As before, following the Desk Defacement incident, afternoon electives were canceled once again. Melody, having heard the news, greeted Luciana upon her return.
“Welcome back, my lady.”
“Uh, yeah… I’m back, Melody… Um, did you… hear about what happened to my class today?”
“I believe so. About how my lady’s classroom was vandalized once again?”
“…Yeah, that’s what happened.”
Luciana wearily hung her head. The uncharacteristic action caught Melody’s attention; it seemed the vandalism was beginning to negatively affect Luciana, and she quietly put away her schoolbag before plodding off toward the bedroom.
“Have you had your lunch yet, my lady? Morning classes have finished, but you returned before lunchtime.”
Luciana trembled as she came to a stop, and after a moment, she replied without looking back.
“Not yet, but… I’m just not feeling very hungry today.”
“Are you not feeling well? Shall I prepare something light?”
“Maybe… Could you do that?”
But still, Luciana quietly withdrew into the bedroom without facing Melody.
That day, she touched neither the lunch nor the dinner, saying she had no appetite; Melody worried over the strange behavior, but Luciana dodged her maid’s questions.
The following day, Luciana picked away at some of her breakfast, but she remained glum and untalkative even as she left for class.
“Are you sure you are feeling well, my lady? Your complexion is not looking well. Perhaps you should take the day off–“
“I’m off to class!”
“Ah, my lady?! …She already left. I wonder, what exactly happened..?”
Something had definitely happened yesterday, with the vandalism, but because Luciana remained silent on the matter, Melody remained clueless. It was at times like these that Melody felt deep regret over her lack of a network with other maids.
(What can I even do for her… How can I even dream of becoming the greatest maid in the world if I cannot support my lady in her time of need…)
As she stared down the now empty hallway, Melody could not help but let out a quiet sigh.
Later that day, Melody let out another sigh as she prepared tea in Lect’s office. It seemed there was less work to do with tomorrow being another break day, so with less distractions in mind Melody found herself once again worrying about Luciana.
Nevertheless, her body retained the muscle memory for a perfect serving of tea, but it was clear her heart was elsewhere. Lect, seeing the girl he pined for so ill-at-ease, found himself distraught.
And so Lect, despite the fact they were still on working hours, called out in concern to Melody.
“Is everything all right, Melody?”
“Huh? Oh, yes, everything is fine. I believe the tea was brewed as usual.”
Melody answered with a smile, holding up the teapot, but Lect’s worry grew seeing as Melody missed the subtext behind his question… Normally Melody would have simply misinterpreted the meaning of his words, but that was simply a result of Lect’s own filter of infatuation adding deeper meaning (?) to his words.
“Are you concerned about what happened yesterday? I heard Miss Luthorburg is dealing with a bit of trouble.”
“Trouble? What do you mean by that?! Why is my lady in trouble?!”
As Melody’s eyes widened in shock, she slammed her teapot onto the table and rushed over to Lect. Without a moment’s paused, she closed the distance, bringing her face so close to his that their noses were almost touching.
“Ack, too close Melody! You’re getting too close!”
“That is not important! Now, please explain what you were saying!”
Melody paid no attention to how close they were now and pressed on with her questioning; this matter directly concerned Luciana, after all. Lect, on the other hand, burned bright red as Melody drew in close. As he tried to lean back to make distance, Melody only steadied herself with a hand on the desk and leaned forward to draw closer.
It took a moment for Lect to reach the limit of his chair, and he immediately gave his answer.
“Th-there are some rumors going around that Miss Luciana is the culprit behind what has been happening in Class A..!”
“Whaaaaaat?! Why would anyone make up a story like that?!”
Melody unintentionally raised her voice as she turned in complete shock. Lect, on the other hand, breathed out in relief as the maid finally gave him space.
“The rumor traveled fast, especially among the first-year students, and it even reached the ears of Academy staff, let alone a temporary instructor such as myself hearing about it.”
“But… the incident just happened yesterday, correct? How could a rumor have spread so fast?”
“To be honest, I have no idea where the rumor even started. The higher-ups at the Academy are still investigating the rumors, but it seems like the general staff are taking it to be true. It does seem unnatural given how fast it spread in the first place. I believe the principal has been trying to quash it for lack of substance, but…”
Hearing that it was not only students but also Academy staff that suspected Luciana, Melody began to feel dizzy.
(Is this why my lady started looking so pale? If she already felt so unwell this morning, that means she was already suffering a whole lot yesterday. To think that she did not want to rely on me at a time like this…)
“…My lady is most certainly not the person behind all of this.”
“Well, I don’t personally know Miss Luciana as well as you do, but I also don’t think she is the type of person to do something like this either.”
Lect’s words were a brief reprieve to Melody’s ears; she had not realized how relieving it was to have even just one person take your side in a situation like this.
“Thank you, Sir Lect.”
“W-well, this is regarding the young lady you serve, after all, so the rumor is quite hard to believe.”
