# 33
33. The Viscount's Circumstances (3)
"Have you used this before?"
"Sometimes when I was young. It was stifling to stay only in the mansion. Whenever that happened, I used this path to go out and play before coming back."
"Secretly?"
"Secretly."
I chuckled. Imagining young Vincent opening this door made me laugh. With an annoyed face sometimes, or a frustrated face other times, would he have opened that iron door and run out into the world beyond?
When I laughed, he flicked my forehead, telling me not to laugh.
"This is a path known only to the family members. Now only I know it."
"Now I know it too."
"Right. Now it's just you and me. No one else knows. It's a secret door, just as you said."
The sound of it was nice. Secret door. Savoring the words in my mouth, I felt the iron door all over.
"Shall we go to the village like this."
"Huh? Why?"
"You said to go far away."
"Still, not the village. No, you were scared to even step out of your room until recently, so why suddenly this courage?"
"You said yourself that I can't stay like this forever."
"That's true, but weren't you supposed to not stand out?"
"That's right."
"Then even more so. Let's just take a walk in the forest."
I firmly shook my head. Troublesome things were not welcome. What if something happened after going out? After expressing my refusal, I turned back the way we came, holding his hand.
"But how did you find your way here? I mean, you walked so confidently even though you can't see."
"There are marks on the trees."
He stopped walking and guided my hand. Then he felt around a nearby tree and placed my hand there. There was a very small, seal-like mark imprinted on it. It was easier to detect by touch than by sight.
"If you follow the trees with this mark, it leads to that door."
"Wow."
It's like a real adventure!
"I really love things like this. I'm excited."
"But it would be better not to use it."
"Why?"
"Using this path means it's dangerous, doesn't it?"
That was true. Nodding, I traced the seal imprinted on the tree.
"Aren't you curious about the village? It's quite large and famous."
"I'm curious. But we shouldn't be in danger."
"No one would look at a blind man and think he's Viscount Belunita. And you're right beside me."
Only then did I look back at Vincent. I couldn't understand.
"Why do you keep wanting to go outside? You don't really want to go either."
"That's right. I don't want to go. But... I want to try mustering courage. As you said, I can't live like this forever."
"That courage, now?"
"There usually needs to be a trigger, doesn't there?"
Why does that trigger have to be now? It was an incomprehensible stubbornness. He'd been doing things he normally didn't do lately, and changing so drastically made me worried.
But Vincent's face, staring blankly ahead, looked resolute. His face showed reluctance even as his words said otherwise. Seeing that face, I could no longer refuse. Truthfully, I also wanted to see the village.
"Alright. Then I'll go get a hat."
"A hat? Why for?"
"Well..."
When going out, I tended to wear a hat. In crowded places, I had to cover my face even more. I was hiding it with my bangs, but still couldn't feel at ease. Moreover, it seemed better for Vincent to wear a hat too.
"I thought wearing a hat would make us less noticeable."
"You can go buy one."
"Then it'll be late. Please wait a moment."
"Don't go."
He gripped my hand tighter. Perhaps scared of being alone, his impassive face gradually contorted. I patted the back of his hand and soothed him.
"It's safe here, so you'll be fine alone. You said it's a place no one knows. Please wait just a little. I'll bring it quickly."
"......"
"I said it'll really only take a moment? I'll run so fast my feet barely touch the ground and come back. Okay?"
"......"
"Um, then count to a hundred. I'll come back within that."
At those words, Vincent made an absurd expression. Truthfully, coming back within counting to a hundred was unrealistic. But as I kept reassuring him not to worry, he finally gave permission for me to go quickly.
"Come back before I count to a hundred."
"Yes!"
It was a reluctant permission, so I answered even more brightly and carefully let go of his hand. Fortunately, he had erased the anxious expression from earlier and stood calmly. I glanced at him and quickly turned around. From behind, I heard him counting one, two, three. He's really going to count to a hundred, huh.
No, he doesn't actually think I can come back within counting to a hundred, does he? While he was counting ten, my feet were crazily pushing through the bushes heading outside.
Like a crazy person, I pushed through the bushes and ran out of the forest. Then headed straight for the annex's back door. But when I opened the door and went in, an unusual stillness greeted me.
Why is it so quiet? Of course, the annex was usually quiet with little commotion, but today there was a strangely subtle tension in the air. Is it my imagination? For some reason, I felt tense. Catching my breath, I swallowed dryly.
I tiptoed toward the stairs on my heels. I was careful not to make any sound. First, I stopped by his room to grab a hat, then went to my room, pulled a hat over my head, and came out.
