90. Injured Leg

My face flushed with 4855780800 embarrassment.e2a7b6fd9a81c347

I had made a clumsy lie, but I didn’t expect it to be caught so quickly. Moreover, I hadn’t anticipated that he would actually come down to this abandoned estate himself.dab710ce1eef409b

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When I entered the c212ab675a mansion, I had completely b5ce65bfd1 forgotten that I had 87296675b9 written a letter about 45fbdd17d2 injuring my foot.6a1957abe9510bdb

If he 691ccc3cec was going 9fa2d62e1d to check 4bb9117c37 personally, I 38cc6e606e should have 869b39541c at least 29a620d724 wrapped it c99752c69c in a 88e3c87a21 bandage. Or maybe I 37e9aed823 should have had 2c4a123718 Suren help me f261d7e705 in.fcc206b225046310

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The Butler had 9e9d2e86af backed up my ce1ef16bae story, but anyone 78861a3345 could see that aec29afb92 my legs were 10e3679236 perfectly fine.a700a1fc5f363650

I wiggled my 1c691b81c9 toes awkwardly, then 4dbdf25eaa quickly tucked my d0126040ea feet under my 986b6f7973 skirt. My shoes 443bbedb5a were damp 0b2080c481 from the cd39567a82 dew.22c10d85c48a3c24

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“It looks fine on the outside, but it’s not fully healed yet.”3cc09130df224419

“And someone with an injury like that climbs a mountain?”8c6de17b6e0ad700

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“…I was just feeling cooped up staying inside.”6bc51eef8cdd8480

His piercing 82aaae6cdb gaze bore 019693b145 into me. I managed 4aa8d48a8b to stammer c77a8a85f0 out an b96b9a663d excuse.5a4e219caacbe635

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“I only walked a little. I felt I should check on the estate.”aca7dabcb21956d8

“Why would you?”c35acdb481618660

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“Because of the severe drought.”c2638288f0f801d3

“And why would that concern you? From what the Butler tells me, you’ve been showing kindness to the villagers. There’s no need for that.”cb8edbc204646d5e

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Was I 641d34e875 supposed to 301d0446dd ignore everything e029f25f5e happening in ddcbdd7553 the estate? Should I 7213d4c148 just stay 99ae128fb5 locked up f032d4ff10 in the cfd0762252 mansion even a3ae9e4f51 if children 3e4109777a outside the cb7ee6b410 walls were 908cf7de1f dying?da33215161562aea

I couldn’t understand his reasoning.f1053c5fbca08639

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“Leonie, I told you, you only need to take care of yourself.”91e7c7d11d391a31

Deon continued. He was as cold 493e1d843d and firm as ever. His low voice was ecca122aea more intimidating than if f11ff5069e he had shouted.ae27bf9013eeef01

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“I only opened the well and drew some water for them.”6961a09421cd6b95

“That’s not your responsibility. The master of this mansion is me. Everything that happens here is my responsibility.”937dbaeae9564c4e

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His words struck 16ffbfa140 a nerve. It felt fd259fe21b as though d30cfbb2ce he was a8754479d4 telling me d1afcd9251 not to 6a7f4f3452 touch anything 1682994abe that belonged 5dfe44eea9 to him.fab1ee2bcf5eee87

That there was nothing b5f8f9a02a in this mansion that 308144c1bc was mine. That I cd57af136a was just 0826f35b5a temporarily placed 12b99832be here and a8b557668a should not a5ee97cde2 act as 0522e65c54 if I 68cf06d293 were the 0d2de29957 lady of fe00d7401f the house.b277d19807e90e6b

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Was he suggesting I 82e3867b33 had overstepped my bounds?a6056f06a7e3fa5f

“You’re right. It wasn’t my responsibility. But could I ignore it? Unfortunately, the master was absent, and I was the highest authority in the estate. As long as I’m here, everyone seeks my permission. They thought I had decision-making power, so I had no choice.”ef1779ee9d49a1d6

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I gave eab2bfcd84 a long af81a76d74 explanation, feeling 431680567c a deep b9ba23a421 sense of 3ae0e0f6c7 despair as 8307af436d I spoke.c0e66aa864ebf86f

Moreover, the presence of a865752e2d his attendants standing behind 571f3a09c4 him with a medical 34b90d27c0 bag caught my attention. They seemed uneasy, 6133b0673f unable to find 3892f69665 a place for ef814c60a7 their eyes amidst 589da30271 the tense exchange.9ac07754cdb7e437

