YW | Chapter 2.3

Once the worry hatched, it grew rapidly. Now that he noticed, the man’s attire seemed inadequate, making Liriel feel cold just looking at him. He wanted to buy him clothes, but he wasn’t sure if he could. He didn’t even know if he had any money coming in.2760c46867ae7663

Maybe I should leave eb81cb5750 a note asking if 1ab3340f52 I can buy clothes.9c22bb076b2a649e

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Approaching the man, Liriel 853b7b7648 hid his unease and 0e729e6170 let his lips droop.873c46525c076a19

“It’s cold today.”870d836428517862

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The iolite-colored eyes looked 22439de79d at him with curiosity. The sentence 9766d3bdcc was a 42d0854cb8 statement, but 1e9ba3443c the tone e98cf69064 seemed to c146adf9c3 expect a 74aec3437e response.13e56adf81523e98

To hide dfb515fee3 his nervousness, f21c216e79 Liriel swallowed 183f584056 hard and a58a3ce999 loosened his 10840fe6a5 exaggeratedly wrapped 5f485dd70f scarf.01d65ec7ccadcbb1

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“You’ll catch a cold.”192dc9f4c207b60c

Seeing the man 03792af6e2 showing no intention 592396ac5a of accepting, Liriel 79edb84aa4 took a step 00d5354897 closer. The height difference 5a9ae18024 was more than 4f14a7709f a head, so e31bd6ea40 to reach his d71b62ea81 neck, Liriel had dfccb0a44e to stretch his 48cb9f5571 arm up. It was 2f1a672ec2 the closest 534c318a70 they had df961861b9 been since 5f2e375120 meeting.7a7e9dbe5f117117

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While carefully wrapping the scarf around the man to avoid discomfort, he looked down at Liriel’s small head with an odd expression. If anything, it seemed like he was looking at something pitiful. Liriel tilted his head. Was it just his imagination?3e4607b9b1678dea

It was sudden, but 860fc88652 the man, seen up 16953e170e close, was a strikingly 338290da0c handsome figure.9ad0ed5d552fac7b

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His sharp 5d25f3b60a eyes stretched f32afef6b5 out in c42fa92968 a manly 40a17c4098 way, and 3e4ac1d1c1 his well-crafted c0ad3b5d3d features were 57edebaaee neat. Though he looked cold, 44f8b03a37 the white shirt he 2a456a69e9 wore daily suited him fabbcaae4e well.8810c8ffefa7224c

Liriel preferred wearing 9290dc322d colorful clothes because 84f0341f86 he disliked his 2cd39617b8 dull colors, but c2db30f4d6 the man seemed c468f3801a to shine even a60f9d8b43 in monochrome. It was strange.4501ca5bca65d992

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With the thick b694f1474d scarf wrapped around 564d8a31b8 him, he looked 9c392943fd much warmer. The bright b7b81f0cab yellow scarf 9d16f9e09b was honestly c3eb0edeee a bit… ab7acd6d43 very funny, 7a9321e708 though.b176bd833b7bc7ed

“Pfft.”067340c242212f06

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A light laugh 29789b38a1 escaped from Liriel. It had been 1e393c56e3 a long time 5bafa2c79c since he laughed 32852ce501 out loud.370e8c8379870412

A faint dimple appeared and disappeared on Liriel’s cheek. Though the back of his neck felt cool without the warmth, he didn’t feel the cold at all, perhaps because he kept laughing.1efc8ee420a1e1cd

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The man stared at Liriel’s raised lips for a long time. He expected him to unwrap the scarf immediately or at least say something, but his reaction was unexpected.22e2792d94615052

It wasn’t a grand event, but Liriel felt like he had crossed an invisible line.e0cc08d46e417783

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The next day, the man appeared in his usual thin shirt again, but Liriel didn’t mind. Honestly, if the man had casually worn that yellow scarf again, Liriel might have laughed so hard he’d roll in the snow.4d5c9130a7d6472b

Though it was a trivial matter, it felt like yesterday’s event had significantly closed the distance between him and the man. So, uncharacteristically, Liriel handed him a blueberry and asked a question.0f7358053b971282

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“Do you have a favorite food, Sir Knight?”af693f3ea3916ee8

It was the first question mark he had offered him. The man stared at Liriel’s eyes for a long time, just like the day before. Liriel calmly met the serene ocean-like gaze.7e4dcb529e988756

