The Count's Strange Guest (5)
" - No".
The girl was the least influential person here. In terms of hierarchy, she was at the lowest rung.
“Should I talk to Isabella?”
" - She is on Vincent's side. I have already asked for this several times, but she has rejected my requests every time."
“I’ll ask the gentleman again.”
“No, it’s not necessary.”
Ethan waved his hand.
He sighed, his face looking more energetic than before.
“If you knock on the door a hundred times, he will open it at least once.”
“You tried.”
"I have to try. That's what my friend is like."
Then he suddenly smiled. Paula got goosebumps from his smile, which was fresher than a spring day.
His eyes also looked a little strange.
What?
What's wrong with him?
Paula rubbed her arm for no reason.
“I think it would be more convenient if you fell in love with him.”
"Can I tell you in advance? I refuse."
[Even if you knock a hundred times, a thousand times, a closed door will never open.]
“Don't tell me you slept here.”
Paula was horrified to find a figure squatting in front of Vincent's door. The person there was yesterday's guest.
“I don’t understand, I showed you the room where you can stay, why are you here?”
“Um, is it already morning?”
“-Yes. Why are you doing this?”
“I thought that if I knocked all night, he would get angry and open the door, but I was wrong.”
Paula was dumbfounded when she saw Ethan stretching and yawning calmly.
[You mean you stayed up all night just so Vincent would open the door for you?]
[It would be faster to take the keys away from her and force her to open it.]
“Can I open it for you?”
She rummaged in the pockets of her apron and asked. Ethan's eyes widened.
“I said it wouldn't work.”
"He will hate me, but he still doesn't like me. Nothing will change if he hates me even more."
“I can’t let you go through this.”
Ethan refused again. It seemed that this was said only out of respect for her, but, well...
“But you can’t continue to sit like this in front of the door, can you? You don’t know how many days or months will pass until the door is opened. As you know, the owner is stubborn.”
After these words, Ethan seemed to think for a moment, then shook his head.
“I'll have to try again.”
“ - If you say so.”
She took her hand out of her pocket and turned around. There was a knock on the door behind her. She shook her head excitedly. The gentleman will come to his senses only when his fists swell. That door won't open just because you try.
But Ethan must have realized this fact after a short period of time.
When Paula came upstairs with lunch for Vincent, Ethan spoke with a puzzled face,
“Can I ask?”
“-Yes?”
Paula walked past him and inserted the key into the lock.
“Would he be very angry?”
“Stand by the door. Don’t come in.”
She can't say no.
With a click, the door opened. In an instant, the stench filled her nostrils.
It’s strange why there was a terrible stench today...?
Paula frowned and walked straight to the window and pulled back the curtains. A bright beam of light illuminated the dark room. When she opened the window, a light breeze blew into the room, carrying away the stench.
As she ordered, Ethan stood quietly at the door.
Paula approached Vincent.
“Master, it’s time for dinner.”
“-...Go.”
The voice was hoarse.
Maybe the voice was like that because he slept for a long time.
" - Master?"
“-...”
He was a man who was usually terribly rude, but this time his behavior was completely different. As she approached, she pulled off the sheet and saw a sweaty face. The pillow was covered in vomit.
" - Master!"
Paula tapped Vincent on the cheek to wake him up, but he didn't open his eyes. His condition was strange. When she turned towards the door in surprise, Ethan immediately turned around. The sound of his hurried steps running down the corridor echoed.
Soon after this the attending physician came. He was wearing an unbuttoned shirt and rumpled trousers, and his shoes were not properly worn. Crooked glasses showed that he was getting ready in a hurry.
“He has an upset stomach.”
" - What?"
"You said he hasn't been eating much lately, so I think he just ate too much. Eating more food than usual is bad for the body. He seemed to be sick all night."
How much did he eat?
No, how much did I feed you?
This morning he didn't have breakfast. Said he didn't want to eat so he skipped an appointment because he didn't want to get out of bed, was it because of an upset stomach? Last night he couldn't eat half of his food so I made him eat more and he must have gotten sick after that.
“He’s so... weak.”
"He has become very weak. You must be careful."
“-...Yes.”
Finally, the attending physician scolded Paula. She sighed secretly, bowing to him as he left after treatment.
Even if you feed someone well, they will scold you.
When she returned to the room after seeing him out, Ethan was sitting in front of the bed. His gaze was riveted on Vincent and did not leave for a moment. Vincent didn't say anything. Even though he knew who was next to him, he didn't even look at Ethan.
