At the ear-piercing noise, I screamed and fell backward.
I briefly lost consciousness. When I opened my eyes again, my heart was pounding as if it were in my ears. As I regained my composure and tried to stand up, my whole body ached.
In front of me, the round ball of light still flickered. I shielded my eyes with my hand and looked around, hearing the sound of hooves.
Then, someone approached through the ball of light. When I recognized who it was, my eyes widened. The same went for the other person.
"Why are you here..."
Ethan looked down at me with a surprised expression.
I was also startled and stared at him before quickly scanning the surroundings. The ball of light turned out to be a car. A stranger behind Ethan looked at me in confusion. After confirming this, I felt around and grabbed the handle of my bag, which I had dropped when I fell, and stood up.
Just as I was about to turn around, 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. I stammered out an excuse, flustered.
"...I'm sorry. I'm in a hurry. Please go on your way."
"Where were you going?"
I clamped my mouth shut. Ethan, who had been examining my tense face, took a step closer. I quickly took another step back.
"Maid."
"Don't come any closer!"
"..."
I shouted, telling him not to come any closer, and took a step back. Ethan stopped abruptly. I gripped the handle of my bag tightly. If he came any closer, I planned to hit him with the bag and run away.
"Please, don't come any closer."
"...What's going on? Why are you here?"
"I was just wondering why Lord Christopher is 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 scared?"
I didn't have time to stand here. This seemed to be the road leading to the mansion. Despite running so far, I apparently hadn't managed to get away from it.
Ethan kept asking what had happened. I remained silent, looking for a way to escape.
"Maid."
Feeling something was off, Ethan reached out his hand. Just as he was about to approach me again, a rustling sound was heard.
The sound grew closer. Ethan and I immediately turned our gaze in that direction.
My vision blurred.
What, what do I do? Did they already catch up to me?
Leaves rustled in the distance. I watched them uneasily, then turned my head toward Ethan. He was looking at me.
His eyes narrowed, as if questioning what had happened. I said with the utmost sincerity what I most desperately wanted.
"Please save me."
Ethan's eyes widened, then became sharp. He turned his head toward the source of the sound. Then, he looked back at me and took a step closer, grabbing my arm. He spoke calmly to me, who was startled.
"It's okay. Trust me."
"..."
His serious gaze made me finally nod.
Ethan put me in the car and immediately closed the door, then got into the seat next to me. The man who had been watching us quickly sat in the driver's seat, and Ethan ordered him to start the car.
The car started moving.
I looked out the window. The car was heading back the way it had come. As we got some distance away, I saw a group of people emerge from the bushes where we had been. If we had been a little later, we would have run into them.
Someone really was chasing me. It wasn't a delusion. Cold sweat trickled down my spine. At the same time, a sigh of relief escaped me.
Ethan continued, looking at my reaction.
"What exactly happened? What was that just now, and where were you going in the middle of the night?"
"..."
"How do you look? You seem like someone who's running away."
"..."
"Really?"
Unable to answer, Ethan, who was quick to notice, brought out what I was hiding. I didn't feel like contradicting him and continued to remain silent. Ethan, realizing his thoughts were correct, continued, flustered.
"Why? Why suddenly?"
"I had my reasons."
"What kind of reasons would make you secretly run away in the middle of the night? What happened with Vincent? Were you expelled?"
"No."
Shaking my head, Ethan narrowed his eyes, as if urging me not to lie. I insisted it wasn't true, waving my hands.
"Then what is it? Tell me."
"Just don't ask anything and drop me off. Please."
"Maid."
"Please, I beg you."
"Is it because of James?"
I gave him a puzzled look, and Ethan had a troubled expression.
"Vincent told me. Pola was there."
"..."
I quickly glanced at the driver's seat. There was someone else in the car besides him and me. This wasn't the place to have such a conversation.
"It's okay."
Noticing my glance, Ethan tried to reassure me.
"But..."
"He's trustworthy. You don't need to worry."
If Ethan said so, he must really be trustworthy. It was fortunate, but I still didn't have the courage to continue such a heavy conversation.
"I'm sorry."
At his sudden apology, I opened my eyes wide. Ethan smiled bitterly.
"It might sound funny now, but I actually knew. I knew that James, my brother, was involved in my father's death. Even though I knew, I didn't want to doubt him."
"Why..."
"Because he was a precious family member. I wanted to believe it couldn't be true. I couldn't imagine my brother doing such a terrible thing, that it must have been an accident, that it wasn't him. I deceived myself with these thoughts. Even as my brother started to change and became wary of me, I still believed in him. I admired and loved him. Even though we weren't blood-related."
The shocking words came out unexpectedly. While I was shocked, he remained calm.
"James was the child brought by my father's second wife. Although he was known as my father's illegitimate child, that wasn't the case. He was the child of my father's second wife and her previous fiancé. She brought James with her when she entered our family. Later, Lucas was born to my father and his second wife."
"..."
"My father, who didn't care about bloodlines, truly loved my brother. To prevent him from being discriminated against, he made him appear as an illegitimate child. And he allowed James to inherit the family."
"..."
"But my brother was anxious. Because he wasn't of my father's true bloodline, he wouldn't be a complete earl even if he inherited the title. My father didn't mind, but the people around him pressured him. They said the family should be led by pure blood. So my brother became wary of me, the legitimate heir. I never intended to take his place."
Sadness clouded Ethan's face. Even as he smiled, he couldn't hide his sorrow. His gaze was lost in the past. I listened quietly to his words.
"But I never thought he would do such a thing to my father... to Lucas and Vincent... I truly hoped it wasn't true."
He sighed and leaned his forehead on his clasped hands. His hunched body seemed to curl in on itself. His shoulders were trembling slightly. He took a labored breath.
Sadness breeds regret. Ethan was right. I understood him, but it was hard to comfort him when so many people had been hurt.
His precious father was dead, his proud younger brother was in trouble, and his dear friend had lost his sight and was confined. And Ethan himself was trembling with pain. I didn't want to blame him, but if he hadn't turned a blind eye, perhaps these things wouldn't have happened.
I looked out the window. The tall grass brushed against the window. I stared blankly at this meaningless scene, then turned my head back to Ethan.
"Lord Christopher."
"Yes."
"Why are you telling me this?"
To a mere maid. Why are you telling me such things now?
I wanted to know his intentions.
He lifted his face at my question. His face, which had tried to hide the sadness, now bore a faint smile as he looked out the window.
"Do you know? There's a forest inside the castle. It's artificially created, and only the royal family and a few permitted nobles can enter. They say people confess secrets they can't tell anywhere else there. That's why everyone calls it the Forest of Secrets."
I had heard this from Lucas once. He said there was such a forest inside the castle, but it was just a rumor.
"Maid, you are such an existence to us."
He turned to me again. The faint smile disappeared, and his face, devoid of any emotion, seemed unfamiliar.
"You are calm, kind, and keep secrets well, so it's easier to confide in you. Even now, I've told you a secret I haven't told anyone else. Do you understand what that means?"
"I don't."
"Think about it. Why would we confide such important secrets to a mere maid?"
"..."
"It's because we can get rid of you anytime."
He pulled the corners of his mouth into a smile. The sadness had vanished from his face, replaced by a bitter expression. His brown eyes gleamed sharply, making me feel as if he could strike at any moment.
I gripped the handle of my bag tightly and met his gaze. Instinctively, I felt I shouldn't back away. I hid my trembling fingertips inside. Only then did I realize how deeply he was a noble.