Maylily - Chapter 74

Sensing danger on instinct, Victor bolted out of the house and sprinted down the dim hallway with everything he had.

Tap, tap, tap, tap…. The sound of multiple footsteps chasing him echoed chaotically in his ears.

Who the hell are they?

When he reached the stairs and glanced back, he saw two well-dressed men running toward him.

“Stop right there, Victor Heywood!”

“It’ll be best if you surrender quietly.”

They weren’t loan sharks. Police, maybe. The way they talked certainly made them sound like it.

Victor hurried down the stairs, racking his brain for any crime that might have the police chasing him. But no matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t come up with a single reason he should be sweating like this under the moonlight….

“Ah…!”

The tail he’d noticed.

Victor, who’d just landed on the second floor, let out a faint groan.

So the incident on the train to Daymont had been exposed. That was why Hugh Skaard had so obediently handed over the bag of money. He’d known it would end like this all along!

“That damned fox bastard!”

As Victor ground his teeth and stomped his foot, the footsteps behind him grew even closer. Snapping back to his senses, he tried to run again, but his foot slipped and he tumbled down the stairs.

He slammed into the edges of the steps over and over, pain shooting through every part of his body, but he had no time to waste. He jumped up, gasping for breath, and sprinted toward the first floor.

If he crossed the road in front of the building and went down into the ditch on the other side, there was a small tunnel. Victor often hid there when loan sharks came to collect.

He’d hide there until dawn, then go to Roden Station and flee as far as possible.

Reaching the first floor at last, Victor dashed outside before the officers could catch sight of him heading toward the ditch. The moment he charged forward like a racehorse toward his destination—

Thud.

A carriage loaded with goods couldn’t avoid Victor as he suddenly darted into the road and crashed straight into him.

“Kyaaah!”

“Argh!”

The horse shrieked wildly, and sharp screams from the witnesses split the night air. The officers who had run outside after the suspect were stunned speechless at the chaos unfolding before them.

Crushed under the carriage, Victor’s face was mangled beyond recognition. He died instantly without a single groan. Blood from his shattered skull spread across the night road in a dark red stain.

***

When Maylily’s song faded into the sunlit drawing room, Alice, who’d been standing by the window, burst into enthusiastic applause.

“When you sing, Miss Aile, you don’t even seem human. How do you make such a beautiful sound?”

“Don’t flatter me too much. It’s embarrassing.”

“Flatter you? I’m only stating the truth.”

You’d think she’d be used to the days-long stream of praise by now, but Maylily’s face grew red again today. Even so, her lips quivered shyly with a pride she couldn’t quite hide.

“I’m glad you like my singing, Miss Curren.”

“Anyone who hears you would like it. Actually… could you sing just one more? The song you sang yesterday was really good! The one about sprouts and flowers blooming… that one.”

Thinking for a moment at Alice’s description, Maylily let out a small laugh.

“Old Spring. That’s the title.”

Smiling brightly in response to the request, Maylily straightened her posture and sat once more in front of the piano.

Old Spring was a lyrical art song in which the narrator, who had spent many years living away from home, sang of their longing as they reminisced about the beautiful spring of their homeland. The smooth piano melody and the beautiful song flowing over it turned a summer afternoon into the colors of spring in an instant.

Maylily accepted the reality that she wouldn’t be able to return to Roden for the time being after her conversation with the Count of Everscourt.

Let’s focus on what I can do here first. Once she concluded that, her heart felt surprisingly calm.

Since she’d already received the Count’s permission to return to Roden in August, when rehearsals for the production would begin, the best thing she could do until then was stay in Prowden and devote herself wholeheartedly to her personal practice.

That afternoon, after returning from the Count’s office, Maylily took the sheet music out of her suitcase and began practicing. From that day on, Alice frequently lingered by the drawing room door.

“Even so, please play often while you’re here. Lady Deborah doesn’t play anymore, so we only get to hear piano music once in a while when guests perform.”

Come to think of it, she did seem to enjoy music quite a bit…. Remembering their first day’s conversation, Maylily couldn’t pretend she didn’t notice Alice lingering.

“If you want to listen to music, feel free to come inside and listen.”

