Chapter 72
The Count's Secret Maid - Chapter 72
Translation: godsn
In the end, I got an earful from Nanny. She scolded me for going outside despite her warnings about how dangerous it was. When I tried to weakly excuse myself by saying Lady Joelli had given me permission, she wouldn't hear any of it. Robert was watching the whole scene with amusement. That infuriating little brat.
"You should go rest in your room now. I'll handle things here."
"But—"
"And wash your face."
My face? Wondering if something was on it, I touched my cheeks but didn't feel anything unusual. Nanny kept shooing me away until I had no choice but to retreat.
Only after returning to my room did I finally see the state of my face. The areas under my eyes, the tip of my nose, and my cheeks were swollen and red—clear signs I'd been crying. Good heavens.
So that's why Robert had been staring holes through me? I'd grown so accustomed to hiding behind my bangs that I hadn't noticed. But now with my shorter fringe, everything was exposed—including my unsightly face.
Did Vincent recognize me? I shook my head. Impossible. He'd never once seen my face before. How could he recognize someone he'd never laid eyes on? Even if he had, there was no way he'd remember some maid who ran away five years ago. What a relief. I smiled bitterly at the thought.
After washing my flushed face with cold water, I returned to find Alicia already sitting on the bed, though I hadn't heard her come in. Her condition seemed strange—she was staring blankly into space. What's wrong with her?
But I was too exhausted today to pretend to care. Just as I lay down intending to sleep, Alicia suddenly spoke.
"Wasn't he handsome?"
My eyes flew open. Alicia had scurried over to sit right beside me.
"Wasn't he?" she repeated.
"Who?"
"The man from this morning."
Seeing her expectant expression, I frowned. The man from this morning—she meant Vincent. Why bring him up suddenly?
Come to think of it, Alicia had been acting odd ever since seeing him. Staring vacantly into space, bursting into random giggles, and now this out-of-the-blue question.
Don't tell me...
A sense of foreboding crept over me. I scowled and sat up. Alicia's large eyes sparkled unnaturally bright.
"His name is Vincent. Vincent Bellunita."
"......"
"Vincent... Even his name is charming."
As she savored his name, a smile spread across Alicia's face, her cheeks faintly pink. Like a girl head over heels in love—though in this situation, that was anything but good.
"Guess he wasn't the one after all."
"What are you talking about?"
"That guy. Johnny."
Why bring up Johnny now? They'd seemed to be getting along fine lately. I'd often seen them chatting amiably, sometimes with a strange atmosphere between them—though mostly it was Alicia pretending to be sweet while bossing him around.
So why this sudden change?
When I gave her a puzzled look, Alicia crossed her legs and swept her hair back in irritation.
"Turns out he's not the one. I can't go on like this."
"What nonsense are you spouting? And while we're at it, about what you said last time—"
"I'm not going."
What?
"What do you mean?"
"I said I'm not going. I won't run away."
I stared hard at Alicia, trying to gauge her sincerity. Her expression was unwavering, with no hint of deception. If anything, she looked calm—unusually so, without her typical tantrums or nagging, which only heightened my unease.
"But you said you wanted to escape. That you hated it here."
"I changed my mind just now."
"Why?"
"That man."
The corners of her mouth curled seductively as she said "that man." With a rapturous smile, as if envisioning someone, Alicia twirled a lock of her long hair around her finger, twisting her body in an uncharacteristically shy manner.
"That man."
I immediately knew who she was talking about.
"...... Why him?"
"Because I'm going to seduce him."
For a moment, I doubted my ears at her shameless words. Even after seeing my shocked reaction, Alicia merely lifted her chin haughtily without retracting her statement. If anything, she seemed brimming with confidence.
"I'm not bad for my station, am I? There might be some difference in status, but with this level of beauty and figure, I can overcome it."
"Have you lost your mind?"
It was a genuine question. I truly, seriously thought Alicia had gone mad. Of course, she'd never been what one would call completely sane, but today was especially bad. I stared at her as if she were some strange creature. Alicia wore an expression that said 'what's the big deal?'
"If we like each other, that's all that matters."
"Like each other?"
"I've come to like that man."
What kind of absurd nonsense was this?
I couldn't comprehend a word Alicia was saying.
"Sister. Help me out here. Hmm?"
"......"
"Are you even listening to me?"
"I'm listening. But I don't understand what you're saying. You only saw that man—no, the master—for the first time this morning."
"So what? The moment I saw him, I knew he was my destiny."
"What kind of— Have you even exchanged a single word with that man?"
At my question, Alicia recoiled slightly.
"Not yet."
"Have you greeted him?"
"Not yet either."
"Then how can you say you like him? That makes no sense."
"Why wouldn't it? We're destined."
"How can it be destiny when only you feel that way? He probably doesn't even know you exist."
"We'll get to know each other from now on."
"......"
My words kept getting stuck in my throat. This was too ridiculous. Did she think mutual understanding could be achieved just because she decided it should? Vincent didn't even know Alicia existed. Yet Alicia looked utterly self-assured, as if she genuinely believed she could seduce Vincent.
"That man is the master of this house. A Count, they say! All this time I thought that woman was the master, so I was buttering up the wrong person. My god, who knew such a handsome Count existed? And with this level of wealth... he's just perfect for me."
