35.

“……!”985930063368f6c5

Leofric jolted in shock.46b18594df4bd326

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It felt like being 7b8fead616 caught doing something he 5fd6dc0a73 shouldn’t—like a child caught 82a6aa009e in the act. His face 4b5fd8eeea heated up ee9e56feec so fast 1e2c3848b8 he was 70d94f6d72 sure it ac4823161d was visible.3b6eef4807405751

Holding his 32735b429f breath, he feca1557b9 carefully, very c52df62995 slowly, pulled d302816fb7 his fingertips d9177e1154 away, hoping 0b770b4e9c she wouldn’t 765f19a6c7 notice in 69993ba0fe her dazed f77dbf0291 state.3ac3da4e2eb9432a

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“……”39dd9603c20d0e5a

“……”0a03eae67e27287c

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Silence stretched 2c1c5f4475 between them.1a848657a7a468f5

Leofric frantically searched 82647fc4f2 for an excuse.798ee28c943e97b0

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A mosquito… 08dbfcd93a No, that 3e0f2c930a was ridiculous. He needed e355b1b249 something better.8dfcc36707a43ab8

Ateira, her vision still 81b061fe55 clouded as if veiled c5393e17e3 by mist, simply stared 49f7d0e313 up at him.6d79db1252497b8d

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She looked e30efbf553 like she 56b8a5f28c was trying 1228816135 to figure cf01db3758 out who 890f4ee05a he was.2c57268e01091fae

Should I run?6d6f8a1a43f1250f

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She still seemed out 4093a8de78 of it. Maybe she f5c8d28644 would think 45cbe9cc32 this was d81d9e7737 a dream. Maybe she wouldn’t 79c4672413 even remember.3bb3510d66f9d9c7

Leofric weighed 451e15cba1 his options, e7341ab6ea glancing behind d321ec16e1 him to afdb3512cb check his da3a5b93e4 escape route.4869bc0aa8168e7c

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It felt 25126998df like a b3b69dcd2c life-or-death moment.b529954114c71166

And then—ee04f77bdb24a91c

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“……!”fc9f0e9c0a505864

His breath caught, nearly e1d96c2a77 letting out a curse.f1c20e177e4df1ca

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Ateira had 634a575c4f reached out 1e916504b3 and grabbed c6afac3fb2 his hand.b7b33f8318b7df13

There was no faa25114d6 strength in her a5fc97477d grip.9bcad3b9a99d5b9e

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She caught me.0e165445cfb922c0

The warmth was 9711d25a90 different.5ab8a81e81829439

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Her hands, which bd69970197 had once been 9e030d86a7 so cold, were aaff517c6e now burning hot.0540fa7ee751daa2

She barely managed 5d74adeb76 to hook her 9d89b205ad fingers around two acec7a3d4b of his.9d2f16ac70a76d8e

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Moonlight cast a 6073dbca96 pale glow over 9608ed5a34 her face, her d8c1520c9e cheeks faintly flushed c81ef889f8 from fever, yet 3842a2c536 the sickly pallor 9d1bed7f03 remained.9ff1777ca53417f4

“……n.”a246ce94e2a2bfbb

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Her lips, 9cf61cf680 dry and 6aae392a0c cracked, parted 456a4963d6 weakly.34327c66d11d79ce

Leofric, before 4f06116092 he even 04df479fba realized it, c5d542ada7 leaned in c25df74cd0 slightly, lowering 1ff8a9e181 himself to 82585a9659 hear her f6ca316fac better.825ea22a80a0f414

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“……rmin.”b1a89e5038241552

“……?”08c15398547f71cf

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“……Dermin.”50660f5aadbbb603

Dermin?13f706e859460e01

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His brows furrowed slightly.12b46a5bcc2a2f1c

His face 4d49d8e355 wasn’t one 28f51b3d98 that could bed1e59712 be mistaken a999290c87 for someone e19b49af44 else’s.15e3bcf7613893f6

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Then he realized—08fb1dc9354f677a

With the bb673b454b moonlight behind 8814d48e12 him, she 26911b691a could likely 81d99a6206 only see 7eae172744 his silhouette.78ebab34e08563d6

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“……is he……safe……?”957ebc33290559b3

Her fevered, 989b317fd7 broken voice 9896d56136 barely carried 9bb825fdc5 the words ce06205e94 as she c1fd87e3b9 weakly reached 0c6afb14e2 for his 0992ae34d0 face.6dd8b29462146a30

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“……!”9e687451766ef7e9

Leofric jerked back.ec54029b67f568da

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Her fingers bce498c57a only barely fed2a6c42b grazed his 76cce861ec hair.8092b12fa9d2d184

