Chapter 148
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149.
Julian grasped Rebecca's hand, his voice trembling with desperation.
"Devonshire will destroy itself soon. I'll make it happen. When that day comes, you can break my curse and we'll simply live together as we are. So please...."
If only things could unfold as easily as his words suggested.
A life of everyday moments with Julian.
Just hearing it made me dizzy with longing.
Peaceful days—eating the meals he prepared each morning, attending to simple duties, then taking walks with Lily and him.
We could host lavish Ballrooms like ordinary nobility, or travel together at leisure, just the two of us.
Even imagining it for a moment filled me with such happiness, yet that same joy cast a deep shadow across my face.
I erased myself from the fantasy, the version of me standing beside Julian.
And I replaced myself with someone else.
My heart ached, but if it meant he could smile forever, I could bear it.
I was someone who should disappear from this world.
I had already been dead once—I shouldn't regret anything.
Repeating this to myself, I caressed the cheek of the despairing Julian.
"I can't stop. Like a train that's already left the station, I can't halt. I'm sorry, but please... just endure a little longer. Your happiness isn't far away. Even today's worries will fade with time."
She had always spoken in strange ways, but today her words were particularly incomprehensible.
Yet one thing became clear to me.
No matter what I pleaded, she would continue to hurt herself.
And I would have no choice but to help her destroy herself.
My trembling lips hardened into a firm line.
"Fine. You're determined to do exactly as you please."
Defiance suddenly surged from deep within me.
I tore off my shirt.
"Then I'll do as I please too."
"Why are you undressing...."
Rebecca couldn't finish her sentence.
I tilted her chin up and pressed my lips against hers as if to devour her whole.
After a brief moment of resistance, Rebecca surrendered herself to me as I traced deep into her mouth.
An unusually rough kiss followed, unlike my usual self.
My relentless movements left Rebecca's mind blank and white.
I pulled my lips away.
Without thinking, Rebecca reached for my thick neck, nearly pulling me back for another kiss.
But when she saw the intensity in my gaze, she froze rigid.
A pair of golden eyes gleamed like a predator stalking prey through the brush, fixed entirely on her.
Candlelight flickered in my pupils, as if they were burning.
I lifted Rebecca from where she'd been leaning against the headboard.
When her head touched my bare chest, so taut not even a needle could slip through, Rebecca felt her blood rush upward.
I laid her down in the center of the bed and positioned myself above her.
Rebecca's hands traced frantically across the taut muscles of my upper body.
Julian seemed further stimulated by Rebecca's fervent gaze, resuming his rough exploration of her lips with renewed intensity.
His movements grew more delicate and concentrated than before.
He swiftly untied the ribbons of her dress and unfastened her corset.
Upon her pale, newly exposed skin, he lavished desperate kisses without restraint.
What he had struggled to suppress each night while watching her sleep was now unfolding before his eyes.
A tingling sensation swept through him to his fingertips. Rebecca's breathing grew increasingly ragged.
Though she knew this was wrong, she found herself utterly unable to push him away.
He held her as firmly as an ancient tree root ensnaring stone.
"Ah...!"
As she writhed in rapture, her injured right arm was crushed beneath her.
When Rebecca let out a sharp whimper, Julian startled and lifted his head from below.
His face, which had been gazing blankly at her cradling her arm, crumpled instantly.
He dragged a hand full of regret across his face.
Then he lifted Rebecca and repositioned her to her original posture.
"Julian...."
Rebecca urgently grasped at his departing coattails.
I didn't know why I was doing this, but it felt as though I couldn't let him leave like this.
Julian stared at Rebecca's hand holding him, then slowly raised his gaze.
Between the disheveled folds of her dress, he could see the marks he'd left—blooming like flowers in rosy hues.
Rebecca's ragged breathing seemed to tickle his ears.
Julian's eyes wavered with longing for a moment.
But then he squeezed his eyes shut and turned away, striding toward the door with long steps.
"Until you've healed, we'll need to sleep in separate rooms for a while."
Bang—
The violent closing of the door sounded exactly like his heart shutting itself away.
A single tear rolled down Rebecca's cheek as she gazed blankly at the empty space where he had been.
* * *
"Rebecca... broke my gift?"
Zeppelin slowly opened the box Alicia had presented to him.
Alicia bit at her nails, anxiously awaiting his reaction.
When Zeppelin's brow furrowed upon inspecting the contents, she flinched and took a step backward.
"I-I tried to stop her! But Rebecca...."
"Did Rebecca break this herself?"
"Yes?"
Alicia, who had expected his anger, opened her eyes wide at his unexpectedly gentle tone.
"I asked if she broke it herself."
"Yes.... She picked up a hammer...."
"A hammer? Rebecca did?"
Zeppelin fell silent for a moment, as if imagining the scene.
