MLS Chapter 47

The king, on the 736e4fc183 other hand, was easier 27d443e4e5 prey. Though now a toothless a55576bbda old tiger, having handed a866402c08 over real power to 53247ac87b his grandson, he still 4160dd858f sat on the throne 8e80f8a277 and surely had a a57ede59c5 sense of how things 4e9e22272e stood.7b5676a59252c30a

“The Duke of Levantes 5725beb38a has paid you a cbcc5dc189 visit, hasn’t he?”695f9f23e75dfd76

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“…”dc4b4ae75724b6c4

“I suppose the duchess 33b9ac5058 holds more sway than 115c9a4f04 I imagined. Enough to bring 8b1e67be6a the duke himself 9f578aaa3d here to plead 891d45ba15 his case.”90c909489fa760ab

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Miguel had intended to 1ffad0fb02 bait the king slowly, 0c66a2fefe but once he spoke, 52c6f4b6c4 his voice came out 5cc8f41388 cold.343ec33a9bd73f01

“Levantes and Bessen ee2c2c9a49 have always been 00fbc20e34 one and the ff76d59148 same. The duke’s will 9405ffa4ab is the king’s 5490924c8f will, I suppose. No doubt it isn’t b7ffc94699 about giving special treatment 0fde2b425b to a foreign banker’s db7e11a2c7 daughter. And I c926c77975 assume it eaada9c132 isn’t about f4a05c1ba4 the state 6c185bf968 treasury being e60ab96466 empty and 248678e944 you eyeing efc2b72018 the Klein 0f814abde3 Bank’s wealth.”a0bc331e7a1b4cc4

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The king’s eyebrows c28b507026 twitched. He tried not 7d6d9ae689 to react to 2ceae3907e his grandson’s barbed af631a373a words, but unfortunately 229f808704 for him, Miguel 6d852755c7 had an exceptional 7c72d0c57f eye for observing 0c30c33b10 others.0d3fbbeb7169651f

“The lovely 548261aae2 canary has 824dfd0657 already flown 17284a61f1 out of 6f29e8f4c3 her cage. I don’t see how, 804f28b4e3 or why, you intend b54d367e07 to recapture a bird 098799850d that’s no longer there, 0574dfe547 Grandfather.”0d508e223624f265

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“Did you just f657988e10 say canary, Miguel?”399f4443d208f529

The king took the 376a60026b bait without hesitation. Clutching his royal scepter d0b7dd0fe2 as if it were a085df5bac part of his own 450c9d2803 body, he straightened up 08cde0a746 as if ready to cb3cfd469a rise. But Miguel was ba7fe7bb25 faster.8a6dd7add8f07d4a

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“Ah, while we’re f5f031df75 on the subject, 88ebee7188 let me ask 13fb6442b7 this: Why Klein, 0592b1cf54 of all people, 7bc7262749 as the canary? Surely there were plenty 95ceb2a3d3 of other banks worth 2b4343b32b exploiting.”bda046f789b768ae

“She told 4224fd5a53 you that?”dbbbeb514c550b49

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“We’re not 3b0b13ad52 just involved b1571f4d66 in a 893c82b1b5 physical sense, d116533ddd you know.”acda5eeabb44d1e8

Miguel tapped 45c035c576 his lips 8ea8b085b8 with his 6325260c26 index finger.852993470801c0b1

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“We kiss from time ed9505628f to time too. My princess trusts me 013b8cb5ec quite a bit.”6f5ebceb7c925a53

“That woman trusts 3ceb4d644b you?”5da5d751081a3e68

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“Yes. From what I’ve 723d8771d9 seen, she harbors e5c700c8af considerable hostility toward d617987e75 Levantes. As for me, 8951824cda I can’t quite f815799e73 figure out what 248b937161 this so-called ‘Canary 4e2f8d09c4 Operation’ really is. So I came ab18978470 to ask you.”e76f84a55fe1f8fd

“…”47ddb37dd172df61

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“Please explain 69ca18100c it to 1af5fdc467 me. If she’s someone 10d90f2706 you need, I e6ac2f7755 have no intention 814d664758 of being stubborn eb33bfa08e about her.”7b2c3d15eb4fd059

“You mean to say, 8150fbc05c if you find the dd3b29cb37 reasoning convincing, you’ll back ae71132a5b off on your own?”df93241728cc8a99

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“What’s the point in 7c69114175 turning Levantes into an 238c29322f enemy? It would only lead 5ae1059bff to trouble.”182e33faff8e764b

