Chapter 26

 

***

 

After that, Melody experienced the same situation two more times.

Once, she even threw in bait.

“Don’t you want to hear about the first time Loretta and I met?”

Considering his notorious fondness for his sister, she thought he would bite.

Surprisingly, he showed no particular reaction.

By this point, Melody had to accept the truth.

Their first meeting was a disaster, and he genuinely disliked her.

“It’s okay to dislike me, but…”

The problem was his confusing behavior towards her.

Around other members of the duke’s family or the servants, he was polite and kind to Melody.

“Come here. This spot is shaded, it’ll be nice. Higgins, could you please hold Miss Melody’s hat for a moment?”

He offered her a comfortable seat.

“It’s good that the weather is nice. It’s great that we can all be out here together.”

He even smiled, seemingly delighted to spend time with Loretta and Melody.

If Melody weren’t in a position to serve him tea daily, she might have mistaken him for someone ‘as kind as the Duke.’

So, while Loretta was focused on eating, Melody quietly asked Claude,

“…Are you always this kind?”

You don’t seem like someone who would treat the person bringing tea so harshly.

“Of course, I should be kind.”

He gave an incredibly brazen answer, fully aware of the question’s true intent.

“Before Loretta came here, I heard you were kind to her without expecting anything in return.”

“Well… that’s true.”

In reality, she did have expectations. Unlike in the original story, she wanted to keep her life safe.

Of course, she couldn’t say that.

“See. It’s only natural to treat the benefactor of the duke’s house with all my heart.”

Melody was left speechless by his brazen response.

That afternoon, Claude once again turned her away impressively at the door.

And now, he even closed the door without a farewell.

Thud.

 

***

 

In truth, Melody wasn’t the type to harbor animosity towards anyone.

When she was younger, she never retaliated against the village children who bullied her or even her mother.

But Claude’s attitude was enough to grate on even someone as tolerant as Melody.

Given this situation, Melody decided she would enter the young master’s room at least once. Wondering how she could get in, she suddenly heard a commotion at the entrance.

“Duke! How can you treat me like this! Hasn’t my trading company been serving your family since your grandfather’s time?”

Soon after, she heard the groans of the duke’s private soldiers, indicating that someone was not only turned away but also being forcibly removed.

Usually, she wouldn’t have paid much attention to such matters, but today, for some reason, it felt more relevant to her.

“What’s going on?”

As Melody stepped into the corridor and asked, a servant standing nearby answered with a troubled face.

“Stay in your room, Melody. The situation isn’t good.”

“Who is being chased away?”

“Well, it’s…”

Seeming to struggle to explain, the servant lowered his voice.

“A nasty liar.”

“…Pardon?”

“A liar, hence why he can’t meet the duke.”

Melody recalled the man who shouted earlier, mentioning ‘our trading company.’ Apparently, there was some issue with the goods he supplied.

“The duke hates liars.”

Everyone probably hates liars, the servant mused before advising her again to return to her room.

 

***

 

The next day, Melody, with renewed determination, went to Claude’s room again. As the door opened, he picked up the tray once more.

“…”

It seemed he had decided not to initiate conversation. While this felt a bit excessive…

“…I’m sorry.”

Melody apologized to him first, expecting to be ignored again.

“What for?”

Unexpectedly, he responded.

“That, well…”

Melody hesitated for a moment, worried the door might close again, but fortunately, it remained open.

“For lying.”

“Did you?”

“Yes.”

Melody glanced briefly at the doorknob, wondering if he might close the door.

“The truth is, I wasn’t interested in learning etiquette. I didn’t have the confidence either. Being not a noble, I wasn’t sure if I could learn such things.”

“There’s been a misunderstanding.”

He adjusted his grip on the tray.

“Etiquette isn’t the sole property of the nobility, especially here in the capital.”

“…”

“You don’t need it to get by. It’s just something handy to have.”

