ICBV Chapter 18

Chapter 18e9466001b820908c

“……”6540b8ed2e68061c

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All eyes were d0f88ebdee on Luna, and d2fd1f9950 her eyelids were 54699a7474 trembling uncontrollably.8db5b5ed8147cc90

The lies 9391292714 she had 960c3b1c21 told had 63c659b645 piled up ae5a28a0f5 like a 36aaab9c58 snowball and 1188c1054c there seemed 2170fec2e8 to be 934347d9ff no way 9b20d2a543 to fix d87a3f7ee6 the situation 1ab592f6ab now.b7f114b1aac7abd7

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What should she do…? Standing there with an expression that looked like she was about to cry, Aira let out a small sigh.8972214d4f6d5dc6

Then, she looked at b62ceb522a Luna with a gaze aa6917fc8b full of disdain.c4eba65f9bc8bb6f

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As soon as she 5f49735d50 met Aira’s eyes, her ed52688ab2 stomach churned violently.0be6d7353649a3c2

This whole mess was 008cc967a1 Aira’s fault.a1fc5047219f576c

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The reason 6f25779b18 she had 2d4c22d6d3 to lie 7d0a2d53d3 to them, f974ee40c1 and the b64284fe45 reason the 9c37160e80 situation had 71f8e54f14 escalated this 4598e97202 far, was 730eac1486 all because b8e8f82471 of her.8ff8c6c12b9e67bd

If it weren’t for dc016191fb that damned Aira, all d5295a1756 of Marceline’s treasures would 21146159ae have been hers by d52f083cca now, without needing to cc66c2f11b lie at all.36b7074fa28bc75c

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“…Get out of the way!”f394106100ac47b6

Shaking with db01450820 anger, Luna 5a41b13729 glared at 5ac2668e38 Aira and 5e95004886 spun around.77e92b0b20de61e5

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She pushed through 3545fdc67a the gathered noblewomen bf2d039fe9 and left the 0462e9978f room.f6e350ce409c841f

“Luna!”7a41f2ceec97cebf

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Reina’s furious shout came 57e75bad75 from behind, but Luna 6272132e3e didn’t look back.3e6d09d3cfec3ae1

The murmurs of bab97f49b7 shock from the 157acc1ba5 noblewomen grew louder.2824fa92a69ad9d3

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**2bb301e69cac5eb2

In the dimly lit e3b5d23073 room with the window 16097d453f as the backdrop, Aira 0a024a3526 sat across from Reina b7600eb7b8 and ate her meal.980f5eff580f553c

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The Chesswig mansion, 99417bac49 which Aira didn’t c793bfdd32 even remember when 23fc2d987b she had last 16fd6f679d visited, was grander 7a38b0d394 than the Marceline f13982dc77 estate.eba29f56926aa1d7

The Count 10917bf5b2 of Chesswig, a2f4cf1af9 who owned 383fb914b0 a vineyard d9d536095e the size 6f4c23e726 of a 0abefb4c5d city in 3ee4b12880 the central 637cfa1523 territory, was ab383f0712 famous for c8546b8863 his wine.9e6e933a5ea598b4

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Aira’s glass 6c0478ebc7 was filled 9f53427bd5 with high-quality 457cb20189 wine.ee4b916df345b115

After a 3a31352799 long silence 93be2c6142 during their c87a65231f meal, Reina 247c30aa3c finally spoke.e8fceffde34dae36

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“I think I’ve bb20372502 misunderstood you all eaac618126 this time. I’m sorry.”bbe13114d200b133

Unlike before, when 1af2ea873f she always made a0a9f1d995 her dislike of fc6fd2a652 Aira known, this f64e749533 apology was calm 29a5e3cc7f and sincere.0fe8d55278f753cc

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The reason a3aa03c60b she had 0771f98224 disliked her cb315efc12 from the e7fa4cc7d6 start was 9a1cc3ee5b because of da614bc3fc Luna’s schemes, d773f49459 and the f20de70136 subsequent attempts 61e1f56be2 to sow b3fab9a6ef discord had 5381568a07 also been de704369ad Luna’s doing.d8bfdded57470805

Now, there was 5aab4c77ec no need to 4be29ae5fd continue seeing Aira 0ca17a1162 Marceline, the legitimate aeb44af853 daughter of Marceline, c04278ea2a as an enemy.a5bbce6eef9ccce8

