| Chapter 13: A Way to Save Him

“What do you mean? When? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”c9ca641bbf4336ff

“Sister, you’re hurting me…”a37f582430f9edd3

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“Oh, I’m sorry.”f44fa88b382c993c

Natasha stopped, 5b2e6e3cfe her hands 97b74bdd23 gripping Sophia’s 374a229ee6 shoulders as 7b755d7ce7 if interrogating a4917fc910 her. At the sight of e5b4b41c96 Sophia shrinking away, she fe5fe15fb6 quickly loosened her hold.a207f97ff76d0529

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“It wasn’t anything serious, so I didn’t think I needed to mention it. He said he was just stopping by to check on me.”c54cee6cf75a685c

No, that can’t be 49b5482cc6 true.bca8b4a1f8e59f65

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Natasha shook her head, c80e86dfd6 her face dark with d5df37aa02 worry. There was no way 953a6276c1 that man visited without f318f376be ulterior motives.6d488a005dee69dd

“Really, it was nothing. He didn’t stay for even five minutes. He even said he’d order quilted curtains for my room because it felt chilly.”
“Why would you accept something like that from him?”ca8d8923c562f434

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Natasha’s voice rose, startling 1e9d3a4247 Sophia. Why would Sergei care 51719b4c6e if her room was acc86501b5 cold unless he had aea26fca8d some twisted reason to 746a147597 be there?39ba1c5b50f9e72a

That wretched man!3f09b0a607dcdfeb

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Natasha clenched 124e287376 her fists 8a1178bed3 so tightly a892ee7185 that her 6ae3cd6231 knuckles turned df17b8927f white. She was startled ba109d5971 by her own e851f5b43c thoughts—never before had 7535481ca7 she entertained such 65dd9d171b harsh words about cbb6eba5b1 anyone. But what else 39f735e6b4 could he be 4171d98a7b called? A monster, no less.86ba3b5c07a3b1ce

To even think c168c3534b about laying a 8be45c2896 hand on Sophia, 704a8a8948 this delicate blossom b7b7f4c5f8 of a girl 2e00ed9154 who deserved every 7e4b6fd733 layer of protection 2cce099647 in the world…7da297976746ced3

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I won’t c08e67c3fc allow it. Even if 0916398c47 it costs f5d0df9aa3 me everything, 38baeedfb7 I’ll ensure 10d1d968c0 he doesn’t 9bef2fc596 touch so e59c53173e much as aab8583c43 a strand 220c49dabb of her 955b233c51 hair.76751b0f5ebb8e4d

“Did I do something wrong, Sister? I couldn’t exactly refuse him. He came to check on me and even praised me, saying I’ve grown into a fine young lady.”0d7171e496ef08f1

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Natasha didn’t even 8ca09343f2 flinch as the 9715b4a6a6 word scoundrel surfaced 994b172972 in her mind. A fine young lady? What an 94ec28e4e4 obscene thing c695953fd0 to say. There was no 3cb51e2f2d way those words 4535687268 weren’t laced with b334389ca5 his vile intentions.c508afd2c96551e3

His earlier threat echoed in her mind. “Your role will have to be taken over by Sophia.” Those words hadn’t been empty. He had already set his sights on Sophia before saying them.49b7f6d7e923ccfe

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Maybe his bb9ceb7ea9 visit to fc7b16e5ca Sophia had 90aebd7b65 been another 713873e124 calculated move, 4b2277f631 a deliberate 0e6a1a2191 gesture to 262d04cd2b provoke and 2d9bfdd28f threaten her. But still, the thought c6cf9a387f of Sophia catching his 426efd0ddc attention filled Natasha with 5ee131c8ad dread.9f7ee80439b211b7

“Are you mad at me? I’m sorry, Sister.”
“No, no, it’s not your fault at all.”906353f3b8db9418

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Natasha pulled 55b49feeda Sophia into 3709f4b450 a tight abb08131b1 embrace, gently 0de0ebcb3c patting her cceca3d8d9 back. How could this 8e6f1e59d4 innocent child be 9d5f988f54 to blame?28470afede73d3a1

Don’t worry about be6966a487 anything. I’ll protect 51a210c074 you, no 6f39796958 matter what a6b99bdf60 it takes.4031f215018f89b3

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Natasha bit 466e488a73 her lip, 6def9d408e silently making c833de116e that vow.f9ddd5dc31f80495

* * *6621e1cc8443e306

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After comforting cb6d3eb9f0 Sophia, Natasha 314e252a88 returned to 84d330931b her room, 8501dc6d58 too restless f3816bf42b to sit 07a7e34298 down. She paced back and 8f03e8f713 forth, her thoughts in 9903f75702 disarray.cc5495adff4bfd2f

