Rumors spread through the wind.
Nine Holder was a massive city, but high society was a narrow world. Keeping mouths shut was impossible from the start. And as always, those who heard rumors last were the people involved themselves.
Cordelia Mabelwood heard from her friends about what was supposedly the hottest topic these days as soon as she arrived in Nine Holder.
"That can't be! There's such an age difference too?"
"It's only seven years. When n marrying ladies twenty years younger are common, just seven years."
Cordelia tilted her head.
"Even so, it seems unlikely."
"The rumor has already spread throughout Nine Holder's high society."
"But I think it's strange too. Of all people, 'that' Duke Galliston marrying beneath his station? I like Miss Hunter too, but she has no Lady title, and her reputation..."
"They say she's a ward, but there's no way that's true—even innocent young ladies like us know that much."
Lucinda, who had glossed over all the sensitive parts with pronouns, wrinkled her nose.
"If it's not true, then what?"
"Ugh, I don't know either!"
When Sylvia leaned in and asked, Lucinda threw a cushion with a reddened face. The young ladies who giggled and pounded the cushion until feathers nearly ca out sat down breathing heavily.
Grace Stonewill raised her head and said:
"But still, what reason would His Highness have to specifically invite a re lady to teati, introduce her to Duchess Sherbury, send gifts! And then His Highness personally t Lord Avondale. Isn't that strange?"
The rumors were quite specific. They couldn't help but be, since they'd been spread openly for all of Nine Holder to know.
"Right, it is strange."
"Anyway, there's no point in us talking about it among ourselves. I've only spoken with Esperanza a couple tis, but people ask about the rumors whenever they see !"
"Among us, Cordelia is closest to Esperanza, right?"
"Right. You even invited her to the country house!"
The invitation hadn't been due to friendship. Rather, the friendship had been built while staying together at Mabelwood. And it was finally completed with the 'dungeon' incident... a special bond different from old friends. Cordelia nodded vigorously.
"Yes. We're close."
"Then Cordelia should go ask. Promise to keep it secret!"
"Right. Say it's just between us. No, say you won't tell anyone!"
"Would you believe that if you were her?"
She scoffed and retorted sharply, but Cordelia was just as curious. She had already set a date to take Esperanza to the hat shop she was curious about, so there was no need to make a separate appointnt just to ask questions.
'Should I ask?'
Curiosity accumulated layer by layer as days passed. So when Cordelia boldly invaded Avondale Mansion on the appointed day, she asked directly before Esperanza could properly greet her:
"Esperanza, is it true that Duke Galliston proposed to you?"
Esperanza stiffened and pushed Cordelia away, shouting:
"...Who? Galliston? Are you crazy! Who's saying such things?"
"The rumor has spread all over Nine Holder. Even I, who just arrived three days ago, know about it. You didn't know?"
"I had no idea!"
Esperanza glanced at Mrs. Lux's curious eyes and snapped. Thinking that if she delayed even a mont, Mrs. Lux might catch her and demand an explanation, she grabbed Cordelia's hand and quickly pushed her into the carriage.
When the steam carriage passed through the small road in front of the mansion and onto the main street, Esperanza finally opened her mouth.
"What exactly are the rumors saying?"
"That Duke Galliston is considering marrying beneath his station, that the other party is Lord Avondale's ward, that he fell for her at first sight and asked her to dance, things like that. Plus, unusually for him, he invited her to his mansion, introduced her to royal elders, and sent lots of gifts..."
Looking at just the dry facts while excluding all the strange additions, there wasn't a single false statent.
Dance invitation, he did. Mansion invitation too. Introduction to royal elders as well... though that elder had tried to fra her as a thief. Gifts too. Though they were compensation for cleaning up the incident that elder had caused.
"Do you have no feelings for His Highness the Duke?"
"None at all."
"He's a handso man. He doesn't say much, but when he does speak, his words carry weight. Most of all, I think it's good that he doesn't try to seduce ladies."
Cordelia seed to like that type. Esperanza clicked her tongue while thinking of Alastair Renfrew, who would be in the distant north.
"Mm, he does seem like that kind of person."
"You have no favorable feelings at all?"
"None in that way."
There was a reason for that. Even setting aside all the threats Edmund Saturn had made against Esperanza, the reason she felt no attraction even at first sight.
But it was a reason she couldn't explain to Cordelia. Esperanza vaguely evaded.
"He's not my type, I guess."
"Well..."
"Hm? What do you an?"
"Nothing."
Cordelia nodded with a face that seed to understand sothing, but gave Esperanza no explanation whatsoever.
"If it's not true, that's fine. But I want to hear about the hat shop first! What exactly are the rumors and how did they spread?"
Cordelia had boasted about knowing the hat shop owner and dragged Esperanza out, but she didn't seem to know much about the rumors. However, Esperanza was equally in the dark about the rumors.
"I haven't been there myself."
"Hats having abilities sounds like superstition. Well, we'll find out today."
While accumulating curiosity, the carriage stopped. Buildings about 3-4 stories high were packed with windows, and streetcars passed by puffing steam. A distant clock tower showed its pointed head. It looked the sa as what Esperanza rembered.
Even in places where the clock tower wasn't visible, there was no difficulty checking the ti. You could see clocks positioned like traffic lights throughout the streets. A large airship passed overhead.
Cordelia entered a small alley between buildings, then pointed to the back of a building they'd seen earlier.
