"Crazy Master" (3)
***
Isabella went to the window, parted the curtains, let rays of light into the room and opened the window. Cool air rushed in, thanks to which I was able to breathe normally again.
On the other side of the room, where the rays of light did not reach, there was a bed. There was a lump of sheets on the bed. I noticed a hand sticking out from under it and realized there was a man there.
Isabella moved closer to the bed. The lump shuddered and slowly moved away. There was nowhere to run.
-Are you awake, my lord?
-...Get out.
The voice croaked angrily. Isabella folded her hands politely.
- I'll bring you dinner. I have prepared something for you to eat, so please eat for your own health.
- Get out!
The round body quickly moved forward, picking up a vase that was on the nightstand and throwing it. Isabella tilted her head slightly. The vase, almost hitting her, fell to the floor and broke.
I opened my mouth in bewilderment. Isabella was silent.
- I'll bring a new one.
- No need.
“I brought the child, she will serve you.”
Isabella winked at me, who stood stunned in the doorway. I walked up to her, forcefully holding back my expression.
Up close, the man on the bed turned out to be larger than I thought and was an adult man. His face was hidden, but from the voice that I heard earlier and from his figure, I realized that he was the owner of this mansion.
- Nice to meet you, sir. I look forward to your kind cooperation.
“If you need anything, you can contact her.” She will prepare everything right away.
I folded my hands and bowed. But only one thing was heard in response.
- Back off.
This time it sounded even sharper.
I looked at Isabella, my shoulders shaking. She didn't seem to pay attention.
- I'll bring you dinner.
Isabella turned and walked towards the door, her gait remaining unchanged. I was about to quickly turn around and follow her, secretly admiring her equanimity while my heart was already pounding in shock.
When suddenly the fingertips, appearing out of nowhere, groped for the knife lying on the plate, on the nightstand. I turned to the gentleman, surprised to find that he was slowly picking it up.
- Carefully! You may get hurt!
I tried to grab his hand, but I was too hasty and didn’t look at my feet.
I slipped on a sheet lying on the floor and began to fall. Everything turned upside down. It seemed to me that when I was falling, my hand managed to grab onto something.
I fell and something hit me from above. Before I could feel the pain of hitting the back of my head on the floor, suddenly a heavy weight squeezed my chest, making it difficult to breathe.
I closed my eyes tightly, trying to take in air.
- Milord!
Hearing Isabella's scream, I realized that it was the gentleman, Vincent, who fell on me.
I opened my eyes in surprise. His face loomed right in front of me: dark eyebrows, emerald eyes, a sharp nose, beautiful lips - a face that you would definitely turn around when passing by. He was almost stunningly beautiful.
But something seemed strange to me. Vincent, who seemed to be as surprised as I was, suddenly began to look around. His emerald eyes looked somewhere into the distance.
No, after looking closely, I realized that the color of his eyes was strange. Slightly empty.
Hands came closer to my face. When the tips of his long fingers touched the hair that covered my face, I pushed him away in anger and staggered back. Only then did I realize what I had done.
I glanced quickly at Vincent, who stepped back, this time feeling the floor. His touch was quite insistent.
I narrowed my eyes, realizing that something was wrong. Isabella helped him up. Vincent's hand found Isabella's as she hurriedly pulled him to his feet. He hesitated a little and straightened up. His face still looked from one side to the other.
How should I say it?
- Your eyes...
Like a person who doesn't see anything.
Suddenly his rapidly turning face stopped. Isabella stared at me, and I realized that I had made a mistake.
Before I could say anything, Vincent's expression darkened. He let out a loud roar and began throwing everything he could get his hands on in my direction.
Wow!
Strike, strike, strike, I was caught off guard by his erratic attack.
I raised my hands to block the blows, but to no avail. Isabella, who had already arrived, grabbed me by the forearms and pulled me to my feet. She didn’t look surprised, as if she was already used to it, I followed her in horror.
It was only when I left the room and Isabella closed the door behind me that the commotion stopped. I grabbed my heart. My heart, which was usually always calm, was beating wildly.
- He is very sensitive. Be careful in the future. Be especially careful with your language.
- Y-yes...
Hearing my answer, Isabella turned away without saying another word. I sighed, looking after her. I had a bad feeling. My life won't be easy.
