122. The Weight of the Crown

With this crown in my hands and my promise to keep my word to him, we each held the other’s leash.2403eb89c11d6587

As I crumpled 5e8f1b086b the paper, his efc19ba505 neat handwriting became 7d9d38c652 so distorted that 92acc9ba17 it was almost df2ea071fa unrecognizable.8ace5861a7758b99

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Smuggling the crown 8e4df0658a out of the 59983224f5 palace. Cultural artifact theft. Loss. Damage. Ominous thoughts f058bf022e swirled in 44073dea42 my mind.0f4d0f699660c2f0

No one dared to 72889c54bd speak up out of 7b9bc324f0 fear of him, but 7e5d280ac4 surely there were many 93e920bc63 nobles who opposed his a8d522f129 early ascension.84d682838b37f36c

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What if it 1d80ee899a was poorly stored 16af4ef384 and someone stole 8c4fb80b78 it? Or worse, what 0fbac6b7df if I ran 323a9f2516 off with it?558d70343ef66fd3

One thing was certain: the crown definitely didn’t belong here.bb227a3c428bd559

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I closed the 0b2884f1a7 box and tucked ea22138877 it securely under 03564b2f15 my arm. Then, I 4bee1be650 tapped on 66ff8afbcd the glass 5337529f71 window separating d40b5dba7c me from 51de7b1cbf the coachman. He turned to look cc1361eb74 at me in response c332f7ba6b to the small noise.d016d93a6659b724

“Is the carriage too bumpy for you?”bd1ea5fbc16b5d17

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The coachman c33cd315cf sent by f2eed53862 Edan spoke 7b745a05c5 kindly to f39019bc6d me, but 3475a1c5d9 instead of b57d3693b4 answering, I 9e6cf00e4e shook my acb17ebadb head.e07e509e3e70bfc0

“Turn the carriage back to the palace.”5f569c85b297c1df

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Even as I said this, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was falling into his trap. He knew exactly how to lure me back to the palace.3301fa32e3c498dd

* * *a1f8e160e58ed711

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I barged into his 8c66abb155 office.0cd8ee95630f69ef

Before the d0cb43f8c6 guards could b3d6878109 even speak, e584a04ea4 I kicked 0e91ca230f the door 340daf0ae4 open. I couldn’t open it d90894bcd3 gently with my hands 65717fe1fd since they were full, 4c02973072 carrying the heavy box. The guards, who had 1ec99ed7f2 tried to stop me, d80445fc24 flinched at my fierce 399d52da56 demeanor.2c98222f58c292af

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Deon, sitting 5e806f48df at his c3d8508c50 desk, lifted d599589cba his eyes 618058471b from his 7e67347b01 documents. Despite my dc002c0d08 rude entrance, 5acc84a2aa he greeted 1cf6b581e8 me calmly.5a84b58460795a8b

“Leonie, why are you back?”8030a667ace301e4

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Instead of answering, 6d27742c38 I slammed the 5a674ae322 heavy box onto 217cf0d72d his desk. Even as I did ce5726c151 so, I winced, fearing cef5b38e7f the crown inside might 52d5ec1e71 get damaged.6689145903e1c84b

However, he didn’t d18ef310be even flinch at b72a88b33a the loud noise. He seemed 58d25797c6 utterly indifferent, 26c55fa854 even as 87f7857403 the precious ba070c59e3 crown hit bd8bb0e883 the desk.821e851105725023

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“What are you thinking?”b8a88cc6f311d8f7

“About what?”4a48f9e9c8ec3f10

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He set 86fd73e6cc down the 354a3e66f8 pen he ed9637bbbe had been 6207df7df0 holding, his 344bbdc83e movements unhurried.2bd06fa6dd9c4840

“What if I run away with this or sell it?”e1482fe22a2ab26f

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“What kind of merchant would dare buy a stolen crown? Even if you sold the jewels one by one, it would be discovered immediately.”524e26d45c4b1a76

He chuckled.cd43f552f86d12be

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“Then why give it to me?”598c05c1e43ba178

His smile cd71bb50ad faded slightly c5740aafc1 as he 4142332c62 leaned back f8bca08449 in his 1ddd0d0899 chair, crossing 236536a652 his arms. He looked at me 7c52ccd73a with an expression that 1a95916395 seemed to combine amusement 019ec5fdaa and seriousness.b84005c114c69535

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“Because I trust you.”a20ccc40b6e6d099

