Cider's course of action is clear. Since he's already been caught, he's going with the approach of just showing it openly. Telling Esperanza that if she's uncomfortable, she can pretend not to know or do whatever she wants, but he's going to show it.
When he's showing it this openly, how can she pretend not to know?
"What did you want to say?"
The mont Esperanza was about to speak, Taylor shouted loudly.
"Count, it's all fixed!"
"It won't break down in the middle, will it?"
"Of course not. I may not know other things, but I'm better at changing wheels than you, Count."
Taylor climbed onto the driver's seat with a grin.
"The rest while we go... What are you looking at like that?"
Cider asked, tapping Esperanza's shoulder. At the end of her gaze were female students dressed in skirts that reached their ankles.
Oops.
Just as Cider, wearing an ambiguous smile, was about to speak, Esperanza tilted her head back to face him. This ti, contrary to before, Esperanza's gaze carried a reproachful light. Cider tilted his head. His lips almost touched her eyelids.
At any other ti, but in this outfit right now, she might receive a huge misunderstanding.
"What was it? Getting banned from entering the lecture hall?"
"Ah."
"'Ah?' I saw three female students sitting in the front row, you know? But there's no way you didn't know that!"
"Half of it was a joke though."
See? I knew it would be like this! Esperanza straightened her tilted head and spun around. Cider added as if to stop her.
"Half of it was sincere. The female students at this school don't even total thirty people. So everyone would know their faces. But what would happen if a new female student appeared in the lecture hall?"
"...I'd get caught? I might get kicked out."
"Even if you're lucky enough not to get caught, you'd stand out. You don't like drawing attention."
That was true. If he had told her from the beginning, she wouldn't have thought of entering the lecture hall and there would have been no problem. Still, the lecture aside, the equipnt viewing was fun...
"You two, when are you getting on? Should I depart first?"
Co to think of it, they were still standing in front of the carriage arguing. Esperanza got on the carriage first. As soon as the door closed, she threw off the wig the maids had carefully put on her, and sweat-soaked hair spilled out. Esperanza tossed the wig aside as if disgusted. Cider laughed quietly and tucked Esperanza's hair behind her ear.
"Was that what you wanted to say?"
"No. That wasn't it."
During the ride from the magical engineering university located on the outskirts of Nine Holder back to the mansion in Upper Lane, Esperanza told him what she had heard. That Daria and Cyrus seed to be visiting magical engineers.
"Actually, I thought they might co for imdiate retaliation. That would be easier to counter. But hearing that they're visiting magical engineers... what exactly are they trying to do?"
"Well. I don't understand why they'd create dungeons in the first place, and then try to create an organization to destroy the dungeons they made. But if they're trying to do such things, visiting magical engineers is natural in itself. You saw what I can do too."
The equipnt Cider's hands had touched improved by several levels in performance. He even did that without any monster byproducts. Not all other magical engineers could do the sa though.
Anyway, the existence of magical engineers is indispensable to the Hunter industry. Hunters can hunt monsters and destroy dungeons using their own magical power and magical weapons made by magical engineers.
Even if it's not for purposes related to Esperanza, they have more than enough reasons to et magical engineers. In fact, the Hunter Association had already been connected to nurous magical engineers from the ga's opening. Thinking that way made her feel a bit relieved.
'Right, it's probably not because of . They said they visited a few months ago too.'
"Then why didn't they co to you? Even if they searched the entire magical engineering university, they'd know well that there's no magical engineer like you."
"Aha."
Cider drew out the end of his words aninglessly. Feeling like she was being teased, Esperanza tapped Cider's leg with her toes.
"Ah, why? It's true."
"How gracious of you."
His expression didn't change at all, yet he speaks so well.
"Don't you think about it? Do you understand why they'd visit magical engineering university professors while leaving Cider Claiborne alone? They say it's been going on for months, and back then there was no reason to avoid you either."
"Well... it's not like I can't guess the reason."
Cider shrugged as if he felt no particular regret.
"Is there so disqualifying factor I don't know about? I was already wondering earlier if you might be disliked by magical engineers."
"I don't know what you an by that."
Right. Originally, the person involved is always the last to know about such things.
"Then what is it?"
"Well, it's because they can't entice
with research funding. All they have right now is money."
Ah.
When Esperanza looked at him with a lukewarm expression, Cider added an explanation.
"Magic stones are a limited resource and high-quality magic stones are very expensive. Machine parts are expensive, completed machines are more expensive, and spaces large and safe enough to place such machines are even more expensive. Magical engineers are bound to always lack money. I don't though."
