111. Even Coincidences Eventually Seem Like Fate (8)
Vincent, who had been stumbling, regained his balance and looked at me with a startled face. I hurriedly bowed deeply.
"Y-you're t-too c-close. I'm sorry."
"..."
My clasped hands trembled violently. The shaking all over my body wouldn't stop. My heart beat so fiercely that it hurt. Having someone look at my face from up close was still a terrifying experience. Afraid he might notice that fear, I clasped my hands together even tighter.
Vincent said nothing. Just as my neck shrunk back even further from his lingering gaze, Vincent spoke again.
"I get it, so raise your head."
"..."
"I said, raise your head."
At his firm tone, I straightened my posture slightly. I raised my face a beat late.
"Don't avoid my gaze next time. It feels unpleasant."
"...I will keep that in mind."
As I met his burdensome gaze again, I unknowingly tried to lower my head, but stopped. Was it really that unpleasant of a thing? Well, if I made it obvious I was avoiding him, it could feel unpleasant. I rubbed my cheek, which had gone numb from being pressed by his hand, trying to shake off the embarrassment.
Vincent started walking again. I hesitantly followed behind him.
"How did you come to know Ethan? Ah, did you say you worked for the Christopher family? Last time, I think you said you were in a cooperative relationship sharing secrets. What does that mean?"
"Th-that doesn't really mean anything. I just owe him a debt."
"What kind of debt?"
"Just... I received some help. It's nothing you need to worry about. And it's not a very interesting story either."
It wasn't a comfortable topic. Having told lies, I felt uneasy. I hoped Vincent wouldn't pry any further into my relationship with Ethan. If the conversation dragged on, my lies might be exposed. Fortunately, he brought up another topic.
"Come to think of it, he was worrying about you last time."
"Pardon?"
"He said something about not picking on someone who's already timid, or something along those lines. He also said he was worried your tiny body might sink right into the ground."
What? I let out a snort, momentarily forgetting that the person in front of me was Vincent. I was dumbfounded by words that I couldn't tell were meant to worry or insult me. When did those two ever share such a conversation?
"You two do seem quite close."
"We've only exchanged a few words; we're not that close."
"You change your tune quickly."
"..."
I kept my mouth shut. The more I spoke, the more I felt like I was digging my own grave. Anyway, that sharp tongue of his hasn't dulled. I felt a little resentful.
But then, large and small footsteps could be heard from afar. It seemed Robert and the nanny were coming.
Right, we were in the middle of hide-and-seek. I snapped out of it and looked around. There was no place to hide. If the two of them walked this way, we would be caught immediately.
Just then, Vincent abruptly held out his hand.
"Grab it."
"Yes?"
"Before we get caught, hurry."
Not understanding what he meant, I blinked, and he flicked his fingers. It seemed he was telling me to hold his hand quickly.
But I hesitated. Then Vincent took a large step closer and gently grabbed my hand. His hand, which paused for a brief moment, soon gripped mine tightly.
In the meantime, the footsteps grew closer.
"Let's go."
Vincent pulled the hand he was holding. I moved my feet, following him in a fluster.
Matching the pitter-patter of the approaching footsteps, he and I walked down the hallway. Our slightly hurried gait somehow felt cheerful, and the body heat from our clasped hands felt exceptionally hot. The sunlight streaming through the gap in the windows shone dazzlingly on him. It smelled like flowers from somewhere.
The place Vincent dragged me into was a room at the very end of the hallway. It was my first time entering it. Perhaps it was an unused room, as all the furniture was covered with white cloth.
Why here? As I looked around in wonder, Vincent caught my eye, staring down at his own hand. The windows were all covered by curtains, making it difficult to gauge Vincent's expression with only the light seeping through the gaps.
"Master?"
When I called him, Vincent slowly raised his face. The light skillfully bypassed him, making his face still hard to see clearly.
Just then, Robert's voice was heard from outside the room.
"Ugly! Over here!"
I didn't expect that 'Ugly' nickname to sound so terrifying. Hearing knocking sounds here and there, it seemed they were knocking on every door they came across. I could also hear doors opening and occasionally the nanny's voice.
The sounds were getting closer. It felt like this room's door would open soon. I briefly considered locking the door, but decided against it, thinking there was no need to go that far.
"It's old, so the door can't be locked."
Vincent explained, as if reading my thoughts. Ah, I see. I nodded vaguely and looked around the room again. We had a little time before Robert arrived.
But Vincent walked past me toward the inside of the room. He pushed a chest of drawers in the corner to the side and felt around the wall. Curious at the sight, I stepped up behind him.
Feeling the wall, he suddenly raised his fingertips and began to tear at it. No, rather than tearing it, it looked like he was prying open a split seam.
Soon, the wall opened like a door, revealing a small space. Wow.
"What is this place for?"
"A place to store this and that."
So it's a storage room. It was at a height where I had to bend down slightly to look inside, and since there was no separate doorknob, anyone looking from the outside wouldn't know this storage existed.
Thinking it was quite cleverly made, I glanced inside. It was smaller than the room, but large enough for two or three people to fit in.
The items placed along the wall were covered in white cloth. However, it seemed it hadn't been cleaned in a long time, as it was full of dust. So I only stared blankly without touching anything, but then I felt a force pressing and pushing against my back from behind. Flustered, I turned around, only to find him trying to shove me into the storage.