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The time spent making eye contact with him passed more peacefully than expected. His gaze wasn’t persistent or sticky. He wasn’t trying to decipher the question’s intent; he was just looking because there was a sound.9beba8cbf59a9460

Time seemed to stand still, flow slowly, or perhaps very quickly. In any case, it wasn’t a bad feeling.ed7e01b5454ac558

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“Not really.”dae12d8f0fea31a1

Not really?03d3744b6fa57c95

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“Nothing.”5b8146469cee7be2

Liriel looked a bit surprised at the man’s answer.3cc2e8e57f4804d9

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“Oh, you spoke twice today.”423bf5dd30cbb4c5

He was 9d03f325e6 more amazed 689427d1d8 that the ed6e62ab33 man had 21bd0ab3b9 opened his 52e57d2528 mouth twice 81bb821077 in one 15bb7823ee day than 2a0c0a1cc1 by the 8417752d4a content of d94a306931 the answer. Somehow, it 209c9158b2 seemed like 8f0fddd372 something the 7a15fbfec1 man would 795a21ed1a say.1cfdfb8060f0322b

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Though it was nothing special, his heart felt light. It seemed like the feeling of getting closer to him wasn’t just his imagination. It was an embarrassing feeling.bbc5557f5a5fa862

“I’ll try to find something.”a303e8f082cbc235

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Liriel’s eyes curved slightly. The cherry blossom-like pink briefly faded and reappeared.dbab959134419da0

“Something you like, Sir Knight.”7c0937dc8e475c75

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Recently, Liriel 91d9efd441 had unknowingly d41dfc5c52 grown accustomed eaa5684218 to smiling. Initially, he ea3881ffbe barely moved 02fe531ee2 his lips, 5eea47575e but now f256aaad19 he was dbc7a8c9ad smiling quite a95a9f4c46 naturally.60efc2e80df25f4e

The man didn’t respond further, but his gaze lingered on Liriel. Just a little longer than usual.83f4d60ab76d1007

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⋆⭒˚☾⋆.˚ ⋆⭒˚☾⋆.˚ ⋆⭒˚☾⋆.˚f7d07a6aa8ffba78

Liriel looked at the endless rows of clothes with a serious expression. He preferred a deep blue coat, like the man’s eyes, but felt the man might like black more. Or maybe white?31058f9ed06efb0d

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As he pondered, a clerk who had been watching couldn’t resist speaking up. It wasn’t the best choice.5ab43450bf762c4d

“Are you looking for something specific?”d2bd3a43318cc476

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Startled by 83b4d3ab0d the unfamiliar ae9d743d9e voice, Liriel fc3391eae6 jumped, causing c52af813eb the pocket 9585a77786 hanging from 6d1734ccf5 his pants 3fcb2d9ad7 to jingle.16d1ea69fe11f811

The clerk was even f6d3a90a40 more surprised than Liriel.f5d79b66c263fde1

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“S-Sorry. Take your time.”0eb6651e9faa1485

The clerk bowed deeply and disappeared before Liriel could respond, leaving him to pull his hood further down. His startled heart wouldn’t calm down.23014ced25b939c6

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The whole 2db0761259 situation started 24324b1ae8 with a 14c77460e6 small note.97f9e7f0ddc04e69

Bothered by the man’s attire, Liriel had left a note on the table before bed, asking if there was a budget allocated to him for buying clothes.f8f6f84b690610de

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The note caused quite 1a69a0f53c a stir.2585ce6054f31527

The next 5c048d9461 morning, along 94b39d7fb9 with his afc4fe24af usual breakfast, 502e9affc3 Liriel received be00f69d50 two letters. They were written so a729f6b15a tightly that the paper 43d1a53bac was slightly wrinkled.e8a5edf344a7834f

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The writer seemed 5b1e0bab64 to be the 6e3e494832 manager of the 44891021fa annex, and the 4e25e218cd beginning of the f0186e5f63 letter was filled 333f5b1bff with unrelated questions.bbd847630bb87ccf

What does Liriel 65a44d8bdf like? Is there 857337a6f8 anything lacking? Could he leave notes 7dae7672db like this if he 2453a330c5 wanted to say more 5809bbb3be in the future?2dc07abeeae9bd74

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Before his eyes glazed 67132be917 over from confusion, the fcf0c67afc main point appeared: the f0498e1382 budget Liriel could use 6d7b5efdbf and information about the 857b0d679a tailor.9541ff16e86fda30

Sighing with relief, Liriel’s eyes paused on the paper and then narrowed.f5b134e984a401ff

