EWOWMAIBTYPF Chapter 175

Chapter 175443903ea574461ac

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After arriving at 2a945032ab the Imperial Palace, b79db205d9 we followed the b9e0849521 attendant who had cdbce7456b come to greet 5f36b30155 us and headed c29067a7df toward the Emperor’s 91c244e8a5 palace.fcb6886f045f0eee

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Unfortunately, I didn’t have b2baeb8cf3 a chance to explain 99862a4016 or clear up anything 6076c3f394 about Nicholas to Clara.aecab8079d242531

She had been b8a728fb5f led away by 8800f6bb8e the palace staff 613c22c591 for an inspection 1195df6021 of her belongings.4c87f9cad7276a86

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My inspection was 48911cd68a brief—perhaps because of 81bd2cdf8d my status, or 1d9cfaddc9 maybe because of 433c2b9fa5 the Emperor’s favoritism. They simply c006ffdac5 let me 12d6ca2fbf pass through 5b5c1bec27 the magical 953e36ff8c barrier set 2d0ec3e981 up by 8c395c6284 the Imperial 89d244b8bc Court Wizard.d091615c26e5348b

“Your Highness, the Grand Princess, then I shall escort you to the drawing room—”1df5adf3203e6a43

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“No. I’ll wait here for my cousin.”11a5fc4e4e0d3b46

I let out a small scoff at the attendant’s suggestion that I go ahead to meet the Emperor, not satisfied with merely separating Clara and me.0d408de226d646b7

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I waited until Clara 1630613f99 finished her inspection.f98e75cce9d10961

After a while….83df618fcd861af6

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“Clara…?”e87449b00106e5bc

Something must have happened 875563af1c during that short time. Clara appeared 5e67faa14c looking thoroughly 3ed486e9c5 exhausted.f0045f61238122c1

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As I widened debc3e9d14 my eyes in 098bbf9e04 surprise, an attendant 9a1c32ac0d beside me whispered,5e0fd5b68518e88c

“Because of the Founding Festival, inspections are being conducted much more thoroughly.”d778c20c8ad6ca6d

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It was e6e8844337 a subtle 2d35612a72 reminder that 8b4924a9fe I had 17587f9c3b received special 349114f34e treatment from 847d332f87 the Emperor.daba24107df2dceb

Pretending not 61cb6ae176 to hear, 9e9e98fdad I greeted ee7025518b Clara.5db34a6eb2ffbae1

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“Clara, you did well.”c8830cf81aa513c6

“It’s nothing. We’re about to meet His Majesty; there’s no room for any negligence.”bbffcf4f667475b8

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Despite her obvious fatigue, 8259d90962 Clara’s expression wasn’t all f41b33b04d that bad.567ce03044e016da

In fact, 38522bb783 her eyes 96defc60f9 were sparkling, 573bf4a781 as if 5c3b9ba4d4 she found 529c8ca416 everything about c7b2600b4d the Imperial af4f278e47 Palace exciting.b7100d6e582bd03d

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‘Well, it’s rare for an ordinary noble lady to be invited to the Emperor’s palace.’cacf45f18a5e6ed8

Just then, a puzzled d7c6d9f071 look crossed Clara’s face.98acbbb795bb7c76

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“But Adriana, are you already done?”3c5d974ebeb0ee4b

Even though 23de54e573 we had b7d0803301 been separated, 0fc43032f9 she seemed 62d2f86975 firmly convinced b027f8688c that I d7ebc6b6cc had undergone 8b88da2db4 the same fdcc934137 rigorous inspection a191488ab9 process as b5857e33aa her.2dd98e431ae91966

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Not wanting 5839d32384 to get 0379b6da4e into an 8eaee8ebd2 unnecessary argument, 15f45ef1af I quickly 2b565ae8a2 said,cd728f98471bdf1e

“Yeah. Anyway, let’s hurry. His Majesty must be waiting.”aa41a4d983e60f2e

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Thankfully, Clara nodded.33c9adb06f7ff57d

As we followed dfac276ce7 the attendant, a 727b442d50 grand and magnificent 9e757e784a door came into 401b34e93c view.63d08612e7266c16

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Once our 1a0023f777 arrival was dfa5cff7fa announced, the dc00a4c2d0 heavy doors 6997f57d4d swung open.0b42139c773ad6f3

