Chapter 20. A Woman in Despair

 742ecee427a83e15

The long 0fb15fb957 bench where 847df28d89 Alexis sat eeab585959 remained empty.83e578adedd77b67

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Even though all 4da4b0586d the other seats 2a6be53af7 were full, it b845cad3ce was as if 3a5ee48e71 there was no cb742f7437 space there at 285c0dbc6a all.4d65e246dfb219c0

Because of that, 37cddd84a6 he was easy 7725ae9076 to spot.004db9254a9300a3

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Grace unconsciously 5ed1d81eac glanced toward f070590f8e Alexis.d195b33185ea9988

It had 2bbaa91761 been a cbf3ba0d03 long time 7c428176fb since she bb7860d903 last saw 55ff4786d2 him, and 18459db057 while she a12f036936 felt glad, f83b280b94 she didn’t 3ce4d69a2b know how 01d3b61beb to approach 91003776c5 him.3a2f8f50cabd8053

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They should have b116174a11 met eyes at 5e3ebc8f6c least once, yet 19ed2664be throughout the entire 003de3e39b mass, Alexis never db4e9de636 looked her way.c69d7f095a3a58e7

She couldn’t tell if he didn’t notice her gaze or if he was deliberately ignoring her.3004fc3db2d59123

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She felt uneasy.2943a7a230a3e3b6

There was 5a1c7e2523 too much 4caa5c37cc history between 95865ad326 them to d5a11bca73 let things d6793d1b57 end like 942020ca2d this.598ee6f042f6fbce

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At the 9fd8149432 very least, 1d07daa3e7 she wanted 48c6dba8c5 to clear 00cc7f6061 up the 455e93fb26 misunderstanding.dcfb2c9d224e1620

As soon as 9bce3e1f7b mass ended, Grace dccd493bc0 excused herself from 1092c7ce61 her family and e4a8c6bab1 tried to approach 057bef79ea Alexis.ca2a7dae1009a26b

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That was, e600ca69e0 until a 2b6dd2bc0e group of 3205c9ef44 young noblewomen 9c77b70b60 blocked her 1358228310 path.0583c6622d128745

“Lady Helio!”4c25c9b5b991e727

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With an 8bd2c50db3 enthusiastic call, e65cb79abd the ladies 822e885ae5 who had 247211dd19 attended the 46583c3ed8 last banquet 7e619ee8a7 gathered around d72ee96ddc Grace.551a039fef8e35a2

Because of them, 9b51c22d3b she could no b3de702646 longer see Alexis 79cef4afbb properly.ebf0ed08cdc2dcad

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“Hello.”6deb627f11c08009

Grace briefly 6111ba0217 greeted them ccc8861959 and tried 56fee300a8 to leave, 9a4b0261f6 but they 0147bfc9d8 held onto 651ba1aea1 her, as 4b12822f04 if they fec5d4e44c meant to 3f126b2ce9 keep her b60e5022a2 from going 54823db916 anywhere.9cb40904014da759

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One of bf13d4cfbf them spoke 0cb272a456 with a 5a81023ad9 solemn expression.a483c11e4a6492c6

“Don’t worry, Lady Helio. We will protect you.”a80a485ace7508d6

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“…What?”ee209fb817e47704

Grace blinked in confusion 86914d648f at their sudden declaration.0d230a6d8c0efbff

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She had no bac7c3c6c4 idea who they 7e5380b414 were supposedly protecting 9d28b79c47 her from.a5b0774c3e8feb1e

“I’m sorry, but I have something important to do—”bef78593449fb7ff

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“If it’s about Duke Václav, you should hold back.”f9afac2f2b16bfeb

“Ah, so the duke’s bad habits have resurfaced? I was wondering how he lasted more than a month this time. People don’t change so easily.”1ffd64cec0f234a1

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“Goodness, just look at you! You must have been through so much. You’ve lost so much weight.”d0ed7465338c187f

Grace couldn’t 0dad6f7773 understand what d73d1d9578 they were 8bdd448a12 talking about.70df149ec58fe7e7

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And why ee01568c0d were they 28a79f69ab badmouthing someone f6028154b6 who wasn’t 3cc9bc850c even present?04a72103863855ed

