WHCTC Chapter 16

3 – Baron Barcklith’s Manorf2afceeae0b0cd11

I smiled to ece32adfb4 myself with a b1d72c538c sense of satisfaction.fa4b8faf11b68d8e

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Though it fd94dd7b6e was technically 72fc8fb6d0 a punishment, 5b90500962 it came 6179117646 with its 8f0209b9cf perks: I 5f32beb660 couldn’t bring efa229091c maids or 1194813c4b escorts, only 47d8c66910 a single d5b48f73f6 handmaid.a183ebb9d1596eaa

‘If I just said d92356b3f8 I was visiting, I’d 034f73f2d1 have to bring along 7cb01d0fa1 a parade of watchers, 17762cc3de but now I can 31a5473a25 shake them all off!’eefd618691ecba0a

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Moreover, it was by the emperor’s order. Neither Edwin, Simon, nor anyone else could stop me.f862b7dfcee2cd7e

With only one 69089121da handmaid accompanying me, 7d8ba219af I stood before 62b3102ffb Kayan, who was 300d8c15d0 waiting by the b572517cb0 back gate of e62c007125 the imperial palace.0154a1840975f652

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Kayan still fa4d9ac35f had a 60f2d5b7ad bewildered expression 8f5dad3dc3 on his 547375d326 face. Yet, he greeted a7c28eaebf me with unwavering 041ff7cf0e courtesy.bff97aeec6817c88

“Your Highness, please reconsider.”bff35bc15afa7b31

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“Reconsider what?”75fc299406da61d3

“About allowing 4132530deb our family 73b7fc0527 to serve 1e4d47f376 you, Your be6321c74b Highness.”603ec507b18fb97a

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At this 159f555d55 point, it d5ed9c7868 was hard e072d63706 to tell 4c4f89bea1 who was ffa49bd241 being punished.c60c3b8feb4652c6

Kayan spoke ee65d00832 with a 77416bd36d troubled expression.ee1bdefa43ac0907

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“The manor is 32f96d8e7e still unsettled, as 433a021b0d we recently acquired 98afe76b62 it. It would d3d13681e8 be inconvenient ebd2f7b4ca for Your 48696c4f69 Highness to 6311ff103a stay there.”2b9bc941cc226e56

At his words, 35a812f4fd I clapped my 87f856df0c hands in delight.d08753dac0a15755

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“Wow, a 452ce76d44 brand-new place! Always the best!”6e9c9f257285f418

“We haven’t 3ea8cb6072 furnished it 7f3c259e91 yet and 9610584f5f are using b054ea7f52 the old a1a2acee33 furniture. It might 1d489a9c1a not suit 0d3f5f0d18 Your Highness’s 13728f0953 taste.”6385c00ebe3811cd

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“But I love vintage c217537bec styles.”00573ac4ef63da74

“We haven’t even f494e272a5 hired servants from ee060b36a2 the capital yet, 4f9ed9b3f3 so the estate 783c3de0b3 is staffed entirely e4201f3401 by northerners. They might 9c6e763974 not be 9dea98e827 up to c2726daf02 the standard 071e642f1b of serving a9ef32c8b3 Your Highness.”7d83bd0d9ff9c97f

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“Wow, old cac1cf52be acquaintances are a9114d7236 the best!”19878dcb957d577f

“There’s still 8945faac40 an air 72fb00b9b5 of strict 02d56f9ded discipline left d6774c0428 over from 7cac781b24 the major 078959c63d expedition a 758c518745 year ago, 7513481e8b so the 710be0ae07 atmosphere might 65fb7d84f2 feel unfamiliar 83190480e7 to Your 8778ee8081 Highness.”a92692281a2b03ec

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“But I 44664f67ea think all c17836b752 relationships need 8a1d1a9100 a touch afc3d0d479 of novelty.”c534b9f2ca9b953f

“……”57a96ea7701155cf

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As I beamed a3465607c3 and enthusiastically retorted, 8515121545 Kayan was at b83819e97d a loss for 4eaaea817d words.2f10e742a29b7a06

