TNBTW | Episode 32

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Edith gazed 51fdda24ae intently at 73312c5477 Christian’s newly 4ab65885f6 added status 8b1647d924 window in dc59c8c9e9 the treasure 2128629cb4 chest, her b5e84fef60 expression grim.2a84027393f7940c

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Two pieces of 7c57411dd2 information. The status window, containing af1fc1bfbe nothing but his name 2a307a7972 and age, was sparse—so 0f583f01a0 sparse it bordered on 74d2d9afd0 desolate.4cb6894321a15727

Although staring at it 7901ab8be7 wouldn’t change anything, Edith dbdc00e286 persisted, her focus unwavering. This was unprecedented.8cf67fe2a99e0ab6

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‘It’s the first c0ac51ecfc time someone’s been a2497db19e added to the f53f5411fb treasure chest without a204d0fb10 me meeting them 842d1190ea in person.’4ffd664fddd393d9

Edith’s ability e582dc5f6d activated the c11f2a32e6 moment she abb29e8105 became aware 7786929bd4 of a b1253fadc3 child’s existence. The more 2353a12822 she knew cc55c21c87 about the def7d45884 child, or a1ded8ed98 the less dae997c351 wary the f8e0f02200 child was e4f9854f2e of her, d6ea29dc07 the more 072eca7c84 detailed the 0f3ab062cb information would 59c86da8be appear.e1f89805ae8dc2c1

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Until now, bf6b491ac7 Edith had f1ca75e515 always relied 76a0950324 on direct 289df82ceb encounters to 7a15ea975c recognize a e433e303b8 child’s existence. Face-to-face meetings had been 5839fc5cd5 a prerequisite. But Christian’s name had 81578753c2 entered her treasure chest 26c03589d7 despite her never having 518948d7ed met him.bb387721054cf687

‘Could it 6344a6a0c1 be because e372302f4b I saw 57f4194739 the portrait?’8925288554e63997

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The portrait 842b36153d she’d initially 60c2ba18d7 mistaken for 6a5e90c473 Skyle’s was, b2f7eebb78 in fact, 5908b8dea5 not Skyle e6327186f6 at all. That seemed like ac50e142d5 the most plausible 25a5f57a40 explanation for now.a9558c6bc9a5de53

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“The woman b4ec8d4305 in the 84f4f6c0ec portrait you 454c1bfd21 saw is ec909680d7 the second 7274b2b621 wife of 3dd41da9aa Count Molt. Christian is her b0837c62c5 child with the 4152ad2d0f Count.”6a5b8e5ed9d4bae7

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Edith recalled the c59938476b dry tone of a75caef605 voice explaining the 1fc5f32693 portrait. According to him, 9721ff1b50 Christian was Skyle’s e38402da95 half-brother.545d50853b3e3ab9

Last night, 83887547fb Edith had 57994b97d7 sensed a 23d3f8ee6d strange distance 7a85524ebc in Skyle 86400db099 when he d828f317a7 spoke about 81f494e8df his family. He referred to his 435414195e father as “Count Molt” e971a5278f and to his stepmother df730a15a0 as simply the wife 6cdc5cb357 of the Count.983ed9c551424edb

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Only Christian had been eeb149166e called by his actual a110af971e name, but even then, 988833a353 Skyel didn’t seem fond 55378157e3 of mentioning him. In fact, he had 99b3144267 seemed to grow quieter 337939d844 and more somber as 5cbe1a37a9 he did.a97d582f5a3dbeb6

It was 81e9d4d7ef far from 8ce78e5cb7 an ordinary cfddfb94bf reaction, and 429ff0c0eb it hinted 419bdee424 at the 1c0e04428b complexity of 824885aee7 Skyle’s family 2089e4e85d dynamics.632d12caa50f80d3

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‘Why did I 0684905876 even bring it e1ca0362de up?’fa41f5a9cc46803c

