CHAPTER 49
“Why is Lord Kyle making you work hard even on your day off?”
Daisy grumbled as she stuffed the notebook of organized rune letters into her bag.
“I’m coming too. At least I can glare at him from behind. Honestly, he’s too much.”
“It’s just studying, nothing else. There’s no need for you to come.”
Being with Kyle wasn’t exactly comfortable—whether Alfred was there or not.
But she couldn’t take Daisy along when the girl only got one day off a week.
“Since I won’t be here today, get some proper rest at home. It’s just the first day, so I’ll keep it simple and come back.”
“It’ll be dinner soon. Why meet so late in the day?”
“He’s a duke. If word gets out he’s going to a tavern where commoners go, it won’t do him any good.”
“Should I come to Kuna to pick you up when I’m done?”
“No need. I don’t know when we’ll finish.”
“You just said it’d be simple. Doesn’t that mean you’ll be done early?”
Everett let out a shallow sigh.
“He’s a man who only ever hunted monsters. Do you think he’s been studying all this time? It might take longer than you expect.”
At his joke, the scowling Daisy burst into giggles.
Getting out of the carriage, Everett went straight into the locked tavern.
Masha had been busy lately teaching Harfa how to make Kuna.
“I guess she’s in the workshop again today?”
On a table near the entrance was a plate of snacks Masha had prepared.
“When did she have time to bake these? She’s really so diligent.”
Everett popped a small cookie into her mouth.
“It’s better to do this here than in that cramped tarot shop. And I can’t exactly use the building with the salon.”
Just then, the door burst open.
“Oh! You’re here first, Master. I should have arrived ahead of you on the first day to wait. My mistake.”
Despite the cheeky tone, Kyle’s smile was bright and boyish.
Everett tilted her head, glancing behind him.
“Were you expecting someone else?”
“Sir Kiyor isn’t coming? He should have some iced Kuna.”
It would’ve been less awkward if Alfred were here.
“Alf had urgent business today, so he didn’t come. But why were you waiting for him instead of me?”
Kyle suddenly closed the distance between them.
“Oh, well… he likes iced Kuna. Anyway, have a seat. We should start the lesson right away.”
“Oh, snacks too? I’m touched.”
“The owner made them. Eat plenty, Your Grace.”
“Kyle.”
“Eat plenty, Sir Kyle.”
Everett said his name slowly, syllable by syllable.
Kyle let out a small laugh.
“Thanks, Everett.”
He’d said her name many times before, but this time it felt strangely different.
What is that? Why does it sound so… ticklish?
Everett cleared her throat twice, placing her notebook and several sheets of paper on the table.
“That’s today’s lesson material, isn’t it? Hm… maybe the table’s too wide, I can’t see it well from here.”
Kyle, still chewing a cookie, suddenly got up and moved to the seat beside her.
“Sir Kyle, you can stay over there. I’ll give you the sheets I prepared—you can just read them.”
“Ah, there’s another issue.”
“What other issue?”
“The shop is big, but your voice is too quiet. I can’t hear you well from that seat.”
As if.
Everett narrowed her eyes.
“I see. Then I’ll just speak louder. Can you hear me now, Sir. Kyle?”
She called out to him in a loud, clear voice.
Her voice filled the shop.
Kyle threw his head back and laughed as if it were the funniest thing in the world.
“Alright, alright, I’ll stop teasing. Don’t strain your voice or you’ll lose it again like last time. We still have much to talk about.”
Her lips curved faintly at that.
“Ahem… well then, Sir Kyle. Since it’s our first lesson, let’s start easy.”
Kyle brushed the crumbs from his mouth and straightened his posture.
The playful look in his eyes shifted to something serious.
So he has that side too.
Everett slid over a sheet with a simple explanation.
When he leaned in to read, his shoulder nearly touched hers.
Before, he would’ve cracked a joke… I guess he really wants to learn.
Kyle focused on the page.
“As I mentioned before, these are called rune letters.”
“Rune letters… Who made them?”
“No one knows exactly. They’re an ancient script used by people long ago.”
“I’ve never seen writing like this before.”
“They look simple and rough, but each letter is said to hold power. Some even call them magical letters.”
“Magic, huh…”
Kyle thought Yankeller would love runes if he knew about them—letters that didn’t exist in this world.
She’d picked them up naturally through her work as a tarot master, never imagining they’d be used this way.
Because of their mystical, abstract feel, many people wanted to learn them—but they were far from easy.
If Kyle finds them too hard, he’ll give up.
Everett showed him a chart of all the runes.
“All runes are made of straight lines.”
“You’re right… they are.”
“They look easy, but the reason I said they’re hard is because each letter has its own meaning.”
“Each individual letter?”
She nodded.
“There are twenty-four letters, each with a different pronunciation and name.”
“Hm…”
The sparkle in his eyes shifted to something more serious.
“As you said, they’re not easy.”
“Right. It’ll take time before you can use them to write the kind of diary entry you want.”
Kyle sighed deeply, staring at the chart with a complicated expression.
It’s hard, isn’t it? Just say you want to stop. No need to make things difficult for yourself. Have some iced Kuna and go home, Kyle.
He stayed silent for a long time.
Everett quietly studied his profile.
I think this is the first time I’ve seen him look so pensive… I’m seeing so many sides of him today.
Finally, Kyle sighed again and turned to her.
“Everett… the truth is, I’m not planning to write a diary.”
His calm voice was low.
“Huh? Then why are you learning this?”
“I’m not sure if I should be saying this yet, but…”
He met her eyes directly.
“Everett, I’ve decided to trust you.”
Her breath caught.
He… trusts me? Kyle?
It felt like her pupils trembled. She wanted to look away from the deep green of his eyes—but couldn’t.
“I was planning to use runes as a secret code.”
His next words were even more surprising.
“A code?”
“Yes. But these letters are more complicated than I thought, so now I’m not sure…”
“Then why tell me this? Couldn’t you just stop learning?”
The fact that no one else knew runes made them perfect for a cipher—but that wasn’t Kyle’s only reason.
He wanted a way to spend more time with Everett Gronji.
But he couldn’t say that, so he swallowed the thought.
“I was certain no one else could possibly decipher it.”
“Well… that’s true.”
“Surprised? Using it for a code?”
The word carried some weight.
“A little. But now I understand why you want to learn.”
Kyle chuckled softly.
“Because honestly, the idea of writing a diary in these letters seemed strange.”
“Ah, that’s true. A lot of people would love to steal my diary.”
“Thanks for being honest, Sir Kyle.”
Everett smiled warmly at him.
“If you’d kept it secret, we might have had a hard time—since our goals would be different.”
“True. I don’t need the meanings of the letters anyway.”
Now that she knew his real aim, Everett’s expression grew serious.
A code… that changes things.
Studying the rune chart for a moment, she lifted her head.
“Sir Kyle, then let’s forget about the meanings entirely.”
She picked up her pen and drew a line through the meaning column of the last row.
“You said you don’t need them, right?”
“That’s right. I need to learn fast and start using them.”
“Then focus on pronunciation instead.”
When things get complicated, the answer is to simplify.
Since he wouldn’t be using them for divination, there was no need to stick to traditional rune rules.
“Just learn the shapes and their sounds, then use them phonetically.”
At her explanation, Kyle’s face lit with amazement.
“Everett, you really are just as I thought.”
“And how’s that?”
Her question at his near-murmured remark caught him off guard for a moment.
“Well… unique, but smart…”
He trailed off, lowering his gaze suddenly.
“Smart, and? Is that it? Why’d you stop talking, Sir Kyle?”
