Chapter 89

All day long, 69167728ea Edwin had been 69e94c669d helping me without d6738ea633 a second thought, 91737f4a04 so it made 848bc76bbc sense he might 6739fd32eb feel hurt and 064b40a76e misunderstood.a359b7bbd6ef2e4e

If I put 15496154a4 myself in his 3b79f9e5b2 shoes—if he had 24a94170b8 thanked some other bb35b40c62 girl, especially someone 42a9535086 like Diana, instead 20a075d19a of me—I would’ve 7c6f843231 felt pretty upset aa2266b761 too.8e7a14b8b2b72f0b

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‘I didn’t even realize…’6014efcab87c132b

Guilt washed over c241a9690b me as I 50902279ba glanced at him. Maybe misinterpreting my silence, cf3ae6fa34 Edwin grew impatient and 30d2609cd6 pressed me.1eea6ac4a36cb006

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“Why aren’t you saying anything? What did that guy a150b47d6d say to you?”4b55baf107ae9938

“N-nothing much! He just… said he’d make 2b41e56a48 good use of the cure-alls.”029cb5fa09d05abc

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Not wanting to share 7751935308 the truth, I quickly 35d85d51ca made up an excuse.3defcc183d301f11

His scowl softened b5710119dd slightly, so I dc298907a2 seized the moment 38ceb74106 to speak.a202c0a6cfb5767d

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“Listen, Edwin. Honestly, I’m not thankful to f77060308b the Crown Prince at all!”ff98798a1f2bf2f9

“What?”48d48bb62a44557e

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Edwin furrowed his brow, 6ea94a88cf looking at me like 6d0174b264 I’d lost my mind.8c1bd3f9490af2a3

“Then why’d you mention him in your acceptance speech?”e148197a81c0fbcf

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“It was just to let everyone know how great my cure-alls are!”7769c6981cef5bb0

“…So, in other words, you were just using his status to promote yourself?”46aa1564c61e5753

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As expected of sharp-minded Edwin—he 4dee612e1e immediately got it.63d89e6ee9fd01e0

I decided to go all 415e7dc620 in, hoping to erase any eec8049026 lingering resentment he might have.470859f78b360958

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“Exactly! The Duke, Madam 5d2c12e6cf Cloud, and the 464a4ea222 Crown Prince—all of b764c4151b them are just bec911ad01 high-profile clients of f044869d18 Belze’s Trading Company!”b8ba79bb4af24779

“…”682bdcdd4bbae7ad

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“But not you!”9077d5cd85582f6b

‘Sorry, Duke Kallios,’ I silently apologized. ‘But it’s the only way to get your son to stop sulking.’3807e17b64d7d19f

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“…Hah.”8f682f4a97630835

Edwin stayed quiet for a 7a2f6379df moment, then let out a 3f0795ece4 deep sigh, covering his face 9a42839557 with one hand. Through the gaps between his f87fa63ff9 fingers, I thought I saw f9cef00242 a hint of red on 16278b77ba his face.9afe44d8085d6402

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When he finally a008730fde lowered his hand, d47a5f73c7 I noticed the bfcf93b691 tips of his 1803563f06 ears were still 711b3387bc pink, like little ed9ae57b84 strawberry tops.b91af5f07bfc2459

As I stared c83dcbd41e at his ears a5830206f6 in a daze, 71452be14c he muttered through ca137a1909 gritted teeth.7776045e5c9b4dc8

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“Don’t smile in front of those guys.”9895ba16028c11e9

“Huh? I wasn’t smiling…”27f42b5dd4b55754

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“And don’t call them brother.”66b285d8e29f1d59

“Then what should I call them?”fa8f7622aeea429d

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Annoyed by his ever-growing 03f99428fe list of forbidden words, a52d97c5bf I puffed out my fad8b06c5f cheeks.9f410898f6905f3a

“I can’t just say ‘hey’ to everyone older than me! What if someone 07a11b79d8 actually hits me d88f6fb833 for it?”fc610df45815c77b

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“Who would dare hit you?”a4403c4321888cdd

His eyes narrowed 89419c304b in a fierce 9d6bf60e84 glare, then he a748b30c99 added in a 4fce6a5eec somewhat grumpy tone, f81d87ccae “Just call them cc18cc0748 Sister, like Joshua a858bd5c06 does.”9536a8b488e4794e

