Chapter 45
45
45. The Moment a Star Fell on the Baron family (6)
What kind of dance would make someone so engrossed that they'd merrily dance and then fall into a fountain? And that too, a fully grown adult man and woman. The thought of that situation made me laugh so hard. I was so caught up in spinning around that I didn't even realize I was approaching the fountain. Anyone who saw us might have thought, "What are those idiots doing?"
I tilted my head back and laughed. My whole body was definitely damp and sticky, but strangely, my mind felt refreshed. Was it because I fell into the fountain? Thinking that made me burst out laughing again. I couldn't tell if it was our ridiculous state or the current situation that was funny, but this moment was just so funny and enjoyable.
He and I couldn't stop laughing for a long time.
As I was laughing joyfully, I was startled by the chill that made my teeth chatter. Behind me, fountain water was still pouring down. If I stayed like this, I might be bedridden in the morning.
First, I helped Vincent up, who was sitting down. His whole body was soaking wet. So was mine. My whole body was damp and clammy. When I squeezed the end of my negligee, water dripped down. When I gathered my hair and squeezed it, it seemed like a whole bucket of water came out.
After squeezing out some of the water, I brushed the bangs that kept sticking to my face to the side. At that moment, Vincent turned to look at me. When I met his gaze, he raised one hand to his chest and put the other behind his back. Then, with one foot behind him, he bowed.
I was briefly surprised by his sudden action, but I quickly realized what he was doing. I chuckled and slightly lifted the ends of my negligee with both hands and bowed.
That's how we greeted the person we had danced with.
"How was it? Not too difficult, was it?"
Vincent lifted his face slightly.
"A little."
I followed him and lifted my face.
Laughter burst out again.
We both came out of the fountain, completely soaked. A cold wind blew, and my body shivered. I couldn't stay outside any longer. We huddled up and hurried back to the mansion.
As soon as we entered his room, I took out a towel and wiped off the water, then handed him a new set of pajamas. While he was changing, I also used a towel to pat off the dripping water.
He changed his clothes and lay down on the bed. His face looked much more relaxed.
"Shall I stay by your side until you fall asleep?"
"I don't need you to, so get out."
"Don't hold it in and cry later. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
"Do you want me to kick you out myself?"
Always with the temper.
"Have good dreams this time."
"You too."
He closed his eyes. I covered him with the sheet up to his neck and left the room. Then, I carefully entered my room, trying not to wake Violet.
But someone was sitting in the space illuminated by the lamp. I was so surprised that I almost screamed. I froze, blinking, and as the figure of someone gradually became clearer, I came to my senses.
"Lady Violet?"
"Where have you been?"
The darkness that the light couldn't reach hid her face. I closed the door and approached her, placing the lamp on the bedside table. But perhaps because the light from the lamp was dim, her face looked gloomy.
"I went for a walk."
"And?"
Violet scanned me up and down. Following her gaze, I checked my appearance again. I smiled awkwardly and rubbed my face with a towel. After explaining that I had slipped and fallen into the water, I turned to change my clothes.
"Paula."
"Yes."
"Did you go alone?"
I hesitated for a moment. Then, I was about to answer no.
"Or with someone?"
"……."
"Did you go with Vincent?"
She didn't seem to be asking out of curiosity. Her voice was subdued. When I turned around, I saw Violet's calm face illuminated by the light. It wasn't the face that had been laughing joyfully just a moment ago. It was cold. I had never seen her with such a face before.
Why would she ask such a thing? I was puzzled, but I couldn't easily answer. It was because her atmosphere was different from usual. I felt a strange tension. So, when I hesitated without answering immediately, Violet smiled softly. That smile was also different from usual.
"I see."
"……."
"Paula, I."
Then she stopped talking and just stared at me. When I met her gaze, I saw various emotions flitting across her calm eyes. A strangely sharp air pricked my skin.
She definitely seemed angry. Was it just my imagination?
"Lady Violet?"
"……No, it's nothing. Hurry up and change your clothes and go to sleep."
Violet lay back down on the bed. The conversation ended so abruptly that I felt uneasy. I turned back, looked at her hunched back, and changed out of my wet negligee. I put the clothes I had taken off in one place and turned off the lamp. Then, I lay down next to her.
Violet was lying with her back to me, and I stared blankly at the dark ceiling. The room was silent. As if the noisy events of just a moment ago had been a dream, we didn't say a word.
An uncomfortable silence flowed.
"Paula."
She called me softly.
"Yes."
I answered quickly.
"You know."
"Yes."
"I think I'm…… a very flawed person."
I turned to look at her at her strange words. Violet still had her back to me. It was like a solid wall.
"I'm really flawed."
"Why do you think so?"
"I just, I feel like it."
"No, you're a beautiful person."
