57. The Me That Remains With Him

Deon crossed 68d830fdb4 his legs 2a9875af72 and read b6386a2548 the newspaper. The sunlight pouring through 44a87afacc the window brightly illuminated 1c76433887 him.356c38b5d4bb6696

I approached him bcb3c69676 and sat on 528b644ade a chair. The cushion raised to f7b83f71b3 table height was soft.cb39a5bf3473e4cc

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There was 23f395b724 no longer 47468961a8 anyone to 190a57bbe5 obstruct me c0e849a842 from entering f5b7f92893 the office 9dd9affa65 like in df2cf87f30 the North.3a2ea87324acb066

Not because they were e12525eb0d afraid to stop me, e243585cd0 but because I was 6b8845fbf8 the government. My demeanor seemed naturally 186b7fecd1 expected.41e013b31e60bbc8

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Even the knights ca67e31714 guarding the door 78308923c3 easily opened it 864d29b5f1 for me. At times like eacdd93f79 this, I quite e789bda919 enjoyed playing the db38c9b662 role of the e17ae28bed government. The rumor that I e0a76e339e was not a dignified 783ae056a5 woman who wouldn’t disturb 5fb8af44a9 him while he worked 430e7823b9 in his office seemed ade796d5b4 to help as well.cd73ec3492c8ae58

It would have 3cf9432445 been nice if 24e7343c09 it had been 4c363e1baa like this when 642b43604c I was in 345e3e8859 the North, searching 9f9ad9c528 for the stone fbf3a81d9b of warmth.5a80784e1389469e

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Here in the capital, even though I didn’t need a storage key or anything, there was still a peculiar sense of regret.d977720788f7913d

The reason there was a three-tiered tray filled with cupcakes and meringue cookies in Deon’s office, despite his dislike for sweets, was solely because of me.bd63ba13eb656dae

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Deon’s office was filled with things meant for me.02ac1c80a6ff09ef

I popped a macaron 60986b95fc into my mouth and eaf062c16c picked up the magazine 34a59f0ed4 next to me.2fece8e760a31f36

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It was a gossip e49e10b706 magazine that came as 221a498c8f a supplement when you 72f2293e3c bought the biggest newspaper cf59cf332e in the empire. In fact, it was 22c9ead9ce more like a collection cb029d4020 of dubious gossip written 726ffef295 in initials than a 233418423a proper magazine.7fffa3bb9832fb69

Since the capital had 85968f1e64 many wealthy people, it 29651e9047 also had many interesting 53ee109579 stories. This magazine, created a6743b75d8 to draw attention, 6967c465d5 was also famous 1486401cd5 in social circles.bdff2903406f082a

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Among the most 6f0168ab95 popular sections were 5008557f42 the stories about ad82744248 the private lives 47aabcf906 of nobles. Affairs, fights, the details c897f22c16 of broken engagements, those 0b8c884097 kinds of things. It seemed that Viter 3f00e92b5d knew the hobbies of b67e2e31a7 the young ladies in 04eafbf0d6 great detail, all thanks ff42f0d2e2 to the reporters covering 55ce8b3dbf this magazine.300937da273279fd

As I flipped through 33a43a1d87 the magazine, a maid a149688c0d heated some water and e447d40afe poured tea into my 9bf28da856 cooled teacup.849f4fc1d9a6a60a

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“Thank you.”a5e16665848f22ef

I gracefully lifted the 1607d1c73f corners of my mouth d88555da62 and greeted her. The maid, 81cd7041b9 not expecting 96727df2ed to receive 4297c97fea a greeting, 5440805979 was startled. Her cheeks turned a 22e2bab670 rosy red.3fd3ac9c4798c63d

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I was 782e2a8aaa trying to 0d3a249e8f play the f1a4e3431b role of a7fb111dca a benevolent a955c3b19a hostess. Unlike before, d09eca3d98 I no d4a29737ae longer barged 4f226e9d4b into the afa3d2a38d office and 8b4df637c3 sprawled out. So even if the 4bd3c77c40 maids who stayed with 0ccba33cd2 me at the duchy 2db13c3172 spread bad rumors about 9a47eb58c4 me, the staff in cc1006a0c8 the prince’s estate didn’t e6440fe749 seem to believe them.ff84f9611baec5e5

