# 50
50. The Count Family's Secret Maid (3)
Under the moonlight, the mansion fell into chaos.
What shattered the midnight stillness was a scream. The sharp, tear-stained scream reached the annex and even the servants in the distant main mansion. Soon after, the first maid to arrive at the source of the commotion shouted, and other servants quickly flocked in.
'Good heavens!'
'Lord Christopher? Is that you, Lord Christopher?'
'Aaah! Someone help me here!'
Screams of horror and urgent footsteps filled the place. It was a dark night with no one around. The floor behind the annex was drenched in blood, and tiny droplets of blood splattered even onto the walls. The red blood, which made one imagine a gruesome situation just by looking at it, trailed past the corner and stretched long to the front of the building. And at the end of that trail, the youngest son of the Christopher family lay collapsed, bleeding.
To anyone's eyes, it was clearly the work of someone who had harmed him. The servants who realized this fell into chaos. Who dared do this to him?
The butler immediately took action. Isabella ordered everyone to withdraw except for a few servants. The servants returned to their posts, casting glances at Lucas who lay as if dead. They were all busy whispering about who could have done this to him.
While the commotion was at its peak, I was holed up in my room.
I hid my tear-stained face between my legs and curled up as tightly as possible. With my nerves on edge, I glared at the firmly closed door. It felt like someone would open that door and swing a sword at me. Even though I had locked the door, such thoughts dominated my mind.
I'm scared.
Trembling alone all night, I eventually drifted off to sleep.
My body floated in the sky. The sensation of being suspended felt pleasant. I didn't want to go back down. If I drifted aimlessly like this, wouldn't I reach somewhere? Even if I didn't reach anywhere, it didn't matter. I wanted to just disappear like this.
'Sister, it's okay. I'm okay.'
A beautiful face smiled affectionately. I wanted to capture that sight in my eyes, but my vision kept blurring, making it difficult. That was all I could do, yet I couldn't even do that.
'Don't do anything. That's what you should do, sister.'
Blatant mockery pierced me. I remained silent at those words because I thought so too.
'Then think about it. This isn't a place for dreaming vain dreams.'
I know. I know that well. Stop. Don't do this. Even without you saying so, I can't do anything. Please leave me alone.
'I will never forget this moment forever.'
A gentle voice reached me. Lucas came to mind. The man who looked at me in the darkness, the man who confessed he liked me. He always smiled gently at me. He smiled at me then too. No, that's not right. I couldn't see his face then. I was the first to turn away from that moment, which might have been the last.
As the darkness lifted, his fully revealed face was contorted in pain. He tried to hold me in his weakly open eyes. A stream of tears flowed from the corner of his eyes. His rough, dry lips parted urgently.
'Run, away!'
At that moment, my eyes snapped open.
I quickly scanned my surroundings. It was quiet. I strained my nerves and listened, but couldn't sense any presence. It's okay here. There's only me. No one else. Only then did I exhale and let my shoulders drop.
Knock knock.
Then, I heard a knock on the door.
I flinched. Pulling the sheet over myself, I curled up tightly and hid my body as much into the corner as possible. Then I watched the door warily.
When I didn't answer, the door handle rattled. As if realizing the door was locked, the sound soon stopped.
However, a moment later, with a click, the door opened. Someone came in through the creaking gap of the door. I watched that direction without taking my eyes off for a moment.
The door shut with a thud. The person fumbling around the surroundings and slowly approaching me was Vincent. Vincent groped around as if searching for me.
As soon as I saw Vincent's face, I crawled out from under the bed and ran to him.
I grabbed and clung to the arm that was fumbling in the air. With my other hand, I gripped the front of his shirt. Startled emerald eyes locked onto me.
"L-Lord Lucas, Lord Lucas!"
I stuttered out incomplete words. His startled expression gradually subsided. I anxiously watched his lips.
"He's alive."
As soon as I heard those words, my legs gave out. As I flopped down, Vincent also bent down. He asked if I was okay, but my mind was so filled with only one thought that I couldn't even answer.
He's alive. He's alive. Lucas is alive... The tears I had been trying to hold back burst out again. I clutched the lapels of his shirt and sobbed.
Vincent's hand fumbled across my face. Feeling the wetness on his hand, he embraced me.
"Don't cry."
And he patted my back.
"It will be okay."
"I, I thought he was dead. I thought he would die like that, hic. The wound, the wound was so severe. He bled, he bled, he bled so much. Sob."
The hand patting my back suddenly stopped. He urgently pulled me away from his embrace.
"What are you talking about. Don't tell me... the one who screamed was you?"
"Yes."
I answered while wiping away the falling tears. Last night's events came to mind. Because I was so scared, frightened, and worried about Lucas, I ended up screaming. I desperately hoped that someone would hear my scream and come to save him.
"What?"
The emerald eyes grew wide. His gaze wavered for a moment before he grabbed both of my arms.
"The perpetrator? Did you see them?"
"No. I didn't see. I ran away before I could see..."
"Did they see you?"
