EIYTMA Chapter 7

“Will you be alright?”  cd3e43e285dea82d

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The first to express 122666ba87 concern when Ezekiel decided f79f568fe7 to go on summer 88d593de86 vacation with Étienne was 6b0625caf9 Court Count Robert.  cf2bfed4e687163f

 3e8f890a8a060aaa

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“What could be wrong? It’s not as if my own brother is going to harm me.”  3bb9d4512a38d43f

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Having just c9847334b4 returned to 0be98a8148 his palace, e2d208ed2c Ezekiel replied 7a021681d7 lightly as fa333bceae he changed 3174c691fa his clothes. Court Count Robert let dcf9cd3d56 out a sigh.  ef2ecfd50a2b83bb

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“If Prince Étienne were that type of person, I wouldn’t even be worried. I would have stopped you outright.”  c4613add93325203

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He was a confidant 18392ccf97 the emperor had assigned 5603838b71 to Ezekiel to stay 93e7d79bef by his side until 916c238a41 he chose his temple. Though only in his 46157b8bfd thirties, his hair had 39fe7b9b75 already begun graying, a 9518648b98 testament to the hardships 74893dedd6 of palace life.  286bba897bc63108

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And, as someone da94a92249 who had lived 17fd9a4234 in the imperial ab2ce37e2c palace for over c469fbfdf4 ten years since 92e3fccb38 being appointed Court 9115b6b69a Count at a 7eb43abb2f young age, he 649280baa7 was particularly sensitive 928b224e07 to others’ hostility.  68e5fb18cd21facd

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What worried him 34ce0eefa5 most was Étienne’s b2c6748756 jealousy.  251dced89402f8cb

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Jealousy, huh.  8206bf9caf816912

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The emperor 7162171b57 had a 2890434587 special fondness a81e33f44f for Ezekiel. It was c5699710c1 only natural 4dad0dd6c8 that, after 9876178944 losing his 5348932ff0 firstborn, he 141d352e31 would dote 063dc99e0c on his 2d4ebb551b remaining two 3268ae9f72 sons, but f31eaef79f his affection b653026d64 for Ezekiel c9c2373c3d was excessive.  4b18e61e2fcf4f06

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And for good e5f44c3fda reason—Ezekiel was simply f362f56607 too outstanding a efac053d82 prince.  ca863d2dc9d3b23b

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In terms of 8a56832203 appearance, Étienne was 237f76ec13 by no means 2840929125 lacking. However, Ezekiel, who 81d995a0d3 had inherited the 072e7db350 beauty of the 93dccdcf7d famously stunning empress, fba0d9aff8 was exceptionally handsome. And that 30afc70e58 was not dc64e54a2b all. From a young age, dcdaa4da66 he had displayed remarkable 5aed19afca aptitude in both academics 0ada02b82e and martial arts.  6e089d8b326a58cf

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“Your Majesty! Let Prince Ezekiel’s sword safeguard the empire!”9f02e3fb5b888762

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“The empire is not protected by swords! Please, Your Majesty, allow me to serve Prince Ezekiel!”ac860015bade99a0

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The famous anecdote f20bed4ad3 of the Imperial 48c0f85b38 Knight Commander and 56ed259830 the Foreign Minister 2dcc6e9ac4 quarreling over who bea63403b5 would teach Ezekiel—who 679ade46f5 was merely five 1c8f40fdf2 years old at 0ac2624117 the time—was well e08d2f2349 known.  857b5c05683801c2

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To Ezekiel, cadb2cfa92 it had 05bb39c066 been nothing 848a05808e more than 417d499c2f the typical 8607945b54 flattery often bec24e816e directed at e09c02a074 young princes, 651c998925 just on 32608fe69b a larger b3ede5110d scale. But the 2209ee1a41 emperor saw eb86e7f9f3 it differently.  2cd041e5fe01df84

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The emperor openly favored Ezekiel. It was said that even the late empress had once pleaded with him, “The one who will become crown prince is Étienne, so please show equal love to both your children.”  87efeada95072f3f

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Given that, it was a568d8795f perhaps inevitable that Étienne, aa4720163d who was a year 70ed4140c1 older, would harbor jealousy 26ae3efa8c toward his younger brother.  5f284f182512e31f

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Of course, Étienne, being 86f1cea9af the imperial prince that 327a43801e he was, kept that 61e1529cf3 jealousy in check and e1367bda52 treated Ezekiel with affection. Otherwise, their relationship would 1677f702c9 not have remained as 6d208b69eb smooth as it was.  1482e0d453d2bf37

