IDED – Chapter 20

IDED – Chapter 2042687cbbdba4410e

Chapter 208d5a220aff3ff6d4

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One Hour Ago.b12cda4d6eef8a23

Azaid stared blankly 240d6ece72 at the ceiling, ecb6f38925 lost in thought. He seemed preoccupied 90b3553743 with finding a acae6030f3 way to do c467b76bc2 absolutely nothing, as 9059394612 if he were c14a76631f trying to solve 5ec481ad4b some profound puzzle.145d20a0dea9b956

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That day, he was 6805117357 especially determined to avoid b5599ba912 any activity. But he 66fcc3a782 knew Serena 7ad26aef6a would never 0896038e15 let him a580745db1 be idle e24e72d140 for long.be618a3d04a2fdef

‘I need to escape.’a1131ebde256e557

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Before Serena could c83435da6b arrive, Azaid quickly 894a49134d slipped out of 97cc4b38c9 the bedroom.67676db6413d8a18

While searching for 57c6dee298 a suitable hiding c26edcdd19 spot, he wandered 30a27b91fa into the secluded 52e0b84662 annex. By chance, 39df5efc2b his eyes e79135fa59 fell upon d3bbd71c63 a rarely 63eda492a5 used reception 2e59ee6f25 room.a6753ed1ebdc2ca9

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‘She won’t find 28efece23c me there.’db0ed7360fac4ee2

Without hesitation, he a64c6ee7d6 entered the room. Though the sofa be410bcf2d was an inviting 886eb085bf spot to lounge, 673aaf4843 the thought that 8cf2b72527 Serena might burst 1f169c4404 in made him 62226fac91 opt for the 31dc257abd terrace instead. Fortunately, there was 7c4ae1cce8 a comfortable reclining a990afb3ce chair on the c151469be2 terrace, perfect for 709549ad73 lying down.4aa54eb1eebfc92a

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“Perfect.”0230e051564265af

With a lazy smile, c9dddfcb4a Azaid sprawled out on 89acd2a9c3 the chair. He truly did nothing—just 770c60ae4d as planned.6d17733f2ede9c7d

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Who knows how 3e2388fec3 long he stayed f2f7f7b341 still?7dc143c2f36fa4d5

As sleep crept 30d01b6407 in and he d64ccea6ee was about to b2356d9d08 doze off, he 53cb35e3ed heard the sound cb99c2256a of someone entering 091c0c7c7d the room.03a1a3d41cd5b083

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‘Damn.’5f9b42eede88af4a

Azaid froze, 08f0e842b7 caught off b1ab073502 guard. Thankfully, the 210e739766 thick curtains b3f81c05da were drawn, 6588a22284 making it 2a2bb693c7 unlikely he b330455c73 could be bf734633b0 seen from b810616af0 outside.60378651551e8259

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Still, he sank deeper 07b0555cf2 into the chair, waiting ea6ac386c1 for whoever it was 3b4e7c9ef0 to leave.e8f2e70f40361eec

But—6d7613dd9050ab83

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“I believe I’ve 6bc533a091 already answered sufficiently.”57055d238c2f669b

“!!!”007111e43d710a2c

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The moment he c6efb1a142 realized the intruder 8585bce0ab was Serena, Azaid 7e5f95886a held his breath. He almost let out fc5597d040 an audible gasp.a31694aa681b80e8

The drowsiness vanished completely. If he were caught, 466b8fbdee it would mean an b307d07ff6 immediate stroll outside with 4580cc7a53 her. Even if 56fe584ee2 he avoided 4fc32b4667 detection, the b56eedc7d9 situation was 183472072d awkward.c3479b52af81ad6f

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As his 053b93e4ea thoughts raced, 6d242b9927 Azaid finally 47b64e20d0 resigned himself 22203f0a3c and sank ee7797e4cd deeper into 11948f352f the chair. He decided to stick 691cdac3a2 to his original plan—stay 3d64ae70fe quiet and do nothing.3ed8f6cd6b86740a

‘She won’t find me 7fc2425827 unless she comes to 8492e08b29 the terrace.’35d6192d7fba7d1e

