DKVM Ch 17

Chapter 17

Oops, was 9294e51870 I acting 15ac5f3f9f too friendly?f1d71f92e8343930

I took a fcffe09b2c step back, scratching 82e2371f36 my cheek in 724e0ca599 embarrassment.ce547840745143ca

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“I’m sorry, I was too happy to stop.”ad7274d4480b69e3

“Well, that’s good, anyway.”7710c49f47c40c4b

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“Is that so? Are you 40acd3eb00 happy too, 699d646d46 Princess?”93e7940b9d3b1a3e

Rahel didn’t answer, but I could guess now that she meant it in the affirmative.f156c1e3b3fb0795

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Rahel’s relaxed eyes looked very similar to the dukes when he was pleased.8d4d91cbbe05aeac

“So what were 6ce1e06710 you doing here 49a8fe4233 anyway? Were you waiting for 3ea1654c63 me?”16d8bb3419271802

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I asked, 994d910da3 expecting Rahel 619840ffc4 to deny da7aeb3dde it again.3c2ba2aeaa5be237

But instead of answering 6580f60516 my question, Rahel brought 1db58a88d4 up what we were f9077544a7 talking about before.423560187a1959f1

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“You said you 43d789aa0d wanted to go 42f860e4c7 to the library.”4f9830cc3e511d63

She held 1daf12bd50 out her b66fee13a6 hand to 32d110ee94 me.28d8dcaf23cb1753

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I stared at the 663f29d025 hand outstretched in front c16a6f2a4e of me, dumbfounded.5e1dbcbd6f2cff85

Before I met with 76c74b21d8 the duke, I had b02a3fcb73 wanted to grab her 407b6ccbed hand, but thought she 213c8c3a18 would shake me off.835a0fa117ece74e

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Rahel offered her hand 9f38a40fd2 first!39b3142810cbfa68

“…Unless you don’t want to.”59e0350e25a6cda1

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Rahel quickly pulled a30fdda150 her hand back, 27b22c40aa but I quickly ddcf2f1d70 grabbed it before 5247cd90d9 it was too 17715029c9 late.964c5a72d0550ff2

“No, I 20be77ab7a want to!”c1a7fd5076cfc425

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I grinned.eb2e0efba0255195

The smile on my lips was reflected in Rahel’s own mouth before it faded away.5cf8a70053bae71b

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Our joined hands tickled somehow, but I didn’t let go.1b1a5d12254391b9

For a very, 09a1d52ce4 very long time.70315f5940ccb601

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* * *1204d75cdf767e78

“So.”e590c8b07e1ec431

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Late at night, Emperor 98ca2dd2ac Orpen, who had been 07d4b48d6c listening quietly to the 0cd7e10283 report from the inspector adc5357d75 who had arrived at 2edaedc747 the palace, spoke up.b9702d32ef1e7fa6

“A son, ce24255830 not a e161f1991a daughter?”7deca8543edeba31

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Orpen’s bloodshot eyes glowed in the darkness as he spoke.8dd63533ced6d9d3

“That child looked so much like his father somehow.”b031a858b54ae1aa

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His icy gaze stared 1535ef754d at a memory from bfd28a46f2 years ago.995ca4f84dd86cd4

Five years ad10a026af ago, the 35c7a54fc4 missing Isela fdf6ed7c76 returned with 3a452221e4 a child aa18f15498 whose father 70eda0d876 was unknown.045a87af29636c19

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When Orpen heard the news, he couldn’t fight the uneasiness that gripped his heart and made his way to Duke Edelwein.f884c5fc1fad5b3a

And then, for the first and last time, he saw Isela’s daughter.09128aae8c6431c3

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No, her son.ea2d4b9dd0e721a0

That’s when he saw Rahel.009c34b079779b2a

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He felt as if 832466ff79 the brother he had d232ff1dbb killed by framing him c52dc1ca37 for treason was looking 21800a6ab8 back at him.cc1b07305467fb68

