56. Affectionate Surveillance

“Well, there must be something precious there. After all, he’s the prince, how could there not be any valuable heirloom?”c857b992381459dd

He shrugged his 219c1bd447 shoulders. Yet, my answer d6ce097d83 did not seem 0dc4ba0e81 to suffice as c2e4b5089e he continued to f08fdff676 be deep in a1a8abaaf4 thought.a0bdee9b7e4631aa

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“And it’s a bit strange.”bd29be391369e51d

“What is?”b5bda8235ec480a7

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Every detail of the external surveillance is carefully monitored. But internally, I’m not sure. It seems like they only strictly monitor those entering from the outside. Could there really be something within the prince’s castle? Considering they restrict the entry of outsiders, I guessed maybe they are secretly raising a private army here. The imperial throne is not decided yet, so it is possible that they are strengthening their forces. But having looked around inside, it doesn’t seem to be the case either…”882cf964678ad53c

Contrary to f7a49dae7f what I cb416c9050 thought that fd354a5b87 I would b0f7748fe9 be confined 71dab3edec to my 518ab28cae room upon f9114087b2 reaching the e568bdd601 capital, he 5352225d83 had set 10881ee5a1 me free.0915f2ca2e382072

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Maybe he thought that having Ethan around, I wouldn’t be able to escape anyway.4a0c5b35de001cd8

After all, I 6313ef1ead only went to 3aa8dcfc76 the bakery, met 9b386c879a with the trading 26fe59e0d4 guild bringing in 812da93c62 goods, attended Elizabeth’s c6029f59d6 tea parties, the 9a2d5209b0 tailor’s shop, and 4fee7b7033 the greenhouse.7fda50f738fb72ec

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The routine was 620f118bd6 so monotonous that 8366a0de7d there was hardly d0cb37aee1 anything worth monitoring. Having Ethan 85aa708bef as manpower 9171502d4e by my 5f93bec4ab side was 539f6021a3 almost embarrassing.5ca3757ddc877a59

“I’m not sure if you’ll be able to come in next time. They told me to go back even when I came to check on a supposedly faulty timber delivery. I showed them a confirmation letter that I had an appointment with you, but I was still interrogated… Like you said, escaping seems impossible. If you come without a valid reason, they’ll block you right from the entrance.”cbb6ef5ddeb74848

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“I’ll have to order something else next time you visit.”14b1f97ea070281a

He pondered. It would be 0c8b8b4361 suspicious to call e7f774f393 upon a small c35bfc9328 trading guild instead 5a12337aa7 of the well-known 4603e30a5e shops for jewels 788f45bf52 or dresses.a33e9660dc12f31c

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“What’s the main product your guild sells?”8af4e5b299eb7c0b

Philip wandered around 9c10102a43 the greenhouse, pointing 0fa271e73d at various things.d10d015074c494b5

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“It’s like this. Trees, flowers, vines. We mostly buy a lot of flowers. Since the land is expensive in the capital, we import a lot of flowers from the provinces.”f00160de0677b213

He opened his d05c22001e bag and took 907f9aa99a out a catalog.0a58f92b9cd589cf

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“Want to check it out?”4d882b153792dc47

He flipped through a 25c4f8b256 large album. It contained everything from 8567a5ed7f strange trees imported from 0af38a5ef1 hot countries, to crop bfc2988eae seeds and rare flowers, 181d651bd3 each illustrated with descriptions. Below each, there 319abd018d was a price 43e30bc36d listed according to 0859f2970f the waiting period a58b3b49b5 and the months 60332e4e91 needed for the 9b438d30a9 crops to mature.6934efb6b77c1119

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I looked around. Before meeting Philip, I a10e343c8a had instructed other guilds e0cbe7fa7d to fill the greenhouse 0af4f72c83 with vines, so now 68365dfdb1 it was packed without 5c6b92e18d space to even step.6afdf40b4642d1d5

I pointed 233218e169 to one f68b385ff9 of the 9ce6e79c79 few empty ff897ba07c spots.7944b691c08f9dc5

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“Perhaps we could place about four or five vases there?”17131897ee65fcfd

