It was early in the morning. The mansion was in an uproar. The servants, without exception, quickly dressed and left their rooms. Audrey herself woke up those who were still groggy. I hurriedly washed up and shook Alicia awake.
Then, I hastily dressed and followed the others. As we stepped out of the mansion, everyone was gathered outside the gate. Audrey was at the front of the two rows of servants. And in front of them stood Joelie.
Everyone was looking into the distance. I joined the line and looked in the direction where everyone's attention was focused. Soon, a car approached from afar. The smooth-moving car stopped in front of the mansion.
A man got out of the driver's seat and opened the back door. A leg emerged and touched the ground.
"Have you arrived, sir?"
Audrey immediately bowed. Following her, all the servants bowed. I, too, bowed without thinking.
"Welcome back!"
Joelie's voice was filled with joy. The sound of footsteps approaching the person who got out of the car could be heard. The door closed with a thud.
"You've worked hard. It's good to see you. Nothing unusual happened here."
"..."
To us, who were bowing, it sounded like Joelie was talking to herself. There was no response to her words, yet she continued to chatter excitedly. Alicia, standing next to me, kept glancing up. It wasn't just Alicia; others nearby also rolled their eyes up and down.
The one-sided conversation suddenly came to an abrupt stop. Everyone held their breath and perked up their ears.
"I saw you yesterday."
After a moment of silence, a heavy voice rang out.
Alicia's eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed. She seemed to be trying to figure out who the owner of that voice was. The servants, who were in this situation for the first time, also looked puzzled. I, the only one who knew the owner of the voice, stiffened.
How could I forget that voice, which I once heard to the point of exhaustion?
Thud, thud, the footsteps grew closer.
"There's no need to welcome me with such a fuss."
"Oh, but we have to see you. How are you?"
"How am I?"
"How are you?"
He stopped nearby. He gripped the hand he was holding even tighter. My heart pounded as if it would burst through my chest. There were two or three people in front of me, but I bowed my head even deeper.
The top of my head tingled.
"You've grown."
"It just happened."
"Play moderately. You'll get tired later."
"Don't worry. I won't cause you any trouble."
"I hope you keep that promise."
The sarcastic tone was clear, and the footsteps moved away. Only after a certain distance had been put between us did the servants lift their heads. They were supposed to keep their eyes forward, but some couldn't resist glancing sideways out of curiosity. Alicia was no exception.
I cautiously turned my gaze to the side. That moment felt incredibly long. Then, I saw the man standing opposite Joelie.
A large hand tousled his neatly combed golden hair. It seemed to be a gesture of annoyance. He suddenly turned to look this way while talking to Joelie.
Our eyes met.
I saw him, and he saw me. Or rather, he saw the many servants standing here. But I was looking at him. My gaze never left him from the moment it landed on him.
The emerald eyes that clearly met mine, the face that looked directly at me, made me realize again.
That I could really see his eyes.
So I understood. The pain that made my heart ache just from remembering, the death I didn't want to remember, yet the worry that lingered in a corner of my heart, the death I wished more than anyone for his happiness.
'Lucas...'
I knew about your death.
My eyes stung. I couldn't blink, afraid that the tears welling up would spill over. The view of Vincent in front of me blurred. The gaze that had been fixed here was quickly withdrawn.
Vincent turned his body. The thud, thud of his footsteps moved away. The servants all watched him. Now they would all know who he was. The women blushed and looked shy at the sight of their handsome and charming master.
"Sis."
Her voice was dazed. Turning my head, I saw Alicia looking at Vincent. Her side profile, which didn't blink once, was ominous.
"Is that man the master of this place? Is that right?"
"...Yes."
"Wow."
After the master of the mansion left, the servants returned to their places. I left the dazed Alicia behind and quickly left the area. My steps gradually quickened, and I eventually ran. I forgot the warning not to go into the forest.
I ran for a long time in the forest, then turned and went down a slope. My skirt fluttered, my clothes became disheveled, and the fallen leaves stuck to my body, but I didn't care. Instinctively, I knew where to go. After descending endlessly and pushing through the underbrush, I finally emerged from the forest.
I stopped in front of the scene that unfolded before me.
My constricted breath was released, and I slowly exhaled. Behind my panting, my eyes scanned the vast view. The expansive scene, difficult to take in at once, included various-sized mansions and gardens connecting them. A fountain with water shooting up captured my attention. Beyond it, the forest surrounded the area.
Why did I only realize this now?
Why did I only now understand the true nature of this strange earl's family?
I didn't doubt it at all. I didn't even think to doubt it. This was deep in the forest, far from where I used to live, and I didn't know anyone here. The families were different, too.
But the familiar scene in front of me shattered my peace of mind.
Vincent wasn't a guest here. Seeing the many servants gathered to welcome him today, I realized it.
This is the mansion of the Bellunita family,
and the earl has returned to the earl's family.
He.
Vincent.
The body that had been leaning against a tree collapsed. I sat on the ground and blankly scanned the vast scene. Then... then, I let out the sorrow I had never allowed myself to feel since leaving this place.
"Sniff."
Tears rolled down my closed eyes and fell. They left marks on the ground. I covered my face with both hands. I curled up and sobbed uncontrollably, overwhelmed by the pain that pressed down on my chest.
Before I could process the unexpected reunion, before I could feel the emotions, Lucas came to mind.
Perhaps I was deluding myself. That Lucas was alive, that he was doing well. Even though the last time I saw him was a nightmare, I believed it. Maybe I was deluding myself that he had forgotten the brief infatuation with a maid and was happily with his beautiful partner.
But the moment I saw Vincent, the moment his eyes clearly met mine, I recalled the meaning of the words Lucas once said.
"I'll give it to my brother. My world."
The true intention behind the smile on his face.
What was he thinking in his last moments? What did he think as he watched me leave? I was too afraid to face his death. But knowing his affection for me, all I could do was let out my sorrow. I desperately hoped that his last moments were a little less painful.
"Whimper!"
That was all I could do for him.
I was just a character in their story. I had no power, and I didn't think I could change anything. But for the first time, I hated myself. It was painful to realize this.
Because I was truly useless, because I couldn't repay those who helped me, because I felt that no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't do anything. It made me feel so miserable.
But on the other hand, I was relieved. Since I couldn't do anything, it was okay to run away. What could I do if I stayed? I would only cause trouble. I consoled myself with this.
Am I being punished now?
Or did I come here to be punished?
"Ugly, ugly."
Robert poked my side with a piece of wood. I sat there dazed, not reacting. My mind was a jumbled mess.
Should I run away? Should I run away? Maybe I should run away. I had walked into the very place I had fled from out of fear of death. If I had known, I wouldn't have come. I must have been crazy. Could I still run away now?
I recalled what I had learned about this mansion. All the servants here were new to me. Of course, in the past, I had only stayed in the annex, so I hadn't seen many of the servants employed by the earl's family. There were only a few, but even those few were not here.
And the most important thing was that Isabella was not here.
As far as I knew, she was the overall manager of all the servants in the earl's family. I remember she was the second-highest person after the butler. But I couldn't see her anywhere. Currently, Audrey was taking her place.
Moreover, the strangest thing was that the butler was also not here. Was he too busy to pay attention to this forest mansion? If so, that was fortunate, but I kept having strange thoughts. It felt like all the servants in this mansion had been replaced... How could that be?
It was reassuring that the butler and others were not here, so I wasn't in immediate danger.