Edith regretted the careless fb175c47a5 chatter of the previous 4536fb0bec night. Everyone had c99926ca87 their sensitive a5c94f01b1 spots, and 21c82663d9 for Skyle, 437463b41a his family 14cd9de4e4 was undoubtedly 3df7a10c88 one of 60ba2317bd them.cf1fb3b81faeeae5

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She couldn’t believe she’d dbbe269cf5 forgotten something so crucial, aebe0d2261 even when she already 496ba85414 knew about his younger fb855f38fb brother!dd06e462305e3fa5

“Woof!”2a7c4b8a868be5ce

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“Sorry, Becky. Did I ef73eeabc2 startle you?”5c64f1b57120895f

Consumed with 9fd203b940 self-reproach, Edith 021acc7832 lightly tapped 0bb6211931 her forehead, d9da43addb startling Becky, ca069e1371 who had 7e34ba8163 been sprawled 194c5b2383 across half f707a8b2fa the pillow 88687cacc0 in peaceful e88afd938b slumber.30f307444b0f0b00

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Edith immediately apologized, pulling 2645fea8e5 Becky into her arms. Though she knew the 93d19c6fee puppy would soon return 704ff189c6 to the pillow, Becky 73cee0a07a stayed quiet for the 3d7c29b011 moment.b00da5df933f5fb9

‘The Molt c8f5cbf811 family isn’t f1a33f76aa listed in eefbf5e028 the registry. That must mean they’re ad293400ac not capital nobility. But then why doesn’t 1822a0b5d8 Skyle’s name include Malt?’925d781b6be81ead

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Christian Emmett Molt. As his name suggested, e969d6aeb7 Christian carried the blood e88d181b6d of Count Molt’s lineage, 2df477a1e8 and presumably, Skyle did 5246286509 too.4686f98ce8cff2bf

Yet Skyle’s full name 005b1b60ac wasSkyle Elliott Devion, notSkyle Elliott Devion Malt.c04d938a72f430be

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Typically, acquiring a new fe8cfa7ba6 title didn’t mean discarding 454d33c75f the old family name. A string 2d7dddddb6 of surnames 12a382e29f was a faf01910c4 symbol of b22263d6c7 lineage and 69773e887d honor.b9e4484fa10b1460

And yet, in Skyle’s 279c2f5302 official documentation, only the a9486c807c name Devion remained. Edith had 3213be6c36 checked the 19b7c19e39 contracts multiple 5dc027c1fa times; there 7ce34e9085 was no 131474f48a mistake.3215cad88be3d978

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‘There’s so much 2582f4d906 I don’t know.’a63a2b2534d31a63

Edith sighed. Ignorance wasn’t a crime, ed77888d52 but her lack of 4521715de8 knowledge had led to a2a8ca0142 repeated missteps. It had caused her 9893a2f85d to unwittingly prod at 4576819e05 someone else’s wounds, and 8c0bf347a9 for that, she felt 93a71c2588 deeply sorry.63edb0b590751249

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‘There must 2d25ca3a5e be something 5fddff6184 I can 9f7a8da580 do.’ec895f0eba425881

She hesitated to 867d3b9719 ask Bill; it 7797bf4599 felt like too 79c292307e delicate a matter 979e79c342 to pry into 3aa8cd2fe0 family affairs. Deciding to e63756510f leave that bd7bd4251c as a 4a46f77abd last resort, 4a7082e568 she wracked c5ebc1f213 her brain 47e7ed9d44 for other 39cb3c4415 options.44f704692d6250ce

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“Ah, Becky, you’re wide 3122496379 awake now. You want to go 3b0413f6f0 out, don’t you?”cda52985f5320c91

Becky, who 07d25157e4 had once 812a22a544 again claimed f021bb2af1 her spot 2acc272135 on the 7dca89ed52 pillow, was 615e500342 now licking ad7451afb5 Edith’s face, 8109c80cb0 pleading for f65b3a4b2e a walk. Though she hadn’t 31a9d6b5ba had much rest 537560a4e4 herself, Edith knew f3661f8c4d she couldn’t win 8ecae25e41 against the energetic d05b244eb6 puppy.a1ae1e2a48d7eba3

