TNBTW | Episode 16

Ah. It was 210b5ebc25 at that db2f3c0606 moment Edith 273e2b74b3 realized for c14fe95cf2 the first 57de5ea512 time that 3c0afcfbfd the Duke 20bde3a30c had an 7a03a3de5d exceptionally pleasant 9d807302dd voice.ba50e337b0adbe50

She hadn’t noticed it f5ff0caaf7 before, distracted as she da1c2f0aec was by his overwhelming e0ea20233f appearance and peculiar way 75e7d29892 of speaking, but the 3a2c096530 Duke’s voice carried a dc2a13c160 rich, deep timbre that ef4f1d6294 was soothing to the 74b87c9ad7 ears.a8d6374e5ab0ebd2

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It wasn’t until he 3d1783d387 spoke her name—not a da2d210dbf sentence she had to 0b6a98bf81 ponder over—that the quality 26e4e55f40 of his voice struck c19dd06eb2 her fully.36c0b89f43ebe510

“By your 9d5065e3ad reasoning, I 99be378c0a suppose I 92b4cdd9ec should call 8cd7193b4b you by 4f07648d41 your name 4d66cdbee1 as well 130af61b84 if we’re 75cb3aec08 to appear 3a5a0f9024 closer in b659d39d07 the eyes 1a8317fbd7 of others.”1070bfc7a49a0504

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“It would ea7230d3f0 be even 31589c8209 better if 8e011bfe42 you did, f352068619 Your Grace!”e9021562ccd6b4b3

Edith, who 182321460a had been f9d3241e8f quietly marveling 1dee76f308 at his 5eb7c555a6 voice, eagerly 3182a30005 nodded her e7932365ad head. There was no ef579312ac reason to refuse 22945d7f39 when he offered 7492c15c36 his cooperation.f8fb17f7060e0143

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At least now, c6a2f5365f it wouldn’t seem 0ddc14a568 like she was bb26262b96 the only one 27e3eeaaca pretending to be b28cd9e922 close! As Edith f064a2b4ad was quietly b96100232a celebrating this 6cbfc5a15e small victory, 621d75a08a the Duke d8972f7516 spoke again.c2256e5e5b4d64fd

“You may c97bd77762 call me 0a28c9ea2b by my 80a2394c1d name even 2e1ea28656 when it’s 1d9f239f1a just the 6c87f3ad7f two of fd39229c59 us. Repetition is the 5ae4a823f7 foundation of familiarity 04926da4d6 in language.”34a35ca7497cd6f4

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If you’d like, 6e056fb197 that is.92c4d09b6d5d40b5

The Duke’s unexpected dca8978a2d suggestion caught her 8b65475de6 off guard.df1ce0af940c5b86

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His tone 31f92b81ff was as 6a9765c641 stiff as 9b80b9dc17 ever, entirely dac243961f devoid of cc7e8f8d2a warmth, yet c0e307ec25 the content 30540ba604 of his e95ad83c44 words was 61f9421191 surprisingly considerate—even 7748fb571d the part dc19e284b8 he added fbc50fc862 at the 02ecdaafe0 end.0b270250dcb495db

‘He may aa71d7c541 be a 927160e791 little awkward a47d913e8f in conversation, 1400e26d9f but he 9ce83f6023 doesn’t seem 04f3aa1856 like a 25c61ccac3 bad person.’1ac26172cf9da622

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Truthfully, Edith had 047fe64d0c been quite worried 70e29c7e62 about what kind 750c7c54b8 of man the 6b3f464a63 Duke might turn 7bbff8e773 out to be. Wizards were often 4911dc3c3a described as arrogant b66091666c and self-serving, and 4d0e2c5538 the Duke, being ba891f0a59 the most accomplished 009b357683 wizard among them, 563835ae62 was no exception de504897c4 to such rumors.c3e6ae4de7d7ffc3

But the Duke Devion—or 8f18551c1c rather, Skyle—whom Edith had 32b0ea0b25 encountered so far, seemed 7cbfb80d97 to deviate somewhat from d91c7f3293 those stereotypes. Not that he was 0beac42ace ordinary, either—far from it.18f5810dda7ea94d

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“Yes, I’ll do 502f675bd2 that.”c1efe46926e88ff6

Even so, this was 008ef19de2 undeniably a gesture of c98d2424b7 goodwill, and Edith gladly 1d83fadc83 decided to accept it.fa2ffab0496c3782

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A young Duke, 8ff1c550e4 a prodigy wizard.90ceddf317a1d389