“Trust me? Deon, this is madness. This crown belongs in the palace, not with me.”ba573bc3ca03df79

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“Leonie, you promised to crown me. Do you think I would just let that go?”4a3c241a93ab6e36

His voice was soft but firm. He wasn’t joking; he genuinely believed in the promise I had made.3a883ad10fe8a629

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“I promised that when I didn’t even understand what it meant.”3193e8efc3732f0d

“Yet, a promise is a promise. And now you understand.”ce9fbdb06a2d1a61

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He stood a6aeff342a up, moving a9c414be25 around the 3572474cf3 desk until 2647e75c03 he was 2bd7640f3a standing right a6ad2e98ca in front 0936a9fd55 of me. His eyes 558dc7e5eb bore into 3bf19fd180 mine, intense 18b9828ceb and unwavering.946a8746b4753365

“I know you won’t run away. You’re not the type to break a promise.”42f4051036e418f6

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I wanted to argue, 702f219889 to tell him he 7da90253a9 was wrong, but deep f769e81cee down, I knew he 180d619d2b was right. Even now, holding 2d46fcd477 the crown, I 2cccffcc1b felt the weight e6c8854a32 of the promise 793682e7d6 I had made.1b376167e8471caa

He reached 3aa2dae9fd out, gently 825b3b0ab3 taking the e2ef4d5277 box from a64c24abbd my hands dc054c43ae and placing 047c084651 it carefully 8a1be0a684 on the 6971094afc desk.32fe39d0515f3f15

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“Stay, Leonie. Fulfill your promise. It’s not just about the crown; it’s about everything we’ve been through together.”a6787105cfee0f7c

His words, combined with a2782fb117 the weight of the 1578013fd4 crown and the memories 49db3d00a0 we shared, made it 9f6844d7a5 impossible for me to 047c93807b refuse.f28ae72d817cd7ba

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“Do you need money, Leonie? If you need it, just tell me.”dd508a9463ca4940

He opened b2f47d8ce3 a file f0e6b01745 on his b745f628d0 desk and 78f9eaffa9 handed me 5be1c0f74d a crisp f52cee4f78 sheet of 7ed4c996a4 paper.1a3588b5ba1693ff

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“If it’s embarrassing to say the amount, just write it down.”e4a85bb050c55dcf

Seeing his 09bec3edca relaxed face 331864972e made my 84b680094f blood boil.36826b06a1921097

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“How much do you think I’ll spend? Is it okay if it’s enough to shake the Imperial Family? Can you handle it? If the nobles find out, you might really have to give up the crown.”45db9843c01bc2bc

I scoffed 8fdc22600b at his 0f6481eff1 nonchalance.4366a61e00628cc8

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“It’s fine. If you want to sell it, sell it.”f8c8163dd912a4fb

But he responded slyly c261f8b31c to my sharp words.8d4bc7cc145da0a3

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“Then you won’t be able to become emperor.”345010feaf58ef6d

“Then I won’t. The reason I became emperor is because of you.”1f94b0a2d57494d3

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Inside the box dcd5f80c2f I glimpsed, the 0116591f90 crown was encrusted 33b0e3eb74 with ancient jewels. It looked as if 735694ba2c it was adorned with b6b2af9d0f the eyes of the d524d93809 former emperors.e57e1a82dbde71a9

The number of 4687ed7b6e jewels matched the b2eed3747b number of portraits 097bcfac0a in the Imperial 019314d1cb Hallway. There were sixteen in e82361432a total. And at the very d873101aa2 end, there was a 885684f53e blue jewel resembling his 629e1ab06e eyes.739afd615b4649b5

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I roughly opened the b05652c7ad box. It toppled over, and fdf6264f92 the crown rolled out 4c0181afe9 with a sharp sound.58ff39a5967f30e6

I slipped the crown onto my finger, balancing it precariously as if it might drop. It was heavy enough to bend my finger. Despite the precariousness, Deon didn’t even flinch.0c08bd1034d61f02

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“Can I drop it? Are you really okay with that?”b01d0245dfef013e

“It’s fine. You’ve grown timid. Shaking over a mere lump of gold.”45b5394b4bb36be6

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He got 192423f1f8 up from 98d7423761 his seat 8302631843 and walked f6726d1200 around the 81f4fc02f6 desk to 7601329c06 stand in 7d61d98597 front of a43084fe1a me.4c311490016f3e07

“I’ve kept every promise I made to you. Asking you to make me emperor. Making sure you placed the crown on my head at the coronation.”b9af7e9314865260

