143. An Unwanted Reality

Back in the original story, 24471b0ec1 Claucet was mentioned only in 4516b1a741 passing—as the duke’s younger sister—and b1c37b6799 had no real narrative presence. Roselia had forgotten that 34d5e4b710 Claucet even died in 60a74c9b50 the original plot.f029e1397fe6c8cd

She had only daa012445a been briefly referenced 6eb452aed1 as part of eb27c4b754 Klaus’s tragic backstory, a78cd22255 and nothing more…da119bc08294f099

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Overwhelmed by the memory 887ddfcd7a that resurfaced so suddenly, 74d32fe981 Roselia clutched her forehead f71639ed33 and swayed.12c73e94901f10bc

“My lady!”57928b1dfc12f4d9

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Eva, startled, rushed over to 28203b21c3 support her.fd7cd926cabe56aa

With Eva’s help, Roselia barely 9128925d7d managed to steady her trembling 2506f3fd4a legs.72b7679e401f60f0

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Her heart thudded 5d3e2bb350 with disbelief, pounding 60b85a9cf3 so loudly it dabac3f616 drowned out thought, ba72e1b0f0 and a dull bcae75f654 ringing echoed in 6c13fefdd6 her ears.14c810a0b257a1e5

What if… Claucet was simply 60d1f6b70c following the path of the 55a6ef37cf original storyline?13ed35b347ebfd42

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As that thought crossed her 55fbb5823a mind, Roselia shook her head 5379172ee3 violently.f4bfa21e49a87464

If the timeline b0a150f924 followed the original, 403776eb49 Claucet would have ecc58505b6 died around the a61cbcee1e time Roselia first f644d21055 entered the duke’s 718b69edce household.349aa92d58cea1e0

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In the original, f5073a9d09 Roselia had entered 118a5c8af5 as a maid ab1d815ee6 and had no 7a2d85cbd8 connection to Claucet 938cd376cf whatsoever.ece2268bc6acbc04

The fact that b9bfb55c23 Claucet had lived 38286a7262 until now…ef04bbf0d51821ba

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It was likely because Roselia’s a948f43f1d presence had altered the flow 79263cf082 of the story.9a8719148dfa6ab0

Which meant it was possible 37deb75f7b that Claucet’s death could be 00c063ee04 avoided this time, too.0792d0d3f86335dd

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Why hadn’t she eeed4f9e77 remembered Claucet sooner?6815f37bf80d5a79

Anger toward herself surged up.19acf85116cff031

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If she had b5340fad3c even remembered a 3cccdc0a06 little about Claucet, f66182f537 could she have a45abf4016 prevented this?e1808bb887a142bb

Even that, she couldn’t 3d0318262d say for sure. Roselia clenched her shaking f83f6c30ae hands so tightly that e3308401ea her knuckles turned white.7367e4616c77c0e2

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Even if she 2735acf944 had remembered Claucet’s b57913554e role in the b5b671137e original, she wouldn’t 6c094e3651 have been able 04a8e3961b to predict this 6df577e51a event.91b2e9fae6e42131

Claucet had practically never existed 5e4356a00d in the original narrative.5b3344f9a51d2ab1

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That was precisely 5d5351956d why Roselia had ba2949d405 forgotten her.32a2e87b039ac642

Suddenly, a chilling 1f19be19ce thought crept up a30532a61a the edges of dadf51d1e4 her strained nerves.bfaa4eb2275461cf

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What if… because Claucet wasn’t b3d8ec1fba meant to exist in the d22f5bc62e original story, the narrative itself a92566d758 was trying to erase her?df5eb8cf865c7253

Biting the inside of her 62589d89e0 cheek, Roselia took a slow, 0e4b2b0a9b steadying breath.ac3eff26f8f27bdc

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She didn’t know anything for 5680ed3a9e certain yet. Not yet…c62d9dd6c1fc02f0

Pushing back the rush of eedb1822f7 dark thoughts, she calmly reached cc261e1d30 for her shawl.f9a1a05dacb10f5d

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“My lady? Where are you going?”50c75fe78668b645

