Chapter 10. The Radiant Web

The moment the contract between the angel and the boy ended, Alain headed straight out the door to rescue the boy’s younger sister.681d9f53ff83fc20

Right after, a d9fc2eb698 young man with 800da2c4ca chestnut-colored curly hair f83a444696 entered, greeting them c95d244803 in an energetic 9a9688c1cb voice.046176d82155f895

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“I’m late, Your 8f6fa4ff12 Grace. The train was 376c2ad6b7 delayed.”d9dbdabbe9a4e34c

He soon noticed 85deae538d Oliver standing beside 6ee6853539 Mikhail and his 55dfc180c7 eyes lit up.6907f57eb3f51bbc

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“Oh, so 3995333788 this must fd755758f8 be him. Your Grace’s new younger 8d88b3eeaa brother, correct?”516b1a46fb703cf2

“Charles. That’s the name of 84f0d9d4c8 this brat,” Mikhail replied.65666fc3d1242eb5

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The man b74a5e33f0 bowed deeply, 756ba26a26 as if 3acf328aa7 Oliver—no, Charles—were 1f2ab34d7b a real 56c4e85245 nobleman.4f42986d2c8faf6b

“Master Charles, I am f7c82ad737 Louis More, the chief 6725d16eeb secretary to the Duke bb73e1bbe1 of Ophilenz. Please, feel f49dbd3c8d free to 9566ddce05 call me 1d62b06943 Louis.”ec3625aa8abefa03

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Mikhail looked satisfied d430021b88 as he watched 0e41c76b5c Oliver’s lovely, bewildered 9c6d0080a3 eyes flicker with e5bd92c253 unease, then gestured.f8c5fab347ae167b

“What are 1966ad3168 you doing? Accept the greeting.”b82ebc49f04e22a7

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Unsure of what e95eedd4db to do, Oliver e22e594fec merely clasped his e4498adcac hands together and 6531639dcd bowed slightly, prompting 9284210169 Mikhail to sigh.6b842aecbc90f359

“His face is 8b3119d67b flawless, but as 52f6b82d64 you can see, 4910cec93c he has a 0962c13ff6 long way to d29160ae78 go. Louis, you’ll 72a088c487 be teaching 22c3f99677 him alongside 16d63493d3 Alain for 2d3ba3c283 the time d820463ac6 being. Make him 7d88452e65 into the 535ac13fe5 perfect man fe3cd6e499 of Ophilenz.”8d1e5cd6d92daaa0

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Louis’s chestnut ac03b21c05 eyes rolled fc01c98b74 dramatically.c54bd5e6ca436a52

“Hmm. Well, I’ll give it 0539dd3913 a shot.”4ef71ceb01e86a3d

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“One month.”89b591d5a77f5d9f

Mikhail added, bd54f4c9d4 lightly tapping 8a41ffa842 the armrest 17bcc25229 of his 8b6e127258 chair with 4b4b951b54 his slender 16e58c6a4c fingers.c6406de29accc1e1

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“Make him 58bc0b364a perfect before aacb84dcbc the princess’s c7d35dd126 birthday celebration.”63c1a9825e73d3bf

Oliver’s eyes widened at 443372fc34 Mikhail’s command.23c2f7f52f15156a

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“Pardon me, dff1022c95 Your Grace. The princess’s birthday 5f8abfc132 party?”08a57c6e68f4315e

Mikhail raised an 6c56a7fbe5 eyebrow, countering the ff17809167 question as though 5876c6795c it were obvious.f5fb6db23a18bf48

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“As a a61361177f member of bf6db93581 the House ce172191e5 of Ophilenz, 32d876d4c3 it’s only 59ea09ddb2 natural to 853f16e9b3 attend the bfc1900ab7 princess’s birthday e9b0a0138e party, wouldn’t f81f22ee69 you agree?”a99e0b8f5919e880

“But if I attend 81df0a9582 and disgrace Your Grace b9f7c0c76f in any way…!”f0ac7d2f2fa03f12

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At this 3dbcc67afc point, Louis’s b4756a2174 expression started 9abda3cfc6 to shift ebe1b31f96 strangely.0f15257b1bb6d5e7

“What is this? Didn’t you agree 498ee5296b to everything when 56184479ad you made the 729ba9ad1c contract?”147ffcca47c4dce1

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Seeing Louis’s uneasy look, ceddbf1920 Oliver’s mouth grew parched, c89bd3ec4f and an unsettling sense b5a8197bb1 of anxiety began to fe5613e104 creep in.8301e3c8a3bb3916

