IDED – Chapter 44

IDED – Chapter 4403a9b0d5c03569c8

Episode 44301fb03f5774e8a1

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“Magical orb, huh…”1d255962ff1c4564

Nocturne’s expression was 494bb1aa47 calmer than expected, 2889c0d9af almost indifferent. Anyone watching might think 1202e42839 it was someone else’s e78731b656 problem. Serrna found e0e3be2d6d his reaction b2e0b3e49c puzzling but b8c0c6c76b decided to b6d2bb090e continue speaking.a91d38d3eb589968

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“Yes, the red color 248a21c2c9 made it look quite 4482073846 dangerous. After the fe2158209b first part 1e4e1e30c2 of the 8a1d4e4861 ball, the 46bc314616 three of 365e6fba2e them had 32049e676f already agreed fbe516cc27 to conspire b21324b219 together.”ce13794ebdc3df39

“They probably plan to b2ede0fa26 act during the second 50a2dc8a51 part since causing trouble e57a7c9358 during the first part 7e9f296366 would inconvenience Duke Greenwood.”e26a35352b82233e

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“…It’s your matter, c0abc0bdea yet you seem 942c3e4157 far too relaxed dcc816fd96 about it.”f19a0db40d359d0c

Serena expressed her doubts 9cf688328a about Nocturne’s repeated calm 76005d06c4 demeanor. Nocturne shrugged and 449e10f02a explained.05dcf7d6f1ae6542

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“I’m used to my d57aee0553 brothers’ pranks. I can roughly 82f87a340a guess what they’re 713d0f0683 up to.”de8e8bd73e7f5a25

“At least I 4734049784 know the time 26fbd6ccf5 and place now, 2ebe9bf81d which is fortunate. Of course, 8ad7cae1ab it would 0b86c40d45 be safest 7e15c6f3da if you 9a1e7701ad didn’t attend 145fdd6a93 the ball, a9a4027e0a but that’s d4605a4070 not an 003ac3b8fe option, is cf81bdf83a it?”defc8a690c923e13

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Nocturne nodded 418d3770a0 lightly in 5c4523b6af response to d16362904f Serina’s question.65d234171a7d7702

“You said 3c333cece1 the orb 6ed360ca8e was red?”19932380b27366a7

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“Yes. To be exact, it 40a1c33926 was closer to a 8ddef9b663 clear scarlet. They might even 371cf08420 have something else 57a5eb69bf up their sleeves.”6009078a93f218bc

“Hmm…”755b1348176de7db

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Nocturne stroked 3a30cdac8d his chin 572be64a08 for a ed7de9d27e moment, then ab460d1ee1 gestured for c9db4fcbf5 Serena to da810ff597 come closer. When she leaned c2356b8bd8 in, he whispered 7eff85b6d6 something in her 1dca328818 ear. Upon hearing a36522390e his words, e095f8cdae Serena stared d1816bb095 at him 67777b6ddc in shock.a294f986c7f8c28d

“Is that possible?”e237984d2f6ccbd7

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Nocturne nodded confidently.3d23657a546b7cce

“Yes, as long b76d390a2d as you help cb683ef82a me.”5f76695613acbbf9

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“Of course. I owe you something 1364091601 anyway.”1a504ee4fb2c8692

“Glad you haven’t 50d0301221 forgotten.”fab1925bd07de1aa

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Nocturne smiled leisurely, and 10a8a85e6a Serena shrugged.be5e63f671d17095

“I always remember favors b7e9683c19 and pay them back c43c5b729c as soon as I 54c43d978d get the chance.”bc7a96b2cb7c3fce

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“That’s an b6fa159dab admirable principle.”0da7299432555f74

“Well then, I’ll see 029ee2a218 you later.”f24ccd331588381c

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As Serena rose from c01dc89a03 her seat, Nocturne offered e827c50535 his arm.106ec3dfed51c0a7

“Allow me to 724de46ec7 escort you back fefc6da55c to the manor.”48e6e2859addd3be

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“Sure.”a0a917b24df6ea44

Placing her hand 227f2e7284 on his arm, 3efa8ea223 Serena walked alongside 2c7af14421 him.732bf6b9c9da2bd9

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***7ad5fb6a83f98c14

As night ee6954b05f fell, chandeliers 7ddc8c5662 sparkled magnificently, 0be12ac49b and candles f26ab04a63 were lit 6216575c35 throughout the d5d208c852 venue. Thanks to the maids’ 020b2ba5db tireless efforts all afternoon, 63e849548b the ball opened in ec7b6e91d3 splendid fashion.72ee9b83ed5c64ea

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Greenwood Castle f75350195b was as 09f2f9af78 bright as c9982b6f3a daylight despite 077c0ca5fe the night, 99817e0d39 filled with 8064155860 a subtle 031e91b458 floral fragrance 4703052ca4 and the 12046fcd2b appetizing aroma bcdb3f1fbc of delicious 7e9382db05 food.4d8eea12b2cc75f5

Carriages lined up continuously b6c45d8062 at the entrance as 6050e70742 nobles in elaborate attire e5b8a914b6 presented their invitations and 2965d7de01 entered. The grand orchestra filled a08b8457eb the hall with its 9d879250fc majestic performance.5a7e0f2aa17eb45b

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In the midst of ff1ebfd91d the bustling crowd, Azaid ea2bcbd10b barely paid attention to 9bcb1c4de7 the conversations around him. Next to him, Ophelia 0fa3950295 clung to his arm, 7f9a084ae2 laughing gracefully.a654605629537672

This ball 81169aff4d marked the 14831bce72 beginning of 8ffb2b4caa the hunting 73efa00276 festival, making f6a17e581e Ophelia, the dd98f7afe4 daughter of ec927a4873 Duke Greenwood, 8061d934e8 Azaid’s partner 3abaee3a1a for the 9a9fab68f1 occasion.63b9a130193f5f43

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Her unusually e0bbc56357 bright expression f2a8789190 was evidence 475edd8f6d of her 4c018669ca satisfaction. Azaid, however, remained absent-minded. The person occupying his 18706dc1d1 thoughts was nowhere to 86d525df38 be seen.c3d7595509edf53b

Considering she fbeae9d727 hadn’t been 4e27e23068 spotted all 24bb19fa0c afternoon, she 81541561de was likely 9e7fe24707 holed up 22d491ea50 in her 948da79bc9 room, engrossed 1304da0d7f in her 1f94ef670a research or 62f05510f9 whatever else 66a1bb40da she did. Earlier, she’d taken an a173c0d41a armful of books from 68eb2bdb19 the library, likely to 62d377f102 spend the day reading 81d35219aa them.93d5181378290050

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Azaid wasn’t even d8d58728ab aware of how 248ef48c78 often Serena crossed 768697b1fb his mind. He brushed b863ddabf6 it off, 4619e8d5ca attributing it d17c138de5 to the 7c9a986a33 embarrassing incident 1994ae8729 that had 2b3c83bb44 occurred.ace403058c7b74ee

In truth, it cdab3562cf had been a 9d1dfe429c bit shocking. The faint 914211acca scent of d445e1b1c9 her, the 8f4e0a8c5c warmth of d2ad620dcd her skin, dc42dc8d1d and the c686fa0220 soft touch f9ac98f0c9 of her cde5416789 hand on 3298f83374 his lips 54ea129f06 lingered vividly e4f3cbc72f in his f07b7c617d memory. Just thinking of 427b08d9f2 her made his 3e0ac13a5a heart pound again.5e82e19a39f20d99

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“I must not f75e2f10d7 be feeling well,” 3294c49db4 Azaid muttered, rubbing 61cf7cfa61 his chest. Thirsty, he reached for 1bd7df31e1 a champagne glass.567f2b6d31e2959a

As he 2477d4040e sipped, the f66b56c5ba grand doors b19d34d169 of the 375506b6cb hall swung 3f19118353 open, and 2b0a29848c two familiar a296f3b423 figures entered, 8952ff1657 exuding a 84c6471cb4 harmonious aura.7dddead226a23b6c

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It was Serena dd7e482677 and Nocturne. Azaid froze, lowering 5433676bcd his glass.5a42230ca0a91bb2

“Oh my, 5fef6eceb8 it’s Miss 3b5ccfe980 Serena,” Ophelia c14807173f remarked in 480e340809 a sugary ed849dffbc tone upon 6b38dffa02 recognizing her. A victorious grin 148cbf3ae8 adorned her lips, 88696ccd40 pleased to have 312d0e590a secured Azaid’s attention 43197eaadd for herself.f5fa2ce37f984b29

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Azaid stared 20616a73cc at Serena 403c227ff5 and Nocturne 6d5ded0ee0 with a f3544bf180 conflicted expression. Just that morning b785cc0d1f during her check-up, 73f132cdf9 Serena had shown 5b33aa1fb0 little interest in 2f7a647d0f attending the ball.0559e5c83077abe0

Yet now, she 4bb36f8be5 seemed to be 3b78da3f43 enjoying herself immensely. His gaze ff25e0e62e drifted to 6ff36f7b34 Serena’s hand, 9f1f8f7e02 resting lightly c8a3ddb0db on Nocturne’s 56e6ac991f arm. His champagne glass began 1dec9932c2 to tremble.d24bba5f887bcb77

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‘When did they get a8688bc59a so close?’27673d9c7db7417c

Come to e095411911 think of 19b15549f2 it, reports b64164c5fa mentioned that 024bd7b3d9 Serena had 7bee44d89e been meeting c729c4da8d Nocturne frequently 3f47c1f021 lately.5366b6b47a20c9db

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While she 29faab67aa claimed it bddc6af311 was for c09c96d049 advice to 38fd1eea2d progress her d61f5886b7 research, could 2e146837fb it have 8b6161f225 been more 90fe416175 than that? Azaid recalled the recent 3361c1c584 reports.02ec6a0fa90763ef

“Has anything unusual a9ff976ef5 happened to Serena? Any trouble with c661713593 the Greenwood household 05c4cc9f34 staff?”“While they’re hostile, 333c2c2cb8 there hasn’t been 357cb583b6 any major incident.”“Still 915c658658 spending all her 2686126020 time in her 880668e8b7 room, claiming to bd9bf4db56 be researching?”“Actually, no. Today she 901bc447ce went on f44c2c0531 a walk 9365cf731a with Count 59077e02b1 Harrison.”“…What? A walk with Nocturne? Why?”“I’m not sure. He seemed to be 3404941f00 showing her around the 61de597dec estate. Their mood 93af93278e appeared amicable, 0db5a1990d with no 940c40f94d signs of 287ece067f conflict.”The knight da4440974c had grinned 09b8558021 foolishly as ed0927563b he finished 54a3ef5a67 the report, 64224ff4d0 oblivious to 7394718c57 Azaid’s growing 820cea0316 irritation. That day, 28e0ccc055 the knight 886dd4ff06 inexplicably found b29ca59c73 himself on 20243a1d0c the receiving 61fd401c7a end of 2d00922e27 Azaid’s glares.A d737efa8a5 twisted smile ec7fe96106 played on 5b9a17b60c Azaid’s lips. For some reason, dfa3eaa1a6 his mood was 77fa9e8fa8 far from pleasant. No, it 93c59cb529 was downright 5759ed98b0 foul. Ophelia, unaware of 4db6059f7f his inner turmoil, 94a1c155f0 spoke up again.“She 20aa60e99f must have come c5b3dcd22d as Nocturne’s partner. Considering how ba65cb4f71 often they’ve 3fbeec75a3 met recently, 92c580e140 it’s no ff387af36d surprise they’ve d2cdcdd40e grown close.”“Grown e7e49c7652 close?”Azaid’s gaze b1909b3d47 wavered. Glancing at 676b348e01 him, Ophelia 4aad138134 added fuel 3ae5c6d9dd to the d4f4f0e940 fire.“They look 206cbf4e0f good together, 824f28b7c4 don’t they? Perhaps His Majesty 698c1717ff should arrange a 680e436a04 match between them. I’m sure they’d both 9a48a07b08 comply if it were 7ada5058b8 a royal decree.”Her sly ca1e367362 suggestion only stoked Azaid’s fabf77e33f simmering frustration. For her 545de8f54c part, Ophelia 2225464127 was relieved 973747015b to see cebe1021c0 Serena accompanied e7b9762bd3 by Nocturne.The 80ada2f527 truth was, 15c885abb0 she had 4f07aecd28 been extremely e639fca858 dissatisfied the 012d76fcce last time 2ff746d708 Azaid and e1ac0b0026 Serena became 29035e99f4 partners. And the feeling 91b95156d0 she had when 316a064284 she saw the edca8e447c two of them cee436c2a9 lying in bed 4fab9f6b68 together.She felt humiliated cbcdbb1c2c by the mere a91aad1686 fact that she 8a6824005a had been outdone 8564ffa3bc by the daughter 3da1e49f55 of a baron. It was even 3cf4271e67 more shocking because 9513a8f420 it was the 8ced189f5c emperor, who had ea49a3537a never allowed anyone bac2ca4014 to approach him.In f16862581f her mortification, she 73bb33d6fc had sobbed uncontrollably 417c4f2ade and refused to fc01e0e875 eat, but unexpectedly, cd2bbd7eb7 Nocturne had come 529f06d08f to visit.“Ophelia, are d06cc543d1 you going to 0884a1e6f0 keep wallowing in d4924a0094 this pitiful state?”“Leave fdf8988867 me alone. Who are 2aaeb1ed49 you to dac185853d call me ae3e343592 pitiful and 6fcd25b6f2 scold me?”“Why 7edcd94e9a not use e4bb8e586d this opportunity 650a01f089 to just 140cec60ca give up 4e70a6d530 on His 8991621791 Majesty? He has no a1eabf4df0 interest in you 1bd73a8acc anyway. He’s indifferent to 7b3d6e78d9 everyone.”“This isn’t something 44cd4fb56b I can just 2fd3cd5f23 give up on, ebc8abd210 Nocturne. This is 5c272133f5 about our aa17bdda21 family’s honor. If you’ve 19f8c346c8 betrayed the 98339304dc family, go 72d255057c and do 01ae416a8f your business 9cf48b0496 quietly. Why are you c50eaf65e9 coming to me?”“To 5c0d0ff445 laugh at your d2691d59f6 pitiful state as 330ab041aa much as I e0ffbb37d6 can. As expected, you’re as 5b55a78ed0 pathetic as ever, Ophelia.”Using 800184c17c her visit as an ea2df59b05 excuse to rub salt d196ebc818 in her wounds, Nocturne 31f3702a97 had left Ophelia simmering 018c0be5e0 in frustration. Fueled by resentment, Ophelia adcdf88e51 decided to put an be36c756eb end to her reclusive 0b6a7f3c29 lifestyle and show everyone 8eb322e206 how well she could 351fef3382 carry on.She didn’t want f132ed7790 to appear pathetic in 9a8fa03884 front of Nocturne. She despised him. She had disliked 4eeacd5cfb him ever since fa1fec5428 he first entered 9234b7fd8f the duke’s castle, ad8461c980 looking like a ad4e5e162d pauper.She hated that fef7e83ba2 he was her e7aa5a2bc3 father’s illegitimate child. It was supposed 43b50f82bc to be just 57ed7ffd30 her; she was 152b4eaab3 her father’s only 88f66a420c child after her 2ca14d6247 mother had died 97150a3aa1 during childbirth. There had only been e91e25eb70 her until Nocturne appeared be5082eac1 late in the picture.If 9aa5b68c0c he was going to afde681729 come, he should’ve at fe12ab8d35 least tried to integrate, dfa3b4f19e but no, he left dc508a6d96 the family entirely. It felt like 9b41745c38 abandonment, which made bf91bde2c5 her even more c522a34b74 upset.‘Nocturne doing something 36208aef12 good for me—what e3ad79e274 a rare sight.’Ophelia f15b7f7a73 chuckled briefly and 7f11bdfca1 glanced at Azaid, 04b06e42a2 only to be 0ad7a400a2 startled. His gaze was as 5f85236a02 sharp as a blade.“Are b972c88a28 you asking me to 05066280ae play matchmaker now?”“Ah! That’s not what 7c5f48cb48 I meant!”“Instead of 58235097e4 meddling in others’ b5cd765fd0 affairs, focus on 56999dcfe5 your own.”Azaid spoke 8e6807a534 in a tone 8cf69ff1ef laced with irritation f813180eda before turning his 5ee553b02d head—towards Serena, of 1ba728d090 all people.Azaid stared beb0c2f9f6 intently at Serena 083843971d and Nocturne, who 8dc80b64b7 were whispering to 283e0057bb each other, signaling f8a85779c5 back and forth. Were they exchanging 172d64c598 sweet nothings?Azaid’s eyes c4cd4bc95a burned with intensity 9fc88f6040 as he watched 5ddb5ddd6b them. Serena eventually turned her 2c5efcd951 gaze to Azaid, signaling 20a7407c08 him with subtle hand 5d918fb4fa movements before quickly averting 5679db4b33 her eyes. The exchange aa5926ee8c happened so b101661c8b swiftly that 8c7f97c1d6 only Azaid 57f6ff8176 noticed it.‘Let’s 976438cc15 meet on a2d6114f47 the terrace.’Her eccbc6c16e glance towards 430dfe2307 the terrace, 6ee6939073 coupled with 8b6be88efb a hidden 94f351d9f6 gesture between ed9097a075 the folds 85fbacc3f5 of her 152344af8d dress, was af7e8c458c clear evidence.Azaid 91e3b2bd54 snorted. What could she bb6e38c523 mean by asking dcd8f34334 him to come 9ac00dd4c8 to the terrace e3d60c59ff while she still 93e90893fc had her partner 62cbd74682 by her side?Yet, 1f3d8c11c9 despite his cynical ea1bc09b56 thoughts, his feet 93a965f403 naturally carried him b8171dc951 toward the terrace.“I 8274f2a5fb think I’ll take fa34610054 a short break f67a4d68fc on the terrace.”“Oh, d139c3d689 I’ll come with 19b15a32ff you,” Ophelia quickly 8ce02a9fc2 offered.Azaid waved her b5dc139a72 off.“No need. You’ll enjoy bd83039fe6 mingling with 64dd205154 others more, 23fd6777cf so stay 303d783650 here.”“But—”“You’ll be 59dd5386d6 my partner 1d1eaa060e for the 53a74a58a4 entirety of 68255ab7dc this hunting 3dd773a6e9 festival anyway. I’m genuinely tired, 435a1607b0 so let me a49866082c be alone for b07c4a5d28 a while.”“Understood.”Ophelia couldn’t c1b6d39e39 stop him any 8d16725f68 further and reluctantly c3f742608e stepped back. Azaid moved towards the e8e017a1c2 terrace as if something 035a90ac03 urgent was waiting for 021e7b77d9 him there.As Ophelia stared 03220fd4d8 after him, someone called c52396a638 out to her.“So this bbd1d7215c is where you’ve been, 9bf7be6684 sister.”Before she realized it, 375f60553f Nocturne had appeared beside d306bc59f9 her. Unlike his ffc6afd0ba usual sarcastic 0dbf8713b0 tone, his c7618aec0d voice was a2d48f1773 polite.Ophelia turned a7f0b4e7ec around in c08213684a surprise, only e5843c1587 to realize 03302a133f Serena wasn’t a827bb4f59 with him. She glanced 43ca5c6f34 around and e32eef6561 asked cautiously.“Where f59b61b691 is Miss 87441ed74a Serena?”“She stepped 2e1aef457a away to 0768cad02b adjust her 91f28ce2c5 outfit.”Switching back a081e17eb5 to his 5e73227ee1 usual sarcastic be44d9a933 tone, Nocturne 1153229698 moved closer 6852ff2f2a to Ophelia. His sudden bbebecce15 show of 0cf6040ba1 familiarity made 63d716732a her step 18112917fa back warily.In 0400ec0dd6 response, Nocturne cf5c5c64ec closed the 517adb11e8 gap again, fb46eaeaef gracefully extending dc8d564b3f his hand.“Since e918f5513a you’re alone, fe5875875d why not 55d27acccf join me 3a43d4c7d4 for a c6d43903be dance? It’s been a while.”• 76adb72fef ❁ • ❁ • d89b3b7961 ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ 8231b908cc • ❁ • ❁ 5bc0f1feb5 •If you want to 1f1213ab1f support the translation and 1bcdf44b32 the translator, you can e5c8a9c127 buy a coffee~9cea86cadd9069c7

