72. Resolving Relationships

“Could you open the well for us?”a68bf52e275aaadf

“The well?”f6bb89ec4899665e

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

It seemed the child 249d368894 was asking for water. Now that I noticed, b0b6be725c the child was carrying 0056db698c a large wooden bucket 4f39823e61 almost as big as d007415606 themselves.ee7bfcb3c976312e

“I heard there’s a well inside the mansion. Can we draw water from it?”1ca4b0f5b87d7b59

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

The child spoke clearly, 552ad6c68f stating what they wanted.197b27d656583ac0

It seemed d094415a41 like they 1a73891022 had practiced c0fd1b3800 asking this 805370ab76 many times, d87cfb3ef1 speaking with 7481620f8a an urgency 531fbbedc9 reflected in 792fb52763 their swallowing c57d79a4ac throat.ffd5795c5f7e5788

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“Are you thirsty? There’s a lake right in the middle of the estate.”20528de3f82d8487

Maybe they 1f0cd5400f weren’t allowed ac7bc144bb to access 4ddc8a5199 the lake.d95c936bdf112236

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

As I 040e8acc85 pondered this, 1903015377 another child a1331d4fe0 jumped out e4514d4c78 and shouted 9a683840d8 loudly.44225b57993c56dc

“We can’t drink that water! It’s salty.”90951d6fcd1e5e15

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

So that’s 50a78a0a7b why the 31b330087f lake looked 05dec3dd6c so beautiful—it 56c9d35900 was because abb09272fd of the fe6defe659 salt content.3c52ca184ec930f9

“How much water do you need?”a378496440f5d6b6

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Suren, who had f213418495 been observing the 4875020537 situation, stepped in.280e1512a8f5cd57

“My lady, you can’t. With all the servants moving in, we don’t know how much water we’ll need.”420625ed4c257e50

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“It’s fine. I’ll use less.”60aacad35a4b7f74

“You don’t need to worry about the villagers. Technically, this place belongs to His Highness, and whether they starve or get looted is not your concern. You should only worry about yourself. Selfishly.”3f2e53dbc3b08904

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“Suren, look.”35f14589f2d13bab

I gently c5710e2b79 tapped Suren’s 408cf839f1 shoulder to 37d0ef1e2b calm her 5e458d0dae down and fc5f0b4c99 pointed at d14486ba72 the children’s 4f271bf3e9 hair.7c8fa869068c9436

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Their hair d9e7bd6089 had an 064ed86b4a unusual purple a17a5deda5 hue. The sunlight made d598b66087 it shine even feb4f854d1 more vividly. Though dirty and greasy f20f0ecdc8 from lack of washing, f0723bfa80 the color was striking.e5412d79f046d412

“I’ve never seen such hair before. These children must be of a minority lineage, right?”80540341beca2e84

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“Yes, but… that doesn’t mean you feel particularly sympathetic or want to help them, does it?”5cdb0d9c20bd9ad5

“And why wouldn’t I?”173453d02af7b99a

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

When I teased, 5a33b0f352 Suren shook her c2a73fe9c1 head firmly.a9d56e60a5d80d1c

“If you start helping, it will never end. Their parents are probably also of minority lineage. Will you take care of all of them too?”5756b465161b8715

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“As I’ve observed, there aren’t many residents in this estate.”fae43175bfe6da8a

The butler’s words were 1aff7288b1 true. There were few c71ddd85a1 residents in the 46d7050a68 estate.cda76962841e83ae

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

It seemed more people e8d5a0ea53 had migrated here from 4c653f7ed6 other places than there 7affd48d77 were locals. The lack of cb177a188b an attentive owner 486f65ddd5 and lax management d6bab736fc contributed to this b520c3093e situation.c242ed201e23dfad

Because there was no 5b86ebc2f2 owner, people had settled 1a4748b470 here without much worry, e2d8a111bf but this also meant f9951776e1 they didn’t receive support 35d92ad7a4 during hard times, leaving 315b55e9d2 them to starve. Everyone was struggling, so aefab0058f they couldn’t even beg abbab99d17 from others.f9e21344b7152456

