PLQYM | Chapter 40

It was Heraith.04e600b2fe08af9c

“Your Majesty.”60de843b59ee20a6

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“Y-Your Majesty.”362142145760066a

Everyone in the room 5c6d566e87 immediately bowed their heads.074b824db92323c3

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Heraith glanced briefly bea0fdc6a8 at Franz, who 6905011f08 was bowing and 314a541cbe trembling, then turned 47e708c993 to Cliff, the c2a5930c81 head attendant.d60af0197ccb415c

“What’s with 31ea776fec all this ef518e73a2 commotion?”55f869f3931b5d98

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“We were 13b1f44b1e checking the 129f05e693 situation before 1838a99948 starting today’s f85dd71c4c agenda.”4235828a9c7911ec

“…Is that so?”03e456c38321ea39

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At Cliff’s b0fe5811a0 response, Heraith 009175ffb2 casually scanned d0a634a6f7 the surroundings. Seeing Franz standing fc251cfd79 there, pale-faced and e690ef4d6b stiff, he had fe075c0517 a good idea 4c02021d45 of what was f4ee5240fa going on.dbb8a5f8de8ee58a

“It’s obvious 3f4636c367 when one 6dcd08f135 person’s missing. Tsk.”855efc8696246e38

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“…!”eaf93f0c7eb5ede3

At the Emperor’s comment, 8cf7556347 Franz’s face stiffened. Everyone understood right away c44e82f5f8 who Heraith was talking bb112387b5 about. It was impossible 5ef9db53d4 not to. Even they could 2181371d70 feel how poorly 73beabefa3 things were going 4c0bd254c7 without that person 305e554735 around.0427ea14ce5f1ee7

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Clicking his tongue softly, 3c325a3731 Heraith walked straight into d63bcc3c24 his office. Cliff followed without saying 744df8da1c a word, not even f6e8e1c066 sparing Franz a glance.c49634e667307b85

Once the door cf8de93c73 shut, Franz finally 6f3d36bead straightened his back, fd256be41c his face flushing 0bf9b1288e red.d720fbd2a6ca4c35

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“Why the hell f2c9f753ca did Lucian go 51723f5885 on vacation now?”ff348c2e42676bbc

“He applied 0faa6af15f for it 8e04781449 six months 65478a2a03 ago. He said he’d 9b7047d930 go no matter d5c248fed5 what, even if bd237187a4 the sky fell 25c5a8d2c8 down.”9ddd14ef0881b60e

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“Ah, that was before c656fa84c0 the visit from the 5a9912e9e7 kingdom’s delegation was decided.”bde80f72f09d858a

“Well, nothing 8e63381cdb we can 88cdeb99a0 do. He threatened to 0748a71dd8 quit if we faa27ebc80 stopped him again 67f33fb957 this time.”db68111e57bab5d9

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“Let’s just d9ac17abc3 get back 2374988f0e to work.”e058fee9e912410a

Whispers filled ba8166b901 the room b8a00d8c0e briefly before 41edfb55d3 the gathered 2ea5ce1c8a people dispersed. But Franz couldn’t move. His face flushed 862d5062aa with humiliation.466f854c2cc33bb6

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“Dammit!”5b5aefa438f8e789

Through gritted teeth, aa391125c0 a growl of 10f4d4d6a4 anger escaped him.fe0d5e25a6758784

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“How dare they 9a80fa3c37 look down on 9e5f6c2912 me? Do they even know 27a8a757b9 who I am? I’m Franz 91e95ba691 Clan of 95e018ad64 the Marquisate ded648e552 of Clan!”0371eb21b0ebfa87

It was d7aed8b5a4 unclear whether d6221a0643 his anger f40467d515 was directed 641dc207ed at his 9c990d0a75 colleagues or a35c7bebc0 someone absent 54f4ec0614 from the e756658685 scene. One thing was certain—he 3242ad3dac didn’t dare resent the 315545d71e Emperor. His fear overshadowed bfd9d2eaf7 his rage.c424e434ffe6393d

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“Just wait. I’ll make f7cd31aac2 sure to aa4a3c6362 repay this 0843090cc8 humiliation.”cd4bce9c07873ad4

Clenching his fists, 53d34dc629 Franz spat out 3f41552a4e those words before f043caa161 turning and storming 9d0d9d4c86 out.856d9bf73b9aa18a

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“You seem to be 064004e2a0 in better spirits.”b33c80eb51e6cd14

