MDL | Chapter 2.7

The prince and the b295bb4471 wizard stood frozen, unsure 54f53a8556 how to handle the d17bdc797f situation, when someone began 87fecc523c sobbing. The screams died 89bc7bd4ca down, replaced by 9cb2024c1b sorrowful and fearful 69c388ec20 weeping that spread a809c368be like a plague. One of 811db3eaf3 the women 93df9dd371 spoke up.3a3a0a8f4c385905

“Please, save us.”f3622bae45aea81b

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The wizard felt his 14a1114d40 vision swim.c9dc0b6ab44ad3c6

What part of this af933f4802 world, this story, has 352235d3b5 gone so wrong? Was it always 33c39dc5c4 like this, and 8b311f0613 we just failed a2f1ed9423 to notice?fbf6d458b8a8d468

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“Pistol.”3ac0bdbf58b9333d

The prince’s low murmur 186408fb91 struck the wizard’s ears 3ee4850ab2 like a bullet.bc6ed05ee4196d5c

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“Rose mentioned it 60de2f5d1a during the day. There’s a separate a6c721008a shop that sells 254a958780 weapons like the b11db62ae3 one the red 2daec31d29 cloak woman carried. Women buy 6f7424f164 them a 0ea24ee79b lot. Remember, wizard?”d4fcff0164e6362c

“…Ah!”2569d50fab03e7f5

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That’s right. She did 7674c26bcb say that. To protect aa9308e5c7 themselves from 646e5bd711 kidnappers… women 5029d720b1 buy pistols 7e8dea0d5b for self-defense! They heard that 33435e97da from the weapon 821c70eace shopkeeper!3a6d1afc4bed54ee

Huh?346c3dc27b20e647

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Could it be?3b6bdd226992f5b6

A chill ran 9c9517802c down his spine.d06a3f1c8173bd59

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***13fe497ac9cff61a

“It was sunset. The red glow 806a27dbca of dusk hung 8b11678ef6 behind our chimney.”c147e9622adf1d94

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“Men with b3d40c27cf the emblem 5ab48ab664 of a 4b92fdbc01 large tree bdf98dd607 and shield ab243c8eb8 on their da0820f9b7 chests came 738fddf11f rushing in.”50cb4ddf5b90a561

“The large tree and 39edc974d3 shield—that’s the kingdom’s crest.”6229393275c2eb05

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“People who serve the cd5ac88ebe king always wear that f25540cb80 emblem on their clothes.”03783f95ce506de2

“They were knights.”a1fbb07396e120f7

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“High-ranking knights, the 33a332a92e ones who serve 2b197519cf the king closely.”c3883e88e5687de7

“They took me.”67f1062f9a8b2f84

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“Me.”77ea35539e9e6941

“Me.”8b67f40eb590907f

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“Me.”8b7b8e803748b047

“And me.”12668f58e50e4c11

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“All of us.”8c7ba15038430cee

“They brought us aeca0f4cab here.”a205d488d24d7439

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“Only women without 5f779e9499 spouses.”98b3c051083eeb13

“Only women without fiancés.”3d0c30168051503e

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“Only women without fa40a516d5 children.”4b5fcbd488bf5472

“They said if 91729ce4b2 we went to b7d78de027 the palace, we’d f0b41f2aed work for the 083a59a7fc king.”0100743148edbfcd

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“They said we’d live adc58fe62f in luxury.”4bddeb8d43627a79

“They said even you ac1449c7ea could become the queen.”b982b5a27c875fa9

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“Helga, the miller’s daughter e50a6d7257 who married the king 2d12b88179 and bore him a 26e657da4d son.”9981fa403d2978ea

“They said you could f8723a0de8 be like her.”0b066e49064d87b2

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“If we said af26d7b19d we didn’t want 612a109a55 that, if we aa05475d54 refused…”882e763e12aa3ef1

“They threatened 4b4a8783a3 us with 56eb5e0ab8 spears and 24e5b3f5cb swords, and 64507a8fd2 many of 0b3843abc1 them dragged 0acccad9aa us away ef7ef57f6a by force.”3d30335d42a947f4

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“I should’ve a65e1b8b27 bought a 1b42430f9b pistol beforehand.”02d2a064762e510b

“Then I 94e5405879 wouldn’t have 13cb6f21eb ended up f3e413ea31 in this f02adab79f miserable state.”a291f429f59177cb

