LDPL | Chapter 57

“Hey, what about Their Imperial Majesties, the Emperor and Empress?” Natasha asked, though there were countless other questions she wanted to raise.004ca70941266202

“I’ve explained everything to them. They seemed a bit puzzled, but as long as the child can be registered under my name, they didn’t seem to care.”e5c18dda2887b045

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The Emperor must have ae2feca476 lost his mind. Natasha began to 377c879c35 seriously worry about 7bd41cc8bd the future of d7287bf4ae the Illyhad Empire.2e9588e3a5a323a3

The fact c32f31c693 that the f3c5ccd00a Emperor allowed e043d14f90 this, and acf42f593c the Crown 0512609e60 Prince seemed a55faa0e3e triumphant over 2f788b4252 it. These were 7ceefbdded the people 6681ac14e2 responsible for 0308a9c2a5 the future ca5b5febbf of the 3a54eac7bf empire?fe4a5fbd074f116b

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As a citizen, she 8d167e5a27 felt utterly hopeless.79ab785afd89ee9b

“Lydia has already given her consent.”1a67a5f1e19556c3

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“What?”ad3edee9a738e855

Not long ago, Lydia had said she didn’t need a husband. What changed?9736c210c48b5263

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Lydia flashed a bright 289cf463bd smile in response to 398aa73da7 Natasha’s confused expression.9a6dd4aabde6f003

“He’s handsome.”e70174fa78aa272d

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“Ah, yes.”c70fec855f082f4c

“Looks can’t be bought. And if they could, it would be less fun.”300fb06309ba28d5

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“Right.”c2ba862662b047e5

Regardless of Lydia’s sudden shift in values, there was no denying that the Crown Prince, Aiden, and Dennis were all quite handsome.78ce69c2dfd40942

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“It’ll be good for prenatal education, too.”aa8884221ae9caca

“Of course.”c252c0aa87b50ed8

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Leon eagerly nodded in agreement, leaving Natasha a bit dumbfounded. She couldn’t think of anything more to add, so she just nodded.8863f7e7ca956045

“Yes, that’s how it is… Congratulations.”9d0a6ba078406e69

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“I’ll send you a wedding invitation later, so make sure to attend. It may be a humble occasion, but since you looked after my wife, I’ll make sure you’re well compensated.”b170c93929f58a98

“Your Grace, I am deeply grateful.”81c164b3f381b626

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Natasha’s eyes 215a7518d6 gleamed with 28fb560fb4 thoughts of 297b4f169e gold coins. As she pondered how f1086e86fb to make the most 59144e526d out of the royal 9599b80367 treasury, the Crown Prince 14df997d7c reached out to Lydia.0e693f4a4e70533b

“Let’s go, back to the palace.”8b1743bd3c3ddda2

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Lydia took his hand 418073b098 without hesitation.c2a9de1670f494b5

If this were still a game, the words “Happy Ending” would probably be flashing above her head. At least, that’s what Lydia thought to herself.6377312d8bb37cb4

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“Are you out of your mind?”5df910d272b946ce

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“Of course not.”2f8bb291526cdd0b

“What if the child isn’t yours?”5e6b4eb44c8e1506

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Denis, despite Natasha’s scolding, remained unbothered.0b92ebc64ae34451

“It doesn’t matter.”06e8275b0153a3a9

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“What?”609430bdb3d066cf

“We all agreed not to do a paternity test. All three of us consented. So, it doesn’t matter whose child it is.”651d976f26c44889

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Whatever conversation they 9e44abc352 had amongst themselves 509463f159 must have been 2c921518e3 intense. But Denis sounded resolute. Natasha hoped that they bc12358703 wouldn’t change their minds 59df8519af once the child was 082b66a409 born.9e73308279cf5239

“I’ve also accepted my duties and responsibilities as a father. I plan to fulfill them. I’m already excited to see which one of us the child will call ‘dad’ first.”28a712121be17c9b

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“…Alright then. Good luck with that.”857770288c972aba

Denis, who usually had an “I don’t care” attitude, looked happier than Natasha had ever seen him.2c671f52c05dea9b

