Chapter Title: The Weight of Kindness
Adelaide looked up at him blankly. She felt strange.
How long had it been since she last heard those words?
Her mind drifted, and just as Lady Flavia's nagging voice began with "Like a lady!", she snapped back to reality.
"…I'm fine. I received treatment. Thank you for your concern."
Despite her stiff response, Ezra smiled warmly.
Feeling a tickle in her throat from his kind gaze, Adelaide involuntarily looked away.
"So, are you heading back for today?"
This time, Ezra's eyes widened. He blinked in surprise, then asked with a serious expression.
"Do you want me to leave just like this?"
"…"
*He's more straightforward than I expected…*
While she was thinking that, Ezra laughed awkwardly, his voice slightly uncertain.
"I dressed up with some care. Does it not show?"
"Ha."
Adelaide inadvertently chuckled.
Ezra's face immediately brightened, and Adelaide finally laughed aloud.
"No, actually, I was looking forward to it as well. Please take care of me."
---
Ezra suggested riding his horse to the Condentio Gallery, where the clubs were held, but Aegir firmly refused.
"My master entrusted the young lady to me."
Ezra regarded Aegir with an unusually scrutinizing gaze, then shrugged.
"Then it can't be helped."
The atmosphere was oddly beyond mere politeness—almost cold.
*Are they on bad terms?*
Adelaide checked Aegir's expression, but the red-haired Brachiere only blinked expressionlessly.
He looked as though he wasn't thinking anything, as usual. Adelaide quickly abandoned her investigation.
Soon, the two horses began walking up the hill. Ezra turned back several times even after entering the street.
"So, Duke Cesare really didn't come to see you off."
"To see me off?" Adelaide, riding in front of Aegir, asked in puzzlement.
"It's your first social season, isn't it? It's customary for the family to see you off when you leave and greet you when you return."
Adelaide's lips curved subtly.
*Where's the man who pretended to be such a devoted brother…*
Seeing Adelaide's expression, Ezra made a strange face.
"Miss Adelaide. Does Duke Cesare treat you well?"
She wanted to call him a perverted, promiscuous libertine, but the law of Omertà was strict. Adelaide spoke calmly.
"My brother is kind. He's just shy."
"Shy…"
"Yes. He speaks harshly, but he is kind and very shy."
"Shy…"
"Yes."
When Adelaide spoke firmly, Ezra looked as though he couldn't possibly agree, but smiled as if he didn't want to argue directly with a lady.
"For someone shy, he speaks quite formally with you."
"He only recently came to the capital, so it's still awkward for him. It's not because there's any issue between us."
Despite her explanation, Ezra's eyes remained filled with concern.
Adelaide, pretending to be as calm as possible, asked him slyly.
"Do I seem awkward with my brother?"
"Not awkward, but…"
Ezra chose his words very carefully, his smile looking incredibly forced.
"…You don't seem like typical siblings, having been apart for so long."
"That's because you haven't seen other sides of my brother. Even earlier, when I was treated in his room, he was very worried—"
"What? In Duke Cesare's room?"
Ezra asked in surprise.
"But a grown lady being nursed in the same room… it could cause misunderstandings…"
Come to think of it, Lucrezia had said something similar…
Adelaide tried to explain without appearing defensive.
"My brother cares for me very much."
"So, he was with you the entire time your ankle was being treated?"
"Yes, he was."
"So Duke Cesare saw your bare feet as well."
Seeing Ezra's eyes tremble with disbelief, Adelaide roughly guessed what misunderstanding he was forming.
She looked away subtly.
*He probably did it purely for his own convenience…*
Adelaide briefly pondered whether to protect Cesare's honor but realized there was no honor left for the prodigal son of Bonaparte. Besides, it was his fault for moving the injured Adelaide to his bedroom in the first place.
Having reached a conclusion, Adelaide asked as if she didn't understand.
"Is that a serious problem?"
"…"
Ezra's response was a silent, complicated gaze.
Then he asked with a slightly strained expression.
"…You do use separate rooms, don't you?"
Adelaide blinked innocently, hoping to appear naive.
"Of course. My brother recognizes me as a proper member of Bonaparte."
"Oh, that's a relief, but…"
"Is something bothering you?"
A subtle smile appeared on Ezra's lips. He hesitated for a long time before speaking.
"…Does Duke Cesare…"
"Yes."
"…Does he have any…"
"Yes?"
"…"
He stopped mid-sentence, looked at Adelaide's face, and shook his head with difficulty.
"…Never mind. I misspoke. Please forget it… Just let me know if you ever need help."
---
Condentio Gallery was a multi-story building carved into the cliffs of Ador's coast.
Though narrow, its height was dizzyingly tall, with arches of brown brick continuing like piano keys.
From the moment Adelaide entered the gallery in Aegir's arms, she couldn't take her eyes off the glass dome ceiling.
The sunset light streaming through the glass cast rippling shadows on the reddish-brown brick interior.
Gentlemen in black tricorn hats and ladies with golden chrysanthemums decorating the brims of their hats moved like tropical fish beneath it.
"Are there always this many people?"
Adelaide realized she might have looked like a foolish country girl after asking.
But fortunately, Ezra didn't laugh at her and smiled gently.
"It's actually fewer today because it's the first day of the season. It will be more crowded tomorrow."
"Do social gatherings only take place here?"
"Of course, the venues vary."
Recalling Cesare's words, Adelaide asked.
"Where does the Balladur Club meet?"
Ezra's expression became subtle.
"The Balladur Club—since most attendees hold high positions—meets at Ador's temple. It's the most secure location."
"I see…"
*That means I won't run into Cesare.* Ezra looked at Adelaide thoughtfully and asked quietly.
"Did you want to go to the Balladur Club?"
"No, my brother intends to introduce me there eventually."
"Oh…"
Though he appeared composed, his face didn't seem entirely calm.
Adelaide remembered that he was the second son of Della Valle, a scholar with no clear standing, and looked up at the dome again.
"Having never participated in social activities in Capolo, this all feels rather unfamiliar. What kinds of clubs are there?"
Ezra, with a kind expression, responded to her question.
"Then this might be a good opportunity to experience them. The most popular ones involve yachting and horse riding. Santnar people love speed."
"I see…"
*They must all have far too much free time.*
The shoe shiner who had struggled through a harsh life felt a skewed sense of irony.
She hid her thoughts and smiled gracefully.
"They all have wonderful hobbies."
"Some hobbies truly enrich human life. Personally, I believe books are the finest among them."
With that, Ezra led Adelaide to the room where the Verisimus Club gathered.
The room, carpeted in ivory, had several round tables around which people clustered, whispering quietly.
They all stopped talking the moment Adelaide and Ezra entered.
Then, like a school of sardines, they simultaneously turned their heads toward Adelaide.
"…"
Startled by their synchronized movements, Adelaide involuntarily clutched Aegir's neck tightly. Her breathing began to quicken.
*Damn initiation.*
*I'm so tired of crowds now.*
Feeling her mouth go dry, she barely managed to loosen her grip on his arm.
Aegir, with a slightly exaggerated motion, readjusted his hold on her. He patted her arm several times in a way only she could notice.
"…"
"…"
She looked at Aegir in surprise, but his expression remained unchanged.
*Was that a gesture of comfort?*
Adelaide let out a small, involuntary laugh.