# 108
108. Even Coincidence Seems to Eventually Become Fate (5)
At first, I thought it was a misunderstanding. The feeling that he kept looking at me—that kind of misunderstanding.
But as I found myself sharing the same space with him, I began to think it wasn't just a misunderstanding. Because whenever I was conscious of him and looked his way, he was already looking at me. Whenever our eyes occasionally met, I would hurriedly turn my head away.
Ever since the day his condition was strange, Vincent had been casting glances my way. And how stinging those gazes were. Sometimes they even felt so persistent that I would become needlessly tense.
Was he monitoring whether I was doing my job properly? That would actually make more sense.
Unlike my situation, Robert, who had received devoted care, quickly regained his health. The slight fever broke at some point, and his complexion brightened. Once he started eating well, the visiting doctor said he should be fine now. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness, Robert."
Joelly smiled as she stroked Robert's head. Robert smiled brightly in return. His clear face was a pleasant sight.
On the day Robert fully recovered, I made plans to have breakfast with Ethan. Ever since the previous dinner, he had been proactive about arranging times to be with Robert. Joelly also expressed her intention to join them, saying she felt bothered about not being able to attend last time.
Once the breakfast plans for the three were set for today, the nanny and Audrey stepped forward. They went down to the kitchen, carefully examined the menu, exchanged opinions, and reached an agreement. Between the two fired-up women, the chef cooked while breaking out in a sweat.
A white tablecloth was spread over the dining table, and mouthwatering dishes filled its surface. This time as well, the food was diverse, seemingly considering all three of their tastes.
They decided to place flower vases between the plates of food. Although it was only breakfast, Joelly had requested that since they were eating together, it should be decorated like a banquet. So flowers to imitate a banquet had been ordered separately.
A carriage carrying flowers arrived at the mansion's entrance right on time. The waiting maids took the vases from inside the carriage one by one and brought them to the dining room. Every single flower was large and splendid. Under Audrey's direction, the decorated dining room was like a flower garden.
"We're short one."
Audrey, who had counted the vases, muttered.
"Go downstairs and tell them we're short one vase. Ask what happened."
"Understood."
Having received Audrey's instructions, I left the dining room and walked down the hallway. Then, as I reached the mansion's entrance, I saw a woman bending over and peering into a vase.
"Is something the matter?"
"The bottom of the vase is broken."
When I approached and asked, the woman answered in a fluster. I also lowered my head to examine the bottom of the vase. Indeed, one side of the bottom was broken. The hole was quite large, so it seemed the vase could no longer be used.
"This can't be used anymore."
As I came to that conclusion and straightened up, the woman stared at me intently. Wondering why she was looking at me like that, I met her gaze, and the woman suddenly broke into a bright smile.
"Oh my! It's you, right?"
The woman clapped her hands. Then she waved both arms and greeted me familiarly, leaving me flustered and blinking.
"It's been so long! How long has it been!"
"Do you know me?"
"Of course! What was your name again... Po, Paula? Is that right?"
When my name came out precisely from her mouth, I was startled. I urgently covered the woman's mouth and looked around. Except for the vase she had been looking at, everything had been taken to the dining room, and the maids had all left for their assigned areas, so thankfully no one was around.
Only then did I remove my hand from covering the woman's mouth. Then I scanned her up and down. I felt like I'd seen her somewhere before, but who was she?
The woman, who had been staring blankly at my actions, seemed to realize I didn't remember her, and the smile gradually faded from her face.
"You don't know who I am?"
"Not at all... I'm sorry."
"Oh come on. It's me, Lenika."
Lenika? Hearing the name, a person suddenly came to mind. Ah. I let out a short gasp and looked at her again—she was smiling brightly. Then she hugged me as if glad to see me and patted my back, and I found myself embraced before I knew it.
"Oh my! You disappeared suddenly, and everyone was saying something must have happened! Thank goodness you're doing well. No, what happened to you all this time? When did you come back here?"
"No, I didn't come back permanently, just temporarily... But what about you? What are you doing here? Did you come on an errand?"
But saying that, her attire was closer to outdoor clothes. Moreover, her belly was protruding.
"It's been quite a while since I quit here. I run a flower shop in another village now. I came to visit here for a bit this time, and when an acquaintance told me a flower order had come from here, I thought of old times and came to see."
"I see. I didn't know."
"But why did you suddenly leave? Weren't you supposed to go somewhere else temporarily and come back? I was surprised when you never came back."
"There were some circumstances."
I smiled it off, not really wanting to talk about it, and she didn't ask any further. She just kept saying how glad she was, holding both my hands and shaking them vigorously. She seemed genuinely happy to see me, which was somewhat overwhelming.
Lenika was the servant who used to take away the laundry and bring new ones when I worked at the annex. We occasionally had conversations, but they were really just a few short words. Even though we had a somewhat longer conversation at the very end, it wasn't a welcome topic. Having no decent memories together, being greeted this warmly was both embarrassing and touching.
"How far along are you?"
