Chapter 146

 

* * *

 

There was deep confidence in her voice that she would never lose her affection for Melody.

“So Melody, never think such thoughts again, understand?”

Despite her tender words, Mrs. Higgins wore a stern expression.

Melody, who had been watching her intently, slowly nodded her head.  Only then did Mrs. Higgins finally smile and gently stroke Melody’s hair.

“You troublesome little lamb.”

Feeling the depth of affection in her tone, Melody immediately embraced Mrs. Higgins tightly once more. She patted the child burrowing into her on the back soothingly.

“But…I was still in the wrong.”

“Oh?”

“I must have caused you a lot of worry?”

“…Well, I did know you were safe at least.”

“Huh?!”

Melody looked up at her mother with wide eyes after that statement.

“The Duke’s people always quietly follow the young master, after all.”

“Ah.”

So there had been escorts discreetly accompanying them, relaying information back.  Of course, that did not diminish Mrs. Higgins’ concerns in the slightest.

“It’s alright if you’ve reflected on it. When a child gets into too much mischief, I can’t even muster the energy to scold them properly. This is precisely that situation. Tsk.”

As she clicked her tongue and turned her head away, a knock came from outside accompanied by a maid’s tentative voice.

“Um, ma’am?”

Mrs. Higgins briskly walked over and flung the door open wide. The maid who had come was from the kitchen, appearing utterly terrified.

It seemed this particular maid was deathly afraid of Mrs. Higgins.

“What is it?”

Despite the poor maid trembling like a newborn fawn, Mrs. Higgins brusquely demanded her business first.

This caused the maid’s already pale complexion to turn even whiter.

“The…pota…”

“What was that?”

“The head chef wanted to ask…how you would like the potatoes you peeled prepared, ma’am. Of course, he said to follow your wishes! For now, they’ve just been salted…”

“Salted?! Good heavens, this is madness!”

With that outburst, Mrs. Higgins flung the door open wider and started rushing towards the kitchen.

Left alone by the doorway, the maid watched her retreating back with a crestfallen expression, likely worried she had made some mistake.

“It’s alright.”

But the maid shook her head at Melody’s reassurance.

“But Miss…Lady Higgins seemed terribly angry.”

“She’s not really angry.”

“Is that so?”

“She’s berating herself.”

“Huh?!”

The maid turned a stunned gaze towards Melody. From any perspective, Mrs. Higgins’ reaction appeared far removed from self-admonishment.

Moreover, even if Melody was right, what did her mother have to reproach herself over? All she had done was peel a bunch of potatoes.

“But the lady has no reason to berate herself…”

“Well, I don’t really think so either.”

Melody shrugged before heading to the kitchen herself, following her mother’s path.

Soon, Mrs. Higgins’ shrieks rang out from inside. “Adding salt to them! Chopping in vegetables by color and nutrients!”

The maid flinched audibly, her face falling again.

“As I thought, it seems the lady was quite angry…”

This time, Melody replied, “I told you, she’s just berating herself.”

Though the maid did not appear convinced.

 

* * *

 

A few minutes later, Melody was lying on her bed with a thin cloth draped over her face. Mrs. Higgins was carefully layering chilled, grated potato slices on top.

“Ruining cosmetic potatoes by frying them all in oil!”

Mrs. Higgins grumbled repeatedly about the earlier kitchen incident. She had painstakingly grated fresh summer potatoes to soothe Melody’s tanned complexion.

But in the brief moment she had stepped away, salt and various chopped vegetables had been added to the potatoes, leaving them ready to be crisply fried – a travesty.

Of course, Mrs. Higgins did not actually scold the servants over this. She simply glared daggers at the now appetizing-looking potatoes, shrieking as if reprimanding herself for not ‘telling them not to touch it.’

Not that any of the servants understood her glares carried that meaning.

‘Though I do feel bad for Mother, those would have tasted quite delicious.’

Potatoes and oil were an eternal pairing, after all. Recalling the kitchen commotion, Melody struggled to suppress a smile.

But that did not seem like the best idea.

