Chapter 87
87
87. Still, That Strange Guest (1)
Unlike usual, the atmosphere of the mansion was excited.
The maids were gathered in groups of three or five, engrossed in chatter, and even the usually diligent maids were occasionally glancing at the door, lost in thought. A particularly excited air floated around. They were scolded by Audrey, but even so, the maids seemed to be focusing all their attention on the door.
I was puzzled but had no way of knowing the reason, so I just focused on cleaning. Today, I joined in the cleaning for the first time in a while and showed off my skills.
I finished cleaning the hallway and was on my way back with a bucket full of dirty water. Three maids were huddled together behind the stair railing, all glancing at the door and smiling. Curious, I quietly approached and heard them whispering, trying to keep their voices down.
"Wow. I can't believe I'm actually seeing him."
"Oh my god. He's so handsome in person."
"Really? I find him a bit scary."
Their conversation, as if they were evaluating someone, naturally drew my gaze to the door they were looking at. There were three people in front of the door. The first one I saw was Vincent. Audrey was behind him. And opposite Vincent was...
"Ethan?"
Everyone was glancing at the door, so I expected a guest to arrive, but I never imagined it would be Ethan.
"Oh my. Do you know Count Christopher too?"
"You came after hearing the news."
The maids in front of me reacted immediately to my words. It was the joy of meeting a colleague. I was embarrassed but forced a smile and looked back at the door.
The man talking to Vincent was indeed Ethan. It had been five years since I last saw him. He was a bit thinner than before, and I could see the traces of time on his face. Unlike the past, when he used to smile and act playful, he now had a stiff expression, which made him seem unfamiliar. He didn't even smile when talking to Vincent.
Vincent wasn't much of a smiler either, so there was a rather serious atmosphere between the two. But it wasn't entirely stiff.
Of course, Ethan is doing well.
"But it seems like he's as scary as the rumors say."
"Rumors?"
"Oh my, haven't you heard? He's famous."
The three of them looked at me as if I should know. I blinked, expressing my confusion. One of them came close to me and whispered in a small voice, as if telling a secret.
"The rumor that he killed all his blood relatives to become a Count."
What the...! Despite my shocked reaction, they continued.
"He killed his younger brother, they say?"
"I heard it was his older brother."
"No. It was his father. You know, the previous Count Christopher died mysteriously. They never caught the murderer either."
"Ah! So! It's true that he's a murderer who killed his blood relatives for power!"
They chattered excitedly. Most of the story was nonsense that defamed Ethan. I didn't know why such rumors were circulating, but knowing the truth, I felt worse and worse as I listened to their stories. They didn't notice my reaction and bickered about whether their stories were true or not.
"That's not true."
I couldn't listen anymore.
"So he killed them all? For power."
"Wow, really?"
"I knew he was a scary person."
"That's not true!"
I shouted, startling them all. I quickly covered my mouth with both hands. I glanced at Ethan and thankfully he didn't seem to have heard the shout.
I sighed in relief and said quietly, so only they could hear.
"I don't know what you've heard, but it's all rumors. Groundless stories."
"How do you know that?"
"Haven't you seen the newspaper? The former Count Christopher was arrested on suspicion of murdering his blood relatives."
"That hasn't been confirmed yet."
"That's right. He died during the investigation."
"They say that was murder too."
"Wasn't it just a suspicion of murder?"
"Come on. You can tell just by looking. Isn't it just a dirty power struggle between brothers?"
"I heard he was an adopted son?"
The story had gone that far. The facts that Ethan wanted to hide were flowing out of their mouths. I didn't even need to see it to know how thoroughly the world had dug into them over the past five years.
Words become distorted as they pass through many people. Right and wrong didn't matter in the process. I knew that, but knowing all the truth, I felt frustrated and angry. I couldn't say that Ethan Christopher was a good person, but it was too unfair for him to be pointed at as a murderer who killed his blood relatives to become a Count.
How much he cherished his older brother, his younger brother.
He shouldn't have to hear these things.
"Please don't do that."
"What?"
"I don't know what you've heard, but I don't think it's right to tear someone down without knowing the exact facts."
"What did you say?"
One of the maids frowned.
"I can't say he's a good person, but he's definitely not someone who would kill his own blood relatives."
"How do you know that?"
"Does it matter? Let's not spread rumors and just do our jobs diligently."
"Hey!"
One of them finally couldn't stand it and shouted. She glared at me with sharp eyes, and I met her gaze without backing down. Another maid panicked and waved her hands. She told them to lower their voices, but the angry maid didn't even pretend to listen.
"Why are you picking on us when everyone is saying that! And there must be a reason why those rumors are spreading! How do you know if that person killed his blood relatives and became a Count or not? Did you see it yourself? Huh? Did you see it!"
Her voice grew louder and louder. Another maid didn't know what to do and looked back, then suddenly stood up. Our gazes turned to where she was looking.
"L, Lord."
Vincent and Ethan were looking at us, having approached at some point.
