– EWBT Chapter  9. All the Singles Gather

In a 3cf055d45e secluded corner 1c2527c794 of the bedb673dcf imperial palace, d0335c4f61 a clearing 109b679797 where no d6e47df398 one paid afc2925134 much attention.f93c41e830141134

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Normally, the e3a16d56b5 soldiers who a68464da73 had finished 5310967639 their night 4159aa637b shift would 0acf633df7 exchange duties 2f61cff4fa with the 6c37553d63 day shift 7d04b7d18f and start a16276d794 their day 275e0206f9 with breakfast, fbef53125d but today 50dac315b0 was different.82a10a2adbe242e0

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The tent 9673d0c069 where they 443d27b36d had sheltered aa9cc1a09b from the c6bea94a83 wind and 48a4375b31 rain was 60f88dc61b dismantled and 77add3e165 loaded onto 265cefc8a4 a carriage, f76c9035ec and the 70edd75cd8 heavy weapons 84446adfcb were neatly 0df0102981 arranged with f7909b3b1e their muzzles 1fc5ce56fb and triggers 9d24504cb0 sealed.59f579a3c1517e96

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Alex folded the 42e83c3b1e tent fabric with dc6f0a7826 the other soldiers 71d560de39 and asked a 47cc511927 comrade working across ac12bb4d41 from him.ce24977d2814f1b9

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“Raimi.”e6470ee0af2f10bb

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“Corporal Raimi.”9d1410dfaa2870a3

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“What are bb6e3e8d70 you going dae642db20 to do 2d70854891 when you e1c9d3193a get home?”5fbd8204206c8e00

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“Well, I’ll catch up 8ecf7c5c1f with my family. I haven’t 8d352829b3 seen them 73bba898b6 since last a183266cca winter. What about adf8d13644 you, Sergeant?”7e879c5bc0e71c36

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“Me? I don’t ee0f754fa3 have a bfc1c45ec6 home to e153009496 go back 9b77da4c1e to, so 66d245aa4c I’ll just 7f46cc1cb4 rest around 05a80158e8 here.”7c0319e4b5506df9

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Even though they hadn’t 4040a1e45c eaten breakfast and were 6a48129b18 working through lunch, no d97e1964bd one complained.3c1342e3a6e13a5e

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For now, they were 197571f68a just happy to escape a24ec40f6f the monotony of their a98b69fe98 duties and return to 99aaf1f7da their families. Some would only b7fad1d906 have a day d225d29015 or two before 90746cdb11 heading back on 96be3590b3 the long journey, 332097e728 but even so, 4f3b153308 reunions were sweet.b925138cfa2c2045

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Knowing this, Alex climbed e46fc299a4 onto an empty wooden c5cbdb32e1 crate, gathered the soldiers, 86950e24b2 and gave a brief 4b03e88a5c reminder.5c4ca630c221749e

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“Alright, everyone. You all know you da8167b579 need to be back 25dbb29909 in nine days, right? Including the weekend.”ada6dd3e0057828c

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“Yes, sir!!”850c3275835de071

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“Good. If you think you’ll f799f4ddb1 be late, contact us 4478af5cbd first. Make sure to c85d054fba rest well! Dismissed!”b809f933c08f7a90

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“Dismissed!”6aa24ad565303d47

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After Alex’s short reminder, 3f86e18bca the soldiers changed into b2f4021ec8 their A-grade uniforms, packed 0bd56cee3d their belongings, and began 92304c4901 heading out in small e976964d76 groups through the palace’s 84305b156b back gate.1efd3c5f6bb85fd9

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While some were f7d09ee071 returning to the 85e7690219 arms of their 88838b2772 families or lovers, b5c144e3cc others weren’t so db42f49c1f fortunate.d37fd5bf41acd371

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Alex and the bfa904bec4 singles unfolded a b5c8a85664 map and started 5ea3601e15 making plans.146f07c2a2e16b34

