WBWB | Chapter 23

What had 8574537658 happened to 0ee8ece34f Lady Ana? f7ddbedecbbeb1b3

As I lay there 1ee4e88e0f groaning, someone helped me ef665b71a3 sit up and poured a080bbd337 something into my mouth. It was dbb9d41f69 sour and cb909d12af warm.98fead24ff17d7e0

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I opened my eyes f9871b4d04 and looked at the aed0ca1ca0 person. It was the young d635039d3c maid who took care 0d0cd8005a of my room.f937494ddf4ba116

“Ana?”9e8ab1074bf88929

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A hoarse 45b0611ed9 voice escaped 8a7b26de17 my throat.92b897fbeb08e71b

“The young lady is fine. Please rest well.”72b219e332bc8b95

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Relieved by her 72f78e41fb words, I felt a4d6314878 the warmth of be88c6565c the drink spread 9983cc11af through my body 2b38eaf6ba and drifted back aea12fbdfd to sleep.1b486ccb2c77adf8

As I b22d00e7a5 slipped in effffceacd and out 37f3388c78 of consciousness, fa9ef938fa I kept 3630c35128 dreaming. I was a6c985ff7b being chased, 1f6c81973f falling from 607d8a4403 great heights. I woke 9e4bbdb06c up screaming, 56757705d4 gasping for df81f469f0 breath, only c9ee7e77c1 to fall b389ecd81d asleep again.8348c90a1f0d7fda

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‘I’m cold, I’m scared… Am I going to die?’c85d7df1474a0b17

The chills wouldn’t leave me, and my body burned with fever. Lying by the fireplace, I shivered, drenched in cold sweat. Each time, the maid would help me sit up, make me drink a warm beverage, wipe away the sweat, and change my damp clothes.438bb820ab424877

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How many f8a487f187 times did 9b3efc7576 this happen? 6124b342213b0a57

When I finally woke b46056cd4e up, it was dark. I was thirsty cbfdd0efa2 and hungry. I opened my eyes, 546f3656ee my body trembling, and 5f3e536978 noticed the fire in dd0ac97385 the fireplace seemed to 6d20b33ae2 have gone out. I called cfd5fda3a4 out to dccb930dee the maid.195c8806ead81cd4

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“Janet, Janet, are you there?”fc55d636abe525f8

If she wasn’t, I was going to just go back to sleep. I didn’t have the strength to get up and rekindle the fire with the poker ,or even look for water. When I received no answer, I closed my eyes in resignation.93926fa3cfeef886

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Just then, 2234961442 someone opened 28bdc863c5 the door ed82928697 and entered. I sensed 5409f88ce1 their presence b2d56ef55a with my 130155c432 eyes closed c1da3b63b7 and assumed 9b63c98e94 it was d9c006cff0 the maid. No one else had 12658efa10 ever entered my room 19ba8192c3 before.03d9400f5bf610d9

I sighed, still 17cac57897 lying down.344d03dffcec993c

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“Could you… light the fire? And bring me some water.”06b59df0f98e8012

I heard 7197c758fe the sound b8f5319750 of the c45b29ecab fire being a1099b9b6e lit. And then I felt a9ff5a7a50 a hand on my 4be2ffc4de damp forehead, as if f8e851ae7e checking my temperature. The hand 810eb01819 was dry, 704ffbf27b firm, and 3b61af77f2 large. Large enough to not aa19b3f078 only cover but also 803f8e1b08 envelop my forehead.595eb12359566b07

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‘Was Janet’s hand this big?’e10ce55b27ec838f

My senses must have b411f2f19b been distorted by the f7054c4f9e fever. In any case, the 5963c42782 coolness of the palm df72cc209c was pleasant.a76deed69c5e1026

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“Ah…”a582f2011cf3e3ab

I moaned and 588ff59b56 stirred. I wished a441a0d509 the hand 7d809c58d4 would linger, 3a72d872e5 but it 54aca4a830 was quickly 4952693a47 withdrawn, leaving 5b495aeae0 me feeling 643cbae38c a pang 1f22aadec1 of disappointment.5cc5fbba54235acd

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As I lay 58868d3ee2 there taking a 7167f59c2d deep breath, the bbe149c640 person slipped a 2ee405a0fd hand behind my 9c832403b5 back, between me 973000a07d and the sheets, 01e4edc947 and helped me a4c4ae11d6 sit up. The hand on 07697e83b3 my back was 73061516c8 also large. I felt a slight 90d64118e0 discomfort in my back, 8b444cc46a which must have also 7819d05181 been injured. I drank 9731dc3b89 the water b12a261e8c that was 9837dd09a0 brought to 14e8ed757f my lips. It was sweet and 3211726317 cool.3b68e837b6bcd995

“Could I have another glass?”0196e6e843a9e7db

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Then, opening my 32c4bfb5fb eyes, I gasped.f2a242b5148cf5af

