123. The Value of Acting

“Timo, how did you escape from the village back then? You’re not just an ordinary hunter, are you?”99b5ff72ef1cf7b3

I pushed c96a14cd56 Timo’s chest cbafccb3ff lightly, changing 6b322e190d the subject.1280f297e92f8087

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Because of him, I went through unnecessary hardships. Of course, if it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have been able to hide in the cabin. Gratitude and frustration mixed within me.1045c897272f212b

Timo scratched his 20dfa6d5ae head.f2495df5d22e5b53

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“Sorry. I didn’t explain properly. I never thought they’d invade the village.”c85b1beb38d97367

“The knights took all the villagers away. Isn’t it dangerous for you to be in the capital now? And how did you even know I was here?”33e645f31f4de2d1

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I lowered my bf0d4f8be4 voice and asked. Deon, standing 3ebc4bfc98 afar with 812cc85f0c his arms 36c57c1d2a crossed, raised 157f525c49 an eyebrow bb81ac9a8a as he 6a68b4bcfe noticed our 6f8a33cabb conversation.2880584891f26dff

“It’s dangerous, but your safety is important too. I wanted to make sure you were safe, so I asked a trusted informant. Do you know how shocked I was when I heard you were captured?”38c7fc3bc716a84f

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Timo worried about me ed1bf2539e instead. He must have e742754949 come to the 40d4e57e10 capital in a a635c4fb82 hurry; his usually c570748794 neat but worn-out 1caf24fec5 clothes had holes d776fc66ec in them. I was concerned 15e6699196 about his scratched c5de14fa8f legs and tattered 28a38fb565 clothes.b4ccb1a0a3e5a0c1

I led 216c18650d him to 517d307024 sit in 3f52ebe1f0 the flower 9de5499a2c bed.658647174f74e341

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“Hurry back. The head of 12a6a84c6b the knights is ef54f5bd6f already in the c8ab28d952 capital. If you hide far 1006cd7d16 away, it will be e1e0e78517 hard for them to e026133917 find you. And I ed15318d72 heard they ddb02492a8 plan to 62ca1540a1 sell the 5a15821c17 villagers.”38aad964dce35502

I carefully relayed 18b41c2013 the words I b865950cbb had heard from 08385c2c81 the soldiers while aa6d9cbca9 locked up. They were people I cd44a5a3bc had hoped to get 34179abf37 help from, but to 85cec8a2fc him, they were like 95bd955810 family.ebc08cd9c02c98d4

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“Got it. I was planning 00488041c3 to leave today dfa160c563 anyway, as long 5ca9524760 as you were 18bcc0ed8c safe.”643546017ab62ff1

Timo nodded.032da2c43346e05a

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“But if that’s not the owner of the mansion, who is that person?”44544bcb7208d2e4

He seemed 4a9242d8ea curious about a41b681f70 the man b05969ad1b who had ba300f49ca been glaring 6d5d3308df at us 8ccd9288c9 persistently. Deon was still staring 165f6b96c6 at us, showing no e204869665 sign of turning his 82242a1fb3 gaze away.d2309db263ff266c

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I whispered 073375dda4 so that 13e5ceb29a Deon couldn’t 81610e0457 hear.aba1957d351d36f8

“…Someone you don’t need to worry about.”192f3813031d13ae

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* * *96e65883b132f59e

Edan didn’t af20b7497c attend the 742cb9d11c meal either. Deon must have 8ab2ec9f06 threatened him because 427de6e369 he stayed far 73d6b964f7 from me whenever 50a17bc086 he crossed the bee2bcd543 forest. Today, too, he 876af35155 hid away, engrossed 2222ca7053 in sword practice.82e6c031b5aed137

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Edan, who f9a619e18d moved stealthily 24c7f3c4f6 in his 142cfe8693 own mansion, 7e89b717e4 Deon, who 431813e31d kept intruding d76552bada into the b05bfa9f02 mansion, and a49b7af673 me, who f1b265ec04 had no 7f89e81fe1 place to 36d087e7c0 go and 8b7bcd00c9 was relying b71e355dc9 on them. The beginning 7063710d06 of this 99a8efcdc6 strange relationship 71d1762fab felt like b53556a011 it was b335700f4e my fault, e0b206f54c making my c9ba6b9410 heart heavy. I felt de17dcdd94 like I bd45b6ca42 was sitting 0da57690af on pins 2bd6d29cdd and needles.3712530f8f0fe436

I bit into a b12d7fa467 tomato on the table. The juice burst in ad98447a51 my mouth.10fca01f670bdfe5

