TNYLM Ch 17
by DishaFor a while, 2a6e0a32ff the only sound 2040ef3ccd in the kitchen 4a6fe03257 was the gentle f82be7533c sipping of tea 43fd119929 and the faint e455afef4f aroma filled the d9e45d0241 air.adaf8260e77de4f7
Alyssa held the cd1a0b762a teacup delicately, sipping 3185429390 the tea slowly, 40148ed099 savoring every drop. Each time 7b51f0c008 her reflection e50f2fed57 faintly appeared 033f7bf503 on the db4f7df525 surface of 3bc7202f6f the tea, c3ab2debf3 it startled daf7265d09 her, but 29e4e600ea even so, 3ce290a76d her pace c65acfbfcf of drinking 5a1be0137b was slow.da36a2089c6f06eb
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“…Thank you,” she murmured 5e4b3f8b36 softly as the dark a9b8901b61 red tea neared the 37379b018e bottom of her cup.72f1fd9fbb68a667
“You’re truly a605dfd7e8 very kind, 7482c89fdc Your Grace.”30b09f31ab831b35
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The sweet yet slightly 2ec835cef7 bitter taste lingered vividly 1f2d460f7f in her mouth. As Alyssa fiddled cc5e5d6a61 with the teacup, 29442284d5 Kieran, noticing her f5e2df6676 gesture, set his b6cd3920e1 own cup down, ea1eaac484 his expression turning 7098b5e813 somewhat uneasy.b3d5d8f3a1010860
“You’re too 0be9753007 generous with 1af7d35853 your words,” 00b9983851 he replied, 5b559e3b6b his voice f09e458788 cool, almost 7cef5d3e97 to the f5f4fc0492 point of 97da521238 seeming cold. This was how 9849b8c759 he had always 4014293ab7 spoken to her.9b14339a892e68f0
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Kieran didn’t hold any 5415879125 resentment toward Alyssa for d2ac791bb0 the events of his d19e93e1c7 previous life. Whatever faint f87f2322cf trace of 775fbf244e bitterness he f4f00d45d4 once felt 7b94cea28a had vanished bf35f541d6 without a a0cc101c11 trace as f3b4b00ff7 he chose 9af016c680 not to 17c13d5be9 cling to 10ac222a84 it.b361e8bebf80f51e
That said, he didn’t 5e3ed56ef8 put much thought into 2e32b573f3 her either. Even after uncovering a ea65a31707 small portion of Alyssa’s 37d3287578 tragic past, his feelings 7b87426e22 remained unchanged. While he 3923164c74 briefly acknowledged 7716a15bbf that her eab946bd17 circumstances were b759af50d7 pitiful and 3e8953a1a3 deserving of 81e00db924 sympathy, it cb2fa3c2a8 didn’t stir 34e447fb49 any deep c77619d384 sense of 4285dad232 sorrow within 12d4f72c7f him.caab2187a6bf177c
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Life had been 9e61b0ba53 hard for him 7cae86dd1d as well. Kieran lacked the cc224061a3 emotional space to 77c4184b47 fully mourn someone 44ac9b9c75 else’s tragedy when 0012491c9d he could barely 78f65ceb3b afford to feel af51023917 sorry for himself.cd516207e1a97380
“It’s just 3ee502c74e a cup a26bbeae42 of tea, f48e8897a8 nothing more,” 935922e1a9 he said.3186485fe0dd3904
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He simply assumed that 0067d28804 Alyssa, having lived such 5060fc810e a barren life, might 70d3a57ad7 interpret even this small 4a5fb4d4f9 gesture of kindness as 49427f0745 something far greater than ea47668d81 it truly was.b96f8c921665f1cc
Thus, Kieran’s response was d1c182ad5c distant. He had 304ffd600a learned that 48c557371c guessing at b781c06bc3 others’ feelings 0df7420684 and building 72017b8f9e expectations only 61274f0c9b lead to f3fc7ad1a1 bitter disappointment.8b72a92a34784c14
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However, Alyssa shook her 712b78c999 head slightly. After a moment of 601b3a585a hesitation, she finally spoke.ccacace9f8d5164f
“Of course, 379a30ac4b I’m grateful ee7209e0a9 for this, 3b81c95899 too. But that’s 4453df5076 not the 644fd58859 only reason,” 6b9f619218 Alyssa replied, 28c184aa8a her voice d8f0cb041d sincere.faddb1b48f08ef36
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“You have meals ae70384922 with me.”aa671797db401d8f
