Chapter 182

* * *

“What?”

“You decided to become happy, right?”

It was the same words as before this time too.

When Melody was contemplating whether she could receive the painting of yellow flowers, Higgins had encouraged her with these words.

As if to remind her that in order to become happy, she had to say and act honestly.

His question today seemed to hold the same sentiment.

However, Melody still couldn’t let go of the lingering guilt in her heart and alternately looked at the Higgins couple.

“Didn’t you say you wanted to be loved more?”

“…”

“You can receive it. Even more than now. Fill everything around my daughter with such things. That way.”

Higgins looked back at his wife. She abruptly stood up from her seat with fierce eyes and shouted.

“I’ll be able to sleep with my legs stretched out!”

“Yes, that’s right. And I don’t particularly like it when my fragile wife has long sleepless nights.”

He handed the plate again, and Melody finally accepted it.

“…I.”

Melody looked at the cross-section of the pie for a moment and then raised her head.

The two adults Melody loved very much were looking only at her. With eyes full of worry.

“I think I… forgot how much you two favor me.”

The parents Melody knew cherished her heart more than the Higgins name.

She didn’t know why she had forgotten that fact for the past few months, but…

‘Maybe I was looking for an excuse to run away from my own heart.’

“I’m sorry.”

At her apology, the Higgins couple both shook their heads.

“We’re good. Just hurry up and go.”

“What about cleaning up? I still have things to do.”

“I said go. As if I can’t do that one thing!”

At Melody’s stubbornness, Higgins stepped in to resolve the situation.

“Then next year, you can clean up everything. Then you can go without worrying now, right?”

Melody still felt uncomfortable, but she couldn’t refuse her parents’ urging any longer.

“Um… then I’ll go deliver the pie!”

“Be careful on your way.”

“Absolutely don’t run, you little lamb.”

Melody left a light kiss on each of their cheeks and left the drawing room with slightly quick steps.

Watching her back, Mrs. Higgins fiddled with her cheek for no reason and grumbled.

“…When will those feet learn silence?”

“Actually, it’s fine even if she doesn’t learn. Our daughter’s brave footsteps are quite splendid.”

Higgins poured more tea into his wife’s cup and smiled brightly.

* * *

Melody hurriedly went up the stairs with the plate in hand. Somehow her footsteps felt light.

Just deciding not to run away from her heart made her feel this good.

She knocked on Claude’s door without hesitation.

Soon an answer came, so Melody pushed the door open without holding back.

The window must have been open, as the wind immediately blew through, scattering her hair into a mess.

“Oh dear, I’m sorry.”

Claude immediately apologized and stood up from his seat. As he seemed to be trying to close the window, Melody quickly stopped him.

“It’s autumn. You can leave it like this. It’s not like I’ll be blown away by the wind. Well.”

Melody approached his desk.

Five file folders with red tags were neatly laid out. That meant there were five absolutely urgent matters.

On the trolley next to the desk, there were a few more file folders with green and yellow tags.

Moreover, next to it, various records were piled up from the floor to knee height, probably separately collected for Claude’s reference.

“…Why didn’t you call me?”

Melody didn’t know she would say such a thing to Claude herself, but anyway, it was sincere.

“Wasn’t it to get help in moments like this that you worked me to the bone day and night?”

“Well.”

He closed the window after all and returned to face her.

Melody was relieved that he was no different from usual.

From his composed expression, upright posture, to his neat attire.

He must be properly balancing work and rest by dividing his schedule into minutes and seconds.

“Right.”@@novelbin@@

Thinking she shouldn’t take up too much of his time, Melody first held out the plate with the pie in front of him.

“I came to give you this…”

But somehow she ended up hesitating for a moment.

The moment she saw the apple pie on the plate, a strange thought occurred to her for some reason.

‘Sharing apple pie is a tradition of the Higgins family, so giving it to the young master is somehow.’

Wouldn’t it look like Melody was asking him to become her family?

‘…It’s like I’m proposing to the young master to become a Higgins family.’

She swore she had no such intention at all.

She just wanted to brush off the awkwardness with him and ask him to go to the Hatfield concert together.

That was really all.

“Miss Melody came to give me the Higgins family’s apple pie.”

At his words as he held the plate, Melody quickly shook her head.

“Ah, no.”

“No?”

“Well, you see.”

Melody still held the plate tightly and somehow made a resentful expression.

“It wasn’t me, but F-Father told me to give it to you.”

Although she stammered a bit, this was the truth. In fact, Higgins had handed her the plate and said, “Will you deliver it?”

“That’s surprising in itself.”

He slightly pulled the plate towards himself.

Melody, who was tightly holding the plate, took a step towards him.

She was still making a very tearful face, so Claude laughed.

“Haha.”

“Young Master, you’re making other assumptions now, right?”

At her words, Claude shrugged, saying “No way.”

