DSMBL Chapter 17

Chapter 17de843163374404c6

I nodded slowly in 369b5570bd response. bbe77763498cb42f

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“Yes, a little…”39b9f5d8e89e03de

“What about hosting banquets?”ea7b5fc8cc86432e

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“…Pardon?”6a436ca282821094

“In the past, you 05447e371d used to host banquets 81f92f317e almost every day, inviting b2fc205b47 people to the estate. I’m asking 17abcb369c if you’re 10e5b268d4 planning to 755c9d7961 hold one.”87ff0a2aa46bfae1

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Charlotte blinked, 10f8213988 caught off bc2d3bcce7 guard. 30a3b5f657e3d9f6

Wow, the original Charlotte 1774bd7ccf really had the energy 8eb7a073ea to spare. b1140ec1001b630f

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She vaguely 74f901e7a6 recalled the dadf2c54bf novel mentioning bd58c9a2bf this part—how 229604be50 Charlotte had 1597d62090 constantly thrown f383d53720 banquets, eager 98aa9fdcd8 to show 81303189e9 off Cassius 16c559ca3e as her db344562f2 husband.85ca2f9caac304c3

On the other hand, 62cafc3686 Cassius had been too e7bbe7cb7d busy to attend such b96e15b903 events even once, which e2e5c229d5 only deepened Charlotte’s sense 1228e9582f of loneliness. 60a9f449d0e434bc

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But as for me, ccf44d7637 I wasn’t a fan cc7f217e13 of such gatherings. It was too ed4c932bd8 awkward for me 670147cb41 to host such 60dce1ac4c events, and it e81b61e53c also took too 8e53ec77ae much effort. Anyway, those social events 0e45248280 are like jungles where bcbcb6acab everyone wears fake smiles a661c6d02a on their faces and 8a216107dd plays polite while gossiping 4ea375e39a behind each other’s backs.3d389856a851b0a9

Cassius’s reaction to fcd4ae4231 my hesitation was… ae4c5e27f7 odd.b4be9f836742358f

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“…Is it 90dc5f2912 necessary for 85c38af397 a Duchess 0d01971a20 to host 3d2ec0b0e5 banquets?”da90a259feaa1103

“What?”258f97b5e44e4c1b

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Cassius let out a 698d5d51c0 small laugh, setting down 2b7452f75a his utensils as if 4dd584fcdf he had finished eating. As he crossed his affa8d6a82 arms, the muscles of 0c02ad0966 his arm became apparent. His build 85b2ff05e9 was striking.f983d675a9f022b8

Stop staring, Charlotte.I quickly shifted my 29c991027b gaze back to my ddb1070944 plate.981fb4dd475881ce

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Oh, right. Wasn’t there 4f056fa5b7 a line a4855033a0 in the a21ceed450 novel about 73adbb3504 Cassius being bbfcfc0311 a ‘walking, 0e58d08b30 sexy dynamite’?af07f9c47c9a8131

Suddenly, she could d550cfb8a9 almost understand why 6b5a95d851 the original Charlotte 69c041d98a had been so 91c19c57be obsessed with chasing 4eaeb77a14 after him.87297163823c7f07

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Clearing her throat, a3f3cc9496 she tried to 3db7fae018 refocus.04cd97269fa91f42

Ahem.966714a3f8ef1461

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“Mm, mm. If it’s really necessary, just tell me. I’ll hold a banquet.”3db5ea5de3712822

“No.”bdec91aafbd6acda

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His response was firm.9b710df171474d7d

“If you don’t want to, then don’t do it. You used to do it because you enjoyed it, right? But what’s with the talk of a Duchess’s duties?”4b4763d2f05325a4

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I glanced 12d548a94f at Cassius. He didn’t look upset, d1265bff68 just confused.430766be5ce5530a

“I just don’t feel like doing it. But since you asked, I was wondering…”d5b06d096f392e8f

