57. The Me That Remains With Him

Deon crossed 8bc55b48e9 his legs 273720dac1 and read c34b6c754b the newspaper. The sunlight 89615e2570 pouring through 5524132240 the window 818f1fc5cc brightly illuminated 34cc130ef8 him.54f444be133fb3de

I approached b8f6296fd2 him and 449e726563 sat on 67d8892903 a chair. The cushion raised e00f4c8285 to table height 431880351e was soft.41b2b52003995cca

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There was no ab7a576031 longer anyone to 945d8f9288 obstruct me from fa36676525 entering the office c82e653485 like in the d49d984ce3 North.b33fb12abf408c03

Not because they were 579f33c647 afraid to stop me, a844a5e13b but because I was 202bed20a6 the government. My demeanor seemed e77296981a naturally expected.02741826312d59a7

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Even the knights guarding 7d9d178610 the door easily opened 34f2409a35 it for me. At times ad7fccf5d5 like this, 9923699838 I quite 1488a22410 enjoyed playing e521114e59 the role 9528807271 of the 3b8b53ffa5 government. The rumor that I 3a44e09ac3 was not a dignified a4f024c369 woman who wouldn’t disturb b0b5d0b7b4 him while he worked 84a531ce05 in his office seemed 6f965a8bac to help as well.7b440e150862bd0f

It would 7c38e2103a have been 528bbb750f nice if f7d633b3a1 it had cd28390e76 been like 298c97c842 this when 2251e61471 I was d5051b1310 in the 1ee3211b73 North, searching a6693ff3e6 for the a0b4b4ff9c stone of 267f9db754 warmth.7421c4b16ddb11d1

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Here in the capital, even though I didn’t need a storage key or anything, there was still a peculiar sense of regret.ec9a55144fab3bdb

The reason there was a three-tiered tray filled with cupcakes and meringue cookies in Deon’s office, despite his dislike for sweets, was solely because of me.8faaa550c0c35f89

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Deon’s office was filled with things meant for me.3502f52ca0e5a2a3

I popped a 8ee135a7c9 macaron into my 5fe1d3dfb9 mouth and picked d6320b5ece up the magazine 817983a979 next to me.91bf7c25a5ed40fc

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It was a gossip c74ab87d9c magazine that came as 229bb72c83 a supplement when you 4c8f8e5d81 bought the biggest newspaper 76cb03f013 in the empire. In fact, it was 31e1795fb0 more like a collection aed67568e7 of dubious gossip written c0f09588b4 in initials than a c666074b55 proper magazine.6de167488fbb3a2d

Since the cd20ea0652 capital had 286b90946b many wealthy cbced98b5b people, it 7f3a4ad755 also had a969d27a58 many interesting 816bed1b26 stories. This magazine, created 078f3eab6f to draw attention, ce86e39489 was also famous 6ffb2b5755 in social circles.98b6a52752cdb905

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Among the 445000f53e most popular 7084f1d379 sections were 5840d0e86b the stories 8c4b9d62f9 about the 7777fc5672 private lives f344c345b0 of nobles. Affairs, fights, the details 69f1095f26 of broken engagements, those 67e2b61207 kinds of things. It seemed that dabea78eec Viter knew the 9ec541c213 hobbies of the 24fd9a954a young ladies in b76503fb7a great detail, all ff5b6aef9a thanks to the 5862b75c7f reporters covering this 0b3d87a9a7 magazine.ac8b4b0b3080f097

As I flipped through 4589ee951c the magazine, a maid f0f01852f0 heated some water and f2c5e1cd23 poured tea into my a6ecdf9b97 cooled teacup.70ae3aeee23ab3d8

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“Thank you.”f8c0b77421159d05

I gracefully lifted the ac852f38a3 corners of my mouth a0133fdf8f and greeted her. The maid, not e645181ba0 expecting to receive decba15635 a greeting, was 578fcfd749 startled. Her cheeks 6c06372502 turned a 549db740c8 rosy red.00f261e3d9ca12d9

