Crazy owner (9)
“Oh, that hurts.”
Vincent was calmly changing his clothes when she stood up. He must have heard the sound of her falling, but looking at his calm face, Paula realized that he had deliberately moved away. She sighed, suppressing her rising anger.
The girl brought new sheets, but it was also not easy to make them again. He never got his ass up, so there was a rough stain on the sheets.
She's just tired of this. Vincent, who had changed his clothes, was about to wrap himself in the dirty sheet again, so she quickly took it and handed him a new one. Fortunately, he accepted the new ones.
Okay, done.
Paula left the laundry at the door, returned and set out the empty dishes. She cleaned up the dessert he had dropped earlier and any traces of food left on the road. Having tidied up the things scattered on the floor, Paula finally began cleaning the floor.
In the silence, only the sound of a broom could be heard. Vincent was quiet. He probably knew she wouldn't touch him again. It was a significant change when she remembered that at first he was screaming to get out.
“Why are you here?”
" - What?"
He suddenly spoke. Paula was taken by surprise. She didn't expect him to try to talk to her, who usually only said harsh things like, “get out,” “get lost,” or “don't touch me.”
Was he sick? But he looked pale and didn't look sick.
"Why are you here? I'm asking."
“-...I have to earn money.”
“Then will you come out if I tell you that I will pay you?”
"Why? Are you going to pay to kick me out?"
“-If I could.”
[Do you want to brag that you are rich? I really appreciate the suggestion, but I wouldn't be here doing this if it was a problem that could be solved on its own.]
“Even if you kick me out, another maid will come and stay with you.”
“I'm going to throw her out too.”
“Then instead of that one, a new one will come again.”
“You mean you won’t leave.”
"Yes."
Paula waved her broom again. Vincent looked back at her.
“Do you like this mansion?”
“Well, I haven’t thought about it yet.”
"Then think about it. This is not the right place to dream in vain."
[It's a vain dream...]
Paula thought for a moment, but then shrugged. She didn't feel happy either.
“Where are you from?”
“I'm from Filton.”
“If this is Filton... you came from quite a distance.”
"It's not that far. All you have to do is cross the mountain."
There were times when Paula had to go further because of her father's errands.
After several days of walking, her calves became swollen and it was difficult to walk for some time. But even if she wanted to rest because she was sick, her father and Alicia couldn't leave her alone. Because she was the only one who could do the housework.
This made her feel more comfortable being away from home.
“It was amazing and I felt like I was part of an adventure. Like the main character who goes on a mysterious and wonderful adventure in that fairy tale book.”
“Sounds like a dream.”
" - That's true. You can't go on such a wonderful adventure in real life. But it was good. When I was younger, there was the oldest bookstore in town here, and I worked there for a while. The old man was the owner of the bookstore, and I read a lot of fairy tales thanks to his care."
“He drove the child crazy when you were younger.”
" - May be".
But Paula still liked books. As she got older, she was no longer interested in fairy tales, but she liked books with stories. Each time it was a story about a world she had never dreamed of, a world she did not know. It didn't matter whether it was a lie or the truth.
Representing the world in a book was the young girl’s only joy.
" - There is another phrase that I remember. When God creates you and gives you, your very existence makes you imbued with blessing. They all pave the way for you forward."
“The sadness of love.”
“Have you read this?”
When asked in surprise, he answered easily.
“This is a famous book that even small children read.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“You have bad taste.”
“Is that so?”
“This is not a very good story.”
Yes, the ending was tragic.
The main character doesn't die. It was just the end. Giving up everything and choosing to live alone. He let go of the man he loved.
“Ah, now it’s all over.”
After the main character says this, the story ends with him walking alone across the endless sea. Instead of ending in death, the sight of him erasing everything that tormented him and walking away was quite appealing.
[I want to say this if the end of my life comes.]
[Oh, it's over.]
“I rather liked it.”
“-...”
Paula suddenly felt uneasy after hearing these words. She wasn't usually talkative, but she was glad he spoke to her. She continued, belatedly looking into his face.
“Mister, do you have any books that you liked to read?”
“I don’t read this.”
[What do you mean by this?..]
Wasn't this one of the virtues of the aristocracy?
Alicia also complained that she was tired of the contents of the books that the lord's son read every time. Even when Paula worked in a bookstore, aristocrats often visited her. Newly published books sold faster than other books.
Looking back at him, Vincent lay staring at the ceiling. She wondered if he was going to sleep with his eyes closed, so she stopped talking and concentrated on cleaning.
“I don’t read it because I can’t see.”
