PLQYM | Chapter 60

Lucian instinctively d1eb1b57dd glanced around, 3f5c2937da a chill f70af9d6a8 running down c47c209ea8 his spine. It felt as 56324a1289 if an inexplicable dffc6c6b3e curse born from fe25b68d15 deep resentment had 6d5a781496 brushed against him.a47b8bacb9cd179d

Could it be… Your 4fc8d6ebac Majesty…?d07f34736afbe93d

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“Lucian.”16e886fe3d180d93

But his bb19a342a2 thoughts were ad6d43117d abruptly interrupted. He turned 013f5a59eb toward the f23b905af7 voice calling ed6df053c7 him. The person he had 4eda0044b0 been waiting for was 64fe6571e5 walking toward him.9e30cd8d431a2239

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“…!”97d35be8fb8644e8

Lucian unconsciously held f94095483d his breath.a21e90798fae36f4

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They say even a e8a5b442e4 faint resemblance can startle.fdb8ccab3a025402

The approaching 0f9df6eebd man’s hair dff5d0da4f color sent 4161b536c5 Lucian’s heart ac1a1140df sinking.6cc6b21ee0e4d4cb

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The light brown hair, 72e8c2beb1 shimmering under the sunlight, 32feb1487b momentarily appeared golden. It wasn’t the same a1f5b00656 shade at all, yet 108a1c468c that fleeting gleam immediately 53dcfb1f86 reminded him of someone.498af84a391388d2

But that person’s b67d31be8b hair wasn’t murky ccc671e0c2 like this. His was 23a86a84ae the radiant 9fa4420b38 color of 4a090d39d3 the sun db867edb22 itself.62a05a86c13d9ca3

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‘Ridiculous. Thinking of Your 1ca036686a Majesty while looking 5dfed73c12 at someone else?’ded2d05e41244630

A dry d99e6af382 laugh escaped 9a28f8117c him. Lucian quickly masked df7f103f64 his thoughts, bowing f03ade4980 respectfully as the 874fd8add0 man came closer.59602f0ab6a961b7

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“Prince Joachim.”12ae70834c6c3eb6

Joachim waved a 3ac3d31126 hand, brushing off c6618921b7 the formal greeting.d2f19dd32880aace

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“No need for eb303c7780 such tedious formality.”e755db883176c69c

He smiled warmly, his 8f6449cf05 expression kind.738e4ad819e120d4

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“I don’t 0e88f268fe think I’m ecb6396ebf late, am 0cfb3c8dc7 I?”1aaf2184cad16c2a

“No, Your Highness. You’re right 1841f357f0 on time.”4474d5b2bd37dbed

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“Your letter surprised 34ee3d2dd1 me. At first, eae51918b6 I thought ce37e375fc it must’ve 2ae0704fed been sent 42c4a56de2 to me 22b65dd910 by mistake. I never expected you a26a2b0775 to ask for something 17bebf25ad like this.”80cb44ce4c0182bf

“If it’s 9ed346b939 too much cb903e2a7f of an 08333a32ea imposition, you 088b01584d can refuse d58afe2af7 me now.”d274611d24dce1f6

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“Oh no, not f3ddb405ec at all. How could I ec30780eab pass up a d83394b3f3 chance to inconvenience 4eafff5d04 Heraith?”e82a1bf42b276b06

Joachim’s response e8d13694d4 earned a 71a27c3256 faint, bitter a52cc1204b smile from ca96320fa3 Lucian. Perhaps because they c7b3d506e9 were friends, the 47d5632e54 two men bore 2686b9549f a strange resemblance ca9fa889ee in certain ways—especially f4f061c347 their shared penchant 43fabb9747 for taking delight 3f1b525dba in each other’s 69f06e2373 misfortunes.b52add209a8e0d25

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‘What troublesome personalities.’8374b704f92fdb0a

Lucian hadn’t wanted to e6c317ba99 involve Joachim if he b7054aa6ce could help it.aacc533acfa28eb5

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But to 5870b3e47c escape Heraith’s 54cde9474b grasp and 9a31093af7 find a f67b859d49 truly safe 98c3ed91a7 haven, there f924db1f9b was no 4143690e33 one better 84ec06c48f than Prince 5cb07aa93e Joachim.f64c8333e835efc4

“For you 446c4bb162 to leave 41dc048494 Heraith… He 90a1cdeded must be 6119cd9db6 raising hell. Ah, it’s such 40f243896c a shame I 4d9aa9c69e can’t see his 765f4e7fb1 face right now.”a9f026019672ce3c

