Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The girl walked under the blue sky after the rain had stopped, and thought about her mother on the way home.

My mother will probably be judged strictly as it is as per the original plotline.

Even though she is such a mother, is it because she is the only family to Melody?

She was a little worried that she couldn’t stop this situation even though she knew it would come.

Of course, her mother had never listened to her story, so she couldn’t help it, but sighed a little, thinking about what she should do now.

The doctor’s suggestion is a pretty good one. She is respected in the village, so it must be great to follow suit. Far more than cleaning up her slave merchant mother’s mess.

But somewhere in the back of her mind.. felt strange.

She doesn’t know if it’s due to shame… but she seems to have given her heart to Loretta, who was adorable.

She can’t believe she wants to take care of her more.

Maybe it’s because she knows the future of the child. And she is worrying about the relationship with her family members. And in the process of her getting hurt by the time she meets the male protagonist.

Injuring her body by evil forces or eating poison…

She is so worried about the thought that bad things as well as good things will happen to her cherished partner.

How did she come to love her so much?

Following that question, there was an idea that came to mind.

「Don’t worry about the baby. Older sister is all right, so she can do it!」

Melody is just too good for the child who she had adored and patted her head with her small hand.

Her mother didn’t even do what she had done for her.

She is so sweet when she does it along with her sincere heart.

When she recalled the good moments, she smiled for no reason. She thought she’ll be reminded of those things whenever she is having a hard time.

Like a candy that she would secretly hide and eat. When Melody thought so, she was very grateful for Loretta. Because she got a sweet candy that won’t wear off forever.

‘I wish I could have been a little nicer.’

The last thing she gave her was a cut on a broken piece of plate. She could’ve given her more than that even if they were poor.

She then arrived near her house. Melody paused and looked around. As she heard from the doctor, she didn’t see anyone wearing fancy clothes.

Fortunately, there was no one around. The house- which seemed unusually quiet- stood there unchanged.

Melody approached her home with her heart loudly beating for no reason.

She hesitated for a moment in front of the tightly closed wooden door.

Perhaps because she knew that she would be deeply hurt the moment she checked the house that was empty-which had already expected anyway. The girl closed her eyes and pushed the door open.

The familiar scent of the house reached the tip of her nose, so she opened her eyes slightly.

She noticed the surroundings are not that unusual.

Perhaps her mother was dragged away without much resistance.

Dinner remained at the table as she tried to eat. Fortunately, there was no one who had put away the broken bowl.

And then silence prevailed.

‘She’s really gone.’

When she thought of that, her silly tears flowed from her eyes. She ran away to the doctor’s house with Loretta yesterday.

She rubbed her eyes with her damp sleeves. However, her tears kept flowing, and in the end, she put both her arms over her eyes and sobbed.

Eventually, Melody sat down on a single spot. She knew she’d break up with her but she still cried, she really didn’t want to break up like this.

I should have at least said goodbye. If not, at least let me know what the dangers are in the future!

It’s fun to play with you, and I’m dumbfounded by it.

Stupid Melody. It’s a useless melodrama. My mother’s words were not wrong at all.

Her sound of crying grew louder in pain.

Her empty head still doesn’t recognize reality, and she was thinking, “If Loretta had been here, she would have comforted me.”

” Hmm, Melody… Why are you crying?”

Yes, I would have asked, and I would have said something consoling.

“Who made Melody cry? Loretta’s gonna go beat them!”

Yeah, I knew she’d say that. It’s so like our Loretta…

“……..?”

Melody paused in crying, looked up for a moment, and there she saw Loretta standing with a worried face.

Is it an illusion? She can see the person she misses the most.

This is a fictional world, so isn’t that possible?

Melody thought she wanted to touch the child in front of her right away.

But at the same time, she thought she would hate it.

If it is clear that it’s an illusion, this friendly consolation will fade away.

“Melody, who did it to you?”

Melody calmed her head due to the child’s question. There are still a lot more tears left.

So, I want a little bit more. Just a little more…

“Melody’s a baby. You’re still crying. Of course, Loretta unnie knows everything!”

Loretta, who said so, gave a big hug to Melody with her arms wide open.

Her small body that hugged Melody’s whole body while covering her arms is very warm.

Warm?! It’s warm you say, it’s really warm! Melody put her palms on Loretta’s back with trembling hands.

“……Loretta?”

“Yes, Loretta is here.”

Loretta is really here now. It really is! It’s real!

Maybe it’s because she is so surprised. Melody never stopped crying.

Instead.

“Heuk.”

She kept getting hiccups. At times like this, she had to find water, but Melody didn’t want to move at the moment.

