# 28
28. Teatime with the Count (10)
"Master."
"……."
I observed Vincent leaning against the door. I could feel the vibration of the door being knocked on repeatedly—thud, thud—but he didn't move a muscle.
At the moment his face flushed bright red from Violet's flustered voice, he tried to dash out of the reception room. But as he stood up, he struck his knee against the sofa again, and trying hard to act as if nothing happened, he walked right into the wall with his face. That was when his nosebleed started. However, paying it no mind, he turned as he was and slammed his waist into the display cabinet right in front of him. After the ornament on top fell to the floor and shattered, he managed to safely make it out of the reception room. And, as promised, I took his hand and led him to his room.
As soon as he entered the room, he locked the door. Violet, who followed belatedly, knocked on the door, but he didn't open it. Crouched in front of him, I couldn't do anything. The body temperature of the hand I was still holding was so cold that I could vaguely feel his state of mind.
"Vincent! Vincent!"
Violet called out to him at the top of her lungs. I had seen a similar situation once before. And just like that time, he wouldn't open the door.
"Master. Lady Violet is continuously calling for you."
"……I know."
"Shouldn't you open the door?"
He shook his head.
"Practicing was useless. It was wrong for a blind person to pretend they can see. That's why it ended up like this. It was a predetermined ending. It's over now. It's all over..."
"Vincent! Open the door! Please!"
His voice, steeped in despair, vanished as it collided with Violet's. I was at a loss, not knowing what to say to him.
A moment later, a set of footsteps approached. It seemed to be Ethan. I could hear him soothing Violet. Soon after, the footsteps of the two people faded away.
Silence swept in. Even knowing the two had left, Vincent still kept his head hung low. I moved my face around to check Vincent's condition, then gently cupped his cheeks and lifted his face. His face, which had been dyed with shame, was now pale, and his eyes had fallen into despair. Around his nose, bloodstains were smeared messily. He hadn't even had the time to properly wipe his nosebleed.
I released my hands, stood up, and headed to the bathroom. I took out a clean towel, soaked it generously with water, and returned. Then, I gently wiped away the blood on his face with the wet towel.
"Not yet... It shouldn't end yet. It shouldn't break yet..."
"Lady Violet will understand."
"Not yet, it has to be."
What did that mean? I tilted my head. He said nothing more. In the room where even his muttering had completely stopped, only a heavy air floated.
On my way out after putting him to bed, saying he was tired, I met Ethan. His bitter smile held exhaustion.
"I'm sorry."
"Why are you apologizing, Miss Maid? Strictly speaking, it's not even your fault."
Still, it was true that this incident happened because of what I said. So this must be why Lady Isabella told me to watch my mouth. The irreversible moment remained as regret.
"Everything will be alright."
He patted my shoulder. His lighthearted attitude, no different from usual, was somehow comforting.
The next day, the mansion was quiet. Ethan was nowhere to be seen, and Violet, who had been knocking on the door until last night, didn't come either. I thought she would come again; perhaps Ethan had comforted her well.
As always, I organized the room and checked his condition. Lately, he had been eating well and even getting out of bed to walk, so it seemed his stamina had improved; he hadn't had any seizures. However, the fact that he suffered from nightmares all night was a secret only I knew.
As I handed the laundry to Renika and received new ones, someone called me.
"Paula."
It was Violet.
When I approached at her call, the corners of her eyes were red and swollen. It looked like she had cried all night.
"How is Vincent? Is he still very angry?"
"You're misunderstanding. The Master is not angry."
"Then that's a relief."
She smiled weakly. Her slumped shoulders were pitiful.
"I heard it from Ethan. You knew too, right, Paula?"
"I'm sorry."
"Come on. You don't have to apologize, Paula."
She waved her hand. But her complexion was pale, making her look unwell. She must have overdone it, calling out to him and knocking on the door until late last night. I was worried she might collapse like that. I untied my apron, laid it in a shaded spot nearby, and sat her on it. Then, I sat down next to her.
"I think it would be best for you to rest here for a bit."
"Thank you."
Violet forced a smile. As she leaned her head against the wall, a breeze blew in, cooling her heat.
"Paula, will you listen to my story?"
"Yes. Please go ahead."
She slowly parted her lips.
"You see, I was a very lacking fiancée since I was young. I hated the refinement and etiquette a Lady must learn. I was a tomboy. Rather than sitting quietly, I preferred lifting my long skirts and running around."
Lost in old memories, she laughed joyfully. Her depression faded for a moment.
"So I got scolded a lot by my mother. She said a Lady shouldn't act like that, that no man would like me if I did. Whenever I got scolded like that, Vincent comforted me. He said he liked me because I showed my honest charm without hiding it. He told me that adapting to each other is more joyful than sacrificing for someone else."
That darn Master said such commendable things? Honestly, I couldn't imagine it. So I unknowingly sent him a look of doubt. Fortunately, she was lost in warm memories of the past and didn't notice my gaze.
