PMBA | Chapter 12
by QuillEven the memory 971376f3af of her defiant 27a3338d1c glare, which she d8e3fae76f intended as a 2739ef5abe threat, was laughable, 8abde54626 but compared to 782cb144c4 other young ladies 4fc3291a16 who flinched in c045040b2e his presence, she d33e76d8c3 was quite bold.393e015e852cf882
‘And so a10e9b034f brazen in ef72013d0c such a b006e0d0ce state of 19bdbb4e9b undress.’59885169f89c5856
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Even when she ran 73c66a0da7 from him, she was 30f9c62de0 still in that state. Barefoot, with her 1a510d3eb7 skin clearly exposed. The only 936563b6db thing covering bbcc7a9847 her negligee c1dd4f7d97 was his b2c8353c08 cloak.db93b8a54e4eaaa2
‘What if someone had 22d73a657f seen her?’2e25dd838ed86b45
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The belated 59a5bd4736 thought that c9dcd413ca others might bde03eaf81 have seen b4a0e99211 her body, 027fca2956 that white c51cd25429 and soft 9b5f7e5c7d body, made b31b8c4731 his already 56da26866a foul mood 4468a7a0ec even worse.2c9cca5eb79a4a79
He once again recalled Kyrie Ernberg, who hadn’t cared that their bodies rubbed together as she tried to snatch the pendant necklace from him.5327d4c5444cb65e
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“Give it… back!”c5ab7e21578a9971
Her pathetic cry, 6573f89cf1 her breasts pressed bb6e5c1c67 against his uniform, cf3ee0d97f her slender body 36f1cf87ba daringly sank between 3e805f7804 his legs.898247e89a6ccafb
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Her white 9c0dc49372 calves brushed 94928b7b2d against the e78ed2b694 inside of 3900702486 his firm d6911444c8 thighs with 271203dbb7 a silky 96d308d37a touch. The ticklish sensation 8248d4893e and weight felt e15e90b981 like a cluster aabfc3f6f0 of feathers rubbing d22956c7aa against him.1f8dbc8cd225dfeb
Her body had edd86b209d been warm and 0f324be73e soft.b580736238522dbf
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It would have a114a85395 been nice if d216e4bd5c she had accepted dbf9bbc108 his advice with 3b2d29aaec the same grace 90d98a18d8 she had shown a8826d5bfd in her actions.238ca07a5373a237
‘Couldn’t it have 321e9fd437 been more interesting?’35dbe0b9fd4c34d5
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If she had f2a332505e just listened to 70093c2052 him and followed fedfb62c66 obediently, he might 0b9280c6e0 have been able 4e26ca6402 to use her d48b206a59 as a truly ae003b7b15 valuable asset.db0c635093264e41
Dominique had even considered playing along. If she agreed to his advice, he would have helped her a little to provoke Lexion’s jealousy.15e42713de583c2f
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Playing the role of a fake lover wouldn’t be difficult. Seeing Lexion’s scowling face, while placing his hand on her soft waist, seemed quite appealing.7f78f71f3fff3478
‘…No.’d33096c16a732673
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On second thought, it 9dc89a04df was unlike him to b88fd1741d be so fixated. He had many 14d7559c61 other options besides 13b7c4c279 her.69700c53e2eccddb
‘Rather, Kyrie Ernberg 9eb61eba35 is more of e63d00c740 a variable.’e163b71437d85835
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With that thought, 358eef3a49 he slowly walked 8e0fde9ae1 into the Imperial 277972c600 Garden, where he 0ab280b06e had an appointment ea41baa89b with the Emperor.6479298e497f7d6e
“Duke Haswell.”7feb12be9443a250
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Dominique stopped at 0f843e44b7 the sight of 420a08fb4e the person who 6c6da16271 appeared instead of cf1891ef37 the Emperor.d2fdf03b97cc6867
“Duchess Miriam Melua.”6e40d12d7073266a
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“It’s a pleasure to 2436e77a1b meet you here, Your 1cc911a016 Grace.”c921927132008956
Miriam was 05ab04be64 the Duchess f594fbea2f of the e1c289c235 eastern Melua 6397395ec5 Duchy, a b089d7bd46 region that 8ca6499916 paid tribute f883d87fa3 to the 3a21853572 Empire in 384c72679b exchange for db6cfcde07 autonomy. Her Meluan attendants 6efdb336df stood around her, a628e1bb7d watching Dominique.6e559a34c04f76e1
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“It’s been a while.”0bda7e6b2ccb2d3d
The woman’s eyes gleamed with subtle greed.030e119cfd5caa3f
