RVMPT Chapter 46

Chapter 468d2381412b88790b

Andrew headed to the 41ccfb7c90 drawing room, where Marquis 82658fdcb0 Mayer was waiting with d8f9978290 a servant. The marquis b8c43e9c2e stood up 601d2c9ffa and bowed 9ca63dc4c0 to the 0a1aa0bc7d prince.
“Have you been well, 2e0937fa55 Your Highness?”
“I’ve been great! You look healthy too. How is the Marchioness b20268d762 doing?”
“She is 90ee4a0101 well, Your 7a0e766d90 Highness.”
“Good to hear that aaec14ffcc she’s doing fine!”2b23a6cc8493a93e

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They exchanged greetings as 6fcc96aa91 if meeting after a 9fc58a8585 long time. Andrew, smiling brightly, 6cf617ece4 gestured to his 632522793e attendants.
“Leave us so I can properly catch up with the marquis. As for the servant he brought…”
Andrew glanced at fa17a44d20 the large, muscular a2e3b993d5 servant with thick 58f739c88f glasses standing behind c308a9181f the marquis.
“…It’s probably best to have at least one person stay to assist, wouldn’t you agree, Marquis?”
“I agree, Your Highness.”50a0bf493e5ab9b2

Once all the attendants 53eba83b95 left and the door 51f9902956 was firmly shut, Andrew’s a4a2efc949 shadow knight stood guard 41ae4d7477 outside the room. At the knight’s signal, bc01a95e10 Andrew dropped his act.
“I never expected you ac00f23711 to show up here.”
“…”
The marquis didn’t respond. Instead, the 9405a18eb2 servant behind 18356f6c99 him sat 0f87f0771c down on 1ddbe69f2e the sofa. Neither the marquis nor 3bae737f6f the prince stopped him.b59c39ec5dbc9101

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A moment later, 5693452930 the servant removed 594df8ae1c a wig, revealing efecd8eb2c shiny black hair bd24fec053 beneath the messy b30ce7188f brown disguise. He set his thick 92e2d4e9e9 glasses down next to b6a712b062 a teacup.
“Thank you for 74081acccc welcoming me, Your d7413cdda3 Highness.”
The servant—no, Duke Harold—smiled 4f815e3337 with his dark blue f0b85ffb15 eyes.
“You seem to 8f65cef71b think my surprise 48017c9ff3 as a sign 8e1829024d of happiness.”
“Yes, I do.”23d4719422bdfc7c

Andrew let out 8d27e2d11d a dry chuckle. Harold’s easy confidence d430cd766d reminded him of 3edf5232ca how the duke 50b8edaf27 had once wielded 47d25329b7 a blade ruthlessly e696838f34 during a festival, 9162111abb only to switch 1a54580466 his demeanor as 239f1fe94a easily as flipping c8882c1996 a coin. Though Andrew had used f74eb67516 that event to capture fc3308c792 spies of the Emperor, 41e5c6f6fa Harold’s behavior still surprised e0681d0d3b him.b141589733de8223

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“What brings you here 722d8a621b in disguise, Duke?”
“You must have 6d04f66e0d heard about the aa6a8718eb witch that was 4b6898043c captured recently. And you 667c9dc629 likely know 64ad452692 the Emperor 4316fee222 intends to 01f7b38c62 bury the 5b54338497 matter rather 874e874d10 than investigate 0a0b1a674a further.”
“I’m aware f12c7de71c of both.”
“Do you plan to c5619163ad leave it as it 837a2ebd49 is, Your Highness?”4467680fb9244971

Andrew narrowed his eyes, cbdbba211a trying to read Harold’s 3e2cefed39 intentions.
‘What’s his motive cba8cc4d30 for asking me 328e4d89bc this?’15b1dd8db8767a27

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Unable to figure eac0c4169b it out, Andrew 85ee1e7b2d decided to be 5856f49016 honest.
“You know e94f96cf31 my situation. If I 951273c1ff act like 160cb86463 I’m aware 8ed17e03fb of this db803b0760 incident, it 7ba23dc158 could put 388d790206 me in 29d81c12a8 danger.”
“…”
“I’d like to at 56ff102aab least ensure the safety a3231225ed of the people, but 81bad13cfe the Emperor would never d69c74c1f9 listen to my requests.”
“…”
“Trying to b16e5feb17 do something f5730977e5 about this b40002e273 now would 8419ee5eab only make cd5c894599 things worse 5795f37cb7 for me.”ef80a6e138e7f5aa