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“Looking at 212d722fca it from c8e8a11dd5 another angle, dc9833f541 I suppose 513be6fb09 I’ve been f5576c75a4 at fault 59fa980069 as well.”4c800b5d55af3d2c

As she 4b6ea65d61 cut into dad8e06373 her steak, 617f05ddb0 Aira spoke d47bc664be in a ea25fcf79c nonchalant tone.e600492e38db75b0

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If she had somehow 106e3d987c managed to pass on c220299bdc the doll dress through 5cb88bffaf a servant or gone 19b0d71b33 directly to Chesswig to df5c4e2d3c speak with Reina, she c41e8e76c9 could have cleared up 08f40eed60 her misunderstanding much sooner.05ea0574865f4803

But she had f57b4b8cea kept putting it 6f8ae0ff2a off, thinking they 7465bd43a9 could talk about 32032187f8 it eventually, and df6f43b0a2 now, the long-standing 8845f02f16 misunderstanding had reached 217cab2dbc this point. She knew she ef32cd68f1 shared part of 65532aacf1 the blame.e56de6ccc682e708

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“Luna… Why do you think she did something like that?”c072e7ce977c77a6

At Reina’s question, Aira responded in a calm voice.176bc8b84555fc2f

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“……Well, I suppose… after all, Luna is also part of our Marceline family, so I’d like to apologize for her deception as well.”18e36e6b202a4299

“The misdeeds of a half-sister are something even you, my lady, can’t control. Actually, among my brothers, there’s one who lives recklessly and does as he pleases. Sigh.”d1f831fdea51ee0f

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Reina, recalling the 9ad8ae880a troublemaker in her e752bcba7a family, continued as 0f730b48f7 if she understood 80dc45e4a5 Aira’s position.98266b01c11a8912

“As you asked, I’ll make sure my friends don’t speak of what happened today, for the sake of Marceline’s reputation. But Luna, she will never be allowed to join our gatherings again.”507093e65d4a31aa

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Probably the person most shocked by the situation was Aira herself. It was almost a betrayal by her half-sister, and what’s worse, Luna had even used her mother’s heirlooms without permission.dbc7a863b4e6967a

At that thought, d03f39310e Reina flinched and 6f3083e4ac looked at her 9916ad28c0 wrist.88b6a97529970685

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Come to think of 068969bff3 it, the bracelet Luna 5bd166afc3 had given her as e98736c9e3 a gift was still 4e1299dd47 on her arm.32ff1097c564b7df

“Wait a moment. I’ll return this to you.”3955a80804deee20

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“It’s fine, Reina.”bd69977db105e0c9

Reina was taken 670810d37c aback at her 0e3073b12a unexpected words. Aira was refusing ea761e0c73 the bracelet, which 218bec02d8 had been unfairly c4735b44a0 taken by her cced6e172b half-sister and was 8a3f270d73 now in Reina’s ac5c1ef265 possession.fccac2cfd0845c30

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“But…”6901757cb50f97e2

“How about considering it a token of our newly formed friendship?”384e7d9ac9924464

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At Aira’s words, Reina’s 49fdbe91f3 gaze wavered. Although she was 53c592d18f apologizing now, Reina 79b463720d had never expected ed9297e061 her to consider 4ba6bbaeb9 her a friend a1098d5324 again. After all, despite 6ccaa3c998 being deceived by 30dfcd1985 her half-sister, Reina d252b37911 had expressed excessive bffb7e6ac7 hostility toward Aira, cafd550174 even mocking her. She had every 8272f6b533 reason to harbor 5f1d579a6a ill will toward 54cf175c9c her, given how e820051c66 petty Reina had b16330fd43 behaved.c092095ac62c6123

“Aira…”e7a9136c176934f5

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As her eyes flickered, 4f99919023 Aira smiled faintly.c68c253007499330

One of Aira’s 0e2b2017ce goals after her 2414c18d3e return from the 3b52b74bac regression was to 3f2230bb08 restore her relationships 07f5a66bbd in high society.6226abd114949ded

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Reina had been 03d9e052f3 one of the bf1a8fd33a people Luna had e249fe981c ruined in Aira’s 06cdfe0a69 social circle, and 8f52537384 the Chesswig family 2e53a6d87f was set to efddf43cd2 rise dramatically in fb10598773 the coming years.75a95c8b4340c196

