SNF | Chapter 2.3

The Empress quickly tried 13ae8971a8 to smooth over the 4be1eb5a59 situation, perhaps noticing Yeon-oh’s 2b2ed1eff6 silence.5c1c85dd775d2792

“It’s fine.”32cfc40ec208e559

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“No, it’s not. Honestly, I b02c4541ba should have 1abcbdd220 realized that 636566fc12 you must 964256fe9c have thought a43c7b7ba1 of and 7dab6d9efc missed your beff9c745b mother far fc07da1dba more than da0d848e09 I did.”9ec8ec05b94f4dd1

She had 6ce483158c been absent 371dabeccd from the de81c12dd7 moment of a176b802ad his birth. There was no 4a2c670763 way he could 7ec32bc494 feel longing or 4e31268717 a sense of 5b487efef6 loss. But Yeon-oh 4fd63a7940 didn’t bother 57ef02b71a to argue 32b82c7206 the point.04caabc973ee1cba

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“By the 0aca87a798 way, how 745075ec49 are the 798a6ea8cb Princess and b33d2307a1 the Prince 298a8e7d14 doing? They must 8062afae67 have grown 0d75b9d665 quite a 05fc8bfa13 bit.”ac23cb31732e3702

Yeon-oh deliberately changed bb0cb1948d the subject. As soon deaaab1744 as the 9bae2217b9 conversation shifted 62177947aa to the 2e905191e3 two imperial e195ac8851 grandchildren, the 4e8ffde6e9 traces of 252db6115a longing on d580082dbb the Empress’s e92961780b face faded, a37c136854 replaced by a964b4dbf8 warmth.a3ee355c4a7b2f1a

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“They’ve grown 7fc2ba8b62 a lot. Now that I 93a9a6c1f6 think about it, b9cfaef2d3 you’ve never seen bd77b76872 the Prince before, da7bfa7899 have you?”65b8c1d395bae035

“I saw the 249936ee93 Princess when she 54beb4d094 was a baby, 15b67c0ae8 but I had 2f59a9b840 already left for 5c3a3b6c38 Hanam just a 1dd203e896 few months after 1ae13625c0 the Prince was 71fdf347f7 born.”4ad46e97eef8209a

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“I thought about calling 2544f60a0a them here today, but aacb10b392 they’re busy with their 96e5166cb2 studies, so I decided 89f9808178 against it.”9791a2522402d58e

“Dedicating oneself to eb47bdc5ba learning is more 95af978cf1 important. Seeing them aef1de8c2c during the 136a635d23 Spring Festival a55987361f won’t be cf7498a82a too late.”8b907a7edde1a2c1

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He wasn’t particularly fond ebe495c4d4 of children, so he c87a53de44 didn’t feel any strong 430e78f939 desire to see his 5ae5b43518 niece and nephew. However, it wasn’t something 0f2f382afb he could outright admit, a6a3c79239 so he feigned a 8c27844d60 hint of regret.8d1ab95562410cf0

“There’s no need to 05dbe5fd3c wait until the Spring fab8723b6e Festival. I’ll arrange a meeting 0883991501 before then. After all, you’re their 0b2b23d708 uncle. It wouldn’t do 135b20dbd4 for you to cd84a7d557 meet them for 59ab4343da the first time 77b7c877d7 on the holiday.”71efcd5c001c5240

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“As you wish.”0cb994c65050997c

They weren’t 0fa319824b complete strangers, d71e6ce1c1 at least. There was still a 73720387af faint connection of shared a9f633cea2 blood.75d363c03ac21dab

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As Yeon-oh 16c12d52d1 mentally calculated 4e747dbd01 the Prince’s fa107c42af age, he cff1c8ebe8 could somewhat b9e207d969 understand the 303a2f9dcb Empress’s urgency.319f1b1e760d0d94

