Chapter 185

* * *

“Didn’t I tell you?”

He leaned back against the backrest and smiled leisurely.

“What’s important to Miss Melody is important to me as well. You don’t need to waste time dating some boring man on such a day.”

“Boring… Since when did you start having such a modest self-evaluation?”

In Melody’s eyes, he was always someone who lived with his own greatness.

Just a while ago, didn’t he act coy, saying “Look at my handsome face?”

There would be few people in this world who could live with such confidence.

“Not long ago. Actually, Father always emphasized ‘patience’ as a human virtue. And I was quite proud of my patience.”

But thanks to Melody, who was letting her guard down around him more and more each day, he ended up realizing his patience wasn’t that great after all.

“Well, anyway, Loretta had been saying she wants to hold a family banquet soon. It will be a good learning experience for her.”

He pulled over a blank piece of paper nearby and quickly jotted down a memo.

A message asking Loretta to hold a banquet.

He folded the paper he finished writing in half and held it out to Melody.

“If it’s alright, could you pass this on to Loretta? She’ll definitely be delighted.”

Melody accepted the paper he offered.

“I will.”

“And if it’s not too uncomfortable, may I accompany you on the day you hear the results?”

“About that.”

Melody answered with a bit of difficulty.

“…We probably can’t enter the palace together.”

“Of course, I’m not hoping for that much. I’m just asking if it’s alright to escort you from the mansion to the south gate.”

“Uh, um… Is that perhaps.”

“Of course, I can wait for you quietly, Miss Melody.”

Does that mean Claude will stand by at the south gate until her schedule ends?

Melody hurriedly shook her head. No matter how she thought about it, that was too strange.

“T-that’s ridiculous! For you, a Baldwin and the heir, to just!”

She was startled by the word “just” that came out without her knowing and quickly covered her mouth.

“Just?”

Of course, Claude also narrowed his eyes for a moment and deliberately pointed out that word.

“I’m sorry, it was a mistake. Anyway, there are too many eyes there. What if someone sees and misunderstands?”

“Misunderstand what?”

“That’s…!”

Melody thought of the strange rumors that could spread in such a situation. But there was nothing she could say with her mouth.

Claude, who had been watching her, got up from his seat and circled around her.

“For example, that I’ve become a fool who doesn’t know about saving face or self-esteem because I’ve fallen head over heels for you?”

“…”

“Or that I’m waiting obediently in front of the castle gate like your puppy, as if I’ve become your dog?”

“Young Master!”

“Why, it’s all true, isn’t it?”

“N-no, not at all! I don’t treat you like a puppy, Young Master!”

“Then do it quickly.”

He stopped walking and stood in front of Melody, sticking his head out. As if commanding her to adore him right away.

“…You’re really strange, Young Master.”

Melody said that, but she actually thought she was the strangest one.

In the end, she ended up stroking his face and hair as if she were enchanted.

“Then is it alright if I follow you?”

When he asked earnestly, Melody ended up nodding.

“Good, I’m already looking forward to waiting for Miss Melody.”

Because the smile he made while saying that was so beautiful, Melody thought this man was definitely a demon who had come to captivate her.

* * *

It was that evening when Melody passed on Claude’s note to Loretta.

Actually, she had gone to deliver it right after leaving his room, but Loretta had already gone to the imperial palace with her father.

‘There probably isn’t much fun to do at the palace during such a busy time these days.’

Melody thought so, but Loretta, who had returned from the palace, only looked very happy.

“Welcome back, Loretta. It seems like something fun happened at the imperial palace.”

But at her words, Loretta shook her head vigorously.@@novelbin@@

“Nope, no. I just had a snack and took a walk.”

“Alone?”

“Uh… Yeah! You see, everyone was busy.”

Loretta, who answered in a somewhat awkward tone, fidgeted with her hands for a moment, then ran into her room, saying “Ah, I didn’t do my homework!”

“It would have been nice if you had taken your homework to the imperial palace.”

Anyway, Melody was relieved that Loretta seemed to have had a fun day today as well.

* * *

A week later, she woke up to the sound of rain in the morning.

At the regular sound of the ground getting wet, Melody sighed with worry.

‘Today is the day the Duke leaves for Kristonson, of all days.’

She was startled by her own negative thoughts and quickly shook her head.

It was important to think positively before an important event.

Besides, come to think of it, a rainy day was the best for moving while avoiding the eyes of others.

‘So it’s a very lucky day.’

