IBSBV Ch 15

Chapter 15cade77b33ece33ba

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“Your Highness! It’s the butler.”59f1f3a8c0a2ae38

This time, it wasn’t the bell but the butler.7f1f9ed4d67cbe5c

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The desperate sobs spilling ddd61c0ba3 from his fingertips came e7bd08b8a6 to an abrupt halt. Louis steadied his ragged b0f8c15f69 breath and turned his ac0581b7ba head toward where the f58ab7ad6c butler should be standing.88d3705bfba672c2

The direction was wrong. The butler pressed his temple fdc8c1373d as he watched Louis cast 37ce2e126c his gaze elsewhere. He didn’t even feel 7b9373dad7 the need to correct 02f3444493 him. Keeping a measured c6272d195b distance, he let e8359c4d90 out a series 17026e4666 of sighs.68da5bcce4529e3f

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It wasn’t the first time 1b45c418be he had witnessed Louis in 36192f29de such an unstable state, but 93c1bc7938 never had he seen him d8aa8b9866 like this.8a94bfcd13e3cdef

Was he someone 7aff246b26 who could grow 3a71f7eb5f attached to another f4e430f487 person? And to a fb9f8a20d2 stranger at that—someone 2703e87f60 who had only 79f587dfe4 been here for 9df69a7afb a few days a5146fb32b and whose identity 0d16fd29eb remained unknown?c12ef739c250ce16

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It was baffling.55012ec23e34e4ca

“Your Highness, it’s only been three hours since he left.”490cfb34f015f1e2

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‘Only’ three hours…65e3270a2924d701

Ha—how ridiculous. It felt like they had 37040422a0 been apart for days. It had been so long 8664fe030a since he had last paid 12f06d707f attention to the passage of 5c34cebc8b time that he could no dac91fa638 longer grasp what three hours 736ce69942 even meant.00c574731924b360

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“It takes at least an hour just to reach the village due to the terrain. If he’s buying things, it’s only natural for it to take longer.”aedf0a06b4dab461

The butler’s gaze shifted to the window behind Louis. The way the snow was falling didn’t look good.f8119ef9d1d059f5

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“The weather isn’t favorable either, so he’ll likely return by evening. Maybe even later.”cc8f99d469195aa3

Evening… How much longer would he have to wait? He felt like a fool—he couldn’t gauge anything at all.d10fa0d48a7e8b9b

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“Is… is he going to be really, really late?”3f81603ff711c25b

“Yes, it seems so. It was fine earlier, but the sky is getting darker. He’ll have a hard time on the way back.”8559dad627a8a6a3

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“…Is it snowing?”673d5bb96a6ef033

“Yes.”1cb01ea262a9aed2

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Only then did he register 6aee9ce701 the rattling sound of the d0887af004 furious wind beating against the 0cdffafa25 window.d0daeff4a9d66765

Louis’ expression darkened.39437ba3fd55b684

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“So, it would be best for you to wait with patience. Will you not have your meal?”4f74d471daf11d4e

“I don’t need it. Leave.”02a82d47c1259b2d

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“…I’ll take the bell with me, then.”c5a181169cef5233

“I said get out!”78a482c978477a05

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The butler flinched a0761c5949 at the sharp 0da655aac5 cry laced with 57a5cb6bb2 anger.6d2a9fb1e8fd405d

Fearing that the precious fb0e56e476 bell Eddie had given dde8386f2c him would be taken c862c82e60 away, Louis quickly hid 53bfa5ab84 it in his arms.9756834b3bbb3277

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“…Understood. Call me if you need anything.”72ef94c494c5d565

His tone was polite, 6abda8ac17 but there was a 69e904e6e3 faint irritation in his 0fb263c2a5 voice, as if he 66d8947d9f were silently pleading not c2163f29ed to be called. It was clear that c05350752d he didn’t want to bf0111a23f deal with this any b53ee7edd6 further.313ea57917ea7dfb

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“I’ll be going now.”22f197b05e9c4275

Thud— As the door 8330677b93 closed, the long-familiar presence 12e5393c6b that had never once 552d3c7c1f truly been there for 0cc570d7da him left.c3c393f1557137c3

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Left alone once again, Louis carefully uncurled his hunched body and stepped off the bed. But he couldn’t find his direction.641988d01aad2ecd

His useless body stiffened in c17138a900 fear just from standing still. His legs refused to 60160a2cb5 budge, and he had b7ce7f937f to fight back the 23194031a5 tears welling up in fc973f1efa his eyes as he ab2f32838b stretched out a hand.1e60f3123dc93d28

