IFLDMHF – Chapter 144

IFLDMHF | Chapter 1446f921686f703a18b

Episode 1441248f889f7c03548

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Of course, it was undeniable 93965e7277 that it was a mysterious e0fb97ce77 item.b0b4ed9ce1d3e1d4

But even so, wasn’t it d3f8d3dff4 just for ornamental use?365c3cfa6a9f4168

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Kaiden doubted whether the 9347ef21f8 golden egg really held ea9ae691ba enough value for Evgenia e287b0d003 to be interested in.db45eae11e679ef4

Even though he was 6e17dc4d7a practically scouring the entire 4eaaf78156 continent to retrieve that dce121e829 golden egg under the c62b9e0279 emperor’s orders, he still 1b51a35009 felt that way.034c37864f7c5e1c

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‘Then why hasn’t she told me about it until now?’65db27210ccf4b91

If she had told him 54e29dc6d1 she wanted it, he would e35934382f have offered the golden egg 116d8a29f2 to Evgenia instead of the 1443d5bcf0 emperor.72ac58e700580bed

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As Kaiden thought about that cbb3c32966 absentmindedly, he realized for the d769bdc803 first time that he had 85483627fc never tried to deeply understand 26676f2b98 what Evgenia truly wanted.e3dd8d3920b58edf

Even though he 47327e11f0 had suspected there e8da64494d might be another 064eb2bf97 reason behind her f245ad4a8a rejection of the 88dfab88b9 crown princess title, 3b1a4f6431 not just as 77954e3713 an excuse.c7fe340dbddc7cbc

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Instead, he had only a4119cede8 wished for one thing.9ed92726a541b745

That Evgenia would relent f14803625f and truly love him, 6dec1ada07 just as he wanted.e9137816529ac29c

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This was the 3596e74ee4 first time he 666f7cbd82 had ever reflected 547cc8d142 on their relationship 2efd050f51 in this way.0e9a0a9794ea9979

“……”3d9c0b113a7a5c0e

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For some reason, his chest 67d60d3f8b felt tight and his mood 0d9bab81b4 strange.d4d527be583bbca0

He had always 15471d1cce known that his 7622cb2594 relationship with Evgenia 05e94713a8 wasn’t normal, but ec23ae51d6 he had believed 69e8e8cecb that all the 46fa2d2266 blame lay with f84322ec9b Evgenia.7e40b744bf4c665b

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‘Maybe…’0a6e1357aa20eda4

The thought that 5bc0f1ac90 he himself might 4e24e64892 have been at 8c835454a6 fault as well 7f149912e1 made his stomach 7f0dac0779 churn.50d1fd051335498c

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But Kaiden, born with c20f9766b4 an inherently arrogant nature, 4cebc6570e couldn’t bear even the 592ca7f4d4 fleeting notion that he 2501e7c160 might be wrong.d9632cbe350216ac

So, furrowing his brow, he 8396e6f818 shook off that feeling.ef9258f7cf29ef52

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And along with it da4c6c8522 came a foreboding premonition—that 0d532b5650 if he continued like 2db6812860 this, he would never 8f9b28915d be able to close 81f9023c6e the distance between him 9ab2be00f4 and Evgenia.61d65278f46b7f0b

“I still remember it clearly. The Duke of Basilian a218104a1a came to me asking 4a7aa47b15 if he could buy 8a153b7d61 it, saying it was aeda766f35 the first thing you 5952f08d79 ever said you wanted.”4da2946ab99482a2

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Recalling the moment d038264e05 fondly, the emperor 1d9c3f775c spoke but then 5c421b38f9 paused mid-sentence.9b6fad2ecdc89d7c

He had gone out 31dd199827 of his way to 7f623fbca9 call her the Duchess 8afced3b3f of Rudion and draw 67944998f3 a clear line, but 7021a629a2 now, excited, he had 29e3c582e2 unwittingly dragged the Duke 0e77c091e4 of Basilian into it.3f566028f319e115

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Still, the Duke of Basilian 71fa9f19bf would be sensitive to anything 7726c82919 involving his daughter, regardless of ac9eb936fa titles.fe21f58f5da3291b

But as he 902aaf90d2 held the empire’s 731c51c3c6 financial power, there 0cbaabb4db was no need b2921e4650 to create hostility.c0bbda668cc7a797

