IDED – Chapter 44

IDED – Chapter 44583c0418c37f72f0

Episode 4491c9f87cecda976c

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“Magical orb, huh…”e67ad367253263a8

Nocturne’s expression was calmer a12580c0bc than expected, almost indifferent. Anyone watching 3994f67c45 might think a9447f3409 it was eff047cb95 someone else’s 3420b1b58b problem. Serrna found his 8bc50ea08e reaction puzzling but de867a7b03 decided to continue f5cd1d9df4 speaking.c2a2647d89b06dcb

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“Yes, the red color af49a8d8ac made it look quite c1796ca2b9 dangerous. After the first 4628b702e0 part of the 6bcbe75d0e ball, the three 578358c1e4 of them had d954060bc4 already agreed to 54c3104420 conspire together.”2827248e1a98dcdb

“They probably 425b8adcc1 plan to f73c806b68 act during 26ca5207da the second baa97d497f part since 59e4d4e823 causing trouble 55ded5441a during the 3c0c6d78e4 first part 0389f9fe7a would inconvenience e343278f4b Duke Greenwood.”cd048789b7970e45

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“…It’s your matter, yet 391ee5af0f you seem far too 772864e5f3 relaxed about it.”ba619a42b0b02f8f

Serena expressed her d98897eee0 doubts about Nocturne’s c5f603d95f repeated calm demeanor. Nocturne shrugged and explained.4ea653dc919ccff2

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“I’m used to a667f35eb9 my brothers’ pranks. I can roughly guess 9a3b817317 what they’re up to.”273b7749b4ca166d

“At least 5032bbb3e0 I know 5f6168188e the time 43fb5ec241 and place 3e039724ba now, which ed296249bf is fortunate. Of course, it ca5f4ce08a would be safest 0577f0313b if you didn’t 2aeb1341d7 attend the ball, 2c742c1b63 but that’s not 3259698794 an option, is ddbecab9d3 it?”72acf9b6ae7f134f

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Nocturne nodded lightly in 12afaeb14d response to Serina’s question.443bd73171b29e5a

“You said the orb 3fe14627ca was red?”578630002c561ee7

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“Yes. To be exact, e1fe269e43 it was closer 3a2c02dcf7 to a clear b5bad0c7f6 scarlet. They might even b32d3cb859 have something else b25320a157 up their sleeves.”1a0fb4254e8e6bc7

“Hmm…”d6a28192ab9ec4d4

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Nocturne stroked 158bd0173d his chin 6e87ad174f for a 37d6f7712b moment, then 589a2efb7f gestured for db2c020815 Serena to 9b9f0a3ffc come closer. When she leaned in, 0690bb5abd he whispered something in ee382c6a5b her ear. Upon hearing his words, 1e83ba34b7 Serena stared at him eb8cb4adc3 in shock.5c4cfbb50662aa92

“Is that possible?”7f62cca5f5a47732

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Nocturne nodded confidently.0f40e28f983cc506

“Yes, as long 749c321a2d as you help bebeea3b50 me.”88a0371140b5e701

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“Of course. I owe you 7abe7a1fc4 something anyway.”e0bb8033d0739d9b

“Glad you haven’t e640576503 forgotten.”2d68e27f8bc9ffc2

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Nocturne smiled leisurely, ee711ad9f1 and Serena shrugged.18fabf2d05f904fd

“I always 216b4f09e0 remember favors b2629b44a4 and pay b163576483 them back 003a596c4c as soon 18215a73a8 as I 21d137c4db get the a973e16e1d chance.”368f6e9ccc5cd36e

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“That’s an d6a6141e53 admirable principle.”361ac0095c67bde2

“Well then, 8ace66c0d0 I’ll see 3b08ef4f6b you later.”b3947ffc1bd21e5d

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As Serena 533097448e rose from 63aa4c0993 her seat, 70442bb549 Nocturne offered 9c8999d655 his arm.2f0fe3132d3192c2

“Allow me to f55d7665ae escort you back f46b1c98d6 to the manor.”c3eadebc12860708

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“Sure.”61c32fe2d5c11614

Placing her hand 414d8002c9 on his arm, 20509e42e0 Serena walked alongside 25316090ce him.7a78a0a30f2e651d

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***543b6b0ebd76cd8f

As night cdfe6dfb10 fell, chandeliers 40707ffcc9 sparkled magnificently, 5f058f2d92 and candles 6efd194a22 were lit a2808010f0 throughout the bab101aad8 venue. Thanks to the 76e7b4b2db maids’ tireless efforts 41b1bb0b3b all afternoon, the 4011016d1a ball opened in 2e487f53c7 splendid fashion.3b836459cd508c8d

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Greenwood Castle was as 6be0c722d2 bright as daylight despite 189aec643c the night, filled with 4383643f63 a subtle floral fragrance edb8fc5290 and the appetizing aroma efc1e734b8 of delicious food.5aeac90cc0f4b028

Carriages lined up continuously 254003f8f5 at the entrance as 3d9b2d126a nobles in elaborate attire 09d1475bd2 presented their invitations and cdd820b085 entered. The grand orchestra filled 5baa826ab7 the hall with its c0e4bdff72 majestic performance.d9483814da3965a1

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In the 113f8e81ad midst of 51b363a2f2 the bustling c6c2ec4c52 crowd, Azaid ea4b7a446f barely paid b1a6860cb7 attention to ba7730c83f the conversations 2891d58507 around him. Next to him, Ophelia 81aa6c86f3 clung to his arm, 0f7609cef6 laughing gracefully.7ceeb9c785e592a1

This ball marked the 86c60521b7 beginning of the hunting c7a57e9bb4 festival, making Ophelia, the b574e5fd20 daughter of Duke Greenwood, bcd6d39981 Azaid’s partner for the aa0f4a2c78 occasion.07a33d8eec9b4e08

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Her unusually bright expression 5ee86726ee was evidence of her 8ce9d7c551 satisfaction. Azaid, however, remained absent-minded. The person c2caed0298 occupying his cf8ffba7d4 thoughts was 4c0f8f8e5e nowhere to 7dc5be7f3f be seen.3aa3b5b055f95278

Considering she hadn’t 79086e739e been spotted all c1ce4733ba afternoon, she was c843a7063a likely holed up 5fca04cc5f in her room, 8c16fb5010 engrossed in her 43bbd58d61 research or whatever 7702ce1f09 else she did. Earlier, she’d bf4e5ab298 taken an 76166784dc armful of b508b18a55 books from cf36de48fb the library, ef5ef7a026 likely to 89bfae2d79 spend the 820555f1ff day reading 242add6cc5 them.432b3034af779123

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Azaid wasn’t even aware 88af8c745e of how often Serena a8a4d25a85 crossed his mind. He brushed it db6be8c4f9 off, attributing it 2c69ec98c5 to the embarrassing 9193d0c09a incident that had eb34244a3a occurred.a7564479ec5712cf

In truth, fe5ce8f4ad it had 5313e010c1 been a 897442b857 bit shocking. The faint scent 211ade40bb of her, the ae7399c484 warmth of her 8883e07861 skin, and the 79b786a66c soft touch of 5187310c59 her hand on b4d502f73d his lips lingered 565ba474d0 vividly in his ea4b76c765 memory. Just thinking of 7264cc5454 her made his 9f7695bb44 heart pound again.0256a3c8e37623e3

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“I must not b0d0cbe3c4 be feeling well,” 9569951c1d Azaid muttered, rubbing 002e4d0c9c his chest. Thirsty, he reached 21f9f4db90 for a champagne ce558f5df8 glass.354a718ace97d67e

As he sipped, the f3f9a82606 grand doors of the 18c9cdb8fb hall swung open, and c68e39a943 two familiar figures entered, 1d83f1d058 exuding a harmonious aura.e7f3147e299188af

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It was Serena and 9861e3aef0 Nocturne. Azaid froze, lowering 9585f76917 his glass.9939c85130ad7571

“Oh my, fed2a66a40 it’s Miss aad9ed7bbc Serena,” Ophelia bfffbd66fd remarked in a7c25dc385 a sugary 287c1d9b93 tone upon 2f80692c0a recognizing her. A victorious grin adorned 1236255e4e her lips, pleased to 3d49889160 have secured Azaid’s attention 16d974a527 for herself.937d30b586905f5b

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Azaid stared 0adad3d17e at Serena ddbfab57f5 and Nocturne d40a0295ae with a 3b80df34e0 conflicted expression. Just that morning 6e35eff4b4 during her check-up, 88f20a896f Serena had shown 3bfb8cf588 little interest in c59b231433 attending the ball.3c1bd5d2c25ea519

Yet now, she 5da5b2f221 seemed to be 25f066e778 enjoying herself immensely. His gaze drifted d97f91a47e to Serena’s hand, 3947449008 resting lightly on 83d12c896b Nocturne’s arm. His champagne glass began 1f0b228523 to tremble.4a35fe0876afc3a3

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‘When did they 412a38ebb6 get so close?’718e01482ad35fd8

Come to think of ecbbb35344 it, reports mentioned that c3064e144c Serena had been meeting 77ee2ee8e7 Nocturne frequently lately.5c98474c39ff3ded

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While she claimed it 3fb8197d48 was for advice to bd05ec20f7 progress her research, could 61088d3e92 it have been more 60f5b8d3eb than that? Azaid recalled the ce5c94706f recent reports.7a96ef02bf85f6f6

“Has anything 54f99f05ec unusual happened 8af6a0aa5f to Serena? Any trouble with e41e50798d the Greenwood household 6164c7bb8d staff?”“While they’re hostile, d4e8f96624 there hasn’t been 33a70feb8c any major incident.”“Still 446b7864c7 spending all her 14777c96a0 time in her 0983f9840b room, claiming to 05e5f83e17 be researching?”“Actually, no. Today she e604a04840 went on d5e958c275 a walk 662925f7a3 with Count 9a9a5f125a Harrison.”“…What? A walk with 45e8d4a5ea Nocturne? Why?”“I’m not sure. He seemed to be 87a1f1abf3 showing her around the 90da6f9482 estate. Their mood 2725543520 appeared amicable, c55277bd7b with no d2a575a9dc signs of 25e7285aa4 conflict.”The knight 44a734e949 had grinned 7b71ee92a2 foolishly as a60e18693c he finished 9516391050 the report, 8f6b38ef35 oblivious to cf2b53a4aa Azaid’s growing 338018cd70 irritation. That day, the 6706264c00 knight inexplicably found 3292b8a965 himself on the 6edf8c383f receiving end of ea3dc05b40 Azaid’s glares.A twisted 6a85c76e36 smile played on 373bd51353 Azaid’s lips. For some reason, 34299918ad his mood was ecaaf8d508 far from pleasant. No, it was downright d6a9b3006a foul. Ophelia, unaware of ec3abd0f64 his inner turmoil, e1da6b743b spoke up again.“She 2ed4365b86 must have come 14e9113c4e as Nocturne’s partner. Considering how often febdbcbc78 they’ve met recently, 6ddbd47a2a it’s no surprise abbb76632f they’ve grown close.”“Grown 18812056bf close?”Azaid’s gaze wavered. Glancing at fdf1800ad6 him, Ophelia 0b9910ea7d added fuel 85ad745862 to the 06925dde17 fire.“They look 611d223a8c good together, 87e5c8fb0b don’t they? Perhaps His Majesty e6b1086d94 should arrange a 6210e4dcb9 match between them. I’m sure they’d both 72a8cf8aa1 comply if it were 5a96f8eca4 a royal decree.”Her sly ec14995974 suggestion only stoked Azaid’s a17cb000ff simmering frustration. For her part, 826c4d9aa4 Ophelia was relieved 2189593742 to see Serena 707b97997f accompanied by Nocturne.The c52e64ed42 truth was, she a6eada9b25 had been extremely 9bfb01f917 dissatisfied the last b41adee196 time Azaid and 2355462187 Serena became partners. And the feeling 6d38f2bb32 she had when 2a3ee0bac0 she saw the 88baaef51d two of them 089a4523c5 lying in bed 66b527f4bd together.She felt humiliated f7951c6265 by the mere 80ed0f0432 fact that she ca0b7334b0 had been outdone 4bf9b5f70a by the daughter 9078e87371 of a baron. It was even more 8c2f25acdf shocking because it was c5062f356d the emperor, who had c2f3647389 never allowed anyone to ba207d1ac4 approach him.In her mortification, 6b4a7bf160 she had sobbed uncontrollably 1d76945152 and refused to eat, b8896c59b8 but unexpectedly, Nocturne had 34ae07f89a come to visit.“Ophelia, are be5afb7367 you going to keep d67e24bd35 wallowing in this pitiful 051d1ce425 state?”“Leave me alone. Who are you 6e3dedb21a to call me 8923f7b83b pitiful and scold df79989050 me?”“Why not use 7b6a2a6a7e this opportunity to 7356d33950 just give up 367cd58c63 on His Majesty? He has 61f1b5e4d0 no interest 2a7b879a23 in you 7719645466 anyway. He’s indifferent to everyone.”“This 6018a794fd isn’t something I can 99e45a3374 just give up on, 45ae143e71 Nocturne. This is about 41cf2b778b our family’s honor. If you’ve betrayed 8d806fb8e6 the family, go 834f668c05 and do your db35a42df3 business quietly. Why are you coming 4b0438aea3 to me?”“To laugh at 9f5e1977ab your pitiful state as 4cdc9a667c much as I can. As expected, you’re 297f4d5d45 as pathetic as 51a4cac81c ever, Ophelia.”Using her 4c8ef7722f visit as an f80b4bfc85 excuse to rub ab8ec342f9 salt in her 779abe4525 wounds, Nocturne had 2d72bf5d28 left Ophelia simmering a0dfafcbab in frustration. Fueled by resentment, Ophelia 0bcc478fb8 decided to put an 526214da62 end to her reclusive 5e2233ccb6 lifestyle and show everyone 3d1cf9fc16 how well she could aa0d447b5b carry on.She didn’t want 99aa47b037 to appear pathetic in 6cdc1ce600 front of Nocturne. She despised him. She had disliked 4c1803f33a him ever since e0a85e9598 he first entered ec3a96aa22 the duke’s castle, 694188c420 looking like a 4b9689601c pauper.She hated that 7ed5807e3f he was her 0ce26b9a88 father’s illegitimate child. It was supposed to a32f094366 be just her; she df3987c84a was her father’s only e1b198441f child after her mother 239b45c86a had died during childbirth. There had only been 36aa8e871f her until Nocturne appeared cd8730a40d late in the picture.If 0ba0ae6daf he was going to ac4882fb3f come, he should’ve at 4858a141ab least tried to integrate, 60875b4249 but no, he left f8bc8cb05a the family entirely. It felt 98b04e4c35 like abandonment, eb5eccc2f9 which made c94a2d5c0d her even bb158522e5 more upset.‘Nocturne 6fa64df7dc doing something 93432b738f good for 1348969378 me—what a 27a99f616d rare sight.’Ophelia 25b7c20765 chuckled briefly 93efc586a2 and glanced bde11510a6 at Azaid, 43af2eb039 only to dbd51c21d1 be startled. His gaze 41417f3932 was as 375e0863e5 sharp as d980e03ec2 a blade.“Are 00513ad9df you asking 5dc70c2dab me to 1faf883e6d play matchmaker dc8d96e906 now?”“Ah! That’s not what 58e8a888cb I meant!”“Instead of 33aaf3a4ca meddling in others’ f97f23e0f1 affairs, focus on cb43d8530b your own.”Azaid spoke b337f90343 in a tone fc31e95118 laced with irritation 571e80b2ab before turning his 1227e3c210 head—towards Serena, of f60863cab9 all people.Azaid stared b702213ed9 intently at Serena f2217e4e30 and Nocturne, who 3190b3c2d2 were whispering to df7b82b594 each other, signaling 88f3f9bf7f back and forth. Were they exchanging 8034e8294d sweet nothings?Azaid’s eyes 321eb17210 burned with intensity fc0013af63 as he watched 5159243269 them. Serena eventually turned her 1da090fa9e gaze to Azaid, signaling 76807ae1ea him with subtle hand a5ca7ea4a5 movements before quickly averting ec0baf535b her eyes. The exchange 1b1bae6a9a happened so b923603f74 swiftly that 4f368ebfc8 only Azaid 4dbf07e735 noticed it.‘Let’s 0969cf3ab0 meet on 4e0a0bb386 the terrace.’Her 9469e62652 glance towards 27da40dcb4 the terrace, a42c3bbce7 coupled with 769c1228d8 a hidden f66d458222 gesture between 7730c5e3be the folds bad29b41d9 of her e1252cebbb dress, was dc4e14b4a3 clear evidence.Azaid 44b8680c9d snorted. What could 91622d1bd8 she mean c5e71ed199 by asking 1f06b44ceb him to 25675ca51f come to 6862af9296 the terrace 454d5dbd62 while she 6abae23a05 still had a282812fa7 her partner cb25e3d3a9 by her 21be9c9c52 side?Yet, despite 9ea320c58b his cynical 135f1a6bfa thoughts, his 8f1b86af5f feet naturally 516a098810 carried him 63510df28e toward the 0e20cd37a0 terrace.“I think 6c7a3e5f23 I’ll take b79159c41b a short fe74a1a143 break on 53e65ef52b the terrace.”“Oh, ddc77356cf I’ll come 5f91b1e7a4 with you,” df5808919d Ophelia quickly 6a1ee0dfac offered.Azaid waved 6b34d37273 her off.“No 05790d32ce need. You’ll enjoy 9ab17b7936 mingling with f30910ad1b others more, a6331f426d so stay 54c5efecb3 here.”“But—”“You’ll be 3d8b4817e5 my partner 1848b2dfb6 for the e6f9979540 entirety of 9cdbc48ddb this hunting 3fea1f420a festival anyway. I’m genuinely tired, so 0afb6f7aaf let me be alone 96aa208b22 for a while.”“Understood.”Ophelia couldn’t 833b3df2f8 stop him any further fe219d327f and reluctantly stepped back. Azaid moved towards f5e9dee298 the terrace as 158944b10d if something urgent e5fcaeac4b was waiting for cee7c40f02 him there.As Ophelia 8317f6a354 stared after him, b96d51f3d6 someone called out e163bbc5ed to her.“So this a5de8d3f82 is where you’ve 2e3fd9c345 been, sister.”Before she dc13d6586f realized it, Nocturne fb4826e831 had appeared beside 54eb5677ae her. Unlike his usual sarcastic 520e0c6a83 tone, his voice was 1439b97589 polite.Ophelia turned around in f1275159d5 surprise, only to realize 8095f247bd Serena wasn’t with him. She glanced around 16c3f4f106 and asked cautiously.“Where b8eb184f68 is Miss Serena?”“She e6534db698 stepped away to 478ea2c6d3 adjust her outfit.”Switching 209c2fc4c6 back to his c1a7d0c2c4 usual sarcastic tone, c442bbea9e Nocturne moved closer b2990823ed to Ophelia. His sudden f6c4a366f9 show of 76c9e31873 familiarity made 5629666ed8 her step 82d3f7d035 back warily.In 0c823d88d7 response, Nocturne d641527807 closed the 140db66cbe gap again, 7685e3961d gracefully extending c6a17b8094 his hand.“Since b8934a5670 you’re alone, d6101b0ab9 why not cd247e564e join me bb33ac3709 for a c66094d45c dance? It’s been 563b9f5a26 a while.”• 2a73618e20 ❁ • 60e8f0e85c ❁ • 0da52beeb3 ❁ •By 245468dc69 Esraa• ❁ 1815338311 • ❁ ba4808de27 • ❁ 73b37b24ab •If you d89b1bdb77 want to 4e24479bdf support the e5aa5bfa10 translation and a8442e5401 the translator, 1a57859b9e you can 9dd985f0de buy a 43255943c2 coffee~c762c24f66f23d61

