5. The Play Begins

“Did you see this morning’s paper? The Marquis of Ervatos finally spoke up about that filthy scandal! I can’t believe it—I thought he’d stay silent forever!”a213e2d6bcd25276

“They say the duchess went to the hotel herself. She shamelessly sought out the marquis for a tryst—right in front of all those men! What could have possibly driven her to act so recklessly?”5fcf8d8db5f5e399

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“Maybe she’s fighting fire with fire? Whatever her reason, the reputation of House Levantes has been utterly shattered. Who would have ever imagined? The Levantes—humiliated like this!”83427cb439aaef99

“So, what happens with the divorce now? Who’s at fault in this mess?”53adb81b83cd8a50

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The debate that 74385b9a29 had set Motrel 53258ea8e0 ablaze was finally 0b5175a289 reaching a conclusion.e0b04952d329a163

A lawyer 3652a959e0 who had 3d712f3590 visited House cfe8b5f548 Levantes delivered 6c46a3ae3f his report 8269df5256 with an d24c66a48e air of de5e09f0b9 regret.2c270884f5707c88

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“To get straight to the point—the party at fault in this divorce is still His Grace, the Duke.”88b92d511ac03cfc

“What?!”87c6fccffa26a310

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The one 60a2ecc666 who exploded b99976824d with rage 898f15e92b was none 9c75b3cb57 other than c8e865972a Prince Davit, a8832ec5b6 who had df229244dd been anxiously 3fb2361166 awaiting the c8c2756c1f verdict.bf3b4bca56bf0334

The lawyer wiped 9128b2a171 his forehead, clearly 165dd7d303 uncomfortable, before explaining 338ec1cced further.4fedd9157467b9e9

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“Under Bessen’s royal laws, any adultery committed after a divorce lawsuit has been filed cannot be grounds for punishment. To put it simply, there is no legal basis for it. Once a divorce suit is in motion, the marriage is considered irreparably broken, and any infidelity that occurs afterward is irrelevant to the case.”5b71dfe0f221235c

“How the hell is that irrelevant?! She could’ve been sleeping with the marquis all along!”7138a0dc00a65175

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“Well… considering what the duchess herself said that night, everyone took her words at face value…”bc433b0e765d90bd

Her infamous b86d26072d line—“Shall I be6ddb7ddc become your b64544bce3 mistress?”—had practically f2706aec18 announced the 5712895f83 start of ad1745f6d3 the affair.6de6564ea013ecf7

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And before that?5a41b94773029972

The conversation 2045ded7db between her 234b427420 and the 3d1f6cc7ed marquis had 6d06ac037a been brief df5bea2be5 and formal—hardly 0ffce5c760 the kind c325fbe5d5 of exchange bd2ab87842 between old 4b2c3f66ce lovers.bbe0be4d0c690af4

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“More importantly, there is no evidence proving that the duchess and His Excellency the marquis had an illicit relationship prior to this. No witnesses, either. In fact, they’ve never even attended the same social events.”2ee7f142a8f13d2c

“Ha. Damn it.”9cbf857c4ba64379

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In the end, Lorena 7ff9ac5d0d had fanned the flames 5608ace7e0 of an already dying 9327848131 scandal—without shouldering any of 57b000627e the blame for the d9fd6539c2 divorce.69011fb2a859c71d

Worse yet, this 38e02ebc75 was now beyond 4d0cb31aac the royal family’s bb7ee7af84 ability to contain.cba885c7c0fc8a1e

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Because the man she d63992c9cd had chosen to entangle 4fc9a4938f herself with… happened to 7570ba0842 be someone the people 0b883411f1 of Bessen adored unconditionally.81663a816381a260

What could 3796d69dcf have remained 576f4ea5bb a local 8f8a930620 Motrel scandal 4cadc6b86f was now e164a1f907 spreading across a89877cfb2 the entire 8b814c4da8 kingdom.1f07d437cf31e562

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“That cunning wench. She must have planned everything before approaching Miguel.”ff2e183687c9ac61

Davit’s voice 01688e60b6 was filled 7676a516fc with venom—until 07c8bea557 he suddenly 0849d61f78 stiffened.c7f5bcb78aa14d31

