IBMILRFL – Chapter 22

Ch. 22 IBMILRFL | Chapter 2221907ff2837f24b1

“When I become an adult, I will come to propose to you. Please wait for me e8fdbbb954 until then.”9e31a693be70375e

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In the distant past, e0dc07a82f Tristan had told me 22923c8338 this countless times.e39b1bc9282bdfda

However, I could 7d8da0b9ff never accept his 1017a12edc heart. Because I ended up marrying ee0cd71c1e another man.02a58d01af44c54b

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Of course, that wasn’t 136e323cea my choice.60bdf8b2bce6f4f1

In the kingdom of Onz, 9bc53c4066 I was nothing more than 60d95c49ed a princess in name only.648dfc6a7659f1b3

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Among more than a 4e56ff7bf3 dozen half-siblings, I was 4d2fcfaee7 the princess with the a6345f33cb least prestigious background.e4ccca95c0185cf7

I didn’t even have a17bd777fe the power to refuse 74e24c519e when I was abruptly 0076d367f0 informed of my marriage.226d5bd519527ac5

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So, I had no ded6805b5e choice but to accept 83a9afb2ac marriage with Count Winder. I couldn’t defy 709b444298 the king’s orders.5235a3228481d50c

‘I protested… but it was useless.’61e22f268ef1aa16

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The day I learned about 538e7ed1ca my marriage, the first thing 533d135856 I did was send a 7bb2511bc7 letter to Tristan.455f6990ea3b01d4

I told him I 45c5a7cbc2 was marrying another man. I apologized and asked e35bfa9d90 him to forget about 8f5f57951d me. I sent my abe48e70d5 message to him b9c79a30be in the Empire.e034b98f80ad5dfd

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After sending the letter, I 5f26e59512 was consumed with guilt.b6a603fcdaca6192

“…”bda0fabd630d09cd

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Tristan and I 43cbf33d70 never had any cc4cfb23a1 special relationship.78ee119afe3c2543

Though he often expressed a71502e70c his feelings for me, 18371662e9 we were never lovers.4386867be761a26e

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Still, after sending ab8f509608 the letter, my a22072a15d heart felt uneasy. Even more so when 2646eff806 a month passed without 6e973104bc a reply.1fd3693a4bb3c957

‘He must resent me, or maybe he just grew to dislike me.’2f6132f33d6b3d37

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Although I had resolved to 687827d78e accept whatever response he gave, 1643a4b0e3 I was terrified when no 2fad979a25 response came at all.1a5e74dd8f97d580

That fear has persisted for b1eb57dd87 seven years now.ee91f88251ffed03

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I dreaded the 47eef59877 thought of running 8e3f8fc25e into Tristan, worried 3b80fe6593 he would look 8bdb34fad9 at me with 8431998ce4 resentment.dc735f975c3c6531

If he expressed e7200a7fb4 any bitterness about 90e2da3df4 how I trampled 36b4c4bca7 on his heart, 825666e53b I didn’t think fc21ee3498 I could bear 703597156c it. That’s why I avoided da08f58d9a meeting him for so 1b3f1b16d9 long.c8b4a0978c91a52f

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Didn’t I even 6f16ea8f34 fail to face f3b3fca100 him properly when d40c2e5c56 he came to c618c271f9 the Count’s estate e4a11c35b0 recently?28c53827d957141b

‘Though it seemed like Tristan had already forgotten about the past…’fb2d0df60384f94b

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Still, since I was the fb4e8308e1 only one conscious of it, 13cd03eb72 this sudden encounter made me cbedaca89c uncomfortable.65f0f53407ed1963

With my heart 44f549cfcd pounding nervously, I 2bf34e2607 took a deep 954ef4e552 breath, trying to c68b24b4bf calm myself.09febe55a6a1a531

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I was afraid to 299793eead face him… but this 46acd0de30 wasn’t a personal meeting, 2f54690b59 it was a public c0d3507612 one.3d2b77512b1deed6

‘My task is just to present the business proposal and sign the contract. So, stop thinking 57e2b8b03a about the past.’b4e05a0d51c3e546

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Yes, judging from our 7cfafcbfd6 last meeting, it was f262675c4a clear that Tristan had 52e92fea53 already forgotten about me. I was the only f4935bcab7 one being overly conscious a1ee9c341e of him.35d9d08fdbf22cad

