Chapter 46

***

And so, they sat opposite each other, ready for their first duel in the form of arm wrestling, eyeing each other intently.

“If I win, you will not treat Mel like a maid, ever. For a lifetime.”

Melody was somewhat concerned that Isaiah was not using polite language with the esteemed young master of the ducal house.

“Hmph, if I win, then don’t interfere with whatever I want to do with Melody!”

Fortunately, Ronny seemed not to notice the discord in Isaiah’s tone, as he didn’t point it out.

Both prepared, they held each other’s hands and looked at Melody for a start signal.

Of course, Melody had no intention of cooperating with such a thing.

“…Do we really have to do this?”

But her question became the start signal.

It soon became clear who would win. It was impossible for Ronny to beat Isaiah, who was a candidate for knighthood.

Yet, Ronny strained with all his might, his face turning red, trying to push Isaiah’s hand back.

“Ugh…”

As the little boy clenched his teeth and exerted force, their clasped hands trembled, and Isaiah’s hand slowly began to tip.

At that miraculous sight, Melody was reminded of the old fable of The Tortoise and the Hare she had heard in her previous life.

It was a story of the match between the overconfident hare and the slow but steady tortoise, heading unwaveringly to the finish.

Ah, how did that story end? Right. The persistent efforts of the tortoise led to victory.

The lesson seems to apply even in this world, crossing dimensions.

Since Ronny’s hand, pushing little by little, was about to touch the ground. Surely the diligent tortoise would…

“Think I’d let you win?!”

Isaiah exerted force and flipped Ronny’s arm over in an instant.

Bang! It landed with a satisfying thud.

Melody was suddenly reminded of a fact – the world she was born into was definitely not a ‘fairy tale’.

Isaiah, thrilled with his victory, jumped onto the chair.

“I won!”

As he raised his arms in joy, not only Ronny but even Melody began to look at him with a cold gaze.

The more she thought about it, the more petty it seemed.

To rejoice in winning an arm wrestling match against a younger boy.

If he were a proper knight-in-training, Isaiah should have proposed a more favorable bet for Ronny after winning the arm wrestling.

Otherwise, it would just be bullying a child with strength.

Noticing Melody’s gaze, Isaiah, perhaps feeling a bit embarrassed, quickly sat down.

“Well…”

Isaiah awkwardly fiddled with his hair, sending a consoling glance to Ronny.

Melody’s heart eased a bit at his gesture. Isaiah had always been the leader among the village kids and was adept at soothing hearts like Ronny’s.

“I won, so you can’t treat Mel like a maid, Master.”

…But that was not the case.

He was just swaggering in front of young Ronny.

Melody tightly gripped the catalog again. Startled by her action, Isaiah quickly hunched down.

As if scared.

‘What on earth is he afraid of?’

Melody thought to herself, gripping the catalog even tighter. By now, Isaiah’s face had turned an unnaturally pale shade of blue.

And it wasn’t just that.

He had completely shed his previously brash demeanor and began acting more like a gentleman from the capital.

“As a future knight, I shouldn’t be engaging in arm-wrestling duels with a young master.”

He suggested, “Let’s pretend this contest never happened.”

His expression conveyed some sense of injustice… but Melody had no idea what Isaiah felt was unfair.

Just when she thought such a pointless competition was over, the two boys conspired to come up with another contest.

“We’ll decide it with cards.”

Isaiah proposed this, probably because it was a game where strength didn’t matter, and the outcome depended on luck, memory, and wit.

They entrusted Melody with the role of distributing the cards.

Melody dealt the cards one by one with an unenthusiastic face.

She couldn’t see any meaning in such a contest.

After a while,

“Ta-da!”

Loretta, who had been sandwiched between Isaiah and Ronny, casually picking up cards, stood up from her seat.

The little girl had cautiously bet only one pinecone at a time until now, but this time she stood up abruptly and emptied her entire heavy pinecone pouch.

Rattle.

Numerous pinecones piled up high on the table.

It was an all-in.

Shocked by her boldness, Isaiah and Ronny turned their faces, now pale as ghosts, towards Loretta.

But the girl simply beamed, not uttering another word.@@novelbin@@

Not wanting to be outdone by a child’s bravado, the two boys poured their chestnuts and walnuts onto the table until it overflowed.

