Chapter 77
The Count's Secret Maid - Chapter 77
Translation: godsn
Still, I think Robert is doing well. He has Nanny by his side—she always puts Robert first—and both Joelli and Vincent are with him. And I'm here too.
"Just... please visit Young Master Robert often."
"......"
"Young Master Robert is always so happy whenever you come to see him."
Every time Vincent came to visit, Robert would spread both arms wide in welcome. He'd run to him with a radiant smile, and Vincent would likewise greet him with a joyful expression, lifting Robert into his arms.
Through their interactions, I'd come to realize that Vincent also cherished Robert. Even now, he was concerned about Robert. That's why he'd told me what he could do—emphasizing "often, very often."
"And what about you?"
"Pardon?"
"Have you ever experienced a longing so deep you couldn't forget it?"
I smiled bitterly.
"Everyone carries invisible longings within them."
Just as I could never forget this place... or you.
As my words left a dry taste in my mouth, silence fell again. Vincent stayed quiet for a while. My gaze continued circling the floor. Now that I'd spoken, I felt somewhat embarrassed. Had I rambled too much after dredging up old memories?
I was cautiously gauging his reaction when he suddenly burst into laughter. The abruptness of it made me lift my head in puzzlement. He was looking at Robert's bedroom door, his face—half-covered by his hand—genuinely amused.
"I know."
"......"
"I know it well."
His brief, fleeting smile stood out vividly. What could he be remembering? What thoughts made him smile so joyfully yet sorrowfully?
"I know it all too well."
The laughter vanished from his face in an instant as he murmured those quiet words. With a somewhat dazed expression, he fixed his gaze on me. I stared back blankly until our eyes met—then flinched and turned my face away.
"I've finished eating."
He pushed the empty plate toward me.
"Ah, did you enjoy it?"
"Not bad."
Despite his words, he'd cleaned the plate completely. The fork marks showed he'd scooped up every last bit of cake, even scraping off the smeared chocolate cream, leaving the dish spotless. The teacup of honeyed milk was nearly empty too.
It was amusing how diligently he'd polished off all those sweets.
Struggling to suppress a smile, I reached for the plate—but he held onto the edge, not letting go.
"Excuse me, your hand—"
"Since I ate it all, I have one request."
A request?
"Could you keep me informed about Robert's daily life?"
"Young Master's daily life?"
"Yes. Just report to me once a day."
"There's... nothing particularly special about it."
"Then tell me about those unspecial things."
I wanted to ask why he was making this request of me. Hadn't he been displeased with me after last time? Surely his opinion of me couldn't be favorable. Why me?
He seemed to notice my confusion.
"I asked Nanny too, but she seems to think she'd be imposing, so she holds back. Probably doesn't want to cause unnecessary worry. Besides, she'll often be away from the mansion. With her gone so frequently, you'll be attending to Robert alone most days—so you're better suited than Nanny to update me on his condition."
"But is it really my place to tell you such things...?"
I wasn't sure if I should share what even Nanny chose not to mention. Yet the man before me was the master of this mansion. Though I served Robert, strictly speaking, it was Vincent who had employed me.
For a moment, I agonized over which side to take.
"There's no need to agonize."
"But still..."
"You've made a very grave mistake before, haven't you?"
A mistake? As I puzzled over his words, he slapped his thigh with a thwack. My gaze instinctively followed the sound before I quickly averted my eyes.
"I-it was only an attempt."
"Because of you, the family line nearly ended."
Vincent, as he said this, looked more serious than ever. It seemed his request wasn't solely about attending to Robert.
"I bear no ill intent. I simply wish for Robert not to feel lonely, at least within this mansion. Even if he can't forget, I don't want him to feel it any more keenly."
Hearing him speak like that, I couldn't bring myself to refuse.
"Understood."
At last, he released the plate. Then he placed a teacup atop it. The cup, too, had been emptied spotlessly. Whether it had been a satisfying tea time or not, he seemed in remarkably good spirits.
Was dessert really the point? No wonder he didn't leave. Suspicion crept in, and I kept stealing glances at his profile—until Vincent turned to look at me, forcing me to immediately bow my head. His sharp perception hadn't dulled in the slightest.
"Is there something else you're curious about?"
The question came abruptly. Do I even have the right to be curious? A sullen feeling welled up inside me. Just as I was about to say no, the question I'd been pondering earlier suddenly resurfaced.
"Then... may I ask one thing?"
"What is it?"
"By any chance... are you considering becoming Robert's adoptive father?"
"What?"
Given Vincent's temperament, he wasn't the type to show kindness easily. I doubted he'd forgotten the memories from when he was blind. Pain wasn't an emotion one could easily dismiss. That was why I found it puzzling how particularly attentive he was to Robert. Moreover, the two of them seemed unusually affectionate.