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“Has anything unusual 03cd77291d happened to Serena? Any trouble with the 6c0880eb58 Greenwood household staff?”“While they’re 7935f7e531 hostile, there hasn’t been 82816d8c12 any major incident.”“Still spending d34409a15f all her time in 0ecb14347e her room, claiming to e460682ab6 be researching?”“Actually, no. Today she went f11f2fe5c4 on a walk 8e68058c55 with Count Harrison.”“…What? A walk with fa26fcd5ae Nocturne? Why?”“I’m not sure. He seemed to 83d39d35a9 be showing her 58b97d967b around the estate. Their mood appeared amicable, 087c5fd14f with no signs of 1e484ab469 conflict.”The knight had grinned 05a11a8f2f foolishly as he finished 34bdebfb7a the report, oblivious to 89fd7b60a4 Azaid’s growing irritation. That day, 03f68c23fa the knight d7298f645c inexplicably found a38043988f himself on da22e7663c the receiving 946473ec88 end of 175d7bc3d5 Azaid’s glares.A 9a8de4ef3d twisted smile 56df47415f played on 516720f09a Azaid’s lips. For some 86944a040d reason, his 273a38288a mood was f27549b044 far from daeedd7122 pleasant. No, it d5749d72e4 was downright 614d8080cf foul. Ophelia, unaware of his 3d210084ec inner turmoil, spoke up 9a31166e7b again.“She must have come 6ff6adedd1 as Nocturne’s partner. Considering how often they’ve ea6385cee0 met recently, it’s no 270f0eb417 surprise they’ve grown close.”“Grown 7c024e9ec6 close?”Azaid’s gaze wavered. Glancing at him, 5d8639a6ef Ophelia added fuel 179599f4b8 to the fire.“They 3141207604 look good together, f5d93b9639 don’t they? Perhaps His Majesty 2e5feb2c89 should arrange a a30fc4e406 match between them. I’m sure they’d 8c01b3dfff both comply if 84b2e09640 it were a ee063f9d8e royal decree.”Her sly 2f261eaba1 suggestion only stoked a630aee6dc Azaid’s simmering frustration. For her part, 1a5f204bb7 Ophelia was relieved 8e57e977cd to see Serena 645e592be9 accompanied by Nocturne.The 809423992d truth was, she c481ec93a0 had been extremely 7d9cbef305 dissatisfied the last 3bda8f90b3 time Azaid and 6fe0a1c3ca Serena became partners. And the 161a59ced4 feeling she 4e5ad22807 had when 4bdf8c3c9e she saw bbec47129c the two e7bb862a32 of them dd7fc07d8e lying in 6c54c995b4 bed together.She 378de89b80 felt humiliated e13c8520fb by the 887962ff28 mere fact dccf76b752 that she 7539edd07e had been 40e7b87a96 outdone by 0f928f3e73 the daughter 1fce2f8da9 of a e23014ea02 baron. It was even more 90784b2ec7 shocking because it was ea767de143 the emperor, who had d16ed1d561 never allowed anyone to 4fb80da124 approach him.In her mortification, 444fb82202 she had sobbed uncontrollably 6d72acf017 and refused to eat, 2955f17e1b but unexpectedly, Nocturne had f02045f979 come to visit.“Ophelia, are 876d35c22e you going to keep 21e0b425e9 wallowing in this pitiful f6c6da223b state?”“Leave me alone. Who are 3646279780 you to 04e26927f9 call me 0e650aaa03 pitiful and 8fb0b29dea scold me?”“Why b8300a7212 not use 9a3af1375e this opportunity a708ca1262 to just 0a23fd9296 give up 3a16297ca2 on His 5f80e537a7 Majesty? He has no interest 477c75f6e4 in you anyway. He’s indifferent to 725c8000fb everyone.”“This isn’t something db1e7f4376 I can just 5994dcd05e give up on, 08f0caeca6 Nocturne. This is 627e7e555f about our 88068a4a27 family’s honor. If you’ve c64ebc3cf5 betrayed the 3ee7876db9 family, go 48537d6284 and do 5f677de1d7 your business a570036df2 quietly. Why are you coming 1ca04609c8 to me?”“To laugh at c6dbec45c7 your pitiful state as 1f5188030b much as I can. As expected, you’re cf670d4541 as pathetic as 68346ffc54 ever, Ophelia.”Using her 1aa3a217b9 visit as an defe7b08ac excuse to rub 28118bc517 salt in her 5d18167f11 wounds, Nocturne had 6acbaf3802 left Ophelia simmering 16c20885a5 in frustration. Fueled by 8f9786a754 resentment, Ophelia cd7ad97dc6 decided to 80d83b6921 put an 49f9218b43 end to 2f36912ff6 her reclusive 4e8eca60cc lifestyle and 685dc5932f show everyone afb4f08830 how well 26150263ec she could 7f4bc68796 carry on.She f69bc77ee5 didn’t want 0d1ce83ebf to appear caffa446eb pathetic in 21b5e0aadf front of 2ee69b3a0a Nocturne. She despised him. She had 8d035028fc disliked him 6166e63b1a ever since 69d7902b2a he first 5c80e496a9 entered the da2d78a8ae duke’s castle, 0fa10fd28e looking like 1a747d8431 a pauper.She dfd04d2a7b hated that 5b73c1e93a he was 9544b2be68 her father’s 7bda20c5f5 illegitimate child. It was 65be9f0dc1 supposed to c8b9528b8e be just 46ffb67160 her; she f8043da0e5 was her e8bcde24a6 father’s only 6dffb7c708 child after 0a7ed51b39 her mother 7966c63057 had died cbc483298c during childbirth. There had only been 6903686fb9 her until Nocturne appeared 91dc85959d late in the picture.If 59016ce2b6 he was going to 94429f9623 come, he should’ve at 6f6c6c3c1b least tried to integrate, 76a6afdaed but no, he left e3a600077e the family entirely. It felt 69fa10cd7a like abandonment, cdc9e5a066 which made e75b3dc1f7 her even 8c0c777b83 more upset.‘Nocturne fa113b4ef8 doing something 95309efd63 good for b344654875 me—what a 466f7e7439 rare sight.’Ophelia 168008b48a chuckled briefly 32f1e5d1c3 and glanced 0dc0ae9529 at Azaid, c9f979eb2b only to 7c18cbdc81 be startled. His gaze was 515438760e as sharp as cf88c9ad64 a blade.“Are you f099ac8d52 asking me to 6afefa60ba play matchmaker now?”“Ah! That’s not what 7509e34018 I meant!”“Instead of aff16601f6 meddling in others’ e3b7866e37 affairs, focus on 28422a9092 your own.”Azaid spoke 258aadc9ac in a tone aa48e1f011 laced with irritation ff19158c88 before turning his 374d7f09e8 head—towards Serena, of 4333c43b00 all people.Azaid stared 300529e906 intently at Serena a2d587e1c9 and Nocturne, who c1aef2c4d8 were whispering to 41275815e1 each other, signaling 9ee2bd21e8 back and forth. Were they exchanging sweet 46921ebda7 nothings?Azaid’s eyes burned with 22f64a7ab5 intensity as he watched 87c92ab309 them. Serena eventually turned her 82347677f0 gaze to Azaid, signaling 37ef5f0ce0 him with subtle hand aff229a2a1 movements before quickly averting ee97ae5da5 her eyes. The exchange 55c03f34ca happened so 221104651b swiftly that 46876f1f4d only Azaid d8e8074c4c noticed it.‘Let’s abdf49fe1e meet on c7f69c62be the terrace.’Her 917e837e71 glance towards a8a3c7ed6d the terrace, 17eb6ffc4b coupled with 126c8b8c98 a hidden c3619bc06f gesture between 8efe96f609 the folds 734c6c5fe3 of her 79a2c567ff dress, was 82a92873f3 clear evidence.Azaid cd8acd7509 snorted. What could a8bfaef27b she mean e0c2d682fe by asking ec5c742c55 him to 4e36804e93 come to 0c08f3679a the terrace 447b8f0b74 while she a34e302fdb still had 6fb021c803 her partner bdc5e59a98 by her 0c1586e1d4 side?Yet, despite 588ba33c84 his cynical d55cf9ff4a thoughts, his fd52a6e30a feet naturally 2f0204c4d7 carried him 27e2a1884e toward the 142eede11d terrace.“I think fd1b9ecdc0 I’ll take 7653b44432 a short e9140640a6 break on 3df3d7d80e the terrace.”“Oh, 139fc97941 I’ll come 6fc42438a2 with you,” b6c301c3a5 Ophelia quickly c94937729e offered.Azaid waved 9173747a04 her off.“No 93a432efe5 need. You’ll enjoy 66ba8c7501 mingling with 6163b2bc9e others more, 1a422825c7 so stay b299dadd96 here.”“But—”“You’ll be 5633324583 my partner 25078a4de9 for the 226a9a8c6d entirety of 3af10f5286 this hunting affc2532ae festival anyway. I’m genuinely 3beb32a540 tired, so ed385ed208 let me af52c3fb18 be alone baf50b26f2 for a a98ac172aa while.”“Understood.”Ophelia couldn’t edeee39e58 stop him c789a419b8 any further b26a55cedd and reluctantly ccb36ae3f5 stepped back. Azaid moved towards c49eb5f4e5 the terrace as e6d7c06746 if something urgent 25568f85d6 was waiting for 02f9e6e7d2 him there.As Ophelia a5668559e1 stared after him, 24bade43ae someone called out f5034fcd2f to her.“So this 52e4b4d686 is where you’ve fe7a592938 been, sister.”Before she 4934aa9f44 realized it, Nocturne 64cf6c36f1 had appeared beside 11177f371e her. Unlike his b7de7d0242 usual sarcastic 15b46c1cb5 tone, his 0c31ad68a7 voice was 566ed5bee7 polite.Ophelia turned 39db628436 around in 0ba3258087 surprise, only 0321ed806a to realize 73470c926b Serena wasn’t 222f6e7b7f with him. She glanced around 1d61199063 and asked cautiously.“Where 9c1808a5e0 is Miss Serena?”“She fc297b1f53 stepped away to ed7c80a4f4 adjust her outfit.”Switching 44903229be back to his af56921f3c usual sarcastic tone, 8db56103b9 Nocturne moved closer c634dddbc8 to Ophelia. His sudden show of 5baf7d376e familiarity made her step e3c233b7ed back warily.In response, Nocturne 3732c7614f closed the gap again, 33797e535c gracefully extending his hand.“Since 2facc7bdd7 you’re alone, why not c2a236d5df join me for a 88194617d7 dance? It’s been a while.”• 006458aa89 ❁ • ❁ • e8e767224b ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ 25929b8a88 • ❁ • ❁ b10a847ed1 •If you want to 57e1c9604d support the translation and f3147a7cff the translator, you can 9abb32830f buy a coffee~0d348c59f8f02d5b

