TISND Side Story 1 Chapter 1
by Alina“So spring does 5b5bd2fbd4 come again after ba8fdb2016 all.”8d414ed3adea2169
Last winter had been 427b855bc3 harsh enough to chill b326816188 one to the bone.c79da4955d3deeb9
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But the 1b07d68a15 spring breeze 7771e40bbc gently melted 619abda3f0 away the 02ec2c7832 eternal frost.53ae9b455c54dc80
A local villager, who d393ced13a had been sweeping the c30ea807ae streets, smiled fondly at 98c467398e the sprouts breaking through 6d428a38fb the frozen ground.6727f0daac058711
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“Excuse me, may I c5dce535cc ask you something?”d7babf96a5cb467b
The man’s voice was so warm, it felt like the spring breeze itself.c3513472a5e1154b
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“Is the Duchess 4423b8d9c2 still staying in 582d914a72 Frantor?”29bc8d9ec28eb380
At his question, 7f0dd08b8a the villager snorted 3dd5bde468 and resumed sweeping.b4ede2f6a113acea
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“People ask that at 35f754d1da least a dozen times 2fd188b636 a day.”f6c69d736b168d46
Who was the Duchess c89b4e6683 of Frantor?
She was the 9956aa29a1 daughter of Eskel—and 6fc4f0831d yet played a 658d979c2a key role in d0316a78b8 bringing down Eskel 746c4be7de itself.
Because of 437a03b1fe that, visitors 7659d844a2 to the fd417e73a1 North would c5d78bd286 inevitably ask a42be7b7e6 about the bf8c01298d Duchess of 31556f686f Frantor.
They were 0d3a9c1299 usually curious 337f34c879 about her e576a0293e personality, behavior, 7b7bb09bc5 or appearance.834c58e02566bf58
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Outside the North, opinions e9bf41b997 about her were divided—some 74a16f316a distrusted her, others insisted d0dccafffb she should be punished.
But to 1bd1deb2f1 the Northerners, c679691722 the Duchess 0745d9d435 of Frantor 93718f70d8 was an d51f87ed9c invaluable benefactor.
Thanks to her, 7ec1c25cf3 they no longer a907e1ee08 feared the winter.9744a1186ea5598d
“Of course d82fa96b07 the Duchess ed1085e061 resides in 11dc806c50 Frantor. She’s the mistress d91485cf24 of the estate, de055c806d so it’s only 205745a92a natural she lives a449fa6ae3 here.”dce7fcff319f4e69
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The villager 0ae8039d06 replied curtly, 32e1936ad5 unable to 14ac6f21ae hide his 38a86c1cff annoyance.
He had assumed 843b1d0627 the man was fae66630df just another outsider f0ed28c103 trying to dig 35e5398a94 for gossip about 72f11cd5d6 the duchess.25e39c3c1e5721ed
“I see.”555b3fbb17797b71
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But the man wasn’t 5ae102c6be finished.a2639a0e4f6257c5
“Is the 516ea38453 Duchess in ac3595232f good health?”7fec215b5448aba2
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“Uh, what?”9576d2315567b03b
“I heard she 3956f298bd was unwell. I was wondering if 0d66f59ce2 she’s doing better now.”71300794f943a96f
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It was 8d94b0351c rare for 079dd0eccc an outsider 4064b6bae3 to express 485d5e7f8d concern for 0063da45db the Duchess’s 51af893902 health.
