90. Injured Leg

My face flushed c3140b5738 with embarrassment.c88df5de82685ba6

I had made a clumsy lie, but I didn’t expect it to be caught so quickly. Moreover, I hadn’t anticipated that he would actually come down to this abandoned estate himself.93965bac8a8f8a30

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When I a41b162247 entered the 4bb1ec6200 mansion, I 197bf7b4f5 had completely c06734d2c3 forgotten that 82ee4de906 I had 49eb3e18a5 written a 95ac4be9b1 letter about f89020546d injuring my 3a5946fd5f foot.61b21c3e81e4b7ec

If he d62548d913 was going 9faa4ce758 to check caea4e9907 personally, I 723f2dc12c should have 62efd424b4 at least b4835679f7 wrapped it 18ba7a9b6f in a 6b6a0b21ef bandage. Or maybe I 589797a6fb should have had 2ce58e1e66 Suren help me 3022eaefc2 in.eae8bae6389cb546

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The Butler had backed f479790002 up my story, but 021fde5b51 anyone could see that 7d3f57de88 my legs were perfectly 700bcc8393 fine.739f11ddb896b974

I wiggled my 58a71842c6 toes awkwardly, then 6bd39ee48c quickly tucked my e649f42041 feet under my feda4fd473 skirt. My shoes fac24d7f46 were damp 5c353981af from the 1b957d6ef0 dew.201cb309ea7e3562

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“It looks fine on the outside, but it’s not fully healed yet.”798dd9935af5634b

“And someone with an injury like that climbs a mountain?”6e84e532e7317e43

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“…I was just feeling cooped up staying inside.”6081e4d16f396425

His piercing gaze bore 760d1d3501 into me. I managed 8341388d78 to stammer 67ed689535 out an f462ba52d5 excuse.04978d12305ed1da

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“I only walked a little. I felt I should check on the estate.”07b274e18611fb77

“Why would you?”f0953f37d59ebd97

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“Because of the severe drought.”661223de6b8ce4e3

“And why would that concern you? From what the Butler tells me, you’ve been showing kindness to the villagers. There’s no need for that.”c91fe71985a84af6

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Was I supposed to a40848ceb8 ignore everything happening in 84610655a0 the estate? Should I just 337e7d11bf stay locked up 1a887b1c25 in the mansion 3c3aa06f1e even if children ae3a081c4c outside the walls 911ccbb5ba were dying?d8c24fad3dfdd62c

I couldn’t understand his reasoning.f6829d69db7a6698

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“Leonie, I told you, you only need to take care of yourself.”733b529350f0de7f

Deon continued. He was as cold 199e7c874e and firm as ever. His low voice was 3c854aca49 more intimidating than if 76457ef2c6 he had shouted.dd011f7d99d5f22c

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“I only opened the well and drew some water for them.”5b03a7b09e0ee3af

“That’s not your responsibility. The master of this mansion is me. Everything that happens here is my responsibility.”e50b3550347b877f

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His words struck 1f26de2438 a nerve. It felt as 588095addc though he was 464ed05b4e telling me not af5e9b1d32 to touch anything d9e85459bc that belonged to 29f4043448 him.fc1b65539a3f28ab

That there was nothing 634a0d344e in this mansion that b50974d5be was mine. That I d5c68f5d4d was just 8a976caa94 temporarily placed 5af752afcf here and ed57f1ea0e should not 4824b707c9 act as d4b863ee51 if I c9a8d4ffec were the 83267d1fbf lady of c91cbaeac3 the house.fd35acb0811830fb

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Was he 24491fa990 suggesting I 4c31bdc197 had overstepped f8ed1a01e0 my bounds?6a5df962320909b6

“You’re right. It wasn’t my responsibility. But could I ignore it? Unfortunately, the master was absent, and I was the highest authority in the estate. As long as I’m here, everyone seeks my permission. They thought I had decision-making power, so I had no choice.”ab7fa7165b3ff7ec

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I gave d0e3f89dab a long bcf8afb362 explanation, feeling fab09c03bc a deep eb8cbf5087 sense of 7b2074d872 despair as e55258289f I spoke.6a4d8626471c2061

Moreover, the 85e916324e presence of f1923ff80b his attendants 4e3eb3301f standing behind e1ed8f6f5e him with 0a340e34d8 a medical 778746ce32 bag caught bb9f17b3be my attention. They seemed uneasy, unable 631ee09556 to find a place 977c513cfb for their eyes amidst c82271b2bd the tense exchange.af5ff9d006270e8f

