3. Love Letter (3)
I reached out to take the letter back from Vincent with an awkward smile. However, Vincent dodged my hand and continued reading the letter. For some reason, the look in his eyes as he read felt menacing. Ethan, who had been sitting at the table next to him gulping down tea, calmly added an explanation.
"It's a love letter."
"A love letter?"
Vincent frowned and examined the envelope. Realizing there was no sender's name written on it, he immediately looked at me. His gaze was sharp, but a smile hung on his lips.
"Who sent it?"
"I wonder."
Seeing him ask as if soothing a frightened animal, I became a little flustered. When I nodded in response to him asking if I didn't know who it was, his emerald eyes narrowed and fixated on the letter once again. I looked at Ethan resentfully.
It had been a while since I last saw Vincent. Since we wouldn't be able to see each other for quite some time, he took a day off to visit Christopher Manor. As if he knew Vincent was coming, Ethan happened to be at the mansion, so I met him as well, and since the weather was nice today, we were having tea time in the garden. We were laughing happily and catching up, but then I just had to receive this strange letter.
"It's a letter that's been arriving faithfully for the past few months. This is already the fourth one, right? They write such sincere letters every time; how much must they love you to do that?"
"Brother."
I glared at Ethan, signaling him to stop. Annoyingly, he pretended not to notice.
"They say they want to meet you."
Huh? I quickly walked over to Vincent's side. I could feel his gaze glancing at me as I looked at the letter. I read through the letter in his hand. It was the same content as always. I think of you today too, I still can't forget you, I miss you, I want to meet you. I want to meet you?
[I will be waiting at the plaza.]
It was two weeks later. It felt like a timeframe that suggested preparation was needed to meet. I thought they didn't intend to meet since they didn't write their name, but that was unexpected.
So now I know who sent it. I don't know why they're playing such a prank, but I should tell them to please stop. As I was thinking that and looking at the letter, it suddenly disappeared. When I raised my head following the letter, Vincent had a somehow sullen expression. At first glance, he looked stoic with no change in expression, but I could tell. That was an expression he often showed me.
"Are you going out?"
"I have to."
"I thought it was a love letter."
"Yes, it seems like that."
I wasn't sure if it was a prank or not, but the intention seemed to be a love letter. Probably, they want to enjoy seeing the recipient get all excited and then disappointed. How malicious. I should give them a piece of my mind this time. Just as I made that resolution, I felt Vincent's gaze. When I looked at him with a 'Why?' in mind, he scrunched up his face. Somehow, it sounded like someone clicking their tongue beside me.
Based on experience, I thought he would say something harsh, but Vincent suddenly turned to Ethan. Ethan was sipping his tea with a continuous smile, finding this situation amusing.
"You can find out who sent it."
"I can find out."
So he can find out things like that. I didn't know.
"Then find out."
"I don't really feel like doing something the person involved doesn't want."
Ethan dodged the question like a slick eel. Vincent was dumbfounded. I felt the same way. Since when did he care about that?
Vincent looked at me again.
"Aren't you curious who sent it?"
"I am curious, but..."
I didn't want to dig into it. To be precise, I didn't want to make a big deal out of it. If this is a prank letter, it would be cleaner to handle it myself, and if it's—really, really, really hard to believe—a love letter... they might have a reason for not wanting to reveal their identity.
"I'll just go meet them."
"Don't meet them."
The words popped out simultaneously. No, Vincent cut me off as if he already knew what I was going to say. I hastily met his gaze.
"Why?"
"It's dangerous. There have been some disturbing incidents lately, so what if you go out believing this letter and something bad happens to you? It could be a letter sent with bad intentions."
Vincent gave very serious advice and then looked at Ethan.
"Isn't it too complacent of you, which is unlike you?"
Then, Ethan, who had been watching us, wiped his smile and furrowed his brow. That was a face that said he hadn't thought of that.
"Indeed. Paula, it's dangerous, so don't go out."
When even Ethan eventually told me not to go, I hesitated for a moment. Actually, it wouldn't matter if I didn't go, but I was worried about what if this was a real love letter. Then wouldn't it be rude to stand them up?
"I'll take a few more guards. Then nothing major will happen. Right?"
"That's true, but..."
Ethan glanced secretly at Vincent and shrugged. It meant he didn't mind either way. Meanwhile, Vincent's face had hardened at some point. Does he not want me to go that much? He said it was dangerous, but it seemed like there was another reason.
I was wondering why Vincent was acting like that, but the answer popped out from the side. Ethan smiled mischievously again and said.
"He's jealous."
"Shut up."
Vincent snapped like a knife at Ethan's words. A menacing glare followed, but Ethan pretended not to notice and looked away. Vincent, who had been glaring at Ethan for a while, didn't offer any further rebuttal. I let out a small laugh and grabbed Vincent's hand.
"I'm just going to meet them. It'll only be for a brief moment, and I won't stay long. I'm planning to bring a few more guards, so there won't be any danger. And it's probably a prank letter anyway."
"What if it's not a prank?"
"If it's not a prank... then I should meet them even more."
Because I have to reject them. But in my heart, I was already convinced it was a prank letter. I had a strong desire to see the other person's face this time. Because I wouldn't let them get away with it. I smiled with gritted teeth, but Vincent somehow didn't relax his stiff expression.
