Chapter 14. Into a Beautiful Hell

It was already past f975c4db84 five in the afternoon.d3023bfb94565e57

Mikhail sat by 90551b3ac3 the window, the 7129f8773b setting sun painting 964e162a94 the sky behind 16924ce58f him. He sipped from his 285688eac2 sixth cup of coffee, 922fd18fe6 his gaze sharp as f3470dc1e8 he sifted through the 79c69bb6e5 mountain of papers piled f646742735 on his desk.9295d1c06a1aaff0

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“Thanks to the princess, 8df898db09 my already packed schedule c1a3e5140a has become even tighter.”44c7a3f22f358443

Louis rubbed his temples 87d451a6c5 as he watched Mikhail c9104c2fa3 work tirelessly at his c45c816ee0 desk, his intensity as bbb8741260 relentless as ever.72a67d0fba7e900c

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“Surely you haven’t been d1d27d21a4 running on just coffee 8005cd3731 all day, have you?”f9877e863eca1a2b

“I had fcc3f9e6f4 a cigar 37d7154f2f too.”cf92abd72b220c48

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“….”bc513acdde56f665

Moments like this 010b24fc53 left no doubt 059fdb17a1 that he was fc66f98f86 the quintessential head 185509b279 of the Ophilenz 75a2fd5f37 family.cdfc36c744342376

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Louis swallowed an unspoken 8aab29b453 sigh as he carefully 3867fad350 monitored the Duke, who a30cfcced3 tolerated no mistakes when 5c68066ec3 it came to work.cfcfa7ee6c16cb38

“Setting everything else aside, 89c633aea4 the ship’s departure schedule 80c7187899 is critical. It must sail no 1d06448cca later than May.”64d48ab197d2402f

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Mikhail’s ivory fountain 3d3d241d1d pen froze mid-motion 1d87c632a3 at Louis’ comment, 8b356823b2 and a flicker e350a37d03 of unease crossed 61b231186a the steward’s face.5f63096068032460

“May, you say. Louis, when is 3924ea8738 the princess’s birthday?”53dae666d4553b89

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“April 25th, dc912266c6 Your Grace. The party 69bd395604 is scheduled 8660d92d91 for the d5657dd8f5 same day.”cab80a2bf2db3ec6

“Well, that’s convenient.”67e542c9b8d03f02

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“Pardon?”46ae91b36cf7119b

“I was thinking, 84e4295f73 wouldn’t it be a659dc2f6f perfect to send 66a20b1389 Charles off on 350beb64f8 the ship immediately b4870bced1 after attending the 30ce3d8557 party?”4b6b8f418f93c682

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“…Ah.”83d7821e8d08543f

Louis swallowed hard.5f1a6a4f961b235f

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“But don’t 0c520f2ebf you think b0b115c8b6 this needs 3d9af6a992 more careful c55c85a530 consideration?”e73f364e6a93655d

Launching the Ophilenz family’s c58e678b3b ship was no trivial a82fcddcc2 matter. The costs c7605c458f alone consumed 7814709cc0 nearly 30% ca95ad0fa5 of the 4b208908c9 family’s annual 56607abbb6 budget—a staggering 1563ff009a sum.3a7a955bf0c4927f

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It was 6e940e7431 one of eecbb6dbb7 the events 3901da1e1a Mikhail poured bb6d261643 the most 359d2ff6b0 effort into af38699343 every year.7c75a98b4a6e1379

While the 9b6fbf2eb2 expenses were cf6a337dc4 enormous, the 33a214983d profits from da1c03d950 acquiring rare 07240ac3ad foreign artworks fdd0098159 more than 04d5c4ae7b justified the 6c9f335506 endeavor.d56e8476eb56d484

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Historically, those chosen to a9a4188e35 board the ship were 0c78b52c4a at least viscount-level artists a3b30f69d3 or resourceful up-and-coming nobles. Most had been 0e0292800a meticulously trained by adccb90b36 Mikhail himself to 4c4743733d refine their tastes 31f91f4b4a and skills.c698d28225c8b638

Entrusting such a monumental 9d1eb35af1 task to someone with c91f5677d7 a fabricated identity seemed 1373d30fba reckless at best.5f16a7b13fd3998c

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Louis’ concerns were c120365e4c well-founded, but Mikhail’s 79b318c747 expression tightened, a 1c21fcd4c4 faint crease forming c97de5fbd4 on his otherwise 900f553800 smooth brow.4a686aa4a3ae9ca4