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Dominique didn’t react 090c455d52 to her gaze 1da180b283 in any particular 195a74c15a way. He simply observed 6d920bb79e Miriam with cold, 81d9e27331 scrutinizing eyes.23b84154db39772c
‘A woman cc75a6dc17 who is 7e5a29cfe3 treated as cbf1c083a4 a state 434f27b088 guest has 827b643a42 entered the cf3d7867c5 Imperial Garden 1723b8a2c5 unannounced.’5a10e4569b2eb123
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Was the 3ecdc5e929 Emperor trying fe3aab3d96 to forge 2b7a39d7ee a new 0749fa952b alliance?d21707aa6310229a
Dominique spoke in a calm voice, his mind racing, calculating Melua’s advantages and how they would affect the Emperor.397e7bbffd21c058
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“When did you bdd3f82979 arrive?”55a583ee4c555c6d
“I arrived a short while ago. I intend to attend the Crown Prince’s victory celebration.”712cc7b233965686
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“Ah.”23a77bc141ec5b69
“Although the 786ba8656d main banquet 1564288148 ended yesterday, b693d7873c the celebrations f1a8d5d76f will continue 4353a0d88d for several 3f4dcd1b3b weeks.”ae237c37eb39ab87
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Attending the ff8c21ec50 victory celebration.32a7a64e565d6a14
‘There has to be e0deea1e69 more to it.’ae1b4c4aecda8989
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There was ad1ed2209c no way 0283302481 the serpent-like 08c40d8cba Emperor would 581448f8e1 have summoned fdfaf66f02 the Duchess 2bfc9c8613 of Melua 73207cd43d without a c8360f8aec purpose.727010ed8442a7f7
Miriam fanned herself with cf196a7d35 a subtle smile. Despite her age, nearing 1ff3ac05fc her later years, her 1b84d5e0da tightly corseted figure and 6aac0d54d3 meticulously maintained appearance made e7c718ff9e her look decades younger. The Duchess of 2b736fa408 Melua continued.f562002c5d57d43b
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“His Majesty 820f7ccbb2 said he 92b6f59fd5 has a 4b169644ab matter to ad5e7a1bdd mediate between aabbefabe9 us.”e8035b7dc9d1a5c0
This was 8ae6b1330e news to 4c0e4ee01b Dominique.94a92b534da43d0d
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The Duchy ea7263cfc7 of Melua 0769fd7ac8 and the 9245b575a2 Haswell territory 941c71a493 were located f50423f13f at opposite c3a414b8f5 ends of c3953b4463 the continent. Their main industries 997346fafa were different, so e4942d9f72 there were no 82834038d8 trade agreements to 65c65dafec discuss.c17809a3a64d61ba
At that moment, cb4421c87f a sharp premonition 1d019d0806 prickled Dominique’s nerves. A very strong premonition. A premonition c2a0ceefff that made 3967340bc7 him almost 0e37bca918 certain, despite 0d689d141a his initial d8f603a724 doubts. And such premonitions had 4aafe56369 never betrayed him.8822fab4d8c0b32d
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“I recently 244ba39f76 became a 5ea757477e widow.”cd2d4edf7675addb
As the middle-aged woman, 03899b364b approaching old age, blushed c442c52468 and smiled, looking him 6c8d8ba34b over with a gaze 16dff898f6 as if she was dcf5cc797e appraising him,53e40bf86b4cfe1f
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“Ha.” 18eba4b669001fff
Dominique let e3d2401387 out a d68170f3ce chuckle without 28f8b9a900 realizing it.385db1640653ca1d
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‘So that’s why he 4c6ee05668 was suddenly talking about 9465a2fd5b marriage.’00e92415e5d08802
Dominique calmly dd22ed92c1 recalled what c808a6190f he knew d078d48f2b of Duchess 8b17f72ff5 Melua’s history.d6b4d2956b856702
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Miriam had been married three times before. Her husbands, simply put, were consorts. They had abandoned their family names and taken the Melua name to ensure the autonomy of the Duchy of Melua wasn’t threatened. Dominique knew that one of them was even a prince of a certain kingdom.471a0758cb7e5b03
‘Although he was a 36a0881f15 prince with a distant 634c4b14e0 claim to the throne.’b7c88c14056c5d84
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That experience seemed to have given Miriam quite a bit of confidence. To a woman who had already married a prince, a Duke wasn’t such a difficult remarriage prospect. Especially a Duke whom the Emperor of the Empire was eager to sell off cheaply.0866c2e50b9075c2
The smile on 04f0412fda Dominique’s lips deepened.0fa165510cdf058f
