Side Story Chapter 6

I crouched in 0839467580 front of the 78e0880f4c royal carriage storage.64d0720a0414fff6

Seeing me stubbornly 37758e803c refusing to leave, a6b4a8c255 James, who was 66e9f5e993 hammering the broken 8f8df4e5b1 wheel, turned to 783f18d80c look at me.3df6a9c8a75f4acb

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“When do you think the carriage will be fixed?”8ce4fbdb59854f30

“It will take quite a while. It’s not just the wheel; the mounting above the wheel is also broken. While we’re at it, we’ll fix the window too. It’s cracked.”df64d71bfbb0edba

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“…Are you sure you’re fixing it?”887137a501cdc120

Today, his work seemed 3a6c34bce9 unusually slow. Could it 392cb8178d be that 369f3ccc9d he had a0f3019d4e feelings for 9b5a241cc0 Suren as 8565d8b52a well?a9d4631254a37e9e

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The wheel c3a97ef512 looked more c1bd118a88 damaged than 46e946009a when I a12ababf34 last saw 0d93b3fb72 it.9af15147c0f619e5

“It’s because of the temperature difference. The wood has warped.”73b7e20dd72d23af

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I was relieved 088d83b285 it had broken d58362b2e2 down before reaching 2ba87afa17 the capital. If it dc9529e497 had broken 25ee122315 here, I b8437a5bc6 might have 4ae820775b suspected Deon.6ef13dd7bb714e94

I plopped down in 9c89fdce93 front of the carriage eadf261111 wheel.30db63886a73ebdb

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“Just fix the wheel quickly and let’s set off. Make sure to chain the wheels properly so we don’t slip on the snowy roads.”52f3c86192058866

James stopped 7d9f773e39 hammering and 85d4b9edfd gave me 1fea443625 a troubled 02f987e43b look.ba145e1dc77abe2e

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“But if we leave without proper repairs, it’ll be uncomfortable.”d9cc12cdba4b44e6

I gave a 6621cd1ddf bitter laugh.ec598d3f0ab0ec4a

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“How uncomfortable can a rattling carriage be? I’m more uncomfortable here…”85b71103dc8a1286

I murmured 15542d4ed2 softly, burying 37253f5c42 my head fbb881e852 in my 14a2731e45 knees.7a478f10793c138c

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The carriage b9cea82a40 wasn’t the f3455809d2 issue. It was 33eb694347 my situation 983a97f1e6 that was fe7c0b3e4a unbearable.1c87ed9f632d5258

Even though 875c255e10 the newcomers c6edc0eb49 were the c44d0b9aa5 intruders, I 9cc53d55de felt like 5e30f90a17 the unwelcome 7c08d23316 guest.aa1fe33ced006b74

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The palace seemed unfamiliar.ce14c5efe95454de

Since leaving the north, 958334a838 I had often felt 413dedd532 uncomfortable in my seat, 2bc2b15d1b but never like this.f50f6de76da945b8

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Men and women draped 64b745ef79 in exotic fabrics roamed c01a0586a9 the halls, and gifts ca577b0de3 offered to the empire aa29213af9 were piled up in 6b9ac1a169 the gallery room.4b3f36afc57a3d9e

The palace 7f39d56d6c maids had 2382f9f1cc also received a4c34965fd presents; they 8d5e84b745 were wearing 72ea78af9a hairpins I b572047248 hadn’t seen 1281da3bf0 before.86b64e627a85b488

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When I 9ae76c495a asked about 32c76d7e6f the hairpins, 834ea02d62 they eagerly 96c59411bc praised the 005bd512cf foreign princess 02c0469785 for her a859178148 thoughtful gifts 8fabf9e4c6 to the c155d99e05 royal staff.8281c3839502f6cb

I didn’t want ac282036fa to hear about 33ec358921 the quality of 5ca6086c12 foreign products or f07622e940 see the items 38c5855723 that caught my 1bfddc8df9 eye.adcd36e24c65beb2

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Earlier, I 9581af46e7 had seen e2f7f0f671 Deon walking 8c3dcb60a8 in the 2426444de1 garden with 5ae63cea28 her.958fc39b141c258e

He was just showing f3019333af the long-time trade partners 7371a787b7 around the palace, but e954df3222 it left me feeling 4ea118e4b2 uneasy.64644b0a4da2b8ed

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This would happen more 7aca585512 frequently in the future.88f3c6fd0297c639

Deon would d53052b57c continue to 155b21d6e0 face pressure 82580445a2 from officials ac27aa07b4 to secure ec7347567e an heir.3e3621cf623715e0