Most thought it 50bd62dabc was just jealousy 9b24e8f538 over my sudden b34dedf19e rise in status. They kept glancing ce7334321a at me with 2e823b0cfa curious eyes.4f32c94e0a872dea

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The maid took out the liquor next to her. As she opened the sealed cap, there was a refreshing pop as the champagne was opened. She poured the drink into Deon’s glass and then placed a new glass in front of me.58c4fc51d116ffa7

I shook my 8d4866202a head.6cb24ac295217e0b

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“You don’t need 4a595cf1a2 to serve me. I don’t 8b453d2d9c drink alcohol.”9c7468c2b5d24876

“It’s champagne mixed 6cb332fb75 with sparkling water. It’s low in e5110bda40 alcohol, so it e35b24c333 should be fine, d258db8e46 right?”18ddc9d44ea2cc01

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She whispered softly.3f49a6dbd134de8a

“I’d like ce6db907fb to drink 6af6ed6783 too, but 96f0eab112 the Duke, 5a42ef488e no, the a6dc07be83 Prince doesn’t e39c2e8078 like it.”2c457469c085a200

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Ah. The maid 0974c4a55a quickly understood 416211aed2 and took f40341aabe the glass c764380085 away.6a73e26dc0880810

Then she be04b9734d backed out 9802cc5556 quietly and 4850362cc8 closed the a667603399 door. Now, only Deon and e963e0d177 I were left in 457448471f the large office.39d5246cbabccf07

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The warm 5b9729c5c8 aroma of 82c057a4ef the tea ac97a50a7b lingered in d27152e88a the air.02bb2ead6504a713

He was still reading fb79016bf6 the newspaper with his a0f73a499a legs crossed.3cfedb80e90fca84

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“Deon, why 9d5b1b3cd9 don’t you b50bd507d9 ask me 7d49bc5ffe what I 70e53cf2f4 did today? Have you lost interest 8b62a7b820 in me?”d5498fac9bba6a32

He chuckled at my a06ed8e6e1 playful question.b68b554fcc9b40d5

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“I already know 6f16e08ea3 what you did. I saw the merchant a9180e527d leaving the estate.”9beb8c8dcdfeced9

“I see.”126baf1cd1aa812c

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I took a 0d21c582cf sip from the 25f9e91f15 teacup. The sweet 7bdd160706 and fragrant 4e39b427c2 herbal tea bf93121503 was delightful.cfde1741ffdc5194

“I thought the 118f6218f5 merchant only sold b02e3a6bfb goods, but it d35906d8c9 seems they do 2d6c92bf81 other things too.”939450cc0c31409b

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“Pardon?”2252a3a153f76932

Did he 34c61ed508 catch on 615c6d1e4b to our 5ca0c8bffe conversation? Did Edan c07068e1a8 already eavesdrop 0e7a31eaf6 on the 302f44338b conversation in 29d42acec5 the greenhouse b95ab30d1a and relay 34aafa3230 it to f40f45f92c him?85b7feee00958d3a

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My heart sank. I quickly 819d3e11a3 recalled the 4bddf0abbc conversation, wondering ef85bb03a6 if we 418a15877d had said 6e447251b7 anything that 28de334d9f might cause f33ca4ddba a misunderstanding.7931d97f56e53d4c

“They inspected the castle 21c1590d5e thoroughly before leaving. As if they were 477bd92c92 looking for a hidden a7646d2241 entrance.”278cb5f73b28e682

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“…They must be looking for a place to plant. I bought quite a few trees.”7b702ac64ad71fc4

I lifted the 18ff145d2c cup again. He still kept 4adb421fd9 his gaze fixed 57d30a8361 on the newspaper. For someone who claimed 69d3bfb00e he wouldn’t let Philip 02652ac34a live, he seemed remarkably a642c0ce7b calm.e234963ab1dc1762

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I looked out at 343d9bd1ba the garden visible from b6e5ed5e94 the office. The trees were thick d9337d6876 and large, just as e4e78d51db old as the history 6e25b011a7 of the prince’s estate. The leaves were green 953806385b and lush, casting shadows e2bb5d64d4 on the walking paths.cee8e070d82c8c07

