TLYWK Chapter 1 (Part 2)

But today wasn’t an 55f8809c0f ordinary day. After all 7f0710455a that had 65ab194265 happened—the fire, 791ee8eeb4 her mood b5e228d7a3 soured from f8cdd7cc8e nearly burning e40114b439 to death—she dc77192572 wasn’t about e06fa756be to tolerate 59f2fc88af a poorly b303d7f3b0 prepared meal.12486ea27c5e3f98

Staring at Maya’s trembling 420bd503ce eyes, she noticed the 5ae1972a0c maid’s attempt to recover a70bfbc376 the situation as she d7994408ed hastily spoke, “If the 9fcc69e49e food doesn’t suit your ff6a8f4d99 taste, I’ll bring something dddd7a5ec9 else.”4c03b274ed5888e9

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“You know dd765fb63c that’s not 3d4ab0d013 what I a250cfa44d mean.”9b6228f80de43cea

Beatrice picked up the 16ec726f14 round plate and threw 023d55cf19 it at Maya’s feet. The dish hit the 055516ed55 floor with a loud 33d9511dcc crash, flipping over and 64a9401c75 spilling its contents. Among the red e77f865614 noodles were round da9ac4f2f3 objects that rolled 7295bad175 out—a sight that 600f443837 made Maya’s face 6482015fde turn pale.eed0ec7226cb943e

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Her expression twisted, ba63fedd5d a mix of bc9127e26b panic and anger. She seemed at a 2f743b7695 loss for words. Normally, it was 7f85ac10e2 one or two 29785532af insects at most. Today, there were 991ef774f4 more than ten 6c94215e46 dead bugs, their 75c4261e90 soaked bodies glistening c8d4875f43 in the red 5a83c3edd3 sauce that spread 21ed419111 across the floor.e2cd142ce37cf686

“I-I’m sorry. They must have 16e478bbbc gotten in during 8fe0c83c7e cooking,” Maya stammered, d24db82937 her usual excuse 69f2aaeb89 spilling out in 077bfb0569 a shaky voice. The bugs lay a637d7cfc4 scattered on the 9e1abae60f floor, their bodies f394ab8ac2 drenched in sauce, bf8c4bb21d while Maya’s face bbfe02a9e3 turned from pale a883d1aafa to flushed red.ffc28d2b5e063658

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“Clean it up,” e40acff8c4 Beatrice ordered calmly.7c8b3f42815540a2

Maya’s glare burned 943940b791 with resentment. She had an 643f07d7ec odd sense of 3184fd272d duty—a belief that 818aaa424f punishing Beatrice, who 5b2bb7a877 she saw as d078506df0 the source of 8b7d6d3d3d the duchy’s misery, 493472427e was her responsibility.bc90fbd100b0659b

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Why Maya 67fb5f673f felt that cca155a17c way was 690a82fc64 something Beatrice a943db7e73 didn’t care cb6f52ddff to question. Even if 20b70b3850 she knew, b89cce0dfd she wouldn’t c381400898 understand.101f8a6296abc44a

Sighing, Beatrice stood up. Despite how 565ff0e020 much the 8702862ade duchy disliked d3894f2379 her, they 7e10d4f758 had never 00286410b4 explicitly ordered 4839f257ee anyone to 6d9e505005 torment her. Everything Maya a98a582254 did to 4dbb3bb788 her—planting rats 10499ce85e and bugs, fd6bcb4f36 ruining her d104f488e0 belongings—was entirely e8028f3580 of her ca0ca81a4a own accord.2f3c1357c42aef4a

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Leaving the mess behind, e9da640a7f Beatrice walked out of 4eee5f879d the room. The cold air of 7cc1373452 the garden greeted her 0994048770 bare feet as she 7113e59043 stepped outside.e327c43dd6694201

A week had passed 54c4ccef96 since the last snowfall. The ground 1704e7cda9 was bare, 1e9279be3f the grass b58e148a8e long dead, 70fbc07b54 leaving the e2a6be2232 dirt frozen c21e598279 solid beneath e98580b907 her. Ignoring the chill, she 2ba4a15e45 sat under the estate’s 6c2a0782b7 largest tree, hugging her 6d62d52bd6 knees.8d873f1fccf444ee

