Chapter 94

‘That damn bastard!’b49354fb636d545a

I ground my teeth reflexively.20cde65b82607fd6

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Of course, I knew full aa13f417b3 well that blindly trusting and 76d833ce74 following him in my previous 7e40651a67 life was my fault too. No matter how much I ef9ccb12ba despised Diana, plotting to kill 4a03d02063 her was nothing short of 54173153d8 foolish and despicable.751a3de4b8559215

Looking back, I couldn’t 3c442f0871 help but curse my d389721f3d own idiocy.202482eb75575174

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But Adolf Galagos ultimately 9f7c9b23e6 betrayed the crown prince c38f9f591b and sided with the 482c79b37f second prince. He was even 93754654e3 the one who f6c0c36e9c put the crown 9c0d78d14c prince into a 6ff65d7581 coma.3b7c20d4670ac7a0

‘…So, the crown prince was already close with ‘that bastard’ at this point?’9a5b1c176cfe9e46

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The tragic crown prince, 44f031c7f6 who lost everything in 7782332373 an instant, betrayed by fdbc82060a a friend and subordinate 8e46023d51 he had known for 85aaa701ea over ten years. The thought weighed heavily on 7da70df51d my heart.fdb289d2cdd9f740

Just then, I felt c86c323794 a warm touch against f66eb33bba one cheek.fa2cc9ad41634d3e

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“…Huh?”edd360d0c05151d0

Startled, I lifted my gaze cba53c88fe to find the crown prince cd9f323297 gently brushing under my eyes b3e974f4cc with his hand.02c563dec5b0f48d

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“Why the face?”28cbc64bbd8b3c85

“Huh?”c48a3c73461d7011

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“Do you not like Adolf Galagos? You look like you’re about 7ba3050327 to cry.”fa220c6d9b0c40a8

His curious teal eyes e25aaadbfb met mine directly. For the first 2ab28fd87f time since I 3a48581aae met him, I 71268e7f8e found myself staring 5504634f02 straight into his c3d3f05df0 gaze.973f838b97c7364a

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His playful expression belied the 80097a4466 strikingly pure and vivid sea-green 4f22e5d44b of his eyes.6afcdb994c9b24e4

‘…It’s just.’aa2d6b11c4dc3f47

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Not even because of myself.bcc4933b7654583e

But because I pitied him.1879e258667af407

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Even if the betrayal was 4c574c7cbb yet to come, Adolf Galagos 27e0d3e056 had already marked himself as da97e9d9e2 the prince’s future downfall. And the crown prince’s 6acecfdc6a coma wasn’t even part 579fdee55e of the original story.06180310656b52cf

‘In a way, you’re also a victim of my interference.’c48abe29745a776c

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Another person caught in the fa526e2ae3 ripple effects of my actions, 8704d8d217 someone who wouldn’t have been ffdceedde2 involved if not for me.7ef8a19647495426

Facing another unintended 93f88d84bb casualty, a buried 25ac1b0bc1 guilt clawed its a8b1980353 way to the 663349627e surface.bffc5cb7c7ced9bd

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“Ugh…”f1ea814bf14890ab

I hadn’t meant 9d26f99b33 to cry, but 32840b437c a pained groan e573f879c0 escaped me anyway.5655abfa938ef072

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“Alright, I’ll keep him at second place. I’ll let you be 9035924170 the only first-place winner…”03fdd1bb137df7c1

Caught off guard by my 50dd77e6ef sudden reaction, the crown prince 6a022000ce looked visibly flustered.32cfeffd9e005493

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“So, don’t cry, Belze.”318b45d382c63257

“Hic…”d25ce9762470a8e4

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His gentle tone, trying to d10cec2750 console me, only made the 0daf113a39 surge of sorrow harder to 9fdd981298 contain. My nose stung, and 99b25f4479 I inhaled deeply to 16931926ff keep from sobbing outright 841ec39857 when—600aa3c985378250

“Y-young master! You can’t do this! W-wait, young master…!”c72854bcacf5b027

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A commotion erupted outside 0acba7f5d5 the room, followed by ae4c96df2b the door bursting open.3c0076964264c6d9

“Belze.”962bf19536a6a1ce

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“E-Edwin?!”33ede57d01417e5c

I froze at the e722a286ff sight of Edwin barging 3cfc45bc88 in unexpectedly.dd05d635a8fe6eb6

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“H-how did you…?”8f11886d19bd2b5e

