Chapter 2
01. Contract with the Postman
If you climb up the winding foothills for about an hour by carriage, you’ll come across a quiet rural village. In the center of the village, where modest houses are clustered together, stood one imposing, enormous mansion.
I was a maid working there, doing odd jobs.
“Melody, Madam Ranart is looking for you.”
“Melody, have you finished the laundry?”
“Melody, let’s go grocery shopping now.”
“Yes, yes, I’m coming!”
Except for me, who was eighteen, all the other servants working in the mansion were elderly men and women. The elders were early risers.
However, they needed a nap in the afternoon as they quickly got tired. Perhaps because I was the only one who could move around during that time, I felt like I had more work to do.
There was a grandfather clock at the bottom of the first-floor stairs in the mansion. The clock’s hands pointed to noon.
‘Now that it’s nap time for the elders, I need to hurry.’
After bustling about all morning to finish cleaning the mansion and the yard, I took off my apron. Then, I placed the objects turned upside down in place. Madam Ranart, the mansion’s owner, had a habit of placing objects upside down.
Taking care of the elders requires more attention than I thought, but I think my days now aren’t bad for a country maid’s life. The pay is decent, and no one bullies me.
‘I must work hard for Raven’s sake.’
My brother Raven is the only family I have. My mother passed away from illness when I was thirteen. I can do anything for my brother. Really, anything.
With that resolve, I headed to the kitchen. I had to finish preparing the meal. I took out the pecan pie I had put in the oven earlier and chopped carrots to make a salad. Then I cut baguettes and cheese, placed them on a plate, and put apricot jam on the table.
Let’s see, what else is left?
‘She probably won’t touch it this time either, but I still have to do it. It’s my job after all.’
Madam Ranart doesn’t eat much, and the other servants are the same. It seems everyone’s appetite decreases with age.
‘I wonder if Raven won’t be able to come home this holiday either? The holiday starts in a week.’
As I placed boiled eggs from the pot into egg holders, I thought about Raven. My only younger brother, Raven, had never visited me during the holidays. The occasional letter I received said not to bother sending any letters.
‘He must be going through a late puberty.’
It was upsetting, but I should understand that much. Raven must have his reasons.
After placing a steaming cup of coffee on the table, I wiped my hands on my apron.
‘Alright. Next task is…’
As I turned my head, I immediately saw a basket full of wet laundry. There was still a lot of backlogged work.
Oof.
I lifted the laundry basket with vigor. As I came out to the front yard with the laundry basket, someone knocked on the mansion’s door.
“Miss Hastings. Are you here?”
Melody Hastings. That’s my name.
With a puzzled face, I came out of the mansion and found a postman standing in front of the main gate.
Huh? Why would a postman come all the way here…
“Are you looking for me? If you’re looking for Madam Ranart, she’s not here right now.”
I’ve never actually seen a postman visit Madam Ranart, but I asked out of the procedure.
The postman smiled at my question.
It was then that I properly faced the postman and my eyes widened.
The man with jet-black hair and blue eyes was the most handsome man I had ever seen in my life. It was as if he walked around with a halo behind his face.
Anyway, his face didn’t suit this countryside at all.
Moreover, he exuded an extraordinary aura that made him look like a nobleman to anyone, making it hard to believe he was a postman.
The postman opened his mouth.
“No. I came looking for Miss Hastings. You’re the only reason I would come all the way here.”
I’m the only reason he came all the way here? It sounded quite romantic at first.
But it’s too unrealistic for such a handsome man to come all the way to this remote village to hit on me.
Was he planning to harvest my organs or something?
Haha.
The man who was observing my expression burst into laughter.
“Miss Hastings seems to be the type whose thoughts are all written on her face.”
I sheepishly touched my cheek.
Then he took out an envelope from his bag and handed it to me.
“Here’s a letter for you. Sadly, I’ll just give you this and leave for today.”
Sadly? I tilted my head at his remark as I received the envelope.
Fortunately, it wasn’t the type of letter saying he needed my organs.
‘Oh?’
A familiar name was written on the envelope’s surface.
[Raven Hastings]
It was the first letter from my younger brother Raven!
I was so surprised I couldn’t close my mouth.
And belatedly, I hurriedly opened the letter. In fact, ‘tore it open’ would be a more accurate description.
「To Melody,
I know you’ve been waiting for my letter for a long time. But I didn’t want to write.
You knew, didn’t you? About your birth.
I don’t understand why you only sent me to school.
Are you planning to abandon me once I study and find a suitable job? Then you’re going to go to your real family?
I’m withering away, day by day, at this school. I might die soon.
If I die, it will be because of you.
So come to the school. I’ll be waiting.
— From your brother, Raven.」
The long-awaited letter from my beloved brother was filled with inexplicable hatred towards me.
Why is he saying such things?
I can’t even guess why Raven has developed such feelings towards me.
‘Is this why there hasn’t been a single letter all this time? There seems to be some misunderstanding.’
It’s nonsense that I have a secret about my birth.
The mother who gave birth to Raven and me passed away when I was ten, and we never had a father from birth.
That’s all I know.
Other than that, I lost my memories from before I was seven due to a head injury from a carriage accident?
But looking closely, there were many strange points.
Raven isn’t the type to confront people with such direct language. He’s more the type to drain people’s blood with abstract language.
…It seemed like someone else had written the letter.
The black-haired handsome postman asked me, who had a confused look on my face.
“You’re going to write a reply, right?”
“I’ll put it in the mailbox tomorrow. Thank you.”
The black-haired postman smiled meaningfully, then vanished suddenly before I could ask any other questions.
Feeling dazed, I went into the mansion and thought about Raven’s letter while finishing hanging the laundry.
I should send a reply first.
‘What should I ask first?’
More than that, was it really a letter written by Raven?
Raven is absolutely not the type of child to casually talk about dying.
But why did he say such things? Should I go to the school directly after all?
However, such worries became meaningless as I couldn’t write a reply to the letter.
It was because of other news that came to me that night.
“Miss Hastings. Are you there?”
A visitor came while I was resting at home after work. Thinking that there were a lot of visitors today, I opened the door.
Outside stood a neat middle-aged gentleman who had taken off his hat.
“It took a long time to find because the address I received said Chesswind Village. I’m sorry for being late.”
Indeed, Chesswind was in such a remote area that it would be difficult for a first-time visitor to find it in the middle of the night.
“You are the guardian of Raven Hastings, correct?”
“Yes. I’m Raven’s older sister.”
Raven’s name is being mentioned a lot today. Somehow, it feels ominous.
The dark night, the disheveled appearance as if he had rushed here for urgent business.
What ultimately made me uneasy was the expression on the middle-aged gentleman’s face, standing there with a shadowed complexion.
Sure enough.
“Raven Hastings has had an accident at school.”
“What? What do you mean?”
I thought I had misheard.
So I stared blankly at the middle-aged gentleman’s face, waiting for his next words.
“Well…”
The middle-aged gentleman’s face darkened even more.
He lowered his head and continued speaking as if apologetic.
“He passed away before we could even administer first aid.”
To me, frozen and unable to say anything for a moment, the middle-aged gentleman delivered his next words.
“Currently, the body is at Saint Gloria’s affiliated hospital, so it would be best for the guardian to check the condition directly.”
News like a bolt from the blue struck me.
🐈⬛
Thank you for reading! ♡
