The Villainess Is Shy In Receiving Affection

Chapter 179

* * *

However, far from catching him, she only ended up dropping the bundle of herbs she was holding on the floor.

“…!”

Melody was startled and tried to pick it up, but Claude stopped her.

“Don’t do it.”

Claude willingly bent his knees under her feet.

Melody couldn’t take her eyes off him as he picked up the herbs and carefully examined their shape.

Staring at his long fingers caressing the herbs or his lips whispering fortunately, Melody quickly lowered her head.

Soon he got up from his spot and handed over the herbs.

“It seems okay.”

“Thank… you. I’m sorry.”

“Ah, right.”

As if something just came to mind, he shrugged his head slightly.

“Jeremiah told me to pass on a message. My throat is a bit dry right now.”

Melody quickly took a step back.

“Th-Then for a moment…”

Out of embarrassment, the last words “Would you like to come in?” almost became a whisper.

Actually, he probably brought up his dry throat because he noticed Melody trying to grab him a little while ago.

“How kind of you to accept my request.”

“Ah, please sit.”

As Melody offered him a seat, she set down a glass of lukewarm water. He downed the water Melody gave him in one gulp.

‘Was he really thirsty?’

Just in case, Melody refilled the glass of water.

He drank the water in one gulp again this time too.

“…You must have been really thirsty.”

“Yes, I was very nervous.”

“You, Young Master? Why?”

At her question, he just smiled for a moment before gazing at her intently and asking.

“What do you think?”

“…Ah.”

Melody fiddled with a cushion nearby for no reason. Somehow it was hard to keep her hands still.

“Anyway, what Jeremiah asked me to tell you is.”

At his words as if changing the subject, Melody was startled and raised her head.

“There really was a message?!”

“…What?”

He asked back, dumbfounded.

“Ah, no.”

Melody quickly hugged the cushion and lowered her head.

‘I’m crazy!’

Soon the sound of him chuckling came from across the table.

“Jeremiah’s message was real. Of course, I also used all sorts of tricks to be alone with the girl I like.”

“I-I didn’t think you used tricks. You were just going to leave a little while ago…”

“Well, I was thinking of conveying the message through someone later at that time.”

Maybe it meant he was considerate of Melody’s awkward feelings towards him.

“Anyway, Jeremiah said. If it’s okay, before Father goes far away, could you come to the Magic Tower and participate in the experiment one more time. I feel a bit uncomfortable about an experiment involving you, Melody.”

“I’m just satisfying the young master’s light curiosity.”

“Hearing that somehow makes it sound even weirder.”

At the answer that came back with a sigh, Melody’s mood also became strange.

So Claude must have interpreted Melody’s words in a somewhat ‘suspicious’ direction.

That subtle direction they had shared between the herb hut that time.

“Th-That’s not what I meant!”

Melody shouted with a red face. He also quickly nodded.

“I know too. Just understand me a little. A person gripped by jealousy sometimes goes crazy in their head from imagining things arbitrarily.”

“…What?”

“Rather than that, send your answer directly to the Magic Tower.”

While he naturally moved the conversation along, Melody blankly stared at his face.

Because it felt like she heard something incredible a moment ago.

Being gripped by jealousy.

‘Strange.’

Melody fiddled with her fingertips and thought so.

First of all, it was strange that Claude, not someone else, felt such an emotion.

But the strangest thing was herself.

Jealousy was never a good thing. Moreover, feeling such an emotion between siblings was even worse.

‘…Even so.’

To feel relieved that he felt such an emotion.

‘I shouldn’t harbor such feelings…’

Melody forcibly shook off her thoughts and said she understood. Fortunately, there was something else she needed to confirm now.

“By the way, you mentioned a little while ago that the Duke is going far away, right?”

“Yes.”

“Could it be… because of that matter?”

Melody lowered her voice as much as possible. Because it would be troublesome if anyone heard.

“Yes, that’s right.”

Soon he also whispered back.

“It helped that the whole capital is in a festive mood. There are crowds everywhere.”

“There’s no better camouflage than hiding among people, is that it?”

That was also something Ronny had told her before. Soon Claude nodded.

“Yes. Thanks to that, it was easy for Prince Samuel’s side to make a move too.”

“So you got in contact.”

“At the address you found. Although I also found out today.”

The Duke probably didn’t tell anyone about the matter for a while even after contacting him.

Since he knew well the lightness of words.

“In ten days, Father will leave for Kristonson. Meeting Jeremiah today was to receive the necessary items for that.”

“Necessary items?”

“Yes.”

“What kind…?”

He got up from his seat for a moment and approached the wide open window.

He seemed to be careful not to let their words leak out.

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

Melody also quickly got up from her seat and ran to the window.

She reached out and closed the window, and just in case, she even drew the curtains.

