Translator: Nox

Chapter 100

100

100. That Still Strange Guest (14)

Today, Ethan lazed around until lunchtime again. Because he skipped breakfast, I coaxed him into eating lunch. After finishing his meal, he flopped back into bed, but I didn't nag him today. Ethan was usually one to face any situation head-on, but seeing him so dejected, it seemed like it was definitely not an easy problem.

The conversation I had with Vincent yesterday ended vaguely.

Before he left, he left me with a word.

"Don't tell Ethan."

I knew what he meant without him having to mention it. Don't tell him that he was worried. Really, they're such dishonest people. I just hoped that their relationship would be smoothly restored.

With Ethan holed up in his room, the day was free. So, I went to see Robert in the middle of the day. However, Robert was napping again, and only Nanny greeted me.

"Welcome, Ann. Where is Count Christopher?"

"He's taking a nap."

"Well, since both Ann and I are free, shall we have some snacks?"

Nanny lifted a plate filled with cookies. I nodded readily.

We sat facing each other at the table, picking at cookies and chatting about this and that. It wasn't anything special, but it was quite enjoyable.

As we were chatting away, yesterday's events suddenly came to mind.

"Nanny, have you ever fought with someone close to you?"

Nanny's eyes widened, and she put down the teacup she was drinking from. Then, she seemed to think for a moment, her gaze fixed on the air.

"Well, it was a long time ago, but I did have a big fight with a close friend."

"How did you reconcile?"

"Well, I don't think we particularly reconciled or anything."

"You never reconciled?"

Did their relationship perhaps grow distant as it was? As I asked, puzzled, Nanny smiled slightly.

"I think we just somehow got along again as we went on. When you're together for a long time, you just naturally resolve things without having to say this or that to each other."

Nanny looked a little embarrassed and took another sip of her tea. You can resolve things without trying to reconcile. I nodded, pondering the unexpected relationship.

After parting with Nanny, I was walking down the hallway when I ran into Johnny after a long time. Johnny was also one of the few remaining servants in the mansion. I guess he was doing a pretty good job, huh?

Johnny was holding a silver tray. On the tray was a tiered plate with cakes and cookies, and a teapot. I easily guessed where he was going.

"Where are you headed?"

Johnny asked.

"Just around. Looks like you're on your way to deliver that?"

"Yeah."

Answering, Johnny took another step. I watched him and then followed him slightly behind.

"Hey, have you ever had a big fight with someone and then reconciled?"

"Why are you suddenly saying that? Who would I fight with?"

"Just, you know, a close friend or something."

"I don't have that."

Johnny's confidence in letting me know he had no friends was absurd. Good for you, really. Then I realized that I didn't have anyone I could call a friend either, and I fell silent.

"Didn't you have anything similar?"

"Well, I did fight with a colleague I worked with."

"How did you reconcile?"

"Didn't reconcile?"

I felt like I vaguely knew why he had no friends. Out of pity, I lifted my heels and patted Johnny's shoulder. Then Johnny violently shrugged his shoulders, knocking my hand away.

"What about you, have you ever fought with a close friend and reconciled?"

"……."

"Why are you making a fuss with me when you don't have one either."

No, it wasn't really a fuss. I muttered gloomily, then suddenly realized that Johnny was in a bad mood.

"What's wrong?"

"……Nothing."

It was a voice that sounded like something was wrong to anyone who heard it.

It wasn't nothing. I was about to ask what it was, but Johnny changed the subject.

"Come to think of it, I heard you're close with that man?"

"Who."

"That man, Count Christopher. They say he's super close with the owner here. There are a lot of rumors that that man directly appointed you as someone to serve him. Is it true?"

As expected, rumors had spread. No wonder I had been feeling the gazes of other servants whenever I passed through the hallway recently. The gaze as if looking at something strange was already familiar to me, and I didn't pay much attention to it because they didn't bother to talk to me, but it was definitely something to misunderstand. Alicia had also been badgering me every night about what our relationship was, and I was barely managing to ignore it.

I sighed and shook my head.

"It's true, but don't misunderstand. We just have some connection."

"Wow, really? How did you get connected?"

"It's just something."

"Have you ever worked in a mansion like this before?"

I suddenly stopped walking.

"Why are you asking?"

"Is there any other way for people like you and me to get connected with nobles other than that?"

Well, he had a point.

"And you also seem quite used to doing this kind of work."

"You seem used to it too."

"Well, I've done all sorts of things."

"Then, have you ever done this kind of work?"

"Well……."

The light answer was close to affirmative. It was a bit surprising. Well, since he could read and write, it didn't seem like he had only done manual labor.

"That's unexpected. I think you would have been pretty good at it too. But why did you do that kind of labor?"

"It didn't end well……. Ah, never mind! It'll just make me feel bad."

Johnny shook his head wildly. The conversation ended abruptly. It just made me more curious.

As we were talking and walking, we arrived in front of Joelly's room before I knew it. Johnny knocked on the door twice and then immediately opened it. I was about to turn around to go do my own work, but Joelly's cheerful voice burst out through the opened door. I glanced in that direction without thinking, then paused.