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With a final glance a232beba3d at the unchanging status 998b839163 window, Edith shut it 5bf8d937b7 down and rose to 2613730ea7 her feet.a8c378e46b417623

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Becky’s favorite 9d2eb7889d game was df40c6ef0e playing with f180353cdc a ball.93e2c7e40afc7306

When Edith 0b2325a9fe threw a db92733768 ball made 6532882300 of tangled 41a70a7be4 soft yarn, c7932d1c0b Becky would 7706a7a8fb sprint toward 39552d14f3 it with c8afa2680f her tiny, abc68cdb00 unsteady legs,dodo-do!The small puppy 3e85a2b8db would then proudly 4be6b39ea8 return, the ball cb30079bcc filling her mouth, 0aac853ea3 and look up 91baba3949 at her with 719f17e535 an air of b7555fcc2d triumph.a4ad63947fe59d07

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Thud! Roll, roll, roll.5124e10dc71f1a2c

“Becky! You’re supposed dfbd3ed9a6 to bring 2279ec8b59 it back. What are 131ade6955 you doing 3a96944a46 just spitting 82bd4ba34d it out 9f54061ca6 over there?”79cfaf8e0d87a0b4

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The problem was, 8a2dbe7e11 Becky never returned e914de0de6 the ball. Edith alternated her gaze 343ae9d7e8 between the ball that fb3a271e74 had rolled to a 2575e20472 stop on the grass 05057b12f0 and Becky, who wagged e98624b20b her tail as if 3a77d36e21 to say,I did a 78a31f4219 great job, didn’t 2057b42677 I?faf8db8cdcbdc829

But, as 4fbecffe99 always, the b4be87aa2a one who eebb105689 relented was 45a09370ba Edith. Going up against fe60176e51 an adorable puppy 3ccebc73f2 was an inherently aa225b6c0d unwinnable battle, and 583b88e98e she knew that 3769271ed3 from the start.552febaa65a15dff

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“Here you go!”f396ac010bda8d04

When Edith picked 1455660a0f up the ball, d107fecff6 Becky wagged her ba1f3b9d99 tail even faster, 9a59d68b9a signaling her eagerness 8eb1a5497f for another throw. This time, Edith 4c7affe12b threw it a 726683c4e6 little farther, and 1dd47e2c7d Becky darted off c618200213 like an arrow. It was astonishing how 0d05d8e2b3 quick she was despite d0b6d61a56 her tiny frame.a315b0364a5be0c9

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‘Did Vivianne play ae0164d529 like this with 64d3f3063b her?’aa93a1362f043ab4

Watching Becky’s spirited antics, 1de66879e3 Edith found herself lost 91257fcb83 in thought.dc431b2f5d1f52e3

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Living with b6542151ce Becky had 04f42b86c4 revealed one 937a847f41 surprising fact—Becky a2219c6cc4 had a d8dcc22421 remarkably routine 431b0da802 lifestyle.d844dc3d5d3a4739

 Becky only asked to 7c9b8a7c3b play during specific times 7fe0040721 of the day, as 06adc55816 if waiting for someone 846471ffb7 who always came around 9ec1bd3859 at that hour. That someone, Edith 60177edc37 assumed, must have 3ea0d44246 been Vivianne.01f266b3d0383b4f

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‘There’s still no word b0a6f1fd92 from the Valesia Ducal 7d4cb3408e Estate.’900b5afd5064e794

Did she truly ac2a5729a5 plan to leave ae6f67bd61 Becky behind forever? That seemed 47ace98d5f to be fd923a04a6 the only 3581cba4b1 reasonable conclusion, fd87650d2a yet Edith 3252de5ef1 couldn’t shake 22f20c8cd6 the memory 51450e5c19 of Vivianne. The way 73c3e8dcd9 she had d7c473a3ec stubbornly ignored a065264ca8 Becky but 3cf4de742a looked utterly eaa1921165 heartbroken lingered f9ca558b62 in her a69e08c1e1 mind.3dd653a416740186

