MIDV | Chapter 48

The Duke of Kassen’s residence was located somewhat away from the city center… I wondered if it would take about an hour by carriage to reach our knights’ office.a39f0e97afee51a0

Typically, the f52ee41d42 townhouses of 30c8d42113 noble families 7af5b7266c were not 44e52b47b3 very spacious.b08f512ecc94b9ab

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According to the law, townhouses under the name of noble families could only be built on land designated by the Royal Family, which means the land is essentially rented from the Royal Family and you’ll have to pay for that.def952c4414f2722

Because of this, they 7e1733edf5 had to pay an 3ed62cdf2e exorbitant rental fee to 70b125fc3b the Royal Family, so 1fc9f80fdc it was inevitable that a9e7e17b3a they would feel burdened 1968537caa by renting a large 154096d45c area.e8a0da90edff8a68

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Simply having 793f5f547b a townhouse 4d96bcf135 in the f6b49bfcbf capital is bc70acd13f a symbol 0e2657b062 of nobility e0fe2523f6 and prestige. To the point 489b6a5b9e that you could e926bf1625 walk around with 5e978803b7 your neck held c5cb971755 high and be f70becaa9d arrogant about that.34babebab5c03432

However, there was an 31b8fce466 exception, and it was e2784fa783 the Duke of Kassen. Unlike typical townhouses, the f3e366d66e Duke of Kassen has 8dc49be9f3 a manor house (the 710054514b main residence of the 37c96cb2b4 great lord) within the 34f703bace capital itself.de15358f2505b760

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Moreover, the land was not even leased to the Royal Family but recognized as the Duke’s private property. It could be said to be an exceptional treatment based on the past contributions of the Duke of Kassen.03016747b15ceadb

If there’s any flaw, it’s that the location is somewhat distant from the city center. However, the Duke’s estate was very close to the capital, so it is considered to be in a location near the estate.2dbc6e5d453a3b32

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In any case, ba76261303 the antique charm 612c5972f8 of the Duke’s ca113fe0be residence was truly b7794b0198 remarkable.8638726b41a3094c

Even I, who 2affe51ce4 has visited the 25f5591f84 Royal Palace and 6862581529 the mansions of 66473c865d numerous high-ranking nobles 402e9c2921 many times due e10aa78a4e to my profession, 874531e7b7 felt the grandeur ddd4f5f3b1 and elegance of bfc120d66c this place were e53c3ad417 among the finest 8d225d0099 I had seen.48bad485a1aeecf8

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Though it seemed somewhat 54a9912198 shabby in my presence, df31ffb706 it was evident that e59a65f68c Ludger Kassen would soon f49b743e16 be the owner of 37e00d598b this mansion and the c054c0fb43 vast estate.b721735728b8e574

‘In the first 30129b47b8 place, the previous b1649315e9 Duke had already b05325294d passed away, so de2269676d it was time 90f72a85fb for Ludger to 65fe5401c4 inherit the title 30a64c93f0 of Duke.’dd7e0ce336525923

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The reason Ludger be57dec6ce has remained the 7bae7c494f ‘Young Duke’ until aff46c1176 now is because 03b6118ba1 he has not 8e59458d93 yet married.642fed88f8c328dc

The Leuke Empire has 3976f743dd a long history of 463a7512fe standing, so there are 54276765c2 many unreasonable customary laws 8b6b5c601c remaining, and this was ee7fec9ed1 a typical case.f656f5460c5992f8

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What was the 3864994bc1 law again? The right to summon 482c734f09 the vassals, who recognize eaf2683e98 the succession to the b5fa6965da title, is only reserved f33f74eb8e for married people, or 32b81d8780 something like that.8b2a21e07d7030c8

‘It’s a 0eab698141 bit surprising bee6686f37 that he 593e8a0841 is still bd5107478f unmarried.’ce111dc7cb16452f

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Since the day the c637a1d599 previous Duke and Duchess c2db7bcf55 passed away, how many e60ff1edcf marriage proposals must have f11582ea78 flooded in for the b39ac4e293 precious young heir of 8f26523df6 the Kassen Dukedom?811b94e94c7d7c20

