Chapter 109

 

***

 

The two of the same age had maintained a long-standing friendship, and since last spring, they decided to honor that friendship by calling each other by their names.

“Okay, I’ll accept your apology.”

“Thank you. Then, Ronny, apologize to me too. You snooped through my notes without permission.”

“Hmph, snooped! The problem is that you made me wait in the first place.”

“I didn’t even know you were coming. Did you knock before entering?”

“I did. Once.”

Melody was fully hidden behind the screen, led there by the maids.

“I told you to wait outside until I answered. Loretta also said she dislikes that about you.”

“It doesn’t matter when I’m going to enter anyway.”

“Ronny!”

“…Ah, fine, I’ll apologize if that’s what you want.”

He grumbled displeasedly for a moment but soon gave Melody the apology she sought.

“I’m sorry for entering your room without permission and snooping through your notes.”

As his apology ended, Melody’s preparations to go out were also completed.

When she emerged from behind the screen, Ronny was bowing deeply, offering a sincere apology.

Melody quickly bent her knees in response.

“Thank you, for apologizing.”

“Well, it’s only natural for a gentleman….”

Ronny, while responding, subtly lifted his head. Their gazes met again, but this time, his expression seemed a bit odd.

“That’s a dress I haven’t seen before.”

“I received it as a gift on my last birthday.”

His scrutinizing gaze momentarily lingered on the exposed neckline, turning white.

“You…, aren’t you cold wearing that?”

“It’s summer, so it’s actually hot.”

“It looks, looks cold though.”

Ronny seemed hotter by the moment, so Melody offered him a handkerchief.

He flinched and stepped back, but he never accepted the handkerchief from Melody.

“Isn’t your exam not until tomorrow?”

“That’s right.”

“And you’re dressed up so prettily… no, where are you going dressed like that?”

“Um, I have various plans today, but first, I’m heading to the library.”

“The library? Because of the book you borrowed last time?”

“That’s right.”

“You could return it after the exam.”

“I was planning to do just that.”

A letter had arrived from the library. It urgently requested the return of the book if possible, as someone else wished to borrow it urgently, asking if it could be returned a bit early if it had already been read.

“You should have someone else run such errands. You say you barely have time to sleep with all the studying, so why go yourself?”

At Ronny’s scolding, Melody just shrugged her shoulders and smiled slightly.

Indeed, as he said, it would be more efficient to have someone else handle such tasks.

However, even after years of living as a noble’s daughter, Melody found it difficult to ask others to do such things.

“Actually, I feel more at ease doing it myself.”

The books in the library were very important.

If she entrusted such a task to someone else and it wasn’t returned properly, Melody would be upset.

And being upset wouldn’t help her perform well on tomorrow’s exam.

“Still as stubborn as ever….”

Ronny grumbled and picked up the library book that was on Melody’s desk.

“Is this the only one you need to return?”

“Huh?”

“I’m asking if these two books are the only ones you need to return.”

“Well, yes, but.”

“Got it.”

He arbitrarily embraced Melody’s books.

“I’ll return them for you. Change out of those… cold clothes.”

“Huh? But.”

“I was going to return my own book anyway! The one you borrowed without asking last time!”

“Ah.”

At the mention of “borrowed without asking,” Melody hesitated for a moment, so Ronny added an explanation not to misunderstand his words.

“Of course, I needed that book. I survived because you lent it to me. That… what’s it called. I was thankful, for starters.”

Melody smiled broadly, now reassured.

“I’m glad I could be of help to Ronny.”

“Right, so this time, I’ll be the one to help you. You wouldn’t refuse my kindness, would you?”

Melody hesitated for a moment but then nodded. She felt secure entrusting precious books to Ronny.

“Okay.”

“Uh… and.”

He fiddled with the tip of his glove for a moment. It seemed he had something else to say, so Melody quietly waited.

“Do you need anything? Something to eat or ink… stuff like that.”

“No, I’m good.”

“Good to hear, but still.”

He hesitantly approached Melody.

“Do well, okay?”

“Yes.”

“I went to all this trouble to help you… know that I’ll be mad if you fail.”

Melody covered her mouth and chuckled for a moment. She knew that his seemingly spiteful words were actually sincere encouragement.

“Thank you, my lord. I really want to pass too. Not just for my own sake, but also to repay those who have raised me.”

“You.”

Soon, Ronny began to glare at Melody with sharp eyes again.

“What is it?”

“You called me ‘my lord’ again.”

“Did I?”

“Yes!”