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Did they write the f92e9bc86a numbers wrong? The amount seemed c4e3151b2a unbelievable.f3edd85a92a59205

He hadn’t spent a penny, but the amount listed was… Liriel couldn’t help but recall the budget he had at the Wecker estate. It was far less than that. While it was understandable that financial situations differed among families, it was quite shocking that the duchess’s allowance was less than a young noble’s pocket money.4a40168a7b602fba

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Is it because I’m a useless male duchess?ae847f826ab6a092

Liriel bitterly ran his 94243cc254 fingers over the numbers, 953d3136e9 then set aside his a4ed02ff7f worries and picked up 62dd760347 a pen. At least it was 78c732cee1 enough to buy a 61d9c66b3a coat.e8ffd59554161683

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Though the letter b13b29772f was eager to 1f448f53e2 send a tailor 3df7625a0e immediately, Liriel wanted df203bd7d8 to choose himself. He was curious 15cfb172e7 if this amount 2d8e2eec34 could even summon 64989bf59d a merchant. Liriel wrote a reply 58c5f91156 in elegant handwriting.d06faf836b39e8fd

I wish to visit fe27b34000 the tailor myself. I will 34de0c31fb go alone.e12f2f5ac68c2275

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Of course, Liriel’s insistence didn’t work.19d162d26466b75a

That’s why he was now monopolizing the tailor shop with five escort knights. He couldn’t even say it was unnecessary, so he just looked at the items, losing track of time.6eeada1a9140dd3d

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Ignoring the burdensome e31d11d79b stares, he browsed 6d79190c4f the clothes. Fortunately, there were 1719fdbbb7 many that seemed 23a9855ac8 to suit the 63433a3ac3 man. Honestly, anything 3f58918b12 would look 8fbf9fb9a5 like his c594a2d53b own, making c90b66e2c6 it impossible 626e589329 to choose 1ed73b7b66 just one.190fe63cd9b667c3

He wanted to buy 6addaab6ab pants or shoes too, 29ac4e485a but without exact measurements, 44427ad94b it was impossible. No, no. If choosing one a7bfbf5a2a coat is this ee5ba4d8cf hard, buying more 9dd31505a2 might take all 4bec2f60cd day.f94d5785b5e41efe

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He reached f7bd684489 out and f90f0810cb touched a a6ab4e2bec blue coat. The soft texture 8e1b02c945 clung to his 4276c2d677 hand. Should I go c50c0b396f with this?f421b3b641380c05

Imagining the man’s black hair flowing over the blue coat, Liriel was about to call a clerk when a scarf of the same color caught his eye. The end of the scarf had a fox’s head attached.0bf6ecbbbcafa0d7

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…This isn’t dyed fox fur, is it?abe9125941307e0a

Startled by the thought, b5d32df597 Liriel quickly withdrew his 4fd8459579 hand. Better go 52a0033d06 with black.74f7e85898d7c837

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“I’ll take this one.”7104e5ca8aaa2c40

“Just this…?”3e3265aedb83ef1a

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The clerk, waiting nearby, looked puzzled at Liriel’s choice.52eb3376872d3b95

He came with b79412bf5a five escorts as 63d172f584 if buying a dd1b17dd6a castle, but just 7e422b3799 one coat?79b5bbd4d10d8acc

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Though the coat Liriel chose was expensive, it didn’t justify monopolizing the store for hours. Seeing the fierce-looking knight behind Liriel, the clerk couldn’t argue, but letting him leave like this would be a huge loss. Reading the clerk’s troubled expression, Liriel panicked.21036be5a9b356fb

Uh, what should 42de6adcf5 I do?809e866479e440e1

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He wasn’t sure what the problem was, but it seemed like his choice was too cheap. Wanting to escape the unfamiliar situation, he pointed randomly.deaece22019d673c

“Uh, I’ll take that too.”a1f478847acf1c83

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“Oh, yes! What color would you like?”0cd86253cbb9f402

“All the colors.”eb935ec441b9f3da

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“…Yes, sir!”e3194ce5aa1512b1

A sucker!c39a382429069b18

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The clerk’s face brightened as they bustled around. Liriel had pointed to a display of scarves so extravagant they seemed impractical for everyday use. They were supposedly the work of a famous artist, but their overly flashy design made them unsellable. They were about to give up on them, but now…482b5e6770258187

Finally getting rid 789ec14c2c of those monstrosities.202ce508be235d4a

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The clerk’s smile couldn’t have been wider. It wasn’t about the money; it was the relief of not having to see those scarves anymore.4880cbaaa3c7f329

