WBWB | Chapter 17

I couldn’t hear anything. I cautiously opened my eyes.a96ae3f49e8a40f3

“I see. Which book was it?”0b0a95a74d94d7d8

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“Um… On the Nature 681ed66ab6 of Duty.”0eb5e5b3215a59d4

The Duke’s reaction to hearing that was unexpected.6ef1c76c8ef0d583

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“There’s no need for that. I have the book.”80c681185c18b9e1

“Pardon?”ea8d242cef0bfc94

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“I saw it lying by your feet when you were asleep under the tree. So I took it. I couldn’t leave it to get rained on.”a8295408b3311772

“…”6670979bc4485203

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“So?”a24aa5b11834dc70

“Pardon?”5ffb92473efd2e08

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“Did you enjoy it?”301d5227c4906969

As if 8b915b5cda hypnotized, I d2ac96db2a nodded.76bf3deb88353e81

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“Then it’s fine. You may continue to use the library key. It’s good for a tutor to cultivate their knowledge. There’s not much else to do in the winter besides reading, anyway.”577a87b0dd98d8f6

And then, as 574c31439c if a thought b892f5ba84 had suddenly crossed 0beddb969a his mind, he 44ff944b48 smiled.33943dc9c0379f58

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Did this man actually 4d4a760e06 know how to smile? 0678d32fe15e0550

I froze, surprised to 845228629d discover this unexpected side 1d1a2e322c of him.ab593be0fb45f7f4

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‘Did I 0c2afb7f38 just see 88d04dad6d that wrong?’eac49cfbee644c0f

But the smile b5ec1a0bf5 vanished from his 317ae72557 face as quickly df9e21f905 as it had cf52e093f2 appeared.6867bad2ffbe380a

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“I heard you’ve gotten quite good at riding the horse.”d6f27359e06439aa

“Yes.”76a6ce3536f7e0c3

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“Are you enjoying it?”56067f81fc2bd253

“Yes, I am.”d6833fa79fec6dfe

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I replied, still 85f0b11a12 looking down at ed5eb8c233 Brulee, who was 1678f1d989 munching on an 1397644b7d apple.2e90e904d76be02e

“Why Brulee, though?”a7f6da74ca1c4966

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“Pardon?”bce83d57e0ead32c

“Why did you give the horse that name?”08ee3c2e348a653f

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“Ah. That… I took it from ‘brulee’.”da6c370c79b96e89

“Brulee?”65626d7ee78daf08

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“Crème brûlée, a dessert that was popular in the royal palace. It’s custard cream in a dish with a hard layer of caramelized sugar on top. The sugar is melted with a hot spoon to create the crust. It’s crispy and slightly bitter on the outside, and the custard cream underneath is soft and delicious. I named her that because her coat is a similar color to the caramelized sugar.”80525582a6ce7d7c

“Do you like that dish?”f51c82bd9eee664b

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“Yes, I do. I doubt anyone who’s tried it dislikes it.”babeff37eb1740ea

“I see…”dda3658808f3c595

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We were so 3efdb227f9 engrossed in our 344a493ba0 conversation that I 59c47b66ef completely forgot about 2042b8f9b4 the apples.ec7d59f40cff62c3

‘But how did he know I named the horse Brulee?’91f169d0f60441a4

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A brief moment 0cd917ef0f of doubt crossed b1887325b3 my mind only 8395b7ec73 after returning to 7218a55e26 my room, but c965af7e3a I might have 2c49467c2e mentioned it unconsciously. Or perhaps he had ffe48362f6 overheard it by chance.5b71bfc8ca410d69

Just then, someone knocked on the door. I didn’t want to see anyone, but I wasn’t in a position to refuse. I sighed and got up to open the door.ccddee6e8f0c146b

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The maid 567dedf3e1 who took 6a57db4f89 care of a3dab804ef my room c5bd916de8 stood there, 917dafa0e9 holding a c3b9530d3d basket.e1ca42f810faa707

