Chapter 181

* * *

He handed the cushion he was holding back to Melody.

“I’m your friend.”

He bit his lip for a moment, but soon raised his head with a face that seemed to have made a decision.

“I can quickly notice when you’re in trouble.”

“Ronny.”

“Well, honestly, it’s a bit annoying to compare a guy like Isaiah to our great brother.”

“What’s wrong with Isaiah?”

“What’s wrong with him? He’s just a bastard with filthy strength.”

“But Isaiah is kind.”

“Somehow that sounds like you’re saying my brother isn’t kind.”

“Young Master Claude is…”

Sometimes he acts kind arbitrarily, but usually he’s quite mean.

From childhood until now.

He interfered when Melody showed interest in someone.

Even at the Records Keeper exam, he showed up without a word and surprised her by smuggling in a newspaper.

That wasn’t all.

He pulled her into his arms late at night, and recently he even kissed her wrist.

Moreover, even though Melody revealed that she couldn’t seriously think about him for the sake of repaying the Higgins name…

“Please slowly… please, generously think about it.”

When he made the request to meet with a desolate and pitiful appearance, wasn’t it difficult to refuse somehow?

“What about Brother?”

Ronny, who had been waiting for her story, asked for an answer again, and Melody immediately made a tearful face.

“…He’s a bit too much. Young Master Claude is really underhanded and mean.”

It wasn’t particularly words of praise about him, so why was her face turning red?

Melody completely buried her face in the cushion.

As if finding that sight amusing, Ronny started laughing again, chuckling.

* * *

The next day, a small incident occurred at the ducal residence.

A new servant had mistakenly left the wagon he was transporting on a sloped part of the garden, causing all the fruits in the cargo compartment to fall out.

Red apples and pomegranates all rolled into various parts of the garden.

When there were many young children in the mansion, it was fine even if such accidents happened. They would have happily picked up the fruits, saying “Let’s all go on a treasure hunt!”

But now there were hardly any young children in this mansion.

Loretta, who belonged to the younger group, recently wanted to act like a very well-behaved young lady for some reason.

While muttering to herself, “Because I promised to cherish it for a long time…”

So, led by the Higgins couple, all the servants of the ducal residence gathered and started the labor of picking up the fruits one by one.

Melody also followed the Higgins couple with a basket in hand.

“Seems like apples these days come with wheels attached? They rolled away so quickly, tsk.”

Mrs. Higgins picked up an apple that had fallen on the dirt and threw the badly bruised ones far beyond the garden.

Saying that insects, birds, or any creature would pick them up and eat them.

“This one has already cracked and become the property of ants.”

At her father’s words, Melody looked back and saw ants busily transporting small pomegranate seeds they had torn off.

“I bought expensive fruits, and only the tiny creatures are delighted.”

Mrs. Higgins sighed as she put the apple she found between the bushes into the basket Melody was holding.

“…Why isn’t there a single intact one?”

“There must be at least one left that will suit Madam’s liking. If there isn’t, I can go and buy a pretty apple.”

Between them, Melody grinned while hugging the basket.

Her parents must be looking for unusually good apples all for Melody’s sake.

“I like slightly bruised apples too. You’ll soak them all in sugar and make a pie anyway, right?”

In autumn, the family gathers to eat apple pie made together.

It was a new tradition of the Higgins family, and Melody loved that time very much.

Even if they made a pie with bruised apples, that joy probably wouldn’t fade.

“I don’t like it. Why should my little lamb eat bruised apples? Even if she eats only pretty apples, she won’t be able to eat all the apples in this world!”

That’s sophistry. Melody wanted to answer like that.

But when she saw Butler Higgins taking notes of that story in a small notebook, she couldn’t bring herself to criticize him like that.

“Another wonderful quote today.”

He looked down at the notebook with “My Wife’s Sacred Words, Volume 147” written on it and nodded with satisfaction.

“Of course, I don’t say wrong things.”

“I know. That’s exactly why I respect you.”

Melody looked at the two alternately and somehow worried if she was disturbing her parents’ fruit-picking date.

“Uh, um… I’ll go check if there are apples over there too!”

She timidly moved away between the bushes where the maids were looking for apples.

* * *

Fortunately, there was no need for Butler Higgins to go buy apples.

Among the apples that had fallen on the ground, there were several that maintained a pretty red color.

The Higgins family put several apples on the table and carefully selected the prettiest one to use for the family tradition.

Melody washed the apples and cut them into appropriate sizes.

While Mrs. Higgins kneaded the dough she had rested, Higgins brought a large sugar jar from the pantry.

After repeating the task of making it together for several years, now their hands and feet matched perfectly without even having a conversation.

Melody poured all the cut apples into a large pot.

Higgins poured the sugar, and soon brought a large spatula to gently stir the inside.

The crunchy sugar granules that had been sizzling from the subtle flames gradually melted.

“Father, shall I stir now?”

“It’s alright.”

“But your arm hurts.”

At the admirable words filled with worry, Higgins handed the long spatula to Melody.

“Thank you.”

