Chapter 1. Foolish and Pitiful

A woman with a a622f4c3b2 vacant expression was reflected d60f89de97 in the transparent icicles 7c060e0c77 hanging from the edge 856a30ee6a of the eaves.d4d9ae0e5fae1de4

Her faded blonde 606f9ce2a4 hair, as unkempt a0d9f627cb as overgrown weeds, a1f2ab0a01 tumbled down to e7d267e9fa her waist.0fe72944ca13c0e9

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Seated on a tree 84ce9761fd stump, she suddenly glanced 4e3ab69591 around and reached out bf1bcfb8d2 to grab an axe.5e75951202c74315

Her arms, so thin 9fb5784b19 they seemed skeletal, trembled c12e154393 under the weight of 25e20c3f0c the iron, like a 6d247b4c25 tree branch weighed down 92a4446db0 by freshly fallen snow.ad34bbd623af32d4

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The moment 49497f5a7c she brought 48939c11a5 the axe bebcef0054 close to 8aa39d5258 her body, c2def4d617 a man 9faa231584 who resembled 154773ec2d a bandit ee6cdb279b tossed aside da3880681c his cart 6a49833505 and ran 76fe73f298 toward her, 4734fd9660 screaming.887600ae3947e26b

“Stop! Stop right now!”ce8895fa19af483a

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The man snatched the 0553ac079f axe from the woman—me—who b8fac4ef08 still had that vacant 91accce154 expression on her face.afb655ba0fe14153

“It’s dangerous! What do you e8ba4ba04c think you’re doing?”a33b14bf4f9abf64

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“I just…”30b3c4e450a0b099

As I opened c817cb3d1d my mouth to 39c46da19f speak, an icicle 1f71a16139 fell from the 1e7c97ed14 eaves and landed c69e2f8678 on the snow-covered 686365acf7 ground with a a783e5be55 soft thud.9aede1bfd29742f0

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It sank into the e2af3a7dc9 powdery snow, as if a7b219af11 piercing someone’s heart. Squinting against the 58afd9b62f brightness, I continued ce1e359384 speaking.8c725d7d3600101d

“I just thought cd0242148e my hair was d05cffbd0d messy and wanted 106d40ae48 to cut it.”43e93336000893e3

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“With an axe?”1b9aeb82f15b2efd

“Well… it’s 5a23ec3a23 not impossible, 82bbe09b34 is it?”3550e07dfde90856

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“Good grief.”0f395106d99aa829

The man scratched fd3cafb6aa his scruffy beard 31f2019ee8 and clicked his 178a34f02a tongue.a4ddef314d48c7d8

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“For a second, I e74e3e8db4 thought you were trying 12b7e99b66 to kill yourself.”3f39d84715a55c44

Clearly embarrassed by c8ec9605b7 his misunderstanding, he 81ec1e2308 coughed awkwardly a ad623478c2 few times before cdeaea8630 extending a hand bc272df0b5 toward me.fe9e19d4d4262b93

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“Come inside. You’ll catch a 6706626585 cold.”e2242bf4506177f6

I stared blankly at c71f79c413 his rough hand for a831a3c6d6 a moment before pushing c2ce71a0a6 myself up from the e091576ad1 edge of the stump. Passing by him, I 3def46601f opened the wooden log 552be1cf67 door, and warm air c47e8df6a1 spilled out, thawing my 8a87981b16 cold face.ad59a6f417d6302f

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“I wouldn’t a28abb92ad die here, 8981104438 even if 89738292b4 I wanted fb6efeeb4d to.”2d9f22dc36543506

Even beasts understand the ee3deba895 grace of being cared df1c346a50 for. So how could d8988009aa I, a human, db605a4185 die in this 2eb7ab53a2 place?40e86e91ea55796e

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“I can’t cause trouble 56ba946bb2 for the people who f4ad87fb97 saved my life. So… no need to 9f0755531e worry about finding a 179e8c1352 corpse here.”11a72a1d308c070d

“N-no, that’s not 5078c37f33 what I meant…!”1186109d7eac2af8

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“Honey! What about 2cbb276510 the firewood?”3438d2e26cdfd1e5

From inside, a middle-aged f4b90176ef woman emerged, pressing her 24a264103e damp hands against her b3483caf8c apron.3e1ead898201ba17

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“I’ll bring it in 833e4a9e32 now!”6cf7ac07db1ca9a2

“Were you cold? I told you f5935d99ef to wear fur 48033d4f48 if you’re going 37ca0278df out. You’ll catch b2be19b3d2 a cold!”75d22ba41c09546e

