The Count’s Secret Maid - Chapter 29

Tea time with the Count (10)

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“Master.”

“…”

Paula looked at Vincent, who was leaning against the door. He could feel the continuous knocks on the door, but he didn’t even move.

The moment Violet’s flustered voice made his face turn red, he immediately stood up to get out of the drawing room. But when he got up, he hit his knee on the sofa again, and tried to walk away pretending nothing was wrong, but then he hit his face against the wall. It was then that the nosebleed broke out. However, he didn’t care and turned around and bumped his back against the cabinet in front of him. Only after the ornaments on it fell to the floor and broke was he able to leave the parlour safely. And as promised, Paula took him by the hand and led him into the room.

As soon as he entered the room, he locked the door. Violet, who had followed behind, knocked on the door, but he did not open it. Paula sat in front of him, unable to do anything. The body temperature of the hand she was still holding was so cold that she could vaguely feel his heart.

“Vincent! Vincent!”

Violet called for him so loudly it felt like her throat was about to burst. She once saw a similar situation. And just like back then, he wouldn’t open the door.

“Master. Miss Violet keeps calling.”

“…I know.”

“Maybe I should open the door.”

Vincent shook his head.

“Practice didn’t help. It is wrong for a blind person to pretend to see. So it happened. It was a predestined ending. It’s over now. It’s all done…”

“Vincent! Open the door! Please!”

The voice of despair crashed into the door and disappeared. Paula was at a loss as to what to say to him.

After a while, footsteps approached. It seemed to be Ethan’s. Paula could hear him soothing Violet. Soon, the sound of the two pairs of footsteps receded.

Silence overtook the place. Even knowing that the two had left, Vincent still kept his head down. Paula moved her head around to check Vincent’s condition, then gently wrapped her arms around his cheeks. His shame-stained face was now pale, his eyes cast into despair. There were blood stains around his nose. He didn’t even have time to wipe his nosebleed properly.

She let go of his hand and got up and headed to the bathroom. She took out a clean towel, drenched it in water, and returned. Then she gently wiped the blood from his face with a wet towel.

“Not yet… It’s not over yet. It can’t break yet…”

“Miss Violet will understand.”

“For now, this is how it has to be.”

What did he mean? Paula tilted her head. He said nothing again. Only heavy air floated in the room where even the self-talk stopped.

She met Ethan on the way out after putting him to sleep because he was tired. The smile on Ethan’s face was filled with fatigue.

“I’m sorry.”

“Why is Madam apologizing? To be precise, it’s not even your fault.”

Still, it was true that these four months had been caused by what she said. She guessed that was why Isabella told her to watch her mouth. The moment of no return was left with regret.

“Everything will be fine.”

Ethan patted Paula on the shoulder. His usual light attitude was somehow comforting.

The next day the mansion was quiet. Ethan didn’t show up anywhere, and Violet, who had been knocking on the door until last night, didn’t come either. Paula thought she’d come back, but maybe Ethan had calmed her down.

As always, Paula tidied up the room and checked Vincent’s condition. He had been eating well lately, got out of bed and walked, and he didn’t have any seizures. But it was a secret only Paula knew that he suffered from nightmares all night.

Paula was delivering the laundry to Renica and picking up a new one when someone called her.

“Paula.”

It was Violet.

Approaching the call, Paula found Violet’s eyes to be red and swollen. She seemed to have cried all night.

“How is Vincent? Is he still very angry?”

“Please do not misunderstand. The master is not angry.”

“I’m glad then.”

Violet laughed weakly. It was a pity for her sagging shoulders.

“I heard from Ethan. You knew about it, right?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Oh, dear. Paula doesn’t have to apologize.”

Violet waved her hand. However, the pale complexion did not look good. She seemed to have stayed up late last night. She knocked on the door and called him, and seemed to overdo it. Paula was worried that she would fall over there. She took off her apron and left it in the shade nearby and sat Violet on it. Then Paula sat next to Violet as well.

“I think you’d better get some rest here.”

“Thank you.”

Violet smiled hard. As she put her head against the wall, the wind blew in and cooled the heat.

“Paula, will you listen to me?”

“Yes. Please tell me.”

Violet licked her lips slowly.

“I mean, since childhood, I have been a fiancée who lacked a lot. I hated the knowledge and etiquette that a Lady had to learn. Because I was a tomboy. I preferred to lift up my long skirt and run around rather than sit still.”

Lost in her old memories, Violet laughed happily. Her gloom passed for a moment.

“So my mother was very upset. ‘A lady can’t do that, then no man will like you’. Whenever I was troubled like that, Vincent comforted me. He said that he liked me because I showed my honest charm without hiding it. He told me that it was more fun to match each other than to sacrifice for someone else.”

‘What kind of admirable thing did that master say?’ Paula honestly couldn’t imagine. So she unknowingly gave her a suspicious look. Fortunately, Violet was too immersed in the warm memories of her past and did not notice Paula’s gaze on her.