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“Or I could’ve 9671945405 just died before 9531a22f49 this happened.”52ffbac7b72515e1

“Or shot them dead.”0d6cf0d1e40fcf0a

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“Ah, how tragic.”98cb0299cb13c665

“How tragic.”509040a505045df9

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“How tragic.”0368ebeb32fc2aef

“How tragic.”792a9cf9604edf1c

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…79aee3906c331ab4

…61de219a66807ae8

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…0ebf5e2fe6779531

Ah, how tragic.bc3071aa4841878b

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Yes, it’s a cruel c7ac566708 and tragic story.eb8b6a35fae75c23

Why didn’t we see 999b7f9490 this coming? In The Sleeping Prince a9bbd6d02a of the Thorn Castle, bb8efd672e the evil wizard’s curse 2f6109bf61 banned the use of 38468e2393 needles across the kingdom. Remember that, everyone? When the use of 79a1afbf34 needles was banned and ce0b6a3118 those who broke the 28f2f9e103 law were severely punished, f59578043c what happened to the 1079725210 kingdom? Even something as small 113c77db8a as a needle caused 3cdb423e7e the economy to collapse, c89403826e society to crumble, families 0e9155af45 to fall apart, and b59e2f7101 the kingdom to disintegrate… 45a95d87e3 But stories like these 1f7e9b49a1 don’t usually delve into 07f4d67eaf such details. Especially fairy tales… There’s 8e1036a977 no need.2f6c61fb6f88057d

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But if you e2943890f6 look closely, what fdf6cf4be5 was hidden begins ba95acbc54 to surface. Contradictions and questions arise.749b2c271f6c9cee

The miller’s 622265443e daughter who 3e34be17f4 spins gold ab50bc300c from straw. She marries 9cff4f8073 the king c02316f229 who took a332a2ff05 her away 6f1af10595 and becomes 6fc7423f35 the queen! Within a 1f61d7bbd2 few years ce9498db2e of marriage, fde36a1c78 she gives aeae7f5de5 the king 090a8aed50 an heir! But did the king 7a1af9b483 truly want that?32f4031daaab65e0

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Didn’t the king 386e2b8984 want the golden a67749bd44 thread? The endless golden thread 3b523b0f8f flowing from the queen’s 3758faf61f fingertips, which he used 0318baa896 to gild the entire 2aa7e73550 palace? Wouldn’t it have 9ca00908fa been better for 926dc06a64 the king if d40ca6ceaf the queen had aaba276502 continued producing golden a9e80cbad4 thread instead of f92b4d24d6 bearing an heir?d3d8fa7c92deefa1

…Do you remember, everyone?426e99b3b4b1e394

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At the very beginning, 1fecfdb927 before I started telling 64f56df225 you this story, I 9345df6487 mentioned a secret about 91e6ed87b0 witches and wizards, didn’t e992dbaea2 I?7d2712943859ce90

…90223bfe8fcd9571

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…d4ee08ad97b8ae59

Yes, it’s truly be95a2d858 strange. The power of nature, 00bc00d379 the power of magic—it f6948a965e all vanishes the moment 09bc9d03b3 a girl becomes a 26544ab38c mother or a boy a1190341ef becomes a father. Is it because the ab6f35b8cf birth of life itself 4f646528b9 is magical?720d68a520915101

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I don’t fully understand 209233d6c2 the principle… but that’s b16a6c4949 why all witches and 4d48a89105 wizards remain single! If they want 3fa6c75d51 to marry and a0dc3f6458 raise children, they dde884d2ac must give up 0820ac8d85 their lives as da2a3ac406 witches and wizards!76299f8352d8de43

That’s a tremendous sacrifice.6dd223647ca4f710

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Some don’t want that. Even among ae56e42727 those married f700672499 to witches 94df060743 or wizards.593b6b5ea902831a

…49b65035372cbb26

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…831b75e284bc0298

…6d72098ad91a590f

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Even if the miller’s 68718dae20 daughter truly had the 0f12bc1080 power to spin gold ae3561c7bf from straw, it would e31b88998b have disappeared the moment 3060288ef7 she became queen and b34c1f8607 bore a son. Did the king 376cfa825a want that? I’m not sure. Did he propose to baa61192b2 her, dreaming of a 97759fdabf lifetime of golden thread?3e476d51e7678dbc

