Chapter 216

 

* * *

 

Passing through each Briggs branch, Melody discovered a great thing about Loretta.

It was that she was very thrifty.

Loretta was nothing like her reckless brother who bought things he liked in different colors and materials.

She knew how to enjoy the effort of choosing the item that could bring the most joy within a limited allowance budget.

Thus, the list Melody and Loretta received upon arriving at the Briggs mansion in Kristonson was as follows:

 

[A summer hat with a wide brim.

Paper that seems good for drawing, made of the same material as academy test papers.

Ghostwriter stationery that (with a 1% probability) auto-completes sincere sentences.

Spices that hide the scent of cucumber.]

 

Loretta nodded as if she was satisfied with all the items on this list.

But in Melody’s view, one of those items was clearly a scam deliberately perpetrated by the company.

It was the ghostwriter stationery that was said to auto-complete with a 1% probability.

The merchant said this amazing paper would detect heartbeat and body temperature to complete the most sincere sentence. But to Melody, it just seemed like a probability scam.

‘Loretta seemed to find that uncertainty interesting though.’

While Melody doubted the authenticity of the item, Loretta signed the list with a satisfied face and handed it to Wendel Benton, the mansion manager.

“Oh right, send the cucumber scent-hiding spices to the Magic Tower first. Brother Jeremiah was very satisfied with them.”

“We are simply glad that our product has helped expand the magician’s convenience. We will send it right away.”

As he instructed a servant to make the delivery, soon there was a knocking sound at the reception room.

“He has arrived.”

Upon hearing that, Loretta jumped up from her seat, and Wendel Benton hurriedly opened the door.

The one who came to see them was August.

As he was now the son of a prince and had gained the title of “His Highness the Prince”, Melody was about to bow to express her respect to him.

Until Loretta ran over and grabbed his collar.

“You’re a liar, Prince!”

As the young lady shook the prince’s collar and yelled, those present froze on the spot.

In the tense atmosphere where everyone was just watching, August bowed his head deeply and answered.

“Uh, um… S-sorry…”

“Of course you should be sorry.”

Looking at Loretta raising her chin high as she replied, Melody realized one thing.

What she was witnessing now was.

The proper first meeting between the male and female lead of this world.

Melody slowly shook her head, recalling their romantic illustrations that adorned Part 2 of the original novel.

 

* * *

 

Of course, August had met Loretta before.

But that was when she had awakened as a physis and half lost her mind, so Loretta didn’t remember that time.

Since then, August had sent condolence letters to Loretta, and the two soon became close pen pals.

August, who liked to write letters, and Loretta, who was bored from seclusion, exchanged several letters a day, sharing their respective circumstances.

In August’s case, he conveyed that he was curious about the news of Mindy in Belhold. He was worried that she might have forgotten about him.

 

[My father said there is everything inside the imperial palace, but I think differently. Because it’s a place where I can’t even hear news of the person I really want to meet.]

 

To his honest confession, Loretta also wrote a similar feeling in reply.

 

[I’m also not hearing any news about Evan at all. Seeing that Echo, who used to deliver letters, isn’t coming either, everything must have been found out.]

 

Reading this letter, August often thought of Magician Baldwin and his disciple who frequently came to the palace and wrote a reply.

 

[Then shall I go and tell him for you? What should I ask?]

 

[Really? Thank you. I want to know if Evan is doing well. Oh! Then I’ll send a letter to the temple in Belhold and find out about Mindy for you! One of my knights said he has a pen pal there.]

 

Thus, the two promised to find out about the person each other was concerned about.

With Isaiah’s help, Loretta was able to easily hear about Mindy’s well-being.

 

[Miss Mindy is doing well. But she sometimes shows a lonely look.]

 

In addition, Loretta wrote down the trivial news about Mindy that was written in the letter.

And at the very bottom, she added her own thoughts.

 

[You shouldn’t ignore someone precious for too long. If you need help making your feelings a reality, tell me. I’ll help you in the name of Baldwin.]

 

In this way, Loretta had done her best for her friendship with him. Without a hint of shame!

But no matter how long she waited, August never conveyed news about Evan, and time passed like that until today’s meeting.

Having heard the circumstances between them, Melody hesitated and enlightened Loretta about one fact.

