Chapter 90

***

After Loretta had completely gone up to the second floor, Melody waited in front of Higgins’s room for the Duke to come out again.

Her heart was pounding for some reason.

Mr. Higgins was an important person, one who recorded the history of the Duke’s household.

Since she was responsible for his injury, Melody knew she had no excuse, even if a severe punishment was meted out to her.

After a few minutes, the door opened, and the Duke emerged.

Melody bowed deeply in front of him, apologizing. After all, if the butler was incapacitated, the most inconvenienced person would be the Duke.

“Don’t worry too much about it. If it weren’t for this, he wouldn’t know to take a rest.”

“But it happened because of me.”

The Duke lightly patted Melody’s shoulder.

“It’s not your fault at all. Higgins himself said so.”

Apparently, the butler had defended Melody.

“But still… he seemed to be in a lot of pain. I’m worried, and… it must be inconvenient for you, Your Grace.”

“Ronny can help me out.”

“I want to help with whatever I can too!”

Melody mustered her courage to say so, but the Duke firmly shook his head.

“No, that won’t do.”

“I’m sorry. I, I shouldn’t presume to interfere in your affairs…”

“That’s not it.”

The Duke glanced briefly at Higgins’s room.

“It would be better to assist Higgins. He will need the help.”

“Oh.”

Melody finally lifted her face with a bright expression.

“Yes! I will take good care of Mr. Higgins!”

The Duke affectionately stroked the kind Melody’s head.

“Good, I’m looking forward to it.”

***

In fact, Melody was somewhat confident in helping Butler Higgins.

After all, she had experience assisting Mrs. Higgins last season.

Moreover, before coming to the Duke’s household, Melody had always helped her lazy mother with household chores.

She had already accumulated enough experience as a child assisting adults.

However, the ‘helping the butler’ task hit a snag right from the start.

“What?! You’re going out…?”

Melody asked, wondering if she had heard incorrectly. Higgins simply smiled and picked up a long cane.

“Yes, it’s a rare vacation after all.”

“But you’re not well. Is it okay for you to go out?”

“I have received the doctor’s permission, so there’s no need to worry.”

He even showed her a document that officially granted him ‘permission to go out.’

‘What should I do.’

Melody thought of her pretty outdoor clothes and momentarily frowned.

Until now, she wore expensive clothes without a second thought, but now it was different.

She had realized that just being seen in public as the daughter of a slave trader could potentially lower the reputation of the store that sold those clothes.

“Then.”

Higgins, smiling broadly, placed a stylish hat he had picked up from the table onto his head.

“Miss Melody, would you also prepare to go out?”@@novelbin@@

“……”

Seeing her struggle to respond, he tilted his head in confusion.

“I heard you were going to help me. Was I mistaken?”

“Ri… Right.”

“I’m relieved I misunderstood then.”

He stood firmly on the ground with his elegant cane, looking intently at Melody.

It seemed he meant to wait just like this until she returned ready to go out.

Unable to let the person who had fallen the day before wait in such a state, Melody quickly backed away.

“Please, sit down! I’ll be quick with my preparations!”

“Take your time. We have plenty of it.”

Forgetting her resolve to tread quietly, Melody clomped back to her room.

‘What to do? How do I handle this?’ she thought, even as her mind was in turmoil, she was changing into her clothes one after the other.

‘I have no choice but to wear the most plain clothes possible to not stand out!’

It was a matter of not catching anyone’s eye.

Fortunately, she was not going out today with the Duke or Loretta.

Those two shone too brightly, noticeable anywhere, but Butler Higgins was different.

‘It’s a regrettable thought, but he doesn’t stand out like the Duke or the young masters.’

However, her perfect strategy was useless in front of her winter clothes.

Each one was prettier than the last.

‘Now that I think about it, the only plain thing I have is my face!’

As she fretted over this, the situation worsened.

A maid heard about the outing and came to pick out clothes for her, even adding a pretty ribbon to her hair.

“My goodness, you’re so lovely! You look even cuter today, Miss Melody!”

And so, she ended up receiving such compliments.

Oh, really. What should she do?

Why did her normally plain face have to look cute today of all days?

Melody looked resentfully at her cute reflection in the mirror.

***

The carriage with Higgins moved slower than usual, the coachman considering his condition.

“Aren’t you still quite unwell?”

Melody asked worriedly, but he shook his head.

“The Duke is just being overly cautious, instructing the coachman to treat me as if I were made of glass.”

Though he claimed the Duke was being excessive, it seemed he quite enjoyed the concern.

“After all… the Duke holds you in high regard.”

“Yes, and I feel the same.”

“That’s wonderful. Such a bond.”

Melody hoped to have such a relationship with Loretta someday.

“Where are we going today? Is there somewhere you must visit even though you were injured yesterday?”

“Yes, there is.”

