Chapter 187

* * *

The startled Melody hurriedly tried to urge her horse.

“Miss Melody!”

But at his scream-like voice, she unknowingly pulled on the reins.

The intelligent horse stopped safely without being surprised by the sudden command.

Perhaps it might have anticipated this would happen from the moment it heard the sound of the black horse’s hooves.

Soon, the horse he was riding approached and stopped in front of her.

“…”

The horses that had met again in just a few minutes neighed and bumped their noses together. As if they were happy to meet like this again.

But Melody was not very pleased to see not only the Duke’s horse but also Claude.

“…Why.”

Suddenly at his words, Melody raised her head that she had been dropping diagonally.

Even in the deep darkness, his eyes were so vivid that Melody felt like they were painfully digging into her heart.

And the unavoidable emotion felt between them…

Melody tightly closed her eyes, blaming herself.

‘Oh my, I…’

Even at this moment, she was relieved that Claude’s feelings existed unchanged.

To the point of making the decision to completely turn away from them seem meaningless.

“Miss Melody.”

He carefully called her again.

“…Get out of the way.”

“…”

“I said get out of the way!”

Melody shouted, but in fact, she knew.

Claude Baldwin was a man as persistent as a demon, so in the end, he would only make way after hearing all the details from Melody’s mouth.@@novelbin@@

Melody bit her lip.

* * *

‘Melody Higgins.’

On the heel of the white  shoes the Records Keeper showed, her name was clearly engraved.

Those  shoes were a gift from the company in Kristonson, and based on the circumstances so far, they should have been in the possession of Prince Samuel or August. Or they had disposed of them.

“How… did this.”

“I go to Kristonson four times a year.”

Despite Melody’s confusion, the Records Keeper sitting across from her calmly continued the story.

“You would know who is exiled there, right?”

Since everyone knew the Emperor’s younger brother was in that remote region, Melody slightly nodded.

“You mean… Prince Samuel.”

“Yes, although he was involved in treason, the fact that noble blood flows in his body doesn’t change. Thus, our Records Keepers regularly visit there and leave records observing him.”

Does it mean they discovered Melody’s  shoes there?

Soon, her heart began to beat like crazy with anxiety.

Stories related to Prince Samuel were the part the Emperor was most sensitive about. At one point, there were people who were executed just for the fact that they had a single conversation with Prince Samuel.

‘And right now, this place is.’

It was an archive densely packed with records of those unjust deaths.

Melody speculated that there was also a warning in the Records Keeper deliberately choosing this place to meet her.

“You don’t look well.”

The Records Keeper got up from her seat for a moment and placed a warm tea in front of Melody.

“Drink it. You’ll feel better.”

But she could only stare at the hot tea with white steam rising, not daring to pick it up and drink it.

She was afraid of revealing her trembling hands.

Soon, the Records Keeper’s hands rested on both of Melody’s shoulders.

“I’m not a fool either.”

She slowly massaged Melody’s stiff shoulders.

“Duke Baldwin is absolutely not someone who would nurture an unruly spark. He loves peace to an extreme degree.”

She sat in her seat, circling the desk, and gazed at Melody.

“…But I might have been wrong about that.”

Melody opened her eyes wide.

Of course, it was natural to guess Duke Baldwin’s intentions from Melody’s actions.

Didn’t her father also say before?

People often read Baldwin’s heart from Higgins’ actions.

Melody tightly clasped her trembling hands together.

“I’ll make it… clear.”

The words that barely flowed out of Melody’s mouth were pitifully shaking at first, but soon regained their usual clarity.

“I assure you. The Duke is His Majesty the Emperor’s closest vassal. There is not the slightest deviation from this fact.”

“Even though your named shoes were found in Prince Samuel’s mansion?”

When she asked with a meaningful gaze, Melody nodded without hesitation.

“His Grace the Duke doesn’t make such a stupid mistake.”

“…You’re making a dangerous statement. If they were actually planning treason, such an item wouldn’t have been discovered.”

“Because he’s flawless.”

“Well.”

The Records Keeper muttered like that and took a sip of the tea in front of her.

She seemed to want to loosen the atmosphere a bit.

“Actually, I thought so too. The Duke is a thorough person.”

“What?”

When Melody asked in surprise, she shrugged and answered.

“It wasn’t just your shoes in the mansion. There were also gilt brooches or handkerchiefs with lace that tourists lost during the festival period.”

“Why such things…”

“Because they can be sold for quite a bit of money. Like the decorations on the shoes. The servants there consider it as a kind of bonus.”

Come to think of it, Melody had also heard such a story before.

Some servants secretly take precious items whenever they see them, no matter where.

Of course, it was something that would never happen in the Duke’s family, which was generous with gifts to servants.

