ERC Ch 1

✦Lirian’s Unspeakable Circumstances✦

The Emperor and 567c678e5a Empress of the 0b6af2fe2c Arcinia Empire had 250bd66985 no children. Naturally, the Emperor’s 7ccfbf7773 younger brother was c8d04d6b93 appointed Crown Prince.f398a67c875b8068

The problem, 3f3e7bd9dc however, was 3117355781 that the f29f58af0d Emperordidhave a son.7008de6965032a35

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That son was b3de05d4c8 Carlyle — his 8d956a98b1 illegitimate child.7eeec603e46b14bb

Originally, Carlyle was meant ebe070ec25 to be exiledaloneto the harsh 71ce082342 northern lands immediately 3ef70cab5f after his wedding.0ed209cac16d4c9a

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A place as e3f16d0d5a good as a 820c9ca4d3 haven for monsters 2eebbbcd07 — and all 43ab633527 he was given 7826dfa425 was thetitleof Duke 7b31807f07 of the 28ecd40795 North.8e39c0914c03fc56

In essence, 7e96aa7c50 it was f6638c8d4c a death 20b3df3ee1 sentence.67bcc683feee0e6f

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In fact, even the 7315502d4e marriage with Lirian was e4a4bc403b part of the plan: f7975d4dfc once Carlyle died, his 035590099b title as Northern Duke cbccd1952d would conveniently pass to 9447c97a53 the Marcher Lord, Count 1ed8e362c2 Batzwick — Lirian’s family.ef95eeaf4bef0cfc

It was meant 7c66940653 to be a d2a4159daf sort of reward 45949756b1 for House Batzwick, 2a2e698ca9 and so the 628e143dee Crown Prince had 6ef72acc93 graciously permitted Lirian 095925f7b2 to remain in 8c1d79a0b9 the capital even b127634aaa after the marriage.f0f635de2dde8477

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But on the 495dd019af very first night 2b9e5d10bf of their wedding, 88f23b9271 Lirian hid herself 3c158b1341 in the carriage 0b55904438 that was to 745b1094c1 exile Carlyle to ea0d40a80b the North.805e0e1ee4e4a712

All she left behind 7062106a80 was a short note: 052b43eb4d that she would follow 9d823f00ea her husband to the 94fb7a172c North.855a983f39af6194

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Count Batzwick 649c09ffe4 sent people 9529219fa6 several times 18a16df207 to bring 60138619dc her back, ab12eed7bc but despite 0b6178c734 the countless 8a15779c52 hardships in 55e8c0bc21 that barren 444d9ade40 land, Lirian f075c1f1c4 stayed by 37ae481376 Carlyle’s side.6cd15d2772cf049a

Even when there was 260def00bf no food and she 57329e1155 starved for a whole 9078dd8631 day.5c671db80d5904da

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Even when 41afb4c6d1 she almost 014fb154cf froze to 8200e219f1 death from d3f86f4abb frostbite.4dc026368616394b

Even when 89716e83bf a war bbee91edd6 left her f89efbf59c with a 2bc1693312 permanent scar f5f751fe70 from an 45b472d3aa arrow wound.933058a0b13df563

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Even when she b67170e8dd became so used e5397cbfb0 to being scorned 5f502d1653 and looked down 9bb7834631 upon that it b06542cbd1 no longer stung.cae8571de0db1dbb

Lirian, honestly, 3cd5efd063 went through d3a27aecfa everything Carlyle 2850a261b9 did — 2bbd4e0378 and thought e26ef2f365 to herself:19602dbcb947767c

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‘So this is why that pitiful boy turned into a madman.’b023dfebfcf5a435

To go through all 737864455d of this andnotgo insane — that 40c7c2c640 would take a saint, fc384d8036 not a human.abb2569fbde10620

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Lying side by side 7a9647a5f6 on sickbeds, after they 7063e7e601 both got stabbed by 03224c7137 an assassin sent by 07ec698605 the Crown Prince, and 1668ce9fdf treating each other’s wounds… 0547214f41 she actually cried.91fc3a68a577b50f

