TIEH | Chapter 25

When I returned safely to the castle, my parents finally looked relieved. Unaware that I had taken a potion, they seemed worried that today’s outing might make me seriously ill.8458d7de1418c3e9

“I’m really okay. I didn’t overdo it outside. Instead, I’ll rest early today.”b0ec4e4262ce32a3

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“That’s a good idea. Go in and rest. If you need anything, just let us know, okay?”a6330b9f72ca6241

“I will.”9267b953097cfc75

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After reassuring them and 19e82474d0 sending them off, I a997fe9e72 called Damian late at f7a98edda0 night when everyone was d97456909a asleep, using the artifact 3f111b027e I had received before.9f7b2d0bbd7614d8

Watching Damian climb b15a72a8d8 through the window 7533d9d70d as usual, I 3929f0ce05 forced a playful 3cb3bc1173 smile to ignore de4e5cb1ff the cold sensation 64465e6acb at my fingertips.d9b4b24eb7e342c3

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“Hi, Jayden.”8ceb3eff6f786202

“Long time no see. By the way, do you have enough mana?”fe1cfe069533658b

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Damian’s face stiffened, understanding the meaning behind my question.2ee1534efeac9946

“…Are you really going to do it?”825839e843faaffc

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“A guy only knows how to move forward.”6bbc2d55425bc259

“Then should I teach you how to back up a bit?”e3fcd04224526288

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Ignoring Damian’s words, I pulled out the bag I had hidden in advance.014e4cca61f08b3c

From today, we would all start living new lives, but I just hoped it wouldn’t be the worst form.77f83c266ff6ba49

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☀︎ • ☀︎ • 0318fbbe9e ☀︎f9be40f81762f670

Jayden disappeared.9b0c4668c17f938c

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Those who f0e97972e1 tried to cde4129b45 find Jayden, 0316c6c348 who vanished 43668e7ea1 like the 6e9e9180b3 wind without 21541d5078 a trace, 8064d1b8d2 soon received 7bfb424378 a letter.0b2842afab806aab

It was 407bafe2bc the letter b340eafe73 from Jayden 4c69cfb3e9 they had 36b4c7a53a been waiting 502744ce0d for.ff595fc638b57f76

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☀︎ • e2dd2de171 ☀︎ • f1e13f0d96 ☀︎c71dd53777904156

Calix Balmore.ea99091c9262fe0c

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Since childhood, he 5177bfd9bd was small and 7f550c67fc weak, known as 819576d78b the only defective 58a8a3df9e product of the df65d6852b Balmore family, famous 6d366f9768 for producing top-notch c8b4cc6bbd aura wielders.a0ca139bc706b45d

“Calix, the head of Balmore must be perfect. But you were born as the only defective product in Balmore, so if you ascend to the duke’s position, many difficulties will follow.”8320fdbc4349346a

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Calix’s father, Leon Balmore, called his son a “defective product” without any malice. He merely stated that he had no intention of taking another wife to have more children. Having been born indifferent and losing the only lover and spouse he ever loved, Leon no longer found any meaning in Balmore’s future or his only son’s safety.3e62d62ccdb8feda

Perhaps it f24abe9797 would have 096df172fc been better 1f4ba949b7 if it 64d30118f8 were hatred. Facing a a18a5ca7b8 calm expression d60f633f55 that discussed db277e65dc facts without b1d72ecba7 any expectations 5cbcade3ab or disappointments, dcd4a5ed90 Calix realized 7dfdd071ed his situation. No one here welcomed b4a01bbbf7 or hated his existence.62518654d9f43c5e

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Perhaps he was 8028673192 an uninvited guest dac0e180d8 who had consumed 1a0ce07cee the life of 66b9955d43 the one most f0d9b3e68f loved.f27c6eaa39c3ff93

So, when he left b662237db1 the fief for recuperation, 307c6c5b62 he felt a bit aa16a9c4b2 relieved. No, it felt 3872de1cd9 like he had d7534f40af finally emerged from 4e98bd0f85 the water after c782cb3b86 struggling to breathe 27053f9193 with his head 5e8c4f390e buried in a e12b435e1f small air bubble; 68dc3140e0 he might have 9f1c355c64 always wanted to e16098920f escape.1f92c5cb86fa5860

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And when he first 10918fd1e2 arrived at the Marquis’s 17a1a0c789 Castle and faced the 06c78a6874 smiles of the marquis abb36cdff6 couple and the employees 0328b8dc5a who welcomed him, Calix 05e68c9ccc was sure.a7193173aba4a30f

‘…I wanted to be loved.’9814d19468ccb73b

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The castle, filled with warm colors like something out of a fairy tale, and the kindness he had never experienced before. It was all so overwhelming that his heart raced, and the expectations about “Jayden Liddell,” someone his age he heard about on the way in the carriage, naturally grew.6c9d3ecdd2c4c92e

