Zeppelin’s lips curled upward. In his mind, he was rewarding Rebecca for soothing his foul mood over his ruined hair.
The carrot and the stick.
It was a tactic he often used with her.
But his affection was no longer a reward—it was torture.
“Alright, Rebecca. You’ve done this countless times,” she told herself.
Yet her body trembled uncontrollably.
She barely registered eating dinner, praying for the moment to pass.
“You should eat more to keep your strength for tonight. No, wait—you might get fat. My mistake.”
Zeppelin’s seductive gaze made Rebecca clench her fists until her knuckles whitened throughout the meal.
…
After dinner, maids swarmed her.
They bathed her meticulously in perfumed water.
The warm bath felt like ice.
“How’s this? Perfect, isn’t it?”
Grace, having finished dressing her, showed Rebecca a full-length mirror.
A white silk dress hugged her flawless figure.
Pearl dust in her hair shimmered under the chandelier.
Looking herself over, Rebecca let out a bitter laugh.
“Filthy beautiful.”
“Pardon?”
“Nothing.”
She’d have to undress anyway. Zeppelin always demanded perfection, even in the bedroom.
The corset, squeezing her ribs, felt like his grip.
Breathing shallowly, she forced her reluctant steps forward.
…
Rebecca trudged toward the third-floor staircase, feeling dragged to hell.
“Heading to the count’s room?”
Alicia blocked her path.
She scanned Rebecca’s adorned figure from head to toe.
“You’re truly beautiful.”
Her jealous glare snapped Rebecca alert.
A spark of hope flickered.
Rebecca gave Alicia a genuine, radiant smile.
“Am I? Thank you.”
Alicia faltered at her graceful smile.
Since the victory banquet, Alicia had holed up, pondering how her life had come to this.
She realized Rebecca had played her.
Showing off the heirlooms was deliberate.
“I let my guard down over those jewels.”
Alicia decided to stop hiding her intentions and face Rebecca head-on.
The Rebecca who once cared for her was gone.
Snorting, Alicia retorted,
“But that beauty’s temporary, isn’t it? Have you forgotten I’m much younger? Time spares no one. The count’s attention will soon turn to me.”
Now?
Rebecca glanced at the bustling maids and servants below.
It might be a good moment.
She deliberately stepped up one more stair.
With a mocking smirk, she looked down at Alicia.
“Sure, take his attention. But you’ll never be the first wife. If I conceive tonight, your child will always be second, just like you.”
Alicia trembled with rage at the provocation.
Let’s see how long that smug smile lasts.
Sneering, Alicia stepped back.
“You’ll regret that!”
She grabbed Rebecca’s hand, pressed it to her chest, and screamed, throwing her head back.
“Kyaa! Lady Rebecca, how could you!”
A long staircase stretched behind her to the lobby.
All eyes turned upward. Alicia lifted her foot.
It was impeccable acting.
As Alicia fell backward, joy flashed across Rebecca’s face.
She lunged, grabbing Alicia’s hand and pulling her into her arms.
Expecting pain, Alicia had shut her eyes tight.
Now, nestled in Rebecca’s soft embrace, she opened them wide.
She stared at Rebecca in shock.
Rebecca’s head struck the stairs’ edge, her brow furrowing in pain.
Yet she smiled, cradling Alicia’s head like a treasure.
This wasn’t Alicia’s plan.
The two women tumbled down the stairs, locked in an embrace.
With a heavy thud, servants rushed over.
Alicia was unscathed in Rebecca’s arms.
“Agh!”
Pain surged. Rebecca screamed. Her arm, which held Alicia, wouldn’t move.
Blood from her head stained her white dress red.
“What happened?!”
Zeppelin, waiting in his room, burst out and saw Rebecca writhing.
His eyes widened, trembling with fury. Alicia didn’t register in his gaze.
“Rebecca!”
His frantic footsteps echoed as he raced down.
Rebecca, ignoring Alicia’s stunned silence, whispered in her ear,
“Protect that little secret in your belly. It’s your only asset.”
Alicia’s face paled as she stared at Rebecca.
Rebecca gave her a meaningful smile.
Zeppelin arrived, screaming like a madman at Rebecca’s bloodied face.
He glared murderously at the servants.
“If there’s a single scar on her face, you’re all dead!”
Rebecca’s faint voice cut through.
“Zeppelin, Alicia’s not at fault. Please forgive her…”
She closed her eyes, feigning a faint. It was easy.
Zeppelin shook her desperately.
“Rebecca! Rebecca! No! You can’t…!”
His screams bordered on wails. A world without Rebecca was unthinkable.
She was his dream, his hope, his masterpiece, crafted through his youth.
Kanna, face fraught, restrained him.
“She’s not dead. Get her to her room and call a doctor!”
“W-What…”
“Now!”
Kanna’s shout, her eyes red, jolted Zeppelin.
“Y-Yes. Get a doctor, now!”
He stared blankly as Kanna carried Rebecca to her room.
Wiping his face, he found tears.
He realized anew how vital Rebecca was to him.
“Count…”
Alicia, clutching her belly, called out instinctively.
Zeppelin’s burning glare pinned her.
“Alicia. You dare pull this, knowing your place?”
She’d never seen him this enraged.
Like a rabbit before a predator, she trembled.
“N-No, it was an accident…”
She tried to explain, but his hateful glare silenced her.
Zeppelin coldly eyed the blood on his hand, then signaled the maids.
“Take her.”
They grabbed Alicia’s arms.
He wiped the blood with a handkerchief.
“To the Hall of Light.”
The hounds, knowing that place, flinched but bowed without protest.
A hound’s job was to obey.
…
Danae Obelia rubbed her forehead, holding a tight budget.
At this rate, she couldn’t afford dresses for her daughters or even special desserts.
Thankfully, Theo’s investment mania had calmed recently.
“I wish I could earn money myself.”
But she couldn’t.
In the Rotanders Empire, women working was for commoners.
She didn’t care about her own reputation, but her twins, Livia and Helena, would face scorn.
And Rebecca, a countess, her mother working would be disgraced if her mother worked.
“Sigh.”
Her chest felt heavy.
Laughter from Theo and the girls in the garden filled the air. Theo was a kind father and husband.
That’s why she married him.
But a good father wasn’t a good provider.
His naivety and gullibility led to reckless investments.
Their once-wealthy family was sinking.
They barely scraped by.
Danae felt this wasn’t a mere chance.
“I’ll marry Rebecca.”
She recalled Zeppelin. He’d come for Rebecca like claiming a possession.
She disliked him from the start and initially refused his proposal.
The Devonshire counts and Obelia viscounts weren’t equals. Such a marriage spelled misery.
She thought Zeppelin was just another suitor smitten by Rebecca’s beauty.
She expected his interest to fade.
But he was persistent, visiting daily.
Around then, she learned of Theo’s failed investment.
It nearly bankrupted them.
Zeppelin arrived with a fortune, as if he’d known.
He even waived a dowry.
She couldn’t refuse. Even Rebecca liked him.
“It’ll be fine,” Danae told herself, convincing herself it was just nerves.
“I was mad. Danae, you’re unfit to be a mother.”
Since Rebecca became a countess, Danae lived in regret.
As she feared, Rebecca withered daily.
Her beauty grew, but what use was it, trapped in a prison where she couldn’t even visit her family?
“Madam! An urgent letter…!”
Her sole maid knocked. She might have to let her go soon.
Sighing, Danae took the letter.
The Devonshire crest sealed it.
Her heart pounded. A bad feeling crept in.
