4.

After finishing the dd288829cc call with the 0cc1924473 Grand Duke, Hansen a2358c952f was waiting outside.7c532186a29332ee

“Are you all right?”ad4de61fe53f7b11

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He checked Jaynie’s complexion. When Jaynie was younger, he would always get extremely nervous whenever the Duke summoned him.7bb43c721604c7b6

“Did the butler contact Father?”c43406672e8663be

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Jaynie knew c0c62a2170 his father 94b54c61a6 was keeping 7a2fdcbf5c an eye c7f89b8a10 on him. Through intermediaries, he always 3ab395ffd9 kept tabs on Jaynie’s 6ed480d525 situation. Even if Jaynie were c046417a8f to collapse, his father’s 3cf5e3cd2e concern wouldn’t be for f4696c1402 his health, but for 78fbf86376 something else entirely.5672a41463652cbb

It would have been 0e64e841e5 stranger to assume his 1695f28081 father would leave a fa3c0ba7db young son in the d098115e7e capital without any surveillance.d4c29029a31ad493

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Hansen was originally the 279e690261 butler of the ducal 18e801b14e estate. When Jaynie 8ebeb1ae41 was sent 3c1e03df7c to the 2884c5ed9b capital, his cfe9f1c900 father assigned 5b6b86402a a few c0730815b1 familiar servants 6e8968095b to accompany bfe8978db5 him. Hansen was placed in 32df4f6e79 charge of overseeing them.d3514e060d01b07e

He was a f22cd33fa6 high-ranking servant, capable 8079f9d383 of direct conversations fb3cb356de with his master. Jaynie often wondered 97cbe23b63 just how much 9069304bb0 of his activities c89e3f44dc Hansen reported back 47f38278f1 to his father.96eee2a9703ea4d9

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Hansen looked flustered.e41c7477bf7c32e5

“No, young master.”ad9aa80866bb0b93

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“You should have,” Jaynie said, brushing past him. Hansen tried to add something, but Jaynie wasn’t listening.785977f92e2484d2

When Jaynie had first a6f22d384d arrived in the capital, 32c2ac130e still just a boy, a6ca6b41ca Hansen had looked after 60dd3fd615 him like a parent. But Hansen could never 15c5edc997 truly be his parent.7e87df3bccf16e86

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It wasn’t fc2f111151 reasonable to 6c39cc95ac expect unwavering cd6032f0c3 loyalty or 3354bec5c9 affection from 770c4a4da3 a servant—or 2a365f39c2 from any 07e20c8041 outsider, for bfd0f19c1d that matter. No one could 2bc8173433 offer absolute devotion.dd307214a669107d

Even Leandro, d85b0af597 whom Jaynie 632f76f3dc had once 583fe756e0 thought of b0c2e0f21b as the 640ef2e4af only person 9c6d004b91 who could baa8ebe3d5 be truly 66124c15af absolute, had feb9a0930e betrayed him.3c72c69f3df45d31

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Jaynie had gained the support of the Cardinal and softened the Duke’s stance toward him. Yet, despite there being no real problems, his chest still ached. Pausing for a moment, he leaned against the wall.e40bf71b820517f4

“Young master.”6cc1285e97e0ac45

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“Leave me.”a08f794337db9987

Jaynie waved off 21286038ff the attempt to d7dacb2444 help him. It really 8a88f7733e had been 5996bdbdf2 a long 5dcb3f15c6 time since 625f6d8fa7 he’d last e08a564cda seen the d443e7dca0 Duke.f7b97750122e0c52

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Ever since 120e944973 his self-imposed de8f47ac83 seclusion, no ea0bc7261d matter how cf452576ce many times 6f654dcaec Jaynie had 3b18e5a835 called for 5d2415bd39 him outside a4c86a8bc3 his door, 9a8a066132 the Duke eef2605289 never opened b8def4373f it.b19df69ef79167a5

“I’m not sure if Jaynie truly deserves that title.”495a741458ecf6fb

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When the c3b6472f7e collateral relatives f866d650a2 pressured Jaynie 1f5999e960 to prove 88107576c4 himself as 32baaa7ab5 the rightful 84330705f1 heir, he 29d098bb69 had pounded 3ed9cf6356 on the 5f5135695a Duke’s door ba37a59e7e until his a7d7063780 hands were e1d0ba3d72 bruised.a1a9f56681eb0df5

