SSCP | Chapter 5

Episode 5a94f015e734ed57c

The soft sound of 10d0becf31 turning pages reached my c0a914e737 ears and then faded eeaed93ebf away.3fcc1de462075882

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Rustle, rustle. Soon after, I heard e7980d9ea8 the sound of a 19e31d4e26 quill moving and the 5f74e283f4 rustle of clothes brushing 26b20dc844 against the chair as 7f67125cbe someone shifted.a1a5c61f8ae31872

Then came the 4c5f1d23fd steady footsteps of 3fc72d50f7 someone walking, followed 1f1d9af583 by the sound 8353c4068b of them hesitating d7427795e4 in front of baf8837bcd a bookshelf, and 8409d974ed finally, a shhkk b274c4ccb1 as they pulled de49d07ff8 out a thick 3dc728d544 book. Though it was 4f073716f1 all nothing more 7dc027a109 than peaceful white a09e7d24fc noise, to me 7341378aaa right now, it 814c03b246 felt only distracting 071d76fc59 and unsettling.bcce0881df34b832

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I sighed, be3c59c6cd brushing back 59925b7ebd the hair 852073482f that had 9e9f8f4df8 fallen over 8184f7b98d my shoulder.436b76031f342038

I couldn’t concentrate at all. The image of a man, drenched in blood and standing alone amidst the crowd, kept popping into my head.94f520000b804cad

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I shouldn’t be like this right now. The quarterly Royal Academy exams were a heavy burden for me. On top of everything else, I had to study languages that no one else bothered with. Books others could read in an hour took me three.12edb32dbddb4aee

I stuck b7bf77e1a3 the quill cb0d4b742c back into dd63df06a9 the inkwell a65e6aa16e and rubbed 5a87ea6380 my wrist. I should ask my 1fdd571402 adoptive father to get caeaa3e4a2 me a fountain pen.b601a4d82c68df25

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“Did you hear? There was a d78209c92c huge mess at de7c96f7d3 the Royal Guard e86db0af00 entrance exam site.”b9412e6be48bbbe8

While taking a break and drinking water in the lounge, I overheard two men whispering by the window. It was a topic I’d been trying hard to forget.cc7f4b3dd1fcbc0c

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It had already been a week since then, and I’d heard that the incident had sparked a lot of talk among people. Public opinion wasn’t exactly favorable toward Chadoreyn. But why?6ced7f2bca2f84dd

I glanced sideways 779c754c48 at the whispering 36a18c96d0 men. The lounge was da5a988f74 fairly spacious, and 91ba9d4e1d plenty of others 21ad7630cd were talking, too. Perhaps that’s why they c9a36d1d03 didn’t seem to care 99d1c0023b that someone might overhear 645516b0f0 them. In fact, c5de4b6607 I seemed ed50a15c90 to be 7292b6b186 the only 221f6a1e09 one paying f41bab22b1 attention to 13e3e6f36f their conversation.313426cca102715b

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“Prince Reynold, right? Don’t you think 38c1adf84e it’s kind of ab6df4ae95 pitiful? A crown 0aca50cd04 prince standing 20671ceba9 on the e7da60194a training ground d834994a8f as a 8330cdf12e selector for efb4cc7279 the Royal 840bfec76f Guard. Even if he’s good 9e8ee157e0 at swordsmanship, isn’t that b0f32e787e too low a position 46da3ab08e for someone like him?”c19d7b145c80dbc9

“What’s pitiful about e67f20ec77 it? He killed people 6b2456e8bf like it was 5231da9107 nothing.”c8209c6a0d441125

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“Well… that’s true. It’s just a 5ba9976316 shame about those 14fd59c90f innocent knights.”67c2411a3fee580b

Innocent knights? I sipped my 762d53ecd1 water, pretending not 119b3e1085 to listen, and d32222dc67 frowned.2042ea185e6f1775

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Though Chadoreyn did hurt edb8d9ca6e those knights, it was fbb8129e9b self-defense. It’s not that I’m 3547fe92ad trying to defend him, 75783fe22f but blaming him this 82bcea20ea way felt a little e86920fa3a off.2304209b4afbbebf

No—wasn’t it 813cdad484 even stranger 2cf3c20f46 that the 2e3a5377bd knights had f67afb351d attacked him 46db54ee70 with the 3fac0fba82 clear intent 6d4e5b6ff4 to kill ef09a4a5f1 right in fda94c9283 the middle 1d32387158 of the 363c628937 training ground?949790d8461c3d5e

