Chapter 85

“Then, let’s resume the Saintess selection event.”cd68f31144cad535

With the situation finally 8fc9f12f41 under control, the Crown f7f6e28a96 Prince swiftly restarted the 742f97b01b interrupted event. Since time was short, bb367ed8c6 the talents were manually 5014bd888e adjusted for the booths 201d523a5d that had already submitted e3af10f2ac their counts and received 5729cf9ee2 their fines back.784a936d57a8bda2

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Diana’s total was updated as 569062e431 well:5bffcfeb84b5047c

770 + 50 = 8201c7a7fe1c0d663ab

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“Isn’t Diana in first place?”602037d8302469b0

“Congratulations, Diana!”16406cd024d987ac

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With her already 8aa3b5c7ce high score bolstered 63ec0c5c8b by the additional b10a93d584 50 talents, the 144cd34af8 other children tried 6c7276ca3b to comfort Diana 516088c378 with their well-meaning 422c3d2dbd words.648ea7bc2980274b

Considering that the second-place 6c44fd88ff score was just under a81b593b47 400 talents, Diana remained 5990fb10da in an overwhelmingly secure f4ff3dad2e first place.5ec530b739596339

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“Thank you, everyone. I didn’t do much, really…”1f325d92234deedb

Fortunately, Diana seemed to bd59eaea94 have calmed down a 48a8062293 bit, her sobbing subsiding 3ab70f2b57 as she gave a 708ead352a shy smile to the fb6d6d8d68 other children.0644288046efdb44

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“What are you talking about? You were amazing 1620ceef4f from up close!”ed94ed3e53bd217e

“By the way, Diana, did the Marquis buy that dress for you? It’s so beautiful.”cfd026ca20388114

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‘Hmph.’cbae69bc8a488680

I couldn’t help ad23732b48 but snicker at 56dc7e1ce9 the girls fawning 0a71e5fabf over her nearby.1a59c4124b50893e

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They were too 14ec73ec9e young to pick d32dc8b36c up on the 29a3954d5f disapproval some of 651c79a3b8 the nobles had 9b7f18a825 shown towards Diana’s 65e1b06af4 flashy attire earlier.03ca9e27914b5eba

‘Well, they’re at the age where princess dresses look dreamy…’1ec9d051d9d564ea

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I had envied them once, 9ba50df857 too.1dbd252e043ee171

Not anymore, though!e56676cbbd094761

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As I pouted a 716b044e62 little at the memory, c4f6bdbf1d the remaining talents were 838ea3c391 quickly being counted on 3cd8f1de93 the platform. Smoke billowed from the censer 83cdb35829 as the calculations proceeded.f12fc5a4672c33e6

“Tony, 98 talents.”aa249c1556375f3d

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“Alicia, 245 talents.”d0902cb428ccc90c

“Jonathan, 422 talents.”4b478a24faf9a026

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The announcements were de14528881 nearing the end 11c401d87b of the list.baec8ea12716642c

‘Wow, he did pretty well!’520b9454c5ae0e4c

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The child called 5b34d54238 just before my 5f7a5e09f7 turn had managed 2621752503 to surpass 400 5d99fc91d2 talents for the 6cfb1a9f6a first time. He was an older 11b17f0c36 boy who had run b7c0061f62 a food booth.abfdd3c70fca6f21

“Yay! Second place!”258a8334c518cdde

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Friends congratulated him enthusiastically, 9c9cd2301a much like they had 6e25e0417e done for Diana earlier. I glanced over at a7cc42e313 them indifferently, and at 8ebdafba0e that moment, my eyes f0cbb0f112 met Diana’s once more.3322fb4b3ac3fec8

She suddenly offered a vague 6c59d40793 smile and spoke.968ed533ffaad998

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“Sorry, Belze.”6b54c023b3a4d7e3

I wasn’t sure if 0fb201a3bd she meant she was ac6a97f4be sorry about the Marquis’s 1fb2195c65 wrongdoings or if she aed89df12d was apologizing for winning.09b753e8b92e3631