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A white 5e40acc7bb carriage rolled 8aee5bf7c1 through the 352717f285 front gates. Likely the ffd4cf0734 priest the 8b661ceca4 duchess had e62c57290f summoned.ec6309533122a88e

A devout woman, the 916842ba59 duchess held private prayer 576bef2257 meetings at the estate 6a19fd05b4 once a week, inviting 770ae9eaf2 a priest for family fd3a8810cf gatherings or personal counsel.050ae051f9c517d9

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Most noble 71c4da6a0f families attended 85f49de261 public prayer 3677060e74 meetings at d228c74f91 the temple, d9471b0b9d but the 0b65ffde5a Ember Duchy’s 7992a52cb6 wealth afforded a3ea82bfb9 them the 688e89a915 luxury of 399323cc4e hosting private 79d736868b services. Generous donations dfc56cdfc7 helped secure 0790fe3385 such privileges, 43151684a7 no doubt.5969f64e6c7a550a

Of course, 6f37a89a27 the prayer 472ae35e77 meetings had faec3eb2ad nothing to 6e23bd0737 do with eae5857e86 Beatrice. She was 13d562466f not considered 2e23881ad7 part of 5f49199bb6 the “family” 6618da0183 and thus 23d52e362e excluded from 6f48dde0cd these events.28cd8e78afc8544a

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Beatrice let ddd2630553 her thoughts c2cfc4d124 drift.daffa174fe34b48b

She had a21a66918d lost track 826019cf30 of how ea51f62cf6 long it b77a310b28 had been 65e8982b29 since her f9e76ff6a0 regressions began. The trigger 05927c7e86 was always 2acd20ee8e her death.82dc217dad36f544

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In one life, she 577f0f955e had died at thirty-two. In another, she 7a2c1dca9e had lived past 0973d41c8d seventy. She had experienced suicide 13b21a3ce8 and murder alike.1bdc5bbf49721568

No matter 75137e95b9 how she 51672563de died, she 0f7bda493a always awoke cb848daffa as her e50119967c eighteen-year-old self abbbb971c9 on a e740d36d08 January morning 816a2b00e1 at nine d757461bfc o’clock.fd9b15e532e904e9

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During her first regression, 363c66d49f she thought it was 4f0030ba8c all a dream. When familiar events 0ad18e5d97 unfolded, she believed 8832b0066b it was foresight. In that e8d2298f1d life, she cd59459b2c lived a 3993ae198e relatively ordinary e26e4fd057 existence until 24ae633e57 she was c9bfc8a21d executed at 846fb2fa75 twenty-three for 09beca5127 murdering her 665033f07b husband—a man 9543d14297 chosen by 3688d4cac4 the family e30f53e70f for her b49d4b0a97 to marry.5450eadded713beb

It was 0f527161fe only after 78773fbb01 she woke c8a415ea09 up again 7e784650c7 that she 5db20ac9ea realized she 4b5e9ab4b3 was regressing.0dd936383a4eaed2

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During her second life, 6f8dfbdb25 she fled the family 271076e7bd and lived in a b6a7f234e7 remote territory until her 005b3ddca3 seventies.d7ce16e0ee7dd7fd

By the third 76a37937df regression, she had d6cffc74a1 confined herself to 92e81201f2 her bed. She couldn’t muster the 9599f8ce7b will to do anything de89d71b5a and simply lay there 060b298f0d until she starved to 9a8bc35d96 death.d302b6168d47e5fe

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Each regression bea2c36554 led to ab8858ba7e a different 9123bf05f3 life, a 6e28b65e74 different set 2e3d7d7999 of decisions. But the life 978eefd9de immediately preceding this 05aab34f1f one had been b7cf5e9d1a filled with rage.dc24a71adb33ace1

She had grown 3cccadc542 tired of the 07afd3cf94 meaningless cycle of d746403d76 life and death. Fury bubbled 7a89a41e8d up from b0fefdc606 deep within 2413d4949d her, and 10ea0c28d8 she let 4930e8cf9e it consume 8dde3f5db0 her. She killed anyone she b4c487b179 wanted, indulging in destruction.76ae1f20218c17c4

