Who’s in there…?
If it were a servant, they’d have greeted him first.
Zeppelin moved with cautious steps, suspicion flickering.
The moment he opened the door—
“Zeppelin!”
Rebecca, in a thin chemise, flung herself into his arms.
She pushed him out the door, glancing to ensure the wardrobe closed.
A sky-blue dress hem peeked out, but Kanna swiftly stepped in front of it.
“Rebecca? You can walk now?”
Seeing her approach on her own, Zeppelin spoke, overcome with emotion.
Rebecca smiled shyly.
“Don’t look at me like that. I just washed off my makeup, so I’m not exactly pretty.”
“You’re not overdoing it? Since when could you walk?”
“Not long. I’ve been practicing in secret to surprise you.”
“Oh, my darling Rebecca. Seeing you makes today’s fatigue vanish.”
Zeppelin held her tightly.
Rebecca counted backward in her mind, enduring the moment.
“Do you know how beautiful you are?”
Zeppelin lifted his face from her shoulder, pulling gloves from his pocket and slipping them on.
His gloved hand began to gently caress her face.
It traced her eyes, her nose, then lingered, teasing her lips.
As his lips drew closer, Rebecca turned her head sharply.
She couldn’t hide the stiffening of her face at what would follow.
“People are watching. I’m embarrassed.”
Zeppelin paused at her averted gaze.
A flicker of confusion crossed his eyes, but only for a moment.
His eyes curved into a charming arc.
“True. Modesty is a lady’s virtue.”
Again, he gazed at her with a sticky intensity.
Rebecca changed the subject to break the mood.
“You said you’d be gone a while, but you’re back early.”
“Your tone suggests you’re not thrilled I’m back so soon?”
His sharp eyes scanned her, and Rebecca flinched.
His intuition was always unnervingly keen.
But she masked her unease, her smile widening.
“How could that be? I’m overjoyed.”
Zeppelin gazed at the smile he adored.
Even bare-faced, Rebecca was his perfect woman.
He chuckled, shaking his head.
“I know. Just teasing. But I will be away for a while. I came to pack. I leave early tomorrow.”
He’s leaving.
Rebecca felt relief wash over her.
“So, Rebecca…”
Zeppelin pulled her waist, pressing her close.
“Spend tonight with me. No repeat of last time—I’ll come to you.”
At his saccharine breath, Rebecca’s shoulders trembled.
“Achoo!”
As he inhaled her scent, a sudden sneeze escaped.
Startled, he rubbed his nose.
“Wait for me, then.”
With a cryptic smile, he left the room.
“Lady Rebecca!”
Once Zeppelin was out of sight, Rebecca’s legs gave out, and she sank to the floor.
Kanna rushed to her, worry etched on her face.
Rebecca offered a faint smile.
“I’m fine. Sorry for worrying you by being late, Kanna.”
“No, my lady. But what about your plan? If you have to spend the night with the count…”
“Kanna! Your hand!”
Cutting off Kanna’s anxious words, Rebecca gasped.
Kanna’s fist was clenched so tightly that nail marks bled down her palm.
Only then did Kanna notice her injury, quickly pulling her hand back.
“It’s nothing. Please don’t touch me; the blood might stain you.”
“Kanna, you’re really…”
Kanna’s gentle smile was impossibly warm.
As Rebecca’s lips parted to speak, a faint voice came from the wardrobe.
“Um… excuse me…”
Susan’s feeble voice jolted Rebecca to her feet, and she flung open the wardrobe.
Susan, buried in dresses, gave an awkward smile.
“Oh, Susan, I’m so sorry. Things got complicated, and I forgot you were in there.”
“It’s fine. But… nothing went wrong, did it?”
At her cautious question, Rebecca laughed.
“Don’t worry. Everything went perfectly.”
It was true. Today, she’d accomplished all her goals.
And I met Yulian…
Rebecca recalled Yulian’s lips as he chewed his food.