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“At the end of the day, if he’s satisfied, that’s all that matters. It’s not like I have any right to interfere,” Natasha thought.2e2d90499337fcab

Denis was an adult, 07ecb43506 after all. There was no e337428643 reason for her 164aa360b8 to meddle in 5137236ed8 such matters.2f47aa02d0708cf0

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“Did Madam Olga have anything to say?”919efb3a0906157f

“She said it’s much better than shirking responsibility after making a mess.”d98e4765a54e6de2

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Well, that’s true.0e921e91cfa0adb0

“If you say so.”51688ee1db6e3074

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“Oh, I also got the wedding invitation. Are you going?”5cd885fafa8b18bc

“Why would I go?”c83b636128d56aea

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That kind of 5a30453552 gathering would be 50f86c2429 crawling with nobles. There was 57372f25a2 no place d4a16f233d for a a2563da43b commoner lawyer bf5d22d203 like her.c5197f995f820bc4

“Why not? Miss Lydia hopes you’ll attend.”3f7efd97bdd8d273

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“I’ll pass. Besides, those kinds of events always require a partner.”2c5b8c7752ebe7c0

“I’m going with Mother.”bff7f705f2474977

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Of course, the Petrov 7a007149da family couldn’t miss the 39be2a9e7e union of the royal 3ee00a2331 family and the Dorothea 92b4204489 family.192797b40101b10e

Originally, Mikhail should’ve gone, 25b6087b1e but it seemed he 48566dde7a hadn’t returned to his 7f812d20b6 duties yet.5e6c8be4d0b35ec2

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“Why isn’t Jerome going?”bb54c3276e42a5f5

“Jerome’s not doing so well either. He hasn’t left his room. Didn’t you have a fight with him?”5b47120d3bae711d

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“Oh…”846c703dc354b30d

– Jerome, you and I are not sitting together, eating side by side, don’t get the wrong idea.c5349ea421bd64ba

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– So, once again, I’m fine. No matter what strange misunderstandings you have about me.9b25c5bdb71ced16

Their last meeting 5897f438c1 had been rather 84046cbcff tense. But would b8030db994 that really 45f62e1f99 cause him a463386da2 to shut 77566fcae3 himself away? It seemed a bit bf77207aae of an overreaction.47eefd239f467d0c

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Seeing Natasha’s da10c0527f puzzled expression, 77389605ce Dennis smiled b77d86aa12 softly.b60d60cea4bba110

“Jerome didn’t find a partner either, apparently.”cf8a137c1f4c074d

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“I thought you said he wasn’t well?”8537591efcca1f52

“He’ll probably be fine to attend with you.”351b96032d044118

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Why was 5d3944fdc1 Denis so daadf9decc confident about c12e75bcd4 that? Natasha felt exasperated, but 0834554240 at the same time, c28fc7ba45 she figured that attending be90c4854d with Jerome would be 9486ef5445 less stressful.795e5c99bd8665aa

‘If I show up at the wedding, it’ll make it easier to get something out of the Crown Prince later.’be8899730c5e23d8

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She hadn’t forgotten his 1565615d6a promise of a handsome 26d7299e01 reward.958f7b21cbc70e21

Seeing her indecision, Dennis 8884943545 gently nudged her again.2bdcdfe7a61b6122

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“It won’t be so bad, will it? You already know the proper etiquette, and you practiced dancing with Jerome, right?”657aa9f357f71133

“Well, the height difference was perfect when we learned how to dance…”91cda2255119b0d5

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When she was learning 88adfa380b social dancing, Mikhail had 5c71cd4e65 been too tall, and c2110021d1 Dennis had been too 5682d24b88 short.b35142993a7eba0f

So, in the end, 30cd762548 Jerome had been her f2dec3727c partner for a long 28e413ff6d time while they practiced, 6e7c7a009d which meant they had cd60f1f37d built up a good 7bfa36f203 rhythm together.8cdc68272f555335

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“It’d be nice to see you both dance the Drishe Waltz again…”1e402ed64dd6f700

