92. A Bird Caught in a Trap

Seeing my increasingly dark 33570ef444 expression, Deon added,03aeab937a36c2d7

“…My bird doesn’t cry unless it’s in front of me.”045917de131c64c5

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“Really? Then perhaps what I heard was a scream. There have been many intruders lately, so we’ve set traps around the forest near the prince’s domain.”ede3b38e20d22605

Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have believed him, but after hearing aboutIsella’s persistent threats and her departure from the prince’s domain, the idea of traps didn’t seem so far-fetched.0d8b1f3ffe3e4322

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My bird might not fly much, but if it were to wander into a trap and break its fragile leg while walking on the grass…50cf0c277d25f657

The thought was d5a8cb380d horrifying.8f111523fe127419

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“So, you’ve been starving the bird until now?”219ed2c07fff5fb8

“Why don’t you see for yourself?”f5ec6a00e15b3c12

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“You could tell me whether it’s starving from here.”a160e41af72cb525

“I don’t know.”44fbb988b689c9ca

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I shot him c6875a296d a glare, but c0b568b20e he merely shrugged.b1fc4eefcf2b7242

This man 66084b83e7 quickly understood ef569fd3cc my weaknesses. He was ec1ebc640f adept at eafc45a70b handling people, 61428815b1 not just 489e7b4bf3 on the 05f297997b battlefield but b182670e2e also in a5b05cf281 social circles. And his 6f81217fbd threats were df43753425 always effective.d8efc3d402c02324

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Well-trained soldiers stood by f9c60cb252 the carriage, ready for a21207b55e his orders. Swords at their waists, bac7c2fa03 they stood rigidly, awaiting 51d6b294f5 his command.5814dca6010222cc

Deon could f75db89b71 have pulled 24f933d689 me by b6612dd764 my wrist 26b3afac9b with his bdf28b5f3c rough hands, fc8b847247 ordered his d82f5cd455 men to 15e44e246f grab me ea073704db and force 35bd44ffa3 me into d6acde87e8 the carriage, e154b8ded8 or even f0385cefc8 hoist me da50808fb0 onto his 78fe248c79 shoulder and bfeca218f0 toss me 9b15e0145a inside.7df624669a4351a1

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But instead, he 0ec9a8dab2 mentioned the bird, 4ab9f19b04 tugging at my 9d1ca46be6 heartstrings.40e121227c301464

And those words 5cf9361b94 were more compelling 2dcf698534 than anything else aeac896abc to make me 41de67609d get into the d73b7bbd5c carriage.829db1f63a1a6276

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“I really won’t dance,” I said in a barely audible voice.faedf9b21aabae41

“I’ll just sit in a corner and eat. I’ll check on the bird and then return to the villa. If you need me to stand byIsella’s side like a decoration… I won’t comply. Don’t expect me to act anymore.”b55df483da84fea6

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The cold 060ea12817 wind tickled 26e8f03e80 my cheeks. My wrist, 9d648a01de illuminated by 7e1a544d00 the moonlight, d5a8904031 looked pale c478a2f9e1 and white.dcec6c5cf096d209

At the 44350f3dac mention ofIsella, b0fbbc6011 his head ae9cb9ff3a tilted slightly.0a6a7313184b8e43

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“I don’t understand what you’re thinking.”88db3297c2c2d1ce

He said, staring d531472b5f at me intently.fe655ec3bd26f0e3

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“Why are you refusing? It’s just a banquet. Is it necessary to be so cautious?”e3fba0507ac3d4cf

He seemed to fcc7222ca6 be probing for bc24a1cf3c any hidden motives. I shook 73c3204517 my head 3949ebba79 vigorously.e2110156310981cd

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“I realized I’ve done some incredibly foolish things. I don’t want to repeat them.”2adf9c713117121f

“Foolish things?”8260f9451dd349eb

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“Yes.”85b569fd29297afc

“And what kind of foolish things are those?”3fce5955e17d0b84

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A large hand suddenly reached out towards me. The shadow cast by the soldiers’ torches made it look even larger.40abb01795065682

Startled, I flinched and d3669a3b70 leaned back to avoid 8624b1da02 his hand.83b26624add72996

