Chapter 49
***
With the catalog rolled up in her hand, Melody appeared behind Isaiah, her expression frightful even in Ronny’s eyes. Moreover, the way she swung her arm roughly and delivered a crisp slap to Isaiah looked quite valiant.
Whack!
After the clear sound of the hit, Isaiah, clutching his head, fell flat on the floor.
“Don’t make such a fuss over nothing, Isaiah!”
It didn’t seem like he was overreacting though. Ronny thought this but didn’t dare say it out loud.
Isaiah was right. Melody, with the catalog in her hand, was truly terrifying.
* * *
No matter how scary Melody was, the boys’ bet continued.
This time, Isaiah brought the records from June of last year. Soon after, Ronny returned with records even older than those.
After a few more exchanges, the records started piling up methodically in Melody’s room, becoming quite mundane.
Then it was Isaiah’s turn again.
By now, he had grown so familiar with Higgins’ office that he could find it with his eyes closed.
Arriving swiftly at the bookshelf, he crouched and began searching for the records from June five years ago.
“September, August, and…”
He skimmed the spines of the books with the tips of his fingers, moving downward. After passing July, the label for May soon appeared.
“May?”
That’s strange.
Isaiah tilted his head slightly and examined the surrounding records once more, thinking someone might have misplaced it.
However, no matter how thoroughly he searched the bookshelf, the records from June five years ago were nowhere to be found.
“Isaiah.”
Perhaps worried about his prolonged absence, the door to the office cautiously opened, and Melody peeked in.
“Is there a problem?”
“It’s good timing. Come here, Mel.”
He gestured for her to come over, but Melody shook her head with a worried expression.
Entering the office space without permission felt like betraying the grace of the Duke’s family.
“There’s something strange.”
“Strange… thing?”
“Yeah, maybe a real thief has been here.”
With no choice, Melody joined Isaiah by his side, crouching together. Of course, she didn’t forget to carefully close the office door.
“A thief?”
“Look at this.”
Isaiah pointed to the densely packed bookshelf he had been inspecting just moments ago. Melody quickly realized that the records from June five years ago were missing.
“See, it’s odd, right? It’s definitely stolen, or maybe someone took it temporarily to read?”
“I don’t think it was taken temporarily.”
If someone had borrowed the records to check them, the bookshelf wouldn’t have been so densely filled.
They would have left an empty space to quickly find the spot to return it.
The notion that the records were stolen was even more unlikely. If such an event had occurred, additional locks would have been installed in the room. Therefore, the conclusion was one.
‘June’s records from five years ago are not stored here.’
Then, Ronny’s words from earlier that evening came to mind.
“If it’s really precious and someone absolutely doesn’t want it to be seen by others, it would be well hidden.”
Melody had thought it was a stretch, but now it seemed his words might actually be true.
‘Right…’
Melody fiddled with her hair for a moment, recalling the original story. People believed that there was friction between the Duke and his wife, leading them to live separately. However, the truth was different.
The couple had an agreement.
They would live together as the family desired for a few years, and after that, they would return to their individual lives.
But as with any contractual marriage in novels, the two gradually nurtured a romantic fondness and affection for each other.
And eventually, they came to deeply love one another.
Yet, they still had to fulfill their initial promise of living apart after a certain time had passed.
That summer, five years ago.
‘Was it in June?’
If so, it made sense for the records of that particular month to be absent here. The Duke himself would have hidden them in a place only he knew.
‘Then, could it be that Ronny started this bet to investigate something about that time five years ago?’
With the excuse of a ‘child’s prank,’ he could blur the fact that he was specifically targeting records from a certain period.
“What’s taking so long?”
Just then, the door to the office opened, and Ronny entered.
He seemed to have come looking because he was worried, as both Isaiah and Melody hadn’t returned for quite some time.
Melody observed Ronny’s expression carefully as he entered with a small lantern in hand.
“What’s wrong?”
However, she couldn’t sense anything particularly unusual in his expression. Maybe his pinpointing June was just a coincidence.
“Don’t dawdle here over nothing. This is a fair competition between that guy and me.”
Ronny grumbled and opened the office door a bit wider. It seemed like he was demanding Melody to leave immediately.
“Ah.”
Melody’s expression tensed slightly.
“Why are you just standing there with your mouth open? Do you really want to help that guy find the records?”
