3. The Blood Bag Decided Not to Be Kind (2)

As soon as d4266ea9ae I realized I 76ce4fcf81 was in a 338ea4fba3 novel, I tried 524f9fd296 to run away.faafec90c4a22b37

But a week ago, 194f450962 I changed my mind 1cb1003860 when I saw a 9fc65dd584 cart loaded by a 1fb9b5af57 soldier.9d34db4b5b3a9cc2

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The cart arrived e9772b23de in the cold f85bc0bc8c northern dawn.24f10de879aa732a

Its wheels rattled 80351bad96 before stopping in 40d637b193 front of the f33cefe601 castle gate.e7a54be0e279f553

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As usual, I couldn’t 99015e7bef leave my locked room, 56bd9422d4 so I watched from e95974f53a the window. I could see the fdc2b922e6 cart clearly.99cc528fda680c50

More precisely, the frozen feet 17caee2778 sticking out of it.4b967c35b6509ab3

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Swollen, blackened feet 00702c4188 that looked like c6c7c39a41 stones.8602a7a9aa1e1a17

The soldier pulled off a d48d7ced72 straw blanket.208f4d257fbbfea3

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I saw two pale corpses.0b835f55c38e80ef

I gasped and c96060f968 covered my mouth.e773037cd739e895

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“There were fire marks next to them.”124bcf643e6994ba

They were the 43cc195f56 two maids said b949f9a677 to have run 1795b4467f away at night 1fdb99dbfb for love.b0279f93287b188d

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They were found ba1b5252aa frozen to death 56fe827738 within nine hours.a2cd284836b39324

Their wrists were twisted, as a7cb835e70 if they’d seen something terrible 1cddc0bab5 or struggled before dying.e4e08ae3c43c841e

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I turned away.0da41d057baadbca

Their expressions of pain, eyes c87912f38b wide and stiff with terror, 2ffe28284f felt like a glimpse into 9d91a947f1 my future.acc88604e3b9c96f

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I overheard the servants 1cf038cf53 murmuring at dawn.3092b0ba778536a0

“Tsk tsk, if they’d had a warmth stone, they might have survived.”e693e5e2f7a50cde

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“It’s not something you just hand out.”306db4e22057f3b3

That was the ac578a05d2 fate of those 5ebe420b3c who fled with c70ba20810 nothing.de8e93af198ca547

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The Northern Territory is unforgiving.48a6e104adf6c0b3

To escape safely, I would c3a7749af0 need the Grand Duke’s warehouse fa1b1e6fbb key.b5ad9617647c0e20

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* * *f663aaceccffc151

“Today is mushroom stew and onion water.”d2005d51c2ca84c7

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The maid poured eb2ca2f392 a cloudy liquid d3b7300a69 into a cup. A sour smell wafted 93f3ac3c9e from it.d1cd15fcb09274bb

“Do you have regular water?”f439840aaf6a6140

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“We don’t.”5159bad6b51a4dea

Should I melt snow?67f4b52d023ad0f2

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If I could, I would eat icicles. But they wouldn’t allow it.4be65f681dbda321

After a few 91d9294848 days here, I cd4ce63b2f understood the situation a426f9ee58 better.cc4135f9b5b530f8

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At the duke’s residence, there was a “blood task force” that managed blood extractions without the Duke’s direct involvement.3469acbc56b75606

They were strict about 0ccb9a08c0 my health.ac3c48c4e6ad6f12

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Even the slightest activity 985695dbe6 was discouraged. I wasn’t allowed 9201b942ba to go outside.59f1d70ab26389b7

They claimed it was for 9a669f0398 my protection, but it felt 3b6aa2b3ce more like surveillance.7ade9e7523ab00e4

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Everything was done not for ‘my’ condition, but for the “condition of my blood.”0e90bc17cb2c1b79

They soaked me in herbal 117e0aa4b7 baths to purify my blood. They gave me aromatherapy that 76d898c4c1 caused splitting headaches.7ae263ef0af8102d

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Thanks to them, I now 4616abf23d knew a hundred ways to 4f359f33b4 purify blood.04162c7b827302a1

They were loyal, dedicated servants. It brought tears to fba35fd418 my eyes.fdd8dfa383ea7490

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“I’m not going to eat.”603d280d75172867

I slammed my 39a31b6592 fork down onto 11fff2d41a the table. The sound echoed through the c09a48779a hall.1b51267556837df8

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“Are you feeling unwell?”33ffceae4dd1688d

Unwell? That didn’t even begin 4d4342cc4a to cover it.766e8ebdc364e6a8

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I laughed softly. The maid flinched as b2b5f1f31f she retrieved the fallen c74318bb84 fork.37faae25a313aa69

