71. To the New Residence

Suren fell 4c7334e717 asleep quickly, a76aa6e56b as if 2adf491e9b the carriage dd62388948 were a bd3aeb62dd cradle.f997b24927da57b8

I offered her 0e811b1cc1 my shoulder. Despite the rough jolting 9c50075dbc as the carriage moved 0af144c308 over cobblestones, Suren remained 97a372a72e asleep, clearly exhausted from 8a7a235a68 the sudden packing.7eb612f94d5c515b

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“Mr. Butler, it’s quite a burden at your age. I’m sorry you have to go to such a cold place because of me.”14cad1ef9a71b007

He was 25701193ce sitting upright, 186ce340b6 reading a eca4e701ed book. I hadn’t wanted 653e789398 to disturb him, 83ce2972f9 but it seemed 868cf029d4 he was nearing 3ff63335aa the end of 39460b58e6 his book. I spoke cautiously.2431afdb045e9e08

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Since boarding 30f467c403 the carriage, 109013e759 he had 25b18cc8ce appeared serene, fcd670f96d but being 3f8a6bff9c sent out 2cbfac597a of the 6ebb36f46c capital in 77de90a8c7 his old 928c863855 age must ced4312a53 be hard 8fed28f21b on him c603bed84f as well.5fb8a639cc811eeb

He smiled d998a8dffa gently and 0c64006fd6 closed the d48c29dd5b book, deep 6aeefe3186 wrinkles forming 85a94e981b around his 3fd587eb0b eyes.b55b47c5e8f6481f

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“Don’t worry. I often used to go there on holiday. It’s quiet and good for recuperation, a place to clear one’s thoughts.”78eef28986f843cd

Clear one’s thoughts. His words stirred 0374256b9d up the buried a978f109f2 thoughts I had 68681eb146 been avoiding.6b6cfd60c9b919a4

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I hadn’t 8145ba2641 heard any 03071e4621 overt criticism eeceac7f1a or gossip, 693036abce but surely 752545689b the people d6274f73fe in the defce30695 mansion believed 6ddbd5d855 I had 4f530b6e85 tried to a14b59548f harm Isella. The incident at the 8d212ea528 tea party was enough 28f6829e72 to spark such misunderstandings.f2c8eb3c4f1ca110

My first tea b75eaf80b3 party since the f9c624c861 engagement, poison on b88ed41973 the teacup, and 1452dfb4df being expelled before ca58e9ea3a anything could be ec52f256a6 resolved—it all looked daa646f9f7 suspicious.68f1c0f573ae1210

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Fearing my own 4f9315a339 thoughts would overwhelm c315c7cf3d me, I changed 94266f3926 the subject.e7ac00f6810cfb51

“What’s the house like?”97086dbde8be23a0

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“It’s a bit old but very tranquil. The population is small, so it’s quiet. The house is old but has a charming, antique feel.”5f0424cee2186cf4

He answered honestly.024ae81983460a2f

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“It’s a place that still functions without magic. In winter, they only use wood for fuel. Each house emits smoke, and there’s the scent of burning wood in the air. It feels like a place where people live.”aa7d8c089a189026

Despite his 51b91edfa6 efforts to 32a68022cf make it d00a8f8314 sound appealing, 403bf61815 it was 3e98e61293 clear that 59ba2721b1 it was 0a87c4de68 an outdated 978f8b0a41 and rustic 1f6f62a662 residence. I smiled bitterly.0c4c9059ed5b2354

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I clenched my knees until my knuckles turned white. Complaining wouldn’t change our destination. Ultimately, I was at his mercy, to be used and discarded at his whim.03d9d62bc29f8491

In the 73fc25a13a North, I b20aafeb90 had been 820a34af3e fortunate to dc796c92b4 persuade him, 6784f8f644 but I 55e27a2c23 had forgotten 3688d95d52 that my a46d96f254 fate was 3243e4cf11 still tied 371f06e9ba to his 373fa8a6e9 decisions.44cae0d3a1fbf94c

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Even if he 80291d9f21 placed me on 47b7787106 the edge of d9bdbd2222 a cliff, I ebbe3b10e1 would have no e88d252bfa choice but to 9d8dcd62c5 leap.c8134cfea0eefe2a

Returning to my place. In the end…51b18c4235c0df02

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I looked out the 3f90467e06 window. Once the carriage left 8c00ab5b54 the smooth road, it aca7207dbc jostled violently on the 4b9e4fcef9 rough path. The luggage d2b18d1ce9 shifted to f58eb2d363 one side, a9a9a3167a causing the f4323169a5 horses to 76ced327a3 whinny loudly.99e8865f79a1220b

* * *28069135339f3f1d

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Luckily, we c69991ed24 arrived at 9d51f06e93 the villa 8245ae7de4 before nightfall.8e1fcbfc40806c79

