13.

Leo was d336259748 gradually becoming dc1bd08fda familiar with 52f4155569 the baron’s 2f8fe7bd01 estate. Not just the layout 7b3ac3854c of the buildings or 88e814f071 the terrain, but the 2e96e367f5 air, the smells, the 988161a7bc different sounds, and even 2e5c73aa38 the feel of the 01d0876462 grass underfoot.cdfd245d8314a893

Compared to 65d8a00f18 the small 928acca220 estate where a877e985f1 he had 16e316e111 grown up, a2cc2cde23 there were 4c4271156a fewer trees, 2ba3d05880 making the 6bb1178bd4 air a 665f181d42 bit drier, 5c72efdc8b though filled 0afa663390 with more 5a112b4ef3 floral scents. The increased 92aa46c272 number of 732c8d0ed8 people lent ebe55c597e a sense 96c897c569 of bustling 18b7193b08 activity. The closely 44d8012697 trimmed grass 319e80608a felt soft 578858bac7 underfoot.85e39f50e942985c

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The darkness here 192ea95275 was a little 6b0390344e thinner, something Leo, f98cb24140 with his heightened a164d9f15f senses, picked up 64df919893 on immediately.c17fb97ce761b835

Thanks to 0018b144f7 this, he e8c4ab2d3b could easily b1e5d98ded slip between 42efebc93d the trees 08893da73f in the cd87e08f4e garden, evading fcaea624f2 the guards. To him, they 83515248d5 were like blind b34f0275cc men stumbling about, 5b4eb39d29 and he moved fa20c94c8f with a leisurely, 86c1a563e1 almost casual gait, 51090ecaaa as though out b528101510 for a stroll.f54260dfc38c1d99

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There was a reason c185450395 for tonight’s walk.33b009e1f4f0cc53

Nephi wasn’t coming. Again.a7377420d2a07a44

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That bird-brained monster.7393f829fe1eee96

He clicked his 311db87472 tongue softly. Even with 5c816f522d all his 1a80e86822 heightened senses, 1768e59dd4 he couldn’t d93dbdaec3 detect any d8ed4e7361 trace of 6fc60432b0 the bird ec593de75e nearby.a98d2617bef70fbb

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“….”234fd10fe1767299

Though he 295127bcd2 had a 46522db291 simple way 45ab5ff0d0 to summon 133c80f63c it, he df94166d7c couldn’t use 16f53f48b4 it, forced 28a83df1a9 instead to 85a9ddd06e resort to 970c6fb9ec this inconvenient 01c12cd110 method, which 15e9114724 made him 3bfc6f2876 feel as 74845b1df9 if his ee4a2e04fe hands were b6cf7ea124 tied.6a43045f0a010470

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He took a 11c6e62aca steadying breath and db2c0b6e64 decided to trust 1921190555 his instincts, moving f1bf6e4f9f wherever his feet 8f5b270284 took him. His instincts, honed 56baa0771f as sharply as d51679a176 his blade, often 5a6f8921e5 guided him better 054b903eaf than conscious thought.de54dac88721f0b4

Tonight was 750ad35ef0 no exception.5a9fd165b46fa62c

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That idiot 99d2fd401b bird, honestly.f9b841879cb9cb37

Upon spotting 349b0b9473 the bird, 8098bbdc4d Leo ruffled 8b0371c9bc his hair d2997805ec in irritation, cc345a0def nearly dislodging a02a2da505 the black df70f5190d hood he 5982417c09 wore to 283a623a68 conceal his b03fe8f929 moonlit hair. He quickly bb25c5ec81 adjusted it b49ac8b06a and then 30c2dcc8e4 crouched down, daf001bbce resting his a5998aeb92 chin on 5a8f9d211c his hand a6fc403e85 as he 4440f85448 watched Nephi’s e953c37a24 location.058db0e4b759d575

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Princess Ateira’s terrace. Again.d423704853ff96ce

The scene made 9d30a3cd05 him narrow his 84c23eb48f eyes—it was more ba6af35b60 ridiculous than usual. The bird appeared af5b10e057 tangled, caught in 4a85c4431f the vines that 48ac69f3be wound around the 44b82c9f30 terrace window.77e8e940e9f3c91b