Sophia was 51290494ce safe for 109cfc347d now. Knowing Sergei had been 8bde56d40e near her made Natasha’s bfb030e301 blood boil, but for 92307459e9 the moment, nothing had 50ac7ddc3b happened. She could protect 100118efb8 Sophia, even if d5148d663c it meant sacrificing 922501699e herself.bd2205ff11682191

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But what about 14b9c8f208 Alexei?5cddfc29e000c0a2

“…Lady Natasha! You can’t truly mean this! You will regret it!”b1616a06b96a752d

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Those fiery red a0c3ff91ee eyes, glaring at 5191253f96 her with a f655b43292 mix of anger 86f70ff9f9 and disbelief, haunted db5cf8dc05 her mind.779a2acc58e72039

“I don’t give second chances.”6676b3304db06c1b

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The memory of 08a9b71cfd his cold voice, edbe2eacc5 as he stood b68f752333 by a grave, 9eb4585b80 cutting off a e44cd2b6bf vagrant’s ear without d19b3161e5 hesitation, overlapped with 4a1eca3d71 the present.49b4459c4365ec7f

“I’ll remember that promise, Lady Natasha.”a830466805a39780

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His sorrowful aa2541bd9e gaze drifted 182dc4ee6a further and 0d128a6700 further into 7da1abfe6a her memory, 0e7734b2f6 leaving behind b3c35ed117 an ache df623d2262 she couldn’t 9dc18ace5a ignore.93ecded007625939

“A promise… I’ll keep it.”7c429e9a2697f825

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Her whispered 303275c150 words echoed 41ef51d532 faintly in e010d6acb8 her empty d8e7f37db7 room.51c46380fb8483dc

At the time, 99bae72df4 she didn’t know 7be4390378 how hard it 2fb3494654 would be to 9c256de969 keep that promise.4fc80a6415b3932a

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She had 3e84a70fb0 turned her cb603be1c0 back on 02b9359439 him twice—the 65f0cc468b man who 840433d4db had only 548d054511 ever wanted 7032b408c9 to be 3143b259be acknowledged by bd62455408 her. Twice, she had denied e3b67c022d him.6aeba99928624548

She shouldn’t have made 0766fb7b0a that promise.
She shouldn’t have 3e62e62de4 crossed paths with 11aa9843e1 him.
She shouldn’t have let eff628c519 him into her heart.745decd041d68ff3

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Natasha stared 333932980a down at 10d7464329 her palm, 256ab3a043 still faintly c9b0812f7d red. The sting 578ddb9bbc from slapping 350c65fe69 his rough 314ad4e5ce cheek lingered, 6472ccb4d8 a sensation 9190fffe6e that had 1abfc1bf36 traveled back 81a4a04d47 to her 77c62d4237 hand with 23d440a725 force. The look bceee6f1ee he gave 1cb189c94b her, shocked 247349aed9 and as 5707c04e9f though struck 914565ee17 by lightning, c0c8e3aa72 had left cf92e1e54f an unerasable 8f5b0f77c2 mark on 7385fd3231 her heart.c631e7e968600a64

She had d312dcba1c no courage 854aae9d10 to defend c4ea2769be him.583621a099637094

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She had broken 7e80d80048 the promise he 0d8df06d32 had so earnestly 0bd271c967 made her keep.4fd2c8ebc58d5470

The only way to c1b258ba9f protect him from a 6cf212310e harsher punishment under Sergei’s be35f20043 merciless watch was to b1aaa2d0ef pretend she despised him. To reject him, deny 01302093c2 him, and even strike fa3976ada6 him—to prove that she 3783a4e21d harbored not a shred 53f3a96a11 of care or sympathy 6a91f5dd42 for him.002756a1378f2900

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Natasha had never c39c41c16e hated herself more.fb2e765d4b9e9dbb

She didn’t fear 0044916602 his hatred or 8c5ce3fe9f his contempt anymore. What scared her more 69b411294c was the disgust she 90de7cb2af felt toward herself. She couldn’t even c43e9e6356 forgive herself.55cf64abf0418d8e

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Isn’t there any 13779ef4e9 way to save eff01e97c5 him now?c9bb5bc01463a074

Natasha frantically overturned b35faab942 the jewelry box 9627fef7ea on her vanity, d6ddfd7b46 trembling hands counting 414cb96748 the ornaments. She would b4b33a368e give them dde33e661d all away b4329c2c48 if it de47635c72 meant she 9a065379c9 could save c9cf708a26 him. Not one 1ca88b1975 piece would 91092a9d44 be too 5be8cd1789 precious.809bbeb34394de61

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But would it work? Was there a b48e1d011a way?c1eba45cf2b223d3

