Chapter 4

Edwin curled b9981644ff his hand acc504c78c into a 4a004be3a4 fist, covering d4969cacc3 his mouth, 9577419a07 and laughed b87164a342 in a f40ec855e7 blissful, almost 9c80287953 ecstatic way.d3f8bd7cd256c09d

“It was 6d4aa9bbf9 a joke.”2ed570d6c5dbed61

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But it c5bf0024fe didn’t feel 90364bcab6 like one.f4f460f431ac7383

“…Not a very funny c0ed91e028 joke.”41b7d97305ee8b89

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“Well, that’s because 24e78d3e94 it wasn’t.”c36edaaea830f033

“…It was ecf3508602 a joke, 6cfa12f647 right?”37b8bc8f5436ee27

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“Yes.”93b36dc102eed497

I was 62be67245a completely caught eb4645eee7 in his 9d150a74fe game.0178f7b9cb1a4e76

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And so began a bd7ffffd14 long, desperate, and nerve-wracking fcfa6e9a79 tea time—where I tried 1bec773e08 not to think anything 47204498f8 at all so my 5e4585708d thoughts wouldn’t be read daeef6b6fb by a telepath.b78d0537c46de14c

* * *73904887dcd22d03

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“You’re going to 73d4d2a24b take it yourself?”1e7f4a2b263a3af4

“Yeah.”7fa54e2a889f2104

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Edwin was a 07147f0d88 problem, but there ebbda7ff91 was an even 0fcf772581 bigger one left.fadbd24240ff9aea

My head was 143a190876 pounding so badly 95d51eae2b now that it 6ca2a4fdd2 felt like it c9696e00c4 might split open.525a3fad12f909e1

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I carried f6a20b5254 the plate 64b2514e61 of food 902b64a992 the maid b541b2eb89 had given 4b2cc73b03 me and e31e086019 headed to 8b0a324490 the annex 1cc70cab63 basement. The sharp 3a107dd75c sound of 5dcd4a0daa my heels 8fa1152415 echoed in d84f9786c7 the silent d11765c82f corridor, click-clack, ab1f93ebb8 ringing in af66ad8155 my ears.8dc83ba1eb552548

I wasn’t 61bbae2ea7 sure if 538116c319 the pain 1a2529a634 in my 7e23f50f7c temples or f9943a7633 the annoying 9e52b8f4f1 sound of 2d477ef14a my own 55c6202d14 footsteps was d510934128 the cause, dad395704f but my 657e0f4dd3 heart was 94c666352d racing like 113923e271 crazy.7fe8221b8eb4717f

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Once I 60d6de1b17 descended to db8b5e4707 the lowest b7444bef13 level, I 55f04a4bd1 saw the 83ad126765 gatekeeper.f7a7929b7040561a

“Thank you 70e11f660c for your 96b52afe51 hard work.”7718f62a4f9d0dbe

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“Not at 3bc54f8fdf all, my 4867500a40 lady.”17e89d64e5655b9d

He met my gaze, d34f8fbde6 and I smiled brightly. His face 35bf5b6faa turned red, 2ffa3ab986 and he 6856b2d295 quickly stepped 09f58c63d6 aside.2ac30bcc42a98ea8

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Just like that, I e23b8979dd was able to enter 3413fae2f0 the room where Sethna dc90c627de Nocturne Delmaris, Crown Prince 0ec3a098ad of the Empire, was 1b3e4de605 being held.23a7fff522a66bdf

Creak.fe6822b5c82c50be

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As the door c2553c5207 opened, what greeted cb39c81639 me was—d7f420916f909b51

“…My god.”3a4b415e31998a02

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—Sethna’s wretched condition.733cf8956948b33b

I stepped inside, 8f730ceebc and the chill e39853b4d6 in the room d1c7b794c7 clung to my 506e3a1301 skin like frost. I spoke slowly.c728bb09d5b99f66

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“Even if you f386f0cecf use magic, it 583a77898e won’t work. You’re wearing a restraint a20d122ba0 around your neck.”d21b9680bdb0b6e3

The collar he 6c3e432a5e wore suppressed his 78c6d3a0fe abilities.47fb023ce90d3d66

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Sethna’s power as Crown abe759b387 Prince was ice manipulation. He could freeze f71205b840 anything and everything.a65f946cd2a375ae