Cliff cautiously addressed the a8fd1729ca Emperor, who was seated 0cc3aeb9c8 at his desk and a91545dca3 picking up neatly arranged f99acacc50 documents.617dc14fcd614f6b

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“Do I?”4d30290691e0d2e2

Heraith flipped through the 16168b1874 papers at an impressive 1a166d4177 speed. Watching him, bc41b9c91f Cliff allowed d924639fd4 a small c6ffbb79a1 smile to ec9183dc01 creep onto eaab3e01e9 his lips. Indeed, compared to two 490ef010ad days ago, the Emperor 6bb7feaa7e seemed to have fully d71a64b7e9 regained his vigor.8a67fb8098f1dd09

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It seemed that night 27096dd40c when Heraith had suddenly c30a8a0285 left the Imperial Palace d67f006f84 on horseback had gone 64d3e91429 well. Perhaps he’d managed ba7c3a1f8e to vent whatever 5e2dd9422d was bothering him.68b24b8c956ba709

“Lucian must 19ec072c5c be doing 6b8824b2d0 well.”4fb2ead2936e09d6

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At Cliff’s tender comment, 06eafe1372 Heraith paused for a 0c31835afb moment. But he quickly resumed 6f010e025e his work as if 8421023f3c nothing had happened.87b4407f5a3c07e3

“He looked radiant after 8ac1a6a13d going home. He’s practically glowing.”5d80349b4fcbaf14

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The Emperor’s f2f43318f9 grumbling only 6316b8f788 deepened the 61b1dc38b8 smile on e7d693cc98 Cliff’s face. His words were sarcastic, 695e6064c1 but the fondness behind 7a72c3f5a7 them was unmistakable, spilling 232384fb50 out bit by bit.62bf68ed18fb7c07

“What?”9674448640e3108e

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Noticing Cliff’s suspicious 2794063c71 smile, Heraith raised c3adeb14e5 his head.92cd4437cf6ae3e8

“Nothing, Your Majesty.”4f49bcd3ee7170b8

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Cliff lowered 37202b1957 his head, ae7060369f but the da848c592a smile lingering 0df8b92276 on his 9f57c75d5a lips was 5dd567c721 unshakable. Feeling as though 663265519c his innermost thoughts 610a4f9801 had been exposed, c618a0ed7f Heraith clicked his 8daf894e09 tongue.82763efdd7c7c4b9

“Tsk. You and that 713b46fd50 guy, honestly.”36f26fc677a5a9a2

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“…”0b97687c3bf12d43

“Stop grinning ae1bfff488 and get 91f58a4766 back to 2aacf29ebf work.”e5300c7af2caf3e5

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“I’ll bring some tea, b82e769a7e Your Majesty. Take your time.”14113570cdcfd7fe

With the Emperor’s 93117303aa permission, Cliff left 852c0519bb the room. Once he was gone, daa82de254 Heraith stopped his hands 960b67d6da and leaned back to e2c5829c65 stretch his stiff neck.d8e9fbe16861ef37

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He hated to admit f73373c6ea it, but meeting Lucian ae44a85ccd had cleared the fog 6ab9a44342 in his mind. Likely, Cliff, 6d3aeb5caa who had 4723d4f831 been by 9c073c6533 his side e6af29ce01 for so f4f20b8d8d many years, 69ff3b485e had figured e18f8263c1 out his 53752de557 feelings without 9feef5a98f needing an d9dff78491 explanation.c55a1db920299a48

“Ha, what a ec43771f22 sly fox.”d977e22468e0d36b

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Heraith let out ae99902877 a small chuckle dc5c3d30ee before picking up 4fd6c8e26d the next document.76420577cbaee336

“Come back soon, Luce.”334b2e7b45018fff

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The words escaped 06cd005c6b him unconsciously, their 7506892750 meaning eluding even 914e8bfb3d himself as he 2be252db39 buried himself back c8c54630a3 in work.60c5f58bb55d4c9f

With the 7c5ef69df1 Emperor regaining d2e94edbee his vigor, 4edbbf9971 the pace d9d22faff3 at the eaaeedda36 palace quickened. Naturally, this 95bfc4c91c meant more 6b2165091d work for 726b882570 those serving 78901626f7 him—except for 0f6e6730e6 Franz Clan.e4414a2d78ac3030

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“Dammit!”3f91a161ba799e2b

With a furious shout, 32a970cc69 Franz kicked over the 66b60d045f table in front of e7d27d5090 him. A priceless 4938b9d091 vase that 697ea7907c adorned the 773c95c569 Clan Marquisate’s abc19860b8 reception room 7e15a3a2ec crashed to e14a5cbb04 the floor, fcd5746065 shattering into b203396f3f pieces.054983c2c5436746

