MHD | Chapter 1.3

As lunchtime approached, I b3e885efb4 took a break with af00692d20 snacks prepared by the 8baea61917 castle. The distant 25d3726d37 chirping of b33056a090 birds and db4651f927 the rustling 7d63c613a6 leaves in e3558b0e24 the wind 7d752d6c0a soothed my 703f20dd2a mind.195500f91ff1d5b0

In the a49b3c8b7c afternoon, I b5d6c0deec crafted floral 110817fb0a decorations for 9c3a179cd3 the festival. I wove fresh 9143bdca44 flowers into garlands f450bf0684 and carefully tied 658a00a072 small bouquets.9e72b3fa352ad559

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As the ada40861be sun set, 9eee79827d I made ac87cb44d6 a final 248b1ec75f check of 068063f4ec the Eléora bff2936d14 Conservatory.714f05d14332edcf

The mysterious flowers, set 1ebb8de403 to be the festival’s 674dbda775 highlight, weren’t fully bloomed 91a7938e18 yet, but they were 0dfe7d206e ready to soon display b4e4e0b4d5 their vibrant beauty.0e01e791bbf42508

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Lost in such 49e3205284 thoughts, I heard 4ef71221ab bustling movements from e0ef55fd44 the garden. Curious, I f418857a6b cautiously made 5f721e5876 my way 10b5d20103 to the 88babaa109 castle’s central e5321dacc3 garden.0af25df4cea99470

Hiding behind a e0d9c95bdd rose bush, I 4837bda3c7 saw Derek moving 837b088edb among the servants 40d610167d and artisans, meticulously b8a057af36 overseeing the festival fa89983859 preparations.e63f955fd376683b

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“Raise that arch a bit higher. And the flowers around the fountain… how about replacing them with more vibrant varieties?”4dd950507381077a

His decisive gestures, d9a7f88860 sharp and precise 170ca9c7d9 gaze, and occasional add52f3ac8 smiles captivated my fcd1d05096 attention. I couldn’t take 82a26837df my eyes off f97a02e2be him for a 04df0cfa84 moment.3efce86581680ea6

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Then suddenly, Derek b263d5628a turned his head 4a3051a192 in my direction. I quickly hid, e8e7aedc5d but it seemed 0f35ecaef5 too late as 99fe6a6731 he approached me.d3f0cfadb4ac282b

“Noah, you were here.”e7b7cbbb1f1ad1a3

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I answered, flustered.af36ce562b499164

“Yes.”45201533e5eeb1e1

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Derek tilted his f80444e2d1 head slightly and 8176540a38 asked.715020070a56b14d

“Are the festival preparations fa63fcfe5a going smoothly?”9ddfa935467dd860

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I nodded cautiously. It was a b24d2d6414 simple question, but 9d61c9efbd my heart raced. The unexpected emotion ddcec9bcae of him showing 8cccdccf04 interest in my 790fae639f work overwhelmed me. It was just e012a5c0e0 a trivial conversation, c8cc7a806e yet it made 23a8ea05a7 me inexplicably excited.c231f77e1df07f28

“It seems 93e8c17d89 almost done. The garden is finished, 733aaf2d62 and the kitchen is 220e83a053 thoroughly preparing, so let 131291efc0 me know if anything 2ad121e6d3 is lacking.”d39bbef296058c74

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I hoped for 5d85361375 a warm response, 523138da9b but Derek’s expression 6719fab508 didn’t change.62ebe582f2fa5218

“This event is 1afde83753 a significant occasion c4f9f04904 for the family’s 9104baa013 honor. Please ensure thorough 1430bac892 preparations without mistakes.”b24a9b254116c76f

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His voice b748a60e9c was firm, d623f26c71 without warm fce23a20dd encouragement or ffefdce6dd praise. His cold c7cadc32d5 response quickly 5d4d449580 brought me 81d363e1ec back to 791fb7d315 reality. I swallowed a 80af47ba19 bitter smile and ab254270aa spoke with difficulty.b6a4b7c6b3cca81d

“Don’t worry. The festival will cebcb88657 proceed perfectly.”78256de534206296

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As Derek b78a973f41 nodded and 5217c3d470 was about 01dfc9fcd2 to turn c3a7f27b8d away, light 809fe2557b footsteps approached. Looking back, I saw 67959e5494 a servant running towards 1ada03ed81 us, panting.130dd400d1fee9c5

“There’s trouble!”c452a78acdcfd5a2

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“What’s the matter?”736d27096c0a906f