“Heeuuk.”

“Melody are chu alright…?”

Loretta hovers around Melody as she feels worried about her. Melody nodded passionately. She still had hiccups and a little pain near her heart.

“Heeuuk.”

And then her hiccups popped out once again. In front of Melody, a water bag made of leather came out too.

Because of this splendid appearance, she thought she should call it “His Majesty’s Pocket,” not just “Pocket.”

Melody also looked at His Majesty’s Pocket, while she was having a hiccup.

Then the water bag got a little closer to her.

“Drink it.”

He’s giving orders in a solemn voice.

Of course, no matter how solemn a pocket is, it cannot speak human language, so Melody looked up and checked the person who told her that.

“…!”

She then fell back in surprise. Perhaps any other readers who read 『The Duke and Four Children』 would have done the same.

The immediate counterpart with His Majesty’s pocket is the Duke of the Land, the father of Loretta!

‘H-he really is exactly the same as the cover page—!’

He’s the cover of volume one! Who had a stiff face and held Loretta and his sons!

Thanks to the cover, he reminded her of the nickname “The father who had lots of children.”

Melody looked at the Duke’s beautiful face for a long time and realized two things.

One, she was so surprised that her hiccups stopped, and the other was that she had to fill her stomach quickly.

She leaned down quickly. Almost like sticking herself to the floor and then,

“I-I-I’m sorry!”

She barely cried out, but Melody felt as if she could feel the blazing gaze over the top of her head.

She’s really sure he is. He was the one who clearly understood what is right and wrong, and punished what is wrong, and the slave merchant is, needless to say, wrong.

“That’s…”

The Duke spoke slowly.

“Apologize for what?”

“Well, my mother and I lived on slave trade. And that’s… ”

“It’s illegal.”

Melody replied, “Yes,” in a grieving voice.

“There will be a proper punishment for the crime.”

I see. Melody realized why-unlike the original- the Duke is in this town until today.

It would have been to punish Melody for being an accomplice in the slave trade.

Glad to hear that. Melody breathed a sigh of relief.

If she hadn’t come on her own like this, she would have done a great disservice to the doctor who did her a favor.

What a punishment it is. What’s wrong with that? I hope it’s not the death penalty. The Duke spoke again while Melody was briefly lost in her thoughts.

“Then, when your mother’s punishment is decided, I will send someone to tell you.”

“What?”

Surprised by the Duke’s proclamation, Melody looked up at him. This is because it is strange for him to only talk with her about the punishment of “mother.”

“Well, am I going to get the same punishment as my mother?”

The Duke slightly frowned at her earnest question.

“Did you even offer your mother a slave trade?”

“Oh, no, by the time I grew up, she is already in slave trade…”

The Duke did not add any further explanation, but Melody is able to understand what he was trying to say.

She didn’t participate in this because of her choice, so she wouldn’t be punished.

“…T-thank you.”

She fell flat on the floor again. She felt a little sorry for her mother, but she thought she was so happy to escape from death.

“Well, then… why are you-?”

Maybe it’s because she is not going to die. Melody had mustered a bit of courage, so she dared to ask the Duke a question.

Isn’t it strange? This is where the Duke, who thought she would take her daughter to the castle.

“The slave merchant’s daughter is still young, so we should give her a place to live.”

“Maybe I’ll have to live without my mother from now on.”

“That’s okay with me, though.”

“That’s okay for me, Your Grace. I am already eleven years old.”

“I’m strong, I cook. I can read a little bit and get along with the villagers.”

Loretta approached her brightly and agreed to her explanation.

“Melody ish smart, she read the newspaper to Loretta!”

However, the Duke seems doesn’t like the idea of leaving a small child alone like this.

Every child needs protection.

However, Melody greatly appreciated the Duke for making her avoid any kind of punishment. So Melody decided to say something to reassure him.

“And the village doctor told me what it would be like to learn.”

“I see.”

The Duke nodded as if he had now understood.

Village doctors are usually respected by the residents. So she is the most reliable person to leave an orphan in charge.

“So, are you going to be a doctor in this town in the future?”

When asked by the Duke, Melody briefly thought of herself as a doctor.

She thought it’s a good thing to be respected.

It is a little strange. To be honest, she couldn’t imagine it. It feels like something’s on her mind and said.

“Oh, well, the doctor said she likes me, but… ”

“What about you?”

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“Pardon?”

“I asked what you thought about this. I don’t know if you really want to be a doctor in this town.”

“That’s…”

Melody mumbled and eventually failed to give him a proper answer for that.

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