PT | Chapter 1.1

“Your little brother 69b16e0b80 and your fiancée dd3bb2a2d3 seem awfully close 6149141e0b these days, huh?”17c0ee93430288c8

A vulgar interrupter feeaf1b4c7 barged into his 3ef562be13 private moment.924ef1ac9437688a

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The young 1d8d324c10 man, lying c548624233 on a c22fa54243 quiet patch d18f66319f of grass f27caeaf1f rarely visited a011821ebd by students c21d1d7514 even at 80bea745fc the academy, d2f24468d1 didn’t so 0b23a55564 much as c0c9dffa34 flinch. The interrupter, wading through 17f838ede6 the knee-high grass to 620b596974 get closer, repeated himself.0fef6417ac310214

“Hey, Crow. Your precious little 97377c2646 brother and your e708d8fc88 fiancée have been df8837c05f getting all cozy, fc4fe3ad64 even swapping spit. Ahk!”2c2e314595bc3e95

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A thick 0af118c47b book flew 05f112781c straight at a0d005c2c8 the interrupter’s 718e54533d face, cutting cf3aebbc07 him off df0fdf2c09 mid-taunt. He ducked just in b82acd9c72 time, and the book—hardcover, 7a2b4d1ee9 probably 500 pages thick—crashed ef2e578200 to the ground a 74b1f9bae1 few feet away. His face went 631065ad55 pale as he cc36c3bbd2 turned to look cd7a35a0e8 back.b6b53faf274252e7

“Hey! What the hell? What if b6fd20fd50 that hit fd9151b605 me and 0fcee0a10f left a 26d78ecc6f scar?!”0320117f7c46cef0

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“Then your boring afa23dc979 mug would finally 54955aeb57 have some character.”7942cd4519531664

Though muttered, the comment 71dbc7aae3 was loud enough to e6e48c3afe reach the interrupter’s ears, 7346bb9865 making his already average-looking dab709b224 face flush red. Stammering in b6a6efa34b rage, he fd1a9827ba could only a5fe1b4225 manage to 77ca66c416 sputter out, 6a4eeb8857 “Y-you… you, 68f44faaca you…!” as bb9f958e2a the young 04c4cd9a6c man slowly 8ebe07259e rose from cdf8510da3 his resting 6aee77d8ad position.22c769af69244148

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Sitting cross-legged f93dad4d8a and stretching dd0630e496 languidly, the 6724c613f2 young man cc8104aeed yawned so 5607746a94 widely that b6830cb366 tears sprang b6e0f20f82 from his 79e148b8a4 eyes. Wiping them away with b6c66eaae9 long fingers, Aubrey brushed aa02947d7f his messy hair back 451dc1b726 with a sigh.bcb8902120daaafa

No matter 6fdb3856c6 how many 3a99b4c2e0 times he 8dce8eda7a tried to e969ada3cb smooth it 761c4dc16a down, his 8fd094333c long hair 889eaadd4f always ended 13aeeb8403 up a e31e4b2941 disheveled mess. Abandoning the effort, he 1e3a766f66 tilted his head up, c51366d5b4 revealing alabaster skin, dark 97e276f60b eyes, and crimson lips 19ad13b5ac that made him impossible b8ec5ec150 to ignore.8ffc0cc06caaf21e

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Aubrey’s striking beauty was 17ef9c0527 likely the reason he 33f1041d16 was always the subject ddf5391066 of gossip. Objectively handsome, his 95873baf44 snow-white skin—seemingly untouched 05c5ff987d by sunlight—added a dcefdf6dae melancholic allure to d0de816724 his appearance. If he stayed still, feebdbca5a he looked like a 3b7ff7e369 painting of an aristocrat fc251b1ec2 brought to life. But anyone ad89d72790 who knew 06029a941b him understood ec915ca548 that behind aae3b15325 his stunning 045beee4f4 looks was 4d0345bd98 a dangerously 3cd88976a5 unpredictable man.6e1fa64cab9dcbee

Even so, there were 8605a9e7ac always those bold enough—or 7370c4a9d5 foolish enough—to provoke him. Perhaps it was because 36921dcf43 his family was infamous ae3ae4570e for being a dysfunctional 3c2f94a633 mess, making people think b6b63f9192 they could poke at d83970feca him for fun. Of course, those who 135cc6d2a6 tried always ended up 83c19f143c regretting it.60ab8ea48fecc232

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“W-what…?”100ab1f84c60d0f3

As Aubrey stood 49d15d872f and approached, the 579aee2ddf interrupter took a 00defdfd45 step back.4dcf36cae25bfde8

