I Swear I Won’t Bother You Again!

o, won’t you work for me, specifically as… my talking partner?”

Her appearance of sitting on a chair with her legs crossed clearly looked like a noble son.
This was the Duke family and Violette was the child of this family, so the impression she was displaying should be correct.
Even so, Marin still felt uncomfortable, unable to take it in for some reason.

However, Marin was not in a position to ask about that now, and she believed that there would be various problems if she were to be a servant of Duke family who was an orphan with no clear identity.

First of all, the head of this family… Violette’s parents would surely oppose this.

Marin rejected the offer with that reason, but Violette responded like this.

“Don’t worry about my parents.
They… won’t say anything, or even come here at all.”

Were they too trusting of her, or was it overprotection that allowed Violette to do anything?

For Marin who had lived without knowing how it felt to be loved by her parents, it was an unknown territory.
It’s true that she felt some kind of envy, similar to jealousy.
Somehow, Marin held some negative emotions towards Violette, even if it was not hate.

However, the offer itself was ridiculously attractive.
It was enough to make her want it desperately, and there was no need for Marin to refuse as long as she didn’t make any misgivings next to Violette.

The more she listened to the conditions, the stronger those thoughts.

She would get money, a place to live, food, and clothes.
It was absurd when she compared it to her livelihood until now.

Marin would perfectly erase her jealousy towards Violette as long as she could get out of her current life.

Everything Marin did was supposed to be only for her survival.
And yet.

When did she start to think that something was strange?

The father that she never seen even once.
The mother who didn’t want to meet anyone other than Violette.
Violette who wouldn’t come out from her mother’s room.

Marin had been hired to become Violette’s talking partner, but she only had little opportunity to do that job.
The other servants teached a lot of things to Marin who had too much free time, and also dodged a lot of her questions.

Don’t enter Madam’s room.
Because she would be very angry.

Don’t talk about the Duke in front of Madam.
Because she would be very, very angry.

Don’t call Violette-sama at the place where Madam could hear you.
Because she would be very, very, very angry.

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Because, you would hurt Violette-sama.

Marin was told again and again, with sorrowful eyes and sad faces.
They told her to just protect her, and never break her.

Marin didn’t understand what they meant and asked why, but they would only tell her that Madam would get angry.
Everyone insisted that it was the rule that should be followed if she was working here.

Marin discovered the reason only a few months after she started working.

×　×　×　×

The door of Madam’s room, which was always tightly closed, was slightly open.

Marin didn’t mean to take a peek, she just thought that she had to close it.
As she approached the room, she heard a voice from inside, so her gaze was just lured to turn towards the room.

“Hiii…!?”

Marin swallowed the scream that was about to leak.
She covered her mouth with both of her hands, because if she didn’t do that, she wouldn’t just shout, but also vomit.

“Ahh… You are really beautiful.”

“……”

“Even your hair, eyes, and tips of nails are the same… Wonderful, how wonderful…!”

The Madam reached out from the sofa where she was sitting and continued to stroke around the cheeks and hair of Violette who was standing in front of her again and again.

Mother was stroking her child.
Even though it should have sounded pleasing in words, what Marin saw from those two profiles was not such a precious act.

Contrary to her mother’s eyes which were serene and sparkling, Violette’s eyes had no emotions inside.
Marin had thought that Violette was as beautiful as an angel or a doll, but in the end, it was all just a metaphor.
Violette was a human with blood flowing inside her body.
She should’ve be a human, but…

The face that Marin saw was like a lifeless doll.
The difference in enthusiasm between Violette and her mother who was enjoying this happily was eerie.

And above all, the reason why Marin felt like screaming and vomiting was…

(Violette, sama…?)

There were photos on the wall, on the shelf, and on the desk.
There were also photos randomly scattered on the floor.
What projected in all of them was the same person.

Gray hair, cloudy eyes, white skin, and red lips.
With features as beautiful as an angel, Marin thought that it was Violette.
The hairstyle and facial expression were so similar, making it very hard to find the difference.

Marin thought that it was weird when she realized the age of the person in those photos.

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At first, Marin thought that they were photos from Violette’s childhood, but the person who was inside those photos gradually grew, passing Violette’s age, and suddenly became an adult man.

Marin had seen that face before.
It was the groom in the wedding photo displayed at the entrance of this house.

“Come on, say it.
Call me…?”

“M-mother.”

“Wrong.”

Madam’s voice sounded heart-crushing, cruel.
It wasn’t as simple as a denial, but a clear refusal, rejection.
The color of hatred that melted on her eyes shouldn’t be the emotion that she should direct at the child who called her mother.

“That’s wrong, right? Hey… Auld.”

“…Belle, rose.”

“Yes, that’s good.
Say it once more.”

“Bellerose.”

“Yes, once more…!”

The scene that was repeated over and over again was just like hell.

The reason why she shouldn’t enter Madam’s room was, because that place was her paradise.

The reason why she shouldn’t talk about the Duke was, because it would break her dreams.

The reason why she shouldn’t call Violette-sama was…

For Madam, she was not Violette.

For her, Violette wasn’t her child, but her beloved husband Auld.

“Ngh…!!”

Marin’s body staggered to the unbearable nausea.
The act of sheer madness that was displayed in front of her eyes shattered the moral values that Marin had.

She couldn’t bear to see it, she didn’t want to see it.
She couldn’t endure the extremely terrifying scene and whipped her body that lost its strength to start running away.

“I love you, I love you… Auld.”

The voice that Marin heard behind her in the end was unforgettable, even after seven years.

The confession for her beloved person was an unmistakeable curse.