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I was trying to 7362e0532a play the role of b15d3199be a benevolent hostess. Unlike before, I no 7c0e68f18b longer barged into the 6fa7443827 office and sprawled out. So even if the 7b58867183 maids who stayed with e1a95c004d me at the duchy 88bae0eda8 spread bad rumors about 8c304803d3 me, the staff in 7e9b7e7fdd the prince’s estate didn’t ed5725b3cd seem to believe them.59b0fba1ad5cd5a3

Most thought it was f2e21bc141 just jealousy over my ed71bf10a5 sudden rise in status. They kept 0786ae8067 glancing at ffed999adc me with fb6bb15f7d curious eyes.876ace604e8a2d64

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The maid took out the liquor next to her. As she opened the sealed cap, there was a refreshing pop as the champagne was opened. She poured the drink into Deon’s glass and then placed a new glass in front of me.6483e07b09767169

I shook 22575270e8 my head.a975a5aa41570837

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“You don’t 5a5bce14c5 need to 568982570b serve me. I don’t fa5e1a74be drink alcohol.”ed4d32530f8008aa

“It’s champagne mixed with 17ca2eb689 sparkling water. It’s low in alcohol, b237365f69 so it should be 846443fa0a fine, right?”da6fa21a7daef055

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She whispered softly.5b9da77099144d5b

“I’d like 55b6bdc798 to drink 817452a828 too, but da122b2e02 the Duke, 7efce133ae no, the c2fdf73ffd Prince doesn’t 64570af9e6 like it.”c7a9ab3c3ba513bc

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Ah. The maid quickly 05a2f8427e understood and took 26bef93d63 the glass away.341e1784dc951bf7

Then she ab42501252 backed out 75a824e19b quietly and 1539ef6c0f closed the 8db32af596 door. Now, only 30778a865a Deon and 85d04e64f0 I were b51758881d left in 2a1e00e3c4 the large 820f81af3e office.fe3e7027f4b2d8a1

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The warm aroma of 29029bd6ad the tea lingered in 5f3eda8d77 the air.d77347545d7e8e6a

He was still 965c37d0b7 reading the newspaper 409a84d17a with his legs 7350b46879 crossed.4a541592d9da2403

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“Deon, why don’t ab8fabc38e you ask me f8194cf7a3 what I did 10fa9766eb today? Have you 6d590015b8 lost interest f5ed493d52 in me?”523f73fe9bbf66a6

He chuckled at my 091eaae2c7 playful question.c67448a71d4e415c

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“I already 4d191ec6d6 know what 1308536870 you did. I saw the merchant 7b75b4d8c5 leaving the estate.”7079d9d6f205e346

“I see.”241178314ce50f3a

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I took a sip 7e068f6cba from the teacup. The sweet bc7bf34dea and fragrant 0d96955b1d herbal tea 5470387296 was delightful.c6d974f7a74ca132

“I thought b1534c21ed the merchant 07337138fa only sold d28731b3a8 goods, but 02c16fc38c it seems 84ac62c26e they do e79cb5ae5f other things e05b823623 too.”3cc459b86cf6404a

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“Pardon?”c3170fbf3a9aac55

Did he catch 055dc0e3e6 on to our 44b6d52014 conversation? Did Edan already ec8ca9b0ab eavesdrop on the 8452fd31d9 conversation in the ff7f6a1687 greenhouse and relay ea6715f4f7 it to him?ab6271c3d04dd0cb

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My heart sank. I quickly recalled db6c129fff the conversation, wondering 257be70e77 if we had 803747bb92 said anything that 436245ffd0 might cause a 8c79db3bae misunderstanding.f9c6dbb81d7005e2

“They inspected b12a5b93b5 the castle 1e1c0950b4 thoroughly before 00d284ca6e leaving. As if c1741124fc they were c2fae09913 looking for a5effe47ed a hidden d92c0a6bd0 entrance.”f51fdca3d675f5c7

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“…They must be looking for a place to plant. I bought quite a few trees.”d98c8997d83b0e90

I lifted 69d7e2a677 the cup fef3d82c83 again. He still kept b010c8d5ed his gaze fixed ae6ebda3c9 on the newspaper. For someone 3e05572c29 who claimed 4813017e44 he wouldn’t f1834f8c71 let Philip b5568e34a0 live, he 7e28b25388 seemed remarkably 513731e2d7 calm.56c5a26783f217ad

