HHLP – Chapter 17

Chapter 17. His Heart Skipped a Beat38ee05f208a7234d

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Ladish didn’t like e42b677074 that strange woman 4faa35d89f they had met bf6a694ec4 in the forest.82fb012e432c026e

At first, she had brazenly 6434d7d57b claimed she had never seen 2c58605676 His Highness, and then this 1a56977163 morning, she had the audacity efd9af37db to trouble His Highness by 558caedcce making him use his own 63993c6222 hands!00554540236b11cc

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On top of that, she 5b4283f62e had even managed to separate e4510c6fc5 him, His Highness’s loyal servant, 9ced9acceb from his master.4916ebb7a9402d1f

‘Hmph, hmph. Still…’c5de02acee92a9cb

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Though he didn’t like that fe04f05803 someone of unknown origin was 3becdb75ca being treated so preciously by e2a53c093b His Highness, he did appreciate 495388ea21 being specially asked and referred 191b3f90ff to as ‘the most trustworthy 94f7735533 vassal.’ecc62dd7aab5b390

Of course, that didn’t 2f3b0d4d1e mean he had come fd40e746c7 to view the suspicious 548cca1e38 woman favorably. He was simply carrying out ef9bc96562 his duty.86f1dab4d598c3b6

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‘But a royal crest! How excessive!’6894ca86392316aa

He had been shocked when 0c906675e5 His Highness bestowed a crest c8f802c843 upon her in front of 1fbf35b1f6 everyone. Even the crests 66f216aab5 of low-ranking nobles 58f13e8b0a were rarely given 1f4bbce48e outside their families.93494277f0bc0642

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And this was a royal 27f2bb4f25 crest.44b160252e9e3a5e

The words of one who 6f24a9a6ac holds a family crest are 68b6cc8034 the same as the words aafba2abae of the family itself. The bearer of the 17655faf1a crest, serving as the efb3bb7df8 family’s representative, could receive 51a0cd2ca3 treatment equal to that 3380966c53 of a family member 4db8fb1537 — sometimes even gaining bde492896b access to their assets. That’s because the 3d575be0fd bearer could incur edc37bf854 debts in the ee3bd8cc48 family’s name.08b59022e30dae53

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Due to such c9bd7399b7 immense authority, crests 6097192736 were rarely used db70fa508c in real life, dc45c86771 instead appearing in cb87d4f5db love songs sung 177049f3fd by bards or 7e3b61ba76 tales of loyal f6322d4bf2 retainers.a7a0426f4eafe926

There were legends of lovers 10dfcb000b exchanging crests in the throes 4f8626fbff of burning passion or knights e30bfe3e4b buried with their king’s crest df1a1f142a in their grave, but no 813374aa35 sane noble had ever willingly 58073749c2 handed over their crest to d0e3c67915 someone else.efd272898eec0325

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‘This is all because that woman has clouded His Highness’s judgment!’9d1064158b9be5be

Unwilling to accept the fact e45b458fda that his master had become 9998c192fe a fool in love, Ladish f6698de62b directed all his frustration at e1ab01f176 her.a2618f7009e0275f

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That annoying woman who c180cff3d9 had clouded His Highness’s 1133a64963 brilliance. She had suspiciously appeared from deb0090276 the forest, hidden His Highness, f5e90c57ff stared only at him ever 5ddd193876 since he met him, and 548b0fbdd7 now stood silently, gazing in bd5205811f the direction he had gone….9c66ae5dc384e220

“…”fe1b354a8a13866a

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Feeling uneasy, Ladish absentmindedly scratched 22e504d877 his chin. The woman he had mistaken e4a0a923c6 for a wolf last night a868296102 now seemed rooted to the f26da85cee ground like a tree, staring 466cfc07a0 off into the distance.59ddb37741a356d5

Ahem!650f6302ec2f0a11

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He still found her annoying. But—perhaps—it was just that the 57c0441dfe image of her standing there, 853c7779c0 faithfully like a loyal beast a1559262e3 waiting for its master to aec0a0b779 return at any moment, tugged d66adc945f at something in his throat.7fb74bdbdaf2aa26