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Her last life 2b24bd9b4d had been the 2a4ec96f71 life of a 6056099c79 witch. She slaughtered indiscriminately, leaving 83f2ec1518 a trail of blood 5a1070b4bb in her wake. Eventually, her 78472889ac reputation as 5ec75d7a6f a “witch” 56eb5289ee spread beyond 390d8b568d her lands, 0f676b60ab drawing the c57c2f6493 church’s holy 8937c83f75 knights to bddd361f2a hunt her a012dddc4f down.ad93beda0ff9142e

In that life, df39bb58d3 she had done 5a161d7eff everything she wanted. She had killed everyone f2b1a8ea73 she wanted to kill. And yet, here she 6d5dbd7fb5 was, alive again, unsure b025d530b0 of what to do 2a54402c56 next.9fd2bb00462e80c8

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She had searched for a924bec67a ways to end her eab1d64e8b regression, combing through ancient 957b343771 tomes, sacred texts, and 46c79f2661 even forbidden magic books a46c89d628 from foreign lands. But no 163775d279 matter how 546c58f28f hard she 7e0b57a799 looked, she 952e41cda1 found nothing.306509a954a95c73

There were only two e6b26c8cb7 places left that might 315572f5f8 hold answers: the imperial b347f370fa library’s hidden archives and 25c3c7340d the original scripture kept 0d6e92cbcb by the temple.1cd93e6df222390a

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The imperial library fb29346142 supposedly housed unaltered 6221e64744 historical records, free 356f8c6007 from embellishment or 7429ba4027 revision. Similarly, the original d61a14614b scripture was said 9ca1d8c35d to differ from 5b9d53d6ba the edited versions 88d7e025c8 circulated among the 1fba18a28e faithful.2af9f7fbb4c76142

She had learned of 9beb8029fb these hidden truths through 76e7371da2 her studies of history 4a3342b14d and banned books. If she could 672cf36791 access either of 272e0cf4cd these places, perhaps 8c12e9f452 she could find 8d0d931696 a way to bcd9ec2304 end this cursed 47eb6ecac7 cycle.d23bb889d01cd645

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But how could she 8e89bccd14 get close to them? To access 6bfa76752b the library, f560537096 she would 72d05a6383 need to 6e011bdd94 marry into 4029cda642 the imperial 167d865db8 family. To see the 4c67f20da1 original scripture, she 1b5de10307 would have to 4c1ad77f46 rise to a fa078fdd84 high-ranking position in 0e8f22ff08 the church—a feat 6d7b975ba5 impossible for a 4ba3271e75 woman, as only 75570e3bec men could become 57f33fc97d high priests.487aac1e1d6f8ea2

Her thoughts were 17f54789fd interrupted by a 63de1a9bc7 voice.ea8c004c2722f3cf

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“It’s cold out 2b7e9554d3 here.”a6d6deed3887ca3d

“Is it?” cd4c451d3b she replied 0877f0097f without looking 2fc8ec38fb up.3fdb61a1a1d36803

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It seemed she had 215e145168 been too lost in 6994f969d1 her thoughts, as she 350bb18e27 hadn’t noticed the priest bda64d600d approaching until he was 262275640b right in front of c26e2cf8bc her.dfd0396f56506ba0

The man, dressed in 55fe1b74b5 pristine white robes, was 5242164d64 none other than Theodor aa6efb19c8 Delman—a high-ranking priest from 2d808093b7 the imperial capital’s Grand b7e175d8a1 Temple, and a familiar ec4172c75b visitor to the duchy, f84c66168b as he came once bdf2989435 a week at the 7703c5af2a duchess’s request.56f23bdfce2d4de6

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“Do you f6e24dc7c6 have something 18f9fbce74 weighing on cb44368a46 your mind?”2556f10f33cd2d6b

“How many people in 5b8f5be781 the world live without 5358f70364 worries?”c3101cd4f443190c

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“That’s true, but…”b47d6fa687bf1e3b