“Melody Higgins.”

Now her voice was a bit more deflated.

“To be honest, I’m a little tired.”

“You’re… tired?”

“Yes.”

She smiled bitterly and took a brief look around the room.

For quite a long time.

“I was a Records Keeper during this period as well.”

“…Ah.”

“Do you understand? The meaning of that.”

Melody nodded. Recording deaths every day must not have been pleasant.

“No, you don’t know. Young Higgins.”

The Records Keeper shook her head dejectedly and slowly brought up the story again.

“At that time, I also recorded every move of Prince Samuel. It was something the Emperor personally ordered, thinking of him as a traitor. I wrote everything down with a sense of mission. Even about a very young… boy who greeted him.”

Melody knew her hand was trembling out of sight.

In an instant, she could easily predict the next part of the story.

“He died. That boy.”

“Yes. I wrote that record too.”

Melody dared to imagine her fear. Most of the people whose names she wrote in the records like that must have met unjust deaths.

“Actually, I thought that vigilance would loosen a bit now, but.”

She sighed softly and shook her head.

“Recently, there was a maid who secretly ran away from Prince Samuel’s mansion. Of course, it’s common for servants to run away unable to endure their work, so I wrote the record without much thought.”

But the Emperor, who found and read this record, thought differently. He insisted that the maid was someone who received orders from Prince Samuel and must have gone to convey the intent of treason anew to another noble.

“In the end, His Majesty found that poor maid. Of course, it was execution. The charge was treason, but in fact, there was no evidence. No…”

The Records Keeper bit her lip for a moment.

“The evidence for the execution was my record. A single line stating that she had run away from Prince Samuel’s mansion. That trivial sentence.”

“…”

Melody could easily recall the identity of that servant from her story.

“Then… you mean you found the birth mother?”

“She was executed.”

That maid must be referring to August’s mother.

“Listen well, Higgins.”

She grasped the shoes placed between them with both hands.

“My honest record will kill someone this time too.”

“…”

“And I know it won’t end with just you.”

The Emperor will surely think of tying Baldwin to this matter as well.

Moreover, now was an even worse time.

Because the Duke was actually heading to Kristonson to meet Prince Samuel.

Although the Duke had changed his appearance with the power of magic, the Emperor’s persistence might reveal his identity and falsely accuse him of non-existent treason.

“It might bring about as many deaths as the records in this room. No, considering the influence of Duke Baldwin, it will definitely be so.”

She seemed to have that horror vividly in front of her eyes. She was trembling slightly with a face etched with deep fear.

“Records Keeper…”

At the words spoken as if to comfort, she finally raised her head.

“Melody Higgins. When my teacher left this job, he said Records Keepers have only one chance.”

“A chance…?”

“A chance not to leave the truth in the records.”

“…!”

“However, that chance can only be used once.”

“Records Keeper, that’s!”

“Yes.”

The Records Keeper nodded and silently gazed at Melody.

“A Records Keeper who has learned the convenience of omission is not needed in this world.”

That meant completely stepping away from the front lines.

“I will try to save you with this chance.”

“But!”

“Now I realize it too. Perhaps my teacher also wanted to… save someone in this way.”

The Records Keeper might have only now understood her old teacher’s heart.

“But there is a condition, Higgins.”

She gazed at the young woman in front of her, trying to turn her gaze away from the shadows of the past.

“Can you make the same choice as me?”

“You mean… give up becoming a Records Keeper.”

“Yes, if you stay in the capital, there might be people who try to find out why you refused the appointment.”

What is out of sight is easily forgotten. The Records Keeper seemed to want to use that truth for this matter.

Melody let out a long breath for a moment.

Although her expression seemed to be pondering something, in fact, it wasn’t a matter to think about for long.

Melody was a Higgins, and she knew very well what choice someone with such a name should make.

Even if that meant agreeing to her proposal to discuss lies and abandoning her lifelong dream herself.

She had to protect the Baldwins.

Melody finally took a sip of the tea placed in front of her and answered without hesitation.

* * *

“I… promised.”

Melody told Claude, still in the pouring rain.

“That I would leave right away today.”

His eyes wavered. As if asking ‘Is that so? Without a word?’ she nodded.

“I asked the Records Keeper. To inform the young master of the truth tomorrow morning. Although there’s no need for that anymore now.”

“Did you think… I would just sit still after hearing that news?”

“Yes.”

Melody answered firmly.

“Because by then, you would have read my letter too, Young Master.”

Among the letters she left on her desk, there was one for Claude as well.

“I wrote not to look for me under any circumstances.”

“You are truly a cruel person, you must have written it knowing I can’t refuse those words.”

“Yes, I wrote it knowing that. Because.”

“…It was my mother’s last request to my father.”