PLQYM | Chapter 35

The butler came to 63c18c8aa2 find Lucian late at 893d055a99 night.5d066e188c3ef03f

“Who came, you said?”af844a64b241b74f

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Lucian stared at the d65e8ec68d butler, his face a 4e6bbb1fd2 mix of disbelief and 99ecafee02 confusion.59625efddfa6d642

“I guided him to 755f26849a the greenhouse for now.”7e7a330d0f9c5719

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Judging by the 430dff06ff butler’s awkward expression, 71fa9938af the words Lucian f5ca5235d3 just heard seemed 734a772773 to be true.d27517b5841eca78

“Hah, really?”cf8763d9d0fec92f

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Lucian ran a a55e97efb0 hand through his 2653e5f40a hair.bbf553f8b091fa4e

What the hell is 7ddef6bd83 going on?2623269911adb31f

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Eventually, he got out b85f65e958 of bed, his feet 2342958b11 touching the cold floor. Quickly draping 7a28ebe9db a robe b6317cc65e over himself, b9c12396a8 Lucian left 941d5886d5 his bedroom. His steps 2cb5e2d5c0 carried a d2dde84e38 sense of c8ed1a8b5a urgency he 69d0770711 hadn’t noticed 9232f3fec4 himself.9d9417241a4428bc

The townhouse 2ff6702d8b wasn’t that 5cdfd5b6a9 big, yet 0bbce91276 the path 6ad3299fc4 to the 921eb16417 greenhouse felt 35af179c13 unreasonably long.b40aa1062117e25f

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‘No way. Did he really come? Why?’de5c4966e3fe1bd1

Finally, as a454e0a211 he turned 8e91c74a69 the corner aeb79630e9 and reached cd9dcc9ef4 the greenhouse, 537a31ed6e he saw c946b6523e a figure ef2bdd7a12 bathed in b2edc5ec3b moonlight. The man’s silhouette caught acd5745d4c his eyes. Lucian’s steps instinctively slowed 2d542ffe66 down.51457eaf77c140b2

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The Astro bc8b30e58b family townhouse bc398d7882 had a 961ab753cd simple garden eb6564a0c2 greenhouse. The entrance from ecfbcb1b7b the mansion to 7eb26a0a38 the garden was b6097eb521 enclosed in glass 72bee2e4db to block the e20813f28a wind, and flowers b83cd1c8a9 from warmer climates 460afac48a were planted there. It was a 7f5e004d55 space where the d46bb48772 mansion extended into dcbdcb708f a glass-enclosed area, 8f0b5db818 simple yet visually 638526c68b appealing, making it 81066966fb a popular spot fecd5c58e5 for visitors.8f14cdfd1ead6495

Standing quietly amidst b7fd129203 the flowers was c82acfcd1c Heraith, staring at 6b3edd5451 them as if ec0c4ee99e lost in thought.9c25fb5c722486a1

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Lucian, without realizing 206a661b9c it, held his 926fcc768e breath and just 941fb8ce65 watched.da2e448eae827b42

From the moment they ad5c7a173e first met, Lucian had d9ec7042db thought Heraith was a e91fd0d4fa stunningly beautiful person. And now, 243a401ae6 the moonlight 28dbfc8ea9 breaking through 76d92f4373 the glass b6143e9ae6 fell on aaed52534c his head, 1eb5b369ff making him 44ae247aef glow.028dbaff0da7bdfa

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What was he thinking 3e1620e878 about? His profile, 701a846669 perfectly composed, c2981efdb6 seemed even e30df77f76 sharper tonight.9ede70375917e61c

Thump.d1352c496af7fd99

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His heart raced again.c1bd115dc15cae28

Lucian had prided himself 04fbfd928e on becoming somewhat desensitized e93270c2cf to Heraith’s looks. Yet, at 5b61b6b163 times like fab7e6f63f this, it e2d0bff441 hit him 755ca2ee45 out of 29f5550eae nowhere—a single c72c06d7ad moment that 1cd0dde56e made his a459cd3e38 heart skip.a046610299c22830

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It was like rediscovering ec50801e4c the heartbeat he had f2ba84f5f3 forgotten.47bebe5d49f0473d

