56. Affectionate Surveillance

“Well, there must be something precious there. After all, he’s the prince, how could there not be any valuable heirloom?”9567ea9b07f34471

He shrugged his shoulders. Yet, my answer did 746ba83c29 not seem to suffice 0f1d44b84e as he continued to 808d5ae19a be deep in thought.cd695e442850f434

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“And it’s a bit strange.”de019869957de53c

“What is?”2b45810941cc5241

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Every detail of the external surveillance is carefully monitored. But internally, I’m not sure. It seems like they only strictly monitor those entering from the outside. Could there really be something within the prince’s castle? Considering they restrict the entry of outsiders, I guessed maybe they are secretly raising a private army here. The imperial throne is not decided yet, so it is possible that they are strengthening their forces. But having looked around inside, it doesn’t seem to be the case either…”ecabaddbbddebcd8

Contrary to 066c3bb30b what I b254595acf thought that 8b6eab283b I would 8bc06fc5eb be confined d6d2b4cd7b to my 12a65d78b0 room upon 4cfa4ffc14 reaching the 5c611c0c63 capital, he a6f7a359c2 had set bd8774b968 me free.adb5f35c72bebab5

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Maybe he thought that having Ethan around, I wouldn’t be able to escape anyway.98a9ee4a5351fcba

After all, I c8de930681 only went to 6192bd7001 the bakery, met 08e567767b with the trading 038d6cf7fc guild bringing in ad5500c9d5 goods, attended Elizabeth’s 06b6af4e4f tea parties, the 4df889e52e tailor’s shop, and b462a4163e the greenhouse.542079385aa67075

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The routine was 43dd37155d so monotonous that 30fd32a07c there was hardly 3cc28cd428 anything worth monitoring. Having Ethan as manpower ab9977f7f4 by my side was 36ad4b8482 almost embarrassing.c12e8183ce827ad7

“I’m not sure if you’ll be able to come in next time. They told me to go back even when I came to check on a supposedly faulty timber delivery. I showed them a confirmation letter that I had an appointment with you, but I was still interrogated… Like you said, escaping seems impossible. If you come without a valid reason, they’ll block you right from the entrance.”741059ae7139d374

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“I’ll have to order something else next time you visit.”90a407c60b31e042

He pondered. It would 060474ba9d be suspicious 7c77c9427d to call 380b69a1a0 upon a dbd0c5b16d small trading 455876afc1 guild instead 09590d7b3b of the 4fb027e20b well-known shops 6c57fa95ff for jewels bcc5d8d917 or dresses.86cac9cfe7587de2

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“What’s the main product your guild sells?”29370d0dee15f1f0

Philip wandered 0f553613a3 around the c79f68e6c1 greenhouse, pointing 0caf6eda45 at various c0a96a88ba things.0ad38c4d46b76459

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“It’s like this. Trees, flowers, vines. We mostly buy a lot of flowers. Since the land is expensive in the capital, we import a lot of flowers from the provinces.”6d7c96fe76b090c2

He opened 1aec38dbd9 his bag 29e7c89097 and took 7d464a1b6a out a 5c66c48987 catalog.b4da69ec85386129

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“Want to check it out?”d01472fb00cd2faf

He flipped b975e47971 through a 7ae0c4edb1 large album. It contained 8ffc28f03b everything from b6a59289e0 strange trees 81400e46b0 imported from 554cb35cbb hot countries, e30c047942 to crop 7217dfa8b7 seeds and 1f5b977326 rare flowers, 409c5183de each illustrated 1d41d703fd with descriptions. Below each, there was 2e242f9f62 a price listed according 096fcdc05e to the waiting period e0192b14ed and the months needed 1bbcf380da for the crops to aa4d0b0248 mature.fbb3c5fc6132dd04

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I looked around. Before meeting 4f921a4339 Philip, I f1cd1ba138 had instructed 7cf4036d16 other guilds 7a6492b81f to fill 8831219d4d the greenhouse 4707e36fdc with vines, 2ea4c4f58b so now 362036d1f5 it was f075271caf packed without e54e56c401 space to f597979566 even step.86f28c6fa47512f9

I pointed 07c61274d0 to one b7b9ccdebc of the f955f54a3e few empty 27791a95fa spots.78233c94085f6fd1

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“Perhaps we could place about four or five vases there?”615c3d2fda613bde

