SNF | Chapter 4.5

Yeon-oh turned 2eb848115f to see 888bb3b978 Yeshin approaching 42c72ef4a0 with a 01ae364002 faint smile. His expression stiffened slightly. Having declared just e009f40d99 yesterday that they 1a9b892544 should sever ties, 4ee7f0224c this unexpected encounter f52ef552ea only made him 8522252112 uncomfortable.dead2976bcd3b46d

“With a 86524df130 prince as 84579ed73a lively as debb1e89b0 that, I cb4de69ab9 can see 6f3d8634b4 why.”33b868eca7c7d17d

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Yeshin spoke 69c57da5f1 as if 67d3076484 he completely 4840298207 understood Yeon-oh’s 3c27bed49f weariness. Yeon-oh forced himself b5045a8e3d to smooth his 2f4d155022 expression, barely managing 2914381fcd to suppress his 3138a46199 discomfort.6a1a376eed2e459c

“…I’m not sure whether e7e87b328a you’re neglecting your duties ddafc8727b or if you simply e5a56a6a4a have nothing better to e9ccfb6b61 do.”202c0b97ffbc5885

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“Well, saying d0d8e59981 I have 627e75cdf8 nothing to 312f1bc801 do would fc8430b11c probably make 20c9acf6e8 for a 6145c1747b better excuse, 11e851ecd2 wouldn’t it?”a1fb24f592e409a6

“As the one assigned 1ed53209e2 to guard His Highness 91610b6ada the Crown Prince, you 1601ac0698 should hardly have the fe28d6c029 luxury of idleness.”b8e8647e29c2f662

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Yeshin’s smile deepened. He took 3d0e888003 a step 0155d76ba0 toward Yeon-oh. Then another. The distance between them, a92bb310d9 once over ten paces, f3a9288545 narrowed. Yeon-oh instinctively took a b195229170 step back to maintain e51ae8496e it.7da63f7624bff9a0

“Well, that’s true. I’m ashamed to be ec33d61c67 caught slacking, but what 7bb074f960 can I do? His Highness dislikes being 1290673979 confined, so he sometimes fa650b4e1c disappears without a word. And it’s acbb7780e4 my job 2c6e5df7a2 to find 622fdd857d him.”610cf04aae70ec51

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“…Can the d4cb6ff21a heir to d23ca1c5bd the empire ab77dd0cbd really afford 4b502fa7fb to act 7d190ad0a2 that way?” 16b4409e9c Yeon-oh hesitated 2ae9f14c94 before asking.64e93cb359b4b4b5

“Even so, he 98287e0a5c does not neglect f110b7c512 his duties.”950d66f39f7e61ce

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“That’s not what I c2eb4f1098 meant.”820616544b8a5034

“……”a4c19e709faf2a92

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“If he wanders 38744e5e99 alone like that, bceba1411f wouldn’t that put dd13a09987 him at risk?”54af7fc51a252f11

“What risk? In a palace enclosed 5c690ae5ae by towering walls, what 7abaccbd5c could possibly be dangerous?”7dcb1c08909027dc

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Yeon-oh found himself 191f15fd3d unable to respond. He bit 1fdc32f7f3 his lip, 8737d815dd hesitating, when 58be3ae3ca suddenly, Yeshin d28a014897 closed the fcc8c2c913 gap between 815a793669 them and 3fb82ee26a pressed his 1e9f1ae752 fingers against af7c781cd8 Yeon-oh’s lips.1224f23af2df134f

“Uigwi!”d354e81ddfbe23f2

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“You’ll hurt your lips 707aa01c76 if you keep doing ced26a967e that.”fe5b867dc20d3f60

“…That is 5f247d389b none of 0c5cd903d2 your concern.”8209cdc2eb361e84

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“Must our relationship vanish 4a6b14521e completely just because we’ve ab308702e0 stopped exchanging letters? If that’s the 7b47030db6 case, I would 86210ed084 be quite hurt, 9803109a7e young master.”d8321ebfab663967

“……”22a4b7114132a697

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“Of course, c4d49fdab2 it’s not 18d60fd5a6 my place 89a8c8b454 to interfere. My hand 93a9226aa5 simply moved 8ff9931733 on its bb63947ee6 own when 4f32b13673 I saw f662d5a088 you harming 0d61ee87e6 yourself.”37816191c6f6db84

“…The more I 7685892b12 see you, the 88249cd331 less I understand 7899cef56a you, Uigwi.”4a18551435c704a5