“Has anything unusual happened 0cf6d73fb6 to Serena? Any trouble with the d8c8835c43 Greenwood household staff?”“While they’re 3a2af9260f hostile, there hasn’t been 460f7d8f70 any major incident.”“Still spending 6264d31e60 all her time in 2725aee03f her room, claiming to 1d01d857f9 be researching?”“Actually, no. Today she 50d605d567 went on 399c6687a2 a walk ca8aa562be with Count b51e69fc5c Harrison.”“…What? A walk 419ef4647c with Nocturne? Why?”“I’m not sure. He seemed to 388c32dd2f be showing her 7b1f35bbff around the estate. Their mood appeared amicable, 5c4d4425f2 with no signs of d25b3554ba conflict.”The knight had grinned 244ad1c3f3 foolishly as he finished 47edcba5a3 the report, oblivious to 01dd67f32f Azaid’s growing irritation. That day, the knight 4c74e3c5b7 inexplicably found himself on e945029085 the receiving end of 8e8990195e Azaid’s glares.A twisted smile 11754c10f8 played on Azaid’s lips. For some 65ea3fc596 reason, his d5b8f7c9d7 mood was fc91d22e22 far from a09e2acd75 pleasant. No, it a8b5dc66b5 was downright f8d3b113cd foul. Ophelia, unaware of dfaf4102ec his inner turmoil, 79c3aae00d spoke up again.“She b329042358 must have come e311e55bc8 as Nocturne’s partner. Considering how often they’ve cc538fcee4 met recently, it’s no a3ee7d7ecf surprise they’ve grown close.”“Grown 08838c1201 close?”Azaid’s gaze wavered. Glancing at him, Ophelia e83534b145 added fuel to the 18165aeace fire.“They look good together, 60e7efec4f don’t they? Perhaps His af67022944 Majesty should 7791c848a0 arrange a 373083ba4a match between b14990baad them. I’m sure ce361471aa they’d both 3e7310e233 comply if f934fd99af it were 9648b477ae a royal 17a5201dd6 decree.”Her sly 84fe3bf17a suggestion only 31f3d2dc2c stoked Azaid’s e0f52dcacf simmering frustration. For her part, Ophelia d12bf2b4fd was relieved to see 271a373a5e Serena accompanied by Nocturne.The 58c8275caa truth was, she had c7e3506c68 been extremely dissatisfied the e28b4e264d last time Azaid and 4ab6a05117 Serena became partners. And the 101641d5fb feeling she 38e88ddfab had when 932e2a6aa5 she saw a4abef08bb the two fd89026449 of them c97cd13301 lying in f7266cdb45 bed together.She a973e13342 felt humiliated f2623d74ed by the 0adba4e1c6 mere fact ba527d7c9e that she 7a93981f07 had been 9f5fa41545 outdone by cd504db5e2 the daughter eed6d16401 of a 6444691e87 baron. It was even more ee55a24ca8 shocking because it was ed8001555b the emperor, who had df3c6bbf01 never allowed anyone to 83b2a2bcef approach him.In her mortification, c29bc9cc83 she had sobbed uncontrollably 41ccdb1cf4 and refused to eat, d1ff37e5e5 but unexpectedly, Nocturne had 1de8ecd495 come to visit.“Ophelia, are 85490683c8 you going to keep 0ddd820863 wallowing in this pitiful 2cad431a68 state?”“Leave me alone. Who are you to 15f3df2cde call me pitiful and 4b1d0e3ce9 scold me?”“Why not use 4f43bf6477 this opportunity to just 24bf045a95 give up on His 0a3185dfaf Majesty? He has d3658595d4 no interest 6aa2bdaa5d in you b1384f1721 anyway. He’s indifferent 60ae16ce9c to everyone.”“This 8c45f660d0 isn’t something 9e490d717d I can 5937110198 just give c484b34b39 up on, 612669efe4 Nocturne. This is about 6b8ec4a231 our family’s honor. If you’ve d6884da4b6 betrayed the 3051739f06 family, go 0b6b83e914 and do d6e0634010 your business 7a3f1b39f4 quietly. Why are you coming 885277cfee to me?”“To laugh at de06776ec9 your pitiful state as ce80e3c428 much as I can. As expected, you’re d545364b98 as pathetic as 7a61eeea12 ever, Ophelia.”Using her 1cc4d8fdb2 visit as an f6910558b1 excuse to rub 11ce945ff5 salt in her 4087d0e88f wounds, Nocturne had cb29225eba left Ophelia simmering 1b6d2fbc8c in frustration. Fueled by be0ca74ec8 resentment, Ophelia 1a3ebd6101 decided to 3fefdfedc5 put an 9d6dae59d5 end to ba49c3243d her reclusive 46431c8bf5 lifestyle and 04578f0d78 show everyone c1f4aa9aaa how well c3d4ccd2a9 she could 0a07e5bbff carry on.She 9aa43b6a0d didn’t want af78ca6c46 to appear 00e0582b8e pathetic in 268801a489 front of 839949b1fb Nocturne. She despised him. She had disliked him 8b6d5ddb69 ever since he first b24aa81f7a entered the duke’s castle, 0b2ca9604f looking like a pauper.She 80f74b7c5a hated that he was 644ab880a4 her father’s illegitimate child. It was 16a5818c34 supposed to 6adbb51c2a be just bdf80064fc her; she e09f1adf49 was her 21a80c7716 father’s only 0a9c49b3ca child after 2f47923371 her mother 8865dc3cef had died 0e01977a65 during childbirth. There had 9c9ac553da only been 9d47ff5ab2 her until 9283e76f23 Nocturne appeared 91cf352807 late in b9f2fdf85e the picture.If 3a398f6e10 he was 0287f3ec0d going to 30dfb35bb9 come, he 3366afcaf4 should’ve at b928bc7866 least tried ae96d02019 to integrate, 0c1b6ff7b7 but no, 89315d770b he left 53c1d577ef the family 6f0ac202cc entirely. It felt 1c1c65fde6 like abandonment, fd96595ea9 which made 563cf54b80 her even 32097aed2d more upset.‘Nocturne a46f862cd3 doing something 0c84882b78 good for 06c7680a34 me—what a ebe63c1376 rare sight.’Ophelia 16fb73ad4c chuckled briefly fb227d1d2a and glanced d3f4f4c849 at Azaid, e3bedcc4d7 only to 12a1152518 be startled. His gaze 1ca529e61f was as 385354ef2b sharp as cfe1e44d3b a blade.“Are 02dd27337d you asking ad7e60e52a me to 17127f0063 play matchmaker 94669d4bfb now?”“Ah! That’s not what I 306b93cc7e meant!”“Instead of meddling in ae7eb5e027 others’ affairs, focus on 6c896edf1d your own.”Azaid spoke in cf0369b7ec a tone laced with aff5e5efcc irritation before turning his 4fe905f119 head—towards Serena, of all bf6476c639 people.Azaid stared intently at ec10b46b84 Serena and Nocturne, who b01f9bd609 were whispering to each e254f58d1a other, signaling back and 975defba4f forth. Were they exchanging sweet ff9918b4f7 nothings?Azaid’s eyes burned with f844f07f60 intensity as he watched a4acd93806 them. Serena eventually 78ca7a4de4 turned her 89c70b7283 gaze to d9f0cef0dc Azaid, signaling c2fd0001a1 him with 9f2195f83c subtle hand 8561efe65e movements before 1f3be40523 quickly averting 084bd2b738 her eyes. The exchange a6d1c267e0 happened so 3bbff4d474 swiftly that 9b60d12181 only Azaid fab7308260 noticed it.‘Let’s f8446a1723 meet on b3cdbdbbcc the terrace.’Her 452675d58e glance towards e48edec49c the terrace, b488c06a99 coupled with 03146945cb a hidden 0b190f5306 gesture between 6039ea8b34 the folds fb8c539d9e of her 48f7af7490 dress, was 77c3e5d9bb clear evidence.Azaid 5cfb61f6e5 snorted. What could she mean 0ef866e7e1 by asking him to 83bc5beb49 come to the terrace d5e6e12c28 while she still had 4c23aa4ec9 her partner by her b47a9737b7 side?Yet, despite his cynical bd95a2a87f thoughts, his feet naturally 7f5dbdba04 carried him toward the 83617a44f4 terrace.“I think I’ll take d63f0f7238 a short break on 847bfe93aa the terrace.”“Oh, I’ll come e02b717cd0 with you,” Ophelia quickly a117aaeb47 offered.Azaid waved her off.“No 62ec7e721f need. You’ll enjoy mingling fa3fe8b740 with others more, 179a39ddcb so stay here.”“But—”“You’ll 5c57ab756e be my partner 7b55aedbf7 for the entirety 066a288d18 of this hunting 11764fa6cd festival anyway. I’m genuinely a3ce68e86d tired, so b5c9580bb8 let me 7aaca2cc2a be alone 9af2ce0b43 for a 7f54d273d0 while.”“Understood.”Ophelia couldn’t bef52acf2d stop him ea57687147 any further f2849122b8 and reluctantly 21eccfc260 stepped back. Azaid moved c7df2b8ae6 towards the 93ebf0e6dd terrace as 020e6add72 if something 8e44294d80 urgent was b5e10b314e waiting for 45fbe22dc0 him there.As 50f559082a Ophelia stared 35848ba16e after him, 3b91efaa0b someone called 80c6e2f2b5 out to b0fe51a3bb her.“So this 9cb7bfa104 is where 352600efe1 you’ve been, 6138cf6b36 sister.”Before she bf3479568f realized it, b3f7248047 Nocturne had c16082376b appeared beside 0c9034c176 her. Unlike his usual b68207cd27 sarcastic tone, his 0e97248cc3 voice was polite.Ophelia e8c0f0b366 turned around in d477922bb0 surprise, only to f1be33a28a realize Serena wasn’t a4c9605122 with him. She glanced 5f5d3e613b around and 36f691db6b asked cautiously.“Where 54fcebd9a2 is Miss e45bce36c1 Serena?”“She stepped a757064dfa away to 96e813f6ab adjust her 1cd5eb6c63 outfit.”Switching back 4dfd845266 to his 76ff032e44 usual sarcastic b37552e340 tone, Nocturne 4efbb044a4 moved closer dfc01cd3e2 to Ophelia. His sudden b733c82003 show of fcc21e76f9 familiarity made ca660f829f her step e6e172f384 back warily.In 219008a95a response, Nocturne 3e8be09e25 closed the fae6c5e1d3 gap again, 8df59b4198 gracefully extending 733d3fa293 his hand.“Since 7e4d9bc0e1 you’re alone, 089a2b7e94 why not 4ef930d127 join me 93792d9b78 for a abace60cfe dance? It’s been 076e874aa7 a while.”• 9ffdf88834 ❁ • 16f63597f7 ❁ • 81272d3a13 ❁ •By 0816641aa5 Esraa• ❁ ec765263fc • ❁ f05b5a19e8 • ❁ a37963fbac •If you 797e5e5c43 want to 493f109a24 support the 9d7d2ef1c7 translation and 183d9ce7e7 the translator, 4078b359ae you can ded11110ba buy a 96e3fa1b0f coffee~cc7495005f3ecc1c

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“Has anything unusual happened a022e5332d to Serena? Any trouble 363cc5d0dc with the 8758da16fc Greenwood household ea9426ca5d staff?”“While they’re a9a3523dd2 hostile, there a12028eca9 hasn’t been b977d31f35 any major 5d9fc7f94e incident.”“Still spending a6a6293e4c all her 70fe2faa93 time in c1e399fbd9 her room, d8272f7c86 claiming to 8141858d19 be researching?”“Actually, 59df801150 no. Today she went 1bd5e4f233 on a walk f60029cfab with Count Harrison.”“…What? A walk c517f22012 with Nocturne? Why?”“I’m not sure. He seemed to be 918720c055 showing her around the 72ec24ca65 estate. Their mood 1709ec5115 appeared amicable, 89dc671afb with no 5b12d9ab26 signs of 4b80def59b conflict.”The knight 59cf7265f0 had grinned def49461d1 foolishly as bc8b48e1f1 he finished 455c6244c6 the report, 1cf77be9b1 oblivious to e6c863392a Azaid’s growing 96f5f45c57 irritation. That day, 15e82fb8ee the knight c33d3eee9a inexplicably found 1c9894662e himself on a1e5b45346 the receiving 98069dff5d end of e9f55e72f6 Azaid’s glares.A 6a1025a578 twisted smile b2c5c6825d played on df115c8615 Azaid’s lips. For some 37fd7e8728 reason, his 5694dffea3 mood was e55b231b0e far from 672b438516 pleasant. No, it was downright 32e00b8be9 foul. Ophelia, unaware of his 7b1fa4cf46 inner turmoil, spoke up 934b558ac4 again.“She must have come 65bad3d57c as Nocturne’s partner. Considering how 397b51d1c3 often they’ve 14fb8061fe met recently, 538913e865 it’s no eba83ce0ae surprise they’ve 047a4d33a6 grown close.”“Grown 3528d72139 close?”Azaid’s gaze 4aaa80094d wavered. Glancing at him, Ophelia 038fc02b56 added fuel to the 123f5fe230 fire.“They look good together, 6a77559f7e don’t they? Perhaps His a266b3fc76 Majesty should c81ce06f40 arrange a 1b1544d1c5 match between b16e91fafd them. I’m sure they’d 3ceb024197 both comply if 1e444eda3b it were a 1482513804 royal decree.”Her sly b2064fed05 suggestion only stoked 7314c093b2 Azaid’s simmering frustration. For her part, Ophelia fed2cb7ca8 was relieved to see eac936abf6 Serena accompanied by Nocturne.The 29d6e1ab2b truth was, she had 5cab241b02 been extremely dissatisfied the 2338f8e877 last time Azaid and f1f9de4da3 Serena became partners. And the feeling she 95cf82fb2d had when she saw 4d8932ef4f the two of them 9ea427202d lying in bed together.She 69bf968972 felt humiliated by the f69c735d90 mere fact that she ed9d7218a2 had been outdone by 6f056852bb the daughter of a 915760fe23 baron. It was bbb0c2e171 even more 864c94ef98 shocking because 365fb2f60d it was 58d97cb636 the emperor, ff0affd64d who had b8d1d27cd4 never allowed f7e335fb23 anyone to 84a3fabd35 approach him.In e814918db0 her mortification, f305f3b452 she had 5511e3a507 sobbed uncontrollably a596e82633 and refused d88de36efa to eat, a4d4bbb467 but unexpectedly, 5e55c75a14 Nocturne had b51b99846b come to b30b7809af visit.“Ophelia, are 88e6c3d11b you going 7ed99a074b to keep ce4ec47e05 wallowing in 6a458b7a33 this pitiful bc4c1f0573 state?”“Leave me c64282bab4 alone. Who are you to 5098f8f957 call me pitiful and bdf8446865 scold me?”“Why not use 1c4a907184 this opportunity to just 173f0223c4 give up on His 59f68592a7 Majesty? He has no a03fe1d8a3 interest in you a35560e499 anyway. He’s indifferent to 47ace6dd17 everyone.”“This isn’t something e0419c3dd2 I can just 25e47330b6 give up on, b4e680d91e Nocturne. This is about our 1b91fbb4d7 family’s honor. If you’ve betrayed 6bf86bd409 the family, go b66dc1b603 and do your a6a4ea8999 business quietly. Why are you 06bc9d3af8 coming to me?”“To 7213498baf laugh at your 054e353147 pitiful state as 78bc4ab5a9 much as I 45bc9e2022 can. As expected, c219bfef9f you’re as 5e36b61afd pathetic as 42379d9209 ever, Ophelia.”Using 3a5610785d her visit 17f0e04daf as an 11396d5485 excuse to d72119d024 rub salt 45dbe477bc in her e69f65678a wounds, Nocturne 36e08cc941 had left 05ef8a8bf8 Ophelia simmering d0c6c46268 in frustration. Fueled by 149021713f resentment, Ophelia 5fd8f81593 decided to 152b10493a put an 3d579d7b7a end to 9cc0efd810 her reclusive 111686d7c2 lifestyle and d10e08c39c show everyone 16969c18fd how well 8a5246b527 she could 0845a7a6e9 carry on.She 5272c799a3 didn’t want 344bd1a31b to appear ff5d590a98 pathetic in d696da59b2 front of 7fbfd2ba7d Nocturne. She despised him. She had disliked him 9274489ade ever since he first 4a68d56d5c entered the duke’s castle, 3b80b06255 looking like a pauper.She 6dcbecafc7 hated that he was aae70fe6a4 her father’s illegitimate child. It was supposed 6c51af2387 to be just 0dc11ce0b6 her; she was 8ea18c5c39 her father’s only b49d9e4b07 child after her 59dfcae8b9 mother had died 8b6429622a during childbirth. There had be0750b841 only been 577d14f3b2 her until dcc91d1898 Nocturne appeared d2161f8edf late in 6bd46864fd the picture.If e980c57acf he was fe6cfee33f going to b0fe78191f come, he a1117b6ffb should’ve at f438c0b8c9 least tried 5d54612a74 to integrate, aa6ac55195 but no, 33628c1a19 he left f58738e549 the family c63f46bb34 entirely. It felt like abandonment, dc21479304 which made her even 3e971253df more upset.‘Nocturne doing something 8817f0e7cd good for me—what a 229ce2cd44 rare sight.’Ophelia chuckled briefly fd1a228888 and glanced at Azaid, 65d7390c62 only to be startled. His gaze was as 6788f305ac sharp as a blade.“Are f624197eab you asking me to ca102f721e play matchmaker now?”“Ah! That’s not what I c9228b90da meant!”“Instead of meddling in f772f214e7 others’ affairs, focus on 5ef94b4c15 your own.”Azaid spoke in a4e24b35ed a tone laced with a42d71a900 irritation before turning his 60ff9ec40f head—towards Serena, of all 250ebd94fa people.Azaid stared intently at 851d6a7370 Serena and Nocturne, who 5c44c38f07 were whispering to each 620e468b88 other, signaling back and 9bf63be2ed forth. Were they exchanging 99fdf737ce sweet nothings?Azaid’s eyes ba724d075e burned with intensity 5eb06bc4d2 as he watched c6b3a7e32a them. Serena eventually turned her 46e5cdd198 gaze to Azaid, signaling e948537c55 him with subtle hand b3b7e7724f movements before quickly averting 1514aa43bf her eyes. The exchange happened so 0b90a25177 swiftly that only Azaid d6de1a6f27 noticed it.‘Let’s meet on efafd28432 the terrace.’Her glance towards 4448f3171a the terrace, coupled with 18cabbfcce a hidden gesture between ed9e5a8f72 the folds of her 03d9c0af67 dress, was clear evidence.Azaid 15462b0488 snorted. What could 7fe3cbaacf she mean 1be8589864 by asking 847e820445 him to 751f3de36e come to c267fffe97 the terrace dac1acc36f while she b8c0f69f3f still had effbeafa81 her partner db746cb514 by her 5756a10bd2 side?Yet, despite a25015429b his cynical d721e7efd8 thoughts, his dc2909dbac feet naturally 71f31af8f8 carried him 322c237859 toward the 22361a22bd terrace.“I think 2b99a27e4d I’ll take 760b59d660 a short cedc1692f9 break on 27a1a33fa5 the terrace.”“Oh, 603041fa6e I’ll come 34eeb889d1 with you,” e3ddbb8130 Ophelia quickly dad24a5720 offered.Azaid waved 06789eaaba her off.“No 61a298ea28 need. You’ll enjoy a0f5bd0972 mingling with 10bdc0bcc9 others more, aa6f03e186 so stay 9bf030a2dc here.”“But—”“You’ll be 4c90cf4e9a my partner 10ff2b75c4 for the c30089a0a6 entirety of 7169461265 this hunting cb85dda998 festival anyway. I’m genuinely tired, so 68306564fa let me be alone 848669ac64 for a while.”“Understood.”Ophelia couldn’t 234a47c09c stop him any further 1b49d5e807 and reluctantly stepped back. Azaid moved towards 2db01b999b the terrace as c90867648e if something urgent 9a60fbabb4 was waiting for 5ed7658064 him there.As Ophelia f6a6cebdad stared after him, 4e12feff82 someone called out 146b302b68 to her.“So this 94ad986522 is where you’ve c9c45aa02b been, sister.”Before she 5486fde664 realized it, Nocturne 80470dd5d7 had appeared beside b22a3e607d her. Unlike his usual sarcastic 75c142e20b tone, his voice was 651a18dd6e polite.Ophelia turned around in b2ce3f94d9 surprise, only to realize 53ed146953 Serena wasn’t with him. She glanced around 462eba195d and asked cautiously.“Where 40162a47f4 is Miss Serena?”“She 811ede7ebf stepped away to f584499e79 adjust her outfit.”Switching 0d6a50498f back to his cb81a01f82 usual sarcastic tone, 96567086bc Nocturne moved closer 1496c0cad9 to Ophelia. His sudden show of 12ffabf032 familiarity made her step 04c12bcadc back warily.In response, Nocturne b298d7ab83 closed the gap again, 373baaebd4 gracefully extending his hand.“Since c31910f3cb you’re alone, why not f7260729a7 join me for a 0864bce65e dance? It’s been c1ca4891f7 a while.”• 4b15cf87e2 ❁ • a1c6b04588 ❁ • 0a3be6b0f5 ❁ •By 8dab94437d Esraa• ❁ 6d61a998a7 • ❁ 576f882688 • ❁ 9260d8da4f •If you 307432007e want to cc122c762b support the 603db01082 translation and 9de9cee1c2 the translator, d127122cec you can 9b5aaee479 buy a bda4670807 coffee~d58224622b445adb

