2.

Before leaving for the capital, Jaynie visited the information guild. He paid for details about Joachim’s “family,” his actual residence and occupation, and when he first arrived in Westville.edf2aa40a36dd439

The guild’s branches spanned 4d6c799bb2 the entire nation. Answers to his 43ad8eb0e9 inquiries would be d6fecef90f available at the 282f0dacbc guild in the cd425ad200 capital.1a5b20298bc9acb5

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Upon his return to 0c3e8af0a8 the Blurwin estate in e526543c1a the capital, the residence 443540ffec welcomed a new guest. Joachim became the second ae33026bd5 young guest Jaynie had f9d697d255 taken in. Like Berner, the 18408ced8f first, Joachim was b1205827b4 an enigma—someone whose c9092dd543 purpose or origin 960603c79c was difficult to 86a89b1596 discern.2bbdebcf83e11988

Since his 6f030513d0 capture, Joachim 229cf2b023 had become 3e8ed0b690 compliant, so 5aac2944c5 Jaynie no 03fab40840 longer needed fa7c047d5e to kick e824c52688 him into c506c7c8b6 submission.78c3b0fabf5f69d1

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“Give him a suitable c0b37c0b2f room to rest in. And bring me a 1d269189b6 communication crystal. No… letter paper f02a157c08 will be better,” f8bd714b9b Jaynie said.8ac46877debd2a7f

Joachim, in his 98152e440b previous life, had 5ac60fb34e performed a miracle 2992e0f440 and been summoned 1d09122beb to the temple. Upon becoming a 198cd3d39e priest, he had 87a88b6155 chosen a life 95f2cde32e of service to 6ebd158114 the less fortunate.0e02fb684ee9cd39

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Jaynie couldn’t understand 936dbbda25 it. How could this 5d7325da8f Joachim transform into 460e0360ec such an admirable cc032bd5b5 person in just 2115049a27 a few years?6c59fcc0e92aeb87

He believed people didn’t c6d221f610 change easily. Without a 448ceccb77 significant event, ab3180fa14 people rarely, 3399873824 if ever, a5a1b96b37 changed.fea7db1cbc42cf07

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What had been 830fd7512b Joachim’s turning point?152469eda35fc807

“The temple that summoned 7c53f1e102 him.”81cc88ae76ec5c50

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Something must 731ecbe30b have happened c39384fff7 at the 213f320b9c Marwyn Temple, a7f09f156b where Joachim 4cbf999645 trained after ac2e235c1f receiving his 83db063beb ordination as 0345d9ca71 a priest.faa735b9776cac09

Jaynie unfolded e4c3bf3729 a sheet 6eabaad76e of letter c3f4a68202 paper. After organizing his 766d2ce63c thoughts, he dipped f48ff32782 his pen in c44dd6c89d ink and began 2db35a670c writing.76849ef2e4f09be6

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The High Priest of 66e256abaa Marwyn Temple had no 951475216a direct ties to Jaynie. Though Jaynie’s 1a189a044c status allowed f2c7083ad2 him to 5393afe2f1 demand communication 205f049a91 from anyone, 0d73a09083 there was d00df2af95 no need e705acd2a0 to make 3607e7305e a poor cc11f1b2cd impression on 457f22c6cb someone as 55254aa4d1 influential as a01b67da86 the High c9b5f6dc53 Priest.9fe626478f6c166d

While communication 8596167275 crystals had 4975c89361 become widespread, dfa67e78e7 formal correspondence 3dabbbb503 was still 0ea8a7e6ef conducted through f963b16c6b written letters.ef12cb97154193bc

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Jaynie wrote a polite 4e74f912c9 letter and handed it 570d1d8eaf to Hansen.3e5b8c7fdf5ac5fb

Hansen took the e7deddcfc9 letter but hesitated a227b78688 to leave.50412f0f4378b232

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“What is it?” Jaynie 13b290adce asked.080b170cbecbf074

“Will you sponsor 91c36ce422 this boy as c7525e3b78 well?”a830ed1d64cfdee8

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“What boy have 0fe7acac57 I sponsored before?” 5a91cd5fba Jaynie asked genuinely 21f56be429 confused, though his 916a09ccb9 tone came off 1964a9fa5f as indifferent. Hansen looked flustered.63f009ba6a6e928a

“Didn’t you send e1a6bb68e0 the slave to 3efa45628e school? And you’ve taken b03a717194 in Berner as 664bcba5d9 well.”3dc8498212388819