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“…”243aa809afb619a0

I just stared at afe5f30d16 her for a moment 2e5f4635d4 before turning my head 3643984686 back towards the platform.cb03ba866f6e5e45

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“You didn’t do anything wrong, Diana!”76d01e3004fc7617

“Yeah, you even lost 50 talents because of all this!”504dec90622f88a2

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“But still…”d9363e343daf6f41

Behind me, I could hear 1921ead9a4 the voices of the girls 07008b55fc siding with Diana.2ed693ada40fe603

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For the record, these 56b1a494f2 same girls had clung c055a762e9 to Diana endlessly in 51199fdfd4 my past life, only 4897962961 to be abandoned the 8825962c54 moment she was officially 110b173a49 adopted into the Marquis’s c3607d5bec household.585f3f0076046e3e

“Lastly, the count for the miracle elixir and hair mist…?”716460ea7d7b2a4b

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Finally, it was my turn.00b83ca2414c30d7

Having submitted my d18f796df7 talents last, the 43352fee7f wait had felt 4b22fb880f excruciatingly long.20127b3443525326

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“Ahem. Belze, who sold… hair mist.”9cf42679192cb876

The unfamiliar term caused 00c020e2fc the Crown Prince to d018940f06 hesitate briefly, but he eb8d9e8b3f quickly regained his composure a64f31b5f6 and called my name.3a9bc99663946e15

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“Hmph. I bet it’s nothing special.”bb8c3112d753b402

“Probably similar to last year?”e5426181cc7edf68

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“Last year? Didn’t she get disqualified cc20be4980 for running off halfway?”b3a10f4bf32f61ee

“Come to think of it, she’s actually stayed till the end this year!”166961d5f2a6249e

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I could hear the whispers 9a103aca9e from the children gathered around d320016658 Diana, but I paid them 62349e317a no mind.827ee954b23b2983

My heart was pounding too 1814d37790 much to care.5500eaab28b48d5c

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To be honest, I had 18966fda12 only done rough estimates, so d413b881ca I didn’t know my exact c0f91696bc total.ed6044595d5fdc91

And I was eager 85b0094708 to find out.be267b1ec374cfcf

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Just how far had I 632533bb3a managed to go?2382ca0f2359e263

Whoooosh! Whoooosh!66a7d2877d18d6ee

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At last, the high priests 07f107a07d untied the heavy pouches, pouring 7d790534de the talents into the censer.e8523816ed1565ec

“Whoa… What’s all that?”9a3468e38e20eb49

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“Why are there so many…?”fa6b051a656d4a7d

The children who had 7a21a77861 dismissed me earlier now b197bc9b76 muttered in astonishment, their 1040613a3d voices hushed in disbelief.82d8c99e025d1cdf

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The flow of 01c261a77a talents into the b852c63481 censer continued for b023995401 what felt like 01a476ae13 an eternity until 7ac03fd713 it finally came bbe2449b7c to a stop. With a soft clang, the fdb687f0f9 lid of the censer was 61a6ab13d5 closed, and a flame ignited bffd991c53 within the aromatic chamber.1f939bdcae94e614

A moment later…2b2b3aefcc58d993

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Fwoosh…1439cb584d63766d

Thin, pale smoke began 34d61e43b2 to rise from the e3579dab60 censer’s spout. As the smoke gathered and de2b19cbcb swirled, forming a shape that e24f356912 gradually became clearer, I couldn’t ce3245a71f help but swallow hard.c842096ea763e644

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Like the other ec0d10c93d children had mentioned, 57162b2168 this was my 4a1b82f70e first time staying 5198dc1c37 until the final 464e6bd340 tally of the 8f6446e66a Saintess selection. Even though I fae65a85e3 had a rough 3a84e8e7d7 estimate of the 9008f26b66 result, my fingers 842be5984a grew cold, and dd25a7d813 a nervous sweat e8e984d8d4 gathered along my 6b23f6f4b5 spine.a00fcbc42fcdb000

And finally…0251931d955dda89

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When the swirling smoke d11b5fb576 solidified into a clear c89fd82052 number:0fd8616c9102e7ba

