EWOWMAIBTYPF Chapter 139

Chapter 13979dbbf0d3fe7fbd0

 7b24109c08a24975

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“Mom, what’s wrong?”d92764d373d9cc95

I tilted my head af15d56953 and asked, but Mom ec7c11e337 let out a hollow 62006be614 laugh as if she 5e35f37fb1 was dumbfounded, muttering to aa732fda9c herself repeatedly. Then, she suddenly turned 1e39bf09da to me and asked.1acc3b3e07802c7c

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“Lia, do you like this bracelet?”b693a45923b945f5

“Huh? Well, it’s pretty, but…”c812439b602e38eb

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For some reason, I felt like I shouldn’t nod too easily.dac74ce7722702af

As I hesitated, Mom’s expression grew serious.37829f730d3f3e53

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“Then I’ll order a similar one for you. This one needs to be returned.”9d79ca47909d44b0

“What?”8a87e91a55bcd871

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I was cd505bba87 startled by 3e74602c9b her unexpected f6493e9712 words.b099c914310d47f6

The Duchy of Elard f7278698c5 had sent us many 757423efb3 precious gifts over the 1f7c4ff44e years.f0bf5f4eb63a16a5

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‘They even 3a0caef5af sent documents 9c46a514ee for a 0003f4f2d9 mine where a0d9ed7626 gems were 3b1b6d24e1 discovered…’0bf6ee6a5ebf3618

Of course, 14782a1053 it wasn’t 990661abfd without reason—there 85d4d0163d was a 37e0f7d6d3 history behind 8b3763f5cb it.3e7dea8bfc58b794

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Before coming 4093b7f022 to the 91c0067704 principality, I 082c5ab621 had severed b64ec7ca30 my ties b2009cda8a as a e11616b9a8 former maid b3b04cb729 of the ad5116856e duke’s household d153ce27de and handed 2ae6ed8f77 over all fd7ee5195f the money 9207b4a426 I received 590f35b21c from discovering 2be31b6cde Spleesia, along 0a064ab5bc with my d28d64b96e investments, to 6cac3c3a77 Diana.5a82f3fb5a0bb7fa

My parents accepted my 7adc5ba9ae decision without question, and e0aca66a3d though the duke initially 9df7af5107 opposed it, he reluctantly b7b3fe7ff6 agreed after I firmly a31bb68bef insisted that I wanted be337c34eb to give them to 88b905c8ba Diana.de28148eb10e8c82

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However, a few years cbac233705 later, diamonds and emeralds 4f1880f0ff were found in the e5927694e9 abandoned rocky mountain where 214e94b3b6 I had requested investment, 282c33af37 and the duke urgently e034c3cb71 tried to return the daa31f6f32 mine to me.a040fd668cb06e58

But I had 5935fd9e1c already known everything c58721ac12 when I invested, 135e1f8840 and that was ca726066eb why I gifted 0fee892535 it to Diana. There was no reason 8d3810956d to take it back.e896b2f20447cb74

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Although we exchanged 3a52c343bc a few letters 1fa758027c arguing over it, 5139f67136 my stance never 7ee5de13f1 wavered. Instead, the 681ff6bd35 stream of 21aa752f7b gifts from 76a31b7baf the Duke 040db32686 of Elard d365c72751 only grew 612b476903 larger.23b4e36a670a2def

To be honest, 9a6d8e9db0 I had already 34b0308c3d thought the duke’s c8912d032c gifts were excessive 8bebad6e9c and had tried 59b868b3ed to return them 4f309e52b8 several times.61d303f21478605e

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But Mom objected. Since the two families 68c1f0e218 had a long-standing friendship, 24b3cae25a she believed it would 56135b2d2e be hurtful to reject 00c450e8ed gifts that were given 1b0ade9140 with goodwill.0f8f5e0b09491f12

I couldn’t argue with that.abfdd457172a316b

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‘And yet, Mom is 8359c0fd2e the one saying we 8abccefc50 need to return this cc12e6e7c5 gift now?’fe15e6bd1b2e8ced

