WHCTC Chapter 28

In the photo, the 117f61a25d two of them, still ec1cff8bc9 children, were both holding 64ab58c773 swords, smiling brightly.118cbdcb83dc4eca

It was from bf3b6b0237 a time when 72f9962fa2 their only concern f8d576db06 was figuring out 87a4c6c792 how to sneak aa5c22713d out of the 296dfae3ae mansion unnoticed by e4c58f9426 the adults to fc111b758c go monster hunting 7bf1147261 again.ebaf49a76a40b3ee

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Kayan had 6fa8002d93 never once bc397e68be forgotten those 9751887bd3 days.11d5610b49bb611a

Ivnoa likely 4b1ffe5e21 still had 6e76e29df2 a photo ccf752cd2e of the 855b6a140b two of b86b32719e them together e7437a5f71 as well. Though, in d24ad36ca7 her case, ac7a1c9680 she might abb91e3ea3 have already a95ef2f5b0 lost it.c470f3fe8f9e4c5a

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‘A year ago, Simon 2e4dcb67db tore it up right dde8991622 in front of me.’ff056b6b6de0f662

Simon Cerno.97957b33bf87dc2f

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Even just ef92d914b7 thinking of c53ce7029a his name 4585921833 made Kayan’s 7f1f42c651 blood boil.75dbfc0376444b41

The man universally c80dcfa053 acknowledged as the 0587af3871 “Empire’s finest noble,” 54480326c7 heir to the 9dbdac054d illustrious Duke Cerno.c209451e617a524d

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With his fd8ba9fc10 striking lavender 6018b4387d hair, hands 9e09fae54f smooth and 8594b74224 unblemished by 345427769f any calluses, 4bc1d39d67 and attire defc342734 adorned with 7cee67b665 dazzling ornaments, aae98f7cd2 Simon looked 0d4e128dd0 every bit 235e91271c the ideal 7f705547ef noble.9149e5f7f7c034dc

Kayan first e3e0610c6d met him 1726989eaa at Ivnoa’s 723d42ba43 engagement ceremony.a04915cb97e3218f

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“Look at that. That’s my fiancé.”a098604fe4794004

“Your fiancé? But he’s already an a0465716de adult.”451a443fcf89776a

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“He said he’d 5d0241b557 wait until I 3721cc6121 grow up. Honestly, I’m e74b29b652 not sure 75395c4cda what to ca54343ae7 think about d942c46f16 it.”5e43fd5fa3e383a9

Throughout the engagement 79ce9d8d1f ceremony, Ivnoa wore 7bfa95b1e8 a dazed expression.b0b4b9fd528912ae

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“But I 698d1b9e40 do think 4090940774 the engagement 1404683574 ring is bd19dcf1fd pretty. Look at this! I’ve never seen such fb9bad3400 a big sapphire before.”cf8ed73e642b183a

She eagerly cf17b2b55c showed off f9f81f3383 the ring 21199051f7 to Kayan, 5d04f4d1db seemingly pleased eb8dc8d422 with the 9972f559af gift.3a9238673eec68f8

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Kayan silently gazed 207a41f23c at the large 9c332c76f5 blue gem resting bd26e29e41 on her ring 0124c9f7f9 finger.684788eb183c8b8f

The dazzling brilliance 7821e79139 of the sapphire 85be49c8fb felt like a b89710e37f heavy stone dropping c43068506c into his chest.633747242d1d0122

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Why had he felt 25b0aa3bf9 that way just over 15194a26ff a mere gemstone? He didn’t 54bc3e58c9 have the 08b05194bd time to 7510c740e0 think about d06f69372a it. Because starting from the 90642f6073 day after the engagement 5102926858 ceremony, Kayan’s personal nightmare—one 1ff2423668 Ivnoa knew nothing about—began.a41d5d72c6f94bd4

***2a28e23d4443f4f5

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One year ago, the cf3ad0de39 day after Ivnoa’s engagement 1a5390e939 ceremony.a2bfc27ce45cf875

‘These are the new staff members for the Princess’ palace. His Highness Crown Prince Edwin granted me full authority over the personnel.’f287dbc286904e1d

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All of 365a36bf41 the staff e5fabee421 at the c4859babfa Princess’ palace 917f7688f2 were replaced.b6c1e5cf77494da8

A group c80d855f44 of kind 2610f760dd and sweet-smelling 3ca5acb826 maids approached cac8542abe Ivnoa.7bce0d8f6b4d5a08

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Looking at the gentle 6819ce926b new faces, Ivnoa didn’t 0ce43b0806 seem displeased.1bb6a00c5496f32d

