Chapter 143
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144. Rebecca found herself recalling the past as she observed Alicia's melancholy expression. In her previous life, she had also given birth to a son as her firstborn child. While most households would have celebrated a firstborn son, the atmosphere had been decidedly cold because Zeppelin had been longing for a daughter. Zeppelin had not even given a name to his newborn child, instead seeking out Rebecca relentlessly for nearly two months. 'He kept pestering me to bear him a daughter.' She could not fathom why he was so obsessed with having a daughter. Suddenly, an image flashed through Rebecca's mind—one she had seen in Zeppelin's Study. A portrait of a beautiful royal with golden hair and blue eyes. The child held by the king and queen in that painting had been a girl. 'Could it merely be a coincidence....' While Rebecca remained lost in thought, Alicia hastily continued.
"B-but the Count was absolutely delighted. He even named the child himself. Perhaps he will even appoint her as his heir. The child is so precious! When you bear children, I'm certain...."
Alicia caught herself and quickly fell silent. Several months had passed since Rebecca married the Duke, yet there was still no sign of children—perhaps she truly was infertile. Still, Alicia regarded Rebecca as her benefactor and had no wish to reopen her wounds.
'You must guard that small secret within your belly well. It is your only asset.' Moreover, to some extent, Rebecca knew her secret. Alicia inwardly regretted mentioning the matter of an heir. Yet she did not wish to lay bare her circumstances truthfully and receive Rebecca's pity. Alicia made an effort to appear happy, lifting her teacup with exaggerated gestures. In truth, Rebecca paid little attention to whatever Alicia said. Bringing Alicia into the Duke's Castle had been an impulsive decision made upon recalling the sight of Alicia when her amniotic fluid had ruptured previously. There had been a faint hope that perhaps the woman had changed somewhat. But witnessing her pathetically frame her circumstances while strutting about proudly felt like a waste of time. She had documents to review and evening training to conduct—time was pressing. Moreover, today she had a schedule to swing on a swing with Lily. Rebecca glanced at the clock and opened her mouth.
"Your gratitude is noted. Is that all you came to say?"
Rebecca's tone suggested she was about to issue a dismissal. Though this moment was unbearably uncomfortable, Alicia was not eager to leave just yet. She needed to grasp something before departing. She was like a mouse drowning in a swamp. Zeppelin had abandoned her, and Octavio, whom she had believed was her last lifeline, desired a son rather than her. Rebecca was the only person in her life from whom she could learn. Given what she had done in the past, she lacked the courage to ask for advice. Yet she thought that if she could converse with Rebecca longer, perhaps a breakthrough would emerge. Alicia quickly placed the box she had set beside her onto the table.
"I brought a gift as a token of my gratitude!"
In truth, it was a gift that Zeppelin had instructed Alicia to deliver to Rebecca when he learned she was going to the Duke's Castle. 'If you bring back even a reply, I'm willing to take you back.' Alicia, accepting the large box, felt no joy about it, but there was nothing she could do. Zeppelin's promise to take her back was sweeter than any proposal. She arrived at the Duke's Castle without even bothering to confirm what the gift was. It was certainly some expensive jewel meant to win over Rebecca. Though her stomach ached, if it was from Zeppelin, he would have surely prepared something of the finest quality to make even Rebecca's eyes widen. With something like that, wouldn't Rebecca open her heart? But when Alicia confirmed the gift's identity, she gasped and covered her mouth in shock.
"Oh!"
Rebecca stared at the necklace gleaming brilliantly before her eyes. It was the blue diamond necklace, a heirloom of the Earl's Household. Upon it lay a card sprayed with perfume. 【You are Devonshire's eternal jewel.】 A pungent rose fragrance pierced her nostrils. Heat surged from her head to her fingertips. Rebecca instantly regretted not picking up a gun and killing them all. The hesitation that had made her want to settle into this comfortable reality vanished like mist clearing. As if mocking her thirst for vengeance, the diamond sparkled with its blue radiance. Until either Zeppelin or she met a gruesome death, this terrible shackle would never cease. Rebecca clenched her fists tightly. Renewing her vow of vengeance, she lifted her eyes, burning with murderous intent, to look at Alicia. Alicia stood there bewildered, as if she might collapse at any moment.
"I-I really didn't know the gift would be like this..."
Seeing how flustered Alicia was, it seemed this was something Zeppelin had orchestrated alone. She, who would normally have brazened her way through such a situation, was thoroughly terrified today. It appeared her standing in the Earl's Household had indeed weakened.
"How dare he..."
Rebecca clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white. With trembling hands, she cursed this situation. In this moment, she despised herself for feeling even a shred of pity toward Alicia, and she despised that trash of a son called Zeppelin even more—a creature beyond recycling. What she hated most was herself, for still lacking the power to utterly destroy him.
