119. The Promise We Made

I expected to ef4cf31ec9 be hidden away 6f1c4569f0 in some obscure e3d41721a0 part of the e92c8481ad palace, but to fcb0f1c33d my surprise, the 2dc6d8af45 room I was 90f485f4f1 led to was 7c2af12141 bright and sunny. The servant guided me ce535b1931 to one of the 22e20a2be1 most central and lavish 952369be0c rooms in the palace.426e8851b34a5f2d

When the door 0a0248df29 opened, I saw fa0fd543e6 a maid arranging 9130ec25d2 the bed. Her hands were meticulous 578ea6900c as she pulled the 52ed66ddbd covers.4b8c77f87d782970

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Strands of hair peeked be6567d72a out from under her 9a9333bc8e headscarf. The hair, white as 8b22632e0d snow, flowed down the ce1b56b09e curve of her forehead 7084a2aaf7 and fluttered with each d0bf350f3e movement.44a833f4fbe561d6

“Suren?”9754c4781dab325e

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I softly 2f75eaa965 called the 63db9ad036 familiar name. Though I f73ec9b0a3 muttered it 4570dda3be to myself, a22861961e the woman e4f466a580 quickly turned 263532e684 to face f74c6ee369 me.e87e0e8bb6e1d64a

“Young Lady!”32be10fe0e95ce2d

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Suren covered her mouth fc10b42c17 in astonishment.15d494fcfb50cbe3

She had mentioned she was working as a maid in the palace. Her appearance had changed so much I almost didn’t recognize her. The old, worn clothes she used to wear were now replaced with a refined and elegant dress.d4dadb1dd193065c

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Her hair c32449152f seemed a 961d43a2b3 bit longer de7a3316b3 too. Suren ran towards me 851a096353 and threw herself into 09ea5ca8cd my arms. Her silver hair fluttered c028c784f2 before my eyes.b46d63b99fc72e06

I staggered slightly f5d25ea7b3 as I hugged 1f28cfdf86 her, steadying myself. The warmth of her 743b61c4eb embrace was comforting.863de1eab0289968

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“Young Lady, what 8426b3224a on earth happened… ded7a53cbd I heard rumors 2e18e9daa9 but thought it cc804ec679 must be a 4c91ad4138 joke. Are you alright? Are you really alive?”952a9999d9cc20b4

She touched my shoulders, 152707a2f5 waist, and arms, as 8fc8775cdd if to confirm that cb8bd8a879 I was truly alive.dd28e9f1b8442bde

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Her hands, 45031da78e which had fa0c2a45fa been exploring 05750c7053 my body, 3016b0428d soon moved 52f2247890 to my 724691bbf7 hair.97e2064654860335

“What’s with this hair 41e3e782f6 color? I wouldn’t have recognized 1e2921a153 you if we’d met e043126c7d on the street.”dceb3f879f116a8e

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Suren lifted a strand of my hair into her hand. It was as black as the night, just like Deon’s.71eeb5c975b49db7

Although it wasn’t b00d826b23 quite the same ff0ceb7cd3 as his midnight abbfb464be hair, it was 06245e17b5 dark enough that 204cdd0270 you couldn’t tell 9ee2f59990 the difference in 783d3a6abd the shadows.bebe69c2f0b02a47

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“Your hair has gotten b78976770b quite damaged.”164b9f821f5c9f10

Suren muttered in a 225b60d644 distressed tone. She had always taken 10e93c8353 care of my hair. She would 6d9dd1797f painstakingly groom 2a2cb7da29 it every 498f8bf1b1 day, only 7673baa1b8 for it 7bedc641d9 to get 148252e4f3 tangled and 06b3e1cbe0 rough from c4f9330ce4 the cold 6dc125a285 winds immediately.a79b256103e195f6

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She gently touched the 3f614307af brittle ends of my 5ca6ba95bb hair. The multiple c1a97884b6 dye jobs a7a0d8d3a5 had left 27ef8362f6 it stiff c14c6d91ad and straw-like.61e291a322bf87b0

