Chapter 100
The Count's Secret Maid - Chapter 100
Translation: godsn
Once again, Ethan lazed around until lunchtime today. Since he'd skipped breakfast, I had to coax and persuade him to eat lunch. After finishing his meal, he burrowed back into bed, but I didn't scold him today. Normally, Ethan was the type to charge headfirst into any situation, but seeing him so dejected made it clear this wasn't a simple matter.
Yesterday's conversation with Vincent had ended inconclusively.
Before leaving, he'd left me with one request: 'Don't tell Ethan.' I didn't need him to specify what not to say—it was obvious. He didn't want me mentioning that he'd been worried. Honestly, these two were so incapable of honesty. All I wanted was for their relationship to mend smoothly.
With Ethan holed up in his room, the day passed leisurely. So I went to visit Robert in between. But Robert was taking another nap, and only Nanny greeted me.
"Welcome, Ann. How is Count Christopher?"
"He's taking a nap."
"Well then, since we're both free, shall we have some snacks?"
Nanny lifted a plate of cookies. I nodded readily.
Sitting across the table, we nibbled on cookies and chatted about this and that. Though the topics were trivial, it was quite enjoyable.
In the middle of our lively conversation, yesterday's events suddenly came to mind.
"Nanny, have you ever fought with someone close to you?"
Nanny's eyes widened as she set down her teacup. Then she seemed to ponder for a moment, her gaze drifting into empty space.
"Hmm, it was a very long time ago, but I did have a big fight with a close friend."
"How did you make up?"
"Well... I don't think we really'made up, 'per se."
"You never reconciled?"
Had they simply grown apart? As I tilted my head in confusion, Nanny gave a small smile.
"We just... went on with our lives, and eventually, we were fine again. When you've been together long enough, some things resolve themselves without needing to be said."
Nanny looked slightly embarrassed as she sipped her tea again. So some things could mend without deliberate effort. Nodding, I mulled over this unexpected perspective on relationships.
After parting with Nanny, I wandered the hallway and ran into Johnny for the first time in a while. Johnny was one of the few remaining servants in the mansion. Surprisingly, he seemed to be handling his work decently?
Johnny was carrying a silver tray. On it were a tiered plate of cake and cookies along with a teapot. It was easy to guess where he was headed.
"Where are you off to?"
Johnny asked.
"Nowhere special. You're delivering that, I take it?"
"Yeah."
As he answered, Johnny resumed walking. I watched him for a moment before casually following.
"Hey, have you ever fought with someone close and then made up?"
"What kind of question is that all of a sudden? Who would I fight with?"
"Just, you know... a close friend or something."
"I don't have anything like that."
Johnny's shameless admission of having no friends was baffling. Seriously, what a guy. Then I fell silent, realizing I didn't have anyone I could call a friend either.
"Nothing even close?"
"Hmm. I did fight with a coworker once."
"How did you patch things up?"
"We didn't?"
I was starting to understand why he had no friends. Sympathetically, I rose onto my tiptoes and patted Johnny's shoulder. He jerked his shoulder sharply to shake off my hand.
"And you? Ever fought with a close friend and made up?"
"......"
"Pot calling the kettle black here."
Well, that was a bit much. Muttering gloomily, I suddenly realized Johnny seemed in a bad mood.
"Something happen?"
"...... No."
His voice sounded like something was wrong no matter who heard it.
No, it didn't. Just as I was about to ask what was going on, Johnny changed the subject.
"Come to think of it, aren't you close with that guy?"
"Who?"
"That Count Christopher guy. I heard he's really tight with the master here. Rumor has it he personally picked you to serve him. Is that true?"
So the rumors had spread after all. Lately, I'd been feeling the other servants' eyes on me whenever I walked down the corridors. The looks like they were seeing something strange were already familiar to me, and since no one bothered me directly, I hadn't paid much attention—but it was definitely the kind of situation that could be misunderstood. Alicia had been pestering me every night about what exactly our relationship was, and I'd been barely managing to ignore her.
I sighed and shook my head.
"It's true, but don't misunderstand. We just have a bit of a connection, that's all."
"Whoa, really? How'd you get connected?"
"Just... circumstances."
"Did you work in a mansion like this before?"
I abruptly stopped walking.
"Why do you ask?"
"For people like you and me, what other way is there to get connected with nobles?"
Well, that was a fair point.
"And you seem pretty familiar with this kind of work too."
"You seem familiar with it yourself."
"Well, I've done all sorts of jobs."
"So... you've done this kind of work before?"
"Well......"
His casual reply was closer to a yes. That was a bit surprising. Then again, since he could read and write, it wasn't like he'd only done manual labor.
"That's unexpected. You probably did pretty well at it too. But why'd you do that kind of work?"
"It didn't end well...... Ah, forget it! No point ruining the mood."
Johnny shook his head vigorously. The conversation ended abruptly. It only made me more curious.
As we talked and walked, we soon arrived in front of Joelli's door. Johnny knocked twice and immediately pushed it open. I turned to leave and attend to my own tasks when Joelli's lively voice burst through the gap in the door. Without thinking, I glanced that way—and froze.
