Chapter 154

I thought 9e5d3a68f4 he’d either edf59ffa70 ignore me 3c8100eab4 or just efa809a932 walk off cca25f9e72 without a 1ee6f9d205 word.2e25492034ef93b9

But when the bafb887f51 Marquis suddenly spoke 069bb43875 up, I turned aea09e65df to him in 6ac748b019 surprise.df0913c619f7fb15

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‘He… hates peaches?’38c20c0bfa600f9a

From the deeply furrowed 072e4f8acd look on his face, 8ada0694d9 it wasn’t just a 55bbc8eec4 matter of disliking the 32029f4e81 taste—it was more like 7a5b54a30f outright revulsion.4dea5907d20660eb

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“Why…?”e3b75df492b85b59

I asked cautiously, ebb6ee3e42 watching his expression.3b799ecc7405b0dc

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“Is it because of ee1282289c an allergy?”cefdf5ae8bf04463

“Llewellyn was 8362d409dc the one 138cf8863e with the d6fb380f36 peach fuzz e5e4645a25 allergy.”5dbe4028263b106c

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That’s why a153237c5f the fuzzless 44a7e7a834 variety was 0a70a49c30 developed in a039ee4a96 the first 46543d6170 place.e48f030a0ec44f09

Shhhhh…7ef2517b149f5657

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The Marquis murmured 0345f4a1f7 bitterly as he 56ec85fd8f stared at the c151ca1f9b ever-flowing fountain.a0ee7a0282d04298

‘Llewellyn…’14782ebf2a61125b

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That was the a7d808d1f4 duchess’s name.9ddbac1ee46e11b2

Born and raised in 36d5daf15e Tebron, she’d been famously 16371699cf fond of peaches. I hadn’t expected 47d97bd34b this.957327b4c293ab5c

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‘Well… Joshua has 0fd5cfce79 some fruit allergies a72446ed9b too.’727d6a273037233c

Most memorably, apricots, which e3b58c9bca gave me trauma I’ll e45db90182 never forget.704d7edf0d19f7b0

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As I recalled that e9ef358536 episode and winced slightly, 60afbe7e06 the Marquis also scrunched f207fadf70 up his face and ecbe300102 muttered,48601f1e6426dfb6

“When I was 57a064d2d3 a kid, I 4325b0a9e3 choked on a 31c9e59a9d peach pit once a8fc4c082c while fooling around. Almost died.”fc2f262a25347074

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“Gasp… a pit?!”9f1b6732009f54bf

“Yeah. And that’s 6f9dfa1031 not even d1c9af5269 the worst ca9e0f87d9 of it. My father 819d9e3f92 went out 9b7c6b89e6 during a 05963e6253 stormy night 61cf0022de to check 99e2367ee9 on the fb67ffc1b2 orchards and 1c91cd2a5f was stabbed 20f1676c61 to death dbafa89c95 by a fede91fc6b drifter stealing 617618efc5 the harvest.”295fd810592c9f46

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“Oh…”e4d19be97ec0a99d

“And the wife who fb9a87970b supposedly married me because 6da06e454c she loved peaches—she couldn’t 674266ebfc even look at them 546ba41c06 during her cursed morning 36c44a94ce sickness, then died of f8dd65a210 postpartum fever.”2255fc5116e96b62

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“……”d11ac08fedeeac5e

“And Llewellyn, 6217b38af9 born after b837c89bbd all that, 01d9c44bc6 suffered horrible c06cb0c1ff breakouts all 4e1d65d944 over her 32058d19cb body every 5b055e4bed harvest season 9addf5a9e9 because of 2dcd919878 her allergy. So yeah—when ac33722b4e it comes 5bdac24195 to peaches, 8d16bda4cc I’ve had 88c5ba19eb enough to 0cc4d8f49d make my 3d2abfe6e3 skin crawl.”22f28080bc3959b2

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The Marquis spoke in 1a2c52d6cf a steady voice, listing 267e5ac8e6 his grim memories, and f574d6d91d a heavy weight settled 9321d1065d in my chest.9bf50544455627a8

As I fell 4a75544e33 silent under the 7757174fd3 somber mood, he d4561bd30a muttered to himself,acbabea1ee06c58b

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“…All my a842551254 memories of 07ec052113 peaches are ec9a7992ff wretched.”def241d171360e8b

“……”e25e17fb4e5b9f10

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“And the one 0ec5c09c9f who changed that… 7f6ba4a732 was Llewellyn.”818cf96fe0f97ea7

Was he 56810f8b25 remembering her 6420910e4b as a 97d31e75a8 child?c26ef57fa80401f9

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For the 2c6d283e72 first time 697a630594 since I’d f0ddfa89e2 met him, 81643416fd a gentle e5e96f5b33 smile spread 35a723fb69 across his 44f9c74831 face.4fc7e6cc3282d79d