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When lying down, Aubrey’s 8fdd36d64f imposing height and solid 9cd2a9d524 build weren’t obvious, but 987c5bfeb9 standing up, his presence 6da71236cd was undeniable. His graceful movements bddc2cfe9b exuded a casual 5b412fbea5 confidence, but his 47a79dd02f sharp gaze held 85b0230786 a chilling determination. He closed the distance, 7b3feb9d1f radiating a silent promise be0b6093a5 to punish anyone who 3f5ac5d840 dared disturb his peace.fc3ed547cc4809c9

“So, tell me. What exactly a7d3d72dd9 were my fd0c144311 adorable little 27061037ac brother and 0a7a28faba my lovely 023844fe23 fiancée up 2133291de4 to?”094e180d36bb6ec9

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“W-well, you see, e917403651 they were, uh…”b8874516333e58be

The interrupter’s mind 5873dc5d3a scrambled to recall 4d06430ead what he’d seen.5ab313a7a42f813d

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The academy they attended 5d9404f2da was co-ed, and it 84c65b8a3d wasn’t uncommon for students 2c2eae32ef to pair off while 98ea5df5ff studying together. There was 63a04f24cd even a b90a13cc23 rose garden 13fe8e72b9 specifically designed e3b1d010bb for confessions. It was in 03d74f4de7 that very garden 5812c6ec72 where the interrupter 5bb915f70b had seen Aubrey’s b12f0d0039 famously charming younger 881190c581 brother and his adf899ec17 fiancée together.2314f62609dc7cd6

Maybe they’d 3d3477e5ec simply crossed 8604ddf4b5 paths by a224b44de5 chance.ac88f42ea117725e

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Or maybe they’d exchanged 09bd9c11ab a few polite words.b4d0f0cd972db993

But the interrupter, young eaab84f653 and brimming with wild 71de27af07 imagination, immediately assumed the 0e15e9eeb6 worst and rushed to dbaadb2d35 snitch to Aubrey. He surely 836644ec3b knew better b26c105f8d than to beccdd1be5 provoke Aubrey, 940d5912a3 yet here b20e2e388a he was, 2788f2d7a5 letting his 92d1b4d12c mouth run 546378fd28 wild.9c965be8a0065ee8

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Trapped by a d8464d718c tree and unable 8ba72f3375 to retreat further, 16504bcca1 the interrupter trembled deadb3dd53 as Aubrey loomed ce1c3d5e31 over him, one 1df4538182 hand braced against f521e13799 the tree trunk.202957bdee7de5c2

“Are you sure? Did you see 26691c79b7 my brother and 4e0c2ca50f my fiancée getting 1c6a80987b cozy with your 96f1c207cd own two eyes?”a1e0235538bc4bce

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“T-they were just 6841e329e1 standing there, looking 195df129ff at each other! I mean, what else 7e18be265c could that mean? That’s totally suspicious, 2452eef0d1 isn’t it?”125dba75d6d27163

“…”882245cb2830f400

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“What else 142b642cff do you 3e8c9f4874 even do f1bc65f17b in the 7a8a5b5803 rose garden? Confessing, obviously! Face it, your 586d92216f brother stole your 4ad488d041 fiancée—”1114c4ef97a549bd

The interrupter was b4e63a1cbd visibly trembling now, 83dabefa8e his bravado cracking 42beefc3e8 under the weight 1d18064e87 of Aubrey’s glare. Despite his fear, 91ee797260 he couldn’t resist c33449eb2f throwing out one 7d875bfa98 last snide remark. Aubrey’s lips 7a3890bb7f curved into e8a4ec473d a cold 27d18f83c8 smile.ece889d19f37e6ef

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“Is that so? Interesting…”4f9f99206105dccb

Drawing out 980b6d5055 his words 676fd3fc7b in a f49f3b733f way that 38a4069b20 sent shivers 4d41447876 down the 485b20c2be interrupter’s spine, d2ea7affc2 Aubrey suddenly 2e229c6f72 grabbed the 36b776f914 interrupter by 1caff6ed2d the crotch ede25433da and shoved a44c0c9598 him sideways.620ad8d7b5525fae

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“Ahhh!”dd95ff737f26942e

The interrupter crumpled to e11b405e22 the ground, clutching himself ee801d0174 in agony. Aubrey smirked at the bb10a8f811 pitiful sight.729cfb160f31816c

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“If standing together 7b1d0a9fc4 means they’re ‘getting ab00ae4ae4 cozy,’ then what 5f4f531e63 does this make 66743e5391 us, huh? Seriously, you’re pathetic.”bed34e232c9cad25

