Chapter 72
# 72
72. The Count I Met Again (2)
In the end, I got a lecture from Nanny. She asked me not to go outside because it was dangerous, and I had nothing to say. I tried to excuse myself by saying that I had received permission from Joelly, but it didn't work. Robert laughed at me from the side. That annoying brat.
"Go to your room and rest for today. I'll talk to her."
"B-but."
"And wash your face."
Face? I wondered if something was on my face and touched it, but nothing came off on my hand. Nanny kept waving her hand, and I ended up being chased out.
It was only after returning to my room that I checked the condition of my face. The area under my eyes, the tip of my nose, and my cheeks were red and swollen, making it obvious that I had been crying. Oh my god.
Was that why Robert was staring at me so intently? I had become so used to covering my face with my bangs that I hadn't paid attention. Then I noticed my shortened bangs. And the ugly face revealed beneath them.
Did Vincent recognize me? I shook my head. There's no way. He had never seen my face before. How could he recognize someone he had never seen? Even if he had seen me, there was no way he would remember a maid who ran away five years ago. That's a relief. I thought, and smiled bitterly.
I washed my flushed face with cold water and returned to find Alicia sitting on the bed. But she was in a strange state. She was staring blankly into space with a dazed look on her face. What's wrong with her?
But today, I was somehow tired and exhausted, and I didn't want to acknowledge her. I lay down on the bed, thinking of getting some sleep, when Alicia suddenly asked.
"Isn't that man handsome?"
I opened my eyes. Alicia scurried over and sat next to me.
"Isn't he handsome?"
"Who?"
"The man we saw this morning."
Seeing her expectant face, I frowned. The man we saw this morning, she must be talking about Vincent. Why Vincent all of a sudden?
Come to think of it, Alicia had been acting a bit strange ever since she saw him. She would stare blankly into space, or burst into senseless laughter, and then suddenly ask something like that.
Could it be.
I felt uneasy. I frowned and sat up. Alicia's big eyes were sparkling.
"His name is Vincent. Vincent Bellunita."
"……."
"Vincent... even his name is wonderful."
A smile spread across Alicia's face as she savored his name. Her cheeks were slightly flushed. Just like a girl in love. It wasn't a good look in the current situation.
"I don't think so after all."
"What are you talking about all of a sudden?"
"Johnny. Johnny, I mean."
Why Johnny all of a sudden? They seemed to be getting along well. I had often seen them talking intimately recently. They even had a strange atmosphere. Of course, most of the time, Alicia was just pretending to be friendly in order to boss Johnny around, but still.
But why is she suddenly like this again?
As I looked at her with a puzzled expression, Alicia crossed her legs and impatiently swept her hair back.
"He's not the one after all. I can't live like this."
"What are you talking about since earlier? And I have something to tell you too. You said you wanted to run away last time, right? About that……."
"I'm not going."
What?
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm not going. I'm not running away."
I stared intently at Alicia, wondering if she was serious. There was no sign of falsehood on her unwavering face. Rather, she looked at me calmly. Unlike usual, she didn't get angry or nag, which made me feel even more uneasy.
"You said you wanted to run away last time. You said you hated it here."
"I did, but I changed my mind just now."
"Why?"
"That man."
The corners of her lips lifted seductively as she uttered those words. Alicia smiled dreamily, as if thinking of someone. She twirled the ends of her long hair with her index finger, twisted her body, and was uncharacteristically shy.
That man.
I immediately knew who she was talking about.
"……Why him."
"I'm going to seduce him."
I doubted my ears for a moment at her brazen words. Even after seeing my shocked reaction, Alicia simply raised her face haughtily and didn't retract her words. Rather, she was full of confidence.
"I'm not bad, am I? There's a bit of a difference in status, but I can overcome it with this beauty and figure."
"Are you crazy?"
It was a pure question. I really thought Alicia was crazy. Of course, she hadn't been normal all along, but she was especially bad today. I looked at Alicia as if she were a strange person. Alicia looked like, what's wrong with that?
"It's enough if we like each other."
"Like each other?"
"I've come to like that man."
What on earth is this absurd story?
I couldn't understand what Alicia was saying at all.
"Sister. Please help me. Okay?"
"……."
"Are you listening to me?"
"I'm listening. But I don't know what you're talking about. You met the master, no, that man for the first time this morning."
"So what? I knew at first sight that that man was my destiny."
"What on earth, have you ever even exchanged words with that man?"
Alicia shook her head at my question.
"No."
"Greetings?"
"Not yet."
"But you like him. That doesn't make sense."
"Why doesn't it make sense? We're destined."
"How is it destiny when you like him alone? He doesn't even know you."
"We can get to know each other from now on."
"……."
I had been speechless since earlier. It was too absurd. Does getting to know each other work just by deciding on your own? Vincent doesn't even know Alicia exists. But Alicia had a confident look on her face, as if she really intended to seduce Vincent.
"That man is the master here. He's a Baron family! I thought that woman was the master all along, and I was trying to please her for nothing. Oh my god, I didn't know there was such a handsome Baron family. Besides, with this much wealth... he's perfect for me."
"Alicia."
"I think I did well to come here."
