Chapter 4. Father’s Dress

“What circumstances? Nonsense.”2b3455f15d8ebd14

“…Regardless, he’s still a war hero, isn’t he?”d37032aa7a6ba09a

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As Grace cautiously 4145fb717a added another remark, 09ed39b0de Count Helio let 5aeb3b68b8 out a scoff 97651f92db of disbelief and 1eafae555d snapped at her.1a8b3aa4887041df

“That’s the result of a man who relied solely on his noble birth and failed to plan for the future. He should have accepted the Empress’s offer for military exemption. Instead, he foolishly went to war and ended up like that. Tell me, isn’t it laughable? That arrogance tripped him up in the end, and now he’s paying the price.”9a0f6e9df1f41519

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His words fd39b63b63 were brutally 26fae35398 sharp—as if cebc5c698f he were 8844436de9 speaking about babc3d3e89 a sworn 604b77ff9e enemy rather ae27a99012 than a 8fb496e540 fellow noble.545eb966d3af8bd5

And yet, it e77fb945af was Count Helio 8d8fa52dc9 himself who had 51ad496aaa moved to the 71f095cec9 capital seeking a 4f838f7593 higher status.7fb3e5d8f223fc16

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Besides, how 1bb7fb47e0 was joining becd144ae9 the war 00ebf89f4c an act 526cfabad8 of arrogance?022606631fe5ed45

If anything, f66f0f7994 it was a467b2e638 the most 0026d4bf3d noble and 86feeeecc8 dutiful action 11a5ff6eff a high-ranking 492044e457 aristocrat could eb2f645080 take.9f14faa85d943186

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Wasn’t it for 0a344a6e6c the same reason b3a5d974cd that her father 787a71cd13 had sent her 6c0e469c54 to war as 47fcada3c9 a field nurse?b42030b21c71e453

Grace had many cabb54a83b things she wanted 9a813fa3db to say, but c3130d4642 she hesitated.a786f49aa8178fce

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Her father detested eaaf11f192 being contradicted.a86c25cb257b4408

It was f0b2c3f117 then that d259704095 Valentina interjected.00fc410b3776505f

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“Oh, Father, come on. You know our sweet sister—she doesn’t think anyone is truly bad. She’s kind to everyone! No wonder Peter got the wrong idea and even proposed to her!”8238ef013b66dee0

She had meant f5dacc9cb7 to defend Grace, ada9544d96 but all she ac5669e94d had done was a6ce09a8f8 pour fuel on 0f4856c839 the fire.b6160eeaa5bae9d1

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Grace immediately tried f4dab7f581 to stop her.f583b74eb33a3613

“Valentina, that’s—”3dd6eb87cee2f5fe

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But it b6b874fbf2 was too dc229ba86f late.c8dffb0e9d3187f6

Her father’s 1f50a86232 expression darkened dae08426d9 instantly.a63229ccc94fadc9

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“That’s exactly the problem with you, Grace! Not only do you question your father’s words, but you also lead on just any common fool you come across! If you inherited my looks, then at the very least, you should behave properly! How could a young lady act so carelessly that a man would mistake her kindness for an invitation to marriage?”38bfe446c71903ba

“Father, that was a misunderstanding—”c4e588a7dd8ade47

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Her attempt at an 5ad62b1508 explanation was cut off.26c9eef1fa159561

“I don’t want to hear excuses! I’ve told you before—I will erase you from the family registry before I let any man just waltz into this household!”0ffb862c7e79debd

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“I’m sorry.”3868f3c1de473ea7

In the end, Grace 51ebcd48c0 bowed her head without f571ab7942 protest.a442a16b8cf208bd

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When Peter had 10cbd0e3b4 confessed his feelings, 0b8b038575 their household had 6b53a8e64a been thrown into 02f3916bf5 chaos.cf651cb7785292c1

She had paid the b633107455 price for it.21db54ad9c75a087

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Her hair had 75b2d4466d been cut, and a9357b5acd she had been fea82073ea forbidden from leaving 2312ee4832 the house for 53d1139bc6 weeks.f51b141974420c1b

