Chapter 13

 

***

 

The maid was not just surprised; she was terrified.

Realizing the situation, she quickly tried to make an excuse before any reprimand.

“Oh, the young lady is still young and might not have understood everything correctly. I just told her that I was happy because she received a pretty hat as a gift.”

Loretta then shook her head vigorously in response.

“No, that’s not true. Loretta is cute, smart, and speaks well.”

Loretta did not want to deny her intelligence that Melody had recognized.

So, she could easily speak about what the maid had told her.

“She told me Melody might go to jail.”

“That’s ridiculous! I would never say such a thing! I didn’t!”

“Yes, you did.”

Loretta replied without hesitation.

“And also, you said that until the priest in white clothes recognizes me, I’m not the Duke’s daughter.”

“Mistress!”

The maid shouted in dismay.

At that moment, Mrs. Higgins, with her eyes wide open in shock, approached the maid.

The maid involuntarily closed her eyes tight, fearing Mrs. Higgins’ next move. However, Mrs. Higgins was not aiming for a slap or a hit. Instead, she harshly grabbed the badge on the maid’s dress – a symbol of being a servant of the Baldwin family.

“…!”

There was a tearing sound as the apron ripped. The maid looked down at her tattered dress in shock, her precious badge gone.

“Ah, ah…!”

Realizing the gravity of the situation, the maid felt a sharp sense of crisis. Losing her job was certain, and there was nowhere in the capital that would employ a maid dismissed in such a manner. Quickly changing her attitude, she prostrated herself on the floor.

“I, I was wrong! Please, Mrs. Higgins. I was wrong!”

Despite her desperate pleas, Mrs. Higgins remained unmoved. So, the maid turned to Loretta, pleading desperately.

“Mistress! How could you do this to me?! After all the care I’ve given you. I brushed your hair and even prepared your snacks.”

“Uh, uh…?”

Loretta, still a child, found it hard to ignore such pleas, especially since the maid’s claims were true.

Seeing Loretta’s discomfort, the maid pushed even more.

“That’s too much. I worked so hard for you!”

She reached out to Loretta, but could not touch her.

Melody had swiftly stepped in front of Loretta and grabbed the maid’s wrist.

“Back off.”

Melody glared down at the maid. Blaming young Loretta for her misdeeds was unacceptable.

Everything stemmed from the maid’s inappropriate comments to Loretta.

“Instead.”

Melody tightened her grip on the maid’s wrist. Although it was just a child’s strength, her anger made it hurt.

The maid contorted her face in pain and quickly pulled her hand back.

“…If you had just acted cute or pretty, this wouldn’t have happened.”

“You!”

The maid, in a fit of rage, lunged at Melody.

Of course, things did not go as the maid planned.

Mrs. Higgins, known among the servants as a demon, grabbed the maid by the scruff of her neck and threw her to the ground.

“How dare you attack the precious young ladies of this house?! Leave this mansion immediately!”

“Mrs. Higgins!”

“No, would you rather face formal punishment for disrespecting the Duke’s esteemed guests?”

“Eek!”

The maid, terrified, quickly crawled away.

Mrs. Higgins watched her leave, then turned to the children.

Melody was holding Loretta close, shielding her from the sight.

 

***

 

 

Outdoor playtime was promptly concluded. When Melody and Loretta returned to their room after their bath, they found the butler and his wife waiting for them. The typically friendly demeanor of the couple was set aside, making the atmosphere somewhat awkward for Melody.

“We have come to apologize.”

Loretta didn’t understand the complex word ‘apologize,’ but she grasped the situation from their demeanor.

“Grandma helped Loretta, right…?”

Despite her confused response, the adults remained serious.

“It’s our fault for entrusting the care of such precious young ladies to servants without fully understanding their character.”

Is that how it was?

Regardless, the girls liked these kind adults, so they quickly changed the subject to having snacks soon. Today, there was a particularly large cake, making them feel as if it were their birthday.

 

 

***

 

Butler Higgins’ efforts to make amends didn’t end with the girls. He also detailed the entire incident to the Duke, who arrived late.

“I’m sorry for the concern.”

“What about the maid?”

“She’s been dismissed. By tomorrow, we’ll spread her description throughout the capital’s mansions to ensure she can’t be reemployed.”

“No.”

The Duke’s short response and head shake puzzled the butler, wondering if the Duke was showing mercy.