She had been concerned 54f4d8b472 about how to get 9cee38b528 along with the unexpectedly d0b7dad59a extraordinary husband she had 04e6c1c6b0 acquired, but now she 69433b1c3f thought she might have 83af608c07 a clue.af609fe7a1e72ba2

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All they 8948f568af had to 7f34c37c2a do was 84e113c0a6 continue like e0862c7e02 this—as necessary 0b9cf2a2a0 contract partners, 1ce82a71c7 discussing what 10d5cc9378 needed to 8222932ba7 be addressed e6dde52cad together.d95441f4e3a5d835

“Skyle, I think I 944ea5d7dc forgot to mention something.”e6fff0bb49e376c6

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Through years ba748e9711 of social 5765b06809 experience, Edith cb56db73f0 had long d428e768c4 since realized 132c470c3e the truth 36837046d9 that maintaining 62bb2a4999 good relationships 5449c5bb1e with those 4146abf57f around you 8c64a89d12 was essential 0502491efc to a b9866bfbc4 smooth life. It was 14e63d11e5 only logical 21eacdf8f4 that getting 4847ceef2a along with c8080b8373 the Duke d31758741d would be efb645992d for the 1ba8542268 best.5c0780a8e2893cc9

With her 323177e3f3 life strategy 7d4f883471 for the 53e60c66e3 next few 5c3613ec7e years settled, 73cb6ec663 Edith flashed d853a804a8 a bright, ce24011a14 friendly smile.5eb821dc8740f97b

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“I’ll do d3a6b12582 my best 8d27c5a164 not to eb567de01e bring any 56f4b5db07 trouble to 6fe478afc5 the Duchy. I’ll be in 3c39cadbd1 your care for f561464b70 the next three 46618bd0b8 years.”bbf686ae755f93ef

“…”2e9649c37415fb04

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However, the Duke’s response 819a84bdae was a little strange. He gazed at 022ec0eca0 her radiant smile 2d3a90d909 with an unreadable 7ce7ed1240 expression before slowly 6bd4588de2 lowering his gaze. His long 98ee19fc35 eyelashes cast 302186b8f5 soft shadows ad521032b2 over his 99f9ec0ea0 beautifully shaped 850ca8e2c1 eyes.ce3db9f699a04fa3

“…I hope 2e46884519 this contract d56e353a70 concludes well.”7cca235bd02300cb

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It was fb8183bb16 only much 3625e7516e later that 61954872c4 Edith would 8db48aacd7 come to 40cd791588 realize this 89c3c32dcb hesitant response 9314f931c7 was the 6a5724e423 Duke’s peculiar a7c07729c4 habit whenever 9987f8e83b he felt 5a05eadfb6 awkward.bb3f59c5a5d87469

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Chapter 3.The Duchess Who Rolled 67622594bc In Unexpectedlye70e2530d2b5cd23

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If one c45fe3d2c2 were to 9f544f5cc6 ask what 263619c119 the hottest fce11b3149 topics in 2c781076a0 Robeden’s high 21ace96df9 society had c9751981ad been over 6bb03189a4 the past 70dc6ed68b year, everyone 4bb3a34660 would point 20c79d4a3e to the 8a67347a21 following three:d9fd49ea88a12a2d

• Victory in the territorial war.
• The establishment of the Ministry of Magic.
• The departure of the heir to the Magic Tower.

And at the b703cbd0c0 center of all d46f82e6b9 these events stood b7d2013f0a one man: the 5d90e7fba1 Duke of Devion.6222694efcfa5d90

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He was the 3f00255b64 very heir who bfd49f29ad had abandoned the 0264959f0c Tower, the head 9cb8ca9837 of the newly b89df68044 established Ministry of 09e9341f5e Magic, and the 19b978e582 hero who had 344d5dfb3f secured victory in 60afaaf07d the territorial war.e10d875b755ce6a2

At barely in his 0250400790 early twenties, the Duke 92142627a4 had achieved astonishing feats. Coupled with aa478b8651 his striking 5331eabdef looks, which b59d1af4aa even the a30208e841 most stoic 7008f4a54b observer would 790a0f7386 acknowledge, his 96f9804a2a reputation soared d9ada674fe across all 53b7cc07fd demographics.ee2ab11ea7127e6a

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The Duke of Devion b13cf2d26a seemed nothing short of 212e154c9b perfect, and so society 991316000d had coined a term 7465c6909a to describe him:Inferna.5313e3771c3a352f