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The emperor added with 6816b4180a a gentle smile.616c6d9e7f751875

“Of course, considering what the golden egg symbolizes, it was an excessive request, but didn’t it also show the deep trust between the Duke of Basilian and the imperial family?”5c04331cbcb9b966

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Then he returned to the 610c6af656 main point.5410aa8887313cc1

“Of course, unless he were to offer an entire mana stone mine, the golden egg is a priceless item beyond monetary value, so I had no choice but to refuse.”fd472b0cf0705e8a

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At those words, Evgenia’s efb33b862f eyes lit up in c12281e6fe disbelief as she asked,7a2e8122be1ad01a

“An entire mana stone mine?”36277a0dde690778

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“Of course. The golden egg is 12adf8f10a worth that much!”364e969e5d6af738

Whether it was 7d19f5d4e0 arrogance or sincerity, 7bd8c04ce6 Evgenia couldn’t tell.6a00b9603397c06c

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But she was delighted to dc2c919e69 hear the word “mana stone” 1e08182e06 from the emperor’s mouth.171cb56d2b764db6

She hadn’t intended to 8ec83f665b hide it, so her 390792928e reaction was one of c8abc469de open interest, prompting the 4f95df8870 emperor to ask with d1535489fb a puzzled expression,b0732006cc7b90f8

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“Why? Are you planning to offer 2322ec262e a mana stone mine in 7ecb276815 exchange for the golden egg?”e47877e4e41d3482

“If I did, would you accept the deal?”97cf8fbe3f3864e6

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With no real 6e0407b82f intent, Evgenia asked fbf550ac73 slyly in return.057cf9262007e094

The emperor scoffed.66b3add40596449e

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“Hah! I might consider fd4ba74316 it, but even ea8b88ef30 the Duke of 2284659e28 Basilian, the wealthiest 6fb9aaa295 man on the 6d9fe5e4ec continent, doesn’t own 60d0af324e a mana stone 3220c0d25e mine.”6446ffc861da8a1e

And finally, the emperor 7594fa8f85 uttered the name of 6efee31eec the family he most e320d6c2b0 wanted to involve in 4aa1de1f86 this matter.ff48baa0a88f6675

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“Of course, the Duke of Rudion is no different. It’s a pity, really, that 0f2ea24539 they don’t even own a 5aa4831c40 decent mine, let alone one f81f3b3c7e with mana stones.”03b9f55d9a033c59

The emperor shook his e1bfed3f27 head with an exaggerated 0eb91fb517 voice.0777ad7eece1508c

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“There are rumors going around that I discriminate against the North and the Duke of Rudion, but isn’t that a completely ridiculous claim? I am the c3c8db8000 father of the f9b5d5acec empire—what father would d96df26a7b wish for his 5d9344ab1c child’s failure?”cbb320edffe18a35

At those words, 3b99c6007b Kaiden unconsciously twisted 9d6bdc3bdb his lips.d8176b0365243378

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Unaware that his 22006fbcdf only child was 2640d4cd19 mocking him, the a3385662df emperor continued with 7a64dfcc88 a disappointed look.6e512447d3037c2e

“But the barrenness of the North has existed since the founding of the empire, and since the Duke of Rudion has consistently refused the imperial family’s aid, what more could I do?”24a9f1eeda623f13

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‘Ah. So he intends to dump 909e100585 all the blame on the d8f15f4800 Duke of Rudion this way?’ccb0c9449f2ca88f

Evgenia curled up 3db30a7c30 one side of f764f683e7 her mouth.dc728fbfbf828de8

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“Is that true? Did the Duke dd9b25be46 of Rudion really 5a282ce1c2 reject your support?”e75150c7872eb359

The emperor was caught off a44b5d2547 guard, not expecting Evgenia to 6907d6afe4 question him here.da616546d7c180a3

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“Of course. Do you think I, the 522ad9225f emperor, would lie?”174cb4c153449204

But he quickly stiffened 844ea0e425 his face and threw 3747275165 the question back at 17fe02bcc0 her.0706f3194614f185

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Because he had 3a0585717f calculated that there d4c290a4aa was no way 77cea5af4f she could directly db2d015666 contradict his words 1f932c6be3 here.bfd3c43b79d33db1

