Chapter 47: 47

The Higgins family have served as the Duke of Valdwin’s butlers from generation to generation, and their duty was to document what happens at the Valdwin manor. That was why one side of the butler’s office was filled with the Ducal family’s historical records. The faithfully recorded and extensive records not missing an entry for even a single day was also a source of pride held by the Higgins family.

No one would have ever thought that those great footprints of the past would be used as a bet by a young master of the Valdwin house.

“Listen carefully.”

Despite Melody stopping them, Ronnie drew up and described the outline of the mansion to Isaiah.

“We will pretend to sleep, but when it’s late at night, we will secretly get out of our beds and go all the way here. The location of the bookshelf where the records are placed is this place.”

Isaiah nodded.

“Bring only the record of June. If I bring June from this year, then you bring the record from June of last year.”

“Then Young Master will bring the June record of the previous year before that?”

“That’s right. We will take turns and whoever gets caught loses. Are you confident?”

“But what about the lock?”

“It’s open. Instead, there is a small bell hanging on the door, and you have to be careful not to ring it.”

“If that’s the case, I’d rather break in from the window.”

“There are knights outside the mansion, so there is a high risk of getting caught. Well, I’d be glad if you were to get caught because I will win.”

The boys put their heads together and started to giggle and laugh at something they both thought was funny.

‘I can tell that they like each other quite a bit.’

Of course, Melody didn’t thoughtlessly say that thought out loud – because it would definitely ruin the atmosphere.

 

* * *

 

Ronnie held his breath as he waited for the night to come. Even though there was no need for him to be nervous inside of his room.

Tick! The small hand of the clock moved into the position he had restlessly been waiting for. It was finally the promised time.

Ronnie carefully rose from his bed. He was supposed to go to Isaiah’s room first. In fact, he played this game of stealing the records with Claude when he was a little younger.

「Understand? It’s June. We will take turns in bringing the June records, Ronnie. We just have to repeat it twice.」

At that time, Claude brought the record first. Then it was Ronnie’s turn to get it… but he was too scared of the dark hallway, so he stopped and started crying. Of course, he couldn’t bring the record as he was quickly found and taken back to his room by the adults right away. Fortunately, it was only considered ‘child’s play’ so it was easily forgiven.

In fact, Ronnie also wanted to relieve the shame of that time through this competition – because he’s no longer the child who was too afraid of the dark.

He silently slipped on his shoes and carefully opened the door. The hallway on the second floor where he was staying was quiet and there was no one around. The lamp on the wall was the only source of light along the way he had to go.

‘Great.’

Ronnie took his first steps. Nothing scared him after that, so he strode along the hallway. He thought he might encounter some trouble if there was someone under the stairs, but fortunately there were no servants who were passing by since the only one to usually watch this floor was gathering up and switching out the spare blankets.

Ronnie hurried down the stairs and quickly hid in the shadows of the hallway. He immediately opened Higgins’ office after taking a deep calming breath. There was a small rattle, but it wasn’t loud enough to wake up a person. He hurriedly took the recent June record off the bookshelf and hit it inside his clothes. It was slightly bulging, but it wasn’t too noticeable in the low lighting. Next, he needed to take this to Isaiah’s room and the first sequence of their competition would end in success.

‘I could’ve done this when I was young.’

What was I scared of, bawling my eyes out like that? Proud of himself for having grown up so much, Ronnie discreetly opened the door. Since it was so quiet, no one should be in the hallway, right? Ronnie poked his head out through the narrow gap of the door.

‘Great. There’s no one…’

“Young Master.”

At that moment, he heard a whisper calling him from the deserted hallway.

“Gasp?!”

Ronnie was startled and let out a loud sound, forgetting that he should keep silent – with a ghostly look on his face he turned to the source of the voice. When his eyes adjusted and he found out that he was facing Melody, he wrinkled his brow in exaggerated frustration.

“Are you going to make me lose?!”

He criticized her with a muffled voice. Fortunately, no one had come due to the noise when he looked around.

“I have some business with you, Young Master.”

“If that’s the case, then come find me tomorrow…!”

In the middle of his quiet rant, he heard the servant who had gone out with the spare blankets coming back in from the front door. As Ronnie looked at Melody with a face telling her, ‘What are you going to do about this?!’ she swiftly dragged him across the hall into her room.

