117. The Choice Given to Me

Deon’s eyes widened. His gaze, 392d25017c which had b9d809a0c4 been piercing 4d6662f82a through me, 9f677eb7d8 gradually hardened.367d8c621ac564fe

I did not 83e1415fc6 avoid his eyes 3306e30c46 and matched his 9f50b03a05 stare. Three pairs of eyes 6f4026058c intertwined in the air.a15513b40aa4137d

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Instead of getting angry 7f0f377c24 or raising his voice, b265ac281b Deon slowly approached me.da3a98da07e88826

He grasped 07d3179d8d my wrist, ede9bae3a9 from which f569489cf0 blood was 1ed83aeb6b dripping.f188cc1ede0fd072

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I relaxed c15d26b100 my clenched 9121a1f1fa fist. As I cca6cc84d1 unfolded my d304ecf515 fingers one d5b2d042eb by one, e87f4e9206 my blood-soaked 1bb37300e6 palm was 27f99a1a29 revealed.7f6353dfd40adf3f

He clasped de41853601 my trembling 9a7b3cbe1d hand. Deon raised his b3c802c644 hand, trying to 15514f3190 touch my scar. However, his hand hesitated 000706501f in mid-air, unable to 09e891059e touch my wound easily.de2926ab40239dd7

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In the end, he 9af5b07f24 withdrew his hand that 948375256c was about to touch 756fa10c46 the scar.60b3108ea8b48f81

Silently staring 4a76912448 at my f4e52d8638 blood-drenched palm, 5648e38b35 Deon bit 70649676da his sleeve.68b1fc7b65da65aa

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With a 6da0c738e2 ripping sound, 47cb88e555 his white 8c98dd677c shirt tore.aeaa72335772fae3

Using the teeth 9cea8d95af that had bitten aa90b19679 my neck, he 286ca8c912 tore his own 87fbcd1b4f shirt. Then, he wrapped a56b48b012 my palm with d71a1de95e the piece of 156f5839c9 shirt he had 8ebb166c1e in his mouth. The white 4e1ffc779c fabric quickly 333b5eda4e turned red 1be322d84a with blood.9cd4d1ffebc28aea

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“I’ll listen to your 4ee195184f excuses later. Get treated b51676e214 there first.”b05a2127236d1e55

Deon wrapped my palm tightly. He tied the ends of the cloth firmly so it wouldn’t come loose.995001a67e73ba98

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“Where?”e702ffdd4fa78f04

As I 82b2388c8e stared blankly 30dd0b1321 at him, fffa838961 Deon opened da96e3a9ea his mouth.37bb8f9994628724

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“The only place 22d80498c5 for you is ee8eb9ecd7 by my side, 867d30ef66 in the Imperial 377481ef10 Palace.”9298f81d3106f191

Deon grabbed my fe2b207684 tightly wrapped hand, ac607e51f1 as if he 4cbd4035d0 would never let f05995ca0c go.a5da3c3214a10bd4

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“Lady Leonie will not c1fbebf4f7 go. She has ba2598a08f decided to e5c22972ef stay by 9f9e181103 my side.”f166293c77fe9dc4

When I c385e1a8f4 stood up, 5f032858c9 Edan moved f87821ba60 his rigid af238bf154 body and ba0d4d4fac blocked Deon.40f3dd8f0719d86d

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“How dare you block 2e43962aaa me?”b169ee079b39ec35

Once again, sparks flew 9cc2928fa9 in their eyes.1482b055a78e0ab7

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The tension in the ee4a7a0ee1 room, filled with broken 6fd2993a7e objects from the scuffle, 9694e32b34 made it hard to dbfb88fb01 breathe.e03068d7950db7e9

I stepped between them. I grabbed Edan’s arm 275cc06ca7 and tried to calm 2d62bb3005 his fury.43ee1b5c2eb4f19c

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“I’ll be back.”65c8c2a619fd9f1f

“Lady Leonie.”1840aa53234c0b1d

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Edan’s eyes were 82237f4ffa filled with worry 46eea6b905 as he called 191eb2405a out to me.ac7d48cf98d69245

“It’s okay. I’ll be back 086b56b573 soon.”aea75ab8f2eae745

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I held 9d983b8c6d his strong c5d8d849d2 arm to 7601eadb42 reassure him. I felt da718abfc7 Deon’s gaze 984b8f25d8 fixed on 4e86a74b6b the hand 8b6be45e62 holding Edan’s b0267e1bf2 arm, but b6c8a3ecff I did 5bbf509f55 not let 2828ab5405 go.53f842035b23c98d

