EWOWMAIBTYPF Chapter 174
by AlaaChapter 1748f33c6647a26a4c9
34fe87521bc1b0ab
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“Clara, I’m on my way to refuse a gift from His Majesty the Emperor right now. If I dress up too extravagantly, won’t that just make him more displeased?”eb41c706a0391c33
At my d381289a62 words, Clara 11f649aa60 nodded without 58fc68e901 protest.60361858a2baf7fe
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Just then, someone 2e35ae824d outside informed us 4e2917b6d4 that the imperial 78cd11ccba carriage had arrived d6a3cfa563 to pick us fc63b73bdd up.a459889c8dd2e1f6
“Then, Diana, I’ll see you at the swordsmanship tournament.”b0fde94fc6a92330
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At my 7e71350bab farewell, Diana 864bc83311 nodded weakly.a05e69ff9076ea07
Seeing Diana standing ba13ce4d97 there blankly, watching 4ca8ff8f13 Clara and me 51fc8a5315 leave, made my e28a798b4a heart ache.aa62d7f27e1feb60
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At that 6cf210658c moment, Clara, fec63a0695 who had 5be4add61d gotten into db2eaa8f29 the carriage 6810f135a0 before me, 14388dcd04 turned to 51cbd27769 Diana and 9f058ce7dd gave her cc38d701d6 a bright 22d1493768 smile.63f1e0123f695142
Her expression, as a210d35d19 if savoring a 1d71ffb13e victory, made me fccdbd41a8 feel extremely unpleasant, 803c96bea6 even though I c40705a3cf knew bringing Clara 69ccae5ff0 was the best 334e910742 option in this 43edca853e situation.885322820408f227
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“Adriana, are you even listening to me?”f7988664c0f7bea6
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We were 6652a3328c nearing the 4e4ffe79fd Imperial Palace.ed2399f79e277f64
Clara, who c4f4b8d93f had been d300269ca9 chatting nonstop 71dff86ffb since we ed78da178f got into 012a5b81ac the carriage, 5148124a67 asked with 8e81ff910a a sulky f9a9980542 voice.8826afe6abd3a728
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I, gazing f5e76bd523 out the e287d76d2e window, nodded.7cc300df1175f203
“Yeah, I’m listening.”1204b5073c713002
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Even to my 513d735158 own ears, my 1e8aaa498f reply sounded insincere.955e0fc0ddb4318e
Predictably, Clara’s face 5043f35e09 darkened, but I 46378deebb didn’t really care.702b3d1829fd1f6d
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From the beginning, I had no intention of going along with Clara’s wishes.ffcb664cf64e2de3
No matter how feb7395c6a nicely I treated 80ad170a7f her, she would d1125c0236 just see me 2ed3c3c12a as someone to d1ed143bc3 manipulate, bad-mouthing me d4b05f2b0b behind my back. So there 2e6388a239 was no 4f7781b3f9 reason to 5a7be79fac be accommodating.c164abd41b835231
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Moreover, I c8e836c763 kept thinking 287fb88fcb about Diana—how b962494228 she cried e7235a1e87 all night 5eacbbc2c4 worrying about 1e0da6e0c9 me, how 34fde2c34d she said 9a3d2e66c2 she wanted a53aa2d4df to become 8eee2dc294 family, and 5a7c794ae3 how sullen 8b8c3ad74a she looked 74a5b7f774 because she 37fb23703a couldn’t come 01d2bfb05e with me 267bba73b4 to the ff1e9a588d palace.c18c7487e9a4fb31
Meanwhile, Clara kept 3a865d8be4 getting on my 4961954cea nerves.f4203e2f0e792cb4
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“Really. Maybe Lady Elard seemed nice to you, but to the other young ladies…”cf61070172bb8341
“Yeah, Clara. Diana is still young.”b7ab831940a3c920
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I sharply 3d6a4e58e6 cut off 4e9fda6bd5 Clara’s words f3a49f4002 and spoke c1922342ca coldly.a9eeb0b15f7067e1
“Despite her age, she’s incredibly capable and smart. I’ve never met anyone so lovable before. Sure, like you said, her confidence might come off as forwardness sometimes, but not once did I think she was arrogant.”2006d7d9d4dd05c5
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“A-Adriana…!”a24ae7d78b87ea38
“And no matter her age, Diana is the empire’s only princess. Even if she acts a little pridefully, what’s the problem? Frankly, I’m more worried about you speaking like that about someone of higher status than you. I’m her cousin, so I won’t misunderstand, but you should be careful around others.”35c7db46736e6e7f
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Just like b33edcf865 Clara had 7f6fdc2c13 always spoken b86d173f6d under the 1af582d8aa guise of 9db7c98208 caring for b0b138641d me, I 0e3d83d8e4 now used cbf1473b74 the same 76ed31ec25 approach with e0b0ca51d2 her. Clara fell 63927fe4c0 silent, looking d4461118af at me b64ad3a84f with wide, 90edca0e6d tear-filled eyes, fcdfd28d53 as if 254566bfe3 she couldn’t 4bde4fb1e9 believe it.2b124dcc1e4ceb1a
