Chapter 28

 

***

 

“Did the Elder return it to you?” Melody asked, causing him to look a bit bitter.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked that.”

“It wasn’t a bad question.”

“Thank you for buying me a new ribbon.”

Melody extended her hands to receive it but suddenly retracted them in shock. She had just noticed the black ink stains on her sleeve.

“Th-this…”

She worried he might think she was a careless child. Melody blushed, forgetting Claude’s advice to not panic.

“It seems I got it while writing.”

The Duke looked at the embarrassed child intently. No one would really mind ink on a child’s sleeve, but Melody seemed unaware of that fact. After all, it wasn’t an environment where a child could expect understanding.

He then gently stroked her head with his large hand.

He had once done this to Loretta, who giggled and laughed, finding it ticklish.

“…?”

However, it didn’t work the same with Melody. She just stared at him with wide eyes, seemingly puzzled.

Left with no choice, he had to express his thoughts verbally.

“Well done.”

It wasn’t his forte to embellish words eloquently, but he did his best.

What would Melody say in response?

He worried she might apologize again, as she often did.

“Thank… you.”

Surprised by her unexpected reply, he hesitated for a moment but then placed the ribbon in her hand as if nothing was amiss.

“There are many outsiders in the mansion now, so you might need it.”

“Is this ribbon meant to show that I am under the Duke’s protection?”

“Protection?”

It wasn’t something so grand. It was simply to show that Melody belonged to this house.

However, the Duke nodded affirmatively, agreeing with her interpretation.

“Thank you for protecting me.”

“It’s only natural.”

“Natural…!”

Melody felt a bit happy, even though she knew it was more than she deserved to hear.

“Besides, I’ve heard you’re getting along quite well with Claude.”

“May I ask who told you that, Duke?”

Melody intended to find out who the traitor was with that question.

“Ah? Loretta came by and told me that you two have become close, so there’s no need to worry.”

“Ah.”

Fortunately, it wasn’t a traitor but a fairy, it seemed. A cute fairy dreaming of a positive future for the Duke’s family.

Loretta undoubtedly wished for a future where Melody and Claude got along well.

So, it made sense for her to say that to the Duke. Yes, indeed.

“Anyway, I’m sorry for troubling you when you’re busy. I will take good care of this ribbon and won’t lose it this time.”

“Again… sorry about that.”

The Duke murmured so softly that Melody didn’t catch it.

“Pardon?”

“Never mind. You look a bit tired, are you sleeping well?”

“…!”

Melody was startled for a moment but quickly replied energetically, “Of course!”

The Duke didn’t seem entirely convinced by her answer but didn’t press further.

 

***

 

As the Duke suspected, Melody’s sleep had been irregular lately.

She had a crucial task to handle.

It was about saving Loretta from the pain described in the original story. This meant Melody often spent nights deep in thought.

Although she was reluctant to change the original story, she didn’t want Loretta to face immediate troubles.

Ultimately, Melody was wary of the Duke’s envoys, especially the young male envoys close to the Elder.

They, like the Elders, didn’t welcome Loretta, who suddenly appeared as the Duke’s daughter.

According to the ‘contract’ made during the Duke’s contractual marriage, the dowry brought by the wife was to be bequeathed to their ‘daughter.’

Until Loretta’s arrival, there was no daughter in the Duke’s family, so the Elders had free access to those assets.

But with Loretta’s appearance, the rights to these vast assets transferred to her.

The Elders and envoys used all sorts of despicable means not to acknowledge Loretta’s existence.

In the original story, there was an incident where a dress gifted to Loretta by a noblewoman in the capital was damaged.

Thankfully, one of the envoys was found responsible and was severely punished.

‘Loretta was very upset.’

The dress, a token of affection in a strange city, had been ruined.

So, Melody took it upon herself to guard Loretta’s dress room whenever a gift arrived, hiding nearby to watch for suspicious people.

Tonight, as the moon waned, she sneaked out of bed.

The autumn night was chilly, and Melody, in her thin nightgown, shivered slightly.

