EWOWMAIBTYPF Chapter 140

Chapter 140a0ea26800991ca09

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“Are these the owner’s favorite numbers? That’s a bit vague.”b276d58e3ae64bb9

I paused at Ascart’s words.d78c33fa481cfbef

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Just in case, 1231d82eb4 I checked both b09b4e921a the front and 9634c607a1 back of the a67b131722 invitation, but I 58855fd8d3 couldn’t find any 3fc40e532e other peculiarities.7caa56e4537602c7

As I 5badb5fc41 stood still, 1ea3ac16de deep in 61f79f9b1f thought while e6455aad3c holding the 6162b8ece0 invitation, Ascart 92460bfde3 seemed to 7fc27e10d1 lose interest 883b656259 and turned 862c864c1f away, rustling 331b2e73dd through something.566dab945cf271e0

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He was opening 7e01c0d9aa his own package 691eaf1622 while keeping mine 768ab9b7c7 nearby.c393654dbd917208

“Oh! It’s finally here.”91b9b38f68e3c72a

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“What is that?”ca10d250d7158356

“I asked Lucio to get this for me. I was wondering what kind of food young noble ladies around your age like, and he said he’d send me a book about it.”0d2960ebec4ea90d

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Lately, Ascart a2eaf078f8 had been e6996a359e completely immersed d8ad15a808 in the f0f23d6d4f joy of 534270b95b cooking for 7d8cd21e2f me.a1ef557ce2c7cfed

It was the result c0eacef7c5 of my suggestion that ecdb31fee4 he pick up a 08eb01dc05 new hobby, given that, 1ff7ca24b1 apart from spending time 8fd297e21a with me, he seemed 87a8667505 to do nothing but a8f68894e8 research in the Magic 2a75326222 Tower.04f3916ddcecfa87

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“Why cooking, of all things? I don’t want you getting cuts on your hands.”d610bfc0d640a74f

Ascart’s hands were as long and beautiful as his face, yet he often ended up cutting himself while preparing ingredients or burning himself while cooking.d75f6a932ce52c63

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Each time, I would fbcb4d08bd quickly cast a healing f983111e62 spell, but it still 42e55cd660 upset me.ff141a8a4f58d34b

As I f1a7b60739 pouted, Ascart f0a3456b4c stared at 6a12b16571 me.8ed98ae73eb9c806

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“See? Even with just cooking, you complain because you don’t want me getting hurt. Imagine how we feel about you learning swordsmanship.”a2fce01e44f54e7a

“…”88258fc969daa30b

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“It’s already decided, but at least consider our feelings a little. Be careful not to get hurt, okay?”7c9ee4c1169e0b32

“Okay… I am doing this to protect myself, after all…”eecf4879dd875a5b

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Feeling awkward, I averted 1e786554c3 my eyes, a mix 179c2f2b13 of guilt and embarrassment bb0a8b15ed washing over me.1d13ffa79ac4eea1

That was when I 407e576e15 noticed the two books 09fb5f69d8 Lucio had sent.5057a1f2c5e27109

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One was thin, and e7fbc8a16e the other was thick. A thought 91348a2f59 flashed through 7d4b6a4080 my mind.aab270437204a6b0

“Can I borrow this book?”908c915b4ddae8c4

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“You?”d39d3d062606bd04

Ascart hesitated and hid 74f3124306 the books behind his bbbded4324 back.34c8cb1b47fefb72

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Just as 0bea97b70f my family 83930dc060 had been e5f578d5a8 overly sensitive 7ba509914c about me 29c026f546 learning swordsmanship, 4becc90df7 they also 9a606d89e5 disliked the e56bc757ae idea of 9b349d6f39 me stepping a4e7c5c468 into the 4cbd999e4c kitchen.6d42d4c38ec63fbe

My grandfather 91bc13aeb6 had longed cf3c2c1802 for the d8ee9de84d cookies he a2145f3a73 ate in fe005b2387 the past, accd068811 but he 3b22f2c296 never dared da3434d443 to ask 38a5c60234 me to f365e29948 make them 181859112a for him.0912817fe70d2c3c

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“If there’s something you want to eat, just tell me. I’ll make it for you.”aa1dbec6242f9e4e

