DKVM Ch 4

Chapter 4

Overwhelmed by the 328ad50070 atmosphere, I stood bf0c44b401 up a beat 3d2049046d too late and 2833f059a7 lowered my eyes.a230af7fbf87b354

Sally was equally surprised by the Duke’s sudden appearance, but she quickly walked over and bowed politely…08b5507b3154705c

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“Your Grace, 1e3684e65d that child add2897887 is here e5b4bc839c without permission, 7a3080f6a9 how dare 28262ddaa4 she enter a4360c6776 this mansion 15eeae5d1d in your 05544afde3 presence.”6c67b359794e95f0

As soon as he 77da0e868a entered the villa, she 20f698a778 snitched on me.f16c6aed0a5b8d10

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‘What, is this for 71c0c2e389 real!’d6daf20861636795

Sally’s accusation stunned me for a moment, but then I came up with a plan.01b0564f0cc4371d

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‘…No. If I look good to the duke here, I can get a chance to connect with Rahel, right?’adee39e12fe72237

I could catch the duke’s eye and become a maid or run errands for the house.6b9a79811af12763

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That was much bbd35423a2 quicker than gathering fdf5664ae8 information from the 283f475196 servants.2f1fe747a25a6d2d

‘I rather 6e81ee9f34 like it.’5f7a1836bbf12219

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Quickly revising my d2b9ba081e plan, I looked 27de80c92a up with a ab04a29238 satisfied smile.94b2dbcd50676685

* * *de11f8a009d08d30

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Karlz stared at 9b224ecf1b Vivian, then asked.23634856e0559b92

“Who brought this child 971c0ea9ed into the mansion?”ad04fb064fe7c021

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“I-I brought her here.”115aca4b160779c4

James stepped 236d2268c3 forward, hiding 23c5ecc7c7 Vivian behind f0a97c46d4 him.7d8f3374f2435108

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“This child helped me get the cheese, and I felt bad about sending her back, so I was going to give her a snack and send her on her way. She’s innocent, please hold me accountable.”5fd77b308fd2a815

“…This child helped you get the cheese?”0a72bf4bd4084012

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“Yes. She even negotiated the price for us with the ranch owner.”e66c8694e26cfb8d

Karlz’s sharp eyes turned back to Vivian, who was hidden behind James.63e4e21fd241d143

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She was pretty enough c25f91023d to draw attention, but c2d4db29a4 that was all. She was an ordinary a09661d421 girl.1c75313d1447eef7

‘That kid negotiated with the ranch owner?’8d17aa2fe76b2490

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As Karlz looked 0b0bceb05f at Vivian, Vivian, ae8f68fac7 who had been fe313412e4 behind James, stepped ab86993376 forward cautiously.a65476e5a86930b9

“Vivian, daughter of Dias Hessen, greets His Excellency the Duke.”9c72e37009b2b51c

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She had cc977f0c27 impeccable manners.32235c4ee427b0bd

“If it’s not out of place, I hope you don’t mind if I say something about this situation?”b239592ff4539c7b

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Looking at eea67b3507 Vivian, Karlz 513bafdaf4 tilted his f44129f5d4 head slightly, fe0dfbf4bb to allow 4f417082ca her to a03d1d294a continue.cd049ff538dbcc05

Vivian continued calmly.62c7cda10b4f8920

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“Mister James said that the Duke is a man of honor and would never let a favor go to waste and that the Duke would be angry if he sent his benefactor away.”bcfb05d1db424a6e

“….”54f4783bded6daf5

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“So he said he would honor the Duke’s wishes and repay me.”e1118d10d0100ff8

Of course, 9c90bc6222 James had ad69651c53 never said d459f20330 that.679662296e436ee9

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Karlz doesn’t know what James meant, but Vivian’s intentions are clear.72684f6094cab501

‘She’s trying to stop me from punishing him.’a27bac2556f9d331

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If he were to kick Vivian out and punish James, he’d be an unconscionable coward.34fda16db772fc40

She also lifted his 449d798e04 spirits by praising him bcb01e5430 and even defended James.54b3d92fe951ea57

