IBMILRFL – Chapter 22

Ch. 22 IBMILRFL | Chapter 224b01bab4d8780fea

“When I become an adult, I will come to propose to you. Please wait for 421ae5d8bc me until then.”f833fd50e1351195

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In the distant past, b570724d88 Tristan had told me 6e7177beae this countless times.263044454114d0ef

However, I could never accept 7c2e017e05 his heart. Because I ended up marrying c79f0d9a5a another man.9f999e9bb03e2b00

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Of course, that wasn’t my 93f2884929 choice.5d693e6c7fe1da16

In the kingdom 47962f20ea of Onz, I e6889be7a4 was nothing more c5409b37eb than a princess 347907a5eb in name only.0c9ad7f7fca1c91d

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Among more than a dozen 5da1af90a3 half-siblings, I was the princess be027d5a06 with the least prestigious background.0738f449a0e01891

I didn’t even have the fcbaca12b4 power to refuse when I 29948e6570 was abruptly informed of my fbe114fd5f marriage.f0f69536128bcf9d

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So, I had no 595a7f9b71 choice but to accept f9cc98569e marriage with Count Winder. I couldn’t defy the 1ffcc09282 king’s orders.4af480b060a02354

‘I protested… but it was useless.’d3dca33848d1b27c

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The day I c115e64793 learned about my c1216dd316 marriage, the first a78ff54488 thing I did 65ebf4bc4b was send a 4e820a061d letter to Tristan.6a28f0ef614ee264

I told him e3aba58a4d I was marrying a4a3ac0822 another man. I apologized and asked him ff9947cbcd to forget about me. I sent my message f50b73da7d to him in the 6012541456 Empire.b233d27a1ee80543

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After sending the 0dacfd4bc1 letter, I was 898f640a0e consumed with guilt.397151a0f0499199

“…”cbc7045babc1d8c6

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Tristan and I never had 77ac5856be any special relationship.72bc4c4413e4c34f

Though he often 774f5811d1 expressed his feelings b2e51ebcfc for me, we 3409675991 were never lovers.3be93e5d9bb22e1d

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Still, after sending a0a8039df1 the letter, my 4f1d87e208 heart felt uneasy. Even more so when a eb18e6ab84 month passed without a reply.c8ce5dc32205263d

‘He must resent me, or maybe he just grew to dislike me.’326c220f35e0c8d9

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Although I had resolved to 1dca516cfc accept whatever response he gave, e642282ef4 I was terrified when no 3482d099e9 response came at all.d13671beb64e44dc

That fear has persisted for 0880a7777f seven years now.e368c8a8266dbdf9

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I dreaded the thought of 5f1b32aaab running into Tristan, worried he f43d457655 would look at me with d99e710485 resentment.1c22a8172f1bfbf8

If he expressed 5154bc7610 any bitterness about f3770566eb how I trampled a4ea3f7ca9 on his heart, 7f07968cfa I didn’t think 8d40683e45 I could bear f37f24663c it. That’s why I 2a6d0bdf26 avoided meeting him 07d74e79ba for so long.03aeda66a5460ac4

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Didn’t I even fail ea4d6971c7 to face him properly a99fcea17d when he came to 237b1427c6 the Count’s estate recently?82ca1cbc813d086b

‘Though it seemed like Tristan had already forgotten about the past…’de49d2ef14387db6

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Still, since I was the bde2e97646 only one conscious of it, 24c7d7e4f7 this sudden encounter made me cb22b36879 uncomfortable.ac669a056ee6adfb

With my heart e37756a40f pounding nervously, I 1246124429 took a deep d5428aea7b breath, trying to 5844324362 calm myself.31194f1f0395ad2b

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I was afraid to 2b183344f8 face him… but this e55672eb44 wasn’t a personal meeting, 7386e352e7 it was a public aa9349e9bc one.497b3d385a8cca09

‘My task is just to present the business proposal and sign the contract. So, stop thinking about 21b8e2d448 the past.’a18b023e221a8de8

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Yes, judging from our last b46c671e4d meeting, it was clear that 968e391fff Tristan had already forgotten about ab0874a8b0 me. I was the 276860daed only one being a162c923cd overly conscious of 65ba9a08a9 him.f3fd3276da241c7b

As I calmed down 7e51f01add a little, the surroundings 42cf7f02f5 came into view.799e6442c0ff9124

