Hunter and Mad Scien Chapter 73

A chill that didn't match the ripening sumr season flowed through the reception room of the mansion where all the journalists had returned.

"Aunt. Didn't I clearly tell you?"

Duchess Sherbury shook her head like a scream. Her elegantly styled hair flowed down in a ss.

"Not to act rashly."

"I, I only did what you told

to do!"

"Do you an framing Miss Hunter as a thief? Or losing His Majesty's necklace?"

"You told

to find her weakness!"

Duke Galliston looked down at the woman fluttering like an injured bird with a cold face. He knew it was an act to gain sympathy.

"I told you to find weaknesses, when did I tell you to fra her? Because you don't understand what you're told, you make such a big ss."

At the lowered voice containing clear threat, the Duchess shrank her neck. However, she didn't forget to add one last word.

"It's because you hate that wench!"

Edmund's eyes narrowed. The Duchess, who had deeply bowed her head, made excuses.

"I tried. I linked arms with that lowly wench and pretended to be friendly, and tried to catch her weakness. Selma definitely put the necklace in that wench's pocket, so where on earth did it go?"

"So Miss Hunter is more skilled than you, Aunt. Don't try to use your inadequate brain, just stay quiet and do what you're told."

Though insulting, the Duchess was accustod to this humiliation. There had been tis when she was sowhat close to her nephew who was more than ten years younger, but after Duke Sherbury died and her nephew was busy with studies and military service, she didn't see his face once for 10 years. And when they t again, he was an arrogant duke who despised his incompetent yet haughty aunt. Until now, continuously.

"If that wench hadn't played tricks, I would have properly frad her!"

"But you failed in the end, didn't you? In the end, you couldn't do any of the assigned tasks properly. You couldn't gain Miss Hunter's favor, couldn't catch her weakness. I don't know how long I have to support such an incompetent aunt."

The boot that approached without hesitation trampled the hem of the Duchess's dress. The fine satin beca tattered. The Duchess didn't care that her favorite dress was ruined and grabbed Edmund's arm.

"Edmund. I, I'll work harder. Really. I'll do everything you tell

to do. So..."

"So you're saying don't cut off the money? Because you need to buy new jewelry?"

"What else do I have to do besides that!"

She had nothing to do and no money to do what she wanted to do. The Duchy of Sherbury had long been returned to the royal family, and what was given to the Duchess was only dignity maintenance fees and a certain amount of pension. Even that far exceeded an ordinary noblewoman's annual living expenses, but to the Duchess it was simply insufficient.

That was why. She had taken the hand of her ruthless nephew. Edmund, who had difficulty reaching into high society without a wife, used Duchess Sherbury's influence, and in return the Duchess received money to indulge as much as she wanted.

"Aunt, with the money I give you in a month, I could build three factories. You should at least be worth three factories."

"I'll try harder! Really. I'll even apologize to that wench."

"Don't contact Miss Hunter anymore. She's not soone who would accept an apology from you."

"That impudent wench, when a Duchess is apologizing!"

"A Duchess without a Duke, isn't that right? Princess Alexandra of Offenbach."

The pale face looked up at the Duke. A black shadow fell over it. The na of a destroyed country. The mockery of being a refugee princess. Decades of years swept by.

"Do as you're told. Aunt."

The Duchess closed her mouth. The Duke gazed at the garden where red sunset was burning, lost in thought.

"I don't think I'll have use for you for a while, Aunt."

"Then...?"

"You'd better do charity work and exercise self-restraint."

The Duchess grabbed Edmund's sleeve tearfully.

"Edmund!"

"Henry, escort my aunt."

Henry Beyman dragged out the Duchess with a troubled face.

"Your Highness, you mustn't do this. Please go."

The Duchess was dragged away, wailing miserably as if she had been beaten. Mrs. Burbridge put the Duchess, who had fainted from crying, into the carriage. The Duke, watching the carriage leave from behind the window, thought.

'Alexandra's trouble wasn't entirely fruitless.'

Edmund had clearly seen it. Esperanza Hunter had the necklace and hid it sowhere. Evading the surveillance of Mrs. Kirkfield, who had the eyes of a bird of prey. The necklace was probably still in her hands. There was regret about royal treasure being leaked outside, but...

A woman who appeared with magical tools hanging all over every corner where accessories could fit, as if showing Cider Claiborne's wariness itself. But the hand that had entered the pocket was a hand without a ring. Thinking about it, Esperanza Hunter's unique ability.

What that woman possessed wasn't just overwhelming force. If so, Edmund's hypothesis becos even more perfect.

Alexandra, who couldn't even do her assigned tasks properly, had ultimately done her part. It might be better to solve the compensation issue.

When Henry Beyman, who had sent off the Duchess, returned, the Duke, who had been silent, suddenly asked.

"Henry. How is the royal castle?"

"It still seems fine. His Majesty doesn't show signs of receiving visitors either."

"As soon as possible, this ti arrange an appointnt including the Count. So they don't contact Esperanza Hunter first."

"Yes."

"And tell Havenly to watch the hat shop."

"The hat shop, sir?"

"He'll understand if you say that."

Chief attendant Henry Beyman went out carrying the answer he didn't understand. The Duke, left alone, let out a deep sigh.