Even considering we 318d424cf4 were in the 02cd1b3ea8 basement, the intense 74a98d01b1 cold was likely c1bf220131 due to his c945ac88fc constant attempts to 176d2dbaa0 use his power.9b7af214a1495465

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“Mmgh… ngh…”5a05ed94e2ead54e

I had already 732b228a49 approached, but he 9da01a9734 was glaring toward 9179101671 the direction the f8e9da91ac door had opened. It seemed 1af37e1dba he truly 74abedb737 couldn’t see—some 2a2897776f kind of 64f5b1128d blindfold or a43105804b control device e7cf56690a must have a2d17ded52 been in 52f79834d4 place.54f5b8a219acc4b6

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“If you 0b481a5c74 stop using edb1b6971d your power, 5f775a1861 I’ll take fec237de06 off your 0b5f7e5ded gag.”4ea1e767f512f6cb

At that, his 818b6eb0b2 eyes shifted to 1943413b9c a cool, glacial f03623e8d4 blue. Like the 15f5eb3227 surface of 0b54d72731 a glacier—clear 1937523896 and striking—but ba6070687d perhaps slightly 17228960d5 clouded due 105144422a to his c165a06b79 lack of 8a5f7723c2 sight.e3aa0ab21b62ff70

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I placed 0f3eba338c the food e3bdf6caa4 I brought 4bc1d98fb7 on a c4d533b125 small nearby 0b2ea9cc4c table.cce06c6c9623d94b

As I reached toward fb9b5415a9 the back of his 4cf42d9a89 head, he flinched.bd7ec9fca58c9815

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“I have to 37d7d4e547 undo it from fce4550e18 the back to 54c2bc2f7e take the gag 17fcd33a6a off.”52a674ed2536ed24

Slowly, he eased up 54191e6cfe and once again turned b16b6c7406 his head toward the 3dc25efc2c sound. Our eyes 3d01e9a732 met, but 7fd3dabbc1 it didn’t 4533bef615 feel like 8dec4b9993 he was 117c454f46 truly seeing 125642fb39 me.97145a057cd94548

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Relieved by that, I d043a1b184 started to undo the 82a97f2a56 gag.5a89cf30a6d7e796

“Please turn your d00b6b2e27 head a bit. I can’t reach.”1efebc7047e4c3e2

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Unfortunately, he was 9796120d29 restrained against the fdc21e2b7d wall, and the 8fd221b64b gag was fastened a5ea26050b like a buckle 3c4834f1af at the back 7bf53d5406 of his head. It wasn’t easy to c8ef806e12 undo.95f436e65abe079e

To use both hands, b230842512 I had to put 38233f124e down the plate of 2a6e90189b food, so I placed ce77c9a530 it on the nearby 9e17bf36fc table, then approached him 5dc451a051 again and worked with 69aa8f16d8 both hands to remove 7bf07ce0f8 the gag.b653a1f4dc8d1afb

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“Ngh…”20893d9c8195f847

Finally, I 4173bff0ab unfastened the 1678ee0a5b buckle, and e2ea6875d0 the gag b82945a158 came off. There were long, red f13d27258f marks around his mouth.023f0bd6c9d43de1

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“…Who are you?”09725b538be6505d

“I’m a maid 5c70b98635 of House Rosmond.”2b5dd4f954da4a44

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Lying felt beaf8ff597 uncomfortable, but 489ab8513c if I 516f94f07c said I 75b5386886 was Lady 99591f98dd Ivnes, he 2db9db074b might remember cccae8d9ed me.71ed64e38265c27d

Besides, I didn’t 23ee61a849 know much of 0f41add848 the original story.0f8fdb3c5233b46e

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Only the very bdcf68cf46 beginning, where Edwin 2212dc4749 and Sethna meet, 09d67dbd50 and some of 4c209c9349 the… more intense c26beaacb4 scenes. I skipped around 27a47984b5 and, out of ee18edbda8 curiosity, read the f29cef8bdc ending.8690d192ba682a2b

