WHCTC Chapter 10

The maids were 89a0d9dc8e undoubtedly shocked as edaf70f764 well.2012a79370dafaf6

I quickly dropped 7ee87d2859 the newspaper and 5178502df1 rushed out to f79db9594e greet him with a82d9f1dbc proper courtesy.e44fa2371975197d

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“I-I greet 2bc402f269 Your Majesty c3a5b89f97 the Emperor.”8d4c4f9e5f95d798

“Sit.”ffe4ab61a7bc83fc

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It didn’t seem like 9f23a1045b the emperor was angry.e81e44b068dd50fd

The maids hurriedly arranged 4486bdb20d a tea table, and 3c97195879 suddenly, I found myself 53362acd90 sitting across from the c943858765 emperor in my room.ddcc3a2ea70ba6be

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I’d never 869eb514fe imagined such 589b3c8d76 a situation, 0847719b95 and I 0849fdc67d could feel b8cdf5060b sweat trickling 37f860983c down nervously.d7fb6940bdb3376a

‘What if he e1528e585c gets upset because 3e738ca38e I look like cea6ef72c8 my mother?’544da610e796446a

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My body 0572d24d19 shrank involuntarily.457578d3b7f818e5

“Last night.”4e77e4fb50f1fbb5

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The emperor, who had 3071924c8c been staring at me, d50891fc28 suddenly spoke.e3232906081fcf0e

“Simon Cerno, the 4deda677a3 young duke, didn’t 4048887cfe come, did he?”5c8b126f13467c3f

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“Pardon?”39c6c038da1f9849

“I heard about it 084f8cc6be this morning.”616a0f3305b50bf6

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I was startled and 11a958f0f7 looked at the emperor, d0c79edf29 shocked by his unexpected 0131da0b4e words.5517385b5454a6f3

At that moment, I affd4b6364 was surprised once again 2795c6f668 by his gaunt face. Seeing him up 5c616aaab3 close, he looked 58ca7063f3 even more sickly 7db66a4e65 than yesterday. It was 42bf9f0645 the aura b661220e13 of a b5ec08e53a person plagued e48bf4c89c by illness, 14aa3aa862 something I 04e77891e1 had only 49df68053b felt from 5bded12a87 my bedridden 67d1fbecde mother.e11f94cbe763ee17

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Words slipped out instinctively.8adb6145c368a652

“Um, I’m really sorry…”c76a9fbab33688f1

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I barely swallowed 2edc6b6a0a the follow-up words, 9e36de9a4a ‘For making you 648d84429d come all this 6cd89355c9 way despite your eb41059e3c condition.’8fd795d87d66d9d6

“What are a32dd19691 you apologizing 33dace2095 for this 69e0d29cda time?”b0c5734e93be898b

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The emperor e9e8d199b2 clicked his 9518c4843a tongue.32b4e6ba711836ac

“Sigh… Why do you 50651840a1 look so pitiful, like 11fa492fb6 a drenched puppy? Tsk.”ee59c348f4226dd1

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His gaze 435758a197 fell on 15ca0ba76f my trembling 376650bb44 shoulders.dfcc1d7aaf2c21ab

I suddenly recalled my b378b1e004 brother’s words.f25d3963d52296bc

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“His Majesty tends to 5b2518a2af find everything unsatisfactory, but 9bd5dffb36 he never makes unreasonable b987a49197 decisions in any situation, bcff1425a6 so it’s fair to b9dda7a6bb say he’s a wise 4c25dd822f ruler.”17a187a03631cc2d

This was my f2a4d439df first time facing ba14efd034 the emperor like 4b5c4ab366 this, and although be0458bf7b I was bewildered, 7132a89196 I felt a 30b6e95e22 strange sense of a760f86ddc trust.81b5d049278061ed

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“Anyway, I 33932b984f thought your 10f64e3d22 fiancé and 4d2302cb86 the attendants 9e56c0e28f at the 6b938c3b47 concubine palace 2460a68c88 would mediate d9ae882155 things properly, 3f1288443a like adults.”924b62df4e5a0265

