Estribal threw the bottle into the fireplace. The flames roared up.
“Did you hate to tell me that much?”
Ciello, who had now become quite accustomed to his gruffness, didn’t even flinch and chuckled. At her composed demeanor, Estribal sighed lightly and replied.
“Right. You’re not scared anymore. At first, you were crying and wailing, as if you were going to die.”
“Ah, it was different back then.”
Ciello pouted with an embarrassed face. Estribal chuckled and flicked the book in Ciello’s hand with his thumb and index finger.
“Anyway, lose interest in useless things. Have you read all of this?”
As if she had been waiting, Ciello held out the book to him.
“Of course! Let’s take a test. Quickly.”
Estribal, amused by her eagerness, lightly flipped through the book he received.
“Alright. Let’s see.”
“Hurry up. Before I forget.”
Ciello dozed off, sticking right behind the chair. Estribal tilted his head back and asked.
“So, in the Cotillion dance, which foot should the lady extend first in the third step?”
“Well, wait a minute, it’s confusing because the etiquette teacher is a woman. Anyway, I’m the standard, right? But if you ask like that…”
Ciello extended her feet back and forth, mumbling left and right. Estribal spoke in a voice mixed with laughter.
“It seems like my feet will wear out at the founding ceremony. Can you really attend?”
“Ah, I will definitely go! You’ll know once you actually do it. I’m good at using my body, you know?”
Ciello retorted in annoyance, but Estribal nodded teasingly.
“I see. I guess I’ll have to wear steel shoes.”
“No, I’m serious!”
Ciello shook his chair and then grabbed his arm with an ‘Ah!’
“I can show you right now!”
Estribal, whose arm was grabbed, was rather flustered and stood up from his chair in surprise.
“Wait, Ciello. Let go first and tell me. What do you want me to do?”
“What do you mean? Dance. Life is all about practice!”
Ciello’s hand lightly landed on Estribal’s shoulder. At the touch of that careless hand, Estribal let out a low groan and gently pushed Ciello away. Then, a hurt expression filled Ciello’s face.
“Do you dislike it?”
“No, it’s not that…Ah. Just wait a moment.”
Estribal pressed his forehead and opened the table drawer to take out a leather glove.
“It might be a bit big, but put it on first.”
“Huh?”
“It’s because you’re too close. As for the head…”
Estribal looked around quickly and picked up a silk nightcap that was rolling on the sofa and put it on Ciello’s head. The bright red hair was completely covered.
“No, it’s not like we’re disguising. Do we have to go this far?”
Ciello looked up at him with a dumbfounded expression. But Estribal cut her off.
“You know nothing.”
At his firm answer, Ciello pouted and put on the loose glove. Only then did Estribal calmly regulate his breathing, lightly held Ciello’s other hand, and wrapped his arm around the air as if to barely touch it instead of the waist.
With his attitude that he would never touch, Ciello also lightly placed her hand on his shoulder as if she had lost steam.
“One, two.”
As Ciello muttered softly, the two of them began to move their feet. Ciello stepped with quite convincing movements, showing a talent for physical activity. When Estribal nodded in approval, her gray eyes full of anticipation looked up at Estribal.
“Look. Do I not look quite ladylike?”
As their faces drew close, their eyes met, and a forced chuckle escaped Estribal’s lips.
He believed in the beauty of color, felt a burning desire in touch. Thus he hid Ciello’s head and covered her hand. But all of that was meaningless.
He had never seen such sparkling gray eyes in this black and white world. Even the dull gray seemed radiant in Ciello’s eyes.
“Ha….”
With a sigh, impulsively, Estribal’s hand that had been enveloping the empty air tightened. The slender waist was wrapped in strong arms. Losing balance, Ciello stumbled against him.
“Oof, I’m sorry!”
Startled, Ciello tried to push him away. But the hand around Ciello’s waist did not loosen.
“Duke?”
Ciello looked up at him in confusion. But without a word, he embraced Ciello and moved gently. Matching the beat, moving their feet, pulling arms to change direction, then spinning around. It was completely different from the mere pretense of earlier.
“Ah….”
Ciello, too, felt it and put more strength into the hand on his shoulder. Still, he did not push Ciello away. In fact, he pulled her closer, moving with more intimacy. Ciello’s cheeks became flushed.
The two danced as if it were a palace hall. Ciello started humming along with the beat. It was an old, common tune. But at that moment, Estribal shuddered once again.
Until now, even music had been fragmented in his ears. He couldn’t feel the harmony of chords or the flow of melody. He had ears but no way to appreciate beauty. However, starting with Ciello’s soft voice, the sounds of many instruments he knew overlapped like a fantasy.
“La la…la.”
As the short singing ended, slowly their feet also slowed down together. Ciello cautiously felt the hand that held his shoulder and hugged his neck. The intention was clear.