“I liked that Vincent. I wanted to be by his side, he was someone who looked at the inside, not the outside of a person. So when I was young and my engagement with Vincent was decided, I was happy from within. Because Violet gets to be with him for the rest of her life.”

“…”

“I didn’t care if Vincent treated me as a friend or as his family. I will love him, my husband, with all my heart. Until my love burns me, even if everyone turns away from him, I will be on his side, that’s what I promised.”

Her convictions were evident in her determined voice. There was not even the slightest hesitation on her stiffly raised face. She was beautifully whispering her own love. The woman who expressed her love had come. She was such a lovely person that just watching her would make anyone blind.

“So… I thought I could accept him no matter what he looked like… Actually, Paula. When I found out about Vincent’s true condition, I thought about it for a moment, but I hated it.”

The light went out and darkness fell again. Violet smiled as if crying and let her shoulders droop.

“I am such an ugly person. If I had been quick-witted, I would have noticed Vincent’s troubles. I was happy to meet him, I didn’t know he was in trouble. It must have been very difficult for him to come to meet me. He must have been scared… I didn’t even know that, and I was fooling around asking why he was not meeting me. I don’t deserve to be his wife.”

“That’s not true.”

“A good wife should have calmly embraced him without being surprised by his appearance. I should have whispered that it was okay and that I still loved him.”

Paula immediately shook her head. It was a matter that could not be easily judged as right or wrong. Violet’s attitude was natural, and Paula knew that even though she was inexperienced. Vincent would have known as well.

“Miss Violet. If I may dare to say, I don’t think this is a matter suitable for arguing over whose fault it was. How could Miss Violet know what Master and Sir Ethan were hiding? It would be appreciated if you noticed it beforehand and pretended not to know, but I don’t ‘t think it’s something to blame yourself for not doing so. And I think Miss Violet’s reaction was natural.”

“Really?”

“Sure. To be honest, I think it’s more amazing to notice when you’re determined to hide it. As a person who watched from the side, Master was hiding it very carefully. If I hadn’t known about my master’s condition, I wouldn’t have noticed either.”

When Paula added that he even practised, she naturally smiled. Violet asked what kind of practice they had done, and when Paula said that he prepared everything from walking to lifting a teacup to talking, she smiled sadly, saying that it must have been a lot of hard work for him.

And it let go of her sadness.

“What I want to tell you is that you don’t have to blame yourself, Miss Violet. Honestly, it’s worse to hide it from someone who’s going to be your wife someday. So you can act like a baby. As I said before, sometimes ignoring the other person’s feelings brings good results.”

“Is it really so? Will there be good results?”

Paula firmly nodded her head. Of course, not all results were good, but now the two needed an opportunity to face each other. And now was the moment. If it was for the sake of the other person, Paula believed that the effort will surely lead to good results.

“Do whatever Miss Violet wants.”

“Do as I want…”

Violet whispered in her low voice, tilting her head and looking up at the sky. Her purple eyes lit up. As if pondering for a moment, a determined smile appeared on her face.

“Yes. I want to be more childish. It’s okay to be greedy. If that’s the way I can meet Vincent, I’ll do it. I want to be by his side.”

She looked back at Paula with her bright face. Her fine hair fluttered in the wind.

“Paula, cheer me on.”

Her determined eyes shone brightly. No, she herself was dazzling. Paula could not take her eyes off Violet, who feared burning her own love.

Pretty. Violet was beautiful, but the heart of trying to face the other person without giving up from the beginning was so beautiful.

‘If I love someone, will I be like that?’

Paula smiled bitterly.

‘I’ll never have such a partner.’

‘The hands of the noble lady that’s the same age as me will continue to be smooth and fine, but my hands will continue to be this rough and shabby. My appearance won’t change either. A flashy moment in my life will never come.’

“Yes.”

‘But this time I was willing to answer.’

* * *

From that day on Violet persisted in front of Vincent’s door. She called him round the door. But he didn’t open the door. The door wasn’t locked. But Violet insisted on waiting for him to open it himself.

Ethan told Paula that he was sweating again today to soothe Violet, who was about to skip meals and run to Vincent’s room. Ethan also tried to persuade Vincent by talking to him after that day but failed every time. This was not a problem that could be solved by being coercive like last time.

‘Why don’t you speak out for once?”

Paula couldn’t refuse because she was unfamiliar with his weak smile.

Looking at Vincent, who was eating, he said slowly and hesitantly.

“Master, why don’t you meet Miss Violet?”

“Stop.”

He cut off her words at once. He put the bowl he was holding on the bedside table. He hadn’t even eaten half of it.

“I have no appetite, so take this.”

Paula caught him trying to lie down on the bed.

“Miss Violet said she would accept whatever the master looked like.”

“Stop it.”

“She will continue holding out in front of the door. She will end up fainting there.”

“Stop! Say no more. It’s an order.”

Vincent grabbed Paula by the wrist. The determined voice was different from before.

Don’t cross the line anymore. There was a clear warning.

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