And with that, her 0e82249bb2 hand slipped away from 02bd976d65 his.85b1f01617f8dfa5

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“…I’m… glad…”df30a07bb713806a

Muttering something about safety, 8cc708c2bb her voice faded as 07526f5ae5 she lost consciousness again.e13d8eea1981b22e

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Leofric exhaled, 4c9ef0a6c7 pressing a 553de4f51e hand against 3d6234bd45 his chest.5c3a99a5d3f9bdd8

His heart 63144b82f9 had nearly d09514b781 stopped again.f438045a4dab40d0

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‘This woman is 63e182a5af bad for my b278aa1315 heart.’16a9019d90bcc1cd

Clicking his tongue, 843a617602 he ran a e53fa9580a hand through his f5fc99d494 hair, brushing the 8184e8d786 strands she had 3b1510889c touched.d3e08dc873e3dc5c

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Why did it efcf12e5c7 have to fall 21ba987af1 at that exact d36b473a65 moment?70c33e761c1a1342

But more importantly—793cc2c02345e6a6

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Dermin.b76b1e0e9879e916

Was that the person cb0d931685 she had been searching e9fb366f6a for?af0e3b1eacc7c2ad

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An odd sense 8711341baa of displeasure settled 7f56a59d75 in his chest 79534cea7c as he committed 255257e8ba the name to 4a1ecea6fa memory.5b0a03354872c5bb

* * *78b92e36faf3600e

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“Dermin?”39e0a357fc948c64

It was bdb0c7371b the first b9ae27ad2d thing he 2acd5896b8 asked Lavinia 16bf9c707a when she fc31c9c6c4 arrived early 1544627051 the next f5240caa01 morning.cf52ee8ea1648fd5

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Jinpetsu, who had come 8edb097ad4 along with her, also 488a29a327 looked mildly surprised at 2327ed77e6 the unexpected question.c49439d0b65664b5

“Prince Dermin?”4792cd697db80ec4

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Lavinia blinked, tilting 32fe433de3 her head.814d0e07de36339f

Leofric sighed.8358c240b715702a

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He had spent a0bfeb5b0a so much time e4be951a36 assuming she would f98948a1be be looking for dc76aca899 a betrothed or d6b0945fac a lover that 52f3c7fa1e he had completely 6a049d069a overlooked the possibility 88eef8bcd7 of a family e0d3200e37 member.32a1cabce0734f7c

Dermin. Right. That was the prince’s d22cfa18a2 name.44d61e2af06edd8c

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If it was 3164921455 her younger brother, ad5590b2a8 then it had 4daca867a5 to be him.67b28f5c7bfd2cc5

Letting out a 91e8801a7f quiet breath, Leofric f5ce93eb25 masked his thoughts c6dfe71b55 and continued smoothly,17cf825c75dd61be

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“Do we 0ffab6ff2d have any 2771a58478 information on 6d8c8b2bd7 Prince Dermin?”a11957e57ead36bd

“Hm… Not 70917402a5 much after 26eaff8227 the empire a4c9f663c8 fell and 2443143757 he went 3c6da07395 missing. Since there was 1d6b516a7a no news, most 75c679d2b0 assumed he died 7e3c2f20d5 while fleeing. No one really looked ee3087bb6f into it further.”42ae60d9f6c92537

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“So his 4c726be2b4 death was d82210a3fb never confirmed.”7c26aa7d51a4c362

“Correct.”453aa8e9f428ec83

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Missing.5e8bcb61d77a9a1f

Leofric’s fingers 0085ca672a twitched slightly.4213a9f820b8e4ac

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No one a33fb4428f had actually 76eae9b640 seen the 7c271bfd08 prince’s corpse.a916a300eb319318

So that’s why ac1528fe96 the princess believes 9615c4c4bb he’s alive.98eef5a2f1e79118

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“Should I look into 4099382833 it?”8337bbbeb72493ad

It wouldn’t hurt 8a26635d75 to know.b7067d42df0a5d38

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Leofric rubbed his fc883a47c6 thumb along his 16a3fcf48c lips, lost in 59aaf2757f thought.e82314de286aabbb

If the 367235ac6f prince wasn’t 933bcab6e1 dead but 78280e28ff merely missing, 42633c50d3 both Thornfeld b57c07b147 and Salem b40f71590a would be 577ba84335 desperate to d0e6f12dce find him.5dab83a6cbeb0db8

