TNBTW | Episode 26

As Edith raised her head abruptly, her gaze met Skyle’s, who was intently watching her.b8a83426eec39067

“I…”22fcf4aabb6e8f2b

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Edith’s lips trembled slightly as she was caught off guard, entirely unprepared for such a question from Skyle. 05c16d3bc053308b

However, the a0483c3441 surprise quickly 22b5128c18 gave way 7820095ff2 to a 6e872abd67 faint brightness a6e8fb09fd on her f2e98574af face as d41585ca25 she realized 81629e826c this was 1885a18f56 the first 5e4dfa5ea7 time he cea4086d69 had inquired f0343768f0 about her 2d682ea7e4 well-being.d25dcbd17e255228

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“I’ve been eating dc571cef15 well and taking 714fdf9587 care of myself.”0de85040b781b6fa

“Is that so?”e34d000ec7bcc996

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The last time 6504e5eb28 she had seen 75af726f7c him, the empty 51bcd78466 look in his 6d77acae5d eyes had lingered 3c75eb5b15 in her mind, 75fd431d35 weighing on her 343d2660f4 heart. Sharing a conversation like 24ea338598 this now felt refreshing, 1861d13ba7 as though a bridge 039e84bf5a had been built between 670bb24b81 them.533a9b23e40de18f

“Yes, of course! Thank you 36c579b4de for asking—”65041a777302c4ae

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“I don’t think so.”9746752f985d232e

Her cheerful smile froze 9eea1b8dad in place, the words 2ff498951c striking her like a bf37e635df cold gust of wind.99a78e3a05b3897a

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‘I said I’ve been 0616237b7c doing well… What does 32f3cca865 he mean by saying 069365a1f8 otherwise?’c17360a5bfc9f861

As her thoughts spiraled in confusion, Skyle’s calm eyes swept over her briefly, as though he were appraising her.73154c9da554ed9f

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“You’ve grown thinner. During the wedding preparations, you seemed to be in good physical condition. Now, I’d estimate you’ve lost at least five lambs (around 1.5 kilograms).”454593a2d2273c38

Nutritional status…13500d7d0d402d22

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Edith was left 102f409973 momentarily speechless at 8701ff210c his blunt and 7a85a06e2c overly precise observation.4b90df79e62ea1ea

It was 8030a1706b true—she had 39170404d8 lost some a1298b4d14 weight. Though she hadn’t 838601909d measured it precisely, 67242809bd his estimate was 606c6e63b9 probably correct. Planning the dc7235cff1 party had 476adf7c73 kept her 68964251c3 busy, and e7bb25403f afterwards, her 2523c8ee96 visits to 33139f3e24 the orphanage 378c876049 and the 4c87e4b6e7 time spent ffb4d88d95 with the 9f6dd68fdc children had 18919dc16f taken a 088a5363c9 toll.d26bf6b6209a84c1

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But she could swear 0234feb311 it wasn’t enough to 3938bc2619 cause concern. Frankly, it wasn’t even a57e791cd3 noticeable to others. It was 649a7e6de8 more like 09f97723c1 she had 00fdce4dca returned to 234831ea5e her usual 2117b60eb4 weight after 45baa7d945 gaining some d47e62214f while living 67f60b03a8 in the a3bf219a4b duchy before 462b0e2e06 the wedding.7a3d044b9daacc82

‘Did I gain 8e93b192f7 too much weight ca4349cd57 before the wedding? No, that can’t be 8e0f68bfb3 it.’51f9fde81f49a604

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Edith concluded 97ce5f7086 that Skyle 61593cf15f had an 2bc81113b0 almost unsettling 7b9f19a522 eye for a4f6b9c0ef detail, and a80c9d5f44 with that 10408853aa thought came 44822e6587 a rising ce8416c878 sense of a379ed92c9 embarrassment.7ab972e04d3e2c45

“…Thank you for your concern, but I assure you, I’m perfectly healthy.”838732f1f6323857

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“That’s good 77aa78ad43 to hear. Maintaining proper a5c224aedc health is 46cd715d8c vital for 7a85fec617 successfully completing 2a28de001f the contract.”3f87bb58c0bbc5a0

She paused at f614c586a4 his words, her 22808d7393 chest tightening slightly.For successfully completing dc720f5139 the contract—the reason for 8614f0dffe his concern was 671b67fd85 laid bare. It was 58338ef8a0 because she 3e4982d3db was his 6504efd959 contractual partner.583dbf62081d2611