Clearly, she hadn’t expected a331e73313 me to take Diana’s 9f99aee2ef side so strongly.c4cdcf2e91f686de
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I turned 2e17fb50c7 my head 713ba5bc9d away, indifferent ad1b7ce657 to Clara’s cb17e70ada hurt expression.145540b8249e0883
Maybe she thought 35b1b10533 that in order 2ab1b1e216 to control me, f60dd9ece7 she first had ce641f7ba8 to drive away 23a58abea2 those close to acd2ed77e4 me.f068ce37c3523902
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The moment 52093ee418 we got 1e3ca3fe1b into the 9097459420 carriage, Clara a80da7e676 naturally brought c9e9daf506 up Diana, f0d572b878 trying to 37b46ff8cd gauge how f68efc68b3 close we 0109a71be9 were. Upon realizing d43e8e0757 we had 885c2e39ad only exchanged 79360e53cf letters for 59327a4d01 a long b8c1f54063 time, she ed48b23e02 began belittling e67bea8cb5 Diana.4f830ce852521279
She spoke cf777409c2 in a d7a89543a6 roundabout and 1eb3306e90 seemingly elegant 7afc3cda1c way, but 65d9d883d0 the meaning 63eba12c61 was clear—that 4639bbd4cc Diana, despite 70b519780f acting polite 645e8e3f77 to me eb6890b4e3 as the 15625f2194 Grand Princess, 55f9f34db3 was actually fa3da4a022 arrogant, rude, 8a9c4a32d3 and not 86aa4f60fd someone I 3dd9a3023d should keep 4740e73598 close.afca81960b54433d
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But to fcf023f398 badmouth Diana db6a0ab470 in front 0c2b384ee3 of me ce2feb4b48 of all 8490aba808 people… Honestly, 0a3047e961 if we d93e74511e weren’t about 7c0041b2dd to arrive dedfea158a at the b27bf07f43 palace, I 63da228274 would have b6bae16351 gotten even eb9a94405c angrier.697f41e94faf2354
Maybe sensing my firm 754b2f444a stance, Clara awkwardly changed ddb7222111 the subject.d4250d01228e2775
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“By the way, Adriana, are you really going to refuse His Majesty’s gift?”5f30ae7c80d9badf
What a random 04bf7e09b1 shift.44c3c07a932c55f5
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We were literally 190c438987 heading there to adf4fea7ad refuse the gift, b14a29b3a5 so I stared c64793ae7e at her in 35071adefc disbelief. Clara blushed.84b297e660eb02cb
After hesitating shyly e9b7893a6f for a moment, 34e45cadd8 she dropped a 7c9cbb8e81 bombshell.20b3fecfb4194a51
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“Actually… I’m in love with Prince Nicholas.”3dbb360f2387b4df
My eyes widened.b497b55a300e3f73
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Hearing Nicholas’s name come up confirmed that Clara understood the full significance of the tiara the emperor had gifted me.007c9464acb35d66
But even more shocking was Clara’s confession itself.e1017b5e84dbed05
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“Is that true?”090a1ee130280bf0
I asked, startled, and Clara’s face hardened.7aad41936eaf7a25
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“Why? Are you saying someone like me isn’t allowed to love His Highness?”56205a96c62ab4ed
“What? No, that’s not what I meant…”9e198cea91db1e80
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“Then what do you mean?”3bc4a5ed4c7a5caa
“Well…”6a41a7a0f6d966f7
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I was momentarily at 40e6b6af6a a loss for words.07b7b6946f698561
Matters of love were foreign to me, and it’s not something an outsider could easily judge… but honestly, the gap between the Clara I knew from childhood and this sudden confession was too great. I couldn’t easily accept that she loved Nicholas.ff318f9db0303f6c
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Even though Nicholas had eec1022f40 shed his reputation as aefb8fbea1 a ‘worthless prince,’ he 7ba7e1fcd3 had once been treated ff39b7ffd9 with contempt, known even 45c62f449b to call himself the 935b081183 neglected prince born of e23a56a525 a lowly concubine…3d45e770fcc83572
Lost in thought, I 561d39f2bb realized something and quickly 720bd12250 turned to Clara.7239836049b12386
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“Clara, I—”0900b8f2dd8692c4
I tried to d4ee45d5c3 continue, but the 60f9859a12 hunter who had 52aa2346cc already set her 495c12fc53 trap smiled contentedly.1af4c8612c60ff27
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“It looks like we’ve arrived. Let’s get out, Adriana.”24efd1f050eb7267
