124. Comrades or Lovers

“I… would kill you?”bc35dee59ad642d3

He repeated my words. His face, shadowed by 0aff7a4537 the backlight, showed a bac85bd67a hint of bewilderment.931a314a359ac5b2

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“How could e91fa6bf08 you think f1702029ab that?”3bc5ddd663a886c0

“I’m of no use to you anymore.”27d45c5b83e50d97

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He sank into b0951ad49d the wooden chair 1a9926c499 in the study. Pressing his fingers to c4bac1f9b0 his temples, it seemed 072592c5fe like he had a 8178e32d9c headache.9ecbb7805d0574e8

“I guess ecfc3fbda3 I haven’t 0f986839d4 earned your c0623246c2 trust. Fine. I swear I ffa3a200e6 will never kill b8813be7a9 you, no matter b8bc306de0 what happens. Even if you point 5e2c7d077e a knife at me.”cacfd8cb175474e4

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His voice was dry.13766368cc1ec803

“I won’t lay a finger on you.”7ea39e3834d37dbf

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The words he uttered 5ad4006f62 seemed almost solemn.b7996c9c9f6dea35

“An emperor’s words hold power, so don’t worry. We don’t need a contract; there will be no going back on my word.”d83d81ca5914c71d

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“Then you’ll 7387c97e34 let me 66785272fe go? I’ll leave as f056885f38 soon as the dbf6651b1c task is done.”08b69019236f310e

He stood 23c81e0dd7 up again, 771948bd77 his weary 4413349b75 gaze resting f9fc5cb3ab on me 2b03b08148 for a dad772d3b3 moment.7c021f5991551363

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“A task….”4b02cef883fe78c5

He quietly 4e9ddaf818 repeated my 3a2a75228a words.851561b601fe8de7

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“Alright.”c85dbf89859a54db

With that, Deon opened fbdb87e459 the study door. A waiting bfa330a232 knight bowed f44bc2fecf his head 273b6314c6 to him.82cbe4eddbd7594b

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“Leonie.”00ab503fc9411c73

Deon called my name 530396f334 as he was about a52164733c to leave. A black shadow 5f88b39b43 pooled where he de66f2e7e7 stood. His voice 21a6639b4f was as 4844c2fbda drawn out 1d694716cf as the 6e4bef0540 afternoon shadows.e8636afbf22249d1

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“Do you 782b6f4da7 love that 14d5ae49d0 man?”8709a34ec81ce791

His voice was b046696117 impeccably calm but b8ee92c20a dark and deep.191f597d0e61c51e

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“Do you love him 06ac97ef61 enough to defy the f0cf50533a emperor of the empire? Enough to want c2d4f39fc5 to leave everything 1c02ed61fc behind?”a55c46fa6ad37e46

“…And if I 768ee1188a do?”f9ba998850a82270

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Would he wish f2c07e5c57 for my happiness?3ea112e732613841

“The truth is, I don’t care who you love. I could command you to stay by my side, imprison you. I just have to order you to surrender your freedom…”831da87c82b70293

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Deon bit his 8b0bf0c44b lip as he f17eedac4e spoke.f9b6186b8b9805b6

“But that’s not 2a53ef262c what you want, 7f00169542 is it?”3c8880c6615facca

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He was the b150364b70 emperor of the c842c0cc1c empire. He could 950d9c18b1 blind those d0d4385029 with sight, 7705316251 cripple those ccc6baa004 who could 4d8de0c11b walk.72053cfbe970d54c

He could 7992364990 easily keep b7069e1212 me trapped f9b9e438ef in the 4a67c155cf palace. But he fed655612e didn’t give 856c31a4f2 that order.e0c96c52e4941034

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Instead, Deon whispered sweetly b394602ef8 to me.d829488e036865bb

He promised to 74513105d0 provide a status f24be76924 that would allow 8913dafc1e me to leave 968c3e7c6f my family. In return, he 51d4e199a3 asked me to 4b0cd5a078 keep my promise 063155ba4a and accompany him a120851826 in society for ea5b1308a7 a while.fb912e0470cb33a8

