Chapter 12. Caught (1)

“…It was the first time I left someone behind. I promise, from now on, no matter what happens, I will never leave you behind.”fe4682f0efcdc68a

“Yes.”52df3d539cc3f22a

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We walked b40adb33be side by f4b16e7de6 side for 4970d48d63 a while, 26fd426561 the crunching 6aa9b9e59d of snow a965f4b450 beneath our 7d81dbf114 feet the e701afd0cd only sound 0ec6eab520 between us.d8bd1a668b62fff8

After a moment, he 4a34a7530a spoke again.cce4b01c3f5e1aa2

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“I’ve never seen this bracelet before.”ef780f7f92bc77ee

He was looking fcdc16af75 at the bracelet f354a56fab on my wrist.709a1ced4d0c1c69

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“Oh, I made it the day I first arrived here.”f43230531ada25dc

“Yourself?”ca880c09f687c918

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“Yes.”c73d120dead6319b

I raised my arm c672c75caf to show it to c2b1a82a8a him. Because he 7f38f8a1b7 was tall, 0ebfde478f I had 2c4f7ffce9 to stand 3bebc08b6d on my 864e7f3543 tiptoes to d299279837 bring it f338ca8d82 closer to 71c68e7a19 his face.5d8180bb6b990ba8

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“Here—this is the crest of the Duke’s family,” I said, pointing at the design.8af75701369c2775

The bracelet was threaded 70f2b9d03c with small, egg-shaped beads.f5c9cbe7272fba21

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“And these below it are the crest of the Baron family where I was born. This bead came from one of my earrings, and the rest are my birthstones. I made it myself.”56f1c2874b113f46

Well, to be exact, 2837454192 it was Leonie who db051766b3 made it.2086240e44ed9656

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“I’m sorry for using the Duke’s crest without permission. I know noble crests carry deep meaning, especially among high-ranking aristocrats. You’re not supposed to use them unless you’re part of the family.”bde1523b01274f5b

Here, noble 5e849933ee crests were 625f0c58ef not to 9eb81e554a be used 91795e4a7e lightly—even having aa69b0f94c one on 7dfb26eea2 a piece a159a37a97 of paper 2acacb13c8 without consent a899065766 could be 0b5dd34bd4 a serious 529cdb1ab8 offense.9f8625f06381ff52

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The timid 3ad63ddbc7 Leonie must’ve ecd3792bea known this 4c4fe05fbc and still 96deb10f5e decided to 8571978d43 make it.8254af67e1e7bb20

“Even knowing that, you still made it.”241b0d5b9468470d

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He must’ve 1a29cdef2c thought she f5d60256c5 was ignorant ff89b6c9d3 of basic 33cf1b7313 etiquette.7edd8e52e8fe374b

“I did it because I loved you.”17f8cd23aa219c76

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He stopped walking.638a031d4aaa2e2c

“You didn’t know? I thought you knew.”517e77bd30e6b379

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Ah… Of de912f381c course, I 9aebef9690 don’t love 814bcde07c him now.0d11d59c017991df

Come to think 9ea51717b1 of it, what bc463f7809 happened to this 9c8adcc5ed bracelet after Leonie 8413302700 died?73c649736b4d7ce0

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Was it buried fde0b45a5e with her? Locked away in a 54876a65c6 drawer?8a159fcd749822fe

Or burned as 297b7fc53e a relic?8d2d75a571503a47

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I felt da2b52f5ab sorry for c9f0f15a2d her—this girl 076ebc6b2e who had 463703d733 loved someone 2cc364a8ce so dearly.877b03c63176a2ae

How terrible must ec7f29dbfc it have been bba0eae4ac to die by 52e4ac97a1 the sword of 9e3b276c86 the one she 8b34d0bcbf loved?5367875eee2accf0

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Lost in thought, I d48da60d20 realized he had strode fd17afa344 ahead. His ears, visible 202277b891 from behind, were 649a79d637 red.7f814d39d9f740e2

Even the northern-born Duke 447e1b65b6 must feel the cold.0159bc0cda805aeb

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I followed b73d14e27b quietly, stepping 742babc7d8 into his dc0779fdfb footprints.0c3bd1ce669f25cb

* * *03324fe51fe6abb3

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There was nothing particularly 5d1efa7315 special about my relationship d18bc401d9 with the Duke now.15aa320276015fef