He said, “Anyway, thank you for being honest,” with a slight smile.

Melody quickly shook her head, feeling slightly relieved.

‘I guess it was obvious that I was lying, and that’s why he sent me away…’

Her courage to speak honestly seemed to have elicited a genuine response.

“I have another apology to make. I thought, Sir, that you disliked me and that’s why you sent me away every day.”

Without realizing he wanted her to be truthful.

“Really? Was that so?”

“Yes. I’m sorry. You’re not… angry, are you?”

Melody asked tentatively, to which he shook his head.

“Of course not.”

His reaction indicated that he didn’t get angry at honest words. Melody felt relieved.

“That’s not a wrong assumption.”

Wait, what? With a gentle smile like that…

Something struck Melody as odd. She stared at his face, pondering his words.

‘Not a wrong assumption…?’

Does that mean he actually disliked Melody and that’s why he sent her away!

“…?!”

Was he amused by her shock?

He chuckled lightly and, just like before, ruthlessly closed the door.

Thud!

Melody stood in front of the firmly shut door, her mouth agape.

 

***

 

The next day, still reeling from their shocking conversation, Melody went to fulfill her duty at Claude’s room.

What would happen today?

Would she be ignored, or would she be reprimanded like yesterday?

Pondering these uncertain outcomes, Melody cautiously knocked on the door.

And waited.

But unusually, there was no response from inside.

Wondering if her knock was too soft, she knocked again.

Still no answer.

Melody rejoiced internally. It seemed to be her lucky day.

Claude was out when she visited!

She recalled what the maids had told her about what to do when ‘the young master is not around.’

“Just leave the tray near the desk and bring back the hot water. Someone nearby will bring fresh water later.”

Taking a deep breath, Melody slightly opened the door, prepared in case he was inside.

She didn’t want to be scolded for entering uninvited.

Peeking her head through the narrow gap, she cautiously looked around.

The room, filled with books on every wall, smelled of old books – a somewhat unfamiliar scent to Melody, but it felt oddly comforting.

Confirming that Claude was indeed not there, she carefully pulled the wheeled tray inside.

Listening to the wheels rolling, she placed the tray near the desk and then gingerly picked up the ceramic kettle filled with water.

The handle was a bit hot, so she used a thin cloth from the tray to wrap around it.

Despite the slippery fabric being a bit worrisome, it was fine since she held it with both hands.

‘Time to head back.’

Melody was relieved that the worrying task had ended more easily than she expected. Though the thought of having to do it again tomorrow was a bit troubling, she decided to let tomorrow’s Melody worry about that. She turned around with a slightly lighter step, planning to have snacks and do assignments with Loretta once she got back. The pleasant thoughts relaxed her and brought a smile to her face.

As she reached the firmly closed door, Melody held the kettle in one hand and cautiously tried to pull the doorknob. But before she could fully grip it, the door suddenly swung open. Startled by the automatic opening of the door, she involuntarily stepped backward, and then was further surprised to see that the person standing there was none other than Claude.

‘Why is he coming back now!’

Internally screaming, she stepped back again, but then she felt something slipping from her hand.

“…!”

Melody quickly looked down at her hand. The hot kettle she was barely holding was falling towards the floor. At that moment, a flashback crossed her mind.

It was her last day with her mother. Melody had dropped a hot soup plate, and Loretta had tripped over it and got hurt. Desperately, Melody reached out her arm. She couldn’t let the same thing happen again. She had to catch the falling kettle.

But the pull of gravity was too strong for a human to counteract. However, surprisingly, someone did. While Melody flailed her arms in the air, a large hand suddenly appeared and precisely caught the kettle just before it hit the ground. Unfortunately, he couldn’t prevent the hot water from spilling, and it poured onto the back of his hand, which was still steaming.

“…!”

Melody alternated her gaze between Claude’s hand as he placed the kettle on the ground and his face.

‘What do I do…!’