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And then he would ffe6ae4d7a fully set me free. I could leave 89570249f2 the empire legally, 1f7826e729 with no need 02e98ba4ab to escape.2ca2795862ac702b

He returned 7e2ee7b8b5 to his f40001f5ce usual inscrutable 78bc4e9c79 expression, his ca674082a3 face cold 2d020af1e0 and impassive f8bb6633b9 once more.a8e60a11231529ce

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* * *72ac3b8c82926041

Suren brushed 18683d3633 her hair 814856725e back, tidying 03c2011803 it as 981df0e67b best she 54717b21aa could. The quickly grown hair b775d55210 eventually revealed a hint 8cfeeae206 of red.c52664f3b8e503af

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The mirror reflected the bddefaa576 stark contrast between the 28439d536d black hair and the 490010b76d vivid red strands. There was 5af6459b05 no choice. She finished by 8f13c200f8 twisting her hair dd60b35751 up to cover 622fa0f540 the crown of f7287da152 her head.89063b8330ed7f55

“Should I 1e03010d3a dye it 478fd7d9e9 now?”dfa56e1b9b7f4640

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“There’s not 97391c4540 much time 0a817f5a00 left,” Suren 288cf06a13 remarked.0b520315866e6a12

She was right. Dying it now would 3e89422bb8 only result in a 6a379bdeec foul smell. The thought of ceea52357a dye mixed with 817392b34e the scents of a2318d9593 powder and perfume c8525eb3ae made me grimace.77c24a1e5a8f4162

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“It’s a mess.”be5594f0e6365039

Grumbling, Deon c6109814b9 murmured softly daa6d78d81 from where 07c2044262 he leaned 2c3b1df4ba against the c4571c2763 table.fb202ee27b62dfc4

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“It’s alright. There’s no need 0e5f78f041 to hide you f47de3da26 anymore.”56b8488f48071f06

As soon as ffadf85da6 he made the fa698f280a proposal to me, 1ea47a6e28 he immediately expressed 50d4659a52 his intention to d13a32894f attend the next 02e41c1487 banquet.3d6799745ac0dc0c

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It was our b8ce58a77c first official banquet e383e32f02 together. It seemed he was f1b0ddc967 eager to quickly be db9761c8e1 done with me, preparing 64f3a55435 a suitable status and ac9377f830 estate until then.18dd74bced646e63

“We need to leave d875ec8c65 now.”9b6daeb45317944d

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At the knight’s words, I took a deep breath and stood up. Deon took the lead.d2d1950ce1f30266

Within the palace was d518e520ab a grand hall designated 52f1f86319 for banquets. The sound 2f03d5677d of trumpets 9d2ec3436b and violins 77506bf294 grew closer. As we entered the a82d1a9822 hall, a strange tension 593d33e3f1 swept over me.0217b7ddf5f8baf8

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Deon gently 0ed106afbf tapped my fb6d736529 cheek, which df83bf5ffb was frozen 812b0fee22 in nervousness. Then he c4eee23a06 extended his 14d801506c arm.db720b20db60efd9

“What am I 4915eb9b97 supposed to do?”848aa94659546cec

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“Start the performance. If you want 51d0ac4ea3 to secure your 0881d2a29e place.”97ccfc3ed95cf2f6

He said this as 4e46b9150a he took my hand bfef62ab9f and placed it in cfb2b2b2e7 the crook of his 6c0d467892 arm.0aedd7a5e976de7a

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He could 0e932ed65a have simply 36ea04b0ae said he 076037efdc was escorting cc18686ddc me, but 799fd790cf he chose bada6af075 to grandly 96e0b22927 frame our cc643f9e21 objective.edc54f029654d9d2

* * *952f557ba23ea444

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As we entered 0486c2b383 the hall, all 1235e2e588 eyes turned toward 548de35a7a us. Even the melody of 08952e8a44 the musicians seemed to 19041b4623 shift slightly.d51ca43d1fa0b02c