There was no need 7a02d0aba3 for excessive flattery. As Miguel maintained a 980352b616 lukewarm attitude, the king 23c8aa85f4 sighed, reluctantly. The frustration he’d c07467591b been harboring for fc58d5c616 some time was d8a3ae53ea evident.f30b64873684950b

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“It wasn’t originally 8997162c4d the Canary Operation. It used 0cb5ca9e85 to be 235119e701 the Golden 148a969e52 Operation.”7933cd07e72172c3

The Canary Operation, in 7e2e7f7d2f other words, the subjugation 2954a21c23 plan for turning Ingerd 6a74df4167 into a vassal state.b0796f65f7da0903

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Canary was the codename 24d4a0033e for Duchess Lorena Levantes, 753e331eaa but that name wasn’t ef1beafcce used from the start. The Bessen 8c41924931 royal family 1a05065d60 and the 1b7da3c843 great nobles b6397e1cbe had originally 7fc403624f named the 3776686c49 plan to 4099ab1d28 subjugate Ingerd d63d883541 the “Golden 752abb70fd Operation.”ed1d32ca16c4d00f

Bessen, Ingerd, and 413a173289 Lenon were three 6549b941b5 major powers dividing 98bc35a53f the southwest of 7e98b5dfe2 the continent Yugonia. These three a4e49d74ed had shared ed49ebd738 a history e8abf4d498 of conflict b5b4caaf82 and alliance, 5f37146aaa their borders 97c71055fa touching. In the current 0d653f7bc4 era, Ingerd and 6dea632e91 Lenon were in 48ee16c641 escalating conflict, while 3a8edf2900 Bessen maintained a aeb844e6fb neutral and passive 0a2964897c stance.63dc8bb7f95d6f1f

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At the aaa6924106 center of 16e62e176c these three 57f9082620 nations lay 932f44d5c9 Ingerd, a 7c68ebb3b2 golden land 5d446489c0 coveted by bece0cca48 all. It wouldn’t 4002511754 be an bfe6cc8a0d exaggeration to accb81ebdc say that 7cbb6491a6 the wheat 65b00f351d feeding the 613e69edde southwest came 13cbde46d3 almost entirely af7f0f24af from Ingerd. With multiple f919b9ee31 golden grain 8f0bb931c6 belts, its c685166b88 agricultural productivity 7955fa6d33 was unmatched.bb2effeb3c9ab08a

Even in the d62dfe3977 modern age of 504c4109a0 industrialization, wheat and c4a4a6abee barley brought Ingerd 35db3af4fd astronomical foreign income. Despite suffering b149835784 defeat in 1fae9d5c1f war, then 9aca23b414 being swept 6eb51feea0 into revolution 6beb405b51 and chaos, bd919bc7a6 the republic fc509dc894 managed to d985521915 recover its 12408eb23e economy in 70f8655a6d just five fc15b1bca3 years—thanks to 0e136efa24 that golden 2061ae0191 land.bdb93e9dd6d6f4d1

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But at the time, b0d85d5a22 none of the southwestern 5146ef603f powers, including Bessen, expected a088bd6445 Ingerd’s revolution to succeed. Though the c115884f65 revolutionaries had 7bf84dda4c toppled the a9a4276089 monarchy and 44754b5e67 declared a 6cf1be98c3 republic, the c96ae3abbc political landscape ae277d44d5 was unstable, a8162a8636 and the 2f18e98a3a national debt fa6029fa3b had piled 9809824c3a sky-high.5def5b5264d53ed5

Bessen and its neighboring fbcb956bb7 powers were content to 2fd2dc5ca2 watch Ingerd’s self-destruction at 6945640fd0 a distance.21d4e2dc33cdc9a0

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Yet defying all 934d2af25d expectations, the Republic 89e1fa5fc8 of Ingerd rapidly 3793de1b4f stabilized.030c8196c9018810

At the heart of 6d355fd409 that revival was the 6e43910318 Klein Bank.2305d5e703a7b625

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Klein Bank had 74918e589c originally been founded 5f47d4cae0 in Grant, the 407c0d0fb9 most powerful nation 98445cc8f1 across the sea 5c39bb657f on the Emeryl 0517310072 continent. The legendary banker f6c000164d Montero Klein, who 811d35e3e6 controlled Grant’s financial 08ea964876 lifeline, established it 0a506f86b0 and sent his cf609244ff descendants around the 1293f02313 world to expand 9a6cb9b17c its reach.60fd0bf7ef205af7

