Chapter 25

 

***

 

“Alright then. Shall my little sister try on this hat?”

He took the hat Melody had brought and carefully placed it on Loretta, adjusting her hair as well.

“Thank you.”

Loretta first directed her thanks to Melody, who had brought the hat, and then repeated the same to Claude, who had put it on her.

“Thank you.”

“Hmm. It seems an important phrase is missing.”

An important phrase? What could that be?

As Melody looked on curiously, Loretta clapped her hands lightly and, with a puckish smile, added,

“Thank you, big brother.”

“Exactly.”

“Yeah, Ronny didn’t like it when I called him big brother. He shut the door on me.”

“That’s alright, it means he really likes it.”

“He likes it?”

Loretta’s eyes widened in surprise, a direct hit to his heart. Evidence of this was the slight twitch at the corner of his lips.

“Yes. So, feel free to call him that.”

“Okay, and you know…”

Loretta then turned around, her body spinning playfully to face Melody.

“Loretta was waiting for Melody to come.”

“Oh, why?”

“Well… it’s like this.”

Suddenly shy, the child’s face turned red, and she twisted her body in embarrassment.

“Loretta had a worry.”

“A worry?!”

Melody was taken aback and quickly grabbed Loretta’s hand.

It was surprising because until now, she hadn’t sensed any signs of worry from the little girl.

“What happened?”

Upon asking again, the child vigorously shook her head.

“You see, Melody and Loretta like each other, right?”

Not understanding why she suddenly asked that, but acknowledging it as the truth, she nodded.

“Yes, I really like Miss Loretta.”

“So, then.”

Loretta stepped closer to Melody, blinking her adorable eyes.

“I want Melody to marry me!”

“…What?”

Melody doubted her ears at first.

“Yeah! Loretta and Melody will get married!”

Loretta emphasized the word ‘married’ with particular strength.

What had she been pondering until now, and whose advice had led to such a blissful conclusion?

Melody was so astonished by the extraordinary statement that she was at a loss for words.

Should she acknowledge this? Or should she not?

Her mind was crowded with confusion when a scene from the original work flashed through her mind.

Was it near the end of the original story?

The grown-up Loretta had told Claude that she was in a relationship with the male lead and even considering marriage.

Claude had then glared at the male lead with the scariest look possible, as described in the novel.

Of course, the original Loretta didn’t know this. Thinking about that scene made Melody uneasy.

‘Could it be…?’

But she decided to think optimistically.

In the original, it was a real story based on marriage, and this was just a young Loretta expressing her fondness for Melody.

So, the likelihood of him glaring at Melody like a predator over this was…

‘Uh… none, right? It won’t happen.’

Melody slowly lifted her head with a prayerful heart.

As her gaze passed Loretta’s small shoulders, she saw his neatly ironed clothes.

Gathering a bit more courage, she looked up to see…

“…!”

Eek!

There stood a white devil.

His face was smiling brightly, but his eyes were definitely those of a devil!

‘It’s over.’

That thought naturally came to her mind.

This was truly a disaster.

Loretta, unaware of the expression her brother had behind her, stepped closer to Melody.

“Loretta will be a big pot of gold.”

Loretta stood on her tiptoes, drawing a large circle with her hands.

“I’ll be a big pot of gold that makes Melody happy!”

Her cute confession, as she jumped up, melted the fear that had frozen Melody’s heart.

At this point, she could somewhat understand the feelings of the original male lead.

Even with Claude’s glaring, he never gave up his feelings for Loretta.

Melody internally thought it was a very great thing, but now it seemed very simple.

Claude’s gaze couldn’t kill or hurt anyone. It just made one slightly uncomfortable.

And such a trifling feeling would have melted away at the sight of Loretta’s cute love confession.

Melody, following Loretta’s lead, drew an even bigger circle.

Luckily, being taller, she could make a much larger circle.

“I’ll make you happier! This much!”

“Melody is so nice!”

Loretta spread her arms wide and approached, and Melody quickly embraced her tightly.