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“The only well is inside the mansion. It’s heavily locked, and the high walls must have prevented anyone from easily accessing it.”caf2b791fa9b2cd0

“It would be theft if they just barged in because there’s no owner.”33602879a4d60768

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

The child holding the 0bfb24f154 bucket raised their head 6c0953dc29 at Suren’s words.c7917f75dc33d6cf

“We never tried to climb over the walls.”451b386ec330192d

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“…But you did try to climb once and slipped, didn’t you?”919d39e3060f0fd0

Another child muttered 45ae5e82b6 softly, revealing the 7fe39efb5e truth.bc0ca7164cca5df1

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“Shh, be quiet.”547981e701a21c23

The children whispered to 98bf4a7fa2 each other, chattering without 1d2afd626c being asked.7901927ecfcd9893

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“But why are you asking me? There’s someone in charge of this estate. Did they refuse you?”f0b229d791bcbbb6

“No.”518bdc819e413ec0

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

The child shook their 2910975b65 head vigorously.1845ed70b4c5d8c5

“You’re a noble lady, right? You seemed like the highest authority here.”c83ee728c2b2bf54

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Their response abdedc9d45 was innocent. They must have misunderstood c852c43060 because I was the 083ceade40 only one wearing a 34c1a46933 dress adorned with a b88d9760b3 jeweled brooch.7fbac664930b3f2e

“I’ll open it for you today. But from now on, you should ask the older man instead. He manages this estate and will take care of you.”daf6ee81445d5194

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

The butler was Deon’s man and had a duty to manage this estate as well. He wouldn’t completely ignore the villagers.d841c447ca11a610

I led the children ab57d4cf6b to the mansion.66696cd66e15fb56

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

There was a ea3c36c0e3 well in the 12258d5df5 front yard. It was narrow 499fa39573 and deep, requiring 8531de69ec the rope to d3e28c1eb6 be lowered for 21e5ea2ad4 quite a while. There was a b242acf270 clunking sound, and cebdfd69af a faint vibration a473e083ba indicated that it b6c412db5e had reached the 2b6d4ac304 bottom. Judging by the 6b3f346fb9 feeling, the water f5355cf495 level was low. The well seemed d8ecd782ec almost dry.1717022829ca34d5

I pulled up the 922c37b826 rope. The handle kept 83f419302d slipping.a8df01b4cd8ae896

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

My arms strained. After several attempts, I managed to draw up some water. Despite the effort, the water’s condition wasn’t too bad.cb61422a20f6ac99

I poured 8985f42554 the water 8eccb966e3 into the 3ee44bec5c bucket the 2740d51c30 child had dfcdc90018 brought. The child held 8158e4394c the bucket tightly 6c4a7ffee2 with small hands 0030f0d3b7 to ensure not ad9cf9c4a7 a drop was 46273236ea lost.6e08760a8c1cd614

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“Thank you.”a8701e0427fa6af3

Finally, the child’s face lit up.2e1166b5e723021a

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Though I 6e784a0c6c had poured e109140509 all the 3ee2fec2b9 water, the f3b826aa1e child seemed 2f0ca66fe7 to have d460bfc76c more to 759954b0ce say, standing 81bc104d4c there looking c52cb56228 at me.a90c5cbf21f6e070

“Do you need more?”9e873e404ddf5ecb

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

The child shook their db5e2f3bf9 head but then hesitated 3b04560ca0 before speaking.02e898909fcb4c2d

“I heard a scary duke lives here. Is it okay for us to be here?”94501730c81a8649

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

The child’s innocent eyes looking up at me were endearing. I laughed softly.f6d1d397c04dab9d

“You’ve got it wrong. I don’t know about scary, but he’s no longer a duke. The owner of this estate is now a prince.”c2cca6460a35927e

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“Really? A royal? Someone who lives in the castle?”61bfc0e455b451a8

“Yes.”d43dc742d7aa5cdb

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

I nodded. The child’s eyes widened in surprise, and their cheeks flushed with excitement.99e3ad6e23a5c329