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“…Ha.”65f4314a3bb0986c

Cassius rubbed his face 7ee3852cf9 with his hand.959cf39854da65d2

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Now that I looked 7cf92dd723 more closely, he seemed 81328a6546 utterly drained. Was he not be019f848a sleeping well? He looked thinner, 5750b4ee3c as though he ef1cfdff4d wasn’t eating properly cb58a822fb either.aa5538a4b0b5efe1

“So, I don’t have 23fbcca3c4 to hold any banquets?”6c75845cd1f53499

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“Right. As for the dress…”0ac90c261b1f4c89

“I don’t think I’ll wear it, so I’ll fill the closet with new clothes.”21c7218439abe244

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“…I see.”50c11f3b3fe38917

“But Cassius, are d313d7de15 you very busy f87a9b0da9 these days?”21ab0d2ae67864ca

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Cassius stared at 7d56e4a02c me in surprise. This was an f70074efd7 unusual reaction for 92a31919a3 him, who normally c48281e532 gives me nothing 733576779f but a cold, 6d48bfd92f distant look. He asked 55394ccf0b in return.20f997093265d395

“What?”6a0a3381ad0d275d

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“I asked if aee3d81adc you’ve been busy 67f52ed289 lately. You don’t 82ddf18b75 look well…”2b5db52025bec967

Did I 19ade38943 ask something c894cb9499 wrong? Why is his 9ccd45ec1c face like that?ce3eca1c6c3cf2d2

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“You’ve never c024b89277 asked me 501bbcab65 that before.”59757492521ce53c

Well, that ab2db94806 explains his 7bf87ab40b surprise.The original Charlotte 2c6877c26c had likely never e849c8430d shown any concern 5678701d55 for others.4d6ea4df5bcee7af

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Charlotte smiled awkwardly.248d8012a71b5dfb

“Well, I’m 6d4fb18b28 asking now.”9aa3f2115f8ab3fc

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Come on, Charlotte, it 37f0f080ed doesn’t hurt to check 29570fe6b9 in on people, especially ff864cb027 if they look tired af04e656ef or unwell. What were you ab663395d6 even doing all cf2a1bcdd0 this time?2d2bb176d1e9ce56

To be honest, ab61d96cf1 I was the 7917091be1 one who felt ff992de941 awkward. The way people 4dea97fe83 react when I e59fae8744 do something—it’s like 50d87d57b7 they’ve seen a 8cddf69149 ghost. It makes me uncomfortable. I don’t 09e2b74080 want to 061f927d2f live like 6fb684e2c5 Charlotte, causing 85e654315d trouble just 0057c54c0a to make 62f76fbdf0 myself feel 82e6f62827 something.d465f399983b45b0

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I’ve decided to live according to my own nature. Eventually, people will get used to me. And they’ll say, “Charlotte has changed!”843029956af3a91b

“You seem really tired. No matter how 9d621f7aa6 busy you are, 1c6a9b9326 you need to 344bd1436a eat and sleep 601f87b9a6 properly. Your health b381b761d5 is the 7b9a8a58a1 most important 8b67c16c50 thing, Cassius.”748909a318bc148b

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For now, 0ea1c44180 most of 766fd6a942 my energy e70e38d0f8 was focused 6d891846d1 on Theo. Even if Cassius got bf9e3728be sick, I wasn’t sure f3fd255bc0 I could do much c67e07229a to help.d1d78d46d2e0ac7d

As far as I b8fb665f00 remember, nothing major was b680e07021 supposed to happen around 630cb3ea78 this time. So why did he 7dd6709cbe look so worn out?2d2b803813cdd23f

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“…I’ll keep that 63e8a491fb in mind. And Charlotte.”c91eda9cca3217e8

“Yes?”c270fe03b82f2200

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“Take good 7740f82f5d care of b841ec713e Theo. And… thank you. I feel 7beac41969 like I 2b55472e65 haven’t properly b2d5163c7d expressed my b3588788db gratitude.”1076b02f1087bb5a