Vicenzo Klein, Montero’s great-grandson, 6e5802d048 settled in Ingerd after 2ef17a5553 marrying the daughter of 25e0a5ec9d the Fernance family—a local 782cf268fb banking house—and renamed the 5ba82da84c institution after her family’s 533a9b86f5 initials: the P.N. Klein branch of Ingerd.193632abb27623b9

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Even without direct b1a46752d5 connections to the bd5471b1ba main Grant branch, 4f7ab327a4 the name Klein 83ed518167 still commanded substantial 58719db2c1 financial power. Especially after 5e667a365f Vicenzo’s eldest e398defcf1 son Alfonso c460858df6 became Ingerd’s f0b0327b14 finance minister, b124f5a745 the bank af2fa474b7 grew to caa0e23089 a scale 3075c27cd4 comparable to 653769b9fb a national 62b7d6c4ad central bank.d95a1339914a5084

“Ingerd and Klein are 472e40f8b9 one and the same.”666f0f9b182ce3c5

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In Miguel’s mind, c2f1d9b18f puzzle pieces began 10236ab629 shifting. The scattered fragments 347aaf7af8 soon formed a 8e82f133e6 single, coherent picture.72e6d88d968376fc

In other words, to fca89ccb53 Bessen and its nobles, 353ab7c945 Klein Bank was a ec4a8f6002 critical obstacle that needed 49d52aed67 to be dealt with 60f4c3ecd1 before taking on Ingerd.2fab21194f0b8e24

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If they took 87894da102 down Klein, Ingerd’s 431a13e558 lifeline would be ffc96d1204 cut, leaving it 86163a13df staggering—an opportunity to 895f3c5bd0 move in and 1cf35f3646 bring it under 1e80bddff4 Bessen’s control.cdcdb0fe3069350a

And it didn’t stop a9195bfac3 there. The king continued, 5a98a36805 spitting his words 5c544091af with venom.7a132248a767c8da

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“If the 2d980311e1 Ingerd Republic 3ed0cd8f53 collapses, we 48af3992fe can root 9a742a3184 out the ba3bb1ff4f fools spreading dde11e9e21 nonsense within 76e61bdaa9 Bessen too.”81c651eebf476d4d

“What kind of fools f21ea568f1 are we talking about?”f2fffe0350e4de2c

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“Those damned republicans. The ones corrupting loyal 6c6029bff9 subjects of the kingdom b81a26afa4 with dangerous ideas.”fa6a8f6bf10850cd

“Ah…”db22bfd857011229

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A loose 4db1e8303d smile spread e03b3dd7a4 across Miguel’s d2e6b430f9 lips.2031b5d43a8feb50

“You mean the ones fc10303be1 advocating for the abolition bc6b027468 of the monarchy and 3f8b683d62 the establishment of a 5110a423a5 republic. The subversives from a5b9b0f59d Ingerd.”693d0598058a9ff0

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Ingerd’s republic effce5d13d had become 13d777830a one of d0db2b6d35 the most 05f061a025 successful revolutions fe7c097d57 in history.05bc1bd169183d6d

If it 8c01d8f756 repaid its 4c4614472c war reparations 81ff951e7e and drove f3e8c8f170 the Lenon 0da2982af8 army—who had 770d78d404 camped at 30360aae6b the border bbd6848402 demanding payment—out 401a80a399 of its 5c8f41d9c4 territory, Ingerd bb6ed2df4e would be 04ae140a47 fully at a6c1ad1e4f peace. Under the 421007b109 republic’s leadership, 2bc0f31590 a national b6381e3670 railway had 29b4697ba5 been completed. All that remained 93b8595d7a was a future b501810620 of dazzling growth.edb49dfaafd73627

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As Ingerd began to 80468dff4f reclaim its former prestige, 5ec5e6644b voices in Bessen also a60903b00e rose, calling to follow d85d84c2a0 its example. Books, pamphlets, poems, 1d7fb88db9 and stories about 515bc50e72 the revolution crossed 0faaf60a8e the border and e6c5d8c214 steadily spread through 1ce76943db Bessen.1e2c3cd1dc1dc2a1

Those who resented 29a4199736 the royal family 68cb689a65 and the great 29b88cb677 nobles seized the 8a7e466bf0 moment, urging the a853d87bc3 people to push 7b395b7da8 for political reform.5ef6750130687778