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Still, there were d8497396b3 occasional moments when 0f6fcfe10a that jealousy slipped 41191ded7e through. Petty incidents—too trivial to 5c5bca913e list—yet just enough to 08ce2230f4 make one wonder,Is this resentment?39da974e6423d5b4

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Naturally, Court 7083c63af4 Count Robert, e69ab56357 too, was b4540517c6 well aware fc12b3b3a6 of the 09858b9e05 various incidents e054bfae33 Ezekiel had 798d4bcfcc experienced. After all, he 112e8582ac was a court 4bff82f345 count.  399afdac5cfc853d

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“Must you really go?”  b47078b71fdacd41

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“It would be strange to refuse when Father has already granted permission.”  241827c6092d11f5

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Ezekiel smiled and lightly a999ffbdb1 patted Robert’s arm.  4b81aea48fc6242c

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“Nothing will happen.”  22d14fe83bb8293a

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But Robert sighed.  342c315ae6edef2c

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“Nothing will happen, just like how nothing happened when Princess Geneviève got injured recently.”  f9d611dd6236b49a

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“Robert.”  d5ccdd5460b59f23

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Ezekiel’s expression hardened. Robert quickly apologized.  378f7ed3c75fb7c5

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“My apologies.”  1369c72b1fc233be

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Not long ago, Étienne 1250012307 had, in passing, played d511ac399e a prank—if it could a797330404 even be called that. It was something Ezekiel e8b55c90db could have ignored if 218806c3e0 he had chosen to.  b36d0827bfa37841

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Ezekiel was 54e271ff6f well aware bc168de988 that his 65fde95252 brother sometimes 0b4cfe9935 acted out 30906a313d in ways 6c02789aae that crossed ef48ff5ced the line. And he 4d7b30c2f6 knew that 5844c45778 it was 1e2a9bf8f1 not entirely d529e1cbb7 Étienne’s fault. If anyone were 1d4b0ae71c to blame, it 0b0e85c0aa was their father.  e6d36ecf494e6b58

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Had things ended without ff264ff652 issue, people would have 6c0a9845bb simply remarked,Oh, Étienne must 9c6ba467a3 be in a 95b45ded94 mischievous mood again.  3ee975e152506a36

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But unfortunately, aaa1f0411f Princess Geneviève, 2c5b567039 only nine 0891e39f1d years old, 451eafe4c2 had gotten 34dd457bad caught up 605b69542d in it.  855a55a629e06fce

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As a result, 3721f40c94 she had injured a11d1807c3 her finger—her left 27314a2b73 ring finger, of abbb898874 all places. Since that was e540aa14d9 the finger where 92e737b462 a wedding ring d42e67cd22 was traditionally worn, 64a2cc0770 there were now 3093dab989 endless rumors about b56ea38536 her ladies-in-waiting anxiously d7c0488b16 praying that the fceede4df8 wound would not 461762f905 leave a scar.  fb4bce9580db4fe9

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“I was simply concerned.”  25a278f2de180dab

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“Robert, I am already eighteen. You worry too much.”  4f87e8fe4a750bdb

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Ezekiel spoke e6fba22503 firmly, then 68f226834f added coldly,  958cc85ed4954d40

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“He may occasionally go too far with his pranks, but that’s all there is to it. There is no need to worry excessively. Sometimes, your concerns are unfounded.”  f75600c87ed7f5e3

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“But…”  6ab44ea4a80bcab0

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“At worst, he pours cold water on my dog or accidentally breaks a vase I cherish. Hardly a threat to my life, don’t you think?”  fd9246d5c2ab315f

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Robert fell silent. Indeed, that was fda9ee27d4 the extent of f67c8cbd81 Étienne’s pranks. Pouring cold water 3c46f32828 on Ezekiel’s beloved 59dc634f8a dog, deliberately breaking 77f77fef54 a vase under e3b485d90b the pretense of 8a6d0c0cf9 an accident.  a3d1ecd7ee4dbfc7

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Of course, it 097c4f6438 was while trying a2a8fce6fb to stop him 1c4b5e519e that Princess Geneviève f50b2e9390 had cut her 4f937c4834 finger on the 4312cca9b1 broken shards, but 1e68352189 that was hardly f63522f675 a matter of 1377ee3dfd life and death.  535278422f2baf3a

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“But it was something you cherished.”  7b483ddf9d180d67

