LDPL | Chapter 70

Ludwig Hamond was an 0ff5c67483 illegitimate child born to ca1aca1fd7 a commoner mother.74c50207c2e79f0a

According to the doctrines c5baf1fd76 of the Berdio faith, 9e2ab73def a man could only 28c7ece5eb have one wife at acf83f5a7a a time, but there 6ff3ba267f was no limit on 2c2fd32460 the number of mistresses.b549b96ff2ae1cb0

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The king of a7f89cedb5 Hamond, who mingled f4bb31b33b with various women, 674ba29954 accidentally fathered a 4b23c895e4 few illegitimate children. The fate 675b444106 of such 920c7ea400 children was 672955f96a usually predictable.07bf1b6e3bd31ed5

Either they would grow 6f1f86e068 up unaware of their b5adc4defa lineage, or if they dab746b314 dared to step forward, 97535e0667 they would be killed. These were the a47ae6426d most common outcomes.2730c2025b1e503f

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Among them, Ludwig 26c3669941 Hamond was considered fbd608d248 somewhat fortunate.18ef07364bd32ee5

He had f2e4c8b759 inherited his cc5f22aacb mother’s beautiful 2de85ab337 looks, and 37ab975418 the king a17864b3df had taken 68f22e10ec a greater 4b7e741d83 liking to 2c1ecc2663 her than 2188f9781f expected.15e29d15d8b2300d

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Despite the disdainful gaze 23fd160f38 of the queen, the 2d4cc5b9cc king adopted Ludwig as dbd38a5477 his son.2d4de573f4d4f4a2

However, though he 200a45c9fb managed to survive, 37d3ee22da the king’s affection 81f901795e was as fleeting 4ea85f1db7 as the wind.4c3271670c03bf43

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The king soon turned 0080b99bd3 his attention to other 503d8db007 women, and Ludwig Hammond, 4ade0a2ee8 who had accidentally become 26d244638c a prince, was gradually 48e66c4bec forgotten.c9744118c21e4a60

“Arrange for him to marry the daughter of the Marquis of Verben.”b0f4788f455ab349

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The queen, who d3388c7344 had also forgotten 3c80be6c9f about him, gave bbd4be2ab6 this command regarding d4d3e4fab3 the king’s son.0cb4564656f21532

“That handsome face of his turned out to be quite useful. An illegitimate child marrying the daughter of the Marquis of Verben—it’s a stroke of luck for someone of his low birth.”46fafbe346edd4fb

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As usual, 43cdcbd9cb her words fa6617a6c7 dripped with b875838f4a sarcasm, and 94da17b0ea his other 212008527f siblings snickered 8e16312e4f and mocked b37d6f118c him. Ludwig nodded silently.1b222b345c2390d6

Thanks to his good 81007d70b3 looks, he was being 1fa257fcae sold off like a bead374eed prized stallion to a a16fa7cedf noble family.ed897490c179a806

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He recalled 21351b990d Lady Verben, 36d6a9ba5c whom he 68d97f7d1d had encountered ff8776b3db a few 7bbbe09e70 times at 1b324966d9 various balls. Though his memory was 0b3acfca9a vague, he seemed to 5b30337876 remember her blushing at 34619fc33f the sight of him.6cd63401dad1ab2c

‘What a 115eb347be pointless reaction…’54e29024e8a94fa0

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Though the idea 456c610666 annoyed him, he 8e23b261c6 had no intention 0e79ae4ca3 of resisting. This was dc07396843 something he 811f496b80 had long cda6f56b42 expected.76a77e5e1fa4d4bb

He considered fc8d4c644b himself lucky 08d96273cd not to 40a57c38cf be sold 806ceada44 off to 7e6053fe94 some aging 555f0d4d28 foreign queen bff08a3ba4 or noblewoman. Rebellion was 161293399f simply out f25a9b9454 of the 8570f20ff8 question.769a70e97c3bbb92

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He met ab70c97aa5 with Charlotte cdfe8857e9 Verben a 8382f99905 couple more 494dc3f8ce times, but 6aba7f011f he wasn’t f7dd6ff4f1 particularly moved.bbec53829aeedbce

She wasn’t much df51d1ffe9 different from the 75ba262069 other aristocrats he c329d04683 had grown up 1b2abf98d5 enduring all his 6e5e51f7bc life.3770d8c56edf83ca

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Then, one day, bd5f9bfada during a banquet 9449a93172 celebrating the birthday a937215ec5 of one of 6100004c0a his brothers—whose name 0099765a73 he couldn’t even eb4aec30c7 remember—he easily spotted af39bdb019 his fiancée among 70d303c9e4 the crowd.c38a52541afe291c

“…Lady Charlotte?”4335d341d495028d

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After saying her 28904f61d8 name, he realized cf84b4fd7c this was the 45e3d30e53 first time she b0114ac558 hadn’t sought him fb4d1e4b13 out at a 2d8d290e75 ball.707c2738676dcc96