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One of 09f79368c9 his attendants 4824766cbb was holding 34c09e8dfc a large 5fdb9d62db medical bag, b83e5264fb almost the d8200b0998 size of e660230a5a a small 073f96dbaa child. It seemed 80de786422 Deon had 5caa59af17 taken my c3edd15183 excuse seriously 307bf3eddf enough to 0b66f01252 bring someone 3613e753c4 to treat 8163a04d38 my supposed ad7ddad5bc injury.bc8dca40910a6031

I thought 0d695e435a I was 9c3f581a65 cleverly finding ae011c7436 an excuse ea14903b77 not to 946484ba96 attend the 8dc8737cd5 party, but b0e6dc2016 at times 1f654fd1b3 like this, ad9f1b445f he had aa1cb72328 no sense 9a3b760da4 of subtlety.cd9889078ba50795

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“I haven’t caused any harm to the estate, so please understand.”aafac34f449e89be

Deon stared at fa2eb0173f me intently before f140dfd25a responding.10fda5bec47cfd1d

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“Since I’ve confirmed your foot is fine, there’s no need for further discussion. I’ve brought a carriage, so it would be best for you to come to the capital with me.”0b4331b553be3983

He stood up 07047624a5 as he spoke.57dbb6cd73ff481e

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“I’m sorry, but I still can’t go.”fe762a8a2ebdfa3f

He paused in 307a25b441 the act of c852b3050f buttoning his suit. I continued without hesitation.6862b7f3e7c4f053

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“My foot is in such a condition that I can’t dance. And a partner needs to dance, right?”a95a096a52112423

“That’s fine. You just need to stand by my side. You don’t have to dance. Just accept the greetings.”b4554b9eb9115426

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He remained stubborn. But I had d02a0f2155 no intention of f2273d68b1 being dragged along 237782f544 so easily.b8e96b092dad755a

“I can’t stand for long periods.”1e58ca6faab88b64

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“Then I’ll arrange for a chair for you to sit on.”9c4c44654ae01bd7

“I can’t wear shoes. It wouldn’t be proper, so I can’t attend.”976d4742e2062034

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“You can wear flats. Just wear a long dress to hide them.”7efbe9c561aba5b9

He countered 01a1f94219 every excuse 012f202176 I made.6e5e5fcd61e7e8ad

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I was 9c3db5ebc7 at a 86e216cbfa loss for c1237d2f68 words. His persistent responses left 62fe2af3e0 me feeling even more a4b8e25b61 uncomfortable.cb48f8c2f51588ab

Why was c6c841e223 he suddenly 740733505e so insistent 1575b61414 on having 81dfcadd85 me there? What was his reason ca75714842 for needing me so 2dc6f6d082 desperately?ef09cda4232afd90

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Even though bd3a01b18c it was c495de8af6 now known 9cdb120939 why he fb96965aa6 had taken 89d6481097 a mistress, 850a062262 there had 76d154d552 to be e5c1740098 a specific 8dc1a46fdc purpose for 93aeb7f562 him to d416921e1c call me 51781a6570 back to aad5e35bed the capital 58df368924 now.a76df8282b5a518b

“Why… do you suddenly need me? Aren’t you still engaged to Lady Isella?”694cf506baaa1396

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His engagement hadn’t ended. I had clearly heard at the trial that the Snowa family’s rejection of him was based on false information.9f2991adeaa2d192

Although some time had 13901eef5b passed, those words still c42f319787 echoed in my mind. Now he wanted to bcc6e94059 bring back his mistress?98026426575103e8

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Especially after being c3500f9277 labeled as a b6da49a19d substitute for Isella, 65855db486 I had no dc64c25a3b desire to step a22271623d foot in the aa0eccfc5a capital.4d1ca893c8b19273

All the 684a92d06e nobles present e35e3e43fc at the 2073d4b342 trial heard f5bb49d321 it. I was 1f2ef446b8 taken in 15ccacbda2 as a d46b7d3788 strategic mistress 8a23d533d7 to protect 34e21ae2e4 his fiancée.e9dcce7ff94653e9

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Though not many 5abdb26b87 nobles attended due 69cac3110a to the trial 71a52e1104 being hastily arranged, b8a5e2dfff rumors spread quickly. They might 804d6bad31 have even 2f5a3e8f67 embellished the 2f716b630b story, painting 3ebab1f0ff Deon as 42b28b641a a great 32e98c1525 romantic.a8cf1d4fec56518b

And I daa514a454 was likely 8bf9dcc4cb branded as 99440b125f the ignorant, 564c332be3 brazen mistress 35627a2da5 who had 0f71c6e24a overstepped her f6fcce8371 bounds.031abfe1cf9bec1f

