The sounds of the music were so loud that they seemed to vibrate inside the skull. Above the musicians, lined up along one of the walls, was a dome that contributed to the ideal distribution of acoustics, and people stood along the walls. Those who did not like to dance watched what was happening from above, from the second floor balcony.
Those who were no longer young and were not interested in the love games of youth usually used such moments to exchange political views. In normal times, Spencer Grimaldi would also be pacing up there, gathering like-minded people around him. But today everything was different.
— They look good together, don't they?
Said Claude. He wanted to see Adi’s reaction, but she just looked at Claude with a calm expression, responded with a slight bow and again fixed her gaze in front of her.
Adi's gaze was focused on Yuls, who was spinning in a dance. Juls, dancing with Leah Lintu, also cast glances in this direction at the first opportunity. It was as if he didn't care at all about who he was with right now. Apparently the lack of reaction disappointed Claude, and boredom showed on his face.
Soon someone approached Claude with the exclamation: “Your Highness!” Claude, as if delighted at the occasion, exclaimed: “Long time no see!” - and, putting his arm around the man’s shoulders, he left with him.
Spencer, looking at Claude leaving, thought how bored he must be if he decided to leave with a man in whom he was so uninterested that he did not even remember his name or title. Spencer wanted to at least suggest his last name, but Claude disappeared too quickly.
Spencer looked at Adi standing next to him.
Adi's gaze was no less intense than Julius Woodpecker's. Perhaps it was because Leah Lintu got the first dance? Jules had a clear desire to refuse written on his face, but the request of the Marchioness of Conolly was adamant. She insisted that he at least grace her adopted daughter's first dance with his presence.
When asked whether he, being a relative, could not provide such a small service for the sake of decency, Jules, of course, was going to answer “yes,” but Claude managed to get the word in first.
"Of course he will agree."
With these words, Claude declared that after Jules, he would be the next to ask her to dance, then he took Lea Lintu by the hand and pressed a kiss on the back of his hand.
In response to the remark that this should be enough to save Conolly's face, the Marquise only smiled, covering her face with her fan. There was doubt behind the thin fabric. Her face showed that she had no idea what he was up to, but no one bothered to mention it.
And Spencer noticed that something was going on between Duke Woodpecker and his daughter. What exactly is unclear. Looking at them now, it seemed that the rumors circulating in Pales were not entirely false. But they probably weren’t the truth either.
The grown-up Duke and Adi, who was secretly taken to Woodpecker. If he even gave her a surname and a knighthood...
Spencer looked at his daughter standing next to him.
In memory, Adrina was always plain. There was no one looking after her at the estate, so it was natural. The last time he really saw her was the day Adrian was buried. The girl with long hair looked exactly like the deceased boy. If his smile had been taken away, he would have been exactly like this.
Spencer Grimaldi, who decided that it was all over after his wife said that his son never lost his smile until his death, looking at the girl with flowing golden hair, thought that it would be nice if she was born a man. And then he took a risk. He named her Adrian.
Either the child turned out to be smarter than he thought, or he simply quickly understood what they wanted from him and responded to it. In fact, it turned out to be more valuable than expected. After all, no one thought that Adrian was dead.
However, now that they put the dress on her.
-...
The features of his wife appeared in her. A woman who was once called the most beautiful in the North. His wife, now shrouded in despair, smelling of pungent herbs and exhausted by nervous exhaustion, once had the same face and radiant smile.
“The daughter of the Lintu family cherishes a daring dream.
Spencer spoke.
- Increased status through marriage. What many people dream about.
Adi looked away and looked at him.
“Even if she becomes the adopted daughter of the Marchioness of Conolly, there will be no inheritance for her, and because of this one idea the mine was lost, so she simply needs to succeed in this marriage.
“I didn’t know you were so interested in other people.”
Having said this, Adi looked straight ahead again. She knew from experience that dancing involved close contact of bodies. Not only the clasped hands, but also the warmth of someone else, felt where the palm clasps the waist, causes a strange feeling. Lea Lintu probably feels the same thing that Adi felt last night.
Spencer, looking at his frowning daughter, called, "Adi." In response, she frowned even deeper, gathering wrinkles on the bridge of her nose.
-Have you decided to call me that?
- Do you want me to call you Adrina?
- Do as you wish.
Her tone showed indifference to what he would call her. Now the name Adrin seemed unusual to Spencer. Adrian - this name was much closer to him.
- That's right, Adrina.
She should have continued to use that name. At least according to his plan. Of course, Spencer's plans haven't changed yet. As long as she's alive, everything will work out somehow. Although it was somewhat difficult for her to take refuge in the Duke's House.
“I decided to run away, that is.”
“You were going to kill me.”
“I had no intention of killing you.”
There will be ways.
“I only intended to take you with me.” If you had no extraneous thoughts, no problems would arise.
“If I had gone to Grimaldi, I would have died,” said Adi.
Having finished speaking, she looked at Spencer and grinned.
“And in fact, that’s exactly what you wanted.”
