"Whether they prepare traps or not, we have to carry out our revenge."
"It just seems like my revenge. Not your revenge..."
"Isn't your revenge my revenge?"
Esperanza just tilted her head. Is that how it works? Why?
It wasn't sothing that required that much revenge in the first place. While she had no favorable feelings toward Duke Galliston, the Duke's actions posed no threat to Esperanza whatsoever. Should she seek revenge when she felt no threat at all?
"Let's read the contents first."
Ah, right. The wax seal was still intact. Esperanza tore off the seal with a snap. The seal that Duke Galliston's attendant had carefully lted wax with a candle to stamp beca tattered. Belatedly, the writing below the paper caught her eye.
Except for the black ink pooled at the end stroke of the last letter, the signature was perfectly balanced as if printed. Though she couldn't know if it was his own handwriting, she thought it resembled Duke Galliston.
A letter written on stiff, soft paper in the sa typeface as his na. The spacing was as straight as if asured with a ruler. Esperanza read it with her eyes.
Our previous conversation was most interesting.
Respecting your views on charity, if you have ti, I would like to seek your wise counsel this coming weekend.
I shall see you at Pinent House at two o'clock in the afternoon. For the lady's honor, Duchess Sherbury will be present. You may be accompanied by a chaperone.
Edmund Saturn.>
The letter was much more polite than when they t face to face, perhaps because it would remain as a record.
"This... we can't refuse, can we?"
"It doesn't seem written with refusal in mind."
The ti matched teati, and she thought they might have to stay about three hours and perhaps even eat dinner if things went well. Having a lot of ti ant the Duke could do whatever he wanted in the anti.
"I'll clear my schedule for now."
"Pardon?"
"Weekend at two o'clock, there shouldn't be any special business. I was planning to repair the machines whose parts got wet in the rain last ti, but I can do that beforehand."
"Pardon?"
Esperanza pointed to one word with her finger.
"You're not a chaperone."
A chaperone ant a woman who accompanied and supervised an unmarried lady, a role taken by the lady's mother, godmother, or close female relative. Edmund's phrase "You may be accompanied by a chaperone" could also be read this way:
'Count Avondale, the guardian, cannot accompany you.'
"He won't refuse. If he sends such an invitation and doesn't even give that much consideration, his intentions would be too obvious, wouldn't they?"
"That's true, but..."
"Then let's reply accordingly."
"Won't it be botherso?"
Cider stood up and approached the bookshelf. Taking out a book at eye level and opening it, he said:
"I'm more worried about you than that."
"Whatever trap the Duke has dug, I won't fall for it."
"It's not a matter of whether you're strong or not."
Then what? Esperanza was confident she could face an army single-handedly even if the Duke brought one.
"The problem is that you're awkwardly kind."
If he's going to complint her, he should do it properly—awkwardly kind? Esperanza answered sullenly.
"I don't think so."
Cider pretended not to hear and continued.
"If you heard from the Duke that he would put Count Avondale, who knows nothing and just tinkers with machines, in a very difficult position, wouldn't you endure a little inconvenience to prevent that?"
She wanted to say no, but it wasn't true. She would likely accept the Duke's proposal without even telling Cider. The Duke wasn't a fool either, so he wouldn't let Esperanza consult with Cider.
"Probably?"
"A trap isn't anything special. If the Duke can demand sothing against your will, you've already fallen into the trap. The Duke is unusually political for royalty, and we're sowhat weak against such things."
"I'm weak, but you..."
"I'm weak too."
He's lying.
Esperanza muttered while staring intently at Cider. Cider shrugged.
"Really."
"Ah, yes."
He had the strange talent of seeming to show off even when admitting his shortcomings. Cider dusted off the accumulated dust from the book with a cloth and placed it in front of Esperanza.
"So we need to prepare a bit."
"So what is this?"
The first line on the page Cider opened read:
"You want
to study etiquette?"
Her manners, which had never been criticized even before the Queen throughout her 7-year Hunter career? Now?
"In the sense of not getting nitpicked on minor details."
"...'We' are preparing, you said. What are you going to do?"
"As always, I have to handle the equipnt. I'm reading about that."
He went straight into the laboratory and closed the door. Clattering sounds ca from inside the thick wooden door for a while and then stopped. What was that? Esperanza, who had been halfheartedly flipping through the book, looked up. Behind Cider, who had opened the door again, a wheeled machine carrying a large box ca out. It was full of unidentifiable parts.
"What's all that?"
"It's not that much. First, I need to look at the things you have. To see if there's anything useful."
"That's not difficult."
