Chapter Title: The Ember
"It seems suspicious."
Cesare muttered as he blew out smoke. After a moment, he spoke again.
"...Set up a schedule with the shipyard and find a merchant from Treverium in the commercial district. One who couldn't get a *gratia*."
"What? Uh, yes. Understood...?"
Gigi, looking somewhat puzzled, took out his notebook and wrote down Cesare's instructions. Cesare massaged his temples with the hand holding the cigar. Eva's sudden appearance had wasted too much time. But he couldn't just let Adelaide meet a woman who had once attempted murder on her own.
"That shoe shiner is so damn troublesome."
"Sorry, what?"
"Nothing."
Fortunately, a discreet conversation had started below.
"...It was nice meeting you, Miss Adelaide. May I visit again?"
Lucrezia opened with a polite greeting.
"I enjoyed it as well. For the next meeting, it would be best to ask my brother."
A polite deflection. Lucrezia likely bit her lip at this point, making a pitiful face to invoke sympathy as she blinked her eyes.
"What about your own feelings, Miss Adelaide? I'm curious about your opinion."
A kind remark, but agreeing here would give Lucrezia a reason to keep visiting. Fortunately, the shoe shiner wasn't that foolish.
"I certainly enjoyed meeting you too, Miss Lucrezia. But my brother's wishes are more important to me, as he is my family."
"The Elder Madam also approved of this meeting."
"Yes. So, the Elder Madam of Bonaparte would respect the wishes of the current head, my brother, and so will I."
Her tongue seemed oiled. So, she learned all this from books. Cesare felt amused. The dinner's annoyance dissipated instantly. But Lucrezia wasn't backing down.
"...I just want to continue today's meaningful meeting. Did I make a mistake?"
"Not at all."
"If not... Do you believe that friendship between ladies cannot exist?"
"Of course, it can. But it seemed you were more focused on your relationship with my brother than on friendship with me."
Cesare wanted to laugh heartily. How like a shoe shiner to be so direct. Lucrezia, shocked, spoke in a trembling voice.
"...Why would you say that? I wanted to be friends with you, Miss Adelaide. I just sought Marquis Cesare's help because I was still a bit awkward..."
"Miss Lucrezia."
Adelaide spoke softly, her voice gentle.
"You like my brother, don't you?"
It was a straightforward question despite the gentle tone.
"Hmm."
Cesare, intrigued, narrowed his eyes and crossed his legs. The answer was obvious.
"...It's not that I like him. I love him deeply. More than anyone."
*Of course, you do.*
"I see."
Adelaide's similar response made Cesare stifle a laugh.
"Miss Lucrezia, please don't be too offended by what I'm about to say."
"Miss Adelaide! I'm afraid. What are you going to say to hurt me?"
"If this hurts, it means your love is genuine."
"...What?"
"Miss Lucrezia, what I'm saying is..."
Adelaide paused and took a slight breath.
"If you truly love my brother, wouldn't it be better to try to win his heart rather than trying to get rid of me?"
"...!"
Gigi, listening in, stifled his laughter. Cesare, too engrossed in the conversation, nearly forgot to smoke his cigar. It was an engrossing conversation.
"...What do you mean?"
"Exactly as I said. Even if I disappear, it doesn't mean my brother will love you."
Lucrezia probably had never heard such blunt words in her life. Of course, Cesare always said such things, but it seemed his words never reached her ears. Lucrezia's voice quivered with rage.
"...Are you making a fool of me?"
"Why would you think that?"
"How can you say that...! You're looking down on me! Saying I can't even be loved by the Marquis, just making trouble for the women around him!"
"Lucrezia has a point."
"Lord, she can hear you..."
"You're laughing too."
Gigi chuckled softly. Cesare took another puff of his cigar. Lucrezia's words were, unfortunately, painfully accurate. Her rampages were always directed at other ladies, never at Cesare, who was the one actually meeting different women. That's why he disliked Della Valle. Despite their scholarly talk and lofty airs, their true nature was hypocritical.
"Maybe you don't know because you're from the countryside!"
"Yes, that's exactly it."
"...What?"
"I came from the countryside and am not familiar with Fornatie. I have no base here. All my actions are decided by Marquis Cesare."
It seemed the conversation was getting to the main point. Cesare's gaze, staring into the distance, grew cold.
"In other words, Miss Lucrezia, no matter what you think or do to me, if my brother wants me here, I stay."
"..."
"It means showing your teeth to me is pointless."
"Wait a minute. What do you mean by showing my teeth...! Why are you accusing me like that?"
Lucrezia protested in the formal high-society manner, but her opponent was unfazed.
"Let's just say, being from the countryside, I'm not used to high society yet."
Cesare almost laughed out loud. Adelaide's straightforward speech must have felt like a self-destructing galleon to the high society folks used to twisted words.
"And to be honest."
Adelaide paused, then spoke in a slightly weary voice.
"I don't want to be involved between the two of you."
"...?"
"..."
Cesare stopped in the middle of taking a puff from his cigar. Adelaide continued.
"Whatever you're thinking, Marquis Cesare and I are purely siblings."
"..."
After a long silence, Lucrezia asked.
"Last time, you two seemed very close..."
"That's true. But I was almost in an accident then, and my brother was just more concerned than usual."
"..."
"If there hadn't been an accident, my brother wouldn't have much reason to pay attention to me. I'm just a sister who came up from the countryside one day. Perhaps one who might get married soon."
The cigar fell from Cesare's lips. He let the cooling cigar lie and focused on the voices below.
"To be more direct, Marquis Cesare is indeed a wonderful person."
"..."
"You two make a great match."
"Does my sister have bad taste?"
Cesare muttered, but Adelaide couldn't hear.
"It doesn't matter to me whom my respected brother meets."
"..."
Cesare took a deep puff of the cigar. The barely revived ember sputtered. He didn't bother to relight it, leaning back. It was night now.
His sister's speech wasn't bad. The conditions Cesare had set for Adelaide were to debut successfully in high society and break the arrangement with Della Valle. Lucrezia's interference wasn't part of it. There was no need for Adelaide to clash with Lucrezia. If Lucrezia, the zealot, accepted it, of course.
Cesare had introduced Adelaide as his lover to Lucrezia, just to keep the shoe shiner alive before her marriage to Ezra. If Adelaide could escape Lucrezia's scrutiny, there would be no need for such pretense.
Thin smoke curled up from the cigar in Cesare's mouth. No more voices came from below. The carriage carrying Lucrezia was moving away. Adelaide remained standing there for a while before her footsteps disappeared into the mansion.