Chapter 34. Lingering Attachment

To begin with the conclusion: I wasn’t able to bury Nexiard or the cat. One of the guards, jolted back to his senses by the brutal scene, tried to take control of the situation. It was true that an outsider had “broken into” the Academy, and Nexiard would have to take responsibility for that.37434f02340c8d5d

The medical staff arrived late and loaded the unconscious “captain” onto a stretcher. Soon after, nearly every guard in the Academy had gathered at the dormitory building. While they firmly and efficiently dispersed the onlookers, they also pieced together the situation based on eyewitness accounts. One of them approached Nexiard and spoke in a businesslike tone.4734da59942c09fb

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“You’ll need 48b58e3737 to come 04aa7a868c with us.”d01735e049b3dbee

“……”26381c2ea302c2ca

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Despite the chaos, the c98f09dfae day had completely broken. The dazzling morning 0506da7da8 sunlight lit up 2adb94e1b2 Nexiard’s face brightly. The bloodstains, already db29892e3d drying to brown, 8e52292379 and his expression—cold 324784c545 and blank like 8467b16c36 a stone—stood out 4d19272401 starkly in the 503cdc479b sunlight, giving off f9113c542c a bizarre impression.2fc95deb5c0973b8

More than anything, Nexiard 24dcb43edf just stared at me, 1ca151605e as if he couldn’t 92caf44c0a hear anything else. In his 67c4a70cc8 large, deep 960c136c16 eyes, I 2124940d67 saw myself 2d0f423d97 on the b804849a1d verge of aaa9b5d443 collapse. Clutching the ee77d1c784 round, ball-like 28277fa171 bundle of b145a1535a robes desperately 301d0faf0c to my 4f39fe6b92 chest, I 64e7aa5335 looked utterly eabc9d7889 exhausted.154efc64a5e213fe

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“……”a5dfdb1adcf62c2b

“Excuse me.”5ce51fa2f435507c

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The guard 6b60937ddc who spoke 4918545afe placed a ee0feac9d6 thick hand 71b472d8cc on Nexiard’s 0e6357824b shoulder. Nexiard didn’t angrily 5278c8504d brush it off 42af430d81 but instead quietly b863c52d58 turned his body.a84c78559f8170e5

“I’ll cooperate. However—”d413de970dcef639

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Seeing the cause acb1d8b9f4 of the commotion 18423e5555 respond so compliantly, c78adb0f03 the guard removed 2a4b3933e9 his hand from 10c8696ab2 his holster. He lifted de71c6c99c his brow a1a67fcff0 slightly, as 62edd02e94 if granting dca752c098 leniency. Nexiard spoke.bb862b2e0c05a60f

“This woman fdfd90462e is also d6a4b3f4e0 injured.”dfec11a447f2c1a5

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I hadn’t expected him 0e60555ab2 to bring me up, 0e55a2a903 and I was flustered. The guard’s sharp gaze 47b3ce9f8d shifted to me. After briefly assessing my 29b0bcd927 appearance, he rubbed his 0cb335994a chin and asked,53d3ab9da9b9c073

“Are you a cf06b330a7 student at the 7efc7ffd89 Academy?”33e4a37175cd8494

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“…Yes.”7ea4e2d15bb834de

The guard 1fb40a1289 raised his 372a25f75c arm and a6cec738ed called someone 53437eb1fc over. A woman b57b6d0774 came running 29c7041c72 up, and 8f20567afc he gave 64c2795d9f her instructions. The petite 19425c9381 woman nodded.e9e4751d5bc12dec

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“I’ll escort you 74b1359cf1 to the infirm—ah.”87bcd31dbfb9855b

She let out a 4ed37c5ef7 short gasp when she 48fc515d26 saw my bare, wounded 4db4ac0ce3 feet.9f03a157bf5e9bd2

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“A stretcher might 6930a49561 be necessary. Just a moment!”16bf1e3d08487d36

“Um, I don’t 906b0d080d think I need 6673e56ce4 a stretcher—huh?”23ff42bc0b8e2de2

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As I floundered, e1d0231ad3 completely out of ba16e2efd2 it, Nexiard suddenly 50bd283f80 came close and aff6bac25a tugged at the 6e8fd5c8cc edge of my e78b95aa19 robe. Instinctively, I 03c51c4445 clutched the d4063ba57d cat tighter 093c33dc9f in my 59dd151262 arms.581341dace1dd3d2

