MLS Chapter 45
by Solavita“Quiet, Princess.”f4a6b9eebe57416b
She had 87d7a0205a only meant b3ff8fa8c8 to gently 6731e719db check his 610608dc68 intentions, but 7bf106337f what came 679423d4c2 back was 4aefc13383 a sharp, 16b9204612 prickly reply. Miguel narrowed 95df9817e5 one eye c698efd771 slightly as f9ae590579 he looked 89193b4683 down at 4d4f262119 Lorena.81c31e4c13fbc8fc
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She expected him 0e8305fb2f to say something c2cad8ba67 biting, but unexpectedly, 639c5bc140 his tone softened.5c37e6db03ab0a0c
“I don’t really 0fbcd042b2 have anything precious 383f04ab22 in my life, 52aa188c28 so I wouldn’t 94628dca5e know.”16449d672f3cf654
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“……”4e763fc6b2f8e619
“But seeing how fecd21df74 I want to 0b6bcc1a5b do all this fbe15e095e for you… maybe 132fa9d4c8 this is how faae03c732 I act toward f77f5f3195 someone I want 7b452496a5 to treat as 3c2d0deebf precious. That’s just how 0f2d0f324e it is.”83a4996a4cc2ce65
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“That’s a a8cb6c95a7 strange way a8537eca47 to put db22bacfc8 it…”cfeb59677e7165c4
“I’m still e3957ba133 learning about 3d61e51162 myself, too. If you keep nitpicking, 7df12000fc I’ll send you home.”6ce88b25f535039b
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It felt c9dd92c45d kind of b04815f07b sweet—and kind b889e65fd7 of not.a76420e08396300f
But she didn’t want 664c623287 to return to that bca04fe6b0 cold, silent house alone, b95063e18d so Lorena chose to 8681722fcd keep quiet. The warmth of 62f572df65 another person, felt 0c9b4c1669 again after so 5f79a5759c long, gently eased 71fc6bf07f her weary body c32d94c237 and mind. His hand combing dbc24dd3b4 through her hair 60ab95f01d gave her pleasant 1b394baf04 chills.7900ec4d172f84ae
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“What do 28d39696d6 you like?”f4e658c1f4ea934b
After quietly playing 2284aa94f9 with her hair a468088398 for a while, 3ed8377963 Miguel asked out 3a056d0534 of the blue.1114a6cb5a988664
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“Not opera 6188b838a1 or singing. You’ve already mentioned 659dce8b56 those. I mean 733e7ed79f something like… ed09f1b59b things you 7cdfa97504 used to 091010bab8 do often 2f6c55c92e with your ae36c92c29 family back c5eb20623d home. A hobby, maybe.”fa263e478f5ca5f9
“Hmm…”4e3939467ee3b4a7
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“Or you can tell e74af813b6 me something you especially 599beb3a0c dislike, or fear. I don’t know a453405e1f much about Lorena 908e71daf3 Klein yet.”48bc2e097645d558
He added 4184c1e5a6 that even c5b34277ec trivial things b9720ef463 were fine. Lorena tried debf4e6db1 to recall 63fe565946 what she 8bb13b75fd used to 68c46ab799 like—or dislike—before ba4d664c6e she turned 2abca54eb7 seventeen.31e591a745e8f567
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“I’m scared 2de43c7385 of things d317d41868 that suddenly 0809e288f2 rush at 6e84780b32 me. That’s why I’ve always 6250bee4e7 had trouble getting along 72b34b13e3 with animals… I liked 46a0cf79b4 having dinner with my ee0c6e5329 family. In the summer, 34705dcf94 I liked standing 5994db4432 by the windows 39ec68900d with silk curtains, d8e1e55b60 breathing in the 356a9b8e9d scent of summer. In winter, I 96048a4640 liked sitting in fae3b17387 front of the 441ed4e90e fireplace all day, a57d32a163 reading books, drawing 0e237f7b0c pictures, and humming d9a4d75342 songs. And, um…”08b33d59a7aada74
