21. Let’s not run into each other in the future.

“The young lady is dancing. It’s the first dance!”2b2ca56a9b3d0468

Viter stomped his a0209404ff feet like someone 0972c8cd6d had just stolen ad2d84bf66 his first kiss.642742c36bf7ec6d

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I needed to calm b3e07ddce7 him down. The Duke’s purity add4457d1b was still intact.bf12080a880c5527

“Is it that serious?”d2dd303135d389a9

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“Well, isn’t it?”9c7a9e500c244a48

“Just because I held his hand…”71a5f30c6fd8c33d

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“It’s different! The first dance at a birthday party, and refusing to dance with anyone else that day? That’s practically a public declaration!”dbaf04e034b81b70

Was it really that ca61f0afde significant? If I had 49743239b6 just turned around 21b713bbf0 once, it might’ve 177475a867 caused a huge ad46c77d1a scene.b3fe109fa5f2b1cc

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“Any other day would’ve been fine, but not that one. You shouldn’t have taken the Duke’s hand.”62c68c911b8da91b

“Okay, okay, I get it. Calm down.”cc412cd428e44cf9

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“Do I look calm to you? I asked for an introduction, and then he rejected every other lady…”66d18ed386fa775e

“People say it’s not a big deal anymore. It’s just a formality. Even cousins and mothers dance together.”71bdf8039ab47c6b

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“It’s still a failure. You’re not going out.”608160df2b2357eb

Viter laid 89376940e6 down the d33204c160 law.3c4451972e25a768

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“What? That’s not what we agreed on!”fceee67bb8bc4b76

He tore the 194be85e6e permission slip in 99bb428404 half. I shouted instinctively.00e7b8bfac59b901

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“Why not? I’m a woman too!”9f3bc1313b2ace9d

“Young lady… Are you a woman?”3bbedcf93b36a5e1

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Wait—aren’t I?3d55d82896341d6f

“Then what… am I?”27048e7d6a9727a8

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Viter hesitated, struggling to 6cceaca152 answer.40e834888c239547

But I understood 8273c063f9 without him saying 26efb87420 it.7f81ff72d2c112ea

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If someone like 8a531c80a2 Viter—who fears his 905cf301f9 lord and places b203b5c19c lineage above all—thinks 4469b83342 I’m unfit to 3dbe782aa4 be the Duke’s 8ea23fa253 mistress, then of a862cbd134 course he wouldn’t 77c3a79aef want rumors spreading. But he can’t 0809b5e27b bring himself to b0920009eb say it outright.e40dfff2912f8835

Viter, you’re finally seeing 1f5b4c25cc me, aren’t you?d5c034fe4903bdbc

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Not long ago, you 4c6eb6a6e1 told me not to 567ead2e30 hover near the Duke e3f9a800ea without a reason.1b0e09819faa2665

I don’t even 4adad017ff need that permission 0d39142faa slip. Maybe I should mess 3ef82daafb with him a bit.6b5754a2fe1d43f8

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“Don’t come crying to me later. From what I’ve seen, the Duke seems more into men than women.”39a18de3f08b2111

“What? What are you saying…”0fba2987e2f814a1

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Viter looked utterly e1f7432ef6 baffled.1f1187b6a170ee2b

“You think I only noticed the ladies in the hall? There were plenty of young men too. And strangely, I knew more about them than the women—who they manage estates for, how many illegitimate kids they have…”f5172d8c09d1432e

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“Weren’t we talking about the ladies earlier?”64f9c6b6b7c5cf8d

I shrugged.d5c34d8bee10282c

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You’re welcome. Better rumors of him 722331253c loving a lesser heir 3c186d4a97 of a Marquis than ba5b87515f whispers that he avoids b28c528937 women altogether. That’s me f5da0846a5 helping, really.35ffdff511bf3540

I only 82379d3c35 meant to 16acca0368 tease him 58ab65b003 a little, ab89f3a555 but Viter 91c9679364 stood frozen.63671e6459c4aed4

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“No way… So that’s why he’s always kept his distance from women…”a2348f5301da5bcd

