Chapter 66

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 66

Chapter Title: Paula of the Strange Count's Household (4)

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I finished wiping down the windows and rinsed the rag in the bucket. The water was already filthy. To fetch some fresh water, I hoisted up the bucket's handle.

As I walked down the corridor, I ran into Johnny. The moment I saw his face, I scowled. Dark circles hollowed out under his eyes, making him look utterly drained, like someone who hadn't slept in days.

"You look exhausted."

"Bad?"

Johnny touched his own face.

"Yeah. What happened?"

"Oh, just... work's been piling up."

He forced a smile. Looked like he was really stressing out.

"How's it going with Alicia?"

"Not bad. Nowadays, she even answers when I talk to her!"

Johnny broke into a wide grin. His weary face suddenly lit up with energy.

Before coming to the count's household, Alicia would just smile blankly whenever Johnny spoke to her—she never responded. To an outsider, it might've looked sweet, but Alicia had no interest in chatting with him. She figured it'd give him the wrong idea if she engaged.

After I stepped down from tending to Joelli and Alicia took over, Johnny finally got his "chance."

Lately, Alicia had learned that Johnny was the scruffy guy who'd been pining for her. I'd told her. She was shocked. But ever since, her opinion of him seemed to improve a bit, and she started responding more warmly.

"Oh, hey. Hi, Alicia."

"Yeah. Hi."

I'd caught them talking like that by chance the other day. Her voice was prim, but Alicia smiled at him with crinkled eyes. Johnny stared at her face like he could burn a hole through it. Anyone might mistake them for a fresh couple. Knowing the real story, I was baffled beyond words. Their obvious master-servant dynamic was just too pitiful.

Well, digging into hidden truths rarely helps. Sometimes, secrets are more beautiful left buried.

"Use this chance to get closer to Alicia."

"W-What? How could I?"

Why was he so shocked? You'd think I'd told him to confess.

"Just talk to her more. How long are you gonna keep sighing to yourself? You grab opportunities when they come. If you miss this, when will you get another shot alone with her? Right?"

"That's true, but..."

"This might be your last chance."

"Last... chance?"

Johnny murmured it, his face blank. I raised my fists like a cheer. He nodded, steeling himself with resolve.

"Anyway, good luck."

I gave him some half-hearted encouragement and parted ways.

I'd just rounded the corner when I saw a man and a woman standing in the middle of the corridor. They kept looking up, anxiously shifting on their feet. Urgent voices overlapped in a frantic chorus.

"Please come down!"

"It's dangerous!"

"Yes, very dangerous!"

"Please, come down—it's not safe!"

Wondering what was going on, I headed their way, my gaze naturally drifting upward. Suddenly, something whooshed past me and slammed into the wall. Startled, I glanced aside just as a thud echoed—a something tumbled to the floor, rolling to a stop at my feet.

A horse? I picked it up: a wooden horse figurine. Where had this come from?

Looking ahead again, the full scene came into view. Opposite the pair stood a massive iron horse statue, and atop it was someone riding it.

The rider bobbed, making the statue wobble. The man grabbed it in horror, his face ashen. The woman shrieked, on the verge of tears. Only a pair of feet dangled energetically from under the saddle.

But those feet were awfully... small.

"Kyahaha!"

A bright peal of laughter rang out. I approached slowly. The tiny feet kicked the horse's flank repeatedly as the rider bounced on the saddle. A flash of blond hair appeared and vanished.

"Please come down! Huh?"

"My heart's in my throat! Please!"

"Giddyup! Giddyup! Haha!"

What on earth? As I drew closer, I saw the small feet tilt sideways. Realizing what that meant, I dropped the bucket and bolted over. A tiny body popped out from the left. By the time the man spread his arms, I'd already caught the falling child and skidded across the floor.

A sharp scream pierced the air. My slide ended with a crash into the iron horse. A bang, and my vision flashed white.

"Kyaa! Young master!"

"Oh no! Are you all right?!"

The shouting pair rushed over. I lay on the floor, groaning in pain. It hurt enough to bring tears. As I writhed, something squirmed against my stomach and started moving.

Finally, I propped myself up awkwardly to check what I'd caught. A young child was nestled against me—a boy around four years old. Short blond hair tousled every which way, violet eyes staring blankly at me.

Who?

"Young master, are you okay?"

"How's your body?"

The pair checked the child in my arms. That's when I realized they were servants.

Young master? Flustered by this stranger, I noticed the boy hadn't looked away from me.

His head tilted. His chubby red lips moved.

"Who're you?"

That's what I wanted to ask. Who are you?

"Young master, please come down first. Even if she's just a servant, it's improper to climb on a lady like that."

The man signaled, and the woman lifted the boy off my stomach. Only then could I straighten up. A sudden cough wracked me. My chest and belly tingled—probably from wrapping around the kid during the fall.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes. I'm fine."

The man offered his hand. I took it and stood, straightening my rumpled clothes and coughing again. Now upright, my head throbbed, and my back ached fiercely. The delayed pain from the impact hit hard.

As I rubbed my back, the man said worriedly,

"You should see the physician, just in case."

"I'm fine—check on him first. I caught him, but he might've taken a hit."