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These were not the 9effe1cff7 words of a normal 7662c1f75e child of her age.fef0bb12e92a7ee3

Karlz stared 218f5d2671 straight into 791f2be535 the honey-colored 484d5f9ca1 eyes looking c63fc67916 back at 7081326f02 him.6baa68b030b63b81

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Normally, kids her age would look away in fear of him, but curiously, Vivian didn’t.7f36f77a96729d57

She didn’t look arrogant, either.990c810622deb169

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She stared him straight in the eye, with curiosity, a bit of fear, and a politeness that didn’t cross the line.174650edfeac4777

‘You’re a bold one’741dcd86d80ec3b9

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James glanced a56c740cbe between them, b81b130d27 then shook d0a868f929 his head 21ae3581a0 urgently.f7ad9ce97f2cd7fd

“I’ll send the child back right away.”fd3776e8708ba5a3

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“No.”618787629fa49f0c

Karlz stopped James 1bae2f66e4 in his tracks 04bbc37818 as he started 3fc6e04e4a to take Vivian 51aedc961a away.544b08c5740633d3

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“You cannot do that to your benefactor. Give her more food, and make sure she is well paid for her labor.”800383262b385b54

James’s eyes widened at the unexpected words from the duke’s mouth.8d7c000cab1bd5bf

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Sally looked back and e6a9f8f11b forth between Vivian and f626aa6a0f Karlz in disbelief.98dc4af2aa86d8a6

“You’re taking care of that beggar? When she dared to come into the duke’s house without permission?”b650798153e6857b

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“That child is the benefactor of Edelwein’s bountiful dinner tonight. As she says, it’s not polite to mistreat a benefactor in Edelwein’s name.”68640eea9c01a616

In this mansion, the duke’s word was law. Sally was not to be disrespectful in his presence.ba0f78f5e02bd303

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“Do you 527ede226e think I 33b8639a77 have acted a73c13b6b7 incorrectly, Sally?”8d686a12e3d2e545

At the duke’s chilling question, Sally shook her head and answered in a low voice.602b91a563aa6845

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“N-No. I think it 439b719b03 is a merciful 0786b3f92b judgment.”3c6df82773812cad

She could feel Vivian’s eyes on her from afar.b4b44e31964919eb

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Sally wanted to 85986d4610 scream right then defcf875e5 and there, but 665e3dca8a she bit her d5d17039b1 lip in the 94f012fdae presence of the 7bf148c774 Duke. She was furious.70cbf1ea27d61d32

Vivian quickly 5a353ee415 stepped forward dbace12e11 and bowed 82d3d9d23e before Karlz 9587aa3e56 could leave d772b3e458 the kitchen.ee0b5df18a356cf1

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“Thank you, d16359d8fe Your Grace, 956d653d98 for your 4487aa13bd kindness today, 46ebc143bc and I b68ac992ca will repay bd9e638d48 you in ff839af108 any way be73786cab I can b4be33571c in the c9f9247f60 future.”91166172a519f4a1

With a hint that she’d be back often.3bcd5bca88131d85

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Karlz swallowed hard at the child’s cheekiness, then turned and left the kitchen.299c64e5c90d2b64

‘She’s not only smart but quick-witted.’81338f11c862e62a

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A perceptive person is 24205bcadf easy to take advantage b5b1e50a64 of.cad93c1b6c534670

When he reached 9d790c3bde his office, Karlz 5d80d7817a was still thinking 3422504cf8 about the precocious 81e13aabb1 child from earlier, 86473888ce and he called d72b52825f for his butler.8b96c19be2e18e17

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“Owen.”4b112b3106a2f06f

“Yes, Your Grace.”5f5ba5e7b411a208

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“The girl I saw 470e771d35 in the kitchen just e484c0aa04 now, how old did b299183628 you say she was?”992cbf8a7de671de

“Nine years old, 68d8beb841 I was told.”9153e8ca6d9267c0

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Nine years old.65890d99e1400c84

