Who would have thought that a bit of dancing could distract us enough to send us tumbling into a fountain? Two grown adults, at that. Thinking back on it now, it was hilarious. We had been spinning with such abandon that we hadn’t even realized we were drifting toward the water. Had anyone seen us, they surely would have wondered what those two idiots were doing.
I threw my head back and laughed. My entire body was drenched and shivering, yet, strangely, my mind felt refreshed. Was it the shock of the cold water? The thought struck me as even funnier, and I burst into laughter again. I couldn’t tell if it was our pathetic state or the absurdity of the moment that amused me so, but this instant felt genuinely joyous.
Neither he nor I could stop laughing for a long time.
Only when the cold air began to make my teeth chatter did I finally come to my senses. Behind us, the fountain continued to cascade, indifferent to our shivering. If we stayed like this, we would wake up with a fever by morning.
I reached out to help Vincent, who was still sitting on the ground, to his feet. He was soaked to the bone, and I was no better. My body felt heavy and leaden; when I squeezed the hem of my negligee, water pooled on the ground. My hair felt as though it were holding a bucket’s worth of water.
After wringing out what moisture I could, I swept my bangs, which kept plastering themselves to my face, to the side. At that moment, Vincent looked at me. As our eyes met, he placed one hand over his chest and tucked the other behind his back. With a graceful, exaggerated flourish, he bowed.
I was startled by the gesture, but I quickly understood. I chuckled, lifted the hem of my wet negligee with both hands, and curtsied in return.
Just like that, we exchanged bows to our dance partner.
“How was that? Wasn’t too hard, right?”
Vincent tilted his head.
“A little.”
I followed suit and lifted my head. We both burst into laughter again.
We climbed out of the fountain, drenched to the skin. My body trembled as the breeze bit into my damp clothes. We couldn’t stay outside any longer; hunched against the chill, we hurried back to the mansion.
As soon as we entered his room, I grabbed a towel to dry him off and handed him a new set of pajamas. While he changed, I wiped the dripping water from my own skin.
Once he had changed, he lay down on the bed, his expression finally settling into something more relaxed.
“Would you like me to stay by your side until you fall asleep?”
“I don’t need you to. Get out.”
“Don’t force yourself to hold it in and cry. This is a chance that won’t come again.”
“Do you want me to throw you out myself?”
Such a temper, honestly.
“Have sweet dreams this time.”
“You too.”
He closed his eyes. I pulled the sheet up to his chin and slipped out of the room, creeping back into my own, careful not to wake Violet.
However, someone was already sitting in the room, illuminated by the glow of a lamp. I was so startled I nearly screamed. I froze, blinking, until the features emerged from the shadows and reality snapped back into place.
“Violet?”
“Where have you been?”
The lamplight didn’t reach her, obscuring her expression. I closed the door and approached, setting the lamp down on the nightstand. Perhaps it was the soft light, but her face looked profoundly somber.
“I went for a walk.”
“And?”
Violet scanned me from head to toe. Following her gaze, I took in my own disheveled state. I gave an awkward smile and rubbed my face with a towel, explaining that I’d slipped and fallen into the water, then turned to change my clothes.
“Paula.”
“Yes?”
“Did you go alone?”
I hesitated, about to say no.
“Or was it the two of you?”
“…….”
“Did you go with Vincent?”
She didn’t seem to be asking out of simple curiosity. Her voice was heavy. When I turned back, I saw her face reflected in the light. It wasn’t the face that had been laughing happily just a moment ago. It was cold—a look I had never seen on her before.
Why would she ask that? I was puzzled, but the atmosphere around her had shifted. The air felt thick, charged with a tension that made my skin prickle. As I hesitated, unable to answer, Violet smiled faintly—a smile that was not her own.
“I see.”
“…….”
“Paula, I am.”
She stopped mid-sentence and stared at me. Our eyes met, and I could see various emotions flickering in her calm gaze.
She looked angry. Was I imagining it?
“Violet?”
“……No, it’s nothing. Go ahead and change your clothes so you can sleep.”
Violet lay back down on the bed. The abrupt end to the conversation left me uneasy. I watched her back as she curled up, changed out of my wet negligee, and extinguished the lamp before lying down beside her.
Violet lay with her back to me. I stared at the dark ceiling, the silence of the room making the rowdy events of the night feel like a dream.
That uncomfortable silence stretched on until she spoke.
“Paula.”
“Yes?” I answered quickly.
“You know.”
“Yes.”
“I think I’m… a very ugly person.”
