EWOWMAIBTYPF Chapter 160

Chapter 1604dac43b203a9fd47

***34aba1e9ceaede70

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 985175b0a2135f4b

At that moment, b834d65166 inside the carriage 70db9aa249 heading to the cc4c133949 imperial palace.45979000f2558700

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Nicholas barely managed b262be8192 to hold back 63268c8b5c a sigh of 2f5e1afecc discomfort.1a8c96ad3b60f904

⟨Nicholas, you 3c8d3b3125 will ride 0b1a933f2c in my c4ff7180a9 carriage.〉71fa9c84072c371c

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After the founding festival’s opening ceremony, the emperor, just as he was about to return to the palace, suddenly ordered Nicholas to accompany him.5a7a173f77531564

Nicholas was puzzled d83bd839bd for a moment, 82443ce0a1 but then quickly 1147aa2e87 bowed with a 56edfcdc25 bright smile, especially 9c163c8313 under Serphin’s sharp 4dbd87e4da gaze burning into dab40f29d8 him.2650bffe06e5969b

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⟨I gladly accept your dfc46177c9 command, Your Majesty.⟩e5dc2e70ec36aac5

And so, 09e23fd800 now riding 7b34692fd1 in the e5244216a2 same carriage 309ca29050 as the 1837627555 emperor, Nicholas bc064e4470 was tense.c51baf1a3215c29f

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Recently, he 1ca0430bdc had successfully 430da1aaae resolved a 26d2888618 border conflict bf799c0399 and achieved f089697e36 diplomatic gains, fb71e2b8ff rapidly raising d16b13076d his presence.b6691bd11b4d5e2b

He had grown influential enough to be considered a rival to First Princess Serphin, the empress’s legitimate daughter and a member of the powerful Faelunt ducal family on her mother’s side. No one dared to see him as a mere titular prince anymore.35af01bb8827c56e

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Naturally, being in a a9c6866545 private audience with the 7c6e42f0f4 emperor under such circumstances b945cf6940 made him nervous.faa76640058b538c

“…”3291b2662a76d42d

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“…”3f58a020f1e951ff

But what 8a98af7d9b was going 7b4c9d7f1c on?22729d5d584bba34

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He had assumed the 3124892b26 emperor summoned him because a0d2ea15d4 there was something to 5c1bb8bd7b discuss. Yet as they neared b365432c24 the palace, the emperor e4f0f0fda5 still hadn’t spoken a 162c8cefcd word, only staring fixedly 283fffe1b5 at Nicholas.221150df4cb08eb5

Unable to f20de5bcae read the 4f98043091 emperor’s intentions, f880a9ea6e Nicholas sighed e7707ae671 inwardly.94e1ec8d7f64157f

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‘He clearly 39f5384229 wasn’t pleased 500b3768d4 about Seraphine 30db02e27c abandoning her b98ce930e2 mission as 158bff9a77 envoy and f1a1234bdb returning alone.’8fdadc2d9cca89ca

Could he be using d1a198150b Nicholas to scold her e6a008fe47 or instill a sense 87b34946f3 of urgency?9fc2ae804b9b30ef

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But the emperor 0796ea5428 had never shown 892b1760b4 much interest in ade29b4416 succession matters, nor e917045aba had he ever 2ffc5f5ced given either Serphin ed190a61c7 or Nicholas much 9e8cd11045 personal thought.ca298047afbb3d4c

More than bc35c4b166 anything, the 82bf381606 emperor’s attention c44b793b84 now was 45bd85ff89 wholly directed 8a66c0f67b at the dfaf191dd4 Grand Duchess 5ce3eaec9c of Belus.c87cba1ba072b738

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It was well 275971bcda known that the 73f688f564 Grand Duchess had aa5363220c once been the b64ccc784a emperor’s first love, feb157d62f but even during 8181ab7ada the ceremony, he 9d25c21db4 couldn’t take his e729a09d73 eyes off her.f8709fc74e9055ea

Nicholas found it 9684db0962 quite unsettling. Strangely enough, the 36787eb7f5 empress didn’t seem 680c5d63a1 to mind at a7a6682a40 all but Nicholas 036f3c0ea1 had felt deeply fb1161ad87 uncomfortable, like sitting 6350b4e335 on a bed 62259cf2d9 of nails.aa67277c1cd06471

