Side Story Chapter 7

“Over here.”2156df0b709fbf15

Lady Elizabeth waved cheerfully.4a6fcceaa208db77

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She approached and linked d6f7ac8e51 her arm with mine, e30880d745 leading me into the 036df26fc8 theater with familiar ease.15f9aa7b787522b1

Though she limped, it 7989705a5f was clear she was 7af01407c9 more comfortable having risen a8bd5e343c from her wheelchair.7d816eeaf6759ce9

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The royal 51a8fac817 theater was ce74ec0001 grand and b1dc9c176e beautiful. A large chandelier hung 4cb954ace6 from the ceiling, and 751483a9cf the lights shone brightly.75db70e17db4b0c4

Our seats were a199eee49c in a box, 12595deb2a providing a clear e2a395414b view of the aaf78bccf7 stage below.6728cd81d7612b3c

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I scanned 1e3aa3469f the area a2cde34e0c for any 98782d198a hidden assassins, c1b80acfd5 but soon 8860140700 stopped.341947eba712da09

It was ac5cbdb63d a pointless f024eb3ba2 worry. I had no 18756f6e22 enemies threatening me.56036c864655862d

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After ensuring the area 75c6808f4a was safe, the guards e0a182ce85 were dismissed. Most of the nobles 21adddda56 remaining in the capital 0b97c371f5 were friendly towards the 44bdbaebe6 current royal family.dd1b9c3beb57d5d9

Many nobles 2029dce2bc had opposed 4fb52520a0 the tyrannical ef22422114 Azanti and 9d6de13c21 the actions 9a7f3de823 of the b12111a1cc former empress. There were 546ab2f55c no nobles 3194e8fc32 here who 5bc1f88d28 could threaten d9c7fbbd17 us.ddc058cee2433c08

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I must have been 9519a5812c tense out of habit 2a12b620a0 from the time when 1e8c72359e the former empress was 13e232c08e around.1b4dd50be3a9695f

I settled into c96fa9f4f2 the red velvet d21bcdfca9 seat, listening to 44805e5b0f Lady Elizabeth chatter.6bf4635cf9138623

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“The circus held here last time was the pinnacle of extravagance. You would have loved it, Lady Leonie.”9140bdd12acd0383

“Really?”07dc7926433824b3

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“Check the pamphlet.”58f74ff1408ca9ad

As she d46264cc22 explained the 6c9888698b various details a05ad97e70 of the 43e1b264ac theater, her 98e338bf91 voice abruptly e8990b4390 stopped.b952d6d77ae3effe

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“Hmm. We’ve chosen the wrong seats.”743362d47e728d11

Her bright 06a000044c smile faded 8fb6dce2cf as she cff89a5da6 glanced in eac57426c2 a particular 5a98f82110 direction.0306c2036570e6f3

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I turned to 38cea0fc30 see where she 74ca573b5d was looking.51ad25a348f9d96e

The delegation was seated 7b5763b2b2 in the opposite box, 84215fd90d with their representative, Lady a010dc4093 Bay, seated right next 1f1603ced8 to Deon.3726e1dec1eaca98

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The woman, d7fbf4cf73 who had 59e03a7902 been surveying ec970e171e the unfamiliar 881e5566a5 theater, pulled 2df6b1bb27 down her 033f3f5b29 veil.640a896c40c4c9eb

Her smooth, 66b58af2ed bronze skin 039795fd95 was revealed, 6757980a0e along with 0684295826 bright blue 3e74f5d859 eyes and 76ad21b60b even more 0cad139aaf dazzling jewels 6992f32317 adorning her adc4547eb3 forehead.6d68bc4f6fec6d04

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The dark skin eea377346f made the jewels a16e39e57c stand out even cfb1153ea1 more.afdea5ab7033f7b7

Sitting side by side, the contrast between her dusky skin and Deon’s fair complexion was striking.e8310b74f2287215

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Soon, the lights dimmed.bab515447f6c4386

