The Count's Secret Maid - Chapter 71

Translation: godsn

It was early dawn. The mansion was in an uproar. Servants, regardless of rank, all hurriedly dressed and left their rooms. Audrey personally woke those who ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hadn't yet roused. I washed quickly, then shook Alicia awake from her sleep.

After hastily dressing, I followed the crowd outside. Emerging from the mansion, everyone had gathered before the gates. Audrey stood at the head of two orderly lines of servants. And before them stood Joelli as well.

All eyes were fixed on the distance. I discreetly joined the ranks and followed their gaze. Soon, a carriage approached from afar. Gliding smoothly, it came to a stop only when it reached the mansion's entrance.

A man stepped out from the driver's seat and opened the rear door. A leg emerged from within, touching the ground.

"You've arrived."

Audrey immediately bowed. All the servants followed suit. Caught off guard, I bowed as well.

"Welcome back!"

Joelli's voice brimmed with delight as footsteps approached whoever had exited the carriage. A thud—the sound of the door closing followed.

"You've worked hard. Welcome home. Nothing much has happened here."

"......"

To us with our heads bowed, Joelli's words sounded like she was talking to herself. No reply came as she chattered on. Yet she continued cheerfully, her voice bright. Alicia beside me kept glancing upward. She wasn't the only one—others nearby were also rolling their eyes up and down.

The one-sided conversation abruptly ceased at some point. Everyone present held their breath, ears perked.

"We saw each other just yesterday."

A deep voice broke the brief silence.

Alicia's eyes widened upon hearing it, then narrowed slightly, as if trying to discern the speaker's identity. The servants, unfamiliar with this situation, all wore puzzled expressions. Meanwhile, I—the only one who recognized that voice—stood frozen stiff.

How could I ever forget it?

That voice I'd once heard until I grew sick of it.

Thud, thud. The footsteps drew nearer.

"There's no need for such a fuss."

"Oh, come now. You should see them too. How is it?"

"How is what?"

"I'm asking how it is."

The footsteps paused nearby. My fingers tightened around each other. My heart pounded as if trying to burst through my skin. Though I knew it was fine—there were two or three people standing in front of me—I bowed my head even deeper.

My scalp prickled.

"You've grown."

"It just happened that way."

"Don't overdo it. It'll become troublesome later."

"Don't worry. I won't let it affect you."

"I hope you keep that promise."

The sarcasm-laden words faded as the footsteps receded. Only when sufficient distance had been put between us did the servants dare raise their heads. Though gazes should have remained forward, some unable ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to contain their curiosity quickly glanced sideways. Alicia was no exception.

I cautiously turned my gaze as well. That instant stretched unbearably long. What came into view was the man standing opposite Joelli.

A large hand tousled his neatly swept golden hair—a gesture that seemed briefly irritated. After exchanging a few words with Joelli, he suddenly turned toward us.

Our eyes met in that moment.

I saw him, and he saw me. No—he was looking at the many servants gathered here, not specifically at me. Yet I was looking at him. From the instant my gaze reached him, it never wavered.

In those emerald eyes now clearly fixed on us, in that face now precisely turned this way, I realized once more:

His eyes truly could see.

And so I knew. The death I'd remembered until my heart felt torn apart, the death I'd wanted to forget yet still lingered in some corner of my mind—the death of the one I'd wished happiness for more than anyone else.

'Lucas...'

I knew of your death.

My eyes stung. The welling moisture threatened to form droplets, so I couldn't even blink. The sight of Vincent blurred and wavered before me. The gaze that had been fixed on this place was quickly withdrawn.

Vincent turned away. The sound of his footsteps grew distant. All the servants were watching him. By now, everyone must have realized who he was. The women blushed and grew bashful at the sight of their handsome, distinguished master.

"Sister."

It was a dazed voice. When I turned my head, Alicia was also staring at Vincent. Her unblinking profile looked ominous.

"That man must be the master of this place. Right?"

"...... Yes."

"My God."

After the mansion's master departed and the servants returned to their posts, I somehow found myself quickly leaving the area, leaving the stunned Alicia behind. My steps gradually quickened until I was outright running. I even forgot the warning not to enter the forest.

I ran deep into the woods for a long while. Then I changed direction, descending a slope. My skirt fluttered, my clothes became disheveled, and fallen leaves clung to my entire body, but I paid no mind. Instinctively, I knew where I needed to go. So I kept descending endlessly until I finally pushed through the thicket and emerged completely from the forest.

And then I stopped short at the sight before me.

My constricted breath loosened as I slowly exhaled. Through my panting, my eyes scanned the view ahead. A landscape too vast to take in at once—various-sized mansions connected by gardens, a fountain with water jetting upward capturing my gaze, and beyond it, the forest encircling everything.

Why had I only realized this now?

Why had I only now understood the truth about this strange Count's estate?

I hadn't harbored even a shred of doubt. The thought hadn't even crossed my mind. This place was deep in the forest, quite far from where I'd been staying, and I didn't recognize a single face here. Even the family was different.