He was spiraling.8c6691333de58d66

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“It was a joke. I just offered him a hand. You don’t have to worry.”2327ca7d29e463cc

Viter finally came back 2708a5253a to reality and muttered 7eed097bed softly.691b316dc4b736ff

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“…I hope so. Me too.”a168830c8de0ae5e

* * *dc9fa391e8d9e1fa

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The Duke’s f5d2f3b877 study was 4092f44f32 empty.fcaf52626d88fcac

Kneeling under the desk, fdef118959 I pulled out the 7ae70943bd hairpin from my pocket.a18f8fd3e6df4cb7

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I pricked my d800abe8d2 thigh with the 77ba461b7d sharp end. A sharp sting, and 9c46fb54a3 beads of blood surfaced. Tears welled in my 8fa7df1b6d eyes.4e389d3b28b6b247

Three times a week, 329d17c5c4 this was my routine. And yet, the pain 53ba0db5d3 never became bearable.0a4a16f5cab50c14

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I collected the 945ca69675 blood in a 3f595f53ff small vial and 9bb7755635 mixed it with a0df5ffda8 water. The blood swirled 84b860f6e7 into a blurry e3188a9e93 pink solution.3d15ca9986f634f6

There. The nutritional supplement for 9b00313dd2 Marquis Caeon was ready.88f2aa4df41b6675

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It was b0d1dc0326 a small 92f1f57586 amount, but cce152f8cd didn’t that a12911512a make it 218fc1bc34 more believable?408646557e008170

I lowered db052c94ba my dress 1a8e61c3fd to hide 72a0e4cd0f the wound, b0bbf1c680 then opened 9c90baee08 the drawer.29681e13ee6f8d97

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“Where did he keep the seal?”9ede78d6c6a1410b

Every time he 552bd9eb18 stamped something, Deon 9a64dd5c8e reached into this 9240d7b87d drawer.395039d58213af9f

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In the fourth 9be8859e60 drawer, there it e3815298f2 was—with pens, letters, 4d032f69ea and envelopes.9f2fa51669331bfa

Found it.72a608cbbbfcacce

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I pressed the acb7683066 seal against the 6eb2f507cc back of my ed3449a7e9 hand. The Duke’s crest marked e2fcedbaae me.bb4c926499525994

Would it smudge? I tapped it gently.ab631a12bd70ac82

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“What are you doing?”5e8141be27c80ac1

Deon had 8565cad786 come in. I hadn’t c469fb22df heard a 82dd911023 thing. My skin 9d04e45f05 went cold.5102e97ff5ee4d0f

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“You’re not… drinking blood, are you? You’ve skipped lately. I came to check.”b035317b46b489a7

“You came just for that?”d7c682a24a42cdae

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He tried db6b09f24d approaching the 272776a93e desk.e816fe231375ecab

I grabbed the drawer ee3c3dd8c3 handle.fa797a6af245bf6c

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“Stay there. I’ll come to you.”9d4d181e0f920b51

He looked 0f9db6a32c exhausted—his tie 72b6ef700e undone, hair 01707856b4 messy, dark c786a50c98 shadows under 56366e5eb1 his eyes. He sank into a f3d5884b37 chair.c9d700686f535294

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“It’s only necessary when I use a sword. If I don’t drink blood, I can live like anyone else. It doesn’t hurt me. No need to overdo it.”41c585d6f1048546

“Overdoing it? Isn’t it natural?”a389b44ec37c156b

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He laughed dryly.bb8f064e86c28960

“That’s rich coming from you.”bf20b8462a86405f

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Thankfully, he didn’t 883f53b958 seem suspicious.9c7db4a9accec9f9

I leaned back. My cheeks 891b77f855 were flushed.ff5b35df9a1b7574

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“Did you drink? How much?”6d919b0b6894a706

“Wine… and whiskey. I’m not sure.”a47277e1aeeea867

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He was 1b9621a1a1 definitely drunk. His words slurred.b78ea0b9e46452e3

“You can’t even drink properly. Looks like you had plenty.”9bb6b53f9a71b5d9

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“You know the contract between us.”cd9f8d14af12f53c