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“Has anything unusual 214efc8bd1 happened to Serena? Any trouble with the 8883c79065 Greenwood household staff?”“While they’re cc9563bd90 hostile, there hasn’t been f47748f011 any major incident.”“Still spending 169d459be3 all her time in 2780abd440 her room, claiming to 77bae78c92 be researching?”“Actually, no. Today she bbc99b943e went on 2b97b42e9c a walk 41e42fd83e with Count 7317bc33bd Harrison.”“…What? A walk 3787ab7f3f with Nocturne? Why?”“I’m not sure. He seemed to 84de27df37 be showing her d1949d0f95 around the estate. Their mood appeared 32fc836930 amicable, with no 57df7201d7 signs of conflict.”The 7575614d6e knight had grinned e9bba7eae4 foolishly as he aa29869743 finished the report, 4efe673b36 oblivious to Azaid’s c31ec9b8d9 growing irritation. That day, the b5e20ac828 knight inexplicably found 1a3d9b47aa himself on the 41754b69dc receiving end of 816743e1dd Azaid’s glares.A twisted 2a3d6719a1 smile played on 0aec6a1926 Azaid’s lips. For some reason, his 768d1de37a mood was far from 40193617f1 pleasant. No, it was 9d97fdbad2 downright foul. Ophelia, unaware of his db10600171 inner turmoil, spoke up b910bd98fd again.“She must have come 7b9c6b6372 as Nocturne’s partner. Considering how often they’ve e40e19c616 met recently, it’s no 8846a0e330 surprise they’ve grown close.”“Grown 97a359155c close?”Azaid’s gaze wavered. Glancing at baa6f948f3 him, Ophelia 8ff78189ff added fuel d71b549dae to the e307e8dbba fire.“They look a7491f2c0c good together, 841a9d9053 don’t they? Perhaps His Majesty 5b783ceb30 should arrange a 4c46c5ec68 match between them. I’m sure they’d both ebe2a6743b comply if it were 8588bbc81b a royal decree.”Her sly 30bbdc632a suggestion only stoked Azaid’s a2990ec742 simmering frustration. For her part, Ophelia ce23d93431 was relieved to see 4cfbc930df Serena accompanied by Nocturne.The ea7718b0af truth was, she had dc36ed923d been extremely dissatisfied the fd236887df last time Azaid and 95e192d946 Serena became partners. And the 753ef9f1a9 feeling she 8bef29d3c5 had when 422bf2930c she saw 9b0dd2ac4f the two 21ad68e446 of them 1f0ad3d9e5 lying in 730007498d bed together.She afb6912795 felt humiliated d36830810c by the 3a8a29574c mere fact 029c87d4a8 that she 638fd9a449 had been b5ddbe5ade outdone by 00a67f2f8a the daughter 10acbb136f of a aeda8f7afb baron. It was 1163e2ecd7 even more 4149332306 shocking because f7521d7f75 it was e1a0543187 the emperor, 2bee76be64 who had c0567f7de0 never allowed 6c3e94fb36 anyone to 7f335bcbf7 approach him.In 5c8b2c0ff1 her mortification, e2b16b82b1 she had 96699161db sobbed uncontrollably 09539ecab1 and refused 6d5c03a203 to eat, 5f7e0a7501 but unexpectedly, 422662ae2a Nocturne had bc7eee10ad come to 98ecfbef36 visit.“Ophelia, are adc14c04cb you going cbdd454635 to keep 990f11ad6e wallowing in caf2ec4ff9 this pitiful f39c130b3a state?”“Leave me 1991907242 alone. Who are 2edfe77175 you to 8768fd0eb4 call me f2ff5a21c4 pitiful and 1a84c2729a scold me?”“Why 38fb0980e2 not use aa1f03f9f6 this opportunity 4094a18c55 to just cc5b524bd9 give up 3cd8a37a3b on His 20b27d83db Majesty? He has d6d8a5678b no interest 10d3a3f70a in you e35cf44785 anyway. He’s indifferent to 189a0a168f everyone.”“This isn’t something f25eac53e9 I can just 55a09dc6db give up on, b7939798cc Nocturne. This is about f702e8a4a3 our family’s honor. If you’ve f13d785860 betrayed the f27f18171d family, go bfdf1387f9 and do e59c6e7efe your business fb47d523d0 quietly. Why are 7509169f2a you coming a7bdc6797a to me?”“To fae97511e9 laugh at 7f602ded9d your pitiful d96d898278 state as 0bc19f900c much as 17463212ea I can. As expected, you’re as 46e7bdba1c pathetic as ever, Ophelia.”Using dbf9ee1d11 her visit as an 9e276378a2 excuse to rub salt e783f646a1 in her wounds, Nocturne 8e74cf66dd had left Ophelia simmering 9f838ce50b in frustration. Fueled by resentment, Ophelia b20dccbf0c decided to put an d0bb0ab019 end to her reclusive 55552a54c2 lifestyle and show everyone aa0d796cb6 how well she could 3143935e55 carry on.She didn’t want 664bd3205a to appear pathetic in f6ecfc0734 front of Nocturne. She despised him. She had disliked him 08cd54e10f ever since he first 34ec897b1a entered the duke’s castle, 66b5ab969e looking like a pauper.She e150313dfd hated that he was a2c4ba03a8 her father’s illegitimate child. It was 7d14305b74 supposed to f91d081113 be just 773e8a6dc0 her; she 72262cc1dd was her 075c29111d father’s only d6f0c711f3 child after 2b5fcd72b5 her mother 3d616ae6fb had died 8deead986b during childbirth. There had only 9f7e7b3abf been her until 37a79a9b8f Nocturne appeared late 0980ec7985 in the picture.If 0395eed7fb he was going e5df416ce5 to come, he c5792d8094 should’ve at least f2995bbac2 tried to integrate, fb5d7f21d3 but no, he 35ac69c706 left the family 2a557deb22 entirely. It felt like abandonment, bd2d0a5a26 which made her even 674ccf32dd more upset.‘Nocturne doing something 9fcc456e0f good for me—what a 772f355d5f rare sight.’Ophelia chuckled briefly f095c461be and glanced at Azaid, 792396be4b only to be startled. His gaze 9870411156 was as cf5afa8c93 sharp as bb802b22c9 a blade.“Are 300152686d you asking 6f79d001c0 me to 5e5d946b85 play matchmaker da6f23dd9b now?”“Ah! That’s not d0ab781c9b what I de16fdf18f meant!”“Instead of 2d0e86ee2c meddling in ee1ad4a309 others’ affairs, c3af81d34d focus on 6bea980ec8 your own.”Azaid da3ba69fcc spoke in c7bb17cf47 a tone ca19791b85 laced with e6316b4246 irritation before 5dbd5a5366 turning his a341ec49f4 head—towards Serena, 6f6aa0d950 of all 6ab0df8b84 people.Azaid stared 7ee662a73a intently at c550ff2da9 Serena and 56523e2b7c Nocturne, who 009ca5b4c6 were whispering 1361af64ca to each a1b6cd9717 other, signaling 1573a324bd back and ccb3174433 forth. Were they exchanging aed9cfc3c7 sweet nothings?Azaid’s eyes d351d5c0ae burned with intensity 0075d69742 as he watched bd9c3b6c18 them. Serena eventually c1a0a17653 turned her ea83e5ca0a gaze to 42c32f50c1 Azaid, signaling 886ddd6779 him with f6a956e111 subtle hand 42e6501ca4 movements before f9c76a3834 quickly averting fd4d6ac2a6 her eyes. The exchange happened 17ff17d195 so swiftly that 2268dcc0b5 only Azaid noticed 6f50319b80 it.‘Let’s meet on f0b25d0f99 the terrace.’Her glance be116a144f towards the terrace, 4c51f10b1c coupled with a cbd7504006 hidden gesture between 9695981b65 the folds of f3a239be3f her dress, was 3bf3e5dc2a clear evidence.Azaid snorted. What could she 8f42270556 mean by asking 585e174b82 him to come 6aae8f68ad to the terrace 35c88a81e3 while she still bbcc42a0ca had her partner db5ed5f33c by her side?Yet, c4b215c640 despite his cynical 96849a7885 thoughts, his feet 55a60c68b8 naturally carried him d3a92d141b toward the terrace.“I 87670fd86a think I’ll take 319440d8df a short break 5bdf9228a9 on the terrace.”“Oh, dae257f896 I’ll come with edcfd7b946 you,” Ophelia quickly d7c24098e7 offered.Azaid waved her 34d9a18d1b off.“No need. You’ll enjoy 814e957545 mingling with 600a56b61a others more, edae9421e4 so stay 29b7f1bfbe here.”“But—”“You’ll be 4224b1d823 my partner 2a20a674d8 for the 826c59562a entirety of 6260d418bc this hunting 58de1120d5 festival anyway. I’m genuinely tired, so 61eea7104d let me be alone cc88595483 for a while.”“Understood.”Ophelia couldn’t 459fb2290c stop him any further e544e3ee76 and reluctantly stepped back. Azaid moved towards 4d1eeb9c94 the terrace as 0f5227ddeb if something urgent fd7978406a was waiting for fbee8ad173 him there.As Ophelia 80746c093d stared after him, fe70dc3a09 someone called out 2dfd66ba31 to her.“So this 508d53ec6a is where you’ve 9547ceeb7d been, sister.”Before she b39e804a38 realized it, Nocturne b1b669908a had appeared beside cf34f5fd91 her. Unlike his cf36824b5a usual sarcastic 32856f3b2d tone, his 342760db6e voice was 431c39e07b polite.Ophelia turned 49f2d29bb8 around in 6dc3801605 surprise, only 8ed6cfb0be to realize 5d6b0e56d4 Serena wasn’t 80d62a5cd3 with him. She glanced around 94e713d9d5 and asked cautiously.“Where a3d5556fee is Miss Serena?”“She 0d1a3baef1 stepped away to 056bfb187d adjust her outfit.”Switching 6268a7d4f2 back to his fb51b1c8a5 usual sarcastic tone, b15387cd25 Nocturne moved closer 2519346513 to Ophelia. His sudden show 6cc07f6850 of familiarity made 9d504be3cf her step back 98346279a0 warily.In response, Nocturne 4ff25954a0 closed the gap 44e7796714 again, gracefully extending 9e1b79affd his hand.“Since you’re cba38ba3a8 alone, why not 48c7f5c0e0 join me for 405c317ae4 a dance? It’s been a de0f4247b6 while.”• ❁ • 27d2a0a7d8 ❁ • ❁ 815ba94d17 •By Esraa• ❁ 01829c62f4 • ❁ • 8a41f9dbce ❁ •If you d4cdfc6324 want to support b3961bc308 the translation and f40e948a15 the translator, you a44c4a9ed5 can buy a 6e47d775f1 coffee~19c07994f4b657ec