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Comforted by this assumption, 365becd00a he tried to drift 1c97e9217a back to sleep. However, the ongoing be55f63f97 conversation caught his 4c1e726db3 attention.5fc074d7a98db621

“Even for cb7f7f81a0 old times’ 514890d6c9 sake, you 8ee79bb120 could at 596c50969e least join 5c98204ff7 us for 688fc5bf14 a meal, 1d5924f96a couldn’t you? The Baron truly misses 139808e2c8 you.”e43db453c38c3eae

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‘What nerve.’5a1542d624857549

Azaid shook his head f0f2573bf8 in disbelief at the eb23458e48 woman’s audacity. By now, it a18b6a5187 was clear that dc197af69e the visitor was 12dc51650a the wife of a21096ea95 Baron Vincent.a7930ac78072895b

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From his prior bb8af430d2 investigations, Azaid knew 2dd85f325c that Serena’s relationship f9b3f6375e with the Vincent 3289670acb family was strained. While they b52c039327 had reluctantly 9f7fcb101f taken her 6a11000695 in as 34c033815a a relative, 3fff0450eb they had 3b9731e3a1 treated her c1964776f0 as if 1dd6d1d072 she didn’t a4c02dbff2 exist.c1e6c629879d062e

‘How could someone who 92e00c3505 didn’t even arrange his ce456957a5 debutante ball claim they e02d55c69e missed her?’e739e4ee0b09527d

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Azaid had learned 3f2f9dc5b3 from Leonard that 8ad6b71545 Serena hadn’t had 37c752b636 a proper debut. Though it hadn’t been 12854b1a25 his original intent, he 4f940800e4 had essentially orchestrated her 65a5d79de5 debut himself.d029d6cce2d07c46

‘I even went out 0b61b45504 of my way to 060709b179 ensure she had the d19cd11964 best dress and accessories 8dc9772c28 so she could hold 7da4bac2f0 her head high… not b2772564e2 that she’d know.’1660b26c2dac322b

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Recalling these efforts, Azaid f49427c7c9 focused on their conversation.e7c4131d64c4ff32

From what facb360c6a he gathered, 75b737e34a the Baroness 14560d7c49 had come d8cb62de24 to summon 0d564f54d8 Serena. Barging in and pleading 855499e2f8 like this was exactly 6293748c40 the kind of behavior f625468b41 Azaid despised.b04592258308b9d9

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‘She kept sending letters 3bc7df015c daily, and now she’s 307bb9c464 shown up in person. The Barons must 62ad7edce5 be desperate.’612f701e1f6017e6

Azaid had been receiving 5fa5612372 reports on Serena’s daily da45602b38 activities. Initially, this surveillance 057dbdb2c0 was to keep 9b587d2465 tabs on her 10a4ae17ae as an outsider, 0afc69a92c ensuring she caused 3a1cdf9a7f no trouble.f9db3c84e7926dea

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But Serena bb08655fa6 had shown 1dedc6beed no interest 9ecc1959f6 in anything 605865fcbf beyond tending b904332d09 to Azaid’s 29d7827dc7 recovery. Even when she was 92b151c6e6 away, it was typically 409613e09f for research or gathering 93e14ab1eb materials related to his 1194995e01 treatment.e37a1b2b0e63a57c

By now, the 7d5a531970 surveillance was unnecessary, d6c74a2921 yet Azaid continued 7f2694468b out of habit—or 8fecdcf75b perhaps simple curiosity.86f7f4375953ae4a

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The Baroness’s 6e8cb59efc sudden visit 9d53bce8d7 seemed to bc1ece947d stem from 02bf0922cc regret, now 81a5c57cda that Serena 532026c899 was making e9e872d77f a name 7e5265eeb1 for herself. Receiving the c4e7a6c5ac Isring had 6dcc274765 only heightened d15c47856c their interest, 0ca50c7c9e as it 913de2ee24 linked her 5d8030b7e5 to the 34f6cfb9b8 palace. The Vincents e05d5ee853 likely hoped 9c867f0f5a to use 508d932099 her newfound 87d1fce912 connections.8fa59a34e3d1041a