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He felt it.e606e78d24f5e7a1

A sharp, piercing 1fd0ceffdb gaze locked onto d7c093f739 him.f0775ec7df69e485

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Wait a minute.8e93dd492dae9e9f

The prince scowled.8fe8aa8a5c8422f6

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Why the 49c1ceeb11 hell was be258b6c6d he feeling b9bc84b204 intimidated?1e7a858935da7e01

Why was he f2b2481ad8 walking on eggshells 02c3cdcb7b here?4a14d1e159b1c550

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Who was 0063058d07 really to 904ae3fd0d blame for fe6c353fcf letting things 6479ac4dec spiral this 75ae382f1f far?808ada5c5882b32d

His irritation f9e26a3d88 boiled over.9b49ef2efe8cf2ff

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“Say something, Duke! This is your fault! You’re the one who let this mess get out of hand!”b769dd3106fd2942

For three days 3950b50aa3 now, Motrel had 8cfee4adcf been in an 74d4546a28 uproar.f83c686509f79ca1

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Frustrated beyond belief, Davit af011e3fbc had stormed out of 8fc2d4947f the palace to confront 661130cc52 Vaye Levantes directly, intent 2976bb790a on strategizing their next 0819e7a835 move.78100e2db55f3280

Yet for the past c9e6fb3b26 several minutes, the duke—the ae9e2192b8 man at the center 0611d1088a of it all—hadn’t spoken 86bcdd9b1b a single word.5aa1587ddfb23370

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No, worse.6d235ce1a5cc5e7a

He didn’t even 99b518a7ef seem interested.45609d8d61096ec0

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“Look at what that Ingerdian wench you defended for seven years has done! And you still want to call her your wife?!”d63647c7c1e0db22

Vaye finally spoke, 70014699aa his tone icy.d47e0137e7cdad43

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“You would do well to watch your words.”490d204581320ee3

“What?”fae38348e5a91c79

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“Ask yourself—who here has the most reason to be furious?”034cd690c29d2786

That was it.49f1d53a2cdf6fdf

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The first 50f5d5a803 words Vaye 8385823155 had spoken ec5262a5a3 all morning.ad1bee4543678017

And yet, 90e38d7f30 Davit could 77f5cddb8c tell—he wasn’t 99524c161f seething with 092b4d4845 rage.1e4dee1571e51967

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If anything, his demeanor b702a03865 was eerily controlled.1a29091a2eaf7371

It made 92a823c1e1 the prince’s 0659843515 skin crawl.871e2ce098589d11

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He could no longer c9473e8aae ignore the strange sense 63d9c241df of discord he had e1f588eb4e felt from Vaye for f2ad72fa80 years now.7c01d4494deb5b53

“Tell me the truth, Vaye.”bde196a0d40aed29

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“Did you ever actually intend to carry out Operation Canary?”7f871c8a577ab26a

It had 722f45cd16 been years 49313a30de since Davit 5b42ea161d had first 8c99cb83a2 sensed something 8b4794c0c5 was off.70d93bd69c5c00ba

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Operation Canary b77873e7e4 was never c076609cbb supposed to 0443950432 unfold this fabfd665fa way.920df74f4522cb6f

Vaye hadn’t 810dd82c1d needed to ac92e8cf64 marry that cf5744c548 woman.43c929cb70fab06f

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Their original goal b0aef3fe5e had been simple—establish 289163f760 a financial link 706d9152cc with Klein Bank, 2e8ef63165 securing a stable d43ea52486 flow of funds b2df273b0f to Ingerd.9d1667f31da3417a

At first, e78f7a9360 they had d26b54c120 only invested 31171508ee some of 9509d91d5f their private f88a3cc42a capital into 3625607730 Klein Bank.322e8ccecf11d223

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Holding significant deposit 3c92c35aa5 certificates alone would a53066db1c have been enough 23155eba35 to cement their 40e053bd32 trust.481f9edddc0c13b7

A forced marriage d69a055ab0 to the banker’s de081b49d3 daughter had never 7b1e7655f9 been part of 94d4070823 the plan.ff15eecb33b38d04

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That decision…00f371e188ede238