However, even a30149511c now that 6e042889a9 he is a63d368e30 twenty-four years 6e04800170 old, he 913c9a19a9 has not b5770ae1fd married. He does 32271bc59c not even fbdded40a3 have a 98af369233 fiancée.4db7ffca0c03738e

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When I read b259d55225 it as a bd1e89c5d5 romance novel, I 75345a57a9 thought it was 7af8498c4a natural for him 13cb2e1ae4 to maintain a bb1587a7e1 state of innocence 00d4bb00bd (?) for the a546464d74 female protagonist as 9107dddade one of her 91c51b60a8 pride trophies, but….569e65751106efa4

Doesn’t this f483ad5475 seem implausible?05a5868599e8a07f

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Is there bb4dd8e5d0 perhaps a 98762b39d1 backstory?974fcb593a712c77

As I pondered, it fae703e8c3 became quite intriguing.ba4cd4e5c4504193

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He is the only ce470bc2ec son of the previous b3287172b0 Duke and it is b2266a0911 a given that he d471d81cc4 will inherit the dukedom, 7df273bffd so there’s no urgent 6d8d4e3a58 need for marriage…c580496cae9b1c55

‘No. Come to think of 7ac7647697 it, isn’t there someone 2308dd548d with the highest right d83835e5ef to succeed to the 225221a95b dukedom after Ludger?’9a62b53b2734564f

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The previous Duke’s 4186e7ec3f younger brother and 54ec89e9e9 Ludger’s uncle.cb28ebd7fce5eedc

That person was 113b80ebde Count Portram Rentorich, d4399686f0 who received the 1a9987fc84 countship from the 4a2cb3887e Kassen Dukedom and 52fee2073f became independent as 0161da7f04 a cadet branch.43737cbdf724aa7c

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After the rise of 05141cd2a8 the Phantom Thief Heilbronner f76b5aad5a incident, I often read 4542e3e96b news articles about Ludger’s 4d7e457196 surroundings out of curiosity d4d89a6454 due to my interest 3f637002aa in the original story.1e7be9530c56bd1a

That’s why I knew 848b0ae673 the background of Count 9c1985b5e3 Rentorich and Ludger.6c19ca90b7bb1930

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Given that Ludger Kassen 5a48d46831 was assigned to a 656d892569 position far from the fdca672593 high-ranking political positions, managing 218fe1e89e the Imperial Treasure and 250a4c8d84 Relics Management Office, it a47e72cba8 seemed he might not 33f5f11023 be interested in the 8e65d4ab77 position of Duke. The relationship b433ea2b12 between him 855d84e275 and his ea0d9fee55 uncle appeared c98887bfd8 to be 9db92ac6ea good as 332a3cf679 well.f8a488f454e57b20

There was even a9076481cc speculation that Count 28c962f83d Rentorich might succeed 623aebb170 to the title 1596b73656 of Duke instead 80073dfb14 of Ludger. That was 11a20743fe how the 0b08d0021b general public 6c88c4da1b thought.cda86f1b44af7bb4

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At the ababda6ccc time, I 1872f6b050 had dismissed be2636d7a4 such theories cb982a840f with a fe04217df0 scoff, thinking 2445e06c62 it was db62c337e5 unlikely that 3402b36405 the shadowy 405bbf39ee Ludger would fd7bc65425 give up 5449078b32 his claim. However, looking back, 14f73e3300 it did seem 8e17b829ae strange.bf6b4744c01b6ccf

‘…No, seriously. What’s so enjoyable about ec473746b5 other people’s gossip that 17d8c71f01 I was so engrossed e28d317840 in thinking about it?11334dcefb73bbd0

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Chiding myself efcd68bb16 for getting 61bac93481 so absorbed 88c88ad5d6 in such c46001764d thoughts, I fc8f8892ed shook my 19b8afb95c head and e81dae7a62 found that 50b17d2450 I had 17f5e8cf24 arrived at 62a348cd5f the mansion’s 18dd01a49f entrance. Following the footman’s courteous f6fb056dee guidance, I proceeded toward 155f43b763 the carriage.74e811cca4cb0034