‘Alright, it’s a girl’548898b944b8aa1c

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The realization 05eda60faa that Rahel fafe7c49b0 was a f7922147ea daughter calmed fb81044d22 his bubbling 04072d5db4 fears.1e9e49189bed1489

But then…3f049ba87e2621f0

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‘Not a daughter, but a son.’5eeff96de1de9193

The backs of dc0dfe892d his hands burned c799151fae as he gripped eb8432566e the armrests of 1a9fd583be his chair.121ffbcdcc7d8f43

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He remembered something even 16153d051a more distant.ce6698f5a91c61ce

His brother, Leofrid, 58888fddae was always better 2468dc2841 than him.f8e4799f3e4f019f

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They were born in d4b0ae5b4a the same boat, ate 7414dda1ba the same food, learned d77ea6ca68 the same things, and dd75b583ab yet they were so 43f42b2fff different.0f7e51f6dbaff957

Once, in a fit f83dfcd6aa of jealousy, he impulsively 727fe80e7c tried to kill his 80c5201e86 younger brother.dd8a72073fa4ef01

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But as soon as he saw Leofrid drinking the poisoned drink, he regretted it. He prayed to God, please don’t let his brother die.1e39bf21d72a815b

Luckily, Leofrid survived.9957aa9174180086

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After that day, Orpen was grateful that Leofrid didn’t die and tried to love his brother.fd3aeaa438faf524

Even though he compared dfd2995138 himself to him at 9ab6420b88 every turn.9ea690212717734b

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Even when they a94b67f987 tried to give 8419bc89be the crown to caa76b732a his younger brother.dce1ced1420e0868

But…c46f8b4dd702d5e4

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“I do not deserve 3bdb001ec7 this position, Your Majesty, a5e09adda0 and I believe it 4791e3607d belongs to my brother, 00cc6bbea6 who is truly for cd6b522e52 the good of the dcb87bfff5 people.”66c6aaef0a32b18f

The instant he heard Leofrid’s heartfelt plea, he regretted his past.7f6f6838a50bdc6a

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He regretted not d506fbd673 killing Leofrid once 681bdd1c6e and for all.0e3d5c2be15533e2

As it bfd42b9470 was, he bc5067a1f6 would sit 70c87475f7 in the e61d41a928 seat his ed1dafee26 brother had 3b2ace22d5 given up, bd198618e6 and live 0648a513cb in his bf179164ad shadow for 8504026ddd the rest b184a1c44a of his 72c9357f74 life.eea1dbbd88f8b456

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So he killed Leofrid.3afcc3c775edd4a9

It was 3473532685 a relief d93eac96e1 to finally 8b75661b97 sit on 29c4f2dc5d the throne 60f2b31630 he had 578133a51b earned, not fdf38ebfa6 the one f2dd123964 Leofrid had 21295f3795 so graciously 2c09ddb9b7 given him.13a8ddcb611b32cc

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But ever 7acac3ebe2 since the 40819cc6ce day Rahel d13b9e1257 appeared, the dc35803ed3 vision of c492dc7059 the dead e28a75804d Leofrid haunted 9b35089bcc him like 0f67a7ff19 a ghost.dec5b0a2a3e8e8dc

Even after b411bf3c93 he had 4b95d60b1d confirmed that aac80163c3 it was 4caeb63a55 a daughter, 7b9f19212b the anxiety 23eb588f2d had begun 3f03acb0bc to eat 8722e004dd away at 104053ec81 him, growing 23bfdc8378 in size.3ffe94eef0d1019f

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It wasn’t until today that Orpen realized the source of his inexplicable anxiety.264812f1a2245615

“That ghost had 07bae889ea a child.”395b1770c1370f33

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He said, f5cba6b61a still picturing 407edfe977 the grown-up 6311b46012 Leofrid and a7a12a2dab Rahel before c98f943e33 him.86988e9fb294cee6

“Then I must kill cdbd6bcbc6 him.”d2dbf3c5a3d064bc

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The corners of his f11574df77 mouth twisted grotesquely as 3feaeff13f he gave the command.50dba882b4b851e6