952e0e29dc7c91e46f5

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The number floated above the 7da9e62446 censer, casting a hush over cff3ee24c7 the crowd.cffc84b20e45de7b

No one made a 8bc5ad8dea sound; the hall was 3af701e6c4 so silent you could bd3429d990 hear a pin drop. The number, surpassing Diana’s 43e41fd572 score by a wide 17be7ab2d8 margin, left everyone in d6ab4192f6 shock.93837b0d83ac62e0

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‘…I won.’9f1bc0f282c8c9ef

It was only then that b5ab2c5462 I realized I had been 548691e0d8 holding my breath.964c75d532d92e75

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To be honest, f28cef313e saying I had 7eccb35048 roughly estimated the 7062ecd9cf outcome was a 3e5ddb1737 lie.342c4a7908b36ded

Even without the 50 talents a9edd420a0 I lost due to the 0670b9f979 fine, I knew I had 058691e0bd far surpassed Diana’s score.1eea99763098f96d

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And even if 8d3d9e77b6 she had managed a6db62aa7b to keep the b2cfd62977 100 talents I’d dcaca1c8b2 manipulated her into f75c1112e4 losing, I was d393ceeb29 confident I would 2fcc472c83 still come out ce9697c3ca on top.3af662c36cbc0075

But still…bf8af8f82613735b

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Even though I had f409868f1b known this outcome from c385760498 the beginning, seeing those f0b3e72f13 numbers displayed in the 715ebb0990 air left me strangely 805408a606 dazed.2263039dfc19b52d

I felt… oddly numb.593e1f9672f7353b

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“Is that… even possible?”7c3975bec443e590

Someone finally broke 751323b368 the tense silence fce0c6032c with a murmur.c370ee2bbf33ea28

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With that, the frozen 1748f9a6d7 atmosphere began to melt 2d0714fc7c away, and whispers filled 65b9420f72 the hall like a 4633cdaa88 ripple through water.e035a8966044017c

“My goodness…”28cb9bccf41e3539

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“Is that miracle elixir really that incredible?”98957867b8c05c13

“Is it her knack for business or the Kallios family’s influence…?”be531b1dbc9d7eb8

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Snapping out of his 9aa7389865 stupor, the Crown Prince e967418e61 hurriedly made the official 05e1910151 announcement.df5a75fea6e9423d

“…Belze, 952 talents.”f7a9b0ddcbdcf644

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As if to confirm it 8e150a3f0e further, a large board displayed daae539602 my name and the number 416b5e6661 952 in bold letters.1e83bcb17cadb432

“With this, the talent count is complete. Since it’s getting late, 5e98983a72 we’ll proceed directly to 4425d3603b the announcement of the 1f812ce6cd Saintess.”eb1624493601b514

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The Crown Prince’s words e75b432ad0 quickly quieted the buzzing 290ef93c8f crowd.9455f0d49cdefd53

“There’s no need for further comparisons. Today’s Saintess is…”f0c1680e3f777c84

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“…”a64931306f94e1c7

“Saintess candidate Belze, congratulations.”de21b96f44908b01

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Clap, clap, clap.e6f48b8633cfbbbf

As soon as the Crown 98c64af7b8 Prince’s words echoed through the 02e66a6d2c hall, applause broke out from 3f9a489d0b somewhere.add17baaae9d5003

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Startled, I turned my head 391cefa938 in that direction, feeling as e7328c54a9 if the fog in my d1fefeb1af mind was finally lifting.a620f1430aed6cd3

Naturally, the applause was bb7c503970 coming from the Kallios 95b17330e9 family’s table.c0075e2dfa092ae2

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The Duke, clapping fa85cea15f with his usual de8b2d0aeb elegant composure, wasn’t 5b73abc081 looking directly at 3369a2e96d me.92be8a7b1a61b3b1

But his face bfcfaad911 bore a deeply 17e5242a3b satisfied smile, as dad0583b5a if my victory e84b37b304 as the Saintess 7bf712fbd8 was simply to 0c8cf2781f be expected.81c2d4307bcf4d4c