Another child, 60a3b29e3a darker-skinned but 45eced9a42 not dirty, 8167c07b61 squeezed closer.4ed686536a9224d6

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“What’s your relationship with the prince? My mom says only people who are going to get married live together. Is that true?”51e8284558aee71e

“Hey, you shouldn’t ask such questions. I’m sorry.”0eb5d34ad6ab748d

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

The older child, cee8def85c probably just two c39ccd2db9 or three years 10b7f494c5 older, bowed the df67fa1450 younger one’s head 3b2564942e in apology, acting 5810a499c5 quite maturely.d485b16efe5382e8

“Wait here for a moment.”3ad25401234e90c7

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

I picked some 18be6959b9 apples from a ff83d1ff31 tree next to e38d52b732 the well. They were 19153d0962 just out 220cd07512 of reach 4b745ce5fb for the 29b00b09c1 children.c31d876835185300

I handed a handful 91e709541e of apples to the fd5f024c42 children and ruffled their 9697e609c0 hair casually.c5849caf0e0d843b

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“It’s okay. I’m not his lover… I’m just someone borrowing this estate for a while.”4ec6da9bb1179451

The child cleaned the 1d86dfd6d9 apple on their clothes, 5569570b63 then split it by d55d6f31fc hitting it on the 81f6a8ba2d ground.416e2a1e2d0e39a5

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

When the apple split, 175b67e10e a caterpillar was revealed ce4b4c88a6 near the seeds. Suren gasped 9ec1ee853f in horror 181e07e8b6 and jumped 50e2fba471 back higher 3a9149fbfa than the f78eda7211 caterpillar itself.f6bca35e7b50f69a

* * *ebdbf2cf04d33da7

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Three deliveries from the b5e0683629 Imperial Palace arrived in b8cff4005e stages. Each time a 5451530f07 delivery arrived, the 2045f9eb52 reality of staying 7ccdcc332e here permanently sank 06de0cf7a7 in further.f36f2addd17771f0

“This is the last d0462d0f8a of it.”5533ff3b0e153dbf

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

The driver 20a3bd4ac9 said, handing 742a863cbd over a f79e186918 jewelry box. As I unwrapped the f9194444ab cloth covering, the angular f1d088d4ca box was revealed.3b994a43d3816b15

The cold touch cc0ecc800d of the box d73544c9ed felt out of f70813ca51 place in this 93fda8c80a rural setting, its 82150a65cb opulence clashing starkly fa841e4e8b with the surroundings. The carved af51c1b48e cityscape on a9a9401515 the hinge 917e6c179a felt alien.40165cde6b5e9018

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

I had acc1a645fb hoped for c32e4aa975 a delay, c57df27da1 but they 745f4ba904 arrived punctually 8d3b16c138 and unloaded 51e000ebed the items 5327f6ab69 with disciplined bfe794d178 efficiency.73102c3bc4ec9fc5

It felt as cfb7353516 if they wanted 5ffb6c971e to sever ties cf1eb114bf quickly. It seemed I a142174d4a was the only 052a8fc70e one left with 51a11f81b3 lingering attachments to 94bc1985c3 the Imperial Palace.617f2430353cb0ce

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“It’s done,” 430461cdc2 I muttered 6598e1a517 to myself.eee90d92dd2b3ce4

The driver 300ffb26cd replied, “I 2fc29db95f came today d7be6204b1 with people 892fa682ce from the 7192050ed8 Imperial Palace.”2cc706005cc9938b

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Life in 20cd0e1ab5 the new 31b22beebc mansion was 5b5d0ebd69 excessively monotonous. The only disruption 3e73595823 came from the 957f762141 occasional arrivals from 4b3abe4857 the Imperial Palace.7581d9bf35c22c2c

But there was nothing d2bab31910 special about their visits. They either 8c6af9f748 dropped off 7e094e494b the minimal a8b7097c97 budget documented 32a9037c70 in official 82f4ec80a5 papers or 64f1c52d14 drew a a7bc66f239 small amount 2c76d60a28 of blood 0bff192dd4 under the 18a36c538f pretense of 92b963534a checking in. There were no personal 5de9e5133e letters.805fea43f3eb8410