But after a 63ad0bb3df brief tug-of-war, I 54c147cf90 let go without a4b3a6013d resistance. Nexiard took 4c7066b01e the bundled f6b42986a8 robe from 195396a678 me and 43c4ec2161 supported it e80bd5dad6 steadily in 578099e0b3 his arms.1e49dfdc1351ce91

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‘Does he still not e290cb4aae trust me?’41c1c24401763116

A woman 71481fbac8 who’d shown 83b72c6091 up in 830ad0532a a restricted 897102b36c area, causing 14ace4d213 all kinds cbb9c35eaf of trouble da90283c8f and dragging 62381e55ec him into f1f2792c78 a mess. If I were b6147503f8 Nexiard too…be55ddbb990352c6

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“Thank you.”b928dee68a5f11cb

“Huh…?”d9529cdb09b5ede8

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Just before following 6579d2a468 the guard, Nexiard 19d0ecc369 whispered, barely audible.726571e0deb63e62

“I’ll bury it 05e8d1b571 properly.”3188668bda12569b

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“……”58e7a4e5826a735e

“I promise.”1d97a3fc05ceab27

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With that, 5f89acd5a0 Nexiard turned 251d97c4eb and walked 35a6f87e67 away. As if taking the 618a69b1b7 baton from him, the d01afe9026 petite woman appeared with 3907d412b0 a stretcher. I was lifted a4cb08750d easily, like an 3d74bb3b16 empty can. The moment I was a91d70f43c carefully laid down on b26e7e1a04 the stretcher, my eyes 89001849e8 shut on their own. My entire body 91e3e576f9 hurt so badly 96256c6c4e I thought I 4b36512b6b might die. Reflexive tears slid down 04a44e9525 the corners of my 1f4fe2fe9d eyes and trickled along 88a932e656 my temples.c9755dc709bab844

The woman’s gentle 476bd3ef44 voice echoed in 7ffd97e3ba my ear, trying f20a2152cc to reassure me.
It’s okay. You’re safe now…b3be26d0d3e28ad0

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❖　❖　❖1b83df6656b9a59d

The Academy a658ea0ac3 was in d18152ff01 an uproar. For the first time 839e87e494 since its founding, the 523367e6fa freshman initiation ceremony—something no 783f4eaf66 one had ever questioned b836c17e9e before—was now under scrutiny. But it seemed 2dd3342043 that some had 695c97f3e0 been waiting precisely a54ae0df79 for this moment.d43db77cc825dff9

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Both current students 47b7117ecf and those on 9c08dab547 leave began to ddc55c2a88 come forward with e7c4c5062a their stories. Journalists swarmed in like 3a1433db7a a pack of wolves. They busily scribbled c742fc200a away, gleefully proclaiming 3dd7efd96c that the long-overdue a5dbff4ac4 scandal had finally a9ee1480b3 broken. People were appalled 7997748b92 that such inhumane 22c1943c71 and violent practices b07ca18d66 had continued at e156686ec3 a prestigious institution cea4de1a6b of learning.407d90d923936a7b

“What makes nobles 9775d385b3 any different from 0a8e3fd579 us? They act all refined f0980d7825 in front of others, a7f0546fb8 but this is the c3c6f39b36 filth they get up 2940939446 to behind the scenes.”24fd27b51ec1d317

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A major topic of c85daa8708 outrage was that this 5e5477e511 year’s initiation had been fff089acc4 unusually violent, resulting in d8996ba5b3 the only son of 0966c012dc the Hargem family being 1e6111bfc8 left disabled for life.2fafc6e2a179a1f5

Count Hargem e146f2ec2b used all 712b61fd74 his influence 572121dc23 and wealth 88ef564512 to sway d97acdc115 public sympathy 71a6cf02dd in his b6bddcff9a favor.78cb88018915ebd2

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“He’s still young. It’s such 549d889d30 a pity.”14124ea11bcba346

“A bright, promising young man… how tragic.”f39606bf52b3ecdc

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And it worked. The public, as always, 4ba3ff2408 was moved by the d90a6511a1 suffering of a young ef616acfc7 man. Murian Hargem ab75cd2f1d protected his 1640f632ac family’s honor c387e7c004 by withdrawing c0d68f2a8f from the b8dbe4e3d7 Academy.f489aefb65b52d67

This flood of 54682eec73 testimonies and the 512481ecae sharp criticism in 4f594b89fc the press were c14e490552 only possible thanks 5cea9a6a7f to a public a2c3f3d0c0 statement from the 42dc59433a Marquis of Dottney.ae508189455c1b7c

