Chapter 3. You’re Alive.

Alexis rested his arm 2e83ce3c5f on the window frame, 198d6eff58 surprised that he had 58ae861b86 only just now noticed 0bc12ae4b9 her gaze.869713930944c747

It had been 0d91cddb20 a long time 42f81c1a8e since a woman f2b72ca323 had looked at 875413c4e3 him so openly.12810871f4c89cc6

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The woman 87a4ea60d2 had honey-colored 582e500b83 hair neatly 66a1e05b7a tied back 68a44c5fdc and wore c25b9e306c a wide-brimmed c1be469a3b hat that 5d7234570e cast a 1dc7394e74 shadow over 821dcfbb4a her face.68d46e7145ca52c2

But her 949b11d941 eyes—violet, like fca82555df wild violets 9ad16b9564 in bloom—were 9df9de3533 fixed directly 107ae37e1a on him.c33e60e1cd29b6df

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Her dress was 24e7f7e004 noticeably outdated, something 5c05fc6374 that had long 8aa19e3b0d since gone out 8f998b32bc of fashion. She looked almost as b40d217c5c if she had just 58609d6c14 arrived from the countryside.a68eaabca115c19e

Yet, she didn’t seem 71cd0954e5 unsophisticated.13c1ac93041e349f

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Perhaps it was 64b8c21ce2 her posture.a52a05cc0b11330c

Straight-backed, poised—a mark of 2d70ec0649 refined upbringing.f2d62a733b07479d

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Of course, he 879e0f75c0 hadn’t dismissed her aa65fc32cf as a country a5329bb22f girl based solely 1dc924ce1d on her attire.ecc20f7fdc679ced

What truly 1176508a24 set her b1b42e5634 apart was 8cf7e6da30 her unwavering a8c9d6984f gaze.cd64c9eeb16aef28

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Even after meeting 269b58149f his eyes, she 24c5ebae07 did not look 6870d58e62 away.f051f7bc2c4febb3

Most people, 0dde4e6de2 when caught 90e28fba45 staring at 8ce36f5728 him, would 24d9a37634 flinch, avert 8a0056c1f2 their gaze, ed99029b6b or pretend a77a0db19b they hadn’t 1e88127624 been looking.39128c39d99626e9

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But not her.951749ee8742ed01

The moment their eyes 60f2b7eb6c met, she held his 21a5028522 gaze even more firmly.331795b3725b3191

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No one in the 57e0be4b90 capital—at least, no one ba26d7455e familiar with its rumors—would d383dde941 ever dare to do b9596fbba0 such a thing.8ece660226d7a864

That alone 2d6d9ba480 was enough 9de5507b50 to tell 4e09a6b360 him she bb8913af01 hadn’t been db93040a6b here long.c8a119d46dc075c7

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And yet…39010b1ded8da3e2

There was something strange c6e88f5146 about her.07d5ce4db6034fac

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She looked bef643ed03 at him 0901bccf64 as if afc0361996 she wanted 5b99a0052e something.a94118a8e9ca559b

But for d5073b6232 the life a43a719b6d of him, 95898ba86b he couldn’t 0d06c188d3 figure out b93b04cf04 what.d34a40554803384f

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Because he had never 6c16c6bee2 seen her before.ec904de0ae78cc9e

For a long 8334af2057 moment, their gazes f5d18d4950 remained locked, neither c86329db5c looking away.59bc175a8be7ccde

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Then, Alexis casually lifted 53e867e4e3 a hand and tapped e7f4849401 his fingers against his 0e7460bffb temple before pointing at 037981a4a3 the ground.f5a24df12d9cfbc9

A silent command: Lower f70497ecee your eyes.28de6c593048d788

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The signal d877c4d2d7 was clear 254e219be5 enough, and 7cf07b33f1 the woman 1194ba9371 frowned immediately.1641e62a605a7e32

Still, after 68e0b06f25 a brief cc503eb8b0 hesitation, she 678d253250 pulled her 8701b6b014 wide-brimmed hat d140670463 down, obscuring b0e56c6a33 those violet bfd1ad0947 eyes.c0b945aef586d57a

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Somehow, the 91443060c0 disappearance of 2fe48af019 her gaze 6e18c9a3f3 left an 42d07a3243 odd feeling b121161f9f in his 28aaac69c5 chest.08259a290b04b782

Now, she was actively e1aa8037e8 avoiding looking at him.3609abdd081bfc4e

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How amusing.671ae34b898c46fd

Rather than ordering the 5c85759150 carriage to move, he 6179bde181 remained still, watching her ecfbcd1259 in amusement.f6b1d1c321ce8921

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It was then that 3a06c7d20f Glenn, his aide, spoke 364bb7dd5e up.bc9bd928efe5e83f