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

I wondered if 704304ad99 he had broken 1a0153745e his fingers. The thought made 99a0b5cc55 me bitter.78e9fb0dd1b3f99b

“Have you been well?”80494e2e841828f7

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

The man 9cd6a33864 asked, bowing e8808970ba before pulling 42831ba4b1 out a 89ebcea918 medical kit.5f0119048a9bc486

The blood draws were 00c2d03648 conducted by medical personnel 77f401c56a in a solemn atmosphere. A needle was inserted, 215470ae69 and blood was gently a5bd178dfd extracted.1162584779ede8cb

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

The amount was 8de111fa70 minimal compared to 2285c1c9a2 before. It barely filled the 2d02107525 syringe, not even enough 8f55a681fe for a single pack. I doubted 460f343e07 it could 79b0e5361a quench his 95f00b0b09 thirst.e383b7f093d70b5d

The suffocating b2bdbfd030 silence persisted fe7bbc6d3f until they b61ca42545 finished drawing c6c6b01db8 blood. They quietly 46d1d89c6b observed my 84f69e3998 arm and 951fe96616 complexion, making 912d3cb68e me even ae21fa2122 more tense.0dbfab6714a8eb8e

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Unintentionally, I tensed up. The fine d21cef6193 needle left 8dab00ece4 a small bd15277b1b scratch as 4d78f65b56 it was 8cdbc2d746 removed.2914933aa9e7757d

“Are you ea517de3ad sleeping well 6b7aa6b20b these days? No insomnia?”dff92f746f6aff62

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

The doctor asked, c6fda0ea1b wrapping the IV df46ae0f8f tubing. He packed c036b3af0b the drawn 61a4abec8f blood into c825bd3a74 his bag.daa3f94c53cde5ba

“We’ve been monitoring your 715f083158 blood concentration regularly, and 22983ad975 an expert noted it’s 0e2b80bd97 becoming lighter. We need d9fa532a93 to check 0b0bf6a064 if you’re 85006413da having issues 0fba6dbec3 with sleep b2b6ea9b28 or diet. Additional examinations 7ce2d6e7b6 might be 8693aaae08 necessary.”a377a3e410891c26

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

I had 42cd192fd0 an idea 7f5f0dd9ef why my 4e62256427 blood was e1498b0a69 becoming lighter. It was a 8c1f92e01d sign that the 686bd061c9 child was growing 110dd018ad inside of Elizabeth, 9640ad287d getting ready to 6dfe8997c8 be born, much 6cfa143318 like young Leonie aa6e249127 had done.8b42e725d9f80eff

I wondered how 965ca78141 Elizabeth was doing. Was she wasting away, d974476d9d not knowing why? The thought 2a5f7c2749 worried me.3d7f1010e9b5f12d

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“I find it 058ddd29ab curious that His d4df1f4e03 Highness has reduced f38ead95c8 his blood intake. Is he 3e44e4f423 satisfied with c0cb036d71 such a 82214d9f76 small amount? Is he doing well bac47aa9a1 with just this?”689dc8ef87ccb88b

I subtly 239838fc18 inquired about 4901be0f0d his well-being.691cec4824d5e4d0

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

The doctor seemed adda2a925a taken aback by 0c4e4ef1e4 my question, adjusting 00d89a384e his glasses.cfa676b08de17ff2

“Yes, he’s well. In good health,” he 26d7d1001a replied.400a72248b6539b7

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

He was fine. Life went on for 9a9f5e202d him as if I bfd6e0bdb7 had never left.7eec533e7851fa21

I had known 7626d380a7 this, but it 18ce419988 still stung.b4a38d0c6d9d0170

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“Take care of 7ff7015424 your health. I heard you f3d06344c6 had a panic 8fc30fadd0 attack when you 03c2f04374 saw a wolf a254d13f07 in the prison. Is it 77b30eea37 difficult for 0ee763a1ca you to ab1135be8e breathe?”55c38193ea39de95