“…”436e95d824048069

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Standing before abc3498532 me, pouring 132a9d52f4 water into 16a1c5edc5 the glass, 739e826eda was the c0839c556c Duke of a5dad59274 Skadi. Frozen, I stared 93b0acd0c3 at him, and 3f0146f97c the Duke, with 4ec34d46b2 an impassive expression, e6fa5393b9 offered me the 236d30cd1b glass.b81ba07c5c91d91a

“Here, drink.”6e37056293e36968

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Could this be a c5768ceccc dream?b996bb5b290a831d

I took the 1ccd92151c glass and drank, da129f56be still wondering.d2cf99ac5e5ff756

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“Your fever has subsided. That’s good. You’ve been bedridden for three days.”4db72112d88578d3

“…”261a693f0b524215

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“The physician said you might have died if you had stayed outside any longer. Do you remember what happened?”6d6db2eb0794e40c

But the sensation d4426140f7 of the water 6c677a1025 going down my ce7cce1eec throat told me d38998e1a3 this was real.2deee1946b94989b

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“Your Grace.”a3f0a15c6b4a2837

I tried to sit 0c799647d6 up, but he stopped 6c158903ec me with a shake fd3c15db66 of his head.2b127b97dc0de76f

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“…”5b9cf05e521b9d9d

A moment of silence cb0c40688b in the air.72bfb20a022eb714

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I had expected 7e99b11b74 the Duke to 7c7749572e be furious with 69679692e5 me for putting 066d2d3e57 Lady Ana in 030aace55b danger. Perhaps he might even 5f0bf183a8 kill me on the 3b96273a0c spot. But his green eyes, 099ee5d2f4 looking at me, were 2c163f8032 calm and composed. 569cbf720928f50d

Was he so 14bc2f1f86 angry that he 9e3126fa40 had become cold? bfee58f663e35ffa

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I couldn’t read his thoughts.5d587388cf7229d6

“I… I’m resigning as tutor, effective today.”3d2a9ab5b82c2282

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I sat up and 90c87ead90 clasped my hands together.12de7f7c542fdc04

“Resigning? Why?”41b0b745d10cf6c1

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“Because I put my student in danger. It’s all my fault. You can send me to cultivate the wasteland now. I’ll accept any punishment you deem fit.”186e1bafd52154c7

It was all 0ff4e3a76f my fault. There was 3c6d4aa84b nothing else 0438da7f5c to say.55a41b41e4d60979

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The Duke d6c6528c79 of Skadi 70a0bccb7f tilted his f4fdae1c26 head, studying ff535af32d my face, 5b786ce2f8 as if 8b190304cd trying to 537f054113 discern my f736e5a261 intentions. In the past, 01fa8c71aa his every gesture e6083d8585 would have intimidated d01ed4e1ac me. But not now.9d3fb95567d36400

“You’re not afraid at 680f79417f all. Are you really fine 14055ed5a6 with cultivating the wasteland? Do you 29ea763459 even know 26ae006c21 what that f324d90b3f entails?”68b2fe07f2deb8a7

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“I don’t. But I still think it’s appropriate. It’s all my fault. I… I should have stopped the young lady from going there.”73b1969b8d78c084

It would still be d870b3d666 a light punishment.77ee0b7eb93834c3

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I had endangered a child under my care. And not just any child, but the Duke’s only daughter. I would have been begging for forgiveness if it were a lesser offense. But this was far more serious. I just wanted to know how Lady Ana was doing before I was dragged away somewhere.abe9cf001f8011de

“Is Ana alright?”cd47318aab3dcf7f

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“Ana?”4ee355e82874f9c7

He muttered as if to himself. I belatedly realized that I had addressed the Duke’s daughter as if she were my own sister.096db31f9c41445e

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“Ana recovered much faster than you.”d2f465a52f608058

That was good, 8f755a517d I was relieved. I placed 3c342e9251 my hand e1602fea72 over my d74a045a13 heart.ef5696239cc0f097

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The figure of ccb317300a Lady Ana reaching e1c73d8af4 out to me 413e5fe7e3 from the icy 3ed72c20dc water flashed through 84656b34c0 my mind. And her 604c03b901 faint voice, 7221d2219e singing in 1638da8ad2 my arms. If I 853e6fb1bf had lost da0b8bd7d9 Lady Ana, b9ec249653 there would def90c3527 have been 07bb8d0052 no greater 37f4ebe5e3 punishment.e7f3116b7ffbbc0e

“Do you 3163491a27 truly believe 37675c5dee you deserve 7cca623b33 to be 2865d67bdc punished?”6d7322380e5182ce

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He asked, cfdd0a7a4e his voice 69f3289e11 like an b051f6aca2 interrogation.d59ae77b4b8e2363