"Alicia."
"Why do you keep calling me?"
Alicia frowned, erasing her smile. I was the one who wanted to get annoyed.
"I also have something to tell you. Before we came here, we were supposed to go to the Stella family, right? But it wasn't."
"Did I say that?"
"What?"
"It might not be, why are you getting annoyed."
"Annoyed, the words are different! What if it was a dangerous place!"
"It's not dangerous, so it's okay, right?"
"Alicia!"
Alicia shrugged her shoulders with a look of annoyance.
"You're the one who decided to go together. Don't say anything to me."
"I thought it was the Stella family!"
"Why, is there a reason why it can't be another family? It might have been dangerous as you said, but the result is that it's a decent place. So what's the problem?"
"That's……."
The problem is that this is the Bellunita family. The problem is that Vincent is here. But I couldn't bring myself to say those words. If I had run away from here, if I said that I used to work here as a servant, I don't know how Alicia would react.
As I hesitated, Alicia glared at me sharply.
"Could it be that this is where you ran away from?"
"……No."
"No? Are you sure?"
"Yes, no. Anyway, what I want to say is, you know. I was hired as a servant by a Baron family before, and something happened. It's still going on. I'm still being chased and I don't know when I'll die. But you said you would come to this mansion where nobles might come and go as a servant, and you even hid from me that the family had changed. Do you know what I mean?"
"Ah, I know. I don't want to hear anymore, so stop talking."
Alicia waved her hands and moved to her bed. I didn't give in and poured out my words. Then, in the end, Alicia also said that she didn't know if this was the Stella family or another family, that she had found out recently, but what was the problem even if it had changed, and made excuses.
I sighed.
"Don't have vain dreams and let's get out of here. We're just on probation anyway. People whose identities are not clear won't be able to stay for long. Let's take this opportunity to find a proper job."
"No."
"Really!"
"I've said it before, I don't care about your situation. I've decided to stay here. If I seduce the Baron family, who cares if it's probation or whatever."
At those words, I sighed deeply again. My head was starting to hurt. I held my forehead and took a breath. Yeah, I was wondering why you weren't saying something like that. The reason we came here was because of Alicia's stubbornness.
I said that what started so suddenly would end too easily. But I never imagined that Alicia would fall for him. I never dreamed that it would lead to this result.
"Go alone if you want to. I won't hold you back."
"You don't know the hearts of nobles. To those people, people like us are like bugs. Besides, do you know what kind of person the Baron family here is? His personality is... very bad."
"How do you know that?"
I know from experience.
"Well, that's how nobles usually are."
"Well, it wouldn't be fun if it were easy."
"You could die."
"What's the difference between dying and living with you anyway."
In the end, Alicia didn't give in a single word.
\ \ *
Alicia's words were so absurd that I was just dumbfounded. I couldn't say anything more. Instead, my head started to hurt. She was the type of person who, once she was stubborn, would do it no matter what. So I knew it wasn't a lie.
Alicia was a child who was raised being pampered, unlike her poor family. She had never properly gotten her hands wet, and she had never begged with her back bent.
She acted like it was natural, acting like a bitch, and the other person accepted it. Her beautiful face was loved and admired by everyone, and even her Father didn't touch her, so Alicia must have felt the special treatment she was receiving. So she must have had nothing to fear.
Having grown up like that, I couldn't say I didn't understand her confidence. But that was limited to Pilton. Perhaps accepting the heart of the lord's son who liked her was the fastest way for Alicia to go to the life she wanted. But Alicia missed that. Yet she was trying to covet something even higher again.
As I was wondering how to appease her stubbornness, Alicia frowned.
'Don't look at me like that.'
'What am I doing.'
'You're ignoring me. You must be thinking I'm talking nonsense. You're always like that. You ignore me and make fun of me.'
'…….'
'I don't care about your thoughts. Just don't get in my way.'
Alicia warned firmly and turned her body. She didn't want to talk anymore. I sighed deeply. Who ignored her how much. She ignores me more, but she always makes it seem like I'm the bad guy.
In the end, she's saying she's going to be stubborn. For some reason, I didn't feel good. That Vincent to Alicia? I can't imagine it. No, I don't even want to imagine it. I know there's no way, but I know it, but... still... if that happens...
"Because she's pretty."
Yeah, because she's pretty. I muttered and quickly shook my head. I sighed again. Someone tapped my shoulder. When I turned my head, Johnny was blankly looking at me.
"What are you thinking about that you're sighing so much?"
"Ah, nothing."
I shook my head again and glanced ahead. Joelly, wearing a blue dress with a full skirt, was looking at herself in the mirror. Behind her stood Alicia. She was smiling rarely, pleasing Joelly by saying she was so pretty and so on.
Today, Joelly had to attend a party, so preparations were in full swing from early in the morning. Robert was also attending the party, so Robert was also getting ready. Of course, Robert's preparations had ended early, and he was waiting for Joelly's preparations to finish.
Naturally, Alicia and Johnny, who were attending to her, were in her room from the morning. But Johnny was just standing behind me, and Alicia was doing most of the attending. Nanny helped Alicia, and I quietly stayed by Robert's side.