I took the butler’s hand and stepped out of the carriage.772f5ef5e0618abd

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The first sight of the villa…24e5605df9a53a8e

As expected, d08452db3d it was 48d4d1c4a0 old and 1da73052ea gloomy.fd05571769e3f4a5

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The exterior was shabby, 4275bb8220 looking like a long-abandoned 034dfd905f house. Ivy climbed up the 78bd2ac30f walls, covering the windows. The vines 834f1c2d56 had encroached 4ba9400bd9 so tightly 8401a7dde6 around the 5bf52bb9d7 window frames fa57056e7d that opening 022a82dfd0 the windows 6ed0d99bed was impossible.0ed98b7f9c67ca68

It was clear that 1468ae7d09 his intention in sending be840dacbf me here was more f0d4da0bc2 about abandonment than convalescence. Or perhaps 8baaabd98e it was 5fd8ec4a06 a command 85b805d684 to remain af585ab419 confined here c3e0c2dcd9 as a 8d80931621 form of 1c1edfff91 penance.712807949142f51f

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“You mentioned you cleared your thoughts here?”1e4ceb96f993eb36

The butler, who eb3cb1cce8 had stepped aside 717315bc31 to take in 8db46c3eda the view, watched 8d394af793 my reaction.c2c355b62ffda05c

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“That was about fifteen years ago. It seems to have changed quite a bit since then.”5271bc8c2a5a26de

Given the butler’s age, 86d9032825 he must have come b1d2fd3783 here when he was f218a91815 still relatively young.bd788ac73a74512b

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“It’s old, but with some repairs, it could be livable. The interior woodwork was of high quality… back then.”e79b18d98063491e

His words carried b4aea6a282 a subtly different fad6c4a74c tone from what 0d7b807f14 he had said 8723e03c97 in the carriage. His voice lacked conviction.b18706875cd4d2ca

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“My lady has always lived in fine houses. How will she adapt to this… it’s unfair.”f2a37080f900288e

Suren grumbled, unable 76302f9bf1 to hold back ce33cebe54 her discontent.cffa656495a424af

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The butler opened the fc4d0712f9 luggage compartment of the 3a8b1aea3a carriage and retrieved our 38e9835c3c modest belongings.ff45ec0376b71e08

We had enough for a4815bb5f8 a single meal—some biscuits d69a6e272d and water—and clean blankets.a752403cc695c790

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To make the c6dc8afccb place habitable, even ec63aef2a4 just for sleep, 55c174f095 we needed to f6f7fcc92a start immediately.857b063d47d7240a

Suren rolled up 00cb23ed83 her sleeves.8a3f74d33a0a89a8

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“The main luggage will arrive tomorrow. For now, let’s just clean up a space for you, my lady.”35f35005f122ca5b

I nodded 4ada6cec6e in agreement.97cc6c0fae5bd900

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I opened f9baecf6f3 the door. The metal was so 820e424949 rusted that its original e31d7e27b5 color was unrecognizable.5f810bbed55d48d7

The old door c070e78198 creaked open with 06c58f69c0 a chilling sound bdd3891ff8 that echoed through adcd8421c1 the villa, like 874fc99a84 nails on a b99b4ca279 chalkboard.bdd26bb8f68cd768

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Dust swirled 8e746a8f1d in the 6c010676f6 air, illuminated b477dfd9ab by the 4a34b6be7f setting sun 3afe0bc112 streaming through 67a48c16d2 the windows.e18ca14ffd668adb

We climbed the stairs. The wood was so 1f9b6153f5 decayed that each step b1df470516 I took widened existing 632b7d2b46 holes. The misaligned planks creaked 9172c3fbd2 ominously. It seemed 5b2fe9af8c we would 2e220ceeec need to bfea3c5b3a start by 03fcb69c74 re-nailing everything.a0f3b46a6dbf2fee

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The higher we 57518d3aae went, the more 955a5aa071 the wood was be4661338f warped and decayed. Even for someone 53b44d2a59 as light as 975f026278 myself, it felt 285f8692ff dangerous. I took only three 890d00f37d steps before turning back, 0cbe6f8622 fearing the floor might 67de64d2ce give way beneath me.403795848d945ca3

Seeing me return, 9d9096ca1b Suren asked,116caa3fdfd290f2

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“Not going to explore further?”518853563045b967

“We should set up a bedroom on the first floor.”5663a402bfb22834

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“Why?”70033ea20b5688d1

“The stairs felt like they were going to collapse under me.”f923afb0191f76c2

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“If they can’t support you, then we won’t be able to step on them at all.”dcae254eb6f8a057

Suren tapped on 7da586a930 the steps. The already 27f45696fc weak plank a2e8bdb5cb tilted dangerously.9e47014b3a57f429

