The Count’s Secret Maid - Chapter 21

Starting with the portrait of the Bellunita couple, three people in harmony were framed. In the middle, a young Vincent was also seen.

 

Paula clicked her tongue as she looked at the cute child with a bright smile.

 

“How did that happen? What a pity…”

 

People say it only takes a moment to change. She couldn’t have imagined that the little Vincent standing in that frame would lose his sight and end up confined to his room.

 

Paula took a quick look around the building, then came out through the back door and took a leisurely stroll through the garden. It was an outbuilding hidden behind the largest and most splendid mansion, but there was also a garden there. If you go out the back door, you can see a small garden, and if you go back to the front, a larger garden spread out.

 

She was seeing the garden for the first time. The well-groomed trees and flowers were refreshing to look at. It was beautiful, as though even the weeds that were trodden on were managed. Paula felt the sincere hands of the gardeners.

 

The weather was very nice today.

 

It was almost too good.

 

[The weather is nice these days, so how about having tea time in the garden?]

 

After returning from her walk in the garden, Paula smiled broadly while reading the letter in golden letters that came today. This is it!

 

“How about having tea time in the garden today?”

 

So Paula proposed to him at lunch. However, Vincent frowned at once.

 

“What nonsense.”

 

She thought it was a good suggestion, but he didn’t seem to like it. But today the weather was really nice. Rarely did the sun break through the clouds, and warm air floated around. Being stuck inside like this on a day like today was poison.

 

“Sometimes they say it’s good to get outside.”

 

“No one should see me.”

 

“Wouldn’t it be okay if it was only for a while?”

 

Besides, Paula couldn’t see any servants other than herself in the garden as well as this annexe. There were no people around here. It seemed that the outbuildings and the garden were deliberately blocking the access of the servants. So there will be no danger of anyone watching.

 

“How do I get there?”

 

“I will take you there!”

 

As Paula shouted vigorously, his face contorted in displeasure. Regardless, she helped him get ready to go out. It was easy to find his clothes for the outing because she had prepared the clothes for going out the other day in advance. Of course, Vincent refused, but she really wanted to take him to the garden today.

 

It was so hard to take each step. He gritted his teeth and put strength on his legs.

 

“I’m going to fall down on my way.”

 

“In that case, I’ll take you there well.”

 

Even his voice trembled when he spoke. Holding both arms tightly, she took another step. There was a sigh from behind.

 

“I haven’t been able to serve you well enough. Your legs are dragging.”

 

Paula was carrying him with her back half bent. It was natural for his long legs to drag on the floor as he was taller than her. His body was overflowing even after taking up all of the space on her back. Besides, he was quite heavy. So, this was an unavoidable situation.

 

It took a lot of adversity for her to walk with him on her back. She was thin and was caught off guard.

 

“Go back to my room now.”

 

“Master, I don’t want to. Ah, huh, please, kick your legs a little. Ah, please be patient. Please.”

 

Paula insisted on his dissuasion. She really wanted to take him outside. She could have supported his decision and carried him away, but she chose to carry him because she was afraid he would not go. She grabbed his drooping arms tightly and took a step forward with all her might.

 

She managed to reach the garden even though she had been walking with difficulty, supporting the weight from above. In the meantime, her whole body was covered with sweat, but she was proud to have him sit on the chair in the garden. She smiled broadly and wiped the sweat from her face.

 

A gentle breeze blew through his golden hair. His face moved in the wind.

 

“Where are we?”

 

“This is the garden at the back of the outbuilding. It’s not too far away, but I brought us here because there was a table and it would be nice to sit down and enjoy tea time here. I think it’s a place that even workers don’t pass by.”

 

So it was poorly managed and messy, but she roughly organized it. It was a table that she often noticed whenever she looked out the window. She thought it was very strange that it was placed in the garden behind the annexe, but she never thought it could be used like this. There was no one passing by the back of the outbuilding, so of course, there were no people around here either.

 

Vincent didn’t ask for more. He just felt the wind. Seeing his slightly relaxed face, she came to the conclusion that he didn’t seem to hate it. Paula thought he was going to say to go back, but he didn’t, fortunately.

 

Paula smiled and put the prepared items on the table in order. Then she took his hand and made him grip the handle of the cup. Then, hot tea was poured into it. It was the tea he had been drinking the other day.

 

He must have really enjoyed drinking Nobelle’s black tea, and the tea leaves she received as a gift quickly ran out. So she asked the golden letters where she could buy them, and they sent her three new ones.

 

[Tell me if you need more.]

 

Paula had been feeling good lately, the golden letters seem to belong to a really good person.

 

‘Make sure to write a reply saying thank you.’

 

“It’s delicious.”

 

“You had it last time.”

 

“I know. It tastes different.”

 

He looked relaxed as he sipped tea. He really liked it. Thanks to that, Paula had been serving him tea often lately. It was especially good to use it for soothing purposes when there was a sign of being hit.

 

“I would like to read a book here today.”