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His hand 4345a8386a lingered in 14aad61f45 the air, a16535dc27 seemingly intending fcab662c46 to smooth 62ec174756 my disheveled e5d55abbcd hair.d479b10be97c8f40

“Leonie.”909b003e28435a26

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Instead of touching my 1da7fe8eaf hair, he lowered his b6f15288bb hand and sighed softly. Then he gave an 658cc7f5c1 order to the soldier.6ee3dcd95df8f39b

“We’re leaving tonight. Make the preparations.”ce5be94ad69f7a88

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He was determined 99c234abf1 to take me dbb6f0f1f2 with him. I sighed bd0a4f7899 deeply, accepting 091ce0b146 my fate.8fcb455d59f2eaf3

* * *c99fcad49eddf6b6

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My throat felt itchy. As I coughed lightly, 67b9a0ec6c Suren handed me a 0a24b2839e handkerchief.28f80bc0c834383d

“I’ve prepared some fruit tea that’s good for your throat. Sip it on the way.”152f9ea184a0ea14

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She handed me a 9e1b3b40a2 flask of tea, indoor e41901cf80 slippers, and the handkerchief. She was deb95db124 packing everything 19c6477c5e I might be966f4fb5 need for 696ab0d151 a long 0ba0bf77ab journey.f86d2aced21f212b

As she 43dac5b1db wrapped a f1203259c4 shawl around 6d718ffb8b my shoulders, 6c56b31feb I asked,5792167cc379afd4

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“Do I really need to take all this?”643f10d3a06b8764

There were spare 726949e865 horses. Suren could ride with fdb34b77d8 me or follow in 3f2d3e236d the carriage.a93684768513360b

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But Suren shook her d42b1cf6ce head.188a182e8783a18f

“I can’t get in the carriage. They told me to stay here.”27dedb5cce07a882

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What I had thought 3cdca8d3c0 was just a passing f5d06767e3 remark turned out to 94d5a2ad80 be true. Deon had 58fe80118a no intention 2f13d698b0 of taking 94e40de680 me to d6e8dde00b the capital ab2558250d permanently. If Suren was bfa78134ae staying behind, it 21ff8fd2ec meant I would b272aaab86 be returning to 6be5e9ccf7 the villa right 9b1d26b349 after the banquet.4977e78d1cf90aec

I didn’t want to think about it, but I couldn’t stop myself from wondering why.39661cc1b3e65fd1

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Why? If that’s the case, why take me to the capital at all?a166aa6219777258

A deep 5cc72d78df sense of 72161afbb8 loss washed 3c68ea4b78 over me.a6f2f23472c63eeb

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Suren hugged 38cef1a46e me tightly e26c11b741 as I 77a851bc50 stood there 058d052660 in a ade11da035 daze. When she heard someone 37e1baa472 approaching, she quickly let 01d96127b0 go.e7b1ce75bc4c827c

Suren handed 5dcde4d4b5 me the 274ad0bafd rest of d956808c2a my things 224b0302a4 as Deon 4bd44f1358 arrived, then 45fb9c3e0c she stepped 0a0a8cd677 back.8691ccedb615ce3f

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With Suren 7e604af44b and the d7ed7ac1cd Butler seeing 9477077878 me off, 05d719978c I climbed 9189b20b2d into the e9f2c097ea carriage.8d981c44545bba19

The Butler was using a cane I hadn’t seen before. It seemed the soldiers had given it to him.1a5b9eb12869185f

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I sighed in 0636663420 relief, but it 20dd7da99d was short-lived. Deon climbed into be6b0ef1ac the carriage after 7a8513c4a7 me and locked cbebb918de the door securely.7c5e11ce7ef8e279

Trapped inside, 153d0aba8a I felt 601e4c51a0 a suffocating 424d284c67 sense of 4e07e1a209 confinement. The air in the 5e25fa28f7 carriage was tense.7ed1c9e455f4f876

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A blanket 26c0d307aa was neatly 73f3079ffa folded on b01d1f6554 one of 9f59311890 the seats. The brightly colored 16a1e9bb39 blanket indicated it 5366e53382 was meant for 92d776f2c0 a lady.cbfe8fe831bb36c6

