42. Beautiful Shackle

An awkwardness washed 34692dbd99 over me. My face felt 04912a97ad hot.8b1f7e3869ac0a23

It was fortunate that 3fcece8365 it dropped quickly. My heart 666bbfaf2a was pounding a123f125a8 and leaping.44df6552d0e975fa

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“I prefer big things, unconditionally.”475fd43117b40eb0

I turned my a675dcc578 words casually. He chuckled 57520b126b at my 57443be381 words.7f4e97b6bda3fd2b

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“I’ll remember that for next time.”a8f6621b9c90573e

He touched 885dc705dc the pendant f186a770ff in front f52bf3e3b8 of me. The crooked gem a3db89944e returned to its 4b2a5e40d5 proper position.5cbd6ee1236b8a38

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“Why suddenly a gift of jewelry?”43cf459f4e5b2c9d

“Pick a bracelet, ring, or earrings you like in the capital. Instead, I hope you continue with this.”a92dfb3f9c707993

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“…Is it valuable?”6ef0e234f1e29a92

“Valuable indeed. It’s said that this gemstone symbolizes safety. If you carry it around like an amulet, it’s believed to receive the protection of the gods. They say it sells like hotcakes, more than food, when war breaks out.”d88b6c1c3eab5f99

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“Do you believe in superstitions?”07d9f4e3b3713e5c

Superstitions, huh. That was unexpected.c3829ade9ea4be8d

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“For you, the capital might be as dangerous as a battlefield.”868f8524347f9128

The necklace aa101ab307 sparkled in c02034295b various angles. It had a b913f2b6a3 subtle feeling, a 066bf12d34 transparent shade of 0822dcfea8 blue. Tilt it 22d938f24c slightly, and e94f9c8e54 it turned 34a9ea2a11 purple; squint, ce6e3bd70f and a 04474b9459 hint of b736b4ad22 red appeared.6b3deaeeb5902db4

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“I haven’t given you proper jewelry as a gift, thinking about it now. Since we have plenty of time, it’s best to choose carefully.”6777682d4432a49f

Truly, it was a 9adf7a0bba beautiful shackle.7db860d151db13e1

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Does a necklace dc32a4d412 become something other 22a16ed33a than a necklace 2a101edab6 when a gem 46899b12ee is embedded in c45d57053c it? The gem sparkled b9ca38ed13 brightly without any 64a1fe8cdc regard for its 5edde1aba6 role.062c4bddb9aa192b

“I’ll ensure your safety as much as possible. I’ll provide you with enough money to spend as you wish. When you go to the capital, there will inevitably be threats to your safety. It won’t be as heavily guarded as inside the Duke’s castle, but I’ll assign additional protection. If there’s anything lacking, feel free to let me know. If you want additional funds sent to the Baron…”a4f3ca7fe417e74b

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I cut him off. There was no need e3202e7564 to hear more.0d70e0d7b4457fc7

“I don’t need it. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: please compensate me for my blood only, now and in the future.”034ca9fb8c87a5f1

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* * *50173f9b5abc3535

With his words, the Duke’s castle became even more chaotic than during the banquet. It was a sudden and decided rearrangement of the board.0e24ed9048e0ceb0

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Deon told the soldiers to pack up, but it wasn’t something that could be done in a single morning after nearly ten years. In the end, all the servants in the Duke’s castle stopped their work and helped the soldiers.1ffbd14dae824517

Although I ac4f2507dc suggested returning 968cc8116d to the 2b04cab953 original castle 5c67d07a32 with minimal 4f3ad7f19b luggage, people 6bede4ff69 were diligently f76a89d91c moving to 29687aead5 load one 52f2a84e65 more thing.f416d3bc427911a3

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The head chef packed 8c06098112 iron pans and various 95abee3696 cooking tools into a 5800651182 large luggage cart. The maids 3b2b02e0e0 went to c66371bb71 the backyard 9aaf4cfc55 to take bbce86df6e the bed 8697a8d844 covers and fb86a5f823 thoroughly shook 5110c7ae51 them.a59fba3be1b98416