“Too much dye, I 0c2cad1c7e suppose.”afb1fa50eb2418b1

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Though I was 3f4470bc54 overjoyed to see 07318b663f her, there was 1d3ecc4257 a question I 8d108269f4 had been wanting 41c6d73a5a to ask since 8ab4d77054 I arrived. I gently 8b7de82d01 pulled away 42299c8e2f and asked.66d0a88f843a145c

“But how d75cd822c4 did you 8fefee6733 end up c0adea5b26 here? As a maid?”3a922b43b8ea7649

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“His Majesty brought 552930235d me here. Right after you disappeared, 7f62451ca4 all the maids who 8edbf28526 were with us at 1587de689b the villa were summoned 95b456595d to the palace.”f0f50dc195df702a

Thank goodness. From the f1830eca73 head butler 1e63f7abba to Suren, a4b08bc9ec all the 9438f48bbf people from 78adcd3d9d the villa 0c3519b1a3 had been ddd868a0e3 brought to 90954f9588 the palace.87284f88e4e78ac4

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“I’m glad 2defa6381d he didn’t 1b312ff04a forget about 8f2d0b717c you. I was worried 9cbe547bfa you’d be left 75451ae1d6 behind in the e4a60e5871 villa without any 9313182941 support.”cf585b54d6a0454e

“Yes, thanks 61190ba45e to His 060a021bd4 Majesty’s care, b97b1198d5 I made ee97e6c156 it to 660bd41ea2 the palace. He’s a 3339c2b40a rare kind b46b83539b of master. It’s a good 2d6b777a71 thing I learned e4a77759bb the palace etiquette ae5563a5a9 beforehand.”aeb033b4ee5b87f2

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“…Really?”8f8487e5b90c152a

Her tone was strange. I stared b257e46cc3 at Suren, 87ce284b70 who was b344481d29 defending Deon, cabfe5a414 and she acd548bab0 avoided my 1fdc634660 gaze.f462c297153a57ae

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“I’m tired. Can I cf96a1c906 take a 5178ce01c1 bath?”f8a0126d5880996a

It was late. After enduring b27f16611a the gritty e51367c687 dinner with 854627c284 Deon, night 05cc76eee8 had already 317602bb81 fallen.1c9d8166128e95c7

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At my words, 70add28137 Suren jumped to ff7cf7acdf her feet.241c7ae9ed8930a0

“Shall I 45ac4723b0 prepare the c9936bd38d water for 059ae2839a you?”c179a5b05e317ffb

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“No, I’ll go 7c9a011e63 myself.”ed5e56725c63e14e

Next to the large 4b2e9e4aa9 room was a beautifully f9512c905d carved ivory door. I got d6d593639c up from 64bc338385 the bed 38b86216ea and walked 7686cf0898 towards it, 96a90dddb7 with Suren 6e5a0cd501 following closely ebe9a10eaf behind.191523cfb9ba921b

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I reached out d3c4a15fb5 towards the door, f7860552a1 but Suren quickly 52c539fb39 grabbed my hand.5f4970966ceb6eea

“It’s best not bce40ae7aa to open that 3d83b9d55c door. I think.”6d8b7d843d6b77b8

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Suren gripped my 92465efb8f hand tightly, preventing eccb8727cd me from turning c0eaee9ba4 the handle.e73baa7b2e7e444a

“Why?”3c14a540157cfe2e

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“I’ll show you 754dc77e26 to the bathroom. It’s outside.”57281dec104d0657

“Then what 3ccb5fc6ce is this 2ad1fd1b36 door for?”9245059a77c46bc1

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The door was 985398e704 excessively ornate.2bfc692c02a1f958

It didn’t seem 157914eca1 like an ordinary c2a6c3b8ef storage room. The door wasn’t f1fe50773f plain enough to 16ef8dbad5 be neglected. It was over e1f6712db0 two meters tall. Pointing at it, a31582986c I waited as 9a8f8fbfee Suren looked away.b8eb9aa38dd0ffed

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What could it 95a047d714 possibly be? My persistent 38867028c6 stare made 33881e958f her finally 99f43850dd reveal the 478af54c35 truth.df5a9037178609e6

