1. Meaning of the Name (5)
When I asked again out of curiosity, Ethan, who had been pondering for a moment, explained the situation.
“My great-uncle had a granddaughter. Her parents—his son-in-law and daughter—passed away in an accident simultaneously, leaving her as his only remaining granddaughter. Because of my great-uncle's introverted personality, there was hardly any interaction between the families, and more than anything, she had been frail since birth, so almost no one had ever seen her face.”
It sounded familiar.
“So I thought it was the most fitting identity. She is from our family, and since my great-uncle's health is poor, there was also an excuse to bring her to the main house.”
……Ah. I remembered. It was the story written on the paper Ethan had handed me last time. A girl born on the day her mother had an accident, who rarely went outside her room due to her congenitally weak constitution and frequent illnesses.
‘Florence Christopher.’
I was pretty sure that was her name. Was that not a fabricated identity after all?
Only then did I begin to understand the situation. I could easily deduce that the favor Ethan mentioned was about my identity.
“So I made preparations and dropped by to get permission, but my great-uncle, the most important person, wouldn't allow it. I did try to persuade him continuously, but……”
I didn't need to hear the rest. I looked at the spacious mansion. Even when I caused a commotion with the old man, the granddaughter never showed herself.
“Then what about that young lady……?”
“Outwardly, she is alive, but she actually passed away from illness a long time ago.”
It was a secret, but Ethan whispered softly. Only then could I clearly understand why Ethan had fallen out of the old man's favor. My heart grew heavy.
“I see.”
When I replied gloomily, Ethan glanced at me.
“Don't be too scared. Even though he speaks like that, he has a warm heart.”
‘I won't be satisfied even if I tear you to pieces right this instant—!’
Ethan's words overlapped with the venomous words the old man had hurled at me just a moment ago. The old man had pointed directly at me and raged. No matter how I thought about it, it was hard to see him as someone with a warm heart.
“He treated me so well when I was young.”
“Ah, yes. When you were young, that is.”
I laughed hollowly, letting his words go in one ear and out the other. Suddenly, my head started to hurt terribly. As I was clutching my forehead, Ethan took a pocket watch from his inner jacket pocket and checked the time.
“It's already this late. I should be going now.”
Ethan walked toward the main gate. I chased after him but then looked back again. I felt uneasy, thinking I might have spoken too rudely. Actually, come to think of it, from the old man's perspective, I would be an eyesore. All the more so because of how much he loved his granddaughter.
Although I had incurred his wrath, the old man's condition looked quite poor, even to me who was meeting him for the first time today. In this mansion, aside from the old man, an old maid, and a servant, no one else was visible. Did that mean the only people to see the old man off on his final journey would be the maid and the servant? Was there not a single family member? The mansion, which I had thought was neat, suddenly felt somewhat desolate.
I should have just stayed quiet. Regret flooded in like the tide. Even as I walked, I kept looking back. A knight standing beyond the main gate spotted Ethan and waited for him.
“Master, a moment.”
The knight approached Ethan and whispered in his ear. I stood blankly, staring at the mansion.
“Paula.”
However, Ethan's expression as he approached me wasn't good.
“Is something the matter?”
“They say guests have arrived at the main house. They are from the paternal side of the family, and it seems it's not yet time for you to meet them, Paula.”
“Yes. Then what should I do?”
“I'll look for a place for you to stay temporarily. We'll need a place for at least one night.”
Ethan looked back at the knight and asked if there was a place where I could stay.
However, since all of this was a sudden development, there was no place prepared to stay even for a single night. I offered my opinion that anywhere would be fine. As long as it wasn't a dirt floor, I really didn't care where.
After pondering for a moment, Ethan walked back toward the mansion and tapped the door handle. Soon, the door opened slightly. Visible through the narrow gap was the servant called John. With a gloomy face, he whispered softly.
“Please return for today……”
“Is there perhaps a room where we could stay for a night?”
John's eyes widened, and he hesitantly opened the door wider.
“Is something the matter?”
“Circumstances have arisen, and we need a room to stay in for about a night.”
“There is a room, but…… will the Count be staying?”
“No, the person who came with me.”
As Ethan shifted his body, John's gaze fell on me, who had been hidden behind his back. I gripped the handle of my bag and received the servant's gaze with a little tension. Ethan briefly explained the situation. John conflicted for a moment, then told us to wait and closed the door.
A moment later, it was the old maid who came out through the opened door.
“This way, please.”
Creak, the door opened fully. The lamp in the maid's hand softly illuminated the dark interior of the mansion. Ethan looked back at me and said.
“It will be uncomfortable, but please bear with it for just one day. I'll come to pick you up tomorrow.”
“I'm fine. Call for me when you're fully prepared.”
I smiled at him as if to say it was truly okay. Taking a step back, Ethan pushed my back. I took two steps toward the mansion and looked back at Ethan. He motioned with his hand for me to hurry inside, so I moved my steps back into the mansion.