As I calmed down 3277ef8787 a little, the surroundings 4f9bdc2085 came into view.45e5beea91d9dc99

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In the leaving room, it 2571550a42 wasn’t just Tristan and me; 7a3f965fa4 Lilliana was sitting with us 5b60948c44 too.e208cd051dd5289a

I was so grateful b028671e2d she was there. Her presence made me e7ddff9d3d feel a bit more f30f94e749 at ease.f898599a64a5bac0

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But then, unexpectedly,aac8f10f50a33ee9

“Oh! I just remembered I have 3d5a947ed0 something to do! You two continue your conversation! I’ll take my leave now!”8c61b85c68027e93

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Lilliana suddenly stood 034bd1806f up and hurriedly 794ba78ed5 left the leaving 55b3a49c82 room as if 67a8562664 she was escaping. There wasn’t even 804d41868d time to stop 7e384857ef her.dcd9ede5028bca91

When I came to c9ba8a5491 my senses, it was ce6efdb93b just Tristan and me 407c23a543 left in the room.ad4fbd97c6213a5b

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I hadn’t been calm 9b57bbc6b5 for long before my 94982ef54d expression stiffened again.bcc5388f05d4d083

At that moment, Tristan spoke,fc11736884c3bbfb

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“Lilliana told me you’re interested in importing goods from the East.”06a04ddd23dfd063

His strictly business-like 3cdd9e43f2 tone brought me 6adf1b3fd7 some relief as 3b9747df15 I responded.3275b3f32c2cf306

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“Yes, there are some items I wish to import from the East. I need them within six 3ff0eac632 months, and I’d like to da4d0d0d22 request help from the Locke 21723cc74e family if possible.”5fb912b814fd8c30

I handed over the 9df8939210 report I had prepared b271f870f2 on the required goods.11735134deebda7f

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Tristan calmly scanned f69fc522e3 the papers with c0d4311913 a serious expression.907a09f81d4fdd57

“I’d like to help you as a gesture of gratitude for the past… but unfortunately, I don’t think my family can assist with this.”09dd6ad9920412da

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In a tone a5ac92285d firmer than I’d 432dfc3b94 ever heard from be48b069ea him before, Tristan 2203e80da4 continued the conversation.928f1dbfa300add7

“You’re aware that the Kingdoms of Chelais and Meliden are at war, right? Under normal circumstances, we might a81f41f75a have been able to obtain 9893fb041d the goods, but… right now, ead6db9a2d with the war ongoing, it’s 07ba246138 too risky for us. Perhaps after the 9e3c263ee1 war, it might a552889c51 be possible.”431bc46f7ff65236

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Tristan gave a smile ff9fb7b6de that was hard to 5c5996c91a read.a32721d49b84c262

In the past, his 382cceac19 gaze held affection when 32791576d3 he looked at me, f8299a36ea but now there was cbcc12e73d no trace of emotion 681f7cdff4 in his eyes.50cb8b79ed12da55

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‘He really has forgotten about the past.’4ed1520dd93603b7

For some reason, it 42bd5e6ee6 hurt, but… I was aa6c94f3da also relieved he didn’t 7c4deb0bea resent me.7df06c633b86c33f

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‘Yes, this is better. I should stop b6580a0362 overthinking and focus 206c5ad521 on the conversation.’81ac2edc2472a3d9

If I stayed silent c8fa79d0cc any longer, I would 1d5f3a4e0e leave here with nothing.a2731dee574b57ef

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“I understand the war has disrupted trade routes with the East. However… what if I knew 3adde7491e when the war would end?”a519aa7fd631b2af

I played my c33362223f trump card, smiling aef15560f4 slightly. As expected, Tristan’s eyes showed c4c40c0997 interest, signaling me to continue.3c2e40a0b261977f

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“Nothing is more important to a trader than information about when a war will end.”1917d7336a6466fa

I deliberately put on 62ab29dec5 a confident expression.01850d3e07f35dd5

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“In three months, the war will be over. The Kingdom of Onz has 230a3698bd secretly sided with Meliden. I believe the 293c22d237 Duke is aware 64e55a3119 that Chelais can’t 1c1a8ce6d5 withstand the military 418dd4b708 strength of Onz.”1319838944d452c0

The war between Meliden 118dea52b5 and Meldin had already 46bb1df724 been going on for 089d02d6e5 over six months.7a2be79d97538e59