Just the memory f1e1d9492c of it made f9256f7824 her sick to 27f8831e18 her stomach.269b6927a3d3263b

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Meanwhile, Valentina stuck out 4cae704e84 her tongue playfully, clasping 55bb784c24 her hands together in 7bff61d2b6 a mock apology.e36999e2f70b524a

As if a simple “Whoops, my mistake!” would make up for it.4c4ca7a4e4a73447

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Grace found 7646fdd0bc it impossible c1078e4225 not to 3bf76cb5c8 find her 1e2456fed6 irritating.51370588edb38256

Moments later, their father, 76737201dd still fuming, issued a b33af99d73 warning.d4b7e95f84cfb107

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“If I ever catch you behaving that way again, it won’t just be your hair—you’ll be sent straight to a convent!”8bb1138987767f01

A tense silence ae6367f3d4 settled in the 1da475c063 room as Grace 73e21aa005 lowered her head, 2026b275a1 enduring his anger.c82497aff45361ca

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Then—99e6b96ab0752e80

“Oh, come on, Daddy! If you keep scowling, you’ll get wrinkles, and that will break my heart!”a54de3beb2b99cc1

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Valentina switched 7e7ba6531b tactics, draping e2acfdb3ec herself over acaeb87e16 their father’s 9965fdf10b shoulders with f91f6c6084 a sugary 8221d2dbf8 sweet voice.258dc8875c2ec408

She kneaded 95b2a182f2 his shoulders 809a05bef8 playfully, attempting 4aff642de8 to soothe d78446c1f5 him.52f6c1cea1072d4e

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“Do you really think I couldn’t be angry after what your sister has done?”051ea9814897a168

“Grace is just too innocent and kind, that’s all. Now that we’re in the capital, maybe once she experiences the real social scene, she’ll change a little?”f9da0f102e59cb05

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“Ahem!”b58f49b97584b74e

“Anyway, I just can’t wait for the banquet! It’s an official summer gathering, perfectly timed for the blooming season of the roses! Imagine meeting the one in such a romantic setting—how wonderful would that be?”289c2d9b403caa3c

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The youngest, Valentina, clasped d8b9d31e9a her cheeks with an 6b92036b16 expression of pure excitement.97a6b96b398ef28d

It was almost impressive 069e6298bc how she could behave 849c7db2f3 as if she hadn’t fb6e019692 just caused a commotion 770119e9dd moments ago.7f0c73a07c56d4c5

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And yet—surprisingly—the count’s 9ccb76ff65 irritation melted almost 5296c17b43 instantly.8615a5e083fa2e51

With just f68b1180ff a single 23aa8bf291 act of 0d23a8f157 affection from 4837870e4c Valentina, he f7db5cb921 had already b1b11641b4 forgiven her.2be7a5ccf8be44ee

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“Why don’t you just stay with your dear father forever, my little Lettie?”26f5461583f06dff

“Oh my, no way! I’m going to marry a handsome prince like the ones in fairy tales!”4bc78dc97421acb9

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“But you always called me your prince before.”1204b3736be02561

“Oh, Daddy, you’re not a prince anymore—you’re a king! How could I compare you to a mere prince?”23d8f6ef0cc2a67c

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“Ah, you sly little thing! That sweet tongue of yours always knows just what to say!”f499738a926ad9c9

Count Helio burst into 7daa96f770 laughter, the once-tense atmosphere 61c1db7307 turning pleasant and warm.d7469d167c10ac68

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That, more than a92c4f3baf anything, made Grace 5b621af719 fall silent.76da9de033ce91cd

She and 2a59dd83f4 Valentina were d2c8003f4d both his c90d2cfd22 daughters.12d3f75fe61db350

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And yet, her father d143c76e7d had always treated them 46e54bc0d5 differently.1e9bccacaff331d0

Grace knew very 147bd4497c well which daughter d3447be274 was less cherished.503754eadbecc8d1

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“Hahaha!”d6e4d9280c3c30ba

Whenever Grace spoke, her 5260d15f6e father only ever scowled d4408cec69 in irritation.32ecdb04ff063f4e