But the familiar sight before me shattered that false sense of security to pieces.

Vincent hadn't come here as a guest. Seeing the mansion's numerous servants gathered to welcome him today made me realize—

This was the Bellunita family's mansion.

The Count had returned to the Count's estate.

Him.

Vincent.

My body, which had been bracing against a tree, slid limply downward. I collapsed to the ground, blankly surveying the expansive view. And then... and then I released the grief I'd never been able to express since leaving this place.

"Huuuuk."

Tear droplets fell from my lowered eyes, leaving faint marks on the ground. I covered my face with both hands. Curling into myself, I wept uncontrollably under the weight of crushing sorrow.

Before I could even process the shock of this unexpected reunion, before I could fully feel that emotion—Lucas surfaced in my mind first.

Perhaps I'd been deluding myself. That Lucas was alive, that he was living well. Even though the last image I had of him was nightmare-worthy, I'd stubbornly believed it. Maybe I'd been under the illusion that he'd forgotten his fleeting puppy love for a mere maid and found himself a beautiful match to be happy with.

But the moment I saw Vincent, the instant his eyes clearly met mine, I remembered the meaning behind Lucas' s words from long ago:

'I'll give it to my brother. My entire world.'

The true feelings hidden behind that brightly smiling face.

What had been in his heart during his final moments? What had he thought while watching me walk away? I'd been too terrified to face his death. Yet knowing the kindness he'd shown me until the end, all I could do was pour out my sorrow. At the very least, I desperately hoped his final moments had been slightly less painful.

"Hwaaaaang!"

Because that was all I could do for him.

I was merely a character who appeared on one page of their story. I had no power, and I didn't think anything would change because of me. But for the first time, I hated that version of myself. Even becoming aware of that feeling was painful.

Was I truly so useless? So incapable of repaying even those who had helped me? The thought that no matter how hard I tried, there was nothing I could do made me utterly wretched.

Yet part of me felt relieved. Since I couldn't do anything, it was okay to run away like this. What could someone like me possibly accomplish by staying? I'd only be a burden. That's how I comforted myself.

Am I being punished now?

No—maybe I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠came here to be punished.

"Stupid, stupid."

Robert poked my side with broken phrases. I sat blankly, unresponsive. Only my thoughts churned chaotically.

Should I run away? Should I run away? Maybe I should run away. It was like willingly walking into the place I'd fled from out of fear of death. If I'd known, I wouldn't have come. I'm insane. Maybe I can still escape now?

I recalled everything I'd learned about this mansion during my time here. All the servants were people I'd never seen before. Of course, in the past, I'd only stayed in the annex, so I hadn't seen many of the Count's hired staff. Only a handful—but even those few were nowhere to be seen.

And most importantly, Isabella was missing.

To my knowledge, she was the head manager overseeing all the Count's servants. I remembered her being the highest-ranking person after the butler. But she was nowhere to be found. Currently, Audrey was filling her position.

What's even stranger is that the butler is also absent. Is he too busy to bother with a secluded forest mansion like this? If so, that's a relief, but I keep having odd thoughts. It's as if... all the servants in this mansion have been replaced... That can't be... How could that even happen?

At least the fact that neither the butler nor anyone else is here means I'm not in immediate danger, which is somewhat reassuring.

But the most critical issue remained unresolved.

What if the butler eventually visits and sees me here? It wasn't impossible, given that Vincent was here.

Wait a minute—then who is Joelli? What's her relationship with Vincent?

"This is weird."

"What is?"......

Did they get married while I was gone? Now that I think about it, there was that newspaper article about their engagement.

"Maybe that's it."

"What is?"

"I mean—"

In that instant, I snapped back to reality. Before I knew it, Nanny and Robert were sitting on either side of me, staring with puzzled expressions. Seeing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠their wide-eyed faces brought my wandering thoughts back on track.

"What's weird?"

"Ah, nothing. It's nothing."

"Stupid is weird."

"Haha."

I forced a laugh and smoothed my expression. As I busied myself organizing the haphazardly scattered toys, I felt suspicious gazes boring into my back. Nanny, should we get to work?

"Where have you been rolling around?"

"Huh?"

When I turned at the sudden question, Nanny was staring holes into my back.

"Your clothes are wrinkled. And this too."

Nanny plucked something off my back. A leaf. I'd brushed them off while coming up, but some must have remained. I forced a smile and snatched the leaf from her, stuffing it into my pocket.

"You were playing alone!"

"No, no."

"Mean! Take me too! Take me too!"

"That's not it."

"Where did you take him?"

My body stiffened at Nanny's question. She didn't know I'd taken Robert into the forest. I'd brushed off the scrape on Robert's knee by saying he'd tripped while running. Since I'd changed his clothes immediately after returning to the mansion, the excuse had worked.

But Robert was an unexpected variable.

"The forest!"

"Ah, Young Master!"

That brat's mouth has no filter. My hand, raised to stop him, froze midair. A chilling voice came from behind me.

"The forest...?"

I couldn't bring myself to turn around and swallowed dryly. Why does the air suddenly feel so cold?