"Ahhh!"
Rebecca raised the butter knife high. Alicia screamed, thinking the blade was directed at her porcelain-like face. But what Rebecca brought down was not Alicia's delicate visage, but the blue diamond. Rebecca struck relentlessly at the diamond, the same color as her own irises that had bound her all this time. Yet with such meager force, the diamond could not possibly shatter. Rebecca laughed hollowly, looking at the bent butter knife. The bent blade was so like her own plight that tears nearly came to her eyes. Rebecca, consumed by despair, hurled the butter knife across the room. Alicia wept and screamed once more. Rebecca slumped helplessly into a chair, staring at the diamond that glittered as if mocking her. The sordid memories entangled with that necklace swirled dizzily through her mind.
"Hah... This should suffice."
Just then, Kanna burst into the room, breathing heavily, and thrust a hammer into Rebecca's hands. The moment Rebecca opened the box, Kanna verified its contents and swiftly departed. Kanna had recognized the Devonshire heirloom at a glance. And she could anticipate Rebecca's next move. If that was the case, she needed to find something that would aid her. Kanna scoured the Duke's Castle at breakneck speed and barely managed to locate a suitable tool.
"A hammer forged from the hardest metal known to exist. This should be more than enough to shatter a diamond."
Life gradually returned to Rebecca's vacant, unfocused eyes. Yes. Tools could be replaced. All I needed was to find something capable of destroying the diamond.
"Thank you, Kanna."
Rebecca accepted the hammer with grim determination and brought it down upon the diamond, which gleamed with arrogant brilliance. Crash! Crash! Crash! If a legendary blacksmith god were to strike an anvil with his hammer, perhaps it would sound like this. The thunderous clanging of the hammer filled the elegant Reception Room. Alicia forgot even to breathe as she witnessed this surreal scene. It felt as though everything were merely a dream. The aggressive forest cats, and Rebecca wielding a gun with deadly intent. And now, Rebecca before her eyes, bringing the hammer down with such ferocity. Convinced this could not be reality, Alicia covered her ears and shook her head. Time seemed to flow slowly. With each of Rebecca's movements, her golden hair fluttered through the air before settling once more against her pale face. Rebecca's slender arms seemed incongruous with that heavy hammer. A noblewoman in such an elegant gown striking with the expression of a demon—it was something that could never exist in Alicia's world. The most horrifying scene she had witnessed in her life was watching someone stabbed with a blade before her eyes. Yet this moment was far more terrifying than that. Not long after, came a sharp crack, and the table split clean in half.
"Hah... Hah..."
Rebecca breathed heavily, her gaze cold upon the shattered diamond fragments scattered across the broken table. As Rebecca wiped away her sweat, Kanna gathered the diamond shards into one place and placed the tattered necklace into its case. Rebecca hurled the hammer away, and it clattered loudly across the floor.
"This is my token of gratitude."
Kanna extended the box to Alicia, who still trembled with her face buried in the sofa, and whispered.
"You must deliver this to the Count. Unless you wish to see the necklace in this condition."
Alicia exhaled in ragged breaths and nodded vigorously. Without looking back, she fled the Reception Room. Confirming Alicia's departure, Rebecca's legs gave way and she collapsed onto the sofa.
"Rebecca... my arm... it..."
Kanna held back Rebecca's arm, which had wielded the hammer, tears streaming down her face. Her right arm trembled uncontrollably. It was the brutal price of unleashing such overwhelming force all at once. Holding Rebecca's convulsing arm, Kanna stood helpless. Mere worry would solve nothing. Kanna sprang to her feet.
"I'll fetch a physician at once! Please, just hold on a moment."
Rebecca, lacking even the strength to speak, answered with a single nod. Meanwhile, Leo, who had been observing the affair from the sofa, stared at Rebecca's face in shock. 'Why can I feel her anger so vividly?' Leo had not entered the Reception Room of his own accord. 'Report to me everything she does while I'm away.' Leo had thought it a tedious request, but seeing Julian's earnest gaze, his reluctance vanished entirely. He had never seen that brat devote himself to anyone before. Rebecca, the object of such attention, had piqued his curiosity. It was also a moment when he happened to be bored.
Yet the moment he beheld the woman named Alicia, fury surged within him. When he faced those blue diamonds, his entire body bristled with rage. This profound anger, steeped in sorrow, was not his own. It was Rebecca's. The same sensation he felt when connected to Julian washed over Leo's body. The Countess Who Fled Has Returned E-book Publication
January 12, 2022 Author
Long Night Sky Publisher
Desert Fox Published by
Woongjin ThinkBig Co., Ltd. Submission Received
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@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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