“His Grace the Duke has sent a gift.”40229e781dd53d2e

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“…”02b221a2e09555f0

“Apples.”dced7f77b3aa11f3

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I could 5962f5d2a8 see that 7a9232f7c1 for myself. The basket b76de4a900 was filled 947388542e with apples. I took e746c8f705 the basket 098c109f17 and was ee024537c6 surprised by 091b5c62f6 its weight. As I looked back 372dc56868 and forth between the 21d208df92 apples and the maid, 5f583e5821 she hesitated, then spoke.d3b2ab78806305f7

“Um… the ones you were picking on the ground were wild apples, small and sour, left for the animals to eat during the winter. The apples grown in the orchard are much bigger and tastier.”e69ce1f73c3047fd

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“…”89d212a91d0b0e40

“His Grace asked me to tell you that.”56551b789b3e76e0

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“…I see. Tell him I said thank you… Would you like some too?”491b6bea908c7917

The maid d9e7b86ef1 took five cb91bce5c3 apples and 4fd02710f6 left. I placed 6d848e0770 the basket dc97d47dd2 on the 795697b550 table and 4c27330a5b collapsed onto 55ba182bef the bed.f80a04829235e1a0

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‘He saw.’299a6a4fb2dca46a

He saw 618f445f1e me lifting fbc02cd194 the hem 53c93b5a7c of my 577e0df314 skirt and 64d382806f picking up de455e93b0 the apples 91bf049f02 that had 282abf5ca2 fallen to afd2d10ec8 the ground.e774983ec3bf18d8

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‘He saw me.’0e645dfb2ef1f9e0

I was mortified.7e9517a9b3c518a5

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Indeed, the apples 48925c3ecb in the basket d4558f0676 were bright yellow, c5f2e69dbe and the seeds 95eb2b2e88 were much larger 26c01911ad and more appealing 42c8ee00af than the ones 77e93fbc41 I had been 584ff19c41 gathering. 49a907048f9ae151

When I took out 77796ba5fc one apple and bit 54da06b7e1 into it, the extremely 3f5e905054 sweet juice instantly filled e83ae59024 my mouth.b276e78e573461e2

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However, the shame f6306ba6ab outweighed the sweetness. I couldn’t bear d2fdd61933 to eat it 19d35a2478 anymore so I 8171b22a96 dropped the apple 839af01ea7 to the floor e5789500f4 as if it e8039cfa64 were poisoned and b54bebd0b9 writhed in embarrassment.37b85e05ebd5f4c5

‘Why! Why! Why do I always show him such embarrassing sides of myself?’0cebbbf40acaeccf

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Even though 8dbcc65a34 my circumstances ae4002f3d7 had fallen bc15bd6e59 so low, df4fc2fb21 I was 74fdf2fa74 still a e00a392eb5 noblewoman. 354c5e330700f254

For him to d1dc37c2b0 witness me in 0fe585c9ac such a state—it 30a0de120a was enough to 1b9ae9cee9 make me want b22c3d0144 to die of 75aa9c51c5 embarrassment.d6c12a17027518a7

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* * * dc90da3b4b6e4b33

After that day, it 22f4ff5bc0 rained a couple of 62b584c4d5 times, and the colorful 45e947fcbb leaves fell from the 325e9e3bcd trees, leaving the bare 81bd69181e branches exposed. The entire ae5a366e97 world turned fda195b030 a bleak 3e73fe1294 gray, and 48799d721f at the b3a97887d5 same time, 68d46ed465 an unbelievable f1ff81b192 cold descended.78dea331a01da99e

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Having lived in a place where the weather between autumn, winter, and spring wasn’t much different, I was surprised by the biting cold that made my lungs ache when I inhaled the morning air. a33d8f0beb97c10c

The Duke’s words hadn’t been an exaggeration. The clothes I had bought at the beginning of autumn were no longer wearable in this freezing weather, and I had to hurriedly order winter clothes and cold-weather gear.25996ad88ec3172c