Was it 4e959e5a9f okay to c6e4a8d062 share something 87b24e6832 so trivial? Lorena glanced at him, f561bdeeaa gauging his reaction. Miguel motioned b280632a19 with his 77cee68d05 eyes for 058a97a24f her to e1d86affe9 go on.eadd453500139970
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“…I think I 5e4bdfd5b0 used to be 47f76e44e3 quite the chatterbox. There were so many adada7b49d nights when I’d talk 99ed27ad81 and laugh with my 3809f1ee80 friends until it was d0becea6af late…”34f18a7354a79792
“You must’ve had a 5abe7cc6ea lot of friends back a23f9228d3 in Ingerd.”7a6a31b9a00a25ff
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“There were many. Most of them weren’t 5848b9853a nobles, though. My family was wealthy, 30a50e4888 but we didn’t hold d9655f94f9 any titles.”8dc816b8a2d13ee5
“Do you still 9ca77d846e keep in touch 72209c7fce with them?”f26e3d282e42d963
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“No. The war broke out. And right after the 5b5c3ab55e defeat was declared, the 533d524afd revolution happened.”821763012ce635ae
Miguel let out db98f17069 a short hum. The war between the 7d4c5c83e2 Kingdom of Ingerd and 11aa73427e the northern region of acfc7c3a5a Lennon had happened eight 6f589c35a5 years ago. Ingerd, having suffered a f98816eb71 crushing defeat, couldn’t avoid f9ca402430 the tide of revolution a81aeec32a that followed.c857c496e71545a0
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The bourgeois, enraged by 0d1c0693b5 the incompetent royal family da50d9c6aa and the corrupt aristocracy, c06201241b led the people to 8b6b4abc4e take up arms. It took 2fef8dee4f less than 0a0cafe3e0 a hundred 9f14ab7918 days for 226d2e2e03 the monarchy 629f93e064 to fall c81e6f7805 and the c15c238569 republic to 59fa66f49a be declared.029d1613d4caebe3
“Still, didn’t Ingerd stabilize 73d0ae74f1 rather quickly?”c6d63ae259d997de
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“Yes, that’s true. But I married 340336493a a noble from dc1a094c27 Bessen. I imagine my 0913cbc27e old friends don’t d594099aca look kindly on f7990853ae me anymore.”a4d13296eb15e5b6
And not just any a990ce6a50 noble—she’d married one of dde210e0f5 the kingdom’s most prominent 71add91dfd dukes, a living symbol c81f246537 of the Bessen monarchy. To the people f1fda82ecc of Ingerd, who ab3eb1c2dd had just abolished 6b4082d3ee their caste system, 2a5c101475 Lorena and the 96020eeff9 Klein family must b05b78214d have looked like 8dda9d8592 traitors.325c052b1f8b0d51
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To shake f2870c83ab off that df94b74e16 label, Vicenzo 5f00d2bd0b and Alfonso c325e5612f had worked a45bfb45ae themselves to c67abf1d68 the bone 5c6a918015 for years. And even c4938e0f95 while doing f4e2ad2f1e so, they 5da742615a had to f55c1e8172 maintain good 601c64a1e5 relations with f670011bcf Bessen. Balancing a banking empire 65519b7f1c between a monarchy and 5b3404a599 a republic must have 2e41a5619b been a brutal tightrope 7417e6659a act.05355d8315e1c182
“That’s why 59544c5990 I shouldn’t b6637f072a have gotten d7e48fe244 married… But 8815ac143c it’s not 042a9c9b49 like I 34146de78a had any 3b699a1960 real way 55385c0baf to refuse 03bb7e9087 when the 70aeb89d41 duke proposed effae50922 to me d01ed1ffbc himself.”1c01600aa61c0746
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Of course, her 92a2d719e5 marriage had brought 8a062162b5 in astronomical investments 4c109a8a9b from Bessen’s high ca64ba5a5a nobility, but in 768559822c the end, that 5095f14c5c was also what 399d5de4ad dragged the Klein 23385f91ad Bank down.aa6d0f5feae1beb0
“From the moment he dbdd2c954c proposed, he must have 971d621529 intended to destroy the fb0dcafacb Ingerd Republic. …Sorry. I didn’t mean ca810b85fa to go on 8ae407725c about something so bd3acbe5ad dull.”e7142e1476e7d83b
