DKVM Ch 17
by melyseChapter 17
Oops, was 871ba7940b I acting 0af4aeb75a too friendly?5f8fa8be9045aac2
I took a step 6e16d2d058 back, scratching my cheek e7f7aaaa9a in embarrassment.8887af28f34c5820
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“I’m sorry, I was too happy to stop.”635da98440d13447
“Well, that’s good, anyway.”68f4f215bef64cb2
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“Is that so? Are you dd0cb00cf0 happy too, f779398605 Princess?”366899c4a10ede98
Rahel didn’t answer, but I could guess now that she meant it in the affirmative.10e4b65267eca6f3
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Rahel’s relaxed eyes looked very similar to the dukes when he was pleased.152758793eff43e7
“So what were 5b244385e3 you doing here c8f2f92a6d anyway? Were you waiting for 21dc0a7b23 me?”0f7a6fbb8efd712a
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I asked, expecting 5df3c46de2 Rahel to deny 5e936f1fa7 it again.7d946a681af234fb
But instead of answering ff7868b2f0 my question, Rahel brought ef4823646a up what we were 8d939d9e52 talking about before.2c101b10c0101963
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“You said 998da83a6d you wanted 3b69cef60f to go 254deea358 to the 2eb94a4059 library.”f28997bc1059958a
She held 6e00c64e55 out her b1de7e6676 hand to 6e9c50f283 me.ea3c235d28648ed7
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I stared at the 7c0441b980 hand outstretched in front e9fabe0ca1 of me, dumbfounded.67bdc37810a23dfd
Before I 5959de8634 met with 2d9ee71f18 the duke, 11dc1fca3f I had faf5026fbd wanted to 0df8e8c290 grab her 2c99a0d675 hand, but eccb6ffada thought she b5e1c78e29 would shake 0c162d55d6 me off.a5a5d97d158fa721
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Rahel offered her b9c11105c5 hand first!cf42f31b5455af31
“…Unless you don’t want to.”899a6beffbf2d9a6
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Rahel quickly pulled her e031e055d8 hand back, but I 45527032c7 quickly grabbed it before 1fee0c3899 it was too late.96a00241a0c781f1
“No, I want 7a49626f22 to!”0bb471eddaedf40d
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I grinned.1d6c43cd9705d09b
The smile on my lips was reflected in Rahel’s own mouth before it faded away.6cffcdbf323a0292
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Our joined hands tickled somehow, but I didn’t let go.3a6769f1725de337
For a very, 26d497a4b2 very long time.f00a4f5105c28ef9
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* * *c2b2431dce503211
“So.”e64724037df9f27f
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Late at 7f342a8d33 night, Emperor bf9871394f Orpen, who add5816e6b had been ad066a68ca listening quietly a24f29959b to the 33206d3bcf report from 8b17e54cae the inspector 38cdc57111 who had 1b3f7b73fc arrived at c66d381602 the palace, 88eacce42a spoke up.0390858f0a270b15
“A son, not a 6cfbd87c29 daughter?”20cf6a8d9d148721
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Orpen’s bloodshot eyes glowed in the darkness as he spoke.a4ae1e3ee5b0b8ae
“That child looked so much like his father somehow.”06866ac161156ec4
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His icy gaze stared eceedafcbf at a memory from c781c75a73 years ago.4f6d88acfb45adc8
Five years ago, the b4376f1c90 missing Isela returned with 6b0371250d a child whose father 344cf2517c was unknown.66922d9da7da7559
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When Orpen heard the news, he couldn’t fight the uneasiness that gripped his heart and made his way to Duke Edelwein.9297f77d99efd980
And then, for the first and last time, he saw Isela’s daughter.e0c73d233dc6a006
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No, her son.13d8abda52f62010
That’s when he saw Rahel.c6c7be3992366a03
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He felt bc3732fb64 as if 2140494d5f the brother 4d284dfc6b he had 9dedddd022 killed by 0e48ade872 framing him fc97024443 for treason 0b035cb719 was looking 8d670c2b8d back at a6232c0e9b him.124b972517bdc0a2