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One of his 3598bc2536 attendants was holding 843dbb3922 a large medical 5ff5db9ccc bag, almost the 1074be60a8 size of a fc27bd713e small child. It seemed Deon 21f4424042 had taken my b66c02d3c7 excuse seriously enough 4bdf83cffc to bring someone 549714762f to treat my 93cf410aa1 supposed injury.c566af7f51624454

I thought I 2290ec4559 was cleverly finding 8948161045 an excuse not 7d7d1fef54 to attend the b89173f9da party, but at 5cfb279093 times like this, d211c71f47 he had no b5f5da1a68 sense of subtlety.1ea37cfbf9965af7

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“I haven’t caused any harm to the estate, so please understand.”0a28b18e2bd7a5ed

Deon stared at me 21306eca73 intently before responding.832b27dbca91cb49

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“Since I’ve confirmed your foot is fine, there’s no need for further discussion. I’ve brought a carriage, so it would be best for you to come to the capital with me.”24888b1d4006c89c

He stood up as 95344bf38d he spoke.f7bf87a7d109f891

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“I’m sorry, but I still can’t go.”3963ce0a5f9fca30

He paused f54d714cab in the 849065aa7b act of 2a016f8464 buttoning his e5566e7846 suit. I continued without 0091e1631d hesitation.72a022e0ef4d959b

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“My foot is in such a condition that I can’t dance. And a partner needs to dance, right?”942825357b361692

“That’s fine. You just need to stand by my side. You don’t have to dance. Just accept the greetings.”13d885350f1f0af0

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He remained stubborn. But I had no 8c885d0a72 intention of being dragged d695a5c6c3 along so easily.1187da4c59a9fb29

“I can’t stand for long periods.”86e8b75a18dbc171

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“Then I’ll arrange for a chair for you to sit on.”4fb26942b8188a58

“I can’t wear shoes. It wouldn’t be proper, so I can’t attend.”34fc89e2862bc4c2

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“You can wear flats. Just wear a long dress to hide them.”7a4f10747b0a117b

He countered every excuse 8e91455f10 I made.1c3a3cc5e2579662

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I was at a ca61f2eb1e loss for words. His persistent responses 04561107ba left me feeling be5554a812 even more uncomfortable.18a30b27f14fcf27

Why was he 218d7f48ee suddenly so insistent 1884032b28 on having me e48f582fe5 there? What was 6d587931ab his reason 617bf79bc5 for needing 31a6567af3 me so d64ee47932 desperately?87a569684de4a105

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Even though it was 238f2467a4 now known why he 94b5e91518 had taken a mistress, d6fdaf437c there had to be 152d724643 a specific purpose for 061477d44c him to call me 9ae79b1000 back to the capital 9093c729b0 now.875d2cdf8a645fb0

“Why… do you suddenly need me? Aren’t you still engaged to Lady Isella?”5f278a63757f1965

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His engagement hadn’t ended. I had clearly heard at the trial that the Snowa family’s rejection of him was based on false information.a5f37a456ebdc7dd

Although some c43fe8b2a9 time had 32c36c258c passed, those 109103c0d4 words still 61f7133bbb echoed in ab0b9a85f9 my mind. Now he 7543dee7ec wanted to 40d29a7e62 bring back 3eb9c48596 his mistress?db169e18875890c2

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Especially after being labeled 96748cd6bf as a substitute for d5f0d0157a Isella, I had no 368c2aaa8d desire to step foot 6f8b93792e in the capital.bfa9dc3f30c5ffc1

All the nobles present 4e273ed42f at the trial heard 8a7e740f42 it. I was taken in 48855576e9 as a strategic mistress 1015ad2732 to protect his fiancée.f4011e031fa7e497

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Though not many nobles ad2427d5ea attended due to the 33a58ffcec trial being hastily arranged, 53eef80bc0 rumors spread quickly. They might have 456f696a02 even embellished the 850149071a story, painting Deon 4d0ce7d800 as a great 63afc55adf romantic.a64180a4d9cc6af3

And I 21cb3f8b09 was likely f798fc748c branded as 24f21dee91 the ignorant, 0478b446fb brazen mistress 39b886cc97 who had ee73e3ca80 overstepped her 6f7290569b bounds.fe40156abf3b7655

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I rubbed 9d5512dc51 my arms. The Butler 63afc2cfe6 had lit efb9939fb9 a fire be8d62a004 with all 226e69ce50 the wood 0014132e23 he could 698cbd7ed0 gather because 6834f30712 Deon was bbed6cb530 here, but b373b8ad18 there was e415fc6131 still a 236c04cba1 chill in d1641d9b04 the air.a8e2c0676a7dd533