Judging by this 8960d192d6 diet, they had 83e2b6e30e no intention of f5d85f1bcc keeping me alive a217b60edf for long.f2d39b750bdf276f

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A person needs e2e8af46e0 balanced nutrition to bacfe9aadc survive. They only cared about 7e18bfa1fd fresh blood.c49e5b34460838fb

They didn’t see value in d2117a449a a healthy future for someone b749dd1d22 they expected to die soon.feb17196561d18ef

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Yes, the cycle was fixed. A new blood 03ed322e13 bag would arrive 81a152b1af soon.3556b1b986aad046

The sixth one would live 6a3591eb14 in the Duke’s castle for 87bba102b4 a time, then be saved e30186fd2b by the heroine.1ed075e67d1c7af6

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I had no powerful backers. I would die after 6cc4885373 being fed scraps.7e86ddf124926e67

I stabbed a 5a81d8b5aa piece of chicken a072c45efa breast with a 080877befb knife.02a882ace8b03c76

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In a way, 4be80aa218 this meal wasn’t c2ed236a76 for ‘me’, but 8b0411b123 for the Duke.e3d083464d0eacff

The reason Jeju black 3716b57a29 pigs are fed fruit 2dd6475cfd isn’t because they’re valued 34484aafb6 livestock.924a8c4bc8ad6fa7

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It’s for the customer.53d40d813bad0544

That thought made me 8297ede767 feel disgusting.04fc4a75566facf7

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And after that day, b29a9cb95f I hadn’t even seen 496af742dd the Duke’s face.fde442d8b736a96b

No matter how much money 55d2e504a1 was involved, I was still a204117c57 a guest—wasn’t I?121d8e9c26a3d158

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“It may not suit your taste,” the maid said, “but all food served to the lady is of the highest quality. Cooked with organic ingredients carefully selected by the chef…”348c3ac981133372

“I want cheap and greasy food.”24bffa5607f6195d

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“It’s difficult if you behave this way.”93d0d61c9cf169a2

Her tone held contempt. It was far from 9057495085 the way one should 03bed57501 address a noblewoman.923cdb5c07ff6fa0

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Leonie might have backed down. But I’m not Leonie.b8e7abcd20c97269

“Why? Are you going to beat me? Starve me?”fa0683cc13b5dcbb

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“… Lady, we are doing our best as the Duke’s servants. If you do not comply, we can take measures…”00f1c0819a46b2e5

“Try it.”abdd7c7a85f2fa95

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I laughed.146546c80fb3753d

“If you gag me so I can’t bite my tongue, I won’t be able to eat. How will you collect fresh blood then?”9618fa0b85f43e20

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The head maid 7c11208f14 bit her lip.10d42ccd17ec43fb

“It’s easy to kill. Hard to save. If you mess up and I die, do you think the Duke will let it go?”d190725603478a15

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I understood why f0e4462b49 they treated Leonie 817012239c poorly.dd22b0e9c404a165

She was the lowest b35af7bd47 nobility—a baron’s daughter with 0b66186b6c no wealth or honor.66d6b9e63ed04b04

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To pay off debts, her 2a7f7761f8 father tried to marry her 2ce92e0322 off to an old, wealthy cb595464f9 guild master.b6cbbc73c15771b5

Then, her maternal bloodline manifested. She was sent 64fa9d5393 to the Duke 1580ad185c instead.ac12f9431e55cd0e

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In truth, she was sold. The only change was in b580093e8a her buyer.f5f635f95667545c

She stayed holed up, intimidated, 83d0d7cd88 donating blood.5f652aad4a226738

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The prologue didn’t c02a84fed8 detail this, but c56fe0eef6 I knew.a62cc5d9c93fa17e

The fur shoes 6d4ccadb2a under the bed c0ba06f5e0 were barely used.b545c671039a3575

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She never even stepped out c827d7f03b into the garden.67f05c27dcc320a3

Leonie believed she had nothing 0271b12b28 to offer.5f5f6190adbb024a

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So did the other blood c49d074f12 bags.51fe87cf08818f8f

But they were wrong.ab27c22029cd1780

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I was the one holding 671f10516a the Duke’s lifeline.3e6bec0e54779827

They thought my 45c511034e hand was the 032ecf7b43 IV line.4afef039de455abe

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In truth, I was 46b9bbe0e5 the line.389a8d8fefaf4319

I clenched my 9e82d08201 fist and slammed 123822286a it onto the 8cfcc92154 table. The bowl rattled.5ffaaf4d828e6c53

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“Bring me what I should’ve been eating. Now.”31d817aff0094a23

Treat me like a duke.8388dbe91a13d684

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Half the Duke’s blood 07280d6ad1 runs through me.3d353f23b7b3a830