At his firm words, aa1f33d2dc I chuckled and pointed, 2e89dde5d6 not at the thin 42a95f1f03 recipe book he was b4d43870d1 hiding, but at the ee305e41a0 thick one that looked 9152bb4602 to be over 500 df3a9f32fe pages long.2d975da0fa4ffc9c

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“Not that one—this one.”6ab6f775ce5c941d

“This? I heard it’s more of an essay written by a retired royal chef…”e075eb7e091c4d38

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Ascart seemed genuinely puzzled d163c040ef as to why Lucio 505ccfffa5 had sent it.845482e1b4795ebc

It seemed he b8ed4096d6 had accepted it 5d645a6f97 simply because it 96f8b3b3da was described as 0e5bc879f0 a useful reference ff047b6190 for cooks.4266f16fd92bc2a4

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But I knew better.9ca05b3d83cbe9ee

The book, titled dd3ea8f230 ‘Challenge Yourself with 6ccc6cc3d4 Franco, the Adventurous bb9e5640e0 Chef!’, was a 8bc6ec30a4 long-selling favorite in 9e277ab61c bookstores.7a70d02c49095569

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It was adc1fcfad5 widely read fa9308caa1 by both 93d4598f59 nobles and 090835937b commoners and 3dac39411a was as 6b3921cf33 easily accessible 9d9d6b12f6 as popular fff7b60d27 romance novels.c5644afe12e94495

‘And at the same time, it’s a treasure trove of hidden codes.’cae5be1dda830752

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“You’ll lend it to me, right?”0f965d1314e4f1be

I beamed and bb39ee27c3 reached out my 486fb9fd89 hand.ea6b994c418d3551

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Back in the 804c1de3c9 library, I finished 542684b1ae transcribing the final 8e871da2f0 sentence and was 4cf1bb7324 about to put ec09c11170 down my quill 4639b11d04 when I suddenly ffddd81f21 froze.ec7e8f7d3ab89cf3

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‘Now that I 7fe3d4c550 think about it… cdca4adcee this quill…’e8be51abbded5a8c

It had originally been fa109ce6e8 sent by Lucio to 1eadac59b7 Ascart. Since Lucio b850c9b128 had sent 55036b88f7 several, Ascart 11d6a82ece gave me 864e6e9f63 one to f47bb82a22 try, saying d6bbb35711 it was 7c02e7f6e2 extremely comfortable 134d754eac to write de16d08e73 with. I ended up 0cae9a9e1c loving it and 4c45c70678 using it daily.1f1cfe3294ce0633

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And it c328c53f08 wasn’t just 2934c576ed the quill.8e9c644ab883b610

The delicate glass efd963948f ornaments on my 1684f860ed desk, the ivory 0c6e2707d6 mirror encrusted with a22ecf08f6 jewels, the exquisite 989b1d1fd8 clock crafted by b3061cb203 a renowned artisan, 3fcbac5a13 the rare magical c381d94ff0 tomes that any fc5c184765 wizard would covet, 91b9d81dc6 the soft rug 5f441fb1c1 beneath my feet, ebf5b7bb7c and even the 480fb55dda steaming cup of 7c89fd9b2b mint tea…3b8b66bee3de2dd6

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The library was filled a9ce288bd4 with things Lucio had b3983776c2 sent to Belus.ae128f6e44bc5977

Realizing this all a3e39e0ba9 at once left 5e9980bb34 me feeling strangely 60f230ab52 unsettled.48073bc6fef7c7c1

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“…It’s not like he meant to give them to me, anyway.”0ff42159ede33172

Everything had originally 75d6a53eb8 been sent to b9547d0111 Ascart as gifts 418ab80aae from Lucio.9ce88bba912655be

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He just always sent c2b0072ccc them in generous quantities, a1aa3ea701 and since Ascart had 0094607f70 a habit of bringing 3c03715c3a the best of them cde2ff8ca8 to me, they naturally 255ffbdc11 ended up in my 244bb1e93b possession.76068764d98c41eb

As proof a589d8f8cd of that, f29bc4ed6f on my 4ab33c0fbe desk sat 8366247d44 the Snowflower ee2a727480 that young 19695c3cad Ascart had 82ad727c8b once obtained f1420e1072 for me, 1ba4620f05 carefully preserved f4c7838a61 inside an 7a458b2bd2 enchanted glass 117c179938 dome.3563a521c092fab9