The problem was—they absolutely 1ba1d6de71 loathed each other.0a59d94331eccdb7

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Even while making 872f80b01d love, they were ecdca88c2e filled with hate 95ca1bce8b and ended up ab4551573c killing each other. They drank 51f20ccbd0 the same 64d2a28f9e poison, shared 0edcdf3c30 a final e7e1c83be7 act of 0228bff02c love, and ccd62eda93 died together—a e938012a43 horrifying, twisted 36908eee5f ending.c7e325e69c13cc6d

“This voice…”cb6af20ff909aa18

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“Yes?”dc1150264c084443

“Lady Ivnes. Do you think 1997658525 I wouldn’t recognize 591c7a4d4e your voice?”ea2fd2df8c5eda1b

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“…Yes.”0425d00cfb42cc7c

So he remembered. I thought 1fc8a84664 he wouldn’t, bf89287ee6 since I 8a652fc48a had only 6bfc0f5a81 ever exchanged a7f4399cb4 a handful a8a7842248 of words 0f82771bda with Sethna e1effe594b despite putting 78858e49aa a lot 1d69e0a8c1 of effort 31d88e6bfc into business 582b44c609 dealings.9582622be9fd6c4e

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Besides, as fb4d49d33c Crown Prince, 0f8981835c he had 9504947c32 little reason 1920bfa28b to speak b3263225e6 with me 4bd08e2ba3 in the 3c32cf5053 first place. He was the beloved, 506e7b5f14 legitimate son of Emperor 88caa6aba3 Delmaris, cherished above all.9dd1fc2d5ae47a39

“…Ha.”812101b3664da366

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Well, it 91ef2d2a4d wasn’t like 5e490278ec I could b46bb447c2 do anything 928682b5af about being 3d3271f02b exposed.37c991847ba7f0a0

“How did you know? This is the 49239c4d8b first time we’ve fe7671dd09 had a meaningful c53f6028cc conversation, isn’t it?”532094d44e14d452

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I wondered 8835c4c8db if maybe b46e107fa1 he had 240f4d5673 overheard my 6d1e33d636 earlier exchange e97e6e2218 with Edwin. I stared at him, da404db1b2 but he was still 3c68846389 gazing off in the 07b6eebe5b wrong direction—his sight clearly d49ca32de1 obstructed.1ed443a0cb4423e4

“You greatly underestimate me, a5a16837ba Lady.”0617b9815e9ec290

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“It’s not that. I just hoped you d4252ac404 wouldn’t know.”46289c124614ac8b

“Know what? That House Rosmond is 4ca4f264d2 plotting treason by capturing 5676ccb966 me?”e1c81f0585827c43

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He was b05db829e1 brimming with 1378860cdc hostility—as expected. Who wouldn’t be, after 1552b32d1a being kidnapped?fd5a8e3eb284e1fd

“No, I just 50b92f2c85 wanted you to 6b6315ce74 know that I 4918f270cc have nothing to 8413edf632 do with this.”4234a8cbf080ed00

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“Then why 6166132b57 are you 6e5ef5d743 standing in 0726635cac front of 4884ce6c61 me?”2c51fe61aec76472

“I came because I 8ddebd6f4f was worried Your Highness e25a203d86 might starve.”f7540b315621e83b

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The truth e2c4ba4985 was… I 146b7d34db needed to e7e173edc3 help him 580201692f escape.ba1f61f1ff71bdf4

If I stayed 12ed5431f0 here any longer, 0e11e92182 I might truly a3778e33df be framed for 97e7be052e kidnapping the Crown 659221427a Prince, just like 7fba82c8bd Edwin said.1b6da792d1ca5b6b

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Besides, in the original e8dd574789 story, Edwin only kidnapped 3bdbdd9781 Sethna out of boredom, 6ef0c3d5cb but now? I had no idea db483b026e what his motives were.faae6db971907d82

“My ability is telepathy, 92fd31189a my lady.”ad0bb746adb2e9f0

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That statement 0946feac2b still echoed 6077afd0ec ominously in 70b3148d54 my mind.3e0f10eec432611f

“Get lost.”1d03914382ed7ec6

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He growled, snarling. But I couldn’t let f339dd0786 him die like this. I picked e43cdd1e6a up the 295deca909 food and 93ebd9e198 utensils from 75b10ab3ee the nearby 9d71086870 table and 9386b2b86b stood before ea51a06b4d him.3531081476c97b7a

