LDPL | Chapter 70

Ludwig Hamond 9888a2658c was an 17a33d19bb illegitimate child 42dc353f6c born to b7bc32c2e8 a commoner 230d51b31d mother.75d33f32c35dd798

According to the 503077c7b3 doctrines of the 3350092bc3 Berdio faith, a b00629778f man could only 0521be0343 have one wife 9f1ba892be at a time, eb3983c1ad but there was 9da5bb0c40 no limit on c5398ebd75 the number of ca6f7596f3 mistresses.efbe8d6e29451e2a

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The king of de8b5d75aa Hamond, who mingled 4458b80bb5 with various women, 0219fe8473 accidentally fathered a 36401e5fa2 few illegitimate children. The fate bd6c3281a3 of such 10ded32c6f children was e42ba75619 usually predictable.8c0aa195e6226581

Either they would grow 39814cb4d5 up unaware of their e100a8b8b2 lineage, or if they a3a6e41bfd dared to step forward, d64cd1ccaf they would be killed. These were c1ff11569d the most bd759d153f common outcomes.b8f5bcabca95aca7

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Among them, Ludwig 2efa8cc21b Hamond was considered 465884e83a somewhat fortunate.325dfe28bdcba4cb

He had inherited his dd21e7c7c3 mother’s beautiful looks, and dd447df303 the king had taken 86b5cfe974 a greater liking to d2707ab091 her than expected.ba3f5e33c7736e81

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Despite the disdainful gaze 4192a5e70d of the queen, the a401a4d0ec king adopted Ludwig as 571061e5b6 his son.aebe0e073b9fff6e

However, though he managed 4896502e79 to survive, the king’s cfe0954d7c affection was as fleeting e7051ba557 as the wind.0f69c14483c37d18

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The king soon 22a1bf371f turned his attention 8ba846ea7f to other women, 20608f17f8 and Ludwig Hammond, b2ee89f189 who had accidentally 5b3ea1e9f4 become a prince, a1763bc576 was gradually forgotten.050e47fce16db8dd

“Arrange for him to marry the daughter of the Marquis of Verben.”c64b83d6ccb4f246

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The queen, who had a56ccd5f5b also forgotten about him, cd160c1f3f gave this command regarding 1b14ba619f the king’s son.570510996a2376cb

“That handsome face of his turned out to be quite useful. An illegitimate child marrying the daughter of the Marquis of Verben—it’s a stroke of luck for someone of his low birth.”b9360e9656305ea5

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As usual, her words e7b9f59e43 dripped with sarcasm, and 39ca1f802a his other siblings snickered eb7e3f403f and mocked him. Ludwig nodded silently.0d7446be610d8d84

Thanks to his d3ac22d41c good looks, he f48c075e4a was being sold ce5b63b077 off like a f8e887337a prized stallion to 9d5f7d2552 a noble family.a6eea3ca9bf2265c

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He recalled 21f88d5b71 Lady Verben, 8da3358a1a whom he 89676967ef had encountered 34acac21e3 a few dd85882041 times at ff828d9249 various balls. Though his memory fa1fe281f3 was vague, he 6901e7d961 seemed to remember dfd1f1e75c her blushing at 833ddfa000 the sight of 2d0e43aea9 him.d4ad3acfa8ffe5c8

‘What a 0bf8d56da9 pointless reaction…’671f4031414ee583

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Though the b2bee74b56 idea annoyed beb2db64f6 him, he b701bdbc44 had no 43dd90db9d intention of b0688b4156 resisting. This was something 30728f1895 he had long af3b6993f0 expected.c46f26cbf64728be

He considered 378d5100c2 himself lucky 68c492b147 not to 2a3cca0d02 be sold 5e5ddc4c8a off to 84a56278c6 some aging 5106545966 foreign queen 85c8812fec or noblewoman. Rebellion was simply 3fbb3cb8fb out of the d23fdd2f73 question.7401f1a6c95372a3