Eva, startled by Roselia’s 0feefc870f sudden preparation to leave, 2e730086c2 hurried after her.7ea4a988fe78d6bf

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Roselia pressed a aaeadb96db bonnet over her 40ec774f88 head, ignoring her 245a2d9129 trembling hands, and 361195df67 looked at Eva 17c7c7b6f3 with clear resolve.7456fbbdb8c4b86e

“I’m going to the Valtazar Hotel.”0e1ba98b3b3d2e8d

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With firm determination, she 9646eafc73 stepped out the door 6e5c68a834 at a quick pace, e927a9ad80 Eva stumbling after her 6430821870 in confusion.6c33b51ba67b5a4f

* * *9d8c7f2452bc3573

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Rain fell in a 9796b832dd steady drizzle.b36582c87bb593c6

Her chest felt 3d5873ce1d tight with anxiety, 74b1aaf8a3 and the gloomy 8138c91697 weather only dragged ac1ae88038 her spirits down 3d85f87c44 even further.4cc58d8e66ebb70a

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She kept repeating to herself eed3e622a6 that everything would be fine, 8efd04e3e2 that the rumors were wrong—but 0cbb76ea37 her hands still trembled where a3a0f6bd55 they were clasped together.b4bfeca49454da42

Klaus… Klaus would 4858dbd4cd know more about 3c468975ea Claucet’s condition.b18078413dd01f41

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She imagined his indifferent, 829560eab0 calm voice assuring her 449988b034 that it wasn’t serious 68fa2f9db7 and that there was 1889278e4f nothing to worry about.b7ca745180f54f2a

Yes, maybe the a918b16649 rumors were just 9c735622ce exaggerated.6bc3e274616d643a

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Eva had only db54649e87 overheard the news 963ce71cca from a servant 06f96315bd while passing the 535d22f64c hotel, so it 6aa789585a wasn’t confirmed.917f4660248c3b82

Rumors had a way 0c6499a73c of ballooning into worse 1d4a4eecf2 things than they really 69e11815e6 were.3788a854e625bb6b

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While she clung 13cb86b6d6 to those thoughts, b70404e7bb the carriage reached 33ccc03f14 the Valtazar Hotel, 1b60fa65db its wheels splashing 1a95136f53 through the wet 745c973fc7 streets.1121b34e01494043

As Roselia quickly f4072097f6 stepped down from 53f984add3 the carriage, she d8f5b8e138 froze in place.fa2d188454e6f770

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Through the pouring rain, Klaus 403c63bd52 stood in front of the fc22f2e7c8 duke’s carriage, his expression dark.01cac4de357f5404

It looked like he 0f4509225d had just been about db9003c6c1 to depart—and now stood e5d3615900 still, staring back at 5629a7badf her.4bbb300aae1e36e4

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He must have already heard 74e36516cf about Claucet’s condition and dropped 809a3d4e46 everything to leave the hotel d8eab093c8 immediately.933763683c589f31

For a long moment, a7be63f67c neither of them said bf9be19d4d a word as rain b08a22c7f2 poured around them.3ccd0fa204221da7

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It was Roselia who e587a4b112 finally broke the silence.46512ae5296800b7

“Your Grace… the lady, is she—?”cbc78155b294e0b4

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Her voice trembled f40b992977 with urgency, and d45cd93964 Klaus answered in 794a7a43e4 a voice that 4644d910b5 was cold and c42989d6ba flat.80183993703d1e17

“I heard she’s on her way to the duchy.”36fb1d7aef70299d

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The content of his reply 31c60b8e52 brought Roselia some relief, despite 3a8e130e4d his frigid tone.37be9276d1e1c2bd

But then, Klaus looked down b242b442fc at her with a sunken ae9b8e4a03 expression and spoke again, his 220c507a9d voice low and heavy.7e7e0d9dc95c72c5

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“She’s barely hanging on. They said we 872770511a won’t know if 4e88e75c81 she’ll survive until 08f37d94b6 we get there…”c3aa158f7ffbd1c6