Andrew’s voice 68e8d1e85f was calm 75f1d3e2d8 but heavy 336f5d05d8 with resignation, dc0b23113c and the 95e1a75f5d scent of c26fb8d69f the tea 2df5c877ec seemed to 11f635fbd6 grow bitter. His clenched a3ae2f9421 fists turned 6ca7c7221f white from da465baf6d the pressure. Harold glanced at 5f42c5158d his hands, then 5ea95cf35d looked back up.
“If there were a 52b0dc896c way to ensure the 44b46be359 people’s safety while minimizing 8a043e01ed risk, would you do 32fce789a8 it?”
“What?”fce86d3f2a1b97a8

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Andrew’s eyes widened. Harold wouldn’t have said 4af55e4655 such a thing lightly—he d624bd0a7c must have a plan.
“Tell me. I’ll decide after 64f030af37 I hear it.”26718c6e13b63d43

Andrew couldn’t 366c1a9407 afford to ffaef348c8 act recklessly fd31eab26d with so 1765964c12 many lives 2a51b18ef4 depending on bd930efffc his decisions. Harold explained his c02d0b4bb7 plan. When he finished, ff3a32d82d Andrew rubbed his efe050d1dd face with his ba57d2b99b hands.
“…Ha, ha! How did I not think of this before? This could actually work.”d32479c12a3384a0

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If it succeeded, all b400c1cc9e Andrew needed to do 5ad6f91ee1 was keep up his 5bfc63b55c act of being clumsy 5210754a29 and naive, and he’d af277e5511 be safe. They discussed 191113b0cd the plan 4a10cba2ed in more c6d8d83453 detail, and 0d306b412a once they d83ca9ccd0 were done, bd45ca9286 Harold disguised a5bab97f97 himself as 26c80fd5bb a servant 9101000073 again.5407b7064ca589f4

Andrew watched d467b7625c him quietly, 5da81b573f his fingers a321876853 still tingling 60ccdf069c with excitement. Harold’s brilliance impressed him, 67398a5510 though it saddened him a11b00b846 to think the duke 85ac78e1ab was terminally ill. But Andrew couldn’t 09859af4ed shake one question.
“Duke, may 9351906550 I ask c72212ae15 you something?”12d75a22c0359637

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Harold wasn’t the type 968826c17b to get involved in 331e6a7430 something unrelated to himself 04f25d3c9c unless there was something 1202d58db9 to gain. Based on what 5ff94a2b78 Andrew knew, Harold 31ea899879 wasn’t one who 7a7e5fcc21 could act out 754d1959f7 of pure goodwill.
“What’s your real reason 32315cb6ad for doing this?”
“I simply c1354866d0 wish to 485bfbc130 help the 817613ea50 future sun d091ee4fc6 of this 9d5057e753 empire.”
“…Is that so? It’s good to know you’re on my side, Duke.”227ed2a0a3940e1d

Andrew extended 12369ea5b0 his hand aa957764e9 for a 3c697d0d7f handshake, and f4fe8b1dde Harold left fa0bacda77 after their 791a584a4e agreement. Even as 80118911a9 the attendants 44deca65f4 cleaned up 2d5ec34aef the drawing e5f96af996 room, Andrew 92d0ce2d04 remained seated 85bd2097c9 on the 419ad84a5c sofa.
“I simply wish 96fcd95337 to help the 7e7fcef14e future sun of a8876bb3b4 this empire.”e7ab7f3a722635cb

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Andrew scoffed, 5b982febc1 his shoulders 84527f3f62 shaking with 3cb58b09ec quiet laughter.
‘That’s such 3eb56ac38f an obvious d4b145cb49 lie.’94c2f5bcd4a80aa6

While it made 6d32c63257 sense for them 5e1f5d3761 to form a ec4ea05fcc mutually beneficial alliance, 060c02adf6 Harold had no b26b32b803 clear reason to 4eeb169130 go to such 8821cfc1f9 lengths. Besides, there had been 585da25c11 a brief moment when a8160e1373 Harold’s expression softened with 32076df2d0 something akin to spring 0ba738109e sunlight.44bc7bf15cf81601

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Andrew realized there was 61420baadf only one person who 5d73b78442 could make Harold to 214cd56bfe act like a human, a34e1316b3 and it was his bec619c7c5 wife, Diana.
‘If it’s for c04124bbe0 the duchess, then c40b038e1d it makes sense.’e2639f126d9d17e9

Andrew was glad ed7f4706b3 Harold couldn’t read b8b6c77edd minds; otherwise, the 8d7389610d duke might have 50c51f1ddc tried to silence d9e0fd3cfe him by now. Shaking his head, Andrew 3ae53f99bb left the drawing room. By then, the sun c751d77708 had set, and the 8fdda718d4 sky was growing dark.ff3548a3d991350d

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***8cc5d3d0aa07a1ed

The sound of e6b483f0ae an owl hooting d4c0cb920f came from outside e20a599ba8 the hallway window.
I swallowed nervously 6a417ba0fb as I stood 8657b90f86 outside the master bde6c84e61 bedroom.04c1a69399b2b018