They put their ears on the door and focused on the sounds from outside it. The servant passed in front of Melody’s door as usual, as if nothing was abnormal.

“Whew….”

Ronnie sighed in relief and glared sharply at Melody again.

“You are on his side, right! That’s why you’re disturbing me, right?!”

“I am not on either side.”

Melody quickly waved her hand to deny it, but he didn’t seem to believe her.

“Don’t lie! Is it because you think I am going to lose?”

Ronnie took out the book he had kept hidden inside of his clothes and held it out.

“I succeeded and if your friend fails this time, you’ll have to drink tea with me alone!”

“… What? ‘Drink tea with you alone’?”

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When Melody asked again, Ronnie realized that he had made a slip of the tongue and quickly corrected it with a blush.

“It means you have to attend to me as I drink tea! What a ridiculous misunderstanding.”

“It doesn’t really matter. I went out because I was worried.”

Ronnie turned to look at her when she said she was worried. As expected, Melody must have come out because she was worried that her friend from her hometown would lose.

‘… Bad girl. I’ve been nice to you yet you’ve forgotten everything.’

“Look.”

Melody snatched away the record from Ronnie. She immediately grabbed his hand after she put it down on a nearby table.

“…!”

Ronnie was so startled when she suddenly grabbed his hand that he couldn’t even say anything and only blinked his eyes.

Melody carefully looked at his left hand, relying on the light in his room. The white bandage on it had loosened. In addition, some blood was oozing out again.

“I knew this would happen. Young Master, you haven’t been very careful at all after your treatment.”

“I said I am all better!”

He quickly pulled back his hand and insisted.

“Your wound opened up again because you behaved roughly with a hand that has yet to heal. Come here.”

Melody offered Ronnie a seat. There were new bandages and medicines on a nearby table as if they had been prepared beforehand.

“Did you come here for this?”

“Yes?”

“I-I’m asking if you were waiting because of my hand!?”

“Well, I do have a reason like that. I also have some questions, and,” Melody shrugged her shoulders as she loosened the old bandages on his hands, “I was worried.”

“You’re worried? About your friend?”

“Of course. Isaiah is indebted to the Duke for receiving his favor. But to bet on the precious records of the mansion….” Melody took a deep breath and applied the medicine over his opened wound. Fortunately, his wound was almost healed, so it wasn’t painful. “I think I will have to defend Isaiah if something happens.”

“That’s ridiculous!” Ronnie screamed but he quickly paid attention to sounds from the hallway beyond the door. He would obviously be hit on his behind if someone caught him entering Melody’s room, the Duke’s guest, this late at night.

“He is my guest. So it’s my job to defend him myself when something happens. You dare to take my job?”

“Pfft.”

“Wh, why are you laughing?”

“As I expected, the Young Master seems to like Isaiah.”

“Hmph, how could I want to be friends with such an uneducated guy.”

The medicine applied over the wound had dried to some extent, so Melody wrapped it in an appropriate bandage.

“Ask the adults to wrap it again tomorrow. Do you understand?”

“… It’s fine.”

He quickly withdrew his hand, which had been bandaged a little clumsily.

“So, what do you want to know?”

“Yes?”

“You told me a while ago. That you were worried and that you’re also curious about something.”

“Ah~.”

Melody put the basket of medicine aside and sat down.

“I was wondering if the Young Master had something to tell me.”

“…!”

His face turned red in surprise. According to the great rule set by the original, it could only mean ‘YES’ when he looks like that.

“It’s not often that there’s a chance for the Young Master and I to talk alone.”

Loretta was always with Ronnie when he met Melody.

“I thought you might have something to tell me when you asked for me to serve you tea for several days in a row.”

“Th, there’s nothing like that!”

“… If not, then there’s nothing I can do about it.”

“Uhh ….”

Ronnie clutched his clothes so tightly that they wrinkled.

In fact, Melody was right. He wanted to tell her something and kept looking for opportunities, but things just kept going wrong for some reason.

Ronnie glanced at Melody sitting opposite him. He was embarrassed at the way she was staring at him. But now, he was alone with Melody as he had hoped. It means that this was an opportunity to tell her the words he had in mind.

“You know….”

He barely managed to open his mouth.

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