Chapter 8

 

***

 

“A newly hatched chick would have thicker legs than you.”

Melody thought this was an exaggeration, but she didn’t want to provoke the woman’s anger, so she didn’t argue.

“What’s your name?”

“Melody, ma’am.”

Despite Melody’s polite response, the woman frowned. Melody grew more worried, wondering if she had said something wrong.

“A tiny lamb calling me ‘ma’am’ is enough! A peanut like you already imitating an adult.”

Should she call her ‘grandmother’? But that seemed like a term for someone very close and affectionate.

The intimidating lady, or rather, ‘grandmother’, saw Melody fidgeting with her fingertips and clicked her tongue.

“Follow me if you understand. Melanin.”

Uh-oh. Suddenly she had a chemical name.

Regardless, it seemed she was being invited inside the mansion, so Melody hurriedly gathered her luggage from around the carriage.

Then the grandmother turned around and scolded loudly.

“Are you planning to carry that luggage with those chick-like arms?!”

She yelled that Melody wouldn’t be able to enter the mansion until tomorrow with that plan.

“So, this luggage…”

As Melody hesitated, the grandmother came back to her, huffing and puffing, and raised one arm.

Melody instinctively turned her head away and closed her eyes tightly.

Now she understood why the grandmother felt familiar.

She was similar to her mother.

Loudly scolding over trivial matters.

And unable to control her anger, resorting to physical actions.

As the sound of footsteps approached, Melody braced for pain and bit her lip.

However, the expected did not happen. Instead, her hands just felt lighter.

…Lighter?

Confused by the unexpected turn of events, Melody opened her eyes wide and looked in front.

The grandmother was holding Melody’s luggage in both hands, stomping ahead.

“You filthy little lamb, brought so much luggage. Are you trying to break this old woman’s arms?”

Melody thought her luggage wasn’t that much…

But she couldn’t complain to someone who was carrying all her bundles.

She followed the grandmother, hopping along, and thanked her for carrying the luggage.

The grandmother just snorted in response.

 

***

 

The place Melody followed her to was a small bath on the first floor.

‘Small’ in the context of this mansion.

So, Melody was quite surprised to find a bath larger than her own house.

“Don’t just blink your dirty little lamb eyes. Take off those filthy rags quickly! You’re not expecting me to undress you, are you?”

While saying this, the grandmother poured a salt-like substance into a large bathtub.

Melody hurriedly undressed and then looked at the grandmother again, unsure where to wash herself.

Surely, that grand and majestic bathtub couldn’t be for her.

“Aren’t you planning to become a sick lamb if you don’t get into the water quickly? I’ll throw you in if you don’t!”

Frightened by the severe threat, Melody quickly jumped into the pleasantly scented water.

It was a bit… hot.

She didn’t dare to tell the grandmother.

“Why can’t you say it’s hot if it’s hot?”

But it seemed her discomfort from the heat was evident on her face.

The grandmother quickly added some cold water. The temperature became comfortably warm.

Melody felt the fatigue from the long carriage journey wash away.

“You’ll have to stay quietly in there for the next 15 minutes. Understand?”

The grandmother brought a gold-decorated hourglass and flipped it over.

“If you come out of the water before all the sand has run out, expect to be spanked a hundred times!”

She threatened, and Melody quickly assured her.

“I feel so good I might stay longer than 15 minutes.”

“Damn it, where did such a cunning thing come from?”

The grandmother grumbled, then brought a basket and poured its contents into the bathtub.

Everything floated on the water like toys, and Melody realized she had never owned such toys in her entire life. The toys were all shaped like animals, including a lamb, a chick, and surprisingly, a sloth. They were very cute.

“Threatening this old woman to bring toys because you’ll stay in the bathtub for more than 15 minutes! You’re quite cunning. How’s the water temperature?”

“A little cool, but it’s okay.”

“Damn it, you’re so much trouble. What kind of water temperature preference is that?”

The grandmother complained again and added a bit more hot water.

The water warmed up again, making Melody’s body feel like it was melting. She smiled and said, “Thank you. I feel really good.”

“You’re like a lamb that’s only half cleaned. Give me that dirty head of yours.”

The grandmother thoroughly washed Melody’s tangled hair and cleaned her body.

“Look at this dirty, black water. Doesn’t it smell foul?”

“I only smell the soap. It smells really nice.”

“Are you complaining now, wanting me to apply scented oils? Such a troublesome child!”

