#73

“I can’t exactly eca92b0d58 kill him, can e9fb171c4c I?”f7224a64910ec888

Zakari raised d87a7702f4 his hand 3715ef7827 in frustration, 6fad323a6c prompting Ivan e939dffe3b to scurry 14d7339f8e a few 88257afac4 steps back, 682605cf3e crossing his dc7c063b6f hands over f3652e6040 his chest 37da60953b in a 8d094662a1 defensive “X.”7165e300d9f12a58

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“Let’s talk this b61d1d7b27 out, shall we?”eee83194e9469253

You should’ve kept ac19535642 it to talking c1010b5d9d in the first c16480d235 place.80773e2cf1adff08

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Zakari had plenty to ad6ab25e6d say, but punishing Ivan e6b94a5c93 wasn’t the priority right 1879a97637 now. After calming himself down 16e60be45f with some effort, he 7c32c339fd lowered his voice in 7f9e7d1848 warning.1bc711bd42b0656e

“We’ll see each 5306cf5995 other soon enough.”e41780fa500ccc5f

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“Oh, that’s terrifying. Maybe I should… head 4848f4c237 straight to Lady Rachel… 6fde73c7f2 actually, never mind,” Ivan, 2853020a03 who’d been teasingly clueless, 942ad5a5cf suddenly realized the danger de3c0d3f60 and took a step 48a486249b back.662e0cb251a94784

With a dangerous 592ff1392c glint in his e6a035311d eyes, Zakari’s body 532e67cabd shimmered as he 33aa91b858 shifted form.49b757eb22b3d61b

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Now, a towering 75d3c3582d yellow lion with 814157d689 an unmistakable scowl 6380b48d62 stood where Zakari 6751165b9d had been. Noting Zakari’s displeasure, 664ab0c40f Ivan crept forward a69022143d and whispered,b241bb0ad0292863

“Here’s hoping you 4848946f48 make it out e2ffa6d4fc alive.”a6642d7ecefc895f

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Then, with an exaggeratedly 19e0a74866 solemn expression, Ivan clasped 83b60d34ab his hands together in b851fb4087 a mock prayer. Zakari’s temper flared, and 921c1e56b8 he let out a 9b274faa71 roar that echoed like bf03f30390 thunder.e8e1b3b65a529ff3

“Grrr… (Get lost!)”dc070030f6a73ffa

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“Oh dear!”48c22ad5ed11c530

Ivan’s face fell 404f567c91 as he turned a0a3a64011 tail and dashed 2254be1144 away, flapping his 0f37254342 arms in a a946ded39c most undignified manner ad4a80b3b8 as he fled. Watching the display, Zakari 62e43c6c49 muttered to himself,7c04df80c7f67ca8

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‘He’s not exactly normal 93926340b8 either.’f1c0d9d5e68b6b29

Of the 9014f057d8 lions he 1cae1af673 knew, Ivan a6558cdc18 was the 15305e7a4d boldest, which 1bed61c67b was why 788c1065c6 he’d tolerated 51a9769d1b him so 2b6c7e5f70 far. But recently, Ivan 1b11dfb14b had been growing daf77f7e11 cocky.07ec4ddb0d43e242

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He’d thought it 9592ef0484 was better than bda2be3f3f seeing him trembling cd3ffdc6ff with fear all 59e3bfbdca the time, but d4243d18e5 now he was 833b12b63d reconsidering that stance.9fadd939db4df419

‘Ah, my lot in b634892ec1 life…’ece2e679cba1fe12

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Zakari sighed, 5c9076d341 tearing at be897a4f5e some nearby ac2cd9cd71 grass in 9101163c20 resignation.de4bf8d263c7a067

Who would’ve thought 37cd4df3b1 he’d go along 17a2b4a966 with such an ef4a02ed59 absurd plan?38dd8eb201620663

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Still, if 651fca56af it meant a1ca2d835e he could 60d7f85322 make peace ba98fee329 with Rachel, 070c476ea0 he could 79c46ccc42 endure this 799bcbfed0 humiliation. After all, 03ad5fe43c the one e90a14d52c who’d hurt 6ce1ecf926 her the a458e552e3 most had 9bcf47c751 always been a1406b8c93 him.b5228c264d773cd5

Now, all he had 7ace72834d to do was wait 261d90138d for Cersia to bring 432f423ae8 Rachel to the area.a8d512dc1b73339c