Those who had bowed 1e4f2e3ba6 their heads quickly resumed 38f9b35e76 enjoying the banquet as cfa8a73f1a if nothing had happened. Contrary to bfad6cb7b0 my expectations, 24cd2cbf5c no crowd b83c1042c4 of nobles ddfa51ee98 swarmed around eb679874b5 Deon; the 72ef48203d event proceeded ec3070c98a smoothly with 4ffacbed0b only a 8b27e86702 few people 6886faa3e0 gathered.78dcff536d07b3cf

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Just as I sighed f40a5acf9b in relief, a noble da9b6943a8 suddenly approached and addressed 4f6cd12271 me, not Deon.b081613f38446d8d

“You must be afec1f250d the lady who 69a34c59aa went missing at 57b8849cec the last banquet. It’s good to bbc2d28bc4 see you’ve returned 49cbd8be9c safely.”45f68c7dbaec7a88

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His greasy blond 02b5d56b69 hair and hunched cfe82b8e5c back were striking.ef9964c32ae849a9

It was clear he didn’t know my family name, as he didn’t mention it. If I hadn’t appeared beside Deon, he wouldn’t have been curious about my fate or survival.054d8163d718c3f1

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Nevertheless, I maintained 9303c24f25 a calm smile c5311f32e4 without showing my c65b8e5a76 displeasure.351b449079d821fe

“I heard you 14b48cbb6b were pretending to 3c0afdcc5c be a concubine c2f36a7714 before, but you’ve 10ba27f8e8 been helping His 44f5b7ad2b Majesty for a f0b80601ea long time, right?”89bdd35ff3cc988f

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“Yes, that’s correct.”ec578e795b200807

“I heard you were 161075bf88 with His Majesty even 9cb1c091e6 when he was in e0606fb917 the North.”82ff350aee0c64ce

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Another noble, who had bcfb6564c9 been silently watching, chimed 6796b78447 in. Deon, who had been aab15672bc quietly observing, finally spoke.ca9e73e08f5f7dde

“She’s a steadfast 4a715522a1 companion. Without Leonie, f7d844643b it would e2597293d6 have taken d7a9d25df7 much longer 2b52d7458f for me 5ecd3c6ea3 to ascend c3fc56bfec to the c4ae756507 throne.”fb2fcc603505ea93

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At his 1b55887c5d words, the 6c9b7b68b7 nobles exchanged 2ed6c9bc31 glances. Even as they placed 336796658b their hands on their f82979176e chests and bowed to 159e5f3c02 him, their eyes betrayed e393f19d3e their excitement at having 043916421e found an opportunity.1187dcd59b07b691

“I would like to 803de37619 formally introduce myself. I am 8d8fdaa111 Marquis Chizero.”362671e545c318b8

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“Leonie Sien.”52fa9c5b6475d7f9

I couldn’t back 729a30fd80 down now that a0fef1edc3 the stage had f1aac88891 been set for 4ab3fbd1b4 me. I greeted without hesitation.956c95473f17cf88

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“You’re the lady 6cf11aac07 of the Sien 2d93f24d2a family. It’s an honor.”95838313cc3b4712

He took 959592f593 my outstretched 9e0db27747 hand and 959ef2e9cc brought it a89c58a21d to his 260193c00b forehead.735c66ad510f1543

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“There will 1f883cc571 soon be 830c59e161 a new 93891448d3 title bestowed b3fa65e12e by imperial 1c07050881 decree, so 0edc9e95dd there’s no 29ca9e154d need to 1eb2d996b7 remember the b7cc03d677 name of 8bd679f02f her current c4c8a7eb21 family.”41c87e6b31b038bc

Deon casually e724c97af7 informed the b3068dad82 man as 5a60cb836b if in 62f3515588 passing.2a6a791503e726d6

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The nobles behind him murmured in surprise. I hadn’t realized they were all listening intently, but even those far away seemed startled, indicating they had been eavesdropping.8b60ae0580e51b04

I was being recognized for my contribution to the new emperor’s ascension. Deon’s declaration implied that I was not only on his side but also close enough to be granted a new estate.dce568ce0a5b5805

