Chapter 114

 

***

 

Ronny was reminded of the magicians’ earnest pleas. They were worried Jeremiah was conducting strange experiments!

“You, don’t tell me!”

Suddenly, Ronny became insanely worried about Melody.

He feared Jeremiah might have turned her into a cat or a hamster as part of some experiment.

“You, even if Melody is cute, you shouldn’t do such things!”

Meanwhile, Jeremiah, holding the curtain, was slightly smiling—a smile he rarely showed.

Ronny’s face turned pale at that sight.

No wonder he had been so bothered by the many cats on the magic tower’s stairs!

Swish.

The curtain opened, and Ronny, feeling fearful, covered his face with his hands.

He didn’t want to see Melody turned into a cat. It was bound to be too cute.

“Quickly change her back!”

He shouted while his eyes were covered, soon receiving a reply filled with difficulty.

“She’ll be alright in two days. It’s something Miss Higgins herself wished for, so it’s unavoidable that it takes some time.”

“She wished for it?!”

Ronny, who was quite close to Melody, had never heard her express any strange desire to become a cat.

He had seen her provide water or food to the stray cats that sometimes came to the mansion’s backyard.

After a while, with the curtain drawn back, Ronny timidly opened his eyes through his fingers.

Due to the extreme tension, he initially couldn’t focus on what was beyond the curtain.

It took him some time before he could fix his gaze on one spot.

He was motivated by the thought that only he could rescue Melody from any trouble.

“…Huh?”

But the Melody he saw didn’t seem to be in any trouble at all. She was just lying quietly on the bed.

She was neither a cat nor a hamster but perfectly human, breathing normally and asleep.

Ronny let out a huge sigh of relief at this peaceful scene.

“…What? She’s just sleeping. Why did everyone make such a fuss over nothing?”

“That’s what I’ve been telling you, brother. The magicians worry too much.”

“Definitely. I thought you had turned Melody into a cat.”

“It would be unseemly for me to use such distasteful magic.”

Ronny nodded repeatedly. After all, Jeremiah, the future tower master, highly valued the natural order.

“Miss Higgins was in a very exhausted state. The magic simply guided her into a situation conducive to recovery. If she continues to sleep like this for about two days, her fatigue will completely disappear, and she will be able to wake up.”

“She has been overdoing it lately.”

Ronny frowned slightly as he looked at Melody’s deeply sleeping face.

“I knew this would happen. Such a fool.”

Ronny playfully poked Melody’s cheek, feeling somewhat annoyed with her.

It was a relief that she would be healthier after a good rest.

“…Huh.”

But soon, he was seized by a strange unease.

Why?

It wasn’t a big issue for Melody to fall asleep in Jeremiah’s room.

After all, Jeremiah was not only a fine magician but also a gentleman of the capital. He would offer his room to Melody and find somewhere else to stay and eat.

In the meantime, a maid from the ducal house could take care of Melody.

Of course, the Higgins couple or the duke might worry about her staying out.

But they too had been concerned about Melody overexerting herself recently, so they wouldn’t likely disturb this precious sleep.

‘But why….’

As Ronny pondered, he remembered something Melody had said recently in response to a question about why she was studying so hard.

“Because the archivist exam isn’t far off.”

“…Huh!”

Ronny hurriedly ran over, grabbed Melody’s shoulders, and began to shake her.

“Hey! Wake up, now’s not the time to be sleeping?!”

Initially, he shook her gently, but when Melody’s eyelids didn’t budge, Ronny started to shake her more vigorously to wake her up.

“The exam is tomorrow, and you’re planning to sleep for two days! Wake up right now!”

At his outcry, Jeremiah repeated, “What?” in confusion.

Ronny, still holding onto Melody’s shoulders, turned to his troublesome brother.

“Melody has her exam starting tomorrow morning! She has to take the archivist recruitment exam!”

“Ah.”

Realizing the situation, Jeremiah slowly nodded.

“That… the archivist recruitment exam that’s held irregularly every few years?”

“Yes!”

“So, Miss Higgins was so sleep-deprived because she was preparing for that.”

“Yes, that’s right! Ah, really….”

Ronny suppressed his almost overwhelming frustration, trying his best to regain his composure.

As the second son of the Baldwin family, he had resolved numerous small and large family issues.

Thus, he believed he could somehow solve this situation too.

“Jeremiah.”

“Yes.”

“You said the only way for Melody to wake up naturally is to ‘wait for two days,’ right?”