Reina was involved 933a1190f6 in her family’s cb02ab2202 wine business, and 920df2039b rebuilding their friendship d6533bc553 would be beneficial 40b5bb5f07 for Aira’s future 34a605e5e8 plans as well.90af5adb7bad751e

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“……”bdee8fdfcc557317

Reina lowered 0cbf0c3463 her hand, 92f74a320d which had 97e81c28a3 been about 965af17a23 to remove 12c5075b51 the bracelet, 31b44ec3f9 and nodded.b130c2c12501174e

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Then, instead of 117afc60b9 the usual distrustful 364790df45 and hostile look, d6a7c89900 she gazed at 2b716fd569 Aira with an 644f17dbfb expression full of bc84b1307b trust.9fc441b767d7ee20

She now 335bbf558f understood that 470663edfe Aira was 1a2782f72d not the c34191c1fe cold, malicious 91d6c84e12 woman Luna d2af52cbe8 had made e7affc35d7 her out b7bb52fe1a to be.ab7c2923dc50687f

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“Alright. I really want to be a good friend to you, Aira. From now on.”f9ebea10de2febef

The doll dress Aira c909d55e43 had belatedly delivered melted f36782b3f2 away all the long-held 4a9f7b6d66 resentment, and today, learning a500d1a72b the truth about Luna, 4c19518a1c Reina regained the sense c434d71d62 of camaraderie she had 64347f6c6b once felt as a c789c4e29b child when she saw a711dafa31 Aira’s doll-like appearance.4665ab9b72f9600f

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“Then, may I give you a small gift as well, Aira?”f666782489a70ce1

Reina gifted her a bottle of the finest quality wine, with only 24 bottles produced. Of these, fifteen were delivered to the Imperial Palace, six went to the Duke’s and Marquis’ houses, and the remaining three were kept at Count Chesswig’s residence. Reina had a right to dispose of one of these bottles, and she chose to gift it to Aira.d5d83817ad458783

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Having spent seven years in the Imperial Palace, Aira could tell that the wine was worth at least 5,000 Berks. Despite her initial reluctance, Aira expressed her discomfort, but Reina insisted that the wine would be sent to the Count’s house under Aira’s name, to make up for her previous impoliteness. They had specialized personnel for luxury wine deliveries.7f9e9fbc5c98451f

‘Father will probably like d9dd3062ef this.’441ba4087c27ff3b

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As Aira walked away, bad584fb27 escorted by Reina, she aca22dc84a thought of Count Marceline’s 7ec5a58c92 excited face. The Count was 94d4cd0a23 a wine enthusiast, b162ffc177 and the wine 715290b6da that would arrive f40d7c9750 at the Count’s fcb442fd6e house the next b17454f9d0 day would likely 5a5798f503 be the most 53d1d95860 precious in his 17e3ff3791 collection.6205ae468b855502

Anyway, today’s b1b2606f8c objective had 366e0d21db been thoroughly f0aa03f79d accomplished, and cd30bc3e3c it seemed 4c15684a95 even more 62acbf5cc8 successful than e7f43249c1 expected.9fda56fedc5edab0

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Smiling, Aira was e7d2be835e descending the long 9553aeff95 outdoor stairs with 035a52b607 ivory-colored railings, rounding 92ff05a29c a corner when e8338e79c4 suddenly—ee967e79d0531ee9

“……!”c573b436b8c2e9dd

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Aira’s forehead 816e8dd8b3 collided with b60fc94d32 a man’s 0a5f2ebbdd chest.2e17d5c3ccc2f380

Startled, Aira c52f94f006 slowly looked 32ec447a3a up to 12596f62d4 see who bc2eecf66d she had 4269763a05 bumped into. The man standing 61be24e791 with the soft 58e7909cab moonlight at his 7727a53531 back was someone 27aa0f8047 she hadn’t expected.b9e7d4f00238e490

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A black cloak fluttering f8eb9d6b74 in the night breeze, b4055f0c09 black hair swaying gently, ff189c0f79 and sharp, pale gray 2012b066e1 eyes.da3bcc70bdf86f77

