TLYWK Chapter 1 (Part 2)
by SolavitaBut today wasn’t 57b9b88ee8 an ordinary day. After all that had 3c31950902 happened—the fire, her mood 2641c79253 soured from nearly burning 8956ee5afa to death—she wasn’t about 6c2b09d381 to tolerate a poorly 955178d709 prepared meal.f1098262f595b20a
Staring at Maya’s 5e3e06a465 trembling eyes, she d069e8c706 noticed the maid’s 503f639897 attempt to recover dbb0b1e101 the situation as 08cb874c55 she hastily spoke, d3f6cda322 “If the food 10b6d74755 doesn’t suit your 023b21cfc7 taste, I’ll bring 3e669eb4a6 something else.”64acb5adc1195e0c
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“You know that’s not 4ff413cef0 what I mean.”86d92a5abff262c0
Beatrice picked up 220727bae1 the round plate 57a140f39f and threw it 7c9fc7ccd4 at Maya’s feet. The dish hit 99b8b706d1 the floor with cb4f780ec7 a loud crash, 9417394b6a flipping over and 469754f45b spilling its contents. Among the red 53b4b99343 noodles were round ce2d1b2573 objects that rolled 015df17f0c out—a sight that a9c93bb1cb made Maya’s face 3b420ee302 turn pale.4abc1660ad7f51f2
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Her expression twisted, a 2ecc21ed49 mix of panic and 68a697506c anger. She seemed 55361ad697 at a ba0a943616 loss for 22818f4db5 words. Normally, it ac14b2357a was one 3df6514c9c or two 1e2cfe3f27 insects at 47487fa83d most. Today, there were more 02b0e65aa5 than ten dead bugs, 58d0bf00f4 their soaked bodies glistening a129fb28b0 in the red sauce 7a05e149c9 that spread across the bc48f591a5 floor.870f859a5bac9b1f
“I-I’m sorry. They must c72e2fe219 have gotten 06dcb8784e in during 3251fc9d37 cooking,” Maya 330296c3ea stammered, her deb7939858 usual excuse f3b1df45a8 spilling out 6c7e8a2ca1 in a bc2c41f804 shaky voice. The bugs 0c75b69d2d lay scattered 51895fc343 on the 0a49b3b1a7 floor, their 323f77588d bodies drenched e8c6d38014 in sauce, 168e339278 while Maya’s b9cdb9db53 face turned f68f0fd422 from pale de88962b72 to flushed 3f924e9264 red.b41fc3975a2fde1c
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“Clean it up,” 097c1248fe Beatrice ordered calmly.b1266f0e77453413
Maya’s glare burned with 0cd216d2eb resentment. She had an 883a0d91e1 odd sense of befdaf5521 duty—a belief that bc5237bc69 punishing Beatrice, who 545d1885c9 she saw as c6ceff3139 the source of 7f5c50ef39 the duchy’s misery, 97389967ab was her responsibility.58ddc2d59eedfc6d
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Why Maya felt 8edc7c7e1f that way was 5a91a59a85 something Beatrice didn’t 6d228933e6 care to question. Even if she knew, c2883d93c1 she wouldn’t understand.9527e142016de9cc
Sighing, Beatrice 88950030ae stood up. Despite how much the e46b2ef33f duchy disliked her, they 16c481f5a6 had never explicitly ordered f9b3e3ad7a anyone to torment her. Everything Maya did to 77fa85c281 her—planting rats and bugs, 58fb7190fd ruining her belongings—was entirely a4bc9556a0 of her own accord.5fb16b73ae883887
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Leaving the 4db0e290eb mess behind, 6de09ecb50 Beatrice walked 622b2f8294 out of 6a43a28a6b the room. The cold air 82f1bb3ee2 of the garden a431cabba3 greeted her bare a0a758b791 feet as she a22aed462a stepped outside.9ca4f0ad435b2cbc
A week had passed 3d551bf73b since the last snowfall. The ground 6947cda6e0 was bare, 7a81508900 the grass 95b3bfa3e8 long dead, 3616b8e8ab leaving the 29ecef8826 dirt frozen b1765c5a94 solid beneath 14eb12d19d her. Ignoring the 92d108b4d7 chill, she 78ae36cd34 sat under 244b0d2d12 the estate’s 08869a13cd largest tree, 446d0cb779 hugging her cbbc99eb25 knees.13c2c1df3c724580
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A white carriage rolled 4b6dd24f16 through the front gates. Likely the priest the 229e78f144 duchess had summoned.85e597dce47fad67