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He would 01f611ac28 age, hearing d26d60f8b4 about the 3aebd1c7a9 duties of 0eeeb3afcf the emperor eac8bb6a37 incessantly.43f0c2fa15794e49

I remembered a476e1b64f the rumors cc5d2ba037 about Deon 097875ae5b and me.d78dd6939505d35f

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Though they had 4e1c7fb29f subsided, there was 73372760c9 a time when 40a7af967f stories linking us fc94418a73 circulated in the a238984023 capital.30e6da1387abf34f

People speculated that I 00cd462084 had received the granary 196f02ea6b territory, which had long 0cd07fb5d2 been under royal ownership, 8dd08f1431 because I had seduced 5af53943f6 him.4cf7337e46772b75

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They said 5e64cb8fbd the reason b3aa5c4876 he hadn’t f18e30b1d7 taken an 5453553fd5 empress or e90ae21c6d consort was 670785abdf that I ea2fffae78 was manipulating 0eaa9bb3cf him to 3eea66abe5 block the 7ca5ee154c appointments, calling 99fdf90429 me a b612c5196f traitor who c2312c55b1 had the c13a501da9 emperor in d0fc1f7492 my grip.28b047ec2b2a2baa

Why were f2dff9e2b7 there so 934eff3392 many people 28e008343d who wanted c9906e1ca0 me to d775b2c28c be a c52c624729 traitor?9a84a476b5428ce5

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And that 31263d6a09 I was a38e0e154e enjoying it?3463c39eeb4cb3ca

It was laughable.84b15c81472391f8

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It was just one 89b7f5fd71 of many theories, and 0bc9e21529 the rumors died down 25f388e139 as soon as Deon 077f5af3f9 intervened, but they still d569258b02 stuck with me.22cb0de1a697e924

Even though they were 136b62ff90 just rumors, it was 07ba3e7107 true that my presence 21ede5314d had influenced his decision 3e82ace8b0 not to take an 978f749795 empress.e61ecc92d7970023

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“Double.”95d7c00663f5a159

I held up my 84ccded9a4 fingers.645928bc0c9729ce

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“Sorry?”241830d7842d4c0b

“I’ll double your pay. Can you fix it by tomorrow?”80a783269de26dad

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The coachman fb3ba3e45a looked behind e5b3aa42ca me, or 838502b15b more precisely, 2bffb798de at the f056cb1ed5 setting sun.458a04709c28d011

“Do you mean by midnight?”6f3d80237dc2df15

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“Of course. And if you finish before the evening bell, I’ll quadruple it.”dc4eb191d810f5c7

James’ eyes gleamed 40cb34b054 with greed. I liked e70c316b0f that look 1cb09a59eb of desire.7e12789a5fca5cef

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“I’ll fix it as quickly as possible.”8acb94d4be95e5a0

He made a 107b82ed96 firm decision and 04e7f4501b picked up a e2b3cc2bbc bigger hammer. He started working ae931325e5 faster, hammering more 6a66ccec74 vigorously than before.3e5ad15374fb27c7

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* * *5e3fe21ca8097348

“Are you just going to let this slip away?”be08021815cd1007

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Lady Elizabeth, b90e77baf8 who had 7a74496325 visited the 3298d0f6d7 palace, set 4b0d9a7023 her teacup 2fb87b50c2 down with a6bc2e46e7 a loud c3f165f638 clink.0309568c04b9bfc1

Having heard about the 86f365ae89 royal marriage issue from 92613671bf her brother, she was 66c31d842d more agitated than I 1cbdbd3358 was and knocked on 9390c7fcf6 the palace gates.d4f7e1af38d5f6d2

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Her chest b0fc8f030d heaved dramatically a602dbc234 as she 293ff72d16 set down d41d2f8858 the teacup.42811d23fb22523f

This was 65e281f7eb the first c6ef7bb891 time I’d c6db7a77d1 seen the 3be86f093c usually calm 77b44815c8 lady show 25da8464af such intense 26b19c4de0 emotions. It was hard to bfba5c6cdc believe she had placed 1c535fb1c4 a teacup and not 05e37ce516 a bottle of alcohol.487a2d0ee510751f

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“What are you so afraid of? Lady Leonie, just accept it. The emperor isn’t a bad match. If you like him, accept it, and if not, you can refuse him clearly.”14339216fda7d6cf

If things went wrong, I might end up on the guillotine… Lady Elizabeth trailed off, leaving the important part unsaid.360b199e2c5b0e78

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That unsaid part seemed more important, but I didn’t press her further.f210ab39b3922e42

