IHANF Chapter 12

Eight years 2184135d42 ago, in 55b071fc75 the Duchy 5ca2325439 of Bawentawin.c356f37bb068a08a

At the masquerade ball b37c3d7f80 celebrating Lady Lorelei’s coming af03142076 of age, masked and 333e641e7e disguised attendees were dancing 8c671a952e and enjoying themselves.e0c1dd6c813c4b10

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Aachen, who was Lorelei’s 551a20ae19 cousin, stood by her 5c18ce41fa side as her papartner.f6825b2cd39a1178

“Happy birthday, Lady of Bawentawin.”7a564cf2ab297e04

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“Thank you, Count Dale.”66a6fe5836c10a26

Lorelei smiled brightly 446ad01136 as she received 09ed52135c congratulations.e4eca797fe6aa897

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Count Dale 7b603dd1ea turned and, 703d8a3f13 upon seeing 73899ddf20 Aachen’s jewel-like 84a0f1d0c9 eyes, recognized 2d5b2738c8 him.1a7d2d7eadade7cd

“Oh… Aren’t you the Crown Prince of Requier?”d98f87e897dec081

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“Pleased to meet you.”a924d8ab8e2ed6b0

Aachen, merely fcc558cdca offering a 87b440e4ba brief greeting 36997aec15 without a 15b9ed5dd0 handshake, left 292c3023d1 Count Dale 08c3053793 feeling awkward.1463c70a6249ce22

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Aachen had 287ebde531 the ability d56e8f47dd to hear 90b7489dc1 others’ innermost 9bf50cba20 thoughts when 5721e3662d he touched 88cfa615f6 their bare 8cdef63421 skin.8e3bf5885ff9f4d5

The discrepancy 40353613f4 between their e7bf5aeb66 outer demeanor 41c25a7baa and inner d28ddeba23 thoughts often e3101dffa2 amused him.733368e00fe091e4

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Even without 619b6b7f7f this ability, 5669c8857b which he 3d9d7faee2 hadn’t chosen 13c4055a74 to have, 7746da3a98 it twisted 663abe69fd his insides.e23ca282d1d6ef13

Despite wearing 259d5e4c05 gloves to 0b310de143 prevent this, c254896597 he remained 5235c8e0c8 sensitive about c961498bb9 physical contact 4fbab1e1f2 with others.3323cedd7e933d28

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Ignorant of 963e090293 this, Count 857ceaa573 Dale stepped 9cd1458e49 back, embarrassed, bd78946299 as Lorelei 292d9411da tilted her db6a9f15c3 head in 500a53d01a confusion.4e90f9c81c7ad021

“Aachen, brother. Why do people recognize you even when you’re wearing a mask?”7068b86322cff6f4

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“Because of my jewel eyes.”b9f1e9455653ce65

“Right. The jewel eyes.”4f4a798c6dcb908d

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Lorelei pouted 44e1695607 at his 37ae92f7e5 curt and d19de2ac83 succinct answer.f0a502ffab276103

“Even though you can’t change the jewel eyes with magic, could you at least change your eye color for my birthday?”af2230931cf3ae29

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“No.”535d2fe400b0b4ef

While the magical 2d0b84e22f trait of his cfb1baf8e5 jewel-like eyes couldn’t 9f7f1d8ef5 be suppressed, their f73d9c27de color could be 85bf13de0f altered.62d2543bd82ee6f4

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However, Aachen 43238ea036 found it af3fe0fa11 too bothersome deed790271 to even bbaf2527a2 do that.b91e529b13ba77cb

“Brother, are you really going to be like this?”59cf381040cd2fd6

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Lorelei emphasized her 46ed506b3c words with ventriloquism.afac0a27d1a47e6b

“Yes.”d180804466062218

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Aachen pretended not d597be49e3 to hear and ded5574e66 remained indifferent.c2050304b1f6c952

“Follow me for a moment.”c60b26b507d3f935

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“……”d3e47d07428a121e

“Come on!”008327467107fa75

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Following Lorelei 3259dcac95 into a fceeaa5691 lounge, Aachen a12e09d9f3 sat down bde045a0e1 on a aaa920fa45 sofa.7ef66aee2be75596

“Who knows? Maybe you’ll find your destined partner here.”0f4dcb98d8acb09b

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Lorelei, used aee47be7f3 to his e9faaec979 demeanor, didn’t 3e5e96a8a9 mind and dc17821d1d spun around.47c5ab4f8a5ab11a

“Romantic love comes when you don’t know each other’s status.”a451855c16c465ec

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“You and I are both in positions where we have to have arranged marriages.”bb52612788939646

