# 156
156. Maybe It Was All for This Very Moment (9)
Ethan ultimately spared James. Perhaps that was the final mercy he could bestow. A final chance to realize the sins he had committed in his life and repent for them. However, James let even that chance slip away and was trying to harm someone once again.
Did Ethan know? Was this what he had wanted to turn a blind eye to while shut away in his room? When I spoke of Alicia's situation, who was it that Ethan saw through me?
If James Christopher had sneaked into this mansion, the only time he could have moved about was the dead of night. If that was the case, then it made sense why the two lovers seeking a secret rendezvous, and the kitchen assistant who had briefly stepped out of their room worried about the next day's meals, were suddenly murdered.
Eyewitnesses. The dead were eyewitnesses who had seen James.
And now, we had become eyewitnesses too.
The terror of death washed over me like a tide. The air, drawn taut and swollen, felt so stifling it seemed it would burst at any second. I couldn't even blink. James's figure came into focus in my vision, now accustomed to the dark. He was staring intently at my face, scrutinizing it.
"I've seen you before. Definitely five years ago...."
James took a step forward and reached his hand out toward me. Johnny calmly observed the current situation. Even then, I couldn't move my body.
A flash of light burst before my eyes once more. The moment the surroundings brightened, it felt as if time itself had stopped. Immediately after, thunder struck down from the heavens with a boom! It felt like a signal telling me to run.
My frozen body suddenly loosened up. I immediately turned around. Grabbing Alicia's arm—she had somehow stood up and was watching the situation—I dashed in the opposite direction from them.
I pushed through the bushes and sprinted through the forest. I ran blindly, not even knowing where I was heading. Without a lamp, I had no choice but to rely on the moonlight. Should I return to the mansion, or go somewhere else? Ethan and Joeli had gone out and hadn't returned yet. Would Vincent be at the other mansion? What if he wasn't there either? No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't figure out how to navigate this situation.
Rustle— Rustle—
The sound of someone chasing us came from behind. That sound only made my heart more anxious.
Running without a destination was no different from stalling for time. Gradually, my breath grew ragged. The sounds from behind drew closer at a terrifyingly fast pace. At this rate, we might get caught.
I glanced around, spotted a large tree trunk, and veered to the side. Then, I pressed my body tightly against the tree trunk, hiding behind it.
My breath heaved in and out. But fearful of being discovered because of it, I couldn't even exhale properly. I clamped both hands over my mouth, pressed myself flat against the trunk, and peeked outside. Perhaps realizing something was wrong, Alicia, who had been quietly following behind me, also hid behind the trunk and whispered softly.
"What the hell is going on? That guy from earlier, that was Johnny, right? Why is he here?"
"I'm not exactly sure either."
"Then who was the man behind him?"
"A dangerous man."
An incredibly dangerous man. A man trying to kill us.
James Christopher seemed to have recognized me. Did he remember that I was the maid who attended to Vincent five years ago? If so, he might have also realized that I was the person Vincent had been searching for.
If I was caught by him, would I be killed? I briefly thought it might be better to separate from Alicia, but I shook my head. There was no safe place right now. It was a relief that the forest was vast, but they would never leave Alicia alive. That was because both Alicia and I had become eyewitnesses to his presence here.
If I hadn't been the person they were looking for, we might have been murdered just now. A chill ran down my spine at the thought, and I rubbed my arms.
My mind was in utter chaos.
Right then, something cold brushed against my cheek. Alicia raised a hand.
"Huh? It's raining."
Just as Alicia said, thin streaks of rain began to fall from the sky. Thunder and lightning continued to flash, spewing bright light. I looked up at the sky, then, hearing footsteps, quickly peeked around the trunk. Johnny came into view, running towards us.
Johnny soon came to a halt and glanced around. The knife in his hand bobbed up and down like a toy.
"Now where could they have gone—"
His drawn-out voice sounded like the seeker in a game of hide-and-seek. As Johnny's gaze swept the area and reached our way, I immediately pressed my body flat against the trunk. Alicia pressed herself closely against me. I swallowed hard, a dry lump sliding down my throat. My heart pounded so fiercely it felt like it would burst through my skin.
"Hmm, this way?"
Squelching footsteps sounded from a little further away. Then, the squelching sounds grew closer once more. 'This way? Or that way? Should I go here?' Following his voice, my heart repeatedly leaped into my throat and dropped to my stomach. I closed my eyes and prayed desperately.
Just keep walking. Please, just walk past.
"Must be that way."
With those words, Johnny's footsteps faded away. Fortunately, it was in the opposite direction from where we were hiding. Only after confirming that his footsteps could no longer be heard did I let out a sigh of relief.