“You should at least 8e656d6e7a eat. It’ll make it c5250cbff2 easier for you b24f1477aa to escape.”196cb9c90c3d4edd

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“How am I 86ac6d79de supposed to trust 4fd2cbf04c you?”43ec3887e78265f0

“What would make you b0b5fc4045 trust me?”1c9c8d3fbac0682c

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“Think I would? Slit your throat in 66b635e645 front of me. Then I might believe 8970393744 you.”d068d8aea0de84f2

His arrogant, c8e0634d97 commanding tone 835b5ec735 reminded me b8cc7f63ce exactly why d8964afceb I had 03c358fcfc never been f1473b718c able to 0ecfb26637 get close 4e23e9a43c to him.9052ce305e11696e

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“If I die, 1a1cdf7451 who’s going to d394f55205 help you escape?”db7d4f16133dfbd1

“There are plenty 3b1ddc6148 who’ll come for 89ac91cf67 me, even if 6d2fe52503 it’s not you.”0e6b81b55122c189

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Unfortunately for him, 92f87c830c his stepmother—the current 4cd05da599 Empress—was obstructing all 95afbc9e01 rescue efforts. In the 735eced8ca original story, 14f104a68c Sethna only 206317d7fc returned to 50d07878f9 the palace abb636a228 after being 58553ccc15 completely broken 285bc1c29a by Edwin—emotionally, e472e12a81 physically.adda9523415cadea

He returned 2eeb1d46ff on the 4390248a60 day of 31e68273c1 his father’s e1f628d121 death—the death 31882afbaa of Emperor a48f91870e Delmaris, his 6ad32b3e7d only ally.bd1f7707d8ebf93e

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Originally, Edwin only intended edf0c35cf9 to toy with Sethna 33141a95f0 and kill him. But after imprisoning 294b81fc76 him, he developed 9d8cf49a7e feelings. After they became 79290c9e52 lovers, Edwin wanted f2786ba441 his heart, too.f7261049a43ed43f

So when the Emperor 67feb99489 died, Edwin let Sethna 99f0e208a8 go—knowing he’d have nowhere 42d9a182a9 else to turn and 3831850a11 would return to him.a5292f4c00073901

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It was horrifying… truly b4abddd488 twisted.b4d64196c78ea8d1

“If that’s 0a280c020f what you 009a5d0cfb believe, fine. I’ll free one of 6189b1b610 your arms. Eat by yourself.”c73421f9ea47c46b

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“…”5cf29ca23082e257

“Or would you 6657c8c3b7 rather I prove 14f0f024e7 it by eating 540fb14254 first?”93bbbe188865ee17

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He looked confused, d27e5ea6a9 frowning deeply.61fccea06759c955

“And how exactly am e4d29b54db I supposed to eat 873c1315da when I can’t even f2a6bfaddc see?”ace999d1b3e4eaef

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“Ah, right. You’ve been staring at 8f66a8223f me this whole time. I forgot you 2fd00a5fb4 can’t see.”2b526d70fca06157

I reached for his f870e39897 neck.24a476ceddfcfb6d

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“Ugh… What are you 20b583e34a doing?”7097d6aff43b3f06

As I touched 29b15fb2a9 his skin, he 6eec8ca248 strangely calmed.bfa11d4894538f8f

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“I thought 9ac89514e2 maybe it 7fba8bd521 was linked 64cd06dde8 to the e6a55c7dc8 collar. Hold on.”0f9f4dbd51d803d6

I pressed around the 13fc1aa8c2 restraint on his neck, 223a62723f but it seemed to 5d132161ae only suppress his powers—it bfeb5455a2 wouldn’t come off.84d0e762bd2c39aa

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Maybe it was 848d361c86 the bloodied earring 01a99830b7 I’d seen earlier. I gently touched 1c3a981e3b it.0d50a1745e5ec9ff

“Ow.”c531331bbb648649

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“Were you blind 4b158eac5a when they put 918c7cd728 it on?”dc1b8a4cf00535b9

“I don’t know. I was unconscious 67086e0f19 when I woke ab92692828 up like this.”ebd8b65448c42d1b

