Chapter 98
Laszlo wanted to slap his mouth for uttering those thoughtless words.
“Nothing, it’s nothing.”
“Nothing? I think that’s the most important part. What do you mean? Was Idyll hit by Count Canyon?”
Laszlo was surprised by the unexpected answer, while Linnea's face, realizing that she had hit the nail on the head, immediately hardened.
"Are you saying he hit her in our house?"
“I didn’t know he was that crazy.”
"You're the crazy one! You mean you were just watching?"
“Do you want me to say that I was secretly watching? Do you want me to make it public? Shouldn’t we know what Count Canyon is planning?”
“Whatever he was planning! How could you just watch Idell being beaten and not even look on? If I were you…”
“Yes, I wanted to run and make a mess! But that woman didn’t even scream!”
Laszlo took a deep breath and clenched his teeth tightly.
“She knew I was in the next room, yet she didn’t even make a sound. That was her way of telling me not to interfere, wasn’t it?”
Linnea calmed down a little after hearing his words.
"What did Idell say?"
“I was a little surprised when she found out that I had been watching, but she confessed everything when I asked her. But she may have felt humiliated by the sight of her father hitting her, or perhaps she started to suspect me because I had been secretly watching her…”
The two of them did not speak for a while, and ragged breaths filled the place.
Then suddenly, Linnea smiled and asked curiously.
"But brother, what made you so angry?"
“Weren’t you angry too? Don’t you understand this?”
“No, it’s a bit complicated.”
"What do you mean?"
Linnea realized that her brother hadn't noticed the discomfort she was feeling.
“If Count Canyon has been violent in this house, it means he despised you, and at the same time you were unable to protect your servants within your domain. Of course, this is something that can make you angry.”
"You understood it perfectly!"
“But if you think about what you said earlier, I know what you mean. You weren’t angry at Count Canyon, but apparently you were angry at yourself.”
“Isn’t it normal? Because I’m a fool, these things happened.”
“Hmm… although there were other times when you were a fool, you didn’t get angry on those occasions. You felt like, ‘If I’m the fool, what can you do?’ You seemed confident that you would be able to solve any problem, no matter what it was.”
Laszlo could not acknowledge Linnea's words, which were a mixture of insults and praise, nor was he able to get angry, so he continued to look at her in amazement.
But Linnea did not stop there.
“But now, what’s going on?... I think Laszlo feels guilty towards Edel. Of course he might feel sorry, but really, he shouldn’t feel guilty just because one of the servants was beaten by a member of his family, should he?”
"Shouldn't I feel guilty?"
“For example, if a relative of the kitchen maid Margaret came and hit her because she didn’t give him money, and if we discovered that Margaret had been robbed of money several times! Do you think Laszlo would feel guilty towards Margaret?”
Laszlo remained silent and could not reply.
Linnea smiled a strange smile as if she had expected it, and shook her head.
“Of course, he would have reprimanded that relative, but he would not feel guilty towards Margaret because he did not know about her problem. He did not even think that it was due to his own negligence.”
Laszlo's mind became completely confused by Linnea's words.
“So, what I feel is that I’m angry because Edel didn’t ask for my help. That means she didn’t trust me.”
"Servants don't usually ask their employers to solve their personal problems, do they?"
Linnea's words were true.
However, Laszlo's face became even more perplexed. He felt as though something was beginning to become clear to him, but at the same time he was circling around the answer without ever quite reaching it.
But Linnea was smiling as if she understood what was happening, and she rested her chin on her hand.
“Let’s sum it up. Laszlo is angry because he understands that Idil has had a difficult past, and that he misunderstood her, and he’s angry because Idil didn’t ask for his help, and he feels guilty for that reason, isn’t he?”
“…”
“Hmm… well. It seems I know everything I was wondering about, so I’ll leave now.”
"What?"
Laszlo looked at her in surprise.
"What?"
“Aren’t you supposed to stay here? Why are you leaving it like this?”
“What did I do? I’m just summarizing. I came because I was curious, and now that I know everything, I think I can leave. What’s the big deal?”