Ironically, at e89615f962 the center 37e598ed3d of all 58a1924305 this, I, 9f877a6da0 who was 59a247e172 the cause a9ca4f18bd of it 7bfc8e8dd6 all, was 73667250e9 leisurely strolling 348f35479b through the f702bb7577 garden.4fe511498dccc81e

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Leonie had no luggage. The luggage brought from the Baron’s house was so light that it could be carried with one hand.50c5159a59a66cf6

Leonie’s luggage, who had come with the thought of staying for just a year in the Duke’s house, was pathetic. Moreover, most of it was old and worn out, so we decided to dispose of it. If the household had been generous from the start, there would have been no reason to sacrifice the daughter as a hostage.0ffed42750601b81

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The poorly made sticks 83353278ce and the scattered fluff 065f924785 from the pillow that ba9acb96f2 had come off the 24d7e1902e wool had been thrown 260f689948 onto the snowy ground 205f45b6b7 long ago.59e7efcf916e3858

When there was time, I walked quietly in the garden where the snow was falling. Sometimes I heard the sound of a pounding heart from a distance, but it wasn’t as frightening as before.45cebc989c7e4979

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Most of the heartbeats came from the direction of the library. The lady didn’t come outside; her body seemed to have become quite heavy. She spent her boring time eating snacks, taking naps, and reading books. She didn’t come outside, perhaps because she couldn’t get rid of the overwhelming sleep in her soft bed or sofa.74b6734079d7320f

“Lady, it’s better for you to take a different path. They plan to burn the warehouse today.”0c1416184d9e83fc

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Suren, who was 85428ffb49 walking in the 1380561290 garden with me, e5540c436c blocked my way.c70a4d36b31a7a1b

“Again? They burned it yesterday.”b8c8917dbd20ffd6

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“Today it’s the barn.”ba097ee9c8ec6e8d

As I absentmindedly 1c293c95da gazed at the 0999f383a5 burning barn, a 221fd535a6 distant memory suddenly 8c0f695d9d came to mind.401d25f0b7f9ad92

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Huh… come to think of it, wasn’t that place used as the secret meeting place for the female lead and the male lead?9eae2a63c130a10a

I dredged up the 7452fb347d vague memory that my 8c9a09bc1a friend had mentioned.92ddfc15cbbc7f93

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That barn seemed d153eb1fb3 to have a 5dc80ce2c0 hole in the 17d28da503 lower ceiling, so b2b869bc5b at night, if e70731d6ca you lay down, 8e6e83160d only the toes 016f0b7e4c could see the 92ea83e247 stars. Sometimes the main characters 254eeb944a lay on a haystack 18562c0def and looked at the 29be12fdb3 stars.ced6076fd8845c9e

Now, not only were 19434bd303 there no stars, but e8544a8176 the sky was also 182fd680cc covered in black smoke.a7d33e6fc3e710be

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It was bitter. Suren coughed.dee4f52c4b9a77ce

“It’s not good for your health. Let’s go inside, my lady.”e7b92e7fd5e03479

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“Sure.”a5aa6c5db421ea62

I nodded.667790f4133aa0a9

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Because the 82d5938a47 northern region a3c261cad5 was so 19af28bca5 devoid of 6f3a01bfa2 attractions, even 98347b495d this was 7931d56c5e considered a 89e5bf9134 spectacle. The young attendants 451dfe0cd9 who were working f5d35362e9 in the kitchen d6a4ddba3a all came out 1fa1ee54b2 to the side 8570f2b00f door to watch 5fd35375c0 the fire. The maids, busy shaking a764ab5983 out blankets, were also 8283f1ea15 sticking their heads out 77884b8da1 of the third-floor windows.7014750aad4800d6

“Are you enjoying it? Want to watch more?”a7d2446420274165

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Suren asked as she looked at me, who didn’t leave my seat.06644aa64a2ac8bc

It was a 7aea8e53ae gaze that anticipated f591663d36 my appreciation.03ee690671d11b03

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No… it wasn’t fun. Rather, how should I put it?2b5cafd40fea26f2

