Chapter 7: 7

It was quite noisy for a while in Duke Valdwin’s residence, because there was a lot of bad news circulating about their master.

First of all, his wife, who had been missing for six years, had been killed due to a mysterious attack in a foreign land, and there was a young daughter the Duchess gave birth to.

Rather than trying to find out what happened to his wife or her reason for hiding his daughter’s existence, the Duke first searched for his daughter’s whereabouts at the scene of the accident. The news [The Duke of Valdwin is looking for his lost daughter.] spread far and wide immediately along the dark road of the information trail.

Someone sent him a little girl who slightly looked like the Duchess taking advantage of the fact that he had never met her daughter, along with the words [This is the lost daughter of the Duke. ]

Such things were normal.

Knowing that there were such people with insidious minds, the Duke took all the children who claimed to be his daughter to the temple.

Using the holy power of the priests to reveal the truth, the outcome was always the same – that the child wasn’t the Duke’s daughter. Some scammers even said things like, ‘I’m sorry to tell the Duke that the Duchess gave birth to a daughter from another man…’.

Of course, the Duke wouldn’t believe such a statement; they were inevitably accused of fraud.

Meanwhile, a rumor came from a village close to the place where his wife was attacked, saying, ‘A noble child will be sold into slavery.’. He ran straight to the said village, and now he was in a carriage with the children he met there.

Looking at the little girls sitting opposite him, he sat upright. Riding a horse-drawn carriage for a long time can be boring, but the children laughed and laughed as they found things to play with everywhere.

Of course, as it continued for another half day, Loretta fell asleep while Melody had a mournful face.

“You’re quite close.” The Duke said, looking at the defenseless figure of the sleeping child. He wouldn’t even think of talking to Melody like this if it wasn’t for that.

“Yes. Thankfully, Loretta really liked me.” A shadow is cast on Melody’s face as she said that, as if something is bothering her.

“Uh….” Melody cautiously called out to the Duke after a moment of contemplation, making up her mind. Since she came along to protect Loretta, she thought it would be better to talk about the things that bothered her.

“I kept thinking about whether I should tell you this.”

“What is that?”

“About Loretta.”

Melody’s voice sounded more like a whisper. It seems like she was worried that she would wake up Loretta and she would hear her talk about her.

She’s cautious for her age, the Duke thought so.

“There were times when I thought that she can’t really remember the past. I’m not really sure but….”

“The past?”

The Duke dared to talk about the topic Melody opened to him.

“Her mother… I mean the D-Duchess. I’ve said several times that I don’t know anything about her mother.”

The Duke looked at Melody suspiciously when she started to talk about the ‘Duchess’. Why does it look like she knows about the Duke’s circumstances? But since there is no way to draw a conclusion based on that, the Duke thought she was probably a smart kid, and the Duke is usually quite fond of quick-witted people.

“I’m not really sure, but she must’ve been left with some mental scars on the day of the accident, she is afraid of the sound of rain.”

The Duke nodded as he recalled an analysis report that said the accident had occurred when the carriage slipped in the rain.

It was quite common for a child to associate the sensations they felt at the scene of an accident with fear.

“I didn’t know about this in detail, so I couldn’t really ask anyone. I’m still young and I don’t want to confuse you….”

“I think that judgment is right.”

The Duke guessed Loretta’s psychological state and nodded.

“Time… she needs it.”

During that time, ‘Melody’s’ presence will be of great help with Loretta, since it looks like she was wholeheartedly depending on her.

“I will be indebted to you.”

Melody profusely shook her head. It was Melody who is indebted to the Duke. To get to be on such a good carriage and to be able to ride together is enough.

“The Duke must’ve had a harder time than her. She’s your only daughter.”

Remembering the content of the original novel, Melody chuckled. You mean, that brusque Duke chose the fabric of the teddy bear himself?

“I don’t know.”

He remembered that there were many girls who came to him saying they were his daughter, and there was a child who really resembled his wife’s eyes among them. However, she wasn’t his daughter. They were all children with someone behind them.

He also didn’t think that Loretta and Melody had someone behind them to lure the Duke. There was also no room for doubt when they investigated the slave trader woman they captured.

They were really just pitiful children with nowhere to go, so even if Loretta wasn’t his daughter, he thought it was better to help them so they can live in the capital.

As the little girl had said, he is a big pocket full of money.

“I’m not sure if she’s my daughter even now.”

“Loretta is definitely the Duke’s daughter!”

Melody protested. How can he say that with such a face? It was a strange response coming from her but the Due didn’t take offense.