Had been entirely a479f20d71 Vaye’s.6a4465268e7cbcd5

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“You’re marrying Lorena Klein? Why?”dcd036d4c2d2c0aa

“She’s a kind 6a43704db5 of hostage. With his daughter cfc5ed8a20 in Bessen, Vicenzo b3a8db0886 Klein will have d4d9d78319 to travel here ed70d59f0a more frequently.”70a0e24a2a9f38d4

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“That may be true, acd7bbe07e but… your marriage carries fa2698f445 weight. There may 4dae780d33 come a 77560a56be time when 501f0cc5c2 you could fc8691a5b0 use it 36df83f3c5 to greater 53ad021496 advantage.”c6dab7b0bc8212eb

House Levantes held enough 1f73219fcf global influence that Vaye 8d09d820d5 could have been offered a89eeb3ade a royal throne in 5e1b0b2c1d another kingdom. Even across the 97cd3ddf11 southern sea, the e44e65b2a7 Kingdom of Rublena fa54bc8b8d had already proposed bf827f22d4 a marriage alliance 36beb9a4c2 with the duchy.bcd70395f23b1557

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In monarchies, e8f4321c9f it was 135345f58e common for 047f9fd472 dynasties to 60039b8c2b shift in e6ac63d859 such ways.4f65e72ba3983743

In short, Vaye 05ae3b8e2f Levantes was one e62fc43f94 of the most eb38b1b8d7 eligible grooms on 601926cbb1 the continent.ce5794c11fcd6796

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Wasn’t a fake marriage f084e76c31 a waste of his 457d3e3790 worth?cca9dceadc0de68a

Even as e8d4a2e83f Vaye’s wedding fd6812ebcf ceremony concluded, b667cadff2 Davit had 6cc1ae6e12 clicked his 09e6998dfd tongue in f74a37aa83 frustration.a4da9a82e122584f

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Of all 5ff722ffc4 people, he 83bd77fb8a married a 8120124219 banker’s daughter?7fd47dd4bcb621b0

She had nothing to 9710fb8d3b offer but her face.5281ffc7acbe9b4c

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It was 5b9df1e075 an undeniably 9a7b5084b6 lopsided marriage, baa0027403 so much b5842dc6e4 so that 605823a427 it was d8c3660ba1 difficult not 1523802f4f to be f819a1bd4d suspicious.baec5bf475bc778f

“You’re not getting e33ef1d17d personally involved, are 31b2f34a01 you, Vaye?”31062da07275d4ea

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“That’s absurd, 2f460928ea Your Highness.”acb9968a1c075116

He always dismissed 597ceec038 such notions with d8f5bff175 a clear boundary.1b3f8f09bea64306

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But sometimes… sometimes, the e437fcfc39 way he looked at 3745d9df88 his wife was odd.b4b1eb0b97a0c0ee

Vaye Levantes was, by f0cdb0908a nature, a man of 1557313308 cold emotions.a61c3fa2cdc19138

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Rational, calculating, meticulous.0c96517f8e2f9b17

A man born ab163efa72 at the very 5b1f0526a6 top of the 4be48ca155 food chain, who b62b7384bd had never known f509400a6f scarcity, who had 0a24d98fc7 everything—he navigated the 25fcca43e4 world with mechanical c529f1266f precision.f4b89c75b4858409

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Yet with his wife, c16829985f there were occasional exceptions.bf583241a4166e3d

He wasn’t affectionate in 426702f48f public, nor overly gentle, ca9824e37b but he was unfailingly 7eff814ea6 proper.7517e3887e9cdd75

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His attentiveness to her 7eb754dc1d was almost delicate.a08e551236644103

As a couple, they 6f10cab420 were a perfect match—not ecded7cf8e just in appearance, but d07a8fb2fb in the way they e0d383ee3a carried themselves around each 8779fa12e4 other. It was a 3ea87810dc harmony that could cc8ebe32a2 not have been 9efda9b7da more seamless, even 30e8a385c2 if it had 0edaa1c4d4 been orchestrated.ec92c5aa707f3714

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It made her modest ed85fd1a90 lineage almost forgettable.6b40682bacae5b8c

