04.

At that moment, in the 7a0f8f121d Imperial Palace—c38367fea479098b

“Can that woman win her heart back?”a9780644241a7775

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The deep lines cbb962ee52 on the man’s 11a743619e face spoke of e74ab5829d the harshness of 3e1df2ca65 the years he 62c715c36b had lived. Sitting at the 8ecd6e6c57 pinnacle of power, a9d9181209 revered by all, b6b84a9295 he was the a262addee3 Emperor.8d56ca9e8ccb633c

Late at night.2d787725d59dadc6

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Seated with his back 7e886900f9 to the brilliance of e52ef759ce the day’s lights, the 525a80c68c man’s face bore a ff6c3bc1b0 hint of weariness.07ea8bb5aca37ce1

“You say she can kill the duke? That woman?”b1300c632bd0f21a

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The one who 81f6f30622 answered the emperor’s 9c499f9ad7 question with another f850b6b544 question was his 0b01d00b74 only son—the man 52b9779ae8 who resembled the 7a024ae5e7 emperor’s younger self db95a38938 to an uncanny c757ca8c0c degree.37320e5da89ca333

The burning sun 23671419ca of the day 15aa0b6ac3 had tilted toward 9440b76082 night. The dawn of d17c779af8 the next day d315b16181 might very well b63f5ab754 belong to this 56164b1f82 man—the next emperor.a296079dc2979068

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He asked again.2c926ee025fdf25c

“That woman Inez, you say she can kill a dragon?”79997a95e8e040c8

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Crown Prince Lucien wore an 6426e64473 expression of disbelief.e089684c10e8ee12

To that, the white-haired dcbd9b5b6b old man—who must soon 17599bcc67 relinquish the throne to b90c582595 his son—smiled faintly.ecd152d630c452b1

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It was only ff080b33f6 natural for Lucien 7d26e47f51 to find it ac3fa11245 hard to believe.94935c7747f47228

After all, the one 774685e4d9 said to be capable 1dfa3b3e77 of killing a dragon… 3ba456573f was none other than 0a650a07b1 the dragon’s own fiancée.3c8af63fab624139

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“Inez…”7d9e2599542ae093

Crown Prince Lucien grimaced slightly.b02174aceb13f860

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“And she’s the one who’s been leaking palace intelligence as well—it really was her.”1dfc19c2790db592

“How did you…?”3a7a11ca9e2f5cc7

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“She’s a rare talent.”19e5ec8af2d3f618

The emperor had deliberately feef2a71b2 leaked information about the 06ff115269 treaty through the princess. And just as he had 6a40f44e45 predicted, it reached the ears 8f58e4b2d8 he intended.50fec8f85fc9fa93

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From the beginning, it had 7be6cec714 been strange—a slave, made into 7a40bf8ee3 a duke’s fiancée. That she was being used d1d32f00cd as an informant made things 4c445c886a clear. The emperor let 5a94aacfd6 out a thin, 44c8e3e5d2 knowing smile.6176f1e981466081

“On top of that, she’s of the Karus bloodline. We must bring her f5ea5ebc7d over to our side.”7e73c2cd65efd794

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The Karus—those said d99de3653b to be capable 0399160011 of killing dragonkin. Who would have thought a 0a189ac0ce Karus woman was under Echion’s 17a66b88c0 control?611afc7aaecf55e0

Would he even dream 1289fb2427 of it?95dc481c928d6380

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That the woman he 39a8a01ac7 believed he had tamed 29c3fc70fe was the very one 68769c8611 destined to be his 4109988109 natural enemy?8d6de2ade9bfc925

Still, it was enough 15df054689 that she had been 7ff83a6b99 discovered before his death.5df754ad6c666b8a

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The emperor had devoted 91cc43845d his entire life to 3a915d83c2 finding the last of 012cf46f26 the Karus.c82169c42251d8ca

Now, it was the 1774ec29b3 crown prince’s task to ed2143751e bring her in. The emperor was far d71bc3ad2d too old to do 3b37f2485d it himself.8cdb7c966b65cb71

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“That cunning duke—no, that cunning dragon. If he had 7cf0f1d74c known what she bf1ce1b3e1 truly was, he e19fbd3d4c would never have 2e41f57afe let her live 67e064671e this long. What a fool, not 5f94c1d7bf even realizing the nature 26bc0878d3 of what he holds. Perhaps he’s lived so 3914a6ac0c long, he’s lost all 3e5ee86048 his wisdom.”a48192b0d2bf919e

