Chapter 4

Late at night, Alice led Hans away into the kitchen.

Rebecca, catching Alice’s subtle gesture, hurried up to the third floor.

Creak—

The sound of the door opening seemed deafening, like thunder. Holding her breath, Rebecca managed to slip inside the study.

“Haa…”

It was her first time entering this study, even in her previous life. She paused at the entrance, eyes sweeping across the room.

The study was perfectly symmetrical.

Books lined both sides of the room in equal numbers—Rebecca didn’t need to count them to know. It was exactly the kind of obsessive orderliness one would expect from Zeppelin.

On tiptoe, Rebecca crept toward the desk. She knew if even the carpet shifted by a fraction of an inch, Zeppelin would notice at once.

To her surprise, the desk drawer opened easily, without a lock—as if he didn’t care who read its contents.

Inside, the documents were arranged with flawless precision. Carefully, Rebecca lifted one out, mindful not to disturb the order.

Her eyes scanned through the names, organized alphabetically. And then she froze.

Her breath caught. Familiar names spilled chaotically into her mind.

With trembling hands, she pulled one folder closer.

〈Obelia〉

Rebecca Obelia.

It was her name before she became Rebecca Devonshire.

As she turned through more papers related to her family, her hand flew to cover her mouth, horrified. Her breathing grew ragged.

“My God…”

The documents laid out in painstaking detail how Zeppelin had financially isolated the Obelia family. The plan had begun years before he ever proposed to her.

Finally, the old mystery unraveled.

The Obelias weren’t a famous house, but their lands were fertile and their income steady. Never, in all generations, had they once struggled with money.

And yet, they had collapsed overnight. Such ruin could only have been caused by deliberate sabotage.

Rebecca’s grip on the papers tightened until they nearly tore.

Every method Zeppelin used to drive her once-prosperous family into bankruptcy within a few short years was written there in black and white.

“That bastard…”

Zeppelin had been cutting away everything around her, one piece at a time, to trap her in his cage.

Frantically, she grabbed other documents—ones with names she recognized all too well.

Friends from childhood.

Rebecca’s hands shook so violently she nearly dropped the papers.

〈I, Diana Judrian, under the condition that I will never meet Rebecca Devonshire again…〉

Zeppelin had found their weaknesses and coerced them into pledging to abandon her.

The memory of her friends’ sudden distance, the torment of self-loathing—it all came flooding back.

“They don’t answer you? I told you, didn’t I? You have this irritating side to you. You should blame your friends’ lack of patience, not yourself. But don’t worry. You still have me.”

His cruel words from the past echoed in her ears.

Rebecca staggered, clutching the edge of the desk for balance. Tears streamed endlessly down her cheeks.

She had known he was binding her. That was why she had fled from the count’s estate.

But she had never imagined innocent people around her had been made to suffer as well.

“Your father-in-law asked me for more money again. Something about your sister’s debutante. What, your family can’t even afford that? How long do they expect to rely on me? …But Rebecca, I’m not like other husbands. Since you obey me so well, I don’t mind helping a little.”

“Aaah!”

Now she understood. She could see it clearly—the anguish in her parents’ hearts when they had no choice but to accept his second marriage.

Papers scattered, flying in every direction. Rebecca didn’t care if she trampled them underfoot—she stood in place, weeping uncontrollably.

Her hatred for him swelled sky-high.

The door burst open.

Rebecca lifted her tear-streaked face.

Zeppelin stormed inside, breath ragged, eyes narrowing at the sight of papers strewn across the floor.

“What on earth are you doing, wife?”

“Zeppelin Devonshire! What have you done to me!”

Rebecca hurled a document at his face. Zeppelin merely tilted his head, letting it flutter past.

“Careful. What if paper cut my face?”

He picked one sheet up from the floor, glanced at it, and smiled faintly.

“Ah. This? It’s nothing.”

“Nothing? You destroyed my family and blackmailed my friends—and that’s nothing?”

“Rebecca, you should word things properly. Everything I did was for you. Those so-called friends of yours were never worthy. As for your family—saying I ruined them is rather unfair.”

“Don’t come near me!”

Ignoring her trembling warning, Zeppelin strode forward and wrapped his arms around her. The harder she resisted, the tighter his hold grew.

“You think I would mistreat the one I treasure most? I helped your father. You simply don’t understand money. I only lent him funds to invest.”