Even as Ronny continued to grumble, Melody’s expression remained peculiarly off.
“What’s wrong?”
Suppressing the unease in his heart, Ronny asked. But in truth, he felt like he already knew the answer.
Seeing Melody’s gaze fixed over his shoulder, his suspicions grew even stronger.
Slowly, Ronny turned around.
Of course, Ronny, being a well-behaved child who believed in the divine, offered a quick prayer for Melody, Isaiah, and himself in that brief moment.
‘Please let it be a generous servant standing behind me.’
Especially a kind servant who felt pity for the young master whenever Mrs. Higgins scolded him.
“…!”
However, the divine did not heed his prayer. Rather, it seemed a punishment had been decreed. Standing behind Ronny was Mrs. Higgins, her eyes blazing and her face showing great anger.
In his panic, Ronny involuntarily pleaded in a heartfelt voice,
“Please… anything but carrots.”
Of course, his plea fell on deaf ears.
* * *
Under Mrs. Higgins’ supervision, Ronny and Isaiah neatly returned the records they had secretly taken.
Mrs. Higgins stood at a distance, arms crossed, so it seemed she hadn’t noticed which records the boys had taken.
Their futile bet was thus brought to a permanent end. There could be no talk of a next time, all thanks to Mrs. Higgins.
“If you make such a bad bet again, I’ll report it to the Duke and have him spank you until your bottoms are sore.”
The next day,
Ronny, with sleepy eyes, had to munch on carrots, trying his best not to taste them. Melody found his efforts pitiable.
Moreover, as a condition for not telling the Duke about the whole affair, he had to massage Mrs. Higgins’ shoulders for an hour.
Fortunately, Melody did not receive any punishment. This was thanks to Ronny and Isaiah insisting that Melody was innocent.
Yet, Melody couldn’t shake off the feeling of being punished.
That same afternoon, she ended up transcribing records in Claude’s room.
“This is strange.”
Claude suddenly spoke up while Melody was silently copying records.
“What is… strange?”
“You, Melody. You’re helping me too willingly.”
Melody was indeed afraid to converse with him.
It was because of the conversation about Ronny and Jeremiah yesterday, which led to a misunderstanding that she knew about it thanks to Claude…
‘If Ronny told Claude about yesterday’s incident…’
Claude was a cautious and thoughtful person. He wouldn’t just accept a clumsy excuse and let it slide.
“I’ve just gotten used to this work.”
Melody replied curtly and pretended to focus on the records again.
She clenched the pen tightly in her hand, waiting for Claude’s gaze to move away from her.
“Ah, I see.”
Fortunately, he quickly acknowledged her answer and looked away. Melody barely managed to suppress a sigh of relief.
“I thought you were doing this because you were afraid I’d use you as an excuse.”
Melody was startled.
“That was a misunderstanding.”
Melody looked up cautiously. He continued to write something on his notebook without stopping.
“That, that was a misunderstanding by Ronny.”
Melody began to explain, half-heartedly. She was worried that if she tried to ignore it, Claude might probe more persistently.
“Hmm, a misunderstanding?”
“Yes. Ronny seems to think you told me the story. I was about to deny it, but…”
Her voice trailed off, maybe that was why Claude lifted his head. She expected to see an angry expression, but surprisingly, he was smiling pleasantly.
“Ronny got excited and continued the story on his own?”
“How, how did you know?”
“It’s about my brother, so of course, I know. He gets slightly excited when it comes to family matters.”
“Slightly excited is an understatement!”
“I know, I understand.”
Surprisingly, the conversation flowed smoothly. Melody felt a small sense of relief for not being falsely accused.
“Opportunities to talk about Jeremiah are rare, so it’s not strange for Ronny to get a bit excited.”
“He boasted to me a lot.”
“Well, he’s a brother to be proud of. But Melody.”
Claude called her, his face momentarily turning stern.
“…Yes?”
Of course, by the time Melody responded in surprise, his expression had returned to its usual gentleness.
“It might be good to think about why Ronny hasn’t had the chance to talk about Jeremiah.”
Was he hinting at some unspoken rule within the mansion?
“Even simple words conveying the truth can sometimes hurt someone.”
The ‘someone’ he was referring to was probably the Duke. Even without considering the original story, it was evident.
Isn’t it clear that the entire mansion has agreed to silence for the sake of just one person?