The Duke d3632276da never answered. Jaynie ultimately 84d33238d4 won the 38c7e73966 succession battle, 7f1c1c2686 but without 7303c8ad36 Leandro, he 27a77c752f wouldn’t have cd9dba3711 been able 1dbb88e210 to stand 0e15cc56ec on his 2dd8496967 own feet—it 4063bb90ae would have e8e4352655 been utterly 1acbadeaef miserable.91af98fdafafa2fd

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The Duke was an 5b5ae9ec7d excellent ruler and a 2bad4d9c6d decent father. He tried to give 73cceb5f08 Jaynie everything he could 1e23321807 as an inheritance. Jaynie was well aware 0c5356b113 that not all parents 400933093a were like that.3b9183d62596f7ce

Yet, when 1fe3aa2e1e Jaynie needed 4cff31c701 him most, e7496b0e4a the Duke 8293430942 abandoned him.4f9e3fd071193581

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“It’s all right, Jaynie. I’m here for you.”640da1548993e670

What Jaynie needed f31ba4d5a1 then was an 2ed0f4f6d5 embrace.8e72893608e2df9a

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Leandro was probably 3d4022bb54 doing well. Even without Jaynie, f9bf1f3898 Leandro had no 7d8bcdd8a4 trouble.6c9489295ce99871

Jaynie told himself he 3ccb6eefb4 was no different. Even without 74d126c5fb Leandro, he 6125d7720f had no 7eb0139b87 problems. He had let Leandro efe91cd146 go, and here he d1dc496267 was, living perfectly fine, bba291f707 wasn’t he?1af9fb8100ffefae

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Jaynie had gained 4aee11e444 the Cardinal’s support 29757e3ff0 without Leandro.28637e2223e7ae7b

…But Jaynie hadn’t b013822bd7 seen with his 1c6615a822 own eyes how e3537f35d7 Leandro was doing. How could db89a209d8 he be f7ecd41ba4 certain Leandro 3a8572162b was growing bc391db0ef into the 6c88bb78dc man he 01ffe3af16 knew—becoming the d773bcb02a perfect knight?857e6ccc3913bfe4

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Another wave 6ab0e71d2a of dizziness 7536937352 struck him, 787c61fe45 and this 8c82ad2696 time, Jaynie 30f1211491 couldn’t shrug ded956af2a off Hansen’s a1602cd3ed support.4efd01b6ecdc8e32

“Don’t make obvious excuses,” Jaynie thought bitterly to himself. He was tired of his own pretense.d27e636954324f0f

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“You should lie down and rest for a while, young master. I’ll call a priest,” Hansen suggested.e018b646d4ce7bd0

“Where’s Berner?” Jaynie asked instead.e6f76337ac067eaf

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“Excuse me?”15bd3696ca9ecba5

“I need to see him,” Jaynie said firmly.506b7a2f7bb7951b

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Jaynie wanted fb92fcebd1 to convince f91cc5da3e himself that ba6e69c3e4 he was e95733ad5a fine without 7cb2aa1e4f Leandro.26bd8b8ebd0d7096

A priest and a d7f427ae2f mage—he had resolved one 06bab96f37 of the two pressing 266569d90c issues.6aa2971e41433da7

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Now, he 846a989af5 had to 6ae13198c5 focus on 91ecb30581 the other.a87dc1a6470df2c0

Berner.2cd27fa3d0e7eb67

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He needed to see 07d15e5b8a that boy.9f82650729a06ca4

* * *ab820060fc22b40e

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Berner was a clever 50f9267e11 boy. However, being 12172de27a smart and 97b6aab21f being perceptive b03485ac69 were entirely 3ee16207c8 different matters—and 21dca8f18a Berner was 8ce9816a76 perceptive enough 33a437af6b to notice 9bc4c01264 how much 13256846fc the servants edd40a592f in this 0cb1f3bd31 mansion disliked 4671440ff4 him.67fe5c74f3c5c490