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Edwin, too, glanced e058cb9559 in my direction 3bf99f1ec2 from the tent 056ebd22ca area before joining 3df1bb0c95 his father in 48746a03fc applause.c45f091bd07a5e0c

Clap, clap, clap.d523a04eea2751fe

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One by one, others joined e2adae4803 in, until the entire hall 41da2a83bb resounded with cheers and clapping.6a45e44b4e9711fe

“Belze, come up to the platform to receive your prize and trophy!”2ab5c5681651c2f7

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One of the 3e9e96f726 priests called out dbf0f5f1cd loudly, seizing the 9969ad5c9f moment amidst the 35da0bb550 applause.300406a92ff47189

‘My prize!’a8bea2078670bb8a

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The word prize caught my bb8705f30d attention immediately.37bad561465940b9

Snapping out of 7156a8ad6d my daze, I 0d83784b19 jumped up from 1e8eea121c my seat and d737419e7e sprinted toward the 3db3904368 platform.b18cdeb90ac646df

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“Woohoo! Our Belze is the best!”d9cdb2550ae2a3d6

Somewhere in the 3d44ecfdf2 distance, Grandpa Gordon’s 3dccf2255c booming voice rang f5875a43f4 out, followed by 10c230d688 an enthusiastic cheer.83bb96a9e51fdfdc

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At that moment, fc2b5c7587 a sharp sensation 0380731e17 struck my chest, 1c0debc17c followed by a e4998b98f6 flood of overwhelming 530a8270af emotion.3c6f2a07b6113220

It was the long-delayed wave 66f13aa1a2 of joy and exhilaration.327ff1457f174d96

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I dashed up 456e940936 the platform with 758afa62ab a wide grin 9b285225aa on my face.05c8c04d455dd92d

In the meantime, 425ea30ac1 the diligent priests 038bcc49e9 had already begun a9ff58ac9d the process of 76dce83e78 converting my talents 66581008df into gold.22a672a32425ec50

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The blue flames crackled 580041d52d as they eagerly consumed 1d40c6beaa the talents, turning them 70e94c64ff into glittering coins.954a53ba2a2d7c02

“On behalf of the Pope, the Crown Prince will now present the trophy.”58caed2eb5481fd8

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As I stood b592aa0b1b there in a 569649ddf0 daze, High Priest a20ca27f6d Magnus approached me f378700464 and spoke.ace7ec3680c70c12

Before I knew 6b9b421833 it, the Crown 3c90532bf5 Prince, holding a 86a6e3ace3 small white statue 0aefbcf219 of the goddess, 80d8bb82cf walked over to b25c2f5f9b me. When he handed it to 6290624f4e me, he murmured quietly, almost 6fb6d3c0ec as if surprised.8eef5200faf3034a

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“…Not bad.”2489033762740fdb

Then he smiled broadly. His stern expression c05b755117 from earlier melted b7c6291a0c away, replaced by e3530d58ff a look more f924eeee8b befitting his age.5102fe08e3aca3b3

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He wasn’t quite as handsome as Edwin, but he still had the striking features of a male lead candidate. As he leaned closer, his expression playful, he whispered in my ear.6aa440ecc229b9ea

“Don’t forget that you owe some of your success as a Saintess to me, Gomgomdori.”a7824c5625257a1b

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I was stunned by his 13f967930e cheeky words.c7756384ec58db05

‘That was supposed to be the payment for your treatment! And my name isn’t Gomgomdori!’aae4f2247e88b97a

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I opened my mouth ea2eaf22dc to retort, but the f20a6ae7b4 Crown Prince was faster.608ee7c75f429044

“Now, share your thoughts, Belze.”15761e45374c7d69

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He quickly straightened his back 8ef1186d91 and assumed a casual demeanor, 88bccbdc3c which only irritated me more. But I had no choice—I 7925be10e5 turned around to face the cca43fc875 crowd.8ee171aed103966b

As I stepped forward, I could see everyone gathered below. When I had first arrived at the Pope’s call, I had been so nervous that I hadn’t taken in the sight.bc4cafbd251d19d5