It was true that he had sowhat underestimated Esperanza Hunter. It wasn't much different from his thoughts. That woman was just an ordinary person. An ordinary person with overwhelming force and unknown abilities. But to hit him in the back of the head like that at the end.

The Mabelwood incident.

'I expected her to bring up that story.'

It ca more painfully than expected.

It was like the trolley problem. The one who pulled the lever cannot be free from responsibility. Moreover, one who pulled the lever with purpose like him would not be forgiven even by God.

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Her body drooped like waterlogged cotton. Dealing with difficult people brought more fatigue than conquering dungeons. Even more so with multiple difficult people, and needless to say with difficult people bearing hostility.

"Where's Cider?"

"He hasn't co back yet. But he said his work was finished, so he should be coming, shouldn't he?"

It really did seem to be work that took a long ti. The very Duke Galliston who had caused the trouble had returned ho in the afternoon and attended teati.

Annie comforted Esperanza that it wouldn't take long. Esperanza, who had co out after washing with her not-quite-dry hair hanging down and headed to the study, decided to wait until Cider ca.

Esperanza, who had brought a seemingly light book, added a cushion to the sofa armrest to use as a pillow and sat in a position bad for her back. She halfheartedly flipped through the novel placed on her thighs, then yawned. Her eyes blinked irregularly before her head drooped completely.

The mansion's owner returned three hours later. When the sunset-heavy sky had turned black and gas lamps instead of the sun lit the streets. The ti when Upper Lane slept and Alter District awakened.

"Where's Esperanza?"

Cider, who had entrusted his cane and hat to the butler's hands, asked. Mrs. Lux smiled warmly.

"She's in the study. She seed to be waiting for you, Count."

"For ?"

"Even though she looked tired, she deliberately went to the study."

It was quite late for that. Cider changed his outdoor clothes and headed to the study. Mrs. Lux's words were half right. She was in the study, but she wasn't waiting for him.

"She's completely beco a ball."

Esperanza, lying sideways while holding her knees and making her body round, could indeed look like a ball from far away, with very blurry eyes. If you looked with eyes so blurry you could only distinguish colors. Millen, completely unable to understand his master's words, tilted his head in confusion before carefully closing the door and leaving the study.

Regardless, Cider carefully approached Esperanza. Esperanza, who had fallen asleep lying sideways on the sofa, seed like she wouldn't notice even if soone carried her away.

"Can you fall asleep in such an uncomfortable position?"

Naturally, no answer ca back. Cider chuckled.

Would it be better to lift her up and take her to the bedroom? Since she seed to be sleeping deeply, he didn't want to wake her unnecessarily. But before that, no one would bla him for watching her sleeping form for a bit.

Looking at Esperanza sleeping gracefully like a lady, no one would associate her with a Hunter who road forests with a huge rifle hunting monsters. Rather, they would only see her as a lady who had lived only in quiet and peaceful places.

In fact, when not in combat situations, Esperanza was mostly like this, so Cider guessed that Esperanza before becoming a Hunter had lived quite prosperously. Just as he was about to carefully brush away the hair that had fallen down covering her face, his wrist was grabbed.

Purple eyes flashed with wariness. They blinked rapidly as if she couldn't see clearly, then upon discovering a familiar face, she dropped her hand. With eyes that had quickly beco gentle, half-closed again, she asked drowsily.

"Why did you co so late..."

"Did you fall asleep waiting because I ca late?"

"I wasn't waiting."

Even while mumbling, the facts were clear. Cider smiled and waved his hand in front of Esperanza's eyes.

"Don't stay here like this, go to your room and sleep."

"This is a room."

"Not here, your room."

"My room..."

Only then did Esperanza, who had gotten up unsteadily from her seat, rub her eyes.

"Ah, it's night. You ca late."

She seed fully awake now. Cider felt a little disappointed.

"That's what happened. They tried so hard to keep

there, even when I wanted to pretend not to know their intention, it was obvious. How about you. Did the Duke treat you well?"

"Treat

well? He tornted ."

Esperanza, who had scoffed, dusted off her skirt hem.

"Making threats and all... I'm going to sleep now. I'm tired."

"Esperanza."

Esperanza, who was about to ask why, stopped speaking. Cider gently slid his finger along her earlobe as if brushing her hair behind her ear, then pulled out the accessory hanging on her ear. He smiled while conspicuously shaking the accessory.

"Sleep well."

The door closed. Esperanza blinked.

"Ah, he took it because it was his."

Esperanza, covering her mouth and yawning, returned to her bedroom with slow steps.

Cider rolled the magical tool in his hand. He opened the laboratory door and operated the machine. Even if the conversation was recorded as is, to output the voice again required a process of unraveling the magic power patterns and converting them to voice.

The gears and chanisms of the interpretation engine began to move. The interpretation engine that filled one entire wide wall rotated while puffing steam out the window. Cider connected the voice output device to it.

When the stored magic power was unraveled in reverse order, the voice also flowed out in reverse. However, there was no problem for Cider Claiborne to understand.

Cider's face, who had been sitting quietly with his chin propped on his hand in the armchair listening to the conversation, gradually hardened.