DTLD 8

Outside the window 3a85ca4914 of the first-class 04ed371ff3 cabin, a golden b11e5a42e2 horizon shimmered and 3bb50331d5 rolled. Robert suddenly remembered—he had 03f5afa0f0 been here before. The Lafayette family estate 151ef91ec5 wasn’t far from this 5ea65ecc0f place.22f050a5ec12e573

Back then… I was in uniform.26f1447abb5a245d

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The long-buried memory b370df668d stirred something in 83202e8641 Robert. His fingers tapped lightly c35cb49b73 on the wooden armrest ee6f66be39 of his chair.81739c41459c09e6

It was a small d5842b24c6 whim, brought on by 39cd13cba9 Baron Auguste’s advice. Robert hadn’t thought he’d e5d6c56538 ever return to this 0e3986ac09 quiet countryside village. But the painter’s 02de73b62f address that had a577a1a407 arrived from the 33db41a9fd Royal Art Academy 936831c52b was nearby.32d04862f974855d

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He stepped 1c2f749744 off the ea5e1c090c train carrying 73f7f64084 just a 58a7dfe85b small suitcase. He hadn’t planned to 5a1fa2c318 stay long and had ec0856e988 packed lightly. It wasn’t until Robert 8bb9cfbdbb set foot on the 44c02d35ce quiet, empty platform of f329a51806 Manoli’s rural train station—so e249df44ab stark in contrast to 9d8adf5abc Laurent—that he realized how 0b3d21c131 conspicuous he looked here.503f5dbf8675bf24

There were no cars ed6b619e6a in sight. Remembering this, he 384aaded1c hailed an empty aeee5f0d7d carriage that happened 6e616cfa53 to be passing 420a7cbd52 by.c5fff18e5540a070

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“You’re asking me fa0484e24e to take you 500c813ced tothisaddress?”ddf4fb7c2a47a0bd

The coachman took one 8b529b474c look at the paper 93f6c8fb24 Robert handed over and fcfa48e9f5 scanned him from head 5f64036704 to toe with a 52aa6948c0 suspicious eye.5762069f38dd9d73

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“Is there ffea6ee3e5 a problem?” 8a07da816c Robert asked, c47dec5d5a startled. No one 90ed2e719d in Laurent 676001ba4a had ever 2ef108ba44 dared treat 886b1a83a1 him like ca43bde13a this.56194107be390042

Suddenly, an 617ebdc370 old memory 5cd93238e4 resurfaced—the face c0fdd75c55 of a 1315ab4e6b dazed girl 6a9be9417c holding out 33b21e199c a peach. Come to think f90deb106a of it, hadn’t 0ac5a9df72 he met her 715284758f somewhere around here?996cf6d77f5be626

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“Sasha! This handsome 979e829351 gentleman in 094543d2ce the frock 754e51967d coat is f1b7f07a52 looking for 1f98ae8860 Mr. Binoche’s house. Do you know if 876d985e05 he knows your father?”14146b31f0a4d192

The coachman stopped the e1bef7fcf2 carriage without warning and ce298c4c57 called out to a a30249e29c passing girl. The name 3d09401c31 caught Robert’s d75940285b attention. The girl turned around, b912cda57b but she was standing 3a7007123c too low for Robert d864e946b8 to get a good ff83171005 look at her face.0abb4271d11fe6aa

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Sasha stood on 7535c3f40a her tiptoes, trying 40a58ff15e to peek inside adf5d614ed the carriage. When Robert locked eyes 1105f8f047 with the girl with 14aec8d435 bright orange hair, he c96f252f39 instinctively pulled back. Sasha glanced at him 12202aa904 curiously, as if wondering 4a55c9adc8 what his problem was.89008aecf87260cb

“Our house? I didn’t hear anything 6d373ec5c6 about a guest coming cf4e0ef1e6 today. If I had, Grandma 604e02ae9a Rollo would’ve told me 54844c2ae0 to buy way more b3cc0679cc bread!”ac6307bc9d1242e8