"Get inside."
This must be the good hiding spot he mentioned. Certainly, if I hid here, no one would know. But even so, I didn't want to suffocate to death in a pile of dust.
"No, not to this extent..."
I was about to say I didn't want to, but he pushed me firmly, and I ended up forcing my bottom inside the storage against my will. Dust rose in clouds, making me burst into coughs.
As I tried to wave away the dust and go out, Vincent stood rooted in front of the door and wouldn't move. Blocked by him, escaping was difficult. Was he trying to make me get buried alive in a pile of dust? If he really was, I discreetly watched him, preparing to shove him aside and run away, but he reached out his hand again.
"Are you letting me out?"
"No."
"..."
"I just wanted to hold your hand again."
"My hand? ...Why?"
"Just because."
Why 'just because' he wants to hold my hand? I was flustered, but he merely flicked his fingers like before.
I couldn't easily comply with his request. The demand to hold hands again was strange, and not knowing his intentions made me wary.
"I was too frantic earlier, so I couldn't check."
I wanted to ask what exactly that meant, but it seemed he wouldn't step away from the door if I didn't hold his hand. Wanting to escape this dusty storage quickly, I grabbed his hand.
Vincent stared blankly down at my hand clasping his. At first, he didn't grip back and stayed still, but soon he slowly closed his hand. The body heat gradually wrapping around my hand felt ticklish. When he applied strength to the hand that was gently holding mine, my hand curled into his. Watching my hand fit perfectly inside his large hand felt strange.
"Your hand is quite small."
A bland evaluation came back. I didn't know why, but I wanted him to let go quickly. However, Vincent seemed to have no intention of letting go, fiddling with my hand and repeatedly opening and closing his palm.
Unable to hold back any longer, I opened my mouth.
"Why are you doing this?"
"I was wondering what this felt like."
"Pardon?"
"Because when I can see, my other senses become dull."
Just as I was about to ask what that meant, the door suddenly swung open.
"Over here!"
Startled by the voice, I ended up pulling him into the storage, still holding his hand. At the same time, the door clicked shut. Dust rose, and I barely held back a cough that almost burst out.
"Huh? Huh? No?"
"It doesn't seem like anyone is here."
The nanny's voice followed Robert's question. 'Is Ugly not here? Not here? Huh? No?' Robert and the nanny, who rattled off words I didn't know who they were talking to, saw their footsteps grow distant before disappearing. Hearing the sound of the room door closing, it seemed they had left.
Only then did I let out my coughs and wave my hands. The storage room was far too dusty. Thinking I needed to get out quickly, the moment I tried to move, I realized I was still holding Vincent's hand. I turned around, and Vincent, who had been dragged in in a fluster, was sitting down, feeling around his eye area with one hand.
"Are you okay?"
"...No."
"Pardon?"
"I, I need to get out."
I felt a tremor in his voice. Somehow, his condition was strange. It was darker in here than in the room, so I couldn't examine him closely. I crawled toward the door, feeling the wall for a handle. But there didn't seem to be a handle on the inside either. So I pushed the door with my body.
"H-huh?"
The door wouldn't open.
"N-no. Why won't the door open..."
I turned my body this way and that, pushing it, and even tried pushing hard with my hands, but it still didn't budge. I leaned my back against the door and pushed with all my might. However, my feet only kicked against the floor as I struggled.
At that moment, a large shadow overwhelmed me. Hands reaching out on either side of my face slammed against the door. Bam, bam again! Before I knew it, Vincent was pushing the door with both hands.
I was flustered to suddenly be embraced by him, but I focused on pushing the door along with him for now. I could hear the hinges creaking, but the door still wouldn't open.
"Haa, haa."
"Master?"
But his breathing grew rougher. He repeatedly felt around his eyes with one hand, as if checking something, then started scratching his neck fiercely. Like a person unable to breathe.
"Stop it! You'll hurt yourself!"
When I tried to stop him from scratching his neck madly, Vincent collapsed. Catching him, I slammed the back of my head against the door. It hurt, but his condition came first. Examining him urgently, Vincent had his face buried in my shoulder, panting heavily.
"Why are you being like this?!"
"...D-dark. It's too... d-dark..."
"Dark? Well, it is dark, but..."
The storage room was certainly dark. With the door closed as well, it was even more so. Not a single ray of light came in properly, making it hard to even check on the other person.
But what did the darkness have to do with his current state? I struggled to support him as he curled up more and more. The hand grabbing my back trembled. The skin of his neck pressed against mine began to grow damp.
A memory suddenly came to mind. In the darkness where even the moonlight was hidden by the clouds, on a dawn when thunder and lightning struck fiercely, I had gone out to look for a candle and ran into Vincent in the hallway. I recalled his panicked face when he had desperately grabbed me as I turned to leave because of Robert's crying.
'Ah, th-that is, because it's too dark.'
Don't tell me....
"W-wait a moment!"
I pushed him aside for a moment and pushed the door hard again. Even though the door panel was quite old, it wouldn't open easily. Nor did it break.
I kept repeating pushing and pounding on the door. It was because I hoped someone would come. However, even though the creaking sound echoed loudly, no one came.