“Still, grabbing the prince’s collar was too much. This is the first time you’re properly greeting each other, right?”

“August and I have already shared secrets. That means we’ve become close friends, so the number of times we’ve met isn’t a big deal.”

Loretta smiled brightly as she handed him some snacks.

“Right?”

“Uh, yeah…”

August nodded, burying half his face in the hot teacup.

He seemed a little moved by the word ‘friend’.

“Now, tell me. Why can’t you convey news about Evan?”

“Well.”

August put down the teacup and fidgeted his small hands back and forth.

Loretta impatiently tapped the armrest, waiting for his story.

“The day after I received your letter, I saw Magician Baldwin attending a meeting from afar.”

“Uh-huh.”

“There was a boy who came with him too.”

Unable to hold back, Loretta corrected his words arbitrarily as she sat up straight.

“Not just a boy, but the prettiest boy in the world!”

“Uh, um… pretty?”

August quietly approached and recalled the face of the boy he had briefly met.

Well, at first he thought his flustered and confused look was really cute.

“After, after I mentioned Loretta’s name…”

“After what?”

As the story paused for a moment, Loretta quickly urged him on.

“He, he was a little scary.”

At this, Loretta narrowed her eyes and stared intently at August.

“Are you sure you’re not mistaking him for someone else? There’s no way Evan would make a scary face. He’s so kind. He always worries about me.”

“It’s not that his expression was scary… Anyway, he seemed to be guarding against me tremendously.”

Loretta tilted her head, saying it was strange. It was hard to imagine Evan being so wary of someone.

“In, in the end I couldn’t even have a proper conversation…”

August bowed his head deeply. As if sweat had formed on his palms, he kept wiping them on his pants.

“I’m sorry.”

“…Well.”

Loretta made a bitter face and shook her head.

“It can’t be helped.”

“But it seems he comes to the palace often, so I’ll keep trying to talk to him. Th-then you too…”

“You want me to find out about Miss Mindy?”

August raised his head and nodded repeatedly.

Loretta smiled meaningfully and brought a small envelope from her travel bag.

Realizing it was a letter written by Mindy, August stretched out his hands, and Loretta handed him the letter.

“Send the reply to me. It’ll get complicated if you send it directly from the royal family.”

“You, you’ll deliver my letter too?”

Moved, August clasped his hands together and blinked his eyes.

“You’re really the best friend!”

At his praise, Loretta put both hands on her waist and replied as if it was a given.

“Of course I know that too. You can also receive the same praise if you convey news about Evan to me.”

“I, I want to be your best friend too, but why does Evan dislike me…?”

Watching them, Melody felt like she could understand Evan’s feelings.

But here, she just made a clueless expression along with them.

Because how this strange alliance between August, who longs for Mindy, and Loretta, who likes Evan, will turn out should be purely left up to them.

 

* * *

 

Loretta acted like someone who wanted to unleash all the frustration of being bedridden until recently in this city.

As soon as the morning sun rose and she finished her meal, she would immediately meet August and roam around the city together.

It wasn’t the festival period yet, but as a tourist town, there were always things to see and enjoy everywhere.

The two young ones didn’t seem tired even after playing like that, but it was different for Melody.

After following the energetic children all day, she would return to the Briggs mansion completely exhausted.

Melody would flop down on the mansion’s sofa and long for the ‘miracle rubber mallet’. The magical item that miraculously makes you feel better when you tap the soles of your feet.

No, actually, not just that item…

 

“If you wish, I could continue to serve you like this even in the capital.”

“Don’t say such nonsense. It would undermine the dignity of the ducal family.”

“A little thing like this won’t diminish our dignity that easily.” 

 

She longed for that conversation back then.

Considering a certain feeling that had grown so much in a year.

While Melody was groaning for a while, there was a knocking sound at her room.

After a brief response, the door soon opened and Wendel Benton bowed politely, conveying, “You have a guest.”

“A guest for me?”

She asked back in wonder, as there was no one who would particularly come to see her, but he only gave the answer, “They are waiting in the reception room.”

‘Who… came?’

Melody’s anticipation arbitrarily thought of Claude’s name.

Of course, she felt she knew it wasn’t the right answer even without confirming it.

He wasn’t someone who would abandon his duties and rush to Kristonson in any case.

He wasn’t that kind of man.

Absolutely not.