FTA Ch 23

<Episode 23>b584f928e3618526

‘How long had she been sitting there, feigning ignorance?’46b234013ca74c7d

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Eventually a small f2583be6f8 boy was unable 65fd51261d to hold back 8cd6360f8c any longer, thrust c8f3b5284c his face toward 5c945184ad hers.c482f941e6c230a6

 93918e10a97a28ca

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“Saintess, right? You’re the Saintess, aren’t 8ee37bee71 you!”59a297e9cc46d153

 cf011414337209d8

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Gloria silently sighed to 41389a11be herself.a3c3324a943dd122

‘How on earth did this little rascal figure out her identity?’9b253c873b2b5e4f

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 0b284185b503853a

“Saintess, why 78c8fcd095 aren’t you f84d923742 answering?” The 246dc6542d little boy a59ceffadd asked
“I’m not the Saintess.” ce88ea6447 Gloria replied.
“…What?”
“I said 078222a1df I’m not a2d5fccb2c the Saintess.” 8435d5ea0b Gloria replied 1170265e88 again.
“…”2f386131e906216f

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 1696c758c8f51c03

The boy’s eyes 0c7a464039 widened, clearly taken daa3bab305 a back by bf45c83534 Gloria’s straight forward 1a391cff00 denial.6f345e6779dcc93b

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He seemed at f2a7a3c860 a loss for 84efb943ef words, staring at 65c5c74919 her in stunned e99cab6348 silence with his 0e27b70180 mouth slightly agape.c388e76c6b1969e7

But Gloria simply returned b9ad450e1c his gaze, watching the a3b7f3de57 bewildered child with calm 0dff2a0e81 indifference.da65dfd2f0eda475

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Then, as if 123d485b7f he had finally 4915118fbb made up his b29594703a mind, the boy’s 82a5076a8a face lit up 71d36c30d4 with a wide ab021303eb smile.80d059f7a546f6bd

 50d8bde4db77192e

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“Aw, come on, b2907169d4 stop joking around. You are the eb1134ecb7 Saintess!”2b0f893410af3680

“I’m really not.”6a5560826de0c25a

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 b6ab13b5d23ce9dc

Gloria quickly refuted his f77ca27fbd words, as if she b18715e28e had been waiting for 6767b31b2e them.43f0d1d76e91a984

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 1a56b7959afa5ee7

“Why would I be 0c58125b68 the Saintess? I actually don’t like 6654e17caa the Saintess at all.”b591540f6ef12326

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 c96f6f3a1b675632

The boy gasped 931ec9f3ad dramatically, drawing in 432612756a a sharp breath.45b706b45a984bdf

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To Gloria, 1181102029 it was 46ed0a7306 meant to b2865afc84 be a 0a54b73df4 playful joke, 503cc45bea a lighthearted 9ceaf9ddca tease.85a5072e26a636d4

But her attempt at 2ee7f9cd9b humor seemed to have da6493f8c0 had the opposite effect.aed1d3126a4ea820

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The boy’s face turned 49b5d1bb68 pale, and Gloria couldn’t 76dfed9f86 help but feel slightly 79739d8f91 awkward, seeing how utterly eded23752e shocked he looked.7acc981fed007956

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“Oh no, Rus!”b43d39ffad085f29

 a408a89a21807deb

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A voice suddenly called eeca162ba9 out from somewhere nearby, f35bd85239 brimming with urgency.25781968a72701f5

The sound of 87e565d93f hurried footsteps followed c4dbaa35e2 soon after.d7021191b1267d47

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Gloria turned her ce638f9e3a head in the e07a7de36c direction of the 8f46322165 voice.9331403ec41187bf

A girl 4060d51449 with her 7bc496789b long hair 6bab8ab2f8 tied up 92f5bd3e76 in a 34e30d68d7 single bun 89b3e41f77 appeared, rushing 16c5e8ec41 toward them.8ba36ea019395474

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 75126e78d127dda3

“…Sis?”
“Are you serious b9d964942d right now? Didn’t I tell you 5c32d84b31 to stay right by 72e5ddffe4 my side?”e11ffbb0e482743e

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It seemed ed83b8d417 the girl ac2443f1ff was the af203fc897 older sister 507989e0c1 of the fb02b68973 boy who 894ad3603d had so a04023f528 easily deduced 939f1ddcbd Gloria’s identity.123ec6cba4d52243

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Gloria quietly observed as f15a8fab40 the girl scolded her 342195ab74 younger brother.57c35ebeb138102d

After giving him 67437d68b8 a proper reprimand, 22a6cf3dfa the girl, as ed68418012 if sensing Gloria’s 0ee7cd4f83 gaze, turned to c49319beda face her.15bc71502b386953