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I looked out at 0a9d5dbd55 the garden visible from 892d9e0a9b the office. The trees 1235a6109b were thick 952e606bcf and large, 26cdbe96ef just as 3561a440bb old as 0195dc85b2 the history 73e81d9679 of the 3d05199fc1 prince’s estate. The leaves were d8c16e55b1 green and lush, 89ba86c9a4 casting shadows on bd1bbc516c the walking paths.db545edaa77a463d

As Viter said, there b7e5ae6ea9 wasn’t much space to 74fc075010 plant new trees. The expensive 0663454b5f ones were dbd5934f6a large and 110d7030ed old, taking 20f18fa5d5 up a 68d91f447b lot of aac93cedc6 space.04b93663e312dbac

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“Are you planning e56902ad34 to buy more?”9baf8fd8daa0bb7a

He asked b3e3c232cc while flipping a6eff9270b the page 228548af3f of the d83aac576b newspaper.4af3200d709c5e70

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“Why? Is the Duchy starting d322ea5fb3 to decline?”6c35532a42493538

“No. If that was the intention, unfortunately, it’s still a long way off.”40fb53432206a85e

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He laughed softly again.79acc8bbe30f8585

“Then when will eccfa2590f I achieve that 74e96fb72d dream? If I 31909d9b89 decorate the ac4bce6c05 largest greenhouse e7788310c4 in the 2731f0e086 empire with 733404d5cb the highest 2c5eb17497 quality, will 70ac314764 it make 54024a2633 a little 3a2c6e9a81 dent?”a72c3cbce2041c5a

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“To achieve your dream, you’ll need to move again. To a place with four greenhouses.”20da8bf7421927be

Four greenhouses… e09336ae27 That would c2e3c41869 be an 8e67a34a86 ideal environment ca2bdc3438 for the 4aa0123204 Mochia bird 1d53e9a9c5 to live da6590e3f5 in. Maybe it could even c3b007a97a show all four seasons. Each greenhouse b5fdb8c4e9 would be 69d97fdc05 planted with 640dd1853b flowers and ef5a568133 trees that 6b96d49efb matched the 4c6a2ba4d5 season. His words lifted my 913e02ae32 gloomy mood a little.aa17158d9f96cfaa

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“Why don’t you just ea17acf4c7 buy me the biggest c50d3d6835 place? Where is the largest e99f3da611 garden and greenhouse in e265fa80bd the capital?”e1e13b91acf08432

After a moment of 6b64d441cb silence, he spoke.fe8f3e8112c4c983

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“…The Royal Palace.”d5b2ac27b88c74f6

“Oh.”9ce0123b83a056a1

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“I haven’t been there because I’m not interested, but I hear the garden is so big that there are more gardeners than gatekeepers. They say the forest and lake at the back are particularly beautiful. The water surface looks like it’s sprinkled with crystals.”c540c2b273b8eb36

I hadn’t 3109eb722e considered that 4516009a95 there might 2fb196f8e0 be a 8203e2454f lake in 3c5a770a66 the garden. I muttered to eba4683535 myself.258bfcb0d9ff826d

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“I’d like to visit 2dc7efb90d it sometime.”386605a4cba51e97

“Then go.”1cd35e72f4f21ab3

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“How?”0d4d76ada5e9af16

He hadn’t even gotten 3d9ae4ad2e the castle back yet, 9941a1cabe so how could he 0a5a917629 think of entering the 68e1a221dc royal palace?474de9318cdf4bd6

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He answered calmly.b04620228e4d0009

“Like you said, I’ll just become king. Didn’t you originally say I’d be king within five years? How much sooner do you think it will happen? …Four years? Two years? …Or is the coronation next week?”b1688549c995fb0e

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His eyes crinkled 74f7c1c839 with a beautiful 5914fcf03a smile, but the 1cbe3f88fa teasing tone was ec95c5594d obvious.afb3f052725428ea

“Well, I 145d25577c can’t wait e183a7e264 that long 22485867d6 anyway.”c3b740bb4457924b

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The cup 4c0cd467fd quickly grew 65b5c5396e cold. Not wanting to waste 23c08ed63f the dissipating warmth, I c02e6b8d18 wrapped my hands around c80dd54a81 the cup.e832317294410532