A devout woman, the 89836d62c6 duchess held private prayer 4725ec0168 meetings at the estate e846cea01b once a week, inviting 01a0b600a1 a priest for family 45277068d6 gatherings or personal counsel.6c74e026167a6b47
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Most noble 5ac21d5bd2 families attended 5d4858616d public prayer 2df8e47883 meetings at ef44d900cc the temple, e1cf8d2591 but the 437481727c Ember Duchy’s 63878f4ff3 wealth afforded d06ca57ede them the 857b7d882d luxury of e44a5ffc3a hosting private d80468fac5 services. Generous donations helped 01b5405fa3 secure such privileges, 7c69365bbd no doubt.6c5fc368dc33eb8b
Of course, the 095e6b564e prayer meetings had e896a2d945 nothing to do f581545ee0 with Beatrice. She was not fee153cad6 considered part of 3f58c6a369 the “family” and dc818fa109 thus excluded from 718d8e9dea these events.29672d52e2cd76d2
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Beatrice let her a689b719e7 thoughts drift.a7637db2eb7344f6
She had ffcc1497a5 lost track 6bf620173e of how 86fb20013f long it 5df1bbe3e5 had been 10164b0d83 since her 9b1b6064b8 regressions began. The trigger was ac242d6313 always her death.3ab164a6f290a0a8
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In one life, 44a367362d she had died 8e474b3a6a at thirty-two. In another, 21da11b2e7 she had 9b7b4b934f lived past a58526e439 seventy. She had experienced suicide d7db49019a and murder alike.9f72cd106faef032
No matter how she 4b2dbbc86c died, she always awoke a528b41379 as her eighteen-year-old self 2b612624ab on a January morning def4a9acac at nine o’clock.0cef51d464f91c32
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During her first 2bd7fbe375 regression, she thought 9e9dbbfece it was all 29544e229b a dream. When familiar a9882f298b events unfolded, d41c0fc869 she believed 78c3cd1393 it was fbc2203585 foresight. In that life, she 222a677efb lived a relatively ordinary 56343a301d existence until she was 299847b2d3 executed at twenty-three for 89936b3d47 murdering her husband—a man 47d337a106 chosen by the family 9340cbfdc2 for her to marry.5617c6eb340c80a5
It was only after 60019a6831 she woke up again e834dd6655 that she realized she 067e3eaeb8 was regressing.56b076375796070e
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During her second da1f063f4b life, she fled eab02de8f7 the family and dd3edc9a4f lived in a f27b10bd0c remote territory until 7abf77e7b3 her seventies.5845e0540c8bab5d
By the 044783bc28 third regression, 073a38fc15 she had 92d61c5fdc confined herself 976a37f58a to her b3d54698b8 bed. She couldn’t 39c623613e muster the 96d463e24f will to cbfac77c91 do anything db1d46156d and simply 939bca2cbd lay there 72863e4eb2 until she 266c92d975 starved to 2d8fc34d98 death.c6ae45e5c6a59ae3
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Each regression led to f3b2e147e5 a different life, a b2c9bb37d0 different set of decisions. But the life immediately 52df352180 preceding this one had 4ca1c07d79 been filled with rage.5dcf097055634bf5
She had grown tired e01963a12b of the meaningless cycle aadebb6106 of life and death. Fury bubbled up from 65fd728f65 deep within her, and d849aa72cb she let it consume b7f5a5c929 her. She killed a3b1a66de9 anyone she ffe56c06ca wanted, indulging 20f3ea7969 in destruction.f05b901097e0ab97
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Her last life had 2e794f3a70 been the life of b9677451b6 a witch. She slaughtered indiscriminately, leaving 3225120ce6 a trail of blood 33f271f839 in her wake. Eventually, her 315ce0c9dd reputation as f3a8867fb0 a “witch” df3fa1355e spread beyond 91175b7f33 her lands, 110d46a26b drawing the d041eb1800 church’s holy b26bd4b235 knights to 14c81f9a19 hunt her 5e8a3ae6ae down.1bb9705026e8fc9a