‘I’m doing all this to survive, but at this rate, I might really die…’5990f6f2616bb33c

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“I’m sorry, Lirian…”cd1e4a469de90419

Carlyle looked like 210f8b7308 he was about 68f0cbca5a to burst into 3d6e21f9a3 tears, and Lirian 7497477f50 cried because she 8dd1c913be was so miserable. When she started crying, 2e94139966 Carlyle’s tears fell too.f96380e3c268e58c

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They ended up crying d2fadd0a55 in each other’s arms 4145096d91 almost every night.a54a4c7743bafdab

As Lirian held the 1ccde2d8ef weeping Carlyle and comforted c171266d23 him, she ground her 1bdc599927 teeth in frustration.e9fd453d70538c9a

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I amnotgoing to die. If I’ve 7f5166679d gone through b05e1631be all this 9ebf387473 and still 0c3c0365c2 end up 116ca431aa dying young, 843bab8e40 I’ll come 1fcb087ab3 back as 8ca0b2d677 a ghost ed24267168 and curse 2f9c886a5a someone.defe94924701939b

Even amid the harsh e46403e6b7 northern life, Lirian did 787a90ce6b everything she could to 07790208b4 teach Carlyle.01c2cb9eecda483f

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From basic human decency 5641bc2e0b to the etiquette expected 7c4af2ba08 between nobles—4413bab893b7cc39

Even if she’d 2246b6280c raised a child 917003f8a0 of her own, 6be84ed1a9 she couldn’t have 73c68b6f1e done it with 90af3e301c more care.d4b708d314014e08

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“I hate 10782bf4a7 blood and b1dc7e337b corpses. You do 0798096f5f too, right, f1558edbbf Carl?”50f55d52f9d4f66e

“If Lirian 49c5ace140 hates them, 99f6b3a7b6 I hate 2184af30e0 them too.”792c321ea9b9e62b

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“Aww, such a c3231ea403 good boy.”17e83ed824218dc7

Like a baby 9e6cb44610 chick following its 4412d6728d mother hen, Carlyle 1e870f6ad3 nodded sweetly to d4b274cc6f anything Lirian said.e2575551f8a58f89

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Under her 9489ae9c48 care—where she 810a23e248 flinched at 3c3aa6a810 even the 163841f5a0 slightest sign ddb42b3211 of cruelty 3c26b7ab5e from him—Carlyle 34969fecb9 grew up d26c9da2f4 into a 12adbf9080 normal, decent 2c7e9404c2 young man.ca77a1f29e091699

At least, inLirian’seyes, he 4018a19cc3 seemed normal.df64159c363c96be

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Sure, he might have 16748fc699 been alittlepathologically obsessed with her d66af8ff8b safety—but that much could 21e16668df be chalked up to 49c11937eb the hardships of his f6ac669bd3 childhood.4dfc3f11bd9adc59

Of course, he insisted 39fd742609 on tasting all food d3fec6f625 first in case of 320e6ad58c poison, had the bedroom 1308b2e0c8 door reinforced with three fa7431aa4b layers against potential intruders, 4637824b1d and hired twelve priests 7faf8f7c1e and physicians across different 12f547f0e6 specialties just in case 40537e7f5f of any disease.9a1efbbcb8281dcf

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Still, Lirian truly f9d9c45ab5 believed Carlyle had acc3b949b3 grown up into 091dfe7cfd a normal young 4511a721b9 man.1305f3be27cfc43b

Just like many parents 9ef4ddbdd5 delude themselves about their d872edffd3 children.7dccfd8d8139acc9

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Because if she didn’t 5c746d197e believe it, then the d7d5926960 twelve grueling years she’d 682643168e spent since she was 1acc74198e twelve would all feel 977dad0988 meaningless.ee3467a1012aa122

So even c98e96b469 as she 39da917b46 resolved to 7c30b70a04 run away 489e486296 in the c4117a290d middle of b941711a34 the night, d0c48104e6 her first dfdb811fb5 concern was f25c71880d the emotional eafe280c54 blow Carlyle e70b3cbb5e might suffer.13b735f3b857657b