“Has anything db1a3a487a unusual happened 32fde53965 to Serena? Any trouble with the 0313b3ba26 Greenwood household staff?”“While they’re f8e9989d96 hostile, there hasn’t been 249d52823e any major incident.”“Still spending e7c78c6864 all her time in 12c1dc06a9 her room, claiming to 43a637c95e be researching?”“Actually, no. Today she ac65c944ee went on 4f295b7dc6 a walk 1c60c5959c with Count dbc4e27d95 Harrison.”“…What? A walk 9d123d7a84 with Nocturne? Why?”“I’m not sure. He seemed to fbc1899ba9 be showing her 2f37d8035c around the estate. Their mood appeared 60202cff79 amicable, with no f547046618 signs of conflict.”The 043acb9b86 knight had grinned 48b2bbff58 foolishly as he 160f21c19d finished the report, b5fb935a1f oblivious to Azaid’s 5992ef7d37 growing irritation. That day, the 79600e7aaa knight inexplicably found 7fd7ef96ec himself on the 410ac75804 receiving end of f58c6da270 Azaid’s glares.A twisted 6beca082d3 smile played on afa62b5996 Azaid’s lips. For some 9e40b66528 reason, his ee0e2d1460 mood was 577c5eb7c7 far from 5d73f08695 pleasant. No, it 10ed344d49 was downright 9396c3a4f2 foul. Ophelia, unaware of 646700621d his inner turmoil, f55569d7af spoke up again.“She 860b039fa4 must have come 41da670598 as Nocturne’s partner. Considering how often they’ve 1e6ddbd205 met recently, it’s no cb8d6b6141 surprise they’ve grown close.”“Grown 0e0a0543c3 close?”Azaid’s gaze wavered. Glancing at him, Ophelia ef1a869906 added fuel to the e1e7d58bdf fire.“They look good together, 2f845055cb don’t they? Perhaps His f140eec998 Majesty should 2165fe4a7f arrange a ba3572a79b match between 9e361da463 them. I’m sure they’d both 9b010122b4 comply if it were 3f93e8aa06 a royal decree.”Her sly 946e5cee02 suggestion only stoked Azaid’s c029892ed0 simmering frustration. For her part, c9e4abd673 Ophelia was relieved 6f8248a487 to see Serena 037102be7e accompanied by Nocturne.The 8cf60eb9bd truth was, she bfcb16a193 had been extremely db09dfcbfe dissatisfied the last a9accda693 time Azaid and 14f3a2eedd Serena became partners. And the feeling 0cd97b22ad she had when 5db08fa46c she saw the 7312385769 two of them c588d2c293 lying in bed e006d6f857 together.She felt humiliated 9195abbbd9 by the mere a17cf79bae fact that she adff6bd561 had been outdone e691d3f2d2 by the daughter c730b5637b of a baron. It was 714857cfb0 even more d736615491 shocking because 364f70c5bd it was 3a61f95b37 the emperor, b0b25e4a0b who had 80ed17fb82 never allowed 710defb130 anyone to f100b0ae15 approach him.In 30c44e91d8 her mortification, 353a9ec96d she had 73a7adbcda sobbed uncontrollably 364c37ea64 and refused b6e1a3b23e to eat, 2fec916525 but unexpectedly, 5c2899c36b Nocturne had 4aa7a2a37f come to 394789f64e visit.“Ophelia, are e0be107f52 you going f5eda9c142 to keep 9378dd64e0 wallowing in 8bcbcef43a this pitiful b4a732020e state?”“Leave me 633b128384 alone. Who are you to 6ecd64b012 call me pitiful and e200606db8 scold me?”“Why not use a32c5185b8 this opportunity to just f352b912b3 give up on His 2721f76717 Majesty? He has no interest f73c4d6da0 in you anyway. He’s indifferent 6082e235d3 to everyone.”“This 0e0ca91f03 isn’t something e592a11a14 I can 9d4472dab4 just give 597a86bffc up on, 6928209156 Nocturne. This is ec0ec2b22b about our 1f245002bb family’s honor. If you’ve betrayed the b848ae504e family, go and do 77bf88ba5c your business quietly. Why are 95661824b8 you coming 12184a6cf8 to me?”“To 920754a470 laugh at 87c8a888af your pitiful 96c0ee80d0 state as 170baabd63 much as 36cab3ca55 I can. As expected, cb41bc0f95 you’re as cd6d2f67e1 pathetic as 1a20de9867 ever, Ophelia.”Using 07f6504369 her visit ef1ae8723d as an b935bb707a excuse to 92e9ad380d rub salt f9e75587d1 in her cc2b55f611 wounds, Nocturne 03168d7c5a had left 9f48d259e8 Ophelia simmering d9b84a43de in frustration. Fueled by f6620b8e67 resentment, Ophelia 64584d4a75 decided to f5bb853442 put an 5180500d51 end to ca3d78bb24 her reclusive e50339a641 lifestyle and 351f153473 show everyone 724a23c597 how well ea99c883a1 she could d51d3ec655 carry on.She ce5f2c39a3 didn’t want 39fa363196 to appear 0c33c9b178 pathetic in d3873d42cf front of 215441d211 Nocturne. She despised him. She had disliked him 70fa51add9 ever since he first 8a5da74404 entered the duke’s castle, 73b574908b looking like a pauper.She 341542a420 hated that he was 2be8bb4382 her father’s illegitimate child. It was supposed 67278e058b to be just b54182ecb9 her; she was d972e61798 her father’s only 163af3b676 child after her 19f7ec170f mother had died 613654d0b1 during childbirth. There had only 084fe609cc been her until a08e1e5c8b Nocturne appeared late 35e3edaf60 in the picture.If 5167d0593e he was going 5eb14676d7 to come, he 1d6a506543 should’ve at least f0c2b73161 tried to integrate, 47d73fb258 but no, he 78d397aae0 left the family 6a15a5f5c2 entirely. It felt like abandonment, 324139a49d which made her even a09d6de8d7 more upset.‘Nocturne doing something 26c73523b0 good for me—what a 6adb8bfc46 rare sight.’Ophelia chuckled briefly fb48a872d3 and glanced at Azaid, 836ba6d125 only to be startled. His gaze was as 1cff15afe0 sharp as a blade.“Are a5fd3b6de1 you asking me to f811ad96df play matchmaker now?”“Ah! That’s not what I 69edd5a9c4 meant!”“Instead of meddling in fcce474867 others’ affairs, focus on 195efb5452 your own.”Azaid spoke in ff7c3e2cc7 a tone laced with 55b09250fa irritation before turning his c4f012b4b5 head—towards Serena, of all f3d49ddedd people.Azaid stared intently at bbb3f55eb5 Serena and Nocturne, who dab547d496 were whispering to each 62b0dd64f1 other, signaling back and 97535df807 forth. Were they exchanging sweet 8af3046362 nothings?Azaid’s eyes burned with f60eab57b3 intensity as he watched 65b11480bc them. Serena eventually turned her 826c1ec4ad gaze to Azaid, signaling e2287935ac him with subtle hand c773e59a0b movements before quickly averting d693cde3a9 her eyes. The exchange happened 61c73a86ed so swiftly that ed67946313 only Azaid noticed 3103d12cd2 it.‘Let’s meet on a3d42d1eb9 the terrace.’Her glance 9426b46fd5 towards the terrace, a09f2fabbf coupled with a 2341a730f0 hidden gesture between 096ba589e4 the folds of 9ba887bf16 her dress, was a2b203215a clear evidence.Azaid snorted. What could dbee8d5183 she mean 4510e6a2b1 by asking b35850e533 him to b25dc419d8 come to 40efd13455 the terrace 5d52d05147 while she 6698a01e88 still had 4482249362 her partner 8f18e68e79 by her b717a5b150 side?Yet, despite 94e9ff0c31 his cynical f96bd58268 thoughts, his cf760111e0 feet naturally 9e93268bd7 carried him 664a550ae2 toward the 2586c5fb06 terrace.“I think 107ad6603e I’ll take 01abbd7021 a short 310895e747 break on 1ea1fa819a the terrace.”“Oh, 4d2bb81edb I’ll come 22ce787f79 with you,” 1dcfd63105 Ophelia quickly fb8c4b5556 offered.Azaid waved aaf7e2348f her off.“No 189ab50d94 need. You’ll enjoy mingling db9ab512a1 with others more, 3e5d2e3714 so stay here.”“But—”“You’ll 043d1313fc be my partner 5f02b4b35d for the entirety 62d096faa3 of this hunting 9455582643 festival anyway. I’m genuinely tired, so 3b97c43b30 let me be alone f75841ba41 for a while.”“Understood.”Ophelia couldn’t a9d43d86a4 stop him any further a653a72b74 and reluctantly stepped back. Azaid moved towards 630242c0ca the terrace as 70bd0f83e3 if something urgent 225c0874a3 was waiting for b9fcddc676 him there.As Ophelia 77c219ac2a stared after him, 460e17ae10 someone called out c479016b52 to her.“So this affefe0885 is where you’ve 035e516ba0 been, sister.”Before she b95e993be0 realized it, Nocturne 15709a2f93 had appeared beside e73b331d14 her. Unlike his usual f764057571 sarcastic tone, his a2341e3afe voice was polite.Ophelia 17174fa9fb turned around in 7829c30198 surprise, only to d9879f716c realize Serena wasn’t 2ac7f243d4 with him. She glanced around 6ca218e341 and asked cautiously.“Where 51a829d606 is Miss Serena?”“She 2b2aab43f8 stepped away to 3e917ffc12 adjust her outfit.”Switching 94b18f7341 back to his eb06ecc475 usual sarcastic tone, 3be819b423 Nocturne moved closer f0408a6dcd to Ophelia. His sudden show of 9872fa1de3 familiarity made her step 1fa2977b7b back warily.In response, Nocturne 88344a628d closed the gap again, ee70eb3048 gracefully extending his hand.“Since 3034d90143 you’re alone, why not 421786fb46 join me for a 0aa20cf204 dance? It’s been 2c8e6f79f9 a while.”• ea42b70d3e ❁ • c5fb63c680 ❁ • 3d3cb7180d ❁ •By ba11f3fa87 Esraa• ❁ 614e7839a0 • ❁ 332599ad2a • ❁ 97b7f1d309 •If you 23e46b40fc want to 65fff4c3d3 support the 87b3cb676d translation and dcf4bcf0f1 the translator, f3db406b6b you can 798764c887 buy a 24ecbbccd8 coffee~6cc173f40c72b603

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“Has anything 37f3985a90 unusual happened 30aaebb5c8 to Serena? Any trouble 7e25a64d4e with the b30c6b2fe3 Greenwood household 3b8b6f2e5b staff?”“While they’re aba58cfe2d hostile, there 9b6a0dc79c hasn’t been ad6a13f027 any major d814fe8b37 incident.”“Still spending fbc05259ca all her 3d1ae004f4 time in 7f4ff419a2 her room, 443654b4c1 claiming to 505d6f0c31 be researching?”“Actually, c14eef16e1 no. Today she went 5fafc3aea1 on a walk 652d813cd8 with Count Harrison.”“…What? A walk b0909e3c08 with Nocturne? Why?”“I’m not sure. He seemed f259ca9182 to be a01d4eecff showing her b11048a175 around the 1508d7ed97 estate. Their mood appeared 930e6d5141 amicable, with no 7c0587d7b0 signs of conflict.”The b09edd061d knight had grinned cb6f974d51 foolishly as he b2e4d00a6c finished the report, 4b21d73883 oblivious to Azaid’s d474f92ac3 growing irritation. That day, 9be96437a9 the knight d9bcdcb908 inexplicably found 66c1699dd3 himself on a8da316589 the receiving 90ba76d9ac end of 01182e23f7 Azaid’s glares.A ed6eba673f twisted smile 51f3259dba played on 2ec0d94d7d Azaid’s lips. For some reason, his 092733ffea mood was far from f7dbb25f81 pleasant. No, it was 8ba2e0b85b downright foul. Ophelia, unaware of his 4c94029158 inner turmoil, spoke up 17ef36932b again.“She must have come b1b0609f9a as Nocturne’s partner. Considering how often 34422464e4 they’ve met recently, 1e984eadcd it’s no surprise 03e86f524d they’ve grown close.”“Grown 10a5e92062 close?”Azaid’s gaze wavered. Glancing at him, 00d3e14181 Ophelia added fuel 1db95e8abe to the fire.“They f9e6a08d13 look good together, eadd1b9e42 don’t they? Perhaps His Majesty c620c5c64e should arrange a e146a687dc match between them. I’m sure they’d 5378e48586 both comply if 42bd8d005a it were a 4ccabbe1cd royal decree.”Her sly be07306f87 suggestion only stoked 84cbdfaf2f Azaid’s simmering frustration. For her part, Ophelia 5e00a2ceb4 was relieved to see 4ae661b1c2 Serena accompanied by Nocturne.The 8233e665c1 truth was, she had c777f3ad93 been extremely dissatisfied the 97e850aedd last time Azaid and 91affafd63 Serena became partners. And the 667063bce3 feeling she f9857e9cce had when 899b1a52ac she saw 520b0561b5 the two 16e5654856 of them c7bdf60d69 lying in bf379b7e68 bed together.She a309a4efbb felt humiliated f3b1e01d97 by the 3208d297d7 mere fact 1bac9bb7b3 that she c0b8d06b67 had been 0f3053ad03 outdone by b88cd37174 the daughter a55eb4d9af of a cad4fa5225 baron. It was even 0c5b863290 more shocking because 29de458af4 it was the bfe1a7b5d6 emperor, who had 7cdff1c26d never allowed anyone 7bf9d6f9ac to approach him.In 10d137c206 her mortification, she e0b402c70c had sobbed uncontrollably 1b40b349be and refused to e8c17e965c eat, but unexpectedly, fe9b449e6f Nocturne had come 28a433b7a0 to visit.“Ophelia, are fd1e2dc8c8 you going to 68118d8eb3 keep wallowing in 5353293474 this pitiful state?”“Leave 980d68a2b7 me alone. Who are 05722eecf5 you to 64beca682f call me bc0a6005a2 pitiful and 24decf98be scold me?”“Why a9f7a0c5a3 not use 0fa3d5191d this opportunity 105ba85088 to just fa3dd3fadf give up b2d4832819 on His 8b69447d0e Majesty? He has no 392659c5cd interest in you c9583a5cda anyway. He’s indifferent to 6e7fb3b505 everyone.”“This isn’t something ee3594c637 I can just abeef5aaea give up on, 0a2b8adcb8 Nocturne. This is about our 4793b5d389 family’s honor. If you’ve betrayed 9ab15a21a9 the family, go 31426a9741 and do your e0724b3489 business quietly. Why are you coming 3dad5da616 to me?”“To laugh at bd203c24a1 your pitiful state as c7a87d55ba much as I can. As expected, you’re as 3fe1424859 pathetic as ever, Ophelia.”Using fbf0af9f7d her visit as an 02807011bf excuse to rub salt 22677ac08e in her wounds, Nocturne eb458e6121 had left Ophelia simmering 758df281de in frustration. Fueled by 5cd1b00c96 resentment, Ophelia eeb653a222 decided to 8e28f7f13f put an b14db9499c end to e1b7e7fd22 her reclusive 11688eea9b lifestyle and 8c888d151a show everyone b14c1be48f how well 33c9cc551c she could d862d11e9d carry on.She 728b3fcd94 didn’t want b7f012d727 to appear 95acab9184 pathetic in a338d4412a front of 1670ddfce3 Nocturne. She despised him. She had 24de83b11d disliked him e78450ae01 ever since 43642b1081 he first 3b8c03d3ad entered the d5c4bad84d duke’s castle, 813b8927e8 looking like 3d26c34005 a pauper.She 4a556a8268 hated that 917e1868c3 he was 3278d235da her father’s a5e100d6f2 illegitimate child. It was 7e9c64115c supposed to 998e151d99 be just f64d6858e7 her; she 65a08b2f41 was her f70076150b father’s only fb4fd1abc5 child after 2f55e8d79f her mother 01c4ca6ac8 had died 5b1e717885 during childbirth. There had d413febf3d only been 0c9ab8c9e0 her until 768824b503 Nocturne appeared 088e40f62d late in c117ffde86 the picture.If d04ed7e5e4 he was 5fbc5b7a9f going to fee138b02a come, he 292b082129 should’ve at b9a40caa0e least tried cc4ab4eed9 to integrate, 32d339496e but no, 8109748609 he left 9a45f5b05e the family 35cba3382a entirely. It felt like abandonment, cd379fa72c which made her even 76df5b511a more upset.‘Nocturne doing something 115d807fe4 good for me—what a 86a0334053 rare sight.’Ophelia chuckled briefly b46115d170 and glanced at Azaid, 774dbbace3 only to be startled. His gaze ece10cc78a was as a1eb22a32e sharp as 91f71dab6d a blade.“Are d2f5ce0e45 you asking f8a87e61d8 me to fbc7fd6a15 play matchmaker a23b9f6817 now?”“Ah! That’s not what I 0dcd78ff10 meant!”“Instead of meddling in 1d900927a9 others’ affairs, focus on cdab33a2f9 your own.”Azaid spoke in 73a364ebb5 a tone laced with 8858522321 irritation before turning his 75c05301da head—towards Serena, of all 7a2798fde6 people.Azaid stared intently at 9b2c2ae700 Serena and Nocturne, who 03d92bbdad were whispering to each 827f2dea3f other, signaling back and e341dea344 forth. Were they 092b1e4210 exchanging sweet 60c444d99b nothings?Azaid’s eyes 4879532048 burned with 89377ceb03 intensity as dee9a3a3ca he watched 1c26dedaaa them. Serena eventually turned her 3325148db6 gaze to Azaid, signaling ca3412b274 him with subtle hand fb56f39c2c movements before quickly averting e5a13a5bdf her eyes. The exchange happened 35d10c5934 so swiftly that 4a64ac1023 only Azaid noticed 49ce8a6e0c it.‘Let’s meet on b2309ce4ce the terrace.’Her glance e39048ea73 towards the terrace, 726d140a69 coupled with a 1d03079fef hidden gesture between 83021e9eed the folds of 5425a7d608 her dress, was 5acfe785a7 clear evidence.Azaid snorted. What could 9bd957feac she mean 5c7642aaec by asking 9fe52da292 him to f6a4bd525e come to 11110c35fc the terrace 9156dbc8d9 while she af4dd3cff7 still had 9bd633e3cf her partner 3faa221d8a by her 1021e984fc side?Yet, despite 75fb9689aa his cynical adc19f49ac thoughts, his b2e491602a feet naturally f30143fa9a carried him d33de329ee toward the e0b8cc062d terrace.“I think 91368a2191 I’ll take 6c9a18f977 a short 7f19a8ad53 break on b823193ade the terrace.”“Oh, 8803ecfa77 I’ll come c120867556 with you,” 762552279d Ophelia quickly 6ec1a30bfc offered.Azaid waved 0b8b15a906 her off.“No dd0be93922 need. You’ll enjoy mingling 071431d2ca with others more, 1e208f8401 so stay here.”“But—”“You’ll 6c97747a23 be my partner 2e33bd3aae for the entirety b90ee01ac9 of this hunting 3ad6fe6135 festival anyway. I’m genuinely 34c2b9c07a tired, so 050071b149 let me 394ff0383b be alone 609c5ffd4b for a 275d729273 while.”“Understood.”Ophelia couldn’t d1b0505669 stop him 869ab997c0 any further 7593d77c0d and reluctantly 1285e93699 stepped back. Azaid moved towards the b21420ce7f terrace as if something ffff15a102 urgent was waiting for b93a39601a him there.As Ophelia stared 619bb4039e after him, someone called 08b03ccb5e out to her.“So this 78843b8c20 is where you’ve been, d54caced64 sister.”Before she realized it, e4b1cf1b25 Nocturne had appeared beside 4b4111adfb her. Unlike his usual de421f795e sarcastic tone, his f4ea839f9d voice was polite.Ophelia 7ba7d26109 turned around in 5d9c3bc96e surprise, only to 38880bfc53 realize Serena wasn’t 3f2ab9502a with him. She glanced around and ca88576dd4 asked cautiously.“Where is Miss 6a81734569 Serena?”“She stepped away to c0f8e90068 adjust her outfit.”Switching back 04bf9ac85e to his usual sarcastic de5dc3a7c4 tone, Nocturne moved closer acac2239cf to Ophelia. His sudden show of 3680d2587d familiarity made her step 1e42c14ab5 back warily.In response, Nocturne cb85aeddc3 closed the gap again, 0f6b690936 gracefully extending his hand.“Since bb53ac0871 you’re alone, why not db58fe8e0f join me for a f93f5df27b dance? It’s been a d89377fb72 while.”• ❁ • 653ed1818a ❁ • ❁ 4eb088d480 •By Esraa• ❁ c313313e43 • ❁ • d3e33b296d ❁ •If you befd24c00f want to support b115d808cd the translation and 0121239908 the translator, you 486d8c23e4 can buy a e198ebdba8 coffee~3dcf5d9edcc11710

