Chapter 70
70
70. The Maid and the Young Master (4)
‘He’s still young. Besides, he’s naturally… you know?’
‘Yes.’
Nanny looked relieved at my nod.
Robert occasionally wanted to go outside. Nanny usually managed to soothe him, except when he was being particularly difficult. Probably because it was dangerous.
But now that I think about it, Robert might have just wanted to go to his mother. Maybe he couldn’t because he wasn’t allowed.
Well, his reckless behavior was probably the biggest reason.
“Ugh, headache.”
The back of my head throbbed. I felt like I had a brief dream… I definitely tumbled down the slope before that. Fortunately, the thick layer of fallen leaves covering the ground helped cushion the impact.
Thinking that far, I jumped up.
“Young Master!”
I was about to look around for Robert when I saw him lying right next to me. But he had his eyes closed, which made me uneasy. I carefully put my ear to his chest and heard his heart beating. Only then did I breathe a sigh of relief and look around.
The hill above seemed quite far away. We must have rolled down quite a bit. It was too high up to expect anyone passing by to spot us. In the end, we had no choice but to climb back up ourselves.
I staggered to my feet. My whole body was covered in dirty leaves.
I was brushing off the leaves when something suddenly caught my eye through the branches of the opposite trees. It looked like a white building… I unconsciously moved towards it. The fallen leaves crunched and whispered under my feet. My heart was beating strangely.
Just as I was about to push aside the bushes blocking my path.
“Wah!”
Robert came to. I was startled and immediately ran to Robert. I thought he was crying, but he wasn’t. He looked tearful, but he was just blinking his violet eyes without shedding any tears.
“Young Master, are you alright?”
“…Fun.”
“Pardon?”
“Fun!”
Robert smiled brightly. Then he jumped up, not even noticing the leaves stuck all over him, and begged me to do it again. I was speechless with bewilderment. Still, I was relieved that he seemed unharmed.
Robert insisted on rolling down again, but I firmly refused and took his hand to climb back up. The path was quite steep, and by the time we reached the top, we were a mess.
I shook off the leaves from my hair and body, and then tidied up Robert’s clothes.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Hurt here.”
His small hand pointed to his knee. His knee was scraped and bleeding. He must have hit a rock while rolling down the slope.
I was flustered and examined Robert’s knee.
“Does it hurt a lot?”
“No hurt.”
“You said it hurt a moment ago.”
“Uh-uh, no hurt.”
Does it hurt, or doesn’t it? His face was clear, without a single grimace. I breathed a sigh of relief, wondering if it really didn’t hurt.
I pulled off my apron and pressed it against Robert’s knee. He frowned slightly, but didn’t whine as he usually did. I was a little surprised by his unexpected patience. Meanwhile, I tore the apron and wrapped the wound.
“Shall I give you a piggyback ride?”
Robert’s eyes widened. But he hesitated, unable to answer easily. He looked almost shy. His reactions had been different from usual since earlier, and I found the little tyke strangely cute. I chuckled and turned my back.
“Come on, get on.”
Then Robert cautiously put his body against my back. I firmly supported Robert’s bottom and stood up.
“Wow! Waaah!”
Robert, who had wrapped his arms tightly around my neck, wiggled his body. I could feel his excitement. I firmly held his chubby legs and took slow steps. The child kept exclaiming, “Wow, woo,” in admiration.
“Are you enjoying it?”
“Like it!”
“We’re going back like this.”
“Okay!”
To be honest, my whole body ached from rolling down the slope, but the admiration I heard from behind didn’t feel bad. I quickened my pace, worried that he might change his mind and become stubborn again. We were already quite far from the mansion.
“Next time, come with Nanny.”
“Come again?”
“Yes, come again.”
“Mother?”
I was momentarily speechless. Robert’s clear voice was cheerful.
“Come with Mother too?”
“Of course. We’ll come together later.”
“When Mother come?”
“Later.”
“When?”
“When Young Master eats well and stays healthy.”
Then I added that she would come if he didn’t act stubborn, didn’t throw things, and didn’t ask to be put on the Iron table. Of course, all of that was my wish. I really hoped, in all modesty, that he would just stay quietly and safely in his room.
“Lie.”
Robert immediately caught my lie. He was sharp for a child. I pretended not to notice and continued.
“It’s true.”
“Lie.”
“It’s true.”
“Mother no come! Even if Robert good, even if want see…”
His clear voice quickly took on a gloomy tone and mumbled.
What should I say in times like this? I still wasn’t good with words, and I was clumsy at comforting. That hadn’t changed even after five years.
When I remained silent, Robert also stopped talking and buried his face in the back of my neck. The child was as good at reading the atmosphere as he was clever. Somehow, I felt like his small face must be gloomy.
“Do you miss her?”
“Uh-huh. But have to be patient.”