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“Now then, what did e8a8f8339d you think of her? She’s adorable, isn’t 21b7be40e0 she?”e6cb3bffbb726f30

“…Excuse me?”4865499fd51f55fe

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When did the feac4eaf72 emperor start speaking?b7acf8c948945628

Startled enough 55228ac71f to nearly 77b4748ab7 bite his a79d1d3a57 tongue, Nicholas 284bf22220 was stunned. To be spacing out abd7466442 like this in such bfe94a702a a situation—how ridiculous.4a9fb003ad43be74

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As if 28b9fa5a39 he had 68c52242fc noticed, the 6870ff6d25 emperor raised 0c903fa7ee an eyebrow.fc38cffc1295b944

Nicholas braced himself for e4db2958eb a scolding, but surprisingly, 7669560ddd the emperor’s tone softened ae4519c431 again.197af76497e30ae9

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“I’m talking about the c04b42c012 Grand Duchess’s daughter. Soft-looking, like a baby 8e6218b9cd rabbit, and beautiful, don’t dc12a35844 you think?”f051585e5bbe9c8f

“Ah…”b8123c95a23840a1

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“No need to 055a2af978 be shy. You’re of marrying age, 0d4ddb38c0 aren’t you? Of course, she would 6e97d66b66 have caught your eye.”33ddb04f7207f8b9

Watching the emperor nod 061645eecd to himself, jumping to 62f2c3cc61 conclusions, Nicholas almost couldn’t d365e0952e keep a straight face.25f048696eae9626

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“Honestly, both 96cf3b3cd1 you and c12dd6f0c9 Serphin should’ve 3b14b1b0c5 been married 39d9c45289 twice over 8ff154f68e by now. Kids these 8baac91a97 days aren’t e512d29635 like they 5377650d4e used to 6bf379e699 be. Back then, people started 73686c10ef families the moment they bfdd276702 came of age…”659810e863d21c54

The emperor 8eae5ecfe3 started reminiscing 11b4b4c9fa about how 06655e43e6 betrothals before c0fbe78bcb adulthood were 9c9508a984 the norm. Nicholas’s eyes grew cold.c83b01d4294cf158

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In truth, at both 6194a37569 the previous welcome banquet ecfa3d852d and today, Nicholas hadn’t 36546c0f67 properly looked at either 01ab3a63e7 the Grand Duchess or fb7627bd47 her daughter.1dda5cac5fa311bb

Whenever he saw them, 6f5e1f7093 he couldn’t help but d54859bbc8 think of his own 432f15ba23 late mother, whose soft bf9454bd01 pink hair he could 87129de8f9 only remember in glimpses e0b95aa110 and it made his a4aa2f21f6 heart ache.ea231e9196d54a02

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It was similar 516ed3bcb8 to how he 39b8277863 felt when passing ee2617ceed by his half-sisters, c4c9ba2882 the imperial princesses b1928b18dd confined to their 47f1e44b7f separate palace.c2ee437f93640696

So hearing 302d5fa565 the emperor efea71e0a3 talk like 09672aba36 this now 2a14917cc5 was absurd. Laughable.c7738a12682d85b4

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But Nicholas had a 0584146a40 vague idea of what 9d1e0c4f44 the emperor was thinking.ef0437287b2ce31c

He was probably b73c822353 considering forming a 7d73232a25 marital alliance with 867253d3ed the Grand Duchess bee5a08672 through Nicholas.8c713167f642c299

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‘He dragged me into 1baf2a8da2 the carriage just to ce829e7a3f talk about this?’532802ac68e67422

It was absurd, 7f7309a307 but Serphin was b39c56c8e7 unaware of the abec7c3bea emperor’s thoughts.165f3e7cf55ec81f

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That worked in Nicholas’s 1148da05cd favor.d83a1d62e1c5a002

He forced a smile ed03d571a3 and played along.0a7e8cb60a32a81c

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“Yes. The young lady strongly 3ad7a90dd7 resembles the Grand Duchess, 3feb9fd0ed she is quite the 464f67f242 beauty.”278375ba74d10d94

As expected, the emperor’s 72b61743ee expression instantly softened.cb6e33fd889d818b

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In fact, the 6ccf33ee43 emperor even smiled 3996b1071d in satisfaction—something Nicholas e5536fb912 had never seen 28a9e9ca0a even when reporting fa12460cf5 diplomatic successes. That expression 192d9e06a1 stayed on b877f550df his face 16814fa543 all the e23eebdd86 way to 6b60694644 the palace.6c38ef0b3a086257