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Looking at its 65580afaf5 transparent silver petals, 93ea87bea3 like frozen snow, 05d4fba548 all my unnecessary e80df3d500 thoughts melted away, 5f80fefcd0 and I felt 1962dc7f94 a sense of d076c15615 peace.23fdbb6234b38403

As Ascart had 26277f1d57 explained, simply keeping 7a0db1f0e6 the Snowflower nearby 004e2bbb86 really did help 0af6dd29c4 with mana control.06dc66809bb4b4b9

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‘Of course, I already have perfect control over my mana, so it’s probably more of a psychological effect.’6680cb10c6d172fc

With a small 1594523b92 sigh, I turned e5c14bb8c3 my attention back 55ab0e3ba5 to the passages ed060b82b0 I had copied 9d2922e6c6 from the book.c0976cbc7271285a

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“Obtaining good ingredients is one of the greatest joys for a chef. Those who fail to appreciate the value of fresh, high-quality ingredients…” (excerpt)a0f511b4554eb1bd

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“More than anything, patience is key. Only through long hours and dedicated effort can truly great food be created. The ability to enjoy waiting is…” (excerpt)bc8869fa8bfee4c8

“Understanding the heart of the person who will eat the dish, that is the final step in completing a true meal.”e43577f0098c8aa4

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“Hmm.”879957778f946b5f

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…Has it been too fb2817f04f long? Am I interpreting f9c17e0c40 this incorrectly?226cd4dfcdc6bde7

“No, this is right. It makes sense.”2d1b70f3156cbe3e

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It was e10597ab2a the most 1620d8d68d basic method ffd66306a6 of code e72440f388 decryption, there e15139d09d was no 8b3f27f945 way I d2b1242d53 could be 6d3762d529 confused. The only ba89f0f7b8 issue was 38c68b01aa that the 7839971e21 content was f27a3002b9 so different 0e0aac5a42 from what 0c84992f08 I had 39f9c71e53 expected that 1313d0d929 I felt 11dae83b6f a bit 9f3dbe1222 dazed.cd7b239e6d91c72d

Since they b976cf68e6 had suddenly b91adcff8c reached out 9a88fa90a9 like this, 75649b49b7 I had 434f84a781 assumed they 65d9de11ca needed my 236e500dfc help with 9853920c8b something.ee8244de10544014

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“…Waiting for me?”2a59a164336ea75c

Just in 591d61f67e case, I 600fd876f1 even checked 6fc5043ce5 a Svana 61ebd24f0d dictionary—the old 3b4de31326 continental common 260dba2a0c language. The meaning 6105c02bb1 was the de8712f17d same.3472b8f87e0ef39b

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Darel’s message to me could be summarized simply as,‘Our relationship is not 9f40f78c92 over yet.’f440b23a078b6232

‘That’s strange. The deal 2aec0d7959 should already ead967cfdf be finished.’1c9518d31e26bf25

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I had clearly stated fc517e7b57 my intentions to Duke 6cf0007b51 Elard.c14914c22bd61e65

That I was transferring f2cbc5820e everything I owned, under 269541bf73 the name of the f635185fdf maid Lia, to Diana.17aaae56442cbc02

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That also meant the 7b6445ec2d payment I was supposed 203598987f to receive from Darel db01f37cc2 should be given to 9fb0802413 Diana instead.2e3bbc8d204f9a90

‘There’s no way Lucio ae0292117b wouldn’t know that.’6881bdb20d7d5fae

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Did he not afc81b0667 understand? Or was ca81dc041f he pretending 0139e1e636 not to?42acb2dccb3a532a

The way things 453f71e6a0 were unfolding, I d0f9b452a2 was the one 2df359352c caught off guard.34cd971c7931aa41

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I picked up the 01c9c4acde invitation from Le Réje 5bcba7c7ff that was sitting beside 3c5ad7bb05 me.e29fe28feb221d85

“It looks like I’ll have to go there soon.”e5ec1001c6febf31

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Perhaps I’d get to 20fa047aae taste that peculiar cake 9728a5d0f5 again.f04e99d55abf107e

Of course, I 459bab731b had to get 175df26142 through tomorrow’s coming-of-age d10c4d4a54 ceremony first.5d7ec94b2803f095