“This is the only room available for immediate use.”
The place the maid brought me to was the room at the very end of the 2nd-floor hallway. Inside the quite large room, furniture such as a bed and a dresser were neatly arranged. And perhaps because it hadn't been used in a long time, a chill lingered. Nevertheless, the room was excessively neat, to the point where there wasn't a single wrinkle on the bedsheet.
“I've been cleaning consistently, so it shouldn't be too uncomfortable for you to stay for one night. Just please use the items in the room carefully.”
No wonder the room was so clean. I looked around the room once and turned around.
“Thank you.”
The maid, who was closing the door, paused and looked at me. She gave me a glance and continued speaking.
“Please call for me if you need anything, Miss.”
At the unfamiliar title ‘Miss,’ my body stiffened. Not noticing my reaction, the maid soon closed the door and left. Listening to her receding footsteps, I finally released the tension in my body. I let out a small sigh, looked around the room again, and headed for the bed.
Looking at it now, there were dolls placed here and there in the room. From twin-tailed dolls wearing floral patterned dresses to teddy bears and round, cute-looking dolls. There were many different kinds. Was the owner of the room a young child?
While looking at the dolls neatly lined up on one side, a small picture frame placed on the dresser next to me suddenly caught my eye. It was a frame with a flower vine pattern around the edges. Inside was a photograph.
A small, cute girl with brown hair.
I recognized her at first glance. This girl was Florence.
“Then this was her room.”
The room came into view again. Except for the dolls and the flower-shaped curtains slightly covering the window, it would be hard to think of this as a room used by a child. The colors were monotonous and plain.
I recalled the room Robert used at the Velunita mansion. Robert used one of the guest rooms, but it was full of toys and fairy tale books, and the color of the wallpaper and the pattern of the carpet gave a cozy feeling. But here.
‘It's desolate.’
It was neatly maintained, but the air deeply rooted within the room still lingered.
I looked down at the picture again. The smiling girl seemed as if she were greeting me.
It was not easy falling asleep in an unfamiliar place. I stayed up all night with my eyes open, then raised my body with a haggard mind. As I opened the door half-asleep, the maid was standing outside. She offered me a polite bow.
“I have prepared breakfast.”
“For me as well?”
When I asked in surprise, she nodded and turned around. I blankly watched her walk away before moving my feet to follow her. I went down the stairs to the first floor and entered the room on the left. Whether it was a dining room or not, the room was small but had a long dining table.
The maid pulled out the chair closest to me. I quickly came to my senses, greeted her, and sat in the chair she had pulled out. A tablecloth was spread over the table, and silverware and a cup were prepared. The maid set down a bowl of soup on the tablecloth, then poured water into the cup.
Being waited on felt awkward. My body stiffened involuntarily. The maid who finished serving stood against one wall and watched me. It was uncomfortable because she seemed to be staring intently, but I hid my feelings as best as I could and picked up the silverware.
The soup was delicious. Enough to melt away even the cold chill of the morning.
“Does it suit your taste?”
“Yes, it's very delicious.”
“Is the seasoning not off?”
“No. It's just right.”
“That's a relief.”
The maid put her hand over her chest and let out a sigh of relief. I looked at her in wonder.
“It's been a while since I've served a guest, so I was a bit worried.”
“Ah, it's really delicious. It's warm and savory.”
It wasn't an empty compliment; the soup wasn't too heavily seasoned, making it a perfect fit for breakfast. At my praise, the maid smiled shyly. The wrinkles around her eyes stretched out, giving her a cozy impression.
Just then, someone entered the dining room. It was the white-haired man with a slender build, the servant called John. However, he somehow looked gloomy.
The maid noticed him and asked.
“Where is the Master?”
John hesitated. The bowl placed on the tray he was holding shook slightly. Although no further words followed, the maid let out a deep sigh as if she had already heard what he was about to say.
“Give it here. I'll go check on him.”
“Emma.”
“It's fine. Give it here.”
When the maid, Emma, reached out her hand, John handed over the tray. He followed Emma's departing back with an anxious gaze. For a moment, stunned by the suddenly tense atmosphere, I blankly stared at the two. Soon, my eyes met John's as he turned his head.
“Is something the matter?”
“Ah, it's nothing.”
Worry filled his wrinkled face. Anyone could see that it wasn't nothing. I was curious, but John didn't speak further. Since he seemed to not want to talk about it, I didn't pry either.
Just like Emma, he stood his ground, watching me eat. It seemed he was there to serve me in her stead. Feeling uncomfortable once again, I had to spoon the bean soup into my mouth.
But then, a loud noise came from afar. The faintly heard voice sounded like the old man.
What, what was that? Startled, I turned my gaze toward the direction of the sound, and I saw John moving with very quick steps to look out the door. I was more startled by his reaction than by the loud noise.