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One day, as 912bb1d1af fires were lit ccfb3db8cb in the fireplaces 815820b36e of every room 8ceb14e5f9 in the mansion 08599d3b23 to ward off fafdcd4cd4 the chill, the 19b9ad473d mansion briefly bustled 4a5c6f6d60 with activity. Then, the f9f25ff69a Duke abruptly 978f58dfc0 departed with 00dd724f80 a group 3e4f69c10d of his cb36529622 soldiers. Strangely, the several 3bec5c1d07 carts pulled by 415ac05446 mules were empty. The wheels rattled 98568c47d5 loudly due to d1decd2cee the lack of 203f99a43a cargo, the sound ac534b3ea4 carrying all the 23eaafc1bb way to my 2014c50714 room.f4d84a2a74e9efde

‘Where is he going again?’227b01ee3d966c73

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Unlike before, 7e6965fd03 this time 54e832eb0b I was d5bf50bc83 curious about d697520436 his destination 314706df6d and when dd7076e3c3 he would 35229c6ddb return. The answer, surprisingly, 840bb2c34e came from Lady e83f07ecb0 Ana.24585f7a3081ae92

“His Grace is going hunting, Teacher.”1bd3257ee93ad670

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“Hunting?”e25722e35e4aed96

“In Skadi, 501ff6d11e we hunt 054cc2b63b animals before 7a51da109f the snow cd5539688c falls for e834920851 winter provisions. The nobles 160074ca46 hunt large 81973fbd9d animals like e31a2bb71c bears, wild fae81bcde7 boars, and 72cde5448a wolves, and 045255f2f0 the commoners 93b71d9978 hunt rabbits 57c557153b and birds.”da741330ae0bc4f6

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“Is that so?”a2617146d1f4bd14

“There’s nothing to eat after heavy snowfall, and if there are too many animals, they fight over food and can all die. Then there won’t be any animals left in the spring, which is a loss for us too. Also, bears and boars can come down to the village and harm livestock, so we cull them before the snow falls. It’s during the farming off-season, so people have free time. We can use the leftover hides and meat to make clothes and preserve the meat to eat throughout the winter.”1b9358a280d55bdf

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“I see.”98143428ac7f96fd

‘Where exactly did she learn such things…?’88a6f3386d328148

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The young bcaf6ce132 lady was ba93f8cc00 remarkably knowledgeable cf1ad67f84 about the 9dbb76677c affairs of e381e4a0eb the farm.0e30301e2d2e8ef4

“Don’t you hunt in winter where you live, Teacher?”d53339beae78a370

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“We…”47e6a460500a0a15

Hunting took 0dae34ba20 place in 0da9da3b1c the royal 8c3b858e27 palace too. But only for amusement. Could it even 8dc6d82dca be called hunting? 4484921098c38e86

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The occasional hunts at the royal palace weren’t about catching wild animals. They involved releasing foxes raised specifically for hunting into the gardens and then letting dogs chase them.f6132892ff75ef2e

“We do, but it’s probably not the kind of hunting you’re thinking of. What else do you do here in winter?”b5accb5f002f8fc3

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“We ride sleds when the lake freezes.”5196521c7c4bcf5c

“Sleds?”4741a38f899effe6

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“Have you never ridden a sled, Teacher?”384f4c1c92d416dc

Lady Ana 2be6c1b595 drew a 1f4ca9c198 sled on 6e05043b16 a piece 20a26da812 of paper ee407bc58f for me, e28df9508d since I 9fa10475f9 didn’t know 5d07eb1b37 what it 14a6e73111 was. 15f60f7828052388

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A sled 02b25c275e was a f502c7ac03 board big 943878e4d7 enough for 7c1300f59f a person 41aa2fc4bc to sit 814ddaf1c3 on, with 57b5c898fd wooden sides f10607182d and long 37733f0533 metal runners 80d201589e attached to 50e9d00764 the bottom 62795d9a76 to glide 32d2209d6f smoothly over 229a9d832c the ice. You sat on 54083f5ea3 it, held metal 7fc4776327 prods in both 1febe862b5 hands, and propelled 37c33da1cc yourself forward by 4c28478a49 digging them into 1059b93642 the ice, Lady 9c74f30c66 Ana explained.810bcc03ef454969