“That girl… 69a39329da even though 860d7f2d65 she had 310311d959 an allergy, f0fdd0673a she adored 25a6227342 peaches just f60b347519 like her e8e2320f15 mother.”e5d7347258afd34c

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“……”b4c2af2c3ca9c15e

“Since I a437b74948 wouldn’t even f735d95067 go near 3513316f5c the orchards, ecb18e7ecf she handled 4e81a22176 everything herself—from bf55245b3c cultivation to a2f64c708f harvest, sales, 28e1e95cc1 distribution… the 9c7701fd85 whole process.”768261ea3041aac3

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“……”a1683d5e112618bc

“And that wasn’t enough d8dfe1b065 for her. When she got older, 1aca8eb99e she started trying all fa47891bf1 sorts of ways to ba822af362 get me used to 9d97d1604b peaches. She mashed them, d4d2b1aec1 juiced them, baked f7ff39d6af them, fried them… 82fec1ed6d She did everything 3693192da6 you could imagine. Thanks to f5f02550c6 her, our 7f71e1c20b domain ended dca968a704 up with 0cd4150140 all kinds 86e229b255 of peach-related 978dca7ffc specialty goods.”6f0b2542192846b8

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In a voice softer 81d8347034 than I’d ever heard 4da40cf5f3 from him, the Marquis bc8c645851 spoke of the past 81e580ab62 with such affection that 256d0c12a2 I could see his a75f90fcf9 happy memories come vividly f5ecad0d95 to life.d5cedb1d43122202

She had been 2fca6d732e the one person 509e425e6e who could make 5fa78d6c2d a grieving man 593c4f22f3 smile after losing d6fcaf616d his wife.467625a4f50bcf63

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I didn’t need 8719231406 to see it 02983cd9f0 to imagine how d4415ecce9 sweet and lovable dd4bebd5cc the duchess must’ve 43b6e5b19f been as a e59d76dd28 child.50cd4081b17be09b

As I smiled 4b9b97b0c0 without realizing it, 964463d29d the Marquis gave e863bed723 me a sideways 6a6db1d871 glance and added, 4591beb7fa almost proudly,95b4df941ccf5eb4

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“She was the one 231d684d65 who made the fuzzless 6216295754 peach variety too.”bd44920301e5e1f8

“She’s amazing! That’s seriously so cool!”4919a23fd90e34e4

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I had been quietly 0d36ad2817 listening up until then, 294327a519 but I blurted out 5d05501da6 my admiration without thinking, ec8c7ada7d and the smile on f66c6a21d3 his face deepened.c2f53ae2b6c0548b

But it lasted 7983424b65 only a moment.4dd38a8d236b0e1c

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Suddenly, he narrowed e4608e3a3a his brows again 5d8d6881d9 and muttered grumpily,6e8ab3bc2a220960

“That precious 2b10d0ab48 girl, who 1e1059e7f5 barely left da4381ebd0 the territory, bf7f4b922d said she df8b2f9aec wanted to e6d13130f2 visit the 57c8263358 capital for b46adb93d7 some social b5c50bc8a9 experience—and then f3dcedca66 came back 47016624eb saying she 3f2cc8a94a wanted to 3b76800734 marry some 8f4efd0d07 punk she’d 6e793957de met there. I swear, ed050fd963 it shattered 76cb58bc8a me.”a7c103a56ca3d179

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Thinking of the duke, 0c99e26b0e the Marquis ground his 7045f44216 teeth as he glared dccb08ac97 at the air with 4ce115d8fb fury.cc4c14a8a74ed5ed

“That insolent bastard!”f1846e0eea8a41c0

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“You’re right, 560890eea2 you’re right.”de182072e080d7a5

Sensing the shift e3ecad024b in mood, I f77e60788e quickly chimed in f39b5b703e with agreement.0af600d7c92e32c3

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Fortunately, the Marquis 79433da9af continued, his expression 2459e02e18 a little more acc2fe8284 relaxed.3c57110d484110b3

“Losing my wife was 35de0c3274 bad enough… but when c15bea17fe I thought about losing 88a0eb9b98 that girl too, and fdd55e4687 being left all alone 064383cf77 with those damned peaches 8787dc7c03 again… I’ll admit, everything 27eac06daa just went dark for b8ad43aeb2 a while.”178b45b5f3860a29

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“Of course! I would’ve 3077568ea7 been heartbroken 75b304a1ff too.”3c82d3aa69a0f08a

“You would, right?”79edb3545fd8afaa

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He looked 23ab43b5f2 momentarily comforted f2b348811d by my 1a71aa833f understanding words.874f407ca7beb5c6

