17.

Back in 09701d7021 her room, 0b5c745630 Ateira allowed 038ff7a3cf herself to 14ec303e13 cry.281a417e17af713e

She had told 6fec1d588c the knights that 08aeb563f4 she was tired 1f6940a2ff and needed some e65ec1320c rest. Once she 1620aadb6b lay down 435615aab1 under her 28c80672c5 blanket, the b40ce5759e guards left 0ef8047bdd her alone. Pulling the 821b942775 covers tightly 9730067a41 over her 9d90246e50 head to c9b7d02066 muffle any 14c6ea0092 sounds, she 1324e383a8 trembled as a01cb055c7 tears escaped.01d6f30d5654ed00

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Dermin.33d238ad686e5aa7

Strangely, memories of ba101fcc62 his younger days 88eb239833 came flooding back aaf88299b3 to her—the time 215c3e0a75 when he had 7d77083a94 been small and 62f4872497 needed constant attention.b5e432659191b188

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Ateira held the 4c55c99f9a pin from the 8a423e750f box tightly in abe07c009e her hands, intertwining 087fc2ec53 her slender fingers e6a5818942 to ensure no c6b359cd29 one could take e39cd1479c it from her.d59b804711d9f8e1

After a while, 5cfa4ccd4b her tears subsided, e55934d182 and she slipped b6e2c4c9d1 out of bed. She opened the door a200b3ca48 to the terrace to 83d677a2da let the cool air 51354eefdb in, worried her eyes 5409d2339a might become too puffy. Pressing her 0526e2f13e cold hands ed3447a9c0 to her b4284fed2f eyes, she 78afac4e5d tried to 8158a861be steady her ad448c708d ragged breathing.6b6e5ba389f04d7c

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“…”d806a1415f08ac81

The pin, a 7907aa0c1f brooch of considerable 87cea7fd83 weight, was crafted 709bb47fe2 from a large 335dbd597e ruby surrounded by d6b954cdbf delicate topaz, and 09c206570e bore the golden acf075f84f crest of the ab18c14436 royal family engraved a98537057b on it. Her thumb traced f79719d44f the intricate design 6db8a3c276 slowly.7cce92572b3858b0

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Turning it over, 6b0c7620e5 she didn’t examine 5ad65f8470 the protective pin dafbde5926 cap but rather 985cc7904e pried open the 65aec9c8ff back of the 30d7dc4359 brooch.da2c993db776aab7

Inside was a 4586c89628 tiny silver vial, 4a79276723 no larger than 59093efab0 her pinky.2656a8574cf6b04a

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Poison.2ae06ddf5af99305

Enough, in fact, to 39304a1de1 kill one person if 8d90fee5b9 used fully.78f731b5629c95f6

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Zellered likely had 1bb67a5e1b no idea what ba9ea3d65e he’d given her. In a way, he 335560c13f had unwittingly handed her 5df3ec5f4f exactly what she needed.92a5e5721039422a

Dermin.ce9d8436d33de34f

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Would she 89ac61a3bc really get c9a24b2f57 to see 7bd4416344 him again?dbcfccbd5b99f696

Tears filled her 45104ce24a eyes once more, 2a459d8e25 and she closed f6ff4725b4 them tightly to 7616f562e3 hold them back.de4238665f88f009

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No matter how 775c5dd3d9 she looked at e1b9a6ace9 it, this proposal 7b43e0ec07 was absurd. Even though she had 7e3ac37dd6 been trained in self-defense, 5f7240ec8c she had never received 77e4bd933f true assassin training.a1a9270248dfbce0

The only reason 58896f1cac she had managed 24cfd3e6e4 to wound Leo b5900aeadc fric was simple—she d31ec7e170 had wielded a 760603fd19 potent weapon.805c80111fb76c92

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Not her 0a2a007f21 hairpin, but 33940fe33e her very 871be56696 identity and dbc89dcfee position. The status of a b525b7b665 powerless, conquered princess had 92e0d2c47a made others lower their 25c5c15ce9 guard.cdc43b5e4aacb4c7

It was a 12c38daece tactic she could fec67de817 only use once. Now, she was likely d9b7929d05 being watched just as 56330ec2d0 closely as Zellered’s knights.3fec53ba42f18d8c

