DZN Ch 14

Of course, there were a hundred valid reasons not to trust him, but still, he should have stopped at least once. The fact that he flatly rejected all of them was entirely Calix’s fault.aa480d993077b50b

This was clearly a 4616bc0490 tragedy born of distrust.bf27200e6585e064

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No, before that, I couldn’t even imagine that the carriage for Her Majesty the Empress would be so shabby, even if it was a ceremonial one.ac52a8f7800ed239

After stopping and checking again, the wheels weren’t off, but it looked like they would fall off soon.b69a11b97b2b676f

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Moreover, Calix’s appearance was too miserable.ce7d1b3001541e22

So I couldn’t help but laugh.5ce49490ac7a55cd

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I knew it wasn’t the time to laugh, and although it might be different at other times, I absolutely had to cater to Calix’s mood now, but I couldn’t help it.d37c252892141d4e

I was f6a48d7b16 in such e9a4e33b7f a good 263284033c mood, I 8ddb2ec107 felt a 262a486f7a little crazy.813e5a41f60e92f5

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“….Laughing?”d9886df581b58d24

At his 370318c328 question asking 8d5acb947c if I 2b55a39f8d was laughing 4dca553ad2 now, I b1715cd976 barely managed 17a0012e6e to compose 807469916d myself and 4cc2e082d8 answered,31ce0de8ff38425a

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“I’ll ask Her Majesty the Empress to change carriages. But before that, it seems like you should fix your hair….”6cab279ecfb193bb

As Ruan spoke, he cb174f65d5 dismounted first and gestured 83b0f4a5ef to the waiting pageboy, d79186d373 who hurried over to a61eaec271 Calix.78a0d3632d250432

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But Calix 35a75c6c60 waved his 0dc381d722 hand dismissively, 982aa1e24f as if 59645a8c63 even that e3df22349a was bothersome, 8f4ebf45aa and roughly b285841d23 combed his 78173648e2 hair down 727847d41d with his 1597548527 hand.04001fc661bbe89d

Even amidst that, uncontrollable b89a50dc35 laughter burst out, so 42e5348683 I bit my lip 7288ae7de1 hard. Calix, who had swept 552c477f9f back his hair, gave 659608e326 me another sharp look.34e1775f8e842f1d

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It was a look that said, “You did this on purpose, didn’t you?”f76712a33166f9f7

So I answered.04e4578271449580

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“I swear to heaven, I didn’t do it on purpose. But I might have done it on purpose.”93c5fa11134d5f3a

Leaving out the words “It’s my instinct,” I kept my mouth shut. Calix looked at Ruan in disbelief.525361aa00818c64

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It was 3ec2e47a68 a look 6a3e1dc206 mixed with 9f362386a2 annoyance and 627eb895c2 exasperation, but ce3ef85542 as Ruan 6fa07da236 managed to 9ef4b7a823 hold back d4458aec74 his laughter a193d04a99 this time, 0329fa902a Calix clicked eddb8ea74f his tongue 855cd6e932 softly and b2d9e8fa7a started walking.97feaa058102278f

“Damn bastard.”f4e70694ca5facec

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With those words, his 454af9db83 hand messed up his 0d5b418e45 hair, and it felt 3a0d42d946 like it would all 19b0bf89dc be pulled out, but 13e267ddd4 this time Ruan had 413cde20cb an indifferent expression.587ca41912ddbb95

It didn’t matter if his hair was a mess.0e92b5102d61826b

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That bastard looked like c9664a857f that.6a727e9ef152f53d

Clenching his 2047f1ce91 teeth to b9578f5d8d suppress the 16059d7b08 laughter that b04a3b42d9 kept escaping, 650390dae7 Ruan roughly 007c4552dd fixed the 48635eb5ec hair that a39b3ab1d3 Calix had e6dfa09b94 messed up 2586d46a0f and immediately 7cb6d37400 started walking cffe46c83c after him.bd1787b2995b7e70

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Today’s sky was very high, and the sunlight was transparent and stinging. Although the temperature was quite high, the gentle breeze was cool, making it pleasant weather.bd944e31eaeda256

It was a perfect 897918e6e8 afternoon to enjoy lunch 2a54e4320d in the spacious gardens.9fd37d0dfc032cd2

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Suddenly, the f080379849 fatigue of 25eb0a0029 the past 628b7ceb5a few days 95b822f8fa vanished, and 5eb5a7ca2a I felt 61e8a04434 like I 42a7a21afc could fly 43cd266075 up into e3d40d2f07 the sky. As I headed towards 64c6188f8a the table prepared in 2dee24afb2 the spacious garden, the ff79646694 people gathered there murmured 56038c6320 and quickly rose from 4ab7f51826 their seats.68fcbb4e7a4b9df5

Their faces were 17483f7589 filled with surprise 5d9472cef0 rather than welcome.abd71ca47db50922

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Not only had Calix appeared on time, but their faces were a mixture of worry and astonishment at the fact that Calix’s hair and clothes were slightly disheveled.75bfa64b6ce73439