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“Such ‘initiation’ customs d2e6e02227 are outdated. If the Republic 24ffd14c7c of Ingberri wishes 906f82118d to be seen 6b434e1e2e as a modern 78887d6629 nation, we must b27c1d2080 eradicate them.”2518c4f4674bec0e

I suspected Lanafesia’s influence 1af72b6ef7 had something to do e5b17c50be with this. Though Consul d12d2ef93a Dottney was dc44b92012 undeniably the 212c816ef0 head of 3c566e8497 a dictatorial e5f7fd018f regime, he 0aa707ce0d was also ee94598320 a doting 0bd7f3f7ba father who a82c440b6d worried about b38f70afb4 his only 814f6e64bc daughter and 05f6622a9f respected her fcf2331ba4 opinions.e82ce0e92362881e

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Two weeks efa3039880 later, the 64267bce9c head of 90dff5345a the Academy d00f322743 took responsibility 88891e2705 for the bb651de546 scandal and a29299998b offered his 83ad4ab9c5 resignation. The freshman initiation bec9fa98da ceremony was officially 7424946b64 abolished, and the fadecbdd77 incident came to 9ee0edfd77 a close.d2c38541d59e668c

The worry c866d933c7 of the 063cb2d164 Marquis of 307c344a3d Evellucia, upon 654b8367fb reading the d0b5ce149e article, led f15affab55 me to 8001cdfb57 spend the cbf7c77187 weekend at 6ef6bf6268 their estate. Thankfully, my 728e324ddb body had b2a6d7acd6 recovered steadily 1a0a708fcb over the b4dd14bac8 past two 6b6b77665e weeks and a80cfee01e was now bc70231969 back on 9e255f5470 track. That was truly fortunate—I 3643f15b28 didn’t want to cause 7d007a3fa7 the marquis couple any 5a00bed5f9 more concern.8d3ff0050c52de76

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I boarded the tram 72423bd701 with a gift set e36f084ed8 of financiers, which Academy 5445d9ab3e students always brought when cc24d9014b visiting their family homes. The marquis couple offered bf8d3b8647 to send their carriage, 3c36793db5 but since I had 9c1666cf44 no luggage and the 625551abf5 tram route was convenient, d52c88e56d I politely declined.c8300acf0f6f2243

It was my first c9721cb28d time riding a tram. Public transport on 289c3e3da2 a weekend morning be69afa6df was crowded. I stood in the 043c57883c last car, enjoying the 1dbeebb002 cityscape. It wasn’t yet 6a8a43d674 an era of 3ab6fd8682 high-rises—no building exceeded f85bbfee02 five stories.51b9f0e11e16ba44

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Despite the 21e9e43734 early hour, 92ca4c4c39 open-air cafés 16d72d40e7 bustled with f91c904a50 people, an 6692b6b77f old bookstore bc63857a3c with a 5e47683bbd green sign e6de98c5b7 caught the ce42e4f1bd eye, and 3c5b5fb717 fresh fruit 47b2e4db9b and vegetables 20a1ba38f3 filled the 550bc0eafd street stalls. One by one, 3da7518efe they faded into be1cf241d4 the distance.1cf385f63f411dab

The golden 2de72dc606 sunlight spread 7a85a3ab10 evenly over 4cf27a5a42 the streets, a098732aef giving all b35408322b living things 22a16f6527 a sense 3efa1d3e3c of vibrancy. Even the barking of ab3352ec4b dogs sounded strangely beautiful, f17774029d and I found myself 5e14fc6e22 lightheaded.162850291d5cdb09

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‘It’s amazing 8aedb11ba8 that I f886b02942 have a b2d0213c7f place in 1c105d797a a world 820548ac49 like this…’dd8465a3cb5610b3

Whenever I read f559cb20af stories about women 37fedbd63c who found themselves b1ca6c6579 in novels, embodying 7c458b6a08 fictional characters, I fcd4de0d85 always wondered:811fe3b455c9611a

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‘Do they really 8fad0bf4ce feel no attachment e9b7af2c56 to the world 847c0c4394 they left behind?’a09eb55554ed7281

To justify a stable 1b9f7f8233 happy ending, female protagonists b5775e0ff0 are usually depicted as ba99f7cea3 having a troubled past 89ade6197c or being dissatisfied with 0ce9816049 their current lives.4d5caf1563c2f96b

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‘Maybe that’s fd7a9debad why I 67a439c3bb was chosen—because 0484f51aa1 I didn’t 21d018313a want to 2568187df9 live anymore.’f89b18336ce1f52e