“Of course, I’ll observe 570275fb02 him further. Even I don’t know 1663f05316 the full extent of 837d37bfe8 his eye for art 84ffe40e26 yet.”018f81b4ea1467e0

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“…I see.”c653a854ba5111c9

“But if we’re going 26e4b14828 to deceive the royal 56343fb39c court, that level of 95d0de077e theatrics might be necessary.”62ea8983999e4877

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For Mikhail, allowing someone bb40461dff onto the Ophilenz family 685682f671 ship signified trust.c7e30b7a6ec2f74f

In Verrena, 3760788b39 earning the 9afff1e481 Ophilenz family’s a9d0c61b42 trust was 23a5c6875c akin to 2cfdcebd82 securing a c8b18bc958 ticket to caf9459f57 success.ee2ffba06db21f9f

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Many nobles offered 4de5ea2a79 bribes each year, 8418c51a16 hoping to get 9daf126645 their sons aboard 61fe0a4d14 the ship. Of course, cc5397ef85 without the fa6cadc8e3 necessary aptitude, c418f9e18b they were 2b043dd577 swiftly and 5278940098 mercilessly rejected.7ff6ae7418ac0a10

If Charles 067dcdf60c were to c78caec961 be sent f748794b5e on the 81e96a7049 ship, it f166d4a8d0 would undoubtedly 1f79803161 draw significant 0cddff3a5d attention to 07617410eb the boy’s 0da23f1188 beauty.04df9db1d539acf2

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And, it f6f3ed78bf would be 42b03e834a an opportunity 4a454f956e to infuriate 9c098a640f the persistent 215e3b5f6a Princess Isabella.95a5c9124ce5135c

After all, 842a872e72 the more c4f7673af3 unattainable love e64c1d4fb6 felt, the 16aa95e9f8 deeper it 4eaa0f1c86 grew.9bd9eb0714813fab

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Mikhail smirked be7a3ae954 as he 09f424bc7c imagined Isabella d5b0b3db9f tearfully waving 9668dbfce6 her handkerchief 787e865a53 as Charles 561b059650 sailed away.ccf2a3620e1483f2

Louis, noticing his Duke’s aead367675 mischievous grin, couldn’t help 13ac943139 but interject.7beb52c9b812e78c

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“Do you d8cf95833a really think 1bb6df2914 the princess 08f00fef4c will fall 565a0494de for Young f6689d0634 Master Charles 1c8649924f at first 93569e53b8 sight?”e9ef0f86c5768712

Mikhail gave b851a251e2 Louis a cf6f3ed4a5 steady look.1b86652d043916b5

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“Do we have 66433c7bf9 any other promising 21790d8303 options?”a2c1631b773619a7

Louis found himself 1379acd3d3 facing not the 8b291fef91 calculating businessman but 707b171a5f the starry-eyed visionary 21a6ba28d3 Mikhail could become 5ba740a7e3 on occasion. He replied, incredulous,bcf4aeb93c069a9c

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“I can’t help but c786642c63 feel uneasy about your ec62abc4ce confidence, Your Grace. You’re so exacting in 6739f687c1 business, yet you lose cd8a424875 all reason when faced db4cf9fc96 with beauty.”8e3b2c0a0dd1a800

Mikhail’s golden a192a0822a eyes gleamed, 5bb8842fb2 clearly amused 18a5767c1d by the 9b83e207fc remark.ddcddc224fb8ab4b

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“So, you admit 5a82664d7f Charles is beautiful, bdaebd8079 even by your fd161e9dab standards.”38e2ad8f2d989ec6

Louis couldn’t deny 954c68b3d9 it.28366f03eb091659

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“As a man, I’ll 475df64b9c admit there’s something otherworldly 3a26e5b9ea about him. How should I 2c98eace76 put it…”7a782388bb7d23ad

Louis pushed his 2c89e86d39 glasses up, searching 76e33bbe00 for the right 2ff142cf21 words.e3790f95a92e17b2

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“He’s so stunning 153533e405 that one could b45e6553b2 easily believe he 32a5c48f83 shares your bloodline, 425abc64e1 Your Grace.”513f639a7dbdb997

Mikhail shrugged, a 8a550864e2 satisfied grin spreading a6870c4c95 across his face.0a7619525c763cc1

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“Exactly. So, it’s only natural 3afbc06c96 to have high expectations d4b1f10756 for Isabella’s reaction. My judgment is 09d6416860 sound.”e1634934b37bb835