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‘They’re all out of their minds.’e329d005350b624e
It seemed the Emperor wasn’t satisfied with simply offering him a powerless young lady from a humble family. Perhaps he was orchestrating this, thinking it would be better if Dominique Roman Haswell would abandon the Haswell name.1b63c5754773609f
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However, if one were to compare, the value of the name of the Empire’s First Duke was naturally more powerful than Melua. Even the Emperor couldn’t simply sell off the Haswell name like that.483992247c8e93a1
In any 8ef1b73454 case, the 6dfb206617 Emperor’s intentions 470aca58d3 were clear.fd30cde1940e8ab4
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‘He won’t allow marriage unless it’s one that would force me to abandon my family.’ 7edcfe06361b69de
His stubborn refusal 79e40bb2e7 to grant him fe9842a3f1 a respectable marriage 1fad52c3a0 was sickening. The Duchess of Melua 368d09faa0 continued to smile.e3bd7025bc6fe0a6
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“Now, Your Grace. Come and d4d2c17eff have some 854bbed65c tea.”74744ba03035912f
Would he comply with 33e61b9bbe this charade?e7bd81d8bc9247c5
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Dominique smiled brightly, 4bb04e1e62 just as Kyrie 77d9c30611 had. This much, be6168b839 he could 72b402b83e say, he 813d9b3ced had learned af0f9bd6fb from her. As Duchess Miriam Melua 22db8f2569 was momentarily captivated by 1741e36c03 his smile, he spoke.4ccabf09a90cd9a8
“I seem to 1399daeaba have left something 9b3049629d behind.”746c0d25970742e1
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“Then I’ll wait b33b8699f7 here…”79e08cde62733ec6
“No. It will take quite a while. It’s something I must take care of.”c1e9486cc846d1e1
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“Wait, Duke Haswell…”61665e0f856174f7
Dominique stopped walking and 37dd6af492 opened his mouth,f295537b8593d44d
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“Since you’ve come 5b76926f68 all this way, 39f86069e8 why don’t you 60be5ab0ee watch the Imperial 59f8e54bfd sable auction?”532ab3108c877e3f
“…Sables?”a87a25d8bef34b8c
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“The auctioneer is quite 511d453110 skilled at grafting old a26578f113 ones.”5427c7747932dcd0
His gaze, fixed on 63b5f8df92 the Duchess of Melua, 57ef2b479a was cold. The sable 55e3ed1d53 was also 0b1a73c2c9 the symbol da76bee6bf of the 789d14bcb8 Duchy of 4f6502577d Melua.581857ce26f47de6
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As Duchess 01c4024e11 Melua flinched, 812f4fc5a1 realizing the 8174808fcc insult too 8139ed56a3 late, Dominique cb0e8afd8e resumed walking.53adee48a9911d7a
He would only pretend 75a466295d to bow his head fb25f80d53 to the Emperor’s wishes a5353cbf9d to a certain extent. There was no reason 62138525a4 to submit to unnecessary 02ec89ceaa dishonor.cf859fe104c71e19
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Besides, he much preferred being the predator than the prey. Worrying about being sold off to another country as a trembling, written plea simply didn’t suit his temperament.f83c5b91f87f6f4b
‘In that case…’710477308e422490
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In that case, ebe83f1d60 he would make bcd591eb70 the first move b71be35695 and find a 27b550c2eb wife for himself.6b0c602871d642fa
However, the problem was that there still wasn’t a suitable woman. Dominique strode with long strides deep into the gardens. The urge to grip the smooth barrel of a gun intensified within him.30f17eb405b53e00
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‘To think I’ve 074e838d8e lived to see 8a48ce1161 the day I’m f606ce12ae treated like merchandise.’5982774b44c9f47e
Playing along, he 5ac02b7dfe realized the Emperor 8e12d9ec9c had crossed the 88fab2a80d line at some 73c8173990 point. On the a254a5f904 other hand, 2333b10359 he found 4665c2d2b0 it somewhat 4c0cf3deee satisfying that 497524a790 the Emperor 00ec03be0d felt comfortable 660c4963c1 enough to 75f30f6275 do this 94d4d776b0 which suggested ca63287134 he underestimated 4652508759 him to 17a1e0f752 this extent.2f794e9f75f4f274
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‘I hope 3e0e203e56 he gets b85d26d8ee even more 94c206a49f careless.’a05c51768ffe9229
