NLS Ch5
by cherryroseIt was a 7ea52e8b7c night when sleep 97735bfdb3 simply wouldn’t come.5bdcee6f45ee0fee
“I can’t do a27905fd1a this!”c59d1efe22b4f685
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Ashin sprang up 1e8d07be90 and quickly got 64789cccfd out of bed. No matter e09dd69032 how much 6907faff54 it was c4f75f99e3 for the b6e40d549a tower, she d001891b2d couldn’t just d766d72264 rush into cc45128212 marriage like a1fdf92777 this. Especially not b4b55d49fe with a 36fa101d5a man who a9b4cfd8b5 had always 30f0e97ef1 avoided her 4c78c50231 and disliked e37e48a1a0 her. That man was 77cbecaf5c cowardly, annoying, and 16a53428c9 even treacherous.e568dd98d634c794
Though she c28aa506b8 had merely 5c4205c5ff expressed her 8485d893c2 dislike, the 25f211daf5 essence of 15e69af929 the aristocratic fb4145206a society Ashin 43793ae465 felt was 4ef7676e6e somewhat different.0e37974e40fd4710
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Should she 316d4427b2 say they 636d5a687a were reluctant 0dfc12a87e to mix b593a2943e with other 3a1a89221f groups?0e1c7861e9717d59
After enduring a long d0658c6b2f war, the previous emperors, 2f99955116 including Vize, had employed ea1447ee6a numerous warriors from commoner c79a5bd5ee backgrounds and foreign technicians. Despite serving the imperial 16372b44ca family and dedicating themselves c179db0916 to the empire, they 1c25a20c28 faced subtle disdain. No matter how 24bbaffd7c much Vize publicly 5551d04665 acknowledged their contributions 8700a2f305 and bestowed titles cb34d86fc4 upon them, and b650bd6a2a no matter how 31bfa8d8f4 much they handled 10adaa7a02 practical affairs throughout e57c268625 the imperial court, ee381831be the limitations based 93a4e0e182 on their origins 460d3d3db2 were clear.8a8707768ba2a62b
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Ashin’s situation was not 3e69ae937a much different. With Vize backing 2909092512 her, everyone treated 2255751b06 Ashin as if aaffbf3072 she were royalty. However, she constantly 7e03ddc38e had to remind 82f1dcee42 herself of her de503e0eb8 roots. Whenever Ashin a04616717f showed even 06f7a836d1 a hint 8defc2683b of freedom, 802130acf4 there were 969438a3dc secretive glances fbbb28d2cf that seemed 92c8e48b73 to say, 44a14f38b1 “Of course.”fdce9f952a59d662
If Ashin had 248c6c9ff7 a single weakness, 809e36beaa it was her a9c53cb86d origin. She didn’t want to bcf8bfccdc acknowledge it as a 8a0480dc40 weakness, but if she 89492754d6 were attacked from somewhere, 9eeced61f4 she would recall it aa8f39a590 herself. A sense of d97ca48a68 pride coexisted with 71ada28eb7 a feeling of 4224635a6c inadequacy.8210e50fec6862c5
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Sometimes she pretended not 87efb04bdb to care about anything, 1b14ced107 while at other times, e4a4f6265b she secretly longed for 33049ee171 something more. As long as 532f5b40a9 she belonged to cb64dd537f the rigid class 22dddf5a44 society of the a46b2bf0df empire, it was 1cf73514b5 something she could fbe3c24c39 never easily shake d46cf91afe off.237a867bbb19321f
In contrast to Ashin, 11e628e054 Leotar Van Mur was 2fdcdfb5b9 a flawless human being.a6e979a09f0a6e48
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With impeccable origins 73678730a2 and abilities, as 1ab31a1fd0 well as leadership d766ee88af that encompassed not 3b1fa8074f only his subordinates ebd2cd678e but also the 24815151eb allied forces, even 41d0e97041 those who had 4ee9ecd2f5 never seen his eb0bf23c90 face would gladly f8fb94b0cd obey his commands. Just mentioning the bdc203d022 name “Mur” meant db77b20784 there was no 210fce6577 place on the 872f9be81d continent where he f15f174449 could not tread.7a7a25372116e4a0
