Chapter 77

 

***

 

“Why?!”

Ronny yelled out loud as he scrutinized the letter closely.

Jeremiah isn’t coming? That can’t be! It wouldn’t be a Baldwin family banquet without him! Moreover, this banquet is also to celebrate his receiving the title of ‘Magician’!

“It’s a lie! That can’t be right!”

Ronny shouted several times more. His voice grew louder, perhaps because he didn’t want to believe it.

Just then, the Duke, passing by his room, heard the commotion and came to see what was the matter.

“Ronny?”

“Ah, Father!”

“Is there some kind of trouble?”

At his question, Ronny hurried towards his father with the letter he had just received. After all, his father had always said he would be there to discuss any problems.

“Father, you see!”

“Yes.”

But when he got close to his father, he suddenly found himself at a loss for words.

‘What if he’s disappointed because I can’t handle this on my own?’

Especially after his father had told him he was ‘expecting a lot’ from him.

“Uh… It’s nothing.”

Ronny surreptitiously hid Jeremiah’s letter behind his back and shook his head.

“Hmm?”

“Actually, I think I might have misunderstood something.”

The Duke seemed skeptical, but fortunately, he didn’t press any further.

 

***

 

Despite Jeremiah not attending, Ronny’s busy schedule continued as usual. He met with food merchants early in the morning along with the chef, then returned home to finish his breakfast.

Afterward, he went straight to the living room for his history study.

The sunlit window was quite warm, even in winter, making it a fairly good environment for studying.

Or rather.

It was a fairly good environment for a sleep-deprived boy to doze off.

Ronny, who had been nodding off while facing the window, suddenly woke up with a start.

‘I, I dozed off!’

Feeling embarrassed, he quickly looked around, certain there would be no one nearby. However, he ended up making eye contact with Melody, who was standing right behind him.

“You, you! What are you doing here?”

“I came to bring milk to the young master.”

“Knock before you enter!”

“I did.”

“You need to wait for my permission!”

“But you were asleep.”

Ronny’s face turned red at Melody’s observation, apparently caught nodding off.

“I was deeply engrossed in thought. It means I had a big concern.”

Stammering, he tried to explain, and Melody took a piece of candy from her pocket and offered it to him.

“Here, take this. I saved it, but I think you need it more than I do.”

“Are you really giving this to me?”

Among the children in this mansion, sharing snacks symbolized a tremendous friendship and care.

‘Well, after all, I’ve been nice to her.’

Thus, Ronny accepted the candy Melody offered.

“You can have one of my cookies too.”

After exchanging sweets, the atmosphere in the living room became much softer.

“Hey, Melody. How’s that noisy Mullern doing? He’s… not too busy?”

“Isaiah?”

Melody recalled seeing him just yesterday. Given that Physis was being held in the central prison, Isaiah must be quite busy.

“He seems to be busy. Why do you ask?”

“Oh, nothing.”

“If you have something to say to Isaiah, you can go to the central prison and apply for a visitation.”

“I said I don’t have anything to say.”

“Don’t worry; it’s quite simple. Anyone working in the central prison can be met that way.”

“Anyone?”

When Ronny asked about that part, Melody nodded, indicating that was indeed the case.

“So, you’re saying if you apply for a visitation at the central prison, you can meet anyone?”

“Well… yes? If the person works there.”

Ronny stood up abruptly. Jeremiah is someone ‘working’ in the central prison. And he’s working very hard!

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Since Master Claude said so, it must be true, right?”

Ronny nodded repeatedly. If Claude, of all people, said it, it could be trusted even more.

He hastily tidied his desk, grabbing all the books and writing tools in one go.

“Young master?”

Melody called out, puzzled, but he didn’t hear her as he hurried out of the living room.

He shouted at a nearby servant, “I’m going out! Get the carriage ready now!” before returning to the living room, panting.

Then, he yelled at Melody, who was holding the cookies, as if bestowing a favor upon her.

“You can eat all of those. All of them.”

“Thank you…”

He had left before she could properly respond again.

Still, seeing his very bright expression, it seemed like he had found the answer to his ‘problem’. Offering all the cookies must be his way of saying thanks.

‘I hope it gets resolved well.’

Crunch. Just as Melody put the sweet cookie in her mouth, she heard the sound of the carriage departing.