Confused, I turned toward her, but she remained facing away. Her back felt like a solid wall.
“Really ugly.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Just, I feel like I am.”
“That’s not true. You are a beautiful person.”
I said it firmly, and I meant it. I had never seen anyone as lovely as her. There were many people with pretty faces, but few had hearts as beautiful. She was both.
Violet let out a soft laugh, but it was devoid of strength.
“Paula, you are such a good person.”
“It’s thanks to you, Violet.”
“Me?”
“Yes. You treated me with such kindness. You looked a mere servant like me in the eye and treated me as an equal. Thanks to you, I got to wear a beautiful dress, attend a party, and dance. I was so happy, so joyous. And… thank you for saying that you like someone as insignificant as me. I mean that from the bottom of my heart. I’ve never heard words like that before. To me, you are a truly wonderful person.”
“…….”
“Oh, I don’t just mean your face. Though you are beautiful, of course.”
I emphasized the point, afraid my meaning wouldn’t be conveyed, but she said nothing in return. As the silence dragged on, my suspicion that she was angry turned into certainty. I felt flustered and shifted my body toward her.
“Violet?”
“……Yes.”
“Are you angry?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. I’m not angry.”
Finally, she turned around. In her eyes, questions and sorrow collided. *Is she sad? Why is she looking at me like that?*
She curled the corners of her eyes, but the sorrow remained.
“I was wrong.”
“Oh, come on. I told you I wasn’t angry.”
“Then what is it?”
“I think my mood just dipped after waking up.”
She raised the corners of her mouth in a smile that lacked all strength.
“Paula. Can I ask you for one favor?”
“Yes. Please, tell me anything.”
“Do not love Vincent.”
I widened my eyes. The words made no sense, yet my breath hitched. I revealed my confusion, but Violet’s face remained devoid of its smile.
“Do not love him. If you think you might… run away instead. Run far, far away and live. I really want Paula to be happy. I want to wish for your happiness.”
“…….”
“But it cannot be Vincent.”
Her calm voice pleaded. Her serious face warned me—a demand that I stop coming between her and him.
“He is not the one.”
I parted my lips, needing to tell her it was a misunderstanding, but the words wouldn’t come. My throat felt tightly blocked.
Violet watched me with a sad smile, then closed her eyes. I hadn’t been able to say a word. Even though my mind urged me to speak, I couldn’t force the sound out.
Only after her steady breathing filled the room did I manage to whisper, “I will do that.”
“…….”
The steady breathing remained undisturbed.
For a long time, I watched the sleeping Violet, then closed my own eyes. The memory of dancing beneath the shimmering chandelier faded into darkness. The golden hair that had scattered beneath the stars and the affectionate face that had looked at me were buried by the shadows. The laughter that had rung out so joyfully was no longer audible.
I forcibly suppressed the emotions blooming in my chest and curled my cold body as tight as I could.
Even with someone beside me, it was a strangely cold night.
* * *
‘You just need to stay like that, always.’
Alicia said, sweeping her wavy hair back. With her head tilted, she looked down at me as if pitying a pathetic creature.
‘Don’t do anything.’
Her blatant mockery only made the hollow feeling within me grow.
‘That is the job you are meant to do, sister.’
I didn’t respond because I knew it was true. There was nothing I could do. I had no power, no ability, and nothing to my name. Even the things I had once cradled in my arms had slipped away like sand.
I have nothing.
Yet, I had never greedily desired anything. Survival was far more important. To live even one day longer—that was the sum of all my wishes.
So, listening to Violet was not difficult. It wasn’t even a matter worth debating.
“Maid.”
As I was staring blankly at the sky, Ethan called to me. I approached, and he asked for the whereabouts of Vincent Bellunita.
“Where did Vincent Bellunita go? He wasn’t in his room.”
“He went for a walk in the woods behind the estate with Violet.”
Violet had come to his room early in the morning to ask him. Vincent Bellunita had invited me to accompany them, but I refused. I didn’t want to intrude, and I had no desire to walk.
“When will they be back?”
“I am not sure.”
“Hmm. It would be good if they stayed out a long time.”
“Why?”
“Well, you see.”
Just then, a commotion erupted from outside. I looked out the window with Ethan to see five people approaching the estate.
Four men and one woman. Among them was the butler, who was speaking to the others in a polite but urgent tone, as if trying to stop them. They walked toward the house without hesitation, their pace quite hurried.
“Oh, dear.”
Ethan clicked his tongue. I watched them closely. The atmosphere was strange.