"Hehe, I'm pregnant. I'm due soon."
"Congratulations."
"Thank you."
Lenika smiled shyly.
After asking a few more questions about her well-being, we cleaned up the broken vase. The middle-aged man who was Lenika's acquaintance and the owner of the flower shop said he wouldn't charge for the broken vase and just gave us the flowers separately. Audrey arranged them in another vase for decoration.
Once the flower delivery was wrapped up, I saw Lenika off. All the way to the carriage, she rambled on about her love life. It wasn't exactly a story I was curious about, but she acted as if she were delivering news to a friend she hadn't seen in a long time, so I couldn't bring myself to say anything and quietly listened.
"I've only talked about myself. Tell me about you too. How did you end up coming back here?"
"One thing led to another... and that's how it happened."
"Ah, what kind of answer is that?"
Unlike her, I couldn't ramble on about my own well-being. Lenika didn't say much to my evasive responses. She just chuckled and stroked her belly.
The moment of reunion was brief. Lenika, who had arrived in front of the carriage before I knew it, looked reluctant to part.
"Someone I know got a job at this mansion, so I'll probably come here once more before leaving the village. Let's talk again then."
"Alright."
I didn't know if we'd be able to meet again, but I nodded obediently. Then suddenly, curiosity sprouted. Actually, it was one of the things I'd been most curious about since learning about this mansion, but a question I hadn't been able to ask anyone.
"Lenika."
"Yes?"
Lenika, who had boarded the carriage, poked her head out the window. I hesitated before asking quietly.
"Lady Isabella is doing well, right? I haven't seen her here."
Then Lenika's eyes widened. She seemed surprised, or perhaps flustered. Why?
"Ah, you must not have heard the news. Not long after you quit, Lady Isabella quit as well."
Those words surprised me even more than when I had met her. It was something I hadn't expected at all. To think Isabella had quit... Could it be because of me?
My memories of her helping me were still vivid. Even knowing it was a dangerous action, she helped me escape, so she must have been unable to stay here any longer. I worried that she might have gotten caught up in something dangerous because she helped me.
"Do you know why she quit?"
"I don't know. She quit suddenly. That alone was surprising enough, but then the butler left too, and the mansion was in chaos for a while."
"What? The butler?"
My heart sank. What was this about?
"That was quite a while ago too. Was it four years ago? The master was away from the mansion for a fairly long time, and not many days after he returned, the butler quit. Rumor has it that the master fired him, but I don't know the exact details. He was getting on in years, and well, he must have had his circumstances. He was someone who had served the Bellunita family since his youth, so would the master really have fired him overnight?"
I had thought it was strange. Since coming here until now, I hadn't seen Isabella or the butler even once.
Since they were people who managed the mansion, I thought I would run into them at some point. That was why I had been scared and seriously considered running away, but contrary to those concerns, nothing had happened.
Although it was partly because of Ethan, another reason I had accepted the extended probation period was that I hadn't felt any sense of intimidation during my entire stay at the mansion.
I had considered that since it was a mansion in the forest, they might manage it separately, but I had never imagined they wouldn't be here from the start.
Lenika waved her hand in farewell. I waved back, but an indescribable uncomfortable feeling remained in my heart.
How should I describe this feeling? It was as if the unease I'd felt since the moment I learned where this was had become a bit more vivid. I had many questions in my mind, but I couldn't get a single answer. And with no one to unravel the questions, only frustration piled up.
Should I ask Ethan? With that thought, I hurried my steps toward Ethan's room.
"Lord Ethan, I have something to ask—!"
And just as I reached the door, I threw it open and nearly fainted. Surprisingly, Vincent was standing right in the middle of the room.
My steps into the room naturally faltered. Vincent slowly turned his head and cast his gaze at me.
"Where are you coming back from?"
"...I was preparing breakfast and came back."
Saying that, I casually glanced toward the bed. Unusually, Ethan was awake. Sitting on the bed, he looked up at Vincent with a dazed expression as if he were dreaming. It seemed he was still half-asleep.
Well, it was bound to be surprising. I was this shocked too. It was rare for Vincent to visit the mansion early in the morning. Even when Robert was sick, he only showed up in the evening or late at night. For him to come at this hour, and to Ethan's room of all places... Was something going to happen today?
But Vincent must have come to have breakfast with Robert too, right? Joelly was supposed to join them this time as well. It made sense, so I nodded to myself inwardly.
"Everything is ready, so you can head to the dining room."
"..."
I explained as if it were obvious, but somehow no answer came back. When I looked at him in confusion, Vincent turned his head again to look at Ethan.
"She says everything is ready."
"Huh?"
Ethan repeated with a dumbfounded face, his mouth hanging open. Seeing him blinking rapidly, he seemed to be trying to come to his senses. But since he was particularly vulnerable in the mornings, he might dismiss this current situation as a dream.
For now, I gathered my startled wits, roused the half-conscious Ethan, and pushed him toward the bathroom. Then I gathered fresh towels and clothes to change into. Vincent's gaze watching me do all that was intense.