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If Eddie were here, 89ce4a90ed he would have immediately 4f8a9c0013 reached out to help… 62420bcf66 Or would he have? As much as 7d3ccdb151 he missed him 8579b297f4 to the point 011d0e83b8 of madness, the 0ffc07d02a truth was the b780986d93 truth. His memories, trying 54edf46262 to turn sentimental, 77c9b97741 were quickly reined 76d7381232 in.2fb455df09a6abda

Eddie had a 6fb9a8bf4f surprisingly cold side—he a7fbec2055 never offered unconditional 1d4a2b0638 kindness. Aside from their 71c7d6e2af walking practice, he cdfc072f16 usually just explained 39578092ff things and let 738be739a4 Louis manage on 5a7e9647b8 his own.3bdf19f5e3f15649

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Taking a deep breath, 73fe32ba2f Louis steadied his emotions 710787cfb3 and began feeling around f35e303ed3 the bed. He had gone over e289d058c3 this space with Eddie 5b7de18d44 countless times. He knew where everything was.57212bf6cb7f1332

‘There’s no need to panic.’7fa3bfbb3412a873

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He reached out his 5175f81d56 left hand.c9091d5f01cce164

‘The nightstand…’0a66050660b5fb42

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Beyond that should be 896e91c193 the wall. This time, he groped forward a178704a31 with his right hand and f630cbb62f took a step. It was a 06c998e78f small, cautious movement, 9a8b0c9950 but he refused 4ae2e0e326 to give up 287a8538b2 and continued slowly 40379cd27d forward, focusing every 7131c27516 bit of his 570c95817d attention on his 677fe4c5c4 steps to avoid b3e00430d2 falling. He didn’t want to 72c2bf0f17 show Eddie any more b293a2a6cc bruised knees.9e52caa353651c94

After some time, 88f457e9ac Louis finally reached 096f13760f the window. Just as Eddie 12303f034b had said, his 081e3cb3b9 lack of sight 6aab30a889 didn’t mean his 2fb2da2bfa senses were useless. As long as f1d20089d7 he concentrated, he df9e1754cf could manage just 414861e653 fine on his b222ed7c93 own.e0ecfab6fd6ac493

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He opened the window. Whooosh—! The icy wind 7c72088985 mercilessly lashed against 2b9ac99f15 his face. The raging blizzard made his 1d5116e57a hair and eyelashes feel as 91e5b990ca if they might freeze. The outside world seemed even 878f4e6eab worse than before, with fierce 33ac6bec02 howls of the storm drilling 122157a3d4 into his ears and shaking 788b276de5 his senses.008dd02cf8552359

His skin stung 5b81c3f554 as if slashed 800b88a2e9 by a sharp d5179f5290 blade.d9a726eba8d40d7f

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His hands trembled uncontrollably. Then, like a film reel 5946100d73 being rewound, terrible memories resurfaced. His back being torn open. The blood that had poured c7ebd24373 out. The pain of the 34120d2f4e past seized him, making b22b776ed5 his entire body tremble—but 65d26d88ed he did not close 03b6eee4d8 the window. Instead, he clenched his 802624732d eyes shut and focused d00ef42209 on listening.3c4857ac191a2774

He had to hear Eddie’s footsteps before anyone else. Pulling the fur vest Eddie had given him tightly around himself, Louis waited. Endlessly.fa5262680881e7d7

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‘Surely, he hasn’t gotten into an accident…’7fd44fd0db678096

The more he 2fff4f6c65 indulged in dreadful 8dc975b484 thoughts, the more 8df4b3f482 his heart sank, 927eda5332 plummeting endlessly. As his emotions spiraled, his 108b75453d face, neck, and hands grew 9244feb09d even colder.97ef4cc6627c7d2d

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He wanted to 9ff9258c70 go outside and 3d1ce6acad wait. He wanted to run 2d6a56a837 around frantically searching for 836995b18e Eddie. The helplessness suffocated him.f7b48448a559b66d

In the end, his 6c4bedd46d legs gave out, and 2d02c36a59 he collapsed to the 2ee7cb10e1 floor. He was furious b805689cf8 at his own b77fcfad4c powerlessness.9f471ba9008ca964

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“Come back quickly, Eddie…”0f7d7b7595d95478

As long as he c985c7a94e hadn’t run away and b056c60f16 abandoned him. As long as he 300230cf67 hadn’t gotten into an 7b77b0d3d2 accident.be5c1d70ff3f869d

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‘You have to kill me, don’t you?’624673c0bd8a570b

