A cool touch brushed Rebecca’s cheek. Barely awakening from a turbulent sleep, Rebecca suddenly felt that the hand stroking her face was familiar. With a sense of dread, she couldn’t bring herself to open her eyes.
“Rebecca.” When the owner of the hand spoke, Rebecca plunged into deep despair. She’d been found. In the end, she was back in his clutches. “I know you’re awake. Why don’t you get up now?” Rebecca opened her eyes. As if unwilling to accept reality, her eyelids trembled faintly.
Blue eyes like distant waves crashing faintly. Golden hair neatly arranged without a single stray strand. Her husband and her master, the reincarnation of a demon from hell, stood before her. “Zeppelin…” Perhaps the fever hadn’t fully subsided, as her whole body screamed in protest.
Rebecca somehow managed to sit up. Looking around the room, she realized the baby’s cradle was empty. “My child… Zeppelin, where is my child?” “What a warm greeting for a husband you haven’t seen in so long. You’re so naive. Did you really think I couldn’t find you?” “Zeppelin, please… Give me back my child.” “Don’t look at me like that. As if I’d harm my own blood?” Zeppelin smiled coldly.
He wasn’t the type to harm the child. On the contrary, he’d treasure it like the rarest gem in the world. But Rebecca wished he had killed the child instead. If it had passed into eternal sleep, it could at least find peace at God’s side. Yes, it was better to die than to grow up as the child of Count Zeppelin Devonshire.”You’ve tormented me enough with this. Zeppelin, please let me go. I’ll live as if dead with the child.I’ll even abandon the Devonshire name.” Rebecca desperately clutched at the hem of his clothes.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Zeppelin slapped her hand away. “That won’t do. You’re my greatest masterpiece. Who are you to remove the artisan’s name on your own? Besides, the child you bore—it’s a daughter, isn’t it? The golden-haired, blue-eyed girl I’ve longed for, resembling us both! A girl who will grow up utterly lovely.” Zeppelin’s eyes gleamed with greed.
Rebecca knew him well. When he had that look in his eyes, he was extremely dangerous. He was a man who would seize everything he desired, no matter what. That couldn’t happen. She couldn’t let her child live like she had. “Psyche! Psyche!” Rebecca shoved Zeppelin aside and flung open the door. Then, she began frantically calling her child’s name, searching for her madly. The house was small with only a few rooms, but for her staggering body, it felt as vast as a palace. Rebecca crawled desperately, searching for the child with all her might.
Just then, the sound of someone ascending the stairs reached her. It was the crisp sound of shoes. “Re-Rebecca, ma’am?” “Alicia…?” Alicia, dressed in lavish finery, stared at Rebecca with a face drained of color. She was patting Psyche, who was sound asleep in her arms. Alicia glanced back and forth between Rebecca and the child, at a loss for what to do. Rebecca stared blankly at her daughter, clad not in the clothes she had made by hand, but in a resplendent dress.
Fire sparked in her eyes. With murderous intent, Rebecca glared and slowly approached Alicia. Instinctively sensing fear, Alicia hesitated and stepped back. “It was you. Of course, you betrayed me. Alicia! I trusted you! I gave you everything! I asked you to protect just one thing, just one—and how could you do this!”
“Rebecca, ma’am, I had no choice!”
“Shut up! Give me my child! Who are you holding with those filthy hands!” Rebecca reached out for the child.
She could see the baby’s tiny fingers wiggling. But before she could even catch the scent of the baby’s powder, Zeppelin grabbed her by the nape of her neck.
“Where do you think you’re going?” “Aaah! You bastard, let go! Let me go!” Zeppelin dragged her as she was and hurled her back into the room.
“It seems the madam has truly lost her mind.” He shook his hands vigorously, his face twisted in disgust as if he’d touched something filthy. Rebecca tried to get up and charge at him, but excruciating pain prevented her from rising.
It seemed like her ankle had broken when he threw her. Zeppelin scanned Rebecca’s wretched appearance from head to toe. “Ah, how unfortunate. You once shone so brilliantly. Humans are so powerless against time. But fortunately, Octavio has found a replacement for you. And now that I have a daughter, the kingdom will soon be complete.” Zeppelin smirked slyly and glanced at his wristwatch.
“Anyway, I must be going. It wouldn’t do to be late for the duke’s funeral.”