Rebecca stared up at him, speechless. His blue eyes glittered cruelly.

In her previous life, around this very time, she would have believed him.

But not now. Not after everything she had endured since fleeing the count’s estate. She had learned to see through such obvious lies.

She knew the truth: Zeppelin had planted con artists to lure her father into fraudulent schemes. When her father lost money, Zeppelin swooped in as a savior, offering loans with no conditions. Desperate, her father reinvested—always into Zeppelin’s traps.

The debts had snowballed into sums no household could bear.

Rebecca’s fists shook with rage.

Her father was not blameless, but the true culprit stood before her. Zeppelin had deliberately deceived him, and her trusting father had no chance.

Now she knew everything.

Her vision blurred with fury. She raised her hand, ready to strike his face.

But before she could, Zeppelin’s words froze her blood.

“I know you’re angry about the second wife. But you’d better behave. Otherwise, Alice… dies.”

His tongue was sharper than any blade.

At the threat, Rebecca’s shoulders sagged in despair.

Alice—her only ally. She could not let her die again, not because of her.

“Well? Answer me, my lovely wife.”

“…Fine.”

“Good girl. For today, I’ll be generous and forgive you.”

He brushed his lips against her forehead.

“Count, Lady Alicia has arrived,” a servant called from outside.

Zeppelin took Rebecca’s hand and led her out. She stumbled as she followed.

“Count, why were you running in such a rush—oh! Lady Rebecca?”

Alicia had just stepped into the manor. She stopped short at the sight of Rebecca standing beside Zeppelin on the third-floor landing.

A carriage was arriving at the front gates, laden with luggage.

Rebecca blinked. Confusion swept through her.

Why is she back already?

In her memory, Zeppelin and Alicia had gone on a week-long honeymoon. She remembered clearly—because Alicia had returned with seven extravagant gifts that had stripped Rebecca bare.

But now the future had changed.

Is it because I returned early from the wedding?

Her gaze dropped to Alice, caught by the servants below.

Alice forced a bright smile, perhaps to reassure her. That smile gave Rebecca the strength to steady her quivering legs.

She had to protect Alice. She couldn’t lose that gentle smile again.

Rebecca placed her hand on Zeppelin’s shoulder, forcing her lips into a trembling smile.

“I’m sorry for causing a scene. I was foolish… I didn’t understand your true heart.”

“Anyone can make mistakes. And don’t worry about Alice—I’ll only discipline her lightly. Still, she must be punished for failing her mistress, no?”

Zeppelin smirked and gestured to the servants.

Alice went quietly, without resistance.

Watching her retreating figure, Rebecca’s heart ached unbearably.

The next few days, Rebecca fell gravely ill.

Her fever raged, baffling everyone.

When she finally opened her eyes, the first person she saw was Alicia, sitting by her bedside.

“You’re awake!”

Alicia hurried to call the doctor.

When the physician assured her Rebecca would recover, Alicia sighed in relief.

“Thank goodness! I was so worried something might happen to you.”

Alicia, in her prime, was dazzlingly beautiful. Rebecca found herself staring in reluctant admiration—before snapping herself back to her senses.

Alicia was always like this.

She hid her ambitions behind warm smiles.

In truth, she always acted for her own gain. In Rebecca’s previous life, she had only helped her escape because she coveted the title of first wife.

Rebecca had known, dimly, about her selfish nature even then.

But she had never been able to hate her. Alicia’s warmth had always disarmed her, stripping away her defenses.

Even knowing she was embracing a doll made of thorns, Rebecca had clung to her—because pain was better than loneliness.

Again and again, she had fallen for Alicia’s schemes, not realizing they were schemes. She had lost maids, her jewels, her dresses, even her husband’s bed.

And every time, she had blamed herself.

Zeppelin had twisted that weakness, using it to control her.

Looking back, Alicia and Zeppelin had been the perfect partners in torment.

Why, in my past life, did I ever trust her with my hiding place?

Regret crawled over her skin.

Feeling that old habit of self-blame creeping in, Rebecca shut her eyes tight.

No. Don’t blame yourself.

She steadied her heart.

Her first vow upon returning had been never to blame herself again.

Everything—everything—was Zeppelin’s fault. That was how she would think of it.

Alicia studied her silently, then lowered her head. Her voice trembled.

“Lady Rebecca… you hate me, don’t you?”