72. Resolving Relationships

“Could you open the well for us?”bdb38152538d4f02

“The well?”8996804b927f8e1a

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It seemed the ae744b778e child was asking 42ac13e3e5 for water. Now that I noticed, 2144f2d572 the child was carrying a0c71dc054 a large wooden bucket 1b978f5e69 almost as big as 7cd4b04c20 themselves.eee41552cf55bc12

“I heard there’s a well inside the mansion. Can we draw water from it?”15687d18e38409ef

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The child 2ec1171eeb spoke clearly, ce633522b3 stating what c994b3c79e they wanted.3775d47c632873a1

It seemed e521c8f145 like they 541418a529 had practiced 22c72c98ba asking this 905d5fb792 many times, 06297f5ac6 speaking with 2e3abfa899 an urgency 698cdd96b4 reflected in 40c12f767c their swallowing 4c49a6cd62 throat.df5f6953bd586515

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“Are you thirsty? There’s a lake right in the middle of the estate.”02936650523d11b4

Maybe they 2766a38b6c weren’t allowed 8693395d53 to access 66a6fd95cd the lake.058a8e5dbda111e5

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As I 9affa2b96f pondered this, 8151dca222 another child 2080bf5c16 jumped out 972b303f89 and shouted 028756f3fe loudly.bd84c40145e3f37f

“We can’t drink that water! It’s salty.”614774cbc373c2d3

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So that’s 41f7dc94bd why the 5087259239 lake looked c33dcad79b so beautiful—it 2f44123394 was because 687eaa3b16 of the 7443a56dd3 salt content.b942e89b8f10ef46

“How much water do you need?”cbfde29dce3dbeaf

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Suren, who 133bc40987 had been adeec9f326 observing the cf33adb07e situation, stepped f2b4924ac6 in.083caf011883cb0e

“My lady, you can’t. With all the servants moving in, we don’t know how much water we’ll need.”5ff2aaf1c84d7012

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“It’s fine. I’ll use less.”c3c269e4bc17497b

“You don’t need to worry about the villagers. Technically, this place belongs to His Highness, and whether they starve or get looted is not your concern. You should only worry about yourself. Selfishly.”e13a97ed4f3b9c7b

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“Suren, look.”e9810d1555b5cc97

I gently tapped 7ff4da4e59 Suren’s shoulder to e7422daf0e calm her down fe870b0b10 and pointed at 825802e220 the children’s hair.5c2c14b82657e576

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Their hair had 064dbc9194 an unusual purple 8e5e0070dd hue. The sunlight made b5d23d4999 it shine even 446042b920 more vividly. Though dirty b295fa73d2 and greasy 0472fe8069 from lack b5c483f08a of washing, a152f2e367 the color e49e11fc17 was striking.7fffd35f0d5d38d0

“I’ve never seen such hair before. These children must be of a minority lineage, right?”27b8d3a3746ef953

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“Yes, but… that doesn’t mean you feel particularly sympathetic or want to help them, does it?”31fb686df28d4863

“And why wouldn’t I?”19f624c95a288817

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When I teased, 800dfa2b65 Suren shook her de1a53ac1f head firmly.3af6d43e8d878c36

“If you start helping, it will never end. Their parents are probably also of minority lineage. Will you take care of all of them too?”47fd625996617ff6

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“As I’ve observed, there aren’t many residents in this estate.”dd8efde66252447b

The butler’s 6669d7910c words were 7a93e5785e true. There were few deb186c864 residents in the ffe4f94a9b estate.7ebfc62a5e2be225

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It seemed more people d5f6f944d5 had migrated here from 3c76644cf3 other places than there 8d4d95c013 were locals. The lack of e8fc151b5b an attentive owner 20c4a1f408 and lax management e6c24dac44 contributed to this ec89ebb703 situation.e3ae2df9fecad602

Because there was no b979dc5c6d owner, people had settled cf1089f6d4 here without much worry, 7acf3d298f but this also meant 58b4f7f546 they didn’t receive support f7baedac5d during hard times, leaving f53545fd5e them to starve. Everyone was struggling, so 31889217fd they couldn’t even beg 3b5b7222a5 from others.1b3686117f4483a8