"So you're going to meet someone who said they love you, even though I'm right in front of you."
Why did the topic jump there? As the situation worsened, I panicked and shook my head. That wasn't my intention, but it didn't reach Vincent. He eventually shook off my hand without relaxing his expression and went back to his seat. He seemed offended.
What should I do about this? I couldn't not go, but now it would feel awkward if I did. Silence flowed through the garden. I quietly sat next to him and observed his mood. I tried saying a few things to cheer him up, but it had no effect.
"You must have been flirting around carelessly here and there. Talking to them, showing interest. So that's why you receive letters like this."
I kept my mouth shut. Was he criticizing my behavior as improper? And what do you mean flirting around carelessly? I was someone who couldn't even say sweet words to anyone, and lately, I'd been secretly avoiding people because dealing with them was exhausting.
His words hurt my feelings a bit. So I said nothing more and just gulped down my tea. And Vincent did the same. Ethan, who had been watching us alternately, put down his teacup.
"But Vincent, you must have received a lot of love letters too, right?"
At those words, Vincent's head snapped towards Ethan. I also fixed my gaze on Ethan as if asking what he meant. Ethan continued, looking not at Vincent, but at me.
"Vincent doesn't show it, but he must be popular, right? He's past the prime marriage age, but he's still eligible, so there are quite a few young ladies eyeing him. Didn't he even receive a confession last time?"
"Be quiet."
Perhaps sensing an ominous sign, Vincent threatened Ethan. But Ethan didn't act like he had lied.
"I saw it then. You hugging someone who said they liked you."
What? I turned my head with a creak to look at Vincent. Vincent didn't like others touching him. He didn't show it on the outside, but he secretly hated it. Perhaps because of his past, he was especially sensitive to physical contact with others, and for such a person to hug an unfamiliar woman...
"I rejected her. And she rushed in on her own. Don't say strange things."
"Why. There's more than that."
Ethan smiled and rambled on about the women who had harbored feelings for Vincent: how he was confessed to by a famous stage actress, how there was a young lady from a noble family who left a deep impression with a very fresh confession, how he was even confessed to by a servant from another mansion, and even by a member of the royal family. Vincent tried to shut him up somehow, but it was no use. And listening to those stories, I let out a soft exclamation of admiration.
"Heh."
The two men who had been bickering looked at me. I raised the corners of my mouth and smiled broadly.
"You're quite popular."
So that's why he acted that way towards me. I smiled deeply as if I had heard a very funny story. The expressions of the two men looking at me changed strangely.
In the end, I fought with Vincent that day.
***
One day, while I was lounging around the mansion, Ethan said there was a party we absolutely had to attend. It was a Baron's household that had recently started maintaining a good relationship with the Christopher family. He said they had sent an invitation saying they were throwing a party this time, and it would be good if I attended as well. I naturally agreed.
After preparing for a few days like that, I attended the party with Ethan. The party held in the grand mansion's hall was prepared to celebrate the second son who had come of age this time. For reference, this family had three sons. The youngest son, who had a significant age gap from his two older brothers, was still six years old. Despite his young age, he attended the party in a dignified manner and bowed politely, which all the adults found endearing.
The party was large in scale, but perhaps because not many people attended, it flowed elegantly. Thanks to that, there were no people whispering behind our backs, so I could enjoy the party with peace of mind, unlike other times. And I met Vincent at the party.
It had been a week since we fought like that that day. I declared that I would definitely go meet the letter sender to him, who had said those things to me but was actually flirting around carelessly, and the situation eventually escalated into an argument. We hadn't seen each other since we parted like that. Our letters had also been cut off.
When he, who was surrounded by people, spotted me, he turned his head away. I felt a little regret. This was the first time I had a big fight with Vincent. I could have said it nicely, but I was also angry and acted impulsively, which led to an anticlimactic resolution. I felt like I acted too emotionally back then, and I actually reflected on it after letting him go. So I made up my mind to reconcile with him at this party.
The party that started in the afternoon continued until late afternoon when the sun was setting. Unless they had urgent business, most people stayed. But it was inevitable that it would get a bit boring. My face felt like it would cramp from maintaining a smiling face for hours. Noticing I was gradually getting tired, Ethan approached subtly and took the glass from my hand.
"There's a garden right ahead, go get some fresh air for a bit."
"Is that okay?"
"It's fine. I'll make up a good excuse to the people, so don't worry."
Trusting Ethan's words, I quickly slipped out of the party venue. I thought about getting some fresh air and talking with Vincent, but as the head of a household, he had to stay in his seat, so it didn't seem easy for him to slip out. Another opportunity will come. Eventually, I went alone to the small garden behind the hall that Ethan had mentioned. It was a suitable place to hide and avoid people.
I walked through the maze-like path and caught my breath for a moment. Just standing for a few hours made my whole body stiff. Ethan is really amazing at times like this.
Walking about halfway through the maze, I saw a stream of water shooting up refreshingly over the hedge wall. Thinking it might be a fountain, I approached and stepped into a circular space.
Seeing the stream of water shooting up refreshingly towards the sky made me feel refreshed. I headed that way and stretched. Then, I heard a rustling sound from behind me. Startled, I turned around, and suddenly something popped out of the hedge wall.
The person who suddenly appeared was a young woman. She discovered me and backed away in even greater surprise.