“Episode 8”
“Isabella, what on earth happened?”
Ethan’s face contorted beautifully as he returned with grape seedlings just two hours later. The reason for his transformed expression was the bee sting on his hand, mercilessly inflicted by a sharp beak.
“I’m really sorry. I thought I had gathered all the parrots in the garden before leaving…”
“No need to apologize. It’s not even bleeding, just a slight mark.”
“…Leaving you alone wasn’t the plan; it’s all my fault.”
With a voice filled with guilt, he cautiously took his hand away. Then, with lips pressed tightly together, he grimaced and rubbed his lips vigorously against the swollen hand.
“I’m truly sorry. I’ll make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
“It’s okay. It’ll be fine by tomorrow. Maybe the parrot got jealous because I’ve been getting all your attention lately.”
It was a joke, but a dark shadow fell over his eyes.
Trying to quickly change the subject like an angry person, I pointed to the grape seedling he held in his hand. Sweat dripped down my forehead.
“Ethan, what’s the name of this yellow-feathered one?”
“…Emily.”
“Emily, what a lovely name.”
Ethan looked at Emily with a murky gaze. Although he was an eccentric parrot enthusiast, I doubted he would mistreat the parrot, but I felt uneasy and changed the subject.
“Can I see the grape seedling?”
Hastily changing the subject, I gestured to the grape seedling in his hand. A cold sweat broke out on my forehead.
“…I’ve picked out sturdy seedlings. I plan to plant them in the garden. Will you come with me?”
“Yes, sure.”
His voice was as affectionate as usual, but the gaze in his eyes was icy.
As I hesitated while reading his mood, he silently lifted the corners of his mouth. It was the same ecstatic smile as always, but for some reason, it felt unsettling.
“Well then, it’s a bit late, but shall we introduce you to the garden?”
Enclosed by a large iron fence like a large birdcage, the garden resembled a large aviary.
“It’ll be much more beautiful inside. Come on in.”
I took his hand and stepped into the aviary garden together.
Towards the end of autumn, dozens of parrots flew freely over the cosmos flowers in full bloom.
“It’s really, really beautiful.”
Was this what it felt like to be in heaven? As the autumn breeze seeped into the aviary garden, it gently brushed through his hair.
As I stared at his swaying hair entranced, he softly curved his eyes. With just a slight smile, warmth spread over my cheeks.
He called himself a monster, but to me, he looked more like an angel described in the scriptures.
“Isabella, come here quickly. I think this spot will do.”
While strolling through the garden with him, we decided on a spot to plant the grape seedlings.
“Ethan, when will the seedlings bear fruit if we plant them now?”
“Hmm, since the seedlings are still small, it’ll probably take at least two years for the grapes to bear fruit, don’t you think?”
Two years… Would I still be in the haunted mansion by then?
“Isabella, since we promised to do this together, will you wait even if it takes a long time?”
“…How long does the wine need to mature after it’s made?”
“Well, you’ll probably have to wait at least six months to a year.”
“So it’ll take three years to have a glass of wine?”
“It’s the aesthetics of waiting.”
The aesthetics of waiting… In an incomplete future where you couldn’t even predict what would happen tomorrow…
Unable to give an immediate answer, I hesitated, and he asked in a low, sinking voice before finishing his sentence.
“Was it too long, Isabella?”
“Ethan…”
“Three years is too long.”
It was a pathetic tone, as if pleading for affection. Listening to his voice, memories of that day when I clung to the door of the Briarstone Manor and called Simon’s name suddenly rose up like smoke.
“…Okay. Let’s wait together.”
I swallowed the oath I couldn’t keep because of my stubborn self-pity. Only then did a bright smile bloom on his lips.
“Shall we plant them now? We need to firmly anchor them so they won’t sway in the storm.”
We dug into the garden soil with shovels and firmly planted the grape seedlings, delicately tending to the soil like caring for a newborn.
“I hope they won’t sway even in the harsh winds.”
Looking over the aviary garden through the iron fence, I saw the autumn sky. The sky was cloudless, the late autumn breeze gently touching my cheeks, and the falling leaves rustling. Everything was truly perfect.
“Isabella.”
As I smiled, enjoying the breeze, I turned my head at the sound of my name.
“You called?”
“If you’re okay with it, only you…”
Before he could finish his sentence, a single yellow feather floated through the air.
Emily perched silently on his shoulder and shook her head, her beak trembling. Finally, a voice leaked out from between her cramped beaks.
“I’m going to tell Uncle Ethan. That you touched my bedroom door lock without anyone knowing.”
2. Bird Trap
“Isabella, I’ll tell Ethan what you did. That you touched my room’s lock without permission.”
Emily’s words sent a shiver down Ethan’s spine, whose gentle smile had faded at her accusation.
“It’s not polite to touch other people’s belongings without permission, you know?”
With piercing eyes fixed on me, Ethan’s demeanor turned cold. Suddenly, Emily flew out of the cage, leaving behind only her yellow feathers.
In the silence that followed, Ethan’s lips, once curved gently, now tightened.
“…So you freely meddled with locked rooms.”
His voice, usually so gentle, now sounded unbelievably icy.
“That’s the truth…”
I found the lock lying rusty on the corridor. Since the door was open, I just peeked inside. I remembered the warning about the creaky wooden floor. I quickly glanced around the room and then closed the door immediately.”
He’s a generous person. If I’m honest, he won’t get too angry, right?
But my fleeting hope shattered in the face of his bitter disdain.
“I let you stay in my house without asking for anything in return, yet you can’t even follow the simple rules I set.”
Even the remaining shreds of hope were slaughtered by his bitter reproach.
“I’m sorry. I never intended to upset you. I promise I won’t even glance at locked doors again.”
I grabbed his sleeve desperately, not wanting to be rejected again.
“I swore to wait together for three years. Remember? There’s still plenty of time left. So please…”
“…I just like taking care of wounded animals. People who manipulate others as they please disgust me.”
His disdainful gaze crushed even the faintest hope.
Yes, I couldn’t hold onto a man who turned away. Just like Simon. Just like my father.
“I understand what you mean.”
I looked at him helplessly as his lips curled with bitter sarcasm.
“…I’ve always known how I’ve been treated. There’s nowhere for me to belong.”
With a heavy heart, I turned away from him and left the garden. The beautiful garden, like a painting, was no place for me.
I wiped the dirt off my hands vigorously. This was the extent of my life.
I walked wearily toward Ethan’s bedroom. There, I found a neatly dried green dress hanging on the wall. It was the dress I wore when I fled the Viscount’s estate.
I squeezed myself into the dress, cinching my waist until it was difficult to breathe. Then, despite the pain, I forced my swollen toes into pointed shoes.
“Isabella, wait.”
His voice pierced my ears as I tried to escape the mansion. Was he trying to stop me? Was he trying to give me another chance?
“…Take it.”
In his hand was a portable cage. Inside was a pitiful parrot.
Was this a farewell gift? How pathetic. What did I expect?
“I’ve given you the bird you wanted so badly. Now, there’s no reason for us to meet again. Now go where you belong.”
Tears welled up in my eyes as I bit my lip, trying to hold them back, but his icy words broke the dam, and tears streamed down my face.
Taking the cage in my arms, my heart, once full, now shattered like a rag.
“…Thank you. Don’t worry about the bird. Even if I’m beaten to death by my father, I’ll ask him to spare the parrot.”
With tears streaming down my cheeks, I bid him a final farewell. Clutching the cage tightly, I walked away.
He didn’t follow me, didn’t even call my name.
Despite my swollen and bloody toes, I kept walking without stopping.
“Bella?”