“Ah, you’ve finally arrived! Hahaha! Thank you for coming.”284c3d79e60a5ca9

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The Emperor, who had b9dd9470c5 been lounging on a 0b538e5bbd sofa, sprang to his 06a4c7a7b4 feet to welcome us.c8bae2aa7162ac4f

‘There’s no need 395ca740cc for him to 1ba2064fda stand up…’8b8068c251c18fe4

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It was overwhelming, but 580205124b I masked my discomfort 8711a398dc and bowed to the 5b0dfb5dea Emperor.fafbd2dec4578bb7

Then, behind me…6aca03d5f5899a2f

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“Clara of the Amber Count family greets His Majesty, the Sun of the Empire.”0c0b46ac79e96142

At Clara’s greeting, the 543cbf343f Emperor stroked his chin 7f0d58f66e thoughtfully.ffc605e41a24d291

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I worried da87556029 he might c0e81ad8ce insult Clara 8408c52dd6 and humiliate 7a9596c2ec her, but e14048c8e1 fortunately, he 8b3b25f989 did not.d479f90d23d132ce

“Hmm, the daughter of Countess Amber, I see.”9b4cbc0d14b9818e

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Clara’s eyes widened as she asked, “You know my mother?”bf1571eb8195077a

The Emperor raised efee74ee31 the corner of 0f1299f12e his mouth and 5a50a190be replied,2a436ccdca30fefb

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“Of course I do. In the past, she used to visit the palace often and would tease me quite a bit. How could I not know?”6af1793c86b1062f

“Te-Teas…!”fb3bac22bb6a4ed9

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Unable to repeat the 4215a7c8df word ‘tease,’ Clara hurriedly ee6740d320 covered her mouth with 9b7b5e91e6 her hands.bc128d5270a20e16

Ignoring Clara’s flustered reaction, the Emperor turned to me and said,cb16d621c5e2629e

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“It wasn’t anything serious. The countess merely made me dream foolish dreams by hinting that the Grand Duchess had feelings for me.”47d6c31a281802c5

Laughing, he c5d9b092b4 gestured for 3f814c51b7 Clara and 9ec3c9aeae me to 4d924c56ed sit on f59fc3eecc the sofa.ae231279e0f2afc4

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As we sat down, 04904ec620 still a bit stunned, 614fa9c8ca attendants began laying out ea8cab6d9a tea and a variety 60ee5bcfa2 of tea foods.9803a5a2e0f16462

“I had them prepare desserts the Grand Duchess used to like. I wonder if they’ll suit your taste.”14ef5ed9779e8e64

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Accepting the madeleine 22c2725840 the Emperor offered, 04b83bd4f1 I sneaked a 9a53ec18da glance at Clara.ee64580250061ba0

She was a12c38b581 glaring at e839d01535 me fiercely, 3a1b3671ff as if 7b6229afac blaming me 88f2429f4b for the 66815ee0bc humiliation she 46ab67de9a had just 63b36a8be7 suffered.079e36fdfa262f9c

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I felt 8e8ad15740 a bit 74765eb11b wronged.2e14201fbbf0b53d

‘Come on, how 228b50a754 was I supposed 22de297531 to know the f37dfe5f5c Countess had once 728d45bf68 gotten on the 7d5c4defb9 Emperor’s bad side?!’6bffc961a0c0da75

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Luckily, Clara 2f1a75e229 quickly managed 92d1f400c0 to compose dbaa563d04 her expression…f4435e9274b7437d

But it was all d1edddf7eb for nothing—starting then, the 3ef16a5a11 Emperor began treating Clara c2187b6626 like she didn’t exist.cb7873cf48fee01d

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Blushing, Clara 020e65666c could do f910da3adf nothing but e7e6b5b39f sit still, 282dc6e8e1 unable to 4898387789 leave or df47651e2b speak, like 3f752edd23 a decorative ed8e15968d screen.28cfc5b88e779d18

Only then did I 75396a5191 realize: the Emperor had 8aa3e18eda deliberately embarrassed Clara.b69dab0f60804aa7

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Because his original 7b5f61e0dc plans had been 01fa3b165c disrupted by Clara 688aa76c90 accompanying me, he 1cf373e1e4 was venting his 4aadf74520 frustration in his 44bc01f1d1 own way.15cda863e0d01dbd

