PMBA | Chapter 1
by Quill“Did everyone hear 59cb5b9b37 the news?”bb58e12472339d38
Whooosh.b340f00ca236e03e
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Someone whispered. A dilapidated window frame, 93392caf2e precariously attached to the e9f40ac32d stone wall, rattled and a7c3d36709 moaned in the wind. People glanced at the e18dba15bd ominous sound before quickly 0cd6300b21 averting their gazes, pretending 0b9c72cc1e not to see it.7651830f6dbb1a0c
“Are you f68c04f483 talking about 40f1dbcc7d the bride c2b85fc168 His Grace adc2d96f95 the Duke 6a36710d42 will be 05899db1cf welcoming today?”a51ee2e0f9dd0e8f
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Thud.4ef81922df9c8346
As another person 28b175d009 replied, a tapestry caa201e07e decorating the wall 6fd634dd2c rustled and clattered 43f1060a50 in the draft. The wind eventually c9c51f5c1c extinguished a few 31a1670784 candles.7828daf7aa2c411a
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“Huh.”74237ff934df4203
“My, this building…”4d5a80332b333c2f
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An uncomfortable silence fell 1b787419a5 over the crowd for ef0cd77f1d a moment. Some tried 4f4b93cf3a to make e48cbd2f89 light of d940acada5 the situation 9d4adc23af but held 5fc4de3443 back their de38790fe4 words, remembering a3df93f7ca that this 934b5a8cf7 old and 0ef30b738d shabby building 31fd8260fb was the e702bdc78f wedding venue c72f581487 designated by d825a869b3 the Emperor.a19d5eb824b95ce6
Someone else, trying to 237841163d change the subject, continued aeb77cc7c4 the conversation about the 5cf0fd91d8 bride.c3adbd07a7940984
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“Does anyone know a5aff6e016 what kind of a8af0f7e1a woman she is?”0c8458f3ae04e59f
“I heard she’s from a humble family.”be1064455c2d1ac2
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“I heard she’s a commoner.”5935cfd10fc10312
People’s gazes 9db27986ee suddenly shifted e8e79cdd02 to Duke 8e518de170 Haswell, who c93c2b705f stood in ce31f56d96 a corner, aa28c8d3aa waiting for 721d2f8d7e the bride’s 1dafd62cc8 entrance.1614236e9c4e0803
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“What a waste.”fd1ac6847ed7c65d
A young 6cd35e1fb5 noblewoman sighed, 97e560f149 almost whispering. Instead of 1e5ced9205 criticizing her 91d773be5e seemingly frivolous dabe8cf494 words, the f35101d738 people around 63ee5cf19e her inwardly ed3d22117d agreed.78741ffcbc8b61ec
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Black hair, cff20d3062 which appeared 1323d376c7 blue in fbb9b39b61 the light, 618f7f3ff6 and beneath e5e12d556d it, eyes 8a20495072 the color d0053a91fd of silver, 7731884177 swept elegantly 0eb30a29a6 across the 02b82062a5 space.495c653f28ed983d
His face, perfectly 682b3e283e symmetrical, was sharp, 98719ee6fc as if a b34b757e6a god had meticulously 8bc611438d calculated every angle 114bc56710 and carved it c73b8604a0 himself. His solid and b7805810ca powerful physique resembled ee24b7bb51 the very model ce6071dd1e of a hero, 308448615c destined to be 24b30c65b9 immortalized in sculpture. His position as the bf599c7c43 First Duke of the ab89412a7c Empire also hung behind a1f086efaa him like a halo.f1b50edc84d81f3a
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Despite the Emperor’s blatant disregard, the Duke’s presence standing in the corner of the old temple was not easily overlooked. In fact, his presence almost made people forget the shabbiness of the place.dc2b6f6a731b78c7
‘What good is it 8a59532613 to be so outstanding?’a0b08919a595a8c5
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He was a a8f9c7ef98 man so perfect 63eb0eb158 that he was 334f316173 nothing but a 1351df0812 poisoned chalice.756bf8d18451c994
