Melinda Desmond

Melinda Desmond (メリンダ・デズモンド) is the wife of Donovan Desmond and mother of Demetrius Desmond and Damian Desmond.

Appearance
Melinda is a middle-aged woman with black hair and lots of jewelry. When out in public, she wears a bandana around her head as well as sunglasses, a dress, and high heels. She appears to be somewhat athletic, and organized the Lady Patriots Society she's a part of to play sports like volleyball.

Personality
Melinda is very energetic and is quick to make friends with others. After meeting Yor Forger and seeing her skills, she instantly decides to recruit her to join her volleyball team.

Being a part of a family with lots of money, she seems to pay no mind giving large quantities of goods as presents to others. When Yor messes up something, she tries to encourage her to do better and explain where she went wrong. She doesn't worry too much about status, and just wants those around her to be themselves.

She seems to enjoy shopping, as seen when she was at a department store with her butler who was carrying everything she bought.

History
Before becoming First Lady, Melinda, like Donovan, kept a small and exclusive social circle. As Donovan's wife, Melinda became the First Lady when the National Unity Party rose to power in Ostania. After their party lost power, Melinda stopped involving herself in politics. At some point, Melinda gave birth to Demetrius Desmond, and six years before the beginning of the story gave birth to Damian Desmond. However, she is seemingly estranged from her husband and sons and appears to spend most of her time with the Lady Patriots Society, an elite mothers group in Berlint.

Friendship Schemes Arc
Melinda and her servant, Nola, go to the department store to buy lots of cakes for the all-mothers volleyball league game. Climbing up the stairs, Melinda tells Nola to go faster, but Nola replies that she bought too much and cannot see where she is going. Melinda tries going ahead but loses her balance and falls down the stairs. Luckily, Melinda gets saved by Yor Forger, who also catches the cake boxes. Amazed by her moves, Melinda asks Yor if she is an athlete, but Yor explains that she is a housewife going to buy cakes. Melinda then asks Yor to join her for something, offering some of the cakes she bought as a token of her gratitude.

Melinda takes Yor to a sports hall and dresses her up in sportswear. Then, she tells her volleyball team that Yor is their ringer for the game. Despite having no experience playing volleyball, Yor agrees to help them win. Melinda decides to give Yor a quick rundown of the rules, then asks for her name. At the start of the game, Yor struggles to play properly, but Melinda encourages her and teaches her to play with the team. Throughout the rest of the game, Melinda, Yor, and the other women have fun playing together.

After the game, the mothers go out to have tea and cakes together and talk about how much they enjoyed the game, despite losing. Melinda hopes Yor will come over again to join them for other activities, and Yor promises that she will, saying there is so much that she wants to learn from them and will not waste this opportunity. A mother then mentions her son receiving a Tonitrus Bolt. Yor reveals that her daughter also attends Eden Academy and is in first grade. Melinda realizes who Yor is and formally introduces herself as Melinda Desmond.

Upon realizing who Melinda is, Yor immediately apologizes for Anya Forger’s actions toward Damian at orientation. Melinda laughs and brushes it off, but when Yor insists, she repeats herself more seriously. The other women explain to Yor the Desmond family's "hands-off" parenting philosophy and say she was lucky to be invited by Melinda to a get-together, as most of them were already friends before Melinda became First Lady. Melinda explains how she thought she and Yor could become friends without preconceptions about her political position. She hopes Yor will, if possible, come over again and become friends. Afterward, Melinda wraps up the conversation and gives Yor a ride home. In the car, Melinda mentions Damian, having overheard from the household staff that he is enjoying Eden Academy, and suggests that he may have been getting along with Anya lately. Yor enthusiastically agrees, saying that Anya brings him up all the time and seems happy when she does. Melinda mutters that she hopes they can get along while making a strange face.

Donovan Desmond
Based on Loid Forger's observations, Melinda seems to have an estranged relationship with her husband.

Damian Desmond
Melinda admits to having a strained relationship with Damian, despite this she wants to get closer to her son.

Yor Forger
Melinda was deeply grateful to Yor after she expertly saved her from falling down the stairs and asked for her help in a volleyball match. There, the two bonded together while Melinda was continuously amazed by Yor's immense physical abilities.

Chapter Appearances

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