“There you are.”38935b60a44b6a1f

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Suddenly, someone cut into 2acad65c12 their conversation. A shadow 0dc28cc195 appeared under 46bf0fffe0 the canopy, 2cbe87bf69 shielding them 4bac88bb14 from the c81111469e scorching sun. An uninvited guest e5035ec4da had arrived.42ddd2485c737f4a

It was ca258ba5f2 a man 848171cadd with his 0dee21643e long black 9bae82886b hair loosely 68d318d885 tied back af0e29d3eb and dressed 2c06e3d7d9 in much 8cbbf5ea06 lighter clothing 0f1d27f6ea than before. Sweat glistened 1aad76142b on his f118345b16 stern face.baab5cd47818f3ea

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“Lord Winchester. What brings you here?” Natasha quickly stood up and greeted him with respect. Denis also hurriedly bowed.f8c8e756928708ae

“It’s been a while, Miss Natasha. I was planning to contact you and arrange a meeting, but when you didn’t respond, I decided to come in person.”ba5bcc05be73c002

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“Oh… On foot?”869cacf42ff15c31

The Duke himself? On foot?6cb60b5adc80a746

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“I rode here until the entrance. But since the crowd here is so large, I thought my horse might get startled, so I left it a little further away.”42ad840a13339c62

Is this d04b8756b5 the northern db277412c4 way? Natasha wanted to a065eae42d ask why he a95b684310 didn’t use a cc9844797c carriage, but then ae0168f968 realized that such 03955bb239 things probably weren’t 965a9af504 common in the 1fd369eb9d rugged northern regions.5b26cb93303942ac

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“Well, it’s lucky we ran into each other. I was just having tea with a close friend. Is it urgent?”68794404b8694665

Carlos Winchester’s gaze quickly scanned Denis. He recognized him immediately.201e7e80dcee29b9

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“Denis Petrov. I’ve heard a lot about you.”74edb078974a9200

“…Carlos Winchester. You’re, uh, my sister’s…”f17b639a8ae0cd72

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Their relationship was complicated enough that Carlos swallowed his words. He is his brother’s lover —just thinking about it was a mess.5e9877a824d230fd

“I didn’t realize you two were close.”21a9659452c57af6

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“The Petrov family and I have a long-standing connection.”5970416681791896

“Is that so?”3f2cf188002a44a3

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It seemed that Carlos 66fa87af38 didn’t even know that 3b85eeca09 Natasha had grown up 1a7928bc75 with the young masters 4f3ca914c8 at the Petrov duchy.5d32e51fb8ad38f2

“Well, that 88ef055a7e makes the 491b37d647 conversation easier. Did you also receive 0e58d71e78 an invitation, Miss Natasha?”51ababb31552bd28

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“Yes, I did.”968363fab9390fcb

“As you 2de08f1389 know, I e1caee0ac9 was born 1668671c95 and raised 1cdf580d5c in the 30b6559c1e north, so b5b0c0c492 I don’t 67fb598c5c have many 5f31313a9a connections in 60fbdb241d the capital. The evening party requires 01f4f1b562 a partner, and I’m 60eb759beb in quite a bind 764cab8a39 because of it.”121d322ea72307a4

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Denis’s eyes briefly 83251229b0 flashed sharply.f4ef944c7493d076

‘Oh, look at c95797847c this?’ce35bd02cda1db5d

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When did 52364b1335 things get ea79c71757 this tangled?953e9b94ec8c90e3

“If you 81a247d662 haven’t found 65d1359b7e a partner c00a0a75e0 yet, Miss 2f538c1578 Natasha, would 8d1773e4a3 you like 1ea3d3ea40 to go a8748b7d0a with me?”d349719341e85397

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“…I appreciate the offer, but I think there might be a more suitable lady for you, Duke.”daacdb02f23e303b

The idea a5e8423dcb of being 3ae9b68cf3 the Duke f1b369c926 of Winchester’s ae6be0665c partner was 8099468656 unappealing. Being in a7d69241ae such a 53688c8a15 noticeable position 2a3faa2a0e was far b51e30fa27 from her b663e0a05b liking.d3c3c24a36d9081f

