Chapter 55
The Count's Secret Maid - Chapter 55
Translation: godsn
Screeeech—!
A noise so piercing it felt like it would tear through my eardrums made me scream and stumble backward.
For a moment, I blacked out. When I came to, my heart was pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears. As I gathered my wits and tried to stand, my entire body ached with a dull, throbbing pain.
The round blob of light still flickered before my eyes. I shielded them with my hand and squinted—just as I heard voices.
Then, someone emerged through the light and approached me. When I got a closer look at the figure, my eyes widened in shock. Theirs did the same.
"Why are you here...?"
Ethan was staring down at me with a startled expression.
I gaped at him in equal surprise before quickly scanning my surroundings. The source of the light was an automobile. A strange man stood behind Ethan, flustered as he peered in my direction. Once I processed that much, I groped around the ground, grabbed the handle of the bag I'd dropped when I fell, and pulled myself up.
Just as I turned to leave, Ethan caught my arm.
"Are you all right?"
"Let go!"
I immediately shook off his grip. When I took a step back, his face stiffened. Flustered, I hastily blurted out an excuse.
"...... I-I'm sorry. I'm in a hurry right now. Please, go on your way."
"Where are you trying to go?"
I pressed my lips together tightly. Ethan studied my tense expression and took a step forward. I retreated just as quickly.
"Miss Maid."
"Don't come any closer!"
"......"
I shouted at him to stay back as I shuffled away. Ethan stopped dead in his tracks. My grip on the bag handle tightened. If he took another step, I was ready to swing it at him and bolt.
"Please, please don't come near me."
"...... What in the— No, what on earth happened? Why are you here?"
"Shouldn't I be asking you that, Lord Ethan? What are you doing out here in the middle of the night?"
"I was on my way to see Vincent. There was an urgent matter."
"Then go on your way."
"Why are you so frightened?"
I didn't have time for this. This seemed to be the road leading back to the mansion. Had I really run so far without getting any distance from it?
Ethan kept asking what was wrong. I stayed silent, searching for an escape route.
"Miss Maid."
Perhaps sensing something amiss, Ethan reached out. Just as he was about to approach me again—rustling sounds broke the silence.
The noise grew steadily closer. Both Ethan and I turned our heads toward it at the same time.
My vision spun.
Oh no, oh no. Had they already caught up to me?
In the distance, leaves trembled. I watched them uneasily before turning back to Ethan. He was watching me.
His eyes narrowed as he took in my trembling, fearful face. Under his questioning gaze, I voiced my most desperate plea.
"Save me."
Ethan's eyes widened, then sharpened. He turned his head toward the source of the sound, then back to me before striding forward and seizing my arm. Startled, I flinched, but he spoke calmly.
"It's all right. Trust me."
"......"
My head finally bobbed in a nod under his grave gaze.
Ethan helped me into the carriage, promptly closed the door, and took the seat beside me. As the man watching over us swiftly settled into the driver's seat, Ethan ordered him to depart.
Soon after, the carriage began moving.
I peered out the window. The carriage was retracing the path we'd come from. When we'd put some distance between us, I saw a group of people pushing through the undergrowth where we'd just been. Had we been even slightly slower, we would have encountered them.
Someone really had been pursuing me. It wasn't my imagination. Cold sweat trickled down my spine. At the same time, a sigh of relief escaped me.
Ethan, observing my state, continued speaking.
"What on earth happened? What was that about just now, and where were you going in the middle of the night?"
"......"
"And what's with your appearance? You look like someone fleeing."
"......"
"Really?"
When I couldn't answer, quick-witted Ethan dragged out what I was hiding. Feeling no urge to argue, I maintained my silence. Reading my reaction, Ethan realized his assumption was correct and continued, flustered.
"Why? What suddenly happened?"
"There were... circumstances."
"What circumstances would make you flee secretly in the middle of the night? Did something happen with Vincent? Were you dismissed?"
"No."
When I shook my head, Ethan narrowed his eyes. He seemed to be pressing me not to lie. I insisted it really wasn't that and even waved my hands in denial.
"Then what on earth is it? Tell me."
"Just... don't ask anything and let me off somewhere along the way. Please."
"Miss Maid."
"I'm begging you."
"Is it because of James?"
When I gave him a look asking what he meant, Ethan's face grew troubled.