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“….”28e551a221892425

‘Seriously?’e55c8f373bab8557

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I couldn’t help e8de3fc022 but let out 60a9f445e1 a small laugh a0d4b2a435 of disbelief.8619fdf5de53b88c

‘Does he really hate the word brother that much?’3338aacfa4b9b9cf

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Well, new information acquired:7f33d1013189c1a9

[Trigger: Edwin has a meltdown when called brother]5317106ca47df513

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It wasn’t a bbed4efa4f difficult adjustment to f7e829b773 make. Since Edwin clearly 6ff059ed53 despised it, it f4cddf332d wasn’t like I 8aaf94dd3c had any special 020b93c902 attachment to the 61f14f4992 term either.6e7d9e3f885e730b

“…Alright.”99f38b4b47563b3c

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The moment I 1ad65c397d nodded in agreement, 6063e43ec5 his expression finally 6692c6a55a relaxed, looking far 7f037844d8 more at ease.8c5a686ad32cf8fc

Clunk!b2fa89236948e615

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Suddenly, the carriage lurched as d6a8507aa6 if it had hit a 4d076d83f5 rock on the road.c48bafefd8959f98

“Whoa…!”3f2ba1cb39417828

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Edwin, who was heavier and 5483d17d1e sturdier than me, barely wobbled, 592b83e0ca while I practically bounced in 1b0bb56a3b my seat.c8aa64c6b3fa2392

“Come here.”d454ec9e9b46aa62

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Before I knew 3fee9c0275 it, Edwin had 1c98d8a26f steadied me and, c737179691 as soon as e941f6d439 the carriage stilled, 514e949e3e he lifted me 8a73e4841c onto his lap.fe8b84bed4215409

“Huh?!”d999cc537a5fe7a2

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I was shocked.f136241ce6e1809f

‘Isn’t this… a bit much?’6889a61b37f649bc

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We’re both kids, 5fe1ef5213 but sitting on 5a884e4014 his lap like 27259160cd this?!3b2a8233c7a77f6f

I wanted to scramble 287e5405e1 down immediately, but at fbcaaea951 that very moment, the 4d78e12a0b carriage jolted again, even ede130518f harder this time.d30694bbd140dd1a

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Clunk!fd611f930011bf6d

Edwin pressed me close, c938b847e1 resting his chin on 41135d3073 top of my head e916c2f450 and holding me securely. Strangely enough, I didn’t feel 0c37855a91 any of the rough movements 1329f86817 anymore.eb846b0df1a357bd

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My heart thumped wildly.6c416927d6f542f8

Though he was 196fcfe113 only four years 30b7d656aa older, Edwin was 29ffeae434 bigger in every 3e34108204 way—his hands, his 661f0fa368 shoulders, his arms, 7b564cb0d4 his legs…cad0a1256de6abb9

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He was far stronger than 5c4cc50b30 me.e4602a6ca9e4be9e

Unable to resist, I squirmed b5b1d7f82f a bit. “Um, I can get down now…”32e6b03a7415bbdc

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“Stop fidgeting and stay still. You’re heavy enough as it 79c9f01abb is.”04d90d20636386a0

“Guh!”1e26f1c58c52e880

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His words made me freeze, e1903c9529 face scrunched in an almost a4a0a098a7 tearful expression.69753f22c4c00e99

‘He probably does this with Joshua too! It’s not just me, 2c2a3c707f so calm down!’690d793dcdb0cdc3

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I repeated this bee91b15d0 mantra to myself, 11480f833b willing my fluttering eccd811390 heart to settle.f76e7df44294dbe2

Thankfully, since we weren’t 8af6d56e56 facing each other, the 03e6a90be2 awkwardness slowly ebbed away. As I stared 25b623e4c8 at the empty 942ed5abb4 seat across from 6c6123bef9 us where Edwin ff67e9b379 had been sitting, e88e8acb4f the silence felt 4b7ebb137d stifling, so I 4bfbadc1b1 spoke up.340e5e798f63f866

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“…Hey, so…”62bbc8d120ed812e

“…”24450c868d009d01

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“Edwin, is that why?” I asked softly.ef0d0bb4b4f5451e

“Why, what?”e77d7aa6b76f3c9c

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His voice rumbled above 1d72340a44 my head, low and a377585e1e close. Holding my breath, I 908cea244d gathered the courage to 8c0fb77b55 ask.126b27a0ebc182a8

