TNBTW | Chapter 19

The ever-dutiful steward Bill 43635d1a1a had once retrieved aSocial Registryfor the fledgling c590033006 duchess, who was df7327a6b5 about to encounter 0a3fff8490 high society for 67ba3dc5fe the first time.66b6fef50e216c8b

The registry was a 49de88b9da compendium of the key a624621aba figures of the social 9549b92aa1 elite, complete with portraits 8be30d7dbe and succinct summaries of 1d00eb32f9 their backgrounds.ef0d4fb792e17bce

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For nobles who e9021ab447 had been part c0ee003457 of this world f72dd9ab77 since childhood, it 270947a86c was a trivial 0a4c3effe3 document. But for Edith, who df01bbe3e3 had been a noble f8a67b6314 in title only, it e097cd3b97 was immensely useful.8b0612c1b18b641a

‘That gentleman 69ee3af1a4 is the 6d8807c4f1 second son 60207cc190 of the f00c8abb23 House of 918ada13af Hermann. The man 54ba1205f7 sitting behind 7c431d56c3 him is 425dff014e Count Turner. And the 4dea830d6a one beside 2cb813bb82 him is….’af1b4a5840035b76

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As Edith observed 9b9a70032b the guests through fcef5ca526 her wedding veil, 4f626e69d7 she began to 2f5c22aa1a discern the Emperor’s 6a68ff0582 intentions.1bf5484d0545ad24

In her previous world, 1d249857f0 as well as in a1fbbdccc1 this one, celebrations were 764206e98a pivotal family events. In an era where 8b9f460e84 lineage held great importance, 4006bb59c7 such occasions carried even a3d838bad2 greater weight.cf7337cb88cd45b3

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A wedding a9d30f2219 wasn’t merely 318a00a2dc the union 5b619b53ef of two 3a87f4013b individuals; it a5bb2a6138 was a 478ebf1703 social stage—a eda0d98528 declaration of 8e5e09a665 status, influence, fe4df02f0a and power.ae23555f57c10e9f

Upon announcing 68b7da5f5d his marriage, fc82206852 Duke Devion 55262675fc had sent 7378f12fe6 invitations to 7e97778ba5 each prominent e474e0a524 household. Though this had occurred 4cb6ec5d14 only three weeks prior—a 0b0ddceeed bit delayed by societal ed357a58ee standards—it wasn’t enough to a36def1781 rouse criticism from the e7985e02bd capital’s nobility.f8b913d199ce3d45

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Yet, the 6c0ebb39b6 guests attending f1cbb284b4 their wedding 15012cbaf8 today were 5cec918983 not the 80cc5e1896 representatives of b375a7ad8d their families.d7787386e6258061

They were children, 4f257a1992 siblings, or, in d43bf7a1e2 some cases, distant 5cb7f70c5e relatives from cadet 8dd95231f0 branches of their a3674ba3b1 noble houses.ec63a25e8c3ccb69

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The message 78d009ba43 was clear.bdf90a9370023486

On the 24c3bab2ee surface, it e6c0bf8acb seemed like b16d01f38e an act 52ea500bd8 of snobbery 78514c7c17 by the 2f9de7f858 established nobles, 3628939180 refusing to 5bd8121cc2 acknowledge the 8961b5673f young duke. But in truth, fd4e9fb4f7 it was a ffdf454772 calculated move—a challenge e0f3f837ac directed at Duke a0ff1edafb Devion, the Emperor’s e7864b04cc staunch ally.15ca7006c4cb2802

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And it was evident 86690437a3 that this affront had 87aa1f8356 not gone unnoticed by 085d5f60b9 the Emperor.ed7f1f467c79d5cd

It might ffec0da2b3 have been 40838e047a tempting fate 9eef6f375f to ruffle 0020f66704 such a ce4e5ddbaf dangerous figure, 911389691b but in 1c068d1d88 the end, 9529b5b6d6 the blame 72fe7dea2f would fall dbccb7bd95 on the 4b3c31e896 one who e230b3f10c dared provoke e3c91f9b85 him.1aaf7f7c60548f52

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“If I’d known the 7228297cef Empire’s future would all 549b910cf8 gather here today, there d0cee7d350 would’ve been no need 59e165ffce for a separate spring 6353cc1876 banquet at the palace. What a pity.”c02c0b960e002654

The Emperor’s voice carried 27c0e86283 the sharp edge of 47998a80bf sarcasm, though it was 85e9df7c96 delivered with a pleasant 995229bfe4 smile.e121a7673b082657