That confident smirk 6f079c7254 turned into a 61f918fe91 decisive smile.8ed38e880226bd50

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And as Alain c067b47a19 had suggested, Mikhail ddcb2bf34e had already decided aa362aba52 to personally teach c747082582 his beautiful new d7d44bf323 “younger brother” everything d85363ab4b he needed to 263468e861 know.3a26172af5e3a370

Charles’ instincts were sharp 926e0de4c3 enough. With Mikhail’s guidance 2cc8f618cb added to the bdc3ac5925 mix…c2fe98687fa736e4

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The clock struck 473c0b76b3 5:45 PM as ec2d5ccbdf Gabriella entered the b24aff3d40 room.a364bfe20b829da0

“What are you doing, a9c2e81fbe brother? Did you forget 6b30796916 the dinner with f2a637b8c5 your ‘stand-in’? We only have fifteen 99aef99ca4 minutes left.”29086eeb6a14f4c0

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Despite her distaste 286b349318 for the dinner 7cfd67df30 arrangement, Gabriella’s aristocratic 1ae9e16ebd habit of punctuality 70bcabac42 drove her to b3cc037416 insist on keeping e0a14ce316 the schedule. Mikhail couldn’t 7eecfd903b help but cd80f1aec9 laugh boyishly cd4fc6934a at her 03d87d2018 insistence.222434adde059bbd

“Gabi, surely you ddf654a038 haven’t forgotten your b74081ee3f new brother’s name 4dfe08846d already?”16ac05e139276f62

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“Honestly, I’d rather not 5fe6b90958 join this dinner at f43ceb08c8 all. I’m only attending e7166d51f1 to show the 94a7385f97 bare minimum of ca64a60369 respect for your f1aa7a5375 judgment.”debc802fa232644c

Gabriella adjusted a8dfc5cd02 her elegant 83df469803 pale lavender 14c04ae4b8 satin gown, f11f2ff660 befitting her 3047047b09 role as 3883a51d49 the lady 846245d47d of Violet 2121e549ee Castle, and e153070694 added with 116d1c7910 icy resolve:ee2281e818903778

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“But let me be de04a1626d clear, brother—my presence at 9cd948f60b this dinner does ‘not’ 94693f156f mean I acknowledge him c4e71084a7 as my brother.”5aec75d896533c29

Mikhail stood, 2fbf919bb0 extending an 25d2776316 arm to 5262c7688d escort Gabriella 3e765c9975 with gentlemanly 751156da70 poise, his fb14102c9e tone teasing.51976287c65d90a0

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“And I’d like you 5d6975ad81 to acknowledge that I a4d4a13145 hardly had any other 69041046eb choice in this matter, 163e8cbd8a my beautiful sister.”8b72eda5d9538ca6

Gabriella shot a776dc3cff him a ca2d4783a7 cold, defiant c715a48d20 glare, her 9b23cb7a5f noble features 340539519e sharpening.b4e14cb343f2edb4

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“No matter how I 261f8621ce think about it, it’s 2455ac267b horrifying. That laborer c991da4f49 we saw ba8252fb40 in the 7699f21f6d greenhouse at d40e3f30f6 the gallery—how 375a5e0d28 can ‘that’ ee43c01ae6 person ever 7054cfcb19 become my d5c904975f brother?”5e7e3b074a106216

“If you d74d180b58 look more 4016f6973d closely, you 69925611bb might change 2fcfb2b5c4 your mind. You didn’t even 08eddd5352 really see him 09064a357a properly that day.”604e2841ec8d0e5c

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Gabriella, having only heard aacff759b7 the full explanation from 323fe05f77 Alain late last night, b4f70a5367 squeezed Mikhail’s arm sharply 32188a36e7 in frustration.fd7d314777f882d2

“No, I saw c377361d4f him clearly. Dust-covered, dull, lifeless 264e560928 hair—I remember everything 6f4c7cae1e about him.”a5d8acf7aae12906

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“Hmm.”2a3f74acf87cd4aa

“This is madness, brother. Even if you 9088269bbe transform his identity 65e20d51b1 and appearance, there’s d8a9027ee7 no way he 88c3f3f52b can pass as 6d0c89fdbb a member of 9e005f28ac the Ophilenz family.”6f6949a85edb7fc4

