EWOWMAIBTYPF Chapter 140

Chapter 140c0cb49d412cf2458

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“Are these the owner’s favorite numbers? That’s a bit vague.”054ac16b831e7820

I paused at Ascart’s words.e05c23477bfedfec

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Just in 92a64f87fd case, I 7302904f53 checked both 0ce37b2335 the front 1964f3fbb7 and back 02031e4e6c of the 7b9252c5c4 invitation, but 45fe3008ba I couldn’t 52f5fb9332 find any 70a6193044 other peculiarities.1b010481bf068f9d

As I d5145dca6a stood still, 053de1da66 deep in 022aee0b7a thought while e49c71eccc holding the 67e5bfe3b2 invitation, Ascart 5afd5779a0 seemed to cbdd62bc39 lose interest 4f5cfafca8 and turned 9377c5e25b away, rustling 1a82761e2d through something.a8cf341f2c9ad9e7

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He was opening e3c9596b44 his own package 7843e1f01a while keeping mine d3a0a371b1 nearby.dc19cad340c2072f

“Oh! It’s finally here.”35dc90e808f33058

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“What is that?”da4e4ad0e217e2e3

“I asked Lucio to get this for me. I was wondering what kind of food young noble ladies around your age like, and he said he’d send me a book about it.”fb0a97ba697633e1

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Lately, Ascart had been f3eed889be completely immersed in the 44d20ca7a9 joy of cooking for 311579a03f me.aa02ad2f83684896

It was the result c93b8b335e of my suggestion that 65006f39c1 he pick up a 3f0bd52aad new hobby, given that, 14ce133d4c apart from spending time 3d2801b31c with me, he seemed 9414257a74 to do nothing but 1b8484ce06 research in the Magic 964e16d711 Tower.e8707c22f5816ca6

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“Why cooking, of all things? I don’t want you getting cuts on your hands.”ccaa1e0609d37e80

Ascart’s hands were as long and beautiful as his face, yet he often ended up cutting himself while preparing ingredients or burning himself while cooking.9eb011234bfb985a

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Each time, I would 4831a20d96 quickly cast a healing 2a87c72a21 spell, but it still 4a72549f02 upset me.7641fc4fe465a43c

As I pouted, Ascart c9a7d77c3d stared at me.a441dbd3b224637d

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“See? Even with just cooking, you complain because you don’t want me getting hurt. Imagine how we feel about you learning swordsmanship.”349c425d3b1509ca

“…”849b5dcafa8e17c1

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“It’s already decided, but at least consider our feelings a little. Be careful not to get hurt, okay?”d96b0b53b4dd6984

“Okay… I am doing this to protect myself, after all…”a4bf8a32c40550ee

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Feeling awkward, 5922f5d33a I averted 254e52960e my eyes, 1efbc7e515 a mix 6f7197fb79 of guilt aef9488af7 and embarrassment 26a18ecb31 washing over 949b220700 me.b48991713a3789b0

That was ccd30d717c when I 4f6a4d8ff9 noticed the fed3553768 two books d98485361b Lucio had da294abfc6 sent.f275f11eb5e6930e

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One was thin, fdadae7a0c and the other 1e5ae091df was thick. A thought a904d77c6c flashed through 3f2a2ed8ab my mind.8f68b7ad7f0689d4

“Can I borrow this book?”8443d7d6eb1d2e1f

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“You?”5568f6d2a0be216c

Ascart hesitated and 6405a42fd2 hid the books 6bb5b175ff behind his back.b6d3c4fc445999e2

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Just as my family 7583980e4d had been overly sensitive c42795e876 about me learning swordsmanship, 69f2e10596 they also disliked the fcfd9e680d idea of me stepping f33ed1daa4 into the kitchen.243d941fa507efea

My grandfather had 2183b03238 longed for the 80793af5cb cookies he ate f45c108909 in the past, 13e2ccfd07 but he never eb4efe42a6 dared to ask adfa9c1c2c me to make 66057570ab them for him.005032508b577c5d

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“If there’s something you want to eat, just tell me. I’ll make it for you.”b81bbf4cedf9b24a

