45. The Moment a Star Fell into the Earl's Family (6)
How could they be so engrossed in dancing that they ended up falling into the fountain? And they were grown adults, no less. The thought of it made me laugh. Spinning around, they didn't even realize they were heading towards the fountain. If anyone saw them, they might have thought, "What, are those idiots?"
I threw my head back and laughed. Despite being drenched and feeling uncomfortable, my mind was strangely refreshed. Maybe it was because of the fountain. The thought made me laugh even harder. I couldn't tell if it was our appearance or the situation that was so funny, but the moment was just too amusing and enjoyable.
Neither of us could stop laughing for a long time.
After laughing heartily, the cold chill of the wind made me snap back to reality. The fountain water was still pouring down behind us. If we stayed like this, we might end up sick in the morning.
First, I helped Vincent, who was sitting on the ground, to his feet. His entire body was soaked, just like mine. I was drenched and dripping wet. When I wrung out the end of my negligee, water dripped down. When I gathered and squeezed my hair, it seemed like a whole cup of water came out.
After wringing out some of the water, I pushed my bangs to the side. At that moment, Vincent looked at me. When I met his gaze, he placed one hand on his chest and the other behind his back, and bowed with one foot behind him.
I was surprised by his sudden action, but I quickly understood what he was doing. I chuckled, lifted the end of my negligee slightly with both hands, and bowed as well.
That's how we thanked each other for the dance.
"Was it difficult?"
Vincent slightly raised his face.
"A little."
I also lifted my face.
We burst into laughter again.
Both of us, drenched to the bone, stepped out of the fountain. The cold wind made our bodies shiver. We couldn't stay outside any longer. We hurried back to the mansion, huddled together.
As soon as we entered his room, I took out a towel to dry us off and handed him new pajamas. While he changed, I used a towel to shake off the water dripping from my body.
After changing, he lay down on the bed. His face looked much more relaxed.
"Would you like me to stay until you fall asleep?"
"No, you can go."
"Don't hold back and cry. This is a chance you won't get again."
"Should I kick you out myself?"
His temper, anyway.
"Have a good dream."
"You too."
He closed his eyes. I covered him up to his neck and left the room. Then I carefully entered my own room, trying not to wake Violet.
However, someone was sitting in the room illuminated by the lamp. I almost screamed in shock. I froze, blinking, but gradually, the figure became clearer, and I came to my senses.
"Miss Violet?"
"Where did you go?"
The darkness that the light didn't reach obscured her face. I closed the door and approached her, placing the lamp on the side table. Perhaps because the lamp's light was dim, her face seemed unusually somber.
"I went for a walk."
"And?"
Violet scanned me from head to toe. Following her gaze, I checked my appearance again. I laughed awkwardly and rubbed my face with a towel. I explained that I had slipped and fallen into the water, then turned to change my clothes.
"Pola."
"Yes."
"Did you go alone?"
I hesitated for a moment. Just as I was about to say no,
"Or with someone else?"
"..."
"Did you go with Vincent?"
It didn't seem like she was just curious. Her voice was low. When I turned around, I saw Violet's calm face in the lamplight. It wasn't the face that had laughed with me just a moment ago. It was cold. I had never seen her with such a face.
Why was she asking this? I was puzzled but couldn't easily answer. Her atmosphere was different from usual, making me feel tense. I hesitated to answer, and Violet smiled gently. But her smile was different from usual.
"I see."
"..."
"Pola, I..."
Then she stopped and just looked at me. When I met her gaze, I saw various emotions flicker in her calm eyes. It felt like a sharp air was piercing my skin.
She seemed really angry. Was it just my imagination?
"Miss Violet?"
"No, no. Just change your clothes and go to sleep."
Violet lay back down on the bed. The sudden end of the conversation made me feel uneasy. I looked at her huddled back and changed out of my wet negligee. I put the wet clothes aside, turned off the lamp, and lay down next to her.