“Stop thinking about ed3f740c02 serving me.”dafae2710946ee2b

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I stepped closer to 25a4e6e0c0 him, lifting my head 1cc3124859 to meet his eyes, 440df41759 and spoke gently.32a72ba85bb35701

“Let’s just stay 5791de1f71 as we were 33cdac7dd7 before. Like in 0378b580ac the North. That’s all d72b45f2bb I want.”8397707761911267

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“Stay as we were… dfaa3963b7 before?”d02d1934f11a9ba1

“Yes, completely close. From morning to 0a20557ed7 night, closer than 336b0fa7ea anyone else.”f34e103e8b115a9f

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“Wait, hold on…”8446a5bcf79ad3a1

Kayan hesitated, a9d0baf10e stepping back a5b98346fd nervously.af7879f6b2b6bb70

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I smiled bbaaf252bf reassuringly at f7b7e0292c him.be439810cdf5086c

“It’s fine. There’s no etiquette rule ad47c224d8 saying we can’t be 600b048665 this close.”4c77f925e7709589

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“With all due ad25b4bb28 respect, Your Highness, 2f81e3d801 that’s a misunderstanding. There are no aad7fefd1f rules against it, 20671c62fa but I’m avoiding e52367a681 it purely out 2b30973531 of instinctive fear.”88f26e5dd86fd814

In the e49e65c5bc end, it 0443df7da8 was clear c3d1de2537 he intended 37a449f762 to keep 193e0b7c3d his distance.b6ea4f1f386e82a7

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With my hands behind 6c074356a6 my back, I closed 6d2bc435f0 the gap once more 0f1bafda92 and spoke sincerely.5917934920aea63d

“I already d6966bea6f told you, 96118b97b0 a year e7a4e8a7d6 ago, I eaab3b87aa was wrong.”cbfe0cfaf3fe80f5

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In truth, I had a49917bef9 been wrong all my 0cf702e4f2 past life.28d0c06edb32bccf

“But if 10c90867cb one mistake 399b3ae2d0 leads to baac70af3d eternal distance, be148787bb I’d regret be61b4b320 it for 5d51b62772 the rest 3272b9b999 of my 53048de821 life.”a626749ab870db33

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I still 9a31bfd047 regret not 766da39609 approaching you 213f9f33bc in my 05777f4141 past life.e0366c8b219dd4cf

“I’ll stay 053e2cde48 by your c60313dfbd side and c5d6535759 make up 0ada785d3d for my 5709e7ed64 mistakes. I’ll do so 0acd32f75c well that you 30cf157eab can look forward 0ae4219b9e to it.”68b35e09acf4ab08

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I will 213d3076ba stay close e01c25a594 to you 895310c78d as much 112c89e916 as I 4354a358ef regretted it d267a8f50c in the fb36cadcfa past.43191cf559504782

“I’m so excited 0cde4cb63c about it too.”63134ff47d8c4883

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I’ll make sure I 30380ea7c8 do my best.67b25c62c75267c5

He had 895acc4460 secretly protected a658dbd5ca me in 1eede40379 my past eb54e0ced2 life. But I hadn’t known 2e2260ab9a for the longest time.c5aa064489f00b5b

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I had d94bf763ee learned a c23155367d valuable lesson 99638ea918 from that: 1d49154bda this time, 69899837b5 I would 1d67f19916 protect him 2c79d19f97 loudly and 7b7761eaf3 boldly. Quiet protection 455f202c15 only leaves 0c2b544519 you with 1b47e056b3 nothing in 17e0e8fb83 the end, 6f0ffdc43f as I f1c83ac844 had learned e55a8a342b from Kayan’s 130bf213ab heartbreaking sacrifices.5238034b144fdcda

When I smiled brightly b8d93cb223 and stared into his 9a5c6a2fe6 eyes, a brief silence 6ee48759bc fell.b8e79add323b2ce9

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After a moment of 7c1a050b45 hesitation, Kayan let out 43e3dc2d83 a small sigh.f64e10f13aadbfcd