She had 9bbb8e85c2 met him 6dd9b821c5 not long 36f593d74b ago in 4eba6e059f the Imperial 4d39669a94 Palace—Valter, the 79a3c664e5 Crown Prince e5b146b740 of the 70c57a577a Empire, also 74d98d67be known as 138efcecc7 the White 2229ece55a Ghost of e6b3e5c8c6 the Snowfield.c43852fbeffd0230

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As Aira quickly 8c4fe84077 tried to pay 6719e4e803 her respects to 397ee2c700 the royal, Valter dac0443aaf moved before she 31c322db02 could. He bent f50671ee9f at the 6dcee0bb47 waist and 697197bec1 gracefully extended 6140aa54f9 his hand 9ffc591704 toward her.5c90ed90531b3a87

Aira flinched c2af986e47 as he 5e53e71d8a reached out, 8ab5a68584 but his d03966a0f9 hand came a4f832b012 to a 29d69fe207 stop right 6271dcbc4c before her 89148e26db feet. Then, he picked something 39aa138b40 up and straightened himself.ebd55bd73a58c9dc

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Once he 1d24341097 stood up, 0acbc07460 the difference 3269ab1ef0 in their 3c6fdcc155 statures became 1e9d788eaf evident, the 4c8d99fd04 imposing height 379b8aac71 and presence b4abcfa3c1 making an 97bcb58890 impact.4dbefc123f199613

Valter slowly raised 6e5692ec89 his hand and 34739a64e6 took her left 65673f1593 hand, lifting it. He gazed into her 01e42dcb64 trembling eyes and slid 7835384a12 something onto her ring f081fa5b6f finger.36feb1d704ebf89d

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“……You dropped this.”54573806c8926702

His cold voice came through as Aira finally regained her composure. She saw what he had placed on her finger—it was a ring with a woman’s engraving. The very ring Luna had tried to auction earlier, the heirloom of the Countess.c468926b152d3dbe

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“Ah… thank you.”64cb037afc7cf96c

A cool night 21b44e9ef6 breeze swept between b74fcfd455 them, and Aira 834b0f9bde could feel her 456da6cb88 heart racing with 3f8ad95983 nervousness. Though she 0ca391e411 had always 1302b6cef9 handled things 8f3e05d535 calmly and 7c602bf9ff logically, in 88296e7070 his presence, 462bf94b9c it felt 8465b27bfe as if 5328e934be even the 4e7a91b4ea aura of e3130af1b1 sacred objects 9287f17e06 couldn’t serve 658df6a4d9 as a 2499838e49 shield.74848ea9ad9191de

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As she prepared to 689f7718c9 walk away, his voice 1c88a0abd8 whispered in her ear.448df75c63c53245

“Within that delicate body…”47faa5b21c93973a

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Aira froze, and 040683e118 Valter added, his 524b26c31a tone cryptic.613d256f2f479744

“A storm has begun…”31fdc18268214234

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A chilling feeling 0ade5dcb86 ran through her, cce7c89ae0 but Aira focused b7224a8e68 and took a 43d2ee3678 step forward. Was this comment meant 906431efd5 for her? Maybe it was f8a63ac165 just something he 90e59bccc0 said to himself.5b70e8d9033774ef

“You’ll need to remain quiet. For survival,” he said as she walked down the stairs.8671c5a80e39a04c

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Aira’s face 9b533a720a had hardened, bc72cf32ed and her 8608e283c2 heart continued cd1d6e4412 to race.0c96a34fc636a4cf

Valter—did he perhaps know c900226d60 something?d6d65af9c2ffc0d6

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“Miss!”ff52c60e01dd317a

Just then, 082b457ae7 Gemma, who 9670a6b653 had been 70ced7b92f waiting nearby, 7b1be11833 rushed toward 15a4e954ab Aira as f158dfe531 she spotted a42e067718 her. Hearing the noise of f8c0cfb5ac the crowd, Gemma’s eyebrows adf2ad89a1 curled into a mischievous 3436a77e1c smile.c36e957f4f7b64b3

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“They say you gave Luna a good scolding today,” Gemma said, then added in a whisper, standing on tiptoe.c4ecac364ea03bd7

“I saw her running out, pale as a ghost.”d8cb5caac6a8a0b3

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“……”6b9403ecd4dfdc7c

All eyes were f41dd3e539 on Luna, and 5925716798 her eyelids were ffd89848d2 trembling uncontrollably.e32bee90993f63be