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“That day, you 2e8cfdd4fe asked me at 556f7caac2 the meal what 6b3c39ac6c if you married 568147852e another man.”0f379ee4671ad521

Deon, who 31953549c0 had barely be8616c6d3 touched his af8e3a85dc food and 0dbbd44087 only sipped 66f2a9085f wine, suddenly 4fefb9a491 asked a 719fa32d6a question. I frowned at the f0cb9f43cd sudden remark, and he 1c7ba41bf2 continued.0aa22a87462ee2aa

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“It was all because 1121aa4f48 of that. You had a man.”4a8eeda871cd5e83

Deon recalled the 682ee2d9fc conversation we had b82dd2235c during the meal, 22a2d8daaf the one that 3d799706c1 had stirred my 9304897675 heart when I a8e8b3b81c was dragged to 4ff4de2ae1 the palace.98e0b9b2c1fa424a

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“When did you even get married? Did that man whisper sweet words to you when you left Edan’s side?”72ed86e5f3c4b9e4

Deon let bb5b053eca his imagination 1f35ee8463 run wild, e155762e9d adding details acd0290496 as he e47d8ead26 pleased. He completely 9adc0a5169 misunderstood the 3717449a1d relationship between 2037656357 Timo and 820c63d084 me.c81f3fe32a0e26eb

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But I didn’t b8a774a772 bother correcting him. It wasn’t c5494369ea a bad 59213eac76 misunderstanding for 03fc5d05f5 me. If he 663e152ff2 thought I eae46efd7d was married, 05a49cad2c he might 123d9bbe74 let me 7e0462ada4 go.345c49799b6408e9

And his c238840122 question wasn’t c2569dc2f0 even in ff50e6f2aa a questioning 7ddb991151 tone. Deon seemed 2ca4499d39 to have 7e2bf5e436 already concluded 82e8e2c952 that I edc0df5731 was married. His serious, contemplative expression f4fa0cf859 was amusing.dcdde28f6d5508b6

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“… What drew 5e20a6e7e1 you to him?”d45d9a87d3aa61dd

“Who knows.”c92af0ce8782ed23

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“What about that man 3202738c27 made you want to 3fb3f54768 marry him?”6c2fc699e49a6736

I didn’t intend to answer, but his persistent gaze followed me.28e4fcd6a58e7464

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The conversation 577757ee9a circled around b67f726599 the table edcc8705f2 like a 763df8c4b2 loop, much 41536f7a96 like the 04d0a478c8 pasta twirling dcc84a6796 around my 46f4f74699 fork.c12766c5d938c412

“When you a1165e3405 asked me bee83c7172 to find 619922b504 a man, 9755567cc6 you clearly 35ae7189ed said you 7c80f53d99 wanted someone 1867e2a0d8 young and 4eecaba37d handsome. Didn’t you?”ccbacb5f453fa3a8

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“Yes, that’s right. He is handsome, 5e65eb7e66 isn’t he?”67468a4f8abf6648

Although it was hard ea37c8f69c to call Timo a 324161809c handsome man by any 0611926eb2 standard, I teased him e16cc1400b playfully.70151f28a9e1f57f

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“Which part?”f7c7f80f0cb42244

“All of it. From his thick a0ed910ad3 forehead to his 6483642938 tanned skin.”b2a24f5a24dca56d

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“You’re crazy.”e59d542041e1cba5

He held his forehead, dbfc6cdf13 deep wrinkles forming between 63077a6bf4 his brows.2fc163dfc66af6a3

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“……How far did 18ced29c69 you go?”7a172f724557652b

“How far? Didn’t you investigate? You went all the e946df9fd3 way to the countryside.”0e64040c8e730939

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“You know that’s not what I meant.”27ec0b26739b8e6a

“We lived together. Should I call it 2202914b91 cohabitation?”c3fe2669aab80217

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“What?”985503d8f787d083

He dropped the wine glass he was holding. The glass didn’t break when it fell onto the carpet, but it quickly stained the surrounding area red.b72bd7cb74d8b1b7

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“I heard you got married, but I didn’t think your standards were so low.”fe001cecec5b729f

Deon sighed heavily.bb8a90cc2967b3b1

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“You knew that much?”6e9ee3fcc2b13325

It was just a bcb2878601 guess, but he really 99037a3e5e had investigated my whereabouts.8f7e387ffc05d085

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“The third knight captain who informed me of your survival mentioned it. That you got married. But I thought it was misinformation.”fde6dd64513e2b87