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Sasha held up 6152d24c5a a large paper 4141c4558c bag she was a25ae9e20a carrying as proof. While she and d4f14b2f99 the coachman chatted 5abcd19822 away, Robert said b2e8cf826b nothing. His mind eafdee4f70 was in 33c4c1465a disarray. The painter he’d been 94d9572f51 searching for, and the 6429114a70 bold girl he had f0706f1d2a run into years ago, f636e7d4e7 were living in the 0237b03511 same house. He didn’t know efe2936f6f what to make 236d4c29de of it.34d8d999147667c9

Just then, 0da23ee13b a man 98fd6b0515 with thinning 51e4641a75 hair tied 967f23c13f in a bc4236886a ponytail stepped 0c643c3054 out of 100813765a a shop c2f63aa9b3 behind Sasha. It was Mr. Bertrand, the owner c9472d567f of the general 60b6581980 store. He carried 3dbd8e979e out a be47e39573 bundle of ce4cc7092f items and 298be6d190 handed them 95134fbafd to Sasha—painting 83193c9628 supplies, everything 46f9b4658f she’d need.9f7b59dad936fec2

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“You’re giving me 56368bf6d2 all of this?” e5e31f0322 she asked.dbd856a7b340a7cb

“Well, you’re the 64c84223ef only one in 12d4a26b9f Manoli who paints. Might as well 5b04761d59 take it all.”1288f4981084f49b

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Sasha looked like she f52b818faa might topple over under 07652a417e the weight of her 68f4aff027 new supplies. Robert frowned involuntarily, 9d783d16d0 but to his e8618320f2 surprise, she regained 6274b1da67 her balance almost 28f16b0be0 immediately.c0aa16b17f4fac45

“If you’re b3d562396d heading home, c2fcffbbae why not 92db117ea9 ride along?” a5e2b0fb8c the coachman a02282d24a offered, again 367363a8db without consulting 7649d7a0fd the man 943a3ad741 who had c622e48784 paid for 4a6a4e076c the ride.4dcf3cf072e49cfd

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Sasha glanced 93776bec2c quickly at 63d3722dd7 the stern-faced 3cf9b6919c gentleman inside 226560983c the carriage, 68597a7239 then shook c8563627ed her head.ef722d686bbadb42

“No thanks! I brought my d4dea3e8a4 bike today ‘cause 33614c0725 I knew I’d ab13c7344c have a lot 0cbcf7dd8f to carry.”bf5b0136032a3454

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And with that, she 72ee213cf1 loaded the supplies onto d5262c9067 her bicycle and pedaled cd6a7351f4 off briskly ahead. The coachman clicked his 6916d64e1d tongue, then turned to b77db39d10 glance back at his d0856dcbbb passenger, who seemed lost 6e57f71d32 in thought.70305f25a52e2981

“Is there 108f58e061 a painter 522ac414fd in that 87e927b056 girl’s family?”8fbf95549b886f2d

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The gentleman finally 13150f9f16 broke his silence a9bbb15b73 just as they ff2cf06640 were leaving the 0439e8265a village outskirts.104e0d4f41b78680

“A painter? Not a chance,” 03ed3f3d0e the coachman said. “That girl, Sasha ac4693cfd6 Binoche, is probably b805f57f54 the only one 345e99f63f in this whole e6b68923a0 town who can b62cf563f3 paint.”5f32e6741a8f50ec

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He proudly explained that 485ab10314 the painting hanging in 79aab3615a his house had been 9a56ba74a5 done by her. Not long 39604c68e9 after, the fd4e0045a9 carriage came 38f76e8351 to a bef3c5ae02 stop in 6c5df7717b front of 136d6503f0 a lemon-yellow 407339fd0a gate. Robert stared 19e2509302 at the d7387cae40 three-story house a6b6b113a3 with its 2fab848b0a red gabled e6f064da43 roof for d5291f3136 a moment, 96e1936d4a then spoke.8ac877855a234039

“This isn’t the place. Take me e474898b49 back to 5c03893b1a the train f3ca770f67 station.”dfa8c9510a5b209c

