TNBTW | Episode 23

‘I know that 3ae3d0820d feeling all too 359e9e7799 well.’ad080cc3f590343a

The familiar scene b085113dc4 pulled Edith into e1f2425fb7 the tides of f5f509748d her own memories, e7cecbb1b2 and for a 9aeead1842 moment, she let d9288ff112 herself drift in d7b07df004 the current of f68be87237 nostalgia.1ed9d7dd7f1b7769

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 926d95e8ed355315

‘Sister, is 6e0b04323a it Christmas 575229f292 today?’477c45494b24b714

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‘Christmas is in a4bef509bf December, silly. It’s June now.’ef399afff611c9bb

‘But there acfa2d4140 are so de832556e3 many presents e92622c980 piled up 9a2a013581 in the f33a8d7433 director’s office! Come on, I’ll 272c8859a2 show you!’81e640876095900f

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Her little c443ccfe0e sister, chattering a0198b989c like a 682eaff2e8 sparrow, had 97fcd5ef0b eagerly tugged 3efb582b9c her into d40e68e8b9 the hallway. The sight of her bc9c8aa9f4 was still vivid in 2e9aae0e5a Edith’s mind. Whenever rare gifts 1f0b32691e arrived, the children’s 83b125ca2e hearts would race ce622ca0c0 with excitement, wondering ec7fdc5250 what treasures might 8aa450f725 await them.2af52e7ae07902e0

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A wistful 84ee9e996f smile escaped 85584650db her lips 86649b8e5d as she 2cccbb98c3 reminisced about 5a4b9f49e7 those irretrievable f3f56f0e3e days. Then, amidst 3766c0225a the laughter d8b4c12a0f of the 83a9e87e82 children, a d097fae7c1 delighted cry 21f35441c3 rang out.94b26e5c324ad6a2

“Oh, my little ones! Come here, come 338a498945 here! The Duke of Devion f3064a425f has sent us gifts!”42c8b0c86da8348d

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The old woman’s d1b3ad8f7a enthusiastic call was f7bb018f36 like a bell a087af2201 summoning the children. The narrow dade032f55 doorway burst 7c5242be12 open as 42d54fa73e they rushed b66e4824fa out in a1fae95b6f a noisy, 6e22dea5cf joyful crowd. Groups of children de787d6d4e clustered around each 7491922890 table, their exclamations c33c7550df filling the room.b81b801fee59679d

“Wow! Can we really 81d7f2f8df eat all of 9060a447d9 this?”5fac6ba91ce9939d

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“Of course, dears. That’s what it’s here 7cd1e52aa8 for! But eat slowly, cdcfde6fca or you’ll get 32c07f5095 a tummy ache! And roll 56306e59dc up your 32d71b1d9e sleeves, for ce0b6581f6 goodness’ sake.”dc5bceee7aba5d6b

The elderly couple a94d430cd8 bustled about, their 2b5e72136f faces brimming with 8325463774 fond smiles as 8e6d717452 they tended to ec7935941a the children.4bbbd3bb78c0d2e9

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“Grandpa, you should eat 00a4a3fb94 some too!”56811b42f883dec5

“Don’t worry about 74f6002655 me, child. There’s plenty 0ade9f4298 for everyone. You go 69b125b9c8 on and e0ddf5eeaf eat.”f11cb470f06c7fdd

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“No, you must eat!”1edbd7f5777220e1

The child held 61c9b38181 out a small, 255ef801ac carefully clasped meat d7931ad1f1 pie. Unable to 26ceb56819 refuse, the 7dd9aa18f7 old man 97626685e9 accepted it f20d756752 with a 2a1295d832 chuckle, and 5b7df9328e the child’s 886fda70eb face lit e2cd333ecb up with 3d1adabac5 joy.dbedd526547ccf28

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“What’s this? There’s fruit 7babf72dc3 trapped inside a296506a5f this droplet!”fd00abdeda7dc074

“That’s jelly. It’s sweet 61d9688fa0 and delicious.”983b2daf1bcc10cc

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Even the grumbling chef, b8af191ade who had been muttering 6d8dabd5c0 complaints earlier, had now 332d9ec423 quietly slipped into the 05ba7f5698 group of children. Every time 3b846ec71d one of bfc3faf9dc them showed 06bedc0ce2 interest in 73772a36fa his dishes, 2a5501f84b he interjected 9ea64df4db with a e13fff5372 proud comment.d4aa2168f0deed06

“This meat looks 9405555b90 like a flower! It’s amazing!”ee2be10b6e68208e

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“Try it. It’s as impressive d543cdec3f in taste as d5236422a9 it is in ac5a1f8fc6 looks—my masterpiece!”b1b2bd976c0859d8