Ah, she looked back at him after a belated realization. His side view looked a little weak and wobbly with his eyes closed.
“There are books that blind people can read.”
“Not all books can be read.”
“Then hire someone who can read them to you.”
“You are talking about my condition now and before.”
Sarcasm again.
He was a very capricious person. Even if he hired a reader, he would kick that person out for one reason or another.
“Then you can ask the people around you who know about your situation...’
[Oh my God!]
“Do you want me to read for you?”
Paula could not hide her excitement for a moment.
This large mansion cannot do without an office.
[Why didn't I think of this?]
Then, when they looked at her suspiciously, she thought it was a mistake. Paula tried to calm her nervousness and pretended to be calm.
“Of course, if the owner wants it.”
“With your pig voice?”
“...I have never heard that I have a bad voice.”
“I think everything else is bad.”
“-...”
He immediately caught the tail.
Paula thought about hitting him with the broom she was holding.
But she decided to take a step back. Now was not the time to resist, but the time to accept.
“You’re not tired of sleeping all the time. Don't go for walks or get out of bed. So you become lethargic. People need to do something called life.”
“ - Don’t beat around the bush. What do you want to say?
“Why don’t you read a book?”
“I can’t do this.”
“So, I’ll read it for you.”
“I refuse.”
It was an answer without a single thought. Paula took a deep breath.
“I was wondering if you could get rid of your terrible character if you had a hobby...”
" - Hey!"
“You don't even think about it as a personal problem... Every time you scream and throw things, it's dangerous. Thanks to you, a pretty woman’s face was hurt... However, I held back and didn’t resist, this... what’s so good about you?”
“- Hello.”
“ - This is sad. I'm sad."
Paula wanted to do this since it was the perfect moment, so she laid out all the complaints in front of him. His hand fumbled along the tabletop.
[Yes, you already threw everything away, and there was nothing more to throw away.]
Soon after, she smiled happily as she watched him clench his fist.
“ - Now, my lord. Please listen carefully."
Well, um, she cleared her throat. There was no answer. Plus, it looked like he was lying on his back. But she opened the book with joy.
“It was a day when the warmth of the sun penetrated my body.”
“This is not fun.”
“-Girl, huh?”
“ - This is not fun. Something else.”
She thought he was sleeping, but his ears must have heard. She only read one line, but it was already sad.
“I’ve only read one line so far.”
“I don’t like this line.”
“Why don’t you listen again...?”
“One more.”
“Then I’ll read another one.”
Paula calmly put the book down and picked up another. Everyone has their own taste when it comes to books, and she didn't know her taste, so she chose a few books.
Paula cleared her throat again.
“A girl’s day begins with a walk in the garden.”
“This is not fun.”
“-...”
“One more.”
[I didn't read a single line, you son of a bitch!]
It had been a long time since she had been this angry. But let's calm down for now. The one who stood in front of her was the one who gave her the money. She took a deep breath and suppressed her anger.
"Why don't you answer me? Something else."
" - Yes, that's great. Something else."
Paula put down the book she was holding and picked up another book.
“-Boy...”
" - This is not fun. Something else."
“Are you really going to do this?”
Finally, she put the book down on her lap and began to complain. But Vincent was arrogant.
“Is it wrong to say it’s not fun when it’s not fun?”
“You didn’t even hear what happened next and you say it’s not fun.”
"I don't have to listen that much. It's not fun."
“- By what standards do you evaluate this?”
“Are you talking to me now? Being my maid, have you become bolder?”
“-...”
She was speechless when he said this.
[You are so cowardly!]
“I don’t have any more books to read. I need to bring more.”
“Then bring them.”
“...If you have a favorite book, please tell me. I will bring it.”
“I don’t reread what I’ve already read.”
“ - Please tell me what you like. Genre or something like that.”
“Nothing like that.”
She took a deep breath. It was clear that he wanted revenge for what had just happened. How can a person behave like this when another person has done you a favor? Really childish.
"What are you doing? You haven't brought it yet."
Finally, she stood up from her seat.
Paula left the room with three books that she didn't even really open. The office was directly downstairs. She was so angry that she walked down the central staircase.
Let's calm down. At such moments we need to calm down. The owner’s hot temper was to blame for everything, more than once or twice, so she needed to be more calm.
She entered the library and looked around the bookshelves, densely packed with books, wondering what story he would like to hear. In fact, it was clear that he would complain that picking up any book was no fun.
However, she took a closer look at the bookshelf. Then her eyes stopped.
“This is it!”
The girl pulled out all the books from the shelf.