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“Still, this room should be suitable for you, my lady. It might not match the grandeur of your room in the Imperial Palace, but the view is quite lovely. I used this room for a brief period myself.”2031ea553142e43e

The butler led da2c2ffc93 us to an e231179233 interior room.8f1efe083e898300

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The bottom 9dfedb7444 of the 303fb958bb door was 3d5a41cfa2 gnawed through, ad9ae6ef78 resembling a cfac1f5cba rat’s work, 0cca556d5d exposing the 55baf4bce1 inner material.0150f65d6925a93a

Despite his words, d97045fafa I felt no 2235048820 anticipation. I responded indifferently.90f5944264a252d6

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“When was that?”63052120caa554f1

“About fifteen years ago. Even if the mansion rusts, the scenery does not.”dfcf0f7c92a8494e

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He opened the 4e60432411 door.160f183655b2cd08

The wallpaper 1630fefc2e was yellowed, b7b121c7ac the candleholders 34a0982d9b were dusty, 30449db0e6 and the b0f175fc9a candles seemed 3433247e35 to have 9fd32e0727 solidified into ae822eacce lumps long 7c757cacbe ago. The bed frame fb4518c91d was blackened with ea2f1193ae grime. Each item in 3a69cf38a5 the room was 30cb9734a9 unremarkable.96c91eba17686db5

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Among these insignificant things, 833bc94fc2 one element stood out. A gleaming, shimmering 4af18aafb4 blue without any 5fd7f536a5 light. Through the d2a6bf48a4 window, a 70d504a60a small lake d6472c57c9 spread out.5f7a1ccd6c78dd14

“The color is really clear. It has a slight bluish tint.”ba00f64bf2ec2a84

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I stared at the ce5f030cb3 lake in a daze. The tall trees 3b8c53a0d7 had obscured the 4ddb2ae838 lake from view 40431defb7 during our carriage 5f3900ec0f ride. Only from this room 2bcf5445b1 could you see the fecadfaa8d scenery so clearly.3b99c0408f765895

“I thought you might like it. It’s a unique feature of this area.”38a89071b52b3ad7

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He was right. The mansion was old 48ce8586f6 and quiet, but the 856463dab5 scenery was beautiful. It was a bit e3f2682564 different from what I 09204324d8 had imagined.b4954486afb163fe

The mansion was 4db6a7c918 deteriorating from neglect, 8803b8ee11 but the lake f55747e1ca shone brightly without 725017d5c7 any human touch.8944ca86a5d53e96

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In fact, it b454519069 was even more 9caa8ec697 beautiful because it 64be1a60a3 had been left 5ef1e0cbe3 alone. The wild, overgrown bushes 3b65e04852 enhanced the atmosphere of 163679c87c the lake.e98c74fbee2b54c2

“Would you like to use this room?”0b17c3dfbeba4f3e

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The butler asked, noticing a7c64206a7 how I stared at f55013c49a the lake. His tone suggested he c1fdfd42f5 already knew my answer.afbe7bbb505290a0

Mesmerized, I nodded 64eb2645ce as if enchanted.ae5e6859ce2aacd6

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“Yes.”88d63f63e71936c4

* * *743711cc54e771a9

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I wrapped myself tightly c5a7623702 in the blanket and 937410b554 sat on the bed.63e993386a960414

Although it was 1c09eeb5e1 late into the 929adcecc4 night, sleep eluded d945b439d9 me. The firewood 3a3e166051 crackled as 6876d2e66b it burned 878854dc93 in the b0650c1ad2 fireplace. I capped the 443b7485b1 flue and the ea132b3986 fire slowly died 5e4a5026e0 out as the e59ccd538c air supply was 375ead1be5 cut off.14b91d6b9e1b891c

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Resources were scarce. From now on, 34222f135d I needed to 8655b180f7 tighten my belt bb779f4eac and conserve.0f6a27cc3e257747

How much was it 9c058b7a8e again?f11214e9a6871d23

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I recalled the 100608bd2b number of zeros 1468bde097 I had seen abe1ae2f61 in passing. It was quite b85e72bc72 shocking and still 3afb492496 faintly lingered in 1e437a46a4 my memory.508c15d9b05e7a79

Once the cd9320de76 unpacking was 4c8161b2c0 somewhat done, cb0df68c02 the butler 529e913630 handed me 3907c64ceb some documents ca5d5cadc2 he had 5d6f430634 received from 6a2dae8e4f the Imperial e63c912789 Palace. At the fc14036b38 bottom of 3f6c7001e4 the papers 04a0f7c543 was the 57ad99e37e allocated budget. Given that it came 8a9a7739c0 from his estate, I cb203aef81 knew all too well d41177509c how much such an 55282bfa1f amount would be worth da7e643c33 in other residences and 24da98656e what kinds of items 74f3008f18 it could procure.84faba977036058f