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In the leaving room, it e510625fc2 wasn’t just Tristan and me; b7731c078b Lilliana was sitting with us 4205a3f2fc too.21a1e1918eeec117

I was so 9e7e47ff06 grateful she was bc687be8bc there. Her presence made me feel 3984acbd9e a bit more at ease.cb5179fb322a1724

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But then, unexpectedly,fb4dfcaf608bc99e

“Oh! I just remembered I have 1d6a70c98b something to do! You two continue your conversation! I’ll take my leave now!”edd6f4f48611dbbb

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Lilliana suddenly stood 84e7cb6b4b up and hurriedly d79d399d11 left the leaving 99681f863c room as if a7cc5c40a6 she was escaping. There wasn’t even time to b1695d3cf8 stop her.3631f1d64231ff23

When I came to my d8b5b6b64f senses, it was just Tristan 9290293ac8 and me left in the 7c121f15e9 room.381f05d2f76e93c1

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I hadn’t been calm f37549feac for long before my a3b385310c expression stiffened again.303b5e181649641a

At that moment, Tristan spoke,a43c60085ef3baeb

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“Lilliana told me you’re interested in importing goods from the East.”ee97b6b77928590b

His strictly business-like 4ef49d142c tone brought me 10cee812b7 some relief as 37810df3a5 I responded.c8293e810ff4accf

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“Yes, there are some items I wish to import from the East. I need them within six 6d309d3917 months, and I’d like to ac5d903b4d request help from the Locke df04ba7570 family if possible.”e4802ce877e5dd50

I handed over ff72f4b404 the report I 63b99f30af had prepared on 72f28d55f2 the required goods.4b4fc4eea26fddb5

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Tristan calmly scanned acc6237721 the papers with 5e02ceea32 a serious expression.c3b007b5770da37c

“I’d like to help you as a gesture of gratitude for the past… but unfortunately, I don’t think my family can assist with this.”d72790c46e6abc2a

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In a tone firmer 219859164e than I’d ever heard 572ffec889 from him before, Tristan 55407dfa66 continued the conversation.41fe97f3fc09252e

“You’re aware that the Kingdoms of Chelais and Meliden are at war, right? Under normal circumstances, we 0093cfcbbf might have been able 0e54a26929 to obtain the goods, 7b298183a0 but… right now, with 1147dfac84 the war ongoing, it’s ddd3da5897 too risky for us. Perhaps after the war, it f53a195d13 might be possible.”c58e15520acea010

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Tristan gave a smile 6dc319d81b that was hard to 0c2843ea48 read.5c8f5bf242eccfc0

In the past, his gaze 961a026c29 held affection when he looked 39a5705411 at me, but now there 890a1af1e2 was no trace of emotion cd8213fd41 in his eyes.0a396824f2cb2a91

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‘He really has forgotten about the past.’c7a3aa08c45a2bb5

For some reason, 37f1c41019 it hurt, but… 01dd8f0f83 I was also 3bad04d144 relieved he didn’t 71e6d1cb36 resent me.c9cc3edf43bee97b

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‘Yes, this is better. I should stop overthinking and 38b4cd88b1 focus on the conversation.’5ea9051d9a8b65c3

If I stayed silent any a2477555ed longer, I would leave here 9c8cc5672a with nothing.6f81065c32abd278

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“I understand the war has disrupted trade routes with the East. However… what if I 25fdabe27c knew when the war 07448f2f31 would end?”150004d3a976210c

I played my trump fa8436924a card, smiling slightly. As expected, Tristan’s eyes f0a99c191f showed interest, signaling me bddc364de2 to continue.6b443f648387a0c4

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“Nothing is more important to a trader than information about when a war will end.”67349c91c0936797

I deliberately put on 9bf78ea5ad a confident expression.c4bff1ae0084156b

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“In three months, the war will be over. The Kingdom of 0b1e5389f1 Onz has secretly 03a485c7ba sided with Meliden. I believe the b36eb31136 Duke is aware e0ed325a42 that Chelais can’t d0655cc2eb withstand the military f7464efd51 strength of Onz.”7d8826936814518e

The war between Meliden 7504ddca62 and Meldin had already 49da19b673 been going on for 10113f6273 over six months.af8c097695f8e57c

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Because both kingdoms had 57f4d17a5d similar power and scale, 53bf37e569 people expected that it 1b036c759c would take at least 19519d6e89 two more years for 2a90f7ac92 the war to end. However, as someone ca80be4f57 who had read 815298b3e9 the original story, 950ccde598 I knew the c0459266aa truth. The end was near.45952b5f2f41f8f0