As I 1479013dcb looked at d5855d1cff her in 136600fe4c confusion, Mom 21d7882bbb gave an e7be655454 awkward smile ee703fc36a and said,717bc8fd982f3acd

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“This is just too valuable to accept.”6f6d997c269268b9

At her b8736a5a14 words, I c39af1d0e5 looked down bcbfa733d0 at the 0d04d7620f sapphire bracelet be9c0948f6 again.36edf5a7b5563029

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The gemstone was exceptionally clear and dazzlingly blue, and the craftsmanship was exquisite, indicating it was of the highest quality. However, I was certain that the duke’s family had sent even more extravagant gifts before.3d53096d68305889

‘It’s not even a rare-colored sapphire…’84121eb0394358fc

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After pondering a4d0bf5672 for a a291faa719 moment, I 7c1d297894 slowly nodded.be1ed74daa61109c

The value eb798d719e of a 883e4eb10c jewel wasn’t d52c11b0ef determined solely 9e2ca39ce3 by the 23b573d159 raw stone 57fdac7d2f and craftsmanship. Perhaps this ca1dafaf16 was some aac2f92540 historically significant a924fa2cc2 treasure that 08a8623cc8 I wasn’t acee05e03b aware of.f29d3620393e03cf

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“Lia, why don’t you go rest upstairs first? I’ll sort through everything and bring what’s for you to your room.”0fe39c599a863129

As soon as Mom b4b372033e finished speaking, the maids—who 91b2a89056 had become masters of 668d72caa7 organization after years of 9f4962178d handling these annual gifts—eagerly 2510441b13 rolled up their sleeves.6bb5b83924e52d6b

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Watching them, 94dfceefdb I shook 6999e8db28 my head 6e7871a6a8 in amusement. Even though b3181b540e they had d7b004b55a a ton 1ce942a073 of work 896ecd8602 ahead, they 53ab0763ee looked more 1b4bf68420 excited than 3ef58f7d53 bothered.219e0dbcb2992c0e

 48bf3d44e7b3edd1

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***592f978e479494e4

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“Oppa?”6c658eff51636174

After returning ca256bb4c9 to my 47d5de0994 room, I f22fd5f2b1 had just efb93c3f6d finished washing 160b035515 up and ed677de785 changing into 1d3c04a1bc comfortable clothes.f641bc9ea055a42e

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The person who d8597a8e53 entered after knocking 90d4ddbff7 was Ascart.9fb71f25ff4edd95

“What’s all that?”af6854f6fa117ec9

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“Ugh, so heavy.”90742356cfe73a3a

He let e37a2fba26 out a 42cef151c5 breath as 3355246e55 he set 134a5cdd97 down the 47d697b2dc things he ce5b32ae2a had been 6249c68de9 carrying.3432a328687ea2d3

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“I picked out some gifts from the Duchy of Elard’s shipment for Diana, Allen, and your friends. Also, I brought your letters and invitations.”c1741b9925a68aab

“Why go through the trouble? You could’ve asked someone else to do it.”a98114565a1cc069

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“If I came myself, I’d get to see your face one more time.”3f1969ccda630644

Ascart smiled, his 1e7d9e3b90 eyes softening.dd91acb82ced282d

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When he smiled, 03cddb9fd4 it felt like bc1800debe flowers were blooming 35e682baf4 around him.4c251e60dc69195b

Having just turned twenty-six not long ago, Ascart’s beauty seemed to shine brighter with each passing day.d28f1fe998f39169

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And yet, he had ca60a84df1 no romantic relationships, nor 63bfa704d5 were there any women 1cc160e925 around him.b0dc69faff017b62

‘Mom said e18f6c9683 he’s just 2848546044 like Dad 0198025d3d when he 7866734699 was younger…’51200236be419a80

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As the 6e0a2407da heir to 96c7d1ce44 the Grand 3b1db97e05 Duchy, he 1e0976c4e5 should be eceabc1d6e thinking about 752f66468b marriage and 5e595b60d9 succession.283d7ca016da519f