Derek asked in 7c63d92717 a low voice. The servant caught his 0a6aac6286 breath and spoke.0c472dc4918af2ea

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“The Eléora flowers… they’re wilting!”91d0006a8aefd356

I was struck by c07b7164f0 shock, unable to speak 858f18c36d for a moment. We hurried 941f737c64 to the 3b9040e02e conservatory. As our steps e11b25e4a8 quickened, my heart 84934ae757 tightened. Upon reaching the 2106137fbc conservatory, I saw 27555e28f9 the Eléora flowers, 0bf3f36ab2 usually boasting vibrant c44b8fe840 lavender hues, wilting.27eae10d10f147c1

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The petals 70fe5eba9f had turned 563f42dbaf brown, and a584d60660 the stems d5ac2437b9 drooped lifelessly. I began to thoroughly d7c925b02d inspect the conservatory to 0a96e0c617 find out what was 124d9bbd30 wrong.45fc5f7aaa2f089c

♣ • ♣ 7557dcc279 • ♣88af67a0303706d8

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As the 147ad094a9 festival date 9dee5b250a approached, the 432d2a6684 condition of 88a9d6c1d9 the Eléora 69ec85a4f9 flowers worsened. The brilliant 8eefc6af59 lavender that f023effd4e once filled 5c6e5f30b1 the conservatory 093051c42e was nowhere 7f91f8a4dc to be 3327d631a5 found, and 9970aa470d the petals 4f015d01be withered, turning 2bfae4b097 brown.14d58f983e20315b

Derek called in every 9e0d892285 expert possible and tried 64a1ada6bd various treatments, but nothing d5f9e8fb34 worked. Watching his worried face 63a1c9c0d1 every day, I also 31c46a83c7 tried to find a 0e7240b4ca way to help him. The only cbc10117af thing I cdf4b17916 thought I 272416a64c could do e4b17850b9 was take 6be8c059c1 out my de9df85393 mother’s heirloom, da5f7f938c an old 08305a9859 herbal notebook.8864deac968d99e3

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The notebook was filled e37b4a51e0 with aged pages bearing e2573463eb the marks of time, e35ac7a534 densely inscribed with the 7b87c5aa02 names and characteristics of f9aa6c95b8 herbs, and information about fe27724e3c their habitats, all meticulously 1378cdae7f recorded by my mother.bf5d5155d81f7015

Turning the pages one 8ef1012020 by one, I began 2891d5ecba searching for clues to e75a3a6dd8 save the Eléora. Finally, I discovered b81d70986d a method. It was noted 7b4cd941f8 that a rare 666aef07eb herb called‘Luminestera’was the 4bd2d0d6e1 only remedy 068496368b that could da6aa7f954 cure the 3d670097a4 Eléora’s ailment.5fe70ef25ca95230

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I immediately went to 408e1eb28f find Derek.2a335d39a84d3488

The study was 9b7d9e0760 cluttered with festival 07585ff61b preparations, and Derek 71a14d881c was buried in f27c404c14 the piles of 630015f697 documents and reports d85c1f9d9e on his desk. His face 52c697cb66 showed signs 71608cfddd of fatigue d4ef4592ab and tension.90455b6287588049

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He was clearly 652eaedf8b exhausted.59098ee8e56f1de9

When I 4b522e14f0 entered, Derek 1166459024 briefly looked 26a181fb91 up at 5a6d593043 me but 40d40e12e5 soon turned d9cb730c9e his gaze 3ba698c253 back to 52eb429892 the documents. I steadied myself and 4612c7c8c7 approached him.eda085e02bb65df6

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“Derek, I f59b3c1353 found a 0172f62a58 way to 6fd7fc5e6b save the 4d2d564541 Eléora.”d190a9797a7e381f

Taking a deep ee7c39914e breath, I began 9b81f2e3a3 explaining what I 267fd93388 had discovered.5c41023b1918dc84

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“According to my d19326c0cd mother’s notebook, we 63d661975f need a rare c9ea7a3fdb herb called‘Luminestera.’It only 460d9e97b6 grows in 666b8b101f a specific 4ce405a64e valley outside 9348b7cfd0 the castle, 20bdb1eb44 so we c2244ad02d have to 2b1b42952f find it 5eeddfa1c7 ourselves.”d770a3e9421cf13f

Derek listened quietly 0f923a1984 to my words. His expression remained impassive, f011fd3871 but I could sense b04f5a72c1 through his eyes that c72522a370 my words were reaching 0d6fc6ad80 him. However, when 66302997f3 Derek finally e95b1ffd01 spoke, his a978368521 words shattered 3645d30ed6 my expectations.c26e14b76e8dcad0