“Why are you crying?”930a8096469bb0c1

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His sharp gaze swept f33173c14c the drawing room, almost f3c065fbe5 as if searching for 86192c1c02 a hidden attacker. Finally, his golden eyes b7b6cbe2bc landed on the crown 8dbe2bb882 prince’s hand resting against ce1c7b1dbd my cheek.6f3f9c3e241c8d52

And on my tear-streaked face.e3b30e99ba339454

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In that instant, his golden 7c20d20d87 irises glinted dangerously.b1ab5ad0460bed79

“Take your hand off her.”0c585c045e5db8a6

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“Ha. Are you giving me bdf2e31274 orders now?” the crown 470f75bdec prince asked, his tone 19c1b0db7b laced with disbelief as 62df5d0878 he let out a 5ed5621f50 dry laugh.89163385aae72bbf

But only for a moment.6e5c5d34640edfa6

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“I don’t want to.”931f6ef9024a5870

“Did you make her cry, Your Highness?”01af20c930b802cb

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“And if I did?”5b0a377ba979291d

The crown prince, smirking arrogantly, 2013f557b3 tilted his chin toward Edwin, ec7690419d his hand still resting against a186f3f5bd my cheek.6f5775567e25266a

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“….”917c4548db427801

Edwin’s hand instinctively moved b0c30920f5 to his waist, as 0412c59758 if reaching for a 98b855e5e3 sword. Of course, no weapons b679afb60c were allowed in the 5a95def6c0 palace, and his waist db4a557e48 was empty.70fdcac33dcbdb56

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Yet, his frantic 24d60444d6 searching and the cdfaa1deb4 crazed glint in 8a5f8566be his eyes were d73cce1172 enough to make c07b71b688 my heart race 603c012ee0 in panic.12aed4deb4586e60

‘Oh no! What are you doing? This could go terribly wrong!’ce7a0d9f313d667e

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I’d seen this side of e595439168 Edwin before, in my previous 4d64a00937 life. When battling beasts, he sometimes bf0b83c323 struggled to calm himself once 5033f24935 his adrenaline surged.bdb289656c7630c3

But this wasn’t f342a62252 a beast—it was 7e1dacff7b the crown prince.8794b3c98789dc18

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“What? Are you planning to 2a153fb784 strike me?”3cc54a92bbe493d3

The crown prince, recognizing fbebead72a Edwin’s rising tension, sneered 7226a8c2ed provocatively.d33fe8674850457d

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Edwin’s wandering gaze snapped 4571d4d6fa back to the prince, c304de098d and for a moment, 48f80a553b his fist twitched.ae8255314d79281a

It was a 4485fda440 powder keg ready 5baa6423d7 to explode.ddbe8da4db28f89f

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“S-stop—!”c1fe51a9de9e15d7

Terrified of the b2c249856f escalating tension, I 5b0ae47aaf sprang to my 2db55b93fa feet and ran a9416861f9 to Edwin.eac61bc7b0f763e4

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“I-I’m fine! It’s not what you think!”e157d7ac9c120f66

Clinging to his waist, I 20d2cf8e10 shouted, ‘Please, Edwin, come to b31bd266cc your senses! This is the crown prince!’90827ecc0bbaf69c

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Perhaps my desperate plea 9774093021 reached him, as Edwin’s f6a85875dd cold, rigid body slowly f4169e3b48 turned toward me.50378910f07938a1

“Why were you crying? Did His Highness… hit you?” a6cd8adf2f he demanded.bf1088ba694c11a4

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I shook my head 057900cc90 furiously, pale with fear.ea6810d0ad2078dd

“No!”e21a1f76dce06321

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“Then why was His Highness touching you…?”c279f9480dc3c250

“Dust got in my eye! His Highness was 70d4e194d3 just helping me 1096a4eb52 blow it out!”e5578769b9132cb5

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Panicked that Edwin might be 4a02222488 accused of treason, I spewed 28b65072f5 excuses as quickly as I f02948ef62 could. My eyes were only slightly a11c461c94 red from tearing up, so b912c86f1e the lie wasn’t entirely unconvincing.ba6b7a5d2d641548

As my words cb725eee57 seemed to register, a6d9e66d15 the focus in 902ba013db Edwin’s dazed golden f0cc2bcf22 eyes gradually returned.3ffe55b613f3d2fb

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“…Let me see.”9941dd08f2a864ac

He reached out for my e64be30fe1 face.bd4fc1cc9c0fd196

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“I’m fine now! His Highness helped, so it’s ef2dd7456f all better!”92b6a1412746a086