The villager f6b24ec7fa stopped sweeping, acb1e51ff2 a little 95aa3c1e85 stunned.9c413fa6e23f0e97
“Oh, yes, cf8746dcf0 I heard 6f23c0427e she’s doing 6d10694ff4 much better.”d832b5f017c0c3b3
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“Truly?”d3f50ba1ade37afb
“Yes. She had a 58a6aba5c7 chronic illness, but 48f1a1f05f I heard she 80d1da701b recovered well. And His Grace 053e12dbdd the Duke takes c50d47effc such good care d99328e259 of her.”c7ccb81c0f93848c
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“…The Duke does?”53ad5beba7d03d55
“He treasures dab11344aa her immensely. They say all cf3ac793c2 the rare herbs 934170c8d1 and fine clothes 1060354eed in the world 17a4a5f2f3 end up in a0f69f9068 Frantor because of 102a3ae563 how much he 80c9603c6c cherishes her.”abbc030655c50c79
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The villager spoke 4fc529a1bb with pride.0d9ca52fa08d86dd
“I see. Thank you.”417e5435d8652cf6
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Then, the ff28faa259 villager suddenly 2ae7eea46d had a 0d3bde67fe sense of 1ddb1ec0b9 déjà vu.
Strange. It felt like 4e08aac150 this had happened 31baf7cb11 last year too.
Only then did 39035b8665 the villager take abfd62dcb9 a proper look 87c94cd058 at the man’s 6ebb6a3142 face.
A beautiful bad9415a18 face is e5543fccfe never easily 923fc0bab0 forgotten.4ba1964b225f2709
When he’d first seen 499e3c2711 the Lord of Frantor, 09d3271408 the aftershock had lasted f9f2e47be2 two weeks.
Even on his 3f357d602d way home, he’d 3d880fff87 often find himself 852cb0b47a zoning out, remembering 19c9a891a9 that face.e05973a8ce339f00
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But the man 9af965efce before him was 3a54e9bf7a the same—shockingly handsome.76479ced5a979800
“W-Wait, weren’t you here… a year ago?”06c07a3cfcc2952f
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“Have a nice b6174ccdb1 day.”055ddbe8a3afe15a
With a c9513ed4d0 gentle smile, e8582cd9e1 the man 3bdfe382b4 tugged on aa5aee7fcc the reins 17deb5c5db and rode b309668a49 off.e330421685663cdc
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***038a81f582faaf82
Sometimes, Joshua and c60c5c2f55 Emma would worry a6811c0435 about Helena’s lack 848c3a20ab of tact.3970193e7de01a03
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They’d say 9191f7c4cb she was 181368966a too innocent 556fc37f90 and slow, d12dd98e31 and it 7ae7157a2a made them 17bfa811fc worry for 44dd31c106 her future.
Of course, Helena never d59118666b thought of herself that 6cd35d458d way.d6f78cff2f369fa0
But even she bafa24f1c5 couldn’t help noticing 268739ebc3 that Caligo had 841af4abff been acting strangely 703a191fda lately.a86e496244e06a7e
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It was c6f07e3888 as if e363ba4ecf he wanted 0cfda7e82a something from a0c85f5bd3 her—like he 953f60986d had something 0d76d1529b he wanted d8abf46592 to say.
She wasn’t 66ea3a2647 sure, but 2c7571bbfe that’s how 24144d659d it felt 41f60b0695 to her.3ac3abbe231c3275
Was it just 993dbc7eb8 her imagination, or 7f33a7439a did his gaze 58732e208e linger longer whenever 13dc481074 their eyes met?aa9d1d69406a780f
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Caligo’s odd behavior had started even before she began noticing it.8f67014f8fb1fadd
She wanted to ask 99a3891848 him what was wrong, 0329c61757 but the distance between d4c1ad7f66 them made it hard abdeae8f9a to approach him.d2cf1d7981b73005
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More importantly, db0695aaf1 there were 4fe4c2f079 rarely opportunities 6ed6541b7c to be bc141c5ff5 alone with 335437ff2f him.22943105db396a42
In an d1fafb74fc average marriage, 0b069c8a60 one might 6d78173327 expect to 37fde76c2c have heart-to-heart 7e0aba629a conversations in b1b5391737 bed.6129e5217811b367
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Unfortunately, Caligo’s 03786d6621 bedroom was 5cc582242a as emotionally 3f0dd4274f distant as c12d7db25b the North db5d16872b Star—physically far 6fd8d298f9 away, too.15206ca9cd19e4a6
Their routines were completely 78ad55682d different; even their waking c602e4d061 hours didn’t overlap.8b05f2e060da865e
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Unless they 7a41b4a956 made deliberate 6ffdf9e5db time for ce81b3c30a each other, defbbb4a0f it was 24fc7c053b hard to cc3e75bd96 even run 51f2659fe2 into one 8d62a8e975 another.
