❝ I'm tired of being careful, gentle, trying to keep the water warm. Let me under your skin ❞

●

Marion sighed as she twirled her pen in her hand absentmindedly, her left arm resting on the heavy wood desk with blank pages sitting before her atop the mahogany. Setting her pen down and smoothing out her dress, she sighed heavily, unable to focus on her work.

「 I dreamt of Vincent again last night. 」She stared out the window and onto the estate gardens below. 「 However, the Vincent in my dreams seems like a completely different person. He... 」The noble girl's face turned red at the thought of her legs up and arms wrapped around each other.

Placing her head on the desk, with wisps of her done up golden hair falling around her she blushed deeply, trying not to think of it. "It was just a dream." She mumbled to herself.

"What was?" A voice commented, making her spring up.

"V-vincent?" Marion couldn't help the stutter. "When did you get here?"

"Just now, m'lady." He answered with a questioning raise of his brow, setting down a tea tray. "It is time for your tea, to which I called you for, though you didn't answer."

"Ah." Marion nodded, blush fading away and she tucked her hair back behind her ear. "Thank you, then."

Vincent poured the tea from the pot steadily as Marion watched him from the corner of her eye. He had always been a handsome lad, with straight posture, raven hair and dark blue eyes. His face rarely showed expression passed worry and only for his lady and otherwise simply held an emotionless face.

"Here you are, Lady Marion." He handed her the teacup, making Marion accept it absentmindedly. While still in her thoughts, she didn't hold the cup properly, making the hot liquid spill onto her lap, jumping up and holding her dress away from herself in pain.

"Ouch!" She winced, eyes squinted from the pain. Vincent seemed startled by her sudden carelessness, rushing to help her but she waved him off.

"It's fine, Vincent. It's really only got on my dress." She smiled.

"It most certainly isn't, m'lady. Please excuse me." Vincent seemed displeased by that answer, however, kneeling by her to examining the burn.

Marion felt her face turn that uncomfortable hot red as she pushed his hand away. "It's quite alright, I promise!" She shook her dress out. "I'll just go change my clothes." She spoke quickly, leaving the room and a bewildered Vincent.

Closing the door behind her and leaning against it, the young girl breathed relievedly, wrapping her arms around herself.

「 What is happening to me? 」Her face burned as she rubbed her arms.「 It feels like I've been branded where he touched me...but...Vincent is my family... 」

●

Having changed her clothes and collected her french lesson books, Marion stumbled into some maids who were coming up from the basement, carrying boxes and brooms.

"Emma, Anne, have you seen Vincent around?" She asked two of the girls, whose families were farmers from the estate and came to work at the land lord's manor.

The cheerful redheaded maid seemed to think about it for a moment before bobbing politely. "I believe he'll be back in a minute, miss."

"Ah," Marion nodded before trying to figure out exactly what the maids were up to. "What were you two in that old basement for anyways? No one uses it, so there's hardly any reason to clean it."

"It was Mister Vincent's orders, miss. He asked us to sort of the old storage since the former master's atelier will be demolished soon. So we'll be moving the old papers and such here."

Marion seemed startled by the fact. "What is this, now?" She asked confusedly. "I haven't heard anything about such a thing."

Emma and Anne looked at each other with equal confusion. "But, miss. Mister Vincent said that is was what you wanted--"

Marion's grey eyes were widened at that. She most certainly had never said anything of the sort so why...did Vincent say that she had? He had never hidden anything from her before.

"Should we stop, miss?"

Marion shook her head and smiled. "No, please do continue. I'm afraid I must have forgotten about it, that's all."

Turning to head off, she stopped when the maid seemed to have forgotten something. "Ah! Miss! We found some of your late mother's things. Would you care for them?"

Opening one of the heavy boxes, Marion peeked inside to be delighted by the nostalgic items, taking them out of the chest. "Why! It's my mother's jewellery box!" Marion laughed joyfully. "I used to love to sneak pieces out to wear."

"How wonderful, miss!" The maids oohed over the collection as well, sharing in her mirth.

'Hm?' Marion paused eyeing a bound journal and picking it up. 'Is that a diary?'

"You girls!" A terribly displeased voice entered upon them, making the three turn. "What are you doing? Letting our Lady help you with such chores!"

Marion set the diary atop her books and stood up as the maids bowed embarrassedly and apologising profusely.

"It's fine Vincent," She smiled, waving off the incident. "Here, look! It's mother's old things." She showed him the box.

Vincent sighed before smiling gently at Marion. "...I'll keep those safe for you. Was there anything else in it?"

Marion shook her head with a "...no," before bending down to pick up her own books, with her mother's diary included.

"Well, then. It's almost time for dinner, Lady Marion. Please prepare and come to the dining room." He bowed before walking off with the box in hand.

Smiling as he left, Marion clutched the books tightly. 「 I...lied to Vincent for the first time. 」

●

Night had come, casting a heavy dark blanket over the manor. Marion lay on her bed with a candle lit beside as she turned the pages to the diary.「 I'm sorry, Vincent. But I wanted to read mother's diary no matter what. 」She mentally apologised.  

She smiled softly in happiness though, forgetting her guilt as she read the familiar graceful script of her mother, almost hearing her soft voice as she read her words.

『 My long-awaited daughter was finally born today-- 』

『When I patted my lap, my sweet baby came toddling over to my side. She's such an angel-- 』 

『 Marion is wearing the dress I made for her today-- 』

Marin giggled as she read her mother's gushing, remembering her mother's hobby of making her dresses herself. She flipped through the pages again and came to the later entries, which stopped her cold.

『 I can't let him near Marion. 』

Feeling a cold chill, Marion went still as she read the sudden change of her mother's soft and joyful tone.

『 How should I say it? The feelings he has towards my little girl are not one a family should have. I'm so sorry, my little angel. I'm going to leave to be with your father... 』

Marion sat up suddenly, closing the diary and she pondered over the meaning. 「 How can this be? 」She wondered at her discovery. 「 Father was supposed to have run off with a younger woman. It was because of that, mother took her own life. But saying that she was leaving to be with him is almost as if... 」

Grabbing the diary, Marion ran out of her room to find Vincent. Surely he would know what it would mean? Running down the hall lit by a few lights she skidded to a stop before a window.

Vincent was below on the grounds by the stone incinerator in the gardens. He was holding the box of her mother's things that she had given him earlier that day, making her wonder what he was doing.

However, her blood ran cold as she saw him throw it into the fire, his eyes expressionless and near murderous. It was such a terrifying look that she turned away from the window, hiding before the wall. She had never seen such an expression on him before and it frightened her.