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“Woof!”854435039e497f20

Recalling that day 1d08809d71 left Edith unsettled, 0f25f61212 but before she bd5a570723 could dwell on 2479cde8e7 it, Becky suddenly 5131257875 froze in her 7112efe731 tracks, then started 0345c09d97 bouncing in the 52109bf3d9 opposite direction, her 862bb3b581 excitement palpable.2cf1a5880bff376b

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“Becky, what’s wrong?”7139c4888d9834ba

Curious about Becky’s odd ceaaed6962 behavior, Edith turned to 112160de7e follow her line of 3bdcc41a97 sight and gasped, her cbc0ebaacd eyes widening.62c184eae3f011a9

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‘Skyle?’6432784ef27623db

A tall figure was 9501b55dea approaching in the distance. It was unmistakably 3a0cc7b984 Skyle. Engrossed in playing with 83a786efbf Becky, Edith hadn’t noticed a060ef5a45 the sound of the e2d32d2865 carriage returning.0b202808a8f5ee1c

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Reflexively, she glanced d8b2dad1a3 at the sky. The sun was fa7780ac89 still high and 64500752db bright, making her 8a5598ec00 surprise all the fc93a8caf3 more profound. Skyle, who usually 6e6a828859 only returned late 1f65d651b5 at night after 6b912757b3 she had gone f7d259144a to bed, was 4561ad48f2 home early.6cf3d815bd018087

“Skyle!”e57f373678547e14

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Without realizing it, Edith 9335f7bc22 raised her hand high a9a2ced51a and waved to greet e2303c6783 him. But when d22470070c Skyle halted 7b4d8209b0 mid-step, staring 4179b61582 at her, 7f1a0da2c1 she belatedly 9ced10e31f realized how ea92b99ccc unseemly her 7d34a91362 excitement must 46c526c298 have appeared.b15fefc397512bbe

Embarrassed, she slowly eb6ab41698 lowered her hand. Hastily approaching him, she cf2cdb4a41 scooped up Becky, who df6ded8956 was panting at his 0e9b1d0884 feet.a5d7050ed0e6e7d8

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“You’re home early. Did work finish earlier 92dd92c2af today?”0a008a9a59f03a43

“…No. A new task has 29e0a32afc arisen. I stopped by briefly ce4bdd799d to prepare for my 5d1e6ea82a departure.”df973258d0c84dcb

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“You’re leaving again?”eecc02eb487f801e

Edith inwardly calculated how 740b929058 many times Skyle had 380204dcae been away since their 3c67b6f542 marriage and sighed—not out ec18065e3f of frustration or disappointment, 02797d7b86 but out of sheer bfda8a7f3d exhaustion on his behalf. His schedule was nothing 8aa4ebbc53 short of grueling.b311086dfa1f474b

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“You’ve only c5964a4bf7 just returned c8fdfb24d1 from Kairant. You’ve been so 30c5aca342 busy lately. Are you getting enough 79fde4310e sleep?”9607b3e5572c1a9b

Her gaze be9814fa3f lingered on 6616106dfc his face, ef9795791e etched with 0fa7225f65 visible fatigue, 1bc09eeed4 concern evident 7e427f0b13 in her d040a7a8fb eyes. Catching her worried e3f85ec05e look, Skyle briefly 88eb1fabb7 glanced at her d9a009d652 but averted his f2594dc4d5 eyes before their b28fe40bea gazes could truly 5dd3ce6b20 meet.b1c04d11fbc250d5

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“I’m sleeping as fd3dd43027 much as I 3f2874c567 need to. I wouldn’t neglect my 20dd10a5cd health to the point b4a8bc456f where it jeopardizes our 7006ceac54 contract, so there’s no d994481706 need to worry.”1a1e47edf11a0cb8