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How much time 9dde6b2480 had passed? Zakari, sprawled 516e0e9cf1 out in 3fac14d9a3 boredom, perked 35cff870e0 up when f361d58113 he sensed e877393ad4 Rachel’s pheromones 3742f0a64d in the 71ccb23cc8 distance.e23aa34396ea8211

His relief 9b49c77e72 was short-lived, 85363dcfd2 however, as 4bdc78e769 he caught e5b89db915 a familiar, 16a5c21e92 irritating scent 1de65194f3 beside her.91f7b718260cab8f

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‘That rat….’1bca7058e3db105f

Erhardin Rodin.92496d6d2a651f8e

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There he was, 03f3c602a2 clinging to Rachel f39bd3302b and fawning over 2b4a998194 her. Zakari’s eyes narrowed fdf2ffca1d dangerously.03242c74b6f63075

‘If I 44de443dcf “accidentally” bit e24013c229 him… maybe 26a0cdd2ce just the 86eb486c14 tip of 36eb8f73b0 that wagging 75d08a9bb4 tail….’99c3fe884965ff97

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Zakari’s thoughts turned 0aae8e0c84 sinister as he 63731a74cc quietly melted into cc37bba111 the shadows, hiding b111fc0cf1 his presence.b07c61f76c470d93

—201df5d7e728dba1

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Ilanbore was as warm a12a1c87bf and inviting as a b3a3ab056a retreat, its land nestled 336585aac3 between the eastern sea d922df037f and the dense forests 97646f2466 to the west.3ba1690842d22a9f

“Welcome,” Kiera greeted caf40e7e7f us, her face 6774a6f1a7 set but tinged 5981edbe09 with a trace 1617923ab6 of irritation.677b0d1a978121b3

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It seemed Rachel 4d330f5b7c had been causing 62bbda8cbd her some stress. Glancing around, I 58cb4b6e0d asked,713ec754f5ef55ea

“Where’s Mother?”0b638059de6ae629

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“Well…,” Kiera hesitated, 115ad65375 uncharacteristically sighing.b6c7c124b67a2345

“She’s speaking with 913efeed0f a guest who 6e90bfedfe arrived earlier.”075b4bdee9a7375b

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“A guest?”bf479c1ac128719e

“Is it the fox?” 003db95c83 Zerakiel muttered.ae64ee515a737044

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Kiera’s eyes 38847f1ba1 widened slightly, 9afd530363 confirming his d3d7a8fff2 guess. Zerakiel continued e9d0ad0157 in a ef322ea1cb low tone,148b3cb8b943bb8b

“I could smell his 9c16c03724 unpleasant scent from here.”11b458a4594c276c

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“Yes, Lady Rachel aa507fe8c3 is currently with 3331c843d5 Sir Erhardin.”55cccef2b52d2486

“He’s been b1ab559f4e quite active 0529d050c0 around here, b7eda6c630 hasn’t he?”32d39adc64d18bc5

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Despite Zerakiel’s 618143e8c4 probing questions, f2bee8c319 Kiera answered 4ef9a506ac them all cd391ff7ed without flinching.6f933c0e7551b129

“Yes, he’s 1ae9d8083b been staying 339288ee70 here for aa7c13e7ca some time 36590b105c now, as f0f98e6b51 Lady Rachel d6c81e6b33 hasn’t been 25f84ed949 feeling well.”698bab66bdab2837

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“He’s staying f04904e9e8 here?” I a87bfc93be blurted out, 2c5d0f12b8 startled.512501a7b33be003

“Well, we have plenty 325c63015c of rooms to spare, 5e383ca8f1 so nothing inappropriate has 5ffa9dd982 happened,” Kiera replied calmly.54d00f957297fbee

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“Whew.” I let 147eaecea2 out an audible 489651aff3 sigh of relief, a540027a24 which prompted Kiera 76f08fbb11 to change the 6b709cfe46 subject.929556447db1d707

“Allow me to 569b1a2723 give you a 5d176f162b tour of the 7084b63f3d estate—”9f10cdfe740f1f14

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But before 32c69a7001 she could 91068b2e87 lead us, 86da230134 the door 80bb033e3b suddenly swung 2897c2aeea open, and b9d4cdfeca Rachel stepped ab1134f54f out.4d11474957d91b49

“No need.”3abd1151e41634f4

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“Mother? …And the fox, c381ee8af2 too.”9032693868b08429

I was about to 7a780f3dae greet Rachel warmly but cb8ecb481b stopped short, noticing Erhardin 114d54e6bd standing beside her.70b412cfa770a1bc