“How do you know that?” He posed a question.

He had been told countless times until now that ‘This child must be the Duke’s daughter!’ from people who brought children in front of him. He would ask each time ‘How do you know that?’ and they would usually answer ‘Look at this face that really resembles the dead Madam, without any doubt.’

Well…. It was true that the child looked like her, so he couldn’t really refute it.

“How do you know that this child is my daughter?”

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He posed the same questions to Melody as he did to the scammers.

“That….”

Melody’s big eyes were troubled as it looked around. The little girl patted Loretta’s soft hair in her fingertips then answered in a low voice.

“She has a slight resemblance.”

Those words again? The Duke frowned at the disgusting words.

“The Duke and Loretta.”

“Uhm….”

He unconsciously made a questioning groan while observing the sleeping face of the little child. It was very different from the face he used to see in the mirror everyday.

Noticing his confusion, Melody explained with a smile, “I’m not talking about how you look similar in appearance, but the way you speak.”

“What exactly is that feeling?”

“Exactly the feeling at this moment!”

Melody then pointed to Loretta’s sleeping face, ‘Isn’t it lovely? Wouldn’t you be happy looking at her sleeping face all day when you have such a cute daughter?’

Thinking that the little girl was talking nonsense, he turned his head towards the window and murmured in a low voice, “Is there such a pathetic person rejoicing over his daughter’s sleeping face?”

Melody couldn’t say the words, “It’s the future you who is like the pathetic person you’re talking about.’.

 

* * *

 

The three-person carriage arrived at the gates of the capital city. Just then, the Duke met the Emperor’s messenger who was looking for him. It seemed like the Emperor didn’t care about his circumstances, ordering him to go to the palace right away. The last month he had been away had been very upsetting.

“So, I don’t have a choice.”

He took turns looking at Loretta and Melody.

“Go back to the mansion first. I already talked to them so there won’t be any inconvenience.”

Without listening to the two girls’ answers, he borrowed the knight’s horse and went straight to the Imperial Palace.

The girls, who were left alone in the carriage, freely clung to the window and looked around the strange streets of the capital.

It was full of stylish people and strange things.

Their hearts were pounding at the different scenery they were seeing, but they were also afraid at the same time. In particular, the old driver who said, ‘Over there, we’ve all arrived.’ Then pointing to the huge building, they were very startled and they hugged each other.

The Duke really is a money bag… no, she knew he’s a money bag, but she didn’t expect it to be this great.

Their carriage passed through the large garden, finally stopping in front of the huge mansion. Lined up in a row were two elderly men and women in suits.

“Welcome.”

An old butler in a suit opened the door after a while.

“I have heard the word from His Excellency the Duke. Miss Loretta, I am the butler Higgins.”

He then reached out his gloved hand to the little girl and it looked like he was going to take her inside the mansion. However, Loretta looked towards Melody and the butler alternately, crying. It must be terrifying for her to follow a stranger alone in an unknown place.

Come to think of it, it also took a while for Loretta to adjust when she first came to Melody’s house.

Then Melody whispered in a low voice to Loretta so as not to reach the butler’s ear.

“It will be fine.”

“Melody will be there, right? You won’t go away, right?”

Melody quickly nodded her head in response to the carefully asked question. After confirming her answer, Loretta went down from Melody’s arm and took the butler’s hand.

Melody watched Loretta go into the mansion without getting off the carriage.

She looked back several times, it seemed like she was worried about Melody and didn’t know what to do.

You’re really cute. Melody slightly smiled thinking about it.

Another servant who was with the butler shoved her face into the wagon. She was an elderly woman with deep wrinkles, and it looks like she held a high position in the mansion. She was somehow different from the other people starting from her appearance, wearing a classy-looking one-piece, to her aura.

“Tch.”

And judging by the way she clicked her tongue, she didn’t seem to welcome the sudden appearance of Melody.

“Acting like a dirty little lamb…. Tch.”

Look at that. As for Melody, she felt like her voice was somewhat very familiar.

“What the hell are you staring at like a sloth! Can’t you get off quickly?!”

Melody then got off the carriage. All the servants who were lining up in front of the mansion had already gone, leaving only Melody and the terrifying old woman. She looked up and down at Melody, seizing her forearm and touching it.

‘Do you want to know if I am healthy enough to work?’

Then it would be difficult if I looked weak here. Melody made her stomach flat and blew her cheeks to make them look chubbier. This will make her body look bigger. However, despite her efforts, the old woman looked like she didn’t like Melody that much.

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