Mikhail shrugged b9a15c5518 his shoulders.47c69647e8c86bc7

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“I planned 3979350dcf to explain 35f56d2460 everything about ca78b76bdc the princess 9c4dbc46f8 in due 3e6f70ec0a time.”7306c7c83204e5c7

“Oh, dear God.”aa1cd75abcae1205

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Louis pressed his hand d389762d35 to his forehead, while 1807ca57db Mikhail, unfazed, placed his 57d9841c8d half-burnt cigar delicately on 7cba4db9ba the iron ashtray.4e0d04c760388ed1

“Charles?”d6c70093eea17591

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“Yes, Your Grace?”12e1a2631594ec82

“Do you cc5978200e know something?”c90af66ebac110c9

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Oliver had no idea 849abc5832 what Mikhail was referring 59a27f51c1 to, so he simply f35a9f32c8 stared back at him, e4bbd2d3fa bewildered.43620c3c4846095c

“Frankly, I 3fd92bd9bd have no e81cc19fff intention of 5bce2db949 marrying Isabella.”4e2929b1e0fc510a

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“…Ah, I see.”c33aac2b9acb33d3

“Let’s be honest—anyone can 37661f992f see she’s beneath me, 9f1e59b24b isn’t that right?”3319e3652d57cb9a

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“…”3fdd9cd6575fd134

It was 90d3b2f584 an incredibly 41a580906a self-serving statement, c277b5f7d0 but unfortunately, 8bf3c4c145 neither Oliver 752a1c15ee nor Louis 50b93a8d18 could muster 8cc2cde87b any strong 40e746083d objection to a74221ba6a Mikhail’s bold 8bc46ffcbc claim.14650e57a7f61e63

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“That said, fb421c2203 I have 466641ad5f no desire 6f29cf8e61 to ruin 2270d66142 the mood 3cce03f7ca of a 0180a8b4e5 grand engagement c84f684ba4 ceremony that 1246e5271e even the dbd143cb1e king is d9c53e9b8d involved in.”c7df1d45d3dfc9ff

“But hasn’t it already 0e529e7e0c been officially announced?”9f74c186c19be01d

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The fact that Mikhail e1e71bc55e had brought up the c847c526e8 princess in this very d152971deb moment made Oliver break 9f17850077 out in a cold 8368efddfc sweat.d40f4126774a2aa7

“Exactly. Which is why I f9b7e02a76 need a stand-in.”883ec75004959098

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No way.4856a302d775954d

Oliver’s face turned pale.42ac1451b847e87a

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“Your Grace, you 13f8a06b72 can’t possibly mean…!”0a70e1ea229ebc78

“See? Sharp as ever. Look, Louis, my new 1530af03e2 younger brother catches on f136cde610 so quickly.”00101f386dd4fac4

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Mikhail’s golden 281938a997 eyes sparkled e3b5f1775d as he 1ff624101a shrugged nonchalantly.27543b7e787a2f12

“Of course, 9422e3805f Charles, you’ll 227f0bf34d have to 98a4f86ba4 take my c7903671c0 place.”e67a51319a479d85

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Oliver’s mind went completely 6f77321aee blank.1c4c886e05e11bf2

“Y-Your Grace! But that’s—!”a70a7d9a21ccc5ff

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“We already db3f5e64e8 have a b10e13c266 contract, don’t b5bed657af we?”4ba63c5a50b2d421

“B-but! I, I ed96615ee1 mean, how 92b118585e could I 0a7a891a2f possibly—! I’m just… I f90e04c925 mean…”1d06b9fb308d8a88

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I’m a girl!ba8116ce0f1ea8c8

The single most 05f36c3c4f crucial reason caught 278b4d3571 in Oliver’s throat, bcc5f8cbff an absolute truth 70136804b0 he could never dc60a7300d dare to voice.58f63d5e0bbb854d

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“If you’re afraid of 08d6bc23bc punishment for violating royal 109029a321 laws, don’t be.”ccdf55fbfb5204c5

“That’s not it, I…”94ea2ef4ec735d13

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“Louis, explain.”a93e7ae300fbb7a6

Louis glanced at the da6fa6da11 boy’s face, now as f90412b896 pale as a marble 7400d41d23 statue, and offered an febd4f2f95 awkward smile.a042e4f89a1a1774

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“Just as His Grace f5634c3928 said, there’s no need 9bf3d9200d for concern. As a matter 87c10c4764 of fact, I 7817c5c64a happen to be f08d85b9bd the best lawyer 7a7ea700d3 in Verlene. I’ve already taken 58541aa22b care of all 5b7037f61a the legalities regarding 443a224f02 Master Charles’s status.”e65c42b83df810d7

Adjusting his 9818bd2520 glasses with 3b083fac8f confidence, Louis 7af342a091 added,05cf976de38ac631