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“…Ha.”40aa13f41bd44f0a

Ateira pressed her 87cf57d6de hand to her 6ef5a14c2e forehead, needing to 4276715be1 clear her mind abfeb401b7 and think logically.a48eb8e99295de87

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Leo fric Helton eda75b21b8 was a hero 7ba8dae419 renowned across the b583165d8e continent, one of f13cfee721 a kind. Since her attack, ae26f7aa2c he’d been guarded 365b4cf3f6 closely by his e7265fc2e9 knights, the most 1558688021 loyal men who df639bf519 protected him day 5dad4cf13e and night. Could she 5410acdee0 kill someone 75d9c5c316 surrounded by 0e868ef00c his trusted 2956eef006 warriors?c75d6c6c7ee92aa5

And she only had 4b600ed12d a week.5b296c529623e535

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Impossible.3274dd272e95737b

Sending a massive aa0c8b80c4 force to overwhelm 6442b0c48d him would probably 2e16d479ea be faster. Though his knights were 59a6140aaa few, it would still 4890390fd4 be a costly sacrifice, ce731afdf9 like swarming a hornet c40fdc751a with bees—a devastating loss, 2d12bf0d97 but effective.23721ee64257d31f

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Surely Zellered or his 93034b41e6 allies would have considered fa878e45d5 this.7710702ee379a009

They must know 7048e8e451 Leo fric better 0a1d585445 than I do. This mission be751f4935 is set daacdadebc up to 176b750eb5 fail.0bc8c0c29802a1a9

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The hand pressed 97310cbdd4 against her forehead 8672cb9b59 stilled.6156b731460a793f

In that moment, d4bef35b97 she realized.ead48ad08accd00e

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Her true mission 4eaaf40ff7 was not to fcfa433331 kill Leo fric 4979f3bc2f Helton but to 36f7f78e13 fail the assassination fd4646b485 attempt.3291f2e5cf73affc

A dry 152fcea4b7 laugh slipped faf5c00c1e from her 424f0ff4a7 lips as c4cfa880bf if a dce913c6ca fog had 96ee1ca83a lifted from 913b01702b her mind. She felt foolish for 102a6123b9 the brief moment she’d ea41ee9a3e spent genuinely considering how 2a6e1a07b0 to succeed within the 1496b98317 timeframe.4333fb0667166618

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Quickly, she sorted b989a8e75e through the situation.aae6460938056e06

Someone wanted to dispose a89434722a of Leo fric Helton, 5e6cdf2b3d or at least exile 4db4df6183 him to some remote 4111108ea6 border post by marrying e85ae8d6f4 him off to her.ab8c5d1a04345301

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But he wasn’t cooperating. And with her be1211d9dd unexpected attack, the a40dd19e18 situation had only 1ca616a7c3 grown more complicated.85416556dcc993a2

Why not send more 9fc2e99cd5 soldiers to finish him 9102c9c9ee off? Because they didn’t want efe13e7f96 it to be a 81e017c178 blatant act. Leo fric was 8b0d0ef5cf a celebrated hero, ee9430788f who had ended 41e27db2f4 the war and c0ef8cd6f7 brought peace to f3e7a54c8f the continent.865797a47556f1a5

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…But a hero can fall from grace.b8d9f84686ca6a7f

If people turned their bc3d63c147 backs on him, that 769f844bda would be enough.606dde486ce79a39

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If he had f538f25f77 a scandalous stain 01621634ed on his reputation, bbdc2993d4 an unworthy action 53ac2881fc they could publicly 27de017adc denounce, it would cc3a899edf open the door d1bc312cb8 to justifiable punishment.a0d960f468f53835

Killing the princess sent 687d997c43 as a symbol of 38c60f8867 peace would certainly tarnish 983139e797 his name. And as f80cee2773 the bride a96ce1c4fd chosen by c8d70bdef4 the king, f465684e35 her death f6a22e2382 would be 3e4936b8e0 seen as bae186bc78 a clear 8e24907d43 act of 3387583ef9 defiance.b385e0851cf7d865

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Not to mention, Ateira d05542fb8d was an honorary priestess ae6a21027f linked to Akalem, which 5f5890bbb4 would provoke a furious 79f1fa677b backlash from the temple.c744a319a06c198f

