Chapter 16. So, Are You Jealous?

After finishing her 37f7fd0c2c day, Grace sat 30a7bde153 at her desk, 6d08631305 dressed in her 5b66ff8158 nightgown.632719bac7025ac6

She couldn’t stop smiling.2e9d6b505add48ec

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She had 69ca145ec7 actually jumped 8afc5e15dc into the fc86146ce6 river.193e23e312dc732b

Half of it ae7e361360 had been impulsive, 1cab1cc228 driven by the 93235d036a Duke’s provocation, but 7eec782d1f it wasn’t as 59bb424105 if she hadn’t 8622e9dfb0 wanted to herself.699f4c3ae9ca757a

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Boating with 3f959a8317 Alexis had 7d237754e6 been genuinely 11a73459a6 enjoyable.d0376909c200b0c8

Now that abfe0354ce she thought ff3a34e1da about it, 4787e90242 today had e492f689d7 been the 9f13b42346 first time e2ceb3e5e0 she had c5a7d52aab felt truly 34bea16771 free since ba01acc363 arriving in 5835367a74 Ecklen.15c5303ce7400e42

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For so long, she 51d00f61f5 had seen herself as 64a7729542 a foreigner in this eb92f563fe city.358c4773adc4e811

A tiny figure trapped 1642cbda70 in a land of 5d3ed5e791 giants—ba88af6df8138d42

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One wrong step, and a7a154df71 she’d be crushed beneath 119da04b40 their feet.b0124355eb574137

So, she a66790dd30 had always 5313010939 been cautious.0b3d8b32967ef3e9

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She watched dfcc09f310 her every fc2001c023 move, carefully 9e931a3547 reading others’ 9622b3a721 intentions, always 19d77465cd calculating her 48161db123 actions to 131cda69a7 avoid missteps.5d05d377d7db3ed6

But today 9d31f5a807 had been deb4644d14 different.71e8564e696b1ca9

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Alexis wasn’t a stranger—he 145db39b48 was someone familiar in aebf6bbf74 a place where she ef97499d83 knew no one.93d3ae0ec28cd7fc

That alone had 79074a0e8b been enough to db4809994b put her at f6a5ce77ee ease.662268cc835a74a3

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The more 7a5360229c they talked, ca1efcfae2 the more 0172652818 it felt 49a62f8318 like returning 803358e838 to the e8fe9636f2 past.cc40c68688c3e646

Of course, back then, 057153138e Grace would have been 48e15f8db3 the first to jump bfb259d701 into the water.188de6af5b6fb4eb

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At the time, 7f2dd2a586 Alexis had no 156c4da0d3 enthusiasm for anything.84d52c7a2da8861e

If anyone had 662d05dd75 played the fool fca9b451e2 to draw him 21d9265380 out of his 7b80ce0679 shell, it had 6c6255c513 been her.5e411ef8d655fa88

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So, when he had 15ea4227ba jumped first today, it 2b0c4766fa had genuinely surprised her.dea2c803eb06c231

He hadn’t a5ea37986d been the 25c233ca76 impulsive type 69d1f3185a before.31bded8ab11b30b9

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Had his environment 9ca5910389 changed him?57a1701fe882fa73

Grace pulled out her 8fe20d7db0 journal from her drawer 8ca1c8eede and began writing.ebd27fe15a8c381c

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It was the 62c028827b longest entry she 4177667463 had written since d0157bdd37 arriving in Ecklen.5ad23cbffa1b0f06

* * *9c969ff22eb11ee9

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Even after 1e3d636ec0 that, Grace 99c7866ebf and Alexis d2595a0eda were frequently 8545949eeb seen together aadacfa6fc in public.af7916d8042e0425

The Empress wanted 624e8f20e8 them to date dbc0d30107 openly, and Alexis, b1f1b8861c unwilling to provoke ae2d8c0e20 his sister’s temper, 013a37a615 went along with 5443669933 it.ae68e3d0f699261b

