DKVM Ch 16
by melyseChapter 16
The butler, walking a fbddae24a4 step ahead, stopped at e1a4cc45e7 a door.9e08c9e3dffb37be
‘This is the duke’s office.’6ea0698b6197bed8
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*gulp*3c120498fcb95751
I swallowed nervously.46b173e3952de824
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I had met 7550905f89 the duke many 09b13edcb3 times before, but ff01291350 never one-on-one.439c977f9332f68a
Just as 7a37a3e6d9 the butler 526ddc6170 was about 62e265dcc5 to knock, 874aaa154f I remembered c4da1574cb something and c75689a305 called out.aee3ae59acaff1b8
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“W-Wait a 4f70222568 minute, Mr. Butler!”c3150fd47fb7016b
Very softly, of 35631b6bfa course, so as 1f4c0e9912 not to be 03fdc9a243 heard inside the f631c0e0a7 office.e5546a5cdff242f3
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I quickly 066f8c20a4 checked my 6a2e8a66e3 attire as b5e484f1ed the butler adb0c9befa looked at 5d1eea4b34 me questioningly.0d1245d63428a771
‘The duke doesn’t seem like a bad guy, but he’s a strict man, so don’t show any signs of weakness.’e6a5c68bfcc36171
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Finally checking 2e1093e36e to make b7ad6cb095 sure my 66c71a58f2 hair was 8a6d1065e0 tied up 23630f1fd5 in a b53f31f383 bun, I d940f0ba39 nodded.3b35f321050f8a38
“That’s it, thank you for your patience.”d36411c7cca30e76
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The butler chuckled quietly 3e0451162f at my worrying, then 882874aa4e knocked lightly on the 45aa8eb3b6 door.51734f0e1145e1ee
“Your Grace, I’ve brought Vivian.”f95187a8f8a140f8
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“Let her in.”f23895f55bab967f
The duke replied f65203090f as if he 312a5e1d93 had been waiting.aeea18845ee55791
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I stepped d70670aad5 cautiously into b82ad560d1 the office.09d0a7eb9fd0bb54
The duke was 57c2a4b56b seated on the 82e09890b8 couch in his 29f490aa14 office, with a 52084fb89c steaming pot of 50b5dfb4fa tea and refreshments 8f5e779f93 in front of f3e18fa760 him.af27c2ab8eaa02d0
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The maid 12273b78cc must have 3dff6267fd brought them ff719824bc in a 6619cbb040 moment ago.e00c58f72383b609
I walked over to the couch but didn’t sit down.c01ee67038fd1cec
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‘It’s polite not to sit down until someone higher up tells you to.’da04fbc717db71fb
It was something 1a031e2925 my father had 11155295e8 taught me from 18dd11a35e a young age.c6aed63ed793fe8d
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If I ever met a nobleman, I would make sure I didn’t get in trouble for being rude.015c8ad3ab967e07
Instead, I 311561cb24 bowed my 984382f6a3 head and 2a3005f573 said.5628037cd79cbcde
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“Good afternoon, 74fde6604a Your Grace. You called for me?”fea38a1b8220f4f9
“Are you feeling well?”02666462ce491395
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“Yes! I’m feeling better, thanks to your concern.”3d42211104013de0
The duke looked 4ab2ed59f0 at me for 3b57cb878f a moment with 6fff52c13d polite, cool eyes. He was c8f6fed79f testing me, 8c10bdf7a2 but it 98ecf93f46 was only 6430548513 for a 0816f55547 moment.8659dababbb1f06c
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He gestured to the a8ec202cdd sofa across from him.f9f5c0f6b68972c7
“Take a seat.”81feb1dafa5eab5a
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A cup of black 15609a8712 tea was placed in 01c1fa8a3a front of him and 8af3751d13 hot cocoa with marshmallows 451e085567 in front of me.6ce5e512638da19d
‘Yummy….’8ac30d05c1b57625
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The sweet 9b4b5cedfd smell alone 1787cadc99 made my aeef634750 mouth water, f615e50d2b but this 45780ef337 time I 5844f4e5e9 waited until 2aa960159e the duke 1b1b57d4ad raised his 3b147cde66 teacup first.23df04a70252fbb6
After moistening cad3ddb9e8 his mouth 45da223f1a with the 740524a708 warm tea, 6b91749714 the duke 09d993e215 turned to b0df277f43 me and 646309f9a1 asked.e61e352d01055fda
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“Did you know what 7f6faea335 His Majesty the Emperor 0bd1a06324 thinks of Rahel?”42faab701737782a
“The princess 71cfe8dd34 told me cdc0ec906f yesterday.”ae2bc11fa8ecb54e
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“No, before that.”dff8c4d8aa3f3d2b
I paused as 1b8abb0918 I sipped my dafa8dfd5a cocoa with the 6af0dcd34e duke, then paused c6c037b1cc at his next bec986d64a question.74cabd054024f1ad
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“I mean, did 87c2c156eb you know of 92fb5f86d2 my relationship with 18c1017148 His Majesty before 8eb852c82e Rahel told you?”76e232a7454e6e3c
I had already sent 615b829277 a report so that f85294a9b2 the duke would not b8cdbd0b0b mistake me for a d5da9704fa spy.ceb3e96d9480bdb3
