The Count’s Secret Maid - Chapter 18

After that, it was practice and practice again. Vincent, who acted frightened at first, also strode out with confidence from a certain point on. As he continued walking, he seemed to start to know what was around him.

 

However, it was still not easy for him to walk alone. He never got to the door alone after that, not being able to overshadow his initial success. He kept falling in the middle.

 

The problem was that whenever he fell, he lost his confidence. There were times when he shuddered in fright, and there were times when he couldn’t move for a long time with his hands on the floor.

 

Were his eyes drowning in fear? Yes.

 

Frightened, he crawled across the floor onto the bed and pulled the sheet over himself. As if he was trying to hide.

 

“…There is someone.”

 

“It’s just me and Master here.”

 

“Don’t lie. Every time I did that, there was someone. They tried to kill me.”

 

The past left deep scars on him. Only then did she understand why he was confined to his room. He wasn’t afraid to walk. He was afraid to go out of the room. He feared that someone might go out and try to kill him, and that fear consumed him every moment. Wouldn’t it be that he was trying to hide by pulling the sheet over and over again to protect himself?

 

“Master, why don’t you think about it this way? The master is on an adventure now. In the dark. You don’t know what’s in front of you or what’s going to appear. So it’s really scary, but if you stay still, you’d have to stay in that darkness forever.”

 

“…”

 

“It takes courage to go on an adventure. Now is the time to muster up that courage. Do not worry. There’s a voice that only you can hear next to you. It could be a colleague on an adventure together, a friend, a family member, or anyone. It’s just that you can’t see them, but you are not alone.”

 

“If they kill me…”

 

“Trust me. That will never happen. I exist here for you.”

 

She held his trembling hand. She hugged his shrunken body.

 

Paula really wanted to help him have his courage.

 

“You are not very trustworthy…”

 

‘As long as you don’t say such hateful things.’

 

Fortunately, though, Vincent quickly regained his composure. He was quite confident even walking alone. He now reached the doorstep without falling over. He waved his hands in the air and walked erratically, but it was admirable that he did not give up.

 

“I’m watching you calmly.”

 

“Don’t fall.”

 

And she patted him on the back.

 

“It’s all done.”

 

***

 

The knots of the cloth wrapped around the body were loosened and his hair was gathered into one place. Paula smoothed out his hair. She rearranged it lightly, but it wasn’t as bad as she thought. It was neat. Of course, it would have been better if a professional barber had been called in and trimmed his hair properly, but it was difficult in his condition, so she took the liberty of doing it herself.

 

“Do you have to do this?”

 

“It’s nice to see because it’s neat.”

 

When she cut his hair, it amazed her even more. His appearance certainly stood out. He was probably popular with women. It was worth decorating.

 

“Bring my clothes.”

 

“Ah, if it’s your pyjamas, here it is.”

 

“My outfit.”

 

It was a sudden order. But he didn’t change his mind. Paula came in and opened another chest of drawers for the first time. Shirts, vests, coats, pants, ties, shoes… why were the shoes here?

 

Stirring around the room, she gathered his clothes and held them out to him. Vincent took off his nightgown and put on the clothes one by one.

 

Fully dressed, he looked like Count Vincent Bellunita. He was truly a noble. The atmosphere changed just by changing his clothes. It was a little dry, but it was pretty plausible.

 

“Cane.”

 

As Paula was staring blankly at him, he held out his hand. Cane? She came to her senses, looked around the room again, found his cane, and handed it to him. He stood still with it in his hand. It seemed that he was trying to walk with a cane.

 

Anyways, ready.

 

Paula got out and closed the door. After a while, Ethan came over.

 

“What about Vincent?”

 

“He’s waiting inside.”

 

“Did you practice a lot?”

 

Ethan narrowed his eyes mischievously. It seemed like he knew what Vincent and Paula had been practising. He was a very mean person.

 

“The weather is nice. It would be perfect to go out.”

 

“I see.”

 

“The branches of the trees have sprouted.”

 

“What?”

 

Paula wondered, and when she asked, he just laughed. The bored laugh caught her eye strangely. No, it was like something important was coming up.

 

Meanwhile, Ethan stood in front of the door. But he couldn’t pull the doorknob. She saw his worried face from the side. The complicated state of mind was also revealed. She waited for him to open the door.

 

“I’m worried that nothing has changed.”

 

“Check it out yourself.”

 

“I should.”

 

Having made up his mind, he opened the door. Surprise slowly spread across his face. While observing his reaction, Paula also looked into the room.

 

As planned, Vincent was standing in the middle of the room. He was standing on the floor with a cane.

 

Ethan blinked.

 

“Vincent?”

 

At Ethan’s call, Vincent raised his head. It was a hard face. From the outside, it looked fine, but Paula’s eyes could see the tension hidden in it.

