"Would someone who knows that force such a threat?"
"Threat? Did it sound like a threat?"
"If you force someone to do something they don't want to do, it's no different from a threat."
I know it sounds arrogant, but I'll speak my mind—yes, it was a threat.
"Yes, it is a threat."
But Ethan admitted it brazenly. What a jerk.
"Yes, I am a jerk."
"......"
He narrowed his eyes, as if seeing through my heart. I pretended to clean the window.
"Lady, I'm serious. That's why I came to this mansion. I can't stand to see my friend, Earl Bellunita, fall apart. To be precise, he's become useless."
I sighed and turned to look at him. Ethan continued.
"It might sound cold, but Vincent is in a position where he has to make such judgments. And this is a problem I can't tolerate, even before considering Vincent's well-being. I don't want to see Vincent like this. We're not just friends; we're also bound by the interests of our families."
Ethan smiled bitterly. He didn't seem like the same person who had just been concerned and saddened by Vincent's condition. He looked like a real jerk. Did he do this on purpose?
"I hope you can comfort Vincent a bit. Get him to come out of his room."
"I don't have the strength."
"Really? To me, you seem incredibly strong."
"You flatter me."
I bowed my head and focused on cleaning the window again. I heard laughter from behind me but pretended not to notice, continuing with my work.
After finishing the floor cleaning and tidying up the cleaning tools, I checked the time and headed to the study to choose a book to read to Vincent today.
Ethan followed me closely.
Why does he keep following me? Is he that free? Even when I showed discomfort, he didn't care. In the end, he followed me into the study and looked around, asking,
"What are you planning to do here?"
"I'm going to choose a book."
"For you to read?"
"To read to my master."
Ethan's eyes widened. I went to the bookshelf with fairy tales and scanned the titles. I had taken all the books from one shelf last time, but I had already read them all. The stories were short, so they didn't take long to read.
Fortunately, Vincent let me read to him. This was one of the changes over time. At first, he would say they were boring and act like he didn't want to listen. Now, he listens quietly, occasionally correcting my pronunciation and breathing.
"Too fast. It's hard to follow when you read that quickly."
"Sorry."
"Read each word clearly. You need to imagine the scenes to understand them. Try to paint a picture in your mind."
"I'll be careful."
Reading to someone is definitely different from reading alone. My eyes read the words faster than my mouth, and I imagined the scenes in my mind. But he had to piece together the story through my voice, like putting together a puzzle.
I volunteered to read to him, but it wasn't easy. Bringing fairy tales to entertain him turned out to be a good choice. Even for those short stories, I had to endure his numerous corrections.
"To Vincent?"
"Yes."
"Does Vincent just listen quietly...?"
"At first, he refused, but now he listens quietly. I've been reading fairy tales to him, but this time, I thought I'd try a thicker book."
"......"
I was thinking of moving on from fairy tales. I was looking at the books on the shelf above the fairy tales when my cheek tingled. I turned to see Ethan with a strange expression. His face gradually contorted into a frown, and his lips twitched. Then,
"Hahaha!"
A loud laugh burst out.
I widened my eyes and looked at Ethan. He was laughing so hard he was clutching his stomach.
"His pride, hahaha, fairy tales, hahaha."
Ethan hunched over, snickering. Despite my puzzled gaze, he didn't stop laughing. I didn't know what was so funny, but I shrugged and ignored him. Ethan was a strange person, and it was hard to understand strange people.
More importantly, I needed to choose a book to read to Vincent today. I carefully examined the thick, densely written books.
"This one looks good."
Ethan, who had stopped laughing, pulled out a book and handed it to me. The title seemed to be an adventure story. It wasn't too thick or too thin, so it seemed suitable to read to Vincent.
"It's a book Vincent enjoyed reading as a child."
"Oh."
Despite talking about family interests earlier, he was indeed a friend. He knew Vincent's tastes well. I bowed slightly in gratitude and respectfully took the book.
"Vincent likes adventure novels. He read them like a madman when he was young. He especially liked stories about adventures in far-off lands. He hates love stories, finding them boring and never reads them."
"Thank you. I'll keep that in mind when choosing."
"I'm the one who should be grateful."
"Huh?" I looked up to see Ethan smiling warmly, not with the lecherous gaze of someone trying to seduce, but with genuine pleasure and relief.
"I'm glad you're here, Lady."
What does that mean?
"You even read fairy tales to Vincent."
Fairy tales, why? I tilted my head, and he covered his mouth to hide a burst of laughter.
"What do you think? Can Vincent come out of his room?"
"Who knows? How can I possibly understand my master's deep thoughts?"
"Let's make a bet."
A sudden proposal. A bet? Surprised, I asked, and Ethan continued.
"If you can get Vincent to take even one step out of his room, I'll grant you one wish."
Ethan took a step closer and extended his hand. I stared at his hand and shook my head.
"Mr. Christopher. I don't understand why you're saying this, but as I said before, I have no power. I'm just a maid. How can I get my master to come out?"
His room was his only sanctuary. He hated stepping outside, let alone getting out of bed. Of course, he couldn't live like that forever, but it was hard to expect that from him now.
"So, this is a bet between you and me."
He grabbed my hand and lifted it. He didn't flinch at holding my humble hand; instead, he tightened his grip.
"I hope you'll agree. For Vincent's sake."
"Why are you doing this to me?"
"Because you seem like the easiest person here?"
What, you bastard? Irritated, I tried to pull my hand away, but he tightened his grip, making my hand tingle. I glared at him, squinting one eye.
"Let go."
"I want to place my hopes on you."
"What if I refuse?"
"I hope you won't. I want to be seen as a good person by you."
Now it's outright blackmail. Despite my shock, he smiled as if nothing was wrong.
"Since it's a bet, we need to consider what happens if I win. Hmm, if I win, then..."
His eyes darted to the side, as if thinking, then focused back on me. With the same round, curved eyes, he kissed my hand, just like when he first arrived.
"You'll have to give me your neck."
Thud. He made a gesture of slicing his neck. His mischievous smile was terrifying, like a villain's.
Why, me? Why me? I'm just a maid here to serve my master.
Ethan laughed happily at my horrified face. His smiling face now seemed terrifying. Who said he was kind? He was just pretending; in reality, he was an unpredictable person. I couldn't understand why he came here to announce Vincent's blindness or why he proposed this absurd bet to me.
Was he trying to help Vincent, or was he asking for help for himself?
And that confusion extended to Vincent.
"Master."
Vincent was silent throughout the reading. Leaning against the wall, he listened to my voice, unusually quiet today. His bowed head was hidden by his hair, making it impossible to see his expression. His slumped shoulders looked listless.
The book I brought was useless. Seeing his dejected state, I felt drained. I bent down to look at his face and called, "Master?" but he remained silent.
"Cheer up. There must be a way."
"Stop saying nonsense."
Finally, he responded, but his voice was so dejected. His demeanor was unfamiliar. It would have been better if he had shouted or thrown a tantrum as usual. This made my heart soften.
"Why is it nonsense? You just need to show that you're trying."
"How can I show that? Do you want me to show you how I fall and grope around on the floor? I'll show you if you want."
"Master."
"That's just an excuse. You're just saying that to talk about my condition."
He covered his face with both hands. His hunched body seemed to be in pain, aware of his condition. Sadness enveloped him again.
"Don't cry."
"I'm not crying."
"Your heart is crying."
"......"
Vincent took deep, uneven breaths. I was worried he might have another seizure. He was sensitive to shock, so I was always concerned at times like this.
'You'll have to give me your neck.'
Moreover, the bet that Ethan forced on me was also weighing on my mind.