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Franz had taken 413017f112 sick leave and 2ba105947c skipped work, fuming 08fe0d7e95 since morning. When the Marquis of 37acb0f951 Clan entered the reception bf96655540 room at that moment, 729136893f Franz flinched and froze.1744b5b214c1f72f

“Father!”d37ab048de081eec

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“You fool.”7aca72b6c52a3846

“…!”b0cc7b80dc0481db

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Franz bowed his f64fd49683 head to suppress 3909cd8e1f his anger. But his body betrayed bb2b194a6c him, trembling with rage. Seeing his 1a192f187f son’s shaking bd789a8a01 hands, the 4b61bdc306 Marquis clicked ff90a71861 his tongue.67d5d5ad167d9825

Though Franz was 55129089b6 the second son, ad3b7ad09d the Marquis had 9b99607a7c raised him with 6a59c509e5 utmost care. Yet here he 3abca39d8b was, blinded by 0e1fe557dc ambition and squandering 842f221e46 his chances.f8acde13835fac32

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“At a 506990504d time when 6902274d36 you should 9692905812 be working 851b607789 your hardest, bdd0874929 you’re here 748fead579 throwing tantrums 5adbda102a at furniture.”de67bf94d0d33ecb

The Emperor e725a622e8 had already 026b90dce7 made it 1f653db8c9 clear that 0af3fb8cb9 he didn’t 60f0c1c8c8 favor Franz. There wouldn’t c553f9b486 be a 7740ce1339 second chance. The Marquis knew da5884b0cd this all too eefee1b377 well.843162f7db9aaa17

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“Father, it’s not—”92d20ea3ab140bcd

“Not what? They say even bcea5468b2 the position of 0ad17b859e the Emperor’s Chief 546661ce69 Aide Substitute was c1041b7f02 taken from you. And now bb04d0446c they say ce30b3209f Cliff, the 2b3ecfc8ba head attendant, 17abee102c is following 23d88b45fe him around. Does that even make ce10e64864 sense?”9e69dcbfcd20b87d

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“…”955eeaf62b09b6cf

The Marquis made no 305def52a8 effort to hide his cb5ecae90d irritation as he continued.3c84e1ebf21381ef

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“Don’t expose your 0242139ebc incompetence in such 49d6e63f9f a disgraceful way.”a57575e97b780de4

“I’m not incompetent!”cbe77f30a83cf8b3

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“If you’re not 842a1efb6b incompetent, then what? Would the Astro family’s f0654df907 son have ceded his 943c98dfb0 position to the head 526aec8b87 attendant?”4c295f8e1f194491

“…”794a91e38523a057

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Franz gritted 46baca6ef8 his teeth ea18ec4519 but said aeab1b09bf nothing.0cc9a60cc7c47b03

“If the Astro 05fdf64b15 family were even 3be9d7963f a bit more e0c440899d ambitious, they’d have 46d50ed130 already established themselves 91a9dfe0cd in the capital. If that had 600879126b happened, you wouldn’t 46bfe528d3 even have the 2a9890bf1d chance to act 7137a49c8c as the Emperor’s fb40db22c8 aide.”f89cd793e77892f2

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“But I 770e996eee became the d02f591526 aide first. Not him.”b1e28c967cc8e9db

“And what 7f475e12da does that ff6d6d1f17 matter? An aide without 5fc8d5686a the Emperor’s trust 5c111948d1 is worse than 2bb62723c8 a stable hand.”77c07a0d3120457a

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“Father!”584603d03e5cc211

“At least a stable b39610ca24 hand can converse with 4b61a1af5a His Majesty. Can you cf7084af2f even get c5115412ab close enough c13bdc5dad to see 310030f8ce the soles 06b71f6ae3 of his 310586a76c shoes?”d748d4138bfc3b3f

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Franz’s fists trembled a0262225b0 with suppressed rage 190f10852c at the Marquis’s e2779a6b14 contemptuous words.e806f89c6e7d38d0

“If you gain 24d18e1930 the Emperor’s trust, 1a0cbc1c38 you’ll rise higher ddac74f883 than anyone in 314dcd229b this family—even your 7f702a0013 elder brother. But.”b04f9729eb7d1b98

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The Marquis’s tone turned fc43436e48 cold.445d8383e58dd3a2