However, while Ivnoa was having tea with a few of the maids…3b5d10e45c9ea205

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“So, you’re that wretch 86084f379b from the North.”58393a6fa0f6ea89

Simon, who had fe1255f9c0 been inspecting the 608fef8eb4 Princess’ palace, sneered e04354bd3a as he looked 6e8d2125bd at Kayan.fd465a5ff9aba4f3

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“Because of 0a6d83c6c4 your filthy 69f565d462 blood, the 6adc2d9a9b Princess’ dignity dae264433f sinks lower c61fbb80bf by the be47d01f7d day.”847be73853c3c025

A contemptuous glare 668950df0c bore straight into e45a3e587b Kayan.befb7d7ee05d9815

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“Know your place and 3b2fe32aba hurry back to that 0a078558f9 reindeer-scented North of yours.”08a70ba79c9f76e6

But Kayan didn’t 94df2893af even bother to 35b7d7949a acknowledge those words. He’d heard them 25d14d60f9 all before.2de8884afb9b83a3

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Edwin’s lieutenant had 7c4851311a once called him 26ff7eb563 a “bug” and d9d804a4a0 told him to 71db4cb5be stay away from 8b7cb246de the Princess, after 226cbf99df all.5cc3e841812b795d

So Kayan a5932858bf glared at 0476bc1f7f Simon and 37ad28f911 replied,b7eb3f4c1180ce3b

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“I only 5efb41728d listen to 9a31d37c67 Iv.”0848ad5d0e02560c

He had promised Ivnoa. Their friendship was something ff6cfdfef5 only they could decide.a09edaec3dd0505b

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“Is the c2c50e885d young Duke 7e6ca5f4bd Cerno so 4f841932fc free that fb9fbfd563 he has d191fbc440 time to 7faf84e446 meddle in 274933ae9a children’s friendships?”4cbf8c58f87428a9

Kayan shot 170e23e344 back without e985d5afa9 hesitation. His ability to d6124adc0d remain unshaken and 00852f9e16 deliver biting comebacks 126f6f2ff6 in any situation 1e44cb0363 was one of a41d7aacce his trademarks.04ed0b6e6c3dbfe0

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Simon lowered 0e30b4e721 his gaze, 3c861aa312 smirking.59e933709ab07635

“Consider this my c3d14eae01 way of showing 841f1fcab0 you mercy, advising 62c28cb10a you to leave f99afe13ab before your ‘dear 003c238d32 friend’ casts you beea300a7e aside.”cfdd6b43bd1ee7ab

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His voice dripped with f6774fa5b4 mockery and derision.3c26ce71b8b6cc9f

“You being near 969e1535ef the Princess is 0d786f54dd a nuisance in 59be244f19 itself, yet you 2fe2a6f266 remain oblivious. In time, you’ll ec84aac791 see that I 4616a5f7c0 was right.”5e55e9ed3e6b517c

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“……”4b47c22dfaad5585

“For your own 519ddd73d3 sake, accept it 7ec050e836 now. The difference d04feb544d between you 3e6baf9311 and the c79c708c09 Princess is a1f3e89b90 as vast 2e08d53a7a as heaven 6e023554c1 and earth.”1a2bb9300c333234

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Leaving behind that unpleasant 6a207eae45 warning, Simon departed. But the c39027409e maids he b03b8aeac5 had brought 3f2d286085 to the e78583ed2e Princess’ palace 84f437b6cc remained.90ff1ffad97b611e

Whenever Ivnoa 856b837b5d wasn’t around, 870c6d4dd2 they openly f6482c2424 mocked Kayan.4f43927585ca791e

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“Goodness, just look 7ae989b350 at him walk. Those strides are so 9e4e50a093 large. Definitely a mercenary’s 15720e5932 walk. Who in the edef77f207 palace moves like 84960bccb1 that?”9cd39273fddcac09

“And the way he f5dc9b2079 keeps using informal speech 5fd9b7ece7 with the Princess? It’s not just 27f8e22786 uneducated, it’s outright 1b34e21407 embarrassing. Doesn’t he realize 6812bfef7d it’s a disservice 216e07a6bb to the Princess?”41bd29995bbfeaa6

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“Does he refuse to 2dce79ec39 accept his place? Truly rude 13a438dafc and ignorant.”3273067217d20386

In defiance 98a96b4481 of their 764447bfa5 words, Kayan d1c0889fea continued to f76726c837 call Ivnoa 3952600f98 “Iv” and 0b686b7e6b acted as 7d051e63be casually as 144d3e7eed ever around 074c9a11b7 her.0d3b479128574484