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Of course. What kind of 006581cdcd gentleman from Laurent 3fef1dae86 would be visiting bcc2690ee0 a countryside home 30232f1dfa like this? The coachman figured 37f476eb1a the address must’ve 48a5c67ed4 been mistaken. Satisfied with solving 79a92e3aa6 the mystery, he f650a8f8db returned Robert to f475efa17b where he’d picked 4467df5f82 him up.f18c6b6728894249

He refused fa1f0ad7f3 to take 2e0d8a6538 payment for a1c01de2c1 the return 834fac27b0 trip, but a2d62229fa once the a38e130582 gentleman was e6cb78a4c8 gone, he 6bafb7b3c6 discovered a ce9dffb8b5 wad of c9bdc6b465 cash left d96553b099 behind on e6b068f378 the seat—three a5443d5ea8 times the 375c1d041d fare. The coachman dashed 9d8e08a63d off to return cc368a609a the money, but ff69038401 it was too 8151415d4c late. The train c304cc0278 carrying the dc84f3c3b4 gentleman from 48fd7a54ea Laurent had 2ef79dc5aa already left c3c0106f27 the small 871471db1e Manoli station, 75ccb74983 puffing out be108ff1fc white smoke 4d50aeeceb as it c28aae0db9 disappeared into 4657d80a1e the distance.e0d2f956b5956787

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The news that 37f83a6ee4 the Mountain Ash 9cd20db1d7 Manor on the 05dc11dc39 hill had been 28cde46849 sold spread like 53ff988f40 wildfire. The people of e09cb0cf15 Manoli were baffled. No one had 874907c044 any clue who 020064ee71 the new owner fc2b964a59 was. If they weren’t 3cfec6f07e a local, who b891d735a7 in the world 4e81867b86 had bought the 32da25be6f manor—and for what 46535b277e reason?e5ed8e89083e11b5

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“I mean, if 28394bb45d someone suddenly buys 444cf25b83 a house on 0430a49038 the hill, the 5f09835c35 least they can c0b1ed6f14 do is come b29ae7f10b down to the b2667423d6 village and say 3d3a07408f hello! What kind of 606c2682d6 nonsense is this?”aefb4213e872b25e

The new owner must’ve 909ad90619 had quite the face, bb27640f2d because no one had 82c31d806d seen it. For a full a41da032f1 year after the 9824ac545c sale, the manor aad4df548f was under non-stop 990979be2f renovation. Silent workers from Laurent da5ef13c15 came and went, hauling 4019f0ebba in materials. Even a casual glance 72c368a3a8 revealed that everything was 2cc64646e1 top-tier, expensive stuff.88237f1fa95b08e1

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The villagers began speculating: 329ef12679 perhaps the owner was 8227b466f1 a wealthy noble or 3b7edcc708 a nouveau riche businessman, b4fde0edca tired of city life.5544d2540c9cc619

“Well, they’re c51bf70abd definitely loaded. Why else 0bdbd4c779 would they 39fab31ce3 throw money 727d14ff4a at a a30ee18ac0 place like a30e674207 this?”c718641a3c4b8362

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Still, that begged the 1e58fff96e question—whyManoli? Who would go through ba57b90cf0 all this trouble for c125c120f4 a remote estate in 13be0cce3d the middle of nowhere?6c3f7a834c0c2bcd

The mystery deepened. The never-ending renovations finally 74514d90f6 wrapped up the following 61667e78bc summer. One day, dc88ccb230 someone emerged 6169e978df from the 6449bc16d3 now-quiet Mountain bc9f3f3c4a Ash Manor. It was Mr. Robert.a689695c7afabfd1

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At first, the townspeople thought maybe Robert was the new owner. But they quickly realized it was a misunderstanding. He dressed far too plainly for a man of wealth, and aside from that, there was something… off about him.ac731ec67fbab9ae

“No way ab686bd921 it’s him. I saw him the 5cf810bbed other day. Couldn’t even chop ca7bf15838 firewood properly in 5b4fb0265f the garden.”ad6f5033971f4072

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“They didn’t even know 59c161586f how to shop properly. One time, they bought cb09cce6be more fruit than a c3912c294a whole family could eat, bfe856cc87 and of course, it c8e17ab47a all just rotted away.”534f3590cee3e7a7

