Chapter 31

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Chapter 31

Heavens! Loretta walked all the way down the hallway holding her older brother’s hand to find Melody!

Melody hurriedly stood up from her crying position.

I can’t just send Loretta back like this. How could I just let that sweet child leave in vain, when she worriedly came all the way here, looking for me?

Besides, Loretta had seen Melody’s ugly crying face several times already, and each time, Loretta would stroke Melody with her small hand and tightly hug her. She was missing that affectionate comfort so much – especially on a day like today.

Melody was almost running as she pulled the doorknob and called out, “Loretta!”

But there was no Loretta in the place where she should have been when she looked down. Could it be that she went back already?

She then saw Claude standing in front of the door as she raised her head. While holding the doorknob, Melody asked him, “How about, sniff, Loretta?”

Her crying was inevitably mixed with her words and it sounded a little silly. He smiled awkwardly and shook his head.

“…!”

Melody was so embarrassed that she was deceived that she closed the door again, hard enough to make a loud bang! sound.

Was it because she realized that she had been deceived, or because of the fact that he had seen her crying face? She wasn’t sure but more tears rolled down her face. Melody sat with her back against the door and cried again.

There are things that are acceptable to tease other people with, and there are also things that are absolutely not acceptable. He played with me like that even knowing how much I like Loretta! You’re really cruel. I will never forgive you!!

“Miss Melody, Miss Melody?”

She heard the nonstop knock on the door her back was leaning on, but Melody pouted her lips. Who knows what will happen after I open it!

“I’m sorry, Miss Melody. I apologize.”

Who would have guessed that he would apologize to her, and if it wasn’t this type of situation, would he even be sincere when he apologized to Melody?

⎾I am sorry about that, but it can’t be helped. I am jealous of you. 」

His apology wouldn’t even have the slightest hint of sincerity if he ends up saying something like that.

“I’m serious – about that lie. I can’t go in if Miss Melody doesn’t open the door.”

A pleading voice sounded quietly whispering from the crack in the door. Perhaps, he was also squatting down on the other side of the door, and his voice was so close that it almost sounded like he was whispering in her ear.

“I was worried. It seems like you’re pretending to be alright today as well, Miss Melody. Of course, Loretta was the first one to notice that.”

Melody had decided not to answer whatever he said, but… she naturally had a question pop into her head when she heard that Loretta noticed her mood.

“Loretta did?”

It would have been right to call her ‘Miss’ if Melody was acting like usual, but maybe because she was too dazed after crying so much that she started talking as if Loretta was with her right now.

“Yes, she wanted to give you a hug because she said that Miss Melody looks sad.”

“But why…?”

“Was I the one who came?”

That was it – what Melody wanted now was Loretta’s warm smile.

“It’s a bit embarrassing to say my reason out loud.”

Melody frowned after some hesitation. Just how embarrassing was that? She stretched out her arms and opened the closed door while sitting on the floor. He was also squatting in front of the door, so their eyes met immediately.

“That’s obvious, hic,” Melody shed tears and shouted at Claude, “Because you’re jealous of me!”

Those weren’t very sad words, but her tears strangely flowed down the moment she screamed. She even made the sound of crying.

“You know it very well.” He answered with a calm tone and handed her a handkerchief.

Melody answered in a grumpy tone because her hatred of him had grown to a record breaking high, “I will blow my nose on this!”

“Yes, blow on it a lot.”

He gladly held out his handkerchief despite her foul words. Hmph, she thought he said that because he knew that if she were to follow proper etiquette she can’t blow on it, but Melody confidently blew her nose on his handkerchief. The feeling was so refreshing, and her heart felt lighter.

“So, sniff, what about Miss Loretta?” Melody asked while holding the handkerchief near her nose.

He slightly smiled at her funny nasal sound.

“It looks like this is the real you, seeing as how you called Loretta ‘Miss’.”

“It was a mistake.”

“But you didn’t call me Claude by mistake.”

He slightly patted her hair when Melody blatantly looked at him with an expression as if telling him ‘What nonsense are you talking about?’

“I’m jesting. That’s because Loretta shows a lot of special favoritism towards Melody.”

Melody eagerly nodded. Loretta is special. It’s very normal to say the word ‘special’ when describing that child! She then saw him smile bitterly. He must be jealous again – of the sparkling relationship between Lorretta and Melody.

“Are you feeling better now?”

“A little.”

Her words ‘I feel better’ came out strange because of her shaky breathing.

“… It’s cute.”

“Pardon?”

“Uhm, our cute Loretta wants to see you quickly. She has been waiting for Miss Melody.”

Melody looked at him suspiciously as he got up and held out his hand. I think he said it to mean that he will bring me to Loretta now. Not another person, but I can’t believe Claude Valdwin’s words – especially as far as Loretta is concerned.