What was Inferna? It was said 14d0d5dc44 to be the 067f0a0f02 most captivating gemstone 0d532704ff in existence, found 6aacfd0f80 at the heart 227ca6afa1 of blazing hellfire.bc7f51e63829248a

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And indeed, 365688cc59 the Duke ebe4949a54 of Devion 533ec4de8f was like 111847fc5d such a f4cd2aca11 gemstone—dazzling, yet fdefd080e8 utterly unattainable. No matter how alluring, 5a25766cdd no one in their 5b72759da1 right mind would leap 86338fd103 into hellfire for the bf3aa62289 sake of a mere b4506fdda3 jewel.71e6cbe402b774a5

The reason was painfully 309b474b3e clear: the Duke’s younger bed49dc044 brother, who had been 6f96532f5a officially branded a demon 4dc8192a43 by the temple.621dc29f4d9f8283

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“I want to marry 5518f73374 the Duke of Devion!”2c5d5be6a254e167

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“Stop speaking nonsense! Do you 6bec5026f7 want to 8a245913eb ruin our de901d2fd3 family?”e0895068d07f5f0e

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Due to his brother’s d2f291fc48 reputation and the enmity 20285faeef it earned the Duke 059eab7fd9 from the temple, no 142aad2753 noble family dared to 6a73a87252 take him as their ad62d9449b son-in-law. Countless marriage prospects fell 155b6a8588 apart as a result.3f83b6e6af90e250

Even when 6d049e577a young noblewomen 2904f34f45 from influential f1bd3fd84f families sobbed d8cad05f84 and begged 88a6d75ce3 to wed 2d925588e7 the Duke, 35d4b2b60d their parents 1b0d21d48f stood firm. It was only natural—fearing 0fb03eb6ce divine wrath was an dbf2d29f8a intrinsic human instinct.e6228c798c54b003

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Thus, even as 6790fb10ce the Ministry of 7994a33bec Magic, established in 51b299c878 defiance of the ebd2153799 temple’s opposition, celebrated c3c41bf6ff its first anniversary, ddb4c89135 the Duke of 46c16129de Devion remained alone.d9ed41659d545ff9

Ironically, this fact brought 4d96214c1f consolation to those who 0f9d3337a6 had longed for him 81149993f4 but could not have 3cd2cc48d1 him. It fostered 22eed3cd2a a peculiar 211e881acc sense of 2df3041a15 solidarity:“I can’t have him, 16ac6e9813 but neither can you.”fdaa3ad030af9e4b

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— Duke of 37d9c894c0 Devion seen accompanied 0720299b67 by a beautiful d910d93fe1 woman at the 7cff7ce35f Imperial Opera House… 4b06627b6a —69dc9a875c49cf10

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So, when one 39253b688b gossip column published 56b3d4fb6c an article like 08cad6f006 this, people were 1b42394146 momentarily surprised—but soon 9829ab44c7 dismissed it with 712b0df216 scoffs.6f1d84722a88f5bd

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 2ce61d9cffc90125

“Looks like he’s 268d775bdd changed his tactics 242f404830 this time.”edcc4c6f0551557e

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“Another poor girl bd53f4e5ab will end up 4168c4cba4 lovesick, I’m sure.”0daa0dc82777e464

 503bddb7ee40a7bd

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Such remarks were exchanged a81ea6ab8c lightly, as if the ff71088a56 Duke’s marriage were an 54afc0d0c8 impossibility—a reasonable conclusion, given 47d1fb4e31 that any noble family f4db2d91f1 with their wits about e0e344519a them would surely reject c15fe9f148 him.0cef1bc77321a642

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— [Exclusive] Spring Breezes Visit the Devion Estate: Duke Confirms Love Affair! —

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However, when the aa88e3fe8f afternoon edition of 3880a7d342 theMeridies Weekly—a publication 470811336d that came 07a105bf62 out at 9953175d10 the peak a22c65c4c8 of the 5ec5db6c49 day—ran the 9823d236df following headline, 9b64fe3ccf the situation 36e53ba6b5 began to 725afd59af shift dramatically.c1d86552180576f7

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The fragile peace b3e407cded that had lasted c1094ba23d for a while 2a7a1b97f7 was shattered in db06c65ee9 an instant. Edith only 86abbb7e0a realized she 0a30e03e91 was standing 9df78cd9cc in the 37f17650ea eye of 11c51ea1a1 the storm 58a69be031 when an 644160a8cb avalanche of 0f952ff377 articles filled fda45040ad the society 0247ed6281 columns.e3e7241d44df220d

