He recognized it. It was certain. That was the smile of soone who had figured it out. Esperanza quickly turned her eyes away.
"Then, I'll go now..."
While it would be proper to let the fleeing lady go, Cider had no such intention. Cider pretended not to hear and changed the subject.
"Did you find the book?"
"...There was one."
Esperanza, who had given up on escaping, rummaged through her inventory with pursed lips and pulled out the book. Seeing the cover, Cider quietly clicked his tongue. Just from the cover's eye-catching appearance, he could already predict what people would say. Esperanza, who had the sa thought, quickly struck first.
"Even if rumors spread that the count, driven mad by research, has finally dabbled in demon summoning, it's not my fault."
"How specific."
"People have very specific impressions about you."
"It's prejudice."
Esperanza smiled with a grimace. It wasn't entirely wrong. If soone knew Cider Claiborne well, they would know that stories about him being obsessed with research or doing anything for his research achievents were all lies... what am I saying.
"It's prejudice based on facts."
"Harsh. Well, fine."
In fact, they both knew that Cider didn't really care about such rumors. Rather, if he had the personality to care, he wouldn't have been able to say such things.
On the table was also an Osdern language scripture that Cider had Millen bring. These were all things Esperanza would have to dig into earnestly tomorrow.
Esperanza, who had shoved that book along with 'Manticore' into her inventory, brightened when she discovered a mug full of milk.
"You left this for , didn't you?"
"Soone ca in too late and it got cold. What were you doing that made you so late? It's not like you know anyone."
Esperanza's eyes rolled around. When buying it, she had been grinning and excited as if preparing so great prank, but now that she had given it, she was embarrassed and wanted to run away. But unable to overco the gaze that persistently followed whenever she tried to avoid his eyes, she pointed at the vase.
"That, what else could it be besides that."
"Did you choose it yourself?"
Cider, who had pointedly placed the vase on the table, asked while touching the flower bud with his fingertip. Esperanza nodded silently.
"I didn't know you were familiar with the secret language of high society."
"...I just bought it because it was pretty. Let's stop talking about that now and get out the machine to heat this up."
"Hmm. Let's go with that story."
Cider took out a machine from under the table, operated it slowly as if telling her to watch and learn, then placed the mug on it. As he watched steam rise from the heated milk, he suddenly looked up and t Esperanza's eyes. His eyes, which had been rather cool without any trace of laughter, slowly and pointedly narrowed.
Esperanza couldn't quite et that gaze. Not because she was embarrassed. She didn't want to show uncertain eyes. Esperanza, who had suppressed a question that wanted to burst out, let out a troubled sigh.
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"Oh my, it looks like you couldn't sleep."
Cider, who encountered Esperanza rubbing her dry eyes in the hallway, clicked his tongue.
"I didn't not sleep."
"You tossed and turned because you had a lot on your mind?"
"Don't make assumptions."
Cider smiled like a painting. As if he knew all of Esperanza's worries.
What do you know everything about, when you don't know anything. Esperanza grumbled like that, startled by her own thoughts.
"You'll have to go ahead again today. It seems an urgent visitor is coming. Once you start receiving one person, there's no end to it."
"Usually you just pretended not to be there, didn't you? Who's coming that you're going to et soone who barged in without notice?"
"The Marquis of Riton's representative. It's probably not a very important matter, so just dealing with them for a couple hours will do."
Despite his words suggesting it was nothing special, he already looked tired. When Esperanza sent him a worried look, Cider reflexively smiled with crinkled eyes.
"Well, they'll probably just make annoying ddling comnts. Oh, and I sent Millen to the laboratory, so don't be too surprised."
"You should worry about Millen's safety rather than mine."
"Right. Don't break my servant's bones from being too surprised."
Cider chuckled in response. He seed to be in a better mood than before. His hand took the ends of Esperanza's hair and caressed them as if a child touching an object they'd never seen before.
Impulsively, Esperanza grabbed Cider's shirt sleeve. She could feel the strength entering the arm inside the sleeve.
"Do you have sothing to say?"
Then voices could be heard from the direction of the stairs. The voices of the footman and Coleman mixed with an unfamiliar man's voice. It seed a guest had arrived.
"No. Later."
"Yes, later."