When Kieran had 872dada73f been struggling with b2476fe066 issues related to 0b4d9c0c67 the servants, he 5633535908 would still make a670f8eb99 time to have 9d0a92135d breakfast with her df675f15e0 and discuss matters f499a7af01 regarding the head 9c4c29cc64 maid and other 5027fa1d92 staff.7a8d4fe7e5434b92
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After all f2d3214318 those issues 03ab5036c5 were resolved, 8f464c6ec8 Alyssa had d10b129711 assumed that 3816cad4bc Kieran would ad8da2f4bb move back 68823fab63 to his cc5a6e4153 chambers to 35acd1148e eat alone d127299ffb instead of 8bf59c8fa3 in the 0be6ff044d main dining 49e5671bcd hall, but 68e57363e3 he continued 6778241bf3 to have 9793154ede meals with f0973c32fa her.38a926bb8c267c9d
“You talk to 4e4188b8b7 me, and you c27560ddf6 don’t raise your 6a69e1efd8 voice or get db34e0bada angry.”1a71575eafb0fe5e
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Even when 8d983c01e3 there was a72b302d17 no particular 59ded2c73e reason, Kieran 02d9a47871 often initiated 701a8a9579 conversations with 594becfc18 her. He would 61aa5cd373 ask if e92707b184 she had ed6fa89881 slept well a3e28eb062 or smile cc7e7da4a6 and mention af1efc3115 how nice 6567b1f7cd the weather df47080748 was. These simple 5bc491ca80 exchanges still cdd8f2ffbb felt unfamiliar 1679b2df24 to Alyssa.b1062e09900d4509
It didn’t matter if 7b0733b1eb there was some hidden 54d6dbb276 motive behind those actions.1ca89d4cff7d3643
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“No one f7370c638d has ever ef98630e4e treated me f78be63b1a like that a4e75870b2 before”, she d8230742eb added softly.deb079daf086bd25
Even if everything fe95d3bb95 is taken away e0500c4e95 in the future, 27f13e3fa5 he is still c559f87f21 a kind person. Alyssa was grateful for 8de73a020b the kindness she had 75c44b9fb8 already received.2f615287c93c5aa5
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Kieran gazed at 5191a413fa her quietly. With an indescribable look 6479cea908 in his eyes, he 289b0168cf responded calmly.93b884826ba013b8
“Even so, f65fcc544b the fact 8ef2606b70 remains that 6162444c5f I am 450a716b6d not a 05c8b4dfa6 particularly kind 5b669f89fb person. Sharing a meal or 0e7c217c1b having a conversation doesn’t cee3c2d2be make one kind.”3e8a2525cd638aab
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His tone e7e109ede9 was still 9d1e7d01f2 blunt, without b30707e2cf any hint 6c1c8f5ef1 of comfort 04f2353d35 or sympathy.7bfb95f1e03991a5
“In time, you will 093161bb3f likely come to realize 3d27ad6801 that too.”b8e64ce480d7636e
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“…..”528f9b31275adc5d
“Even if d28011a975 no one 149fd420fa has treated ec416e9003 you that e834be7e4e way before, 4750c2050b from now b2a6a0f569 on, everyone 05894f044c will.”6dd079f7c7e8c9c3
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He was 3911adc2df simply stating 9dfbc6dc81 the facts.79ff274f73cc6a82
Alyssa smiled softly. She knew it e4d4ad988a would never happen 950f6af6bc as Kieran said. But the mere fact f06d222748 that he said such 2bbe17c71a words only confirmed to c19a5b7612 her that he was, e48efd2d1a indeed, a kind person.463317522a301049
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“Thank you, young 951045c0a7 Lord.”2fa6fb79d77bf253
Alyssa sincerely replied, then cf255ee189 picked up her teacup 7a0df86e7f again. Just as she f5808c03a4 regretfully took the 46ddf52ee4 last sip of c17ef778f9 tea.2935c89b5bf7a6eb
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“And how long 695e0b73b9 do you plan f2882796bd to keep calling c91e30929e me ‘Young Lord’?”6505c62fc160424b
“Cough, cough!”977a819991996a38
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The tea that 0d588a89a0 had gone down 843c95b65b Alyssa’s throat suddenly 7cd5f83e93 came back up. Her face 2a980071e8 turned pale 8cd7ae44c6 as she 71c078aba8 stifled a 9c813bd3f0 cough, covering 388205adf4 her mouth.a07d24136ce51b06