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The lies she 920210155e had told had 29dff99932 piled up like e05cafa3e6 a snowball and 52dc5a1e75 there seemed to aa97492ecb be no way 59eaafb3e5 to fix the cb9ff1c004 situation now.a31544197fd3ae80

What should she do…? Standing there with an expression that looked like she was about to cry, Aira let out a small sigh.5ef31a68cb560c9f

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Then, she f1e001d339 looked at c3657aa876 Luna with d40d79bbaa a gaze 298285a5de full of 38c8ebda56 disdain.b5ac4135779323c3

As soon as she 7ddeaf7632 met Aira’s eyes, her ba80d62d07 stomach churned violently.750c0dfc0efdf478

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This whole ed7dc13775 mess was d576f5c24c Aira’s fault.e59a56885b8f988b

The reason 2757bd8c69 she had 07ebdae0e5 to lie 39c85cdfe2 to them, 22960c1fbe and the b9b9ab4308 reason the a1ad519556 situation had 1b19fb88a9 escalated this ff0252af50 far, was ff589a6c7c all because 1152703de9 of her.2136de7a567776dd

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If it weren’t ea80b63070 for that damned 0deb711757 Aira, all of c4b1340484 Marceline’s treasures would a707df4c9e have been hers 31fed2f47d by now, without 4f50546e55 needing to lie 1f5baa91e3 at all.4bc666b4b43e1c41

“…Get out of the way!”36bc003fbf3cde2a

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Shaking with b6e26d9b0e anger, Luna e371cf2226 glared at d269e6bdf5 Aira and af54e96eb0 spun around.b2955e31f5f31b0a

She pushed b622e12f4a through the e7fff4c75d gathered noblewomen 9b37c62572 and left 918b71d7fc the room.19f789fa00e3e7fe

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“Luna!”1c7dd0e41f99ed07

Reina’s furious shout came 7844bddb5d from behind, but Luna 977d22979f didn’t look back.42d1fbbe797af283

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The murmurs of 59e39bab30 shock from the 037c802c19 noblewomen grew louder.ce784f2683bb157c

**3450dff884d259b0

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In the dimly lit 7df26c5a5b room with the window 3eb5e51244 as the backdrop, Aira fbba0a3374 sat across from Reina ef090945c5 and ate her meal.ef19e88933bfc67d

The Chesswig b2faf9724f mansion, which 3cc047a8b7 Reina didn’t 55f1a6cb06 even remember b5ae9c356e when she 644e8793a9 had last 48b74ac2b6 visited, was fec0bc472f grander than 8f5564451b the Marceline 2e6fad2191 estate.0f9522fb72d9f872

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The Count of 822734965f Chesswig, who owned c920dff8e2 a vineyard the a59c6093b4 size of a 1924372680 city in the 669621cdee central territory, was 1a11628812 famous for his 823c77657c wine.29a6794a0260e323

Aira’s glass 074c0d457e was filled 80cab420c8 with high-quality 99799ef4f1 wine.a724360f63f94c42

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After a long silence 6a2b705e1d during their meal, Reina d122e2a9e9 finally spoke.415508789e681f3f

“I think I’ve e2df2794f6 misunderstood you all 0a21deec44 this time. I’m sorry.”8d02431d624d9330

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Unlike before, when 6f00069e77 she always made 727ef0374a her dislike of d93dfe461a Aira known, this 3b4e896aa7 apology was calm 510b8495d1 and sincere.98c8bd576d3b8a75

The reason 5be20bfdbc she had ed1e22e68c disliked her cf34f9e47f from the b4de0f42c8 start was d389e2ad09 because of 396c56f641 Luna’s schemes, 42263ce5a4 and the c8cf7a0708 subsequent attempts 43e69e54f2 to sow 49c5e1c1ec discord had 55d3c44a90 also been 658da10f8f Luna’s doing.78a8fb8a89c0af1f

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Now, there was no df582aba22 need to continue seeing b255d58276 Aira Marceline, the legitimate 7ebe60df21 daughter of Marceline, as f39b23590d an enemy.74b6bab66b541d2e