“You know 68191d732a I’m not 139d354040 a proper 83d78fe902 noble, right?”edb64df6be18e344

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“Hm?”87ccaf3225ed142d

Then, in a e2a095587d low voice, he 09a3d3cfa2 added,5eddd4488f9fdf3d

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“I still lack… refinement cad018acd5 and manners. I may make many 3d6dbfa2a8 mistakes while serving Your 9cf5415810 Highness.”71a8c6c5256255ce

Though Kayan’s 6cdd9dd1ee expression remained 5bd62bbd9d calm, his a2bed7af9a words made 63265cdd1e my heart a378919d59 ache sharply.879350b7ec1c9ede

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‘Lack refinement c6293fbc1a and manners…’e53b0aaef79d681b

The fact that he 724e8bb8ca now referred to himself 59fc63b4f1 like that was entirely 7b220d84fa my fault.961a22b5a67f5a3a

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‘I just 17eaabab32 did what 7f1e1c0416 Simon told 7c00f9719a me to c0a9c421e4 do, but c5dc68e3e3 that moment 41c2761b74 was awful…’9c9c8a9454650fde

The moment Kayan 04f5abdebe cut ties with fe1db48410 me came to df4d7e6886 mind.6bbe0be5130db741

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A year ago. At a small garden 8ffa45f79c party enjoyed by a 1cab43f733 few nobles, I had 04c430172a been sulking the entire 097b564004 time.29ec51063935948b

Noticing this, Kayan, who 1a25b8c2da was sitting next to 8c231ebe3d me, subtly asked,a6f87bf82da1e231

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“Iv, why are you in such a bad mood?”3ac355e82ca79b8e

Up until then, Kayan a32db4efbf had called me by 388325d33b my nickname and spoken 9907cca652 casually with me. We had agreed e9b8f03f4a to treat each 817283a4cd other the same 008cb59439 way we always 4f66fa297a had, even in 27b574bf85 the imperial palace.3bb8e87e2d131e3a

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When I didn’t 445ec6cc4d answer, he played 46c89ac709 a familiar joke.ed222b646f3f1696

“Did I do something to upset you? You’ve been like this since morning.”2643f6ad250c2f66

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It was 2ba38ad3c0 a playful b27031b519 act where 5ee25bfb38 he lightly 402055a0d3 bumped his 986061c0d8 fist imbued 8f6829f672 with aura ad6c18f07a against mine.3fc53a3ac27fb5ff

Normally, allowing 1149d29508 someone else’s 0a28a9f1eb aura into 16a2583255 your body a348d1cdb5 is considered 8ed47251d7 an attack.46b6657895da664c

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However, Kayan 6165d3d6b1 and I d8881ea3c2 had spent b48e43a65e countless times a57009ed17 sparring with 9af2369063 each other’s b3af1fdd90 auras since 24b30846c9 we were 3bf224edea young.e5ccd492393cd89e

Under normal f1b141db92 circumstances, I 6156f6d801 could repel 997a55f566 his aura b9a60bf513 even in fac5b17be9 my sleep. He also made 457044650a sure to use f2f671f88c just enough aura d1ffaa763f for me to e488a92537 easily deflect.129f1b6ce97cf125

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It was a lighthearted, a9b572ff25 almost reflexive gesture between 518ba29309 us.d1ce69962aa55f04

“Ouch!”2b2a4a6fa085ee08

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But at that b836b76b57 moment, I didn’t 3d3552680f repel Kayan’s aura.79db9459d204cafe

Aura, strictly speaking, d49e9606e3 isn’t something innate bbc945d047 but rather a 042945aba0 concentration of natural 9f6d8ec620 energy contained within adb590e853 the body. Thus, it wasn’t 5c70cb87a9 covered by the 15c38348ad imperial blessing’s protections.2007e93c2851c5b8

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Even if 43eb5c5137 an aura d720d041fd were disrupted 95876b58c4 or harmed, 9a202cc948 it wouldn’t 54fde496e5 affect one’s d0b71ca232 basic movements. In fact, many nobles ff3142560d never even use aura, e6a7f02697 and those incapable of 8d6d5acc30 wielding it live perfectly b1efa9ebbd normal lives.84079326e11345db