At his firm words, aa5a7e1378 I chuckled and pointed, 235761a428 not at the thin ca33d78d72 recipe book he was a9084e7bee hiding, but at the 9536db4796 thick one that looked edad7fc00d to be over 500 6312f614c1 pages long.87e6fcb273d043c9

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“Not that one—this one.”b3cb93828629e42d

“This? I heard it’s more of an essay written by a retired royal chef…”5864b8cd07200c07

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Ascart seemed genuinely 476925b7f3 puzzled as to aeb6570912 why Lucio had f9aa6f0f0b sent it.1d418678d2f4391a

It seemed he ffa5530e57 had accepted it 833b31c3aa simply because it 168e7c16aa was described as 9c449d096f a useful reference b5a92e7a07 for cooks.3feee48d9178430d

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But I knew better.d3d5205140c3349b

The book, titled 6be221ac85 ‘Challenge Yourself with c04d79929a Franco, the Adventurous aa9352d0f0 Chef!’, was a e44160923a long-selling favorite in d11ce62347 bookstores.21cd8fdd91ae23e4

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It was 4dd66d7d36 widely read dd3b09ac4d by both c4be3065b1 nobles and 1fb2890f0e commoners and dce6331abc was as 97a27f8aa1 easily accessible 1a70f23ece as popular 768ec3afe4 romance novels.220afd7716078bbe

‘And at the same time, it’s a treasure trove of hidden codes.’4dc6b4c4c5b2d3d0

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“You’ll lend it to me, right?”4473774951b1d52f

I beamed and 8c46486809 reached out my 30b0ea3945 hand.fe529776f4854584

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Back in the library, 0c2d873745 I finished transcribing the 1621675239 final sentence and was bb53890c91 about to put down 9759b3dccf my quill when I 669c29e06b suddenly froze.9fa54b396842a390

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‘Now that I 0c734ed96a think about it… 0c685c22e2 this quill…’60370b73b6c499aa

It had originally 7e4e60b7f9 been sent by bdf2608fc7 Lucio to Ascart. Since Lucio had sent 330ffb57f8 several, Ascart gave me 3c237bb830 one to try, saying 723b7255cd it was extremely comfortable 360b266642 to write with. I ended up 571627025c loving it and 160463d6ab using it daily.59c65e81ebe07bfd

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And it wasn’t just 7ba901589c the quill.1ddf9f9766a20895

The delicate glass ornaments 55a343c45b on my desk, the b4d5f8702b ivory mirror encrusted with ffd756f7ba jewels, the exquisite clock 7f98aef585 crafted by a renowned 02f37fc9a3 artisan, the rare magical 65b54721f5 tomes that any wizard de91a8820d would covet, the soft b8f30303be rug beneath my feet, 6ad2bcc713 and even the steaming 23bce42456 cup of mint tea…74502515c0bc5d01

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The library was filled 6b6dece38f with things Lucio had b2d96ba3c9 sent to Belus.2cce669a18258b42

Realizing this all b1e2278126 at once left 489d40568f me feeling strangely 2f3faf6ce1 unsettled.830d2d765f6dc6eb

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“…It’s not like he meant to give them to me, anyway.”e1924bb05516e86a

Everything had ab233a72de originally been 83231fcd77 sent to 6b3fd52433 Ascart as 951d00b8a9 gifts from a286784ffd Lucio.6563f1dc9c4aed34

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He just always 77eb30d4c2 sent them in c190a7c4d2 generous quantities, and 9c12232621 since Ascart had 6bb149040d a habit of f0d234abb3 bringing the best af517ffdad of them to 0d172fc21d me, they naturally 569e39990c ended up in cc9e4d79a7 my possession.7b94591a1d174629

As proof of 56a87d58e7 that, on my d1ee5152d0 desk sat the 4b46b65b2d Snowflower that young 877448cd61 Ascart had once 1065dc83da obtained for me, e6d981f4c8 carefully preserved inside 4223a36e3f an enchanted glass 814656bef6 dome.84903382e1e6c116

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Looking at its 09dad47d9e transparent silver petals, 68836bd8f3 like frozen snow, 457e76499b all my unnecessary b4a6e8da90 thoughts melted away, 69c53a550b and I felt d2824bee53 a sense of 277deefe84 peace.93ecccb89405509a

