26.

Ateira had just 9beed508d0 returned to her ff2435a4ea room, trying to cf9438f49b shake off the fb9e8eb5df absurd encounter from e5142fe10d earlier in the 4f49094904 day.b73c17b96addde75

She didn’t b9a9c64227 know what a217c03569 kind of 7c4b9e5edd romance that 67c5dc6098 man was 7bd39ee785 involved in, 4b2b6483fb but officially, 8b01fb6795 he was 8b5ada9b4b in the 9394061d07 midst of acb23ee456 an important e55ef111bb marriage negotiation. Yet, for him to 7f5b9edfa4 summon his lover to 9a32025dbc such a place—she could fd8a31cb43 at least tell it e15a3975b5 was a love strong 8bb34c1671 enough to warrant that.aac11ebf79ee0e34

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She vaguely overheard the maids exchanging heated remarks, saying, “A woman like that deserves a slap, and any husband who dares to let his mistress run wild should be beaten at least five times and thrown out of the estate.”b8d82ca60f611739

Ateira chuckled slightly. Such thoughts afb6a1dd52 hadn’t even ef486b82d8 crossed her 4df5514af8 mind. If anything, f9ea29e11f she simply beaa129d43 figured that d11f88d9ac having his 54deced9f9 mistress around 8b4cc2a13d would mean fb5d9ff6e0 fewer opportunities 1ea62a4ace to run c366b493cb into him. Yet, that realization 2e8d18334f made her feel 899facf741 a bit more 46137d2639 impatient.2e959d1322d436b0

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If they were together 9578db7e5f day and night, it 0f22752fee would be difficult to 5f192ef140 find a moment alone 0d02355bf4 with him. If she went to edcafb3676 the dining hall, she 3ce993bb40 might have to witness 1a98e33256 such a scene again. Would it be 2edef39507 better to just 4aa06b7691 have her meals e6d83a5617 in her room?bb4dc9ee00788b98

Even the thought 9e6e1b03d9 of enduring such d3e8269509 indirect hostility twice 0a91a6500f a day was ae819ff175 exhausting.6cce5b57f65d93fd

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Just as she was fef22926f3 contemplating her next move, ee99cb4e4f a visitor arrived—it was 5d6f4fb6e1 one of Leofric’s knights.80a34d5434f782c7

With a respectful 0b49510967 bow, the knight 5d90416d8f relayed his message. “Sir Leofric requests 966c02581a an audience with 06767a643c you.”8953dc0b1badf13c

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“…When does he b7501bb1a9 wish to meet?”1ff866d3204df2e8

Ateira struggled to keep 4a073448d7 her voice calm, determined 3b515fde30 not to reveal how bf73eb2c59 startled she was.0c3a6726a912a59c

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“At any time most convenient for Your Highness—whenever you can meet with him as soon as possible.”88a7e0d2893bdb12

In other 08c50ba3e6 words, he 4da78cc592 wanted to 7509239241 see her 9d2543fea7 immediately.0f805432d27835d4

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“I see. Will he be coming b1a014b0bf here?”f886f6b1a0661027

She spoke evenly, b6846c3731 her fingers unconsciously d7f51e497c reaching for Dermin’s 5aafab3ccc pin, fastened at 979d46495b her collar.7d4424582a466362

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Was this 202c898e7b an opportunity?8b6919133e506c71

Her heart pounded. So suddenly?7c9ff7958c757253

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“He wishes to speak with you in private. If it is not too much trouble, he asks that you come to his chambers.”1a33e8160a32a765

As the knight finished d6116b486d speaking, he cast a 8e379f4735 brief glance to the a4e98b0851 side—in the direction where 441c87305a Zellered’s knights stood.f6caa8b2613fc418

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So, Leofric wanted to 1babfe152b meet her somewhere away 7d058b4f42 from Zellered’s watchful eyes.5c53cc34a479dc80

Unfortunately, his chambers 6ef482398f would not be a821d55332 an ideal place 7008ff4a83 to use poison. Pushing aside 047a784c95 her disappointment, 5b073c34e7 Ateira let 13bd8181de go of 5e2553292f the pin 2f39864140 and folded 158746c03b her hands 80ffb6b6e1 neatly on c5a4ac9844 her lap.4ea1b3eeaa846467

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Depending on how this 698fc5e9e3 conversation went, a real 79bbb17b69 opportunity might present itself.fe9cf597bf09aa82