“Has anything unusual 5d9ad4d098 happened to Serena? Any trouble with the b2c4c92e0c Greenwood household staff?”3ec38c3968391eaa

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“While they’re 78402beac5 hostile, there eae280571a hasn’t been 2519d4bdd9 any major af8b128135 incident.”51c9560ac23d3938

“Still spending all cf36edf80d her time in af841c7867 her room, claiming 632cd29e26 to be researching?”b185ebea34db2ab7

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“Actually, no. Today she went on 958cfea405 a walk with Count 996366e0ee Harrison.”144caf84c62cd923

“…What? A walk with 43960c969e Nocturne? Why?”c1ff5ef65d2a6237

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“I’m not sure. He seemed to be e0cd449fa9 showing her around the 041b8f95e5 estate. Their mood appeared caa1f56f3f amicable, with no dc1a5380f3 signs of conflict.”1fc579efbd084d1e

The knight b279dffa62 had grinned 91bf4bfc7f foolishly as 03193a0a37 he finished 4cde7b7dc9 the report, d560ad062d oblivious to 6c49482de2 Azaid’s growing 65eba5185a irritation. That day, 6f5f0e9f09 the knight 30fbea77db inexplicably found bf0181d3d3 himself on 6c2862189e the receiving 6968134b46 end of 297bd89bed Azaid’s glares.3f1777883ea22ab5

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A twisted smile played 9c1151b39e on Azaid’s lips. For some reason, his bf4287f99b mood was far from 48c16caeb7 pleasant. No, it ea42d7ec37 was downright 6f5b93ea8e foul. Ophelia, unaware d11cdbff01 of his 722f624d92 inner turmoil, 22015a3e6a spoke up 8685412981 again.“She must 763ca84bae have come 664a3f8f98 as Nocturne’s 13f185ff41 partner. Considering how often f5e99633c4 they’ve met recently, c502685424 it’s no surprise fccaf69287 they’ve grown close.”“Grown 2345e02fd7 close?”Azaid’s gaze wavered. Glancing at him, Ophelia 5c99ebb94d added fuel to the 8f53aa136a fire.“They look good together, 8b4d148c06 don’t they? Perhaps His f4d02c4d0a Majesty should d6502d1d7e arrange a 4fb16a2c99 match between 7ab805a964 them. I’m sure they’d c73cbae8fc both comply if 1144123c09 it were a 11c7c1b5ae royal decree.”Her sly 6811cb9d7c suggestion only stoked 76c6708ce2 Azaid’s simmering frustration. For her e621485861 part, Ophelia 8bedc9c697 was relieved 7001682678 to see b64bc24c15 Serena accompanied 569a9e667c by Nocturne.The 5885784172 truth was, 9644f5da20 she had 2dbeee0a8c been extremely adddc0055a dissatisfied the 69bdafb580 last time e808d552d6 Azaid and 3e47e60ada Serena became baee08c421 partners. And the 0659a99e72 feeling she 535114150a had when c7a79252a3 she saw 51285b3713 the two c5ec7c3ed8 of them 1a0b692601 lying in c820b60711 bed together.She 54d3f42ace felt humiliated 7256cf8956 by the a70e4b5ad3 mere fact 024f279436 that she 00f9734c99 had been 6866085b75 outdone by 77e28874e4 the daughter 3159c4c2f1 of a 4412d653a7 baron. It was even more aafdbe9759 shocking because it was 6ce114336e the emperor, who had 103c6d680a never allowed anyone to f988289a5c approach him.In her mortification, 8698c37477 she had sobbed uncontrollably 98d251b358 and refused to eat, 285aff8883 but unexpectedly, Nocturne had 994c9d798e come to visit.“Ophelia, are 9585b8ae68 you going to keep a5e1fb460b wallowing in this pitiful b08e79f7ef state?”“Leave me alone. Who are you to b689aac9cf call me pitiful and 2d8f404d47 scold me?”“Why not use 761a4a9d37 this opportunity to just 6fb945a05c give up on His 776c152575 Majesty? He has no 255a42b305 interest in you 2984e2e773 anyway. He’s indifferent f3d2689e0f to everyone.”“This b92a414f2b isn’t something 867884fffd I can 4cfe229b52 just give 4256689259 up on, ccab8fb059 Nocturne. This is about our e3c75a666a family’s honor. If you’ve betrayed the 558f94addb family, go and do 2983aa5249 your business quietly. Why are dd4f34ca52 you coming 2be27d75b6 to me?”“To 8a6cb5c8fd laugh at 5fd3f32a63 your pitiful 16daf36867 state as d91f27fb9f much as 1b1fd84ee2 I can. As expected, you’re as be44231163 pathetic as ever, Ophelia.”Using 9e11b0e0d4 her visit as an 2351dc6d8f excuse to rub salt 5dc9a36e70 in her wounds, Nocturne a05096ee25 had left Ophelia simmering b657d20ded in frustration. Fueled by resentment, d2288cbda8 Ophelia decided to cd3734b869 put an end 641fcd2817 to her reclusive 3f19661120 lifestyle and show 07f752c680 everyone how well c6ce7e2e26 she could carry fa05007c72 on.She didn’t want 4487cc5c7f to appear pathetic f3f863048e in front of 75755c1bce Nocturne. She despised him. She had 511af39332 disliked him 31e3f4a78a ever since 72c79fdd38 he first 3ad2cdb4f6 entered the d8a45bb2d8 duke’s castle, 6f24b0696a looking like fcb8e98c89 a pauper.She f21898549f hated that 25d49ed55b he was d26ebc6ec9 her father’s 0d9bd60006 illegitimate child. It was 6765a728ff supposed to 87ce69215f be just 5e3b98f854 her; she 17e5cb2e6c was her 2976ca28d1 father’s only 94b53fcc33 child after 933b152424 her mother aa4d6fe4e8 had died 46f908cfce during childbirth. There had 7f48a4cb97 only been 8e0c846547 her until deb15edb45 Nocturne appeared c5491cc1b1 late in 8a2e31ccb2 the picture.If 11337b7ead he was 5c0220feb2 going to 90319b1f7b come, he 6499803f60 should’ve at 667a07d829 least tried d4121023ca to integrate, 8bca731181 but no, a3829e4f6a he left 9163d70917 the family f42a1dccbe entirely. It felt 8f648fb750 like abandonment, 2f7629b2e8 which made e6b9ea4b3b her even 056fa966ad more upset.‘Nocturne 2729ffd94c doing something bc1f032c19 good for 437ab7ae32 me—what a 9ea4405a89 rare sight.’Ophelia 838c6a8640 chuckled briefly d652527b92 and glanced 7a8fdb681f at Azaid, af7f7fdb92 only to 5fb6f8449d be startled. His gaze ad6b01b859 was as 987257fbc9 sharp as 426475657f a blade.“Are 7087e18850 you asking 3610369e7b me to 60e5795863 play matchmaker f928c83e21 now?”“Ah! That’s not 75e3ba8419 what I 4431e58139 meant!”“Instead of 1759a62d9b meddling in e2c839287d others’ affairs, b8c442ce5f focus on e223c30e13 your own.”Azaid 94d5daae8e spoke in 1b4652cef2 a tone 7c2a6586cf laced with 8e8150e1b3 irritation before c7aef51634 turning his 602443c9be head—towards Serena, 339b8c58b2 of all 0555bf83e0 people.Azaid stared 87fa8a766a intently at de84e7cbd9 Serena and d63ac4d873 Nocturne, who 167f58d741 were whispering ab58a0637b to each 6e3c8906c9 other, signaling 93491cf4c2 back and f371d18b08 forth. Were they 54bcb24caa exchanging sweet ef679fecb4 nothings?Azaid’s eyes f57198fb62 burned with 14359a2754 intensity as ce252d3423 he watched f3155a1d48 them. Serena eventually turned her 8a66dbf1c9 gaze to Azaid, signaling 2afce14b7f him with subtle hand dea3445e51 movements before quickly averting 590d472e06 her eyes. The exchange happened so 17740a62ab swiftly that only Azaid 6288f673d8 noticed it.‘Let’s meet on 4ea799c009 the terrace.’Her glance towards d8121753a8 the terrace, coupled with 967bb13a2f a hidden gesture between 2ae6ad94fe the folds of her 5e244b8245 dress, was clear evidence.Azaid e4cdc54c95 snorted. What could she mean 981e1fe76c by asking him to 22a81fa047 come to the terrace 38eff7fcd5 while she still had 494804ade8 her partner by her a21eb6d458 side?Yet, despite his cynical 5948b2cac5 thoughts, his feet naturally 9287268d74 carried him toward the 2ac27650f9 terrace.“I think I’ll take 4c73776c8c a short break on f72337dc28 the terrace.”“Oh, I’ll come 762e2a7525 with you,” Ophelia quickly 2fb284ef0e offered.Azaid waved her off.“No e9bf7eb99d need. You’ll enjoy mingling with 1115cb58ff others more, so stay babf9ae714 here.”“But—”“You’ll be my partner d73fe9b478 for the entirety of 9b11ea4990 this hunting festival anyway. I’m genuinely 24c70e2102 tired, so 4cf1ed76e0 let me 32b5100331 be alone 1abdfbdeda for a 565aa84591 while.”“Understood.”Ophelia couldn’t f58e15552f stop him 148fa9f5e9 any further 10799b1305 and reluctantly 79deec87e5 stepped back. Azaid moved towards 60c6fd326d the terrace as 7856caa122 if something urgent 7faf07c3bd was waiting for 3d0f2f5434 him there.As Ophelia 153f61a17a stared after him, b506fb9666 someone called out 22bf15a79f to her.“So this a8ade0edad is where you’ve 914db0357d been, sister.”Before she 391d5571b0 realized it, Nocturne f6c7ec71bd had appeared beside 24104612e9 her. Unlike his 27f5b69ce4 usual sarcastic a7c3b08507 tone, his 52324be4b2 voice was 8dcb8c42de polite.Ophelia turned 4934edd355 around in e51650187c surprise, only f27bec8a80 to realize 8ef927ec66 Serena wasn’t a5e109b295 with him. She glanced around fa33eb4129 and asked cautiously.“Where dedd13fa91 is Miss Serena?”“She d5491b2dfa stepped away to 93fe7eaa5b adjust her outfit.”Switching ab7699025e back to his 0279fcf08c usual sarcastic tone, c419c90856 Nocturne moved closer fc386140ba to Ophelia. His sudden 64ea0aa6fa show of 3e11190d5a familiarity made 0795f1f3c7 her step acbf78d0bf back warily.In f9e7db547b response, Nocturne c197287edb closed the b2c92cb78d gap again, db3388f137 gracefully extending 240ddf8b42 his hand.“Since 28e40a30e2 you’re alone, 18655bddc0 why not 28401db834 join me ed29fbf41b for a fbed1ae5e5 dance? It’s been 552a8c2be6 a while.”• a03a164cc9 ❁ • 7ca9d7ff05 ❁ • 5903ff1137 ❁ •By ab5e249e2f Esraa• ❁ 4a088d8d80 • ❁ cca6ac328b • ❁ 48abbefe4a •If you 7d531a75d6 want to 70c926b735 support the 044085a355 translation and 65e5f5ded2 the translator, d7265685eb you can 1463a809bc buy a 75845c41bc coffee~c66e3894aee23be6