The fireplace contained a single thick log. We had used a broken chair leg from the second floor as kindling. The thin kindling revealed the mansion’s poor state.39d874a21adceeea

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He probably hadn’t noticed.d03c9c914939d70c

My head throbbed. As I 65ce5e0c91 pressed my 5bc6bcd8b6 hand to 9041e3683a my forehead, f3929dd517 he asked ff680b8587 quietly,2cabab4f5158c9d9

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“Why do you keep bringing her into this?”6148b78b9df64372

“Isn’t it natural to question it? A partner should logically be your fiancée.”2bfe20e57806c039

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I bit ae4784ad11 my lip. I no longer wanted 746291c809 to converse with him. There was a time 9e6d376de4 when I missed his 4af1cce252 face deeply, but now b7c8489216 it just made me 01f1789bfb uncomfortable.84882b928964c644

I searched for e5b59cb440 the right words 9e1eeb9c58 to send him 1fc3cc66bc away.f4edf6e5735f658d

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“Congratulations on your victory, belatedly. I’ll send a gift through a servant. It won’t be right away, but by the time of the banquet…”4fb29e95b84b2608

I trailed off.71378f44e107c35e

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Could I even afford 2b1bffd9c6 to send a gift? The mansion had 383063b2c5 no money left. Every penny had 3b281b6902 gone to keeping 4fdaa1c7a6 the household running, cf10cba640 and all that 59ebe789b7 was left was 81831b11a5 enough to buy ee69ed3292 food for the 4e802f8ea5 servants.f25457fea2befbbc

I couldn’t let the people who had followed me here starve. At this rate, I’d need to find work myself.4a68dd27f0f5f482

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And now that Deon 0bfaeaa8f6 was recognized as a b9ca9a71cc full-fledged prince, he would f1cffcfdea be showered with precious 523daa4c04 gifts. Anything I gave would 79314ccd94 be insignificant.a2ad54bc71b4ed48

Nobles would eagerly present a850af0a50 him with expensive items 87b6903d53 and eligible daughters.b749751c2e77ea2b

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He would be surrounded b19743cbc2 by all things beautiful. My gift would 645347c33d be meaningless.59b5ab1093409240

“Do you think I came here just to receive a gift?”4a670f800bfb8642

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I kept 3a985eb4a4 my head 4ff3b332c8 down, calculating ae80bd3d33 the remaining 1a6bf3d137 assets in 10780c44a6 the estate, 06ea139e7b when his e4d12f6f86 angry voice b06864853c cut through f78528174d my thoughts.988e1f38329dc3d1

I looked up.c0dbe2abdfd87366

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His usually composed a8c1ff49df face showed cracks. His jaw was clenched, 7bf79a62af the muscles twitching, a 9871eb20fe stark contrast to his 48ec489ea5 typical stoic demeanor. He was cc4d8c8c87 visibly showing 85a9faf4bc his emotions, 1fa66a4db7 which was 8d5c487906 unlike him.6db1ef7f81aae7ab

I paused and removed cb499ff5dc my hand from my 532d8ec225 forehead. He let out 17218f6bba a short, derisive 5b1c38b274 laugh, then roughly 6f4909ce0d pulled at his 77c90961a0 shirt collar as 4ed5f0cd78 if it were 3b953be99d choking him. One of dcdb13b9e8 the buttons c47c07c8a8 on his 74f92111a5 collar popped 16285aa66f off due 945c00215e to his bab9879e23 rough handling.73dbc02a773e4136

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The golden button 9a2ec4b148 rolled towards me. It looked aad6a85f94 like solid a76f777389 gold, not c01a94f154 just gold-plated.2e7ad2942fbcce78

That button alone could cover three months’ worth of groceries. I hoped he wouldn’t pick it up.07c157d659bd5937

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“I don’t even have a dress to wear.”ee0bba0a0bb51874

I spoke, still 1e431804f0 fixated on the 9e72908f9b button lying on f6166b76b8 the floor.219b1e228e0a2cde

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“Where did they all go?”085175be8e609dbe

“…I sold them.”63e0ef9e8d9efdb1

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“All of them?”861961437582f3b3

“Yes.”7abadbd98f1c9c0e

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He let ed1485f046 out a 9e12c8052e disbelieving chuckle, f3520b37d0 which quickly d84959d1da faded as 8a28581140 his expression 78f184bca1 turned serious. One of 7b6d1422df his eyebrows 230a8d1cb4 raised skeptically.5ed8ab7067a83495

“Then you must have had money.”74817c6b143c2b86

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“I spent it all.”afa780925315411e