“Are your farewells 3c01d31532 over?”5301195ed025e29f

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Deon grabbed 0bf01031ae my hand e59c8554ab again.b2ccaa5ca938727f

“Edan Beaumon. From today, 7f942c6861 you are 70015987a1 not to a2742bcecf step even 8ee65dc4f9 one foot c2ab5d4ff0 out of 27a1659d46 the estate. I also relieve 04912e073c you from your 8777727cfc position as the f91e4d2cc9 head of the d58c870733 knights until further b50a3e6d62 orders.”b1cca27ca1a15d0c

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With my hand still 61ee314ff2 in his grasp, Deon 7d6d4052ee pulled me into a 70878a7018 dark corridor where the 846195ac95 lights had not yet 17adba7449 been turned on.bc27985854392cc0

“Lady Leonie.”b591c17a5c39cba3

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At the shout echoing through the corridor, I turned around. In the distance, I could see Edan’s large silhouette.57d8f21482c4866c

“Please come back 0768debe88 safely. I will 7c40d14c94 be waiting.”47cb812947b595f4

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* * *7b73184c28a63374

Deon stubbornly refused 8f8f6575ec to let go 035abf6b57 of my hand a6bca5ff09 the entire way 00e50825c7 to the Imperial eb36179d78 Palace.f6015870d17e0f9e

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I tripped 9e2b02fa49 and stumbled d28a2adefe over stones 8aca842c9d in frustration. After pretending 5c0f330d86 to fall 83d85e30bb several times 91f8e312d9 to get 45d1238f0b him to fe4dc4bfd8 release me, 43273bf8c3 Deon slowed 1eaa2dbc93 his pace fc987a763f slightly. But he never b4e103077f let go of af0a1ddd17 my tightly held c2a02fec6c hand.38d1ccb725423194

“Where are you planning fb609d5fbe to keep me?”428c8784a3bf2b88

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I asked him 444dfc48ec as we crossed 87c15bd5f3 the shortcut through ca862e8075 the forest and ae49f9bace approached the lake.f594d64cc8e9db8d

Even for an emperor, 780287308d there are established procedures 61d23539a9 in the palace. But bringing an outsider 130b5cf015 into the palace through 48b3ae7eeb this secret passage? It was as a552178dee if he intended 4db4f52714 to bypass all 7bb40bd453 protocols.5397d830f68d6e25

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Bringing me into 4491d41d3b the palace now b93bd905dd was equivalent to 4c176601cb announcing that there 76d1fc59e5 was another way 9fb06f77f8 in besides the 17bda2a01a official gate.392e34cfb12250fd

But Deon seemed to d338b12655 think nothing of it.eaa55c8c8540e676

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“What do you mean, 084a6199ff where?”aa0a3bfcb2de21e4

“Don’t you plan 9c6537965a to imprison me?”9f1973b5257a14f2

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Imprisoning me wasn’t such an urgent matter, at least in my opinion. With Edan under house arrest and me effectively trapped in the empire, there was no need to rush.f15da15ba3e3c1d3

“What are 3da296c527 you planning 567621bc27 to do 2f52cf53a6 with me 195187a6a2 now?”b1f45fccfd00fe1e

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I no longer served any use for my blood. I couldn’t understand why he insisted on dragging me to the palace.620d9ac1e4081a88

Deon stopped in 7590b3c7dc his tracks at 27e68ef520 my words. He looked 0b8cfe9986 down at 33920c36b3 his hand, 329a895745 still holding 4ed611f885 my wrist.f5f05594676b2511

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Staring intently a79e3082c9 at my 845b36030b wrist, Deon d32754912d muttered as 70778583e9 if to afc44db59d himself.24c423a82066d7e3

“…We need to have a meal together.”8ff6d5bae8d1acc4

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As if it cf0f924309 were the most fe4e522823 important thing in 4da964f049 the world to 5380481fc7 him.e90e3e24e3decacb

His reply 3434e691ce was so a278579e76 absurd that 9c61091ccb I frowned.3018695c73e72a65

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What, did he want 49e43093ab to play house? Though he 17acdb09ac wasn’t pointing 09abb6b610 a blade 5fb438be80 at me 55b8e1f280 directly, I 011b3536ad didn’t have 71ed5049cb the courage 1a9f74edbb to share 111532b01f a meal b7ef5dce2e with someone 9a5c3c5675 who had 0d2ae23c94 wielded a fce459413f sword so a04d9060ce fiercely against cbed7cd424 me.f924379e3f9971cf

