Chapter 13
13
13. The Baron family's Strange Guest (3)
"Why?"
"Only designated servants are allowed to enter the Separate Residence. Even then, they can only go to their assigned areas at certain times. If they deviate from that time, or if an unassigned servant sets foot in the Separate Residence, their head will be chopped off."
I had no idea. I certainly hadn't seen any servants other than a few, but I didn't know that entry itself was restricted. Was it because of Vincent's condition...? I hadn't been warned not to enter any particular place. I guess it was okay because I was a servant attending to him.
"That's too bad."
Lenika smacked her lips as if she was really disappointed.
"If you want to send a letter, please tell me. I'll deliver it for you."
"Ahaha. Thank you."
I said goodbye to Lenika and went down to the dining room for breakfast.
Originally, servants weren't supposed to use it, but no one used it anyway. Vincent didn't try to leave his room, so he ate his meals there, and other than him, there was no one who would come. No, I don't even know if there are other people in this mansion. I've never seen them properly. But that question was just answered.
Anyway, there was no one to say anything, so I used it comfortably.
But today, there was someone there. A guest who came early in the morning.
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"It's okay. Sit down."
He saw the potato in my hand and gestured to the seat across from him. But that couldn't happen. Eating with a guest at the same table, Isabella would be furious. Besides, I needed some time alone. Being with that crazy master drains my energy, even for a short time.
I bowed deeply.
"No. Please enjoy your meal."
"Don't go. I was already feeling awkward eating alone, so I'd be happy if the maid would join me."
But the guest was being persistent. I shook my head firmly. For my sake.
"I can't do that. And please, just call me comfortably."
"I basically believe in being polite to women."
Ethan smiled kindly and gestured to the opposite side again. That's a very good mindset. I admired him lightly and shook my head from side to side.
"It's okay. I'll be going now."
"Are you going to leave me alone?"
"Pardon?"
"To make me eat alone, so lonely. Ah, I can't. Since I have to eat alone, I can't even get the food into my mouth. I can't eat."
He finally put down his spoon. He openly showed his disappointment.
"I've lost my appetite."
At his whining, which came out as if he were muttering, I finally sat quietly across from him. Only then did Ethan smile contentedly and pick up his spoon again to eat his soup. How sly. Vincent and he have such opposite personalities, I wonder how they became friends.
I peeled the potato and took a bite. Even the potatoes here are delicious. But being with an uncomfortable person makes me wonder if the potato is going into my nose or my mouth.
"The food tastes different when we eat together."
"Is that so."
I answered vaguely while watching the door. I was wondering if Isabella or other servants who are here but I've never seen would come in. Or maybe the cook would come in while passing by. Because this place had no signs of anyone.
Eating the potato with my nerves on edge only made my stomach feel bloated.
"How is Vincent? He seemed very angry."
"He wasn't particularly angry."
"But he threw things."
"He does that often."
"Is that so? That must be dangerous often."
Yes, I get hurt a lot because of it. Still, when I think about the atrocities he committed at first, he's been calmer lately. I don't know what kind of change of heart he had, but the number of times he threw a tantrum has decreased a bit. That doesn't mean he doesn't throw things. It's just that three times has turned into two times, and hard things have turned into soft things.
I was shoving a potato into my mouth when suddenly, silence filled the air. When his words stopped ambiguously, I turned my gaze from the door to him. Ethan was moving his lips and hesitating.
Wondering why, I stared at him, and he continued to speak.
"Does the maid know too? I mean, about Vincent's current condition."
"……."
I immediately closed my mouth and swallowed the dry, lumpy potato. From his tense eyes, I realized what he meant by "Vincent's current condition" just now. This side was hired from the beginning to attend to the blind master.
Ethan also knew about Vincent's current condition. I don't know why he's asking even though he knows, but I don't know if it's okay to acknowledge it, so I remained silent for now.
Ethan seemed to judge my silence as affirmation and smiled bitterly.
"Recently, I've often heard rumors that the Vincent Bellunita Baron family is secretly looking for servants. There's even a strange rumor going around that the master is so cruel that people keep quitting."
Listening to his words, I nodded without realizing it. Cruel, huh? That's true. Then I realized.
I glanced at Ethan, and he smiled mischievously.
"Vincent must be bothering the maid a lot."
"No. He treats me kindly."
"But he throws things often, right?"
"Did I say that? It was a slip of the tongue. I'm sorry."
"Oh, you even protect such a master. You're a really kind person."
"……."