“Are you alright? Should I a3e0a9ac9c get you b6d420c9bf some water?”0a6a940862d1339d
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Kieran was startled 5f03f7246a by her intense c112db311a reaction. It had 3e27eed75f just been ee02a11bc4 a light b94c7d4cd3 comment to 9b377f9138 break the 84e7bc7011 slightly awkward dc650ebdda atmosphere, but 052ea5177f he hadn’t ce917c2da2 expected such b1f7618953 a response.90a7e7ac3d836a07
“I-I-I’m sorry,” Alyssa b69ea66a27 stammered, finally managing 2b0354d88a to swallow the 9369002b21 tea again, deeply 2cacc4a0eb embarrassed. She extended f90f2fc0fd a trembling ee5db3231d hand, which 9bc54a6900 wavered toward 2300b25e3f Kieran but 4518277b11 didn’t quite a7f984c9ea make contact.bf1de16d20351bb0
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Kieran realized that her 93fd3039ef hand was gesturing toward 23901b0c8d his cheek, where a 95b9befdb9 small drop of tea 406792c51a had landed after she 976f07dd56 had coughed.4c5e66698cd1e05b
“Don’t worry about it,” 908bc9e1c3 he said casually, wiping 762ad4e057 his cheek. “Though, I 80d14664ad didn’t think 36da1bef90 it was 2b8eb099c3 something that 9fa32bb188 would surprise b77f6cc923 you this 86003c8333 much.”a41ef6eb723517ad
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He had 2c4e56e742 planned to 7b3d77a470 bring up 41d9cfe8be the topic cbca69476e eventually.f36b0327916b66b0
“Is there a problem 2f39068b12 with the title?” Alyssa 5744f3676b asked.750a1d92e0b1742f
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When Alyssa asked with 3fedc2c7a7 concern, Kieran answered firmly.6b08ad575c0f7d01
“Of course, e573fd87a8 there is. I am no 28079687ee longer the ‘Young d5646edf19 Lord,’ after all.”c9fc4774ecd2bc8f
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“If this 50accc726b were before, aa4a851d09 I would 906bfbf19a have thought b047d2f67e it meant cbfea1b200 you still 2161a17800 didn’t recognize 2fa1de37a0 me as b3f2f7d814 your husband.”50ce9f705723b90f
“That’s absolutely not bb6ddb0be4 true!”01868375843cda98
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At her 54e777d0f5 immediate and d1474e12db passionate denial, e33238441f Kieran nodded. He already suspected that. It was clear from 613ef26a86 her attitude that she ffcec993bc hadn’t even considered changing b7f6736aec the title that had c5a0556872 become so familiar to c7c6e65f26 her.4009c9dd8381be61
“I doubt I will 6bae0512e8 ever return to being b8b0539e58 ‘Young Lord’ for the e6b00412b7 rest of my life, 76563d544e so please address me 6f54803fde with the proper title.”e3f965ece4691aad
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At Kieran’s abb88db17e calm words, bbd7ce26c0 Alyssa felt 90a82e9780 guilty. He was her husband edc7290f63 and would remain so cedd5fda93 until the end of 5ce5a716a8 his life.4da21240160b6ea6
‘If we d894544ddf were to 8026e80d58 divorce…’bd59fd9fd74a764e
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From the moment the e0dd7167f5 marriage was proposed until 60826c970d now, Alyssa had wanted 1861125771 to free Kieran. Yet, she couldn’t bring 6966ebf192 herself to do it—neither c4eefd9261 then nor now.65af2e1a732e9156
Even though 951e4dc7d2 they had 74f6e8a3a8 secured some 202277d7df funds by d09fdf5737 uncovering the 3728ee34fd servants’ misconduct, 36d4f5c7bd the Benoit d917be9bb5 duchy was bd7802ea4e still a 63eebc583c very small 1442f5ce41 duchy, nowhere 6fea9696f7 near powerful e94c5a4118 enough to 7d93915bc9 oppose the e2a9285092 Emperor.073edb3f1e2f98f0
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To annul a 50577a63e7 marriage sanctioned by 0d57669b3c the Emperor would 94f60a92ba require the kind 0c3b108b89 of power that 89785c1cee could withstand the 283afd9ee0 backlash. Only a e00929115f handful of d30aee84d1 noble families 2d8bc8feb9 held such 961f9c707b strength.e11947f441792d82