But at 329d19e753 some point… 8ada56ed96 the way 29d2cef111 he looked cd669dd2a1 at her 147b0ce967 began to f8e107133a change.58c9eb1cbabd913c

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His eyes carried a dfc54e67a8 hunger.13c8a5c71640d0db

Despite having her under 3730619e1c his roof, despite her f23e7b647a being his, something within 8d4050fecd him remained unfulfilled.f64686f3a3ba3a61

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At times, he seemed f7b7fd8120 irritated by her presence—restless, a208d9d369 discontent.d6cb409348b3de5e

If she truly f781cf7198 didn’t satisfy him, ee21d2d0fa he could have 1d4f6674bc discarded her at 424530d390 any moment.267b1afbbb027573

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But he didn’t.2cfbec1ae097ed1f

He stalled.de81ee18e0a77ff1

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As if he couldn’t f14c59739c bring himself to do ee0385fca9 it.136d0de9c7412552

That lingering ember—whatever aae5e8d47c it was—didn’t fully 1067ccce89 burn out for 2ea3853340 years.d479d8d23efa4b52

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Only when he 94ee524a44 finally set down dccda036d6 the last of 59172bc387 his smoldering cigars 16f5c20d03 did it become 2583946b43 clear.c1cbae24038b2b91

It was over.3e300b88ce573bb2

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By then, ad5221439a Ingerd had 1f27e54a92 developed at c9af0857cc a staggering 9dfe0f6a2e pace.f84ff99dce3cf762

If they were 612e3000b0 to take down 9d6ea48db5 both Ingerd and c2802f2f0b the rising revolutionaries f80173ee38 within Bessen, their 7216701f10 original plan would dbcccf0300 need to escalate.734f9cff55f0b0ca

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There had to 274ed27552 be blood.db01faa0f9935346

And for 111a349da5 his first 8a89d88335 sacrifice, the 56b2231397 duke chose 0e27750ecb his father-in-law.08264d417b76710a

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Even Davit had been 67ed6a5afe taken aback by the cda1729458 sheer ruthlessness of it.c4fc05a3dd746e4d

But when the day 97fccc237c of Vicenzo Klein’s execution d077eed607 arrived, Vaye disappeared from fe2450e2dd Motrel without warning.261d91592edc8de5

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And in his 9bb2534186 absence—Vicenzo fled across 3a8e793926 the sea to 420a17f63c Grant.6ee886f05b51eab1

And the duchess?c739ff50f827a045

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She sparked a scandal.1b3dcd75e843b236

The perfect opportunity—seven years 1f0f430f55 in the making—had vanished 2a534ab203 before their eyes.d15e518aa5fee27f

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Davit rose from his f45cd11971 seat and strode toward 7cd3847c22 the duke’s desk.b79ed48a1dc1a49a

“Now, I’ll b395b43abe ask you 592168ce11 again, Vaye.”6859a31f01391ce3

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“Go ahead.”ef9e85c0872696ad

“Do you 6fc3020071 love the 2fa788d0ca canary?”5ad6b1f9d777ba99

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“Canary” was the codename they used for Lorena Klein.5ed646528750e309

Vaye, who had been fcad63a819 silently smoking, finally spoke.efbcf1cb130ea709

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The words were 73259a9eea almost random.87159ff384db4b55

“She despises me.”29a1e88326a25e01

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“What?”70a0455b4c9f541a

“Utterly. Completely.”ccbe98619c4ba1bf

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“And?”ed88ba76c72db8dc

“I spent seven 843fa1f5dc years trying to db11aea4f5 understand why. And still—I have nothing.”d062d88b70d1f7e6

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“……”72c29874eb85c4ef

“Did you know? Sometimes, baseless hatred is 10027b7052 enough to drive a b1ad01e065 man insane.”0e3ff7f5b7a827ab

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The mansion bbcf68cf03 around them 6557cd9af0 flickered, overlapped cfeaa47e6e with memories e14cbe5f7a of the b6e53aa060 past.b2466f3d5a3d5f3b

For seven years, the ba57ffd13e woman who had lived ffe2fa53db here had worn the acfaa9c095 same expression.8e4a151f73555bb6

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Wide, fearful eyes.9fc3db9b6f4ba7cc