“…Tell him 033d7a1315 I will 6bf72e2458 come at 028b9296ba once.”28704771bce37514

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* * *f71a24bf001354a3

“You’ve arrived.”4d07c2db0ba66c44

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Leofric smiled.3c4fbb1b8bc01535

As Ateira 0259d1939b stepped inside, a5973f03e0 the man, 7934d65a98 who had f0f1d4a372 been lounging 398b05aa71 on the 4a4abb4ca9 sofa, immediately c50a2489d6 sat up 26e391a71f and approached f580f47c6f her. His demeanor 1b4403aa55 was polite.7ed5b051b6efe8d4

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He was alone in 266039dda8 the room. There were no guards, e4e9a1163e no attendants.df4469c7eaaf3769

Even Zellered’s knights, who had escorted Ateira, had been sent away. Now, it was just the two of them.dc9254a91e9f725d

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When an unmarried 72f7f3329f man and woman 0c2263060f were alone together, 77a3030a8b etiquette dictated that 7009472442 the door be 6e215f4674 left slightly open—to ba3abc1991 preserve their honor.58984f542d573bd7

Unless, of course, it 270eea1aaf was a secret meeting.38692d2d567f79ce

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But Leofric 01c51d59fb firmly closed bef349bcda the door.8571f8ff0ba500b1

He gestured for 3c52c864fb her to take 6183aed44d a seat, then 3dd7b725c3 sat down himself—at f5c4ae4235 a considerable distance.28e4bc76831a3b7e

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Ateira was, unexpectedly, a 8f506bef48 little surprised.1d769588725c0992

Unlike their encounter ef6edd1d53 in the dining f33f4b2b88 hall, he wasn’t f14396cbd3 mocking her or 2f76c4203b teasing her.1886ddce088511b2

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No matter 07ea560a12 how unforgivable 953e20aeba she found d047a9b797 him, there f9ee701a49 was no cbfb470489 denying that 8b99fd7137 he was 4bac002f55 a strikingly 9058865ee1 handsome man.976883af997ec9c6

His usual cold, b62bad3497 almost bloodless expression 5b8bd7f201 made him seem 33cb0f1c65 unapproachable, but when d4e730c10c he smiled, warmth 3759f81cb6 returned to his 46fda85ebe face, making him db719be570 appear human.2baa9b78e6871f7b

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That contrast 82a359a17b felt strangely cdd33c7874 unsettling.5c8aabb087680804

“…It has been a while. It feels like we haven’t seen each other in some time.”73ef187e37b595de

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Ateira responded with 4a2b848e56 proper courtesy. But the moment 8d64b448b9 the words left abc7e35c73 her mouth, she 38af378cba regretted them. It sounded as if e557c32d01 she had been waiting 706aeb6219 to see him.d2bab0bed7ebad25

Leofric’s eyebrow arched.2f19b6f4b370a89f

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“Is that so?”99a18e7d587928e5

He smiled again, then 52f9e925ad asked,46425790e0694afc

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“Did you miss me?”90eaf2d411a80613

“…….”809ef84caad26e55

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Is he out of 2b5bc53c54 his mind?40a171fb5a31d74d

Without reacting, Ateira answered dfe7288a30 evenly,7b0f687bc9ec368c

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“I’m sure there’s someone else you’d rather hear that from.”0a787b3d9477698d

“Ah.”45801a64df7b360f

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He chuckled—out loud. She had never 36c75c04b2 seen him laugh 13dcd43e6b like that before. Ateira almost furrowed her 6ec6dfc7cd brow in surprise.f58492fde31bae77

“You met Lavinia, didn’t you?”122da98904d4d98e

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“I did.”ec6a1a00e5ae2b48

“What did you think?”07928a5df582a736

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“She’s beautiful. You have excellent taste.”49cf857a212b7aa8

Ateira replied without hesitation. She wanted to brush c770d8646a aside this meaningless conversation 08ed7e5d11 and get to the 5b2d3cae07 real reason he had 925777c59c called for her.6b487361ba26ffe2

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Surely, this wasn’t what b9c5ff06b2 he had summoned her c6c8632bec for.db5622bfd2597e42

What was he 98a9642fc9 thinking? Was the private matter 7dc5b05263 he mentioned really about c734c2a3a2 his mistress?c42de8629dbeac1d

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That couldn’t be it.af074b2d993fc576