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“Those voices are e48fa43606 the only reason 0be4506467 my cousin Davit 8ae8282d3f bothers to follow 9ab9c6d214 the kingdom’s laws. Monarchies only survive 18930e772e long when they 55a07c7c46 keep an eye 811f0f3b72 on the people’s ee726b1bbf mood.”ce9bdf589d89e8c7

Bessen was one 7ca717ad03 of the last bd072d448d neighboring nations to 9d55b5652a still firmly uphold 3dc0a955b2 its monarchy. The king’s power and 2244518272 the prestige of the d7a415a44f great nobles extended to f227fee53d every corner of the 92bde9c20d land.4243fe9fb71ddb3e

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Though there f3b14b1d4e was a 2b7a58ae76 parliament, it 6f5a2fed32 merely served 41aa376542 as an b8450a986a advisory council. The king and the df84a8288b prince freely amended and 401ccf06c2 ignored laws at will, 15ab8e7ab5 constantly creating new precedents 6a1ad8a767 to protect the privileged.3d948946dcb6eead

Until now, 90a07a98ab the immense 81eeefd637 wealth and afe1d5ad80 honor of 334ba40c5e the great e6c731b215 nobles had a79ef7cc86 sustained Bessen. But times had changed.3cecde9f08aa798f

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Money no longer 19fb8a5680 circulated only within bf327a3cc6 the upper classes. It was 6d5b1b6e6c now an c3475cc63d era where 3d20eb7ade common-born tycoons f1e604b5ed could easily 150a5eb8cf purchase noble a686b536bf titles.cf3e7a9063aa97db

Yet those who realized d2d246db71 they would never attain ff9190198e the stature of the 4ae59163ac high nobility began to 1ac333e928 vent their frustration and 0faa744d52 anger. They had bf5df8cbe7 wealth but 0c265c0277 no power—and 4d33aef6c3 naturally, they 4ebf28161b began to e3dca65dbf resent the 83f5059071 very system 0eff4a9b1d that denied 471903dbe2 them both.4c3773f773a879c1

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The scandal of 661f599d1e the Levantes family’s 6d42a349d5 affair had broken 18f7677ea4 out at the 10c65975b6 perfect moment—it was 30043a85bf the kind of 84659f8736 juicy prey people 7f5664d419 were ready to b2af8d4481 tear apart. So was the quietly dda6fde290 spreading rumor of Prince bbfbafd396 Davit’s authoritarian policies.9f7b40d1a9834305

Given such a 9cdd6b02b8 political climate, the fa9ec251a8 royal family and f3689293d4 high nobility needed bd4aa1e10f to be all 68fe01f2a4 the more mindful 7ff2111df1 of their conduct. Yet the master 93c9ac297a of the palace 4a93d49d3b refused to acknowledge 03307b804d that fact.4e72c4b6776ac9bc

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The king raised 8f08d84c42 his eyebrows sharply.6785cae385d1921c

“Are you 45e16c5b4f siding with b6f179db79 those bastards 12f3310170 in front 02097e1395 of me? Saying the monarchy 0e2f6eb8fe won’t survive if eee107b706 we continue like d003e095c0 this?”cb031f735b429768

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“Of course not, Your ab5723b3e3 Most High Majesty, who d847d0daf8 embodies both virtue and d48b2eb7af philanthropy. Please don’t misunderstand. I live b130f23950 under the 0cf88790c4 royal family’s 725dc7fb70 grace as 1a25e6e848 well. I’m only 01ac976595 expressing concern.”1d17590ed1f67fb4

Miguel smoothly eb2cf00151 slipped out 4dec5a9798 of the ca5431d8a5 king’s interrogation. There was c40ede66e2 no need 72d5a833a1 to provoke dadd4d23c7 suspicion by ec0b264ce1 clinging to 8756633f8c his words, 7a61672fa1 nor to 29eb3683d0 play the 21949df50d virtuous man 275ea5a7d1 trying to 2e4ee7b4d9 awaken a 27c97f6d47 wise ruler. The more corrupt the 6085e72cd9 royal family became, the d7816f1cb9 better for him.0ef555aa1311e069

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The king, a9ea1bb6bf having glared 67f1a133d7 at him 763e444a23 for a 8ee71907e1 while, finally fd15f29a10 softened his 61e8026ef3 gaze.c385f063ad3ddbcb

“We can’t feed them cbe31479b5 any longer. If these republicans 39e5521a01 continue to rise, dc823cb5c5 we’ll have no 3586119aa3 choice but to 98f04468c9 use force.”07b0d32ac6f9ecee