Violet lay with her back to me, and I stared at the dark ceiling. The room was quiet. It felt like the noisy conversation we just had was a dream, and we didn't say a word.
The uncomfortable silence lingered.
"Pola."
She called me softly.
"Yes."
I answered quickly.
"You know what?"
"Yes."
"I... seem like a very bad person."
Confused by her words, I turned to look at her. Violet still had her back to me. It felt like a solid wall.
"I really am a very bad person."
"Why do you think that?"
"Just, I feel like it."
"No, you're beautiful."
I said firmly. I meant it. I had never seen anyone as beautiful as her. Many people have beautiful faces, but few have beautiful hearts. She was beautiful both in appearance and in heart.
Hearing my words, Violet let out a faint laugh. But her laugh seemed weak.
"Pola, you're a really good person."
"Thanks to Miss Violet."
"Me?"
"Yes. You treated me kindly. Even though I'm just a servant, you looked me in the eye and treated me as an equal, and you were kind to me. Thanks to you, I got to wear beautiful dresses, attend parties, and dance. It was really fun, happy, and fulfilling. And... I'm really grateful that you said you liked me, a nobody. I really am. Actually, it was the first time I heard such words. So, to me, Miss Violet is really beautiful and good."
"..."
"Not just your face, of course. Your face is beautiful, too."
I emphasized that I wasn't just talking about her face, in case my words weren't properly conveyed. But she didn't respond. Was she really angry? As the silence grew, my guess turned into certainty. I was puzzled by why she was angry and moved closer to her.
"Miss Violet?"
"..."
"Are you angry?"
"No."
"Really?"
"Yes. I'm not angry."
Finally, she turned around. Our gazes met, and I saw confusion and sadness in her eyes. Sad? Why was she looking at me with such sad eyes?
She slightly narrowed her eyes, but the sadness remained.
"I did something wrong."
"Oh, you're not really angry, are you?"
"Then what?"
"I woke up feeling a bit down."
She smiled, but her smile was still weak.
"Pola, can I ask you for one thing?"
"Yes, anything."
"Don't fall in love with Vincent."
Taken aback by her unexpected words, I opened my eyes wide. It was absurd, and I couldn't breathe. Despite the confusion in my heart, I showed it to her.
Violet continued, her face serious.
"Don't fall in love with him. If you think you might... run away. Run far, far away and live. I really want you to be happy. I want to wish for your happiness."
"..."
"But not with Vincent."
Her calm voice made a request. Her serious face gave a warning, telling me not to get involved between him and her.
"He's not the one."
I opened my mouth. I had to say something... I had to... I had to tell her it was a misunderstanding... But the words wouldn't come out. It felt like my throat was blocked, and my voice wouldn't come out.
Violet smiled sadly and closed her eyes. I couldn't say anything until then. I knew I shouldn't, but I couldn't bring myself to say anything.
After a while, when I heard her steady breathing, I finally spoke.
"I will."
"..."
Her breathing remained steady.
I watched the sleeping Violet for a while, then closed my eyes. The memory of dancing together under the sparkling chandelier faded into the darkness. The golden hair that had tumbled in the falling stars and the gentle face that had looked at me were erased by the darkness. The happy laughter no longer echoed in my ears.
I tried to erase the emotions that had risen in my heart. I curled up in the cold.
It was a strangely cold night, even though I was with someone.
* * *
'You just need to be there.'
Alicia pushed her wavy hair back and said, tilting her head as if pitying a pitiful opponent.
'Don't do anything.'
Her obvious mockery made it feel even more so.
'That's what you should do.'
I didn't even respond to her words because I knew better than anyone that it was true. I couldn't do anything. I was powerless, incapable, and had nothing. Even the things I had held in my arms slipped away like sand, leaving me empty.
I had nothing.
Not that I ever wanted anything. More important than that was to survive. I wanted to live one more day, to live as long as possible. That was my only wish.
So, it wasn't hard to listen to Violet's words. In