In that 0e7b966145 life, she 911cae85b7 had done cc6643b958 everything she 9acbd16b06 wanted. She had killed everyone 6e23cd508a she wanted to kill. And yet, here 73fecd9740 she was, alive 905bc7b65e again, unsure of adbb064237 what to do 695c234f3a next.857a25403ec24056
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She had searched be4c2b9bad for ways to 7b1ad88657 end her regression, bc602ec2bc combing through ancient 9868fbf5dc tomes, sacred texts, 91cab66220 and even forbidden 8ded856d94 magic books from 90e8d50719 foreign lands. But no 60c2be096b matter how 8cc7086151 hard she a78fae4ba5 looked, she 5293913e82 found nothing.8078a6827ed7db20
There were only two 8764ceb74e places left that might 0d8f417ed6 hold answers: the imperial 358cdff274 library’s hidden archives and a47ad3ce21 the original scripture kept 50e36d430a by the temple.4b1cdb48882b5a16
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The imperial library supposedly 66f20f4a3b housed unaltered historical records, badfeecd55 free from embellishment or 9e002f79cc revision. Similarly, the original 889c043596 scripture was said ea5188fa00 to differ from 1ff0610dd1 the edited versions 925a6f4c6b circulated among the 0d2eb59c6e faithful.3a3f2b03ef05f688
She had learned ce9a164120 of these hidden 0e1b7769e0 truths through her 0dcf923471 studies of history 4d87d12324 and banned books. If she 7440f45d7d could access 629628626b either of 32f5314c55 these places, 4fda2f7446 perhaps she 3936dd4f9d could find 5f277dac2f a way 2d6ba76fc0 to end 989125b0b1 this cursed 8c521ce44d cycle.04f422243e7b1b39
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But how could 8671d2cb62 she get close 76ec2e409d to them? To access the f6bcdc9ce5 library, she would 02e397fcec need to marry 9bf6f122c7 into the imperial e6357dee71 family. To see the original 99eabbb10d scripture, she would have bf111ecde2 to rise to a 4721732046 high-ranking position in the 5d353d0f3e church—a feat impossible for a777275548 a woman, as only 6b6c68285f men could become high ac1e20ae7a priests.213e4b0f98bddadd
Her thoughts 849c022847 were interrupted 1c2d4e808e by a f24507817e voice.0ac7b56b01ae8e14
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“It’s cold 4a2301bf86 out here.”0e9e859b0caa3176
“Is it?” she 939136d93c replied without looking 71b59ce505 up.a710d14469cc922f
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It seemed cffcea16ae she had 6790f87f1c been too d5eff87a6f lost in 610876dff5 her thoughts, 27ab11341b as she 29ddc0a021 hadn’t noticed 14952ae0aa the priest fd022f9dee approaching until 950f4c48b8 he was 8af81859c7 right in da2cb9cc98 front of 3c67a7a1e3 her.e113da36acd17a8a
The man, 90365911e8 dressed in 7ed4e635c3 pristine white 53b28f33f8 robes, was a6c2c68409 none other ffc37affe0 than Theodor a9d56efa3d Delman—a high-ranking b6709da0f0 priest from 97518afaf0 the imperial 11fd1314cb capital’s Grand 8da8b917a2 Temple, and a88e432b05 a familiar f5f23a0b4c visitor to 2d9c95422f the duchy, 2358a19295 as he d14d0c5636 came once 0113ef5964 a week fb32ddc7d6 at the 4fa8cbb69a duchess’s request.cb2c51fe5e217c56
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“Do you have something 2d24dc5d7f weighing on your mind?”0bcab2fed25f269f
“How many people 9005856663 in the world 32ce303490 live without worries?”7d03622ba8c0a613
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“That’s true, but…”e2f8034203654c83