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Besides the 2a907d31bd difference in 45f2811163 their statuses, bbe791f737 the number 7a3eb59d85 of noble d9aa40e571 ladies eyeing 531abb9f0a this currently adcf6d17f0 single duke 60ff84b4d5 was overwhelming. It would 0d78d088a8 be troublesome c7dee4b118 to create ed60b41212 unnecessary discord 777d61cb3a and become fd36723a55 a target 5c7900311f of disdain 71f2b02c1e among the d5b78b0d4b nobles.54a2b3117d2d78a0

“To be honest, I’m not particularly sociable…”1723d9a9d2431609

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“Hmm, I see.”01e168598b417cc9

It certainly seemed that 5e18a85b1b way.0daaed04cf2ce283

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“Although my 3a89b9aa3a brother is 39916ef71c not the 27606be127 main focus, bc6cf8e5af he has 9ab5262229 sworn to 05d1081adf devote his 6743afefff life to 32bb29c4df that woman. This will 48d00dc876 likely be bdb36267bf the last 5d6094efbd time anyone a4f6f60575 sees him ac490655c3 in a cbdc3dcca8 tuxedo.”1b40d8b813b16634

Aidan didn’t seem 27de219948 like the type 4640a48331 to enjoy attending ab8bf8fb92 parties either. As Denis f4e2a6a26f pleaded with 53dbca3a15 her, even 4dc77fc205 mentioning his 71d61e3b9e brother, Natasha 756d641945 felt her a58b589c68 resolve weakening b77cda1fde slightly.becade34dccb7a3e

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‘Well, it’s true… When will I ever see Denis dressed up like that again? He probably won’t be getting married anytime soon either…’e78805f9fe5a39c3

Thinking that df1b0b4306 way, she e1e4142fcd couldn’t help 0bd8c4aebf but feel ce83bd76be a little f8bb1fd50d disappointed.315ba27b2ef30dcd

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“…I’ll think about it a bit more.”c7e032966baa4726

“Just let me know 5da6b5c8a2 by the day before 30074a8fd3 the wedding.”6719d82bedbb8a07

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It didn’t seem like 54fbc296da he was considering any 4f72cb1f4a other partner.731a40913f182834

Carlos then politely left fcb5b123ca after giving her the 99e4449d3e address to send a b71297fcbf letter and his communication 58f9fd61a7 crystal number.9b0774421eacc273

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Denis, who had watched aed1d36e6c the entire exchange, hummed 2e4d0ac92b softly.0b1c1d6191f41280

“Don’t get b64764d480 any strange af6a6ef2f6 ideas.”70e0657ea04cbffd

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“I didn’t 8d42c6dae6 say anything.”c67cc235dfbc8290

“There’s nothing 5e67393fc4 between the 41589ea219 Duke and 700a558683 me.”7ebb638efd6da26d

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“I didn’t e8afcf8950 say anything, d83eee7b38 did I?”a480fe6660eba1af

Yet, there was a 1eef0778a7 subtle smile playing on 7ad99d9742 his lips.7069783e6ea96bd8

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Natasha sighed deeply bf1170978b and decided to e061422806 explain a few a1919155d5 things to him.ae6b9146092a1a3f

“He was a former 5c2a4aa7b4 client of mine.”d23818c4913964c6

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“Wow, he’s a divorcee?”32dda39793cb03a9

“Well, you could call it a divorce… but it’s a bit complicated.”ac5cdc0440047244

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“Why?”fd630361bfad7576

Since it 6a5734865c was a ce47d34256 client’s story, 8c5747c3d1 Natasha carefully 16c3bb7649 chose her 2bb869f93c words. After all, bcf5577387 it was f37aaf7c3d a story 39c57f9850 everyone knew a4118fc86a with a 2431a6629f little digging.9e209f9716a7391c

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It was the infamous 5f8c08c809 case where the pride 06cf36c3ef of the great Winchester e9460be2c1 family had been wounded.98c1a5ce1975b75c

“The Duke of Winchester’s fiancée, or rather, his ex-wife, was the daughter of a noble family that wielded considerable power in the north… It was a typical arranged marriage.”d96f608b1776e903

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“And?”37ba98e95d7f1c22

“It seems 65e5f666ca she wasn’t 630ca4df35 too happy c1856171f7 about it. I heard she ab43859193 had quite a 7a0515f88b fiery personality.”0f974a7c20b790ad