The theater f235f8e1b7 was enveloped 7c9a0fd517 in darkness.557c2624faa7ca20

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I was supposed ed1d625152 to focus on ac428688b2 the stage lights 87d4d383ff below, but my cee8c89e42 eyes kept drifting 2f0e208fdd to the opposite a04fd7b0a7 box.e4860fb3f75cc06a

Lady Elizabeth’s earlier comment about the audience not being visible in the dark was a lie. I could see their faces clearly.03171ba63ac9b510

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Lady Bay kept whispering 4af1885f29 and leaning towards Deon.95c8e6d0e410f951

Deon, frowning as if he couldn’t hear well, leaned closer to her.39cfff814c2da1e9

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Hearing her whispers, Deon 32e30ed4e1 smiled softly, his lips 04205b8c9e curling upwards.b088800d3836349d

I felt as if 08cacddbd7 I could hear the 0848475cf9 lazy sound of his 9765164313 laughter echoing in my ae89998ea4 ears.a729ffaffb0cff0a

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It was c69fd2922b obvious what 0946da267a their conversation 26e44a0e60 was about.888adf70e0524857

They were likely 023dab6290 discussing the dialogue, 47ea663524 unfamiliar to her 6faade7e37 native language, or 075e5bba3a asking about the cfeb215a57 actors.2b7dccb684634236

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The nature of their b57dc6b37c conversation was clear, but 0a50dd35e3 their seemingly intimate posture 774865e413 annoyed me.b26e62a86d254eb2

He was 59fbad63b0 becoming a bb30db3404 good emperor.e3eecbc8ba5cfac4

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Fair, kind, and a bb3d5c824e gentleman who knew how 547698e240 to smile warmly at de065d3549 everyone.7d750c59e5a61338

But I didn’t 0327907757 like seeing him 95d8aa9df6 change.51cc5033b7ac151c

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I wished he wouldn’t be so kind to everyone. His kind demeanor towards me now felt like it was shared with everyone.54f5f63086ec7bea

His smile 95bce87867 bothered me. The selfish 1bb026d67f thought that 953f2d10bf I wanted 799a81ba74 his smile abacbe2940 to be ba07f9cd8b just for 5f2e89c2f5 me welled 71cd76f8a7 up.4f21ace8d2e415cb

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Even though I had 8d4bc767a3 drawn a line and 2e8576e049 sworn to be a a3fdb19604 loyal servant, these were 0886dff759 not thoughts befitting a 03c7d7f716 servant.9e0b492596cedb3f

While I was distracted, 180560e8af the opera reached its c76e6df790 climax. It was the part 6fff358161 where they swore to fc0a52414f revolution and unity.ab4019b57850f30d

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The hall echoed 587f60f144 with their powerful f0bedfa5f0 singing.984377d7871c149e

The soprano standing at 60188c634d the top opened her 9b019712de mouth.f7ce3e194b03ec19

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“The time has come to make a decision.”b45d8dc278dbb2d4

Her voice, like a de538ff3f9 roar, reverberated throughout the 76f28a07e1 vast hall, and my c23a0919dd chest pounded in time 2b50869f6c with the beats.f4516563fc95ebec

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“Yes, it’s time to make a decision.”35ac9e7a96b31230

Lady Elizabeth turned b49539a27d to look at 7affc6a155 me, hearing my 2e41230187 whispered words.60de2eed1250afb4

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I didn’t return her 6ce4a3118a gaze; I just kept 4932863a5f my eyes fixed on 7aacbc96aa Deon.65eb73c3363a3bf6

* * *33973fe61c216615

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The next 8b07ac6e37 day, I 754289774a headed to 30a8532a5a the gallery 4cdfb3ed4a room.3829cd10737868d1

I examined each of db87ca84d3 the foreign items filling 7c1c0ea9ec the large room, picking 9e8923042c up those that seemed 6937c4a1ba valuable.0204f7388059bd5f

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The maid who had 26ea939485 come to wake me 0ddeacfcd4 this morning was wearing c4e23b22b9 a new necklace, a fa3c29b449 gift from the principality.19f15263ad6bc87e

