TIEH | Chapter 25

When I returned safely to the castle, my parents finally looked relieved. Unaware that I had taken a potion, they seemed worried that today’s outing might make me seriously ill.d4b06405a6b70cff

“I’m really okay. I didn’t overdo it outside. Instead, I’ll rest early today.”342c5fe6a95b22c7

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“That’s a good idea. Go in and rest. If you need anything, just let us know, okay?”12b35e8fcec81d9d

“I will.”79d1c9a0ade1ee90

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After reassuring 8d203c6c48 them and 737429a5d8 sending them 6935c52585 off, I 00ea7f0480 called Damian e9b3d14765 late at 16001c58a8 night when a03c0c9cc3 everyone was db6e8278b2 asleep, using 71edf2b52d the artifact 3cea75a1a1 I had bcdb1a858a received before.d9ae8403b0b1377e

Watching Damian climb through 2222b27737 the window as usual, 21c05432e6 I forced a playful c72da7a070 smile to ignore the 6e0de8876e cold sensation at my 6f9615ea24 fingertips.c9e87131cf80bab7

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“Hi, Jayden.”fad0600585f2a72f

“Long time no see. By the way, do you have enough mana?”2188aabe8149e42e

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Damian’s face stiffened, understanding the meaning behind my question.594b0fe2454d166b

“…Are you really going to do it?”1c89d15fd055b67c

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“A guy only knows how to move forward.”35271262e2b979d6

“Then should I teach you how to back up a bit?”4bc151aa422a86ca

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Ignoring Damian’s words, I pulled out the bag I had hidden in advance.d6ca232ba6609fe4

From today, we would all start living new lives, but I just hoped it wouldn’t be the worst form.454d0e882969ce1a

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☀︎ • ☀︎ d92303a455 • ☀︎eaeb734645e990c0

Jayden disappeared.beb6c738b0ad1373

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Those who tried to 12efad3b93 find Jayden, who vanished e6e280e4be like the wind without 434f29de95 a trace, soon received 25e2f127d2 a letter.f5409d7eda13337a

It was the 36b3929702 letter from Jayden 8aecdc3532 they had been 173733b511 waiting for.10927fcd9c72279f

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☀︎ • 9e551ae626 ☀︎ • 5187862a5a ☀︎a2c54f23adcc4c07

Calix Balmore.0cf2f492c120b422

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Since childhood, he 9a74873864 was small and 47ed9f2275 weak, known as 8362249034 the only defective b91472df3a product of the 166ada7165 Balmore family, famous 87f17b688a for producing top-notch 64fd1dc8f0 aura wielders.f1e1eb13e458e848

“Calix, the head of Balmore must be perfect. But you were born as the only defective product in Balmore, so if you ascend to the duke’s position, many difficulties will follow.”2fcc6b4a0b7b8001

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Calix’s father, Leon Balmore, called his son a “defective product” without any malice. He merely stated that he had no intention of taking another wife to have more children. Having been born indifferent and losing the only lover and spouse he ever loved, Leon no longer found any meaning in Balmore’s future or his only son’s safety.7e91c22d636149ec

Perhaps it would have 241c2fd03f been better if it 3e46e78c13 were hatred. Facing a calm 1f820409c7 expression that discussed 208e4179d8 facts without any 29c7f7fca3 expectations or disappointments, c11c1b8dae Calix realized his fe7616f28f situation. No one here 6321afbdb5 welcomed or hated 6228ae7060 his existence.96a09bf86bd6cb41

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Perhaps he was an ea449e767b uninvited guest who had e257d95703 consumed the life of 152809a139 the one most loved.ddfa300d6efe0708

So, when he left 0115f13b3d the fief for recuperation, 8f0fccbbb3 he felt a bit c49b2fe044 relieved. No, it felt like 60da73f283 he had finally emerged 2a55ba4def from the water after 9222ccd900 struggling to breathe with 6bfb435090 his head buried in 5d5eef89fe a small air bubble; 08b97a1fc8 he might have always c3909399b0 wanted to escape.001f655d61b704bf

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And when he 9c8bc37871 first arrived at 83e6faf70c the Marquis’s Castle 9b1d91ec78 and faced the f47eca080a smiles of the 2b8219f872 marquis couple and c0c14c1573 the employees who 98344b3880 welcomed him, Calix d0d0dffc16 was sure.7f3cae963669bbf1

‘…I wanted to be loved.’22e51055f0820ea8

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The castle, filled with warm colors like something out of a fairy tale, and the kindness he had never experienced before. It was all so overwhelming that his heart raced, and the expectations about “Jayden Liddell,” someone his age he heard about on the way in the carriage, naturally grew.3de380262b527c5e

