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Chapter 14




# 14
14. The Strange Guest of the Earl's Family (4)
“No.”
I am the weakest person here. In terms of class, I am the lowest of the low.
“Should I speak to Lady Isabella?”
“She’s on Vincent’s side. I’ve asked her many times, but she always refuses.”
“I will ask the master again.”
“No.”
He waved his hand. Although he sighed, his face seemed to have regained some energy compared to before.
“If I knock on the door a hundred times, they might open it once.”
“You’re putting in a lot of effort.”
“I have to. My friend is working just as hard.”
Then he suddenly smiled. The fresh smile made me shiver, and my gaze felt sticky. What’s wrong with him? Why is he like that? I rubbed my arms vigorously.
“It would be convenient if the maid fell for me.”
“I can tell you now, I will refuse.”
And even if I knocked a thousand times, the closed door would never open.
“You’re not sleeping here, are you?”
I was shocked to find a figure squatting in front of Vincent’s door. It was the guest who had burst in yesterday. But why was he here if I had shown him to his room?
“Hmm, is it already morning?”
“Yes. Why are you doing this?”
“I thought if I knocked all night, he would open the door out of anger, but I was wrong.”
Ethan yawned and stretched, which made me feel exasperated. Did he stay up all night trying to open Vincent’s door? It would have been faster to take the key ring from me and force it open.
“Should I open it for you?”
I rummaged in my apron pocket and asked. Ethan’s eyes widened.
“You said it wasn’t possible yesterday.”
“Even if I get hated, it won’t change anything since he doesn’t like me anyway. It won’t make a difference if I get hated more.”
“I can’t let you do that difficult job.”
Another refusal. It seems like he’s being considerate, but I’m not sure.
“You can’t keep standing here in front of the door. It could take days or even months for it to open. As you know, the master is very stubborn.”
Ethan seemed to think about it for a moment, then shook his head.
“I’ll try a bit more.”
“If you insist.”
I took my hand out of my pocket and turned around. The sound of knocking echoed behind me. I shook my head. He’ll have to come to his senses when his fists are swollen. This door won’t open just because he’s being stubborn.
But it seems Ethan realized that fact in a short time.
When I brought Vincent’s lunch upstairs, Ethan looked troubled and said,
“Can I ask you again?”
“Yes.”
I passed him and inserted the key into the firmly closed door.
“Will he be very angry?”
“Stand by the door. Don’t come in.”
I couldn’t say no.
The door opened with a click. Instantly, a foul smell hit my nose. It was strange, the odor was particularly strong today. I frowned and went straight to the window to pull back the curtains. Bright light flooded the dark room. When I opened the window, a gentle breeze blew in, dispelling the foul smell.
Ethan stood obediently by the door as I had told him. I approached Vincent.
“Master, it’s time for lunch.”
“...Go.”
His voice was hoarse. It was too hoarse to be just from sleep.
“Master?”
“...”
He usually didn’t answer much, but something was off. When I got closer and pulled back the sheet, I saw his face drenched in sweat. The pillow was soaked with vomit.
“Master!”
I slapped his cheeks to try to wake him, but he didn’t open his eyes. His condition was worrying. I turned to look at the door, and Ethan immediately turned around. The sound of hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor.
The doctor arrived soon after. He was wearing a misbuttoned shirt and wrinkled pants, and his shoes were not properly tied. His crooked glasses showed how urgently he had come.
“You have indigestion.”
“Pardon?”
“You said you started eating more recently. It seems you ate too much. Suddenly eating more than usual is bad for your body. You must have been sick all night.”
No, how much did he eat? He didn’t have breakfast this morning. He refused to eat and wouldn’t move from the bed, so I skipped it. If he’s indigesting, it’s because I forced him to eat more last night. He couldn’t even finish half a bowl of congee, so I made him eat more, and now his body is reacting.
“You’re... so weak.”
“His body has become very weak. You need to be careful.”
“...Yes.”
In the end, I got scolded by the doctor. I bowed to him as he left, secretly sighing. It’s hard to be scolded even when you feed him well.