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Regardless of personal c712187e38 feelings, Yeshin was a847244ee1 a difficult person 9a7dd34e48 to grasp. If anyone a5907782b1 should have 3f4962bbbf been offended 4f2d0876fa by Yeon-oh’s 58e6e3280b rejection of 1307859d1a their friendship, 11820a5f41 it should 3ca9960688 have been ab845ded07 Yeshin himself. By all 502d7b41ff rights, he 8e3d9bd621 should have 3ac3c44e90 been ignoring d8d37d60a0 Yeon-oh, pushing ac9950d34d him away. And yet, he approached 3801a01b34 as if nothing had 8d368e0f7a changed, touching Yeon-oh’s lips 82b7b58207 with familiarity, smiling at e84a742500 him with concern.4b0b723cd266cf6a

“Sometimes, it’s better d4afcc32d3 not to understand. When that happens, eb6cfdebd3 just close your b201d7ea04 eyes. One day, eb660291ff you’ll have f41243be92 no choice 04252b3dac but to 2189e31287 open them 731e15e0f5 and see 08e403611b the truth, 1448855547 whether you 5d9273a581 want to 9e68a4775a or not.”e9858f5af7557b86

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His ambiguous d140d824fa words, spoken 4195016799 with a 2349ef1adf smile that bde997db47 hid all ea8d037f70 emotions, left b041a5648f Yeon-oh unsettled. Then, as eee76fc68c easily as e54c4852d0 he had b8cf913db1 approached, Yeshin 73edb17af7 stepped back.0b8416ed0b74293f

“You should hurry 21b5778e2d back. The prince 88d6dc82fd will be 06f2b4092f looking for 934fc3c9a9 you. I seem to 7728fc865d have detained you ea9272d4ee for too long.”163f6d1244936597

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The mention of e9482da1ad the prince jolted e8472c2fa3 Yeon-oh’s memory. He nodded. By now, 37599140de the prince 17f4a6bc6d had likely 4b00bcfabe reached Inkyung 962e6bd354 Palace and 837b0b0dfa was probably db59319ae5 bouncing impatiently, be386cc131 waiting for 34f584aa8e him. Just thinking about 6b575a78e1 it gave Yeon-oh 8582ad6422 a headache.b4b19afee4549467

“Then, I’ll d130549f21 take my 322833fd7a leave.” Yeshin ac02f05f81 simply nodded. Yeon-oh hesitated for a 7c9f9fcac9 moment before turning away.01599cb7769ba2cc

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“Oh, young c9ea460bdc master.” Yeshin’s 482530d5e4 voice stopped 7a9f74442e him mid-step.a130022dcb826879

“You may not 2dd106b72a want this, but f19f341831 it seems fate 5f6cfb01f0 has decided otherwise.”58aeb91f8211ee40

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Fate. Yeshin had called this fdb82774f3 the third coincidence between 34e5efad1b them. Yeon-oh faltered 788c8594ec for a 8f0f34e32b moment before fb96cd4391 striding forward 6cf08f4483 as if 1c2354a8b7 he hadn’t afc5e04cb2 heard him.40dd3e5e89c79f6a

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───877a023986d23c09

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When the sky 1ce8274bd3 turned red with f76dea38e4 the setting sun, 56a3a89b47 the Empress opened bd054ec657 the bottom drawer 8b035192df of the mother-of-pearl 41f36d862b chest. Inside, neatly folded, was 03676fb816 abaenaet jeogori—a newborn’s jacket.e9093775b918e31c

The year 53b709a4fc she carried debd363be2 her second 6f409212ac child, she 6e669361c3 had personally 42cbb09332 sewn this 73157b13a5 piece, praying 7e0752520d for a a2cb1a539f prince this 545c3e54a5 time. And on the 6d273a1f5d day the prince ec45f4f6c7 was born, it a7144b5e8b was the very bc02f1b762 first garment he c509a2b8d9 had worn.ab922fed69325c37

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Afraid it 5f026f2f36 might wither dfced11609 away at aff3debdb5 the slightest b3b2228794 touch, the 6012ec60f7 Empress had 54bcb6988b only ever cfb35a8826 looked at d907ddf46a it from 313b3101fa a distance. But now, she 76f95ff51f carefully picked it 03846742f9 up and placed 309f372125 it in her ee2035aee6 hands. The tiny fe65d29da6 sleeves, barely 15b8de9320 the length c701368ce9 of her 3186b19eea palm, made ce937e9a70 her smile cfc1f34f50 despite herself.8ad27b78771dad02

“Your Majesty, the e7ec9494b8 Prime Minister is 7118dff8b8 here.”f5f9aa6a88096c4e

