Rebecca froze.
Kanna’s hand, brushing her hair, trembled.
“And there’s no fault of yours in this, Lady Rebecca. The count doesn’t know the details of last night. So he still…”
Kanna’s brushing stopped as Rebecca grabbed her hand.
Wounded blue eyes pierced Kanna.
“What are you doing? Did Zeppelin tell you to win my favor like this? It’s pointless. You saw what happened to Alice. Run while you still can, if you value your life.”
Kanna stared at Rebecca’s slender hand holding hers.
It was warm. Nothing had changed.
Kanna knelt before Rebecca and pulled a handkerchief from her pocket.
“This is more precious to me than my life.”
Rebecca took the handkerchief. A clumsily embroidered rose adorned it.
Recalling a memory, Rebecca’s eyes widened.
“You…?”
“Yes. I’m the girl you saved, the one who ran in front of your carriage.”
Kanna’s eyes reddened with tears.
…
It was a warm spring day.
But to young Kanna, it was a bitter season.
Her father, drowning in gambling debts, sold her to a brothel. It was a common occurrence in the back alleys, unnoticed by most.
Red wallpaper and scantily clad women filled her vision. The stench of strong perfume and alcohol made her dizzy.
“She’s too scrawny!”
“But her dead mother was pretty. Pay up.”
“Tch, this is all I’ll give!”
“Excuse me?”
While her father haggled with the madam, Kanna fled with all her strength.
She’d grown up stealing to survive starvation. Escape was her specialty.
Her father’s shouts echoed behind her.
She had no plan.
But if she could escape her only family, she felt she could do anything.
Her breath came in gasps, but she didn’t stop. She fell and rose again.
Emerging from the alley onto a main road, a massive carriage screeched to a halt.
“Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
The coachman bellowed.
It was a dizzying moment. The startled horse reared.
Fearing a whip, Kanna squeezed her eyes shut.
“Are you okay?”
But instead of a lash, a gentle voice reached her. It was sweet, soft, and tear-inducing.
Kanna peeked and saw Rebecca extending a hand.
Her golden hair shone like summer sunlight. Sapphire eyes gazed at her.
For a moment, Kanna thought an angel had descended.
“My name’s Rebecca. Oh my, you’re badly hurt.”
“Kanna! Where’s that wretch!”
Her father’s voice cut through the crowd. Kanna flinched reflexively.
Rebecca frowned slightly at the man.
Guessing the situation, she scooped Kanna into her arms.
Kanna, startled, flailed. Blood from her knees stained Rebecca’s dress.
“Milady, don’t! You’ll ruin your dress…”
“So light… Don’t worry. It’s just a dress. You’re far more precious.”
Just a dress?
Kanna instinctively knew the dress was worth more than what her father tried to sell her for.
Rebecca sat Kanna in the carriage and tapped the frame.
“To Liberta Sanctuary.”
The carriage moved smoothly.
It was hard to believe the same coachman who’d shouted was driving.
“Is that yelling, man someone you know?”
Kanna hesitated, then shook her head. She didn’t want to admit that vile man was her father.
Sensing her reluctance, Rebecca didn’t press further.
She pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and tied it around Kanna’s knee.
“I made this as a gift for someone… but it’ll do for now.”
Kanna, unsure what to say, stared at the rose embroidered on the handkerchief.
Rebecca wiped tears from Kanna’s face.
“We’re going to Liberta Sanctuary. It’s full of good people. I’ll make sure that shouting man can’t come near you.”
Rebecca stroked Kanna’s hair, saying it was alright, that she’d been through enough.
Kanna, feeling like she was dreaming, blinked her brown eyes. Mustering courage, she stammered,
“Will you be there too, milady?”
“I might visit sometimes. But I’m not free to go out as I please…”
Rebecca trailed off, lowering her gaze and clenching her fists.
Kanna, seeing her loneliness, instinctively touched her arm, then yanked her hand back in panic.
“S-Sorry! I touched you with my filthy hands!”