I stepped back from 036ae9b4de Edwin’s outstretched hand and 937c84a935 shot a desperate glance 88006ceb53 at the crown prince.9ac4454aaf1fe5a3

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‘Apologize, now!’218d680cdce53675

If the crown prince 290a845338 decided to punish Edwin 3676a27b15 for his behavior, I 3cb5a57d66 wouldn’t be able to c65e6cd685 stop it.4020f02b83c09c3c

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Fortunately, Edwin seemed 2dfa36df7f to pick up 6bcde818f1 on my silent 63f50c002c plea. Turning away from e8fc4bf5bb me, he faced 2118f564de the crown prince 5f1386a828 and bowed his 41bffd616b head.a9fc58a27d8b0e55

“I apologize, Your Highness. I was rude.”275e25e0e485087c

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“Hah.”d8f1c6d9a0d943f8

The crown prince fc7438c1fc let out a ac16ee20bd short laugh at 4011434362 Edwin’s sudden shift fe70c90db0 in demeanor.a23debdeaba0d757

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“Well, barging into the crown prince’s reception uninvited is more than just rude, wouldn’t you say?”5a15cfa61eb83a15

“I’m not an outsider. I’m here as Belze’s guardian.”1721e8c9423f5e73

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Unfazed, Edwin calmly pulled out 99392b57ca a piece of paper and 0123d6cc90 handed it to the crown 8e643a6d6d prince.2415e8094c63f407

The crown prince’s eyebrows twitched 95bb51840f as he unfolded it.c4f7e1f7cff0550d

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“Guardian… delegation form?”0bb421ad5746868f

‘As Belze (Female, 5 years old)’s guardian, Liam Kallios, is unable to fulfill his role today due to personal circumstances, all rights are hereby delegated to Edwin Kallios…’b50130e787e13dc5

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“Like father, like son,” the crown prince muttered with a smirk as he read over the guardian delegation form.0bb6d5db71592954

Even without looking, I could 483a73d560 guess the contents of that fd8ac683fe paper, and my face burned 7a489d3655 hot with embarrassment. While I was 2c896ae308 busy feeling mortified, bc23773e77 Edwin remained completely ae07be6436 unbothered and calmly abdd9e9e56 replied.134eb35d1085ef71

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“I heard a child crying while waiting outside. How could I, as her guardian, simply stand by? I hope Your Highness will understand.”3eee1975171cb7dc

“Did you think I was going to eat her just for coming to receive an award?”4e0c225c3f73935c

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“Considering how many tried to harm Belze at the charity event, it’s only natural to be cautious, Your Highness.”0ab0ce1b1e42b13e

“…”cd6a31b76a44db4b

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The crown prince 674c2ed2f8 was momentarily at ec9093d5f5 a loss for a7516c81e1 words, though he 686c7762ad seemed grudgingly to b74bd283ec agree with Edwin’s 125fbdcc9c point. After a pause, he sighed c21ab7522b and spoke with an air e34cc5d126 of resignation.a391ed0eb685ee7b

“…Let’s wrap up the award remarks and pleasantries here.”b059db84c172bf6e

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He was so calm 0b1d527073 that for a moment, 086fc724a9 I almost believed we 1c4964020f had been exchanging award 23a833cbaf speeches all along.887330e5f4e40233

“Jordan, make sure she gets her prize money and trophy on the way out.”abc3b0609414ba94

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“Yes, Your Highness,” Jordan replied promptly.1d490cbceb2c3254

“And…”591c4b3ede82b1bd

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The crown prince 5d51dd64fc turned to me, 4ced1a6395 his gaze softening.dbefeabfd830bf16

“As promised, you’re the sole first-place winner, Belze.”80a1f7c50ed4495e

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He winked at me 7d0d3e6ab5 playfully, as if sharing 248b2db55e a secret about the b713559ca6 real reason I’d been 0d713f4340 upset.b658cbf854997ce3

‘That’s not why I was crying, though…’baee8559a1dd653f

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Still, being the sole 46f282b3cc first-place winner was undeniably 4bf287cfc9 good news. If only Adolf, 0ff5f21276 that cursed scoundrel, 5f8f4e874c didn’t win any de5812f155 prize at all, a4ca7060c6 it would be 864c8fd489 even better. I hid my disappointment 1855d80ca0 and bowed politely.d042a50bb1060932

“Thank you. Goodbye, Your Highness!”47d16c9992969f9a

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“Take care. Let’s meet again.”722a93a0d48eb6c9