“When it snows, we can also ride snow sleds and skis. Snow sleds don’t have these runners; you just sit on a board and slide down a snowy hill. And skiing is…”293928ce27466ec6

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Lady Ana seemed very b6fac5c4cc excited as she talked.704319e0fe2aa781

“But does the lake really freeze here in winter?”94dfdbc433f0ebf5

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Ice was a precious commodity in Franc. It was hard to imagine such a large body of water freezing solid all at once, no matter how cold it got. And snow… I had never actually seen snow before. 65218af5b2d4a77f

When I confessed this, 43f2714515 Lady Ana told me 7ab1d45912 that it was white 0b589f1cab ice that fell from 5cf6a41427 the sky. It turned into ice 0f11bca419 when you packed it 5e7543e7a4 in your hands, but 893569d1a1 it was much softer f76bbe0c12 than regular ice.e08566d5a1d7768c

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“You’ll see plenty of it soon, enough to make you sick of it. When it snows heavily, Teacher, you won’t even be able to go outside.”abbf86ad8a843d65

‘I see.’87b70f03c5b701e4

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It seemed 1125ea61a1 everyone but 233f9e9df7 me, a 9716128af0 foreigner, was c13b7778bc busy preparing 85971ce5e2 for winter.81ab5ab1410b8c9c

About three days later, bac644d71b I finally saw snow.b910b76ae32af847

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I opened f3d9c52ec4 the window 9530734551 for some 5441c56dab fresh air, c0e85287c2 and white, 18ef0ec3d4 cotton-like flakes bb2bf140cf were falling 11a5f7d247 from the a1dc9f97a0 gray, overcast 9a652f3317 sky. Not only that, c2adb4aa71 the entire world fe6b68e1ed was covered in 48f60ae37c white. I reached 5d7cfcc9e7 out to bb2e729ee3 touch the ddeb3720b9 white stuff, d6d0bceccf but it 40e483f84e melted as 962aa7e9b9 soon as ababf76661 it touched 874ea0c91a my hands. It was cold and f3733d0a19 light enough to not c1a8bf61c7 feel its weight.847153a5b0fff362

Then I 824e61a713 noticed the 5477a27a54 white flakes 64c069e3f8 also accumulating 40542ed5ce on the 19367be791 windowsill. I gathered some and 61e47b5d4b squeezed them in my e9e3fbe063 hand. When I 02d1bd2056 did, they c379077de8 turned hard 2891a808e0 like ice e74f8da06d and then cbd9d7dd6b quickly melted, 69a48af8d6 leaving behind 33506d9368 moisture. My hand e86a2a47b7 stung from ec1ef4d3c4 the cold, 96f05e55ee and I 1ba33ffca9 shivered, closing 8912a327ad the window.3622386707053a31

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‘So this is it.’58c438c89452a373

It was only aeaa76f7a9 then that I 90dbee29ee realized that winter d5199dc8d8 had begun.15c3ce915b48ba65

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‘This is winter in Skadi.’e5ecc9ddcfc24224

I wanted to df5262a86c walk in the 6941fb8c5b snow, but I 13abf7cba7 gave up, afraid f7d0b85871 of getting sick da21acf7ae in the freezing a78d88e34c cold. The first eba954a912 snow melted 7745cdfdbb away by e49fafcf62 the end fa08659fd4 of the 2cd65c19df day.21c78da51d3c23bd

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A few days later, bacff585d1 the winter clothes I e518929dcf had ordered arrived.7a17c7c0cd5e4aef

The coats 2d775c9420 and dresses 712abfd625 were all 6ea9b9f014 thick and d45f477ce5 had a f5bff8fc75 unique diamond a7d92f1a18 pattern.db3835c3128c17d1

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