“I was 196e309be1 just startled. It’s nothing to 511100f2c3 worry about. The coincidence 5bd87e0ac8 of being 1ab4f47042 in a ea168f94f0 confined space f5f890f3a8 with a 0c71555e7f wolf caught 65eb51b9ab me off f2aa5b4f10 guard. Besides, it’s not like 8ef43c1364 I see wolves often.”1ec15df3ede48ec1

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“Still, you need treatment. We must 73b260863a find a cffb8280ee way to 5a9715ea46 overcome the e4d379dfe6 trauma. Next time, I’ll 2949a74a33 bring some medicine. If that 0b708ef8fe doesn’t work, 1b8c2b5ba5 we might b0c45eb193 need to bda8d32096 call a e65271c203 mage.”c04b6d36bd3dae6d

I needed Deon’s comforting 63d0c7fbfe words more than any d30da4d10b medicine, but I nodded 47d7427762 obediently.abccee790f877eba

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

It hadn’t been long 027a83f7e5 since we parted, yet d937d0fe3a I already missed his 652748845e face. His image lingered 36ef170f64 every time I f78e367c31 closed my eyes.8ed7e453d66466a5

His piercing blue d4ec00e275 eyes, his flowing 81dd2effa0 black hair, his 7445c8eef7 large hands that c8d565a701 pulled me close, d4f21bc4ee and the fingers 5a10ffc961 that ran through 8084f2a306 my hair. Even the sharp touch 0f38385349 of his fangs on cc68c3e9d0 my nape, once dreaded, 345204e65b was now missed.9b48d5ccf1b44c11

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

The visitors from the 1c4db6362b Imperial Palace had to 3a7b6c6a39 pass through the city 435c5a2b9b walls. While carriages 6115d61305 leaving the c7216fb294 city were 6cb073bdc7 allowed to ffe28fd791 pass, those bf3a83a693 returning underwent 0000cb80bb strict inspections.6f218b4fefa97f5c

To avoid detection, visitors 9deb54bbae from the Imperial Palace 49be8e7af1 camouflaged the cart carrying 77d0fb831b my blood under the fc26298869 guise of transporting butchered c96b06abd6 animals. Even if the blood d78ce6c12c was discovered, it would 9360da1b0d seem like animal blood.dd5bfc2a11c7a91d

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

While the medical staff 59563a9a3c drew my blood and 6fdbbfd547 conducted health consultations, the 55fe339de7 knights hunted in the 70b4da49ad forest.1dbd24e0ca60adc0

They caught 9405957ae4 wild boars, b489818fe2 pheasants, rabbits, 1f1068ec95 and sometimes 0e273e65d8 deer. Perhaps aware 130dae275d of my 7e81a4d755 fear of 09e4b5d920 wolves, they 87c3ca9a84 never hunted d6b927e421 them.41a2cb09f94d9330

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Watching the dead 2ae7979906 animals being loaded 37cfd63e9e onto the cart, 59cc68ffbf I felt a 1469ec9063 strange kinship with a277c7ffba them.4412cbb34b53cb83

Their vacant eyes, 10b96382dc accepting their fate, 49f73cb3ae reflected my own 57cb423b19 hollow gaze. Their stiff fur 507cf4ccdb and unnaturally rigid b993a9930a limbs lay lifeless.bae2e44120524b0a

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

The animals, their e820703acc mouths agape, seemed 2186aa2795 like they had bfe6fc8265 something to say fe77951fc9 in their final a1a02b7f35 moments.266ecbc6d3644e44

Though the e2bb1942a5 knights were b55548d136 skilled and 05f0dcb422 precise, their 187e57570e hunts silent 693fdeeb47 and swift, 64afba29b5 I still 80089a60f9 had nightmares 9f31ca82d4 on the 402ee0a199 nights they b03c4dc3b3 left. Every night, 416608f99b I heard 87f28d12c0 the echoing 0b356723c3 cries of fdb8b684b4 all the e20f821ce3 slain animals.b925e065f2b8a41d

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

 b5f3f8238b33e37b