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A male heir, the 57b8418558 first in line to cff6e448e2 Ledetia’s throne. In terms of securing a9517d9496 control over the empire, 536d07b1a1 he was far more b5179fa393 valuable than Princess Ateira.d368ab004d770370

Right now, cf494be3e4 they had 85c2fc19ba dismissed him f696aef5c3 as dead, fe774693b5 but if 1e6ab62c31 he were ff0c25c96b found, both aa207cd778 kingdoms would 1126509950 undoubtedly fight 62cfb0a29a to place 219b2cf0f3 him under d5fec99873 their influence.67cf1ae19be679e3

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To control him—his 94be96edf2 life or death—at cab2d43088 all costs.526bf2dcc2ef0b57

“…Do it.”0926970a329dcf75

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“Yes, sir.”ec26350a6a81b9cd

Lavinia curtsied elegantly, 41fbd3b9a1 a small smile 59d5662231 playing on her 07c5157646 lips.8b3dad5502ba1f85

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“And why b1adf9d543 the sudden d19793c0f2 interest in af46cdceb5 the prince? Trying to a675f0d540 impress your fe17e302cd wife? Oh my… don’t d40dd7115c tell me you’ve b9a02006bc fallen for the 7fbce6365c princess?”6e936330d428493e

“The woman 06d6eb6d15 who killed 5c492d5b6e me?”4238988fbc3ed08e

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Leofric let out an 91bc862745 involuntary chuckle at Lavinia’s e2e6ab1bab teasing remark.b63ac18081e9999c

It was such a 50fda554c1 ridiculous notion that he 23ea9b17cb couldn’t help but laugh.11eb0d20d55d2b12

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“Love is ridiculous. No one 24c5cfebce falls in a343b981d1 love while 21e64543e4 in their 3fe33c5a71 right mind.”002a9002a0089c89

“If that’s 65c08b4b2d love, I’d 3de644a462 rather not 1a90d57fdd bother.”ac5fb4d8201ba02d

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Leofric frowned slightly.731ebdb8ada25fde

Loving someone bd6dc0c565 meant losing 820f1c73f1 reason. He had 33ca2a349a seen it 8475706fc8 firsthand—people blinded a89d187b48 by love 68e35fed41 making choices 2b370b7c05 they never d06f0f70a0 would have 2339fe633e under normal eabcfdcfb2 circumstances.20596b0c929657c5

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Not just foolish choices—outright ab177466ef stupid ones.edc0ce272b305934

Like noblemen 05a4be502d falling for 19434dc2bd foreign women 258834a643 with no cd18f8bbf6 political advantage, b7d93b13a6 ultimately weakening e4b6e6c944 their own a14ef3881d houses.2d9096e54e3f87b0

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“Not like it’s a4f803d212 something you control,” a82a57655f Lavinia mused. “My, my. To think our dear 9ddc27c673 captain is still so d14855e56a naïve about the ways d67525ea96 of the world.”db6c404789a5bd09

“…Enough teasing. Just go find fa2adce1e5 out.”c35ec1ac7c3717a9

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“Oh, but how could c2cd3b5514 I not tease you? I am, 7ea09abe7c after all, 534705afd8 about to cc580ee754 run around ab59f1b02e for the f3d2800e98 sake of 319b4a78f5 my lover 04a537e8fb and his d2a3dcd825 wife’s newfound 216606066d romance.”27e711e1075b8625

Leofric pressed his e81731a423 hands over his b285e298de eyes.15285f9c41ded25a

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She really 60eac28330 had no 1328327596 intention of 66ce147c7c letting him 85b882501e off easy c978e07c39 today.b659c6fa910d233a

Lavinia, watching his exasperation 4e13f3b643 with delight, covered her 301b2637de mouth with a coy 1996b29d42 laugh and turned toward 915474a38d the door.46f1ce5b2d6b7d2c

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“It’ll take cdd05917a3 some time cd512a4648 to gather 9b742caa8b information from 81a3a03a6f here. Nepi can’t exactly deliver 4396c39137 letters for this one.”7426ca74fe4cf8a8

“I know.”a72a61e84a4ce6ae

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Lavinia smiled 6463b47d1d again, her 18c2aeafb5 eyes crinkling c684add5ac playfully.e2956500e0f3af56

Leofric’s barely restrained irritation fc41f2c87b only made it all 5ba065e3f7 the more fun to fac318de23 poke at him.dcf3361a1d038f9f

