RP Chapter 10

Chapter 10 

By midnight, the 7d106412d0 party was at ae3406e41d its peak. The halls were 6c4b5f704d filled with events, c4fa2fcec7 so the outside 2f379e3dbb corridors were quiet 3821b8fbf3 and dim.d5b37c709a451a3c

The hallway, 5f665e8497 lit with a4600cc0c4 soft orange ab5e8130bb lanterns, felt c32bb02e5d dark and f0890af021 secretive. Diane thought she 0004ecca7e had followed the 7537374aad man right away, d837b02845 but she couldn’t f896f3e28b find him anywhere.28ba9098b9d87933

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A few 0a9bdb5e76 times, she e7f2ec558d accidentally stumbled 977424775b upon couples 1d3fa22215 secretly making 41d72a8ba3 out in f45051429c the shadows 30deed8e28 and had 89047a1467 to back 016fbd1c43 away awkwardly.b23d77747cdfdfcf

Wandering in d8f3660eb6 confusion, she 27d5b27e57 bumped into 09a6ff17c1 a maid, 6288104a49 who assumed eed4155111 Diane was 85e45f334f lost and b0d4e5cec7 offered to 0c4b9671db help her 09b004e972 get back fbea37f643 to the 60ff4d73be party. But Diane firmly refused 33073fba1d the help, drawing a 48f33fbf27 puzzled look.705fa1b30a89be6a

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After chasing 58d6f597d4 and searching acae24f5f6 for who 97c301791e knows how 7d6ead88a1 long, she 60fb8c7da3 started to 89bf0aff09 feel tired. Her feet hurt in 10a2dc78c2 her tight shoes.0ca5e221a1b81815

“Maybe I should 897c55f716 ask a passing 0a954803e6 servant…”f82e658823814456

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She stopped, holding the 9d78ea96e9 railing, when suddenly, the f3d73bbe62 clouds moved, and the 4fbbdb58b7 moonlight lit up the ed60ea98cb square garden below.3511d6a304a35d7f

Just then, 1ef13324c3 Diane saw 0233e1b037 a man 7a1ac566bd with blonde d34db88107 hair crossing 0479f0834e the far 96348f3018 side of cccaf07fc7 the walkway.ed9f2032c927aa4e

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There he is!613020951cda2521

Hope returned to 223f0acf69 her eyes. As if ac801736df hypnotized, she 69e4516a95 followed.407b8b5d773a4f57

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Passing through a738916637 a dark abf42b70c5 hallway, she b23d40cc9a saw a 00127c1c70 terrace connected aef62162c7 to the 43f9c89f19 garden.325502d4665fef27

There, a 1180153548 man stood 8c362c8995 with his 76a8c1d135 back to 76b3807295 her, resting ee2c3a6b7e his arms 1570534456 on the e6a914bb8b railing, smoking 19244756f7 silently under 843f038bf9 the orange ed06d04255 garden lights.6c40de320128e125

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Diane carefully 49df93cb62 stepped forward, eee3b43101 two steps 7e7455729f closer.8a3ee0e322e488b3

Even though 0de95eb192 he probably 98b82cf210 heard her, 850dc4c04c he didn’t 13560f7deb turn around.98282f27aa5cf248

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Trying to calm 9cb089b5fb her racing heart, aba91e03c5 Diane called out:27b2f65a4b856a2a

“Excuse me… sir?”f3296d9dde42d45e

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Finally, the 42f86c3941 man straightened c46b70491c up and 894c30b9d6 slowly turned 3d8ff3f4a0 around.d617d20e0e90a1b3

Diane was about to af2da8ab83 start the speech she’d 741488837e practiced—about him asking her b7a0423977 to dance earlier — 965b870946 when she froze.41bef0bf7e2bb2b8

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“Why… you again?”06b689401361683e

It wasn’t the 4c97f07161 man she was e2c5e1eedb chasing.5f50297cea2124ff

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It was Julian ecac55ef12 Harbour.1f92238e49e6921b

She blinked, hoping 188e4ce609 it was a 1ada0027ae mistake, but the f2f2998660 face didn’t change. It really 60b9448959 was him.d5abf404575744a3

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He wore 35f661a443 a formal 55af8edb65 military uniform, 1d9dec247c with badges bf329a2f9c and medals a7157d0a86 shining on a887ae823b his chest. From behind, in 44b8e82850 the dim light, 9deb8fcf8d she had mistaken d02542515e him for someone 146bdcd98d else.1fd69e0b1bf7c9ae