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“The only well is inside the mansion. It’s heavily locked, and the high walls must have prevented anyone from easily accessing it.”eabd4d7eba34dba4

“It would be theft if they just barged in because there’s no owner.”f67fbbebb6f3ce7a

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The child holding 2876259044 the bucket raised 77f4b85ee5 their head at 717ed769fa Suren’s words.785d20c52935f082

“We never tried to climb over the walls.”baa83864855d154d

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“…But you did try to climb once and slipped, didn’t you?”42cb90e7e1fc44d9

Another child muttered b51a0dce66 softly, revealing the b6aa681ce2 truth.f8302a79d9854228

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“Shh, be quiet.”dccfa3464cd02cf5

The children whispered bc01264910 to each other, a31c8104d1 chattering without being 80a442253f asked.1f3c6ee0ee3fb549

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“But why are you asking me? There’s someone in charge of this estate. Did they refuse you?”6c5578628b621b6e

“No.”efd1f9f8513d098d

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The child shook their 40eead2caf head vigorously.24ec10b0ded35296

“You’re a noble lady, right? You seemed like the highest authority here.”efbf089dc90463d4

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Their response was 2d838e63b4 innocent. They must 70118edd12 have misunderstood e1b428ba34 because I ca42427b65 was the f7dbf45631 only one 161a8bf321 wearing a 4f4345533a dress adorned 90feafb2be with a 10bc7901bb jeweled brooch.5c592e200720086a

“I’ll open it for you today. But from now on, you should ask the older man instead. He manages this estate and will take care of you.”a3d58c1a66bb979d

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The butler was Deon’s man and had a duty to manage this estate as well. He wouldn’t completely ignore the villagers.405d9873bb0a2349

I led the 66c9a0f480 children to the 04d3f9d7d5 mansion.11f71d3050f27cf4

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There was 7fa801e75e a well ca7290c506 in the 5af2c2bffb front yard. It was narrow 7fcd7fa1f6 and deep, requiring 043353c074 the rope to 615bfaba9a be lowered for 285edcbca4 quite a while. There was a aaba9b660c clunking sound, and 32c4145652 a faint vibration 4ff082941d indicated that it ffa4fbc659 had reached the 18998ad1a4 bottom. Judging by d389300a12 the feeling, 52c80ad08e the water ff55352166 level was 8f80a265e1 low. The well seemed f426ed4005 almost dry.40f9e97841f7d95f

I pulled up 962b596845 the rope. The handle bb5d541749 kept slipping.3fe798bdba065b0a

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My arms strained. After several attempts, I managed to draw up some water. Despite the effort, the water’s condition wasn’t too bad.6f9c826bbed840a5

I poured the 9e7b7aee20 water into the 85107a1518 bucket the child 27c5ec2123 had brought. The child held 45b4c781ee the bucket tightly c2f6161939 with small hands b3305ac907 to ensure not ceb4a1f248 a drop was feda9a75a9 lost.9ea72462e3ec4dc9

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“Thank you.”8b77a9013688ef40

Finally, the child’s face lit up.181a757b608ddeaa

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Though I 3e85d2afeb had poured edc8aec497 all the 977ae86932 water, the fa1b1d30ec child seemed 4d4f251102 to have 1b88b3deb0 more to 076aed22a2 say, standing 7b9bee61db there looking e3a22d8c88 at me.a1d6ea5a779eee2f

“Do you need more?”e831780445186839

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The child shook their 8ea03f602c head but then hesitated 7518c44558 before speaking.6578e08ed70d494d

“I heard a scary duke lives here. Is it okay for us to be here?”8437464e56e1695c

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The child’s innocent eyes looking up at me were endearing. I laughed softly.108d61078d92f0b9

“You’ve got it wrong. I don’t know about scary, but he’s no longer a duke. The owner of this estate is now a prince.”ed226be3d5a122cc