“Is it because… you’re worried I might end up liking you if I keep calling you brother?”859aa009d150a87e

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“No.”460015b7ee8f39ed

His answer came immediately.b19feed60f091180

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“I just want to mean something different to you.”2ae1497a58f9b7db

“What do you mean by that?”fd271fb7e97c87df

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I tried to 13ed22824c twist around to b37e5eccea see him, struggling b071d74cc4 to understand, but f17d037d74 he kept his f329969781 chin firmly planted 27001f812c on the top 327b5e8049 of my head, 3562d094dd holding me in ee31f0bb9d place.84b0c92ec87ce77a

“Oh, come on! Let me go!”a5734d7e2b154605

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“If you really want to know, hurry up and grow up,” he muttered, almost like a sigh, as he tightened his embrace.d8fd065e3a1cac10

‘Hmph. I’m already grown up enough.’aa8d87f5f72d6639

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I barely managed to 16d8c53332 swallow down my grumble.5accc3a192a83482

Edwin probably thought I was 5f6365dc74 too young to understand what 1ce0d7197c he meant, but he was 6e5f2f8687 wrong. That wasn’t the part that 8e01654afb confused me.ded00a6ea7ec462a

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‘What more meaning could there possibly be…?’71333e8b71bc29d0

If only he 8d734c0cc0 knew how much e1833354c9 he already meant f872bad741 to me, he’d 625a898a42 be the one 92404814b3 shocked.09319a52d7e26dd3

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Maybe even horrified.d1b7bc4d89621e74

He had died because I 94c7e6f2bc hadn’t been able to let 81f4059699 go. And even after returning to ab8b467195 this life, I had stubbornly 835f250df0 sought him out once more.0a68fe1ce4c7ade3

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What would he think if a755fca831 I told him he was a0153ccde0 like my very heartbeat?57a3988a242809b3

I gave a bitter smile, 09b889de2e shaking my head at the 5005742213 thought.af00375ea0065d42

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That day would never come.ff4805d5d0977390

I’d long ago decided 1da0bd87dc not to ask for 48471adff1 more than what I 0839b017ac had now.59090ba7f62dd039

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All I could do 9e9b053892 was be grateful for b9f736b240 the warmth he offered 8ba2364d6a me in this moment.f09d52b89592505f

With that thought, I relaxed df31ffdd83 into his embrace, closed my 37af5c69e7 eyes, and let myself drift 08ec1121b0 in the quiet comfort.cc429b7ab1c280a3

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* * *9d8d69577563f66b

Several days passed after 71e06d790a the temple’s charity event.9af1234359517825

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When I returned to 263a730093 the Duke’s household as c6f098846f the new Saintess, the 8b2c6757bc staff welcomed me back 3eb94790d0 as if I were fd9bf6cc75 royalty.9630f4b9e3c02ed3

With their enhanced attentiveness and e29627bddb each meal being an extravagant 97b5bd381a feast, I spent most of 5fd832c325 my time lounging in bed, 75fe68dbea except for when I healed 37fdd3511d Joshua.83dd0d3b112f12b5

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After all, I’d been incredibly f0341fb871 busy and worn out from dc70bd43a3 preparing all the products for 5b211664d7 the event.e3ddfe2960740fb8

These days, my favorite 8496248836 pastime was…f11776d215352999

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Filling a child-sized portable bathtub 6b44d19a79 with gold coins and sinking dc12cc38f4 into it to play with f249ca119f the shimmering bounty!8a48ecc1d73208f3

Clink, clink!cc71d00e7740ea7a

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“Hehe! This is amazing!”25eeb39e56dc7e55

Throwing handfuls of coins 218ed088a5 into the air, I 5f4f22b96f reveled in my triumph 9474f703a5 and newfound wealth.c9a066de86535b9f

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The gold coins, b8cade9a13 freshly polished over e8f85775c4 a brazier, gleamed af898d7f29 as brightly as 8127215bca brand-new currency.e0653aa15b2d66cf

And, thanks to a41879603b my small frame, 7ca788e7df the 952 coins 3196b54353 covered me as 18078160c6 if I were d97a0a8c6e submerged in a 4f1a143000 pool!b2886bf8e067f29d

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“Gold shower! Gold shower~!”8f67d53f1613a599