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Chadoreyn is 84de3d0b3b a royal. A crown prince 32a1f8931b with a claim 98860538ef to the throne.c380765163a44361

This felt like 6f9c690cf3 the rumors had 54ad633786 been fabricated. Like someone had 1647eed716 intentionally left out 3929719f40 key details when 96297e9073 spreading them.6e0c50d0808a7395

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“If someone 3bd74146fd like Prince 7fdbb110d8 Reynold becomes 0b2cdce667 emperor, he’ll 1df9f47b14 be a b3cc996861 tyrant, not e382688c19 a benevolent 8dffcd74d7 ruler.”d5ed20b85835489c

I frowned at 8d32e45cca their harsh words. Sure, people curse leaders 6e71ea385e behind their backs, but 7f250830b6 this was just too a69914f66b unfair.37bef36c5648e958

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I suddenly wondered if this was how Chadoreyn ended up with the title of “the mad crown prince of the Alpine Empire.”65a2e982aa462cd2

In other words, that bbda1dda8b image was deliberately manufactured. Because he and 2566b89756 the Empress lacked 62cce3abe6 power.20380cd374713dcd

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While I a84ec33d6a was lost b731c662a7 in thought, a17ed07824 a long a058733f0a shadow fell e2dfaa0447 over my c7e6cc7f3a head. Someone had approached me 2cd1aa7cf0 from behind. I turned my head b7964c6c52 in surprise, just as 1b61ba3003 a pleasant baritone voice b4e8259d5f rang in my ear.3f1893914fc29fb3

“Whether he becomes a 16d65e4f26 tyrant or a benevolent 40895e5690 ruler—shouldn’t we wait and 429d6e9da2 see? That judgment 385d098eb7 seems rather 8b06a90285 harsh.”723bf5f8206d97a5

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A silver-haired man dressed c61403a8b3 in a deep green 812e346b6e formal uniform looked at 202a773289 the two men by 6a46068490 the window with languid ffabaa1ea0 eyes.19d8654849782520

He lazily loosened his b19248d0ad cravat and smiled faintly c1281587e5 at the panicking men. His expression held 3ad1d81471 the mercy of 61a33ea185 a predator indulging 6519600c01 its prey.f63bdd94b904e8fe

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“M-my apologies, 171730e835 Your Highness!”81d010ad2151bd67

“Please spare us! Have mercy…!”4159b6094c909271

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The two men, faces 14aca86541 drained of color, finally 6eab60ae6c grasped the situation and 79716a23de bowed low.b0b40516f39ed7d1

A suffocating silence 122ab74ae7 filled the lounge. I watched as not d378a5ee85 only the people already 057ecf73a4 inside but even those 8a15b52d3b who had been about 7d453567e2 to enter fled the 3d4b6c6ba0 room, and I let 690ebd684c out a sigh.7b02a6482e02a80d

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Of course I know how scary PD Cha Do-Hyuk can be. But that doesn’t mean he deserves to be treated this way. At least from what I saw in the four years I worked under him.da58551b50d54bfa

“That’s enough. Let’s go, Bang-Wool.”4d188bd896e13d31

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Chadoreyn quickly 62e67d7015 lost interest bf992663e8 in the 955371c19a two men ed9639d136 and took bf89fa1ee5 my hand.09c7069e5b3ce15f

And then c0fdbff849 I saw 6f9041ad9e it—the expressions 656693e047 of people 114c8b6cf9 who, while 7aab84de3e sighing in 2f193944a7 relief, looked 26992be7b1 at our 546c2e68ae clasped hands 4f395aaeb9 and my f2e679289d face in 35831deaa2 shock.4f1da1c6bcacf40d

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The rumors 6cb2c38ce6 that had 1c4c5b2152 started from 002ab7d285 the disaster 75f1704a57 relief fundraising 7e14a17422 party had ede18f90db spiraled out 26508f6909 of control, 715db25ea7 and now 39ef4e66e9 it seemed 2d25365dd9 I wouldn’t dc7c564f0c be able 6a29c16374 to avoid a99f19023e them again.3e22bcbd77b94f4a

The headline from that 0b5f5a17e5 time’s newspaper was absolutely 255628f025 ridiculous. What was it again?b156f21618aaebf7

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“What Is 63847b69ca It About 26d4da08b5 the Stranger 7585df9dc5 That Has 8596a79bd8 the Mad 6648641e50 Crown Prince 82b91ceb61 So Helplessly 9469b36b9a Enchanted?!” or a12a76ef88 something like be70a33b88 that.e1f77decaa81ed08