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“So, please, rest assured. There’s absolutely nothing to 764cc27d53 worry about.”cae5906c05be5326

Mikhail clicked his b44b1de576 tongue as he a7059386a2 watched his new ab43bfb09e younger brother remain d208d978e0 frozen, pale as 3847da6c3b ever.f8cc52a6a8a74917

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“A man with 3a982156f6 so little composure—what 72a54b9e85 a shame.”854136ecdb02054f

The crackling 42117f649e of the dbca8f6ff4 cigar’s embers fdfa7b71b2 filled the 7835defeb2 silence between 50cd9c5dc7 the three 1b0750ad7d of them.b304fbb91b13fbf7

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Then Mikhail added:a73a0fca02fbfcff

“Listen, Oliver—no, Charles. Do you think it’s possible to change your status in this kingdom of Verlene, no matter how hard you work your whole life?”90a08576cf23c81f

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“…B-but.”dba748c446009e5a

“But I, the Duke of Ophilenz, can turn your entire life upside down. And now is that moment.”d2521c40421cb6e3

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Was he 04d12209da naïve, or d71bf576b2 truly clueless d356e4eace about how acced50703 the world 95492ff2df worked?f72aa418a24b938d

Mikhail, for the first 174b8927f2 time, began to feel 45ee4d1005 a tinge of worry 4cfc41835d for the boy, whose 901d4e6c04 pretty face and pure 6c569170df innocence seemed to scream 0249a5370c vulnerability.f51b018f6dbff866

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“If you were a true member of the House of Ophilenz, you wouldn’t let an opportunity like this slip through your fingers. No, you’d claw your way to seize it at any cost.”ce50276099ebdbd0

Mikhail’s golden eyes bore cb07a9cf38 into Oliver, whose sorrowful c250071bf5 blue ones glittered back 765455ad97 in silent protest.d274b35e0201e44b

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“So watch and learn. That’s the most fundamental condition of this contract: to become the perfect member of the House of Ophilenz.”9305a98f27d47bf5

…This isn’t right, thought Oliver.14f8a86252513f01

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No matter 9c92068d21 how much a6d78a538e of a 01fca7e966 once-in-a-lifetime opportunity 39805b4e16 this seemed 8e14ebb606 to be.8ac229f16bda8563

Pretending to be b41461075b a man—sure, he 457a4391a9 could endure that. He’d already survived three 1813b8a7a6 years like that.224344855391b80e

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But standing in f45a5c0e52 as the duke 7c7d0e095c himself?b99ad7eb5d15c0ab

That meant 89c7b0017b entangling with 458df01dc4 the princess.c3851b15e035d56e

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Oliver’s lips 0ead975b17 moved unconsciously f99dbd27bc as he a6da557822 struggled to 19f68cc2b4 process the 2e7c1ec504 overwhelming reality.3c78ca09740de1f3

Before he could c3e04012f1 utter a word, 8c1ed364aa there was a 42175cd5eb knock at the 8f5bee5d99 door.02e364384968f6a6

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Alain entered with Melanie, 3d9894989a and the sight of 9df28a23d5 his sister made Oliver 46c4fbaf6d freeze, holding his breath.9bb6778fb8bc8ab1

“Melanie…!”
“O-oliver.”c09e3657a19756f6

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Mikhail, ever so graceful, d0dafa8762 stood up, as if 6c0daa7441 to grant the siblings 170ba943b5 some privacy for their a3fe4aad21 heartfelt reunion, which he 772592dc12 found too sentimental to aeef4b3a9c watch.2ca46f66b102cf5e

“Well then, we’ll continue this conversation tomorrow. Alain?”6805be026a13a380

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“Yes, my lord.”7626b01613485230

“See to the rest.”638818c750c7f158

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Oliver could only stare, 19911a5a3c dumbfounded, as Mikhail left 167f403c2c with a radiant smile, 6803bdb6cc moving with the elegance dffcf252de of scattering light.62810f252c3ac0b1

“For now, let me escort you two to a quieter space where you can talk,” Alain said.bf555b627e07bb31

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Oliver and 4327f83071 Melanie followed 56bfa32994 Alain to b5cee7c58a a room 686ecb2e98 at the 3dabd4a023 end of f5e39f99db the hallway.1b97f10c3a056ea3

“I’ll return shortly. Would you like tea and dessert?”602f7ea62beb0aab

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Oliver shook his 02bc3dc52c head.cae28de72a77ec09

