The sun had set. Two days later, Angie returned to Blackwell Heights with a restless heart. Mrs. Dunst greeted her as usual, calmly. Angie's inexplicable distress seemed insignificant. Kyle's tone of voice beyond the curtain had not changed at all.
That day, too, the young master sat upright on the bed behind the thick curtains, silently listening to her recitation of Macbeth. The room was filled with the sweet smell of freshly baked scones and biscotti mixed with the sweet scent of eucalyptus leaves and Yorkshire tea.
As usual, Angie finished a chapter, put the book down on her lap, and reached for her teacup on the table. As she quietly chewed a biscotti and took a few sips of tea, a majestic Gregorian chant wafted softly through the room from an old gramophone. The monks of the Benedictine Abbey of Saint-Maurice were singing the Te Deum, a hymn of praise, in beautiful harmony.
My lord, did you happen to see me walking home from outside the window two days ago?
Angie wanted to ask that question beyond the curtain. But in the end, she decided not to ask anything. Instead, she asked something else.
“Master Kyle.”
From some point on, the way she addressed him changed from “Master” to “Kyle” and then “Kai” again. Of course, this was with the Master’s permission.
Beyond the curtain, silence flowed. Unless the command to 'get out' was given, the silence was a tacit approval. It was permission to continue on to the next chapter or to say something else.
Last month, he had asked to leave just once. There was a sound of something falling to the floor, and a faint groan echoed through the curtains. When Angie called Kai, the young master dismissed her calls with a single word.
"Get out. Right now."
Angie was not stupid. She sensed something very eerie and disturbing in his voice. She left the room and called Mrs. Dunst.
The lady hurried up to the master's room, and another maid hurriedly sent Angie out of the house. As soon as she stepped out of the hallway, the coachman came over and said that he would take her home on a special day, and even put her in the carriage.
As the carriage began to move, the sound of horse hooves could be heard, and it seemed as if a scream had come from somewhere far away. The early winter days had become much shorter, but they had ended two hours earlier than usual and were still before the spiders set. Under the gray sky where the sunlight lingered, a scream from someone else pierced Angie's ears.
Whose... is this? Could it be the young master? No. It can’t be. It also sounds like a crow croaking.
It was too inhumane to be a human scream. It was too pitiful and deafening to be a bird's cry. No matter how much she thought about it, Angie could only interpret it as an expression of unspeakable pain through tone.
Angie trembled faintly in the carriage. Even as she returned home and had dinner with her parents, the heartbreaking screams did not leave her mind. And the next day, she heard her father talking to her mother through the door.
"You said there were large crow carcasses strewn across the Duke's garden yesterday? It was a horrible sight as if they had been biting and tearing each other to death."
It was a bird, after all. Only then did Angie feel a sense of relief.
“Tell me. What is it?”
At the sound of the master's voice, Angie, who had been thinking about the past for a moment, suddenly raised her head.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know if I can ask this. Kai’s health...”
Angie swallowed nervously and continued.
“Is it true that you are getting better little by little?”
Silence flowed. It was so long that it was chilling. She thought she had asked something pointless, and when she felt like biting her tongue, a reply came from beyond the curtain.
“Why... are you worried?”
Was it because of the mood? It sounded softer than usual. Looking back, his voice had been getting warmer little by little. The cold and dry tone of the first day had become more friendly and warm as her visits continued.
“Yes. I’m worried.”
There was silence once again.
“How could I not be worried? Always like this...”
He has to stay in the house, in the room. He has to spend most of the day lying in bed. Angie expressed her feelings in other words.
“I hope Kai gets better soon so you can touch the snow piled up outside and walk on it. The snow is really pretty.”
Angie, remembering Mrs. Dunst's words, quickly added a word.
“Of course, you can go out at night, but still... it might be different from what you see during the day.”
There was no answer. Angie held her breath, wondering if she had offended him with her words. Fortunately, the young master did not seem angry.
“Please continue reading the next chapter.”
It was a calm voice. Angie continued reading Macbeth at the request of the young master. When they reached the passage where the witches summoned the spirits of hell in front of Macbeth, who had come to see them, and told him prophecies about the future, Angie was reading the passage where the spirit in the form of a bloody girl foretold King Macbeth’s future.
“No human born of a woman’s womb can harm Macbeth, so he has nothing to fear.”
“Angie.”
He called her over and stopped her reading.
“That girl’s spirit’s prophecy... Do you know what it means?”
“Yes. The prophecy came true in the end, because Macduff, who attacked Macbeth, was born by cesarean section rather than from his mother’s womb before the full moon.”
But why that prophecy? Angie's face was filled with a look of puzzlement. That puzzlement turned into shock at the young master's sudden confession.
“Me too. I, like Macduff... was born from my mother’s womb before the full moon.”
“...”
“That’s why I’m not normal. That’s why my mother ended up passing away.”
“...”
“Surprised?”
"Yes."
Angie spoke honestly and from the heart. She didn't realize that it was this that had captured the heart of the young master, who had built a strong castle behind the curtains from the beginning and had kept all visitors out.