“Send her description to the provinces as well. Use my name. The postal service will respond promptly.”

“…”

It was clear now. The Duke intended to completely cut off her opportunities.

“We’ll handle it accordingly.”

“And the children?”

“The young ladies, you mean?”

“I said children.”

The butler quickly apologized and corrected himself.

“Sorry. The young ladies finished their walk and had… tea.”

The Duke’s eyebrows twitched slightly as Higgins’ lips curved up at the mention of tea.

“Hmm.”

Realizing his slip, the butler quickly resumed his usual expression.

“They had tea?”

“Well, technically it was warm milk.”

“Then who had the tea?”

Pressed by the Duke’s persistent questioning, the butler had no choice but to reveal the truth.

“I… had some.”

“Also.”

“My wife did as well.”

“Also.”

“Passing maids took a slice of cake each.”

“Also.”

“A servant who came to deliver a letter had a cup of tea as well.”

“There was a large party at the Baldwin house that I didn’t know about.”

“Well, Miss Loretta and Miss Melody are quite… sociable.”

The butler trailed off, noticing the Duke’s less than pleased expression.

“Er, would you like to meet the young ladies?”

“It’s past nine, isn’t it?”

“Although it’s borderline, they might still be reading fairy tales.”

The Duke seemed contemplative, but he soon shook his head.

“No.”

He understood his situation differed from the butler’s or other servants’. He still didn’t know how best to approach the children. Their vivid imaginations could misinterpret his ambiguous attitude, especially after today’s unfortunate event. Having thrown a large party and enjoyed an interesting book, it would be best for them to go to sleep happily. The butler, sensing the Duke’s decision, bowed his head.

“Understood.”

“And the hat… hmm, no.”

He was about to inquire about the hats he had gifted to the children, but stopped himself, realizing there had been no report on them. It wasn’t a day leisurely enough to worry about such things. Of course, the Duke was not a person to feel slighted over such matters. Definitely not petty. It was just that he felt a bit stifled and thought a walk might be good.

Leaving a brief message with the butler, the Duke pushed open the door of his office.

“Ah.”

A small voice caught his attention at the door.

“…?”

Looking down, he saw Melody, wearing a white hat, curtsying.

“Hello, Duke.”

“Did you come here all by yourself?”

He glanced around Melody. Fortunately, a few steps behind her, a maid was bowing.

The Duke was relieved, knowing children shouldn’t wander alone late at night.

“I’m sorry for coming here.”

Melody quickly removed her hat and clutched it to her chest, a guilty expression on her face.

“Loretta, I mean, Miss Loretta fell asleep listening to a story, so I had to come instead.”

“Instead?”

“Yes. She was so happy with the hat you gave. It suited her so well! Really. She didn’t even want to take it off for bed, I had such a time with it.”

“Wearing a hat to bed is troublesome.”

“Right. So now she’s hugging it in her sleep.”

Melody seemed adorably overwhelmed by how cute Loretta was, an uncontrollable smile spreading across her face.

“I wanted to convey our gratitude to you, but the young lady fell asleep, so…”

“You came ‘instead’?”

“Yes. Sorry.”

“Why do you keep apologizing?”

He guessed Melody felt guilty for coming alone, as if she was stealing a tender moment meant for father and daughter.

“Well, anyway, I thought it was right to express our thanks today. I thought about writing a letter, but I don’t know how to write, and…”

“You must have been busy with the tea party.”

“Yes. We had a continuous tea party with changing guests. You’d be surprised how skillfully Miss Loretta hosted them.”

He imagined they must have been quite brazen. He recalled the fearless child who had unabashedly talked about ‘pots of gold’ (money bags) in his presence. Loretta would certainly be bold with Melody behind her, no matter who was in front.

“I don’t get surprised by such things.”

His response startled Melody, her face turning pale. Was it such a frightening thing to say, or was she unwell?

He gently took the hat from Melody’s hands and placed it back on her small head.

“Go back now. It’s not the time for children to be wandering around.”

He called the maid standing at a distance, signaling her to take Melody back to her room. Melody walked a few steps, then turned around, surprisingly finding the Duke still watching her.

“Thank you for the hat. I’ll treasure it.”

Finally, Melody conveyed her thanks and curtsied.

The Duke watched Melody follow the maid away, thinking he had chosen a fine hat indeed.

It was just a sudden thought. Out of the blue.