The Villainess Is Shy In Receiving Affection

Chapter 188

* * *

At the end of the silence between them, Melody brought up the conversation again.

“I was supposed to receive those shoes at the outer castle gate at midnight today.”

Melody took out her pocket watch and checked the time again.

“So I have to go. The Records Keeper will be waiting for me.”

Claude lowered his face for a moment.

Melody considered it fortunate that he didn’t make a simple, irresponsible remark like “I’ll do something, so don’t go.”

Come to think of it, there was no way she could have liked someone who couldn’t weigh the importance of matters like that.

“…I’m sorry.”

He raised his head and softly apologized.

But thinking that wasn’t enough, Claude got off his horse and approached Melody.

With a strangely distorted face, unable to sort out his emotions, he blankly looked up at her for a moment.

Then he slowly knelt down with a thud.

Pitch-black mud splattered not only on his pants but also on his white shirt.

“Y-Young Master…?!”

“I… had a chance to retrieve those shoes. No, not only that…”

Claude clearly remembered that brief moment.

“I was the one who put it in August’s trembling hands.”

“But Young Master!”

Melody quickly got off her horse and grasped his shoulders.

“That’s not your fault. You didn’t know my name was engraved on the shoes.”

He found out about that fact after the shoes sent by Prince Samuel arrived in front of them.

“Even so, I shouldn’t have vaguely believed he would dispose of them well. Leaving a matter related to you to someone else…”

“But, in the end, it turned out well, didn’t it?”

Melody hugged his deeply bowed head with both arms. As if to comfort him.

“August is safe, and we also gained a point of contact with Prince Samuel.”

That was what Claude had said to her a while ago.

At that time, Melody had criticized him, saying “You’re being excessively result-oriented,” but still.

“Mm, although the shoes were discovered, thanks to the Records Keeper, we can cover it up and move on.”

“But what about you? You had something you wanted to do too! If you leave like this, you’ll never be able to!”

Claude, who shouted like that, paused for a moment. What if Melody didn’t leave…?

The Records Keeper wouldn’t leave the capital either. Of course, while thoroughly upholding her professional ethics.

In the end, it would only put everyone in danger.

He ended up biting his lip, unable to say anything.

“…Thank you, Young Master.”

Melody stroked his rain-soaked hair.

“For considering my wishes even in this situation.”

Claude in her arms wildly shook his head.

“I’m happy just with that. Really.”

“Please!”

“I don’t want to be late for my appointment with the Records Keeper, let me go. No… I’ll go now.”

Melody released him and hurriedly turned around.

She decided to hurry now. She didn’t want to linger here and dwell on the reality she couldn’t do anything about.

“Miss Melody.”

But at his urgent call, she had no choice but to stop walking again.

Just as she had pulled the horse’s reins upon hearing his voice a little while ago.

Looking back, he was staggering towards Melody after getting up from his spot.

He was in a complete mess.

His hair, which had flowed with a light resembling the sun, was disheveled and completely drenched, hanging down, and his shirt was sticking to his body, revealing his skin. Not to mention his pants and shoes that had been stuck in the mud until a moment ago.

Still, for some reason.

Melody thought he was still so good.

“…I thought I only liked the young master’s handsome appearance.”

Seeing how she was inevitably drawn to him even in this state, it seemed that wasn’t quite the case.

Even if she realized it now, it wasn’t of much use.

“Please protect Loretta. You have to make that child the happiest child in this world.”

“…”

“Actually, even if we don’t make a separate promise, you would do that, Young Master.”

To this, he answered desperately. Promising that he would.

“As you wish, I will definitely make Loretta…”

“I’m happy to hear you say that. Really.”

Melody, smiling, pulled his right arm towards her.

Claude’s body leaned forward as if about to fall over, and Melody slightly raised her toes to leave a short and light kiss.

“…I mean it.”

She lowered her lips and avoided his gaze downward. Because she was suddenly embarrassed that she had stepped forward and kissed him.

“Then.”

Awkwardly exchanging greetings in a stiff voice, she now truly realized it was the last time.

But before her body could even half turn around, he grabbed her hand.

Only now did Melody realize that he had run from the mansion without even putting on his riding gloves.

Red blood flowed out from between his fingers touching her and fell to the ground along with the rain.

It must be because the calluses on his hands were torn by the reins.

“Young Master, your hand…!”

The naturally flowing words of concern stopped there.

Because their lips touched again. But this time, he was the one who initiated it.

“…Young Master.”

When their lips parted for a moment, Melody quietly called out to him.

But he didn’t answer and just overlapped the tips of his lips again. Carefully and gently.

Several more light kisses continued like that.

Without saying a word.

Melody thought that perhaps these kisses were replacing his words.

What kind of story would that be?

Melody closed her eyes with her lips pressed against his.

Actually, today was supposed to be their first official date, and Claude had been eagerly looking forward to telling her something.

‘Perhaps, that’s…’

It must be something very beautiful and moving.

Just like the emotions Melody was feeling right now.

‘I wanted to hear it.’

Was it because of pointless lingering attachment? Melody unknowingly held his hand a little tighter.

But soon she loosened her grip on his hand with a startled gasp. Recalling the fact that his hand was injured.

“…It’s okay.”

Then he pulled her close again. To the point where not only their fingers but also the insides of their wrists were burning hot against each other.

Naturally, their bodies got even closer, and Claude lowered his head deeper.