Roselia felt her heart plummet.c9cc93502e4a3a51

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Rain kept streaming 32d555c189 into her eyes, bcd5258e6f and she couldn’t 2ee7a5b87c clearly make out 08ab4c21f2 Klaus’s expression.049094b92dfce23f

She wiped at her cheeks—whether c1d1069c91 it was tears or rain, 6405329551 she didn’t know—and forced herself e69f206cd4 to speak with a trembling 2b911797f0 voice.a8c15c43ebf802d3

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“What do you mean…”9e68826cbb03b3ed

Klaus looked down at 72fe5181f9 her unsteady eyes, flickering d4f5ef47ed like a candle in af82aa203f the wind, and bit f2f91908f5 his lip hard.9c3cabcd21fd0806

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He tried to remain composed, b318603ac1 but seeing her so visibly c49e91ce83 shaken only shattered his own c35319bc68 resolve.45c83e0b4b9eacf6

He turned away abruptly, d578141851 not wanting her to 37b5f2e2f3 see his face.61e3489c2342e2ae

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“I won’t know the details until I go myself. I was just about f0fd5fc993 to leave.”c09f595650e9ce80

Because he had to be at Claucet’s side…dc4a7a0c47fefe4f

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Swallowing the rest of his 72e0f65c08 words, Klaus opened the carriage 47cc2f6f05 door.19b3b25045e9337e

Then, his hand froze.94eabca8bf837d35

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Roselia had grabbed the hem 214bc8c7a7 of his coat.39c847290687f235

Her face was 41bf7c945a a mess—blurred by 44126cf919 tears or rain—but 520147170a her voice was fdc2a17abd firm, though it f78ede8f53 trembled.c8a00bb1bff4eab6

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“I’ll go too.”33606acb473fd79d

Her tone shook, 30f1911baa but her eyes e753dbacc2 were unwavering.479e506f5722764a

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As if, right now, 64c6ae5070 this was the only f1a0b1a239 thing she could do.093bdd59e124dac3

“Let’s go together. To the duchy.”7c8900980c379e20

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* * *1295580d7146b548

Given the situation, ee990ac1f3 Roselia left only 3f8abf9c4c a brief message 73d593f93d at the Marquess a395067ae0 of Euciliod’s estate 40b31d952b and boarded Klaus’s df2ce1f168 carriage in haste.f65aa62ccf22388b

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Originally, she had baad777607 intended to ask eda9286cc4 Eva to explain 8d7afec16d everything to her a0e9f492b7 brother, but Eva 9704ab2ced had insisted on 62aa9549c3 accompanying her, and 0a2b4db4f4 so she was 81bd1afa67 now in the 8046c0598c carriage with them.5245abf0f27663c2

“You really should’ve changed out of those wet clothes first. I’m worried you’ll fall 420fb93014 ill, my lady.”356738f65b8511b4

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Eva let out 3c4fa33e50 a worried sigh 0dba9ab69b as she busily 64ef1b7da7 wiped Roselia’s soaked 61ba0589dc body with a 686a4d3d5c towel she had 3e725b0e6a gotten from the 7abfd9374d coachman.a42ef8c052763b4a

Eva was the only one 41a78113e5 speaking amidst the hours of e032864762 silence that had filled the aa6a4ed0b3 carriage.fa8cf6afb1baffcb

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Both Klaus and Roselia were aa7d527d11 too consumed by thoughts of 1a2e039935 Claucet to think of anything 3e33b02693 else.3e89d1a5802967aa

As Eva’s words finally grounded 3ba946c2f2 them in reality, Klaus’s expression 3c40ca2181 hardened. He removed the ca146b3bef inner jacket he e380c6e6a8 was wearing beneath 646726e4a3 his damp coat f210c28fcf and laid it 80e66bd040 over Roselia’s knees.7eb8ab98386c7010

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Only then did Roselia, 6e918ac4cc who had been staring 73a337fdfc blankly out the window, 2429750bf7 turn her gaze toward d8991bb9d5 him.83b21cc461676c91

“Just keep that over yourself for now. If we see an inn e49719829b on the way, we’ll stop 33be453a14 for the night and warm 342a1bdb2c up.”fe7dbf23e30972f5