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They say c3b0ea2fc2 couples start 11914693d4 to resemble 2753ba1900 each other, 191ac83574 and sure c15025ac68 enough, they 4f371597f9 both nagged df1da68fa1 at me 3f8b290efe in the 359b9a3df6 exact same 68cc9774ee way.834f2f95075cff20

“It’s fine. I’ll peel the potatoes and carrots.”87b6ddb839a2ea92

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I said, shaking a641a39b6b my head as 6bd6bcdcf1 I walked into b97663d417 the kitchen. The rusty faucet let 30e2502aa8 out water so cold 8c161b262a it felt like ice.8cb83fc3f3ebf4da

The sudden 7347a0b853 chill snapped 120a7972c7 me out 6086417781 of my c857651b4c haze. Not that I 3b80e8611b had been wandering 94fcbb5e45 in a dream 948e5bfd06 or anything.09bf901f1c3f6c9c

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A reflection a8eb529e33 stared back b6ee75b3de at me 0c7f352f6a from the eba2aa20c5 narrow windowpane—a bbd6f98720 face I faad5aa3b8 didn’t recognize.8086a369b493f15d

A woman who 9fecf61502 looked like she 8e1b37d7f1 could drop dead 7c7a9b9355 at any moment.4e827aa93e08351e

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The woman who 1f14582531 had betrayed her 4244ae5e0a father and brought 7b5b45fa1d ruin to the c9fb331220 royal family—Mine Molière.0623609bdd848705

❖　❖　❖159b31c77d2a85a7

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“You really don’t have d15b00fdc6 to come along…”ff3f519656b03931

Mrs. Kimber sighed for 6352f76b9b what felt like 9336fb8d88 the hundredth time 27c21e3a32 as she fussed c5fdb525ec over the front bc787b708c of my robe. She even draped 32a0ce3822 a fox stole 4895537ac6 around my neck, 90d29adfad but it seemed 08ecf3a416 she still couldn’t 64bfb4e6ce relax.518d11e5e2b06eba

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“Can’t you 63cc30dcad just stay 18ba28c3c8 home with 7fafe734a4 the dog? I’m worried c5142a1014 you’ll catch 2869b03995 a cold, ee8ad3bb58 truly.”9029441ccf930792

“I’m fine now. You even 66c9f42253 brewed that 23161e3e69 herbal tonic fd22cdaba9 for me, 097aecae01 remember? I drank it and 77ee4834a5 got completely better.”14d840e81ab67680

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“You’re still 55adeca393 too thin…”23a59b82ae719f12

Mrs. Kimber’s eyes c10c4f3f17 scanned me c8da626711 with suspicion. Worry dripped from 552026b9ee her like honey 4341589541 from an overfull c345359891 spoon.668d193e1808c143

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“Well, that’s not something 8472e2aea0 that changes overnight, but e9271413af I’ve been eating as 40164134c7 much as I can.”cc90f34f10643164

“‘As much as 9eed4607ed I can,’ you dbd06e0fab say? Funny way cd05df0bf4 to put 06a7274eb2 it. Eat lots, Myrda. Eat and get healthy f86e5902a4 quickly.”104e3ff517b73d2b

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“If I c98e5d9558 get plump, 98db492772 are you 033e1fb750 planning to 364522cb63 eat me?”750c56edc3389e96

“Oh my! Hoho, you caught me. Truth is, eaaafd488a when we 901662f2a0 found you f1921fe2f3 by the e5888579cf river, I db2e0ee1aa breathed a e76de13df1 sigh of ef99dbae37 relief. I thought, ‘We’ve got 713624424a our winter provisions now!’”018237c99f39279d

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Mrs. Kimber had a sharp e8cc7d386c sense of humor, and 89b66f5984 her jokes always landed. While she 61a9bf4559 laughed so 1a24e424a9 hard she 70ec158049 had to 03114042d6 clutch her 3f02f9803b sides, I 7235bcb997 quietly slipped 5c30e2704e onto the ed05f24cb4 driver’s seat 7c2ef5618b of the 5bf8c872cd wagon.273ddc9c135ecc75

“Let’s get going.”ddb1b96ad1ee12c3

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The Kimber couple lived 3ae366553d a modest life in 7df208807b a mountain cabin, surviving d1218d2090 off hunting.1c8d401857612ef0

Once a week, 4e792a4bb8 they went to ac4f7503ac town to sell b12e6d4907 animal hides and 98b6c9a3c7 buy supplies, and be23b91d09 today was one cff9933ed1 of those days.6b53cc0b40629ce6