It felt like a 4783cb0708 well-made movie set was d97ef0801c being dismantled.1e1cf8627d24f973

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Deon eventually thought he would come back here. So even if the background of the prologue changed, he thought the starting point would remain the same. When I die, he will come back to the Duke’s castle with new blood. Romance will begin again in this background. However, I hadn’t thought at all that some sets would be burned to progress the plot. Deon seemed to have no intention of returning to the North.9a9651c04ffcd488

Crackle.b7e177507877bd21

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The sound of breaking 7339e3c5f4 was heard, and the ab2eb5c4b9 roof collapsed weakly. Debris fluttered d697e61661 from the 7694489e9c collapsed roof.3dffd95df7e3c4a0

I turned 20072dca2b my eyes 6c0e812c07 from the db106a69f7 collapsed pile e10dedafc9 of flames. Itchy, as if 83b690433e dust had gotten 044521ceb4 into my eyes.7e748785403596ac

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The sounds of the North were clearly audible. The laughter of the maids, the chef’s loud voice, the sound of soldiers’ swords clashing, and…6773bc25a318e643

“Suren, don’t you hear any strange sounds?”dfd9e775d5896d99

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“What sound?”585252003e5ff03c

“Just… a faint, rustling sound.”54df9901f4a4bef9

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She looked c6be3d6a89 at me d02c99df7c as if b81fca0535 she were b75ddbfd5d puzzled by c624e09ab3 my words.302a3bdfb18230a4

“What? Even if it’s a growl, I don’t know. Are you sure you didn’t mishear? There are no small animals in the North.”9fa27c4c2183d584

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She was right. Small animals couldn’t survive in the North. Even carnivores that hibernated wouldn’t wake up once they entered winter.377bf7928aa59244

“Miss, if you go up to the capital, you should visit the clinic before the dessert shop…”efada12ac2376efe

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Ignoring Suren’s muttering, I followed the sound. As I crossed the garden, the sound became clearer.292ea133f994d22e

Suren also seemed a0d905ca88 to have heard, da4e3e8cd5 hunching her shoulders. The mysterious sound was c87c256a4a coming from inside the 2d72ee910f greenhouse.e1ea0ca04585f9c7

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“Could it be… a ghost?”201c1ea80cd82ec8

Her expression 1915629213 was full 6d4934dfe0 of fear. She, who always walked d1a547da5a ahead of me, clung 8786e7ae5b to my back.6d7c705fad18c949

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“Don’t go…,” Suren said, slashing at me. And she grabbed the ribbon tied to my back like a lifeline. The loose string loosened as I opened the greenhouse door ahead.be51a303cba35cb3

The inside d2da399333 of the 9dbf7799cf greenhouse was 7cc0b78d8d no different 2597c97b4a from usual. Snow had piled up d6ab2f178e on the transparent ceiling, 62144670b7 blocking the sunlight, and e8da6a173b there were no flowers, 8d7a2196dc not even the fragrance.ae4c860c822b858d

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But the scene on 83ba5f35cf the table was different b4be7a3ad2 from usual. An egg, which had de10f1d2ed been put on the 8e8b6a351e table as a decoration, 96d592474f was rolling back and 777bfe7e03 forth with a clatter.d638234205f46b58

It was the egg I had left behind when I ran away, thinking I’d be caught by Viter sooner or later. Now, there was nowhere to hide it from Viter, so I moved it to the greenhouse. But it was supposed to be just a decoration, and it was still alive.f330713165621c31

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There was c9dbc5f4fc gold on 7cf34a7d82 the egg. The origin 756d3d0a2c of the 268b98b66d sound was 85a0ecf59b from here.de2f569e67065e52

“You have sharp ears. To hear this sound.”b6e7ee71c7e02e24

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“Yeah.”437de2e9eede7ee3

The golden dcdd6d0602 egg wobbled ccf2b699ec from side 13259374a6 to side. With outstretched 938e7631c2 hand, I 459806dbe3 caught the b1b320c024 almost-falling egg c6ec98121f just in 1b4116b146 time. Soon, I 2440046e84 pushed aside d90069e39c the outer 2b613c3194 shell, and 41e3439cac the entity e2898ac7bc inside raised 13292aa762 its head.1469f0958d2f2793