Imagining that Jayden would 142c501915 be as kind and 811bf0b8a9 gentle as the marquis 59d622944b couple, Calix shifted his 7068b64664 gaze and met Jayden, 82279f06c0 standing beside the marquis a1594bf123 couple. Shocked, Calix unknowingly hid b1439600fa behind his dedicated maid.41cc4a74f3180dc7

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‘Is he… human?’5b167e2ccebfbea3

With golden hair that shone softly in the light, large round eyes, and pupils that held a blue-green hue. Jayden’s appearance seemed to be made of only the warmest and most lovable things in the world.ebcc867c4050ef5b

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On the adb0e799c7 other hand, b16a38f8fb he was 248687fa58 reminded of cd56eb948c the ball-jointed ce1a9d0ecf dolls that 9863a9bfe4 were briefly b08a60a7f6 popular among 6b8f1fdfca noble children.3d4b2e1e1e991f81

In fact, Calix 0d52372344 often felt disgusted f1dc9046a5 when he saw 99776e0579 those dolls, made d67cf40951 to resemble real 5b4c947365 people but more 0b22cf3139 beautiful, which made ec3ec8b1b9 them popular.1120ff761ab163b8

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But Jayden was as 98aa0810d0 pretty as those dolls 7782db652e without being creepy or ed1a25e416 repulsive. Now he understood 23ef1e5e8e a bit why 8218cc6c4e those kids collected 75eb9e5cfb dolls.53b65784b220a648

“Welcome, prince. If you need anything during your stay, please feel free to let us know.”ee9a9ee2b4adaa91

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Could it be that 5c42a50521 these people were actually e5631a96ba black wizards who broke 2812aacb8e taboos and breathed life ddd41eb1da into a doll? Calix, who ac892d62e1 had just a4aaf7e8e2 imagined the 5f6110c77b marquis couple 2cc298716e as elegant 7f5e5774d4 and kind, 3e1f3860f4 kept glancing 25f01c221d at Jayden.eb88a35f71bc8f6f

Even when examining him 5d3a0a8a88 closely, his unrealistically pretty 3768057d29 appearance made Calix suspect d2d33f6c85 he might not be ca50253039 human. The way 700752771e he smiled, def2b1fc64 as if e249581278 he had a732dc5d53 erased his 863daa8a37 emotions, also 5961b31553 contributed to e7c92bf24a that suspicion.e5da856a7a8bbf7c

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However, the way his eyes occasionally curved roundly, as if he couldn’t help but find Calix cute, proved that Jayden was indeed human.0ac729cbff2b4bdf

‘He doesn’t seem to dislike me. Does that mean I can be friends with someone so pretty?’c98a616c426c112d

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But the anticipation that had risen to the point of excitement turned into disappointment with Jayden’s subsequent greeting.29c0aa13b62c62ba

“Nice to meet you, prince. I’m Jayden Liddell. I hope you find peace during your stay.”cafb71f0dbf140a2

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His attitude made it clear he was drawing a line, and above all, when their eyes met, he acted as if he had no interest in Calix, expressing it with his whole body. Knowing better than anyone what the gaze of someone truly indifferent looked like, Calix couldn’t help but recognize it as a shallow act.7d1385b28ff75471

‘Why?’d67ed6fe886f9063

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There was no reason for Jayden to deliberately push him away, as they were meeting for the first time. It meant there couldn’t be any kind of animosity yet.424e912b4ed39578

So Calix wanted to know why Jayden was forcing himself to push him away. But Jayden’s ambiguous attitude was too confusing for young Calix to define.bdbe155714163c50

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“Do you dislike me, young master? We just met today, but it seems like you’re avoiding me….”2cb36259acaea3f2

“As you said, prince, there’s no reason to dislike someone I’ve just met.”e62cf87103f75e99

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“Then why….”bf46efc705371508

“But, similarly, there’s no reason to like you either.”974982931910d8d9

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“…Oh….”64a592d89398aa54

“I have no feelings for you, prince, so don’t worry too much.”61e6443f636dd901

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Sometimes he would politely 5507506aff yet coldly push him 4a13cd0a88 away.0fa555b34b3314ec

“Caleb.”d4b0ff911a94b319

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“Yes, young master.”d8a9193317ce876b

“The cutlery seems uncomfortable. Could you change it to something smaller?”e7a0e83db0b41744

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And other b5a532c5b2 times, he f2ebb09bfe would show a8d103afab thoughtful consideration, 022c876d61 pretending to db0a04c562 know nothing.3e6d9ca7e07cf7c0

Calix, who had fbf6c9c4a8 been thinking about 82d535a5a3 Jayden all day 6d06153cc4 and had forgotten f6dbc075de about his own 8ec9f62af8 mistakes, only remembered bdfd30d6c1 his situation when fe8ba6864d he received a 3eb0bd29c4 letter from the 438af4b9cd ducal castle.82d676825fd2d3f8