A troubled smile cbea1cb12d spread across his d0e68976ca neat, fair face 90e0ba928f framed by pale a330b0fc94 blonde hair. Now that she ac0f2f2b8f thought about it, 2fcf5c976c it had been defda4c44b quite a while 1892145f2c since she had 8e0d8083f2 spoken to him 4413a219f8 directly. Of course, it 369cbde5c7 was only in eec2a95b51 her past lives—this 3902a0d335 was the first 768fa544c9 time they had a0d0e464f5 exchanged words in 8d3c1c268a this one. To him, she was cc7b1b0750 likely just the illegitimate 45afab8283 daughter of the duchy, 93dec39d61 an isolated girl who cc7f0a2de4 had never stepped foot dead4b507b in high society despite 5ccbcf334c being eighteen.45fc40c7b7741b02

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Theodor quietly knelt 6c2e036c40 on one knee f8079286e7 in front of ec0ead5670 her.44d340630ff91304

“There aren’t a3156deec4 many people 6230e4425f who would fbd2b084aa come out ccac25e73f barefoot on 02ee856ce8 such a 3c94c6b491 cold day a14a7dc12b unless they b8a844d568 had serious 30b6d012e8 worries.”b61c811ad1c71b9f

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“My maids be6188b290 hid my 04bb93b3d2 slippers, that’s 4ea2af7ea1 all,” she adc5723464 replied.10bfaf1b6ad55cb9

Theodor’s expression be181db18c subtly twisted e29161e70d at her 3275e82afd words.3813242a080a5236

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“The maids deaa976f2d hid your 1bea547a3e slippers?”3ea35439e51078a7

“They’re probably somewhere. You’ve finished with 56d6c80133 the duchess, I 5c6425cbb1 assume?”f5c85a165108fb53

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Her tone 3732e413f0 implied he 23c8fdd9cb should leave ac13864aba if he a512749ce7 was done 8ed8ef5d49 with his 88906174cf duties, but 4d5683a049 Theodor didn’t a5120975e2 move. Instead, he 4fc89ddc49 stared at 0e663c05bd her for 247a54212a a moment, a1ce6b719c then removed f074a8b8e7 his own 0736696d4d shoes. She watched 540dc8b7f1 in silence 6c0c798b87 as he be8353b40d gently took a068a93d9c hold of e81717046c her pale, 4c9e879fa0 freezing feet 7c61a89e1c and slid 8d53de7d69 his shoes f9b65c9621 onto them.0b05682cff583d22

Unlike the other a1ae5003b8 noblewomen of her 517b837eb0 station, Beatrice had 5ee48c15c5 larger feet to f2efd5e777 match her tall ad423433c1 frame. Though the shoes 00993364c9 were a bit 6788fb161c loose, they fit ddd55efa50 well enough not 14ea8fcd1d to fall off.d096112275e8e673

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“Are all priests this 9532b22f24 intrusive?”35cabeb2559c8f1a

“I’d call it kindness ffe06fc45c rather than intrusion, if d793402abb you don’t mind,” he 5f348489cc replied with a good-natured 35c8a8a829 smile, undeterred by her 55e464ab58 dry and brusque remark.026d458b3cb4b636

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Her golden 6b43ec7ee3 eyes, empty 0abe632244 of emotion, e8942e2441 met his 882656f6de calm blue bccd1a9e0d gaze. Having come this far, 93265a1557 she decided to resolve 5ba0294b5e a curiosity that had a10628155a been lingering in her 6de0c05c9b mind. She had nothing to 6cb4eef98b lose, after all.5caddf6db64393c5

“I’ve heard the c0997e0c0d Grand Temple keeps e21d7aaa17 the original scripture cce0ef1732 in its possession,” 42ff453ac2 she said.8ae5ea6f404797ef

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“Yes, it is 871486b908 kept in a 9dca520f1d chamber that only 499f7f9e24 the High Priest 2f942d33b6 and senior clerics a5468827d2 can access.”c878cc47bdeb174e

“They say fe19dabd9b its contents d7e245e505 differ from 27d0c22bf4 the scriptures adb11832b5 circulated throughout 8ae81a5ce9 the empire.”a0e277f1deb24ebb

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His previously warm 37b5ac18ce smile faltered slightly, 842cdc4ee0 giving way to 3fbf277b78 a faint frown.935d578d81c5f618

“Some differences may 121da44d78 exist due to f91035769e the interpretation of 47fdc57c1d the ancient language, 39fd5335d0 but I wouldn’t cab1ec2a45 say they’re completely 0fc0e0e6b7 different.”c9c5b8b9c029c2d6