I just shut my mouth and buried my nose in the potato. But he was even resting his chin on his hand and looking at me.
"How were you hired? Did you come here yourself?"
"The butler hired me."
Strictly speaking, I was sold, but I didn't bother to add that explanation. Ethan nodded as if he knew who the butler here was.
"Vincent is stubborn, right? No one can stop him once he gets stubborn."
"……."
Don't be fooled. It's a trap.
"Besides, he shows how much he dislikes it when I go against his opinion. He furrows his brow and makes a stiff face. He's quiet, but he always turns things upside down once in a while."
"……."
Don't be fooled. Just ignore it.
"What do commoners call that? Stubbornness? Bullheadedness? What do they call it?"
"Pigheadedness."
"That's right. That. Perfect, right?"
I couldn't refute that, so I affirmed it with silence. Ethan chuckled.
"Still, those were good times..."
The smile gradually disappeared from his face, leaving only bitterness. He looked out the window. White clouds floated gently in the blue sky.
"It's hard to believe, but he wasn't like that at first. He couldn't leave the mansion, but he did his work, occasionally took walks in the garden, and often smiled."
I've already heard that. I can't imagine Vincent taking walks in the garden or doing work. Especially smiling, I couldn't imagine him even more. The Vincent Bellunita I saw was a man cowering in fear in his room, on his bed, under the sheets. The sight of him being afraid to eat, to take a step on the floor, even to breathe, was all I knew of him.
"A few months ago, he suddenly stopped replying to letters, didn't answer when I contacted him, and didn't even meet people when I sent them. I was worried because of his condition, so I came here without thinking, and now I know why."
I had nothing to say to him, who was smiling bitterly. I couldn't easily offer words of comfort. Because it's not an easy problem. Besides, I'm not good with words. I don't expect a mere maid's comfort to ease his worries.
So this is, my own sincerity.
"Don't worry too much. The master is trying too."
His questioning gaze reached me. I said, eating the remaining potato.
"He suddenly had to live in darkness. How scary must it be? He must feel like he's been left alone in the world. If it were me, I'd want to die. Because I wouldn't know who to trust and who to be wary of."
Moreover, even if someone were to punch him, he couldn't avoid it. Because he can't see. Things that are nothing to others come to him as fear. Furthermore, it means that even if someone stabs him with a knife, he can't run away.
Not knowing that his death is approaching.
How terrible would that be?
I remembered Vincent trembling in his nightmare last night. He, who said his life was a failure, was fighting that fear. I wondered what it would be like if it were me. The conclusion was the same. Wouldn't I have been holed up in one place, trembling?
"But the master didn't die. He's so afraid that he has convulsions when someone tries to touch him, but he's still trying to live. He's fighting."
Of course, it's not that he doesn't want to die. Vincent, who hates being touched, doesn't eat, doesn't go out, and only crouches on the bed, was waiting for death. At least, that's how it looked to me.
But when he lost his sight and still lived the same daily life as before, he must have struggled to live. Even now, he can bite his tongue and die. But he didn't. He has a desire to live. I think that alone means he's making a great effort.
"Rather than this and that comfort, just cheer him on in your heart. Sometimes silence is better than comfort. Christopher isn't the master. It's not right to say you understand someone else's pain. How can someone else know my pain? They're not experiencing it with me."
I am just me after all. Vincent said something similar last time. I agreed. Understanding someone else's pain is just the sound of a dog barking. I can't be Vincent. Unless I have an accident and become blind, any comfort to Vincent will only feel like pain. That was the same for the man in front of me.
"Please wait. So that the master can win."
"……."
A moment of silence passed. No words came back. Ethan didn't say anything until I cleaned up the potato peels I had finished eating and shook my hands. Eventually, feeling puzzled, I raised my head, and Ethan was looking at me with a strange face.
Why is he looking at me like that? Did I make a mistake?
"What's wrong?"
"The maid is really..."
Really? Really, what?
"You're honest."
"Pardon?"
"Should I say you're cold, or that you have a firm side? You don't seem like it on the outside, but you're more kind than I thought."
Is it a compliment or a complaint? I frowned at the incomprehensible words. Ethan seemed to be pondering for a moment before continuing.
"Still, I can't just wait. I have something to deliver too."
"If it's important, should I deliver it for you?"
"That would be good too, but it seems like it would be more effective if I delivered it myself."
He smiled and gently refused.
"In that sense, I want to go inside the room."
"You can only enter if the master allows you to."
"Can't you do something with your power?"