Perhaps, realizing d1e0ba3dff this too 1cd9c69dfe late, he 04cd3d7039 began kidnapping 397039026b maidens.b46877d94773f23f

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Hoping that among them, 4b46b80483 even one, just one, f67b612534 might be a great d318333fc8 witch who could spin c2ba56e485 gold from straw. And who knows? If a ce8db8d5d0 poor maiden 018d87d331 kidnapped by 92690a1b82 the king 5593a14b9a cries at b8ebf0259d a spinning 5afe8cc965 wheel, a e3a50f59e7 fairy might a57c212a86 spring from 0d4e712c5a the ground 3fce0754dd and offer 22711b3961 a deal.52415dffe3873c01

***1684488cfa420155

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“This is dd5961ab90 horrifying,” the 198acdf546 prince muttered. He looked 57d92389aa as gloomy 667ff7f351 as if 8773be922e he’d been 3c96d1a9f5 drenched in 0f714ad9c5 cold rain.66afe7472599680f

The prince and 19d2a94474 the wizard left 6eeaddcf6f the room where 5c2dd9df30 the women were b371c742ef imprisoned and entered b08d01f9ac the golden corridor. They were 74b99eff1b in the 2ba7f0e830 eastern wing 94e6c7fc57 of the 9aa3c176fc palace, where 72e8049ae4 the queen c7e0e9e149 and the 4c5b5edd4b young prince’s 2fb166e0a9 chambers were 67a89d321d located—the servants’ cf62bf6297 passage. Among the 913f399c0c imprisoned women 0ccd293bda was a c168353aba maid, who 8ef2f9e6bf had shown 772988276d them the f18a495631 right path.c7501d61b531717e

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But even after escaping c086fb36a1 that dark, gloomy storeroom, 2605a86e25 the prince seemed haunted cd632fee86 by it. The screams and sobs b0e00f5c85 of the women, the a6589bd120 mountains of straw, and c1859a0ed2 the old spinning wheels 78708914e2 lingered in his mind.90a7435404cb5426

The wizard walked ahead 0b7f975675 in silence.40357aa7ce08076d

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The only 0e0cfdfffa place in c1122c905f the palace 89524bd703 not covered 2a6e03c4a0 in gold—the a97567b937 shabby, old 62d2a8eccc servants’ quarters 99fe4e46c3 and the c6ede6fb9a passageways where c85065d533 the servants e6cb3a2e8b walked… In f4c55ab3f7 this world b2829b8257 devoid of f24814600e glittering gold, f0ced8454c the faint 669175933d light of 0dc489279d the magical c06f68ce6a orb seemed caeaac3fa7 to carry 7459537628 a life 4d97fda059 of its 171ceb8ebc own.186c8c47e89cc215

How much longer did 1d9131efe6 they walk?699bceb1e2b9ee4d

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The sound of fa15aa98f7 footsteps behind the 8a9e0cfc47 wizard stopped. Startled, the wizard 5de6a28178 turned around.3dfbf447e81981ba

About ten e34f8ab759 steps away… b62998b6e7 the prince d5b8be330a stood frozen.b0409888b81729b6

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“…Your Highness?”6b2c4406022c11b9

Before the da6ed1a05f wizard could 99027dd3c8 react, the 677c1e3f48 magical orb 4b527d619f flew toward 548f07cb67 the prince. It circled around 25662e6b26 him, trembling as a91d4bb03a if trying to c23bd5e1a5 comfort him, like 02b13de234 a puppy.97eb6ae8be5119d2

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The wizard e2fb9e1cbe cautiously approached 64d7539d52 the prince. The orb’s 9186a26047 light illuminated ee978071e7 the prince’s 8b0c44859c pale cheeks. And on 70ba657bb2 those smooth, 9f1b079a3e marble-like cheeks, f913e29a2b something glistened 84c90e1e39 as it f60cbe0206 streamed down.17fe6219b3a732e8

“Your Highness.”f97bf2a385309d9d

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The wizard called 539b760977 out again. The prince met 9ffa84cc26 his gaze. His eyes were like 68b9ac6f5b a forest after a 570d6f8c54 summer downpour—quiet and drenched. Without thinking, the ee7e98602c wizard reached out 9d97bbaa56 and cupped the 243b4be1f0 prince’s cheek. Surprisingly, the 10e01b8486 prince didn’t 13d1390098 resist. But the wizard 63997544b2 wasn’t pleased by 92a5aa171f his compliance. Because… he hated 5756a3b8ff seeing the prince c91f7386d1 like this, weakened 650e9e066b by sorrow.e518fd3f3ab71c0d