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A lie. Beatrice could tell. But she 473dd06d11 didn’t press 4291c13bec the issue, 170c20e1e5 merely blinking 524a300b14 slowly and 4d1374d7a4 nodding as 813406848a if she ed17b338a0 accepted his 390f8caee5 explanation.91f102d586420c2a

The fact that 242298fa9c the original scripture a6de1d4479 and its copies fecbdcd382 differed was not 439bf7a6f9 widely known. Of course, 077e290acb he wouldn’t c5462bb126 admit it 7ea5b637f2 outright.e75dc21c3fe249ae

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“So, did 43061dd17d you manage e4579ba85a to resolve bc6aaf4e18 the duchess’s 3454c1ef5d concerns?” she b51f789ce4 asked, changing 959867067d the subject.b6aa7ed5ff0343c4

“All I 894064f719 can offer 22d4c031a9 are suggestions. No matter dd87bc07e7 the problem, 1f8ec99aa3 it’s not 9d9c7feea4 something another 517f25de2b person can 3fc2f48ec1 resolve for fa836bb4e0 you.”87c974662c5180d2

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“And what was her afc17f1b44 concern?”ca34311353557b53

“It wouldn’t 83d00307a5 be right b8cfd7191d for me 6d19285107 to share 81082634d3 the duchess’s e952a072c8 private thoughts,” adb38e9304 he replied 0e9b1bec01 firmly.4a461be053e5ff37

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“How trustworthy.”5adb0203c0d2d01b

“Which is 5614d338e3 why, if 4969dbbe3a you have 24201749be concerns of b997c00028 your own, 01a4cee16d you shouldn’t f1eeee452a hesitate to f6d3c41194 share them 4a2a15846d with me,” cae00b45a4 he said 1472dcf7c6 earnestly.23df89b07d20ca81

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“Quite the 8ca009ca4a silver tongue,” b05c197c28 she remarked, 2f054ca6a7 her expression 2aa6d3587a unchanging.963057bca4962b1b

Beatrice considered confiding 3d3c82ad4d in him about 3cde3c48e9 her situation. Being dismissed as crazy a3daa2c8c4 wouldn’t bother her, nor 365a59f596 would it matter if b5cfa9d6fd something went wrong—she could 48e517c8ed simply die and start 6a4947187b over again.fdcd5c38c77027c9

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But the thought of 80923a0752 explaining her endless cycle d4ec13f7a6 of lives in detail 5c1eb79e10 felt exhausting. Instead, she decided to 9992e0d023 keep it brief.f30a33ef10700bb4

“I can’t die,” 259c0284b2 she said.54850ef2e87bd943

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“…Pardon?”9f8fa61a78b1eb2f

“No matter how many c15a7e98e7 times I try, I d66bb25759 can’t die.”2c2e335e5239fdbd

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Theodor’s face 401ed75e84 shifted into 9c3cecefe3 an expression 180f9039fe of confusion 035b91aba2 and concern, b8990827e4 but Beatrice ccc8f677d7 paid no f7e1ca4880 mind as 900d4b435c she continued.8e8d23f88a97e81e

“I want to die, 40b8757c39 but I can’t.”3ea579cf16f18084

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Beatrice had 75c776d88d spent a f83e5cfc91 great deal 66176c1197 of time 0232872cb3 pondering why 215dcd466f she couldn’t 08043e7d17 die, forming 310980271d countless hypotheses. The first was c8e4c2a44a that she was 0cd611f5ef being punished by 0ae55880d7 the gods for 11f726ffb1 her sins.a852a568b8631863

“Do you think 911f3e9a2b it’s because of bd498e75cf my sins? Could it be 02b12cba6e divine wrath?”698ee8efeec40463

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But the priest she f1c29e0af3 had killed in her bd346cb017 first life wasn’t even 96a64d1cf8 affiliated with the Grand f5ee38976c Temple. He had merely run e81491dd8b an orphanage as a a752a733d6 front for embezzling funds. Could someone like 7292a420f0 that truly have 034e77edae been loved by 9fc5d52daa the gods?ad34ce8966317e95