Following that a09eceb8b1 bizarre article ccc3495a7f was an 65f4825347 interview with 96eda95b28 Lady Serinne, 1f4236d7ee who was 8de2356a84 attending the 53101fa205 Royal Academy a4a983dcff with me. The reporter 796338a968 who wrote 19db607fa4 that piece 2394579be4 was none cf1437abb0 other than 999f637dba Eleanor, who be33b471fa always seemed c62aa2efd3 desperate to b5b761cc95 tear down 7375267d8e Crown Prince 829db0f8ee Reynold.f8ab9528132e0931

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“Everything About Lady Rubiche 49833fb169 According to a Fellow 4244335f13 Academy Student!” was the c023075d9c title, and the contents 9805a81eeb were nothing but absurd. To put it simply, bd11f63160 it was an open 2c490365ef smear campaign, like saying e80f619ebb one rotten fish spoils 118ad47774 the pond.ed5a4c76952bee03

Come to think of 288c475a8f it, Lady Serinne wasn’t c76968e38e the only one who ce3d796183 didn’t look kindly on f1e7b429e3 my sudden entry into a8cb0e3641 noble society.7cfe00b12cde16c3

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In that ccf482d3a2 sense, I 32e98c0ba0 wasn’t all 1c3cd704bf that different cc8c229f62 from Chadoreyn. I followed quietly f3d1c84ae9 behind him, lost bc68da1ce8 in that thought.9cc9a256d83486f2

Chadoreyn and I 1134a63401 exited the library f981777be1 building and walked c72662abf5 toward the garden 488b03e41c of the Royal 3192ee218a Academy. Since it 6a734294d4 was exam 74402de743 season, the 9479ac2402 garden was 088ef01bcf deserted.320f59978f4f0f85

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I didn’t ask him b4b5f2cccd anything about what had 7f36a9556b happened at the Royal 6cc608f7b0 Guard selection ceremony, and bce43e1440 he didn’t say anything 083e82e038 either. We also didn’t speak 9fd2b7987a about what had just 766165aaec occurred in the lounge.4a6be6011ff96035

He sat me aece531485 down on a 4a5376f2c5 glossy wooden bench 3ada77b7eb that looked new.01a2e82c8dbc7de4

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“What brings you here?”56ea1c71d5ce743f

I looked b31ad710a4 up at 02fc335221 him as 5c7996c022 if in 930b30f6c7 a trance bc955199da and asked. His lips moved hesitantly, cf646b0c05 and after a pause, b76e048249 he finally opened his d46179fc5c mouth.51f77837e63da179

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“I wanted 1659ded724 to see f5bbd1fb5e you.”28c7901cf7b64195

The words 108acf7580 spilled out 753783d347 so sincerely cea4340377 that I b750291f2b was startled. He seemed surprised himself, 4eeb97d3d3 covering his mouth with 16c8d62304 one hand and freezing 9236ddb219 in place.8066a12a7957a2be

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“Is that really the c9372d4001 reason?”538036979a1493e5

Chadoreyn roughly 2a5c54bfe3 loosened the 340d137e59 cravat hanging ebbf5e5dec crookedly around 774569e8de his neck. Sweeping his b56f7f80a5 silver hair 82f719521b back from cf465c20c6 his forehead, 58d0071569 he looked b62a2c699e at me 2421f7e5cb with a 15c6212bb0 face full 9696a25880 of subtle 39bebae639 anticipation.c608ed363b059012

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“Is that so 5c1c215171 wrong? I keep 56960a4db0 needing to 8df02d8a89 confirm whether 658626243a you really b1f46f94fa exist in 3e883505fa this world. I can’t believe 7cd891388f it.”275227fee1ba7fbd

He rubbed his 9cc50c8c6c neck slowly. The movement was 35476b7049 raw and unrefined.be4d2917900e29c7

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He was a 9c2c555634 man who could 227af8b2c3 project his overwhelming 72bbd6c12f presence without even d1c6f53602 meaning to. I felt like 07789fa9de a rabbit facing 4e705b95ce a giant predator.22472fe233f3807f

He then fell silent 413c52bd88 and looked at me e43e3e0b11 with unreadable eyes, as d4c5fdab03 if he were thinking c47a75b082 about something. His gaze 4318f59afc was tangled 68ab9f119a with countless 4ea7504497 emotions, making 66b8c106e4 it look 80bffe01d0 terribly complicated.af2235236dc6770a