Soon, a slow smile spread across his lips.
"It must have left quite an impression on her."
"Does that matter when the heirloom is shattered to pieces?"
"If she continues to remember me, I can pay any price for that."
Alicia stared at Zeppelin as if questioning what nonsense he was spouting.
Zeppelin answered as though he had read her thoughts.
"Alicia, being remembered even as a terrible memory is a hundred times better than being forgotten. After all, she's still thinking of me, isn't she?"
Zeppelin held a fragment of the shattered diamond up to the firelight.
"A diamond remains beautiful even when broken."
"You say that after seeing it in such a tattered state?"
"No matter what shape it takes, a diamond is still a diamond. A stone, no matter how much it's polished and refined, can never become a diamond."
Alicia wanted to ask if she was that stone, but she couldn't bring herself to voice the question, fearing he might actually confirm it.
As Zeppelin set down the diamond fragment, his gaze swept over Alicia.
She was twisting her dark golden hair with her fingers, her blue eyes darting nervously about.
When Zeppelin first realized she had been impersonating Rebecca, his anger had been so fierce he'd wanted to strangle her.
The audacity of someone like Alicia thinking she could replace Rebecca was utterly intolerable.
The very thought of it was unbearable.
Moreover, she hadn't even recognized who had saved her, and she'd taken Octavio's hand instead—it was absurd.
He'd known she was foolish long ago, but he hadn't realized she was capable of such betrayal.
Yet watching her tremble beneath Rebecca's shadow, he felt something different from before.
'She's rather pitiful, isn't she.'
The current Alicia was like a rabbit cornered and struggling desperately.
Zeppelin felt an unusually rare impulse to show her some mercy.
In any case, she had borne his son.
Having a boy in the Mansion didn't seem like a bad thing. Besides, they said the child had inherited Devonshire's golden hair and blue eyes.
If he carried around a cute child who resembled him so closely, his reputation would surely improve.
Zeppelin's lips curved into a crooked smile.
"Alicia."
He rose slowly from his seat and moved toward her.
Apparently, Octavio was showering the boy with meticulous care.
He must have found a new puppet.
Was he planning to kill him and place the boy as his successor?
A laugh escaped at such an obvious ploy.
He couldn't allow things to unfold according to Octavio's designs.
For that, he needed Alicia.
In the darkness, Alicia sometimes looked like Rebecca.
She was a rather adequate substitute.
"I hear you named the boy. Arthur, was it?"
The moment Arthur's name left Zeppelin's lips, Alicia's face brightened instantly.
"Yes! That's right. Your son's name is Arthur. If you don't like it, I can...."
"No, it's a fine name. Come to think of it, I haven't visited him once. Perhaps we should spend some intimate family time together soon."
"Is... is that truly sincere?"
"Does it sound like a lie?"
Alicia gazed blankly at Zeppelin's gentle smile.
It felt as though she'd returned to the time when she'd lost her memories, tears welling up in her eyes.
"You said you'd reward me if I delivered the gift properly and brought back a reply. I'm someone who keeps her promises."
Even though that reply was a chilling rejection, Zeppelin seemed delighted by it.
At this point, Alicia had no choice but to accept that he was thoroughly mad.
And that conviction only solidified with his next words.
"Now then, tell me. What was Rebecca wearing today?"
"Pardon?"
"What perfume did Rebecca wear? What jewelry did she have on? What was her expression when she received my gift?"
Zeppelin fired questions at her in rapid succession, pulling Alicia tightly into his embrace.
And he began to covet the nape of her neck with his lips.
"Z-Zeppelin..."
"Shh... not that. Tell me about Rebecca. Did she hold your hand? Or was she staring at you brazenly?"
Zeppelin pushed Alicia against the wall.
Alicia trembled as she met his crazed gaze.
This was what I wanted. I wished for him to look at me the way he looked at Rebecca.
I was the one who declared I would become his doll, his replacement for Rebecca.
So why did I feel so wretched?
'But I must. He wants me right now.'
It was the first time in a long while that he had sought me out. I couldn't afford to miss this opportunity.
Alicia forced her stiff lips upward and spoke.
"T-today, Rebecca wore a blue-gray dress."
"Did it have a ribbon?"
"No... it was a dress with a satin ribbon tied at the waist."
"Her slender waist must have been quite a sight. Good, very good. Alicia. Tell me more—everything about Rebecca!"
Zeppelin grasped Alicia's waist and pulled her close.
Alicia's waist was similar in size to Rebecca's.
He smiled with satisfaction, then consumed her lips.
Each time he pulled away, Alicia cried out Rebecca's name, and Zeppelin gladly made her his own.
The Runaway Countess Returns
E-book Publication
January 12, 2022
Author
Gin Bam Ha Neul
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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