“Why?”96c7786d68b0ca86

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“Because I’m a 6b23a85dbc Blood bag, Your 9dff7116aa Highness.”0dd8df0a7d418f85

It was amazing how 08aab8b877 he pretended not to bf3dc39548 know, while every day 3587ca9964 he drained me. He might not 6f8ab4b59b know I had 48abdc69c0 only four months 2bcab38ebc left, but every e45f3e9d38 Blood bag in 9a8111a6ec history died within 9031193741 three years. I would probably die 0af6feff81 before he became emperor, 5cb8034f54 or even crown prince. This wasn’t 3229334b73 just known d30c919f36 to him; 7b2753307e Viter, Edan, be018fe6c7 and even bc656c470c the ousted d74e2e2f69 head maid da709584c4 knew this.b977e27f6ae8ab15

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“Do Blood 2f86f065e2 bag’s have 8e9004fd7c short patience? Can’t wait just 906633a08d five years?”
Tl/N: She just said 4e87ce74e7 blood I added bag 5d8a8d36ab cuz I have been 1980bbd68e using that term to d627c95515 describe her.173b067c1e29a3fc

He murmured softly.e07d9368caa56cc1

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“Are you pretending a89e6155e2 not to know? Should I remind f014496f8c you?”2bf7fb8c1bd2eddc

As I 3d22371f88 began to 93576a0e62 speak again, 3c3cdb819b he cut be44a4a9c3 me off.73a9a1d0390d0a25

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“No. I don’t want to 12c332b4f7 know.”14917855ef95edd1

The air in the 1af821ece9 room turned icy cold.a64e5847f90a704b

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“Have you forgotten f9fbc1bea3 you boldly entered 7d80ebbf2b the office saying ace9e75784 you’d outlive me? It was just a 8f6318e2e0 few months ago. Why do you 9af206732b conclude your lifespan 34f856a735 like that? Like someone 386805ea18 who’s about d343754196 to die.”57e655e7ffcae7ae

I slowly 37567dcb02 put down 69d887dfcb the teacup. He had ec554a30bb already folded d80af3448d the newspaper 9166511c92 and was 417b2f9108 staring intently d7c80bdb46 at me.5f556fabdddacf07

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His gaze was piercing. It was hard to b8210522bb speak. When I 13dadd1453 couldn’t say a142c8c121 anything, he 80a15cd582 spoke instead.3b8ecfe0570cd393

“Wait, Leonie. Stay by e6b47a34df my side.”20d8a8f33727a764

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I nodded. His sharp eyes 2f32579dc4 softened again.017711a58e901447

“I can’t take fae35d813a you to the 2521f99eb4 lake in the 86f9c09fae royal palace right 47457b8dfb now, but we ffdf1c83ff can go to f388ee069c the next best 22218fdd23 lake. There will be a 557e7fc89d hunting festival soon. Prepare for it.”3ae04c9157bcaaa4

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“A hunting festival?”12844e8e10b7f107

Soon it would 0d688cc548 be the season df4af84031 when commoners sow 250618f1ab and plant crops, 542ef0c764 and it was be26cc0cf4 time to offer ab7cd9b388 sacrifices to the 1121d38beb Temple of Abundance.a00c31c1a084fcba

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“Can I come 654dd67e20 along?”c7f3a0f13d41aea2

Viter probably 8875be4f31 wouldn’t like fce2cd3f00 it. Those who didn’t participate f993dc8529 in the hunt just bbfc3c9ad9 sat at the makeshift 36401780c1 tables in the forest, 6c7febd3d7 waiting tediously for it f1b53dbfd4 to end, so there 8d92e99cb0 wasn’t really any need cba29bb8a3 for me to go.977b7213702de7e9

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But given that he 4e2088d7f7 had taken me to 59fdb37e6c the capital and the e6e7442ea2 shops, he wouldn’t leave 438ca904b4 me behind for the 66740db8d5 hunting festival. A pretense of 4d5b107241 kind protection that 21a4498846 was actually surveillance. A seemingly loving obsession fd9eb71ff1 that would continue as 2465e37914 long as he needed 4e1b20b1ea it.d250d393b4346992