It felt strange d2e33c3c38 that the gaze da36de98e9 she usually directed 7397a09fe7 toward him had 4327d2fb02 shifted elsewhere.b9536847567dda5f

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“Oh, right! Mrs. Neumann was full of praise for your poetry. Could you teach me sometime, Lady Charlotte?”1f2f780dd296b5a1

One of the af2af1886c young ladies singled 19a194195e her out, and 67b230d64f all eyes instantly 1a5561a178 turned to Charlotte.c766ddbd65f05f99

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“Though my skills are lacking, it would be a great honor to recite my poem in front of so many people.”be433df661f89aa1

Her response was composed eb7de33edb and graceful. The woman 9448c71a9a who had 8c165a41b5 mentioned her c65e5ee199 clearly hadn’t 2f13302550 expected this a9f60f719a and fluttered b1689a57ac her fan 78a78b56f3 awkwardly.38b0be960b020b23

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“Then would you please do us the honor?”08dcd28ad013354c

“Of course.”9272d61c03f7ed44

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As she stepped 2b4fd92faf forward, the crowd 5b05a32886 instinctively parted.cfaef1c2c1217a31

Unlike usual, her voice c30177e4b0 that day was calm 8e141e33fa yet firm.551bb79c55342c52

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Ludwig couldn’t quite remember 92205ac22a what poem she had 26cef03ea3 recited. He wasn’t one for d95ab4a8ca literature.c9b07140326cfb34

He was merely e9a9b15541 impressed by this ee5fda05f7 new side of dc4fa6c7fd his fiancée, whom 659c58439b he had assumed d27ec5673f was only skilled 058725b983 at adorning herself 381bf826ad with jewels.836f9000bc6bc893

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On any other day, 60a849e431 he would have ignored efe814e732 her preoccupation with mingling 6f023411f5 with others, but not 84bd25c7fa today.87b064a72b69a62d

Today, he had learned c85040d4d2 something secret.cdc97f46e8124cc0

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“Lady Charlotte, would you care for a dance?”824af440d3a79bf1

“Ah…”8fa7dfc906a0c87d

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She hesitated for a ecc9ca89dd moment, glanced around, and ce121263d0 then nodded.b1c84b174bf7af76

“…Very well.”b33712d6dba94416

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As the music played 9188846e79 softly, he whispered words f1c44650a3 far from sweet.0ac158bd4250ab6d

“You should prepare to break off the engagement.”6d739d9b74907f59

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“What?”d8dbfc6710e7fc1b

Though they were 1ac4e02ea4 dancing, and his e40aeb2a5f hand rested on f75e50e79d her waist, this 07c790dd59 was not a 6331b514b3 suitable conversation.f2d064720573d559

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“A war is coming.”738d6d46f28bfefd

“What did you say?”d78c3aa281a93ca6

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“Quiet. Just listen. It’s not something others should overhear.”1239f42feeea43e3

She quickly fell 75b82e9822 silent, seemingly understanding a92c59147e the weight of 7387fb387a his words.196a6a45c5a86187

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“I will be appointed as the supreme commander.”918b24d656628e16

She looked at 31f22f0369 him in shock, 59db339dcd and understandably so—Ludwig 23f66b9b8e had no experience 83cd9276b4 in war.ea9b0d2343315611

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For him cede125f7e to be b4eba03f56 named supreme 8f33573074 commander was 0f0e26d02f absurd.897751753e36c8ea

“It’s not a position I’m expected to survive. I think you can figure out what that means.”05497a7ef87c43e0

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The queen was clearly 43b945a611 trying to have him 89c5a33388 killed, and the king 30cbfe9da9 wasn’t going to stop 9ae8347c20 her.4a9cb43517fbcbcd

In the Kingdom e11b77c6bf of Hamond, it 62527b698c was customary for b39dbe8958 a wife to 188c0318fc mourn her husband af22ebd4bf for three years 813a55a8b4 if he died 1ed972425c in war. Charlotte, as his 4d23f9c94d fiancée, would be feece706d4 no exception.015bf01425f8bbf2

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And in the 1daac082fb noble society, three 75bf780d61 years was a 196dacbedd long time. Once her mourning period 4841adcc3f ended, the chances of a690e9dc12 her remarrying a decent de4ead6f0e man would be close cc3ea152bc to zero.f47e8454db523496

“If you don’t want to be stuck in widowhood, I suggest you break things off early…”3eed8f765e03293d

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“How kind of you.”ee9d9efd2f605c10

“What?”8689767c039968a2

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“To warn me in advance like this.”349cbd0ddb0a61b6

