# 150
150. Perhaps It Was All For This Moment (3)
I was on my way back after clearing Robert's lunch dishes. Three maids approached me and, without a word, grabbed me and dragged me outside. There were several more maids waiting there. Driving me back against the wall, they surrounded me in a tight circle.
The maid standing at the forefront asked,
"I heard you were in that kind of relationship with Mr. Aaron?"
Who was Aaron? I looked at the maid in front of me in bewilderment. Reading my expression, the maid scoffed and explained,
"The man who died a few days ago. The assistant cook of this mansion!"
Ah, I let out a short sigh. So the dead man's name was Aaron. I remembered him as mild-mannered and polite. True to his role as an assistant cook, both his hands were always covered in cuts and burns, and he was frequently scolded, yet he was passionate enough to ask me every time how the food he prepared tasted. I had been shocked and saddened when I heard he was murdered.
"Someone said they saw you with Mr. Aaron every day."
I let out a scoff. The only reason I saw him daily was because I had to attend to Robert's meals. Even when we ran into each other occasionally, we only exchanged brief greetings out of familiarity or discussed the menu. It was only then that I realized what they had misunderstood.
When I was too dumbfounded to speak, they must have thought I was too guilty to react, and sneered at me.
"I knew it. Look at her, she can't even say anything."
"She should know her place with that face."
"If I had a face like that, I'd be too embarrassed to even show up for work."
Their barbed whispers reached my ears. Unsure of how to explain myself, I surveyed them in a different kind of panic. Then, a familiar figure standing at the very back caught my eye. It was Alicia. A maid was whispering something in Alicia's ear, and Alicia was glaring at me through tears. A wounded expression—as if she had just lost her beloved.
"I heard you also have your eyes on the Master? They say you've been throwing yourself at him, begging him to accept your feelings."
At those words, scoffs erupted from all around. I clenched my fists tight. The instigator who had blown the rumors out of proportion, the reason why people who barely knew my face were acting like this toward me. I realized then that they hadn't gathered simply to demand justice for the death of the assistant cook.
The maid standing at the forefront shoved my stiff shoulder.
"Know your place!"
Caught off guard by the sudden force, I fell hard on my backside. It hurt, but I glared at her without showing my pain. The woman watching my reaction let out a scoff. But she wasn't the one I wanted to glare at.
I looked past the crowd at Alicia. Tears were still streaming down her face, but her mouth, partially hidden behind her hand, was curled into a smile.
So this is how you want to bring me down. I didn't even feel angry anymore. Instead of worrying about how to clear up the misunderstanding, I started thinking about what I should do next.
When I remained silent, another maid kicked me lightly. When I still didn't react, she must have thought I was ignoring her, because she grabbed my hair and raised her other hand. I was prepared to fight back if that hand swung at me, but a sharp voice suddenly cut in.
"What is going on here?"
The faces of those who turned around flushed with dismay. The woman holding my hair turned her head and froze in surprise. I also turned my gaze in that direction. Through the gap created by the retreating crowd, I saw Audrey with a stiff expression, and Vincent standing beside her. His gaze was fixed entirely on me, sitting sprawled on the ground.
It was a clearly ugly situation—several people crowding around a single person. Everyone was too flustered by the unexpected arrival to say a word. Meanwhile, Vincent strode through the gap in the crowd. He approached me, still sitting on the ground, bent down, and offered me his hand.
I couldn't take that hand. I didn't want him to see me like this. It wasn't because of the onlookers' stares; I just didn't want to show him such a pathetic sight. A feeling of shame and misery washed over me. When I averted my gaze, he grabbed my hand firmly and pulled me to my feet.
I could feel the bewildered stares of the people around us. When I raised my head, Vincent's face was contorted with suppressed fury. He turned his head to look somewhere. At the end of his gaze stood Alicia. She was glancing back and forth between Vincent and me with an anxious expression.
How long had he been there? Had he figured out what was going on? Seeing his hardened expression, I realized his patience had reached its limit.
He looked at me again. I met his gaze anxiously and shook my head slightly. But Vincent was resolute.
'I can't let this go on any longer.'
His face was speaking those exact words.
Vincent's lips slowly parted. I squeezed my eyes shut. Right then, a scream suddenly shattered the silence.
"Ah!"
One of the maids pointed somewhere in alarm. When I turned to look, a black mass surged out from the forest. A car burst out of the woods, swerving as if it had lost control, and charged straight toward us.
Screech—The vicious noise spiked my fear. Ah, ah! More screams erupted. However, the car didn't stop. People scattered to both sides to avoid the charging vehicle. I also panicked and shoved Vincent away, but he pulled me into his arms and fell backward with me. The car, having spun a full circle, came to a halt with an unpleasant screech.
A small cloud of dust billowed up. Faced with the sudden turn of events, people gathered their wits and stared at the car with bewildered faces. I hurriedly checked on Vincent, who had taken the fall while holding me.
"Are you alright?"
"Are you?"
"I'm fine."
Vincent looked me over, then grabbed my arm and pulled himself up. As I stood up alongside him, I turned around. There was another car. A second vehicle emerged from the forest, stopping just a short distance away from the dust-covered first car.
