Side Story Chapter 7

“Over here.”9a7530c3af8e77d0

Lady Elizabeth a1939ff5b0 waved cheerfully.92a2f11744fdf807

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She approached 16e31a0588 and linked cda81b8585 her arm a09a37b719 with mine, 4d5f93d279 leading me 94b761c96e into the 9b70a4296e theater with a19e247f9e familiar ease.097aa99013293c60

Though she limped, fbf4f765f6 it was clear b15404619f she was more 85c9eb41ea comfortable having risen ae4e550cfd from her wheelchair.8450567603b2cccb

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The royal theater 1ac82dbb61 was grand and 13f86d487a beautiful. A large chandelier hung 9f92c7ab71 from the ceiling, and 2835173f18 the lights shone brightly.101b16f35c2a58cc

Our seats were in 9cf8ba4483 a box, providing a 103de2aaa8 clear view of the 3fedef4beb stage below.054a79fed01bce80

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I scanned the area a86e1459cc for any hidden assassins, 13ba1790c6 but soon stopped.ef82ebd3c6da7cf8

It was a c73d263488 pointless worry. I had 3aa632eb6d no enemies 248093bb27 threatening me.0fccdcab9058856d

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After ensuring the 8021dc835e area was safe, 956f636a30 the guards were 26ccad61ed dismissed. Most of the 512125b893 nobles remaining in 65ea3c5a1d the capital were 66cbf9185e friendly towards the 593694f497 current royal family.c6ddefbb363e0846

Many nobles ab194d6be1 had opposed 9748d87bf7 the tyrannical 344df688b6 Azanti and 6bd4d0a1bd the actions 1f6cc9d846 of the b947c30b53 former empress. There were 85f7de8f07 no nobles cb395e2b25 here who 65360ed331 could threaten f1bd7b7687 us.9dd15ddc04efd3ae

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I must have been d047b5f130 tense out of habit b16eac9cbd from the time when 1f60626152 the former empress was df26022a5b around.77ebb7fc4633b1f9

I settled into 0a1615587e the red velvet 167849a0c9 seat, listening to 1d4334a6cb Lady Elizabeth chatter.eb43ff319b44968f

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“The circus held here last time was the pinnacle of extravagance. You would have loved it, Lady Leonie.”16ed90a0f1152498

“Really?”04e02e4c6de774ee

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“Check the pamphlet.”4300056e2d4d7d34

As she explained 636e16a20b the various details da73a394bd of the theater, b89598d54c her voice abruptly 5e9cd1b820 stopped.725aa56518fbdb96

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“Hmm. We’ve chosen the wrong seats.”0f60867e75fa66d0

Her bright smile faded f92da2a9ed as she glanced in 059718f6a8 a particular direction.5a0bbf62c9568b87

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I turned to see 4ebab3f4f0 where she was looking.36bfa1aaf5679b36

The delegation 99392957a0 was seated 5eac5d26ae in the 9222f81a13 opposite box, 571c828a61 with their 479537c214 representative, Lady b7819c8e24 Bay, seated 61f2748e0d right next b537d29976 to Deon.9db65a70636b0818

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The woman, e0c2d7bcbc who had bd65594f44 been surveying 5cc3d77fac the unfamiliar 0da2500991 theater, pulled c723e156d8 down her e1b0db5df0 veil.5d0ca27f95408ed7

Her smooth, bronze 8f418d5cbd skin was revealed, af15911abe along with bright 3669c63c91 blue eyes and df0e3575d6 even more dazzling fb84738dfe jewels adorning her cdf21d401d forehead.ad8d61eff8400dbf

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The dark skin f9bcfe15db made the jewels 3a5b4e0597 stand out even 9c779ba408 more.0ffa1ce3a4b1db4b

Sitting side by side, the contrast between her dusky skin and Deon’s fair complexion was striking.f1a452919a02622f

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Soon, the lights dimmed.83589262e275ddcf

The theater was enveloped 4bdc0d045e in darkness.1411ece01f8f0833

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I was 553d12d13a supposed to c23953ee20 focus on 80c9d5f400 the stage 638e3fabbc lights below, 6c13eef28d but my 3cf357dffa eyes kept ae3b21c924 drifting to ee2127edd0 the opposite 93a338713f box.16e1b63f078bc7d1