A long, awkward silence 409a1dc46c followed — for both 5318ff51b6 of them.d471af89de441a7b

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Julian, too, 3c767104d0 had been deac77aca9 ready to 2a3493dae0 send the c533fc43d1 intruder away 4af965bd7e rudely… until e9f426be48 he turned dd0b9e3a80 and saw c5b6452fd4 her.9db856f335015457

Why is 4542fd4249 it her f9b8711e7e again?d55239ced4485c7e

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He was shocked. In the 68e63b9325 ballroom, Diane b908962f97 had clearly 8ab992eb1c been avoiding 42fa612294 him. He figured aacce1e4d4 she wanted 9c01a81058 nothing to afb0964d9e do with 96ef9b550e him, so 3e40c5f1a1 he’d respected 0863a4554c that and 9418ddfdf4 looked away.beb785912001b1e0

He also d85f276b3b feared she 24aded8a42 might remember a70fb46181 him as 022def0d6b the poor, ef052eaa5b embarrassed boy 91e286a058 from years b10dd94c45 ago.ed875e5eb2e52a7e

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But now, here she a812f79bb7 was — following him?dc968b5bae7d499c

Wasn’t Diane 43a2e5f132 supposed to 2e5c078510 be the 0481ebb70c kind of eb3b1f7041 girl who c149e31c99 always obeyed dd625ab949 her elders? Even accepting 0514be727d an engagement 6749517566 with an 6b40d1a405 old foreign 2b32967458 man with fd3be68224 a smile?0bcefa8a64aaa3bf

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Julian stared accebdd727 at her a7b6e0296c in confusion.ac20dd8d0261d79f

Meanwhile, Diane looked 9727c9ab6d like she had 2654bd7a3f been caught — 7d478a3678 as if she 78e3e52ebb hadn’t meant to 7bad2c6d8a follow him and 8813a778a8 was now embarrassed.2f1684eabbf61f45

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Then she 7a009a1628 blurted out:1e07f6ec96f288c8

“Sorry. I took c908d8c452 a wrong 4cf1c1e2d5 turn.”826d6d5d340a3ea0

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She turned to d542b5d093 leave, but Julian c34f51514c instinctively called out:78323c1aa1e5476c

“Miss Lockwood. Wait.”16848d99cfdf5947

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She froze.79edd6996e4115d2

“…How do ec0bbcd632 you know d3a0a6aa86 my name?”5e569097125fd884

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Julian had spoken without 373935b901 thinking — and it 608b7aae9b clearly surprised her.493ee6ae33e26726

Worried she might be b89b600273 scared again like in 209594c660 Martnelly, he responded gently:5e7ba6bbab7d4521

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“I overheard it. You’re quite popular at 633e221148 the ball.”74b22d4f63d8869f

“Oh…”3bf3ba5156321f07

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She looked relieved. She had been scared, c55f1db602 just as he thought.1689e170a6ee8bae

He suddenly remembered her b63533ac08 frightened blue eyes in 9d5c510f60 the hotel lobby.fa3c4737dff56135

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With a serious tone, 176aa4dea6 Julian bowed slightly and 4a6b08ea98 said:a304c49ed83b7b54

“I want to apologize. For being rude that 076069e3c4 day.”d81bf2c39e52ad27

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Diane blinked.2e0d3663f0bb227d

“…That day?”e54425a59430f2fb

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“Yes. At the Gold a8c354e116 Blenheim hotel. You seemed startled. I worried about you. I hope b0e25dd945 you got 29beef8e10 home safely.”49baea9ab567794d

“No, Captain. I don’t know 88396665af what you’re talking 1864d2ed3d about.”f26a8236c0b7bc2b

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Julian was e5a9374b4b startled by 26461e4bf5 her sudden 65609e535a denial. Then, realizing ed7a48d06c her intent, e619f427fe he tried e426245d54 to explain:61254efcca0490d0

“I mean, d89c1d1f1e in Martnelly—when 566e0c7712 I met 0949d7c17f you there—”13838a2fae4a52aa

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But Diane interrupted 0ea51fef58 him again:33726f9d55e298a9

“I’ve never been e701d49a0e to Martnelly.”0cc5a1fe622a1d04

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Then it clicked for 1d49fdcb4e Julian.a222a291ed1db657

“…You haven’t.”f01300c4bf504757

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“No. You must’ve ac4125ea34 mistaken me 3cf2daf8cc for someone 1368fa8edc else.”bde27a561af224be