It embarrassed her to sing for someone outside a proper stage with full performance conditions, but singing was all she could offer. She wanted to repay Alice’s kindness in any small way she could.

Alice had always been warm and friendly, helping Maylily adjust to life in Prowden.

Especially the day before, when the seamstress commissioned to make Maylily’s dresses had visited, Alice had offered quiet advice so Maylily, ignorant of fine fabrics and embellishments, wouldn’t feel embarrassed or overwhelmed. Thanks to her, choosing the material and design for the new dresses had been much easier.

Thinking of that heartfelt kindness, Maylily felt she could gladly sing a few songs every day.

Moreover, seeing Alice applaud with such emotional joy at the end of each song made Maylily happy as well. Sharing the beauty and emotion of music with another person filled her with pride, and it made her feel that her own ability was something truly wonderful.

Wherever she was, whatever people said, as long as she could sing, Maylily Aile could exist as herself.

Realizing that simple truth allowed her at last to notice the deepening green of the forest each day. A few days earlier, sitting at the piano and quietly gazing out at that view, Maylily had thought that perhaps summer in Prowden might turn out to be much better than she’d expected.

“The second time listening is twice as good.”

“Alice, you’re neglecting your work and interrupting Miss Aile’s practice.”

Alice had just given Maylily a standing ovation when a deep voice rumbled through the air. Both women turned their heads toward the doorway.

“Welcome, Mr. Curren.”

“Good afternoon, Miss Aile.”

“What brings you here, Brother?”

Alice asked dryly as she looked at David, who had bowed politely to Maylily.

“I came to check on you because it seemed likely you’d be slacking off.”

“I’ve been working nonstop until my fingertips wore out. I just took a short break.”

“Miss Curren’s right. During her break, I asked her to be my audience for a moment. A singer needs an audience, after all.”

At Maylily stepping in for her, David clicked his tongue awkwardly, then shooed Alice out, telling her to get back to work if she’d rested enough. Unlike the gentle demeanor he always showed Maylily, he seemed quite strict with his younger sister.

“Please have a seat for a moment.”

After pulling out a chair for Maylily, David sat across from her and took some documents from the brown envelope he had brought.

“News has arrived from the Roden Opera Company appointing you as a soloist, Miss Aile. Here, please read through the employment contract and sign it.”

Maylily carefully went through the two identical copies of the contract. Her wages had increased more than fivefold compared to when she’d been a chorus member, yet for some reason, she didn’t feel particularly moved. After confirming that the contract she’d signed had no issues, David returned one copy to her and set the other aside.

“And this is the list of productions for the autumn season. If you look here, you’ll see your role marked beside each title.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Maylily touched the documents lightly before withdrawing her hand.

Watching her, David continued, “If you’d like to request any changes to your role, please let me know within the next week. Since the Count is paying close attention, adjustments should be possible.”

David added that the performance scores distributed by the opera company were still being produced and would arrive sometime next week.

“Well then, I’ll take my leave.”

“Please wait, Mr. Curren. There’s something I want to ask.”

David, who had half-risen from his seat, sat back down at her firm tone. After gathering the thoughts that had lingered in her mind for days, Maylily finally spoke.

“Lady Deborah told me that the Count’s life isn’t a life full of happiness. I felt like I understood even without further explanation. The reason behind that… I realized it was my father. The more I thought about it, the more one question kept bothering me.”

“….”

“What happened to the former countess after that incident? All I heard from my father was that their attempt to run away failed….”

“Miss Aile, that’s….”

David, looking troubled, tried to interrupt, but Maylily didn’t stop.

“I know the former countess passed away around the same time that incident happened.”

“….”

“Was the former countess’s death related to my father?”

David let out a shallow sigh and pushed up his glasses. “I don’t think that’s a question I can answer.”

“But I believe it’s also a question you have a responsibility to answer, Mr. Curren. I want to understand….”

Swallowing back the surge of emotion, Maylily drew in a deep breath and clenched her trembling hand into a tight fist.

“I want to understand why I had to go through something like that. How great my father’s crime was that I had to carry the weight of it too… I need a truth I can accept.”

Taking another long breath, Maylily’s eyes shone steadily as she faced the count’s aide.

“So please tell me, Mr. Curren.”