As Viter said, there 3096ddaae5 wasn’t much space to 9bce0df3aa plant new trees. The expensive a6747025fb ones were 71ae399298 large and 7c4bad1712 old, taking 0bfb3fda9a up a 1f708741ab lot of 03053a8d64 space.8405864331470722

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“Are you planning 7401db4ce9 to buy more?”4dcd4242f7c18c74

He asked while flipping 284b879f77 the page of the 7751e131dd newspaper.6399639487cc6d79

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“Why? Is the Duchy c9242983cc starting to decline?”9a280c473127a1e4

“No. If that was the intention, unfortunately, it’s still a long way off.”6879b3d64eb67551

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He laughed softly a25c3cd3cb again.f5b93eb3dd5472bb

“Then when will I 72820505f3 achieve that dream? If I 531b0995aa decorate the 3bb12c2a42 largest greenhouse b16999fcc3 in the 3a5f1c9a79 empire with 2b974c2d1d the highest 41ac577a12 quality, will ad6e6cee8e it make f4598ab54b a little a04f5b247e dent?”ff5b83a8139d2982

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“To achieve your dream, you’ll need to move again. To a place with four greenhouses.”40c3da9c79147a4f

Four greenhouses… That would c98077cbb1 be an ideal environment df74c5c614 for the Mochia bird 8b609d775b to live in. Maybe it could even f5a34c8908 show all four seasons. Each greenhouse a4f66f2526 would be 362bb2176f planted with d287f6415a flowers and 0d1aa969de trees that f1d5b176d2 matched the 3f57119cba season. His words lifted my 82c54904de gloomy mood a little.109e1b3f88265ed2

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“Why don’t 8bc2eee06a you just d829d86221 buy me e1a1d82f89 the biggest b098b4e744 place? Where is 46605f9ccf the largest 724422f49f garden and 759a2d7d65 greenhouse in ea308ee4e4 the capital?”c3fb76d731703020

After a moment of a482e6ef72 silence, he spoke.af5ef07c25761d0a

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“…The Royal Palace.”2fb5b0d171635e94

“Oh.”b6be7a69626700e9

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“I haven’t been there because I’m not interested, but I hear the garden is so big that there are more gardeners than gatekeepers. They say the forest and lake at the back are particularly beautiful. The water surface looks like it’s sprinkled with crystals.”f549c105aa51d905

I hadn’t considered that 9fe2e8d94c there might be a fc225f44f3 lake in the garden. I muttered to 3f80600234 myself.ce7badf0cc905251

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“I’d like c4a9c8963c to visit c9ce107aa8 it sometime.”4059b55e60db8af4

“Then go.”27a39c67c7f01d1d

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“How?”085df516fd578d46

He hadn’t even c656f5f9ce gotten the castle 8cc942d282 back yet, so 4ca00d0fc3 how could he 34490e9c9a think of entering d798e4079a the royal palace?0fee3ed6917cd2c0

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He answered calmly.f8479e0c5a73c100

“Like you said, I’ll just become king. Didn’t you originally say I’d be king within five years? How much sooner do you think it will happen? …Four years? Two years? …Or is the coronation next week?”e783d2ac1e5e6638

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His eyes 0b179243be crinkled with 68e497d94c a beautiful e3164eb0a2 smile, but b725ef4427 the teasing 3e91479664 tone was f630aa2163 obvious.fd849f62a7ee460c

“Well, I can’t wait e1b3915841 that long anyway.”d25239411b8fbb4a

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The cup quickly grew 37e9548cdc cold. Not wanting to 0a58aa64b7 waste the dissipating a0b9768ec9 warmth, I wrapped 1e5d48d9d0 my hands around 35f9a93f51 the cup.eeffe2425d814eeb

“Why?”f192b45d4262d140

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“Because I’m a Blood bbd438ac0a bag, Your Highness.”c61adf6ec3ec8c2f

