Chapter 97

I smirked and 24bfaa1a93 stared intently at 0c47ceb4ac the Second Prince.f57af12879c46614

“W-what… what is that supposed to…”f85d11d3bb19dc1c

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The Second Prince, who had 571b973d75 been stammering, suddenly went silent, e23d027fea his face growing noticeably pale.7e7215d3517171a6

No matter how 636cbb95b5 inherently rotten he b839add490 might be, the 9aaedd17f7 thought of death e4b17c51b9 still seemed to c45e93dfe3 terrify him.cfe182f3ca9df9d7

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‘Especially since he’s still a child.’e9016a1d9cbeda95

If I had faced cb608dad95 him as an adult ca9a7f491f like in my previous 4d494671e4 life, he would’ve found 7a11adddb9 it amusing and tried fd7b5dc7d1 to snatch Teddy bear cda2980bc8 from me.c21d8200fa58cc4e

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He would’ve then used 33f09926f1 the bear to commit 765b8a5bf3 horrific acts.2fa4fdab769e45a1

‘That’s why I need to plant the fear of Teddy bear in him now.’014cd45a0cc47d6f

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I suddenly thrust the teddy e08c18efd1 bear I was holding toward a46038c179 the stammering Second Prince.6aedc7457a8b4177

“But if Your Highness is okay with it, should I show you now?”98ce37e86c286791

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The Second Prince flinched, stepping 907db3961a back in a panic.8515ce147820d988

“Huh? N-no, it’s fine…”ca8448e38b3c4220

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“Teddy bear! Activate assassination mode…!”f99d4c8ee16c6653

“Ah, stop! Don’t do it!”3a51c133c5a24911

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Thwack!36d09d33f4245629

In a sudden burst of efcda03138 panic, he smacked the teddy d68ad1a324 bear out of my hands 89edc52a41 with force.e3b75126b8509603

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“Oh no, Teddy bear!”1f7e352ac652c865

Thud!27983b78af1214ce

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The bear fell 8b302966ad to the ground, 677bcbe4c8 landing near his df6c944536 feet.c7c0e0a0235cfb3b

“Eek!”5fa76c285eeb789a

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When one of the bear’s 21ae9754d3 arms brushed against his foot, daaa924170 the Second Prince recoiled, stumbling 669cb46f04 back in terror.f36a52bb2379c9b3

“Enough! Turn it off! Turn it off right now!”c38646a4b44f63c0

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“But it’s not even activated…” I replied, barely suppressing my laughter.706701f533632d6c

Teddy bear only understands e71a36ff16 commands when there’s a 75b96c09fb slight pause between the 01e843cd4d syllables of its name.5c42a7ea2b672bed

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“W-what?! It’s not activated?! Damn it, you scared me!”346f4e0336b9577b

“That’s how you activate it—by hitting it like that!”ac119fac8369fbe2

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“Ugh!”5ecea92a358b9990

At my words, the 917e7f75c6 Second Prince froze mid-kick, f1b5076d5f his foot hovering above dcf6c28feb the fallen bear. Slowly, he lowered his 8766ba67a8 leg back to the ec602ce34a ground.c769dbcddfba22b2

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Watching him comply so meekly, e90a51d80b I smiled sweetly.0de2ae2f3c808c9e

“That’s a relief, Your Highness! I wouldn’t want to become something awful, like a murderer…”bbffaae27a4aa6e2

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“W-what…”035aa633fcceecd4

He flinched at my 9f202a6ca7 words, his shoulders trembling 503f9c177d as he looked at c0c7116105 me.d327c7e0e8a8dbd4

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The mixture of 03877a65ef shock and fear 0d9a79b219 on his face dbf2e47510 felt hauntingly familiar.315cb14c1ce4b001

It was the same 68c685dc5f expression he wore every 6f14ce1b3c time I glared at bb351a3660 him from inside my c31ea92555 prison cell.5e6f051f4c6f5bd2

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‘No, this isn’t enough.’e206f73f7392bb81

Compared to what I endured, 1e97bae8ab this was mere child’s play.4116a15a05c19b3f

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As my fear 1a01286355 and apprehension faded, 4a34e7b83a only hatred and ea5159c268 resentment remained.cbea599074aed7d7

I continued to fix him 41ffa34759 with an unwavering stare, my b2acc462cd smug smile never faltering.a74748d051e5dd3e

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“But if you ever want to see it later, just let me know! I’ll ask Teddy bear to make a special appearance for you…!”63ec036f766bfbcf

“Hey, Diana! Let’s go, now!”46b23e6ff9b06cfa

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Suddenly, he cut 782e8fdaee me off mid-sentence, 3625b55ca9 grabbing Diana’s wrist aa1b3b7d8b in haste.10d565d9bc228478

