Chapter 92

 

* * *

 

Higgins continued his talk, seemingly not expecting a specific answer.

“Lady Loretta’s world will continue to expand. Although she is cautious now, having only recently regained her memories.”

Soon, the entire capital will become her world. There won’t be a place that does not welcome the sole lady of the Duke’s family.

“I know that too,” Melody replied, her voice trembling. At this, Higgins’s gaze sharpened, a departure from his usual demeanor.

“Someone who knows that.”

“I… I support Lady Loretta’s world expanding. I’m happy just watching.”

The child who had opened her heart only to Melody was now extending her love to as many people as her fingers could count.

And Melody was more than happy to watch Loretta from right beside her.

“But, Miss Melody, you couldn’t watch.”

“Pardon?”

“You didn’t see the lady at the performance or her moments after it.”

“That’s because I couldn’t go to the performance…”

“Do you plan to continue not attending?”

She intended to nod, but felt that doing so might lead to more scolding.

“I don’t understand what I did wrong, Butler. Why are you upset?”

Melody asked in a small voice, wondering if acting within her station was really a mistake.

“…”

Higgins looked at her and sighed deeply.

It was the first time he had shown his emotions so openly, which made it even more frightening.

“Miss Melody, what did you say you wanted to do here?”

“I came here wanting to make Loretta happy.”

The butler nodded at her straightforward answer. That was good, at least. It seemed very firm.

“Until now, the lady’s life was confined within the mansion, but that will change.”

Melody nodded slightly, more with a sense of asking, “Yes, and?” rather than indicating understanding.

“If you don’t make an effort to be close, you’ll end up drifting apart.”

“…Pardon?”

“The reduction of shared time and emotions is the easiest way to create a gap in a relationship.”

Hearing the word ‘gap,’ Melody felt something heavy drop in her heart.

She had never considered that she might be doing something that could distance her from Loretta.

“How much happiness can Miss Melody offer if the relationship becomes distant? I’m not sure.”

She couldn’t argue.

Aside from winning Loretta’s affection, Melody was a person without anything special.

Melody bowed her head and closed her eyes tightly.

“To catch the eye of a slave trader, how undignified.”

The cold words of a boy still echoed in her head.

Though he was referring to a painting adorned with yellow spring flowers, Melody had thought of Loretta in that context.

If Melody’s presence degraded Loretta’s dignity, then it was only natural to maintain a proper distance.

But as a result,

If she lost Loretta’s heart and couldn’t make her happy,

“Then there’s no point in me being in the Duke’s household.”

It would mean she was just living off their generosity.

“Was I dreaming too big? Wanting to make Loretta happy…”

Melody asked cautiously.

Even as she posed the question, she hoped Higgins would shake his head, just as Isaiah had said that wishing for someone’s happiness is perfectly natural.

“If Miss Melody plans to stay as she is now, then I believe so.”

Ink dripped from the tip of the pen, spreading a dark blot across the white envelope.

 

* * *

 

Meanwhile, the Duke of Baldwin visited the central prison as he had once promised Jeremiah.

On his way into the prison, he briefly greeted Isaiah.

The boy, who had grown a bit taller in the past few months, seemed almost knightly.

“I heard the Duke was coming today, so I’ve been waiting.”

Isaiah was holding a baby today as well. It was the child found at the scene of an explosion in the city some time ago.

“It’s that baby.”

“Yes, its cries were louder than the entire knight brigade. It’s bound to become someone remarkable.”

Isaiah skillfully soothed the baby with a chuckle. It was clear he had grown fond of the child over the past few days.

“What about the parents?”

“We don’t know. There weren’t any victims who seemed to have a household raising a child. We thought perhaps it was a prisoner’s child.”

When Isaiah mentioned ‘prisoner,’ he lowered his voice slightly, seemingly referring carefully to a captured Physis woman.

“They said no. Given the baby’s crying near the jail was met with ‘It’s, rather noisy,’ it seems certain.”

Thus, the knights had scurried around trying to find the baby’s parents, but to this day, the child’s identity remained unknown.

Normally, in such cases, children are sent to orphanages run by temples, but given the serious nature of the incident this baby was involved in, it remained under protection in the central jail.

Soon, Jeremiah heard the news and came out to the front of the jail with other magicians.