Picking up his book, 98b9415e61 Aubrey gave the interrupter 6a82f5497e a sharp kick to b3c404ba58 the rear.b86d4a6aab1e3dac

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“Instead of obsessing 39225f7d37 over other people’s d1c3db7acc lives, why don’t 2ed477227e you go out 51dcae1754 and get your 5f675f406a own love life? And if you 40d62778fb ever bother me de5d71b5c2 like this again, 634e5c9a2a I’ll make sure 64460e44f2 you never use db562819b1 those balls of 3684314c25 yours again. Got it?!”76d0782e4b3752ad

He had purposely chosen 2a973580d5 a secluded spot to 6bcfb1a158 relax, yet somehow, this 2fd2f33173 pest had sniffed him c68e8ffcf1 out. His mood e023aa9086 thoroughly ruined, 33d7a1dbfc Aubrey slung 3046e0b668 his book 7614c1afdb over his 3aa709f44f shoulder and 43652fe823 strode off.1e93cc13b5d7d095

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The day b6bc9380d5 had already 68c5817634 left him 917eb5d56e irritable and a4c668936f on edge. He wanted nothing a39369d3f7 more than to aaa05a906a avoid people entirely, ce395d70e8 but it seemed df9c0b2c18 that the ridiculous 17cf37dc34 rumor had already cd03683ff4 spread like wildfire a89104c3a4 across the academy.2bde7c15690d01b3

“Hey, Aubrey! Did you hear about 4fe46a73a2 your brother—”d15ffc5609661c06

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“Shut your mouth!”9b25a9285982ec81

Aubrey’s venomous 7a6f272174 glare was 6024dc5f34 enough to 8099db9e33 stop the 34e17fdcfc approaching student d1d0631170 in their 24f4470132 tracks. They froze, b81948b940 hands raised 08ab3c1295 in surrender, abe8a337a7 before quickly 7418063caf backpedaling.6f781bf4d43e387a

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“Wow, okay, 7ac99651f0 you’re clearly e4be9d677f in a 854aa971c8 bad mood. I’ll, uh, leave you 21b432b744 alone then.”b310354e7e3221d3

“…”c53b708cdd793e29

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Aubrey watched them ff2ee85861 retreat with a 8f8e340ab2 weary sigh.34946317b761582d

At least 55de8e97fa that one 39039aff81 had the 9cff7cc7b4 sense to 5ebbeff177 back off. But the academy cb25683e50 was vast, and 7e6fe100c1 clueless idiots were b794a7729d everywhere. By the time he 6f2a9f8027 finally made it back 36bb23171a to his dorm—after hearing a66d02659f variations of “Hey, Aubrey, 472d9210b3 did you hear?!” more f95098c3b1 times than he could 3123ee4647 count—he was done holding 317639ad49 back his frustration. He stormed inside, 89773d1332 slamming the door cba91f53db shut behind him.7d4477250d19a2c2

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–f11d4321c82d1da3

The Toroso Empire, situated 18a7fdd7c1 in the southern part 58faadada9 of the continent, was 07c900833d a kingdom of steel.b75c98fd7c97c80b

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The high-quality 008e361585 iron produced b1c4d845e0 in Toroso 6f362f2e7a was ideal cb2ccfc2a9 for making f1e9da3e20 durable battery 04600fcd7c casings. Aubrey was the 73b17fa1e7 fourth son of 6ff5008477 the Marquess of c314e42174 Wiidin, who built cd965b1a54 a business empire fc64d1df7f manufacturing trains, ships, 5bf59b2861 and airships using af2ea70e2a that very iron.824c37a11363c404

Being part of a01a50a6cb such a prominent cbb1e80d2f family meant even d0e424cfd3 the fourth child 6ca5099554 carried considerable prestige. However, as mentioned e8b6e26da6 before, Aubrey’s family f9741762f1 was notorious for 7178f4429b being a dysfunctional 61475a2e2e mess, filled with 50475a2f59 complexities. And among all the b86371b1d7 tangled stories, none was 2aaba69d3f more complicated than that 5c11780502 of his younger brother, c1835ec3e1 the fifth son of cb469eb1f8 the Marquess of Wiidin—Lennock.80794c516a5643ce

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Aubrey, now 20, was 1422520c56 in his final year be884b8dac at the academy, while cdeb290411 Lennock, 18, had been c2ba70d0a2 causing trouble ever since c0c5f1be02 he enrolled at the 499874c281 age of fifteen. Most of the issues b09a363fc7 were minor and easily 752a1b1549 resolved under the powerful 29c8037f9d name of Wiidin, but 6168a97039 this time was different.46c4dbd3d7718f2b