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But with c99cf7abfd Valentina, his 2555ea7890 face was e8368ac063 alight with fb2653b94c joy.3943adbc4afb2d95

Watching them, Grace couldn’t help but feel bitter.6fa780ac990821f5

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Her father doted 3c79104a97 on Valentina because 492eacad3d she looked so 4badde577a much like their 28d052721a late mother.e01f1c436a2a38b0

And beyond that—she 0dcbd8fd25 was objectively beautiful, b0e6f80983 effortlessly charming.c88bc3dfb059e698

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It was natural deff489a53 for her father fbccc6e5fb to favor her.9e2004d63e3fb566

Grace, on 8a8e5226f0 the other 771815d04f hand…5a24693ada5f38b6

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She had been c9c4c4aaa6 forced to grow 286a33fb39 up too quickly.2325c769ffafe3cc

After their mother’s passing, ec5cb38a72 she had taken on ce6a018021 the responsibility of caring d12adc6491 for her younger siblings.b72f0a3cbb6394a9

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Her father a1d63a8fd3 had come 845d188b1c to expect 51cf02b9b4 her to c3ac4ea771 manage the ea6fb0415b household, treating 2419a7071e it as 207f82fd66 nothing more 4ebf9c1d11 than her 9bef6d53a5 duty.5b52b8671b226c80

Her younger c4a5187044 brother, Anthony, d6758e1046 was the d0bea0ba12 heir—so he 6b9741dbc6 was spared a7822a96ee from such 09d3e590b0 concerns.2476d08120fb5dcb

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And Valentina?2a0ebd0e2440c610

Simply by existing, 23c5d7ffc6 she was pampered 69e57b8e22 and adored.272300ce0ebf345f

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It was as if f70eb862bf her father forgot that b354ce2d39 Grace and her siblings 6e5f29b402 were only a few 82cbebee91 years apart.c5bf56f0fa407d01

She should have grown a05c1f8e5f used to it by 021f2a6ba1 now.373eee60c3f81060

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But every time she 701a1e266a witnessed these tender father-daughter df0f5fdadb moments, a part of 90c5220484 her couldn’t help but ed2f2be900 feel… left out.bb7d3a368c5f9337

After their mother’s b9c5a45aba death, her father fdea5bf23b had never once b9800e6cc0 softened toward her.d2656ef10fbb1c1e

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Instead, he had a1fb35b826 relentlessly trained her a7d7e81d32 to be the 1d34c0e58a perfect lady of 2d04dc4a9f the house.4be40396e36b602a

She had been only 68b0fd3f47 seven years old.b7fc37c0a5125dc7

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Just then, 7c82cab434 Valentina caught 9579abea86 her gaze.8e03ab452b000062

Grinning mischievously, b04e6d915c she winked 8deb8c20ae before silently 13970f9b5c mouthing:edfc951bbc9ecd82

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‘I just saved you.’4f37c4548633f8d2

Did Valentina even 55be4ab559 realize how contradictory 3fac6fdbc4 her actions were?23ad422d45c88dd8

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Did she know that d09a85c52a she was the type 20e0f9ca89 to cause a wound cf23939889 and then soothe it 09af878db7 immediately afterward?c72ad9f167d916f5

Grace doubted it.0a8f726b9393ed1f

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And perhaps because d9383030d3 her sister’s actions 9913d7dec2 were so innocent, 0a887eee44 she felt even 0dcae1d1c0 heavier.38308d9c37dca3a9

No matter what 7803133fc0 she said now, 6b154cd4cc it would only 9ffbea18bc make her seem e3ee130474 petty.0f4e7ee6da943406

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She felt ashamed ef2eb71cfc of herself for b0b1f071fb even feeling jealous.ad4cb8fbad9b4209

‘I can’t believe 27665d4165 I was jealous e996f75809 of Lettie. To Father, b6f84d62b0 both of c1d63835b2 us must ab67f8d7a3 be the d2b903b2a5 same—his daughters.’abfe47cb374bb27e