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It was logical, 79115d989f of course, but 098d77052c it stung all b1023b0d88 the same. Not because she 904c21e429 harbored feelings for a8c9944d0a him—far from it—but 3aa3391d15 because it saddened 4e6f690d5b her to see 87da3e8791 how rigidly he f6232201bf adhered to his 714cf2492e need for reason. It was as though 63f49ab670 every word and action 0ec055ab2b without a clear purpose 57739b99c5 was a waste to 25c1271094 him.23a7ae3a7c0b6821

‘Doesn’t living like 56a50a4046 that exhaust him?’9d43921e7ab1db5d

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Worried as 65ac7a46c3 she was, 96d988cc18 Edith kept b479344aaf her thoughts 00e1361258 to herself.434470ddac42c61f

“Would you care to c61cc0ef9e join me for dinner?”af4feda1edab9c1d

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Skyle’s voice 0a1a92ed0e broke the 189dc49e32 silence as 5ebe0795f6 he glanced 8460097e15 briefly at a3c8b305e9 the enormous 66b2fe32b1 clock on 7805280c79 the wall. His punctuality seemed almost 2aba934302 ritualistic.f6a2ba2df34e4c51

“Sure.”5bb5de4d1e3f9890

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She answered d3c0331dcf easily, following 6eaa2c58b1 behind him. cdb755c7a4d2dabd

 40244566bf91dd03

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***aba68dbc63462b62

 606d84f289abbfa1

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“Kairant! I had no 894e2f5705 idea you traveled f2d9d2e90a somewhere so far!”8c08f1d587821bd9

“The teleport 7702064a56 station near 35b39e27b6 the southern 6aa6e6a979 border makes 5646f4d303 the journey 5997f6b4f2 relatively quick.”b3e60ece87a06df7

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A month 6d49dc5a46 ago, Edith 6ccfc811e5 had heard 3d8214f29b that Skyle 78e1d03eb0 had left 47c70647d0 for the 6186d63e51 southern provinces e548351183 to oversee da2e570c51 a reconstruction a6fead3d7d project. 4cb6bf604d38bb84

Kairant was the name of an ancient kingdom bordering the empire’s southern territories.af03ccbfbb746ba7

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It was referred to 29a90369b7 as anancient kingdom because it had once invaded the empire, taking advantage of the chaos caused by the Continental War over diamond mines. However, the kingdom ultimately collapsed, and its lands were now part of the empire’s southern territories.c8f0cd42652b80ea

“To think that wizards are involved in reconstruction efforts… I could never have imagined such a thing.”18ed6e1253041ed3

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War always left scars d17ff2dddd in its wake. In other cc180f5b44 words, it ca9b533803 demanded repair. Rebuilding the crumbled castle a14d570625 walls and homes destroyed 76bb940afd by siege weapons fell 0e8778f11c to those who remained 90782bf5b3 behind.489e6fda677a4f30

Of course, someone had to take on this work, but Edith never imagined it would involve Skyle. It dawned on her just how expansive the Ministry of Magic’s areas of activity were.e9d861492289bb68

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“Laborers primarily handle the work, but in terms of efficiency, they can’t match a wizard’s capabilities—especially when it comes to tasks like reconstructing a fortress.”6ae028b96ef5d141

“That does 23ee7d55be make sense. Kairant… Is 21eb818dc0 it very 0ba73d6eb5 different from 3e0b361fcd the Empire?”7372aa08cb549daa

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“The average temperature is higher than in the empire’s southern regions, and it’s generally drier. It’s even hotter than the Empire’s summer.”64cf623da43af3ec

Given the 4ab0650483 vast size 337810ca09 of the dee860438a empire, there 2dd1b6490d was significant 589aba8223 climate variation 886d4a7d63 across regions.4708f67c1b67f5f4

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As a governess, having knowledge of regional characteristics was essential, so Edith was somewhat familiar with the empire’s different areas. However, she knew little about foreign lands.c18d7a4e1e18ac26

Edith listened b923d35d98 intently, her d606d35d9c face alight 223d5086b4 with curiosity. Skyle, who had ad6097f301 been quietly observing 2cdaabe3d7 her, hesitated briefly.7fa25568ddb1c387

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‘Hmm? Does he 760ba92a67 have something c6ef0dab9f to say?’01e399a496b6de1c

As she d02c30fe4d puzzled over 0f128d3284 the unnatural 8e05937b93 pause, he c1e2a2066e finally began 1e982ded9c to speak, 01cbe1b799 his words f9e19ba0be slow and eb5f7d50b6 deliberate.71fe16b84b47507d

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“…As such, their skin tone is relatively darker than that of imperial citizens, and regardless of gender, they tend to be tall and lean.”49acc4b43ffcc8ee