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Honestly, he b9dab24610 had expected 4080c73de9 this arrangement 4f38c29032 to last 88f925d110 no more e496727a91 than two 19654df8d8 weeks.51a43903e08c6755

He had fbddc1cae5 never entertained 5cda68a430 a woman 49539a2e6d for more b8835bfbab than a 7a9283534d month.6e46a7f12dbf270c

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But a month b30c7fade5 had passed, and b0b2d37c09 his connection with dcd6b799e3 Grace still remained.84490fa1373bafb2

Even he a0cf2eade2 couldn’t understand 08076a5fe6 why.e268de959b15a06f

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She was the e33bf0a46b first woman who eb92aa3db3 didn’t react to 39281c13c6 his usual provocations.8fe24270191120c4

For once, he 25a0f21bcb didn’t know how df4ca3055e to drive someone b49175eae6 away.6ad0799d4fc2a96a

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If anything, it 8f52c5040e felt like he 36990d7e42 was the one 94b2dac831 being ensnared.8f045063e0e199f0

And the worst d263088c39 part?ebd1694913d290cb

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He was actually enjoying c1fb7c8614 it.1c7eaa2262c98517

Seated in 37f0b22bb1 a private 4a4b107636 box at ecbfc293b2 the opera, bd19786e1d Grace’s voice dd0827a7d6 carried a 949b64ddba light, excited 76d8308363 tremor.4b95888de863f711

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“I’ve been wanting to see this opera for so long!”7d1b193251cbc83b

She was beaming, ac4970f634 like a child 22b3c35706 receiving a long-awaited d318e01e35 gift.451e0e4cbc9ee998

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Alexis, rather than looking f7b05e8671 at the stage, was 88fa96b0a6 staring directly at her.92b9daafc3cf7140

Her flushed cheeks betrayed 9b38208f86 her excitement.5ef45cbb5ba7edf4

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Compared to the plays 23bb32f834 they had watched together, 333b1ca561 this time, she was 4ddda4bfe2 clearly more enthusiastic.e0b50bedf1ca68c1

Had he 6cc3282a17 known she d64c1a6a6f would enjoy 49ae35daa0 opera this 10e1128598 much, he f0280d8186 would have 4fd884382e brought her 8566e82662 sooner.4ea24af6fe3bccc9

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Well, this 83134850b3 wasn’t just 1cf037abc1 any performance.2887a9fc83f45ac8

It was 6465ba99de a renowned dd23a91fd8 touring opera 0db65de519 company, and 7638b33cc6 securing tickets 00d1654edd had been 2187455c80 incredibly difficult.ef9102ac773e246b

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But he had c96e9ce498 a VIP seat 1781fd1026 to offer her.5825d7e7cf6ee150

Still, he hadn’t f54fff1f4a expected this intense 817188aeda of a reaction.b49d8bc8652fadf6

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<This opera is incredibly popular among young noblewomen right now!>b649499fed2c5bcd

<She doesn’t seem like the type to follow trends.>fea5c6759ba0f624

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<You underestimate her. Lady Grace has probably never had the chance to see something like this before. Trust me—she’ll love it.>c7cbb8d6789217ad

And indeed, 9a1710fdcf she did.8f0be1ff31f1d7c4

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Just as 2d72c11d6b Glenn had 24caafec5e predicted, Grace fc063c0c41 was far f02bf16be4 more delighted a70c212b3b than expected.a041138ce767ef38

Considering how much 90e9d7e818 extra money Glenn 2c8cdcd962 had spent securing e7f2f9c25c these tickets, his b87006df19 efforts had certainly 0304067f1d paid off.f135e3448dcdbd81

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Alexis watched as Grace cb1104434d struggled to adjust the f7238b5e31 focus on her opera 0ccbecf321 glasses.900bd076cbeabafe