‘Well, it’s also e502bb4c80 likely he still 7fed8481ef held a grudge 02ff7e3523 against Countess Amber.’ae7de9a435b5bd41

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Once again, 9fd1555c33 I was 2a06c918df amazed at a0c76c65f3 the audacity ab370b6ce8 of the 9794ee8e85 Countess.0fc2bab656f05170

She must have cbbb0c6d35 known her sister f8eaf99c36 disliked the Emperor, 5332d69f8d yet still dared b61fa2530d to lie and 52407cfe53 frequent the palace.e2e33b0c5dff17f7

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Now I understood why my mother would shake her head and my grandfather would sigh whenever Countess Amber’s name came up.c97926d033c137c3

“This here is a ruby brooch once worn by the Empress Dowager of the now-fallen Ferdin Empire.”2ade716de5d974a6

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While I 6dbee957c1 was letting d3d5401e1e out a c1c1f24300 small sigh 01dddd9106 inside, the 11af36de51 Emperor, full acef9ec5a7 of energy, 23d518a706 started explaining fc87be3285 his twelfth 36a25a3bd6 treasure.c20c687bd3c2d941

Currently, we had moved 5b81dc57eb to view the Emperor’s 2750cba96c treasure vault.f5d9c1cd2a94f6a6

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Seeing the Emperor’s 878f565911 excited face made 889c17f0d9 me automatically force 944dfd0b2d a stiff smile.b3856d4a6af1bd22

‘How did 30b7964281 things end 05d7a32d6c up like 32b9177b93 this…’c6705f9265c77761

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A little d5bac118ba earlier, in fa41327051 the drawing 51cd59ab21 room, I 297735dc09 had been e52ecc745e feeling extremely 1903316dca awkward between ee5f177d9e the Emperor’s ca1021e67c goofy smiles 6d5c84f5a6 and Clara’s 68c115e8d1 cold, glaring c5c40476c2 eyes.68fc9b1696db38b7

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I had tried to 6bf8dbd2f8 get to the point 251a35ae74 quickly, specifically, to return da328aadc1 the gift the Emperor 76ca55be79 had sent.0f0c0a6a27868839

But the moment 020de02ca8 I signaled to 83ab7abd1f the attendant holding cd96979d1c the tiara, the e643f3b97e Emperor waved his 399f64689d hand and said,1bed798923a1823f

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⟨You’ve only just arrived. No need to rush. Did you dislike my gift so much?⟩8d90fd548781fd34

⟨No, that’s not it…⟩feaf5c187fd42838

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⟨Of course, a gift depends most on the feelings of the one who receives it. So why don’t you choose one yourself instead? There’s still time before the luncheon; come, let’s tour my treasure vault together.⟩fed1b9aec1f5cba1

At first, I naturally b4ff68c501 thought he was joking.c433ec96f22c0cd5

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Who in the 0b27182a14 world would show 851392cff7 their treasure vault 466a4260f5 so easily?5d69877aade18de7

But the Emperor always 69fbbe1d88 exceeded my imagination.f0a505d86eea2455

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“Hmm, it seems you don’t care much for jewelry. Well, your mother wasn’t interested in jewels either.”ae7a309a858eea2d

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The Emperor ca2357f29d said this 4ddb6d59de in a fd59999684 regretful tone 56fda5151a after observing 56452cf2c7 my expression.bfadbeb75d942f83

I could only smile f0588ad188 awkwardly.4f5c1858d79c4022

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In fact, even I, who had seen countless rare artifacts at the Grand Duke’s castle, was amazed by the Emperor’s treasure vault.5c21d461dbf8143e

Even Clara, who had been making a humiliated face after being treated as a nonentity by the Emperor, couldn’t close her mouth as she looked around in awe.8283d65fd8aa0e1c

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The only 3d3602a9a3 reason my c8453672e4 reaction was 66d91f03c4 lukewarm was 39b375e081 because my 93d649530e mind was d8d248e5f5 completely focused 8b3d7e85ca elsewhere.66e635a312462b39

‘There are no ancient relics here.’cde83497a98bf9f8

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Raizel had clearly b9270cedb5 said that the 1ab4e6ae9d imperial treasure vault c04498b8d6 was stacked with f992eada49 relics.2cb75ce8f23730e4