Laszlo wanted to shout that something was wrong, but he couldn't. He didn't know what was wrong yet.
“If I were to give advice as a reckless teenager, I should be more honest with my feelings.”
Linnea left with just those words and ended her speech before leaving the room without hesitation. She left Laszlo alone, lost in a whirlwind of chaos and confusion.
***
Anxiety usually comes at night.
When the sun is shining and illuminating everything around you, you can distract yourself with visible things, but when darkness falls, there is nowhere to hide.
And also, night and anxiety came to Idil, who had lived through a difficult day.
“Terwa Winery has started importing wine from the Arcomo region… The price per bottle is 200 ringgit… Twenty bottles… We usually buy twenty bottles… So this is…”
Edel was sitting at a desk, reviewing the day's work papers, flipping through the same paper several times.
She tried to concentrate and read aloud to help herself understand, but it just wouldn't sink in. It was simply about adding a few extra bottles when ordering a certain quantity of the new wine for promotional purposes, but it was confusing her.
Finally, Idil put the papers aside.
“If I continue like this, I will stay awake all night.”
When you can't concentrate, it's best to move around a little. Idyll put on her shawl and left the office.
For Idyll, it was a stormy day because of what happened with Count Canyon, but for the others, it was a calm day as usual.
Most of the servants had finished their work and gone to rest; only a few remained working, rubbing their eyes late due to exhaustion.
"Is there much left?"
“Ah, ma’am! We’re almost done. We just need to hang up the laundry towels and it’s over.”
The maid in the kitchen answered her with a smile.
"Was the work tiring?"
“Thanks to your organization of our work, it has become much easier. We always appreciate that.”
"You should thank the Count; he's the one who pays our salaries."
“But, when Mrs. Bohen was here, it was hard work even with the same gentleman.”
Edel smiled bitterly at this, and the maid felt confused and shrugged.
“No, I mean, I didn’t mean to question the Count…”
“I know. But you always have to be careful. You have to pay attention to what others say if you want to stay here for a long time.”
"Yes, ma'am."
Edel gave the maid a gentle touch on the shoulder and continued walking.
As she walked away from the kitchen, she noticed that the lamplight from the window was twinkling in the darkness. Idil adjusted her shawl and went outside.
There was a tall man, with a hunched back, engrossed in his work.
"Mr. Jacob? Why haven't you gone back inside yet?"
“Oh! Madam, what brings you here at this time?”
"The gardener Jacob asked her," he said, wiping his forehead.
It was cold with the winter air, but he seemed to be so excited about his work that he started to sweat.
“I was going through some papers and needed a short walk to wake up a bit. What about you, Mr. Jacob?”
“Do you know that crazy group from Jumio? They sent me tulip bulbs at this time?”
“Why now of all times? They could have sent it tomorrow morning…”
“They lost my order, so I got angry with them. When the new follicles arrived, I asked them to bring them immediately. They may be trying to get revenge now, because they brought them to me at this time.”
Jacob breathed angrily, exhaling air through his nose.
“Anyway, I must take good care of these follicles first, so that I can sleep peacefully. They are very precious follicles.”
Then Edel noticed a row of tall pots filled with soil, lined up neatly. Jacob was carefully burying one bulb after another in the soil.
“I will store them carefully until the right moment for planting arrives before the first frost. Next spring, you will be able to see a beautiful tulip garden.”
Jacob smiled as he spoke, and Edel smiled too. She was happy to see someone who loved his work, and she began to feel as if her scattered mind was starting to find its place.
But Jacob did not leave Edel alone, nor did he let her escape the feelings of anxiety that surrounded her.
“Oh, I remember! A little while ago, the Count passed by here and stopped for a moment to talk to me. While we were talking, he dropped this. If you are going to walk around the palace, could you please give it to him?”
He extended his hand to give her Laszlo's tie.
"Why is this...?"
“He had placed it loosely, and when he looked at the incoming follicles, they fell out.”
“Ah… please, give it to me. I’ll deliver it to him.”
"Thank you."
Edel carefully took Laszlo's tie and placed it on her chest, then exchanged glances with Jacob and began walking in the direction he said Laszlo was heading.