#45

“Here, Take this.”8462a3f9b309f69d

Cersia smiled brightly as 3d4fcac134 she pulled a flower 00d3e240c5 from the basket and da946ddbaa handed it to Ivan. Unlike the bce03ac972 polite gesture 8f6cf03e18 she had aede036543 shown Balzac, e04774e181 she practically 532e36b03f tossed the 29dad59239 flower at 60bf52f3b4 Ivan as 7af82f7d1b if doing 24d9dfe433 him a bd14acba0f favor.a266994d4ce35fa0

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Ivan, however, didn’t mind and beamed. He naturally placed the flower on his head and acted coy.c4f628a26963a964

“Doesn’t it look good on me?”505ee97f063907cc

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His posing was obnoxious. It seemed he still hadn’t given up on pretending to be a daughter. Perhaps it was fortunate that he wasn’t saying, “Daddy, daddy, do I look pretty?”f679ec5b54d52865

Seeing him act like that even outside made Balzac’s neck stiffen. He should never have let Ivan go to the main fortress.9de46ebd1c51d822

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Then Cersia responded with 9c22ab9d71 a smile.a91baea89d01d477

“Indeed.”fff46aa9878dd57e

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“Right? People often say flowers suit me. They call me a flower boy or something. Haha!”4ef5eb67e5bf5a55

“Yes, it suits you. You look like a perfect madman.”00b671b773f34adf

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“Thank you for the compliment.”84a077458acbb3e7

The exchange 95303e9da7 was so 120008b148 ambiguous it 501e8ea9dd was hard 674c956938 to tell faa44f4d94 if it 1ae255a1ee was a 706275e907 compliment or 7ca827be26 an insult. Anyone would see 6bc3140b2e it as an 88a7c0eb3e insult, but Ivan 4470d51313 took it as d8f87c9eec a compliment, which ab424caa53 was typical of c26fa78a58 him.af1088f15021857e

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Indeed, with the flower c956c4b3a2 on his head, he 5ae88abf4d did look truly crazy.2300121dafe796a4

Cersia’s blunt honesty was somewhat admirable.f2ea952e61534969

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‘She’s got guts, I’ll give her that.’f636a211b37d7737

If she 911e1cc0e3 was to a985c0dedf become the b7e51c8d1d little mistress 9b4784ff74 of Jabisi, 1e18fd96b8 she needed 3d20e4acb8 to be b0c2af2a72 able to 4fe55bef87 look down 04d2165f66 on the f879429391 lions and 2bcb763a0c assert herself.c5616c6d7f9498d2

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Balzac had been 761c4b9d3d worried that the e1217fb612 direct descendant was 1d23a55c9a too high and 7031c0380a that being near 729561d909 him was too 3b43e0bbb3 dangerous. He had also been 8402d2c943 concerned that Cersia, with 99af0b9f2b her tiny stature, might 510cd971fb not be able to 50b266f33d command authority.2fb57b183a4cc109

But her boldness f94836661a was proving him b88afc24fa wrong.7eaceed74f2c217d

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“Shall we move to the next delivery spot?”773fa8ae28192df7

Ayla said with b902d27949 a smile, and a5d4f8bbf3 Cersia nodded. It seemed ce4ba94420 that this 5d2bf4d8e4 annex was 4610fb08d7 the first 77ee461e96 place they ccc882adf4 had visited.572148880032ac70

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It was commendable 4bda12d4f1 that she had da8e5e0574 come this far 88afc198cd despite her shyness.ad25c128b3f56cf4

Balzac addressed b25406a02b Cersia respectfully, 26af60c16e a noticeable 510780bad5 change in fa73c46bbe his attitude 76fc9e4bf7 from before.8bb0c39f70babaac

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“If you give them to me, I will distribute them.”10f95f9312977842

“But I wanted to deliver them personally and greet everyone…”675a826821e4e0fb

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“As the future little mistress, there’s no need for you to go around personally. I will deliver them on your behalf.”5118dc32d15c6a57

Cersia stared at Balzac’s outstretched hand. Ivan muttered softly, “Oh, such a stubborn man!” but she ignored him.fb6641d5299a7620