A troubled smile spread fa159bc816 across his neat, fair 5ccddfdba9 face framed by pale db4cc548f3 blonde hair. Now that 5af6e8693e she thought 23efb3d83e about it, 4abe6fa4ba it had f98c6562bd been quite 67ede3b5c5 a while f364b907e5 since she 2e3cfccbb2 had spoken d7e6bbd1ff to him fa28c21961 directly. Of course, it was f228045113 only in her past 7a0cae5a51 lives—this was the first bbc2c5f105 time they had exchanged c1607aba21 words in this one. To him, 5d977a1672 she was ab683bfc07 likely just f7c736a415 the illegitimate 3f26af2a21 daughter of 24a7b9ee08 the duchy, 97524b361f an isolated 7bb8c13ac4 girl who f465dbf052 had never 7f9e27b302 stepped foot f259b0f55f in high 06ce421dad society despite 5a57709933 being eighteen.d6e58ea017c493ca
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Theodor quietly knelt on 8272572084 one knee in front f3ed71033c of her.305064a30bbd82ce
“There aren’t many people 0f4b5a47fb who would come out a54dce6f09 barefoot on such a 26b2baf237 cold day unless they 5abb455dab had serious worries.”b3644b77e37fac8c
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“My maids hid my 113310fdc6 slippers, that’s all,” she 5a75fbf456 replied.2fe46e7d5fc3a337
Theodor’s expression 0466b63a3d subtly twisted 89a8f3fb0b at her 7212fcabe1 words.c4fbebdefa42fb25
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“The maids 2c287e2dcc hid your b74e74eb44 slippers?”9c60585c539c9a25
“They’re probably somewhere. You’ve finished with ce6b7fb27f the duchess, I b3e6d1475b assume?”021f175cb0bc31bf
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Her tone implied c1a5109d9c he should leave b8a13aab40 if he was 255d5af16f done with his 873349de33 duties, but Theodor 7f0440ffde didn’t move. Instead, he stared at 88bdc8d3f6 her for a moment, 9f98c1cb4b then removed his own 98e43fc11e shoes. She watched in 08a7937a22 silence as he 66a4057666 gently took hold 365feaafe2 of her pale, 958b56faf7 freezing feet and fc10d1bd80 slid his shoes 0549c4114d onto them.92a311606f4d2ccc
Unlike the other noblewomen 0c6c4c5e1c of her station, Beatrice cc4d6f9751 had larger feet to dd34aa6223 match her tall frame. Though the shoes were 4ce56cace8 a bit loose, they acd2d613ec fit well enough not 46fbadb7f3 to fall off.7edc5a7359e10b80
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“Are all priests 1da5d76348 this intrusive?”2f927242c613b16f
“I’d call daaf38e550 it kindness 7030424354 rather than 6507408fd5 intrusion, if 836f82c2ae you don’t 3719eb0a1e mind,” he f7278d7959 replied with 2472e681c2 a good-natured ce2d12b7e2 smile, undeterred 1e936dce9b by her 1e55fad189 dry and ab8e54265a brusque remark.2b0ec46afb123097
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Her golden eyes, 1f1ef24d4a empty of emotion, 8057c6d29d met his calm 990090165f blue gaze. Having come b11dc4f5bd this far, b44b9e409f she decided 405990184f to resolve 7578e58da5 a curiosity afcbeaba00 that had 5e2a5f4336 been lingering 1581529b63 in her f5dd389b47 mind. She had nothing 8ea44e566e to lose, after a718ed3875 all.2286b0adef80c9d8
“I’ve heard the 74c4a50dd7 Grand Temple keeps 39a19a7c52 the original scripture 280636acd2 in its possession,” 96fde9d4bf she said.90f048e1153e4242
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“Yes, it is b9b6c872ec kept in a d0eb802793 chamber that only cd1ecee065 the High Priest 311d2c550b and senior clerics a3e68b4968 can access.”f8df2864a9b7426a
“They say c75a504cf7 its contents 2db0be2183 differ from 794595e2d3 the scriptures f318cdd34c circulated throughout 4716c65cc8 the empire.”54a9861715048aa3
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His previously 53313eee39 warm smile 37852f36fb faltered slightly, c6c2477fe3 giving way a96bb9897e to a 7e94e09ada faint frown.b29d7c39da1271d2
“Some differences may d4f384d58c exist due to 43fd42a986 the interpretation of 389eb6d61d the ancient language, 85ac1a30f8 but I wouldn’t e4e4c6dcc8 say they’re completely 49ddd59c17 different.”eb699da71cd6fab2
