“Would you let the baby hear its father’s voice?”
Alicia lifted her face.
Her violet eyes sparkled like amethysts.
“I’m carrying your child. I’ll give you the best. So give me your best in return.”
Zeppelin’s embrace of Alicia had been impulsive.
He met her in a remote rural village, visiting to confirm rumors of a painter residing there.
As he stepped from his ostentatious carriage, mismatched with the village, Alicia, drawing water from a well, dropped her bucket.
She stared at him unabashedly.
Her gaze held no shame or shyness, only a burning desire that seemed to consume him, no different from other women.
Without hesitation, she approached boldly, radiating ambition to claim him.
Zeppelin found her audacity refreshing but fleeting, not enough to hold his interest.
Her beauty was too fine for such a village, yet not enough to captivate him.
Besides, he was itching to finish his task and return to Rebecca.
A country girl couldn’t hold his attention.
But Alicia was persistent.
During his short stay, she visited his lodgings daily.
At the village festival, she even danced with him.
Amid the tedious search for the painter, she brought him small moments of amusement.
Better than nothing, so he kept her close briefly.
But that was it.
He didn’t bring her to the estate or make any promises.
To Zeppelin, Alicia was mere fleeting entertainment.
So when Rebecca brought her to the estate, his shock was natural.
At first, he laughed it off; then, curiosity stirred.
“Don’t you find me beautiful?”
Yes, just curiosity.
What would it be like to give the heart he’d reserved for Rebecca to another?
So he embraced Alicia, and she bore the child he’d longed for.
Each time he saw her swelling belly, he wished it were Rebecca’s.
It made Alicia repulsive to him.
It felt as if she’d stolen the child meant for him and Rebecca.
But in this moment, Alicia looked pleasing.
He even thought he might love the child she carried.
Zeppelin pictured Rebecca, adorned and waiting as he’d ordered.
Hours ago, he’d burned to hold her, but now that urge had strangely calmed.
His desire shifted to Alicia, standing there like a saint with his bloodline in her womb.
Was it because Rebecca had refused his kiss earlier?
Or the persistent unease pricking at him?
Perhaps he wanted to confirm she’d wait for him.
Maybe he wanted to see her cry through the night, regretting her refusal.
Or to ensure she’d never leave him.
Ironic.
She was his, yet entertaining such thoughts felt contradictory.
Still, his steps turned toward Alicia.
Seeing him approach, Alicia couldn’t hide her overwhelming joy.
Did it actually work?
Rebecca had visited, claiming concern for Alicia’s burn injury.
Alicia braced for another verbal jab.
But Rebecca’s words, after studying her, were unexpected.
“You want what’s mine, don’t you? Then seize it boldly. I welcome a worthy rival.”
“What?”
“Hmm, you overdo the glamour. It suits you, but sometimes less is more. Men always chase novelty.”
“…”
“And use what you have that I don’t. What could that be?”
Alicia thought it nonsense, suspecting a scheme, and tried to dismiss it.
But Rebecca’s advice lingered.
Learning Zeppelin would visit Rebecca’s room tonight, so Alicia decided to test it.
And he actually chose her over Rebecca.
Elated but uneasy, she wondered why Rebecca would share such a tactic.
“What are you doing, Alicia? Not going in?”
Her doubts vanished as Zeppelin called her name, his voice unusually soft.
It felt dreamlike, and her eyes grew hazy.
Even as the second wife, this radiant man was her husband.
Despite the years, he was unchanged from that day at the well.
He was the prince from her childhood dreams, rescuing her from the gutters.
Beast or not, it didn’t matter.
A prince was a prince. A woman married to one became a noble queen.
That’s what Alicia craved.
Not a country girl, but an untouchable, exalted countess.
Dreaming of that day, she smiled seductively and drew Zeppelin into her chamber.
That night, both of the count’s wives got what they wanted.
“As you said, the count entered Alicia’s room.”
“Good. It worked out.”
Rebecca heard Alicia’s ecstatic moans echoing through the estate.
Using the sound as music, she began shedding the constricting layers of clothing.
She wiped away the heavy makeup cloaking her face.
With the red lipstick gone, she burst into laughter.
“Pfft!”
How could it be so easy?
How could people be so foolish?
Unable to hold back, she laughed harder, clutching her stomach.
She wouldn’t see him for a month.
By the time he returned, the world he knew would begin to crumble.
* * *
At dawn, the estate’s servants bustled, loading two large wagons with a month’s worth of luggage.
Alicia, eyes still heavy with sleep, came to see Zeppelin off.
Rebecca descended the stairs slowly, impeccably adorned as always.
Zeppelin smiled at her.
Her eyes were swollen, barely concealed by makeup.
He’d heard she’d roused the maids at dawn for ice.
Kanna had hinted to him that morning.
“She cried all night, calling for you.”
Of course. His sharp instincts were rarely wrong.
Still, he had no intention of abandoning his plan.
“Come back safely.”
Alicia, eyes brimming with tears, clutched his hand and looked up at him.
Rebecca, brow slightly furrowed, offered a farewell.
Zeppelin, alternating between his two wives, nodded to Grace.
“Oh, I have something for my ladies before I go…”
Clank—
At his signal, Grace fastened something onto Rebecca and Alicia’s wrists.
Alicia, recognizing it, raised her head in shock.
“M-My lord, this is…”
Handcuffs.
Iron cuffs wrapped in soft black velvet, adorned with elegant silver embroidery.
Linked by a long silver chain, they allowed more freedom than typical handcuffs.
But their purpose—restraint—remained.
Zeppelin smirked crookedly.
“I’m just worried something might happen.”
“Are you saying we’d run away?”
Alicia glared fiercely.
Rebecca merely stared at Zeppelin, silent.
Unlike Alicia, she showed no strong reaction or distress.
Her eyes, raised sharply, hid molten fury deep within.
Her calm demeanor seemed to irk Zeppelin, who grabbed her hand.
The chain rattled loudly.
“Why so quiet, my lady? As if I caught you plotting to escape?”
What a disgustingly keen bastard.
Rebecca gave a mocking smile.
“Escape? Where would I go, leaving this place? The cuffs are so lovely, I was just entranced. If I think of them as slightly inconvenient bracelets, there’s no reason to refuse your gift.”
Alicia stomped, protesting.
“Lady Rebecca! This is absurd! How are we supposed to live in handcuffs for over a month? How do we eat or bathe?”
“Alicia, the maids will handle everything. What’s to worry about? We just sit in this estate, doing nothing, as always. What a tearful luxury, isn’t it, Zeppelin?”
With an ambiguous smile—sarcastic or sincere—Rebecca looked at him.
Before he could gauge her intent, Alicia interjected.
“My lord, I can endure whatever you do to me, but this is too much. I’m your wife, not a criminal!”
“Tch, your whining’s giving me a headache. Has your training worn off already, Alicia? Need another reminder of your place?”
His icy gaze, so unlike the tenderness of last night, pierced Alicia.
Memories flooding back, she fell silent.
Her shoulders trembled violently.
Rebecca quietly watched Alicia’s shaking form.
Zeppelin snapped irritably.
“As Rebecca said, the maids will do everything. All you ladies need to do is obey me!”
