# 55
55. The Secret Maid of the Count's House (8)
Screech—!
At the ear-piercing noise, I screamed and fell backward.
I briefly lost consciousness. When I opened my eyes again, my heart pounded as if it were in my ears. As I gathered my senses and tried to rise, my entire body ached all over.
Before my eyes, a round ball of light still flashed brightly. I shielded the light with my hand and peered closer when a voice reached me.
Soon after, someone approached me through the light. When I recognized who had come close, my eyes widened. The other person was the same.
"Why are you here..."
Ethan was looking down at me with a surprised face.
I was also surprised and stared at him before quickly scanning my surroundings again. The true identity of the light was a car. A strange man behind Ethan looked flustered as he examined me. After confirming that much, I felt around me. I grabbed the handle of the bag I had dropped when I fell and stood up.
I was about to turn away, but Ethan grabbed my arm.
"Are you okay?"
"Let go!"
I immediately shook off his hand. As I took a step back, Ethan's face stiffened. Flustered, I hastily offered an excuse.
"...I'm sorry. I'm in a hurry right now. Please go on your way."
"Where are you trying to go?"
I kept my mouth firmly shut. Ethan, who was examining my tense face, took a step closer. I quickly took another step back.
"Miss Maid."
"Don't come closer!"
"..."
I shouted for him absolutely not to come as I backed away. Ethan stopped in his tracks. I gripped the bag handle tightly. If he came any closer, I planned to swing the bag at him and run.
"Please, please don't come."
"...What do you mean. No, what on earth happened? Why are you here?"
"I should ask the same of you, Lord Christopher. Why are you here in the middle of the night?"
"I was on my way to meet Vincent. I had urgent business."
"Then please go on your way."
"Why are you so frightened?"
I had no time to stay here like this. This seemed to be the road heading toward the mansion. Even after running so much, it seemed I still hadn't gotten far from the mansion.
Ethan kept asking what had happened. I wordlessly looked for a way to escape.
"Miss Maid."
Perhaps sensing something strange, Ethan reached out his hand. It was the moment he tried to approach me again. Suddenly, a rustling sound was heard.
The sound grew closer. Ethan's and my gaze immediately fell on that direction.
My head spun.
Oh no, what do I do. Have they already followed me?
In the distance, leaves were rustling. I anxiously watched that sight, then turned my head toward Ethan. He was watching me.
Examining my face trembling with anxiety, he narrowed his eyes. At the gaze asking what on earth was going on, I voiced my most desperate wish.
"Please save me."
Ethan's eyes widened then turned sharp again. He turned his head toward the sound. Then looking at me again, he strode over and grabbed my arm. Toward me, who was startled, he calmly said.
"It's okay. Trust me."
"..."
At his grave gaze, I finally nodded.
Ethan, who had put me in the car, immediately closed the door and got into the seat beside me. As the man who had been watching us quickly sat in the driver's seat, Ethan ordered him to depart.
Soon after, the car started.
I looked out the window. The car was heading back in the direction it had come from. As we moved some distance away, I could see a group of people pushing through the bushes from the place we had left. If we had been a little later, we would have run into them.
Someone was really chasing me. It wasn't my imagination. Cold sweat ran down my spine. At the same time, a breath of relief also escaped.
Ethan, watching me like that, continued speaking.
"What on earth happened? What was that behavior just now, and where were you going in the middle of the night?"
"..."
"And your appearance. You look like someone running away."
"..."
"Really?"
When I couldn't answer, the quick-witted Ethan drew out what I was hiding. I didn't particularly feel like refuting, so I maintained my silence. At my reaction, Ethan realized his thoughts were correct and flusteredly continued speaking.
"Why? Why suddenly?"
"There were circumstances."
"What circumstances would make you secretly run away in the middle of the night? Did something happen with Vincent? Were you perhaps kicked out?"
"No."
When I shook my head, Ethan narrowed his eyes. It seemed like he was pressing me not to lie. I said it really wasn't so and even waved my hands.
"Then what on earth is it? Tell me."
"Just don't ask anything and please drop me off on the way. I'm begging you."
"Miss Maid."
"Please, I'm begging you."
"Is it because of James?"