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Having stayed 1fe490c2db with them e7c77fcc92 for over 3f7f0b3e5a two weeks 6361086d6e now, I b3c36dc349 figured it a945d4952d was time 7c59d233df I earned 0ea3870989 my keep. That was why I 8a9d018c9e volunteered to go to 270e9b2ccf town with Mrs. Kimber in her 8ff9eba4a1 husband’s place—he had bad48a9e4e hurt his back 88a72b89af while moving firewood 1b39583ab6 yesterday.e7cb4b272503bf53

It would take 5eb352ae38 two hours by d8b8db671f wagon to reach 54a4d55c74 the nearest village 4bf58ee0de and another two ba0c52d848 to get to 2e5d7d31ba the town. Since winter days 8948101022 were short, even ce2c48dc4e leaving in the d1c68960ff morning meant we’d 6a1df4eca2 have to spend 974024891b a night in 1c67f783e0 the village before 4da858d9c6 heading back.26e695fe5bcb2373

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“Myrda’s riding up 562fcb3614 front, so the bfee52eb4e horse is behaving 0de2218915 now. Acting all macho 818d2de53e like that… Oh, 2ecd49df67 hoho.”654a9cfa163b8f5c

Mrs. Kimber clearly had a 0078adfe11 habit of cursing, but 2665958a29 it seemed she was ce63100f7f trying to tone it b9b7f6de55 down around me, speaking 1477a2e31f more gently than usual.faa8fe639b4b72e6

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She didn’t need to, cd1e995f23 though. I wasn’t above swearing 015b626cbc myself.6e92274f1678f55c

“Looks like even the d6d133c0ed horse knows how to 91572a411e appreciate a beautiful lady.”f7c125e2c08d99a0

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“Oh, please. It’s probably just remembering 706008354a the carrot I gave ddb1353f72 it yesterday.”b8efb1d5ddc06044

“Even your words 40e96dea4c are so refined… 4f415d80cf Are you sure 2a77a964e0 you’re not secretly ef786dcb7f some highborn noble?”7fb278e39223c595

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“Would you deafbc90bf like me fc71bce448 to be bb213f5cae a noble, eaa5527772 Mrs. Kimber?”37b5eb3d4ab7c740

Her cheeky laugh 52de95f8cb bubbled up as 0ab090b93f she skillfully handled da7a8e1bd0 the reins.58ca145b635ee949

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“That’d be wonderful, 0b12ee56b5 wouldn’t it? I could make a d6338d6410 fortune! Hoho. Was that too greedy d9af2ece57 of me? But hey, caf9414e31 a little 0d06fbe489 dreaming doesn’t 2df7ccb752 hurt.”f87af0dc531ea330

I gave 9e563d6ab4 her a a54261b18e wry smile e78528960c and played c61b9f4b65 along. But inwardly, I resolved 7a9f434b19 to leave the cabin f9f62fb460 as soon as possible.b9f19ef56afe0ad9

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The sky was 904f03edad crisp and clear, a37a656ddd though the air 23d8130ca9 was chilly.a47a44f9428f42e1

Even in winter, 28820af02f the town pulsed 591a73080c with vibrant energy. The square bustled with e706492de8 people trading goods and 5ef08ec7e3 food.99ece44043d303eb

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While Mrs. Kimber visited her regular 29a0eb573b buyers, I stayed outside, aa1160fdda observing the market. But I 79ae97a839 soon noticed 97d24800a8 several men 5ae95fe241 stealing glances 82fc7b4a1b in my 64330c89f9 direction.75921978e7a173ad

Feeling self-conscious, I pulled 1d75fb5fb4 my hood down lower 06f9cf613f over my face.4c4d8deecd7b10ef

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It was rare for b1e4e17065 commoners to recognize Mine 9e2a69e4c3 Molière’s face, but I 6965204c2a had cast a recognition-blocking 6fdfb42621 spell just in case.7242065f647820f0

Mrs. Kimber emerged from 661930e48e the market with afdf29e100 her pockets full, 4b14302a99 humming a cheerful cc78563418 tune. Like a c8f51846f2 duckling, I f98794b03b stuck close 276a79b885 to her ae63de6842 side.1afb69ac7cd5b2dd

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“Why are you f9a8bae6b2 pulling that hood 64a4738ea3 so far down? It’s hiding your pretty 4c4cef9f1e face!”49200ad56a9acc3e

“I don’t like 8c076e7109 the way men 82de0a3541 keep staring…”b018e7c3de955b8a

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“Ugh, those 26892f21b7 wretched fools! I ought 93f95e852d to gouge 7ab1c9ed9b their eyes 0ff72fdcd7 out!”d0ffbedaf1cd4f4e