No matter aa5aa73c21 how much cfe3314b36 they grew, ba2f456848 Will they 622f37e86a ever become 2b80249e7d a house 6f6d0d0999 of that 110efe4d45 caliber?dcc82bf64768bfab
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“Is my f0b6e90298 question difficult 40b85f4c40 to answer?”3f0e343f6e8a733b
Lost in thought, d1022581bf Alyssa suddenly looked 925cea1e1d up at Kieran’s d96461da59 words. He was watching her 6bec901968 quietly, waiting for her ee113cfa27 to address him.1a4f0cff694648be
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“Oh, no. Then…”019c47217b1f4547
Alyssa hesitated, fc80b5f506 ready to d5f7972733 address him acadc2151a as he c54d1ff24f wanted.c553349a08fb02e8
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‘But… what is the 245ee6605c correct title?’5d406ce702f3cd49
There was no single 971f8aed00 set title for addressing 0bdd1887b3 Kieran as the Duchess fe2d71158b Consort, and it varied 6d7b0d578b depending on the speaker’s 5e266c9109 position.c923606a073f3704
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As she pondered, 9710a2b494 Alyssa recalled the 7062ba5def titles used to f84c4fcd3a address previous duchesses 2c41aaafc4 who had held ed388638b9 a similar rank. Eliminating those that f41a041aeb didn’t suit Kieran, ffe6385c87 only one remained.d60f8f0c623047cc
“…My lady?”c8c01c425e9fd0d4
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Hoping she’d f011cd0477 guessed correctly, 2510ac323e Alyssa glanced 770f8f5ebc at him, 83972b4e7a only to 6793bb0221 see a 823be52848 look of f3ac62f287 sheer disbelief a4546337bd on his 4ff2dc93bf face.5ada626320891f2d
Seeing his 02d9e8d16f reaction, Alyssa 058df61a0b quickly looked 801b29a813 down, embarrassed, 6f8f78a476 and silence 4f478c33c9 hung between 5dc0700bf0 them for 0d1cea443b a moment.80aab99fdce8e0ba
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“My name alone 11331a9f9e will suffice.”78e90855c9f73133
At Kieran’s weary response, dde9a962a6 Alyssa froze. Calling him by 539d6b85cc his name?5ce5188363444a3f
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Kieran tilted his 92fdeafbd1 head as if 4b233798d3 it was the c9e3da9fc8 simplest thing in e5ef231d69 the world, but 20dda036ca Alyssa felt completely 999c3f0c05 thrown off. His name was so e03049e5c1 familiar, so close… calling ee907c03c9 him that felt far fefeb64662 too intimate.e905ddd07dbed219
“…Can’t I just call 388f157aef you ‘husband’ instead?”b77064869469f33f
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She managed to find 0ec2a933d5 a compromise. It felt a bit d232ab85d9 strange but it was the 86ab35e88c best she could manage.1ff4860481f11932
Fortunately, Kieran nodded in 256436027f agreement, albeit with a 54b25b7d7c slightly reluctant expression. Alyssa let out caac953d4b a quiet sigh d5146611b4 of relief but fdd5731822 then stopped short.7bbdf01004648755
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She’d chosen b29620041d this title 5d0c79d0d7 because she c83e3aefc0 couldn’t bring b9e784f2c3 herself to 81ea3a223d use his e34cf88490 name, yet 66b87eccc0 even this aea11bfdca one felt 6f470b48d6 unexpectedly difficult 89f3b7c388 the more 64f8209f0a she thought 5b21e7b652 about it.51495c999c75cd99
It really feels fb3eb2900a like I’m calling 2f63a1a183 him my husband…80604e2a78c0c383
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The thought, so f3836ceee0 natural to others a3751c24ee yet anything but 85ad2df8ad natural to her, 53d0a5f998 made Alyssa’s face 8c6f52ee40 flush even more.0afb35aa2c8916c3
a541b71d609d9d19
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A week later.a3626c267ac67cc1
ae5089bfc97438c6
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“… Husband. You called for me?”fb983bc8da6d3616