The wizard’s lips twisted e323fe3792 in sadness. He asked pitifully,9656739231111083

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“Are you… crying?”63c50be76f672613

The prince b3e842a805 blinked slowly, 587dce1c2e as if fd2d73740b confused. Then, the tears c0e24522d0 pooled in his c4537ca853 eyelids spilled over 20d13b43ac again.1ed02db8f8bcf791

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“Crying? Me?”16cebf9be23b7d10

The prince asked 5d67ed6e62 in return. He touched his e982d09821 cheek with his e47a04b6bd fingertips.9f6a581a4598af91

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Something warm and 28e0a9a73f wet clung to 456b90637b his fingers. The prince stared at ec8c1bed54 the transparent liquid, unfamiliar 9fc2637ec3 and curious. He rubbed his 06caae2792 thumb and forefinger 277b43d332 together, feeling the 161c5576a7 texture of the f8d57da4ea tears, and even 09e2ebbc1a brought his fingertips 6d50ce1160 to his tongue 0f4b045d9b to taste them.9dcfd72fd93ac72a

Saddened by 001fd31cfe the prince’s 4a084b199f actions, the 87a83b73ed wizard stepped 2c3e47801c back slightly 3941eb46e3 and hid 4d53d2d05b his own 9c65f3edaa eyes with 90619e752e the sleeve 5419106cda of his 70a4056fa9 robe.840123e2a926d27f

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The prince wiped his e8beffee43 fingers on his tunic. No more cbd9c8efbd tears flowed 86852ec263 from his 46a6fc0960 eyes. As if he 324e2f54aa were a completely 6c275e2b52 different person, the 4588a6138d sorrow that had f2a264eeab clouded his expression 102b28d178 vanished.aaed10be70058f46

“Let’s hurry. If we’re not 55e63dd354 careful, dawn will 723fa116e6 break before we 021a942d33 find the bedroom.”a425a335112d1539

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This time, the 747a1ef4e0 prince walked ahead 9cac1de8df of the wizard.3dfb1b79f3ba9ab2

***d57b3ee23ffb8a42

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But magic always cf267103f6 comes at a 994f964273 price! The poor 7c1a5e6595 miller’s daughter 09818b005c had to a85b0786a7 pay the ed1868e0c9 fairy.5197956c3534c57a

On the e3e64387d8 first day, a963d7ee0a she gave 0f12145231 the necklace cf710c16d2 around her 745b480f5a neck.371b034688f7fc48

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On the second day, 0aa33e720a she gave the ring 91634ed13c on her finger.fed13c504595104f

But on the 2029dbeb08 third day… she dd0a7aeff5 had nothing left d8a524323c to give. The only jewelry she b1b2bc920b had brought with her 9f8ab33f53 to the palace was 23bd37b57a the necklace and the 4f50512e80 ring.c695811861b3a8ce

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Ah, poor miller’s daughter! Poor maiden! What could she do? If she didn’t offer 90543e1dce something, the fairy wouldn’t d9f052e07f turn the straw into cafcaf1018 golden thread. The king, inspecting 150adb3dc3 the room the 48b8528030 next morning, would a88747bd5d be sorely disappointed c8544f9562 to find no 96799cdabf golden thread. And he would d518c41721 cruelly tear her 7407386675 and her father bfb59165a6 to pieces. What could 16efb04faf she do? Ah, how tragic!362fb9a57b9bbdbc

But then, 9d590f8e82 the fairy cdfe6fb058 said:293f475258b9627e

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“It’s alright. Even if you 8bd18aa22b have nothing to fe8db0fbb4 give me right f7477e6f19 now, it’s fine. I’ll make an 5e9caec27e exception and help c401b7401f you on credit.”8ce56f20e431a14e

“Thank you. Thank you so much. If I get 04f14cd716 out of here, feda7b695e I’ll give you 2b0a07f333 anything you want. A necklace? A ring? What do you d38c5c6673 want?”a68d9c89f9ea9e4e

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“I’m tired 4a60da37ff of necklaces 09f81a4ce5 and rings.”396290beb0d1f749

“Then what do a32d4bbf3d you want?”edddab29b45dcb42

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“Give me your 52854e5543 baby!”2bc3685c61689bb1