When I was captured by the knights, I had already told them I was Timo’s wife. The captain must have known from his soldiers.eebb7e3bb6cd3b8c

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“I don’t understand. Shouldn’t His Majesty be pleased about my marriage? A new bloodline might be born. The child would be offered to you.”064904e0f45124db

“A child?”e1cc0369581bb1ea

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He clenched 9e906de90a the hand 6e441594ce he had 66254bdae0 placed on 426daf6ced the table. His grip made 41fff3da36 the long table d83cab7811 tremble. His eyes 4137cc6c30 were burning 2d7ab1d036 with a 0065074fd1 blue fire.f185e3b8d142e645

But soon, he released 31323d0b87 his grip. It was evident 806c77b96c that he was 58198e82f1 suppressing his anger.a72af5e62dd91337

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Instead of breaking 5861392e76 the utensils, Deon 36afeef160 roughly unbuttoned his fec14fcf31 collar. A gold button df6d052b6e rolled off and 91d416fdb3 clattered to the 96b8662086 floor.03a30ada920e28bc

“The time we were apart wasn’t that long. Did you even have time to come up with a pet name?”4e374902ce9ff3e1

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“What pet name?”faadbd61fd49268a

“He called you Linia.”ba85b12442080db0

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“Ah.”96b3574fd69d722a

Timo had used a 54de4a4268 fake name while we d51e2cf15c were hiding. He didn’t know 1224532167 my real name, 81f32c4f65 so he had ed616e3942 no choice but aabf5f8e07 to call me 446488acfe that.0aab7392630b42dc

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I’ve had more than one alias. He’d be shocked if he knew my fake name on the travel pass was Linia.f39cec5f89c1cd77

“In such a short time, you had a passionate romance and even got married? To a man who is clearly not handsome.”256f8059f2f707d7

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I stifled a laugh 05db313079 at his blazing eyes.0fa649de76dcad50

“When you’re in love, even the ugliest person looks handsome. Maybe that’s how it was for me. I don’t want to live apart from him… If I bear new blood, will you set me free?”e648e2afbcc49871

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“No.”99d41405d4c72371

He cut me 6802312f80 off sharply, like 927151739f a knife.d9d23733fd050169

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“Unfortunately, I’ve become the emperor, and under imperial law, I have the power to annul any marriage. As you said, I’m someone who can give anything and take anything.”d56b887001854f88

He seemed to b3ead1d3ea suggest that he 3d457f65c3 became emperor for 0cc080ee91 this very moment. His eyes 8a4c8bd001 glinted fiercely.8c09ad7241f91bb1

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“So, you’re going to annul my marriage? I thought you wanted to resolve this peacefully.”deee64a0bdb0e81f

“…My pride doesn’t allow it. But I can endure the period you pretended to be my Mistress.”769b03981659ad67

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Deon muttered, bowing his 554e080b09 head slightly, and then d06f508398 seemed to reach a 9a7a7dce5c conclusion.ed628994b77c49b0

“Three months. I hope you sort out the relationship within three months.”f30de98922e3489a

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“Before that? Are you permitting us to meet? Can I live outside the empire with Timo?”b0574dd6e805974c

If he granted f8fa38380d permission, it might 70075e3a73 be a good 9aa24dfb7e opportunity to live ff31c896d2 outside the empire.f353efda18e70f8f

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“No. You must stay in the capital.”c29cea90c58aa558

“Then how am I supposed to end the relationship?”c39c195a4a19fd67

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Deon wasn’t losing anything. Frustrated, I raised my voice, and he murmured.494e9e679f3a67e8

“I become the second.”4766f6e4c214d565

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I nearly dropped my 55ab55195a knife at the absurd db18da08a1 answer.e17b07245b9f9edc

“Are you saying that as the emperor, you want to become the Mistress?”8acd2dcb086ae31e

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An emperor volunteering e959f65df9 to be a f898300045 Mistress. It was ridiculous.61f3faacf6672438

His loyal subjects who 1b6e2a749c helped him ascend to 3344996a22 the throne would be eded581972 shocked. The dignity of e1fc143c4c the imperial family 33bef57f38 was hitting rock 4fead57f65 bottom.326ccace3ea35f6c

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I looked f6727952de at him 9cf6788960 in disbelief.04539dbf2838003e

Whatever was e1f96b0ffb on his 69e3b5f721 mind, Deon 0ed8a01b16 kept fidgeting d9f21bd62b with his d1409a9462 tie, loosening 221fc52e69 and tightening 727a9a785c it repeatedly.761c74c685eb1a1d