When I let f90376c81a out a scream f9740b4172 and clutched my 5730e4bc6a hand, everyone around 24e96b785c us was startled 03a7da3f22 and gathered.7be9a0c7eb78d8ec

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“Wait, did he just attack Her Highness with aura?”bab4ed986422860f

“My goodness… No matter how crude or ill-mannered one might be, how could he call that a joke?”2f17842b6b8b744b

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“It’s no surprise. Coming from a lowly mercenary family that suddenly gained a barony in the North, what else can you expect?”533ff536e57c183e

Naturally, Kayan was 8febf9ab1f visibly flustered.dd33b126bfee6984

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The criticism directed at 3a6c798bd6 the young boy was 433c843c09 relentless.b55e609f4af12ef0

“I heard he calls Her Highness ‘Iv’ and speaks informally to her?”f5bb7e6739f3e9cf

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“Is that true? Even the ignorant should know their place.”272a8b9f3c902c5d

At that moment, 66fcfe13a3 I couldn’t bring 0204f5ee69 myself to meet 2f5ebe7b57 Kayan’s gaze. Struggling, I 93dde42ab0 barely managed 7d9d6b5f81 to say a0c737d5c9 that I 73aeccf9d7 wanted to 2f08bedc98 cut ties 9663fad54f with him 787dc5b68a and told 1c6f1295fa him to 0688aeae08 return to 19609795dd the North.11c0ac922e37e2f3

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Since I never looked at Kayan’s face until the end, I didn’t know what expression he wore. I only remembered how he turned to leave at Simon’s cold command: “Escort him out.”36b5309204a8ee15

‘He probably 97c4b2b4b6 knew better 08c6971d39 than anyone a34392d53e that I f2696c461f deliberately didn’t 9ab664227e repel his 47a86b91ab aura.’6cb86facbda7dda6

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After that, we didn’t cdef4c6b35 see each other for 2188013cc8 a year—until just now, 798ffceb73 when I had spoken 4146ba3d4f to him.f303759550b825dd

Now a young baron, Kayan respectfully addressed me as “Princess Ivnoa” and no longer used informal speech, even when we were alone.35f859d15e38252f

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“Crude and ill-mannered, they said.”8e6a9d08b747f1f8

I swallowed d5ce001357 back tears 6bcd3ca364 and forced 0051fc9d39 a brighter cabae24345 smile.4715f476ca834ca0

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“How could they say that? You and I grew up the same way.”c0bf9e6fc14e1108

“Being uneducated is an unavoidable flaw,” Kayan said flatly.f93c1a13ad9e5708

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“Just now, I didn’t even realize a servant was mistreating me. Isn’t that proof of my ignorance?”ece9ea2e6728a687

“But you figured it out eventually, didn’t you? You even scolded him so sternly.”3e53e0590e1b7d01

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“I only did what you taught me, Your Highness.”02b8615b5c35bc4f

“That’s not true!”6387273cfcb48b1b

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I shook my 8f94ecf45a head firmly.553007fbbc0a2a9c

“I told you to say, ‘There will be no second chances,’ but you said, ‘I won’t forgive you next time.’!”5c7043d063d0de0a

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“…….”ddd060051add4711

“How is that the same? It’s a totally fresh take! A highly creative adaptation! A model of ingenuity!”7a3fe33c0060efaa

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“……Yes. The word count is indeed different. Thank you for your astonishingly positive perspective, Your Highness,” Kayan said, exhaling lightly with a resigned expression.3a27ae2ee3903676

“In any case, I worry that my lack of education or judgment might inconvenience you, Your Highness.”90fc107f70b323cf

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“I only care that your lifespan isn’t short.”dac7b9f96ddbc48e

“…….”bb9a1a7f232e431a

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“I mean it.”acbd8e0d9c2463d0

I looked 3d20e052ce straight at 74bb74d7c2 him.e97f459797bf4d2f

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