# 87
87. That Strange Guest Still (1)
The atmosphere of the mansion was abuzz, different from usual.
The maids were gathered in groups, too busy chatting to pay attention, and even the normally diligent maids occasionally glanced toward the door, lost in thought. An unusually excited air floated around them. They got scolded by Audrey for it, but still seemed to have all their nerves focused on the door.
I found it strange, but having no way to know the reason, I just focused on cleaning. Today I joined the cleaning for the first time in a while and showed off my skills.
I had finished wiping down the hallway and was on my way back carrying an iron bucket filled with dirty water. Behind the stair railing, three maids were huddled together. Every one of them was glancing toward the door and giggling. Wondering what was going on, I quietly approached and could hear their hushed whispers.
"Wow. I never thought I'd actually get to see him in person."
"My goodness. He looks even more handsome in person."
"Really? I think he's a bit scary."
Their conversation seemed like they were evaluating someone, and my gaze naturally followed theirs to the door. There were three people at the door. The first one I noticed was Vincent. Audrey was visible behind him. And across from Vincent was...
"Ethan?"
Since everyone was glancing at the door, I had expected a guest, but I never imagined it would be Ethan.
"Oh my. Do you know Sir Christopher too?"
"You came after hearing the news, I see."
At my words, the maids in front of me quickly reacted. It was the delight of meeting a comrade. I was flustered but tried to smile and looked back at the door.
The man conversing with Vincent was indeed Ethan. It was our first meeting in 5 years. He looked thinner than before, and traces of time could be felt on his face. Unlike the past when he used to laugh often and act playful, his face now somehow looked stiff, making him seem unfamiliar. He didn't show even a hint of a smile when dealing with Vincent.
Vincent wasn't one to smile often either, so a rather serious atmosphere flowed between the two. Still, it wasn't entirely stiff.
But of course, Ethan was living well too.
"But I think he really is as scary as the rumors say."
"Rumors?"
"My, did you not even hear that? It's famous."
At my question, the three of them gave me looks as if asking how I could not know. I blinked, showing my confusion. One of them came closer to me and whispered in a small voice as if sharing a secret.
"The rumor that he killed all his blood relatives and became a Count."
What kind of...! Paying no mind to my shocked reaction, the girls continued talking.
"Didn't he kill his younger brother?"
"I heard it was his older brother."
"No. They said it was his father. You know, the previous Count Christopher died a mysterious death. They couldn't even catch the killer."
"Ah! Then! It must be true that he's a murderer who killed his own family for power!"
They chattered excitedly. Most of the story was baseless rumors that belittled Ethan. I didn't know why such rumors were circulating, but knowing the truth, I felt worse the more I listened. Not noticing my reaction, they bickered about who was right.
"No way."
I couldn't listen anymore.
"So did he kill them all? For the sake of power."
"Wow, really?"
"I told you he's a scary person."
"That's not true!"
When I raised my voice, everyone looked at me in surprise. I quickly covered my mouth with both hands. I glanced at Ethan, and thankfully he didn't seem to have heard my shout.
I let out a sigh of relief and spoke softly, just loud enough for them to hear.
"I don't know what you heard, but they're all rumors. Baseless stories."
"How do you know that?"
"Didn't you see the newspaper? The former Count Christopher was arrested on suspicion of murdering his blood relatives."
"That was never conclusively proven."
"Right. He died during the investigation process."
"They said that was murder too."
"Wasn't that just a suspicion of murder?"
"Come on. You can tell just by looking. Isn't it just a dirty power struggle between brothers?"
"I heard he was an adopted son?"
The conversation had reached that point. The facts that Ethan had wanted to hide even while knowing them were spilling from their mouths. It was obvious how thoroughly the world had dug into them over the past 5 years.
Words become distorted as they pass through many people. In that process, right and wrong didn't matter. I knew that, but knowing the whole truth, I felt frustrated and angry. I couldn't say Ethan Christopher was a good person, but being pointed at as someone who killed his own blood to become a Count was too unfair.
How precious his older brother and younger brother were to him.
He shouldn't have to hear such things.
"Please don't do that."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know what you heard from where, but I don't think it's right to belittle someone unconditionally without knowing the exact facts."
"What did you say?"
One of the maids scowled.
"I can't say he's a good person, but he's definitely not someone who would kill his own blood relatives."
"How on earth would you know that?"
"Is that important? I'm saying let's not make baseless claims and just do our own jobs diligently."
"Hey!"
Finally, one of them couldn't hold back and snapped. She glared at me sharply, and I met her gaze without backing down. Another maid panicked and waved her hands, trying to calm things down and telling her to lower her voice, but the angry maid wasn't listening at all.
"Why are you picking a fight with us when everyone says so! And, there must be a reason why such rumors are going around! How do you know whether that person killed his blood relatives and became Count or not? Did you see it yourself? Huh? Did you see it?"
Her voice kept getting louder. Another maid, not knowing what to do, turned around and suddenly stood up. Our gazes also turned to where she was looking.
"S-Sir."
At some point, Vincent and Ethan had come over and were looking this way.
