| 8

“Lucy! Lucy!”

Kirhin dismounted his horse urgently, throwing the reins aside as he rushed into the mansion. Brook, his face flustered, came out to meet him.

“What on earth is going on? Where’s Lucy?”

“She’s in the drawing room.”

“What do you mean she’s involved?”

“A maid said she overheard Miss arguing with Laurel before she fell. The maid who found Laurel also saw the hem of a dress disappearing hastily from the terrace. It was the green dress that Miss is wearing right now…”

Brook trailed off. Kirhin, who was striding toward the drawing room with long steps, let out a bitter laugh and patted Brook on the shoulder.

“What nonsense are you spouting? Lucy and Laurel got along well. Do you think Lucy would have pushed her?”

“The truth is, they didn’t get along as well as you think. The maids have seen them raise their voices at each other during lessons several times. Laurel often acted presumptuously and treated Miss disrespectfully, and Nina pointed it out to her on multiple occasions.”

Kirhin, pressing his temples to alleviate the throbbing headache, spotted Lucienne sitting on the sofa. She was wearing the green dress he had personally chosen for her, and she appeared somewhat dazed. Seeing her unusually pale face, Kirhin immediately approached her and took her hand. Nina, standing solemnly beside her, bowed her head.

“Lucy, are you okay?”

“…Brother.”

Her head turned slowly. Her ash-gray eyes lacked focus, as though her mind was somewhere else. Kirhin frowned at her low, subdued voice and directed his question toward Nina.

“What on earth happened? Where is Laurel?”

“We’ve moved her to the storage area near the stables. Her condition… isn’t good.”

Even Nina, who always maintained a stern expression, hesitated for a moment, hinting at the gruesomeness of the scene. Come to think of it, Kirhin recalled seeing servants carrying buckets outside the mansion when he arrived.

“You must be shaken. Go to your room and rest, Lucy. You look unwell.”

“That won’t do, Master.”

It was Nina’s voice that stopped Kirhin, who was about to help Lucienne up. He widened his eyes in disbelief. Although Nina had been watching over him since childhood and sometimes acted more like a guardian than a servant, her tone just now was distinctly irritating.

“What do you mean it won’t do?”

“Someone has died. To file a death report, we need to ascertain the facts. But Miss has kept silent, and we haven’t been able to hear anything from her.”

“That can wait! Do you think Lucy is in the right state of mind after losing someone close to her?”

“But if we leave things as they are, Miss might end up being falsely accused.”

“What?”

His voice rose in disbelief, but Nina didn’t even flinch. Her icy voice flowed out.

“Laurel fell after arguing with Miss. The maid who found Laurel looked up at the terrace and saw a green dress. As you know, Master, the only person in this mansion wearing a green dress is Miss Lucienne. Don’t you think an explanation is necessary?”

It was then that Kirhin noticed the maid standing behind Nina, her shoulders hunched. The freckled young girl was pale and trembling slightly.

Just as he was about to say something, he felt a gaze and turned his head. Lucienne was quietly staring at the girl.

A chill ran down his spine, and Kirhin clenched his fists. If Lucienne had been angry or agitated, he might have been relieved. But instead, she was gazing at the young maid with an endlessly calm and subdued look.

Her ash-gray eyes, which seemed to reflect all light, shimmered transparently. For a moment, Kirhin thought that perhaps Lucienne wasn’t as shocked as he had assumed.

“Of course, her death is a significant matter, but if someone killed her, that changes everything. To ensure Miss doesn’t bear any undue disgrace, she needs to provide some kind of explanation. Otherwise, I’ll have no choice but to report the facts as they stand to the guards.”

“Nina, must you push her so hard?”

Kirhin reflexively lashed out, but then he felt a gentle tug on his sleeve and turned his head. Lucienne was holding onto his hand, her head bowed.

Tears fell onto the beautiful green dress, one drop after another, staining it a darker green. Feeling her frail trembling, Kirhin finally couldn’t hold back and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, glaring at Nina.