But Rebecca gently took Kanna’s hand and caressed it.
“Dirt washes off, doesn’t it?”
Kanna couldn’t look away from Rebecca’s warm smile.
The rustle of her deep green dress, the faint scent of perfume, the spring sunlight streaming through the carriage window, Rebecca’s shimmering golden hair.
And the warm touch she’d never known.
Even after entering Liberta Sanctuary, Kanna never forgot that moment. No, she couldn’t forget.
Learning her benefactor lived unhappily in the Devonshire estate made it unforgettable.
Life brought trials, but that single memory sustained her.
Some live their whole lives on one moment. Kanna was one of them.
…
Kanna was now sobbing uncontrollably.
“I’ve never, not once, forgotten you, Lady Rebecca. Even if you don’t remember me, it’s fine. If you can be happy, I’ll do anything.”
Rebecca, speechless, stared at Kanna’s tears.
Her first act as countess was founding the sanctuary.
There wasn’t a grand reason.
She gave alms during her outings, and soon people gathered, needing a place to stay.
Zeppelin gladly approved, pleased with the saintly reputation it brought her.
Thus, Liberta Sanctuary was born.
Most residents were vulnerable—children, women, the elderly.
Adult men who might tempt Rebecca were barred.
On good days, Zeppelin allowed her visits to the sanctuary.
It was the only place Rebecca felt attached to, though even that was later denied.
Zeppelin was stingy with funding. The sanctuary always needed money, so its people took any paying job.
Knowing this, Rebecca secretly sold jewelry to support them.
Liberta’s residents bonded tightly, operating like a family.
Cross one, and they’d all retaliate. If direct action wasn’t possible, a stone might find its mark later.
Individually weak, together they were strong—more than family.
Rebecca didn’t realize she was the heart of this bond.
Though their stories varied, most had been helped by her.
Kanna was one of them.
“It was a cold winter. My father sold me to a brothel for gambling debts. I was only ten. I escaped desperately and ran in front of your carriage.”
The memory returned.
Rebecca looked at the handkerchief.
It was shortly after her marriage. She’d made it for Zeppelin, her first gift.
Her embroidery was clumsy, but she poured her heart into it.
Zeppelin mocked it.
“Pathetic. You must not love me, Rebecca, to give me such trash.”
She should’ve fled the estate then.
But she didn’t. She loved him too much—or thought it was love.
That day, stifled, she headed to the sanctuary and met a frail girl.
The girl seemed ready to collapse, but her eyes were vivid. Rebecca put her in the carriage.
Seeing blood on her knee, Rebecca tied the handkerchief meant for Zeppelin around it.
“I won’t ask you to trust me now. But use me. If you want Zeppelin dead, I’ll kill him. If you want the mistress’s legs broken, I’ll do it. I want to be your ally.”
Kanna looked up with resolute eyes.
Rebecca’s heart pounded.
Was it coincidence that Alice left and Kanna arrived? Could she truly be an ally?
She wanted to grab Kanna’s hand and accept immediately.
She desperately wanted to trust, to feel warmth again.
But Alice’s venomous final expression lingered.
Rebecca bit her lip, lost in thought.
Then, she slowly stood and helped Kanna up.
“You’re Zeppelin’s person now.”
“I came under his orders to be by your side, but I’ll never be his. I’d rather die.”
“No. You need to be his.”
“What?”
“If you truly want to help me, gain his trust. Be my eyes, ears, and if needed, my feet. But first, prove you’re on my side.”
“Name it.”
Rebecca paced, her long hair spilling over her shoulders from the unfinished brushing.
Kanna watched, entranced.
Fingering her hair, Rebecca’s face lit up with an idea.
“Bring me Zeppelin’s hair. The messier it’s cut, the better.”
“His hair…?”
Zeppelin, who cherished his appearance, wouldn’t easily part with it, even to deceive Rebecca.
It was nearly impossible. She was testing if Kanna would back down, ready to dismiss her with some trinkets.
