Even if Alastair Renfrew were a rotten scoundrel on the inside despite his current noble appearance, he couldn't possibly not know the na of a fiancée with whom he had so spectacularly broken off an engagent. Following old customs, they had even exchanged portraits, so he should have recognized her before any introduction.
So this was a land teeming with people who would gnash their teeth and pick up scythes at the re ntion of Dunbarton.
"The Duke of Dunbarton must be beside himself with grief. His precious heir is staying in cursed land. For the Duke's sake as well, I hope you can return to Dunbarton as soon as possible. Or perhaps you're going to Nine Holder?"
Esperanza grasped Cordelia's shoulder as she poured out her anger with eyes sparkling like a doll's. She was worried she might actually slap him. Only then did Alastair notice Esperanza's presence and flinched backward.
"I didn't know. Really, I had no idea this was Mabelwood."
aning he wouldn't have co if he had known. Whatever the reason, Cordelia was thoroughly offended.
"But you've already set foot on cursed land. You even spent a night on land cursed by evil spirits, haven't you? Oh my, co to think of it, you do seem to have been cursed?"
As Cordelia's eyes mockingly swept up and down the bandages wrapped around his body, Alastair glared for the first ti.
"I wasn't injured because of a curse!"
"That's for the Duke of Dunbarton to judge. But if you really think so, then please, I beg you, keep our Mabelwood out of your affairs this ti. Letters sent by soone who's fifty years old but still can't escape from fairy tale books are the real curse."
Alastair's face turned bright red with humiliation, but he still couldn't say a word. Anyone in their right mind knew it. It was grounds for breaking an engagent that the entire kingdom of Osdern could mock.
"Well then, I'll take it that you accept my apology and withdraw now. I sincerely hope you recover quickly."
Cordelia, who had been looking down at him as if she'd break his arm if he didn't recover quickly and leave, whirled around.
"Esperanza, let's go now."
Whether it was because of his condition or fortunately because his temperant wasn't violent, Alastair Renfrew didn't raise a fist once toward Cordelia and Esperanza. Esperanza had nothing to do.
However, that didn't lower Cordelia's anger even a bit. Her montum as she stomped down to the reception room, making sure everyone could hear, was trendous.
Esperanza slipped away midway and knocked on Cider's laboratory door.
"Co in."
"You knew it was ?"
"I thought it might be."
Cider replied without lifting his head even once. Only after tightening a few more screws did he raise his head and speak with a gentle smile.
"So, do you want to talk about what you want to say first, or see this first?"
Curious about what he had been handling with such thorough concentration, Esperanza poked her head in slightly. The mont she saw that object, Esperanza's mouth fell open and admiration burst out.
"Wow......!"
It was the very rifle Cider had given Esperanza not long ago. However, its form had changed sowhat from when she first saw it. She lightly stroked the elegant barrel. She shouldered the rifle, which had beco a bit heavier than before.
"How is it?"
"Uh, it seems good."
It wasn't exactly the sa, but it had a similar weight to what she originally used. The center of gravity too. The barrel that had grown a bit longer and the dial changed to a lever. Cider seed to rember almost all the complaints she had poured out then. The rifle was reborn as an even more sophisticated weapon under his ticulous touch.
"I changed the attack thod to continuous fire. Rapid magic bullet fire would be fine too, but you said this was more comfortable? Instead, use it wisely and cut it off properly."
"You don't need to worry about that. I'm good at it."
Esperanza answered distractedly while fidgeting with the rifle that had been modified to fit her body perfectly. Since her excitent couldn't be hidden no matter how she tried, Cider also accepted that insincere answer in good spirits.
"Thank you. Really."
This ti, Cider readily accepted the thanks. Esperanza continued to fidget with the body extending from the muzzle to the stock for quite a while.
You can't make everything perfect in one go. Most people can't even in two tries. But Cider seed to have done it. He seed to have caught even unexpected flaws while fixing the predictable ones.
She'd have to shoot it to know the details, but at a glance, the loading sound and the way magic circulated were extraordinary. There wasn't any great innovation, but it was an object that had pushed perfection to the limit within available technology.
"Wow, how did you make it like this?"
Cider seed quite pleased with that muttering, watching with a satisfied face as Esperanza observed the rifle from various angles.
"I'd like to try using it once......."
Even using it at minimum output, there needed to be a place suitable for shooting, but it was questionable whether there was such a place in Mabelwood. If not, she'd have no choice but to go back into the forest and hunt sothing.
"Want to catch a wild boar or sothing?"
Cider spoke as if he had read Esperanza's mind.
"What would we do if we caught one? Have a barbecue?"
"A guest who does nothing but consu food could at least do that much, couldn't they? But Lady Cordelia will hate it if you don't play with her and go out."
"Speaking of Cordelia."
Only then did Esperanza realize the purpose of coming here and moved to the main point.
"You were right. It really was Alastair Renfrew himself."