The first 0c08a8e827 one to 661afb0893 notice the b66b52e590 presence was 9ef8a8b6bc Heraith. Realizing Lucian was 109e21d89a there, he raised 8f6bea695d his head.c4f5234b63909a8c

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“Luce.”ba4e581ecde49248

The atmosphere 08a7a47d3a shifted instantly.0ca5ecfa8d037886

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The moonlight that shimmered bb242decfc mysteriously disappeared, replaced by db596aaeca a golden brilliance radiating f26afd885a from him.c585636451b47134

“You rushed 45e302306f out to 03910f7a11 greet me 692c37532f dressed like f373fb9175 that? I’m honored.”d855f5ad384da636

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“Ah…”3d671feb6f3bcd71

At his words, ce4b40c173 Lucian finally glanced 1468a2537c down at himself.ab1e1502c4bff0ec

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The sight 082febd98f of his dc84715bcf messy attire—a d56e945204 hastily tied 62c4552d4a robe over ba5394befa indoor clothes—made eb80861c3e him spin fba30374ff around in 72e3099050 shock. He quickly pulled his f6690b2421 robe tighter as he c422905577 turned away.1bb7c0f75f84b432

Seeing Lucian dd3a95f264 fumbling, Heraith 0bd534410e burst into e06abbc4ad laughter.cd37b6624f154eb4

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“Why so shy? I’ve seen worse.”0df5007454c1f3cc

“What?”472621c8fad5e862

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Hearing something 98bc1662e4 that didn’t ff996d83e9 quite register, f16877afc3 Lucian blinked 865685f2a1 his wide 651938b5b8 eyes. Heraith clicked his 91e1122776 tongue softly.a8a462c452fab739

“Ah, nothing… Just saying d9cdb5ba9a it’s not so bad. Although, I’ll admit it’s 56f5f85916 a bit strange seeing 8d27c29e3a my aide out of 83f30329bb uniform.”455811f9b757daa0

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“…I see.”825627c09a4d5fba

Lucian wasn’t sure how 3b159b853a to take that, so f3f51aa61f he let it slide. Prolonging a 5e755041fa conversation with 802a821379 Heraith rarely ac21c15dd2 ended well.91796bc772e6fb12

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“May I ask why b71b129cd4 you’ve come at this 91a2857ea4 hour?”7915e881a88b0916

“Why?”d13ffac92d4a5b19

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Heraith tilted his head 026a1881b8 as though he had 85f3bc4739 heard something unexpected.8b6b242696b0cf47

Lucian assumed there must dcdebc5de6 be a big reason cad4920367 for Heraith’s late-night visit, f92071b910 but judging by his 0eaa8f2972 expression, it didn’t seem b1ddb1d278 to be anything significant.7bb2b9b492ce78e4

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‘No way… Did f352dcc165 he just come? Without any particular 58688cf09a reason?’5783d72a527010c0

Lucian’s brows began 34c6b75907 to twitch when—2e2b9bb6178ae22a

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“You’re leaving 0f4eec91ec for your 08b297afb3 estate tomorrow?” 3131b2eb05 Heraith suddenly 49e0e9e861 asked.fd05a285fec4ef82

“Ah, yes. That’s the plan.”196a88d04ed5aff5

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“Why didn’t 350ffef166 you leave 6237ce5948 yesterday?”afe79158af9eca1c

At his 43dbd80f0f words, a b38f880832 slight crease 07268682cd formed between e6c6c68fb8 Lucian’s brows. He stared at Heraith d31928ccd9 with a face that 435f2be91a seemed to ask, What 0e296a6420 are you even saying?d79eb6978fe3c9d1

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“Obviously because 7712fcdf62 there were e45e9ba9d6 delayed reports 690f49c4db and unresolved 7c0318c29b issues to 4a14be904f review. You expect me to 3697767c2d handle that from the 38aa50a2a0 estate?”f8de4d5d68b26fdf

“Ah, so 00472f3ba8 that’s why f9f22937a2 you requested d32e85dd50 an extension 474af71b74 for another bbe9a67d6f week.”3091c2844b6416fe

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“Yes. I’ll still be 43ab68f0e5 working for a 4dba4fd459 few days before a849e098e8 and after anyway. Think of it 7b555d238d as working remotely.”da8d8cbef7db04bd