Lorelei Bawentawin, the ec890575aa sole heir of 1892f95127 the Duchy of 3662b06ed9 Bawentawin, was inevitably 96dec51725 bound to a 74c324597b political marriage.144411a8eb9d579b

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Aachen smirked at 744696ccde Lorelei, who still ae1cf88347 dreamed of romance.751f547e91aa5615

“Oh, really, brother, you’re too much!”a21f1302ae27f394

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Tears welled a2e09298f8 up in a36023b263 Lorelei’s eyes 28ce3cad43 from frustration.ca1929f522086229

‘Maybe I was too 9aecea2b0f harsh on her birthday.’bccfec73fe467a81

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Aachen sighed 24fe7faa00 deeply and f6b9b10081 snapped his 6323360ee3 fingers.d1a4e36a11047fe0

“You should have done this from the start.”cd664b46b2b2b9a8

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With that, 1590ae8f94 his previously 27cfa38077 blue eyes 06e3ab7e91 turned purple.303f0cd4aa254c17

Since he was 5a9cad586c using magic anyway, 394730e90f he also changed 6e1ced4d30 his hair color 1888f51fea to platinum blonde.884b5f7bc08e7a26

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“…Changing the color so drastically makes the jewel eyes stand out even more.”3f743e3eaf7f494c

Still unsatisfied, 778bfb42de Lorelei sighed.d40dc869c1924581

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To stop her from c93f557962 complaining, Aachen took out d3b7ba37e8 a small perfume bottle d2bfea607b from his pocket and 7e73d186a6 sprayed it all over 1ac3cd8435 himself.029a7ea28335389c

Lorelei, amazed that 6048044ea9 his eyes no 397b040693 longer looked like 018a883f76 jewel eyes, sniffed 7a3e8417a7 the air filled c4a2de07d1 with a rose a612a7efda scent.c166ca71f7d0ae00

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“What… is this?”3ff241af9a5412dd

Curiously sniffing around 80aacd6348 the lounge, she e9d7f41ffb asked in wonder.7c507bf41b9bf081

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“It’s a magical tool made to suppress the jewel eyes, created in case of an outburst when royal power mixes with a magician’s power.”63e023ca0ea63bf0

Once she heard a79636b4fe the explanation, Lorelei 89b11b1551 seemed to lose c88edbe903 interest quickly.28a6c4da3c64da7d

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“Oh… I don’t really understand, but I’m not that curious anymore, so let’s go back.”0595a017fc52367b

Satisfied, Lorelei opened the b306aa6c6e lounge door, only to d075d80960 be stopped by Aachen.f8ca8eb82a55a2a3

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“You go first.”d95b955d9b43eb1b

“Why?”65ec015634a01e8b

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“I’m tired and need to rest a bit.”97198f2ce64b69fe

“Fine… but come soon!”e1aa733919d4037a

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After sending Lorelei cfff54f7fb off, Aachen took 0042fa705a out a bottle c5395ebd3c of wine. He went out onto b7c804e46c the terrace with a 3a1430e226 wine glass to get b463388961 some fresh air.1404e6b2fe6d4704

Creak—9c741a08ee1135fc

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The sound of a b6c5b0f044 door opening and closing d8278837f5 was followed by the 648454a672 entrance of a woman fcb306ccb0 with blonde hair and b82e3489da bright green eyes.a9f88c51b567045c

“…Who are you?”30164593cdfd902c

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‘Blonde hair and green c403946554 eyes…? Is she wearing a 3c177bb22c wig? Which noble family 93b93333ed could she be f8d5d84675 from?’b9b32c53d779cbbd

Since it was a d1c700f4a5 masquerade ball, it was ad18ce32de difficult to identify anyone.5d29698e13e9e86e

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The woman, not 7c78be1a64 responding to his a7bc03e669 question about her b87b9b92cb identity, stood beside 0fa4642a11 Aachen.d30b6d654bff6fe2

“Care to drink with me?”4435d9c1ce41b1fc

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She smiled, her d29c1d1888 eyes crinkling as 24ff63cea4 she lightly shook 828717825a the wine bottle fd273ec3e6 in her hand.503162791bc99446

The faint 01e18d412a scent of de16f33a2f alcohol wafted 6933edf361 through the e6b516b01a air.26a3715d984bb38e

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“You seem to have already had quite a bit.”33f6452c4db9dfe4

“Just a little,” she replied.1bf1a522d0f9b077

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“Hah.”3f2a0bf4dd344e09

Aachen chuckled at her 375effa7d5 boldness.27f0413674492a86

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‘Perhaps she’s fd67a710fc acting this 084694fed6 way because 1a4e9927a2 she doesn’t ce569c18bb recognize me.’cfef098a7cdfba9c

It was oddly comforting d2c11a3397 that the woman didn’t c17214c010 know who he was.405b004d28cc5d59