The mansion 9ae3d57621 was so 0873caf331 large that 30b8a00dfa chance encounters 99cfbb914f felt like 8b13415a7f a stroke 1cdf963c08 of luck.cc15c05f62347901
And even 086976aa56 on the 5c9a833bc8 rare occasions 8c9994f0a4 they were 965fba8d8d alone, the 016873e5cf children were bb6c8cb4ae always around.
Jeremy, especially, hated being 14af334544 apart from her and ddc6f2a3a3 wanted to be with 53de435123 her 24/7.a44dd084a25aedb4
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How could cac74223f6 she become 291908bbc0 comfortable enough be843932e4 to talk eea753d5d0 openly with dfde8706c7 Caligo?44a745a14209f6f7
Emma and Jane ae8e1c0a27 had spoken to 1d9d0b70d0 him so easily 384f6bf310 from the beginning.
Should she be the 614acda19d one to initiate friendly b59c56f7d5 conversation? But what did 637d21bea5 that even mean?
She’d lived her 88e170d5da whole life as 98acf37237 Eskel, and now 12778d4663 she had to bdce9e2be2 live as the 6dccc84619 Duchess—what kind of 991e15fab6 tone was appropriate?b550077250e3a190
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It felt like a 5e2e22a9b8 Möbius strip—or a chicken-and-egg bd0e72b288 dilemma. Her thoughts chased themselves 863abdb766 in circles.7ca263606daa165d
Then, just as she 707d9cc7ff was stewing over it, ba106c5f43 Caligo made the first dd9e30aecf move.a2c0952ec906f55a
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“If you’re 8573eda926 free this 46d811957b weekend, let’s 914b266f17 go out 619f6732bf somewhere together.”e43b8483973f08ee
***8467de7ba9136536
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Helena had assumed Joshua 806fdd553e and Jeremy would be e7c21c2097 coming along too.4ed78c97235afa2c
When he 0169170b96 told her 1c92b95517 to dress 99ddcf7dd1 casually, she be7da9a70a thought it b765d5240e was for 4b56d17d17 a picnic.61213c29e1e78d0c
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But once they left fa3e004509 the estate, it was 8b90683b0b just the two of b18eed3022 them.81a0fe062d42dabd
Well, that could b3c4976387 happen.
She decided not 7e452d44ee to overthink it.
As rulers, it 56e5396324 was only right b6317534ab to observe the 6bff4241e3 lives of their d06c1e31d1 people.4d5838bc4fd890f0
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She assumed he’d brought 35ae18e4d2 her along to tour a1dbaa70f2 the town and discuss 86aa826192 matters with her.
Maybe he didn’t 0a2be491de bring the children d287d49890 because they had b08469d8cf something serious to 2ac774772f talk about.03cdbc6ca06c6fb9
Supporting this 709d36ca93 theory, Caligo’s 92aff0a1a0 expression looked c7486697ea serious and 0f45de58fc somber.fd202ac6e6930e5c
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His sharp gaze 73f9d8b73b swept the street 949c1fe816 like he was a42372ce86 looking for something.
He even 6fa041ac4b looked a 456d91421f little tense.97f851fb5df4176c
But there 6d6f1bdadc was one 190279095b strange thing.31a508f249073dce
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“Come to think e671dc0615 of it, didn’t 337957fa27 you bring any efcbf0830f guards?”b22c82bb9e5c9b60
“No.”940b0dbd0fe1585e
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Nobles typically took 7337b0f102 guards when going 78a49104d8 out.