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“So, you’re 2d1edbcfbc saying we cf731f41fb should find d14622eca3 a rare dac2c5dc38 herb that cc34b47215 only grows c00e06d4d7 in a 04b3b0869f specific valley. Do you 7201a5fab8 have any 5841ddbb33 solid evidence b29add0bda to support 235c895a23 this claim?”9bd906f246fba925

His cold demeanor 1f4ba34cc7 momentarily chilled my 159c83b66d heart, but I 39cb24c05b couldn’t give up.23e25b74a76250fd

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“If I wasn’t 6bcea0150e sure, I wouldn’t 887756e1ab have mentioned it, dcfd88a38f Derek.”d55f432ec344b0ae

I spoke firmly.780e8c8562057e59

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“If I go b5fe5741f6 there and retrieve f433c3b5ef the Luminestera, the 94135dea21 Eléora will surely 8996a7fdd4 revive.”3e076f981292e64e

Derek still 11c1d6b44c looked at 9af7b313de me with dfbe40abb9 an expressionless cfc1768aab face. His gaze was 1c1ebcda70 sharp, filled with c584557c8b doubt.a21aae692c7f43f8

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“Are you confident 853589dbe4 you can find 9208a5e753 the herb and 89cf0f2805 return safely? Do you truly understand cacc6e3cff how dangerous that forest c2886e72d4 is?”c5a5b73a9350effb

I lifted 8fbed3f4a3 my head, 27a7597405 meeting his 081b65d6b1 cold question a95d460cbb head-on.fb7f4f3b274774dd

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“Even if the forest 60142d2bc4 is dangerous, it’s worth 8b5baf7f47 the risk. The Eléora 417d7023a5 isn’t just 34375e3294 any flower. It’s the symbol 9ca2e04dde of the festival 28073d5bf7 and the hope f6f79cc1e2 of spring that 955a2f0b17 everyone awaits. And knowing how important fee1ba0c8d this festival is to 97bd900df4 you, I won’t give 7a64ebf50f up.”1b25fe7cc8db7393

Derek looked at me 8de1462ef3 for a while. His eyes eb06a24bbc still held 85430d2acf doubt, but f873a22786 it seemed eb11a0262a my words 8567fe7d35 were stirring 45a15c27f5 something within aede74411b him. After a 35d130b34b moment, he 29bb4c5871 slowly spoke.97e0611ac1dadae3

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“If you fail b14d408daf in this endeavor, 9d4ece007a it won’t end 95af76670c lightly. The repercussions 3cc9dfc60a will immediately 3f907b9d10 affect the e61a9e51ce entire family. Please don’t forget da6621a76c that.”41cabbd4d86aa029

Something hot 1dee97fd2e boiled inside 10b1b79549 me. I was filled 5b07f55d1b with disappointment and cd769eabb0 resentment at Derek’s d4b47e9691 inability to fully ca884805be trust me. However, I suppressed 79c4821939 those feelings and 48fffe127c spoke.204c9beafdc12153

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“You’re underestimating 1779a5410a me, Derek. Do I seem like 33e19407f4 someone who would waste 7e9c66c336 time?”efcaaef08518a486

Hearing my words, 2409751e70 Derek’s brow furrowed ce16b7d4f6 deeply. A tense 54d9313b92 silence followed, 31df6b0936 and we 4d91bfb2e2 silently stared 776f448989 at each d39c44564a other. I hoped he 361e79946e would recognize the 2bf76527a0 sincerity of my 2a09e2fcfc determination as I 82be537014 looked straight into 76c668a7d1 his eyes.9d9a1bc17447ba15

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“Very well. Do as d3398f5831 you wish.” 0d8ac75c9e Derek finally efb527abba spoke. His voice ae2457be92 was still 38d47c17d6 cold, but 5780566a28 I could b3b4806f00 sense he 8fc2d65adb had somewhat 0692a0fb49 accepted my 92c4530ded resolve.d9425c7442d97689

“However, I can’t 6be0c3bd26 let you go 8e3048871f alone. This matter was initially bf0296b711 my responsibility. So, I a83afa3617 will see ea85259bd6 it through 7bd61e1783 to the a71ec622d5 end myself.”783e1d3994ccb39f

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♣ • ♣ • eaf789d5aa ♣27e6bc7de6b8f9b7