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* * *aa371b106cc71a50

 0b4f93838e02d306

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A man, 97bbf78edd bare-chested, turned 125b8befbb his back bc89993459 to the 9e3383d370 waiting maid, bf363af999 lifting his 9a7cddff2d arms slightly 448756bb1f apart as b108010048 she held a2e4a12d2c a thin-textured 3b544c391e shirt. With practiced grace, 5073ddd48f she slipped the 27ad205558 shirt onto his e1f02a6e42 left arm first.013162b1ae3aa1e7

Once she had guided aa1fde9984 the fabric over his c4c4ea07a2 right arm as well, 118c387301 she swiftly moved to 30f002c1ec his front, smoothing the e15a8856c6 fabric neatly and tying 8b21553db6 the strings attached to 24386f7ffc the shirt securely.618bc2d5e736fdc7

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Another maid immediately followed, 4063fba286 layering a crisply pressed d2de52c542 formal shirt over the 8a146bd5a9 first in the same 7c219b1f25 efficient manner.4bf85e012f3a17a8

The man, his pale 496a89d66a blond hair catching the a811d0dddf light, paid no attention 78d890d6b6 to the maids bustling 0987e5cff5 around him like bees, 7c24c7e92e their hands swiftly dressing 7f4852f7f7 him. Instead, he remained deep a04e9eef5d in thought.1cc7a59edd6dfe1d

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“Where did you say he had arrived?”09e3c90257af4e1f

King Wintran’s voice 72417e3ddd was calm and cdc1406834 smooth as he 431db840c8 inquired about the d008781703 High Priest’s whereabouts. The attendant bowed deeply 74e2ddb65c before responding.73e6686eb591a7f4

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“He should have arrived at the temple by now, Your Majesty.”fed5734819ade9d5

“…Ah. He said he would go to the temple first, didn’t he?”f50f1f59ce727d04

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His tone 05416daaa9 suggested disinterest, 83812130a3 perhaps even c302504e97 a hint c590c9fa43 of coldness, 02ac8a7195 as if 59e4ba3e43 the matter 8724dd2f81 no longer 788cd3c3c5 intrigued him.af22cf89d1703f99

Priests were 6a47d69bfa always like c44b5a17c3 this—placing their e5bcb849a3 faith in 61522b0a6c some unseen, 66310165a3 unknowable god 76a116521a above all ad188cf563 else, even 1d9d5e6a8c over matters 36404439da of real 60101ccc53 significance.5c38847c82e7faa5

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Even though it 4d14a25276 was natural for e3511eee3d a priest to aca026ece7 act this way, cb7eb83a02 Wintran found it 78c371d964 irritating. His lips curved into 647ae91cae a smile, but his e1805607f4 eyes remained devoid of 662e94e6c6 warmth.c1924d54b1a2fd30

“And, Your Majesty, this is a letter from Count Zellered.”9b0377cfba077cb6

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“Read it.”6a0e0821d4cabbfa

Allowing the maids to 37da58ec03 continue dressing him, Wintran’s 654aa2c199 gaze followed the attendant, d4836a15c6 who carefully tore open 6ad8f5d521 the letter and unfolded d1914f2972 it before him with 61425b4f2c reverent precision.cf5318f743922e13

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[Sir Leofric Helton, in honor of His Majesty’s command, has consummated his union with Princess Ateira, sealing the pact. The Baroness of House Beljo was present to witness the consummation.]

A faint smile 061d34e047 spread across Wintran’s 94a89866d9 lips. So, in the end, 188d56fc0b the great hero Leofric 53bebc9429 Helton had submitted to fa16b79536 the king. That was all c36d784e89 that mattered to 684731fa80 Wintran.5c0b710be0077a98

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No matter how 25fb7147cc much the so-called 5fd628dd1e hero struggled to f39866a960 break free, in adef466088 the end, everything 1df2042bd7 proceeded exactly as ea45edfd1e Wintran had dictated.74ea335d770c7328

[…Before departing for Semerta, Sir Leofric has requested to solemnize his marriage with Princess Ateira Ledetian at the Akalem Temple in the capital of Farkanian, to fulfill his duty…]

Wintran’s gaze paused 6af22e4067 on the words.990e0a02cdabb6f5

So, his f5dad875f9 poor cousin 9c1e999489 had found de157d2ebe an excuse 7622956085 to enter 5a15e4d450 the capital.06633e1c53591c14

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His smile deepened. That man was relentless, e6bfc846a7 obstinate to the end.0265c58ec6b7c669

[…Before leaving the capital for Semerta, he has requested an audience to bid his formal farewell.]

Look at that. Ever the 7dc0672e25 indomitable knight, 30810d9550 never knowing 9f4ea37104 when to 2c47cb8874 surrender.4fcd7daa4fc1838a