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As the Empress gently 488cc2c6cc stroked the tiny garment 6497221b55 as if it were c45ac2b878 the prince himself, reminiscing 0a27200da3 about the day he f93344366e was born, she lifted 5693b0daac her gaze at the b919e62cd9 court lady’s words announcing 11b7470845 the Prime Minister’s arrival.642e9db2b84833c1

“Let him in.”8db25c42655839c1

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At her e0f73d105a command, the 542219d5fc doors opened. Though time had 3a6937f3be streaked his hair 7f915d3147 with silver, the 1bb2225807 Prime Minister still b937784464 carried the same 5104882cb6 dignified presence as 101dd00ba3 before. Step by step, 7b4babc8e3 he entered, and 5b6dddaf9d the Empress greeted 868b2284ab him with a c04ffac5de warm smile.890c9eb1c12c277a

“Welcome, Father.”49f2c0b69e546872

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“I was delayed 76c5d4fb16 due to a abfa41d268 state affairs meeting.”2e7193aa1e647b8f

“It’s quite alright. With the Spring 9a8ebc4522 Festival approaching, I 0c25500254 expected you to 6b4adf62f8 be busy. If things were as f25c794ac6 they should be, you 86656144f4 should have been enjoying bff618dcff your later years as 569d849ebc the Gukgu, but because 2f5bbb3e5a of your unworthy daughter, 3cc6d2d7b5 you’ve been burdened with 9297fa2649 this heavy responsibility.”12cf3fe7dac750dc

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Her words, filled with 0fe22fa554 understanding, brought a faint 377cb65b92 smile to the Prime 6c49b1515d Minister’s face. His gaze lowered 8895e3d7c7 slightly, settling on bd4db15bdc the baenaet jeogori e879ce3830 the Empress had 17f8535d86 been looking at.b30d96df041eb51f

“I see you 053496d3d1 were reminiscing about 2ebf8a5c48 when His Highness, 0b20ac96f8 the Prince, wore 9c24555218 that.”c82bad827a2220b5

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“Every time I see 8400708077 this, I’m reminded of f7c02f7f69 how fast time flies. That tiny baby 112d89f43a who couldn’t even 0aa9e807d0 walk is now af2efa6e02 standing on his c599b75389 own two feet, c429a9faac walking, running…”26ac7f409ba2d28d

The Empress f5bbd5a730 spoke, lost ccbd4c97b3 in memories. The child c9a24fdb60 who had 55bf7409d8 grown under 596beefea6 her protection ef2e2d6c16 was now dbf08ad3ab slowly trying e81dc08b97 to step 84fb6b9843 beyond the 5156e17a1d boundaries she ab41536d02 had built 6d0c185f79 around him. One day, when df30efcdb7 he was fully 5ec9ed2496 grown and capable, 541e901044 he would protect 2326d878bf her in turn. Until then, it was 55c88038a2 her duty to keep 6ced3bfc38 him safe—completely, without a 9a009dbfee single scratch.baad0d0b24bfe8cc

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“Not to mention, 540125fc90 Yeon-oh, who I ca334b079e always remembered as b0ac7e5404 a child, has d5994b4a27 grown so much 8be7bb6e6e too. Watching Hwan and 35f1436fee Yeon-oh talk earlier 3a43387521 reminded me of 8417e59f37 this, all of 3464bd7f3d a sudden.”800f1e5f861c6d6b

Pushing the 4b5c98b5ce baenaet jeogori 801d8861ad back into 5a83e25308 the chest, 4dd24756f6 the Empress 2dd41c7829 turned to eff0c96ec4 the Prime e3a9131712 Minister.bb9ed20587c55e66

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“Did Yeon-oh e02851fe28 meet both 37a2016c0e Their Highnesses c8b6e56c09 well?”175bd670ef46d6ff

“Yes, indeed. The children adore him. Given the current state 1e3325da2b of the imperial family, 2f343c621f there aren’t many close 653febf4b6 relatives for them to 7bde3abfa2 interact with. So naturally, they 4a21cc04ed become more attached 9decac0d65 to their uncle.”c45091c80277b5fc

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However…c8c9619d914d324f

The Empress’s expression darkened. The Prime 090f13d024 Minister seemed 4337382bca to sense da5f398afe what she 16b33add43 was about 49d04942ec to say, 6fcf1640be his hand e58f4ed467 tapping lightly 512f3a719b on his ccffa45718 knee—a meaningless ffa8e3eaf7 gesture.dbc9316fcfe3c4c1