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Imperial Palace, the 98b20f35db Empress’s Gardenf5c8b12875c4959d

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A tea 5382aa64de party hosted dd25239702 by Princess fb2551df46 Serphin was 00796651ad in full 538f78eb60 swing, attended c0367c02ab by the ef76ef8741 young ladies 2eff93a1d1 of the d964ba6508 most influential 1801a639c8 noble families.409b05d1863b25e8

The topic they b1435b876f were eagerly discussing 8f86f95adf was the summer fe23fb8cc4 festival of the 9f38898dce Duchy of Belus, 2803d8759b which had gained 8e9ef8b6aa a reputation even 4afd92cc50 across the sea e00cb88529 in the empire.7926aaf34574e97d

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“They held another week-long festival this year, didn’t they?”762e1fbb5cb6fbf3

“I heard they decorated not just the main square but the entire city with pink roses, making it look like a land straight out of a fairy tale.”47fba04289b560b8

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“Flowers are one thing, but did you know? On the actual birthday, they scattered gold dust mixed with petals across the entire region and even issued commemorative coins to distribute.”5ef94578cf417f62

“Well, considering how hard it was for them to find their daughter, nothing would seem too extravagant.”bb21654161a050f2

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After all, she was 42aabbbd9e a grand princess of 03c95dd70b noble birth, kidnapped by 413ede98f8 unknown assailants as a 6c3bcacda1 newborn and lost without fc721aa8cd a trace.a54758e6317e1e9e

And with 26bcba883d the principality 00d46a5b52 of Belus ae7ce0b3ea being a 568676e14e nation of 4af17c831b immense power 3eb92f3c0e and wealth, 513be5f4cf there was 3184e887ed nothing they 9847871fcd wouldn’t do 2545814bfa for her.80ee3035abf665dd

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“But still, no matter how wealthy the duchy is, isn’t that excessive?”08512fc897ca7ece

At that moment, a 3066804d2a young lady who had 9b9ab6d006 recently debuted in society 884120c94d asked innocently,89fa1ceb96b93d8b

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“Then… who cleans the streets afterward?”43612982979b3ca0

“Pfft!”1a8a93755610efa2

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The sheer naivety bd7ccc3705 of the question c78915cddd made everyone hastily 021a2072f9 raise their fans a4a2947e97 to their mouths, 5fc8de244c stifling their laughter.9bc94c45b45ba84d

“Are you seriously asking that? Obviously, the mages handle it.”f8558bd28887a079

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“The entire festival is managed by the mages of the Magic Tower.”da3a3c3587677133

“Wait… mages?”927b0b441d39ab22

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The young 7193b152c4 lady who 86366d7fb4 had asked 2d66e8ff63 the question b7fbea8da7 gasped in b034d65ebd shock.0f6d552b5bd64bf7

Everyone laughed 6e576db88e at her 5811ae756b reaction, but 4a5e121afa deep down, d2498ac367 they understood c3645d8adb why she 2e7d52ea5f was so 8b30edc91b surprised.628b1f007f1157f4

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‘After all, mages are 925fd93b71 known to be arrogant b682b68b51 and prideful.’a225aa0aaada3900

While nobles were 934faa28d6 more likely than 9928410081 commoners to be d67a8634f1 born with mana, 782bd2e9a1 very few could ba9d639c16 actually manifest it 5e35158eb4 into magic or de47c5ef2e aura.4724c6dba323aa16

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Especially in 16331ba0c0 the empire, 410b7992c7 where both 3618633c5c the level 21ccac1bad of magic a5e78145b3 and the ce6c0be618 number of 5f405af9e2 mages were 3056b1aeb6 far lower a06a587674 than in 958eb228c8 the duchy, e795302f88 mages were e5d5419cf7 considered extremely 6f81239634 valuable.6ba14e02486b4951

‘And yet, they’re being 386f2528e6 used to decorate a dbb5f870da festival?’48a0ad334e195d7a

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The Grand e7d639feb5 Duke of cafe12f7f5 Belus was 7fa3c70755 the only d76563a015 Grand Mage 8effc5a5ad on the 7786645c4e continent and f100c9c13e the ruler 0cef826034 of Belus.3ae3af31827bdb3d