Esperanza took out various miscellaneous magical tools from her inventory, excluding weapons. Initially seeming to wonder what kind of junk she carried around, touching them one by one, Cider soon beca absorbed in concentration. He examined them one by one with the Stimulator and was about to disassemble them when he t Esperanza's eyes and smiled broadly.
"Esperanza. Didn't you say you had an appointnt?"
"Ah. Should I leave these here?"
"Not necessarily that."
It wasn't that. His intentions were obvious. But it was already quite late. It was ti for Jack to wait.
"What ti is it now?"
"Six-thirty."
"Argh!"
I'm really late! There was no ti to think about knowing his intentions and still playing along. Esperanza threw on a robe directly over her indoor dress.
"Can I disassemble all of these?"
"Do whatever you want!"
Esperanza jumped out the window without hesitation. The speed of receiving the picnic basket from Madeline and rushing out was as fast as the wind.
Cider watched this from the study, then closed the window and devoted himself to researching Esperanza's magical tools.
While there were so particularly interesting items, he set aside his curiosity. The goal was solely to find items that could prevent Duke Galliston's sches.
Tools rolled skillfully in his hands. The notebook he had taken out beside him was filled with technical terms and numbers written only in initials, unable to keep up with the speed of thought.
??????°??☆????°??????
It continued like that until the weekend. Esperanza had to read that damn etiquette book almost chewing it thoroughly. The reason was that it would be troubleso to be criticized for etiquette when dealing with royalty.
This wasn't an era when Hunters could be arrogant before royalty. While Duke Galliston might not openly criticize a lady's etiquette, Duchess Sherbury, who would be present, could. According to Cider, she seed to be soone who enjoyed tornting others.
Still, there wasn't as much to learn as expected. Esperanza adequately added to what she had hastily learned when eting the Queen before. Since it wasn't an official occasion, she only needed to learn appropriate teati etiquette.
Duke Galliston readily permitted Count Avondale's accompanint. A reply ca saying he would prepare seats for two people.
From Cordelia, she finally received word that they could et next week. She sent news about receiving Duke Galliston's invitation, but it was unclear whether the letter would arrive first or Cordelia would depart first.
Actually, Esperanza wondered if all this was really necessary, but since everyone in the mansion except Esperanza thought it was necessary to go this far, she had no choice but to follow without complaint.
And the evening before the weekend.
"Here."
Cider attached what looked like a small earring machine to Esperanza's earlobe. What he attached to the other ear was the sa shape but a decorative item with no function.
"It records the entire conversation. Don't miss anything. It's communication equipnt that's also connected to mine, but there are many watching eyes at Pinent House, so we probably won't use the communication function."
She took off the earring and flipped it back and forth. From the outside, it just looked like pretty jewelry. She wouldn't have guessed what function it had if he hadn't explained it.
"It doesn't show at all."
"I made it by adapting the communication equipnt you had."
Esperanza tried to recall the items that had returned from magical tools to miscellaneous junk in just a few days, but it was nearly impossible to recall the original form of magical tools from those scraps.
"The Duke will try to separate us, so we need to prepare. This isn't all there is—wait a mont."
Cider took out a black velvet box from a drawer and handed it over. When the box opened, a sparkling jewel was the first thing that caught her eye. The jewel reflecting the light was so bright it hurt her eyes, making Esperanza unconsciously frown.
"A ring?"
"It's not just a ring."
The bright red jewel was large enough to cover more than half a finger. Not just a ring? But it looked just like a regular ring—was there so function to this? This wasn't even a magic stone.
"How do I use it?"
"Look."
Esperanza placed her hand over his extended hand. Cider's hand, which had been stably supporting her palm, slid down to her fingertips and put the ring on her ring finger.
When Esperanza channeled magic power into it, very small parts like clock components moved with minute sounds. The inside of the ring ward slightly. A short arrow shape. It was pointing forward.
Cider lifted a pocket watch from his hand. It was a watch where the gears could be seen moving raw, with four hands. One of them was pointing toward where Esperanza was sitting.
A red jewel embedded inside the watch. Esperanza asked blankly.
"Wait, this isn't my blood, is it?"
"Of course not. I've never drawn this much blood from you."
Just as she was about to feel relieved, Cider answered matter-of-factly.
"The blood is on the inside. I chose ruby to hide the blood."
"Ugh..."
The feeling of wearing a ring containing her own blood.
"I feel like I've beco the sa kind of person as you."
"That would be a nice feeling."
Despite all these thorough preparations. On the weekend morning when the sun rose brightly. Esperanza woke up a little earlier than usual due to busy sounds. The sound of hurried running footsteps continued, and soon, thump thump thump.
Soone was knocking on her bedroom door.
"Esperanza, are you awake?"
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