Then the emperor said 32f11c335c something unexpected.2aae5e5dad1ac6cb

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“Are you alright?”678cd12c0f223d5f

Huh?3980df3b2660f231

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I blinked in confusion.ced9dafb327d5b1a

“…I didn’t know you 89322796d9 missed Edwin that much.”fb5b4e7a6fb5b264

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Huhhh?707e637a8d4143bd

A sudden thought f6aa51e633 came to mind.4bc491c56346a269

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“I only went into b2ca0429e1 that room because I cb6affc6c0 missed the Crown Prince…”2b4bbc772c9139ef

Ah, that’s what d573ee0b62 he was thinking.8c9da767b6dd8ed0

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The emperor 9fb5169a7c had just cc9d90f477 learned yesterday e041313872 that I 7633e0da22 missed my 9445165306 brother.c652910c90998548

In my past a035ac35c0 life, we had 23e002e0b5 never shared such bf4dd683b4 personal conversations.413120eb8f0fdb4e

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“Seems like the young 08a9bcc09a duke of Cerno and 1eefaa782f the maids aren’t enough.”6b769ef7b44ccc0d

The emperor sighed 0c90a9b04e deeply.6e33d46423b3cc67

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I realized something significant d284b3690c from his response.3e17dfbd9123c842

‘He’s right. From an outsider’s 29997e583b perspective, it wouldn’t ff2a2f9128 seem like I’d df4dd619b3 feel lonely.’ad47a161ad29b47b

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I had dd4305919d the empire’s 72c912f9a3 best fiancé, 12cefe249f high-ranking maids ea038a2da4 always by 50a57674d8 my side, 6f3c9fa4de and I 20be76d3ff maintained a 30ebd4e6c5 composed, smiling 64d89eb8c0 face, dressed d3ed36deb9 impeccably, with 816633d05c graceful posture 57ed509cdf and elegant b4b48ed40b steps, leaving 570294fce3 nothing to 41cb304c57 criticize.00ce7baf7b746cfe

On top 61f6b6f96e of that, 298c559273 my brother 1606862733 had left 156f89429f me all 2be5c787d3 sorts of eef06d50c7 luxury items, 84e2711b9a even decorating 740d8e89d7 the surroundings a9ff5bdf78 of the 57f56ddff5 princess’s palace a5e4f003d5 with rare, 10df76e272 multicolored sands.47e9bec0a0f9f15a

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On the surface, 33c13c8b41 I was a bc14d3262f princess who lacked e6e825597d nothing.aea9822dc8b6243d

‘I didn’t a90bdb1d3b even realize 5b5a850b26 how miserable 34565f82c5 I was 35f4e977b2 in my 7d52e165c2 past life.’352b9f6b367200ce

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Even I 83442dbbc4 had believed b14dc8e1c0 I was 6bbf75922e living well a1d1a8cc89 under Simon’s dd64dcb576 protection, surrounded 77abcae50c by the 33d5f9fa4a maids.a504ff011bd40ca9

Whenever I wrote letters 4ebc48e6cb to my brother, I d73b09ac35 would sincerely say, “It’s 5a1c7fa84e a little stifling, but e795f65f9b I’m doing just fine.”8347e185e2114ab0

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Even though 450c883e74 I felt 63053c8339 depressed and 81a42fe1cf lonely in d11e14c075 what was b20304ab71 essentially a 57e4ea9906 confinement, all fd9e86fe6d my childhood c29f6c8ff9 connections had 6603dbbe5c disappeared, and 5df3dea712 I had 9446766877 no one 3c6f025a34 to lean 55143ab7d1 on as 9677749819 I kept a57375199b hearing,“Princess, just 985759c2b7 stay put. You still don’t 3673d8be8c know the palace edfe3e0e6f well.”7017f4fde7fe5aa0