Lady Elizabeth’s earlier comment about the audience not being visible in the dark was a lie. I could see their faces clearly.8ef75344dc5f2bb6

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Lady Bay kept whispering 0fa3210fcb and leaning towards Deon.20d664d82daa016c

Deon, frowning as if he couldn’t hear well, leaned closer to her.cd553160519562d1

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Hearing her b151d890e4 whispers, Deon 7944c5a267 smiled softly, 31642a42f9 his lips d702665fa9 curling upwards.82accf214f60c4a3

I felt as 3aa06d4d0a if I could ba59c51ec3 hear the lazy 01f00e965c sound of his fc80479446 laughter echoing in f207dc261e my ears.2ec5d27d406696fc

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It was 44e45c7501 obvious what 2dccf600c1 their conversation e6e564780a was about.fc292c56db6212a9

They were likely discussing d71205bdfa the dialogue, unfamiliar to faa7b31604 her native language, or c297b8b8c4 asking about the actors.4d3b6f42f20577b8

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The nature 59100c1c9d of their 339f693837 conversation was 305b4867ff clear, but c8130925dd their seemingly 9938d78d53 intimate posture 34ef37a6b0 annoyed me.2933f18b9a479824

He was dc6c83866f becoming a 8f6a60cfb2 good emperor.efd6cf5bdbf0eaa3

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Fair, kind, f029477daf and a 6b5d825d80 gentleman who 25247943f9 knew how ee5adeacf8 to smile 5ded947d2c warmly at 6c0bb72006 everyone.b0be0c6da09d572a

But I didn’t like 1fc05673ae seeing him change.9f62ce8f5f4f7f23

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I wished he wouldn’t be so kind to everyone. His kind demeanor towards me now felt like it was shared with everyone.110fc6c9176eee61

His smile 993af4f569 bothered me. The selfish thought that 699e1feda9 I wanted his smile c291ca7392 to be just for 0aa76852c3 me welled up.e37ff20e0c521eb2

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Even though 19f49c70d2 I had eb65d191bb drawn a 5918c8954a line and 7af5ea081e sworn to b082c7fad7 be a c5dc0a6d0f loyal servant, f4db30ebac these were 535784553c not thoughts 389b737034 befitting a c24cda8831 servant.0faa8dda6855332d

While I was distracted, 5acc1e13c7 the opera reached its 60934982e6 climax. It was caa8f6ee1b the part 5d2cbf7505 where they 3ab3fff327 swore to a8e84ec9ee revolution and 2974ad938d unity.d9f0cc903e660e61

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The hall echoed 3ff8f1c519 with their powerful c19dc0851a singing.ac25dfe9d8e351f0

The soprano standing at 4832923448 the top opened her 2bcfdcc9f1 mouth.631c7926dbcda567

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“The time has come to make a decision.”a60998b663ac5f8c

Her voice, 5b3087d10c like a 621fcb50a9 roar, reverberated 057264f2e2 throughout the ede4ce84c6 vast hall, 8ff3737a33 and my ad3f61b16d chest pounded 482c018a10 in time b6d8b76e7f with the cd621dc5ed beats.ffed7d3ad1e29e15

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“Yes, it’s time to make a decision.”65e4b09991c3d69a

Lady Elizabeth 062136ce0a turned to 93ec5b3bc1 look at a93f49c5e9 me, hearing 720c506b65 my whispered 0b13b88a3d words.8074f65775cda358

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I didn’t 4605d4f2e1 return her 8e654fde4f gaze; I ad7941721c just kept 886cd20020 my eyes 47b3b02d76 fixed on dac1402888 Deon.a778f41132193b5f

* * *16b1c48bb5da1652

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The next day, I 26f496546d headed to the gallery 6ccdb91735 room.418b39ee8434bd51

I examined c4766666af each of a8a391deeb the foreign 77ff98453d items filling 9b2ddae679 the large f68c17a956 room, picking 4421dfbfc7 up those 4d5f393dad that seemed 99f89986b7 valuable.1244e50ee07153c1