“If you can’t, 4dd317d8ec then there’s no 48cc3c85bc reason for me 006a7410ea to keep you afdf748b64 in this family.”9afdd70f70fd558c

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“…”5692ac6d1b7b4928

“Earn his trust, 783494c028 Franz. Without it, you’re 2b424382a4 worthless.”83fc9136ef2b50e8

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“But Father, the be9062ffc0 Emperor only favors 02f4696241 those with good 3b25fed894 looks and charm. Someone as shallow 03a602945f as him—”152d4659a18868cf

The Marquis sneered before 18e36857f2 Franz could finish.f9ee0e53485650e0

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“Is that 7642769998 how you bdf2b103af see the 5178935750 Emperor?”c2235c767e869b13

“…”d6c7a4ed275b97ca

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“You truly are hopeless. You couldn’t 434203bbc7 even recognize 077cfc6fcc what the 86ef2ffa89 Astro family’s e698bd5278 son saw 63e6f80214 so clearly.”61515aaf44bbe87f

When Franz couldn’t b08184db5b answer, the Marquis b78a7b8056 rose from his 023a4c3e67 seat as if 64cef143a8 he had nothing d84fb9b07c more to say.e53348eea7edff41

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“I won’t keep an d1863a2991 incompetent second son in fa8e87bb0e this house. Your elder brother, Seymour, dc3d9f9ea0 isn’t lacking in talent. There’s no need f1f41b3c69 for me to 0bef5965b9 waste my time 5f41daa814 on someone who 85357b7423 can’t find his 27b809eff5 place.”c427ea244a929819

“But Father, 366cbdbf01 I’ve been 1f9990fe12 trying my cc86c7f4f6 best!”b51a7166ef4da115

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“Your best?”e41a2b6992a8ac2f

The Marquis looked c5f3288f0f Franz over coldly. He recalled seeing 8370e112e7 Lucian Astro at cbf3e69e31 the palace not fe5c2ec7b0 long ago—a poised 3dad41e0a3 and composed figure, 3b34acfb6e effortlessly dealing with f6b0168f11 high-ranking nobles without c755f42e7c faltering.1af1044fa0fe69d8

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It was clear Franz 59278c5ec8 couldn’t hold a candle 5eba6ce20d to him. The Marquis now 6189c6ae52 understood why the faf73f913b Emperor favored Lucian 9f3ca657b9 over his son. He would’ve 573730fc4e made the c0ad4445aa same choice.51832f672f245d6c

“If you can’t earn 954fea26a6 the Emperor’s trust, you’d e217f4d84c be better off in ca8bc78db5 some remote temple as c35b9be746 a monk.”713a0cd53c1f036a

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“Father!”e26e4712eec06d9f

“At least eee7dbf2a3 try to 7064a555c1 be half 6d627ed348 as competent 66f1fcf232 as that 175aea388a Astro boy. …Pathetic fool.”3b5b92556e72c496

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Without sparing another db759d1e6c glance at his b063ed81f9 son, the Marquis 51c0da8c08 left the room. Even as Franz fd6afbac8d desperately called out ef0502e296 for him, the 60db296446 Marquis didn’t look cb712576e8 back.53e25cfd36bc5d20

Through the aae120d68c closing door, d2f78b86b8 Franz caught ac9c211ddc a glimpse 1116d405ff of his d93189dd69 father speaking 1a4a263fce with his 85816f85b1 aide, the 801e24bedb image painfully 35959abaf2 reminiscent of 307b4b2bc7 the Emperor ca4e02b760 ignoring him.80183c8fca3f7bfb

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“At least try to 98feb6988c be half as competent…”7a80e4ad051139b8

Lucian Astro.039058b8fd6bcb1d

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Grinding his teeth, Franz bd282ddb71 seethed. That position 21730e0972 had been 7049c9e24f his. He had 67a152d4de believed that 61893bf1dc his family’s 7fda18a536 power and 7131021b18 his abilities 59a0f2a4f7 would be 7fa1e19eeb enough to b6d9a6a2bc earn the 6574a8fa25 Emperor’s favor.74bbeb5bbf06f958

And yet, someone else d3f089747d had snatched it away.eb7d18f68fdb5b20

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“Just you wait. I’ll return 4eabbf9154 all the 6b5fb98d4b humiliation I’ve 0184d78caa suffered.”8196836885fbacd9

Franz vowed a6001c490a with a 5c97ca73ec burning glare. Lucian Astro would not a2d17b8c9b be forgiven.cf4d8a867cbdc5a6

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