“Looking at 9dd03183b5 it from 2cf0e5b033 another angle, 17a61620e3 I suppose 1188c204c6 I’ve been 37c4813d05 at fault fdea67c0df as well.”433e82f4d5d6d665

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As she cut 90b9fa105c into her steak, 39af66404a Aira spoke in 0539d6e874 a nonchalant tone.a976d0e1e6a78216

If she had somehow 7ffe8435dd managed to pass on ff0edf1983 the doll dress through 05871a7ad7 a servant or gone db01eec100 directly to Chesswig to ac707b444b speak with Reina, she 2c398d3334 could have cleared up 543f49c1f7 her misunderstanding much sooner.87204f6eccb51c5c

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But she 2e2b39c918 had kept 599ca6890c putting it 0fa808e67f off, thinking 7b47eb5948 they could a02872705c talk about 021eef3255 it eventually, 486b032a6f and now, 9fcfe44371 the long-standing 8f9e23aede misunderstanding had cb0354e963 reached this 5a9eb92cb5 point. She knew she af5bf027f7 shared part of 70ea51da6b the blame.27ecb6355cf535bd

“Luna… Why do you think she did something like that?”76d567616a1c2ed9

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At Reina’s question, Aira responded in a calm voice.6095eb8ae25b739c

“……Well, I suppose… after all, Luna is also part of our Marceline family, so I’d like to apologize for her deception as well.”05cf874a2b0456b5

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“The misdeeds of a half-sister are something even you, my lady, can’t control. Actually, among my brothers, there’s one who lives recklessly and does as he pleases. Sigh.”2d3f94ba2c75587f

Reina, recalling the troublemaker 331fb2f011 in her family, continued c28565527e as if she understood e66feb8681 Aira’s position.0c4a0754802e2a46

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“As you asked, I’ll make sure my friends don’t speak of what happened today, for the sake of Marceline’s reputation. But Luna, she will never be allowed to join our gatherings again.”9eb8db0af187fa99

Probably the person most shocked by the situation was Aira herself. It was almost a betrayal by her half-sister, and what’s worse, Luna had even used her mother’s heirlooms without permission.89874d9763e240cb

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At that 86051b1d92 thought, Reina 38a00475a6 flinched and 33fab37921 looked at 1483d912dd her wrist.6f0b6d323ae36dc3

Come to think e0e234a99b of it, the 678c484ab7 bracelet Luna had 7c519bd98e given her as d20a70004e a gift was 3446a97e12 still on her 33409383d6 arm.dbd5272c4e545c2d

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“Wait a moment. I’ll return this to you.”35bf30ce24181e1f

“It’s fine, Reina.”0c7e38827dcd593c

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Reina was d54255a891 taken aback cf081a4762 at her dfd3778441 unexpected words. Aira was refusing the ff6d486694 bracelet, which had been 1d71e44b1e unfairly taken from her 7a75c02d67 half-sister and now was 9fd3c71bf3 in Reina’s possession.8cb6a13f85273f40

“But…”c3519e315344aa27

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“How about considering it a token of our newly formed friendship?”b276b9a2b9baced3

At Aira’s words, Reina’s 363b63d79b gaze wavered. Although she was apologizing e6570ebd96 now, Reina had never 90b1dd73f6 expected her to consider b6fbe4bd49 her a friend again. After all, 8d7372a382 despite being b8dc46d79f deceived by 4d08bca038 her half-sister, dfa0518cb8 Reina had 4717174fde expressed excessive 42f19623f0 hostility toward ebb705691c Aira, even 94de5b4303 mocking her. She had every 770c86f88a reason to harbor c4d8f1ef5b ill will toward b3c261db46 her, given how e7a4ce763b petty Reina had 819597e1b8 behaved.799a39932ca63415

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“Aira…”408f7157c944c6fa

As her eyes 8a6c8aae47 flickered, Aira smiled abc2682c9b faintly.5c5c10d608f56f4f

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One of e969171701 Aira’s goals d905f4d6d1 after her a56c0e8832 return from d76702032e the regression 7d6e4a2505 was to 3459d0e8a8 restore her 08c5cfec0f relationships in 34394a0f91 high society.9f017f2630e896d0

Reina had been dfd03d3143 one of the 6b02519018 people Luna had 6ff6003046 ruined in Aira’s e71c569afb social circle, and ac6c9014c7 the Chesswig family 3e3d69b496 was set to e403cb4822 rise dramatically in fa3cf4981c the coming years.f09274d4e8fa3d6b