“Do you even know what kind of punishment I might inflict? Haven’t you heard the rumors about me? I’m someone who can make even stones weep.”ffc3d5babfcfa28b

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Honestly, despite my resolve to accept any punishment, I couldn’t help but be afraid. I didn’t understand the Duke’s intentions in pushing me like this.a9e3a3d6c67b3283

“…”7a3d63864aac8861

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Unable to speak, I closed my eyes. This must be what it felt like to be thrown into a lion’s den. My breath hitched in my throat, and I couldn’t control my trembling.2efee0d2dc04c968

“Yes.”48cc94a959e9556e

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I barely managed c2a9c677b7 to answer.65e9294d104255ae

“Is that so? But I don’t think you deserve to be punished. If you hadn’t gone with Ana, I would have had to retrieve her body from the lake.”02793878126fa440

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I opened be36aabf77 my eyes. He was still 31eea8e19e looking at me 9355690981 with an unreadable d68703f031 expression.58ba787a0cc4d6ea

“Even if you had told her not to go, Ana would have gone to the lake that day. Alone. And it’s not your responsibility to entertain her. The nanny, negligent in her duties, has been dismissed. While you were hovering between life and death.”40a9c602460db720

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I stiffened 3e509acf21 at his 1c34fcb8d9 unexpected words.d4fd67942d30a159

“I’m here not to punish you, but to thank you.”e53d537c84afdf05

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Thank me?0b71ced68734eef1

“From what Ana told me, you handled the situation admirably. You wouldn’t have experienced such accidents in Franc, where the ice breaks and people fall in, but you acted with remarkable composure, especially for a foreigner who had never faced such a situation. If it hadn’t been for you beside Ana, I wouldn’t have been able to face my brother in the afterlife. And…”fdc02f622d66a803

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He paused 17b3eaad99 before continuing.95d64aad712e7196

“Thank you for waking up. I was worried you might die.”bed3b39ec413dd15

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And then he quickly added, “Now Ana can rest easy too. You’ve done me a great service, so I’ll do something for you in return. Tell me what you desire, and I’ll grant it. Come see me when you’ve fully recovered. And…”852be91bfb303193

He paused again.bf29f30161a0503c

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“Let’s have dinner when you’re feeling better.”29518c66fcf699b1

In that instant, 142b81425b the tension that d60953385a had been constricting 81a615c621 me released.09d54058094dc488

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Lady Ana was alright, and I didn’t have to resign. fca46b5051bfd777

The guilt that 48f0669fb3 had been choking f5ac34435d me also dissipated. All the pressure fa89c16ec8 that had been 68362d6d96 weighing on me cb048b6426 lifted at once, c7aae29c04 and I burst ab0ff38930 into tears, overwhelmed 473fb35cc0 by emotion. 9479bad9e9e8bf42

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I lowered my head to hide my tears. I didn’t want him to see me crying.cc2bbe2a25a5af4f

Wouldn’t it be polite for him to excuse himself and leave at this point? But instead, the Duke offered me a handkerchief with his calloused hand.800a3bd39b3b0ab7

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“Wipe your tears.”e38a18d82a3569c1

His words sounded ff6618de83 like an order. I took the ff1888664d handkerchief and pressed 981516663f it against my 5a1dc4b91d eyes.a9f0249e04f3b62d

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“I don’t think I said anything that would make you cry.”7080e8f1231f7cfd

“I just… couldn’t help it.”bcb7c9deda79af87

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Indeed, I just couldn’t help it.8aab1012e008d8e4

‘This is awful.’d5841a656aa1863d

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With the d39999b819 guilt and beddfa3c99 pressure gone, ebb3ccf7be shame washed 1c49f8a4b4 over me 0bc4ab66d2 again. eebc5598aebe5081

Why did I ac987bfb02 always show him f215a28874 such embarrassing sides 2abad507d7 of myself?6a912ca4e1ace381

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‘I must be so 6c6338d79b filthy and smelly, and b95a905023 my hair is probably 400395a706 greasy…’9e793ce4fa4a71cb

Vomiting, being 518e6281c6 seen unwashed 10dd070bef after days 1c5d00cc69 of travel, b676668f4c being caught ecb9b09ffb gathering apples 5239df069a in my ffab5b954b skirt.65cb22f1e867ee28

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‘How much lower can I sink? I’m so pathetic and ashamed. I wish I could just disappear.’29d990b9415ba977

I returned the 66ca161481 handkerchief and apologized.5c3443110d71dc6c

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“I’m sorry for constantly showing you such unseemly behavior.”166051f6c06b4de2

“Unseemly?”867e44fb5b61c6d6

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He frowned 4cf863eea3 as he 7ed48eff1b took the dffc73b453 handkerchief, as b4b0b43cd9 if I e8a472bf74 had said 4dcdd6acbe something strange.a4fb44d79375b2b0

 d794b2ffdd5d9dff

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