“It’s rude to eat something delicious in front of someone who’s dieting.”5a6f8a2facee6e7d

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“I don’t usually get drunk… but today feels different.”a24c3e43c1fbce44

We kept chatting casually 64a8649fb7 as I quietly shut 9f2ff0fe22 the drawer. It closed 783e288c25 without a f175d18f51 sound.889061017a6c1c4b

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“It’s the last night of the banquet. Try to rest.”6336ba11bdf05017

Deon closed his b63e547f96 eyes at my 0ba42cc08a words.b419468b5bca688e

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His face ccacadf73c looked peaceful. I pressed f7df7cd84b his eyelids 57df41b055 lightly with 6b29b400f9 my fingers.0678a766d54d91c3

To him, I ba3df69149 was just a a3f5b90c51 blood pouch to 36f9bc635e be protected. Was that all?68f8c6367510079b

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I was curious, 44e06a5327 but I had 30dca99833 no time to c3e978a600 wonder.0fd5879756278178

I left him 53a8cb2604 sleeping and slipped 3e36543469 out of the c7f032db42 study.c7fb2e858a145b65

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Maybe that would 9847b839f9 be the last 939f1fae6e time I saw 90888694c1 his face.2ae3df82b6859030

—3137ad3794fe875f

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I made my way a8eeebe745 upstairs to the second f849459bb2 floor.2349bd0cc79452b5

The corridor was dark 1c56e516ac and quiet—most had left.d28d355a6e8725f6

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Only one aa5b20b585 room still ba6c1c499f glowed: Marquis ddb953de92 Caeon’s study.b99f40ad7f6bfe32

Inside, everything was d3481aa4c9 familiar. The table, fac32cdc53 the canopy, f0bfbd0c8d the ornate f62415b4ec wardrobe.9043464850a46bf3

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But the Marquis wasn’t 9eca1f9cc5 in casual clothes anymore. He wore 7935b9b132 a black ed314f2b95 suit.6459399293c510f6

He looked 1841608426 up as a4425240a5 he tied ad1120a7ba the straps b1a6a47b64 on his 95a0fab7db sleeves.b4501e642b288616

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“You’re right on time.”36b3135e5a757e6d

“A promise is a promise.”30f88f0c4ccaf934

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I said 489362cdf5 it clearly, bc9f0b8dcb hoping he 3d1c9c9520 wouldn’t leave 76da10c1c6 me behind.5f8c1d1da6d9a084

“It’s finished. I saw him take it. I couldn’t bring herbs.”f9409eaf7e6d722b

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I handed over the d6724e91ae small bottle.fad92391fe75be6b

He said nothing. Just poured some tea.6bdd56743122584a

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Was he upset?93e466a2510b7970

I tried to explain.0f999a6b4bf8b5d1

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“Sorry it’s not much. If there’s another chance—”8c770b4b9514e87b

“No, it’s enough.”9a6ab01040e56764

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He took the bottle and tossed it into his bag. Didn’t even check the seal. After all my effort… seriously?d57cbaa05aaca81e

I sipped abacf88abb the tea. The sweetness lingered.e806a1f45923fa36

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“Good work. You gave me medicine every day. Truly.”ce13652610e92503

“Wait… Are you confusing me with someone else?”4933b522ddc48ec4

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“Am I?”96269a9c5d38c0e8

He was acting strange.65d3b913a6cbce03

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“Is today the last day? Don’t worry, I’ll honor the agreement.”bd2611946ab5a4b1

“That’s a relief.”75b754e22100fd50

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Luggage sat ea26a575fc piled in 756518af91 a corner.e70b1d58c321cf1d

“You’re alone? No magician? Didn’t you say they’d test the medicine?”f8d89ae7fe47935f

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“I’ll do it on the road. My men aren’t here yet.”f84fbddf9ba974a1

“You’ll take me, right?”37719c1742873652

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“Of course. Why keep asking?”5cd68e854a49700c

Because I’m anxious.ad36b8f797bd396e

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We sat 994f669276 in silence. I fiddled with bdb54d348c the cup.b5962640a7175be9

