Chapter 33: 33

Melody glanced at the money pouch and remembered how her mother’s eyes twinkled. When she was young, she thought that she wanted to receive that gaze.

“I did my best, but… it didn’t work out.”

Preparing her mother’s meal, cleaning the room… and making her feel good, it was only for a moment that she was loved by her.

“If my mother perhaps was to give me now what she couldn’t give me back then, I wouldn’t be very pleased.”

The efforts and her time that had been destroyed would never come back. Still, it would only make her mother feel a little better.

“So, I’m not going,” Melody said while holding the hem of her clothes before continuing,

“I… don’t want to get hurt anymore.”

The Duke found a firmly engraved determination in Melody’s eyes. Her decision was very sweet, but his heart was heavy at the same time.

This was a problem even an adult would ponder for a few days. However, the fact that this child could make a decision in a few seconds, her petite body and mind must have been so full of wounds that she couldn’t possibly make a decision without giving it any thought.

He suddenly thought.

‘Humans are so strange. How can she have the power to grow into a jewel even in such a muddy environment?’

“… Thank you.”

Even though he suddenly said that, the Duke shook his head quickly. Wasn’t it sort of like giving a strange answer to the child whom he told he didn’t want to get hurt…?

Melody slightly laughed as if he had made a funny mistake.

‘Well, the kid laughed, so I think it’s all right.’

“Then, I’ll go and sign saying that you won’t accept it.”

“The Duke will?”

“That’s right.”

“Can I ask where you are going to sign?”

“Well.”

The Duke hesitated a little, but soon, he explained everything.

“Your mother is in the Central Prison for now. Do you remember the big bell tower you saw in the city before?”

“Yes.”

“Beyond that is the Central Prison. It is the place where nobles who committed atrocious crimes or prisoners with near execution dates went to.”

He added a little more explanation about it—that it had much better living facilities than other prisons, and that instead, the Emperor’s knights and their servants were guarding the place.

“That’s where the last request of the death row inmate is handled.”

“Then, are you saying that Your Grace will go to that prison?”

“To be exact, it’s just an office close to the prison. Don’t worry, I won’t run into your mother.”

“What will happen after Your Grace signs it?”

“The knights will go to your mother with the documents, and let her know that her request has been canceled.”

‘Would that have been a sufficient explanation?’

Melody nodded slowly.

“Let’s do that and start preparing Loretta’s and your winter clothes in a hurry…”

The Duke slipped out a catalog of nice shops he had secretly prepared.

Melody might lose her energy if they kept on talking about this, so he thought that they should talk about clothes that have nothing to do with it.

He went inside a girls’ clothing store with a blushing face and told them, ‘…I want a winter catalog’, and it was his eternal secret.

“Duke.”

But, before he could pull out the catalog he had worked hard on, she called out to him. It seemed that she suddenly remembered something. The Duke was startled and quickly hid the catalog again behind his back.

“O-oh, yes.”

He was so embarrassed that he broke out in a cold sweat.

“By any chance, can I do it? I’m talking about the signature.”

“…Yourself?”

‘Yes. Of course, you can, but…’

The Duke gazed at the girl who was clenching her fists, her eyes full of concern.

“Actually, I left a record in the library the other day.”

If it was about that, the Duke also knew about it, because Claude was the first one to ask his permission before proceeding.

“I was very happy. It feels like I melted into the writing and lived on the bookshelf forever. So, I…”

Melody’s voice softened slightly.

“…I want to complete the document with my own hands. I want to keep my current resolution forever.”

From the moment she wrote it down, she was strongly convinced that she could escape her mother’s shadow.

“Of course, if you will allow me.”

“No problem at all.”

It was a token of pride for Melody. She had no desire to block it.

“I will prepare it so that you can go even if it’s tomorrow.”

“Thank you.”

Melody bent down in a cultured manner as she had learned from her teacher. Children were sad to learn everything quickly, and it seemed like she was already skilled at this.

‘But it would also be all right if she grew up a little slower.’

“Then, I will go back now since my teacher will be arriving.”

“All right.”

After she left the room, the Duke finally realized the existence of the ‘catalog’ which he failed to give her.

‘…How am I supposed to give this to her?’

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Thinking that, he glanced down at the cute catalog and fell into deep anguish.

 

* * *

 

However, the very next day, something unfortunate happened in the Duke’s Family.