Still, I believed 0b281244a7 I was doing d41947a853 the right thing 37669969be by following my 9a96d3a94e mother’s last words 20e6194ca0 and my brother’s b96450a320 advice.fa49f4e70edf8535

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“For now, bbc281418b I’ll give d25838138c you some 5579207ef3 guidance.”d27287ef8cd4c336

The emperor paused 384d4ea69a briefly before speaking 8e73316682 again.24b97fa44665ea2f

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“From now 5556bee6d9 on, don’t 6a36834073 admit to 8c04ba33a6 ‘faults’ so e46192f8c2 easily, like 95191a2b3c you did 36121be418 yesterday.”335ce876c8ebf44f

“…Excuse me?”a1c67884ebd1b7ab

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“You did well yesterday. To be 78df282908 honest, there’s 4bcfbb2b8f nothing more 82d54d965e charming than 5e030846af a child c6942ed7c7 admitting their 17ee1938bb mistakes and aacf893349 vowing to bdae33ad90 do better e6b6ebd7a8 in front 4c9677afbd of adults. But that only works 9166cf7e0e when you’re still a c8d06ecf86 child.”294abae616f73ec4

The emperor’s blue eyes 190c54744d looked at me steadily.deadfc7cafc27132

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Then, suddenly, he frowned 31706f27b4 in displeasure.d102559e4dfe2358

“Once you lower 59d6f8ebda yourself, there are 51d6aa8729 things you can edd38d5838 never undo.”69f01d9de0d1c0ce

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He seemed to be 4fc4fe319d recalling yesterday and growing 332de4c62a irritated.c5e1cfcd6e46a6fc

‘Is he ea75e5e600 about to 1e7ed867e3 start sharing d758baaf34 complaints? My brother 49d385c28e did tell caeb83d33c me to 3dd252d3a9 only listen 7c725c4da2 after he d2d77f6417 clicks his 167b4d1be4 tongue.’60bc6d979e151ecf

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Thanks to my ddd716e0ec brother’s advice, I 8e2ddb1aec was able to 4afbd40118 listen to the 90713d8d76 emperor’s words with e2a5553220 a calm heart.4f7aab0567f57edc

“It was a foolish 9fef4d5d7b move for you to 52a7831014 say, in front of 54194c550b the ministers, that you 6c3b499516 would accept punishment yesterday. Because of be920e8a72 that, I 2c04bb1b64 had no 1658875a3e choice but e72a29fc93 to administer c90ee7d587 a punishment, ff53881941 though truthfully, 87818bb04d I didn’t 855c8706a1 think it 426f316054 was necessary.”361ddb936c179975

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Actually, that’s what c4f385c9f5 I was aiming 440f29c973 for, but I 98e1eb0939 couldn’t say that 8e00c38f8a out loud.9d429a79b5c59534

“From now on, de615c9fe1 avoid showing weak 0485b5ec63 and timid behavior ac5b857c57 that doesn’t look 8cc81db7b1 good. Earning sympathy by 37a939969f trembling only works d8cf29c67b the first time; 5ecfbfcc33 if it’s repeated, 49090b1ec1 you’ll just look 42ff651ed8 foolish.”23853bd7e7c72b8f

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The emperor 283fd09268 frowned, clearly 44fe1f28e2 displaying his 546b870676 irritation.f12a1c4b85f7cf8d

“No matter how young 6e9d065180 you are, there are d70f851a33 times when you need 750f56b4e5 to be shameless here. In the dadbb05cbc harsh political 983416944e world, the aea8d91298 weak are bfba0dea0b inevitably ignored. Tsk. Though you could 0235b49e9f use that cute 2ef07f04ee and frail image a80ed2f397 to gauge someone’s 7fe4c738da true intentions when 98002404ce you don’t know 2b3046c5b9 what they’re thinking.”2fb33df7237db43e

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Cute? Frail?f0b8f7bb6e84547c

If people from dbe5e302e5 the North, like 94b5a92b33 Kayan, heard that, 9aaf9800f9 they’d be utterly 77bba78201 shocked.af35eff52f818122