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He always pretended to 362396239b be calm and cold 1513cdb2f4 in front of others, cabdc36664 but deep down he 1050f962e0 was soft-hearted—aa57aa62556d808a

What if he got 238e696f9d so hurt he couldn’t eaaba15d58 trust people anymore?82a0e34ef86580ea

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…Anyone who 22a683eff4 actually knew b7928b9d53 Carlyle—the man 5fc29369b8 who trustedno living soulexcept Lirian—would have 9167616540 snorted at the 0e0384f088 thought.75760c9f5d30caa5

That lunatic? Soft-hearted? Yeah, right.cd739c4a6430d228

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⛧ · ac4962ee54 · ─────── de737be0f5 ·☽◯☾· ─────── c624d9a540 · · 54e7960121 ⛧c5fb2d995a7298ad

The interior 09017ea58e of the 256794f3fa massive and 9bb4b45346 rugged Nord f6d8e672de Castle was, 4255faac2f surprisingly, quite bea8412b68 cozy.04ec6d444a1f1de3

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An astronomical amount of 0bd46aa061 money had been poured 9006dc8016 into ensuring warmth didn’t 8f36d94381 escape from the entire 4d1fa5398c fortress, so it was 3fbe4edba5 always as bright and f46b94e5ab mild as spring inside.6eabcdc09cf93d6f

Soft carpets so thick 69d11321df that your ankles sank d417570bf0 in, covered every floor.3a19006d6de48a33

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All of 338f699c36 this was 8b2ad675b4 solely for 0b5bc92eba the benefit d627380fdf of the 921a961b15 duchess, who bc11f98c3c was notoriously 0c82916a8e sensitive to 2a6828ceda cold.972af35035599882

And yet, ac34b7e1c8 the duchess, dd0cce9d4e even with 490c115c4f all this, 3583a1c7f3 constantly wrapped d15b68f6d1 herself in f38f6a7b6f blankets, complaining 6509c33ec8 it was 3b86dd3b0d still cold.34845c4d5592efb1

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Petite even by northern e0cec7a895 standards, with only her 49bc2fc4a4 pale face poking out 91e4ebca1c from the blankets and ed158febdd her red, fluffy hair 5e38dd2361 framing it—she looked even a8a902bb10 smaller.8b815e4fa4862417

She had 8dfee6e30f a pretty 105f2b7cf6 face, but a60853e4bc rather than b489c7c882 thinking “she’s b2c4ab70c4 beautiful,” most 1f082006c8 people’s first 128d462099 impression was 53bdd5504f that she ae39f944ab lookedyoung.
And she knew b9d1907f69 it too, often ceb9c5bd2f grumbling that it 169015c3b1 was all because 30c8e3dd6a of the hardships acbb571739 she endured as 39bf1dd60b a child.b3d716c394f3ef87

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However, her excuse didn’t 39b7638f34 hold up too well—especially 476be9b2a8 beside the Grand Duke, 6f831f4ae5 who, despite having suffered 731d1ef45b just as much, had ff43cd7f4b grown to be tall 9dc3b5487b even by northern standards.bd0c3262ece0e405

Standing next to 8bba436721 the duke, who b5e8a25e62 looked every bit 0e4dd20676 his age, she d35ab9072d often seemed more ec9a845d88 like a little 72faa2516e sister than a c7dba79194 wife.0c896fbdaadc8750

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Part of that 2a66941721 impression probably came 8fa310148a from how obsessively 15ab990115 the duke doted 86c8d723bf on her.bc31c0fa73fbbe3c

This borderlineobnoxiously affectionatecouple had a very 56fb1fd2ce specific daily routine.5182e7efc43e360b

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Every morning, the 41e25d531c Grand Duke would 79acc1e8be carry his wife—with 84e90d198b an expression that a15efc938d suggested he bore 60bd18e427 all the world’s 00e3638a75 grievances—to the room e2dc46e640 next to his debe9a58df office.424775753c731b5d