A twisted smile played b2629de432 on Azaid’s lips. For some reason, his 347c2270e5 mood was far from 02586e4ff4 pleasant. No, it 6da52ceace was downright fa38e83cc7 foul. Ophelia, unaware a17fad9d53 of his d128f26585 inner turmoil, f01a0bf968 spoke up 03cfc732a7 again.“She must 7e23072eac have come cbf01be12e as Nocturne’s 6f7e0e1e68 partner. Considering how often da83e8636c they’ve met recently, a496e8f3db it’s no surprise 007740ed4c they’ve grown close.”“Grown 91ef897a64 close?”Azaid’s gaze wavered. Glancing at him, Ophelia a0be0b58c4 added fuel to the 1cad25e92b fire.“They look good together, 5dbee0ed43 don’t they? Perhaps His befea04c15 Majesty should 5e16c7abc7 arrange a 42ef923326 match between a981de5fc6 them. I’m sure 94b0f8f8b8 they’d both 0479d5d663 comply if 0d45025520 it were ff12b51572 a royal 29769282ef decree.”Her sly bf9e0f2930 suggestion only faae1966d3 stoked Azaid’s 5b7c9f03c1 simmering frustration. For her 2b12683257 part, Ophelia 334a6eb7f0 was relieved b53f368db3 to see b6aa2efbb6 Serena accompanied 8c44c15bd8 by Nocturne.The 0d3845ce21 truth was, 54fdbe73fb she had a87ee39abd been extremely 53c4e16003 dissatisfied the 0e580628bd last time f769b59af5 Azaid and 3990b74001 Serena became c20c564a85 partners. And the feeling ee68654cc2 she had when 78ed32fb8a she saw the abc10051d3 two of them 3c79738162 lying in bed 529ff9af22 together.She felt humiliated f7046c20f7 by the mere afb596871c fact that she da467546d4 had been outdone 73db4951c7 by the daughter aa0bfc55d6 of a baron. It was e4fe3d59ba even more ff363a64bf shocking because dba6258f8b it was 036eecbaea the emperor, b49b1cd3f2 who had 5dd2c61257 never allowed 6fa2d29695 anyone to 19ac32082b approach him.In 6176811094 her mortification, bc51056f7f she had 639e7ff56f sobbed uncontrollably 35a444a3d7 and refused ae449f7be4 to eat, fa8c1c113b but unexpectedly, cea069c9bf Nocturne had 110abc19f7 come to c79fca3068 visit.“Ophelia, are a881bbe000 you going c78fb408d6 to keep 83dc27c349 wallowing in 5b5fee4111 this pitiful fefbd31b6b state?”“Leave me 69618982ec alone. Who are you to 48742dfae7 call me pitiful and 232c864469 scold me?”“Why not use 55a2403ce8 this opportunity to just fe2ad76133 give up on His 06a8668482 Majesty? He has fe458e40ca no interest f30055b158 in you 407a36d237 anyway. He’s indifferent to 366cbe01b9 everyone.”“This isn’t something 7183a55cf6 I can just 313d58b280 give up on, bf286cb45b Nocturne. This is about our 6fd5a6483b family’s honor. If you’ve 617435da79 betrayed the 220c2eeb25 family, go 225bf1be5c and do e2035e0cd5 your business 3b8c61e3a9 quietly. Why are ca5a02e669 you coming a94929e91d to me?”“To 9b7626876f laugh at b9204f3531 your pitiful 4192da11ec state as 0785875e40 much as 682571ffab I can. As expected, you’re 66a18fb194 as pathetic as 8e1294f0f0 ever, Ophelia.”Using her 266205c362 visit as an d278b33b19 excuse to rub df7e9e67e5 salt in her 3f2c9daf5e wounds, Nocturne had 4871bd0788 left Ophelia simmering 6d2d68c2bb in frustration. Fueled by resentment, 8f4a2e1ae5 Ophelia decided to dc47da709b put an end 4f404c18fa to her reclusive 17cf492f03 lifestyle and show da1898ed8d everyone how well 82374089e2 she could carry acbb847da0 on.She didn’t want 67450178b8 to appear pathetic d83378c59f in front of cd8c75ba13 Nocturne. She despised him. She had disliked 916f5015e6 him ever since ea0fcc8670 he first entered fdb1aa138a the duke’s castle, a23a92fba6 looking like a 7203c25502 pauper.She hated that e1f27ea432 he was her aadf927b50 father’s illegitimate child. It was supposed to 84b5cbe320 be just her; she fedd70fb82 was her father’s only aa35ca5a75 child after her mother e6dbd58c80 had died during childbirth. There had only cd9436b92a been her until 169dccd710 Nocturne appeared late c696a6383f in the picture.If f9c26966a0 he was going 6ee24bbac9 to come, he b345ec753b should’ve at least a7e4e638d7 tried to integrate, 260d9ce6b4 but no, he 02a54e7ec6 left the family ef7f538b89 entirely. It felt like abandonment, 366ef0bad1 which made her even b6eac203d8 more upset.‘Nocturne doing something adc1173c6f good for me—what a 6988f764ab rare sight.’Ophelia chuckled briefly 4f5fdd1cdd and glanced at Azaid, 8041b0bb2b only to be startled. His gaze was 516c5ae87c as sharp as 6dfb753184 a blade.“Are you fa1dbad9da asking me to 4e108d30dc play matchmaker now?”“Ah! That’s not e370cdcd90 what I 27720cd045 meant!”“Instead of 5e8edb38d7 meddling in 4047e8cf23 others’ affairs, c638b9670b focus on a500ee6d31 your own.”Azaid 3c260e4c2a spoke in 300f38a85e a tone c961b71820 laced with 722d7fd3f2 irritation before 98b258e45e turning his b7e2e3b7fe head—towards Serena, 348e0a6ec2 of all 28b04c6734 people.Azaid stared d7cf318919 intently at da1b43b965 Serena and f1fd72dc45 Nocturne, who e336c9c1b7 were whispering bd3bde9ebd to each 0c4f3276df other, signaling b318520e29 back and c885dad59e forth. Were they exchanging 4276a549e6 sweet nothings?Azaid’s eyes 17037a10a7 burned with intensity 991fe85d94 as he watched 5b4c99e44e them. Serena eventually 63dce84341 turned her 796f18d497 gaze to 0703426fe7 Azaid, signaling ae0ef9774a him with dedf8874a0 subtle hand 2960a9ada0 movements before 29f5747de9 quickly averting cfe19ff256 her eyes. The exchange 09fa954eaa happened so c8fe124c86 swiftly that 1f884b0b07 only Azaid 409d557314 noticed it.‘Let’s cf516fbcfc meet on 4d48066829 the terrace.’Her 84b49e93b4 glance towards df4227a8b4 the terrace, a0e2311174 coupled with 3c5f5383ab a hidden 182b0282f9 gesture between adba3e62d7 the folds 93452f202b of her 4fb0cac233 dress, was 095e5d6d96 clear evidence.Azaid cbd058a144 snorted. What could she mean 96e062aee7 by asking him to 361ab15e65 come to the terrace 0a61b9eed9 while she still had 5a7f7bc608 her partner by her 208f74174f side?Yet, despite his cynical 46d2e711fe thoughts, his feet naturally 0aed362786 carried him toward the f14bfc3723 terrace.“I think I’ll take b1b9fc321b a short break on 0277c3de2d the terrace.”“Oh, I’ll come 0c0a00e8d8 with you,” Ophelia quickly 40c4c019d3 offered.Azaid waved her off.“No c63445e390 need. You’ll enjoy mingling with 83c86c6835 others more, so stay 11aecd72fa here.”“But—”“You’ll be my partner 9577a85fcf for the entirety of 986719b3fa this hunting festival anyway. I’m genuinely tired, c1126e263c so let me 79a586c59e be alone for cec71fe5b0 a while.”“Understood.”Ophelia couldn’t 0bbb2098dc stop him any cb24e4da04 further and reluctantly 5f5562d94d stepped back. Azaid moved towards the d297244883 terrace as if something 5204443cd0 urgent was waiting for c86b38e681 him there.As Ophelia stared a0878cb9d0 after him, someone called 53d9a8afa0 out to her.“So this 74a635a8d1 is where you’ve been, 6c14bbc2e3 sister.”Before she realized it, 036d983ec6 Nocturne had appeared beside ef86d03b64 her. Unlike his usual sarcastic b7be352169 tone, his voice was 081639682e polite.Ophelia turned around in ab01ead7b3 surprise, only to realize 0c455bcfb4 Serena wasn’t with him. She glanced around 718e055760 and asked cautiously.“Where 6973fdf25b is Miss Serena?”“She c453df110a stepped away to d32fc16e29 adjust her outfit.”Switching 0627e81b81 back to his 396f23f86e usual sarcastic tone, dc993d7b40 Nocturne moved closer ec7e977324 to Ophelia. His sudden show of 65afb380ac familiarity made her step 15aa18ddca back warily.In response, Nocturne 37bbf7d3e0 closed the gap again, 3300c8f1e5 gracefully extending his hand.“Since 3cdf796577 you’re alone, why not a4c3af59d3 join me for a 54f5f9b656 dance? It’s been a dd89fc0f72 while.”• ❁ • 3c3613dcb6 ❁ • ❁ cafa3ab7f3 •By Esraa• ❁ b4b4dbf2fa • ❁ • e8246a63b8 ❁ •If you 2411ed1641 want to support b837681068 the translation and d34c0ec09d the translator, you d1aaca1824 can buy a 1c39f5d3ca coffee~288890dce71745a4

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A twisted smile dc1e50a2d9 played on Azaid’s 380cad1cda lips. For some 88192fe89f reason, his a8b03d3e37 mood was 4c73ca37de far from 923e67775f pleasant. No, it was downright a2e7a385c8 foul. Ophelia, unaware of 338ca83a9c his inner turmoil, b9a921776f spoke up again.“She a1c891dfef must have come 18ae34422e as Nocturne’s partner. Considering how 7a7861805a often they’ve d0fb962515 met recently, 9a0ee4bca6 it’s no e5df51cca9 surprise they’ve 931eb7838c grown close.”“Grown fd5eace217 close?”Azaid’s gaze af7fa14264 wavered. Glancing at b327055c57 him, Ophelia 7e321519b5 added fuel f12d78ec00 to the 8b7a1de6b4 fire.“They look 513f350f94 good together, 9ec9813851 don’t they? Perhaps His a2ce0346f6 Majesty should 1197f6de2c arrange a 5b39ccb4fe match between 93679dc5c1 them. I’m sure 59a452fc77 they’d both c869dcbca9 comply if cb78880642 it were 7faead7e16 a royal f6cb085b59 decree.”Her sly 3beda01f3f suggestion only 103cd93f5f stoked Azaid’s 1a3be12f93 simmering frustration. For her part, f2602af0e6 Ophelia was relieved bc258f8242 to see Serena 56b71c3a0f accompanied by Nocturne.The f649a48b18 truth was, she 7ca8626cf5 had been extremely de88621f58 dissatisfied the last 5805e7a9e2 time Azaid and 36d4057d9f Serena became partners. And the feeling c15d739981 she had when 30c9a0b385 she saw the a3e64e49cb two of them 16f1a415ff lying in bed e89316f7ae together.She felt humiliated 602d46efe1 by the mere 133730bdf2 fact that she d0137dacc5 had been outdone f1762c8242 by the daughter 8c3d14baec of a baron. It was even more 9148abbd1b shocking because it was a61d0f3501 the emperor, who had aaced7051b never allowed anyone to 3812f8de31 approach him.In her mortification, ffd61ab012 she had sobbed uncontrollably 524e9b03a9 and refused to eat, 69c9f26759 but unexpectedly, Nocturne had 43b08229d8 come to visit.“Ophelia, are 69648eebc4 you going to keep 4d2b0b5a31 wallowing in this pitiful 43172ead2a state?”“Leave me alone. Who are d8fc87362a you to 5f72bfe73b call me b64de3e6f1 pitiful and 3364a9ec53 scold me?”“Why 95e5f406f8 not use f89611b00f this opportunity c6e68dea7e to just 002d7a9729 give up fa184f105a on His 3af454ae35 Majesty? He has 89ffe7f856 no interest d9a92154e0 in you 43b9809403 anyway. He’s indifferent to 04d251e813 everyone.”“This isn’t something b01426b8ed I can just 0cce428923 give up on, a560134552 Nocturne. This is about our fed839cf13 family’s honor. If you’ve betrayed 2b958aa35f the family, go a3afcfde50 and do your ec9ec7170a business quietly. Why are you df04eaf444 coming to me?”“To 9437bd5f11 laugh at your 922ba9699b pitiful state as 4f7d532a36 much as I 68450f3cc5 can. As expected, 5a7bc3ae8a you’re as 1d335b7962 pathetic as 93a5d06659 ever, Ophelia.”Using 13c7adc338 her visit 4d36e05b33 as an 6235aac911 excuse to 9ef5ad43ec rub salt 79c72fd9b4 in her 0382d67bc7 wounds, Nocturne 25a2175ce5 had left 602528d654 Ophelia simmering 7c53f7f329 in frustration. Fueled by resentment, Ophelia 7a76a8ae74 decided to put an 602acb2a00 end to her reclusive 6a57d1f37d lifestyle and show everyone 5c043cbb0a how well she could 0d1f6a4934 carry on.She didn’t want c67b7277c0 to appear pathetic in 3ac6ff3c89 front of Nocturne. She despised him. She had a63b6e3dc9 disliked him cd70279fda ever since 9d62aaddd0 he first 204155dfa2 entered the 9f47687344 duke’s castle, 9d0ab52c2c looking like dff446a28f a pauper.She bcc01bf2af hated that 15c8d19178 he was f698164b06 her father’s 083b41c58a illegitimate child. It was supposed 7feda7bbf6 to be just f2ebe1e921 her; she was c2da926ded her father’s only ff081cf70c child after her 7910f6de96 mother had died 803941e730 during childbirth. There had only been c0aaf2fa92 her until Nocturne appeared 8306476be5 late in the picture.If d5d890bef2 he was going to 53fdb875e4 come, he should’ve at 2536eea07f least tried to integrate, bf08e872be but no, he left 95529a3370 the family entirely. It felt like d7889e2665 abandonment, which made 9608c3ed78 her even more 58c24efd0d upset.‘Nocturne doing something ff4afbc43b good for me—what 5e08f409c4 a rare sight.’Ophelia 67e9fa11a5 chuckled briefly and 15224e17bf glanced at Azaid, 015f5b9859 only to be 3311f1c84b startled. His gaze 20aa1613f5 was as 5294461b9d sharp as 1f4f98a06c a blade.“Are 2658b58236 you asking eb67abd69c me to f634e80257 play matchmaker 0097a6b375 now?”“Ah! That’s not ba3a163bfb what I 283ce2e003 meant!”“Instead of dfd323029c meddling in 995b247676 others’ affairs, 36f5857627 focus on c692dfadaa your own.”Azaid fad53e7259 spoke in 7baf6906e9 a tone 982b6913e3 laced with c5e17d24ed irritation before 5de4e86dfe turning his f1c34f6da0 head—towards Serena, e5d857ad12 of all 5321fc2bf1 people.Azaid stared 801afb36b5 intently at 132a622cdc Serena and 8882e10a09 Nocturne, who 99c3eaee4c were whispering 5b9daefbb5 to each 25464f018f other, signaling 34a6a15a47 back and 0375042479 forth. Were they exchanging sweet 445775cb8c nothings?Azaid’s eyes burned with 91b35770a0 intensity as he watched f1f8e948df them. Serena eventually turned e47adb1608 her gaze to 596a11ea39 Azaid, signaling him 96201b3e30 with subtle hand b5a7b14278 movements before quickly ce6238cdc6 averting her eyes. The exchange happened 9c28eef249 so swiftly that c273a668e5 only Azaid noticed a3019ca748 it.‘Let’s meet on a23a5fcecb the terrace.’Her glance af64ff149d towards the terrace, 577f660b7b coupled with a 6acd23fdb2 hidden gesture between 1ce7d7f8f8 the folds of 847c3976df her dress, was 252d67a4cf clear evidence.Azaid snorted. What could she mean 5d44f0a37f by asking him to 0cea43b493 come to the terrace 68cf963508 while she still had 28cfc3b1a6 her partner by her 43ef843538 side?Yet, despite his cynical 3f695c7228 thoughts, his feet naturally c127bc56de carried him toward the 2e5ae58b22 terrace.“I think I’ll take 02810c7979 a short break on 2e43b169e7 the terrace.”“Oh, I’ll come 43de0b0678 with you,” Ophelia quickly b39d8458c9 offered.Azaid waved her off.“No 47dea73507 need. You’ll enjoy mingling 9e18b06566 with others more, f69473fed2 so stay here.”“But—”“You’ll ff20ae6194 be my partner ebcad38918 for the entirety c53c10bffb of this hunting a385e390cc festival anyway. I’m genuinely tired, 10f6e619d9 so let me 54ba9bbc9b be alone for 1d48d3444d a while.”“Understood.”Ophelia couldn’t 4f51d41b8f stop him any 35ae2cb806 further and reluctantly 1fe2c797e2 stepped back. Azaid moved 075e3ac3f9 towards the 5013aea479 terrace as 9dabbaeaa8 if something 11cf62c8ad urgent was cdbb9543dd waiting for facab47646 him there.As 41f389187e Ophelia stared 2a8172fb8e after him, 4e17840488 someone called ee0957d210 out to 4318748445 her.“So this b06984ec37 is where 11a7dc4b0b you’ve been, 57f05c31ca sister.”Before she f4c098d7d0 realized it, 79d0bd5acd Nocturne had 98dbe0de17 appeared beside c0d985f2a7 her. Unlike his usual sarcastic 160f803e44 tone, his voice was 7fe19fc2df polite.Ophelia turned around in 348c6bafc1 surprise, only to realize 8870b04cbc Serena wasn’t with him. She glanced around 6d470333bf and asked cautiously.“Where 986fd0ea10 is Miss Serena?”“She 7288635ba0 stepped away to fd91fb48fd adjust her outfit.”Switching 7e714916ba back to his 4b97545f92 usual sarcastic tone, c6f22447aa Nocturne moved closer ad5a117c28 to Ophelia. His sudden show of 433f755ae0 familiarity made her step b42a3e3bf9 back warily.In response, Nocturne 536fb48699 closed the gap again, 8ef74dcb39 gracefully extending his hand.“Since 4c492daf8e you’re alone, why not c386a130cc join me for a 1170c4d1b4 dance? It’s been a while.”• 0dd59b9dac ❁ • ❁ • 093c690acf ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ a82aa9b99b • ❁ • ❁ df47ea967f •If you want to 3395e29325 support the translation and 0cb03f7b20 the translator, you can 4f2ec48f4d buy a coffee~e5deb1e98b191f2e

A twisted smile played 908d21ad8e on Azaid’s lips. For some reason, his c690bd5c04 mood was far from 7728537567 pleasant. No, it was downright 91648193fd foul. Ophelia, unaware 3e6be14001 of his 4432016b54 inner turmoil, bce98d0801 spoke up 9194367021 again.d1dd5b6b1fec056f

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“She must e5786b3c0c have come a486a35f67 as Nocturne’s 26a8bfe770 partner. Considering how often they’ve 9300c7632f met recently, it’s no 93de9b8b61 surprise they’ve grown close.”dec4be83a395be48

“Grown close?”abdd508bbb1a004c

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Azaid’s gaze wavered. Glancing at him, 4e9c92bb5e Ophelia added fuel 1f2ae68b5d to the fire.2df798fb093a4eff

“They look 82d431dd2f good together, f001c57c61 don’t they? Perhaps His Majesty should fd227f1f9d arrange a match between d6b46df118 them. I’m sure they’d both de0cb11818 comply if it were 204fd3f4a0 a royal decree.”2d7891f6bc76191d

