Chapter 84
The Count's Secret Maid - Chapter 84
Translation: godsn
"My master?"
"Yes. That man puts on all sorts of arrogant airs and acts haughty on the outside, but inside he's a coward and quite timid. He's full of wariness and caution. He's constantly anxious that someone might hurt him, and he never forgives those who betray him. He'll hunt them down without fail and make their lives miserable. But most people don't realize that. His specialty is making only the surface look presentable."
I blinked at the sudden criticism. That Vincent was fearful and timid... I knew that too. He wasn't just a coward—he was an extreme coward! Memories surfaced of enduring his temper in the past and struggling to drag him out of his room, and a deep sense of kinship welled up inside me. I felt like nodding in agreement.
"So you should be careful too, Ann. If you accidentally provoke him, you'll be in big trouble."
"Ah... yes. I'll be careful."
Her serious demeanor, as if whispering an extremely important secret, made me nod unconsciously. Joelli chuckled softly. Her face, beautiful as if illuminated by a halo, was radiant as ever.
But was it my imagination? Somehow, I sensed a strange pressure emanating from her smiling face. Had Vincent been badmouthing me?
Then a sudden question occurred to me.
"But why do you find this amusing?"
At my words, Joelli burst into laughter, throwing her head back.
"Because the way that man acts is hilarious."
I had no idea what was so funny about it. But Joelli didn't stop laughing. She looked thoroughly entertained. Suppressing the bubbling confusion inside me, I awkwardly raised the corners of my mouth to match her. Ha ha.
After finishing my duties for Joelli and returning to my room, I found Robert standing outside the door when he should have been asleep.
"Young Master? Why are you out here?"
Had he come out to greet me because he missed me? Feeling touched, I happily approached him, but my steps slowed as another thought surfaced. Was he planning to climb the iron horse statue again?
Robert hadn't climbed the iron horse statue recently. To be precise, it was after he received the reply to his letter. Before that, he would either beg to go or attempt secret escapes, but for the past few days, he had stayed quietly in his room. Treasuring the letter from his mother, he would unfold and read it over and over, looking utterly happy.
Contrary to expectations, however, Robert didn't send another letter. He simply read and reread his mother's letter, no longer moping about missing her. 'Mother says she loves Robert. She says she misses him so, so much. She promises to come see him soon, so he must wait patiently. Since Robert is a good boy, he'll endure and wait. Robert loves Mother very, very much too.' The child smiled brightly, swinging his small arms in a circle. His face, expressing how much he missed her, seemed to comfort me instead. Hearing this, Nanny sighed in relief but also wore a troubled expression. She must have thought the same as I did.
I wish he could take his time growing up. The little Young Master, whom I'd once thought was just a brat with a bad temper, now wore a remarkably mature expression. Watching him, I swallowed a bitter taste in my mouth.
But Robert's eyes sparkled with hope as he fiddled with the letter. It was a welcome change.
Nanny placed the letter in a small pouch and tied it around Robert's wrist, worried he might lose it. Robert now wore the pouch on one wrist while carrying a small wooden horse figurine in his other hand. He no longer threw things or threw unreasonable tantrums.
As I approached, Robert fidgeted, avoiding eye contact with me. Was he really planning to go to the iron horse statue? Suspicion bubbled up inside me.
"Hey."
"Yes?"
"Um, um..."
Robert twisted his body nervously, tapping the floor with his toes. His hesitant attitude was puzzling. His large eyes, which had been darting around, suddenly locked onto me. After mumbling something, he flapped one hand. I took another step toward him, bending down to meet his eye level.
Then a small hand grabbed my collar and pulled. Something soft touched my cheek.
"Thank you."
And with that, Robert immediately fled into his room.
Even after the door slammed shut, I remained frozen with my back still awkwardly bent. My mind had gone completely blank. All the suspicions that had been bubbling up moments ago had now vanished into the distance.
I raised my hand to touch my cheek. The lingering warmth where he'd pressed against me still felt vivid.
"Haha."
The corners of my mouth kept creeping upward. Then I spaced out again.
An unexpected memory—one I'd never imagined—had just been made.
The rain had been falling since late last night. The raindrops battering the windows grew increasingly violent, and by morning, thunder and lightning were crashing down. Little Robert trembled at the deafening noise that seemed to split the sky apart. Terrified that the thunder might strike him, he burrowed deep into his blankets, crying in fear, and soothing him had drained all my energy.
By the time Robert finally fell asleep, darkness had already reclaimed the sky. The storm still raged mercilessly against the windows.
Bang-bang—whoooosh— The eerie sounds echoing through the room sent chills down my spine. It almost sounded like screams. Robert must have heard them even in his sleep, whimpering in distress. I patted his back and pulled the sheets up to his chin.
I'd decided to stay by Robert's side tonight in place of Nanny, who'd had a long, exhausting day. Though she insisted she was fine, I couldn't help worrying—she hadn't slept properly last night either, too busy comforting Robert. After much persuasion, I'd finally managed to send her off to rest.
The lamplight flickered precariously in the scattered lamps around the room. The windows rattled noisily, clank-clank, as if their hinges might tear loose at any moment.
The wind was too strong. Just as I rose, concerned, the windows lost their battle against the gale and burst open with a violent creeeak.
At the same time, every lamp in the room whooshed out at once. Darkness flooded in. I yanked the sheets over Robert's head and scrambled to my feet.