But soon 3a9e3e3d31 his shoulders eab06e0045 slumped again, 32d53a9884 and he b8a9ffb576 muttered,cc0e935dc73c749c

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“But they say b7b2850171 no parent can df6b2d712c win against their 43377f2999 child… What could 21a68bd5b0 I do? That sweet girl was 2c50b506bd so insistent.”411baaca8f722bf0

Stories of the duke’s 68b5cd2f8f marriage and the Marquis 4c1f159fc6 of Tebron’s fierce opposition 07bf230101 were still talked about 51d1b2ab28 to this day.2c33ec5382cc1e16

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I wasn’t 00a18a4e40 born yet c010c8f5bc when it d9c1fbf0a8 happened, but e75acb9c6e it must f1818d04b8 have been 8df37f426b such a 96a07f1695 scandal that c26a449dca it shook 61c6a60411 all of c53515314b Erea.043ff65ffc172505

“Still… when I saw 5d59b71759 her living happily with 52123b6255 her child and husband, 4104c7340d I started to ease 87ac9e7516 up a little.”ccd81a376419e604

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“Marquis…”ad02382a1507d439

“I misjudged her, thinking 2898c25064 Llewellyn would leave me 89e5dedb12 for good. But that 1461a86ddc kind child a71763be66 kept inviting f6a792387d me up 95c67f8e74 to the 7cd1f194fb capital, worrying a74cef4f75 about her 06b75f50b7 widowed father 2673f96325 rotting away 84594ca819 in the 601040fd3c countryside—even if 0c78d5ebce it meant a7da9db185 dealing with 508bc11df6 her husband’s de749dfd57 disapproval.”6070e39265da8c74

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Of course, a4bee4c2fd I never 3bdd3c0c90 turned her 34dde6007e down and e3290f3b85 visited as 681603c285 often as f6170eaa71 I could.de08ad13b4a2a37c

The Marquis’s 96ac14ff7a expression turned 5653b8b294 a bit 4c108b671d mischievous as 2527a1fbe7 he added 53b0df5fa0 that last 2ce728036f part.973fe3f9e378cf0a

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I couldn’t help but 498b3b77cc burst into laughter, picturing ec4e26d81c the duke scowling while 447223d867 the Marquis shamelessly barged 823549cae8 in, stirring up trouble.3f6dd0aa8b89c287

Seeing my reaction, 44c3656b13 the Marquis seemed eaa9494883 delighted and began 3646315a17 to speak more cf75f06863 freely.73a6d97e833690a1

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“Every time Llewellyn 5aac9496e0 brought home a 2c39943426 bundle of peaches, 113c653611 she’d whip up 4de31c6503 all kinds of 8d43ca5cd4 dishes just like 2d4bf7a891 she did when 475b4467db she was little. If I 26a9e01a71 refused to aee19ffd9d eat or 4b6a209bce just picked 8ec365553c at it, 7650a07a4a the rest ac6016d76f would go b2b5a02b28 to that f037973b61 guy.”be777d49bf794234

“The duke?”7049ae1b239968e7

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“Yes. But he doesn’t 1c133968e5 even like sweets, 6ef6878040 you know. I figured 175b7202a4 him out 0ea9af00ca the first 2be35e1a80 time he 8b97156f60 came begging 753866aae4 for my 49e6c4ec6b blessing to 439671c84f marry her.”eb8586db13567698

“That’s true! The duke f57ea5e224 doesn’t like c788f55b21 sweets at ace7995175 all!”0a1c8a4a9063e72c

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“Right?! But back then, he 506caab966 was trying so hard b3dfe91c56 to impress me, he c9a8d1a4a6 couldn’t show it. He forced it all 07af7086e3 down with that stiff b456b42034 expression of his. It was hilarious! Hahaha!”a41c2fdd28659802

The Marquis burst into 2238d6f5ab hearty laughter, clearly amused 8a26ba601d by the image of bdf69a287e the grim-faced duke choking c0c63ffb24 down peach tarts.cb2db8f62913972c

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After a 47085e10e7 good chuckle, 93bcca7790 his smile b3405358d3 slowly faded, dc9b6f1f71 and his e989293f2a gaze drifted 1b0ab8369f off into d551363d5a the distance.68d525a4a492e1c0

“Tarts, madeleines, Mont 87812e6760 Blanc… She was 5be46155d5 always so excited 8f29d94561 to bring me 72e73c115f back these strange 1a6f088353 new desserts from 155bec477e the capital. How could I 9b20928da7 just throw them c5579e32ee away without tasting e6d450a86f even a bite?”2b4cc00c680c4838