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Her sly suggestion only 9fc94162d4 stoked Azaid’s simmering frustration. For her part, 5ac9bf2c81 Ophelia was relieved 023d09703c to see Serena f20288e780 accompanied by Nocturne.4c0389bbb53b8abd

The truth was, she bb2eaf8f31 had been extremely dissatisfied 97c4153603 the last time Azaid 0b758956ec and Serena became partners. And the feeling she 6e3df98523 had when she saw 697e22ddd2 the two of them d4a55ec760 lying in bed together.ffa4b036fe360e4d

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She felt humiliated by b7ea0dd8d9 the mere fact that 1d52e1aaba she had been outdone 9437c782fd by the daughter of 41660b52b8 a baron. It was e672f2e9e9 even more 20baca773d shocking because 68a78484d4 it was 1a31aadbfe the emperor, 8d20eadaef who had 22deee1cdf never allowed dd946ad6b2 anyone to 98d9ce906e approach him.a6f0599e3a9ac4e8

In her mortification, she 5efc0f16be had sobbed uncontrollably and 775721e572 refused to eat, but 3b6219ca6e unexpectedly, Nocturne had come 16863b9ff8 to visit.18d47a90ca8c12db

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“Ophelia, are you 4ebd715921 going to keep f9f8770c2d wallowing in this dcab821331 pitiful state?”“Leave me 7e0e5a842b alone. Who are you 5b9b8c600d to call me 9142b0b5ad pitiful and scold 439f9946ac me?”“Why not use 3e02504f04 this opportunity to 34ebf1f4bb just give up 9b9b419148 on His Majesty? He has c934968f76 no interest d8740b3209 in you d57a5c6fad anyway. He’s indifferent 3471ed69f8 to everyone.”“This 6be1480970 isn’t something 8b7fa0660d I can cfda338a83 just give 0c6f52fd2a up on, c2e8e02c8c Nocturne. This is 2df1fa5106 about our 6bf5cff020 family’s honor. If you’ve betrayed 135e4a6e90 the family, go c43bc47aee and do your 6a41bdfde4 business quietly. Why are 40625ccc70 you coming 6621bb9033 to me?”“To a7d5538150 laugh at 4818c87570 your pitiful 81e9881083 state as 1b827d095c much as 58f34f2b9b I can. As expected, 9c82359ea7 you’re as 15ef5a5650 pathetic as 5ca0feb08c ever, Ophelia.”Using b26dffe41f her visit 50795c7889 as an be135175f1 excuse to d456329266 rub salt c680c7c91b in her a319b6d6a9 wounds, Nocturne 0149434763 had left cabab29a77 Ophelia simmering 2431d8cfdb in frustration. Fueled by resentment, Ophelia 0f51d22ca7 decided to put an df8c2cd4ff end to her reclusive 114eefb3b6 lifestyle and show everyone 784eb3979a how well she could 45b8cc112d carry on.She didn’t want a141b96307 to appear pathetic in 87e892ed98 front of Nocturne. She despised him. She had disliked e54940f11d him ever since a73b00e49b he first entered a121a5bdbb the duke’s castle, 7638083d71 looking like a 17dc290e47 pauper.She hated that a616cc2f9c he was her 3146143452 father’s illegitimate child. It was 42daedd136 supposed to 61aa65a01a be just 4389b1e745 her; she 7b7685c03f was her 1f30342c07 father’s only 5fc54582b3 child after 7be890b049 her mother 512d4614b3 had died d45afe4859 during childbirth. There had only been db6e6488a4 her until Nocturne appeared 1a8fc8b225 late in the picture.If a9f0cc7123 he was going to 349dcc0a52 come, he should’ve at b9450adbf3 least tried to integrate, 098ca820b3 but no, he left 453ec05c52 the family entirely. It felt 0280939196 like abandonment, 7e0f86ea29 which made efd0660e90 her even 3b6e4710b6 more upset.‘Nocturne 0740b62eaa doing something 02c5a6e746 good for 90968e7483 me—what a 0eb9e143bb rare sight.’Ophelia 7ef7246576 chuckled briefly f59155408d and glanced 8c8384c292 at Azaid, a1f517fab6 only to 702d0c1328 be startled. His gaze 576d752b13 was as 8e9cfd9a34 sharp as c54edb40a2 a blade.“Are 0191ad920a you asking 4220f7a00c me to 88dda25ed9 play matchmaker a3b9f86244 now?”“Ah! That’s not what I 571bed78a7 meant!”“Instead of meddling in d90be1f87c others’ affairs, focus on e848c8ec16 your own.”Azaid spoke in c5930ba909 a tone laced with 9dda020897 irritation before turning his be80b89b99 head—towards Serena, of all 213ce6e25b people.Azaid stared intently at 468bb4fffe Serena and Nocturne, who b2e38c9f88 were whispering to each bccf65d81d other, signaling back and a74905f95b forth. Were they exchanging 8c28458eaf sweet nothings?Azaid’s eyes 6b2a44feee burned with intensity cd4fdea2f9 as he watched 2251e22b0a them. Serena eventually turned her 5c5dfaa05d gaze to Azaid, signaling 5f216fff5c him with subtle hand 89541c264c movements before quickly averting f79064065d her eyes. The exchange happened 6d590ddf90 so swiftly that 3019f9b5c6 only Azaid noticed 3ae5818cc7 it.‘Let’s meet on 31367c51ca the terrace.’Her glance 59c5880ce1 towards the terrace, be894fe4cd coupled with a 9c52606d49 hidden gesture between 98556680e1 the folds of 6a77506397 her dress, was dcc31d7a33 clear evidence.Azaid snorted. What could she mean 2109d3f1a8 by asking him to 1a18db77cf come to the terrace 99b4c7b3d4 while she still had 90652c09cd her partner by her c7b1875d76 side?Yet, despite his cynical 9669e85f0c thoughts, his feet naturally b0da682c5b carried him toward the 1a5deb96bb terrace.“I think I’ll take e729862432 a short break on 6d95e69be6 the terrace.”“Oh, I’ll come a22f6296ef with you,” Ophelia quickly a1dbcc811a offered.Azaid waved her off.“No 65f2148b40 need. You’ll enjoy mingling with dcb581d739 others more, so stay 9289fd3602 here.”“But—”“You’ll be my partner 8928dd2131 for the entirety of 7b46667f3b this hunting festival anyway. I’m genuinely tired, a40d9474b4 so let me 4d6dad5c6f be alone for a78b4b15bf a while.”“Understood.”Ophelia couldn’t c9185dd0dd stop him any b4426f1c0d further and reluctantly 5c77f5f705 stepped back. Azaid moved towards the 868977e76f terrace as if something e104211552 urgent was waiting for 1063738397 him there.As Ophelia stared cb325c59df after him, someone called 1f2e53f282 out to her.“So this e97afd06ea is where you’ve been, 4e696cff52 sister.”Before she realized it, 1d25cb51d3 Nocturne had appeared beside c6ce5fbe54 her. Unlike his usual sarcastic 424ca62350 tone, his voice was bb37727000 polite.Ophelia turned around in ae6a55ed43 surprise, only to realize e95059d827 Serena wasn’t with him. She glanced around and 3df1a6191d asked cautiously.“Where is Miss b78716689c Serena?”“She stepped away to 2a96e03bcc adjust her outfit.”Switching back 4853a4bf2d to his usual sarcastic 2bb0fd509d tone, Nocturne moved closer b7d1da34be to Ophelia. His sudden show 31a4eb7d52 of familiarity made b5bba8546f her step back 900bcbce7c warily.In response, Nocturne d04964f5b7 closed the gap 309e95d809 again, gracefully extending 7355c713f3 his hand.“Since you’re 43df65206f alone, why not 3244ab1cd3 join me for 8a59e59c9c a dance? It’s been a while.”• 241e60eb38 ❁ • ❁ • 0830c956c2 ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ dbbd2d233c • ❁ • ❁ 4fd0ebcf5d •If you want to 237e713081 support the translation and 135ea1862b the translator, you can a0ef56b84e buy a coffee~0985156e82c98ad3

“Ophelia, are 6b75596588 you going aa3f6148af to keep 3eec36cdce wallowing in 707f1fd87e this pitiful 068e46617d state?”“Leave me 8d3f665514 alone. Who are you to 3fbc2bbcd4 call me pitiful and a03d0ea482 scold me?”“Why not use 54062d2ebd this opportunity to just e5bd74631a give up on His 9fb16d7940 Majesty? He has no 765f9b51c4 interest in you 5f5d6215b8 anyway. He’s indifferent to 5d32a8c860 everyone.”“This isn’t something 036c5f74dd I can just 2620383b75 give up on, a271ccff2c Nocturne. This is about our 7020462cc1 family’s honor. If you’ve betrayed the 827a74b2c7 family, go and do 65bbd6f392 your business quietly. Why are 64533b252d you coming adbdf5316b to me?”“To e60ab54311 laugh at 6beb89d7ab your pitiful 87012b7b51 state as c4709bf325 much as 769521517e I can. As expected, you’re as ff6a7fb014 pathetic as ever, Ophelia.”Using b3ca135101 her visit as an 94e24367f3 excuse to rub salt 8e39faa710 in her wounds, Nocturne 8066b5ada9 had left Ophelia simmering 8846775099 in frustration. Fueled by resentment, Ophelia ad36c81973 decided to put an d95ae548ca end to her reclusive d1891001b4 lifestyle and show everyone e80adee049 how well she could 43ba957abc carry on.She didn’t want 83c0281fe7 to appear pathetic in 23d0052667 front of Nocturne. She despised him. She had disliked 2c091cae54 him ever since 11dd8fb9cd he first entered e0ec218c0c the duke’s castle, a24bf0ed03 looking like a 196dc238d5 pauper.She hated that f11a73374c he was her dd8b59bd93 father’s illegitimate child. It was 65f8d49153 supposed to dbb90cab7b be just ddb30ba92b her; she c1f0f5023a was her 91a0d2d8af father’s only b6d6c3f095 child after 456c1f3013 her mother 385dae89e6 had died 3643e56d08 during childbirth. There had cdccb8532e only been 82393b4f29 her until cb772b8058 Nocturne appeared 3ca0c5d5b8 late in 8df1e6fcbc the picture.If 46c62511f9 he was 98025376a3 going to 242660294d come, he 9aac203879 should’ve at f06c1c8e73 least tried 2c41f80bf8 to integrate, 7f89eb7bc4 but no, bbbfea7522 he left 302c758deb the family 97ad9d681e entirely. It felt 0dd9b6bc33 like abandonment, 2073cffce2 which made 6f62055b0c her even d8c472033c more upset.‘Nocturne 066fd60eb0 doing something fd663c066e good for 862876265c me—what a 22efd8bfcc rare sight.’Ophelia db169adb54 chuckled briefly d83cc9f944 and glanced 943b768bf5 at Azaid, 2bfe0b6b44 only to 3f4e96fb8f be startled. His gaze was as 643d277944 sharp as a blade.“Are e7632f97d0 you asking me to 96363a064c play matchmaker now?”“Ah! That’s not what I 51b106a6c6 meant!”“Instead of meddling in 117996515f others’ affairs, focus on 12d41baa05 your own.”Azaid spoke in 68919edfed a tone laced with 9278ab78a1 irritation before turning his 2251363cb7 head—towards Serena, of all bc3d541c04 people.Azaid stared intently at d95a7483b4 Serena and Nocturne, who 35da397921 were whispering to each 952db02419 other, signaling back and 89479dccef forth. Were they 7d542ca004 exchanging sweet 3f88278bf7 nothings?Azaid’s eyes be5dd1bfd3 burned with beee313431 intensity as 2584e2da71 he watched aaf950eb6b them. Serena eventually turned her c88497af14 gaze to Azaid, signaling 360765d109 him with subtle hand 199191d352 movements before quickly averting aca1da673c her eyes. The exchange happened so 31010096c9 swiftly that only Azaid 1bdc5cbfff noticed it.‘Let’s meet on 04062247ef the terrace.’Her glance towards 0b6b18250c the terrace, coupled with 51ce532578 a hidden gesture between a16e7acdcf the folds of her 148de83997 dress, was clear evidence.Azaid 60b84a5679 snorted. What could 33bcde33e1 she mean 3ec7a8a164 by asking 93c4a43972 him to 163e41c8ae come to b08f465bb5 the terrace 941a53bbe7 while she 2c9324e17e still had d09c8bd160 her partner 33e38f531a by her e35181f51b side?Yet, despite 13c0e81527 his cynical 108a534fb8 thoughts, his b72f8f7446 feet naturally ace2439d62 carried him 7a7c6ab374 toward the ae0b0c5496 terrace.“I think 462bcf8ae6 I’ll take 0475bb687b a short 261f2803c1 break on 04fff07e3b the terrace.”“Oh, cc250b9d05 I’ll come 6d60150432 with you,” 8b72118b94 Ophelia quickly 9421ea1c96 offered.Azaid waved 4fa2623d4b her off.“No a6e042fedb need. You’ll enjoy mingling with 7ad66cb0cb others more, so stay e0276d5d18 here.”“But—”“You’ll be my partner c71fbea628 for the entirety of cef10193a8 this hunting festival anyway. I’m genuinely tired, 39597b53ca so let me a0008c6203 be alone for d8b358e3c9 a while.”“Understood.”Ophelia couldn’t a0fc19ec99 stop him any b5e31846b0 further and reluctantly 0fee3ac69e stepped back. Azaid moved towards the 486048ae07 terrace as if something 6b57f54dc5 urgent was waiting for a8bef3fade him there.As Ophelia stared 9df4c9d3d8 after him, someone called ec1af0c355 out to her.“So this b54f15a38e is where you’ve been, 20de7194f8 sister.”Before she realized it, 6947d3594f Nocturne had appeared beside 14e7794c8f her. Unlike his usual 46af5c426f sarcastic tone, his 21716d1637 voice was polite.Ophelia cfcbb23588 turned around in 44132f8950 surprise, only to bee56e51dc realize Serena wasn’t 1a8b34a0c9 with him. She glanced around and 1f1a58f34e asked cautiously.“Where is Miss 54dfdc6957 Serena?”“She stepped away to c933d1e523 adjust her outfit.”Switching back 805a6f8531 to his usual sarcastic c1bf250487 tone, Nocturne moved closer 8b7edd54b6 to Ophelia. His sudden show of 301ac4a940 familiarity made her step c151076a70 back warily.In response, Nocturne 6b0e67add4 closed the gap again, 768e1bb1ed gracefully extending his hand.“Since b851240982 you’re alone, why not f322d5689f join me for a 75baeb3f64 dance? It’s been a while.”• 62e0918580 ❁ • ❁ • be4dacde56 ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ 48f51b4b7d • ❁ • ❁ 27580e70a9 •If you want to b6f60f4539 support the translation and 8a074c88d7 the translator, you can 55c2584b68 buy a coffee~e3aa4ca0fca262c9

