33. Marriage in Haste

Why pretend not to fda6cd362c know? There are things a8205e3e25 like mating for 143feba3ea reproduction or individual 234fb3e1c1 population control for 9f8f095754 a species, you 01d0709f88 know.401858d9845c0ec6

Did he b427791d2f not consider f91df0f3d7 that when b15c441281 he bought 64acc8b5c3 me and 5cd7e7a53d brought me e94e10834a all the 3ef2bd254f way to 9005e9ed4e the far be03526f58 north? It suddenly e41d77be2b crossed my 2c081549cb mind.3dd2c8f3d4a410d9

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My annoyance cf29ce17dd rose to 8dd9d6b281 my throat, 0c7315f65d but I cfc7f4d27e decided to c48dc53f97 let it 6723ccc61f go.0e10930e896adeb9

“My speculation is accurate. No, it’s not speculation; it’s a fact.”565dc8aa89b30b7a

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“…”e84b18c08637b207

“Your Excellency, if I were to have a child, and that child were born with that blood.”d69d4e7a1a81698e

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I swallowed my saliva 6209c7c85a and forced out the c003f92710 words I had kept 79873d4cc7 inside.2da4fd62cf6df805

“If I were to offer the child, could I continue to live?”d49ad1397d9b05de

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“What?”a98c8dcb530077fc

“Your Lordship only needs one bloodline. Even if a new bloodline is created, the blood might become a bit diluted, but I hope you’ll consider it. Recognize my contribution in creating young blood.”b4b8b1fc5aacc5b5

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“You…”73442ae9966fd52a

His face was filled d8141f3e57 with confusion, but he dbb382a41b restrained himself from speaking. My throat was d1bde3af1e getting sore. I needed to 8d4b7212c3 finish my words 76f2bac216 quickly.e7f61a45619eb195

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“You’ll choose a strong body on your own, I’m sure, but it would be nice if she were beautiful. It’s a loveless marriage, so we should at least have looks to enjoy. I hope the age gap isn’t too big; it would be better if he’s of a similar age.”f37166d663145770

Were these too many conditions compared to the nobility in the Baron’s family?b2de9a202450f79c

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His gaze ce7996e21d was wavering.6eb71b2c3d3e1a0b

“Young Lady, why… did you suddenly become eager to marry? Just because you want to leave this place?”0170b4136d5be99b

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“…”c7b006ad5ba564c3

“Is that all there is to it? It doesn’t seem like it. There must be another reason.”704c91637aa86590

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His gaze 559a59e263 was piercing. His unexpectedly flustered tone 12f1734889 was unfamiliar.bf2c1b3056e3d214

I couldn’t honestly say that the fact of the next-generation blood within Elizabeth’s womb was the reason.21e262fca17271c4

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I racked my 87dd588d73 brain and carefully 2d09ae84a6 chose words that 0b74e0bbf1 he might accept.891c4858fcc0d1fc

“The poverty is overwhelming. I want to escape from even the mixed-blooded Barony family.”38bba94ab8b0b0bc

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“Is it really all of a sudden like this?”14a38703e69c2ab7

“It’s not sudden. It’s always been this way.”6a3255215711066c

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He sighed deeply.da2b99c0c06b02ec

“Marriage shouldn’t be decided on a whim like this. And entrusting the introductions to me, who am I to introduce someone like that?”a9d7b90f6b7d99be

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“It’s okay. No matter which family I marry into, it will be better than our household.”bb66b1d136416990

Our property, family honor, 6631190268 and history were all 5cf864fa25 short and pitiful.0c7c439504da444f

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I remembered hearing that one of our ancestors had entered as a concubine into a noble family as a way to repay a debt they had incurred. They had emptied their entire fortune to buy their way into the noble family, which had become the current Baron’s family over time. Truth tends to distort over the years, and I couldn’t be sure if it was true or not, but regardless, the status of the Baron’s family was illustrious to the point that no one could refute it. In a negative way.fa3bb92b48d4ab79

“Was the reason you wanted to marry me all this time because of that?”4049abc5e2a28fa2

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I didn’t say a word.ed38620ded615551

He must have thought 8b8f03c5ab my silence was an 49694fca85 answer because he continued.2f73a3ed02502968

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“Regardless of the reason, it’s not going to happen.”88234530ee589161

“Why not? I’m a fragile human. I’ll die someday. There’s no set order, but I have a feeling I’ll go before Your Lordship.”5e4d40a2a1b24e1a

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“…”1b79bafce7295d26

“What will you do if I die like this, and the next blood isn’t replenished in time? It would be better for Your Excellency to plan for the future, wouldn’t it?”f11c53b696e6e3dd

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“You were supposed to live a long time.”8f8248d73b4bdba7