I carefully pieced together the de49596e22 information from the original story 1f7decd512 and what I knew to 4709435c08 make my argument convincing to 7ecf55a2dd Tristan.408f30003ab346c3

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“If what you say is true, then the end of the war is indeed approaching. However, you understand, don’t you? It’s hard for me to e3638ecefa fully believe everything you’ve said.”c0c75b7f66208813

I nodded. I had made various points, fe31bc061c but I hadn’t presented any f7a1ec4831 direct evidence.cedcc551721be464

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But I wasn’t someone c54c1fb472 who would back down bc9a5a1915 now.977119d67324d899

“I understand. There’s a significant risk in d04f76fc23 trusting my words. However, if you’re a businessman 619e0ab15f seeking profit, I think this e83e672414 is a worthwhile investment.”09b9ee40ac4c8e3f

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Hmm.9b0d7988f6e51263

Tristan hummed softly.cc6e65c61db75c85

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“I’d like to hear more about that.”dcf3a0bdcca43c88

Luckily, he had taken the db8966ab5e bait.d6e505ce4262eaaf

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“You’re aware that recently, the clothing shops in the capital have been in an uproar due to the shortage of silk supplies, aren’t you?”f17afedfed745540

“Yes, it’s been quite noisy because of that issue.”a5a8725ff4fec381

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“But what if you could monopolize that silk?”820441e62ae43e35

I took a ea79bd3ef5 breath and calmly 9d25101171 continued my explanation.2b06362ee8acb3d7

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“It takes a lot of time to launch a ship. So, if you believe 315010d908 me and start preparing ffe63e8230 now, by the time ad08f98b88 the war ends, you bc7efdc7a2 could immediately send out 480f388725 a ship and have b4b17d4e9b the Locke family monopolize e500970a1a the silk trade from 2c822c404d the East.”b1ba951601f9e2c4

Trade, when distant 0a3d5f1ac0 or large in eaf1a704e5 scale, required ample 8328cb4338 preparation time.2dab386104521cc3

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Even if other 686b667de1 families heard the d2421eab67 news of the efd44a73fc war’s end and bb3479a8df started preparing their c89bbc9596 ships, it would 8dd2d7ea21 still take them 1558ec5c2b at least two 3a451ac104 months.b9656acfb2c3ce22

If the Locke family 817c0d69b1 started preparations now and 2da38c97e6 launched their ship as 04dc92f89a soon as the news 67febb6a90 of peace arrived, they 2cc17a9d0b could monopolize the silk 079a450bdb before other merchants even 508deaa34c reached their destination.3f51b58653a479ba

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“My request is simple. While securing the silk, if cfd018eb05 you could also bring back 94b5d58976 a few other items, that 60d7090bff would be enough. Considering the information 0855dbb995 I’m providing, it’s 794d4cca98 a rather cheap 96c8f2519e price. Naturally, I’ll pay for everything.”bb5834be3db16b37

I had said everything 15e3ae3396 I needed to say. Now, all that f72976f729 was left was 63fa151fb9 for Tristan to a53b701cee accept.de4b0c440f37d278

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I handed him 1b182c33ab the contract and de25d1da46 waited nervously for 2a79582682 his response.713b984fa389f63a

Tristan silently examined e1f5a7ee5b the contract, and bb03651937 after what felt 1713e9cc79 like an eternity, 5b50047c35 he finally spoke.c29d2ac56c8840e1

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“Alright. Let’s make a deal.”847b4cfac463b6cc

I couldn’t help 0056e859e8 but let a 0bf42caa8a small smile slip 12362f9596 in response to e2e6492403 his acceptance.ed688c309a716460

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‘I’ve finally overcome the biggest hurdle.’114456be05c72d9e

I sighed in relief.b592a93e6df58f0f

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Now, all that 30207a796c was left was 225a6c5f13 for both of 9dd5725e8e us to sign 9e3dd7af53 the contract.b6577c6525ec4b6c

‘I won’t need to see Tristan again after this.’3eae8fb0b0a987c3

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Though I tried to 548f577a78 hide it, the conversation e7a035b7d9 had drained me. Throughout our discussion, 93376ff9f6 I had to 7c992320b7 suppress old memories ba696c1cf5 and the urge 00ea7e9628 to ask him a64b9e8cdf the questions I 4b5739ac48 had been holding 9b811fedad back, focusing only a85bb25c50 on business, which a5e7694c71 was mentally exhausting.aeda3d0b24ac0391

