"Are you referring to His Excellency the Pri Minister? I have no desire to get involved in the power struggle between the royal family and the cabinet."
Cider said calmly. The Pri Minister? Esperanza's ears perked up.
The Pri Minister and the Queen had been in opposition for a long ti. Though she didn't know the source of that opposition, she knew it wouldn't be resolved even thirteen years later.
The cabinet's persistent attempts to reduce the royal family's authority and dignity as head of state to re custom. And the Queen's confrontation to solidify her position as constitutional monarch and spiritual pillar of her subjects.
Such political conflicts were necessary for incidents to occur. A world too peaceful would be boring.
Esperanza rembered several incidents that had occurred due to this conflict. The chaos Nine Holder had beco when political events and dungeons beca entangled.
"Though I differ politically from Lord Tempton, he is an excellent man as a politician. His cabinet is leading Osdern admirably."
"Above all, he would never harm His Majesty's safety."
Cider added. It was sothing he said knowing everything. With his smiling face, he seed to have no malice whatsoever. Of course, no one in this place believed in his lack of malice.
"It concerns His Majesty. Watch your words."
"What did I say wrong? I didn't say His Excellency the Pri Minister was His Majesty's forr lover so he wouldn't do anything harmful to His Majesty, did I?"
"Avondale!"
This was the first ti she'd heard this story. In the ga, no one imagined romance between the Queen who had two grown children and the Pri Minister who had never married but was middle-aged. Though Raymond Tempton was quite popular as a handso middle-aged man.
Hmm, so that's how it was? But how did they end up in a relationship where they couldn't kill each other but coexisted?
'Forr lovers are all like that though...'
"Don't evade with vague words, Your Highness. 'Private gain,' 'His Majesty's safety,' 'those who seek to harm.' Speaking in such generalizations inevitably leads to misunderstandings, doesn't it?"
Esperanza, erging from useless thoughts, looked back at Cider. When it ca from the Duke's mouth, it had been a sentence made of ordinary words, but looking back, each word choice contained value judgnts.
It made the benefits the target sought appear as the most private and unjust, while making their own benefits appear important and urgent. Though not strong words, they could plant faint prejudices in the listener's mind. So he had tried to pull such tricks. Esperanza opened her mouth with displeasure.
"Your Highness, if you continue like this, I don't think there's any need to remain here any longer."
The Duke sighed. Having Cider Claiborne present had indeed not been a good choice. Though there hadn't been other options.
"What I wish to discuss is the sa. They truly are holding His Majesty's safety hostage. His Majesty is being threatened."
"And Your Highness lacks the ability to deal with those threateners?"
He remained calm without showing anger even at words that scratched his pride.
"Shafully, that's the case for now. I couldn't even discover their identity. Whether they're people of this country, foreigners, or from a completely different world. I've tried to catch their tails and attempted assassination, but failed every ti."
At the ntion of "a different world," Esperanza stiffened. But the Duke seed to have said it without particular intention and continued speaking as before.
"The safety of His Majesty and His Highness the Grand Duke, the lives of Prince Louis and Princess lissa hang in the balance."
"What do they want?"
"Currently they're only taking small gains by privately using His Majesty's influence and royal assets, but their ultimate goal hasn't been revealed. They're truly enemies shrouded in mystery."
He was definitely hiding sothing. Even Esperanza felt that way, so needless to say for Cider. A wordless conversation passed through eye contact alone. Esperanza spoke.
"Then was the Mabelwood incident orchestrated to test ? If I had failed the test, all those people would have died."
Not one or two, but an entire village had nearly disappeared completely. No matter how precious the people around oneself were, one couldn't use subjects as test subjects while asking for the monarch's safety.
The Duke looked directly at Esperanza. Eyes that examined her thoroughly as if confirming what kind of person she was. Cider raised his hand to block the Duke's gaze. Though still a smiling face, irritation showed through.
"Your Highness, this isn't an equal transaction. His Majesty has only one life, but Miss Hunter isn't particularly afraid of Your Highness's retaliation."
"I know."
The Duke, who had sighed while looking out the window, was silent for a mont. Esperanza followed his gaze, then turned her head at the sensation of Cider tapping the back of her hand. When she asked "Why?" with her lips, he smiled and shook his head. Was it a joke? Esperanza smiled back.
Eventually the Duke, having finished his thoughts, turned his head and clicked his tongue at the sight. Having Avondale present had truly been the worst decision.
"Miss Hunter. Regarding the Mabelwood incident, I express regret once again. It was indeed my doing to choose Mabelwood as the region where monsters would appear to test you, and I deeply feel that responsibility. However... I can only change the direction of a running train, not stop it."