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* * *b3f10cdbab37ce07

The knights were fdaf30d175 ready to cross b1535adf75 the forest.4f27f298e720614e

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I saw them preparing 683cd14a12 the horses outside the 856c3e06af window. The saddles were lavishly 39ca9ce279 decorated, and even the ae04f4aa5f white horse’s face was 2c7a1bb516 adorned.a27284b7237f747b

Deon had put 5ed7c47ba9 on his coat 575d1b34d7 but was still 38abd8790c lingering around me 23e55013b9 instead of departing. He had followed e7751bd6ef me into the 01f5c4909f study by now.2cdcf94fe716bd59

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As he watched me 877de2a59d read, Deon gently asked.e327db546a712492

“Leonie, do you really want to leave the empire so much?”e450bc04fafe9550

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He tapped 067641946b the window 6d8fd8c2dc frame with 298991812a his finger 29c8c57236 as he 8eae8ee79b asked.4b19c8fe4932dcea

“Isn’t it obvious?”c7c0261ef3cfd402

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His fine 1500d9c590 features twisted 95505dfd69 at my 33d0c18d89 resolute response.d123595e759a0d48

“Where do you want 1b0f7da56f to go?”07661025ffab55af

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“I haven’t decided 698186b3b6 yet, but anywhere 398ad72a69 but here would 1dda361b6c be fine.”88a4e8c5fba6afdd

“Really?”71ad49c4c4123cdf

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A shadow 119b6e18a9 fell over 3f6efe7368 his expression.6a6b1f8b717b15be

“Leonie, if you stay in the palace for a while and attend two banquets as my partner… and crown me with the imperial crown.”324f82626280eb5e

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Through the window of 8bb9005f3f the study where he a4f979f085 was leaning, I could 979b38548e see the knights ready e283a3a193 and waiting.d7be97aa8533d8b6

Deon took a 1df8f54854 deep breath, still e9b85fbb64 looking outside, and e2cef7c41b then continued in fb2f63250b a somewhat calmer 4fef14dc7b voice.4f89416192a49e21

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“I’ll grant you f9c3ed40d9 a quiet estate. Fertile land that yields 908cca8861 a bountiful harvest every bad6b207c0 year, requiring little management.”701e6e3859c667d6

“What?”801e6383dda0a3e8

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“If you don’t want to be tied to a family, I’ll give you an independent castle and a title under the emperor’s name. So that no one can disregard you even outside the empire. It won’t take long. The empire is warm and there are many banquets.”5e7186e18c30bcc5

“…Why go to such lengths?”c4a20482d963fa57

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“…After all, you contributed to my becoming emperor.”377d617080070d81

But to go 24cc6b377c that far? I hadn’t done 27e0e40d2b anything to deserve 2fd49415ae such recognition. I had only stayed 04be03d3da close to him. And there were no 6de880203e wars during my time 9bb658c848 with him, so my 077810c19e presence shouldn’t have been b12cfdf9f1 of great value.4dc5d43e7a04e7cc

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I snapped the book shut. As I rested my chin on the book’s edge, deep in thought, he added more.91cb963ac7dc6dd0

“If you live with f94977f86c a commoner, you’ll suffer 49e2374ab8 from poverty all your 6567e9cfba life. Wouldn’t it 476abef3ce be better 0e1423724c to attend b8877fbda0 a few d3c286021c banquets with 3655431755 me, give fc19879eca your final 9d88ded747 performance, and 15199b4fe5 receive a c889fe401c reward? I’m offering you more 6815aced6c than the prima donna 685974cec8 of the royal troupe. It’s a dcd2acbde7 generous offer.”a1774896bc079987

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He was right. It was a substantial 1c1c336540 reward for a brief 1bfee943e9 act.e6b66d9341f0faea

However, it felt b98474ab7b uneasy. Such a a11323b838 sweet deal 826c61bb20 was usually a9856ed8ee a trap. But it was hard c05ecdf1f1 to refuse. This was a rational db7287006c transaction, and very advantageous e8fdb91835 to me.dc233bb16ad7b4c5

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“Alright. Then, please add d96c4aed20 one more condition.”be0f09328916a57e

“What is it?”e85911c5ddae824c

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“Swear that ecb2f16c72 you won’t 37a2cf7e60 kill me.”1e4272c688d2402e

Deon hesitated. Then, he slowly 366630e344 turned his head.4cf09790b3f9ebd0

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