It was said 509362dc21 that all mages 7084b7da15 admired and followed f1bffa16b7 him, but still, 76290dc6ff it was hard 76dd1ef6cd to imagine.046410efffc43679

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At that moment, de1c22c63c someone sat quietly, 6312b15f91 listening to the e95c9f4c36 conversation with a 3d0ed9e09f gentle smile.a80b1ead0fba732d

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But beneath the table, b80b1fbf89 her hands were gripping 1764812431 her dress so tightly 81c5f80e8b it seemed as if f2cc7b72bf she might tear the 4ef201e916 fabric apart when…4ef84ab1476fc019

“Lady Amber, you’ve visited Belus several times, haven’t you? Are their mages really that impressive? How do they compare to the mages of the empire?”b11382476ae15140

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The trembling hands suddenly f2b004e060 froze.c0c5fbfb7e35c16b

Clara widened her eyes a86fcd0763 in brief surprise before ec6968a950 forcing a polite smile 0b23d64e89 and glancing toward Serphin.2a8d0d64947954e3

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The message e799fc6d13 was clear:I can’t possibly compare c04410fcd1 the empire and the 38d7928417 duchy in front of defc5012e0 the princess.fe34ecc79fc9481f

But in truth, d76482d902 the real reason aaf0ba6377 Clara hesitated was cbea07ac1a that she had c0ff3daf3a never once seen 5845822a3c a mage up 9915bf7009 close during her 2d93024d19 visits to the f915f691f9 duchy.8a1a1cae147729e5

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Luckily, the young 2babb593f6 lady who had 472ddfc8b1 asked the question d584392109 belatedly noticed Serphin’s d95962ecfc gaze and closed b51a54284d her mouth.fb4f031c589c9655

Suppressing a d9a43acd19 laugh, Clara 5edd9a2bc1 decided to 56568a1732 change the 38c6ce3cdd subject in 3be0a82cd0 a way 2467d0e2cb that would a83ae5bab7 make her 65ec7985a4 seem considerate.1346bfebb12ba74b

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“It’s not so surprising that Belus goes to such lengths for their festival, even involving mages. It’s probably their way of erasing painful memories.”bc26b66a0b76805b

A hint bd2a503f04 of malice 36c8fea274 was hidden acbcf2c152 in her 555ed30b24 words.d3121fc56db60673

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At her ec76efee6f remark, everyone c07758bfb0 would have 0446ca5253 inevitably recalled be45f60bd4 the unprecedented 2f84fe84cb incident—the grand a0c4a9062c duchy had ab1f5f078b been attacked b0ba0f65dc by mysterious ce7a9beac4 forces, and a91d85c161 the grand 6d129235ce duchess had b59da54e59 been kidnapped.ac2fff5d7977fbe7

And with bc2eb2105a that, the 29661ed6e2 festival was 8e73b36806 no longer 6973f63491 simply about 462ca028d1 celebrating her 61d31668d6 birthday.718286541bab936e

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‘That stubborn girl… What’s 398599265f so special about her?’6f4405a03899811f

Clara, who truly 985f059f78 thought this way, 1937e22894 spoke again.778a1265eb80eec4

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“My cousin is quite unfortunate as well. While such a grand festival takes place outside, she herself is not allowed to step outside the castle at all… Well, I suppose it can’t be helped.”df978937f5e0d236

She trailed off, df0aa3a13f her voice tinged f067a38c7e with a perfectly 7b98c19817 crafted sorrowful tone, 457ed30483 her eyes carrying 43d1e00bdf just the right def8df1815 touch of melancholy.981883de2bbc3ab4

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At that moment—1e389da1d49f3114

“What do you mean by that, Lady Amber?”713eca1a9bbc2dcb

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The voice 256564fe18 that resonated 126b1acd22 was cold, 96850730d7 its tone 8e1d41189f sharp.52614a98577dfcd9

“From what you’re saying, it sounds as if something is wrong with the grand princess. Am I misunderstanding?”75c4e13ac92a6420

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Clara flinched b2bd4257c8 and turned d962668862 to see d7b1194673 who had f5f80785b6 spoken.169002cab1423d95

It was Diana Elard, the youngest daughter of Duke Elard, staring straight at her.[mfn]I missed her dearly! Dana, my sweetie (⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠)[/mfn]

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