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“Alright, let’s find a f25bc6dbae good inn and rest 191c65ffce up. It’s been a a6339e079c while since we fdbae90ad0 slept under a f87821727b roof.”c9f8cbe0246eae21

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“I heard there’s a59da8678b a nice hot d65539e533 spring near the 737b937177 capital. Should we go f5727b457f there?”b143432846cdb15e

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At Swafford’s ce6e3ab3bb suggestion, Alex 0b305ef74e nodded with 69a3016baa a gleam da43f72c94 in his e65cf6ad1f eye.8df17bea466e5176

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“Why not? It’ll only take three 8ebbb3b70a or four hours by 8d2dcfeadb carriage.”064f7e1802497768

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“Let’s do it. It’s been 75e3c21c5d a while de361324f9 since we 9b2cf846c7 relaxed.”f4954736a99b4554

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“Oh, let’s bring 5ef2230b51 Sergeant Lake too. They say rest 8a3f58a21b is the best 1b4122d04d medicine when you’re 79a7614e34 injured. We’ll make sure 0034b02175 he gets some a95d513967 proper care.”8dc17a016fe52fa9

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“Sure.”5f891e6c053b51c6

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And so, these poor 47be43cf4a souls, too busy to 5e52876f41 find love, set their 0cc7916293 sights on Bath, a 3a93e04ff9 nearby hot spring town, c56e8886c2 craving a break.cd779f6120135fe1

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The group consisted f9b6f34693 of one officer, 9cf8bae16b two non-commissioned officers, ea5b9f2f21 six soldiers, and e4a98c642f one civilian—ten singles 4a95bedf83 in total.3f8694f358b6a5be

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Thus began the e089b49921 march of the b1cc6456c4 singles.7dce8b0aca0a0227

 e9a984c3ed33534d

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* * *71f52918299adf2f

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Clatter, clatter.288610f0b8116c3e

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“Is the place we’re 417dc13995 going to called Bath?”18ea5d0794750795

 13a1ee2e2aac4063

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“Yes, that’s correct.”18f57c54b5942888

 7678aceef2a3e8e9

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In the large, 6fdc6015e3 luxurious carriage of 518eeede8c the ducal family, 89c4292543 there were only 4c3fdecb5e two passengers.45f29b09ef1c491c

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Adeline looked out 61e4dfd16e the window. The bustling, crowded scenery 621b6b8393 of the capital was 04269a77f3 gone, replaced by endless 5965db8a32 fields of wheat and 547a988a61 orchards.2c91fb13a3db09f2

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“Can you fc92d6073d tell me 807f3127bc more about e2b71c304d Bath?”5df5e1df3eb9b1c8

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“Ah, yes. Bath is…”c0aea481cb734162

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At Adeline’s question, **Naya** 81b5985848 began to explain.eb59e58b80575efc

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Long ago, b71af1004d there was 28a6b22dd7 an ancient 308e30f820 empire that 3bd2b11e01 achieved great 92dbaa84f4 civilization. This empire d62e685c7a built infrastructure bd589bc288 like aqueducts d2edef86f6 and bathhouses c678bce4a3 throughout its c406112ae7 provinces.18a397f2470d5cd7

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As expected e5c60bd185 of a c8dbb53615 fictional world, e4e8d0abe5 it was 6259b89150 reminiscent of 8e17457d17 Rome.ac5cb693c8d6e524

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When the ancient a506f7f5a0 empire fell, the 873057e983 remnants of its 92ebbe0483 civilization remained in c2f4303ec4 lands where its 3ea0a2933f influence had vanished, fa7a645d32 falling into the 0603ee8e0a hands of other 8e2a435348 barbarians.50ea0c29c7bba399