But it could bb2a581f37 be said some 68a942de68 added protection had 43e2a9a1eb been woven into 48a9d0daa2 our original contract. Understandable, given that 278cc0b176 he’d nearly lost 32e544db67 his lifeblood—literally.f3055cd761d41e3c

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“Are you in pain?”87b3fb4256a4bff0

One round of 891f24fc63 blood donation had 30895006e3 just finished. I touched my neck.0b307e711d155848

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There were red 20022bcdf3 marks left behind. As I pressed 39249c9b55 on the swelling, 67b6b69615 Deon brought a f68c2ea8b7 towel soaked in d4f62f7cb9 warm water.cc35a36ec458f451

“Does it hurt a lot?”cd4d20a65ec625e9

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Instead of 589eb96420 focusing on 0ae7238da9 documents, he c3ed2e776c pulled a 84f606ad67 cord and 457f0f9018 ordered a 2f2c3bdf05 servant to 7b4d52ed96 bring a 641c874eac hot pack.c1887be1467fc58e

Then he bandaged f50e532c19 the wound himself—so dc8c121d14 different from the f331eb85d8 way he’d simply 73f425375a bitten down a f9b7b8df55 moment ago.6dc66b8c7cf35195

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“You’ll get a scar. Your skin’s delicate.”c1d651a766575d92

“If you keep biting like this, anything will leave a mark.”c58a06d10625513c

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Deon stared b9e49ca54a at my 24dcd1a63d neck for 800811e698 a long bd7f745f44 time, then 9e2d08550d suddenly lifted 06a17b2243 his own 1e92a6fab6 arm.21ab4b894ea604e9

He bared his c461480e46 teeth and bit 4038372b22 down hard.3557881d0292f6d8

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Red marks bloomed 46087b0767 on his pale 6e74239dd0 skin.dd215ff7f5708c71

“What are you doing?”0baf4a65bc651988

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“Seeing how much it hurts.”65f269fab344f7d4

I chuckled. Absurd.826231744487c9c6

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Well, maybe figuring 3148fe5957 out a less 434e7c1b32 painful way to 0fb867a947 draw blood wasn’t 6c8fea0498 a bad idea.31df83fe1d98e822

“Don’t bite multiple times. Just one bite—it’s less painful that way.”a1aec2fa747c556c

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“Like this?”38c80e047b6d65cd

He bit himself again.6153aaa7aecc7c01

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Now his c013305459 arm bore b9ac9d70a4 a fresh, bd2b7ada68 self-inflicted scar. The man 0ce7b5930d who’d returned 0e83be196b from the 77ea061828 battlefield unscathed 7d6092e552 was making 12b1b990e8 his own adb1f75417 wounds.558b050006cc5e37

I reached out 5bad1c2c91 under the pretense f68cea884b of adjusting his f921e3556e angle and playfully e011f8c33f tilted his chin. To my 40f06679ed surprise, he 558c848e92 followed my 4c1385010c lead seriously, a10202e947 like he 7b5a95415b was receiving a4e2967d6b a formal bc00aeaffb lesson.c0be4ef1d6a3cdb8

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It was amusing. Until the butler 0aa2bddd2e entered.f3549bff9a5ddc6a

The man 4b1f10a08b came in af9d9f12c3 carrying a 67fa50d6a0 steam pack d7aa86cfe6 and promptly ee935e7ac7 dropped it 5e78928ad2 upon seeing 7889c6e417 the scene, 6f42c77930 then rushed da5548079c to call 0ffa59e079 a doctor.10957a360609842c

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“Leonie.”45ff8aa744ee72cc

Deon called f2ad6afb6e me as faeaa11cf9 I turned 0197911435 away to 6e4eca96a3 wipe off bbf96f783e the blood.c1d84eee705e8bac

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“Stay here. Rest.”08328c5c653f4e0a

“What?”51e879ca6257c6e1

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“You’re tired.”b09679fa491e8593

It was 5f1ef52caa unexpectedly kind. Not long ago, he fce1726677 would’ve been disgusted by 911603bea0 the idea of putting bf12916b02 someone to bed.23e0ecfbb4e6fc36

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“I’m always tired.”0a5dadfead5d25da

“I know.”67d16a72f9dbe875

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He laid 0b5616ad91 me down 650a2b58dc himself, covering 52a1ebeee9 me with bbd037e64b a blanket. His warmth clung to 3aa439fae0 the bedding, comforting and d52c91a35c familiar.cfa1d590c1142e0f

