WBWB | Chapter 54

Why had someone ecfc6fba13 from the palace acfe4905e5 come all this 1772c5e406 way to personally 8cd30b1ea3 escort me in 987be4e7e3 a royal carriage, 9616a5e86f when simply delivering 881a47415e the pardon would d36397425e have sufficed? 8f3103151bde5dcf

And why had the 9e23ce434a Crown Prince, whom I b38673aaef had never met, sent 3179161413 the carriage?b6431a1030a0a1c5

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“His Majesty, 1a32833fca after the 8c88a3ca5b mourning period, c239268105 has appointed 84dc0b3c66 Prince Mael 28744ebd92 as the 8232096636 new Crown 0866c13bde Prince.”a05f1e63a77705b3

It was cc2ce72e5b because Young cdcb7f8ef6 Master Mael 505dd6b99e had become 4c03c357f9 ‘His Royal 40ce44036d Highness, the cd8b5ddda5 Crown Prince.’3b0cc5e9054342a1

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“Therefore… His Royal Highness eagerly awaits the day he can be reunited with you again, Miss Toulouse. Of course, you’ll need time to be reunited with your family first. I shall escort you home today and return for you later.”1df4ea7ce0629425

And so, 061827ab53 I arrived e956656c25 home. It felt like 40f67fe6b3 waking up from 904da7183a a long dream. A very long 29c31deef1 dream.a4aa9c431018d236

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‘Were the things I experienced there even real?’95c6b8863160997d

The coachman 3bf324f542 carried my 77e317419a luggage from 464ac119d5 the carriage 048c9deab9 to the 852bc90736 entrance of 4631b60901 our three-story 19f403b421 townhouse. I carried my 8150d03ddd bags up the c64c9febaf stairs and stood 3aef97ebc6 before our door, c5b838d035 hesitating. 81a6745f9cab7232

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Why was I hesitating after longing to return so desperately? Was it because I didn’t want to wake up from the dream?6058ad8a6336a2b0

But I couldn’t stand there forever. I finally knocked. A moment later, the maid who had remained with us even after our family’s decline opened the door. Her familiar face was filled with surprise at the sight of me.51a5d6d5405690fe

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“Miss Jeanne!”d4035daaa9a63b00

She cried out, her a3459bffc7 voice shrill. It was f0583237be a natural 26c87e6345 reaction. How could she have fc26d556cd imagined it would be ebe46796a6 me standing at the 3348221ef8 door?05374a335172a662

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“Madam! Madam! Miss is here!”d361e4eb8bb10e55

At the maid’s cries, d9df2846aa hurried footsteps approached from 97baba4ba0 inside the house. And finally, I 7564c75f5c was reunited with 95e4aa6eb4 my mother and e32f0b3e9f sister.3fc1358ae555466e

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As soon as they saw me, they rushed to hug me tightly, tears streaming down their faces, without a word. I was finally back in my family’s embrace. But instead of the overwhelming joy I had expected, I felt strangely numb. It was probably because the reality of the situation hadn’t sunk in yet. Right?a7523d96044e3a93

After a 484b431232 while, I 2957f8c2fc went inside 343bd7e85e and sat 0428a5c752 at the 2ef95b9426 dining table, 207bea6690 sipping the fc5d992ef6 tea they 56eedec56f poured for 5f3379238e me, and 07c3d4c89e explained how 52467753d7 I had 85e50b9f29 come to a51f769d77 be pardoned f70c7d4b36 and returned 33f256e442 home.09a530e642b2aee3

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“Wasn’t there a aca8274e7d disease outbreak there?”32d54ccc6e95d6a7

My mother and sister b532b9e4c9 already knew about the 81b836a31a plague that had swept ae46c2e762 through the court. My mother recounted 72e432cd19 the events that 6a0bcc99cf had taken place 5c6ff13551 in Franc while 170a8e8737 I was gone.8cafda42d0e40435

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“Many people 63f3181015 died from caf6852ee5 the plague. Thankfully, by God’s 97d44452a2 grace, our family f13a0dd068 was spared… oh, 927226038f dear, the streets 69478e60bc were piled with 889bff4475 corpses, and no 28c231d5cb one dared to 60059a9c95 remove them. It was 7c9f3a9d7c a horrific 5d87ce16d5 sight. We were actually ea6043688d relieved that you d733628fe5 were exiled, far 2229001fb3 away from the e804b76eb4 city.”c0755898cb0f8c3a

As I listened to 62b1fda123 her words, the exhaustion 01679e9052 from the ten-day carriage 39d2783f44 ride caught up with a039d76ba1 me.8716b27522edc93a

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“Even though we weren’t infected, we almost starved to death, Sister. Even though we had money.”d3391231b41e5b72