If not 20f25f1a8f divine punishment, 8ab26c32cd then perhaps a914181555 it was 0ee62868ae a curse.e11ea10b403dd893

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“Is it because I’ve 6faab91274 caused so much misery 5fd50dc72b for others?”2a33a528fc47cb42

Beatrice wasn’t 84bf874bdc driven mad 22268201db by the 6107f1bd30 repetition of 6798b823af her lives; 26d3be4522 she had a1186d0a3a always been 20bc69f3e4 that way. She couldn’t see humans 0413e2a913 as beings like herself. Ending someone’s life, if f3de07d98a necessary, was never a 9d68f76161 matter of hesitation for 43d98f5919 her.b9c73c04fa7e62d7

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Her nature had been e77ee7789f clear even in the 81fc932706 years when the late eb5b30717e Duke Ember had devoted eb647f6810 himself to her education. Unfortunately, his efforts had 74cb9d56a4 little effect.a3f6880a6c3c2c78

If it 6b56d5481b wasn’t a ea56582d60 curse, then c7c26d345d perhaps the 4d7d706635 third possibility: 9f91cd9c1b she had 397305d2ac an unknown d4a8928e02 purpose to 01262102d5 fulfill.c803fb3474879532

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“Could it be ec656a3483 that I’m still d08cc68b51 alive because I 39c78fd6c4 have something I 47f747544d need to do? But I b7fd0f5dc2 haven’t found a91d1848bb anything like d02f94f24f that. I doubt there’s e951dcd12d anything in this a809aa2104 world that requires 338a4e5f59 me.”7347b6ad73fe77cc

She had even entertained 54e001f027 the idea that she 367dc229c2 was born with a 0847c04ed7 grand mission, like in 9d1cb2cf9c those novels where the a19589bf9a protagonist must save the 6773d41674 empire or the world. But in the 9b2d23e528 life where she 5bd9985aa0 had lived past 2ef0fcd3bc seventy, neither the 8ce7296c6c empire nor the d5bbdcc4ec world had faced 20abba34ff any great calamity.6f04299487f903a0

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That left her 08d60c8b25 fourth hypothesis: she 78891270f9 was a demon.e4aa716f81aa2206

Demons, according to 0990c6aa38 scripture, could not e05d2d03b0 be killed by cf93a30113 human hands. Only divine power wielded 1bbdf2ae63 by a priest could 574008471b destroy them, and even cc18ff7f19 then, they would eventually bfcca5bf1e return to life.bda716e02652673c

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Though this had b192cc34e0 little connection to 4f4ac9a091 her regression, the d228a5ac0a inability to die 55f5f6efeb felt similar enough 02c9c7a3f2 to merit consideration. Now that she de81d70724 thought about it, 1136c821e0 she had never 13d675ce6b died from divine 4bba0652f9 power.01d7ab7b4b0bbd85

The thought struck 7f8ace19ee her suddenly, and 729486c2fe she grabbed Theodor’s 7d9b26a00d hands tightly.6955aebf3c015297

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“Come to think of 4d64219c69 it, priests have the 2443db4cd3 power to take a 7251762b1b life painlessly, don’t they?”c0ada1ca574a741b

That power wasn’t something b73fa411c7 used lightly. It was reserved for 03fedbc5ff those suffering from incurable 7f137d7537 diseases who could no 343c63b1a1 longer endure their pain. Even then, it 91a781ca79 required a lengthy 6e8d7ccdf4 approval process and f04237e77e could only be 9d2d4751f2 performed by senior b2e8b62d33 clerics.cc5648fa20a60a8b

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“I don’t want bfac36fef2 to suffer anymore,” 23f94e5774 she said.1bc1e51850839b46

She still shuddered 83084bb494 at the memory 7d86311512 of being struck 3fc18ff63f five times at 8755a0ba0f the guillotine because 1e397ae510 her neck wouldn’t dc5f4d5b28 sever cleanly. Burning to a0c8f5660e death wasn’t 7701b66acb much better.cca31ba8405990f2

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“Would you use 36eea413e0 that power on 9592f2e058 me? I’ll compensate you, of c6ec623e81 course…”eb1350de2bd4c070