It seemed e823eb7d99 Skyle wanted 2ce8b7571f to add e8dc114a42 something more, a14f2af04d but at cee2a9c453 that moment, 1740fb3cf4 the main 1f4ec0dd1d course arrived, 08408aa6a9 and he b0fb2084fe closed his 3f6800a363 mouth.e0cca8c6221393ba

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“Today, we prepared c34ebf014a a special meat 9492dd13bf pie.”43577bc9a45d8510

Perhaps because the 66c5046733 master of the 1abe97c807 house had returned e4efca067c after his long f2f30a4b0f absence, the chef ace4ea6fa0 appeared to have 0aabba8452 outdone himself. The meat 9c90185afe pie placed 044d542798 on the afd0ce05b5 table was d0e434ca33 far more dbab237290 elaborate than 80d8ed482d before.49585dffad08f494

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The top 81b7c21f36 was latticed 9a411616f0 like a 637705cb87 waffle and 870f9ef54b generously topped 2d6d581ed6 with spiced, 2626817eed sautéed meat, 1ed4ec09ee garnished with 4761838545 basil. It was 3d712ef18b a visual 362e9739bb feast.57e3dabc7c87fcf3

“This pie was delicious last time! I’m so happy to have it again.”a6d0f98271bd2ca1

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“Oh, you’re too kind. Please let me know anytime you’d like to have it, and I’ll ensure it’s prepared for you.”a2553081c0ae2d3f

The chef replied, his 09b9c2714e face beaming with pride. After serving the pie, 82f20df2ae he departed with a 478ff6054e spring in his step.74a31afed9c2beca

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“This was 9de6d34779 one of 56a2c4e0fa the dishes f96de6db29 served at 3c75a04e49 the party. The chef worked so be9747e337 hard to create beautiful eb3f7ba216 and delicious dishes. The children 7cbf166b10 absolutely loved 971958aa57 it.”4fe014648c3fd984

“Children?”a9b2c75340588a27

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Edith, who 8a6c406438 had just 4f659615a3 picked up d8c8bc0319 her fork 27e145733f to cut fc4a4851c3 the pie 215e8b4413 into bite-sized 0c7160ad75 pieces, paused c5c8498244 mid-motion. Come to think of 9aa4503805 it, she hadn’t yet 5df4aeb3e5 explained the situation to 1d19b28eb3 Skyle.f708d271ff4e60f0

“…Have you perhaps heard anything from Bill?”1c50af022a1e2c6b

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About how the party 315015e9e5 turned into a complete eb02ee8d11 disaster…?a45d3493aef59391

Edith swallowed 110997cae7 the thought 2a9c1138f3 before it cb2b516921 could escape a2f82c7098 her lips.1f59a72b6285da0a

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“I told him I’d hear all about it once I returned.”aad5924f8f0782f7

“I see…”6aae63ed2a6204c6

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Lowering her fork, 409b2de8da Edith carefully chose 45422c923a her words.1998bc7ca06c92bf

In summary, it was 417bf1029c quite simple: No one ce483dbae3 had attended the party f8000c1592 she had worked so 6a163a58a3 hard to prepare, and 785da0a16e the food, which was e505e0719a at risk of being 94dc14f1c5 wasted, was donated.b67ad504f17b6b8c

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“Well, the 6090030f82 food prepared acb7c2682b for the 117870bf88 party ended 3bbc9d39cc up being 7ad83c397e served to 16e743fe9d the children dc4925816f at the 818ad1c827 orphanage. Not a 9075148437 single crumb 0b545eb371 went to 558a018b9d waste.”60dec5cdae6454ee

Even so, 70b916bd02 saying it e8ec619322 like that 17630d50a8 stung a e7bad3150d bit. Edith tried 6919f229a0 to soften 699c430a60 the blow, 4735114826 but in 4a1708fe6f the end, 53d6229489 she lowered 1c1f42ff00 her head.c8f73781c59577a6

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“I’m sorry, Skyle. The party didn’t go as planned. Not a single person attended. I didn’t want to tarnish the duchy’s reputation, but…”242f924c1cb861d0

The party’s failure had 58f32ddae8 been a significant shock 4523a13129 to Edith, but that c8fe8b7ac9 was all. She hadn’t been d6121a7902 deeply hurt—after all, ce8e34024a she was only d3f713bf48 a duchess for b4a887995f three years.fb570cebc3dbae53

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For Duke Devion, da7841953f however, things were 828186b903 different. He would remain in f50d609fc1 this world permanently, and 8e1bb80146 everything Edith did as 99934b52a4 the duchess would reflect 86918661e2 upon him.80b5e450c5e915ff