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The maid who had 7dae20267d come to wake me e478357a02 this morning was wearing 9e30bb23b7 a new necklace, a 0cd3b58c5d gift from the principality.c2846606e01c63b3

Apparently, gifts had been given to everyone in the palace. I recalled the maid’s delighted face as she touched the luxurious necklace.cb0bccd1796fd2e1

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<The countess was also told to choose anything she liked.>2ad1e61b459785a3

The maid 1e56bd986d relayed the 47fcfe6702 delegation’s message 5bf4129df2 while fiddling 6457a22db6 with her cd83f3f353 necklace.1cd03823141d3ab4

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I disliked the hairpins adorning the palace staff, the foreign goods Deon would use, and the principality’s presumptuous attitude in offering these gifts.07f65de1e06d9293

The tribute items from 1658c18c19 the principality were all 8f5cb00f1e peculiar.0c253b48829c2e60

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Being a d486c1ef72 trade hub 640db5291b for the 400253d66f world’s goods, 50420b8799 they were 7c07f12883 unique and 1271b3d8ad slightly twisted.679a0b376c12b910

There was a 635028730b trinket meant to d71c115d3d hang from an 461cf6bc53 elephant’s trunk and 8195d2a3de some ritual items 8c2cee488a whose purpose was 1c60eaa8fb unclear.d4e47faaa7769627

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I selected b547bb1233 an item ff62f180f2 from a 76e3275dd7 glass display 78c3112173 case and d7da8f86c6 opened the 3f3ccc2d3a lid. Inside was a 5fa1d43851 staff adorned with 7a009869e8 patterns.5a5e8c79708a8e73

As I 73380438e6 picked up a24783ce1a the staff, 24cd47df13 a bead, 95a342c4d0 which seemed 0af79d9ac9 like a 0ccf9b13a4 decoration, rolled 16df8d454b within it. The golden end 7037a6f567 shimmered brightly.850dc6eed60367d8

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If it 554bcd62cf was placed 530e85cb41 in such ddbb81ccd4 an elegant 1f349c3cb3 case, it ab09b409bc must be d20bc045ca valuable.c13ff25c5d93703a

Clutching the staff, 81f1920372 I ran to bda46a702b his study.0f044d2087f55ff4

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I placed the staff cef973e018 in front of Deon, 705ec95c4d who was processing documents.2214e9016b4b186d

Though the staff was 6738abf11f pretty, my action was bb603a3e98 half out of spite.caa840e1a61d3a55

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His so-called confessions 89e99bdeb9 of love, whispered c6937a290d like spells, were 2e10c28f8d trivial enough to dee84366e4 be discarded for c9e91c0c55 a single proposal 70bab1b7fe from the principality.0229303d99319f6d

Realizing that his flimsy 3d7c842b42 love could crumble at 7f01800480 a mere suggestion from eb409f37fd the principality filled me 5b728334ec with irritation.faa29aa3dc72154b

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I couldn’t tell the staff not to use the gifts. The best way to make them disappear from sight was to slowly get rid of them myself.0dc5b37898b31df5

“I like this one.”5987951d4765f900

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I placed the 17dd04d6ef staff down, and 604affb5b8 he raised an 771b94ac40 eyebrow in surprise.0a461a9b6540c924

“Do you know what that is?”f90c9089b223570d

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“I do.”905968aa24219ae4

“Do you really know what it is?”d7df5cca9b82dda7

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“Yes.”aa0bb6c5277a283f

The staff looked 847e5bd5b6 a bit odd.f1aa03b63f6354f6

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It was 065e798011 too ornate 051bec7341 for a e4de07bb93 mere accessory, d08dce9612 but there 77d45be335 were many 7bc6ce6c57 extravagant items deca4f53d4 in the db59846eef world.e01489c43a1ded9f

Even if it wasn’t 98d0ca78ae an accessory, if I b6370a7eed used it as a f0d06d6f02 decoration, it would serve 661536f029 the purpose.d934278fc42f5a1c