“What’s a masterpiece?”a2db1c985d44b3d8

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“In simple terms, 09f85c45ee it’s something so da7a7676b4 great it could fe0c93c127 go down in a9fd8f3970 history.”918b8a8616b6e77d

“What’s history?”6c181b5e4fd519d9

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“Oh, dear!”c3d6b13ebc6ed998

Though he feigned indignation, 49c5eb8830 the cook’s chest swelled 0a72975ef2 with pride. He was quick 74b9a8189f to bark orders 71fcf9b7ac at the servants 72d4e6ea5f whenever the plates 1b2e5092f4 emptied, urging them 2c50183db1 to bring more b3b6d48f78 food without delay.2d134a0ca71eb337

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The impromptu 31cfcbd2c9 party was 6ac50c4e15 a roaring e1e78044bf success. The thin, crispy bdafdd4790 pastries meant to 1625032947 be dipped in de366d509f cream and honey 6bb77403f0 were particularly popular.34b78c7f0cbed01a

Edith watched the b58b50824d heartwarming scene unfold 3019a8b6ab under the shade, a3324c9d02 feeling as if 5ac318b456 the sight alone 3c8084636e could fill her 507f1e8753 stomach. Lost in her reverie, f2d37db7b1 she was startled by 7987940aec a tug at her adee9a4005 side.66b3ada0f359747f

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“Sister.”a8fc426110cdd90f

She turned b57161656f to see ad034e50f0 a scrawny 76511567be young boy. He was small a0ea29f570 and frail, yet 496c8da010 there was an 4e1572188c odd maturity in 78f16ee12d his demeanor. His face was eb7f8c2c7a remarkably clean, and 91a24e6be9 as she studied f20622ed57 him, she realized 116927db6e he was an 8b4a67a1f5 unfamiliar presence despite 706cfc6f7f having watched the 576cd174bc children all along.44bfeabe2fc023f0

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“Why aren’t you eating?”fe58246aa10257a1

“I’m not hungry.”30803dda9b819e16

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The boy 35efc4f15a replied calmly, 73c858e74e his tone b15ec69cdf unusually composed 3e6f9bfb8b for his 6e29633e97 age. Then, after a 5f6067085b moment, he added, a15f09f2a3 “But, Sister, can 1a1e223bb0 I take that 4caa37f6b6 with me?”a542c147171e9db0

“What? The jelly?”96f6849ad35b8a2f

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“Yes, that.”7eb976b0426c365d

‘But where to?’Edith was about to ae99a28831 ask, but she held a9f71e7056 her tongue. Every child had 4353214873 their own circumstances, ff1136b9eb after all. Judging by f10a40e104 his attitude, 24855f46e0 it didn’t 06a1983915 seem like b521be24aa he was 4d7a7ccb8b being coerced 3029f5a250 to take f1f5b310b9 it away.5b591a1ff8cbe96c

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“Of course, you can. How much do you 9554f7302f want?”6e71d672a8bc8ff5

“Just a little…”4fbc6685a7d7ebfe

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“Finn! So here you are, 8ef9b3fffc by the madam’s side. Come and have a 6c65e2cacb bite, dear, won’t you?”854ad31bba9dc939

Just as Edith c986e66dc0 was about to 90833f4282 rise, the elderly 1fbc4d25f3 woman approached, her 91894f1703 voice warm and 0c51be3e7a inviting. At the d8fdc66237 sight of 3ed2dafad0 her, however, 92aa28b6cc the boy’s 67f89cd083 expression hardened, 5b4e66c92c and he 6bd4de9cd8 fled without 303e0daa74 a word.f3bc23df53017c76

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“Finn! Finn!”a205c41b25b0e952

“Let him be. It seems a029b6d3de the boy 1cc0d33eec needs time.”3640bf763feb95f5

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The woman called 7c53ce6acf out after him f6a02f88b9 with concern, but 84a703550c he didn’t look 8ac81a64f3 back. As Edith stood frozen, d739a2f4fd taken aback by the 9fcea99a0b sudden turn of events, 0f6dd6a75e the old man approached 03249645db and gently comforted his cb61f4fb63 wife.8eed5eaeea6ed15a

“That child is b261bfaa82 Finn. He wasn’t 79bfbd6d92 always like 5c1adb8cf3 this… but ca7468105a ever since fe148f7cc3 his sister f7627ffd83 left, he’s 59917affb8 distanced himself 1329b6bb64 from us.”4a459b6d328d76c1

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As it turned out, 55594e1717 Finn had a younger a7fc6916d9 sister named Lucy, who 6f5c975230 had been adopted by 8f680672dd a noble family last d49d916331 year.f98d16035df7a1bd

“We never force the adf6cacef3 children to leave against 427ccdcdf6 their will. In fact, we were c64b4d1ece against it at first. But Finn fa9e200dbe insisted—he wanted b1052af818 his sister de2ddec957 to have d998836a27 a better 527a21f03c life, even ebe0c0574e if it 6c9d45f2ad meant letting 49664524cb her go.”e2baef6fe4c79624