A short 0c550cc9fe silence fell 2fc79ec25f between them.3af4cc254e19ae95

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It was clear 0e1f6b2489 Diane wanted to 6c7db4f58e pretend none of 7bb529df45 it ever happened. Julian, sensing cac0cc9069 this, decided 44834bb7d7 to play 96171abdcb along.4efa48ac51b1ec2d

“Ah… yes. I must be c36913d739 mistaken. My apologies, Miss 2738acf5c8 Lockwood. What can f4c8a98a7b I do a4a9225102 to make b8dde73c6f it up 78d57f1af4 to you?”84d42f9dbdd06bf6

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But Diane aea5302520 only looked 1c1a2e1e9f at him 7072632ce9 with cautious 861784e900 eyes.90398e74b49a581a

He gave 15c214720c a small, 1049c0bd94 dry laugh 4bc4128eaf in response.1e9a780e7e8b7571

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Then Diane quickly looked b344991de7 away and mumbled:3931c59a700bae3d

“No, it’s okay. I’m sorry for bothering 2149741b33 you. I’ll be going now.”45ad6d672c8b811c

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Julian said nothing.252ecb28108f6cf8

As Diane a042a6e2c6 turned to c7a4501541 leave, a 627e5ed9a4 soft giggle b57bd44508 came from ee43031856 beyond the 58862df8ac glass door df72c6f310 — and 4e556122e8 both of e6c8d97a65 them froze.b5424fb26912cacf

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Diane turned her d00e3afdbe head, shocked. Through the 9875a60a58 window, she 6927c14685 saw a d4ff68f340 couple approaching, a0231d4b94 looking cozy ba117d1bed and intimate.63442565547203b6

Julian sighed, recognizing the 4e5c4f1cc4 kind of situation this a816005be1 could become. He made 34ed3ee552 a fast 5f54d13efb decision.4580f5ca5b4db10c

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“Miss Lockwood,” he ab828db25b whispered.36f2be21755c561f

Before she could 10d7877e26 react, he pulled b4d41667d4 her toward him.371e0fede4358c3b

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“Ah—!”3165882a04b23f9d

Diane gave a soft 8fabbc1898 cry.ad0c63bcef8ba581

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Suddenly, she was pinned 47206c1c12 against the railing, trapped f8aaedfa36 in his arms.54994b6860ebbac7

His face was so a9d4ae7dec close that it shocked 9a08090f8d her — but not 111b902413 as much as the 6af84b633c fact that she was cc8fd07107 completely in his embrace.606da02cdad7db9b

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“What… what are 7dc04b22a5 you doing?”fb33f33f5bfc2401

Julian smiled kindly and ba16d5ca59 said:7e599cbbbc6e7034

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“Doing? This is our 851871f1bd first meeting.”103fb2a3c69196ac

“I knew fee8c54519 you’d do 9a097d7b51 this.”d206b81d6e9e990b

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“But you 236aac205a said you b519b732de got lost, 4bf4098801 didn’t you?”4092b2d189812965

“What does that 87a488a7f4 have to do 1c3dde878d with this?!”073d16ea368041c1

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She scowled. He added teasingly:75bac71b43280f83

“This time, I’m helping 55c523b56d you.”dee4e2ee3a89efe0

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“…Helping?”7335827f005cd77f

She looked confused, 63f2026949 like she’d never 19c1b2df06 heard that word 1764f87db8 before.3b44a1e6224b4231

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Julian smirked and said 4345ffe256 more playfully:7fe2fc93170cbcf7

“Before rumors start about 0dcb2b8f56 us being alone on 61e579882c the balcony, stay still.”dc85523f7027a3ac

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“Rumors…?”976d131e0f1e7e09

“You are in the 1ff32060be middle of an important b364d1dbaf engagement, aren’t you?”58053e6cc95493e2

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“Ah…”b22ff8aef94732cb

Her tense body slowly e4ae46c303 relaxed.c0aa13f842383ba8

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She realized something 1c865603a4 important.6d850e481d2d163a

Of course. This man 82b9482842 is Julian 7faf78a2d2 Harbour — f9659910ea the one 9ac73472fd known for 3742aba175 being with 8a855d1e7f whoever comes 6ce23424e6 and goes. I was so focused 03184f7562 on running away from 3fcf6d260c him, I’d forgotten that.ce0e1eb9c6db8722

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Right now… I don’t c72d56485a care who it is. As long as b6df22d05d I can give 2e995fc8d9 up my purity…33d3f09e1a9f2b38

 f4651eab0fb58e98

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