Chapter 100

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 100

Chapter Title: That Still Strange Guest (14)

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Today, too, Ethan slept in until lunchtime. Since he'd skipped breakfast, I had to coax and cajole him into eating. After finishing his meal, he flopped right back into bed, but I didn't scold him this time. Ethan was the type to charge headfirst into any situation, so seeing him so downcast made it clear this wasn't something simple.

The conversation I'd had with Vincent yesterday had ended on an ambiguous note.

Before leaving, he'd left me with one final instruction.

'Don't tell Ethan.'

I knew exactly what he meant without him spelling it out. He didn't want me mentioning that he'd been worried about him. Honestly, these two were so bad at being upfront. All I wanted was for their relationship to get back to normal.

With Ethan holed up in his room, the day felt leisurely. So, I went to visit Robert in the middle of it. But Robert was napping again, and only the nanny welcomed me.

"Come on in, Anne. Where's Count Christopher?"

"He's taking a nap."

"Well then, since both you and I are free, how about a little snack?"

The nanny lifted a plate of cookies. I nodded eagerly.

We sat across from each other at the table, munching on cookies and chatting about this and that. It was nothing special, but it was surprisingly fun.

In the midst of our lively talk, yesterday's events suddenly came to mind.

"Nanny, have you ever had a big fight with someone close to you?"

The nanny's eyes widened, and she set down her teacup. Then she gazed off into space, thinking deeply for a moment.

"Hmm, it was a long time ago, but I did have a major falling out with a close friend once."

"How did you make up?"

"Hmm, I don't think we ever really 'made up' or anything."

"You never reconciled?"

Was their relationship just left strained like that? As I asked in confusion, the nanny gave a small smile.

"Somehow, things just worked themselves out over time, and we ended up getting along again. When you've been together for so long, issues tend to resolve themselves without needing to say much."

The nanny took another sip of tea, looking a bit embarrassed. It was eye-opening to think that some relationships could mend without deliberate effort. I nodded thoughtfully.

After parting with the nanny, I wandered the corridors and ran into Johnny after a while. He was one of the few servants left in the mansion. He must be pretty good at his job, surprisingly.

Johnny was carrying a silver tray. On it sat plates stacked with cake and cookies, along with a teapot. It was easy to guess where he was headed.

"Where are you off to?"

Johnny asked.

"Just wandering. Taking that somewhere?"

"Yeah."

He replied and started walking again. I trailed after him casually.

"Hey, have you ever had a big fight with someone and then made up?"

"What's that out of nowhere? Who would I even fight with?"

"You know, a close friend or something."

"I don't have anything like that."

Johnny's brazen admission that he had no friends left me dumbfounded. Impressive, really. Then I realized I didn't have anyone I could call a friend either, and fell silent.

"Not even something similar?"

"Hmm. I did fight with a coworker once."

"How'd you make up?"

"We didn't."

I could kind of see why he had no friends. Feeling sorry for him, I stood on tiptoe and patted his shoulder sympathetically. He shrugged violently, shaking off my hand.

"What about you? Ever fought with a close friend and made up?"

"......"

"You don't have any either, so why are you grilling me?"

I hadn't been grilling him that hard. As I grumbled dejectedly, I noticed Johnny seemed in a bad mood.

"Something wrong?"

"......No."

His tone screamed that something was definitely up.

Of course there was. I was about to press him on it when he changed the subject.

"By the way, you're close with that guy, right?"

"Who?"

"Count Christopher. Word is he's super tight with the master here, and he specifically asked for you to attend him. Is it true?"

So the rumors had spread. Lately, I'd felt the other servants' eyes on me in the halls. Their stares—like they were looking at something odd—were nothing new to me, and since they didn't bother talking to me, I hadn't paid much mind. But yeah, it was the kind of thing that could spark misunderstandings. Even Alicia grilled me every night about what exactly my relationship with him was, and I'd been barely brushing her off.

I sighed and shook my head.

"It's true, but don't get the wrong idea. We're just... sort of connected."

"Whoa, really? How'd that happen?"

"It's a thing."

"Have you worked in a place like this mansion before?"

I stopped in my tracks.

"Why do you ask?"

"How else do people like you or me get connected to nobles?"

Fair point.

"Plus, you seem pretty used to this kind of work."

"You seem used to it too."

"Well, I've done all sorts of jobs."

"So you've done this kind of thing before?"

"Well......"

His casual response felt like a yes. I was a bit surprised. Then again, he could read and write, so I doubted he'd only done manual labor.

"Didn't expect that. You must've been good at it. But why that kind of work?"

"Didn't end well...... Ah, forget it! You're just making me feel worse."

Johnny shook his head vigorously. The conversation wrapped up abruptly, leaving me even more curious.