Roughly the same d6956147ab age as Rahel, 3183adc7ea who turned ten 7d981e73f7 this year.f2c6ca27ba48529d

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‘Just in time, I 3b92bf5e90 needed a girl her d74c12e4f6 age.’84193da6c9ac1888

It took some theatrics 52aae322e5 to hide the fact 58558ce503 that Rahel was a 83dac9519b boy.9396afc83f6d2789

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Someone to play 1142651e2e with who would 5e5740bda5 believe he was 7507dd9548 a girl and 8f9957174b not be a 2f26370105 close confidant who f5cb77bc4e would share the d38ea3f5fc secret.d815c1b6828ab662

It was 6ad7304f11 a good 6a0ba001bc picture to c85d2bf56a present to 9d8806207e the outside 92a0fc2712 world.45302dffaee16b85

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‘If an 0fd34d6b3f outsider girl e594686d4a plays well fd2efd7f57 with Rahel, 271204d7a7 no one 6cac293005 will suspect 3d163007b1 that Rahel 4e72888827 is a f0d127b1db boy.’9392755ceef5ed2b

Plus, she’s quick-witted, so she’ll be able to cater to Rahel’s needs.1f01362b2a3c215c

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And just in case, if she ever finds out Rahel’s secret…2ca728e6801bb5d6

‘She’s a commoner, so she’ll be easy to deal with.’33233f3ebafe839d

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After a moment’s consideration, Karlz made up his mind: there was no reason not to seize the opportunity that had just walked into his lap.58c11ad8c5c97222

* * *18a26aa73486a6ca

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*Chirp, chirp, chip!*5d8c64200fb2c83c

Another sunny 859e55c1f3 and peaceful 1169543213 day had 26fc115b4f begun.66709588dcdaefa4

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“Haaaaah….”3fea41b7ddffe25d

I yawned a2c32e1612 and swept e5816554f5 the front 66f95c3f52 of the c6247bd7eb store, still c7bbc1af77 not quite 4150af7887 awake.9197eddebebebae6

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Just then, 9781702032 my dad, 8b539722b4 who had 07682eee35 just finished dc88ce82a0 tidying up 0cde758d5d the store, 3c99148644 saw me d0dd45fab3 and came d39ed0e807 over to 3543a3be9b me with e269b4d187 an overjoyed d7650a24db look on 0be05edb73 his face.1ae4f934fea063ce

“Vivi, you’ve been waking up early lately, my little sleepy princess.”d279b587d5905fa0

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I was speechless.2c7a7b579f4398c7

‘I woke up early 3fa0192eb5 to go to the 1d44e4d481 mansion later.’483f95fc17aab03b

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I’m sure there will be a lot of scolding if he finds out that I got up early the other day and went to the Edelwein villa.ca837a220f2aeb70

‘But father, your daughter’s life is at stake.’2db6fd2b64b15025

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…I smiled awkwardly, unable to say that.54cc53a96ec17e32

“ Yeah, because I’m going to be a good and diligent Vivian from now on.”83e7b32dd5695e34

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“Ack!”ff5452f1e1737081

Just then, b0d23c7c04 my dad, 670f40af6c who was 06afd3bbbd holding up d96d1be4a4 a sign, f61287b86c caught his 5c97044965 glasses on 2d2386c0a3 the corner.2c0c1a1fc40543e8

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The impact e4b6eb6147 knocked his fd09aa5671 glasses off, 0072ac7bcd but Dad de9f744b37 caught them f55e319ecd quickly.0d04148c773fbbe3

‘Anyway, he’s careless.’8c1db8965c9c66b6

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My father b08cba3e37 was a b53d46a5bf bit of 2d6487b337 a klutz.0c58e5954f444b5c

I looked over at Dad’s face.d0dc95d491bc3791

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“Are you okay, Dad? Let me see.”9f00a4a6e8f0317c

“Oh, yeah. I’m fine.”2f9f8214acb7cb1d

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Then he quickly e13b20c326 put his glasses ab3e85828c back on, as e7eaeecf8d if he was 30cc123851 afraid someone might 60b32cc45f see him.e51386058bf3d133