Although she couldn't find the sa sophistication as the duke thirteen years later in him, Esperanza could pull out the image of the slightly older Duke of Dunbarton from her hazy mory.
"Cordelia was trendously angry, so she went to his room and gave him a piece of her mind."
"Really?"
Just then, a loud noise ca from downstairs.
"How can you say such a thing!"
Eek. Esperanza shrugged and continued.
"It's sothing we caused. Shouldn't we at least apologize?"
"Sothing we caused... Does it work that way?"
"Because we brought him here."
"It's not our fault that Dunbarton, who was heading to Nine Holder, was suddenly found injured in Mabelwood."
That's true. Esperanza shrugged greatly.
"Looking at Dunbarton alone, that's true, but in any case, we ca as guests and ended up bringing along extra baggage."
"So?"
"Shouldn't we at least apologize?"
"I don't think there's anything to apologize for, but if it makes you feel better."
Cider, who unexpectedly expressed agreent cheerfully, got up from his seat.
"Now that it's co up, it's better to get it over with, right? By now, the masters' eting should have reached a conclusion. It would be good for everyone to stop them before louder noises co out."
Esperanza looked toward the downstairs with a troubled expression. Actually, the noise from downstairs had been bothering her since earlier.
"That's nonsense. I absolutely cannot accept it."
Cordelia was firm. Her eyes, which had been bloodshot with anger earlier, were now truly moist as if about to cry. Esperanza, who had been going down the stairs, stopped abruptly. When Cider, who was following behind, tried to pass her, she grabbed his sleeve. Why? he asked with his mouth. Esperanza pointed toward the reception room with her chin.
"Cordelia, whatever you say, Count Sterling will remain in Mabelwood as a guest until his body recovers enough to travel. Please maintain courtesy when dealing with guests."
"How can you tell
to live in the sa house with Dunbarton, and that Alastair Renfrew at that? To serve that vicious, horrible Renfrew as a guest!"
"Oh dear, it seems the conclusion isn't fully reached yet. Should we just go back up?"
There was laughter in the words whispered with lips almost touching her ear. Without hesitation, Esperanza pinched the back of his hand.
"This isn't a funny situation."
"Those Dunbarton bastards who dragged our honor through the mud!"
The voice echoing thunderously in the reception room seed like it might reach the room where Alastair Renfrew was lying if it carried well.
"Our honor has not been dragged through the mud."
"Then why am I here?"
Mrs. Wellesley closed her mouth. Cordelia muttered lowly.
"Only my honor has been dragged through the mud."
"Cordelia."
"I know too. No matter how much I want to tear that Renfrew to pieces and kill him, we can't chase out a patient. I know, but...!"
Finally, Cordelia burst into tears. Her fists were trembling. Mrs. Wellesley sighed. Esperanza looked at Cider. What should we do?
"What do you an what should we do? We have to go in."
Cider pushed open the half-open reception room door and entered. Mrs. Wellesley hurriedly closed her mouth, and Cordelia also dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief.
"Did we co down at a bad ti?"
"Of course not. Our voices got a bit loud, and I'm worried the Count might have heard."
"He didn't hear anything at all, so don't worry."
Cider, who had put his ear to the door and eavesdropped on everything, said shalessly. He smiles even better when lying. Esperanza thought while glancing at him.
"We feel like we might have caused unnecessary trouble. We've made things bigger. We're truly sorry."
"There's nothing to be sorry about."
Mrs. Wellesley, sitting on the single sofa, said with a sigh.
"I would have been more disappointed in you if you had left an injured person and co back. That he happened to be a Renfrew... how could you have known? Even if you had known, it wouldn't have been right to do so."
But. Her gaze naturally went to Cordelia. Cordelia still spoke with red eyes.
"You're right. I still want to chase him out imdiately, but at least it's a million tis better than Count Sterling being found as a corpse in Mabelwood. ......I really hate keeping him as a guest though."
"Cordelia!"
Mrs. Wellesley scolded strictly, but Cordelia kept pouting.
"Anyway, as long as he leaves Mabelwood alive, isn't that enough? Can't we just put him on a train right now and send him to Nine Holder?"
When Esperanza asked blankly, Cordelia covered her mouth and giggled. Then, seeing that Cider was laughing the sa way, she lowered the corners of her mouth. Mrs. Wellesley said gently.
"That wouldn't be proper. If he had co with a healthy body and asked to stay as a guest, I would have chased him out. I would have challenged him to a duel to prevent him from even setting foot on Mabelwood land. But we cannot send away soone who entered with an injured body like that. We wouldn't do that even to an enemy."
If it had been Esperanza, she would have kicked him out without hesitation. Keeping him breathing would have been enough—why should they treat him and care for him until his broken leg healed?
But Cordelia eventually agreed, and Cider was nodding as if it were a natural result.
Are differences in values impossible to overco?
But it was Cordelia who wanted to tear Alastair Renfrew to pieces, not Esperanza, so if she accepted it, it didn't matter.
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