Chapter 11

 

***

 

Loretta never doubted for even a moment that she was the Duke’s daughter.

“But… if you keep thinking like that, no one will believe you, Miss.”

“…?”

“Do you understand? Only when the high priest of the temple acknowledges you as the Duke’s daughter will you truly become his daughter.”

As she listened to this, Loretta tilted her head from side to side in confusion.

It seemed strange to her. She was already the Duke’s daughter, yet she needed the priest’s word to become his real daughter.

“Hmm… I don’t really understand, Miss.”

Loretta apologized, and Alta sighed deeply.

It was indeed a complicated matter for a young child to understand.

“No, it’s alright. But, it would be better if you received some attention from the Duke.”

“Why?”

“Goodness, because that would make the Duke wonder more quickly whether you are his real daughter or not! We would all breathe easier once a conclusion is reached.”

“I am the Duke’s daughter though….”

Loretta replied sullenly, and the maid continued her sermon in a teaching tone.

“Anyway, try to be charming and cute in front of the Duke as much as possible. Who would find a daughter who just sits quietly endearing?”

Loretta blinked with a confused expression, and Alta decided to change her strategy a bit.

“See, this is all for your benefit. If you can’t prove you’re the real daughter, Melody might be in danger.”

“Melody?”

As soon as the young child showed proper interest, the maid smiled slightly.

“If things stay like this, Melody might end up in jail. That’s what happened to everyone else who brought children to the Duke in the past.”

“…!”

Loretta knew what a jail was. She had read in storybooks that it was a place where bad people were punished.

A shadow fell over her small face.

“So, you need to be recognized as the Duke’s daughter as soon as possible. For Melody’s sake.”

“Okay.”

“And for your sake too. If you become the real daughter, you’ll be able to use the lady’s room on the second floor. It’s the most beautiful and splendid room in this mansion.”

Of course, the maid had never been in that room herself. She didn’t even know what the door looked like.

Only a select few servants and the Duke’s family could go up to the second floor of the mansion.

“Wouldn’t it be wonderful if I could go up there with you, Miss?”

“Is it good?”

“Of course!”

Being a servant who serves their master closely was a great honor.

Many people tried to behave properly and learn knowledge to become such a servant, but only a few actually achieved this dream.

After all, one needed to catch the master’s eye and gain his trust to make it possible.

“So, for Melody and me, please become the real Duke’s daughter as soon as possible. Understand?”

Loretta nodded in response to Alta’s words. She didn’t know much else, but she would do it for Melody.

 

***

 

The Duke of Baldwin returned to the mansion only after the moon had risen.

The butler bowed to greet him, and the Duke took a moment to quietly observe the inside of the mansion.

“It’s been changed well.”

He nodded slightly, and the butler responded with another bow.

“Yes, as per your orders, we have removed all fragile or sharp objects.”

The first floor of the Baldwin mansion, frequently visited by guests, was usually decorated with various art pieces.

However, among them were fragile and sharp objects.

His sons rarely stayed on the first floor, and even if they did, they were educated not to touch the decorations carelessly, so there was no risk of injury.

But the two young girls had the adorable skill of turning everything they saw into toys, which was somewhat worrying.

“What about the response from the temple today?”

“I’m sorry. The only answer from the high priest was that he is busy.”

“The priests sure do love to play their games.”

The Duke spoke with a tone of ridicule.

He, too, had no intention of leaving Loretta’s ambiguous status as is. Not just for the girls’ sake.

But the temple seemed to have different thoughts. No matter how urgently the Duke’s house acted, they only came up with various excuses and did not set a proper date.

It was nothing but a childish power struggle.

The high priest of the temple and the Emperor were always keeping checks on each other, and the Duke was the closest to the Emperor.

The temple must be enjoying the sight of the Duke bowing his head before them multiple times, pleading, “Please certify that she is my daughter.”

He would have been satisfied with the ‘anonymous’ donations he made.

“If they want money, I’ll give them as much as they need.”

The Duke’s order surprised the butler.

Indeed, they had never gone to such lengths to hasten the schedule of a temple visit before.

“Yes, I understand.”

However, the butler answered, keeping his emotions as hidden as possible, and then made a suggestion.

“My Lord, before you head to your office, would you like to meet the young ladies, even if just for a moment?”

“At this hour?”

“It’s not yet nine, so Melody is likely reading a fairy tale. Seeing the two of them together, you’d never find them without smiles.”