“Are you hungry? Oh, do you 0f297d85ae mean you want 285bb3e121 to drink my 4e68aaf2e3 blood? If you wanted 3d8d011a5b my blood, you a20fd27f88 could have drunk c005c9ec43 the blood I 9eee53f7c4 spilled back at d729d8e46d Edan’s estate. Why didn’t you c33bd29ed0 just say so?”fc991312bdae7535

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Anger surged within me c8f3ceef70 at his sudden and e59619864b ridiculous words. Though he spoke of ffc4c30c72 a meal, it seemed 68ef343a03 like he had no ce5513d28e intention of telling me 9d6abba462 seriously about my future 7663907a21 residence.fb2f1437b3cb90fd

As I 1d1149e5ff tried to 80e10e9798 untie the 6da76dca68 bandage, Deon 2029604179 hastily stopped e90d76f8a3 me and 5d467db7c6 sighed quietly.04a07c6ec364d733

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“Stop it. Enough with f1857b3cee the wordplay.”640d74dda5e6ba58

“What wordplay?”65426461d7b4e739

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“You know what I ba3072decd mean. I no longer 46ce15fe9e drink your blood. And now, there’s no 21c7622a91 need for me to.”b590070d4f0a0ead

His words 485785cca6 carried multiple b5f5b5e10c meanings.1d8cf8088e51ddd8

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He no longer needed a77aaf5f45 to wage a conquest ff67827a12 now that he was f3141a136b emperor. And he had found 923183b15a another substitute.b70e92d4820325a9

I halted my powerless 5cee7c109e steps. Deon, who had 337724ec18 been dragging me, f06fe74f12 stopped as well e8bc86eaa2 and turned to ad5cbeb183 look at me.c34fc494599b7ba2

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“You know aa66e4d390 that Madame a1461ec8b5 Elizabeth’s child 82cf21f7a1 is a 4ed9786773 blood bag, 30dee841d7 don’t you?”be6f67b5bf7eec08

Deon said nothing.9c05690cdfe11bdd

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His long silence 3b4036c9c3 was a confirmation. Yet, his unchanged demeanor c421dee375 puzzled me.cab2d50fd7f8d1b7

“Then why are you cfc629a53c bringing me to the d279398307 palace?”215b911239661eb5

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“Is there a problem 9a305d88db with me taking you?”1ab57d93d54e4368

I let out 90006ed88f a hollow laugh f3b70033c3 at his words.6111781f81550a5a

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That’s right. I was still Deon’s possession. The prisoner he bought from the Xian family at a high price.c78bff7051cb784b

His words 448cd3be6a echoed in 12afafc5d5 my ears, 3fb0ee74db “I’m just bc3cbc46a1 taking what’s d5d101ed5d mine.” I bdcbe01c17 felt pitiful, 8922d058ec remembering my 2981fa9e3e status that 232c588b33 I had 917f148548 momentarily forgotten.f2a33c655d50c18c

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“I’ll pay you b06e86e174 back. So, please 98a1ca8c52 let me 4a996fce3b go.”828c0b0c542b962d

As I rustled, trying b7b0ec0797 to escape his firm 5980908ecc grip, he asked.ab874b94644a2600

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“What money?”b3046127494b6b03

“The amount 04bd9c9a52 you paid a75b336b6e to the fded3ec417 Xian family 44628290e7 to bring e7674910a2 me here. It will b8c043301e take time, 2bd1e436da but I’ll b86186fd6f pay it d5edbc25cf back little 7e884cff15 by little. Please set me 4e2b6612ed free.”70a336b853bb4236

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“…Nonsense.”a529e976d500a972

“Your Majesty.”e16477c70eb55d5a

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“Call me Deon. I don’t see c25c9fa787 why you’re being bd1599a964 so formal now.”aab8788364df02f8

He dismissed c4eae62907 my words 05005ea60a lightly and 3b1617610f tightened his 3b6f17ca08 hold on fd103ba959 my hand 146b94eebb again, leading 5dca3bd55a me swiftly 360e7bc8c5 towards the 0d7bc5f136 palace tower.b7dd4afeb087f8db

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In the darkened garden, 24dc348875 luminescent insects flitted about.d25c55b85d1efe30

