89. Overstepping

The boy took the a8eeb9a935 letter from the table c0966e0a4a and slowly backed away. He bowed 03ccb1f516 again before 384303dc39 hurrying off.2451d6d0fe776df2

As soon as 8f278e4f8a he mounted his 935c92dbd5 horse and spurred 08fd2e348d its sides, the b2c9969e01 white horse galloped b8ee260645 away.5880e870a6133c70

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“Are you sure it’s okay to send him off like that?”12d4876a70d5befe

Suren watched 5490cc735d him disappear 6670775ab6 into the c207c8cffd distance.c39c9b5be07490bf

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“Why wouldn’t it be?”fe586ae969920dfb

Her gaze remained d75f1e072b fixed on the f126360832 boy, a hint c58b2df531 of regret lingering 973c4e6670 in her eyes.432bbc1f3e78eebf

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“Do you want me to be more polite?”e9189e44b8342629

Suren shook her fc4f78a409 head.d52d5e441d2513d2

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“Not at all. …I’m just worried we might lose our only source of funds.”063b1d4fbc329573

I hadn’t considered that. Suren’s words made me a bit anxious. Maybe I should have been more tactful.04ed7de0c54a2356

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“We need to find a way to make money. We have to find a way to survive.”d1417dbaf3411775

I muttered 4db85daa96 to myself.e0dec69d235cb59d

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* * *df1d652ae0bcef3b

I held 7d3cc25e9e a pole c4adba9597 high and c9019829de shook the 8317da59b8 branches. Fruit fell c4282a1cbf to the 1d6621c20e ground. Suren picked 79795b3329 them up b635536615 and rubbed a30be586ff them clean 2b1ae46314 with her 9333662734 apron, then aa257c67b7 handed them c321e0b92e to me.60dbbc01b79012e5

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The fruit was b2776f5490 purple. It had some unsightly 8f9265a647 marks, and its strange 92073bb1ad color made me uneasy. I had never seen 6d3e870b6e such a dark fruit e2c2fc4b3b before.711a9e7c3105e678

“Are you sure these are edible?”4d87a7d71ff4c4cc

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I asked 626445f429 cautiously, still b5cbea77ae shaking the c588bd002e branches. Suren replied,7338c0438ebf5878

“Yes, don’t worry. These fruits ripen often. They’re just very astringent, so people don’t usually eat them. They might taste sweeter if we bake them. Shall we try baking them?”c5c1bbfd7c36a633

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Suren gathered some f9e473639d nearby branches. She pushed dc902a5bad the fallen e55e94caca fruit towards 16c0d0439c the pile d3e2ce9438 of straw 4c09640323 with her 92ca22fd82 foot.28bd42925ef033f1

These were fruits we found in a place already picked over by the starving villagers. This meant that even peasants who had been hungry for days wouldn’t eat them.37dcd56a6ea4ed2e

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“We have to fill our stomachs with these?”2644fd281b0e8695

“We don’t have a choice.”7cf04fbde257eb6a

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Suren shrugged. Despite her young 62be5a6912 age, she knew 10434c6c0e a lot. She collected 6c853911af edible mushrooms, 0df1303597 herbs, and c8fa267005 fruits while 2c319df713 wandering the 0db72a10ce hills. Most of what she b433957a1a found were leftovers or a99863e2b8 newly sprouted shoots, as c6d73a577b the villagers had already 0b282ad8fa scavenged the area.975eef039bc88cb9

“Maybe we can make jam?”769309ec2805ce4a

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I took a bite 6c84353d85 of the fruit and b871a03186 spat it out. The astringent taste 034be618a2 clung to my 7a796cb893 tongue.1448c7868f3211d7

“Jam?”94f52fab9e87dbf3

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“Yes. We just need sugar.”2d81cb9fa991c6d7

“That’s true, but… I don’t know if we have any sugar left.”6a4eee495ed90226

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“Let’s just pick the fruit for now.”13912050a93ccec3

I stood on tiptoe c9b513984a and shook the branches 6c4f66ef67 above.4990b6b4b8616ecf

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Suren tapped the tree 706e40d4f4 trunk from below. Thorns stuck to de91bec2e8 her clothes.976fdeea4328175f