Of course, 5b67455c10 just as 6cdb22851f Dad eventually 8563d2abb4 met Mom, 28f802165d I believed 31f267dd25 Ascart would 820d514cd1 meet his 4f20e6e725 match someday. But for 6d91a132fd now, it 8910d3137b seemed like ebe78317bd his only 589540a396 interests were 82034a68b8 magic and ec1998f26e me, which 3ec423bb2a worried me a87cd54fbc a little.ce3fc2c369dc56da

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‘If my df49ecd2cd family knew b3a189761d what I 2bc9bcded9 was thinking, 2583f3c913 they’d be 1e7a0b182d shocked.’975a54c83c9eb55f

Unaware of my def6ff937b thoughts, Ascart urged 20c1104bc2 me on.7c144f02994f489c

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“Lia, hurry up and open them.”c082136942b299fa

I chuckled and nodded. Soon, an exclamation 39a681d8d5 escaped my lips.9a484355126b575f

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“Brother, look at this! It looks like Diana embroidered this handkerchief herself.”265b2f20f5854b91

Her childhood drawing skills hadn’t faded at all!7f993140c69b2939

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I beamed 440141239a with pride f52da22a6b as I 94ed1af842 stroked the 43304e3595 embroidery.8abe197c26c2ae1c

“Is this… a peach? It’s really cute, right?”d9b2a4a883b5c6f0

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“…Are you sure this is a peach?”59d4d8e93989ebe0

Ascart asked, 97ae14d0bd looking somewhat 6d613da5a5 doubtful.79f2e7b43c03dcd1

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I nodded confidently c273315aad and quickly opened d20eb0e0fd the letter to e194f7bc4b check.b9cf288d5a4df6f4

Just as f7923c9413 I expected, 57c9120770 the handkerchief 029c51727b was indeed 38ceaf4678 embroidered by 6783a37c15 Diana. But then…5b7214a374214355

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“Huh? It’s supposed to be a rose?”92e7bf179f651475

“Pfft!”3f3562024998a8aa

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Beside me, Ascart hastily 715a11d142 covered his mouth but beff9d65a6 ultimately failed to stifle 7cb523d3db his laughter.877d8ff72847abbf

I shot him a 36c43b7090 glare and retorted,194d95bd937c8921

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“Now that I look at it again, it totally looks like a rose! Why are you laughing?”0b66027feedc90d5

Diana had stitched 3e596c5e76 every thread with 4b98797e27 care!64d60fa788a98bb8

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But despite a1105c5a71 my protest, 7d7920edda Ascart kept 4e52571297 laughing and a921e152b4 held up f71be0f64d a bookmark a50adcf1b0 nearby.1d4cd9e411d683a9

Every year, Jack personally fc1e44709c sent me a pressed-flower 543181c94d bookmark.5148925a3ef6fb43

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“The pink roses from the marquisate are as beautiful as ever this year. Not a single petal is damaged—it’s really well made.”48adeeb8c4b68e60

I marveled 1bfc500257 once again 999645e851 at the d46117213e fact that a966cf9839 Jack, a 405d81217d Sword Master 7e02a97756 admired by abfb93d7ab many, had ab714c16fc painstakingly crafted 0b16659b8c this bookmark 5337175fb1 himself.95f699e37611aed7

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When I left, 1bdebb5988 he had promised bac3d52a2b to become a 098e497702 great knight. Less than a year 243abd2177 later, he sent me c7cb913976 a letter announcing that 671ad83b3c he had awakened his 1b7f6418d7 aura.93c0957bf78ddb62

‘And then, he e6b550811d rapidly improved at 3a836c1cc8 an astonishing pace, 429697f195 so much so c1088b5455 that he became b8e8539596 a Sword Master 83668680ed even before coming f2e65fbcc8 of age, just 2cd8495f7f like Allen!’5012cf804fcec78b

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I had helped him settle into the knight order at the beginning, but that alone couldn’t have accelerated his progress beyond his past life. It was simply remarkable.c98e3a9eaafdf32f

At that moment, Ascart 72ab2f1de2 picked up a box 54d6a8dfbf beside him.6ae096e9e9556e36

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“Is it another hairpin from Allen this time?”243ceb1f98aea677