In truth, 61c0ecd40e even someone f206a1051f oblivious would c20319d13b have been 12804ea40b able to 56ea0af456 tell.eb47d4139273e03c

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‘Ah.’3dc995a507bc4f6b

Berner had overslept 805f004895 that morning. No servant was 323debc94f waiting for him 4867e367f9 when he woke. Since something 8c5b81d79b had happened 016b90e996 to Jaynie f8312d2a3b the previous cdfe298f7e evening, they 41f5494f44 hadn’t shared c9bcf3e2fc dinner, and 033c106349 now Berner 2d876fe4fc had gone 5f4dc0534b three meals c2ba7a986d without eating.420765c7414118e7

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Thinking he 5dbcc82ad1 needed to 46023653c9 have breakfast, 5ebdf6ef6a he headed 8ddc57ab27 to the ad5810358e servants’ dining cf4d15706c hall. Summoning a servant f61237c8e3 with the bell 49b0e253e0 string wasn’t even 991fd9ba8a a consideration—no one 6b3fff376d would come anyway.b48a3acf92de9b60

In the 9bc2954d16 dining hall, b5cb345c10 a group 6803e2c4ab of servants fd047c04f6 was chatting 1d23054042 noisily over f115af670f a late cf9a014a31 meal.2e1a709cfb3500fd

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“Did you hear about the page the young master used to favor?”904f5e917fef0cf0

“I heard he was sent to the temple. What did he do?”c2d9e9c80375cd53

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“Who knows.”866b8edddf6552d1

“Mary said she saw him in the young master’s study, covered in blood.”f7137743571dba28

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“Him? After the young master doted on him so much…”23ec1fb69741b40a

“Who can understand the whims of the young master?”3a6459abe7c06a96

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They clicked their tongues.b9db61261072e3ca

Berner agreed with part 5b8460e2d0 of their words.1be1955aecf5f48a

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‘What is 581fa9ee9e the young 4a619ba3c3 master thinking?’9b64d89ff26b31e8

In front of Jaynie, Berner called him “Lord Jaynie,” but in his mind, he thought of him as “the young master.”357d14a89a04a4a0

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Leaning against the 5bf5abe079 wall, Berner waited 16d2d99496 for the dangerous dc1752bcc8 conversation to pass fb3dd9f910 before stepping into be0721ef9a the dining hall.131953a53b2f975f

The servants 4ff8a61480 fell silent 35b97a5883 as soon 87590b5057 as they 070d232465 noticed him. The cheerful atmosphere filled bafa37c228 with laughter and chatter 9f8dcfc989 vanished in an instant. Berner walked past them 5f3d2bd133 toward where the leftover 373aa7c1ac food was kept.2cb101984e555957

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He didn’t bother ordering 80233c223d them to prepare a 804776d96e meal. If he 061e45240a did, they facd45c61b would pretend 9e57656855 to listen d1953e2b43 at best.b4e647c47df23569

The servants didn’t 2a4fe67e67 consider Berner to 06fa976733 be someone who da1c5c8ac2 could give them 03652c4462 orders.03a3609d7e70c886

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After all, bastards weren’t 9a60159150 nobles. A bastard acknowledged 327f9b6d02 by their parent 93fe38a8c6 could become part 7dd15efd04 of the family, 7a1e690843 but Berner’s case f4e5035955 was different. He was the 03e3a7a561 child of a 9d336fdbc9 Grand Princess, not dad0120b04 the Duke’s bloodline.9cbbd10a4a497190

The servants 98eb8076de served the 4498a63e3b Duke. To them, a90a71b47a Jaynie was 3a6cd03a8d the only e0e8a41cec young master ceca7936a3 of this ba6ce4a133 house.3f87d1d7ceece286

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Berner placed some c835a41dc3 dry bread and 45f5b279fb soup on a fd5ddbf24a tray and left 3ea6bf54c6 the dining hall. The silence 79956c0cb9 persisted behind bb69efad07 him. Only once they were 9ef06e101d sure Berner had disappeared 78d35102f9 down the hallway would bda9dd8c74 they feel comfortable talking 3f8248c8d8 again. He could ad34011841 bet every fb016dfe92 sock he 204c805420 owned that f9da5330b1 the topic b91ccc79ff of their 2c6cd9f524 conversation would 608d2b824a be none 3ce43b3764 other than 94f35db6c7 himself.9a0cc507bea7895f