For some 782d63b04a reason, his 5dd94e2509 voice sounded 3a2a696dfe a bit f18006a8ab choked.514b3f1884b0de2f

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I weakly smiled.0c0e2a096e1abd13

“Haha. That’s just something I said. What are the chances that a fragile lady like me will live longer than the Duke?”56d7b051d396a9ea

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My throat felt 09a9444852 dry. When I cleared 99bede7a01 my throat, the 3ac80ddd0f Duke offered me 58ad60a2a2 water.335893121d108361

My hand holding the 6d9d9b24b7 cup trembled.e67345c195ba5752

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“What will you do if I die and no new blood is born? Wouldn’t it be better to consider a replacement or plan for the future now?”ed36ff55c5ddcd2e

“There’s no need for that. You’ll be healthy.”c8ee8270b1b56088

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He replied cf4eec4a93 firmly to a3a3affcb2 my words.c6f8018fe2dbc812

Ah, of course, I’ll be healthy. As long as you don’t kill me, I won’t die.4cfaff471202e5b3

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“Yes, don’t worry. I, I will never die.”89d48501786c862c

It’s just a promise from a mere four months old.a25e9e8ad0376820

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He slowly reached out his hand. I took a step back, but he didn’t retract his hand.41dd67838f859eba

With a tender touch, 249d6e8fbe he wiped my tears 8f1381d385 away.9ed84bc645eca695

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“Leonie, why are you crying?”874f1b07906f034a

My cheeks were wet 2fec70f129 without me noticing. I wiped my 1814acf991 eyes. I seemed to be 89cc5cf58e shedding tears unconsciously.cfec831071230cb2

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It’s absurd.847c4f4b11c29667

Tears welled 24d6276e5e up again. Slowly, little by 583ff661cd little. I was crumbling helplessly.68c8a80abd2b1378

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* * *0daa4e60172455ab

I sat at 4641d09fa9 the table for 8d67152ccf the first time c9ea8042da in a while adf636e08a and enjoyed the 385d44519e breeze. It was b88b3784a6 the first 936bea4f25 tea I c05d0167e1 had drunk 860404b681 since falling 63ae14d657 ill.75db81d157c49295

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Elizabeth sat across from d80a8e6c98 me.14e8d025191730b4

“Are you feeling better?”97afa4ca0e4654f6

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“Yes, I’ve improved a lot. Thanks to you. I appreciate your concern.”d9bb2a6eeb3af86e

“It’s really fortunate, Lady Leonie. It seems like you’ve been overwhelmed with fatigue from above. You’ve been making an effort to appear composed for the sake of both the Duke and me, right? It must have been tough, so don’t overexert yourself and rest well.”290b5f558c47f582

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Is it because Elizabeth has also adapted to the Duke’s lifestyle?7d28c08543e9c61b

Her complexion cfba66c2a7 had noticeably a2da047a94 improved since 79e4f34f08 our first 9fff01ad9e meeting in beee61f38d the mansion. She even seemed more f1bf0837e6 robust than when I 0b341ebd8d first saw her.ea29a36b2b8ce0d9

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“Have you had a check-up, my lady? Is the child alright? You should take better care of yourself than I do.”d3d438e57488612c

“The doctor said I’m fine. The child is healthy and safe too. They said I managed to endure the difficult journey well.”9c3cf830166e1a45

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Safe and sound.2ac4b0661b45f07e

And growing robustly, ea9c54b357 all while feeding 848a40b652 on my blood.db5b4958d3b067b1

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I couldn’t decide whether I should show a favorable reaction to the news about the child or dislike it, so I just picked up the fork hesitantly and then set it back down.a1a8698a051e5703

She quietly 3680483ff5 watched me 8613f16bba for a 0c514dfb6b moment and 2b60c04357 then handed a0f2478f2d the fork a0b9c2a595 back to 666752a4cc me.584f42eac1237f89

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“My lady, you need to become healthier than I am. Not only the Duke and the maids but even the head chef is worried that you’ve been eating less than before. In fact… your complexion seems worse than when you were detained above.”0609311027846ddc

Elizabeth carefully delivered the dea2a6ff40 news about my deteriorating fe4b8cd891 health.5596bd1daf419b18

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She raised her hand ec316a97bf to the window next 9de93edf9d to the terrace. The cold chill a5b61008d8 of the frosted e33f15bd28 glass rose through 9e4573cbb8 her palm.83345e651a2100d4

As she 18346c339d said, the 47ea22fca9 reflection on c165330bf0 the window 30133edddf made my ef503b6ba6 face appear e8470ce8ff significantly paler, 107923a152 perhaps even 6ea3ebd8ca more so e2bd6d2f8e than when bee0f14b7d I first 26630694d2 woke up 10925cc082 here.df02708696f2e927

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“It might be better not to open the windows.”5810a37c79117930

