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“AM I right to assume that you are the Miss Euphemia Ashencourt who reached out to me?”
The man who opened the door welcomed Euphemia and Ronaldo inside with a friendly smile. He appeared to be in his forties with streaks of white through his black hair. His smile was youthful, and boyish curiosity twinkled in the eyes hidden behind his round-rimmed specs.
This was Maurice DeLay.
He was a botanist who had been studying Night Blooms for many years, and the man who had taken the scientific community by storm when he succeeded in producing a seedless and fruitless strain last year. However, he suddenly quit his job after that, and was currently concentrating all his efforts into cultivating the next generation of that strain as a private researcher unaffiliated with any of the major research institutes.
He was the researcher Euphemia admired and respected most.
“Yes, that’s me. Thank you so much for accepting my unreasonable request.”
After learning that he lived in Romanesque City, meeting with Maurice became Euphemia’s secondary objective after conducting the Mongolian gerbil experiment.
Maurice showed her into a homey living room and she settled into the couch he directed her to. The Guardians assigned to her were stationed outside the house, while Ronaldo, who needled his way into joining her under the condition that he wouldn’t utter a word during the meeting, sat quietly beside her on the couch.
“I read your research paper inside and out until the letters nearly burned into my IHT screen, Dr. DeLay.”
Euphemia earnestly appealed to Maurice as he sat down directly across from her and studied her face. There was a slight upward tilt to his lips she took as a smile.
Euphemia had changed from her lab clothes into a professional skirt suit and combed out her hair so that it fell neatly down her back in a straight wave. She had been dressing like a slob since she was confined within City Hall, but she put extra effort into her looks for this meeting.
And yet boyish amusement twinkled in Maurice’s olive-brown eyes. Euphemia was starting to feel uncomfortable. Did she wear the wrong clothes? Did she smell too much like the gerbils?
Would a pant suit have been more appropriate than a skirt for a meeting between scientists?
“I’m sorry, have I done something to offend you?” Euphemia asked, anxiety needling away at her.
“Oh no, I’m the one who is sorry. I shouldn’t have been staring so much. I had a general idea of your looks from your profile picture, but I didn’t expect such a young woman… Forgive me. So you are trying to combat Nightz by using Mongolian gerbils, correct?”
“Yes, I am. I just finished conducting a fairly large-scale experiment at one of the experimental farms here.”
“Did you? How did it go?”
“It was a huge success…or at least I like to think so.”
Euphemia spoke in-depth to Maurice about the results of that morning’s experiment. His eyes sparkled as he listened to the outcome. He occasionally asked questions throughout her explanation.
“Marvelous… You seem like an incredibly talented and proactive researcher. I’m glad to know the research world has such dependable young people joining it.”
“Aw gee, you flatter us.”
“Thank you very much. It is a huge honor to be told that by a veteran in the same field,” Euphemia responded as she glared out of the corner of her eye at Ronaldo for his frivolous remark, shutting him up.
“I’m no one special. I have only devoted my life to nothing but Night Bloom research…so I am thrilled to hear about other researchers who are challenging the Nightz problem from a different angle,” Maurice said with a smile.
“……”
“I am even more surprised such huge strides have been made by such a young and pretty lady as yourself.”
“…Um…thank you?” Euphemia turned tomato-red. She was used to people complimenting her looks, but she didn’t sense any of the typical flirtatiousness or double-meaning in Maurice’s words, so they meant more. “Y-You are too kind.”
The door suddenly flew open and a large and tall woman barged in. She held a tray with cups on one hand, but her eyes latched on to Euphemia like a wolf sizing up an opponent. A long scar ran from her hairline straight through her left eye. She gave off such an overwhelming aura that Ronaldo stiffened in the couch next to Euphemia.
“H-Hello. I apologize for the intrusion,” Euphemia politely greeted the woman though she was surprised by the look she was receiving.
The women merely gave a slight nod, noisily carried the clattering tray over to the table, plopped it down with a clang, and straightened up without uttering a single word.
“…This is my wife, Arelia. I’m sorry for the discomfort. She is the silent type,” Maurice explained, trying to smooth over the awkwardness.
“Oh! I didn’t know you were married. Hello, Arelia. My name is Euphemia Ashencourt. I am a biologist like your husband. I came to your home today to discuss my research with Dr. DeLay…” Euphemia’s words trailed off like a puff of smoke.
The tall woman had crossed the room in two strides, climbed on top of Maurice on the chair, wrapped her arms around his neck, and buried her face into his shoulder entirely out of the blue.
“Wah! Arelia! Stop that. You’ve startled our guests!”
Arelia latched on to her much smaller husband and wouldn’t let go. She seemed much stronger and all of Maurice’s struggling and flailing to pry her off ended in vain. She pushed her voluptuous chest against Maurice’s face, suffocating him, as she glared hostilely at Euphemia over her shoulder.