So adorable, truly lovely.

Promising to make her happy, where did she learn such wonderful words?

And the fact that she shared such precious words with Melody was also incredibly delightful.

She must cherish them forever, to take out and rub them gently whenever needed.

Thinking this, when she slightly lifted her head, Melody’s eyes met with Claude’s, who was standing dumbfounded behind them.

His face showed considerable shock.

Heh, of course.

At this point, Claude must be at a loss, envious of the affection Loretta has for Melody. Melody felt a strange sense of triumph and wore a confident smile. When Loretta nestled her head against her in the embrace, murmuring, “I like Melody…”, Melody’s smile deepened with genuine affection. Claude, on the other hand, looked even more shockingly overwhelmed, helplessly observing the two.

 

***

 

Still, Melody didn’t think her first meeting with Claude was all that disastrous. Of course, she initially thought the world was ending when Loretta proposed (?) to her. But Claude is a teenager with common sense. He would surely understand that Loretta’s proposal was just an adorable request to keep playing with Melody. Essentially, it was a clear demonstration of Melody and Loretta’s close relationship. So, perhaps Claude wouldn’t think too poorly of Melody by now.

“Yes, that’s right. It’ll be fine! This isn’t just wishful thinking; it’s a cool-headed analysis of the situation!”

Melody’s reason for such self-encouragement was simple. She was standing right in front of Claude’s room, where she had been tasked with serving tea daily. “I was so happy when I received this task.”

Taking a deep breath, Melody carefully knocked on the door.

Knock, knock.

She waited anxiously for permission to enter, her heart pounding. Finally, there was a stir from inside, and the doorknob began to turn slowly.

Could it be?

Is he opening the door for me himself?

Melody inwardly appreciated his kindness. “The other maids were right.”

They always praised the eldest son as a true gentleman. If she could observe his fine manners firsthand, perhaps Melody too could become more fitting for this mansion.

Melody put on her kindest smile, intending to reciprocate his gesture. The door finally opened completely.

“Ah, Miss Melody.”

He quickly picked up the tea set placed on the tray, thankfully.

“I’ve heard about it. You wish to learn the etiquettes of the capital.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

He smiled gently, saying, “How commendable.” Melody couldn’t help but smile back at his warm expression.

“That must be because you want to stay by Loretta’s side, right?”

“Yes! Of course. There’s no one more important to me than Miss Loretta! I will always be by her side!”

Despite her earnest sincerity, Claude’s face began to cool down.

“Always by my sister’s side…”

“…!”

Melody realized too late that she had inadvertently fanned the flames of his jealousy. Although he played some part in leading her to that point…

Melody tried to offer some explanation, not wanting to be on bad terms with Loretta’s brother.

“Well, you see, that is…”

But before she could finish, Claude responded again with a friendly face.

“I understand. Farewell then.”

And with a thud! the door closed.

“Young Master…?”

Melody called out to him in a small voice and cautiously tapped on the door.

But no answer came from beyond the firmly shut door.

“What’s going on…?”

Melody turned away with a sense of emptiness.

“Now that I think about it.”

When she first came to the Duke’s house, she had braced herself for the possibility of being disliked by those who loved Loretta.

She had forgotten about it amidst the ongoing affectionate days…

“It seems he really dislikes that Loretta and I are close…”

Melody sighed and returned downstairs.

 

***

 

The next day, at the same time.

Melody didn’t give up and went to see Claude again.

Knock, knock.

The door opened again, and he picked up the tray set on the tray.

Before the door could close, Melody quickly said what she had been pondering.

“Pe-people told me you would be an excellent example of the capital’s etiquette, young master!”

“Is that so?”

“Yes!”

“Then I should live up to those expectations.”

Fortunately, it seemed her words had reached him.

Conveying the expectations of the mansion’s people to him. This way, he would have no choice but to let Melody into his room…

“Take care, Miss Melody.”

Thud.

But once again, the door closed hopelessly.

“Ju-just a minute!”

Melody called out in panic, but the firmly closed door did not reopen.