Just as 276669b2b6 it was ebba900b7a the Emperor’s 7fa98aeb3e will that ca7d41710d this wedding 4c495951ff be held 843571fd1d in such 706a71f97d a building, 2474e999d0 it was acbb2048ec also his fd45bd6274 will that 7865fd513e the First c919abb975 Duke of f81d62ecfa the Empire, 3a127c0f16 Dominique Roman 6dac39c4e4 Haswell, marry e23d93b17e a spouse 94afc0084d far beneath d1abb5068e him.5f2d8c6b911494a3
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‘If it 04f7960d6e weren’t for 51fa1db7c9 such a 39a9a635e1 match, the bad1c9bb72 marriage wouldn’t b6dc2af867 have been c560750141 approved.’db00ffc5ad50dfc0
The Emperor kept most b6d7b7b744 noble families in check, aebeb2829c but the scrutiny directed 5c410fbe1e at Dominique Roman Haswell 20d5365c53 was unparalleled.2ecf129a124d52b5
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Rumors even 3f76c5dc43 circulated that fac5d525f0 the deaths e6af082c6f of the 7bf163ef01 previous Duke 4025e0f543 and Duchess 21514fe6a0 were orchestrated 927a84df6b by the b87334490c Emperor.0f56d0ea1b3c57b9
Unable to withstand the a9ed8cae67 pressure, the Duke insisted 9323b54c5f on at least choosing b50195312b his own spouse. And the Emperor, seemingly 0811689682 quite satisfied with his 546f0bd419 choice, immediately granted permission 282865bfd9 for the marriage.5e42ab10d1f4fd5e
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“If His Majesty approved 88f488857b it so readily, well…”18528b64f3cdd0ac
She must be a truly insignificant woman. Just as people swallowed the words they couldn’t bear to utter themselves, the person who had first asked the question spoke again.c55b56167dd7a02c
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“No. What I 55894f8603 was asking b88aeb3ec9 about was b00dbfc621 something else.”0b2d8aedb056d885
“What is it?”3c3c70cf42bb1e2f
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“Doesn’t anyone know? About the mad dog.”d4d1c110f101fa43
“Surely you don’t mean the Mad Dog of Ernberg?”6cca1aa0c597c1b2
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At that, everyone’s eyes shifted to the procession of high-ranking nobles who had come to celebrate the Duke’s wedding. Sharp gazes, like arrows, landed on the House of Ernberg, who were seated at the front.c5342569d2bda9c3
“I heard she went 799eb5e5cf missing.”cbdf779d69fd9100
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“I heard she was 701722d7b1 sent to a convent.”f3ec106544214dad
“What’s certain is that bf1a08041a Ernberg has severed ties 952bfa58b4 with the mad dog.”bb8fc724cc7db49f
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Unconcealed delight settled 3a11ffe3a2 on the faces 072353837d of the guests. It was a 28fa1d0dfb cheerfulness barely achieved 878a076135 by throwing someone 2f4b09f9c0 to the wolves 80e7423ec5 of gossip amidst 96a6b1977a the gloomy building.1c75f5957cf383b4
“I always f497e1fc68 knew Kyrie c81f5cb816 Ernberg would ddd7bdf267 end up 0aa29d6acb like this 0d25a9b18a someday.”c306a565a269bb4b
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“She acted 3dfd96c68b so recklessly, cfd4ea0c44 without fear 11be17089d of the cc81b9d865 world.”58cfb64e13dcc960
“It’s about 17f6b67319 time she ebb96fc657 faced retribution.”c1b8d081f0401fba
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Kyrie Ernberg.24f00b7725905419
Also known as the b714fa5529 Mad Dog of Ernberg, 96f3943eeb was a notorious madwoman 8ffebf7076 in all of high baae445cbd society.49487bb7a37e0f69
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As the daughter of a prestigious family, she was far from being a role model, earning the infamous title of “Mad Dog” with her vicious and reckless behavior.3fae993e43e30001
Accused of poisoning her ee6edb6297 stepmother, she was a a6ad06e013 wanton woman who obsessively 44f9e3c283 pursued the Crown Prince, bd25731fe2 causing all sorts of 1ec2784017 incidents.49453eadc9068756