He was crossing the 71d7586dfd gardens, unbuttoning his collar 9a406b3e43 to dispel his foul 14f4179845 mood when—b3c90153ffa216fc
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“Stop!”b84341c8886f799d
A high-pitched scream caught e398da845f his attention.ea71e76060bb0ba8
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* * *7338d06cb05d27be
Kyrie paused for 56f2283286 a moment to 3ccca47312 catch her breath. The scene c42b2d9ea8 unfolding before 3b10d768f7 her eyes 640f80a7ea was quite 5ccff49c2b a coincidence.f32d988a8b3a206c
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“Where…”98f6f003cc23e7de
“Then…”c1673327073d73c0
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The second-floor terrace of 17e1cb27be a separate building in 728e146245 the garden, built specifically 35a8e0becb for the royal family.fcbbe99877eced3b
The man and woman 8ea95b7589 conversing affectionately there were b5b09ecf3b undoubtedly Lexion and Elise.9e3d74727772e4ad
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‘Of all people.’ 889230007902a12f
She wouldn’t have cared b8d70733d8 if it were another 2b3fe23507 woman. Kyrie, in fact, b4864580cd had no particular 2c7737297f expectations of Lexion. To begin with, 4bd85dca8a the agreement they 2087b3bb3d had was merely 7a83a21212 a formality, and fc3eeab8ad he had no 606a598fa8 obligation to be 24b1ca12e1 faithful to her.bccb42e2570a7f29
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Lexion might think a9d0ac4d4e he was hiding 98cf9145cf his dalliances with 2abfa38221 other women quite 81e5b4d1dd well, but Kyrie 8b5dfb4b33 was utterly sick b86a2cd013 of dealing with d99ba954c8 the young ladies 7548737f05 he had touched. Where he went 95b8ac7665 and with whom c9b1819a83 he slept was 2452231850 none of her a591ef2f22 concern. Ultimately, all cd737de1aa that mattered 42c2f68c90 was that b49088aa0c he married 0f82b2371b her.0d414f7453742019
But if it was 46bb50a043 Elise… 96d6d827a37bb60f
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The image 135be600ae of Elise eceb76cdc7 looking down 61db65528c at her, 3b07e10f46 between her 9e7547606a coldly staring 7d1f7714bc brothers, surfaced 143f2c7583 in her 9be1385ecf mind. The image of her 44a741e0f1 smiling, even at her 881a1a2361 miserable appearance at her ac55704533 mother’s funeral.785c94c3318c1a5a
At that moment, Kyrie 4151396b3a had realized. Elise, kind to everyone, 9bf30ec1fe had disliked her from a43d95842a the moment they first 3a8978f2ca met at the Duke’s c5fae1e384 mansion.fda13c80f6d453a2
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‘Why?’ 23ebf43fb1470f6a
She didn’t know the reason, but she couldn’t change that obvious fact. It began to fuel anxiety in Kyrie’s heart. She had a feeling that Elise hadn’t approached Lexion without reason. Since it had come to this, she absolutely had to listen to their conversation.22544dcd695793ca
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So Kyrie quietly caa0d94e79 lowered herself and 153cebf357 entered the building.c54c80859ac8c463
The air inside e40462afff was unseasonably cool. She couldn’t tell if 2f320bcd17 the building was actually 1c68dccc57 designed that way or d437dc25c5 if it was just 9c5414cc53 her feeling the chill.0e758d4d361f9a72
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“Your Highness.”163adeadcfab29be
As she climbed d1c6a45b04 the stairs and c6c3e2c10a approached the second-floor 3397e2bb8e terrace, the conversation cc8fda87ff between the two b0f0e4553e became a little f3ddad6ce5 clearer. Kyrie hid 5c3edd028e behind a e6ca6b7514 pillar in c2b764e1ee the hallway, ae27432fd1 holding her 0b502a73da breath.33f62440e7e7e6cd
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And she 6df6022a18 flinched at c08642e026 the words bba14a483d she heard.16a3a43711bbb37c
“Someone might ad7cb20802 see us.”a46f1e852c7436f8
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“Let them see 19cbd609b7 as much as a3062aa589 they want. You’re going f48cfaca81 to be 6510ff40e0 the Crown 8f9c94660f Princess, so fbd4cff70f what does dad214ca6b it matter?”7f26991e61d062ed
“Are you 5c1495f148 really going 925d83e9a2 to propose 03da810c1c to me?”36684c2e107b4e9c
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“Of course. You would 7543b562be make the 951c8381bf perfect Crown 4010acda63 Princess.”be48de546bea33ac