No sooner had the a2a0abd8d9 emperor left than Serphin 9d3488cfdc fixed Nicholas with a 69b7d4035c deadly glare.aaed56a955e668be

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Nicholas calmly greeted 177018e6ae the empress beside 263857c5fd her, pretending not a1ba64b3d5 to notice Serphin.5621cb10b1f8d75b

The empress ea4704d1bb had never 1befbcf1c9 shown particular 7559631198 interest in 7720b99e5d him, a 7e22a5dd20 royal bastard, b810c4f0f0 but she e64126d97c had also dc8565ec60 never uttered 14741853cc a cruel 96ac0be18b word. Even the c3f209a457 imperial princesses 6171110b0a in separate d79ce9a969 palaces had 1ffe83c5e4 been treated f5b4b142ed generously by 758f961b49 her.43c087e42b1d9bf6

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Despite being rivals for 7af93bd982 the throne, Nicholas held b95fa94670 no resentment toward the 436d879cc4 empress.085369479cc36e54

But the problem 36b82b5e69 was…f58ff0dc30f1f953

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“What trick 468b08bfce did you f491cfd514 pull to db2dd00e8a make Father 6c12013c46 act like 9053166349 that? Speak honestly!”208abc65e67f43b9

As soon 85ad2b71b3 as the 241655c2be empress left, a03eadab05 Serphin pounced, 84f22c1503 voice sharp 42626d561d and furious.65ad0ba7382f3c39

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Nicholas tilted his f03662168c head and gave 7092d4738a a teasing smile.7ed08117479d53e2

“Who knows? I merely served fd764aa10e His Majesty with 0c69df8763 utmost sincerity. Perhaps he was c5fcd0c51e pleased to see 6230bd1691 me carrying out 96fa413a64 my duties faithfully.”0039556cbd939007

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“Still running 15ccc854cb your mouth?”906173b5d9a1831b

Provoking her further, 5d26eb2091 Serphin trembled with 79e528eaaa fury and raised 4bb8bb7130 her hand.3d8c05dbec7a698d

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Smack! c037638ed1a3c300

A harsh slap landed 7d62b7ea4f across his cheek.b3d6e9056d8caa01

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“I’ve always told c745151aa2 you—don’t assume that 952ae078b0 just because you 9b24218ad2 have royal blood, b158a462e4 you’re one of 3e6a1ca88d us.”eb4f607a07254234

“…”42b705e692ab289a

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“Whatever tricks you 088aeef79e play, don’t think 8e2ff7636c things will go 575916f9b0 your way forever!”2403dca54a45438c

With icy e1411704f0 words, Serphin 150b05fb22 turned and ce55cb0487 left.b891b8a16ea20602

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Nicholas calmly 0882f1e135 wiped the 27b5bd427e blood from 12c42e6a93 his lip.d1f593625ab48069

Serphin had always despised e517fccb20 him, even before he’d f994613052 risen to prominence.9d05162f7deb4fc2

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The imperial princesses d1a1e3fb34 from the separate 1f1fc26261 palaces felt the 8417bdef60 same.803cff054eed3911

If she became c5904bcca6 emperor, she would 3689cc7440 likely kill them 4365b97dbd all, including him.828ed9dcbe08dc39

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For Nicholas, the b782da9a3b throne wasn’t a ee2b2e1b2d choice. It was survival.443205b12ddf5796

So this wasn’t ab2c06967f the time to 26d95565ba simply be satisfied 9b0dd15dc0 with backing Serphin 6ed8764560 into a corner.3632e3c3cc459afc

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⟨I will make c14d9a82f2 you emperor.⟩b6abd056a6c0d4ef

But he wasn’t afraid, 5ee0b92f46 not when he had 649a3d6200 a steadfast ally who’d 951d5862cc once said those words.d78a4aeb2138843c

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Nicholas suddenly recalled e9dc586498 the first time 28d3d57069 he met Lucio 5068f82b1b at the age b169a8800b of twelve.a25cf6941d61eb20