 

Vincent started walking towards them, cane in hand.

 

He practised several times. She even turned his body towards the door before leaving the room. So all he had to do was walk. Paula was nervous and thought he might fall, but fortunately, Vincent strode forward.

 

Vincent quickly reached the door. And finally, he left the room. Ethan, who had been watching without even blinking, spread his arms in awe.

 

“Vincent!”

 

A happy cry was heard.

 

It was a moment that she thought was an unexpectedly violent reaction. Vincent suddenly raised his hand. In his hand was a cane. Taking a step further, Vincent swung the staff in his hand at Ethan.

 

It happened in an instant.

 

Ethan crouched down in fright, and Paula opened her eyes in amazement. The cane, which had lost its target, swung in the air and struck the hallway window.

 

Clink!

 

The sound of breaking glass resounded. Paula was shocked and checked the window. The window glass into which the cane was stuck was shattered. A shard of glass fell. A gloomy voice flowed over the bloody scene.

 

“If you threaten me like that one more time, you will die.”

 

Vincent’s gaze was directed straight ahead, but it was no different from Ethan’s, who was shrinking beneath him. Ethan lowered his arms that were covering his face and looked up at him.

 

“…I am your friend.”

 

“So you threatened me?”

 

“…”

 

Ethan, caught off guard, shut his mouth. Vincent removed his hand from the cane handle and turned his body around. Ethan finally stood up and looked at the broken window. Ethan, who had been dazed for a while, soon regained his senses and went after Vincent, and Vincent turned his body around.

 

“Get out now.”

 

After saying that, the door slammed closed. Paula was stunned by Vincent’s act of kicking out Ethan, going even further by closing the door himself.

 

Ethan stared at the closed door.

 

“He seems very angry.”

 

“Of course.”

 

Paula pulled out the cane stuck in the window.

 

‘No, did you ask for a cane with this in mind?’

 

Paula was thinking about what to do with the broken pieces, but she heard laughter from somewhere. Looking at the source of the sound, Ethan was laughing. She guessed he had gone crazy at last.

 

“Yes. That’s Vincent.”

 

‘That’s right.’

 

Paula shook her head at the sight of him laughing and the twitching at the corners of his mouth. Ethan tapped on the closed door with a blooming face.

 

“Vincent, can I come in?”

 

There was no answer this time, but Ethan opened the door. At a distance not too far from the door, Vincent was standing with an expression asking why he was still there.

 

“Don’t look at me like that. I have something to tell you.”

 

Ethan took something out of his coat pocket and handed it to Vincent. It was a letter. He put it into Vincent’s hand.

 

“It’s a letter from Violet.”

 

Violet!

 

At the mention of a familiar name, Paula’s gaze turned to the letter in Vincent’s hand. She looked down at the letter in his hand.

 

“I heard you didn’t reply to Violet’s letters. She has a lot of worries. I decided to deliver her letter for you to insist on going to see you, and I managed to appease you.”

 

“How is she?”

 

“She is doing well. In good health.”

 

“I’m glad.”

 

Vincent did not open the envelope. He just held it in his hands and then turned his body. After practising for a while, he went back to bed and sat down. Ethan followed after him.

 

“I promised her that I would definitely get a reply, so please write her a reply.”

 

“No.”

 

“I can’t give up either. Ah, Ma’am. A piece of paper and a pen, please.”

 

Ethan turned to Paula and said.

 

Paula glanced at Vincent frowning. She wondered who the person named Violet was, but seeing Vincent’s dissatisfied face, she couldn’t bear to ask. Eventually, she nodded and left the room.

 

That day, Ethan finally got a reply to the letter.

 

Late at night, Paula couldn’t sleep. She left the room to get some fresh air. But a light came from the end of the hallway. It was Ethan with a lamp.

 

“Why are you not sleeping?”

 

“Sir Christopher, what are you doing here?”

 

“I couldn’t sleep, so I was walking around for a bit.”

 

“I can’t sleep either.”

 

She thought about going out of the annexe, but she got annoyed. Instead, he placed the lamp in his hand on the window sill and opened the window. The lights flickered as a cool breeze blew. As Paula stared at it blankly, Ethan came up to her and they stood side by side.

 

“You are mad at me.”

 

“Me?”

 

“You’ve been giving me advice for a long time, but I ignored it.”

 

‘Did you do such a thing even though you knew it?’

 

Well, it wasn’t something he should apologize for. It was natural that the person in a higher position did not listen to the person in a lower position.

 

“You don’t have to apologize. That’s all right.”

 

Ethan scratched his back when he replied.

 

“I am a bad guy, right?”

 

“I can’t say no.”

 

Then Ethan laughed. Paula laughed along too.

 

The short laugh was soon interrupted.

 

There was a stillness in the corridor.

 

Paula shrank into the gloominess.

***