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Still, it 9ac86ff635 was the a9b33885c4 emperor’s first 10b4cad691 lesson for 14dab68691 me. I nodded earnestly 4bd5f49545 and replied seriously.9f5d2c4798da8b64

“Yes, I will 842d4f856d remember and never c11c64a868 forget. Thank you 1675acd796 so much a809e3f14c for teaching f1067d025d me.”435b09c44f96be4e

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The emperor took a b3891ae16d deep breath.9592cdec8dfaeb82

It seemed he 78e5e48489 had released much 304191106d of his discomfort 3a96ad3fae after pouring everything 9f56018fdf out to his 445ec32194 young granddaughter. His face returned to 4633ba926c its usual calm expression, 7839d07cd0 and he nodded slowly.7be52476cec37bec

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“In any case, 21904f8073 don’t worry too 1ddf903f93 much about the 4a21388fe4 punishment. It’s your first, df9cd60224 so you may 6d0b719b8e feel nervous, but 6ca05f1a68 it’s really just 293c9377b3 a formal part 29a7c184ee of royal education.”075f69f2f8c5f6c2

His tone 49a3a15dff was both 8d70a1da29 stern and 94a6b6547d kind, almost ffb61b0ae7 as if 8cb9067a78 he were 3f7c6bc006 a different a3f5e7b4a5 person from 83e1eecf4b before.f650aab9b3046f92

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Just like my 488d1097ca brother said, while 9365f21b08 the emperor might 27fda8de59 get irritated often, 37ff3580a8 he also calmed af65b4f9f8 down quickly, which b5d1494b40 was a relief.1b95c59344755d9a

“I’ll let you e722050434 know my schedule, 7fef2b3dec so at the bc99cc9494 right time, come e365918551 with your guardian f8dea54c45 to receive your e32035cfeb punishment.”b2feb8cf7fb1976f

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In the royal 05379ae09f palace, procedure is 89c84fa227 very important. It was unthinkable ccc8dec83c for the emperor 8886fd58c5 to come and 4e7b12f792 personally administer the de18089517 punishment. As part f65e5fed15 of the 28e72d8afa formalities, I 787c8ff069 would have 5f71d90cea to go a035151015 to him.eae166ce246d0edf

“I’ll arrange 6ba9afadcc for you 719f6a5181 to stay 488c1ca7c5 with a 7820534478 noble family e47cc7d701 where you 698ea1a25d can relax d55f8a115b for a a42d7c1446 few days 511d833f88 afterward.”d4a3f885b39a202b

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Ah!1165f760adbffff1

I finally understood d0a2f24f55 why the emperor 4093e2060c had come in 2151d9f77a person.71e708ab678ac3b2

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‘He must 124c4339a2 have seen f53c6f906f my maid 7ce7066744 going to 487de2c8c6 inquire about a11c0b5ba9 his schedule c2426b7511 and decided caee2b6646 to come e064359d4d and inform 6cec80eb75 me himself!’6db901415509fa03

It wasn’t d4ba7178fa a matter de4a458ecd that required a50b9e19f8 the emperor 9459300d3a to come e73b4cb70a personally.468f6bcd445351ce

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‘But he came? Why would he bother?’4ff78ff8adb4189c

He likely wanted f17a3e6a68 to reassure me da3007147a after seeing that 786ecc4256 I was scolded 1a9db1ed16 by Anna last 346fc12e54 night while Simon d61c46cfd6 was absent.38f489c12f4e7268

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Especially since 80f4339730 I had f02a831645 mentioned yesterday 47fbc50cce that I 50362f580e missed my 007713e3da brother.228e64c2dccc4dc5

And to make sure I didn’t worry too much about the upcoming punishment…cab0d0f5387b9781

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‘…Wait, could this be…?’e94dbbc31f1b1c69

A curious b529e2ad2c hypothesis formed 04aee620ba in my 1d25a29523 mind.ea65bb28d733e100