Feeling like she was 16029d999c the only one left 139c5ca2ce out of the conversation, dd12cbfe23 Grace calmly asked,559a7ae5cd308d22

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“What exactly are you talking about?”5cfeca56a8a5581d

As if b239c97279 they had b70982fe91 been waiting 3fb1002b90 for that d97a2bde4d question, the ba9bd6f6b5 ladies chattered 53981cf952 excitedly.15b12753761740a9

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“There’s no need to hide it. We heard that Duke Václav behaved rudely toward you.”2804939195bcfd69

“Oh, but we didn’t pry on purpose! My cousin just happened to be at Blues Hotel and saw you slap him.”c0bc2f32932e16f7

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“My goodness! You’re so kind—how angry must you have been to resort to that? Just imagining it gives me chills.”599dbe67f08d9af3

“He hasn’t been bothering you since then, has he?”71f9a214cad09167

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At first a3a02d65c9 glance, their a0162495b6 words sounded e38cd91064 like concern, 4be755cdca but in 645cd099af reality, it 143db4e445 was the 973824878c opposite.10ad6852e8612dbf

They made such 0d8e20284e a fuss only 72deff08c2 to say:2b74132a22b666d4

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“So, you’re no different from the other women.”a5518c0204701aac

“Did you really think the duke taking an interest in you meant something?”36061ab5506a37ca

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In truth, ccbc414ec7 they had b6b51f8055 come to fdb544618a see a a10d02652f dejected Grace.a7021103597ffb1f

Realizing this, she found eab747dab2 it impossible to keep fef55c627c her expression neutral.e52311e4bd8f6af6

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As she 837c2d9571 remained silent, 752bd2a0f2 the ladies 33c9c69150 raised their 4c216a4ee0 voices even bfddbfd979 more.3111a785dfd963de

“You must be heartbroken. But everyone feels that way at first. They think they can change him.”7c81a01e72285206

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“They believe he just hasn’t met the right person yet.”3212c8edfb6ca7cf

“There’s no need to feel ashamed, Lady Helio. Just go back to how things were. Don’t mind anyone else!”9559366d6052e01e

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They giggled among ec5ca7fc62 themselves, occasionally glancing 826b2ec14a toward Alexis.62d7fd5ffd44aa48

But he 1d0f90033f was also 01ef4a12c3 surrounded by 1879b43bd2 a group 998d26a9da of gentlemen, e1ac82d4e1 seemingly engaged 6ae290339e in conversation.ba5f24804c07ba3d

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Grace had 151d6baec5 assumed the 772ab1e934 incident hadn’t dbef91d0eb spread since 4958305fa7 it hadn’t c9b4eabfe1 been reported b9714d191c in the 1d82abd1a3 papers.d541dfddb492ebc2

But she had 818fe9aa77 been wrong.6f5df84256c8dfe1

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It hadn’t made the 5a645387a3 news, but it had b27216e419 already spread throughout high fc2907633a society.9d5a3ff1c8d571c7

She tried to keep 73b218b01c her composure and smooth b0256d90ed things over.61da17ad6d15ec0b

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“You misunderstand. The duke never treated me disrespectfully. If anything, I owe him an apology.”c5cc305f9c5af0a6

“Oh dear… Lady Helio, you’ve really fallen for him, haven’t you?”71a9cc8a5fa17784

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“I can understand why. Duke Václav is the most handsome man in Ecleon. Of course, you’d want to stay by his side.”25eb795fb69c66d0

“We are just friends. That day was simply a misunderstanding.”77706ea2bd0a21bd

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“But look—he already left the cathedral.”ac7f0ed8998607d5

“If you were really just friends, and it was all a misunderstanding, wouldn’t you have at least exchanged greetings?”c6569e3c80572d9d

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“That’s…”ed0cd1a62cef4209

Grace turned toward the e9e98cf4c4 door in shock.d434e92f6c78a84e

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Just as they said, ccb5cf8e2a Alexis had already left.2f2b2f92b267f1fb

She had only 97272fc3d1 wanted to talk, 0673e05315 but now it 2f6970c3e8 seemed like she a5668fb4f1 had unintentionally joined 37d8cc21cd in on the 5f7e8e3e9a gossip against him.d6155d52d552894a

