If only she were truly lovable.
She was hateful. Rebecca was so furious that she wanted to strangle Alicia on the spot.
But she hid her feelings and sat up.
“How could I hate you, Alicia?”
“Look at you, speaking so formally again! You must hate me for stealing the count, don’t you?”
“Stealing? I never gave you anything to begin with. But seeing you come to apologize like this, it seems you know your actions were shameful.”
Rebecca spoke coldly.
Alicia hesitated for a moment but soon launched into a rapid-fire defense, as if she’d been waiting for the chance.
“Lady Rebecca, I swear to the heavens, I had no choice! A powerless maid can’t refuse the count.”
Alicia recalled the countless excuses she’d rehearsed while Rebecca was unconscious.
There were plenty of sob stories to sway the soft-hearted Rebecca.
“Lady Rebecca! I had no choice.”
The words Alicia had used to betray her in her past life flashed through Rebecca’s mind.
She clenched her fists tightly.
“Enough.”
“Lady Rebecca!”
“You were given other options. But you chose this. As you said yourself, you’re an adult, so take responsibility for your choices.”
When Rebecca learned of Alicia’s pregnancy, she urged her to escape.
She offered to find her a modest home and enough money to live comfortably for life.
But Alicia refused. That kind of ordinary life wasn’t what she wanted.
“I’m sorry, but I’m an adult too. Stop treating me like a child. I’ll decide what’s best for my child and my life.”
Recalling her own words, Alicia clamped her mouth shut. She studied Rebecca with a bewildered look.
This wasn’t the Rebecca she knew.
Normally, a mere flutter of Rebecca’s eyelashes would get her anything she wanted, even more easily than from Zeppelin.
“Something’s off.”
Alicia’s suspicious gaze swept over Rebecca.
Catching her intent, Rebecca quickly softened her expression.
“Let’s end this conversation here. There’s no point in us being hostile now that things have come to this. Our husband wouldn’t like it. We may not be as close as before, but I don’t intend to fight with you.”
At the mention of Zeppelin, Alicia reluctantly nodded.
She hated to admit it, but Zeppelin cherished Rebecca. Whenever Alicia spoke ill of her, it was she who got scolded instead.
But time would pass.
As Rebecca aged, Zeppelin would lose interest in her.
Alicia decided to bide her time for now.
Seeing Alicia lower her tail and watch her cautiously, Rebecca stifled a laugh.
In this light, Alicia was just a slightly cunning child. To think she’d been played by such a girl all this time.
With a gentle smile, Rebecca said,
“By the way, have you been nursing me this whole time?”
“What? Oh, well…”
“Thank you. Thanks to you, I’m up and about. As a token of gratitude, I’d like to give you a gift. Alice, could you fetch my jewelry box?”
At Rebecca’s words, Alice, limping slightly on her right leg, opened the wardrobe.
She brought out several elegant Jewlery boxes adorned with laurel leaf designs.
Alicia’s eyes sparkled at the mention of jewelry.
“Pick one.”
Rebecca slowly opened the boxes.
Zeppelin spared no expense when it came to adorning Rebecca’s body.
Though she had no cash at hand, Rebecca owned an abundance of expensive jewelry and dresses.
These were things the newlywed Alicia didn’t yet have.
Alicia was clever, but she often lost her reason in the face of greed.
Remembering this, Rebecca dangled a glittering, costly piece of jewelry before her eyes.
Alicia’s gaze, dreamily following Rebecca’s hand, stopped at a particular necklace.
“Good heavens, it’s gorgeous!”
The lavish necklace, studded with diamonds, ended in a large blue diamond.
Enchanted by its radiant blue glow, Alicia reached for it.
But before her fingers could touch it, Rebecca snapped the box shut.
With an awkward smile, she said,
“Oh dear, why is this here? I’m sorry, this is an heirloom from Zeppelin, so I can’t give it away. Why don’t you pick something else? These earrings are lovely too, aren’t they?”
“An heirloom?”
“Didn’t you know? The Devonshire family has many splendid treasures passed down through generations. The countess gets to have one. Zeppelin gave this to me on our wedding day, saying it matched my eyes.”
“Can I have one too?”
Seeing Alicia’s violet eyes gleam with greed, Rebecca covered her mouth to hide a sneer.
“Well, it’s only for the countess… I’m not sure if the second wife qualifies.”
At Rebecca’s words, Alicia’s face crumpled.
She wanted to insist she was a countess too, but she couldn’t dare say that in front of the first wife.
“Everyone’s gathered here, I see.”
Zeppelin walked in.
Alicia greeted him with a bright smile.
Ignoring her, he went straight to Rebecca and kissed her forehead.
Only then did he turn to Alicia and kiss the back of her hand.
Noticing the difference, Alicia’s face gradually hardened.