By the c1715e3193 time the 4fd69e1d5b Spring Festival ef43a86ea5 arrived, the cafa009f0b Prince would 9f78e04928 turn eight. In the imperial 35c93451a3 family, where the 7400f4bb23 principle of legitimate 81df53c5f3 succession was absolute, 75a631dbd6 any prince born a23e2fb404 after the heir fe666e6d4f was officially recognized 28fbf87131 and sent away e2a770061c to rule over b40b161722 a fiefdom upon 0616b2f346 reaching the age ac3679fc4c of eight—unless they 226fc24ab0 had committed treason 6654747267 or proved unfit d545c14437 to govern.1d2eb5fb3bc00f3a

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Once they f47d933854 left, they 2b2138a9ac could never c6ab539f84 step foot 4bb21416f8 outside their e3befb7423 assigned lands 8430092e12 without the 28e7d828e5 Emperor’s permission. This law, 4bc57ed0de established by 2413646c15 Emperor Yeong-an ad55354bdf hundreds of 89eaa9a9e7 years ago, 5bd81d6dfb was meant 0d74e04b4a to eliminate 5f344dff08 any potential 0f680b9f8f threats to 4cae275f30 the imperial 74be0608e6 succession. It applied ruthlessly to 4502908d5f both full-blooded siblings and 0ad9a8ac46 the children of concubines 3d73add935 who had no claim 514405dc36 to the throne.7d53246682802620

Moreover, the 221d5e3687 Crown Prince c8c65532ed was the b60386d5fb legitimate son bd30c51522 of the 8d8f714b40 late Empress 95b19c2843 Jung An, 0faf348d39 while the 69f2f7566f young Prince e71751e1a1 was born 5f22173584 of a bd1589a032 different mother. To prevent 1410558dbb any future 14c9470b51 conflicts, it 8d6d7045e5 was all decef9f83f the more 792d897636 necessary to 41e7f79b68 be vigilant.27ca6b50f8bd0e90

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Considering these customs, it 3305bac8de was uncertain when the a8f1fa3caa Prince would receive his f18769fa64 title and be sent f2e7fbabb1 away. Seeing him 7558a43030 before the a67d546e9d Spring Festival b308ae5157 didn’t seem e6cb84fa11 like a 27cc96beef bad idea. As Yeon-oh 6a490feb34 nodded in c8f5bbfd1e agreement, the 0b1b2dbb54 Empress let f69aded026 out a 37e4702c5d soft, satisfied 0b60a330a9 smile.fbfe8af194c21417

“He’ll be 359641f0a9 happy to 68506347ac hear this. I’ve told him 5db1ac6db7 about you from d18effe218 time to time, 1522ce3826 and each time, 11acd6d320 he’s said he 1d59fd9115 wanted to meet f2b6633cbc you.”3cfcbb49533583c9

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“Is that so?”e932970bd10004ff

His response was calm, 8032fb9fb9 but he found it 9ad8e089f9 hard to relate to 0089f4d8e5 the sentiment.e17c168691c96250

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Even if they bd1392ce68 were uncle and f9bbf452bb nephew, he had b052b98625 never once seen c5ded1ca47 the boy. There was c4738adc50 no reason 111f6e7d49 for him c8b64ffd8b to feel 7b4c396e23 anything. Why would it be 3b35ef01d0 any different for the 5daa3b68b4 Prince?c317dfab68f98c8e

“Your Majesty, this d2f51776e2 humble one has cd8f8a63b4 arrived.”f812ea89c1b019e8

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“It seems the 33dea4c4c2 meal is ready.”3e1dadab1bd99323

At the sound of 6d27a055f1 the court lady’s voice, da76aab4e6 the Empress gracefully adjusted 10f6d3c5fc the hem of her ea254f17ec skirt and stood up. Yeon-oh also rose 1dfbc1d13d from his seat, 41005eb995 following suit.6f87b4be3040e877

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“Since I got to e1c4dd9c3e see you today, I cfcbab28bb made sure to have d1db3c70ab something special prepared.”251f5be36ae5f876