The Duke carefully observed his son, whom he hadn’t seen in days.

“You look tired.”

“Not really. The other magicians are considerate, so I only work briefly.”

Even so, employing such a young child in official duties seemed excessive.

The Duke grumbled internally but didn’t express it openly.

Jeremiah disliked being treated like a child.

Instead, the Duke nodded towards the other magicians as a gesture of entrusting his son to their care.

Perhaps the magicians hadn’t expected the Duke to greet them so formally; even those who were initially proud bowed in return.

“Magician Pierce.”

The Duke extended his hand to a familiar magician among them.

“It’s been a while, Your Grace.”

“I’m sorry for the inconvenience last time. I was so preoccupied I couldn’t offer a proper apology.”

“That’s alright.”

He was referring to a time when Pierce was not allowed upstairs in the mansion.

The Duke wondered if Pierce had taken offense, but his expression suggested otherwise.

“Thanks to you, my child has become Magician Baldwin, which is also a good thing for me. There’s always a shortage of capable magicians.”

The Duke wasn’t one for flattery, but he couldn’t help but feel a bit of pride when his son was praised.

“Pierce, hearing you say that eases my mind. And also.”

After the greetings, the Duke’s expression turned somewhat stern, as if to remind everyone that his visit was for official purposes.

“How is the woman’s condition?”

Pierce smiled slightly, amused by the Duke’s characterization. It was unusual for someone to refer to a Physis as a “woman.”

Typically, they were called “monsters” or sometimes “beasts,” as it was common not to regard them as human.

“She is stable. There’s no sign of resistance.”

Saying this, Pierce led the way towards the prison, a few steps ahead. Entering required several procedures, but no one would stop a magician already considered an insider or the Duke, who was there by the Emperor’s will.

“That’s good to hear she’s stable.”

“Actually, most Physis who are captured are in that state. Once fully awakened, they become like bombs without a fuse, dangerous and likely afraid for themselves.”

“Outside the jail might actually be hell for them,” he said, opening the iron door with a creak.

“Have you seen other Physis before?”

“My apologies.”

Pierce waved his hand dismissively.

“It’s a habit of mine to speak as if the knowledge I’ve gained from records is my own. This is my first time seeing one in person too. As you know, they are quite rare.”

“I see.”

The Duke followed Pierce into the interior of the jail.

They walked along a winter garden where unmelted snow lay in picturesque drifts, stopping at the room at the very end.

“This way. Would you like to meet her?”

“Of course.”

At Pierce’s signal, an attendant behind them unlocked the door.

Click, click.

The Duke watched the unlocking of the door with several keys with a bitter feeling.

It seemed excessive to lock up someone who had no intention of escaping so securely…

Soon, the door opened.

Before entering, the Duke involuntarily glanced back.

Jeremiah stood there, at the end of his gaze.

When their eyes met, the child offered a slight smile.

“Take turns.”

Pierce swapped places with another magician inside, saying, “Change of guard.”

On the prison floor, a circular magic circle of light was spread out. As Pierce ran his fingertips over it, the lines began to move, transforming into a different shape. It seemed the barrier changed according to the individual patterns and colors unique to each magician.

As the Duke fully entered, the door closed behind him with a thud.

Only then did he raise his head to look at the woman standing on the magic circle.

“……”

She was gaunt, looking even more emaciated due to her rough, bark-like skin.

Normally, when he met with prisoners, he always began by making them kneel.

Knights, aware of this rule, approached the woman’s side.

However, the Duke gestured for them to step back.

Although by the laws of this land the woman was considered a criminal, to the Duke personally, she was merely a pitiable victim.

She surely had not chosen to be born into this state.

It was disloyal for a Duke to harbor thoughts against the Empire’s laws, but he couldn’t help it in this case.

As the knights stepped back, the woman slowly blinked and looked directly at the Duke.

“……”

Perhaps because he offered no words, she was the first to speak.

With considerable haste.

It seemed to be a question she had been holding back for a very long time.

“When… can I die?”

Immediately, a knight nearby shouted, deeming her question presumptuous. She had no right to address the Duke first.

“I’m sorry, Your Grace. We had firmly instructed her not to speak first, but…”

“No, it’s alright.”

The Duke, having responded to the knight, looked back at the woman.

“And death is not all that remains for you.”