Chapter 10

 

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Suddenly, he noticed the girl still gripping his hand.

“…!”

He looked back and forth in alarm between his hand and the girl.

He finally understood the strange feeling crawling in his stomach!

It was displeasure.

Having his hand held by an unknown girl! Such boldness in grabbing a young master’s hand was truly rude and despicable.

He roughly yanked his hand away.

Was it because he put in too much strength? Or was it a bit of panic?

Ronny clumsily fell backward, landing hard on his bottom.

“Ugh.”

It genuinely hurt, so he involuntarily grimaced and groaned.

Damn, what was this? All because of that weird girl.

As he tried to get up, a cream-colored dress fluttered into his view.

“…!”

He flinched slightly and backed away a little, still sitting down.

Suppressing his embarrassment, he tried to maintain a stern face and looked up.

Was she surprised? Or concerned?

The already large eyes of the girl seemed even larger as she looked at him.

Are you okay?

She asked silently with her lips, extending a hand to him.

Probably offering to help him up.

Hmph, as if he would accept help from an unknown girl.

He had seen several con artists come and go through his estate.

They always brought girls, claiming to be ‘lost daughters’ to his father, and it was always a lie.

This girl must be one of those con artists.

‘I will never be fooled. I haven’t been fooled so far….’

No matter how heart-flutteringly pretty the girl was, he wouldn’t be deceived.

…Of course, that didn’t mean the girl in front of him was particularly pretty.

It was just a way to express how resolute his heart was.

“I, I….”

Ronny stood up without Melody’s help, eyeing the skinny girl warily, and then shouted with resolve.

“Con artist! Go back to your home! Are you trying to freeload in our house?!”

He proudly yelled and quickly turned, running out of the room.

Meanwhile, Melody, unaware of his fierce internal struggle, watched his retreating back and smiled bitterly.

‘He really doesn’t like me much….’

Melody had braced herself somewhat since coming to this house.

The Duke and his sons would surely come to deeply adore Loretta.

It was certain they would see anyone Loretta trusted and followed as an irritation.

Still, she didn’t expect to be disliked so soon….

“Melody?”

Startled by a small voice behind her, Melody quickly turned around.

A lovely Loretta, dressed prettily, was rubbing her eyes and fidgeting.

So cute…!

Melody had to suppress the urge to scream. She didn’t want to startle Loretta!

“Miss, did you sleep well?”

“Melody’s words are scary.”

“That’s unavoidable, miss. Because you’re the miss.”

“Loretta’s name isn’t Miss.”

It seemed she really disliked being called ‘Miss’. Even though she understood the term, she resisted it so much.

Well, Melody would probably feel weird too if Loretta suddenly changed her way of speaking.

“It can’t be helped. Then we’ll speak like this only when we’re together. Alright? It’s a secret?”

“Yep!”

Loretta nodded happily.

“Making secrets with Melody makes me happy.”

“Having a secret makes me happy too.”

The two girls smiled and laughed together, foreheads touching.

A new day in their new home had begun, but they were together, just like before. Without change.

The Duke, despite his busy schedule, always made time to converse with the children whenever he encountered them.

These were simple exchanges about the weather, their mood, or just greetings.

However, even these brief interactions took a somewhat odd turn when he was alone with Loretta.

“You’re Loretta’s pot of gold, a big pot!” she would declare joyously, arms raised high. Clearly, Loretta too enjoyed life in the Duke’s estate with Melody.

“I’ll be your pot of gold too, one day.” she promised.

Unsure of how to respond, the Duke simply thanked her.

Loretta, satisfied with his answer, giggled and disappeared down the corridor.

The servants also treated the two girls very well.

Since the Duke referred to the girls as ‘guests,’ they were given the corresponding respect and care.

Especially ‘Grandmother,’ who always seemed to be scolding but, upon closer observation, was always caring and kind.

In this stable environment, Melody realized something: ‘Grandmother’ was actually the wife of Butler Higgins, a character who barely appeared in the original story.

“I heard you refer to my wife as ‘Grandmother,’ Miss Melody,” Butler Higgins mentioned when he brought up the issue of the nickname.

Melody quickly apologized, bowing. She, too, had thought it a bit presumptuous.

After all, no one else in the mansion casually called Mrs. Higgins that way. Only Loretta and Melody did.

“It’s fine. My wife seems to really enjoy being called that.”

“Really? She likes it?”

Melody asked, surprised, to which the butler smiled kindly and nodded.

“Yes, she’s bragged to me about it several times. She likes being called ‘Grandmother.'”

