The atmosphere in the mansion was unusually lively, unlike usual times. The maids were gathered in small groups, chatting away, and even the usually diligent ones occasionally glanced at the door, lost in their own thoughts. An unusually excited air floated around. Even though they got scolded by Audrey, the maids still seemed to focus all their attention on the door.
I was curious but had no way of knowing the reason, so I just concentrated on cleaning. Today, I joined the cleaning for the first time in a while and showed off my skills.
After mopping the corridor, I was on my way back with a bucket of dirty water. Behind the staircase railing, three maids were huddled together, giggling and glancing at the door. Intrigued, I sneaked closer and heard them whispering in hushed tones.
"Wow. I can't believe we're actually going to see him."
"Goodness. He's really handsome in person."
"Really? I find him a bit scary."
Their conversation seemed to be evaluating someone, and my gaze naturally followed theirs to the door. There were three people in front of the door. The first one I saw was Vincent, followed by Audrey. And opposite Vincent was...
"Lord Ethan?"
I had expected a guest to arrive, but I never thought it would be Ethan.
"Oh, you know Lord Christopher too?"
"He came after hearing the news."
In response to my words, the maids in front of me reacted quickly. They seemed pleased to have met a colleague. I was flustered but forced a smile and looked back at the door.
The man talking to Vincent was indeed Ethan. It had been five years since we last met. He looked thinner than before, and the passage of time was evident on his face. Unlike his past, when he used to laugh and joke around, he now looked stiff and unfamiliar, with no trace of a smile even when talking to Vincent.
Vincent wasn't one to laugh much either, so the atmosphere between the two was quite solemn. Still, it wasn't entirely rigid.
Of course, Ethan is doing well.
"But it seems he is as scary as the rumors say."
"Rumors?"
"Oh, you haven't heard? He's famous for it."
The three of them looked at me as if I should know. I blinked, showing my confusion. One of them came closer to me and whispered in a low voice, as if sharing a secret.
"The rumor is that he killed all his blood relatives and became a viscount."
What...! Despite my shock, they continued without a care.
"He killed his brother, right?"
"From what I heard, it was his older brother."
"No, it was his father. After all, the previous Lord Christopher died under mysterious circumstances. They never caught the murderer."
"Oh! So it's true! He really is a murderer who killed his blood relatives for power!"
They chattered excitedly. Most of their story was baseless rumors that belittled Ethan. I didn't know why such rumors were circulating, but as someone who knew the truth, I felt increasingly annoyed the more I listened. Ethan Christopher might not be a good person, but it was too unjust for him to be accused of killing his blood relatives to become a viscount.
How much he cherished his older brother and younger brother.
He shouldn't have to hear such things.
"Stop it."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know where you heard this, but it's all just rumors. Baseless stories."
"How do you know that?"
"Is it important? Stop spreading rumors and focus on your work."
"Hey!"
One of the maids finally couldn't hold back and shouted. She glared at me, and I met her gaze without flinching. Another maid tried to calm her down, telling her to lower her voice, but the angry maid ignored her.
"Why are you picking on us when everyone else says the same thing! And, there must be a reason for such rumors! How do you know if he killed his blood relatives to become a viscount? Did you see it? Hey, did you see it?"
Her voice grew louder. Another maid, unsure of what to do, turned around and suddenly stood up. Our gazes followed hers.
"O, Owner."
Vincent and Ethan were standing nearby, having approached without us noticing.
The first maid to spot them hurriedly bowed. The other two maids, equally flustered, quickly followed suit.
I looked at the surprised Vincent and then at Ethan. As our eyes met, his brown eyes seemed to show no knowledge of what had just happened, and I bowed belatedly.
"Everyone, get back to your posts immediately!"
Audrey's shout made the three maids apologize and scurry away.
"Sorry."
I quickly turned around and followed them.
I learned about Ethan on a particularly cold winter day. The conclusion of the Christopher family's story was on the front page of the newspaper.