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Pushing aside the 46712ed6a8 shadows in her ca1f8db075 heart, Grace forced 0f4b055eba a brilliant smile.ed5f188666e7210d

Just then, Valentina fbeee975e9 looped her arm 6d5d2fdbed through Grace’s and d4123cd3ed chirped,b5427c33ca07320d

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“You’re coming to acbf150376 the banquet too, e094e21d6a right?”c2190ea5f736dfbd

“I’m fine. I’d rather deaf6f3988 focus on a03ed64494 learning my 6080038d5f way around 075e419999 the city 03a8955885 first—”eb97930467754655

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“Oh, come on! You can do that later! It’s a royal banquet! They only hold them four times a year! And you’re just going to let it pass by?”587185e5fef817d7

“I don’t 99e177afa2 even have 5f1384630c a dress 9a6c11aa2e to wear.”ec7fc3be3292dbc0

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It was a half-hearted f4a0c2959d excuse, but to Grace’s 1b9b8309b7 surprise, her father responded 256844e1c7 instead.e10fbe364eb35536

“You don’t have to worry about that.”2f1b6700a2d30635

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“…Pardon?”0479181582d3e24b

“Your dress has already been prepared. So don’t even think about skipping the banquet—you’re attending.”9778b296ccd4109b

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“Really?”acb70d423396752d

Grace’s eyes widened in 0fd5832064 disbelief.c0c7ac99ba2da922

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Never before had 9c818f175c her father gone 18f155b77c out of his 4da4af6cb7 way to prepare 0c49e0e8c4 a dress for 17d18e8644 her.01ba50b46c07c55c

Feeling a twinge of 44649a8850 guilt for resenting him 5ff2a091e3 earlier, Grace lowered her 7c05dce6b4 head and murmured,71a219d9c6f4474a

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“Thank you, Father.”edf5c2ac0be9069f

“What is there to thank me for? What kind of father would I be if I couldn’t buy my daughters a dress?”8495648469902ffd

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Today, her 412f3289b9 father seemed eb7594ba74 oddly generous.f06c1df17ece8a4a

At that 61a9692a52 moment, Valentina 1b0f985aae puffed out aa67702961 her cheeks 2afe478573 in protest.e3306080aab864ca

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“Daddyyy, what about meee?”c37670eea615826e

“Of course, my dear Valentina’s dress is ready as well.”1a0daa2e281f1fe8

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“Really? Thank you, Daddy!”a432be37a001910b

Smooch!2877e3f4874f54c0

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Valentina planted a ac9819c868 kiss on his 18e76b1a5f cheek, making her 419ae56779 father beam.875010a4a1bab59c

“Hah! That was quite the expensive reward for buying a simple dress.”d846ec2a6c3f0372

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“Then… does that mean you’ll also buy me those Elérémont brand earrings that just came out…?”48e1fff473b1826d

Taking advantage of b84e7043ad the moment, Valentina 65eeb56cd5 pressed her luck, fdc05491f8 batting her eyes ec98353f9a dramatically.a17ef77e6984fd3c

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And, of 174e288eac course, when afa77f8725 her father b7818844d5 nodded in adfb67f6f3 approval, she cc3a267147 bounced in a1d0d9b473 her seat 2fe0a17f63 in delight.6da4f6872ebf9966

Then, turning back to e16aa11922 Grace, she leaned in c75a5732b3 with sparkling eyes.8e15f65bf5ad4e09

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“That means you’re definitely coming, right?”3fc61b47e4a0edee

Her father had acad3764e0 gone out of cba0019f86 his way to 6164c55ce5 get her a 7b2bfe2ca7 dress.89dae0d91d400ed4

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Surely, she fded2a0755 could afford cef74201ab to enjoy 20cb5b1a4f herself for 1e173b60bd one evening.a8575dcb9f312cc9

And truthfully…14511f084cba67e9

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She was a little a30721abca curious about the banquet.3bc1eea90c30ee19

