The Count’s Secret Maid
Prologue: The Count’s Secret Maid
• Note
In this work, the terms are used differently from their dictionary definitions:
‘Maid (시녀): A person who waits upon someone by their side.
Housemaid (하녀): A person who does not wait upon someone but performs cleaning or other chores.’
Please keep this in mind while enjoying the story.
Prologue
This was a place where even the creaking noises felt eerie. With every step I took, the sound of my boots echoed loudly. That made me even more cautious.
I walked with my back slightly hunched, neither fast nor slow. It was only when I reached a familiar door that I came to a dead stop.
I caught my breath before opening the door. Whew, whew, whew. After a few short breaths, I grabbed the doorknob and turned it.
Shadows from a room even darker than the hallway rushed out. The room was so pitch black that I couldn’t see a thing; I even hesitated to step inside.
However, I habitually walked in and pulled open the long curtains. A beam of light so strong it made my eyes snap shut poured in.
It’s blinding. Still, I finished drawing the curtains and turned around.
At that moment, something flew rapidly past my face.
Thud! The object hit the window frame, bounced off, and rolled onto the floor—it was a desk clock. I glanced at it briefly and then turned my gaze forward.
In the corner furthest from the window, where the shadows lay heavy, was a bed. Atop it, I could see a rounded shape huddled under a sheet. The only thing poking out was a hand, gripping the edge of the sheet tightly. The signs of trembling in fear were clear.
“Get out.”
A single, rasping word drifted out. It was steeped in deep resentment.
I didn’t even pretend to listen and picked up the desk clock from the floor. Nails were sticking out and the wooden surface was torn; one look told me it was broken beyond repair. Concluding it was useless, I placed it on top of the fresh sheets I was carrying. Then, I swept my gaze over the room, which was a total mess.
Tableware had been smashed into pieces, and the shards lay dangerously scattered across the floor. Forks and spoons were among them. It wasn’t just the dishes; nothing in this room was intact.
I walked step by step, picking up the items fallen on the floor. Following the sound of my footsteps, the rounded shape flinched and shook.
“Get out.”
The voice echoed once more.
Ignoring the words again, I reached the bed. Perhaps feeling anxious, the shape thrashed on the bed, fumbled over the nightstand next to it, and then scrambled backward. Having no more objects to throw, he chose to flee. But even then, “fleeing” only meant the edge of the bed. His appearance, sitting pressed tightly against the wall, was almost pitiful.
I scanned him from head to toe and reached out my hand. Sensing this, he struck it away fiercely.
“Don’t touch me.”
Of course. Once again, I pretended not to hear and quickly yanked the sheet away. As I did, the figure that had been hiding under the sheet staggered and was revealed.
I saw disheveled golden hair and a neck turned away in fluster, with the bones protruding sharply at the shoulder line. My gaze traveled all the way down. I didn’t need to check to know how thin the body hidden under the clothes would be.
When I looked up again, sweat was beaded on his face seen from up close. As I reached out again, he struck my hand away once more.
“Don’t touch me!”
A thunderous roar erupted immediately after.
“I told you to get out! Leave! Get lost!”
As the harsh vitriol poured out, I finally let out a deep sigh.
The man’s pale face flushed red with heat. His crusty, peeling lips let out ragged, panting breaths. Even so, his fingertips turned white as he gripped the sheets, determined not to let me take them.
“Get lost. Please, just get lost!”
“Calm down, Master (주인님).”
“Leave! Go, get out—Gasp!“
Sure enough, the man’s breathing began to turn labored. His flushed face turned pale again, and he soon clutched his chest in agony.
I quickly pulled him into my arms, took a respirator out of my pocket, and pressed it to his mouth. Then, I gently stroked his back and spoke.
“Slowly. Take a breath.”
Hearing my words, he struggled to catch his breath. As he inhaled the air through the respirator, repeating the cycle of inhaling and exhaling, his wildly heaving chest gradually settled. I watched him for a moment before removing the device from his lips.
“Haa… haa…”
“You’ll be fine now.”
Before I knew it, his face was drenched in sweat. His damp golden hair spilled over my clothes. As a sign that he did well, I stroked his hair. At that, his tightly closed eyelids fluttered open weakly. Emerald eyes, tinged with a slight hint of white, turned toward me.
In that instant, my body was shoved backward.
“Ack!”
In the blink of an eye, I went thud!—tumbling off the bed.
My skirt flipped upward, leaving my petticoats completely exposed. As I flailed my legs in the air, a face suddenly popped up over the edge.
His gaze, which had been staring blankly ahead, gradually lowered. It shouldn’t be possible, but it looked exactly as if he were looking at me. That face—still excessively pale and still excessively handsome—filled my vision.
His moist lips parted quietly.
“Get out.”
A crack formed in my expression. Anyway, what a bastard.