“To think I have to witness this wretched scene twice.”
Rebecca trembled, clenching her fists tightly. The red dress crumpled helplessly in her grasp.
The wedding was damnably beautiful.
Alicia and Zeppelin’s ceremony was simple, but that very simplicity made it seem all the more romantic.
The Valaria coast was a popular resort destination.
As part of the Johannes Duchy, enjoying a retreat here required navigating a rather complex process.
But the Devonshire family had a mansion on the Valaria coast, passed down through generations.
Thanks to that, Zeppelin and Alicia could hold an intimate and beautiful wedding without anyone’s interference.
The only problem was that this was also the place where Rebecca and Zeppelin had spent their honeymoon.
As if mocking her, a spring breeze blew in.
Alicia’s veil fluttered in the wind, and Zeppelin smiled faintly.
“Thus, under the blessing of the goddess Dephria, I declare these two husband and wife.”
There was no outburst of cheers.
The small group of invited guests clapped awkwardly, their expressions uneasy.
Their gazes were not on the newlyweds but on Rebecca, the count’s first wife.
Ignoring the stares pouring over her, Rebecca glared at Zeppelin. His lips moved slightly, forming words meant for her alone.
“Smile.”
The moment she saw the commanding curve of Zeppelin’s mouth, Rebecca snapped back to reality.
She had truly returned. To a time before her child was taken.
No, to a time before her child was even conceived. And before she had been completely broken by her husband’s hands.
Following Zeppelin’s order, Rebecca gave a faint smile.
If she had returned, perhaps she could change the outcome.
Willingly, she raised her hands and offered cold applause.
For the happiness of the two people she would soon destroy.
…
“Thank you for coming. Honestly, I didn’t think you would show up, Lady Rebecca.”
Alicia, now changed into a pink reception dress, approached Rebecca with a shy smile.
Rebecca, who had been sitting alone, steadily sipping wine, slowly turned her gaze to Alicia.
Everyone held their breath, eavesdropping on the conversation between the first and second wives.
“Alicia…”
Rebecca recalled the day she first met Alicia.
It had been a clear day, just like today.
How Alicia had managed to slip into the heavily guarded garden of the count’s estate remained a mystery to this day.
On the path Rebecca walked daily, a gaunt girl lay collapsed, nearly starved to death.
Her appearance was pitiful.
Rebecca brought the girl inside and nursed her with care.
Later, when the girl regained consciousness, she introduced herself as Alicia.
“Lady Rebecca! You’re my savior!”
Rebecca could never forget the moment she saw Alicia fully recovered.
Her cheeks, now plump and healthy, were tinged with a shy pink, like spring petals.
Her exotic, long lavender hair flowed in soft waves. Her deep violet eyes sparkled with a heartbreakingly tender glow.
Like a fairy born from the laughter of an ancient goddess of beauty, she was stunning.
Moreover, she possessed the charm and loveliness that Rebecca had always longed for but never had.
Rebecca’s mother had warned her that Alicia was dangerous. That a careless act of kindness could turn into poison and kill her.
But by then, Rebecca had already given her heart to Alicia.
Before becoming a countess, Rebecca had many friends.
But after the wedding, those many people began to cut contact with her, one by one, for no clear reason.
By the time Rebecca realized it, not a single friend remained by her side.
Left alone in the count’s estate, Rebecca was always lonely.
That’s why she cherished Alicia’s gentle voice calling her name.
She loved Alicia’s bright, sparrow-like chatter.
Rebecca became utterly enchanted by the lively girl.
She even took in the homeless Alicia as her maid.
In return, Alicia was devoted to Rebecca.
Over time, Alicia became indispensable to her.
A year passed like that.
On Alicia’s birthday, Rebecca personally prepared a feast for her.
And that day, everything changed.
“Ugh… Lady Rebecca, I can’t eat.”
It was morning sickness. She said it was Zeppelin’s child.
It felt like the world was crumbling.
Even so, Rebecca couldn’t bring herself to resent Alicia.
She believed Zeppelin had seduced the innocent girl.
Summoning her courage, she confronted Zeppelin, but he mocked her instead.
“My naive wife. You wouldn’t claim to be ignorant of what happens when a beautiful man and woman meet, would you? This is instinct, the law of nature. So neither I nor Alicia are at fault. The fault lies with you. This is the price for leaving a beautiful woman unattended before me.”
He relentlessly pinned all the blame on Rebecca.
Over years of being manipulated by Zeppelin, Rebecca was gradually swayed by his words.
In over a decade of marriage, no child had been born between her and Zeppelin.
As if it were only natural, the count’s household welcomed Alicia, who carried the heir, as Zeppelin’s second wife.
A period of self-blame followed. Rebecca believed it was all her doing.
She was tormented by bitter self-loathing.
That’s how she had lived. Believing everything was her fault for being inadequate. Until that incident happened.
Suddenly, she felt Zeppelin’s gaze.