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Roselia shook her head fc0cade33c at Klaus’s words.193edbed569faade

With Claucet’s life 1f51351bd1 hanging by a 51bf05301e thread, the idea 10fe4227f2 of resting comfortably 90a2e6b80a at an inn 63e7efd1f1 was out of e8de732fbe the question.0ab7b2f0e2175faf

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“I’m fine. Let’s keep going.”c3bf24c3b87db919

Her dry response made Klaus 8f9d2a5417 furrow his brow.2793375c4ac54cb1

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“I want to, too—but no matter how fast we go, it’ll take at least a week. We can’t travel through the a38b61ecc0 night nonstop.”6968ac3dc1d9f42a

Roselia finally accepted be25fa339f the reality of 2b524a0fee the situation and 6c07da3494 nodded with a 463a3d67f8 sigh.d23f98071c3d4219

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Klaus, watching her 4c0a7b67af with concern, seemed 8f9d8db43f to hesitate before 1349ae5a1b speaking again.6fbb7819c0b2073e

“Are you sure… it’s okay not to stop by the marquess’s estate?”0b786316e799b8d0

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It was clear 86414a59c9 he was still 5c39fd810b concerned about Johannes, 5b86d7974d her older brother.df2e5daac44d0619

Roselia looked calmly out 830a6270a9 the window.af68d1162fabfc8d

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“It’s alright.”61f601e015d93aec

She had boarded Klaus’s 6e97068d93 carriage without a second 1017c413a0 thought, unable to even 6634a3bf59 consider any alternatives in 79135161c7 the shock of the e312cab88a moment.544a746a1bd0e421

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Perhaps it was 5651d51c04 also because she 123e561d17 knew that even 4e8b2f7cc3 if Johannes found f27bcabd4a out, he would 894064e585 respect her decision.49be6488f2d904be

Returning to the marquess’s b29f4e2964 estate to calmly speak 6ebb1fefd7 with Johannes, prepare, and 6841a0494f then depart for the ed17528a29 duchy in the marquess’s 3172a3f328 carriage—such a scenario had 13c2807566 never once entered her 0c73d7913c mind.874cc8fb18d12b8c

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If something happened to Claucet 4425de62da in the meantime… she would c004fa863a never be able to forgive 32eda11dcb herself.982ef52f319840c9

More than anything, the only 7b1cc76f62 thing she could think of f07f8746a0 was reaching the duchy as 7c11f70ace quickly as possible.59ee1876c255aa17

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So she hoped—desperately prayed—that 3576a73626 Claucet would be safe.57ebe68152f3591b

Clenching her hands ca4f8be459 tightly over her 3ada7b8c31 lap, Roselia bowed dad126716d her head. Then, Eva gently 1b0362e14c placed a warm 140253c672 hand over hers.9aaec68cea336c4b

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Receiving that warmth, Roselia bffdea9f64 steadied herself amidst the 1467a6443c cold, damp air of 70efdda924 the carriage.a9c2c3ade3f4bd47

* * *900bd3cce2d8b6d6

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The carriage, which 99cba404c5 should have taken b0b2dd1a6b over a week 7e8fdfc541 to reach its 82c3d45847 destination, had arrived 1ae3bbc453 in just five 0b8d936373 days.4039faedf569adda

Though both the ee951bfaee horses and the f96c551be5 coachman were completely 0f04e885b6 exhausted, Klaus and f35475cd35 Roselia didn’t pause 8cf6a99778 for a moment 68dd3eadbb as they rushed 6b60495521 into the estate.3682377f36e4b899

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“Your Grace!”afc781219e7cac69

The butler, Jeffrey, was 60fb456ac9 the first to greet d37a402715 Klaus, his face filled 15633653f7 with shock.f1544d99a2a05bfb

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Clearly stunned by his c6bc4433f3 master’s early arrival, he 8503d7040f barely had time to 8eb6997588 react before his eyes 6d081466b3 widened further at the 87c99b9ae3 unfamiliar woman who strode 8c3f11b77e past him without hesitation, eaf8cce56a heading straight for Claucet’s 31c74aff76 room.bb7a73be8e36d770