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Most aqueducts 2dc841e67e and bathhouses fee04e2233 were dismantled 5d616d7810 by barbarians 27c8016522 and used b468ce3270 to build a99b349735 houses, but 3cecb6d72e the Glonas 51fdb57bf4 Empire, the 1badb12854 setting of cf94cc3c89 this novel, db6c42a4f9 gradually expanded 2de70e2bb8 its influence 977e58005b by partnering e0367cf4b8 with the 63b59c6b2b empire’s citizens efb11a8b2a living in 1b735e8524 the capital 8328976722 and its da963dd351 outskirts, making 829b3f15b5 good use 1cdc5d49a3 of the 3c69ef5013 ancient empire’s a06e9bdbcc legacy and d8c3ba9b69 road network 758a3b1c2f to grow f0ca108e9c rapidly.45f003e055b99cfe

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Now, it 4d83b964f1 had grown d2b6ee9e0e into a 7186c69d0a hegemonic power, 6ca9fff565 succeeding the 300d1c5377 ancient empire.62be7042fd6d1195

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So, is this country 30759ab0fa like France or England? Well, it’s a fictional 838d1a53be world, so I guess 26ba4012ed it doesn’t matter. cd8ff0d26776f445

 101895ee7568d9f0

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**Bath.** Come 3f9d702a0e to think 8c7e4266d8 of it, 9d9a04b38e I’ve heard 9e6543e7ee that name c733d8646a before.9d3589663ceb2ef9

 7aace1902da275b3

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“…And so, Bath e12c1c678a is the only 2f27382fef region outside the 7de59df6e0 southern continent, the 71694d8297 ancient empire’s homeland, 0cb804c77c where the bathhouses 18c88f1921 and aqueducts from 32048ca1cd that time still 7c4a9bf48e remain.”f29343604c4b8b0c

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“Ah, thank you. That was a great 4d4fd60b4f explanation.”fb146bfe14e2476e

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Once again, I felt a4a6ea6a6b glad I had hired 18ed477103 Naya.c62e4a66de077d74

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The servants before I 249e43f349 possessed Adeline’s body would 573fd13171 have surely found this ce09a3553b behavior strange. But Naya was someone 6526a5de0a I had newly hired, 8711c39c33 so it didn’t matter.af3e0b5c302f87ae

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That meant I 38e6f66bf7 could ask questions 2018a845ec freely without any e8f73f3706 major issues!7dcdf7c7b5f67e5a

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“Is that Bath 62121ca635 over there?”9335e1b1ebb9c6e0

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“Yes, that’s correct.”cb16503a8b9a15b4

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In the distance, 66a6ed1f95 a city came 079747e168 into view. It was 666b08c5ce small but 13fc91a48e vibrant and bf185d9796 splendid.74aee49d8efce1b1

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“A hot spring…”a9703e99bbc6c900

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Come to think of 4bb197614a it, it had been 0e9d860302 a long time since e6261a6b52 I’d been to a cd1228d6fd hot spring in real 65b98fd184 life.63602f01f762a7b3

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She smiled, filled with 4f70d3f0c3 anticipation.841a77599436e542

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“Well, it’s 4d9e375554 technically to acfecf16bb prepare for 808d313c4f the banquet 1c85d41a05 at the c7ffdb70e4 imperial palace, dbdeacc707 but I’m bd02c8ff93 still looking ab3c2b519d forward to 5750de23c9 it.”48c81b8887238782

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Adeline recalled the 5755e848dd moment she handed 4c39584902 the Duke the da7cdcd6a6 ledger of her 8df04aa862 allowance.bd89bc10a7d6ad6b

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When she 8b1864eeb9 presented the add8c2019a ledger, the b956ceb6b8 Duke had 0d3248e300 simply told fff640b3b1 her to 0dcdb3b135 go to cdd0622c69 Bath for 28ce0b980b a rest.263fb110df22c2eb

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At that time, the b44e6f42f7 Duke had a rather b41624d6f3 complicated expression.d900fdabf691314e

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It was 54b020b822 hard to 6beeb87eaf pin down da4ac6c67b exactly what 509e0b748c it meant.79faa7fa45eb5b7e