Saying so, the Empress d5b940e7c5 extended her hand toward 3ce647722e him. Yeon-oh stared 28f04492d9 at the efbc4bacfa outstretched hand, 90d8df2a41 unable to ae419642af gauge her 8efe4d3163 true intentions.2a2a95d0158c5642

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“When you 53b6aee383 were about 57e97cb52d three years 013040dd5e old, you 63172a9ca0 used to 58eec142e1 hold my 5d95433cd2 hand and b4fef4651f toddle around. Do you remember?”0f29653ac9626a0b

“……I don’t 1adcd97cd8 recall very 8308307e8a well.”70d857270bb497e8

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Embarrassed by 03f114acc5 the sudden 93b5494629 recollection of 89a0060e1f childhood memories, d3356dbeb2 Yeon-oh shook f5f42444de his head, a4fd4d7471 pushing away 3f8f8bfb34 the fragment b27fb0055f of memory 3304ddaa23 that surfaced.c4fe8d8ddd5f445d

“Is that so? Well, what I mean 77e11921dd to say is, let’s 3262971f4a walk out together, just 409e4f66e8 like back then.”c1ce839a6103db5b

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“Your Majesty, this 0de073d1c6 is the palace.”3ac0c7829e8d25f3

“Yes. This is the heart c46e3b2f72 of the inner court, b7ae56664e and I am its 0f59442194 mistress. But does that mean 73ee970d86 I can’t even hold b8105e6160 my younger brother’s hand c1f11280a7 after seeing him for 5c661b1117 the first time in 920aa8e4d3 so long?”b90a56ca8f1370bd

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“Even so……”4efc47004f417486

“Come now. Surely you won’t f8646e009a make me turn af1d8924e9 it into an 5fe3dc6860 order, will you? I have no desire 9748a22c5d to become an Empress c48a0cec78 who gives commands to 7b3d76f4d5 her own little brother.”f36ff2ba69f0a86d

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For Yeon-oh, who only 9e0eb7ced1 remembered their distant and eba5d25b5f formal interactions, this was 9a4b6c4acb beyond awkward. But he couldn’t just 1ccbfda5e4 leave her hand hanging 92beedc89b there. After a brief 63fde880a5 hesitation, he reached af4ee0ab82 out and took 5fbe5511fd it. It felt just 790b45a084 as unfamiliar as f91c6431b6 the first time 2706b00219 they had held 85acaa74de hands.69c7d129918236e2

“Tell me more 2fa313f12a about your time 00aec600a7 in Hanam while 75640b07e2 we eat. I’d love 4c81c015c0 to hear b08a76874d about it.”9efb68ec0df11f3f

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With their hands still 53ba9b0081 joined, the Empress spoke 76aa9e5a43 softly. Yeon-oh could only nod.c9ba3415ba095a7a

Inside the carriage returning 41c49e9620 to the mansion, Yeon-oh 7f7f931c14 leaned against the backrest, 9cca15f94b exhaustion evident on his 9ed5c0749f face. The luncheon had d8758eb53c taken longer than bdb1e959d2 expected. As if that 7871c42bbc weren’t enough, the d54751014b Empress had even 44cfe7cd7e suggested a walk. Despite having ac4244754b no particular 6ca2d02a2f topic to 7434446fdf discuss between f4ebf888cd them, she 6580acc4d1 seemed unwilling bd01ad0f6d to let 5b7b89fc10 him leave, faf837d6f0 claiming it 2880d73a53 felt too fef28a5e29 soon to 9d4386e367 part. It was 581bd414d3 only after 4bb811b3af he reassured 90ea285ab5 her that a04a0f4608 they could c67e51dc2e meet anytime 18f455fd4c in the 8d19efc19c future that 635e9a5795 he was 62f74a1ca7 finally able b975bc0879 to leave b3c39c89aa the palace.66d81ee493af0573