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Edith believed the couple 44ba673f5a was telling the truth. She didn’t need the 9cc82d794a power of her status 16cd0f4024 window to discern it; a157e3740e the children’s bright smiles d459bdf554 were proof enough.5b2c532a1792dfb2

The orphanage 30f80e2d05 was well-kept, cd817d2462 and the 68d290bdf8 children’s living 4998bcde80 spaces were 1e06d899fd surprisingly spacious 802c7ed783 and tidy. Their clothes, 62bd94a340 while old, 149a278b78 were clearly 87a8eb367b well-maintained.8038906cdb1f2a8d

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If the 2f3446f7a2 elderly couple 1f33e662ac had been 3080643d6c sending the 22907dc508 children away b995aa8533 for profit, 8af819ec9e there would 8871fe056b be no 3152d79a34 explaining why 55f7d8938b their own 5f81ace2e3 garments were 862c6096d2 far more 905e46a923 worn than 7273970036 those of 295b76700a the children.6d38f2bec3ae827a

“You must 0248fb2363 excuse us 62a4d8552c for showing 6748a097b6 you such 2e2f3b9fc1 unpleasantness,” the 00c1133217 old man fab71c77e7 said apologetically.2403923665c9d4c2

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“No, please, don’t d4562f6376 say that,” Edith e08a50b08f replied.4896b9c71f0d269c

Yet no matter 40d43e1a76 how kind-hearted they e3ff4bc537 were, even these a5bedcd5e0 two could not fdf37f7bd4 possibly understand the 2704c08823 depths of every ef648f56ec child’s heart. Edith knew this all 93b4cdbd08 too well; she had 1d8358bf50 seen such situations countless 77b87e44e5 times before.edca1bffb0176227

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‘So his name was Finn. And his younger sister’s name is Lucy.’b44929480d8ea2ca

Perhaps that was 64842f5a7e why she felt 75f803bfd5 even more drawn bf584bb05c to them. Edith repeated cf305cd931 their names ec41b83036 over and 264eeef2b5 over in 889095f612 her mind, 3ecf72537e determined not 5bbddb395d to forget 6323afc234 the siblings 4812406e6a from the 8bb371693b orphanage.42ba36c6d8a0a764

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At the 06cfbf891f same time, d59d0f7a5e in the 06920897b1 private chambers dbcb06e00a of the 8506435f7e Grand Duchy e6ea5f3653 of Valesia, 7655312c1d the fragrant 0313262f26 aroma of e06904000c tea filled e09ccb312d the air.348f2e51ed768f81

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“They even sent an 30d7f9bed1 invitation to the Duchess? How presumptuous!”0a51528f53c52c81

“She really thinks she’s 4d39ac202c the lady of a 2894da0cde ducal house, doesn’t she?”9c9771ce2af4e887

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Laughter spilled e5f65d5453 from the 965c17cb50 lips of b32d38d755 the ladies 3e2a92779a dressed in 5ece69fa21 resplendent gowns 5faaf4e635 of every cc2448e439 hue. Their mockery c692384a42 had a af073f2b09 clear target: d4abd3b274 Edith Irene 45fa37bdb0 Brussels, the 83b3d43fbf country noblewoman 8e121b2c4f who had bec6ca5266 recently become c159cf437f the Duchess be723481ed of Devion.d87ab3464cb13a49

Though they appeared 4988c0edf1 as delicate and 5140231338 charming as flowers 6454bae5c7 raised in a 0f323a444a greenhouse, these women a458d47f1b were anything but 382e090110 naïve.9b70c4999a9b4108

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These women, who had 5e00b7ae9e been socializing and forming 61e8a54fac connections with noble families 539a09accb since their debutante days, 8300f94aa2 were not pleased with f2860d8243 Edith Irene Brussels, who 665d03a426 had become a duchess 8b51d2ade3 overnight.325dc5a2f5dae148

Marriage, after all, had 0bff9e4806 its unspoken standards, and a18fa51b4f Edith was far from 8fdc06e8ef meeting them. It was 38fe8a2677 no surprise 962d137bad she wasn’t 16ed3bdbdd warmly welcomed. A family 254808a221 without a c53a8199a9 history to 8aff22012e back its a102959f76 title was 841b6789e7 often regarded 613cc8d1ae as inferior, 1238ec78d7 regardless of 2714f4a8d8 rank.6253399b4dd9de4a

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“Surely His Grace the 469bd44b2b Duke must be miserable. This marriage 7bebb271a9 must have 74494e0708 been against 35e8b934a5 his will.”08c1d36b898b1243