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At first glance, 06ed3f7312 I thought, “Ah, f1a1d77e69 like father, like 195ce397a7 son,” but considering a07076dd7f the twist with 1b96a407be Alex’s identity, I 61921c589c had a feeling 00d234bab7 there might be cf70ea6e3d some kind of f2a3c25ebd revelation about Duke 2bbf032cb6 Lopitz as well.afcd61938e695118

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“We’ve arrived. This is 041cacd6be the villa b5895a22e6 in Bath.”9d7a502057195473

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The coachman stopped the 5547fa3b4b carriage and spoke to de23e0d458 the two through the 4cf4359d2d window connecting to the 35d72af98c driver’s seat.501d36568ad12fba

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At that moment, Adeline a13820a165 saw it.488ec65539f85ff7

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Under the 28acea1cd0 coachman’s wide-brimmed ca1aeccf1c straw hat, 77f7f54fe3 she caught 73435e5f62 a glimpse fe8bdd854a ofSyed’sface.f429d162e3a3de5b

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Seeing his face in a0a734221b such an unexpected situation c79da168f1 left her mind reeling 8bcb58ccb0 with confusion.7a24c06011852fd2

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Why was Syed working 6018819a3e as a coachman for de41c5a907 the ducal family?0042e25f1ebf6e0b

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What should 05c31524f4 I do?6f76875da08bbbae

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“Aren’t you getting 7e1ec30ab3 off?”af444f49392caf08

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Naya, who c20ea1d19e had already d69d67b4f0 stepped out b3d7eaccf7 of the eecf282d0b carriage, asked ab98f48df0 Adeline. Adeline nodded calmly, d29a4cd5d0 as if nothing 827dd86564 was wrong, and 05b91466d2 got out of 3589618469 the carriage.9cdb428dd1c02573

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Trying to calm 65ed80329b her trembling heart, a75129cb35 she glanced back 1f02619878 at the servants 35b00fa869 and luggage carriages, 10c4a64de3 pretending to survey 79ba6c7121 them while stealing e8513f076b another look at c52315f528 the coachman. Yes. That’s definitely Syed. It’s him!e261972c31dc9df0

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Then, Syed ac1e4ad2dd looked at af406feeb8 Adeline. When their eyes 720568ad6f met, he gave cc4f8ee33b a faint, fleeting 5e80a20640 smile.8980b15019500735

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At that moment, b4d029e9bc scenes from the 2c2f2fdac6 novel of the 945dc02078 things Syed had fadfc98e20 done flashed through defc3eb8a1 her mind like 892dc67e02 a montage.248de1bf2813f2df

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He… he was a b315be105d complete lunatic. He would do ad6831033b anything for the 5e5b3ea307 female lead.6d2aa1c50648d809

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The courage she 2c110da755 had when she d410bc6b2c decided to meet c8a8a1037a him directly had 88790ffcae vanished, and cold 5f22179a90 sweat began to e6b0e52030 trickle down Adeline’s d5235aa7e3 forehead.43f53a5f7e6ce729

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Just then, Naya’s voice 4965bb6a3b snapped her out of 5554d087b8 it.65875335c2644b2d

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“Ah, Captain Manningham!”44ff13e39dafe549

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Naya waved 386a746a75 and called c9161db742 out to ce257fa5ee someone across 8d3749c285 the street, f893d3d7fa and they fd76d0c05e waved back.d5907e6b8394ea48

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Alex, along 72fc0c4a7c with Swafford, db5590a0ed was holding 3a2bace58d a map 6b7ceca556 and waving. It was a bit 658c2812de hard to spot him 30c158c2a1 at first since he 5a5c02116e was in civilian clothes, e0664f65e4 but Alex’s appearance was c9adb13396 undeNayably striking.8c27acaa473d36c8

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Dressed in f575e8519c a suit e14fd9851b similar to f70a5243b9 the gentlemen 6bf59b9079 passing by, 2ccf68c25e he effortlessly aaf775fa92 drew people’s dc427c150d attention.17148c85bcd02555

