During the lull in conversation, the carriage stopped in front of a mansion as grand as a palace, puffing white steam. When they showed the very expensive invitation tickets purchased in keeping with the charity ball's purpose to the automaton, the door opened.
"Automatic doors?"
"They seem quite interested in this sort of thing."
Cider paused briefly, then added that Mr. Talbot was Duke Shodney's younger brother and Miss Talbot was the only daughter of Mrs. Sutley, who had been the wealthiest woman in the country, making this family richer than Duke Shodney himself.
Befitting such a family, the ballroom was decorated with refreshing elegance. Lighter clothing suited to the warming weather and newly purchased accessories to match. Social dancing with five pairs of men and women facing each other. The only things in this ball that matched the charitable purpose were the ledger placed on the table at the entrance and the amounts written on it.
"Even charity has its grades. For a party hosted by someone of Miss Talbot's caliber, the donations from participants get an extra zero added."
Cider looked disapprovingly at the creaking automaton and snatched the pen. Then he scrawled his signature along with an amount. Esperanza doubted her eyes.
'He must be crazy.'
"I have to keep up appearances too."
"...Ah, appearances."
Whether he had become particularly extravagant with money lately, or whether Esperanza just hadn't noticed until now. Since the Count was going to spend the Count's money, it was meaningless to try to stop him over every expense, so Esperanza looked away from the staggering amount.
She saw familiar faces. Following Cider, Esperanza first greeted Miss Talbot, the hostess. Miss Talbot lightly embraced Esperanza's shoulders.
"Mary told me so much about you. You were at Mabelwood all this time, weren't you? How was Lady Cordelia?"
"She was sullen at first, but she's doing well now."
"That's a relief."
Whether she was naturally tearful or not, the lady's eyes quickly reddened despite her role as hostess, and she dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief.
"Oh, sorry. This is how I am. I get overly invested in other people's affairs. I started doing charity work because I felt sorry seeing children going around begging... When adults are poor, it's due to laziness, but how is it a child's fault when they're poor?"
Cider noticed that his sleeve, which Esperanza was gripping, was getting slightly wrinkled and clicked his tongue inwardly.
"It's heartbreaking when children go hungry. You're doing good work."
"It's nothing much. I just deliver food ingredients to orphanages, provide funding for orphanage establishment to charity workers in areas without orphanages, and hold parties like this to ask for donations."
However, even after that, the lady went on for quite a while about how she operated her charity work. How pitiful the children were, how touching the letters sent by children raised in orphanages when they came of age and left...
"Oh my, Mother. Please release the guests now. Lord Avondale, Miss Hunter. Please hurry inside."
Just as the talk was getting lengthy, Mary Talbot, who had come running at the perfect moment, linked arms with the lady and escaped from the spot.
The next person the two sought out was Lady Purse. When they offered their greetings, the old lady wrinkled her nose bridge and smiled mischievously.
"Yes, how lovely you look coming together like that. Isn't that right, Avondale?"
Esperanza expected Cider, who had become the target of teasing, to say something, but he merely curved his lips upward slightly. As if he had matured during those few weeks. Wrinkles folded around the eyes visible above the fan. Look at this guy.
"I can guess what you're thinking, but just don't say it."
"Hmph, as if you know what I'm thinking!"
"Lady Purse, whatever you're thinking, you're not someone who would be helpful to me."
"Miss Hunter, really, with such a fellow..."
Lady Purse was about to speak but closed her mouth and shook her head.
"Go dance or something. Avondale, you wouldn't leave the lady's dance card empty, would you?"
Esperanza, who knew today's purpose well, had no intention of dancing from the start. One song for appearances wouldn't be bad, but now? Why bother?
"Shall we check if Lady Purse confirms we're dancing?"
When Esperanza, confirming the old lady was moving away, tugged on Cider's sleeve and whispered, Cider slightly furrowed his brow. After briefly pondering between a well-intentioned lie and a truth full of disadvantages, he answered.
"Probably."
"Would it be troublesome if she found out we ran away without dancing?"
"Want to experience it firsthand?"
Glancing at Lady Purse, she had already caught quite an elderly gentleman and was holding onto him like catching a mouse, scolding him for his insincere attitude. The gentleman, who looked old enough to have children around ten years old, could only nod yes, yes, completely unable to move. The noble lady who appeared to be his wife had long since escaped.
If we get caught there, today's goal will be ruined.
While Esperanza gazed at the dance floor with quite a determined expression, Cider gently wrapped his hand around Esperanza's wrist.
"Why?"
Then Cider pulled out the dance card tied to Esperanza's wrist. And before Esperanza could say anything, he wrote his name for the last song.
"This should work, right?"
The last song? Of all things?
"Why not dance first? The next song should start soon."
