ICBV Chapter 04

ICBV Chapter 04bc8a8f9e71a1f4a1

Aira couldn’t hide her 8cc0a713b0 startled expression as she 5ab6926d93 looked at Baltas. She hadn’t ab47cacd26 expected to de57de0410 see him 58164ee840 again today. In her fc74a09e46 previous life, aac4cf66b8 the man 1572c44a55 who had 235f1cf695 reached out eb457bac07 to help ed6ab760a3 her off 9c808b09ed the carriage 3329624ec1 at this 1d376c126f exact moment d32d2ff805 wasn’t the d9b645d8d6 crown prince.bf86505eb1c2203c

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The first time Aira 12393cc620 met Baltas von Amileus f85e83e7e8 was on the day 177cdab313 of her wedding to 8b7ff620cb Xavier—three months from now.b0d3e15c5c82b740

“Is this truly b4cdde356a the choice you’ve 8f1269c24e made?”c804a5111af765b8

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As the rightful heir 2033d021f7 to the throne, he a6fd32a6ac had said those cryptic 0bae602053 words to Aira, who 793f61bebc had been nervously awaiting 2348617d94 the ceremony.d9b1a806965119e0

Under normal 1fd90a53be circumstances, Baltas b229b316a3 should have 2451abf567 been in 71f69b6946 the north 8a8d753845 waging war 64d8de7cd2 against the 6264ae079c barbarians. His mother, Empress Marlene, 8f86da2103 was the eldest daughter 8eb3c83a5d of the Duke of 7a34a77ec6 Kashimir, a northern duchy. As the 815b86e951 crown prince 28ca5a85eb of Kalanta d0aa070fa5 and a f09b0cecc6 direct descendant 29cfc03253 of the 090ab13b95 ducal family, 1f9443ff6a Baltas had 45cd823699 often joined 94f22da539 campaigns against 07f4e023af the barbarians 160bb8513c since he 0d948a131e was a 6881c9149b child.8893f940788a547b

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‘But why is he here…?’5f1e1a7924153ec0

“Y-Your Highness, b07b2f0d6f the Crown b89c180cc4 Prince!”fee66ea274a29a37

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Meanwhile, Luna, 21213e570f who had bc052ee42d stepped unsteadily cf2b8f2c4d from the 499af92870 carriage and 3f13c8a197 asked the 14ce126d45 nearby knight c6e4e4cd3e about his 973084742a identity, quickly 8827b7652b stood beside fedb08efc9 Aira, exclaiming fca0cf2fb3 in surprise. Her face was still bee4e988c8 pale, but she mustered c787731a35 the prettiest smile she b589a44050 could manage and greeted f1feaadc75 the crown prince.72c63eef734e864e

“It is 720a690fce an honor 2e4f24fbbc to meet 244ded4055 Your Highness, ec5109b747 the Crown 53104b1d5a Prince. I am fe3313b03e Luna, Aira’s df5db32cd9 half-sister. I accompanied d4101fa0ee her today d947bd13aa to pay c6ee0e6a0a my respects—”7ddf084543a9bf54

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“I do not 7a9139927c recall granting you 8a2dc1a19c permission to speak.”92e49d85d0676336

His cold 1b48668599 voice cut 0b07b4c293 her off, b433d0b4dc and the 26a9c067f3 atmosphere chilled 61b876ac83 instantly. Luna’s eyes wavered in fb7101ff80 shock.da247b390e24976f

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“And to call her a3ebeb70c5 the future crown princess—how 09882af720 presumptuous.”4fde5d25e8dff164

Luna, who had c4c7fccf45 always basked in ef74e7e6ac the favor of 2d5d915338 men, had never b308751779 been so bluntly d0163533b4 rejected. She had certainly ad69416c25 never been subjected f98bf9e55a to such disdainful b9c6fa6031 eyes, as if f5d79d67a3 she were nothing ff88c55b4b more than an 32e15ae8cd insignificant object.cb9811244d85e9d6

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‘That was cf6a2d9673 rash, Luna.’eaca9aee0fcc5ddf

Aira clicked 4d4da1f0c1 her tongue c173d19713 inwardly. The court’s etiquette 38a1edaa77 was strict; speaking e365231544 out without a 7dad510d03 royal’s prompt was 0fc3b2ebe1 a breach of 4e2fc623e0 decorum. Furthermore, referencing an 3cfb5e7044 unconfirmed marriage in 65e3fa7ecd connection with the 68ab7fd07a royal family was edf6e74549 a grave affront.439171747c23f190