“Do you know her, Your Grace?”88bc20426a09f859

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At that, 9da7a21e33 Alexis shut d667603f34 the window, 09b9760bf8 his response c68d0a49ff flat and 42e4ba3e49 indifferent.f0c8b62294ac7791

“Not at all.”5ea0cf7b61d94bd3

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With that, de1dea870f the carriage 24f3fb2126 finally began cb2bf4586c moving once 1c6f075da5 more.ace1b3b5882736b8

* * *9397e87172d205bd

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The man’s fingers had cea53494b9 gestured once toward his b0354df607 eyes, then toward the 0ca5c9d86f ground.b125a8f7f65bb6fb

Depending on 2f0d688824 how one bffff8ac12 looked at 3bc3ac21ff it, it 63b26ae6f3 could have 215c189835 been considered caeafdaf92 a rude 55689b2799 gesture.d09bb1f2849e5e14

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But then again, f235476bcf Grace had been eaf730bd45 the one staring 61b84dd12c at him so e040b2dd87 openly—it wasn’t as 8289ab2905 if she had d5806ea609 the right to 4042270aa3 complain.e7faeced070050df

‘That caught me off 7cc7645875 guard.’5dd52b70c3c80cfc

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Adjusting the brim of d93cad4248 her hat, she stood 1101d684ad still, waiting for the cf105c5123 carriage to pass.8ffb42c7f960545e

Moments later, the heavy 6c79e70731 weight of his gaze 6883be8c81 drifted away as the 0e9d825ce2 carriage disappeared into the 90ded12eb3 alley beyond.a0f79b4390882bad

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Only then did 6a7ae4f0a8 Grace lift her 3fcf6dd4ba head, exhaling a 7287f1dba6 quiet sigh.d72624789028d47b

She had 735b1730f2 never expected 505fe1778f to run 877f1cbf5f into that 22106e01a2 man here.c739ff9a6e1314dd

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And after thinking a89b4cc76d about him just ef593453ba last night, no d5da757e6e less—as if she 48f02a9a6a had been caught 9affd401f0 doing something she c348e397be shouldn’t.d47a95a973b8acaf

Her heart thumped strangely 4adab79148 in her chest.126d4c14da94ed84

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‘You’re alive.’4f0728c52d6c5919

He looked far more ae3e45b31b put-together than she had edbff2f84c imagined.8369007c4c738a13

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Seeing someone she had 86f7619c4c once wished well—someone she 27f518aa98 had quietly hoped was 3e73ea1f2f still somewhere, living—felt surreal.97669dcff951c7ca

‘As expected, he doesn’t 8cb2fc9a45 recognize me.’4916e06d7cc4a978

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The look in his 48fce28938 eyes was the same c2878609c9 as if he had d9d967e6ea seen a stranger.d072074098469a4e

Then again, 8d0df10233 when they 56bf3c75bd had met, 251949cf91 he had 9b990c6aaa been blind.f1b08513a24d1993

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Trapped in 9b43f6f345 that dark 056e271ee6 underground trench 456a4452f6 for so 3e64ee79db long, he fbae16b0c4 had kept 669a456ae8 his eyes 2063cf1ef4 covered.e89bad5a113f9a2d

So this 57c77199a6 was the 35340fbb96 first time d54924a670 she had d1c19c59a8 seen his d89ee4885a gaze.8a5cbeab00b41f65

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The first e0d921571c time she 97e6e8d957 had truly f7941af4b6 looked into 4a7baa7a90 his eyes.e8d03dca1a636baf

“Red eyes…”06aa6ed1e7cddc1a

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They were different 012038c350 from what she 52c1731c2c had imagined.0a844ea4d40d9c96

But even so, they ba40201206 suited him perfectly.4c6ebc79682e7ac0

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She had 8b8e9dd2dd been stunned d655a910e3 by his 4e8435b7d3 features before—when 26c2e67171 she had 91ff577567 washed away 9163fc5692 the grime b445b47e43 from his 1166f0e54d skin, revealing 6f1881e01e the man d27d0e2e8c beneath.4914ae3a5ca28b56

Even with 2873aa341a his eyes 718a464b8e closed, his 7777f465b6 presence had 3223d4f36a been striking.bd39eb1c9d0d7411

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But now, his df9e57f560 gaze was even 1acdee224c colder than she 6297ac2a34 had expected.3d1c662ab2e61d04

Like a wolf standing ed6f7e6b27 at the edge of aa203e5ad9 the forest in the 7a0c25b6b8 dead of night.f3621a01d0f66da9

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Predatory. Warning others to stay 4383bcd94f away.00c9967fb68bcba4