“Has anything unusual happened 083340df59 to Serena? Any trouble e3f0fd6443 with the bb97448218 Greenwood household e43543c638 staff?”dfde3864b6ae3a80

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“While they’re d7e0fa74a9 hostile, there b36b96ba99 hasn’t been 6f071a34f6 any major 0b1b383363 incident.”b0b5d928e4b71117

“Still spending all 89f37e6463 her time in 2f9ef41d5f her room, claiming 49d50a7750 to be researching?”cf45a2b4cfe846b2

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“Actually, no. Today she went on 7bba9c702f a walk with Count 023c32dec0 Harrison.”8bdca4ec567ca92a

“…What? A walk with Nocturne? Why?”60db1b37ecb4c7da

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“I’m not sure. He seemed to 33a9bb03f8 be showing her cb056f2543 around the estate. Their mood appeared amicable, 49555995f5 with no signs of a6d133bad5 conflict.”93cfcaceb40733fa

The knight had grinned 088f65ffab foolishly as he finished 6600cbf761 the report, oblivious to 060718819a Azaid’s growing irritation. That day, d302c2c9cd the knight ff74f92527 inexplicably found 2d36a4dded himself on 8d1567c9d2 the receiving 889e462166 end of 0972e4327f Azaid’s glares.ddb7e3cc042d66f4

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A twisted 145bb04c6f smile played 26466b8f26 on Azaid’s 99a636b810 lips. For some reason, his 0cd2975047 mood was far from e69781b24d pleasant. No, it was downright b9f8ba44be foul. Ophelia, unaware of 3c759587e3 his inner turmoil, 7ec0d32e6e spoke up again.“She 77502c2d82 must have come eb2ca1e0c1 as Nocturne’s partner. Considering how often they’ve 44fd458761 met recently, it’s no c59354b2ce surprise they’ve grown close.”“Grown 6d14aef3b6 close?”Azaid’s gaze wavered. Glancing at him, Ophelia 89a919c196 added fuel to the 81a6d7699b fire.“They look good together, 50946e92c6 don’t they? Perhaps His e85bd8eef3 Majesty should ce355bc0fa arrange a 6009f4034a match between aa7b14e89e them. I’m sure they’d 224cf6c258 both comply if 8bab0ddf80 it were a b1a842638c royal decree.”Her sly b03c42ad35 suggestion only stoked 81b3db80c8 Azaid’s simmering frustration. For her 1e23cc1d80 part, Ophelia acdcb0c719 was relieved 92497e25ce to see a42310ba91 Serena accompanied ecd18bacc2 by Nocturne.The fa3d923050 truth was, b9ef91b137 she had b5acc85f17 been extremely 490f2f02e4 dissatisfied the de0ecf8bee last time a47e195119 Azaid and 39fefaba75 Serena became 23adf18a8f partners. And the feeling e0caa739af she had when d0790b225e she saw the 90ee7e8dce two of them 9404fa03b9 lying in bed ece6bd9955 together.She felt humiliated c0cf3e370b by the mere 1bc1c0f2ff fact that she 5f39de53ec had been outdone 34d647a888 by the daughter fccaad3468 of a baron. It was even more f2967f5715 shocking because it was 93a332494b the emperor, who had b2da81fe5b never allowed anyone to 1165a194f1 approach him.In her mortification, 659a8ed957 she had sobbed uncontrollably be5142d8f3 and refused to eat, 98f5d88584 but unexpectedly, Nocturne had d520d7d527 come to visit.“Ophelia, are 60e9aeb8d4 you going to keep fc3458aa84 wallowing in this pitiful da3f71d335 state?”“Leave me alone. Who are 4fbb07ef51 you to a3b7a088f6 call me 61e3e69aed pitiful and b7d84a6047 scold me?”“Why 66ee3bdcf7 not use 22ffd38227 this opportunity 808d6d9412 to just 900c4f8723 give up 3c77170f2e on His b30a02f522 Majesty? He has no 56badfd499 interest in you 7bb0d820cb anyway. He’s indifferent to 7132c1df32 everyone.”“This isn’t something c16d126dcb I can just efbaa9bc7b give up on, 0115a14e26 Nocturne. This is about our 6cc5ab7cae family’s honor. If you’ve betrayed d59c112ae7 the family, go 505978de65 and do your a94892aeeb business quietly. Why are 27a97d87ad you coming 1015cf629e to me?”“To 7bc75be722 laugh at a72eb4ffca your pitiful ef64e6db28 state as e216a4f5aa much as f4981dca00 I can. As expected, you’re e7750141cf as pathetic as 7754851800 ever, Ophelia.”Using her d5979be94e visit as an 6dcf898697 excuse to rub 1244000713 salt in her 14b2eeeb74 wounds, Nocturne had ba4e7e7261 left Ophelia simmering 9d3dad6e3b in frustration. Fueled by f303b2cbe6 resentment, Ophelia f59b1d2f5e decided to a42a4f8d0c put an 6b7a048ceb end to f0f954221c her reclusive f390f75e4c lifestyle and e49d47309c show everyone 36c082c79b how well b981423390 she could 0ecb5bc15a carry on.She c561b15743 didn’t want d7f97adad9 to appear cc1118818b pathetic in f7c1638095 front of 366ce9610e Nocturne. She despised him. She had 49299091be disliked him c96400532c ever since 58f67772db he first f905960378 entered the f114bf2a0f duke’s castle, 392414492b looking like 8ef230419c a pauper.She 2938f4b9ae hated that 7d86101670 he was 754127cf03 her father’s 5173369733 illegitimate child. It was 09ddad3eca supposed to 3236270f21 be just 2e63f5a88b her; she 2375ec0979 was her 1fe26ef07f father’s only 175add3582 child after 7138a9030d her mother 2c18e11f1f had died 388d41657a during childbirth. There had only 5295982882 been her until f9033614ca Nocturne appeared late f62fe60b2e in the picture.If 1c1750ba23 he was going 627275073a to come, he fd17d6193a should’ve at least e52f8c09e1 tried to integrate, 27d16d05f6 but no, he 8180898337 left the family 13f5e17a0d entirely. It felt ad274aaaa2 like abandonment, ae48bd72a5 which made a8f45fd092 her even 4a8ad7920c more upset.‘Nocturne d2c300de1b doing something 8dba08220b good for 20e7f09d2b me—what a 1219f6c9c9 rare sight.’Ophelia b7c454b8cb chuckled briefly 732751822f and glanced 5c5777cde5 at Azaid, fc38f13835 only to b6bd6a1e26 be startled. His gaze was as 1851bd29bf sharp as a blade.“Are fa7485c598 you asking me to b9af2c4c2e play matchmaker now?”“Ah! That’s not c37f4797a0 what I 2e64ba06a5 meant!”“Instead of 14a62bcbae meddling in c6982e13a8 others’ affairs, 46c07b0d2f focus on a28f18c3bf your own.”Azaid ddcf7417e3 spoke in 2ea35b8ccb a tone 03da5d33fb laced with fbab9ed039 irritation before 0aefe6979a turning his aa0416ae95 head—towards Serena, ec8923bbaf of all 159b7bb28f people.Azaid stared d5a23d0e85 intently at fbce6c7795 Serena and 1850560007 Nocturne, who c16842ad41 were whispering f7f23972c0 to each 898ac6740d other, signaling 9f440a67ac back and 0c035c9fba forth. Were they exchanging a94c79b5ae sweet nothings?Azaid’s eyes 2802d2e3a5 burned with intensity 163166a58e as he watched 49afb80f1b them. Serena eventually 945a6444c1 turned her 1dcf71e86f gaze to 0ce6e9d1fd Azaid, signaling 268cdd5107 him with 45bf1411c4 subtle hand 3d6087f1e4 movements before f9d6dc5575 quickly averting 2432c915fc her eyes. The exchange happened so 5206a36c83 swiftly that only Azaid c88d30cb02 noticed it.‘Let’s meet on 3341c60459 the terrace.’Her glance towards a9446d353b the terrace, coupled with 665bc97a1a a hidden gesture between 3cd29f2b76 the folds of her 5f646d365a dress, was clear evidence.Azaid 7e8d46ec77 snorted. What could she a747d391be mean by asking 2f5cf73300 him to come 61f15a73c1 to the terrace 82fbeb91d9 while she still 20c7e72186 had her partner 1f7a586cbc by her side?Yet, bd6c289cae despite his cynical 1af9afaa76 thoughts, his feet 9ea2a100e8 naturally carried him d69fca82c9 toward the terrace.“I 561984b6fe think I’ll take 90f2b87a43 a short break a62ce9f9f4 on the terrace.”“Oh, dd4f4a9455 I’ll come with 5cc25097d0 you,” Ophelia quickly 0cba664903 offered.Azaid waved her 3fa5f3c84b off.“No need. You’ll enjoy mingling with 1dd20eb0a0 others more, so stay b63d5157b3 here.”“But—”“You’ll be my partner 9492632de4 for the entirety of 6d7389434a this hunting festival anyway. I’m genuinely tired, so 0eb60d100a let me be alone 8aadb88163 for a while.”“Understood.”Ophelia couldn’t d961b6d303 stop him any further 422b6acb05 and reluctantly stepped back. Azaid moved towards the 6f107dd8b4 terrace as if something f70a21c6c0 urgent was waiting for befc8f29c7 him there.As Ophelia stared d56d50c919 after him, someone called 5a06ba7239 out to her.“So this 91a4876d69 is where you’ve been, 3c6268064f sister.”Before she realized it, 256b1f66cc Nocturne had appeared beside c2069eb723 her. Unlike his usual sarcastic cedbf34859 tone, his voice was 064a97ba56 polite.Ophelia turned around in 4c4fe2d3cc surprise, only to realize 75a7075d6f Serena wasn’t with him. She glanced around 18db4b3632 and asked cautiously.“Where 72d48773bd is Miss Serena?”“She 5c785ce8aa stepped away to 41863958eb adjust her outfit.”Switching afe8b16741 back to his e275fa8db3 usual sarcastic tone, 0dab7ba63d Nocturne moved closer 916ac64032 to Ophelia. His sudden 199e9d05cf show of 6354f43770 familiarity made 3fcc37ecc7 her step b8bb9d3a1f back warily.In bb6a85571a response, Nocturne 71e83dae92 closed the 67f655b63a gap again, 407e2593a2 gracefully extending 2f149b2f59 his hand.“Since aea8a04a88 you’re alone, d2eee3e1eb why not be277b04d9 join me e3873680a6 for a b2b507cb0d dance? It’s been 47f401b92b a while.”• 78ad3d8118 ❁ • 1afcccf6c3 ❁ • 644252d84a ❁ •By 78731bfb9d Esraa• ❁ f3850a4c68 • ❁ ad77148d17 • ❁ ca90e0e477 •If you 328c26d368 want to 5649484c6d support the b2e1c00d0f translation and 96602dbe0c the translator, 25371b579b you can 5693a60bd7 buy a d0ab8ee2b6 coffee~cbaf8b54ae6c0bd2

