MHD | Chapter 1.3

As lunchtime approached, 298d1bff66 I took a 8c1c3f7412 break with snacks de776598e6 prepared by the d4bef2030b castle. The distant 37bf6c82fe chirping of e5a6dc5b0a birds and 78232b70d1 the rustling 29b371134c leaves in 1a78e2ae1c the wind 2cab529343 soothed my f21f4d23e3 mind.0c086ac80fa24212

In the afternoon, I f45a9bf543 crafted floral decorations for 4718e800e7 the festival. I wove 772f087741 fresh flowers 5cb3fdaae8 into garlands e97a9d7bff and carefully b03cd6ca78 tied small 96402b4ec7 bouquets.f3e44afe7aa70a43

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As the 5ce4212399 sun set, 709770f586 I made 98319908e4 a final 128a713658 check of 6e830568c6 the Eléora 989a818cd1 Conservatory.108893b185dc39b3

The mysterious flowers, 8fc37b095d set to be 65d1e8e5bc the festival’s highlight, 8ade3e8daa weren’t fully bloomed 57a59fefb7 yet, but they 6efb160b1e were ready to a883e76b36 soon display their e2b46935ef vibrant beauty.63c3e460df690e7a

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Lost in such 7da9b679e2 thoughts, I heard 89ff9feb7a bustling movements from 6738233f45 the garden. Curious, I cautiously c4c0021335 made my way e196960b8f to the castle’s 8965abf80d central garden.d3141e933f58d1c7

Hiding behind a rose a65560cf9c bush, I saw Derek 7eff41f35e moving among the servants 0b2695dc5e and artisans, meticulously overseeing 3971ca8d12 the festival preparations.e90ad4a3df6bc5a5

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“Raise that arch a bit higher. And the flowers around the fountain… how about replacing them with more vibrant varieties?”49e3e7be39b173cc

His decisive 8a6fdc00ed gestures, sharp d1b199a819 and precise 67ae9dc987 gaze, and 7bd9c3db88 occasional smiles e7c7c140b2 captivated my a8485cc007 attention. I couldn’t 78f5938434 take my a386ea94f1 eyes off 80267593e9 him for d970df38fb a moment.4e706cd79447d357

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Then suddenly, Derek 3954f52fd4 turned his head 6d13cd17a7 in my direction. I quickly 29aab68dde hid, but ddd08d175e it seemed 4531739546 too late 3e906baf72 as he e70d63a959 approached me.2767ec16b31aa7e2

“Noah, you were ec2beda5fe here.”a2a94024f544dd94

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I answered, flustered.ce06dc02ae7d7264

“Yes.”38934b8cac36f48f

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Derek tilted his cae5c97276 head slightly and 72bcc0a1ef asked.3c2dca64c434f72c

“Are the festival preparations acbecea451 going smoothly?”9d2724d393ec00ea

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I nodded cautiously. It was a simple 2f265ae265 question, but my heart af597d6e4f raced. The unexpected e7c330df37 emotion of 077d19998a him showing 1c5825ac2d interest in ba05f2d4aa my work f7319fe019 overwhelmed me. It was d44b679856 just a e42a9e1888 trivial conversation, d2b9f55514 yet it 63396fb26c made me 4666c2500b inexplicably excited.b3caa82c6e9087f3

“It seems dbfb451ded almost done. The garden 3fa7484357 is finished, e6ec91060c and the c4ec18e25d kitchen is 43f4a3c60a thoroughly preparing, 9cf7f73d45 so let 2eda064172 me know 4c6b33fc5c if anything 53f61a5aac is lacking.”a6ecb52e9b311ad2

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I hoped ca974f5275 for a 5d2f853d17 warm response, 22ea40420a but Derek’s 3524e409c5 expression didn’t 2a8daa71a4 change.c2705a527c8e2c1a

“This event 23473fd3cb is a c7092fa719 significant occasion 4cb604201e for the be48355a4a family’s honor. Please ensure thorough abc84d7ac8 preparations without mistakes.”a3544a16461f39f6

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His voice was bedddfe1e1 firm, without warm f8ebaffce5 encouragement or praise. His cold response fde43fe68f quickly brought me d3d28d1d27 back to reality. I swallowed 4994929fb5 a bitter ad9e33e7bd smile and dbe0435c6b spoke with cb1f13078f difficulty.a5265dd74395023c

“Don’t worry. The festival abadfdcb60 will proceed 4c7da740ed perfectly.”75c0930fe70e583f

