Chapter 23
# 23
23. Tea Time with the Count (5)
“Isabella, how has Vincent been lately? Ethan doesn’t tell me anything. He looked alright when I saw him just now, but……”
“He has improved a lot.”
“Oh! That’s a relief. I’m so glad.”
Violet sighed in relief. I looked at her, puzzled. I thought she didn’t know about Vincent’s condition, or did she?
As if reading my mind, Ethan explained in a small voice.
“Violet knows that Vincent is recovering from a major injury. Similar things have happened several times since then, and I told her that the wounds are too deep to heal well, and he’s suffering from aftereffects.”
“And what is Christopher to him?”
“He’s a friend. The three of us have known each other since we were kids.”
So that’s why he came along. I nodded and looked at her beautiful face, which seemed desperate.
“Can I see Vincent’s face?”
“I’m sorry, Violet.”
“Ah……”
Her face, which had been bright, was now filled with disappointment.
“When will I be able to see Vincent’s face properly?”
“Father is doing this because he is worried about Violet. He doesn’t want to worry his fiancée, Violet, by showing her how difficult he is having. Please understand Father’s heart.”
“I know. I know it well. But……”
Her gloomy voice trailed off. She clenched her hands on her lap, her expression distorted as if she was about to cry. Her face was filled with worry for her fiancé.
“But, but……”
Then, suddenly, her gaze fell on me.
“Paula, this is my earnest request!”
She suddenly stood up and grabbed my hands. I was taken aback by the sudden closeness. I rolled my eyes around.
“Please tell Vincent that I want to see him, I really, really want to see him, that I don’t care what he looks like, I just want to see his face, okay?”
“Yes? Uh, yes?”
My bewildered face turned quickly from side to side. Behind me, Isabella was calmly sipping her tea, and next to me, Ethan was munching on a cookie. I glanced back and forth between the two of them. And then I realized. The two of them, with their carefree faces, had no intention of helping me at all.
The violet eyes in front of me sparkled. I didn’t know what to do with the sparkle, and after floundering around, I reluctantly nodded.
“Master.”
He didn’t flinch at the sound of the door opening. Even though I approached him with a loud noise, he still didn’t react. The round shape, turned towards the wall, was still. Was it my imagination that I felt a strange murderous aura from him?
“Master. Are you asleep?”
“……”
“Violet asked me to convey a message. I will recite it as I heard it. I want to see you, I really, really want to see you, I don’t care what you look like, I just want to see your face, that’s all.”
He still didn’t respond. I remembered his face turning pale when he heard that his fiancée had come. While I was hesitating, Ethan suddenly stepped into the room.
“Yo, Vincent.”
At that moment, a pillow flew and hit Ethan in the face. Vincent, who had already sat up, was glaring at the door.
“Get out.”
Ethan picked up the pillow and grumbled.
“Don’t get angry. I couldn’t help it.”
“You said she wouldn’t come if I just wrote back to her letter.”
“I thought so too. But Violet suddenly said she was going to go here and ran out without warning. Nanny and I both tried to stop her, but it was no use. You know how she is. Once she’s stubborn, she’ll do it no matter what. That’s why I told you to write back to her letters regularly.”
As Ethan grumbled, Vincent picked up the cup that was on the bedside table this time. Seeing this, Ethan shut his mouth and quickly hid behind me. I looked back at Ethan with a pathetic look.
“Maid. You were really cool just now. I was so impressed. I was so impressed that I just watched you grab Vincent’s hand and run away. Run, Master! Awesome. Cool.”
“Stop it.”
I knew very well that what I had done just now was rude, even if I didn’t have to be told. Besides, a mere maid grabbing her master’s hand and running away. I covered my flushed face with my bangs out of embarrassment.
“Why? It’s so cool. Maid.”
“I said stop it.”
“Don’t be shy. I almost fell in love with you.”
“Cut it out.”
Vincent put down the cup and snapped at Ethan. Ethan stopped talking. As the chatter disappeared, a dark tension flowed into the room. Vincent ran a hand over his face. Haa. He looked miserable as he let out a deep sigh.
I checked on his condition and continued.
“Violet said she’ll be waiting in the garden.”
“Tell her nicely…… to go back.”
“I don’t think she’ll go back. She seems to have made up her mind.”
“You get out.”
Vincent waved his hand as if he didn’t want to hear anymore and lay back down on the bed. I glanced at him and pushed Ethan’s back. There was no one who could comfort him right now. Ethan reluctantly left the room with a regretful look on his face.
As soon as I closed the door, I sighed. Ethan seemed to be thinking about something for a moment. Seeing him like that, the conversations I had with Vincent came to mind, but first things first.
“What were you trying to do?”
“Maid, I’m upset too. I really didn’t know.”
Ethan looked really upset. I gave him a look of disbelief.
