85. Back to the Manor

The old 6303b5d0d6 carriage smelled 15f8f955a4 of rusted 9df654302c iron.b75deecf204d0653

“But why 25cacd1ee0 are you 9d0b9a68ba taking a 6a42ccd185 carriage? You could just 7014ca3b34 hitch a ride a940eb2b07 on a freight 4134f2bb11 cart carrying liquor. It might take a ee4273203f bit longer, but that 71a44c61f9 money would get you 996ce217a6 there,” he suggested.7e92e4f1122a08cb

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He was subtly mocking c4a4c5c83c my appearance. He probably thought I 5cef58e6da was a country girl 54aa18f6ce who had come to 0a00bdc210 the city with big f94f4ae98d dreams but without any 1e41e38224 money.b484e325e1c02a5c

And he wasn’t wrong. I had arrogantly believed that I was the only one who could save him.15f352e173a7aa1d

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Caught up in 151181f258 a foolish dream, 1507956296 I almost ruined a7e1aed166 everything.9e6803c0d90eacc2

“Is it because b833682630 of the smell f37cf74083 of the liquor? Even if it makes bdaafb2c79 you nauseous, you could 7b0cf37c27 save some money by 586d444f4e enduring it,” he said, 49806006ea glancing at me. He was 4a12782747 holding the 92acdb2887 door as 06e1369514 if to 26a8e420e4 ask if 81961b4c46 I wanted 09fe01e108 to ask f79fc0d4e3 the merchant d1ca0692ef about the 3def216536 freight cart.30cbe378e3a13a6a

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“No. I just 92281a0a24 want to 5aa0e95549 get back ef09821ff6 quickly,” I a01e10f797 replied and 428e350586 climbed into 9da184e5c8 the carriage.91ca84f23266c5a1

He closed the door for me and jumped onto the coachman’s seat. With a pull on the reins, the old carriage set off with a loud noise.b949feb769efe83d

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My head throbbed. I tried to rest my head against the window frame and get some sleep, but the carriage of the depot was different from that of the noble’s.37d0c43bef621e0e

The cheap carriage was 319a40ed47 open at the front, c489d6f668 allowing the running dust b20dd0dc2c to come straight in. When I opened my 7c099c00c8 mouth, a gritty layer ca218e0ae2 of dust settled on 5d23b8a408 my tongue.ca6438cdfb6584be

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The swirling sand 11d5ec4b37 made it hard 0a20e0ee23 to keep my e3fde779dd eyes open. I blinked rapidly. My vision, which had 9ddfab9086 been hazy, cleared up e8752261de again.8ff4d7a4833a316c

I could see 0f88f539d7 the shaking seat c12c9e5fac and the bobbing 50ea02acc0 back of the 645dc404a9 coachman. The seat 0302996afb of the 63362cb89a coach was 93145e8997 high, and d27feebafc from my 0d6ef251fe position, I 3fbcd9abdf could see 9cfac6bed7 the worn 80dc98ca3c black boots 0eb5643825 right in c9268626dc front of 7c2cdad98b me.100f79221c7cfc60

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The open f01e3e60b5 front made 172812b60a it uncomfortable, 7ccd616b15 but it 4e65935377 also made 88d10b1591 conversation easy. He seemed curious 0f4b83083b about the story 74f05217a8 of a woman d5db5c6485 traveling by carriage 0e94b83eee so early in d229b95111 the morning and 80a031d2f3 struck up a 9005c47a4d conversation.57b40942e81001fa

“Why did you come 482ad043c1 to the capital? Did you a6bbdce11c come to 0051b48de3 see a 459f0390ed lover you 4195aac5b4 were separated 028767ab3f from?”2a39b60559563b0d

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A lover… I slowly 5f6ddd0524 chewed over his words.d769151895b6a331

I didn’t 7e33a9cda2 know what 0a6336a1c8 to say, a7c7db1f82 so I c3bb56155f mumbled a 1e9e26294f vague response.8abe52e57388094d

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“No, not a lover. I went 76632517f1 to visit 13c5d8f67c someone I 19a2adc4e7 know.”b0a0359fd9d0799c