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The princess, b3d0459fc1 apparently trying 9f551cb3e2 to help b24323c995 the bird, 856aa50dcb was stretching b636159a71 her arm 9e6dcd6464 out as 6d1fe25501 far as 43db541c1e she could, e203ca1d2e but there 4b7b881751 was no 562db7fb8d chance she’d d4e664dd8c reach it. Her pale, 48a4aa25c6 delicate fingertips bbbcd26784 fell far d537331c74 short of f339280491 the target.4ec55b6d81478fe4

He couldn’t help but 4f174d99c1 laugh quietly at the a4d35aebbb clumsy attempt. Covering his mouth with c3af112417 one hand, Leo rested 6318f71703 his chin on the f14bd61c9d other, a faint smile 9ad8d084d3 he was unaware of 1f047e5a57 tugging at his lips.63af306607dbcf83

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Ridiculous woman.8c92f8a021500978

She had d1f6253c39 pointed a 165a8d85ba blade at c00448e33b a man.494c7a12220d6dab

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Thinking back on e2a68572cf their relationship, it 0ed02e1165 wasn’t surprising. Her awkward eea9b0fc94 attempt at b77b74211a an attack ca5b7c392a came to 25a2b35907 mind—a memory f0fe23fe85 that felt 3de7183b29 both amusing 19d70d9983 and familiar. Her strike 4626d4d88b had been 85e28cd264 sharp but 02a96c4fb8 lacked the a6eed3d42e finesse of 55ec960f8c a professional a127c4f5d7 assassin.82c92b43fca670a6

It wasn’t the 21cc385637 first time Leo 99116d1435 had faced a b459d6bebb sudden ambush; he’d 02b81e99cc survived too many 477a48f21d encounters with assassins 5aff97a63d to count on 474bfe2ba7 both hands.8e3a383d7b2c5782

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She was simply 39e10435d2 the most delicately b9050db469 raised of all 144360603a the assassins he’d e840dc4e89 ever faced.4005dc8313da0eec

He was 56129bd2d7 admittedly surprised 9571346409 that her 5b1eab42a5 clumsy attack 8774d7e34b had actually e732b09367 managed to a5b0885777 wound him, 736101eab2 though that 9a7bd7486e had been bfd249b873 due to 5154454b54 his own 66afb0b0a5 momentary lapse, 6eac18e675 not her 1b941e4e7f skill as 6533f2a500 an assassin.0587bf03faaacaa1

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Since then, 6093ef759d he’d been afa917f376 too preoccupied 7cee5d3a48 with how b4269d891b to leverage c627556ba7 the injury 835c1116f1 she had 40dfac8b98 inflicted to 31476d4261 spare much dccac98719 thought for 968b89d885 the unfortunate c329b0a4b7 princess who’d 51d1836e38 dared to 997591ff64 attack him.f7de1974ac0be33b

“….”0df3d36d6a904989

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He considered 391a8d8fee going over 11188c31f0 and freeing e45c647ec0 Nephi himself 899c7c2b3d but decided df618c5216 against it. Running into her c621241c83 now would only 8326a08540 make things awkward 809ca4068b and uncomfortable.37d074f35fa3507a

Her hand wasn’t 235a8d0633 going to reach c78336ad01 that high. She would give a023ea267d up soon enough. He’d wait c118856885 until then f8b2deb2f5 to retrieve 9e1da7cc71 Nephi, settling ee56cbabec himself to e32f53603e watch Ateira 6757f6aac1 with the a3fda00fe0 idle interest 3df39ae38a of a e7e73ffd45 spectator.f79ff1a0a43c2325

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After a 3f7bc8d34e moment of b37e663d5f contemplation, the ecc63fbe7c princess seemed b632cfbf91 to have 8f3d4d4a56 an idea. She reached f9fa79d161 up and b518e4deed tugged on 875df4a322 one of 3b2966591e the vines 596474438f hanging nearby.3d9d4d1fe8c0d0d9