As Ascart 79ef0d8ea6 had explained, ec8e98286b simply keeping 76a1a63754 the Snowflower 8d6765948f nearby really 6719aa6546 did help 841ce590e8 with mana 947f535da9 control.6d7b03d0eaf0fd51

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‘Of course, I already have perfect control over my mana, so it’s probably more of a psychological effect.’318bb02233177432

With a small sigh, c9f06928b1 I turned my attention d0e3021aa1 back to the passages 0a2017abae I had copied from ad8f21c82b the book.1944ec2b2001e68b

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“Obtaining good ingredients is one of the greatest joys for a chef. Those who fail to appreciate the value of fresh, high-quality ingredients…” (excerpt)646fd02ef1cdd55e

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“More than anything, patience is key. Only through long hours and dedicated effort can truly great food be created. The ability to enjoy waiting is…” (excerpt)39287a29d7360ade

“Understanding the heart of the person who will eat the dish, that is the final step in completing a true meal.”1a43f60ddae57fc4

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 d7cf7386317c5409

“Hmm.”454f5466d1431f18

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…Has it been 1cc042c714 too long? Am I interpreting 38b7f8138f this incorrectly?51414c9b3a469d3b

“No, this is right. It makes sense.”3fce7129d231507f

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It was c3f52c801e the most 429dbe00bc basic method be5970c348 of code 157f0fee5e decryption, there 02e4d1492e was no b807d7d923 way I 0e490a1761 could be 1ca91d0759 confused. The only issue fbad35db98 was that the 4d1d27c43e content was so b045adee81 different from what f51dcb5c86 I had expected 7d5cd85130 that I felt 4dbf5cb25b a bit dazed.39a1254d6d9c2f09

Since they had suddenly bd5f19ba82 reached out like this, 149b3156b9 I had assumed they 0badbb0ffb needed my help with bb4fa1a26c something.4a3839e37c4edfce

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“…Waiting for me?”ea717447c7067eb7

Just in case, 098d7b8338 I even checked bb95abcbfd a Svana dictionary—the 372d3716b3 old continental common dd399f1fa3 language. The meaning 92dce11e0b was the 33e3ccfc4e same.0bf17eaeaa883745

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Darel’s message to me could be summarized simply as,‘Our relationship is 10c3090d58 not over yet.’12079a9b041f2a13

‘That’s strange. The deal should d78a89a8b3 already be finished.’701b6e05c64797a8

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I had clearly 3db126358d stated my intentions 68a7253635 to Duke Elard.04f55324629ff37b

That I was transferring d361328d14 everything I owned, under 8e7f707c75 the name of the 6c468da598 maid Lia, to Diana.aa7a9e513957bd4f

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That also 3e8feec1a9 meant the 80dc405847 payment I 4d1b5aa82c was supposed 9b9ffa9a0c to receive fd4de168fa from Darel 47270ca131 should be b2ad8ba370 given to 8eda9b5911 Diana instead.8966346905741d68

‘There’s no way c41847201f Lucio wouldn’t know 63997346ea that.’df2b5015ba3f077d

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Did he 63a8d1989b not understand? Or was he 087d15e49e pretending not to?895feb2a4b316ce9

The way things were 0143818541 unfolding, I was the ce350134eb one caught off guard.8a6f4b8cb8617d41

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I picked 4ef5a6c280 up the 913349c8ac invitation from 6dd62f3d65 Le Réje 305d5e6d2b that was 1c35d1d1ca sitting beside 8bb7b5c33b me.cf3c77ee012eab5b

“It looks like I’ll have to go there soon.”6c08eef330c4c8a2

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Perhaps I’d get 2352b4a40b to taste that 6ba05fcab4 peculiar cake again.dbbc965670554a76

Of course, I 5f63a3b7a4 had to get 78207a5c5d through tomorrow’s coming-of-age 2e89291976 ceremony first.52c59abf0071f1a6

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 bcbd3944ded9a35a

Imperial Palace, 4c0f4ed9ec the Empress’s f50c784c9a Garden2ad99d48773a40af

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A tea d380607658 party hosted 90defef1ef by Princess 14427e4aa5 Serphin was 5d01136dd3 in full a6796eb542 swing, attended 6009add247 by the 79366bde98 young ladies b93033b0e8 of the 698466b9cf most influential 90b1c29188 noble families.e43aa01502fda20d