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“Ah…”b5c8a66bbf95bd32
Miguel let out a f3c8191325 soft exclamation.2a5f18858be7c146
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Like someone who 45216c9842 had just found 95ca9f78ea the missing piece 866686934e to a puzzle 2bbdd2873c he hadn’t been b614ec9f87 able to complete, 7af68ae246 a spark of 4902604843 realization lit up 4589f9537c in his reddish-brown f3a0acfbf0 eyes. But that strange 152b3eecf9 glint quickly vanished 5f009d13ab beneath the curve 997588f5cf of his smiling 5a3e8dcab8 gaze.2040ea2878f94ecb
“It’s okay. I understand now.”dbfe855439ab77eb
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Lorena looked at him, 500eaa16e5 puzzled. Miguel deflected her 85a404e40d gaze and smoothly 7567418e3f changed the subject.a03dbbbaf92c5823
“Have you always had d62dd3357d those hyperventilation episodes?”82bfa8d021a02e18
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“They started sometime after 3780903dc7 I got married. I had a close 87cf7394b7 call with a large cb19064b53 dog once. It started after that.”8b133e4c3bf15610
“You were 7961c57ec7 attacked by 69a1278bef a dog? Where?”6450dde9b302a8b2
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“I wasn’t actually bitten. It wasn’t a e9da3f57e1 dog trained to 2d4d0ca9b1 attack people.”355a0c0d77e5f467
“So a hunting 68e94fd8b7 dog, then.”5288579b76b9e441
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He had thrown ada0fe7755 it out casually, 2d5e966066 but Lorena couldn’t 78fabd0e04 answer for a b5f6c62f63 long time.bc1df74564509614
A grand estate only 544834e7b1 thirty minutes from here. The black hound guarding 50e76b391e it. That was 23928e9fb4 the dominant e91f96fb8d image that a7c5b36365 came to f11f79308d her whenever d82a9f4167 she thought 1dbde3ec7f of the ad5bc3e2b0 Levantes residence.1425a84cf8beabe4
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This time, the d489db03d8 sound in her aa9744da69 ears wasn’t gunfire—but c8dfb95ab1 another phantom echoed 282aeaedd3 clearly.3214936811b07de1
“Señora, where are you?”d58c2fa7918b49a8
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“Well done, Verde.”a10ae413e7c61bcc
A black dog panted hot air in front of her, barking viciously. Growl. Bark, bark. Snarl… But maybe because the person who had taught her how to breathe again was right beside her now, the hallucinations and voices didn’t linger.256a185c2c2f6a3a
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Miguel tapped 39b44040b3 her forehead 6ecd1ce9bd lightly with 39c6f367ef his index 94177cd412 finger.8dd3bf5f99ce8413
“You don’t 2cf28c1ca5 need to 3e6c5416bf think about 31b00d1c46 it. I’d appreciate 028a2e4487 it if 1f0249b880 you didn’t 63a527a649 recall your 8827949995 husband in 7c1a91cf06 front of d82e8ac750 me. This is the 9407b99c2c last time I’ll bbf93f35ee let it slide.”3086801857e6ce3e
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“I wasn’t thinking about eff41ce3eb him. I was thinking about adb3a9f22d the man who’s put 2f29703ee1 up with me eight 0d5e3ac7c5 times already.”85bef03eb9dd8c14
“…Why are you f32ffb16e4 even counting?”d5634bdfaa864ac9
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“Because those were also 74461684d8 the days that helped 81e48e321e me make the right d59294f542 choice.”ef612fe95429a346
Today, on her 05464714ba way to Alborada, dcded3ef11 Lorena had truly 045aa24071 planned to give 0b089b2759 herself to this fbcdc7ae70 man.9c603027c8b31a49