She was right.853a2d7eef7795eb

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I had ddae4a1c76 to choose. Either draw a line b4906d7525 or negotiate clearly.06b9e369a7ba625e

The choice in this persistent tug-of-war lay with me… I knew, but I couldn’t bring myself to speak in front of Deon.9dc298b8ecb11b1e

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Contrary to Lady Elizabeth’s 145c460c26 assumptions, even if I 7d4dc03ef4 rejected him, he wouldn’t 435f76a021 kill me. Even if 201c1359ce I declared 8ae3876784 I’d never dd9f2cdf4d come to 7afd1b4306 the palace 128498f459 again.57fbdcfc3c0b21f5

Yet, I had never 5d8d5315b2 told him I wouldn’t fdadd269d8 see him anymore. And now, 40a212e699 hearing that 7e9f1a0f80 he might ab3f14b7a9 engage in 3d17e6c390 a royal f6bc09992d marriage, my 5d7276280b emotions were 1a450e3ad1 in turmoil.2c8fe31fcf27fa3f

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Now he wants 8e1100241e to marry? Who had left room 97f0f1fd3b for affection all this 2b3f15820f time?c5642d021b0d63bb

I wanted to slam 819c7cac62 my teacup down like 0bfb77e3af she did, but unfortunately, db6764b1d4 all I had in 223f8de0ec front of me were 2eebca5fa8 biscuits.379a21a3e693df95

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I squeezed the star-shaped 53cf872832 biscuit hard, and it 7ea06944a7 crumbled into powder.1b4fc187073fc86c

“The land given to Countess Leonie was also a courtship gift, wasn’t it? We all know, even if it’s kept hush-hush.”c5fd8824c7f96981

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She picked 46bd2b019d up her ee96af1061 teacup again.585fe9a4de4b3eb9

Unlike her earlier rough f67c2cf120 demeanor, her fingers were 2fbe7e6270 graceful as they held 443ad4be04 the cup.0491afb99b9fbe68

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Calming down, she reverted 755d90f1df to the elegant lady 4c6c406465 she usually was.f421c2da10248a09

“Can’t you tell me why you won’t accept His Majesty’s proposal?”6547269ce210fb4f

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“Well…”b169794fb8a1cc79

I hesitated.819ed031eca9b688

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It was 0a08d2ae35 hard to 407fe9fed9 say that 989eac2ba8 he was 92424c1457 originally destined a6026119bd to kill 776b546ef1 me.eda3956b29a09931

And it wasn’t as 79a89448fa if he still craved 70e9ad95b9 my blood now, as 8127bee828 he once did.44a928af6d781d8f

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Moreover, she still didn’t 45bf00f429 know why Milana existed. Even Isella d1d07f8e7a was tiptoeing c4770cee69 around the 649f3d3228 truth to 91d793e525 avoid shocking 222434019e her until 63a919214f she recovered e121d55202 her health.0b44ff5335f1c92f

There was no aca6387f89 reason besides love c21df30a56 for him to 6a09f87a5f keep me around, ffba2145d3 just as she b31f9814f5 suspected.bc280af21173940b

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I had 6b998878ca received better 8768219034 lands than 754800ae24 any founding b53049bc2d contributors. He even deb870e588 incorporated the da59e45793 land where 20cfac023a I once 06e8b02544 stayed as 25d9cdbe17 part of 288b347469 my territory.0c06113b1a98cea9

Despite being a 0fa2ef2c4a position where I 10dbcc35b6 didn’t need to 32cf86afb6 work, he changed 21f551f47d it to in-person b56c397217 reports to summon b87822e42c me to the 24cf097cbd palace frequently.966f68d259dceb67

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Though she f7d40799c7 claimed to 8b00d00f58 keep it c5a9726808 quiet, every fc4555c729 time I 70456d4f4a attended a 6e74db41c0 party, eyes fa270beacc were on 47254a3ece me. Anyone with sight 8494cea96f couldn’t help but 4918a049f2 notice.123bfa473b6f90af

As the emperor, Deon 53aeb6b4f6 had abused his privileges, 0a7b40ef84 as if his claim dfde46ea11 that he ascended the 63440a76ac throne for me was 1083c8095c genuine.5ac39d1a05851785

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However, Lady Elizabeth ff24efeabd was wrong about 40b0946972 one thing.027c2112413ae501

I had 1440c0ea96 never received 0269bed5b3 a proper fbe89ceaad proposal!637d34768a31944a

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After being dragged to 001831b179 the palace, I had 196dcc76c7 heard him say that 1dd80ac828 if I were to a7a2794a8a bear a child, it bf00922f54 should be by his a8e13fb503 side. But did that 063857ce12 count as a 31ddfd0528 proposal?317cf2d3167e5e69

