MGN | Chapter 23

“Give me the pen.” Maël blinked in confusion before reacting a beat too late.73224d0b2956f0b8

“Are you crazy?”5b33f2938e32fd2b

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At his 571268a426 angry words, b6cbdbb33d Manon finally df5e415961 turned her c329e29415 head. Her gaze 531512a0fb was so 44500ad440 firm it d548650f5a felt like cb80c511ed his heart 7586537a82 was sinking.51ed1086e217eff0

He thought she’d 475d5262ce realized by now. Every marriage is ultimately 2ec13e24e6 a contract, and Manon 85483a19ee was on the verge 4b9cc28134 of a particularly nasty d4d83b9db4 one. Yet she 76e8cc2f6f was still 1d81f9686a going through 96e601c310 with it.cc98aa849b9e0e24

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“Are you scared? Is that why? It’s really not a big deal. Breaking off an engagement sounds huge, but people forget this kind of thing in a year. No, half a year. Just six months.”6ee741f4673cc2b5

“Why pretend not to know? In half a year, there’ll be more gossip!”852c16cc2679b1a3

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Manon’s thin hand 4e67fab3b3 clutched the lace 9d5bc7a271 over her belly. Unable to 99adfbb8fd respond, Maël 2e602e6f8d watched her c915c36fec grit her 393c7b5bb1 teeth.82edda3c0d046572

“It’s obvious I won’t be able to raise this child. Even if you protect me with the law, they’ll pull something like this again.”34f1171a5dc3a310

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“Manon, but we can…”6d090ee7cebb3754

“Stop saying ‘we’!”a436e8b5637b66f3

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Her distorted scream 1944bb70d4 echoed in the 870e450efb car. The bride, who 9fc8910ca9 should have been 96a2cd5c89 shining, was gasping c23b59184d painfully.262b08c835ca16c1

“In the end, I’m the one who has to handle it. It’s just me, so why ‘we’?”cd5b643745896f53

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“We’re family. Why do you say you’re handling it alone?”082209e3bcc0a83d

Manon was the only b938ab510a person Maël could call 913bb913cc family. She stared at him, c726646e76 trying not to cry.9aee4c8e4815de04

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“Family? You want to find your real parents, don’t you? I saw the emails. Do you think I wouldn’t remember? What if you find your real family? You’ll be happy with them. And then… what about me? I’ll have no one.”1249a3fcfd3a2f29

“Why would you have no one? Manon, I was just…”2a8c04c9997cdefe

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“You don’t need to explain to me. It’s your choice. Do whatever you want.”512a646758f23830

Her cutting words 0e8d4489f7 felt like a 51c606afac deep wound. Manon was on the ca5247a5b3 verge of tears.325848447b591ba3

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“I’ll just do what I want too. Even if my choice seems stupid and pathetic, I’m an adult. I don’t have to explain every decision.”841b3e8c104f352b

While Maël was a29c7321ab speechless, the woman 367ee3d4f5 in the front 21ef06e444 seat handed over a7019e8624 the pen again. Manon took it, 5f247d6ff1 signed each page, 5161a416db and handed the dee6afc423 documents back to 0504308586 her.4a7f3703b52faca6

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No words 55ff58abab were exchanged eac85a4cb1 throughout the 7e4a0765fc process.00eaaee7d71b3f9b

Except for the 913bdedb4f fierce wind, it ff058ab67b was a perfect 25e8c8343b morning, blessed as 561e53ccad the sedan surrounded 8acfc011af by four escort c053b16edd vehicles glided along 8a6ec3d01e the winding coastal 1c83cbb208 road.8b66fc2713b2ac49

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* * *10d523a3c1881764

As soon as they bf9c0c0d09 entered Monaco, a huge 26f89bddc6 cheer greeted them.a2ea5dab9527dcb2

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People waving 188aa20d34 small Monaco 9e49a07993 flags took 64c3f59d30 photos with fc34534aa1 flashing cameras 7d19b5245b as the ec900d8abf slow-moving car ab71d46037 passed by. The gates a09be01ba1 of the c17e403b34 Grand Ducal 17df29cbe8 Palace were d0acae1aab wide open, cc33fcc1ff and as 25f21dbbfc they stopped 2948992f65 in front, 47fc79ed1a the guards 5be18d19d8 saluted Manon.41378c8f11e3c070

