Chapter 144
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145.
'Could this be related to my strengthened divine power lately...?'
I didn't know the reason, but lately Leo had been brimming with vitality.
My mind, which had always been sluggish and hazy, felt remarkably clear.
This was a symptom I would only feel when I drew upon my divine power excessively.
At the same time, my headaches had grown more severe.
And after each headache, fragmented memories I had forgotten came back to me one by one.
For instance, conversations I had shared with Goddess Defria.
"Leo...."
Rebecca called out to Leo weakly.
Leo, who had been recalling Goddess Defria, suddenly thought she had materialized before him and jumped in surprise, lifting his head.
Rebecca raised her left hand and gently stroked Leo's head.
"You were quite startled.... I'm sorry."
A profound sense of exhaustion transmitted through her touch.
Leo immediately understood that she was considerably worn out.
And he silently recited words of comfort that would go unspoken.
'No. It's you who should be worried about. Still, breaking that necklace felt absolutely satisfying. First, you need to recover. If Julian saw you in this state, he'd faint.'
"You're right. I need to improve before Julian arrives."
'From the look of things, that will be difficult....'
"Leo. Why did you stop speaking.... Huh?"
Rebecca stared at Leo with wide, startled eyes.
At the same moment, Leo also opened his eyes wide, meeting Rebecca's gaze.
'Human! Did you just understand what I said?'
* * *
Clutching the box containing the shattered necklace, Alicia rushed down the long corridor of the Castle.
Spotting Catherine loitering about in the corridor, hoping to gather information, Alicia seized her wrist.
"We need to return to the Count's Mansion immediately!"
"What? So suddenly?"
"Hurry!"
Catherine flinched at Alicia's urgent cry.
Something had clearly happened.
She quickly understood and, without complaint, headed with Alicia toward the Lobby of the Duke's Castle.
Whether word of what had transpired in the Reception Room had already spread, no one came to see them off.
But such coldness hardly registered with her now.
Alicia, who had just stepped through the entrance, suddenly stopped.
"Where, where did it go?"
"What's wrong?"
"It's gone! It's not here!"
Alicia frantically searched the pockets of her dress. But the eye drops were nowhere to be found.
The color drained from her face.
Obtaining another dose of the medicine was simple enough, but it would take time.
What if my violet eyes returned to normal in the meantime?
The thought of Zeppelin's look of disgust made Alicia shudder.
"Hold onto this for me for now."
Alicia hurled the box at Catherine's chest.
"My lady!"
Catherine watched Alicia's retreating figure disappear into the Duke's Castle with a bewildered expression on her face.
* * *
"So you're telling me I really did understand what you were saying?"
'It seems that way.'
"I wonder why?"
'I'm not entirely sure myself.'
"Could it be from spending so much time with Julian? Perhaps his divine power rubbed off on me..."
Leo shook his head slowly.
'Divine power doesn't transfer that way. It requires an extraordinarily complex process—something humans cannot accomplish. And even those with divine power cannot all communicate with me.'
"I suppose you're right..."
'Still, I'm grateful I can speak with you now. There have been many things I've wanted to tell you all this time. I only hope there are no side effects.'
"Side effects?"
'Yes. Like what happened to Julian..."
Leo lowered his head for a moment.
Rebecca gazed at his round head drooping sadly, then her eyes brightened as she spoke.
"Could I perhaps take the curse upon myself instead?"
'What?'
"When you suffer, Julian suffers too. I'm asking if I could bear the pain in his stead."
'Well... but I don't think Julian would approve of that.'
"He doesn't need to know. Shall we try? Just a little pinch to test it. No, actually, I couldn't possibly torment those adorable cheeks of yours."
'You might be the only person who treats a messenger of the divine this way.'
"Messenger of the divine or not, to me you're simply Leo. A kind and considerate black cat, just like Julian."
Rebecca smiled softly. Leo hesitated for a moment before speaking.
'You... aren't you afraid of me?'
"Hmm. Should I be? You do look frightening when you bare your fangs occasionally."
'I am an ill-omened being that brings curses. If not for me, you and Julian could have lived as an ordinary duke and duchess.'
Leo's words were entirely wrong.
Had Julian not been a cursed duke, they never would have come this far.
Paradoxically, it was Julian's curse that had bound them together, yet simultaneously made their union impossible.
Rebecca gazed into Leo's golden eyes.
She realized that Julian must have always been looking into eyes as pure as these.
"But that's not your fault, Leo."
Rebecca struggled to sit up.
Her arms throbbed painfully, and she wanted to cry out.
Yet she swallowed her pain between gritted teeth and gently stroked Leo's head.
"Don't blame the divine's whimsy on yourself. And I'll break the curse binding you and Julian."
Rebecca deliberately erased the method of breaking the curse from her mind.