Elizabeth said cautiously.ca2254b2f274b635

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“Even though it looks like the weather has cleared up, they say the wind is strong. And the Duke…”6ac71c4a00966350

“Yes, don’t worry. I just saw it.”a5ca0c983b609f9d

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I lowered the hand d14d1322dc that had been on 996a3089c5 the window and gave f705f7c83a her a reasSureng smile.1846453fb38b9990

On snowy days, taking 6ac6f673aa a walk had become f51905d33d an unspoken taboo. Since it rarely stopped 3e7110f68b snowing in the northern 33c4bd97a9 region, I was trapped 7cc2514813 within the castle, just 7c0c85d297 like when I was 566a930d3e confined.d996d326157cdf21

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I had also stopped bdfd7d2a49 the daily ventilation that 1df082ce55 Suren used to insist 3618915934 on.7b465a40bb8cb021

It seemed 50e643a2d0 like there 74da64e9af was a 0e1b793b67 strong misconception e1b6fbf567 that my be84476695 illness was 4c16360b3f due to dccd2364b1 the cold 86c20c8d6c weather, even 5c14f4596e though my db166a852e pregnancy was 8325a117fe the cause.60a01caa4f06b705

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Even at a 7adc16ff07 glance, my face 339e8440ba reflected in the 1f77d04a03 window appeared extremely 1d755af177 pale. My cheeks were sunken, abf3f01be9 making me look as 389e910620 if I had been 10629a2ff8 suffering from a long-standing 539d4ceb71 illness.35293ed73274df05

It was quite 0363d5b59c reasonable to think ca21e3392a that way, considering a16aae4f8f there were two 619ca0ac04 people who were f957101dcd taking from me: ab7c46dec8 Deon and the 398a0a2c48 baby inside her e7790605e9 womb, soon to f95fa46793 be born.6fe68c684eb55367

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The Duke fb16b6cd49 taking my 46a777c54b blood and 4b3be3e3f6 the baby f8ed63ebc0 taking my 564059419e sanity. Being tormented by 5b618c8368 both of them, f6ece2836f my body had 370ab42d2e been deteriorating.ca534b2fda2db1ba

The doctor had mentioned fab026e6ab that I had just fe76e6eca1 passed the 20-week mark.98c62a1faa358ad4

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After 20 weeks, 2b33d199df would my eyes 43be5a3cf1 open?da14eb590b9df68a

The baby, with pure e17cb47982 hands that had never dc867c0956 touched anything before, easily 59b6d22f4b gripped my throat.1e9e9c3ea5ae5ce7

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I was too exhausted bfe8d88cff to even stand on fe3a7f9092 my two feet. I had to choose b3f546b8e7 my words carefully so e860333b39 as not to worry 598196a626 her. I muttered 820454f03f to myself e2cfe82691 as if 06e39d9fef talking to f452f6d871 myself.d3bb3e8ea2f004ab

“Your child is strong. Perhaps it’s because it’s a boy…”1b7ab905dc0df71d

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My words 4f96c77f76 startled Elizabeth, a068172953 and she 38932d867b looked up.9d1405f1f0b91962

“Oh, how do you know it’s a boy? I haven’t even found out because I haven’t had a gender prediction at the temple.”25a122786c2edf6d

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How would I know? I just knew because the heroine’s niece was a boy.c8d991f265d39300

“Just… I heard it by chance before. There’s a saying that you can determine the gender from the womb…”21920309332c0fa8

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“I see. Actually… I also secretly hoped it would be a boy. I wanted to send him as a knight for the Duke, but the northern region is just too cold, and I couldn’t bear to send my daughter there.”53c0a159b515f8eb

She laughed heartily.813ce0a3aa44642a

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“Lady Leonie, it’s amazing that you work in the north. You must be resilient to the cold. You may appear delicate on the outside, but you seem strong. I fell in love with you at first sight when you were holding a sword back then. If I have a daughter, I want to raise her like you.”fbd94fa4f0970308

She shyly e11e93c10f expressed her 866a10db9c wishes with c62687f73a a small 4d3678dac9 smile.393e922ccb2d4c16

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But really, it was a fate that wouldn’t happen, whether it’s a boy or a girl.3d26762fbc6ea334

Whether it’s a boy or a girl, that child would be just like me, and eventually, they would live a different life.ba225b498a26b479

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Unlike Leonie, that child b6ecfb9510 would have a righteous c3fa499005 family.61fd9f9b3df6bcdd

Elizabeth didn’t notice at all that I wasn’t here by choice, confined against my will.fb20a8293c80bf65

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I had no intention of informing her that I couldn’t escape from here, either.338e96ceba960844

“Lady. Arin? Are you… planning to dedicate that child to the Duke?”dd6172fdbc401994

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“To the Duke?”4ed4b09310e34155