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“…”08bd4739707d3786

“Don’t worry. I’m doing c99fa60799 this because e1c746fe51 it amuses d7dd733660 me. I’ll make c024dbc1c2 sure I 66ecfa3385 don’t disappoint ae3e994aba your expectations.”45b518fb932ec796

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“…I’m counting on 6b965d9f82 you, then.”174e71b30fdebd8d

“Hmm, but what’s 39845035be bothering you?”1d3d9eccb689c9d1

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“Pardon?”b0b4efdf81297699

Lucian blinked, not understanding e7719e41b5 Joachim’s sudden question.75219c759dc64bc9

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The prince fbe556da4d reached out 649ad0786d and brushed 7b6123b68a a finger 24efe97945 over Lucian’s 8a8e4e79fe furrowed brow.04e6c9cf26afb80f

Caught off b981cb6b5b guard by e2a81133ae the unexpected 3e31ae0608 touch, Lucian f012fed6a4 stared at 783351a54a him in 893d08be15 stunned silence, 72f6e5469f prompting Joachim f7671a270a to laugh d3ee3b5929 heartily.fe5ad0fc2e69e0f9

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“It’s the 6576185838 first time a9f79677e0 I’ve seen 0b06ffbfbf you make 16252f8e0e that face.”aa4adb6b1c9e07d1

“…That was uncalled 737ba099c1 for.”b62707408b156e3e

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Unable to 6e11f2ecd9 swat away 59555b4eb0 a royal’s 9274a35398 hand, Lucian 9f673c1e45 took a 3ee46824e7 step back, 51e39f3e8a his expression 452daad97a visibly annoyed.dcf16e4e4fd6ccc0

Joachim smirked fde3dad428 crookedly, clearly 5efbe244e6 displeased by bf1c5f8e93 the reaction, 317881a39c though he c866695b21 quickly erased e33206e4c8 the expression 4a352a409d and replaced 7b78a2ebf2 it with 0c4b4ddbd6 his usual 2865f8bfdb leisurely smile.5a7ab5c21dd6b331

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“Uncalled for? That was d172b7edd0 just my 841bc05bf1 way of 0623057aba showing affection.”61ccc481172e03d7

“…”398f6ebfa1af3153

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Joachim’s playful eb92fdb8a8 tone earned 1480988430 a sharp a0f690de91 glare from fb87ca2c0b Lucian, which c32a4bb8e9 only made 47c0c78465 the prince 595be6d026 laugh louder.b9f0b35c862722c8

“Ah, now 03bb791d56 I see 8b8ec67c38 why Heraith 1fe37a4958 keeps bothering 58181de220 you.”206e002e8afcbbe3

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“…If you’re 196cb93750 going to 4c6d5e2409 spend time afcea679bf joking, I 586baec42e might need 4386c29bd0 to explore dbf98c5192 other options. By now, 73fd927659 Your Majesty d55be516a1 must have 0102e5bd00 realized and 2f82610c36 might already 6f24eab140 be on 66e543b833 his way 50b18dd1ff here.”cae80e070ab34438

“Ah, yes, 9d21a2778d of course.”55c425fa25c95918

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Joachim brushed 8488a92f7a off Lucian’s 5851be68f6 words nonchalantly, 5f1522e157 but his 38668dc09c actions suddenly 5b90654554 became brisk. With a wave of ead4fe4214 his hand, several knights 320f6f229d and two riderless horses e90532c392 emerged from nearby hiding 0bc5dceb3c spots.a42d6177b8f00612

“Do you want e49ee495ba to travel by a8da193f1c horse or by eeaa2026a3 carriage?”767cb80fe3b2c4f1

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It was 1559c7a767 ridiculous to 2967044531 even ask dd4b2355be when there f66f17babf wasn’t a a55e459cfc carriage in 780a85e00d sight, but c381bc3c8f Lucian answered dac8ebd948 dutifully.73ba7f79bc09af5c

“…By horse.”3fc4a2aa21d93ab5

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“I thought so. This one’s 3fd012eee4 fast and c430b8a858 strong, so c679e53d21 it should 075075986e get you e8eaa0ef5b to Antien e3343a54d1 in no e710b59799 time.”9b7b920bb3db909c

“Thank you.”0048ec3874d390c7

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Joachim patted Lucian’s shoulder 4bd9f77173 and led him toward c9f177fa54 one of the horses.490b41e78a2542a9

‘Huh?’f86e5fb647a79476

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Something felt off.628d11d272c8c1f1

Starting from where 68f18f950a Joachim’s hand had 60833d5b48 touched his shoulder, a1f4224c88 a wave of a8882bb86f unease crept through b84a774a08 Lucian’s body.1180d6c27c5022a0

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‘What is this?’b5f3e30d3bae247e