"Dealing with it that way wouldn't be fun."
Esperanza narrowed her eyes and looked Cider up and down. She couldn't find any particular weakness in his attitude, but...
"You just don't like group dancing, right?"
"That's part of it. Now, Esperanza. Your little friends have arrived."
Wondering what he meant, Esperanza turned her head in the direction Cider pointed and discovered Sylvia Humphrey and other girls she had befriended at the Humphrey ball and several tea parties.
"Miss Hunter, it's been so long! Lord Avondale. I can't let that comment pass. Little friends?"
"Ah, distinguished young ladies."
Cider smiled coldly as if to say now go away.
Sylvia Humphrey and her friends, who had come to ask about Cordelia's well-being, easily separated Esperanza from Cider.
Cider chuckled and waved at Esperanza, who was dragged away saying "uh, uh." It was both amusing and cute to see Esperanza, who skillfully handled giant monsters, struggling with the hands of three ladies.
Now, while those pixie-like ladies held onto Esperanza, he had to deal with people he didn't want to meet while accompanied by his dear lady.
If only he had been a little less fond of her, he wouldn't have cared. Cider, who had been watching Esperanza's retreating figure, moved his steps.
❀⋆｡°✿☆❀✿°｡⋆❀
As Cider intended, Esperanza was firmly caught by the 'pixie-like ladies.' Her arms were literally tightly held.
"How's Cordelia? She looked very bad when she returned to Mabelwood."
"It's hard to say for certain, but she seems fine now. She'll be back soon."
"Oh my, really? But surely there were rumors..."
Since rumors had spread, it was natural that Cordelia's friends were worried sick. Did they say Lady Cordelia of Mabelwood had fled at news of her former fiancé's arrival in the capital?
Anyway, you could imagine how gleefully those who love gossip had chewed over news of others' misfortune. Thinking of Cordelia, who must have ruminated on that fact throughout her stay at Mabelwood, how much that gentle but quick-tempered young lady must have inwardly burned with anger.
"It's not my business, so it's a bit awkward to speak carelessly about it."
"But it's fine, right?"
She could be certain about that part. While the dungeon incident at Mabelwood may not have been fortunate for the territory itself, it had been a boon for Cordelia.
After the incident, she and Alastair, who had become much closer, seemed to have some kind of conversation, and then Alastair said he would return to Dunbarton. Naturally, Cordelia was able to return to Nine Holder. What conversation they had between them was unknown.
"What are you all talking about? Esperanza. When did you get back? Was I the only one who didn't know?"
Cheerful Lucinda Maxwell suddenly joined in.
"Welcome. We just met too. But you, that thing in your hair!"
Everyone's gaze turned to Lucinda's hair. Lucinda showed off by curtsying. The small hat-like thing was unique and cute.
"Goodness, how did you get it! We had Cassie stand in line at the hat shop for three hours and still couldn't get one!"
"I was lucky, I guess."
"How is it, does it seem to be working?"
"I don't know yet."
Esperanza's gaze fixed on Lucinda Maxwell's hair ornament. Her eyes narrowed.
"Lucinda, may I touch it briefly? I won't take it off."
"Oh, sure. Come to think of it, Esperanza wouldn't know, would you? It's an ornament sold by a hat shop that opened recently. It's quite unique—they say if you wear this, you can go around the party hall all night without your face turning red from drinking or becoming dark from exhaustion. Their hats are the same way."
"I don't know if such a thing is really possible though."
"To confirm, we'll have to make Lucinda drink!"
Esperanza watched the young ladies giggling as they went to find alcohol for Lucinda to drink, then lowered her gaze to her palm.
"Equipment?"
Esperanza was almost certain with her 7-year hunter's intuition. That was made from monster feathers.
Monster leather was also being distributed at the magic item shop she had visited when she first came here. If it had been casually mixed in then, this time it was being sold everywhere as a product openly boasting of its effects.
It was as if someone was intentionally trying to lay the groundwork for positive perceptions about the existence of monsters, or the value of monster byproducts.
Esperanza looked around. Even at this party venue, it seemed more than ten noble ladies were already wearing the same ornament. No matter how trends spread like wildfire, was it possible for them to take hold so instantly?
The time Esperanza had stayed at Mabelwood was less than a month. This was definitely not natural.
Having thought that far, Esperanza instinctively turned her head to look for Cider. Cider was talking with some gentleman, but by the time Esperanza spotted him and crossed the party hall, he seemed to have noticed and was finishing his conversation.
"What's wrong?"
"I'll wait until you finish your conversation."
"The conversation is over. That's all there is to say, right? Well then, farewell."
The gentleman who seemed to have been asking him for something opened his mouth ungracefully wide. However, Cider didn't look back.