“Mm, no. Actually, I like doing it.”

Melody quickly stirred the pot so that the apples or sugar wouldn’t burn.

“You’re doing well.”

“You two taught me, after all.”

“My daughter must have learned well.”

Higgins slowly massaged the arm he had used to stir and smiled.

“I hope you know that we are proud of that intelligence of yours.”

“Calling me intelligent just because I’m good at making stewed apples is somehow… too much.”

“Do you think so? I think it’s sufficient. You can know ten things by looking at one.”

He brought thick glasses from the cupboard and poured tea. He seemed to be preparing something simple to drink for his wife who had put away the dough and his daughter who was making the stew.

“Not only intelligent but also diligent.”

Even in the meantime, the words of praise for Melody continued.

Melody felt like her own body would melt like the sugar that went into the stew.

Because there was nothing more joyful than being recognized by her parents.

“But.”

At the ominous words that followed, Melody unknowingly stopped her arm.

“Give it back to me. It’s better to drink tea before it cools.”

Higgins, who had finished preparing the tea, took the spatula back.

Melody blankly stared at her father’s back while holding the warm teacup.

Waiting for the previous conversation to continue.

“Melody.”

“…Yes?”

“Do you remember why we gave you the Higgins name?”

“Well.”

Melody took a step closer to him and answered.

“It was for me to live together with Loretta.”

“And do you remember what else there was?”

“You told me that I had become a precious person in this mansion. That I needed proper protection.”

Melody briefly looked back at her mother. She slightly nodded her head, which seemed to mean “Say more.”

“So I pledged to you two. That I would become a person not ashamed of the names Higgins and Ainz. Of course, I still think that way now.”

“Our daughter who thinks that way.”

Higgins’ voice that immediately returned seemed to have a hint of small anger mixed in for some reason.

“I’m sorry, Father. What… did I do wrong?”

“I told you that day.”

It was Mrs. Higgins who informed her what the conversation was about.

“We explained everything to you. About why we didn’t have children until that day.”

She was also looking at Melody with very sad eyes.

“Th-That’s.”

Melody quickly put down the glass and clasped her hands together. Her fingertips were cold.

“You said it was because… the Higgins name couldn’t pile glory on my shoulders.”

A shadow-like fate of having to belong perfectly to the Baldwin ducal family. The couple didn’t want to pass on such a thing to anyone.

“Yes, that’s right.”

Higgins slightly nodded his head.

“To be more precise, I didn’t want to see my child being captured by that name and being sad.”

“…”

When Melody didn’t say anything, Mrs. Higgins also supported his words.

“Staking your life on a name is a foolish thing only ancient nobles do.”

“Still…”

Melody made a slightly tearful face and looked at the two alternately.

She thought she knew why they were saying these things.

‘Is it because I rejected the young master using the Higgins name as an excuse? But no one knows about that…’

There’s no way Claude would have gone around telling people about such a thing, so how did they find out?

“After making such a fuss these past few days, are you curious about how we knew?”

“I-I made a fuss?”

Melody could take pride in the fact that she had been relatively well-behaved.

But that was just her own thought.

Anyone living in this mansion would have known that Melody and Claude were acting very strangely.

Because anyone could see how they were startled every time their eyes met.

“I didn’t do anything.”

At her answer, the couple sighed simultaneously.

“What should I do with this clueless little lamb?”

“But, that’s… isn’t it true? I’m a Higgins.”

She didn’t want to distort the noble master-servant relationship that had continued between the two families with her own hands.

“It seems you’ve forgotten the most important promise.”

Higgins moved the entire pot to the kitchen counter. The remaining heat made the sugar water boil and bubble.

“Melody Ainz Higgins.”@@novelbin@@

“…”

“What you should cherish is not the name, but you, Melody, who bears that name.”

Suddenly, something came to Melody’s mind. The painting of yellow flowers decorating her room.

In front of it, when Melody asked to be adopted, Higgins had said that.

Then she also recalled the question Melody had asked at that time.

“Does that mean I need to become a good child worthy of the name?”

“It’s unfortunate to be caught up in such precocious words, leading to insincere words and actions.”

At his advice, Melody had resolved to say and do things close to her true heart.

And by doing so.

She had promised… that she would surely become happy.

Why had she forgotten until now? She remembered almost everything else.

“My goodness, I’m sorry.”

Melody bit her lip with her head bowed.

‘Allowing me to have the name was for me to use it to be happy.’

She had been turning away from her own heart using the name…

“It’s alright.”

“As long as you know now.”

As if the couple had no intention of further interrogating Melody, they started making the pie again just like usual afterwards.

* * *

Making apple pie together and eating it together.

The beautiful autumn tradition of the Higgins family ended safely, and now only the last piece of pie remained between them.

Butler Higgins brought a separate plate, placed the last pie on it, and even prettily decorated it with garnish herbs.

‘Why is he putting so much effort into the last pie?’

As Melody looked at it in wonder, Higgins smiled brightly and held out the pie plate.

“Will you deliver it to the young master?”