Despite his brash nature, he didn’t eat greedily.
He ate quietly, almost delicately, without a sound.
And, surprisingly, he was talkative.
He analyzed each dish, chattering about the cut of meat, the origin of spices, with infectious enthusiasm.
Their brief meal, which she’d expected to be awkward, was delightful.
How long has it been since I enjoyed a meal?
Yulian’s bright smile lingered in her mind.
His sharp, feline eyes could seem fierce when still.
But when he smiled, they curved so beautifully that Rebecca forgot to chew, staring blankly.
Oh no.
She shook her head to dispel the image.
She knew exactly what her heart was doing.
She’d walked this path before.
The difference now was knowing where it led.
She wouldn’t let herself be swept away unaware again.
One tragedy was enough.
* * *
Zeppelin sat in the darkened study, lost in thought.
The moonlight, veiled by clouds, cast only faint light into the room.
Sitting with his back to even that dim glow, he thought of Rebecca.
She was always on his mind, but today felt different.
Sweat…
When Rebecca embraced him, a faint scent of sweat lingered.
She’d rarely smelled of sweat in his presence before.
Not that it bothered him—it was almost pleasant, which startled him.
But why would she, untouched by exertion, smell of sweat?
In this estate, she had no reason to perspire.
Her averted gaze, shy yet somehow cold.
The fleeting smile of relief when he mentioned leaving.
Nothing stood out overtly.
His hounds reported no anomalies.
Yet, piecing together these small fragments, an odd sense of déjà vu gnawed at him.
His eyes widened.
Since the victory banquet.
That day, a strange doubt began to stir.
At first, it was a splinter under his nail.
But it grew, now disrupting his daily life with tangible pain.
Rebecca wants to leave me.
His suspicion lacked solid evidence.
She stood by him, radiant as when their love began.
She couldn’t escape the meticulously crafted estate he’d built.
So why?
Why this growing unease?
Perhaps it was something she’d said in passing.
“Do I look happy to you?”
He thought he’d misheard, but the memory sharpened.
She’d said it.
But it made no sense.
She had no reason to be unhappy.
He’d prepared everything—this perfect estate, servants for her alone.
Above all, she had him, the perfect husband.
Countless women in the empire envied her.
Even Alicia’s eyes burned with jealousy for all Rebecca had.
Rebecca was the woman everyone coveted.
So why…?
Zeppelin rubbed his face. Then, as if resolved, his eyes gleamed in the dark.
No harm in preparing.
He hadn’t wanted to use it, but leaving her side for so long left him no choice.
He trusted his instincts, and they’d never failed him.
He pulled a black tasselled cord on the study wall.
It would ring a bell in Grace, the head maid’s room.
Soon, the study door opened silently.
Grace entered, clutching the hem of her black dress, reminiscent of mourning attire.
Zeppelin spoke.
“That thing we prepared before. I think it’s time.”
* * *
The clock struck eleven, its eerie chime echoing.
Zeppelin checked it and left the room.
Rebecca was waiting.
His steps lightened as he descended the stairs, then stopped at a sight.
“My lord…”
Alicia stood in her open doorway.
Dim candlelight barely lit the corridor, making the vivid glow from her room captivate him.
Unlike her room’s opulence, Alicia wore plain clothes, stroking her rounded belly.
With a deliberately seductive smile, she said,
“I missed you.”
Her smile was blatant, yet oddly innocent.
Unkempt lavender hair cascaded to her waist, curling.
It seemed to beckon, ready to ensnare his fingers and pull him into her embrace.
“Why are you awake at this hour?”
“I felt the baby move. It must know its father’s back.”
At “baby,” Zeppelin flinched. His feet were still aimed at Rebecca’s room.
Alicia tilted her ivory neck, rubbing her belly.
A deep, warm smile graced her lips.
It was the epitome of the maternal ideal he envisioned.
For the first time, Zeppelin thought Alicia beautiful.