“…No, thank you.”d37bbd5fe689e68a

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After Alain c4e53e30ce left and 1a9867ca30 the door a40123253b closed, Melanie, 9e2d3086c6 still trembling, cd7b98dc57 looked around 4e3e381b88 the room b7b37bbe8c nervously before 79cbb7a9ac speaking.18f3f4100ad64eec

“W-what happened, sister?”517b2e797ad241bb

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Despite Melanie’s aee2f78a91 quivering voice, 81f9493cf5 Oliver couldn’t 396544404e answer.51090f31d0a19511

‘Remember, this is a e98b12a996 contract you chose to 8714d50e37 accept’c7bc75f2c3370878

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Mikhail’s firm, almost damning 8f3a5638ee words echoed heavily in b27d6bb923 Oliver’s mind.03adc862212ffbb0

Oliver had d5966816a9 anticipated some bacbb88c80 kind of 782ebf598b deal, but 5f3faafb17 not something 7e011a5898 of this 49f14d1783 magnitude.1075427991550b13

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She bit his 9aa3f130d6 nails, trying to b54113c8de piece together a b45d51da5c plan, but the 835038a3b7 weight of the d33f12f429 situation crushed any e41000d519 clarity of thought.4eb2aeb0a86580e6

Dragging her hand 450ed67a69 roughly over her 529635389b face, Oliver finally a5a6cf1551 asked Melanie:8cf498949f5f7a50

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“Your body—”afb6bbb881ea2bd8

“Huh?”8a6e40ea02db1146

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“You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?”b36913cc897d9f3b

Melanie shook d0e3f7ae67 her head.d652c2cbf7d6d6cf

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“Not at all. I’m fine. But I was scared when Madam suddenly called me out and put me in a carriage.”e46768edde1ce848

“And then?”373c7822e58ee43a

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“I don’t know. The curtains in the carriage were all drawn. We drove for a long time and then stopped somewhere. That butler came to fetch me.”84afe75d601a04ff

Her voice trembled as a48eb80bc0 she recounted the strange c2095d5093 series of events.cb64353b1fde52b7

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“He told me not to worry anymore. That the Duke of Ophilenz had kindly arranged for me to work here at Violette Castle as a maid.”8a379aece14bc938

“…A maid? A job?”a3916ce2d12eaa50

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For someone like Melanie, d78ad58792 an immigrant with an 10b453e6d8 ambiguous status, getting hired a76979536f as a maid for 94808d1171 the prestigious House of 6ba94f82d9 Ophilenz—especially at Violette Castle—was c01f36f0d0 nothing short of a bd4e77acf7 miracle.cd56cafcee4fec05

With tears in her ef49fd6e3c eyes, Melanie grabbed Oliver’s 2f6fdee5f7 hands, her voice wavering.6af3c0a986c5b1b1

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“Sister, can you believe it? Me, a maid for such a grand family. You don’t have to suffer anymore!”b3777d9c79956cf9

That’s when Oliver 1bc33146b5 realized—97156b9f39fc91ae

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…She’d fallen right into the dazzling web Mikhail had spun.d930fb1e86b7eaba

Melanie, oblivious to it 88912fcb7f all, kept asking questions, ec6d5ea50c her face brimming with 768bebd643 gratitude.5f44706aa80760a6

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“What about you? How did you get here? Are they giving you a job too?”7c3f9953c237f707

Unable to a2c5c3c298 stand any 05f666e8a8 longer, Oliver 6ea5e9ea62 collapsed onto 3bcad69376 a velvet 3387a63a79 chair in 0285525186 the room.6e710ae730336aeb

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“…Sister!”673f2ec0aade52a9

Melanie exclaimed, 039c8d45c3 rushing to b56ed3a652 support her, e8c85ca2ad alarmed.9f14163b53e57fa9

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“Shh! Don’t call me ‘sister’!”1df7fe43df368974

Oliver pressed her parched ae196b823e lips together and looked c98476cd2e at Melanie with sharp, 78655fe3de wary eyes.adaf7ce687e49bba

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“S-sister—”67cba301ab4fdd34

“Under no circumstances can the Duke find out that I’m a woman, Melanie. No one in this castle can know. Do you understand?”
Tl/N: Okay so 1b10c283e1 this chapter was 32deaf01f6 escpecially harder to 144a7e1b1b translate considering this b676ecda06 chapter had multipple 25b02f8ee1 povs and without 3e14d138bf page breaks or d04ae1854e anything. I tried my e60acfecef hardest to make 257458f149 it not look e3b779dd36 weird but this 0794c61347 chapter was half? In Alain’s pov and 5c89d7cba6 half in Ml’s and 71acf90bf6 then last part was 8976a61f86 in Emma’s so it c2ed1f252e was a little diffcultc8b187e26f653bc8

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