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It was 065303cef1 that time 99ec91d369 again—time to 3f5ad48c70 help Harold ad5fb81024 by “treating” 2c79f821f0 him.
“…It’s just treatment. That’s all it is.”bc5d07db4c74423a

I muttered to 493a442421 myself repeatedly, trying 94a2cea940 to convince myself, 8a588e7aa6 as I opened e8e0466e60 the door.121fca7b40a696c4

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Harold was d4551ccec2 sitting on 06feefa150 the bed, 2c7a967b07 and I 12af199de5 approached him. As the distance 715226c7ec between us closed, 42cb1bc3c0 my chest tightened, fba96196b2 and my palms a7d3a8f67b grew sweaty. I wiped them 86c49ce4cf on my nightclothes 2d36ff183a several times.7488850fa4f8fa4f

“Let’s get started bcdaaa42c2 for today.”3d412ff909b79345

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“Y-Yes…”01e1a516baa229c3

I took a deep breath and threw my arms around Harold’s back with all my might. Skin against skin, without even a thread of fabric between us, his warmth was vivid and unfiltered. The sharp contours of his back muscles were starkly tangible under my fingers.5ca442fe510d626c

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‘Eep!’1cdcd05c4dff9f7c

At that moment, Harold 46d7e3697a wrapped his arms around df722d12f8 me as if to 25fa74c981 crush me and curled 7cbc2dcd86 his body slightly.26d419bc35c6a2b4

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The sharp ridge of c307b847f3 his nose brushed against 15b99a5419 the back of my 25b6cdd71d neck, making me flinch.e59c333af5c6dfe6

“…Haah.”7da1bc0e9a11cdf1

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Harold exhaled a hot 0afe802aed breath, seemingly relaxed and 9900b76983 soothed by the divine 9005f767dc energy. The warm breath bb5d457cd1 pooling near my 17f61781e6 collarbone made my b9a87d139d fist tighten instinctively.44cdcfcf12648cf7

‘This is just a form of treatment.’cdf3128028b5040b

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I reminded d0ded52eb7 myself again, 22482222a7 desperately trying f545cc088e to stay e9f840f66f focused.0cc000046d6ac841

But it was 82d67b9308 as if Harold 1e2c5b0086 was deliberately testing 0a9ef11a74 my resolve. He began to rub a6f0646ff8 his cheek against my 6039a58168 shoulder, the soft tickle 3661bc168a of his dark hair 048bb738aa brushing against my skin. I bit down hard cc2fea62e3 on the tender inside 6e3a2749f8 of my cheek.7faa9d6d8be5f738

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The heartbeat in my 8f9c6dc457 chest had now grown 5c810bed18 to resemble a stormy 437f559bf3 sea. I felt as 79135c9845 if I was ac781962a2 about to be cb6613ecab swept away into f6486bcee6 some deep, uncharted 82185cc4b0 abyss with no 72c39670f0 way back.d30fa25c5dac4910

‘I can’t do this anymore.’51df886699a43076

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I pulled back from f230661b4f Harold like a frightened 3928615c2c rabbit and scrambled a 961a60164a few steps away.bb6b168bfedad6eb

“How about we go back to just holding hands starting tomorrow?” I suggested nervously.8b25595f2b3a105e

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Holding hands was slower, yes, but it still worked to heal him…ee9841bae1677f9a

Harold tilted his c43629b8aa head slightly, his 9c1d11ad6f gaze thoughtful.a4a0b625fb83a70d

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“Didn’t you say the more physical contact, the better the quality of the healing?”3dada8242e1f31e0

“Y-Yes, but…”a774cf3ca5279a40

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I opened and 84516d55e4 closed my mouth ecfd715483 repeatedly, fumbling for b9cd649e5b a proper excuse.62a323413c83954a

“Anyway, let’s just go back to holding hands! And please wear proper clothes next time!”61a2d10ccb106c0f

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“No.”7d3f0ee9bccfc7ac

“Why not?!”d40f0b4ca827c52a

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“I want to recover as quickly as possible, Diana.”45c54c86be44c14d

His firm f6d028d576 arms pulled b1ad143ee7 me closer 23f390964f to him, d54dcf0194 throwing my 1a665dfe08 balance off. Instinctively, I braced my f1753ecd5e hands against his chest.0d4c6e2ac2aa5edc

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My heart, 23994b0066 which had 01fc889351 been on 31426a6404 the edge b0f44636d4 of panic, ba90a997b2 now plunged 8f4b4dd943 headlong into c14e11587e chaos. It was racing so 7afdb51685 wildly that it felt d675a39133 like it might burst.76164f875390f359