Surrounded by security, 960a49783c Manon, in her d35def899e white dress, walked 7214421bdc in first, followed 6a27c3b0ef by Maël.2f3906f06c12559f

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Everyone they passed smiled b06c48aa8a brightly.e750df29b60565bd

The courtyard of the ed538ab6a1 Grand Ducal Palace, set 010bdc66f3 for the wedding, was c047c311b1 densely packed with chairs. The bride’s ed3dd3030e waiting time 030095fb86 was long, 7a1977039e and people 8691a16871 came and 24d798528f went, blessing 37ee317072 Manon.ef1a8c647a411a9f

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During all this, 8bf5511ffa Maël, the bride’s c8391d62e2 only family, didn’t baff225cac exchange a single b8bcef6381 word with her. He couldn’t. Even as 6308e7a947 the ceremony fc5b91c16f began and 5c954eda1c they moved 106fe99e4a to the 95337221af courtyard filled 38eb5dfd6d with celebrities, 98c0ffb7aa royals, and fd2133a17a nobles, holding 1dc014e3ef Manon’s hand bc74b874bf and leading ff153fd816 her to d16fc0a735 Philippe.e4eed9c2835d8214

“Manon, I don’t think you’re stupid. Or pathetic. We’re family, so I hope you made a choice that makes you happy.”6408605a7f9ce9e4

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Maël carefully 223184892f chose his a35fdffc6a words. He swallowed the d6970da55b last-minute thought of 673ce531d1 saying it was 97638ba140 okay to go 26ae2dae17 home if she 143efb82b5 couldn’t go through d786153205 with it.6f2f5c08bbb771b5

“Thank you.”10dc6c316da44f3d

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That was fbfb990a0f all Manon 4c32a4a7d9 said.db351407b641fd4d

They walked down the 89d1d3b133 path adorned with white d8005d7032 flowers, handed Manon’s hand 2c403c8344 to a grinning Philippe, 80ec6b3aef and Maël found his 20fd2143b6 seat.dc21ef7ffcb2c21f

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About five steps a620bf3f98 behind the bride. It was supposed db13c84dcf to be the f459a09236 family seat, but 0ade3f5946 with no family 354a7ec3ac or partner, Maël 153d3e0806 sat alone.04440bcada94a72f

He had no 971c8b74cb complaints until he 6005eb683a saw who was c6de0bec77 sitting right behind d22871f447 him.33b20fc9fbb29998

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Yves Valois. It was him.5c87169bfe31398c

Yves stared 1ae2aa845c at Maël f6f4c739e0 with an 7ea2dca550 almost rude d84760e445 intensity. It didn’t end there. He placed his arm 93f27ae369 on Maël’s chair back 95caf72934 and dropped one of a028a42907 his black leather gloves.31013789f4c1fa3a

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Thud.9e11ae92d89ab423

The smooth, 1cc213a4ff shiny glove 757ecf3ec4 landed right 67c15deead where Maël 475272678b would sit.fa23ee63303fd8ac

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‘Why now, of all 472b761c2a times?’2a29d19394d25562

Already seething with anger 99a2af974a over this ridiculous wedding, e474abcd8e Maël didn’t want to d3ae4e7e0f decipher the meaning of 693f77860d this nonsense. He brushed the glove 8bd6317632 off the seat like 41ef9fff81 dust.944ddd15f8717d32

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The black glove e5380a5375 fell forward, out af0cf6df95 of anyone’s reach. Maël sat down 190dee212f without a care. The seating 6105fe3e8b was tight 3c392f4400 in the 109d579fc8 narrow courtyard, da61767e01 so Yves’s bb9147f8a7 soft laughter 96a4a885a8 was annoyingly 0501733439 clear.034976988b25dad0

Then suddenly, b2aee64421 Yves’s presence 3578682865 was closer, c9f27cbde6 accompanied by b8e7d670ba his signature b341280f28 scent of f41a683f64 fresh roses.9e1289ac8645234f

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“Is throwing things a hobby of yours?”2bce926d2b8c089d

His low, grating voice 41e81535e4 spoke. Instead of turning, Maël cfc1349185 stared intently at the ec1a5da7b0 long lace veil Manon 7a19cd1ed5 wore. Yves whispered like 4bdd54bec5 a command from 84759dc477 behind.aa0a55f377fd39fd