"Vincent told me. That you were there at the scene."
"......"
I quickly glanced toward the driver's seat. The carriage contained not just him and me, but another person too. This wasn't the place for such talk.
"It's all right."
When I kept stealing glances at the driver, Ethan noticed and reassured me.
"But—"
"He's trustworthy. You needn't worry."
If Ethan said so, the man must truly be reliable. That was fortunate, but it still didn't give me the courage to continue such a heavy conversation.
"I'm sorry."
At the sudden apology, my eyes widened. Ethan smiled bitterly.
"It might sound ridiculous saying this now, but... I actually knew. That James—that my brother was involved in my father's death. Even knowing, I didn't want to suspect him."
"Why...?"
"Because he's precious family. I wanted to believe it couldn't be true. That surely my brother couldn't have done such a terrible thing—it must have been an accident, not him. I deceived myself with those thoughts. Even as I noticed him gradually changing, growing wary of me, I kept believing. Because I respected and loved him. Even though we weren't blood-related."
The shocking confession came at a moment I hadn't anticipated. While I was stunned, the speaker remained utterly composed.
"James was the child my father's second wife brought with her. Society knows him as my father's illegitimate child, but that's not true. He was actually the son from her previous engagement. When she entered our family, she brought James along. Later, Lucas was born between my father and the second wife."
"......"
"Father wasn't the type to obsess over bloodlines, so he genuinely loved James. To ensure he wouldn't face discrimination, Father disguised him as his illegitimate child. He even permitted James to inherit the family title."
"......"
"But James was anxious. Because he wasn't Father's true blood, even if he became Count one day, it would never feel complete. Father paid no mind, but those around him kept pressuring him—saying only a pureblood should inherit the family. So James grew wary of me. I never once thought of taking his place, though."
Sorrow cast a shadow over Ethan's face. Even as he smiled, he couldn't hide the grief. His gaze was fixed on the past. I listened quietly.
"But to think he would go as far as to... do that to Father... Lucas too, Vincent too... I truly didn't want to believe it."
His words trailed off like a sigh as he pressed his forehead against his clasped hands. His body curled forward, shoulders trembling faintly. He exhaled heavily, as though struggling to breathe.
Sorrow breeds regret. That was Ethan. I couldn't say I didn't understand him. But offering simple comfort felt impossible—too many people had suffered because of this.
His beloved father was dead. His proud younger brother had been harmed. His dearest friend had lost his sight and was left to fester in misery. And now, Ethan himself was shaking in anguish. I didn't have the heart to blame him, but had he not turned a blind eye, perhaps none of this would have happened.
I looked out the window. The long, untamed shrubs brushed against the glass. Staring blankly at their meaningless sway, I turned my head back to Ethan.
"Count Christopher."
"Yes?"
"Why are you telling me all this?"
Why would you confide in a mere maid like me?
I wanted to understand his intent.
At my question, he lifted his face. The sorrow he had tried to suppress was faintly visible beneath a thin smile as he gazed out the window.
"Did you know? There's a forest inside the royal castle. An artificial one. Only the royal family and a select few nobles with permission are allowed inside. They say people go there to confess secrets they can't speak of anywhere else. That's why everyone calls it the Secret Forest."
I had heard about it once from Lucas. He had mentioned such a forest existed within the castle walls—though he'd also dismissed it as mere rumor.
"Miss Maid, you are that to us."
He turned back to look at me. The faint trace of a smile vanished, leaving behind an expression so devoid of emotion it felt unsettlingly unlike him.
"You're calm, kind, and—most importantly—tight-lipped. That's why it's easier to spill secrets to you. Right now, I've just told you things I've never spoken of to anyone else. Do you know what that means?"
"I don't."
"Think carefully. Why would we ever entrust such critical secrets to a mere maid?"
"......"
"Because we can dispose of you at any time."
The corners of his lips curled into a smile. The sorrow had vanished from his face, replaced by something cold and cruel. His brown eyes glinted sharply—so sharp it sent a chill down my spine, as though they might slice through my neck at any moment.
I gripped the handle of my bag tightly and met his gaze. Instinct told me I couldn't afford to look away. My trembling fingers curled inward, hidden from sight. Only then did I realize, with bone-deep clarity, that he too was a noble.