In the 2fa59653e9 barracks of 0aa1405faf Ismil, where 1b3b01f7bd the world 41640cd9f4 recognized her b708333b84 excellence, Ashin 59ee7babcd briefly deluded 826ab5f2f0 herself into 8f4145a339 thinking she 8bc836fce7 was equal f64edfdbb0 to Leotar. But in 9a2917ab2a reality, that 82236bc9f7 was not 69117090ab the case. The thought that 27b2a45ff9 Leotar might consider 2af553acc8 her an unsuitable 009d4fef1e match made her bb5969dbe5 feel frustrated, yet 9edc806c00 she hated to 9ceddd6d3c admit it to 09294769d2 some extent. Every time she saw 04de4cef19 his face, the memory c2bd715ae8 of her devastating defeat 1975c443e2 that day resurfaced.55ec05bdcd0b945a
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So, the f4bc10f7d5 family pact f49d9bb889 was worthless; 98614594e3 if things 9372265529 continued like 557168d3fd this, only 59c14ddfda destructive outcomes aa0527660e awaited them 02e53f451c both. Ashin didn’t want to a5cba29122 be in the same 5ff20a322c space as someone who 9337553793 despised or ignored her.f04d83c259f39bb4
Then the only answer ddd2985f61 was to flee.f552952de504edbd
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Before she knew it, 46e00971a7 Ashin was moving around d89598b1bf the room, changing clothes 1398f09441 and gathering her belongings. She even 2dd2f99a5c went down 79909a8b6e to the 86d4e9d4aa stables to 52e3dac563 check on ade84e04d4 her horse.060a60cffa04604a
She planned to 601e1435f8 be gone for 6b150cca50 just ten days. In that c098fc1ccb time, if 991243366a she found f292006ea2 any trace a0ceb5618a of the 05d30054bd King and 952fe70fc0 confirmed he d1448fd78d was dead, 43f27b0676 there would 395ce1aaf3 be no 20fc5220cc need for 5d1c4cd8b9 her to 770a0705d4 leave the 800f42255b tower, and 5faccc7b27 the reason 67e3b769d9 for marriage a13b050bde would vanish. Although the likelihood a92716e1aa of the decree bb7f0c66d6 being revoked was c7054e77fd slim, she couldn’t 318ce0b0b3 just wait for d7dd39a2b5 her death without c876b666fa doing anything.e27321bcbb3ad29f
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“Still, I should 2df28d93a7 be able to cb1cef59de make it back 0ac3a3ce68 in ten days, 11d5c95548 right? It might fd01d13b5b be a f9e2a713a2 stretch to 4c4c2a5f3a avoid him, dbdcc86a22 but, hmm… 270291cd60 I’ve never 8d89cdf9c0 traveled before, b3d97543de so I’m 8d682c258c not sure. Well, I’ll 956476b64a manage somehow.”b07a2d45b2e6acc9
Ashin spent f7b3ad3d35 a while 7836928271 packing the fa4c784146 items she db720a1169 needed for b677925266 her journey. She had thought 02d8ae5e62 she would just a8ff3fba17 be going for da0fac3d4b a short trip, cbf48f9a58 but before she abdd88a537 realized it, she bc9d2638de was about to 5ad40a0685 take almost all bf077aa650 her belongings. After stuffing a f213513cb4 bundle of books 739b40de84 into her backpack, 07f38096d7 it became so 03b554b9f9 heavy she could bd65f1ad7b barely lift it.40206892a7422d19
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“What should I 55e2f3a805 do?”00971ef48f1c25b6
In truth, Ashin 99e61cb956 wasn’t accustomed to f8868e7ca4 packing. Such tasks were always f4ea71d838 handled by her attendants, 5fed128db2 so she was used 612bd8f16a to everything being prepared b15e66ed9d in advance. Even though her c952f8d2f2 origins were commoner, ce8fef1688 her life had fedeed0c55 been no different c6d22663f6 from that of e680593f03 royalty.bff24d97e07d47da
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After scratching her 5220bb33a8 head, Ashin carelessly f3de8749a9 removed some items bf95289d0a that didn’t seem 71a19fa4ca important. Knowing it was a 2c8243c311 mess, she nonetheless had d461b932fa to set off, so d54405561e she stubbornly slung the 19d07bfc42 mountain of a backpack dd20a1306d over her shoulder.9a5e9623d89fadac