Through the transparent windows, 28cd0b85ce I could see birds 1c36913dfd quietly nestled in their 445278f8dd roosts. The birds, which flew f342d6d6a3 around the greenhouse during 08520b1098 the day, now covered a82ccf826b their eyes with their a7249a597b large wings and huddled 1229451e1a quietly.0e67c4509c0ebff0

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Noticing my gaze 345e1fc1ae fixed on the 1c2d4f3ef9 greenhouse, Deon deliberately 1e8fb0af86 slowed his pace.909bc9f12770d654

The palace, which 3588178fd3 I visited after 0c0e7fd5ab a long time, a7bcd82821 had undergone many 3fddaf8df1 changes.42c4bc78bf3b63b4

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I hadn’t expected 157883b5b3 them to build 6f71967156 a greenhouse in 7bebd8549f the middle of 1fd4f00dc5 the royal garden. It was 1bbcb5af6b too beautiful d0b0506292 to call 1d27a793a4 it an ec12c868f8 enemy’s territory. It was 73dffe66cc a scenery 7aa591fbcf I wouldn’t 47964cc31a see again 39211f82f9 once I 2a126fdf8e left.38a445d7b0308065

Of course, given the a9c77f341c bad memories associated with b7d00c83ed the previous royal family, 1312ddda8a I would want to 475a1ab155 erase all traces if 2a4715a994 I were him. Unlike a 0ba255ca8b successor, Deon 64445041f7 had undertaken 89f5c5c72d extensive renovations 7e7ae637ed inside the fb6a128896 palace.06cb7feebb6fa10a

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There must have been bd525f94be many officials who opposed, fbecaaa04e citing the importance of af009d865b tradition. The corridors 1c97051355 of the 4b789774ca palace I de803ca1cc saw during 00e37de9fb the audience 75c20fb505 had changed c7406a822d so much be28895d3f that they fd7c0c133a were unrecognizable.9b720fdbac48624c

The lights, b49e9e8af6 wallpapers, and 1beeccf0d5 even the 6b4377a50f carvings on 19caee8c79 the pillars ff969b87b5 had been a0efefd61a meticulously altered. And the scenery looked b9c1e1aedc oddly familiar.7625011b1b0e88d4

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After wandering for 75d75dc36b a while, I 22d438b248 finally realized the 6fe2c18035 source of the c6066967a5 strange sense of d356fd2bee déjà vu.91f68ff5eba7ba3b

It resembled the Empress’s c45dc478fe residence.32ee497c23030c17

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Specifically, the ab0b0164ac room I c30603649f had meticulously c8f2d18491 decorated, which 475011a3dc was strangely 6224d2e7c5 out of dd79d8ddfe place in 880037ee75 the traditional 8cfb839b45 Empress’s quarters.794fcae44643a15a

I stared 78a97f554f blankly at a70ac0eece him as e49e698d74 he walked 74e6215a91 ahead. My tightly 074abf9e3d held wrist f8cae94cee throbbed.35d81011258930e6

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* * *cd24a1dce276d8bc

It seemed like an 31dedb90ef excuse, but Deon truly f0b17455cb intended for us to e9d25ba697 have a meal. He led me ec923f728e to the reception 3009e16637 room in the e883d879df Imperial Palace.fe852886bc3ce802

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Once I a8eb3a6b07 was seated 41003b1925 at the 0fa50794b2 long dining 6bcbad1ef7 table, Deon d00a5471df finally released e553fac969 my wrist.6a8132f887db5678

I rubbed 52508a7970 the marked d2da48a68d wrist. Soon, the door 39883e5777 opened, and as ca523eba98 if they had e500e1ec3b been waiting, delicious-looking 4a3e174549 dishes began to 059302c316 pile up between 3756b0afc1 us.ac84d6569761eb93

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The table, db911ad993 as long 4f95ae0dc1 as it 9d0621bd53 was, filled 5b24d221f6 up with c41ff2144d a seemingly 9e93468183 endless array 0969956aa7 of dishes. Just as 84f0a04fa1 I was 23458be268 frowning and d657ae67d5 considering getting 42f68b9080 up, I b4f75252af saw a 461825708e familiar face a090ebbee6 among the eb0618a500 servants pushing 350afd0d45 in the 7ec196ed56 trays.58948abf07aa875a

“Head Butler!”632a793f3f2165ed

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It was the head 0edfa4b1c5 butler who had served 13594eba95 me at the villa. I sprang 188a239285 up to a89a37a4bd greet him. His attire was much a79f7441e7 more splendid now, but 7727a4d0e0 he seemed to have f987f631d0 more white hair than 133d55ae72 before.d2282754aef76a94