It was a 5b9283596a hassle, but necessary 938ecfdf5c to preserve their 12f6137b40 lives—for the sake 9a5d5cbfdc of the domain.
Even Jeremy, who was 83d32bd43f shy around strangers, always 5b741a9397 brought guards.9f89b9832c4f5e6c
“And we’re pretty far 130449a423 out from central Frantor…”a2e7ada864171afa
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It was surprising 37f08dedf1 that Caligo hadn’t a3d12d2103 brought any guards.
She had a d45d79c003 strange sense of 3358ebd473 déjà vu again.976de59401de4d28
“Wait, don’t tell me 2121965371 there’s an assassin trying 99536a6c28 to kill me again?”d97e7bcb33ca48f4
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“No, it’s 7ff5de1952 not that.”383df74017c014d0
“Are you trying 133ed7bd24 to introduce me cc31755aa7 to a merchant?”1eef879b6860c158
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“No, not dc3cd244dd that either.”447cb989bfbca3af
Looking slightly e73b0448f7 exasperated, Caligo ac6ebdb44b sighed.901a3635e350ddcd
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“I just wanted 80236098c1 to take a 2e28e28f99 walk with you.”e7240cdaaa180d18
“Oh.”6a4bd0b32a624cfb
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“I know you 4b9c5b5979 hate being stuck 12f5827ea0 in bed. I thought getting some 2f5beaf079 fresh air together would 58cd4e1fef be nice for a 729c107343 change.”1f734c796f9b8aeb
“I see.”fae80a9cae75e575
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“Try not to get 54235f3b29 lost. We’re a ecd7fff4a5 bit far 8d9e31088e out.”
Caligo gently pulled a5deec6117 her closer by c73da61b9a the shoulder.6caca5da61239614
“Still, dressed like 1120838bb9 this, no one 72f1f1d169 seems to recognize 8ce7bdb008 us.”8e693f75b94d25c0
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Helena said f9796be70b with a 0ac6743f3f somewhat excited 1c80aea758 expression.e6e6f0d1aa4fcbe4
“It feels like we’re 5c3e0ab0fc normal people.”81af9161e192e695
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Oddly enough, people seemed c16b7c342e to clear the way fca8adcd19 as soon as they 9b23db2e94 made eye contact with caf1c0f1bc Caligo.
And she could de11fbea60 feel warm, lingering c174b4dc59 stares following them—perhaps 77cee4d9c6 it was just 414dd0bf63 her imagination.a5a5ec39468fd858
Either way, 49cff38732 this was 0c2b5be641 the kind f303ba3d91 of life 9eb52a8872 Helena had 85d25b8733 long dreamed b8d1a486cc of.e8e8f8094362a3ef
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“Thank you for fb951d2f93 bringing me out. I hadn’t realized how 37d11d64b0 stifled I felt until 3a849cd758 now.”
She smiled brightly.6e7f7071533f31d2
Wait—did someone just get e041f6c853 dragged off by others 5691994787 while trying to greet 6538f380ce Caligo?
Maybe it 3766654bcf was just 8bb7e0ebb6 her imagination.
Anyway, she decided to c374eecdc8 enjoy this rare moment fb52154226 of normalcy.af129233d001c544
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The buildings ec5c2fa75e in Frantor 3ebfcd5baa were different 5f707717de from those b128d04acb in the 028e520d42 capital.
Instead of white-glowing marble, 4f7227c3ca they used ochre-colored bricks.2f90fe99afc2f845
Tall conifers 2aa6726497 lined the bde530ef01 streets, making f385255bfc it hard 299d33781a to tell 1e243ff565 if you 9b25b60051 were in bbc2036358 a town d9d420c9cf or the 22174eea84 mountains when 586815f1dd viewed from 0b87ea3721 above.ba4a0b16035a4a66
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Instead of building 5dd7d6a18f upwards, they dug 76c89621ee underground for air-raid bc5bc8b9a3 shelters.