After seeing him off, I returned to the room to find Ethan sitting in front of the bed. His gaze was fixed on Vincent and didn’t waver. However, Vincent didn’t say anything. Even though he knew someone was beside him, he didn’t look at Ethan.
“Why are you so thin?”
Ethan sighed at the end of the silence.
“Thinner than the last time I saw you... Take care of your health...”
Ethan lowered his head, covering his face with his hands. How will you face the late earl with this... He seemed at a loss, filled with sorrow.
But Vincent was cold.
“Go away.”
Ethan, who seemed to be catching his breath, lifted his head again. Vincent’s gaze was still fixed on the ceiling.
“Vincent. Don’t do this. Come outside. I’ll help you.”
“What can you do to help?”
“Anything. I’ll do whatever I can.”
“Can you make me see again?”
“...”
“Can’t you? Then stop talking nonsense and leave.”
How cold. The conversation was filled with open hostility. I listened to their conversation from behind, secretly clicking my tongue. Despite Ethan’s concern, Vincent’s attitude towards him was extremely sharp. He was like a porcupine, ready to prick anyone who came close.
But Ethan didn’t back down easily.
“How long do you plan to keep this up? There’s a lot of talk now. They say the Earl of Bellunita isn’t recovering from an injury at a party but is hiding a serious illness.”
“...”
“You can’t keep living like this forever.”
“What do you want?”
“It’s time to come clean.”
“You’re telling me to die.”
“Vincent.”
“If the Earl of Bellunita is said to be blind and can’t see, the person who did this to me will come and stab me to death, not as an assassin but as the one who caused this.”
Vincent snorted. Ethan shook his head.
“The person who did this to you already knows your condition.”
“...”
Vincent’s face, which had been mocking, stiffened at the sharp remark. His sharp gaze, though still directed at the ceiling, was clearly aimed at Ethan.
But there was no rebuttal. It was a sign that he agreed to some extent.
Silence fell again. Their gazes, which had been misaligned, didn’t easily meet. Vincent closed his mouth, indicating he didn’t want to continue the conversation.
This was a meaningless time.
Ethan, realizing this, sighed deeply.
“Vincent, if you keep this up, I will announce your condition.”
The shocking statement made Vincent turn his head sharply. His eyes, which had widened in shock, mirrored my own. I had forgotten to pretend I hadn’t heard and stared at Ethan in surprise.
“Are you crazy?”
“Maybe.”
“Ethan!”
Vincent shouted fiercely. Despite this, Ethan didn’t back down. His voice, calm to the point of being chilling, continued.
“Vincent, you’re my dear friend, and I don’t want to keep you like this. This can’t be hidden forever, and we need to prepare for the future. You know that, don’t you? Continuing like this is just a tantrum.”
“...”
“I will do whatever it takes to get you out of here, even if it puts you in danger. This is toxic for you. Of course, I won’t care about your opinion in the process.”
“Stop talking nonsense.”
“You’ll see if my words are nonsense or not.”
Ethan stood up abruptly. Vincent didn’t move at all. He seemed to be in shock, unable to breathe properly. His hands, gripping the sheets, were trembling. I was worried he might have a seizure.
“Choose. Will you convince me, or not?”
“...”
Silence followed his firm words. Vincent didn’t answer easily. He just glared at Ethan fiercely, and Ethan looked back at him calmly. It felt like sparks were flying between them.
* * *
The guest doubled my workload. After attending to Vincent, I headed to the guest room. I changed the pillowcases, bed sheets, and cleaned. While the maids regularly clean all the rooms in this mansion to maintain cleanliness, dust had accumulated in places that weren’t visible because they hadn’t been used for a long time.
I started by cleaning the dusty windows. Ethan watched me intently.
“How is Vincent?”
I wiped the window with a dry cloth, glanced at him, and replied,
“Why don’t you go see him yourself if you’re curious?”
“I would appreciate it if you told me.”
His smiling face was annoying. I sighed.
Despite my advice, things escalated that day.