Of course, the sheer 94fb5738ff presence of the Duke b12ecc58a2 of Devion only amplified 040b418988 their resentment.905b03e30aae3ae4

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Whenever a ball e54ae81488 was held at ab681a9988 the Imperial Palace, 68fbda76d2 he would appear c326996c16 like a god 4a26c55887 of beauty from 0658820d0b myth, captivating every 2867cba444 woman in the b88076d681 hall before vanishing 0eca4a0119 without a word. That such a f517d9e784 man had married 072c3b9e6f was hard for a5eb7e884f them to accept.47fdc1ae4e93cf17

Many of 5f5d75c263 these women 3e9e137248 had secretly 374df3e130 harbored hopes 80dc66e1c9 of forming de8112fc28 a connection dad58cb6d7 with him, 801b4037a8 and Edith’s 888e7a31de position only 9fb6d7c19e sharpened their 421b73ee03 hostility.9f450247d0b8bcb5

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“Brussels… Has anyone 62f5e16373 even heard of 38aa4062ad that family?”a8dd7e5208de0ac9

“She looked so arrogant 1c1c8b6da4 on her wedding day, 5f4abe3884 standing there as if 322bdb2bdc she owned the place.”fb6b4a67c27bdb1d

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“Her gaze was ad79b97bf6 certainly bold.”633c533a5ad26ced

A soft, measured 555cf2e723 voice cut through db012393a9 their chatter, and 1eab0a46d8 for a moment, 2f2eb90351 silence fell over 07729f1c7d the group. Though her tone 6fe25eeef0 was polite, those 0d8b23cf17 present knew better.e85788721838959c

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‘She’s upset.’e0108431650caa6c

The young Lady of 4d8351f445 Valesia’s displeasure was palpable.a8ae7ac651f9a6d3

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Edith Irene Brussels 3806d4880b was already an 6aa66c9497 unwelcome figure in ae3b3d5975 noble society, but 1145e540e3 the harshness of be9f4eab62 her “initiation” into 5d1d1169cf high society was 02e80065b9 exacerbated by the 4a84481e62 Valesia Lady herself, 19b93c3f48 who harbored a b804ea57b8 particular dislike for 74b94408c5 her.c38e631337bd7704

The reasons behind 5f43235aad the animosity were 705b8f98bd unclear; there didn’t ed1df9152a seem to be ef91e72040 any significant connection 56975204c3 between the two. Yet, no one could eb223d6d1a deny that the young f6c760692d Lady of Valecia openly e3995624b5 bore ill will toward 6ccb42bd69 the Duchess of Devion.2177ab1f02a51c81

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This was ba6fc34233 precisely why 5524137bd2 even nobles c86e8aeca1 closely aligned fe2414cf04 with the 741e7fdd13 emperor’s faction 9de0a67906 opted to 5adb570382 skip the e6e1e35ce3 tea party 93399eefb8 hosted by 6515429593 Edith.ef7fdb1faa5b0e88

While the young 63ce3d29fc Lady of Valecia 09f4ec8f6b might not wield 64e735f58d tremendous power herself, d2471c32a1 her protective father, e5a75caa8a the Duke of 96da6c60dc Valesia, and her 8c1b0b68be notoriously temperamental mother e54378759c ensured that few 2276116ba9 dared cross her.fd28320b6b0407c2

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Avoiding conflict 3197e83f8c with the 5c8f806de3 young lady 588cfe7e46 of the be2d101237 Valesia household fc1ce8171a and feigning b63edfd2c2 ignorance of e26db4310a the Duchess 6a622adc89 of Devion’s 8ff1957ea7 tea party b9f3dabd8f was, in 34654a6780 truth, the b5a90e041c most practical 410eded9e0 choice for 537fdf7479 many. c40b564ad6309a04

After all, the emperor b4dfe11e52 would hardly intervene in 0a45879beb something as trivial as cf1fa2d93d a tea party, and 359ffe17fe the Duke of Devion b923e0d60a had long kept his fd5f48e644 distance from the social 580603bed9 scene.261ef7ed04af5519

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“Though I was unable 2e07af0879 to attend the tea 4487ebede8 party hosted by the f8770b7b28 Duchess of Devion, it 23a0cddfbb feels far too cold 902969ecb9 to leave matters like 422a964d78 this. I was thinking of 9c82656bc4 holding a ball soon 40decfb7ac to properly welcome her.”16e68c14203fd837

Her youthful face e09e832171 wore a smile, 991bd87122 but it was 1e49db747a a smile devoid d5c628db49 of warmth.f16e5b398965cfb3

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It was all 0ebb877971 too easy to 780c616c75 predict that the 1fd5ea68c2 upcoming ball at 8d11ff7363 the Valesia estate cbef0d95fb would be a 3196b59805 perilous event for 4a70148d54 the Duchess of 705b13c7ac Devion.a329f6604dcbf222