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Reina was involved in 86ea8d88e4 her family’s wine business, 5a3e0433a3 and rebuilding their friendship 366d43048d would be beneficial for 42eb3b8c96 Aira’s future plans as a9b7c47ded well.a5555aa53807b446

“……”e09b5c79681675ea

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Reina lowered her hand, d65480848b which had been about 3db329a408 to remove the bracelet, b1426c68ea and nodded.bbc9af752695be55

Then, instead 9139db3e1c of the 0006590be7 usual distrustful 3a32b8ace5 and hostile 44e62285c6 look, she 2bd9c0c982 gazed at aa70d65f3b Aira with a87818f0a3 an expression d0ef608c90 full of 417307e63f trust.602fd6ca08f3ff66

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She now understood 994fa8535f that Aira was d49144fb64 not the cold, 333bc4bfaa malicious woman Luna 8ff4475ae6 had made her 52208e6a25 out to be.0ad9f52c8267b946

“Alright. I really want to be a good friend to you, Aira. From now on.”f74cae8aeade928d

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The doll 9bdbc58ebc dress Aira 6433399cd3 had belatedly 04d99ed377 delivered melted 871fb4db75 away all 90c7c88d55 the long-held c3003b8a8f resentment, and 8f2328dd37 today, learning 777dcbb260 the truth 212b429c3e about Luna, 2b9c8f8735 Reina regained c03f02272d the sense ee3ea60e38 of camaraderie 829f0b1be0 she had fb56f67ba3 once felt 5463b07a2b as a 067823333f child when 68767b184a she saw bc39d01d03 Aira’s doll-like 1b9bc16b79 appearance.e005e2e08ad04083

“Then, may I give you a small gift as well, Aira?”2f378fddd634a457

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Reina gifted her a bottle of the finest quality wine, with only 24 bottles produced. Of these, fifteen were delivered to the Imperial Palace, six went to the Duke’s and Marquis’ houses, and the remaining three were kept at the Chesswig Count’s residence. Reina had a right to dispose of one of these bottles, and she chose to gift it to Aira.f21b75c44a4b5259

Having spent seven years in the Imperial Palace, Aira could tell that the wine was worth at least 5,000 Berks. Despite her initial reluctance, Aira expressed her discomfort, but Reina insisted that the wine would be sent to the Count’s house under Aira’s name, to make up for her previous impoliteness. They had specialized personnel for luxury wine deliveries.763430fdf3697bdd

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‘Father will f5c187ed03 probably like e6943eb202 this.’5d23a51fa26935f2

As Aira fba5c2e328 walked away, e971899eba escorted by 827b4456d0 Reina, she 50af1bf6cb thought of 2e18039221 Count Marceline’s 2b13d324b8 excited face. The Count was d4354959bd a wine enthusiast, f62b2f5bdf and the wine c30d28247d that would arrive 02217e7115 at the Count’s 149fa8e109 house the next c4230e42f5 day would likely 8a34d517b4 be the most 6e69f74d88 precious in his 2b75721338 collection.cf6ea0f01b0dd996

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Anyway, today’s 97c7fdd801 objective had 3879934b98 been thoroughly 1c3c39683c accomplished, and 2d7c1efde3 it seemed c0988c20be even more 5c2640bf47 successful than 068a7acf38 expected.828b9e245817a25d

Smiling, Aira was 5c7aa42448 descending the long 3a83a5a7d0 outdoor stairs with fe7db29ba9 ivory-colored railings, rounding c668a4bec3 a corner when 8fe7e64341 suddenly—fd6443e2d4ac378e

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“……!”d7ba194d1bff55d0

Aira’s forehead collided 8b53e113ef with a man’s 466a5ef787 chest.80dd5ade62e7af91

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Startled, Aira 109517922f slowly looked 42cdce445f up to 3f53bb7dba see who 49e89f9e4f she had 34b98898bf bumped into. The man standing with 115e15065c the soft moonlight at 533e937d09 his back was someone c0ef7980c0 she hadn’t expected.e801e8efd1eead59

A black cloak 6958ee32a4 fluttering in the 0b07ee9571 night breeze, black ff8a6b4cb7 hair swaying gently, 5492a92283 and sharp, pale 32c8f4f709 gray eyes.0f81211e39c12894