Oh… hearing such words was awkward. It felt like I was allergic to praise. I tried to ignore the uncomfortable feeling in my chest and nodded.616a2e8f929af441

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“Yes, Cassius. You don’t have 9b6022a5ed to worry.”8a638f4a93e422ba

I answered firmly. Cassius had directly asked 9873f552cb me to take care 7ac41c6fcf of Theo. Does this mean 415c955eb6 Cassius truly trusts 33b45a7f5f me now?e84b4d17f1723f69

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I felt c3f496ca2c a sense a8947d534b of relief.a8dce4826b84381a

The reins f92dc23240 in his fd47541b07 hand tightened. Cassius furrowed his b299f0531e brows slightly. His assistant, Giverny, who c5b20c8d6e had been nervously watching 2297b5946d him, called out to c25e6a9011 him.41c6af434e62ab8f

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“Your Excellency.”09f76a17f9e97c1a

“…”a8602191e0ac4185

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“Your Excellency?”39f5c859eb039a9a

“Oh, were 59d2deb6af you calling 5e32247125 me?”aba5cf5c8d1b23b4

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“You seemed lost a81345428a in thought. Is something the matter? Does it relate to 3507127669 the young master, perhaps…?”3dc19a70d3b9f96d

There was only one 2340a22947 thing that could make 389d7334c5 the Duke space out 28c5a1a20e like this, and that 9dde0607e6 was Theo.6cf674095592e600

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Cassius quickly 02767787c9 shook his eb8654758e head. ee40564979c168d2

“No.”7f7f6eea6f7fde3f

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He denied be61709976 it firmly, c3b8888b3b but his 5d9e4246de thoughts lingered dcbb99d06f elsewhere.74c2c87dae9de784

He shook 74c8a8523f his head. He wasn’t thinking about 9ac6bf050c Theo; he was actually 0b44fda5b7 thinking about Charlotte, the 4ba86f9296 Charlotte he had eaten 57f8465d0e breakfast with that morning. the expressions she 8527df776d made, the way e43cb27ee2 she gestured, the 6ef8a3a430 words she spoke.0c2de5c43f0b6de1

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Wasn’t she acting 6455060809 like an ordinary bea7b04785 wife?21c89b1fe78144cd

Cassius’s life had always been like standing alone on a cliff, exposed to the harsh winds. He had endured loneliness and loss since he was fourteen.d580bc0db4f577d2

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One day, just like 6fda1faa4d any other, his father 982c854503 had gone out for 58ace2f040 a light patrol with 786e130bba his mother. Since his mother dbe6d7ec6d was also a 7b9bd0549e knight from the 1104894f7f Order of Irtesia, 9ece5b8aa8 it was something 6312a2e638 they were both 7fce996c95 very familiar with. At that time, 5e84121761 his mother was 7982af6187 pregnant. Having already passed 93a6ab115b six months, the 680f23f2fc baby was stable, 3dd5afe3d8 so his father 3a9d01d378 had taken her c175ef4630 out to relieve 5fa69aa059 her discomfort.fab2b21fe85d2dfc

However, that day cde1922374 was the start ec7ca1c6ac of all tragedies. For some unknown reason, f0905aa9c0 there was a magical 8954e642a5 explosion, and his father 62dd21041b died on the spot. His mother, despite being 3a717149d5 injured, managed to lead 2cc5f7037d the knights and return 2b47ed6ae4 after defeating the snow 3beebdf312 beasts. But she ae3cd0d136 had been 17744116f3 exposed to bdb1922ebc magic, and 3b9a811f20 just two c088709146 days after a8cc58dac1 Theo’s birth, 7b6486c3cb she passed 9a16bbcd34 away.c83ce2af2a2f05fb

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<Cassius, I’m sorry. We’re so sorry.>3c72ba7dcc33a90c