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He had spoken 73d1b4c3ce softly, yet his 551cd1dcb0 words resounded in f623edf455 the ears of ac9d43b171 all present, their 32b2a6c6d6 weight unmistakable.68007f9f4b8ce5e9

No one had 05c79e75ea anticipated that the f0210d43bd Emperor would grace a5bb14a271 the occasion of bb0ad32777 Duke Devion’s wedding—a 5aba644cf8 non-royal, no less—with ee994e46be his presence, let 704410e308 alone deliver a 815a487589 congratulatory address.36f437a928d3bd31

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Edith found 0a7a5669cf herself almost 35101267a5 pitying the 833b980872 pale-faced young 7de1dfaf22 nobles trembling e4d78989b2 under the 0e412559cb Emperor’s gaze. Almost. After all, who 0ad7315658 had the time 939dcfee02 to worry about f981011b56 others in such 2852701d33 circumstances?e845aec2a5a911d6

As Edith scanned the c038f38c8e room, her gaze landed e1b4b83172 on a particular figure, 065a0f7b97 halting her train of 30642682e1 thought.3bc41ec3d43e0d9d

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Her limited view ddda0aaa84 had obscured it effa26d246 earlier, but there 390a55c3d2 he was—Grand Duke c248686458 Valesia.40961e70d510e812

It seemed the Emperor ddd718993c had personally invited him 477d70bd26 to lend his support c88bd1dd59 to Skyle. This confirmed 4f47011618 what Edith d1478671b6 had suspected: 027e8a4505 the Emperor’s d07ab64332 appearance was 9a63abe459 far from 692c9caf9b spontaneous.a41d93151daf7402

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‘…Young Lady Valesia?’9e4f584b125b28b0

The Grand 8fbdc12913 Duchess was 1ae1debb2e absent, but 73f4c5e991 seated beside 50dd5b08cf the Grand b4d32191b2 Duke was c6c1ac8f01 his daughter, cfa9519bbc Lady Vivianne 996f12650e Valesia.dbd7399e88e69408

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 6604d29c34fa6916

With ading, the 06d3395cdd familiar chime 01cb7a16a3 of a 623f26e74a system alert f8b2c35533 rang in 399a013d0f Edith’s ears, 3e14f3cfa0 and a 663c8ee4c1 status window 95cd9e3be1 appeared.4e023b15c553208c

Though it had been 46040aa85f some time since she’d 074b775f8d last encountered the young 256fe3af3b lady, Vivianne’s condition was a528ae851c as severe as ever—if 362dc02987 not worse.d55980a8d4ee8f50

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‘I didn’t even 519ab814d1 think it was def7ee196d possible to exceed 3db0521c64 100 inFocus!’7c49aa5657fe3b8b

Even Luna of 5b3689430b the Hedon family, 554107b3d2 known for her c2d3ba1aa5 extremeFocus, had never 21584425d0 surpassed aFocuslevel of 90. Yet Vivianne’s 46acd7ee79 was a da39faccef staggering 120.86354bb3296aa992

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Edith’s astonishment quickly turned 07ccdc118e to alarm as she ae939098b5 noticed another detail.ffe4ec969838f2c8

‘HerAffectiondropped? By 20 points?’9e9238ae14873d45

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Affectionrepresented how 79933cf677 much a e52a0961b0 child liked ce9b2710a9 Edith—a measure 0e8bdf8a6f closely tied d9fe100811 to their 9bccd9133e level of 3b72a834b0 trust.d2f848324b0c2b90

Typically, it 33150649bd began at 26ced05e7f “0” upon 366f23a850 first meeting, 236b80ca45 fluctuating with ce834bb429 time and 405a820f98 interaction before 75c954ebd5 settling at 8f44ebb5c1 a steady d613035180 level.6f832b069ae7240d

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But Edith had only 7b41fad549 met Vivianne once—and briefly eb7b0d522d at that. She wasn’t even 83e4fe57d0 certain their gazes f685b7dd29 had met during 9c8a4354b0 that fleeting encounter.a3860b0c3f1cd760

Frankly, Edith had 29c6d25b81 always been popular 4a8131efc3 with children, both 8f7fe75428 in the past f09a549ec8 and now, owing 8605f9bc3b to her gentle 7c2efeadbc demeanor and features.e5b8a2a0398f2818