I didn't know who the boy was, but "young master" meant noble, so I added politely. The man nodded.

The boy's clear violet eyes stayed fixed on me. Then he tugged the woman's skirt, calling her "nanny."

"Who?"

"No idea. First time seeing her."

The woman's gaze turned to me too, apologetic.

I waved off my back and shook my head to say I was fine. That's when I noticed my hands were empty. I scanned around hurriedly. Over the woman's shoulder, I spotted the bucket I'd dropped, spilled dirty water everywhere.

"Ugh."

By the time I got there, it was too late. I righted the bucket and mopped the wet floor. A sigh escaped me.

"Oh dear, what a mess. Let me help."

The woman eyed the puddle.

"No, it's my fault—I dropped it."

I crouched and scrubbed with the rag, wringing it into the bucket. Repeat. She insisted on helping, using her skirt hem. I tried to stop her. The quick-thinking man dashed off to fetch more rags.

In the end, I gave in to her persistence. As we cleaned, tiny feet splashed into view, pinning the rag's end. Looking up, the boy glowered with a sulky face.

"You're ugly."

What?

Frozen in shock, a small finger jabbed at me.

"Ugly! Weirdo! Ugly weirdo!"

"Y-Young master."

The woman looked mortified at the boy. I wondered if I'd heard right. But he barreled on, cutting off my thoughts.

"Ugly, who are you?"

"Y-Young master, don't say that."

"Who, I said!"

He stomped harder on the rag. Dirty water splashed, soaking my hands each time.

Too stunned to reply, I couldn't process this kid's words. Calling me ugly out of nowhere? Did I hear that right?

The woman tried to hush him, to no avail. When I stayed silent, his stubbornness flared—he bellowed for my name, refusing to back down. Then he puffed out his cheeks.

"That's an order!"

"Young master!"

I didn't know who he was, but this much was clear.

Prickly, arrogant, annoying little brat!

With his personality pegged, my mind cleared instantly. Right, got it. Panicking was for amateurs. I'd dealt with obnoxious types plenty—worse than this kid, even pricklier, more arrogant, more annoying.

"Young master, please don't—move your feet..."

"Young master."

I spoke calmly. His eyes sparkled like he'd been waiting. The nanny stared at me in alarm.

"My station may be low, but I know manners. If you want to know who I am, it's polite to introduce yourself first."

I explained slowly, word by word, for the kid. He just blinked. Seemed like he was mulling it over. The woman, who got it, floundered helplessly.

"Orders... gotta obey!"

He didn't fully grasp it but sensed offense, yelling anyway. His vocabulary was advanced, but the slurred pronunciation just made it cute—no menace at all.

"Sadly, no answer for that order. Please withdraw it—and move your foot!"

I grabbed and shook the rag's end under his foot. Clear signal, but he didn't budge. Resigned to easing it out carefully, I gripped tighter—then a small hand shoved my shoulder hard.

I fell flat on my butt. A splash followed. Looking up, the boy was face-down on the floor. My backward tumble yanked the rag free, toppling him too.

The woman scooped him up in a panic, but his face and front were soaked.

His face crumpled. Tears welled in his big eyes, ready to burst. The woman dabbed frantically with her skirt.

I-I told you to move your foot. Flustered, I stood. The man hadn't returned yet, and staying felt like a bad idea.

"Th-This rag's too small to clean all this. Need a proper mop. I'll leave you to it."

I mumbled excuses and bolted. A wail exploded behind me.

"Waaah!"

Of course, I didn't look back.

Yeah, I was running away.

He screamed bloody murder after I caught him. Worried I'd get punished for making a fancy young master cry, I dawdled fetching a new rag in the kitchen. When I returned, thankfully, both boy and woman were gone.

As I mopped the last of the grime, a nagging unease lingered. Should I apologize for making the kid cry and fleeing? But I didn't know who he was, and stirring up trouble to find out seemed pointless. Not exactly a pleasant encounter.

With the floor clean, I rubbed my throbbing back and headed for fresh water. I forgot the incident soon enough.

But it didn't take long to run into that obnoxious brat again. Cleaning my usual area as always, I got summoned by Audrey to Joelli's room.

"This is my nephew. He's staying here for a bit."

A familiar small figure stood beside Joelli. Short blond hair, that same mischievous scowl—impossible to forget. Violet eyes sparkled as they fixed on me. I stood silent before him.

"He was asking about you. Said he really wanted to meet you."

Doomed. I barely suppressed the urge to bolt from the room. But I was ready if needed.

"Who're you."

"Robert, say hello first."

"Hi. Who're you?"

The kid remembered me perfectly. And he knew exactly what this situation was.

"...I'm Anne."

Finally introducing myself, Robert grinned delightedly. Not a shred of innocence in it.

"From now on, Anne, you'll assist the nanny in attending to Robert."

"Me?"

"Yes."

"Me, you mean?"

"Yes. You, Anne."

Joelli beamed. Robert grinned wider beside her. The nanny behind him smiled strainedly, shooting me a pitying look. Alicia, tending Joelli, glanced at me with clear displeasure.

"Take good care of him."

Caught in the middle, I just wanted to cry.