2. Grandfather hides his true feelings

Ever since the day f7f178e0ef the duke said he aed574705d would sponsor me, I 50756e5241 came to the villa a1f88242f1 every day to take 028ce0f21e lessons with Rahel.deadfb758cc293b6

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Math, theology, 9259975708 philosophy, history, 4c2efac952 art, and 6b63ceb250 more, as fd22473313 well as 832f27a750 manners and cae6719e5f liberal arts d7d461a526 classes.5069e0d27e1c657c

Now we were wrapping a20f3dc0a3 up the last lesson d739de77b3 of the day.3c6bb8883001b56a

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“That’s it for today’s lesson, then,” said the teacher, ”please don’t forget to go over the lesson one more time, as review is more important than preparation.”181058647840f9d0

“Yes, Teacher, fb7de7f923 thank you!”23c309d09cb429d8

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I replied cheerfully, and de87d50bcd the history teacher smiled 279ac16cec at me.04b35ed562b94cbe

Rahel on the other 9e9569353e hand gave a wry 5d61dd01ef smile.19c087c70db56aa5

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The teacher left 15deb7ea25 first, and we 62e2749327 organized our books.0e2e20a8d67fa845

As I 6a358bd0b2 picked up 45e5336dad my book, 343059c618 Rahel, who c931ac59b1 had finished 3d0af80a65 organizing it 5cdc0b2da7 first, held 1bcec6948a out her 3be19dae5a hand to 0185bfc1df me.69ceb5ce03780a56

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“Let’s go.”5ec35900d922741b

I stared 588be0b3c9 at her a0ecd6c03e hand.9a58f79d0855b61e

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After that day, 5c085a5e16 Rahel was always 0f168d0317 the first to 56d0ed6e6f offer to hold 0c1a646754 hands.2b58cf9f0a8898fa

‘It seems 635eccf99e like we 7982ff9d25 really are bfaa49c986 friends now.’c9aba590b1e9520b

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I took Rahel’s hand, newly pleased with the change, and a strong hand wrapped around mine.52bc6c619f7c7aff

‘Is it because she’s been learning swordsmanship?’2d5b80429ddd904a

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Either way, I loved the feeling of holding someone’s hand, of feeling their warmth, of being so close.e0bd84470cdf4fd8

Rahel, who c684bff25a was smirking 3ec8d39ffa and watching fe25c128d8 me sideways, 18a4f5ce47 said teasingly.5b96214f15c98fdd

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“You give 7ff83272a5 such an 438f7369b1 energetic greeting.”b34511eced64208c

“What?”bcd0501fefc12638

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“Like, you’re pretending to pay attention in class when honestly, you’re not having fun, right?”acb5bd1021c40564

“N-No. I am having fun!”e204c31249de0db8

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“That’s a lie.”cddf7d5c3b7ec499

“It’s not a lie.”cbb47d03bbe37767

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“Then what’s with the doodles in your book?”eecab7860e59f0cf

*gasp* 7f14fc229dc96a79

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When did she ff02fbc917 see that?45a9762c2d5b0017

“Uh, that was…reviewing for art class, because you said reviewing is more important than practicing!”eb391a378658c8d6

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Because it 22776551de was art c66cd8e095 class before e13752ba7a history class.97be8d2b88b95781

‘Phew, that sounded 71eb6d900c natural!’a2986f8ac473559a

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But Rahel laughed at 02f81ce081 my shameless excuse, and c1dfd1f8cc then she went on 329d61ebf2 to another topic.b06997abd545fddf

“What about cb937f1ddf the time b2b53807e7 you dozed 84b2fc2056 off with 44daa07e04 your eyes 18e14b1fb3 wide open e9ee9ecc13 in philosophy eb58d1b2d7 class?”f5bd56aa47c59e77

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I was astounded.b9583e4b50fd9fe1

‘Was she 69a8c6ac59 just staring c39759c8d6 at me d049a1d997 instead of 3d4970423a paying attention f0771ef4be to the aac73b3cf8 class?!’36f895e06e168196