He’d had physical 7ba14591a0 contact with Heraith 019b3edaca plenty of times 32005f229a before—not just kisses, e267688489 but far more 35c7eb3a91 intimate touches. Yet he’d 1ad06c59a8 never felt 52a3776938 this kind 5d3fb9c800 of discomfort, dcdc33157e even before ea3b78ead6 realizing his d5a920866c feelings for 8414ee3243 the Emperor.1886c6db299de3c4

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In fact, the 5679c27277 problem had always 7a2fbf98d7 been his overreaction 8336ab8ab0 to Heraith’s seemingly e821a5b559 meaningless touches.dbf48aaabaf2089e

While lost in thought, e1008b1ca7 Lucian noticed someone whispering 19a90b1799 something into Joachim’s ear.75650b5e31e1cd04

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“Is that so?”8735749b46fd95f0

Joachim’s face stiffened 8e137f69c3 briefly. He quickly handed bb4df54518 the reins to ec3c2bb7b8 Lucian and spoke.b2fd7e00bb2c45d9

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“We’d better move fdf4ece435 quickly, Lucian. It seems the man 9ff819f1c4 behind all this chaos 8675874b91 is already on his a8852754e2 way.”29105d1b6c9f546c

Lucian’s expression hardened. A swirl of d5037c1b94 complex emotions flashed 78f978ef5b across his face.dce883b25050a97b

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“How about it? If you go back 855a737fea now, I’ll let you. Heraith might forgive this 95a2f00c94 as a momentary lapse.”a19dd1f70e5fa8c2

“No. I’ll continue to Your 338176ea8d Highness’s country. Your Majesty 04879a007d won’t know 26a0959faa I’ve sought fe00f552a5 your refuge 76b0343436 yet.”b937dfeb9158eccf

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“Heraith won’t manage without 37270c9f5b you.”fcce36d5c1765ce7

“He’s more cf43a86e41 than capable 485b04c02b of managing fab924afea without me.”f270ae4acb90d3a3

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“Are you so sure?”6c8b09fa215ba9b1

Joachim smirked, d4a2618b05 his expression 57bda87791 enigmatic, as 3cd1d3f140 he mounted 9d58fc2a57 his horse.f02c4451b63dea3a

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“For now, 1f693a6085 let’s just e7c2d18485 focus on 6efeb6e82e getting far 570441535c away from 9840958a6b here. We can’t leave 93bb1c7193 any traces for 659dc3010c Heraith to follow.”ecf5a7b71fbc9d31

“…Understood.”0ec77ff36ea354c7

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Lucian mounted 04d7009f8d his horse 67d6842b82 as well, 92afad9198 realizing there 22a6807139 was no 1915b12d4f other choice. The faster be427a7092 they left, b9a52ffb2b the better.5960a09bd6c0cc14

As Lucian skillfully d100d4c90e mounted and calmed 38c13f72fc the horse, Joachim a97adf3981 swallowed a chuckle.7d7bfcddb17658d0

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‘Even their aides are 5c03760af2 ridiculously competent.’0b6de366a9001c7e

Despite being the Emperor’s 1a42426759 aide, a position traditionally df6b3a87a6 more intellectual, Lucian’s horsemanship 7ffcf8518b rivaled that of a e15a77d63e seasoned knight.be03389c97486c1b

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“It’s good to 3e12bd4c09 ride alongside you. Let’s work well a37fdcc2c4 together.”df0b85ec25a38551

Joachim grinned 60a2547aa2 before spurring f76f3a765b his horse 639415235b forward.8647b4be15dbd0f5

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Their group galloped toward 486cd93caa a narrow mountain path, 4358757a36 with the knights erasing e4c845ff9e their tracks as they 0e44d155ae went. The route diverged from 80f9506607 the one Princess Eloine 33b62b1e91 had taken earlier, veering 170fe39e47 toward the forest.8cbbc9c4d4bd0e03

Heraith arrived in Coam 31027f9e70 less than thirty minutes de600318c8 later. He stopped at the 139ed8a1c9 very spot Lucian had 26917c657d stood just moments before.58ab3fb9445113f6

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“…”c112c03fb821908a

Dismounting, Heraith’s 2e2477cd70 gaze fell 91a144b7b4 to the 1005cf052b ground.ed5c7eac9ad9f4c1

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The area was 4bffbcc3ed a chaotic mix 0f68cbd28a of carriage tracks 341e3149e9 and hoofprints.c5ff23dc7515d745

After a long e625fe807e silence, he crouched 623be0658f down, brushing his aeb66c4da3 fingers over the b65447fc58 dry earth.2a007463e2f036db