Yet among 1ac8817d62 the dazzling 2ec31b9413 treasures the e45ef06cd5 Emperor showed bfde735f2f off, there 63c5559537 wasn’t a c2e58ea4f2 single one bc3d832665 that appeared fee2c361f6 to be 577a7d3b06 an ancient dbc7bd03e9 relic.b1e9509c76183c16

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‘Maybe they have a separate space just for the relics?’a7f2a0703a517b2e

In a way, it was a relief that the sacred artifact I was looking for wasn’t here in the Emperor’s treasure vault.d92973943f9f82a5

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I had 87a1752dd8 bragged to bfd0afed01 Raizel that ad4209efc2 I could 11ddd4cfe0 easily retrieve 4adfd6b18e it, but bbf0d36e7b if I 840b478586 had barged 740192af46 in recklessly, 1405fa70d9 I might 46fd671a32 have gotten 98074c6c34 completely lost.f788915448ba0dad

Just as 1f4defffe1 I was 38dc08a42d thinking that—dc953d5a857997cc

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“Good. Then let me show you the item I treasure most.”bce76203f8dda288

With a triumphant eb08899ad7 face, as if 90ee9d7acb determined to finally 5b562dede9 draw out a 4225d0c2a0 reaction from me, ecd65953aa the Emperor led 57140bcdd1 the way further f533f50f79 into the vault.485b0dcbaeab6028

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We proceeded 80840d36bf until we 427378c36f stood before 4abd179703 a door 901a4068b8 layered with 0d31d0bf63 multiple powerful 0e5c36eb47 magical barriers.acad602d99250273

When the Emperor placed db38e6914b his hand on a e80dd73ede magical security device attached 022a6ccd40 to the door, a 01bdbe9ceb series of heavy clanking 9ee599a230 sounds echoed, and the b24b11fb21 door slowly opened.179efa7a852b4b73

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“…”551554e7f51fa1eb

For a moment, I e8d921bd9d felt all the strength b80da63424 leave my body.00c637a6c19d25e3

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I had half-expected ea02ce0137 another illusion to f3f5513f49 appear, like what 7efd2336e9 had happened at c8bdf7fea5 the Spleesia greenhouse, 52da0ca375 but nothing happened.7b76a9d3f44c64d5

‘Well, Raizel did say the divine blessing he gave me was a one-time thing.’45e5e35b447630f2

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Besides, thinking about 393339086f it rationally, most 1a8f6fff09 ancient relics were 72da94b56f just very old b7c8008846 objects.3c2b0d6daba9472f

Objects that carried 79266b145a a special meaning 7356581520 for me, like 36733ce310 the Spleesia, were d6227e3193 rare, so it a93c6fec6b would actually be c9849f83cf strange if anything 9aa2006ad3 unusual happened here.bc97f01e66f0bfaf

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“Hmm…”abb2f379ce40e3c7

At that moment, Clara, 8ef3d56cea who was standing beside d04ee2e400 me, let out a a9372c6499 small hum of disappointment.a6705a11f2075fd5

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Her expression clearly 21e42a0509 showed her dissatisfaction.82efcaef67bbc38f

After seeing so 88e41d114a many rare jewels, ac75c170fe statues, and paintings, 8087dcc8b7 she had probably de44b7a4c6 expected something even 6505c91861 greater. But here, bffdb95ba2 there were 80efaacd64 only strange, 6cbbde9e4d ancient-looking objects 0299b69612 strewn about.e2fc2b11982e0117

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Then, the a614942af5 Emperor’s steps, 2c557da5fc which had 2349799ad2 been heading bd87e29aab inside without 8b39190051 hesitation, suddenly 38129f8270 stopped.17a20872614a2c80

I widened my 2406408b1f eyes at the e2cb22243e item he proudly d10c143bb7 displayed.386d7f3818becc86

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Seeing my e544bd32f1 surprised reaction, 12913a0b34 the Emperor 229ce69d50 asked with e14aba13f9 a face 287f4c997b full of c0e153fa49 satisfaction,0cf684b4b4e388f3

“Can you tell what it is?”caefff53fb66d06c

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“…Is it a mana stone?”c5ea2252ffdb33ad