Cider grabbed and removed Esperanza's hand that was still holding his sleeve. He held that hand and lightly pressed and released his lips against her knuckles. Having finished his neat farewell, he strode ahead. His straight back disappeared down the stairs.
He didn't look back even once. Esperanza pouted. Then she opened a nearby door, entered, and jumped out the window.
"Miss Esperanza, you jumped out the window again today."
A mail carrier wearing a beret pointed to the dirt that had splashed on her skirt. He was an observant boy she rarely saw when passing by with Cider, but often encountered when going out alone early in the morning.
"Are you going to beco a private detective?"
"What kind of cases would there be in this small city? I'll think about it if I save money and go to Nine Holder."
"Yeah, that's not bad either."
The mail carrier pulled his hat down low and got on his bicycle. His cheerful whistling also gradually grew smaller as it passed the gargoyle statue standing majestically by the gate.
It's a small city, but there really are all kinds of people. Esperanza, who had tied her hair with one hand, familiarly greeted the stable keeper and caught and mounted a lazy horse that slyly avoided her eyes.
Following the familiar path into the laboratory, the machines Millen had turned on were working diligently.
"You've arrived."
Millen, who bowed his head, was steadily writing sothing.
"What are you doing?"
"Work that Count Avondale ordered. I heard you also have work to do."
Ah, so don't bother
and go do your own work? At those shaless words, Esperanza shrugged and settled at the table that seed to have beco her spot. Millen soon got up and moved to another room.
A red light ca on in the laboratory map. Esperanza, who was opening the scripture, slightly raised her eyes. The location where the light ca on was one of the rooms Cider had shown her.
Ah, it was the room with Esperanza's wings. Was it okay for Millen to go in and out of there? Had he told Millen about Esperanza's identity? It didn't seem likely. That was a secret between just the two of them, and Cider cherished that secret as much as Esperanza did.
Tilting her head wouldn't give her an answer. Esperanza just turned her gaze back to the scripture.
The fountain pen she held briefly drew earnest black traces. Her left hand busily searched through the scripture while her right hand was frantically copying letters. Her head kept nodding up and down as she referenced the code. The regular sound of machines stopped and voices began, but she was so absorbed that she didn't even notice.
"I solved it all!"
After a long while, Esperanza, who had put down her fountain pen, massaged her stiff wrist.
Checking the laboratory map, there was a light on in the place where Esperanza's wings were kept. Cider had definitely arrived. Just then, the grandfather clock struck thirteen tis.
Oh no. She had already passed lunch ti. She must have been so concentrated that she wasn't even hungry. Esperanza took the paper and scripture and went to find the room where Cider was.
"Ah. Perfect timing. There's sothing I need you to check... You solved it?"
"Yes, that's what I ca to talk about."
"Then, shall we talk about that first?"
Cider, who had been buried in machinery, straightened up. The automatons moved away with clanking sounds.
"A lot of things have been attached to my wings."
"I'll remove about half of them."
How fortunate. It seed like she wouldn't be able to move a single step carrying all that.
The two who returned to the study each took their seats. Cider made tea.
"What about Millen?"
Esperanza, who had taken a sip of the well-steeped tea, asked.
"I sent him back. It's been two hours since I arrived, but you had no idea?"
"That's right. I lost track of ti."
"What kind of content was it that made you lose track of ti like that? Shall we hear it?"
Ah. Right. Esperanza unfolded the paper she had written with great care. Except for the wide spacing, it looked just like a letter written by Esperanza.
The content was as follows:
Although so words were substituted and sentences were awkward due to the historical background of the scripture, there was no difficulty in understanding.
"This ans that dukes, queens, everyone is trapped in the palace under surveillance by Daria and Cyrus. So they had no choice but to convey information this way. It seems they're very excited building structures and expanding their power."
"And they're targeting ."
Cider propped his chin and smiled broadly. Though he had never had good feelings toward the duke, he was definitely satisfied with the content of this troubleso code.
That's why I don't want to answer. Esperanza slightly avoided his eyes.
"Ah, yes. It seems they're after your research. We expected this."
At his gaze that seed to say 'is that all you have to say,' Esperanza glared back at him.
"Anyway! There wasn't as much content as expected. No need to send a reply either. For sothing sent with double encryption, it's quite bland."
Cider delayed his answer for a mont. Then he opened his mouth only when Esperanza was fidgeting uncomfortably with the silence.
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