Cider, who had returned to his study, glanced up at the silver tray the butler brought with a stern face.
"Count, you've been away from ho for four days, so invitations have piled up like a mountain."
"Away from ho, you say. I ca ho every single day."
"Leaving before breakfast and coming ho at dawn cannot be called 'coming ho every single day.' Miss Esperanza would naturally think the sa."
"Even you've started invoking Esperanza's na."
Mrs. Lux had been like that from the first ti they t, being eager to seat a lady next to her master, and that wasn't surprising. But for Butler Howard, a man of principles, to wield Esperanza's na like a weapon—he must have really shown it obviously.
"Are you considering soone else?"
"How could I? But I should ask the lady's opinion."
Esperanza found his petty tricks troubleso but didn't dislike them. She let herself be swayed as he led, while not giving up her center.
"Then are you thinking of allowing other suitors' courtship as well?"
"Of course, if Esperanza wants it."
He didn't want her to choose him out of having no other options. Rather, he hoped she would pick him because she liked him the most among very many choices.
"That's a part I cannot understand."
Well, it's not like he didn't have the calculation that Esperanza wouldn't bother accepting courtship from insignificant fellows. He didn't feel competitive, but there was no good in having more parasites attached to eat up Esperanza's ti between them, whose living spheres didn't overlap much anyway.
Still, he was sincere about being willing to allow courtship. If Esperanza wanted it. Though she wouldn't want it.
"Howard, what would you know?"
"What would you know either, Count..."
Howard, who had rarely opposed his master's words, soon cleared his throat.
"I'll take my leave now. Then, since you said you'd allow courtship if Miss Esperanza wanted it, I'll bring the letter sent by His Grace Duke Galliston to Miss Esperanza."
The butler, showing the single letter left at the bottom of the silver tray, bowed. Cider quickly grabbed the butler's tray.
"Leave that here."
"It's a letter for Miss Esperanza. Surely Count wouldn't commit the rudeness of opening it first?"
"Of course not."
But if that letter was here, wouldn't Esperanza co here? The mont the duke's na ca up, she'd grimace and wrinkle her nose, then sigh deeply and lie down on the study sofa. While exchanging talk with no substance or nutrition, she'd bury her face in cushions and giggle, spending several hours on such trivial things.
So there was absolutely no reason to deliver that letter to her bedroom.
"Leave it."
"...I hope Count won't secretly read a letter addressed to the lady."
The owner of the letter appeared shortly after.
"I ca to borrow books."
Their eyes t briefly, then fell away as if nothing had happened. Esperanza climbed the stairs leading to the second floor. Cider narrowed his eyes.
"What book are you looking for?"
"A book I saw at the library earlier, but it couldn't be borrowed."
"I should have made you a library card."
"Well, I won't be going there again anyway."
Cider answered while chanically writing rejection replies to the invitations Howard had brought.
"You never know."
"I won't go."
"Indeed."
Indeed? Esperanza thought the sa. Cider's lectures were over, and there would be no reason to go to the university until at least this ti next year, but wouldn't Esperanza have returned by then?
Cider asked again from below.
"So, what book are you looking for?"
"Your master's thesis."
Cider made a clicking sound with his tongue as if exasperated and raised his voice toward Esperanza, who was leaning on the second-floor railing.
"Why on earth would you borrow that from that library?"
"Is it here too?"
"Of course it would be."
Hmm, the story about researchers being embarrassed by their master's theses doesn't apply here.
"Where is it? Find it for . That and the magical engineering prir published by Yates too."
"The prir from Yates? Ah, the youth version."
"Yes, yes. That one."
It wasn't particularly embarrassing. After all, it was a mutually known fact that Esperanza knew absolutely nothing about magical engineering. While Cider searched for books among the bookshelves filling all four walls, Esperanza gripped the railing and grumbled.
"I tried to borrow it there, and actually used your na too. Said I was a relative of Lord Avondale who ca along to audit the lecture."
"Relative?"
"To be precise, I said relative uncle."
Cider clicked his tongue again. Esperanza sotis did really absurd things.
"They believed that?"
"Of course they didn't. I knew they wouldn't believe it."
She had no intention of protesting again to the librarian who firmly said no, so she just said 'Then there's nothing I can do' and put the book down and left.
"Hmm. Should I write you a power of attorney? The above person is acting on behalf of Count Avondale's affairs."
Acting on behalf of Count Avondale's affairs to borrow a youth magical engineering prir and the count's own master's thesis? It would certainly look quite ridiculous. Esperanza giggled as she received the books Cider was taking out.
"If you're going to write it, make it very comprehensive. Count Avondale will take full responsibility for whatever the above person is told to do."