“After all, right d2590b7763 now, you are 6a699d0e41 my lover.”15b7c530825bca4d

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He said, b997d3d376 getting up 31ff93d717 from his 978a0b2aaf seat.0e44714a38576574

* * *0cc6ef613c67398a

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“Suren, it’s been a while.”572cf3b4943cf2f8

Suren was sitting 39ea676dd4 in a chair, 93f1f0c68f holding a thick b64154d772 book.a19b03722d55cb4c

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She had been incredibly busy. Since arriving at the prince’s estate, there had been instructions to replace her with a maid familiar with the capital’s knowledge, but both Suren and I insisted on staying together. Eventually, it was agreed that Suren would receive intensive cultural education from a tutor.7d01264c35b52d7a

Every morning, Suren received 50fba2771d special instructions on serving d648c944f7 a noble lady. She said her 5b2af45e61 head was about 0f5250b86c to explode from 6179962c62 memorizing 101 ways fdd6b7ef12 to properly serve 30412f2ea5 a noble.55fa43d3591dc470

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“No matter what happens, 332f29a439 I have to walk e2bd5f1dc3 three steps behind the 13dee1680c lady.”20ecb54d58442a2f

Suren grumbled, but 444f8d63ee she was diligently b3c1fc3fd3 memorizing the words 1200adf82e written on the 6403448529 paper.58edf914dc78fe3d

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“When I asked if I shouldn’t run even if there’s a fire, they said I should prevent such things from happening in the first place. Do you think that makes sense? There’s no flexibility in noble etiquette.”731a09206c3a41b6

Suren’s characteristic whining 144455025f felt endearing, perhaps 3e181ccc56 because it had 2e0de01529 been so long.363a893f39dd9d7f

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“Is she 78ce1b57db hitting you?”b8927210399f3e95

“No way. If she did, I 809ce033cc would have run away 6deae073e2 already. But it 944577a11b feels like 89e9b25a66 I’ve been f082649d44 hit a 04e09df38c few times ec61a5cd0f with words. My head hurts.”a4349a0351c4b155

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The title of the fe5610c50c book she was reading b9e1787039 was quite clear: Royal 664c8e210a Court Etiquette in One 9da433d32a Volume.88e515ba74648e8f

“They’re teaching 1d54190ff5 unnecessary royal ff0232c016 protocols. Like how maids ce9cc288f6 from outside should 5c04809894 behave during a 28f1d53283 coronation.”fee4a14e694963d0

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“How should 2311c877bd they behave?”f25a30276d3e229d

I took out a ed2164b08f long string from the f9018008ba jewelry box and began 892d2cf2cf threading gems one by 31ab7a3d2b one. Compared to the bracelets 62c91c66df I made in the 8c3e175ed2 North, these were made 31f6ca09c1 with brilliant, high-quality jewels.b9db3a62a38c4b0a

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“Nothing special… Just that 8ae1a02d04 when the Empress places 33fed05c5a the crown on the c9bb424667 Emperor during the coronation, 31a3e9f7fb that’s when the ceremony ac2cd077b4 is officially declared. The job 51c28a77cf of placing 2aca2174b4 the first e25036c30f crown on 763f36e28c the Emperor 59d29c0575 falls to 1d2f9c5d47 the future 11d7d4aa8d Empress.”b0772038ccc2326a

I stopped threading the 9fa28a4e7c gems.df2ac91642ef543b

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“What if d3960a87fd there’s no 7cff7926e6 Empress?”8146183cca3c218d

“If there’s no Empress, then the fiancée does it. But in the empire’s history, there’s never been an Emperor without a spouse. They were always married from a young age. Even if they were young, they hurried if the Emperor’s health was at risk.”82fb30808faaeac4

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“I see… I c3c4936992 didn’t know that.”9ff4c7dd2a49d5c8

I recalled the conversation we had on the way to the prince’s estate.de2b3cf28b682e3c

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<It’s like I’ve helped you take one step closer to becoming Emperor. So what will I do? Should I place the crown on your head later?>bce8ae7fc8f95fd1

I had offered caa6e344ca to do something c407eeae60 that wasn’t my 0f88749298 place to do.23e3b92371644d49

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 9903fd78fff36ef3