Just what is their relationship?
Too curious, I'd ventured my own guess.
His answer came swiftly. His face twisted as if he'd just heard the most absurd nonsense in the world—that alone was answer enough.
I didn't need to ask to know that his opinion of me had plummeted yet again.
True to Vincent's words, Nanny was often away. She seemed terribly busy with some matter outside. When she apologized for leaving me alone, I smiled and told her not to worry and to return safely. I wanted to take good care of Robert so she wouldn't have to fret.
What kind of misunderstanding did I even have? I'm afraid some baseless rumor might spread.
Vincent had coldly snapped at me before promptly leaving. Seeing how close the two seemed, I'd made an assumption—only to earn his disdain. Belatedly, I called out an apology, but he didn't look back.
After that day, I didn't see Vincent again. Whether he was busy or not, he was nowhere to be seen. Though he'd asked for daily reports on Robert's routine, he never met me in person. Instead, a servant came in his stead to inquire.
Honestly, it was less of a report and more like rambling about the day's trivial events. But it felt awkward to detain the busy servant with lengthy explanations. So one day, I asked if it would be alright to write a letter instead.
"Do you know how to write?"
"A little."
The servant gave me a look of surprise.
After that, I wrote letters to be delivered. Every other day, the servant would come by to collect them.
[Today as well, the Young Master...]
Though the contents weren't much different from the last letter, I picked up the pen anyway. Elegant script flowed smoothly across the page.
Doing this...
It felt just like back then.
I found myself longing for the golden letters more than ever.
"What are you doing?"
Robert peeked his head out. He'd been napping—I hadn't even noticed when he woke up.
"Are you awake now?"
"Yeah. Where's Nanny?"
"She went out."
Upon hearing my answer, Robert stretched out both arms toward me—asking to be held. Lately, with just the two of us spending more time together, Robert had grown quite attached to me.
Glancing at the thick bandage wrapped around one arm, I scooped him up into my embrace.
"Does your arm not hurt?"
"Nope."
A few days prior, an incident had occurred. As usual, when I went to Robert's room to attend to him, he wasn't there—a fairly common occurrence. And I immediately knew where he'd be. Sure enough, Robert was near the iron horse statue.
But the problem was that Robert was sitting on the floor, crying.
"Waaah!"
"Young Master!"
I panicked when I saw him clutching one arm. The very thing I'd feared had happened.
I immediately called for a doctor, who examined him. The impact had caused a hairline fracture in his arm, but fortunately, it was minor. Robert's arm was wrapped in thick bandages to immobilize it.
Soon after, Joelli arrived, her eyes brimming with concern as she examined Robert. Nanny joined in, wailing and carrying on until the whole situation became chaotic.
"If you wander off alone again, I'll spank your bottom."
Coming from her, it was quite the stern scolding.
Vincent, who'd arrived late after hearing the news, asked,
"What happened?"
"Well..."
At his question, both Joelli and Nanny's gazes turned to me. Judging by Vincent's demeanor, if I mentioned the iron horse statue, he might have thrown me out on the spot. Robert, his face downcast, tightly gripped the hem of my skirt. After a brief hesitation, I finally spoke.
"We were taking a walk together in the hallway, and the Young Master must have been in high spirits—he suddenly started running and tripped."
It was a lie, and I didn't expect him to believe it. He'd probably already heard the general situation from the other servants. Thankfully, none of them brought up the iron horse statue. They only reminded me to keep a closer eye on Robert from now on.
"He was trying to climb it, wasn't he?"
When the two women's attention returned to Robert, Nanny sidled up to me and whispered. I simply smiled in response. A shadow crossed Nanny's face. I realized then that she, too, knew why Robert kept trying to climb the statue.
Fortunately, Robert seemed to have learned his lesson—since then, he'd been staying quietly in his room.
Just moments ago, Robert had been staring blankly at the letter I was writing.
"I wanna do it too."
"You have to be careful with your arm."
Robert nodded. I brought over another chair and placed it beside mine, seating him there. Then I fetched some spare paper and a pen, placing them in his hand.
His tiny fingers gripped the pen tightly as he began scribbling something on the paper. Hmm. Mm. He even hummed a little tune, clearly enjoying himself. I sat beside him, picked up my own pen, and continued writing my letter.
At one point, I glanced over at Robert. I'd expected him to be drawing, but he was writing.
"You're doing well."
"Yeah. I write good."
"Yes, you do."
Must be the fruits of his education. Though the letters were crooked and uneven, they were still legible. Watching him, a sudden idea flashed through my mind.