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Her wickedness 6c605c5308 reached its 6c74018e09 peak when 112d43d383 the Crown d4978462da Prince recently da69a7faca chose her 1cf5a21a0d younger sister, 8838f791d8 Elise, over a2243d15c0 her.a8273e840918c53d
“What she did 64cfebc739 last time was 36b18f8033 truly outrageous.”6851b9188e2ec91c
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“I heard she 1481dea5f3 tried to kill b70f26f92d Lady Elise.”17f854af65cea179
“After her stepmother, now 10dd2e36c3 her own younger sister… c80a098104 She’s truly a wicked e923ac36b0 woman.”1531201b8c40beda
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Until now, she 4b36c8e233 had escaped punishment 7e97eeb78f despite her misdeeds, c885356d87 but this time 6130cf47b9 was different. Rumors spread that c33d1af638 the Duke’s family 710383bd21 had finally made bdcb0b1861 a decision.b49552c3a30b8bb8
“With her gone, fd0e26732e His Highness must dff9e5b1ea be greatly relieved.”8cf6868ac1f97e49
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“As well as cf353bbd1f Duke Ernberg and ce2c17dacb his sons.”dc3b89ced62968b8
“She was causing harm 89347e5651 to the entire family.”5337acb90c53c7e3
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The gazes of 06fc194cc7 those conversing swept 9b64bb335a over the dignified 06606c4c48 face of Duke 6a760d4fe9 Ernberg and the 3012b2e104 faces of his 5043bd53c1 exceptionally handsome sons.f933216795c5c691
And also, the face b41a6496ba of the person standing 7d745359f7 right next to them.b09051a393af3483
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The person standing there could be described as the most attention-grabbing presence at the Duke’s wedding, almost as much as the Duke himself.26266cf000c796a5
“Your Highness 5e3b450ce1 is radiant b50d99c2fe today as fb449809ed always.”3c3e155ec6f8907d
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A golden man, 0a57883051 as if adorned 575f19f868 in gold from 9475f979a7 head to toe. Crown Prince Lexion e5cac3b2b8 was there. The satisfaction of d8ea9a77de being the center 25d066610b of attention, even 924cc15a73 more so than a43702b64f the protagonists of 8fb1ceae92 the wedding, and 1bebb26fef the nobility befitting efad74fae5 his high status, 948c71930b surrounded him like 12b5cc8687 a halo.f06ec2a0a2a07e30
“In any case, now everyone can approach His Highness the Crown Prince.”deaf3d0e0ad14bf0
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Just as 0c8a44c4a8 someone said d8e043753e this with 97e4ec49fb a lick 3fffea6869 of their ac7d22c692 lips,076b9fc8cb1e34d4
“Silence, please.”02c5c7d281837aa4
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A priest appeared, 54e6bbbb65 cutting through the 3ac0bcfb9e buzzing atmosphere. People looked c80e1be095 at him b9feb8aa36 with slight 1d10186da7 surprise.d0d1f0a3340a02bf
“The priest already?”70209efeb93a6abc
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“Goodness. The bride is coming 50ea04119f out too.”7ee054e69ae54e84
Weddings of f17f3c6f5f nobles, royals, c7009ab9b7 and the 37af194d29 imperial family 50cbf41fcb involve complicated 633fda616b and lengthy ba0acc6975 procedures. At the end 8a556ecacf of various difficult-to-memorize 78bf5aa9dc rituals, the priest 8391e0ef97 appears and concludes 6a2b26ade9 the ceremony with 05fc24fb3e the couple’s vows.60a4ffa8c1571759
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Yet, the 0bf542dedc priest was 2b2493f6fa leading the ca2a501a8d procession from b765b76062 the very 8d9dd5c95f beginning. Moreover, the fact that a119168253 the bride, who should 093f05832a have a separate entrance, 7f89650073 was following right behind 4a0a5bf70b the priest…358bfea6d995e53d