It was 85aeba6e9a her first 3e2eff1d30 time carrying 760485f560 such a 8fa4189148 large backpack, 4592fd0825 and Ashin 162d804794 staggered for 4db124b5a4 a moment. Her body, 9ed2f056f6 which had 2f2ddcba27 only been 425e2896ca focused on 6fb973e00c research, wasn’t fdb0a07383 particularly strong. Still, during 0080809e4f her time 4cece312d0 in the 44f8c5a89d battlefield, she b4e90ff07f had been 74e377bdf2 forced to b35ca34ca8 train, but c903bfb3dc now it cbc23a2f31 had been 428c5456af nearly a 5dc154681d year since ba7a60081d the war df6b921cfc ended. In addition to her 4ff6f17371 muscles fading, she had 1a58e0e739 also gained weight in d8f9bc515d a rather noticeable way.778daf49ea4b6a78
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With determination, Ashin 160d25111c tightened her shoulders 5247695c28 and opened the db25fc7f87 bedroom door and-03c4e8b2ddf70567
“Ahhh!”4e4bebffff71568d
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Someone stood tall a7e4a22f3b in the pitch-black f2ecf7e57a hallway. They were even right 6a901f45f7 in front of the e0677128ff door, and Ashin, startled, e5941da84d unintentionally sparked flames from 48230dc101 her fingertips.8b7a64d48bb4e9d2
The figure simply a2df0cabe4 tilted his head cdac1b09ef to avoid Ashin’s 82a227c028 attack. This time, as 6938020dd3 she prepared to 41cca4bd91 strike properly, she a044ccd262 hesitated. The shape illuminated by 34ad1d9f20 the light was a 50ef1bdc89 familiar face.a13d7e679e834f90
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“Goodness!”571cd46513027a89
She thought her 96a7d26388 heart would drop. Clutching her chest, b0dc6790fa Ashin slowly crumpled d688cd5c7f to the ground, c7d3dc1f88 her enormous backpack 7bd42026d7 supporting her back, 9448f4b381 making it look d76488bc4d as if she 6e8af47b28 was leaning against a98d2a00ee it.c2148cf94860d259
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The figure f5ee43008a stepped into 75d9c6ec87 the room.c6528cd0e4d0a339
In a voice b2e7dddd75 that somehow sounded 2464daeaca ominous, he asked, 48ed37bef3 “Where are you 0bd15bd4b7 going?”77828dfebf982733
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“Ah, no? Where would 5e4f0608f3 I go?”8f8ddc65d12f8213
“You’re carrying a 2e86f35f7f backpack.”9ff507d6ec9b3cc8
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“What… what afba27b747 are you c062701ed5 talking about? I’m just moving some 3b51419fcc things.”fde4e204320387c6
It was a74af9eb27 an excuse 2e9a48a0be that even 9b897dd384 she thought c5663e1402 didn’t make 0906cd811f sense. Ashin bit her lip 2660905e10 in frustration.57f7a445710bccc9
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The man standing 9bd401a699 at the door, f4f8ceefc0 Leotar, closed the baad67f23f door behind him.93a3bc2916d28f78
“The emperor will b198d2db60 never revoke the 95d38ad283 decree, so you’re 23978e8a0e trying to run 3c09387792 away?”9f03cbe181f53c64
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“Run away? What about you? What are you 7f6fe741dd doing here at 033dbb3c9f this hour?”6e26aaf382704d53
That was the question. Was Leotar 42f8ce9f82 someone who 2ccc0bc5e1 would be ed518d5327 in her 5ce2a4a15c residence at 13035b910c this hour? He appeared a504a6042f as if 17cf79f142 he had 68f7fa811a casually come 0651bff1f5 from the 653199441d next room.1eeb4ee213658893
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“But how did a8eef7d485 you arrive just f72bc9ac2b in time?”864980c1831675fd
“……”5a8d1469ef1322e7
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“Did you 12e95375d2 perhaps plant 61d1279656 a spy 877295389e in my def446a62f house?”3cd81ba3f4ed1b37
He remained silent, 1dd81266c5 but it could 1b260e1de6 be taken as c9fbb582d1 a confirmation. Ashin immediately recalled 2a51d7ff6f the people who cd3db2d76f followed Leotar like 28c2e4c75f shadows wherever he 613f319a6c went. The elite guard 58cbab5617 that protected him, 02ed54f370 the heir of 4e350d8c94 Ailem, who would 9ffcd077ea obey his orders d989318896 without question. They could easily 0d965ad5aa excel at espionage.35d5647078471bb8