He ant that since he couldn't prevent the phenonon itself anyway, he had used that opportunity to test Esperanza.
"I don't regret that decision. In the end, no one died."
"That's just results-oriented thinking."
"Is there anything more important than results when lives are at stake?"
This ti Esperanza was left speechless and closed her mouth tightly. In terms of results, his choice had been correct. By creating the dungeon where Esperanza was, he had ultimately saved people's lives.
"Where was the dungeon originally supposed to occur?"
At the expression "dungeon," he chuckled saying "a fitting na."
"Bellingham."
Bellingham, Osdern's second largest city and greatest port city. Population one million, worst population density. A place where dock workers, rchants, smugglers and escaped prisoners created chaos.
If such an incident had occurred in Bellingham's slums, very many people would have disappeared, and no one would have looked for them. Corrupt local police would have covered it up and erased even the records, and that would be the end.
Though she still couldn't say the Duke's choice was right, she had to acknowledge that his choice had reduced innocent casualties.
"You might have wanted to ask why I can't save His Majesty with the ability to cause such scale disaster at Mabelwood. I hope this serves as an answer. Miss Hunter, if you accept my proposal, you'll learn how 'dungeons' occur and how I was able to change the location of occurrence. I think that should be sufficient compensation."
Just as Cider and Esperanza had guessed the Duke's intentions, the Duke too was guessing what Esperanza wanted. Perhaps he had seen it directly. The Golden Claw, or whatever it was, the thod to create dungeons.
This way, their interests seed to align. Though she couldn't fully accept all of the Duke's actions, it didn't seem to directly conflict with Esperanza's values... and she could obtain clues about the Golden Claw, so wouldn't it be right to accept around now?
However, just as Esperanza was about to speak, a large hand covered the back of her hand.
"We understand Your Highness's intentions. We'll decide soon and give you an answer."
"...Is Miss Hunter's will the sa?"
Anyone could see that Cider had decided arbitrarily. But Esperanza didn't particularly mind. The conditions wouldn't change just because it was delayed, and only the Duke would beco anxious.
"Yes."
That ended the conversation. Esperanza, who had been looking at the empty teacup, stood up.
The Duke, who stood up as well, bowed politely toward Esperanza.
"Miss Hunter, you said you would gladly do charity if it was sothing you could do. I appeal to your compassion. Please protect His Majesty."
The wind gently tousled the Duke's hair. Esperanza held her breath for a mont. She hadn't expected the Duke to co out like this. She had thought he would calculate, evaluate, and command to the end.
Coming out like this made things difficult. She had been planning to calculate and evaluate.
"I await a positive answer."
She tried to greet him pretending to be indifferent and leave, but this ti Cider stopped walking.
"Esperanza, won't you go out first?"
"Why?"
"I have sothing to say to His Highness."
Of course, it was unilateral business that the Duke couldn't know about. The Duke looked back and forth between the two, then nodded.
"Mrs. Kirkfield, please escort Miss Hunter to her carriage."
Now only two people remained in the reception room. The Duke's hair was slightly disheveled from bowing, but except for that, his appearance was perfectly flawless without a single gap. Cider looked at that sight and pulled up one corner of his mouth roguishly.
"You're cowardly to the end, Your Highness."
"Is there a reason I should hear such words from the Count?"
"The good Miss Hunter may not have thought of it, but what Your Highness desires is ultimately contract killing, isn't it? You're going to beat around the bush making it sound like so great cause and transfer the responsibility for murder to a lady."
"If I could have done it, I would have."
"Such hypotheticals are aningless. You can't, after all."
The Duke could feel hostility so clear that further conversation would be aningless. Though Cider Claiborne was arrogant by nature, that arrogance had basis and he never crossed lines. The wariness from the previous day that had shown in Esperanza's attire and today's hostility. Even without bothering to analyze, he could tell what they had in common.
The Duke said stiffly.
"Count, I have convictions."
Cider responded irritably.
"I don't have convictions, but I do have a temper."
And then he smiled with those arrogant eyes that looked down even on the Queen's cousin.
"I trust you understand."
Count Avondale, having given a greeting worse than none at all, left the mansion without looking back.
The Duke sighed. Of all people, Esperanza Hunter's ward had to be the difficult-to-handle Avondale. What a headache.
If there was any gain, it was that he didn't think he'd be rejected this ti. Even if they didn't give a definite answer, it seed they could move to the next stage.
How could he make Esperanza Hunter kill them without directly confronting them?
How could he stimulate that compassion she never showed to people like the Duke?
For soone like Esperanza Hunter—soone strong against the strong but soft toward the weak—there was an appropriate opponent to handle such a person.
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