"I, I'm not sure. I was under the moonlight so they might have seen me..."
As I spoke hesitantly, his face grew even more serious. Strength filled the hand gripping my arm. I frowned at the painful grip, and he bowed his head deeply.
Just as I was trying to carefully listen to his mumbling, the door burst open. I startled and looked in that direction.
It was Ethan.
Ethan, who had been looking around the room, spotted us and hurriedly walked over. Vincent's gaze turned to Ethan. Ethan grabbed Vincent by the lapels and roughly pulled him to his feet.
I jumped up from my spot and anxiously observed the two men.
"Vincent. Tell me now."
"......"
"Tell me the truth."
Ethan's face contorted. It was so different from his usual mischievous and lighthearted demeanor. He must have run here—his clothes were disheveled and his breathing was rough.
He was trembling with anxiety. His complexion was pale and the area under his eyes was red.
Yet even at his sudden behavior, Vincent didn't panic. He looked at Ethan with a calm face.
"Did James—did your brother do this to you?"
Vincent answered Ethan's question a beat late.
"......Yes."
"Was he after you from the start?"
"No. He was after Lucas."
"Why?"
"Because Lucas found out James's secret. It was a secret that shouldn't have been known. So he threatened Lucas. But he must have still been anxious. Even if Lucas promised to keep his mouth shut, he would have been an eyesore."
"Then you're saying James is the one who did that to Lucas?"
I looked at Ethan in surprise, then back at Vincent. He moved his lips with a complicated expression, as if he had sensed all of this from long ago.
"Yes."
Ethan gritted his teeth. The hand gripping Vincent's lapels trembled violently. Then he released his hands and buried his face. His face, a mess of sorrow and confusion, was hidden in both hands.
"......Even killing my father?"
A choked question slipped out once more. This time the silence was long. Soon Vincent closed his eyes and delivered a heavy answer.
"Yes. Lucas witnessed it."
"......"
"That's the secret James tried to hide."
Ethan immediately turned around. Vincent, who noticed this, reached out his hand. Barely managing to stop him, Vincent urgently continued.
"Ethan! Understand Lucas's feelings."
Ethan didn't look back. There were no words.
"Lucas couldn't tell you because he was worried about you."
"Why."
"Because both are precious older brothers to him. You and James both."
"What about you."
"He didn't want you to kill your brother."
"......"
"Both Lucas and I worried about that. Because you loved your father very much."
Ethan let out a hollow breath and shook off Vincent's hand. As Vincent hurriedly followed Ethan who was leaving the room, he hit a table and fell. I immediately ran to Vincent and asked if he was okay. His gaze was vainly chasing the sound of his friend who had left.
He fumbled over the back of my hand that was holding him with his hand.
"Follow him. Go and stop him. Tell him not to do it."
"What?"
"Everything. Everything at all."
Vincent urged me. I hurriedly left the room and looked around the hallway. Ethan was already walking toward the end of the hallway.
I ran and grabbed him. A face dyed with confusion looked back at me.
"Don't do it."
"......"
"Please don't do it."
"What?"
"Everything. Everything at all."
"That's impossible."
Ethan smiled bitterly. His brown eyes were moist with tears.
"Miss Maid. I didn't come to get permission. I just wanted to get certainty. But the truth is, I already knew. Even so, I turned away thinking it couldn't be true. And this is the result."
"Still, don't do it."
"He tried to kill Lucas. My own blood."
"......"
"Next will be me. Or Vincent."
At those words, my hand holding him slid down. Ethan erased his sorrow. His face, cleared of any wavering, was terrifyingly calm.
"Tell Vincent I'm sorry."
"......"
Ethan turned away. This time I couldn't grab him. What Ethan, blaming himself for what happened while he hesitated, must be thinking, how firm his resolve must be—there was no need to even speak of it.
Watching his retreating figure, I hung my head.
When I returned to the room, Vincent, who sensed my presence, immediately turned his head. At his gaze asking what happened, I answered with a hollow smile.
"I'm sorry."
"It's okay. There's no need to apologize."
Vincent shook his head. But he couldn't hide his drained spirit.
I approached him, who was fumbling around, and supported him. Vincent grabbed my hand.
"Pack your things right now."
"What?"
"I'm planning to send you somewhere else."
My eyes widened.
"W-why? Did I do something wrong? Is it because I couldn't stop Lord Ethan?"
"No."
"Then why..."
"Because you're in danger."
Still holding my hand, he turned around. Standing face to face with me, he calmly spoke.
"They must have figured out you were at the scene where Lucas had the accident. It might be okay for now, but eventually James will notice your existence. He won't leave you alone. Because you're the only witness."
"......"
"There's a villa in Nobre that belongs to our family. I'll send you there. Go and rest for a while. After the situation is sorted out and I think it's safe, I'll call you back."
"No."
"......"
"I don't want to."
I shook my head and stepped back. As I tried to pull my hand away, he gripped it tighter. The distance grew, but my captured hand remained connected to him.
"Please don't abandon me."