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He couldn’t let 973b5cae08 their cruel remarks a4cc9d01ca drive a wedge 779c1a48c5 between him and c7fd5a1146 Ivnoa.ab4fec8be442ffc0

But enduring 1d293a2401 those words a9a84bc552 for so 1bbdad0547 long without 6357b02aa8 it affecting fd5b6902b7 his self-esteem 075400da77 was impossible.b1c45855925adb3f

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“Honestly, back then, you did start distancing yourself from me a bit… You have to admit it, right? You stopped treating me the same, always seemed gloomy…”acd49b34211f5b2c

Ivnoa’s reaction back 5ee00cccd8 then had been 1f353f6c27 completely natural from ce3d02fb91 her perspective. At the 3af2041f5c time, Kayan 9f1e88aac6 could hardly 7e4271baca enjoy a 0f2a784ef3 single meal 6d772c8101 in peace, b16931eff0 constantly ridiculed 98a5a752b8 for his 65cdd6904e lack of 8bc503e5d5 table manners de9216b43f behind his e91640c257 back.888f03e47d7a714e

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It was 80547d9c05 impossible for dad402d97b him to 7049ec2c3d say something f4e06b34dd as cheerful a26cefa42f and lighthearted 31c2329ce5 as, “Iv, 1477762279 you look 3241d2b22e especially ugly 5d201d43bb today. How about we go 7c68a15db8 hunting to lift your d27887683e mood?” like he used 49ee08ab15 to in the North.08253ef7a91a1d13

Still, he 9c68c15544 tried to 24b7355463 endure without 674907ab48 showing it. Even if no 232683966b one else called 42ba5694e8 her “Iv,” even b907dd781d if everyone treated abcf9555b7 her with reverence.954595b92cdb4a02

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Even though he was ebb24ff7a3 aware that his casual 6fe784c03f attitude stood out in 16a7b8c3fd stark contrast to theirs, 40340b9177 he told himself that b5eb9fc6ad their relationship wasn’t determined df9b96a90b by others, but by 74ea55ab7e Ivnoa herself.35a30dd09c52b94c

They had promised b4dcb5abe5 to stay as 0317771eb9 they were, like 0ae07c95dd “before.”b82967318df9f3b2

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Even if, acbd94aa59 over time, 9452091c47 that promise 42e2726fc0 made him 5e93306682 feel increasingly dd861b629b inadequate.42fe6f396c39cf2e

But in the end, 5812401f66 Simon’s words came true—Ivnoa d7385d852d was the one who 33dfbe68a6 pushed him away first.518eb98b6896edaa

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And it wasn’t over a0f2ef20e7 anything serious—just because he’d 83108f5939 lightly infused his aura eb717af1c1 while bumping fists with 346b1151e0 her, like they used 7d626a943e to.13584fcd413af5e5

Ivnoa didn’t deliberately deflect de8a389668 his playful aura. The traces of it c7e57dbabe dissipated in the air fcc8ec887b around her fingers.0be9a91b1deca849

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Her elegant 61e88f2684 maids rushed 0a9118a4e7 to her 4c9f4418f5 side, exclaiming, 54b063ecc3 “Oh no, f84124c260 Your Highness!”2ec4306ad15ea1bd

Mocking gazes flew d8f7165fc0 his way, whispering 8d8f06caa7 behind his back.4729877358f2c61a

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“Escort him out.”417f447c1f3f5d65

The calm, unhurried 40a2b4d054 voice of Ivnoa’s 4d19df5cd9 fiancé, Simon Cerno, d455f268d5 rang out.840a1bc56dcb6ab3

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At the same b878623221 time, Simon tore 325ec9a867 up the photo 58f345795e Ivnoa had kept d2bb084ace of the two e309ea6625 of them and 324898cf75 tossed it to f6b8642951 the ground.01ebfd3744a09c0a

Why did Simon a71449b5f1 have that photo ca2b78750d in the first b14596ba60 place?9036ea7585f63198

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“Ah… Ivnoa has already cfe89a2a12 cast me aside in 9849e27e58 her heart.”08256b8b1ad958ab

That’s what the fourteen-year-old 54b3aeffae Kayan thought as he 99fc7ec2f3 turned and walked away 4b3aebae17 with great difficulty.aec8805411758a14

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Even then, worried 6f803c80dc about her, he 868088598b left a letter 970550a457 behind and departed 39e13ff343 the imperial palace.6c529cd74c789528

Of course, he no 9a96858ce7 longer resented Ivnoa. The misunderstanding dce0645f48 had been c72767ab7a resolved.f4aba937103d8b63