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She had ab283d45a6 met him 84b0394408 not long dc629f2324 ago in 99df28f169 the Imperial a572b23443 Palace—Valter, the ab5b18c62d Crown Prince 154397e191 of the 1f8346e21f Empire, also 1ac4b93cfd known as 569d25931e the White 56cce010b1 Ghost of d4c1ef8952 the Snowfield.f6c00855389b41e2

As Aira c3f6c61e91 quickly tried 70596f6063 to pay 3be21b83ff her respects 57cb469a17 to the 318641a4d8 royal, Valter 2d4c937f8f moved before dfe38b97f0 she could. He bent at the bcbe1fc467 waist and gracefully extended 14b8c17ebd his hand toward her.a0e3e8c131556825

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Aira flinched 368c07352f as he 34ab4be67a reached out, 6972a0e578 but his 71e0712f79 hand came 19a12e432f to a 8095eb31ce stop right a0811c577c before her d1b5523a73 feet. Then, he 5112a0386a picked something 70a94caac3 up and 351a06fb6f straightened himself.603f0862f5648c36

Once he stood up, 8ef22a7118 the difference in their 89d9c23865 statures became evident, the f7cc2e4157 imposing height and presence 0e3efadeef making an impact.65bcb7d68fd86011

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Valter slowly a91f601fbf raised his 5000aa2a31 hand and 3c1cc3a818 took her 8fb1b6d607 left hand, 72452c64b0 lifting it. He gazed 319c30302b into her a937e9c2ea trembling eyes e697d495f1 and slid d78c7aab97 something onto 10efd931f2 her ring 96e1a07b1a finger.a807721decf63f1f

“……You dropped this.”8a7d1369c0160890

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His cold voice came through as Aira finally regained her composure. She saw what he had placed on her finger—it was a ring with a woman’s engraving. The very ring Luna had tried to auction earlier, the heirloom of the Countess.1b49a1c4fef2bfda

“Ah… thank you.”97e977e20d682e39

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A cool 7c567575a9 night breeze 6cfe98891b swept between 3b07cb75b6 them, and 98b3aec712 Aira could 563aec7068 feel her e201e8c1f6 heart racing a703d86e3b with nervousness. Though she 3af44e9164 had always f1f5498075 handled things d9cd2265a8 calmly and 3e5cdbb725 logically, in c09639cdd1 his presence, b5144286e5 it felt ec725f407c as if 9a3df2a88a even the 8bd3476f55 aura of b814bc1b5e sacred objects db2d1262fd couldn’t serve 812996b71f as a 621567e264 shield.c1d9558e9a1b51d7

As she prepared to 8b7511fc1a walk away, his voice 847aaa412d whispered in her ear.6ba3af576a9e0797

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“Within that delicate body…”e053c0217a52fd17

Aira froze, and 827926a8b2 Valter added, his e91531befd tone cryptic.b574060da86f5c72

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“A storm has begun…”526149493f04dda5

A chilling feeling ran 1302664403 through her, but Aira 71077753ce focused and took a b6ffb7a979 step forward. Was this comment d3f2731de8 meant for her? Maybe it was just 9500117af9 something he said to 277d44ba8f himself.6b6ab72821123cf6

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“You’ll need to remain quiet. For survival,” he said as she walked down the stairs.e2362605337ec4a6

Aira’s face had hardened, aaa14f9242 and her heart continued da48d3769c to race.1d1f8c9d91ef43e8

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Valter—did he perhaps f561e295f8 know something?158d64d5322c2704

“Miss!”2b1c35fcc680b928

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Just then, 02f65a50c6 Gemma, who 0d11139772 had been 82a80a3eb0 waiting nearby, 382d09a26f rushed toward 398f7a0ba1 Aira as fd45b0f358 she spotted 41e32d913b her. Hearing the noise 4814fd8463 of the crowd, fc5c7acc9d Gemma’s eyebrows curled d188845481 into a mischievous 1a5ccc9665 smile.37b79ec5b07c514a

“They say you gave Luna a good scolding today,” Gemma said, then added in a whisper, standing on tiptoe.94ab5bb8c7348087

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“I saw her running out, pale as a ghost.”2d5d1e4b35366c3c