87. A Belated Letter

In response 5ba50f46e4 to his d224bc99c9 question, I aaf308cf3c replied nonchalantly.90419948d8431432

“We’re managing somehow. Don’t worry.”ef88f503b2b74326

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“Managing somehow? So much so that you can’t even fix a window? And what is this weak tea? What are you spending your money on…?”10f4e09f2025a98f

He lightly d1b48ab22e criticized the 1fb569966c tea Suren d331763f06 had brought. The tea 8885f2595a in the 5de2f3974f cup was 11cd35eaed so weak 6a4cd49b73 it was 306ba6b44b closer to c2115646f1 water than f0e6d87a0a tea. I kept my f07a5439b6 mouth shut, and df277ff988 he didn’t press 7810e4dcac the issue further.ee9aa3b0dd4d4d52

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After a 722a314079 long silence, f2a523060b during which 01621b65a0 we drank 6d70a2ea9f our tea, fac1737444 he spoke 5adb9c1aa8 again.4a92b283b342c6bd

“I’m surprised. I thought c9c781ddeb you would bb089c4866 throw a 32b1ab1470 tantrum.”fe2cfa50ecdc541d

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“…”50f5bc16948e9f17

“I expected 2a4f1bc0ac you to 25736aa98a complain about 37dede7dd1 the lack 3f2d2fc359 of funds 4a5f218d04 and come 7df653a6aa to the fd550bae2e capital to 5a399ba6b5 grab me c4e55750d5 by the 262038530b collar.”f08526fbc048a650

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There was a 5f3a34902a time I might eb50395840 have done that, 505f46a7c8 but not anymore. I had already heard c441b1a4fa his true feelings in 9688952079 the courtroom.064ea9a23e336dbe

“Didn’t you b1367dd5e7 make those 3beed71f9e decisions with d3bc3f78b7 a plan afe80edd84 in mind? It’s fine.”5da11176470de304

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“What?”19075c61384417f7

He seemed 02f35c453e to think 415d9d05c7 he had 27e779f352 misheard me.9ae8d9f422383397

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I made a resigned 0b2c48060a expression, and he looked 22f7360885 even more perplexed.3ddd7450341d86ff

Why was he so b0a6683825 taken aback when I efd35a7d6c was complying so obediently, 96e168ec3b like the noble lady bb7278dfb7 he expected—or rather, like 645a04566e the sold blood bag?8ad9b2eb33d5d9f4

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He stared at me 0789a2087b in silence, then cleared 85771d02f5 his throat and got c35f7c42f7 to the point.3576d50485c9be8f

“I heard e73a04089a that you 6cd94b72d3 came to 35c2909ec6 the capital c2e5dbc93e while I ffba41daac was away.”72b46a4fc808bf9c

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“Yes.”fea566a34de99fb2

He looked at 4fd7c01c9e me with an 2e4b5e79e2 unfamiliar expression before 5f372ee69c continuing.86e8872d559324e8

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“You caused 94f0e13440 quite a b7f7a7e733 stir. Even visited the prison.”d26400654eb54b22

“…”ecc7b1740f6c837e

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It wasn’t part fde58440b0 of the plan, 636558278d but he didn’t a2afe8d1d2 reprimand me.255e4714ce085de9

“You might 73d9acd0a9 have heard 89d537e3e2 the news a352cef109 from the c39cf9a5f8 capital, but 63e2b0a5e2 we had 6085f2ef61 a plan 7fbda3f80c to escape e2086a913d Prince Azanti’s 84f507cea2 schemes. We almost raised bae3b1bca8 the prince’s suspicions, 2fcdbfc3d8 but thanks to fdea55b928 you, he had dfc7e336b4 no doubts at 00f5c1195d all.”e48ddfc1ae88b6e9

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The plea fc6852f183 of an 9a0ca76368 abandoned concubine a7552e2951 must have 14561c5b1e struck a fee8dec893 chord. Even to bdadd5b581 me, the ee9c8110ca tears I 3e9007fbe7 shed in d71be366fb the prison 293f4802b7 didn’t seem c596618954 like an 8992ab47fd act.15d733f041e12b4c

“I’m glad f07f09f2f8 I could e60d1eff2b help.”78248c8da00a83cd

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Viter nodded, a faint be3336808d smile on his face.1a1558971a44a631