"This way!"
Cordelia Mabelwood, what thod did you use?
This was the hat shop where maids supposedly lined up from dawn to buy hats for their mistresses. Even if it was the back door, was it really okay to enter so casually?
"Is this really okay?"
"It's fine, it's fine. You'll understand when we go in."
Cordelia took Esperanza's hand and climbed the stairs outside the building. When she knocked, a gentle-looking woman opened the door.
"Welco, miss. Please co in this way."
The owner's response was natural, as if it had already been arranged. Esperanza followed Cordelia inside. The interior wasn't a shop.
"It's a workshop."
A large sewing machine that appeared to be a magical tool was running by itself, its brass arms clicking away. Hazy smoke went outside through a chimney. Cordelia kept coughing due to dust from the fabric.
The leather hanging on one side of the wall looked like monster hide that Esperanza knew well, but she couldn't be certain. Besides that, monster byproducts were stored as if they were ordinary beads and feathers. Hats, hair ornants, and gentlen's formal wear accessories were displayed in unfinished states.
"Sorry for calling you so early. Esperanza, say hello. This is Sophie, the shop owner."
"I'm Esperanza Hunter."
The woman smiled kindly. The woman who appeared to be in her twenties had braided black hair and wore a hat that seed to be her own creation but had no fancy decorations. Recognizing Esperanza's hat, her cheeks flushed red.
"Hello, miss. Please call Sophie."
Cordelia winked at Sophie as if proud.
"You've had great success!"
"I was lucky. The new supplier I contracted with recently brought good materials. The rumors helped too."
"But making such pretty hats is your ability, isn't it? Even without rumors about making people not tired or giving them good complexion, you would have beco famous."
Cordelia put one of the hats placed on a mannequin on her head and spun around. Sophie looked at Cordelia fondly, like watching a younger sister.
"So, are those rumors true?"
"Of course not. I just got lucky, didn't I?"
Cordelia didn't ask further. Even if it were true, one unrealistic event in a lifeti—the Mabelwood dungeon incident—was enough.
"Then Sophie must have made hats with such care that good fortune ca. Oh, since we're here, could we look around a bit more?"
"Of course."
Cordelia was quickly captivated by the pretty accessories. But Esperanza's gaze went more toward Sophie, who was busy attaching feathers to silk hats after guiding the two of them.
I feel like I've seen her sowhere.
She had thought 'Sophie the hat shop owner, what a coincidence,' but it wasn't just because of that. Their eyes t. Esperanza approached Sophie with a friendly smile.
"Could I ask you a few things?"
"Of course. You're Miss Cordelia's friend."
Though they were eting for the first ti, Sophie was kind. But at the sa ti, she couldn't hide her nervousness about not being able to answer a high-ranking lady's questions.
"How do you know Cordelia?"
Sophie's shoulders sagged with relief.
"My father received kindness from Baron Mabelwood, so we were able to settle in Nine Holder."
That's how Cordelia had been able to visit this workshop. Sophie's eyes sparkled when speaking about Baron Mabelwood. Esperanza responded encouragingly and added several trivial questions. And when Sophie had completely relaxed, she suddenly asked:
"Could you tell about that supplier?"
"Pardon?"
Sophie's eyes widened. Her gaze wandered as if the attention was burdenso, then she carefully asked back:
"What kind of story...?"
"You said Sophie's hats beca famous after you started receiving materials from the new supplier, right?"
"I'm sorry, but I can't freely discuss such matters."
Wary eyes glanced at Esperanza.
"They're beads of a material I've never seen before. I can't tell what kind of bird the feathers co from either. I'm just curious."
"I really can't tell you. I signed a confidentiality agreent."
The supplier seed suspicious. Esperanza's eyes narrowed. Then, a bell hanging on the wall shook roughly.
"Oh, father must have gone out. I have to go watch the shop instead of father...!"
Sophie jumped up and ran down the stairs as if fleeing, shouting:
"Good morning, custor. This is Hatter's Hat Shop! What items are you looking for?"
It was an ordinary greeting a hat shop clerk might give, but it sounded different to Esperanza's ears.
[Good morning, custor. This is Hatter's Equipnt Shop. What items are you looking for?]
At the sa ti, the youthful look gradually faded from Sophie's face as she transford into Mrs. Brook, a woman in her thirties.
Sophie Brook.
Owner of 'Hatter's Equipnt Shop' that sold equipnt for novice Hunters on Catholic Street near the Hunter Association.
"Esperanza, where are you going!"
Esperanza, who had jumped directly from the second-floor window into the alley, headed toward the main street on the opposite side where the shop's front entrance was.
The street na written clearly in white on the sign. She turned her head to look.
It was a street she had visited thousands of tis in the ga. Since it was a different ti period, people's attire, the shape of streetlights and steam carriages were different, and the shops had changed too. Still, it was Catholic Street as Esperanza knew it.
And this shop.
A sign that read 'Hatter's Hat Shop' instead of 'Hatter's Equipnt Shop.' In a few years, they'd probably change it to 'Hatter's Equipnt Shop.'
The hunter at the magic item shop, the supplier who delivered monster byproducts, and Sophie, the employee responsible for distributing equipnt made from monster byproducts to the upper class.
While Esperanza had been letting her guard down, this world was racing toward the opening of 'Golden Claw.'
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