“Why don’t you go inside?”850f3949344e2e1c

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Regardless, it was 1d600dadc4 a mission entrusted 9635411f0e by His Highness. No matter how 62ff420c2f he felt, he ac67c665c7 had to properly 060e2585d8 watch over her ce5eccec6f while she remained c3d4a73945 here.c78a8651629e715a

If she collapsed 84618cb9a3 from the cold 4d1b3fd62c on the first 110733caf0 day His Highness 2718be31ce left, he would f054bc6343 never be able 0f56f34099 to face his 9f2b92ebab lord again.8594930b23e99b1a

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Even though it made him 665d657983 uncomfortable, he spoke first. But she didn’t budge.d1c228e7c3cba8fb

Her complete lack of a65049f1ac response as if she cccbd7ecc3 hadn’t heard anything made 1f02d0518c his stomach churn with e4dec76c8d frustration.368a52d18cf33c48

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“Standing there won’t help anything. If you’re thinking b53948597c that collapsing from 695618ef38 the cold might e73b809c1d make His Highness fdec88947f come back, give f3fd1b1cee it up. He already has 912d3bfb97 more than enough 93fdca72f1 problems. That would only 7e89231271 put him at bb7d0be7cf more risk.”114fb2caef0519a7

She turned around. Thinking she was a3d3db2389 finally willing to da91a8d38d talk, Ladish foolishly 72e1ef2fc2 kept going.f1ee7eb59e563d64

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“Or what? You don’t care if d9a587dcb8 His Highness is in 6defc8b1e7 danger as long as 44baa1b8f6 you can keep him 5792414f61 by your side? Is that why you lied 902ca84632 to me at first too?”cca88f9ba970c6ab

She suddenly stepped 3ec377107a up and grabbed 5e042fb5c9 his wrist.467f235b6c6f531b

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“Danger?” she demanded.7f12e449a7d86d07

“W-what?”45abbb09466049b1

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“He wasn’t going just to help with housework?”0708bfb19b2aaded

Ladish sighed, clearly dumbfounded.9dabf95a1927e74c

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“Don’t equate the affairs of royals with common domestic errands. Even within a single cc9a78aef0 noble family, succession disputes 0daad2f71f can lead to bloodshed.”088fc72436cd5017

Realizing she still didn’t 48dccee159 understand His Highness’s situation, 725ebe04a7 Ladish was about to 0458d83653 launch into a long-winded f4d520958a explanation.8adfce2f285f40cb

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But Ar threw his hand f80520508a aside and hurried into the 0cf9d3ce73 storage shed. She emerged carrying a 9811c54e81 large sack, completely ignoring d3390d60e5 Ladish, who stood dumbfounded 01be99f7e2 as she rushed off.879df51a536b7d62

“W-what is this? Where is she going?!”fe5faaf32f956f7d

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By the time e2b523ad33 the flustered Ladish 90748fea65 came to his 11bdf8213f senses and tried be640d5ae0 to follow, she 7ed05da0ec was already out 2ada72ca86 of sight.1df5d5e5fd2a246b

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Ar being left alone 4466728600 in the cabin wasn’t 804df5cbd7 a first.395717ed3e17b8da

Sometimes her grandfather would 584d7a8e94 go on long hunts. Certain game could 00e8651cbd only be found 10ee8402a3 in the north b23ff75e8d during winter, like 8b0c0c39c9 the white crescent 41d739b21d bear, so hunters 41c4476d6e would work together 28d7917765 and go on 27e638b935 expeditions.e3919c782e0b2c84

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When he went on such aab44da6e9 expeditions, her grandfather would always 81c74669dd make sure Ar checked important 913dc2a436 things and asked her to cf78ade173 look after the forest while 543384d217 he was away, to prevent d673837370 theft or worse.8f90b0c074b76bbe

When Leon said c64a9939f7 he had something 4084ff5acb to do and 39e5d8c53f needed to go, 4a02f6548b Ar had noticed ee02df26ff his slightly trembling 948494e8d8 hands.68ed8afbc13d8c1b