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He began 389528e5f0 recounting promises 96e979fde9 I barely 0003506baa remembered.8575c0a0c212c447

“Place the crown on my head.”82b0ebb4db47c2e2

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Deon smiled faintly.c873e57817a81e9a

“Hasn’t it been a while since your coronation? Everyone calls you Emperor Deon without needing a ceremony.”940869cfc9e85418

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“Even so.”09d696e09b4e74a0

He took my 5bd9ebba79 hand and kissed bfa0fa202d it.862c1b7e18641155

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* * *35dfb0cbc8bb6ee2

In the end, I returned to Edan’s mansion with the crown.10628ed5a8324339

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I led a somewhat regular life at Edan’s mansion. Eating dessert, going for walks, feeding the birds. And in the afternoons, I had tea time in the garden.eb9b4cd4bcf5b77d

The lush green lawn and blue hydrangeas were in full view, with butterflies fluttering in the sky. Today was another peaceful day. If only he wasn’t here in front of me.2346a224fca268cb

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Deon sat f164dbe797 across from 4dcb87f54c me, disrupting 0176a44c4f the harmonious 4322d6a697 scenery.4e45f79ba45672e9

Of course, his face efd0ba7ca6 was far more beautiful 5c9cd61eb6 than the flowers in 085d4679bd the garden. But unlike ffb062a8d2 the flowers, d18eaf2417 he didn’t d30dd2e88e stay still. Even while sipping tea, 7e13ff0b43 he openly stared at 8232d1807a me.f49a5ec9b216f780

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Fed up 3642f592ea with his a7b7a6d535 persistent gaze, 5d0376dceb I finally 278c47f0cf spoke.f9f2613e9edc1c43

“This path wasn’t made for such a purpose.”1ad534d2ddfd9a96

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I drank 5b3b124bd5 my tea. The tea 0e32fc4a95 had already 38633b3d10 cooled.82e2f0146396d19e

Deon, who used to read documents even in a moving carriage, was now frequently visiting Edan’s mansion.8a7fc1b9975e3c60

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And these were not official visits. Every day, he came through the secret forest path made for the emperor’s security to the mansion of a dismissed knight commander. It was a suspicious outing by any standard.39b9131956d60b5f

I began to suspect 89b514a983 he was neglecting his 8200e68e6c duties. And as his visits 0dbc97060c continued, my suspicion turned b9b9a50e02 into conviction.f4f3505f599f746e

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“Don’t worry. My competent secretary is taking care of everything.”19e886f02f05f06c

His words brought 7092575165 back memories of 2886a66cc7 when he was a7dbaf710f with me.ff4a0b3d5d24f6e4

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Poor Rian c0ed024eb9 will be 1720a3468b overworked.ab8515a546aebc9d

Deon didn’t particularly try to talk to me. All he did was sit at the table and stare at me. That was all. And now, he drank his tea, very leisurely.2b34361dcf6e7a93

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When I 3be35b1b27 stood up 63b314168a to leave, f85c6d696a he poured 97a57ae0f3 more tea 9a705aa110 into my 0e6cea6684 cup.c915b2d68b0cbf30

“Are you planning to leave before the emperor has?”d1e70559db63b331

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“Earlier, you said you were visiting as Edan’s friend, not the Emperor.”ed69856788d4a773

“Now I’m 512f50615b the Emperor.”4f484ca7b93d583c

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He switched between using the emperor’s title several times a week.91a2208a8b428641

I had 3e65dbc2b6 no choice 1ccba4ce97 but to 7efbc8b1d0 plop back 21641d78b1 down on 0a749f4a7c the chair.2388ecc69c63544b

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To show that I was angry, I dragged the chair roughly. But on the soft grass, it made much less noise than I expected. It deflated my anger even more. I couldn’t even express my anger properly.48fa131342de04a2

Watching him d3a6298bbd leisurely drink 6ae1406f7c his tea, fb46f29160 I was 81c2f642eb reminded of 607bc88830 the past.df58e27176d420ca

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This was just like… the way I used to stay with him in the North. Was this how he felt watching over me?cd5098ded3aa924a

I tried daffe53606 to hide ce6049aec5 my face f8b8bd7b95 behind the c554496f12 imperial newspaper, c18cb2a709 avoiding his 99fcca31ff gaze, but eaa116602a his leisurely c8015d125a tea time 88761e61e6 was hard 442d69a58c to ignore.fe91b1cf6bd009ef