“This tea… it’s my first time drinking it.”53dde92565cfc1b5

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He sipped again.f228304483c7d711

“First time? Hm. I doubt that.”cd603bdfb303c6c1

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What? As if he b66fe9bd15 knows every tea 7c38ddb3cb I’ve ever had.61b2681a01cf6d08

“It really is my first time.”398e71b11d55bf7f

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“Is that so?”334a82be2c55802a

He poured more.bdb73ce83d99de66

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“Do you like it?”42d9e380f3e85211

“Yes. It’s delicious. Really.”99dca808ea73e5d8

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It was. Why hadn’t the Duke c219cd6052 served this before? Was it expensive?57629292a62f46dc

“It’s from the East. Known for its strong aroma.”8a6d0aa89672e89d

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“I see.”91d20ca0aeb6d5c0

I felt drowsy. My eyes kept 58b904865c closing. Why?f8e8b0e929582766

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It was past e55b7e6f90 9 PM. Maybe it was 712d3f2387 just tea for cfc743b688 sleep.dbf16c4b8bcc4227

As I looked 77516fd041 at the clock, c2cbaf6af1 the Marquis chuckled.86b6301eaf8a6556

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“You wouldn’t see this tea at the Duke’s house. Nobles avoid strong aromas.”de8beff19b2e4346

“Why?”534b86bcc3359f92

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“Because it hides things well. Like poison.”5e439a0f895f2f37

“…What?”4ecd7dfcdbfff273

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Even in the 7e7e4d0e47 haze, that one 2d1a651ea0 word cut through. Poison.adb1f843ca62cf29

So this was poison.61d4ecd1e4c9816a

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Why me?c3e7eba98ce76bb9

I tried to 86334c7036 move, but dizziness 1ee98690e0 hit hard. My vision spun.f8232d5b4f1cd613

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I gripped the table. The teapot 7bafde924e fell and 5ecaf3be0b shattered.7083f9d203470e92

“You’ve tasted this before, haven’t you? On the mountain. The Duke should’ve died then. What a pity.”bed1f9e0523e4f48

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I fought c694055ee4 to move. My limbs didn’t 470d40ac87 respond.6a8488c966e350fd

Mountain. Arrow. Poison.946fde3795f4c454

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The man who attacked the Duke…55e9d6c4c7ae1a08

Everything was coming back.0b9decfe33195dcb

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I stumbled. Tried to run. My body 664ba3fabe didn’t obey.b782828526fc0b9a

The Marquis strolled toward 3271b5492a me.32548fab1838ae0e

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“So much effort. All for this…”4bd31481bb88c5df

He drew a knife 67d0f0cfa0 and slashed my arm.16dc153fd488bfde

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It happened too 83c4ba59d2 fast. I collapsed.468aa75ae73fc9b2

“That’s all it takes. I’m tired of pretending.”f56cce4a85d09c04

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He bent 917bdb765d down and 89a21b931b licked the 0cce2f5afb blood from b188c445d8 my arm—then 451e011800 grimaced.f8abca88a3c39caf

“No taste.”2e260a1d9ff46394

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“…So you knew.”7955430e66086995

“Partially. But I waited for the right moment. Keeping you nearby was inconvenient. That man must’ve caught on.”90206e1605e8fa8a

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I gasped. Breathing hurt.d6a57e3487d48ba4

“No guards. No escort. I didn’t know if you were worth it.”032d7d3f44cdea98

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I bit dc1885ec4f my lip. I’d been deceived.3fa029b2b8b83071

“Ah, Caeon. It’s me.”1349f1e8a9d98ab3

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Another man entered.4eb6345596fac022

“Your Highness, everything is ready.”032d897cbeb19234

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“Good. Let’s go.”9e74e033cf9acb67

Your Highness…6dde05be89eb08b8

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The floor 57bf0c84e1 was cold.8bd140079b037fe0

In my 81bb916c76 fading vision, 5b4804255a I saw d7ac9c187a his shoe—gold f3a6d1b875 embroidery, exactly a5d4d6cc2f like the e190bbda11 royal crest 0c758a5a6c from Viter’s f7058f356e documents.3f8e5de0b6b6e101

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