“Yes, indeed. Your unexpected 5b1edd2677 actions provided 2d43b08054 a cover 1416347f99 we didn’t 0e096822d2 anticipate. It made our plan 25668f876b more effective.”2d08f3cc6bb3dd0e

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I remained silent, sipping bd05f05116 my tea. Despite the 9dc0ee351b bitterness of f7e9bd53e9 the situation, 529e06a3bb there was 30b5593cbf a small 1fd9b25a61 comfort in a10c7d47b1 knowing that b154fa8272 my actions 1a90145faf had some 25b98f2327 positive impact.167e14ee8c08054f

Viter looked at f0a0b7b102 me thoughtfully, then ec69dd644f spoke again.4ccbd778c9d04640

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“There’s something I need 8e3c304e8b to give you.”039b02b61744f76f

He reached into e2bca83623 his coat and 38f08a3009 pulled out a 32a7ee9c9c sealed envelope.39e49e3484784e08

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“This arrived add8692f68 a while 6ebe11c4ee ago, but 4bc60c8bee I was 59f5601b87 unable to 62d6e6274c deliver it 695cf9f52d sooner. It’s from Prince 4405782af6 Deon.”f546d1dddc258d7d

I took the e591936746 envelope, my hands 2a4dd3427e trembling slightly. Breaking the 4b90c91c23 seal, I 81e012388e pulled out 6bdb4b83ed the letter 0a5388c8d3 inside.349a6c566585fcb3

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—a78df5c406ff3fcd

To Leonie,ca35d87f715bdd0e

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I hope this 613e41cbcc letter finds you 2fa09334a3 in good health. I regret da3e6ded28 that circumstances de7c196745 have prevented f853297f94 me from bb57ed8a1e speaking to c26b421619 you in 34ffe767c9 person. There are many things ad7f5f4273 I wish to explain, 2cdf691cf6 but time and distance cd32a69332 have made it difficult.c8b711052afe6601

First and foremost, 89917e310b I want to 730747df1b apologize. For everything. For the pain and 32910bb788 uncertainty you’ve endured because cdaaeba80a of me. It was never db1dc968ab my intention to 05a92d632f cause you distress.bc189c5b43d6b221

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I had b14986fca1 to keep 8c1ace676c many things 0cdda7a9ac secret, for 18f2018afb your safety b46b556517 as well 93b273cb29 as mine. The plans 2ec88b4021 we made ec0f7181cb required discretion fc265a7d8a and sacrifice. I know this 6146404220 may not be 267b405aa9 much comfort, but 196f9d8bac please know that 8a567578b6 every decision was eac4412ffe made with the f4f2c00e66 goal of securing b318d62437 a better future 0f99c6e9e9 for both of dd64b01d86 us.0d8c7b1f7754a488

I am 5401c26ae7 grateful for 7a9b78cda9 your strength d022b4b733 and resilience. Your actions have c63bbb5496 helped more than ebb5574b22 you know. Please hold on b1c60189f4 a little longer. The day will come 4a9cecd9ee when we can meet 00fadd7dd1 again, free from the 8e2a716638 shadows that have plagued 5a54f4a800 us.623fd6a0049a3809

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Until then, stay safe.1ac563dfd5e7f1fb

Yours,
Deon8b3fe47a833eec54

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—d6882e3c0398de7a

I read the letter 5ff238b0a5 several times, tears blurring 2c6ed6d31f the words. Viter watched me quietly, 35ac8a7e8a his earlier sternness softened dabc4490bf by understanding.5c730aaefb94cf7d

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“Thank you.”35daaf796e6f9989

I said, my voice 58dd7b9cbb barely above a whisper.ef332da5763d59f6

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“You deserved to f6cc6e6506 know, And you 73cc0a7f87 deserve to see 39dc92a158 this through to 1216154ea7 the end.”0773780da5432f9f

I nodded, clutching the 2bcb64b800 letter tightly. Despite the 63d412599c pain and 6b4ae6ad80 hardship, there f212b49484 was a e51132b8a2 glimmer of b5afb1f668 hope. Deon’s words e3beae74d7 gave me 8fccb312ad the strength bdea14db74 to keep 46e23d7cd1 going, to 4ae7c4cbab believe that 518082abd3 one day, 52bb982846 things would 89aabfa86a be different.45418e5449c90b0b