"Alicia."
"I think coming here was the right decision."
"Alicia."
"Why do you keep calling me?"
Alicia, her smile fading, scrunched up her face. I was the one who wanted to lose my temper.
"I have something to say to you too. Before we came here, you said we were going to the Stella family. But that wasn't true."
"Did I say that?"
"What?"
"I might not have. Why are you getting angry?"
"Angry? You're saying completely different things! What if this place had been dangerous?"
"But it's not dangerous, so what's the problem?"
"Alicia!"
Alicia shrugged with an annoyed expression.
"You're the one who decided to come with me. Don't take it out on me."
"I thought it was the Stella family!"
"Why, is there some reason another family wouldn't do? As you said, it could have been dangerous, but in the end it turned out to be a proper place. So what's the issue?"
"The issue is......"
The issue is that this is the Bellunita family. The issue is Vincent being here. But I couldn't bring myself to say that. If I had run away from here before, if I had originally worked here as a servant, I didn't know how Alicia would react.
As I hesitated, Alicia glared at me sharply.
"Don't tell me this is where you ran away from?"
"...... No."
"No? Are you sure?"
"Yes, no. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is—you know this. You know I was once employed as a servant in a Count's household and things went wrong. That hasn't changed. I'm still being hunted, and I don't know when I might die. Yet you said you'd come to this mansion as a servant, where nobles come and go, and you even hid from me that the family had changed. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"Ugh, I get it. I don't want to hear any more, so stop talking."
Alicia waved both hands dismissively and moved to her bed. Unrelenting, I poured out my words. Eventually, Alicia too made excuses—that she hadn't known whether this was the Stella family or another family, that she'd only recently found out, and that even if things had changed, what was the problem?
I let out a deep sigh.
"Stop dreaming useless dreams and let's leave. We're only temporary hires anyway. People without clear social standing won't last long here. Let's use this chance to find proper jobs instead."
"I don't want to."
"You're impossible!"
"Like I said last time, I don't care about your situation. I've decided to stay here. If I manage to seduce the Count, what does it matter if I was temporarily hired or not?"
At those words, I heaved another deep sigh. A headache was coming on. I pressed my fingers to my forehead and took measured breaths. Yes, I should have known you'd say that. Alicia's stubbornness was precisely why we'd come here in the first place.
I'd thought something that started so abruptly would end just as easily. But I never dreamed Alicia would actually fall for him. I hadn't imagined this outcome even in my wildest nightmares.
"Go if you want. I won't stop you."
"You don't understand nobles' hearts. To people like them, commoners like us are nothing but insects. And do you even know what kind of person this Count is? His temper... could be absolutely vile."
"How would you know that?"
From experience.
"Because that's how nobles usually are."
"Well, if it's easy, where's the fun in that?"
"You could die."
"How's living with you any different from dying anyway?"
In the end, Alicia refused to yield even a single word.
Alicia's words were so absurd they left me speechless. No retort came to mind—only a throbbing headache. Once that girl set her mind to something, she'd see it through to the end. That's how I knew she wasn't lying.
Alicia had been raised like a princess despite our impoverished background. She'd never properly dirtied her hands with a drop of water, never bent her back to beg.
She threw tantrums as if it were her birthright, and people indulged her. That pretty face earned her love and admiration from everyone, even Father never laid a hand on her, so she must have sensed the special treatment she received. No wonder she feared nothing.
Given how she'd grown up, I could understand her confidence. But that only applied within Pilton. Perhaps accepting the young lord's affections would have been the fastest path to the life Alicia desired. Yet she'd let that opportunity slip through her fingers. And now here she was, greedily reaching for something even higher.
As I agonized over how to deal with her pigheadedness, Alicia frowned at me.
'Stop looking at me like that.'
'Like what?'
'you' re belittling me. You think I'm talking nonsense, don't you? You always do this. Look down on me, treat me like a joke.'
'......'
'I don't care what you think. Just don't get in my way.'
Alicia issued her warning decisively and turned away. She'd had enough of this conversation. I exhaled sharply through my nose. Who's the one being dismissive here? She's the one constantly looking down on me, yet somehow I end up the villain.
So she's determined to have her way, is she? For some reason, my mood soured. That Vincent with Alicia? I couldn't picture it. No—I didn't want to picture it. I knew it was impossible, knew it rationally... but still... what if it actually happened...
"Because I'm pretty."
Yes, because you're pretty. I muttered the words before quickly shaking my head. Another sigh escaped me. Then someone tapped me repeatedly on the shoulder. Turning, I found Johnny staring blankly at me.
"What're you thinking about to sigh like that?"
"Ah, nothing."
I shook my head again and glanced ahead. Joelli, dressed in an extravagant blue gown with voluminous skirts, was examining her reflection from every angle. Behind her stood Alicia, wearing an uncharacteristic smile as she showered Joelli with compliments about how beautiful she looked.
Today Joelli had a party to attend, so preparations had been underway since dawn. Robert was also attending, and his grooming had long been completed—he now waited for Joelli to finish getting ready.
Naturally, Alicia and Johnny, who attended to Joelli, had been in her room since morning. But Johnny had just been standing behind me while Alicia handled most of the duties. The nanny assisted Alicia, while I quietly kept watch by Robert's side.