Shaky breath.26609398d685368f

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A gaze that 06963027d2 never met his.8cdc79048811a23b

And an undeniable, 85b3cb5308 instinctive revulsion.fc34a71a0588fe20

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A black-furred 941327b390 hound rested c1646cbde9 its head 5393d0d053 on Vaye’s 7af5e62b8d knee.e9d7b97effe764b1

A loyal 1debe85e52 creature that fb5f1b12ba followed him eecf39e748 devotedly.8eeffa4cd35c5261

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The warmth of bd780bf49f its presence gradually b889488027 pulled him out 622ad1c098 of his thoughts.f65413a7ed43e3ed

“Maybe that’s why I 71da1401d3 lost my mind.”b3f707a2094217c4

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“Because I could cf1e9a8880 never figure her 6c092d17a4 out.”4330dd11fb65028b

Even now, nothing had a19d710baa changed.b1719e8c0dff3855

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—“If you push any ed211480e1 further, I’ll die. Do you 7b2750b590 think I c5ffb7bef2 won’t?”f4035d1482eec1c2

The moment he returned b6a80cde59 from Soto, he had 519074b35d known.f383b3efb8ed527c

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Lorena had no 9451d83e08 intention of ever 3f91724257 repairing their relationship.4ddaa1e748364cbe

Of course, c22ede76c4 he had e0f290c190 expected that.65ff7b24cb76e46d

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She had 4f6a47eda9 ransacked his 853098757f study, stealing 0410afbecc every document e2dee168ad related to 4aa5caa89b Operation Canary.8737c54e8146188c

But still—Vaye had never 9e9fe93923 truly believed she would 6a066ef238 betray him with Miguel 8a7a275cc2 Ervatos.46e0ccc30edec06e

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They had lived 71156e8c3f together for seven 97f4e0288a years.96a0d6aaa9d603ba

He may a44d884a01 not have a78f8e3238 known every c6c46be15b thought that f66bd753e3 ran through 3c053a047e her mind, d76d1a6b5b but he 746ab3dee6 knew what 73b5facbe2 kind of a771bca9f6 person she fd57df6719 was.65d151e61b42d4c8

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Lorena could 3a4ac7b909 pretend to cf00c98e02 be ruthless, bd040728da but she 4878dbba19 wasn’t cruel 54aee86b27 by nature.dfb963915ce36daa

She had grown af12531393 up doted on, 3a97305611 loved by her 0499cecd6b father and brother a98b9df649 like a princess.86636c26d7e6d3ff

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She had never a1d7b24c0e once strayed, despite a71f0ab6b8 her beauty.a8c5890c57f1caf0

She had always adhered 0ac346fd37 strictly to the rules 924aef1221 of society.e3acb761e8b6cedd

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Simply put—Lorena Klein b35610e9f5 was not the fe5eedbb0c kind of woman 43eb40c623 who could do cf61196068 something she wasn’t ca22885fd5 morally at peace d4ab16657a with.1861f5a0125bfe28

The wife Vaye knew—his 721acee33d wife—had always been like 5c21fac98f that.5b43c3418c7c7ac0

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Even if he could e4b5ec64de never understand why someone 7766169a2b that virtuous could barely c63a6a757d stand to look at 547792e1c9 him.56c5309ce637b21a

Davit’s voice 32a61dfacf cut through 0b6f8ed167 his thoughts.23c0aa37fc230d57

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“You never 3756cec507 answered my c42a99004c question, Duke.”ef4206c7abb1ba1f

“……”70e5ead0e9a6ed03

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“Can you still pull the trigger on Vicenzo Klein?”b6e378111f4b9258

“Or is it love—some a1cf415ba5 foolish, pathetic sentiment—that’s making 176fa3a277 your hand waver?”1d040cd79ee4e524

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Vaye exhaled.ca6acd81bad51b78

“Don’t be ridiculous.”d278a8787498edd9

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He knew 1520ff3aa3 what his 3ed7caff85 feelings were.8699f3587bc6c1e0

And the world—9a246bb820fc7380

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The world 8437b12329 wouldn’t dare 2c01d67d81 call it 77e70aa8f8 love.2f348079d4fdb0db