“Why are you so skinny?”
At the end of the silence, Ethan sighed.
" - More than the last time I saw you... You look so thin. Take care of your health..."
Ethan covered his face with his hands and bowed his head.
It seemed to him that he was looking at the late count.
While muttering this, he seemed sad and didn't know what to do.
Vincent was absolutely calm.
" - Leave".
Ethan, who had been holding his breath for a moment, raised his face again. Vincent's eyes were still fixed on the ceiling.
" - Vincent. Don't do this, fight. I'll help you."
“How are you going to help?”
" - I will do everything in my power. Anything."
“Then can you give me back my eyes?”
“-...”
“You can’t? Then stop talking nonsense and go away.”
He was so cold.
A conversation that openly showed all his hostility, like a razor blade. Standing behind them, holding her breath and listening to the conversation, Paula secretly clicked her tongue. Despite Ethan's misgivings, Vincent's attitude towards him was quite harsh. With spikes protruding all over his body, the only thing left to do was to strike his opponent.
However, Ethan did not give up so easily.
"How long are you going to last like this? There are a lot of rumors going around right now. It's not that Count Belluniti was wounded at the party and is recovering, but that he's actually hiding something."
“-...”
“You can’t live like this forever.”
“What do you propose to do?”
“You have to show yourself to people.”
“You are telling me to die.”
“-Vincent.”
“If Count Belluniti says that he cannot see because he is blind, this time it will not be the murderer, but the man who made me this way, will bring a knife and stab me to death.”
Vincent snorted. Ethan shook his head.
“The person who made you like this must already know about your condition.”
“-...”
Vincent's face hardened. His eyes were still fixed on the ceiling.
But there was no refutation. He seemed to agree with this statement to some extent.
Silence reigned again. Their sidelong glances did not reach each other so easily. Vincent closed his mouth. This meant that he didn't want to talk anymore.
Time was wasted.
Ethan took a deep breath, perhaps realizing this.
" - Vincent. I mean... If you continue to live like this, I intend to make your condition public."
Hearing this shocking remark, Vincent turned away. His eyes quickly widened, filled with shock. It was the same with Paula. She forgot that she was pretending to be deaf and looked at Ethan in surprise.
“Are you crazy?”
" - May be".
“ - Ethan!”
Vincent shouted fiercely. Despite this, the man did not refute the words. The terribly calm voice continued:
" - Vincent. You are my dearest friend, and I don't want to leave you like this. This is not something that can be hidden forever, and we must prepare for what will happen in the future. Don't you know that too? It's nothing short of stupid for you to do this."
“-...”
" - I will get you out of here no matter what, even if it puts you in danger. This kind of life is like poison for you. Of course, your doctor will not care about this process at all."
“Don't talk nonsense.”
“Let's see if I'm talking nonsense or not.”
Ethan jumped out of his seat. Vincent didn't move at all. He seemed so shocked that he couldn't even breathe properly. His hand holding the sheet was shaking. Paula was worried he might have a seizure.
“-Choose. Convince me or not.”
“-...”
The firm words were followed by silence. Vincent had a hard time answering. He just glared at Ethan, and Ethan glared at Vincent as well. Only for a moment did it seem that a light flashed between them.
* * *
A guest appeared and the work doubled. After serving Vincent, Paula headed to the guest room. She changed the pillowcases, bedspreads and sheets, and tidied up the room. Basically, all the rooms in the mansion were cleaned by maids for a certain period of time to keep them clean, but since they had not been used for a long time, quite a lot of dust had accumulated in places that could not normally be noticed.
First, the girl wiped the dusty windows. Ethan stared at her as she did this.
“How is Vincent?”
Paula wiped the window with a dry towel, looked at it and answered:
“If you’re interested, why not go and see him yourself?”
“I would appreciate it if you told me.”
His smiling face was disgusting.
Paula sighed.
That day, when the advice proved useless, Ethan finally left the room, turning it upside down. This time, seeing him walk away with the determination that he would never back down, Paula was at a loss for words.
[ - Tell me what exactly you want to try. I'll be fine if I leave things as they are, please make me feel safe.]*
[ - You are stubborn, but I am impatient. I'll give you two days.]*
(p.p.: *from now on, this is how the characters’ conversation will be indicated, in the past tense.)
Vincent's fist shook. Blind, he couldn't even get out of bed to try to stop his friend. Instead, he had a seizure. Paula ran up to him and helped him cope with the incident. His face, breathing in the creaking air, was distorted with suffering.
His pride was probably greatly hurt.