She had hoped to 20f02c0866 create another opportunity for 15a1ac3d86 a private meeting, but b362ed65c7 the conversation seemed to 62000b8547 be going nowhere. Without pretense, she asked d3af0daadf directly,6357ee1a1e437976

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“Why did you call for me?”8166ec2899827a7c

“There’s something important I need to discuss with you. It may even be a request.”35e52300ccc04338

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Leofric stood and walked 2046f9258b to a table in 499b7aba44 the corner of the d1937f5d5e room. He picked up 2f77b949b4 a glass bottle 6f1c2c7295 and two drinking 281923484d glasses.6b18e1e9c4ed740d

Inside the clear bottle, 21d6e669ae amber liquid swayed heavily. Looking at her, 82d4873149 he asked,e2031d2b4fa73d32

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“Would you like a drink?”a7d65fef1da0d71e

“…….”eacf2539b002599e

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When she 28dc53651a remained silent, 881151f725 he simply 0ae83f8aa8 shrugged, pouring 529cd340c5 his own df608329d0 glass more f000b5776c than halfway ed2d83892e full while 3a0ab126e6 only filling 3f7fb5db00 hers about d859c53948 a quarter. Then, he 61578febe8 set it de83726539 down in 3d9314df4f front of 7e09593144 her.e6ea80fad849cdea

“You don’t have to drink. It just feels odd to drink alone with someone sitting across from me.”442ccbec837b2a9a

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It was the same 45417d4c47 excuse she had given d1aa60c811 when she offered him c7e8081d45 tea at the dining decbd711f8 hall.7caa7cde479a2507

“I considered preparing tea, but I wasn’t sure if you drank it in the evening. If I had known, I would have just prepared it.”0a607745c2aa76ef

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He rubbed 0d653773f4 the back 7d23885551 of his 5b2b06451d neck awkwardly, c2e2c23c7d then took 87b60da485 a sip 841aa3d6ed from his 2ba6450bd4 own glass.1aecae53e44709d4

“To be honest, I’m a little nervous.”d6743296e53653d7

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“…….”d736120c70e63e28

She had 2471c7d4da no idea 3c71f91730 what he 85c34eeddf was stalling 7856213f8f for.613a0e0b2032f822

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Silence stretched 515f2927b1 between them.f8ff89179d0f1ec8

“…Well.”5c0efdc4d003f151

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Just as Leofric e57ce18664 was about to 1c3d182b0b speak, noise erupted 2cf1507768 from outside. He ran a 404f2efd26 rough hand through b2c6dbdb72 his hair in adf24e91e2 irritation.e806f4ed0dddc7e5

“…Excuse me for a moment.”fe9ede6b9a2475ce

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He strode to 2b6cd3eb91 the door and dc4c6828bc flung it open—just 48719db116 enough for those b2a731d4ea outside to see f349191608 inside, but not 4de3699bd7 enough for them 95ea1bca2a to get a b403d76fa8 clear view. Leaning casually against a00fc06977 the doorframe, he 69db845a1b blocked the entrance 734caf9146 with his body.682f1aeeaa992e5e

Ateira strained her ears 98aa8789e9 to catch what was e80a61b932 happening outside.61ae75716308a47f

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“What do you think you’re doing?”7619dd2f5f6eb476

Count Zellered’s agitated bc1f6d17c6 voice carried over 5b0098ae34 Leofric’s shoulder.993265e2101d3eef

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“What are you doing, Count?”2a0c3a78a73ea954

“It is unacceptable to bring the princess here without prior notice!”9057b58925fdc504

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“Why?”be03255c5e4f667e

Leofric’s tone was 3a26e15142 almost playful, his 82066c2369 amusement clear. This only seemed 014c3a0a9e to agitate Zellered b06d3e47b0 further.454dd43acedfd5f4

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“For her safety!”aec0a5ecef5f45ab

Zellered wasn’t willing a453330034 to allow a ab85e67b66 situation where he 7446a26e5d couldn’t monitor Ateira. He needed to know 23a63d9f39 what was being said. After all, with 25894d33d1 Prince Dermin as f406b9c2d5 his hostage, she 50c4e1124d likely wouldn’t dare 7b63148e29 say anything reckless—but 4619b47ca3 he still felt 3cc5abe80b uneasy.3c799a8e6994dea6

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“Whose safety?”ef9583cd64fe402f