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“Really? A royal? Someone who lives in the castle?”7feb263a0460bcb4

“Yes.”ac3c457da79e1ab0

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I nodded. The child’s eyes widened in surprise, and their cheeks flushed with excitement.2f8174c0774f2753

Another child, darker-skinned but 7c76615e9c not dirty, squeezed closer.27236fc8e9887300

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“What’s your relationship with the prince? My mom says only people who are going to get married live together. Is that true?”66265f2128e6068f

“Hey, you shouldn’t ask such questions. I’m sorry.”68a536e6dc58a533

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The older child, 66586373ef probably just two b47c59cb3d or three years 09a52177fc older, bowed the 3ea5b2868c younger one’s head 5c9798ca71 in apology, acting 2b5624b773 quite maturely.610231d87f478f53

“Wait here for a moment.”e86d891c1a8002f6

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I picked bef7a64070 some apples e31517f3d5 from a 130d0ec790 tree next 549c730b62 to the 56ad8a20d6 well. They were just out 8bc3d0b273 of reach for the 27fddeb451 children.25312b1f35943ab6

I handed 152befaff3 a handful 9ba71e91bf of apples 90b3fc9ca3 to the 8456f49c35 children and e6951c21d4 ruffled their 9928b866f1 hair casually.be72551570734432

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“It’s okay. I’m not his lover… I’m just someone borrowing this estate for a while.”174ac0069f221a0a

The child cleaned the bbf7b9015b apple on their clothes, e0918ec193 then split it by ba15940e9e hitting it on the 04dd92a243 ground.f9d76e50b8a9b54c

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When the apple split, ac5e3047d9 a caterpillar was revealed a63eb4e284 near the seeds. Suren gasped 9bb580494d in horror c2260b3816 and jumped 08f92cf7be back higher 5755e66df8 than the d00a0fdaa2 caterpillar itself.7bf008e3d02dba12

* * *a3e054eb32abecd5

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Three deliveries from 54ea9a3c6b the Imperial Palace 53e79b6814 arrived in stages. Each time a b0f955cea5 delivery arrived, the 960bdfa35a reality of staying c2af415656 here permanently sank f0484d0815 in further.e4e4bb10c6fdf137

“This is 536c42018d the last 2a29874fab of it.”4c4a5b40ecee8ef3

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The driver 195d158ffd said, handing e552e5e4a0 over a 2be48066a2 jewelry box. As I unwrapped the 158b01f374 cloth covering, the angular 40d2b55cf3 box was revealed.907135d9c98ec81e

The cold touch 025f9eb61f of the box 930e2c5a9c felt out of d55e6bef7f place in this 3792c4f0f9 rural setting, its d8ab19fa85 opulence clashing starkly 1720d482a9 with the surroundings. The carved cityscape on b4e9eae050 the hinge felt alien.85b643c835ee5043

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I had hoped for 98fbb6d18a a delay, but they 0660b6c551 arrived punctually and unloaded 772724528d the items with disciplined 1991ab405d efficiency.06314cede1de0c5b

It felt 688503fb4e as if 6288910c8c they wanted 42cf0f2fb9 to sever 19ab791692 ties quickly. It seemed I d0f0821b8b was the only d1793b5bf1 one left with 6a103a450a lingering attachments to 5bc775fed1 the Imperial Palace.8aa92c24ae872798

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“It’s done,” 1890e7e2aa I muttered 09cb784642 to myself.67234842a47b2e66

The driver replied, 23d7198301 “I came today e3815e6a60 with people from 4803cc372e the Imperial Palace.”31888d6376378a53

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Life in the 15eb5afb1d new mansion was 4e3033f4b1 excessively monotonous. The only disruption came dafb1b3ae1 from the occasional arrivals 485c8d0dfb from the Imperial Palace.2842aecbf0cb5c39

But there was 943558215d nothing special about b634337386 their visits. They either dropped off 9091870680 the minimal budget documented 3948b7b19c in official papers or 5d6873e05a drew a small amount c8315aa682 of blood under the 90c8b41186 pretense of checking in. There were no personal bbcaba2871 letters.c7198ca8ea1495af