“That’s enough. Just report Laurel’s death to the guards. Fact-checking can wait until the investigators arrive.”

“But—”

“As the head of this household, I’m giving you an order, Nina. Are you going to defy me?”

Kirhin’s fierce demeanor made Nina falter, her expression reluctant. Without wasting another moment, Kirhin quickly helped Lucienne out of the drawing room.

No matter how extraordinary she might be, Lucienne was still a seventeen-year-old girl. Having someone close to her suddenly suffer such a tragedy, there was no way she could remain composed. Wasn’t she the same tender-hearted child who used to worry about Mrs. Almon’s well-being?

“Don’t think about anything tonight and just rest. I’ll have dinner brought to your room. If you’re scared, I can stay with you.”

Standing in front of her room, he spoke gently, but Lucienne, who had kept her head down the whole time, answered softly.

“I want to be alone.”

“Alright. I’ll stay in the house, so come find me if you need anything, okay?”

Lucienne nodded, and Kirhin let her into her room before exhaling a deep sigh. He felt utterly drained. As he turned around, Laurel’s face came to mind. Her features were blurry.

Were they really not on good terms? But Lucienne had told him otherwise when he asked about Laurel. She’d said Laurel was one of the few people in this house she could comfortably talk to.

“…What am I thinking?”

Shaking his head to dispel the strange thoughts creeping in, Kirhin walked down the silent hallway. His broad shoulders drooped as if weighed down by exhaustion.

* * *

When I first went to the laundry area, I was very young. I couldn’t even manage to secure a spot among the coarse Marie and the other older maids, let alone fit in with them. The first few times, I couldn’t even put down my laundry basket and ended up returning empty-handed.

After being scolded harshly by Mrs. Almon for the growing pile of laundry, I finally managed to claim a spot at the far end of the laundry area. The water there wasn’t clean, and the rocks were sharp, leaving no proper place to sit. I had to do laundry in a half-standing, awkward position.

The women looked at me with curious eyes but didn’t speak to me or show any kindness. Perhaps they expected me to approach them first, but I wasn’t the type to do that.

I first met Laurel about a week after I started going to the laundry area. That day, as I was doing laundry amidst the women who treated me like a ghost while exchanging vulgar jokes, I was suddenly hit in the face by a bedsheet being shaken out and stumbled into the river.

The water was still cold but not very deep. If I had remained calm and swam a little, I would have easily found footing. But having never experienced anything like that before, I lost my balance and ended up swallowing water endlessly.

Just as I thought I might die, someone grabbed me. Pulled by a strong force, I finally emerged from the water and could breathe again.

I coughed harshly, tears and snot streaming down my face as I lay there weakly. The women laughed.

“How stupid. Struggling like that in such shallow water.”

“Is she a bit slow? She’s so useless, she’ll probably get fired soon.”

“Hey, while you’re at it, why don’t you wash yourself? You stink. Is it because you’re always washing dirty diapers?”

I didn’t have the energy to respond. I could only endure the harsh words, focusing solely on holding onto my consciousness. My hands and arms were bleeding from scratches.

“Marie, you’re being too harsh!”

“Oh, Laurel. Feeling hot today? Did you really have to jump into the water too?”

At that time, Laurel was younger and a bit more reckless. She even dared to confront Marie, the laundry area’s leader.

“I know you have a nasty temper, but can’t you show some consideration for a child? Isn’t that the least you can do as an adult?”

“What did you just say?”

It was Marie who first grabbed Laurel’s hair. Marie wasn’t skilled at explaining things with words, except when spreading gossip.

I thought Laurel’s face would be shoved into the water immediately, but surprisingly, she kicked Marie’s shin and pushed her thick neck with her hands. With a choking sound, Marie fell into the water, causing a big splash. Laurel, panting, shouted.

“Don’t pick on kids! That’s just basic human decency!”

I might not remember everything clearly since I was half-conscious at the time. However, one thing was certain: Marie, who would shove anyone with her massive shoulders or hips, never treated Laurel the same way.

And Laurel was the one who cleaned the blood off my hands and arms with her handkerchief.