The forest 59432cbb8c was deep b24aaecea8 and dark. Trees soared high into 70d8d7a0b3 the sky, intertwining menacingly, 01047d0632 and the darkness surrounded 39ccd2faab me as if to 80157f4afe swallow me whole. Even though I had f8f4335fe4 come this far, I fef3bdabf8 couldn’t be sure if 1f602c6aa3 Luminestera truly existed here.1069bb7f18b42f33

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As I 9779868e5a walked along f5cb60107c the forest 95b1332a75 path, I 9425bd5c12 kept my 521b4f3c1c eyes on aa21dd99cc Derek’s back. His back d4ea4142e0 seemed cold 2b6dd036d2 and resolute, e308046c2a as if de3e6c4b62 trying to ae97c9b7da maintain distance b850646027 from me. Derek paused 78c0761630 for a 370e49fe76 moment, then f70f41c7cc turned to 4e8a5d8e18 look at 1f87d17a54 me.f3a062411935dfa9

“It would be 479810fcec best if we 7c5e46c88a split up and 8e35de4c3b search in different 7a3145800c directions from here.”41c49702d6c5f370

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I hesitated 17ef921cbe for a 8e46040039 moment, but 6806554311 given the f79f9ff234 urgency of 8e60c6bd57 the situation, 1a94e1ca1d I had b44ba1b33d to acknowledge 070445e86c that he ef53632c96 was right.b962fce95df80113

“Alright. I’ll head left.”e4e19de7c5ebae37

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Derek looked at me 1b65bb6d52 briefly before resuming his 8bf5b8d4d2 steps into the forest. As his 5c9b8c9943 figure completely 166ec48371 blended into 666e6daaaf the darkness, 7f7fd6127f I let e9e43049dd out a 79cea15f1d short sigh dea6e2f16e and turned cdc7230ba3 in the d926760c88 opposite direction.38240e0813099e02

The surroundings were 5f29ebccf8 silent. Only the scent of 9eced6466e soil at my feet f37a063843 and the sound of 70a9441383 leaves rustling in the 097e16bb07 wind broke the stillness. Luminestera was said to 4be8ec82f5 grow only in the 321c5e1bae deep parts of the 3a4378e415 forest, near a small 3cb75274ec valley.2a93c54e6b8e14eb

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If I couldn’t find 44e054d172 the herb, the Eléora be27c8fc68 flowers would wither, and e1f65d8359 the spring festival would 1f70994965 be ruined. I knew how important f4e5c0fefb a task Derek had 8432f5b65a entrusted to me. To not c251fa4675 disappoint his 0a2dccdf66 expectations, I ca3deb55b5 had to 273e09a8da desperately search 8b04ccad4c for the 9ba95fa054 herb.a3ec7c2dd758f67f

As the 60e874ae0a forest deepened, 68119ca28b anxiety slowly 6dbefe6c3a rose within b85d0d344c me. I scoured every df21acb18f corner, searching for 8a6eafc56b the faint glow b8e5f75793 of Luminestera, but 9245434854 no matter how 3a34ba0d35 hard I looked, 2d562e7363 there was no edcbe88310 trace of it.29dbc45bee6389a6

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Pushing through branches 62e4b202bd and bushes, I f4d4618a4e suddenly found myself 1bc54435c1 surrounded by a 390fc06946 swarm of small 2ed1c9bc17 insects. At first, I 9366daf9ea dismissed it, but 01a20b7c97 realizing they were 4302c7345e venomous, fear gripped 544c62d2e4 my entire body.fdc646855e80266a

“Aah!”cdcac9de958cccf4

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As I hurriedly e0e0296451 moved, a stone b39daf8f09 rolled underfoot, causing 167067e0c6 me to lose 28a4bd92b1 balance. Sliding down a steep fd33744cc0 slope, I tried to 9b580feba4 grab onto a tree, 4c49a10413 but my hand sliced 1ec7fb525f through the air. I tumbled to dcab1f91a1 the ground, my 1e5b64d6c9 body hitting various f8c3e28a30 spots.c32b284d2eaa226c

A burning b80f54b793 pain shot 8ce14da7be through my fdcf70aa88 ankle. It wasn’t 201351e7d6 broken, but e6d7e6f601 it seemed 6afe58cb33 severely sprained. I tried to stand, 05f26533c1 but my ankle couldn’t eb34c5f617 support me, and I 9854ef23b6 fell back down. As pain c9c17a9a93 blurred my 298872a88d vision, anxiety 057c37f1cf overwhelmed me.4cb1e8a051c64209