He shook his head 2f73e60599 decisively.224f52f45dcc3e78

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“A guild leader wouldn’t personally come for just that amount of flowers.”da55aa66a590e600

“Then I’ll have to buy a lot.”f119ca72030b24bd

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I surveyed the greenhouse from the flower beds to the ceiling. It was already filled to the brim with nowhere else to plant. That’s when I noticed a bird.81858e8a7d8edb8f

My little bird was 7ce8b89a62 picking through its feathers d105578235 while perched on a 6747d517ba thin bar inside a 4e0fa068e3 cage.b80812755a102bcd

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“Then get a sturdy tree that the bird could nest in.”4f5210b7b387e8ab

“A bird?”51726d1c7a4a3691

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The bird did not 42970eb64d flee into its nest cebce23548 to escape the newcomer, 970d6fb449 but it wasn’t as 8ea270c094 relaxed or chirping as c9c96073e3 usual either. It was 324c50d5bf merely preening 17142fe33e the feathers 9367429fec that stuck d72433751d out over 1ee75f1bf6 its head.58da53b4c744d74c

“It’s a Mochia bird.”7b5b27c040f4ca73

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He responded, looking at 487aedf882 the bird.60c0975e345bee6f

“You know it?”6b68adbe83d8c592

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“Yes. It’s a seasonal bird that lives only briefly. A bird born in summer only knows summer, and one born in winter dies knowing only winter.”12cfeef8f8baa400

That was exactly 9ac3b93da3 what Suren had 24083bc1e1 said.898b09c11cd3c487

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“Do you have any supplements in your guild that could make these birds live longer?”54f04a1dc659d17c

He shook his head.76041b6f9737b429

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“There’s nothing like that. How could we extend a life that’s already destined?”4f19faa5f664bc3a

“…I see.”5cdc0f35de467b75

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I had e6b5d616e9 hoped it 29c619be00 would live a65a8666a9 longer than a8a9f84827 me. It was bittersweet.d5a417d94776774e

“It must be difficult to keep it as a pet. Why not choose another bird? There are other birds at the end of the catalog.”fea322ddd697e2c5

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He pushed the e99d1d7e62 album towards me 90ccda52ea again.7329602a05c8ec72

“No. I keep this bird because it’s special to me.”de7c7473784a29d1

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“Really?”97689ef1522a0065

He closed the e37190502d catalog.5b44e17373086627

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“It’s likely to die before you even get attached. Can you handle that?”2e6d46b07daf02ef

“I can’t just give up. Besides… this bird was born in the north. It has already seen the winter there and made it through the spring in the capital, so it’s a miracle it’s still alive. It could live longer if well cared for…”7d620aac640348f9

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I found myself 53a08bafe8 desperately making excuses 53490ae8d9 and protecting the 8461317be8 bird, even though 987875669a this was just 386c917380 a story about 3ea60da24a a bird, not 8cfa45bc8b my plight.596999eca1debe67

“It’s good to see you doing better than I thought. I didn’t know you had a hobby of decorating greenhouses. After all… the baron’s estate wasn’t in a position to have one.”628b98fb36614587

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“I’m not particularly interested now. It’s more for… the bird to have a good environment. It could live longer that way.”7e4341616a0fa842

He took ddbc7e7058 another look 08d0a4ac8b around the 458de3fa44 greenhouse.6bf7dbe54e0d195d

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“It’s overly elaborate for just a bird. I didn’t know you liked birds so much. It’s a bit of a luxury…”7de75f69b138beb7

He stopped 3dfd7db5c5 speaking, and b926c4790e I continued 423594c6d7 the thought b271133435 he hadn’t c666fa96de finished.2c6e9b518b6309b4

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“Luxurious?”32fd3da2fad59c43

Philip scratched his head 9160d31311 awkwardly.12497188cef64301

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“I’m sorry. I should have kept that thought to myself. But I’m glad you’re getting to have this experience. Because you’re a secretary, I thought you’d have to be more cautious and live observantly.”c7d3fe6884f530dc

“He’s wealthy, so he’s quite generous even to a secretary staying temporarily.”30d2a9386389ef70