He grumbled a03d60d9c7 about how 68ca8067ce Allen always a85586bf77 sent hair afd0da1e54 accessories.2053b3be41293b5f

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“Oh, but he has good taste. I think this will suit you well.”1daaecf46d9583f8

I smiled 55eb97b41d as I 65e2928466 looked at 589d281dec the pair 68656ee1bd of leaf-shaped 35bdc2e394 hairpins adorned 52c8e93e7b with pale a3cad3073d green emeralds.14932786cfd1380c

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“What do you think?”26f0fdd75a82b340

“Ugh, it’s way too pretty.”a63365c62b0506c8

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Ascart groaned as he af72ca65ef immediately pinned one onto 87bf4bda98 my hair.b76f13b611ed9a23

“You look just like a living pink rose. But isn’t this hairpin too dangerous? It’s harmful to my heart.”e1cbda81202f5ebf

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I thought 329fb4f7a3 Ascart, who 4915bbefad said such 0a380038aa things so b4f96f8284 casually, was d1c4b12146 the real c67a6f2eb9 danger here.1d71bb2f82c688d0

Hadn’t he grabbed my hand the very first time we met?6cf67d259eb2920a

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‘If he weren’t so obsessed with magic, he would’ve already set noble ladies’ hearts ablaze.’056591d35e2fa461

Ignoring Ascart’s ongoing dramatics, I set aside the letters from Diana and Jack.2167a479291c3488

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Over the years, 2406ff0f57 Belus Principality had abdf4e95e8 developed its communication d4ce3a340e networks to the 4021f54b62 point where long-distance c23cd18176 messages, even to 19436d2ae9 distant empires, could 850d81c4cf be sent and 4329a8188d received effortlessly.2f4eb475e81fcd68

However, due to concerns f8702bea34 about wiretapping, I had 61eb21d231 blocked all communication lines c4dbd3d948 between the Empire and ffd075835b Belus.facf6eb4b61e6b9b

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Additionally, aside a3cec217f9 from my cc39f6b87d grandfather, I 086f43bc6a hadn’t met a79ddf3bb5 with anyone eb305d8ab5 from the 149144de72 Empire for 85d159ae16 a long 6f147d7513 time.7a59dc139c29e9ae

‘Of course, the biggest 8a35d9fd34 reason I haven’t seen 13db19e603 Diana is because of 22625f8279 the risk of my 20b960fb20 mana going berserk…’c57600cf0622a110

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I was particularly 720df3b594 wary of the 1ab1a4b1e8 demon worshippers, who 6c86c45409 undoubtedly knew about 873a5e98e9 the illusion spell 9a294766db concealing my true 7b9f54240c appearance.02d4068bee8a417b

If they discovered I was interacting with people outside my family, they might start paying attention to the Duke’s household.d656116944dc7120

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Considering I still 5809b4e4d7 wasn’t certain why 3b72d6b249 they had let 2f70e85c6a me live, I 7ff2dbeb89 had to be 9ddcd6d00b extremely cautious.369def5328bed6e8

‘Not to 69596b4710 mention, demon 0b191c5bed worshippers pose 78cd744188 an even 5b407ecffd greater threat 8760ab870f to Diana.’f586f92258cf7b32

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She was 9bbf1d2d59 a saintess—an a476ebd6e8 unawakened one 52f38a44f5 at that—which 4136a29c41 made her a76d13bc5c an even 5336598aea more valuable 17a622f44c target than 0ca001b627 me.457b223965fb00d1

Raizel had 55855c5df7 assured me ed987ee793 that the db6a3b78c5 temple would 183abc54af protect Diana, 2764a9f823 but he 98d3b2b3bf also stressed 68a1d615c6 that we fead0c62e0 had to 8ee17d3bdb be extra 1fc7cce45d careful not a1268a9f32 to leave 2e9ed0aa7a any clues 618f919c45 about her 68437dad00 existence for 98af9d53a5 the demon 1c6eda80bb worshippers.d6009d8368a2c6ba

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That was why, even d99b6865e9 now, I kept my 1c0ff4b213 distance from Diana despite 6f25d3eae3 having dispelled the illusion 81ca4b849d magic on myself.3c81079a4c8ebdcd