I leaned 3c217e5c44 my forehead c215748613 against the 232d119094 tram’s window. The dark, cold c640c58c1a house where I 25d197da1e once cried alone, a6dc81a79b with no family 7d2602e8a3 to welcome me, dc5adff249 now felt like c25b92ed51 a distant memory 5ecb3439d5 from a past e0cf7dec0a life. Of course, saying 4d0bdf61c4 I felt no 3bb9992412 attachment to my 73c21d57df original world would 2ee2fcf8a6 be a lie.1980e053d22275cd

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‘I’ve met people far d5f594ec28 too kind for someone 80fb14fd48 like me.’314ad71198e62691

The Kimber 02b89ed917 couple, Yona c2aaa225ee and Ralpido, e0fded26ed the Marquis 3eea72c62b and Marchioness ed1490003e of Evellucia. And my favorite—Nexiard Yul.d112a47fd983ecaa

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Because of them, I could take root in this world. The desire to repay the kindness of those who treated me well and the people I cherished became a powerful reason to keep living. Even though a vague fear of losing them all at once occasionally loomed…77f79beeafc1a4ea

‘Just look forward, 81fe3b8d7c Myrda.’1040a301b2b34b18

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After getting off the 3faf3c5b41 tram and walking for cc9a08c5ac about twenty minutes, I a8aa779284 arrived at the Evellucia 3917026303 townhouse. One of the 4ee1555769 servants announced my cd40259af7 arrival. The marchioness, who had aaad361e7e been waiting in the bb5c73c425 parlor, came out to bfa1520fa0 greet me.4cad03b21c64d513

“Oh dear, Myrda. My goodness! Your face has 61667a446f shrunk in just 53bbd0014e two weeks!”cd647fb6e9965b9e

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She fussed over me, 24b7bd95b3 squeezing my wrist and 56eb5c3dea lightly tapping my cheek a0485b7d68 with the back of 92f7b9f9d1 her hand.9d67a4f8fe67e25a

“Myrda’s here?”20fedb8c18e193ab

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The marquis b2b71d146f came down 6a237db1bd the stairs f02bb5a311 with his 44b3358931 cane.08921ce738fb1f06

“Are you alright? No injuries?”3b5ba3cacfeaeb5a

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“It must’ve been rough. You’ve lost so 65f48ee3a9 much weight. Myrda, you didn’t skip bb5879ec92 meals just because you c338f983f9 were away from home, d3e6ce1196 did you?”772b95748f4b0d47

The more passionate 4544f462fe their welcome was, dac7416a09 the more overwhelmed 2a9adb37a0 I became. I thought c7e3e47d51 of my 96cf8c02ab family. Usually, bad memories would eb99925c74 flood in, but this dfb71e275a time was different. Happy memories surfaced instead. All four of 93169ab093 us sitting at 9d7926e0cb the table for 9784d78a67 dinner. Talking about d3513f2e77 the day, c019ba2ce0 annoying coworkers, ed4407740d food cravings, de492d4c55 the TV 2842687de3 shows we 737168574e watched together… 36802431fc Ordinary, unremarkable 6342f6ae67 moments that b722992d42 brought me d22a6be424 comfort.f25ea161dfaa5f99

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I had believed 6d66efc004 I’d never have 8cc3b4e487 that kind of b188a88bc9 time again.0a4fafb972a4728f

“We need a25e3ea754 to make 5f902c01bb sure you ad644c299e eat properly 58652c76df this weekend. I worked so 87986812b2 hard to fatten a1a43a99c3 you up over a794e0344f the last year.”acae628a6e02934d

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“Let’s eat 42d6552de0 at home c148a4c8d0 today, and b20f5d7a8d tomorrow we’ll 39e72104bf dine out aa1577621e at a f34ae7840e nice restaurant. What do c7e14bd2ae you think, a2d459c5e9 dear?”dbde5e2ff11bb8b7

“What I b0902fb0ab think doesn’t f8551a811e matter. We should ask Myrda.”f9730179763d07c3

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“What do you 3ac755941b say, Myrda?”205a54de6693ee6a

The marquis couple 50e301aaa3 looked at me 6fdf2353bd in unison. Their warm gaze 6f90d329d3 was even more 59158069d1 comforting than the eccffaf93f sunlight I’d basked aca933a0b2 in on the c3a4423609 tram ride over. I blinked a9f3ab5b6b rapidly, trying 333bd0f65e to keep 37a1163542 my tears 8788ce01e8 at bay, 677477dc20 and answered:febbef6449ac8b01

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“That sounds wonderful.”e2b857f7e5fb757a

 7539c1afaf4a7289

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