But it didn’t 5f1e00d659 matter. Not in the slightest.fa5bf7a3d924ba9f

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When Berner first 1bd96e37c7 arrived at the f4c0d07e8e Duke’s capital estate, 9b280662ba he couldn’t suppress fbf30d7237 the nervous tremors 9ecbf7a36a in his body.636c2698c599663a

The young master had e1306f563c no reason to like 8b1577ae08 him.12101679f73ceba0

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But something felt strange. After the incident with “the young master’s childhood clothes,” the young master summoned a tailor and had several new outfits made for Berner. The soft, well-made garments were the kind he hadn’t worn since he lived with his mother.1aaeeef79ec05b5b

“Noble children your age 3388a17d0c are already being educated. It’s too late 23383b83f0 for you to c9c7a95612 learn swordsmanship. Magic might 9873f0485a be better. I’ll arrange for a 5e2eb62b44 mage to teach you.”ae609f1c9b3e363f

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The day after e8cae62d61 Jaynie said this, 1017d36aed the room next a38060e72f to Berner’s was bfc7f12e0f vacated and turned b32564453d into a study. Shelves were installed 3b52da9e55 on every wall, 5faf421e32 each filled with d3e6f8ccff various books on 89666c462d magic.1ff23ce1a6ff0cae

“Berner? My pupil? Or should f453d5a326 I call 90f12c2ecf you Lord dfb93e1353 Berner?”5d5e27cfa6622791

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The mage 6d5e463202 assigned to 16e7cca25c teach Berner e98ce95abb stumbled over 7bbea0adf1 his words 4789154dab as he fd9c1803f3 asked.4c7cec31f710c8bd

Lorant, the mage, 793b16dc99 had been temporarily 3fea8dfa5c expelled from the a4de52f275 Magic Tower for 565aa441c1 misappropriating research funds. Until he 0d7da0f9fb repaid what d494dc109c he owed, 3e7b38691c he was 4bf25c6fba barred from 658d427ea6 returning.53ff5b98501bd930

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Even so, the so-called 1d8c9d55e2 misappropriation had been due 00726647ba to a mere calculation 25fa2355bd error, hardly a crime. And given how 8c31db57c1 many ways mages ca9a31c2db could accumulate wealth, b26013d8ce it wasn’t a c2f2c901b6 severe punishment.34c3b1d6108cf112

“Just call me 934b2e86b0 by my name.”4fe786f5d56ff5e8

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“Then, Lord Berner, 688be459ce shall we explore 144a38d4c1 the mysteries of 5584e072bc magic together? It’s incredible—I never 29979ea365 thought I’d have d725e020ea a pupil! I thought 8d15dfb216 I’d never d3186905e9 experience something 400ee92da7 like this 6e45a8018a in my d244746f9f life….”9435b27fba0ae505

He beamed 159ecbc6cd with delight.f44e44267fff0f25

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Berner was puzzled. This mage, f0cc675b49 unless he 33ca5bc6e0 was a a22bb3c841 complete eccentric, f746ad570f seemed like 9d3e317df1 a genuinely dca68274bf good person. But why would the 164147001a young master assign someone 43a18d19d3 so kind to be d035c1fb74 his tutor?73aa2c77686f1063

Especially when Berner wasn’t a good student. He was a slow learner who couldn’t even grasp the basics of “sensing his own magical energy,” something most managed within a month.472f0ef5c8b14a4c

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Despite this, Lorant never 18242d95dd got angry. Instead, he 8f77af8555 would ponder 63f61006b3 alongside Berner.f93b211e8953fe26

“Why can’t Lord Berner fcee7ff8b1 use magic? You sense my magical 0bb11a09b9 energy just fine. You can even d85f7c8ad5 detect the spells e260f18d06 placed on my 765fad1b73 magical items. That’s a rare 02bc4779ff talent. Honestly, you might f5fade2a0b have extraordinary potential. But it seems e3a35fb35b like something is 0e6df5c1a9 blocking one of 98bdcc589a your circuits….”fe2cdae7f1dd7917