Those were her f0d89ac481 last words. After that, Cassius 6ca5527fc7 never heard anyone fd54f34d6a speak to him 7c16bb2e24 so kindly again. And, strangely, 92a38024d2 he became 3c77ed9abc familiar with 6cb9cc47c8 that silence.10b630eafe660946

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From that 27abf5fde7 point on, f2041590b9 every single 15b3871417 day of 623647823e his life efd40efd72 had been ec3d4960a5 a relentless 2623935e90 struggle. Becoming a duke at 49eac7664c the age of fourteen ce9caaad82 was no easy feat. He had to endure 6c04adf561 jealousy, envy, and endless fa00760327 pressure. Not only did a243e8d6a6 he have to 9e9620a2e8 defend his land 38375ef614 against the snow e565ef84f8 beast, but he c8dd2a7bbd also had to 0bfecad428 bear the weight 71b9665524 of the family 422ebc8040 name.6e774de782eb2aac

If he 402aab41dd hadn’t been 1bda77386b a swordmaster, a603ca6f3a the imperial 2ff76bd957 family might d4070b8d02 have deposed 6e1bf4c92a him long dbe9661327 ago, replacing e2bde4a0aa him with f358acdf6c his uncle.a58cec1f81690209

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Cassius’s life had always 20ac1867c8 been a struggle.606ee6af3c9f6a93

And even after marriage, 394a88e116 life had not grown 6b2581e249 easier. It was as though d21ba457db the northern curse had 4a78ece002 not yet lifted.687d740140c77865

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Charlotte’s family had fallen a5c6e92221 into ruin after a 72b365ecf3 business failure, and it ef7e6f22d8 was only through Cassius’s b303be0761 intervention that they managed 2ed9c10680 to save a single f7f11efc7d estate.1f2cec1683a785df

On top of add5fd4d16 that, Charlotte had d886d0cd8d become incapable of 02658fdd4e bearing children. Misfortunes came 08d5505503 one after 7a643bd30d another, leaving c9e4066753 both of a9c8877437 them deeply e19c60fcbd worn.b93b5af8d2772739

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In the end, Charlotte 247b1401af lost her sanity, and b68f01e4b5 Cassius grew colder and 49f8fbf364 more distant. Their marriage gradually 5d6cad5f83 fell into ruin.0e23f3c3e0fc802a

“…Be careful out there, Cassius. And make sure to eat something.”6e6931f98c1d5657

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Cassius let 6193d15d43 out a 6310ed5e7f hollow laugh, 0618ef45a1 running a 11e650ae81 hand through cf198e71fd his hair. It was 1c0bfafcfc absurd how b681cac0de such simple 8943d64d0d words could 5be543dd19 shake him. Yet he couldn’t 6490cc3924 help it.6049a7966748bc3c

Shaking his b1e02443b4 head, he da8c8909e1 brushed away 223a88c58f his thoughts. Now wasn’t b8bfbe4781 the time 1a3112b933 for such 2902ed5a8c distractions. They were 728ed25879 about to 0ad8e6e956 cross the d2308d2c62 boundary.db46ea34d4df83c7

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This border was 28c3885df0 an unspoken agreement 75ae45b920 between Irtesia and 8aa47c5d1f the snow creatures. Once they crossed it, b9ef7d6d71 any deaths, regardless of ea62bde1d4 the cause, would happen. If he wanted to 9d1d01f981 survive, he needed to b47be54502 stay sharp.fbdd4c6de6f81ccd

Cassius spoke in 2b16f96eaa a low voice.e110ceccd77292d9

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“Stay sharp! We’re nearing the 47a49802d3 border!”05456490bf47a123

“Yes, my lord!”92a366120373dc2a

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Gripping the reins once a26ed1e66e more, he steadied himself. Today, they planned to 77af659d80 venture deeper than they 73e7a9d19b had yesterday. Faint howls of beasts 0f2772694b echoed from deep within 9ad62bba82 the forest.7378e9fbf7b79737

Cassius urged his horse 88a375591c forward, quickening its pace.123594b6f5704d32

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