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“Keep your expression in check. It’s not a funeral. You should bless your sister’s choice.”c05b75f18113191a

Maël turned around at eb8f2eee38 the voice that poured b9118d7585 oil on the fire. Would choking this b2da4ef279 man end the 6ae6d42edf wedding here? It didn’t seem like 95d3dc4bca a bad idea.a78e12697acc0905

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“Don’t you think?”2c36ee78663e95c0

But when 53996247da he met 6c11c86eec those cold, b1da8a166c ash-gray eyes, 7448e7c2a5 Maël remembered. The moment Manon dc450e1311 signed that prenuptial 5611fd1c78 agreement, Yves’s plans c989e483df were ruined too.ed3145c5f2c95e99

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Maël had used the f74ca5ee47 photos Yves gave him 788ee26129 for Manon’s prenuptial agreement. He couldn’t even help d2ec149d23 the victims, only acting 9ab9db88f8 for his sister’s sake.570f2a2f3b5bb323

He felt disgusted 31e50012b6 with himself. Even after 715b3a8034 swallowing his 59496dbbb8 self-loathing, nothing 8747f36e37 had changed.6ed38ea503ca818b

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And now he 93e29cafab had to confess 4a74ccef8c this colossal, ridiculous 859e683293 failure to Yves.97cf71c42e42ff01

‘Ha.’53ca7592fdc7d900

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If a black hole 38e78253e3 opened beneath him right fe85583849 now, he’d gladly fall 6ed4a519ec in. Maël gritted 397aaa1eb2 his teeth cf32fe6735 and turned 14eef6d072 away. He didn’t need to e411a68bc5 look to know Yves’s 7a81179c60 gaze was on him.98891d0a3785cc9f

He forced 33a9d205db himself to f13b51b4ae look at 8d92d713a0 Manon’s veil. It was truly long c49bcc454a and beautiful. Was his 434812ba9e sister smiling d7c1a1d5b0 now? Maël really wanted 9c959b0a0b to know.dfb84b81f6432cb9

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* * *e180327ad6d25bf7

Manon’s wedding was perfect. Unfortunately.b975ea0e9656a6d9

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The newlyweds, following 819e40246c tradition, walked from 819fbac163 the Grand Ducal 8780c51db8 Palace to the c9ba691bc0 cathedral and placed 2978c8792e a white bouquet 27261207a8 made of seasonal 404deb70c1 flowers on the a4dd9a8536 altar of the 577a348712 Virgin Mary. Then they 53c51c30de walked to c7591d9a7c the city 58d8d05f2a hall to 2a1a501712 sign the fc9861b307 marriage certificate.b28e1070f178d4f8

The people 21e9415047 of the b6275f0802 principality gathered 4ce5b79667 around the 4c8afc258a procession, blessing 23fc1b0b8c the newlyweds.9fed6eb1c1ff8ca1

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Finally, back on e8db20179e the Grand Ducal 4bf8247544 Palace balcony, the 677dad7ed4 couple kissed. From afar, they looked e97d6a0042 like a picture-perfect pair. To Maël, who 26e005a9f6 saw them up 46a84e2cc7 close, it felt 2d163b7c1a like the beginning 5194dee214 of all sorts ef4612a6c6 of tragedies.4fe0fa7eb34abd55

“Oppa, just one of those pills now.”a651c9c0030b39fd

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And now. Everyone who attended the d61e6299ab wedding was in the aa2da8a77a rose garden of the c3385a21d5 Riviera Hotel. The rich 574a5c3438 scent of 88ab9d57d7 blooming spring 816a598e88 roses filled 4d68048b14 the night.c8594ce8eb9aa0c6

People, intoxicated fafa9f9fdf by the 122f539c81 rose scent d13c50d09c and champagne, 0ddc51b465 looked at b03a0af6d3 Manon and 28ec045fa8 Maël. It was f93957391c almost dance 776962117b time, and af2e3c1290 the first 3efa21d2ae dance at d676da66a0 a wedding e0b37c4e2e reception was 5628ff016a usually between d2234b2b29 the bride cb6e79eba7 and her 703ccfb5f4 father.4fed35695a7be8b0