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I took a moment ca2e51b4a0 to survey the scene 056328b22c below me.9f7eebc4f2279ec3

‘Who would’ve thought a day like this would come for me…?’bf184323eeb9debe

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Seeing all those who had once looked down on me as a “worthless orphan” now beneath me…d3bb12bd428289f3

It was far d5474e15c0 more thrilling and 015f0429b0 satisfying than I 8143baae94 had ever imagined.8568ec08b2ec4288

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‘Especially you, Diana.’fbd2bef228b93e9b

She seemed utterly shocked, her 52f8247b1f face pale as she stood f3e3254028 frozen, unable to believe she 7f0c7fa0c4 had lost her place as 488d9bd1dd the Saintess.bfdfad4297ea18b2

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Sorry, but I was 39359487d0 absolutely elated.3968bbf55d55fae8

Truly!5cd76b3900d41c1e

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I savored the 546fbf0d81 feeling of standing 054ad24774 above everyone for 027666f895 a moment, hugging 5081763097 the trophy tightly 145ba4c635 to my chest. Then, with a sharp motion—d84e8c9341a40579

Whoosh!17eb982d56322a27

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—I gave a deep 90-degree bow.ff46cda84c3d0821

Making sure I 38795bbf55 looked like a 3f2dc7d881 polite and well-behaved e17d503f68 child to everyone 2a1caea1af watching.57a7c4bb5897c0a9

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Then, I raised my 00f24993a0 voice enthusiastically.723763a7ac4c9bf9

“Hello! I’m Belze! I’m 5 years old! I have healing powers, but I’m good at other things too!”c27001e30d8496a5

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Straightening up, I dropped my 52464afe7d hands from my belly button, 44c569cc93 then raised both arms above d96f1a0462 my head, forming a heart f7e17435ae shape.48b0ca5293881030

It was the c2c15dc809 classic move for 756084e795 salespeople—the heart gesture!7a387c2183d7dbaf

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“To all the customers who helped me become the Saintess today!”946066d512eccbd1

“…”7591db245a2d37cb

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“I love you all!”bf6c3124571c3ce1

My sudden gesture made the 89dd229b68 younger noblewomen sitting closer burst 885c6cfc37 into laughter.d5253bb073ce6a2f

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“Oh my, what is she doing?”41bff278f1bcc828

“Isn’t that a heart?”84d56c87c3060d15

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‘Perfect. My future customers!’1612b42e9a2956af

I scanned them quickly, then 42acccf360 continued with my prepared speech.aee1a501b608eeb1

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“And to my top customers from Belze’s stand! Lord Kallios, Madam Cloud, and… the Cr… the Cr…”97e8e59b77ab3b93

I hesitated, finding it hard f917fc9d11 to say what I didn’t c53661a447 want to acknowledge. But I had to admit 3b2fc53ec5 it.80d604c4f1ee3824

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Whether it was for healing 30363946fd or something else, the Crown 6e078609fb Prince was wealthy.2d6b1744e7180224

‘And what is wealth?’586c5968f5d90f8d

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Every rich person e42e524c87 is a potential a2d35f2a6f VIP!dea12d45a1c54f98

“I dedicate this honor to the Crown Prince! Thank you, that’s all!”cbe4a7aa94204dfe

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Fueled by my 2c2cca9939 determination to one 2e964c20ae day become wealthy, 671fb6ea1c I shouted out a50f366466 my thanks, then ecd3fedc28 bowed deeply once ced8a4046c more.000afc11d8fda321

As I straightened, I saw 42753bd3ff the Crown Prince staring at 621cca7d6d me in astonishment.f7e8926df5f669b4

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Then I noticed Madam 9692d75972 Cloud, who had raised 3d764096b4 her fan to her dfc39f41c1 face, looking extremely pleased.c6cb3854292d827e

And the Duke, smiling c0fcc57b59 with an amused, narrow-eyed 7221ea8e9e gaze.3812d72f4cce3d96

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Lastly, there was Edwin…7bc2b1894cde48da