"Scared?"
"Yes...?"
“Are you scared of me? Am I horrible?”
“...”
“Answer me, Angie.”
The voice of the master beyond the curtain made Angie's heart flutter a little on that frosty day. But she quickly regained her composure.
She didn't know the exact circumstances, but it wasn't the master's fault. The mother had a problem and had to have a cesarean section, which wasn't the child's will. The mother's death wasn't his fault either. Like all living things in the world, Kai didn't choose to be born.
“No. It’s not scary. It’s not terrible.”
Angie spoke carefully, but clearly.
“It’s not Kai’s fault.”
After a long silence, the master continued speaking.
“...Please keep reading.”
Angie cleared her throat once and picked up the book on her lap. There was no wavering in her tone as she began to read again. The next chapter was almost over, and the early winter twilight was slowly coloring the sky. It was time to go.
“Kai, have a nice weekend. I’ll see you again on Monday.”
“Just a minute, Angie.”
As she was putting her book on the table and getting up from her seat, the master asked in a somewhat hesitant tone from beyond the curtain.
“Next Wednesday... isn’t that your eighteenth birthday?”
“Oh, that’s right. How did you know?”
“I heard from Mrs. Dunst. She said that if you come here the day before your birthday, she will prepare a cake in advance.”
“Oh, really?”
It was surprising that Mrs. Dunst, who was always solemn and blunt, was so considerate of my birthday. But the real surprise wasn't her kindness.
“Tell me what you want.”
"Yes?"
“I don’t know what you like or what you would like. So I would like you to just tell me directly. It would be better to give the other person a gift that would really make them happy... because it would be meaningful as a gift.”
“Uh... but. That also...”
Angie scratched her head with one hand. There was nothing in particular that she wanted. Like all other families, hers was modest but affluent.
Clothes were always made in various ways by her mother or by the tailor, and she could bring in as much fabric as she wanted to make herself. The island, surrounded by the sea, had plenty to eat thanks to the farms that made good use of the fertile soil and the seafood. In addition, since Angie came here as a companion to the master, she could always taste and take home rare sweets and desserts that she had never seen before.
“Is there anything you want?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never really thought about wanting something. My favorite thing is books... There are a lot of books in the village library, and I don’t really lack anything.”
She never thought of wanting something - Angie later recalled this conversation and shuddered at the words that came out of her mouth. She could not help but reflect on the tremendous meaning that those words contained. It was the terrible happiness of everyday life, where natural human emotions were obliterated.
“Oh, sometimes...”
Sometimes, Angie would become curious about the concept of a 'boyfriend' that she saw in books.
That day, too, the young master sat upright on the bed behind the thick curtains, silently listening to her recitation of Macbeth. The room was filled with the sweet smell of freshly baked scones and biscotti mixed with the sweet scent of eucalyptus leaves and Yorkshire tea.
As usual, Angie finished a chapter, put the book down on her lap, and reached for her teacup on the table. As she quietly chewed a biscotti and took a few sips of tea, a majestic Gregorian chant wafted softly through the room from an old gramophone. The monks of the Benedictine Abbey of Saint-Maurice were singing the Te Deum, a hymn of praise, in beautiful harmony.
My lord, did you happen to see me walking home from outside the window two days ago?
Angie wanted to ask that question beyond the curtain. But in the end, she decided not to ask anything. Instead, she asked something else.
“Master Kyle.”
From some point on, the way she addressed him changed from “Master” to “Kyle” and then “Kai” again. Of course, this was with the Master’s permission.
Beyond the curtain, silence flowed. Unless the command to 'get out' was given, the silence was a tacit approval. It was permission to continue on to the next chapter or to say something else.
Last month, he had asked to leave just once. There was a sound of something falling to the floor, and a faint groan echoed through the curtains. When Angie called Kai, the young master dismissed her calls with a single word.
"Get out. Right now."
Angie was not stupid. She sensed something very eerie and disturbing in his voice. She left the room and called Mrs. Dunst.
The lady hurried up to the master's room, and another maid hurriedly sent Angie out of the house. As soon as she stepped out of the hallway, the coachman came over and said that he would take her home on a special day, and even put her in the carriage.
As the carriage began to move, the sound of horse hooves could be heard, and it seemed as if a scream had come from somewhere far away. The early winter days had become much shorter, but they had ended two hours earlier than usual and were still before the spiders set. Under the gray sky where the sunlight lingered, a scream from someone else pierced Angie's ears.
Whose... is this? Could it be the young master? No. It can’t be. It also sounds like a crow croaking.
It was too inhumane to be a human scream. It was too pitiful and deafening to be a bird's cry. No matter how much she thought about it, Angie could only interpret it as an expression of unspeakable pain through tone.
Angie trembled faintly in the carriage. Even as she returned home and had dinner with her parents, the heartbreaking screams did not leave her mind. And the next day, she heard her father talking to her mother through the door.
"You said there were large crow carcasses strewn across the Duke's garden yesterday? It was a horrible sight as if they had been biting and tearing each other to death."