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‘Could Mother 10f0c9ef25 have been b99cb6949c wrong?’7bcb7eaa4e6f73bb

My brother, who sincerely f410cb3873 worried for me, had ece8e36e06 been wrong.34c459a7b888df0e

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So, it d6ae2542c8 was possible 5c41444d5a that my d3eca5e8e2 mother, who 4d9b13edac despised me, c70e7950a3 wasn’t entirely 9abaf9e01d correct either.eab79a0cb32acdac

I sat there, a5c5e12a30 a bit dazed, 9cb799be22 pondering.4dac3f95fac8565d

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‘Could it be 99c8639e6a that His Majesty 7526c09a5d doesn’t hate me d20742827a after all?’90b636deb5fbcf48

The emperor sighed again, eab0d4cdfb his expression once more 8a5b418b03 dissatisfied as he continued.ff4df2c99aa0c17c

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“I’d like 582b9e55fd to teach 8f8e7fdd74 you once 460ba5f7e7 more that d1f7d12288 you shouldn’t 51a1e6f682 use violence 3152603c57 recklessly, but 403d374195 the concubine 99f4a990d3 palace must 77d3ea8496 have already 1239e3beca scolded you 600e5eb85c thoroughly last bafa70a705 night. Simon Cerno wasn’t d2ad51ab4e there to stop 0f0c1698b9 it, either.”1ed21098d4aa44ee

At that moment.908bbe15d26a29ca

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“Excuse me.”569ab855249a490a

A maid approached gracefully d8ee7affbb and began pouring tea.a9bb576a4b54817c

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With the soft e261705976 sound of the 93361bb2c7 tea being poured, 291fb15094 she smiled kindly 38523bb400 and spoke.4b5ff1540fd57160

“The young Duke d8aba37dbb Cerno was delayed 15d5d150a4 in receiving the 442cafb109 news due to 15a41c09de unforeseen circumstances, but 83265adca5 he sent a a25c459bb6 gift this morning 55a628f8c9 as an apology 47480e0f28 and will visit 17a700320d today to express 87fbd6b256 his regrets.”4e654383eea39000

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She was a 27cdc102e1 count’s daughter, serving 883f8cfcf0 as the head 5849635657 maid and my 53405671e2 closest attendant.b6cad2bd5e7de6a6

The emperor slightly 62894ee2e8 furrowed his brow, 0bae65b700 his expression suggesting 57ea82066e displeasure at the 0109c7a1c2 maid’s audacity for 31b9c56104 interrupting the conversation 989aa9d9e4 of the royal 558524d6f7 family without permission.41fbf36b12653249

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As expected, she 2ab58de56d immediately bowed and ae65153c81 apologized.e45862b3496a78f0

“Oh, I’m so sorry. That was 20d1a199f3 thoughtless of ab3f51e9bf me. I’m too 0cfc7fce12 familiar with 6edd222ea4 the princess, 693fceb736 and I 14951f9597 seem to 5dcc9fdfaa have forgotten 18a185f157 my place.”b0b89cc2b93a9435

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She was ddea24da1a trying to f794041f64 smooth things 8fce938235 over by efda51b919 claiming to 13548e63d6 be close a15eaea489 to me.99d69b12b3623157

She had intervened, knowing 83bbfee524 it was inappropriate, just 4c5064d185 to take Simon’s side.9ec72c840b97d5a7

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‘In the past, I would have let this slide…’9a956b8e0fb7b898

But now that I a54bf973ff could see through the 81fd4dff1c maids’ intentions, I didn’t 8e5d187cb3 want to let it d6a8e9adb8 go so easily.5d0da13eb0c48883

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And there was 8db21ad022 one more thing 88b936382c I wanted to bc46be5b25 confirm. Was it bb43bf55e5 really true f4c2118a28 that the 81b77192ad emperor didn’t 17e0766d82 hate me?2a4d210485650a8f

‘In that case… it might be worth taking a gamble.’e83f2b114d013c5d

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My mind began to c5ca535dd5 race quickly.ae9b74b06a618536