In appearance she was an exact copy of his wife, but her smile was like his own. Secretive, sly face. That boy completely took after his mother. Now he didn’t really remember any of them.
- After all, all your children are dead.
“You make it sound like I did it on purpose.”
Was this a joke? Adi looked at him intently and called: “Spencer.” Spencer fell silent when he heard an address he never expected. This event could be included in the list of those few times in his life when he was truly confused. Despite the fact that he could not have misheard, Spencer, succumbing to the illusion that he had heard, asked again:
-...What did you just say?
“Shouldn’t you be responsible even if that wasn’t your intention?”
The look Adi gave him as she spoke these words was cold. Spencer let out a dry chuckle. He had heard that when a situation became too absurd it caused laughter, but he didn't think he would experience it himself. Spencer asked, “Did you just call me by my name?”
- What's wrong with that?
She had a completely calm face.
“I don’t think I did anything insolent.” Aren't we familiar enough for me to call you by your first name?
Not even an hour had passed since it was said that they were seeing each other for the first time. She turned out to be bolder than he expected. Spencer thought that this trait also made her similar to himself. “It would be nice if this child really were a man,” he thought and replied:
“I believe that such treatment is inappropriate.”
“Then should I call you “Mr. Count” so that you are satisfied?
Spencer looked at Adi. Has she always been like this? At least as far as he knew, she was different. Has she been hiding her true character all this time? For what? And if so, why is she showing it now? What has changed?
“I hope you don’t expect me to call you father.” There are too many unnecessary eyes here.
She referred to outsiders' views, but there was a different implication in her words. She never even dreamed of calling him father. Spencer grinned and said:
- Curious.
- And for me - not at all.
Spencer felt like she had changed too much from their first meeting. The child, who was more suited to the definition of “wild” than “uncouth,” after training became very tame. Just like Adrian. Spencer didn't see anything wrong with it. After all, the better an object can be controlled, the more convenient it is.
Perhaps she was only pretending to be submissive. Looking back, he realized that even her gaze was not the same as Adrian's. Why did he think she was quiet? She was not a doll-like child, but she was too obedient.
“And what did you do with the body you prepared?”
- How did I not notice?
It looks like Spencer really missed something.
“You, who know nothing about such matters, could not suddenly prepare a corpse so similar to you.”
-You've become pretty stupid. I was sure that you knew everything.
That's what Adi said.
- Where was I? So when I heard that Lef was looking for me in Pales, I took it as a smoke screen. In fact, I thought you would send assassins to Woodpecker.
-You have become impudent.
- I've always been like this.
—…….
- Apparently, you just didn’t know about it. And you had no desire to know.
Spencer Grimaldi was away from the estate more often than he was there. He probably tracked the state of affairs in the lands through reports, but he knew nothing about what was happening inside the house. That's why Adi once thought that Spencer might be better than the rest of the household.
This was a misconception.
“You left everything to your wife, only pretending that you were working for the good of the family here in Yonada.” And when I was entrusted to the care of Lef, you belatedly pretended to be taking care of the estate. Since I was exiled to Palesa, you haven't lifted a finger. Have you had time to find out anything about me?
- Looks like you have something to say.
Adi looked at Spencer with a look full of a silent question: is he really asking about this?
- Why then were you silent?
“Because I still believed that you considered me your child.”
“I still consider you my child.”
- No. You consider me only a blood relation. Not an independent person, but a useful puppet.
“And that’s why you’re so rebellious?”
At these words, Adi smiled. This smile did not belong to her, but to his late wife. The distant past, the time of which he no longer remembered, suddenly burst into the present through the image of Adi.
“Look forward to it, Spencer.”
As she said this, Yuls approached her from behind. Hugging Adi around the waist, he called her: “Adrina.” At the same time, his gaze was fixed on Spencer. Spencer frowned at his arm, which was wrapped defiantly around her waist.
- Will you give me a dance?
Instead of answering, Adi nodded and smiled faintly. Watching the couple walk hand in hand into the center of the room, Spencer exhaled in silent amazement, “Hmm.” At this moment, Lea Lintu approached him with a frozen face.
- Mister Count.
- Lea.
“It looks like His Highness Claude is in a different place now?”
Hearing Leia's words, Spencer looked up. On the upper balcony Claude could be seen talking with the guests. He looked down and smiled slightly. Lea Lintu also looked at Claude, who was standing upstairs. Spencer turned to Leia, who froze in indecision, as if not daring to go up there.
“……It looks like it will take a while.” You'd better approach the Marchioness of Conolly.
Having said this, Spencer added that it was time for him to go too, and walked away from her. In truth, Lea Lintu was not a person worth spending much attention on.
Adrina Grimaldi and Woodpecker. He could not understand what this Woodpecker was up to, but it was obvious that he was extremely suspicious of him.
Why? For what?
Their relationship with Woodpecker wasn't exactly bad. Of course, you can’t call them good either. Spencer, who was about to go up to Claude's Balcony, froze in front of the stairs, and the left corner of his lips lifted in a grin.
Duke of Woodpecker.
- However, this is not bad at all.