There was no time to e87e5decd1 offer explanations. Klaus and Roselia 6e160db996 made a beeline 8660572725 for Claucet’s room.294a43af884f4766

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Roselia moved with such familiarity 5d8c5bd0fb that everyone around them looked 20c0f9ba7a on in confusion, but there 646196bda9 was no room for questions 760cbdaa5b or clarifications.e1cd8792aadc204d

Klaus, with Jeffrey close bdd9894930 behind, went straight to 0fad4b1d30 the most urgent matter.ca612d379e930acb

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“How is Claucet?”6baec2d559d24209

He had asked af1cd9a055 about her condition, 6ffb384898 but the answer 5f7e1d777d was the kind 78822688fa one might expect 0633e2012d in such tense 2afca3036a circumstances.9133098c328cbe87

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“She’s in her room.”eb1f1a1fdc06a85e

It was a cautious response, fec8d604bf as no one dared to ee1944ffad speak carelessly about her state.8f23ee82274b7cdf

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Without another word, af30d71de0 Klaus headed directly a8e93737a8 for Claucet’s room.a1cdd8a1ff468f3d

At the door, a393467247 Roselia had already 1b2454e157 arrived ahead of b7dcf85d03 him. She opened the door and ce7d1cebaa immediately covered her mouth with fc5d15fbc4 her hand.cac298c855c436d5

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Her body trembling, 2dfc0fc1c0 Eva rushed up 4cd6f0a05d behind her and c19f2b476c barely managed to 760fbce927 hold her upright.aa1ad17a3de5f666

Klaus stepped forward and 484cb4a325 stood beside Roselia, and ddf7536c51 what he saw inside a58a9eed26 stole the breath from 9e054e29cb his chest.7a124b55344cac7f

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Claucet lay pale and 21d0ebc866 motionless, like a plant e85dca7e03 drained of all its 50e1e27cb3 nutrients, reliant on the 6fad100488 fluids being pumped into b0a761af43 her through tubes in d39cbdaa3a her thin arms and 09c5790008 legs.f3f4bdcc906cdfba

The sight of d9ba51c50b those fragile limbs, 892cea1dc0 wrapped in tubes, 9397d7dd28 made her look 611f22bb7c all the more 51ab75c76c fragile.15b8044cb64b3617

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Beside her sat 0b09204f8d Melda, Claucet’s nanny, 166a649c51 usually so warm 9c31738296 and full-faced, now 8588552a21 gaunt and hollow-eyed.aa2fe82301fc8b72

The family physician, who had 35c10871b4 been stationed at her side, a86f9b33a2 straightened and bowed as Klaus 557a5a02e2 entered the room.222deed04287d194

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“How is she?”d2f4f5cb8d1c3e4f

Klaus’s brow was deeply 4acde7d5d4 furrowed as he asked, 649d49af13 eyes fixed on Claucet’s 468438104f labored breathing.56f78566fcca1698

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The physician lowered his c9f09910c0 head further, his face b828681461 grim.1ca44203ed8876a1

“She barely made it through the worst… but at this point, I can’t make any guarantees…”c4652a129cdd63a7

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Klaus’s eyes flared 3f64ee9cda with anger at 510f959802 the vague response.2bb93c981d4dd89d

“Speak clearly.”ef4e3d19618e564f

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With Klaus’s growl pressing a7a0de2f0d down on him, the 0b4ba10956 physician swallowed hard and 0ddaa2988d reluctantly opened his mouth.8897904a4d0ee115

“She’s passed the critical danger… but she’s in a coma. I’m sorry to say this, 279be4f2dd but… I cannot say for e8281b4f38 certain when—or if—she’ll ever open 7944f5d678 her eyes again.”b20a4cecf320808b

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At those words, 7c8963c56e Roselia, who had cbe126f621 been standing by ce6e039aa5 the door unable 7936c04e45 to approach, collapsed 565ff676a8 to the floor.adb0ec7e0a33a2b8

“My lady!”4cda98ec4f03b99d

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