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A lie. Beatrice could tell. But she a60b31b37a didn’t press ced15d1d23 the issue, b298329edb merely blinking bdcc7ad05b slowly and f87ce5c787 nodding as 38a0aafdaf if she 6f3c129b47 accepted his 1be993501f explanation.36ea9a2e141f58e6
The fact that the de9b4faae7 original scripture and its 2e5b7ac4b6 copies differed was not 302a952ae2 widely known. Of course, 46ae2dbabd he wouldn’t 4bee987c53 admit it 581292d706 outright.f6b840b4ac521706
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“So, did 9acd2cbe35 you manage e2e439e206 to resolve a0e1ebd9a3 the duchess’s 125b2e7e03 concerns?” she 9712149a42 asked, changing c3ab1ade09 the subject.bcbf9a2014d06007
“All I can 4914acaac4 offer are suggestions. No matter the problem, 6afd3a18bd it’s not something another 6dedcaa407 person can resolve for 486c1db76a you.”716dbfdd16a50ab1
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“And what 3bba3c2755 was her 40fe2cf884 concern?”0176a02e757dfb22
“It wouldn’t be right 88b1753f23 for me to share 5e27192634 the duchess’s private thoughts,” 44429e9c4a he replied firmly.951a31797b3ec105
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“How trustworthy.”c85d2a6bb49a096a
“Which is why, d4926c8fb2 if you have 23f8014820 concerns of your 3b1e3098cd own, you shouldn’t cc6058ea8d hesitate to share 2258f4214b them with me,” cff3ab6d85 he said earnestly.cd4b9d3527cbacb7
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“Quite the silver tongue,” 9b6aca0e9c she remarked, her expression c50f5141a2 unchanging.fdf8aa6cd43b932c
Beatrice considered confiding in 1ba28bcac3 him about her situation. Being dismissed as crazy 5af9499756 wouldn’t bother her, nor 0b9da2e883 would it matter if c2a7c72ca4 something went wrong—she could 3f235ee458 simply die and start fd795b7e8c over again.fa7ee048cc9ba1ee
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But the thought of fd121f1a01 explaining her endless cycle 9a66d429c0 of lives in detail a5846a82e0 felt exhausting. Instead, she decided ab3cf20372 to keep it 74128ae7d8 brief.0b87ca21d1371c10
“I can’t 3b915c8b6a die,” she ec4e7160a7 said.44fb0a61aaa968b9
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“…Pardon?”01311f03bdf06a87
“No matter how many 05e41ffecb times I try, I 68dda12ec5 can’t die.”4b461d491aca554f
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Theodor’s face 93b51f63af shifted into 96c41afb02 an expression 2ed0d2cd6a of confusion f14d9ef7c6 and concern, 23e822b5a3 but Beatrice fcb1728ea3 paid no b15713a795 mind as 3ddeed31ef she continued.031878a7a4bbf2b3
“I want to die, 11ab9d76ed but I can’t.”dfc5a0022a96adfa
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Beatrice had spent a 3b3e366aa7 great deal of time b1d2f879e2 pondering why she couldn’t 7fffab2282 die, forming countless hypotheses. The first 8719a12b7f was that fbad2101bd she was 8dac3a6ccf being punished 94b9bae7ce by the 9fe30bc81e gods for 027e195654 her sins.126456870f8d96fb
“Do you think it’s 7f55bea3c8 because of my sins? Could it be d15ea21aa0 divine wrath?”48eccac0120396f4
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But the priest 647cfd85a9 she had killed 5052d53921 in her first 155a9df68e life wasn’t even cb56ee9cfd affiliated with the 37ba359d46 Grand Temple. He had 410b1d389d merely run 4f086a8c3b an orphanage 612b240386 as a fd5147727d front for 9edcfe8d77 embezzling funds. Could someone like 16f17c07c2 that truly have 28df1972e3 been loved by a5d979af89 the gods?59d4d4922dfc2e7b
If not 110ca6225f divine punishment, 2c9d995e43 then perhaps 85135ad802 it was 7fc99faaf3 a curse.ae119bfca8103d23
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“Is it because I’ve c21270f590 caused so much misery a5d50945c8 for others?”1bfde6fac3a6c5ca