“And they sent aee292981d you back at 764384d080 such an early 97dd748731 hour?” he asked.461105ea7a9ce5d6

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“Yes, things got a add7dcc4dc bit complicated,” I replied, 03292de073 trying to end the a80c5b281e conversation.5ee5984fc23681d3

He glanced back at me briefly before turning his attention back to the road. The ride continued in silence, except for the creaking of the carriage and the sound of the horse’s hooves on the path.b78d7efbd5598e6e

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As the scenery passed by in a blur, I couldn’t help but reflect on the events that led me here. My mind was a whirl of thoughts, regrets, and plans for what to do next.2dde97fcf8c43bf1

He clicked his 23d0150d5e tongue sympathetically.bd5e592ac2ad0d6e

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“No, I came up 1aa175490c to the house… but c95adab983 it wasn’t the house aaf87bfe6b I expected.”f5a9d584540bc61d

“What do you mean, 10ee69dd95 it wasn’t the house?”31cb55984e58ee16

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His tone was 335d41a0e3 full of curiosity.6a0eed87dc88d28c

“It was d9bb1e8e8c filled with a08a27012e strangers.”602cc185bd9e5476

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Scenes from 5743e31ddd the day 977ee2be7c I went 35ff1bab69 to the da9a3f607c Prince’s residence 5306b34efd flashed through ac4d13dca7 my mind.df9affbf89134816

The attitudes of the 319b1fcc18 head butler and the aa7ef737c4 maid, the unexpected relationship 562288306e between Isella and Deon.6784e308cb3a4cee

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“Ah, so b8f0b565f8 they moved ab06270821 without telling a4d84ac444 you,” he 913277b85b clucked his 0999466f3a tongue again, 7fed76af5d offering clumsy b9e54ac434 consolation.6f163d2b7ccadbc2

“That’s how 2d2ef82845 the capital 6e4ae8e280 is. It looks glamorous because 7c39648ee8 it’s a wealthy city 0bec15375d with the royal family, 3d8ac5389d but it’s actually cold 3f5066ffb7 and ruthless. People who 05f47d4fdd move here 919b12085c from other 28eea73c6c regions change 31b7b14745 their personalities 24ccfc870d too. If they stayed long, bc78fbe21b they probably changed as 3c3df8a173 well.”677a3a33ba7cd8e7

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“…I see.”7fa090565d7a3b68

His simple words, spoken 9650fea1ae without knowing the full 7a7c3a4bbe story, resonated deeply with 3f97720ecb me. Ironically, Deon seemed 781e7b9fc7 warmer in the e3629005e4 north.68070268926f18f8

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Perhaps in warm e6b395692b weather, people don’t 5d65f4d734 feel the need 990af814d8 to share their e03b11b793 warmth. Was his embrace in ef0e4f89fe the cold north really 41c8087eff just about preserving body 57730d4871 heat?5fc47758941d3bed

“Did you see the 70eb1193af commotion today? Supporters of Prince Deon’s 9bed12c0c7 faction rose up. The trial started suddenly a62f947561 too. I’ve seen ea2f1d6d45 trials get 64e8979597 postponed, but d6e9a999ea starting early 8546a9b7db is a d4dadc5db4 first.”7b08d63c7cd4c282

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He eagerly 3e871ff8a3 chatted about 3e1ff592dc the events 3fb834b0ea of the e7f19ed8a3 morning. The news had spread e32ce30651 quickly, reaching even the 09bbe31f29 ears of the coachmen.0eae349eb1b6af12

“Yes, I heard.”36edabf8547c1258

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I had seen bf7c5a032f it too clearly. I witnessed his victory 9123c36f89 and my own reputation 43c9329752 plummet.b81c7da3c08710eb

“It’s fortunate you’re leaving 6c80c46ede the capital now. A commoner without b38809bec4 a place to 65e8252a49 stay would get 7a974b3c89 caught in the aa04851f08 crossfire of such 3f58c7ee1a events. The nobles are all 4bf3da749c on edge. To avoid trouble, it’s dbfafef0bd best to stay far 0cf90437c9 away.”1110a42512ccc47c