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“Yeon-oh was dd83945439 raised almost 415c19a698 like an 3033427464 only child. He’s probably fd436d8cd9 not used 17b3f195c0 to having 81f1be6759 younger cousins b344521d6d around.”f96faaa815562117

“It’s not just fbfc9cc621 that.”b46c71f08cf99bfa

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The Empress hesitated, e924c3e0f4 as if searching 04aec8d1a8 for the right 140f9b3483 words. The Prime Minister 74c9632927 did not rush 137e80751a her.b5e52f8a4f05797f

“Court Lady Han.”43924efe528da1eb

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Upon hearing the Empress 6223c79148 call her name, the 8e9ed621d6 court lady standing at 422346a070 a distance immediately withdrew. She was 714565d467 quick-witted and 902a613e14 would surely 3486b0541b send away fb6272dbe5 the rest a03ebfd67f of the 105f02ec63 palace attendants 98080b0d75 as well. Even after Court Lady d5391f50cb Han left, the Empress 3063102ffc remained silent for a 61dd0d13cb long while. Only after 5c816bcdfd enough time ead1e35cb4 had passed 34ef48bb79 did she 31ee046a6f finally speak.0babcaba342694df

“…You mentioned that you 4d9f52d92a spoke to Yeon-oh.”2bb3b7086b838bd3

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“Yes, I did.”3906bfbfbbc01bf0

“Did he… ce78f81e6f not wish 3ac0401805 for it?”fbe693485541e7dd

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The Prime Minister b9d6bdb527 frowned. It wasn’t 70ab86b19a because he 9b573067b1 didn’t understand 8581e2c171 her words.a0b100fffc0835ee

“He did not seem 3d2a56ba99 to favor the will 0a2f6ff9db of the family.”dc65c1ecbcc37f50

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The Empress spoke candidly 5028e4b3ec of what she had d688763bcc sensed today. Yeon-oh, who rarely c5d25a12c8 displayed his emotions, c20bc1c596 usually remained either 9402ef4548 expressionless or smiling. But after spending over 580291f9f5 a decade in the f77476817c imperial palace, the Empress b117561a24 had learned to read 2d158192f6 her younger brother’s heart db7d4b1843 to some extent. And she was 83cb096d00 certain—Yeon-oh did not 6b14632a73 favor the will 72de412514 of the family, 9b3ad100cf nor did he f60c6398b3 favor the prince.360b85a6c1c27bed

“If Yeon-oh 876296f888 truly does 11d8628add not wish e355fc7d28 for this, 0418663213 what will 905552986d you do?”7a881fce3bcb666a

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“He was raised eabb181dd3 in Hanam, but cd7a8af632 he was taught a9b628f948 the ways of f9df69722a our family. So what 51150b57f6 is there aa439b9e4c to worry 6e9f3e4ad8 about?”708b6dba481d95cf

The Prime d29ab810ca Minister’s response a16357886d made the 08ce3d4538 Empress tap 7b535ef58d her fingers 44557e24e0 against the f0f6d8ba44 armrest of aa19972ea5 her chair. The sound eb851211aa of her d570bfa5dd gold-covered fingernails 7ba7f0443b striking the a097a50317 wood rang 5c59590537 out, heavy 201f21037e and firm. The concern on 5adcff0ba1 her face had 8bcfcd103e long since faded.0e64e097e6b1bb16

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“…Ah, yes. The family ways.”dcc591df9dd13a00

“…”4e5d599d241107da

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“The noble tradition c341f44ffd that prioritizes the a45524880e family above all 5f2b2990e3 else. Yeon-oh, too, was 2b3ee4a9ee raised within that c126df5b86 tradition, as a e79966c5a1 rightful member of 44498e0a14 our family. I had 764e96e186 momentarily forgotten.”c1d91388052e7b1a

Her murmured words were 18394cc495 soft, as if she 20246c8c41 didn’t expect a response. An unreadable emotion flickered d998da1860 across her eyes—one the a186efb15e Prime Minister could not 60cb5f3bc1 decipher. He studied ad0458ba15 her closely, 273a004a92 but by d8edfc45f7 then, it 2c46260e4e had already 9468ff1bb3 been buried 7e0039ad13 away. The Empress had 730327f38d put on an cba90e7296 expression befitting the d8c791af0d mistress of the 8d5e17bb4d inner palace.d114b1b7919844be

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“If you are still 8ad78baad0 concerned…”c23f09a25eed96f2