Melody’s smile was a blinding dazzle; all Lect could do was turn away with shy embarassment… Between the two of them, which one was supposed to be a maiden in love again?
After finishing up with Lect, Melody quickly returned to the dormitory to begin packing. Today was the sixth day, after all, so they would be returning to the estate for the break day.
(Perhaps it was fortunate this happened when it did. Like this, we can return to the estate, and my lady can relax and unwind with her family… I am sure spending time with the master and madam will be good for her.)
And these thoughts Melody had while packing reminded her of her own mother, Celena…
The evening arrived soon enough, and with it, Luciana’s return.
“Welcome back, my lady.”
“I’m back, Melody.”
They exchanged greetings, and Melody noticed something different about Luciana.
(Her face… my lady is less pale now than she was this morning…)
“My lady, preparations to return are complete. We may leave at any time.”
“Is that so? Could you brew some tea for now, Melody?”
“Yes, of course.”
Melody had thought Luciana would want to return to her parents as soon as possible, after everything that happened, but the noble girl was actually calmer than Melody had expected. Had there been a new development in class? Melody could only wonder as she prepared the tea.
“Thanks Melody… Ahh, this is so good. Your tea is just the best.”
“It is my pleasure, my lady. But have you had lunch yet? If not, I would be happy to make something light for you…”
Having learned the full story from Lect, it was now clear to Melody that Luciana was unable to enjoy a proper lunch; it was likely the atmosphere in the dining hall was too stifling, with all the gazes around her, for Luciana to muster up an appetite.
Luciana answered Melody’s worried question with a bitter smile.
“Did you… hear the rumors about me?”
“I, um, well… yes, I did.”
Melody turned away, as though feeling guilty, as she answered Luciana; seeing her maid respond so awkwardly, Luciana let out a small giggle.
“I’m sorry. For not saying anything yesterday, I mean.”
“My lady, that is not something you need to…”
“I just… didn’t want to worry you, Melody. But maybe that just made you worry even more. I thought I was being strong, but… I guess I’m actually weaker than I thought…”
“My lady…”
Though she was critical of herself, Luciana was far stronger now than she was in the game, where the Demon King had exploited her emotional vulnerability for its own schemes. The mote of courage Luciana held was the result of Melody’s meddling and influence, having uplifted the noble girl from her tragic fate into her current life.
“…You are looking much better now than you were this morning.”
“I’m… feeling a little better now. The truth is, my classmates have been a little, well, very suspicious of me. Maybe it was just bad luck, but it is mainly because the two things I lost, my pencil and my handkerchief, were found where the incidents happened, so everyone thinks I did it… Nobody has confronted me about it yet, but it’s not hard to guess what everyone is thinking by how much they stare..”
“Then why…”
“But my friends still believe in me. I didn’t know yesterday, because I came straight back without thinking, but today, they told me… They told me they believe in me, that I couldn’t be the culprit…”
Luna, Perriand, and even Lukeev, one of the victims, told Luciana they still believed in her.
“They have spent so much time with you, it is impossible for them not to know that my lady cannot be anything but innocent!”
“I know, but… it all feels so strange. All of our other classmates are suspecting me, but knowing my friends still believe in me… It feels so much better.”
Despite her words, Luciana squeezed out a melancholic smile.
“My lady, please remember that, just as your friends do, I completely believe in your innocence! As your maid, please believe me when I say I absolutely trust you the most! No matter what!”
Luciana’s eyes widened as Melody’s declaration registered in her mind, and she began to laugh loudly.
“Hehe, hahaha..! Thank you, Melody, for comforting me again…”
“Of course, and I will always be there to comfort you, my lady, I will always believe in you. So please, rely on me as much as you like.”
Melody seemed to be overacting with enthusiasm, especially with the way she held her left hand up while clenching her right hand into a tight ball at her chest… and yet, she was completely sincere in her desire to support Luciana.
And that was when Luciana’s eyes began to sparkle.
“…Oh? Then could you give me some of that ‘comforting’ right now?”
Luciana gently set her teacup to the table… and suddenly jumped to her feet before leaping over right into Melody, like an animal in heat.
“Kyaaaaa!!”
“Guhehehe, it’s fine, it’s fine, it’s all perfectly fine! Now, come! Comfort me with that soft, warm body of yours! Just like you said!”
“I did not mean it like thaaat!”
And just like that, Luciana launched a surprise attack on her unsuspecting maid. Melody, unprepared for such an assault, could do little to fend off the girl pinning her to the ground…
After some time…
“Aahh! That felt good! I, Luciana Luthorburg, am now fully powered up! Bring it on, world!”
“Seriously, what I want to know is, where are you learning these things from, my lady…”
(It feels as though I can no longer be a pure bride…)
Make no mistake, Luciana had simply rolled around while hugging Melody — just some friendly skinship. For some reason, Luciana’s skin appeared glossier and seemed to be glowing, while Melody, well…
“Fufufu, thanks, Melody! You’re the best maid I could have ever had!”
…She had no words with which to respond.
Headcanon TL 
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