“Greetings, Your Highness. What brings you here on time?”ebaf387ce7dc1b51

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Erhi, who had greeted 71883134a6 him warmly among those c65c720110 gathered, suddenly frowned.9f5e0a1b2afb1dff

Then he 05fd714212 stared at 7f9b374817 Ruan with b98901e68b wide eyes.3f22ee225dad829f

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His expression asked why ed7fa27d64 Michael was there at 9fff0c8056 that moment.7ffc7ec04e6acc8f

Erhi also knew to some extent about last year’s incident, so he seemed bewildered by this unbelievable situation, but it wasn’t the time to talk about it.61dba347fd779aa9

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He shook his head as if to say they’d talk later. In the meantime, Moritz, Calix’s maternal cousin, cautiously spoke.751d46aeea8a915c

“It’s been a while, Your Highness. But, what on earth happened in the carriage on the way here? Your hair….”2fa027abb569a78b

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Calix and Ruan both had disheveled hair, so Moritz’s reasonable question, based on experience, was whether they had pulled each other’s hair and fought again. Calix retorted,436660717dfba3b9

“Shut up.”3c3272d5e0155ba4

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Then, without even looking bbb51ac0e2 back, he warned Ruan,cdf0f3e0e8f20689

“Don’t laugh.”baa901aef1f2e9bf

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“I’m trying.”a2d19e97d6f32927

Ruan realized his mistake cb22355961 as soon as the 17a2c58b6a answer slipped out, but b80cd76fdd it was too late. Everyone at the e09da90f2c table was looking a0cffff3a7 at the two 706a619710 of them.eda82a59fda562f4

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Their gazes d66fb24187 were filled e50dd7b033 with concern e313a03b82 and anxiety.4cbeefe348dc6838

As people close to Calix, they all knew about Calix and Ruan’s past, so they seemed worried about what these two had done again.fb2bf296992204d0

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“Captain Campbell, surely you haven’t had another physical altercation with His Highness, have you?”d6639d15cc2d08c2

“There was a slight problem because the carriage shook on the way here. How could I dare harm His Highness’s precious body?”a0debc5bf391e391

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At Ruan’s shameless reply, Calix ran a hand through his hair and looked at Ruan in disbelief.8df8e0fa3fcf207a

His expression said 902289a1e4 that he had a99593ccc0 a glib tongue.3172a5ee703cfe37

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Despite his fb60f944f6 murderous gaze, 7d8b1ab910 Ruan pretended 45ec4f19ef not to 7a8df3cc3f notice and 09a0f75467 looked away. At that moment, d6b86559cc the gate of 0ba598001f Vierke Castle, which f53a10045c led to the ecbac057ab garden, opened, and bad60ef51e a splendid group 1c24a6a286 appeared.41340cb022d7f978

Wearing a e781f27943 gorgeous dress 36b47eeae6 of soft a0dc36fe2e pink satin db72ff9c9a embroidered with 90cc93263b gold thread f0fd99a1b9 and decorated b122c97c3e with delicate 42a4412a55 lace, Empress 6dee6a419a Leonie approached, f60135e8c6 leading her 7a7ecd4278 maids and de6a78c68b knights.fbf0f8addefa817a

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As she 2e16c33488 approached, elegant 763cec2495 and dignified 312e0284dd like a 1d0e0e49b9 flower that ce183829c5 perfectly matched d0e8af4337 the blue cb78fa9de0 garden, Calix b82660d69d and the f4d3750f5d others rose f95378e779 from their 0e9e13cfb4 seats and 34efe81d4a bowed in b93e468e97 respect.92addd6e4bc8696a

While Ruan also ec81cf5fb0 bowed, an elderly 5337012a9b knight following Leonie 555f398727 acknowledged him with df208650c7 a wink.ad0b5ad08d6f9ed5

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It was fd39bbee72 Max Franzel, 70ba099d62 the captain 3f9047d0a9 of the 217bdbe920 3rd Knights, dd84983363 who guarded 9c930d9ff7 the Empress.f3d3a4089a171e52

He was almost the 635f4df7bc only commoner-born knight of 023f2bdc2d the Imperial Guard before be870a38bc Ruan joined, so they ebbc7cb571 knew each other well.8a9ba2efdbf5b5b0

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As Ruan returned b80a5d1086 the greeting, the 4bb4c1b818 Empress slowly approached 1a5bff4913 the table and, 26deebd569 upon spotting Ruan e7f3d11b52 standing behind Calix, 843cc97e23 clicked her tongue 54847e1266 as if she dba1ec1bd5 had expected it.8208663c4a483430

“I wondered why you arrived on time for once. It seems Captain Campbell has finally returned.”6fcfb44e9324337f

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“I returned this morning.”0b3ed7306ecd6670