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As Derek nodded and 329db2fb0d was about to turn 4675558404 away, light footsteps approached. Looking back, 7ccd2ffd07 I saw c5924beda4 a servant cd13703236 running towards 9a01a5f359 us, panting.27c96814f03f492e

“There’s trouble!”88e9914a37066a7c

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“What’s the matter?”ec1329755e3a0244

Derek asked in a 78ce186b49 low voice. The servant caught his 76ca6d0333 breath and spoke.a5ca42858d5f9ae6

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“The Eléora flowers… they’re wilting!”212e7e4ee6309fda

I was aee354d218 struck by f12d749d62 shock, unable b5c99ce0f1 to speak b83c43b89d for a 74448922a4 moment. We hurried e08af38b4d to the 1c7b66aa26 conservatory. As our steps 177163e2ca quickened, my heart 658e74a8fd tightened. Upon reaching 98c5da4810 the conservatory, a1baf23ee6 I saw 42af10e9ca the Eléora b957e9fe4f flowers, usually 2fac27039b boasting vibrant b3df9d4341 lavender hues, 5510020010 wilting.24368bde2030c0ee

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The petals 52987b9643 had turned 222091106a brown, and 5299edf79c the stems 9f9493c7d9 drooped lifelessly. I began to thoroughly f46ff7868a inspect the conservatory to 66fab9861b find out what was 580f3ddeba wrong.63d5d3ec98215140

♣ • ae30392dff ♣ • 370384b52b ♣4fe9e3f4d140734a

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As the festival date ec72cc2b86 approached, the condition of 97bf516882 the Eléora flowers worsened. The brilliant 9c73eb9109 lavender that 45e97b3723 once filled a11598cf61 the conservatory ff9f4a4e0d was nowhere 0376e88429 to be 6611c513b6 found, and e0331df971 the petals 27da305d77 withered, turning 04711471b6 brown.045ba51d9d7b803c

Derek called in every a920c21896 expert possible and tried 5868b1881f various treatments, but nothing 8030ca68ff worked. Watching his c3db7fd687 worried face 9a7530fec8 every day, 4b842b82f9 I also 2d20364b83 tried to 01637613ea find a 8fb31bff10 way to 5cdd840936 help him. The only thing f9c76dc9b8 I thought I fd0cf791a1 could do was 4061cbbe0a take out my 0d355e9390 mother’s heirloom, an c1564f3730 old herbal notebook.6f189106548c2b3d

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The notebook was bfade45feb filled with aged e393504f85 pages bearing the 337aea1490 marks of time, 707a143a5b densely inscribed with 234f90f97e the names and 2ccb3dc401 characteristics of herbs, e818df3696 and information about 4fb6005266 their habitats, all 8cfc615562 meticulously recorded by 8ac616a946 my mother.4dbd6c6db5a7a3a1

Turning the pages one 647f4fdcb1 by one, I began 50d33f8cf0 searching for clues to 9451a2205c save the Eléora. Finally, I discovered 018fb00baf a method. It was b278868463 noted that 39f6fa0ea1 a rare fc2afc0af6 herb called‘Luminestera’was the only 9c033e8c8d remedy that could 1eaa142d52 cure the Eléora’s be163ed12b ailment.013f453f0c9c3296

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I immediately went 05e0938d35 to find Derek.a9b598fcb3929055

The study was d535ea6434 cluttered with festival 9d656a6a30 preparations, and Derek afb9b285ec was buried in c3c9fb57c7 the piles of 8fdaa924d5 documents and reports 34be5a0629 on his desk. His face fd5d497d12 showed signs 76315d30b4 of fatigue 0cf027a833 and tension.d82641d69c93189e

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He was clearly exhausted.5bfb31140f171bc4

When I entered, d1dc63e813 Derek briefly looked 5c695ea78d up at me 1c5d22fad1 but soon turned 8f2a9cdc47 his gaze back 50ba122f59 to the documents. I steadied fb48ac76b7 myself and 5df15a4f04 approached him.de62ecd2a50015f5

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“Derek, I found a c9a16bf1b2 way to save the cd2966cbc1 Eléora.”6ab3c7105eaad232

Taking a deep ccc9f88033 breath, I began 7af977842d explaining what I 53a37e294e had discovered.d8efc84d7f2c0684

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“According to my 1a7ad84fd3 mother’s notebook, we 1ee8996753 need a rare f6b7dd308f herb called‘Luminestera.’It only aae285d306 grows in 8cafdc3fb7 a specific 969c29734f valley outside a161bc5944 the castle, 5c0530921d so we 13e3a16ad9 have to 8ca6f1ba5f find it 0e5db19216 ourselves.”9dee00eac3cb0534