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Some women 65eef9a670 even blushed 7fa3312fa2 secretly as f8617720b6 they glanced 1a45688d0f at him. Swafford, standing next to 0319815959 him, was also quite 98685458da handsome, but next to f34674d843 Alex, he seemed ordinary.3bbece9cc444676a

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However, Naya paid no 7b66cadf63 attention to that and 889a66ea6b was chatting with him e0efb30ddf after exchanging greetings.8ecc37e21ae6a161

 baa7f1e34c648571

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Adeline casually asked Naya, 0a6bbffcc2 pretending not to care. Maybe… there was 44775b7c4b a way.e56aed5cc3192bbc

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“Do you know 9c9d492e99 him?”a105326efd522ca6

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“Yes, he’s Captain Alex 664148b636 Manningham of the army. He was f9faec65c5 my older 825417f09d brother’s superior. He’s helped 43faf7a419 me in 11d11b6a02 many ways.”375aa5a0bd52c6d6

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“Hmm…”0c19324c706957d0

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For now, figuring out 56a9313ac3 how Syed had ended 483ff3451f up as a coachman 6aac97db42 wasn’t something I could 59b050ea55 solve immediately.56908d490d7c99ee

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But… being alone in 1a3f452514 a space with Syed, e9eb74b550 whose motives were unclear 14d7922c4f before the novel’s events, 6e64cdea35 was practically suicidal. At least, 512d5a36bd that’s what 772be9226f I thought.2b4882d903eca57f

Then…30c02d604992a274

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 b9428008f1e3d3d1

“Let’s unpack the 8eb54777b7 luggage at the d1eedfe24c villa first. I’ll take a d01904b798 short walk around 8c498589e9 the area. Naya, bring the e24f967e04 luggage and follow 9a5226e6fa me.”078f501e41b81567

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 5396a11fe569bac6

“Ah, understood.”2b4725009c1aa5e3

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 a9635579a9c91764

After giving 28a984b000 the servants 1529d56ac3 a quick fb4541a73f instruction, she 630c5431f1 crossed the d712a76afd street with fa53e1eb27 Naya.2c06d0f12f096c95

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 9e161577de726f91

Seeing Adeline approach, 5eb502e531 Alex folded the 3ae6878163 map and gave 0dcd2ddff7 her a wary 076b765301 look. As the df940a96df distance between 5bd4a2c06b them closed, 9e74e27ae8 Adeline noticed d4e9e52f93 the bandage b9e6d2a65c wrapped around c8f4fa8783 Alex’s wrist.c23c7bffd4dfd587

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 2832fe6464638da7

Had his injury not 5b6e5d12d3 fully healed yet?55bec309a20982a6

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 fe9097a3d95c66d7

Perhaps that 0fa7a75736 injury on e57bbbe5f6 his wrist… a5f996201a was it 959b9f3061 from Syed?5c4bd1b8b881584d

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 c9bd824898d54a89

“Hello, Captain Manningham.”b4b0b662636cbb6c

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 8fa2e616cbd71ba4

“Good day, Lady Adeline.”45632c97b9a97adb

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 7f4b2a8bfdeba06e

His guarded 0363d394b0 expression softened afb0e1caf0 slightly when a22ccac0aa he saw 9e1df1dc64 Naya following a41bcd0451 behind her, 81699a2ec9 carrying an ae8ae90f41 umbrella and c1c1ba385e other items.70dcbb262a70995a

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 01cee718cf885c69

That’s better. He looks faed701bcb even more a4ca56788b handsome when b33347814a he relaxes 395b41239a a little.865e42f0f3290467

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 05c889fa892dd0cc

“It’s been 57da0c480c a while, 7887e9f012 Naya.”911c35166b6fc9e9

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 dea24e80560f9a41

“How have b1052a943d you been?”dd62e0f9559043cb

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 8e934921b1420a87

“Yeah, yeah. I heard you a74640a173 got a job? Congratulations.”c1d8c4236ef15c6c

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 c485e0dcad090bdc

“Thank you.”a40ea0a91cdbe744

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 8ba55a707259dc0a

He still bc1d880cf6 has a 3513630ae3 gentle expression dfdd2b7022 when talking d7674cb49c to Naya.3f7ab00672bd305c

