# 109
109. Coincidence Too Seems Like Fate In the End (6)
It was a familiar gaze by now. I felt surveilled and burdened, but I feigned ignorance and headed to the bathroom.
Once inside, sure enough, Ethan asked.
"Did something happen today?"
His face was thoroughly soaked. It seemed he had splashed cold water on his face to come to his senses.
The expression on Ethan's face as he looked at me was deliberately serious. He also seemed to think this situation was quite strange.
"Nothing has happened yet."
"But it could in the future."
"I wonder. Didn't the Master say why he came looking for you?"
"Not at all. Someone kept poking me, so I woke up, and there was Vincent. Do you know how startled I was? I thought my heart was going to drop."
Saying that, Ethan rubbed his chest area. He added that he'd even wondered if he had died in his sleep.
"Perhaps he came to have breakfast together?"
"He didn't tell me that..."
"Lord Joelly might have informed him."
I handed him a fresh towel.
"Let's wash up and get ready first, then head to the dining room. Breakfast is ready."
"Right. We should wash up and go."
Ethan took the towel and wiped the moisture from his face. Still, he looked a bit dazed.
"Shall I prepare bathwater?"
"No, I'd like to just wash up lightly."
"Understood."
I placed the clothes Ethan would change into on the shelf and took out a washbasin to fill with water. Ethan stood with his arms crossed, leaning slightly against the wall.
For a while, only the sound of trickling water echoed through the bathroom. Then, just as I was turning toward Ethan with the washbasin filled to a certain level, Vincent barged into the bathroom.
At Vincent's sudden appearance, Ethan and I stared at him in bewilderment. Vincent, giving each of us a glance, spoke with evident displeasure.
"Why are you taking so long?"
He was complaining as if he'd been waiting for ages. And he even threw the robe he'd brought at Ethan's face.
Momentarily staggered by the surprise attack, Ethan pulled down the robe covering his face and wore a bewildered expression.
"Why this?"
"Put some clothes on."
"What?"
Ethan blinked again. Then he lowered his gaze and looked at his own body—shirtless, precariously wearing only pants.
"Is this your mansion? Even if you sleep undressed, cover up when you're awake."
"Uh..."
Ethan wore a face that didn't know how to respond to Vincent's reaction. I stared at Vincent with wide eyes. Why the sudden intrusion and meddling? But Vincent, on the contrary, knitted his brows in dissatisfaction.
When Ethan stood there dumbly holding the robe, Vincent approached and tried to put it on him himself. Only then did Ethan startle and hastily throw on the robe, clutching the collar tightly with his hand. Watching this, Vincent tied the robe's sash.
Having witnessed this unexpected scene, I fell into brief contemplation about whether it was okay to hand over this washbasin.
In the end, Ethan finished washing and preparing for breakfast, receiving Vincent's attention to the fullest.
When the three of us left the room side by side, silence lingered around us. Ethan, who had personally demonstrated that excessive attention is poison, slightly contorted his face and whispered softly into my ear.
"Something really big must be about to happen today."
His gaze was fixed on Vincent walking ahead. I also looked at Vincent and expressed my agreement by nodding vigorously. Something really big seemed about to happen today. Something terribly bad or unfortunate.
Walking along, I whispered various things with Ethan like playing a guessing game of what great disaster might occur.
But Vincent, who had been walking ahead, suddenly stopped. Ethan and I also came to a halt following him. Vincent turned around, and this time too, his expression was full of dissatisfaction.
"What are you doing?"
"Hmm?"
"Pardon?"
What on earth was he asking? Ethan and I looked at each other in question. Then Vincent knitted his brows even more and suddenly approached, pushing between Ethan and me, standing in the middle. Pushed aside in that moment, I stared at Vincent with an absurd expression. Ethan had the same face as mine.
"Are you two close?"
"What?"
"Pardon?"
When both of us asked back, unable to understand this time either, Vincent looked into the air as if pondering for a moment. No, glaring would be a more accurate expression. His face, openly displaying dissatisfaction, had been menacing from earlier.
"I asked if you're close. Come to think of it, you said you've known each other from before."
"Why ask such a thing?"
"Because I'm curious."
"Why are you curious about that?"
Ethan asked as if frustrated. Vincent looked at Ethan.
"Just... because I'm curious."
"Are you sick somewhere?"
Ethan calmly asked if he had lost his mind. Vincent shook his head.
"Tell me. Are you close?"
"So what if we are? What if I say we're very, very, very close?"
"Then..."
Vincent, trailing off as if contemplating, soon spoke firmly.
"Don't be close anymore."
Then he gave my back a light push. Suddenly taking the lead, I wondered what kind of situation this was. When I looked back, Ethan was flustered, and Vincent was gesturing with his hand casually. Like telling me to hurry up and go.
I started walking ahead for now. Behind me, Vincent and Ethan followed closely.
"Why are you acting like this since earlier?"
"What did I do?"
"Since when did you care about such things? No, why did you come looking this morning and act so strangely? What are you trying to do?"
"We're going to have breakfast."
"I'm not talking about us, I'm talking about you, you!"
From behind, I could hear them bickering. It was hard to believe these were people who had been worrying about how to mend their awkward relationship, as Vincent and Ethan were so engrossed in arguing. I set my jaw and fervently prayed in my heart that today would pass quietly.
Upon entering the dining room, Robert and Joelly had arrived first. Alicia gave me a sidelong glance, then turned her head away when our eyes met, pretending not to know me. I didn't particularly want to concern myself either, so I withdrew my attention.