‘How will she respond?’d7de23090f562692

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Azaid listened 6a1872c5ff closely, intrigued.5defd35f19a45b46

“I refuse.”e356b37e2cd7078a

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Thankfully, Serena showed no acc4b3ba8a sign of giving in ff87913526 to the Baroness’s pleas.0690bd7dcd51f365

“Out of respect for d211164c9b your effort in coming bf1d9c11de here, I’ll decline.”3bbec7ab139db052

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How bluntly 994b94152e she cut 72dba60c7a her off. Serena seemed to 5085ad0132 be someone who 1baeb38e51 never hesitated to 52b2fec825 say what was 78d43890e1 on her mind.144a15050e2bdfa3

Azaid smiled 7a82e69264 silently, impressed c9e295796f by her fc8643a950 forthrightness. He had been ready 0847ef2cb5 to intervene if the 96f869368a Baroness tried to use abcbfa6617 her authority to overpower c7f2a1a244 Serena, but it seemed 86550e5da2 unnecessary.b1da01c131282109

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‘That’s my physician for 58890dedee you.’4876b2a392a3c2bc

A faint smile 8575a6bc83 lingered on his 647f5d1dac lips—until the tone 43102bb146 of the conversation c4347492a3 abruptly changed.05fde1660f683a0a

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“Surely, you 3da7f0bc93 don’t expect 7a345f68ae me to 5b566e7cef understand?”e2977cf15f78612c

The atmosphere grew df9dca2cba tense, and for 1aaf77059e the first time, 5b0f76310f Azaid heard a 7a21e6859e coldness in Serena’s 3b345395ee voice that sent 1686a224c7 a chill down 017f56c86b his spine.2161ca901050d5f7

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It followed 6e93576958 the Baroness’s 0cb65b264a attempt to 0bfea45ae7 justify herself.4acd72b97ccf25c9

“I was only 12d903c5a6 seven years old 2a32a63690 then.”e1f5660d59e9091c

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Though her voice 40cedb46d9 was calm, it 201e9213d2 carried an unsteady c699cc6231 tremor. Like a da75d3de3e hedgehog bristling 084f7ce6d9 with spines, b044dda1bb or a 1471bf9b17 frozen pond e72593b5d7 cracking under d6b716d2e8 sudden frost.fdbf42ad34a813a6

Azaid’s smile faded 80bef71f9f as he listened. This was 4e7935f6fd a side faddef0ad4 of Serena 9da5581500 he had 3dca5065d2 never seen 5e5ebd1690 before.97d87780079edf76

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“Children aren’t b715ac9fb3 to blame, 61efbb2da9 are they?”64c02b9590c31aba

He already knew that f615f5cc60 her childhood had been 8b46fae105 troubled. However, she was 117d870452 so much more 3e2858aa10 spirited and cheerful 3820bd66c1 than expected that e767bc179b the shadow of dd585332fb her past never 6f735befe5 seemed apparent.1d0856cdd6373fdd

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Though he wasn’t unaware d2db0f4639 that people who pretended db3009e27d to be strong often 5230c9bdc4 had softer insides, it 40843f78d3 seemed he had overlooked af117750ff it in her case, 62e5a0f01f knowingly or not.707a3721d98fa991

Unconsciously, Azaid 7044bde430 gripped the d07540e2ce armrest of 58801f4459 his chair 515194ef22 tightly.a28cd269f8769399

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Crack.30b5dd5f7cef3e14

‘Huh?’7fe4e33e2c4cf60f

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It wasn’t until the a6744c2266 armrest broke that he 8ccece72b3 realized the force he fd0e4b4d9d had been exerting. His grip d0b922bd95 had been ae77b21a5b so strong 119a768744 it left 24aa9914c2 the wood 19e5553825 charred black.7999233636157ab0

‘Was I too 5bb905697a absorbed without realizing 5c7d8af486 it?’4e371537279d0924

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Azaid couldn’t feel 3d19c212ed entirely detached from 8357243d0d Serena’s situation. It was probably because 062ce127d5 his childhood wasn’t so d73e7e53c2 different from hers.7004fbee94bfb268