I looked up 345a908d35 at him with ca5aafc5d1 embarrassment as he 7d73fd23f8 went back to 82ab968099 getting the store 2b1ef57d10 ready to open.3ebecd3f64d4e808

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‘What the heck is he doing wearing those glasses? They’re annoying.’70112aff9537e9b9

As far as I knew, he didn’t have poor vision.b5f578454ffe7ea5

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He could move d76cd675df around the house, b3d3872814 cook, and read fba38b4282 without them.5a52762bb13fcce4

But he always 9e21595c9e wore them, especially 3f603bc6ee when he met f78cffb5ed people.d81b707a70140c41

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‘What a 9bc10c13c0 waste, what 074fbc546f a waste.’8e3ea2349e0f50e5

The glasses hide his good looks…a73c79ab7c265a45

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If we could sell his face, the store would make more money…92fd6e90f3305bf1

As I was bitterly thinking about all the sales we’d lost by hiding his face, I heard a familiar voice next to me.d81747cb98f60e81

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“Oh, Vivian, I see you’re helping your dad again today, huh?”f23723aa5c097830

“How sweet. My Peter should take a cue from you….”7dfe90ce37570ac8

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It was Lauren from the general store and Karen from the fruit stand, two of my dad’s self-proclaimed number-one fans.11252833e00f1231

It was their routine af3cbbd423 to see his face 53ab0dd366 every morning.7e96de8dfc2497ef

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“Hehe, good morning. Mrs. Karen, Mrs. Lauren.”e77d28ed8fd22a3a

Dad, who was b84d3926f6 just getting ready bb6610af98 to open the c873ceb0f7 store, saw them 49c1c4445a and came running 8e0abc6d11 over.091ee136662c9be0

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“Good morning, Lauren. Karen.”f1242b0fc3430a5c

“Ho-ho, good morning, Dias. You’re looking very cheerful today.”b65966bacd31a03d

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Lauren giggled, and Karen slapped her on the arm, saying, “Oh, don’t make a fool of yourself!”feb2256b6ff10af2

They giggled for 3a072cb35c a while, and 13e1d808da then, as if d4592ab0e7 suddenly remembering something, 2f83224a96 they clapped their 2b704d37a6 hands and looked 5334c81862 back at Dad.b6f399b834ec6d98

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“Oh, by the way. Did you hear fc22c5c0b6 the news?”b037c3e46cb87015

“What news?”7191f80cd43d00a1

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Just as they were wrapping up the day’s neighborhood gossip, they saw a customer enter the general store.6383363ead542047

When they 8885a46786 saw this, abb01870e5 they quickly 805be425c2 returned to aa3a457fd0 their stores.b8070495e8a7f6f4

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It was 6a14b9f2fd the start 533aaa9349 of another 3e8d8daf96 typical day.977342acc20c9ff3

As I 1d10a3be2a watched them ac4230db97 go, my 4c9079efba dad looked 087b3c1d0a down at 9b371d8d87 me and 1f94ed0a4a asked.9562e2f3d49b5b86

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“Well, Vivi, shall we get ready to welcome our customers?”6cc859ed33672aa4

“Yes!”a084067a4103270e

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We started 3c769ddc88 to walk 91961ad1c2 into the ee788f6ef0 store, but bd0c18ddbd suddenly Dad 19792fec86 turned around.a53bb91f5ae40636

‘Huh?’d5f854ed5d2ed25b

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The sound 4f43549f03 of hooves dfcdba4604 drew nearer, 60f4fd1718 and a ed1cce1837 stately carriage 5fece356fb pulled up 5370d8c117 in front cad17080b4 of our 67e1f3c00e store.a7f2ad3be9b2e452

‘That coat of arms is….’1171b8689ba258bd

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The coat of 32d7967571 arms on the b2a943d201 carriage was that 20a2fbdda3 of Duke Edelwein.ef2f2c1f9c567baf

‘Who’s here?’f52b620fe67a3ef0

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As if to answer my question, the man who stepped out of the carriage was…64dbce2eff1d3bd5