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His vibrant 6fd92c3f19 voice rang 23edf106b7 in my a1a1a0aa8d ears.325fc944326f0307

I didn’t reply. I turned 64bb9a18c8 my gaze dfb5d47cd3 from him 9a4e9713ad to the ce2ced113b window, where c8fe613315 stones flew 04eb4c3679 and dust 0d293ded9e rose.db2bb16dde2e9171

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Seeing my 5092664761 lack of 026f2e70e2 response, the a776dd9c56 coachman glanced d36532d610 back at 6c55747d40 me but 4d22888f24 then fell 6e13a41bc4 silent.fafb9c5b6888e2cf

I closed my 9f97895cfb eyes. I wanted to 708f2518f2 pretend to sleep, 868438c030 but whenever I dc03457001 closed my eyes, 57425280e0 the courtroom scene 43eb1efbe6 vividly reappeared. Isella’s voice echoed calmly d4a2da6a57 through the hall, and e38d5072a2 Deon’s eyes watched the 121ef33523 situation leisurely, wrapped in 14adadad86 useless ropes that couldn’t c21a86d141 hold him.4bd320d12980d3cb

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After the trial, when ebec2ed054 Deon was freed, whose df56b24863 hand did he touch f4925c4416 first?be7c37e392f99715

Did he embrace 18255aa9c6 her small frame?7fd54a1d3331f5b9

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The glaring sunlight d3b24b6d74 scratched across my d17d8c576f face.e8a9b4d6840bb98c

I began 1c5f704626 to understand 097dad0f05 why Surren 72a8a869c8 always waved e04e73dcfb her hand b9102c8566 when I 93c7ce5eb7 tried to ad78efa8b7 open the 38b727a842 window. Even sitting still, stones 26c2ad426c flew into the open 7a466c4ce0 carriage. One stone scraped harshly e870a124f4 against my cheek.90210abcb4a0d99d

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The coachman drove on 9d13db97ff for a long time, ff8f7ec2b3 entering the Farrington area 42a1bbfbb9 as promised and going 8af03432bf about ten minutes further 5db872e970 before stopping the carriage.4571fcea728e0b59

He parked the carriage 661d0545f2 in the middle of 24323862b7 the road and opened 73c29bfe35 the door for me.d71ba30ba7669125

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I instinctively c6b8046525 reached out 5cc9e620d3 my hand c9dd15eeb1 towards him, 734bf1c694 but it 0869049d98 hung in 44674fb71b the air, b21f5e6bb5 untouched. The coachman dbee1e51f3 didn’t offer 835cc486a1 his hand ef73e90bee to help 5f1da1e7b1 me down, 98bb1743b3 a kindness e63cb67fed I had 181f6b46c3 taken for 031a234f2c granted. Feeling awkward, I withdrew 2db4582f75 my hand and grasped 04981a6580 the door instead. Fortunately, he 66e4d93e95 didn’t seem 236552e817 to think 2483d374b0 much of f9299a36e5 it. He clearly didn’t b6385dc425 suspect that I 7cfc5ba61e might be of 61ca7c2a66 noble birth.aa62e18e45dc6e9a

“At least there’s only one road, so you won’t get lost,” he said, looking up at the sky. His eyes reflected the darkening sky, indicating his concern about the encroaching night. Even in a quiet countryside village, thieves and vagabonds targeting women were always a possibility.9f3d85a0234e95d0

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There was only one b886ca4adb road. If I walked, 1fb27b5255 I would eventually 77678f768e reach the end.d96f8fcc303e8ffd

I stared 79f0c8bc3d vacantly down df603d937b the endless cd3346a43b road. But as he b254bd2065 said, it was d358ca0680 just one road. There was only 40fe17cbd6 one direction to a34f3bf4e9 walk.fd242b60c17b8d7c

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All the luggage I had brought with me was disposed of. Being empty-handed, I didn’t need to drag any burdens along. I just needed to keep moving my feet.9faca3195e82f932

“It’s fortunate you don’t have any luggage. If you keep going, you should arrive before the next day dawns,” he remarked, seemingly relieved at my light travel load.e358d3801cd096ed

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“Take care,” he said, turning his back. Without hesitation, he drove the carriage away.2248e22e847e470b