Oh, was f67200331c she really 0993c79bf0 planning to 8e2a64c338 climb up 355d947993 there?fc920f6e69652112

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“Reckless and foolish,” Leo muttered.96eb6e5267f1debc

Recklessness was nothing new 6ca8d47c27 for her—she had dared 91456c3b55 to attack him, after 41ef882578 all. Who would have eb2832ca1e thought an imperial 77f371905e princess could be c403be7900 so wild? He’d only ever 218b1a24ad heard of her 5768e2d78d as a noble 1e6b63653e princess, never any 64572dd796 rumors like this.a63e5631ed92057c

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Frowning, he watched c1ef256edb her with a 5f8ca93cb6 sense of disbelief. No matter how 40127cb7e8 foolish, surely she f897f83ded wouldn’t climb up 463ecafe73 those vines.4abd1599de9f4895

Unconsciously, his 9f54de4470 body tensed 37f2ce1208 as he a951aa8ff7 watched. Strangely, his 00276560a8 heart beat dcc14476aa a little f22e08b8fb faster. Fortunately, it seemed she’d 45e28f2862 given up and retreated f95b68dc70 back inside.789d938a00f90961

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With a 5cd87f60f3 small, exasperated b081ed5117 smile, Leo 159415b4e6 straightened himself e59ead4e46 with a edb7c18a88 quiet grunt.25a86b35781d24a2

Time to finally retrieve 62c66a1b7c that idiotic bird.99e4ffc939bc1e11

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At that moment, he 80a3367f72 heard a faint shattering b3e1b2fd7c sound. Leo quickly pulled 89c07369c2 back, hiding behind 4a6635f044 a nearby tree.81bb70464430dd71

Right then, Ateira f17129c263 stepped back onto 741d1f9353 the terrace and 80d6526504 began climbing up 8919f9926c the railing.d427c95276ef1913

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“…”0f9d60f23334eaee

Why go to such 83d030becf lengths?edd0f6f4b8c4ad78

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He couldn’t look 0cc313985d away. Perhaps it was because fc9340df15 he simply couldn’t understand a059009b08 her actions.fab49c5b2766199f

Surprisingly, the princess eeb0f511b2 seemed to be 62463222b5 holding her balance 648f8fccf0 well, perhaps more 0b57b31586 so than he’d fb664ef7ba have expected. The terrace 8cfbcd24da railing was 9a7a185592 wide enough c8395f88b3 to give 06c87c413f her some d24d9b1d05 footing, and a23a364a53 he watched e5d8d356ad as she 8f8f9d43ae cautiously approached 8a4b663033 the tangled 7a519f3a96 bird, reaching f916320299 up to 61f66ec282 it. She was quite close f3ec4286dc this time.b78717ab7e677620

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With her arms 6e5ce40aca fully extended, she 3f0e4ef877 appeared to be a57165441a cutting at something 0b4d14af4f near the bird f2957cf20c with a small, fcc4e37e3c glinting object.fe3253bc0e02619c

What kind of fa4db509fa princess does that?1894ff5fb0e1f2ec

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It was absurd. Yet, he couldn’t 1f88167594 help but feel 4182e5663c a small sense 55ef1b210c of admiration for 9c3f65b6f9 her tenacity. He thought of 55c1b1eef8 the only other 26e7a8a04c princess he knew, 0234c59fb0 Wintran’s half-sister, Princess c88b2a7df8 Freya, who was 90200308fe nothing like this.a8a9da6ebd69f753

As he mused 041c219acf over whether he’d 826c97fa7c even need to 8da522c594 rescue the bird 8a2de08928 at this rate, df4af203e6 the sudden screech 5c319122f8 of Nephi broke 3a80cd8704 the quiet.93908be14e5b001e

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Startled, the princess 30cbcafaa3 instinctively took a 043c71886b half-step back, losing 63a7db3129 her balance and e0feab38f5 stumbling.2adc04f3d791533d

Flinging her arms 5ef6251084 out to catch bcb82c38ef herself was futile 83017df747 as she tipped d2d779dc24 over the edge 142e9fe3fb of the terrace.78cf764cd34f5e68

