"Yes. That man, he pretends to be all confident and proud on the outside, but inside he's a coward and quite timid. He's very cautious and careful, always on guard, fearing that someone might hurt him. He never forgives those who betray him and will go to great lengths to ruin them. But no one really knows this. His specialty is just putting on a good front."
I blinked in surprise at the sudden criticism. I knew Vincent was afraid and timid... I knew he was a terrible coward! Recalling how I had endured his temper and tried to bring him out of his room, a deep sense of empathy welled up in me. I wanted to nod in agreement.
"So, be careful, Annie. If you mess with him, you'll be in big trouble."
"Ah... Yes, I will be careful."
His serious attitude, as if whispering a significant secret, made me nod involuntarily. Joelie chuckled. Her face, always beautiful, seemed to glow.
But was it just my imagination, or did I sense a strange pressure from her smiling face? Had Vincent been bad-mouthing me?
Then a question suddenly came to mind.
"But why is this funny?"
At my words, Joelie laughed heartily.
"Because that man's actions are funny."
I had no idea what was funny about it. But Joelie didn't stop laughing. She looked genuinely amused. Suppressing the growing curiosity, I awkwardly smiled along. Ha ha.
After serving Joelie, I returned to my room, only to find Robert standing by the door, where he should have been sleeping.
"Master? Why are you out here?"
Did he come out to meet me because he didn't see me? Feeling touched, I approached him, but my steps slowed as a question arose. Was he trying to hide from the horse stable?
Robert hadn't gone to the horse stable recently, not since he received a reply to his letter. Before that, he would beg to go or secretly escape, but in the past few days, he had stayed in his room. He cherished the letter from his mother, reading it over and over, looking happy.
However, contrary to expectations, Robert didn't send another letter. He just read his mother's letter repeatedly and no longer seemed sad about wanting to see her.
'Mother loves Robert very much. She misses him so much and will definitely come to see him, so please wait. Robert is a good boy and will wait patiently. Robert loves Mother very much.'
The child smiled brightly, swinging his small arms in a circle. His face, expressing how much he missed her, seemed to reassure me. The nanny, feeling relieved but also worried, frowned. She must have had the same thoughts as me.
I wish he could grow up to be a calmer adult. The little master, whom I thought was just a naughty child, now had a rather mature expression. I looked at Robert and swallowed the bitter taste in my mouth.
But there was a glimmer of hope in Robert's eyes as he touched the letter. It was a welcome change.
The nanny put the letter in a small pouch and hung it on Robert's wrist, fearing he might lose it. Robert wore the pouch on one wrist and carried a wooden horse figurine in the other hand. He no longer threw things or acted stubbornly.
As I approached, Robert couldn't meet my eyes and fidgeted. Was he really trying to hide from the horse stable? Doubt arose.
"Hey."
"Yes."
"Over there."
Robert twisted his body and tapped his feet on the floor. His hesitant attitude was puzzling. His large eyes, which had been wandering, suddenly focused on me. His lips moved, and he waved his hand. I took another step closer, bent down, and met his eye level.
Then a small hand grabbed my collar and pulled me. A soft touch landed on my cheek.
Peck.
"Thank you."
And Robert immediately ran back into his room.
The door slammed shut, and I remained bent over, dazed. The suspicion that had just arisen vanished.
I touched my cheek. The warmth of the touch was still there.
"Ha ha."
My lips curved upward, then I became dazed again.
An unexpected memory had been created.
* * *
It started raining late last night. The raindrops hitting the window grew stronger, and by morning, thunder and lightning were added. The deafening noise made young Robert tremble. He hid under the bed, crying in fear that the thunder might strike him. I had to comfort him, which was exhausting.
By the time Robert finally fell asleep, the darkness had reclaimed the sky. The fierce wind and rain continued to pound the windows mercilessly.
Creak, creak—hum, hum—The sounds echoing in the room were eerie, like screams. Even in his sleep, Robert whimpered, sensing the noise. I patted his back and covered him with the sheet up to his neck.
To give the nanny a break after a long day, I decided to stay with Robert tonight. She said she was fine, but I was worried about her lack of sleep from comforting Robert last night. I finally convinced her to rest and sent her back to her room.
The light from the lamps placed around the room flickered precariously. The window rattled loudly, as if the hinges would fall off.
The wind was too strong. As I was about to get up, the window couldn't withstand the wind and burst open.
At the same time, the lamps went out all at once. Darkness flooded the room. I covered Robert's head with the sheet and got up.
"Ah."
Before I could react, a strong gust of wind and rain hit my face. I couldn't open my eyes. I had to close the window first. I raised one arm to shield my face and took a step forward. The wind grew stronger, making the curtains flutter, and I was pushed back. I took each step with great effort, stretching out my remaining hand.
As I approached the window, I felt for the handle through the wind and rain. The window, oddly twisted, rattled and hit the wall. I tried to fit it into the frame, but the wind was too strong, and I almost lost my balance several times.
After a struggle with the wind, I finally managed to fit the window into the frame, but the room was already in chaos. Fortunately, the glass hadn't broken.
As expected, the hinge that held the window shut had broken. The wind made the window rattle as if it would open again.
There was no immediate way to fix it, so I wrapped the window with a curtain, but it kept springing open. I looked around and saw a dresser nearby. I dragged it over and placed it in front of the curtain-covered window.
It only partially blocked the window, but I couldn't feel safe with just that. I gathered all the heavy items I could find and put them in the dresser. I also dragged other furniture in front of it. The window still rattled, but fortunately, it didn't open with the dresser blocking it.
Only then did I catch my breath and look around the room. It was pitch black, with no moonlight. The problem wasn't just that the lights were out; the lamps had fallen and broken in the wind. I found one that was still intact, but the matches were soaked with rain, so I couldn't light it.
I sighed and went to Robert. I carefully picked up his small body, wrapped in the sheet, and left the room. I couldn't leave Robert in there, where the wind and rain might come in again. I moved him to the next room and laid him on the sofa.
He should have woken up from the commotion, but he slept soundly without a frown. He must have been tired from not sleeping well since last night. The sheet wrapped around his sleeping body served as a protective barrier. But without any light, he might wake up and cry in fear. I thought about asking the nanny for help, but I didn't want to make her come running, exhausted as she was.
Wait, will he be okay alone for a bit?
After a moment's hesitation, I got up from the sofa. I needed to get some candles since all the lamps were broken. I felt my way out of the room, and the hallway was eerily quiet. Fortunately, it wasn't as dark as the room, with moonlight illuminating the path.
I walked down the hallway calmly. A low hum echoed from a distance. As I took each step, the sound grew louder, now coming from all around. The silence made me tense, and I swallowed hard. My footsteps mixed with the eerie noise, and the shadows of swaying tree branches danced on the walls.
'Should I sing a song?'
I hummed a tune to shake off my fear, but it only made it worse.
I was so scared that my legs trembled, but I forced myself to ignore it and continued down the stairs. Just then, a faint light appeared at the far end of the hallway. At first, I thought I was seeing things. No one should be wandering the hallway at this hour.
But the light became clearer. No, it was moving toward me.
I stopped in my tracks. At the same time, footsteps approached from the direction of the light. My heart raced, and I swallowed hard several times, gripping the lamp tighter. If necessary, I would hit and run.
As I prepared, the light stopped right in front of me. My eyes widened as I recognized the face behind the bright light.
"Master?"
Why is Vincent here at this hour?
"You... "
He looked surprised too, as if he hadn't expected anyone to be here. I was flustered and lowered the hand that had been holding the