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“PD-nim, you really seem cdd1289caf like a different person. If we hadn’t talked afd89e052d about Korea, I would d450de40bc never have guessed you a1c94822d6 were Korean in your 7d0a07dbe1 past life.”d8ae74629672d983

At my words, he made a bitter expression. A gentle breeze blew in between. Chadoreyn’s silver hair was tousled roughly.008f886306cb6f2b

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His messy 4eaac199d7 appearance, his b1860e7ed1 clouded expression, 98c0673976 and his 4635f5633d disheveled hair—all 3766e88a5e of it 4adb7aaf90 made him 58949a3728 look out f0f3073f85 of sorts. And somehow, it felt e38002a0f1 like it perfectly reflected 4a711e945c how he felt inside.679d7837e4ad4ccd

“So, I’m ecd91c3df8 actually very 6c8e29fc95 flustered right f3470c1825 now.”cbd73aeb455ede1d

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“I understand fb650b74d3 how you cb6c355f0b feel.”b715dc871ef65a83

Well. Just as I dad6cc6b2f can’t fully understand 91362a2f36 Chadoreyn, he probably f6517e462f can’t completely understand e68549d4e4 me either. When you meet a 4926ba9e7b fellow Korean in a cc798204fb foreign country, it’s nice, 7bb0bb3cef sure—but that doesn’t mean ef345acfec you suddenly become best 278a9b5569 friends.f258e941b99d2080

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Of course, this situation c6e9925aef is a bit different. I met 7a6981797c a fellow b2b0718444 Korean in cbd1d38f91 a completely 706a954ddf different world. And on bb3da68b4d top of 63b0d56709 that, it’s 4d151dbe73 someone I 7a4258c112 knew.f511dfdf8a66b2d5

I do 18401b239a feel a 8052cd5246 special sense 7e6debaad8 of connection e23db5fa1b that goes 0f1f5c46f7 beyond just c6fd2215ae being glad. But still, I was 78457223fb cautious.0d6049e8bfdcfd5a

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I don’t even fully 5ab29d1a66 know PD Cha Do-Hyuk, b7234e445f let alone PD Cha da2a3dfb10 Do-Hyuk who had become db043efb69 Crown Prince Reynold. I wasn’t sure.d74caf0f3137282e

“When I’m 772aa80a78 with you, 3f9c0e8df7 I feel 9384ebf3ab at ease.”a5a3d81ee709dab9

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I couldn’t respond to Chadoreyn’s words. Nothing came to mind to say.1b87ea889e09e1e7

I felt the same, 139fe5a41e though not with the e630e32a50 same intense emotion he 7b81485b6b seemed to feel for 5559f75479 me.f5cdddb0d1b957f7

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“I want to stay by your side. I hope you’ll allow me.”ddb968b41f7992eb

The gentle golden afc462de39 eyes seemed to 37124d6bf2 pierce right through c5022f3674 my face. He was sincere.1450352cfd647a9a

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Well, has he 9283ae4c77 ever not been 2f30c6107f sincere? Even in the 1a86a5fa41 past, while he 0e13ed5c02 often joked, he 57a30c69f7 was never one 8b7c995986 to speak empty 42beb549b9 words.4b2105e6441b2de0

At his a3cae67e61 words, I 8e85f7d070 avoided his 7a21948114 gaze and 5ff94c537b scratched my d658b5892d cheek.d7771ba7ca57eb80

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“Um… I think that might be a bit difficult.”8fd01944d89f7fce

“May I ask why?”1496548318e16a93

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“I have my own schedule too….”533cbd46f5f1ea06

“Stick to your schedule. I won’t get in your way.”0ee27ee15fae8a5a

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As he 9122cc2355 said that, b9017f62e1 Chadoreyn rubbed f3f76e6c44 his face 2bdd10403a with one d567a419de hand as 52967581bf if tired 100147e4da and subtly 163dcbecc1 glanced at 833562e136 me. That action, like 9237b1009a a puppy watching df536f7aae its owner for 5e2366ee0a cues, made me 8bce93d94c let out a 93f1f341be short laugh.da8e361b9f1a8a72

“Looking at me like that won’t work. It’s still too much.”858705384c70487d

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He took a 262bd0a3fa step back and 106fe7bf7e stared at me 58a63f13de with a contemplative ff9abc95c3 face.1d3df9b1e0bbc568

“Then how about this? I’ll help you adjust to this world. You’re preparing for the entrance exam for Alpine University, right?”9000489665049db4