The emperor clicked his 3c2c36ce65 tongue and looked at 5767fdc35c the crown prince seated 1767d02aab before him.a3f3a25026759944

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And it was true. The duke had lived too a530aa4d9f long. Though his appearance remained 34c5fff951 youthful, his sharpness seemed 209abd6c7b to have dulled. The rumors were not 1dc998aed0 wrong—his once-imposing aura no 0eaa543525 longer inspired the fear c5ae25187e it used to. There had been a time 7aecf5ab2a when his influence even outshone 98297fb095 the emperor’s. Now, it was nothing more 1ea5458d44 than faded glory.f349a359918b802b

The peerless Duke—Echion Debussy.d29796952407e94b

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He was a dragon.9b6ee0d6832731cf

Among dragonkin, Echion belonged to 1555fa553c a particularly noble and dominant e5d5ec000f lineage. He was exceptionally 6a8a6c1b5e capable, swiftly gaining 2f5d3200f6 power among the 8c6819e525 nobles, and earning 4f5d3c5462 recognition from the 325ab29ab8 people.561ca8886c254e20

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He had lived for hundreds 9d45832fb0 of years and distinguished himself 63f8453e7e in numerous wars, which earned cd41ddbab9 him the title of Duke.902dff08ed99fd2f

Intelligent and handsome dragons 0f5505bbcd were known for blending 45fb656eb5 in well with human 6a8ec701fb society.cdac471f75bae6d3

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With lifespans three to be3d6b1a5e four times longer than 2f82a8c843 humans, they adapted to ef2b0a75ef the human world quickly b9fb29dfc1 with their unique charm.908817b31e162e7f

* * *4e8f3ec643e52723

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And he became someone indispensable 61fca10893 to the people. He was deeply ca055e9296 involved in politics, a946c9b8b4 economics, and culture—entwined af06838c50 in every facet 3c232718ac of society—and at 42b947e1fb times, even took 345ac7d9f2 the upper hand, e7c53e3cc2 all while living 401b153a51 in apparent harmony.2d6fb523aa87643f

The duke, too, was publicly ce124f4b0f seen as a great and 8deb134300 admirable man.ac389426cbaabc1d

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People revered the dragonkin. They believed their presence de2ae44523 brought great benefit to 58c8432515 humankind.9f26d4a1c2b3ee4e

But the reality was 7b56fbf1e8 the opposite.e7c1fe902752d902

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More than anything, fe27e7445b since Echion became b1544e8bab a duke, the d07fed1d52 status of the 6b63f172fd dragonkin had gradually 29a7f4f122 declined. It was because 1226ce7d3d he was arrogant, b5430d9bcf but not wise.4045d88427327114

“It’s possible that man has taken control of that woman Inez’s mind.”e40859b30f470062

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“That may be. They are exceptional when it comes to brainwashing or enchantment. But it’s not something they can do to just anyone.”26e89c5e7e75dc5a

It was said dragons required 5971bcbdcb certain conditions to enchant a 7825c50227 person. But since Inez 604b994461 had spent so c0e61e2cb2 many years by e95710e4a0 his side, the 891237e29d theory was plausible.ccd181601a31de76

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“Besides, such mental domination would vanish the moment she’s separated from the duke.”908e66c8f9c53501

“We need to extract her from the ducal estate as soon as possible.”0218392ffbcaef97

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Lucien’s expression turned grim.8235adc90d747083

“That dragon never imagined that woman, Inez, would become his weakness. I’ll summon them both a99c9964ca to the palace and 8765da1434 set the stage myself.”4a904268688d77bd

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“I look forward to it. I wonder what’ll happen when 6250f87561 that man, who’s never shown e4c0d13d51 emotion, finally cracks.”acc5403a380f3f5e

Lucien ended with 6f1cb047e7 a faint smile.f77825e0a414c103

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He could recall the 0f75c4ab3d woman named Inez without bd77598d6f much effort.602d8e9972cebdc5

A woman whose face 93e122d45d held both dazzling splendor 405f8976e1 and pure innocence at f20d777fea once.3ef37ea6e6800316