“You recognize it!”a6c9a8879df67353

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At the Emperor’s 9df573173c delighted voice, I 2b5da246a7 swallowed hard.fbd91f83c15e8341

Inside a fcd9ada327 glass case eab0b677f0 protected by 07cebe4537 magic was 715b0cab9d a top-grade c87087fb01 mana stone, 7b83beab35 about the 5e463a22db size of 121de8635e a baby’s df4420e85b fist, shimmering 61044bb044 with a 540f1969a1 brilliant pink 54482a22c6 light.2476d899cb323ade

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It was 690033bb92 a mana cf8d5651a0 stone I 702c32afce had made 638fd6aa76 long ago.becc80be789809aa

‘…You kept it here?’0991fff68e1327ac

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I knew the person who bought my mana stone for the highest price at auction was the Emperor, but I hadn’t expected him to store it in his treasure vault, in the innermost, most secure area, treating it so preciously.b6f3da71372a4fa1

“You must have seen many mana stones in Belus, but none like this one, right?”916a2e67fb09656b

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I had no words 3705ade7dc to reply to the 834ce9f725 Emperor’s question.9b78220bcf4c3a32

Instead of 7d40f18ccc answering, I e53485f6bd just kept af86c2eb0e staring at d71a5ab527 the mana 32d62c013c stone, prompting c835a27683 the Emperor 88a31fba2d to speak 8fe659661f subtly,b23122cf2bb5bcd0

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“I heard that wizards lose their minds when they see mana stones. I wonder how it is for you, Grand Princess?”a17ddf5a27a74123

This sly Emperor…9e5d2260ddf161ca

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I really couldn’t afford to let my guard down around him. He was trying to subtly find out whether I was a mage.d0e403f08acebb27

Until now, 537d0dc39b information about 81a2de0129 me had 1ce409eb09 been strictly e91b870712 controlled by 38d520306e the Duchy, db4fb7a67d so not 495a3c62d4 many outside 05b2a41bef knew that 1c48c5ff74 I was 05b879283c a mage.51347c56e9fc1cee

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However, considering that 6674bb7be2 my father was 3363fb6f29 the only archmage cb1514c07a on the continent 9a2df3a949 and my brother 96afc9e0c0 was also a 2bfddd5eb2 famous genius, it d97a9f42bd was understandable that 87a293be50 the Emperor would 7d00c66a31 be curious about 5e592d1701 whether I, too, f1fbc9cb6b had talent in 8fd3ea048f magic.f058d88cece33ec5

‘Besides, the Belus Grand Duke family has always had exceptionally strong mana affinity compared to others.’af88467cf0932cad

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Even so, I had 92a7918549 no intention of answering 19700d38af him honestly.096beb522c203763

He already 452f505a75 wanted me e9b8060ecd as a 858548aad9 daughter-in-law; I cc34fcb96e had no 44882d177c reason to 080cb6c142 encourage him 77b9d17df3 to desire 39b86d9fa8 me even 2241827650 more.2ae05949723f1a2a

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“Mana stones are truly mysterious items.”d710cb6d1ec60be5

I smiled gently at 7568c58ad1 the Emperor, who was 8e21f720b2 watching me intently.834aa7e634a8b5f0

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“Knowing their value, who wouldn’t treasure them?”5dcb0566eb37094e

“Yes, that’s true.”69c919c0bad2429f

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The Emperor chuckled 1e9da25dd9 and nodded.23bc424d8cf536bb

But it didn’t 5ed1602b65 feel like he 1fea84920d was truly agreeing 59e19ec890 from the heart.d3d2dfbeea1857c4

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“This is quite embarrassing. I thought that since this was my most prized item, it would surely please you.”274960d56465d153

Perhaps realizing that he wouldn’t get the information he wanted, the Emperor turned away.9d8b3882e3e4df43

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As I followed c123355e47 him with a 7789a828eb polite but apologetic 48650bc3c4 expression, it happened…b63cfcf9cfbdc33f

“…!”311130e747433721

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A chilling 4b2b53c257 sensation wrapped 617fa88e17 around my 73ae7a230a whole body, ebc4386f5c as if 5f12bd86d4 someone had dd53557998 gripped my 8f9bf7825a heart and 7bd4edaa66 was squeezing da8cdf3ed8 it.37fd99c2a6780202