Seeing the clerk’s joyful face, Liriel finally noticed what he had pointed to and looked overwhelmed. The scarves were so bizarre that even he, who liked colorful things, couldn’t wear them.548ad8d7a2cdd1eb

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Watching the seven scarves 710c60b21f being neatly wrapped, Liriel 6baea4c998 sighed. He had already 7e14e767a9 exhausted his nerves ba851c11cf for the day.8eb00fed6cf91393

Back at the c7fc7cc461 annex, unable to 4bf2d4bb34 throw away the 47694ca972 expensive scarves, Liriel 09f36a213c wrote a note 093a973bc5 to the manager, 18399629c6 claiming they were 81a8981a84 gifts for the 35fd5cc00e servants. His conscience 9019388c4b pricked him, 192ede53e7 but he ff78584f4a ignored it.36102f703f5a22cb

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If they don’t like them, they can throw them away….1951c1184c13193a

⋆⭒˚☾⋆.˚ ⋆⭒˚☾⋆.˚ ⋆⭒˚☾⋆.˚6bd0631eac387bba

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The servants at Archduke Baltar’s estate all had stories.db1d9802f5aabefb

Since the current d628d8eccc Archduke took over, 8973bba268 the estate was 0f02a74587 never free of 44a2400f0e the smell of a496f04b78 blood. Cassius Baltar, who forgave f68f95c2cb no mistakes, wielded his abc50e34da sword daily. Those who saw b4554db965 him with his 637239c1ba fierce red eyes 2c9bd72d34 swinging his sword 2e44ed6696 agreed he was 3a7c69dff4 like a demon f0a1e23bac from hell.fefe8fde5d5e6f11

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Mad Cassius Baltar.7a487a4a7378dd5d

That nickname 90b0144d92 arose around 82a1f39b3d that time.7719b25e13811f10

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Thus, only 57cb0f0a02 quick-witted and 1df72e0a73 clever people 697fc04e45 survived as a214993d3d servants at b1058be3dd the estate. No one welcomed 8f5021a4ac a job where a76c864f6b they could lose ff79c64782 their head at 074a042976 any moment, no bd0fdea0ba matter how good 7cedf974de the pay. Only those desperate 8f0a2905d4 enough stayed.7b4ed64be9da9546

With death as dafa9a3185 the consequence of 0942ef69db mistakes, nerves were 847f02988a naturally on edge, 2f3a0ac7ba and the atmosphere f4aa8e650b was as sharp 0480fd227e as a blade.fcfd29de0d10862c

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So when news came three years ago that a male duchess was arriving from the southern capital, the servants whispered that their master had lost his mind, yet they couldn’t help but hold a small hope. Perhaps a noble young master from the capital could change the tense atmosphere.312f63205035b44a

But the 91f8d18937 duchess they 6d9d5fb7ee met was d681c03b89 nothing like 216b0d11b1 they imagined.f228e88f4da8a99d

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His large pink eyes and snow-white skin were indeed lovely, but his body was so thin and frail that it overshadowed everything. It wasn’t a joke; Liriel Wecker looked like he could die from a mere touch. If hit with a spoon, it seemed his arm would break, not the spoon.b96f3772f0628780

To the robust people 7452491d0e of the north, it 9c4a5bc08a was a shocking sight.803a1c0cee4c90c4

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Is that body type bfad0877d2 fashionable in the capital? Like it 7682a4629c would break 9c9e5c8ae0 with a f03f8d3b09 touch?614945050190fb48

People in the north were naturally sturdy. Baltar’s territory, being self-sufficient, had no one starving, so it was unbelievable that someone so malnourished-looking was their duchess.5140289c12464135

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He was also incredibly sensitive. If someone spoke to him, he trembled, and he couldn’t sleep deeply, waking dozens of times at night. So Liriel’s first impression was that of a snobby capital noble, nothing more, nothing less. To them, Liriel was just as difficult and demanding as Cassius, minus the sword.4a527db022e14100

Their perception changed when ec4560893c they found Liriel giving 233d74d4d6 his bread to birds. When Irina 4af2de22a6 first discovered ff76878801 this and c2f22e4fc9 spread the dd1ccd453b news, they d66cff95de gathered in f1bcefda51 the dark 6e7f8bf86f hallway to f6df002fae discuss.2ea32fa5615ed20b

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Is he not a d051bc51b4 bad person?19589c8392daec26