“Where do you think you’re going! Go to hell, Zeppelin Devonshire!” As he turned to leave, Rebecca grabbed his foot and bit down hard. He was a man who hated scratches on his body more than death itself. Soon, fierce kicks rained down.
Rebecca gritted her teeth and endured until she finally saw red blood spurting from his ankle, only then releasing her grip. Zeppelin’s red blood stained his pants. Rebecca had always thought cold blue blood flowed through his veins. Amusingly, it seemed he was a human with warm blood, just like her. Rebecca spat out the piece of flesh she’d bitten off onto the floor with a “ptui.” He roared.
“I was going to spare your life for old times’ sake. Rebecca, this is all your doing! It’s all your fault!” He kicked Rebecca one more time and strode to the door. Rebecca crawled tenaciously after him. But the door slammed shut right in front of her eyes. Rebecca pounded fiercely on the unyielding door.
“Open it! Open it right now! Zeppelin! Zeppelin!” After a brief silence, Zeppelin’s low voice came through. “Rebecca, you were the finest doll. But now, it seems it’s time to dispose of you. I’ve gotten everything I wanted from you.” Rebecca’s consciousness gradually faded. She heard the child’s cries. Acrid smoke seeped through the cracks in the door.
Someone shouted about fire. The scorching flames slowly engulfed Rebecca’s body. The agony of burning alive was nothing compared to the pain in her heart. She felt death approaching. Rebecca mustered her last strength and pleaded with the oncoming reaper.
“If I could go back… If only I could go back just once…” Rebecca lost consciousness and closed her eyes. Soon after, a white light burst from Rebecca’s heart and began to envelop her.
…
“Madam! Wake up!” At the cheerful voice, Rebecca’s eyelids twitched. It felt like she’d been dreaming for a very long time.
A vividly horrific nightmare. Someone opened the window. A cool sea breeze blew in. The air, tinged with a slight saltiness, tickled Rebecca’s nose. Slowly opening her eyes, Rebecca stared blankly at the blue ceiling. Strangely, her body felt light.
“The weather is disgustingly clear. I wish it would rain instead.” Alice said as she placed the washbasin on the table.
Rebecca, who had been gazing intently at the freckles scattered across the bridge of Alice’s nose, suddenly bolted upright in bed. “Alice?”
“Oh, you startled me. What’s wrong, madam? Did you have a bad dream?”
“Why are you here? More than that, how are you…” “Huh? Of course I’m here to attend to you, madam. Hurry and get up. There’s a lot to do.” Alice dampened a clean towel with water and gently wiped Rebecca’s face. Rebecca stared at Alice with eyes wide in horror, as if seeing something impossible.
‘You died!’ Alice was the maid Rebecca trusted most. Unlike the other maids, Alice had stayed by her side for a long time, but she had died at the hands of Rebecca’s husband, Zeppelin, long ago. ‘Am I dead? Then is this heaven…? Or maybe hell.’ As Rebecca sat there in dazed shock, Alice sighed and pulled her hand.
“I know you’re very troubled, madam, but what can we do? If you just endure today, it’ll be fine.”
“…” Sigh.
Who would want to go to their own husband’s wedding, after all? The count is too much.” “A wedding? Is Zeppelin getting married again?”
“You’re really acting strange today. Yes, today is the wedding day. The day the count marries that damned Alicia!” Rebecca’s eyes widened enormously. In that moment, countless memories flashed by like a lantern show. Rebecca rushed haphazardly to the wide-open window. Far below the steep cliff, the blue sea surged. In the picturesque garden overlooking the vast sea, wedding preparations were in full swing. Rebecca listened blankly to the cries of seagulls and watched the servants bustling below.
“That decoration would be better over there. Oh, that’s a color the count dislikes. Throw it away.”
“Yes, Robert, sir.” Robert, who had been directing the servants this way and that, suddenly felt a gaze and looked up. When his eyes met Rebecca’s, he quickly turned his head away. Robert? Rebecca mulled over the quite familiar name and then jerked her head up. ‘Robert!’ He too was one of the many employees who had died at Zeppelin’s hands.
It was disguised as an accident, but Rebecca knew for certain that Zeppelin had killed Robert. He had been unjustly killed under the absurd accusation of harboring feelings for Rebecca.
“Oh my God…” Her legs gave out.
Rebecca slid down from the window and collapsed onto the floor.
She had returned. And on the day of her husband’s wedding, no less.