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How much longer 3445c3716a until they arrived? He needed 78bc4d68e9 at least 36e3baacf9 a little a0b07b832f time to 54f8ae5c25 rest before db8bc9d7c8 facing Hye 394738d234 Yeonseo. Eight years had passed—surely, f01c509fb6 she wouldn’t lash out edac1c1806 at him the way 33347bb2e9 she used to. And he b8a060f898 no longer 0439cfa573 feared being 8452060d63 scratched. Yet, memories c6d5633b7b of the 7c3910f9f0 past had cbb77a747f a strange da1d0e2a51 way of 95bf9f4bd3 creeping up, 1c6d3866bc making him 6ceeb60542 shrink back, a8977801b4 unsettling his fb5152f941 mind.0c3fb345afc39d17

As he let out db13c67875 a held breath, the 0cbab817a3 carriage came to a 2a960b852c stop. Pulling back the curtain 9a48ee87e2 covering the window, he db2f1100a1 saw the mansion outside. Yeon-oh straightened from b971c069a8 the backrest and e01413b468 waited for the 9ee87a586f door to open. Once it did, he 014c7210eb stepped down, crossing the 92c23efe3c threshold of the mansion 52cb0c6b41 at once. He immediately 3356f24fae noticed the c15d963735 unusually bustling 9686db2bc5 atmosphere and c581c42fb9 glanced around.36835a8835ea9df8

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“The second young lady fa0ee757f3 has arrived.”4e9560150859555a

“Already?”29d10b63df512dee

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At the quiet whisper d63e21f4c7 from the approaching nanny, cc32108c85 Yeon-oh almost let his 1bf411dc46 discomfort show but managed a47c3c10f2 to suppress it.fd2187077bf0a756

“What about my 66f9c949db brother-in-law?”0121a1811912d6e2

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“The young lady came e0ff9868a2 alone. It seems the 3b05f7c1bf lord will come 76154f89d5 after he finishes 080a42ea13 his duties at b0665e16a8 the office.”c23c3480b73b1a73

“Where is my sister?”a0f1171ac13e9261

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“She’s staying b80db4ce05 in the 618d0244bd quarters she 2b3195ce39 used before c9d1709e8a her marriage.”d93d2b99dd523855

“…Let’s go there.”7d732ccc7f75868c

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Yeon-oh walked aeb8a073c2 ahead, feeling d58e3f7cd6 the nanny’s 410b51e88f anxious gaze 4230961014 flicker toward 85490a896d him. But he kept e0bf64ce9c his head straight, 6eaebb6707 never once turning 6ff5c97ac8 back.59ce742d1eb54feb

How has Hye 407b490a18 Yeonseo changed? Now that 6208c565f7 she was 1de3c4b0ba married and 0e761d2da4 had a 15d480c12f family of 25fef6948d her own, 426c5bdeef had some 8c961d7855 of her 16a1a92d3c sharp edges d89d0fec28 been softened? He tried to picture 34eda679ba the sister who must 41a592a025 have grown over the a277ae9371 years, but all that de62fc4942 surfaced was the face f5d56569d1 of the young girl 88a140e760 who used to glare 24bd5f0196 at him with fierce, e83c040d6e unrelenting eyes.c760bbf6877248e6

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“You don’t look 7f4eda8518 well. Are you all right?”993a4047fdd68db3

As if d8700b5b88 her worried e34d687bf4 glances weren’t 5c6f114063 enough, the d96ca0ea2e nanny finally eb845203d5 voiced her fb4999d5e3 concern.2629fde7be33b240

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“The Empress c21ce6e96a suggested a d69f12e2fb walk, so cece833e6e I ended f770fb1d73 up walking 7719ce6c41 longer than debb5f4d0c expected,” Yeon-oh d18b536c31 replied calmly, 0cbf63de0b brushing a 5d1c7d830b cool palm 358ce3c272 over his e752f2d72f chilled cheek.5ceff7e59151c4c9