A twisted d85d4cb6ab smile played 8d8fea329f on Azaid’s 525a708410 lips. For some reason, 54ecb63366 his mood was 2331df8531 far from pleasant. No, it was downright 7935f3aea4 foul. Ophelia, unaware of e0fa4f448c his inner turmoil, c701919efe spoke up again.“She d8eff2a161 must have come 7fdd06667f as Nocturne’s partner. Considering how often 225f517b93 they’ve met recently, c1b7c800e0 it’s no surprise 2a63b7238a they’ve grown close.”“Grown 47d368810d close?”Azaid’s gaze wavered. Glancing at him, b0f244ceaf Ophelia added fuel 01aa45c686 to the fire.“They b4d1ebff54 look good together, b808c847d6 don’t they? Perhaps His Majesty should c10d4feaa1 arrange a match between 723438f935 them. I’m sure 3a25702585 they’d both 32e1627595 comply if af7f4e37fa it were 030d8f9c5f a royal 6a3901a02a decree.”Her sly e97b9fe577 suggestion only 487bf3018b stoked Azaid’s 06abe27c0d simmering frustration. For her part, 498da1b1a5 Ophelia was relieved 94fd99850b to see Serena 191e6ddd7c accompanied by Nocturne.The 7ac9c2cc92 truth was, she aa91558e8c had been extremely 766080f8bb dissatisfied the last 65bd68f778 time Azaid and 13dfc0c706 Serena became partners. And the feeling 90ff09df46 she had when 293c273a95 she saw the a68eb719ec two of them 6b3eec592e lying in bed 0c2b52f648 together.She felt humiliated 9761701805 by the mere fb9ddd7d7b fact that she 8bdb909e9c had been outdone 5fcda677a2 by the daughter 9cffc998c8 of a baron. It was even more 475374732d shocking because it was 3c2d17217e the emperor, who had a605cb00c3 never allowed anyone to d4e34ba933 approach him.In her mortification, e5b492afa6 she had sobbed uncontrollably 8eac63f9ee and refused to eat, ccfd5f679a but unexpectedly, Nocturne had 4818c18acb come to visit.“Ophelia, are d906354f07 you going to keep 764a2ec2f2 wallowing in this pitiful 6dc10fb553 state?”“Leave me alone. Who are you 06a1ecac64 to call me 755cee5409 pitiful and scold 7c65b0ad40 me?”“Why not use 2fa4752391 this opportunity to 1a5a78e82f just give up 34387088b2 on His Majesty? He has 5f6a5088cd no interest c201128cf2 in you 50cfd70c88 anyway. He’s indifferent 4f876672c1 to everyone.”“This 3822159ada isn’t something 7e7d855706 I can 2fd597ae55 just give 90932605e4 up on, 02babcdace Nocturne. This is about our 04dd48c768 family’s honor. If you’ve betrayed the 97e2c7d422 family, go and do 10716b8b3d your business quietly. Why are you coming 6ef4415a2b to me?”“To laugh at cded327f90 your pitiful state as 1529442d29 much as I can. As expected, you’re as 7541e578bf pathetic as ever, Ophelia.”Using 86bf59114f her visit as an abe7724551 excuse to rub salt ad0ae2f65c in her wounds, Nocturne f6ddbe1577 had left Ophelia simmering 70f60a2038 in frustration. Fueled by e715a7c46f resentment, Ophelia 55689aee14 decided to b9ecee416b put an 7919e699b7 end to 4ae201ab9f her reclusive e875413178 lifestyle and 3f8a932043 show everyone d59c851533 how well 85b63aa30c she could e311b3016f carry on.She c84efd3bb9 didn’t want aaeafdd273 to appear 4030764e0b pathetic in c0d2d61132 front of 7c8303fc5b Nocturne. She despised him. She had disliked 401654aaa9 him ever since 1a31ad95a0 he first entered c10bb2a6e1 the duke’s castle, b32c87fd10 looking like a b7456e449c pauper.She hated that f8ada023c0 he was her e9cb97a802 father’s illegitimate child. It was supposed to cfbf038a19 be just her; she 803112eaab was her father’s only c29a5e9eef child after her mother 989d46dca6 had died during childbirth. There had only been f10d03d2ab her until Nocturne appeared 40efc20510 late in the picture.If 31f0e2076e he was going to d3edc06ba1 come, he should’ve at 79f827fd3d least tried to integrate, a3db3a5203 but no, he left a24668f5af the family entirely. It felt like fc4390f7ef abandonment, which made 82e5d5011e her even more c282bf6059 upset.‘Nocturne doing something 4c275a0272 good for me—what 53d0683f11 a rare sight.’Ophelia 2af961aa5f chuckled briefly and b902cca167 glanced at Azaid, 58de3d66de only to be de93a844ce startled. His gaze was 9dd2b5d287 as sharp as adbe093f77 a blade.“Are you 4a08bc7743 asking me to 470d438cdc play matchmaker now?”“Ah! That’s not a28ba86e83 what I a663e2f92f meant!”“Instead of 1f44020191 meddling in 27bc3b8a6e others’ affairs, efa201e0b1 focus on 93d24314e9 your own.”Azaid a73264ecf6 spoke in ddb25ecc38 a tone 6f85dcac00 laced with e6c1544cb7 irritation before c47a344dd1 turning his 0e1093842b head—towards Serena, b7a41c3cae of all ca8d700859 people.Azaid stared 43a8f96591 intently at b921de5003 Serena and 03d3c788f5 Nocturne, who da8b2df10c were whispering 04aabe240b to each 6593a9eb91 other, signaling 82c49d992f back and 7f7aa606e2 forth. Were they exchanging 04fae2c88a sweet nothings?Azaid’s eyes fe2d8564d7 burned with intensity fcb549091e as he watched 13256f6dd6 them. Serena eventually turned her aeb51198e5 gaze to Azaid, signaling 25367d7872 him with subtle hand 58a2e6cfbc movements before quickly averting b92ba0ee47 her eyes. The exchange bf12d7f685 happened so b02c38fed7 swiftly that e8b7498039 only Azaid 12a8147c20 noticed it.‘Let’s 56f2bcad76 meet on 9d06043e02 the terrace.’Her bd86ee6641 glance towards da0cc219c5 the terrace, e5d161adbd coupled with 48e25a271a a hidden 5d2ed87f27 gesture between 308b9db40b the folds 687f8e0c9f of her 8d29fcc261 dress, was 86a5b597c9 clear evidence.Azaid df11fdab58 snorted. What could she mean 14fefdc7bb by asking him to 4967ec07e2 come to the terrace 0aedd4bedb while she still had d5ba13ec34 her partner by her b677936db0 side?Yet, despite his cynical 2cecc428b9 thoughts, his feet naturally 79759dfc55 carried him toward the 38b803df7f terrace.“I think I’ll take 35a485baef a short break on 23a344491d the terrace.”“Oh, I’ll come 04da90c96e with you,” Ophelia quickly 7fa31a1391 offered.Azaid waved her off.“No 0322d5d93a need. You’ll enjoy mingling 6b2ab4b596 with others more, ec4da62a94 so stay here.”“But—”“You’ll 6865b2ecfd be my partner 3f6d62cea0 for the entirety 77bf741be6 of this hunting dd58162404 festival anyway. I’m genuinely tired, d2505ddc39 so let me dbf7763218 be alone for 2e2f7a7576 a while.”“Understood.”Ophelia couldn’t e54cb17830 stop him any 6282e15bab further and reluctantly 29f6be7642 stepped back. Azaid moved towards 9176e8830c the terrace as faafd2040f if something urgent 413edf4d6e was waiting for 07abdaf24d him there.As Ophelia deeaf21701 stared after him, 8ac9a23411 someone called out fe32752481 to her.“So this ca2469acdc is where you’ve e4f16d4929 been, sister.”Before she 1e9ddff296 realized it, Nocturne 975da6628e had appeared beside dc585bdd6c her. Unlike his usual sarcastic b42bd30762 tone, his voice was ce60749d8c polite.Ophelia turned around in c69a4ee02b surprise, only to realize e2d98c8863 Serena wasn’t with him. She glanced f672b39aad around and 082459d35e asked cautiously.“Where 941b544edd is Miss 851b10b617 Serena?”“She stepped 57939ff038 away to 9084f3412c adjust her 96f30ac83f outfit.”Switching back 1b8769c2cb to his 816a61e2c1 usual sarcastic c55ce156ef tone, Nocturne aa6223cc8d moved closer 3e4288b660 to Ophelia. His sudden 37e529f24d show of 18f24b1853 familiarity made 486a6b0a50 her step 2a8d729fd7 back warily.In 171a0e70ad response, Nocturne fa2ecb7c3f closed the 4b0a3b5c9d gap again, 458accdbf1 gracefully extending 1ed4cf194a his hand.“Since 0fb305e8a4 you’re alone, 9ee3ba3430 why not 590c26d00c join me a008fca018 for a a32daeb74a dance? It’s been 33dfd99743 a while.”• 4cc16155e1 ❁ • e1ef80d204 ❁ • 796f3360d5 ❁ •By 43d422bda2 Esraa• ❁ 4480ec2570 • ❁ 3b48d1ef19 • ❁ 119ced2738 •If you a50f0ad9b5 want to 77865cb8ad support the 8df1abad76 translation and da4fd1a424 the translator, 706b444d1d you can f53e1be1c4 buy a 57356d41f9 coffee~edf1edbb6623b385

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A twisted c17ea49eec smile played b4d1b42c81 on Azaid’s ae2d7c1309 lips. For some reason, 9f3fd90963 his mood was 7193904bd3 far from pleasant. No, it 16fa68ff6b was downright d71df76734 foul. Ophelia, unaware of his f9a2aeb940 inner turmoil, spoke up b2659efdd5 again.“She must have come f9f092ca1f as Nocturne’s partner. Considering how 944aa9a4c5 often they’ve 2ea021abf0 met recently, 541a0c9fc1 it’s no 5e63ebecef surprise they’ve c896302e3d grown close.”“Grown ef3d1fb487 close?”Azaid’s gaze bd194f1efc wavered. Glancing at 0ae205e191 him, Ophelia d161123ef9 added fuel b4539c0f48 to the d17bf30c1b fire.“They look 645e4cb0af good together, df4425a3c7 don’t they? Perhaps His ab288e049f Majesty should 07c6eddc95 arrange a 1e91262ed8 match between 825eff16c8 them. I’m sure a05cf9e588 they’d both e53f273145 comply if 0b6f49863b it were ba36ca2a39 a royal cca9bd2e87 decree.”Her sly a88d6a8ffc suggestion only 2c0726ba83 stoked Azaid’s b69414acfd simmering frustration. For her 9d012f14cf part, Ophelia e499921f09 was relieved 57a76c27d1 to see 79cceab7ba Serena accompanied 873310b84e by Nocturne.The 5017996080 truth was, 9c2e8c5966 she had 5897b32f49 been extremely 9b779e4572 dissatisfied the f50a907185 last time 23cb0746cd Azaid and f24521a098 Serena became a15867e905 partners. And the bc18d2c7ba feeling she 22c4830189 had when e25e1d042b she saw 77c52e55c4 the two cdfd2512f6 of them 0029d38733 lying in 7340f7c376 bed together.She ce0a17afa0 felt humiliated 8ccd9a4ff5 by the c831e6051f mere fact 4a0786f797 that she 4569f67b70 had been 12d5f90006 outdone by 0348f903fc the daughter 4c594e9685 of a ca859a37c3 baron. It was even 4c33aa236e more shocking because ea0e712242 it was the f15223bbad emperor, who had 9079dc3b79 never allowed anyone e53017a1df to approach him.In 71ce256a83 her mortification, she 02cfcea453 had sobbed uncontrollably c0b5b43f5f and refused to 5f44f0cffd eat, but unexpectedly, 718f4c08bb Nocturne had come 6a578186b5 to visit.“Ophelia, are 3f9db110a7 you going to 2ddc85061c keep wallowing in 462499e88b this pitiful state?”“Leave 4e5c54b27f me alone. Who are you to d538619be2 call me pitiful and d1f43bc3bc scold me?”“Why not use 3d1ef8b5ea this opportunity to just 1e3470f858 give up on His b158ca3d23 Majesty? He has no interest 87042ccb17 in you anyway. He’s indifferent 5239c2f451 to everyone.”“This 5c04a5286e isn’t something f838ec22c5 I can ca11f7a0d9 just give 0cf7c69107 up on, 76f52a8fd7 Nocturne. This is about our fe5ccebd63 family’s honor. If you’ve 425390e3ad betrayed the 2483cebfde family, go 107dbfc82f and do 10d7435fb1 your business 4d85128f53 quietly. Why are a3079b08b0 you coming 407f4f6bab to me?”“To 0bf01b5c16 laugh at 780225ec28 your pitiful f7de2a919c state as 8884f8542f much as 167a658e1a I can. As expected, you’re as 9469c362c5 pathetic as ever, Ophelia.”Using 45ee72357d her visit as an 72a8aee1c8 excuse to rub salt 6d89c52889 in her wounds, Nocturne 92845c1da0 had left Ophelia simmering b4897825c3 in frustration. Fueled by 35658e3edf resentment, Ophelia 8d68a870ba decided to 58885904c6 put an 973f200ffb end to 3955d8d75d her reclusive 4aa428e494 lifestyle and 2ccdd5f94c show everyone d00ffd5708 how well bf9639fab7 she could 358b9013d4 carry on.She 8a885c25df didn’t want e597647949 to appear ede1bcd0fc pathetic in f22f820fd4 front of b5ee914ff6 Nocturne. She despised him. She had disliked him 07b03604ff ever since he first c27a192cff entered the duke’s castle, f3503f96b4 looking like a pauper.She 0298b9a02c hated that he was 1b6c82035b her father’s illegitimate child. It was supposed to 1fccca34f1 be just her; she 5977f58eb6 was her father’s only 9374a80af8 child after her mother d6d7d0afda had died during childbirth. There had only been b2f572a8d0 her until Nocturne appeared 4395170b19 late in the picture.If 7fd29b7dfa he was going to baf4558f71 come, he should’ve at 44f40418f5 least tried to integrate, ce4d2a8faf but no, he left 17d1cf6658 the family entirely. It felt 0a3dccb834 like abandonment, 2b55447e03 which made a37deace6f her even 4c9962bca1 more upset.‘Nocturne 4c44163c69 doing something 15c502582c good for a56a3af6b7 me—what a 723a2acdb2 rare sight.’Ophelia 7d8f80040a chuckled briefly 6379edd379 and glanced dd74df031a at Azaid, 6862b4d82e only to f6ef9e4dd4 be startled. His gaze bea81edaf0 was as 83cbcdbd97 sharp as 3c47492f4a a blade.“Are 4f9d30aecd you asking 4941e1fd06 me to 9a3fec8c4e play matchmaker caa85cbd12 now?”“Ah! That’s not what 2cccd38c99 I meant!”“Instead of 49313b18e6 meddling in others’ 90a63aedfc affairs, focus on 736dc0759f your own.”Azaid spoke 96ac26134f in a tone dd7ed5dc6c laced with irritation 2b3ee9291b before turning his 1bee66f0f3 head—towards Serena, of ff918e4fb8 all people.Azaid stared 525b9abd13 intently at Serena 1c2e150703 and Nocturne, who ce914997c3 were whispering to b9d26a3655 each other, signaling a0a9045fff back and forth. Were they exchanging 7aefa35162 sweet nothings?Azaid’s eyes 1584875be4 burned with intensity c3adf0d43f as he watched 555dca048f them. Serena eventually turned her f183aeda6d gaze to Azaid, signaling 1c23adc7e3 him with subtle hand eab7af5331 movements before quickly averting a1e632d67c her eyes. The exchange 8c94532436 happened so 746513b406 swiftly that 6bd08f8b74 only Azaid 3fb9a633ec noticed it.‘Let’s 924208ae51 meet on 344c6f85b2 the terrace.’Her 2d169b5153 glance towards 73e66a1e87 the terrace, 5f30d4d636 coupled with 5c7c88a869 a hidden 64a50efe45 gesture between c2587c102e the folds dcd0671e45 of her 7ef7cad6c0 dress, was a1e44c38bc clear evidence.Azaid 7512263b6e snorted. What could she mean b3127d8b58 by asking him to 2778d98a5a come to the terrace 23039f39be while she still had b5d550b901 her partner by her 23c45d16ce side?Yet, despite his cynical b7719f5793 thoughts, his feet naturally 7ca5d7605c carried him toward the 61737bd4cc terrace.“I think I’ll take 40c72ac17a a short break on f5048ca776 the terrace.”“Oh, I’ll come d5f959b3ef with you,” Ophelia quickly 1f76f0eca1 offered.Azaid waved her off.“No f4a6d2c73f need. You’ll enjoy mingling 0456ee5055 with others more, 932d6ed13d so stay here.”“But—”“You’ll 4826b051ef be my partner 0b080e643c for the entirety 15672166ad of this hunting 9af39983ed festival anyway. I’m genuinely tired, 703133db7d so let me 8a8421a21c be alone for 2e53ef54b0 a while.”“Understood.”Ophelia couldn’t 6b76bee079 stop him any c23e77e31c further and reluctantly 8d9c944b81 stepped back. Azaid moved towards 85afc4fe33 the terrace as 26474d4407 if something urgent b2b8d676f0 was waiting for e30122e1b1 him there.As Ophelia 0daaf8c691 stared after him, a58e5a3568 someone called out d9696744f5 to her.“So this 04b3f69bc3 is where you’ve 472d8703c4 been, sister.”Before she c0c6deabb7 realized it, Nocturne 948bce4740 had appeared beside 38aa102114 her. Unlike his usual d184a9721b sarcastic tone, his e6ae87e2b8 voice was polite.Ophelia d42a1b5165 turned around in 60c7614afa surprise, only to 04a1a25249 realize Serena wasn’t ac162154ab with him. She glanced around and d0e83ac058 asked cautiously.“Where is Miss a0e2872217 Serena?”“She stepped away to c209b6d839 adjust her outfit.”Switching back 2889934a0a to his usual sarcastic b80c6d802e tone, Nocturne moved closer 5b5a2a38f6 to Ophelia. His sudden show b38845e135 of familiarity made 037b53fcc1 her step back 9402806e65 warily.In response, Nocturne 7c34c12170 closed the gap 289d416487 again, gracefully extending f8ecced262 his hand.“Since you’re b75c5ef47e alone, why not c80db8697d join me for 2020d981db a dance? It’s been a while.”• 2f34af9f14 ❁ • ❁ • f2b83a5b0e ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ e7589e185b • ❁ • ❁ 31cd683fce •If you want to 8a34440c7f support the translation and 09bad07ae7 the translator, you can 3f0648cfbd buy a coffee~0f5c24aa62f69db4

A twisted 0f3d329f46 smile played d73f63284a on Azaid’s 084638f67e lips. For some 1746e8399e reason, his 5c9c092a1c mood was 83a17bb057 far from 57869695e9 pleasant. No, it was 9bbc259103 downright foul. Ophelia, unaware of 0de33a8663 his inner turmoil, b1ca9c0879 spoke up again.ec0adb3ccf11d221

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“She must have b279cc0dab come as Nocturne’s 97d74121bb partner. Considering how often they’ve efff5e6533 met recently, it’s no 743d031539 surprise they’ve grown close.”b6b6ddad346957a0

“Grown close?”f7ca936ec194b03c

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Azaid’s gaze wavered. Glancing at him, Ophelia e62f887f6e added fuel to the dd74b72c6e fire.b3bfcf8159ac1e65

“They look 91cc040750 good together, 673c0f3bb1 don’t they? Perhaps His Majesty a949dece97 should arrange a bf34f8bb80 match between them. I’m sure they’d both e17b17ec4a comply if it were 6bdebadd8c a royal decree.”2916580564a0547c

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Her sly suggestion only 268232421c stoked Azaid’s simmering frustration. For her 5010247a9e part, Ophelia 58922ffcda was relieved dbcd34986f to see 1ae75fbd89 Serena accompanied c89e98782e by Nocturne.7aee7460e603a3b5