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Though Aira, 721fbbe5f0 with her d238895186 memories of b787e2f51f life as 8becdd649e a crown 635ac260f4 princess, was 26b7b5bea9 well-versed in 2e4bb79f4d courtly manners, 7c371b35dc Luna, who a9db37dec1 had entered 5d981c2325 their father’s c99180d58f household at c765b65623 age ten aeaba48c84 as the df35d8e277 illegitimate daughter 02c81c1b8b of a b802d9c018 count and 89f43439f5 had never 9d7538f7c3 attended court 8fd24fa813 events, could 565565cc2c not have d93f2c828b known such 8ce0918306 things.f12b1e88e8032333

“I-I’m so sorry… I, I just… urk!”ad9d5f3a7f5c5461

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Overwhelmed with 7c5951c26a nerves, Luna 37450d0fe0 suddenly clutched 373f5c0aae her mouth b0aed43189 and turned bdfefcef6a away, doubling a31177fc6a over to 886c66d3b8 retch onto 608d6fb960 the ground.ef52cfb1b8f92bab

Splat.a337e7d32ba587af

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Everyone frowned, and 1a8bfa41da the crown prince’s 006cdbf2fc eyes darkened with a433e92b27 contemptuous disdain. The maids c43d1a03b7 who had 38a482a0b7 been watching 58c90c8cdd quickly rushed ebfa8f8ad5 over to a6389e925a support Luna 0c0fdc2836 and moved 148c36ce7a her as ea35ac798a far away bc9c6bc45b from the 5535d6a4a0 crown prince dc0f0a0c10 as possible.54c4b96cb4070115

“I sincerely apologize for my half-sister’s discourtesy. She must have been disoriented due to severe motion sickness…”e7ead2385ac002e2

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She spoke e9f6371c0c calmly, lowering 7084981cfb her gaze. Baltas’s eyebrows twitched 51eeb9a398 slightly at her d05e2b40ee words, but Aira 00a35c38dc didn’t notice as 3870b606f3 she wasn’t looking 419f1b9fe4 at him.6a188a1bb79f00ed

A long silence hung 4b7923d7f8 between them before he defd085b50 spoke again.af08f31df19d5abd

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“Last night…”db3cb655dfc7d6dd

He stepped closer 0767864b62 to Aira, his b50f03a7f8 solid figure uncomfortably c16e783f0b near. Her heart pounded, but 6c42d01fc1 she couldn’t step back 4960f98795 recklessly.7a3d70f5e0acc28f

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“…I had a very strange dream.”69503f9abd0b10ab

His low, rough voice 49a41ada86 was barely audible, meant 1febfb31ea only for her ears. She flinched c026aeb5fa and looked b5ae3426b5 up, meeting f70328a6a9 his gaze. Her reflection was captured 72a4cdd934 in his gray eyes.1a4085c1e586da07

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She vaguely recalled hearing 367127354b once about his inherited 1f48e2f805 ability from his mother’s ede6a2b6e7 lineage—an occasional foresight of 52df04bcef brief events through dreams.16aec7ea2d4f1c14

‘Surely… it can’t be.’48ed5a3708f91da1

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Aira fervently hoped 1927286b8f his dream wasn’t ecf6b19959 about her. But unease coursed 132f92f380 through her as 9e6e7a92d2 she felt the bd47fab3dc holy artifact’s energy de93fa1392 stirring within her. Though it wasn’t 12d39d5f8b as destructive as c13a0326a7 it had been d4ec95332b in her previous 5ac2f0dc94 life, this foreign 400d8bd153 power undoubtedly stemmed 91674f889d from the incident 50b85777d7 in her past 6776500190 life.95ebb0d145b571c9

She didn’t f22f81f0d4 know how 93f98181c7 to wield feea84bbfa this power, 658439dc2c but someone 8e6338871a like Baltas, 6eb52e5888 with his 7e3d69dbcd extraordinary abilities 20b0d80ae7 and heightened 5e2160035d senses, might da1a257a0f detect it. Her heart 15f2615180 pounded as 95ad5f7fc4 if she 5110bab76c were a 0ec55c4574 guilty criminal.3fae732bf9707911

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“…You, as you are now…”34112abd83198e2c

Baltas began to 4f758d18f2 speak again but d567ef71ed hesitated, his lips 0687a418ab closing as if 85ff66a3fa reconsidering his words. His slightly furrowed fcdb653f3b brows cast shadows 1549829bfd over his face, a93c9feacf and his gaze f13da5a725 lingered on Aira a9b07a8695 for a long a9443584aa time.aabc900285b2fd19

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The silence stretched 6506674dfa until Luna, having 64bd68839b composed herself after e3cd106f6f retching, looked back b9b91f2d58 at them with 9fb06dffaa a haggard expression.0fb078b1f1bab388