Even as he raised his voice, Melody just smiled broadly.

Ronny wanted to pinch that infuriatingly adorable face. Did she think anyone would forgive her just because she smiled prettily and apologized?

“I’m sorry, Ronny. I forgot for a moment. Hehe.”

“….”

But once he received her apology, he found himself unable to question her further.

“Ronny?”

“This is really the last time! I won’t let it slide from now on! Absolutely not!”

His trembling figure was somehow amusing.

So, Melody willingly replied with a “Yes, my lord,” once again.

Of course, Ronny screamed, and Melody ended up laughing out loud.

 

***

 

As Melody grew into a fine seventeen-year-old lady, Loretta also blossomed into a wonderful child.

Eleven-year-old Loretta Baldwin was already a celebrity in the capital, known to almost everyone.

She was especially famous for being “the one who made the emperor’s beard disappear with a single remark.”

This incident occurred a few winters ago.

Loretta boldly told the emperor during a meeting, “Your Majesty would look even more distinguished without a beard.”

Considering the emperor took great pride in his modest beard, it was a truly audacious comment.

Therefore, people hoped that the young girl would not incur the emperor’s wrath.

However, that fear was unfounded.

The next day, the emperor appeared clean-shaven, having removed all his beard, even remarking, “It seems the young Baldwin might have been right.”

Following this, the chief steward, who was very pleased, sent Loretta enthusiastic letters and gifts for a long time. After all, shaving off that unfortunate beard had been a great wish of his.

Since then, Loretta sometimes received praise for “having the ability to bend the emperor’s will,” but she responded indifferently.

“I just spoke the truth.”

The charm felt in her nonchalant response made the people of the capital even more enthusiastic about her.

But the adoration of many or being the emperor’s darling wasn’t something Loretta considered significant.

That’s because Loretta felt,

“Life is tough.”

She found herself in situations that warranted this statement even today.

“The life of our young lady seems to be tough every single day.”

“Yes, that’s right. Life is tough every day.”

Loretta set down the book she was engrossed in and looked up sharply.

“But thanks to that, I’ve come to realize something.”

Her large eyes shone intensely.

“What is it, miss?”

The maid asked as she placed a neatly cut apple in front of her.

“That the apple Snow White ate wasn’t poisoned!”

“…Pardon?”

“Yes, that’s right. I’m certain of it.”

Loretta suddenly stood up from her seat and paced back and forth near the sofa several times.

It was a habit when she was deep in thought.

“Think about it.”

She stopped walking and began to explain.

“How Snow White lived at the dwarfs’ house.”

“She lived peacefully, of course.”

“That’s impossible. She was taking care of seven dwarfs by herself.”

“Uh…”

Finally, the maid nodded.

Taking care of one person can sometimes be very taxing, let alone taking care of seven.

“Moreover, the princess wasn’t accustomed to such tasks, so it must have been even harder for her.”

“When you put it that way… it does sound quite plausible…”

“Do you know the characteristic of doing something you’re not accustomed to?”

At Loretta’s question, the maid pondered seriously before cautiously offering an answer.

“It takes… longer?”

It seemed to be the correct answer. Loretta clapped her hands and smiled broadly.

“Exactly. It takes longer to do the work, so there would have been less time for rest. And the kind stepmother was watching over Snow White’s exhausting life through the mirror.”

“The kind stepmother?”

“Yes, the kind stepmother.”

Loretta quickly added her reasoning for thinking so.

“She gave her the magical sleeping apple so that the tired Snow White could sleep deeply.”

“….”

The maid had questions she wanted to raise. If the stepmother was so worried, shouldn’t she have not driven her out in the first place?

Or, even if she did put her to sleep out of concern, did she have to go that far?

However, anticipating the maid’s objections, Loretta continued her argument.

“Snow White’s tasks were so piled up that she couldn’t sleep unless she was fed the magical sleeping apple! It’s impossible to sleep deeply with so many worrying tasks undone.”

“Is that so?”

“That’s how it is! No doubt about it!”

After her fervent argument, Loretta soon sighed deeply and slumped back in her seat.

“Speaking of which.”

She then gazed thoughtfully at the apple in front of her.

“…I wish I had a magical sleeping apple too.”

An apple that could plunge one into a deep sleep with just one bite.

“What would you use that apple for?”

“Well, obviously. I’d give it to Melody.”

“Oh dear.”

The maid finally understood Loretta’s intentions perfectly.

The story of Snow White wasn’t that important.

She was simply too worried about Melody Higgins, who was cutting back on sleep to work hard.