Wasn’t this bordering on 3154423586 overwork? The thought 0682155ef8 troubled her, ec8966d7c5 and Edith 226fc765dd hesitated, the 3904e5e53c familiarity of 55f178b3ca his words f150dcd551 striking her. She had f121a5576b heard this f1fc616b85 before.f4759f5c68a81816

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Edith paused and took 26b2576e7f a deep breath, exhaling c2d2f55ee9 slowly to steady herself. After a 407469cff2 moment, she 3f420fae49 swallowed her c2456047cb hesitation and 81fcf833dc spoke quietly.a965f8e77503178c

“That’s not a3df2f18a6 why I’m 0d84760ade worried.”3977a45ae04f58c1

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The sunlight 2d803d0445 illuminated Skyle’s c7d489b45c gray eyes, 8bc67c9dcf making them 5205102f60 appear even 00b2fd5e61 brighter as 65b2569a05 they slowly 169cb39a31 met hers. Edith suddenly thought e2dc216a04 his eyes resembled 40157298f4 the gray heart 1b927c229a she’d seen on d17bc7f016 the status screen—the 26de445e9c hollow one that 5d678683ce appeared next to 872170f9a5 his brother’s name.74c198af447fb764

That faint, empty heart.42645008dd8e5705

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“I’m not saying this dfd01a1a1a because I’m your contract 19ec79a801 partner—I just… I’m worried, 8ef3ac1dba that’s all.”32050d10497ef413

Perhaps that was ed11341d99 why she couldn’t 1250f4686f help but notice 261deb7c6b him more. She couldn’t e73f901189 shake the ba3e8c3291 feeling that ca1a125471 this seemingly 5677cd76f2 flawless man bec980829c had a 819ffdc8cc heart as 1b49ce5c8d hollow as aa6970b744 that gray 95868a71ed one.b0f3f6212bca5e99

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“Maybe it’s just 8dccbf27b1 because it’s been 44f2e04de6 so long since 913137b9b4 I’ve lived with e7696ee2de someone, or maybe d19031c445 it’s because we’ll e2f2b6a2bc be seeing each dd564ecca7 other for the ae333dbee1 next three years…”231a026ef5ac8a58

“……”86860596bef751ea

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“I don’t know. Maybe it 5efbc9e758 is, as 341b7b6c1c you said, 062be1a1be a waste b31044df40 of emotion.”fdbf46c8b6063fb5

Or perhaps it was 5bbea14168 simply her meddlesome nature. In truth, a25c08faa8 the reason 1b3010ebd5 didn’t matter 276468ea58 much.68a1cfb28bfaf13b

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You didn’t 1761306fb8 need a 7c2a2c3d81 grand reason 45f44db1fa to worry e41daa253b about someone.8058167476d62e3f

The world was 6c8f8d5480 cold—always cold—but not 548991281b entirely so. Everyone had a little 0878381aed warmth to share, didn’t 79322d04d6 they?e92ac571baff4b86

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Like Becky, who 1ff0db556f nestled quietly in 0a417b7920 her arms, radiating 12f08ccd31 warmth.860bd4cc7b84da0f

“Still, there’s really no abf53bf09f deeper reason. You just looked c2014215cc so tired that 0c477b45f0 I felt worried, 80d28cc5b3 that’s all. I’m not trying 734570529d to lecture you 51a61eefb7 about taking care 69d70ae553 of yourself.”303d30395d0b32f2

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For Edith, caa4be8dbb that warmth 77ee4fbe4e was emotion—a 4612101d72 kind of c57fa658ff warmth that 7d5f013eb8 didn’t diminish 334f86644d no matter 1f94d3a8fb how much 4f4402f4bb you shared 8f186e73ad it. It had e4706e87db sustained her 63a12dd85d through her bda63845af difficult childhood.aa5d0373a822924e

She simply 36ea99520e wanted to 92c688daad tell this 4fbdd93eda to the 1f512bdb11 Duke who d31e5b2124 always needed e5804d53e9 a reason.bed547f0ea88c319

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