I said firmly. I meant it. I had never seen anyone as beautiful as her. There were many people with beautiful faces, but few with beautiful hearts. She was beautiful in both face and heart.
Violet let out a faint laugh at my words. But that laugh somehow lacked strength.
"Paula is a really good person."
"It's all thanks to Lady Violet."
"Me?"
"Yes. You've been so kind to me. You've met my eyes and treated me as an equal, even though I'm just a servant, and you've shown me kindness. Thanks to Lady Violet, I've worn pretty dresses, attended parties, and danced. I was really happy, joyful, and happy. And…… I was really grateful that you said you liked someone as insignificant as me. I really mean it. Actually, I've never heard such words before. So, to me, Lady Violet is a really beautiful and good person."
"……."
"Ah, I'm not just talking about your face. Of course, your face is beautiful too."
I emphasized that I wasn't just talking about her face, in case the meaning of my words wasn't properly conveyed. But there was no response from her. Was she really angry? As the silence grew longer, my speculation turned into certainty. I was flustered because I couldn't figure out why she was angry, so I moved my body towards her.
"Lady Violet?"
"……Yeah."
"Are you perhaps angry?"
"No."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I'm not angry."
She finally turned her body. In the gazes that collided, questions and sadness met. Sad? Why would she look at me with such sad eyes?
She slightly curved her eyes. Nevertheless, sadness still flickered.
"I was wrong."
"Oh, come on. I told you I'm not angry."
"Then what is it?"
"I just woke up and felt a little down."
She raised the corners of her lips. Her smiling face still lacked strength.
"Paula. Can I ask you for a favor?"
"Yes. Tell me anything."
"Don't fall in love with Vincent."
At the unexpected words, my eyes widened. What was that……? Even as I thought it was absurd, my breath caught in my throat. I revealed the heart mixed with confusion to her.
With a face that had erased its smile, Violet continued to speak.
"Don't love him. If you think you might…… then run away instead. Run far, far away and live. I really want Paula to be happy. I want to wish you happiness."
"……."
"But not with Vincent."
Her calm voice made a request. Her serious face threatened me. Like a kind of warning, telling me not to interfere between him and herself any longer.
"He's not the one."
I moved my lips. What should I say…… I had to say something…… I had to tell her it was a misunderstanding……. But words didn't come out easily. Strangely, my throat was blocked, and no voice came out.
Violet, who was looking at me like that, smiled sadly. And closed her eyes. Until then, I couldn't say anything. Even though I thought in my head that this wasn't right, I couldn't easily say anything.
After a while, I finally opened my mouth after hearing even breaths.
"I will."
"……."
The even breaths didn't move.
I looked at the sleeping Violet for a while before closing my eyes. The memory of looking at each other and dancing happily under the sparkling Chandelier disappeared into the darkness. The golden hair that scattered among the falling stars and the kind face that looked at me were also buried in the darkness and erased. The laughter that had been ringing in my ears was no longer heard.
I tried to erase the emotions that had bloomed in my heart. I curled up my chilled body as much as possible.
It was a strangely cold night, even though I was with someone.
\ \ *
'You can always just stay like that.'
Alicia swept her wavy hair back and said. She tilted her head back and looked at me as if pitying a pitiful opponent.
'Don't do anything.'
The blatant sneer made it feel even more so.
'That's what you have to do, sister.'
The reason I didn't even respond to those words was because I knew that fact better than anyone else. There was nothing I could do. I had no power, no ability, and nothing to own. Even the things I had held in my arms had slipped away like sand, leaving me completely empty.
I have nothing.
But I had never wanted to possess anything out of greed. It was more important to keep myself alive right now. I wanted to live even one more day, I wanted to live as long as possible. That was all I wished for.
So, listening to Violet's words was not difficult. In fact, it was a problem that didn't even have room to consider whether to listen or not.
"Maid."
Ethan called me as I was staring blankly at the sky. When I approached him, he asked where Vincent had gone.
"Where did Vincent go? He's not in his room."
"He went for a walk in the back forest with Lady Violet."
Violet had come to Vincent's room early in the morning, saying she wanted to go for a walk. Vincent had asked me to come along, but I had refused. I didn't want to interfere between the two of them, and I didn't feel like going for a walk either.
"When will he be back?"
"I don't know either."
"Hmm. I hope he stays out for a long time."
"Why?"
"Well, you see."
At that moment, a noisy sound came from outside. When Ethan and I looked out the window, we saw five people coming this way.
Four men and one woman, including the butler. The butler was talking to the others as he walked, and although his attitude was polite, he seemed somehow urgent and as if he was trying to stop something. Nevertheless, the others were walking this way without hesitation. Rather, their pace was quite fast.
"Oh dear."
Ethan clicked his tongue. I watched them closely. The atmosphere felt strange.