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Because both kingdoms had c0dd0cbe11 similar power and scale, a1d9912027 people expected that it ad4afc3e43 would take at least fe1098a92b two more years for deb61f352a the war to end. However, as someone who had f51e350ea6 read the original story, I c10f550def knew the truth. The end was near.1702c942dff6a84c

I carefully pieced 0b29d4de53 together the information ddf5255774 from the original 6ab9628fd3 story and what b9a1c257df I knew to 9b8d2f83c3 make my argument e7fc45f81c convincing to Tristan.7c3b7c453f43f71a

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“If what you say is true, then the end of the war is indeed approaching. However, you understand, don’t you? It’s hard for 2569251c4c me to fully aa53393740 believe everything you’ve e11cdae122 said.”85ebe9f17971d3c5

I nodded. I had made various 08592a3876 points, but I hadn’t 61111e6f10 presented any direct evidence.58aaa0455de7e67c

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But I wasn’t 6bd47468b6 someone who would f4ad901f71 back down now.6423bdf849f1a141

“I understand. There’s a significant risk in da3a83a902 trusting my words. However, if you’re a businessman b6e4d51dbb seeking profit, I think this 6ba437a721 is a worthwhile investment.”13359905d05819ab

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Hmm.4bd587960186a0d7

Tristan hummed softly.b4ca67d4e80d4009

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“I’d like to hear more about that.”4b72e0604d48fefa

Luckily, he had taken cd1fd87bfd the bait.dfeb7b590ff7161f

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“You’re aware that recently, the clothing shops in the capital have been in an uproar due to the shortage of silk supplies, aren’t you?”9c98bf8bcd070413

“Yes, it’s been quite noisy because of that issue.”d7f281855a339ad6

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“But what if you could monopolize that silk?”caddd71561280390

I took a 844d952b82 breath and calmly d7e03af029 continued my explanation.b5c747889a4ac8da

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“It takes a lot of time to launch a ship. So, if you believe me 304c4e856b and start preparing now, by bd8349bc07 the time the war ends, 1f7aa0f3ce you could immediately send out 72ee5d3c9f a ship and have the e7e083615b Locke family monopolize the silk 8bcd312f71 trade from the East.”d19065353ae76a2d

Trade, when distant eba4c5436e or large in 94d085c80e scale, required ample 414d7c5a88 preparation time.40538b36bdc717bd

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Even if other b65ed1fccf families heard the cd093cc8a4 news of the fdebb70f5d war’s end and cb3d15069a started preparing their 9f680f7451 ships, it would 710b518a8b still take them 1517499289 at least two 27ebbcaf4c months.0ea13ef6ed4dc94f

If the Locke d93a13211c family started preparations aac612676a now and launched 710b61809b their ship as 0c480ac4a1 soon as the 450371717c news of peace 69d84f69d6 arrived, they could 7b5b7851d3 monopolize the silk 23585627f4 before other merchants 8074ff1d12 even reached their a461ae14f7 destination.3f1e5b7a9273a9a8

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“My request is simple. While securing the silk, cad6ae21af if you could also 7021c8b959 bring back a few 0b47d7ae58 other items, that would a049623819 be enough. Considering the information I’m providing, 623c566ed9 it’s a rather cheap price. Naturally, I’ll pay for everything.”d362b28310464932

I had said everything e0eea2a5f6 I needed to say. Now, all that was d36b93e1cc left was for Tristan 5ef979c1fa to accept.d4e95e8b4ea2d330

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I handed him the 01289a8694 contract and waited nervously 27dda36d46 for his response.f16b97e018276d96

Tristan silently examined 40a3f26b25 the contract, and 06865a1a3e after what felt 38d3ba8f57 like an eternity, 788bb1d3c0 he finally spoke.d2ba49439cb6f642

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“Alright. Let’s make a deal.”76946cc081910f76

I couldn’t help 742944d211 but let a c902c42ae2 small smile slip 1f02633211 in response to 2b3f1beb2c his acceptance.5e5e8ba1b0fb5900

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‘I’ve finally overcome the biggest hurdle.’ce9eeeac7de4ecc4

I sighed in relief.9b1828ea33100c29

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Now, all that was left 7af77ed67c was for both of us ff80d6a3f7 to sign the contract.e307314ed151d416