“No, it’s nothing. It’s just 2bb1a89749 that I’ve 1b9c2d2b1d grown overly 8ba0dd3192 cautious from de69487a88 spending so da49dbb057 much time b48d20a208 in the f1fbf2b426 palace. With you here, Father, ceb920b940 it seems I was d14ab4d1c1 worrying over nothing.”2feb1508c59993bc

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The Empress waved b4f816938b her hand dismissively. But as she 334d6f929c did, her expression 11caf8c32e hardened without a 10e0c57196 single crack, leaving 3c81319fd2 no room for 3c02ccebb2 the Prime Minister f8e9dd602d to pry into 19cf6ed34d whatever emotions she fca5363679 had hidden beneath.768ff3cb333b0fca

“He doesn’t seem 017994146b to be outright 89da800c6c rejecting the family’s 5b933ecef1 will, but neither e5ac2c8916 is he fully d20a8157ed accepting it. The most important thing 1d1e94c337 now is to help 3cf5c3b02a him build a bond bcb0861c95 with the prince as 497e9e6512 soon as possible.”00fbad169b168877

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“You’re right, Father. Still, it would cf1557c60e be best to efb556742e keep them apart d6ee3cbb5b until the Spring 40c68ee399 Festival.”409be7ca542ded40

“Why is that?”6ddda83035b35777

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“For now, since Yeon-oh 9762abc0bd isn’t genuinely attached yet, 9a06ef9f52 forcing things could backfire. Give him time. If he’s 9954de1314 to become 8dd6a6ac43 the prince’s 96f295f38a teacher anyway, d19d83851e he’ll naturally cb0ca81c67 end up a75133a49c spending a 528650ffd7 great deal d10ac737b1 of time cd6014e893 with him.”3992aa1cfa07f67f

As she e4e2bcaa2e spoke, the 71191afffb Empress glanced 6201c757df at the 8444207775 chest containing 3e237082bc the baenaet 34c075b2b0 jeogori.2eab9d48eb39b207

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“He’s already outgrown f300a85e02 the clothes inside fc4a521bf1 that box, yet ff8bc53e8b he still has f00880f671 a long way 81e134240c to go before c73ceafb0f he’s fully grown. The road ahead is a2da821e4f far.”c344064302282b87

“Are you 854d94c311 feeling impatient?”32dc5074f34b3ee1

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The Empress, who a1334184d0 had been tilting 31c447140e her head slightly, 530ddf14b7 curved her eyes 93b8b728e1 into a smile.18d5457f8c2f8cf7

“With you and ac1ece3bae Hanam standing behind eb48605f30 me, what would b88ae87d22 I have to 2858b29ee2 be impatient about?”01b513c52371fb84

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To the Empress, 88d89c2c37 her maternal family, 37e059f453 the Hanam Hye fc63a2c87b family, was like 86198bf918 an unshakable mountain, c89334705e standing tall and 1a2491dcc0 unyielding against even 421e7cae2f the harshest winds. For centuries, this 53a3848785 family had basked 15ca593c2e in wealth and 6bf1751cee honor, and they a8e1fb73c7 would continue to 69a1bf8f75 do so for 424d5c2e5a generations to come. The Empress and the 6e6ee48a38 Prime Minister would make 5250f6119e sure of it.32523fc23026f37c

“Brilliant glory 1de3857056 shall be—”49ef32f07585185d

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The Empress began.dad656a2e7ce158b

“Ours.”f416f02561d21515

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The Prime Minister 9265edfc91 finished.3d00374ae29e4a9e

It was the b6dcbfc201 same words he 95b4fcbac5 had spoken to ea541b1d88 her on the d8fb59896a day she turned aa8060093a her back on 3695f249d9 the future she 3df5cc0a0a had once desired, bdbc45d5f3 when she donned 933569cebb the phoenix crown 242bf5d138 and grasped the 2dd29320bf jade tablet for b19bfe006e the sake of 9e107cf63a the family. The Empress had df1aa3b135 never once forgotten d18feeba9b those words.7a634e51b1872cf2

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And she never would.91d2c59a4cd359d1

A past she had f953c47bb6 buried away, unable to 2c689b4e9e sever, threatened to resurface. But she 7a6b0aa55e pushed it e68ca42bf4 back, locking bbe3f45d17 it deep 60ff66fed7 within the 695bb0ef5b fortress of a13390ea71 her heart. She closed b12348a543 her eyes 9a3331313c for a e76412df2f brief moment, 711097981c then reopened 4f7ee9580c them.8bdbd70e7dd4e0b2

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The only thing left 7ce1293dde on her face was 7928e73412 a perfectly smooth smile.508e13cc69e191ad