There was no gap in the forceful kiss that pushed strongly. He persistently took her, and after possessing her, he tormented her to the point of making her mind go blank.

‘I must have gone crazy.’

Even though she had hated his persistent torment so much, now she wanted to give him even more herself.

Even her heart, everything.

…It’s something that shouldn’t happen now.

Melody pushed his shoulder away with her one free hand.

The sensation of everything that had touched him gradually moving away one by one was terribly vivid.

Soon, even their intertwined hands fell apart.

And it rained.

Actually, it had been raining all along, but now that fact felt surprisingly fresh to the point of being astonishing.

The cold rainwater took away the heat that had remained on their lips little by little and instantly plummeted to the muddy ground.

Plop.

And soon, as if everything had been washed away, it became cold.

As if nothing had happened between them.

Melody turned her body. Thankfully, the rain got even heavier.

Thanks to that, nothing but the sound of rain reached her ears the entire time she got back on the saddle.

When she kicked the horse’s flank, it started galloping into the darkness at a fast speed again.

Even the wind devoured her ears, so now she really couldn’t hear anything at all.

Really not a single sound…

‘I can’t hear it. I can’t hear it. Not even a bit of the sound of the young master suffering…’

Melody kept moving forward, endlessly repeating the lie to herself.

Now there was really no time.

* * *

The cold rain fell for several more days, washing away the rest of autumn.

The cold winter that arrived in an instant.

It was just a harsh season for Melody, who was not used to traveling.

Still, she didn’t stop walking. She had no particular place she wanted to go, but she had a goal.

To get a little farther away from the capital today than yesterday.

She repeated the task of reaching the next village from the current village several times from morning to evening.

And late at night, she would lie down on the bed she rented in the village and count the path she had come.

But when she arrived at a village called “Belhold,” even that soon faced a limit.

“Move to Snowcliff in one day? Miss, are you in your right mind?”

The owner of the inn where Melody had stayed for a day clicked his tongue, looking at the map she had handed over.

“But the distance up to here isn’t that far. As you can see, there’s a road like this here. It’s a bit of an uphill, but with this much, half a day would be enough…”

“Don’t talk nonsense, you think all the roads in the world are as they are on the map?”

He pulled the map in front of him and explained.

“Here, it’s been over 10 years since the road was blocked by a landslide. Now it’s just a swamp. Not long ago, an inexperienced merchant’s carriage got stuck and almost caused a big problem.”

He looked at the map again for a long time, changing its direction, and then moved his fingertip along the road on the opposite side of Snowcliff.

“If you really want to go that way, you’ll have no choice but to take a detour like this. It will take a few days though.”

“Ah.”

As his finger fell a few more times to the lower left, a familiar place name soon appeared.

The place where Melody had grown up.

…She had deliberately avoided that side and came here.

“I see.”

Melody laughed awkwardly and took the map.

“Thanks for letting me know. Ah, um, and.”

Melody fiddled with her hair for a moment.

“I might extend my stay.”

At her words, a happy smile appeared on the owner’s face.

* * *

‘What should I do?’

Melody tightly wrapped her coat and first bought bread and milk from a nearby store.

“Shall I warm up the milk for you?”

The store lady seemed to be concerned about Melody’s red cheeks.

“If you could do that, I would be grateful.”

“It’s easy. Sit there and wait.”

Melody took a seat on a small stool placed in the corner of the store.

Looking out the nearby window, village children were rushing in thick clothes.

Judging by the fact that they were all carrying bundles of paper, there seemed to be a place nearby that taught studying.

‘It’s a good village.’

There weren’t many places that gave ordinary children the opportunity to learn.

Unless a scholar with such intentions happened to live in the village, or an excellent priest was assigned to that area.

“Here, drink it. It will be good with sugar added.”

Soon the lady brought warm milk in a thick glass.

“Thank you.”

Holding the glass with both hands, the tips of her fingers that had frozen in the winter wind melted softly.

“Take your time.”

The lady left a kind remark and went into the back of the store. She seemed to be going to check the fireplace.

Melody drank the warm milk with pleasure. She said she added sugar, and a subtle sweetness spread.

‘It’s kind of similar to what Claude used to make. Is the aftertaste a bit different?’

At the involuntary nostalgic thought, Melody quickly shook her head.

‘…How many days has it been?’

She had made a firm decision as she received the shoes and left the capital walls.

She would live in hiding at least until the day Loretta became an adult.

So that Melody wouldn’t interfere with that child achieving perfect happiness.

‘And to do that, at least… I need to find a place to stay.’

It wasn’t easy for her, who had no connections, to settle down somewhere.

Actually, she had wanted to go to the village where she had met Loretta, but she decided not to for the sake of Isaiah’s mother.

‘Because the doctor would care about me.’

Somehow she felt sorry about that.

Besides, she couldn’t tell her the circumstances of running away from the capital, could she?

‘Anyway, my feet are tied here for now.’

She thought it would be okay to use this place as a base and look for a house and work for a while.

‘For the time being, I should stay at the inn and look around the village.’

When she started thinking about suddenly putting down roots in a completely unfamiliar place, a strange feeling came over her. Along with a bit of anxiety.

But Melody swallowed it down, tearing off a piece of bread.

Didn’t Jeremiah say before?

Melody never makes the wrong choice.

So this time too, she decided to trust her intuition.