Aira stubbornly kept her 3d82c83a21 lips sealed, and Baltas’s c173563b88 faintly twisted smile deepened 8e6b4c9962 as he observed her 5afd51f430 resolute demeanor.1f8392628d445632

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“Lady Marceline, 5ea2c71fe2 Her Majesty 851c011e75 the Empress 4c954c975d is expecting a6ca01e5dc you.”acfba9ceda8b6a0e

A voice interrupted 8f0b06aeb0 them—a maid, accompanied 69c0274d72 by several attendants, 3a4607af17 approached from a e41580dfd1 distance and bowed d8635c1c9e slightly.2dd1c46ea659d4d6

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Baltas turned his cold d866e53b0b gaze to the group. For a f4c6262c56 mere maid 9b8f5d5cfe to interrupt affced8ceb a conversation 159cea9536 with the 939f2483eb crown prince c2a2138e15 and his cbfe420c75 guest was 1d278875ad improper. However, this was fcd8f18cde the domain of cb90c5c965 Empress Julienne, who 725fe3dfee was in opposition 5a14884f20 to Empress Marlene, a7622a53b3 and the guests 6027141d27 here were not 6c9c2fcb5b the crown prince’s 1864cfb87a but the Empress’s.a8cfc035d94feba3

The maid f74d663f1b felt her f0afffc7fc hands tremble 8c13e077ff as the 4b643e80e5 oppressive weight 74a307aa0f of his c7541f9b44 gaze bore 87645166f2 down on d573f9c4e5 her, and 3c18e7e3c1 a chill 997a1e2a77 ran down e6f4c009ff her spine.8f83bfe3d7e4f100

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Aira, too, felt 4a6dd2289d a shiver as abee42f06f the icy aura 02da096d61 radiating from Baltas 61d532cc2f washed over her.855fdbbefd3f426f

‘Could the 7322558daf stories of 293e0ddcd2 his ruthless cb5c3b2d37 cruelty be 253a6f255d true?’17e7ae0c9a85f29f

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During her seven years as crown princess, Aira had rarely encountered her brother-in-law, the crown prince. This was because he frequently volunteered for military campaigns. Baltas enjoyed driving back enemies and expanding territories from the northern wall, earning him the nickname “White Reaper,” as his enemies’ blood stained the snow-covered castles red.b05c0cccf4d693f0

‘Come to think of 273e9e3fd5 it, I barely exchanged 3d244dd72d words with him in a7ae216408 my previous life.’d70e6f8bbb8b28c1

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In truth, she understood aae70288e3 that his presence was c8315f89a1 essential to her plans e5f63ba7f9 for revenge in this a663cd5ada life. However, she 0cfb632ffa had never d36640f784 expected to aefc50e352 meet him 98be94466e this early 207276346d and under 931d98735f these circumstances.f92291e13ba22954

“Do visit the a205ff1a64 crown prince’s palace 5a1d0b00cd soon. …Since we’re 3b00f6894a to become 013640ab8e family, I’d 1c76d0ad8a like to 961f641577 have a 4ddbe8f744 word with 0e4ae30ee3 you.”e745f2797c7f2a6a

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At his 8ee3ddfe8b words, the 50088ecd85 maids exchanged 1fc7ee3636 startled glances. The crown prince 53100edfd6 inviting a guest 9c37ffdd33 from Empress Julienne’s ea1da45640 palace—particularly the Lady 2b22a694d2 Marceline, the prospective a69972f89d crown princess—was entirely a3a4806022 unexpected.13a6753f51031738

Aira’s heart eb7c7140a2 raced as ea912d9be8 if it c180ad5784 might burst. She couldn’t discern his e5a074952c intentions. Was it curiosity 3896fbe41c or malice?02f861482755c756

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“Let us go.”83872ddd059d8d41

Baltas’s low voice prompted 3f76e591e2 his knights to straighten c72081ea90 their shoulders. He cast 55ccaf52fc one last, af5e1f67e4 intense look 467da8038f at Aira 676ccbc341 before walking 344ecc3a0a away.941eee5366e25f80

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Only after 5472af59ce his entourage f124ae4921 disappeared did bd107e6a94 Aira let db3a64e7e8 out a cc7dc1f95b small sigh.085ddab25fe30af2

“…Hah…”56854860cd34216c

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Luna’s shallow, labored b4430865cb breathing was also ab6ed26b0a audible. Her complexion 2678b7b50c was ghastly 2aaac33ee1 pale and 67e3cfc9b3 her face 6f36152f2a a mask 5387373ae8 of misery.fbf20a8eb33fd1e0