"Oh my. I said I liked you, but I didn't say I'd give up my liver and gallbladder too."
Here he goes again. When she turned her head away sharply, Cider smiled charmingly. Enchantingly. She felt a prickly mischievousness rising.
"I never said I liked you either, you know?"
Cider's expression beca strange at her sharp retort. Was that so? Co to think of it, it seed she had never said it once. Esperanza realized this in an instant, and Cider knew that Esperanza knew, and Esperanza knew that Cider knew...
"That's right."
"That's what I'm saying."
"I won't do it."
"...Who asked you to?"
Cider shrugged. It was a confession no one asked for, but couldn't he at least maintain this much pride?
"I won't do it, so you don't need to answer either. No need to be too conscious of it."
"No, how could I not be conscious of it? Who's the one showing it now..."
Cider, who had half-dismissed those words, added.
"Like you said, you only have , right? I quite like this state too."
She had certainly said that. But that wasn't what she ant... Unable to do this or that, Cider broke through her awkwardly frozen cheek with a tap, brought a letter from the study desk, and sat in the armchair. Esperanza, who followed with books, lay down on the long sofa next to him and stacked two cushions on her knees. Cider placed the letter on top.
"What's this?"
"A letter the duke sent."
Esperanza, who tore it open with her hands without a letter knife, skimd through the contents.
"What does it say?"
"Nothing much. Telling
to be careful. Says the Pri Minister is watching. But I don't mind if the Pri Minister finds out."
If the relationship with Daria beca known, it would be troubleso for the royal family, not Esperanza.
"What do you think happened to the relationship between the royal family and Daria? At least since the duke returned alive, it can't be the sa as before."
"Well. It's not like you'll be attached to the duke as his bodyguard, and at least knowing they can easily dispose of a big shot like the duke, the royal family will have to yield for now. The royal family is also a good partner for them, so as long as they listen well, they won't touch them further. If there had been a trust relationship it might be different, but it seems there wasn't one from the beginning."
Eventually, a balance would be struck where the royal family would have their wealth and power exploited while Daria could do whatever she wanted. Even if the duke had other thoughts, in this situation the queen wouldn't allow it. At least for now.
"Like this, the royal family will support Daria's business, and Daria will do good things for the royal family in her own way, right? And then the monster crisis will happen..."
She wanted to find the Golden Claw and return before such things happened. Esperanza glanced at Cider.
What on earth was that man thinking when he was cooperating with Esperanza? However, Cider, seemingly unaware of Esperanza's question, tapped the armrest with his fingertips and asked.
"And what else? What happened during this period?"
She hadn't paid much attention to the story, so she didn't know much. There were gars who analyzed the story like actual history, but Esperanza was so uninterested that even after rolling around Osdern for seven years, she could barely rember only the major events.
"Hmm, what else. Princess lissa's kidnapping incident? The Paolun pirate incident? Oh, the Pri Minister's resignation? Is that around this ti?"
"The princess kidnapping attempt was last year. It's not well known, but. Since everything else you ntioned is the first I've heard of it, they must be things that haven't happened yet."
"Actually, it was so long ago that the ti sequence is all mixed up."
Cider nodded roughly and then fell into thought again.
"Esperanza, the duke's intentions are impure, but being careful might not be bad."
"Why?"
"When you et Daria, are you going to peacefully ask to borrow the Golden Claw just once?"
Huh? Co to think of it, they'd inevitably clash, so should she try negotiating once then?
"If possible, that would be good..."
"If you were Daria, would you give it?"
That was the problem. They were already enemies. Even if Esperanza had no intention of interfering with Daria's business, what would Daria believe about Esperanza to readily hand over her greatest weapon? Once she gave it, she couldn't take it back by force.
"It would be nice if we could resolve it through dialogue, but as things stand now, we'll have no choice but to fight and take it."
"That's the problem. You can't subdue that woman."
Esperanza straightened her half-reclined back with a start.
What did this man just say? To , to ...
"Why can't I? I'm stronger than Daria!"
"In pure physical force, yes."
"What, do you think Daria will suddenly bring an army? I can win even if she and Cyrus attack together!"
Actually, she couldn't be certain of that. She might even lose. But since she already knew Cyrus's fighting style well, she could knock him down first and then fight Daria one-on-one.
"That's not what I'm talking about."
"Then what are you talking about?"
"I'm saying I know what you lack most right now."
Esperanza frowned. Wavering between the unpleasant aftertaste left by words that scratched her pride and trust in a man who might say trivial things but didn't give wrong information, she leaned more toward the latter.
"What do I lack most?"
When she asked with her chin raised, Cider answered with shining eyes.
"Mobility."
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