Chapter 48
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49.
Zeppelin's blade trembled violently in his grip.
So Robert hadn't been spreading baseless rumors after all.
How could that man have known so much more about Rebecca than I did?
Zeppelin's fury took a twisted turn—he was lamenting that he'd killed Robert so easily.
'Lady Rebecca is far too good for you.'
Damn it.
As Zeppelin struggled to contain his rage, Octavio hastily turned to the Priest.
"Then the Countess's rashes and fever are also caused by divine power?"
The Priest paused in thought before speaking.
"Based on my humble understanding... yes, that is correct. It is divine sickness. Throughout history, those blessed with exceptional divine power have occasionally fallen ill when they refused to become vessels of God. Given the historical records of those afflicted with hives covering their entire bodies and burning fevers, the Countess is currently suffering from divine sickness."
Upon learning the diagnosis, Zeppelin seized the Priest's shoulders and shook him violently.
"Then there must be a solution! There has to be a way to restore her to normal, right?"
"There is one, but..."
"Tell me quickly!"
As Zeppelin pressed him, the Priest hesitated before answering.
"She must accept God. There is no other way."
All color drained from Zeppelin's face.
Octavio quickly brought a chair and supported him before he could collapse.
Zeppelin slumped into the seat, releasing a heavy sigh.
"Ah..."
Becoming a saint meant serving only God.
If one was married, divorce was necessary before taking vows.
It was a path of sacrifice requiring one to abandon even their children, which is why the choice was left open.
Zeppelin felt as though he wanted to die.
To restore Rebecca to her original self, he would have to give her up, yet keeping her by his side was unbearable given her current hideous state.
She was not the Rebecca he loved.
Regardless of how grave the situation became, Rebecca regarded the Priest with fascination.
'Hmm... his acting is quite exceptional. I should find out his name later.'
Sensing her gaze, the Priest turned his eyes toward Rebecca.
When their eyes met, Rebecca smiled softly. The Priest interpreted this as a plea for help and suddenly adopted a solemn expression.
"Then you must decide now."
Zeppelin answered in a hollow voice.
"Decide what?"
"Whether Lady Rebecca will become a saint or not."
"Of course Rebecca will—"
Zeppelin began to shout but stopped himself.
He couldn't determine which was better.
Should she reclaim the form he'd dreamed of and fall into another's hands, or should he keep her by his side despite her grotesque appearance, cherishing the glory of her past?
As Zeppelin wrestled with his torment, a single thought flickered through his mind.
'Hereditary disease doesn't pass down through bloodlines, so she can bear children....'
As Octavio reached this conclusion, his fury gradually subsided.
He spoke in a measured tone.
"Rebecca is a saint...."
"That is not the case. The spouse's opinion is not a factor in this decision."
The Priest abruptly cut off Octavio's words.
"What?"
"The most crucial element in becoming a saint is one's own will. The goddess Defria, who cherishes freedom, does not wish for her servants to suffer."
He then looked directly at Rebecca and spoke.
"Rebecca of Devonshire. Will you become a faithful servant of the goddess Defria?"
Rebecca's eyes swept slowly across the faces of the gathered onlookers.
All these spectators were surely Octavio's handiwork.
Octavio nodded as he looked at her.
Rebecca stared at him intently, then smiled with sudden conviction as she spoke.
"I...."
* * *
"Damn it!"
Octavio wielded his fencing sword and mercilessly hacked at the training dummy.
Though it was merely a dummy, his brutal slashing was so vicious it seemed as though he were committing actual murder.
Octavio exhaled sharply and brushed back his navy-blue hair.
His face sometimes resembled that of an old man, yet in the next moment it appeared youthful.
With an ageless appearance, no one could discern his true age.
"How dare you make a fool of me?"
Octavio recalled what had transpired earlier that day.
'I will not become a saint. I cannot imagine a life without Zeppelin.'
He swung his blade with violent force. The dummy was instantly severed into multiple pieces that clattered to the ground.
By his assessment, Rebecca clearly wished to leave Zeppelin.
She had dared to dance with the Duke of Johannes before Zeppelin, and had even ventured out in secret—such actions made this evident.
And that gaze!
The cold stare she occasionally cast upon Zeppelin had convinced Octavio of the truth.
Whatever change of heart had occurred, Rebecca was not the sort to wear such an expression.
Yet why, when he had so carefully opened the path for her, did she not take it?
'Have I overestimated her?'
It occurred to him that Rebecca might be far more foolish than he had anticipated.
The sort of simpleton incapable of even judging what was good for herself—a classification he utterly despised.
Now he wondered if manipulating Robert had been no grand scheme at all, merely coincidence.
Perhaps she had seduced him with that pretty face. Or who knows—perhaps she had given him even more than that....
At this thought, irritation surged within him.
He held in contempt those born with undeserved abundance beyond their station.
From this day forward, he decided to regard Rebecca as belonging to that same category.
Had I been blessed with Rebecca's beauty, I might have wielded an entire nation in the palm of my hand.
Yet now I'm surrendering even that and choosing to remain beside this worthless Zeppelin.