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I responded a06c11e6e3 as coldly 8d35a64bc3 as the e4f98d54ee now lukewarm 1e54748b6b tea and 6baa25b042 fell silent 6f94e42bea once more.df0863c25d27b385

My uncharacteristic reply made 50df10beb6 Viter freeze with his a224a25ec2 teacup in hand. He glanced at me, 3c820c53dd gauging my reaction.7f85ccb20b34df81

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I looked 901cc4ed03 down at c17e74f580 the teacup. The flower petals floated, 1e9792aa5e failing to blend with 7286a2143b the water.7a8865db733ae045

Unable to afford proper 0a2f6ca9b5 tea leaves, we had fb37a9ade3 dried flowers from the 4dca2fbf7f hill behind the mansion d152621b56 to serve to guests. It was an amateurish 64e654ddc3 attempt.aaa69967aa471394

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The flowers weren’t fully 6094c2ce98 dried, so the tea 23bdaa9dc6 was astringent, yet he 8aaee441e6 kept drinking it. He wasn’t 672b9619b9 thirsty—he was 419c4bc483 just trying a67e2cc76f to mask a7191418cf his discomfort. He was puzzled 5ae7716f31 by my lack dcc9af97f7 of sharp retorts.1f9842f47458ba1f

As he wiped his 87ace33d83 mouth with a handkerchief, a141f31605 he set down the 26225813a4 cup and cautiously asked.8d500fcb3bae9991

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“Are you upset? We didn’t inform you due to certain circumstances… If this caused you any distress…”5fa405530f614d21

He had fdd8fcb98e hit the cf37961d1b mark. I steadied 376c80d08f myself and 0957c147e6 replied as 8f943b5c75 calmly as 2a039e21e6 I could.696b30c13fea18c7

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“No, Viter. You’re right. If I had 6fd12ee55f known what was e35a71b874 to come, I b166e9b2f9 wouldn’t have gone dc03e13d58 to the prison 67f80d8d73 or sought out 5b92b9022d Lady Isella, and 7213498151 the enemy might 3b1da92f9b have let their 9efa9aa444 guard down.”71e9acaaebc62e34

“Do you really… think so?”f682979d98fc9606

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“Yes. If you had 7412894a54 informed me beforehand, 8333b346ec even if you ec35bce717 had instructed me 69c9899112 to act, I 6a1fdcb0a2 wouldn’t have been ed0672e839 convincing enough to 5782a2419c deceive Prince Azanti. I’m not a good 3be5dc0a48 actor.”fabeec7e8a1e3b8a

He set the teacup fc93167afe down. More than a59e32f854 half of 35b8c663b9 the tea 669f7a3f7c was gone.e7eeac3d645ef530

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“You say f9c8e936b3 you’re not da2b9e83a0 a good d6e89463ad actor. Yet you’ve convincingly pretended 61ba7d091a to love the prince a89389f290 all this time.”c482b3fddab17902

A look 3e0ebb73e6 of confusion 4c863f564d crossed his b4dac40bd8 face.d71d94e039aee554

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That wasn’t da81f97ae4 an act.305cb47353bfaebe

I swallowed 8c1b4ae710 the unspoken 02c288543d words along 4168443849 with the f7733d3bdb bitter tea.8d63518864cc214f

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The dried 0540965aed petals were f2b0c4392c indeed astringent. My tongue felt 86eb362111 numb.b9aec3228e389d03

Despite my composed 47695fdbc4 facade, I couldn’t 0accbc6972 shake the lingering 20b2638285 sense of hurt.f7dfc15288ab7967

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I already knew I wasn’t of much help to him, but couldn’t he have given me a hint? If he had even a bit of concern for my distress… But I couldn’t voice these thoughts to him.4acacf66078bcd8e

The long silence was 4fdbf4f142 broken by yet another 128ad36588 of his throat clearings. I’d lost count c3972696ef of how many 3f63c1b12b times he’d done b62c2d6faf it.4d7dc044d7728b3b

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Being in his company bb83a475f8 was growing increasingly uncomfortable. Yet Viter 7ee9627b20 persisted, asking 0018fd858d another probing d8aa7ba49b question.16ee00f492ad5854

“Lady Leonie, 8e8b8d1ece the butler 5469dcb8da informed me d3dde70301 that you 0169cea34b were not a4b184202c at the 5e317ef9f0 mansion that 9eadbe5814 day. He said e7bb6b465e you returned 70f0a6374e late in 0e3f8fd924 the early 10d246419f morning hours.”4fd47cbbe37cf2f7