She nodded in response 179cebb461 to my question.9ee0cedb459d5daf

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“I don’t know what it means to dedicate, but if it’s a vow of loyalty, then of course. It’s something that must be done.”f67012fe13dc54e8

“But what if the child refuses? A predetermined destiny… What if the lady’s child has talent as a scholar, and that child ends up on the battlefield, risking their life? If they have to live as an unmarried person for their entire life?”fd310c1bb3a9b96c

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Elizabeth, who had been 17325adf59 deep in thought, responded.b40af4945d48e68b

“There’s no other choice.”7a01e31ba10d4d95

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“No other choice?”136d937f20b35889

“If they have to give up their life, then naturally, they will. It’s like when we couldn’t prevent the previous Empress, Duke’s mother, from being dethroned. There were quite a few who gave up their territory or chose to end their lives due to misfortune.”be956e2a83878038

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Her eyes, 7f7466b35f which had 43d0d7016d always been 9cf2d1ffeb melancholic, shone 44bc2f55a8 brightly.a1ecd884fe16bd24

“We survived that time to protect the Duke, the son of the former Empress. We’ll do anything for his sake.”b902428f68b94162

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“Do all members of the family share the same sentiment?”d3cc72c2c1d1792d

“Well, maybe not.”be75ecc3770f71d2

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No, Elizabeth, it won’t be like that. Your sister loves her young niece dearly, enough to raise her with pride in the Duke’s family. She’ll be as dedicated to her niece as she once was to the sword she pulled from the family’s storage and wielded on behalf of the Duke.58bddcee1e30e940

It was bitter.c2ff4279873e41ca

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Leonie didn’t have any relatives to embrace her or someone brave enough to confront the Duke alongside her with a sword.14481a91813e532a

“Don’t you have an appetite? Shall I bring more pastries?”afd93edd6638a781

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Elizabeth asked as 1ffbb66979 she watched me b5638b2127 poking at my 66bb57b10d food in mid-air.d075effd93637fa8

“I’ve had enough. How about some tea instead of cookies?”82cb190ed8a95619

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She nodded.48f4a78d923e743d

“I’ll have coffee.”474bcb3e3382e0bb

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“Then I’ll have lemon tea. Here, will you prepare the tea for us?”7e5675f715681065

Elizabeth gestured to the 643ef63000 maid who had been f697cf5d17 waiting outside the door.3c7156f5880a0ab2

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Soon, a tray with 747ad6aec1 a freshly brewed teapot 781564fe55 and beautiful teacups arrived.95fe6417516e697a

“I’ll prepare the tea for you.”9d03d74aa5401593

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I raised my head 74dc8f9ac1 at the familiar voice.799d893739782150

Through the tall tray, I saw a familiar face. It wasn’t a kitchen maid; it was Suren.57d478baf7bbe001

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Suren pulled the tray fe75055a2c towards the tea table. She lifted the teapot c17856e3e6 lid and then placed be0f3deccb it back down.4712470d93b3a715

Her movements were surprisingly 05f913615e brisk and efficient.580261ef7bf4400a

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There was really f6934240d7 no need for e2121034e6 her to do b6d9b0e849 this.0f5005365600c2db

I furrowed my brow 913e20b17b and looked at the 4826d4d9cc teacup that was rattling.9f8eb7a32f8efecd

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The water in f9d579f726 the pot was 0e4e33b8cd boiling vigorously.14e83bcb9c92d32d

Right before it spilled 1e64d5901c over, she turned off 6da50c730f the stove. Then, she 8731cdb2f7 poured the 10f9f187ce water into 753fb087de the cups.9324ebbafcca8686

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The first cup of tea is usually discarded, but she didn’t tilt the teacup to do so.315f1702c177e233

As I watched her, 7555a5bb67 a sentence flashed in 9340708a22 my mind, a conversation bfc922357b I had with Suren a38259bd45 in the room, just 6cdf1c0adf before I fell ill.e2dcb7bf1c6ceb93

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‘It can be used as a sedative, but it can be fatal to pregnant women. There’s a risk of miscarriage.’09165a6364be6448

I turned to 3c7753b906 Suren.487f114f81b76e22

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She was 269998a41c opening a 195ac496c7 container and 097a2f4f08 putting white 0d7e8b58a0 powder into 03c2354e9a the teacup.c4a62847a1d1cd2f

One spoonful.edf539109256fae0

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Two spoonfuls.92f09c9727311c08

Three spoonfuls.02849feb9f9cb113

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Suren put several 2508aa45ad spoons into the 0caaa4f454 sugar container.4a3263c56863b467

It was fce7fad3a7 a greater d6d3ddef7a amount than 02ae2a74db Elizabeth usually 56bc169fb6 consumed.0b714ee0a9ecbf57

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