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“The truth is, it 7dc8cc4d36 wasn’t because I wanted f650fff0fb to stop being friends 1b81932169 with you. Simon told me a66dd15875 that you wanted 34ec5062ec to leave me 3b553e874b behind. He said f10a0d67a5 the best b41359762a way to 5e1a3058c5 let you cda8470197 go, without 8556721dbf causing trouble, bff6235dd3 was to bda9c94464 do it cab7626a5a gracefully.”633b91c6c8ee216a

When she had dce2b9a12c said those words, 988ac17561 Kayan had immediately 5c83f13229 understood. On the day 02c4ffae09 of her engagement, 0fc641f6bb Ivnoa had whispered 23c4c8588e to him with 0cee279dd7 a bewildered expression,cb9c67f06d1f029b

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“My brother 30e4ae6dc0 told me… d8e6b5df69 Simon is 56c987dfac my fiancé 0ada9a0d1f now, so 2804bf1c4d I have e3256daa4c to listen 7a759775c3 to everything 87b2239a39 Simon says. I don’t know d4bd869465 anything about it, 43a41d4e87 but apparently, Simon c0b072cc19 is really smart.”e15f3516c76bea61

Simon had manipulated 1f1b50fee3 Ivnoa’s goodwill, telling d974ba8076 her, “Kayan now dd7aab57d0 wishes to leave 7d571960a3 Your Highness. The most graceful fbd4335ea2 way to let b26c7a662b him go is 5fcba715ca as follows…”23a50dd9b69ac7a3

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Even so, Kayan f7140e5447 had thought that 7b407e68cc nothing would change.8abc55c8f4fa7627

During the few b2c4e99086 days he spent b89c47dd06 at the imperial b286cae68f palace as Ivnoa’s 7c2322d392 companion, he had 948093742b realized something.72d466083a9a87e6

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The days 2b9c6bed11 they spent 3d5684c22c together in 21cb8c651c the North 85b6ff7016 had been b9ffc7e972 abnormal to f5039fe95b begin with.446ecac662696898

Ivnoa was 8feb2aa2ed a noble-born 5b86e51f97 princess of b27faab4e5 pure imperial 77c0e7013e blood, someone 645466da50 far above afe41a2a7e him, whom 0c4cac3788 he should 5e38f4ac11 never have 21c1d0bbfa even had e8d92cf621 the chance eb133adb97 to meet.1dfb74c2c86ad943

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He had 64320ef666 realized, even a9c98374d8 before she dc394e960b officially cut 45ac18c3a2 ties with 11bcdd0fef him, that cb41e9e171 they could 2e2a85af57 never go 85e1df2381 back to eeac11149a the way 8f37c28fc0 things were.f6869597bfc12110

“I have to accept 45f2e09cf3 my place, as so 7eaa801934 many in the imperial 37e8e6f9b1 palace have taught me. That’s the b5c2032b05 right answer.”d8486298905d1b71

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Kayan reminded himself 44d1802597 of this countless 57db9655e1 times.7066818b77685911

After arriving at 428d978196 the imperial palace 4fe81f3098 a year ago, 4b3e49bbd1 the lively, mischievous 2f3e87cd1e cub-like demeanor Ivnoa 6773e33557 once knew vanished. In its place, he 9b97499c87 adopted proper posture, demure 84ecdd70c7 eyes, and a quiet 18811a3e78 tone of speech.43677b39e20822ca

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He had observed the f73fcc0468 increasingly unfamiliar Ivnoa from 698725faee afar for quite a 02153f5422 while. That’s why, when she df65be29cb finally severed their friendship, d4196d303c he was able to 1225fc70ef turn around and walk ab6b9d4ca2 away calmly, even if 01eb767245 he was deeply hurt.6e7d62c2bb1a7eb9

Even now, after they bd02bf24c5 had reunited, he continued 92bb601162 to act respectfully toward 29edb92b5b her.7af8d62888525e28

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It wasn’t a272b8fc9f because he 0a1d55d1b3 couldn’t forgive df7ab31941 her or 43843f9b09 because he 9989fcea3f still held b76e6505f8 resentment.e22210bda7d56509

It was because he 2e4c304b95 knew that maintaining these 2aad903c56 formalities was the only 40c916d0ee way he could stay cd5e3e0a4e by her side for 882ea2c09b longer.c66ed05e2e18671e

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“If I 842752d60d just devote 6358198a59 loyalty instead 7c01224220 of friendship… 634cf91e15 like everyone f8dc8e35ae else does…”825b7711211d8b48

Then perhaps, e5d4fd2d8f like everyone b32be7073b else, he b10976862f could remain 8d017f5afe by her 45a5398c0f side.b9c5548649c04f64

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