Chapter 130

 

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‘I heard there are no issues with the duke’s affairs or his business.’

Could it be related to the search for the male protagonist, August, then?

‘I thought searching for the birth mother was his last resort.’

Being stuck there might be causing him to worry about how to solve the problem.

‘It’s about Loretta. It’s natural for the young master to be this distressed.’

He is, after all, the world’s biggest fool for his sister, with no interest in anyone but Loretta.

It’s so much so that in the original work, Claude didn’t even have a common lover.

“If it’s about Loretta, you could have shared it with me.”

Melody murmured in a low voice, feeling somewhat sorry.

“…I just wanted to try changing my way of thinking.”

Claude quietly replied, his eyes still closed.

“I’m sorry, for being noisy.”

“No, it wasn’t because of your voice.”

He slowly blinked his half-open eyes and let out a slight sigh.

It seemed that Melody’s watch hadn’t been very effective, and she felt somewhat apologetic.

“Should I… step back?”

“Mm, no. Just stay like this.”

“Really?”

But she had learned that staying in the same room in such a manner wasn’t proper behavior for a gentleman and a lady.

Sensing Melody’s discomfort, he quietly added a reason.

“It would be troublesome if the person who’s supposed to close the window disappears. Maybe I’ll be able to fall asleep this way.”

Realizing he had a point, Melody simply nodded.

“Then, may I ask what you meant by changing your thinking?”

“It was about the puzzles. Mm…”

He paused for a moment. His slow, uncharacteristic way of speaking was somehow fascinating, and Melody didn’t rush him.

“I wanted to stimulate a different part of my brain. It seemed like I needed a new way of thinking since I was at a dead end.”

“But there were no answers written on any of the puzzles?”

“I didn’t want to waste time writing them down with a pen.”

Melody glanced around at the newspapers scattered around him. Could it be that he had been solving all of them in his mind and head, covering what seemed like months’ worth of puzzles?

“…So.”

Melody looked back down at him. By then, he had turned to face her, gazing up at her quietly.

It seems he really hasn’t been giving it much thought.

“Did it stimulate you?”

“I’m not sure. I just felt like I needed a bit more of a hint.”

“A hint?”

“About Loretta, or that ‘record’…”

He leaned his forehead into the back of his hand for a moment, probably because he disliked the light coming in.

“So, tell me. Even something trivial would be fine.”

“I think I’ve already mentioned anything that could serve as a hint. Like his appearance or his upbringing.”

Fortunately, the male protagonist, August, had a very noticeable hair color, reminiscent of the previous emperor, a shade of pink.

That would undoubtedly be a significant clue in finding him.

“It doesn’t have to be directly related.”

“It won’t be anything substantial.”

“I’ll be the judge of that. So, will you tell me?”

Prompted by his request, Melody thought about what appropriate topic might be.

The male protagonist, August.

He was the only person who could stabilize Loretta’s constitution.

But there’s also the fact that he was the son of Prince Samuel and had been confined somewhere in the palace.

What she hadn’t mentioned was…

‘…Loretta’s romantic affairs.’

That was a major element of the novel, but it was difficult to talk about.

‘How could I possibly say with my own mouth that the small, cute Loretta grows up and does those, those kinds of things with August!’

And who knows what Claude would do if he found out about such a plot twist! This brother, foolishly doting on his sister, might grab August by the collar as soon as he found him.

‘What else could there be to talk about?’

After some thought, Melody recalled a scene.

“I haven’t told you about their first… meeting.”

The first meeting of Loretta and the male protagonist in the original story.

Since it was unlikely to happen just as in the story, she hadn’t mentioned it.

It wasn’t anything special, really.

“Their first meeting? Between him and Loretta?”

“Yes. It was the winter when thirteen-year-old Loretta attended the imperial New Year’s Eve ball.”

Speaking of future events in the past tense felt odd, so Melody shrugged her shoulders slightly as she continued.

“Loretta attended the ball with the young masters. But then, an incident occurred where she got lost in the garden alone.”

“…It sounds like something straight out of a romance novel.”

At his remark, Melody flinched momentarily.

“Oh, it’s a misunderstanding. It’s just a regular record. Anyway, there, Loretta coincidentally runs into a beautiful boy, August.”

“Hmm.”

His face twisted peculiarly.

“August helps Loretta find her way.”