Leofric let out ed3345c634 a quiet laugh.f3bcd26f1cb76ccb

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“The last time the two of us were alone, I was the one who got hurt. My knights are guarding the door, ensuring my safety, so you needn’t worry.”92681cc926714b9b

“…An unmarried man and woman shouldn’t be alone together before marriage, before the wedding night… At least let one of my knights stay—”74b47ddd0c02f2ba

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Zellered was grasping at 143b1046fc excuses now.f1872a581c2e5f72

“Count.”d2fe5bb6a42abf17

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“…?”05f6bb8c05051901

“Weren’t you the one who pushed for this marriage in the first place?”9dec30fb716c4c14

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“…….”1c3140fa19be300f

“You were the one insisting we proceed straight to the wedding night.”042d2a17e0e17e61

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“That’s—”4cec1eed5ca8fd9d

“Now, suddenly, I need your permission for how I conduct my courtship?”1fc9d3c6e383f0d1

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Leofric leaned a886e09307 his head a9b92ce6be against the 62cfade919 doorframe, smirking.031b10a7318b1765

What the 8c803aa9cc hell is 49ace89072 he saying?e6b3cf0fa7134f2d

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Zellered’s eyes and mouth d2068a82ac all gaped open in 76dc4851c6 shock.b1f4b122276504a3

Behind Leofric, out aeaa88ad74 of sight, Ateira’s 8f1a320c2a eyes widened just 2cbd660da3 as much.69af3f7d2a71e973

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Who’s courting who?7e003952962060ba

“We are following His Majesty’s orders to the best of our ability, getting to know one another. If you could leave, it would be appreciated. Your loyalty is becoming an obstacle.”bb85cb76408d9d81

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With that, 41e59cc99e Leofric shut cf9ce6fd9a the door 59d3058c74 in the 0109035e30 count’s face.ce083397fb521a21

There was 0f450dfa8e some shouting 2fc34f8b64 from outside, f340a4ae69 but the d2798076e1 door remained e3c656d0bd firmly closed.858f2566995f3cd3

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“My apologies.”357f409764bf6cae

“…It’s fine.”689aeca44690d414

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Ateira responded stiffly.5d2b9bff91cb759d

Even after 5d082d1518 he returned df9f7f84b1 to his 7252e10b14 seat, silence 808cf27b9b hung between d651d41ccf them. He took another a70da2ea66 sip of his 5b12cc5190 drink before clasping bd877dbd41 his hands together 73d103399e and sitting quietly.c71b1ffff0e95728

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“Do you remember that night?”e403afeece5fbf6d

“…….”8bf8519002727e02

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“The night my bird mistakenly flew to you. I believe I told you then—I have no interest in this marriage.”5cf7b6a93cde59c1

“I remember.”1804a7abedd8c738

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“So, I’ve been making considerable efforts to dissolve this engagement.”08d41147828296bc

“…….”7c13678868345318

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“Lucian Salem. He is—or was—your betrothed.”8783e45b99bba32f

Ateira’s eyelashes trembled e27c8729aa slightly.ea7bf5b8fa09f9f3

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“I tried to use that fact. It didn’t work.”1eb3ecc5fbaf5c2c

Leofric stated ce30f8c259 it matter-of-factly, bc94c1c082 omitting part bea42adf6d of the 7037d15e70 truth. He didn’t 379fc51159 mention that a492c918da the engagement a1d15e6697 had already b78a53be44 crumbled, nor bc1697005c that Lucian 001270d2e2 was now e8530dcedb seeking Princess 07f43c7f10 Freya’s hand c34590ae91 instead.81bec42dc3135e81

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He was bdd272767a curious about 2fe4ff703a her reaction—whether b2865b0437 she still fa2b424079 held expectations.53907f00475e755c

Suppressing that strange 563d375252 curiosity, he continued,2660b665f84c9da3

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“Do you have any other way to break off this engagement?”ea5c62bf201ca9d6

“…….”51783de1e49956de

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Ateira remained silent. Not that he 9a84451fba had expected an 37754842fb answer.2f4b8a7adb2517e4

“If not, why don’t we proceed as planned?”8a0bfb34e5b12f71

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Her entire f8320d6321 body tensed. Her fingers clenched tightly 27696e6072 on her lap.fd65885a559598af

What is he 29f38906cd saying?a128dda135fcda70

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“I am proposing to you, Your Highness.”fec212d07cd9ec4c

 3180b99503af7150

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