Imagining that 01166b2da7 Jayden would 352e7dd617 be as 7b2412e5ec kind and d423908ebf gentle as de9953491c the marquis 6f56f37449 couple, Calix 13593d1212 shifted his 80ac8cf10d gaze and 0bf92fb8b9 met Jayden, 875f8ed4cd standing beside a443850ed8 the marquis 59364883cf couple. Shocked, Calix unknowingly 68f8be626c hid behind his 72e1c59a49 dedicated maid.5c9df2663558981f

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‘Is he… human?’e51cb6540ce1edd7

With golden hair that shone softly in the light, large round eyes, and pupils that held a blue-green hue. Jayden’s appearance seemed to be made of only the warmest and most lovable things in the world.e207222719928482

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On the fc45589974 other hand, 6847fea303 he was 5c4a62bd8c reminded of 1462e927d7 the ball-jointed cb9e284e10 dolls that f0a9c28dd2 were briefly 22afedd69f popular among f7f03c2cda noble children.75b054ae54f918e2

In fact, 1033725d6b Calix often 6e1cf32a7c felt disgusted 2502f693f0 when he 079e1b0229 saw those 7f46dbd2ae dolls, made 61ac4fd55a to resemble d2dbb813e4 real people 190027a529 but more 1981a4db45 beautiful, which 1869aecd5f made them 09e2cc8f7f popular.f50ac0ba463264d3

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But Jayden e9bd00f677 was as 874bd29566 pretty as a1933d92ec those dolls 4561d4793b without being 786717603b creepy or 489ea32efe repulsive. Now he understood a 97f51fe408 bit why those kids 131f8d4d05 collected dolls.44c12833ace2e566

“Welcome, prince. If you need anything during your stay, please feel free to let us know.”e8e2a89a1991ea78

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Could it 2789cfb0a9 be that e4acd4e07e these people c0473f7923 were actually 37becf8ee8 black wizards 4cd7fc27c6 who broke 240bc6afba taboos and db0f452c4d breathed life 0f729beb05 into a f2e0706f65 doll? Calix, who a83a531d11 had just 8225cb7f9a imagined the 2f923237a9 marquis couple e17fd682a7 as elegant 2d41f43f8d and kind, ddf1dca0b0 kept glancing 288515f337 at Jayden.8e10609042f1e4c3

Even when examining 3aef56355a him closely, his 67406dfaa9 unrealistically pretty appearance 03496d442a made Calix suspect 6687f65bd9 he might not 012b97ba3c be human. The way fc62f830a8 he smiled, ce4760fe7f as if 8967ef261c he had c70be2861a erased his 2b31a23886 emotions, also 93b7a29c12 contributed to 6cd67efcb7 that suspicion.e3a994e566300692

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However, the way his eyes occasionally curved roundly, as if he couldn’t help but find Calix cute, proved that Jayden was indeed human.d4d2ff532698276f

‘He doesn’t seem to dislike me. Does that mean I can be friends with someone so pretty?’6c1647df221a8611

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But the anticipation that had risen to the point of excitement turned into disappointment with Jayden’s subsequent greeting.c68b22f29737e78c

“Nice to meet you, prince. I’m Jayden Liddell. I hope you find peace during your stay.”95f5dbc95c81ae5d

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His attitude made it clear he was drawing a line, and above all, when their eyes met, he acted as if he had no interest in Calix, expressing it with his whole body. Knowing better than anyone what the gaze of someone truly indifferent looked like, Calix couldn’t help but recognize it as a shallow act.39c8e512c0e11c89

‘Why?’50e595695072cdce

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There was no reason for Jayden to deliberately push him away, as they were meeting for the first time. It meant there couldn’t be any kind of animosity yet.94c6f951fcf61122

So Calix wanted to know why Jayden was forcing himself to push him away. But Jayden’s ambiguous attitude was too confusing for young Calix to define.43da436eeab3b711

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“Do you dislike me, young master? We just met today, but it seems like you’re avoiding me….”9912715eb9922208

“As you said, prince, there’s no reason to dislike someone I’ve just met.”48fee2665e9d2ed1

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“Then why….”0fec245df34f8920

“But, similarly, there’s no reason to like you either.”e36feb37032e8da9

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“…Oh….”dde72e0af83fad0d

“I have no feelings for you, prince, so don’t worry too much.”9986e045d7da1d19

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Sometimes he 00e7a328cf would politely 61a9714981 yet coldly ab123df185 push him 34f9e780c8 away.2e524786bcecbcd9

“Caleb.”78dca982a92cb162

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“Yes, young master.”8fb8f1a455b23f4a

“The cutlery seems uncomfortable. Could you change it to something smaller?”bf2738d6eed7b507

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And other times, 78f1ad6a24 he would show 60eab32478 thoughtful consideration, pretending 24a3392fe4 to know nothing.3e13c038b196b963