But from somewhere, a faint sound could be heard. What caught my attention was that it was voices. There shouldn't be voices here. Moreover, the sound was quite close.
Wondering, I walked in that direction. The sound came from downstairs. I went down the back stairs and headed toward the source. In the entrance hall between the door leading into the mansion and the central staircase, people were gathered.
The first thing I saw was the back of a tall, large-framed man. Beside him stood the butler. And on the opposite side stood Isabella.
The black back of his head with hair neatly slicked back looked like someone I was seeing for the first time. A guest who came to meet Vincent? Wondering, I looked at the man, and my eyes met Isabella's who was standing on the other side. Her eyes widened briefly before quickly regaining composure.
"Where is Viscount Belunita?"
"The master is currently out."
"Bring him here."
A firm commanding tone. A heavy voice that seemed accustomed to giving orders. Just as my疑问 amplified, wondering who could have such an attitude, the man turned his head. I quickly hid behind the corner. It was instinct—I felt I needed to hide.
After a beat, I peeked in that direction again. The man was looking toward the central staircase. He narrowed his eyes and surveyed the surroundings. He tapped the floor with his cane, revealing his displeasure. A stern and somehow dangerous-looking stranger.
He was like a snake. A venomous one at that. Hiding glistening fangs with venom, surveying the surroundings to tear into his prey. His dark brown eyes glistened with blatant murderous intent. He didn't even try to hide it in someone else's mansion.
"This is problematic."
"I only need to meet the viscount. I don't care where he slipped off to, but he's here, so bring him."
"......"
"How long are you going to make me wait?"
Only then did I realize. The reason Isabella had sent Vincent out was because of that man. Was he someone Vincent shouldn't meet? Because of his condition? No, it seemed like there was an even more important issue.
Could it be...?
Isabella's gaze reached me again. I quickly turned around. I walked as if running toward the back door, killing the sound of my footsteps. I felt cold sweat running down my back. My heart pounded so hard it seemed like it would burst through my skin.
As soon as I exited the back door, I ran toward the forest. I didn't even have the leisure to look back. I entered the forest and pushed through the bushes. I got lost midway and struggled, but feeling my way along the seals imprinted on the trees as he had told me, I was able to reach the place with the secret door.
At my presence, Vincent startled, then quietly focused on the surrounding sounds. I approached him while catching my breath.
"Master."
"You passed a hundred."
Recognizing it was me approaching, he soon made a sulky expression. Even so, he walked urgently toward me as if he had been waiting.
"Wh-who is the person who came to the mansion just now?"
"......"
Instantly, his steps stopped completely. The sulky look disappeared, and his face became tinged with tension. I looked up at him and turned the thought in my mind into certainty.
"Who... is he?"
"James... James Christopher."
Ethan and Lucas's older brother.
The very person who blinded Vincent.
That person had come to the mansion. That was why Vincent had fled.
"Right, so he did come."
He staggered. I quickly approached and supported Vincent. His complexion was pale. I looked for a place to rest for a moment, but there was nowhere to sit nearby. So I took off my coat and laid it on the ground, and sat him on top of it. It bothered me since it was something I received from Isabella, but I couldn't let him sit on the bare ground.
Seeing his breathing become rough, I worried it might be a fit, but fortunately he soon breathed evenly. As if tired, he pressed firmly between his brows.
"For what reason did he come?"
"He probably came to check on my condition."
"Did he not come before?"
"Him coming in person is the first time since I became like this. Before, he sent people a few times. He must have heard that I recently met Ethan and Violet, and Lucas. Did he see them in person?"
"No. I only saw them from afar. Because somehow I felt I shouldn't go."
"Right... you did well."
Saying so, Vincent somehow looked troubled. His dull-colored eyes stayed on the ground. Watching his face where complex emotions swirled, I quietly sat down beside him.
"I brought a hat, so shall we go to the village?"
"I'm not going. My energy's drained."
As I gauged his mood, Vincent leaned his head against my shoulder with a light thud.
"Then shall we go somewhere else?"
"Is it uncomfortable."
"Uncomfortable in what way?"
"Here."
I looked around this small space. Behind me was the secret door, and the surroundings were enclosed by bushes. The space, free from noisy clamor and people's gazes, was only secluded. Here it was just him and me. That was a comfort. The intermittent chirping of birds sounded pleasant.
"No."
"Then stay here. Just like this."
He closed his eyes. I placed the hat I was holding on his head.