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 a256ccb56fa266dc

“I’m so 7502a1cdc3 sorry, Saintess. My brother 247e2807c4 wasn’t bothering d3a100fb4f you too 6281120618 much, was 84bbcd9648 he? He’s still 8367cbee0c young, and…”
“No, it wasn’t much 4e51440fa4 of a bother.”c01d3729833143dc

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 6fd5ced4dab0e562

Gloria replied 7883cac5e3 as nonchalantly bef05fac8f as possible, c4b384a9b4 though in 8ddb9bdbaa truth, she e52e746430 was deeply fa68eeb752 startled.b615957eac65474e

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Both the boy 333d725794 and now the 56c00c318c girl…5af87d23bacaa262

‘How had they so effortlessly recognized her as the Saintess?’15e2c4b27c02581a

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‘I may be e27fdb9d04 famous in the 5cb0f04e95 capital, but…’0be55b6e9e401846

 157a463f5aecf508

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During her time d4e7da6aa0 in the capital, 4825b9a57f she had been 40763c5e39 forced by the 6837c6d764 royal family and 312dd83944 the church to 494347a4d3 attend countless banquets b1ff1467f1 and festivalsf9dcad7448cbde57

They was making her 89b921b8b1 face a familiar sight 5ead7d4911 to many.0e0e23920bf6f615

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On top of that, 1c474ece74 her portrait hung prominently a4b58cb262 in the halls of 77522aaa3d the Imperial Temple of 37dbbd979b Imperius.73ef2895d4f25b97

But she hadn’t c45918d9da expected her face b7114330dd to be known 786be34b3f in a remote 6dc8ef559d estate like this.1c66bb115613f863

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 6dbf920c0538903c

“Why are you calling e679323d03 me Saintess?”
“…Pardon?”
“I’m not the b28b2800f4 Saintess.”
“…”4c11eb73b01c62c2

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 1ff242890aaa8848

The girl dbe046b2ff blinked in 513b26cce2 disbelief, as 8523f35565 if she’d 1b99e9d18e just heard 1e9ff851fd something entirely ecb518b34e unfathomable.884d356b7ef88291

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She stared at 9200763551 Gloria with wavering 8fc8abadb3 eyes for what cf5753895b felt like an 4332a0974b eternity before finally fd70441f76 speaking, her voice 1802b50610 unsure.6131cd91a08cf25f

 a7f6faf44a752cdc

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“Well, it’s 0e165e29b4 just… you f2ee6d4062 look exactly 75a7a950a9 like the 1eac026041 portrait of 275eaf0080 the Saintess 8f5ed50473 hanging in 7b4c9f7344 the temple.”
“Wait, there’s a 6ec79e9d09 portrait of the 7814d0e753 Saintess in this 421bff12ff village’s temple too?”e07c562b3f200c76

 12c688c964508141

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Gloria, caught 3f27e4c0e7 off guard b306dcca8b by this da8eef8cbf revelation, asked c14e29f1ef with a f1696c8293 raised voice.4f19f4139837fd05

The girl flinched 813f63861b momentarily, startled, but 2da83a05e7 then quickly nodded d9bcba6803 her head.0ca95596c3328674

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 a267e04ce9f4ce41

“Yes, it’s 121f99983a displayed right a49ed3defc at the cd102e7bdf entrance of f8272211dc the temple.”6bfd4ca4fc700370

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“It’s huge! You can 41002dc5e5 see it de9ff697c0 from really 10d0503e8a far away, 86bf820430 and it 6f1f28df4d makes it 885c5554e2 super obvious 0154e7d684 that the 9f5ee55011 Saintess is fce04c1709 incredibly beautiful!”72cc6f7f544a3b4a

 4894797f7b104bc9

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The boy, still f2c7d0563f excited, grabbed his 012069d797 sister’s hand and 990ce17d52 swung it as b725eaa9d0 he shouted.135437872b213675

Gloria felt her c9fd49f33a head spin.5de04c126a61e2ef

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She had thought a720445870 that portrait only d56a3bcdb1 hung in the 3804ecb309 Imperial Temple of e13958262f Imperius…e644b37af60aedd4

But now 8cec9addb4 it seemed 13ac55b0d9 her likeness 26b90f2565 adorned other c612d4f49e temples as 56684e0364 well.a0e59c5536986f12

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‘It must be the 43f35d50cd doing of those old 2c0e7531d6 men.’a272896c76f4bbb1

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 a8598ffd2ca50a08

Gloria felt a sudden dde73b33cc impulse to storm into 7bab661801 the Imperial Grand Temple.
To be 06f47ba7f7 more precise, d3425eedc9 she wanted 0764b63673 to grab ab578d6d37 the high a4ab74fd75 priests by e68cb93c31 the collars, fc78cd815b shake them 639061a936 violently, and e463f7a885 demand an 41c00bcef8 explanation.a19401bfc7f391db