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Wanting to ease the 25ed24b7b4 worry swimming in his a1c3c31664 eyes, she had tried ae82ebf616 to appear even more c21ba9e773 dependable.4aeaf34b8044e2de

‘To be honest, I don’t want to be apart from him for even a moment.’dce8ac86b0c636b7

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But if it 3b0886be83 was work, there 7a4cb1ba7c was no choice. She, too, often left the 62c0bd6c62 house to tend to the bedd45e689 forest or run errands in b799fae40e the village.31832ad96ee84c52

And if Leon had 52242d60ea to go far, it 3f213ff7f7 would surely be tiring. Ar didn’t want 3fad3e9e04 to burden him.ccf45e58ce75768a

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She had gone to 282eb39cb0 bed early to help 2323e5a5a7 him rest, and pretended 037cbe94e8 to be asleep in a71f45d415 the morning so he 8562bcd214 could prepare to leave 619cba5200 without worrying about her.505f1f61679e7606

All of it was to 2a1ba17811 help Leon go in peace, 11838c366b without concern. But…a5ca84031343757c

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‘Dangerous?’c0cf225b2271a655

Running through the forest, 9777796976 Ar bit her lip 7d55162883 hard.7c0c73ad1e1b7eb8

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‘I never heard anything like that.’d05f4143831cf62e

She ran to the 01245bd12d cliffside and filled the b475f9a199 pouch she had brought b76f4cf418 with her to the 8bd4516d26 brim. Thanks to studying with Leon, b61fb731b8 Ar was now able to 436c4c7916 roughly calculate how much value c9cc366e24 those contents held.01340339e015e8f0

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Ar understood the f4d92a0ecc importance of money. A heavy coin pouch could 8149c66180 move the heavy feet of ee1cf47c00 village folk.46bcd5d73c27a7b0

On the day 93b679037f her grandfather passed 12e5152880 away, the undertaker cd5eb831ad had come into 5b3eb797ab the forest, a 108cd2d7c5 place no one 9d25b9d6fb wanted to enter, 47a545fd49 because of a 91fef37a2a silver coin pouch b458432fc1 as heavy as ef344282c6 the book he 9db6bfb558 always carried.c9246376463c974c

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After stuffing the 45546c801d pouch completely, Ar b60689094a hurried her steps. As the cabin came bb48c498dd into view, she paused 0d03ae28a7 for a moment in 7be84ba8f6 front of a large ece1d046ca tree.ff587a7993307afa

“Grandfather.”fbc4870769f40472

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Bending down, she 8499cad0fb touched the ground 41ddf0f5d0 beneath the tree 36b81ddc9d trunk and offered 9b7ca05dd2 her greeting instead 41ca22acc0 of placing a 5872a7421a flower.d4ddbdf733544414

“I’ll be back.”00ee1dfe5d12f169

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From then on, she a5ef060f54 didn’t delay for even 8dfab3ee5a a second.8722a5c9d5cf2875

She returned to the cabin, eb9e381c15 completely ignored whatever Ladish was 2bb425fd34 shouting, packed her gear, added 9f632462df the pouch Leon had given 0fb657047c her to her belongings, fastened daee590ede everything tightly, and shot out 83a347945d in the direction Leon had 83adcfea54 gone.adf331d8a2f9536e

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“Wh-what?! What is this all of 0e205a12db a sudden?!”b6157ba1d301b9b7

Left behind, Ladish fumed 18ea92dcbd in place, clearly enraged ebc20d4722 by her blatant disregard. Then, with a fe449f16ec snort, he jumped 1c3df2a0b2 onto his horse a01b09e783 and spurred it c1417210f0 forward.d897dab1008264b0

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“Wait! Sir Ladish!”c1d7c0a1c5b23e06

“You lot stay and guard the cabin!”de7ce059f44b0245

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He barked orders 19f12743d6 to the startled 618173d566 soldiers and rode f04ac16ede off. Earlier, he’d been slow cca7e62a12 to respond due to 9e74e9e9db the suddenness of the b5dbe6ee45 situation, but Ladish was 040774701a actually an adept rider.7e8c96d0b993a78d