 

***

 

Ronny, who had run out excitedly, returned to the mansion in less than an hour, looking utterly dejected. It was because of Jeremiah.

“I won’t go.”

Despite Ronny personally visiting the central prison, the boy remained adamant in his refusal. Moreover, he kept hinting for Ronny to go back, claiming he was busy.

Not understanding the heart of someone who came rushing.

“Jeremiah. You said in your letter that it wasn’t just because you were busy that you wouldn’t come, right?”

“…”

“If there’s something at the banquet that makes you uncomfortable, tell me. I’ll try to fix it for you.”

When Ronny completely lowered his stance, Jeremiah couldn’t respond harshly. Hesitation was visible.

“Jeremiah. I want to help you.”

Ronny didn’t miss the opportunity and pressed further.

“That’s…”

Finally, Jeremiah, who was like a fortress, gave an honest answer.

“Claude Baldwin makes me uncomfortable.”

“What?”

…But that was not something Ronny could easily fix.

Moreover, as far as Ronny knew, Claude wasn’t someone who made others uncomfortable. He was quite popular at the academy, after all.

“Why would my brother…?”

Stuttering with his question, perhaps Ronny’s affection for Claude shone through.

“…”

Jeremiah clenched his mouth shut as if irritated, sealing off his emotions as well.

Ronny could only be puzzled.

“What exactly happened between them?”

Reflecting back, Claude wasn’t around when Jeremiah first arrived at the mansion. While his absence might have been disappointing, it wouldn’t be right to say it was ‘uncomfortable’.

“Could it be they met without me knowing…?”

 

***

 

“Have you returned, young master?”

As Ronny got off the carriage, a servant approached him. It was the same servant who had delivered Jeremiah’s letter that morning.

“…Yes.”

“You seem very tired.”

With a sympathetic tone, he shook his head. There was still time before the banquet, and he intended to resolve this issue.

“Um, young master, there’s another message for you.”

The servant cautiously delivered the message, watching his reaction.

Ronny, who had been delighted with a message in the morning, now seemed visibly anxious.

“Could it be from Brother Claude?!”

Wondering if perhaps he too was uncomfortable with Jeremiah and wouldn’t attend.

“No, it’s not that. Moreover, this time it seems to be good news. It came with flowers.”

“Flowers? For me?”

“Specifically, for you, the lady, and Miss Melody.”

Behind the servant, three large bouquets were visible.

“Where are they from?”

“It seems they’re from a designer shop. Would you like to open them now?”

Relieved to hear it was from a designer shop, Ronny felt grateful.

Melody must have ordered some fine clothes yesterday. This must be a token of gratitude for that.

‘Melody really didn’t act poorly, after all.’

In the midst of his siblings causing turmoil, Ronny was thankful for Melody, who earnestly responded to his feelings.

Although the outcome with Jeremiah was somewhat disappointing, it was thanks to Melody’s suggestion that he was able to meet him directly.

“Please deliver the flowers to Melody and Loretta. I’ll read the letter now.”

“Yes.”

Ronny opened the ornate envelope. As expected, the letter began with “Dear Ronny Baldwin,” but the content beneath was the opposite of what he had anticipated. It contained only deep apologies for yesterday’s incident.

Ronny’s expression hardened.

 

***

 

“Nothing is going right.”

Ronny, lacking the energy to confront Melody, holed up in his room.

After some time, Melody, having received the bouquet, timidly came looking for him.

“I’m sorry for not being honest with you.”

“…It’s okay.”

Ronny sat huddled in a corner, his head bowed. Melody was a bright red liar. She had claimed to have enjoyed her outing yesterday.

Who could enjoy such treatment?

“You betrayed the feelings I put into giving you those cookies.”

“But buying the clothes wasn’t a lie.”

“You bought clothes after being treated like that?!”

Ronny shouted, prompting Melody to hurriedly share everything that happened yesterday, including meeting Claude.

“Ugh.”

Ronny sighed while burying his head between his knees again.

“…I see, brother.”

His foolish brother had helped him out. It seemed Claude pitied his incompetent younger brother, unable to properly host even a single banquet.

‘Why can’t I do anything right?’

He thought he could handle hosting a banquet for his family, but that turned out not to be the case. Everything was a mess.

No matter how hard he tried, it felt like giant waves were sweeping in, pushing him back to square one.