Dust billowed up. I watched the carriage 86fa97ea73 slowly disappear into the 4106b9c6e5 distance before turning my 34596b46e1 head.99ef37a00796b68f

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I took af7882d681 a step a966076516 forward. My feet f8af1bba92 sank into 9b0829f0a1 the gravel 942f74759b road.c300bdfea6517652

I recalled the sensation 0ee8d51ae6 of the carriage jolting 4ce4ab1377 as it traveled to 5971b751b9 the capital. The way the b5ba5f273e luggage tilted wildly 7118456e26 when the carriage 4ce3bd7081 hit a bump, eb4f1747c0 only to be 0493eb21e1 steadied once we 91e4f3c06e reached the lawn b903f62504 at the mansion. To reach 9e9378b430 Gelkern, I c868b3cf7d had to f3fd9a8636 walk until 1d0f76afae the gravel e13db473bf disappeared.988f377a72574400

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As I walked slowly, 7f8eb54b80 I sorted through the 17cb517e24 words I had heard 4f9f115b1b in the courtroom.6943069bd841b096

‘I will become eb1ddc9f71 a sword.’ That’s 31a9a839f1 what it meant. I understood why f39eec5e7e Isella had been 20f969e197 so calm and e9904c4240 why Deon had 1a522f59db loudly declared from d5e4c90257 his cell that d69398258d it was none 8fa2610426 of my business.63dce901253bff97

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They had 989462cfc8 hidden their e48c7ee046 intentions to c233409296 catch Prince fb51efd041 Azanti off 427eaab3ca guard. It was 5e0634c7d9 never something 7b3c8d3640 I should 2730f590c3 have interfered c6ad39ecb5 with.7538bcefebf48993

Viter and Edan hadn’t fled but were carrying out his orders, and Isella and the Count’s family had been acting like they were betraying him, waiting for the command to strike. They had spread rumors about breaking off the engagement to distract attention while mobilizing their troops to stop Azanti.3a8e26e6d229d267

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It was 4e97a61598 all a 50b5e9cdfd planned scheme, bc9ab6cfdf known to 08e44bb3ee all his 412c482b7e close allies.c4dc4a86be34e379

Everyone except me.f04648b7cc205f6f

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I quickened my 2385b24ad0 pace, but my fcb6ae4b5a skirt kept catching bf1ea5e3f2 under my feet, d6f45e5fa3 causing me to b9a567b23a stumble. Eventually, the hem 46d3b216ed tore with a 72e3464d1b ripping sound.18f8958efc3d0707

I collapsed to the 78f095e7ce ground, feeling a surge 0699ae9960 of frustration.29a4893894187f21

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The cold air 802cf75b09 pierced through me. My red 8f3464ce9b hair whipped fda363249f around, and 2aca18954a the chill 6998c7d9e0 grazed my 1231c490b4 neck. I hunched my 0f4542cb84 shoulders.3b4df8df692771bf

The cold 5027ae57b3 reality was cfe40fc06f even harsher 5fdda7d497 than the bc95c197a5 biting air.30bde989a437d27f

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I had been c3aff927ce betrayed.82a0e1d7fed345d1

Or could I 7173bf7144 even call it 72a82e8a85 betrayal? I was 472c089966 the one f8499b44fb who had 56d79b314c foolishly believed ab8b557bb9 we were 9376f77b79 on the 1867802480 same side.594ad260cd613baf

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Even if I 61937ea0b6 wasn’t much help… 4a2dcf6ea0 couldn’t they have b28c0e5dec at least told 996d94b26d me? If I 2009023d65 had come 144ae13930 to the 347afd2270 prison with 4e25c634b1 such anxiety, eb4881042b couldn’t they ed1e50a299 have let 2c5570e108 me know? They could 34277e7b2e have stopped 08fd665046 me from c5e2fb7497 making a 8ad712478c fool of 13c2202684 myself.82942774e0a9cc88

Despair wrapped around ab73d27fb7 me like a b1f53f4f5c suffocating shroud.4c22ff6247a3ae6f