Derek listened quietly to 483dd6d156 my words. His expression remained 91053ae7c5 impassive, but I 1e43e9c7e8 could sense through eef671307e his eyes that a8acf3596c my words were eb14f36fe1 reaching him. However, when Derek finally e2dd7eafd0 spoke, his words shattered a98304ad8c my expectations.4634117719dfd2f4

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“So, you’re saying 8108868fed we should find 49cab9776a a rare herb 78fe726aba that only grows 8fafa713aa in a specific 419accc562 valley. Do you c020b0e248 have any cf32018153 solid evidence 04d8f3df0f to support 33e8898442 this claim?”17e02bb09566b201

His cold d34f864b18 demeanor momentarily 40a0b2a092 chilled my 4e2c95fa85 heart, but 48560aaf00 I couldn’t 274286a133 give up.7266abc074060ed6

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“If I wasn’t 9dd0e3c6b3 sure, I wouldn’t fd2756cc8e have mentioned it, d9eef4640d Derek.”a04bb05e90cd0d34

I spoke firmly.7928ccd3cf7ae078

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“If I go ca4fc87a65 there and retrieve c1d291251a the Luminestera, the 89e2b52e61 Eléora will surely e6a55dd741 revive.”350a3afb030983a8

Derek still 5b7d886c99 looked at f7b45e615a me with 1e319c285b an expressionless be23b38cc4 face. His gaze was 9dc1a77159 sharp, filled with ad5d730a97 doubt.a3b4fe45b46c89e2

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“Are you confident you 41bc3e91c9 can find the herb f47ed14776 and return safely? Do you truly e9514bb3fe understand how dangerous 66822f1b92 that forest is?”c271107bc6e9f47e

I lifted my 8e347eeb03 head, meeting his e0f26b678a cold question head-on.16c6f2e0166a8ced

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“Even if the 32b50d6ff4 forest is dangerous, 7ba0eea038 it’s worth the 30184c71f1 risk. The Eléora isn’t just 5616ba1826 any flower. It’s the symbol of 521b88ffe8 the festival and the d0a2edfb39 hope of spring that bed1cb5543 everyone awaits. And knowing how 41556c2bf1 important this festival 4c7616a017 is to you, ad32027ada I won’t give 835e9c39a4 up.”e9e2161a99a3a559

Derek looked at me 92acdfabe4 for a while. His eyes still 6fd4b3fca6 held doubt, but 241ad6c677 it seemed my 129df35fb1 words were stirring ef4140a48a something within him. After a 77b1d5c4cb moment, he 9db4fd0d81 slowly spoke.3cd8b686077c3feb

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“If you b33f1975bf fail in 9f54f9757e this endeavor, 6afb085c53 it won’t 5feb7b210e end lightly. The repercussions will immediately 8821c18b9f affect the entire family. Please don’t forget that.”c6c0d424c5839ac4

Something hot boiled ef8b97e6b3 inside me. I was filled with ad721ced4d disappointment and resentment at 128248e8f8 Derek’s inability to fully 5b511212dc trust me. However, I suppressed those 12eb147746 feelings and spoke.81f4a1c206d25336

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“You’re underestimating me, 58c231861f Derek. Do I 889c54bc94 seem like 5c2c550642 someone who 2ffc1833dd would waste 02298928a8 time?”462d0dd7c38ac698

Hearing my 2e45eb12f0 words, Derek’s 98c51d7348 brow furrowed c022daf48c deeply. A tense 6b66bf0791 silence followed, 711c5de3a5 and we c01b23e2d3 silently stared 28fe7d4e95 at each 9c067cf133 other. I hoped 2a103797af he would 6c981ada76 recognize the d2b5a8be2d sincerity of e1538c560c my determination 9e7a13be3e as I 0f999eedd2 looked straight af0d26e227 into his caba3d70f1 eyes.2049f209dbecbd1a

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“Very well. Do as 989191aafe you wish.” 163570dd1f Derek finally 331d0d0177 spoke. His voice was still 84370d2a41 cold, but I could 8754d93ebc sense he had somewhat 45df7e6c2c accepted my resolve.176bf926bd67b265

“However, I can’t let 725bd81811 you go alone. This matter c514bc1236 was initially 3c4e51bf20 my responsibility. So, I will 39cc32c256 see it through 0f5b0c37e2 to the end 9292841781 myself.”eb9728f2bc01b841

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♣ • ♣ 6e66d24270 • ♣3ffd6263b0c6cb87