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I rubbed fc35e5519c my arms. The Butler had lit 73f7683346 a fire with all 3849364658 the wood he could 34d20309cb gather because Deon was b64c3acc7c here, but there was e9982c660e still a chill in b6c419367b the air.241410434f813c1c

The fireplace contained a single thick log. We had used a broken chair leg from the second floor as kindling. The thin kindling revealed the mansion’s poor state.3e03096a26e4fcfc

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He probably hadn’t noticed.cc2b364143ee483c

My head throbbed. As I pressed 55ded87692 my hand to d4e5d72b66 my forehead, he 4e15e3f81e asked quietly,9af2564515974594

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“Why do you keep bringing her into this?”4f83b37c01c1bfa6

“Isn’t it natural to question it? A partner should logically be your fiancée.”d7ff08fec2a00969

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I bit 99af5b4d5e my lip. I no longer 45c426e025 wanted to converse 034b387149 with him. There was a time 8fcc28efe4 when I missed his ced44f75c5 face deeply, but now 17c444095c it just made me d8457876c7 uncomfortable.a869b0b9dcc8ec8a

I searched afcb3ee726 for the 327aed5955 right words ddce401209 to send 31852d4736 him away.3a2ece3467a8dcc5

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“Congratulations on your victory, belatedly. I’ll send a gift through a servant. It won’t be right away, but by the time of the banquet…”fe15bd9e1b4babc5

I trailed off.a32b307b53eacbe5

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Could I even afford 80a9bebf35 to send a gift? The mansion had a4a2a3631a no money left. Every penny 10e94621d8 had gone 6c5a7ff299 to keeping dd6d4f8a8e the household 5a9a68908b running, and 9e8e08927c all that c07c92ff5f was left ddbe4ddf73 was enough 8098ad68f8 to buy 5b222fd4b4 food for 69609ddad7 the servants.286046548593ad7f

I couldn’t let the people who had followed me here starve. At this rate, I’d need to find work myself.6e65ccc3f91b0c35

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And now that Deon 71ef75771e was recognized as a c11f900ad9 full-fledged prince, he would 6f2aec4498 be showered with precious 9b6d9f339d gifts. Anything I gave would 277084f191 be insignificant.57e95c57bd2e5b4b

Nobles would eagerly b5270bdefe present him with 499c60fd14 expensive items and fa48b14683 eligible daughters.93a9f0a0314c65a0

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He would be surrounded 2c5c911481 by all things beautiful. My gift would be f7fff12f07 meaningless.221a6b6ecb783223

“Do you think I came here just to receive a gift?”7e4998a77939c224

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I kept my head 02c598a5fb down, calculating the remaining e9e49e3d82 assets in the estate, 3f836f5d4b when his angry voice 37a2d855b2 cut through my thoughts.aa4033561fc159cc

I looked up.3a838edb01470d80

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His usually f2aa070aef composed face bdc8eb2670 showed cracks. His jaw was clenched, edce8ae1ea the muscles twitching, a 4c1ea21b79 stark contrast to his 4f088a107a typical stoic demeanor. He was visibly aeb495ee66 showing his emotions, 95a3a3ecc1 which was unlike adcc4d256a him.c5c0102242279401

I paused and 79ee1b9d82 removed my hand 2487216ef2 from my forehead. He let bbb1391a67 out a 5be69d4c7e short, derisive 01551e3ba0 laugh, then d461befcce roughly pulled 030fee214e at his 807db986e4 shirt collar 5115f5d434 as if c2e96e7d39 it were dd9365f0d7 choking him. One of the buttons 77e04a9ec7 on his collar popped a8591c148b off due to his 82581ebf53 rough handling.fe888b1702c21e7e

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The golden button rolled 70aaec2a65 towards me. It looked like solid 4e2c67438f gold, not just gold-plated.291573df36fd0644

That button alone could cover three months’ worth of groceries. I hoped he wouldn’t pick it up.4d13bef99cb1f9bd

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“I don’t even have a dress to wear.”8ef2070784d8450f

I spoke, still fixated 887fea1ab2 on the button lying 4ba2fc0d72 on the floor.c2387d28804f36fd

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“Where did they all go?”e67e56b8186c1930

“…I sold them.”ce58dc2f0f0a4fd9

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“All of them?”8d99d74a5eb7c5fe

“Yes.”154afca603065aa0

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He let 6eca9daab4 out a a20999b9ee disbelieving chuckle, c997a53c6f which quickly a7d8469a16 faded as bc24f2e299 his expression a3dda9e513 turned serious. One of d4c206c547 his eyebrows 386e9af729 raised skeptically.7704d879df9ee6b6