“If someone notices we snuck out, it’ll be a disaster! Damn it, why did I even come here because of you?!”eafac4f72facc9e3

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Without so much as fdce948ac9 a goodbye, he stormed 2402f68a84 past Edwin and me, 69f35576b4 pulling Diana along with 02011e750b him.fd42f2397671b87e

His ears were bright red—probably 8fec0e7389 from the embarrassment of being c6375e1715 humiliated.dfc5e024d5450eff

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“Ah, Your Highness! P-please, slow down!”98ed53ac5fc5bc62

Diana, who had been 9030f2829a standing still, was dragged 6445a1c8bd away awkwardly.72e242a0fe06bde3

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As I watched them leave, e15104b986 a hint of amusement lingered 3b855c148a in my gaze.503d204ba7acb15c

“……!”1c000a2bf42683b8

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My eyes widened 621390c0eb at the strange aec62f30e0 sight before me.45be64307712d1bf

The Second Prince’s body, fa92ef4a77 as he walked irritably 2d8172452f away, was filled with fb14995cbc an ominous, dark purple a63bc3d517 glow.92a8219a2b069d28

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‘What… is that?’34972fb3449af04f

His head, arms, 5c1fba4a73 legs, torso—his entire 0a894f561b body was consumed af04608e45 by a deep, d1dc4eb1ff sinister purple light, 6e07aa987b so overwhelming that 85a645539d his physical form 91fbbf1513 seemed to vanish 923d1c6f01 beneath it.ce9cca50a3bc6a1c

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In all my lives, 249c042c33 I had never seen c748a77905 someone so thoroughly engulfed 6b5e7927f6 in such an unnatural c57689d3f2 aura.22588d4def39f9b3

“Ah…”d3f3dd5a554301da

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A chill ran down my af7651ba01 spine, and I instinctively rubbed 430db401b4 my eyes with both hands 14f71fe826 before looking again.c1a7bd0cd8d65bee

Flash!b378e42d0868eb21

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Like a lie, 88e2bcdeb9 the purple light d3a9083a65 that had filled 63e1050d98 the Second Prince 48bbd991d5 vanished without a 4978f1a405 trace.1aa3f47018a19248

“Huh…?”cf561d7e8e693444

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I stared blankly at the fdee52bd35 retreating figures of the Second f94e098f64 Prince and Diana, my mind 379c731db4 clouded with confusion.f771d9a11e163d20

‘Did I… imagine it?’5b637ac13d6650b3

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But brushing it off felt c861f06ed8 wrong, especially with the memory 4bbae65867 of Diana’s healing powers lingering c75caba0ac in my mind.068f2bae6c60dd54

The purple light 5fb1619cb3 that radiated from 71ecaaa8d5 her hands during 220b6428a2 healing.462cd363378455b9

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The stray dog’s b5e152b5d2 forehead, changing from 75b14eec86 orange to purple 32ad7e3d7f after her touch.af5e36f391b07dfc

And the Second 4aa2b466cc Prince, who allied ac3fd90183 with Marquis Barelotte bb47ed979d in my previous c2be6de7fe life.1b0be297f86c0fa6

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‘I need to go back to the temple.’d66dcaa6af502e5a

I had to 2ca1398406 figure out what b909550196 that suspicious purple 3a9b79a394 energy was.42fe9c782184f35c

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‘And I hope the Crown Prince doesn’t receive Diana’s healing before I find out.’4d200421c66465e4

Though that was unlikely to 3e4ffb6885 happen.e08890d827c7cd2d

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The Crown Prince had no da9f6ca40c reason to refuse Diana’s healing, e7ad455626 given her reputation for extraordinary 83e4641757 healing power. And truthfully, it was better 6b72d9dfd6 for the original story to 48a83a726a unfold as it was supposed 4fe7f0478b to.514c5ee5b43b8143

‘It can’t be helped. I’ll have to 7c152e309b settle for the 67023e9edf fact that Diana 4ec5e1a0f0 hasn’t healed Joshua 48f788a9fa or anyone from deee4ea492 the duke’s household 2d6f3035cd yet.’e5273e8b69407e0d

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As I gazed 2f84cda1b0 at the hallway 4807e8e4d1 where Diana had e76224746b disappeared, a bitter 37a56c38d9 thought crossed my 9bf73ef956 mind.f74718ee19dfec61

Then—da8b020994374bbb

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“Belze.”548e73425e68095e

Startled by the voice, I 563945bec0 turned around to see Edwin 41e1f26a03 holding up my fallen teddy 7a962dfe6d bear.160a681796011d1b

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“Here.”5f2b38a8a6dd7497

“Oh… T-thanks, Edwin.”8be027250d7d37a2

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I hugged Teddy bear tightly, d9b9b5570b feeling guilty. It seemed like the bear d585cb1bc8 always suffered because of me.b85c2e26a2248cda