Once he became a public disgrace, those who saw Leo fric as a threat would revel in the opportunity to “decide his punishment.”d68a1e6246658dbe

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How could she 3d2ae68877 get Leo fric ae565cc0ce to kill her?9dea44e6a6c5c2ed

Ateira had already tried 657a3164dd to assassinate him once. A second attempt would c1fcac65c8 surely be met with 809edccd06 lethal force, not only 2d8de2d1d6 by Leo fric but 20bd4767a6 by his guards as 1271003fac well. They would not ac7c241495 try to capture 0efa4505fb her mercifully. If the knights fought 4da0b11b1c her seriously, survival would 326dcff584 be out of the 601367fdbe question.a862312b1335a3ac

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“So that’s 466ea41f56 why he b026d14642 told me 3ffbb92da2 to do be77933776 my best.”29baa346fb95b1e0

The expectation 0ed3d5a94e was clear—give a2b124d566 it everything 58447cff0d she had, 067d55b355 and die.6faed954bfd65d50

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She was nothing b72d3a88f5 more than bait 6833f1a39c for Leo fric.44124b6c9b7b4127

Afterward, no matter c3a5547c34 how much Leo 91fbf77d05 fric protested that 93d37bf71e she’d attempted to e11a6be998 assassinate him, who 453f2fd9cb would believe that a544046a7f a sheltered princess a754bcc732 had genuinely posed 72eab7e134 a threat to 325a418ca8 a legendary hero?05ac6a19e266fb48

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And in the 26cdaac061 end, the public c863d47455 would hear only 7ed60db4ce the tragic tale 6dbcd9ab5e of a helpless 0d7c3e3159 princess cut down 4ab2b4d8ef by a hero’s 77023972c5 hand, conveniently ignoring 1d8209ce44 whatever Leo fric b6928cbd0c and his knights 996ff96435 might try to 1aa0468608 argue.205b5d5a09f62208

“…”95f2621f3ecd79b6

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Ateira sank back 54b78d8392 deeply into the 87a1ca7fde sofa, her thoughts 3096e328bd spinning. The only a2b8ff0a0c part of 37e5b7d12d the plan bdbf32f9d7 that didn’t acf7816701 add up 272a494af7 was the 262c1696e3 one-week deadline.753a7b48bb5e8421

“So that’s efaa7b270a why he 1151c40267 didn’t answer.”22a41225be69075b

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When she had cbce4f2b18 asked if completing 030ca655e0 this mission would edbdccc6da guarantee a reunion 03e55f589d with Dermin or 7f8488fb7a if he would 86dd42ad96 at least ensure 0396f64089 her brother’s safety, 897b4e1b9b the count had 4dd72e8eeb dodged the question.53032434d43d5d8f

There was 16ef334ca0 no need 6c040a9bc3 for him dc12d19c5d to promise fd89d62b90 anything. He likely never 976a9b585e intended for her 598d3951c7 to see Dermin. They were just 8e6c8977c5 using her life—and e36b68bd0c her brother’s—as leverage.d4f24f299d9ba872

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But what c06132cef3 if I 7ad7533183 succeed in 076dd26772 killing him?07217ff06d7fd87c

If she 3f6d371b52 somehow managed 7078f316fe to accomplish 5055bbf7ab the impossible 40e3cff332 and kill 00d42fe1b5 Leo fric, d4a060d5b5 it would 4cf66912e6 still be 056463fcd0 a victory 6d2742c3ca for the 682dbf7eaf count. Either way, Leo fric 061f0ebf24 would be out of 57f9a59333 the picture.9fd95d2414947b87

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Ateira reassembled the 0649525de6 ornament, restoring it bc2bfc4d8c to its original 1c9d6c3562 form.cbc183968df8577f

Dermin.2793e994742a76c1

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I may never f280f974eb see you again.44d9507ec64e59bc

The pin itself cf4f2beda6 was no proof c8a9dbaaba that Dermin was 1b0a8f12f4 alive. She knew that. He might already fb47c98d9f be dead.91b7a24f4db3237a

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That would explain 881d922139 why the count ee73aa958f had been evasive 12912d023f about arranging a a3729dfb1b meeting.ef74d8152c7cd962