The car door opened, and the person who scrambled out in a panic was Ethan. Why was Ethan here? That question came second to checking his condition. He looked no different from the last time I saw him. I had been worried after he left with such anxious words, so I was relieved that he didn't seem to have suffered any major ordeal.
Seeing the dust-covered car, Ethan pressed a hand to his face. He seemed to let out a sigh. As if a massive headache had just erupted.
At that same moment, the door of the dust-covered car flew open. The first thing to emerge was a leg wearing an elegant shoe. Next, a woman stepped out, gathering her fluttering skirts and brushing back her disheveled hair. Lustrous golden locks cascaded down to her chest. Her beautiful violet eyes swept over the surroundings.
A woman, more mature than she was five years ago, caught my eye.
Violet...?
My eyes widened in shock. I turned to look at Vincent; he too seemed caught off guard, shifting his gaze from Ethan to Violet.
"Why is the road so terrible? How annoying."
Violet grumbled, brushing the dust off her skirt. Soon, the driver's side door opened, and a man practically stumbled out. When Violet asked if he was alright, the man claimed to be fine despite his pale face, and ran off toward a nearby spot. The faint sound of retching reached my ears.
"Violet! What are you doing! That was dangerous!"
Ethan yelled as he rushed over to her. Seeing his outburst, he must have been genuinely terrified. But Violet simply brushed the dust from her hair with a nonchalant expression.
"Why blame me for the terrible road? The problem is having a mansion in a place like this."
"Even so, how could you suddenly grab the steering wheel from the back?"
"We made it here in one piece, so who cares."
Ethan looked like he had a lot to say, but Violet's shameless behavior left him utterly speechless. Ignoring his opening and closing mouth, Violet dusted off her shoulder and surveyed her surroundings once more. Vincent, having collected himself, approached her.
"Violet."
Violet glanced sideways at Vincent.
"Long time no see."
She had a somewhat sullen expression. She looked almost annoyed. It was a strange reaction, considering how she used to be. But Vincent continued smoothly, as if he were used to it.
"How did you get here without any prior notice?"
"I came to see my son. But seriously, why is the road in such a state? I got lost for ages on the way here. How dare you stash my son away in such a remote corner?"
"...I believe I told you the mansion was in the forest."
"I didn't know it was this isolated. What is this place? It wouldn't be surprising if someone died out here."
Vincent paused at her crude words. I stood there with my mouth agape, hardly believing my ears. These were not words that could have come from the delicate, beautiful Violet of five years ago. The Violet in my memory was a kind young lady who smiled shyly and spoke with affection. I felt that image shatter to pieces. I heard Ethan sigh again, muttering, "Please, just watch your mouth..."
"So you came all this way just to see Robert?"
"Why else? Did you think I came to see you?"
"..."
"Where is my son?"
At her question, Vincent also let out a sigh and, without further argument, quietly pointed toward the mansion. Just then, the driver, having finished retching, shuffled over. After ordering the driver to unload the luggage, Violet was about to head toward the mansion when her gaze suddenly landed on us. With everyone clustered together, it must have looked rather strange.
Her curious eyes swept over the group once before returning to Vincent.
"Did something happen?"
"It's nothing."
"Really? Come to think of it, I heard Paula was here too."
At those words, everyone's gaze shifted. Toward Alicia, who had been knocked over during the sudden commotion and was now getting up with the help of another maid.
"Isn't Paula your original name? Do you know her?"
"Ah, w-well..."
Alicia, who knew nothing about Violet, was naturally flustered. She was likely racking her brain, trying to figure out how to handle the situation. Contrary to Alicia's inner turmoil, Violet began walking toward us. Judging by her bright expression, someone must have told her the person she was looking for was here.
Violet stopped right in front of Alicia. The smile vanished from her face, replaced by a look of suspicion as she scanned Alicia from head to toe.
"Are you... Paula?"
The question held multiple meanings. Alicia's face drained of color. Unprepared for such a confrontation, Alicia hesitated, unsure of whether to acknowledge her or not. Violet frowned, scanned Alicia up and down once more, then turned her head away. All eyes were on her, but she didn't care. As she surveyed her surroundings, her gaze suddenly locked onto a different direction.
"There you are."
Her raised voice carried a tone of delight. She changed directions again. The crowd's eyes followed the path of her gaze. The surroundings fell dead silent, as if by prior agreement. The only sound filling the silence was the click of Violet's heels. Step by step, she walked, soon arriving at her destination. Her beaming face made it obvious to anyone just how happy she was to see this person after such a long time.
"It really has been a long time."
Her gaze was steeped in affection. And that gaze was directed at me. Violet spread her arms wide toward me, who was staring at her in a daze.
"Paula."
And then, she pulled me into a crushing embrace.
I could feel her genuine delight as she hugged me as tightly as she could, rubbing her cheek against mine. Instinctively, I stayed in Violet's embrace, struggling to calm my chaotic mind. The onlookers stared at us, their expressions dyed with utter bewilderment.