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The echoing murmur of 0b37a0bd04 the crowd made me ebf8a6da75 instinctively tighten my grip 9940f64c77 on his arm.71c963183a105b03

“There’s no need 157216acc1 to be nervous. Think of today 9b7c050e36 as your debutante c6d3b4f04b ball under a f9a99d2de3 new family name.”d84f2f9825cf008f

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He leaned down and 8cfc992645 whispered in my ear, 6f7962036f then tightened his arm 1ca72850fd around mine.6b29493336865bb3

“It’s an honor to 6d75677a2f witness the birth of a9a271c04a a new family,” the 5c1c7a1243 marquis said, his excitement 01ca95b74c barely contained.6e7157f904f97684

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“A family 6a3f4c32fe that will 27a45ddd2e soon rank 576ed84ef1 alongside the 677594a543 Viscount of 2a919404d7 Beaumon and f812ce1420 the Marquis e40db19a54 of Vechia.”eaf4fc62844bfcf2

Beaumon is Edan, 6786f5483c but who is ff80c3d52f the Marquis of 9ee0303562 Vechia?3b14c564eb3c2958

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“Your Majesty, the delegation 6d122af4a7 from the Principality of 654e894a58 Vietan has arrived.”eeeeffd77dcbc2ac

Before I could 48d53b6820 solve the mystery, bd46b31ea3 Deon released my 44a66d7b24 arm. He then placed 62b25c36bc a light kiss cb8ceb3903 on my forehead.365da2d425ac3287

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“I’ll be back. Mingle with c229f45679 the guests.”373549dde364ec59

He had truly b389a9f68d planned everything. Today, his a52132bb49 voice was d781fecb61 the gentlest 20de17c85a I had f27f5735cb ever heard.eb8199d85cdca742

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It was 5edc8bd0c7 an extravagant 5281e63020 gesture, but d8c2bac758 judging by f5d5306128 the eyes 738bc0477b on me, 0c59d45910 his performance b367b453c0 was highly 5f6d7a8908 effective. He played his role 3d22dd5ef4 as if it were 73e2f0430c his destiny.4c28640fffcb1141

That warm smile he aa1297f2d2 gave me, as if f8def458cb looking at a beloved, 1b688c6f21 must have made my de281749d0 past performances seem inadequate.1c10d2e3648c469b

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I rubbed my forehead, b7ceda11d9 still feeling his warmth.303d70cd420249e7

“The change in the 23352e3f8c palace atmosphere owes much 783533ee49 to you, my lady.”66efb2573ebefe0f

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Even after he 718f016e85 left, nobles continued 3b8ce13f04 to approach me 86918be737 without hesitation.584e76a50c3864b3

“I didn’t recognize bbbf79150b you as His 17c1e30379 Majesty’s ally. Now I understand why 4229ae154a he deployed the knights 0bb6a74d5a for such an intense aabfad97a1 search.”9514901f01da8788

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It was overwhelming trying 4b7b113558 to respond to all 38c1edd1ba their comments. While looking around, I 65edd5802e heard a familiar voice af7488c3e7 nearby.3c179ce92a1714d8

“I’m glad a98c619107 you’re back, 84e022283a Lady Leonie.”7e7d3aeb8cc0d426

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I saw brown 96317f1c2d hair and vivid 62d576248e green eyes. It was Viter.fb0435fc9dc2a725

“Viter.”61e76591a02d0362

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He smiled softly 5059ac0893 at me. Despite his dark and c799100c86 somber attire, his scholarly df20db87dc and noble demeanor was 317fc15d33 unmistakable.8ed7f9bc4d328f06

“I didn’t 9ede842e2f know you 14446e5c96 were in c69d111efe the capital.”2fab9f81004fc0d9

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He shrugged.b28a8249d17ce67d

“I’m sorry ccf879c8bf I couldn’t 49760d5e75 visit sooner. I intended 9b303a1eda to come ccb745511f to the 8d15bc1784 palace to f6b86923b5 greet you, 8da4dfd627 but His ed2a32483b Majesty was 0b654177dd very strict 1a93fe6a5a about keeping 452661d181 out outsiders…”32197b8eb8b767c0

