperament can be."
"Yes, I know it all too well."
Belona and Zahidra had been bound in a political marriage since childhood.
Because of this, Danae had watched Zahidra closely from nearby for many years.
Zahidra and Belona were a well-matched couple.
Belona's steady, pragmatic judgment had tempered Zahidra's fiery temperament considerably.
But that was all.
There was no love between them.
Despite bearing six children together, a chill ran between them.
As if they had drawn a line neither would cross, they desired nothing more of each other than their roles as Empress and Emperor.
Witnessing the Empress's marriage had convinced me to marry Theo.
I envisioned marriage as a union like intertwined branches—roots different, yet stems joined in growth.
Belona and Zahidra, by contrast, had sprouted from the same root only to diverge into separate trees.
Their ideals were aligned, yet the paths they chose to pursue them diverged.
Empress Belona generally deferred to Zahidra on most matters.
However, when it came to their children, she stood against him. She trembled at what amounted to his abusive education.
Danae recalled Belona watching with pity as the princesses and princes raced about like thoroughbreds driven to madness.
Yes.
Rebecca spoke quietly.
"The Empress has surely heard rumors of my abilities. Unlike her radiant beauty, Princess Catherine possesses a rather delicate temperament. It would appear unseemly for me to request a direct audience with the princess, who was nearly a rival. Mother, would you arrange a gathering with Her Majesty the Empress and the princess?"
"So the means to revive your Salon was Princess Catherine all along."
"She is far too remarkable to spend her life confined as merely someone's wife."
Though there was merit in bringing Catherine to her side, Rebecca's true desire was far greater—to see Danae and the Empress restore their former closeness.
Rebecca recalled Belona from her previous life.
Whenever House of Obelia teetered on the brink of complete collapse, it was Belona who sent anonymous donations.
'The Empress is being swept away by old sentiments and doing unnecessary things. Truly, the House of Obelia is as tenacious as a cockroach.'
This was something I learned only after overhearing Zeppelin complain about it to Octavio in my previous life.
Surely Belona missed Danae just as deeply as I did.
Besides, Danae was not unhappy now. Of course, the sight of her conducting business directly was not entirely becoming.
Yet I had an intuition that Belona would come to appreciate this version of Danae even more.
Danae's gaze, which had been contemplative for a moment, fell upon Rebecca's face.
Rebecca watched the children playing joyfully while awaiting her answer.
The twins and Lily, exchanging the ball with somewhat vigorous enthusiasm, wore smiles more radiant than the sunlight streaming down upon their heads.
A gentle smile bloomed at the corners of Rebecca's lips as she watched them.
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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