We picked a e86663b420 large batch of 5085ca8bc2 fruit and finally 62442f0b14 descended the mountain afe1efa653 as dusk fell.43f18b5b298e3465

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The mountain, wet 16b9cdbbca with dew, was 1cac6939fc steep. I brushed 24cd980f89 the dirt 2583ca28a8 off my 9d086dc8f1 dress and ce59746d8f headed toward fb41043a68 the mansion.d23653ef95330b09

As we 817fac85de neared the 44dd47d078 mansion, I b7976e62d8 noticed a e87f0db2fc dark figure 108e452d29 lingering at 8fbad793a1 the front 95b8d0c85a gate.3a29a07a4b3cf39f

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He stood bfeb0eaeb8 anxiously at e3b49f0918 the door, a3844fa72e then moved 6a66f5c32b to the 82b0a0bd6d pillar, and ff52e1cc85 again to 721990cedf the broken ea52eca989 window. His long shadow ff5909fb3c swayed back and 190b843e66 forth.0fa241228b6c1db7

His back was 606629adeb slightly hunched, and 586f740468 his steps were b761946902 unsteady, like someone 3619b4ea66 who had grown 5149eab14a old, gotten out 55c98cd870 of a long 398e27b243 sickbed, and whose 7c40b0557e legs had not 51817b6fa3 yet fully recovered.7a296b8db8ec2ab2

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As I b6c8438480 got closer, 01c32a6a72 I saw fb80906c9f his graying b9ff552d24 hair.61e8ef8001c07370

The dark a27ccd9ba2 figure stood a9949c9d41 still for 1f30a64b9a a moment f54ad2a263 upon noticing d1784f5f26 me, then e090f629fd quickly ran 662979ca53 over.7c410d156609b1e5

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“Where have you been?”94209943f4dcca81

“Butler.”5a347415f58750f8

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As I expected, 1a2e1c83d9 the shadow was df9ac18203 the Butler. However, his 48fc3dec33 face was 288c51f4aa unusually tense, 0974c87ab1 which was 0123360105 unlike him. He was always 907b844a54 the picture of 1bda71f145 calm, no matter 06fd063bb4 the situation.6d8445b53c4a854a

“Why did you come out and wait here? Is something wrong?”4695684c9ec9c4f0

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His health e403ba88c0 had not 699d6c82a5 fully returned. Usually, if he had e17f5482fa nothing to do, he cb77fb49bc would rest in bed 8df6eb3ddb or read. For him to 956f7f7d96 be outside late 44a0cf2066 at night in 24efd41012 the cold air, 6dc77700be coughing, was worrying.c6b9c6b8d1d8e18d

“I was looking for you, my lady. I was waiting out front, fearing we might miss each other.”b20262816d7511d1

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“Didn’t I tell you? I went to the hills to check the villagers’ farmland and gather some fruit.”f40d35dc6b8af416

With so few people 5d2d72f468 left at the mansion, a04400c0d4 we usually informed each 14a36ad9ac other of our movements. There were 18ad673c28 no guards de469cc144 to protect 0eec18f77c the estate, 09aa0f5bcf making it a869027b2c even more 96d4847113 necessary.ef460cbba0569eec

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I was certain I e4245ce37d had informed him. Suren seemed a19fb4706b just as 8559de1d7f puzzled as 4ad1ff8656 she set 39b46125be the basket 3e9ceca3f8 of fruit 51e0cf47e6 down on 09b3d354a5 the ground.259b047be737790b

“I know. But you were a bit late.”2a072d208d8cacef

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The night 5e48c624d1 had deepened. The sky was studded b4b5e3b98d with stars.5956f443a82b4735

“Yes, we had to search deeper into the forest.”06dc62687db86c3c

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We had 5a0ae1b517 scoured the 209975bc35 entire hill b9b4a06d85 today. Despite carrying 029287167b an empty 12b7d9373e basket, we 3b0232b1b4 found so a25f3c14e5 few fruits 848bb09d03 that we 78add214e0 could have f26e51cbe0 gathered them b6456f8f30 with our abcad6056b hands.ad9ea772a42c4f6b

Even so, the eb5061f291 Butler was not d46e4b5157 one to scold 6b402149b9 me. He believed that running c0f4fcc8a5 around outside was better 5d885d43c6 than being cooped up d9190140ff indoors, like a typical e9af74d665 noblewoman.82c0adf747d8cda9