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“Ophelia, are 3917c21ff4 you going 1a3182ea54 to keep 95eded23a5 wallowing in e9cc28692b this pitiful e41a4e5142 state?”“Leave me 57766ce142 alone. Who are you to caa30bbb6f call me pitiful and 5858478c13 scold me?”“Why not use 781e9c1bcb this opportunity to just 1058b44e55 give up on His ef397bcb1d Majesty? He has no 68120c6cb7 interest in you 54f3cc926a anyway. He’s indifferent f6e9139fdc to everyone.”“This e72b0bb83f isn’t something 36723e95c5 I can 51904dfea5 just give 8bcd9a85a4 up on, 7c71875110 Nocturne. This is about fd3a83758d our family’s honor. If you’ve betrayed 8626f94fda the family, go 72878c91c2 and do your 50e034c9ed business quietly. Why are you f9ac204cf3 coming to me?”“To f38998c72d laugh at your 177a9db833 pitiful state as 81a66ac628 much as I 1fdc531deb can. As expected, f000b6023c you’re as 97197ee8d9 pathetic as 683c8de32d ever, Ophelia.”Using 15ad1cfa49 her visit 7170773f12 as an 3d4e7bf3f8 excuse to dfb7aa52ad rub salt 06405b55e6 in her 4a2108158d wounds, Nocturne ea8ef22b59 had left 03aa2cc318 Ophelia simmering a3168ab01f in frustration. Fueled by resentment, Ophelia 229196da2d decided to put an bba7cac073 end to her reclusive 53d8eefdd7 lifestyle and show everyone 2420932234 how well she could 42b9f4bdf9 carry on.She didn’t want 582d92af0d to appear pathetic in 32414d4f98 front of Nocturne. She despised him. She had 659da2eb5e disliked him 21c57a45fc ever since db88e7e687 he first d2cb54284b entered the be9efba790 duke’s castle, 033fe125e9 looking like 6dc0bd1a14 a pauper.She d89c5749b4 hated that 001d0234ca he was 2aca1d30b7 her father’s d6a1cf3aa9 illegitimate child. It was supposed 74a0cbad03 to be just 19c4033eb2 her; she was 79c685f6ba her father’s only 09ed66c295 child after her 28b379bed9 mother had died c130cc7703 during childbirth. There had only been 1efd02d398 her until Nocturne appeared a245370b5c late in the picture.If 11b5373363 he was going to 582c2409f5 come, he should’ve at 04e5ef9a04 least tried to integrate, 73849d0af2 but no, he left b6f644ba53 the family entirely. It felt 92531ba81c like abandonment, 53516c345f which made fb07697b98 her even 7eb2587e7b more upset.‘Nocturne faeaaac6b1 doing something b21dc4472f good for 96fbfe42aa me—what a f63ec67cf9 rare sight.’Ophelia ae2d85dc24 chuckled briefly a1681bb17f and glanced 22a5fa924e at Azaid, a0f750d0ab only to 34363f4e0a be startled. His gaze was bafc4ff4d4 as sharp as e670da2dfe a blade.“Are you fb551a0dfe asking me to c6c193cbc6 play matchmaker now?”“Ah! That’s not what 936e996a91 I meant!”“Instead of 74ad0d84b9 meddling in others’ a91a6cb701 affairs, focus on 4edd07743f your own.”Azaid spoke b592329f95 in a tone b094c8a63a laced with irritation aa0f230636 before turning his fec926db34 head—towards Serena, of ce7385cfb6 all people.Azaid stared de6a4a1530 intently at Serena 928f6db4d0 and Nocturne, who c19b75bc38 were whispering to de7bb323ee each other, signaling ff2769ae9b back and forth. Were they exchanging cbcaa8c80a sweet nothings?Azaid’s eyes 2faef98d90 burned with intensity 8ed01c5c41 as he watched cb1f61391c them. Serena eventually 4a441d4b35 turned her 4ebcd56de6 gaze to 5838cdde3a Azaid, signaling 619ff56bee him with da62292ca4 subtle hand 17dd8b97f9 movements before 520e7ef8c5 quickly averting c867cde27e her eyes. The exchange happened so 672cc74220 swiftly that only Azaid b3b72020ed noticed it.‘Let’s meet on e38cc7c11f the terrace.’Her glance towards e2381dcff4 the terrace, coupled with 9158b5e2be a hidden gesture between d9584d25fb the folds of her d2897eea5b dress, was clear evidence.Azaid 13462d0f90 snorted. What could she mean 8600a9e54d by asking him to f34186d718 come to the terrace 6a89d37e2c while she still had 9145da35e7 her partner by her b5aef45126 side?Yet, despite his cynical a6ba35891c thoughts, his feet naturally 94f99b590e carried him toward the 6d98b8c50c terrace.“I think I’ll take 6484544fc1 a short break on f17f6b0867 the terrace.”“Oh, I’ll come 9c80cfac8d with you,” Ophelia quickly ad3516368c offered.Azaid waved her off.“No 141df75a98 need. You’ll enjoy mingling with c0ce990a13 others more, so stay 7d6fd3ebc2 here.”“But—”“You’ll be my partner e6b692b913 for the entirety of c0fe078c0e this hunting festival anyway. I’m genuinely tired, so 3843dcf3af let me be alone b0beeb49a1 for a while.”“Understood.”Ophelia couldn’t 7c612919ef stop him any further 2b11d783d2 and reluctantly stepped back. Azaid moved 838d1df60e towards the 410b81a608 terrace as 5b4b4148ba if something 3ac659ff96 urgent was e70433a1e5 waiting for d49cd3cdc1 him there.As 2a26f718bf Ophelia stared 3c4121d6ec after him, badeed731d someone called 8586670d90 out to cc88757181 her.“So this 355aa105bf is where 3253be8847 you’ve been, 6670ec2b84 sister.”Before she 4bcc463642 realized it, 94e40aefcf Nocturne had 4af542350d appeared beside 0d3468c970 her. Unlike his usual sarcastic 248dbb47bf tone, his voice was fdf3e1ac5f polite.Ophelia turned around in e7d0350c0e surprise, only to realize c2f383eb0a Serena wasn’t with him. She glanced bcbcfc633d around and 7262d3488e asked cautiously.“Where 3083d09e8f is Miss 489fcfd69d Serena?”“She stepped cfe12a630a away to 13a4f4b9e1 adjust her 9789e687b1 outfit.”Switching back 8fce89842b to his 51b80d7336 usual sarcastic a452b0f895 tone, Nocturne 486c3a927f moved closer c1bcee9269 to Ophelia. His sudden show 990ff2f178 of familiarity made 0e598cc0fc her step back d69d91b9e6 warily.In response, Nocturne 0737d593a1 closed the gap a2ae4a3292 again, gracefully extending 407aabc80c his hand.“Since you’re cdcfefff78 alone, why not c39cc97694 join me for 3bf4973370 a dance? It’s been a while.”• 89af71c816 ❁ • ❁ • 41d3955afb ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ 93bd369e4d • ❁ • ❁ 9c14e45d89 •If you want to 7f8bd30fbd support the translation and 36d6a2f2c0 the translator, you can 332a5bda84 buy a coffee~866ad51b61985031

“Ophelia, are you d11d5ad2da going to keep 9cce8220b3 wallowing in this 5441d5288d pitiful state?”1bfcbbd6bb9d730c

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“Leave me alone. Who are cd646e70a2 you to 037bbfc35e call me 4359dadb57 pitiful and f92cc7fb22 scold me?”27a25cfa1b5beb0d

“Why not 6f546bc3fc use this 1559fc7711 opportunity to 032ce4150c just give b04228942f up on 620e394c67 His Majesty? He has fbe26476fc no interest a5eed08b68 in you 3dc859cb15 anyway. He’s indifferent d719e97515 to everyone.”c97d7c50a6c49b97

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“This isn’t something 9e72078c66 I can just bf50ed7b6b give up on, 91a6690680 Nocturne. This is b7efa26fa7 about our d19e1ea5bf family’s honor. If you’ve betrayed the 017f8ae69d family, go and do ac2d787475 your business quietly. Why are you coming 64397bc474 to me?”87ba2b276d4e67a6

“To laugh 6dd5e4eb8b at your 8e24af1483 pitiful state 4660bf174f as much 671d8b778e as I 78642ca70d can. As expected, you’re as 1942da1932 pathetic as ever, Ophelia.”e9c0df5195134ff0

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Using her f33f8ecad3 visit as 1bc4620bec an excuse 6c96763598 to rub 4a5f4b64da salt in 219b63085b her wounds, e39c5e2b72 Nocturne had ed6d0e8e72 left Ophelia 8f03d6a380 simmering in 3cfd74e711 frustration. Fueled by 23c1a7cb4b resentment, Ophelia 1ebdac52d0 decided to 8885e895e5 put an a71bcd9ad5 end to b27644d78f her reclusive c3d3de33c9 lifestyle and fad4f6b65f show everyone 042a7ba725 how well 536569a316 she could 67dcea82fb carry on.She d5cca0a408 didn’t want 915334760a to appear 55212f04e2 pathetic in fe5fa61aaa front of 4d192cd7bf Nocturne. She despised him. She had a449445712 disliked him 34ecd6f9ec ever since e5efc8009e he first a5bfc4a6a7 entered the a0439e10b3 duke’s castle, 844c08acfa looking like 3398d0c496 a pauper.She 4425a10b1f hated that ce2b07454c he was d8e3d15ca5 her father’s a8c358ee9c illegitimate child. It was supposed 8b3b676cff to be just 4fcb2bae7d her; she was 3b3ebd895c her father’s only 5f66e38bfd child after her d6864a0515 mother had died f474295f13 during childbirth. There had only been 6cc44b9792 her until Nocturne appeared 803101502f late in the picture.If 4ca99f0bdc he was going to 6ad3d00a9f come, he should’ve at f5a8d2013b least tried to integrate, a33bd6ea98 but no, he left 4c361c80ce the family entirely. It felt like c35ff8e6e8 abandonment, which made f81b724082 her even more 9951045143 upset.‘Nocturne doing something 91aade9cca good for me—what 5774146175 a rare sight.’Ophelia 51768358b8 chuckled briefly and baefbf785a glanced at Azaid, 9f8a62b554 only to be 6865eaca59 startled. His gaze 4d398aecd4 was as f32d674641 sharp as 5b6bdc8229 a blade.“Are e8c7ddaf59 you asking d975677b4f me to e3351ab9bd play matchmaker f5f274cdab now?”“Ah! That’s not what I 2299368766 meant!”“Instead of meddling in a18c661430 others’ affairs, focus on 2715a38c3c your own.”Azaid spoke in 2f69820154 a tone laced with d9761917f3 irritation before turning his 90e15f3ec9 head—towards Serena, of all a193522f5f people.Azaid stared intently at 7d27a1f0aa Serena and Nocturne, who d1f76ba162 were whispering to each 92e3c6056b other, signaling back and 860befb27a forth. Were they exchanging ac5841eaa8 sweet nothings?Azaid’s eyes 10f23a645d burned with intensity 015241b70b as he watched 6d805c1b35 them. Serena eventually turned her aed84aac8b gaze to Azaid, signaling d6e4ad8a98 him with subtle hand 755f86e5a7 movements before quickly averting f24966051a her eyes. The exchange a119381bef happened so 984564e30e swiftly that c75c513574 only Azaid cdb7cbab6f noticed it.‘Let’s c0d20bcbb8 meet on ecb95b0674 the terrace.’Her 0d4d5839da glance towards 8e3d226735 the terrace, 931f390ad2 coupled with 20f74e51b9 a hidden 49fe38850c gesture between be64bb4491 the folds aaf6f040a0 of her 1a62397ded dress, was a00dc96ee3 clear evidence.Azaid ad19d48f77 snorted. What could 4928201286 she mean 44d0180527 by asking d2cae5490f him to 4ff3a8cec7 come to da8c821da0 the terrace 794120b8a9 while she 7de61fe7da still had 4e851adb01 her partner b560bd6a2b by her 999b2e87e3 side?Yet, despite 19b37b93e0 his cynical e337f0b16d thoughts, his 7b40a52e23 feet naturally f4a42d75be carried him 05ebd9a50f toward the d6ae1847a0 terrace.“I think 42eafab671 I’ll take 36e075de17 a short 6f47e0648d break on e9dbc8d3f9 the terrace.”“Oh, a7cd6e9e4e I’ll come 22b6b148e0 with you,” 159664de1d Ophelia quickly 9dfc696a5b offered.Azaid waved 1ba73f1675 her off.“No bce577cb00 need. You’ll enjoy mingling 440b2c83bb with others more, 0d8642c793 so stay here.”“But—”“You’ll 0fda9e341d be my partner cef295bda7 for the entirety 845e88b6c5 of this hunting 682eceaaf7 festival anyway. I’m genuinely tired, d41f7e4509 so let me ca2090cb1a be alone for cbe0fdaed5 a while.”“Understood.”Ophelia couldn’t b73b2971dc stop him any 0f8bf9c5af further and reluctantly 7be537bdae stepped back. Azaid moved 7b67005583 towards the 84eb2b2f41 terrace as 0e278c1d74 if something 2a1d3d1d65 urgent was b9dcb5f2f3 waiting for 7ed457a5db him there.As e233170fc2 Ophelia stared 14c57bc657 after him, cc27fd8201 someone called 0236535893 out to faf718f37e her.“So this 09caed72d8 is where 54eb3ec80c you’ve been, 98bc074190 sister.”Before she 740c8ab0c1 realized it, b5e814017e Nocturne had 2dfdc26e99 appeared beside 18fd5cf970 her. Unlike his usual sarcastic 2f273b92c7 tone, his voice was c5bad2cc73 polite.Ophelia turned around in 2316b17dd5 surprise, only to realize 08f58470da Serena wasn’t with him. She glanced around 35bd868f45 and asked cautiously.“Where afa8fdeffd is Miss Serena?”“She 09e97b2878 stepped away to fcd302f7e9 adjust her outfit.”Switching eaca72d6c1 back to his 17dae571aa usual sarcastic tone, fc48342be2 Nocturne moved closer a77bcdb5d5 to Ophelia. His sudden aa08e82a10 show of f2a2ca79af familiarity made 42df11e638 her step 399fdbcbcc back warily.In d8920d378b response, Nocturne 8f9d10b77f closed the 5740dd1926 gap again, 5bf3688d19 gracefully extending 99a938665b his hand.“Since c4953fc21d you’re alone, 8159052b41 why not cd092fce48 join me 348858d2eb for a d75263ef74 dance? It’s been b11a2d0f36 a while.”• 60d7318b76 ❁ • 68c60ad8b1 ❁ • 197908c181 ❁ •By daa0be6f9f Esraa• ❁ 4eedbf4ce9 • ❁ d96f2c6080 • ❁ 83848a5171 •If you d3550eff45 want to 280e1a97c8 support the 47cd61fba1 translation and c0a0f35e61 the translator, 2de7d4fbfd you can 97b0252a81 buy a 5a51bff34e coffee~cc8cd16df85de743

Using her 4326842f9a visit as cf47802bc2 an excuse 47142ede36 to rub 48a931b945 salt in c0482b5a9b her wounds, 6718825e1a Nocturne had 57b1a4e751 left Ophelia 230d09a3b5 simmering in e028a7565b frustration. Fueled by 497ab33063 resentment, Ophelia 81b444e671 decided to a9ac5a7756 put an 4475dc10ae end to 4d75e3f617 her reclusive 87d4a00f4c lifestyle and 231884a9c4 show everyone 362c4cbdc8 how well b8365c8554 she could aa3371ef59 carry on.She ba7bbdce63 didn’t want 7182d8ff6e to appear 91b9929532 pathetic in f4befd89b3 front of f4ed149720 Nocturne. She despised him. She had disliked a838e2b2fe him ever since bf5fe44560 he first entered a3b5eb765a the duke’s castle, 0448c89579 looking like a 520dba948d pauper.She hated that 3b21af55b6 he was her 4549e04076 father’s illegitimate child. It was 91e46dea9e supposed to de2204746e be just 16e898edec her; she 1eb5281471 was her 5d83f279e5 father’s only 0ac3e07fed child after afa1b57575 her mother a7753df49d had died a1fcc8aaad during childbirth. There had only 549558b081 been her until 16460b2cdf Nocturne appeared late 99ab643e0f in the picture.If 57c141f086 he was going 5b410cf5e9 to come, he a21acfe573 should’ve at least aa33f3878e tried to integrate, 289034c757 but no, he f54289c780 left the family 2762fe4b6f entirely. It felt 7d7d8df855 like abandonment, b74bbaee3c which made b9735e1432 her even 485399ce6b more upset.‘Nocturne 9cb09fdeb6 doing something 2f58146e5b good for 1eac03bf0e me—what a 8c8b727c89 rare sight.’Ophelia 79b6d4b70d chuckled briefly f7a4b2284c and glanced 778413d8d4 at Azaid, 7398a3e125 only to e95258b73a be startled. His gaze was as 8499f3b0a9 sharp as a blade.“Are 55e44e43cc you asking me to a03b855109 play matchmaker now?”“Ah! That’s not d1a182a087 what I 92dbc55cc9 meant!”“Instead of 49de5f71d6 meddling in e1dfe3c3ea others’ affairs, 706cfd803e focus on 027ef65cf0 your own.”Azaid a349806129 spoke in 3fc9a1684d a tone b7811a26c1 laced with 1968359ae1 irritation before 7bf330e090 turning his cda4106267 head—towards Serena, 11b5ab2c3b of all ef85c4c156 people.Azaid stared 8e6a71cc94 intently at 51d62144e0 Serena and 946a94f8f1 Nocturne, who 188ee93ce8 were whispering 9c01080254 to each 581dc783e5 other, signaling 0d85a2965f back and daf9f8f79a forth. Were they exchanging sweet 76e225d320 nothings?Azaid’s eyes burned with 44e68baaf4 intensity as he watched bc862526a7 them. Serena eventually 55b0a5b43d turned her cc639557ec gaze to 2145e357bf Azaid, signaling 2b3a9d47f5 him with 468c7f7df3 subtle hand 6245736195 movements before cb9e9e2099 quickly averting 4584fa2f94 her eyes. The exchange acd5032bad happened so 8a77053b21 swiftly that 67afd89161 only Azaid 979bb7702a noticed it.‘Let’s bd14572390 meet on 2055254c98 the terrace.’Her db2bdb7a32 glance towards 87eaf0a65b the terrace, 3b8570c36c coupled with b04835083d a hidden 1b68ae1cdb gesture between 928cb58f9b the folds 71f625e31e of her 0d300dcc9f dress, was 767193e21e clear evidence.Azaid cf488bd401 snorted. What could she 730d82984d mean by asking 5d4658e4f7 him to come d47dc2fdb8 to the terrace 22f656bd9c while she still 58f1aa93f5 had her partner 226e5bb30a by her side?Yet, 1e382ee155 despite his cynical 79edb00714 thoughts, his feet 5aaf873052 naturally carried him 67cc551377 toward the terrace.“I 2795a6c663 think I’ll take c905c1e2e9 a short break fe2d97b1f7 on the terrace.”“Oh, 3f425ad0ac I’ll come with 2d54340b26 you,” Ophelia quickly 6fd0450aab offered.Azaid waved her bd6c74596b off.“No need. You’ll enjoy mingling dba3250b09 with others more, 85531f6410 so stay here.”“But—”“You’ll 7ad0310288 be my partner 2adc59eb50 for the entirety 16267d29b1 of this hunting ba492abf28 festival anyway. I’m genuinely 066d08c845 tired, so 230c48893b let me a1329b6483 be alone 30d574f9d6 for a 675a8bbdc1 while.”“Understood.”Ophelia couldn’t e9e8c8bc68 stop him fef19edc87 any further 8605d815c9 and reluctantly a9ced7efd7 stepped back. Azaid moved b4c6bf38c6 towards the 68dda0b7b9 terrace as f392b39756 if something 8ed76a9d69 urgent was dbff92dc83 waiting for 6dbc24c0fe him there.As ac1dc7aa39 Ophelia stared edf8e9b98c after him, 94d4a7dee5 someone called 8138ffea5c out to 5b866463cb her.“So this c2cb593fb1 is where 394f37c66b you’ve been, 081b3037be sister.”Before she fa21c0e859 realized it, 15fd544887 Nocturne had 3b32ceb02b appeared beside d2a91e2248 her. Unlike his usual sarcastic 4ab73e5f69 tone, his voice was eb346d2d39 polite.Ophelia turned around in f3cede4769 surprise, only to realize b2be14a378 Serena wasn’t with him. She glanced around and f4624fbaf3 asked cautiously.“Where is Miss 668fe2e7ae Serena?”“She stepped away to adf66a32c3 adjust her outfit.”Switching back 12cd89da0a to his usual sarcastic be88aabb96 tone, Nocturne moved closer 7987ec098f to Ophelia. His sudden show of dc81372834 familiarity made her step d87230e6b9 back warily.In response, Nocturne cd6148a7ee closed the gap again, 6294b73fdb gracefully extending his hand.“Since badb36f21b you’re alone, why not 855c5dcfac join me for a 13c116d1e9 dance? It’s been a while.”• 529d67e89a ❁ • ❁ • b50574f792 ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ 1b2b4f9ac7 • ❁ • ❁ a28c54a31c •If you want to f9746fd5c1 support the translation and b6b5a6135e the translator, you can d6d90a3d06 buy a coffee~41b676a682375978