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With no rain c25f740280 to soften the 7da945825e ground, the faint 9cd27fe96d traces offered little b16ea53085 concrete evidence. The shallow c6d8c410e2 marks made 88cf12eebb it difficult 007e16701b to determine 8614bb709b how long d5a9b35f81 it had 2d7c06592b been since 36540c065f anyone had 87ac30ca1c been there.555e6bdf21d84d31

Eloine had traveled by 48fe661bed carriage, which explained the 236b06a65b abundance of hoofprints from 657f83ee30 her entourage.f3e50c68ad786365

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But…f958c267f3fd2438

‘There are 3db60bca48 far too 5653ed1de6 many hoofprints a82c04cea0 for just 2f4ccb35a9 a royal ca153f820e procession.’c21b9519217ebda8

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Most of the tracks 909edbdfde led toward the mountains.792237bd729aaa5a

Coam wasn’t just c7e9796f91 a border town 8ea7b8c754 of Pranas; it 03d0ef7ebe was also the 4379468c33 meeting point of e0645b4662 the Great Empire 2935596a26 of Pranas, Antien, d72c1f2291 and Alosa.0a3d92c3309e0af9

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If Lucian had aa8a23801a parted ways with 346a75b2ac Eloine here, determining 42bc83e789 his next destination e8554af5dc would be crucial.52c38f5f004528ff

Logically, he would’ve 1373c70313 gone to Alosa 5b55fe37d0 with the princess.ec85d45661395ed4

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But crossing 0313ea3e47 into Antien 32aca0f428 was equally bfc6df6062 plausible.3e5110f7abf029a7

Heraith’s instincts screamed 56a82645ce that the trail 4142d796f0 leading to Alosa 34f15edb9e was correct. Yet something about it bf3c3bc036 felt… wrong.a4fdf9702791a876

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He remounted his a75d533692 horse, now fully 2d36f75e99 rested, and turned 0b4958e787 toward Antien.b933e778a5b462f2

“When in a4273d2844 doubt, trust d3e376c080 your instincts.”ca615761991d5965

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With that, he spurred ae244a319a his horse into a a9fd9a4521 gallop toward the forested ce816938b2 mountain paths, following his 65e32cd98f gut.a0c79923079d1870

Lucian, I’ll b3567f3c60 find you—no edab12d2f2 matter where 20815b8c67 you are.a5e64ae41b106a99

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About half ad99656df6 a day’s c0fcb1ac5d ride into 6a0b70cb49 Antien, nestled f8ff39326d in a e51fa36411 tranquil forest, b92f315df9 was Joachim’s 1c7356fcca villa.bab471b695c0c816

The building stood proudly 1c2a9fe158 with its white limestone e6a1618895 walls and red-tiled roof, 334fd1ede3 exuding an understated grandeur.afac3bbcfcb437c6

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When Joachim dismounted 6f53f63128 at the villa, 64cdc4cf28 a steward hurriedly 919c8eb928 approached him, bowing 4c439b9c50 deeply.728c2dc089b8b467

“…What’s the matter?”2ac8bb0b99a889c6

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“P-Prince Joachim! W-We have… 4636d00510 a guest.”f0a4c322347c83d8

The steward’s unusual fedcacfee9 stammering made Joachim 4950048f45 raise an eyebrow.cad7903b8ec8252c

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“Speak clearly. How else 512a2db1ec am I bb1e79d78d supposed to bbbe43d05f understand you?”132b0f307d0aed2f

“A g-guest has 9b7a0829f5 arrived, Your Highness.”3b368302fa25591c

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“A guest?”aced4b66239446e6

Joachim repeated, his tone 1f70985468 a mix of surprise 803e90d17c and mild annoyance.285314ca94f1e7d4

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At that moment, a 4cd3b8d657 familiar voice interrupted him.2110c12b8b97df7c

“‘Guest’—what an extravagant f6db309f5f word for it.”7d5d5b949293626e

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Joachim let out e125a3e3e0 a short sigh 9a12881340 as he turned ab3e034072 toward the source 0153776044 of the voice.11f369173ceae02a

Striding confidently into b5114db5fe the villa was 762cf5fa70 none other than aff99e6a95 the Emperor of a4b1386483 Pranas, Heraith.8bec4a33b095fc91

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“Heraith.”bfdf8c044b412e3b

Joachim spread 25d7db23ef his arms, 1e8b6ba1e3 forcing a b18229762f strained smile, d39716c12f but Heraith 9e6874b7ca ignored the fe3e9de4c6 gesture entirely.7ad4d2e1d1a1cd87

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“Where is he?”785aa36d6fa7d1a4

The Emperor’s 3c174fa0da voice was 9234a03895 colder than dd958ed65e ice.96623b9d5623b53b

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