I frowned despite myself… What the hell was he playing at?
Why would she need you to chaperone her when I’m right here?
“Oh-ho… I must respectfully decline. I needn’t ask you not to follow me, I hope? Let’s be off, Hugh.”
“Of course.”
My stepmother lowered her head and was visibly quaking, while Louis looked on with a dark glower. Ignoring them, Melza and I headed for the cottage.
“…They really are insufferable, aren’t they?” my fiancée-to-be spat as we made our way through the grounds.
“I’m sorry, Melza…”
“…There’s no need for you to apologize, Hugh! I simply can’t believe they’ve been treating you like that for so long…”
“……”
I had known exactly how all this would go. In fact, I’d been hoping I wouldn’t even have to introduce her to them.
“And how shameless can a man get? Making advances toward his own brother’s fiancée…”
“I really am sorry…”
Ah… I want to crawl into a hole and never leave.
Melza was indeed a woman of exceptional beauty, but I never imagined Louis would be so brazen.
“Honestly… You’re so wonderful and lovely, Hugh, that it’s hard to believe you’re even related to them.” Melza positioned herself in front of me and looked me square in the eye.
“Ha-ha… I don’t like to think we share the same blood, either.”
“Hugh…” She leaned in and softly brushed my cheek. “…If not your blood, the difference must lie in your soul.”
“Thank you…”
Ah… She truly is incredible…
It wasn’t long before we reached the cottage.
“M-Master Hugo! I’ll show you right in!” Running frantically to catch up, Ellen stormed ahead and opened the door to let us inside.
“…Is Molly not here?” I asked.
“I-I’ll call for her, so please make yourselves at home in the drawing room!”
Ha-ha… The drawing room? That drawing room?
Since no one ever came to visit me, the space in question was littered with dust and miscellaneous objects. But I figured if push came to shove, I could simply show Melza to the only half-decent room in the cottage—my own.
With that, we followed Ellen to the drawing room.
“Hm?! Oh, u-um, please wait a moment…” With a strained smile, she dashed inside.
“…Let’s leave her, Melza. I’ll show you to my room.”
“Yes…” She followed me farther into the building with a stunned look on her face. “So this is where you’ve spent most of your time?” she asked, taking in the dull surroundings.
“Ah-ha-ha… It’s just an empty room, really.”
“Not at all. Your scent is here…and your warmth, too.” With a gentle smile, she reached down to brush her fingers across my desk.
“I’m really sorry you had to see this place, Melza…,” I murmured, and hung my head. She’d already suffered multiple discourtesies at my father’s house.
“Please, don’t apologize, Hugh.” She smiled and placed a finger against my lips. “It was worth coming here just to be with you in the room you’ve spent your life in.”
I took her hand in my own. Until now, no one had ever been so precious to me. I touched my lips against her pale, white hand.
“Ho-ho… You’ll make me crave your blood again, doing that…”
“It’s yours. As much as you need.”
She wrapped her arms around my neck, brought her cherry-colored lips down to my skin, and then—
Knock-knock.
“Excuse me.”
—a dour-faced Molly burst into the room, without so much as a perfunctory bob of the head.
Ah… How unfortunate…
“…What?” Melza demanded, indignant both at the interruption and at Molly’s brazen attitude.
Only then realizing there was a guest in the room, Molly hastily performed a deep bow. “Oh, u-um, er… I heard Master Hugo wanted me, so I came as fast as I could…”
“…And you are?” Melza demanded icily.
“Oh, um… I served as Master Hugo’s nanny. I’m his chamberlain, Molly,” she said, cowering.
“Hmm… It’s hard to believe someone who has served Hugh for so long would act like this in front of his fiancée.” Melza glared at her. “What on earth is the matter with House Grenville?”
Molly may have been acting humble now, but the rude way she’d barged into my room was hard to miss. Perhaps she’d finished disposing of the evidence of her crimes and no longer felt the need to hold back in front of me. Well, that didn’t matter anymore.
Ellen was the next one into the room. When she saw Molly slumping forward in shame and Melza glowering indignantly, she sighed in resignation and murmured, “Oh, no… I was hoping she’d take a little longer…”
“What is it, Ellen?” I asked.
“Uh, y-yes… The drawing room is ready for you, and we’ve prepared a guest room for Lady Meltreza. I’ll lead the way…”
“…Let’s go, Hugh,” Melza said, extending her hand.
I took it and, ignoring the shrinking Molly, we followed after Ellen.
“Your room is right this way, Lady Meltreza,” Ellen announced.
It seemed they’d assigned her the one farthest from mine.
“…Why is it so far from Hugh’s room?” she asked pointedly.
“U-um, er… Master Louis instructed me to keep the two of you as far away from each other as possible, lest there be any…um…improprieties…”
That bastard…
“…I’ll take the one next to Hugh’s, if you don’t mind.”
“O-of course!” Ellen responded with a forceful nod, as if trying to show she was in full agreement. “B-but we’ve just received word that His Lordship will be returning shortly, so if you could wait in the drawing room…”
No sooner had Ellen led us back to the room in question than she promptly fled the scene.