Rebecca set down her wine glass and smiled.
For now, she still had to be the perfect Countess Devonshire.
“Now that we’re family, it’s only natural.”
Rebecca embraced Alicia.
The guests gasped at the heartwarming scene.
They showered praise on Zeppelin for gaining two beautiful wives.
Zeppelin smiled with satisfaction.
Soon, the bride and groom’s dance began.
Watching the two of them twirl around, Rebecca felt nausea rising.
She wanted to escape this revolting place as quickly as possible.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
Pleading indisposition, Rebecca hurriedly called for a carriage.
In her past life, she had endured the humiliation until the reception ended.
But she no longer had the patience to suffer that disgrace twice.
She knew Zeppelin would scold her if he found out she left early, but she had no choice.
The noblewomen saw her off with pitying expressions.
“Lady Rebecca, if you ever face difficulties, please reach out.”
Though they didn’t say it aloud, they seemed to find this wedding as distasteful as she did.
But Rebecca knew their husbands were all Zeppelin’s allies. They couldn’t easily lend her their support.
“Thank you.”
Rebecca committed each of the women’s faces to memory. After a brief farewell, she climbed into the carriage.
The carriage began to roll quickly. Wanting to be alone, she had sent Alice in a separate carriage.
“Aagh!”
Rebecca buried her face in a cushion and screamed. She let out a furious cry until her voice gave out.
Even so, the suffocating anger in her chest didn’t subside.
She noticed her lipstick had smeared wildly, but she had no inclination to fix her makeup.
She had returned to the past.
But it still didn’t feel real. She couldn’t tell what was a dream and what was reality, and her head spun with confusion.
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
Rebecca placed a hand on her slender abdomen. The memory of carrying her child for ten months was vivid.
Though she had only raised the child for a few years, she already missed her terribly.
Her soft cheeks, that sweet baby scent. Those tiny hands and feet wiggling.
At the same time, she recalled Alicia holding her precious child.
Rebecca bit her lip until it nearly bled.
“It’s for the best.”
The child no longer existed. The fact that it wouldn’t grow up as Zeppelin’s child was her only consolation.
Rebecca gazed out the window. The carriage’s swaying felt particularly rough today.
She didn’t know why she had been sent back to the past.
But one thing was certain.
Rebecca clenched her fists, her blue eyes, still damp with tears, blazing with determination.
“Now it’s your turn to be ruined, Zeppelin Devonshire.”
…
Duke Yulian Johannes, recently returned from the battlefield to his estate, was leisurely enjoying a nighttime stroll.
The Valaria coast was one of his favorite walking paths.
It was a rare moment of tranquility. A faint smile played on Yulian’s lips.
Just then, a carriage came barreling down the path leading to the coast.
Spotting him, the carriage slowed to a stop.
In a good mood, Yulian quietly stepped aside to let it pass.
The coachman tipped his hat in thanks.
Yulian glanced at the carriage window as it brushed past him.
A vaguely familiar woman sat inside.
Her makeup was smudged, but her eyes were fixed ahead, burning as fiercely as the red dress she wore.
The striking impression piqued Yulian’s curiosity, and he looked at the carriage’s crest. It bore the seal of the Devonshire family.
Yulian’s eyes widened as he followed the carriage’s retreating figure.
“Rebecca?”
“Ah, that must be the famous countess,” said Croa, Yulian’s butler, catching up with him while catching his breath.
“Famous?”
“Oh! You wouldn’t know, having been on the battlefield, my lord. The Count of Devonshire took a second wife. It caused quite a stir in high society.”
“A mistress? Isn’t the countess still young?”
“She is. Not yet thirty, I believe. But who can fathom the affairs of a married couple? Anyway, I heard there was a wedding at the Valaria coast today.”
“What?”
“Not yet thirty, I said?”
“No. You mean to tell me they held a wedding for a mistress on the Valaria coast, in *my* domain?”
“Y-yes… The Devonshire family owns a mansion there…”
“Croa.”
Croa swallowed hard at the icy tone. Yulian’s dark eyes slowly turned golden.
“Before I left, I explicitly told you to look after the estate. And yet you permitted this disgusting affair? In the place I cherish most?”
“But how could I stop them from holding a wedding in their own villa? Especially the Devonshire family…”
Instead of answering, Yulian glared at Croa.
As his golden eyes gleamed coldly, cold sweat trickled down Croa’s back.
The master’s eyes turning yellow was a very dangerous sign.
“I-I’ll rectify it, my lord.”
“You’d better. Whether you tear it down or smash it to pieces, make sure they never set foot in that mansion again. No, better yet, ensure they can never return to this coast. You have until tomorrow.”
Croa wanted to scream.
Why did that carriage have to pass by now, of all times? What a wretchedly unlucky day.
Meow. As Yulian’s anger lingered, a black cat emerged from the darkness, its bright yellow eyes glinting.