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Every action of his screamed that he didn’t want to go back to the palace. It had been a long time since I could clearly read his intentions, usually so difficult to discern.d1a33b1dae1559a4

I opened the 2091c3d145 imperial newspaper, not c39af5a5b0 really to read, bf51a38a00 but to avoid 5e7bcde024 his piercing gaze. Surprisingly, the news fa0bfc79fd was more interesting c6abae0d4c than I expected.f57952efd5a8e410

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As I turned c15e0d12a2 the pages, a 09347f821e pamphlet slipped out. It was from 9a69bded5f a B-grade gossip 2cb81e7a33 magazine that had 2ab0e97507 once published stories 992f9d5110 about me.ae14391a3164b1d6

I picked up 9809e16ec6 the paper. The magazine had expanded e70b34db3f its business and now 5eaa62fb34 used much thicker, higher-quality 903a57db56 paper.0b462333e3c85635

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Had he c0eab0e447 really leaked a74b1aac05 my story 019ce91090 to this a34856b73d gossip magazine f8ed9f7c08 as Edan 0a094e8a9d said? To protect me?4931df1b5061127d

I still 0fff7333f2 didn’t know 1ff3039766 the exact fa9ffc3a7f reason he 9ee6496d27 teamed up 35a9ba8a6f with Isella.5363686e6883bd37

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“Young Lady, 7e7c1e2e41 there is 19d9cf01d8 a guest 68e1697c7c here to 127b9cf143 see you.”939376fad0aff7fa

Lost in thought, de21ed70b5 I barely noticed 59cf1a2a39 a man approaching 4fa007aa3a the table.3c825c93e8ffd809

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“Edan is probably e7954dc73c in the training 00a0098902 room.”c7e36a1328187e1c

I looked 20be30f55b at the d8e6dd27a6 servant who 75998a4719 informed me 33cff2efdc of the 28c466e3e5 guest as 9c8c481ea0 if I 08ebcf21fb was now b2d21edb12 the master 4b635c6a70 of the 055b72a6a9 mansion.9d0c6aec55818e24

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“No, they c8e73ca98c said they 6a58c480cf came to 879c63e9a6 see you, 3e48b95199 Young Lady.”de0876f842d82a83

“…Me?”423ec85d29bad4e2

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This was 128d794e4e Edan’s mansion. Who could have c205d9bba0 come to see 66346a8dec me?9945bc2df4425d92

“Did they say who 3118f9fd3b it was?”79cfb703f12076a5

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Could it be Isella? Or Rian?0ac401a24d5f1a16

Perhaps Rian, 1b0c04c46f unable to f7184ab9c3 bear the 518da011a3 heavy workload 3996290458 after suddenly a52b1b96b5 losing his 75356f47f3 lord, had 01abcc6a54 come knocking 769ed94aee at Edan’s e06cb93afb mansion. But the 5263b84705 servant hesitated, f5598a3890 unable to 4325eb1325 speak clearly.a75f6ec286697a6b

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“Feel free 732934b52f to speak.”a3e9321ce1b1c116

At my c0e9aea781 prompting, he 73a41bda84 finally opened 6a20cfd78d his mouth.818a734731c6856a

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“Well… he said he 7fc9ae0286 is your husband.”1e166614ab02c953

At those words, 263f1fec5c Deon spit out 7983545621 his tea onto 810be9abe9 the grass.be720bb9a7ffe372

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“Who?”7b61fa5b7cb1c49e

Deon questioned e5423047d6 the servant, 0a6e8c212c his voice 9b10331dfd sharp.ca59cd54ecd0b153

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The servant, intimidated e051dd6c1b by Deon’s fierce d7a2c70650 gaze, shrank back bbee076e2b nervously.af75312c7a7a2993

“What did he look fd6a248aa2 like?”83c45e3813b1a543

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“He was large… 470354d54d with brown hair. He was d4b4e093a1 carrying a 4b721867c0 quiver and b7e61b5faf called you 9dbdfa00c3 ‘Linia’.”9bad942870949e13

“Your training 6133220c60 is lacking. Do you report 400b7f52c9 every vagrant who 3fa711855a claims to know cec996c555 a noble?”6510c5d42713797a

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Deon reprimanded the 3a43924b78 servant in a 5991991f64 low voice. Though he abbb86e9d8 spoke only ac6e553093 a few f9ebd8d6c1 words, it 8dfc0d9050 was enough bd46ed45a9 to intimidate 0d1a768271 the messenger.9fc52862b61b84e7