Joelly's eyes went wide seeing Vincent following me into the dining room.
"Oh my, Vincent. When did you arrive?"
"Just now."
Vincent answered as he sat in the seat Audrey guided him to. Ethan, who sat next to Joelly, reached for water and gulped it down the moment he settled into his chair.
"Why is your face like that again? Did something happen?"
"..."
Joelly asked upon seeing Ethan's fiercely contorted face. Ethan didn't answer Joelly's question and glared at Vincent instead. Vincent haughtily ignored that gaze. Meanwhile, Alicia was sparkling her eyes as she placed tableware and cutlery in front of Vincent.
Audrey seemed flustered by Vincent's appearance.
"If I had known you were coming, I would have paid more attention to the food."
Having thought only Robert, Ethan, and Joelly would gather, she had prepared food considering only the three's tastes. Since there was no word that Vincent was coming, she couldn't take his preferences into account. Though various types of food had been prepared, they might not suit his palate.
"It's fine."
But Vincent answered as if it were no big deal.
"Yeah, how about giving some notice before coming next time?"
Ethan threw in a word as if he'd been waiting for this.
"You told me to come."
"Me? When?"
"You sent a servant to tell me to come have a meal."
Ethan frowned at Vincent as if he was talking nonsense, then suddenly seemed to recall something and let out a short sigh.
"That was about the last dinner. And you said you were busy and didn't come then."
"So I came now. Do you have a complaint?"
"...No, you came very well."
Ethan, unable to even recoup his losses, ate his soup with a reluctant expression.
Unlike Ethan, Robert was elated by Vincent's appearance, grinning from ear to ear. In a highly elevated voice, he went on evaluating the food—this was delicious, that was not—and Vincent listened with a smirk.
The dining room became lively in no time.
The happiest among them was Robert. The child chattered away with a more excited expression than usual and laughed brightly. The governess standing next to me whispered that it was a relief Robert seemed in a good mood. I nodded, agreeing with her words. It seemed to have become a better time than expected.
When the meal had progressed to a certain point, Audrey, who had swept her gaze over the dining table, approached me and said.
"Tell them to bring out dessert."
"Understood."
Following Audrey's instruction, I turned and came out into the hallway. Alicia, holding an empty water pitcher, followed behind me. She must have been instructed to fill it with water.
Once we were alone, Alicia immediately asked what she was curious about.
"How did you end up coming together with Lord Vincent?"
"He came to the Count's room I serve."
"Why?"
"Since they're friends, he probably came to see him first. It's not that strange."
At my answer, Alicia said no more. Probably because she had nothing to say. This time, I asked what I was curious about.
"But where is Johnny?"
"Johnny? Ah, that loser. He only comes when needed."
"Really?"
So that's why he shows up sporadically. Or it could be that Joelly's interest had decreased.
Going down to the kitchen, I asked a maid to prepare dessert. After speaking with the chef, the maid conveyed that they would prepare it right away. In the meantime, Alicia picked up a new water pitcher.
Returning to the dining room, somehow the inside was noisy.
"No."
"I want to do it! I will!"
Robert was being stubborn against Ethan's firm words. While conveying what I'd heard from the kitchen maid to Audrey, I glanced in that direction.
"I said no. Suggest something else."
"I want to do it!"
"You collapsed doing that before. No."
"I don't want to! Hide and seek!"
Hide and seek? I wondered why that word had suddenly come up. I approached the governess who was watching Ethan and Robert's tug-of-war with a troubled expression and asked.
"What's going on?"
"Count Christopher said that since the young master's health has improved, he'd make up for not being able to play with him last time, and when he asked what he wanted to do, the young master said he wants to play hide and seek again."
It was an unexpected answer. Even though he collapsed in the middle and was sick for days, hide and seek must have been quite fun if he wanted to play it again.
But Ethan kept shaking his head with furrowed brows.
"No."
"Hide and seek! Hide and seek—!"
Despite Ethan's poor expression, Robert wouldn't budge. His small hands slapped the table. Tableware and teacups rattled.
Joelly tried to persuade him to play a different game, but failed to change Robert's mind. Like a person possessed by a ghost who died unable to play hide and seek, Robert only shouted for hide and seek.
"Just let him do it."
"Vincent."
At Vincent's sudden interjection, Ethan's gaze flew over. Paying no mind to the look full of complaint asking why he was egging him on, Vincent calmly set down his fork and knife on the table and picked up the glass of water Alicia had just poured, wetting his throat.
"What's so difficult about it. Just assign someone to stay by Robert's side this time."
"You mean to make Robert alone as a team?"
When Joelly added an explanation, Vincent nodded. The governess, gauging the atmosphere, carefully interjected.
"Then how about I form a team with the young master and play together?"
In short, she was saying to attach a monitor. That way, they could respond immediately if a problem occurred.
Whether to firmly refuse and say it still wasn't okay, or to comply since he wanted it so much—Ethan seemed to struggle for a moment before nodding reluctantly. Robert said it was great and bounced in his seat.
"Don't run around too much just because you're excited. Understood?"
"Yeah, yeah."
When Joelly asked with concern, Robert nodded repeatedly. I wasn't sure if he properly understood. Perhaps thinking the same thing, Ethan, who let out a deep sigh, looked at Vincent with his mouth crookedly raised.
"Do you want to join too? Well, I'm sure you're busy."
It was a voice without even a sliver of expectation. Having said that, Ethan scooped up a spoonful of soup and put it in his mouth.
However, upon hearing Vincent's answer, soup trickled down from Ethan's mouth.
"I will."