But still, she had 1e7c5d8008 no choice but to 29b03a57ed accept this mission. Even if there was 83ee2824ad only a thread of 5e2b7305aa hope, she had to 5cddafe5b7 try, because sitting idle af5557a8c5 would change nothing.995ea8860d67739b

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She opened the 6de04f714f cover on the 82cdf556f3 pin and fastened 5f2a9904db it to her c511b86f35 high collar.76d399d97109a61d

Ready to 96f548d8c9 use whenever 1b131754f2 necessary.5fd7d8a6ceb36319

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* * *7e9386cf4553403e

Leo fric and e616c67954 his knights arrived bb8a2d4469 at the dining c0da2be5d5 hall, where a c3f243703a large door swung 2f40d74791 open in front dffbfac92f of them. A servant cc888a7044 from the 579b67c0c3 baron’s house 1cdbc3d353 greeted them 54fb734c0b with a 29b308ccec respectful, though cc4c06f83c somewhat strained, 92634dd52b smile.4cadb789119070e3

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Leo fric, passing the 3c6915400b servant with a wary 1dc3ba56f7 glance, abruptly stopped. Jinpetsu, following closely behind, d939712a34 accidentally bumped into him.af45c94a3a29e765

“Excuse me, si…”96cc4a81acc102f8

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Jinpetsu’s reflexive apology 38a5dfcbe4 trailed off as 7ae895a233 he took in 26165d9230 the scene before 2fb3baac02 him.40818d526175261d

At the ebe58fbc45 far end 8a3d8e2100 of the 36ea72316a long dining 36172d1943 table sat 1761f511cd a woman, 8185869232 impeccably dressed 276ccda78d and composed.223adcf981c21f72

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“You’re here, sir,” Princess 86285462f9 Ateira greeted him with 406395dd7a an elegant smile.9c415008f226cfd0

“…Your betrothed has arrived,” the baron’s servant announced with a slightly trembling voice.d03e3e065292f66b

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“…”c2a387d9a4b58aa7

“…”cb540e6ee344ecca

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“…”b906bdaff009ec6b

Sometimes a single sentence a7a5b09fdc can leave everyone speechless. The servant’s statement had 7fdcdd3c41 exactly that effect.11729d832b758328

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The knights exchanged bewildered 9e4b0c2950 glances, silently asking one eca1022d24 another questions that none 8e469831d1 of them could answer. The only sound in b2f2694dda the room was Princess 7720d8ac6f Ateira’s gentle voice, which c527ee29c3 cut through the silence.70553a640c6cd070

“Aren’t you 508d3d3543 going to 86c72a4418 sit? The food 878197eb38 will get 03a9c5e85c cold.”471328e07a4c441d

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Though perfectly polite 1f3db39955 and soft, her 17f1902c10 tone held an a463f94686 undeniable edge. It almost be22ae3568 sounded like, 089a40eee5 “What are 94929951d3 you standing 28d4deb5f2 around for?”cc1ef1d29dd8d366

Perhaps it 95cd73a05c was the 692ad64fd0 natural authority 75357dfb02 of someone 03cfb4b0a8 born to 507b40fa19 command others. Leo fric felt 8262b8089f a flash of 0d26ab2627 genuine admiration.7c53f6e83d1429d8

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She was 36adefe3fe dominating the 1979199875 space effortlessly. Strangely, she seemed even 0743913d7f more intimidating now than d03e96e09c when she had held 09e32b4a22 a dagger. This was a different d202cb1236 side of her from 3c944c9d50 the night she had 78f2903c52 encountered Nephi.45bf57ad727d3147

Leo fric f3f3d166ad couldn’t recall e09c2f0373 feeling this c24fc2fea5 kind of 1d3189a879 atmosphere even 9c671d0e79 when facing 3525ac4266 members of e18202809d the Thornfeld 8414ea3053 royal family. It seemed to c2dab2dc2b be her own ade43e6cec innate presence, not b2cb9798ca just her status.916ccd442b0f42d3

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“…Forgive me for my rudeness,” Leo fric said, glancing at Jinpetsu, who desperately eyed him, as if to ask, ‘Should we sit?’b0c21f45d2c42e58

With a nod, 1aa589cbfd Leo fric took ae1337e654 his seat.29641af24fec185b

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 ff87adcae013cb9a