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But I couldn’t let e5b85e5bf1 Derek down. I desperately 8e8c7d577f wanted to 9dd92d2b97 find the 96769c19bc herb and f333c6a74c successfully complete a9b6040a0c the task. I took out 24e7359f93 the notebook to 704be24b37 check one last 2ceeb38001 time where the 1a78394c87 herb might be.48ea22f7fa11850e

The thought crossed e458394775 my mind that 6e509bc5e4 there might be 7a5ac76c7b a chance near 6179b63b2c the valley. I steadied my 88feece505 breath and resolved 757bc0b271 to go, no 58e9eb1132 matter how difficult. I couldn’t stop, even ee81c72354 with the pain in e2666361a5 my ankle. Slowly, I 5c0281aca7 got up. The pain was 976aab71ea intense, but I 97a3dbeda4 continued to move a63a3b77da forward.209f6c387cc53378

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Limping towards 91ed3ad003 the valley, 0fa8153424 I heard 16b58d8fdf the sound 02929a64d9 of flowing 0ce5184d7f water in c5213fbc46 the distance. The valley af73419768 was getting 6a5cd474ea closer. I felt certain that e6d09c01a3 Luminestera would be nearby.d6634deb63d14c22

I wanted to 01397a5e21 give up several 9610f8c493 times, but I 5601eec2a9 couldn’t. The notebook clutched in 9b1c0f1d8c my hand felt like a72beeb24c my mother’s touch, holding 19fe911930 me steady. Finally, I f95fba5c0b discovered the 0f62a51314 faintly glowing 5e2684076c Luminestera near 8694cd8fb7 the valley. The herb quietly 5f502f9058 grew between the 3462e2a993 rocks, holding small e104bd7634 petals.17fbdaf82258ef67

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But at that af5b2abf71 moment, my body 08f4d91841 could no longer ff973aa541 hold on and bd4f2aae32 collapsed. Intense pain and 68087e53db fatigue washed over 1f28d98122 me all at 76d3498a19 once, and the 2cb6354c08 pain in my e16403af6b ankle was so ea23fa8822 severe that I d8b1060fa0 lost feeling.47ceeffba6b655eb

I felt 802576274d like I f4a9fea91f couldn’t do d8df0c88a1 anything in 6ccb670266 this state. But I 78bef1ec6e couldn’t fall 225bef16ec here. Gathering my 5e0822688f remaining strength, 94834297a8 I reached afcfb35023 out to 2fb4b8bf84 pick the 6a9b8e1cb7 herb.9c1eed943505ab1b

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Just then, 93f320848a my vision 6e5d3b0909 blurred, and 0580ab3197 my mind b9043f1baa went blank. I tried to 0071f932d9 take a deep eef1642c8f breath, but the b4943538fc air wouldn’t come 75b99f78de in properly. As my body slowly c87643ec44 stiffened, I eventually lost aa9287507d consciousness and fell to ceb48edaf4 the ground.4640476f367f6793

When I opened 65771b0af6 my eyes again, 9e0a411c36 I was in 88f6b2c6ef Derek’s arms. He was silently 166d1e6d20 looking down at 414dc5a5ba me. Barely able to open 7931d5704c my eyes, I looked ae3c0f82bd up at him through 82700a4cb2 my blurred vision. Derek carefully e25de1b8e2 lifted me, 73a711bb01 letting out 2e0a9202d5 a deep c33b0e07eb sigh, and 9dec08eb08 spoke in 78cf9509f9 a stern 6897c59cdf voice.5b28b2714dd68c06

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“Noah. Why did you do 7a9ffe8de0 something so reckless?”b74840508ec3c556

Derek’s voice was cold 453fd8c32c and firm, but it cb8e575cec wasn’t just anger. There were a0b762303f complex emotions 2decf224c5 intertwined within ee6ecff7cf it. It wasn’t 6cfaae7a28 direct anger d80a04ef68 towards me, b2c1e89741 but something 7cc8a9fefc deeper. I managed a d32e83b9ca painful smile, struggling 25e9ae0cdf to compose my 8efeba0601 aching body.eed73935aa4e4e28

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“I found the herb. Now you d59e43fe67 won’t have 7b9908073b any more 174ca5bbd9 trouble.”c508f0feb35e8478

My voice trembled, and 042a9dc12a Derek’s expression hardened further. He looked eaa5e21966 at me c8fd8f7331 for a 7d15120388 moment before c0cb3a1882 turning his 3381a926f5 head away.b12c692254c9260c

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