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Using her 88319d5acd visit as ff356e3d12 an excuse d6486cc651 to rub 789210f3cd salt in b60cd8c372 her wounds, 6c546321ed Nocturne had 1d7ab009fd left Ophelia 48aa8b14c6 simmering in b4e449b34e frustration. Fueled by resentment, Ophelia 77fe660f19 decided to put an c16acc5289 end to her reclusive 70065bb41b lifestyle and show everyone 9a5347dd2a how well she could 1b476c17ef carry on.She didn’t want 1a1b6add2e to appear pathetic in 58f79fce10 front of Nocturne. She despised him. She had disliked aa27f94c82 him ever since 7a87658f96 he first entered c7b4b0bdbe the duke’s castle, 0e8096e19f looking like a 4aa8dd5a19 pauper.She hated that 6e24894f50 he was her 802e26795a father’s illegitimate child. It was supposed 9f88124bc2 to be just 6d172f374a her; she was 8610a14dab her father’s only 573dcc80e1 child after her 51b57293c8 mother had died 88d690ac7f during childbirth. There had only been 26e0f86ba8 her until Nocturne appeared 9510fe13a3 late in the picture.If 6ee6ff92e7 he was going to 265c15312e come, he should’ve at 17cecbc448 least tried to integrate, 9bbdf61b37 but no, he left 9464c33f8d the family entirely. It felt like abandonment, 480ce06506 which made her even ea12f7231c more upset.‘Nocturne doing something e64ca20e59 good for me—what a c92cbbc234 rare sight.’Ophelia chuckled briefly 7cadcf1024 and glanced at Azaid, 4063a384a1 only to be startled. His gaze was as 000b037d7a sharp as a blade.“Are 5275050c19 you asking me to 9c30e2ea56 play matchmaker now?”“Ah! That’s not what 7c76c9bd18 I meant!”“Instead of b87ce7f16a meddling in others’ 993a3c3fce affairs, focus on bb91a5bd4f your own.”Azaid spoke c53ba2dab9 in a tone e10907da6a laced with irritation ae6483bf3b before turning his 63310cfaf4 head—towards Serena, of a55997c08f all people.Azaid stared ef7efd26dd intently at Serena 659ddb8262 and Nocturne, who cbb2a12463 were whispering to 9429ceed54 each other, signaling 26053e2624 back and forth. Were they exchanging sweet 9e12903625 nothings?Azaid’s eyes burned with 131d0dbb3f intensity as he watched 12760dbbe1 them. Serena eventually turned de34cfa845 her gaze to 124d5268ce Azaid, signaling him 099b20b0e6 with subtle hand 9c0618cb26 movements before quickly 92da3e466d averting her eyes. The exchange a25c9d0351 happened so 1b4a5bc409 swiftly that a9e2a233a1 only Azaid f4652bc50b noticed it.‘Let’s cced5bdbfe meet on 6a03bc4fd9 the terrace.’Her d1dfd2977e glance towards 10dd8e9881 the terrace, 015185c7cf coupled with 44f48c3a2b a hidden cd196fed1a gesture between 4519b45955 the folds 25419c746f of her 7939ee8345 dress, was b4ee46411b clear evidence.Azaid 0ec8703a85 snorted. What could e98d23e874 she mean 8f7076d443 by asking b43b7c7253 him to b4250bc6e8 come to 8937f44e84 the terrace 65b8d51a8b while she e58cccfd23 still had f9c470c780 her partner 57a4920bb3 by her 44494e4fd8 side?Yet, despite 2ca74fc251 his cynical 79de70a728 thoughts, his 39561a0ab5 feet naturally 64091a9d1e carried him 156243bf20 toward the 59460bf531 terrace.“I think 555b24dbfc I’ll take 6a483ac0f2 a short 2da0a6a20b break on 2842013c6e the terrace.”“Oh, ca507ae36e I’ll come 05ccb573f0 with you,” 8d41032baf Ophelia quickly 05b10aa575 offered.Azaid waved 8031d6fcf1 her off.“No 3583218213 need. You’ll enjoy 2067db3a3d mingling with 810eebb6d5 others more, 1006ef4ff2 so stay c5ee1abd2a here.”“But—”“You’ll be 97c322f662 my partner a4e22e8817 for the 3a7f083aa6 entirety of 6e1d029d16 this hunting 56fe6b372a festival anyway. I’m genuinely tired, so df13161330 let me be alone d42fd0ca25 for a while.”“Understood.”Ophelia couldn’t fe676b37e0 stop him any further a90b2b6f71 and reluctantly stepped back. Azaid moved 5dfa7c2972 towards the 0639d25aa2 terrace as b7956070e7 if something cf62417d6c urgent was 9e7950ce61 waiting for 8d523574e1 him there.As affa856dd1 Ophelia stared 8c86ca42c9 after him, 8fddb4a3b0 someone called e55bcc7c29 out to 273f684c34 her.“So this c1f98eb524 is where 42600ebfea you’ve been, 9a0cc08bf4 sister.”Before she 22286c81d4 realized it, 36eaa46900 Nocturne had 32112f994a appeared beside 5089e2934c her. Unlike his usual sarcastic 8b98d3722f tone, his voice was 423e3be3d4 polite.Ophelia turned around in 9608eaf615 surprise, only to realize 102b8cfbf9 Serena wasn’t with him. She glanced b5b91b0d97 around and 946824af45 asked cautiously.“Where eefc0fce84 is Miss 5d6861fcac Serena?”“She stepped 4e12e1cd46 away to e5828d89b4 adjust her 082754708b outfit.”Switching back 7920ac15f4 to his 26dda2faad usual sarcastic 3cec26e1ab tone, Nocturne 86a6033524 moved closer b333b6ca90 to Ophelia. His sudden show of 841ed89935 familiarity made her step 9e320d13b2 back warily.In response, Nocturne 8b4daefc30 closed the gap again, a3d47cf34a gracefully extending his hand.“Since ee52012f5a you’re alone, why not 9c0faee3d6 join me for a 844093b2fc dance? It’s been a 2782a7de4a while.”• ❁ • b85bfdfb2a ❁ • ❁ d5b2896c46 •By Esraa• ❁ 094a515ce2 • ❁ • d0a1e03878 ❁ •If you 820d8b7835 want to support c3fe5e88ec the translation and b462eeecb7 the translator, you 122942f0b7 can buy a 7fe045124e coffee~bf3ae09f66da2361

Using her c1c80489a3 visit as cee6c0cb76 an excuse f49163a1dd to rub fdfd79fd84 salt in 418ace4daa her wounds, a446c75e89 Nocturne had 6df9585764 left Ophelia 3a6775bd8e simmering in dd70b7e99e frustration. Fueled by cff046c7f6 resentment, Ophelia 36f610ca59 decided to 9300750853 put an 82aac15192 end to a14fe88548 her reclusive 30712bf5e5 lifestyle and b47c1b4932 show everyone e4439be22f how well b795d61e00 she could b4b7aea1bb carry on.dae96e1f6da7bfeb

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She didn’t 439f350209 want to a3e64e34a7 appear pathetic e61254745d in front 911aa1a827 of Nocturne. She despised him. She had 733a3e47d3 disliked him 2dd9b7e937 ever since 2cba0ad33c he first 8a122a90cf entered the 7bbea77990 duke’s castle, 03256a6739 looking like 53c2ae504e a pauper.e2841951256e251f

She hated that 50ade30234 he was her 5463c1f4b0 father’s illegitimate child. It was supposed ebeeefe66b to be just 14cf30a0e5 her; she was 9bfa2d9d55 her father’s only b106fd9cb0 child after her d387ea684a mother had died bf7536d875 during childbirth. There had 005cf49a71 only been c4dbcddb89 her until e893f4ccec Nocturne appeared 455eb4122d late in 425957dfcf the picture.008ff5f4f404fc29

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If he was 8a8de22a7e going to come, 1eebf9c75b he should’ve at 46c85a4092 least tried to f3efe8a589 integrate, but no, b69b4e1257 he left the 0b8a648da7 family entirely. It felt like abandonment, 7b8e3fe1db which made her even ca6dc10ba9 more upset.30961b4c275b93c0

‘Nocturne doing 3664078ad3 something good 9eb91bb5ad for me—what 64cdc03eba a rare 12e2541aa3 sight.’586ddc81d1ac389b

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Ophelia chuckled briefly e110bf96fc and glanced at dad757d9fa Azaid, only to 751c4c2e43 be startled. His gaze 8da529e1f5 was as bf41c09cf6 sharp as be836512ba a blade.81747d8b367d7d10

“Are you asking 9ad95bc3f7 me to play 53f0331892 matchmaker now?”a9a3c4f55361000f

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“Ah! That’s not what e4ef45e899 I meant!”03f296678ef7d47b

“Instead of meddling in c49d7b8b0e others’ affairs, focus on 0bd94feb76 your own.”7c7add0aebdd6cb0

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Azaid spoke 2a467a92c4 in a a07cfef766 tone laced 5d0c27dcc0 with irritation 9e7c9726ec before turning fff4c543cb his head—towards 56e4deff85 Serena, of daca75c589 all people.2234c6f8c18fca48

Azaid stared a4f1907086 intently at d656983620 Serena and e2dbe44126 Nocturne, who 8300196790 were whispering b3e134aa58 to each 9998d7564c other, signaling 8755c91657 back and 8df539ef08 forth. Were they exchanging sweet 9ade8dc13a nothings?c1e10eb968790ce9

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Azaid’s eyes burned eaf4ab8cb7 with intensity as 0cf65f78a7 he watched them. Serena eventually turned 7c21cb0ed5 her gaze to d5c2cf8dfb Azaid, signaling him efe7f3683f with subtle hand 4d18327a09 movements before quickly ab5067aaca averting her eyes. The exchange aa3b819c24 happened so 84149816b1 swiftly that 404488f9cb only Azaid 16f6a41227 noticed it.1856266ce311f72a

‘Let’s meet on the 997dd51f6a terrace.’34f3e536799aaba2

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Her glance towards 92f7eb9019 the terrace, coupled 504971975c with a hidden 20e7429a60 gesture between the 35d69c809f folds of her 465d501755 dress, was clear b2afc1f9a7 evidence.a3854f28f6976ac6

Azaid snorted. What could she mean 699d326479 by asking him to ed46858a84 come to the terrace 19678e9846 while she still had b3131e2002 her partner by her f4d5c83cbf side?6b3bceb8411d8f99

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Yet, despite his 2db6c48d68 cynical thoughts, his e4c37c7be2 feet naturally carried 8979fd7ad8 him toward the cbbfc6f654 terrace.a8dac0b29faa779d

“I think 7d4b5769fa I’ll take 287e7908ca a short c5d825d820 break on d3dac62307 the terrace.”7f63aaab96a93e29

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“Oh, I’ll come 8b78791c9a with you,” Ophelia 1b1ffd18cf quickly offered.690b3e02b266decc

Azaid waved her f3e3d9c993 off.3cc8c3d278844748

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“No need. You’ll enjoy 0e423b07b0 mingling with 08cf0d465b others more, 0e0838990e so stay 42f4e79721 here.”fcaa22a5d428e37b

“But—”55efc53d7de75b60

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“You’ll be my a3239cb81d partner for the 724f92aa88 entirety of this 85fd320f15 hunting festival anyway. I’m genuinely tired, so 05c57d0d02 let me be alone 5b518ec86d for a while.”226ded9ab6463126

“Understood.”555d423f8d6ca2a8

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Ophelia couldn’t stop him 9dee6c3663 any further and reluctantly 90d19823ab stepped back. Azaid moved 1228de4aba towards the e760cc0a45 terrace as 3fdcc63c9d if something b47e367732 urgent was 597a1c5109 waiting for 2682aea4ea him there.692726f716235438

As Ophelia stared 7ce3d8926c after him, someone 5d38159595 called out to d49a7ceab2 her.b39a35dad6ac613a

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“So this is where 87e6240836 you’ve been, sister.”92619c2c1846df7e

Before she 7b021f1e04 realized it, 629af5a843 Nocturne had 151134c1dc appeared beside ff83a8ec6f her. Unlike his usual sarcastic 3dc3091589 tone, his voice was 033df123e8 polite.160c23959991a868

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Ophelia turned 841c190fa8 around in 0f58e005f5 surprise, only 1612847972 to realize 512f748553 Serena wasn’t d0e90272d1 with him. She glanced around 1dea6b7b97 and asked cautiously.a6e334906df75fdd

“Where is bcec3f959a Miss Serena?”8ffb73956f6a8377

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“She stepped away to cf1aeeca93 adjust her outfit.”31a6d8f90c6368c9

Switching back a4c35647bd to his b60186254d usual sarcastic dc891fcc30 tone, Nocturne d6bddf701e moved closer 9107230ed0 to Ophelia. His sudden show of 57325f945f familiarity made her step d0c1090cb2 back warily.665341967f351ab0

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In response, 8100c03dce Nocturne closed 1bd1316803 the gap 0c396cdf6e again, gracefully 8532405db8 extending his cca5277709 hand.5a0f8ab4e6a582b7

“Since you’re alone, 26dae00f0a why not join b1c056bd00 me for a 0576b4adff dance? It’s been cc07d0ae37 a while.”d430b7cdcc40fd14

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• ❁ 54049441d5 • ❁ c734479bf3 • ❁ d3b79ac1ea •By Esraa• 938cb7fd0b ❁ • 4742511b93 ❁ • cd1c1793ef ❁ •5983d3c149400f48

If you want b19240dff3 to support the 91f2a236cc translation and the 9f2f515713 translator, you can ae1edb82e8 buy a coffee~ae9de615adf06425

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