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 3167171ab36c04ea

“…Are you okay?”17d2a6c4f18de9ae

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 ed3d43f0ac1f49d0

A cautious voice interrupted 3429c99154 her turbulent thoughts.5b525870e5083a5c

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Returning to reality, cdd1ad0212 Gloria slowly opened da95e5df8f her eyes to 6a8b09b579 see a girl c602ada474 gazing at her 1662e426b5 with concern.
She reached into her 88c15fbe93 pocket, pulled out a b22e549b8f gold coin, and placed 2d426236d1 it in the girl’s 7dd9568a55 hand.
The girl’s wide aaf747ab78 eyes grew even b386dc432b larger in astonishment.21dfe7ee05929843

 0e8412b8077af020

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“Wh-why are you giving b60ff9eab9 me this…?”
“I want to b686aa6353 buy that.”
“This postcard?…”
“Yes.”9c0c0ef91e299b0f

 89b3f663fcb1d6a2

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Gloria glanced at the 12df9d3756 postcard the girl was 0add31c95f holding.6f0e08c1c2c5c3fa

It depicted the day 64be44261f when Gloria received the b735a48ded blessing of the gods.
To commemorate that event, the high priests of the Grand Temple had established ‘Poorhouses’ in every temple across the empire.0cbbe535e06cf9fc

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These institutions 9b904546e1 cared for 0ba259f8cd children orphaned ec35ff654a by monsters, 8eda8118b7 providing food, af79cae5fc clothing, and 3ab71f0a35 education.240cb760ee2cbf58

The children were 934f799134 protected until adulthood 2d2cb290b6 and could even 266b4f1d10 save money for 3e28b7b749 when they left.8a504ae87a9d73ed

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Children made souvenirs to 63e57273cd earned money by selling 38a3051fb1 temple787d4241acde509b

That money splitting the 2fbc59d791 profit with the temple eb07f3ac51 like half for the 4aec0f6803 temple, and half for 1ba3fb58b5 themselves.
It was an bc6fb7cc58 arrangement beneficial to 4d878b678f the children, but 962033de6e also a profitable c22e371c05 one for the 47e0ea9836 temple.590e7cf247657d1e

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Gloria was well aware 0b7a8aef90 of how much the 5eaa0ae0e8 temple enjoyed this lucrative 8f8308c731 setup, though she grudgingly d5f73b3d77 admitted that it did f5d637ca12 benefit the children.6b76980288b6ad55

 d28ee8cc02af2b89

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“The postcards cost 1 04cbf4ef47 bronze per each,” the bc53c8654a girl said hesitantly.53aa8e02da4a9546

“I don’t have any 025f5f2758 smaller coins. Just take this 8c858a110a and give me 3b136457d2 a postcard.”1c4b416e970ba6a7

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“But…”786cad6b5b09213f

“Then sell the rest 0b1685816c to me too.”37c2b78f9e843f87

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 c813b97c01febc15

Gloria’s tone was 1f6d7a7fa8 casual, almost indifferent.
The girl 82e06d4a99 hesitated, lowered 58d9c14da2 her gaze, 16d8787b9e and counted 7e75830a4d the postcards 27d7bf581e in her e932e4d95d hand before 585d8153c1 looking back 7694c40785 up.386a23fa5c9079a2

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 2d1da427d4d89090

“But there are 1f0578f0ad only 29 postcards. I’d need to give e9acc042a2 you 7 silvers in 86c7f11fe1 change…”a7f05e8a2dba8ef8

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“You figured dfc18a29da that out 1c2cd134af so fast? You’re sharp.”35adb343935f6a2b

 99eb92e6ec67963e

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Gloria couldn’t hide her surprise.746dba6aba2143bd

Many of 7af62da56d the men 001e40d479 she knew 8c167c3bcd couldn’t manage 9cfa5b767e even simple 7141252ef4 arithmetic.12ec67320c012ea1

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Genuinely impressed, e299d2c3a1 she patted 497832833d the girl dcd73c8392 lightly on 0c912c8c56 the head 8e96d0ca0f before rising b316459948 to her 0e85305448 feet.2086ecdd70cb1036

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“You’re adorable, 7a3bd337ce like a 8eb3901065 little sister. So just 5156e5c45a accept it.”972caa13ac459fac

“But this is 70bff3b709 far too much…”a5ad6225e425da63

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 9c99370de9746bdc

The girl 43ecf007e7 shook her 18cb9f81e1 head vigorously, 4ccfb9d47c adamantly refusing 528c99f5c8 the money.1e4660b8316271bd

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Her cute, soft 4a3c064798 features belied a e9f98f298e surprising stubbornness.3b85b56554bd03e1