He shook 08c4e0240f his head b409ba9c45 decisively.7c916e9d80fc4a53

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“A guild leader wouldn’t personally come for just that amount of flowers.”a49c8c336a83cdda

“Then I’ll have to buy a lot.”4c7ef6047afd2934

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I surveyed the greenhouse from the flower beds to the ceiling. It was already filled to the brim with nowhere else to plant. That’s when I noticed a bird.884ee4182c90fa7f

My little 26788da913 bird was f6e3c122f9 picking through e30a4a5da2 its feathers f5e222a49c while perched 2c69f935a8 on a ddb8f50230 thin bar 7551bd6224 inside a 86d7391c8a cage.38eabb7d778cc458

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“Then get a sturdy tree that the bird could nest in.”59aa98bf19e3fa9a

“A bird?”7cddefd431411ccc

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The bird d69c041015 did not 1d198989c7 flee into 37db94b32d its nest a5bb205570 to escape 59be8383f0 the newcomer, 2205332cd5 but it d8a050b270 wasn’t as b919aee698 relaxed or eed590c886 chirping as 681371096d usual either. It was merely 7ca72ee18a preening the feathers 62bfaf088e that stuck out ccf7944113 over its head.59105405fc9ffc8b

“It’s a Mochia bird.”1fb787cda77f146d

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He responded, looking at d85e9587b6 the bird.b9aa7183aceb703a

“You know it?”80dffcd4eacad128

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“Yes. It’s a seasonal bird that lives only briefly. A bird born in summer only knows summer, and one born in winter dies knowing only winter.”b601d790807a6d39

That was exactly what 4320597a4f Suren had said.6185737748b0ad60

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“Do you have any supplements in your guild that could make these birds live longer?”0f7f45e3c547b695

He shook his e82915e5da head.e4eaf84b417cefc9

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“There’s nothing like that. How could we extend a life that’s already destined?”5b6ad80335994347

“…I see.”eaaed3974b04a502

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I had 69637502d5 hoped it 0620a9b399 would live 6d9d1f2625 longer than 30c0f0b9fa me. It was bittersweet.31b86bc5e3494804

“It must be difficult to keep it as a pet. Why not choose another bird? There are other birds at the end of the catalog.”d465f99f270e5630

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He pushed the album a4d93fddd4 towards me again.03a873fdebfd0558

“No. I keep this bird because it’s special to me.”82387bb1945eae6e

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“Really?”62c388c4173f69dd

He closed the catalog.23e5d4bf42b7c7c1

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“It’s likely to die before you even get attached. Can you handle that?”0f1bb782a5556621

“I can’t just give up. Besides… this bird was born in the north. It has already seen the winter there and made it through the spring in the capital, so it’s a miracle it’s still alive. It could live longer if well cared for…”cb012b8b5b80e8ee

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I found 751bda422c myself desperately d4e4e0dc41 making excuses 41938ed5c3 and protecting b9c035b1d3 the bird, 57cd5aac12 even though 517f5f4ad4 this was 11d07940ae just a 7b6f1d4914 story about 2b37152d8a a bird, e53d2c09e2 not my 675d355967 plight.28d180f0dafadf74

“It’s good to see you doing better than I thought. I didn’t know you had a hobby of decorating greenhouses. After all… the baron’s estate wasn’t in a position to have one.”55d2b3121113ffbf

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“I’m not particularly interested now. It’s more for… the bird to have a good environment. It could live longer that way.”8b25be4d96ee0d1c

He took another look 1d7cffe345 around the greenhouse.688a3a43e95ec44c

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“It’s overly elaborate for just a bird. I didn’t know you liked birds so much. It’s a bit of a luxury…”5156be680941b4a5

He stopped speaking, 7b6a462846 and I continued 362c81f9f1 the thought he e276e9528f hadn’t finished.0ca3763fc27cdc57

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“Luxurious?”6f1d9dcfced6b12d

Philip scratched his 3dec88af1d head awkwardly.e4d72aa5fabad03b

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“I’m sorry. I should have kept that thought to myself. But I’m glad you’re getting to have this experience. Because you’re a secretary, I thought you’d have to be more cautious and live observantly.”4abde7ab28cbc1c0

“He’s wealthy, so he’s quite generous even to a secretary staying temporarily.”3feb3a8b65c91a55