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* * *d1f7b2a830d44a55

Falling.1fa05128b5b5fef5

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In the split second 1700b19d01 before she hit the 17c2116a1e ground, Ateira felt a 71033e53b5 firm grip seize her 7e56b9f909 waist.f5b1ca2df911c199

She squeezed dceeb513c9 her eyes f2c3072ec8 shut, bracing 1d5a3a7c85 herself for c93e37bb93 impact, her b0af761a92 body tensing a364980b45 in fear. But instead of the d260a25979 harsh ground, she felt 51f7f26248 herself land on something a92cce8a6a solid and oddly soft.91d28388d8006f27

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“Ha…”13d9ae13e737ca5a

Startled by the strange 2be0c829b3 texture beneath her and 086a066a79 a sigh that wasn’t 54e8f3c7e9 her own, Ateira’s eyes 3366e79ee4 snapped open. Looking around, 37421807a9 she realized 49094c637e she wasn’t 5352183b37 on the f60d221e58 grass. Instead, she lay on 3c585e90e3 something firm, warm, and a6bccbdc54 slightly cushioned.6faa49102f8278ab

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Her gaze darted 6daa2dfb1b upward and locked c42a6735f9 onto him. There, beneath her, b31abadd00 was the man a66226f0a7 himself.5ace8d97b7893039

A pair of 5e44c949a0 steely, frost-touched gray 12122578fa eyes stared back 9c2ace429d at her, unblinking. Horrified, she dee9bc0c38 scrambled back, 88362eedbe pulling herself a7d5400f34 off him.78ee72ebdcfd5940

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Leo slowly 09dd6499a9 pushed himself 6676c131c9 up halfway, 5ea6bb926f watching her 642f9b5b3e with a 266a572f82 look of d6cdb26975 mild amusement. She looked like 8df4ea3f86 a cat with e93a030a08 its fur puffed 403f2f618d up, already alarmed 7aa76ea392 enough that any c830fb95ff further startle might b35b9c69c0 make things even 12a418cbb5 worse.9233897623de9783

He rose to one 0a5a56af04 knee, then, feeling a 40eb64711a sharp twinge at his b1bbc470ba neck, touched the area 9ca5a2e930 carefully. Blood trickled from a 251d154039 thin scratch.38c56ddfdf742cdc

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“…Well,” Leo muttered softly, letting out a faint chuckle and mumbling to himself, “That’s twice now.”f142cd802ae09d5a

Thanks to this 6ad8599161 young lady.e9d797925279ce6a

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It was ironic, given 13182f328e how confidently he’d boasted 8fb3320de8 to Jinpetsu that he’d 22e59a6e79 never be caught off-guard a53a465317 twice. Good thing no 4f6f2854df one was here a43a5a0005 to witness it.03adfcc174ac06a2

Shaking his head at 117d5afd2a his own carelessness, he 01945f5325 straightened his tall frame, 5f44df5c2c pausing to reach for 18e2c7ccba his hood before realizing 10d0f4361b there was no point; f02f6c70c6 it had already slipped c7fe11ba40 off.156b120c2ba5005d

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Ateira’s gaze 2c7cfba248 didn’t waver 7cff7e2be6 from him. Her piercing 914aec0ea8 red eyes e1076c5a16 burned with d07ce7ea41 suspicion.544d92f331cbeda1

A heavy silence fell f114be3bbc between them. Her wary eyes roamed d98b409d29 over him with intense cecf53fd32 scrutiny. Leo returned 500069df89 the stare 64cdc0a1c7 just as 9eef83fb7a calmly, studying 22ba484136 her in 6fbedc682b turn.173811b29fa3dbe0

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Something small and glinting 93d79eec20 caught his eye in 95eccfc93e her hand. It looked like a 916c227424 shard of broken pottery, 14d6e6e08a wrapped with a piece 826067cf09 of cloth to make 16d6ef235f a makeshift handle.d6a8fe728c9473a4

So that’s 1a00c1b288 what she 0ad7917560 was using d28bc98288 to cut 1d1e644535 the vines.2953c3801646de8d