As we chatted while walking, we arrived at Joelly's door before I knew it. Johnny knocked twice and swung it open. I was about to turn and head to my own duties when Joelly's cheerful voice burst through the open door. Without thinking, I glanced over—and froze.

Johnny went inside, and the door began to close slowly. Through the narrowing gap, I saw Joelly, Alicia... and Vincent. Vincent might have come to see Joelly. But what stopped me cold was the sight of Alicia and Vincent.

Alicia stood before Vincent with a shy expression. And Vincent was holding the end of her hair, examining it impassively. Joelly watched them with a mischievous grin. The three of them looked so intimate that I couldn't move.

Only after the door clicked shut did I realize I'd been holding my breath. I exhaled slowly, but still couldn't tear myself away from the door. I stood there blankly, replaying what I'd just seen in my mind.

How long had I been like that? The door opened again, and Johnny came out. I'd been standing there dazed the whole time, so I looked up at him. He gave me a puzzled look, then frowned.

"What? Why do you look like that?"

"......"

"Did someone steal something from you?"

The door behind Johnny clicked shut. I glanced at it and snapped back to reality.

"What are you talking about all of a sudden?"

"You look like something was taken from you."

Me...? Puzzled, I rubbed my cheek absentmindedly. Johnny tilted his head.

"Something bad happen?"

"N-No."

"Yeah, right. Your face says otherwise."

"I said no."

I waved him off and turned away, but he blocked my path. As I glared at him, wondering what his deal was, he rummaged in his pocket and pulled something out: two cookies wrapped in cloth. They were from the plate earlier. When had he pocketed those?

He handed me one.

"Eat this."

"I'm good."

"Come on, take it. I'm being generous here."

"I said I'm fine."

"You hate sweets?"

"Not that."

"Then eat it. Here."

Johnny shoved the cookie into my mouth. Caught off guard, I took a bite and glared at him. When I tried to spit it out, he claimed it was super expensive. So I chewed and swallowed.

"Good, right?"

"Yeah."

"Did someone steal something from you and you fought over it? Trying to make up now?"

"Nothing like that."

I had no idea what misunderstanding he had, but I shook my head firmly. He seemed to ponder for a moment, then continued.

"I've got nothing else to do, so wanna go for a mood-lifter?"

It was a sudden invitation.

His idea of a mood-lifter turned out to be touring the mansion. What fun could there be in revisiting places I saw every day? But surprisingly, it felt novel.

Come to think of it, I'd never properly explored the mansion. It was much larger than I'd realized, with plenty of unfamiliar spots I hadn't seen.

It was the servants' break time now, so the mansion was quiet. No one crossed our path, which was a relief. Still, I kept an ear out for anyone nearby. If a place felt off-limits, I steered clear intuitively. It felt just like an adventure.

My mood lifted a bit. Johnny briskly led me here and there.

"You seem to know this place well."

"That's because of Alicia."

His expression darkened abruptly after saying that. He clasped his hands and fidgeted. His shoulders slumped. He suddenly looked down.

I peered at his face and tilted my head. What was going on?

"What? Spill it."

"Alicia's been cold to me."

Hadn't she always been cold to him, especially since Vincent showed up? I'd never seen her act friendly toward Johnny.

On top of that, with Ethan's issue extending our probation period, she'd been outright ignoring him. When he tried to greet her, she'd pretend he didn't exist—like he wasn't even worthy of her attention.

"She...... said she hates me. That I annoy her."

"What? She said that directly?"

"Yeah. Last time we passed each other, I said hi, and she came up to me and said she really hates me and to stop pretending to know her."

His voice dragged along the floor. I hadn't known about that recent encounter. Seeing the pitiful look of a heartbroken guy, I shook my head discreetly. His face looked ready to crumple at the slightest touch, so I couldn't even offer comfort.

"She said we're from different worlds now or something. What does that mean......?"

"Uh, who knows."

I played dumb, but I knew exactly what she meant—better than anyone. Normally I'd click my tongue in sympathy, but right now, I wasn't in the mood. The image of Alicia and Vincent from earlier kept popping into my head.

It felt off. Or was that normal? Could a servant and master really be that close? Vincent holding the tip of Alicia's hair lingered in my mind. It was a casual gesture, but it struck me as stranger than anything.

When had they gotten so close? I'd never even considered it before.

"Does the master of this place visit Joelly often?"

I blurted out the thought circling my head. Johnny answered nonchalantly.

"Pretty often. Sometimes they just chat lightly, other times they have deeper talks, but then he sends all the servants out, so I don't know the details."

"He seems close with Alicia too."

"Does he? I see the three of them together a lot. Just now, even......"

Johnny trailed off and sank back into gloom.

"Does she hate me that much?"

He must have picked up on Alicia's feelings for Vincent. I clicked my tongue.