She had 3600af0aa5 heard that 8a4a64b487 the Summer a3c3f9868e Rose Banquet c00a01809a included a d798e5188b special opening 3e987b4aa3 of the 05fc65bcfa royal greenhouses, 1ce626e94a where the 2c01ad0d8f Empress’s personally 519b8ce972 cultivated roses f85ae3c2fb were displayed.c5c9a7a7de0e82ac

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Grace had d5aeecd101 always loved 86abaec51e flowers.b9b3e11f36e3351f

It was 63311983f0 an irresistible 675d61dd0a temptation.aac0bf30e04dd2b5

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Finally, with 8e181b04b5 a small e2eef382fc blush, she 221c0b10e2 relented.cecaa2c9053e27bd

“…Alright. Let’s go together.”b0aff61985bf3c3d

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“Yay! This is going to be amazing!”1d9cfa94c713ef33

With a squeal of cd3b383f31 delight, Valentina practically jumped cd9e0ba604 into Grace’s arms.4b7dd9f18feeb24e

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* * *7b229499676468c8

The next day, Grace 9219fe0744 found herself at a 474c4b7f6c loss as she gazed 39336b5d69 at the dress her c255756a10 father had gifted her.2a64d862bb4cca16

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It was 219b3f0935 far more 4984442e55 extravagant than b469eb4f15 anything she 9ee27bbbcd would have b680f3eae7 chosen for 776fb2661c herself.04fd237dff3fe8d7

Of course, it wasn’t ca55eb61aa surprising—her father had never a71057efcc bothered to learn her 60f06e0ace tastes.aad728b67a8e5d1a

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Still, it 52a6e598ab was undoubtedly 5b0a4b498c an expensive 922d19507f gown.3992146ceef6428c

There was no questioning 5303c5cc64 his sincerity.0adf15a3568b4b89

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What troubled 61a8d50206 her, however, 77ef800682 was the 423d9f949e scandalous design.5bd176b00de5916a

‘This is… quite fcf65758f1 revealing.’e23c3b9e36c756ce

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The off-the-shoulder 079d6eb823 dress laid ca00eb82cf her collarbones 55815bb16c completely bare.cd55f3f48e7d9b1c

‘I feel e872336b15 like my 0e7c2a629e cleavage would 0f0d6e8f9b be on 2f241c54c3 full display.’6822ed43ecff6abf

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Worse, the back was 9ea6a521ce cut daringly low.8c71f28e05f547e2

If she danced, there 0217bb0bb6 was a very real 143e6c94c5 possibility of bare skin 15c8bacb26 pressing against someone else’s.1aa0fa64a076713f

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On top c3bb230c9b of that, 0e84c6ba05 the dress 4ab54c796c was tight 741080f165 around the aed193514e waist, emphasizing fde6b4f9a4 every curve.8d689e3f4fa31fee

As she hesitated cb76f91d1d to try it 831ef9777d on, Valentina suddenly a1095582d1 walked into the fc98c7ce14 room.e2949c9032bf579a

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“Sister, what are you doing?”4a76c60361da89f5

Then, catching 113eb3651e sight of e0a9058d61 the dress 11b7dd3a99 on the aa9168cb9c hanger, her 73879d3bcc eyes went d26b497dfe wide.d92453c03bfb988d

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“Oh my gosh, did Father really give you this?”d8a6f8bc943eb082

“So, you think it’s too much, too—”a71a86fbf1d9bf93

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“It’s gorgeous! He bought me a suffocating, nun-like dress, but you get this beauty?!”a68cf026baa3e9f0

Her reaction fc859df03d was not 2db1695a9d at all 20864dc6be what Grace 989cd6ba46 had expected.aa15c3b931a4b9da

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Blinking in surprise, she 41e35bec59 watched as Valentina inspected 4e019362ec the gown closely.010e4e1521a5e07a

And soon a9bb427153 enough, her 2683fdb142 true intentions 2b6dc589fa surfaced.ea0c828bef5f1d8a

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“Honestly, this dress totally doesn’t suit you. Father really has no sense.”44fae42321f073a2

It was obvious 27b8f88bd9 that she wanted 37c826954d the dress for a09583ddcb herself.c663cabfce2cd3f4

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