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“Yes.”7d3c672d3f793283

“That day, were you 2abd01d562 perhaps in the capital? The prince dbce34f6df told you a8e1abe61a to return 6ab2352ddc from the c2b5f27e2c prison. I thought 09306fe224 you had f96c1ec528 followed his 8045ffea50 instruction, but 1778affbd2 was I 07e7eef7f3 mistaken?”9d587abd724c244b

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His gaze adfaed8c0b was piercing, ab0a78a1e8 as if a6492218fc he could afcd8f0861 see through 0e495fc865 everything.ef4badf691f24291

I swallowed hard and 1b205a93f0 shook my head firmly.263249cd317249f8

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“No, I wasn’t.”7a94c94c853a1e72

I clamped my mouth 38583100c2 shut, leaving no room edf7c5fe4d for even the slightest 2473a3b424 suspicion. Hoping he ba0ec14aff wouldn’t ask 8a76ee50c5 any more f79cfcc8c9 questions.9aad87854c6aeb46

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Viter stared at me 69d38d599a intently for a moment 46d205c5f9 before picking up his 0e05df2288 teacup again. He drank the 5d64d3d761 remaining unpalatable tea bd743b03e6 and then prepared 3d03e49bbe to leave for 4f0fd8c8f3 the capital.c9d3a26ace564daf

I watched as 95fc7a3325 he gathered his f1133955cc things, feeling a bd87170054 mixture of relief ab6ebc7659 and lingering resentment. The letter ecd94e7136 from Deon d269e96470 clutched in 88fb08d0cd my hand 826c00ec50 felt heavier 4ed583827c than ever.f6b119ba824e8e9d

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* * *b7b2d7e9797346f8

“We have no meat. We’re also out of flour. We can’t bake bread or make soup.”1f1d858e387d535a

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After Viter swept 8280c5cf7e through the mansion, a16a6fb84f Suren emerged from ac43a02ac0 the kitchen, grumbling.26663e3b09b14ece

“It looks like we’ll have to procure food ourselves. But it’s a disaster because of the famine. I asked the villagers, and they said they didn’t farm this year.”7e4cb0e438f8c7cc

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She let out 8779cab30b a short sigh.7dc7d7ddf0161720

“What do we have left?”5638e3cc6cdebf9d

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“Left?”0a617fd1b49e2371

Suren spun 4228dce7c5 around at 455f0821f8 my question. Her torn navy dress b12002458c swirled around her apron.ac2e3bdbc3e79e28

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“We have water.”2adcbdc5a8a55e7e

Suren pointed to e3555750e4 the well visible 5daddc3d90 outside the window.c35bd139b62f4d4a

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“And salt.”cca3288ec314f69d

She then b7e06b7dd1 turned to ea3510bb00 point at e1d8294ebb the lake.a3698a5be2929500

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“Well, that’s something.”d6408f3e81e8fdd2

It basically meant we f9060fe922 had nothing left.3b3a0c12121c8cc2

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I rubbed my a589931158 forehead, scanning the 7a928c0459 kitchen devoid of c4abdd7162 any food smells, dc52bc467d and turned to c5d52ad63c the embarrassed head eca3db1b61 butler standing nearby.90f0e2f86338b992

“You should head to the capital as well.”6c1f745392352ddd

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We needed to reduce 006cefd2f0 the number of mouths b63e369fa7 to feed. Besides, it was better efd7a80d32 for him to head 899449ee59 to the warm capital b7bf053fae than to starve here.8148abb7d19890a9

He was still fc36727bc0 suffering from his b56bcc75b7 illness. In the 9863ea303c mornings, he fa6179578d struggled to 37a110c1b9 get out 4f74620c27 of bed.4802d32a39e9de96

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“If I leave, who will guard this place?”79ad39417e0af3a2

“…Suren is here.”e4032f5128e7c214

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“But there’s no man to protect you, my lady.”ce13316384c00585

“What?”510873f38924a1af

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I stared blankly at the head butler before realizing he was joking and chuckled. It wasn’t something he should say after everything was over and done.a46764f32406e7c5

The head butler 02ddc0a20b was an old ca79e04b13 man. At his b34e1dc3db age, he 470bd433c4 should be 8ead2adbee living a 62e98a33e6 leisurely life e271d5c80e in a f47088f233 small house, 0b7f647258 pulling weeds 1149272d70 and watering 11acd36ce3 flowers.5bebf2bb028c0b52