Apparently, gifts had been given to everyone in the palace. I recalled the maid’s delighted face as she touched the luxurious necklace.ba95be7443e37f95

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<The countess was also told to choose anything she liked.>eff3edbe7852ecf4

The maid d17aab1eaa relayed the 6a8df95a2a delegation’s message f53ce3599e while fiddling 286b1b4b30 with her 044c4f0e2b necklace.17b1adaf5c342b85

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I disliked the hairpins adorning the palace staff, the foreign goods Deon would use, and the principality’s presumptuous attitude in offering these gifts.4c4ff5a910d033fe

The tribute 0eb42906c7 items from 0f541ac9b8 the principality e9de6b9810 were all 11dfb3704f peculiar.31ca7f9d8d19ffe4

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Being a fcbdb02237 trade hub 08db21bfbb for the 8df674070f world’s goods, a7ab26b851 they were 5555e343a9 unique and 18eec6ef32 slightly twisted.8e03030d30134351

There was a 6dd2e42e20 trinket meant to a1411c1cf5 hang from an e80793a792 elephant’s trunk and 07085c70a0 some ritual items a193ff7964 whose purpose was 6567ebf6f6 unclear.20188552ce60b021

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I selected a8767eaf0c an item b3530bacab from a ae7bb88dbe glass display 68f7d6ddf6 case and 4f4a549708 opened the 877957b62f lid. Inside was a staff 3f76042157 adorned with patterns.0e7a83f183d9ea74

As I picked up e31f6c7d98 the staff, a bead, e05e0b8cd1 which seemed like a e1c8c56600 decoration, rolled within it. The golden end 6b39718293 shimmered brightly.295c4a4bd515fc59

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If it was placed 9bcba1d79d in such an elegant 329c0dfc48 case, it must be 1c201bec3d valuable.8b5352ce887c62e2

Clutching the 183135ce5c staff, I 170795ce7e ran to 4334ab1406 his study.2154e070e7d1f6c0

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I placed the staff 12e49a24da in front of Deon, 6f217bbb12 who was processing documents.a23838027bad9ecb

Though the staff e1cf70444c was pretty, my 172f73765b action was half 2c91e18977 out of spite.f30f470447d6d92f

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His so-called 3d3cf960ee confessions of e516348859 love, whispered 65654b93b5 like spells, 4e9d1c0651 were trivial 6a0254a982 enough to 1669cc6b8d be discarded a182edb099 for a 5041d1118f single proposal b33631ec7f from the 87597f6612 principality.ec87aaa288da9702

Realizing that his cb2dfe65a0 flimsy love could 038b55bbea crumble at a bf76497f5a mere suggestion from 9e2c13218a the principality filled 8978e6d34e me with irritation.a3b53d8fb774ca2e

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I couldn’t tell the staff not to use the gifts. The best way to make them disappear from sight was to slowly get rid of them myself.d3d5aa8a7b8b03c1

“I like this one.”78cd33adb4f99d2f

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I placed the staff fc596dee0a down, and he raised f276539e33 an eyebrow in surprise.f1318a0791bb4150

“Do you know what that is?”d0f899717c7e02b2

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“I do.”cb2588cf63388deb

“Do you really know what it is?”a7db7d73412f81be

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“Yes.”e1eb9046ded8dfec

The staff looked a 3df127859e bit odd.df24a0ddd0bcb5e2

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It was too 069d3ce560 ornate for a 7e113f53bc mere accessory, but a120a04005 there were many f5365ef65e extravagant items in 4873e4b2fa the world.b484b1a258408d85

Even if ff8bef4724 it wasn’t 919ac4bb4b an accessory, 5089ccc010 if I e05106eba2 used it 257b6fc163 as a 4bce6e1692 decoration, it ab538f00c3 would serve b2dcf33e13 the purpose.1b89b45fd2d84fd1

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At my confident reply, 13df508ad1 he chuckled.32460758eb6c16ab

“If you want it, choose something else. You won’t like it.”dd00875c214d68d4

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Deon reached out to e9580a9c91 take the staff.e25b567508cf0d8a