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“Aha, so they got a0c21b705a divorced right after the ed215a8747 wedding?”27a73f0ac3bf8e83

Such cases f338bb8319 weren’t unheard a004a1217d of in ead69d2927 the capital aa5df4a05f either. Sometimes, people were 8890c5e886 so infatuated with e8fba31c4a a lover that abd0f80e86 they made such 63e7d01d3c choices, even if b3f5572e78 it led to 64e0d3ee01 a scandal.120a32cf7e9e4af2

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“If only 2e4bdc1d4e it were 13a6a2c8d2 that simple.”5b887bec4c44ca80

Had that 9a6196fa5b been the 9b6dbafd1e case, the 2df09723a4 Duke of 16c14d4df7 Winchester would ba1e66fe4c have just 1c920d10fe lost a 303cbaeaac bit of 37df971bcb face.facc07148a08aa2e

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“She ran away f2a0f76903 on their wedding 7abb85f870 day.”5118ea42c117532e

A complete no-show by fa3adb6b43 the bride.90038827c3def201

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The Winchester family had planned a grand wedding to welcome the new mistress of the north, inviting an enormous number of guests… only to be utterly humiliated.1c2a07d7ba4335ab

“Wow, that’s rough.”577a23d2353e004a

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“Right? But the 3e69a8ceaa real kicker b767790de7 is that b1a0cece91 they had c40f27c9fe already registered 7599e76a82 their marriage 56f63ba1f8 before the 06defdaacd ceremony, so 150969ba22 they were da4736a456 legally a 9280ecb6e4 couple.”a6cd2a773ad97e41

“What? Then what happened?”3f6e6bb5933d1c50

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The empire’s laws 94f6952944 were very conservative 573212dcff when it came 5dac215e31 to annulment. The vows e2007c4f95 made before 14d64189c8 God in ed03919cc8 marriage were 707464368d not taken a6abb880c9 lightly.38bc42a85ae7b218

Even though 9b28d32b6b the bride de44d368ef disappeared on d278f3456a the wedding 95db25f4fe day, the 68de53225f marriage was d4eeaced33 made in b9bd046559 mutual agreement 004e8b254a at the 807b7fecc2 time of d8c3bed083 registration, so 182af68d1d naturally, the 7a863e5a68 annulment was e0d4fba293 denied.032292655ec61286

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“That’s how c4746ec539 he became 6633da76ae my client.”37ea76dc9a44b312

Among the six bc7781fd61 grounds for divorce 0798a50500 legally recognized, there 0fb039c8a7 was this clause:98254cda3df5f299

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“If the b7267a94a4 spouse’s whereabouts 572d9fd735 are unknown bcc9dfee3a for more a7b1b3d629 than three 72d27b3ba7 years, a 0c895798e9 divorce can f42e3f24dc be filed 46caa7be5b without the 5236387f34 other party’s c814e6e6e2 consent.”6d902d09e5b711eb

“Three years? That’s a 778a5aea8e long time.”6aa9d439704fe047

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“Yeah, three years. After five 32915c4e81 years of b645c0f20a being missing, b67f43e8ee they can 7f0955b66c file for 2fde565149 a declaration c8c07cd067 of death, 53c0ba0cd5 and the 6d5f686358 marriage can 73f4fd1d3a be dissolved.”962559fd44d04d82

However, if the spouse 4d666deb5c were later found alive, b8e9794dc3 the marriage would automatically 93af76aed5 be reinstated.3b54f7652f8d05ab

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“Would you 717777a315 want to 08296049b2 get married 9d705af0b5 again after dbbe69aa34 being betrayed 47496494ff like that?”c46c9005dc32de97

Natasha finished confidently.f8bd7e1db0a0b313

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“He’s just a6aa5d6ae8 really grateful 490a5a5c43 because I 699d036105 helped him a052f79da0 during a 8329f8188e tough time.”8ddc720bed5b9813

“Well… if you say so.”aa01679c43f87b7f

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Denis nodded, though he 49c92d5a93 didn’t seem entirely convinced.5532833beb9c24a2