Chapter 49
The Count's Secret Maid - Chapter 49
Translation: godsn
I stepped out of the mansion and headed to the spot where he had been standing just moments ago. As I swept the lantern light across the area, a strong gust of wind blew through. Dry leaves scattered across the ground, and the lantern creaked as it swayed, casting erratic beams of light in every direction.
Then something caught my eye. What looked like droplets of water had fallen on the ground—except it wasn't just one or two. They formed a trail, leading somewhere.
"What is this?"
Puzzled, I moved closer to inspect. It wasn't water. The color was dark. Not because of the shadows. I bent down and touched it, and the substance clung to my fingertips. When I held it up to the lantern light to see what it was, I froze in horror.
Blood. These were bloodstains.
My shocked gaze followed the trail of blood before me. It led around the corner toward the back of the annex. I swallowed hard and straightened up, trying to calm my trembling chest. This was ominous. Should I call for help?
Then I remembered Lucas, whom I had just parted ways with. He was nowhere in the mansion. Surely not. My thoughts spun in confusion before I steeled myself and took slow, deliberate steps forward.
I used the lantern to illuminate the path where the blood had fallen. The closer I got to the corner, the more bloodstains there were.
The wind whipped my hair tie against my face. After securing it tighter, I sharpened my focus toward the corner. Amid the howling wind, I heard an unfamiliar noise—something like voices.
Just as I thought that, I reached the corner. I swallowed dryly and took one quiet step forward, then turned my body to cast the lantern's light.
At that moment, a powerful gust of wind rushed at me, forcing my eyes shut. My clothes flapped wildly, and the lantern swayed violently, disorienting me.
I raised a hand to shield myself from the wind and barely managed to squint open my eyes. In the darkness, the lantern's flame flickered wildly, casting erratic light—on the ground, on the walls, on the figure standing before me, and on the collapsed figure beneath them.
Then a strong force struck the lantern.
"Ahh!"
I screamed instinctively. As I fell backward, the lantern in my hand shattered against the ground. Darkness swallowed my vision.
Frantic, I groped around for the lantern, but all my hands found were broken shards. Still, I clutched at them, unable to stop screaming. I shrieked with all my might, hoping someone would hear me and come.
Then, someone suddenly grabbed my ankle and yanked me flat onto my back. I kicked wildly, trying to shake off the grip. My screams turned ragged with sobs as I swung the broken shard blindly through the air.
"Ah! Ah! Get away!"
"Pau... la..."
"Ah! Aaah!"
"Let me go! Don't—! Stay back!" I thrashed my legs, fighting for my life. As I scrambled backward, a familiar voice reached my ears.
"Paula."
The strained voice snapped me back to my senses. I whipped my head around. Tears of terror rolled down my cheeks.
When I stopped screaming, the howling wind filled my ears again—but within it, I heard a faint call. Clear this time.
"Sir Lucas?"
"......"
As my eyes adjusted to the dark, I could make out a rounded shape. I called his name again, but there was no response—only ragged, labored breathing. Listening carefully, I slowly reached out and felt the hand gripping my ankle. Something wet soaked my fingers.
"Sir Lucas? Is it really you?"
"Pau... la..."
"Oh my God. Sir Lucas!"
I crawled on all fours toward him. Lucas had collapsed on the ground. Curled up in pain, he'd barely managed to stretch out his hand to grab me.
I tried to examine his face, but the darkness made it impossible to see clearly. With trembling hands, I frantically felt his face, then moved down his body. When my hand reached one particular spot, it came away drenched in something wet. I desperately tried to identify it, but the pitch-black surroundings offered no answers.
Attempting to lift him proved futile—his limp body was far too heavy. I managed to prop up only his upper body while cradling him, but my own weakened arms couldn't maintain balance, causing us to slip. In the end, I had to position him almost entirely slumped against me.
All the while, my hands kept growing wetter. When I groped toward where his hands clutched his abdomen, I realized with horror that something was pulsing out in thick, warm surges.
Slowly, I raised my dripping hand. Still, I couldn't see properly. Yet some primal instinct told me exactly what it was—the bloodstains on the floor, this endlessly seeping wetness. Blood. It was blood. The liquid soaking my hands was his blood. He was bleeding from his abdomen.
In panic, I pressed down on the wound. But the blood kept welling up relentlessly between my fingers.
"Wh-what is this? What in the world—"
"P-Paula... haah."
"Yes! Sir Lucas! It's me! I'm here! What on earth happened?"
"Haaah... haaah..."
His ragged breaths brushed against my ear. With his face pressed against my shoulder, each exhale sounded perilously shallow, as if it might be his last. His condition was terrifyingly dire.
Who could have done this? Who—
"Sir Lucas! Stay with me!"
I shook his shoulders. Lucas responded by slowly rolling his eyes toward me, but his gaze remained unfocused. The sight shattered me, and I burst into tears.
"Sob Stay awake! You can't fall asleep!"
"Why... haah... didn't you... haah... send..."