“What should we do now?”
“First, let’s try to appease Violet. She may seem tough, but she’s soft and simple inside, so if we appease her well, she’ll go back. It’s always been like that.”
“What if she still doesn’t go back?”
“Then, um…… I’ll have to think about it.”
In the end, that meant he had no plan at all.
Ethan and I headed to the garden side by side. Violet was kneeling in front of a flower bed full of purple flowers. Her soft, long fingertips brushed against the flower buds.
“Violet.”
Her gaze, which had been on the flowers, turned to us. Her face brightened quickly, and she quickly scanned the surroundings with her eyes. I knew who she was looking for without having to ask.
“Where’s Vincent?”
“He won’t see you.”
“……I see.”
She became gloomy. Then she glanced at me, so I shook my head.
“I’ve told him several times, but he told me to tell you to go back.”
“Okay. I thought so. ……It’s okay. Thank you for telling me.”
Violet tried not to show her disappointment, even though she was clearly disappointed. Instead, she smiled kindly at me as if to comfort me. She was such a beautiful person.
She looked at the purple flower bed again. I looked down at her.
“Ethan, can you help me? I want to make a bouquet. I thought it would be nice to put it in Vincent’s room.”
She’s an angel! She’s going to make a bouquet for someone who doesn’t even write back to her letters properly and doesn’t even see her when she visits. Her heart is really like an angel.
While I was admiring her in my mind, she snapped off a flower. Her arms were filled with colorful flowers. Ethan said okay, rolled up his sleeves, and squatted down next to Violet. Then he snapped off the flowers after her, but he looked so half-hearted. I frowned slightly and joined in picking the flowers.
“You shouldn’t pick them like that.”
“Huh?”
“It’s better to pick them at the end like this. You should pick the stems as long as possible so that it’s easier to trim them nicely later. It’s cleaner to cut them with scissors, though.”
I explained the method to Ethan and skillfully snapped off a purple flower. The two of them looked at me.
“These flowers are nice too, but if you only have big buds like this, it’ll look too cluttered. It’s prettier to add small flowers too. Like these flowers next to it.”
I picked a few sprigs of baby’s breath and wrapped them around the purple flowers I had just picked. A small but decent bouquet was made. I handed it to Violet, and her eyes sparkled.
“Oh my gosh, you’re really good at making them. It’s so pretty!”
“Th, that’s an overstatement.”
Violet looked at the bouquet with a look of wonder, and Ethan clapped his hands next to her. I didn’t expect to be praised for just making a bouquet.
The place where I lived was a small village, and there were occasional events. The number of events was rare, but instead, they were held on a fairly large scale each time. Because of this, when an event was held, people came out to the streets to sell food and goods.
Of course, making and selling these bouquets was quite profitable, so the florists had the women make bouquets as a side job. The side job was mainly for the women, but I was an indispensable workforce for such side jobs.
The money I earned from Mark’s bakery was far from enough to cover the living expenses. It was because of the extravagant third child and Father. It was a pleasure for the third child to spend the money I earned on luxury, and Father had quit farming early and lived a life of gambling and drinking.
In the end, I had to do the housework and earn money alone, so a side job was essential. Thanks to that, making things like bouquets was very easy. There is competition even in the simple task of making bouquets. The price you pay depends on how fancy and not too crude you make it. Fortunately, the bouquets I made were quite popular.
As I didn’t know what to do with my shyness, Violet took the bouquet carefully and looked around.
“It’s pretty. It’s so pretty.”
My neck shrank even more at her admiring gaze.
“How are you so good at making these?”
“You’re being too kind.”
“No! Paula seems to have a good hand. I’m jealous.”
Violet became gloomy again and buried her face in the flowers. I widened my eyes.
“I’m actually not good with my hands. I’ve learned and made things since I was young, but I’m not talented at all. Even the tutor gave up.”
“Yeah. You’re not good at that kind of thing.”
Ethan added without any tact. At that moment, Violet, who had been sparkling her eyes, punched Ethan in the side with her fist. Her hand movements were so fast that I didn’t even know what had passed. I stared blankly as Ethan clutched his side and groaned.
“I’m a very inadequate fiancée for Vincent. That’s why he doesn’t see me. Because I’m not trustworthy……”
I took my eyes off Ethan and looked at her. Her troubled face was turning into a crying face. I didn’t know what kind of comfort to give her, so I was at a loss, when suddenly I heard a crunching sound. At that moment, the purple bouquet in her hand was cruelly crushed.
What did I just see? I wondered if I was seeing things, so I rubbed my eyes, but the bouquet was still broken.
“You son of a bitch.”
I wondered if I was hearing things again when the curse word suddenly came out of her beautiful mouth, so I poked my ear. Hmm. I must have been very tired lately from serving Master.