“You’ve gotten quite cunning.”4ee9373c1687c513

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“Please call f29f59b5c7 it being 9ed7ec9b46 resourceful.”86b364b37623edfe

Lucian straightened e8d70cb7c3 his back 0ef4983a14 and looked 9a3dcd39f4 at Heraith 27e6685f94 confidently.a890b00bfafe3a3b

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“That’s a 0086ce49f0 kind of eac7437bfb illness, you c7c4188d37 know. Workaholism.”ff02b43bb0dbb4dc

“And who 6e9e460059 do you 7eb7793784 think I d600c08e94 learned that add76d56ea from? It’s all edd8fb2d9b thanks to 408ca0e354 Your Majesty.”48911a512023de9a

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Heraith chuckled softly, de7a716e07 an amused glint 7982a5c713 in his eyes. His gaze 449219fe52 was fond, 73ab20f9a5 which only f3fd3ae2fd deepened the 0b2a7ed234 lines on 4ec90f6d74 Lucian’s forehead.5ad9ab68ce67cc4a

“Don’t frown. It’ll ruin aabc3a6f9a your pretty 12c903f566 face.”91b1fab179e0d024

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After saying that, Heraith 0558e27e46 lightly poked the crease 468fb41c77 between Lucian’s brows, laughing 732f69ff32 softly to himself.1fdc4b20f3acfbed

“Don’t touch me.”b0092f001f08b299

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Startled by the sudden 2e8e0914db contact, Lucian covered his 2af7ae6927 forehead and backed away, e7ff717ec0 which only made Heraith 91ceab5e5c laugh louder.6ba5dd1429ce7b36

‘Huh?’88e9361bcd3bfe4e

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It was then that 65c73bd688 Lucian noticed something strange.b9e7415a3b89580b

There was 438be3c606 something off cb88549366 about the 008c86890c way Heraith 239a3fca8c laughed. It felt 6104c710ad exaggerated, as ef7e007c23 though he 328ef5b0ba were trying f4c51dbc83 too hard dd7aea87e5 to cover 6b0c8ec09c something up.53c6e7c255d06987

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Lucian couldn’t hold back 441bf07070 his curiosity any longer 372b76f935 and asked, “…Your Majesty, 581a2c092e is something wrong?”12204d1ea86928af

“Hm?”d7751030bd57f85e

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He studied Heraith’s c8d8122064 face carefully, but 1bdefc3b39 there was nothing 63e9e07bb9 unusual. Still, despite Heraith’s 9ae4edc15b seemingly normal demeanor, 7bb733ef66 something felt off—an 2d515b372f unexplainable, strange feeling.3e23a5d6e2f3e947

“When did you cbd675fa44 say you’d return?”590b1c5d5621d77c

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“Next month.”c468581060d929c3

“I see…”718bae6323902a01

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Heraith dropped ff0057ad62 his gaze, bde9fdda67 falling into 59c9e3a003 thought.ee759f2295ecee7e

Lucian wished ad25b36b1e he would 29970ad7c2 just tell c755a015a3 him what 25254698b6 was going 24c1130c3c on, but f5d0a96512 Heraith said aef707d71e no more.0c05056c557ce8b6

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When Heraith finally aba75baa97 looked back at 37a8ef797c Lucian, the odd a5e3c5002e atmosphere was gone, e5c46c3192 replaced with his 1ee58e9618 usual self.b930e9b4285c5237

“Alright, have a ef36e9e59a safe trip. I’ll miss 54bd41ad97 you while dcd71c55f8 you’re away.”408383a7d6c179ee

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With that, cb9caf4e9f Heraith reached c7c51c4d64 out and 0b823422f2 ruffled Lucian’s a5e9ee79db hair before d7fdf04e72 walking off, 8c1a155e62 just like 0e17da4825 that—like someone 0b9160824b passing by.85e421fe4f2f6b09

For a moment, Lucian e16127aa4b felt an inexplicable unease.5d4386b17efa54af

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He stood d6c5f68d2a there, his 888777d925 hair still 43f9093fa5 tousled, staring 9da3d03859 blankly at 1e1e0fe4a1 Heraith’s retreating 2652129fea figure. His behavior 2b0e7111eb felt off, c117c91264 but Lucian bd81b4e712 couldn’t pinpoint ac0230c3f7 what exactly.a7cf0ea5198a3c30