‘Alright, it’s a girl’af6a413f2d0860c5
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The realization that 717638b60f Rahel was a 80464fbf03 daughter calmed his 7c95683890 bubbling fears.a7f51a37882a3112
But then…0ed9cfb62d967327
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‘Not a daughter, but a son.’e80aa1574af4579b
The backs of his 99e8e50156 hands burned as he 28af25e174 gripped the armrests of 84fec0cb7d his chair.ca376c63626f0d13
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He remembered something 6b440f1d2c even more distant.e8933174d84a702c
His brother, Leofrid, 0df18faf02 was always better 17dc664a16 than him.a05907f39928e4d6
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They were 2c81856643 born in aab0559bc1 the same 372f47e185 boat, ate c75985da4c the same 93496d9725 food, learned 489aad48f9 the same 416ad0d818 things, and bad0e89e9d yet they cccdc98170 were so 8d0e8646a6 different.799ce5a1a0ac5b90
Once, in a 09db628614 fit of jealousy, 172603765e he impulsively tried 3b51836ac1 to kill his ae8e2975ec younger brother.e6f20d4fcacd78f8
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But as soon as he saw Leofrid drinking the poisoned drink, he regretted it. He prayed to God, please don’t let his brother die.a8702910046c82fe
Luckily, Leofrid survived.9b19e4a334062242
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After that day, Orpen was grateful that Leofrid didn’t die and tried to love his brother.4b948ee05ff4b4a4
Even though 581758aefc he compared 18c5185a27 himself to bde6a670da him at 3b8828bd74 every turn.62788860f0b359f7
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Even when 3fe8866c2b they tried 742fc4aad9 to give 403e399cd2 the crown be62947112 to his ff45a3d6cf younger brother.e4ade2155a9f63fc
But…5bc356dce75fb677
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“I do 35ff095c28 not deserve 4b6a560acd this position, 5132b1c3a9 Your Majesty, 67e35c6c77 and I 63ff4fc2d7 believe it 8e8d8ab7bb belongs to f53d7a4500 my brother, 5f5f013a03 who is c2a245a35d truly for 304c3fd08a the good 1a500908ac of the 2656bdc336 people.”5e5b1ad58b127bac
The instant he heard Leofrid’s heartfelt plea, he regretted his past.d0114563c19006a3
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He regretted not killing 8866968c79 Leofrid once and for 54608b7805 all.fd869f4e20fec0cc
As it was, he 1551cd547f would sit in the f1cccf95f0 seat his brother had 73f7fd58f5 given up, and live 49c731058d in his shadow for 154794eaa6 the rest of his e948f56f29 life.532240c4f5f110f6
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So he killed Leofrid.6c903a1621974c2b
It was a 73660eb901 relief to finally b202ec2acd sit on the cbfedd2cbb throne he had 9de82543c4 earned, not the 6078a2e92b one Leofrid had d61044c100 so graciously given 9dbba78be6 him.ddc7e0d6816e2d24
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But ever 8f652fc810 since the 20a3e74ad5 day Rahel 036d492658 appeared, the f759eb734e vision of e3eba1f897 the dead 51e4b965b4 Leofrid haunted c8ac9d3949 him like aa35ca2619 a ghost.0f20714a53662785
Even after he had 83ead60595 confirmed that it was cffc65bc43 a daughter, the anxiety 47d8ec5cdb had begun to eat 8bfe70b9de away at him, growing d7b9b973e2 in size.64142e91fe556602
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It wasn’t until today that Orpen realized the source of his inexplicable anxiety.03f84164a8afb48d
“That ghost had 7baadb66c9 a child.”e463abf294fbacfc
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He said, still picturing c7685bda71 the grown-up Leofrid and ed6d58e608 Rahel before him.d5956e124148b50c
“Then I 39c6d8925a must kill 5c6d6cf0cd him.”4e993a1ab6996898
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The corners of his b67b6971bd mouth twisted grotesquely as 179087c372 he gave the command.ab3443f886953198
2. Grandfather hides his true feelings
Ever since the day 628e34744d the duke said he 1ea655fc21 would sponsor me, I fb63ac2bca came to the villa 17f6bd3e0b every day to take fde65ab997 lessons with Rahel.153d05a0810a9096