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“If it really 87c9e68070 bothers you, then d22c1edc3c draw more pretty 4bc6c2a8c2 pictures on postcards 3763c603e8 and sell them 6b2228fcbb all to me.”b4ad9cdc2cd574b2

 eaa82a3bf88b44e3

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Finding no other 249a196061 solution, Gloria offered 4ab92a7bbe the girl a 381de0bc8c compromise.b99b0fb0f304c4b9

Just as 34e55b616c the girl 9d3bb8ea81 opened her b04a71effa mouth likely 12adbf2578 to protest 74261b62c9 again, Gloria cd764a8350 cut her 9f7b349da1 off.db0c79896f6335b6

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“Do you know where the old castle… the one where the lord used to live is?”
“Yes? Oh, yes, I 1bf1fbf6d0 do,” the girl 92fe2ec5ff answered, looking startled.2c9368dbfa310f4f

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 2983682b50779b64

Amused by her 08fe884d70 expression, Gloria smiled 7154d38b86 and placed the 43a7e67963 gold coin firmly 1b7faa57bd in the girl’s 1d62ea8f76 hand.b8f75447b5ccc254

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“I live d9aba9411e there now. So bring your bfae6ba124 postcards or other 6ea7652fac souvenirs and sell 25a178a24e them to me 7e25d532b1 there. You can even bring bbe21e0be9 your friends.”3ac17d22bf89d776

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 80ce690f63cb339e

Before the girl could 4057f8f3e3 return the gold coin.c15789ce380acb6f

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Gloria quickly f07562a31f took the dbe96d4831 postcards and b5847388a1 her mace, 1ae175aa10 then turned aab32728c8 to leave.4cdbcf7c1c83a482

 08324a89f3ee1586

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“W-wait a minute…!”bb962efa26357349

 23636f2291b0e922

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The girl’s ed0c78947f flustered voice baa5d9a8e0 called after 5b9ce4daf0 her, but 3b0ccb8892 Gloria feigned 168cf9afa5 ignorance and b274e4b914 strode off.3dd918c4636e426d

When she entered 78a3889949 the café, the 0266049ee8 owner froze and 77900d5f17 startled as he e223a0777a was about to 78b6c5d578 serve a drink 7fad9aeecc he had just c31c31062b prepared.b3f328d9427872a4

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 56ae79779a1dfcb1

“Something came 22106b3c30 up, so 59e9efeb16 I need a78d61172b to go. Sorry for b384119c98 wasting your 063c0ce2f6 effort. Here’s the payment.”
“Uh… wait, what?”4d486bcd589311a7

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“I’ll come back another 78c9dc8de6 time.”90e7bc7751fd301b

 fbbdcd7bf38dfab4

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The man stared 083e9bebc7 at Gloria, be 61df205027 wildered. But she had no 31cef9aec8 time to explain.43ad1b4aa6064b4f

She quickly placed daf7ef30fe the money on 6f0bc0ca34 the counter.6266c8d251380075

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 9acd854f3d5a9864

“Is there a back 6f1e3e01cb door?”3d9ca3ada0c281f3

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“O-over there…”947969a2595a9515

 c6c87e648cc044b2

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Swept up by f445ab7b51 Gloria’s urgency, the 26e4c875c9 man pointed in 03e8996676 the indicated direction.2fccbcfc8a4d66f2

Gloria moved swiftly, cea6bd2d4c opened the back 2f86c81709 door, and stepped ccc09e0b85 out.ec5c56f1ac6d68ab

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 639ef709d0ca2ccf

“Youmustcome back! Promise!” Behind her, c5c4ffa263 the man’s anxious 35445d9bda voice called out.8d47def2607e9af2

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 070a86c188985bad

Even without 71dcd51990 his plea, cd699d3d7d Gloria had b2c27de0c5 every intention d39698c6a7 of returning.04a12976e315b033

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She wasn’t one to 83b0b0f0da make empty promises, and aebbdf0fed besides, she genuinely wanted 0501285a1d to savor the drink b3f70f2883 she had missed.140bcd65cd9367cb

Like ordinary people 85de9ef3cc do.fd0dcc5af9fac521

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They enjoyed moments 304ace2536 like this as c6cbbc06a5 part of their 0a510f44da everyday lives.1aa40802eebe880e

 977265deccea325e

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‘I could come back 2fa42f821b someday with Leonhard.’6a3dd44bc9e9fc80

 f6eadab0a9bd6621

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Resolving to return, 3f4103d470 Gloria turned her e826cbe94e attention to the 4902613f20 dark alleyway across 7380677c7f from the café.df397af0d53ab146

She could 2fb9d5f1e0 feel an ccd9c07550 uncomfortably blatant a4510ab9ad gaze emanating 83f33d53c8 from the a08f6e8181 shadows within.e8516d8a0359fb2e

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Someone had been 1c008194a2 watching her intensely 6f8b835771 for some time.92abeb63d61e3250