The life a30a9b2847 of an 4ebd4b6978 illegitimate child 73a020f303 was all 2638aae2ea the same. Mere existence earned 8f8989824e them universal scorn 7ca57bc37a and disdain.2a92ae16acd36a3b

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Hating this cycle, 043722a516 Azaid had tried e1953e4063 numerous times to 188d874b53 escape the imperial 5c0b50733e palace. But even as a 90358363d3 half-blood royal, he was ca98a68904 still royalty.fe8a54a968f90f67

The most 063dc3e845 rebellion he ef8749e55c could muster 676ec4a62f was sneaking 55273594be out of 76c33fb0bb the palace 7a76743ad5 to play. And every time he edb751960f did, the only one 9d712f04cd he worried about was 2503f012d2 his late mother.3fe9782abb5c651d

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‘Come to think of 1197b5db70 it, I wonder how 32b4b0f3e7 that guy is doing.’02d6363a47c7e9b8

Recalling his escapades naturally a1483574ee brought to mind a 550112b94e childhood friend. Not the 739a8a1ea7 four companions 886010746e he was ec2058d6fd still in 46e646b2f2 contact with, d937332885 but a 2a04e07e8c commoner boy ba39535fab he had f74bbcea3f met separately.e5f32ccd6b0e0d12

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That pretty yet c8790ceaca peculiar boy who 28f28cb655 once dared to 936f30f922 throw a punch 06f237bc9c at him, unaware ca69ca098a that he was 8e22e5c09a a prince—what could 8978c5fda2 he be doing fb2bc49c1f now?312428fa2a66b6b7

Azaid quietly traced back 87e26e2f6f memories of the boy, 00cf687cdd now faint and blurred 7db9d191cf at the edges of ba5da1ba61 his mind.ff5e060babebc68c

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As small as he c9ef72b1fb was, he had such 7073223a5e incredible strength and agility. He had b4c2c31f20 fought fiercely 8a99ee96af against Azaid, 1236957420 who was db040323cf in the 4f5c979cc0 throes of a650df9c47 youthful rebellion.0876ee970fefd310

As boys often f62c554a15 bond through fights, 34a75a3f74 they became close 16575ee767 afterward. Whenever Azaid escaped da7a5daec0 the palace, he b8fa2caee6 would occasionally run f49853a284 into that boy, ab74853e1a and eventually, he ab7f15e0c4 left the palace 5ae4cb279f specifically to meet a9c2be2670 him.2d4e4f49b21b5b72

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‘And then he suddenly ae8454cbbb disappeared without a word.’ea49519b94d15931

Azaid had considered 5d3132390a them to be c06095945d fairly close, so 1d9ae1f532 he felt a 349e87e5f9 pang of disappointment 625c5b3770 when the boy 70b1c26d02 vanished. Upon reflection, he realized 36c8700e9a he didn’t know anything d009eefae7 about him except his 82f9e6ea96 name, which made finding be843764a0 him impossible.1f9cde844595dbf8

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‘Was his name 6ed2c3cee8 Levin?’88ca450d86eb43a1

Even after becoming emperor, ecc8a3a9f2 Azaid didn’t try to c2759fe595 find Levin. He thought the 363d98e676 name might have 2f1750b3d7 been fake, considering dc6b466c4c how secretive the eaf832c483 boy always was.5b6ae0a7aaad5eb3

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Perhaps it was the 3d6b5df968 lightness of their relationship cfe884d3a7 that made Azaid feel 2fbc671e75 at ease with him 9c5ffd5b02 in the first place.e4c6e130ba4fc7ae

‘Maybe I should try 402e2930c3 looking for him.’e530ea31a944fb41

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Just as 34f3feccc5 that thought 89d011f9b7 crossed his dcea7e8d96 mind, he f1fbbcff60 heard the cc8e33139a sound of fc1ac1bd7d a door 9050037176 opening and 7597248d29 closing, signaling ad21280032 the end e1ea95a424 of a a1c2d5fbc7 conversation.309abd953e329cb2