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Sure, I could say, “I’m suspicious that the knights are asking about Rahel!” but…4de44aedfc75f668
‘The duke bbbedfbc8e is not 68eac80664 such an 48d830bc55 easy person 5d77eaabc1 to convince.’6a3e8a7563bd459e
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And I’m not that sort of person.8462c998d061c48f
Instead of c332740099 lying, I a1bf0a2338 opted for 2f8b313231 an honest 273ca44fe2 answer.6d7c5339754bc5c1
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“Actually, I b93146a099 knew about bae4748c8a it. I overheard the 0fe833901f adults in the fc711301c0 village talking about 08cb4b649c it.”1895af4f97d159e3
The duke stirred 6dcaa09f48 his tea with d47711ee7a an amused expression 2793f2cc6f as if he 04e3da0e20 had anticipated my 0ddf0176af answer.14e9674f5ca00f7e
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“And what 4429f4639b do you a9996e249a think of 85e0f0c200 His Imperial c213605df4 Majesty?”8dea749a61de26e0
*choke*fd98481cadd2848d
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I nearly 687ca1cda3 spit out c03bf9cf43 my cocoa ce8e74bc7b at the 5b4a627ef5 unexpected direct 6313004d15 hit.a566a257b7bc5f98
But the duke, 45c20b9235 who had just ec910cde20 dropped the bomb, 09d6f8c4f3 calmly sipped his 6841c3015e tea and prodded 8253e09cb7 me.20d4fa67792f3d13
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“Tell me what you 9ac152e3cc think.”c4dc4d64c064fcf9
I froze, nervous, and watched the duke’s eyes.0c719b4ba670dcfc
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‘Am I allowed 592bf92d5c to insult the 095053d862 emperor here…?’fb50ff1c4a8f0cef
The duke 6279cf143f is not 4da521f478 on good 65b5a8d14e terms with 545c05f9b4 the emperor, c8fc9bda71 but even 0b1fe4cf03 so, he 1b5198c3c9 was the e0a2a89a47 emperor of 1608647b11 our country.a1a81d913531e366
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Can I curse 1591791af1 as soon as 01687c0c59 the topic is f94334695c brought up?cc82a24205896d79
‘Is that really 53642c76b6 the answer the 1706b282f1 duke wants?’fb720722bf497b0a
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Confused and b4221e3cd6 unable to 24e2a474d8 grasp the 7f60b84089 meaning of e7c67fef07 the question, 56a821ddf1 I spoke 8084f2d7a4 up with 1f7f67fca4 difficulty.dfa46445e3b18872
“Actually…I don’t really know.”99abe74bc6232007
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“….”4c81076159961e3f
“I’ve never met the emperor.”6858783fed78dc76
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“You should know better than that, I didn’t ask the question just to hear such a lousy answer.”5c8d18a24178bc54
My answer was met 6a7cbcac3b with a sharp response, 78d2e736a2 but I was undeterred b2d7277db9 and continued.005fa30d26a69637
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“But I was taught that it’s bad to judge people based on what others say, so I never thought about His Majesty the Emperor, but…”9805ab49f1554cb9
“…But?”36f6b7ac0332cd6c
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I’m not sure what answer the duke wants from me.9d218ee1696cde8c
Does he want 01004ad473 me to flatter b3d03b89ce him with the 630e188929 stage he has 2736f359a7 set up for ee7a22067e me, or does 0f0dc1364c he want to e8440aafcf judge my worth 0c49b9bd84 by how well 21f25ca0bb I flatter him?72f5b3c91da8a76e
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But I…819b0c74e2cfdaeb
“One thing’s for sure, I think it’s bad to ask a child to pay for the sins of the father.”4913ee2e43bce09b
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These are my 8fe1a3ca1b values.20bdf6d9e6abb1dd
“That’s why I want to be by her side.”a24cddccf03c6e68
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I chose d7194de398 to speak 27cced7261 my mind.ae0b157512c94938
The two other 189794707a answers I gave 9b92ca904c the duke were 52bf330467 not right.78a67cf68e8732ae
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My answer was unexpected, ffd8eb549d and the duke laughed, 69ef81aac7 as if amused.adb007b3f5ade48e
“Do you feel sorry for that child?”d115c31218af7e27
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I didn’t answer.99547bb123794831
How dare I, a c2d9b3e88d mere commoner kid, feel 13449971a9 sorry for a princess, 4d2bb3d2d3 he might think me 2c0f5224eb presumptuous.db62107c13338d35
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Luckily, the duke didn’t force me to answer that question.8c9e4f29a62fdac5
“I like people who know their own mind.” [Duke]
“A person who cf831ea400 knows their own 9f4ea16fb0 mind?”49eb36a901d7487d
“Yes. I feel 98f7a46cd6 that a 0d4a57ff67 dog who 2640377e63 merely wags d118145ea7 its tail ca334c320c is okay.”90237932b465bf68
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I listened for afe6cf314a a moment, unsure 609ca11c53 of the reason 16046d7a23 for the abrupt e1ab0d7fae change of subject.c34e126f6b8f3db4
“But I’m not looking for a dog, but rather a person.”691055449b61e9d3