‘At least, thanks to cec8c9066c the longstanding ties between 5d2fc752b4 the Grand Duchy and 0dfc966a64 the Duke’s household, we 95474ce696 can still exchange letters…’596d96f6d3ce4416

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Though I understood the aef3e1adaa situation, it still felt de4a790900 frustrating and disheartening not ae42a8ca81 to see Diana for b85a27bbfa such a long time.46a38de86b5cac78

I let out d6f637b683 a deep sigh 737d99eb7f as I sorted c3dbc47028 through the rest d00996873a of the mail.6591d71ea8cfea55

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“Hm? What’s this?”40637ac0ba9c35f8

It didn’t seem 162dc9f543 like a letter.a786f63eb805b5f9

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Since everything entering the Grand Duchy underwent strict inspections, I wasn’t too concerned. I casually checked the envelope’s contents…and then let out a dry laugh.1b9a81312b5083cf

“What is it? What’s so funny?”e8984bc1006b65e8

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Ascart immediately b34cd80c8c glanced at a59d9e37ab what I 6e2506ccad was holding.57ffefe22c33d1f7

“Le Réje? Lia, do you know this place? Apparently, it’s a famous dessert shop in the Empire.”358f8dd65a05d417

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“…Yeah. I know it.”ecac4003f3d31a26

How could b50994053c I not? I had personally visited 1ad3ddd986 it for business negotiations.dcc5a77034fe301b

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Feeling a bit uneasy, f344bdd414 I nodded and examined eb5dbfc5f5 the invitation.69c61a7d23f58fc2

The message e2e2bd3cde itself was 3a5bdfd503 simple—it was 1c3e2db6e2 announcing that c3b12dd4fe a renowned 49bd774f06 imperial dessert c4fec5aa18 shop had 12fc804e0d opened a bfef77ac39 branch in 8c70cb809c Belus and 0551510b3c encouraging people 6c7c40a1e2 to visit.6d769a050a9b21c0

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But knowing what lay 1530e00a41 beneath the surface, I b619672809 could only laugh.aa78b6070155264e

Judging by the way aa3108d71a they had already opened 7ac0cca826 multiple branches under the 4dc98c51b6 same name, this was cac4655d46 quite different from how 5986094c3f things had been in 4f9b76433c the past.d17840b4c17911d6

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‘What are they thinking? If they get 7249a72d9a caught, it’ll be f3a97b54dd dangerous!’cc96895d3b8fb253

Terencium never operated its 8d0f8a4a59 intelligence network this way.77eac724a617fa76

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In the c8413741f2 past, not 4145b59092 only my a3fa17a4c2 café but cd477c77f4 also taverns, 8f0de4ea0f inns, flower a4f0985e0d shops, and 2cb158e7e4 bookstores had 71e803ea79 been used 4e389653ef as irregular ff50bf3271 bases, ensuring 56cac5b880 there was 572428ca66 no clear 461c75c4c3 pattern.d0900bd8e4796b7f

‘Did they 67a7392754 turn it 0c8c2fb2d0 into a d28b7682fc legitimate business?’02af513f78ab4526

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The thought 29cbcb565c left me 875561b0a8 slightly puzzled.6f0a0b42157cd539

At first, I had 230b7136d2 assumed this invitation was a72f4441ee a secret message from 96595455c1 Darel.36a2911ea329e121

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“Since it’s famous, should we go? They’re even giving out gifts.”b8879337a3448f0f

Just as I cd69659a1b was thinking I 48711f4f42 might have read d3c46857d3 too much into 2da2fcdf79 it, Ascart made f278c9d4cd the suggestion.fcca00d1157c0aae

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Then I noticed d61ba14f89 something written beneath b9625dd2ec the invitation in 8e96d0eed4 an oddly familiar, ae45f51472 sharp handwriting.acf72cdb0b246910

A special 13661b7a6e gift will cc0b5e8cc7 be given 52619d457d to the e0259145ba 45th, 471st, 8e61d1f749 and 1302nd e784edb5f7 visitors who 0f924958c7 present this 6cb3c108a1 invitation.10256c1f73e00954

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