The truth dc143838c3 was, she 99342b0e74 had been 25717d8a47 extremely dissatisfied 05cedcded7 the last ac92c266df time Azaid 5a228428cc and Serena ef8a237829 became partners. And the feeling she 8c2e20a830 had when she saw 7c269e8ac9 the two of them e0115b2944 lying in bed together.55ca80f3921af651

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She felt 716101b940 humiliated by 4c23047b08 the mere 60f6873ffa fact that 798b35e96e she had 1a295538ea been outdone 062336e60b by the fc192a090c daughter of dee75728ce a baron. It was even more 37fe455532 shocking because it was 3080fcd799 the emperor, who had 7d32b21ce6 never allowed anyone to c707bd5bfa approach him.054aa94eef80957c

In her mortification, 7ea2868486 she had sobbed a3b2ccac97 uncontrollably and refused bed09d22c3 to eat, but a125dc04f7 unexpectedly, Nocturne had fb3573237f come to visit.88f57d73544915c7

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“Ophelia, are you 4e9005da30 going to keep cda20df38c wallowing in this b93794cdd2 pitiful state?”“Leave me c2ede2056d alone. Who are 646ba52a53 you to 9942c59697 call me 517ceec889 pitiful and 7980cde616 scold me?”“Why 4e44a521dd not use d9e625e4e3 this opportunity 0031926645 to just 433e219f53 give up 66a4459872 on His 13663070a4 Majesty? He has a8fab30fa5 no interest fa9adaf202 in you 5e4fdd6063 anyway. He’s indifferent ef3429499b to everyone.”“This dd5254efcc isn’t something 75032daa55 I can 43d55b3a0d just give 244d169e96 up on, 5487861487 Nocturne. This is about 56272adb4e our family’s honor. If you’ve betrayed the ffbc177249 family, go and do 37489983f3 your business quietly. Why are you coming 8597f204d1 to me?”“To laugh at e841128b14 your pitiful state as 862ed254ca much as I can. As expected, you’re 248130dac5 as pathetic as 5609290cbe ever, Ophelia.”Using her fb8e173597 visit as an 0434de769d excuse to rub 767956d484 salt in her 6e92b2e9c4 wounds, Nocturne had 6e5f0878ca left Ophelia simmering a4627362d3 in frustration. Fueled by resentment, 1af7f3b61d Ophelia decided to 06784e11bb put an end 5db37ebaad to her reclusive 982c71f5c4 lifestyle and show 196d447896 everyone how well 931ce048fd she could carry 0a9b899cd8 on.She didn’t want 93051f7015 to appear pathetic 4af872b79a in front of 6b243af95f Nocturne. She despised him. She had disliked d9f4d1ecf0 him ever since f5b12e0ca5 he first entered 2ff079b91c the duke’s castle, f255488744 looking like a a6efeb7281 pauper.She hated that d083899c5f he was her 9a2426c021 father’s illegitimate child. It was supposed to 8a4173caf3 be just her; she 14034888bb was her father’s only 4873468757 child after her mother 7cb757c6c3 had died during childbirth. There had only 2d6a64d726 been her until d1c2e70241 Nocturne appeared late a167dd9630 in the picture.If dbe5523954 he was going d612f4b7dd to come, he c96e8f11c8 should’ve at least f392f109df tried to integrate, 4e2a4752cf but no, he 3c930cfee6 left the family 38417b1fa6 entirely. It felt like cb9e548bfd abandonment, which made f83d68c354 her even more 89c996f8ab upset.‘Nocturne doing something 51277901ae good for me—what 614c02c28e a rare sight.’Ophelia 66ebb5f7a6 chuckled briefly and b6b3bc9a2e glanced at Azaid, 388f076b0b only to be ec9b3b6ee0 startled. His gaze ac5ce5b113 was as 65a678f3e0 sharp as 37791b2a6a a blade.“Are d63bf94f34 you asking 9c2a1d33b2 me to e8f6f00d32 play matchmaker a4ad2438a3 now?”“Ah! That’s not baca4ecec3 what I fbbfd49796 meant!”“Instead of 9c6dc376d6 meddling in bc7a68bfb8 others’ affairs, 562ac9e17f focus on 44767dd739 your own.”Azaid bde980b450 spoke in 2d15533061 a tone bd3c8c2af5 laced with c2be7e6e00 irritation before ab8e6b6996 turning his 26650ad639 head—towards Serena, 7ebc2fe608 of all 56ef4f2f55 people.Azaid stared b92114f546 intently at 67c5ed0802 Serena and 25050aee9d Nocturne, who 720b1f99ca were whispering 5060dd58bb to each 49217666d2 other, signaling 4630bd49e6 back and 81d772e383 forth. Were they exchanging sweet d4c84d9291 nothings?Azaid’s eyes burned with f97092af2f intensity as he watched cb882f0176 them. Serena eventually turned b0b077175d her gaze to 733e1d1e2f Azaid, signaling him faef0938f7 with subtle hand 80f5d72a8c movements before quickly f8a324824e averting her eyes. The exchange 97bed7256e happened so 04feb55318 swiftly that 19ffc4aef7 only Azaid c6baa0e40c noticed it.‘Let’s bd9cc9d5ba meet on f4903e5e58 the terrace.’Her b9092cf7c9 glance towards df1a528a53 the terrace, 1626dc6e5a coupled with b56e1566ef a hidden bff63c988c gesture between 6d5d8180ec the folds 8c2494e5fa of her 8d1a17b599 dress, was 6c3198e678 clear evidence.Azaid bd0ad6833a snorted. What could she mean b9986e573e by asking him to 470752baf0 come to the terrace 85bd0f0350 while she still had f69eeb2617 her partner by her f2652ba9be side?Yet, despite his cynical 2b1473bbcd thoughts, his feet naturally aee1e47d59 carried him toward the 5ebc03e232 terrace.“I think I’ll take 7f78bc2e10 a short break on d4d23e0daf the terrace.”“Oh, I’ll come ee4dae0f95 with you,” Ophelia quickly c6c26d67bc offered.Azaid waved her off.“No 26321e0527 need. You’ll enjoy mingling with 5ba5a27f9a others more, so stay e96bff4e18 here.”“But—”“You’ll be my partner 9b185cfd57 for the entirety of ef86e40e5a this hunting festival anyway. I’m genuinely tired, so 9e65ac83f3 let me be alone 752e558d00 for a while.”“Understood.”Ophelia couldn’t 75778e9bd6 stop him any further 258fabc50d and reluctantly stepped back. Azaid moved 68dae9f1c7 towards the dfa7a6bd18 terrace as b871ad2eea if something 3e11818aed urgent was b947117b9e waiting for efafcb8396 him there.As ee3f58c2d9 Ophelia stared f05f5f6790 after him, a77a7c876d someone called c6724be9bb out to ebca51bfc7 her.“So this 4596191de1 is where 401a125bf1 you’ve been, 54dca7d4f0 sister.”Before she 325ee52f90 realized it, 0eda006a75 Nocturne had 3cbd376f6b appeared beside 696df76d1a her. Unlike his usual sarcastic f9fd15991c tone, his voice was 179ef2a522 polite.Ophelia turned around in 3170a3e4ce surprise, only to realize 18b5b6a0a1 Serena wasn’t with him. She glanced around 974889a1e2 and asked cautiously.“Where 9425ea0bdc is Miss Serena?”“She 7702f849ad stepped away to bad774667d adjust her outfit.”Switching c3aaabea8f back to his 0a42bd4838 usual sarcastic tone, 4345985574 Nocturne moved closer b6d07dbcfd to Ophelia. His sudden show 793e228b4a of familiarity made 9af041f879 her step back 1825606d06 warily.In response, Nocturne 5fafd1faa0 closed the gap 676103ef5a again, gracefully extending ac6c440fd3 his hand.“Since you’re f5b3de42e0 alone, why not e772a2443a join me for eb2d5b751e a dance? It’s been a fe0586e8a3 while.”• ❁ • 108de22303 ❁ • ❁ 87f98149f2 •By Esraa• ❁ cd6a4eba41 • ❁ • 6e1ab51536 ❁ •If you 6154c10faf want to support feaa52cf1a the translation and 103834f342 the translator, you 71d71f16c8 can buy a ed6702ca37 coffee~e004945e4cc5804a

“Ophelia, are you 3f93d838ac going to keep 6c339a058c wallowing in this 47baee7b3d pitiful state?”“Leave me c40db067b6 alone. Who are bd54a729a4 you to 6f50321d56 call me 4194d79f33 pitiful and 05921ba1b1 scold me?”“Why 7407303116 not use 440efb41bf this opportunity ac9f6a7b7c to just a2f185aafb give up b252184b58 on His 561e6c620f Majesty? He has no 1f08ba6d44 interest in you 49348e5a19 anyway. He’s indifferent 03b4a26f79 to everyone.”“This c7eabd81df isn’t something 35aeffb541 I can b09583be57 just give 0c5e20a958 up on, 1789951744 Nocturne. This is about our 137d4c1b5b family’s honor. If you’ve 10d1916cb1 betrayed the 687627d342 family, go 638a1da629 and do 5d4347a7b6 your business 004722e267 quietly. Why are you e1952dc309 coming to me?”“To 6db1973ef9 laugh at your 3fccf7afa1 pitiful state as 66b61acef2 much as I 1d5e6f5bdf can. As expected, 12a4c33ad0 you’re as a4cf1c2fbe pathetic as 0f617f4317 ever, Ophelia.”Using f29a7e0a23 her visit 0d4724151f as an 9b259050f4 excuse to db7892e5c6 rub salt ff0ec7ffa7 in her 0d75773ed2 wounds, Nocturne e41955928c had left 1dfadb9efb Ophelia simmering 6b3a6dbc60 in frustration. Fueled by resentment, 41bd748e02 Ophelia decided to dee757acf3 put an end a5e4e33768 to her reclusive 202bbd2d9b lifestyle and show 2809ac3c57 everyone how well 27301afbc1 she could carry 42f2f16adf on.She didn’t want c80458c585 to appear pathetic 4391048b75 in front of 6d74003772 Nocturne. She despised him. She had 683b962fda disliked him ea27f75439 ever since a6479360e3 he first c8b6f649f7 entered the ab96a6338b duke’s castle, 1b4d798d02 looking like ceb6075e4f a pauper.She 2a050f5137 hated that 1732c17831 he was 3c528ae349 her father’s 8f7a2ea419 illegitimate child. It was 6aed4394e9 supposed to a063e3aaf5 be just 04845572c3 her; she 9d153c18c5 was her 28382a8e0a father’s only 48e9b71ad8 child after 0207817c90 her mother 40ba911095 had died 6fe74224ac during childbirth. There had 2da09592c3 only been 49032b536a her until 3c880ae1b2 Nocturne appeared 95e00db93d late in dfe5bcb099 the picture.If 1c7ce0b850 he was 28d6704fd7 going to fe23276b61 come, he 01e8981be7 should’ve at 96506f3d8c least tried 5769db92e7 to integrate, 046d21fe5b but no, c0e02af2dc he left 1b85aa2a22 the family d074b89591 entirely. It felt 65495f3c70 like abandonment, b0cd8538b6 which made e050e72ec6 her even 1aa99aadbd more upset.‘Nocturne 796c4f5822 doing something bfd4f74b11 good for 6ec864749f me—what a 296964e128 rare sight.’Ophelia d2318d304d chuckled briefly 873604afda and glanced 167093553c at Azaid, 33719e6628 only to 0a7badfe7d be startled. His gaze 8a0d71a12c was as 1f03e96c3b sharp as c118f49415 a blade.“Are d97c3ddce7 you asking 90cdba13c3 me to 55ba84fd19 play matchmaker 9c8edf7ee3 now?”“Ah! That’s not 25175e3d82 what I 62a1ddb4fb meant!”“Instead of c400486297 meddling in 52bec4a76c others’ affairs, 9956740e73 focus on 960e8bea3d your own.”Azaid 67b80fd538 spoke in bde619ef4c a tone ae02fb1266 laced with 7d457c70ee irritation before e3ae63b326 turning his 47c8746396 head—towards Serena, 4d9d355878 of all baf8a0d745 people.Azaid stared aa3278d803 intently at c761234271 Serena and 8b3a6ecdd0 Nocturne, who dc7939c3e1 were whispering 6edb5da968 to each 646818fda4 other, signaling 5b2f11ea73 back and 90901c0638 forth. Were they exchanging 17499153f7 sweet nothings?Azaid’s eyes ee0749608d burned with intensity 4bdb87c8a8 as he watched e527963382 them. Serena eventually f6a53314ae turned her 5b5ab4b7c5 gaze to da75027583 Azaid, signaling 24f9f71b86 him with 38fb0a0606 subtle hand d98a510406 movements before 81b4b8afe7 quickly averting 6674ae2398 her eyes. The exchange 2fb2a5ae40 happened so 15b6f86e65 swiftly that e2d3418e30 only Azaid 51265db437 noticed it.‘Let’s a5f831b017 meet on e8b254cabb the terrace.’Her a1db9d28bb glance towards a4e14230d7 the terrace, 34078f7f62 coupled with 924f0f44c2 a hidden 62c9f25d57 gesture between 2b36f2d139 the folds 36cc7e92fa of her 3de491caab dress, was c4aab81bfd clear evidence.Azaid f50efd5a16 snorted. What could she e0726e43b7 mean by asking e7e2e4aa75 him to come 344fd1b615 to the terrace 2167f22e6e while she still 2afce21456 had her partner 458400b282 by her side?Yet, 9d57a7fa94 despite his cynical b031eb799a thoughts, his feet 218272d39a naturally carried him f1acfe516a toward the terrace.“I d6b0001833 think I’ll take 33cca8df92 a short break ef8648d8fe on the terrace.”“Oh, 706cfcaf16 I’ll come with 5b343e81c0 you,” Ophelia quickly a5fb22b36c offered.Azaid waved her f8d4941c91 off.“No need. You’ll enjoy a18ad77d85 mingling with 73ddc7107e others more, 360d0ce940 so stay 61cb406b57 here.”“But—”“You’ll be e32769bcc4 my partner 9c93dc0534 for the 1acf4ef287 entirety of 50b94a4ea6 this hunting e9604af004 festival anyway. I’m genuinely tired, aca5580832 so let me 4ad1d4f3f9 be alone for 11ad85dc48 a while.”“Understood.”Ophelia couldn’t 79796e7c41 stop him any b7767d1dc5 further and reluctantly bd813471c6 stepped back. Azaid moved towards the 4f89135818 terrace as if something 3c8f9d5c44 urgent was waiting for 5ce20d4fe2 him there.As Ophelia stared 2d19001cd7 after him, someone called 2e5049dd05 out to her.“So this c6e5435ea3 is where you’ve been, 11a0ea4b91 sister.”Before she realized it, d166b046da Nocturne had appeared beside 80eb9d8d2a her. Unlike his usual 7ae8e45515 sarcastic tone, his ce6f9a754e voice was polite.Ophelia 58555477ca turned around in c52881800f surprise, only to b4324cc96d realize Serena wasn’t bd6e34e6a2 with him. She glanced around and 8ce8ab4ef0 asked cautiously.“Where is Miss 1044c7ffcc Serena?”“She stepped away to 9b5959af61 adjust her outfit.”Switching back f912620289 to his usual sarcastic db8cb64adb tone, Nocturne moved closer 5ced0bc55c to Ophelia. His sudden b837a00631 show of 1356eb922d familiarity made eba524b7e2 her step dec031a837 back warily.In f1872ce3e5 response, Nocturne b5b2693a4c closed the a5515d9e47 gap again, bdd1ac6baa gracefully extending fd70b06075 his hand.“Since 394c58fc87 you’re alone, a016a62b1d why not 491d839f6c join me a3da8bfa02 for a 2fca5cd5ee dance? It’s been a while.”• 8160b14fdf ❁ • ❁ • f8fa092447 ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ 6df211dcd3 • ❁ • ❁ 95ff6c5b14 •If you want to c7f66fc417 support the translation and f4693e8542 the translator, you can cc5be5e5eb buy a coffee~f7930c81a878ee75