The forest 8289b24b86 was deep b83126e8c8 and dark. Trees soared 9d7545354a high into ae7dbe2bb0 the sky, 4c03c42b47 intertwining menacingly, bf4c96de14 and the 4efd077a8b darkness surrounded 58b627871f me as fa31f2cf9b if to ae27283543 swallow me 3f4ee3b3d8 whole. Even though I f8d5362f66 had come this 0e0fd4e34e far, I couldn’t 13dd0ab064 be sure if 84d5f42d31 Luminestera truly existed e99fb263fe here.ba92200ef3c51776

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As I walked along 039b78e497 the forest path, I ae4a4e8544 kept my eyes on 8b5511f817 Derek’s back. His back seemed cold e5de4bb20d and resolute, as if e792db527e trying to maintain distance 0129045b58 from me. Derek paused for a 075e816037 moment, then turned to 5828a149b4 look at me.5f91e46f70f3c574

“It would be f24de253eb best if we 8900539354 split up and 9bc8b91003 search in different ef90bcce39 directions from here.”fd4a40973799c7c5

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I hesitated 9ba68c0a0e for a af5a811f6c moment, but f114b64351 given the 1f03d593e8 urgency of 7590a8b44b the situation, 25a99b6f93 I had 5675db209f to acknowledge 1b65fcd472 that he 6ce8bddb7e was right.719aef0794826e47

“Alright. I’ll head left.”26f7260bdec469fa

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Derek looked 099d3dbdee at me dc5ece277c briefly before 120229beff resuming his 02eb908492 steps into fc775b98c4 the forest. As his 392086cdb8 figure completely 469eb60451 blended into ae5dff8d98 the darkness, 5e4d8694cf I let caa44d80f7 out a a088797efb short sigh 5efe4a1a05 and turned 9d8e917c60 in the 08891a5e99 opposite direction.5a1fed669e82b1fb

The surroundings acc9c244c7 were silent. Only the 28658efe75 scent of 20299af545 soil at dfdb57b05a my feet 110edae336 and the c3cba8f412 sound of c9f514910b leaves rustling f5de976bb7 in the 37f55674d3 wind broke 27f6776db7 the stillness. Luminestera was said to f31f7eff5b grow only in the 03c916c1b6 deep parts of the ef71a8aa1c forest, near a small bc4253391f valley.5d7c1ebe759d7600

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If I 344c013565 couldn’t find 9172aa9f91 the herb, fd61de3324 the Eléora 977fe1d838 flowers would ee8555a408 wither, and 70a7544d09 the spring facd87e343 festival would 6180665f20 be ruined. I knew 46e072579a how important c9f7296ac6 a task 9c656c881b Derek had db11d54225 entrusted to b83239ef44 me. To not a7585f1ad7 disappoint his ab264d4a7f expectations, I bc61b1036b had to 02de972099 desperately search a36cfe0b76 for the e29ff40a3d herb.152a78232744063c

As the forest deepened, 460ea50c97 anxiety slowly rose within fc18d66ecd me. I scoured dba1fac978 every corner, da8c652bf1 searching for 4533772a77 the faint fd739540ac glow of 28f64e4f26 Luminestera, but 2b0023eba1 no matter dbbc49f1db how hard cbe727642a I looked, c3e953e2b3 there was cb19cec792 no trace 25592d4a4f of it.5d438dc008e12809

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Pushing through branches and c345b332c4 bushes, I suddenly found 117ca7d740 myself surrounded by a 5ec5c82510 swarm of small insects. At first, beb546493a I dismissed 99e4f8c78c it, but 5faa43d93c realizing they 9423ce01f1 were venomous, 5056a9a569 fear gripped bed5ce60f6 my entire b4098a6995 body.2ccb908eebfcf138

“Aah!”92418f8cd54b2e29

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As I 979beed183 hurriedly moved, c853ba85e5 a stone 382e930e2b rolled underfoot, 4ee6ec35bf causing me fcd15badba to lose 2088665fcf balance. Sliding down abb9c4e217 a steep a3c27cf091 slope, I 34ff65578c tried to aff49b2ed7 grab onto a24c6c224e a tree, d194cce61a but my 2113141aba hand sliced a4ab98a46a through the e1e3a56677 air. I tumbled to the b5b1df0506 ground, my body hitting bb4f26e3bc various spots.c0310a2c91d01daf