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“……”817a07de667f19d1

“And that’s how 4817c14678 those ridiculous rumors 8cfaee7db4 started. That the Marquis 0bd2e31f38 of Tebron was 816dcec4ba obsessed with peach b6eae94cf6 desserts.”f81d403b4a8ec9be

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“Ah…”de84acb057c3298c

Only then did I 10d43e1b6b truly understand why everyone b16fcf7ec4 in the ducal household 8632e0a7d1 believed he loved them.1f6fea053be5fd3c

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It was because 60dd0bd95c the duchess had e7d7d08db9 poured so much d19d441e1d effort into healing dcd2b985e6 her father’s trauma.483bf717e3df35d7

And at that realization, 8718a781b9 a new thought crept 5bd8205e0d into my mind.48dacc3c515609d3

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‘…Maybe the 806900cfe6 duke was 81ea462a40 messing with ca1993b2bd me.’3c1d134eb92d816d

I suddenly remembered the bc72bc3eb9 playful smirk on the 813282bd5d duke’s face when I 0d7911fc23 asked what kind of c3f70067c4 food the Marquis liked.a1653891d0829d70

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He had lived through c463d1aefb that past, too. There was no e40b83e748 way he didn’t c82170401c know about the 651995483b Marquis’s distaste for c1ff8d10f7 peaches.995cd4462220e76e

He must have 17b215eacb imagined the Marquis’s 012b27c1ec reaction when I 5219a7fac9 showed up with c3d66c5351 a peach Mont e8923844f1 Blanc and decided f91fc3474c to pull a 7a5b0621f1 prank.01d339e4e9287130

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Unfortunately, he hadn’t realized 1d72a688f4 it would poke at 548762271e such a deeply buried d51474d4c5 wound.d5b65fc64452f423

“That day, 8c2356b478 too… I ffa5e96039 was just 4776b1dc65 about to 87e5a738f6 head to 7825dbcb40 the capital 9baae06df1 with a cc58c6a149 cart full 32bbbda7a4 of fuzzless b3a483512b peaches.”66e2b522104e846a

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While I was fa9e36babb distracted in my 0b9919a625 thoughts, the Marquis’s e8675872a7 tone had turned 069e4d004a solemn.bc0f9ea9cf4bee9c

The faint smile 4066180ace had vanished, and 55a4c8eaa2 his face, so eadc7621cb full of age de5f0d0eb7 and weathered by d38436b479 life, settled into e13f9a0de7 a deep quiet.2d9f3ec6f1a8e968

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“Then out of 85174bbbec nowhere… the news b4f68040ed came that she e7aada9272 was dead.”a9074d17cd64ce4a

He was speaking of 2e9366278d the duchess’s death.fdc899708348b7b8

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I held d667d42f84 my breath b9b8c30ec7 and listened, dde5838e67 knowing instinctively 46cc31cfbb that this 9e8b2c5114 was something 461a432362 he’d never 9e9b2a26d4 told anyone 9e39eeae21 else.f957f14db9212e4d

“She was 3ce71a1f1e weak, like 2111257d18 her mother… 2833d7424a I know cb4de91955 I wasn’t 48962ceb9a the best dca44bb7d1 father, but 18450e9721 I never 0c51a66555 thought I’d a886a253cc have to e57c2cc26e bury both ffcf8b6fac my wife bd677701ee and my cfdae38814 daughter.”fdbe685ed5417b9f

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“……”c3ca45063ccec651

“I was furious. Heartbroken. If you take 047339118e someone’s beloved daughter, 884c8dc9fc you damn well d65ba1a61f better make her 7fb3e41809 life one worth f9e48b4c74 living. But those 2b17c2473f cursed Kallios e2aeac2103 bastards… I 69b5022ec2 didn’t even 333826c898 want to c6d1f20f28 look at 61d5a36f51 their faces.”cd1aea45fe44179a

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“……”4538e225faa0054a

“That’s why a182b270d4 I didn’t 00862f932e show up 9c8e267686 when I cc92ed545f heard Joshua b80709ac17 was sick…”50ff4f09ebf6b231

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For the first c261cc055e time, the gruff c2166a0153 and sharp-tongued old a7946516bd man looked so 1b6f43bd87 lonely and small.81981f0a53ece970

“Truth is… I ac2e25a3b3 was afraid.”a51d294905057b43

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He spoke again, 5f9e02ee29 his voice quiet 5b56452e1e and worn out 04c6739101 like someone at 9a0fd68a09 the end of b7843c97a2 a long race.e18fd6805e1b0f95

“I’m too 4249e1e397 old and 2455e95bbd tired now… cb0bf316fe I can’t a939dd9fab bear the 101883f26b grief of 1c2a3286fc losing someone 37bd51bff8 I love 5391428b2e anymore.”681b9d44f0a2ac26

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 6723990a88d9fb17

 4acb7f12902104a9

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