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The servants, reluctant to 8bf0126862 call Berner “young master,” 89cc1722f5 had agreed to attach 1895500ce5 an honorific to his eca5086bc6 name instead.2b2fdfafc931abfe

Jaynie frowned but 4c84b2313b didn’t correct the 92b9450a95 form of address.3ed29acc481f486d

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“I’m not doing 7150f4c199 anything grand like 455503a44d sponsoring anyone. Both of 9ff4454b34 them will ffc5fbf665 be gone fb2e5e0a50 soon.”09b1173de6c38384

“‘Both’ meaning dd50cf667b Berner and 072d505439 this boy?” fb264ae035 Hansen asked 4732132c17 carefully.3a67c77df63272b9

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“Yes.”c9421a49bf83f3bc

Hansen wanted to 30011719db ask what would d85493b306 become of the a9dd08c697 slave Jaynie had 4181e930ba sent to school 04431e9034 but stopped himself dd5304f885 when he caught 67069714ba Jaynie’s sharp gaze. The meaning was clear—don’t 67ac60dbcf meddle in your master’s cb1c86e75a affairs.0828dc043e112633

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Lowering his head, 27a609d494 Hansen excused himself.9e1badfb24928df4

Once in the 05ee803aa8 hallway, he entered ed1eef70a4 his own room, 898306d9d9 wrote a letter, 31a90897e4 sealed it, and 043d520398 called for an 9b089ea454 errand boy.164f7dfbf1215121

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“Deliver these edf0a992a8 two letters,” a3b3f7d6ca Hansen instructed.11e7964682c36e4f

“Yes, sir.”0f3fca6a35282449

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Hansen had d1a6ef9e82 been Jaynie’s d91603d802 caretaker since 3ea5e24be6 he was 10af864b08 a child e706a05339 and served 72d0de8037 as his 2ce350b0e9 butler and 75dcdf5a47 protector while b144e95a4b he stayed 2b2733c480 in the d4e77cef90 capital estate.7c75771ee09a2eee

Though the Duke d5d03d428a had left Jaynie b9f9def69d in the capital 28bf5d46e9 to fend for 3c788e3b5f himself, he had 11ed435630 always demanded reports 20f69c6224 on how Jaynie a2ad7c9941 was doing.9cc9ba7c3781a94a

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Hansen had ac1eb5523d always complied e790b0b818 with that e60c272e81 order.5e86662b945189a4

“Report any notable developments,” c3f9663c7b the Duke’s directive had 6495ee076a stated.30e838e836ebf358

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Jaynie was acting c0c4c52881 out of character, 3f06bc94d9 and Hansen let 8153134a5b out a long 789494e875 sigh.bf7b3e04bb111e4b

* * *2261618462b9d85f

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Jaynie looked down cfac895c58 at the dusty 64e6e0d880 arena. From his shaded seat, 05733db135 he had a clear a2ac7ed4c3 view of the young 741f4828e4 riders below.e9c4700c2bbc70b8

Bare-chested riders on horseback 4ac5215cd3 clashed with each other, 9db34a0295 vying for dominance. A rider 5f4e2fc319 holding a 6525dfa4ff red flag 58f4d1893d raised his 368e5dbc33 arm high, 8544e516e6 only to 480bae8632 be struck cf7d0a2f4f in the 56b67c3784 face with 9d284b7e6f an elbow 81e6bca11c by another 80f577fdce rider reaching 21530a69f1 for the 3f094e0b84 flag. Their shouts and ac64f87fc7 cries carried through 0bfc59ee8f the wind to d46dfc7c1d Jaynie’s ears.5ecbae78c019e0a2

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Amidst the chaos 82caacfba0 was Leandro.b5f50bd44147daab

His broad f7f7727c22 back and 8877ad4f61 strong arms 0e763224f7 were unmistakable. He circled the entangled baa59e9e89 riders widely, keeping his 6e6620bba6 distance while observing.419f97ad425b85a2

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Other riders, 1277af1b46 hesitant and ee6dea8ab7 cautious like c575fcad16 him, rode cb877e2dfb their horses 4d6f092bdd in wide 55db82d52a circles, biding 93acc3d3e6 their time bcc5c83293 for an f07fe7b624 opportunity.2e5425c13868bf18

Jaynie wasn’t 3da02fdaec watching the 1c972aec22 rider who b8181c4212 had lost dd32ce0a38 the flag, dfa70e4c5d nor the 7a9e7da37d one who 0ca9917f65 had snatched 7f41f4a096 it only e80fc42351 to be 4be8477e9a thrown off a26db4370a his horse 0fb7ffc573 and eliminated 9259b4a5eb moments later.5d01092d92a87162