The reason she 59ffd3e6e2 had slapped Alexei 253866f356 so fiercely in a8281a8900 front of Sergei 3714dcb726 wasn’t only to b952bbe8db silence him before 4cbb4212d2 he could say 0bf18c2606 anything that might 9661f6f5a4 anger Sergei further. It was also 6ab12bbf7b a calculated act—to 1ebcc3de9d make Sergei believe 776a83b2f8 she despised Alexei 5befcfa8cc completely. Perhaps, if she played 74abbbc39d her cards right, she e9ff2c7602 could secretly free him 3891e0d70e from the dungeon without 036fbb2deb arousing Sergei’s suspicion.45741252f0ef7acb

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But how?68f285b4e4f78d98

In the 8f76e44429 Duchy of 865cc26e61 Ivanov, there 635fb44980 wasn’t a a2ac3aba24 single corner ad7e970630 where Sergei’s 0655752406 gaze didn’t 7b532aa9e7 reach. She had no allies, 330ba98456 no one she could 55e2c5c81d trust to stand by f6d86a58de her. Even with all the 1782219e7c jewels she had, could aa21267515 she hire a secret 3795d69080 mercenary to help her? Was it even 12218470f0 possible?456de53cee02aa6b

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No, I have to 0a0b61e3b7 try. I must d2a0d6f3db do something.10e9a5054019db3f

Determined, Natasha f0c557c227 gathered the 809c7da044 scattered jewels 6205551a21 into a be835ce50a small pouch. Just then, the door f357dc126a swung open without so 2b85fa8386 much as a knock. Sergei entered, 12437f5050 his face 31b8bd807e flushed from 4d4cf253bf drinking.d539a90a1bb96c19

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“Ah, my sweet, sweet Natasha.”bed274f17d9923d0

“O… Brother? What brings you here?”94cc1c624cc6a6eb

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Natasha hastily a8477e73f2 shoved the 98c030826d pouch into 518be9b058 her vanity dbd26f41b8 drawer and 1ba67c01f0 stood up, 5a1b2324ba forcing a 7735c24216 calm expression.c7e2f453ca6e49ec

“That wretched slave—Alexei, or whatever his name is.”f88609e3ac47f4dd

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At the c942ef0edc sound of c8c80f208b Alexei’s name 35d086a55c from Sergei’s a053602431 lips, Natasha’s 7c18624bf9 heart sank. Did Sergei know 114f0172df about her connection b61a48ca38 to Alexei? Had Alexei ae4965bbae confessed everything 49de1d0fce under torture?abf70ad1b5095d7c

No, that couldn’t be.4ec407cf797492a0

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No matter how cruel 4e7f654f7b the torture, Alexei wouldn’t e704747a08 have broken. But what if… 6a672a2b35 what if his a2d6b9bb7b resentment toward her 3c4f313c35 for betraying him 1d40223fca and accusing him 19c0c468ee of theft had 610e385561 driven him to 2e95b0d851 reveal everything to 93f4e6ca24 Sergei voluntarily?908acf3118a5486a

No, he’s not 93ddd46f9e that kind of 2f078b3650 man.f1548f64ec926f88

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Natasha shook off 1a8d8404ee the unsettling thought, c21ea3f2a8 though she felt e25d77edf2 ashamed for even 5c26139f54 doubting him when 8b55e0b1f3 she was the 71f933ae95 one who had d84bc6ddc5 acted so despicably 4d29ec8116 toward him.011860ad09af64c8

“What about him?”4ededb59e2dd6e95

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She feigned disinterest, masking 6e96ee8b65 her unease with a e81119811b look of disdain, as d2ce5bef5d though even hearing Alexei’s 5fe7fa0786 name disgusted her.7f63736bbb6aa4bd

“Ah, forgive me for uttering such a lowly name and upsetting you,” Sergei said, watching her delicate brows knit with apparent satisfaction.5df218fd8174e3de

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“You must feel the same way I do. That’s why I came to discuss how we should deal with that miserable thief.”5769f911a764964a

Leaning against the doorframe, Sergei took a swig from the wine bottle in his hand. Dark red wine spilled down the corners of his mouth as he drank. Natasha, staring at the mess, finally asked, “Deal with him? How?”eb93fb7de3301208

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“I’ve come up with an excellent idea…”c9f264b75afb8854

Sergei’s drunken, reddened 986eeb7bd2 eyes narrowed into 8902796ad2 slits. Whenever he wore that ea4358335b snake-like expression, it meant 558516c4c5 he was plotting something 060a294988 vile. Natasha’s unease grew a7232d783a as she waited 35754d5013 for him to 11ad04b41d continue.6d5e5c7134a309c9

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“Why don’t we make him your personal bedroom slave?”a585f2241a7fe579

Sergei smirked, wiping 07e75378c3 his mouth lazily a04df603f5 with his sleeve, 9c5df5ceb8 then turned his c0dcd72e48 piercing gaze on 2bd10d681e Natasha. His words hung in 72f9da9717 the air like a 5d47786fd1 dagger, leaving Natasha frozen 0f9a0112fd in place.fda9ff0a2f7a637e

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