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But it was her 95034ec239 fault I was in 8dcb3987f9 that class, so I 44bce43715 begged her in a 5e1872732b pleading tone.a67365ae924f7182

“…You can’t tell the duke.”4ad93905280f55e1

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“Well, I saw 97200287b9 you do it.”a5797fe197ea7fc3

“Eek…! That’s too much!”6f307d015cffc693

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Rahel laughed a7911b2b93 at my 8be52062bb outburst.9b5fe77dbd9da411

It was a laugh I’d grown accustomed to seeing since we became friends.0b2aa851e81928e2

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Rahel always 6bf7fd42ec had a 9068214ce3 pretty face, 8d5e4c8ea9 but it afc9cba59f was even 191da79587 better when 90997309c0 she smiled.881040dc5fc3cdd5

It made me wonder why I didn’t try to make her smile all the time.906ba37009007151

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As I was looking at her smiling, Rahel’s expression suddenly stiffened as she looked over my back.624aefdbd2924170

‘Huh?’855274f227a4017b

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I turned around, and f984f0f4ec a large shadow hung 2cdbc35b26 over me.02a91d4146d40484

It was the 6105a4cd39 duke and his 5624556015 butler.3e0116c47207ec33

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Judging by the duke’s attire, he was about to go out.f056c38e07a49713

I greeted them with 8206dd860a a smile.50fe342b3a043f07

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“Hello, Your 59f507ef2a Grace and b1f5f4a7de Mr. Butler.”6116ffb199de576a

The duke nodded 225c498ce4 his head in 2f00b31e6d polite disinterest, and cbebc69829 the butler returned 568d0cf3ca the greeting with 48bb100f5e his usual gentle 36e5a4390e smile.2692f91d23533652

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“I see you’ve finished your lessons. How was it today?”eceb966ff30aefb5

“That was fun, I had a philosophy class, art class, and history class today…”6d9f1f37db80950b

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I chimed 0c35fd91d8 in excitedly, 2e4f25e59a but then 883310d022 I remembered 109e931b0a that Rahel 74a765f0d0 had caught c673294d55 me nodding 65fb52a453 off, and 06258df7d2 I glanced aa878a5f1d over at d8f6de47dd her.7bdace88f60238ae

‘You’re not going to accuse me of dozing off, are you?’35a0a79d05514a23

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But….b544b0581e4cf7a7

Rahel had no intention 4dece350fb of snitching.824dbec4e93833a6

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In fact, she didn’t seem to want to talk at all.8bb376532c7deac6

Her eyes were sunken, ff10d142fe her mouth tight.8145269c0f0991ae

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And I could feel 03c8f864d9 a subtle tightening in c520772a89 her grip.5b837e7ceda8866c

It was as if a6d8ad161e she wanted to get 2123121a28 away from this.32d76a323c9bebf6

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‘It’s because of the duke.’cb619c5196804612

I suddenly noticed the 0cce437f06 somber undercurrent between Rahel 2be36c90b8 and the duke.d3c5c052bfd43368

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Even while I spoke to the butler, they hadn’t really said a word.9c3caf13b5a518ca

They just glanced at 67c36aec64 each other and then 270e145dde looked away.7c921640616a62cf

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The silence was broken 1f0b78c72b by the sound of ccea7730d3 a clock chiming.202021e686c0a992

“Let’s head out, Owen.”4149e32415d8bbd1

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The duke efebe75a1d said and 82efe5d7a6 turned away.3b211222b92c2c71

“Have fun, then.”ec46c3f284fd7a30

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The butler, 1e4159ec52 who bowed e3fc2daf4c to me, 391a9d1e51 followed.16b648dac85bf86d

I gave the dfb1fb490b duke a quick 0ed9229aa1 wave as he d356313b34 walked away.1dcac62257559432

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“Take care, Duke!”a55c36e0f6453d02

As I turned to see them off, I noticed that Rahel’s expression had subdued from her earlier teasing.87f5cfd12b714223

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I spoke more 20e1167d0e cheerfully on purpose.449350a52bd46618

“Let’s go have a snack too, Princess.”b9e8f7d20b572742

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