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Standing in as the e097418b7c father, Maël took out 184663a733 a morning sickness pill 276fe959f3 from his pocket. He handed it 30a4fe223b over as they c9df4fa061 held hands, and a11bc86ccd Manon approached a a542bbd5b7 passing waiter, picked eb285be26b up a small cc17f50567 cake, placed the 4f490eced1 white pill on e6f8608c1e the whipped cream, d2fe98e2d8 and swallowed it 7ce72e583d in one bite.5dc3c4894cdc4d1c

“Let’s go dance.”0b73e161ee70fde8

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Manon pulled Maël along.b16d83c076d43516

The two danced 4505871b0a in front of 7fd5a8737d everyone. Soft music played, 123b28adde and they spun 224250706d around, exchanging only c02989dfd3 a few awkward ad3e0d6eea words.df524559cd617984

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“Do you have all the pills?”5d87161a8856a287

“I don’t have a place to keep them in this dress. I don’t want to get caught. Can you bring them when I call?”73b7688dc3b03bde

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That was the extent 6372b52f94 of their conversation. Soon, Philippe came c34ff15d7e to take Manon 75aca2da52 away, and people b116e2b7c2 gradually filled the dc1086680d dance floor.8c086d3f429379c1

With the sound of 1715f79c0b waves crashing against the 12a6e13720 cliffs below, the music f77ac97202 changed to a lively 2a98c45e32 tune. Having finished all his a009e5bd8e duties for the day, 1517f54f0b Maël stood to the 986e4f1409 side with a gloomy 7af03b3a62 expression, swirling the champagne 863cce692e glass in his hand.55339602afadb45a

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Diane approached him.d5ac3e806a7eb43e

“Why the long face at your sister’s wedding? Isn’t today a big day? Thanks to that gift, the law will change by tomorrow morning. I saw an article saying Manon and Philippe requested it.”73a599804dfe3726

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“Oh, right, that too.”9673071e4d606725

Announcing something like b9561eb835 that now probably 59aa4c5f9e wasn’t just a ce93eb4086 coincidence. Maybe it 19a7c59c7d was a 31c8fef467 way to 2545cb67d8 make it 61fbb3b6a6 hard for 7a57628459 Manon to 888356f36d refuse signing 0be489a581 the prenuptial d2e00ce913 agreement.9adc231052a1b6ed

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As Maël downed 3e69fd0713 his champagne, Diane 9adc43ab01 chewed on cube-shaped a363b33b53 cheese and olives.d522b3993a7ba52c

“I heard from a journalist that one of His Highness the Hereditary Prince’s aides sold a video or recording to a broadcasting station. They wondered if it’s related to today’s announcement. Maybe some derogatory remarks were made.”8b9d1aa531f1f11e

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“Seems they don’t want to change the crown prince twice.”e937f3fdc9e8f7e6

Of course. Maël glared at 0ea2d8a0d3 Felix dancing with 817b7ce9c2 a famous actress 1649f5869e across the room, 0cd2d07ee9 then clenched his 39f44fa8be teeth when he ae1f5283e1 saw Charles making b06016b38f his way through 0b95907393 the crowd toward 731e6003c6 him.a783b140b9037f62

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Antoine, that damn b6590faf33 bastard’s face came 682f14c982 to mind.b8f64be416ad4109

Seeing the new prenuptial f085db1f16 agreement made everything clear.5e55f78fd39e053e

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It wasn’t just the c9dc5f9d3f Grand Duke’s people who 8cb6d691af set the trap. It wasn’t 9e3693fd2a just Bernardi; b00df56940 Antoine and d13a761124 all those c79c65182d bastards were 43e64ed7be the same. The trap faa6362e7b was right add853dbff there. Like a fool, 287814ce33 Maël handed Manon fd9e3ab4c1 over to someone 4ea5a54bf1 who would push 8fe3754f67 her into that 8676f63bbd trap.91076a8cf86569f0

“Maël, did you hear about today’s announcement?”e2a70b2c709df31a

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Charles reached 348400f1fa out as edcf191dcc he approached. What was 668e592e39 today’s announcement? His blue eyes gleamed bc53d0cff2 with strange imagination, and d5e8640cb2 a wide smile spread aeaa34b2d9 across his face. Maël brushed 8bf49b19ab off his 401fa32d20 hand and 7a07426b6a shared his 575fd395ae decision with dbf50abeb1 Diane.f183842ce3f77cdc

“Diane, I’m quitting.”3392f55ccf3baea7

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