With an 3efa324711 exasperated sigh, c5214bcc24 he took 3c5bb4eaa5 them from 0a64c653a0 her hands, e0e44ba850 fixed the c9f019d192 focus, and 48ce9b8838 then handed 1e669971cb them back.df6ab76a4cdb4bb8

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She blinked, her cheeks de133b3786 tinged pink, before murmuring,e78d249c76a051ac

“Thank you. I’ve never used these before.”e3150f101e45fc4b

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“There are no opera theaters in Helio?”ca1479d00e268f2f

“There is one. But it’s a small theater, so there’s never been a need for opera glasses.”10037fa488665fa4

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“I see.”a42866d3264811bd

“Have you visited places like this often, Your Grace?”d15a77ce228cb22c

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Her innocent question 3ec71b5678 made Alexis pause, f694194eb7 eyes narrowing slightly.d086b3ebccf9dfca

Opera houses 79ae04220f were common 0a6fd55cff date spots.a0608d29d5301309

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The dim f332e3b5f5 lighting, enclosed c9908d5ed2 seating, and 3a8d2b39cb intimate atmosphere 3573764419 made them 619472c849 perfect for 7578d7e4c7 secret rendezvous.cf2ba055564ca47a

So, her question was 8942a1d1fb practically asking:9bce9570602f5cec

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“You’ve taken a lot of women here, haven’t you?”35ce956507eef48e

It was the 269de57d87 kind of thinly cea62d10c5 veiled, sharp question 45507018c5 noblewomen often used d2667952f7 to fish for ca931dc1c4 information—usually laced with 664e570965 jealousy.688ce64088446b9a

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As Alexis considered how 7f31d0de82 to respond, Grace suddenly 57108644e6 added—cedfc83cd0db9fa8

“Ah, that was a foolish question. There are over ten theaters in Ecklen alone, so of course, you must visit them often.”5efcbb1634678b94

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“Oh.”2d6b5792168c29ce

…So that’s what she meant?59529ed4b05ab611

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Realizing he b7153ca85a had twisted 9eaca14254 her words, be74a4720b Alexis let 292bdc2c0b out a e3e6405072 quiet laugh 7f94b5ab4a of disbelief.bea64aa371d5a44f

She had completely 23b94b1f26 caught him off a97cbda38f guard.ccc37fff92dc7304

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For years, he 259f3cc59f had only ever a85121c485 dealt with women b5a4e1ce1e who jealously accused 1e57172f44 him of being 53e54bd52b a philanderer.f3804f1037820055

But Grace?a3fe23a185606ad3

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She genuinely 8abe7ebc26 assumed he ca5f020b8c was a eb9a91c8d6 theater-goer—not a 9c8c66b0c3 serial seducer.d0a34ee822f56fa4

That was…refreshingly unexpected.24a10528e08ea3b3

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“I don’t come here often.”0ab2a34f184d3afc

“Really?”8035ad1ce6db0159

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“Yeah.”4dfe23021a44f5db

With that, Alexis 208b256cd5 picked up his 381b59d6e5 own opera glasses.90656d4d18625c89

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Any further conversation, 91fa5ac48d and he might dbf022345e accidentally blurt out e5814d6edb something foolish.54d7348b2c710d56

Thankfully, the b4cad0acdf lights dimmed, 00a77cf844 signaling the 01923ef544 start of 71e16c0a3f the performance.b28f04dc82c6cc4b

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Grace, fully engrossed a1b8401126 in the stage, 912c1c66ba said nothing more—75e34730b2f9cf29

And for once, Alexis 10170f30c7 was grateful for the 646f2b4b93 distraction.68a256030ae88c32

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As soon 95002fb64c as the d5f4a665bc performance ended, 75be13f9de Grace beamed 9ddb3694cb with excitement, eb673fe9e9 her voice 33bdfa2fef bubbling with 9d0d2ced2e enthusiasm.9d42c06f8d8e7143