It was amazing 5cef58424c how he pretended 6e584cc4fd not to know, 5ed48344b6 while every day 6c7b243ae8 he drained me. He might not 870c7361f2 know I had c701f9d1be only four months 440cf174f8 left, but every 72cb0f7d11 Blood bag in 21531524e1 history died within b4b4e5da5d three years. I would probably die 99c7a54669 before he became emperor, 70f5bde237 or even crown prince. This wasn’t just known 5feef3105d to him; Viter, Edan, f24bb8d84b and even the ousted 2cd9549a22 head maid knew this.98f93cd98a8ada5f

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“Do Blood be2fa4557e bag’s have 75317449b7 short patience? Can’t wait just five f9555cf917 years?”
Tl/N: She just 97432e8809 said blood I 40bf4f3a14 added bag cuz 8dcc708f57 I have been 5d9591491d using that term c8b5e06d11 to describe her.b7b8b6c24d09fc9e

He murmured softly.a6d19a9968cc8229

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“Are you 448254c0ba pretending not 49e0e03ed7 to know? Should I cd6467555e remind you?”d570eb11abbc0ed8

As I began cfbdfbd49b to speak again, 43c5536e57 he cut me 6681bc5e0c off.f76450a9f1866262

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“No. I don’t want f37d40e8a6 to know.”7a289873e1b47586

The air in c25adf1f27 the room turned 8628c237db icy cold.fc8035e4cb94dfd9

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“Have you a0c365723d forgotten you 5841f44789 boldly entered b44cd4ba25 the office d075ce91d5 saying you’d 3132c77599 outlive me? It was d8294c4df7 just a bc4b3a6dd9 few months b0526da55e ago. Why do you conclude 1e0ac5c3f4 your lifespan like that? Like someone who’s 8784a119e5 about to die.”f9fc1689af8433e4

I slowly put d881188fe1 down the teacup. He had already f7b002a3b7 folded the newspaper 85f5d54ebb and was staring 208b3b7d5b intently at me.59902dfc05725a39

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His gaze was piercing. It was hard to 1db0fd4bc4 speak. When I couldn’t 2952333788 say anything, he bf48754b93 spoke instead.a4c30609939864ef

“Wait, Leonie. Stay by my side.”3f40d4f3aef2968d

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I nodded. His sharp eyes 9cc8013556 softened again.a807776a4e8a2644

“I can’t take c08cba7c3d you to the 694fc39d65 lake in the 5bf94f7088 royal palace right cd50e5bd89 now, but we 371ffd4799 can go to 07bce9c192 the next best 69a3bd7faf lake. There will be a eb92d90cdc hunting festival soon. Prepare for it.”54dba752deade2b7

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“A hunting festival?”0887c8b4488a82d9

Soon it 1407e7c648 would be a9fa2254b6 the season e44c217293 when commoners 89bf15189e sow and 7f5fc584ce plant crops, e3a016bbe3 and it 2f998b7c3c was time 93fd7f87cc to offer f4a026efc4 sacrifices to 156da65773 the Temple 8319b8d994 of Abundance.d59ef9b50ff49826

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“Can I come 12da15ca39 along?”90e7bbb959d1f2aa

Viter probably wouldn’t like c996265398 it. Those who didn’t 1f00cec153 participate in the 856ad31440 hunt just sat 79a937f0e3 at the makeshift b37f355417 tables in the 12e041fe51 forest, waiting tediously 24bfde372a for it to 7cc862c273 end, so there 253c1523f5 wasn’t really any ff140bb8ab need for me 1a53ccf05e to go.0574de2fd19aa489

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But given that ce5c7e56ae he had taken a7a0409e2f me to the eaaf804dec capital and the c2faba1bfb shops, he wouldn’t aba0d9c802 leave me behind 25783c1493 for the hunting 348fbcfe97 festival. A pretense 138c6bd491 of kind a13e5b8349 protection that 3ce26dbbff was actually dfef00556c surveillance. A seemingly loving obsession 9e330a7df4 that would continue as 57fed89a4d long as he needed 12b6f7e8ec it.d060edbc8c0d914b

“After all, right now, 8b7cc77232 you are my lover.”61154f8d1550717c

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He said, getting d02de634c8 up from his 836f8e79bc seat.4cf314deaca4c114