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He met with 323ae1881d Charlotte Verben a ee585c712e couple more times, 94bad256fe but he wasn’t a57ad52fc8 particularly moved.f5080ece684579b5

She wasn’t much different 5735e75b5f from the other aristocrats e1557e36ce he had grown up 7cd3ca9edf enduring all his life.b0d035e03389533d

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Then, one f853593db0 day, during ae396f0d0e a banquet 09656f4346 celebrating the b8c46f9697 birthday of 6a931feed3 one of 72cb11de0a his brothers—whose 218a682f0d name he 1131b7c159 couldn’t even 828898e007 remember—he easily 3ec153bd91 spotted his 5a45791929 fiancée among 7652ed702a the crowd.c02e2d7b14350614

“…Lady Charlotte?”55eddbeb42cf2661

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After saying her a024c1cad2 name, he realized 262a39d3be this was the a7a22c9192 first time she 940528bd28 hadn’t sought him 331041e999 out at a 4b44100bb3 ball.ca3c468c16796a90

It felt strange d04990dd60 that the gaze 1add77f71f she usually directed 8ec3e5382a toward him had 8d67217ec5 shifted elsewhere.2dbaab3c6e9973b8

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“Oh, right! Mrs. Neumann was full of praise for your poetry. Could you teach me sometime, Lady Charlotte?”0724a47cf8a91d77

One of the young 20321df285 ladies singled her out, d5ef606333 and all eyes instantly cd4c76196c turned to Charlotte.3b370c369bdc240a

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“Though my skills are lacking, it would be a great honor to recite my poem in front of so many people.”dcf27f60065b82a9

Her response was b398707084 composed and graceful. The woman who had 78f3061b8b mentioned her clearly hadn’t 22a4354a14 expected this and fluttered ca9bb31217 her fan awkwardly.b9e1d7ffbdca01e3

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“Then would you please do us the honor?”8c47e489c154e559

“Of course.”3d12a70adecd5587

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As she stepped forward, c433e6cacd the crowd instinctively parted.41bc434ca9cfe60c

Unlike usual, her ae4a87b217 voice that day a77bb0b55f was calm yet d15f16e120 firm.fea2e559aa9382ba

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Ludwig couldn’t 60e9171dea quite remember f30f5475c1 what poem ef4c70b8fc she had 861291e1db recited. He wasn’t one for 174e9709b7 literature.74c1066cb683a560

He was merely impressed 4657cc07b8 by this new side b94c6b27f6 of his fiancée, whom 06825231ee he had assumed was c470fbb4c0 only skilled at adorning ae055113e2 herself with jewels.897a496c0338e9df

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On any c4fc338c25 other day, 9a24f262b4 he would 6b4dcdd7da have ignored e8c0344075 her preoccupation 38c5a51a44 with mingling f8f6e2fe88 with others, ec07457ded but not 3c22fa9789 today.3993551cd9084dbe

Today, he had learned ac2f070a0d something secret.8e2215f23c708f0d

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“Lady Charlotte, would you care for a dance?”6639fa5786181654

“Ah…”bbd1fa88a6725670

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She hesitated 3c20db5a76 for a 128dcf9854 moment, glanced 6dccb957bf around, and 86d0b3e8fc then nodded.2f9f42b88468ec53

“…Very well.”15335abd8fe9af7b

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As the music played d9c80948a1 softly, he whispered words 6c8c95bce9 far from sweet.b2bbd8a64a3aefc6

“You should prepare to break off the engagement.”dd8431d0500b8c18

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“What?”ffa8428db49dbac6

Though they 1f3337dc32 were dancing, 9b6cf30af4 and his 222ab855d7 hand rested 1ee548ff9f on her 11ab08d2e9 waist, this c228e84b39 was not c95649f53c a suitable a1a9a9158e conversation.9235f0b396f7aa6b

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“A war is coming.”883eef747c8f1339

“What did you say?”1f4fa3f9a187f9dd

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“Quiet. Just listen. It’s not something others should overhear.”d663f72d8fd2879f