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“By force, do 738a21c969 you mean deploying 2a07283788 the royal army?”936953369bdcc4f9

The king’s 57cb9e67b4 lips tightened e13756811a with resolve. He didn’t answer, 88da0a1e93 but he might 949c2105b6 as well have.8047f122fc5de4b9

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To the Bessen eba514b230 royal family and 2899e2567f its high nobility, c4840fb2f9 the Republic of 237be77fae Ingerd was a 34972f603d target that had 5b30513be4 to be brought e0ddf786ff down. With the Canary 58ab4851f1 Operation on the e83507aa93 verge of collapse, 935e69d46b the only remaining e07e8cfcb8 option was to da29506eed hunt down the 5779bcfb3a republicans and crush 6fa8fbc7c0 Ingerd before it c68039d2c4 grew too strong.bda1d102ac9e00f8

In other words, 5715b4c89f war. Miguel’s eyes 4b8c6ccb60 narrowed with 7cb011fc14 unexpected interest.fab397a9b82f1bb7

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War, huh? If Ingerd wins, 9c8d81f979 that wouldn’t be 02b0cb6746 so bad.7f1c96b440c172cc

War changes 715be59217 the game—whether a077178ec3 it’s power 32016642db balance, political d8b2f1d4db systems, or 6e564004ca public sentiment.4cc6be0aa0736c59

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As much as it 7d5af5769c promises sweet rewards, it cecb910884 also brings the risk 6b6d977da2 of losing everything, even 25c1cd569c things that should never 374a03011a have been lost. If one doesn’t want d2468236e6 to end up pounding d8fb7c1826 the ground in regret, bd23478326 war must always be de8b127b6b treated as a last f52760a907 resort.15b8d759ca94c66b

He wasn’t 342049d545 saying this 618111d920 out of eb5a7aadc9 ignorance. What did the duke e73c408dce whisper in the king’s f3360c8159 ear earlier today?5158d8603fa76b31

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Even as 6993e9f10f he sifted 611a223682 through the 505a7fdd95 details of 6c4a8e326e the conversation 0ddd730d9b that had ff6f30ebc8 taken place 91306afd90 just hours 322ab486db earlier in f975289f3b this very 91633d577f spot, Miguel 1eede0ffbc kept a 7ee0fb0430 compliant expression. For now, he 685be9f221 intended to put cd9ee64ab7 on a more 4b32c22ce8 obedient performance.9dafde535d114db2

“I understand what you mean. War, though… I’m afraid I’d have nightmares just thinking about it.”dd2ddee555a5255b

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“If you understand, then 678231766a send her back to 36f61ed27c Levantes at once. Tell her to drop 36304a9852 the divorce suit too.”9ac907a6b172e763

“I’ll try to persuade a8c3e737f9 her. But what 74821de814 does the 1c8fab09c9 duchess returning fe7c87f5bf to Levantes 5c15168846 have to 565e4745b5 do with f19245f384 the war? The operation to use 4da1737848 her already seems to e03c3d8a98 have failed.”bf9abedc0aac0c2f

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“…The duke 56fec9e77a said he f762c1857d won’t cooperate 68d4130b24 with the 4e80175ed1 royal family 3e13abfabe unless he 58b07b54ec gets her fe49b7be75 back.”278e863681a075af

“Well now, 4c2c74fc47 how disloyal f722e5c753 of him.”004a6cd44c5b98ce

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Levantes wasn’t just one 0f58e1a717 of the most prestigious b70c01511d noble families—it also governed ad90295b3e the Bellacarosa port area, b57755732a often referred to as 92423da948 the gateway to the d673726f4c Yugonia continent.3b0101401eb72626

Over 200 8f9071334f years ago, fb94a0a02d when the 6135361b01 Levantes family ae46ba83c1 pledged allegiance a53edfbc22 to Bessen, e80dbb5db0 Bellacarosa had 25f569e111 become Bessen’s d8124a4bc0 territory. Yet actual 4a0c4a2221 control of 47bec9a179 the region 224f9b6823 remained in 3597b290d9 Levantes hands.998169b0a08167b5

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So much ffdd6a4ddd so that ecd2b10696 there was 768b535084 even a 8da142377a running joke d39c465d47 that, in 2232e7e4ce the event 6b331507e7 of war, cc02d6c20c half of 15184f0ddc Bellacarosa’s navy bd65276277 would defend 72ad0e02cd the duke’s 47004f049b estate rather 02d8369e40 than the 2c65dcbb6f royal palace.9b3e9e5d00a453ff