He only answered thus, not revealing the exact destination.

It seemed he wanted to keep it a secret until they arrived, so Melody could only look out the window, hoping silently.

‘Hopefully, it’s a place with not many people.’

Despite her fervent hope to go unnoticed, the carriage seemed to be heading towards increasingly crowded areas. And when the spire-topped stone buildings came into view, a dark anxiety bloomed in Melody’s heart.

‘Could it be?’

She was familiar with that building.

The capital’s Academy of Arts.

She had visited it previously for an art exhibition. It was also the place Loretta had gone to watch a performance just yesterday.

It was a favorite spot for the nobility of the capital and anyone who cherished culture.

‘Please, let’s just pass by the Academy of Arts.’

Melody clasped her hands together and prayed. Truthfully, she had been fearful of visiting that place since the incident at the last exhibition.

“The Duke spoke very highly of it, so I was curious.”

Suddenly, Higgins’s comment made Melody look up.

“Praise…?”

“Regarding yesterday’s performance. The one the Duke and the lady attended.”

“Ah.”

“One might think people’s tastes remain the same, but they can change suddenly. If you don’t pay constant attention, you might find you know nothing about the other person.”

“So, you mean, Mr. Higgins, you are…”

Melody’s face inadvertently looked as if she was about to cry, though Higgins simply smiled kindly in response.

“Yes, attending a performance on a holiday is indeed a fine activity.”

The carriage soon stopped in front of the Academy of Arts. It was just about time for the performance to start, as indicated by the ringing bell.

An attendant from the academy came to open the carriage door.

“You’ve arrived just in time, Baron. Are you feeling alright?”

Startled by the attendant’s words, Melody looked at Higgins in surprise.

‘Baron?’

Did Higgins have a title?

She quickly tried to recall the original story, but nothing specific came to mind about this detail.

Perhaps it was mentioned, but she must have glossed over it while reading.

“I’ll show you in. The Duke insisted we prepare a comfortable chair for you. Please, this way for the young lady as well.”

Perhaps it was because the bell signaling the start of another performance had rung, but the staff’s steps became very busy. Thanks to this, the staff didn’t seem particularly curious about Melody, who had come with Higgins.

‘Thank goodness.’

Melody followed closely behind Higgins, making herself as small as possible. The staff guided them to a box seat from which the stage was fully visible.

‘Could it be the same seat Loretta sat in yesterday?’

Melody wondered, but before she could check, the sound of instruments began to play, compelling her to remain silent.

After a short while, the musicians, having finished tuning, began to play the first notes of their score in unison. The grand sound completely overwhelmed Melody, and she was instantly drawn into the world of the stage, forgetting all her recent worries about her status.

As the performance was nearing its end, Butler Higgins stood up a bit early. He had heard there would be an encore if the audience requested it, but he didn’t plan to stay for that.

“Let me help you.”

Melody fetched his hat and cane that were hung on the wall for him.

“Thank you. Shall we go back then?”

This meant returning to the mansion, and Melody was more than happy. She had been worried they might go somewhere else after the performance.

“Yes, let’s do that.”

Since the conductor was being called back out for an encore by the applause, there were hardly any other audience members leaving early.

Thanks to this, Melody was able to return to the carriage without attracting any attention.

“Phew.”

Was it because she had been so tense?

As soon as she reached the small carriage, she found herself letting out a sigh of relief.

“Miss Melody, did you enjoy it?”

Higgins, sitting opposite her, asked. Melody nodded.

Her heart had raced when entering and leaving the Academy of Arts, but the performance itself was enjoyable.

“Yes, it was great! Especially understanding Lady Loretta’s story about how the sound sparkles and bursts!”

Melody had been curious about how unseen sounds could sparkle like light, but now, having heard it for herself, she realized Loretta’s description was accurate. The sparkling was clearly felt in the lighter touches of the performance.

“It sounded just like a stream on a spring day. A sound that you hear on a day filled with sunshine,” Melody said, clasping her hands together, her expression one of rapture. “And I understood what she meant about something ‘bursting’ too. Every time the sound heavily thumped and echoed, my heart felt like it would burst as well.”

Music was truly a marvelous thing. It was invisible and intangible, yet it had the power to shake people to their core.

“Now, when we return, I’ll be able to talk to Miss Loretta about it. She’ll be so happy to know I’ve seen the performance!”

Perhaps they could even enjoy playing the piano together in the drawing room. While they might not play as magnificently as today’s concert, they now shared the same sounds in their minds.

“I’m glad to see you happy, Miss Melody,” Higgins said with a smile, prompting Melody to have another thought.

Perhaps today’s outing wasn’t so much about Melody helping Higgins, but rather him helping her.

“Mr. Butler,” Melody called out, hands clasped together in a somewhat apologetic manner. However, they had arrived at the duke’s residence before she could delve into his intentions.