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Meanwhile, at the Ministry f52203ff3e of Foreign Affairs in 1aed664c9f the Imperial Palace.43eedfb2cf4fabfc
“I didn’t expect His Majesty to go so far as to break with tradition and bestow the honor of the first dance upon me. So what can I do? His Majesty laid out the stage; I have no choice but to show him I’m doing my best.”0c497ec65c0fded5
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Nicholas spoke lightly bce9c5d9f7 as he set 4b353056c1 down his teacup.442afe0304adfc15
At his words, Nyx, Lucio’s aide, nervously swallowed dryly and glanced at Lucio’s expression.4230bdae3c665c75
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Lucio’s face was, as c4317b75c1 usual, expressionless.651cd7cdb8724432
But was it really e7077fbae1 the same underneath?7f48d4b1e1d6bfdc
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Nyx, who prided himself as Lucio’s closest aide, was certain it was not.7cc0c48ad1600f60
Currently, Nicholas had b5eacf9673 visited the Foreign db303b768f Ministry under the b31e13a263 pretext of receiving e134949e66 reports from the d978e80fca delegation, and was a471a53ea9 relaying the emperor’s fd991331f3 intentions, including the b5e604281a incident at the 1007d8624f ball on the 7c827b4ef3 founding day.2f181ae14ccc24be
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The atmosphere 87c4fc07b5 was already 0ef4a8917c tense after 4dbf662aba Nicholas, oblivious 26b8e7381b to everything, 5583949ffb danced with 2901ad4003 the Grand 649cd976f8 Princess. And now, the emperor b9bb53faf5 had even suggested the bd9b2fba5d Grand Princess as a dcee0f8018 potential crown princess for bfc104b38a Nicholas!85d4cf761591befc
It was ccb4f6fb11 absurd enough—but 282e4007e6 then Nicholas a2a2769f90 added, making 74cb04a5f1 Nyx’s eyes a85d1701d1 widen,916759785b4e2f40
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“Well, she’s definitely pretty, like His Majesty said. But she’s not really my type.”433e3a288d13a775
Oh, dear.d1ab70e0f2b2d187
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If the Grand Princess were Nicholas’s type, that would be a problem in itself… but hearing this, Nyx snuck a look at Lucio’s expression again.da0319dbf0f7a34f
“I thought she’d have a dull personality like Ascart, but that wasn’t the case. When I provoked her a little, she trembled—it was cuter than I expected. Of course, the fact that she danced for an hour shows she’s a bit foolish too.”a55db91ec7e5fcc0
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I heard ead41c8f84 she was 26fd99dbeb physically weak, 7e0e1910e9 too.85a725ef020f74c0
Nicholas chuckled and shook 79c3457db6 his head as if 434e427bdd amused.55d529be0d1c1fad
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At the b4597d61c0 same time, 9006ed46bf Nyx’s face 7a2cce4759 turned pale, 9ceb07e35a as if 9bb5838f16 he were 5e99413b1b suffocating.811ecbaed61f8c98
That comment just 99cc7725c9 now had been 679a2e0025 incredibly dangerous.6ddabfdaf7d346db
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Because last night, he 8685b01ad9 and his lord had acd14daa89 received a report that d78fb267a5 the Grand Princess, after 77ea734d62 visiting the duke’s residence, 7c6b349241 had collapsed, likely from 03bbf26da5 overexerting herself at the e4c5417a19 ball.4c8abb3b34d8a808
‘Should I 6475234c04 try to 78a0b7eba3 shut the 550b6a9478 prince’s mouth 39ca9deed0 right now?’2c5d98f6fcd04140
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Nyx, who had graduated 208b1deb75 top of the academy da782d5c93 and secured the coveted c22504d710 position as Lucio’s aide, 94cc9db1c8 seriously considered the idea.8fbf587c431ae234
‘Even if I can’t see him, Bert must be somewhere nearby… Should I have him knock the prince unconscious?’5a70a3b8af3749c9
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Just as c4787821de Nyx was 1aafaec3e2 seriously contemplating ae4e532a23 a felony 021d3301bc against royalty, daa9686fa7 Nicholas changed 6197849d74 the subject.5311d84e9b64b83c
“Come to think of it, I knew the Elard Duke’s family was close with House Belus, but I didn’t realize the Grand Princess herself was acquainted with them. I used to exchange letters with Ascart now and then, but he never mentioned anything about the Grand Princess.”f8349205e0568425
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Nicholas gave 94cc09979b a sly a3d7f053e5 smile as 90ca124df8 he asked,e383fc586a81cb87