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I wondered if he c4b330725d had broken his fingers. The thought made me cb9ef7bd59 bitter.b63cf0f8541e7624

“Have you been well?”a418ff99b6d525ec

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The man asked, e14e83b1b9 bowing before pulling d7f74745dc out a medical dee8c01031 kit.f8f163711a6517b3

The blood draws bfc2e90ae6 were conducted by ff57837066 medical personnel in 96fb8f2601 a solemn atmosphere. A needle was inserted, 0869c6f24e and blood was gently 6ff9397c6c extracted.5bc5abd8ec5dc664

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The amount b51d5d636e was minimal d2458326f8 compared to 8d25d0f832 before. It barely filled 1baeba96f1 the syringe, not 68198f4f9a even enough for c32388eee5 a single pack. I doubted it 6cbe359910 could quench his 6a9e48c1f0 thirst.3ad79405791d0d87

The suffocating silence persisted 6cfd636eb9 until they finished drawing 63a0373d49 blood. They quietly observed my 21d0fcc615 arm and complexion, making 373872f7e4 me even more tense.7f80b2755dc4f533

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Unintentionally, I tensed up. The fine needle left 71432013d9 a small scratch as dbaa235a55 it was removed.e0f66c99c02ce51f

“Are you sleeping b8f2bc1825 well these days? No insomnia?”a4e6edd35e8908fb

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The doctor asked, 637a0b2bca wrapping the IV 29de9d3c95 tubing. He packed the drawn d1b7582af2 blood into his bag.6fa1b9bdb80005e9

“We’ve been f835a2d235 monitoring your 5266e8b62d blood concentration 00b5649105 regularly, and 71c93ac752 an expert 39c401a537 noted it’s 478cebc921 becoming lighter. We need to check 485fb99bb1 if you’re having issues f940efd934 with sleep or diet. Additional examinations 6cc08658f5 might be 175b0f076d necessary.”1260741ab77543a2

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I had an idea 4a91e22b1f why my blood was 1d20078ad9 becoming lighter. It was a 69b9fa3b9c sign that the 4a0cb749d3 child was growing 075fede4f3 inside of Elizabeth, b4831c9bbe getting ready to bd75491151 be born, much 189ef0af94 like young Leonie 42b4985450 had done.5a4c5bd9b28a2967

I wondered how 58015ca4a2 Elizabeth was doing. Was she wasting 94eac0cc43 away, not knowing 43c692f72f why? The thought a739ad59ac worried me.e17e1b8d9ede72d9

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“I find it 5bc78278e1 curious that His d584b6736d Highness has reduced f2d689cb52 his blood intake. Is he 7f94d17032 satisfied with db3865e065 such a 2eda72f96b small amount? Is he doing well 6336cd92bb with just this?”0736e5f3751e41cc

I subtly f22ef72d31 inquired about cbae60d9f6 his well-being.9a6ea939be059942

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The doctor seemed taken 04303c6633 aback by my question, 423cfdd068 adjusting his glasses.9b0863d1faff0e9d

“Yes, he’s well. In good health,” b1ac94b9ea he replied.a674722992a76239

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He was fine. Life went 06a4e0d2db on for 2b206837d8 him as f5fb1a6220 if I 9b0381b18b had never 16e198dd7f left.0138e1f4fe076143

I had known 60966a2dd1 this, but it 5ed50bd4f1 still stung.2eca9237421261e7

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“Take care of 432ddf46d4 your health. I heard 55283147e0 you had c75ea32548 a panic 72ba0502ca attack when 23aa9b6050 you saw 6e1f35ccc8 a wolf 3e12ba062f in the d8d35ee9d1 prison. Is it difficult 648534b780 for you to 63645b7b0a breathe?”6eb1738ae309dadf