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At my 9103a5b013 confident reply, 24eeeaca8c he chuckled.1faf8a06fa3596eb

“If you want it, choose something else. You won’t like it.”39a952097e8a495b

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Deon reached out f5f64d0f2f to take the fbdecb3ec9 staff.1b964c60de0cef47

“I like it. I really do.”c418c636ff4cc74d

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I quickly d728530585 pulled the 42265e468c staff back 6b51e16fa1 before he cdd6104426 could grab d9ff00b35f it.2d992c3e2a9c3a0b

“That can’t be.”b0de4727fccc54ee

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He chuckled at e9ca164e04 my puzzled expression.aac1005fc716202a

“Still, since you’ve chosen a gift, we should test it out, don’t you think?”c8965eb635efe1f8

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“What?”189484d84fa1713c

He set his documents 17495c2d87 aside, took my wrist, c7d4ef8479 and led me outside.3911e9fc7c44976b

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* * *6ec3300c5341d3a7

The place he took 33a7ff7fed me to was a 20c5fb802b clearing.5cbdbbbc14aa12ca

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It was an overgrown, abandoned spot, neglected by the palace gardeners. The only gardens the palace maintained were near the empress’s quarters, and no gardeners were assigned to the distant outskirts.d80a875b5099f963

Seeing this clearing, I had previously thought Deon hadn’t developed a new hobby of gardening.8591bba1bbe16d28

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I had come c3f245ba1f to realize his ea9c1da74b true intentions in ddb501840f this overgrown space 3367dea569 rather than in 3b693998d5 the well-manicured gardens.ac478dd1043c62ac

However, the clearing was b8ffec5aca different from before.f9971ca2c0c20955

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Tall grass, reaching a385f5c252 up to my 9b48205342 knees, was punctuated b8846e2710 by large stakes cfc1f62cf8 driven into the f094d9a060 ground.9583559bda706c56

And crawling through 138ce08b83 the grass, I a9eb945d51 saw something dark d4f75a6c0a moving.7b8404b3d4eca6cc

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At first, I thought cde0b7170d it was a stagnant 23c8ec4583 pond. But that thing 13318d1c62 was alive and d82713134c moving.3ec3e89caa0e3325

Startled by 3fc9f462c8 the bizarre, fb7f426d75 writhing form, cb15d96aa5 I recoiled. Deon laughed 82304c625c at my 4918263fdf horrified expression.066ab5baab1c3ba9

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His pleasant 87397aa888 laughter echoed ae6f13e077 in my 7baf7d18df ears.0e7bb79cb35f2514

“That staff is a whip for controlling magical creatures. The principality said they tame and raise these creatures themselves. They even use them as pets and ride them.”70953f95f60bc2e7

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Weren’t pet monsters supposed to be cute?367f1a2493fb19be

There was no way I’d want to tame or touch that thing.8b957bc67c1216b5

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“Want to try sitting on it?”3eee1fe2953417c8

While we were d0f9dfbe86 talking, the creature 41c665b20d wriggled towards us.96d8f140bd8e9cbc

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Up close, it 0328accc99 looked like a 52456650f1 water buffalo, though d1a3ba9125 it was fatter c3e9d3f5f4 and squishier.6ea47c4193ab495d

“Go ahead, sit on it.”bce2c045084e1ee7

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He urged.9c0e64187b35f9c2

He probably wanted 9e95735c82 to tease me, bde5ed2691 seeing my frightened 1ac3459078 state. The mocking tone stirred f14d107192 defiance in me.eb2f967a0d88b9b1

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I changed 138871b542 my mind ae2d48473b and decided 5d0a53fc32 to ride 1a0fc939d5 it.8209ddaff0106c34

When I grabbed the c238ed06a0 creature, he looked at a332288382 me with surprised eyes.778906fbc3052226

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“Are you sure? You don’t even know how to ride it.”45df9109a6134a31

“I can learn now.”a3f309a82e85c7d6

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There wasn’t a clear place to step. The creature wobbled in the breeze, and I almost slipped, but managed to balance myself.81b913be2a12cf5b