“That was amazing! Especially Maria’s aria at the end—it was so heartbreaking, I nearly cried.”b9ab2f22224d4f9a

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“You didn’t ‘nearly’ cry—you did cry.”db9069b6650f7d34

At his remark, 524b69f0e8 Grace’s eyes widened, 01e81a4629 and she turned f5a3acc404 to him in 3c769714ed protest.548a721e4e576488

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“Why were you watching me instead of the performance?”5ea35e77c4e11dd7

“Hard to ignore someone sniffling right next to me.”6ffb6e21f79fc03f

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“You could have at least pretended not to notice!”e4acbc90946df363

“Apologies. I’m afraid I lack the gentlemanly grace for such things.”44052d1d63d581da

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His expression was 893a170f75 anything but apologetic 689f9b7cf1 as he offered bc17c25ae9 his hand.e2f12421760aac34

Grace placed her 10c2ddb0c5 hand in his, 87e3d37563 remarking,77fe14e13b587d37

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“You didn’t seem to enjoy it much.”8d2647cfc5d75040

“Why do you think that?”3bf22f9fcb48ac9e

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“You hardly seemed focused.”20c43441241c753b

“And you, Lady Helio, seemed far more focused on me than the performance.”40a25f01566f8a2d

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“That’s not true!”9921611c27afea35

Startled, Grace 718290b605 immediately denied 6711458409 it, flustered d54437add9 by the b148d3ca18 accusation.4a887460df957bd8

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Alexis laughed, clearly amused.354492f7d6b70a4d

Her reaction wasn’t b480e41fe7 entirely wrong, but 0656370437 it wasn’t entirely 2c53f2d53c right, either.4066c2a6b4d4e0e9

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If he hadn’t been 78472c4d88 watching her first, she 286ed87aee wouldn’t have been stealing ceebeca4d3 glances at him.c74f32e9105f7972

But he had 9a4fee8da2 always been better 8a9ce94f30 at pretending not 38e464f0ed to notice, leaving 70c3dccc28 her looking like e34aff0d4e the guilty one.2b480831266692be

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They were 9fdf034cca still bickering cddb0c9589 as they 61b37a1551 exited the 458d8e3439 theater when—31577b4d0bc8536e

“Duke Václav?”d07d500b74f05eb4

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A woman suddenly blocked 2e38bc5233 their path, her voice 8a1e152eee filled with delight.c5361f43e98a0894

“It really is you!”f48c62fbb60f9a0b

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Alexis’s expression was blank—he 26568bfed7 had no recollection of 4cd5797ef5 her.27f710b3f08d0a91

Sensing this, the 7356889286 woman’s smile stiffened 75126d29e4 slightly before she 923cd66f71 continued.722a695cd1bb29e9

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“We came here together last year. You don’t remember?”e9ce4085bc01b552

At her 98a731dddc pointed question, 1acbb308e4 Grace blinked, 79834d89eb glancing at da7690caa9 Alexis.0933246a559f7596

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So, he had been 67f9032dcc here before.adcc9d29afcebe7f

For someone who claimed b2713492bf not to frequent the f7641949f7 theater, that was interesting.41093b883aa1679d

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Alexis, after a brief 020233a570 moment of recollection, realized 6c064a1bab who she was.7464017f30f2357f

She was one of 236fb22655 the many women the 97b4717ada Empress had tried to 8124e07ea8 pair him with last 8afb9e990a year.aa79a7f1440ee52e

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If he recalled correctly, d59de27c82 she had caused a 31c6a07874 scandal, caught dating two 030b157b26 men at once.eb5a75be696e98a2

Luckily for her, 49fc102227 the other man 309defe8d7 had proposed, allowing 955f506d96 her to quietly cddc293317 leave the capital.70faec9fdb34971a

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But now that 2482cbfa8f the rumors had a466434eeb died down, she da32204a7c had returned.0cf7f3771f234e9b