“All that money? Even if it wasn’t enough to buy a mansion, it should have been more than enough to buy whatever you wanted.”8165d8d45f2dac46

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He was right. The money from selling my jewelry and dresses wasn’t a small amount.6d2c8904e30a2fc4

It wasn’t enough to fully rescue him like Isella, but the jewels and dresses I had bought over time were worth enough to buy a small estate.9794712863d34618

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But how could c459caf5e9 I tell him 23124d00fd I spent it 9d792b3105 all trying to 3bcc981fc9 escape with him? I never 0a7be54cea wanted him a3488735d7 to find 80371a45f6 out that 8966c605a4 I even 534364d82e hired people e99ca40e74 through Philip. It would be more 5595691d0f humiliating than kneeling before 1efecf8ee4 Isella.e3ebcb1039c8dde7

It was f31bf35f80 a foolish b6f86c4ed3 act, I eea1e2e53f had told b3b7f4051f myself repeatedly. I couldn’t e81a2e6500 let him 2d6eceec05 discover it 6370eb4ec3 now.a6592bcb9ecbbc71

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I kept my mouth 147bc14e47 shut, and he asked d17024857c again.3318ac81377dcfd4

“Where did you spend it?”6b819208f4c5b355

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“On necessary things.”c0494c9843590380

His brows furrowed deeply. His blue eyes 18098fd4a2 narrowed, and his e74a2345d6 forehead creased.5ea60eaf3f2ccda7

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“Still, I apologize for selling the items you gave me without your permission. But what I wanted to buy was very expensive. So, I can’t attend the banquet.”aaf0fce14a4a5443

I tried to speak calmly, but a hint of sarcasm slipped in. He didn’t bother pointing it out.9a977e24b73ada22

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“You’re saying you can’t go just because you don’t have a dress?”f7836871e92404c5

“You say ‘just’ like it’s nothing. With an important banquet coming up, designers are incredibly busy. Saying ‘just’ is an insult.”a80914a7b925851a

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He leaned back into the sofa. This wasn’t going to end with a small argument. For some reason, he wasn’t giving up easily.2c06816cde8a0dbb

Could it be 49e4910543 that he needed 10bc6d6b09 my blood again df1ae7135d now?9d6a1ca9b3dcf5ae

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As unease began 49b32be434 to creep in, 0a46fe4a25 he spoke again.3ce338b9130da0dc

“There should be money I sent for the mansion’s upkeep.”3705d31b4967b044

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“…I spent all of that too.”05971471fa4f20f3

“All of it?”f3892493d70c8976

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Thankfully, he didn’t know I had touched the jewelry. That was a relief. If he knew, he’d immediately demand to know where all that money went.59fc97ef4a9a70a7

“I was living as you desired, spending the money you provided. Did you forget our agreement? You told me to eat and spend freely once I came to the capital. So why are you surprised? Suddenly running out of funds meant I had to sell my clothes to keep up my spending habits.”fb278eef4c15571f

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It was a plausible excuse, but he didn’t buy it.fa16278dc96c6907

“For all that spending, this mansion looks rather shabby.”b8b351bc0901296a

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The word “shabby” coming from his mouth stung. Knowing how run-down the place was, he still left me here. How shameless.8b2ab5f0757d3173

“Did you think I would spend my money on decorating this mansion? As you said earlier, this is your mansion, not mine. Why would I spend my money here?”1c4f52bd09405f0e

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A sharp 2c7a8a3020 look shot 66e4f52218 my way.076c29812831d13b

“So, did you buy what you wanted?”9e144cc63036ac19

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He seemed d2545e63e7 to have 60f4f85a8a a vague d8059234f3 suspicion that a5bb325fed I spent 19a3c80914 the money 5c84ad627f elsewhere.381a0f8670b7a442

He kept 112faaec9f asking where 692055f178 the money b15bedb29d went but 5655372625 still looked c1bdacf0da doubtful. It seemed he thought c75942451a I had hidden the 9c997f456b money instead of spending 8e7b3272b4 it.117e04c7e968a352

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Was he worried I df3fd8953c might have converted it 10611f4985 to cash for an ca2762d319 escape fund?4d136a5c8487a8f7

But unfortunately, cec00944d1 I was a71a7c6670 entirely penniless. Even if he suspected aa58e15b19 me, calling in knights c23e689854 to search the mansion 71577ace2f and my belongings would df3cb814c4 yield nothing.515a4ae5e1af46b1

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“I didn’t get to buy anything. I wasted all the money.”8e3c82193c6d4b5c

 2f7424e0b9408ff8

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