The House of Rudion, fd739e9dfe which barely caught its 40a728b799 breath through this marriage 5da18c141e alliance, had no solid 8afa0af281 foundation and would be cab1fb39e7 doomed if it opposed bd30887207 the imperial family.cd9a143c2630ee9b

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Even if they 1f0bcc4ddf trusted the House a9eca404c4 of Basilian, they b9a90b5ded had no military dde8aace44 power to confront f4f866d496 the empire.93f044a29cf5cfc4

Now emboldened, the 494da2b21b emperor found Evgenia—who b98127e4e4 had dared to ab72c538df put him on 0383aff472 the spot—deeply offensive.22b6aa051ca609ed

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So he deliberately mocked b4233c07e2 what she had said bba117fd80 at the victory ceremony.028ee3b8865e627c

“It seems you haven’t grasped the situation yet, as you’ve only recently become the duchess. It would be best 1e6890bbed for you to have 0093002a15 more conversations with your b32977ca2c ‘one and only wonderful’ 4e2b2f2b47 husband.”19a243a03144a0bf

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His words carried 19bc120ab5 more than sarcasm; adee16231c they insinuated that, 6bf9dc79b7 despite appearances, she 2e967d0b67 hadn’t even been 43d199ea9a entrusted with the 99b0fdb1e1 internal affairs of da82c20523 the House of 41b50c10ee Rudion and that e2d02b81e7 theirs was a fb5305c2be distant, superficial relationship.3ca045e8bf57e61d

Considering that Evgenia had 3bfcdf7602 begun organizing the ledgers 0e9c7fd6c7 just a day after 840e8d4d16 arriving at the ducal 0695a01189 estate, his words were 5f5e15fcf0 absurd.fa9763f2f9c8fb02

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It was at that moment 14a8bc9260 that Euclid, who had been d9d97c64fb listening, became choked up and d1388b9eb0 almost stepped forward without thinking.f303fda9cc649fb0

“I see. Perhaps I misunderstood Your Majesty’s a066f1173d sincerity by only looking at b353c7ca3e the reality in front of 033369dd6b me.”690b3a1a344c1085

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As if she eb0753f870 had anticipated Euclid’s dac7d7ad89 outburst and sought ae70aee61d to stop it d1e4f88f34 in advance, Evgenia 70b7e717c0 quickly bowed her 49e65343c9 head.4f35d8cd0e290c90

If she agreed dd8e190e13 with the emperor’s eaf55e2b43 words here, it 6707c5a3e1 would later undermine 51ea2e49a4 the legitimacy of cd14608d13 independence.c93dab05f92fdb4f

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So she used the word 4b8ceff76d misunderstanding, leaving room for interpretation 2484169ed3 and stepping back just enough.d58ffa491abc14c4

Fortunately, the emperor seemed f1c8e0d2ed satisfied with having drawn 7a2228cb01 even this degree of 98d5a514ae polite response from the 4cb8190a10 usually prideful Evgenia, and 5a2b8d5fce he soon put on 0d6a4c3dfc a benevolent expression.287dcf9b05890213

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“If you’ve realized it now, then that’s a relief.”616a328ad3b4c04f

And once again, he 41b2ea3d27 emphasized the grace of ec56444c24 the imperial family, opening e8aa8ac7b6 his mouth to further 90b2a5a4f6 paint the Rudion ducal b862d050da house as ungrateful for 802556a698 not recognizing that grace.e74aa3927acd5d22

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“In fact, I was a bit disappointed to hear that you were staying at the Basilian mansion instead of the Rudion estate here in the capital.”ff863ab3be4ee9e1

“……”ed245088810e10b7

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“Of course, it’s not that I don’t understand your desire to stay at your family home, Duchess, but I do hope you’ll visit the capital frequently even from the North. After all, the Rudion estate 7c24882163 in the capital, which is e3a4e8a699 managed entirely by the imperial 80c024a53f household down to the servants, ff56addbcd has been left empty without d2ef090d94 its mistress.”0e96ee0b8a929392

Evgenia let out a hollow c1fa44527b laugh as she looked at 3bc25fb334 the emperor, who had finally bc07222a29 brought up the Rudion estate 80748c5e7d in the capital, something she 11b14e0c41 had only suspected he might 425e74e6e6 do.f196aa16f796e011