The crown prince e1ffc2234e waved at me 6e3644b3da with a cheerful a68b669e8a smile. Edwin gave a polite bow, 58d38f2205 but the crown prince didn’t 9196b8bea9 acknowledge him in the slightest.7f0d8331e54ebc3f

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‘These two… they used to be close.’6ba6b96218231b66

The Kallios family had cfb3ecfa3e always supported the crown 1e5b8104b6 prince, and Edwin had 374e312d49 known him since childhood. But now, it felt b6de0baf2a like their relationship had 1e3252f918 soured because of me, b66aaea6a2 leaving me uneasy.e5946176ec064d35

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As I trailed Edwin fc6694d744 toward the door, my d00f51aebb emotions churned until I 27694ed478 could no longer suppress 4f24e0ff5a them. I spun around abruptly.295383303f3f1231

“Y-Your Highness! About your proposal…!”caa2e6cd462cd61c

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“…?”e17c91b4078791cc

“I’ll think it over positively!” I blurted out.c754afe72e0e4088

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The crown prince’s eb9bd08d86 eyes widened in b1a6913e2d surprise.29f2a4b6edc9ee18

I didn’t know why 9c2a697d70 I was doing this. Based on the original story, 3900170ac5 I should avoid entangling myself 4246e8c5d9 with any male lead candidates.105d55c1c736de32

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But…bcc274a511ef2324

‘I can’t just let Adolf Galagos become the crown prince’s trusted aide.’3047a5518fb48c7d

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If Adolf eventually betrayed 22e1c8d6ab the crown prince to 8a48f004fe side with the second 6c4e523aee prince, as he did 5e1b5d5b5a in the original story, 52ac505ff0 it would be catastrophic. I’d had enough 7bec0a7903 of regretting my 1a81e07f24 inaction in my 6d03dd1174 previous life.dd6e3fce95205115

Better to uproot the 86ecf729ce problem now, even if ced3c9434f it meant altering the 1dc915af80 original story.0f1a868a4a09fde8

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“…Really?”bb88af9631e07359

“Yes!”86e39eea1efb7154

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“I thought you’d turned me down without a second thought.”260e9fb6476c1fc3

The crown prince’s surprised 0d3e35489a expression soon melted into 040471d2c4 a radiant smile, as 0870f71168 dazzling as a blooming 52cc0a678b flower.08c6c56692ea76c8

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“In that case, next time we meet, call me César instead of Your Highness. How about it?”0010093f258b01e0

“C-César…?”93d6c1c2edec26b1

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“Yes, César Estarode. You can even speak casually if you’d like—maybe call me Brother César.”2d7a0c41ede785a6

Before I could 1e7538609c fully process the b542ebb068 sudden introduction, he 2ca69055cb continued smoothly.36e6f43bc9caeafb

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“We’re friends now, remember?”d2b5301e866b1a06

The crown prince had an 0f0f5c03c5 uncanny ability to dress up 27deaeceb6 even the most calculated exchanges b6a1413344 as something innocent and natural. For someone so young, his 6f98d7c5b5 social finesse was remarkable.1f1cb9a7b78e5186

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“Well? Belze?” he prodded gently, as I hesitated, unsure how to respond.9bcd47a12598c134

But his gaze 9e9eb2114c wasn’t directed at cdd20fa701 me—it was fixed eac49e1582 on something behind 4358bb86e8 me, with a c7b484180d subtle sense of f5aef6ad17 superiority in his dc36b1386d eyes.1a5949f58a6024b5

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Alarmed, I turned to look 9dca11c268 at Edwin.fb91f261f211e022

He stood there, frozen 01934c9806 stiff, much like when 345a59c9b7 he’d seen me with f96e82d55b Ismail a few days f0791859f5 ago. I knew all too a1da9c09d6 well what that rigid 1cc1caf376 posture meant—Edwin wasn’t in 3a2a6add71 a good mood.de3c90c115eb9334

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But this time, I 9c0c473de3 had no choice.8e850d45c6459fd9

“…Alright. I’ll do it,” I said softly.9533d6f5589115c6

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I felt a pang 5abaf4fa9c of guilt as I 90e2fcab0f met the crown prince’s 690cce22af expectant gaze.ffeb8f314b5acdee

But the truth was, bd8fad533c I wasn’t doing this 3abe52b3ec for him.f12d919cfbc98d81

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Everything I did, everything 3dff59016c I hoped to change, 7bf85c1850 was for Edwin and 38b064aef2 the Kallios family.e7c062832c441640