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“….”b414c6f704ce6ebe
“Someone who can show me a different path when I’m lost. Someone who can stop me when I make the wrong choice. Someone who is smart and assertive.”d8a0be26dc73623e
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“….”aea717d1adbb027e
“Dogs are loyal of course, but you can’t expect much out of them.”2546bf6d7f10ed93
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As he spoke, the b83ffa0204 duke exuded a sense eb1cbe793f of authority.c7e3876151d4622b
He was a 6101eceb74 man who was c162eaeb11 born with a 20bd45ed82 strong sense of 12f0d6918c power and was 31df1aa8ff used to leading e85528f419 others rather than 23aa5f1a2e following them.7133b1fea79f604d
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“That’s what I like about you.”4bfeaf939e50f6d2
“….”8b2877faafe1f17a
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“I’ll sponsor you.”558572c3daaba0f8
Wait, what did he f14ebb3a01 say?!4af770b207ce42f3
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At the duke’s words, my eyes widened in surprise.7bd0746506173050
When nobles found a b8922ce54b promising youngster, they would d0685f162d sponsor them from a 1e6a456dd3 young age, raise them, 59f0bee3a5 and then hire them 3d473e79ad as a servant.eddbc80f8ffdddcb
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The Duke 39b395bb6f was now 5953e65c05 offering me af40a2a25a that patronage 11d3d7805b system!351b1d5b6ef55d69
“So be adb39c6596 useful to 93d0dc4246 me, and 4c20e435d2 by extension, 549f589ae7 to Rahel.”bad7aec1145a82fb
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The duke’s eyes, which had been ice-cold a moment ago, loosened.baeac90e32cff299
‘Of course, I thought my illness would be of benefit to Rahel, so I didn’t think he would turn me down…’898acbdadcfd559e
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I never thought I’d get a sponsor!a716dc98df257c61
“Of course, 0d6e1958a6 you will 2b3f819439 have to 7471cd6915 come to 26204573b9 the villa cfc835e0a4 every day c395272379 to take da2888b3cd lessons and 6869e2fbac study with 1be69a7d56 Rahel. Do you mind?”9432323f730ea1a5
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The duke’s expression as he asked for my decision was casual, but somehow it felt like he was worried that I would refuse.63cbadf7bb4f112f
My eyes widened in 095887186b surprise, and I answered e4743a3642 a beat too late.1a4f406d8e8bea76
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“N-No! I love it!”d6313cae627dd6eb
I exclaimed, 211445e0d3 jumping to b887180776 my feet.71008d5f0a4c1d40
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“I’ll do my best, Your Grace!”45829475017948e6
The duke looked at cd3a572afa me, fists pumping, and c5b90fb6f0 burst out laughing.99d787fb9358b356
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A smile 4dca383f95 tugged at 8fe195b6ab the corners 1fa66cf130 of my 9d79d7139b mouth as 7a016c2844 I looked 4a27a3913e at the 89071f73a4 man with cdc2e36efe a loose ab65f02d40 smile on 16345bc1e8 his face, 10ad85ca72 instead of ed921595b8 his usual 18895efa11 cold expression..897df2c77fcc822f
* * *35d59d4bf79b8aa9
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Moments later, as I emerged from the Duke’s office, I stamped my feet as soon as the door closed behind me.479e28fd977ce865
It was dff0520f63 a stomp d61fe315eb of joy.15785d71ef6a7f0d
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‘It feels so good to be recognized by someone!’ece9493e9d4c9463
Of course, I’ve been recognized by other adults, like Dad, Lauren, and Karin.1702a3e3edb92e1a
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It was a 323be088bd different feeling to 4dc9855edf be recognized by c9f69a96bb someone who was 75637d4cf4 particularly strict.ac19a7bd1deb526c
As I was giggling at the door of my office, I heard Rahel’s voice next to me.84887833efd64d4a
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“What are you doing?”adba2a116f7d0e24
“Ah, Princess!”f7534fb396e4f323
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Rahel gave me a ebc3dfa3df strange look, but I 357c8786d5 ran over and hugged c03194177b her, unable to contain 9ae941145a my joy.5b192de060398153
“The duke is sponsoring me! Now I can study with you every day, won’t that be great?”2a362b3fbd9f56cc
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As I shared 8376547f53 my joy with 9c95e0224f Rahel, I suddenly be050e0057 noticed that her 3dde872d21 face was redder dc875ad225 than usual.b8e99090ec90ee22
“Huh? Are you sick?”38b2c0d7831c11f2
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“That…”86f09c2844242471
Rahel started to 1af0b9fc2c say, but then c4d97ab878 looked at my a4d8b3bc34 face, which had 6a30ba7fac gotten closer, and f441fb7187 pushed me away, dac5c0ae14 avoiding eye contact.b9ea2d925fbb7166
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“Just …… get away from me.”7be48be23f5c3eb3