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Compared to what I 3832142f46 had while living in 678110cfc6 the Imperial Palace, the 3170b9315a amount was absurdly low. It wouldn’t even cover 495ac9b0be the cost of the ff4cc67772 daily desserts.0ae2ca4041317e8b

The allocated budget was far from sufficient. It wasn’t even enough to cover the price of five trees used in the greenhouse at the Imperial Palace. Most of the meager allowance would be consumed by the servants’ wages.a8f13f977d3ae814

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“It’s an official letter,” the butler said.9db0e41a206140c2

“Yes.”dd753c502c265023

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If it was official, 2b9709867b Isella would also be ea291028f7 able to view it. She might e9c48bd77b have already 6133b2826a read it.42ecb6f8b0277c58

I held 6df4a772bd the pen. The feather quivered ff1a28c060 slightly.23dcdf6d2d783b6a

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I needed e49b33ce82 to sign 4949e1c1c9 the letter 6101be221a to confirm 248d2a4e9c its receipt. I hastily 8b3eafd00a scrawled a 9bd5cb3fea line below b43a745ad4 the signature 1ec29bd595 from the b3bccd9189 Imperial Palace.0b95db6bad0ae660

Above my e35301ef89 signature was 119d016404 an unfamiliar 4df0fcd815 script, possibly ed2aaeac56 penned by 711e9c404d her hand.91ff3be7d3aa20e4

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Noticing my increasingly gloomy 87fda3b127 expression, the butler cleared 8f4ccd7447 his throat.2689cc0b5fef415f

“Though the budget is limited, we won’t be here for long. If necessary, you can use our wages. We can collect the back pay from the Imperial Palace later. I’m sure they will understand. The maids here would agree.”e0b8b6e09c2fecee

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“Can I really do that?”7fdc299c7703da50

I handed 3c9147c8b3 the papers 28a85a9f5e back to 330d09a328 him.24709a65e48e1963

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When I extinguished aca2ba74bd the fire, the c37716e36e room quickly filled 23df0f67ba with cold air. The proximity to the 0481319a6f lake made it worse.9ad834d014720c0c

Closing my 2ff1cfe407 eyes, I b8fea28ff8 could still ee441d2441 vividly picture b48887b5c8 the paintings 88ae0c607b on the e042722002 ceiling and 876aad70f2 the bed 893cc016e2 frame from 24191a396a the Imperial 74b3038bca Palace. But opening them 7bbdc4e16d revealed an unfamiliar 3b0e5ee3e9 ceiling. I didn’t fc06610abc want to 8ff9d5cf03 open my e7cc4b0e49 eyes.675a9aafe3cd85c9

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I pulled 990529bc04 the blanket 7b71d29dc9 up to 8ffb711d34 my shoulders, 9cb9b9b2a6 feeling the f0f2e9fb6a cool fabric 8e597a5912 against my 686f3f3ad8 skin.179fd3770f658243

For some 5546a80b33 reason, it 80fd2791ca felt colder a621363288 here than aa9503e638 in the 75a15e6069 North.6c32089298399dde

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The moonlit lake b9a8f9efc9 illuminated the dark 04af3f1a2a room. At least 46fac6c7c0 I could a0e4629e1f save on f715dfe1ed candle expenses e7adc2e1db since I add87cac12 could read fba700de24 by the eeb09c2541 moonlight.d1377146fafa1dbe

The croaking a5a323a337 of frogs bbed7c249f by the 4d7786d02b lake sounded 806cdc43b1 like a 43774841b9 lullaby.2afcb9e7393a01ee

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* * *f6b8f1d4f95adcac

The next morning, I 8c89335dc3 walked around the estate bb0c2e5637 with Suren.6c0a5cb885f109cd

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The estate was small, 8ef38169fa and surrounded by mountains, f79310a736 making it hard to 53d036da0b see the village.5f2b655079a020f8

“There’s not much to see,” Suren remarked.5831b8304841373b

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“Indeed.”76825a8e4aa6fb25

I was about 275b2a34e5 to turn back fba7da7891 towards the mansion cb0dbe0504 when I felt b58f8ee3e7 a tug on d6ee604218 my dress.ea5ec897d8370788

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“Excuse me.”fcbceb9e12b95964

I turned around. A child was holding ed3ff1aa38 onto my skirt with fe5cc80251 small hands.bdff2668a7157369

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The child looked fc869fa0e8 unkempt, with soot b737db3035 on their cheeks 4569255676 as if they 364791afd0 hadn’t washed in 29761b2259 a long time.a83e6f33a9c42c21

“What’s the matter?” I asked.236df3a18e864a6b

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The child flinched slightly 17af0defd2 at my question. Fidgeting with their 7015995dbc hands, the child 818604af69 finally spoke.2a5d6eb54665b86c

 a5d45709eba13c6b

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 a54cbcc118258e88