The maid who found them first quickly bowed. Soon after, the other two maids also bowed in embarrassment.
I looked at Vincent with a surprised expression, then turned my gaze to Ethan. The moment my eyes met his brown eyes, which seemed to know nothing, I belatedly bowed.
"Everyone, go back to your places immediately!"
At Audrey's shout, the three maids said sorry and moved away as if running away.
"I'm sorry."
Following them, I quickly turned around.
I first heard about Ethan's news on a particularly cold winter day. The ending of the Christopher family decorated the front page of the newspaper.
[James Christopher Passes Away at a Young Age. Suspicion of Murder]
[The Emergence of the Legitimate Next Count Christopher]
With that, I knew the winner of that long story. But even the winner had a wounded ending. I didn't care whether James Christopher's death was really suicide or murder. What I was worried about was Ethan. I felt sorry for him, who would have to carry everything alone from now on.
But back then, I thought it was fortunate that Lucas was there. Now that Lucas's life or death is uncertain, I thought that maybe Ethan was living a life no different from Vincent's. Although they weren't blood relatives, I could tell without imagining how difficult it must have been for him to experience the death of someone who was once a precious family member.
And yet... to call such a person a murderer who killed his blood relatives.
"That can't be."
He shouldn't be defamed like that...
"Are you crazy?"
Alicia's hand, which suddenly popped out, broke my reverie. I looked at her with a dazed gaze. Her hand shaking from side to side brought back my wandering mind.
"You've been muttering to yourself like that since a while ago."
"It's nothing."
"It doesn't seem like nothing?"
I pretended not to notice Alicia, who was narrowing her eyes and glaring at me, and swept the floor with a broom. Knowing that I had no intention of answering, Alicia didn't ask any further.
Today, not only me but also Alicia joined in the cleaning. Most of the staff were assigned to cleaning to prepare for the guests. But Alicia was half-heartedly cleaning. I should just report her to Audrey.
"Stop looking."
Besides, she keeps staring at me since a while ago. Her gaze is so hot that I can't pretend not to notice. Recently, Alicia has often stared at me like this.
"You saw it too, right? The guest who came today."
"I saw him."
"What do you think? They said he's friends with Vincent."
"Lord Vincent?"
Alicia shrugged at my shocked reaction to the chilling title.
"He'll be my Lord soon, so I should at least call him by his name."
"You're really crazy. Watch your mouth."
"Don't worry. I usually call him 'Lord,' properly. But there aren't many days left to call him that."
I wonder where that confidence comes from.
It's absurd, but Alicia was really trying to seduce Vincent. Every time Vincent had tea time with Joelly, she served his tea, subtly asking if the taste was good or if it wasn't too hot. Vincent mostly didn't react to it, or sometimes just gave a short answer, but Alicia seemed satisfied with just that. It still seemed impossible to me, but Alicia's confidence grew day by day.
"I'm really curious, how are you going to seduce him?"
"I have my own way."
"Is that method reliable?"
I asked out of pure curiosity, but surprisingly, Alicia smiled triumphantly.
"Maybe? I think I'm perfect for him."
"What?"
"Ah, you don't need to know. I'll take care of it, so mind your own business!"
"Just don't cause any trouble. Please."
"You're not suddenly interested now, are you?"
It was such an absurd question that I didn't answer, and she urged me to speak.
I don't know why, but Alicia was subtly wary of me. Does she think I'll interfere with her? No, what is there to interfere with? Vincent doesn't have any interest in us.
"You may not know, but he's very interested in me. He keeps asking me this and that every time he sees me. It's almost annoying."
She tucked her long hair behind her ear and tilted her face arrogantly, overflowing with confidence. I just replied casually, knowing that she would be more pleased if I reacted. I was curious about her confident attitude, but since I couldn't figure out the reason, I decided to watch for now.
A little later, a maid came into the warehouse we were cleaning. She exchanged a few words with Alicia and hurried out again. Alicia immediately threw the rag she was holding on the floor. She looked like she was going somewhere.
No, not while cleaning.
"Wipe it all up before you go."
"Joelly is calling for me."
Her words, which she emphasized, were sarcastic.
"I'm leaving, so clean well by yourself."
"......"
I turned away because I hated the way she tucked her hair behind her ear. Listening to Alicia's footsteps fading away, I swept the already clean floor again and again. Is it really about looks? Thinking that made me feel gloomy.
All that came out while sweeping the floor was a sigh. I don't know why I'm doing this here. A sudden sense of self-disgust made me feel down. Eventually, I stopped sweeping and just stared blankly at the floor.
Then suddenly, I heard a knock on the door. I was startled and turned around, and I was even more surprised by the sight before my eyes.
Ethan was standing in the doorway.
I was shocked by the appearance of an unexpected person. Why is that man there? Regardless of my questioning gaze, Ethan leaned against the doorway with his arms crossed. His brown eyes scanned me up and down as if observing me.