It was a bird, after all. Only then did Angie feel a sense of relief.
“Tell me. What is it?”
At the sound of the master's voice, Angie, who had been thinking about the past for a moment, suddenly raised her head.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know if I can ask this. Kai’s health...”
Angie swallowed nervously and continued.
“Is it true that you are getting better little by little?”
Silence flowed. It was so long that it was chilling. She thought she had asked something pointless, and when she felt like biting her tongue, a reply came from beyond the curtain.
“Why... are you worried?”
Was it because of the mood? It sounded softer than usual. Looking back, his voice had been getting warmer little by little. The cold and dry tone of the first day had become more friendly and warm as her visits continued.
“Yes. I’m worried.”
There was silence once again.
“How could I not be worried? Always like this...”
He has to stay in the house, in the room. He has to spend most of the day lying in bed. Angie expressed her feelings in other words.
“I hope Kai gets better soon so you can touch the snow piled up outside and walk on it. The snow is really pretty.”
Angie, remembering Mrs. Dunst's words, quickly added a word.
“Of course, you can go out at night, but still... it might be different from what you see during the day.”
There was no answer. Angie held her breath, wondering if she had offended him with her words. Fortunately, the young master did not seem angry.
“Please continue reading the next chapter.”
It was a calm voice. Angie continued reading Macbeth at the request of the young master. When they reached the passage where the witches summoned the spirits of hell in front of Macbeth, who had come to see them, and told him prophecies about the future, Angie was reading the passage where the spirit in the form of a bloody girl foretold King Macbeth’s future.
“No human born of a woman’s womb can harm Macbeth, so he has nothing to fear.”
“Angie.”
He called her over and stopped her reading.
“That girl’s spirit’s prophecy... Do you know what it means?”
“Yes. The prophecy came true in the end, because Macduff, who attacked Macbeth, was born by cesarean section rather than from his mother’s womb before the full moon.”
But why that prophecy? Angie's face was filled with a look of puzzlement. That puzzlement turned into shock at the young master's sudden confession.
“Me too. I, like Macduff... was born from my mother’s womb before the full moon.”
“...”
“That’s why I’m not normal. That’s why my mother ended up passing away.”
“...”
“Surprised?”
"Yes."
Angie spoke honestly and from the heart. She didn't realize that it was this that had captured the heart of the young master, who had built a strong castle behind the curtains from the beginning and had kept all visitors out.
"Scared?"
"Yes...?"
“Are you scared of me? Am I horrible?”
“...”
“Answer me, Angie.”
The voice of the master beyond the curtain made Angie's heart flutter a little on that frosty day. But she quickly regained her composure.
She didn't know the exact circumstances, but it wasn't the master's fault. The mother had a problem and had to have a cesarean section, which wasn't the child's will. The mother's death wasn't his fault either. Like all living things in the world, Kai didn't choose to be born.
“No. It’s not scary. It’s not terrible.”
Angie spoke carefully, but clearly.
“It’s not Kai’s fault.”
After a long silence, the master continued speaking.
“...Please keep reading.”
Angie cleared her throat once and picked up the book on her lap. There was no wavering in her tone as she began to read again. The next chapter was almost over, and the early winter twilight was slowly coloring the sky. It was time to go.
“Kai, have a nice weekend. I’ll see you again on Monday.”
“Just a minute, Angie.”
As she was putting her book on the table and getting up from her seat, the master asked in a somewhat hesitant tone from beyond the curtain.
“Next Wednesday... isn’t that your eighteenth birthday?”
“Oh, that’s right. How did you know?”
“I heard from Mrs. Dunst. She said that if you come here the day before your birthday, she will prepare a cake in advance.”
“Oh, really?”
It was surprising that Mrs. Dunst, who was always solemn and blunt, was so considerate of my birthday. But the real surprise wasn't her kindness.
“Tell me what you want.”
"Yes?"
“I don’t know what you like or what you would like. So I would like you to just tell me directly. It would be better to give the other person a gift that would really make them happy... because it would be meaningful as a gift.”
“Uh... but. That also...”
Angie scratched her head with one hand. There was nothing in particular that she wanted. Like all other families, hers was modest but affluent.
Clothes were always made in various ways by her mother or by the tailor, and she could bring in as much fabric as she wanted to make herself. The island, surrounded by the sea, had plenty to eat thanks to the farms that made good use of the fertile soil and the seafood. In addition, since Angie came here as a companion to the master, she could always taste and take home rare sweets and desserts that she had never seen before.
“Is there anything you want?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never really thought about wanting something. My favorite thing is books... There are a lot of books in the village library, and I don’t really lack anything.”
She never thought of wanting something - Angie later recalled this conversation and shuddered at the words that came out of her mouth. She could not help but reflect on the tremendous meaning that those words contained. It was the terrible happiness of everyday life, where natural human emotions were obliterated.
“Oh, sometimes...”
Sometimes, Angie would become curious about the concept of a 'boyfriend' that she saw in books.
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