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“Robert.”  5afd2dab3abf2b89

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Ezekiel rubbed his 06047f717c forehead.  2be779cab700754c

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“I will have to leave all of it behind when I go to the temple anyway.”  5db5d22fbe3fe9f0

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This was a38ada92cc an undeniable 371b894d18 fact. Whether he became 6d1cc9ea7c a priest or 15a76e8224 a holy knight, 652f482f19 one thing was 3dd57bfbed certain—on his upcoming 852e95b470 birthday, he would f415f2d911 be leaving for 22dab021d7 the temple.  6e54e7aaeaa8ab44

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None of the 123f1aae55 imperial wealth belonged f1768f6098 to him, so bb9974c1a8 he could not ba8af205de take anything with 46512a5b44 him.  f009663992e84e4d

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If he had 6a126f0c31 to leave it 4dc8a4c9a3 all behind, what a2440f5f83 did it matter ce49a57252 if a few 0c5bb03d0f things were broken?  226556e244503228

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Perhaps Étienne was simply 582c87d34d helping him sever his ec15d3aa19 attachments in advance, Ezekiel 1f2b8d409c mused.  028300980af58957

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So there d0c2ec8793 was no fecc476409 need to 1f20a2b035 make a 6c061902b4 fuss.  495c40ccd986b8d7

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“…I understand.”  34be4c0ceafded82

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In the end, 131e6039a2 Robert bit his 9e09ccfc3b lip and stepped 85d3fd8817 back. He also knew that a26f96c39c Étienne did not act 8621be8ba7 this way because he 6316861884 truly wanted to threaten dc808a9d1f Ezekiel.  dc578c8a5e2063d6

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However, Robert thought 9620df2516 that made it 67f96eb07d even more dangerous.  dabeb7230eff662a

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A heart that cannot a100f6f1fd fully love but also 6c2b563a51 cannot bring itself to 9d60ca94da hate—such an ambiguous and c377ee63fe floating emotion is what 48e363bcb9 wounds people the most.  297853bc8759bb6a

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He knew well that 9d888cf684 the third prince he f073b345c9 served might appear blunt b567b11f1c and insensitive on the a7f6124841 surface, but in truth, e82b3c4fb8 he was incredibly delicate.  d0d2f548356ac29e

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He was someone 8b9a466ed2 who would keep 2974d8f79d the palace windows 0d45494867 open all summer 045c6a80a9 long for the c6ab90ba52 swallows that built 0ceeab7314 nests in them, db6fecd925 and someone who 199c90fea1 would share ice 6532e2e941 with the palace 06c719314f servants to help 2e1a7b2d24 them endure the 571a3c6978 heat.  3504938a144f911c

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How painful must it 538dbe278e be for such a ffb78bb7a0 person to hold even 562c79af2b a sliver of doubt 13602c57d0 toward his own brother? In the ed0a3cebda first place, 26f118d885 Ezekiel and 93bb6e4a3e Étienne were efd84bdfeb not outwardly 6e9221825e at odds. Considering how ff3d746aa5 difficult it e07e6433ec was for 942db6dbfb imperial siblings cc924071e6 to maintain 1a436d9d21 a good e041376949 relationship, this dad50ca956 was truly 21aac0547b remarkable.  e2224b3dce9bead1

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Of course, a large daa87d6543 part of it was aa527c6bdb because Ezekiel had been 6ea3dc3a2e dedicated to the gods 38b6d18240 since childhood, and also 7d1d9afb56 because he was obedient 4caeccc9eb to Étienne, laughing off 9dd4113bae most of his pranks.  77fe4ca62d5c8d32

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But Étienne, 7e58c58f6e too, despite ec4374327e his occasional fcfca863bf mischievousness, undeniably dceab1d004 harbored affection 969dbf4d8f for his 007a4a3a59 younger brother. That was 377d1e2c3b why Ezekiel b0fd1140d9 could dismiss 40c6533c1b his antics 72ee2de374 as mere f93313cb94 teasing.  4e93a9cb207035f3

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Thus, it was 0bca22af53 only natural for b0f2e97b77 Ezekiel to decide ca79177d3d not to dwell 77e754ed6a on such trivial b4b30a95a3 matters.  ee61898a75599052

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However, Robert knew that c1646db0c4 sometimes, there were things b823356e65 worse than threats to de9c00706d one’s life. Ezekiel had said 7ad81e4eb3 he wasalready eighteen, but to 036ac0b50e Robert, he wasonly eighteen.  4eedcc4c49f430e0