She thought she understood what he ant. Esperanza had also heard stories about how the paradigm of magical engineering changed after the occurrence of dungeons.
It ant that right now, before the occurrence of dungeons, serious research was difficult except for elites who received research funding through the governnt and just one person who was so wealthy himself that he didn't need research funding support. The elites receiving governnt support had to devote themselves to weapon research ordered by the state, so they had almost no ti or leeway for their own research. The fact that this problem was solved after the occurrence of dungeons would be because monster byproducts were discovered, allowing materials that could replace or supplent magic stones to be distributed cheaply.
"Part of how I could beco the best magical engineer would be thanks to the magic stone mines attached to the Avondale County title. Since I can do the research I want without worrying about magic stone distribution or machine material costs."
But in Esperanza's opinion, even if Cider weren't a count and didn't have magic stone mines, he would have beco the best magical engineer anyway. Though she had no intention of telling him that.
"Anyway, it ans people like
are difficult to win over. Money—I have more than enough. Honor—I have enough that so could be taken away. Power—I have enough not to be ignored anywhere."
"Ah, I see."
Cider added with a chuckle.
"Right now, the only thing I lack is you, but that's not sothing they can give ."
Her cheeks burned. Even trying to pretend not to know and think comfortably, it wasn't easy yet. Moreover, Cider didn't seem to have any intention of giving her ti to adjust. When she glared at him, Cider narrowed his eyes and added.
"Now, they probably know the fact that I'm yours too, so they won't approach further."
"No, why are you mine...?"
Was I forced into this or what? Esperanza asked back in disbelief, but only got a look that seed to say 'you know too.'
'Know what? I don't know!'
Fortunately, if it was fortunate, they arrived at the mansion before long. Esperanza, who jumped out before the carriage even stopped, rushed straight into the mansion without looking back. Her earlobes visible through her wavy hair were flushed red.
When Cider slowly got out of the carriage and leaned on his cane, Taylor asked.
"Did you do sothing wrong to the miss?"
"No."
Is it wrong to call sothing pretty when it's pretty, and good when it's good?
It was true that at first he had avoided Esperanza because it was troubleso and embarrassing. But even now that his emotions were exposed to the bottom, it wasn't bad. While avoiding her, avoiding for a few more days and watching Esperanza worry about him was also a small pleasure.
"Co to think of it, I had sothing to say."
Well, that could be done slowly. Anyway, it's not like Esperanza was avoiding him.
If he hadn't avoided her first, Esperanza might have avoided Cider instead. Because that's usually what happens when 'this kind of' thing occurs. But when Cider avoided her first, Esperanza missed her chance. In that sense, the few days when he could barely see Esperanza were worth their price in various ways.
??????°??☆????°??????
Esperanza, who had rushed into the mansion almost abandoning Cider, ran straight to the kitchen and drank three glasses of cold drinks, then ate two ice creams that had been stored in the freezer for dessert after dinner. Only then did the heat that had risen hotly to her face seem to subside a bit.
"Miss...?"
Mrs. Casher in the kitchen was horrified, saying she'd get an upset stomach. But Esperanza scraped up every bit of the rose jam-mixed ice cream and returned to her bedroom to change clothes. The soft cravat flowed down between her fingers.
The silk cravat was similar to what Cider wore. With its luster and dense weave, it appeared to be a solid color at first glance, but looking closely, it wasn't quite so plain. And it matched well with the formal wear Esperanza had been wearing. You could tell it was carefully chosen. Probably Cider had chosen it himself.
Attention to detail in strange places. And even more strangely, it was on her mind but not particularly burdenso.
Esperanza, who had returned to complete indoor attire, put the back of her hand against her cooled cheek. A hollow laugh escaped.
'If it had been another man, I would have been horrified.'
Not just running away—she might have made a serious face and said it was annoying so stop it. But Cider was skillful. While being blatant enough to make Esperanza flustered, he wasn't clingy enough to be disgusting. It was a completely unsuitable expression, but she even thought it was refreshing. Yet the effect was certain.
For instance, responding with a smile that seed to lt sweetly whenever their eyes t. It was clearly aid at preventing Esperanza from saying anything unpleasant, but even knowing this, she beca speechless and couldn't bring herself to tell him to stop.
'Hmm, no. This isn't it. That person originally smiled well.'
Giving a gentle smile whenever their eyes t was an everyday occurrence. Before his feelings were discovered and now, that hadn't changed. Thinking that way, maybe it wasn't intentional, but then...
"What do I want to do myself..."
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