When I gestured asking what he meant, Ethan made a troubled face.
"I heard from Vincent. Paula was at that scene."
"..."
I quickly glanced toward the driver's seat. There was someone else in the car besides him and me. This wasn't something to talk about here.
"It's okay."
When I glanced at the driver's seat, Ethan noticed and reassured me.
"But..."
"He's someone trustworthy. You don't need to worry."
If Ethan said that much, he must really be trustworthy. That's a relief, but even so, I couldn't easily muster the courage to continue such a heavy conversation.
"I'm sorry."
At the sudden apology, I opened my eyes wide. Ethan smiled bitterly.
"It might be funny to say this now, but I actually knew. That James, that my brother was involved in my father's death. Even knowing that, I didn't want to suspect him."
"Why..."
"Because he was precious family. I wanted to believe it couldn't be. How could my brother commit such a terrible thing, it must have been an accident, my brother isn't like that. With such thoughts, I deceived myself. Even as my brother started changing and I knew he was wary of me, I believed so. Because I respected and loved him. Even if we weren't related by blood."
Shocking words flowed out at an unexpected moment. Unlike me who was filled with horror, the person himself was so calm.
"James was the child brought by my father's second wife. He was known to the world as my father's illegitimate child, but that wasn't true. He was the child born between my father's second wife and her former fiancé. She brought James when she came into our family. After that, Lucas was born between my father and the second wife."
"..."
"My father wasn't someone who obsessed over bloodlines, so he truly loved my brother. He disguised him as an illegitimate child so he wouldn't face discrimination in life. And he also allowed James to inherit the family."
"..."
"But my brother was anxious. Because he wasn't Father's real bloodline, even if he became a count later, it wouldn't be complete. Father didn't mind, but the people around pressured him. Saying a pure bloodline must inherit the family. So my brother was wary of me, who was a legitimate bloodline. Even though I had no thought of taking his position."
Sadness draped over Ethan's face. Even though he was smiling, he couldn't hide the sorrow. His gaze was chasing the past. I quietly listened to his words.
"But I never thought he'd do that to Father... Lucas too, Vincent too... I hoped it wasn't true. Sincerely."
After the sigh-like words, he leaned his forehead against his clasped hands. His deeply bowed body curled up. His shoulders trembled slightly. He breathed heavily.
Sorrow creates regret. That was Ethan. It wasn't that I couldn't understand him. But too many people had been harmed to simply comfort him.
His precious father died, his proud brother suffered disaster, his precious friend lost his sight and had to stay confined. And Ethan himself was also trembling in anguish. I had no intention to condemn him, but these were things that might not have happened if he hadn't turned a blind eye.
I looked out the window. Long-grown bushes hit the window. I blankly stared at that meaningless sight, then turned my head back toward Ethan.
"Lord Christopher."
"Yes."
"Why are you telling me such things?"
To me, a mere maid. Why would you bring up such words now.
I wanted to know his intention.
At my question, he lifted his face. His face, having tried hard to erase the sorrow, bore a faint smile as he looked out the window.
"Do you know? There's a forest inside the castle. It was artificially created, and only royals and some permitted nobles can enter it. They say people confess secrets there that they can't tell anywhere else. So everyone calls it the Forest of Secrets."
I had heard from Lucas once. He said there was such a forest in the castle. He had also said it was just a rumor.
"Miss Maid, you are that kind of existence to us."
He looked at me again. The faint remaining smile disappeared, and a face devoid of any emotion was unfamiliar, unlike him.
"Because you are calm, kind, and tight-lipped, it's easier to confide secrets to you. Even now, I've confessed a secret to you that I haven't told anyone. Do you know what that means?"
"I don't know."
"Think about it. Why would we confide such important secrets to a mere maid."
"..."
"Because you can be disposed of at any time."
He pulled the corners of his mouth into a smile. The sorrow was erased from his face, and a bloody chill rose up. His brown eyes gleamed with a sharp light. It was terrifying, as if it could strike my neck at any moment.
I gripped the bag handle tightly and met his gaze. I instinctively thought I must not avoid it. I curled my trembling fingertips inward to hide them. Only then did I deeply realize that he, too, was a noble.