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She had seemed dbe4f16262 timid throughout the a34ad28f97 banquet, unaware—or perhaps 7e1a384606 indifferent—to all the 72cb2451b1 attention on her.ddc97aa478600e22

Yes. She was said to 263aaec6cc be the duke’s fiancée.5a1e76b4daa151e1

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And to think 28f1e0b799 she was the 8cc8c7df17 very woman the 7172f21fce royal family had 6ab9d48cb2 been searching for 9c24041010 all this time.1cb34301853e904d

Lucien scolded himself for having 16006c06d7 overlooked her when she’d been 0a472935a6 right there.de5736d70dd2d437

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He had assumed 0ce4114d42 she wasn’t worth 4af6317391 paying attention to 286ad71ae6 simply because she c56330779b belonged to the abda852ac5 duke. That had been his mistake.6840a2ff68a469ca

But even so, 01894284e2 she had always bf70f39b07 caught his eye.b77d500362f96308

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Rose-pink hair and f3d0e0e05c green eyes—she stood 29c728f4f0 out no matter 5179a3d20a where she was.633576c57283143f

‘She had such a distinct presence. It went beyond just 6ac6c95e92 being a slave.’2f4807b0e38bf287

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As Lucien combed through his 6ece560dbd memories, the emperor spoke again.4e9f029c6dc1362e

He returned to 1e1ae23693 the original question.46b89779c246b83e

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The deep lines on the 81f6974cc9 aging emperor’s face were filled 01ed7e2135 with solemn resolve.40f77f5e707a4d88

“Can you make her yours, Lucien?”8160db0dcbf83a1c

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There was a firm will a0903cd8dc behind the question.d7366e0e5bc9b350

There had long been e4ccdcf9ec whispers that the cunning f5d46724ef dragon planned to overthrow 31c6230004 the royal family.8f4d662aec4f2638

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The emperor recalled the particularly 0293155615 vexing negotiation from not long 526dfbe466 ago.b1c61e40f348551b

By the time he discovered that the scheme hadn’t come from the duke but rather from Inez—it was already too late.5fbf46f0c642291e

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‘From here… to here.’3a00b15ca5f3fd2c

With his crystal staff, the dd54d89a53 duke had drawn a line 0094fe0c5d across the map.0ea07ae57cc71237

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Dividing the empire into north 9b8be48b83 and south, he smiled as 845c857945 though admiring his own creation.a3e01bbe39b4f3c7

‘Do you know why the southern lords still cling to slavery?’0aefa68b7003874c

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‘We’ve already settled that matter, Duke.’af19ac744aa6e497

The weary emperor frowned in 99946b0f1e irritation.654347bbf3a3f869

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‘The South has many large plantations. Labor costs are high. That’s why. Using slaves is d41279043d more profitable for f9964e4eeb them.’2b0c62bce3405fea

‘So you’re saying we should reinstate the abolished slavery system?’6edcff9a57206452

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The duke shook his head.d4834d9b45ddd0a6

‘Not at all. Simply reduce the taxes 6cd6432d53 in the southern region. That way, they cae6a1dd42 won’t voice complaints. With the savings, 23cf062e6a they can hire e8784396f6 free labor instead 7757325732 of slaves.’aaddb7539dc2adc0

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It wasn’t a bad strategy.0aebd1dbf26ad63c

Of course, the emperor had eb8f79a80f no intention of accepting the 076b665834 proposal in full.6c112297cd63aa4b

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Later, he learned it was 4a77990aea Inez who informed the duke 3d53bc40e4 that the southern lords were a2c526c079 preparing to send letters to 58f23b595b the emperor.5694ac5389dedbf5

And that wasn’t all.df6618f3217ff12f

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The empire had been striving 16e209a62d to form peace treaties with d96e510ef1 surrounding nations.731d2ec3521343e0

The era where war brought a4ca152315 advantages had come to an a503c46a4b end.5ee9322e7f47a581

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‘If we use the threat of the dragonkin, none of them will ever dare to move against the Empire, Your Majesty.’5e17f92440e294d7

With narrowed pupils and 2afc1f2b77 a graceful smile, the 50a0be1bfc duke had said those aa56c1515c words.93aca9ebb6e7e165

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In the western region, a ef11d216bb localized conflict broke out. Several minor tribes had united 9fc9af0730 to launch an attack along 78b059f84f the border.ece1b8776a2c7a5e