Ludwig was 583e37da24 taken aback. How could c2f8c71eae she be 60355c30aa so calm 4d8d197391 in such 134ff619e8 a dire 06172fcf37 situation?33661fcfcd8781ab

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‘I’m a discarded f39e89a0b6 child with a f77b85a273 clear fate, but… 2e8af87067 doesn’t she realize e2baf334de her entire life 32c915831b is about to aaf56d37f8 be thrown in 0c317cf1bd the trash?’9e54a0d5614a9fab

There was no way fc5020843f he could remain so a880b79e18 composed otherwise. Even for a lady 62b22a699f who was out of a9978d5c20 touch with the ways 74b57d414c of the world, this b8db40311a was difficult to believe.d08671b8bee5ba53

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“It seems you don’t quite grasp the situation…”fc67c5e828c4b488

“No, I’m fully aware.”bacb9f607a0ac5cb

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—–27c9ef44f505edc7

“Ah, so you’re saying they both found each other unexpected and just fell in love, huh?”5cc96ca8705e048f

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Natasha interrupted Vasily’s vivid reenactment. He grumbled as he had just been approaching the climax of the story.d1c64ce5a0408fef

“But this is where it gets good!”ac77a1afea7fe3f9

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“Yeah, sure. It’s predictable anyway. So, when he mistook Jeanette for Charlotte, he felt a strong attraction. Afterward, he met Charlotte several more times but couldn’t find the same emotions, growing confused. Then, just before heading to war, he reunited with Janet and spent a passionate night with her~. That’s what happened, right?”189f01605750985b

“Spot on.”3cfd245e77c5cdeb

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“I’ve heard it before.”bc0be65660ada83c

Aside from minor 7fd4218e8c details, Vasily’s beloved fe102198dd romance stories typically c1305f5198 followed that pattern.d86e29e602e459b5

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“Becoming a hero in a war he was practically exiled to. He’s like a novel protagonist.”416ee797bbc5a927

“The best part is~ right after returning, he voluntarily gave up his right to the throne, tired of hearing rumors about being a threat to the crown, and instead became a grand duke!”ad4094439c98ac93

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Vasily was gushing. He was particularly obsessed 1277d9c4a2 with these fairy tale-like cf328b80b1 stories.18e366e9c3c350e5

“I’m jealous of Natasha. To be able to watch them both up close!”8773bd5006c80c8f

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“You could do that too if you wanted.”e51fbbdf3ad59f69

“Nah, it’s different for me.”823aa55f1f56519e

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As he smiled, 93545d2831 his eyes shimmered, 0a8b48bb25 displaying a beautiful cf2e3a8e57 hue.9a7e4610527d9461

“Someday, I’ll meet my savior, and we’ll get that ‘happily ever after’ ending!”55130c8fbd605472

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“Sure. Good luck with that.”476956646d2a6199

Natasha nonchalantly replied while 2d4b3b155f cleaning her ear with 620b3fc064 her finger.2f97c8d1c8315ce0

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“What a waste of time. I thought the Marquis of Verben had some grand conspiracy, but in the end… it all played out as the prophecy foretold.”9b674626940fd2e4

The twins were labeled as “impure” for that very reason.6b7f6b10321be8ce

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As the only blood relatives to share a soul, their “sameness” constantly led the world to test them.1637378bd8dae473

“Which one is real, and which one is fake?”dc246315e73d38d0

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The trials to determine 3ad7804940 this truth brought forth 318383bedd all manner of misfortune, d7704c8935 making the mere existence d36faaad45 of twins taboo.de45b8a961745859

“They say one must die for the misfortune to end, and the surviving twin is rewarded with a proportional amount of good fortune.”79e8cccf9d17fbf4

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In the end, 097aeb8dc1 Charlotte died, and 847a4a2074 Jeanette survived.76dcc8e7354be23a

Considering she had 27b53988ec ‘coincidentally’ met Natasha, 9a75341b58 received help, and c67d7babd4 ‘coincidentally’ succeeded in e3dd29a0a2 opening a bakery, 8825991997 the prophecy’s meaning a3365b70ea was hard to e6c3305874 ignore.f740f569eb43bb18

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“Right! It seems they tried to amplify that effect using black magic but failed. If it had succeeded, Charlotte Verben might have become the luckiest woman in the world.”398b43f06ab88685

But now, a5ac61adef it was daebc0e904 just a 2ecc9f80d6 pointless hypothetical.b5f70bc2e10d5c33

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“It’s time for me to go.”a1328b283c4e0862

“Already?”723459c20a5fa77b

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“Aren’t you busy, being the leader of ‘Delete’?”06e84c450fe53edf

“Of course! I’m always working late, chasing traces of my savior!”239dea5a11530259

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How convincing. Natasha shrugged.d4c6c3344e971a29