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She had already received 99807ec40c a report on the c9c5455a70 matter and now found 0ccd005efe his words shameless.7c607d23e64ec089

But whether he f0c385c3a0 had become engrossed 27da5e7555 in his own 3e3d836082 lie or not, 1e77ba8db8 the emperor wore 6df6a0ad70 the pitiful expression f8040cf9f7 of a magnanimous c3adf3f887 ruler willing to eec8e8d32b embrace a wayward 2327a06702 subject at his 3a386156d8 own expense.d55771497da9bd10

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Even Evgenia, who 6b3304261a had only recently acd632da39 become the duchess, 2da61e2807 felt a surge 1902b6614c of anger seeing f07bfe292c that face—how much 4ce9abf5ab more must Euclid 36cddd32b3 be feeling?d0a49a569ceca58e

Evgenia glanced sideways at Euclid 594844aafa with concern in her eyes.ec0e3e2afc9cb57f

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As expected, his expression 1e3901cfd6 was dark and sunken.515b5c147e7875bd

Biting her lip faa5207ce4 slightly, Evgenia’s gaze e512988fc8 passed Euclid and e30f7bf92a briefly turned toward aab3f2dc54 the terrace, before 2cc5ce1fe4 finally landing on 2adde06b85 the closed main 4cc8992114 doors of the a73ca64cec grand hall.822297cd7cc1473c

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Then she brightened 11ee60086e her expression and 949448baeb turned back to 098c72db5e the emperor.a60732c63b5333bb

“I had no idea Your Majesty cared so deeply for the North and the House of Rudion.”f3b2693eb8bc6b7b

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“But of course—”a167330dc180d28a

“Then, may I take it to mean that Your Majesty wishes for the North to rise from its hardships and prosper, unlike in the past?”adfa8292f6b7327c

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The emperor paused at 9712ddde38 the sudden question.c77fb25f8a575a66

Even if he had immersed aedbd93254 himself in the role of 22f3cfa154 a benevolent monarch, it wasn’t 502b0d2ce8 enough to completely conceal his de32a2df85 true intentions.2df623a32ae651d8

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“Why? Didn’t you just say so? That there’s no 141c1993ea father who would 6244104f66 wish ill upon e84fded790 his own child. Surely you weren’t 6ce224aafe being insincere in d9c52f23f6 all you’ve said 964cbf2bcf until now, were 5a290658aa you?”87fd8bb3dae8a01c

“Th-that would be absurd. Of course I sincerely wish 6479204161 for the North to flourish.”52e202bed04e90f4

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Pressed by Evgenia’s bb14338f8f barrage of questions a6175efbea and suspicious gaze, 847519ba39 the emperor had f36487a9df no choice but 377f154298 to answer through 5b688472ae gritted teeth.2fa2688de7ec4d48

If he hesitated here, even 317f017d71 his feeble excuses about never 5a6c0599c3 oppressing the North or the 48f54f61f9 Rudion house would fall apart.2ae036e33299eff5

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But with that forced reply 4568ef42fa came a creeping sense of 97af695142 shame and defeat over having 4b8b40865c said something so hollow.4891ec49c43fc53e

On top of eb1a65a2d0 that, blessing the 654546dbe0 North when he b51292b68f knew full well 4322e1f81a his words carried 3b82f85cbe no real weight 3a26d7bfec left him feeling c048f72384 uneasy.ec61773ecb395f95

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So he added words db9ca80586 that didn’t need to 7b0faf37c6 be said.6d83a1dd66b43749

“But the North’s poverty isn’t something that started yesterday or today. Even if the 45b363afc8 Duke of Basilian c103fc5527 stepped in, that 04aea4bda5 barren land won’t 5c5932a6c6 easily change. Though my heart 3d12097bae aches, if prosperity 7587602788 were so easily 45be591180 achieved, it would 6de883cdad have happened long 253d2b5cdf ago…”50b4269a52e32d8e

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At that moment—869631dafdd816a5

Suddenly, the grand 693553f427 hall’s main doors d808e69786 burst open, and 52730731b8 a belatedly informed 97137cd9c7 attendant shouted,626086e96d681b47

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“Th-the Tower Master is entering!”776fabc044b45ad6

• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •6ed73fbea9a2d405

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