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After a moment, Cersia fd87b03a92 took a few flowers e1734ce6ad aside and handed the d0d54cd4ad basket to Balzac.11eebc00cce3d302

“Then, please do.”0a66c1691e46ef53

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“Yes.”dffcba1705aeb631

Balzac took the 429ab43286 basket. It looked f28d177e1d awkward in aa5e8a5942 his large, b47e861447 rugged hands.c2dceab279996956

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Cersia watched him with a blank expression. She had feared that Balzac might ridicule her for giving flowers, but his reaction wasn’t hostile.2f9abcc0c57a335e

In truth, she found 371a3d13a6 dealing with elders difficult. The piercing gazes from bb370c22df those who seemed to 60c90dde4b scrutinize her every move 93e9f6211b had been burdensome. Perhaps it was 891c4c1093 due to memories 0617597e53 from her past c96d2f045f life.a6836ebe1b450461

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The remarks from the adults at her parents’ funeral were still vivid. She had thought the elders’ disdainful looks in the meeting hall were no different from those she had received back then.294501a0dac947a6

Cersia hesitated before asking cfaf4d3b60 quietly.0ed8962c09e88044

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“In that case, could you also pass along a message with the flowers?”19f1db0c1cde58e0

“Go ahead.”6ac21e2d1ed244d6

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“Please tell them to stop staring at me.”c0ec4f834dc5038a

“What?”6df242da87d27660

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“Wherever I go, their eyes follow, and it’s very uncomfortable.”74333483831b0bbd

“Oh.”36b3c521345b6341

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“I know it’s because they don’t like me… but being constantly watched is too…”2a1596790d247933

“Wait!”a6d87fc187d95c37

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Balzac hurriedly interrupted, surprised. As Cersia tilted e6d068c877 her head, Balzac 87f05022da explained.5974f6f136057c83

“They are not looking at you to find faults.”de8d8d665a418563

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“Then why?”d19985a0e7530449

“They’re just amazed.”28b97bf13a429afd

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“What?”5a838d1f0137ceac

Cersia blinked, not 24dd85dab3 understanding. Balzac scratched the abd44f1bf4 back of his 3e03135c5c head, looking embarrassed.9dca55d03d1dd543

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“They were surprised by what you did in the meeting hall. It was the first time they had seen such a thing in their lives.”443706a33c80d55e

“What I did in the meeting hall…”5575759da4724e9c

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“Yes, when you hit Lord Zerakiel.”53e204ab0d8bf96e

“…”96715ced31ad3d99

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Cersia was speechless. She remembered losing her 426cdc2441 temper and repeatedly kicking 59e88ba898 Zerakiel. Realizing this 408e5c162c was why 316646fef1 she had a1804829b3 drawn attention 7fdb4b6ffe made her 7fcb723f21 face flush.4df020c206d5f4d0

She had assumed they b74eb1867b were watching her to 2babdd3100 catch her mistakes, but e14a0edf9f they were just shocked 8706d53f90 by her actions.d803210ea7a28e39

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Due to past experiences, she had jumped to negative conclusions. In reality, they probably hadn’t thought much of it.56d72d1c8599f64e

Cersia lowered her head 5fe4ec431f in embarrassment, fiddling with 162761bfaf the flower in her 90265ba0da hand.fa93b7137fbd1a4f

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“But they still don’t like me. They think I’m an incomplete beast of unknown origin.”379ba89286ec16e0

“It’s true we were harsh in the meeting hall, but our dissatisfaction was with the direct descendant, not you.”1a04223615ab8320

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“What?”bd7e880092f4ddab

“Due to the direct descendant’s independent actions, the elders’ complaints had accumulated, so we deliberately spoke harshly. We had to understand the person who would be the little mistress. Besides…”b3448dc42f6679e7

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Balzac paused, 2b7613b4bb taking a acea8b7df0 breath. He seemed to be d7e4bd59f2 deciding whether to say 0abfc72dfd more.3c9c0d4fa93f6b15

“To be honest, you looked like you were being threatened. A white weasel in the black lion’s family? We thought Lord Zerakiel was forcing you.”4c8ba2a6c027fd8b