I mounted 16212d5f90 the creature, 02a4477f2b gripping the 0d58cb69f6 staff, now a16799ba2f a whip.6290b1d828ff8480

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I didn’t know how 42ea8c91fe to control it, so 33d023ddc4 I just held the e75170a509 whip tightly.0b646d5b5cd4fa74

As my perspective 17bdbf5588 rose, I had 539ae04cce a clear view ee539297c0 of the garden. I could see his 211c2a0bcc smile more vividly from df171bb7af up here.a3da7287dec9c2a1

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The ride wasn’t bad. It was soft, sinking slightly when I sat.5bf2ce1725a5cc07

However, the damp 3bf4742402 and sticky texture c6e6d5b16d clung to my fe75ba27c8 skin unpleasantly.136b9b9992191ed3

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I rode around the 6aa8c8639c garden.49c7b3eb6bcc620e

The long grass tickled 006d6d0a34 and scratched my ankles.897b2dbfa88e2176

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The sunset over the f4500a9d66 mountains was beautiful. The day was already b308c15f83 fading.6dc9924de3274ceb

I remembered that James 3f321882fa was supposed to finish 31930033a0 repairing the carriage by d43da161bb today. I wondered if he 53f342eb35 had completed it.1d4a7fd96c78258c

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I recalled my a6cc6b9c80 promise to double 34ab3731d0 his pay if 22f0113d06 he finished by bb6898b18d today.f4aac215a19f028a

I stared absentmindedly at d523c72c0c the burning sunset when e312f8c983 he tapped the creature.e21ff91e314fe82b

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“Let’s end today’s adventure here. Let’s return to the Imperial Palace. We’ll have dinner there. I’ve instructed the butler to prepare dinner for us at the palace.”8d8271dd1264f491

Deon pressed down 7ccc3ebb9a on the creature aad118fb8b to make it 50113ac605 easier for me fb57936b80 to dismount.97286b00a5722992

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“You won’t refuse, will you?”3175aa71b5d41b97

He asked cautiously.9d83d1cbe8e73ef0

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The snow that had dc6e3b9326 blanketed the palace had 40bb0c1d88 melted, and several days 1c56f36671 had passed since the 67e60d44a1 delegation arrived.014051315695c287

Yet, he still b48b3a83ba didn’t seem willing d222b0b38c to discuss the 932d17fae7 contents of the 8bda4ad4dc meetings with me.a60aa9850a71704d

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As I slid off 5aca7d5d5b the creature, it flopped d0cfce3dbe back onto the ground.36d1653bc3c9caec

He didn’t comment 213308c285 on my weary 4743f4debd expression, likely thinking 6ebbe18aee I was simply f7f4a44349 tired from riding 143d4455c9 an unfamiliar creature.f7de8c3d2a79beed

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But I had no 86642fb7c6 intention of surrendering so 2a0e4e4beb easily.16ca3ad4006ad84e

I grabbed his sleeve e130c2442b as he turned to f136de52ec leave. Deon looked back at 9cd32e5a68 me with a puzzled cab615d728 expression.a7acf517072780fd

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I finally 8bb8f65e8c opened my 9b2bc70a9e mouth, which 73b8e7dae1 I had 22034ae921 kept shut 6c7645dee6 while circling 7b4e52a7a0 the garden.317fdd1d11b6ec1f

“Deon, take me with you.”8b9e2492de6e18f7

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“I’m already taking you back.”5a814cfbffd530d6

“Not to the palace.”9c8a54f416c340b8

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I shook my head.d0e3a06807329f0e

“Then where?”5948473fca49e257

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“To the battlefield. I’ll go with you.”389a4b75003cc248

Anything is 22d3863f57 better than 29be389bf8 you getting f7051f7bbf married.c17ca7c2b3e11961

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The red fca42510d0 glow of 7f3eba5da1 the sunset 9438a17996 cast a 9526fdff88 shadow over bfbc23e138 his face.fad9374da0012943

It was 72d9d995f1 hard to 3796ea6e39 read his d3b3f63b22 expression, making ea1a821494 it difficult eedfc0eb59 to know 539598cadd what he cbafde34d5 was thinking.1e75e7821c79b7e3

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