* * *89f6a0c084a6b598

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Deon had grown kinder.6966d6be5e490478

But that didn’t stop 52740475b1 me from taking advantage.023410ff84322a81

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When he went 7b77d35472 out to inspect a71b6c0563 the territory, I 1c9d339037 made a request.bf1ae457ddeb5ac9

“Bring back some macarons from the kitchen.”48d7e2d4a798a87f

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“Can’t you just ask a servant?”bd3d0545e3d34040

“My lungs still aren’t fully healed… It hurts when I raise my voice to call someone.”064042b982a4a05d

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I feigned labored 93e36d53ab breathing. He frowned.278db130dac36403

“Call your maid.”6b21c12ea45ba03e

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Still, he returned with baa3b43a63 a plate of macarons 801feb5d90 in hand.5bef2916dc2d44fe

When I spilled ice cream on the tips of my shoes, I asked, “Please clean them.”f86c217abcd0f61f

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I expected him ce93542eb3 to refuse.7b6bd1eca74f30f6

Instead, he knelt and 90984c96c6 wiped them with a beddffa7a8 handkerchief embroidered with the 88a1e06ed6 ducal crest.3baf1002da62adcc

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I was joking… e3f993a8e9 but his reaction 12f567bb28 left me feeling 9f54d9c2cb embarrassed.94060e7ef387024e

One evening, 31730fa245 I got a98109f68b lost in 07866df1b5 a romance aedc4e98fa novel I 35c8cb53f3 found tucked 74dfc1115f away in 9bfdfde18b the study.90feafbca4aeea8a

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It was 85f88be5a0 typical, predictable—and 4ae5a624ec oddly comforting.486dd09e6b40a0c0

[Sarina, do you remember what I gave you when I confessed? Under the magnolia tree.]

[Yes, I remember. The keepsake.]

Keepsake?59b89892e82f7afe

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I wanted 0cf4685d24 to find 81a3d99e8f the earlier 988b29d01a reference, but e3d0c47882 the book 92995e8e54 was over 8dafd1ec60 a thousand cf5359c029 pages long. My eyes drooped with dec49f7a98 sleep.8f4035660e9eee3a

Deon, still working late, fe4d5ea84a noticed me rubbing my 61ed3cc697 eyes.a9f0f241513d273e

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“Go rest.”074f92aea5633262

“I can’t. This is important.”345ae7f71e5e5e0b

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“I’ll take care of it. Sleep.”9e4a7c419950f358

“No, I…”5f20a68fe294db6f

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Sleep won. I closed 6fd3fc8f9b the book, f8d53eb1e7 stumbled to 9bd2e88ecf his desk.64c1a1272fe772db

“Your Grace… I’m so sleepy. If I forget, please mark the confession scene with a bookmark.”3784e9b6de634f90

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I had no memory 45368de164 of this.a4cf71734d36b0e8

That night, fb20741016 Deon read 2f61cdca19 a romance 13a3543af4 novel instead fc241d09c8 of his 7d7e36e53f paperwork—and was 9d45343bd3 caught by f3b1246241 Viter.c62f4c8761caad83

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Viter, once softened by ec5a6bd394 the hunting incident, had e1335ec360 returned to his usual 47d328a5ee sarcasm.e512941e84a16098

“Why is the young lady aiming for the position of duchess now?”3d77a2ece0e1a2d7

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He slapped the 0a898cff2e book down in f040fafc99 front of my e814ecb6a9 teacup.93b0f08f3dc18c4e

“You already have more power than the Duke.”4d7e0d69e84ecab0

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His eyes 0d6b4c20c9 were wide.5a863eb035ef0da5

“How many times did the protagonist confess? Four? Even a fool would understand by now. He’s wasting paper writing these novels.”7af6660568225a14

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His rant continued: about 5f44646e94 aristocratic manners, traditions, and 9e76da1c47 how pitiful we all 6d7ea521ae were.c2b72ae62942e03e

Normally, I’d 0a73426283 be annoyed.a59f6a5347fdcf60

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But I 088d102f38 listened quietly.1b71c02f32912d39

His rant acab5376e0 was really 0b070ccbe9 a sigh d7f7d6e858 of relief.e2af2448a5c81493