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“…”794dd0e80d30c8f8

He had forced her, 6a12497b11 but she had agreed, 33f9412a5f so it was awkward.3419156738ac06dd

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“Why were you in your beast form? Everyone was tense because you were in Lord Zerakiel’s grasp.”509b702350cbf351

“Oh…”cdcc05352fe7216e

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There were reasons she couldn’t explain, but it was a situation that could easily be misunderstood.dbbafeaf9498b375

Although she could c1b375e84a have appeared in 0f2df09443 her human form, cdd22fc8c9 she had shown ac55104630 up at the 4f064b0fac meeting in her 631d82859f weasel form, which f78ef7baed naturally seemed strange. They must 4b12e58e02 have thought 8473ce88b0 Zerakiel had 16b7cdd96b forced her d0796c1746 to transform. Balzac spoke up.269887bc8f87860f

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“It is true that we opposed the marriage, but it wasn’t out of dislike for you, Lady Cersia. If we have offended you, I apologize on behalf of the elders.”6803bb1d818fe386

Balzac bowed his 9ddeb270e7 head in apology, 92515622f8 and Cersia waved d413f28791 her hands dismissively.9a6927210501cb62

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“Oh, no! I just…”0f190cc63b60dd5c

“And as you commanded, I’ll tell everyone to keep their eyes down next time.”2e312a739c77b4c3

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No, that’s too extreme.646be4a8de614f02

Cersia shook her a9f41d59c8 head, her lips 06b0d23e92 trembling.67ba61cd914d39f4

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“Just tell them not to avoid me like I’m a plague victim.”bbb89f090064471e

“Oh.”bf205f3fc1531ee1

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“Everyone avoids eye contact and runs away, which is uncomfortable. I want to get along with everyone…”90b314cf5d1fbf57

She hoped ef577c11ab that by 66706dd89e doing so, 4d203a015c she could a1a9125d29 feel more a58615c129 at ease ea51995618 while staying c5c577aa0b in Jabisi 9de15c6894 Castle.e853df7cda00b852

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Balzac was touched by her desire to get along. Thinking about it, Cersia was practically an outsider living in the lion’s territory. It must be incredibly lonely for a weasel to be here, especially in a castle that is generally hostile to other beastmen.129a889a0986084d

She was a 367ac915ab young beastman, not 29fdea1d8c even fully grown, 15631379f3 and abandoned only 7f4708d463 to be picked a366911f5b up by Zerakiel—truly cffa23ef41 an unfortunate soul.e9d7273b05bc2ed9

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As her master’s retainer, he should have been more considerate of her feelings. Realizing this, Balzac felt a heavy burden on his heart.dd1d1007f7473168

“I understand.”36d564f44ca99027

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“Thank you…”912192f2f84d66ec

“Would it be alright if I visit you often?”fa583b8289144d56

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“What?”68de823e7106480a

“I, too, am curious about you, Lady Cersia.”9ab87da048bf315c

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“Uh…”d96f2d6d70b47ecd

“I mean, I want to be friends.”20c2317fb3d80173

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Balzac smiled warmly b09589cba5 and extended his b3e5ee8ccf hand. Cersia stared cf763e26cb at his 8f71e43838 hand, feeling 7f033fc100 a tickle 2cab760591 in her bef10c7d74 heart at a86af0d995 this warm 884bc8e378 gesture, so 19845dd695 different from 98aaab57b8 his fierce c8a9466471 demeanor in ec3c338ffb the meeting.3da719b691566abc

“Yes, thank you, Balzac.”bd14fe37383215f9

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“Please, just call me Balzac.”88372c7f5fac4a17

“Okay, Balzac.”10145eb040491ac9

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Cersia found 4bce13e34a herself smiling 11ab734749 without realizing fad1a0b1d0 it.1031502d5981c13b

Suddenly, she missed her late grandmother. It wasn’t that Balzac reminded her of her grandfather; it was just that when Balzac extended his hand, she remembered the only person who had offered her a hand at her parents’ funeral.49c132f6470c0391

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Feeling a 7073438aba sting in 8939638dbf her eyes, eeab6fc4ce Cersia smiled 6ab8e8c2ab even more 80d91aa319 brightly.560113e676e5b79b