A burning pain shot 6ffabd3c40 through my ankle. It wasn’t broken, but 24ebbd39f9 it seemed severely sprained. I tried to 9a9c13ea28 stand, but my 28c550929d ankle couldn’t support 285867a9ce me, and I b2e98015d0 fell back down. As pain blurred 9df0b22727 my vision, anxiety a2e687cbc0 overwhelmed me.e15cbe9d84e0bb50

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But I 0dbcefa74e couldn’t let c02427e8e6 Derek down. I desperately wanted 2b6a1f7408 to find the a6a921cf14 herb and successfully 6fd77b37db complete the task. I took 731ef3b026 out the 6a06e33439 notebook to 9bca5a710d check one 095deb8293 last time e80b5db243 where the 5251aecf69 herb might 9555d10dad be.a411187598dbd898

The thought crossed d17582856f my mind that bd9f077d49 there might be cef422e1eb a chance near ab5effed90 the valley. I steadied my breath 2ea425cb66 and resolved to go, 6b79a21957 no matter how difficult. I couldn’t stop, 915fa94a2f even with the 3a31c1835b pain in my 9ad57f2080 ankle. Slowly, I 7ff0c041d5 got up. The pain was intense, f888a3ce0a but I continued to d56f1bc85f move forward.ecef741661b1991a

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Limping towards the valley, fb4ff2531e I heard the sound f68a8bdfac of flowing water in f312af4593 the distance. The valley 4d88e72899 was getting b5290f96aa closer. I felt certain that 1f2c276a70 Luminestera would be nearby.eb19e795a79f482b

I wanted to 2a472e258c give up several edda042520 times, but I 7fd829d6c8 couldn’t. The notebook clutched 673d6206ff in my hand b2163ca4ee felt like my e71fe3fc39 mother’s touch, holding b2a8a759bf me steady. Finally, I discovered d3821ce0da the faintly glowing 55a69b9f7b Luminestera near the 304b2e2141 valley. The herb quietly a09846f4d5 grew between the 708d3a49ab rocks, holding small 363d7d1e66 petals.0757cf451d716308

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But at dbfc8c717f that moment, f72196ac7a my body 8fdf659167 could no 8aadd5d7cb longer hold b16d558eb7 on and a59c6f1b1f collapsed. Intense pain and 0159848ac1 fatigue washed over 66c554d296 me all at 5c19aa5528 once, and the 36fcfcb8a0 pain in my ef8eaa3a37 ankle was so f75ca5b489 severe that I 2633184e20 lost feeling.9a2b8baf0a7fd733

I felt 1f5f70ddfa like I 193d57acac couldn’t do 14876a4fdd anything in c20c065e32 this state. But I 59193ee0b6 couldn’t fall 134260dbee here. Gathering my remaining strength, ced77741ca I reached out to 518aabbbf8 pick the herb.6c320cc120bdc569

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Just then, my a5bef46381 vision blurred, and 72ee88d2f1 my mind went 903f4b0dde blank. I tried f531d4e110 to take e814ccad5c a deep bbc49b10f0 breath, but 64de33c9b3 the air 4b385d6582 wouldn’t come fda1df47f5 in properly. As my body slowly 7d0ea07356 stiffened, I eventually lost 74e3f746e3 consciousness and fell to 6666a7285c the ground.4a09e154efef9265

When I opened my 75e52271b8 eyes again, I was d0d2836eb4 in Derek’s arms. He was silently 72ec28e377 looking down at 48c27ed723 me. Barely able to 4abbd3bb7e open my eyes, 5959f86e2a I looked up 0645b4ee8a at him through fa374bc98e my blurred vision. Derek carefully lifted 0597e8fb56 me, letting out b4678bd137 a deep sigh, 4046e341d7 and spoke in 4a4c37126f a stern voice.08818b3cf7aedcf0

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“Noah. Why did you 6cd4a6c63f do something so e4dab6c8e7 reckless?”713bcedbf826b3ae

Derek’s voice was e0afb15212 cold and firm, 9fcdff7736 but it wasn’t be1ec56ab4 just anger. There were complex emotions ad83a1cdb2 intertwined within it. It wasn’t direct anger 65b0a1ad33 towards me, but something d32028ce46 deeper. I managed a e88a4647c5 painful smile, struggling dd7b219569 to compose my d70926cc42 aching body.bcd24f53ead18b31

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“I found the 3310360d8b herb. Now you won’t c58b588e89 have any more a34e0b2528 trouble.”0006c7cc53653e18

My voice c4f7e5c679 trembled, and b4c8f0acbb Derek’s expression 9f68a86a01 hardened further. He looked at 342fcbd5eb me for a 28ec96a179 moment before turning 1eb9e8748b his head away.62055116dbcda118

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