…
Zeppelin put on cotton gloves. He carefully held Rebecca’s face, examining it from every angle.
“They said you had a fever, but thankfully there’s no scarring. Your skin’s looking dull, though. I’ll have to tell them to focus on your skincare for a while if you’re to attend the victory banquet.”
“The victory banquet?”
Rebecca’s question made Zeppelin run a hand through his hair irritably, his face showing clear annoyance.
“The Duke of Johannes has returned, sounding the victory horn. Would’ve been better if he’d just died on the battlefield.”
Rebecca glanced at Zeppelin at his rough words.
Come to think of it, in her past life, Zeppelin hadn’t liked the Duke of Johannes either.
Alicia squealed excitedly.
“A banquet means a party, right? I’ve never been to one like this! I’ll need a dress! What kind would be best, my lord?”
Zeppelin stared at the chattering Alicia and snorted.
“What are you talking about? You don’t need to go to the banquet, Alicia.”
“What?”
“It’s a gathering hosted by the emperor. There’s no way you could attend, being of common birth.”
Alicia’s face flushed red, her eyes trembling as if she might cry.
Zeppelin gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Don’t make that face. Instead, I’ll give you some jewelry you like. Play with that and stay quietly at home.”
“Then give me an heirloom too.”
“An heirloom?”
Zeppelin glanced at the jewelry boxes spread out on the bed.
Rebecca, with an embarrassed expression, said to him,
“Oh, I told Alicia to pick something as thanks for nursing me. I accidentally showed her the heirloom…”
A long sigh followed.
Zeppelin pressed a hand to his forehead.
“Alicia, this is only for the countess—the first wife, Rebecca.”
“Why? I’m a countess too! We had a proper wedding!”
“That’s—!”
Zeppelin, about to raise his voice, glanced at Rebecca. Then he grabbed Alicia’s arm tightly and pulled her along.
“You need to rest to attend the banquet, Rebecca. Let’s step outside to talk.”
“That hurts! Let go!”
“Wait a moment!”
Rebecca called out to the two as they headed for the door.
“I have one question. Why did you come back so early from your honeymoon?”
Alicia shot Zeppelin a resentful look and said,
“Why else? Our esteemed count here sold the villa, filled with precious memories, to the duke for a few paintings.”
“Alicia! Watch your insolent tone!”
Zeppelin dragged her out. Through the closed door, Alicia’s voice, full of complaints, echoed.
Meanwhile, Rebecca sank into deep thought.
“The Duke of Johannes…”
…
“You’re absolutely stunning!”
Alice exclaimed, admiring Rebecca in front of the mirror.
The head maid, Grace, smiled with satisfaction as she fastened a necklace around Rebecca’s neck.
Zeppelin loved showing Rebecca off to others.
He paraded her around like a beautiful work of art.
But that was only when he was by her side.
He didn’t allow any man to approach her. Even when called possessive, Zeppelin didn’t care.
Rebecca was his treasure. Others could only admire her with their eyes.
Only he, Zeppelin, could touch her.
The beads on her blue dress sparkled.
Rebecca toyed with the large blue diamond at the end of her necklace.
Normally, she wouldn’t wear such a piece carelessly, but she put it on deliberately to provoke Alicia.
“I was quite beautiful, wasn’t I?”
Just days ago, she had been a middle-aged woman on the cusp of forty.
After escaping the estate, hardship had taken a toll on her face.
But now, the wrinkles and scars were gone, and her skin was as smooth and fair as a peeled egg in the mirror.
Her deep blue eyes, like the ocean itself, sparkled with life, and her once-tangled blonde hair gleamed softly.
Back then, Rebecca had been consumed by self-loathing, comparing herself to Alicia.
But now she saw that, while not on Alicia’s level, her appearance was far from something to be ashamed of.
“Is it always the case that the present self feels the most wretched?”
Rebecca chastised herself, regretting the years she’d let slip by.
As she lingered on her youthful reflection, a memory surfaced, and she paused.
That night, Zeppelin had been heavily drunk.
Normally, he never drank on nights designated for their marital duties, but for some reason, he was intoxicated.
After their obligatory intimacy, Zeppelin studied Rebecca closely and noticed a wrinkle by her eye.
He touched it gently, then said with a sneer,
“A flaw has appeared.”
He left the bed, slamming the door behind him without a goodnight.
After that, except for obligatory nights, he never sought her out again.
That moment had been a revelation of sorts.
On lonely nights, Rebecca reflected, piecing together the past.
She realized what she thought was love was merely the affection one might have for a decorative object—nothing more, nothing less.
Not long after, she learned she was pregnant with the child Zeppelin had so desperately wanted.
She could delay no longer. Before he discovered the child, Rebecca fled the prison-like estate.