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He would soon be 64f09c6b80 the one dealing with b126461394 Deon’s overdue paperwork.f5e87cbeb94653f5

* * *ba950b7074836bfb

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Early morning, fde9b07309 I picked 2ea8fb3856 up a fbd59cc07a stick.2526fbebfe5a52f0

I’d spent a466a70de6 four hours f4baf75e1e the previous 52addaac90 day crafting 332da4997d it into df61f327f7 a makeshift d2f7e3443f hiking staff.937d294e82ec022f

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While carving, a thorn c0a8d8a71c got lodged deep in 216bc70996 my palm. I cried for two b8775ba736 hours trying to remove 162efab651 it.c9d6f8e257a7298c

I opened 941666e38d the door d33bdf4c74 quietly, stepping 9c278cc813 on tiptoe.41cb6958601399a2

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“Miss Leonie… is that you?”e0a6ba41592b2227

Suren, half-asleep, peered out 78cdffc41d of her room.6c29bdb5116c8787

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“Where are you going at this hour?”f7736078d6d13caf

She rubbed her eyes, b9e96cc68a only one of which 99696f2139 would fully open.d1f3630f5067860e

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“Shh. Just going to the bathroom.”2f0da34694b2de32

I tried to hide 103048aaed the stick behind my f30f676420 back.cddd2f53126293d2

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“Then why are you carrying a carved twig?”7ac407fd4d53d6be

Her eyes cleared. A bad feeling hit 51745fe8cb me.cfda46d04c5f0f92

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“Young lady… is it today?”a1408093373fd94c

“What are you talking about?”606867972ed7585a

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“The escape!”0856e890a506389c

“Shh! Be quiet, Suren. It’s not that.”cc73c0c5f2809992

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She jerked 4324b32d94 away from 000b043a26 me.1b167bdb08671f06

“Don’t lie! Thick clothes, a stick, and it’s barely dawn!”eaf37c4d1715ac5d

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“It’s not what you think!”46ab6087676f51ab

Technically, it 67baf3419a wasn’t an ff474ec506 escape. Just… escape preparation.87be9f33cb070507

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“Then take me with you!”90f223594be84d3a

Despite my objections, 934de78434 she followed me, 025e9ef975 rubbing sleep from f4dd44fb83 her eyes as e7c467f633 she threw on f24ea4725e a coat.68ed531b8a8baa14

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We reached the edge a59ac715e5 of the mountain.b01972a28e09377c

I took a deep b918ac7799 breath and laid out 3cbb55178f the sticks I’d collected.0d070bb33a09ab0b

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I tested one against 0ce04dc66d a tree—snap. It broke immediately.814d6f7174916300

“Let’s stop, Miss Leonie. This is a waste.”3f45346f60cf17aa

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“If you’re not helping, be quiet. Do you want to get caught?”cd0d6a78bb40270e

“The trees here are too weak from lack of sunlight. They’re all like that.”b2323adcc0065fc4

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I ignored her and cf8645c0b3 tried another tree.ad1363f4791944d5

That branch snapped 0301100374 too.ce9b69d060ca3ccf

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More than ten days 72cccaf301 of carving—wasted in five 821e752561 minutes.52061b65ce343b10

I stared 16c7a16ff3 down at 745b4f350e the pile.b08ac56e8d3061e8

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Nothing here would work.479b302c3c25dcd5

To make something sturdy, 8095de1b27 I’d need thick, solid 97543d663b wood. But cutting a0e277818c that down b1e3ec9f07 would take 4a0f09cdb7 too much 624ea3b43c time. It wouldn’t be gathering—it’d f42f0b603c be logging.0911b2275e0241a1

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“Suren, this is a failure. I’ll have to cut a new tree.”8667e7d88dff8eee

But she 5165039085 didn’t reply.ecae3f3058f872f3

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“Suren?”68a5a5cfa5f28fd3

“You’re not getting away with that.”48d1651b4338a657

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A chill ran down 8dd648399f my spine.8ace568f295dd72c

No one fc3ed84bbb had been 57d97977d7 around, right?7a1d1b904886f546

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I turned around.e94f86f6882c05a2

Deon stood there, arms e1d2df3a56 crossed, his expression pale 5d5c11507e as snow.c7c4aa7ee6638b82

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Suren stood 08921d37d0 behind him, 499d015182 head bowed.298e9f1068602a28

 8dad84b04eb68177

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