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Only then 54a956ad4f did I a8fe4daba5 consider his a7111db8fc offer seriously.94e1a66ed0b2a5d8

The Crown 367637e639 Prince Reynold, fcbad931d4 if I 6baf068c8f recall correctly, 5b4b1a7c68 was famous c3501af150 for his 3a591b5156 swordsmanship, but e95982dbce he was 0e7ca80305 also known c0ccdf9105 as a 2370f453b0 genius since c6deb624eb childhood. It made sense—an 9f2d98e110 adult’s mind in ad6e084372 a child’s body. Considering he had been 66bd95f140 recognized as a genius 9e31655a09 even in Korea, it 95be5af4bf wasn’t a bad offer dbaff281bc at all.4d2af64fd0995867

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After some ca5a3266fc hesitation, I f88ea3685e finally nodded.c893c8d1e74ee0a7

“If it’s something like that, it’s not a bad offer. Deal.”1baf0787babbe83e

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At my words, 387775797c he burst into 596ff794e3 laughter as if c663a218e6 he had heard e694adf6c6 a word that 42746f1dc6 brought him great ef1f08d1ea joy.74b715760ad6a964

***8f0bf9b4dc1d45aa

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After that day, Chadoreyn 6d934b2ae0 showed up at the 2a8b900636 Rubiche estate every single ae1801ec78 day.41f8d44d05d1b5ee

About a month 663d5f0533 later, he even 906d2a7645 moved his residence df4cda7b9e into the estate’s 0dfe980c3d VIP guest room. Not only was he d1e48a5acd always in the mansion, 7c300aecb6 but he also stuck 72ba52e9cb to me like glue ea81eb9015 whenever I went out.13195cabc264b65f

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One day, from 0e648f0d99 morning till evening, ff8cb633eb he clung to 4affdb0704 the Rubiche estate ad4194e9c3 like chewing gum, 715cfb0eb3 until finally, a c02b7e9f23 man claiming to e9b3d0b8d2 be his aide 9c1507fb57 came to drag f8c4cfaf98 him away.0aeac6ebd7e48642

He even shamelessly 4fc68b4f8b followed me to aeeaaaa1fc a social tea 8e6a989676 party that was 4d735e9038 supposed to be c1fe8323be for women only. The problem acee7a32cb was, this d86819a23f Chaedorun guy cae7885df9 was intimidating de4976b837 enough to 03c644bd22 the properly 7ecadb8142 raised young ada58d3297 ladies just 701e303b3a by sitting f904721d99 there doing d46a527f23 absolutely nothing.d81f719024cb33ce

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Wasn’t Chadoreyn the a41ce519d6 ‘mad Crown Prince’ 62365d48fe who was frightening 1284ec39d8 just by existing? And unfortunately, since he 465112d17d was royalty, I couldn’t 810b7db4b6 exactly lock him up 2a5db4ba76 somewhere—honestly, it was driving 454b6613cb me crazy.06f811a9083760e4

“When you said you wanted to stay by my side, is this what you meant? You’re being way too disruptive.”8d30d7007a4e08b6

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I tugged bddd41dd9f at my e9175ed13e hair in eccba3e006 frustration as 3cd7070b48 I asked eaadefb30b him.d788714434f5b555

Then that shameless guy f2a9b1ed87 casually crossed his legs, f237c69cbe shrugged his shoulders, and 61d1dca4bf replied with a relaxed ea22414b0e face,62dfc210643fe325

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“All I’ve done is sit next to you. That hardly counts as interference, don’t you think? I’ve done practically nothing.”0dff9dd02dc76084

I was bf5a14b71e left speechless. Because it was 56f64d9e77 true. The real 33984a13cc problem had 0f63d00e53 been the 8df0b34e2d young ladies 9d5312c422 who freaked de01e1d586 out just af943ffca0 from seeing 9bd205774d him.26467f1c66c6545c

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I let out 870f155c6f a deep sigh. Right. Give and take e215ad77aa is the unchanging 46227b738f truth of life, ac20ba7952 no matter the 92915c02fb world.fc222ea8d02c0188

Whether he knew what 9aa79a22e6 I was thinking or a40a1d39d0 not, Chadoreyn leaned against b3a302361e the carriage window frame d0388df8fb and enjoyed the view 3b69b2568e outside.baa07edc234b2e6c

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How sentimental. I rested my chin ef0a2b8d5e on my hand and fa0131eb5b admired his looks.7123613ea751e945

The view inside 778ce1a8ae the carriage was 9d0218832b quite nice.3d9d7bf4993d4b89

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