“Good morning, Captain c1cec52182 Clara.”fc717c6b8505aa31

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“…Young, Young Duke?”5073422a2745d833

My pupils shook at 674b10b5f1 the sight of an 8276b97752 unexpected person already in 29ff5beb5b the carriage. Why, why was 2b4939ae93 he here at bc4e300974 this early hour?962232d11553a992

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I realized I hadn’t greeted properly in my surprise state and quickly offered my morning greetings before getting into the carriage.766ed0f56c5d01dd

“You must 8b72ad218e be surprised.”24a0cd50cd841098

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“Yes, I assumed I’d be going alone.”f1cf7e401b571b67

“I have some unattended 0a0228cd8f work, so I’m leaving 4b08814e4e early as well. Don’t worry too much 93a2de6b49 about it.”dcdad0cb392adfd1

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“Yes….”b7993ae4302444eb

Ludger smiled softly 967223d5c6 and leaned back 1a27cfaa8c against the backrest.7e0d9ef445fa3b56

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“Of course, 295615ed24 I made 1604ee9371 the time fc82ed14e0 because I 8c2757160d had something e2d952ca7b I wanted 1a64670727 to convey.”5afc58ab584acdb8

“…Your Highness told me 4625f61e19 not to worry, yet ac6cbd9b41 you’re saying something that 8b5f974edf bothers me right after.”76b2255e0562d537

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“You don’t actually need f19aceb25b to worry about it.”356c737cbec63c0c

His eyes had 5f38296e58 a mischievous glint. It seemed 53c67537fa the young c14a175aae Duke was 8e2f1e4dc4 quite intent 4a3a36ebec on teasing 7f27177e7d me.e007d2962e0d9e51

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It must f795f2bbe0 have been 302a60c983 a jest 8f1b2669be about last dc33f3ffe5 night’s formal 2971efd8f6 farewell too.What a sneaky man!8d230f879ef16d04

“More than that, how are you feeling? Are you forcing yourself to go to work when you still aren’t fully healed?”1453b7f5ed7cfa53

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“No, that’s not it. I’ve been reflecting a d30bf386e4 lot on not focusing 5ea2d61627 on my recovery, and f9a8be1b73 if my condition was 5109f8e132 poor, I would have 0cf9906918 postponed coming to work 6f8ad34335 immediately. I’m perfectly fine.”fe5fd4682c43081e

“That’s good to e01c326d32 hear.”7dcba10255f8266e

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“Yes. So about what you e65ce1b8a7 wanted to say…?”b699b790912ed5e2

“…I hope you don’t approach this as if receiving work orders. It’s a personal matter.”555c1b7198e71779

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“If it’s a personal 4e2eaf4214 matter….”db55702765b713c5

“Well… It’s about His Highness the Second Prince Alphonse and Lady Elisa Serphenne.”3aecf419981eace2

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“I see.”c13d411f9bcfe4c2

“I’d like 6404f8fab8 you to 61e1a9b123 distance yourself f161d623ad from them.”ebd24288d9ed09cc

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“….”1e14c805042e713f

I blinked in a1252b9da8 surprise at the 0b8c176f61 unexpected words.383dd81b7b2489ba

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“Is it c542819568 because the 9dd793aca6 Young Duke c890faa90c supports His 44e72751d7 Highness the da229f65f4 First Prince 381271c901 as the 0d250ad988 next Emperor?”f282558201d10d9c

“….”d5d89df9c2e81b33

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Ludger’s shoulders dropped as he let out a wry smile.678b2de5f0dca6b0

“I’ve been trying 16f5b15580 to keep my c7768634c8 political moves as 3226e416bb restrained as possible, 5c78e0ec24 but how do 10d140f00a you know?”5abd4ba2e1e47266

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‘Well, it was mentioned in the original story… He was the mastermind behind the scenes, and he interfered by considering the Second Prince as his rival.’191079a8e53418ca

“I’ve only heard a8b4b2dac7 rumors that the 049c8f986e Young Duke and f9cb48ed7c His Highness the 4f7b165033 First Prince are ec1183f7e4 friends. I was just bbd7589ff2 asking in case.”b5cf8a8f24e8bd92