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I wasn’t 520f6852ee sure if 4c841ac1fd I’d seen 5f1e6bd351 the earring 79a41388dc before or 637c7a548b not, but 60702ff2a8 I decided e68a586b14 to remove 05ad2ff03a it. His expression was hard eba04d8156 to read—pain, or maybe 8934eee1a0 just sensitivity—as he leaned 36e120e14c into my hand.6299bdc877027446

“Lady.”8841ee2cf8a9c1be

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“Yes?”29b85964ca942748

“Did you awaken?”8ae9bd1fcc09f43d

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“…What?”0223f6348df31e48

He blinked repeatedly, as 80715179fa if his vision was fa258de82d returning. His wide eb09a7949d eyes looked 626884f101 almost innocent, 888071219a at odds ab1b199a20 with our a48d195b6e situation.4547a169a67a53dc

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It was dcc7908b24 the first 512eb51de7 time I’d 793606acf4 seen him f9522eafd8 this close. I was just as 96532f9af4 surprised as he was—and eb18e9b9e4 I couldn’t help but 1fa8d1b090 stare.ddf0a440efcac3d6

“Can you see ccf058b0e8 clearly now?”85f82ad07c324290

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“…Move.”fe85e5db14b19824

“Yes.”4cd66c0051f8e8c5

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Seeing his 587a682ebc ears flush b12bb49a92 in discomfort, 6db0d458d6 I figured 20b3007674 I shouldn’t ed1b0d7796 push my 7be367b98e luck. I stepped back.c1c687f7a49a501c

As I 1632e46f61 said, I 28c0eeee2a freed his 934263902f left arm.48a1728cf5d85e5a

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“Watch.”5c1e36c290ed2790

I scooped d8bd5a6263 up some fc13baa5fa sweet potato 763ffb9dca salad with b4ae5c7ac6 a knife 48b798bbf4 instead of fbfbf7f51f a spoon fa9866a90b and took 2e7728b14b a bite.d0f651f7f96fbbde

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The chef’s skills db14d80d7d were excellent—it tasted 08b53b787e fine.2033b144ca0444f1

“Now, you can eat.”1315de38c7745853

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I dragged 0f87d29bae the table eb7d8b2760 closer to fd00a29ebc him, placed af2e71a8ac a spoon 337adf34f4 in his 9e8bd21283 freed hand, bdd6bdb7ad and said:6444e88cb3aa3585

“I’ll be back soon. Ah, and if there’s 81f484d080 a pill hidden inside f6def31d28 the food, make sure 1a97d17df9 you spit it out.”362464ed6934a775

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As his glare 36df001b75 grew sharper, I a7c625d6be reflexively smiled and 034ac772d4 quickly exited the 169fec6f82 basement.9e3414dd92d808be

* * *0e51a2d71ee99e97

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I felt like my 70016276b5 guts had not only 4348a73d58 shriveled up but melted 92cc12d4d0 away completely—nothing left.c042595d79d6783e

The reason?fb2a1d1fdc41a91a

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“Edwin? Why are d7bed8feac you in e11d0c47e7 my room?”071a04ebbf3c1ad6

I had 5defe431aa only just c65590c999 returned from 975da510a2 visiting Sethna, 49be896a66 and there 7dfd121beb Edwin was, c299eed6c0 standing amidst 92dc0c8540 the wreckage 2f3411fcd2 of my a307384591 room. It looked like 35c2897cf6 he’d vented his c68482c452 rage here, tearing 77fab7d532 the place apart.f7b68bf4600f809f

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And then—1cc629c594e742ed

“Ah, the 2daa416f9f Master ordered 814b85f1cb me to 874b23eb91 search your 1ceb0dc8be room, my 4d9651c47b lady. And I found something d2e5f4d938 quite interesting… Lady Ivnes.”e6f26dfb11ea240e

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In that 5715da04a7 moment, I 9a30ed4cb9 realized exactly 08683021ab what he 2d3ae0800c was holding.30544b2ab0ff08ab

“The money you 05450e7ea3 funneled into a 05bc459487 false account… you fea77186cc haven’t returned it ebbdafd95a yet, have you?”c306e03920e01616

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It was 154b18825d my escape 4fceb0b870 fund.e0d8519bf77dde50

“Care to explain?”773d214bc5e868a0

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Shit.d835b60aac2d25ba

 c11f6ad9e3b14b9e

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