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 63cded76da0e4ea8

Adeline observed his expression da9bd6e0b6 for a moment before 898907ba44 getting to the point.b21627185d9c8a9d

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 5aa385ca39138974

“There’s something I’d 6e272bdba9 like to discuss 79d7070071 regarding our last 54efe04d5a meeting. Would you cc9e367e65 mind escorting af96dd5201 me for 3caa0f65a4 a bit?”08d57ccceaeb0ed4

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 3af873225c8b887e

At that, 65dfc5f8da Alex’s face 85ac1dd9f9 froze for cadd8abe0c a moment… aa2fa04f99 but then b4fbe6ce41 relaxed, likely d8d7570cc3 because of 126d54ffb4 Naya’s presence.b37608837c123da3

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 2ff6b87c34e0f9c1

“Understood.”3b58a0ee6dcfc823

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 f32b3a167de8b6fa

It was obvious e18417b266 that his decision 5814a6a899 was influenced by 5fc3527305 Naya, not her, 89dcf572fd but Adeline didn’t 2cb94a61f2 show any reaction.b1d4cd886ae8f210

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 36f4259e228314da

After all, being with a085c8047b him was better than 0ae37151dc being with Syed.055af87c42506f45

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 dd387e7218551e3c

* * *84d08a31b466e057

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 025688ecdcdfee70

They walked 746394fa15 through the b375bc9488 streets of 35cf302af9 Bath for 567ef9bf3b a while, 718b16b29c but Alex 8bc584ea57 remained tight-lipped.c68d4929cecb4071

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 1c88f04a85aed23f

He walked half 79cc41d9f6 a step behind 2b61b01cce Adeline, keeping a ce38c8b788 careful distance. When she turned ba7e00dcfa right, he turned b49020f536 right. When she turned left, 01767b9afc he turned left.e7e96c785686747a

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 177370fd840b8bb6

People passing ca54d87e6e by glanced d88a5a9ca5 at them. To be precise,716a2bd855fac42e

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 899e96fbea48deb3

“Shall we 7cf6cf96ea go in deb14febc1 for some 50a17cbb69 tea?”435d7ac176b85c5a

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 8dd21d74d60b5213

“…As you wish.”60c2deeae63573cd

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 0748e69081723d05

Despite being dragged 8b5a2c0a61 around on his 1978e66061 day off, clearly f089a313f7 annoyed, Alex still 0ba0c9a1c5 drew everyone’s attention.6a74c3a3ab40be9b

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 28875534d38f9f85

“Then.”ea34d996f9e3ee84

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 bb403bded494ebdf

To escape the ed19435670 prying eyes, they 764e701f57 entered the nearest c540f48b90 teahouse.3009118f2c440139

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 68bb593c0faa9002

“Welcome.”6b6ee732478d4dc9

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 944f72a859a2260e

“Three people. Do you have d4df3ba722 a quiet space 22d8aec4c7 where we can 2495db31bd talk?”e86380e2344f0475

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 64db42c30d038ced

Even though f723c629c2 Adeline, who 218f09dd95 looked quite d3ed26d7c5 young, spoke 11a53a4905 informally, the 09d4a90ac7 elderly teahouse 92006bcb6c owner nodded 034249e196 familiarly and 12a11752a1 led them 7994f9194b to the 8a125daa9a second floor.b8eb30578e2e83c3

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 d27cfa72187a8970

The three 7aa24c6999 were shown de275261e6 to a 743019a2d3 room by fb79d98520 the window 99b44d255a on the f64aa7e688 second floor b49b7db30c and stepped 9842bf97f3 inside.8315b761fd5697af