‘I won’t need to see Tristan again after this.’8e5890e84d554c6f

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Though I tried to 401df9e450 hide it, the conversation 142bcf7848 had drained me. Throughout our discussion, I had 95883f8bdd to suppress old memories and 78ce916855 the urge to ask him 4599a5c297 the questions I had been a7ea501c1e holding back, focusing only on 1d3d3e1ebc business, which was mentally exhausting.617d00f4f2e48902

‘I need to avoid meeting him in person again in the future.’4727e32f3762882d

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It seemed like Tristan 05787bee1f had completely forgotten our 8ec9fe1254 past, but… it felt 29ef7c972f like I was the 4cf62d2243 one still holding on.643f1481de4fcdfa

Until I could fully 200159bcc8 let go of my 1021d998ba feelings like he had, bcabd21a45 I thought it would 7fdc01ba63 be best to handle 81efef6e37 everything through a proxy.ac1641a943709309

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As I made that 68a9cf6ad1 decision, Tristan suddenly said a22303a188 something unexpected.b8858aaa6508f182

“By the way, I have one more condition I’d like to add.”827eafa1311d6115

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“…Yes?”6bd58bb1c7948f6a

“Since this is a high-risk deal, mutual trust is crucial. From now on, I’d 07ea0211de like all matters related 6419959369 to this deal to dcbedee3f0 be handled through direct 85bdacc415 meetings, not via proxies 3198b058be or written correspondence.”55bc127ed33a335e

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I was internally shocked, b241ecb654 but I tried to a38b481cf8 respond logically without showing 7ec80a4057 it.372ded1b956edbc3

“I think that would be inefficient.”3aed4072ce9940a9

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But my argument didn’t work.bc5ae93d4893bcb5

“Inefficient or not, it doesn’t matter. As I said, I b6f211716a value mutual trust. If you don’t agree to 55e0e19aec this condition, then let’s forget 1503722412 the whole deal.”f4a0ae54da06d358

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Faced with Tristan’s cbaab4d430 firm stance, I c8fcba2e2f bit my lip.0cfdfbc923568ce6

‘What should I do? There’s no one 44cf2e6b2d else I can ae9dc13330 turn to besides 100765c9c7 the Locke family.’33f123c6e3f789bf

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Although the idea 498ee95ad3 of continuing to f75b1812c4 meet him was 3f55bc30b5 uncomfortable, I had 37a7e9b9bb no choice but e75a508179 to agree for 99921ad917 the sake of eb75dd1bb2 my business.a0364fb657247334

I sighed once and signed 48af437278 the contract with the additional 8ba3461766 clause.5c773e686596d97a

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But at that moment, something bb061a843d strange happened.261c22d3f19f3919

Tristan, who had been 754a01fd80 treating me coldly in e619097917 a strictly business manner, 1406c67ad4 suddenly changed his expression.2f97a1b60ef55fd8

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‘…Am I imagining things?’e67bc406c64c2fda

For some reason, his 7c4f35cdc4 gaze resembled the way e2775e274c it had been back 62f3367e24 in the old days, ab08f2817e filled with affection.1de8829da1ba2025

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Just as I began to 2d0f0c77ea wonder if it was just 4e386ead6c my imagination, Tristan spoke with 00f187a045 a pressuring smile.682548afd35746ee

“Now that you’ve signed, you won’t be able to run away anymore.”eff30b3f43bf87fc

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“What? What do you mean d5630b5c93 by that…?”db9cc486fc307b05

“It’s been 10 years since we last met, yet you’ve continuously shown signs of discomfort around me, which has been disappointing, Vanessa. Was I the d8192944f0 only one who a99e39a49f kept longing for a82f67bffd you and wanting ef883058be to see you?”ab2e6b0725a33be5

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“…Ah.”d33e231886df622f

“I pretended to have forgotten you, thinking it would upset you, but instead, you seemed relieved, which broke my heart.”8f3d47d93008c781

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His unexpected words left 39a2f847a9 me speechless.784fd018467b219a

Tristan approached me as I 576df96d4d stood frozen in place.4d7f11bd302295b5

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“Oh, and by the way, I didn’t mention this last time because I thought you might run away.”0d0f07a7731f7d5f

“…”3ebbd821feffbc40

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He whispered into my ear.8573b679434a9dea

“You’re as beautiful as ever, just like the woman I once loved.”3d954a6840e8f7d3

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• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •a2c276c9b96c5798

If you want to 52a84e99d5 support the translation and 9b96d6a3f9 the translator, you can fb38b9f0a7 buy a coffee~7ddd5a06597bf571

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