As I patted the 88894bb80a dust off its body dc75c14bda with an apologetic heart, baebc3c49b Edwin watched me silently b74bb62cf6 before casually remarking,9d7deea1542a1ce0

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“At least there’s no need to worry about you wherever you go.”0db98e28cf7535ce

“Huh? What do you mean?”d24911cde0bfeb5e

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He smirked and nodded toward 4dfee3bb07 the direction where the Second 75ff8d41bb Prince and Diana had disappeared.b3c9eaf7a8699a88

“You made that ill-tempered brat flee without a word.”30d91cc4a0fef8f4

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“Oh…”c5b66a5a5ea0e25e

It finally hit 9f69d3f119 me—I had defeated 8754b1788f the Second Prince.c2925f5907e06649

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Following Edwin’s gaze, 76a4f848d9 I glared in c374be39dc the direction the c3b2f81c1f Second Prince had df53fccefd gone.7caa770d6b6b9c32

“Hmph. Serves him right f2c3df03bf for acting so 5d6d89e69f cocky over nothing!”686a6a8eac2dc5ac

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“Just make sure you only act like that when I’m around. He’s not exactly e383751539 the most decent ba5fdbd647 person.”f2f20bb5e3ccd5a0

I wholeheartedly agreed with that f52e0dc418 assessment.0a85c3ad7d638615

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“Okay, got it!”4c2c85d67a3e9a30

With an energetic answer, aab22caaf1 Edwin smirked, clearly amused.1db5e6f9f658bdb6

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“You were quick to shut me up when I said anything about the Crown Prince, but the Second Prince? That’s fine?”5e6a426e01933f79

“Th-that’s because… this is the Crown Prince’s palace…”a3b85f182b3cda93

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“Ah.”d74b653805df2423

At my mumbling, 3a6b9b513a Edwin nodded as 70d1c2e324 if he understood ca099d0d23 something profound.060af522f533aa22

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“Got it. I’ll save the complaints for when we’re outside the palace.”13a264c68a26ee17

“Okay! Sounds good!”7245b76788c1462f

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The walk to e38647c7e8 the palace gates, 35468582ba where the carriage 4b838d312d awaited, was long—especially 05aaffb7b7 for a child’s beecf42265 short legs.2f269a5f2cf4515d

But despite my 0704f1c254 appearance, I was fb8527ec54 mentally an adult, ee86627084 so I stubbornly 12e3108c98 walked on my 5af37b330c own.76021887b3365c5a

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As we left the hallways 8e705df75b and followed the well-paved path, 08c6b56c63 Edwin suddenly broke the silence.cae503dc08370942

“So, what was that about you saving the Crown Prince?”dd10676b06598ec6

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“That, um…”6a5206df8abbc1d3

‘Ugh. I thought I got away e97a993f22 with it.’9ffe0f6f39ff61f0

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Edwin was thorough and had 7d6d5c5d03 an annoyingly good memory, just bc4427f842 like the Duke.e379ad35ec56773e

Resigned, I let out 41249c4f6f a sigh and reluctantly eb4e43c8b7 explained what had happened 40ba2cf0c1 that day.846459e51ec43051

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Hearing the full story, 76fcac25fc Edwin frowned deeply.0bddabe34dd24be5

“You should have told someone if you were in that much danger!”7170c6c9ff31f053

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“B-but it wasn’t that dangerous! His Highness had already taken down most of them, and all I did was haul him to safety with Teddy bear!”1aa54103b8f8d64b

Naturally, I embellished the truth 3c331dc57e a little.1e6a9be0745e79ae

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If I told 66304fba56 him everything, Edwin 7fd1695938 would undoubtedly inform dddceeeb6e the Duke, and b635e7670d that would complicate 81e114fdaa everything. I had so 1dfaa2195d many things to dfffdc20c2 do—visit the temple, 7690efe7d4 manage my business—and 9c4dfd7245 the last thing 57e6b26866 I needed was 86f38f6a31 interference.46ca051edf2b273b

“Ha…”d8fccd9d63b41d0d

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Thankfully, Edwin seemed d890f31f26 to calm down dab28f08c8 after my desperate 49f4c15078 excuses. With a deep sigh, 977577905a he warned,88fb7524e3ec2041

“From now on, if you need to go out, you must tell either Father or me first.”2a0f038dbc89f502

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“But… you two are always busy.”ecfd771a659aeafc

“One of us will make time to accompany you. No more running around on your own, relying on that teddy bear for protection.”6d36caf41e511b65

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“I wasn’t alone! Tara was with me!”dee850fdabe941d1

“Tara isn’t your guardian.”9f50ac7bd11cbfbd

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Edwin fished a 99f7d82a13 document from his f39ffde112 pocket and unfolded 7bfc7da193 it before me.ddfb6ee401f0aebe