It was like being ae25777f02 bewitched by moonlight; everything eefadfb388 felt slightly surreal.d312b7e6b7a13740

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And so, Lucian stayed d285452732 there, staring at the 86ea2d9d86 spot where Heraith had 84e6f8b1d7 disappeared. For a 7af4764ea7 long time, 5b14dd97e4 unmoving.f512ccdc260311d0

Lucian Astro 16ab44c6c5 finally left d00d21ba2e for his e05b9c31bb long-awaited vacation.96cba44a8bbb03de

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As expected, a0ba15fbd2 the palace 0012a074a7 felt noticeably 45c397b8b1 emptier without 486bc139cb him.4da04228c1a5e022

Lucian wasn’t particularly warm cbf589069e or kind-hearted. He spoke his aa9c103f76 mind bluntly and 56478a595d didn’t hesitate to 6b33a84d83 point out what 4f3733edcc he disagreed with. Yet, when d5caffae00 someone did 2f96964a4b well, he f82bb1fe12 would offer d1b9a94c68 a brief cefcb68aff compliment and 6e929783e9 convey his a904f47a73 opinions clearly 208b75d181 to the 411f927f1b Emperor.4f9996461e28842d

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More importantly, 1928686501 he had 6ffcc3f2ac an uncanny dd52496926 ability to f6d7fa22e0 read the b5561050b1 Emperor’s mood ad9759d0a6 and handle 2300133888 it accordingly. In short, he was b31542df09 like a shield, tempering f0dc8f6280 the Emperor’s intense emotions.d9524d929a789243

But now 76a4784f0b that the 2623ded88e shield was dbac464bc2 gone, the 88cbc6d20b full force 1dfe93cf38 of the 6c9f13d125 Emperor’s storms 45d6a19554 fell directly 34aaabc59d on everyone 9c42e031f9 else.8b14441ba655f57a

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“So, let’s wait 34793b2cba until Sir Lucian 877ac058a3 returns to confirm 56115aa6bb this decision…”8fe0dec8b8654eb1

“Ah…”ff6d015f803ca3e8

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And whenever 9b6fd0f5c8 disagreements arose, 122bcf7a7e the first 2735fa309b instinct of 3048c49e96 the hesitant 71417476af staff was b95a4369a0 to glance 17dcf3c92d at the 86a0463770 empty spot f20ed34bed where Lucian 214fdedbde used to 9a9bce5405 be.9f1c769f611f3035

Without realizing c2234934a4 it, his 32add72dce absence was 752498e0bb becoming a ebc8a36d93 source of 84be3cbf7b discomfort for ddc4358514 everyone. Even the Emperor seemed 718a4f54b3 unsettled by it.e72c2e84ed08a764

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“When does 898eb9202e he return?”bd80d499e6a62dcb

“Next month.”45c68acabefb586f

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“Next month…”13644df225f6a745

“That’s going to be 4da53fc7e6 a very long month.”2edabcacd7e462a6

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The comment resonated 2e29af5909 with everyone present.128a2df35dac3c14

Unlike everyone else, a2b6cdbcb3 the man himself 17e8dead4f was thoroughly enjoying df42b3f5c5 his first real aaecd67821 break in two b3e7093c77 years.d999912b4fe817d9

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“Ahhh, this 59626352c3 is the f7df481d73 life!”814cf545d31639be

Lucian sprawled out b6b397976d on the luxurious 72c0b2c6a4 carriage floor, shouting e21ac95b23 joyfully.6b8b9181ce9c073d

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“Man, it’s acf260d3fb been forever 9049090921 since I e90b59c241 felt this 0b7f090d10 free.”6e6bdfad3a1fe069

He basked 86c1fc9340 in the f9c40de40f happiness of 57b94a59fc his well-earned bb2df3f4c2 vacation inside 888a6c8f28 the plush d2ea6b352f royal carriage.5429bc1726b0b826

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On the morning 4f3f62f1bc Lucian was set 97f9818c9f to leave for d82c8c479e his estate, the ac4f898144 Astro family mansion a0f5335956 was visited by 1d44896cd6 a grand royal ef9fca520a carriage.6770704e38b448da