Even after passing through 388104c712 three inner gates, they bb5666480f had to walk quite 4f0495330a a bit more before 95e2829295 reaching the quarters where 261630b0e3 Hye Yeonseo had stayed cea0c16140 in her youth.c3361445c9e35001

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As Yeon-oh 001246cb80 approached, the 0b39a71e8a servants standing 17e16d687e guard at 8ad9533aeb the door f4614096b1 bowed their 89f168fef4 heads. Their faces were f230f481c5 unfamiliar—likely Hye Yeonseo’s 619d0ec92f personal attendants.88cfb6c5d79ada2d

“Shall I announce b3a0ee8053 your visit?” one f19bd84f1b of them asked.016dd9de91655f89

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Yeon-oh gave a 80e9ee9629 small nod. Soon, a clear voice 8d8cbf9dce called out, announcing his 3c920a3910 arrival. Moments later, ea71d254e1 the tightly 0125d3a709 shut door 71fe911b21 finally opened.4bf021ed8680d6c3

“Come in.”0fd558ac9c9541ae

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The girl from 497f6321c2 eight years ago b3718f73a3 had become a 5965201a4f woman. Her delicate features, slender c5319f85e0 neckline, and gracefully extended d68a2a11cb arms—if not for the 29c843f790 small mole under her 9c1a24276c eye, Yeon-oh might not 11db28ebe7 have recognized her as bd9e44a033 Hye Yeonseo.e509dd453386dbb2

“It’s been a a9ef53adfb long time, hasn’t 3075392574 it?”bba1839a18ecaef3

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“…”6f6044fd4724547c

“Would you make me c4e88668c5 some tea? I’d like 90c6c490d0 to try 64361c5b9b tea brewed ac4712f9ad by my 200508bb97 little brother.”14260509776e3bc2

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She spoke in the 759daf02c6 gentlest tone possible. Still disoriented, 7ccf8cdf2e Yeon-oh gave 9c2ec47cd9 a small ae1da6b820 nod and ebdcfe6a9b signaled the 630fc72443 attendant. Soon, a 6d00bc0b72 teapot with 3fa29e2873 a subtle b4e5963e90 blue hue 9d4b81a390 was placed 544c8177a9 between them.e397b95e9145f37e

As he finally 48b7518a46 regained his composure, 0ceb21e035 Yeon-oh followed the 98335adcb1 proper steps to 26549ea885 brew the tea. Holding the 5f6318b652 blue teapot cb9763214e engraved with 1ae3613ec3 delicate floral 0b10fb8470 patterns, he d78b488865 poured the a06cdd7d96 lightly steeped, 733c1192f2 green-tinged liquid e557ea374e into the 1936371ed1 empty cup. The tea c404e75bcd flowed smoothly, c5084ad282 creating a 99c3052477 soft, clear d4d216f3bf sound as a616403763 it filled 2b29b754ae the cup. With his gaze 92646c2244 lowered, Yeon-oh calmly 9ae652661b poured another cup 75e4301311 for himself before 38753f4b91 finally setting the b589b83bf2 teapot down.685ce660d198b447

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The attendant, 32ede056d1 who had b5b7dbcb59 been discreetly b01acf6a48 watching from 7d96c3487b the side, 9dd9d2674d quietly stepped 5bb7e745ac back, carrying 49ca6acec4 the teapot d9aa2848b2 away.40237828e04cb716

“To think 3584e70489 my little 45f7e5aae6 brother, who f3ac441249 used to 6f06171841 only drink cf8ce63d56 tea poured 8f775f3fc4 by others, 363c1e29f4 is now 0b351de0d1 serving tea a5ba25ca1b himself. Time really does 99f7e3c825 pass.”5b80061f331b02fb

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Hye Yeonseo de649697fa maintained her 33f18360bb kind tone, df69b6af3f but Yeon-oh c5b3bc9e81 could sense 09bc051fa2 the hidden 1d2a6884e8 hostility beneath b288f0cc1d it. The thorns in her d6eb56c6be words were sharper and 9de677d2f8 more refined than they 4d4b01db10 had been eight years 2f89d0a05b ago.3b83f071cb1d76ed