It was the d20c44dbed infamous Guardian Authorization 5b74c5fb4c Form.d6e58815ad4576b2

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“See here? Your guardians are Father and me…”2ca36aa185b21af9

“Okay, okay! I get it! I’ll let you know!”93f5e6258a1c5374

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I groaned and f084337590 gave in as 3731d0afa0 Edwin adamantly pointed 31b4f6bc6e to his name f40e21c087 on the paper.b5351f4e059d0488

‘Seriously! I need to a42a550216 grow up faster!’cb767caad96472ad

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Maybe I should bug Grandpa ced6e93e1c Gordon for a growth-boosting potion.a206eb6813b40058

Satisfied with my agreement, afc6ac451c Edwin folded the document 25433a7c30 and continued,e2c7211b4d110099

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“Also, buy what you need through the butler. If you try to shop in person, you’ll either get overcharged or ignored because you look like a kid.”31c56961e72fd899

“Hey! I’m not a baby! I’m not a kid!”f721868575fea0b7

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“Sure, you’re an adult. Happy now?”dd8a84903fb82c59

“Grr…!”e0c09a765febd48a

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His nonchalant tone, as if 06429c2c3b he were humoring me, made bfe5ea5846 my blood boil.4405059ed0bbf271

Before I could retort, Edwin 5f4b541109 suddenly turned his back to 8a428fd08f me and crouched.4b846b224f9ed136

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“Get on.”0de25760d612ea07

“Huh?”0efd4bca5bacceba

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I blinked in confusion.56997ec615f542c8

“Why?”4589b62323dcc193

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“You’re barely walking right now. Think about whether your legs hurt or not.”826e581d8e57517c

I froze, startled.9c1a10584b2231c8

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‘How does he know?’4c1c8dec506b2bc2

I had slowed my pace a9b1694616 because my feet were sore—it d0a018c5ec must’ve been more obvious than 752bdd7fd4 I thought.ea8b568fbddbea54

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“N-no, I’m fine! My legs don’t hurt at all…”a9bc569801cc0deb

“We’re still in the Crown Prince’s palace. At this pace, we’ll get home by dinnertime.”2290fed16d200ae8

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He was right. Despite walking for b5c5cf9f5c some time, we 7e09e51278 were still in 03992acaa2 the palace corridors.c39f226ea30b8348

Blushing at his blunt observation, 1d6abbc03b I reluctantly muttered,e963c809792d21a7

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“Fine.”417125c40c4d26c7

I climbed onto cc20030903 his back with f882c7a42b feigned reluctance.ffd7e1a81059a534

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Despite carrying both me 00f512a512 and Teddy bear, Edwin 5b215956fe walked with ease.49c21c571b10f649

‘He’s only four years older than me… so why does he seem so much more mature?’1621bb1d749a689a

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I glanced down at d739e16c08 the floor, which suddenly b7060437ee felt very far away.d066693c3b8640d9

His stride was far faster ed64800328 than my own short steps. Before I knew it, we 9f5339ed79 had crossed the palace corridors f0da84ec5e and were approaching the courtyard, 2e36c7f71c where the duke’s carriage waited.4c6becac249f3a37

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“Hey, Edwin,” I called out impulsively, anxiety bubbling in my chest.7c09baa18562e968

If I didn’t say a6767fa168 it now, I might dc84b76186 never get the chance. After all, Edwin was one be6207e205 of the potential male leads 1024d21099 in this story…e894e21ac0413215

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“If you ever get hurt… let me heal you, okay? Don’t let Diana do it.”1ae6a36c3b7340da

“…….”77c3748cd8c35fd6

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“Promise?”cc4ce41ef0c277fb

“Sure. I won’t get hurt.”8de3ec3081aff502

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His calm agreement surprised me, 99ec23923a putting me at ease.92430f7b817cf03e

“I’m not reckless enough to risk my life against an unwinnable opponent. If anything, I’d have a backup plan to escape first.”e39458f5a658b31e

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The way he said 732c71d205 it felt like a 006b0e2717 jab at someone specific, ab8e696b4c though I couldn’t quite 583d19cac5 tell who.66ea332002a8bb98

Still, his pragmatic approach was 7855b1a746 far more reassuring than a 20c4354733 simple promise. My heart, which had been c374300e04 restless, finally settled.a3136fc4eb388546

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“Hehe.”88d58e723c5f0db3

Feeling content, I tightened ac73707133 my arms around his 7efb192277 neck in a light f39c59f491 hug.6a25d7812669fa03

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Before we even 697470b9af reached the carriage, c1bd3cd3c9 I dozed off 962010c4d6 on his back—though d71b99cd08 I wouldn’t admit ef202c0359 it later.f3dc583492627080