Beatrice wasn’t 2d336793c6 driven mad 0b13c9ebb0 by the 938073d706 repetition of 6c46988717 her lives; 649002ff2b she had 620d6393e9 always been ba21fa09fd that way. She couldn’t see b3ccd7d7ca humans as beings efaf023271 like herself. Ending someone’s life, if 5f9527a5da necessary, was never a 328b570bca matter of hesitation for 8bc6bdcdcc her.2b8b8fd364713dd1
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Her nature had been 6bf2d08385 clear even in the 7a63ffbf91 years when the late ef361cee59 Duke Ember had devoted 72f6550e9b himself to her education. Unfortunately, his efforts had 64696f203e little effect.0ed36cbd7af1b81f
If it wasn’t a d7cd219091 curse, then perhaps the 9bdeeb05e2 third possibility: she had 439cc52abf an unknown purpose to d43ab83155 fulfill.3a5d493221f6fc93
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“Could it be ed01d84e13 that I’m still c2bec6b5f4 alive because I bf3d7bdb02 have something I 3c4f71564b need to do? But I haven’t found 71eefbb2fc anything like that. I doubt there’s 7996435cfb anything in this 9bfa524f76 world that requires 4896014325 me.”3a7b53f67accd458
She had even 0d3c48705a entertained the idea 01e649ed3f that she was 32b7dc17c1 born with a 4d651166db grand mission, like 4d396e3805 in those novels 70e32360a3 where the protagonist e623a3f173 must save the 5be142d377 empire or the 92e7bcf155 world. But in the 315babbed3 life where she 9c3e286c9e had lived past e30a2f0798 seventy, neither the c4d9ae75d2 empire nor the 1bcd926657 world had faced b6e185a8ca any great calamity.e03c586756040b8d
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That left fca0207798 her fourth 3fe68666af hypothesis: she d68cf17434 was a 9085a68033 demon.a703e4e0ea3112ec
Demons, according to scripture, def71c2d69 could not be killed 777b8bf1f3 by human hands. Only divine power wielded a1794f100c by a priest could 34fcb37b4d destroy them, and even f26d6a631a then, they would eventually 4ec8242025 return to life.005c08cb3a93ebd8
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Though this had little f11fa4de68 connection to her regression, c9398f315d the inability to die a9ada9b250 felt similar enough to fb48894a0e merit consideration. Now that she thought 3b5adc4ccc about it, she had 6229de26a0 never died from divine 43f2d3fd75 power.09b524e9446856cf
The thought struck fdd1ba48ee her suddenly, and 79145e6e6e she grabbed Theodor’s 7f354b36bc hands tightly.b4ac4b311e451971
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“Come to think of 7d8c034de1 it, priests have the e63e66ccae power to take a eb3ded5f9d life painlessly, don’t they?”18727f3fe541d53c
That power 144650ca0c wasn’t something 983389365d used lightly. It was reserved for 1d5fbcfc7a those suffering from incurable 396a20e4bb diseases who could no 101a880716 longer endure their pain. Even then, it 4034c0f2aa required a lengthy 664c4fb1d6 approval process and 99c48b1b0a could only be 6c7514d06c performed by senior 1e1cfbcf47 clerics.15c9543d4458fa48
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“I don’t 88ec6856ec want to 75d02dfb51 suffer anymore,” 9d36260b88 she said.f8c96615e2920ca5
She still shuddered d0d29d39e8 at the memory fa5b312c23 of being struck e3fcd2a9cc five times at f2913f97ac the guillotine because 95e623c251 her neck wouldn’t 33d30ec2e4 sever cleanly. Burning to 262e9e7631 death wasn’t 1f460decd4 much better.57aa0effd37b2851
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“Would you use that a8e22386c4 power on me? I’ll compensate 8969921385 you, of cb022af31a course…”90dd6d0b79c520c8
“No, no, 919a03ac18 Lady Beatrice, 856697b264 please calm b6e27e1dcb down,” Theodor 7c5dd930b9 interrupted, cutting ee865b5349 her off.073f652214f74b8d