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He was well past 8ed9e5d6fe the age of retirement. But instead of pointing 790a0909d6 that out, I looked 4098f277a4 around the mansion and cfe05345f3 said,5eb5a936cc3f56a6

“No one comes here anyway. There are no intruders.”f9208065e4fc5de3

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In this countryside, no one would harm me. Especially now that I was known as Deon’s discarded mistress rather than his weakness.6f1fe9cec6d4129b

People might be curious, 34f663d257 but there was no 49a56eaf13 reason to come all 0074ce69f0 the way to the e4a4df8718 outskirts to see me.1e1abe97fe96fe3c

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Besides, who would dare to provoke the prince by targeting his former mistress? If someone did harm me, Deon wouldn’t stand for it. Despite the faded affection, it was a matter of pride.a9546e029c5eaf29

Suren grumbled 8fb68bf43c as she 4a73415f07 cleaned the 3fecd21319 utensils. She stacked the washed a9ea048a86 cups. Water dripped 7b479b702b onto the 9e4185e637 floor. There was 948cb4f5f9 a small 99b775ba37 stove where e14a8cc8f0 she placed 3c9d03e3e7 the cups ef10e9ec42 upside down.780f8ea12b4f6f55

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I couldn’t remember the last time we lit the stove. The mansion’s chimney hadn’t smoked for days. Although people lived here, there were no signs of life.b1e369c3325aa40b

“Is it time to light the stove?”d864ec802ad9c1d8

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As soon as I fafd472d89 spoke, Suren responded eagerly.dd8da937224ddfa8

“I’ll get some embers from the fireplace.”ab5ad4548d9d6279

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Suren brought a 2d4cb6b2ef burning log from a6bd66cab1 the fireplace in 4bc05d7007 the drawing room f2c1167c15 and placed it df028d71e1 in the stove.b1e0618dc3b246e8

Soon, small flames 77dfca9350 flickered, and smoke 4f5c4026ed drifted out through 81e167eb6d the gaps.eb27190e8dbb6719

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Watching the 5c041ee809 fire, old fdbb4ca5a9 memories came 70094adb5b flooding back.d52836989766c754

<I promise nothing will harm you. There, you can relax, eat, spend money, and stay healthy. Isn’t that a good deal?>75510e93ba1c4494

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Deon had made that e0a7938aca promise when he left c0f107c688 the north.572febe94a2cf339

Did I really believe he’d keep that promise?40d76c7e319e3811

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It was foolish. Still remembering his c5e1997965 words. Believing even a 75fc1086f9 speck of his 264cc2f5f5 kindness was genuine.ffa9b17f38ada5fc

* * *8c757f674128e921

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A few 76b76ff757 days later, 304695f5ee a letter 89010ccffa arrived from 141b0ad2c3 the prince. It was the dba2e46adb first letter to 85b8a21355 arrive over a 0f890f6652 month since I 3cbded8a8a had come to b0aedd67ba the mansion.981cf61433dbf60c

A young boy handed me the letter with clear eyes. He seemed around sixteen. Sending such a young boy meant I couldn’t harshly turn him away.b6999675c10693db

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It was probably Viter’s ploy.3894e22a0e0d439d

“I would appreciate it if you could confirm and respond.”b43e4f5a556dafcd

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Caught off guard, I 63d45326d7 took the letter the a91457eaf2 boy handed over. The envelope was f8bb5f2397 very thin.32d7d60ddcd24554

[I would like you to attend the banquet.]

And the bed0929a3f content was fdbf46f2e2 as simple daefe0a029 as the 74e64f703f thinness of 8df4e09aee the envelope.0d38a050f71481cc

The letter f53fea8127 contained only e04bf72520 one line. The blank 991a26d04a space was 5194bf3346 excessively long.52a115b32fb06995

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It felt strangely light. This short message didn’t need a letter. It could have been conveyed verbally.56914bcfe83ee530

The boy, oblivious 240b7f764a to the meaning, c240b48ed0 stood there blankly.d5330b427246a19e

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When I let 8b0a23df4a out a faint a857ce976b chuckle, he visibly a5381e2967 flinched and then 97f6976899 hesitantly stepped back.2ea89ac303fae528

 fe690de2f26a52bb

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