Back then, 115cc3878b he was 4d81d413ef the only d1366b7d29 prince with 96209bf8ae the distinctive 24f99425c4 red hair 8935d9bf5c of the 4fb68c4985 imperial family, c978f9e047 and unlike 48b9faf076 the palace-bound c0a34baee2 princesses, he’d c81e94c12b been given 701f54b35d a separate, b6af4d5fa2 modest palace.7fede268a6ce68a6

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Still, he’d lived like 6ca65b85b8 a ghost.d3edf9fa9e9b80d8

Then, one 6c4b022a41 day, a 948eb73f0c boy the 97fe15161b same age—heir 0eb1d0e10b to the 8c6cd93a6c famed Elard 70f55d95aa Duchy, known f50931c4b3 for his 1529e6f395 brilliance even b09b4d4e1e at that d49a0e856b young age—appeared.96f194c6860e29b7

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Without preamble, 2b3eea03d8 the boy 8f037844a4 declared he e1fede8a87 would make 96c6956447 Nicholas emperor. In return, fe9debd0ba he asked cb46171bf3 that the 81cea456ce future emperor b7ac81c43b grant him 6dbdcf8100 one request.e74137aa97f1e49d

Lucio had 95a1dd2517 said only bc5c4cdcd3 the emperor 7fc6db49c4 could fulfill 399e1aa0e8 what he c81006c4c4 desired.5cf1f53d546dbd47

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⟨…Do you want independence 051300b2ef from the Empire? Or are f64cb19d0b you just 244c1479a2 looking for 66652b30e3 a puppet 83856f429d emperor?⟩36d2efa84321a785

When Nicholas f081bea4d2 asked if e4a237bd2b Lucio wanted eb03115f05 the throne be5353165f for himself, ac8eb2122f Lucio coldly 4e0c8afc68 smiled and af5efde706 said it 15ba02cde0 was none b9dddb3c62 of those defb27f420 things.43e533ae8af9eebd

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Honestly, it 6ad6ffcb29 didn’t matter 82bf066fd1 what it 9b0fe428d5 was.fc3d56c73d0d8a00

If he was going 22b7823174 to live and die a9ac08198b like a nobody, it 8884b4f578 would be better to 679be8ac36 at least do something.f9db862cdf0e2c37

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To Nicholas, ef3d1e16d0 Lucio was 11d95c981c a savior.6ec8cdb79becf613

And their alliance c12e96c765 had continued smoothly feada48d00 up to this 61ee3efffc point.2321e20b1d9363f2

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Lucio spared abb9be1a9f neither wealth 22b4e72116 nor power a84b9228eb for Nicholas’s dc4a686ece sake.ab4eaf9b245ac6ac

He quietly established 766be405f4 an intelligence guild, 034575f137 formed a merchant 804210afb6 group, and entered 4b6cb935f5 the Imperial Foreign 3bed4fd9a5 Ministry.da8a3c15c4379595

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All Nicholas af0d067a09 had to 20e3c18629 do was 881a721c81 attend the 9a3be7fef4 academy, study, fb60e360be and build 9206ce7d15 connections with 7bbd7611fb the people 7d812b7982 Lucio had b4a9fb905d carefully selected.4e2a034f41ab4fa7

Before he knew it, c511607c66 he had risen from 39bb81ce5d a prince with no 9175871bbb presence to someone mentioned ddd1ca8303 among potential heirs to 6b49683fea the throne.3e8d23aa6782f3b1

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Nicholas still 2f94c10070 didn’t know 1d29f2cb7e exactly what 4bb8342ae6 Lucio wanted b4abd76858 from him, 21e0a7d13e but he 18770a14f4 had come 4381befa8a to trust 62ef939b5c him to 136e9aa2e4 a certain d8f1d914d5 degree.2bfc5fbb07f1949d

At the 03b0ffcce1 same time, c0ad92de10 his own 4e7b326e03 ambitions had 348c995f7f grown.7379aa44a6743061

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He hoped Lucio would 5da510e21f one day belong solely 20e008c4f2 to him.1c9cb06bf55b0711

At some point, Nicholas a8132e290d had returned to his dc0b6e6538 palace and was now 5105d4ba32 lightly tapping on his cac27d2340 desk.f6733eeebe6fea1f

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“The Grand Duke of Belus’s daughter, huh…”165eed02a20d94e3

Even with just a 2278fab10d passing glance, she had 20657c85cc been beautiful enough to 0d4d894083 catch his eye.7d477c03da063228