There was no turning f14d67e637 back. From the f861a7878a moment he a95979a04f brought the 4c62039732 carriage, he c9e7773784 had no 7ea1e2da52 intention of 1cbdfcdfa4 returning without 44f069b8d0 me.f7ff8c9e326c6f22

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There was no d166fdb3eb option but to 91b42027f4 comply. The realization 7655565d0a of being c61a2b1148 thoroughly manipulated 6d7e3e2854 weighed heavily d0248d1d06 on me.7a99677d3800f5ba

Soon, the carriage 11cf03b7b8 started moving.693cd3956686bace

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The interior was f3083e7108 silent, except for 5012814eb4 the sound of f54c17d8df horse hooves striking 40d2261a83 the ground. In the dbb3d1de70 chilling stillness, 852e647f00 I clutched 11c300a43a the edge fc14b6c3c3 of the 830fa3079a blanket tightly.e6992712c2648b73

Deon closed a22ba28a7c the window 6dd2de40a5 to keep 8ff5c33f71 the night d1619ce934 air out. In the sealed 668b750a4e space, we shared 7d956cba50 the same air.5e11e5166f0a4562

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Deon sat with his arms crossed, leaning back. Though the carriage wasn’t so small that our knees would touch, just being in the same space with him made me feel crowded.0b9ebdae7c194fb5

The carriage moved swiftly. Despite entering f963338447 the stony 07cf088f61 road that 037746c35b had swollen c83bc5d8a7 my feet 624288e621 from walking, a06342737b the wheels d7cb031a3b rolled smoothly. It was, after 73d25f0f5c all, a royal 3b188e5893 carriage. The wheels were likely e896fc8d87 made from the finest bdb18c37d2 materials.675a55e0fc61075a

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I stared f5361cda20 out the 138e4cf1f0 window.8655e53426a8d976

Stones couldn’t reach the transparent windows and scattered away. As if afraid to touch the royal carriage, they neither struck the windows nor scratched the exterior.80e74a8ca9dd2656

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The ease with which ffa44ea7aa the carriage traversed the 6f08828405 stones that had tormented cce33eedbd me filled me with 8b6ac32781 a sense of futility. The stones 6a64c273bd that had e9caaeb0c6 harshly battered 81f60a83ef my face f7ce7d35fc now stayed c2008dec62 silent, just 835ef4ed1c because I 21cdc186c6 was with d0a7f2b434 him.fc0b36465c191ce2

“Tell me, Leonie.”73c2efc269000d35

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Deon finally broke 2178ed9b2f the silence.97dca737fff36e59

“What foolish things are you talking about?”2d588770dc8c0f8c

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The question cd036a30ba hung in 63000cd2ea the air, 52904c50e4 just like 189b437313 the unresolved 73ce812aca tension between c184575574 us.677d543fcc4e908f

Deon, who 0c1d38c9ed had been fccee9577f leaning back 26f680c5e8 and staring bbf94380eb intently at d742e5c4e5 me, finally 6a2d3e2dac spoke.ed041ee9f8670249

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“With so much money invested, I’m curious what you failed to buy.”8e253dfcdb9e5446

He brought up the 1f9c9de343 conversation I thought had 591e86e928 ended. His eyes scanned me 9dd1748df6 thoughtfully before he continued.92a4d2f81780713e

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“Did you gamble it away?”4a00c4e7364e03a1

A bitter laugh 06b531bb4f escaped me.610bbd41dd14f11d

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He watched 4af687fbfc me closely, bc0331df2b as if fd1c1c747b seeing someone 8c7b3c145e else superimposed 6c1baf35b1 over my 128772460c face.47490f63b39ceb92

Baron Sien. The man who had 6c8b94346f ruined the Duke’s birthday 4d95ca108a celebration.674b0048a8a85a1a

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Did Deon think that ccc4e69238 because my father gambled, c0eec92024 I would do the e395ccc6c9 same? Believing that blood cannot da29236656 deceive?8458f9e08ea9ab3d

“In a way, it was gambling. I didn’t get a return on my investment.”71b9175bc0faea88