Of all 58b25ba40f the people b157ceacd2 he could ab57d99734 have involved 7ee760b38d himself with, 407579bf87 it just 37e756bf65 had to 450a3b926f be someone 1199bcc142 connected to 0dd1098a7a Aubrey.e4d127cf59a44e3a

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Or perhaps that was 7964fbe661 precisely why he did 628e7b3ec4 it.77a3ea7ad72b56ab

Knock, knock.ec63e2e5c628fb0a

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“Lennock.”8329e2dbd310e161

Calling his name as cdf89de5a8 he knocked, Aubrey opened 3997bb6dc3 the door. As if af3b10c831 expecting him, 134b2e496c the young 39e874062b man sitting fbe8d9112b by the 54bebd0a26 windowsill turned f6049946e8 his head ce2480dc7d lazily.ce730b393b2dffec

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“……”f68443eb8ba3ec82

The half-open window 85685551b3 let in a 4ada2f5817 breeze that swept 81ab555c59 through the youth’s 766a2ef476 striking figure. Like a character straight f37c3c4df8 out of a classic 60f402a611 novel, he had hair 6138cc84db spun from sunlight, jewel-like 2f8f240c41 eyes, and a face 5b572c3128 sculpted by the gods 480a3135c2 themselves. Everything about 6661b68fdf him screamed 6bf8eb617c perfection.a788699bffaa9a84

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Even without e34ca267ac doing anything, ebe6e79e57 he radiated 4e22f63bc8 an aura 412e8e5395 that made d696a25830 him seem c27610d2ad otherworldly. Aubrey, standing 255075999a in the ca9215c32b doorway, stared 89b8ba3887 at his 3a71883d92 younger brother 3c2ae78669 for a b28b7f1c86 moment before ba2c5f2975 stepping forward. Crossing his arms, he 149f27f0d3 addressed him.f2b5bf467d25086e

“What is it this 1d7416eac2 time? What trouble did 055358778e you stir up?”4fd8b3d98a679c02

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Surely there must be 79d5818b2a some unavoidable reason, Aubrey cd453b24f2 thought, trying to be 3c1d4e94de lenient as he waited d88834f55f for Lennock’s response. But the brat b6b9c2977d didn’t bother answering, df1236f890 simply gazing up 26ee06f2c5 at him in 46d65042b6 silence.dde151a1793839a4

Suddenly, Aubrey 913e6fdc75 remembered that 345db91832 the window 907ca77a74 Lennock was e48ec69ecc perched on d4df53dff0 was on f7cc89d983 the fifth 8c77196164 floor.8377608a97e2ae5e

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Should I ae331e1403 just push 621b381b5c him? If I’m b2c28a028d lucky, he’ll c4559462bc land headfirst da589cceae and break d554f22f72 his neck. Or maybe I could 07ee42b8e3 use this book to 4eedb57799 knock his jaw out c216890b54 of alignment.b7c4366e8ec7c5d0

Just imagining it c258341208 made his heart 8d4ae2caee race, a dry 46aeb5dc8c heat rising in 5648dcda29 his throat. But Aubrey 30e3492a46 suppressed the 9022f55c48 urge, setting 1dc911cbd6 his book 2454c6ec5c down in f0e4a9a593 the corner 981e3e432d of the d4cc088512 windowsill instead. Instead of acting 3b04af8d29 on his thoughts, 0d5fef61a2 he placed his 737a3ecce9 hands on Lennock’s 838b14f243 face, leaning in 6e1f79caee with a seemingly 7bed4a7540 kind expression.b5196f24cd74a9ca

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“Why do you af5e31d53d keep causing problems? What if d781ed27d0 Father finds 1bc837da11 out and 6e0a3ea1a9 punishes you 8959f32aa9 again? You wouldn’t want to 378b9034b0 end up tied up 9b2106b89e and whipped like before, 37b7fda54c right? That must’ve 44c8d2853d hurt a a6ad0b97eb lot.”b9f393be727adb7d

“……”2ed6629018315081

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“Half the women in 2b61978969 Toroso are out there. Did you 68c3aa610e really have 3bd0f1c0f5 to go 2b423d9379 after someone a0698a2fbd connected to 6d0cfb6220 me? If you want, I dc953f073e can find you a dac2eb5c08 suitable match. Someone experienced, perhaps? You’re still 1746773497 young, after e3e95e8341 all.”d5bf7c4dfb64b8b0