Higgins inwardly envied his wife. They had no grandchildren, or even children, to ever hear such endearments.

“I’m relieved she likes it, but it still feels a bit out of place for me.”

Still, Melody was concerned about using an inappropriate term.

“Miss Melody, you are a guest invited by the master of this house.”

Higgins seemed to sense her discomfort and offered some reassurance.

“No one here will speak or think ill of you.”

“I’m not that remarkable, really. I’m just…”

A commoner and a convict’s daughter, both of which were marks of disdain to everyone.

“Miss Melody.”

“Yes?”

“You should go out to the garden and enjoy the sunshine. I’ll arrange some snacks for you.”

As Melody already had plans to explore the garden with Loretta, she quickly nodded in agreement.

“Thank you.”

“It’s nothing to thank me for, but… well…”

Butler Higgins hesitated, as if he had something important to say. Melody waited patiently, looking at him intently.

“My wife enjoys being called ‘Grandmother’ by you, so…”

So?

His statement trailed off ambiguously.

“Butler?”

Melody prompted him, and he smiled sheepishly, wrinkling the corners of his eyes.

“It wouldn’t be right to ask too much of you.”

“Please, if there’s anything you need me to do, just ask!”

Despite Melody’s eagerness, Higgins merely continued to smile warmly.

However, not all the servants were as devotedly loyal to the Duke as the Higgins couple.

Some harbored curiosity about Loretta and Melody, especially regarding whether Loretta was truly the Duke’s daughter.

Particularly those servants closely attending to the girls wondered if they were unwittingly serving mere commoner con artists, should Loretta not be the Duke’s daughter.

Everyone was waiting for the day the Duke would take Loretta to the temple to confirm her lineage.

But the Duke was so overwhelmed with duties, summoned daily by the Emperor from morning to night, that the girls’ stay at the mansion, and their free room and board, was prolonged.

“I’m not planning to go to town for a while.”

As Loretta and Melody spent their time in the garden, their maids, Alta and Patty, sat on a small bench, engaging in a secretive conversation.

“Not going to town? Didn’t you say you live for the pride of wearing the Baldwin family badge?”

Their clothes all bore a tiny badge with the Baldwin crest, a source of immense pride as it signified their belonging to the house.

“Yes, I said that. But…”

Alta sighed deeply, as if the ground beneath her was sinking.

“Do you know what an old colleague I met at the store said to me?”

“What did you hear?”

“Well. They said, ‘What’s the point of working at Baldwin’s, serving a girl whose identity we don’t even know?’ I was so infuriated!”

What angered her more wasn’t just hearing such words.

It was the fact that she couldn’t retort at the moment.

“So, you really didn’t say anything back?”

“What could I have said in that situation?!”

“Maybe… that the young lady somewhat resembles the Lady’s portrait?”

“How could I say that! I would have only received scornful remarks about how many girls like her have shown up before.”

“Well, that’s true.”

“Oh, really! I just wish the Duke would sort this out soon!”

Unfortunately, their master was out of the mansion since dawn and was not present.

“It seems like the Duke doesn’t really have much interest in the young lady. He greets her when passing by, but he never invited her for a meal separately.”

“Well, it’s unlikely for the Duke to get attached to a girl who might be a fake daughter.”

“But we maids are the ones feeling embarrassed. I wish he’d just hurry up and conclude this matter.”

 

While she was stomping her feet in frustration,

Loretta, who was far away, ran towards the two maids.

The lovely child smiled gently and clasped her hands lightly.

“I want to drink water, Loretta thirsty.”

“Are you thirsty, Miss?”

“Yes. And I’ll give some to Melody too.”

“I’ll bring it right away. Could you wait for a moment?”

“Okay. I’ll wait.”

Soon, the maid returned with a tray of cool water.

The maids followed Loretta through the garden, heading towards Melody in the distance.

Then, Alta suddenly spoke to Loretta.

“Miss Loretta?”

“Yes?”

“Aren’t you curious?”

“About what?”

“Whether you are the Duke’s daughter or not.”

Patty gasped, whispering, ‘Are you crazy?!’ But Alta calmed her with a ‘Just wait a moment,’ and turned back to Loretta.

“Don’t you want to know if you’re the Duke’s daughter?”

“I know.”

“You know?”

“Loretta is the Duke’s daughter.”

“Who told you that? Did a priest in white robes tell you?”

“No, not him. Melody did.”

Seeing the maids’ doubtful expressions, Loretta decided to share something they didn’t know.

In a slightly softer voice.

“Melody is really smart.”

Thus, there was no doubt in Loretta’s mind that what Melody said was the truth.