“Thank you, I owe my life to you.”

Taken aback by Loretta’s kind gratitude, the boy couldn’t even properly face her.

It was the first time anyone in the vast imperial palace had spoken to him so kindly.

“No, no… It’s nothing… How could someone like me be of any help…”

Loretta became instantly curious and interested in him at his stumbling reply.

And for good reason, the only men around her were…

Her overly talented brother.

Her pretentious brother.

Her excessively talented brother.

Naturally, Loretta wanted to know more about this boy who possessed both modesty and shyness.

So, she grabbed the boy’s wrist and said, ‘Follow me!’ with excitement.

Startled, August was dragged behind her, and when he asked where they were going, Loretta responded with a sly smile.

“To create a splendid secret!”

“That’s how the relationship between her and him started.”

More precisely, it marked the beginning of the male protagonist’s fervent first love for Loretta.

It would be impossible not to fall in love with the lively smile that suddenly appeared during gloomy times.

“So what happens next?”

“The two become friends without revealing their identities to each other.”

“Friends.”

He specifically pointed that out.

“Yes, friends.”

But it was a friendship a bit like having a fever.

After his appearance, Loretta began lying to her family for the first time and would go to meet him on her own.

Meanwhile, August used the shift change times, when the usual surveillance by the servants loosened, to spend time with Loretta.

“At first, Loretta talked more about herself.”

But as the time they shared deepened, the timid boy opened up his heart.

“He even taught Loretta songs he learned from his nanny.”

What else was there? Melody fiddled with the edge of a thin newspaper lying nearby, lost in thought.

“They also made a promise, it seems. To play together in Kristonson someday.”

“Kristonson?”

Kristonson was a border region at the northern edge of the empire and the place of Prince Samuel’s exile.

“Yes. August talked about going out with his father. He said it was very enjoyable.”

“Prince Samuel went out and had a good time with his son? In Kristonson?”

At his question, Melody nodded. That city was the only place the two of them had spent time together.

“That’s a bit… strange.”

He murmured dryly, closing his eyes momentarily.

‘Strange?’

Melody pondered what he found so peculiar.

“Ah.”

Then it hit her. Why hadn’t she realized how odd the story sounded while she was telling it?

In Kristonson, Prince Samuel was secretly raising his son.

Yet, they went out together and had fun memories?

“That’s strange, isn’t it.”

Melody nodded, worrying if this might be more than just a simple plot inconsistency.

“I might be remembering it wrong.”

Therefore, Melody hurried to retract her previous story, not wanting to confuse Claude due to an error in the original story.

“No. It might not be.”

“But you said it was strange. That kind of thing would be impossible.”

If the duke was seen walking around the village with his hidden son, they would be discovered by the governor of Kristonson or his vassals, and everything would be over.

“I’ll think of another story. There might be something that could serve as a hint… Young Master?”

Just then, Claude suddenly sat up from where he was lying, as if he had just thought of something urgent.

“Why… are you doing this?”

Despite Melody’s question, he didn’t answer, instead hastily pulling out a few books from the bookshelf.

“Young Master?”

Melody followed to see what books he had taken out, hoping to understand the meaning behind his peculiar actions.

Records and maps were the first to catch her eye. Was he intending to learn something about Kristonson?

But soon after, he took out a novel. A detective novel that was quite popular recently, which seemed largely unrelated to Loretta’s situation.

Yet, he piled the novel together with the records.

“Why are you taking out a novel?”

It was only when Melody posed the question again that he glanced back at her.

With a gaze that seemed to have shed all traces of fatigue.

“A journey without books is terribly lonely.”

“What?”

He promptly asked a servant to prepare enough luggage for a month-long stay, with as few items as possible.

“A trip?”

“Yes, a trip.”

He answered quickly, this time pulling out a travel chess set from a drawer.

“Suddenly, where to… You’re not thinking of going to Kristonson, are you?!”

“Where else?”

“That’s not allowed. Have you forgotten the Duke’s instructions to not move recklessly?”

“I know. But there’s no choice. We’re running out of time.”

“…Time?”

After setting down the chess set, he moved beyond a screen.

One of the servants packing the luggage quickly followed him in, bringing new clothes.

“Kristonson’s summer is precious, Miss Melody.”

His voice continued from behind the screen.

“As harsh as its winter is.”