Chapter 15

Chapter 15

In retrospect, it was not that serious.

Since they were fighting, who would have thought that the one whom he killed in the end, stabbed a dagger into his stomach?

He collapsed in an alley whilst breathing heavily, thinking that he should take a break for a little.

At that moment, a pair of Mary Jane shoes appeared in the tumultuous mess where five people had collapsed in.

Of course, it was Irene.

— …Young Master.

— Huh?

— Young Master, you are hurt.

— Yeah, I am hurt and cold.

— You might die.

— My brother will love it.

At that time, he did not even realize that it was Irene who was standing in front of him.

Otis only thought that it may be someone who knew him, but he was not able to pull all the things in his mind together after all the constant bleeding.

He just thought that if it were someone who knew him, they would have known that he is not dead yet.

However, tears fell.

It was because Irene leaned over and began to put cotton wool on Otis’ wound.

Perhaps she was crying from the beginning.

She shed tears, which did not match her usual emotionless face. Slowly, Irene tied the cotton wool around Otis’s waist with her cotton wool and grabbed his hand with her trembling hand.

— Let’s… go.

Not until he heard that watery voice that Otis finally realized that the one in front of him was the maid whom he had put flowers in her pocket every day.

— Irene, are you crying?

— I don’t like blood.

— …It might be bad seeing me, then.

Instead of answering, Irene took the lead. Her hands were cold, and she was still trembling, but her steps never collapsed.

Following her, Otis was captured by a strange mood.

It was not until later that he wondered how she knew he was there and found him, though Otis buried that day in his memory.

Digging into his memories, he felt like he took out a lot of things—for example, things about why, at the time whenever he was foreboding his death, Irene’s face would come to his mind.

However, Irene hates blood so much that he can even see her tears.

Is it because of that information that was bugging him in this situation?

Otis covered the eyes of the person in front of him, as she stared in the direction of Rodion with a cold gaze.

Of course, even in such a situation, the voice that came out was gentle. What he wanted was not Irene’s terrified expression ‘in this way.’

“Why would you want to see blood if you are able to see good things for the rest of your life? You do not even like it.”

“…Please let me go.”

“I will let you go when Rodion gets in the mansion. Well, looking at it, Miss Louise seems to be pretty good at this. Did you know that?”

Irene shook her head in response to his answer.

Of course, it was a lie.

Since initially, Louise has been good at taking care of patients, so the route proceeded while she nursed Rodion.

Nonetheless, if she indeed had her head here, she would not go to see Rodion.

Irene moved Otis’ hands, which wrapped around her waist, saying she would go, but Otis was adamant.

“There are many people who will take care of Rodion, even if you are not. You do not have to go.”

“Still, I am a maid.”

“It would have been nice if you were my own maid.”

‘…You are even thinking of leaving now.’

Looking down at Irene, who was quietly holding onto him, Otis swallowed his bitter words. Instead, he changed the subject when she was still wondering.

Kindly, as usual.

“Your heart is beating fast, Irene.”

“…I must have been a little surprised to see the blood.”

“It looks like it.”

He was not just saying it because her nervous heart was beating violently.

It was not even like this last night when Otis grabbed her by the neck. Even though he wanted to see the terrified look on her face, it was not like this.

He does not like it this way…

‘Rodion, that does not help.’

After beating Rodion inwardly, Otis opened his mouth again. Firstly, it seemed important to appease Irene.

“…Let’s turn our eyes around in this situation.”

“What are you talking about?”

“It is simple. You are too surprised, and I cannot let you go in this state, so you need to calm down first.”

It was a very unkind explanation, and he did not even ask for her permission.

Otis’ words continued unintentionally.

“Let’s assume it is nighttime because your vision is dark. It is noisy outside. I guess we were not the only ones bored with the ball. Some of them might enjoy a secret meeting, some of them might talk behind someone’s back. Wouldn’t outside the ballroom be a good place to talk?”

He covered Irene’s eyes and whispered a fantasy.