She wasn't certain how deeply Leo could perceive her thoughts, but there was a possibility that Julian knew whatever Leo knew.
Fortunately, Leo seemed not to have noticed.
It was clear that their connection didn't reach the depths of his heart the way it did with Julian.
'Now I understand a little why Julian has fallen for you.'
"Julian has fallen for me?"
'Of course. If you knew what he thinks when he looks at you, you'd be astonished.'
"I really wish I could hear what he thinks."
Leo realized he'd misspoken and quickly barred the door to his mind.
But gazing into Rebecca's eyes, which sparkled with curiosity, he found himself unbolting that door once more without realizing it.
Leo glanced at Rebecca's arm, still trembling with spasms.
He wished she would laugh hard enough to forget the pain.
Leo chose his words carefully and conveyed them to her.
As expected, Rebecca burst into bright laughter.
Another secret had been added to the ones Julian would have to carry to his grave.
And in this moment, it wasn't only Leo who had gained a secret to keep.
'W-what is all this? A curse? If Lord Leo is in pain, the Duke suffers too?'
Alicia stood behind the door, her hand clamped over her mouth.
* * *
"Did you truly have to draw such attention to yourself?"
Croa chewed on a gold coin-shaped chocolate, the Casino's signature confection, with a sullen expression.
"Thanks to you, we've even gotten to see this wonderful place. Not bad, is it?"
Julian sprawled across the spacious sofa.
He was in the Special Room.
Though the Casino conspired with the Temple as a matter of routine, occasionally a customer would unexpectedly sweep away a fortune.
They called this the Goddess's whim.
Left unchecked, it would throw the Casino's ecosystem into chaos.
Customers who were supposed to lose money would instead walk away with winnings.
So the Casino had devised this Special Room as a solution.
Any customer blessed by the Goddess's whim was immediately transferred here and treated with utmost hospitality.
They received treatment befitting the Emperor himself, but couldn't leave without swearing never to use the Casino again.
'It's nothing short of extortion.'
Julian glanced at the two burly guards standing at the entrance.
They were each a head shorter than him regardless.
He could subdue them and leave in moments, but he had business in this room.
He needed to eavesdrop on the fascinating conversation unfolding in the adjacent VIP Room.
Julian pulled a black mana stone the size of his pinky nail from his pocket and placed it in his ear.
Before entering here, he had planted a white mana stone in a vase leading into the VIP Room.
The magic stone nestled between the white pebbles blended in so seamlessly that no one would notice it.
The pair of magic stones I had brought here were resonance stones that shared sound with each other within a certain distance.
Resonance stones possessed a peculiar property: when the white stone absorbed sound, the black stone would emit it.
It was an invention worthy of marking a new chapter in the history of espionage, though it still suffered from the disadvantage of having an extremely limited range.
I moved the sofa as close to the wall as possible and sprawled across it.
When the guards looked at me strangely, I wiggled my fingers while lying down.
"Ah, the sunlight is better over here, you see. Speaking of which, my throat is parched. Bring me something to drink, and fetch some refreshments for my obsessed friend over there as well."
I glanced at Croa, who was discreetly hiding gold coin chocolates in her pocket.
Croa laughed awkwardly.
I remembered that Josephine was particularly fond of the chocolates here, and she had been caught red-handed trying to pocket some.
"Well then, shall I take a nap? I'll rest properly, sign the documents, and be on my way. So you all should rest as well."
After finishing my words, I placed my hat over my face and closed my eyes.
The only sound in the room was the rustling of Croa unwrapping chocolate.
The silence was so profound that even the guards' inadvertent yawns were audible.
But information was flowing ceaselessly into my ears.
* * *
"Quite a bit of time is being wasted, isn't it?"
Bates, standing behind Zeppelin, glanced at his watch as he spoke.
"He's a man of importance, so it can't be helped. We're the ones who need him. We must accept this much waiting."
Zeppelin soothed the grumbling Bates and swept his gaze across the VIP Room.
In the center of the spacious VIP Room sat a large game board where one could enjoy every casino game except slot machines.
On the left, a marble bar table stretched out in a long line, and across from it were three rooms furnished with luxurious beds.
The structure allowed for all meals and lodging to be handled within this space.
Zeppelin leaned back in a plush chair.
As a flowing curtain draped over his shoulders, he frowned and pushed it aside.
Every chair was equipped with curtains so that those participating in the games could conceal their identities.
Of course, if one wished to reveal their identity, they could participate openly at any time.
But most chose to remain hidden.
Probably those Emperor's Faction fellows who couldn't openly enjoy gambling.
As Zeppelin was sifting through the people worthy of sitting in this place, a gentle voice reached his ears.
The Runaway Countess Returns
E-book Publication
January 12, 2022
Author
Long Night Sky
Publisher
Desert Fox
Publisher.
Woongjin Thinkbig Co., Ltd.
Submissions.
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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