Cordelia wore a faint smile.
"Do you remember we had a similar conversation the day we first met?"
Had they? Esperanza, who traced back hazy memories, nodded a beat late.
"After we dealt with that bad guy..."
"Back then you said you wouldn't just stand by and watch even if you knew. Today you said you'd do your best. I'm happy that you've changed."
Esperanza, whose eyes widened round, mulled over those words. Light returned to the rare violet eyes that had briefly become hazy.
Cordelia stood up. She deliberately pulled up her lips and placed her hands on her waist. Mischief sparkled in her eyes as she looked down at the two people still sitting.
"I hope you'll let me know what color my dress should be, as quickly as possible."
Cordelia, who huffed and turned her head sharply, soon said she'd be going now and strode toward the door. While gripping the doorknob, she added once more as if to confirm.
"Remember what I said!"
The door slammed shut without giving them a chance to see her off. Esperanza muttered with a bewildered face.
"Am I the only one who doesn't understand?"
"It seems so."
Really? Esperanza looked back at Cider with round eyes. She waited for the next words, but Cider only laughed. The amusement hanging in his narrowed eyes was insufferably annoying.
"You don't plan to explain?"
"Not yet. I'll say you'll naturally find out."
"You like making only me look like a fool?"
"Right now I'm the fool. Don't worry."
So what on earth does this all mean? Cider smiled broadly while brushing Esperanza's hair back with his fingertips.
"Alright. I'll teach you soon."
"Ah, but not right now?"
"Of course not right now. Don't I need to prepare too?"
"Cordelia's dress?"
"Let's stop talking about this."
Cider shook his head as if frustrated and ran away entirely. He'll probably go to the study anyway. Esperanza, left alone, clicked her tongue.
"What could it be?"
Stomping her feet alone in the reception room wouldn't produce an answer. He had never hidden things like this before.
'What was it that only I couldn't understand?'
She prided herself on not being particularly obtuse. What on earth was it?
"Is something wrong?"
Annie, who poked her head through the door, asked with a bright face.
"Miss, your clothing alterations are finished, so I came to tell you."
"Ah, good timing. You know what."
Esperanza, who was about to grab Annie and ask immediately, hesitated. For some reason, it felt like she shouldn't ask.
"What's wrong?"
"Ah, no. How are your brother's family doing?"
"They're fine now. We found a new place for them to stay for a while. The problem is that now that his situation is better, he keeps telling me to get married."
"That must be hard."
"While I'm here, I burn all of my brother's letters."
Annie answered with a grin.
"If there's anything I can help with, feel free to tell me anytime."
"You already helped with money for finding a house too! These days are really good. Work is relaxed, and the pay is generous. I could work here for a lifetime."
"Yes. Let's work here for a lifetime."
"Miss, is Annie here by any chance? I asked her to help make jam."
Madeline with a stern face opened the door and entered. Annie flinched and rolled her eyes.
"I called her for a moment. Go quickly."
Esperanza, who had been laughing while watching Annie hurriedly leave following Madeline, suddenly tilted her head. Just now, something seemed to have brushed past—the answer.
However, even thinking about it again, she couldn't tell which part it was. Esperanza slowly returned to the study.
Cider was sitting on the sofa instead of at the desk, reading a letter. When Esperanza returned, he extended one hand to pull her wrist.
"Come here."
Esperanza, who ended up sitting on Cider's lap with her body leaning against the armrest, naturally found a comfortable position.
"What are you looking at?"
"This story is for a little later..."
"Ah, does this also need preparation?"
"It's not like that."
Cider, who answered in an amused tone, lightly touched Esperanza's nostril with his hand.
"I wanted to talk about dungeons first."
Ah. Right. They couldn't skip that conversation.
"You said dungeons would appear for a while, right? How long is 'a while'?"
It was an important question. Cider answered while leaning back against the backrest.
"Ten years?"
"Ten years?"
Longer than expected. But thinking of it as time for an injured world to recover, it wasn't necessarily long.
Ten years.
For at least ten years, this world would need Esperanza. Esperanza quietly repeated it to herself. There's work for me to do here too. I'm in a world that needs me.
'Thank goodness.'
Even though it wasn't good news at all, she could feel herself feeling relieved in one corner of her heart.
"What are you thinking about?"
Cider, who had lowered his head to meet her eyes, asked.
"That it was worth staying."
"You think that while we're having this conversation?"
He burst into laughter as if he couldn't help it.
"Yes. Not as much as me, but this world seems to need you too."
Cider said while gently touching Esperanza's flushed cheek with the back of his hand. Esperanza quickly changed the subject.
"Then we'll need to spread dungeon detectors nationwide. We'll need to install them almost at internet levels. Since there's no infrastructure..."
Fortunately, Cider didn't tease her further. He readily replied while holding Esperanza's fingertips.