"Why are they looking for us like that!"
"Probably to kill us."
"K-Kill us?"
Alicia's face turned pale. I glanced at Alicia and practically scrambled to my feet.
"Let's just get out of the forest first and ask anyone we can find for help."
Although Johnny had moved away, it was unsettling that James Christopher was nowhere to be seen. Wandering aimlessly in the forest was dangerous. We needed to get out of the forest and head somewhere crowded.
As I started moving, Alicia sluggishly followed after me. For a brief moment, the rain grew heavier. If the rain grew any stronger, it would become even harder to push forward.
The rain-soaked ground was slightly squelchy. I stepped forward, doing my best to muffle my footsteps.
"Hey, why does he want to kill us?"
"To take revenge on Vincent."
"Why?"
"Because it must have been humiliating. He lost everything in a single moment, so he needed somewhere to channel his misery and resentment."
That must be why he wanted to kill Vincent. He didn't want to acknowledge his own mistakes, even if it meant blaming Vincent. If Lucas were still alive, he would have tried to kill him first.
Alicia chewed over my words for a moment before letting out a frustrated sigh.
"What does that even mean?"
Alicia wouldn't understand. But I couldn't explain it in detail. There wasn't enough time, either.
As we walked, we found ourselves on a familiar path. It was the same road we had passed earlier. If we went just a little further, we would reach the entrance to the forest.
"How much further do we have to go?"
"Just a little further."
Once we got out of here, we needed to ask people for help and find Vincent and Ethan to inform them of the current situation. That James Christopher was here, and that Johnny was connected to him.
Perhaps Ethan and Vincent already knew this fact. However, there was a difference between merely suspecting it and witnessing it firsthand to report it. If, as I suspected, James Christopher had sneaked into this mansion for revenge, then Vincent's life was also in danger.
We had to escape the forest and request help before they found us.
"Then what about me? What's going to happen with my escaping?"
At the sudden return of the heavy topic, my complicated thoughts ground to a temporary halt. Come to think of it, we had been heading toward the secret door. I hadn't anticipated this situation unfolding at all. But even so, turning back now was out of the question.
"That's... I'll think of another way. Or I'll try talking to them again."
"Since you're reflecting on your actions, just ask them to guarantee your safety. I'll apologize and plead with you. Then they'll show us some mercy."
"Will that work?"
"It will. If I talk to them properly."
It wouldn't be as easy as I made it sound. But I had to find another solution, even if it meant getting on my knees and begging.
"If you talk... I guess it could work."
Her quiet muttering was hard to hear clearly. I brushed aside my wet bangs blocking my eyes and glanced back. What? I asked, but Alicia seemed to be muttering to herself while staring at the ground. Seeing her blinking vacantly, I turned my head forward again.
The path was getting progressively worse. There were a lot of stones on the ground, making it easy to trip if you weren't careful.
"The path is dangerous, so be careful."
The moment I said that, Alicia lost her balance and stumbled. I quickly grabbed her arm to keep her from falling. Alicia then grabbed my chest with both hands and leaned into me.
"Are you okay?"
Alicia nodded once.
The hands clutching my chest were trembling violently. Her shrunken frame shivered subtly as well. Was she terrified? I stroked Alicia's back to comfort her.
Right then, the bushes rustled once more. Alicia's back stiffened with a jolt. Had they caught up already? I quickly scanned the direction the sound came from. No one was in sight yet, but the sound was close.
The entrance was... fortunately, not too far away. I pointed toward the entrance.
"It looks like we can get out over there."
Just as I was about to take another step, Alicia didn't let go of me.
"I'm scared."
"Just a little further."
"I... I want to live."
I glanced around before turning my gaze back to Alicia. Alicia lifted her head.
I thought Alicia was just saying strange things out of fear. But that wasn't it. Alicia's face as she looked at me was strangely calm. A sense of deja vu washed over me. I had seen this expression before.
Her wide, staring eyes captured me distinctly.
"I'm... I'm sorry."
"What?"
Just as I opened my mouth to ask what she meant, my body was violently shoved backward. Caught off guard by the sudden force, I lost my balance and fell backward. Feeling the wind blowing behind me, I belatedly realized that behind me was a steep slope with no foothold.
I instinctively reached out my hand to save myself. But there was nothing for my hand to grab onto. Beyond my fingertips, I saw Alicia, smiling as if she were about to cry.
Ah.
"If I can't have it, no one can."
Saying that, Alicia turned her body toward the entrance. With that as the last thing I saw, my body tumbled across the ground and plummeted downward.