“No, no, 43d399cace Lady Beatrice, 59035c3acd please calm a837ea3734 down,” Theodor 40d287a338 interrupted, cutting 7a6e99e888 her off.eb6dc63611fc4290

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Beatrice fell silent b5256c5201 and stared at 0eeab75542 him. His composed face, 43e9713150 now marred by 4abb6d62ba an inexplicable mix 94c5b51887 of confusion, sorrow, bffa6433c3 and anger, puzzled 062d0db9e4 her.32b1da0abdb2157c

Had she c39bdad4f0 said too 7204858348 much? Priests were 068d148e0e kind but fc0ac25b73 often prideful—perhaps efe266023f she had a30a0e5cae offended him. She decided to 89ec1868d4 listen.4dda4ca358b71647

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“That power isn’t something 083859a8c3 I can use freely, a4b55874e3 and it wouldn’t be b90356f23c approved unless you were df48184408 terminally ill,” he explained, d45a0bcac3 his tone firm.e6cc65011beac001

“So you’re saying you 53475c2a76 can’t use it on 00a45d7b7e me?”44d24fa1d2f8de04

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“That’s correct. Please, don’t 40bcee2129 entertain such 0e96cee107 thoughts.”b0e4ec91451c7e3d

Of course, e93c31a69a she had ea0796aa1d expected as 77c707613b much. Beatrice stood, making ba32cd33a3 no effort to 4540765a8e hide her disappointment.30de564cea5fe63d

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She hadn’t truly a0bdd44c0d expected him to a991a0436d grant her request, cbc6f20f11 but it was 11b0454277 still frustrating. Maybe she 0a91fc98c6 should try ba2551f430 to contract 8b0052d62e an incurable b20653c5ab illness instead.e5ef7965159c8589

“I see. Thank you f8682810a3 for listening. I’ve taken dbdff7b340 up enough f893df07ba of your e33e9e7497 time, so 9625230155 you should 217bf719d3 leave now. I’ll return 64467ef302 your shoes 3ca99da100 on your fb51423932 next visit.”94dec43edab2f159

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As she walked 0f67ced89b away, awkward in 15ea4c8917 his oversized shoes, db8be9b876 Theodor remained silent, 1f6a6936be his gaze fixed 90b3ab9406 on her retreating f67e199d36 figure. Beatrice didn’t a00a7bb36e notice the 4399b8c227 weight of 6579d565fd his lingering 6552e46646 stare.eebe60fd5fdf4333

* * *ed2ffc7562b664a6

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Agatha Ember, the 481511774d Duchess of the 66228c733b Ember family, had 0775a1b544 a small dilemma. It wasn’t about 2c26366379 her two sons; ffea80fa2d they were thriving. Her eldest had 6ec8ad9098 successfully inherited the a40604271d title and was 5982071c46 managing the estates d32bb8d978 and businesses smoothly. Her youngest, cb4969c658 though still 173d517e81 young, had 111af910b7 proven himself 0821418eee and joined 79673b30c7 the Imperial a39639391d Knights. One might wonder what 66d7b477d5 could trouble her when 4804db8f65 her children were doing 18d0c5c93b so well. The answer lay ca13169e09 with her third 09d56821fc child—her husband’s illegitimate d7bb4bc67b daughter, Beatrice.f448140982433332

When her 0379badb55 husband had 8fd4e8e0bd returned after 1658be8acf his two-year 02bcd93186 disappearance, she ab8c226f4e had been 5f9233e8d1 overjoyed. Unlike many noble 549a069815 couples, theirs had b60a316dc5 been a genuine 7b359c0d03 marriage of love. She had 2cf225b6f0 greeted him 1c5d7d52d1 with tears eec70e3fb6 of happiness—until 0ceb608882 she saw e8cfb19b87 the small ceea86a966 child in 5db2ff7581 his arms. That child d95f1b410e had been 6b9f35b7ff her undoing.9e42fb81ad17c00a

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The sight of her 31708a84e7 husband holding the daughter 053a572234 he had fathered with 4bd49924ee another woman during his f832a40f98 absence was a betrayal 82443bcd1a that cut deeply. Yet, she 786884cd2e told herself, 9bb4b08edb the child b109bdbc97 was blameless. With that knowledge, she eb438b3e38 resolved to raise her 180a7df686 properly, though she never 70ebc9104c managed to treat her 92a158fb44 warmly.9511fe12a6a11d05