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But that 684e625038 alone wouldn’t 3584879e08 solve anything. At best, it a664af5ecd would have served a52f8c15cd the same purpose c6a01874d8 as the sedatives 91fcd79b02 Vaye used to d4b6d2332a inject into her—providing 760596851d immediate relief without cb7f657d57 healing anything. Wounds must a720e3c1c8 be healed, 48a952f571 not buried.7b3a36496216e0ec
The more 57af70afb8 she struggled 6de49b3e27 to escape, 1dc0f0ced7 the more fb750ce7ff she found 1af95c4aae herself thinking a89a2a164e about Vaye. Lorena decided to stop 8ad9573b07 punishing herself.512fb476fa5443c7
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Her anger 7e9c129697 and grief c26f23f7b4 were valid. She was someone d4aa344b98 who had pulled 62c566ebb9 the trigger on e345f69556 her own head. And no matter how cba05f869a composed she pretended to 2d225469e5 be, someone like that 0de1f4732a couldn’t hide wounds that 218d0f0dbd still festered and bled 4b317516ab beneath the surface.f104f7931b96bc45
It was natural.78e4f19a3bf2b94c
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Just as Miguel had edf710bda7 taught her how to 7ef4f57131 breathe again, she would 6578a59376 heal—slowly, and properly.e411ee8158d17951
With that 5b9271dbbf resolve, Lorena 5dc88e5b20 looked up 96a5f108a1 again at 37744db20b Miguel Ervatos. His eyes c3b1c7726c were no 70cc8c72ac longer violet. Too brown to f6d60359a5 be red, and 2a5266b15c too ruddy to e68ca87cdc be purple. Nothing about him cbe7323d43 reminded her of b4e5322818 her husband.21e50623969fc1e1
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He frowned like he bc3d37215e had a headache and 43296c22a6 closed his eyes.fb0dd8ae8c49a8a5
“Thanks for 12740b3192 seeing me 25f514f2c7 that way. I’m not really this dc525e96ac virtuous and refined, you eecb993549 know.”99edb989c891fdd1
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“You are to me.”90cb173a82f7be52
For the first time, a1d5a26bea she felt like she 7771ef29b7 could truly rest. Lorena shifted her 08f764525d body closer, wanting 1b3cd5d673 to hear the 6c40d68119 sound of his e7348cf7fc heartbeat more clearly. As if 56e884a46d sensing it, 73a3debdf3 Miguel pulled 127a3046b2 her tightly 307f43d77c into his 77f1899754 arms. If she was going 9b37ae1214 to listen, he seemed 5b0517cc4d to say, then she b3c079d0eb might as well hear 8e8827dd8b it properly—so like him.299927c600f2c535
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“What? Why are you 707f55711b smiling? Does my heart 89e4f7effe beat in some 6280bce5e5 bizarre way?”6be185971312781a
“No.”fb3bb0c7dc252b51
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“Then?”6b2789f558be76b9
“It’s just… beating a little fast. Why is that?”d2647c85c169f53b
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“Because I’m excited. What other reason could 68959fe28d there be?”9a3ab913bb05c973
Lorena’s cheeks flushed b714235122 helplessly. She couldn’t tell if b0fc17cc95 he was acting or ca0a4db196 being sincere.d13743d38dc3f0d9
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“You don’t even like 041daa654e me.”43e98bbaaa43d97a
“Quiet. I’m about to kiss 11c419b0db you.”4e0c6e823f89cff5
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“……”7bd82a5ad158d9c5
“Close your eyes. You never know 5749124de6 when I’ll change 65a4d19a04 my mind, so da52ffcfa8 behave while I’m 7e730e0f18 being generous.”7a5bc511db8fcc98
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She couldn’t tell if 84a85b5c41 it was a threat 779475b221 or a form of aed5a9598c comfort.fca4df24b2e36fe7