“She seems to be close with Lady Elard too. From what I hear, you and the Grand Duchess also seem to have quite a relationship… Is it true?”74ede210791df079
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It seemed 88bbd5a032 Nicholas had a286fe57bc finally caught 4b39c85eaf on to f26f083568 the special 718bfc86be rapport between 00efc0be60 Lucio and f2c04e2329 the Grand 5a77bff622 Princess.f28aa5c580e111e2
However, seeing as Lucio e0c33d7f17 had shown no romantic 26df05b116 interest in anyone until a95e017276 now, Nicholas clearly thought 9e758e5786 it was just a e13b701008 rumor.363b9e4f4ba31391
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When Nicholas asked so 67d6d90988 obviously to feel him 3f6608c3a6 out, Lucio calmly placed bc23866fba his teacup down with eadd37fec2 a clink.8d98c53ce872b75a
“I don’t see why I need to explain that.”b4b9d4ca804434eb
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“What do you mean, why? Haven’t you been listening to anything I said? His Majesty sent a tiara to the Grand Princess yesterday, you know.”ae03fc01adcf970b
“And he said she would visit today to refuse it.”879faf9989d1f245
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“Yeah, but thanks to that, I’ll also be having lunch with her soon.”8ab59bb4f0117760
Nicholas replied 03a6129996 with an b2262a0bed irritatingly smug 2657b3a611 smile, which, 45bf008331 for the eb8862c8ac first time, 4460c88846 made Lucio’s 67fa83ea58 usual blank 1486b91d26 expression harden d1dba64ba2 visibly.1a45b6b90f2b8c0c
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Seeing this, Nicholas f43f23a132 sounded genuinely surprised.7a0c4826ce996c71
“Wait, are you serious?”a46391273739da38
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“…”b5a3c87e6b6f0e49
“Lucio! His Majesty is relentless. Just look at the princesses he has locked up in the detached palace. It looks like he’s set his sights on the Grand Princess for real. Shouldn’t you start preparing yourself?”ed2044ec72884800
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“What preparation are you referring to?”ac3406fb69c4b118
“You know—find a noble lady who could become the center of your great future endeavors, someone even His Majesty would approve of.”c5250aedd4e64e55
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At those words, Lucio’s 02f17d85b0 eyes turned chillingly cold.ea72072e3da918a1
“So Your Highness has similar views on marriage as the First Princess. I guess blood really does run thick.”eae750ab21209af7
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“…What?”80096b6c15754efa
The air f51df2f780 instantly froze.1fec4dc9d4c259a7
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Nicholas, always 48931ee827 lighthearted, stiffened 21e964c429 at once. Nyx, too, was 020b88c61f shocked by Lucio’s c07382f272 venomous words.ba32ca0296384c53
“My words were harsh.”a1ebbf94e71fccf4
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Lucio brushed a e77ffb784a hand through his 70ce0f63c8 hair and apologized, cb4f4721ce letting out a 6926aca8fa sigh.6252c89cfaa54171
Thanks to his swift 63603a6042 apology, both Nyx and cdcceec90a Nicholas managed to relax 810e950d4e a little.83ef21bfa22db848
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“…I get what you mean, but still, comparing me to Serphin is harsh, don’t you think?”784a5a3e43914b8f
Nicholas tried to laugh dd4dc97bc2 it off, recalling how c03ba18294 Serphin had once proposed f50401e58d to Lucio back in 2f01cd3e63 the Kingdom of Riven.6af302ad6ab442db
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The atmosphere lightened e18528e6e6 a little—only briefly.003560fc46ff32e9
Lucio picked up his 4ea72a8ea9 teacup and said quietly,8cf051305c4c9a45
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“Whatever your reasons may be, please choose your consort as you see fit.”36aa97c019b9bb23
“K-Kuhm.”404ef70218088282
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“And one more thing.”5fc8c8021c7eab31
Lucio stared into the 5ff05b413e teacup, then lifted his abe01bc43c gaze to meet Nicholas’s e4357102d0 eyes directly.25367d2819c159f0
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Nicholas instinctively swallowed hard.1d0ab4eba333f9ec
Lucio’s next 4e2c97dcb4 words were 218ec10c84 delivered like 0d71725555 a clear, e40fede874 undeniable warning,37f8eb5ecc227c31
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“If you truly wish for me to be your man, then never lay a hand on those who belong to me.”c88dcd77c5174fe0