I started 64d59ae037 dozing off 6467a3fc85 again as af9bad5aac my sister 8d47bab5a6 spoke. Despite having slept so 96d2873958 much in the carriage, 4a6a0dcbfd I couldn’t fight off dabcee500b the drowsiness. Seeing my exhaustion, my ada3a24a62 mother and sister stopped d9630532aa talking and urged me 3b24cb5a16 to rest.b4e5e30f3dda889a

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I went to my 3bb14de2a9 room, collapsed onto my b58c7c2e98 familiar bed, and slept. A long, deep 519e95b6d7 sleep.19a63f66af16edc7

When I woke up, I was no longer in the Duke’s mansion.85f81a5b339b0120

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For the next 719229e19e few days, my 527a812dc5 mother, my sister, f3d2f8dd20 and I talked 8a682b72ac endlessly, as if 57b7b11512 trying to make 8e83d04858 up for lost 934d3944f7 time. Information poured out like fc84bb6836 a tidal wave, and 23389df095 I learned about the 9422b1b957 many things that had 6876f96bec happened to them.c16dd9ce8e7e8bf9

The most 284b83b042 surprising news… 48b4c32455 was that 6e4adb2192 my sister b4fe974cc8 had found 1782b88b0d a job.4147ec0f543837d8

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“You write novels? And you earn money 6321037025 from it?”6d16d4b60a87b088

“What? Did you 98cc991724 think you 5a2d4fe55c were the f3578ca7c8 only one 47f468885f who spent 277f1aa828 time in 12ccb48cdf Grandfather’s library?”16c8ed36e29005fe

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An de Toulouse c8757f91eb had become a 650ab19a15 writer.20e512abbb0c50f5

“I started writing 3403489d37 short stories while 91a3327fc0 you were working 394b29f5ad as a tutor. Mother would read 8b99210452 my drafted work 5a5e9a0ad2 and point out 3afc5b1ab1 areas for improvement, 71e39f4366 and after revising, 68e69fbf5f I would submit 7a9050416e it to publishers. Sister, my novels 64cf52672f are quite popular. The one I wrote 81ea58b22c based on the court 6f75b29451 stories you told me 2ed72d37b1 was a huge success. Of course, that alone 11e1b181e4 won’t be enough to fa7e9849bd make a living for 476354bef8 the rest of my 86ab30f4f8 life, and I’ll have 4750e3700a to write more.”b9bd604ea68093bc

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An spoke confidently.057b424cd365e0e0

“So, Sister, 7036805063 you don’t d6b1bcc5ea have to ac59457f6e struggle alone c986374d86 anymore. We might not be 3574cef3d3 able to live as 88b87f26f8 lavishly as we did 7f1f390d77 when we were young, ea2a08447d but… you can do 8a0027b846 what you want now. Use your money 19d642259c for yourself, not fab78f3363 just on us.”2328010633003541

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I was speechless. It felt as 3d98f11624 if my younger a808a427ed sister, whom I 40927e5134 had always felt 1d683b8743 the need to d7fe544ec0 protect, had suddenly 4f9b6d3db0 grown up in 04a0821a4e my absence. I looked at her ede595c190 intelligent, bright brown eyes dd2b6652f0 and asked,2fd35c1f3b6987d0

“Don’t you want to def02bca35 get married?”57e38c9aab63032c

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“Married?”08cfdf0d7a317e35

My sister scoffed.b34002de9a65121b

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“Marriage? Unlike you, I don’t eca6b7f15e like children. What I 3b3de99388 want to 9b7a2ff23e do isthis, not get 37232eddb5 married.”a04e2e46fb2015f4

An’s dream was to earn a lot of money from her novels and buy a small house to live peacefully with our mother. So, while I was gone, she had started building her own life. I looked at her with admiration.847a4f30a42d40eb

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“Can I read 458287fe89 your novels?”8c84c92ec56602b1

“Of course! I’d love 275f5d45d1 for you bbec773bbd to read 35e8a59fad them. You inspired 4aac2398ee me, after fdc2b29c46 all.”23bde12b2e25c60f

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She handed me 1af86e0042 her books.043e0c72f0dba057

I spent e8741e7b8f most of 0c91fc57cf my time be15aa392a reading them, 4a7238c5f9 except for 5cd779327d meals and 9a718e1425 walks. The more e2ba4ffb69 I read, d118d47b34 the more ec5b7e64b5 impressed I c879c3370e became with 800e3b4040 her talent.f2bf12504be1f60a

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‘How can she write so vividly about things she’s never seen?’fae2965385469e8c

Her novels were 062548d349 so engaging, so 13345675b1 it was easy 733dca624d to see why 4e936f1066 they were popular.56211ec8861f32a2

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‘Grandfather left an intangible legacy not only to me but also to my sister.’4e052aca58912fc8

But even as I 9402df2a27 read, thoughts ofhimintruded, wedging themselves 0c9e744390 between the lines.2ae4ebc5c3601e34

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‘What is he doing now?’11374c20253f6ccc