That was an outburst 20e9f59233 of spite. I absolutely didn’t consider 29da5da3a3 it a proposal. Besides, that happened ce0fd24339 two years ago.d750e67141aae20e

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I shook my head.997606fb0e258794

“Lady Leonie, you need to be a bit more selfish.”e5caafe3e4404974

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She whispered, lowering her bce50cf693 voice. It was 44f7d256b8 an uncharacteristic b83257d2e8 statement for 457b75802e her.86f22b523fb566b6

“You don’t plan on staying unmarried forever, do you?”54f99a70b7d91253

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“I just became a countess. Marriage is something for later. Right now, I have a duty to prosper my territory. I want to fulfill my noble obligations as a lord.”b752fec79f31f19e

When I tried ee1aa42997 to steer the b8f683b220 conversation away, her a996bd362b eyes sparkled.1b0f863b2f8e51a7

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“If you want to keep your hard-earned title, there are other ways.”777590a0688c08e6

“…What?”fbd1fd7fd71b936a

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“Do you know? Imperial law allows children born to the same mother to have different surnames. It was made because there are many noble families with few heirs.”a2195f101878324c

Her voice rose cca7bdf4d4 excitedly.fc44be0003968f62

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“There was a time when high-ranking women nobles were reluctant to marry because the titles often merged with the male noble’s family. So, the empire granted leniency.”46fbadeea3286bee

She held two person-shaped c7c8a45e8c cookies in her hand 49645f672a and snapped them in db0d459c3b half.cf32461d6ffd1d8b

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“If a couple had two children, one could take the mother’s noble surname and the other the father’s, effectively splitting the family lineage.”1d50f17a12df7ade

It was an interesting law, even if it wasn’t the reason she brought it up.d96769dd8583a542

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Lady Elizabeth was already bffa0e335c dreaming of a future a350990c4d where I married Deon 26c6dafb67 and had two children.bf6d6e95ae6538da

“Lady Elizabeth, it’s good information, but I think you’re getting ahead of yourself.”6ab5ed277cca5c0a

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“I understand. While you two seem to get along well, I imagine you have your grievances. He wasn’t always warm and kind in the north.”883976421070b811

Lady Elizabeth nodded vigorously, emphasizing Deon’s lack of tenderness.e972bcb5ae822bf6

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“If not that, then wield your power.”c6da11e9ca1eff03

Her eyes sparkled again.3ae10a55018c9985

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“Such affection shouldn’t go to waste. Punish the nobles who gossip carelessly.”5b8e0e5c4bde37ff

She grabbed my hand 731d4275e7 tightly.23e56500acd755ed

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She told me 07985e4538 to wield my 72d7c32066 power freely, but ff41673b07 I wasn’t sure c3344c268b if what I f435d0f8db held was a 5aae12371a leash or a dc2a1d5856 whip.5df4c087b99e2dda

I didn’t know 0b89d16623 the extent of 64cecb3d17 my influence over f9c8890a7c him.28775ef132fe080d

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It was a68ea8697d like handing d5e6ac69ea a gun dc298d37bc to a 65f0bcc3e5 child who be9e9ce934 had never 8356730b1b killed.d35343903147c9f0

And now that my life was no longer in danger, I didn’t particularly want anything.24d52ba57ff54f1c

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“Lady Leonie, do you have plans for tonight?”c9812c1a443bf0e8

Lady Elizabeth changed the 970858dbe9 subject, releasing my hand.36c76c0c4f02bf8b

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“No.”4912062f88e34ff9

When I shook my a55204f1b4 head, she smiled brightly.137081356a2e9286

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“There’s an opera at the Royal Grand Theater tonight. Have you seen a royal play since the renovation? How about attending this one?”846b99a994c4a5c0

“Well, I wasn’t planning to stay the night at the palace, and I didn’t bring a dress…”52e143c2bbc9f34a

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As I hesitated, she 2c75d3ad54 clasped her hands on f35986e682 the table.26d890b8823d22c0

“It’s dark, and the audience can’t be seen from the stage. There’s no problem attending in what you’re wearing now. I haven’t been to a social event in a long time, and I’d love to go with you. Will you come?”fc92b66565d04fd1

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Her green eyes looked 9c50f3e608 up at me pleadingly.7b435ffb7c2b6169

It was hard 4d0f525fb3 to refuse her 2a9b95e52e request.cee229a26af09980

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I nodded. I was also curious about the performance, reputed to feature the empire’s best actors.a8fb614b9f084802

 41b5ac2cf25a0f9a

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