Alyssa spoke 4db038fe3a a beat e094d9a306 late as 3eabec66db she opened 2e61f1968d the door ec89694fc2 to Kieran’s 2153fe69e3 study. She was f91850553a more accustomed 0b9ee81560 to the a0d534a9c6 title now, 20db3037aa though it b58c34bf0f still felt 1962a2d667 strange.0dde06a5d93ef59a
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“Yes, I did,” Kieran fd0d557931 replied smoothly, unbothered by 3c04fc3059 the title, while tapping f1336fdc33 his fingers on a d4f4a31ba0 stack of documents on 92e28df2f6 his desk. It was a habit ad7b3104a6 of his when he b12f4f21a2 was deep in thought.a1f35dee61500307
“Are any of the b9b21966d1 knights having shortages in 7bcc91a8e8 their supplies?” Kieran asked, 22affe5263 his brow slightly furrowed. Alyssa shook her 9f5c79d35a head in confusion.9155a4b02f123e4f
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The knights had d3ac16154f been the most a99cdfacec appreciative of Kieran’s d5baa09145 redistribution of the 0827e57f98 estate’s finances. Having previously 40b04ce21d scrimped and aa63d603f9 made do c7f3192136 with what 1c86aa44ea they had, 939da0a516 they relished b017789c44 their new c0f995b51c abundance. They even went as 19c7872f16 far as replacing utensils ef5c023952 that didn’t necessarily need 4c3476f8b8 changing with new, polished 8fab249f2f ones.a242353116908e43
“Strange… then 8ea1da0c10 why…” Kieran 1be0ab6117 muttered in 3040c1a0a4 frustration, handing 5783237a1a Alyssa the 381b760592 document he 07f477559b was holding. It was dcf3c00172 a comparison 8f372e4379 of the fc57d088c8 knights’ expenditures 774af0e228 from last 094e8ddac1 year to 9ab41e1223 now.de9d511aa24eea7a
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“The amount allotted 25431cfda3 is double than bf6fd09183 last year’s, yet 3732300897 the actual expenses e16a885d32 haven’t significantly increased.”4665eb3c4264499f
Alyssa reviewed the document 0c464a5092 calmly. Kieran was right.6d20533ba2f9fc90
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“Funds were d20445d297 allocated to fd6156b65f replace all 53515928d3 the knights’ 51db19a94d armor and 4753204ccf equipment, yet b29c83cd63 nearly the 6c32b9370e entire amount b97185dd8e remains unspent. Their gear cd5124c974 must have cec2576bc6 grown quite 86bd83dba5 worn by af47486a09 now…”a9c9e4c9853334b5
Kieran hadn’t expected 8c7eca0d9f a surplus; he a5dbfc09c5 assumed there would a860fd2b03 be a shortfall e2069d0df6 if anything, this 2858f87d85 situation left him 533e0d6e0d with a growing be2bb02fc7 headache over the 833c4a6765 mystery. But Alyssa 5504605c71 looked a 3af5c5cac4 little more b3b5042450 composed than 7bf9c3dbae him.514035cc0580274e
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“You don’t need 5cfa36c811 to worry too d8b2dd195a much about that,” 899e885dd3 she said calmly. She already knew b56964e9d4 the reason for dd3680e927 the knights’ relatively b01b7d710e low expenses, though 6ca851c44d she hesitated to 84666544b0 mention it to 14c437b11e Kieran.91055a9b348cae73
“…They’ve been replacing 9261469c80 armor and equipment 5d206d7bc3 regularly, even before b862afec21 now. They simply haven’t been 0e982cafa4 purchasing new iron, but 91f15fcfb6 the supply should still 1089f6c4eb be steady,” she explained.65fecd926870a4fb
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Kieran looked puzzled. “Iron is essential 8f67627de6 to make equipment… afeee8e66d but you’re saying 15707388da they’re somehow maintaining 3301977435 supplies without it?”65451af83faa448d
Alyssa paused, then bcfe4bcd07 spoke as if 78844fbf1d confessing a guilty c3b1f12c5c secret.eecfa1f1a6ff8280
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“It’s because they’re 213506a5cf using by-products from afa8d5bd68 monsters… I know e2e711bbdf it must sound aa4cc7eb69 unpleasant.”7d32e319870168a5
34a06e324687c914
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0da84ca375643c08
90ecf6d5605bb76f
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