[James Christopher, Young Life Cut Short. Suspected Murder]
[The Appearance of the Legitimate Next Lord Christopher]
That's how I knew who the winner of the long story was. But it was a bittersweet victory. I didn't care whether James Christopher's death was suicide or murder. What I was worried about was Ethan. I felt sorry for him, who would have to bear everything alone. I thought it was fortunate that Lucas was there, but now, with Lucas's fate uncertain, Ethan might be living a life similar to Vincent's. Even though they weren't blood-related, I knew how difficult it must have been for him to experience the death of someone once dear to him.
And yet... to call him a murderer who killed his blood relatives.
"That's impossible."
He shouldn't be belittled like that...
"Are you crazy?"
Alicia's sudden hand on my shoulder snapped me out of my thoughts. I looked at her with a dazed expression. Her shaking hands brought me back to reality.
"What have you been muttering to yourself?"
"Nothing."
"It doesn't sound like nothing."
I pretended not to notice Alicia's narrowed eyes and swept the floor with the broom. Realizing I wasn't going to answer, she stopped asking.
Today, Alicia joined the cleaning as well. Most of the servants were assigned to cleaning duties to prepare for the guest. However, Alicia was half-hearted about it, and I was worried she might get reported to Audrey.
"Stop it."
Moreover, she kept staring at me. Her gaze was so intense that I couldn't pretend not to notice. Recently, Alicia often looked at me like this.
"Did you see the guest who arrived today?"
"I did."
"What do you think? They say he's friends with Lord Vincent."
"Lord Vincent?"
I was shocked by the intimate title, and Alicia shrugged.
"He'll be my lord soon, so you should call him by his name."
"You're really crazy. Be careful what you say."
"Don't worry. I usually call him 'Lord' properly. There aren't many days left until I can call him that."
Where does she get such confidence from?
It was absurd, but Alicia was really trying to charm Vincent. Every time Vincent had tea with Joelle, she would serve his tea and subtly ask how it tasted or if it was too hot. Vincent mostly ignored her or gave short answers, but Alicia seemed satisfied with that. To me, it still looked impossible, but her confidence grew day by day.
"Out of curiosity, how exactly do you plan to charm him?"
"I have my own methods."
"Are you sure they'll work?"
I asked out of genuine curiosity, and to my surprise, Alicia smiled confidently.
"Maybe? I think I'm the right person for the job."
"What for?"
"Ah, you don't need to know. I'll handle it, so don't worry!"
"Please don't cause any trouble."
"Are you only showing interest now?"
Her question was so ridiculous that I sighed and didn't answer, but she kept pestering me to respond.
For some reason, Alicia was subtly wary of me. Did she think I would interfere? No, there was nothing to interfere with. Vincent had no interest in us at all.
"You don't know, but he's very interested in me. He keeps asking me all sorts of questions whenever he sees me. It's annoying."
She pushed her long hair behind her ear and turned her face away with a haughty expression, exuding confidence. I just responded nonchalantly, knowing that she enjoyed my reactions. Her overly confident attitude was puzzling, but since I didn't know the reason, I decided to just watch and see.
A short while later, a maid entered the storage room we were cleaning. She exchanged a few words with Alicia and hurriedly left. Alicia immediately threw the rag she was holding on the floor, clearly ready to leave.
No, we're still cleaning.
"Finish up before you go."
"Joelle is calling me."
Her words were laced with sarcasm.
"I'm going, so you clean up well on your own."
"..."
I turned away, annoyed by her flipping her hair. As I listened to her retreating footsteps, I swept the already clean floor repeatedly. It made me feel gloomy.
All I could hear while sweeping the floor was my sigh. I didn't understand why I was doing this. A sudden sense of self-pity made me feel even more depressed. I eventually stopped sweeping and just stared at the floor blankly.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. I jumped in surprise and turned around, only to see an even more shocking sight.
Ethan was standing at the door.
I was taken aback by his unexpected appearance. Why is he here? Despite my confusion, Ethan leaned against the door, arms crossed, and his brown eyes scanned me up and down as if observing me.