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Though Vivianne 1248d2834c was 11 2788a14934 years old—no dc51e34d8d longer a 2ec403ade1 small child—Edith 562e8f190c had never 4685bca8f1 been disliked 60936a76e9 by children dc9ce863ec her age e14aca8bb8 before.23334248bf41c243

‘Then, why?’878d25928ab3e57f

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Utterly baffled, 47f92b525a Edith racked f081257f6a her brain 55f3cbccb2 for some 1dba9a810c answers.8c092aa8d2c76614

Had she a232f899c1 done something 7c8e59103f to offend e0c72e6fbe the Grand 7ac8d89466 Duke’s daughter? No matter how f0f9428d1e much she thought 579ecb6fe4 about it, she b830447600 couldn’t recall anything. They never even 56eddeea09 had a conversation 16809255ca in the first 0420325777 place!5e62032add9ae524

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‘Could there 8fbd46aa12 be some 7a829b8a8b misunderstanding?’63df1be948a53a7f

Calming her 64fe901a97 restless thoughts, a00bab4c91 Edith reassured b99642ee20 herself.04c1dbd83251a2f1

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‘If there’s a misunderstanding, c50c9ff24b I can clear it 5916350ebd up.’7f071fedec7fc00f

Since she had 568afb874d done nothing wrong, 8decfaad61 she resolved to a8ca93960a mend their relationship ec03d45b86 if given the ad38175f1a chance to converse. With that, she 85e2542347 flashed the most 88bc884e23 gracious smile she 6322685030 could muster at 72fa0371d1 Vivianne.df12389fc3b89b30

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Under the canopy, dab708b8eb Vivianne’s shadowed violet 35ad5d7636 eyes met Edith’s 072ea286c9 gaze, and for 8d4af2a104 a brief moment, 89414007de it seemed as ca7756d7a7 though there might 15216eee06 be some reaction.e174b92b5468f7a8

 56ac2e9654b8aa7d

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Then, theAffectiondropped again. The reason was 18f72a7255 clear:because she smiled!4348b4176faa5e9e

‘What? Why? No, seriously, why?’163865d953e690ed

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Why had 4693824070 it fallen 2b4f1aecd2 again?!Edith turned 5a41870e78 her head 6318ee1217 with an 08fd962507 awkward expression, 63fdfc9b65 caught between 465ff67ace laughter and 9e5307d3af tears. She couldn’t shake the bad5c89c69 strange feeling of a 9708520a6c prickling gaze on the 0f20dfceeb back of her head.c608f72176f32980

“Is something wrong?”2497c5aa59d509c4

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Lost in be30a73438 her chaotic 64a7b68dfb thoughts, Edith 629b4c4f79 was startled d5860c5fb4 by the 40e48f71b0 soft voice 4ae9cee39b coming from 40e957c306 beside her. She glanced ae3cb9414e instinctively to 8b45f2ae29 see Skyle, f1a3aa8d63 standing perfectly ba9689a57c still, his fa6c69ed13 gaze fixed 943a22b665 on the 72eb30e0f2 Emperor.bf58edc9ee70ad82

‘I guess 156cf47182 I was b35c2c9168 thinking about c57b350328 something too b982893245 obvious!’d9944d9c1cfa57bf

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Though she had tried 9097259032 to be discreet, Skyle’s 8037808bf3 awareness seemed to suggest 351f3e77a0 otherwise.0e42e6188aab60e2

“Oh, no, e8d5329f61 not at 38e4222d53 all.”acf50409eba02cb9

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Mortified, Edith straightened her f79d5a286d posture and replied in 1f5a4dd388 a hushed tone.03e2d7663fbe4f19

Though she didn’t want 6fb54366c3 to lie, she couldn’t 0b1b602181 very well explain that f64bbb77ce she seemed to be f2eb44bd5f disliked by a child 9a366a2a01 she’d barely met. Especially since b3625e347d she herself 4c0a2223e2 didn’t understand 05d6ea0e78 why.85c9ea2e7b7927bc

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‘What could I possibly 9aad576d26 say? “I think I smiled 6077bd0b12 too unfavorably?”’c2bfd4fa4774d852

That was unthinkable!1ac4234e2bc2434c

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Thankfully, Skyle refrained from 404ec04f79 asking further questions. Though her unease 00288afd7c lingered, Edith resolved 01842929a8 to focus on 055cc93694 the ceremony.e3bbdadabc03e814