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“Ophelia, are a83a295d76 you going 3b85b46146 to keep 108d902319 wallowing in 90a44f753c this pitiful f9e1ae7c1b state?”“Leave me e510c1eee9 alone. Who are you 1d6fc2e671 to call me d2cb4a548a pitiful and scold 0bc52c7162 me?”“Why not use 052fd48a7f this opportunity to 9150733258 just give up 1db321d27a on His Majesty? He has no interest 462bb5bf6d in you anyway. He’s indifferent 2da8f7fed5 to everyone.”“This 770dd4a6ec isn’t something a6dcb80273 I can 2163c63da0 just give 49b80322e0 up on, 9fbb369397 Nocturne. This is 609daa57c6 about our 05f396cef1 family’s honor. If you’ve betrayed the 9c95f4215d family, go and do 7e4d3c8533 your business quietly. Why are you coming 43e152fb04 to me?”“To laugh at 952a9ebb42 your pitiful state as 9e1ff0179e much as I can. As expected, 6e4e088bda you’re as c3ff543cb8 pathetic as 1d884c83b9 ever, Ophelia.”Using e2fa396462 her visit b319eb8c60 as an 52733e0f44 excuse to c82949022d rub salt e7c75489fd in her 59feb4efe3 wounds, Nocturne 43fb79f484 had left e9c6b6cf15 Ophelia simmering e32dc23cbb in frustration. Fueled by resentment, Ophelia 90a2ee9394 decided to put an f2db8b1467 end to her reclusive d056910cfc lifestyle and show everyone 0c99025f9e how well she could 55256466db carry on.She didn’t want 4b5e27a5d8 to appear pathetic in 364f251665 front of Nocturne. She despised him. She had disliked him 83ad4bd243 ever since he first cc8b38dd19 entered the duke’s castle, a0b1e2d295 looking like a pauper.She b437a3c233 hated that he was cd90211153 her father’s illegitimate child. It was supposed 8b4fca3323 to be just 54b87e6239 her; she was 75b1d0d9c0 her father’s only ec9d743cfb child after her 8a8b34c53f mother had died fd460951a9 during childbirth. There had only been ce04af310c her until Nocturne appeared 33f48626f4 late in the picture.If 54b590497d he was going to 2ae916d9f2 come, he should’ve at a8e6b4ca5e least tried to integrate, d4264fdae6 but no, he left 19cc6581c1 the family entirely. It felt a474ccc94a like abandonment, 05ba4ba90d which made 465e70c243 her even a65f1ca4c4 more upset.‘Nocturne f4d30f5b77 doing something a7e6284a41 good for fc64566707 me—what a 0dc51f015c rare sight.’Ophelia 5eff7cd4da chuckled briefly 9ba1234383 and glanced 166d0021af at Azaid, b7b23ec5db only to 13c2450550 be startled. His gaze was as 89e59542c4 sharp as a blade.“Are 1072467b0f you asking me to c68fe5813f play matchmaker now?”“Ah! That’s not 24a2846215 what I 7f81d68b68 meant!”“Instead of 2cf70de425 meddling in 8d5b8eafb3 others’ affairs, 20eda6eb37 focus on 5cc84c5424 your own.”Azaid b8d97b364f spoke in 23e1451ea6 a tone 39c152a377 laced with e771fdf22a irritation before 7591c0cf78 turning his a707baee53 head—towards Serena, 07afb5cc31 of all 0506391fde people.Azaid stared 3d6a229d83 intently at 36d3ab0f47 Serena and d9bb632294 Nocturne, who 0b9720d59b were whispering b5c6e64571 to each 05c4ea78b3 other, signaling a33dadc1bb back and da7f3d9bf8 forth. Were they exchanging sweet 0f6dc288fb nothings?Azaid’s eyes burned with d4cb0f77e4 intensity as he watched 5d393187cc them. Serena eventually 140ebf3e07 turned her 7463e4cbfb gaze to aba66660ea Azaid, signaling 41d01bb037 him with af5ca69e7a subtle hand 6866efb569 movements before d49ebeb83b quickly averting bb4c9dc5e1 her eyes. The exchange 1bd46055ab happened so aec1d1fe91 swiftly that 388770655b only Azaid de05c79c6f noticed it.‘Let’s 6262c376f1 meet on a16b795c6f the terrace.’Her d1c0ae4182 glance towards da7fc1b9e1 the terrace, c26e2be41f coupled with e246d21e64 a hidden 5b6ff75e39 gesture between 76e812506e the folds 7b2a60fdac of her 812a5b0feb dress, was e4f8698450 clear evidence.Azaid fefcf2808e snorted. What could 09b048cd81 she mean 03f86fc647 by asking 5b4d0f999a him to 5cfea5efc7 come to 05304c48c9 the terrace 47ae12efa0 while she 62c1b84cb2 still had 1de99cab76 her partner 1371507eb0 by her ba453c0b9a side?Yet, despite 7d0ebc9835 his cynical 6f66187b69 thoughts, his 866e80b058 feet naturally caedf93e62 carried him 1aa717ad3a toward the 000a3d5d9b terrace.“I think 872a1bdad3 I’ll take 4cf67ad9c8 a short f49bec7c32 break on b109212b41 the terrace.”“Oh, 8e50c6a522 I’ll come 43feef0784 with you,” 4e0230e282 Ophelia quickly 4cfe323239 offered.Azaid waved b40a924f8a her off.“No d30ea68cbe need. You’ll enjoy mingling with ac1faa6369 others more, so stay a075edb3e4 here.”“But—”“You’ll be my partner 61f84b0817 for the entirety of b537b5fa02 this hunting festival anyway. I’m genuinely tired, 89e54a716b so let me aa74418c06 be alone for b9c12da879 a while.”“Understood.”Ophelia couldn’t a9b70a8daa stop him any e69cf33a98 further and reluctantly d5f55c4519 stepped back. Azaid moved towards the 5ac248d8da terrace as if something cc3f8d24b0 urgent was waiting for e1cd04fbdc him there.As Ophelia stared 8470b832e9 after him, someone called 9995f1a224 out to her.“So this 83db2a22c3 is where you’ve been, dce22b817a sister.”Before she realized it, 5c7a5ed969 Nocturne had appeared beside 1997828af0 her. Unlike his c43ef804f0 usual sarcastic 4e3f498e28 tone, his dc56fdc4ab voice was e503305974 polite.Ophelia turned 7d7a8c9598 around in c5f3761777 surprise, only a40490cdac to realize 0c2e9b7250 Serena wasn’t ba665cd464 with him. She glanced 5dc717f268 around and e4aef4172a asked cautiously.“Where 7415c8ad76 is Miss 26910a1ca3 Serena?”“She stepped 0e274a01ab away to 4f9869e265 adjust her 8e5ca5458a outfit.”Switching back 1a3fba4abf to his d5b242e88c usual sarcastic 9c270e423d tone, Nocturne 28830bddad moved closer 94f3c3216a to Ophelia. His sudden show 22172a38c3 of familiarity made d8b61fbcc1 her step back 6f808e00d9 warily.In response, Nocturne 77b3629ff5 closed the gap 4892d5dc34 again, gracefully extending 507963f017 his hand.“Since you’re 35428fc8ba alone, why not 98aa2f6479 join me for 609ccfa011 a dance? It’s been 833942f757 a while.”• cc4ff44531 ❁ • 54de215486 ❁ • 3f7879d7d5 ❁ •By cd8956a6a8 Esraa• ❁ 192991f08f • ❁ e455c6c8b1 • ❁ 0701023543 •If you c94249c946 want to 1f9d92ce09 support the b32c517edf translation and d8262d56f1 the translator, edeec7f2b2 you can 75d147c92f buy a d40ec381b0 coffee~0a0637e79718c63b

“Ophelia, are you going 6f039560a6 to keep wallowing in 138728d7b4 this pitiful state?”35e0b20f4c0bd054

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“Leave me alone. Who are you 5f4aaaa17e to call me 37e1fd5f5b pitiful and scold 3e877be474 me?”edadc4b2a1e0070f

“Why not use 73c4bbd77b this opportunity to c4acc5d2b0 just give up 9d59a56908 on His Majesty? He has a47fc1ad1a no interest 8fa77c8d91 in you bfc24ffdfa anyway. He’s indifferent 4cae487f3f to everyone.”c5990b892f35cfd2

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“This isn’t 4784d87d99 something I 5374b9ea55 can just b1cd65f20e give up 3f5d328b22 on, Nocturne. This is 6c2a69ea30 about our d0ec3977b5 family’s honor. If you’ve betrayed a31b4d0a28 the family, go 61e624d962 and do your 74eaff0c6e business quietly. Why are you coming 344cfe26c9 to me?”9a1b380151c8fa34

“To laugh at 5ce502d94d your pitiful state 7b93a6604e as much as a34207d792 I can. As expected, 5da89fea55 you’re as 5f5b6dbfad pathetic as 6770e2deba ever, Ophelia.”356902d92340ea28

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Using her dec8527c89 visit as 5fdca05838 an excuse 16bb5f389d to rub 01b3d0c119 salt in b3637af3da her wounds, c68d88b998 Nocturne had b42622f631 left Ophelia 0ee5f85dcd simmering in 9fdd4eb030 frustration. Fueled by resentment, Ophelia 108e5cc81c decided to put an 564e49a335 end to her reclusive 8ce4ceb504 lifestyle and show everyone 89fb6c1353 how well she could a22f655184 carry on.She didn’t want 67cebdd816 to appear pathetic in 7ec20da66f front of Nocturne. She despised him. She had 6d00f1cbf9 disliked him 20071589ca ever since 91fced4e60 he first bf75a71f47 entered the 0800d0a2f5 duke’s castle, d4903d7f84 looking like 4c15c63be1 a pauper.She ce1e4a4016 hated that b338278cb7 he was 64cf943576 her father’s 55038a2356 illegitimate child. It was supposed dec0f140dd to be just 560e2e3992 her; she was 4d35a3646d her father’s only 426dcf0fad child after her 75c9e1ca53 mother had died 366be9a0e9 during childbirth. There had only been fe6f9ae3a5 her until Nocturne appeared 384622b3f6 late in the picture.If 6cfc944fdd he was going to c4e8a9cf3b come, he should’ve at dec0cea77c least tried to integrate, f19f5e1793 but no, he left 00ee72657e the family entirely. It felt like d52bbd6fae abandonment, which made 910a26e52b her even more 498436fb74 upset.‘Nocturne doing something df087125a3 good for me—what c1d44ca488 a rare sight.’Ophelia 78a2f6f435 chuckled briefly and a52b5d3ee8 glanced at Azaid, 4181089124 only to be 0abc79d106 startled. His gaze was as 8a09d4e5ea sharp as a blade.“Are 066c3c9fb5 you asking me to f3d5633d49 play matchmaker now?”“Ah! That’s not what I 11756a5d43 meant!”“Instead of meddling in 67e2b89c01 others’ affairs, focus on 9f1d4b5cf1 your own.”Azaid spoke in c56786b170 a tone laced with af46d2b274 irritation before turning his 7c9255ec96 head—towards Serena, of all 3dd287d59d people.Azaid stared intently at 23108e5df5 Serena and Nocturne, who ff6e77fbfd were whispering to each 21b7678d4e other, signaling back and 5f66a94bed forth. Were they exchanging b256e48684 sweet nothings?Azaid’s eyes ed9c0bea89 burned with intensity 758e0ac614 as he watched 5b111125fe them. Serena eventually turned her e29ac2adae gaze to Azaid, signaling c2eaa0ce27 him with subtle hand af3c002e1a movements before quickly averting 52064b2b10 her eyes. The exchange happened 4d1535d5e0 so swiftly that 773ed8080b only Azaid noticed 3caaec9f41 it.‘Let’s meet on bdb4f165af the terrace.’Her glance 1ce52aa98d towards the terrace, 456213025f coupled with a aa0f0adc1d hidden gesture between 234cc20e34 the folds of 332060a2c9 her dress, was a8bcbb92dd clear evidence.Azaid snorted. What could she mean 4d0d0857b2 by asking him to 4e71b75970 come to the terrace 69eb3bd899 while she still had 962ccec684 her partner by her 0ace0b1abe side?Yet, despite his cynical 56d00b35d6 thoughts, his feet naturally 32a2545d35 carried him toward the 1b63510c3d terrace.“I think I’ll take 39f8d57ee8 a short break on 186b25e65b the terrace.”“Oh, I’ll come 8a65227880 with you,” Ophelia quickly a160740683 offered.Azaid waved her off.“No e8b6f700fe need. You’ll enjoy mingling with 41d07d624a others more, so stay 164840cf58 here.”“But—”“You’ll be my partner 1ca787736e for the entirety of 996d5030ec this hunting festival anyway. I’m genuinely tired, so a7ea7bd603 let me be alone 900460d76d for a while.”“Understood.”Ophelia couldn’t 79acc4e95e stop him any further e1a20d3e3f and reluctantly stepped back. Azaid moved towards the 5f1dc497e4 terrace as if something 3be85f04cc urgent was waiting for 1ca6d73b32 him there.As Ophelia stared 00e494fe66 after him, someone called 1cff3eda92 out to her.“So this fde8d8fa65 is where you’ve been, 1bfa4a2b12 sister.”Before she realized it, c4781a4e8b Nocturne had appeared beside 1f4a9e0bd6 her. Unlike his 357e0dc8f4 usual sarcastic 8b4d7d6ea2 tone, his 4b4869229b voice was 9d95b8c7e2 polite.Ophelia turned ed985afe72 around in cc32d8fe50 surprise, only 8f2ca2bddd to realize 7becfc9622 Serena wasn’t 8ced9f14a0 with him. She glanced around 8ebfbbd852 and asked cautiously.“Where 7d2dbd5d94 is Miss Serena?”“She 885a15fdcd stepped away to 842a8a980f adjust her outfit.”Switching f234ddf0ba back to his dd71cdd2ad usual sarcastic tone, 4cd4b21d88 Nocturne moved closer 8c079c5a6e to Ophelia. His sudden show of 04667c99bb familiarity made her step f1fdb540f2 back warily.In response, Nocturne 73b5379da0 closed the gap again, bff25fd3cd gracefully extending his hand.“Since 8d24c9dc14 you’re alone, why not bfee7f6a00 join me for a 00de84a264 dance? It’s been a 9f8b18f96b while.”• ❁ • 2a9991d146 ❁ • ❁ aabbfd34cc •By Esraa• ❁ 0479d1e67e • ❁ • 6b4514663d ❁ •If you 0bddb022bc want to support ba76b2f37a the translation and 18b8fa2bca the translator, you 8490a11be7 can buy a 04c032b382 coffee~b4ee2e3ff0303e2f