The maid who noticed them first quickly bowed. Soon after, the other two maids also bowed in panic.
I looked at Vincent's surprised face, then turned my gaze to Ethan. The moment I locked eyes with those brown eyes that seemed to understand nothing, I also belatedly bowed.
"Everyone, return to your posts immediately!"
At Audrey's shout, the three maids apologized and walked away as if fleeing.
"I'm sorry."
Following them, I also quickly turned around.
I received news about Ethan on an unusually cold winter day. The conclusion of the Christopher family graced the front page of the newspaper.
[James Christopher, passes away at a young age. Suspicion of murder]
[The appearance of the legitimate next Count Christopher]
With that, I learned the winner of that long story. But it was an ending where even the winner was wounded. Whether James Christopher's death was truly suicide or murder, I didn't care. What I worried about was Ethan. I felt sorry for him, having to bear everything alone from now on.
Still, at that time I thought it was a relief that Lucas was there. But now, with Lucas's life or death uncertain, I thought that perhaps Ethan might have lived no differently from Vincent. Although they weren't blood-related brothers, I didn't need to imagine how hard it must have been for him, having experienced the death of someone who was once precious family.
And yet... to call such a person a murderer who killed his own blood.
"That can't be right."
They shouldn't belittle him like that...
"Are you crazy?"
Alicia's hand suddenly appearing broke my reverie. I looked at her with a dazed expression. Her hand waving back and forth in front of my face brought my wandering mind back.
"What are you mumbling about by yourself since earlier."
"It's nothing."
"It's not nothing, is it?"
Ignoring Alicia who was narrowing her eyes and glaring at me, I swept the floor with a broom. Perhaps realizing I had no intention of answering, Alicia didn't ask any more questions.
Today, not just me, but Alicia also joined the cleaning. Most of the staff were assigned to cleaning duties to prepare for the guest. But Alicia was barely doing any cleaning at all. I was seriously considering reporting her to Audrey.
"Stop staring."
Moreover, she kept staring at me piercingly since earlier. Her gaze was so intense that I couldn't ignore it even if I tried. Recently, Alicia had been staring at me like this quite often.
"You saw him too, right? The guest who came today."
"I saw him."
"How does he look? They say he's friends with Sir Vincent."
"Sir Vincent?"
When I was shocked by the creepy title, Alicia shrugged.
"He'll be my Lord soon, so I should at least call him by name."
"You've really gone crazy. Watch your mouth."
"Don't worry. Normally I diligently call him Master. Though those days won't last much longer either."
Where on earth does that confidence come from?
It was absurd, but Alicia was genuinely trying to seduce Vincent. Whenever Vincent had tea time with Joely, she would attend to his tea and subtly make conversation, asking how it tasted or if it wasn't too hot. Vincent mostly didn't react, or occasionally gave short answers, but Alicia seemed satisfied with just that. It looked impossible to me, but Alicia's confidence grew day by day.
"I'm really curious, but how exactly are you planning to seduce him?"
"I have my ways. My own method."
"Is that method reliable?"
I asked out of pure curiosity, and unexpectedly, Alicia smiled proudly.
"Probably? I think I'm the best fit."
"For what?"
"Ah, you don't need to know. I'll handle it myself, so mind your own business!"
"Don't cause any trouble. Please."
"It's not like you're suddenly interested in him now, are you?"
It was such an absurd question that I sighed, and didn't answer, but she kept pestering me to say something.
I didn't know why, but Alicia was subtly wary of me. Did she think I would interfere with her plans? No, what was there to interfere with? Vincent didn't have an ounce of interest in either of us.
"You might not know, but that person shows a lot of interest in me. Every time he looks at me, he keeps asking me this and that. It's to the point of being annoying."
Tucking her long hair behind her ear and tilting her chin proudly, she overflowed with confidence. I just responded with a vague "Is that so." Because I knew she'd enjoy it more if I reacted. Her overly confident attitude was puzzling, but since I couldn't figure out the reason, I decided to just observe for now.
A little while later, a maid entered the storage room where we were cleaning. After exchanging a few words with Alicia, she hurriedly left again. Alicia immediately threw the rag she was holding onto the floor. She clearly looked like she was about to go somewhere.
Wait, leaving in the middle of cleaning?
"Finish wiping before you go."
"Joely is calling for me."
The unnecessarily emphasized words contained a sneer.
"I'm going, so you clean well by yourself."
"......"
I turned away because I didn't want to see her tuck her hair behind her ear again. Listening to Alicia's footsteps fading away, I swept the already clean floor over and over. Is it really about looks after all? Thinking that made me feel depressed.
Sweeping the floor, all that came out were sighs. I didn't know why I was doing this here. Suddenly feeling inadequate, even my mood sank. Eventually, I stopped sweeping and just stared blankly at the floor.
At that moment, I suddenly heard a knocking sound on the door. I jumped in surprise and turned around, only to see an even more shocking sight before my eyes.
Ethan was standing by the door.
I was stunned by the appearance of someone I hadn't expected. Why was that man over there? Without paying any mind to my questioning gaze, Ethan leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed. His brown eyes swept up and down as if observing me.