“You’re making other conclusions.”

“Don’t conclude! Absolutely not! Because it’s not!”

When she unconsciously shouted, he lowered the corners of his eyes and tilted his head obliquely.

“Hmm… absolutely not.”

At his pitiful-looking appearance, Melody somehow felt guilty.

Until before entering this room, she had made up her mind to act honestly…

“It’s not that it’s not.”

“It’s not what it’s not?”

“No, no! No, I mean!”

Melody shook her head to shake off the negatives piled up on top of her head. It was just making things more confusing.

“Anyway, first, I came to give you the pie. Please accept it.”

Melody let go of the plate she had been holding.

“Thank you. And?”

He placed the pie plate on the desk and continued to wait for Melody’s words.

“And.”

Melody naturally avoided his gaze and slightly lowered her head.

For some reason, her clasped hands felt hot.

“…I want to go.”

As the stammering words continued, her head kept dropping lower and lower.

“To the Hatfield concert.”

And now she was completely staring at the floor.

“With you…”

Melody thought her last words might not have reached his ears.

Because even she couldn’t hear them properly.

“…”

Somehow he had no answer. As much as she thought he would like it, Melody found the brief silence very difficult.

Still, she didn’t have the courage to lift her head and check his expression.

“…I see.”

At the answer that came back after a long time, Melody quietly raised her head and stared at him blankly. With a face that seemed sulky, as if saying ‘What’s with that bland reaction?’

“No, that’s not it. Ah, not that it’s not.”

He started piling up a lot of negatives, just like Melody did a little while ago.

“So.”

He suddenly placed his hand on his chest and elegantly bowed his waist.

“Thank you. Miss Melody.”

“…”

Claude raised his head and smiled awkwardly for a moment, then sheepishly fiddled with his hair.

“As I thought, this kind of polite greeting doesn’t seem right.”

“…Young Master is really an idiot.”

He readily nodded at the word ‘idiot’ that he heard for almost the first time.

Seeing how he could only react like that at such an important moment, even he thought he was definitely an idiot.

“I’m sorry for disappointing you. But it’s only because it’s the first time, so please forgive me. Your forehead, it’s wrinkled again.”

Melody released the tension from her face that had been straining.

But that was only for a moment, as her whole body stiffened again when their eyes met.

“It’s a big deal that we’re only getting tense with each other. You know you’ve been avoiding eye contact with me lately, right?”

“But you avoided me too.”

He smiled brightly and held out both hands in front.

“Well, I’m also just an ordinary person who gets nervous when I make eye contact with the girl I like. Then, will you give me your hand?”

“…?”

“I think it would be good to relax the tension a bit.”

Melody didn’t know what the connection was between relaxing and holding hands, but she lightly placed just the tips of her fingers on his palm.

“Come a little closer.”

“Clo… ser?”

Melody slowly moved her hand and stretched it out a little more.

“This… much?”

“…I shouldn’t have bothered teaching you how to tease people.”

He let out a big sigh, then completely pulled and held Melody’s hand.

“Now lift your head, straight up.”

He must have been worried that Melody would act ambiguously again, so he specifically demanded it.

“Wh-Why?”

But somehow Melody’s head only turned further downward.

“As I said, it’s a process of us relaxing together.”

“But, it doesn’t seem to have much effect. Really!”

As proof, the hand he was holding was extremely hot, and her heartbeat only grew louder.

“We haven’t even tried it properly yet. Right?”

He was pretending to appease her with sweet words, but his actions were becoming bolder.

Now he was even interlocking their fingers one by one. To the point where they were touching without any gaps between them.

“Are you really not going to look at me?”

Moreover, now he was bending his waist and sticking his head out here and there.

“Ugh.”

“Don’t make cute sounds. Even if my personality is like that, my face is the shape you like. Look at me a little.”

Even with his continued persuasion, Melody only avoided him, so he made a slightly different suggestion.

“Okay, then I’ll count to ten… no, just five. It’s okay if it’s just for a moment, right?”

“…Is it really just for a moment?”

“Of course.”

Melody carefully raised her head. She flinched a little because his face was right in front of her.

“One.”

But since he had started counting the numbers he promised, she couldn’t avoid his gaze.

Melody stared at his blue eyes while biting her lips tightly. It was close to glaring.

“Two.”

He counted another number.

She was wondering if she would be teased again if she faced him like this, but it seemed to be unnecessary worry.

He really seemed to be trying to help Melody relax.

“Three.”

By this point, Melody’s expression had also become much more relaxed. She wasn’t biting her lips or straining her eyes.

“Fou…r.”

Before the last number, he counted a little slowly.

With an appearance that didn’t hide his regret.

“Has the tension eased a lot?”

“…Yes, it’s okay.”

“That’s a relief. If you kept being that tense, it would be difficult to tell you. Five.”

“What? What…”