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Sensing my gaze, 865e2b9881 Rachel answered,b3459093ed6c3f83

“Erhardin will a0f67f6888 be joining 04b8058d13 us for e200d7f4f7 the hunt.”24f1b62a68f4b241

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I’d expected Rachel to 89beb0b282 look worn out, with ef21d276e1 swollen eyes, but she 1cc778c9b6 appeared more composed than ad257ef4ff I’d anticipated. In fact, she seemed 4ab3a326b9 even calmer than usual, 5366f5706f which made her seem c148667b67 even more unsettling, like 526937e9c8 a calm before a 5e7ca6f743 storm.2dfa294c0f034ca4

“Ah, we meet again?”fea83cf87308da65

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At that ea209b6eec moment, Erhardin 380dc6572d extended his 9192fce759 hand with f651f9fc84 a friendly 77aa0ffd57 smile, as f3ff9a3e9e if he 87e7d06667 wanted to da2a17c06c shake hands. I stared b53afd8aa6 at him, 96e502f286 a bit dd47b529c7 taken aback.72e2454fa31e8c96

‘Why the sudden 7c931db0fc show of friendliness?’d1edd869952b0226

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At the 56b6bc2eea wedding, he 3838cbc4a1 hadn’t even bcece1565b looked in 86b5730865 my direction. I hadn’t 1c06ef38f4 acknowledged him bc21ad0823 either, so 1b5e6366e0 this sudden bb46d83f24 shift in 74177f2ad3 behavior was 1085a440f2 suspicious.e3fbdfe96bfe2dde

Moreover, there was aaee80931c a smug air 54cdc645a3 about him, as c7696c4073 if he’d already e93c75a775 walked down the 0c018576a0 aisle with Rachel. His attitude made me aef0bebc8f feel strange, like he 4f76ea8073 was some kind of e2d0194545 rival to my father-in-law.8a4235df18f294ee

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I felt like 250f7e33b4 my own plan fca77d0ebf was backfiring—my jealousy 8a37d80b9f tactic had brought 79136f2080 them to the 3a1d52aa3b brink of ruin cf501a4170 instead of reconciliation, 00487a3fa3 and now my 7ddcc39ac9 head was pounding.68816d55ae64f147

‘This is ae61fe3730 all Father’s 37ea3b06e1 fault…’98270585d945b69a

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I grumbled df235f9ac0 inwardly as 525ec52dd0 I replied 25c0d70372 with a 93be0c1af0 forced smile, faaef7f79c “It’s nice dfd7657b0d to meet bf9a35052b you, Erhardin.”ea019502591c5e6f

“Please, call me Erhen,” 98269ed2ab he said smoothly.0366b196d41a6521

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“That’s a bit….”f47996edac6004e6

I trailed off, 371fa32679 hinting that there f652f23465 was no need 3dd0ee5bcd for such familiarity ba2f9eb3ae between us. But Erhardin replied with 81d6575a81 a snake-like grin.1f8a829e4b5c714e

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“Oh, but we may f414a20597 be family soon enough.”b4f44fd47e8947af

Excuse me?d74a3624afd3009a

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“Besides, we 9445139430 might even dd80ab6230 live together. Wouldn’t it be 081cfb6816 better to start c6ad05faf3 off on friendly a0ab32cdbe terms?”56605cb2ef0276ba

It seemed he 99ac950e9e intended to settle d8ff26144b down as a 64f4b6a043 live-in son-in-law after b10bd5e563 remarrying Rachel. And with the custody e6ab54bbcb lawsuit going on, the bc896b3a88 idea of living together 3df6164ae2 wasn’t entirely far-fetched.a18c837f34faa139

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‘This isn’t going 0264264a6a well…’6814f19e29550439

I glanced over at 4892add517 Rachel, feeling uneasy. She looked utterly b0e218ab73 drained, as if d63def3090 she didn’t even 2704322ee3 have the energy 42e35a504b to deny the b9c5eac34c prospect of remarriage.facefd3770bb3fcf

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And, of 009d5f98e6 course, the c5e5f21a6b fox was d1d0569d79 being so a5568c2156 forward it 48105d7cd4 was downright b39432e833 inconvenient.ba6d6c3ce395b575

If I f4e8d83b7e didn’t intervene, dc8578eb10 they might f065d4a0f7 actually get e28c068982 married.342783748245efe7

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Oh no…c2eacfc044cf17b9

I was about c3c4c7afc7 to protest when 07a37a07d0 Erhardin cut in, 0938b70d02 trying to sound f07213ab55 considerate. “Then, I’ll call 971cb53f21 you Lady Chichi.”38312a2dee2e8c71