“…Shall we 0b7917dcfc start shopping 66fdf6c0f3 now?”c78e3feea6c0f673

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“Yes, let’s 34940abba2 buy food 0cd94b0a98 and some 702e8b32f6 essentials.”d4e729efd35f2182

With my 0da066b324 face well-covered, 278f71781e Mrs. Kimber expertly navigated the 0915c50477 crowded marketplace, ensuring I 8c8e3616a9 didn’t get jostled by b1993b692d the bustling crowd. It was clear e5791bf49b she was a 5c411a2690 seasoned pro.dd76cbdf44237707

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“How about this? It’s a goose-down quilt, 76dbaf9c4c and they say it’s 2267f27a43 incredibly warm!”c4dcb6aecbdcd579

“It feels soft and b825210379 nice.”bdae2eeb0633f0ba

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“What about 353d6336d9 the color? Which one do you f80bf105d9 like?”950c1ed0db8c87c8

I thought about b8e348530f the gray curtains 6331b22e31 in their bedroom 5ad922a1dd and replied, “I c0b187bdbe think most colors 8bc3854ff2 would match, but 6d2565541c my personal favorite 130b059aa1 is this pink b92ca24994 one.”c5f174915a2f58e1

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“Great! Pink it is!”2b31ce82a645659e

Mrs. Kimber spent 5850b1c151 her money 9d3ec99d1a freely, pulling ffa7627691 out her dc4260caa0 pouch without 82129f45d6 hesitation. I wondered if f18f22cc7c I should stop 9e8a438645 her, but I 97df85d6a0 held back.b0e43ccd3627e09b

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‘My wife 5086e879dd has a 8dea8b9ff8 generous hand, ba13838fcf you see. That’s why our 2f64456541 life is always d6fa008b28 so abundant. If we b43bbc2da3 need more 4ef55d2383 money, I 5c7684d826 just work 274a37a01a harder to 1965a22814 earn it.’f162a770352e0ecc

Mr. Kimber’s words suddenly 497e5f24dc made sense.00c186043c9e9618

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After spending 07c8055086 the entire a5f832c5ff afternoon following 8475c92723 her around 4a80ffd6e8 and helping ea76260429 carry the 74555842eb shopping, my 83180865b9 arms were 9ba44482c8 aching by 6f554eaf20 the time 965af8e411 the scent 26da77e45e of evening 850ebb8264 began to 1e00e45939 ride the bbb41bca8b wind.f2a89b9f8eed40fe

“Oh, look at me, 858c5b56a0 forgetting how tiring this 3417ae2c6b must be for you, cedf278c3f Myrda. Let’s head in cd3640f1c8 for the night.”d6cdf312cb17ec09

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I didn’t aa11835911 even have a09f3bc55f the energy 1eb8567b26 to offer ab3c6b5049 polite reassurance. Instead, I just 7450207b2a gave her an 06996e7016 awkward smile.fce4c70854f7c805

The inn Mrs. Kimber had chosen was 2ed8ff9dc8 undoubtedly the most expensive e09cb50def one in the village. The interior 88bb3552b7 was warm 9e3a3d5094 and cozy, e479f86922 and the 159dd9f6d1 furniture in 572d20d46b the lounge 7796b4355d was so c1ccfd79ca clean it 8519e583c5 looked nearly 628bb99215 new.87fc2dbad5df25d2

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She even rented 6616c6136a two separate rooms c97c5b1842 to make sure 46651a0502 I wouldn’t feel a5a5970b9c uncomfortable.c3f238e4b2e8056a

“I’m fine sharing a 062d45b448 room, really… Maybe we 30a88cf720 could ask them to 565bb1388f combine the reservation into 4ca07bb0db one room instead—”3c2a7c8fe49ee84b

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“No, no, no. You deserve a room 3a6deafa89 to yourself, a nice, bdbf3135e1 pretty one. I made sure 0eca5121f6 to get you 12c5ba665e the best room aeeb0f8070 they had.”67043dd3b32ed2bb

And she 45bb7a2b2e wasn’t lying. The room had 7a02d933a3 a charming elegance. A continental-style a8d52a6ade tapestry adorned 959b81512f the wall 38c3a6d952 above the 8a2e0f432f bed, and 2a271556e6 a vase b658e34dff of pink bd8cdd3b28 roses sat 8ba09db258 nearby. The flowers didn’t 9122da4dd9 have much of 29e59898b1 a fragrance, but a8b5d0f816 they brightened the 65339b1d92 room.e0a95debf9adae99