“That’s not what I meant. I’ve never even seen scented oils before.”

“You’re really from the countryside.”

The grandmother brought several bottles of scented oil and placed them near the bathtub.

When Melody asked, “Can I touch them?” the grandmother allowed her to, as if doing her a favor. She even chose Melody’s favorite scent and applied it to her hair.

“Hmph, do you think you’ll look like a capital city child doing this?”

The grandmother grumbled but made Melody clean and pretty. She smelled really good.

Soon, all the sand in the hourglass had run out.

Melody actually wanted to stay in the bathtub longer than 15 minutes, but after being in the water for a while…

Her stomach growled.

“It sounds like there’s a real lamb in your stomach.”

The grandmother laughed and brought a big, fluffy towel.

“Put strength in those unimpressive legs and stand up. If you fall in the bathroom, you’ll be unlucky for three years, and we don’t need unlucky lambs in this mansion.”

Of course, Melody listened very carefully. She didn’t want to become unwanted in this mansion.

She carefully got out of the bathtub, and a warm towel wrapped around her.

“Hold onto the towel tightly. If you drop it and catch a cold, I’ll hang you upside down from an oak tree.”

“I’ll hold the towel well so you won’t be bothered, grandmother. Please don’t hang me from a tree.”

The grandmother seemed pleased with this response.

She nodded and rarely smiled.

“I hate children who are a nuisance.”

The grandmother thoroughly dried Melody with another towel.

After leaving the bathroom, Melody saw a small room with a lit fireplace. It felt lived in, and she guessed it was the grandmother’s space.

“Grandmother, where is my luggage?”

“Why are you looking for that dirty bundle?”

“I need to get dressed.”

“Do you intend to waste my efforts with those worn-out sheepskin clothes? They stink like a rotten rag!”

The grandmother handed Melody a small dress and new underwear placed near the sofa.

“Wear these. I can’t let even an annoying child go naked.”

The cream-colored dress seemed plain by noble standards, but to Melody, it looked like something only princesses would wear.

She stared at the rustling lace with enchanted eyes for a long time.

“What’s with that look? Don’t tell me you don’t like it!”

Remembering the grandmother’s past actions, Melody quickly hugged the dress tightly, making sure it couldn’t be taken away.

“I love it! Your taste is amazing, grandmother!”

“Hmph, of course. Who do you think manages the staff of this ducal house?”

She proudly sat near the fireplace, starting to grumble again.

“Why is this fire so weak? Are you trying to kill an old woman with a cold?”

Melody felt guilty for briefly thinking the grandmother was similar to her mother.

They were very different.

Both seemed to grumble endlessly, but the grandmother appeared to be a good person.

Feeling more relaxed, Melody suddenly felt a slight headache and dizziness.

“Uh…?”

Just as Melody realized something was off with her condition…

She collapsed.

She had already collapsed on the carpet floor.

Melody had experienced a similar feeling before.

It was when her mother, addicted to gambling, didn’t come home for several days.

Melody, who was very young at the time, had waited for her mother in bed, unable to eat anything.

She had searched the kitchen a few times, but there was no food to be found.

And she didn’t have any money to buy food, so she had no choice but to starve.

She had felt dizzy and lost consciousness like this before.

And another time, when Melody wasn’t herself.

It was a memory she wanted to forget, and now it was only vaguely remembered, but a few fragments still remained in her mind.

Ugh, I don’t want to remember.

Melody lowered her head and slowly regained consciousness.

When she slowly opened her eyes that wouldn’t fully open, she saw a ceiling decorated with ornate patterns.

“…?”

Melody stared blankly at the ceiling for a while before suddenly remembering something important.

“Loretta!”

“Oh my, you startled me!”

Then, she heard the grandmother’s shout from near the bed. Melody immediately stood up and looked at the grandmother.

The grandmother was so surprised that she was holding her chest, looking at Melody.

“This little thing is repaying kindness with ingratitude? Huh? Are you planning to kill this old woman by shocking her weak heart?!”

“I’m sorry.”

“And calling me Loretta so casually! Once the confirmation at the temple is over, Miss Loretta will become the undisputed daughter of the Duke!”

“I know. Even without the temple’s confirmation, I’m sure Loretta is the Duke’s daughter.”

“Haha, who would believe the words of someone who can’t even control their own body?”

The grandmother placed a bedside table next to Melody and a steaming teapot on top of it.

The delicious aroma wafted up, making Melody drool.