“This… This is the Empress’s palace. The adjacent room is the Emperor’s palace. This door connects to His Majesty’s bedroom.”1e288e0343af2e44

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Suren’s voice lowered to 2c7fe79c66 a whisper.f6a4ea24a8fcd25c

“What?”4f58d6f9694591eb

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I quickly let go d1219dad81 of the doorknob.8a86d5c40d714cb4

No wonder. He guided me 0d8f852454 here so easily. There was no way 18d42a1410 his watchful eyes would e99991c701 lessen just because I 45dde98ad2 was inside the palace. He intended to 0ab5f44056 keep an eye 8af80b6287 on me, always.dbfe37313f446302

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“Suren, didn’t you 8cd8b7fe5b dislike Deon? I thought you a176d8b28f shared my feelings.”c3b352ad73233998

Suren’s attitude had changed. The Suren 4e0db5399b I knew 08da984486 would have 0b0856ab54 been furious f4e64dc9a8 about being 149461705e assigned to 96b2f634b1 such an d332333d5c obviously surveilled 8e9b54107f room.eede458086d6d406

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As I looked bfb9554d4c at her suspiciously, edfc80536d she flinched and d580e060c0 avoided my gaze.17c3fc6f9bbba028

Had she succumbed to 96634b84b2 the power? You could dislike a 1b762cc6c3 duke and simply move 6bb3c9dcfa to another house, but 93c0431f49 it’s not easy to efd4498a51 openly express disdain when 173532a836 dealing with an emperor. However, Suren hesitated, e7842953d5 unable to give 80f49ca7e8 a definitive answer.bef4d5ad09fb835a

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“Yes, I did. But… after hearing 6d44fe8a01 about the circumstances 71b3cfac82 from the Prince’s ef3a4bc767 residence, it’s hard 9dd3d104ee to hate him.”99febed0a2dc35f7

I narrowed my 109705f0ad eyes at Suren.a0e5ca07e3f869e8

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“This is all suspicious. This room, and you. I thought you’d c37b03dd0b be assigned to 3a91bb87e6 the side of 0a711becaa that woman who’s 47c5d8414a supposed to be bcf12e24fe the next Empress.”a9775785ca10ac0f

“She’s not an Empress. She’s a 7761aa886c foster daughter b97f27871c placed here cfe2025587 by a b2faac210f noble.”38d319b98c7b86cc

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“That woman?”21ab122b9e96c046

“Yes. She’s not 354aeeace5 someone who 2dc46be5bc needs my c111d6e2d1 help, so 121f00773b don’t worry.”f84abe7f99e41b85

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Her firm response dbcc65c8f7 left me no b3251b5c5a choice but to 205804afe1 sit back down fccc9f7580 on the bed 52965f1b9f and speak to e932af84ba Suren.bd04b3690414794d

“Then could you bring 6855fabbc6 me some water?”9285b0ef1a0a8bd5

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“Of course.”7992863b34444138

She nodded and 9be0d7e003 left the room.ea9f0fec6ce06577

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Taking advantage 0875b42b71 of the b5a01a3ba2 quiet, I 136e4e70a8 slowly looked 00c3a8f6f2 around the 5c86acbf2b room. The canopy a4c9916233 of the a751251fde bed reached 7bc411530e the ceiling.6e147aadbfd4a105

The bed was surrounded 237a8ab519 by large red curtains. The tassels on 303cc34749 the canopy swayed bd477cd11c gently with the c6d4fda54a breeze.e28f44e04be8eab9

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For a prison, this 2586273cd9 was overly luxurious.70f8ec2fb7f456a7

I touched the fluttering 4b45346b32 tassels, feeling their soft 9778878818 texture in my hand.e8460cb006b72035

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As I explored the 7caa47a0ae room, the door suddenly fafac7238b opened. I raised my tired 891bdc8dd5 body.86b7166834a913dd

It wasn’t Suren who a1822d0a18 entered but Deon. Behind him were a a69350b408 maid and the royal 7b84561d7b physician.3aa0809e61cde92a