"Sobhic"
"I waited... for you..."
His words slurred into a whisper so faint it might vanish any second. I slapped his cheeks, screaming for him to stay conscious. The thought of him slipping away petrified me.
"Don't sleep! You mustn't sleep!"
"Every day... I waited... Instead of... my brother... you were supposed to... haah... send... gasp I waited... haah... ugh... I wa— gasp!"
He writhed with a pained groan. I tightened my grip as he struggled weakly in my arms. The rasping breaths at my ear grew harsher. The blood wouldn't stop flowing.
I desperately scanned our surroundings. My shouts for help echoed uselessly—this secluded area remained deserted as always.
Tears kept blurring my vision. I wiped them furiously while craning my neck for any passerby who might help.
"Don't sleep. Don't you dare sleep. Please. Stay awake."
"It was... so good... I really..."
"Sir Lucas! Don't close your eyes!"
His murmuring voice faded into nothingness. I kept slapping his cheeks to keep him conscious. The skin beneath my palms felt cold. Unnaturally cold for a living person. That terrified me more than anything.
We had to get him treated immediately.
There was no time to waste.
Looping his arm over my shoulders, I mustered every ounce of strength to haul him upright. But dragging his limp weight proved impossible—he couldn't take a single step before collapsing again.
I hoisted him onto my back and staggered forward. His dead weight still crushed me. Within steps, we tumbled down. A sharp pain shot through me, but I scrambled up and tried again. This time, we barely moved before falling once more.
Agitation clawed at my chest. My heart pounded with frantic urgency. The only thought consuming me was reaching help. After several failed attempts to carry him, I abandoned the effort. Instead, I wrapped my arms around his torso from behind and dragged him. His body scraped limply across the ground.
"You can't die. You can't die. Please. No."
With all my strength, I dragged him forward as I took each step. Sweat dripped down my tear-streaked face. Still, I refused to give up. Muttering like a madwoman, I took one step, then another. But he was far too heavy, and I was far too weak to drag a grown man like this. I resented my own helplessness.
Please, hurry!
"I have to go faster. You can't die. You can't fall asleep. Have to go. Have to."
"...... ra."
"Have to go. Faster. Faster."
"ra......."
His trembling hand suddenly closed around mine. Feeling that touch, I froze mid-step.
We had emerged from the darkness into the moonlight, and behind us, a trail of his blood marked the path I'd dragged him along.
I immediately checked his condition. His face was deathly pale—so pale he might as well have been a corpse. With shaking fingers, I pressed them beneath his nose. Faint, but there was still breath.
A sob threatened to burst out, and I clamped both hands over my mouth. They were drenched in blood. So much of it—enough that he really might die.
"Lord Lucas. Lord Lucas."
I called to him through my tears, begging him not to fall asleep. I wanted him to call my name like he always did. But instead of speaking, his lips moved weakly, as if trying to form words. Realizing this, I carefully laid him down and pressed my ear close to his mouth.
Between ragged, labored breaths, broken words spilled out.
"Run... run... go. Hurry. Run... brother. Po... Paula."
"Lord Lucas. I'm right here."
I clasped his slightly raised hand. His fingers fumbled weakly before closing around mine. His unfocused eyes fluttered, struggling to fix on me. When our gazes finally met, he blinked once. At that small response, I choked out a sob of relief.
Then—
A presence.
The sound of footsteps. The moment I heard it, my face went rigid. With great effort, I turned my head toward the noise. Something glinted in the darkness, swaying closer, growing clearer.
Lucas squeezed my hand. My eyes snapped back to him.
"Go. Run... hurry. Go."
"......."
Though he pleaded, my body wouldn't move. My legs were leaden. My entire body had locked up, fingers frozen in place. Terror pinned me down. I'm scared. So scared. Someone, please save me.
Then Lucas suddenly twisted in pain. A groan tore from him. He looked agonized, yet with one hand braced against the ground and the other clutching his stomach, he forced himself up with a shuddering effort.
His trembling fingers tightened around mine. My dazed eyes met his wavering brown ones—desperation pouring from them.
A thin trail of tears slipped from the corner of his eye.
"Go."
"......."
"Now, go. Go. G—"
The hand gripping mine suddenly shoved me away.
"RUN!"
The moment I saw his face contort in anguish, my body moved on instinct. I forced strength into my heavy legs, whirling around. With the sound of approaching footsteps behind me, I did exactly as he wished—pouring everything I had into running forward, eyes fixed ahead.
'I'll never forget this moment. Not for as long as I live.'
As the encroaching darkness swallowed me again, I remembered Lucas standing at the mansion's entrance, watching me. His eyes, always warm and curved with kindness. The way the corners of his lips lifted, a smile meant to reassure. He had always smiled at me like that.
Had he smiled like that when I last saw him? Was he smiling even now, watching me disappear into the distance?
Tears streamed down my face.
The entire time I ran, I prayed with everything in me—that Lucas wouldn't fall asleep.