 

“Another boring book.”

 

“No. It is an adventure novel. Sir Chris- no, I heard you like it.”

 

Paula was about to mention Ethan, but she cut herself off in a hurry. That name was taboo for him now. Somehow it was. She grabbed the book she had tucked under her side and sat down on the opposite chair.

 

She opened the book, cleared her throat and opened her mouth slowly.

 

The pace was slow, with the feeling that gave him enough time to imagine, the pronunciation was clear, and she didn’t forget to breathe in between. Paula read the book, recalling the parts pointed out by Vincent in her head.

 

Her voice as she read the book became smoother than before. Even thinking about it, she was quite satisfied. Besides, this time there was no criticism from Vincent. It was at a moment when she realized that and rejoiced inside.

 

“What do you look like?”

 

An unexpected question came out of his mouth. Paula stopped reading and looked up. He put his cup down on the table and was looking at her. As soon as she met those emerald eyes, her mind went blank. So she couldn’t speak right away.

 

She never thought he would ask her this question.

 

“Uh, why are you curious about that?”

 

“Because I’m curious. I want to know what your shameless face looks like.”

 

“I will read the next sentence.”

 

Ignoring his words, Paula lowered her head back to the book. She was thinking of turning the conversation around.

 

But suddenly, a long fingertip touched her bangs. It was a slight touch. It was so insignificant that it could hardly be called contact. But Paula jumped up from her seat in surprise as if he had just touched her face.

 

The sound of a chair being tipped over echoed behind her. She managed to hold on to the shaking table at the sudden recoil. The book rolled across the floor. With his hands in the air, Vincent opened his eyes wide. It was a surprised face.

 

The wind blew and blew.

 

“Ah, there… Ah, you suddenly tried to touch my face… I’m sorry.”

 

Paula fixed the table and put the chair back up. She picked up the book that had fallen on the floor and put it on the table.

 

He said with a calm face.

 

“What are you so surprised about? I said I wanted to know what you looked like.”

 

“Then why are you trying to touch my face?”

 

“I can’t see it, so I have to touch it to know it.”

 

Paula sat down on a chair and glanced at him. Her opponent couldn’t see her. So unless someone tells him what her face looked like, he will never know. And now that he was asking like this, it seems that someone didn’t tell him.

 

“What do you look like?”

 

“I look normal.”

 

“How?”

 

Paula couldn’t bear to say that it was a face that was pointed at by people. She bit her lip and wondered how to divert his attention.

 

“What does it look like?”

 

“I’ll tell you later. I will read the book first.”

 

“Hiding it like that makes me more curious.”

 

“…”

 

But it didn’t work. He wiggled his fingers as if he were going to reach out again. Paula anxiously looked at his fingertips.

 

“I’m a bit short.”

 

“I know that. Something else.”

 

“…My hair reaches my chest.”

 

“Over?”

 

“No, not over… I cut it some time ago.”

 

Paula didn’t know because she didn’t look in the mirror, but before she knew it, her hair had grown to the point where it was annoying. So, a few days ago, she cut it off to the top of her chest with scissors.

 

In fact, long hair was burdensome. Her unmanaged hair was frizzy, and the back of her hair was useless even if it was long. Besides, it got in the way when she was working, so she had to tie it behind. Still, not cutting it short was her last bit of pride. If even her hair was short, there would be nothing feminine left about her body.

 

“Is your hair curly? I have straight hair and curly hair.”

 

“Me too… A little bit.”

 

“Hmm…”

 

He groaned briefly, pondered something for a moment, and then reached out his hand again. For a moment, her body stiffened, thinking that the fingertips would point to her face again.

 

But this time, he didn’t turn to her face. It was her hair that the outstretched hand carefully touched as if searching for something while stirring the air.

 

He grabbed the tip of her wavy hair and touched it.

 

“Really. The ends are bent.”

 

“…”

 

Touching the tip of her curled-up hair with his thumb, he smiled softly. Paula looked at his hand playfully touching the top of her head.

 

“And?”

 

“And… and… What are you curious about?”

 

“All. Tell me in detail.”

 

Give him any piece to imagine, he was asking for it.

 

Paula muttered, but she couldn’t get the words out easily. She had never used her mouth for describing what she looked like. She didn’t like that, and it wasn’t worth it.

 

“Are you skinny?”

 

‘Yes, I’m too skinny to the point of being unsightly.’

 

She had put on some weight now, but she was considered too skinny until she came here, and she grew up hearing that she looked like a corpse when she moved around.

 

“I’m normal.”

 

“Are your eyes big?”

 

“They are big. When I was young, I often heard that I could only be seen with my eyes.”

 

“What about your nose?”

 

“That is…”

 

As she tried to answer his rapidly pouring questions, all that came out were lies. Except for the length of her hair and the size of her eyes, nothing about what she said was correct. And those lies gathered together to make one person. Funny enough, it was Alicia who completed her description.

 

‘Unlike me, my sister is so pretty.’

***