“I like it. I really do.”dc74191436b45ee8

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I quickly pulled 5e6b808fdd the staff back 894a5d49a5 before he could b991fc608e grab it.c362fc6771eb32c2

“That can’t be.”2683ca3c45b6ffb8

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He chuckled at my 5c00d318fd puzzled expression.7f7185bdec5e4f3d

“Still, since you’ve chosen a gift, we should test it out, don’t you think?”9f59b6a9cf6fd357

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“What?”4528a6aeef83b0cf

He set bd4e22328b his documents 79f5394a7c aside, took d72817493f my wrist, 9b4abe1963 and led 0e40f9b19a me outside.20eac01c16d3b45c

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* * *10f6b1fa6765fd3f

The place he took 31ebc8cd3c me to was a 9df9cc9040 clearing.62657e057ba1f414

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It was an overgrown, abandoned spot, neglected by the palace gardeners. The only gardens the palace maintained were near the empress’s quarters, and no gardeners were assigned to the distant outskirts.2377fad88f8a21af

Seeing this clearing, I had previously thought Deon hadn’t developed a new hobby of gardening.07127896566dc557

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I had come cc039025a6 to realize his 7ded4638a9 true intentions in 0cc5308320 this overgrown space fc74b67e32 rather than in 94d96e82c0 the well-manicured gardens.8901b5747f4dffec

However, the clearing was 18cd51986e different from before.870a9f6d83a979be

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Tall grass, reaching 9c3a11338c up to my 755819eea7 knees, was punctuated f955d636d1 by large stakes cdaafe1da7 driven into the 13be592412 ground.3c25070e23ef3bac

And crawling through f5f136cee9 the grass, I 45efff10f8 saw something dark d5d2f87073 moving.698712d66cc4554e

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At first, I thought 0122f17d35 it was a stagnant 569eea6080 pond. But that 43165634bb thing was 6589a595e0 alive and 6dcebcb7dc moving.d54e6bae6500ae1b

Startled by the bizarre, 38d89da550 writhing form, I recoiled. Deon laughed at 705025eb2b my horrified expression.032e33fe9b845f45

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His pleasant a6117fb68e laughter echoed cc51975f2a in my 74d5f0a167 ears.e1272d8f4b3188a0

“That staff is a whip for controlling magical creatures. The principality said they tame and raise these creatures themselves. They even use them as pets and ride them.”8806ce07da10f0f8

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Weren’t pet monsters supposed to be cute?1888ed1e941a8c6c

There was no way I’d want to tame or touch that thing.d30dfeb4de35a5fc

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“Want to try sitting on it?”f46d4cf1f0921623

While we were talking, 63ad138290 the creature wriggled towards f7659e28e5 us.6ba63dc730d4b70f

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Up close, 3b56ccc2be it looked 00ea2589b8 like a 984fa16eed water buffalo, 93fbe22004 though it 806344fbb3 was fatter 1e770f9013 and squishier.a038d7e0d720b526

“Go ahead, sit on it.”7449567bb36061db

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He urged.4c6dcea03c3f522a

He probably wanted 228f463cbf to tease me, f6effd2899 seeing my frightened ac239498ad state. The mocking tone f65ff23bd2 stirred defiance in 694fe01ebc me.d6f5e72bc8d01d5a

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I changed my mind 6a75ae4c38 and decided to ride 7dc21ed306 it.32db05381f81e7fb

When I 08aa9d915b grabbed the 414af01497 creature, he e880994794 looked at 9b18242c7b me with 3224df9418 surprised eyes.329aa635ef2514e7

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“Are you sure? You don’t even know how to ride it.”ca4da22417aa50a4

“I can learn now.”1740ac990acf0bfb

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There wasn’t a clear place to step. The creature wobbled in the breeze, and I almost slipped, but managed to balance myself.f48bc17e5c5e8865

I mounted the bfea45c3de creature, gripping the 292965452d staff, now a e0beb7d007 whip.de65973c77ab69cf

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I didn’t 6b979ae73c know how 5c19e7163e to control 5e063eeba2 it, so f64e8f3422 I just b33a5ecee8 held the 058a473cfa whip tightly.5cd58a902603f77d