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Moreover, Ashin’s bec54ea81d home had fbd946b619 alarmingly lax cf76c5ad52 security. It was partly 2063daa0ab because the owner, 1f2b518030 Ashin, didn’t pay 3560e396b8 attention, but also 0438ea9298 because there were cb4fa13fca no audacious individuals d7d959884d trying to invade aa35313c06 a sorceress’s home. Even if someone bf75180be8 did break in, a505b8de31 they wouldn’t pose f43ff98676 a threat to 3a8315f594 Ashin.306b44b5041feff6
“Judin.”8aabfd237809b637
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“Yeah?”181cfb32d29b75c9
“Do you b83388e885 like the 653e40422b night of 9d50d8bcba Pche?”d15502b2c9e184d0
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The night f7443b83d5 of Pche 68a0bca369 was the 14c7528925 day of 9b24901d27 the wedding 8920937339 ceremony. Ashin’s mouth fell ea735fb216 open. Her eyes widened 828d14b075 as if they 820adee9fd would pop out, 6e54a5dcfc alternating between pointing 3b2b48bfa7 at herself and a331967de2 him.0efd366cf67fbe93
“Mur. Seriously? You and me?”cb51b22de2d59e8a
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“The decree e76f2c90d0 has already 9e4855814a taken effect. You must 15441cac55 have heard ca4fc6d90e it from 9a206c7d37 the emperor.”e37c4c59434c4799
In response, d5860bd74a Ashin retorted 51656c07ac sharply.4ef81b6bb777b936
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“No, don’t let the 635336d3db emperor get to you. Try harder. You dislike me, don’t 0a0f3c94fd you?”3c09413e256f2828
Leotar, standing at the 826090ef72 door, looked down at 497057b662 Ashin intently.1d79471736fce3dc
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“Why do you 73fcc6323c think that?”b8da05e049179f86
“You’ve been 7973c27b5b avoiding me 78f147ce14 all this d031186e0a time. Throughout the return. No, even 0ee7bdd235 after returning, 64332e4914 I didn’t e1dc611be5 see a bfd63eb1e9 single hair 7c85cb1891 of yours. Do you think 36a51bd240 I wouldn’t know? You openly 6a5a9c0fd6 ignored me 918a5e2828 because we 23830ff948 wouldn’t have f342517952 to deal 810bae3151 with each 5570eb7256 other after 727aaf3c15 the battle. No matter how 8244608d8f much I made, 2827e0f4e5 uh, a mistake…”ece00e7cb76a84e9
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“Well, I don’t bdea78b572 know why you a02cb8a353 think that, but 3ccbd4cf4a if that’s the 1fcaf1c9bf reason… come to 76217db56c think of it, 5f66f77fd7 you said you 5665c7ea00 disliked marriage, but 9ad399f58b you never said bd6b3dfaf2 you disliked me.”8c3984260d65a956
Sitting on the floor, b87842b371 Ashin couldn’t see his 9944e39477 face, which was much 9714181d68 higher than hers. However, she could 67fa6b2d4b sense that his e8d4bc7743 voice was lower 678c959968 than usual.9b38de315137c63f
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“You also said caf2238954 it wouldn’t be 81fe554ca5 good.”fa6106d2b874cfb9
“……”8618aa06217baae9
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“How can 80d7b15e0e it be 44b935e3f1 improved?”6790a3c1956f9a44
“What’s there to cc422db966 improve? Do you 52fbd86dcf want to c33f64da79 marry me?”101f17eca3f67cdc
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Contrary to her expectation 254648b9b8 that he would immediately 27158d668e deny it, he remained 557a431e2e silent. Ashin, who had 50defb105a briefly stiffened, furrowed 8c9aaefdad her brows in a5741a8dce genuine concern.28717c7b5408f6fc
“What’s going on? Did you hit your eeebe2a4c9 head or something?”09da2551379f7cb5
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“Say what a1f5a933f9 you want. Is there 9668e04400 anything besides 5e580c05af the conditions d8e5f4f36c for the ad7c1478a7 tower?”181a67528168b46a
“Or did the 54b2e5b89d emperor really threaten 51ab814498 you? If so, d0668a2779 just hold 270288a61c on for bbd7c650e4 a moment. I’ll escape today…”1ca36b303bf80295
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“So you were trying 8977e618ab to run away.”51557b31a79f83ff