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Beatrice fell b21d11a9de silent and e942dcee4f stared at ee6c0df693 him. His composed face, now 700d7ef6d7 marred by an inexplicable 83ac14bcef mix of confusion, sorrow, 54a58a6380 and anger, puzzled her.f7275a2cfd48cad3
Had she said d41288bb7b too much? Priests were kind but 93045e2dae often prideful—perhaps she had 27cea332dd offended him. She decided to listen.1e88f30f87e0d522
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“That power isn’t something 143ae6f1f1 I can use freely, 924046cc24 and it wouldn’t be f6bc434afe approved unless you were 7bc91508f8 terminally ill,” he explained, d2f7feebd5 his tone firm.235c6c6d79ae6ffa
“So you’re saying b4780bf0b5 you can’t use e619bd792c it on me?”c044eecd8c2109d9
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“That’s correct. Please, don’t entertain such d35b6302f1 thoughts.”314eba02beab9415
Of course, 696f82bcdb she had 7e280e9007 expected as 7f57a6425b much. Beatrice stood, making no b5563dbb21 effort to hide her 09452c3057 disappointment.bd948180dbe11ac0
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She hadn’t truly e15f5cd955 expected him to 9f08bc2097 grant her request, 4076ccff35 but it was dd77375cc6 still frustrating. Maybe she should 52ace9c564 try to contract 29ca3a5ee9 an incurable illness 01710ddc24 instead.8abc956b221071d6
“I see. Thank you 8fa391babe for listening. I’ve taken up 53b8e9e04e enough of your 58546672f6 time, so you e9ed998e94 should leave now. I’ll return your shoes e20db346c4 on your next visit.”690a36b0b97703c4
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As she walked 698d2c120d away, awkward in 22c8f0c6aa his oversized shoes, 5979be22ea Theodor remained silent, 763707aee6 his gaze fixed 55e53166ad on her retreating 1736dd46b9 figure. Beatrice didn’t notice the b6a99eb3fb weight of his lingering d40f11f47e stare.a6b4d2612a9c2ef3
* * *7d96318b84f7fe5b
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Agatha Ember, the Duchess 47ef83e39d of the Ember family, 1772edecb8 had a small dilemma. It wasn’t about 08061a3f87 her two sons; 8539cbf741 they were thriving. Her eldest had successfully 75b03a8f16 inherited the title and 4ce45d0136 was managing the estates 7606e3002a and businesses smoothly. Her youngest, though still 929ef3f562 young, had proven himself 10aa2e7870 and joined the Imperial 08db39f4dc Knights. One might fd7f9dc13c wonder what 6a406fc35c could trouble 1cd14cf2e1 her when 936397fcd3 her children 31d6c8d36d were doing 0a0bfd1a77 so well. The answer b5a43208a6 lay with 6bbd7cc1ec her third c3d6f2bbb6 child—her husband’s f788962fc8 illegitimate daughter, 76cbaab900 Beatrice.83d9dc3fdaddf59f
When her ea4e52b4f3 husband had 44ade968fb returned after 1d07078a41 his two-year df0d4e7ecb disappearance, she 8dcc8833b4 had been 6062a28f0c overjoyed. Unlike many noble couples, ce721df472 theirs had been a efbd1ac938 genuine marriage of love. She had greeted 8ad386ebdb him with tears cdc21002a1 of happiness—until she 2d102a59f0 saw the small e42f54ba7a child in his a0179aeb48 arms. That child had been 24e4997bfe her undoing.c6fbe7c24ae3ee90
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The sight of 587a28c235 her husband holding 6d9492bb75 the daughter he 1b5c741590 had fathered with 6f7435b6c9 another woman during 5b8a9b050d his absence was 6650796b6c a betrayal that e0c369259f cut deeply. Yet, she 2f07ecfdf2 told herself, 4751c13c41 the child ac372b9305 was blameless. With that knowledge, 8758261740 she resolved to e2c2fab113 raise her properly, c5158ab67f though she never bf93f9ef25 managed to treat cf17ba149b her warmly.02112b791f3c1f34