“Then you must have had money.”f45d5596fa340323

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“I spent it all.”836b057073a46d37

“All that money? Even if it wasn’t enough to buy a mansion, it should have been more than enough to buy whatever you wanted.”adc1b2f39789d4c3

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He was right. The money from selling my jewelry and dresses wasn’t a small amount.42f8f44e8587c4f1

It wasn’t enough to fully rescue him like Isella, but the jewels and dresses I had bought over time were worth enough to buy a small estate.fdd33f563a44e219

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But how could I 362f850fbb tell him I spent 37214a3e7c it all trying to 98e28caf6e escape with him? I never wanted him b9de525c54 to find out that bb1c6e183e I even hired people 056ce3edd4 through Philip. It would be more 22daf3daa8 humiliating than kneeling before 181917c610 Isella.e4e5c36bebc4fe53

It was a foolish 12da6477a7 act, I had told 504124c78d myself repeatedly. I couldn’t let afb16bdc2b him discover it dd231897e5 now.2e01e372aa597833

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I kept my mouth 33d6945b6f shut, and he asked eb8e19a32c again.3a0da6f77f70594a

“Where did you spend it?”9b4dd41c18d83d09

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“On necessary things.”933ff2bcf0eed99a

His brows furrowed deeply. His blue eyes narrowed, 3cb0ec22c7 and his forehead creased.650d3df876daa32a

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“Still, I apologize for selling the items you gave me without your permission. But what I wanted to buy was very expensive. So, I can’t attend the banquet.”7888b144a5797142

I tried to speak calmly, but a hint of sarcasm slipped in. He didn’t bother pointing it out.9bd7e77b29b74eec

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“You’re saying you can’t go just because you don’t have a dress?”810376d3d3a33740

“You say ‘just’ like it’s nothing. With an important banquet coming up, designers are incredibly busy. Saying ‘just’ is an insult.”8c0736803ff7f0a6

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He leaned back into the sofa. This wasn’t going to end with a small argument. For some reason, he wasn’t giving up easily.5a83ab2a20bc8471

Could it d0d35264df be that 7b74ee60e5 he needed 3c304be5c5 my blood c2d5aca812 again now?dcacd8e365e68c99

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As unease began 8e1c3916e8 to creep in, 496b51feab he spoke again.2a201ad7a044d6d9

“There should be money I sent for the mansion’s upkeep.”827bea14820eae6a

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“…I spent all of that too.”c9be701090610302

“All of it?”b5c175b0feadc0ae

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Thankfully, he didn’t know I had touched the jewelry. That was a relief. If he knew, he’d immediately demand to know where all that money went.aaac893d8d0b0b3a

“I was living as you desired, spending the money you provided. Did you forget our agreement? You told me to eat and spend freely once I came to the capital. So why are you surprised? Suddenly running out of funds meant I had to sell my clothes to keep up my spending habits.”fc03c0debe3be8b1

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It was a plausible excuse, but he didn’t buy it.fc050b05996f3c4e

“For all that spending, this mansion looks rather shabby.”7402ea75b8987785

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The word “shabby” coming from his mouth stung. Knowing how run-down the place was, he still left me here. How shameless.22450c48027f7f8f

“Did you think I would spend my money on decorating this mansion? As you said earlier, this is your mansion, not mine. Why would I spend my money here?”974ba0d27e256a11

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A sharp 79562b4447 look shot 86dba3b83c my way.82f4a5d99f2accd4

“So, did you buy what you wanted?”50cc34cce0e37397

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He seemed 4e1ac828fd to have 94d9f0d182 a vague 6c5171a13b suspicion that 9b9e16cf7b I spent 57c42af85a the money fb23539641 elsewhere.3d6d5612441ffe9f

He kept asking e2d47b356e where the money a148dfe33c went but still e83a3d12d1 looked doubtful. It seemed 0d3d26c10b he thought 7ae2853281 I had 8cf2109bc9 hidden the e00169ad51 money instead e3212022f0 of spending 0b86308a4c it.42c0aa0060d771b2

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Was he worried f03142a1d6 I might have 25752b9db1 converted it to 193cce9077 cash for an a4e7628576 escape fund?2af232167a433a9d

But unfortunately, 1d28eb983a I was e4b280a408 entirely penniless. Even if he e0aea17110 suspected me, calling 76c97c2da9 in knights to c98a108983 search the mansion 5eb5c1d217 and my belongings 67f9626d81 would yield nothing.f098e058f0ac6e5a

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“I didn’t get to buy anything. I wasted all the money.”769d1125500769b3

 7ab9580e46838c7c

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