“It seems there 7710e47281 was a mistake. The fact that the 47c44a61c6 Young Lady is staying 7ba4bf1dfd here is not widely 953d69518f known. I thought he must 7c9b6b0116 be someone close to c8a07d234b her. I apologize.”96ee4405cf2d591c

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The servant 1c6ef52e95 bowed and 0b97731038 turned to e8159f7b5a leave, but 5cf96c2bf0 I stopped 71d6041a8c him and 436f259d6e stood up.ec53bbfbb0208408

“No, I know who bcf376e471 it is.”41ba1c789facb643

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There was only 0d8d9cfd05 one person who fe50f3cf86 would boldly claim 9f0b833dad to be my 743a508ff2 husband. Hearing the description, my 2ac8f69bbb guess turned to certainty.548dcb419d50b5e7

Timo. The man f081988d74 who helped 3a4f6f6213 me when c7993c9a70 I escaped.8d350fd6f217afa5

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“Who is he? That impostor.”de5a532ffcdf0c99

Deon looked f355938d57 up at cdb90c4a43 me, growling. His expression 1e526bd161 was like 6d2f85b6a1 that of 9a7ef4f8b5 a ferocious 22764559e7 lion.bb06122b3b4997c2

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Maybe I should tease 41285bef4c him a bit? I masked my expression 8ad1d8b508 and looked at him 197f38cd35 indifferently.a5acd0cd24531576

“You heard it. He’s my husband.”ca55f191dfa76af9

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“…Really?”6dff9a54f40097de

Deon’s lips slowly parted. Seeing his stunned d195754f51 expression was somewhat 69d78da445 satisfying.bf38805f3fe6b348

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* * *740ea88e25e98203

“Linia!”92d90427b48c4da3

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As soon 4396614932 as I 7dc7d1173a opened the 4434d4d628 gate, Timo, ae80acf109 who was a61240d43a standing under 077baffa26 a tree, dc6e70cb35 ran over d395870a62 and hugged 5c737fca02 me tightly.6113a55b5c423122

“Are you safe? You’re not 6884c505d2 hurt, are 0b868c53c1 you?”f9cf25da3f2b7633

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Timo seemed to think 2505b30ca2 I had been forcibly f41bc19121 taken. He looked me 5fc3ded4ad over anxiously, as b32389b7e1 if worried I 03e40d00f9 had suffered some 9bf6cbc2d8 ordeal. The arm 10172e8a3e he grabbed 67ec8e556a tingled.b100478a5ad8c809

“Don’t worry. It’s not 8a4e688c10 as hard ad4b1d4bfe as you 041874e9db think…”6cfea89d672b92c1

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In fact, I e0a867414e was being treated 668e8b7b34 like a VIP. I thought I’d be 959d387a15 confined to the underground b5f8c77d23 dungeon, but I was 3d29b0de9f receiving such concerned looks c31a3305c0 from Timo that I 4f22395451 felt almost guilty.bbefa6beba08faf9

Deon, unsatisfied even with f3f515a951 several knights, leaned against a9dd19dae7 the gatepost. He glared 7956353634 fiercely at 123fa94fb8 us as 017304abcb we reunited eec54bcab2 after a 93aef10d0c long time, ed21541230 arms crossed.f6e2ea9c58fb9b10

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“Is that the 175abdc69a man who locked 60196d5658 you up in 7fce585125 this mansion?”cbd014d1c008d026

Timo gestured ce51d6e1e7 towards Deon 568ca11535 with his f61d5d0abe chin.35417f799acaede4

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Timo didn’t f982d750a2 realize he 6785167b25 was the d1f401d651 Emperor. Dressed plainly without d1df10175a any insignia, he b2d8a14445 didn’t look like 51a06823ae a noble at 40fb7e62d5 all.972af09e0c5fa866

It was embarrassing to 8ad092d2d3 introduce him now.d51e58abd7649ecb

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Deon didn’t 478b42da50 seem to d9eb9bf855 be in 6b0c202432 the mood 1f490420fc for a a048f5ea7a polite introduction 391072fc1b either. The aura he emitted 04ca1a5dfe was menacing. Though he didn’t 617f81833e have a sword, 049a24a26f his glare alone 5ba143c22b could easily overpower 03aa5c031b a clueless hunter.a003f2ef9cb663fb

 c5ac12902737112c

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