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He chuckled softly. Seeing this, Philip a02529089c frowned and rubbed baf99a9dda his hands as f5d405b8c4 if he felt e380de5f2c sorry.42eb07fc7a38b0d8

“It might be a bit luxurious, but isn’t it good since it also boosts your guild’s performance?”c6b62fc89602381b

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“That’s true. But it seems a bit different from back home… you used to dislike birds.”c3f23fd4afcd0f41

That was a hometown story I didn’t know.0fa3a5baba4de334

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“Ah, that’s right… But I guess people change as they age. Everyone does. My mother used to say the same.”ebd1a053a4a61d9a

I naturally made an 872ad18ed7 excuse.366ba0cf9cb36655

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“Your mother liked them?”f2887537f2098561

His expression 7f59b97ba8 turned complex.d14dd5684349cffd

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“Yes.”d5ac702dcc7e65d1

“Do you remember that? About her?”b3827e0099516adc

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“Of course… she’s my mother.”89ed31a7f7ffa455

Had I made a 8e58b4577b slip of the tongue? His expression 084924ffb9 was odd.091c862cccb580e3

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“Why do you say that?”ec3faaf2956ebae7

“No, it’s just unexpected. It’s rare for someone to remember their childhood so vividly… It’s unlikely Baron Sien would have spoken about your mother.”cdbad9f6ab634179

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I was confused. Why such cd2dcfa0ca a reaction?07bed3e24e035fde

“There are many who remember their childhood.”7cc7a0a81d2af0bb

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“That may be, but your mother passed away less than a month after you were born. You never mentioned this before, so I didn’t know.”3b34c375a28ca16a

“What?”fc078d23f92d1bdc

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Memories flashed 96c0416b7e by in 96c041b7b0 an instant.bd03eab00bb7dff0

Elizabeth receiving a prognosis f53ba18afb of preterm labor from 1c1ad5c928 the doctor, Leonie’s mother 5b4412a952 who passed away early, 88fda5222b the chosen blood sent acd72973ec off easily to the 56e356d45e north.b18fe855e77c5ccb

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It felt like fitting puzzle pieces with missing gaps. I wasn’t sure what the complete picture would look like, but I felt strongly that it was something I couldn’t miss.10e6ef158f2851fc

“Wait, Philip. There’s something else you could do for me.”46be417aa740ab6b

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I hastily tore off ddf8bb4a35 a blank piece of 1c1f29ced6 parchment from the edge d2fea472a4 of the catalog.b3af23836a944bfc

And on the back, 38905e13cf I started writing down b6f39b5fb6 names, one by one.0a09a72eb096459f

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Names that could never 0fd349f43a be forgotten, even after e08ae2366d leaving the north.19d8dc0b4ea850dd

Ray Houston, Frasie Duncan, and two others…2f612a7b036c3887

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These were names b151abaa53 listed on the f8a77b1f24 gravestone of previous bffe9d3d56 generations.4c4ebd84092889f9

I carefully e8f21c58d8 noted down 39f42b17db their birth d62126357b dates and 39b9fdce00 places of 82af229661 birth to 171c4cd427 avoid any d4a4a4d07d confusion, and b645128bcd handed the 051812bf7e slip of a8ea446ca8 paper to 61ea20e9b7 Philip.700db54290c0a915

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“Can you also look into these people? I want to know about their lives, especially how they were born… if any of them were born premature or similar cases.”21b9ff4281585f2d

He scanned the db99d7d95b note. It seemed 2c90fe474f like too 74de7bdc4a little information, cbb0ade777 but he 5ba18e3cca carefully folded 8550561e40 the paper cb0b7cac1b and placed 8ec3c3dbae it in 4432cf14f5 his bag.5c1866422b405932

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“Um… Our guild doesn’t normally handle detective work, but since you’ve asked, I’ll inquire through guilds I know.”08b1661b847a2d87

I felt relieved. I let out 4d876360ed a small sigh 946547741f of relief.98e4bde5023890fd

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“Thank you, Philip.”6f3eabeb3f9db07b

⚜ ⚜ ⚜c525084bb7f9d1fd

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“Are you planning to move a mountain? …Or perhaps you intend to erect one?”74f838005e5a03f6