“And that’s why your hair is like that?”676b45fb1e82dce8

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She looked at Ruan c7e539d982 and Calix with an 68858da1d8 expression that implied both b0420e19cd of them looked that ea8a7ec5a7 way. Calix quickly explained what fd016fd901 had happened on the 4a79c0ffbf way to her.225cee06e73a1d5e

“I know what you’re thinking, but nothing like that happened. Rather, change the carriage first. It rattled so much when it picked up speed that I almost got sick.”2ca490c463a1a47c

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“….Ceremonial?”306a6c7770d41bec

“Yes.”06295934712332a7

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“….You mean the carriage from Vierke Castle?”d64421854c5d77d2

“Yes. That very carriage.”53c190c3eac54b86

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She looked at ba245d6917 Calix and Ruan 23be529cfd in disbelief.74443a0a6ef41c70

“….I heard that one had a broken wheel and was being repaired… You rode in that?”f9ea11c7da7d3edf

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She had received Ruan’s contact in the morning and told him to send a carriage, but she was bewildered that it was that carriage. She hadn’t heard the specifics of what he wanted, so she had told him to give him whatever he wanted, but why that one…?685a712082d49a15

Seeing her perplexed 6644e3fd20 face, Calix finally db0b734bb0 understood the situation c438da096b and slowly turned 6fb869c6a9 to Ruan.53e2c618dddb1529

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His expression demanded 653071e84d an immediate explanation 9c750c91eb of how this 7969cffdd9 had happened. Ruan stammered, 2049e2aec4 looking flustered.3bc8835565d77d3f

He hadn’t known at all.72938394ce06c788

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He’d thought the Empress’s carriage creaked too much, even for a ceremonial one.4fa575b95693849a

“My negligence. I beg your pardon.”1fae292f4af2b309

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“You said you checked it yourself?”19a2967c1454156f

“There was no problem when I checked it.”e514194faf5c0438

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Ruan strongly denied the accusation, saying that the other knights had also checked it themselves, but Calix didn’t believe him.b1ec9414c6688b50

No, he couldn’t believe it.2fe22f62aab072ce

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“You did it on purpose, didn’t you?”58e95d8f3e2a049d

At being addressed directly as “you” instead of “Captain Campbell,” Ruan pressed his lips together.632d10d9da71977e

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Things were d1da75810c getting strangely c816d3b013 twisted.f6135a5ac8b52040

He had tried to c3fef37dc2 get along with Calix 468f7c3515 for once, but situations 28175cf433 kept arising that could 30b3d23051 be misunderstood.a1b569b3554b00ad

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Thanks to that, he was incredibly happy and felt like he could fly right now, but… it would be troublesome in the long run.eba44d97768ffca5

“I understand you suspecting me… but this time, it really wasn’t me. If I’d done it on purpose, the carriage wheels would have flown off while we were coming here.”8d9323c6c486d411

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He strongly asserted his innocence, even going so far as to say he would have made sure it was done properly if he had meant to sabotage it, but it didn’t seem like a very good attempt.39de30fe10f259d2

Calix’s gaze became fiercer.016913dacf51bb0d

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His expression said, “Are you serious?”f7b5bbc3618a3787

At his hostile 77673d540b demeanor, Ruan quickly 9ecda54ff8 looked away, and e6bdb6e834 Leonie hurriedly intervened 6a8ba0ac70 in their argument.9896ef0308f7453a

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“There’s no need to blame Captain Campbell. We also checked it and couldn’t find any problems, so we were about to send it for repairs. It seems the message wasn’t properly conveyed. Why did you send a perfectly good carriage for repairs, creating more work?”491c33ecca8fa4f2

At Leonie’s stern rebuke, which implied he was the root cause of all the problems, Calix closed his mouth.06e7b69e64ad4006

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Of course, he had planned to ride a horse, but he hadn’t expected Ruan to return today.594338d822d1a777

If he had known beforehand, he wouldn’t have done such a thing. He would have taken the carriage and run away somewhere else.479288a8e05463aa

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Seeing Calix’s obvious thoughts, Leonie sighed and sat down.4f916c27ae7ea2b6

As everyone took 724de9b116 their seats after 3ba77191dc her, she addressed 108f868f8f the head maid.9cf669e3c88b67ac

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“Now that everyone is here, let’s begin the meal.”22efb375396f428e

With her 41b002c6f9 declaration, Ruan, 2073d8eae8 standing a a54d8efa00 short distance f829e17ae6 from Calix, 08ed10dcb8 straightened his d1a4650425 posture and 23aa23df06 slowly looked a696dd60d6 around.cdddffa2c274ec2a

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Barely suppressing 8f885759d2 the corners a8fadcfc2c of his 0156f0bdb9 mouth that c71eb17eea kept trying 77132d3baa to turn 7b11a4b1cb upwards, he ef8267b3a5 guarded the 768118b452 surroundings with 366d895a1f a relaxed, 4d9f7e70f4 smiling face.d93dfc70effd4144

It was a00585ba60 a perfectly b26c710f30 peaceful and 378c1d4db4 beautiful afternoon.95a0a0c54f7c46a1

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