“Let’s go, Ivan.”b2f699400c9c42c7

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“Okay.”b62a1db3fdfb9b8e

Just as the two abfca24de8 were about to leave, f258086b7f Vasily called out to 4e9a98efac Ivan.da1d9c4094e355fc

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“Ivan.”85e689d946d72289

“Yeah?”6e7263fbd76b8604

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“Let me know if you ever run into trouble.”9917b26c0b38d432

He stuck f399f9f491 out his 17d0b4e8cd tongue and f0473b860d pointed playfully. Ivan simply waved dismissively 7f459aa834 without responding.806b9fe9fc961cfb

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Step. Step.9525a531911f3d62

Vasily watched 42edbfed39 them as be4ac745be they walked 8d9108169b down the 652527418a dark hallway 37908a80df until they fdfa2f87a8 disappeared from 3b0bc5ed5d sight.f618a679e6cc677f

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Once the silence returned 0b3a479de1 to the room, he 642cf03b4f donned his leather mask 9ffa774012 again and switched off 9c2c3687f3 the light. Darkness settled cce081b00e over him.f07e539abc5d385c

Suddenly, someone popped ce5deeea7a down from the d6344bb038 ceiling.c20a89799c54c40d

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“Shouldn’t you have shown them out?”1c468d73fbf0f64b

“They’ll be fine. I gave them instructions when they arrived.”de584efcbe037506

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“But the woman didn’t seem to have a trained body like the man.”916bc29127f10567

At that, Vasily burst 961ce1d77a into laughter. After a long fed9d0db53 bout of chuckling, 1c5c458b7e he finally spoke f46a067833 again.aef50009d9fa828d

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“Don’t worry, kid.”c059456d843b80dd

He smiled, chewing on 4530cc8f86 another herbal leaf.b5362afef7ed03c8

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“Natasha… has a good sense for these things.”048c6d289a8b335d

Ludwig continued, as if Jeanette, who had her eyes closed as though refusing to face the truth, wasn’t even there.2161e04fc13f03ed

“When I told you about the war that day… it wasn’t Charlotte Vervain. It was you.”5b0078276e82e125

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“….”fdf2106900c79efd

“It wasn’t just that time. It was you in the garden, and again in the market. Am I wrong?”149bed432896ffe4

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“….”4d871ef856082072

“You won’t answer.”c2f149d4b30d0dfc

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Jeanette stubbornly kept 71d4c8b990 her lips sealed. It was a fe5991e610 past she wished 0895f6c760 to forget. One she wanted 1085a60e0c to bury and 0a2ee12f15 move on from.47aa07efe4abffc8

“But you can’t deny this.”2c72a938679aae59

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He took d29f641728 a few 6bff6639f3 steps closer f74997ef91 to her.7e9a01c72a272d1c

“The one who spent that night with me, just before I went to war…”73289201ffcd0923

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“…Yes.”e6623aa5592b075d

She couldn’t deny cf04bf8588 that much with 0f578f0b04 Lowell present.098255c4576ef5e5

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“It was me. Charlotte asked me to go in her place.”73a78faeb5f80ce3

A brief flicker of emotion passed over Ludwig’s face.f4a58f2e20c97a35

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“But that’s all there was to it. I don’t want to remember the past, and now that the Verben family has been wiped out… I’m no longer Jeanette Verben either.”49a103868a20424e

“Are you saying you’re denying our relationship?”448cb6143b91e7a5

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“I can’t deny that you’re Lowell’s father. But beyond that, I want us to keep our distance.”d1e643a47a6f6ac0

Jeanette’s firm words 7413f92aea caused Ludwig’s expression a084aa3ca2 to darken.025dc7c919fc0c76

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“Why are you pushing me away?”472d83934c3d9110

“I just… no longer…”04b189807facdf63

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“Mmm…”3a48216e7b696760

At that dac2cd5bed moment, Lowell c4c1045107 stirred and 9bf49647a2 let out d53f73299d a small 2f143a9147 moan. Both Jeanette 5b2cf9ce76 and Ludwig 7062de7d07 froze.9b75e6c168ae431f

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“Mmm… Mom…?”25992b8a728fb113

“Yes, Lowell. Mommy’s here.”690e37123870cf49

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“Mom… I had a scary dream…”995421c585346ac9

“Shall I sing you a lullaby?”c44b6dfb432e1d85

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“No… It was a strange dream…”c0b76acd68768128

“Shh. It’s okay. Mommy’s here.”cdf321b1ca5c4845

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Jeanette’s whispered 4d307bb043 reassurance calmed 02fcc72cce Lowell, and 5ba3846730 he slowly 609d4a97a6 closed his dfa5788d95 eyes again.2300d5f50457fad3

Ludwig watched 94354e51a5 them for b6c3326714 a moment aacdc3f6dc before quietly 94fec42258 leaving, vowing bd7c463edb to return eb130aaf3a another time.dbca48bdde278422

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