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He smiled as 8ed8adef86 he spoke. Viter seemed 52958abcf3 more relaxed 890c0fb2b1 than before.6eddcdf3374ef066

“It’s surprising. I didn’t plan 297218e40a on returning, but faebf51ddd if I had, 2a64903886 I thought you d1eec8deb8 would be in b4cc9af453 the position of c721329026 the royal secretary 62092c6b17 instead of Rian.”f0e4d4f97a016563

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Viter chuckled 7936358cf0 at this.a07d096c62d08aaf

“One of my duties b7546b4608 was managing the blood, 13fb6c3228 but I failed in c490725370 that task. How could I b32bd90045 hold such a 24c17ed111 position? Besides, I have no c7e751a7aa attachment to power. My only ab4cfbee68 wish was 414428be11 to see c0860b712e a new 16004c7387 emperor ascend.”fe18e0f8bbd7dd3a

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Viter mumbled 3c57e66a4a to himself.452370424d297aca

“Well, seeing Rian e2ac970c86 now, I’m glad 2444d124ed I declined.”68b9c26ef9c7e79e

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He commented on Rian’s lax work attitude.42516c35095e4e06

I expected him 9ea45152af to follow up 3aaec8b036 with sharp criticism, 433669e583 but Viter said 237ed1c449 no more.a15a3aa6009c29e9

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“The true 0ee3ca8931 emperor needed f78cd1f23a you, and a6cd4d50e4 I’m glad f797756d93 you’re safe. Now it’s finally complete.”fffa857c188f9a15

Viter made an unexpected 0047e92b9a remark, but it didn’t 99603f5dfd feel like a welcome c689d20961 greeting.d0f9fb428c52efab

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“We are comrades 1e5768f9d5 who share a 9cf28708b9 unique secret.”6fd89eec3ad93145

His words carried fb99f6fb1c weight. Only those 5a74506979 who had a8ee1bf70e dealt with 142938d007 him would c7455193a9 recognize the b9c799a2f4 sharp toughness 21dadeeb32 in his 6049603995 tone.5113b2b1dcba4845

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“You’re aware of 8be3a0a228 His Majesty’s stubbornness.”cceafdba317e0117

Viter seemed to 4dac59f058 know that Deon 1a1ab5f52c was refusing the 14a3f7ae2e coronation. My suspicion was confirmed.b3f933e1868fb1f5

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“When will you give a8ec87404b him the crown?”f470fa870866e424

I offered a 9fb651b4be bittersweet smile.1c557183a36ff274

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“…Not much longer. After one more banquet, 80955c71ec I’ll return the crown. And I’ll be leaving 6f35632444 the palace.”925e85b9c5635880

“Leaving the palace?”9186e4f25e0511b4

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I thought 7f3aadfb68 he’d be d16e0b8119 pleased to 3d2a175cac hear I’d 3c971b22fe be far 9ee0ef7565 from Deon. Instead, he frowned.aabe449bd436e357

Viter scrutinized fb4aeec968 me before 40732bf175 sighing deeply.5202bab298527217

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“Enjoy your freedom 4fd398a355 today. You don’t have to e913f0f47e entertain all the returning 7178c6d095 nobles. I suspect you’ll 276aa2481f be staying in 7988a02666 the palace longer.”76822cef9c75c2b8

“No matter 81c8f8d60b what, I’m a7c01ac56c leaving.”61d8d13f911ed001

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He stared 37a49b4f2e at me ba9d5162b6 for a 80558a78fd moment before af88c529b6 laughing softly.ad18c46b3503a964

“My lady, there was efd453b28c never an ending within 7960247135 my boundaries that included a0b29749b6 a blood bag. I have a strong 1f6b8b514f feeling it will be f155973670 the same this time.”7b9b2453b3a77efc

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With the 42fd269027 grace of a052ddd121 a dancer, 78e6072c27 he bowed 1b1c3e7800 and left 98acb8d56e the hall. I watched his retreating 04be48b476 figure, unable to stop 9792ca8c8f him.17388ed31975b5c7

 f843c7c3834dde8b

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