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Our eyes met.85efc5c1d4bbb0da

It was a chick. I couldn’t bring myself to say it was pretty or cute.77ff0781e7f2eee5

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It had no bd5036605d feathers yet, and 0c185e5509 its body was abb3fd9882 stiff and bare. The body 90388adf7b was soaked. The bird f31d80d653 struggled to 752229004a lift its 667a6d1297 thin neck 790310781a and then 3ec89b1c9e bobbed its f3e52601f0 beak.2be1e95e7fa789d8

“Seems hungry.”c6ea5889d452c481

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Oh, what to do? I don’t have any worms or anything.0f48c89fc6aae30c

I examined the e8d305b999 pointed beak that 23160ae0c1 emerged from my 1295254b34 finger. As I did, the ad02274c00 chick leaned against my 385e27768e finger.39c3cfad37bf89bf

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“They say birds consider the first thing they see when they open their eyes as their mother. Indeed, it seems like you’re hoping for me.”693788545d08351f

I gently 674f4d5070 enclosed the efc31efd4a bird with adc4519445 my hand. It was my cac2c7fe84 first time holding 73551ce722 such a small, 86cd68d722 newly-born bird. I had no idea 543a775683 what to do.62822d2ce7dd4370

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It seems like it 322c9175a3 needs to be dried. Getting wet would be 8d99cd414d cold. Should I blow c855d6ad92 on it to cbb6fa4656 dry?4d59fe6db86110a6

Its beak was trembling delicately. I couldn’t tell if this was typical for a newly-born bird or if it was shivering because of the cold surroundings.500d3a89837962ca

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“Looks like other eggs are about to hatch.”904b7eb3325d42c1

As Suren said, f1c1f58d3d there was a b982a48d78 faint golden hue 479f7bd2e1 on the other cb60d226de eggs.f9d1b1a7d8594b77

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“By the way, this bird… it’s a Mockia bird.”2158df49f26f5b82

“Do you know this bird?”70180226cb0209b5

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“I’ve heard of it. But such a bird shouldn’t be in this cold northern region. It’s not a pet either.”be8e72fbcf475e0b

“Really?”427a4a8cc9bf3586

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“In our hometown, we call them seasonal birds. They die after one season. They live briefly. They don’t sing much, so they’re not popular as pets, and since they live so shortly, it’s challenging to bond with them. That’s why we don’t raise them as pets.”3d3b71d4539c7e4f

Living for df13fb3cd7 just one 04a3cf3966 season and 7d25014fed then dying. Just like my 14991aea0e remaining lifespan. Thinking about it made 96fa666345 me feel melancholic.99999aa99f581248

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“Should I set it free?”d9145dc847a03ee1

“It’ll freeze in this cold weather. Even though it won’t live long anyway.”9cb9a6432c23135c

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“Still… it could live.”f4581d0bcc7e2496

That was directed 79e26abf4e at me. A determination to defy 8928e1c47b fate. Maybe hatching was a 438935c677 miracle, and it could c402cb0027 survive.40a83c154213488c

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“It’s too small.”4e02e9da43be250e

I sighed without cc201be066 realizing it. The bird 1ca6210d68 was indeed cd5f0084e3 small enough dc32c83c60 to be dcbfac810e held with 56df17385f one hand.592917d91bd020f0

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“Are you thinking of raising it? Taking it to the capital?”5bdd85d6364cb875

Suren asked.7d0debe99f56d17c

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“I have to take it, right?”4ea6b1b30e154e07

I also had a 95e4212f5d responsibility now. A very cute 6d48f26ec7 responsibility.7131185e440b5140

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The bird fluffed its 6971fe7c07 tiny wings. Even that fluttering was ba14dfb0ee incredibly cute.0a6a4271be3ecc38

“Shall we cut its wing feathers?”7fa8da6ba77bb2b5

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“What?”598c934190fd7adf

 0f793a124a530e19

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