Chapter 49
***
With the catalog rolled up in her hand, Melody appeared behind Isaiah, her expression frightful even in Ronny’s eyes. Moreover, the way she swung her arm roughly and delivered a crisp slap to Isaiah looked quite valiant.
Whack!
After the clear sound of the hit, Isaiah, clutching his head, fell flat on the floor.
“Don’t make such a fuss over nothing, Isaiah!”
It didn’t seem like he was overreacting though. Ronny thought this but didn’t dare say it out loud.
Isaiah was right. Melody, with the catalog in her hand, was truly terrifying.
* * *
No matter how scary Melody was, the boys’ bet continued.
This time, Isaiah brought the records from June of last year. Soon after, Ronny returned with records even older than those.
After a few more exchanges, the records started piling up methodically in Melody’s room, becoming quite mundane.
Then it was Isaiah’s turn again.
By now, he had grown so familiar with Higgins’ office that he could find it with his eyes closed.
Arriving swiftly at the bookshelf, he crouched and began searching for the records from June five years ago.
“September, August, and…”
He skimmed the spines of the books with the tips of his fingers, moving downward. After passing July, the label for May soon appeared.
“May?”
That’s strange.
Isaiah tilted his head slightly and examined the surrounding records once more, thinking someone might have misplaced it.
However, no matter how thoroughly he searched the bookshelf, the records from June five years ago were nowhere to be found.
“Isaiah.”
Perhaps worried about his prolonged absence, the door to the office cautiously opened, and Melody peeked in.
“Is there a problem?”
“It’s good timing. Come here, Mel.”
He gestured for her to come over, but Melody shook her head with a worried expression.
Entering the office space without permission felt like betraying the grace of the Duke’s family.
“There’s something strange.”
“Strange… thing?”
“Yeah, maybe a real thief has been here.”
With no choice, Melody joined Isaiah by his side, crouching together. Of course, she didn’t forget to carefully close the office door.
“A thief?”
“Look at this.”
Isaiah pointed to the densely packed bookshelf he had been inspecting just moments ago. Melody quickly realized that the records from June five years ago were missing.
“See, it’s odd, right? It’s definitely stolen, or maybe someone took it temporarily to read?”
“I don’t think it was taken temporarily.”
If someone had borrowed the records to check them, the bookshelf wouldn’t have been so densely filled.
They would have left an empty space to quickly find the spot to return it.
The notion that the records were stolen was even more unlikely. If such an event had occurred, additional locks would have been installed in the room. Therefore, the conclusion was one.
‘June’s records from five years ago are not stored here.’
Then, Ronny’s words from earlier that evening came to mind.
“If it’s really precious and someone absolutely doesn’t want it to be seen by others, it would be well hidden.”
Melody had thought it was a stretch, but now it seemed his words might actually be true.
‘Right…’
Melody fiddled with her hair for a moment, recalling the original story. People believed that there was friction between the Duke and his wife, leading them to live separately. However, the truth was different.
The couple had an agreement.
They would live together as the family desired for a few years, and after that, they would return to their individual lives.
But as with any contractual marriage in novels, the two gradually nurtured a romantic fondness and affection for each other.
And eventually, they came to deeply love one another.
Yet, they still had to fulfill their initial promise of living apart after a certain time had passed.
That summer, five years ago.
‘Was it in June?’
If so, it made sense for the records of that particular month to be absent here. The Duke himself would have hidden them in a place only he knew.
‘Then, could it be that Ronny started this bet to investigate something about that time five years ago?’
With the excuse of a ‘child’s prank,’ he could blur the fact that he was specifically targeting records from a certain period.
“What’s taking so long?”
Just then, the door to the office opened, and Ronny entered.
He seemed to have come looking because he was worried, as both Isaiah and Melody hadn’t returned for quite some time.
Melody observed Ronny’s expression carefully as he entered with a small lantern in hand.
“What’s wrong?”
However, she couldn’t sense anything particularly unusual in his expression. Maybe his pinpointing June was just a coincidence.
“Don’t dawdle here over nothing. This is a fair competition between that guy and me.”
Ronny grumbled and opened the office door a bit wider. It seemed like he was demanding Melody to leave immediately.
“Ah.”
Melody’s expression tensed slightly.
“Why are you just standing there with your mouth open? Do you really want to help that guy find the records?”