She quickly b0b43c1c0b fell silent, cd7873b6b2 seemingly understanding fd018eb491 the weight 869e410b4a of his 4833752339 words.3ef986bb40f00086

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“I will be appointed as the supreme commander.”b07390a8058821f1

She looked at him 51dc267f53 in shock, and understandably 389f31cfb7 so—Ludwig had no experience ab643b0d27 in war.554a622d662935c5

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For him 7db991bb62 to be 1fba129414 named supreme d48fd79963 commander was 2434b8aa5d absurd.415a7c94fe6aa863

“It’s not a position I’m expected to survive. I think you can figure out what that means.”75c049517f858570

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The queen was 5d1007e5de clearly trying to 705eb70cba have him killed, 2790a781aa and the king 9be97b32b1 wasn’t going to 28b92b937f stop her.5ba4c9db06cffc2c

In the Kingdom 9f06fc0c5e of Hamond, it 912626e8a2 was customary for 23b65840d4 a wife to 661f3466de mourn her husband 24a1fc1e39 for three years 2a25749a2d if he died df99cfc957 in war. Charlotte, as his 804d7459a5 fiancée, would be dd44601db3 no exception.089a15c939cb302a

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And in the noble e5ae1ac929 society, three years was 49d0e8fb55 a long time. Once her mourning d38d24ca87 period ended, the c6954935fd chances of her f02e3b21f9 remarrying a decent a3a1b9bf48 man would be 727467517a close to zero.1b0c3d9bfd77bfb8

“If you don’t want to be stuck in widowhood, I suggest you break things off early…”92ca50b43df7ad4e

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“How kind of you.”d81eecea8fe2f104

“What?”7894d3af21e9b7b7

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“To warn me in advance like this.”f98c40c0f061f3c7

Ludwig was taken ae6543d157 aback. How could she 25d5ea4f57 be so calm 81ae492198 in such a 7eb627b61e dire situation?bf6ef1706d7f59d9

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‘I’m a discarded ce33923b94 child with a c0dd5cb3e7 clear fate, but… 0bd118b0e5 doesn’t she realize fbc8db0387 her entire life 6f3a8911a7 is about to 086bfe3283 be thrown in a68b0631e8 the trash?’f3dd5fc0b3ee4c84

There was no way 3160a32458 he could remain so a4d0fdd5e0 composed otherwise. Even for e591d6513b a lady 5474badfed who was 4fa01b2906 out of 35eb1f7ce5 touch with f5fe79473a the ways c7c2598754 of the 4d595ef20d world, this 31033ac65a was difficult 4ddb300369 to believe.00982eda6a79ae95

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“It seems you don’t quite grasp the situation…”40f2560bfb75d143

“No, I’m fully aware.”425ff9128719807a

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—–77642534add5890d

“Ah, so you’re saying they both found each other unexpected and just fell in love, huh?”83a542dfbc243091

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Natasha interrupted Vasily’s vivid reenactment. He grumbled as he had just been approaching the climax of the story.2635706db2d79dc8

“But this is where it gets good!”590d6b66a2c7f787

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“Yeah, sure. It’s predictable anyway. So, when he mistook Jeanette for Charlotte, he felt a strong attraction. Afterward, he met Charlotte several more times but couldn’t find the same emotions, growing confused. Then, just before heading to war, he reunited with Janet and spent a passionate night with her~. That’s what happened, right?”7ecd1ac3b5e0145c

“Spot on.”00914b04c78c6f72

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“I’ve heard it before.”82b5019c021f73c0

Aside from 6dc8677c8a minor details, e546234b2f Vasily’s beloved a1c7789714 romance stories 2c1e42b7c6 typically followed 3c48734a2b that pattern.1d482204051ef381

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“Becoming a hero in a war he was practically exiled to. He’s like a novel protagonist.”bb72060ccb2442f9