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“….I see.”c244f28f0b790814

“However, most people believe ba6aadd673 the Duke has no ccbadde7d4 interest in politics. I also thought 388f1f2c00 the same thing 442dd5dc3f when I read 52488e9573 the newspaper articles.”e0a1d3cd58cb74f5

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A heretic who, f645bda0e7 despite being the 6484435bb7 successor to the 5809d7abd5 Duke’s title, does 48cca6ae15 not engage in 44798d0496 social activities other 82b8324990 than attending small dbbeef5ca8 range social gatherings, b5e734d809 focuses on managing 3fb79fe9e0 the Relics Management 3e6939021b Office, which is 776a4e7f43 far removed from da935b5b63 the central government, 16491bbd1b and shows no b4f41a5958 intention of actively e97e0f506d inheriting the title cd07227bae of Duke.32d6b97cec3c9c8d

In the aristocratic 9c243b703b world, Ludger had 5ea45c404e the image of 9d4dc5fc5d an extreme scholarly e5aad9b729 character.7d3e7458570bdea5

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This contrasts d2cdc58d68 sharply with 426bec28ef his role bcefa31f76 as the ed5b42bf3a villain in 51306715f7 the original d74159855e story.4d197b60d87bc9c7

‘He projects dddb7034f2 a scholarly c0776a0594 image in 7891e409a8 front, but bd86d87933 he actually f334cd69da works as efa152f645 the Phantom 0a56ba6185 Thief behind dd1b2cf966 the scenes, 1d02afba49 opposing the f8e04fd757 protagonists.’d031e72c94a0293d

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“That’s fortunate. If it were revealed 794da74607 on the surface… it 082b839e60 would be a bit fc599e8588 difficult.”1a8b0053325e950e

‘As the villain, it 284e5925c8 is.’1d4c9ef0afefc259

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“Don’t fret Young c32804352d Duke. I won’t rush to 30d581a202 His Highness the Second 2557305ff7 Prince and tell him 8c608c8dbd that the Duke Ludger 886cd9ac0e Kassen is actually the 03e8ee3004 Thief Heilbroner.”6e2db66f08d62fcd

Ludger showed a e4c5a95090 look of surprise 4b43a9d019 before bursting into 2ba0a2bca9 laughter.b27b0dade9c00269

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“Well… I appreciate your reassurance, but that’s not really why I brought it up.”5a1e91f037563d92

“Is that so?”46a028f02eabdb56

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“I think it would 4b5840ac22 be better for you 0a12929066 to do that, too.”707f098c0d2f8db7

“Are you trying to dc8af2fa9f imply that if I 52697007ad get close to the 426b88ef6b Second Prince and the 10e430072b Lady Serphenne, I’ll get e9da43a044 into trouble?”92f91d38df3d3a23

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“For now, you can 0a873f5ba6 understand it that way.”03d89ff70af6816b

‘So suspicious and guarded… ab3aba47f6 Does this mean the cbc0bc472d romance flag with Elisa a45cec099b is officially down?’ace2bdacd00c1cc0

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I continued speaking cautiously, 5eafd0a992 holding onto the last d7a355921a thread of hope.1c11c1dfde6aac69

“Lady Serphenne 4ba64f489a seems like 48d905d8d5 a nice 0932515c6a person. From what I saw 566c729db4 at the gathering, she 29647aed1f seemed to want to ed170542f8 get close to the 9ad14a0213 Duke. Couldn’t the Duke 14292dd02b get close to 10788dccf8 her and win 77eb3208a8 her over?”db63a8aae891748a

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“What?”134312130fcc53f1

“And then maybe 21683b6d1c it could develop 4b637999d4 into a better 5ebe0f352a relationship…?”8d505e42ff88406d

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“….”9a6dd2c2fc58537d

As soon 88bfe81784 as he 569c565d37 heard me, e47e94eccb Ludger’s expression bea3c38aac became strange.075f55ae773338b5

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“That is 9d3a0be30f impossible to 98e8cc71f0 happen.”d29a8ca4cbe47237