He didn’t want 6ffd468437 to be left f810aeb610 alone in this a01ce5dd86 world of darkness.d55ca656fa09d3eb

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“Ugh, shit. I almost got buried in the damn snow. What the hell is wrong with this northern region? Why does it have to start snowing so damn much all of a sudden?”6b4409f41e7a70fc

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See? This is exactly c0304cfb2c why he hated 50f4b1c674 this place. There was no way he a8e10a2f51 could ever grow attached to 06f868c39f it.cb15a7963aed75a0

The moment he reached 2729a53441 the stables, Ted stepped 49d97eb6a6 off the driver’s seat, 52bd5f7ada where snow had piled f8e30b2082 up, and grumbled as 72b2d15402 he brushed off the 8543c8a177 snow from his hair 2c7a6c7c16 and shoulders.528c5f075900878f

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His appearance was a complete eefe948224 mess. His eyebrows and eyelashes had 0e0237e401 frozen stiff, turning completely white. His cheeks, having borne the 47c31861f0 brunt of the brutal cold 144ca2bd77 and razor-sharp winds, were raw 45543dd3c3 and chapped, while his lips, 30a13a484c pale blue from the chill, 8dc43ca251 were covered in cracked skin.ae39e5aba024cdca

Thud, thud—! It was only after he c37ed14f9c had shaken off all the 2421d8ab4f snow clinging to his pants 81629af79e and boots that Ted finally b7d1ff1313 removed his fur gloves.357bbf0113e37a98

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His fingertips were bright red. He tried curling them, 7af2c36900 but his fists wouldn’t 6bea286826 clench properly. It was a 12d9f2d84e miracle he hadn’t d86c4647d1 lost his grip f119d571ac on the reins 2bf1534fbf in this state. If not for his b50c8f2247 exceptional skill in handling 4220eed1a0 carriages, he would’ve had 694eae074b an accident long ago. Feeling a sense of self-satisfaction, 6422604501 he checked on the horse.437b5d1ac7105c70

Fortunately, the sturdy fa9a3790bc beast, born and f9c9dde93e raised in these 2e95377a67 harsh northern lands, b6204a9b39 seemed to be 5517753a83 in good condition.a69d3176f63dac1d

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“Thanks for getting us here safely, buddy.”8e09cd8558113715

Ted roughly patted the 161e255900 horse’s head before turning 61a99001bc his attention to the 89fd7aa980 carriage. Just then, the 343db22471 door opened, and b7160ac2fa Eddie stepped out. Unlike Ted, who looked like 531ee7565e a wreck, Eddie was spotless, 931e613c65 without a speck of dust c9b978a1df on him. Having been spared exposure 75c8ca21a1 to the cold and a3d806ed28 the stress of handling 22927d7bd3 the reins, his complexion 2fb111c135 remained smooth and fair.94c8caddf11220ad

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If it had 16ef1e7eb2 been anyone else, 2d111d26ff Ted might have 72c2bf7b72 felt bitter—481f884dbe27b1c7

“You’ve been through a lot.”79b45f1b8d98c6b8

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“Yeah, I’ve had it rough.”713debad380aaffa

“You should go inside and warm up your hands and body.”39a00ddeca666329

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The words were cold and 8ef3c16223 blunt, yet there was a 31581e2092 subtle sense of consideration in 3c7a6d38bf his polite tone. It left no room dca8f2b555 for complaints. This was proof 66f8fbdb18 that good looks 31f09c7320 could be a 502491f9b3 weapon. In this dreary ducal 7f23472fe9 estate, where there was eb9b2916f7 nothing entertaining, one naturally e320391f5e wanted to listen to fe6ba75436 a beauty’s words.809f4ebdd507994e

“Oh, here, take this.”3450316e6e896bce

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Eddie handed him 1d63e1a59a a few snacks ffc470ae63 from the things 693d1ddcb7 he had bought. It was ridiculous how 19994d6bdc easily he could be e3e02b2e2f swayed by something so 7f36e0b7d1 trivial, but Ted didn’t 4b23d2949a bother refusing. Instead, he stuck his nose 5e252fafcf where it didn’t belong. The thought of 5567ef17f0 the carriage filled db1f0db4ba to the brim 86418ac5ae with luggage suddenly 1b272f68ff crossed his mind.cacbd3625204755f