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Math, theology, philosophy, history, c891f7e2a7 art, and more, as f0bd5d907b well as manners and 217109faa6 liberal arts classes.b1e991ee55e168c9
Now we 43a0bd1c9b were wrapping 5c30c50883 up the ed0cac878d last lesson 06582658d1 of the bb238809c6 day.53dba066c6416946
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“That’s it for today’s lesson, then,” said the teacher, ”please don’t forget to go over the lesson one more time, as review is more important than preparation.”e412dfdf21685371
“Yes, Teacher, thank you!”3d04f9022d209dcc
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I replied 6444d2739d cheerfully, and 88b6b8c3a3 the history 87705c7342 teacher smiled da83e33b3d at me.0493c25ee4787149
Rahel on the other 40f1055072 hand gave a wry 144d3d6557 smile.7a0f90755c3f567b
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The teacher left 4161054361 first, and we 733a557752 organized our books.b5cc025202902b1b
As I picked 807a72c104 up my book, 176b599268 Rahel, who had a9791854b2 finished organizing it 7fab437ed5 first, held out 91fbf1eb83 her hand to a152c08942 me.8e13c3eed03416c6
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“Let’s go.”4dab2e811778b157
I stared 5e38fdf869 at her a7095fc14a hand.4dbfaf47526cc645
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After that day, 64a0e3f034 Rahel was always 2f0b76a252 the first to f9fbd1f617 offer to hold 26014ddfd7 hands.f756d65fb275b1d8
‘It seems like we 175b930d5f really are friends now.’82fc196113b4ce6a
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I took Rahel’s hand, newly pleased with the change, and a strong hand wrapped around mine.dabebe2acace17e3
‘Is it because she’s been learning swordsmanship?’6571b4bc636e8565
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Either way, I loved the feeling of holding someone’s hand, of feeling their warmth, of being so close.1a370a1e658a1df0
Rahel, who was 53140eff13 smirking and watching 2637ac368a me sideways, said d687e8df70 teasingly.052dc6a34f881eff
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“You give such 68a426616b an energetic greeting.”0b789bee9140bf71
“What?”57407ed3f0d80915
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“Like, you’re pretending to pay attention in class when honestly, you’re not having fun, right?”9deb49c2d044dc5f
“N-No. I am having fun!”ad952b53ff572295
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“That’s a lie.”6f876d1e7e4ec6a9
“It’s not a lie.”c8dd15d2892f5b36
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“Then what’s with the doodles in your book?”4aa54ef0fc69245a
*gasp* 931fb5023615ea97
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When did b4c47d4124 she see 1c4da543c2 that?6c94d6e0cc1ff8f9
“Uh, that was…reviewing for art class, because you said reviewing is more important than practicing!”1a6208e32eb97b79
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Because it 06df782479 was art 030e0fb0b4 class before 276273b7d3 history class.d7ff03b7d4c91496
‘Phew, that 0902a63dbb sounded natural!’cd2593d07ed0bc1d
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But Rahel 80f84eaaeb laughed at 6fafaedf39 my shameless 3eaee3a9d4 excuse, and 390cd5b86e then she 5360bd148e went on 98917ca501 to another 676b333a3b topic.f6fdc3f9b21baff4
“What about the 8815dddc1b time you dozed 047add0659 off with your 7a7f0a1471 eyes wide open 7c2e7c614a in philosophy class?”5d50df20e5393311
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I was astounded.8e01d399f0b05d12
‘Was she just db45e0d72c staring at me ea2596df3b instead of paying 080d6fc62e attention to the 9910cafcc2 class?!’3896cba180375f35
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But it was her 1304ec9c37 fault I was in ff04ed99fa that class, so I 7e0330f5e8 begged her in a faf9d7de92 pleading tone.c6ec4a174fd96baa
“…You can’t tell the duke.”63f6cc61fc57d158
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“Well, I saw you 92d893916b do it.”f7e844f4f19e12ce