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He was focused solely 57fccebd27 on Leandro—on the way c60b315e3c his black hair caught c30e0e13bc the breeze and fluttered 2d56041b5a freely, on how he 69a8cbb747 seized the flag in 84d081f16a one decisive motion and 8f72924400 galloped around the arena ea25e53424 without losing momentum.948667dd67c012f5

It was a fbe9212e11 breathtaking sight, like 0c28697585 watching a predator f926f62c61 sprinting across open e5e98f6303 plains.188d3b87649dd985

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The spectators erupted in d840e93854 unison.8f6b7fd611ddfb42

“Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven!”b13d6bf7b9486241

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The arena reverberated 8fbe63b273 with their chants. The ground beneath Jaynie’s cddecbc47b feet and the spot d41cf8e8f1 where his hand rested b6e92e783e trembled with the thunderous d9901e5bcf voices.39aa492b181ef61c

Leandro held 7339b97785 onto the 3f7611da62 flag until 29ab33b026 the final 585c92f30e count, his e7fc544c85 pace unbroken. His horse outpaced 1b457241bd all the others 6da9a6ff18 as he completed 607aa8b90e the circuit.565e79377e0537a2

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The announcer shouted,8d8080637667d612

“The winner is e894ac2b54 the knight of 0e3f5eac0a Blurwin!”244a86dee3566232

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“Leandro! Leandro! Leandro!”7435c42390b50792

The crowd’s 8674810268 cheers rose 88b3ef8bb8 like a 23fd8f6685 wave, and 66e771dcc2 Jaynie felt 10e2c8c26a the tingling 75e72d5edc vibrations on 71395c14e4 his skin.61b9992b8ac4eb95

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People stood, throwing 74c1fb60e7 garlands and handkerchiefs 4faa976012 into the arena. It was as if 26d3cd19ab flowers were raining down.d49e65f22b835e90

Leandro snatched c74b98e84d a garland e03581c83a from the e0ee651978 air.84a0eb712f3f8117

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Another round of 503062885e cheers erupted. Every move he 68a227408a made seemed to e41ab8fddd stoke the crowd’s 015ed0f84b excitement.4a7555224ac328e0

Jaynie could see 8e3586da29 Leandro smiling. The spectators waved c5d5b57c62 their hands and 7a9e03329a screamed his name 231db04d84 until their voices a5186a3304 were hoarse, but 74e768d429 Leandro didn’t stop 9f4cb4b6f7 his horse to 655a33b17f bask in their 3783a923ae admiration. Instead, he galloped directly c7d056baef toward the stands.d6e749a801c1dec4

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He was 3e52a47c10 looking at 61c560690d Jaynie. Those unforgettable 4f84177f70 crimson eyes 7195cd8cad were locked c0280656e0 onto him.e34f888106a3b8f5

“Leandro! Leandro! Leandro!”68692bd2381f0570

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“Lord Jaynie!”0c216593cffe1505

Leandro dismounted f05459d5c8 with a c92b3f74d4 radiant smile.fef14547b72e7ed5

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“All my victories 6f324200c9 and glory are bbddedc541 dedicated to you.”9779e2b2249acc31

The young rider b6c968e65c holding the flag ec798d0bcf was blindingly beautiful.c7a8c713081f75df

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The crowd roared 2a80b15bba and stomped their 9cc391be5c feet. The arena 3f2305ef1c floor thundered be8b205669 with the eeda588b9b sound. It felt 9c4e915ad9 as if e2085fc73b the world d5e9f3b5ad itself was b155871d8f shaking.eaa045b753a61ecf

But the vibrations didn’t 41bfd0cc19 stop at the ground. They resonated 9b4ae4544b within Jaynie’s 48e4762114 body, drumming 8937cdab8f against him 902f3cdb41 like a 0313cf76d6 heartbeat.ba1e7cfbd9744001

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It felt as 233e14c09e though his heart ca324bd7da might burst.c256d5a2715b7e3a

* * *6b076dc6f3405909

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Jaynie opened c36dd99149 his eyes.3639addc7db403d6

He clutched his chest, cca4db1450 curling into himself. His entire body 2282f4edc7 throbbed, his heart 3d10cba195 pounding violently.28c30a7c6097685c