Humming happily, I let 3f44adb9f3 myself sink into the 4c9156d7a9 pile of coins, enjoying da7a2a153e the feel of victory.efbcaced4ebd0a42

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Then—3ee1bc99a9f25831

Bang!a48356dfc5cb4b23

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The door suddenly flew open, 5306dccc7d and a familiar voice boomed.043da5e0d44baf9c

“You brat! How long are you going f6d3f9b291 to laze around and play d900e22cbe with those coins every day?!”27904b71ae9365ae

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It was Grandpa Gordon.cd551b9c3fe572f1

I dramatically covered my eyes, cd2872cd71 letting out an exaggerated scream.1a3bf895b9889d33

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“Ahh! How dare you barge 440fb55202 in while a lady’s e2141c78d3 bathing! Grandpa, you pervert!”82246026c8c4bfa7

“You little rascal! You’re fully dressed! Now get out of 32fdccddfc there already!”a305230952cc5c64

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“Ugh.”6335f77c5544dc44

Grumbling, I reluctantly climbed 68033b9b79 out of the tub, 06f614d7ca causing the coins to 650332d7bb clatter with a clear, e6a182d6d3 melodic sound.6c19abf67770bbd3

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Watching me with 27c41069a8 disapproval, Gordon scolded, b28a07fe95 “It’s about time 0a26d157b1 you started working 56cecffb3d on your business, a333b61d41 Belze.”269883601cbbf178

“Already?”f17a42c62409c533

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“Yes, already! While you’ve been acc0d52560 wasting time tossing 8f6abe6bb3 coins around, the eea2721679 fairy herbs we 0114239e7f transplanted have grown 1835303d9b beautifully!”b682805ecb8a0b8a

Gordon looked proud as 6a98fcb9f6 he updated me on 0122e58f0c the status of the aa9af19e5a herbs.7328f490354a9edc

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It was good news.94bcf5f9853e10e1

Just as he 68fc1270c7 said, it was 63a62b20ec time to put 0569581d5d an end to f343cdf676 my carefree life ebe0ada42b and officially launch ac2a1660c0 the fairy herb e1e3abc4eb business.8d4dd0f66a3bd1b0

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I hadn’t been entirely 1c061930b4 idle, either.1f0c9bcedc90a218

Reaching under the tub, 2c33fb4818 I pulled out a 268ae8a9db large pouch and said, d623af3de8 “Alright, but I need a894242de1 to visit the Duke 4b561028e9 first. Please put half of this 8c28beae21 in here—it’ll be 476 gold!”bae3d657c61ae50f

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“What, are you going to buy supplies?”bb1cc2f6f0cbc96c

Though he looked puzzled, 5f67003d2f Gordon obediently began gathering ebfc963d25 the coins from the e2c4e5c4ea tub.339e6c86bbf930b2

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At this point, 9a515a6619 he was like 3336f02d93 my loyal servant… 4e58c21b77 or rather, my 71ad12e187 wonderful business partner.98e40b99e47be80b

Just then—710e355199b7942d

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Knock, knock.714d5114ec73e899

Someone rapped on the door c32a5ba7fc and opened it. It was the butler.b023fbea6d017b8c

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“Miss, the Duke has requested your presence.”0ecd476dc815aa5f

Talk about timing! It seemed the Duke 987e7b4e2a had business with me 9aa33fb504 as well.09042b42e3d59870

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I urged my 17417707dc loyal servant—no, my a7de882c37 business partner—to hurry 8b692b1869 up.0cce34715eaaa996

“Let’s go, Grandpa!”55da59ac4e77ac4a

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“Hold on! Not until I’ve packed up ec300205f3 all 476 gold coins…!”5247f1cef5bfcaae

* * *5c4482a67af855da

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A short while later, d08fe7affc in the Duke’s study.ddd73e59af9c52d8

“…Usage fee?”0023029f79b0f0bd

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The Duke raised an eyebrow, 1798f212de glancing at the hefty pouch 7bca90fe1e of gold coins before him.17f2654566a99cfe

“Yes!”d97686d7b673340d

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“So, you’ve been using rare herbs from my backyard this whole time without permission?”9a6e4744db8fa8a4

At the chill in b8d5bad901 his voice, I hastily fdea22873f replied, a bit nervous.776c9c678f920d8b

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“Um, well… I did get permission, sort of…”1b26f3526d51df13