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Realizing the mystery a78dfa644a was solved, he 875b7bcba0 stifled a laugh, 86fccacdb2 covering his mouth. The cut 0ad3f311bc on his 41c80ecaa6 neck was 6a0144def9 likely from 63fdb83226 that crude ca9fd8cd67 weapon, too.2f7f48eb4e0fc7fe

When he had grabbed c770711837 her mid-fall and rolled 03d21666ab her into the terrace, 3a46fa1e74 the shard must have 166c571c03 grazed his neck.5d132e2e1c4cecc6

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As Leo’s a420d31772 lips twitched 896c249d87 into a d54218f2ef smile, Ateira’s 094d67d064 eyes narrowed 957c33cdcc suspiciously. What was he 29886bb0e1 planning? She shifted the c0e1ef8942 shard behind her 380f5a5198 dress, still on 4dc578ec7e guard.ba7eaf30ddead54f

“It seems we’ve 0fc8efcd74 never formally met, 53572aa988 Princess Ateira. I am Sir c0382e6594 Leo fric Helton,” 60f20103f6 Leo broke the 10baa1c29f silence, acknowledging their 293866d1cf meeting with a 0f4ed34e04 polite nod. They weren’t c7fcf32849 exactly in 6e172cae5c a position df4da640c8 for any 1ff7854065 other kind 84bcc936b1 of conversation.461c86eb3365a8f4

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“…Ateira Ledetian.”f0c354cb62d74165

Giving only her name 52b62c61ce in return, she coldly ed0e202564 asked, “What brings you fb0478dbbb here at this hour?”720e417d2699692a

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Her face remained taut 1d07aa7301 with suspicion.99e3d4c23a2a124f

Who knew where 8b9dd47a25 he’d come from da7f872804 or how he’d 55c57d85a4 appeared here, the b775e1508d very man she 8219b55ad8 had attacked, in 935edd213a her chambers late ea4160b288 at night. It would a57a1f5766 hardly have 281b505d55 been surprising b172277c27 if she’d fc51f8cc1e screamed.531c9c7fb4335357

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“Ah.”277ed0d4bede7b27

Leo repressed a faint c821ee3926 embarrassment, gesturing toward the fe760ee4ec bird with a nod.6651c72f0c201296

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“That bird is mine.”ed60890d64e6c488

“…”0b97e510fc1eca89

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“I came 3d1f37ddf3 to retrieve 297756e0fc it, but a2eba62094 then I 3667e8f652 noticed the 6f0efd1df5 princess falling. So, my apologies if 96db8f30c1 I intruded.”ca7a77f4c551219e

“…”950b7469dae0230a

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Even though it had 6b14a27bd6 been necessary to save 59a65c4674 her, he still felt 19ed6bdf9f obliged to apologize for 7ced83d17a handling her so freely.befebbb021198626

His unexpected courtesy took aa6afd11e1 her off guard.0e9c935cd36598d4

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Ateira’s expression cb1845233c flickered briefly, e4ad8d3a97 shifting from 6d5bd616fb mild unease 035afa0155 to something f400d1d795 more complex, 5a541a9ef0 then settling 193f2c7911 back into 87862f4cbe her cold cf98cf720e demeanor. In the darkness, 6311c0db1f Leo could clearly 92db8baaea see each subtle 57e1372ee8 change in her da902c98c8 expression.c545a51fb5bc0dda

For it to be b5fcbf5390 Leo fric Helton who 867519af0d saved her from a 93842a8994 dangerous fall—it left her f59843963c with mixed feelings, and 2bc3ab4c15 she bit her lip d99c0b1cfb in frustration.fd6509fa61f58e6d

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She didn’t regret injuring bc44d68f16 him, but she did 9a994fc556 feel that she owed f74d786da9 him gratitude for rescuing 1a18a16c19 her. Yet, she found 317ed1e365 herself unable to 7860d51e0e express it.58b71756259cfdfd

“I didn’t know 6134d158f5 it was your 9432fc0b03 bird.”30c54e2deddede48

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She barely managed to 038deb505f mutter the words, her 2d64282713 tone stiff.dbcc0bac3183890b

 bbc425f63f865f9c

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