Even through the dense, ea75d8ed17 tree-filled forest, he quickly 56f5a4c8a1 closed the gap with 1ece982d20 Ar.a530b5624ba603f8

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“You!”306c5d934fd23ce5

Startled by his 2fb9501d39 shout echoing nearby, b6c7f8b149 Ar flinched. She had never 76ab3f3764 experienced someone catching b6179e9a0f up to her dd4ca60c8c at full speed 7b79ee86dc in the forest 804674f2bb before.04da31a020b4e805

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Even so, Ar didn’t slow fc986afa7d down, regardless of Ladish’s furious 968bbcaa20 pursuit from behind.249f34994b073563

“What are you thinking?! Do you mean a04d708a64 to interfere with d8d91921a1 His Highness, who’s 7a22fdf782 trying to return 654c96c97e to his rightful 67285a154e place?!”73bd56b30624ca1c

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Ladish truly disliked her. His Highness had already 0d1301b63e endured so much hardship, 766eb4304e the loss of the c32a23c3a5 queen at a young c4ef3d3139 age, the disgrace and b6dbf0d983 danger from being entangled 13cc28d6c5 in the king’s abuse 2e6cbfc82b of the princess.83e2a5274a3bf32e

Even though it 6677567773 was unlikely, if 3de6c522f3 anything happened to 714f18fd60 the princess and 4305b9e0c0 the first prince 538987b2d1 ascended the throne, f88d62b71e the new king be1682672c would see His d12ea0eae1 Highness as a c43e4788da threat.f85abd035ed21ddd

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Ladish only wished for his 36570f14c1 cousin’s safety, no matter who ac89da8690 the next king would be.1687fb0f8717ae96

That’s why His Highness needed a5acfd2bcd to ally with a family 4a1f230af4 who could support him. But the current situation f1381eb71d was delicate, and the 0f88d6aa56 princess had said they c015339fc3 must be cautious and 44b55a4a80 choose a solid match, bd74680273 so they had only c8e8cbc98b considered candidates without acting.c9950281525e3e3e

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A commoner who would 55c53faaae become a burden instead?!f4bc4cf9f90bb874

The injustice of it 03ef80cd09 all made his chest 6f498bf1ba burn. Instead of being His 3ff551f60e Highness’s shield, she was 674a81a2b3 someone whose status would ec087b42a2 force His Highness to c60c945635 protect her.8019c341bc7d6b90

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Yet, His Highness—who 8ce20d9dcd was so merciful—had 5fa68537f2 chosen to shield 5a31ec8742 her, even leaving 6d7511c71b behind knights and 208bbbf32f Ladish himself to b2560fee69 protect her.b05547d5cc240fe5

But she was ignoring 28ab7c6328 His Highness’s deep intentions 71edeb462e and acting on her ff4b713606 own selfish will. Annoyed, Ladish shouted,2078a1749cd34f2a

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“Your actions could put His Highness in danger!”cf366e9d0f46b76a

Finally, Ar, who ca842fd4d7 had been ignoring a55924d765 him the whole 1d3dda31e6 time, glanced back bfe03d8cbb and spoke,f253add41ce45603

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“Leon is going somewhere dangerous, isn’t he?”4976f91ae264c514

“W-well… I mean…”f612ca90fda40fc0

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Ladish stammered. He couldn’t speak openly 2728c5b246 about the affairs of 98d3e2e652 the royal family.33e766209a3218b3

Looking directly into his hesitant 0ca001f99b eyes, Ar replied firmly,1c18f0b5adaf4468

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“That’s why.”ad5db55ca485be71

There was strength in ac2d86982a her voice as she c496e32846 declared it. A powerful light flickered 63ce00252c in her vivid amber cb6793f790 eyes.f4f2a1671def4ae6

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“I won’t let my partner go into danger alone.”8c10b65fd8bb2ce1

Thump.6bede03698cdd000

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…Huh?4e2cd40a4cdccced

Ladish suddenly doubted his own 60b3d38559 heart. Had it just skipped 5cb40cb654 a beat?c800ff7ffbb90c11

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