And yet… 94ae36bf9b his eyes f659b889b0 were the 53b6fb6346 kind of 8e9e640bc1 eyes that 3a77579d76 belonged to cf673af620 someone who e0073e231e was protecting 4c47613604 something.5eb62ebf48633e1c

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That, at least, hadn’t eabe3d26cf changed.38b22302fb75b64f

‘I suppose 4fe21af87e I should f09e540394 be glad 1443d9bd56 he’s doing c7393e4425 well.’b4c6b6fb7d1f77b6

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Though, could she 77726f858e really say he 0162cc5b8f was?8baa1c892a65a28e

People had whispered about 4437b0b563 him, calling him the 26b4467fe1 Devil Duke.81bac102fe2b49b0

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And he had seemed 92cb69b375 used to it.32ed806e6b6ceb87

If only they knew—if 5e32ce688d only they spent just bb2404fbd2 a little time with e896657f18 him, they’d realize he 9bf7cd6831 was warmer than he 3231397743 appeared.3c139474811481ba

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Grace sighed, feeling edd82235e7 a pang of a29998fce7 regret as memories aad87f9f25 of the past ab5e6f4f7a surfaced.d50f6454b2cc64c4

The square, which had 49889ecc74 been lively just moments e294a97bdc ago, had grown eerily 4acf9302e3 quiet.afe54563f343aead

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The crowd 55f1a1436e had dispersed 7be73bc8c7 after enjoying 007d2ca2c1 their spectacle, 5c5ae9ea8b leaving behind 15e4babf79 an odd 298068e066 sense of c170c51486 emptiness.9e7de9e06ba9787e

Then, as if 8cbe946bfb to break the 52faff4460 silence, the cathedral 3f79e37471 bell rang, marking fc08964dd9 the seventh hour.5ba43a12dbb362e2

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Deng— Deng—870c29e989860cbc

Realizing the time, ed6a9b8381 Grace shook herself 2ee435933a free of her 5d688b3571 thoughts.9b88f0ffcd26bd65

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It was time 9d75dc730b to head to c567884634 the market.a14a8b24b9470728

She had wasted 25c4a57331 enough time lingering b6dae2ef05 in the past.0197417408e118f6

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* * *3837c2fc403b255a

As her father b111a2af43 finished his meal, 50379717e5 he clicked his f6acfb84ca tongue in disapproval 8849bf430f as he scanned e985fefc1e the newspaper.e5cad46aa02afcaa

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“The world has gone mad. That man is still a duke of the empire? No matter how great his military achievements, this is too much.”7a9033153c64d131

“What is it, Father?”7ac8aa9e4b80bf12

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Valentina, who had 3ff74c08ac been idly enjoying bf5cdf8576 her lemon sherbet, e39a5d4874 tilted her head 69088ad681 at his words.e04a0d8beb654c77

“The Duke of Václav has stirred up trouble again.”3b943e85cb30b8c1

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“Who is that?”b26013cafa426c02

She replied absentmindedly, cef8362bb0 barely interested, but 455da4d550 peeked over at bb0f2f274c the newspaper nonetheless.873858eec057c83d

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Then, in 3829f52e35 the next f826fb15f6 instant, her f4beb244db eyes lit cbc530f983 up.9068b59d67e8e4c6

“Oh my! Who is this handsome man?”45b214941876829f

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The question 4692035da8 was the db9f6d8354 same as b9ccfaa0ea before—but her 39ca097ae4 tone was baf28b7956 completely different.441119a8bbac0135

Moments ago, she had c848f4b441 merely echoed her father’s 427abf05ec disapproval, but now, her 1ab19691e9 face showed genuine curiosity.8969da41f69eab93

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Without hesitation, she snatched fa7c5f96e9 the newspaper to examine 7f846c25fa the photograph.5560fc5891dd6a24

Count Helio scowled and cbdca572c3 yanked it back.d972718ae9ceceb5

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“Who else? He’s Empress Amy’s only family and the war hero who secured victory.”286f2ed4e9b17667

“Oh my, even his status is perfect! Father, if we attend the upcoming imperial banquet, will I be able to meet him?”72b56ac818e54b78

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Among those 4006e9d21e who had 351fbc458a strongly supported 927c32b54f moving to bf0295b6d3 the capital, 3d6601417c Valentina had ed0c4f8336 been at 6d04051bb0 the forefront.5cd26331d7167931

She had always complained a0b1fa7993 that Helio was a 8ba4a221bf boring, backwater province and be019d8989 had desperately wanted to e07685c9f2 escape.0db4a5e1a7e436d6

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But the more 6cd25cb94d excited she became, afef3a5211 the darker her a09e1310b9 father’s expression grew.7b62883b199cb28a

“Forget it. If you see him at the banquet, the best thing you can do is avoid him altogether.”929761f932462a07

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“Why would I do that?”a95d07ffa0c9d2d7