Remembering what Melody had said earlier, the Duke contemplated.

“I am strong and can cook. I can read a little and get along well with the villagers.”

Reading fairy tales meant her literacy was more than just ‘a little’. He considered dropping by to listen to her reading, but then he shook his head.

Everything was still uncertain. He didn’t want his ambiguity to inadvertently hurt the children.

Moreover, it seemed Melody was utterly convinced that Loretta was his daughter.

…The children are innocent.

“I won’t meet them.”

Surprised by his unexpected response, the butler opened his mouth slightly, but the Duke did not change his decision.

 

***

 

Around the same time, Melody joined Loretta in her room to go to bed.

The children often slept closely together on the large bed, shoulders touching.

There was one rule between them: when it was time to sleep, they would close their eyes and mouths. Otherwise, they might end up playing until dawn.

However, tonight, Loretta unusually broke their rule and spoke up.

“Melody… stay here.”

Her voice trailed off slightly, as if she was pondering something.

With her eyes still closed, Melody quietly responded.

“Okay.”

“How do you do pretty things?”

“What?”

Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Melody broke their rule too and opened her eyes.

“Pretend to be cute?”

“Yeah. Acting cute and pretty.”

Melody and Loretta turned to face each other.

As their eyes met, Melody couldn’t help but laugh.

The sight of Loretta earnestly asking how to be pretty was too adorable.

Melody’s laughter prompted Loretta to grab her sleeve, her face looking like she might cry.

“You’re laughing all by yourself. That’s mean.”

Melody giggled, “Okay, okay. I’ll teach you. Sit up for a moment.”

“Okay!”

They sat facing each other on the bed. Loretta focused intently, waiting for Melody’s lesson.

“First, you need to breathe in. Like this, inhale.”

Following Melody, Loretta inhaled until her belly was full.

Soon, Melody exhaled with a whoosh, and Loretta followed suit.

Expecting the next step, Melody simply patted her head and said, “Good job.”

“What about the pretty act? When will you teach me?” she asked, and Melody shrugged.

“I just did.”

“Loretta only breathed.”

“Right. You’re pretty just by breathing.”

Melody proved her point by gently kissing the young girl’s forehead.

“See, you’re so pretty, I want to kiss you.”

“Hmm…”

Usually, Loretta would giggle and squirm, saying her forehead tickled, but this time, she just fidgeted with her lips.

Was there really something bothering her? Just as Melody was about to gently inquire, Loretta asked first.

“You know… Will the Duke also like it when Loretta breathes?”

Was she asking if the Duke would like Loretta’s ‘pretty acts’?

Given his natural fatherly instincts, he would probably adore it to the point of fainting.

“Why suddenly the Duke?”

Responding to Melody’s question, Loretta hesitated for a moment before confessing what happened earlier in the day. While her retelling was in her own words, Melody easily grasped the true meaning behind it.

“…Loretta.”

“Loretta wants to become the real daughter of the Duke. That’s why.”

Loretta recalled what the maid had said earlier – that the real daughter of the Duke could use the most beautiful room. However, her wish was far from such material desires.

“The thing is, Melody might be in danger because of you.”

Loretta had been scared all day. She feared that due to her, Melody, the person she loved most in the world, might end up in jail.

“…To do pretty things. For the Duke, yes. A lot!”

Her voice, slightly excited, was a jumble of half-formed thoughts. But it was enough to convey Loretta’s sincere feelings.

“Loretta.”

Melody called her name with a calm voice and gently stroked her slightly disheveled hair. After a moment, the excited child’s face gradually calmed down.

“Thank you for telling me everything.”

“Okay.”

Melody smiled, albeit a bit painfully. An unwanted memory had surfaced.

“Please love me, Mom.”

How old was she? Perhaps around Loretta’s age or a bit older. Times when she desperately sought affection and attention…

But she had learned that affection or cute acts couldn’t hold someone’s heart forever. The immediate smiles were gratifying, but they were fleeting. Such bubble-like attention could burst and disappear without warning.

“This might sound a bit extreme, but…”

Melody hesitated, wondering if it was alright to say this to young Loretta.

“I think affection that you can only get by acting cute is not worth it.”

She carefully observed Loretta’s expression, which still seemed thoughtful.

“Okay… But Loretta still wants to get along well with the kind Duke… How do I do that?”

“Kind, you say?”

Melody asked, slightly surprised.