Estribal remembered. The thin breath and soft touch felt through a single layer of thin cloth. Back then, he had to stop in despair, but now, perhaps.
As he thought this, a warm heat rose below his waist. Of course, when their bare skin touched, when his body reached the deepest desired place, he knew that intense pain would come. But even that pain would be a pleasure of forbidden ecstasy.
He made illogical thoughts as if his head was melting, and the hand that was holding Ciello’s waist slid. The hand trapped in the thin glove trembled, wanting to grasp something more right away.
“Ah…”
At his touch, Ciello flinched. The silk nightcap fell to the floor. The bright red hair pricked Estribal’s eyes. He came to his senses as if he had been hit by an overly clear color.
Back then, he thought the world would end soon anyway, and he would soon lose Ciello. That’s why he could be so impulsive.
But now it was different. Maybe, just maybe, Ciello would not disappear from his side. When he realized this, what consumed him was fear beyond joy.
In his excessively long life, he had never had a normal relationship. In his world, those with names were either people he had killed or would kill. Conversely, those who did not need to be killed were nameless and merely replaceable shadows.
What should he do when he meets a being that cannot be killed or replaced? Can he really be sane in this unfamiliar relationship?
Confusing fear surged. He withdrew his hand.
“What I want is not this.”
A lie. A sound mocking himself echoed in his ears. But Estribal pretended not to hear it and held the hand of Ciello, who was hugging his neck. Ciello put strength into the hand wearing the glove.
“Duke…”
Ciello gently lowered his head. Ciello’s eyelashes fluttered. For a moment, Estribal’s hand veins writhed. The gloved fingers were heavier than chains, and the fluttering eyelashes pricked him like a needle.
Estribal chewed the inside of his mouth. He barely came to his senses with the bitter taste of blood and let go of Ciello’s hand. Ciello looked down at her own hand and gave an awkward smile.
“I’m sorry, Ciello. I’m still…”
Instead of answering, Ciello took off the glove and handed it to him. He took the glove in surprise. Ciello bowed her head and quietly left the room.
Estribal looked down at the glove and slowly put it on his hand. Beyond the smell of leather, a faint fig scent wrapped around his hand. Estribal clenched his fist as if to hold onto that scent.
****
After that day, a music subject was added to Ciello’s etiquette lessons. Fortunately, Ciello quickly took an interest in music compared to sitting and studying, and was able to play nursery rhymes on the xylophone.
On days when Ciello was playing an instrument or practicing singing, Estribal would listen to the faint melody from the room across. If that wasn’t enough…
“Ah, it’s really nice to listen to.”
He would enter the room with a goofy expression and glasses, acting like the foolish duke.
“Ah!”
Ciello, surprised by his visit, slipped her finger. A dissonant sound came from the xylophone. The duke sat in a nearby chair, smiling affectionately as if even that was cute.
“Don’t mind me and continue your lesson. I’ll just listen.”
The duke opened a book with a plant atlas cover. However, Ciello knew very well that what was actually inside was a book about spirits that he had bought from an old bookstore.
“Ciello, you’ve improved a lot. Then today, let’s try a more difficult score…”
While the teacher was scanning the score and demonstrating, Ciello sneakily looked at him reading the book. He discreetly lowered his glasses. His indifferent eyes were directed at Ciello.
‘Concentrate.’
At his lip movement, Ciello put her fingers on the xylophone with a ‘tch’. Only then did Estribal slightly raise the corners of his mouth in satisfaction.
‘Where. You’re putting too much strength in your hand.’
He thoroughly enjoyed watching Ciello pressing the keys from beyond the book. Of course, Ciello couldn’t know this until the lesson was over.
“You worked hard today.”
“Yes, see you next week.”
Ciello formally bid farewell to the music teacher. Estribal looked with his now quite natural appearance with a peculiar face, then hardened his face again when Ciello looked back at him, and then quickly put on a blank smile at the teacher’s gaze.
“…Take care.”
After the music teacher left, Ciello came up to him with a chuckle.
“Duke. You were confused just now, weren’t you?”
“What.”
Estribal took off his glasses and replied curtly. Ciello squinted his long eyes and smiled softly.
“Hey, you know.”
Estribal coughed lightly and changed the subject.
“Well, anyway, you’re learning faster than I thought.”
“Of course. I’m good at using my hands, you know?”
Ciello laughed and flicked her fingers. Estribal stared blankly at her hand for a moment and then stood up.
“Don’t forget about the meeting today. We have to leave late in the evening, so rest now and conserve your energy.”
“Yes, yes.”
Ciello’s giggling laughter followed behind Estribal’s back. He closed the door pretending not to hear it, but a faint smile was also on his lips.