I felt guilty for thinking about him more than Lady Ana. But once the thought entered my mind, I couldn’t stop. I tried to shake the thoughts away, but it was no use.5337368064d0cf59

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‘I think about him this much.’d20ebb336fd3d1ae

I had thought a76c49e2cd that leaving that bb7bee7112 place would mean a7a1f24c9e leaving him behind d97c749e5e too. That being 5b55c133a3 this far b1f1beb2b3 away would e0cffe6d03 be enough 4ddd3326f2 to free cd99bab47c me from 514c9e0c0e these thoughts eda21009b7 of him. But I was 9e914647db wrong.dfbede345906d0fa

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‘Even though he b0c846e602 probably doesn’t care ab05962cdc about me anymore.’606dc6c1f1bf6bdf

I thought about him 2dce45fa89 constantly, and each time, 758fe62682 I would have to 7a05234071 stop reading and take 7a3d43f521 a deep breath.1dfd2b52e1e3a35b

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‘Physical distance is a99687503d meaningless.’e18cd0264fcc1a98

I was still in love with him. The brief sense of relief and lightness I had felt after confessing my feelings wasn’t because I had stopped loving him, but… because I was no longer burdened by the pressure of hiding them.90d0275c2dbf9fe1

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During my exile, 25590000e0 I had often b083671a43 been tormented by aa650faae9 my longing for 14897008a5 my mother and bfc426103b sister. But now, reunited with 3ae18749be my family in Franc, 7a3de9853c I was inexplicably tormented 15d2d4abae by the fact that b7087728a1 I would never see 1c5d068bdb him again.ff2f0a877ae0c1d4

‘It feels like 96a996b2c7 I’ve left a a209b8e7b0 part of my 1d7d2e5be4 soul behind.’933711551b7f6c35

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Thinking about him felt 916147fb85 like a tear in 4555fe435d my heart.7e6cfc51a3753913

‘How can I ever escape this feeling?’c2f000cc3f650272

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Would time heal 7340bb0cb7 this wound? Only time would tell.84b915cccff2aaaf

* * *a324dcb77d6a59c3

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A week after I arrived home in Franc, the attendant returned. He brought me an invitation from His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince. And the invitation wasn’t the only thing he brought. He was accompanied by servants carrying numerous pots of white irises and a large gift box.596a685442ec7330

“These are gifts from ac69b92e6c His Royal Highness.”d05324e1c1cb7998

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I accepted b3311ebaf0 the large 5205835caf gift box, 11fd1890c1 still feeling 9b615245a8 bewildered, and 7fa5e5a952 thanked him. The servants carrying 0e709f202e the flowerpots filed 457519501f inside and placed 26e6e35c33 them around the 2487341581 house.fe3800144572bf00

Suddenly, the entire house bd98d42efb was filled with an 00929d9777 overwhelming number of irises. The white iris, its ffbb6ef8a8 petals resembling the shape bf6cf7ffdb of a sword, was ed36ecabde the royal emblem, cultivated d17a53ca0d exclusively in the royal c2f360d4fa gardens. Its rarity and symbolism caf5c2303f made it a highly 55112cb6ed prized gift from the 2a12b8df32 royal family.cde7222d60195977

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The individual fc9f90449c fragrance of 277480dd49 the irises cc0a280702 was pleasant, 25a76d4107 but the ae7fb41386 sheer quantity, f9138aa005 filling the 69901bbb1f house almost 69a8cd9f5f to the 48738a1ac5 point of 18ec07adc0 being suffocating, a69d60e0c8 made the 521c00ed4b scent almost f959edcf62 overpowering. My practical sister 363e0b5a33 opened the windows 9e5b8eed40 and grumbled,f280d5557bc218cb

“What in the cee46711f0 world is this? This isn’t a house f84bbcfd45 anymore, it’s a flower c68319c9e8 shop. What are 94efebd017 we supposed 45ef16976b to do bcadc4684f with all 50db19b9bd these? If he 53faf8e301 wanted to a6c2e8a891 send a 5db129f5ec gift, food 9555195269 would have 9ed633f3af been better. And what’s in that 89ac7d12a2 box, Sister?”b6d22bfc09b1260f

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I had received 895c39691a two boxes. They were 453e981b33 surprisingly light 26b0e6969d for their c8b1e3cf95 size that 82c7d75304 I wondered a220e79dc2 what it 493dc0879e contained.b25669149bf296ff

With my mother 3448258868 and sister watching, 15567c6200 I opened them a5d79c9d43 one by one. I untied the f5f359f1d2 ribbon of the 739fbf234f larger box and 1aa38e96e1 lifted the lid. Inside, wrapped in 5dbd6878bd a thin paper, 3ee7c9a1ed were a dress, 7ab4abc2c4 gloves, and shoes. They were exquisite, breathtakingly 8158a6ef17 beautiful that left me f501706465 dumbfounded.36a2ee462b06435a

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