This is not Lavrenti’s garden, where Rodion was injured and collapsed, but outside a ballroom, where there were more whispers than loud noises.

“The moon is bright. Even grasshoppers will not cry today. If they had cried, the sound of others would have been buried, so it is a shame. You thought today’s ball was so boring that it would be more fun to walk around the garden. And, I chased after you, like that.”

Otis was very good at telling love stories for someone who was distrustful of love.

Is it because his hobby is breaking romance?

The sweet voice whispered the tale was as sweet as telling it to a sleepy child lying in bed.

‘Everyone has no choice but to move on.’

Did the woman kicked by Otis last month also visit the Lavrenti mansion using the brooch she received as a gift?

Shutting her eyes, she expressed little condolences to those who could not even remember her face.

If Otis did not want to let go, Irene thought she had better calm herself down.

‘That is true. I might accidentally hyperventilate…’

Yes, this is better

“If you close your eyes while soothing yourself, a melancholic night awaits. Even a theatre-like love.”

“I saw you and fell in love at first sight. You do not know me like that, but I have always been watching you. If the story goes like this, it will be no fun. So, let’s say our families are at each other’s throats, and we cannot even be together.”

“It is cliché.”

“Yes. But, cliché romances sell well.”

Otis, dismissing Irene’s protest, bowed his head as he rested his forehead on her shoulder and continued to whisper.

“If anyone sees me and you together, there would be an uproar. The moon is bright, and there is nowhere to escape. Still, I want to be with you.”

‘I have heard such a story before…’

It was said that when a person puts their body close to each other, the heartbeat follows the other.

Perhaps because of that, a sweet voice entangled in her ears, and her heart, which was beating fast, became accustomed to Otis’ sluggishness as it slowly sank.

“How do you feel now?”

“…I think I am all right now.”

“Definitely, it is slower than it was a while ago.”

He only lifted his hands from Irene’s eyes after making sure that the employee had entered the mansion with Rodion already.

‘Romanticness or whatever, it has all gone now.’

Otis sighed and clicked his tongue.

Even though, as a result, he was able to stay close to Irene, but he did not like the fact that she had to see blood like that.

Regardless, he was still being sweet.

“Are you okay now?”

“…Yes.”

Irene tried to add her thanks later, though she closed her mouth again. Returning from her fantasy to reality, the memories that came to mind after Rodion’s injury rise.

Her purple eyes were bewildered as she turned her head and looked over the fence.

‘The fact that Rodion was hurt means that the Delton clean up failed…’

Then, that means there are people who will come to the mansion before long.

Eventually, Irene’s indifferent eyes widened as she understood the situation.

Originally, the parlor maid served guests, but in Lavrenti, to minimize the employees, the chambermaid was also assigned the work of the parlor maid. In other words, Irene had to go to greet the guests since Louise had already followed Rodion into the room.

In her last life, Irene had dealt with it without panic. However, this time she had forgotten about it because she was agitated by Rodion’s injury.

She had to go back to the mansion quickly—

‘Why wouldn’t he release this arm…?’

Otis’ arms were still wrapped around her waist.

Irene blinked her eyes a couple of times, then poked his arm that was wrapped around her waist with her fingertips.

“Third Master, why won’t you let go of this arm?”

Hearing her words, Otis’ lips tilted sharply.

“Why don’t we stay like this a little longer?”

“I think that would be difficult.”

“Do you have to go to Rodion?”

Instead of answering his question, Irene looked over the fence again. She has not seen the carriage yet, so she still has some time to prepare.

Because of her hurried heart, Irene’s words quickened.

“No, I have to welcome a guest.”

“Guest? Is there anyone coming?”

Irene shut her mouth rather than answering. She then rolled her eyes to the ground.

“I will be on my way first.”

At that, she swiftly shook off Otis’ arm and began to run across the garden.

Irene could hear Otis ask what kind of guest she was welcoming behind her back, though she did not care.

It was because the carriage that will soon come to Lavrenti was sent from Lichpen.