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Just then, Zerakiel’s 0e9266d84c hand rested ominously 8f7a2fae21 on his sword 855579e8c6 hilt.ce4a3fba8cc8f031

“What did you just 0c2a1cc0e4 say?”b3fcfa3d3e80501a

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“Uh?”42229f4ef34ca1ad

“Say it c398aed270 again,” Zerakiel 3bec73a08e murmured, a a2be83b7d9 dark threat 95c6923683 hanging in 3af8836f23 his voice. Ivan, who had returned e8398bac2e just in time, shook 23bbf8a119 his head knowingly.0cb014e9709e7298

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“People usually regret 6a0f9a7aad opening their mouths 19e6ba33b9 carelessly.”cc290ed4bfcfdcdb

You’re one 1b7064bbc7 to talk, 74f8cea626 I thought, 892947c31b casting a 8ede21f1d6 skeptical look 7d7a110e66 at Ivan 5a17477588 as Erhardin, 71e9a879e3 oblivious, continued.f40282facfe0a8c1

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“Oh? I mean… I’d 63961ccef4 just like to 1c600d8743 be close to 36710cb308 Lord Zerakiel, too.”2db37aca87f46ed1

Actually, no—he wasn’t oblivious 037f770fed at all. Erhardin was now e5fc729b85 turning his charms cbcf1151f6 on Zerakiel, clearly 1999c68ecf playing some kind 27dc4f4db0 of angle.553155c74397862c

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“I’ve heard a lot c5cfed73ec about you from Rachel. Would you cd8010929c mind if 5846d3054f I called 257f8043cf you Ricky? …Oh, I-I apologize!”31bf9553e0908533

It seemed, 61fa8bb248 however, that b72e6ab0b5 he lacked 72f844428e the courage ddf5058cd7 to back 076a1ce2f3 up his eb3399a07b antics. When Zerakiel drew his 7793771c98 sword just a fraction 314e055323 out of its sheath, bd3127df0c Erhardin immediately cowered.77410bd2c29b5237

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After all, tricks only b066b134d6 work on sane people. A mad black lion 9f1c48d62a like Zerakiel wouldn’t hesitate de44856fae to cut first and 0499e864ad ask questions later.969d8da68e01c6a8

“I’ll just call you cda30ed8df Erhardin,” I said firmly, 37dab3e171 trying to establish some a71d45c7eb boundaries. He accepted, 74fc67dd89 albeit reluctantly.1e696d007faf1c69

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“Yes, understood. But, there’s always e8a5fc68ad a chance to 429a2d4a98 grow closer, isn’t 1e475873a6 there?”6b99a12b1ab9eaa9

Clearly, he d1b66f412b wasn’t one 9494300bec to give df58de789b up easily.89f2be8711e76042

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No wonder he’d persisted 52f879d71e through all of Zakari’s 713aa4b0f6 interference.d2dbd88432ef317a

Soon after, we 07d554e716 headed to the 805f4263ee hunting grounds owned 5d4e650be7 by the family. Located west of 6e23975f90 Ilanbore, it was 0133c246c8 known for its 53afbef4c5 dense forest cover.52f4d3d168734f5d

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“Rachel, come over here. That harsh c414700961 sun might b1d6852894 burn your 3e63811a4e delicate skin,” 6679c210c6 Erhardin cooed, d09e27cdeb pulling Rachel a5b0704dd7 close in 8769adb982 an overly 9003799e55 affectionate gesture. Strangely, Rachel 05c11c2934 didn’t push 983dfc9568 him away.65c2d252839ebe47

‘Mother’s being unusually docile…’4c1fbbe820f58826

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Normally, she’d have 929dcac5cc scoffed at such 09620374dd sickly-sweet words, but 674222e82a she showed no 10c38e4f24 reaction this time.d50c27fc85708860

And it wasn’t bc657815e6 just me who a749a57dce noticed—Zerakiel didn’t look dd3fdda334 pleased either.9e403037145b52d4

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I glanced at 8ced1266e7 Kiera, who merely e0e4fd0c68 shrugged, indicating she 2857cf8f8b was as puzzled ed11b0841b as we were. The more 452c1aab51 I thought c2d14bc6a7 about it, 4aec8b0cb9 the more 846585977a suspicious it 32b71cbf99 all seemed.f7eb56d3346ae572

‘Something isn’t right.’713c339a32ff0a33

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