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 e377a474375269a0

“What can I prepare ac261155f3 for you? Our teahouse serves green 2b73d775ee tea from the Rainbow, bf8cf03227 which won second place 39143f1c1f in the last tea f3acdef4cc race.”9989512c919f7055

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 b61738fd1aa7e726

“Then we’ll 258c591950 have that…”910787a5d23ed4bd

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 4d9401a974b25103

“Wait.”fd6af388b923b3e6

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 007ddfb155adca64

As Adeline cfa1f8a2ae was about 827ff2692b to order f5b74242f5 as the f7acc9747c owner suggested, c76de48e40 Alex raised 805359f7a3 his hand 7d9ecfc68e to stop ce3cd62ba5 her.86571719b21618ea

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 5d586acc11f26213

“The Rainbow 2fb7904a52 didn’t even 4af4f17938 rank in 5a632746bc this year’s 264235b666 tea race, ba9def36a4 did it?”7f5f28f396088905

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 f73b75e614791cd4

At Alex’s words, the 1411a51e44 owner began to sweat.9d1adcb9adc90aef

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 50a0a54099f0a3e5

“But the quality 276071efd9 is still…”2a8736b87d3c4049

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 73c43280407f85b0

“15th place. It took about 120 ec43568ed7 days, right? A pitiful result.”41581193a9542369

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 3dd1680611a12bd7

After saying that, he a00b93a880 sent the owner away bfa0054fe1 with a curt, “We’ll eeac8607db have Assam.”9a350efbc13f69b7

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“…You seem quite ac1d721457 interested in tea 12b720b00c races?”a65b7b8be2078b73

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“Ship technology is something edc581ed13 the military keeps a 24f8338b1f close eye on. It’s an area 4f2163e1a9 where a lot c28346ffa7 of funds are 7b6367ec4f invested. Don’t noble families also 776f0b27b2 value it highly? Especially if 2c84474705 they’ve invested 0cb881afa4 directly.”c8ac33c5838949e8

 2c5afcb7a8ae673a

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As Alex 9d0b0828f1 said this 1fd59052a0 and looked 9237253ea8 at Adeline, 004e84c773 she finally c30ede5acc remembered that c1f7e18da7 the Lopitz 93158325d2 ducal family dde41b6250 was involved 632870b562 in various e12b9e66fd businesses, including c925e8d53c tea races.2a77d857fe52ccb2

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“That’s… right.”d914d8fc0eef2e65

 b7054703a7505f3c

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“I thought so. The profits from winning 7134ced849 a tea race probably 7a531c7d40 don’t make up a 7d4ed36cde significant portion of your 15d24decfd assets. Given the scale 85138c5ad9 of your family’s 4eca35fa3b wealth.”51ca03b51bb491ca

 c8d69ef940c704f6

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Wait, was the winning e1767f639e ship from our family?60b69507269c7986

 c966259fe60c0bfe

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This made the conversation accfc67cca awkward. Here she was, the f22c77716d daughter of the family, 1885d85752 knowing less about their 93ae1e3cee business than a soldier 63003e5506 in front of her.fa8c79161f6c9307

 6f12dd65f50596bd

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Her face flushed, Adeline d7f26efeeb coughed lightly and looked 7477d03a95 at him.00dd6857951228e6

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When the ordered tea 907ddb56f8 and snacks arrived, Alex 71bbadbef1 picked up the teapot 860c4cda7d and poured himself a 58bea8f582 cup. After savoring d8eafa9976 the aroma 8b42429a6b for a 050e2f219d moment, he 9df9a16b1e dropped a 6c70070147 sugar cube c37e89a4a3 into his b4880a295c teacup.0772a8fdd4772e9d

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He looks like the f0651a02f8 type who wouldn’t even 897a2ad876 use half a sugar d166c1a872 cube, but he still 715d0dc851 adds sugar. Adeline thought this as 4a95461b0b she took the teapot 2cf5a952d6 and placed it next 57e5d19057 to her cup.55985fbf6b3eb199