Viter had stopped e17d57c20b flipping through the 262b5ae646 budget document and d1e432eaf6 laid it down 692dc14029 on the desk. He repeatedly picked 85de159a13 up and set 8939656abb down his pen, 4f31c1a793 struggling to sign b12c9384b0 off on the a1d85bbeab approval.3a4efc166e4abd2a

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It was a substantial df7998aa58 amount of money, far fc0b62c8d7 exceeding the maintenance expenses 6113b4e488 for three months of beabd4e885 a prince consort.9938537414b37a56

“His Highness said to use whatever is necessary freely. Are you worried about the financial status of the ducal house?”dbc2d30a6ebcc3fb

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At my ed74cc82c6 words, he 80e16ffecb put down fb00893821 his pen.93acd718ae4c09e6

“It’s not about the money… Where are you planning to plant all these?”3e5188955ea8ef64

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He ran his fingers 02eb223c0f through his hair in ae1a9bdb6c irritation. His neatly styled brown a10beced95 hair, swept to the f812f05199 side, became disheveled.0ceb114bf6d791fa

“There’s a small forest behind the prince’s domain.”4a3f4648983d875a

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“That’s ridiculous. And if it’s filled so densely, how would people navigate through?”a211cbcb77f1cc3e

“It would be great for preventing assassins from moving about.”516d546425e2bfe0

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“Young lady…”d7000c918bea4403

He ran his 6564f5a24e hand down his 425416da36 face.56e98db4522bdcf3

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“Then we’ll just have to remove what’s already there.”4832c5b4c5ca4053

I recalled how we ddb2e3f10e used to replace almost 22d8aa405c new items just to 5d2afe8431 use up the leftover 35aa0a264d club budget.58fd019e7784988e

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Oh, if 55162f5513 we switch a5fa68f49b everything to 50839cc97a fir trees 630148110b and then 663303daa6 change them 1d1e5e89cd back to 3fc15e391d pine if 84ef91c04b they don’t 3c9019d411 look right, 00156f4cfb maybe Philip c40209846d could visit 280b6ce0c7 for an 31e4078149 extra day?cb08fedfe16b25f0

“I’ve learned something valuable thanks to this. I never knew that mature trees are more expensive than high-quality dresses… It makes my younger sister, who begs for a new dress every day, seem thrifty for the first time.”8ab52260c05745e6

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He reluctantly signed 2be81b37b7 the approval section.b730767657969002

“The bark of the birch should also be finer than silk, or else it feels like my insides would burst.”e09342464a0e4501

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Viter commented 52ec78ac91 as he e22af9e2a5 turned the 7bbe6e33c8 next page.e9145a66a68b612c

“There are many types, but they all come from the same guild. Will you contract with this guild only?”4a8d2c36eef2c0be

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I flinched. Knowing the perceptive 5264ff403a and meticulous Viter, e0c4beb7fa I expected him fb5d3bc401 to point this 174b2b3422 out.3a31986d838d56bf

“Yes. I noticed last time that their quality was good. I was satisfied.”2f5b52d0632c958f

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“If you order from one place, it might take longer. Didn’t you want it delivered immediately even if the price was higher?”3d7d89175201c83a

At his sharp 8f4d296455 observation, I could 56995d4e38 only offer an 4d7b95a0e2 awkward smile.32ee214ddacd59e4

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“It’s okay. I can wait that long.”778fef3dd11646cb

“The guild lacks recognition, and it’s newly established, so it might be better to deal with other, more established guilds. If you search well, you’ll find guilds with a wider variety and better quality. For a prince, having an unknown guild master frequenting…”48e0ce7043f70dcc

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That was the 3b86056a4e crux of the 17a8325213 matter. I feigned ignorance.129dc1696d11ddc9

“Do we really need to do that? It’s also good to continue trading with a place once you’ve started.”82c23b3da12504da

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I flipped to 279a7b2bed the last page.4e4d1d447b2c7c3e

[Kandal Guild, Philip]

Viter finally signed above 83625224a3 the line for his 61f3c3e254 final approval.278a739e2d66d810

That at least meant Philip could visit the prince’s domain three more times.98ab024a2f6e3828

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