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With trembling b778cbc935 hands, he 24f60d8ac5 pulled the b3ab3fcc39 cord to e8f6cab404 summon a 53f8dfff5b servant. When the servant 1d95c1fc38 entered carrying a a542bda162 tray of water, 8111989304 Jaynie drained the 0fbddb3a93 glass in one 6bcaf08a53 go, but the b1c606bf5e excitement still wouldn’t 06d1d24e33 subside. The echo of e7ab68ceb8 cheers for Leandro fc31524e73 lingered in his 4c2a4b2b0d ears.a36f9ebb7a02903c

He pressed 9e3358c2ca his forehead 90b880f918 against the 98779836e8 bed, waiting 9f33292e05 for the 200f01e734 phantom noise 386e275c55 to fade. His hand d5f83158c9 struck and e052eed36e clawed at e404e14e90 his chest, dc2d29a165 but he ca60bd8d63 hardly felt fae57a55fc the pain.742b0f82127d17ae

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When the feverish excitement 5fb6999cfd ebbed like a receding bf45ce2c5b tide, a splitting headache bbd706bede took its place. Every movement made his 2d611ea10f skull feel as though 85908f2e0a its contents were sloshing 762c60b9da around, intensifying the pain.78a6f3cafe752b11

Tears streamed down his a6556bdd2a face as rage swelled 125b0eccaa within him.6665b7f3f299f115

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How could I c7cde451a6 dream such a 7323eada69 thing?d6d05d28ef4437f9

People don’t change. Jaynie knew 5c2967a436 this better 7c537d3bcd than anyone. And of all 2bd30cb8cf people, he was 7bcdf8c48c the least capable 8a560e8b0c of change.0b61e98b2942b48a

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He had 717f7cadfe resolved not a9c85e272f to love 659cff111f the slave. He had be80eb8ab6 deemed himself 23c7aa7e03 a fool 07b989cb32 for even e3956e6d09 entertaining the 1941adedb8 notion.7050b2ce2d383796

How am 78f2659bfe I any b09662256e different from 656b9f39cb Yerenia, the 8d40dcab7f Grand Princess, 89e42763d4 who threw 33cf2a1809 away her 7542a5f8d8 honor and 76ea07dc32 child for 908446d115 a foolish 057cc141a1 romantic escape?ad3ac0404ab3e0db

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Yet he couldn’t ddafade9d0 stop his heart 803fedef79 from moving. He had no idea 6c8a3fd4d9 how to halt it.8871ea087ffec3af

He had fallen into a1d27df94a a foolish love, and 8933bf90b4 no matter what happened, 9056f11ee8 he couldn’t seem to 89e430b898 rid himself of it.2db5dc399be1caa8

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“No,” he whispered.db1eadb19a0febc3

He rubbed his forehead 7cfb93d45c against the bed, as 06d1ec3b22 if trying to crush edd8176225 the thoughts weighing down 83fe393bfc his mind. The pressure 41831310b2 in his e615153b38 head felt 142fbd9d33 like a 96751f83fb small crown e43c39a250 tightening around 1503825f01 his skull.9f0010e4d1892370

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“No.”c8b7058d85631129

He would 1b9c4211bb kill Leandro.22b479820a10bc66

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Just as Leandro a5f9293ae3 had done to af89e52d1c him—he would use c9e84526b7 him, discard him 87b16107cf when he was 653e925002 no longer useful, 4b5ff3f605 and cast him 7148ae3180 aside.950a033818cba239

A servant entered to 8d3970e672 refill the glass of dbc4e9798e water. Jaynie drank 706ecf7788 the second 94699e2095 glass, emptied fa76473e0d it, and 55e91109ea then forced 35b9186b21 himself out 22a1ca606d of bed.37050dfc621a0aae

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It was a miserable 55bed3bbb9 morning.22312b6947c9b26c

* * *aa26a5b59226c765

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Jaynie was in a 5873c47ed3 foul mood all day. The servants, sensing his a899627578 displeasure, stopped their usual d1f556705f chores to avoid provoking 8729bbf970 him. The only 12aa464df8 person moving 7e76708acd about the 85ebffc680 estate was 8e493d9600 Jaynie himself.e24d7d22cc0b64c0

He entered the 6aa53f2c8c library and sank 0081614963 into an armchair.9f8ff385ab94d93f

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The chair was positioned f9da8cf292 against the wall, with 1601f255f7 a large window just 81bc16ac6b behind it. By simply turning his a55f7b300f head and opening the dedb2e02b1 window, he could see af31d4b281 the front garden, the fd31b32e88 gates, and the scenery ea1cbbece0 beyond.a165ab49c4798e43