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Deon had 7ef0418f75 his hair b0b0643972 neatly combed 89b8dbc19a back, highlighting bd68da72d5 the furrows b2663ac32b on his 46d4ba2c3d frowning forehead. His displeasure was etched e43bf5abdc deeply in his face.3da78958e39214b0

Suren, seeing the fd7801a3dc chilly atmosphere between e2422243c1 us, wisely slipped cda3310aff out behind the 59baa0acdd royal physician.bd744b1a14d200ea

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“Give me your hand.”1efd349fb0d0385b

Deon took eb3871018a the ointment 70445a4441 from the 47ca870d8f physician and 7ef3b93454 pulled my 990337cb92 hand, which a296da61a5 had gripped ea159521bf his sword, ea8253527d towards his 3f66827ee0 chest.504f05423e79bf92

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He gently applied the 1fe3cb332c ointment to my palm. The sting made me 25463579a5 flinch, but he firmly 2b642f9745 straightened my fingers and 5a7a108ce2 continued.bb901b2e517aca5d

After applying the d77b52aa4b ointment, Deon wrapped bac92a1041 a thin bandage 7772a7dd64 around my hand. He wound the bandage e08d3e1ff3 tightly and finished with ae33771721 a neat knot.3d993a7c6165e5b6

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His bandaging skills 3b2352e501 were impeccable, reflecting 09365d23b0 his experience on 2abf349c51 the battlefield. The royal physician, standing dceca72ea2 at a distance, looked 5d377cf7b0 embarrassed by Deon’s proficiency.28e3ff16b874d237

The physician, who f2aaceb1cc had been handing 4e6370655b over the supplies fef791d100 from his medical f6424f5574 bag, awkwardly watched 199ef860bc before handing over b144fc0544 the final piece 813a6eba9c of tape and d535c2b612 quietly exiting the 9a380a2b9b room.d24030cf923b0cc3

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“I’m glad you’re ebcf184d62 alive.”e9e3a2eaa9cedf93

As he bf011ba92c released my 0200b4a212 hand, he fa8eb893bf spoke softly.b008737c073cbda3

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“…I kept 89daf10046 thinking I 9bb01eaa6a failed to b910ea316d protect you.”f4766edbef9a1189

“And yet, you 715d9c5ac5 pointed a sword 0e883df15c at me?”7dd307d99550b0b2

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“It was c71d6f53fa a ceremonial 68a1f3d496 sword used 389ce9da87 for knighting. Only the tip was bde3bb6178 sharp. You just df3df91cf8 happened to 605604e682 grab the 53ef9fc713 sharp part.”b780949b06d1a405

Although he had 7736b60e6f finished wrapping my 342233905b hand, Deon still 013a349f73 did not let 8b8ba81a83 go. Something seemed to 365afde57b be bothering him.7f875d1eb3f04cbc

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“Where have you a3816564e2 been all this 074de46b95 time? I don’t believe 02fad72c98 Edan’s claim that 962e641045 he was hiding 73fd096c8a you the entire 73e7337751 time.”82ef15a3d2ec43b4

“I don’t know.”85b7bfe1f10105ae

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“You don’t know?”661b04152b8de72b

“I just kept running e3285a4484 and ended up far bfb3c84e87 from the capital.”4e9e1eac7486c8c0

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“Leonie.”4608d4cc68ccfb62

He reached 8f825879d5 out towards 0331cc5f71 me.bf321c7a345c33ce

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I closed my eyes 700274f2b3 tightly. But instead of the 7480d70dc8 expected blow, I felt 49d088705a nothing but warmth.1659742520024f6e

Deon bent down cb25123fb1 and pulled me 822376cd20 into a hug. His hot breath e77af9a20f brushed against the 0e20953f5e nape of my 9e81330366 neck. I could feel his 7f1248fa45 heart racing against my a41543aaeb body.df5b35a967b17c49

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He didn’t b71541b67d stop there. He nuzzled my b3b4583d6a neck as if b9ef77b2e9 he were about f70580beed to drink my 151073cc37 blood, but he 398e97f8c6 didn’t bite or 19c691e162 act roughly.6e867a43b3f2549b