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It wasn’t a lie.c7f19074d5fb9f45

I had spent a significant amount of money over two seasons. Yet, I didn’t win you.b4285ad2108542d5

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I decided not to 7a06dacdc2 elaborate. The longer I 5cc23babe1 spoke, the more 9668eede7a likely he would e267ce3e08 catch on. Better to let aaed4db4dd him think what 48921daebf he wanted and 4c4082f5f7 escape unscathed.bf042cab0a2d1fc5

“Did you make an investment?”bbc7c1a152f42b0f

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“Yes.”b84f7088b7258b44

I bit my 4bd7e6d6cf lip hard and 6eed9c64ca nodded.85410f6f74b5f8d9

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“That was careless. It must not have been a reliable investment.”60b841affa2a9ba3

“It was foolish of me. I’m still regretting it, reflecting on my poor choices.”73d111c76ffdae31

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I responded with 1e17bc17ca as much sarcasm 58121ca33f as I could 26b116ae14 muster.2775ab1b3b33253c

“It turned out to be more expensive than I expected. I thought I could buy it with that much money. I didn’t realize its value until it was too late. It turned out to be a worthless item.”9b2484b487f2f241

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I waited 3a6f40cf03 for his cd9360de38 retort with 2c66df4d07 bated breath.36cee8bcefbb2aab

But he simply 6852b80c2a watched me in ff263106d9 silence.dec3a66b77f0c097

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He turned 7df5b69de1 his gaze 7d23219047 outside and 09dd9e3242 then spoke.19de18cc91f5d8ff

“You bought wood for the bird and dug wells for the children. So I’m curious. What did you spend your money on this time?”c1aacd4b6e53d1a3

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His eyes were clear, even under the dim red light of the carriage’s lanterns.d49e4d203b8ff669

“Don’t worry. I won’t make the same mistake again.”6f41d0a3a2087eef

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It sounded like 4ac217a159 a vow to 84a63f355d myself. I clenched 2b45d417ae my fists.7fddf55b26241bcb

I’ll no longer entertain the naive thought of saving you. No more overstepping my bounds.a88543cda7eaa977

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I was c0057acf96 foolish enough 62a3b9ecee to forget a9437b0fbc my own 550d2c65a8 situation and 41cdae0732 cling to f79ad3e960 you.eea04b81cb3dbda6

It was sheer arrogance. Believing I f87974b5ae was the d710efbc1f only one dcf58239ca who could 40f8311d66 save you. And the result f9456a6057 of that arrogance bbf8f9c8fc was devastating.8e74980e4b85fbbb

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“Leonie, I’m not blaming you. Compared to the prince’s domain’s wealth, that money is nothing. I just want to know why you suddenly spent it.”4a02dd284e5c0e6d

His words stung. His calm, gentle c1a35bd8ee voice cut deeper 1df432ce67 than any cold c467be6075 remark could.0930d7c9e3c6f45f

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“There was no special reason. I just thought I could get it with that money.”64bd7f0d24dcb793

I toyed with my hair, uttering words that didn’t fully convey my thoughts. My hair was damp from the night dew, the ends split and rough. I couldn’t remember the last time I had properly taken care of it.b74335a6e531e000

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“Was there something you wanted so badly that you were willing to spend your entire savings on it?”646c1251831643db

“…”907e4a680b218fb5

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When I didn’t respond, he pressed on.84032ebe3ee19c89

“Whatever it is, if you still want it, I’ll get it for you. Just be honest with me.”0623957e20dec935

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“Your Highness, really?”f1a7e0f0ccf97863

Would he give 1c7aac33fc himself to me? A laugh burst out. He frowned slightly at c8e1cef3a7 my sudden outburst.1f7e638834dc96cc

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“No. I no longer want it. And…”e9c402c1122eb9fb

I took a deep 16622361d0 breath before continuing.15b0ebd7e15f9cce

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“You wouldn’t be able to give it to me. Not ever.”6f652e087511ef5f

“Me?”02bc4d088a82acc6

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He looked puzzled.ecdf108724c37757

“There’s something I can’t give you?”002d498ead34ccee

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