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“It’s Duke Václav’s fault for making you misunderstand.”4ca63546104fb6b1

Even as 10a649ac29 Grace tried e3cb3a0385 to explain fe452c8aae herself, they f37e0832e4 continued ignoring b37bde4ce3 her words 4f8de73fe3 and talking 28018b9aa8 over her.e08a0eaea9945c85

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To them, she was e2d94c5535 already just another woman 230df0b24d who had been cast b0a7ef7878 aside by Alexis Václav.e2623d97292c6d94

If there 3de96be7a4 was any eb342f0bc4 small relief, a61799f7ef it was cee3a0c8dd that no c758621815 one seemed 54fd1a0e6a to think 5e962f6bf4 this was 48bf598695 a disgrace.239c4d9035bdb701

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They spoke as 46460bfcc3 if this was 0ed4dee411 a common occurrence, 7b0bfd7e79 as if it bbf64d7bf6 were natural.c3018840630b521f

Feeling utterly e2ae1d1f98 out of 4edd0b3ff6 place, Grace 4d85a0d6c5 could no 7bbc7cfb38 longer bear 0c63cd5ec5 it.7b7454eb1a9aeeac

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“Excuse me.”6caacae7a7f659c7

She hurriedly left.88a2e65c0e6925c9

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She rushed toward 3d1ccfa278 the exit, but 540d5a7e89 Alexis’s carriage had 301707419b already departed.c309fdaf027bdfd3

She stood 612e28bdb5 there, staring a534fc0ba7 at the 40674bda2a departing carriage.e28ddc4849f06952

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But it never stopped.2ee722723a71ab93

* * *4dbda121022f9e84

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“Lacey, you look sad.”abd5b89ccd2ed7d6

Elizabeth tapped Grace’s cheek bfc6905400 with Toto’s front paw. Only then did b6fa6b0612 Grace realize how 150203f745 dark her expression a370359191 had become, and f9236a7c07 she forced an 7f456f6e62 awkward smile.9ea2137f644f6016

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“It’s nothing, Your Highness.”caa069396e2ddeee

“Lies. Your face is full of storm clouds. Did someone steal your snacks?”773d66a4000c6c67

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“No.”ef9b1b54b11d1842

“Then did you fight with a friend?”2bbeb74b82aac046

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“…….”05eb81e4059987ea

“You did, didn’t you?”d7f5f0818fd1cbbb

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Elizabeth clicked her tongue ce555eda8c and shook her head, 3f33837df9 probably imitating the Empress.caf06d50c162d4bf

What had started as 5059afd4a8 a coloring session suddenly e2b18c2f35 turned into a counseling 44f27441c9 session, and Grace hesitantly 72076b16cc opened up.0871cdcd03ae050c

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“Actually, I made a mistake, and now my friend is too angry to meet me.”c67d3e1ab6ca70a4

“Then just go to their house.”ae5a5edc31052965

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“I can’t. Their status is higher than mine.”496dd0a01637433a

“Hmm.”d506effcc5d690cb

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Elizabeth frowned 9eeecb06a3 as if 9c7bf18fc8 she had 9f5642ee69 never considered da8475a041 such a 572383f73c problem.4ab6981531d1e703

After all, there were 6f1b79959d very few people of 3d2ff5d212 higher status than a 87aee404e3 princess.f3e46c60b2cd70bb

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“Then what about going to the places your friend visits often? You can pretend it’s a coincidence.”c748c74d3b3505ad

It sounded 02b8c879b7 simple in 0dd5c21d10 words, but ad2062151f that was 2a65f130d7 the issue—Alexis 45498bd7c3 had always b7a8f6b0d0 come to 3fde41ffa0 her first.824c0fcf5783e48c

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She had never 4a93650b68 gone to him, 68ab9d75ac so she had a6b74f9e21 no idea where e6ca968334 he usually spent 079dfd256e his time.132f6d8dead0327d

Since that day, he c051344373 had even stopped attending f47ab39007 mass, making it even 7a592199bd more difficult to meet a5c560d8ad him.1bc249357b7580b9

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“I don’t know his schedule.”529bb5fe0618e394

“Want me to find out?”6460252fc9864b57

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“Huh? You, Your Highness?”4db945233d3226b7