Even as Ronny continued to grumble, Melody’s expression remained peculiarly off.
“What’s wrong?”
Suppressing the unease in his heart, Ronny asked. But in truth, he felt like he already knew the answer.
Seeing Melody’s gaze fixed over his shoulder, his suspicions grew even stronger.
Slowly, Ronny turned around.
Of course, Ronny, being a well-behaved child who believed in the divine, offered a quick prayer for Melody, Isaiah, and himself in that brief moment.
‘Please let it be a generous servant standing behind me.’
Especially a kind servant who felt pity for the young master whenever Mrs. Higgins scolded him.
“…!”
However, the divine did not heed his prayer. Rather, it seemed a punishment had been decreed. Standing behind Ronny was Mrs. Higgins, her eyes blazing and her face showing great anger.
In his panic, Ronny involuntarily pleaded in a heartfelt voice,
“Please… anything but carrots.”
Of course, his plea fell on deaf ears.
* * *
Under Mrs. Higgins’ supervision, Ronny and Isaiah neatly returned the records they had secretly taken.
Mrs. Higgins stood at a distance, arms crossed, so it seemed she hadn’t noticed which records the boys had taken.
Their futile bet was thus brought to a permanent end. There could be no talk of a next time, all thanks to Mrs. Higgins.
“If you make such a bad bet again, I’ll report it to the Duke and have him spank you until your bottoms are sore.”
The next day,
Ronny, with sleepy eyes, had to munch on carrots, trying his best not to taste them. Melody found his efforts pitiable.
Moreover, as a condition for not telling the Duke about the whole affair, he had to massage Mrs. Higgins’ shoulders for an hour.
Fortunately, Melody did not receive any punishment. This was thanks to Ronny and Isaiah insisting that Melody was innocent.
Yet, Melody couldn’t shake off the feeling of being punished.
That same afternoon, she ended up transcribing records in Claude’s room.
“This is strange.”
Claude suddenly spoke up while Melody was silently copying records.
“What is… strange?”
“You, Melody. You’re helping me too willingly.”
Melody was indeed afraid to converse with him.
It was because of the conversation about Ronny and Jeremiah yesterday, which led to a misunderstanding that she knew about it thanks to Claude…
‘If Ronny told Claude about yesterday’s incident…’
Claude was a cautious and thoughtful person. He wouldn’t just accept a clumsy excuse and let it slide.
“I’ve just gotten used to this work.”
Melody replied curtly and pretended to focus on the records again.
She clenched the pen tightly in her hand, waiting for Claude’s gaze to move away from her.
“Ah, I see.”
Fortunately, he quickly acknowledged her answer and looked away. Melody barely managed to suppress a sigh of relief.
“I thought you were doing this because you were afraid I’d use you as an excuse.”
Melody was startled.
“That was a misunderstanding.”
Melody looked up cautiously. He continued to write something on his notebook without stopping.
“That, that was a misunderstanding by Ronny.”
Melody began to explain, half-heartedly. She was worried that if she tried to ignore it, Claude might probe more persistently.
“Hmm, a misunderstanding?”
“Yes. Ronny seems to think you told me the story. I was about to deny it, but…”
Her voice trailed off, maybe that was why Claude lifted his head. She expected to see an angry expression, but surprisingly, he was smiling pleasantly.
“Ronny got excited and continued the story on his own?”
“How, how did you know?”
“It’s about my brother, so of course, I know. He gets slightly excited when it comes to family matters.”
“Slightly excited is an understatement!”
“I know, I understand.”
Surprisingly, the conversation flowed smoothly. Melody felt a small sense of relief for not being falsely accused.
“Opportunities to talk about Jeremiah are rare, so it’s not strange for Ronny to get a bit excited.”
“He boasted to me a lot.”
“Well, he’s a brother to be proud of. But Melody.”
Claude called her, his face momentarily turning stern.
“…Yes?”
Of course, by the time Melody responded in surprise, his expression had returned to its usual gentleness.
“It might be good to think about why Ronny hasn’t had the chance to talk about Jeremiah.”
Was he hinting at some unspoken rule within the mansion?
“Even simple words conveying the truth can sometimes hurt someone.”
The ‘someone’ he was referring to was probably the Duke. Even without considering the original story, it was evident.
Isn’t it clear that the entire mansion has agreed to silence for the sake of just one person?