“Why?”
“Mother busy. Very busy. So can’t be fussy.”
I thought he was just an obnoxious little Young Master, but he was saying something admirable. But knowing Robert’s situation, it sounded sad to me instead.
Come to think of it, Robert never fussed about wanting to see his mother or go to meet her. He was clearly longing for her, but he never showed it. He just waited quietly. Robert silently accepted that endless wait, not knowing when it would end.
Did he have various thoughts in that little head of his? Robert knew very well what he could and couldn’t say. Just because he was young didn’t mean he should be seen as just a child.
‘He’s lonely.’
‘But he’s a good child.’
Nanny and Joelly must have already known this side of Robert, right? When I first heard it, I wanted to argue, but now I was starting to nod in agreement. It was regrettable that I had become the target of his fussing.
“The Madam also misses the Young Master. Very much.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
“But why Mother no come see Robert?”
“She’s doing very important work, so she can’t come yet.”
“Mother great person?”
“Yes. She’s a very great person.”
Then Robert giggled. He seemed happy to hear praise about his mother. He was so excited that he was wiggling his body, and I had to adjust my grip.
“So you can wait patiently, right?”
“Uh-huh, Ugly.”
Ah, that “Ugly” again. My tender heart hardened in an instant. I knew he had hidden loneliness and that he was a good and mature child, but it seemed he was also cunning.
“Robert okay.”
Robert rubbed his face against the back of my neck. His hair pricked my skin, tickling me. “Okay, okay,” his childish voice murmured softly.
“Stay with Robert…?”
Robert suddenly asked. There was anxiety in his voice. I stopped walking for a moment, then started walking again and parted my lips.
“Yes. Ugly will stay by the Young Master’s side.”
Then I felt a small nod from behind. I chuckled. I wasn’t sure if he had understood my words properly, but I thought he probably had.
The atmosphere suddenly became heavy. I thought this wouldn’t do. There was a way to handle this. There was something I used to do when I was carrying my younger sibling on my back and they were feeling down. I firmly readjusted Robert on my back and started running forward. Laughter echoed from behind.
“Are you happy?”
“Uh-huh! Happy!”
Encouraged by that sound, I ran even harder.
The distance that had grown wider was narrowing, and soon we arrived near the mansion. By then, all the strength in my body was gone.
“Hah, hah.”
I bent over and gasped for breath. I couldn’t even catch Robert, who was on my back, as he wriggled to get down.
I was catching my breath for a while.
“Robert?”
Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice was heard. Soon after, a presence was felt. Who could it be at this hour? The first thing I saw in my vision, which I had lifted with difficulty, was a small body running quickly. And a tall man catching the running small body and lifting it up.
Sunlight-kissed blonde hair shimmered. Below it, clear emerald eyes curved kindly. A man with a neat outfit without a single wrinkle and a sturdy physique, the moment I saw that man’s face, my mind went blank.
Why… why are you…?
“Vincent!”
Robert smiled brightly and rubbed his cheek against the man, Vincent’s, face. Vincent smiled back with a kind face.
“You seem to have grown bigger since I last saw you?”
“Nanny said grew taller!”
Robert raised both hands high and answered cutely. Vincent chuckled softly. His face, with his eyes crinkled and a smile on his face, looked comfortable.
Watching that, I realized one thing.
He’s looking.
His eyes…
While I was frozen in surprise, he noticed another presence and turned his head. Emerald eyes, fixed on me, filled with questions. He scanned me up and down, then tilted his head slightly. His blonde hair fluttered in the wind.
“Who is this?”
My heart sank at the smooth voice. The face clearly visible in front of me told me that this situation was not a lie.
“Ugly!”
“Ugly?”
“Uh-huh. Ugly.”
He looked at me again. Only then did I clasp my trembling hands together and bow. My heart pounded strongly as I looked at his shadow cast on the ground. Unable to hide my confused feelings, I bowed my head even deeper. I swallowed hard, and with difficulty, I parted my trembling lips, but no voice came out.
“Is this someone new who just came in?”
“…Yes.”
I barely uttered a word and pressed my lips shut. The top of my head tingled. A moment of silence passed, and he spoke again.
“I see.”
That was the end of it. Soon his footsteps faded away.
Only then did I lift my back.
“Mother?”
“Mother no come.”
Then Vincent stroked Robert’s hair, who was looking dejected, and comforted him. I could feel the affection he had for Robert. It was such a tender sight. As I looked at the two of them, my vision kept blurring. A single tear finally ran down my cheek.
How could this be happening? It wasn’t that I hadn’t imagined reuniting with him. Sometimes I imagined reuniting with him as if in a dream. But nowhere, in any of those scenarios, was there a scene like this.
Vincent Bellunita.
It was a reunion after 5 years that he was unaware of.