‘Next time, I’ll wear more clothes.’

With this thought, she hid quietly in a corner near the dress room, concealed in the darkness.

Let anyone come.

She planned to shout in a voice even Grandmother would recognize, summoning burly servants armed with clubs!

Just intruding into Loretta’s dress room with a stolen key would be enough to get the envoys in trouble.

And Loretta’s gift would be safe, a ‘perfect ending.’

As Melody chuckled darkly in the shadows,

someone approached without a sound and spoke from behind her.

“Miss Melody?”

Startled, she turned to find Claude Baldwin standing there.

Melody quickly analyzed her current situation objectively.

“…!”

Melody’s eyes widened in surprise, and she hastily tried to explain.

“I, I haven’t stolen anything yet!”

Oh no, she misspoke.

“Um… yet?”

Of course, Claude didn’t miss the opportunity to ask for clarification.

Why is this happening?

Seeing Melody unable to say anything and just making a sad face, Claude’s face turned into that of a white devil again.

It’s a disaster. It’s ruined again!

“No, Lord, that’s not what I meant.”

Melody hurriedly started to make excuses, her face turning pale with panic.

But before she could come up with a proper explanation, Claude buried his face in his palm, chuckling.

“I know. I know, Miss Melody wouldn’t really steal from the dress room, right?”

“That’s right! You think so too, don’t you, Lord?”

Melody replied, visibly relieved, and Claude nodded in agreement.

“Of course. I’ve actually noticed something about you every day.”

“What did you notice?”

“You always complain about the tasks I give you, but you do them perfectly and thoroughly.”

Suddenly receiving praise, Melody fiddled with her hair.

Why is he saying such nice things all of a sudden? This white devil.

“So, if Miss Melody decided to steal something, she’d probably aim for something like the head of the house’s ring.”

“What?”

“Dresses and jewels could be stolen anywhere, not just from the Duke’s house.”

Melody was speechless, staring wide-eyed at the boy who seemed to glow even in the darkness.

“I’m not stealing anything!”

“Hmm, if you insist, I won’t argue.”

“Are you teasing me again?”

“Oh.”

Claude clapped his hands lightly.

“You learn quickly.”

“Even a rock would understand by now! You always tease me.”

“I’m sorry about that. But I can’t help it. I’m jealous.”

When Claude brought up jealousy, Melody didn’t really have a response.

It was almost as if he was acknowledging the fact that ‘Loretta likes Melody the most.’

Feeling somewhat proud, Melody couldn’t help but smile broadly.

“So.”

Now that Melody seemed back to her usual self, Claude steered the conversation back to the main topic.

“What were you doing here?”

“Well, you see…”

I actually read about another world in a book. And this place was the setting. Of course, our cute Loretta was the protagonist!

 

‘I happened to’ see the envoys gathered together.’

‘I happened to’ feel their ominous atmosphere and approached them.’

‘I happened to’ overhear them plotting something wicked.’

Melody looked at Claude as he slowly pondered her story.

Knowing his personality, he would point out that the phrase ‘happened to’ was repeated three times in her story, implying a lack of plausibility.

Melody had already prepared a fitting response to this anticipated criticism.

‘Reality doesn’t always have to make sense.’

“But…”

Claude finally spoke after finishing his thoughts. Melody braced herself to counter his expected critique on the believability of her story.

“Don’t go to dangerous places. You’re still a child, Miss Melody.”

However, the words he uttered with a furrowed brow were entirely different from what Melody had anticipated.

“If you ‘happened to’ sense an unusual atmosphere, you should quietly move away from there. And ideally, consult with a trustworthy adult.”

This advice was quite similar to what Melody had told Loretta recently.

Thinking about it, Melody felt as if this white devil genuinely cared for her.

“Understood?”

“…Yes.”

“Good, let’s go back now.”

“What?”

Melody looked at him with a face that asked, ‘What about the dresses? What about the envoys?’

“You’ve just told a trustworthy adult. He will take care of it.”