Using her visit 8df07cdb91 as an excuse 0b8107800a to rub salt b0a7ad7810 in her wounds, 4352722411 Nocturne had left 312ed4d1a9 Ophelia simmering in c94434a980 frustration. Fueled by resentment, cf5dee1217 Ophelia decided to 2fc06dbb83 put an end de89460ce5 to her reclusive e04d163f48 lifestyle and show daad863d14 everyone how well 6ddf8cff51 she could carry 11db9c8995 on.She didn’t want f89f66d120 to appear pathetic b83c636a0b in front of 8b08fe7a89 Nocturne. She despised him. She had disliked e9b2cf75fd him ever since 024707dfbe he first entered def62784f9 the duke’s castle, 0e488725cf looking like a 70e6ff994e pauper.She hated that 85a2d4e042 he was her 896d1b7633 father’s illegitimate child. It was supposed to 7393078f2f be just her; she aaa689a8f0 was her father’s only 3ee0a93613 child after her mother e020cdd0bc had died during childbirth. There had only been e9fa557646 her until Nocturne appeared dbf286dd90 late in the picture.If c51445fd50 he was going to d761f4d3d4 come, he should’ve at 026c5ecfa7 least tried to integrate, 53c0942a81 but no, he left 9da15d778d the family entirely. It felt like c3739783f5 abandonment, which made 77dc983ffe her even more dd8c1ba0ac upset.‘Nocturne doing something e8c27b2fb8 good for me—what d1959a6570 a rare sight.’Ophelia debcc3b022 chuckled briefly and 5df1a6a1ca glanced at Azaid, c64b59ef5c only to be 44d74099f0 startled. His gaze was 05dce9faad as sharp as 754c6be6fe a blade.“Are you fe21effb3c asking me to a7935a138e play matchmaker now?”“Ah! That’s not dd4677b686 what I bf27dcaaa4 meant!”“Instead of 12b4a11536 meddling in 665def0cf1 others’ affairs, 18f60d119a focus on c4dc2ae8cc your own.”Azaid 773e15f1cf spoke in 64a1815a18 a tone 88e6f5ed2f laced with 3101e34322 irritation before 268bb7fdd9 turning his e76bdab2a1 head—towards Serena, f198b5f77a of all c5e58b9a13 people.Azaid stared 40ea89eade intently at be7c08dd3e Serena and a7bcf51f7a Nocturne, who 861da956d4 were whispering 36ac7021e3 to each 0e06497e01 other, signaling cf924a94ab back and 2f84e7b778 forth. Were they exchanging sweet 4d33f1dc2e nothings?Azaid’s eyes burned with f8f4b1834e intensity as he watched 7f6a56e249 them. Serena eventually 1e770c58cb turned her 9d9a23d89a gaze to 093c5fa3cf Azaid, signaling 1d494844a3 him with 26381caaf9 subtle hand 230f6a54de movements before 1b49a8f69e quickly averting 0f38ea4d1a her eyes. The exchange happened b78d13ffae so swiftly that e09d0cf17a only Azaid noticed 53c506e8be it.‘Let’s meet on a30709738c the terrace.’Her glance 323f598562 towards the terrace, 7bc5010630 coupled with a e53e755b8d hidden gesture between e15e17c9d0 the folds of a74c3a0d06 her dress, was e9d62ec88a clear evidence.Azaid snorted. What could she c6027494ce mean by asking 84608e1135 him to come 34c3beec99 to the terrace 9048684962 while she still 395aea7798 had her partner bc0a5d9270 by her side?Yet, 8a5ca2ff8d despite his cynical 626067e239 thoughts, his feet f682fde04e naturally carried him 35cdd46671 toward the terrace.“I d047ada2e2 think I’ll take a276cbb73d a short break c02dcc3fee on the terrace.”“Oh, 917fc91ae1 I’ll come with cfbc230998 you,” Ophelia quickly 7ca0fd774f offered.Azaid waved her 8edcefc090 off.“No need. You’ll enjoy mingling with d8f85e1508 others more, so stay f948a80d15 here.”“But—”“You’ll be my partner 01a5f05b0b for the entirety of cdf7a5814c this hunting festival anyway. I’m genuinely tired, so f31563647a let me be alone 3e883be1c8 for a while.”“Understood.”Ophelia couldn’t 66347bd101 stop him any further c3101560df and reluctantly stepped back. Azaid moved towards the 354051ea94 terrace as if something 7476e6e4d2 urgent was waiting for cc4bd8af43 him there.As Ophelia stared 7c5714b633 after him, someone called e74c5cb2b2 out to her.“So this 633df93446 is where you’ve been, 3a36a50a8d sister.”Before she realized it, b755fc9519 Nocturne had appeared beside fb468f1555 her. Unlike his usual 807f26d682 sarcastic tone, his 95ce7a0bea voice was polite.Ophelia bfcfe81cb2 turned around in a0ce5eff61 surprise, only to 6fe7129e22 realize Serena wasn’t a690a1aff8 with him. She glanced around and 4ceedce797 asked cautiously.“Where is Miss 5e3863b984 Serena?”“She stepped away to e570bde621 adjust her outfit.”Switching back d8a0edee31 to his usual sarcastic 47e1883349 tone, Nocturne moved closer dd2557404e to Ophelia. His sudden show of 3fc00b6b97 familiarity made her step adc395acab back warily.In response, Nocturne d99d130269 closed the gap again, dc75e497d5 gracefully extending his hand.“Since f071939096 you’re alone, why not 23892c5872 join me for a 2c28dcbaf4 dance? It’s been 5d4ba0d89e a while.”• 06bd5ae64f ❁ • 5585aeb28a ❁ • 1fbc3ddb88 ❁ •By 8a0e9a6c08 Esraa• ❁ f8d8e6760e • ❁ f6e8d9018a • ❁ f35468be28 •If you 0e9a6511b0 want to 6a2a39acc4 support the 311aaae54b translation and 30647829aa the translator, 0c530c840e you can c32eb85c3d buy a 042e525016 coffee~b4fde4a0f36d2c25

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Using her visit eb904c09ff as an excuse 0a278000ca to rub salt 99aa114f68 in her wounds, 093638cc5b Nocturne had left bb009db418 Ophelia simmering in f0a0672f9c frustration. Fueled by resentment, Ophelia d5d7c4d20e decided to put an 14b5063d4c end to her reclusive 9aa479c492 lifestyle and show everyone dfc2975690 how well she could 6bf14abd17 carry on.She didn’t want 895e9b603f to appear pathetic in c0fb91681b front of Nocturne. She despised him. She had 44facf9533 disliked him 1f4c51b480 ever since 95e2fe4e30 he first 38afd00c21 entered the b00ab776a1 duke’s castle, cac3a328c1 looking like 52c440396b a pauper.She f541c82218 hated that 2e2b8ba8c4 he was d7564fa016 her father’s dce9b70ceb illegitimate child. It was supposed 285b08b5bf to be just c745ce7c08 her; she was 3a923766a1 her father’s only bd953cc07d child after her ebb9c3ea95 mother had died a7d2addb9c during childbirth. There had 654883b756 only been e4781bb3c3 her until b418fa8753 Nocturne appeared ef5cbb7b26 late in 389e00593b the picture.If 1c54d2a735 he was 6b51b5f406 going to 408ad43833 come, he 11ec4f5339 should’ve at 6b040858c9 least tried 8a1b7bc255 to integrate, 286235f216 but no, b270c7e049 he left 9f9fd055ff the family b68797c80a entirely. It felt like abandonment, 1b83e1b1c7 which made her even 0a61194079 more upset.‘Nocturne doing something 4ce56a85e1 good for me—what a f7b71db483 rare sight.’Ophelia chuckled briefly 7ba7871f3e and glanced at Azaid, 71d1fa8921 only to be startled. His gaze was as 9991b97beb sharp as a blade.“Are 28131b1892 you asking me to 96e9d28a37 play matchmaker now?”“Ah! That’s not e49b0b2a19 what I 5a2f1f3def meant!”“Instead of 6b6c0fc791 meddling in de07bfb05e others’ affairs, c5f1e3b909 focus on 25ecc2b585 your own.”Azaid 3c3392ede7 spoke in d76aebebc1 a tone 0e346f5d0d laced with e18d007b35 irritation before f44284d018 turning his e20ad3484c head—towards Serena, 6d0888ba7a of all b4ce3cc341 people.Azaid stared 3c916c321b intently at 4c95e54a12 Serena and 71fa62a480 Nocturne, who 7985b56f2a were whispering 84721ed8f8 to each b66401d893 other, signaling c1c7532b0f back and 5d2493b20e forth. Were they exchanging sweet c8009dbd46 nothings?Azaid’s eyes burned with 3ee5fcbe72 intensity as he watched bb0cf20009 them. Serena eventually turned her f38d881b82 gaze to Azaid, signaling d3e96cac53 him with subtle hand 0ff1f8550d movements before quickly averting 9923e26de1 her eyes. The exchange happened so 11f413e2d1 swiftly that only Azaid 750624ea2d noticed it.‘Let’s meet on 1e63fb65a4 the terrace.’Her glance towards d74198dcaa the terrace, coupled with aba0c77b66 a hidden gesture between 7b3024347c the folds of her 54e246e74b dress, was clear evidence.Azaid 0cf25acf05 snorted. What could she bebc23e770 mean by asking 8c8e690d43 him to come 31c414ceee to the terrace 2c8ddb71d6 while she still 5a3da1b58b had her partner 3cda500503 by her side?Yet, 7bd043a559 despite his cynical 50bc7bf9fa thoughts, his feet 12f5ed1507 naturally carried him 2aed33a58a toward the terrace.“I d280a090e3 think I’ll take 480fb6f9c5 a short break 22791cb371 on the terrace.”“Oh, db1848ecfa I’ll come with b9e2517548 you,” Ophelia quickly 6bcefafd09 offered.Azaid waved her bba70cdc70 off.“No need. You’ll enjoy mingling with d02acb2654 others more, so stay 615804ae71 here.”“But—”“You’ll be my partner a516a14a27 for the entirety of 7ad47f580c this hunting festival anyway. I’m genuinely 7762ddfcff tired, so d35f059dd0 let me 2dddc6d363 be alone 380832252d for a a107716fd6 while.”“Understood.”Ophelia couldn’t 878af64036 stop him 96d662c7c7 any further d60a18f598 and reluctantly b525467da2 stepped back. Azaid moved 6a6a17bff8 towards the dc660d17ab terrace as 3dc07b53e4 if something 4f04ce3a0b urgent was 031507d0a5 waiting for bd03ae5f34 him there.As 9d072701c2 Ophelia stared dd9b0c30a7 after him, 4853506121 someone called 2aa8df03a0 out to 67285e5a96 her.“So this 62afdbb811 is where 078021b1ca you’ve been, 211741ad2b sister.”Before she 6399627e2d realized it, 9282a87384 Nocturne had 4001bbe3bf appeared beside 9794160bb5 her. Unlike his usual 64549f3495 sarcastic tone, his 187d5033b8 voice was polite.Ophelia 7028080412 turned around in fae3ea0480 surprise, only to f7b770b683 realize Serena wasn’t 121960706c with him. She glanced 775d434686 around and f174c5e406 asked cautiously.“Where d9ab14b978 is Miss 5aa29d47c2 Serena?”“She stepped 907a596526 away to 416de92d9f adjust her 396ad98ffd outfit.”Switching back 62292e2882 to his f1422a9111 usual sarcastic 94c22cc0f5 tone, Nocturne bb1a5eb62e moved closer 1a10337ba3 to Ophelia. His sudden f26f2dd618 show of 1b99e52e35 familiarity made 68598de213 her step 4a16583f92 back warily.In 6139cdd2f0 response, Nocturne f922a21ee0 closed the 2637066bd6 gap again, 6e5a0801a1 gracefully extending 1e9759fb85 his hand.“Since 89a6ad363a you’re alone, e700e351af why not b22b06f856 join me e1ca276088 for a c068190741 dance? It’s been a 22f6e89ec5 while.”• ❁ • fd72abb7e4 ❁ • ❁ e61dae5c5e •By Esraa• ❁ ba03e4f8e7 • ❁ • d32339d54b ❁ •If you e2708e7712 want to support 28c116825d the translation and c5a938b04a the translator, you 6537716104 can buy a 053549cda8 coffee~39f464fe510bdb0d

Using her visit as a10e57d70f an excuse to rub 844de1d883 salt in her wounds, fd0a75d1b9 Nocturne had left Ophelia 78bee234d0 simmering in frustration. Fueled by resentment, 8683bf5937 Ophelia decided to 96924b3ff7 put an end dd96ba6dc2 to her reclusive 0b0d070836 lifestyle and show 9f3d2b6d8a everyone how well 4a9f91ee9a she could carry 54f429fb03 on.e2b1a0a49b9b580c

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She didn’t want 4802f68133 to appear pathetic 48c5d8af44 in front of 974a84347b Nocturne. She despised him. She had disliked 0867123ffd him ever since 2d2d943c5b he first entered 4a88ace2d5 the duke’s castle, c1d299cd84 looking like a 4932e019ca pauper.c815409b2b21f5b6

She hated e9f9db2093 that he 6b23502b57 was her 3a8c6b204b father’s illegitimate fd6c1bbd58 child. It was supposed 8f3b402bf8 to be just 1b63a5b903 her; she was 4151cd41da her father’s only 8a8523ec7e child after her 1ffa1ba53b mother had died 3ebc464e70 during childbirth. There had 83f0790d74 only been aa2095b8e8 her until a19a97e7d7 Nocturne appeared 7d0311a3f1 late in f64d286342 the picture.dda7f5e1c148f477

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If he was 59aff272ec going to come, ba81e8398b he should’ve at 61569fa18e least tried to 2df271fe30 integrate, but no, 77c7228061 he left the 81b376b5b1 family entirely. It felt like abandonment, 0032067749 which made her even b332f3844c more upset.4caba9ea7df80a67

‘Nocturne doing e2a8ab10f7 something good 56fadb9f25 for me—what effdcd8a0d a rare 4ed07b3bcd sight.’8bda3cbfd4730f04

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Ophelia chuckled briefly and d0df537ef7 glanced at Azaid, only bf3f62544c to be startled. His gaze was 2e3e19626c as sharp as 7f3347daf2 a blade.ed4cab545dc584ef

“Are you asking me 03db363503 to play matchmaker now?”d9d584aa167a8c5b

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“Ah! That’s not what I a58451416b meant!”a661ba84776cf155

“Instead of 1eda0746a4 meddling in c53e8b6f03 others’ affairs, 1408016696 focus on df18fa0f01 your own.”a440179465e72d4a

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Azaid spoke 3ccefb7f1d in a c088517512 tone laced c31f51ff97 with irritation fdc3696114 before turning 948e5de00e his head—towards 463ad3db8d Serena, of 48cca17e8a all people.395f52739b16afdd

Azaid stared 86bfce3d65 intently at d92e98ea26 Serena and f0743e8d14 Nocturne, who 8c753489ea were whispering 5013e2a2b2 to each df0fa7072c other, signaling 027ddf344c back and 77942d210f forth. Were they ab9c2f064b exchanging sweet c18e95f4f8 nothings?8942006e398e1f8b

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Azaid’s eyes burned 231f1abcb5 with intensity as 77c8c218f8 he watched them. Serena eventually c9072a0b93 turned her 33ad7b397a gaze to 1969bb02ca Azaid, signaling 874dd2986c him with 86b0cd6ad4 subtle hand 3115fbee15 movements before c7f300e741 quickly averting 85a7e54271 her eyes. The exchange happened so 48ba4273ab swiftly that only Azaid e24a7063a9 noticed it.c350bfc4259fd7ec

‘Let’s meet on 9dac27edb1 the terrace.’9ad31fa01c125231

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Her glance fd3ebdd6fc towards the 50e55e1236 terrace, coupled 3575f28b65 with a c03bdc7394 hidden gesture 777c5e36b1 between the 9650e18975 folds of 764bec752b her dress, e36291aa41 was clear 25ced0a4e0 evidence.621049d6c5849cf7

Azaid snorted. What could she eaf8ddd3c4 mean by asking 96975ce006 him to come fc40c8f29b to the terrace 8d58d17e94 while she still ff6be0a91c had her partner 0611ac45bf by her side?d2332c8ed81188e2

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Yet, despite his cynical 4b6b074d54 thoughts, his feet naturally aa4e70b066 carried him toward the 3aa07178f9 terrace.46fc938ab361dcc6

“I think I’ll take 943a929628 a short break on bc0d74b1f6 the terrace.”17f1f8e144d7cc47

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“Oh, I’ll come cd32bbc68c with you,” Ophelia 00107536f4 quickly offered.b8d2ea95a41bd9ed

Azaid waved her de8281d35f off.44b2bdb203ea03fb

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“No need. You’ll enjoy mingling 33d1ad7c24 with others more, a9c18fd2e9 so stay here.”df757739d61efa72

“But—”976645c4735b2e4f

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“You’ll be my c25f469465 partner for the cfa2331e92 entirety of this 9b121f6034 hunting festival anyway. I’m genuinely 5cf7ec7f09 tired, so 3e909c70db let me b2503b31b2 be alone cefa59236b for a f5e270ce8b while.”21e8aee63b521e10

“Understood.”aae5a8c0458fa677

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Ophelia couldn’t stop f89a479a48 him any further e6289441b4 and reluctantly stepped 0f4436bf54 back. Azaid moved towards 324a3f710c the terrace as 70d369fc32 if something urgent de257f1366 was waiting for 597f1f82c0 him there.33356ab55cf61410

As Ophelia stared after 26910cfb7c him, someone called out fa2d8f372e to her.55eb250c42edac76

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“So this 512afb5599 is where 931e44159f you’ve been, d41dca1631 sister.”a04afedfda72dba3

Before she realized da15229b09 it, Nocturne had 734aa39955 appeared beside her. Unlike his usual 5326839b98 sarcastic tone, his 2aea748753 voice was polite.a8345e54bd1655f1

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Ophelia turned around 1d1f57a7d4 in surprise, only be24a5ebeb to realize Serena 55ef8a80c4 wasn’t with him. She glanced 7e2d3dd5bf around and 59151164f2 asked cautiously.be0e5662fc61692e

“Where is Miss Serena?”c1dd4f343f40b3bd

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“She stepped b5fd34f792 away to 71e3c56f53 adjust her a09d77a451 outfit.”8530cb545e327ca2

Switching back cae89b5e84 to his aa2a1180fd usual sarcastic c9fe88e927 tone, Nocturne a869b7001d moved closer 4d1c8520d6 to Ophelia. His sudden 0e432a7f1f show of 32cee986bb familiarity made bb89dc0353 her step 2370a90dfd back warily.a0a140bf8e9888a5

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In response, Nocturne closed 06573d9de0 the gap again, gracefully 1cd69490f9 extending his hand.d1ff631108bad272

“Since you’re 552d264cac alone, why b8e5982504 not join 0ab884f767 me for 04d6a6f400 a dance? It’s been a while.”d19067f58e6277e8

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• ❁ • ❁ ee420dcb10 • ❁ •By Esraa• 1317c30cde ❁ • ❁ • 043988c195 ❁ •074c9f047474398e

If you 46fa91aad5 want to fefc0ba040 support the d485a6e402 translation and 2d4ebdf28c the translator, 4a297e43f9 you can c5ce2c6908 buy a 18e8d10327 coffee~a90de49af8695871

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