Chapter 29

 

***

 

Claude, a trustworthy adult? He’s only fifteen, after all.

He smiled and turned around to go down the stairs.

Melody, feeling somewhat uneasy, followed him.

Fortunately, he didn’t stop her. Instead, he lent her a coat, saying, “It’s a bit inconvenient to wander around in that outfit.”

As the thick jacket was draped over her nightgown, her cold shoulders and arms warmed up.

And since it was a fine garment, it felt incredibly soft to the touch.

While fiddling with the sleeve of the jacket, Melody realized…

The clothes he was wearing were too formal for home. They were also quite fancy.

Melody now understood why he was awake at such a late hour.

He must have returned late from attending a party in place of the Duke.

Well, Claude Baldwin is a trustworthy son who has earned the confidence of many vassals.

Even though he’s only fifteen, he might consider himself an adult because of these facts.

He first went to Butler Higgins to talk about slightly changing the patrol timings and intervals.

Then, he asked the night-working servants and soldiers to reinforce the patrols on the second floor.

To them, Claude was the young master, so they would pay extra attention to the second floor than usual. After hearing this, they wouldn’t dare face Claude if anything happened.

“See, Miss Melody? If you speak honestly, anyone would help like this.”

“Thank you.”

“It’s not something to thank me for. It involves my cute sister.”

Even in this moment, he expressed a peculiar possessiveness towards his sister, answering cheerily.

It seems he’s grown fonder of Loretta than when they first met.

Well, considering Loretta’s charm, it’s hardly surprising.

“If you’re a bit relieved, let’s go back to sleep now. It’s not the time for a child to wander around.”

“…But you just came in too.”

“Hm? Did I just hear you treating me like a child?”

Melody thought, ‘You’re a child too if we go by actual age…’ but she never voiced it.

She feared the consequences.

“Yo-you’re a great adult, Sir. Attending parties at this hour!”

“It’s good that you know.”

Of course, Melody thought, ‘Insisting you’re an adult is actually a trait of a child,’ but she didn’t say that either.

She hated becoming a nuisance.

“I should reward a good child. Come here, I’ll make sure you fall asleep within 10 minutes.”

Melody involuntarily took a couple of steps back.

Make her fall asleep within 10 minutes? Unless he was planning to knock her out, that seemed impossible.

“No need to refuse. I was going to sleep anyway.”

He grabbed Melody’s wrist and led her somewhere.

Where could he be taking her?

Melody, following a few steps behind Claude, realized something odd.

“I was going to sleep anyway.”

…Did he mean he would put her to sleep?

Wait, hold on.

No matter how improbable, this development is too much. Suddenly the young master is putting me to sleep…!

And Melody’s thoughts were a complete misunderstanding.

The place where Claude took Melody was not somewhere strange, but the kitchen.

There was always something to eat here, and Melody had come a few times for snacks.

Of course, there was no food or people at this time.

“Sit down.”

He placed a small stool next to the table and offered her a seat.

After neatly folding his shirt sleeves, he skillfully went back and forth to the pantry, fetching what he needed.

“Do you come here often?”

“Not really. It’s been 378 days since I last did. But everything here is organized according to a specific system, so it’s not difficult to find what you want even if you don’t come often.”

He warmed some white milk and added sweet vanilla syrup, pouring it into a thick glass.

“If you drink this slowly and then go under the covers, you’ll really fall asleep within 10 minutes. When your stomach is warm, it feels good.”

He drank the milk first, as if showing an example. Melody watched him for a moment and then followed suit.

Indeed, it had felt a bit chilly on this autumn night.

Drinking something warm, soft, and sweet made her stiff body pleasantly relax, right down to her cold toes.

The milk was quickly finished.

“Does it feel a bit disappointing?”

Melody nodded as she looked at the empty glass. It seemed like she could have drunk a few more sips.

“You drank just the right amount. Well done.”

He took the empty glass from Melody’s hand and gestured with his chin towards the corridor.

As if to say it was time to go.

“Go straight to your room and cover yourself with the blanket up to your lips. If you do that, you’ll definitely fall asleep within 10 minutes.”

Melody didn’t completely believe his words but had nothing else to say, so she nodded.