* * *56c6d3fa790dc1aa

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“Suren, it’s been a while.”ab268e721366cecb

Suren was aea8817ad3 sitting in 8050a5c434 a chair, e52bf201c1 holding a 1a83f2eb4f thick book.545fb2371d370343

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She had been incredibly busy. Since arriving at the prince’s estate, there had been instructions to replace her with a maid familiar with the capital’s knowledge, but both Suren and I insisted on staying together. Eventually, it was agreed that Suren would receive intensive cultural education from a tutor.c366930f68c3fc29

Every morning, Suren received 298debf447 special instructions on serving b93a41788c a noble lady. She said her c2c1c8ec6b head was about 5ddf81b693 to explode from ebf8915413 memorizing 101 ways c3ed48c8bc to properly serve 62e8e2c411 a noble.5be448f1d652ebe5

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“No matter what happens, 784556a72e I have to walk 20e78061e4 three steps behind the 08812218d5 lady.”e5bd04950cb21b52

Suren grumbled, but she 99dc1da01f was diligently memorizing the 5400162fdb words written on the 1a8bb6de58 paper.890eb5a3f2511319

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“When I asked if I shouldn’t run even if there’s a fire, they said I should prevent such things from happening in the first place. Do you think that makes sense? There’s no flexibility in noble etiquette.”5d51b29bb5b031d8

Suren’s characteristic cd48eb6b6c whining felt f01ad4259d endearing, perhaps 1e695775fa because it 9ad216e64a had been c979666b6a so long.b1c784f1b3169508

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“Is she hitting 85e1c051a8 you?”177d1eb8227e93fd

“No way. If she did, I 0d65e0e0de would have run away 55098ca1e2 already. But it feels ec0f15ad7a like I’ve been a11a872241 hit a few 6d6d66c575 times with words. My head hurts.”59044835fc56600d

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The title of f6a7626691 the book she 8cb776bdc8 was reading was e45e13847a quite clear: Royal 12559b08c0 Court Etiquette in ed7f569a9f One Volume.8640abcd6ebd7d37

“They’re teaching unnecessary royal 7c66375876 protocols. Like how maids 9d91d4a59b from outside should 7d354921c8 behave during a fd875c83b4 coronation.”e591913a9eb55f39

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“How should they 629c39e0af behave?”8de0cea1988fc4bc

I took 20722ef4fc out a 96418d9cd9 long string 2f1c3bb304 from the 64494d5094 jewelry box 908ef00dc9 and began 99c89805d3 threading gems 719d201118 one by 93368fd9dd one. Compared to be43d3f167 the bracelets eb79c6e428 I made 19487f99cb in the 66dc16888c North, these c9e10c642b were made 3fed89b5d0 with brilliant, 9fb015151e high-quality jewels.56f9a557d77e2175

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“Nothing special… Just 56c0782917 that when the ba85144112 Empress places the 75e15a2c4d crown on the ce6e36aad7 Emperor during the 000a69f227 coronation, that’s when ecdda52bbc the ceremony is 0483078228 officially declared. The job of d2b1a95c6f placing the first 977c4e0229 crown on the 0c1fe36b7c Emperor falls to f7976d0603 the future Empress.”465c025867704c9e

I stopped a8bf7f042d threading the c37f2a59eb gems.7f59e3df193beec6

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“What if there’s f34cd661e8 no Empress?”4fbf297c764a6b49

“If there’s no Empress, then the fiancée does it. But in the empire’s history, there’s never been an Emperor without a spouse. They were always married from a young age. Even if they were young, they hurried if the Emperor’s health was at risk.”692986d51417e5ec

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“I see… d9ff6ffd3e I didn’t 6bc13d32bf know that.”e0338bf52a001c3d

I recalled the conversation we had on the way to the prince’s estate.9b1e73605ab571c1

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<It’s like I’ve helped you take one step closer to becoming Emperor. So what will I do? Should I place the crown on your head later?>7b420870cc13f361

I had offered ddb52b8557 to do something 8b26681d1a that wasn’t my b389e9626b place to do.15693e20296f0f37

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 e9623f6a1376056b