Cedric's direct way of speaking still often bewildered Dalia.
While she was in a dumbfounded state, Cedric rested his chin on his hand and said with a smile.
"Why don't we change the teaching method a little bit?"
"...Change how?"
"From now on, we will read books and discuss for a long time, share our daily life with each other, eat together, and write letters to each other often...."
That seems like they were getting closer to improving friendship rather than trying to understand humans.
Cedric wedged Dalia, who was flustered.
"No more meetings with the author."
"Th, that's…."
She can't believe he brought it up here.
She didn't know what to do and looked confused. Cedric playfully laughed.
"Then, for the next class...let's try a different method."
"Okay, let's do that."
She finally managed to escape from that topic.
That was the result when she listened to Cedric's own opinion.
Now there's only one thing left.
"Sir Cedric, I have a question."
"Huh?"
Dalia opened her lips.
"How to find someone?"
Cedric's expression changed to a serious one after hearing the brief explanation of the situation.
"Adrisha does say useful things sometimes. I'll have to thank her later."
"She always says the right things."
Dalia protested timidly. Cedric gave a short apology before he got into trouble again.
"You can't tell who you're looking for?"
"I'm sorry."
"It's okay. If you're looking for someone, go to 59th Street Winston. That's where people who hid their identity and disappeared gather. Of course, there are many counterfeiters and mercantile agencies."
59th Street Winston. 59th Street Winston.
Dalia repeated the name several times to memorize it and wrote it down on the paper she brought.
"I can go with you if you really want to. Like Adrisha said, I have a relationship with a few people there."
However, the reply was not as relieving as expected. There's something that was bothering her.
Dalia raised her head and asked.
"Is there a problem?"
Cedric answered with a pause.
"Of course it's good for me to go with you, but I don't know if going with you will be of any help in terms of the success rate."
She didn't understand what he meant. Fortunately, Cedric explained it further.
"I didn't end things well with the people there. They are probably afraid of me."
"...."
"Sorry. I didn't end things well with most people."
Cedric looked depressed with his eyes lowered.
It was the first time she saw him looking sullen. Dalia wants to tease him for some reason.
But he looked so seriously sad that she held it in.
'Just what did you do?'
It wasn't surprising.
Cedric hates humans. It would have been more disappointing if he got along well with criminals without any hesitation.
"Why don't you change your face like Mr. Meldon?"
"People in the back alleys have good eyesight. They can tell when you put on a disguise. You can even change your hair color and eye color. If you go, I will help you with that."
It was luck among the misfortunes. Dalia's gray hair was not common. If she made a mistake, she might be caught.
"Anyway, I want to be with you, but I think it would be better to not go with you for your sake."
Cedric lowered his eyes with a serious regret.
"I recommend not taking Adrisha either. It will be bad. She can't stand injustice and is very sensitive about certain crimes."
It was a very strong point. Cedric probably doesn't know Adrisha as well as she does.
"Instead, I'll send someone who can help you. Go with him."
"Oh, is that okay?"
Cedric gave a beautiful smile.
"I'm different from people like Hikan. I think you should go if you want to."
Even though Cedric mentioned her favorite person, she couldn't refute it this time.
He smiled vaguely as if he knew Dalia's heart.
"Go. Tell me what happened after you came back."
"Thank you. Really, truly."
"Then will you allow me to kiss the back of your hand?"
Dalia laughed inside.
What does he mean by kiss? He was someone who turns red just by holding hands. She confidently held out her hand.
Cedric's long fingers intertwined with hers.
His fingers went in between her fingers, and before she knew it, she was interlocking with him.
Cedric clasped her hands, pulling her hands so that they touched.
Instead of bowing, he pulled the hand he held, turned it around, and kissed the back of her hand briefly.
The texture of his lips remained on the back of her hand without gloves.
Everything happened too quickly and naturally.
In an instant, blood rushed to Dalia's cheeks and ears. Even without looking in the mirror, she could tell the color on her face right now.
Cedric's laughter could be heard over Dalia's ears, which were incomparably red compared to the last time.
"I knew you'd do this, so I practiced too, Dalia. I no longer blush to this extent."
Dalia couldn't say anything more.
As if swallowing a whole hot stone, the fever rose vigorously to the depths of her heart.
Cedric was a grown up like her. She suddenly realized that fact.
* * *
It was embarrassing enough to die, but anyway, after arranging the date with Cedric, Dalia set the date for the visit sometime next week.
That afternoon, she secretly coaxed the coachman to hide her destination from Hikan and went out.
She was caught going out secretly by the Emperor in the past, so the coachman was very reluctant at first.
"Miss, if I get caught again this time, I'll be in big trouble."
"It's okay. Then I'll take responsibility for Hans' later years."
"Really?"
Dalia secretly slips something into his pocket.
Perhaps he saw his later years from the money she gave him, and the coachman went on without a word.
Dalia stopped the carriage at the meeting place where Cedric told her. There was really someone waiting there.
He was a tall man with strong features.
As soon as he saw Dalia, he said a predetermined code.
As soon as she said the code, he immediately knelt down and showed courtesy. Fortunately, he skipped kissing the back of her hand like Cedric did because she didn't wear gloves.
Just remembering what happened back then, Dalia's face became feverish again.
He handed the coachman a letter that seemed to have been sent by Cedric and sent him back. And he guided Dalia to another carriage.
"You can get in here."
"Ah, thank you."
"You can speak comfortably."
"But you're still someone from the Imperial Palace..…."
"No, that's more comfortable for me."
Even if he couldn't go, he would attach a spy belonging to the Imperial Palace to Dalia.
Dalia was about to cry at Cedric's kindness.
This person was Wayne.
He was a serious and talented spy whose name appeared several times in the original. Besides, Cedric was the one who sent him, so he must be reliable.
Dalia swallowed the edible magic bead made by Cedric with water.
After a while, her hair, which flowed down over her shoulders, turned to plain brown.
She checked the color of her eyes with a hand mirror.
Her eyes had also changed to the same brown color as her hair.
'Amazing.'
He said that it would last for about 5 hours every time she ate one, and he gave her plenty of them.
Dalia checked the time with a pocket watch and put it back.
"You said that you're looking for someone who's hiding under the guise of being dead. If so, he must be a person who can report death and falsify his identity at the same time. As far as I know, there is only one person who can do that in the capital. We'll go to him."
He drove the carriage himself and took her in front of an old house.
For some reason, her heart was pounding as if she had become the main character in a crime movie she had seen in her previous life.
Wayne knocked on the door several times with a unique rhythm and after a while, the door opened.