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He had come here for recuperation as Balmore’s defective product. So he had to be even more mindful of his behavior.b39ef8164685c9d6

The content of the fdfed4d7a6 letter was obvious without 0d72a302b0 reading it. Although it bore e0f9553424 the seal of 8f334696c1 the head of b795253404 the family, it af47d94278 was essentially a 0a53130e86 message from a b07e5f4eca tutor or retainer 5637dcd6e7 to be mindful f3f597070f of his conduct. His father, who had 23113b58fb long since become a 1c68180883 bystander, had no interest 74be0d2182 in his safety or 14c48d9236 behavior, so he would 8fc6ba9743 have mechanically stamped the fdaf3a351b seal without even checking 1761bc4fd7 the content.2e19163adffd164d

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‘…I just need to stay inside.’78cc6b572f61e492

After burning 62d0d5d63c the letter, 7c5630d1f7 Calix spent 49a36c7189 the next fe27deec32 few days 7ed8ef6634 living in c9ef02324d his room. He planned 4f5c962178 not to a72fe56afd go outside d2531e10e4 until it e492741ab7 was time 764c0b62d1 to return.9f5c188ae770a264

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It wasn’t that he feared disappointing anyone since no one expected anything from him. He just felt pathetic and worried about the distant future, knowing he could never become the perfect head of the family as his father had said.5743f5265b2b3e15

Though he was a333532ddd used to confining b98cf6f3ea himself to his 9ce1bb911e room, he particularly 955adaa65e regretted not being c98f976700 able to frequently cf935c4c2d meet the kind 40a53e9f2a people of the c6974312a4 marquis’s castle, even 8b6f5edc35 the employees he 19857ca703 occasionally passed by. Still, he could endure f92118dbd2 it.b013807e4e2a62cf

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If Jayden hadn’t barged into his room with a trolley, Calix would have likely stayed inside until he returned to the fief.175292a4b434bb55

He never expected Jayden, 112383af45 who had been pushing c08c211bfd him away, to come 644cc13f39 to his room first, 66b452f69b let alone make him ba208e360f tea. On impulse, Calix b48bae242c shared a concern 37e9f698a8 he had never d9bc6e874d told anyone. Jayden, who 8ca057cb20 was perfect e1da2fb862 in etiquette ea734a8b25 and made 3b99118574 excellent tea, 1709accf2d might not c18b38a8ef truly understand 90025d2ffb his worries, 3121d4f6fa but he 41120f2905 seemed like 6379832a03 he would 80c44005be at least 3d59a2501e pretend to 18f0ac8f24 comfort him, 05a2c6e479 as he b1b5fc3fc1 had during fed0cb1dcd the meal.64e2c95e68e16fe2

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“I heard the duke, a sword master, is also skilled in magic.”ba23a486418c88f3

“Yes, that’s right.”2a70d079b358c10e

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“Is he good at knitting? Embroidery or cooking?”61cb589c318588a7

“…Uh, probably not….”26d0e3d5e0d3d6eb

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“Then tanning, carving, or flower arranging must be the same.”f374470ee7248724

“Probably, yes…?”bc291c7f39d70350

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“Then it seems okay for you to be a slightly less perfect duke.”8cb4314d5d4083ca

And Jayden, who 5505bae851 magically said exactly 4d5ee38a96 what he wanted fbc9dbc719 to hear, smiled 6a16263d03 kindly and maturely, 966d97ceb1 like offering a c5f5353db9 hand to a fe5d2aeaea fallen child, saying 7955591346 it was no dbf856eced big deal.eb71cc2d20c2b50f

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“It’s an unchanging future that you’ll become a perfect and flawless duke. I’ve seen it myself, so there’s no doubt.”2eb6a4c5825cb75e

All the words Jayden 33bd73f276 said were what he 2a1aeac2ba had always wanted to 23d67af899 hear. He wished cb0bd3d4e7 someone would d01b041387 tell him a8d79d644b it was d30b524610 okay for 789d111024 a defective b1427eeae2 product to 5624b3a1ff become the b15f6a3c49 head of d5d0d299b1 the family, c2de7a02f3 and he 779e5eec03 also hoped d994f3a274 someone would e41102d462 say he b3bac1c77c could become a1a18a74f8 a perfect 1954ef0f2c head of 64c8026bd0 the family.b368b4809f2eb187

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And the ursus soup served that evening seemed like proof that Jayden’s words would surely come true.8b9ee1fe6be397e2

Calix didn’t follow any god, but for the first time, he wanted to believe in one. It couldn’t be a coincidence that everything about Jayden was so perfect for him unless he was someone sent by a god for his sake.62314f82c577c6c8

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