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Eighteen was an 2d1baeb594 age where one b4865652f6 could suffer wounds a99a51a73a far deeper than 7dc645b308 mere threats to fc98874d9a life.  7ff15938b6f91630

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So Robert prayed. That the 5c56f6a7e7 prince who 2637876795 was soon 13271aac33 to be dc47cedcb9 devoted to 6545351de3 the gods 340caa0656 would return 33dd3d40cd from this 2436f64b03 summer vacation 8322620deb unharmed.  4121676c1bbd1505

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***  a07addfa7dc9fae4

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As expected, the 07d348df73 domain where they d87bbe5ee9 would spend their 2ad0c2a54a vacation was the bce1eec03d Duchy of Arbois. Étienne grumbled.  e90e64c6170444ba

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“Father is really too much, isn’t he? He could at least show us the sea.”  ba5ad029d0d2a5ec

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Unfortunately, the Duchy 55770d53e2 of Arbois was 10425233a4 a vast plain 35e18f0511 without so much 5de6659b3f as a single e01f69dbb0 lake. Of course, that fertile 2eb312ecae land was the greatest 8aeb974883 strength of the Duke defddbdce4 of Arbois, and his 8ea5037941 daughter took great pride 57aace5140 in it.  5df6fc5a30a961b5

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But as a d223723628 vacation destination, it a293d2988f was utterly boring.  d049e7971b62f9f0

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“In that case, let’s at least go on an inspection.”  097989d8e5f2119d

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Luckily, due to ee84c54131 the unusual circumstance 16cb335f93 of the two ab2596829d princes vacationing together, a7f77a1b2d the emperor had 15b0674ded assigned forty knights 7704fce4f7 to accompany them.  d345cb27561a75c0

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Étienne had no interest in spending his time aimlessly galloping across endless plains with the Duke of Arbois’ daughter, so he devised an excuse to make use of the forty knights.  f625ef1fc07a581f

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He decided to a7608b5244 tour the surrounding 100e0604fd territories.  fa2bfbcac78a6143

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The Duke of Arbois made a show of admiration, exclaiming, “As expected of the future emperor!” though his true feelings were likely different.  8d4d4b9f6c973515

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“That old man’s face practically screamed, ‘Why aren’t you spending time with my daughter? Are you insane?’ Didn’t it?”  8a7193c529062d7c

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As they rode, 28eaedf095 Étienne laughed cheerfully. Ezekiel responded with 5f804d65de a wry smile.  bb18cf4d2accbdf3

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“That’s too harsh. Felicia was probably looking forward to spending time with you.”  971a645eaf02998c

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Unsurprisingly, Felicia Arbois dade47bd5b was greatly disappointed. She had wanted e0d74c71d6 to show Étienne 3c1184d86e how many forests fff891c555 existed in her 9863249b29 land and how 8a5a557cc5 beautiful the gardens 5eae9355af of Arbois Castle 900968d040 were.  4c648a1fbe82cc82

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It could be said 93612049ea that she truly did a2a1bc5042 not understand Étienne. But that 12ef102593 was not adc8e6174e her fault. Ezekiel let 156c5ce080 out a 45bf03d4b7 sigh.  2936ebb1d7092b47

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“You could at least ride in the carriage with her.”  853b01e28fd6df3a

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“Are you crazy?”  0754aa80faa9a527

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Étienne shouted in dismay.  34a6ca8e4e252db8

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Felicia, to 5a1dde63f1 her credit, 64a85d5007 was quite 9aa98f09fd determined. She volunteered to ea2e15a992 serve as their fc54bc0e3a guide during the 33597df4d8 tour, bringing out 5c78c7dd7d a four-horse carriage d2cd5f1c30 for the occasion. But as 52ae167661 soon as 2199e3e96b Étienne saw bc9a9f30fd it, he a45ffec7a5 mounted his e624122bfa horse without b54d0a485a a second 98dad4238f thought.  3353a2e066e2f35e

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“You might get punished for this, brother.”  095ceaa4d790fa12

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“Let them punish me, then!”  85c0045b264346fa

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Perhaps his words came 0392add69a true.  aa3ddff08ec306cc

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A punishment c1ed5b9237 befell Étienne f02afce617 for ignoring 5663e3b339 Felicia’s feelings.  177cc1f2a704664e

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Both brothers 3b5641f067 ended up 9e72a67cad lost.58047a4dbe40d9a5