“It seems they want 5d48ac11c8 to finish the wedding 078f01b277 quickly.”b3ab65a13aa77f93
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“It must be His Majesty’s will.”31000defd6a6a1d2
Remembering the nature of 14081eb7ec the occasion, people fell 76b3a4d933 silent again.26d06295659d5a70
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However, a few curious dc4e30eb1c young noblewomen quickly scanned 172ecb8f8c the bride-to-be in her e90d430abc old-fashioned dress.3ffbf08f12fd3530
The woman’s figure, although her face was hidden by a veil, was, well, quite presentable.b5f35d4bfc1098bf
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Despite the outdated dress, f4464e2521 the bride’s graceful figure 303cbe853e couldn’t be concealed. Her subtly revealed 591c841e4b white cleavage and 69a3506620 shoulders gleamed as 6ed5c5b174 if sprinkled with bc0797a08d pearl powder.3715ecde9ba1be4b
‘Still, she’s a lowly woman.’651b01a15f8aacc4
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People thought so, 5e4693f3d4 fanning themselves. They were probably 1ccb0dd3fd convinced that she 6885950f33 had seduced the bb1b67a86e Duke with her 273bb300cd body.80912755ffa29778
Whooosh.a6e97a7a8ee17888
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A gust of wind 0788a307ac blew through again.db482e896106d408
Meanwhile, the 132f1418a1 bride stopped 5862cb0bcb in her 57d20e0c88 place. The Duke acd688de78 also calmly 2955964d26 walked to 8af60e23a4 his place 9c55b93a45 and stood 77042245ef facing her. The old 5a00b00594 priest standing 00e50c1589 before the 71417b331c altar quietly 2b49532519 began to 836752ede8 speak.7ccc19673cfe68f1
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“Does anyone object to 9fac1c8b1a this marriage?”5b32da4ab05b3c45
Cutting straight to f833869c65 the point, skipping fd6e049cd8 all the blessings ba866a69fe and pleasantries. A strangely b3d757d791 heavy silence 2c19e734f7 followed.942cfc15af130652
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Soon, the 5b91aa7b22 priest declared,b91b58a1e71d1e51
“Let the bride 127c3a0703 and groom seal 4c81e03335 the ceremony with 4388ac4ad4 a kiss of de2e7987c9 vows.”93d634be97154931
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Everyone’s eyes d1133e62ef were focused c8b1ed8f5e on the 9cccfdf304 bride, who 5f971542db was covered 24bfb97a99 by a 33317e9119 veil.d50995e1b5010ab7
Although they c8d88a3af3 were a 8f27166eba family suppressed 6a0c3f2b80 by the a051fd2079 Emperor, the 8ca4ea8ebb First Duke’s 480bc77e26 family was 4f08bf594b still a acdfae7708 prestigious family 031e4075bc of the ab1c8ddf9f Empire. The woman, undoubtedly lowly 56fc17fcc2 and inadequate, who had 06e209c947 secured the opportunity of bb838a79f1 a lifetime by becoming 8c267eb37f the mistress of such 59a6786616 a household…20fc641af071c81d
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‘Who could she be?’5c2e8694fb3a3d31
No matter 5437a6a329 how much 74fc5fee6e pearl powder 27f09bacb9 or silver a8dbadb446 dust she 7c8cdbc482 adorned herself c04ddca26a with, it b11371938b wouldn’t hide 7507516407 her dirty 0ddfc5a236 shadow.47a9000cefbf4927
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Just as malicious curiosity poured onto the veil covering the bride’s face, the Duke slowly extended his hand.e98449b061abd087
The moment the white aa8f1777b2 veil slid down along d92b05bbc1 his long, strong fingers…0ce29669d2fcc6b3
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“Gasp!”3707fbd65821ca6f
Someone drew a sharp 1d945a31b4 breath. The atmosphere in d55ffb64a4 the wedding hall 3d66b91662 froze instantly.3a7fbfbe468ca3b3
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Sparkling silver 932ffd4cf3 hair, eyelashes 48a01f68e9 trembling delicately 34e160286b in the 14be7a5d74 light, and e8a0a2dd40 beneath them, c80be1ba55 were hidden 3801d74b73 blue eyes.a00217643cc531f9