The day ended with dinner, which Vincent knocked over. My room was next to the owner's room. Usually servants and masters live on different floors, but I was ordered to stay next door in case of emergency.
Crap.
However, for the first time in my life, I slept on a fluffy bed with a clean blanket. Although I woke up at midnight from a strange noise, it was a good dream anyway.
The next day I got dressed, had breakfast and was hit in the face with a pillow.
* * *
Vincent Bellunita.
From now on I will serve him.
The only child of the prestigious Count and Countess Bellunita. From an early age he attracted attention with his appearance and was recognized for his brilliant mind. His parents also showered him with love. They were an enviably happy and friendly family.
Then an accident took their lives, and Vincent Bellunita, the Count's only child, took over the responsibility of managing the family's affairs at a young age. Many considered him too young to lead the family, but Vincent proved to be a brilliant leader. And the status of their family grew day by day.
Life was good... Until one moment.
One day tragedy struck again.
It was a party thrown by the royal family. Everything was going well until he was attacked by a man with a sword. It turned out to be Bellunite's servant. Fortunately, Vincent had a bodyguard next to him and the wound was minor, but the strange drug that the killer sprayed and got into his eyes became a problem.
At first my eyes only hurt slightly. Gradually his vision became so blurred that he could not distinguish figures, and at some point the light disappeared completely, darkness covered him.
He's blind.
Since then, Vincent Bellunita locked himself in his room. So goes the story. Rumor has it that Count Vincent Bellunita is recovering from injuries sustained at the party.
There were rumors that the killer was a member of the Bellunita family, as the attacker was a servant of their family, but they soon died down. It turned out that the killer was only dressed as a servant of the Bellunita house, but in fact was not one. As a result, both the identity and the target were not revealed.
In the end, Vincent was blind, and this fact became a secret, not known even to the estate workers, with the exception of a few close associates. That is why I must now serve him alone, in secret.
Confidentiality.
This was one of the conditions I had to follow in order to remain a maid in this place. Never disclose anything about what is happening here.
I nodded and signed the contract. This meant that I silently agreed to what could happen to me in the future if I violated it.
I didn't care, I just hoped for the best. But then I realized that serving Vincent was much, much, much, much, much, much more difficult than I thought.
- Take it all away!
And so the life of the twelfth plate came to an end.
I sighed quietly, looking at the scattered fragments. As I bent down to pick up the glass shards, another round of glasses and cutlery fell onto the floor.
- Get out of here!
Wrapped in a sheet, he puffed and cursed, reminiscent of a mad cat you're trying to tame.
There used to be stray cats living in front of Uncle Mark's bakery, and one of them was getting thinner day by day. When I saw her, I felt so sorry for her that I secretly brought some bread. At first the cat was wary, but one day she slowly came up to me, took the bread, ate it, and then purred and began to rub her muzzle against my hand.
But Vincent was already a grown man to be treated like a kitten. I collected the broken pieces of glass and cutlery, placed them on the tray, and then looked at him.
- I'll bring new ones.
- No need. Get lost.
- If you want something to eat, let me know. I'll ask the chef to cook.
“I don’t need this, only you want it.”
“Then I’ll leave this in your room.”
– I don’t need this! – Vincent growled, wincing.
I looked him up and down, but didn’t answer. His hair was disheveled, his clothes were stretched and stained with something, and the sheets he was sitting on were slightly yellowed from not being changed for a long time.
“We need to change the sheets, and the clothes too.” I think it wouldn't hurt for you to take a bath either. I'll get some water.
- Get out! Away!
My ears were almost ringing. Such screams could make you lose your voice every day. However, his poison did not go away. On the contrary, it seemed that it only grew stronger every day.
I suppressed my swirling emotions several times a day. I can’t believe that I dealt with this so easily, and now I’m already exhausted. I shook my head and took a breath.
I'm already used to the bad temper of people from the upper class. No, not only the highest class. Most of the people I worked for treated me this way. I was subjected to all kinds of contempt and insults directed at me simply because I was poor and a woman. A family ruled by a devilish bastard was no different from others.
I endured all this and survived. Don't look down on me just because I'm poor!
– I will bring new devices, please wait.
And without looking back, I left the room.
As soon as the door slammed, I heard something hitting the floor. I sighed heavily, realizing that it was a pillow. And she stamped her foot on the floor.