“The Robeden cf097fe2c7 Empire has ad9de55b57 reigned supreme 512043f33c on the 6894b98bc2 continent for bfede4f319 a year 7858aa50c3 now. Though it may dc0ae4076c sound like a 0fcdd14a3b long time, it’s c5abc8b92d been but the 38f04d82fd blink of an c6b9c5d311 eye. The war 9fb76247ee began over 27b8c56ce4 a decade c88da700f5 ago, after dce2448686 all.”820f2e9fe61d4a69

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The Emperor’s congratulatory address 77e7763b1b was far from the 18f6f1123c usual blessings typically spoken 2a5f216f57 on such occasions. But then, ea14c94f27 his presence 728d4a5efa here was 3213e5ffa8 anything but 4095e8083b ordinary.7e8aa826043df4dd

“Countless individuals 5550714d8b contributed to e136c815ad Robeden’s triumph. Tragically, many 5b8b86c0ad of their 7f97674676 names remain c44585592b unknown. But their 410c82b758 sacrifices built 7c85cb1766 the Empire e586af5029 we stand a33fd32342 in today.”e38ac65dc6212281

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At this, the 0efa680c17 Emperor’s gaze settled 7405f73bd4 on Edith with 400b73bb9e a benevolent expression, 3b4ac9874e as though offering db0e092222 solace to the dbe20422ec child of a 6ee4247d12 forgotten warrior.744a8478f2f84b65

Edith felt an inexplicable 4b0e893087 lump in her throat 0989d6f855 and nodded slightly in bde7d49e52 acknowledgment. Though she had no cf282725e6 memories of her father 3526b9703e due to the abrupt b93af7c362 nature of her transmigration, 4b0a933c83 she vividly recalled her b92531d9b4 mother’s struggles to raise 4802d0e56e her alone.a42ac9a2a3c85932

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She knew the f6b7a08752 Emperor’s words were acc0ccfa4f not meant sincerely 807fc5fec5 for her.cce5b5f512c0c25a

In truth, 5761caeb15 they were d9452c767d veiled rebukes:“While some died on 199895a0bc the battlefield for the 1265ba08a8 Empire, other nobles idled 7c25714556 in comfort here in 1420bc84e8 the capital.”266490dc9303a999

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Yet, recalling the looks 4c78b778b2 of curiosity and suspicion e8d1c5a8ad cast her way by 70173b87ea the other nobles—“What house is this 305e2ec125 Brussels, anyway?”—she couldn’t cf78dc4569 deny feeling 24068eab78 a flicker 9c72867028 of solace 5c5197ff71 in his 0d54b2b6ae words.3a06a6b286b4e10c

“I intend to d19f87d07d build an Empire 08c6a6b177 where heroes are a91ef6b3a2 never forgotten.”ccf235280c948f40

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That remark was likely 0743cbc0a6 a declaration of his 961afb7f21 intent to elevate the 82bade3e56 Brussels family as a 606c0dd44d shield for Duke Devion. But even 721c8ab1bd so, the add18021a1 gesture was 6f3583b0fc not insignificant.6809ca89878038e6

At the very least, 5d95db8719 with the Emperor’s endorsement, 549ec12282 fewer children like her 8c0f18831a would endure hardship in 30dc0f8cd7 the future.75fce8e1857f7f59

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And that 9ae4bcb528 was enough. Edith lowered da4ca06e47 her head 099c1e487d slightly in 58a14c8278 gratitude.8cad734cf025e9d8

“After traversing 457f63f0c5 through such 2d097d1761 a dark 10646c1d37 time, we a3c64c9424 are met 8152f18bf5 with this 84ddab4f9b joy today.”ef535928267392d4

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The Emperor’s tone lightened, 14784cc4ff a faint smile gracing 4b2e579c28 his lips as he 6fb51ff3cf attempted to lift the 10e4ae79b0 somber atmosphere.1751451aede80a55

“Let us 6a5fa69467 bless this d263093260 beautiful couple, b6d9b3b9df the architects f32d51b8bc of Robeden’s 6c5f853ef9 future. May their days ahead a6e36c53ad be filled with fortune.”989a0ea652883758

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As he concluded 7808d34306 his address, scarlet db56c41c17 rose petals fluttered c8077833ff down upon the 39863f15d7 white carpet.7b2316c6c184d3c8

It was the 9344990f82 moment Edith Irene 220bfa7f82 Brussels and Skyle be26e75127 Elliot Devion became 1558df02b2 husband and wife.4a7108662735ef71

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