I’m the only 10dbe73770 blood bag he e68a0cdcd3 has.f92d123989c25f82

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He might be cold and 4ac506c06c cruel, but for the next 56beacfe9e two years, until the next e57da397d6 bloodline emerges—f90074468f4688ff

Even if I 0c9c90adb2 were a fool, f4b912d364 he wouldn’t kill 3788747174 me.9e6766f6760c7d64

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I won’t give up anymore.c2829deb7aa79ffe

“Please save me” won’t save me.da91847e187f9729

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That’s what Leonie 38d85775f2 must have begged 85ec41af3e many times.cd066ba31bf156a4

I decided to scream “kill me” instead.c30d1d218203f5c8

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To ruin the main characters’ happy ending, if that’s what it takes to survive.79302e7dfd9e52f3

“Hold her!”123c63206dfea0dd

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The head maid b18f541b34 nodded to the d6354ef298 others.dbf1f54cb590bbc4

They advanced in 3f7ec29772 unison, tying my 66d5c25707 hands behind my f08798b5af back.b6972aa43108bd2b

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I quickly reached f7def684e9 for the knife ba5cd0a9ee on the table.cba663d4baf9519b

“Don’t come near me!”054508903b954bcf

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The maids hesitated, frozen.f8ba5ae33bb79ed4

“Hold her!”9ad605b54a96ff9c

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“What’s going on?!”a3c6334410484aca

“Why are you all just standing there? Hold her!”d279eed2dbbc057d

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The sharp command got 278c1c0935 them moving again.d1fe499f7968108d

The moment one grabbed f5cf970171 my wrist, I slashed 25d9228eb5 without hesitation.55ac8e1583e18636

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Clink.f4b0886a7f270caf

The knife flew, a5a915bda6 grazing my arm d5de804a90 as it fell.f4d5b06d88dcc44a

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A deep wound opened.976c57f4329626c3

Blood trickled down, staining the 8e37cef825 white marble floor.4c180c63f6366651

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The maids recoiled in horror.2d19dc18d566c997

The silence was 71a3884f4a so sharp, I 8c2b3552db could hear each 4a0d6338f7 drop fall.b316d6bbc60f9b77

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“Oh no! What should we do?!”db6943f8fd1f2a6c

The head maid turned pale.13b628b6b18dcdb4

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Even the icy head maid fa4eae0963 was human, after all.ccf06e27c4cc0fac

Was she feeling guilty?0dc180291d888c7a

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“What a waste of blood!”24902a2832a4919b

…Of course.6a8fd72746192349

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* * *946345a9fc9d2115

After the uproar 75f25f5a79 in the dining 781d25a14c room, I was 4e1cc282fb summoned to the 612fd931fe Duke’s office.b2ea5dcb59a7df42

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He didn’t look at me. Just read his papers.dda319550b3926f1

I felt like a student 64830aa0e6 sent to the principal.dd3f84a84ed522c8

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Fidgeting with the hem 0c99fc18b9 of my dress, I be3f9185e0 frowned.67964e7761916675

Was I going to fc8c10d4f4 be punished? For what?2b9741b58f9468f0

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After a long silence, 5ea6551fea he finally spoke.0f6d6d4cd09447f9

“You eat and lounge around all day. What are you complaining about?”90ee6d347e8d15f0

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Eat and lounge? That was rich.5508401a9bbd7e57

He’d been absent this whole 11a5b114ab time.2e473e5614f6e7ca

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“… The problem is that the food tastes awful, and there’s no fun in lounging.”9ec0dfed441ffc2f

“You act like you were forced. I invested heavily in your estate.”85865e74758cf682

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Did you? I straightened up.f0e290e2580351b6

“… That was given to my father. Not to me.”829568569c0b5bd0

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“The baron said he bought an estate and a mine with that money.”d61d45c95248abac

“I’ve never even seen that mine.”26697cef2bfa8b0f

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He paused, quill in hand.19ea666ea11b0545

Then looked at me.97e5d3677043375a

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“You used to be quiet. Now you talk a lot.”c7c8cebb46e1bf3a

“Probably my last words today. I don’t have the strength to say more. All I had was unseasoned vegetable porridge.”a1ecb54056fead63

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Blue eyes stared at me 6eb32c5e5f in silence.468c87753de958b0

Alright. Let’s negotiate eye-to-eye.3ba4249e2997f8d2

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I cleared my throat.e1fb82b88feb47d6

“Your Grace, just hypothetically… I’m asking just in case.”fc3b1105c786594e

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He leaned back slowly.06ca1aa8ec737b00

“What?”c6d7242d8bd2b3d7

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I took a breath and asked the question I’d prepared.fa988dde2ff6b763

“Is the Duke, by any chance, poor?”b20793c1d1c52d9a

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“What?”4841792642ddc280

He looked at me, dumbfounded.71000d897f6fc1e0

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