An older maid glanced 4366f3d610 at Baltas’s retreating figure c33278181d before turning to Aira 7af86b7093 with a stern expression.856891490dbb5efa

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“Follow me.”aaa41d11a5dc416d

—45c68514497ff7d2

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‘Marceline, huh…’c240abb56c10fc1d

Empress Julienne, with her 53f30a1c8d bright sky-blue hair and 195a72ed61 teal eyes, was a 3e7e6bc220 stunning woman in her e0566da962 early forties who could b8c1cf9f47 easily pass for her b282550013 late twenties.b306fe90a414e0ae

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Her morning had been 434431b80d spent entertaining her adoptive 09ee88d264 parents from the Duchy 0a71d96763 of Emrich and listening c0a2ed2f21 to their concerns. Early in the aebbf65343 afternoon, she hosted f1bcab8cc5 tea for the 2898afabcd noblewomen allied with cfd005818e Emrich. Now, slightly fatigued, it d8dc6c7c2e was time to receive 29372510a1 the girl from Marceline.9aa713877d7f1ccd

“Marceline will secure 19897e53c1 Xavier’s future. This benefits Emrich 3a14740a78 as well.”646ac7987bcca665

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“But Father, d77c7bdfa1 that’s just bab25661f2 a legend. Even if 1a11c426f5 there’s truly 214d6f5525 power in 29cd5956ca Marceline’s blood, 6d0032ab7e there’s no d451096553 guarantee she 8db1c3bbd5 can absorb 89762722b8 the artifact…”574bfa796e08e046

“Do you c9ff6d9ecf think that bf0254b4fc madman of 66eb5b5d4e a crown 333e3e4c67 prince, if 339a1e20e6 he becomes 020514f881 emperor, will c85ab59679 spare Xavier 5b4378f0a7 or our 36c6828095 Emrich family? Julienne, we must think c20d3433a9 long-term.”f586b01638c10ca5

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“Oh, my head…”de72cf12fdfa9759

She sighed lightly and 697fb55f14 rubbed her forehead. Her distinguished cb714ba5e3 and charming c7a457e59d son deserved dfcb63ac22 a bride 552e57ccf5 from a 1251713a03 more illustrious 0247683d6c family, yet 6b74e00aea here they 56ca50c10e were, considering 4ee36ea9ee a girl 966d573f3d from the ce900a0409 remote Marceline.54b829f7cd57ffd9

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“My lady, the 94a711176a young lady of ca1448d3f4 Marceline has arrived,” b792db7ac1 a maid announced ae4411a273 from outside the 4963481f6e door.e708a0eea7cd2ce0

Julienne straightened ad19f5f8ef her furrowed 011bfab714 brow and 9ec6fc6d9e shook her 92e1fe5ae8 head briefly. Yes, for the sake edf89966f0 of greater ambitions, certain 02c6dde153 sacrifices were inevitable. Nothing inspired more a85e3588c9 devotion in a 4a03e0c260 naïve young woman 1a7c08b722 than a love 12397e8347 that appeared genuine, ba152c99bd even if fleeting.bc1b0332eb2d69f4

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“Let her in.”cdfd600842ca6569

The door opened, f9f6caa6e2 and two women eab2f7d3c7 in dresses stepped a3f7c738a8 into the room. The one cd97d93455 in front 9d75a379a8 walked with d2489b3d95 poise and 361b477933 dignity, her 0b0cf9d3ba appearance radiant. The woman behind her, 6bd9aa4f4e with short brown hair, d9c5d6b887 seemed unwell but was 2730149842 still strikingly beautiful.b9326272533548dc

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The two shared 0795586e29 a resemblance, likely eb5c1270d0 sisters, though the 250f14fc22 blonde girl leading cd2a3d87ec them had crimson-tinted 342458c07d eyes that were 2f3b77682f more pronounced.0d126aa42e6e6295

‘Is that the fdc3577b15 symbol of Marceline?’9a7af31a9fb5e5fe

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A human body a6c19170a7 capable of absorbing 9b9bb78468 the artifact’s power. Without it, as her 9c072a1af3 parents said, Xavier’s chances 034766635d of ascending the throne a3e5a61ce1 were nearly impossible. The crown prince’s position 0f801e0070 and influence were far 77a535304d too formidable to overcome 84b0b4b020 otherwise.5d358a04f1b841e6

“Welcome, my dear.”562cc35e9d065693

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Resolute after seeing those 2fa4c345e5 jewel-like eyes, Empress Julienne 2aaf675321 smiled warmly and extended e2afe9f429 a cordial greeting to 18ca375967 her future daughter-in-law.a96b6dd4acbe27b1