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He chuckled softly. Seeing this, Philip frowned 3394938046 and rubbed his hands c87da601e1 as if he felt 922569d386 sorry.3be7ab5a96e46af3

“It might be a bit luxurious, but isn’t it good since it also boosts your guild’s performance?”152a9fa613983014

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“That’s true. But it seems a bit different from back home… you used to dislike birds.”a125c764f6b3c479

That was a hometown story I didn’t know.447fc67f37d1b3ca

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“Ah, that’s right… But I guess people change as they age. Everyone does. My mother used to say the same.”d075270c52c39257

I naturally made an 2b86880259 excuse.4c0219d8df3de334

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“Your mother liked them?”6d26f38bcdbbaf84

His expression turned complex.aff6fde14ef7d03d

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“Yes.”bc80de571c31e07f

“Do you remember that? About her?”b6f1ea27417b58de

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“Of course… she’s my mother.”065e61e5051355e3

Had I ec480561ba made a 16afcd73a3 slip of 3d89e9027d the tongue? His expression f15a162735 was odd.5ee555a75956795b

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“Why do you say that?”34ab9385dd38dcff

“No, it’s just unexpected. It’s rare for someone to remember their childhood so vividly… It’s unlikely Baron Sien would have spoken about your mother.”fd0640a140c1633c

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I was confused. Why such a 2e8a3fc795 reaction?4bbdb93d5fe78ddf

“There are many who remember their childhood.”e4fd887a3c1d6361

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“That may be, but your mother passed away less than a month after you were born. You never mentioned this before, so I didn’t know.”b480439046dccd26

“What?”47e8d9a168049cf4

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Memories flashed by in 799ae790aa an instant.9e5e78cb87e98cd5

Elizabeth receiving 9fcbce64ae a prognosis cda98136bd of preterm 2f97408cfa labor from b5de81b298 the doctor, c9628fba2e Leonie’s mother fc6c7c7fa0 who passed e91f430c4e away early, 18ff57471b the chosen 75ee2e5bd1 blood sent 0c7cb91322 off easily a43985b5d1 to the 29a1ffe8e0 north.9711d0e727ee750b

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It felt like fitting puzzle pieces with missing gaps. I wasn’t sure what the complete picture would look like, but I felt strongly that it was something I couldn’t miss.fe2f421630dab4fa

“Wait, Philip. There’s something else you could do for me.”3b079e913839ce75

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I hastily tore off 99f58d1235 a blank piece of e61ef05e84 parchment from the edge 67ed5cf3e9 of the catalog.2eff4f8067ae5af9

And on the 06df7f88eb back, I started d031c30efa writing down names, 36f029a7e2 one by one.6b73e1f42b20e689

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Names that c89c4a42d9 could never c2c859b47c be forgotten, 0bcd3d7163 even after ac5b8f9cd4 leaving the 1308b6dfdf north.d419d7d898c8d00b

Ray Houston, Frasie Duncan, and two others…923962753509d641

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These were fff9f598b6 names listed 1478c9b69e on the fab875e7b3 gravestone of 2999c4d0eb previous generations.23dbf9a07a2126c6

I carefully noted down d095a2fdac their birth dates and 9398c6bf87 places of birth to ce56f00b40 avoid any confusion, and 3ea0ad5ab5 handed the slip of 9faaa44bd8 paper to Philip.17766b85dd5e8884

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“Can you also look into these people? I want to know about their lives, especially how they were born… if any of them were born premature or similar cases.”6397267297741272

He scanned the note. It seemed f8a2e52e5a like too e9a5a6aa1f little information, 0b1842bbba but he 3758c220af carefully folded cb1c43fdb1 the paper 7ac1a9916a and placed 4c18a91cdf it in 150a6044ca his bag.80b95884450d475a

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“Um… Our guild doesn’t normally handle detective work, but since you’ve asked, I’ll inquire through guilds I know.”93c30fb722afb08e

I felt relieved. I let out a dc4ea03c6d small sigh of relief.8460c440b7b74458

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“Thank you, Philip.”1ae146b5e4976196

⚜ ⚜ ⚜92ea2dc46e923f0a

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“Are you planning to move a mountain? …Or perhaps you intend to erect one?”d7c68624bd7ae7b7