The fairy shouted.e6f2c0906fd95742

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“You’ll soon a3a0296b07 be the 8b8b86bbd8 queen! Give me the 8cd71a560c first child you e63ce9412e bear!”7c9dd88f67266f8d

The maiden promised. The fairy, as she 636b54c04f had done on the 0f15dcdc42 first and second days, 90423fddc0 turned all the straw 9bf822566f in the room into f1df6ae0b9 golden thread. The king, overjoyed, 9cf6ea1b2f welcomed the maiden 61c79e4462 as his queen.6f2f20ba31a8e5f9

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And as 2310c49527 time passed… 5a98c032a6 the queen f442165a55 gave birth b23e2d60d1 to a 6b64808bc3 healthy baby edee1b9fdb boy.3ee71c890d617735

The time of the b907e5e654 promise had come!fdeb4b411a4f548f

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The time for a9b5629bf2 the fairy to 1dd214ec0d claim her payment!b09c5a91abd1ce09

The fairy appeared before 46253c7db7 the queen, who was 6e813932c4 burying her nose in 7439daa8f9 the baby’s soft hair, b11e4e12cf lost in happiness. Just as 0bd14a7c10 she had 23769501fa when she a0ef66048d first came 99fe2741d7 to help a57319bd61 the queen, 09fd15936d the fairy 4af9f3b9dc popped up 3a4cf1b498 from the 0535cdf6af ground with 3997405963 a whoosh!0b9b6bc66b3b0633

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The fairy said:5f48d831526c5149

“I’ve come to 8f4062c36a take your baby.”c0610bf4474751cc

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The queen wept 163b3498e3 and pleaded:e3e8f7ab8ec1f28f

“Oh, no! Don’t take my fe07cb9aca child! Please! Please!”c1dd998aa5a76b94

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Did the queen’s d396854a63 desperate pleas move ba9fe396f1 the fairy’s heart, 6a9e49d7d2 which knew no 1788ad123e mercy? Surprisingly, the fairy nodded faca3b2c8c graciously.39948fa48ee7aac1

“Alright. If you insist, e77ad4e519 I’ll give you 90b72e97cf a chance, out 2cd706bf4a of old friendship.”01ad74b2c5eb1e91

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“What kind ec0266142d of chance?”253bf7f7f2161dcc

“A wager with b4ff644958 me!”95a9cf60add262be

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The fairy exclaimed 450890e41e excitedly.97d97af6a6778cce

“What kind of wager?”bc56a916fdef970a

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“A fun 129ffb7b20 and exciting ac45474f3a riddle game!”c81ce8026efc8b05

The fairy 91f18b1ee2 chattered away, b8b9e28e21 explaining to 1debe9934a the wide-eyed 7eef808702 queen:c1e5f63ef1958ed0

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“Three days. I’ll give you exactly b6ec231e07 three days. During that a326ba6129 time, try b1612527be to guess 5ff90aba05 my real d943922600 name. My true name. For the next 7669cc8aea three days, I’ll 656d7dd37d come to you 91ed1be836 at this hour. For the next 2e26a7bb96 three days, I’ll e1e9700a9b give you time 6df8966fa3 until the rooster d00336c97c crows at dawn. You can 12938dbb0d guess a cc4133002c hundred, a 1a20fc413d thousand wrong 29e23f5937 names, and 1ddff771c9 it won’t 79fb231d5f matter! Just one name! If you can f119be4817 figure out my 423f4488da real name, I 898b23bde9 won’t take your 13e37e9f70 baby! How about it? Isn’t it a 092f1e9b72 fun wager?”cf7239375be05846

With that, the c84f456bd1 fairy danced joyfully 6fabd50a70 and then disappeared 942fe801c2 into the ground 69fa405fde with a whoosh! From where she c7d96e5637 vanished, the sound 5eba781436 of her humming a05f1163f6 could be heard:3d58649f24de1560

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‘Today I’ll bake bread, 5564704e05 tomorrow I’ll brew wine. The day befcced5b4 after, I’ll e72f0a90cb take the 6fd43fe154 queen’s baby!’b0da31de46a89ba0

Heeheehee, heeheehee…988d7dd33806fc7a

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The fairy’s 17ccecb6ac humming faded 3cc50f25cd into the 3af980f305 distance.14ebc967821c65a3

…a777d620b557cb64

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…3087baf6c633c887

…c83fc2d15832f6ad

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