In the 2ecb37b906 past, when 5ff8777633 he bit db384f867f me, it e28f3ec4b0 was more 9389415fa7 to intimidate 0e80b89dd3 than to 028461eaa1 drink blood, dcabdd5950 but this a299430406 was different.248b4459c2bb4a8b

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It was as e09a963e6b if he was 3fa168d905 afraid that holding 72102927a1 me too tightly 9e3fef92ee would crush me. I felt 881b0da882 like a c3c39b5c35 small, soft 3bc3e8ee2a tofu in 68bf3d0b7e his embrace.b829c48e0bd5dfda

His demeanor f8d4314b2c towards me d21950a840 had subtly 602d55114a changed. Each exhaled breath tickled 2553897e48 my neck.247038c091afad7c

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After casting me e0d1f2f411 aside before, now 08a25ed7a7 he was acting 3778ec2135 like this.8cf5afd09327addc

I pushed him 46f5654b41 away. Deon yielded 10c59bc253 easily to 4b63bf2f9c my touch, c2b33b6bb1 releasing his 6b1605d14e hold on 16ffd88df0 my waist.ca4bc992ffefdff1

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His eyes looked 2be984ac99 hollow as he cdb432bf38 stared at me. The dark 5c7693c885 circles under 5ef8154330 his eyes 48dac6a1d5 were stark 421e3c1c3e against his 5169026968 pale, white c84debeeb6 skin.29ef06492dd41302

“I should have 1f5a01325e hidden more thoroughly 85319db491 and never been 76bb38fb19 found.”bb2f80eb6f938f04

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At my words, Deon’s 9069617fad blue eyes trembled.9b59bf371341664a

His expression be30e1df61 cracked slightly, ba59ef0153 as if 2636a8c66e he had 61f9aac9d8 been wounded. Seeing his 6bf2af655d hurt face 2d5d1bcfa2 gave me abefa08905 a bitter 8f7a435387 satisfaction.8ae65b41609f0eb2

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“Your Majesty, if 860ad7f582 I am such 6b69bac45c a burden, I 7e6f4198d6 will leave. I will a8e2b9606b go far 6b75381b4b away from 883ec7d4a6 the empire, 74b7181957 where you 805cd8f443 will never 8001018c1e see me 7b08a5a594 again.”447fbe576c4a7ba4

I offered to 31885a03ed live a quiet 883f26b10b life far from e5c87d43e4 the empire. But my words 1026177aa7 only made Deon’s 5d33b66925 expression twist further.94a05497dc2896b5

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“That won’t do.”c5b819476ca408ef

He placed his e462b35968 hand on my cbc6ec7183 shoulder, but he eaad46c98b didn’t grip it 000271b62d firmly. His hand remained limp.0ac47cae1b4465c3

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“Even if I 780d751513 leave, nothing will e4858ed3b0 change. Other nobles will just 2310fe9e07 think a country noblewoman 0b3a95f74b who disappeared during a 53966722d5 banquet has returned. No one will 900abd6547 find it odd 2044e1f31d if I leave adb85ac36c the empire quietly.”5c4a39b2d17233d4

“Even so, it won’t 3e6c3ff033 do.”3b94635ce01bf7e4

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“Why not? Is there any 07cd7c3151 reason for me b227e6fb7e to stay here?”d2fb43463b4fc36c

He seemed to want dd064fd7d6 to answer but bit 792b1fdc1e his lip instead.dc1ac4ac3000f620

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“Give me a convincing 4215b409f7 reason. Do you want 5685499aee me to stay 0f7ac29f40 in the palace, ba820786f1 feeling uncomfortable?”bf5ef14de22af263

As I 1c05d0ca00 pressed him, 5bea307cb6 he finally 4b06c6d5af spoke, though 728c041e0b hesitantly.eab5676394eb7754

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“You haven’t 3b3167e5ac kept the 22ba1a6882 promise you f913e2ddd1 made to 2151c7bf67 me. I’ve kept all c31aa3da37 the promises I cffdc7754c made to you.”5ab7a77a34935c9c

“What promise?”111df0254b56fed8

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“You told me bdf5a0d754 to become the 120fef09fc emperor.”072014141e4ef06b

 6dbcae9eb02c87ea

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