“Yeah. Lacey, you wanna make up with Alex, right?”94aa3655fcb74349

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“Ah.”2993bb8985ea32dd

Grace blinked and stared f7c48e47a1 at Elizabeth.69da95aaa1c5d8d1

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Now that she fbd8804de5 thought about it, bf4ecdabe5 they were family.ecd30b94e196db97

It was possible 9686218ca0 that Alexis had 2588d139c9 spoken about her.e783a7f482987f7a

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With a slightly nervous 4e4ab98c14 expression, Grace cautiously asked,fd5049f9edc3b518

“Has His Grace ever mentioned me?”d40e86623fde9ccb

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“Nope. But my mom sighed.”1fa9d3b7892a45eb

It wasn’t the ac5b79f4de answer she had 357ad9d54d hoped for, but ea9d776652 she couldn’t be c288d8228f disappointed either.774cf901859468e9

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She already knew 3b1be24d24 that the Empress 798631493e wanted to push 5fed9f5422 her and Alexis 11f518cd39 together.0a8e11205ae9ff1b

At first, f4448b644f it had 2750fc3b37 been uncomfortable, 7ffa382a15 but now, 08663598f5 she was 51db43086a grateful.d3787d9d995251f1

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Because of that, cb792b539b she had been 9892887339 able to talk 5812e60084 to Alexis.6267c1d89ff290f0

She had 3a2554a9ad thought that f16bd9f192 maybe, just 2264621d95 maybe, they bb87aac002 could be 9efca39969 good friends.ebc206577a85f771

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But in the 71cf46d10b end, it had 4b86c6cbe7 only been her 853afd24fa own wishful thinking.12d8acd4e32f413e

“I see.”e03322d07dfe8dbd

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“I’ll help you!”8ea1aeefb75b45d9

“Your words alone mean a lot.”cafc6ca1f220d279

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“You’re so boring.”d229cf13d810f5fa

Elizabeth puffed 4173d4fb5c up her 04b8002c8f cheeks in 5841142bb1 a pout, 7212e99e64 but when f62d3029ce Grace suggested 310ac0a02f playing dolls 4a17a56703 with Toto, 5a3c5520dd she quickly ff3dc0d45c brightened up.75a1612cc724bfae

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It seemed be78690b71 like that b9412b00b8 was the 5883135bb7 end of 91079f83fc it.ced206e0d727460f

But the next 4ed7ab44fd day, an invitation 6e71eb7b30 arrived at House 7fea0d4a10 Helio.25ece62bac5ae753

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It was for Princess 14f89728c9 Elizabeth’s upcoming birthday banquet 9fcc2018bd that weekend.c697d803a9621239

Not only 88ce880151 Grace but b55b00aba1 also Valentina, be3621a5ff Anthony, and 55280e1fb9 even Count d041702783 Helio were 36c31c4687 invited, causing 8e0581ae81 a wave 95bbbd081f of excitement 3d6d001291 in the dbf3d16e5c mansion.0503f797ed24b5d0

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“Oh my goodness! We’ve been invited to the princess’s birthday banquet. It’s like a dream!”fd9fa31e096dc353

Especially Valentina, a42aacc739 who had cf624b713d been feeling 08f8f4744a uncharacteristically down f34859265d lately, was 1074007017 overjoyed.e09a1bff57195f7f

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Count Helio b20eae7132 shrugged proudly e1c7f8dcaa and said,3f0f099b3e8d1eb8

“This is all thanks to your sister. I was worried that Her Majesty might still be upset about what happened, but it seems all is well.”97795f4e242f46d1

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“Exactly! And really, how could you do that, Sister? How could you slap the duke without thinking about the consequences? Our whole family could have been kicked out of the capital!”04199e1194b95964

Valentina spoke sweetly, 6bb00773d4 but her words f62ac208cc carried a sharp 4fd9228419 edge.442b60b4fc35d100

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Surprisingly, Count Helio c300b626f5 dismissed her.3b9489b9f644418b

“Enough. There’s no point in digging up the past. If anything, I found it satisfying.be2833b4d08c6dc1

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“Letti, if you had seen the humiliation I suffered that day, you would have done the exact same thing as your sister.”f185e2c20ac511d2

 0602848b1da303ad

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