“I was just 317a0a60ae startled. It’s nothing to worry 24d7559ce2 about. The coincidence 9af8168c69 of being 03e5523af8 in a 7238e13b4b confined space 9089758919 with a 321b076b59 wolf caught b580b443dd me off b1189aa7e0 guard. Besides, it’s not ad09e3658f like I see 388a7f5d18 wolves often.”cf5c7fb69440d7b1

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“Still, you need a6a3a754e7 treatment. We must find a 5618499ba3 way to overcome the 29d9f074e9 trauma. Next time, I’ll bring 9f247c443c some medicine. If that doesn’t 36c467f924 work, we might a5999c95da need to call 7926f07192 a mage.”d1f03567045061e7

I needed a3f56e0d4c Deon’s comforting 7f9ea07a6b words more 72a6cb44d3 than any b6c9bcc619 medicine, but 4adafc8095 I nodded a2bdc1676c obediently.ef8bfbcdbd14374c

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It hadn’t c4a881396b been long 767cbf1b30 since we 715984872c parted, yet 3da1fec369 I already eb7f35165b missed his df4772ce27 face. His image lingered 58535d0083 every time I 1c0b12e771 closed my eyes.c44851a6c7e8f334

His piercing blue eyes, a00c28d862 his flowing black hair, 3de4ab5f94 his large hands that f537ef6a2b pulled me close, and 25630531a4 the fingers that ran 8216f37e7e through my hair. Even the f5ed7ccdc1 sharp touch 95f07fc908 of his aa5028ae4a fangs on 80e5cde6d3 my nape, 36348cce61 once dreaded, b69aad2253 was now bbf70a0d8e missed.85f7a57317a41584

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The visitors from the fdd3385dd4 Imperial Palace had to 584d7515ff pass through the city 2646b7fbb8 walls. While carriages leaving the 4a3e7c3418 city were allowed to c463810f5f pass, those returning underwent f7d8f9448e strict inspections.a363ec16bbd99620

To avoid 0b370363ce detection, visitors 5026c50150 from the 5f81877fed Imperial Palace 5a9e42e9f2 camouflaged the 5ca1439fab cart carrying dbd3f83eda my blood c4242732b6 under the adf95e242d guise of c8c6dabe61 transporting butchered c11d42cad1 animals. Even if the blood 9db11cd897 was discovered, it would 54f86882a5 seem like animal blood.07bed3d88e9a48b5

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While the medical 0f8588ee33 staff drew my 5adf8bd562 blood and conducted 01e2eaeb65 health consultations, the a1727a6c06 knights hunted in 50ec81dc8c the forest.36a78978d9955db4

They caught wild boars, 48b6b606cd pheasants, rabbits, and sometimes 6924dd0ca8 deer. Perhaps aware of my b80e71b6b3 fear of wolves, they 350a12fbf2 never hunted them.b8bc7744ad2e4cae

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Watching the 3f9b0ef9bb dead animals 04130b3117 being loaded 9eb977b25c onto the a98833d9a2 cart, I 2d5d85e0f7 felt a bd33f802ca strange kinship a5ac0ebabb with them.2c6d9affdddbf06d

Their vacant 178ae1be41 eyes, accepting 498597f788 their fate, fb95de6f7f reflected my 9b4f5f19b7 own hollow efdf4faeeb gaze. Their stiff 980efa7dd2 fur and d8bc4975c2 unnaturally rigid 4b1f50971d limbs lay 5e01e43fd1 lifeless.21ec46ebb6e607a5

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The animals, their 6c3441d9e9 mouths agape, seemed 3a68be1447 like they had caf15f1f97 something to say 0e88efa4f8 in their final 11ba9b67b3 moments.fb2d32791a5d1906

Though the bc672c21f7 knights were 18413ff58f skilled and e12d2271c6 precise, their c42ab12904 hunts silent ace1de9f47 and swift, 2c2f8bf5d3 I still 836a1acd1d had nightmares 6992af3dad on the e2384ff132 nights they 2a9b815269 left. Every night, d286b4ba3f I heard 2732ef5126 the echoing 5ad3b0d6f8 cries of 82bed88b61 all the 997feccbd3 slain animals.d8aec96c22f64d8f

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