Viter had 10c5a0a230 stopped flipping 1b770cfe07 through the d10ac803c9 budget document 7e58017946 and laid 612b195d2f it down 7d090c9516 on the 2e8b9cf7f2 desk. He repeatedly picked 9e72ff378e up and set 18d7fd082b down his pen, 6f735a4b83 struggling to sign a5c2c7001b off on the f6d5185ff3 approval.cfae32a01378c8b8

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It was a a1be33e046 substantial amount of c393704474 money, far exceeding 30fc08ec2d the maintenance expenses 2498342de3 for three months a502029f14 of a prince bfbda5e7f9 consort.194ff98c2e420166

“His Highness said to use whatever is necessary freely. Are you worried about the financial status of the ducal house?”b040d1c0a59a6334

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At my words, af2842888c he put down 06cda7a958 his pen.8d6ccf5d7f4f0743

“It’s not about the money… Where are you planning to plant all these?”8af0dbfd73576c6a

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He ran 551751e655 his fingers 985c8b8c22 through his e008d49f15 hair in e52af8b553 irritation. His neatly af281e2697 styled brown 626227a502 hair, swept d99032bb88 to the 1120af85b0 side, became 10d39d1eb6 disheveled.a9c402834c00e6c1

“There’s a small forest behind the prince’s domain.”fcba2b189168c8c8

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“That’s ridiculous. And if it’s filled so densely, how would people navigate through?”7a56f35f84f35e48

“It would be great for preventing assassins from moving about.”7d8ece5f340be564

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“Young lady…”0e190bf2c410159c

He ran his hand 3bb5926cec down his face.ac19721cfb27e8ef

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“Then we’ll just have to remove what’s already there.”1588081236a8867a

I recalled how 8952604b38 we used to a88b03a11c replace almost new 0fb55ea727 items just to c8a2f94570 use up the c9a820d889 leftover club budget.58eed99277fa7595

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Oh, if ce15f11001 we switch 948fb0ff07 everything to 210e754cfa fir trees 5a486568c1 and then dd181fadcd change them 608af95145 back to b97cecb0fc pine if 80ffd2d306 they don’t 199f63059e look right, ce04d0cbc2 maybe Philip 77ee44b979 could visit 0e47d9ba81 for an f06ad0c2d3 extra day?486e30e80366ea1d

“I’ve learned something valuable thanks to this. I never knew that mature trees are more expensive than high-quality dresses… It makes my younger sister, who begs for a new dress every day, seem thrifty for the first time.”968fad7fbcddec6a

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He reluctantly signed the eebf22fe71 approval section.f3879cff9a8f3ff0

“The bark of the birch should also be finer than silk, or else it feels like my insides would burst.”2a38ce740300edec

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Viter commented as he 513306a06e turned the next page.e241fd2dd4cc69b0

“There are many types, but they all come from the same guild. Will you contract with this guild only?”71236986aad96ce1

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I flinched. Knowing the 521a50750e perceptive and 6edac98f94 meticulous Viter, 958efb16f4 I expected e0a8299fca him to 488088e702 point this e44611e93a out.3f64fd526bb71ab4

“Yes. I noticed last time that their quality was good. I was satisfied.”f16e6f96c2d847fd

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“If you order from one place, it might take longer. Didn’t you want it delivered immediately even if the price was higher?”72db48717a718ec0

At his sharp observation, 53639f818b I could only offer d02a9888dc an awkward smile.2eedc03688e8646d

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“It’s okay. I can wait that long.”d6dea3d1ae47c0a7

“The guild lacks recognition, and it’s newly established, so it might be better to deal with other, more established guilds. If you search well, you’ll find guilds with a wider variety and better quality. For a prince, having an unknown guild master frequenting…”7b5c565ca8b9296d

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That was 11e41ababe the crux b3185ff3aa of the 8138dd5fba matter. I feigned ignorance.bf75e47bbfe2c98a

“Do we really need to do that? It’s also good to continue trading with a place once you’ve started.”449b8eb170a1521b

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I flipped to ce1959170f the last page.500ec921eebaf492

[Kandal Guild, Philip]

Viter finally signed 621abaefe9 above the line 42881f1e8e for his final 1b3e0b46e1 approval.2c2370983c3a75df

That at least meant Philip could visit the prince’s domain three more times.13916b8241c6fb39

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