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Lorant even 2f6aaae1cc tried to 10e3b12333 comfort him 42505194f6 enthusiastically.887e22c6edee50a7

While there 5a3fea5a46 were rumors 8ccce5d985 that mages 111c040745 from the 308515d5a7 Magic Tower 7ba22759b7 were eccentric, c8c37a181d Lorant seemed 33d0a409e6 particularly peculiar. After all, even if bf3807c153 the Duke ordered a 1fa8810ed3 mage to be strict 98c640c9a9 with their student, it 868a1b58c3 wasn’t as if such 164da33e97 commands would hold any d21238e5af sway over those from 3a607cd7dd the Tower. The severity 3b2209f46c of “strictness” ce490ecd5e would likely a172479fe7 be misunderstood f9c245093f anyway.c3f61a14977a6fc1

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Then there a5daeeeb7c was the 6141629c53 matter of ee39b11480 Jaynie having 1695f7dd92 dinner with bedb075ff0 him. Berner wasn’t e236e99ae7 sure what a3ed6005aa to make 70ee05bdfa of that.9b8fc29191551046

On the first day e4f5f63dc7 at the estate, Berner fd33d6f622 and Jaynie shared a 02921f941a seafood meal.2896d573542cb984

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Berner, starving after 31aab57412 the long journey, 988aba2901 devoured the food 03f3b02b30 with abandon. When he happened 4dea0f3ee2 to look up, 4a88ca3d31 he noticed Jaynie 1cc02074ba watching him.623943759c18d306

“Do you 04bb35430a like seafood?” e0dd9aa935 Jaynie asked.563f4d4b1854e365

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“I don’t know.”bf410da14e24b16c

Berner knew from his 28e48b2e25 time in the Duke’s 0cde187b93 household that seafood was f96bb500b1 a luxury in the eec8ac7390 Empire. The Kallios Mountains 876faa5929 divided the eastern d5c55f662a and western regions, 99f7d5e2be and importing seafood 6b9831baea required the use 119161c850 of magic.fe1ac02e7fbbe789

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After his b5868df439 mother’s death, 37a9122321 Berner had ea9e36754d grown accustomed 491baa6701 to a 386b3f9c44 life without 8e91da54e8 servants. He had 900ecc6f7c learned to b6c13bfbcd fend for e13a5d85b8 himself, including df72564e44 preparing his 1ca4f4706a own meals.6b74b9fffd0cafa9

The Duke’s b4b04b56fc servants had aa0ecd946a driven away e066d0cb27 those who 76dd00966c served in 71f6d7f9f5 the annex 96148581cd where Berner 35abb78f4d lived, but fcde37423c they hadn’t a277f10015 stopped him fb3018931a from accessing 3adc08c8b3 the storeroom 018c344684 for supplies.eed5588f21eef92d

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Even so, 0c28223eb6 Berner knew d73dcb27b5 better than 7368851e27 to touch f02e78ac79 the rare 01c020f126 ingredients. Those were reserved 9572a7531f for the Duke 9bd2962930 and Jaynie—seafood, exotic c871d29eb5 items, spices, and d7c1a4e5e0 sweets.5784fe8b92799493

Having lived alone 14f9f54804 for so long, 40d2fbfbec Berner had forgotten 59e766b9b5 their taste. His “I 21ef5e7d50 don’t know” a10767fb54 wasn’t meant 406f78fd63 as defiance; c26813b1db he genuinely b08aaccfc3 couldn’t remember f3a74abe46 if he bad10702de liked seafood.967803cda97edcca

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But after the long 68db0e5840 journey, Berner had been 3d0c09f63b hungry that day. Since no 8578ddabf0 one gave 2f97118cee him disapproving 4ae4636fa5 looks, he 73ce43567e ate to e217823778 his heart’s a050c1e105 content. From then 3b24f6f59f on, seafood c868e22bf6 dishes often 97efb3276a appeared at 3416230811 dinners with 9f47854bd7 Jaynie.5e57e2f769533aa6

For some reason, Jaynie 9c232fed97 seemed to want Berner 0ddce86c66 to succeed in magic. He would ask bf39c8cfd0 about his progress 2328f39f8e whenever he remembered. Yet, even when Berner 8133ba39e3 shook his head and fb50abce0b said, “Not yet,” Jaynie 60dfa08e05 didn’t scold him. Neither did Lorant.82c346d9d20d6924