“Oh dear, stay still now. The freshly grated precious potatoes are slipping off.”

True to her mother’s words, one of the potato slices on Melody’s lips slid right off, plopping over her neck.

“This troublesome little lamb, what am I to do with you?”

Mrs. Higgins’ muttered words as she reapplied the potatoes were clearly admonishing Melody’s behavior.

Yet beyond the gruff tone, such immense tenderness and adoration shone through so vividly that…

Melody found herself smiling again. Soon after, another potato slice lost its grip on her face, rolling off her neck once more.

“How difficult is it to stay still? At this rate your bed will become a potato field.”

Oh dear, what to do?

Though Melody knew she needed to relax her facial muscles, she could not help herself. In fact, her smile only grew wider, until the potato slices on her eyes slid right off as well.

“Oh no, my potatoes! My precious potatoes!”

The delicious aroma of potatoes and oil began wafting in from the distant kitchen. For some reason, Melody finally felt a true sense of being back home again.

‘From now on, I must never leave the mansion without my parents’ permission again.’

In fact, if possible, she wished to live here forever.

‘…Ah.’

In the midst of her tranquil reverie, Melody suddenly recalled having forgotten something.

‘What was it?’

There had been something she thought to ask her mother about later…

After pondering for quite a while, Melody finally remembered what it was, thanks to the maid’s words when delivering her father’s letters earlier:

“These letters arrived for you while you were away, Miss. There are more, but those can only be delivered after Lady Higgins’ approval.”

‘Ah yes, that’s what it was.’

What kind of letters had arrived that required her mother’s permission before Melody could receive them?

‘I haven’t gotten into some other trouble, have I…?’

Perhaps the company had sent an advance list of her purchases before shipping, and her mother took issue with it upon seeing.

What if she got angry after looking at the items?

‘But they were all necessary things, after all.’

Unable to voice her curiosity for fear of dislodging the carefully arranged potato slices, Melody could only fidget her feet restlessly.

Some more time passed. Around when the damp potatoes seemed to have dried up a bit, Mrs. Higgins announced, “Alright, that should do it,” and removed the cloth from Melody’s face.

Her piqued curiosity finally reaching its limit, Melody immediately asked her question.

“Mother, I heard there were letters addressed to me besides the ones from Father.”

Mrs. Higgins’ hand, in the middle of plucking potato  strands from Melody’s hair, stilled momentarily.  Sensing her mother’s shift in mood, Melody felt an ominous premonition and sat up, closely watching her expression.

“Did…Did I perhaps do something else wrong?”

“No.”

Mrs. Higgins shook her head firmly.

“It’s nothing to concern yourself over. That kind of thing.”

However, a deep crease formed on her brow as she added those words, suggesting she was troubled over something.

“If it involves me, please tell me. Maybe I can help.”

“No, that’s unlikely.”

Her tone grew somewhat cold before she hurriedly elaborated, seemingly flustered.

“I-I mean, I won’t be accepting that kind of thing.”

“What…kind of thing won’t you be accepting?”

At Melody’s insistent questioning, Mrs. Higgins let out a faint sigh, having noticed her daughter’s stubborn expression. She likely intended to pester her until she got answers.

Left with no choice, Mrs. Higgins decided to explain everything. It was an issue Melody ought to know about as well, even if conveying it felt rather awkward from a parent’s perspective.

“It was nothing major. Um…”

“…?”

“Just an unsavory request that came through.”

Even after resolving to speak frankly, Mrs. Higgins’ words still seemed to skirt around the main point.

‘This is…difficult…’

She studied the child before her, potato pieces stuck all throughout her hair, blinking innocently in her direction.

People often complimented the Higgins couple, saying Melody had grown into a fine young lady. But in Mrs. Higgins’ eyes, she was still just a child.

A troublesome little lamb she would need to constantly pluck potatoes from for the rest of her life.

“A letter came…requesting to meet you.”

“From who?”

Mrs. Higgins’ lips pressed tightly together for a moment before she slowly shook her head and answered.

“Someone…seeking to become your fiancé.”