"I liked that Vincent. I wanted to be by his side, the one who looked at my inner self, not my outer appearance. So, when my engagement to Vincent was decided in my childhood, I was secretly happy. Because it meant I could spend my whole life with him."
"……."
"It didn't matter even if Vincent treated me as a friend or family. I will love him, my husband, with all my heart. I vowed that until my love burns me up, even if everyone else turns their back on him, I alone would be on his side."
Her conviction could be seen in her determined voice. In her proudly raised face, there wasn't even the slightest hesitation. Whispering her love, she was beautiful. The woman expressing her love was lovely. She was such a lovable person that just watching her from the side could make one go blind.
"So... I thought I could accept him no matter what he looked like... But honestly, Paula. When I learned of Vincent's true condition that time, for just a moment, I felt a resentful thought."
The light faded, and darkness fell again. She smiled as if about to cry and slumped her shoulders.
"I'm such an ugly person. If I had been more perceptive, I would have noticed Vincent's suffering. I was so happy at the thought of seeing him that I didn't even realize he was in a difficult position. It must have been very hard for him when I came. He must have been scared... And not knowing any of that, I just threw tantrums, asking why he wouldn't see me. I'm not qualified to be his wife."
"That's not true."
"If I were a proper wife, I shouldn't have been surprised by his appearance, and should have calmly embraced him. I should have whispered that it was okay, that I still loved him."
I immediately shook my head. It was an issue where right and wrong couldn't be easily judged. Her reaction was natural, and even the immature I knew it. And Vincent surely knew it too.
"Lady Violet. If I may dare to say a word, I don't think this is a matter of blaming someone's fault. How could you have known what the Master and Sir Christopher were hiding? It would be something to be grateful for if you had noticed beforehand and pretended not to know, but I don't think it's something you should be criticized for if you didn't. And I think your reaction was perfectly natural."
"Is that so?"
"Of course. Honestly, I think it would be more amazing if you had noticed when they were determined to hide it. Speaking as someone who watched from the side, they hid it really meticulously. If I hadn't known of the Master's condition, I wouldn't have noticed either."
When I shook my head and added that he even practiced, she smiled. When she asked what kind of practice he did, and I said he prepared everything from walking to lifting a teacup and conversing, she smiled sadly, saying he must have had a hard time.
I waved away her sadness.
"What I want to say is that you don't need to blame yourself, Lady Violet. Honestly, hiding it from the person who will become your wife is the worse deed. So it's okay to throw tantrums. I told you this last time too, but sometimes ignoring the other person's feelings can bring good results."
"Will it really? Will good results come?"
I nodded firmly. Of course, not all results are good, but right now, the two needed an opportunity to face each other. And now was that opportunity. If it's something done for the other person, I believe that effort will definitely lead to good results.
"Do as you wish, Lady Violet."
"As I wish..."
She, who had whispered low, tilted her head back and looked up at the sky. Life returned to her purple eyes. A smile of firm resolve appeared on her face, which had been stiff as if in contemplation for a moment.
"Yeah. I'll throw even more tantrums. You can call me greedy. If that's what it takes to see Vincent, I'll do it. I want to be by his side."
She turned to me with a bright face. Her fine hair swayed gently in the wind.
"Paula, cheer for me."
Her determined eyes sparkled. No, she herself was dazzling. I couldn't take my eyes off Violet, who was willing to burn her love. She was pretty. She herself was pretty, but that heart of hers, which never gave up from the start and tried to face her partner, was so beautiful.
Would I become like that if I loved someone too? Then I smiled bitterly. Because such a partner would never come for me.
The hands of a noble young lady my age will remain smooth and beautiful in the future, but my hands will continue to be rough and shabby like this. My appearance won't change either. A sparkling, dazzling moment will never come in my life.
"Yes."
But this time, I could willingly answer.
* * *
From that day on, she held out in front of Vincent's door. She knocked on the door and called him. But he didn't open the door. The door wasn't locked. However, Violet stubbornly insisted that she would wait until he opened it himself.
I heard from Ethan that today too, he was sweating trying to soothe her as she skipped meals and tried to run to Vincent's room. Ethan also tried to talk to Vincent and persuade him since that day, but failed every time. Because this matter couldn't be solved by acting coercively like last time.
'How about you try bringing it up, Miss Maid?'
His exhausted smiling face was so unfamiliar that I couldn't bring myself to refuse.
Watching Vincent eating, I hesitated before slowly bringing it up.
"Master. How about meeting Lady Violet?"
"Stop."
He cut me off immediately. He placed the bowl he was holding on the side table. Half of it remained uneaten.
"I have no appetite, so I'll stop eating."
I grabbed him as he was about to just lie down on the bed.
"Lady Violet said she would accept you no matter what you look like."
"Stop it."
"She's holding out in front of the door continuously. She's going to collapse at this rate."
"Enough! Don't say any more. That's an order."
He grabbed my wrist. His resolute voice was different from before. Don't cross the line anymore. A warning rang out.