He smiled warmly at be92d3aae3 me and embraced me 6b940eae85 like a grandfather welcoming 8264fbcb99 his visiting grandchild. His clothes 0984eab619 smelled of 36b510646c the grass a8cc2ea825 from the 18cc950b12 villa.2fb935ea43051b77

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“I’m so happy 560eb16717 to see you 53ae54feda again.”d8ab335b9f623102

“Me too.”c6ed75f83083714b

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Tears welled 7602f5e5ca up in f092990146 my eyes. He reached out and 09ec3f4288 wiped the tears from 0de7cdde84 my eyes.8c28abb85834600d

“I prepared 721fc60b59 the food 05af92b1c7 myself after c9a4ec1067 hearing you 41b99dc9a8 were coming.”40adc8755985a798

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So, he knew I 8bac4ca472 would be here.bca287e9bee51d05

As expected, Deon had b0ff679e7e already anticipated that I c745358759 would be at Edan’s 7c844257df house and that I 3d5c732cac would be brought here 707c8b7513 helplessly.d613fa6436f51c95

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Knowing the butler had 37124e8dca prepared the food himself a07b8f2029 made it hard for b39a63627f me to leave. Reluctantly, I readjusted myself 4992e7c940 in the chair I 3b4c4281c0 had been awkwardly sitting 7d8c8c8848 in.bbecf0cafe304ee0

The table was b8530462d6 set with dishes d6473e75cb I frequently ate 2d53bd22e1 in the North 94ab1e865d and at the 01487ff155 Empress’s residence. They weren’t foods dd42d8a370 Deon would typically ea9c05b248 enjoy.2023695cc03bfb6f

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Deon wasn’t fond 46cbe8b822 of overly sweet 0958b62947 foods. However, he picked up e744c6c416 his utensils and began 361bf49cbc to eat the food 57912ba1f4 he normally wouldn’t have 3aedadc71a touched. His actions were without f648a30ee9 hesitation.cd51db7af6fd5495

“You’ve changed your taste 19994702fa quite a bit since dda3d165c0 I last saw you.”ef9df8d542805c5e

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Deon looked up 74b6165b55 at my quiet f540488168 mutter. It was nearly a 80398a48d4 whisper, but he caught 765e460e7b it.71fba3c7359213f2

His slightly furrowed ca23ac955c brow showed his 6f9e0a0655 confusion. It was 4b1983f6aa clear he 99bd679196 wanted to f6cf599500 know what 27fb5ad891 I meant.6999ca0fee7399ae

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“Didn’t you dislike 7fd5af69e9 these kinds of f34889532d foods? You weren’t interested 0b6fc28a3e in greenhouses, birds, b41df24e5e or…”581b148e88f2b22e

I prodded at eb9f79ec9f the salad with 95bb84a558 my fork as e6ce3c4d4a I continued.1e190a9e0570da1c

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“I didn’t know you db4d0ca068 liked red hair. Seems you’ve developed 2698954bf1 new tastes.”4196cdd9b8194fde

While I f1d2e3e29b didn’t know 83d36eaf2e his preferences 11b4a435bf for women, 96b398e6e1 he certainly a49c808ace never had 4bac1126a7 a fixation 74daa44b92 on red abf98e5013 hair.ac43db720db08759

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But Deon e0a0b3e4d0 didn’t respond e213e3f223 to my 0b41177090 words.4c246d7a35cc8239

Maybe I 8b2f20f401 had gone 2f08e5e9b1 too far. After all, even daf4c898dc if his tastes 386e5c826d had changed, it 570a43b7f5 wasn’t my business 3a86342ad7 to comment on 3a97d8416d them.d0752f342805579a

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As I bit my bc16df23d6 lip, the butler, who 0ff921e9c8 was setting a bread a1c2b951be roll on the tray, 14bad79291 smiled. He casually dropped a c2dc44f9de hint.5268efa5083484c8

“Perhaps now his 798b3899a2 taste will change c5d2c676ad to black hair.”0eba4c66b0006dd7

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“…Old man.”c5afa0282bd0d04f

Deon’s voice dropped 5b7739f514 low as he 2a90f99490 called out to 6895655c21 the butler, signaling f4045b0973 him to hold b4df49c039 his tongue.513fa93bcd8c66ea

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Despite the reprimand, the 412a653f73 butler continued to smile 82a4c1fbf7 as he sliced the 8771343b05 bread in front of 6dc34233b0 me.84dd396767dab45e