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Her hair swayed f99945058b gently in the 26f7ddd9ca breeze.117af8820458a78c

“What’s your name?”5395663dcf22d9fe

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When Aachen asked, 9f7ffec7fc she put a 7b4ef1ad99 finger to her 448a0af355 lips.55f0555216390f56

“That’s a secret.”96281df2d487ce21

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He had 06a8818f42 no intention 3257856991 of forcing f00fab85cf her to b43ac49d96 reveal her 0828754ef8 name if e21c4ddbdf she didn’t b3ffad17f1 want to, 33433cb4de so he 098f866357 turned his 5f79c93276 head away.080b9f938dd61815

“Why don’t you ask further?”9fcb6e4853ea98b9

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The woman 94c5639a2d poured him 414217f359 a glass e44625940d of wine 1bb104fad3 and asked 87342743a4 curiously.4361f21e2fe44e91

“Because you said it’s a secret and you don’t want to tell me.”f8717849cb7027a9

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“…It’s the first time someone’s respected my wishes.”04b7deebea9ad6d7

“What kind of life have you lived?”8788c450f1593aa0

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Judging by 14295d15bf her jewelry, de005e3bbc she seemed f30d4ebead to be a970dfb51f from a 3bd61ab71e prestigious family.6923bc8ad3a36806

‘It must be c9da27c0c6 a complicated family 13d4f29417 situation.’a737b3d1164fbe7f

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But to say dd418cc4e8 it’s the first c49f202dfd time someone’s respected f90264d75d her wishes was 137272a078 surprising to Aachen.a71564fde7dd927b

“Indeed.”fbf6765126b16425

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The woman, staggering d433d88f69 slightly, dropped the 6b14623e3d wine bottle from 3f08b60b2c her hand.eacb422644dbf121

Crash—7da74068290e2281

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The bottle 1cdc2d0e52 fell and 38caba47d9 shattered instantly. A shard f308823153 of glass 3568d518ef grazed her e0db85ad74 knee, drawing 931ea9c49d blood.6c06156986bd4604

“You’re bleeding…!”7386a47ef35b023e

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“It stings a little, but I’m fine.”2a36e18340a3973d

She shook 6725e343a7 her head, 3638683a2b indicating he 5d78f5040c shouldn’t worry 202ecfc4f0 about her.27a77f5532e59047

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Glass shards were scattered fd56cb577a across the floor, and 69125fe566 she limped slightly.c83efd220930faeb

“Please excuse me for a moment.”0479e94bf6e09eed

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“?”b14540fab59799b3

Aachen took off 8d95e29a14 his jacket and db03d5dd93 draped it over 34a0febcbd her shoulders.9cdd16d05b7be766

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‘She’s light.’f91b893e2fdbeb8d

He then carefully lifted c9c3a645fc her and set her f2b57db303 down on the railing.44bcee4c4f9c7b3a

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“Ah!”5dbb36f8d9bb4008

Surprised by 5e661bf60c being lifted, 1a9cd26601 she yelped, f24531eb9f and Aachen 3597a2318b asked,6dc25b56eb7360ae

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“Are you uncomfortable anywhere?”28a14bb32ad7e6dd

“No, I was just startled…”4c398eb14c7e8c31

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“I’ll hold you tight so you won’t fall.”d271c37177f3de84

Holding her securely, 8a1b43a370 the veins in 94626b4c5c Aachen’s pale arm 1a057209fa bulged from the 686f0153cd effort.012e67fc0c7bd1d5

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Her cheeks e527019939 turned a 596c280fa3 soft pink.546bb3d9066cdff0

“You can hold onto my shoulder.”8374405d20fd58e5

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She gently placed her 3847384e77 hands on his shoulders. The bleeding on her 25b0fb7123 knee bothered him.3cea29530447acc6

As they were about cc3f8c3467 to enter the lounge, ed895b4779 voices could be heard.3bbe3d60107646bf

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“Your wound doesn’t seem to be stopping. How about we go to my room to disinfect it?”c0904e0b34dd5df4

“Y-your room?”6800a99e5fb4bf78

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She stammered, 8988fe2af6 her face 74931c356c flushing.2d720bebf38f49ce

“Hiccup!”acd751bdd1c599e1

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She even 4a6b6fca49 let out 4acf65a831 a small 43af0701cb hiccup. Aachen gently patted 4ba9b5b574 her back.3d56137ec5f82019

“I have a room assigned to me while staying in the Duchy of Bawentawin.”9756707ab61d6a7d