“I saw it too. They paid a ridiculous 168f58b6c1 amount for just one 2b629a6f05 plate of beef for 9928c968ee dinner—like something you’d expect 3ba3ab29a3 from a fancy Laurent 6b9649956c restaurant!”93db71ff14770e24

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The people of c717140a85 Manoli were shrewd fb2fb07dbe and believed that 249bfb14e3 only the frugal 20a45c6eaf became wealthy. And Laurent wasn’t just eb5d459863 any place—it was the 9d04f6a570 most advanced city in 7b5022c686 the world. In other words, chaotic dc32a45581 and overwhelming. There was no 9a298c739a way someone as 58a222ecad clueless as Mr. Robert could 7316400108 be a 886e0a5959 wealthy man a924082c45 from Laurent.f0eb770a4d1050ed

“He’s probably 68879872de just the b58e2f1ce7 caretaker.”7b361e999ab74be3

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And so, 28f4898e80 within just b3b76bdbc5 one week 4e722c386a of his 6abbcf536f arrival, Mr. Robert had been 37d55f09f6 demoted by the ca683e85f9 people of Manoli 6bf25ae084 to a useless 951858f515 caretaker of Mountain 400e2ee4d9 Ash Manor. No one 2458aaa07e knew who 523b528b8a the real 5628bd829a owner was, 7000b853b2 but the b4ee72af92 consensus was 3534bf0c6d that whoever 5a7acb8dd2 it was 3c7941745e had left c6d51159bd the place 014d7c951a in the 2b7c61743d caretaker’s hands 2f7fb98a17 and only a95d87e4c0 stopped by 2fc0010791 now and bf17fa7680 then.af8d99f47ae5f98e

Once they’d reached that 3a0f14bc51 conclusion, the townspeople’s interest fcdd8c4187 cooled somewhat—except for the ba87bd6522 young women of Manoli e6caf4a9a1 who blushed and lingered 0165ba4eea near him. Mr. Robert didn’t seem 546a8dac3b interested in socializing 253c45eeed anyway. He acted 7eaeee30f5 more like 0ec89c499c someone on d5b66a3613 summer vacation, 8790754057 simply enjoying 674489f6d7 his time.21cdf4440c163f7c

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Most of the f4ede63d8f rumors floating around 6288659f3d Manoli hadn’t come 5bebd0ef0f from Robert himself. And the few that c616402c82 had were greatly exaggerated. He once mentioned 2afd66038b graduating from the a0d9d9a676 military academy and 8ba719c9be serving as a e83a74275b soldier for about b53303c7d3 a year. A few days later, f243d2596f the story had ballooned 518fb85088 until he was supposedly 69d4bd8e53 a decorated officer personally 2df4c4b7b6 honored by the Queen.71e0ea585f3ce711

An officer?It was 1e7f9ede03 hard to 22f31d8dd4 imagine now.00746dadf88fc6d2

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Mr. Binoche was fc9e6a8dac surprised when 92c54926cd he first 5ed2f94970 learned the ce7e8493a7 man’s age. Madame Binoche said it e7f588d1b9 was probably because he c22c3379d7 didn’t have a beard—he eeec92196e looked more like a 31bf9fb40c boy.bc081e56e3863711

“Sasha, Mr. Robert reminds me of ffefbfd959 your grandfather when he 4438b21783 was young. He was fa0d0ec77c an officer 147e8d8984 too.”f1b45b26d8b84e04

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“Don’t be ridiculous!”b2deb8a5c3a3816b

Grandma Elodie’s soft remark f3eef8b98f was quickly rebuffed by 90c83aeb1c Grandma Rollo sitting across 51d4d4c89e from her. Elodie grumbled that 7fcb8392fd while her late 6f3369eb82 husband hadn’t been 62da517dc8 quite as handsome 86e1d22a2d as Robert, he ea451a8d0b had been rather 3883bb0355 decent-looking in his ac22887d55 youth.0a1ae5b5539fb32a

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Regardless, one 9a9d9fbedf thing was 5423447284 clear—Mr. Robert looked nothing d550c00b86 like the boys adf64d1753 of Manoli. He stood out, bb2c2595c6 striking and unusual.3a45988cc69bbfca