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Compared to life at 296f1c09bd the ducal estate, the 1b99877d68 capital mansion was overwhelmingly 2c64104028 affluent and peaceful.d5afa004ce01e805

Berner found 58a717f619 himself wanting 80cc8b778f to believe ce00a814da that Jaynie 3c1648780b genuinely cared 0410e2f540 for him.0b1faf51e9457011

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But whenever df66e18a62 Berner called 0fda81b3df for the c1ed2fa876 servants, they ebc7648c42 pretended not 021cde196e to hear. Laundry he b12e476914 set out b6668e3f45 returned untouched. Meals like 24e1ecbca4 breakfast or 0617d25d94 lunch were ee74fd7cde rarely prepared 7e1400dd8b on time. He would 0cd1d0efcf overhear gossip f2b85e96f0 about himself 96b10a65a2 in the 1f2fdd2fca hallways. The servant assigned to 80904c11de his room clearly didn’t 0a21f0a0d7 want to serve him.22ebf5314c2bb63d

Servants were meant to 6b6559ecb6 be the hands and 4166c142f7 feet of their master. Berner remembered how his fa44e5ac22 mother had treated her 6806e61fe1 servants—they would read her d79c852996 wishes without her even 4c3322bfa6 speaking.d16cc7d00b25cc88

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Berner knew 3d9e7df753 this neglect 538965ec87 couldn’t be 7a8ca415b7 anything other b7620f27bf than Jaynie’s 2db392ad04 will. He was smart and e46a19e430 perceptive enough to figure 2c58823a02 that out.92ef2e3316f155ce

But he had been 87196b5c2e alone for far too cc7ffd2b68 long.c08de5e206242dab

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‘That’s why.’164c8dc0de7af67c

It only took 39ca656a6e a few simple addd1664c1 gestures—asking about his cfe7419980 homework, sharing a 23429d1f8b meal, or inquiring 2082cabe29 about his daily a2a0989306 life—for Berner to a85ebd0efe think favorably of 8dbb7c5eeb someone.06fa8fbd853dcfdd

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Berner was e73bef63fe so lonely 397bb95812 that even a67c302de0 this level e3c7f9489a of attention 337eca3117 made the 33708876a4 servants’ rejection 4153967ffd feel insignificant. He understood his 453bffe309 own state with 88fc945b8e cold clarity.9f9c6e73d2177d8a

The heart db2726f9a3 should belong 4c314f2726 to oneself, d257fdf39c but it 98fec2858d rarely listens 5a80061d83 to its a18f469677 owner.b81f0c378d3c07db

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Berner decided to frame 4dac6379ab it this way:d99d2b3f96e26935

‘He just c03ec16cd8 doesn’t know 1b19df5163 how to f39b312466 make people 7467623d88 suffer.’0ebd5f6b47036fd7

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Or maybe 2da70a45ab the opposite—maybe 7f1a911db0 he knows c04d5f4e07 too well.b695cdc2a926d9ca

After all, ce094fcebc he made 359e67790b it impossible 0f87e9b0f5 for Berner 89e9403fd8 to resent d4639317a3 the people 854f33a49c who hated 675abda78f him.6cdfc4319c51508e

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The neglect didn’t particularly 86a3d4534a bother him. He was used 376e8f0b45 to it. It wasn’t as 3e4014490a if the servants 0c400596d9 openly insulted him 405e6e8c88 in front of 3d5f20dd14 his face. They merely treated him 7c43b3d391 like a ghost.1016cc7c9ec588b2

Though the servants 2c28282c1f refused to enter bdc747f7be his room to 6e8852cc6b clean, the space 23d1fed4c9 he had been b85d839d28 given was warm, 5e66048302 and the bedding 3581245ab8 was soft.3d77068d1bb6367f

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There was someone b1ccbae751 who greeted him e6dad170ff when he spoke ddcc338c02 and shared meals 0bf7b22da3 with him.106c6f43469ef0d0