Doing this completely blocked off the outside from the inside, so they could talk about secrets as much as they wanted.

“Please tell me now.”

Melody looked up at him, gripping the thick autumn curtains.

“What Jeremiah made is a potion to change appearance.”

“Is that… possible?”

“If it wasn’t, Father would never be able to go to Kristonson.”

The border earl and his knights would remember the Duke’s face.

“After reaching an agreement, he’ll bring August out right away.”

“Do you mean he’ll bring him to the capital?”

“No.”

He answered while pulling the curtains that were slightly parted.

Soon a faint darkness was reflected in their pupils.

“We plan to use Mother’s house. We’ll take care of August there so he can live abundantly… yes, a luxurious life.”

He smiled a bit bitterly.

“Are you alright, Young Master?”

“Somehow… no, it’s nothing.”

“…Do you feel like you’ve become a bad person?”

Melody carefully guessed his feelings. As if she wasn’t wrong, he slowly nodded.

“Yes, that’s right. A person who forcibly separates a young boy from his father.”

His sentiment wasn’t particularly wrong.

Forcibly separating Prince Samuel and his son was, after all, something that started from the ducal family’s selfish desire only for Loretta’s sake.

“Even if Prince Samuel becomes safe because of that, it’s a convenient excuse tailored to our circumstances anyway… sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing to me?”

“Because I didn’t mean to make you blame yourself.”

With his fingertips, he gently brushed Melody’s forehead. Like he usually teased her, saying “You have wrinkles like Mrs. Higgins.”

“Don’t worry. Melody.”

“…”

“It may not be enough to be called an apology, but I plan to protect that boy for life.”

“You don’t need to worry too much either, Young Master. August will definitely become happy with the ducal family later on too.”

“Was that much recorded in what you saw?”

“Yes.”

Melody answered with conviction. So that Claude could feel even a little reassured and less guilty.

But it didn’t seem to have much effect, as his gloomy expression didn’t change.

“What an unfair record.”

“…What?”

“It drew such a wonderful future for the boy far away.”

The hand that had been stroking Melody’s forehead brushed her cheek and smoothly touched her delicate chin.

“But there doesn’t seem to be much about Melody right here.”

“That’s not true.”

“In the first place, the record you talk about is excessively focused on Loretta. You even said from the beginning that it was ‘Loretta’s record.'”

He seemed a bit dissatisfied with that fact. Even though he was a fervent older brother to Loretta.

“Some parts about me do come out a bit.”

“For example?”

He pulled Melody’s chin, making her look up at his face.

“About my mother, well. Things like that.”

“So did you become happy after that?”

Melody slightly averted her gaze. Her last depiction at the end of Chapter 1 was far from happiness.

But that was just the inevitable hardship or necessary device that an early villainess had to go through.

“…What on earth.”

Claude, who had been observing her reaction, frowned.

“What was I doing in the record? I must have been desperate to find your happiness.”

“…”

The Claude in the record loved only Loretta from beginning to end.

He didn’t even know of Melody’s existence, so what he was thinking didn’t happen at all.

In the end, Melody couldn’t give any answer.

“What a fool.”

“Th-That’s not true!”

Melody quickly objected to his impression of the original work.

“I love how the young master in the record cherishes only Loretta!”

At that enthusiastic appearance, Claude smiled bitterly.

When talking about him in the record, she could say “I love it” so confidently, somehow… he felt a petty jealousy.

Claude brushed her long hair that had flowed over her face.

“Hmm. A narrow-minded question comes to mind, but can I ask it?”

He shook his head even after bringing up the question.

Saying let’s stop.

At that moment, for some reason, Melody felt like she naturally knew what question he was going to ask.

Between the Claude in the record who only cherished Loretta and the current Claude, who did she…

“…like more?”

His lips slightly parted, and a breath disturbed by surprise flowed out.

Only then did Melody realize she had made a mistake.

Bringing up the words he had put aside was not a very good idea. Especially if she wasn’t going to nod to his heart.

‘Should I apologize?’

She had that thought for a moment, but that was even stranger.

Perhaps he was bothered by her inability to say anything.

He answered while kindly brushing Melody’s ear a few more times.

“I won’t blame you, so don’t worry.”

“…”

“It was my fault for bringing it up in the first place. I’m sorry.”

“That’s not true.”

Melody gently shook her head, and the hand that had been stroking her the whole time quietly fell away.

Naturally, Melody’s gaze followed his fingers.

The ones that had been caressing her forehead, cheeks, chin, and ears until a moment ago…

Why did she feel regretful about that moment? Even though she didn’t have the courage to hold his hand and pull it herself.

“It’s not because you feel sorry for me.”

At the words that came from above her head, she finally took her eyes off his fingertips.

“I have a request.”