As my perspective e258c2ca60 rose, I had 6b1d8f7527 a clear view 0ce864d3f1 of the garden. I could ec9d867395 see his f25a293c19 smile more 763a5aa6f3 vividly from 2100d3bc40 up here.ba26d037bf5d5a81

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The ride wasn’t bad. It was soft, sinking slightly when I sat.1dbf05d215932429

However, the damp and 82805ffe54 sticky texture clung to 80f32f200c my skin unpleasantly.64a3d6361325efcc

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I rode around the 3b9a01a1a0 garden.3c30f9560d7fd20d

The long grass tickled a6bd4dfda1 and scratched my ankles.aeb3ce7defa4c197

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The sunset over 9a634d4ea4 the mountains was 5c433aff75 beautiful. The day was already 7249697875 fading.7b598fe7bd85307b

I remembered that 030de98adf James was supposed c1a899391d to finish repairing 324dfcae8c the carriage by 1a7f103e5b today. I wondered if he d9f653b9da had completed it.e7a2d397d3fd6d9a

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I recalled my promise c5bc5b3663 to double his pay 887c5d8029 if he finished by 400e8efd8d today.042a20dc0b9d088d

I stared absentmindedly f7a71984e0 at the burning 2521eea488 sunset when he e475999413 tapped the creature.5443156f979d1a22

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“Let’s end today’s adventure here. Let’s return to the Imperial Palace. We’ll have dinner there. I’ve instructed the butler to prepare dinner for us at the palace.”b1038f26bff12e46

Deon pressed down on 7d4264f12b the creature to make d7d79ac78d it easier for me b05aab4c37 to dismount.8b205a8833133d25

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“You won’t refuse, will you?”68ee17b9b1f54b96

He asked cautiously.1a32cc4090d84756

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The snow that had 83836b21d0 blanketed the palace had 1cbf57d0c4 melted, and several days fb1df69382 had passed since the a6ff3cae93 delegation arrived.4f1a45f494216907

Yet, he still 34d0f886dd didn’t seem willing a7b7cafa7d to discuss the 024a66a425 contents of the 9ddcaad24e meetings with me.2ff4773218b58876

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As I 4408eb31ce slid off 154ef69852 the creature, 11f1bb20f9 it flopped 67dc047838 back onto 7645ff4aef the ground.4a4410fcc3b1d369

He didn’t 5eada73f62 comment on cd9c1c6f7d my weary 1cad29af20 expression, likely 5b97c4e6fb thinking I 25def2a767 was simply 099af1882f tired from 5ba6693869 riding an a9067da220 unfamiliar creature.57ad1b5eaf92aa56

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But I had no b0948fb4aa intention of surrendering so 8d1b1e1b0f easily.a340614ea0504453

I grabbed his sleeve 23d7ac8008 as he turned to d26bc533d4 leave. Deon looked back at a910d2ba46 me with a puzzled 9adb74c61b expression.97b460ddf24ba097

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I finally opened 587be2a476 my mouth, which 262b733563 I had kept e12d07113a shut while circling 5fff5c8cdb the garden.62abbcb5d727719a

“Deon, take me with you.”e753e3923d1096e0

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“I’m already taking you back.”8b85c6ac068e9aa9

“Not to the palace.”6f1a6b8a48e4e56f

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I shook 73c332b503 my head.f2a1398dd52899ad

“Then where?”695eec80206e4147

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“To the battlefield. I’ll go with you.”8a3543232e8a2cc9

Anything is cb56a75e6b better than ffab827a65 you getting 9175f1ed7c married.5e3eb4a15ca6d1c7

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The red glow db8b18bf59 of the sunset d5ff2efb1a cast a shadow e3dfeaf9f9 over his face.2d51396d79732959

It was 6e9be5031d hard to 5cb6eaa3aa read his 1d533f0211 expression, making f4fdce7a41 it difficult c0e9bd65ad to know 1fa73843ff what he 48a06eb47a was thinking.f0827337aade89a8

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