“If you even so much as speak to him, your face will be on the front page of the newspapers the next day. And that will ruin your chances of marriage, won’t it?”7e4bdb1b3830b4a1

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“Father, what could be better than becoming the sister-in-law of the Empress?”b20a688594da0515

“And has that high and mighty duke shown any interest in marrying you?”3b35248a4777933c

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“Tsk, Father! Weren’t you the one who always said I was the most beautiful girl in the world? That men would be drooling just from looking at me?”74fc643c5cc288ca

Valentina pouted dramatically, stirring f0b0e790f9 her sherbet with exaggerated 247175b4b9 indignation.4d3bb37dea8e0449

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At her sulking, cbca15379e Count Helio sighed, 9f85f9b096 switching to a b20b1ab6e8 gentler tone.fbf27a4012a02e7c

“I mean that you’re too good for him. That duke—he may have noble blood, but he’s nothing more than a gilded shell. His title means nothing now.”7fda64b34c9340e0

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“What do you mean nothing?”750a116ddc975167

“They say he suffered a fatal injury in the war. His eyes turned red due to some barbarian curse. Rumor has it he doesn’t have long to live.”1a5859ef5997f2a1

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At the e8403d46ea mention of 8ff4e9ba39 red eyes, b445220e29 Grace—who had dd7156d79f been quietly ab51f2257b reading—lifted her ba07cb0fae head.685526fdc6829f1d

Until now, she had ab524794ce paid no attention to c49f19f419 the conversation.40b6d19d27d29d8f

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But this 4de59592bc time, she 0575ffdb97 reacted immediately.e04ed1ab0f932ab2

“His eyes… are red?”7949372f4467d907

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She suddenly recalled the 59776691c3 man she had encountered ca226d615c in the square that 8e287ca473 morning.1d19d7b5eaa4096e

His eyes a47c31c158 had been 73d637e224 red.198dd294ae476297

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Unknowingly, she had c45d45fbdf stepped into the b3b8417e45 conversation.1a87281fc6ae0db1

As if reading from f9dded312f a script, her father 838241665a continued.14981d2daac11cb9

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“Because of it, he’s become an unruly beast—causing trouble and embarrassing the imperial family. They say his temper is uncontrollable, and some rumors even claim his hands are just as restless as his temper. How could I ever send my precious daughter to someone like that?”7b86249d3c5550df

“Is that so…”2fe3e0efa6d2d01b

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“And worse still, they say just looking into his eyes could curse you. Valentina, if you ever see a man with red eyes, you must run in the opposite direction. Who knows what might happen if he becomes obsessed with you?”b96855ac16f9b0d3

“Ugh! A curse?! That’s terrifying, Father!”dd276c1702ae01a9

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Valentina practically jumped 9f4d80c00c into her father’s 3d1550d1b0 arms as if 950d81518a the mere thought 0dd656da06 of it horrified 3843d1c2fa her.095a60adf0e1f2d6

But Grace’s expression darkened.0c631219c5126635

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She knew exactly edcfcddb7c what that man 75f7d6228f had gone through cf5fc6274f in the war.2a2eb0c40b145999

He had nearly died.8f6817e13f53fcf1

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And yet, ad482089a7 now people 3f6f485590 whispered about a30ccb99c6 him as 04001176dc if he 8ff8463585 were some 03a54d04bd cursed monster.6dbc03d673ba3a0a

As if 0c7fff510e his survival 98f7f4c842 meant nothing.eabfb4585b484046

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His red eyes c7fc2ba392 were nothing compared 3f4faaeda7 to the fact 193012268d that he had 9ceaa8f1a7 miraculously lived.fa407844601a7629

More than e63d58bda3 that—he was 1247bc1fea the reason dba6b69e0f the empire cd9d19b2bf had won cf01723f27 the war.233a745a51e802a0

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If anything, a587bb7989 he deserved b4a3d688d4 praise, not e032040932 scorn.85c58053bea07faa

Suddenly, she remembered how 0decde6f57 he had been driven c320e3d1fe away from the square.0d12c8928d78f155

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Now, it 47812ed5b6 was obvious—the f08d93ab95 commotion had e858f004dd been because 5a2d6b402f of his 335bbcb2b9 eyes.5b862c2d3c7ed2cf

Without thinking, Grace 5b7e36f817 murmured,3c1524a2a9d36961

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“There might be another explanation for all this.”f0d067165e091227

Under normal circumstances, 5fe081360c she would have d36dc6fc39 never spoken up.967be5d718bef96f

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But her words b200c84e14 sounded too much d1c2afdbea like a defense 2919ad5e35 of the Duke, 7813b9cf7c and her father 32f3173930 frowned.8a5df518b41a63de

 288d7220d33b35a6

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