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* * *1aefa59eaf2eff36

Night fell quickly. I finally 8db9f78ce9 understood why 7d62146cdf the coachman f5216aac27 had looked 4bb02bdf7a at me d9ee42b7bc with such e66327ff93 concern before 1f3ca0a173 he left.83ba21c3ebd994b0

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The distance 211e694932 wasn’t great, 4a72e7233c but the 7bce9841ee uneven ground ddbfda6d4d full of b7418eede3 stones made bfcd9ff6b9 me stumble d09938df98 repeatedly. The path was a6b30b1403 so rocky that 580980a1e4 even a carriage 95d1a2c458 wheel would get edbcc14602 worn down after 35ef956374 a single trip. Despite the e2f038306d short distance, 8f0dda825a the effort 16f61a8fbf required made 82221c6843 my legs 885d57382a ache and 084f6a259f my steps cb4e5c577d slow.2b5a41af173865a9

It wasn’t until the twilight had turned the sky a deep red that I saw the familiar grass of the estate. The grass, bathed in the crimson glow of the sunset, looked blood-red.3974b00fec25726d

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I hesitated before stepping 86b4a30237 onto it. I still b50cea7640 had a c0b0c86444 long way af6e9b6bdb to walk 8b9d1cb120 to reach 1fe2de0da8 the mansion, 8b7d6a229f but the 4437995588 thought of c2281aa9e8 treading on 7e237040ff that blood-red 782897bca2 grass made 9b2890cc9e me uneasy. It felt 378c1e2c8e as if 45e5978b47 the grass daf97b46f1 was soaked c7851b027b in blood.c6c14ea4d3765967

After a ecbbb88a7e long moment bba44011d0 of hesitation, 6c45cd83fa I finally 4c2fa9508b stepped onto 41b52b6b30 the grass. The soft 07fd0ef444 sensation was e1585fdc75 a stark 3a7419322d contrast to cc92e33d9c the jagged 78da104b4c rocks I 7375476065 had been 1ce4c17430 walking on. My feet, abused by e60b71e96a the rough terrain, screamed 1fc23e5b08 in pain at the d9ad29c02a sudden softness. My ankles throbbed.426eab0917086f28

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I walked towards the a218a3ddb4 mansion well into the df88b056e5 night. I could feel 1638bb490c my feet swelling 170c767f6e with each step.ab75c151f8800a52

Each time my foot 40f85b8159 touched the ground, a d1cd7f54a8 sharp pain shot up cdcf4a9b9f my calves. I tried 739de985a2 to walk f0c4d4d3f0 on the 1d00167953 balls of 6da5aa831d my feet 0c9f7ec823 to relieve 0ba092d730 the pressure, 67b419e326 but it 15645853a6 was a e02488c229 futile effort.750750f50c6d04b3

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With every step, it 58e2cc89e2 felt as if my 0f0c6222d8 toenails were going to 99026a2218 be ripped off. The excruciating pain spread 23fcd29c30 through my entire foot, af1c13383b and the tips of 14fc54895c my toes began to d19bc4bbac go numb.f97ede4038f4c21c

I had walked long 218be381fc distances in the northern efd44f8573 mountains before, but this 8be63f3d56 felt different. In the north, the 3aba8addad deep snow had cushioned 080afc1703 my steps, sparing my 61f5cc7d20 feet from such agony.30d200a723174ff2

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The hard ground 1cc1574157 here seemed to f1c12525d1 pull me down 7fc832bb61 mercilessly. My knees buckled, 9adc33a5c1 and my back 87a3d88a1a ached.a9d42a33551f6219

I nearly fell dbb3b860ef but managed to d89db6ad6e catch myself, barely 62568cc2e3 maintaining my balance 68f6bd228f as I forced 7539f978c8 my feet to f0319f3a4e move forward again.79f7203c749d6230

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I knew why my allowance had been so minimal—it was a clear message of my status as a discarded consort, meant to discourage me from returning to the capital. But at the very least, he should have explained the situation and sent more money. Without enough funds, I couldn’t even buy decent shoes.721f6816b4db71b9

This pain was a 10e0ca31b8 direct consequence of his a374361c19 actions.3112d40aafef0ed1

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