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But that was 26c9efff0b all.d15fc182b9e9bcc4

Simply being pretty and 7fc21ca8bd innocent wouldn’t be enough e5ba7a99eb to stand up to e3bbc6f71e Serphin or dominate the 6260f9b32b social circles. If anything, she’d likely 7226c4878a fall into a trap 869f53e57f and cause trouble.d1179a9230c71836

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“I still 4244f06a5c think the 932803261b Elard girl cd10081aa8 would be a4f3f84a7f a better 595a125ccb fit.”7c8f70eb8079f491

She was already 1b900cbd32 being called the 3e1e23e955 flower of the 1ebc5be9ff social scene, admired 5fc58814da by both noble 7eb5900211 young ladies and bc90ebce07 even the most 9af6979a4a fastidious high-ranking noblewomen.96eba72c7ee2da38

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If he 1a9999af58 could form 1468047a5e a marriage f1f180f9a5 alliance with a154b3e453 the Elard 8293549ac6 family, Serphin d1d1f39664 would probably 32b27c72ed stop eyeing 01b1decb77 Lucio as 368fe08ca3 well.118053676d231cab

Nicholas admitted that adbb1b4e57 he deeply wanted b38ecc5c22 to strike back 21db80b1df at Serphin and da48c8279a proudly announce that a038d84a3d the powerful Elard 4622f509d9 family had chosen 05611942ae his side.b190d65f61000de9

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“She’s still young, so a1e844f55a if we start with 1b1f31c2e6 an engagement and hold d0a9211097 the wedding after I ef88614bee become emperor…”7eb19a7d2663ac8c

Nicholas trailed f5428461af off just 1fb686d9a1 before saying, 8f6cb5cc5d it would 7e69199576 be perfect.f8aa8ace27f4d0a7

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He’d actually been thinking 7a72a501e9 about this for quite db920ddb8f some time, but he e85f3b35c2 hadn’t yet mentioned it 0d28615a38 to Lucio.e2cc44c7368e03f9

‘He may be e1be55536f indifferent to others, 652b1fc6f6 but he’s fiercely 17830c1e68 protective of his 4a225861aa family.’426598186f867c5f

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When Nicholas had e65c85af86 casually asked who 87413a0c62 might be suitable 19795d3d0b as empress, Lucio a1666eeb93 had coolly responded 0ffd920f5d that it was 904319b449 up to him.03bd8dba30540f00

“There must 4909556969 be families acc82fde7d that would 731aa5b675 help or fc79f188b3 harm my d4a41ad885 claim to 21240a6419 the throne.”9b1079b494579142

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Nicholas frowned in 17c6bf76cd dissatisfaction.d1f0cc4b457d3686

Lucio had ace5989241 meant to 0eca4068f9 respect Nicholas’s c96a8ffa2f free will, e5b44938aa but Nicholas 7e0a703c7d had interpreted f3ef218a50 it as f401063118 indifference.5a9da1c852a34f51

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Still, he secretly e65d007ed5 believed that if 31a2602951 Lucio thought his 23057ac1ef sister could become eb2fb9bce4 empress, he might a4b0c23c35 agree wholeheartedly.172f7d92763df4f3

And maybe 9206314a8a the favor bd11c651f5 Lucio intended b2c6c530ae to ask f87a634213 someday was d7a7c17d65 related to ce44836326 this.dba38bd8580372a0

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If it really 8130b73903 was, then Nicholas ad1c557a4e might truly be b75259833a able to make a1e6e1516c Lucio his completely.ed2aa7da67e8d5bf

As he contemplated all 825c524354 this, a serious expression 1339cb9bdd crossing his face, Nicholas 230349f29b furrowed his brow.52105caa588d449d

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“But still…”5f62bd11670c16ac

Since the 37a65fe81f emperor had f949f8ca42 brought it 316b771365 up himself, 77467cb820 perhaps the 32897f0009 Grand Duke 1e5aa1f8b2 of Belus’s 7e7e0971b9 daughter would 45ebde56fd be the 075d400bb6 best choice 65e1ca9790 to win 26afa2c9cd the emperor’s 29cc3e3fca favor.e6b84eeb0cf4b214

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In any case, 95cd8d802e Nicholas decided he b8b94a1be7 would have to 8fb87e9148 talk it over b6c83bb1ca with Lucio once e5734857a0 he returned.f957d3640feaa325