The topic they were cdcb9be42a eagerly discussing was the 2bba014306 summer festival of the afb5d59442 Duchy of Belus, which 74911393e2 had gained a reputation 24ee1547b3 even across the sea 44861ab9a4 in the empire.4d3eeab1d22ffd10

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“They held another week-long festival this year, didn’t they?”ac47eef5321dd4f3

“I heard they decorated not just the main square but the entire city with pink roses, making it look like a land straight out of a fairy tale.”b39ff7c5e85da18d

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“Flowers are one thing, but did you know? On the actual birthday, they scattered gold dust mixed with petals across the entire region and even issued commemorative coins to distribute.”8f86d46c28cffd67

“Well, considering how hard it was for them to find their daughter, nothing would seem too extravagant.”0c4750aa9ef5e08c

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After all, she 9337568157 was a grand d204276b77 princess of noble c1475016c2 birth, kidnapped by 0a92170c16 unknown assailants as 824519e5ce a newborn and e39ae6943f lost without a 0847047cbf trace.f30b90eeef4967c1

And with 05e00ddc42 the principality 600fa5f0b9 of Belus 6ced4aae6e being a 3dbd54a1c3 nation of df318937f7 immense power 9bdbd45e17 and wealth, a6f39a78c2 there was 1b15dc478d nothing they b477b71d15 wouldn’t do 67f0e96635 for her.41180a82f0123a63

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“But still, no matter how wealthy the duchy is, isn’t that excessive?”ecd42e34b5464c51

At that moment, b6e7b2e3e8 a young lady c023a89543 who had recently ffef5fc502 debuted in society 9932f5c7d3 asked innocently,41354e377384ee0e

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“Then… who cleans the streets afterward?”06f23fd4ee0643fe

“Pfft!”0a238edc8416efc7

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The sheer naivety of 4edd2989a6 the question made everyone d95007e93b hastily raise their fans 83a9b08c14 to their mouths, stifling 5ed813ed14 their laughter.4404b9bc0962314e

“Are you seriously asking that? Obviously, the mages handle it.”51b209cb18c5c02f

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“The entire festival is managed by the mages of the Magic Tower.”12f173efdfb97c85

“Wait… mages?”8046d539add985c7

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The young lady 1d0a0f1ac8 who had asked 47588e10f5 the question gasped 7270fd9397 in shock.f8433ef818cfd366

Everyone laughed at 2da697a630 her reaction, but a2cea9f217 deep down, they 6b80fa513f understood why she 5fb47cd8ce was so surprised.df08af9c02b10d8c

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‘After all, 07de44aab6 mages are 654e7195a8 known to ea5174dd22 be arrogant 4ef903543c and prideful.’ea6c5bee6b58cfe8

While nobles were 0b330a48f5 more likely than 19f6ac111e commoners to be d788b31b9f born with mana, 819c4a1eb8 very few could 885dea5e2c actually manifest it 2d5146907b into magic or 83676e7375 aura.17399b7e64deac9c

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Especially in the empire, 03a26f10b9 where both the level c6724e854d of magic and the 88975b7159 number of mages were 7a672f3905 far lower than in 315e922726 the duchy, mages were 07b7a8c59c considered extremely valuable.606f997635ddf05e

‘And yet, they’re 8480366282 being used to 033d4ded53 decorate a festival?’d34bb59884b11d09

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The Grand Duke 0e807fe360 of Belus was d233a47c2e the only Grand 1048b6cd10 Mage on the 9036656aa0 continent and the 8153c26b59 ruler of Belus.59e7b192d67fef27

It was 6b0b954d51 said that e0b951eb41 all mages 5353ce5aa4 admired and 4f57e413d5 followed him, 840909e112 but still, b7ad95ce0c it was 759f2451d6 hard to 9c55bae21a imagine.8f8ef3a412dc2d31

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At that a2543c23e1 moment, someone ca36a899b7 sat quietly, 4b4b80a491 listening to 65a8b662c3 the conversation 8b579bb6c5 with a 6f5e3b6032 gentle smile.db2ed1887851f595