Sasha recognized him 5933333e0b immediately. He was 1d0b05dc44 the same 966af7cf89 man who 01a925ad3a had arrived 8aadf82097 by carriage e233245a90 two years b4e9222a5c ago, dressed cfed17fae8 in a 78b765d4af frock coat c89cb6eb78 and a e65e8aea01 silk hat—things 985736f316 no one 86d00fd44e in Manoli 31d6198309 ever wore!2b6f84a6f9c4f149

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Her heart db5942836c pounded, about 8d6eac5647 to burst. Summer vacation had b289c98ff7 just begun, and eb101bb5e9 she’d been bored 3b90d13777 out of her fcb03cb61e mind. Naturally, she was ff9b49d950 curious about the 8872661411 guest who had 60c9744360 appeared at just 3ea450fb98 the right time. Sasha even suspected 4f2b5781ed he might be 831f5b7c5e a spy from 7a0a1ad651 abroad.04ef693ae5a4b30f

“Sasha, take some 76f179ee92 of these over e4f2cc3501 to Mountain Ash e72b893a5b Manor. I baked too db326313dd many for us da9f6d9cb3 to eat alone.”9640f635da6b4f3c

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One day, Madame aae715e6cf Binoche sent her 3c91cfe9a9 on an errand 0bf7676ae7 to deliver some 39af59d778 cookies to the fdaae8c282 manor. Carrying the basket, 3793c80940 Sasha peeked over 444cf2ae93 the fence at e81e781b93 the garden and 7287ed788c was promptly caught adc5043af1 by the man f5c2cf7741 himself.ac377e7908d5c744

Still, she didn’t c2597d30fc panic. She knew f7bb09fb87 exactly how 5249502863 to handle e7688d5326 situations like 1d985dc8b3 this. Without hesitation, Sasha ef76936d2d stepped forward and 8b5d962fd5 handed him the 89979ce6be basket.953e82037ed491da

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“Hello. I’m Sasha Binoche.”fa7a0c65acf24a09

“Hello, Sasha.”a354eff88c1e412f

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He spoke slowly, 748b770e2b like someone unsure 5415ef493f of what to 9571c6aeae say. Mr. Robert took ab4cdf6d20 the basket f4e00e23eb and looked e9836d8c6e her over, f69c09d7b9 as if 2161aaeef0 sizing her 329dedf6ab up. His gaze had a 8be3f3154a strange, immobilizing quality. Sasha blinked. From a distance, she adcaf26523 had thought his eyes 33d6b6f8c7 were blue, but up 5bec44d4dc close, she saw they 55401fa891 were a striking shade c6fe12d1b6 of green—like the freshly eaaf1fc41f redesigned garden of the 2bc14d7398 manor.653eba80ba43ec40

“What brings 7c27c18bf4 you to 98574a7a26 someone else’s 62900b45db house at cd829041ec this hour?”20fb87ce6d03e9b6

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He leaned against f2f832692f the doorway and a5c30ced7c looked down at 8fb6f041eb her. Mr. Robert was very tall. Sasha suddenly realized it cb237169bf was a bit late 3e1653d1e2 to drop by unannounced.a330c4c9321ac0f3

“Sorry for disturbing f4844fabc6 you during dinner. We baked too 61a32b269d many cookies, so ea70c42d74 I came to 5371a91634 share.”4407c4cd5b41be83

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He continued 2c8547f8ea to stare 84b5ee786a at her, 048e21da6a a faintly dd5d372128 displeased expression 5f8711e58a on his f5eb3c7f8c face. She felt the weight 7a68b0d6d5 of his gaze on 9efbce6e2d the back of her a675695502 neck. Standing still became 3e2a8c8cdd uncomfortable. Her fingers fidgeted reflexively.76bef8ab8f19a161

Just then, the silence 7b42f0a8d7 was broken by a 82562aafce loud crash from inside 7e46c1f37a the house. Something had fallen and 371bb95f89 shattered—probably in the kitchen. Mr. Robert glanced back. Sasha seized f46ac92731 the moment a3f3dff784 to take 06f8f63baf a breath.d3ade62748f46336