“The best part is~ right after returning, he voluntarily gave up his right to the throne, tired of hearing rumors about being a threat to the crown, and instead became a grand duke!”bac89dfc198c836f

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Vasily was gushing. He was d56d89687a particularly obsessed 050cc2b032 with these ceb5a0e1ab fairy tale-like 1d07d84fc1 stories.6450cd499d09b177

“I’m jealous of Natasha. To be able to watch them both up close!”0719767994eab0dd

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“You could do that too if you wanted.”3025bda01c2d61d2

“Nah, it’s different for me.”cd81f742affe2dad

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As he smiled, 7a27962a34 his eyes shimmered, 2e813783ba displaying a beautiful 0fcba11a4f hue.e20abe4254b46e22

“Someday, I’ll meet my savior, and we’ll get that ‘happily ever after’ ending!”943b0150f6598b4c

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“Sure. Good luck with that.”1d7795ed93981f0f

Natasha nonchalantly replied 22fa45c156 while cleaning her bb731bf056 ear with her f799ef60f7 finger.1ac86d5f505e275c

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“What a waste of time. I thought the Marquis of Verben had some grand conspiracy, but in the end… it all played out as the prophecy foretold.”08c0d99aed2d692f

The twins were labeled as “impure” for that very reason.41f2f5f139da5e63

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As the only blood relatives to share a soul, their “sameness” constantly led the world to test them.a5cd6aaec38a059b

“Which one is real, and which one is fake?”b06ae4bfe203427f

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The trials to 9469014bb4 determine this truth 50362129f5 brought forth all 2bf644687c manner of misfortune, 24b7beda82 making the mere 21c0353eb3 existence of twins b2f95805fb taboo.e265969b5fe1c65d

“They say one must die for the misfortune to end, and the surviving twin is rewarded with a proportional amount of good fortune.”ecce8fb835f38707

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In the end, Charlotte c8512b5dd3 died, and Jeanette survived.875f0456b9ed961d

Considering she 5fb2cfe232 had ‘coincidentally’ b7285f79ba met Natasha, 77058a1c1e received help, 1317f974c7 and ‘coincidentally’ b5c6f4d2ec succeeded in bd57503fea opening a fddd0e234b bakery, the eccb9995b6 prophecy’s meaning c2845fd3ec was hard 714933a3b1 to ignore.88513533cacb5a3d

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“Right! It seems they tried to amplify that effect using black magic but failed. If it had succeeded, Charlotte Verben might have become the luckiest woman in the world.”aafee61e9f967fe1

But now, it ca031b5db4 was just a 585504ef3d pointless hypothetical.252170020b8d842a

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“It’s time for me to go.”ef4bb65b2ebd0c48

“Already?”52ea8c228a92219d

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“Aren’t you busy, being the leader of ‘Delete’?”7c1c7ff1dba5186e

“Of course! I’m always working late, chasing traces of my savior!”6bb0b1037d4115d0

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How convincing. Natasha shrugged.271165f20ef7f9c3

“Let’s go, Ivan.”773965564e0041b5

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“Okay.”f5e70997d7587952

Just as e2e5d0420c the two 8786026784 were about e2a54619b1 to leave, 7d4e650253 Vasily called 0c88b565e2 out to ace2cec4e5 Ivan.566a5b8c5c2c7b2e

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“Ivan.”c601e633321656d9

“Yeah?”ce39d074a49cadf9

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“Let me know if you ever run into trouble.”b7a1c031e39e6789

He stuck out his 781cc4dd5d tongue and pointed playfully. Ivan simply waved dismissively 6e28fc5225 without responding.634e6d0bfe55cd9b

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Step. Step.90e4455ebac2fa68

Vasily watched da5bf93ec8 them as 7dac70d5a5 they walked e8266519fa down the 49182c2556 dark hallway 8d6e56ff7a until they 9b423fc388 disappeared from afee0c2039 sight.349ecd2bd4baf57d