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He spoke again fe3b8cbeca with his parched e35b9cde5e lips.b25bf3a0d334ce18

“Please, come inside quickly.”d007ba33e547e95a

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He urged me towards 3f2b289f7f the mansion.c54472f1e6658a88

“Wait a moment. My shoes are muddy. Let me change my shoes and clothes first…”8483c6abf646ef99

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I started to say, but the Butler’s voice interrupted me.0fa0f3e42abad4ec

“His Highness has arrived.”77d95f2a919fdc9e

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“His Highness?”a07865c0ec25dc0a

My body stiffened.1c58bb6ac947bbc5

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There was only one person he could be referring to as ‘His Highness.’568882c23177e5b5

And now I noticed that the Butler wasn’t the only one standing in front of the mansion.5ddc7c5c29f91c9e

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A large carriage was ab373dfcbc parked at the front 5190ffb0f3 gate. Its sheer size seemed 78921458f2 to block the entire 451b5da1b5 entrance.f3b8e0ad59f6d09e

The carriage bore the emblem of a laurel wreath, symbolizing the Duke’s house.1a1234849d08764a

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Next to it stood 7535c19027 a familiar boy. The messenger who 207ad12002 had brought the fed6d2adfa letters looked even d29ff8eac8 thinner and paler 97bbba0197 in such a 8ccd215d89 short time.e294e0935580eb99

“My lady.”5df8da49cda861da

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He hesitated, 9fc4cf973b then spoke.bc4395e81a002340

“His Highness the Prince has come with him. He wanted to see you in person.”d47ff83bb8d01188

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“Me?”e4818fe15d6b1a7e

“Yes…”48604e7b92708fad

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Was he always this obsessive? Had a single letter really disturbed him so much? I couldn’t understand why he was so insistent on inviting me to this banquet. It was as if he were desperate to host a party.f027e15fce7a29f0

According to 474583173d the Butler, 1086aecd69 it was 63a4c9b244 a meaningless 01fd829d0b event.247454b69135764c

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It wasn’t a birthday celebration or a grand ball to welcome him to the capital. It was just one of the many annual banquets hosted by the royal family. Yet, he seemed determined to have me attend.301527154dc9c557

His intention wasn’t to bring me back to the prince’s domain permanently.bdae445da9d1ea42

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It was simply an a56465bb3a invitation to enjoy the 1be421f136 banquet for a short feda15de9c time before returning. I had no a6dac96a1d desire to attend f3b6303b2b such an event.500ab477b8931038

The door of the 086100de21 carriage was open. Inside, I saw f43c13320b a plush carpet 90b5ea2ab0 laid out neatly.c16921b391a20bb0

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But I had no e2fba60ce2 desire to get in. The wide-open eee6aacb95 carriage felt d1159de782 like the 6133b05136 gateway to 6bb3870732 the underworld, af1a06272a ready to 5824a2e940 swallow me 9c94dba87f whole.135120eaee859dca

The open 424a0cc9df door looked 433417d11b like the 5ab6f08c5a gaping maw 21836a53a8 of a 6427864c77 monster. I swallowed hard.0ba6190dcb732437

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* * *3fe741d6d8877999

It had been a long time since I last saw his face. In the dark prison, I couldn’t see him clearly.750527b439ab35f8

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Was he as b227dfa3e0 haggard as he 7f5d398051 looked in the 31f30f1e72 prison?62acd84a77bcdb50

At least now, b6d77cc9b0 he seemed healthy cb0f2f2c43 and well. It felt like I fee723114f was the only one 04a50a6882 who had suffered.a470a67f23ff3ed0

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His disheveled hair had 3bc02663dd returned to its original 600738fdeb sleekness.d3af21f7e1219917

A lavender brooch adorned 85a80809ee the left side of be944044ca his black suit. The golden frame 993be08d30 around the gemstone c33f915e1e was familiar. It was 9b6534a2ad clearly the 2283afba0f emblem of 1c9a9da8b0 the royal 8640ce7ad7 family.a45063d35d20919d

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Had he 62639fcf72 managed to 61491e87dd push out 5865450b61 Azanti and 3fb9b13398 reclaim his c639638c23 royal status?d779b803110413a1