"Ugh—!"
Before I could even react, the fierce wind and rain lashed against my face. I couldn't open my eyes. The open windows had to be shut first. Raising an arm to shield my face, I forced myself forward. The curtains thrashed wildly as the wind grew stronger, and my body kept getting pushed backward. Step by labored step, I strained against the gale, stretching my free hand with all my might.
As I neared the window, I groped through the storm for something to grasp. The warped window frame shuddered against the wind, thunk-thunking against the wall. I seized it, struggling to wedge it back into place. The wind was so fierce I nearly lost my balance several times.
By the time I finally managed to force the window back into its frame, the room was already in complete disarray. It was a miracle the glass hadn't shattered.
Sure enough, the hinges holding the window in place had snapped. The frame rattled clank-clank, as if the wind might tear it open again at any moment.
With no way to fix it immediately, I tried wrapping the curtains around it, but they just snapped back. Frustrated, I glanced around—then spotted a nearby dresser. Dragging it over, I shoved it in front of the curtain-covered window.
It blocked the window halfway, at least. But that wasn't enough to feel safe, so I piled every heavy object I could find inside the dresser. Then I pulled other furniture in front of it too. The window still rattled ominously, but thankfully, the dresser kept it from swinging open.
Only then did I catch my breath and survey the room. The interior was pitch black—not even moonlight could penetrate. The lamps weren't just out; some had toppled and shattered in the wind. I found one intact, but the matches were soaked—useless.
Sighing, I turned to Robert. Carefully lifting his small, sheet-covered form, I carried him out of the room. I couldn't leave him there, not when another gale might strike at any moment. Instead, I moved him to the adjacent room and laid him on the sofa.
He should have woken from the commotion, but he slept soundly without so much as a frown. After last night's restlessness, he must have been exhausted. The sheets wrapped around him served as a reliable shield. But with no light around, he might wake up frightened and start crying. I considered calling Nanny for help—but imagining her dragging her weary body here in a rush made me change my mind.
"Just... just leaving him alone should be fine, right?"
After a moment's hesitation, I rose from the sofa. With all the lamps broken, I needed to at least fetch some candles. Feeling my way around, I stepped out into the hallway, which was eerily silent as a dead mouse. Fortunately, the corridor wasn't as dark as the room—moonlight illuminated the path.
I walked down the hallway calmly. A faint humming sound echoed from afar. With each step, the noise grew louder until it seemed to come from all directions. Perhaps because no one else was around, a dry gulp of nervousness slid down my throat. Amid the eerie sounds, my own footsteps mingled audibly. The swaying shadows of tree branches cast by the wind writhed across the corridor. Sh-should I sing or something? To shake off the fear, I began humming under my breath, but that only made it scarier.
My legs trembled with fear, but I forced myself to ignore it as I descended the stairs. By the time I reached the bottom, a hazy blob of light appeared far down the hallway. At first, I thought I was seeing things—who would be wandering the halls at this hour?
But the blob gradually grew clearer. No, it was moving toward me.
I froze mid-step. At the same time, the sound of shuffling footsteps came from the direction of the light. My rising terror made me swallow dryly several times, and I tightened my grip on the lamp I was holding. If things went south, I was ready to swing it and run.
As I braced myself, the glowing blob stopped right in front of me. My eyes widened in shock when I recognized the face illuminated by the bright light.
"Master...?"
Why was Vincent here at this hour?
"You......"
He, too, seemed startled, as if he hadn't expected anyone to be around. Flustered, I lowered the lamp I had been clutching tightly. As I stared at him blankly, his emerald eyes, which had been fixed on me, trailed down to the lamp in my hand, and his expression twisted.
"What were you doing here?"
"The window was open, and the wind blew in, shattering all the lamps. The ones that survived had their flames snuffed out, and the matches got soaked in rainwater. I came down to light a candle as a substitute for the lamps."
As I spoke, I showed him the lamp I was holding, and his brow furrowed even deeper.
"The window? Robert's room?"
"Yes. The hinges broke, so I covered it with a curtain and dragged a nearby drawer to block it temporarily. But it still felt unsafe, so I moved the Young Master to the next room. He'd been exhausted from not sleeping all day because of the thunderstorm, so thankfully, he's still fast asleep."
"And Nanny?"
"Nanny hasn't slept a wink since last night, comforting the Young Master. She's resting in her room now. I didn't tell her on purpose."
I hastily added the last part, worried he might reprimand Nanny. If he ordered me to wake her, I'd have no choice, but I hoped he wouldn't. Thankfully, his expression softened without further comment.
But why was Vincent here? After the ink incident, he had been conspicuously absent from the mansion again, making my earlier concerns seem pointless.
As I puzzled over his sudden appearance, Vincent tilted the lamp in his hand slightly toward me.
"Here."
"Huh?"
"The lamp."
The lamp? Oh, the lamp. I hurriedly lifted the glass cover of mine. He did the same with his, then pressed the burning wick of his lamp against the unlit one in mine. Flick. The flame transferred. Now, there was one more glowing orb of light brightening the surroundings.
I bowed my head slightly.
"Thank you."
Carefully, I replaced the glass cover and adjusted the screw on the side to regulate the flame's intensity so it wouldn't go out.
"Where are the candles?"
"In the kitchen. Ah, over—"
Before I could finish, Vincent turned abruptly. Realizing where his steps were headed, I startled and hurried after him.