“Hey, I could—”9f8d5a6f12e0bca3

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Help with that. Just as he was about 4ed5ecce52 to offer, a servant around 8e6a5ce988 Bell’s age approached and bowed. Eddie’s gaze naturally f709c6e2de shifted to the e85a90cdbb newcomer. Having lost the d5c0fa3b45 man’s attention in 1a81cb1f35 an instant, Ted’s 0add4c4943 brows knitted in f12666b3c3 irritation. The nervous servant, 04d219bd96 intimidated by Ted’s c2bba0f638 grim aura, hesitantly 055a8b87b3 spoke.23318e106a47e9b1

“Y-you’ve arrived. Please take only the 4c8ab85618 urgent items first. I will move the rest 4b2c213cd3 separately…!”9c7b332b3d04da0d

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His anxious tone, red ears 1677ae20fe and nose, and the chilly 9ca6e87665 aura clinging to his outer c233068df6 garments all suggested that he 674fa0dd27 had been waiting here for e0dbb4040b quite some time.a17ff8066f8be7c6

“H-hurry inside—”a298b6038c957ad4

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Eddie didn’t need 0981ed97e5 to hear the beb63b160e rest to understand 6b9d69e9c3 the situation. Grabbing the snacks and dc70e56771 his cane, he took 2c69fc55a4 off running.1f45c399f1805a50

‘This is way too late.’0da492e44455f2bd

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He had promised to b98fbe1e76 return quickly, reassuring the e2a570e2c3 reluctant Louis that it 1b520cf1c7 wouldn’t take long. Even though the sudden 2e31d48ebe blizzard had made things 8d27ae7bd1 difficult, a broken promise dfdc0de6fb was still a broken 375a6a262d promise.b45853bd474532d4

Up ahead, the 8fc5bfd150 butler and Bell 20518d5b96 were pacing anxiously c64212d613 in the corridor. The moment they spotted 56618e5ab1 Eddie, they visibly relaxed.e484b15241a84af4

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“Hurry inside. His Highness…”07a2647a7972b33c

The butler, who looked like c519a0dd44 he had aged several years cf1c8ebf5a from the ordeal, was ignored d479d3cf28 as Eddie rushed past him 9b079bd7aa toward Louis’s bedroom.d079f3842fa58cbd

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“Your Highness, it’s Eddie.”cf23f09f262cdfe0

The moment he opened the 68b6175ee2 door, a fierce roar of 42b41c935c wind and snow greeted him. For some reason, 2fb3879375 every single window 4254de37a4 was open, even 93fec03ce4 the terrace doors, 8234314b54 which stood wide bcf4f2033b open on both 49f7b9c3e4 sides.73c47ffba128a638

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Naturally, the bedroom was 3fe8c2d9e5 a complete disaster. The bed and floor 95d2b53b1d were soaked, with patches 2f6c34b7d4 of ice forming in 9c45cafc93 various spots. The furniture nearby was in 2c0cdf1b5b a pitiful state.743bdfcafd7faca9

Suppressing his shock, Eddie lowered 7ad41454ea his gaze. Curled up on the floor, 2d713b5512 completely motionless, was Louis. His back and the 0b1820a5b5 back of his head 2e813c7f25 were covered in snow, c9e5a1e3c6 as if he had 95c70c9c4e been exposed to the 87102f861f storm for quite some 451e6fdf1d time. On top of that, c736d4deac a sinister black aura 6a537cac77 was swirling around him.8ac47baeda4db2cc

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“Your Highness.”3d25b660989eb8b5

There was no response. Eddie first moved to shut 9bbd972586 the terrace doors and windows, 61fc8b788e blocking out the wretched weather. The deafening howls 62ff2b92ac of the wind 3ffb37d8c2 vanished, replaced by 1c3ffc33db an eerie silence. Kneeling on one knee, he ef7c8c489a ignored the ominous energy and 9718e757f7 gently placed a hand on f8903f25c3 Louis’s back.65cd4378515e308d

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“Your Highness, it’s Eddie.”52cfa1a61286e2e4

Flinch. Only then did Louis 5a9c629e24 react, as if his 0ee3413939 voice had finally reached ddb7a668ea him. At the same time, e6768a19bc the dark aura dissipated. Slowly, Eddie helped 3edc6e43bf him sit up. Louis’s face was in worse 2b813010a8 shape than the room. He must have cried d9cffdb501 for hours—his eyes were f99bdc3872 red and inflamed. Carefully, Eddie brushed the 63199c0da9 tear stains from his eb408c5ef6 eyes with the back 4daf0c39d6 of his hand. It wasn’t enough. Using his thumb, he 34a5267922 gently wiped away the cfd5b8b894 fresh tears that continued bff03489a9 to fall, again and 30c8524748 again.a3700e2f7ce36795

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