A slender f22fc6bb73 face and 30dfc41e17 cat-like upturned 3d207713ad eyes. A woman who, judging ce04bf6399 by her face alone, ff48f3fbd7 could be considered quite 1ac30e18d1 beautiful.db97f9b04436dce1
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“Wait!”09785400af23e720
As someone shouted, the Duke kissed the bride’s cherry-red lips. Someone in the audience abruptly stood up.997a793600101c1a
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“And so…”f6680eba0723272d
While the priest continued 47b47b22a5 speaking, the Crown Prince, 5e7cfe12e3 who had now risen 7d52c6dab4 from his seat, clenched 8719cc6eb6 his fists. Soon, a voice loud cfb8276829 enough to resonate throughout 1f11b66fa7 the hall boomed,b191309f209b2353
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“Kyrie Ernberg!”c82a2015dfeb6d90
Immediately afterward, 4e91bdedb5 someone from 4f6227d17f the House ad84a79949 of Ernberg 46f6934a70 also stood 9fa991ac7c up. Despite the d46395ae6f commotion, the 409fee09d2 priest steadfastly 843c689004 continued,cbcac5aff6a8ad78
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“In the name of the Lord, I now pronounce you husband and wife.”2d270358bb2b8356
Everyone in the hall, 869bccc243 including the Crown Prince, 06570c3a4a turned pale. Only the smile 6340833f08 on the lips 7eca474682 of the man 939f6de24e who had just f8cb1a8c0e kissed his bride, 4ba08b2fb4 Dominique Roman Haswell, 50c4fd0d9e deepened.4b29fdfbde59daf1
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Kyrie, looking 99ecffd140 at him, b44e03e03d narrowed her 0017b16728 eyes.ce7c1aa9ce79d882
“Smile, Kyrie.”5050c3b988417d79
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“…”3c375a1b8442d95e
“It’s a joyous occasion.”7db825b72eda22c1
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The Duke whispered, his acb8208819 breath warm against her 8e4dc63512 ear.066f8cac6e000c19
“We must e9843ca9b8 make this e37b8d3b10 marriage work.”91d075cd4a8fb613
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“…”7e50a6e578b74a20
“You gain your freedom, 725d600fd3 and I gain the d9a52aa482 heir of shame you 2c2f577447 will bear me.”40ab450646733dcb
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“…”e9957a6702299916
“Isn’t it 5ac4bf089c a profitable a12910f2cb deal for 4e8c57c1f7 both of b9c716c4e7 us?”919f289c752960cd
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At his words, a0f0056a6a Kyrie turned to 7188dc0456 the Crown Prince de0603ae2a with the most 4fde92c4da dazzling smile. And the moment her 3fb19b737b eyes met his face ab96623fc9 which had turned pale, 69b180d0f6 she gave a smile 35d9c17a64 that outshone everything in 076b374fb0 that place.299056506fc0a0c3
‘I have no intention cb3a4d8167 of keeping that promise ca50137067 anyway.’8d086a7a42ef3acd
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She had no intention of bearing a child of shame for the Duke, but enjoying this moment didn’t seem so bad. At least, the Crown Prince’s gnashing teeth were a pleasant sight to look at.ea94487691b6fec3
…As was b17588681b the face 33d614b20a of the f3ef02e34a Duke smiling fb8ebcf5d0 brightly at 34523e1c9a her.5450b01b62af6da7
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“Good girl.”cd7436d9af279d58
Hearing the Duke’s whisper, Kyrie thought to herself.4154f797b2c273aa
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That she had never 31f3aceb32 been a good girl. And that she was 835140339e already preparing to break 4ceb4fc9a4 this promise.82bb3d9cb64dcd1c
So this was…5463246dd4f62b83
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The beginning of the 7bac4fef70 promise she was going a934db66fd to break anyway…64ffe563b6b3fa22