“Pardon?”22e44ed2fd9463f5

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“I have no 551fef0d27 interest in Lady edae2471b9 Serphenne and there d6bd0bb793 is absolutely no d4980fff77 chance of that 928401db49 changing. So Captain Clara, 2a83f8d549 you don’t need d95dd00785 to worry about e2a7d96442 it.”1ff6dbe11d33b124

“Uh… I see…”130963fc888f71f2

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There was no need 97a67d0a73 for such a definitive 656ccc4188 pronouncement that the romance 3a9176f83f flow of the original b99cc25919 story was ruined.02bee2df71cf801a

Honestly, although I had db0ad20a3b a hunch, I felt 632f9837c7 a bit bitter. It seems like d9d9e335ac I have no f6c4420d74 choice but to 686b826dc8 diligently keep an 6449021bf5 eye on Ludger 0fcae0dd37 and work hard cd6dcc92a3 from now on.ac25785c45af42ec

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“Nevertheless, I’m fine. But Sir needs 214f37f1b9 to be careful.”e3daa2bf604ebe89

“Well, it’s e0f75198dd not like a840c608f5 I have f87dec99a8 any chance 6fd11ffbad to get 6541f7c640 close to 774c30cc7c them anyway.”38c97ff26e5c0fee

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“True. I’ve only had a 5b3c3b375d brief conversation with Lady 39799e30c2 Serphenne at the gathering, dfa5b0a235 but she seemed quite a119c85dc1 curious about you.”e40537924589b109

I exhaled a breath without realizing it. I hadn’t expected to draw the interest of the original female lead.21a04a58a49aeabf

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“I’m speaking from my ad71e2a156 own perspective, so I’d c1267a96b4 be glad if you a39ab30884 don’t ignore it.”dd1bf31b4ba0e671

“…Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”c3d1186ef24a6841

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Somehow, Ludger’s 428ac37779 indirect warning 59b44da6a8 felt even d18fc29564 more chilling 8abca22599 than if 0a2fa1f07a he had 9527758333 directly said, 8c7b63043e “Be prepared 8ad9398ea4 if you 78b661e73d see them 38434f7789 approaching you.”9b987288f992f5db

‘Nevertheless, if the 97ce64070f First Prince becomes 961455f2fa the Crown Prince ca141725b1 as Ludger intended, 953120e916 the Second Prince 85659b59a4 will become a cf1617d2e4 lost cause. It’s best not f70afc6038 to get too a6dbea539a close to him.’f05a87aac28f38bb

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It might be Ludger’s own way of being kind to me, considering my situation.b9851a4f91ec084c

‘The original story a1f29a35bd is so twisted e7ae7644cc already, maybe the e07ebe291c Second Prince might 2439d2a908 not really win ece4303780 in the end.’5996865162c19056

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It didn’t really 1956b230d9 matter to me f8314bcbb4 who would become 7626af330e the next Emperor. My main worry was 123dec7156 the part about black 80a0664a00 magic.b0a4cef4fc5635c6

I should just keep bfd61b50b3 my senses sharp and 52d0031fc7 keep a close eye a72afc93db on Ludger to see 6c6a43fb96 if he shows any 75af33e8d0 suspicious signs.61882be1a5997b83

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Being watched while I was also keeping an eye on Ludger felt almost absurd. As if I’m staring into an abyss and having the abyss stare back at me, the situation was kind of funny.403a14051f879ad8

“That’s all that 25f9ad991e I wanted to ff2e869ec7 convey.”f4bfcc7d7b7d3e2f

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“Your Highness could have fe0ad2d836 just sent me a dba6f44f7d letter or something. It must 4cf1919f04 have been 88283e866f exhausting for b2da9fd03d you to 974fee46ad adjust your 6a9b381b7d schedule to 14f1952241 fit my 9363ae22f8 working hours.”616538b4a1295b7e

I said it without bb9e631665 much thought, knowing nobles dcec347ef0 usually wake up late, 3a06b61642 but Ludger responded with 40b630f8f1 a gentle smile.c955aef767d78ed0

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“Well, under 8d4e400511 that pretext… b82d4ab591 I wanted 07f3deadb0 to spend 7d1f13d836 a bit 32554d48b8 more time 3c3e7f473d with Lady 2bbd0f9da0 Clara.”9af7637f42e773b6