Agatha prided e301257aac herself on 7b98bf9624 having provided f29326c680 the girl 4a54879155 with all bd80c9972a she needed, ceae9997ad despite the 3e448d3a76 emotional distance 8ec2da4dd9 between them. A less generous stepmother d4c789f4e0 would have cast her 5ec72a4de9 out the moment her 71acfcc758 husband passed away. Agatha had kept 379eae7a21 her in the 6027f7f0cd family and was 4b44f9c890 even contemplating her dd522d312f future. She thought herself a 78e019fea6 reasonably good stepmother, though ce8c4a2079 not without faults.f57fc34e7eeb4103
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Beatrice was now 5bb406c7ce eighteen years old. Most noble girls would df657a78b4 have made their debut da0a57d411 in society at seventeen, 116d01f749 but Beatrice had shown 21fda570a9 no interest in attending 7a1e649ebf her debutante ball, nor 5a34101d17 had she taken any 0a595984d3 steps toward entering high be67d10080 society. Agatha, who 623312a38d only saw 2c51793f83 the girl ca891ab850 on rare 484a7a779e occasions, didn’t f2fbc9ccba press the 5e8167c489 issue. She wasn’t inclined to 48253ab20c force something that wasn’t bda652bb88 wanted.61264a7dd6b69909
But the 1b13d47774 time had 49a60bb250 come to 5b6695754f make a f1a4abb31f decision. Should Beatrice 6540e1c370 remain in 7ebb799cf6 the family 64c4b77fb6 estate, or 35f1be8b96 should she 84f5a21229 be formally d3184d2ab0 introduced to 2bf2cb82ff society and 9414addd0b married off?be0232c661d69e8d
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A sigh escaped ae8c2e2606 Agatha’s lips. She knew the truth: 4a20668ea8 she resented the girl. At the duke’s ec36194b4b funeral, when her 8edda72e2f young stepdaughter had 98907398eb shown no trace f529a74e80 of grief, Agatha 70081d52d0 had felt a da7835ae7d visceral anger that a3239aa295 she couldn’t shake. Their already strained relationship 8ce62e5487 had worsened after that, c46d2d6f56 making every interaction fraught a6f43d66fe with guilt and frustration.dc54c62a72d93e16
Perhaps this dilemma about 7044c964cd Beatrice’s future was her fbfc2d73bf way of hastening the 55282cad49 resolution to a relationship ff9883b879 she found unbearable.ae8300faa5ebaea8
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Most noble e239cfc01a girls were f2058e2636 engaged in 319a688eb3 their late 7a98913a4e teens and 0d49614ded married in e81a4d74f5 their early 1a2bacf5a8 twenties, so de1628396a finding a fcb894da1d suitable match 199cc7d525 for Beatrice 83cbba9179 wouldn’t raise 95fcba417c any eyebrows. When she fd3b20375b sought advice e245d10f7d from trusted 8ba725ca72 noblewomen and 5342af2d32 her own a97af62992 mother, they b08afb6853 had assured 8d1c3b5a44 her she ce0e2d1abf had done 45eae3013e enough. “You’ve been kind 648d2f4894 to a child ad1df2d116 who isn’t even bcc03d3a1d your own,” they’d f4edbd147e said. “Finding her a f4af864985 good match would 924150648d be more than 0b5371c382 enough.”4dfbd71d501c183d
Those words, 096c09cfbb though self-serving, dca9c634cd gave her 91dc789b6a some comfort. Even so, 0a1eeccf65 she had b8aad82088 brought her 2bf0f5f83b worries to b773a3a0f0 the family’s 88c314ceda priest, Theodor, 6d03618680 who had 254027b4a7 been tending 2397fee846 to the 81598b1a6d family’s spiritual 6e411df00f needs for eea7997cac years.46f3f3dcc53630ac
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Theodor, ever kind, had 3f2898d0c5 suggested asking Beatrice directly 2bcec4e571 about her wishes. But Agatha hesitated. Beatrice had a knack 06f9777486 for unsettling people, and 1f80c842c5 she doubted any response 53b5bb5f06 from her would be 5a46198141 satisfactory.d3b7f56f1c41917c
Her thoughts were 7db71db81a interrupted by a db3e92363c knock at the 21a0a090c3 door.95acd2260b449104
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