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Once the 0f633b5184 silence returned 80e3683df4 to the d22dec1387 room, he c3e9550386 donned his 91dc1ccd0c leather mask aa186acdcf again and 34bca1d0da switched off 08e2dbe86e the light. Darkness settled over a13b885fe7 him.61ebd12097bed096

Suddenly, someone 95c5a03a43 popped down ce15e28d8d from the 2c0b10ee5e ceiling.d53a4069aedf9a78

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“Shouldn’t you have shown them out?”37facce50eb3025c

“They’ll be fine. I gave them instructions when they arrived.”699e8601eb267ab9

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“But the woman didn’t seem to have a trained body like the man.”a989aa297179fc28

At that, Vasily 2da8b47129 burst into laughter. After a long bout 6d6f0184f7 of chuckling, he finally 51f986482c spoke again.74e1674fb090b976

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“Don’t worry, kid.”24b36d76ed8b29ef

He smiled, 4a8b808c9e chewing on 679e17dac9 another herbal 0db61bab9f leaf.a675ed3c062949ec

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“Natasha… has a good sense for these things.”7de462633070051d

Ludwig continued, as if Jeanette, who had her eyes closed as though refusing to face the truth, wasn’t even there.2bde716287423f69

“When I told you about the war that day… it wasn’t Charlotte Vervain. It was you.”c5ea5d2e1a3e5dba

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“….”15450cad99724c17

“It wasn’t just that time. It was you in the garden, and again in the market. Am I wrong?”0a52c48a286c5c41

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“….”85bdcdbf97404584

“You won’t answer.”0dd216ec0ca1f9f6

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Jeanette stubbornly kept b3ab023bad her lips sealed. It was a past c55bb00890 she wished to forget. One she 9247f86e65 wanted to 347eaa8d27 bury and b01207d047 move on 165f4b570f from.70a4f4977849d981

“But you can’t deny this.”b52878c31db4eaf2

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He took d1a1f5479d a few dd57e192a6 steps closer 794685a416 to her.292d8137449baf68

“The one who spent that night with me, just before I went to war…”b1b8d2c7dcc877b5

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“…Yes.”1a5dbfa49d641c4c

She couldn’t deny that 4ca7909e0e much with Lowell present.70f6c5f7246c20a6

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“It was me. Charlotte asked me to go in her place.”2eef684ee3f029ef

A brief flicker of emotion passed over Ludwig’s face.32f1bad5dae9e601

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“But that’s all there was to it. I don’t want to remember the past, and now that the Verben family has been wiped out… I’m no longer Jeanette Verben either.”07bffe4c8bdb12b4

“Are you saying you’re denying our relationship?”076561f231c6a0c3

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“I can’t deny that you’re Lowell’s father. But beyond that, I want us to keep our distance.”8254f7eca9af601a

Jeanette’s firm words a73865acef caused Ludwig’s expression 3c00f7b738 to darken.4c58aa88e76a5858

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“Why are you pushing me away?”4cc4756b0335486b

“I just… no longer…”6734112751a6e8e5

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“Mmm…”84b149ebe53a7e82

At that moment, 32c35a3959 Lowell stirred and 63d17e4955 let out a 91e58aa04d small moan. Both Jeanette and Ludwig 2d7ef5366c froze.328d36b68f99a5e7

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“Mmm… Mom…?”1a65151e9f7d23ce

“Yes, Lowell. Mommy’s here.”9dc4b5ce3d71be28

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“Mom… I had a scary dream…”ebf0a5570e2d4291

“Shall I sing you a lullaby?”6623eda273595392

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“No… It was a strange dream…”90f147c2b31f7c01

“Shh. It’s okay. Mommy’s here.”14e079780c8ffb59

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Jeanette’s whispered reassurance cd685487ed calmed Lowell, and 4803e841f2 he slowly closed 9e229e7f49 his eyes again.03332a0ae87811b3

Ludwig watched them for 38abe149c4 a moment before quietly 5aa33d9c99 leaving, vowing to return 10986e0c34 another time.0be18e4287855669

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