Constantly being torn between the Emperor and his vassals, he eventually fell ill and was laying on the sickbed. Not only did the physician visit from dawn, though the atmosphere in the mansion grew a bit heavier.

So, Melody thought in her heart that his schedule of going to the Central Prions would likely be delayed.

“Slowly get ready and go down here. I will be waiting for you at the front door, Miss Melody.”

…Until Claude insisted on taking her to the prison.

Since she already had no particular reason to refuse his kindness, she quickly changed into a dress for going out. Melody hastily finished preparing, and by the time she ran down to the front door, the carriage was already ready.

“I think I told you to take your time before coming down.”

Claude uttered so as he got into the carriage first. Then, Melody responded by getting into the carriage with the help of Grandpa Higgins.

“Thank you, Grandpa. I’ll be back. And, Young Master, I took my time before going out.”

“Did you?”

After Higgins stepped back a couple of few steps and lowered his head, the door closed and the carriage started to set off gently.

“I thought you were in a hurry as you ran out carrying your gloves and parasol at the same time.”

She only quickly put on the lace gloves she was holding when he talked with a rather playful smile.

“I think it’s stifling… the gloves.”

“That’s true. Besides, my gloves are so black.”

Holding out a pair of black leather gloves, it looked shiny and luxurious. Although it seemed stuffy apart from that.

“It looks cramped that I felt sorry I was complaining about my lace gloves.”

“Is that so?”

“It still looks great, though.”

“It’s actually really good. My father gave it to me on my last birthday.”

He gladly took off one of his gloves and handed it over to her when Melody looked at it with gleaming eyes. It meant that she could take a look at it.

Melody patted the soft glove here and there before slipping it onto her right hand. There was a lot of space left on her fingertips, so it looked baggy on her. Since Claude was only four years older, she didn’t think that there would be much of a difference.

“…When will I ever be this big?”

“It seems that Miss Melody wants to be an adult soon, seeing you say that.”

He pulled out the glove that was on Melody’s hand.

“Miss Melody will become an adult even if you don’t complain about it. It’s just a few more joyful birthdays. That’s why…”

Ae put the gloves on the tips of his fingers, he added a gentle question, “When is Miss Melody’s birthday?”

“…Yes?”

What he asked her was a very simple question. It was also a question for socializing that was sometimes asked between close friends. Nonetheless, looking at Melody’s bewildered expression, it probably… didn’t seem like a very good question.

Claude recalled Melody’s past circumstances. He actually didn’t know much about her.

He heard that it was very difficult to listen to. But, of course, he wouldn’t be able to understand the word ‘difficult,’ having lived a wealthy life as the Duke’s son.

“Ah, no.”

With a rare embarrassment, he somehow tried to iron out his question. Of course, it was impossible for him to take back his words, so all he could do was list negatives about what he said.

“No, that’s not what I mean. I—”

“It’s in spring.”

“…Yes?”

This time, Claude asked a stupid question.

“I was born in the spring.”

‘So, that…’

It seemed that the exact date wasn’t recorded.

“So, I used to add one more year to the day when the yellow spring flowers bloomed.”

Would it be disrespectful to this girl if he answered, ‘That was romantic’?

In any case, Claude was completely speechless after a very long time. He realized once again that he didn’t know anything about Melody. There was only one word that came to his mind after thinking.

Fortunately, now was the beginning of winter, so they could celebrate a birthday party together after this cold — on the day when yellow spring flowers bloom.

“After winter….”

However, the carriage stopped when he barely spoke. When he glanced out in surprise, it seemed that they had arrived at the entrance of the Central Prison.

Claude let out a small sigh and took a sheet of paper from his pocket. It was written by the Duke, stating that he would go instead.

The knights and squires guarding the entrance received the paper.

“Confirmed, Little Duke Valdwin.”

The squire returned the documents from the knight and handed them over. It was now time for the carriage again. Though the squire who handed over the documents hardly stepped back from the carriage’s window. He was also staring at Melody’s face.

‘What?’

Claude put on a blatant displeasure on his face.

‘How dare you peek inside the Duke’s carriage? Aren’t you being too rude and impolite?’

When he was thinking of finding out about the squire’s identity right now and officially made an issue with him.

“…Mel?”

The squire asked Melody carefully — with a voice as if digging from old and precious memories.

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