Chapter 4: Melody Finch

"Oh, thank God."

Melody sighed in relief, a big smile appearing on her face as she grabbed his outstretched hand and used it to pull herself up.

She shook his hand enthusiastically. "I’m Melody Finch, but I’m sure you already knew that."

She rolled her shoulders back and stretched her arms above her head, yawning openly. The motion made her breasts stretch her blouse, the buttons holding on for dear life.

Lukas swallowed at the sight.

"Let me tell you, holding that pose was awful, especially on my knees. It was all stiffling and formal, but it’s a good thing we got that out of the way."

"So, I heard we’re going to be husband and wife. Which is fine. I never really planned to get married this early, you know. But life doesn’t really care what your plans are. Anyways, I’m quite happy it worked out this way, you know."

She nodded to herself, looking this way and that as she took in the room. "This your place? It’s... cozy, I guess."

"Uh... thank you?" Lukas stared at her in part surprise and part confusion. He hadn’t expected her to be so... talkative.

She walked out of the room, and Lukas followed after her, watching as she moved from room to room, checking the place out.

As expected, most of the room was bare, with minimal furniture and in urgent need from repairs.

But as he stood there, a thought occured to him.

’What’s next?’

A grin appeared on his face as he wondered if they’d have their wedding night.

Melody burst back into the living room, a slight frown on her face. "I guess I have a lot of work to do around here."

Lukas blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Isn’t it the job of the wife to turn a house into a home?" Melody asked, a smirk appearing on her face. "I’m sure I can do something about this place."

"No need to do anything." Lukas said immediately. "We won’t be staying here for long. I’m planning to sell the place. I’ll use the money to fund our dungeon runs, and the money gotten from the loot, we’ll save. When we have enough, we’ll use it to buy a better place."

She considered his words before nodding. "That’s actually smart. You get a clean break, which means there’s no point wasting time fixing up somewhere you’re going to leave anyway."

She pointed at him. "I like it."

"Good."

Then, as if on cue, her stomach rumbled.

Silence filled the room.

She looked down at her stomach, then up at Lukas, a sheepish grin on her face. "So... any food around here?"

Lukas couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. "Come on. Let’s get you some food."

He led her to the kitchen, a small room with a wooden table at the centre with three mismatched chairs around it.

"Sit," he said.

Melody sat down gracefully, resting her elbows on the table, hands clasped and chin resting on the clasped hands. She watched him as he moved through the kitchen, retrieving the meager ingredients that he still had at home.

"Did I ever tell you that you’re handsome?"

Lukas blinked in surprise, nearly dropping the pot in his hands. "...No?"

"Well, you are." She grinned. "You’re actually my ideal type, you know. Tall, handsome, those broad shoulders. I guess this is a dream come true."

Lukas didn’t know what to say to that, so he simply turned back to the stove and began cooking.

He didn’t have much at home, but he had enough for soup.

This time, he wouldn’t be stingy and cook runny soup for the purpose of stretching out his food for weeks. Instead, he’d cook a thick broth with the little pieces of meat that remained.

There was no need to be miserly anymore. He now had a system and a Class strong enough to support his career.

There was a smile on his face as he cooked, something that had not appeared in what felt like a long time. The hope in his chest burnt like a bonfire. His starting point was already the peak for some people.

Thirty minutes later, he placed the steaming bowl of soup before Melody, with a large piece of bread, before seating opposite her, with his own soup and bread.

She dug in immediately, tearing a piece of bread, scooped it through the broth and put it in her mouth.

Her eyes went wide. She set the bread down, picked up her spoon, tried a proper mouthful, and then put her hands together in a single delighted clap.

"Mmmmm. This is delicious."

"Thank you," Lukas grinned.

She took another bite of food. "How did you cook something so delicious? How are you so good at cooking?"

"Well, since there was no one to cook for me, I had to learn fast."

"I guess this is the right time to tell you that I don’t know how to cook." Melody said, wincing with a smile. "I can’t even boil water to save my life."

"That’s okay." Lukas waved away her concerns. "I can do the cooking."

"Oh, thank you! You’re a wonderful human being!" She exhaled in relief. "I spent most of my time training and fighting, so I never really had a chance to learn it, you know."

Her words raised a question within Lukas. Was Melody actually a real person? Or had she been created by the system?

"How was life like before you got here?" He asked before he could stop himself.

Melody paused, a look of melancholy appearing on her face.

"You don’t have to answer that if you’re not comforta—"

"No." Melody cut in. "I’m comfortable talking about it. I just miss my mum, that’s all."

Lukas said nothing.

"I was the last child in a family of three boys and four girls. The Finch family was a martial family, so I was taught how to wield a sword before anyone even wondered if I should be learning embroidery instead."

"My father and brothers made sure I lacked nothing in my training. They personally trained me, and when the time came, made sure I had the best teachers and the best gear, and when I finally awakened, I also got the best Class."

"My family was proud, I was proud, and everything was going well."

She exhaled.

"And that was where the problem arose. I grew too cocky for my own good. I thought I was ready and decided to challenge an A-rank dungeon and I paid for it."

"The monsters there were nothing like I envisioned. They tore me to shreds, and as I laid there dying, a system message appeared before me, offering me a new life as your wife. I accepted it, and here we are."

"I’m glad you did." Lukas said.

She looked at him for a second, surprised, then she smiled. "Yeah. Me too."

So, his wives were real, actual people. That was... actually a relief. He didn’t know how he would feel if they were creations of the system with no life of their own.

[Of course, they’re real people. Didn’t I tell you they would be summoned across existence?]

Lukas chuckled at the sight. ’My bad.’

"Anyways," Melody clapped, a big smile on her face, "what about you? I’m sensing there’s a story behind all of this." She gestured vaguely at the house around them.

"Yeah, there is."

He proceeded to tell her the story of the original Lukas. About how his parents had died and how he had come to be living in his own.

By the time he was done, both their bowls were empty.

Melody leaned back in her chair, rubbing her belly in satisfaction. The action made her breasts jiggle, drawing Lukas’ eyes to them.

"So!" She finally sat up, looking at him with bright, expectant eyes. "What’s next?"