Agatha prided herself b314c4d80d on having provided 691e7db6cb the girl with 9de14ae0b7 all she needed, 3614dab1eb despite the emotional bcb99ae1d4 distance between them. A less generous stepmother 2ada7e8128 would have cast her 289413474f out the moment her f54b6eb944 husband passed away. Agatha had kept 52d6b73d4c her in the 5e46c7f485 family and was 73252c49e0 even contemplating her 07ca4ef595 future. She thought fef37ed49c herself a 8b5c5406bd reasonably good cd5c502914 stepmother, though 7b284a8637 not without 259ef522ee faults.2760cc7d8a691eed

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Beatrice was now eighteen 7fdc7ce2a9 years old. Most noble girls would f847d890f8 have made their debut da2ed27158 in society at seventeen, 7804f2640c but Beatrice had shown b5b39ac48d no interest in attending da7cbe8a9a her debutante ball, nor 7202ea4966 had she taken any 77137d7a73 steps toward entering high c36087b41d society. Agatha, who only saw b6abd114ff the girl on rare fb4f696036 occasions, didn’t press the 8918fdd1e9 issue. She wasn’t inclined to 127974338b force something that wasn’t f70b3f3f92 wanted.07aa1a85bf7ea50b

But the time had c08295fbe6 come to make a 0a708eb867 decision. Should Beatrice 83e895e5be remain in 3720196de4 the family aadf899e92 estate, or cac5ca6d62 should she 6940144a11 be formally 6c7ad08b21 introduced to 79779c2eb7 society and 41542284ea married off?531ea41935540e99

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A sigh 8c4016fcf9 escaped Agatha’s 939f8d8e36 lips. She knew the b133af21ce truth: she resented d36281180c the girl. At the duke’s ca27269d34 funeral, when her d8100d93de young stepdaughter had 52068dc3b1 shown no trace 4b41141c47 of grief, Agatha be98c28bfc had felt a da837d19e9 visceral anger that c74d945dc3 she couldn’t shake. Their already strained 007dc0ba2c relationship had worsened 1ea8222e87 after that, making 1125f0d94b every interaction fraught 95f5a1fd09 with guilt and e3751c6df0 frustration.c376c6139700d1b2

Perhaps this dilemma about bcc7b75107 Beatrice’s future was her 7efe5528d7 way of hastening the db41c529fd resolution to a relationship d4a6af0b08 she found unbearable.726d4e136966902d

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Most noble girls 272c284f3a were engaged in 0e4d91d9ab their late teens 5ee4df7371 and married in d2345adc09 their early twenties, 700bc50c36 so finding a badb65c32b suitable match for 3890f4e173 Beatrice wouldn’t raise 92ea1756fc any eyebrows. When she sought 0142234565 advice from trusted 31ab93af75 noblewomen and her 369680e4c2 own mother, they b98028ec55 had assured her 76f3e04d95 she had done 10f10b951c enough. “You’ve been kind 92e84b0d21 to a child 3d9725fa57 who isn’t even de14a6b5e7 your own,” they’d f21234c1d9 said. “Finding her a good 6fb5e7a867 match would be more db1f02326d than enough.”55d791b83fb832fd

Those words, though be959e6449 self-serving, gave her 85966faa24 some comfort. Even so, she 606d36a2c0 had brought her 1120c93214 worries to the d18fe32901 family’s priest, Theodor, 2b2a73c2b0 who had been 8f8a1987d7 tending to the a72563efbe family’s spiritual needs 78ee225c16 for years.023fe1a0750f52ef

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Theodor, ever kind, 17f4459178 had suggested asking 50d1fa43d2 Beatrice directly about c398c1a05e her wishes. But Agatha hesitated. Beatrice had ebf0163d51 a knack fdcb083450 for unsettling b1cdfb24df people, and ed46f6458f she doubted 58685b04b0 any response 0b3987b744 from her e1ae975f03 would be a52ce1ec34 satisfactory.8aa92e3a174af1bb

Her thoughts were 8841b9ea79 interrupted by a a52cc07aea knock at the 0d369fa1d9 door.864c81646fe8128e

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