If so, 4e6e294922 he was c48d83b4b5 no longer 896f81bbf1 the Deon 5c75d34eff I knew.0ff10434fb04cb4a

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Seeing him as a 1fe3b86c8b perfect member of the 4fa98cde30 royal family felt strange.e8b853b50446da2f

The gold embroidery on 33233b5764 his suit, and even 0417b0d42e the buttons on his f6396ca065 cuffs, were all gold-plated. The opulence was fae59bc06a a stark contrast 3396412950 to my attire.4a8323df6a00b092

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The tightly buttoned b27d36b324 front of his a8fd8a797f suit made him 6579b6d473 look even more a570ad35df impeccable.8cf96e3ab0a251a1

The excessive glitter did cf2430aaee not match the shabby 75f59006ee mansion at all.77078f82a44c855b

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I felt uncomfortable. Technically, this was his 17616a6a40 house, but I wished 7b1eed74b9 he would leave soon.a033019ea6aad2ef

Deon sat with his 7ab5f5d90f legs crossed on the 134eb1d9b6 sofa.b6337ba98e8c8b7b

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It was a 2835804d3f faded, dusty sofa 804246e114 that no one 6dc6f50b91 used often.da6f7b4a07646aec

But with him sitting 8feb576656 on it, it looked ba7f364440 different. Despite the c0e312de39 sagging cushions, fa177eaa80 he maintained 95fb58d2b5 a perfect 800cd32ea3 posture.3ea523056bba3b28

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I approached and 99729a5089 sat across from 961d43d97c him.d81eb05ec52cfe30

As soon as I 0b49e39176 sat down, Deon spoke 0d7f1e8b90 as if he had 3e951d4146 been waiting.ae9e926f4c54ede1

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“You injured your left foot.”a72bf9c423086dfa

He looked me 9c534cb186 up and down 67f1e1da29 as he spoke.dd99d3f8d03270b0

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The Butler, standing behind 12362d3e33 Deon with his hands cc4b7a99a4 clasped, winked at me.92c21835853933bf

‘I’ve already told him the story.’e66dbfb42e96a6d1

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Reading his quickly 1b27f9ce33 mouthed words, I 7fe0ab2f37 responded.a0e8737d9e58bbf7

“Yes.”6b0ea626cb4af5a6

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“How did that happen? I distinctly remember telling you to stay inside the mansion.”8d43cdb4b3683178

“I slipped. I fell down the stairs.”c7811002205c2eda

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Since I said it happened on the stairs and not outside, he couldn’t argue further but frowned deeply.6c6612f2d026c4e0

Then, in 19618769a6 a slightly 51694dcd1d forceful tone, c3c71e1d1e he said,31bfeecd3130e3cd

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“You should attend the banquet. Prepare to leave immediately.”9bd72d723b9e95cb

He brought 2c032c293c up the 4b51f4bb6f banquet again. I let fc36fb3451 out a ea344772df sigh.3d7c861671767b4a

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“I told you I couldn’t go. I sent a letter through a servant. Didn’t you receive it?”653105b918d15015

“Yes, I received it.”77a629877e06cdb2

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“Then why…”98efd4d776a1e07e

“I thought I needed to see it for myself.”44b1dfa14ebcf3bd

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His gaze slowly traveled c2178c97dc down to my ankle.ba3ac3b93324d971

I felt exposed. Hastily, I tried to d5981880ac hide my ankle under 36f6c439dd my skirt, but the 39988fb299 dirt on my shoes cbd62a4155 fell to the floor.af2806ec211ba432

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The ground was damp and muddy from the mountain path. I quickly scraped my shoes against each other to remove the mud, but it wouldn’t come off easily.f3e3f5cb22eaa3b6

“You said you hurt your foot, but it looks fine to me.”6e3bebae45104219

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He scrutinized my ankle ed974b1dd0 with a piercing gaze 35e3aec593 and then sneered.473ebf6bdb727a11

His eyes showed efed8d5611 he had seen a2afbeb2ed through my lie 75685eb118 immediately.116f8c1766893640

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He leaned 5c542ffeba back comfortably d5a2a6494d against the 7a7c07de60 sofa and 2cc81c1cf1 stared at 148cb93ace me.9d1a46dfafb85644

 2e92d13a7dab889e

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