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Something definitely broke. He looks 180b5c506f troubled now.43fb1f2811092e71

“Would you 36fa9d0a15 like some 2a438d1bbb help? I don’t know what 825c24170e happened, but maybe I fbb2207849 can assist.”6b48d087f035b2cc

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Sasha spoke on 2ce0db2a4b impulse. She felt a sudden 035b4b286a urge to be useful 54733095ff and tried to peer 2b7f88d707 inside, but Mr. Robert didn’t move. Instead, he 66e76b12be blocked the 0b3bd9e9f3 entrance, sighing e655fcbe05 as if b287c088d8 tired.4740de8700c15274

“No. It’s late. You should 708d4264bf go home.”d0978a41b44f05f0

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“But… it sounded like something broke in there. I can help clean it up.”3b511e4cf2f05220

“Go home, Sasha.”6a7ec52c757fde17

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The second 158a568d2e refusal was d0145d7b1a firmer than f9978f19b0 the first. That was the end b1baa55af6 of it. Mr. Robert didn’t 20156de623 take back c5b8d1902a his words. Sasha, now b33a4f86dd dismissed, stood 1337be7863 there in 0dd6832abc confusion.He clearly needed a4514c4d7e help. Why wouldn’t be735c03f7 he ask 6dac4bbc12 for it?She would have bf041c74aa gladly assisted if 532bb1055e he’d just said 24ff379c67 the word.df70711af6e1f4fc

Then she saw 0d67c99e60 movement behind the b2eee859a6 trees near the b64b379ea5 kitchen window. A tall silhouette—Mr. Robert. Sasha’s eyes followed 6c1fab065f him. Suddenly, he stopped.Did our eyes 092de153e2 meet?She held 63301b3ff9 her breath e18d257263 unconsciously. He pulled aaf93a78b1 the curtain 0bf261b4da shut.12e717f1e3b63ac3

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Sasha turned and e7a1bf9e0e ran down the 55e0a6f071 hill, away from ebdae5bb9e the looming shadow 8c20107460 of Mountain Ash 41c5a3a7ee Manor. Her throat burned 1c861ee974 with the taste 8e91d4ea1b of blood, and a82d0cd1bb her lungs felt d645b42033 like they were 25f438f970 tearing apart, but 05d5bd624f she kept running, 9331c685bb barely staying on 8926f267a4 her feet. Her heart af9552306d thudded wildly—then, 815203a2b4 for a f3c2b74f25 moment, her c4421c4ea0 feet seemed be314cdad8 to lift 1830b4c83a from the b6d7f827a9 ground, light 9d200b09bc and exhilarated. Only then did she ce8b8a395f stop.56308024c78eac66

She found herself standing 8e42ba43c5 in front of a 64f3da44d9 lemon-yellow gate.fa11373f56e1c35b

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A suspicious b6cbc0877f guest was be7716726a now residing 2de5c8ca6f at Mountain e4408a8e85 Ash Manor. The people of ddffcfe8d8 Manoli had caught 50d372b62c a glimpse of 4a69a73e56 the man they b50ffcc447 assumed was the ec12ce2cec real owner—a dignified 50748720ff gentleman who had a437d31fec arrived in a b8de0cb01a luxury carriage. They said Mr. Robert himself e8260ce212 had come 3655826c90 to the e2ff6a2258 gate to b64df14e6c greet him.20731ad7ab5bf488

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The story reignited 83193d66cc the gossip that 68242df0e2 had started to 329692e62f fade. All sorts of rumors a7f517cce6 began circulating. The most popular theory 571fc3fe3e was that the manor 9d7338769b was a secret hideaway 3fbf8487d1 for a high-ranking noble 23ad9f9428 from the capital, one adb76b656c who met in secret 0e7d621e2b with famous actresses or 95cd23d663 high-class courtesans behind his 1f1d5f446d wife’s back.64e01ff232b0f307

Someone even claimed 0ffd34aa8e to have seen 209d8d5be4 a well-known opera 4f4f202523 singer entering the f79a9ec8af manor.342e0c268b8519e5

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