“That’s correct.”

“Then.”

Ronny carefully laid Melody down and turned to Jeremiah.

“Is there a way to wake her up unnaturally?”

“….”

Jeremiah remained silent.

“Why aren’t you speaking? You’ve forcefully awakened Loretta from sleep before, haven’t you?!”

“That situation is different from now.”

“It’s exactly the same?”

“It may seem so, but the essence is different.”

At that time, Loretta had fallen into a sleep to shut out reality after receiving a huge shock.

“Miss Melody fell into a deep sleep of her own volition, driven by her own will.”

“What about the exam?!”

“Obviously.”

Jeremiah answered with a calm face.

“She won’t be able to take it.”

“….”

“I suppose I’ll have to advise her to manage her physical condition better for the next exam. It’s regrettable, anyway.”

No, this regrettable situation is all because of you.

Ronny wanted to argue that point, but he was so dumbfounded that he couldn’t say anything.

 

***

 

The sun dipped further, staining the sky red.

The sunset viewed from the magic tower was a sight that could make anyone marvel, yet Ronny’s eyes saw only despair.

In the distance, he could see a servant carrying his letter heading back to the ducal mansion.

When he returned, he would likely be accompanied by the duke or the Higgins couple.

…How on earth should he explain this situation?

“Uh… Brother.”

Soon, Jeremiah approached Ronny with a guilty face.

He had spoken as if Melody’s situation was not a big deal just a moment ago, but now the atmosphere had completely changed.

It seemed like he was watching Ronny’s reactions.

“What?”

“I’ll have some food prepared.”

“…It’s okay.”

Ronny sighed again as he looked at Melody, who was deep in sleep, unaware of the world.

“Speaking of which. What about Melody?”

“What about her?”

“Food. She can’t eat if she keeps sleeping.”

“It’s fine.”

Jeremiah answered confidently.

“Sometimes, after staying up for five days, I refrain from eating and drinking and sleep straight for about three days. It hasn’t been life-threatening.”

“What? You mean you were made to work without sleep for five days?!”

“It was my choice to stay awake. Though the Tower Master greatly disapproves.”

Despite his words, Jeremiah seemed pleased that Ronny had raised his voice in concern for him. It was evident as he lightly touched his cheek with his fingertips.

“Anyway, Miss Higgins is filled with my magic, so there won’t be a problem due to hunger.”

“…Well, if you say so.”

Ronny looked out the window again, his head bowed.

‘Even if I manage to explain to the adults somehow… how do I explain this situation to Melody when she wakes up?’

At first thought, simply saying ‘Jeremiah put you to sleep.’ might do.

In a way, that was the truth.

‘But what if Melody ends up disliking Jeremiah because of that?’

Although Jeremiah was almost like a stranger in his childhood, he had steadily repaired his relationship with the family since a family gathering six years ago, becoming quite close.

‘But still…’

It wasn’t as if he could just relay Jeremiah’s explanation.

‘It’s because you responded to the magic in a tired state. You fell into sleep following your instincts!’ By saying this, Melody wouldn’t blame Jeremiah.

‘Instead, she would blame herself.’

Ronny didn’t like that either.

‘If only I could just say it was all my fault.’

The thought crossed his mind momentarily, but he had nothing to do with the situation’s occurrence.

Feeling suffocated, Ronny momentarily loosened his shirt collar and pulled at his hair.

“…Brother.”

“Ah, sorry. It’s a bit difficult.”

Ronny walked over to the sleeping Melody and flopped down onto the bed beside her.

Even as the bed shook, she showed no signs of waking up.

“I apologize.”

Soon, Jeremiah offered a formal apology.

“Suddenly why?”

“That is.”

He seemed to hesitate for a moment but soon answered calmly.

“Because I realized how worried you are about Miss Higgins.”

He bowed his head again, saying, “So, I apologize.”

“Jeremiah. What about you?”

“Pardon?”

“Were you worried?”

“About Miss Higgins?”

As Ronny nodded, Jeremiah tilted his head this way and that, lost in thought.

Yes, he had been worried initially due to her unexpected reaction.

But Melody had accepted his magic well, and now she was in the process of recovering from her fatigue and becoming healthier.

Was there still something to worry about?

“Honestly, I’m not sure why I should worry about someone who will wake up healthy as time passes.”

“Didn’t you tell me several times before that ‘Miss Higgins is special’?”

“Yes, of course.”

Jeremiah answered as if it was obvious, glancing briefly at her sleeping face.