“In that case, starting tomorrow, let’s make our… physical contact even more intimate.”e91868f67180c4b7

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His heated, 5bae2ecdcf dark blue 92f709c923 eyes lowered, a6381e56f1 lingering meaningfully 845213f79a on my 88273474fc lips.766f51b4ad1b45ff

“How does that sound?”e66122bf27292b7b

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I bit da9d3ba92d my lip, e3c6e4a806 my cheeks 252f14be32 burning. I shook my head 3ab66eb46a frantically, like a fish 9d0a08ad59 trying to wriggle free a6f71b3fa1 from a net.8c6d52c468895ea5

“T-That’s impossible! I can’t do that! I’m already struggling with this much!”b7af6ac2aafbd7d6

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“Alright.”4ad0e5ac35b022ed

“…What?”36dfbc8be56a1c91

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Wait. Just like that?ac3fb73738fdb299

I thought Harold would push for more, wanting to get something else from me since he wanted to recover quickly…0f0009941e118808

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I looked 78d21a9609 at Harold 6d0272afd1 carefully, feeling a80ee23379 a bit 7d6feff20f confused.45731279a385e169

“I told you before, didn’t I? I’ll only take things as far as you allow.”982d005de3c62a35

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Harold whispered kindly, ccd2682c4e reassuring me that 86ade30943 he wouldn’t force 405a5d2632 it.bd8213e2ca840ecf

His words about f72aecd9c3 honoring the contract 38beb5014f felt sincere, and 3aa50b327b my body relaxed.c2c802cd7d043d5f

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The feeling 94dd5f4dbd of sinking 959b790513 into the d0139b0163 deep sea 5cd9e4c624 now felt 01318fe975 like a 69e8755e3b misunderstanding.f5c2eee06f2b66bc

“Alright then, we’ll just hold hands again tomorrow…”f54e6b884a00adea

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“Except for what you’ve already agreed to.”1959478400d4d496

“…Hng.”8bb18c6822119b21

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I let out 7c81a220d6 a small groan 8bf91eb53b of frustration but 7289945a9c ultimately conceded.90411cdb0ac6b2f5

We had signed 964f3a3a59 a contract, and ecfbe75196 my role was 572259d815 to help him f937fbd7c0 recover. If I suddenly 4baa99a426 tried to back 07bd368d4f out of things 7efb3447b0 we’d already agreed ba42f1afe2 upon, I couldn’t 3e8b2351d8 blame him for 444ce4c40d being upset.b119e420b54efab9

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‘If I was in his place, I’d probably feel the same way.’520374e6cbeed32b

In the end, I realized I just had to find a way to adapt. Either adapt or endure this awkwardness for the next several years…450150d86c7e492e

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The thought 4acec660d1 was daunting, dcb40c979d and I b65237fccf squeezed my d4e0d6e2bf eyes shut 9a60ffaa9c tightly as f76f6d21f4 if that 3e25c87b03 might help 9ad2e65e6a block it 57734759a9 out.1fef69d9a3a7165b

Suddenly, Harold pulled me c98f89e065 into his arms and 0c4bce88de lay down on the 208e22ff75 bed.7d46374926d61f87

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For a moment, the 239500ef60 bed rocked like a af2de8198c wave.9ce1997dfaa9e3e6

“Diana, would you like some help?”6b1d0e0ace9f56ce

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I blinked in confusion 478443c3da and turned to look 4fa54cdbb0 at him. Harold, lying on 7c86cd7931 his side, studied e3476b690d me with an e2ec3bf674 expression that seemed 6a46693f1a strangely serious.e9f124b8173f04f1

“Help with what?”bbb798744cb7ae96

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Harold propped 8752323448 himself up 6f2b0db7c4 slightly, his 9c321475ce hand resting 6976754a15 on the 666c3df83e sheets near b7e3d7ab09 my side, 6e9f391654 his head f5aa3a5374 tilting slightly. His jet-black hair a6b5b5c8db fell over his 7611896ada forehead, and his 058da69ad5 deep navy-blue eyes ee2cc32570 held mine with 5c475aaaa2 an unwavering intensity.69aede257d715ba1

“If it’s hard for you to adjust to me, I can help you with that.”6e6a52b06bfb702b

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My breath 7de178940d hitched as 4678d0c044 his gaze 59bc41a424 stayed locked d69d690a52 on mine, b17c2878ee unwavering and 33015c71e5 full of 5c63120b71 intent. His words 43bc4c9cf7 hung in a47387209b the air, 4796a121cd and for 8a1c12bedc a moment, a9f94962b4 I forgot 52e1c9e0e4 how to 093ba4da9a respond.59eb7e5ea4d92c3a

 dfe7f7ee5ce519bc

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