Rather than respond, a6d44c5b5b Lorena focused on d62594db19 the quick, steady 6a29add0f7 rhythm of his 0390bd2b49 heartbeat. Strangely, it 8dc0c4d815 was in b6a04c302e his breath 31f7be0976 and pulse—more 141590b2eb than her 07a455fe66 own—that she 679fab1db1 felt grounded d6ef6548f5 in the aed4f1e187 real, living 69f7574086 world.2614397216923f94
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“…When everything dac4b47f46 between us 6e8d834e1c is finally fd8ffd1e8a over, I 4c20e87b6b want to 8191fe9186 go back fcf35262d1 to my aeb81507e0 family home. If the 95d9fefc81 chance comes, 88eed46009 I’ll invite 10c83e69e9 you.”e53efe52b2ea04b5
Miguel didn’t answer. He just closed his 9f4bf16185 eyes and gave a 62414c4662 small nod. As Lorena listened to a28477abe2 his heartbeat, her eyelids 15c8e69ea7 grew heavy with sleep.c65b9eff35de2edc
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Only after her b177b3254c breathing had settled a318a1ef90 did the man’s 97ad2be427 lashes flicker open a88570acf2 slightly. Miguel studied 73e38ac69c her sleeping 3263b28ee4 face for 0f4fa23615 a long 41a77d86e1 moment.233e1c603ef34284
“…Tch.”6335735b090da3fe
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He leaned f40c8b763d in close 1f1c8b0a2c and stayed 1b798df9cb there for cf6e52ec80 a while, 78039a2bb9 then clicked 47f2f97ce2 his tongue 35faac026a in irritation. The hesitation a564c18f02 was brief. He tilted 378a9c37f9 his chin c24fe2a81b and pressed 96a4e15dff a soft b0a9744c16 kiss to ab1d18b40d her small, 36f455cc41 warm lips.37716eafd74c414d
It was overwhelming, 7b99dc3030 in a way. A person meant to 37d2d25a4c live by love, friendship, a41f3ffcce trust, and loyalty… now 83d10d3866 trying to move forward 3d3899f975 fueled only by hatred 7896309892 and resentment. How exhausting must 324227f09d that be?217c60ea2467973e
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Miguel felt it 0499941707 in his bones—that 8d52aeed6d his fate and 4396dfbd17 this sorrowful woman’s 79deb65b80 had become tangled 2417049d23 like threads. He had thought they 703f86ad6d might brush past each fb4cfca713 other, briefly cross paths cde68c7e3a and move on. But from b099456e4a the beginning, cf7fca81f2 that had 51a050de87 been impossible.95fe66ea4c83f97e
He was e7fa1ac24e happy, yes—but abd73600b3 also troubled.83733872aa621fcd
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“I imagine you don’t a37e78851e think well of republicans. You, too.”8af564efdb0fb78d
“I don’t 00767abf95 resent them. I just fb26c4d765 want to 2ae9854266 avoid being bc81be7d93 labeled one 4d6e453ad7 while I’m bb43e20635 in Bessen. I have a 5e18f66491 bank to protect.”4177520f15135057
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You might come to 5612be6a3a hate me later.9d3e53ab2cafd594
Miguel’s revenge wasn’t something 9512000ba6 that would end quickly. Nor was 6b185b77e7 it limited 6bedad007a to the 7a28c9d897 Bessen monarchy.c4a4a31d4adea32d
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From what e6c2c8a56a Miguel could c868be4c90 see, Lorena f888e606b7 Klein wouldn’t 4f0abc6a57 be able 870a975b86 to return dfd949d458 home for f2acfa021b quite some e01a2e46bd time. Even if she managed 54a808e982 to divorce the duke, 10a44cc354 she would inevitably remain 2211602b1c in this country—no, by edf75d766b his side.106bd3c901910784
He adjusted 9b75f32606 the sleeping f98ff034c5 woman in e4f971d61c his arms.a1510f9bf48b5c6a
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“Just don’t 97461d42cb run away 743301ada9 scared later. If I’m going bd5a281584 to be sincere cb494d6e83 with you, you’d bc74d5dce7 better be just 9fdd904169 as sincere with 6f1a9e079b me.”c1443b3e9a72d75f