The table was filled with the bountiful gifts of autumn, albeit somewhat regrettably used as game currency.

“Since it’s come to this, we might as well finish quickly. The little one probably doesn’t even know the rules and bet all her pinecones. It’s going to be either me or the master winning anyway.”

Isaiah chuckled, tapping the chestnuts piled in front of him.

It was time to reveal the cards. Isaiah went first, and upon seeing his cards, Ronny’s face lit up.

“I won!”

Ronny quickly flipped his cards and drew the heap of chestnuts, walnuts, and pinecones towards him.

“How can this be! I always won when playing with the squires…!”

Isaiah genuinely fumed, clutching his head in his arms.

His humiliating defeat only made Ronny more triumphant. He grabbed a handful of pinecones and crowed arrogantly.

“Whatever I do with Melody from now on, you can’t say a word to me!”

While Ronny was jubilantly shouting, Loretta began flipping her cards one by one with her tiny hands.

At first, no one except Melody paid any attention to Loretta’s cards, but as more cards were revealed, the boys began to focus on them as well.

“This… this can’t be.”

Ronny, who first realized what was happening, covered his mouth with both hands.

The same color, and a perfectly sequential number combination. The unbeatable result lay neatly in front of Loretta.

Loretta looked alternately at Isaiah and Ronny, who appeared as if they were about to faint, then spread her arms wide with a broad smile.

“I’m giving all this to Melody!”

Loretta generously gifted all the autumn fruits she had won in the contest to Melody.

“Loretta is a smart little angel!”

Melody, unbothered by the two dazed boys, warmly embraced Loretta.

Loretta is capable of anything. How can someone be so smart and adorable?

“Cards like these do exist in reality, huh.”

At that moment, still captivated by Loretta’s cards, Isaiah mumbled in amazement.

“I’ve heard that if such a combination comes up in a betting game, it means you’ve already used up a lifetime of good luck, and your life could be in danger…”

Startled by his words, Melody rushed over to Isaiah.

“Don’t say such unpleasant things!”

“Wha-, what?! It’s just like a superstition that knights talk about.”

“Don’t say it!”

Melody felt uneasy hearing such ominous words.

Of course, with her wisdom and the help of her three older brothers, Loretta would surely overcome any difficulty gracefully.

But still, Melody didn’t want to hear talks about life being in danger.

…especially since there was such an episode in the original story.

“Uh… alright, sorry.”

Isaiah scratched his head and apologized, and Melody nodded, ‘Good.’

As the sun began to set, it was time for Isaiah to leave, and this bizarre competition seemed to be drawing to a close.

With Loretta’s complete victory.

***

But that was merely Melody’s wishful thinking.

Having embarked on this ‘war’, Isaiah and Ronny seemed intent on pressing forward, refusing to back down.

Now, Ronny even went as far as making Isaiah an overnight guest in the mansion, so they could continue their contest all night long.

Watching the two seemingly enjoying the prospect, Melody couldn’t help but wonder,

‘Do they actually like each other more than they let on?’

Of course, suggesting such a thing would likely have both of them jumping in denial.

“This will settle it.”

In the guest room allotted to him, Ronny finally proposed the absurd bet that would decide the outcome of this nonsensical contest.

“There’s a treasure in this mansion.”

Melody had a bad feeling about this.

“The one who brings back what’s assigned to them wins.”

And her premonition hit the mark. Melody immediately picked up the catalog.

“That’s theft! You’re crossing a line!”

“It’s just a record of the mansion’s history, not some shiny treasure.”

Ronny’s words seemed to imply it wasn’t a significant treasure since it wasn’t something glittering.

But Melody didn’t think so. No gold or treasure could compare to the value of ancient records.

“It’s very precious. What if the record gets damaged?”

“But anyone could sneak into Mr. Higgins’ office and take it. If it were truly valuable, would it be left so carelessly?!”

That logic sounded all too familiar.

“If it were truly precious and not meant to be seen by others, it would be well hidden.”

Melody looked coldly at Ronny, who crouched slightly at the sight of the catalog but didn’t back down from his stance.

Instead, he cautiously added,

“So, it’s… crossing a line, but only dipping a toe over it.”

Melody felt she could confidently say where Ronny had picked up such reasoning.