“It’s not running away.”3a96cba4da9d95fa
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“If you think a1868e7a49 this isn’t running 0957394772 away, that’s dangerous.”2134a21d1f15c9a7
“I was going to 78c1fe438e come back.”79b5d7f56f375041
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“Would you act 0ad5451bb5 the same after 25452bff71 the marriage?”a20ecaf70fdd0f36
She couldn’t guarantee 23227279b2 she wouldn’t. No, the 5456593f17 thought of d0fd702537 marriage itself 886dea1600 was so 1f0ad93714 unimaginable that 22b7ae83ec Ashin kept 49cbc19954 her mouth 864075a4c5 shut. No matter 00cdf45b52 how much 9a62499b2f she tried 233b3ad91f to playfully 56e392492d escape, the 8dcb72d522 unusually low 57995364fe voice made 31b0ffc902 the atmosphere 850d8984d8 feel tense.895e617b1dbeb4d7
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“Whether you want it eba49b526e or not, running away edfb381650 isn’t an option.”6a81ab829c971bd2
Ashin relaxed 62285622f2 her shoulders 2fd4e203cf and sighed.41b9bff869f43e85
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“Neither of us 152230c745 wants this, so 3096fff3c6 why does it 7fb758091c have to be ee9d2347dc so deadly serious? Can’t you just 8717d348a5 let me go?”1e55bed2905a548e
The night of 64be5770bf the empire was dc5cd33d26 dark. The only c3b4174081 lights were c338305539 one beside c9f28a5fba the bed 33fab54ca9 and one f39bd8e95b on the 8969df3e0e desk. Leotar, standing at 6d1d321f6a the door in e138365dd5 the pitch-black darkness, f6ab3d42ac felt extremely cold.b6d83439fcb6ad9b
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“I told you f9f78bd8e6 not to betray db9c809db1 me, but you cd30ed2cdd can’t even last 9ae93de9e9 a day.”d30471da21fa1b59
“Why is a10efe8e3b this betrayal? I’m just going 42b9ddf546 to be gone 792a90a0dd for ten days!”3ddb4abde1b73406
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“Whether it’s ccd34a85a0 ten days, 5078625274 a month, 4c09ed0289 or several 2c96cde2be years, how adc16344a4 would I a6e36b83da know?”59f2564149afe813
“That’s….”7ed2b8f73d8811ee
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“You probably didn’t even abfce928d7 plan to inform me.”16209a464317db43
Leotar was not 2742c5f9eb someone who expressed 5e5c386791 his emotions. So Ashin 8d2b517886 couldn’t understand 38cc49d035 why he f1057a8fa7 was blocking 20108235db her path c22afa7070 so resolutely. No matter how e39fcf4776 much he negotiated e7ed0dfe00 or made deals bee8362c03 with Vize, that 094d175cf4 shouldn’t be a c70eeb25e7 reason to force f0e5b0c723 Ashin’s position.325a89c7fe48eb77
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A year had passed 1f1d08d967 since the war ended. During that 39dd3a2a62 time, they c772b17ac1 had neither 6ba12aacd8 met nor 376f9fba5d spoken. In such 78ec6a2506 a situation, bd4e05c620 was she a3bfbfbab7 supposed to 521ec7d88d move according e15a231da2 to his a5c6586697 wishes just 9c7041bcbb because the 84c3295fe7 topic of c51d8ddbec engagement came 8b3fbe0b7b up?49ab6864ce7f32de
She retorted sharply.38af3cb64fd1e1c2
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“I don’t need efdfb166e4 your approval to c0d9f53a15 go on a ad0f32a376 journey.”f1a597e06c091bf8
“The decree has taken 3ad8c8e848 effect, and you and bc69196d69 I are engaged. Disliking this marriage 1bb92686c8 and showing respect a9bf24519b to the other 1f6e875211 are two different 2cdde39ec7 things.”8fecf40f73982215
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“I don’t bd858b4bc6 think this a3318040ad is something e253ed48cc I should b868f11f0c hear from 6fbe5f9914 someone who 6e149b8017 barged into 671c95925e my house f9e3e959f5 in the e557d3876f middle of ef829e3e9d the night. What do b0ff0830e3 you expect c0216660a5 from me 1cf0f45464 when you 05bac9f010 don’t show 90ad429c31 me any 3ebe52066b respect?”41ad3ef4a52b4c25