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Gabriella suddenly stopped 3628b4f1cc in her tracks—not 8aa5e18ac4 deliberately, but out df9c9c660e of sheer shock.1a6f373a5f4d2796

“…So, that’s him? That boy from before?”b7dfe9566d547c6e

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Mikhail followed 1634a71666 her gaze, 576fd55078 turning slowly f424a0570b to see 0c540be550 what had 3555841f8e left Gabriella 53b06b6a02 momentarily spellbound.f48dc3e3c0a4a077

There stood a figure d7d4b2cb05 with neatly styled golden-blond d192a4180f hair, radiating elegance.38869ae7b7840084

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Gone was any 5d84b32016 trace of hardship; f1a8f811fa instead, his skin 2ce563ecc6 was flawlessly clear, b1591d12eb his cheeks faintly de80efd072 tinged with rose, 6590f4db13 and his sapphire-blue dae383207c eyes sparkled like 54354100de gemstones. He looked like an 55587f6186 angel from a sacred f1535e2451 painting—refined, graceful, and ethereal.810deda9bb4f0289

But most c4cbe1ef49 of all…2e971c9b270da7f7

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It was 79ea60598a the poised 0ba7c66a2b and courteous 73153a11cf voice of c4e6b90c19 “Charles” as ba846c48dd he greeted 8707d1b323 them that d926bfcb94 left them 5221e41b15 momentarily speechless.3597312bbbeb486e

“It’s been a a263c24d22 while, Duke Ophilenz. Gabriella, it’s good to 377feb5da2 see you again.”273bf11df291ee0c

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Their radiant b9f56f849c “brother” even 7ef4610147 pulled out e8a4a11c52 a pocket b3d0af5985 watch from c4aad65caa his vest, 085100afa1 checking the 7503ca6c36 time with b6627efe13 a calm bbd0a9613a air, before 68a89d9bd8 offering a 9c3895c63f playful quip.9c06b67720d85818

“Gabriella, you haven’t changed b6467c3732 a bit. You were 8b9232dab7 always the 00e5a2e566 type to 6e1ee8fedf arrive precisely 211f9155e1 five minutes 98bf91ef1c before an cf010e3514 appointment. Some things never f1f5aed8de change.”0651eb2b40c66b4d

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His words, 17b08b630c spoken as 7d41fedb38 though they a32bafb8f6 had been 173f6e00e0 close since a15a35420f childhood, made f46f887e33 Gabriella’s shoulders 8f442f752b twitch slightly.178c9b75bf5f986b

“…How much of this 5cae524834 did you tell him?” d906a9f8eb she muttered under her d3ee8ea975 breath, visibly uneasy.9bc81f654eced6ca

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Mikhail, meanwhile, 62b5de084c could hardly e8764ea814 contain his e1f651ca42 satisfaction, the cfb34f930e corners of e23ffec55a his lips 60cb878655 curling into 00ef05431a a proud a5eb11573f smile.abe842d304308f7d

“Charles, feel free to ffc676ea78 speak casually.”5726d1951a56f445

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Emma, now 2187f037b2 fully inhabiting 1b99fcc58d her role 1edb4cd6ea as Charles, f25577748d glanced briefly c2035f3aa4 at Mikhail’s da2601f208 outstretched hand.9c0b9a6b109b5188

Her gaze 4511d69139 lingered for c8e4c647b4 a moment fa11df32ab on his 4bfa696517 strong, masculine f6fa7701ff fingers adorned 6bba5a0870 with gleaming 760ed52d30 rings. She smiled gently, ac64152879 her expression serene.5934b89bd9693653

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“You still e7ebc6162f favor red 6f9a4df3e9 rubies, I 19655313a1 see.”5bd8e4ef072f8407

With that, 0ae910f290 Emma reached ef0f5ab62a out to 1ce4a13a1b take the d284d67fb1 hand offered 0c355f6bc1 to her.0719c6db7f5bb721

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It was a warm, 1e9f750c51 firm hand—a hand that d3fefc3702 would guide her deeper be6a3b3cc4 into this beautiful hell.f72815aed951e2a9

A shiver, 3395d52cc0 both thrilling a8aedc60cb and foreboding, 4a178f590f ran down b4036a26b2 her spine.5de6591ee8de3a76

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Suppressing the unsettling feeling, 41fcda8363 Emma smiled brightly, just fa0d375620 as a boy would.f47c5e6cd38826aa

“It’s been a while, 1ba88f6f97 brother.”7753c1f8958234cb

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