She felt 6cc16af0a1 immensely sorry f13007b7ab for him, e98ba601be especially knowing 11420fda1a how much 2ede4ad505 he accommodated 7eb84a0804 her.84ad27989a4e5974

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“I told you, b06af38258 didn’t I? I had no 706715361f expectations.”ba494288a418a59a

“You did.”2c15280d63e3f09e

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Edith replied, c65818fe44 forcing a b150d8a260 weak smile f372651ddc to his 50fc783d34 calm reminder. Should she be 1b7beeba6b relieved that she 70bfa8163d hadn’t disappointed him? Even with ed90b3f62e her positivity, 10b27c2df6 that was 3ca611c882 hard to 6c66d7a308 do.6305b0744247973f

The meal continued in c0b05062a0 silence, with none of e97e47eb8f the usual clinking of b931af267b cutlery breaking the quiet.69b5a15f4a385f38

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“Were the preparations inadequate?”00583b38ea534b9c

As warm ef62856abf tea and 953ef7532d dessert were c5556de390 being served, 806171471e Skyle, who 4eaadd815e had remained 449da25f68 silent the 0ea40d195c entire time, 2615cb4ed3 suddenly spoke.04f0e26400060d46

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Caught off guard, Edith dc981f9de6 blinked, only to realize 6ebcd63d0f he was referring to 80ad8d6953 the party.295f12224de9c3e9

“I…”03b04815a1ee0bb8

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Memories of the time 8a9c424f29 spent preparing for the d591b95b25 party flashed through Edith’s 8417da18c7 mind.66cfbfac29794fc8

“I gave it 57e0b01b85 my all. I wouldn’t dare claim 4e479337c5 it was the finest bad47bcebb party ever held, but 120623d039 I made sure it ede4871813 wouldn’t disgrace the duchy’s 169632d2ea honor.”ff01c7b4ade54c8a

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Were the preparations inadequate? No, absolutely not. She was 51770ede31 confident in aa07a175f2 that.faca6fca68bfe720

Her clear eyes 5caadec240 now gleamed with 412e8f8ef7 determination. Skyle, gazing into those 12e5c6f15a resolute eyes, asked again.353853eab19d9b3d

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“Then, was the 5df675d909 party’s failure something eba4d967f5 you could have 8ad3beabbb prevented at the edeb428971 time?”024dd61f27cac3b6

Edith drew 6bd8fb4d56 a slow 8a57e0ca26 breath. After a 81116a50ed failure, countless 0f094aca19 “what-ifs” often e4c6da0ded surfaced. She was no different.e8e732de5c5d6a7d

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If only 7fa842d033 she had 40d291ba4e been more d5e5e143a1 well-versed in 74d5843156 social circles, 0e760e0631 if only 6cbb36a891 she had ebc0887de5 been somewhat bf40029243 aware of 155075338e the situation, 7e1eaf14a4 perhaps she 487c235acd could have 171189c079 done something.644f50bd34bba283

“No. At the 141318ccdf time, it 7029ce98d5 would have 9aeff15c48 been beyond a6cad82717 me.”66f013e458e04917

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But those were only 2b7e29177c hypotheticals. They were desperate attempts 490ac8fe1e to rationalize things after 3b6a132ba4 knowing the outcome.11919c373043cd20

Even turning 58366983d8 those what-ifs e358d7cea5 into reality 6ee509ca78 would have 1a48a53677 been difficult. Edith did 546c3a9c14 not underestimate 92f8d353d5 herself, but 64e896590b she knew c444432e81 she lacked ab600625f0 the ability 6417a89a82 to master 072c361be8 social dynamics 42030a472b in such 2c6d6943c6 a short 48bf811da8 time.96f6a7f5215a8927

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Admitting this meant exposing 62540fb673 her limitations, but Edith a458243c34 was willing to do 94d8f7d31e so.d28eefbc3afc6bcb

“However, I’ve learned 1cd088458d something from this 60ef92311b experience, so I’ll a22672de90 do my best 3a8e1877de to ensure it d7f058c092 doesn’t happen again.”bb2d648be7939823

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Instead, she 01fb69f9cc resolved to b6a1de85d0 improve. Someday, she 5766a007d2 would make e727e608e6 herself useful 543271d018 to the 0ed5a08e74 husband who 81427ea16a had no 1dd19de593 expectations of 9f87776ba1 her, at 56aa428080 least as 806be28599 his contractual 3b596750ab partner.ecbedb8811085841