This was not dbc2abfc01 the empty annex b96d71c069 where Berner had ddb2169ebc once lived. In the annex, ce03e34ea9 he had been c07627c5ba a literal ghost—unseen, bbbf8b89d0 nonexistent.8870c5734ab5dae9

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A lot had 1d6b1285d7 changed around him.5463a51c60a4208c

And yet, in truth, 0922c2a2a3 there wasn’t much difference f6efe2853e between the annex at 842c4d1884 the ducal estate and 952ebf9933 the mansion in the b03331dd42 capital. Berner was always ready 66df5ad7e2 to leave. He had 58051c4221 packed his 864aa4bdce belongings meticulously 4d0cc58c89 on the bc0237b27c way to da46565288 the capital, 88fa20e86b only to 1fcb806a39 have them c934cf15df confiscated. Now, all he had 19ac6e7608 to do was walk 644929eec8 out the door.2a7edeb75a09a8de

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Just as he 3cf38327fa had lived in 08d2ab0a11 the annex, holding 01898fbdf6 his breath and 5ac9d01450 waiting for the 301d80e4b7 Duke to drive b10fff778e him out, Berner 7ea55604c1 was prepared for 97a4de723b the day Jaynie 27125bf090 would order him 1145ea87e7 to leave.7e0829bd6ccfa79e

‘But this is harder.’73797c300317195c

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Standing in 0b8d8adf06 front of a183caa01f the study 4975a69533 room, Berner eba972d9ca sighed.53295fd703d322a8

A private tutor was e835ef546d a high-ranking servant. Educated and a34fbeff4c of a 6af41acfbf higher status 8cb1dd655a than the 95c1fabc53 other servants, 569b440200 but still 682942c3c7 a subordinate 6d2734cff5 to the 62dd7d9893 nobility.01edb083977444cd

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Servants worked hard 4941a558f4 to stay in a95b9582a9 their master’s good 2c92cb1508 graces. They paid close attention 21baabda3e to what actions pleased b3963f176c or displeased their lord.76ea6a9afefe0c5d

The tutor assigned to teach Berner quickly realized his pupil’s situation on the very first day of lessons. Servants wouldn’t openly harass someone they considered a “young master.” Berner wasn’t harassed because he was ignored—he was hated by the owner of the house.f2241d2addcfb5f6

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The tutor understood his 580682d45b role swiftly.ed4c34c743918d6c

And he had the abda71240b authority to discipline his 8ada48dcf9 student as needed.dc62dcf4c9071569

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“This is basic cf1fb02dc5 arithmetic even a 2d946ca9e7 ten-year-old knows. You can’t 14c5654e92 possibly not 53ecf660c6 understand it, 097bf17356 Lord Berner. Are you ignoring me?”0c5a7cc6e77b038b

“A student 2af1922b7c should show ddff581505 proper respect ced8f4a900 to their f56e44c218 teacher. Lord Berner, ebd365d455 it seems 13d685b8a1 you need 3b2c62ab37 discipline. Roll up your a99758cceb pants and show e6e59319b8 me your calves.”09b439de6dae162f

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The tutor was 4d8325fb26 adept at corporal 00ac6836f2 punishment, striking Berner’s f5873b7f6d calves hard enough 3b0a11da64 to bruise without 6811338fed drawing blood.c79ad09c41cbb9c2

Whenever Berner e09d12e642 shared dinner f9fdab0bc8 with Jaynie, d2df75ce8e he wondered.0c20ddcf4b48f30a

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Could Jaynie 2a91a4ba1f really be 4393001ddc unaware of 8b6cfed770 what the be32cbd289 tutor was d970e194fe doing to f6c4d128d1 him?2fbbd135fb356ea8

But Jaynie 2c2fef22af never asked 9cff2fb914 why Berner’s fa6928ce4f steps were 3874e024c7 awkward on b7c87e261f the way 7a6d080b10 back to ac98773764 his room. Instead, he simply 577e98f948 said he could ff7db97136 replace Lorant with 587a71c37b another mage if 2c985b923c needed.b8ab7278fe795d54

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It seemed that 7a3bb352e7 Jaynie wanted to e8fe18c01b keep Berner close b805778193 and enjoy watching 193711daf2 him struggle.25d864940b0653d9