Chapter 27

 

***

 

Melody knew the water was scalding hot. By now, Claude’s skin must be feeling like it’s peeling off in pain.

“Cold, cold water! Water…!”

Melody stammered, panicking in place as his hand turned increasingly red. It needed to be immersed in cold water quickly.

But while Melody was at a loss, Claude was relatively calm.

“Miss Melody?”

“I’m sorry! I’ll get water right away. I’ll run for it!”

Melody screamed frantically and ran past Claude into the hallway.

However, she couldn’t get far as her arm was suddenly grabbed.

“Just a moment, Miss Melody!”

He bent down slightly to gently look into the young girl’s face.

Clearly terrified, she was sweating profusely and her complexion was pale.

Was this something to be so alarmed about?

Of course, the water was hot. But since it was cooled adequately for the tea leaves, it would just be painful for a few hours.

“If you need cold water, just ask a servant to bring it.”

“But, I…”

“Answer me, Miss Melody.”

He called her again in a calm voice, and her wavering gaze finally met his and stopped.

“…Yes.”

As she gave a faint response, he said, “Right. Good girl,” and smiled a bit.

As they looked at each other, Melody felt her confused mind slowly clearing up.

Maybe her current panic was a mix-up with a past memory.

“Miss Melody.”

As Claude called her name from up close, she slowly nodded her head, feeling terribly sorry for the mishap.

“Do you know how to count?”

“Yes.”

“Good, stay like this and count to 50.”

“But…”

Melody wanted to protest, but he advised her with a stern face to count to “50.”

“Panicking like that won’t solve anything.”

Melody reluctantly started counting from zero.

Meanwhile, Claude began to manage the situation.

First, he called a passing servant to bring cold water.

Then, he placed the kettle back on the tray.

After the servant brought cold water, he asked them to clean the messy floor.

The floor was quickly dried, spotless before Melody even reached 40 in her counting.

Now, Claude immersed his hand in the cold water on the stool.

“47, 48, 49… 50.”

Just as Melody finished counting, she approached Claude and bowed.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

He took his hand out and dried it with a white towel. Fortunately, apart from being slightly red, it was fine.

“Have you calmed down a bit?”

At his question, Melody just nodded, her face still slightly tense from the nerves.

“You keep lying to me.”

“That’s because…”

What else could she do? Anyone would be this flustered after spilling hot water on the son of the house where they are staying.

“I’m sorry too. I thought I should return before you arrived, so I hurried a bit.”

“Why…?”

“It was time for you to visit.”

“Not that.”

Melody fiddled with her hair nervously.

“After all, you don’t really pay attention to me.”

“Uh…”

Taken aback by her directness, he hesitated unusually before slightly bowing his head.

“I’m really sorry. Please forgive me.”

“…?!”

“I’ve always thought I should apologize, but somehow, it was hard to do it in person.”

He sounded sincere, but Melody remained guarded, having been on the receiving end of too much from him.

“What was so hard for you?”

“Well, obviously.”

He averted his gaze, seemingly embarrassed.

“I’m jealous. You and Loretta are so close.”

“…”

“Do you think I’m being childish?”

Well, considering that he’s naturally a doting younger brother, she couldn’t help but nod.

“Well, it can’t be helped. You’re just too fond of Lady Loretta.”

“The men of the Baldwin family tend to fall hard for those they are smitten with.”

“I know. Completely.”

Melody unintentionally responded, recalling the original story.

“You know? Completely?”

But he pointed out just that. Only then did Melody realize her slip of the tongue.

How could she claim to know so much about the family when she hadn’t been there long?

“No, that’s not what I meant. I don’t really know, it’s just that…”

As Melody started to panic again, he chuckled lightly.

“You’re not one to take advice from others, are you, Miss Melody?”

“Me?”

He tapped Melody on the forehead.

“Panicking doesn’t help solve problems.”

She remembered hearing the same thing just a moment ago. Melody quickly gathered her hands and calmed her excited feelings.

“That’s a good posture.”

He complimented her again with a smile.

“Dealing calmly with mistakes is important. As if you never made them in the first place.”

“Is that also a part of noble behavior in the capital?”

In the village where Melody lived, if someone made a mistake, they were always taught to apologize to the other person.

“Maybe it is.”

His light response carried a hint of amusement.

Watching him, Melody felt that perhaps Claude didn’t completely dislike her. If he really disliked her, he wouldn’t have calmed her down or talked to her in a soothing way.

“Anyway, I’m glad to see that you’ve calmed down completely, Miss Melody.”

See, he’s concerned again. Truly a gentleman, as the Baldwin family boasts.

“Yes, I’m much better now. Thanks to you.”

“That’s good to hear.”

He approached her, closing the gap between them significantly.

“So now.”

Once again, he asked a question with a kind smile.

“Is it okay if I bother you a little?”

It was a question that didn’t match his tone or expression at all.

Naturally, Melody was taken aback, but the smart girl quickly remembered Claude’s advice.

Panicking and fussing doesn’t help resolve situations. She promptly replied.

“You shouldn’t bother me.”

“But look at what happened to my hand.”

He immediately showed her his reddened hand. How wicked! To exploit a weakness like this!

As Melody frowned deeply at him, he started laughing in a strangely delighted manner.

It was a mistake to think he was a good person.

Claude Baldwin was nothing but a white, kindly devil wearing a gentleman’s mask.

 

***

 

Claude tormented Melody. She was trembling with rage at his wickedness.

And no wonder, his way of tormenting her was too intelligent.

After that day, he allowed Melody to enter his room by keeping the door open. In exchange, he handed her a notebook and asked her to copy its contents for an hour each day, in his room.

The contents were ‘travel records’ of emissaries traveling from the dukedom to the capital, listing weather conditions and minor events in the regions they passed through.

Melody couldn’t see how this was related to ‘the education of a capital noble,’ but she couldn’t refuse this torment(?).

When a tired Melody started dozing off at the desk, he would swiftly come to the desk and show her his hand, as if saying, ‘You’re not working after what happened?’ with his expression.

Even though his hand was completely fine after just two days!

Once, Melody narrowed her eyes and pointed out the truth to him.

“You’re perfectly fine.”

But when he looked at her meaningfully and asked, “Oh, does it seem so?” she couldn’t bring herself to respond.

Really, it was terrible.

Moreover, there was another thing that irritated Melody.

It was about those ‘envoys’ who had arrived at the Duke’s house. Some of them were loyal to the Duke, but others were closer to the Elder.

Even from the original story, these people did not welcome Loretta, so Melody already disliked them.

Now, whenever they saw Melody, they looked at her as if they had found some filthy rubbish.

It seemed they had heard about her background from the Elder.

This was evident from the whispering she overheard, where the term ‘slave trader’ was mentioned.

The more this happened, the prouder Melody held her head.

If she let such talk get to her, it would be like disregarding the kindness of the Duke who had reached out to her in prison.

Perhaps noticing this atmosphere, a maid brought Melody surprising news after she returned from Claude’s room.

“Miss Melody, the Duke is waiting for you.”

“Now?!”

Melody hurriedly ran and opened the door, and astonishingly, the Duke was indeed standing in her room.

“Duke!”

Despite her surprised call, he calmly nodded his head.

“Have you been waiting long… Oh, I should offer you a seat first, right?”

“Just a brief visit. Don’t worry about it.”

The Duke then took something out of his pocket. In his hand was a green ribbon.

It was the same as the one the Elder had arbitrarily taken away some time ago.