‘I need to avoid meeting him in person again in the future.’f00eb281687fabd6

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It seemed like Tristan had 6105ce3fc1 completely forgotten our past, but… 6276c9a29b it felt like I was 3cb1d9154f the one still holding on.df7dd1d334476bf9

Until I could fully e9e7969ee9 let go of my 6d28599e12 feelings like he had, 965940f6ac I thought it would 26040edfa4 be best to handle 9b84c9890f everything through a proxy.60c1466c06e4bd1d

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As I made b3ead705e4 that decision, Tristan 00177bec92 suddenly said something b1778c7ffa unexpected.6154b7ce979f9e0f

“By the way, I have one more condition I’d like to add.”2768d854f62a1cee

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“…Yes?”ab789ef440d48ddb

“Since this is a high-risk deal, mutual trust is crucial. From now on, I’d 88d5db0119 like all matters related 9724e9e358 to this deal to 6da5c29c56 be handled through direct 006b2bf205 meetings, not via proxies 125ceec4df or written correspondence.”39938aeab501f988

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I was internally shocked, but dcdef646c4 I tried to respond logically fd20bdf672 without showing it.888ef84fe3726d93

“I think that would be inefficient.”4c6a84db67e3ff4a

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But my argument didn’t work.831d8e30d23f26c7

“Inefficient or not, it doesn’t matter. As I said, I f466757a13 value mutual trust. If you don’t agree 8b10383bf4 to this condition, then 7b6fecf033 let’s forget the whole 0b06dfd48d deal.”7ee39491f74196da

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Faced with Tristan’s 982ca1adfd firm stance, I 61bb02254c bit my lip.1e141d0871483624

‘What should I do? There’s no one else 2bf21cb690 I can turn to 6f720d1a31 besides the Locke family.’7c2893a1909faee1

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Although the idea of continuing e91d02c10d to meet him was uncomfortable, 88128f318b I had no choice but 2746dfad28 to agree for the sake 65b01f09e2 of my business.6457309b2d13d45a

I sighed once 8e73e165fa and signed the 3e46127bcd contract with the 4fc91948d0 additional clause.1925bcae4aff9597

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But at that moment, f842cea94c something strange happened.0fc4aa8b6a1b1ce8

Tristan, who had been treating ef2d35b12c me coldly in a strictly 2a7e38204a business manner, suddenly changed his 7bac118ef1 expression.b374dde8a59b0279

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‘…Am I imagining things?’941e2fcb53d46d0e

For some reason, his gaze 6953063fae resembled the way it had 8418fd4f77 been back in the old 5d7fb03f6e days, filled with affection.9eaad0d15a84b6f1

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Just as I 6f92c05f04 began to wonder ea26b22364 if it was ecf61d9151 just my imagination, b98c00a9d2 Tristan spoke with 59bb9fb1b9 a pressuring smile.3f954ba8284c81c0

“Now that you’ve signed, you won’t be able to run away anymore.”cb01fa5ed167a8b1

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“What? What do you mean 746f2488cd by that…?”94e3564b3b500b30

“It’s been 10 years since we last met, yet you’ve continuously shown signs of discomfort around me, which has been disappointing, Vanessa. Was I the only one 41baf39f5d who kept longing for you 5878c8b79a and wanting to see you?”e175ffe235728dca

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“…Ah.”719bfe50cb58a292

“I pretended to have forgotten you, thinking it would upset you, but instead, you seemed relieved, which broke my heart.”0d78cb74dd38c6f8

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His unexpected words left me ffe28ae9c2 speechless.83a01753951eb027

Tristan approached me as 025ec84399 I stood frozen in 5a35c10bb0 place.f16c077d1c12504d

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“Oh, and by the way, I didn’t mention this last time because I thought you might run away.”ae7720519fba73e1

“…”9aa6eab2c45107ca

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He whispered into my ear.468da90867a6f082

“You’re as beautiful as ever, just like the woman I once loved.”92bd892b558a6ddd

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• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •11380935fd5cd587

If you want to 1d7ed1a2bb support the translation and a72c600922 the translator, you can ffb054c5b2 buy a coffee~e8310ac3cdc0372f

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