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After unpacking 2978b31fbc briefly, I ae238bbdbc soaked myself 9fb81354a8 in a 3764a157e7 tub of f0623cd901 warm bathwater. Taking a deep 0cbb97196f breath, I submerged 232570ca1e my entire body, 10e062b450 including my head.4fda112989c9943b

There had been days 3c916655f8 when I nearly drowned e5ce56d2c7 in water.eb56a04f636caac3

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Days when I 0207e24cce only listened to 02c578b18e sad music and 5849fdc534 read tragic stories.29d240bca7718c6e

I even ec7c73516e picked the 2a7bd36cd7 most gut-wrenching 860296f9e7 web novels ec0019e36f to read, ff38d9bc9f crying until 414b876092 my eyes 97c6d60bfa swelled shut. After a 3c4a0f1398 good cry, c833e500ef I’d sleep 02055aaa0c deeply and a623c290bc wake up 3953653971 feeling slightly 185a07f456 better.e7e812c939c575a7

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It was my way 09e6ee8c83 of dealing with despair—a ba223bc655 kind of catharsis.bfa33a2cbe90c82a

Mine Molière was a villainess from one of the tragic novels I had devoured, <Bitten by a Mad Dog.>14978211d2d15cb3

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The “mad dog” in the title referred to the male lead, Neumonte Acalepto—a young, ambitious general who led a military revolution to overthrow a feeble monarchy.4438f4bc1125c787

He seduced Mine, an f49d88330b illegitimate princess, and coaxed 5b9ee25ec5 her into stealing military 9f15d93614 secrets from the royal baf3f420ba family, all while whispering cbbd6b847d promises of marriage.59c451b45ebd4c8f

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Blinded by love, dbe752a4e8 Mine helped him 165e1796a7 succeed in his 5afdde947f coup. Naturally, Neumonte had no 8ab8c47e15 intention of keeping his a8fad0e409 word. He slaughtered the entire 55ad23d2f5 royal family and locked b8d2302b32 Mine in a high 9bbf6b28d4 tower prison.2c3c6a1c5b17241e

Her fate f8eb0499d8 was to 3e61107121 be betrayed a7ef2d07d9 by the b3915450bf man she f5a2bd22c2 loved and 3d05bc2c3e die in 7919c3df1f despair.6cd6281bfc4d83d7

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Fifteen days c32438e0d9 ago, I 5655877095 had also b862d2b94b been submerged 88e3321359 in water—not bf79285571 warm bathwater d8b234feec like this, ba87aaf9de but ice-cold, 853d001af6 bone-chilling water.800931d268b4bd58

When I 8b76936c4b came to d450b5bcfd my senses, 4d737fcd2b soldiers with d4cb7787ea spears surrounded f3ac21acc3 me, cornering 38ddabd094 me on 594066446a the edge 413d47cfa5 of a b8db67a758 cliff.733dba66f0b2c6f7

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I didn’t know 1a33ff6d98 who I was afb8d77433 or where I 07c84338f4 was, but my 34c9beceba instincts took over. I leaped off 0561fc5202 the cliff, thinking 9910c11b32 it was better 6a3cdd338e to fall to 486abc2b62 my death than 657476549d be impaled.ea0c36dbf510ca79

But I didn’t f8ea284c01 die.efcb2bbf3ca41980

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The Kimber f88dec407a couple found 0f62ea47c6 me drifting b8bfe1c7f7 in the 2f0bcefdd1 river. Their kindness 22bd501ab7 rekindled the 5647da4373 dying embers 4ce0980a07 of my 8b5448abce life.6bfb9b527416d6cc

Over three days, fragments 632ad483ba of my memory slowly 29e35d5924 returned.7a26c952340060a2

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At first, 0e36b303cd it was 665a0dc877 a chaotic 33700fedc6 jumble—pieces of 308fb92df8 my original 3612b6bcbd life mixed 1604a9e52b with unfamiliar 51035703d2 memories. It took 102a734ad8 me a bb67333f3b while to 4149d2b9d5 understand what 587c914e36 had happened.bfae52bf4ebe73ee

I had somehow ended up in the world of <Bitten by a Mad Dog.>5479902cf546e332

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And I was none 53f375cb33 other than the infamous fba173ab0c villainess Mine Molière—the woman 83a9d1f95f who had escaped from cd7dd9d63b prison the day before a2ab0a07ac her execution.1d5a056c25f123c6

 4c0a5bc1d5ef9604

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