For some reason, he even said something like ‘That’s right,’ as if praising her.

Melody then stood up from the stool to return to her room.

“Oh, right.”

But she remembered something and pulled up the long sleeves, trying to take off the coat he had lent her.

It seemed like something she should return.

However, he suddenly approached and fastened the front of the coat, effectively trapping Melody inside it, as if telling her not to even think about taking it off.

“Keep it on.”

Was he worried that Melody might be cold?

Indeed, the young master was a true gentleman of the Ducal house.

“If you give it to the maid in charge of laundry tomorrow, it will be convenient for me.”

…No, it was just about getting his laundry done.

“Oh right, there’s a bit of a drink stain on the right sleeve. Please tell them to make sure it doesn’t leave a mark.”

Including that additional request.

“Come to my room on time tomorrow. There’s still a lot of records that you need to transcribe for me.”

He even neatly booked the next day’s torment with his meticulousness. Indeed, this man was a devil.

“Hm?”

As Melody looked at him with a face full of dissatisfaction, he handed her a small lantern that emitted a faint light and smiled.

“Stop staring. It’s embarrassing.”

Melody was so astonished by his lack of embarrassment that she simply turned around and started walking.

She could hear him chuckling softly behind her. Ah, he really was annoying.

Grumbling, Melody returned to her room on the first floor.

She thought about sleeping in Loretta’s room but decided against it, fearing the rustling noise might disturb the child’s sleep.

A yawn escaped her as she grasped the doorknob and pushed the door open.

She didn’t want to admit it, but maybe the sweet milk Claude had prepared was doing its job.

‘I think I can sleep comfortably.’

With that thought, she opened the door fully.

A foul odor hit Melody’s nostrils.

It was a smell that should never be in her always-clean room.

This meant someone had deliberately created this situation.

Melody lifted the small lantern to her eye level.

Nothing significant had changed in her room. Nothing was out of place.

But when the light shone on the dresser…

“…!”

She was so shocked that she staggered on the spot.

If asked what were the most precious ‘things’ to Melody now, she would name three: a white lace hat, a green ribbon, and a pen nib.

These three items symbolized the significant changes in her life.

That’s why she always kept them in sight and never neglected their care.

Anyone in this mansion would know how much she valued these three items.

And maybe… that was the problem.

Should she have hidden what she loved and told no one about them?

Melody approached the dresser with trembling steps.

The source of the stench was on top of it.

The light revealed the hat and ribbon, soaked in some black filth.

Their original colors were almost unrecognizable, and there were even cut marks as if someone had used scissors on them.

‘Is this… someone’s way of lashing out?’

This realization brought an oddly calm feeling.

After all, she was used to being the target of someone’s outburst.

‘So, I won’t be hurt.’

Melody put down the lantern and carefully picked up the ribbon and hat.

The rotten-smelling, unidentified liquid dribbled down her hand, onto her wrist, and then onto Claude’s coat she was wearing.

 

***

 

The next day arrived.

It just so happened to be the day when some vassals were returning to the duke’s territories.

From early morning, the sound of servants loading carriages was noisy around the mansion.

“Your Grace, thank you for your hospitality during this time.”

“We will implement your orders as soon as we return and submit a report.”

“Are you leaving right away?”

The Duke’s question was almost an order to depart immediately.

But the vassals hesitated, looking at each other as if they still had matters to discuss with the Duke.

“Um…”

The eldest among them cautiously stepped forward.

“Your Grace, it seems the Elders are quite worried.”

Once one spoke up, others added their bits.

“Surely, Your Grace wouldn’t make decisions unilaterally?”

“Hosting guests of mismatched status might invite ridicule towards the Ducal family.”

At one vassal’s words, the Duke gazed at him and asked,

“Who says so?”

“Pardon?”

The vassal, startled, raised his head, only to be met by the Duke’s intimidating aura.

“I asked who dares to make a laughingstock of this Baldwin Ducal house.”

“Th-that would be the… nobles… in the capital.”

The vassal couldn’t finish his sentence, as an elder close to the Duke signaled him to stop.

“Nobles in the capital? Bring them to me next time. I will gladly listen to what they mock.”

Of course, no noble would dare say such things in front of the Duke, so the vassal who brought it up couldn’t respond.