When she got up, finished a simple grooming, and went to the entrance, a carriage loaded with luggage was already waiting in front.

Soon, the Duke, dressed in simple travel attire, came down the stairs with Claude.

“Your Grace, good morning?”

Melody quickly stepped in front of them.

“It’s a good morning, Melody.”

It was very important for the Duke and Melody to exchange greetings that weren’t much different from usual.

Because the people of the mansion, including Butler Higgins, thought he was going on a normal business trip about mana stone mining.

They didn’t want to leave an impression of “being different from usual” to them.

“Good morning, Miss Melody. Did you wake up early?”

Claude soon joined in with a normal greeting.

“Yes, I wanted to say hello to the Duke.”

“Come to think of it.”

The Duke was about to take the briefcase Higgins offered, but stopped and turned to Melody.

“Today is the day you go to hear the results.”

“Yes, that’s right. I’m extremely nervous.”

“You must be. Be careful on your way.”

He pondered for a moment, then soon patted Melody’s head.

He seemed to have been worried about whether it was okay to do that to a child who had grown up.

Of course, Melody really liked that. There was no way she could dislike the hand that had saved her.

“I feel a bit more confident now. Thank you.”

The Duke finally took the bag and exchanged brief requests and greetings with Higgins as well.

Lastly, he tapped Claude’s shoulder.

“Then, I’ll leave everything to you.”

“Yes, Father. Don’t worry.”

“…Alright.”

He turned his body right away without dragging out the time any longer.

Looking at the Duke’s back, Melody considered what he had “left” to Claude.

The Duke was leaving to conspire with someone who had become the Emperor’s enemy.

Even if it wasn’t for treason or revolution, if this matter reached the Emperor’s ears.

The Baldwin Duchy would not be able to survive.

To resolve this, the heir Claude had to step up and claim everything was the Duke’s arbitrary decision, and prove his loyalty to the Emperor.

‘And that proof is.’

It was nothing but taking the Duke’s life with Claude’s hands and offering his neck.

And the Claude Baldwin that Melody knew…

‘He would do it, without a moment’s hesitation.’

To protect not only his younger siblings but also all the vassals and servants of the family.

The Duke and Claude must have already reached a perfect agreement on such things.

‘The Duke wants Loretta not to experience the same thing as her mother, even if he has to take that risk.’

Wishing for his precious Loretta to not know the pain of being a Physis and to grow up as just an ordinary child.

Soon the prepared carriage began to move little by little.

Of course, Claude and everyone else present at the scene bowed their waists.

The Duke’s carriage departed through the dense rain that fell endlessly.

* * *

The rain continued even in the afternoon.

Claude had really come with Melody all the way to the south gate, and now he was probably waiting for her in the carriage.

Melody was following a Records Keeper who had come to greet her.

With the rain getting stronger, heavy mud and such stuck to the hem of her dress.

The Records Keeper took her to where the archives were. After passing through several identical archives, he finally stopped.

When the heavy door opened, the female Records Keeper who had supervised her exam was seen.

Like that day, she had her white hair neatly tied back and was looking at Melody with a strict gaze.

“You came.”

“It’s been a while.”

“Yes.”

She answered briefly and signaled to the young Records Keeper with her eyes. Only after he withdrew did she take the lead and head into the storage room.

“Come in.”

Melody followed her in and realized one thing.

The arrangement of book spines was familiar.

“This is…”

When Melody uttered softly, she answered.

“That’s right. This is where you took the exam.”

She went between the bookshelves and sat in front of the desk.

On the day of the exam, it was the seat where Melody had rewritten new records and such.

“Sit.”

She offered Melody the chair placed across the desk.

Melody slowly sat down with an uneasy feeling. Wondering if there was something lacking in her exam.

“I graded your exam.”

At her words that came out right away, Melody quickly straightened her back and fixed her posture.

Her hands clasped together from tension trembled slightly.

“To put it bluntly, it’s not bad. You have a good grasp of the reason for leaving records.”

She nodded to herself and then stared straight at Melody.

“No one objected to hiring you.”

“Then…”

Forgetting that it was a time to keep silent, Melody blurted out an impatient remark without knowing.

But she didn’t readily give an answer.

Instead, she just stared at Melody for a long time with narrowed eyes.

“Anyway, that’s the story until I discovered this on my business trip.”

She took out an item from under the desk and held it out in front of Melody.

‘Melody Higgins.’

The first thing that caught her eye was her name.

…Engraved on the heel of white shoes.

“…”

Melody couldn’t give any answer.