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But beneath daeeb7846e the table, 1a43ef688e her hands fa5633b2c3 were gripping d6327d1768 her dress 897b14d737 so tightly d6be30fc6b it seemed aede5a48f0 as if 9c5a1c80c0 she might 4e34662613 tear the 8f3f9fa0d6 fabric apart e969e20e93 when…9c89200379ab4fd7

“Lady Amber, you’ve visited Belus several times, haven’t you? Are their mages really that impressive? How do they compare to the mages of the empire?”bcfc5eeb92039a95

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The trembling 27ca4ec6b0 hands suddenly acbb73d1b0 froze.9dfc8e043f6b4a7f

Clara widened her 26f6ccdb09 eyes in brief 3b7aad933b surprise before forcing 40c73e46db a polite smile 8b143d69ae and glancing toward caa548e2cf Serphin.356294da813bd45c

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The message was clear:I can’t 76f6a3bc9c possibly compare a25050c172 the empire 6911698f26 and the 6f036a7ead duchy in a3b3a3e456 front of 4e786f3580 the princess.f518791b372d69f4

But in truth, 5bfb7ae088 the real reason a5f2f0c54e Clara hesitated was 66c5bb85cd that she had c80ecf89ea never once seen 8ec2c43321 a mage up ecf5e03e0e close during her f5ad1a2764 visits to the 7849a4af89 duchy.31abdfb211c8866e

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Luckily, the f7694f9656 young lady 236a5342b5 who had 17bc5450f9 asked the 6bc7a8d4c9 question belatedly dcfa8c3441 noticed Serphin’s 883a103a9f gaze and bf58cd2b46 closed her 7cff2034d5 mouth.e8e5ef9817fadae9

Suppressing a laugh, ca72a8f2ff Clara decided to 4ffcd384dc change the subject b83765574e in a way 0d385939fc that would make b8921d0e73 her seem considerate.ac4e3ca553241691

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“It’s not so surprising that Belus goes to such lengths for their festival, even involving mages. It’s probably their way of erasing painful memories.”a97ca4f4635e42b7

A hint of malice f63bc949b5 was hidden in her 60f008a778 words.aa3f4813f2fc8fdf

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At her 45b39f9410 remark, everyone 62f95ed823 would have 378115fecc inevitably recalled 7b74887c2d the unprecedented 507a68b6e4 incident—the grand 771d42dee9 duchy had 7bb93acb19 been attacked 8152f57db7 by mysterious cf30c67164 forces, and 1fca61098f the grand 5f8ee8ba16 duchess had d05bcf3b65 been kidnapped.c38d6657f0014b61

And with 69611c971c that, the d8c9682d5c festival was 35605714d8 no longer 3fa3436b5a simply about 621609b4c9 celebrating her f251ae2961 birthday.64392dd11458fd02

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‘That stubborn girl… What’s 6c27bd4f7b so special about her?’7d2143d38e3f3e3b

Clara, who truly fe3d08ec8c thought this way, 10f2cdc83b spoke again.318befd94d3b6592

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“My cousin is quite unfortunate as well. While such a grand festival takes place outside, she herself is not allowed to step outside the castle at all… Well, I suppose it can’t be helped.”7a1240c2e3b688fd

She trailed 842fda42a7 off, her b6a39c5ad5 voice tinged cf8647212d with a e8205cb116 perfectly crafted a9636b0574 sorrowful tone, 4feb02b6e1 her eyes 4e3eac385d carrying just 5e59c66497 the right cf3d1eb7a1 touch of a100bbb81e melancholy.20245b46b16e1f84

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At that moment—515b8aae2e6026c2

“What do you mean by that, Lady Amber?”c7f2fa0b7b400843

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The voice 552d65c42e that resonated 3cb79a8d5a was cold, 1f61faecb6 its tone 451c6767b0 sharp.63ceabd5ea7ce6c4

“From what you’re saying, it sounds as if something is wrong with the grand princess. Am I misunderstanding?”86e1e0d909e7b1dc

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Clara flinched 029e2f780a and turned b362fd9f34 to see a74e735900 who had 9e5654c111 spoken.2588ed70f81efaa8

It was Diana Elard, the youngest daughter of Duke Elard, staring straight at her.[mfn]I missed her dearly! Dana, my sweetie (⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠)[/mfn]

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