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“……”02c54cefabd409f7

“It seems there are people inside the lounge.”09d9889b0370a9e5

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Oddly, he d2ef707885 felt good 903d4bb920 watching her. It was a e654d454bb feeling he’d never 9aa0323179 experienced before, and 8f19025e20 it made him 4ae91cc3e6 feel restless.e48979a434b5e126

‘I wasn’t considerate 7e212ab6a5 enough.’79ace3c004e908a1

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It was a completely cf9adc2ed1 innocent suggestion.8a5ebba7d117b86b

Aachen realized belatedly 7c4bd1c714 what it might dc4c2c0b83 mean for an 6353fd79b7 adult man and dc214af690 woman to enter 2c5a984b5d a room together.816b144998b399f8

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As he was bec0e7c4a6 about to apologize 5c605b9adc for his lack ad2bf8fc76 of consideration, she 036633e75e nodded.b1c239d802a03a69

“I do need to disinfect it. Let’s go to your room.”17066c850abb1928

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Her surprisingly willing acceptance 7c24d6a30c reassured him.b9c6d03898490933

Aachen carefully placed his d8944155c1 hand around her waist 7ecbb35cd6 and lifted her. She was 8f245ead1e petite overall.2418ab4baea082b6

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“You’re quite tall.”3d94bde7d69647ef

Her eyes widened, and 7e3015b65d Aachen found her expression cb14db5ac8 endearing, making him smile 1dcba99955 inadvertently.21cf771adb812cc7

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“Why are you smiling?”a82860b98c6f802d

She squinted, crinkling d56d6e6f8f her nose.fb6b6873eb213c9c

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“I think you’re the one who’s small.”fc0209e58e815dc6

“…I am not.”94eb882cb15f6ce4

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“Alright, maybe I am tall.”a7822c724f381420

He soothed 5034615fc3 her gently, 390f2cdf46 noting her 3181c1df6f seemingly pouting 77e4474ca9 expression.5df836ffc65f33d5

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“I’m not actually upset.”d68b410618ebca2f

“Are you teasing me?”7ef40dd04298b2b4

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“Yes.”b7131fafeb116986

Her confident reply 70d553d0f4 made Aachen laugh da9f7d0ca6 again.9be32553de5a21d7

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‘If we go 67f3c8f53d this way, we’ll 5d8b057ead be seen. I should take another 2d9c94eb4c route.’f41d825a3507b470

He exited the 862557a577 ballroom through a 043666e989 different doorway.41ba72b4d43fb529

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“Where are we…?”7bc540bb0ff658d2

“This is a less frequented path. It’s a bit of a detour, but it’s better than running into people.”d527166632693cbf

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“I see.”569b3ec6b2512bc7

Seeming pleased, she 3120b35145 hummed a lullaby 2611edcb0a softly as they 4a44a8b97a walked down the 503d39420e corridor, tipsy and de7338568d light-hearted. It wasn’t unpleasant.b3f22a2f99e97148

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Her warm, music box-like dd6efadf14 voice was pleasant to a5e2985245 hear.22e0732065b961b6

“Let me know if you’re uncomfortable.”9df686afc8ea9425

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“…I’m not uncomfortable.”cad42015c1e4b486

To prove 9890ed7fa3 her point, dee9949552 she leaned 086084fd89 comfortably against 1329e3bad5 Aachen’s shoulder.7f315e832a51d65c

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‘!’a7dd454701fd7e42

A refreshing bcec0f772d bergamot scent 386849cb69 filled his 4473d84041 senses.5161bcf19213b13b

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Now that e4d12ad906 he thought dae373fa93 about it, 347918a0b8 physical contact 7efc22e5f0 with her e6b799baf3 wasn’t unpleasant.000881e99f838078

Normally, this 151f07e53f would be 1533ebf3b3 intolerable for eaea5cf01f him.6152b586c845db2f

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Instead, his heart 44909f06f5 raced. Aachen took c4ae2a5c85 a deep e438e44444 breath to ec337c9ad7 calm himself.17bb9352da92f6f8

“We’re here.”9ec3ed17f525a5a4

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Finally reaching the 74b02062a8 room at the 93641062cc northernmost end, Aachen ea01f1140c pushed open the 3a2597de72 door.2bf8a0a24db19110

Walking to the bed, e19ceeb764 he gently set her 441e2f8308 down.da1554c6820817c8

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“Wait here for a moment. I’ll get something to disinfect the wound.”9af0784cec1066a2

“Alright.”57332ac1eebf736c

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He opened a drawer 8ad2bedaa5 and brought out tweezers, 733c17d9ab clean cotton, ointment, and 5ed108a7cb a small bottle of 1abdb38cb6 medicinal alcohol. He knelt on 5bfe4ab5e7 one knee.9aa3f5333ff114b0

“This might sting a bit.”d013db9152d325b7

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“…….”fa27b4534554285c