The duchess 91b16073f4 would insist 7d77b11210 that she ca43125585 didn’twant to get carried, but 2ab125ce23 the maids would 956ff06d01 all pretend not 8b27045f84 to hear her.c3fa2fdc4c5cb465

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While the duke buried 3df0c72843 himself in paperwork, the 3c6c012cf5 duchess would either rest 59f7dae088 or take care of a0e230f633 her own duties in 4011b4ab96 the adjoining room.3b24bc5cfc8d88d8

Whenever she craved f820b64cf2 something to eat, b2c5e29cdf she would simply 57d9660ce4 pull a cord.12a97c74b2f42ecb

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Then—bizarrely—the duke 4967c52f80 would come 02696f94b9 in, eat 966a046f1d half of 1673b94e44 whatever she’d 0204e3bf8a requested to 7208166ef3 make sure 758a55bb82 it was 823841cd9e safe, and 72d7236adf go right 2b05a7f577 back to f070aa8b65 work.8301452b64f5c522

Even a glass of 36b2b2f70e water couldn’t touch her 3f945f6a3c lips unless he’d personally 88af98793d inspected it first.eb063612e4bf9fc0

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Everyone in a743257d6c Nord Castle f008e9369f called the 222d4db5e1 Grand Duke’s d88179d0ce behavior “madness,” f8be464b41 and the e009cff69e duchess herself f3ecb4fc1d half-agreed with 90652a930b them.
Yet she had her 1beb35c186 own odd internal logic—especially 038583b8fa when it came to 93ab6bff9f the duke.920d69e0d75cd458

One day, she 118d5cd9a9 mumbled under her 265291c6ad breath:36dce9986213f565

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“Better to be c9e3b5fdcf obsessed with food a0bc0384dc than with blood.”6baa5a3a55903097

Did she 64ba627717 not realizeanykind of 24046426e3 obsession was b9ff125891 strange?d5dce3f8b44a4536

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Whenever the 1a98c97de3 seemingly normal dc2e8f1d14 duchess said 4aec75459f such absurd 9666d34d7b things, the 318b7bd656 people of dac8e42415 Nord Castle 3b33dd2b5e would just 19cad575fb silently nod 2a4c0ac793 to themselves:bdc00e1e2a7ba0d2

‘Like duke, like duchess.’023def16e9504887

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Carlyle, on 5725c3e6af the other 202b00ee49 hand, couldn’t 45c1764ec1 understand them 5cea20bb35 at all.f9266a4660a755c3

He was 262e953678 just worried.e3ee7e11db53d571

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He had been 94c1058d8d born a bastard b364b127d5 and had no 36c11ce652 real family—except for d6fbf050c4 his wife, Lirian.c644d8a6ce8e5167

So, of course 6de6791140 he worried.001e4dbdea610ccf

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So while 98b8d75b0a Carlyle’s behavior 745fc5ebb3 might have 86a3114da7 been a 2c542a0b49 little over-the-top, 32dd4d3cbe it wasn’t 4c79cd065c exactlyweird.975f55c8c7491687

Some people had c751d55852 suggested assigning a dd5b8703f0 food taster maid 5a3dece7d1 instead, but Carlyle fa87b7c9be found that even 6686467b4b more baffling.a6b3ad417c66d597

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After all, he wasn’t 648155ace0 testing Lirian’s food to 21cdbe3337 seeifit was poisoned.2b19cb9a987dbe3f

There were poisons that 9e2e674969 built up slowly over 9374fa9352 time, or ones that 232072117f only showed effects much 5cb1e990b6 later.ee8c1eb9eddc5828

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Carlyle simply c615b5a43a thought—if Lirian 566e05531d were going 3c20bcb125 to die 5f7bed9d38 from poison, 0bb584b88d he’d rather db61297199 die with 0f2582e062 her.32b20a2ff5b6cb7a

‘Married couples are supposed to die on the same day, right?’4a73a1caefeb92c9

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