“Somehow you look at me as if you don’t believe me.”

“The Young Master praised me before.”

“That you’re good at learning?”

Melody nodded – with the intention not to be fooled once, and especially not twice.

“Miss Melody knows me very well. Please get up quickly, I will help you up.”

He held out his hand again.

“Hurry up. You must keep the promise.”

Promise? Melody took hold of his hand, wondering if there was a promise between him and Loretta. Pulled by the force lifting her upward, she stood up from her seat. He let go of Melody’s hand and started taking a couple of steps ahead.

“Come here.”

Melody moved a step forward as he glanced back at her and said that.

“Young Master.”

“Yes?”

“But what kind of promise was that?”

“What is this, did you forget?”

“About what?”

“Miss Melody, you made a promise with me at dawn.”

Melody thought back and tried to remember her conversation she had with him in the morning. He assigned the task of taking care of his laundry so he could discreetly show some consideration for her. He also didn’t forget to ask the maid to cleanly erase the dirt and the drink stains he pointed out from her ribbon. It was around then that she had made another promise with him.

⎾Then, come to my room on time tomorrow, because there are still a lot of records left for Miss Melody to transcribe. 」

Melody stared at him with a slightly gaped mouth. Is that person really human? You are calling me over to work on a day like this? Not to mention, it’s at such a late hour?

Melody regretted that she had chosen Loretta’s eldest brother as her favorite character in her previous life. She didn’t even know that he was such a mean person.

“It’s alright, there’s not much work today anyway. I will bring you to Loretta once you’re done.”

“I am starting to hate the Young Master a little.”

She actually hated him a lot, but to say that would be a little bit presumptuous of her who was eating and sleeping free in this house.

On the other hand, he didn’t even pay attention to her hating him, and he just laughed it off saying ‘Yes, I know.’ He then took Melody to the large study on the first floor. But I used to transcribe records inside his personal library.

Melody stopped herself from asking ‘Why are we here today?’ She cried so much that she had no strength to ask. She just felt sleepy and tired after crying. She had no idea how much work he would make her do, but she just thought that she had to finish it all quickly so she could go back to sleep.

“Come on then.”

“Noe, then,” he pointed to a nearby desk, where the notepad Melody had used to transcribe notes was placed. He then turned the pages a few times and pointed to an empty page, “Write your name here, Miss Melody.”

“My name?”

“Come on, and write the date here.”

Melody wrote down her name and date as he instructed. After waiting for the ink to dry, he closed the notebook and handed it to Melody with both hands.

“It took a lot of work to transcribe the records, Miss Melody.”

It felt like getting a present.

“Can I take this with me?”

“No way. I wouldn’t have cast preservation magic on it if that was the case.”

“Magic?”

Melody blinked her eyes at his unfamiliar words and looked down at the notebook. It doesn’t look any different from any ordinary notebook on the outside though.

“The Valdwin house values ​​these records, Miss Melody.” He said as he walked through the bookshelves. Naturally, Melody followed his footsteps.

“Even a seemingly meaningless record can be good research material for a brilliant intellectual who changes the times.”

“Something like the weather?”

Melody reminded him that there was a lot of discussion of ‘weather’ in the records she transcribed, so she thought that it was a little boring.

“The weather is especially important. It decides a lot.” He stopped next to a bookshelf. Things similar to Melody’s notes were neatly arranged there – completely separated by region or period. “I am not an intellectual who will change the times, but such a person is bound to appear in another generation.”

The Duke’s family has transcribed and treasured various records according to certain rules for such a future person.

“Neatly organized records of the past will surely help them.”

When he said that, his face looked somewhat determined.

“Um, then…”

He pointed to a section of the bookshelf. He probably meant for her to keep the records that Melody had worked hard on in there. She sandwiched her notes between the other thick and ink-stained notebooks of previous generations. She felt proud that she had done something great. Melody was really happy that she could be of help to the hypothetical future genius.

“You know what?”

“…?”

He leaned his arms slightly against the bookshelf and bent down a little. His face got a little closer to Melody’s.

“What do you think someone in the future will think if they study the records we left now?”

Melody turned her head and laughed happily, as if she was amused by that idea, then Claude continued and said “This notebook will be remembered as the records compiled by… the Duke Valdwin house’s Miss Melody.”

“Yes?”

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“Of course, someone will only notice when this record is useful to them.”

“B-but I am not Melody Valdwin.”

“Hmm, then we have no other choice, since this will be kept here and it has already been written like that. If the last name is what you’re so worried about,” she didn’t know why, but he looked at her with a devilish smile this time, “you can just get married.”

(T/N: Aack! The amount of squeals I had in this chapter [squeals again])

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