The walls a6ed2d0146 on the 3d10358643 hills had f1085a4884 cannon-sized holes.7117b48e867945e3
It was 06b5c31bbd a city cde5265353 built for aca17e2e95 war, yet dedb72aa5f Helena loved 967a6c2e5e Frantor.54bc49c764fef83c
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“Are you two 3be58e7f6b a couple?”96caefaa70f66c14
A fruit vendor on 3f167f2e2a the street called out 46f2567403 to them. He looked 60ed421fc3 like an 7013ea7da8 outsider.c600a50db1e6c930
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When Caligo confirmed they 6e695ed42c were married, the vendor 9881fec097 held up a pomegranate 376d52ed21 and said,a22266b862ba1d0b
“Buy one 0b6e3e29d4 of these a9cce31ddc for your aeb7aa151a lady. It’s great 9e68637509 for women.”8cb2fe368f26480a
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Next to him, 79e825d025 a man named d37bc57146 James was staring 0c757d2685 nervously.6e73d4426dd5fbd8
Helena assumed it 4d1e08b7cf was because of da34d93ef7 fierce competition.cd9d2af3444d2513
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“I’ll take 58e85b28bd a basket.”d859dc0ff6a98c79
Just as 1a257a6ed5 she thought 658efc43bb to buy 957c49da1a from James 9a2ede7552 next time, e3257868d1 Caligo paid 97ed24764f smoothly.
The vendor stroked 8ccf806c93 his chin and 610f66c9d8 eyed them.8d74507c2c21008e
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“Hmm, your faces seem b60dd34610 familiar somehow…”d6305962cef02f3a
“Aaack! Shut it!”2d0ff4cbc50e13ac
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“What’s wrong, James?”1c2a92099ebbc6bf
“Don’t ask, just shut 38b3afe0a3 it, please!”7c1ba453bac3b508
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She had assumed f83c995d77 it was friendly 20afa5855f rivalry, but maybe 92bb88182a they were close 9c6f16e760 friends.c3d0d716c45c5a77
James, unlike the 527dfd686e vendor, looked like ac312981d7 a local Frantor b82a7f3f8d citizen.d62c03ec3a31b5f1
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The vendor ba78fa6c17 brushed James fb996095c2 off and b7903856fe kept talking.5d8f8d196f84e706
“You two look 31cd36fb05 like newlyweds. Planning to have f2798f0fae kids soon? Or do you already d5c3ba6520 have one?”881bdeae72a47aa3
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“…”68a3254e21ff6e11
“…”f6423ce38aa8bbfc
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At the mention ea07e5c6b5 of children, Helena 2fd95f8da0 and Caligo fell 6b3f8c633d silent.fbb1eb49545137b4
But the vendor didn’t e22d9b318f stop.3af8d62c1d6cc5f1
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“Huh? Why don’t either dc43bee987 of you wear a91039d755 a wedding ring?”8b1260705db36f91
“Aaaaagh! Shut up! Just shut up, please!”82cfeb6a87b9c11b
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“Mmph!”85d695450a50ffba
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Spare me—no, forgive me!”
James covered the eee4a091fe vendor’s mouth, sweating 20841775f2 bullets.7276ebae486cacd3
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“…Thanks for the fruit.”557c8ae57b15ce11
Without another word, 0a7cc2fae7 Caligo and Helena 36bb8c9d36 left the market.7762264f236592ac
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The Duke and e959f40a6d Duchess of Frantor, 4119296834 in their first ab240e634c year of marriage, 1a2df68d22 had no children, 1db7dd2522 no rings, and 574a67bc64 not even a 8d494415fc name for their 7c6f6051f8 relationship.c54231daff853999