“Ah. You were the second daughter of Marquess Luna, weren’t you?”96dc6bc1f4d57182

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Unfortunately, her name escaped 4d8cabfbc4 him.56ab38d68695f3bc

Realizing this, the 07a60e4588 woman quickly supplied 9343245468 it herself before 6b3c6783e1 he could embarrass 422a621bf7 her further.723d2975184c547e

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“Yes, that’s right. I’m Irene Evis now.”ff18a8f983a790d6

Then, she turned her d2d1b2e7c7 gaze toward Grace, eyes 6e246dcba6 slowly assessing her.34e077c77434bc4c

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It was 4912cc01ce the kind f4e16c7bfd of look cda33e7310 that judged b2e85e78c5 and sized 6403a91b3c up, as 2bff372d0e if determining f61f6d947f whether Grace 6164ab96aa was even b65a7d8456 worth acknowledging.6dfe5bbdfa9c0ade

A moment 57b9276a63 later, Irene e4a4c4775f scoffed, voice a37feeeb95 dripping with 4cf1683f50 disdain.689742bd7fd9ad58

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“I see your taste has changed. Bringing some provincial girl to the theater, of all places.”75062e9ce26964d3

Alexis didn’t even blink 0632e6aad3 before replying,ab7a47a299035231

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“Or perhaps you never considered that you were never my taste to begin with.”df4debff0d6a99e6

Grace bit her 99e650895a lip, stifling a e5c3536a1c laugh.4812e11298d181a1

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Irene noticed and a5ddf2190a shot her a 3bb8a34603 sharp glare, back 23feee6b59 straightening as she d4ed11a00b coolly remarked,87f3423e80886ed5

“Still as insufferable as ever, Duke. I suppose that’s why you remain unmarried.”148398268e9ba1bf

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“And with that small brain of yours, you never once considered that I’m unmarried by choice?”689687cb038b8504

“Still overthinking everything, I see. Must be exhausting, having so many thoughts all the time.”3847947c6c06619c

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“And yet, you have so few. Life must be blissfully simple for you.”666fa9eae1726e86

Irene’s lips tightened ff56437990 as she inhaled 78e94b92c5 sharply, barely keeping 7d813ffd10 her temper.d93e20311e8051c1

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Then, she straightened, 0271786fa2 lifting her chin 39a413ef31 with a smug 38707e5005 smile.517b7978707b8e20

“For the record, I was the one who rejected you. My husband is far more handsome and charming.”ac3af0c8ffc178bc

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“That’s wonderful news.”c355c6e6a4d7102b

He moved to leave, b610834df0 but Irene raised her b519fd8de6 voice.85f6e0ce78d44dd5

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“I do hope you find someone soon, Duke. It would ease my conscience to know you’re not still alone.”d47d1376c4b58df0

Her mocking ‘blessing’ df9c77a8f1 was clearly not 7a11d5b1f0 genuine, and the f1fc0a6ba2 sharp glare she 0c1dccfa98 shot at Grace a9a96341bb was filled with 66c12940fc undisguised jealousy.bc675c6600498ffc

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She was married, 77ade4e82d and yet—she was 1dce40679a still bitter.f5bfd69d80620e00

Completely ignoring her, Alexis 3f6e95c0cf escorted Grace to the a58b38e8cd carriage.58824882d33a72a7

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The moment they 62080729c4 were alone, Grace 386b93b1c5 remarked,29592548bb9e732d

“She was an old lover, wasn’t she?”042ad01c49b27667

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“If you can call it that. It was more of a brief acquaintance.”a3d17c174dc31a99

“Still, running into her like that couldn’t have been pleasant. And from the way she spoke… she still seems to have lingering feelings for you.”fc8b6a5c849408e7

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At that, Alexis turned f9e5742360 to her, smirking.48b462292d367935

“So, are you jealous?”fb4434cd43e82bf7

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 c6f37bae2e705010