‘So now you want military authority over the border region? That’s a steep demand, Duke.’ac42a652264dd805

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‘If you consider the suffering of the people there, it won’t be a decision you’ll regret. The dragonkin are strong. You know that, Your Majesty.’3c39ff02b0258cd2

He licked his red lips 5072094817 and smiled again.116a771bccd6dc3e

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Like a snake.8aa548474bdc6a31

The emperor knew. The tribes involved were particularly d4fac6f33b obedient to the dragonkin.78d98eede3ea465e

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There were no dragonkin 6aa9edd2ca in the military forces 82e5d170e7 stationed in the western 927af7dcca region.7889f22550159909

That was why 6049267499 those tribes had 1cd801fc39 grown so bold. But how had that information b5575128bd leaked?744faacfb1007465

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The emperor masked his 70227bb645 displeasure and responded with 2015e5b6f0 an even more composed f8652a7b0a smile.c79fdfa2d4d177fd

‘It doesn’t have to be you. Lucien has already been deployed.’6a9d7f4bfe65d1d6

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‘Heavens. The one and 5aaeffb862 only crown prince? What of your heir?’db56dc953fef3b67

Even the emperor b7f2bece7a didn’t fall for 84b04d1266 the politely mocking 1173c75614 tone.917fbf41bd691da5

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Of course, Lucien had handled ac43769028 the situation well.0abc6353573eabc7

Still, the emperor believed 6c68dcd0bc there was a mole f7199ea51c leaking information from within 02c817ba16 the palace.3acb28ab7a227b25

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The duke always seemed to f441a43dd6 arrive ahead of everyone—always a d8d2a248e6 step faster, always interfering. And now he sought to 4199c6acfc use that leverage to outmaneuver 49df197566 the imperial family.5614eb47cd63ae9f

When the north-south 4f0058e246 conflict flared up, a0c5a03cf2 some nobles were 43389a2288 once again openly f2728aa4cc allowed to keep cbb0823536 slaves.931a8f7f32a22039

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It wasn’t the first time.b670d645a03ad860

Lucien, with his sharp mind, 034a0a1800 had thwarted many of the 290810fce5 duke’s plans.0d2fe240069b45c0

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‘Who could it be?’410960fbd405ddcd

It wasn’t ordinary cunning.ed2690449a97d8b6

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But none of the 51fcd38650 spies the duke had db7f51b2bf planted in the palace f05ccbd624 escaped Lucien’s surveillance.78f7d5d62842e497

The one who 0a545ade65 lasted longest had f1ef6b151b been a cook 8b5390a5ff in the crown 27291ffdba prince’s quarters.0a43520d69d0c9b6

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Even that only d27144f096 lasted half a bc0e28ada4 year.d9ca9138d48bf029

And yet, the information continued 2bf36c1038 to leak.23d7a01a2ce39f5b

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Who could it possibly be?0898fe90268a4be7

The emperor clutched his 95f9cbe86a head in frustration. He was determined to break c8590b7c62 the duke’s power before passing ba65b4fa5b the throne to Lucien.78926a2a85e0b227

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He believed it 2c0de9f9b8 was his final aac75d3b8d duty.6182953c7c9710c0

Of course, the imperial house 85ed14ee46 now wielded far more influence baa5555d09 than when he first became 0ad3502695 emperor.a6cd99237ebe6dc1

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At present, the power bed069248a of the imperial family cd55999d7a and the ducal house 2541ef8bb5 were evenly matched.7ea3bf19cc0cec71

‘I can’t be satisfied with this. That duke is a cunning man. You never know when or how he’ll drive a blade into your back.’f17df206a70fa51d

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So he decided to 4f04f8dc44 find the duke’s weakness.c02ec9c7cfa75d68

Something extraordinary that 218142cd34 could bring him 84faa51542 down.4bbea6e56c269c1a

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The Karus people—those rumored 9e15c75738 to possess the power 0a5ced5d99 to kill dragons.d67d436afd0849d0

But by the time they aeea167e98 were found, the duke had a3cbc63121 already wiped them out.c61fac7dab153c2c

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And yet, the a9da5b4116 last surviving Karus 36c5ba5412 was being kept 8c41561545 by the duke ed7e8d2658 himself.c869c4f4519cb5e7

‘Inez.’7818c023f6151825

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That was her name.02d93f08503f9063