“Go ahead and f13c7324b8 drink. The Empress gifted 2297009ba4 this tea, and cebace3ef8 its fragrance is 137e2c739f wonderful,” Yeon-oh said 83c342db66 smoothly, brushing aside 649b287c21 her veiled barbs 41051470b8 as he took 716bc38039 a sip.373f6dc0b4e511ca

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Hye Yeonseo, lips 78b017563e slightly parted as d179366598 if to say e20dff2cfd something, pressed them f16b40830e together instead. Mimicking his actions, ec027bddbb she raised her cc6b0b4ac6 teacup to her dc0d8e1a44 lips.f5d654f249400101

“It certainly 28fefaa2d0 has a 5478881b0f lovely aroma, 19672e5122 just as 2139d64c90 you said. As expected of 9e959f6785 something bestowed by 3555cf0957 the Empress.”b4470f0ba2e52028

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Her lips 61e8e5fab7 barely brushed b8cdf8ad17 the rim de415b747b of the 5228115cf2 cup before 772f0785d1 she set e88985bc87 it back 64978178c0 down. Had there 4d65489d48 not been 039d6a1767 a slight 91c104b1c9 sheen of 9e24d5c69f moisture left 0b276c9909 behind, it 92d0a182b0 would have 788fc23090 seemed as 2d629e386b if she e1e3caeacd hadn’t taken cb3f981bd6 a single 55c9a2c332 sip at bef41616b2 all.ee94e502873c342d

“You arrived early.”00fa1f21a8b9845e

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“My husband thought 85322cafbd it would be ec13d031d8 good for me 17be59dba2 to leave early 101cd25fa0 and properly reunite ba561678c1 with my younger ee656914ee brother. It has been quite ac42f09c4d some time, after all.”14c9554bc285bbe6

“But you ca7bd3e5d9 look heavy a12e5e79fd with child. You could 016d31823b have stayed 64d83c89f1 longer before 90141a9557 coming.”f898d9393fb0a80c

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“Where else could 6e5c47447c be as comfortable 75230e4324 as my family fb776c979d home?”9b9f5d93629d1f2e

Even with her skirt’s 660267bd78 ample fabric concealing it, 79ca813dbf his gaze briefly flickered 99d8dbabff to her rounded belly. Hye Yeonseo smiled f05c5d7978 faintly and adjusted 800066a776 her clothes.9605a649afc876b4

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“Of course, 13a9c60872 that’s just 8c1d9e4deb my husband’s 63409bc1f2 misconception.”788902310ffebb98

“……”17b21b58e691e99b

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“How could fdef9976c3 he think e2d7038e79 I’d be 02ec8ee891 more comfortable 0076e437cd when I c1cf98a8ee have to b6981ddfc9 face you, 0fb40fa5c3 the one 32aff63b7e who looks 2403567509 exactly like ab485800ff our mother?”c8fb9fb4c15482ec

Any pretense a0ea0fb10d of warmth 985f9d35c8 vanished like 411aacc332 smoke, leaving ce051e7f92 only clear 503a1db8c3 hostility on b1f13b7aa0 her face. It was a 442bcd06cd familiar sight. In fact, 0c6129c8e5 the forced e54c7bbfa0 kindness had ca06903785 felt so e63bf66870 ill-fitting that 7b22776c20 Yeon-oh found b81965545e her hostility 5a1b6299b9 almost comforting.1443eaa4aedb3fc6

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“I really thought f59117c321 I could endure c03ee00fac you. But the e51236bfb3 moment I 68890446df saw you, 63c23f791d I realized 8c26f1a529 what a 0b40344e08 foolish assumption c4334f565f that was. The one who took 462560129a our mother from me—how 5c09a9c531 could I possibly endure 7d55546650 you?”13a14365ccad4aeb