'Foolish. So foolish.'
Octavio recalled Zeppelin seizing him by the collar.
Controlling him was becoming increasingly difficult. I needed a solution before Zeppelin slipped entirely from my grasp.
"If I cannot move him with my own hands...."
Octavio sank into deep contemplation.
At that moment, one of the Hounds knocked on his door.
The Hounds' intelligence was reported to Octavio first, before it ever reached Zeppelin.
"What is it?"
"Lady Alicia has left her room."
Octavio's eyes gleamed with interest.
"Ah yes, the Count does have one more doll, doesn't he? An abandoned one."
* * *
Alicia slipped silently from her room.
For some reason, not a single candle burned in the corridor, evoking the atmosphere of a house where death had claimed someone.
Though the desolate darkness blanketed the estate, Alicia felt no fear.
Her footsteps were light yet resolute.
When Rebecca fell ill, Alicia had exulted—while she lay bedridden, I would monopolize Zeppelin's affection.
When no physician could identify her ailment, I wept tears of joy.
And today, upon learning that Rebecca's condition was incurable, I offered prayers of gratitude to God.
With such a grotesque appearance, she could never fulfill the duties of a countess.
Even Zeppelin had wrinkled his nose at the stench emanating from Rebecca's body.
Alicia believed it was inevitable—Rebecca would be cast out, and I would become the true countess.
But when I overheard Zeppelin whispering something secretive to Octavio, my hopes shattered.
'What method exists to conceive a child while minimizing physical contact?'
And that very afternoon, Grace began purchasing medicinal herbs in vast quantities, reputed to aid conception.
Zeppelin had no intention of releasing Rebecca.
No—even if Zeppelin abandoned Rebecca, he would never relinquish the child she bore.
The thought filled me with bitter anguish. If Rebecca gave birth, the position of Alicia and my child would be sealed.
A child born to a mother of humble origins would find no welcome in aristocratic society.
Alicia caressed her swollen belly.
'I will protect you.'
And with eyes burning with resolve, I placed my hand on the door handle to Rebecca's room.
"What do you intend to do with that tiny blade?"
Alicia started violently, nearly dropping the dagger in her other hand.
Octavio regarded her with contempt and clicked his tongue.
"Your feeble strength couldn't inflict a fatal wound with that even if you tried. I've told you countless times—think before you act."
"Octavio...."
"Well, since matters have come to this, I suppose I'll lend my hand once more."
Octavio withdrew a small vial from his breast pocket.
A deep violet liquid—as dark as Alicia's irises—sloshed within the glass.
"This contains the venom of a Dakota viper."
"...."
"What, are you frightened now that it comes to actually killing her? Don't worry. This poison is renowned for granting a death as peaceful as sleep—there will be no great suffering."
Alicia gazed up at Octavio in silence.
Octavio leaned toward her with menacing intent. Alicia flinched and stumbled backward.
"I promised to make you a countess, did I not? I'm even showing you the method myself, so stop your prattling and obey. Or perhaps you'd prefer to return to that wretched hovel you came from? Just say the word. I can send you back there whenever you wish."
"When did I ever say I didn't want this?"
Alicia shot him a sidelong glance and snatched the vial of poison from his hand.
Octavio laughed coldly and gestured toward the door.
With the vial gripped tightly in her hand, Alicia slowly opened the door to Rebecca's room.
* * *
The moment she stepped inside, a stench assailed her nostrils, and Alicia instinctively covered her nose with her sleeve.
The room that once perpetually exhaled the fragrance of flowers now reeked of rotting decay.
Rebecca lay in deep slumber, her breathing steady and rhythmic.
The occasional furrow of her brow suggested she was battling her affliction even in sleep.
'Rebecca....'
Alicia stood before her and studied her form.
The figure she had once admired was gone, replaced by the visage of a monster everyone shunned.
Alicia's mind drifted to the first day she had arrived here.
After Zeppelin's departure, when she stood lost and forlorn, Octavio had approached her.
He had tempted her with promises of making her a countess, eloquently describing the luxurious life that awaited her in the grand estate.
Alicia had no reason to refuse his offer.
She had been desperate to escape the small rural village.
Her beautiful appearance had been a curse in that modest well.
Nearly every man there had desired to possess her, and among them were those of the basest character.
So anywhere else would have been preferable to that place.
Determined never to live as her mother had, Alicia followed Octavio to Irencia.
Octavio's plan had succeeded flawlessly.
After starving Alicia for days, he abandoned her on a path Rebecca frequented—and she collapsed into unconsciousness.
Rebecca rescued her, and Alicia effortlessly won her affection.
Alicia recalled the moment she first laid eyes on Rebecca when she regained consciousness. It was a moment she could never forget.
The runaway countess had returned.
E-book publication.
January 12, 2022
Author.
Long Night Sky
Publisher.
Desert Fox
Published by.
Woongjin ThinkBig Co., Ltd.
Submissions.
naver.me/54VzzLSn
Blog.
blog.naver.com/wj_fennecfox
Twitter.
@wjt_fennecfox
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org