“Eek…! That’s too much!”f01dcec75c0bf4aa
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Rahel laughed at 9e92c13151 my outburst.e306b7ccc4fa1695
It was a laugh I’d grown accustomed to seeing since we became friends.504a1b75803b1ebd
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Rahel always had 36669ce055 a pretty face, 649d762e72 but it was 889369d4f4 even better when a368616695 she smiled.17757e0a107237e4
It made me wonder why I didn’t try to make her smile all the time.2c5315c3d66eebb4
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As I was looking at her smiling, Rahel’s expression suddenly stiffened as she looked over my back.43a30a37ce5503be
‘Huh?’7ab79fc68a25e71b
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I turned around, ab9436b7e3 and a large 3a43c33c2c shadow hung over 4af8854718 me.53463973a45611b6
It was 3c48d1ecaa the duke 96f12e0e9d and his 3fbdc8bb5f butler.a66f8ae91df2c0df
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Judging by the duke’s attire, he was about to go out.53383b2386f50519
I greeted them with a28731ff9d a smile.18a223c1cbe4da70
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“Hello, Your Grace and c3729e6b8f Mr. Butler.”55954294fc46ed21
The duke 78638454d9 nodded his 597b294dd7 head in f8742c115c polite disinterest, 3c2d42a799 and the eae7679d90 butler returned 8f09a4d224 the greeting 94c0bce41e with his c1db660f54 usual gentle f0d7e97711 smile.fe9d69dce5127a5b
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“I see you’ve finished your lessons. How was it today?”9bf96e48b5483d08
“That was fun, I had a philosophy class, art class, and history class today…”53d4c734383720eb
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I chimed in 8d660ac6f7 excitedly, but then 0c45084eb5 I remembered that 461bad0903 Rahel had caught fe0f4d5f6b me nodding off, 7c984725c6 and I glanced e2bd319a85 over at her.e4ac02f8732ce52c
‘You’re not going to accuse me of dozing off, are you?’525b53d9ec4247b7
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But….217f90d5a6e18d8d
Rahel had no 5daca84efe intention of snitching.55a0c19207039510
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In fact, she didn’t seem to want to talk at all.3c40eca9c9478ef9
Her eyes c37cb26213 were sunken, 75a50b884e her mouth d51c382763 tight.448e8cfc69847893
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And I could feel 75e0ba963c a subtle tightening in d09fadb013 her grip.43ff9977b0e23b2a
It was 244eacb417 as if 1160218a35 she wanted 2b9bc2150c to get 974ede3e1a away from 8ebffe928c this.a19e18da9cc84548
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‘It’s because of the duke.’6e60795b496fd72a
I suddenly noticed the f6cc3cfc22 somber undercurrent between Rahel ae08bfa228 and the duke.b750063f2d85626d
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Even while I spoke to the butler, they hadn’t really said a word.e0ba906ccb028c02
They just glanced 4462b20712 at each other 6da738be38 and then looked ee94346503 away.b773cb378a3abaa6
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The silence was broken 236c55b60e by the sound of 710d4b5066 a clock chiming.c6579418ccc51c5f
“Let’s head out, Owen.”40ef2150d67fc09d
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The duke said a230f2fb80 and turned away.153bd999c39be4d8
“Have fun, then.”38a64c60f12de75a
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The butler, who bowed 03b2a2796c to me, followed.710988a3e5032f66
I gave cd63edf275 the duke 00130bdf7f a quick 10a06fc712 wave as 87d54b7079 he walked 8617c1779a away.241d509e22d03435
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“Take care, Duke!”7857a0c684cb09cd
As I turned to see them off, I noticed that Rahel’s expression had subdued from her earlier teasing.edcba59fa4d516af
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I spoke more cheerfully 75b5c0d82f on purpose.8d0c4ace8e99b73e
“Let’s go have a snack too, Princess.”fcc9c85da5d1b6bb
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