Johnny stepped inside, and the door slowly closed. Through the narrowing gap, I saw Joelli, Alicia, and Vincent. Maybe Vincent had come to see Joelli. But what made my footsteps stop dead was the sight of Alicia and Vincent.
Alicia stood before Vincent with a shy expression. And Vincent, holding the ends of Alicia's hair, was examining her with an indifferent face. Joelli watched the two of them with a mischievous look. For some reason, the sight of the three of them looking so affectionate left me unable to move.
Only when the door shut with a thud did I realize I'd been standing there without even breathing. Even after finally exhaling slowly, I couldn't move from the doorway. I stood there blankly, retracing in my mind what I'd just seen.
How long had I been standing like that? The door opened again, and Johnny stepped out. I lifted my head and stared at him, still dazed. Johnny gave me a puzzled look, then immediately frowned.
"What's wrong with you?"
"......"
"Did someone steal something from you?"
The door behind Johnny closed with a thud. I glanced at it and snapped out of it.
"What are you suddenly talking about?"
"I dunno, you look like you just had something taken from you."
Me...? Puzzled, I rubbed my cheek for no reason. Johnny tilted his head.
"Something upset you?"
"Huh? No."
"Doesn't look like it. Your face says otherwise."
"I said it's nothing."
I waved him off and turned to leave, but Johnny blocked my way. I glared at him, asking what his problem was, when he suddenly started rummaging in his pocket. He pulled out two cookies wrapped in cloth. They were the same cookies from the tray earlier. When had he snuck those away?
Johnny held one out to me.
"Here, eat this."
"I'm good."
"Hey, no need to be shy. I'm giving it to you with a big heart."
"I said I'm good."
"You don't like sweets?"
"It's not that."
"Then eat it. Here."
Johnny shoved the cookie right into my mouth. Caught off guard, I took a bite and glared at him. When I made a move to spit it out, he insisted it was ridiculously expensive, so I chewed reluctantly.
"Good, right?"
"Yeah, I guess."
"Did someone steal something from you? Is that why you fought? Trying to make up?"
"It's nothing like that."
I had no idea what strange misunderstanding he'd conjured, but I shook my head firmly. Johnny seemed to mull it over before speaking again.
"I don't have any work left, so I'm gonna go clear my head. Wanna come?"
It was a sudden offer.
Turned out, his idea of "clearing his head" was just touring the mansion. I wondered what fun there could be in seeing the same place every day, but surprisingly, it felt oddly refreshing.
Come to think of it, I'd never properly explored the mansion before. It was far bigger than I'd realized, with plenty of unfamiliar corners I'd never set foot in.
Right now, it was the servants' break time, so the mansion was quiet. A relief—no one crossed our path. Still, I kept an ear out just in case, avoiding areas that felt off-limits. It almost felt like an adventure.
My mood lightened a little. Johnny scurried around energetically, leading me here and there.
"You seem to know this place well."
"Well, Alicia—"
Johnny's expression darkened abruptly. He fidgeted, clasping his hands together, shoulders slumping. Suddenly, he looked miserable.
I tilted my head, studying his face. What happened?
"Why? What's wrong?"
"Alicia's gone cold on me."
Since when was Alicia ever warm to him? After Vincent appeared, I'd never seen her treat Johnny kindly.
And with Ethan's incident extending the probationary period, Alicia had only grown colder. Sometimes, when Johnny tried to act familiar, she wouldn't even acknowledge him—as if to say he wasn't even worthy of her attention.
"She... said she hates me. That I annoy her."
"What? Did Alicia say that to your face?"
"Yeah. Last time we ran into each other, she told me straight up—she can't stand me, and to stop pretending we're close."
His voice dragged along the floor like a wounded animal. I hadn't realized things had gotten this bad. Watching his heartbroken expression, I shook my head inwardly. He looked like he'd burst into tears at the slightest touch—I couldn't even think of how to comfort him.
"She said we'll never live in the same world. What does that even mean...?"
"Uh... beats me."
I played dumb, but I knew exactly what she meant. Normally, I'd have clicked my tongue in pity, but right now, I wasn't in the mood. The image of Alicia and Vincent from earlier kept resurfacing.
It was strange. Or was this normal? Could the relationship between employer and servant really be that affectionate? Vincent's fingers tangled in Alicia's hair—that image kept replaying in my head. A casual gesture, but to me, it was the strangest thing I'd ever seen.
When had they gotten so close? I'd never even considered the possibility before.
"Does the master of this place visit Joelli often?"
The question tumbled out, cutting through my spinning thoughts. Johnny answered dismissively.
"Pretty often. Sometimes it's just light chatter, but other times, they have these deep conversations—when that happens, all the servants are sent out, so no one really knows what they talk about."
"And... he seems close with Alicia too."
"You think? I've seen the three of them together a lot. Just earlier, actually..."
Johnny trailed off, sinking back into gloom.
"Does she really hate me that much?"
He must've noticed Alicia's feelings toward Vincent too. I clicked my tongue.