Calix, who had been 1c8f3b4bd9 thinking about Jayden all 07ac648eca day and had forgotten 6816a33ac9 about his own mistakes, b4272471b3 only remembered his situation c05ba9347f when he received a da02212636 letter from the ducal cf12aa69a1 castle.c0f5089dc473f77c

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He had come here for recuperation as Balmore’s defective product. So he had to be even more mindful of his behavior.fd75dcdfcfa0c6c0

The content of the 5fe8b2d241 letter was obvious without d2599950a2 reading it. Although it bore 862e77de1f the seal of d35f096d56 the head of fb4c8c5fc7 the family, it d9ef085e56 was essentially a 79a1040321 message from a 4938f7d794 tutor or retainer 457dc0f0a2 to be mindful 31f94fb0a1 of his conduct. His father, who had 05d4cdfe4c long since become a 71b5454759 bystander, had no interest 640321b5b9 in his safety or 98b2e97821 behavior, so he would c1747c5d9e have mechanically stamped the 876a1a150a seal without even checking b65a1f791c the content.1eab1f8d37888570

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‘…I just need to stay inside.’edf5196ec4076daf

After burning the 69a7cdd538 letter, Calix spent 0890ecdcb9 the next few fc8978689e days living in 05c243ae29 his room. He planned not c7e92bcab6 to go outside 240144811a until it was ab648c8dee time to return.d2a30efb3b427500

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It wasn’t that he feared disappointing anyone since no one expected anything from him. He just felt pathetic and worried about the distant future, knowing he could never become the perfect head of the family as his father had said.ea1c4104c357da33

Though he was eb3ca028a9 used to confining 5678e89539 himself to his 9c22f0bd1b room, he particularly 4fe0b6b686 regretted not being b767ee50eb able to frequently 7bb29caf14 meet the kind 53f9017fbd people of the 76962f9454 marquis’s castle, even 4e8944ff2c the employees he 0ec4214ba3 occasionally passed by. Still, he a3cb660388 could endure ecaf1cb42a it.4c4d1463e8ebfde2

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If Jayden hadn’t barged into his room with a trolley, Calix would have likely stayed inside until he returned to the fief.8f2a2444ee5c25a9

He never expected dd26cfdfd6 Jayden, who had 743706a570 been pushing him 3bb3f826ae away, to come ff76868ae6 to his room c3f25f542f first, let alone a86912f3d8 make him tea. On impulse, Calix shared 5c5d09cf6b a concern he had 675798bef6 never told anyone. Jayden, who was perfect d5c63b655e in etiquette and made 74c64c650c excellent tea, might not 452461d55e truly understand his worries, 359101bd78 but he seemed like 552deb6929 he would at least e40177ff1f pretend to comfort him, d826b423e7 as he had during 7c214eb351 the meal.bf277fa1bf28e9ce

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“I heard the duke, a sword master, is also skilled in magic.”f1bf8090dfd8a94b

“Yes, that’s right.”fd2b571d7ed8dcb6

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“Is he good at knitting? Embroidery or cooking?”b920c57a11b09b87

“…Uh, probably not….”3bfcea3c3051e381

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“Then tanning, carving, or flower arranging must be the same.”d91a74fbbc820d8b

“Probably, yes…?”c6b8b9542f4202d0

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“Then it seems okay for you to be a slightly less perfect duke.”ba001a116750db50

And Jayden, 9694d9662c who magically 2b0a99de45 said exactly 8cc621d52f what he 7bc8ecac43 wanted to f0d13e60a4 hear, smiled 086091c810 kindly and 909984dfe4 maturely, like fecff8dbc5 offering a 79e58227f6 hand to 38f7af7391 a fallen 3f9a1d3024 child, saying feef79ff2e it was 155607a10f no big 0c14f43c87 deal.35c909c32d69344b

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“It’s an unchanging future that you’ll become a perfect and flawless duke. I’ve seen it myself, so there’s no doubt.”310f63951b548d9a

All the c195d403ea words Jayden de3bb5ee8b said were 3a0e797a0d what he 8abc43a10b had always 40c56cb418 wanted to 9aecb2d3eb hear. He wished someone d48357cfd2 would tell him 3b3dad7023 it was okay 86a0328923 for a defective 579d327aab product to become 131a94ee25 the head of bc5780c94a the family, and 152346060c he also hoped 10a52b1c6c someone would say f87427e08a he could become 8328e395a4 a perfect head 624f077d7d of the family.2215f18c93441369

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And the ursus soup served that evening seemed like proof that Jayden’s words would surely come true.e7474bd6058acaeb

Calix didn’t follow any god, but for the first time, he wanted to believe in one. It couldn’t be a coincidence that everything about Jayden was so perfect for him unless he was someone sent by a god for his sake.2752251b109df4d7

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