“What… is this?”be8bc995d59c50ef

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“It’s a gift 900cc79138 from His Majesty.”768e073d874d4695

“From His Majesty?”c7546d20336cdc30

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Why is he doing 4acdcf6fad something so out of 7f8fdb2aa9 character?1f6381a00b0732e9

Lucian instinctively frowned 4923d54bbb as he inspected 6cfdb20f77 the extravagant carriage.0d1a15d784774095

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It was one 5ac6628b64 of the finest fe3fac75ab royal carriages, one 8afd4345aa Heraith himself often 20354f10f1 used. Lavishly decorated f456e5891a and equipped 054a1a2451 with the 482d5e5a20 best of 32b118b848 everything, it bbacd63579 was a 28726c246d symbol of fbf5b968e9 the Emperor’s ad46293c33 personal taste.e289a9013053f2e4

‘What am I supposed 32bfdc669b to do with this?’96fdb5c821526a3f

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Lucian glanced 907af4e1dc between the d6bc6101de carriage and 526ffcf002 the coachman, c303c90d6d then turned cd308fdd60 to the f8e39d3bcc butler. Even the usually composed ac54a443e3 butler looked flustered.125a1f7a135d921a

“Am I a2c65d90d3 supposed to c8d1ac1d4d actually ride c139d90054 this?”47b3a13d445c9b71

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“If you refuse, 1b1fa724e2 the Count will 180f65c164 be more upset 449a96835e than His Majesty.”882aacd8efd3fc61

“Ugh.”8f1c527707da67f8

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Lucian let out cc11193810 a small sigh. Rejecting the 79fe4b252d Emperor’s generosity 87b3d1dc7d would undoubtedly 35d629e8c5 upset his af6912aea5 father, the 28b21f3a03 Count, a 3284d702f1 loyal servant 76af163e61 of the 950ba8d58d crown.71da3e9a308fe714

“This trip is f35f331983 going to be d20ac6e892 unbearable.”0aa55a443e001fe8

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“Your body 5b357b606f will at 45787a8da6 least be 885ccc2fbe comfortable. Enjoy it, young f694e653d7 master.”3e96941fcbaaf924

The butler spoke cheerfully, 17e48bb915 not bothering to hide 4cd5602e83 his amusement, which only 3a46d5e815 added to Lucian’s frustration.4e4a2c1ec1b600a2

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And so, Lucian Astro ac5b72632b boarded the grand carriage 7380e4216c sent by Emperor Heraith 23421471ff and set off for e6d3a4add2 his estate.cf1fb322ea662490

“Freedom!”ebcd3df977d8b048

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The long-awaited vacation 73a15d6665 had finally begun.c04a84079d3c3a03

Meanwhile, Heraith sat c6fbd9cf41 lazily on the 239b6038d3 throne in the 2a5b939c3b banquet hall, looking 64fb14ddef utterly bored.f99760d8c1bfdbda

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The Imperial Palace 0af02d1e18 was hosting a e8a3962190 rare banquet. It was a 5c1f2b80ff reception to commemorate c28c704682 the visit of 59c5f5da07 Princess Eloine from 58657ec8ca the Kingdom of e03241c761 Alosa, one of f919e4ca63 the Empire’s allies.1facafa6eb924bcf

The banquet was 04f9073619 held to allow 2b37ee5e24 officials to meet ef3a302b69 and assess one 613af4ae0e another before the e54b6ef8cf princess officially entered 83a1ec217b the Imperial Court. Heraith had not been d77c433236 expected to attend, yet dca59bca55 here he was, seated 9a6289b739 in the hall, observing 53dad4ea1a everything with a detached d4eda66cef air.de2683891589ade6

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It’s all thanks to bb042b56af me.ec090240c16355dd

Franz Klan, who had 5ad545c30a been covering Lucian’s duties b1022c5201 in his absence, internally 89fb44c00b patted himself on the ecde151adc back for this unexpected d57801be4a development.55137e8343e3addd

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It was c2e054ac41 then that 542201a745 the head 396b7bb0e3 attendant approached 661d9a612b Heraith.c4d95e2ecc3c00d3

“Your Majesty.”21a0e40fd477e1a3

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