Salvation Equation - Chapter 15. A Warm Wind

— Madeline at 26. (The past)

On a windy night, after falling asleep by the Count’s bed, there was quite a gentle breeze between the two. For Madeline, it was hard to know whether to welcome it or be terrified.

It was the beginning when the Count began to speak to Madeline.

In the afternoon, he came to Madeline, who was drinking tea alone while enjoying herself. His limping steps and a gloomy expression were like the usual Count, but something was different.

“Is Cory okay?”

“…….”

As soon as Madeline heard his question, she almost dropped the cup she was holding. It was not only strange that the dog’s name came out of the man’s mouth, but it was also surprising that he knew the dog’s name.

Madeline nodded in disbelief.

“It’s all right. The troublemaker is well.”

“That’s a relief.”

With the words, the Count hummed. He coughed a couple of times. Madeline’s mind began to spin tight.

‘What is he up to?’

There must be something in the man’s words. He was not a person who enjoyed pathetic gossip. But to make matters worse, the man pulled down the chair and sat down in front of Madeline.

“Did you say you wanted to see a movie?”

Madeline’s face ripened into a stark red. Was he trying to bring up the previous “run away from home”?

“Are you still angry about that?”

Come to think of it, Madeline remembered that last night, the Count grabbed her wrist and told her not to go. He wasn’t the one to talk to her for no reason. Madeline was nervous for a moment.

The Count shook his head slowly. He, who still has a somewhat hazy face, looked at least in good condition. He spoke in a slow, low voice.

“You can go freely if you want.”

He didn’t want to stop her anymore. The Count coughed again.

Um… Madeline raised one eyebrow full of questions.

“Well, it’s not something I should be thankful for, right?”

Half-mixed with doubt, it became a sharp answer. In the past, nearby villages were frequently visited, but she always had servants with her.

According to him, now Madeline could go anywhere by herself.

“I was just worried before. The world is not a safe place.”

‘Then say yes from the beginning. Why is he so arrogant?’

Madeline frowned slightly. Ian sighed and uttered the next word.

“You can attend parties and gatherings as you please.”

“……”

The man in front of her seemed sincere. The eyes staring outside without looking at Madeline seemed somewhat burdensome to even say these words.

Madeline was speechless at the unexpected blow.

“Did anything change your mind?”

She wrapped her hands around the completely cooled cup. The Count was a man with a consistent temperament, not to be called a whim, but this time Madeline wanted to get a proper confirmation. To make sure he wouldn’t change his words later.

“I don’t want to drown you in my mud either.”

“What do you mean mud? Don’t talk like that….”

Madeline blurted out the end of her words. She couldn’t deny it completely, but it was a pretty bizarre choice of words. There was no need to belittle his situation.

“……not telling doesn’t mean it’s not true.”

As if he had read Madeline’s mind, he sighed again.

Ian stood up from his seat as he slightly lowered his eyes as if he had a headache. There was the sound of crutches scratching the floor.

It was the moment when the Count completely rose from his seat and disappeared into the hallway. Madeleine called him in a trembling voice.

“Ian.”

“…….”

The man did not look at Madeline, as if it were difficult to look back.

“You can always pick the roses if you want. This garden is yours, too.”

Even Madeline herself didn’t know why she jumped out. The man who heard it didn’t budge.

“…thank you.”

He disappeared, leaving the word behind.

Starting with that short conversation, the relationship between the husband and wife had become smoother. Madeline visited the Count’s study once a day. It was under the guise that it was to examine the dynamics and check on the patient.

The Count’s study was actually a pretty good library. Madeline stood near the bookshelf and picked out the hardcover she liked while the Count went through the documents.

“Is this supposed to be here?”

She carefully pulled out a book, feeling a crumbly texture at her fingertips. She wanted to leave her working husband alone, but it was a surprising discovery.

“The first edition of the King of Tambourine. It was printed long after the writer died anyway.”

“…hmm….”

Even so, it looked like something from the 17th century. Can she take it like this? Of course, the management was very good.

Madeline was embarrassed by the Count’s calm response to her making a fuss. He casually suggested without even looking at her putting the book back in.

“You can take it and read it if you want.”

“……like my book?”

Her words raised the man’s head. The eyes of the man and woman crossed.

An unknown emotion passed through Ian’s one eye, which was not covered by scars. Madeline, who mistook it for unpleasantness, mumbled for nothing.

“Well, it’s legal everywhere. A few years ago, the property law was amended… I’m not saying I’m going to burn or tear yours, but I’ll handle it carefully.”

“It’s yours.”

“…….”

“Everything here. Just as your garden is mine, my study is yours.”

He spoke casually and coughed a few times, then turned to the papers again.

“…….”

Madeline’s face lit up. She thought she heard something great, but her brain didn’t input it well.

She didn’t take any books that day.

* * *

It was clear that there was a smooth turbulence between the Count and Madeline. It seemed to be sensed by even the servants.

Their attitude toward Madeline, always tense, had become softer.

It wasn’t like they were unkind before, but there was always an unidentified wall, which felt like it had been torn down.

Of course, everything could be a mere illusion. It may not be the people who have changed, but the mind of Madeline.

It was frustrating to be unable to explain how the mind specifically changed. Only one thing was certain. Certainly the man wasn’t as scary as he was before.

His face did not strike her as horrible. Even when she looked at his twisted mouth or his gloomy eyes, she was used to it.

However, that did not mean that the original hatred or hostility had completely disappeared. In the middle of the conversation, tension that crossed the line was still revealed.

Ian was a heavy man, and Madeline had a heavy load on him.

Even in the small conversation, Ian’s harsh values were seen, which was burdensome. Moreover, the appearance of the man acting as if war would happen again at any time was strange. In his eyes, it seemed that everything was decayed and corrupt.

Madeline wanted to change his mind a little bit. She had to invent something.

How?

perhaps…

A colorful landscape began to unfold in Madeline’s head again.

Really, it was a long time ago.

* * *

“Madam, that’s really crazy.”

“…really?”

Madeline looked at Sebastian with sparkling eyes. It’s like if she stares intently at him, something will fall.

Madeline planned to decorate an empty chapel near the mansion as a temporary movie theater and invite friends and villagers.

It was a chapel near the mansion that had been neglected for nearly a hundred years, and the equipment, film, and manpower to be screened could be obtained from London, and the date was sufficient.

But everyone who heard the plan was reluctant. First of all, the lukewarm attitude of the servants was the biggest obstacle.

Sebastian did not hide his discomfort openly.

Fortunately, the eyes of the young users were sparkling. Things like expectations that could not be shown openly were evident in their eyes.

Despite opposition, Madeline decided to carry out her plan steadily.

After a long time, a will began to well up within her. It was a strong urge to do something.

The Count’s permission was not needed from the beginning. Didn’t he say she could do whatever she wanted? Madeline couldn’t waste her precious opportunity doing nothing.

She had to start by renovating the mansion. It was already a clean mansion, but there was an eerie atmosphere.

But it didn’t seem like she would be able to change that in a short time. So she settled for hanging tapestry cloth on the hunting trophy and changing the chair cloth.

But what was more important than decorating the mansion was to turn the chapel into a movie theater.

Chairs were placed, and a screen was set up on a white wall. The faded stained glass was covered with a thick cloth.

When the preparations were over, Madeline made up her mind. Now let’s get started.