"I'll try expanding the detector range. Enough so that just one in each city hall would be sufficient. For areas where people don't live, well, that can't be helped."
City hall. City hall. Esperanza frowned. She didn't like it much. It was too urban, and many areas would be left out.
"How about train stations instead of city halls?"
"That would be good too. Either way, we'll need a distribution method, and mobility to move quickly to detected locations... Even if not the latter, the former seems solvable with this."
Finally the letter comes out. Esperanza quickly snatched the letter.
"Duke Galliston?"
Suddenly?
"Since the situation has become like this, he'll need to start cleaning up too."
"So, do we have to go meet that person? Is it necessary?"
"Of course my magician can do as she pleases."
Cider began quietly. This time it was plain sincerity without any teasing.
"I think there's no harm in listening. He won't be able to come out with the same attitude as before."
"I just don't like that person ordering us around. Who does he think he is?"
"There seems to be room for compromise on that part. Though it'll be conspicuous."
"Who cares."
When she was a stranger who would stay briefly and leave, she had gone along with this society's rules, but she couldn't live that way for a lifetime.
However, after thinking for a moment, Esperanza spoke again.
"...Let's just go visit him ourselves. But let's change the time."
"Why did you change your mind?"
"If we don't like it there, we can just storm out, but if we don't like it here, we'd have to drag that person out."
It was a likeable reason.
Cider proposed two days after the date the Duke had suggested. It was traditionally a day when royal family members gathered for lunch, but the Duke had no choice.
❀⋆｡°✿☆❀✿°｡⋆❀
Both sides were monsters anyway. In that case, a compassionate monster with weaknesses was better than a cruel monster that didn't consider consequences.
This was the conclusion Duke Edmund of Galliston had reached after staying up for three straight days. Duchess Schodny said while waving her fan.
"Isn't that obvious?"
It was nothing more than forcing reasons to fit a predetermined answer.
"What's important is what happens from now on. Will they truly remain compassionate monsters? How can we trust that?"
He didn't like variables. But if variables couldn't be eliminated, they had to be controlled, and if they couldn't be controlled either, there was no choice but to compromise.
"At least they're people we can communicate with, and now that they have no enemies, we should be able to find a compromise."
They had to. Because if not, there really would be no answer.
"Is there nothing for me to do?"
Duchess Schodny wasn't someone who would volunteer for such matters. Unless she had an agenda. The Duke's voice lowered reproachfully.
"You seem to have some jewelry you want to acquire."
"...You know. The one that came up in this auction! That nasty little brat Deborah has her eye on it, so how could I just leave it alone?"
"You won't be able to have that jewelry, Aunt. But I'll make sure you get the winning bid."
The Duchess, who understood the meaning, clapped her hands.
"That's enough! Edmund, what would you like me to do? Hmm?"
Should this be considered fortunate? Hunter Esperanza seemed to view Duchess Schodny quite favorably. Even though the first impression must have been terrible. If that was an ability, it was quite remarkable.
"For now, follow me. It's time to go meet the guests."
The Duke, who had been coming down to the lobby of Pinement House, stopped walking in the middle of the stairs.
Black silk hat. A body-hugging blouse and a skirt that fell in sharp diagonal lines. Black leather military boots. Overall it was unusual but an outfit that could often be seen outside. The problem was that this place was a palace.
"Miss Hunter. And, Avondale. Welcome."
What that outfit meant was clear. 'I have no intention of considering your circumstances.'
This won't be easy.
"Thank you for the invitation, Your Highness."
The four people, who greeted with reasonably friendly attitudes, crossed the palace corridor.
About half of the employees walking by with straight backs were faces they'd never seen before. But several were familiar. When they saw Esperanza and Cider, they bent their knees in greeting. It wasn't simply a greeting for guests. Esperanza curled up her cheeks and smiled.
"Ah, here. This is the room where I was suspected of being a thief and had my belongings searched."
The Duke stopped walking abruptly. Duchess Schodny rolled her eyes around. As the atmosphere became stiffly tense, Cider laughed quietly. Do they all know their own faults?
The Duke, who had been taking time to think about past karma for a moment, opened his mouth.
"I regret what happened then."
"Of course you would."
It wasn't a sarcastic tone. It was an attitude that seemed to declare it as if it was natural. It was clear she had no intention of acting moderately according to this society's norms.
"Miss Esperanza. You've decided to stay?"
"Yes."
"Forever?"
"That's... probably."
Was it okay to have this conversation with Duchess Schodny present? She glanced over, but the Duchess was looking out the window as if nothing could be heard. It seemed this wasn't the first or second time for such things.
"So that's how it turned out."
The Duke didn't seem inclined to upset Esperanza by bringing up how he had asked her to return before. Perhaps after experiencing the dungeon, he clearly understood who was above and who was below. This made conversation easier.