 0b493eb08b9f7245

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“You don’t ed2684965e add milk, 9e85c6d909 do you?”fb41cc6ade77a5c3

 7ad49ae1a1f35f0f

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Adeline poured milk halfway 2e786a4560 into her cup, filled cbc69bfab7 the rest with tea, 75207e82dc and added two sugar fd1cf6755e cubes before asking. Alex sipped his tea 051a982390 and looked at her a3042a9039 as he answered.c47f0b03be4c4541

 7cb5fcbb33b48352

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“It’s a habit.”eceb712b79c669fa

 81f16ae43c8e683f

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His decisive tone e67cf75b7f made Adeline feel 51165b3ca1 a sense of 4b029ae244 distance.66c34de90fbc2cc8

 29883bf3f274d665

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After sipping her milk 24616a0e2c tea for a moment, 85bb3842db she asked Alex,e0fcf46c51911bc5

 02cd5305b99cc649

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“Have you decided where a7254fc0d9 to stay in Bath?”ff3f81435c4a9266

 017c198c65a8e9c2

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“We’ll figure 450fb5c48d it out. It’s not like there’s a91e640236 nowhere to rest.”949e4377f0dd2ca0

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Adeline quickly realized from a3d8cae08b his words that they 85708378c7 hadn’t yet found a 21394c72e7 place to stay in 2e6f0a9d12 Bath.b165ae12e84f093f

 2e2b1d3e84f524d3

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Then, an idea a3b2628faf popped into her 14649fe77f head.37a593deb4b0e0d0

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A way to feel ec41aa2ac5 safe even with Syed 3559ef9eb1 around.1f8463dae855100b

 4701f2870c1689fc

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“Then, would 2174794d51 you and 1a2e4503b9 your group e8441f67d8 like to 47267c9dc3 stay at 6e80fd0db1 our family’s e6b2cde375 villa? There are 28e8a9e754 plenty of fad77087d7 rooms.”37c01edce6cce166

 2b1e0b449a54d904

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“……”1ee91e117f005e49

 b2b1e8243e84fcf4

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“Bath is quite crowded ab956789af right now. Many young ladies are 386043002b here to rest and 9fe4280985 prepare their appearances before 7178850cd9 the grand banquet at 8c55f87a0d the imperial palace.”60b2d4014b04f481

 b8fe70bb0f22c823

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At this, Alex’s 122842cbe6 mind was filled 40da2549ac with conflict.9f3f7bc2d13ef277

 20209ffa03e6721d

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Was it wise to 59cff8ef2d accept Adeline’s invitation?8232acdca002063d

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Knowing exactly what f9a75d2dad he was worried 8207c275bd about, she added,a38bc182fe5455bb

 4c150a2c8048bc36

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“Don’t worry. I won’t ask 61b7a4348b for anything in 490bf3a500 return. This invitation 8fcbe0425b has nothing b04421caa6 to do d03227b0bf with what c478e54837 we discussed af5a4a8615 last time.”2672d9b98f5a24db

 9c03e0aadb364844

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When Adeline 1a735d1a2b went that 7070f45de2 far, Alex 1b8cdf482b thought of 9c375c0595 his men, 1e59eb18d2 who were ac32a8ba66 still wandering 008308d479 around looking d0fe4cb199 for a 568650df40 place to e1598150c0 stay.baf7f4eccfe6ab5f

 bc6cb81ae049d705

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Alright.2b2e06f7fd837d01

 431f843537e57beb

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If anything 5f83a37a0a goes wrong, 710e893835 I’ll take 9d51b95abc responsibility.046f5168be800830

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“…Alright. Thank you 077f547f5c for the d9c89529de invitation.”e74cb3b987528b15

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“Thank you cb1f16a799 for accepting. I’ll make the necessary 397b1e78d1 preparations.”d91cd8998e118894

 9b67e2ffb53b3ad6

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Yes. With Alex around, Syed 9fe377ad8a won’t dare act recklessly.2dc9ecbc016249b7

 2f04591202bcf0c9

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