Johnny went inside, and the door slowly closed. Through the narrowing gap, I could see Joelly, Alicia, and Vincent. Vincent might have come to see Joelly. But the reason my steps stopped was because of Alicia and Vincent's appearance.

Alicia was standing in front of Vincent with a shy expression. And Vincent was holding the end of Alicia's hair, examining it with an indifferent face. Joelly was teasingly watching the two of them. For some reason, I couldn't move my body at the sight of the three of them looking so friendly.

Only after the door slammed shut did I realize that I had been standing there without even breathing. After finally exhaling slowly once, I still couldn't move from in front of the door. I stood there blankly, groping in my head for what I had seen.

How long had I been standing there? The door opened again, and Johnny came out of the room. I, who had been standing there blankly until then, looked up and stared at Johnny. Johnny made a puzzled expression and then frowned.

"What. What's wrong with you?"

"……."

"Did someone steal something from you?"

The door behind Johnny slammed shut. I glanced in that direction and then came to my senses.

"What are you suddenly talking about."

"No, you have a face like you've been robbed of something."

Me……? Puzzled, I rubbed my cheek for no reason. Johnny tilted his head.

"Did something bad happen?"

"Uh, no."

"It's not nothing. You have a bad expression."

"It's not."

As I waved my hand and turned my body, Johnny blocked my path. As I glared at him asking why, Johnny suddenly rummaged through his pocket and took something out. It was two cookies wrapped in cloth. Looking at it, it was the cookies that were on the plate earlier. When did he take them separately?

Johnny handed one of them to me.

"Eat this."

"No thanks."

"Hey, don't refuse and eat it. I'm giving it to you with a big heart."

"I said no thanks."

"Do you not like sweets?"

"It's not that."

"Then eat it. Here."

Johnny personally put the cookie in my mouth. I bit into the cookie in confusion and glared at him. He said it was super expensive if I tried to spit it out. So I chewed and ate it.

"Delicious, right?"

"I guess."

"Did someone steal something from you and you fought? So are you trying to reconcile?"

"It's not that."

I don't know what strange misunderstanding he had, but I shook my head firmly. Johnny seemed to ponder for a moment and then continued.

"I don't have anything to do now, so I'm going to go refresh myself, do you want to come?"

It was a sudden suggestion.

He said he was going to refresh himself, but it was just a tour of the mansion. I thought, what fun would it be to see the same place I see every day again, but it was a surprisingly strange feeling.

Come to think of it, I had never properly toured the mansion before. The mansion was much bigger than I knew, and there were many unfamiliar places I had not yet been to.

It was the servants' break time now, so the mansion was quiet. I was glad there were no people to run into. Still, I walked around, checking for signs of people just in case. If I felt like it was a place I shouldn't enter, I cleverly avoided it. As I did, it felt like I was on an adventure.

I felt a little better. Johnny scurried around and led me here and there.

"You seem to know this place well."

"That's Alicia."

Johnny's expression suddenly turned gloomy after saying that. He clasped his hands together and fidgeted. His shoulders drooped. He suddenly looked like he was in a bad mood.

I tilted my head, examining his face. Did something happen?

"Why. What is it."

"Alicia has become cold."

Was this the first or second time Alicia had acted coldly? After Vincent appeared, I had never seen Alicia treat Johnny kindly.

In addition, as the Probationary period was extended due to Ethan's situation, Alicia treated Johnny even more coldly. Sometimes when Johnny acknowledged Alicia, Alicia didn't even pretend to notice. As if he wasn't even qualified to associate with her.

"That's…… she hates me. She's annoyed."

"What? Did Alicia say that directly?"

"Yeah. I ran into her the other day and greeted her, and she came up to me and said she really hated me, and to stop acknowledging her."

His drooping voice sounded like it was crawling on the floor. I didn't know that such a thing would happen in such a short time. At the sight of the heartbroken man, I secretly shook my head. I couldn't even comfort him because he looked like he would cry if I touched him even slightly.

"She said that she and I will live in different worlds from now on. What does that mean……?"

"W, well."

I pretended not to know, but in fact, I knew best what it meant. Usually, I would have clicked my tongue and expressed my pity, but I couldn't because I was not in a good mood right now. The image of Alicia and Vincent that I had seen a little while ago came to mind.

It was strange. Or is that normal? Can the relationship between an employee and an employer be so affectionate? The image of Vincent holding the end of Alicia's hair kept popping up in my head. It was a light gesture, but it was a stranger sight to me than anything else.

When did they get so close? I had never even thought about it.

"Does the owner of this place come to see Joelly often?"

I blurted out the thoughts that were spinning around in my head. Johnny answered nonchalantly.

"He comes quite often. Sometimes they exchange light conversation, and sometimes they have deep conversations, but at that time, all the servants are moved outside, so I don't know exactly what they're talking about."

"It seems like he's also…… close with Alicia."

"Is that so? I've seen the three of them together often. Just a little while ago……."

Johnny, who had said that far, became depressed again.

"Does she hate me that much."

Johnny must have noticed Alicia's feelings for Vincent as well. I clicked my tongue.