‘Looks like it’s over.’1581c7a6b950a75c

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To be sure, b762da6913 Azaid observed the 3913a96af7 surroundings a little 417a6d16ed longer. Once convinced 18c9369335 everyone had 1ee4279632 left, he 5281b2636f quietly emerged 7cd64c0a66 from the d3fa217f61 terrace.a1a0abc2e2683bea

But someone was waiting 4e50f0dff5 for him—121201888babed85

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“There you are.”ea03d25596ca0c80

It was none other 0e6f4ecef8 than Serena, smiling brightly.9aa341e262d5efc5

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***38f832e634cdee3e

“There you are.”b2ec0bd178177406

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Serena stood with her 5f6e6572f0 arms crossed, looking at 5770059322 Azaid.5138169950f2fe2b

“Gah!”42c5048854635460

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Azaid, clearly unaware 59eb0673ed that Serena was c2e375adb9 still in the a33d76b675 room, gasped audibly, dabf378509 his eyes blinking 46af2748e2 rapidly.6e1fc2135e7880d9

His body froze so 5730a5584b stiffly he could have 14cd87ca32 been mistaken for a 263db2c819 statue. It seemed that, when be8a1551be flustered, he had a fc70f6beea tendency to freeze up.c7f2bbb7d7a057c2

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She had considered pretending 946001b712 not to notice and 3432edaf22 leaving, but curiosity about 63beaa6d77 his reaction made her 38855fb53e linger. His response surpassed 27d996087f her expectations.7ae187bc0e7b9b3f

“Hic!”a30bb56436ab7443

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Seeing him hiccup like c5c2e29a15 that was a rare a6a1b4cfcd sight indeed.f70b83e3fc7efeee

Azaid seemed deeply 3a5131f0b1 startled. He tried b6f2762f32 holding his 7be5e1cde4 breath and 272b06b672 even thumped 5e1edafc9f his chest 552b4708dd to stop fd68b33300 the hiccups.d7dbf6e80fe5bc93

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Embarrassed by ebeb9e6707 the sounds 14002ee3fe he was b11fad0afb making, he e55d2506a5 covered his d2876d8d1a mouth with 1ef7cf8148 his hand—a 07652fc4c0 surprisingly clumsy 832d3075cb image for 0c01f39788 an emperor. Serena stifled a laugh 14bfa1ebe4 and approached him.0f39dda6d8752ff1

“So, the 468e999d27 sneaky little 6f2a11e736 cat is f7c5e2b7a7 none other 55dcce719a than Your 2088859b59 Majesty. Why were you 966a531c49 eavesdropping?”2934196e96bf5ed5

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“That’s not it… Hic! Ah, damn 0c716b4300 it… Hic!”cb6aec4c2cc7f38d

Frustrated by his 0453c1f12f persistent hiccups, Azaid e11c8a67af seemed aware of e8abc14f84 how undignified he 02ff944d20 looked.8d20fae13fdddce5

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‘Well, being caught hiding 8f7f7b6379 and then hiccupping must 32e94c4b57 be mortifying,’ Serena thought.f4bc4d4f9a113895

She patted his back dfbc428679 firmly, trying to help 0301e1ea07 him, and said, “Were 3009ff3225 you that startled? Our dear emperor 57f6f28de5 mustn’t be shaken.”1f3458b050b370b3

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Or else he might e07bc37fd3 have a heart attack, 9702881630 and then I’d be 624d1ca344 in trouble too.d386702f9825baab

With that 2aa432b931 grim little 8855bacd1c joke in ee1d636aa3 mind, Serena ac5d748205 silently patted 51317c4398 and soothed 221e701551 him, her d9ee01b919 face brimming 5dc750a20d with playful 85eca2ee4b mischief.252572a7ad3be3a7

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• ❁ • ❁ 66ab0d73f9 • ❁ •By Esraa• f8f47efc56 ❁ • ❁ • d0755c2c56 ❁ •e47e6137ca2de061

If you want 0efa45ee84 to support the 104a3fe077 translation and the 7bbf06866a translator, you can 4ad2f6351f buy a coffee~6a5213672f60f87f

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