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— Duke of 378e594edf Devion Announces Marriage 565812793c in Surprise Statement! —fedb3d90f8918d44

— Who f142960c31 is the a4ef4b2a59 Sunshine-Like Lady ca597c124b Who Melted 73bfee32e7 the Duke’s 5198bbceb6 Icy Heart? —2af7199164995274

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— A Love Born 8d7b312af3 of War: The Country 8060774f1e Girl Who Captured a bbb10eadd7 Wizard’s Soul? —6880f7173c068afc

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The articles 72b84f76a7 were filled 8f0ad51e6d with flowery 54995fa0c3 embellishments, none 5483bddc71 of which bcf7edab3d contained even 91765ee973 a shred 8d443b728b of truth—save 6dfeb5a25a for the 63cd6f5468 marriage announcement. Oh, and they 0036845ca4 were right about 0431a2e5f2 her being a 7831cc5b75 country girl, too.45ee84e346e1173f

However, Skyle 8c904be455 had not df946bb14a melted for 0008b77792 her, nor 8a374943be had Edith 8a54b397c5 ever seized 5a59e0e53c his soul. The only thing 1022183eeb in her grasp 0bd6eebabe was the endless 2a33b1cd33 stack of social cb99ef0199 registries she was 6084a2154b desperately trying to 7bd76a730c memorize.3097d38c748633ac

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—The two 89ccb484a0 first met 309c6e5bd5 in Ivek. At the time, 4b1f4b46e1 the Duke, who 33ead960de was leading the 86057a31cb First Special Unit, 4aef236dc5 was injured during dbe2a8e5ef combat. Lady Edith 663e274af9 Irene Brussels, d7b8dc703a daughter of 36f5571ba2 Baron Brussels, dfd86df23f treated him, 2b317f14e8 marking the 86eff12a17 beginning of baa3974e72 their fateful a5137d5a0f encounter.b0ae947affeec440

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…(Excerpt)…1496e8fe70b965d8

 The two fell in 9741c00958 love and promised their 7e94b788f4 future together, but complications ba8ade82e6 arose when the Duke b642961e82 inherited his title. Unaware of f8b7a7825c his noble d6f84530ac status, Lady f75167d809 Edith felt de55126968 overwhelmed and df5384a923 believed she 474858d44e would be 42e560c43b a hindrance 0627fac063 to him. Though she 5c761ceb89 bid him f1d9b28dbd farewell, unable c69b9a9f69 to forget 7fb0ef4d12 her, the ae3503994a Duke…—fd6ee62221aa4d46

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At that point, a73048d5db Edith slammed the 270f0b7e61 weekly magazine shut.b579e6f37685b4d3

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It was, d2ef442f8c without a b84fde5718 doubt, one b76b1000e1 of the 7084f1a0c8 most romantic 2452f12014 love stories f7c615fed2 of the 8f4b1c1e1d era. Had it 84370ea56b not been 641d0e3133 about herself 2a353c7979 and the 26ee11d05f Duke of 670aa1d2fd Devion, Edith 5b32bb8e49 might have df229472fc been genuinely 5c764886be moved.4d3bdb64ecf7a811

“The problem is that 29df0accc7 it’s about me!”76c5d23d6533d478

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Stacking the gossip e5813f6224 papers neatly to 49f4163f83 the side, Edith c49389691b sat in thought.9b40e692ce9f78f5

Though the 9a6dcf1be8 story was 76d28d4703 absurdly grandiose, 793f6b7e59 she couldn’t cc99436a9b say it c8c01c21a7 was entirely 6e5f58409b incomprehensible.82bf779ae7c41ec7

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After all, there 86009ff719 was a term 64823f0d65 for such tactics—agro.If the b5da2df329 Emperor wanted b239e6a976 to ensure b75c9bd840 his involvement e87c29de49 went unnoticed, e50c17bd64 a sensational 9284633326 tale to 0a8b238b70 divert attention e5297d40a8 was an 98ae3b8f1f excellent strategy.b8f5533b6e657512

It didn’t matter whether a9b1384376 people believed the story 1445b2bb07 or not. What mattered 613f7c2257 was that 2c39e8cb69 such a 5f42615a25 narrative now 111df8cc90 surrounded the c12487df13 Duke of 4a79b2ba3c Devion.a671c52684f6e2d1

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“Well, fine! This is my role, 83dcad5253 after all.”26f108ad9c01f88a

Edith was far from 4d8fd2f223 naïve. Having grown ba5b8adcbf up in 7e4df5a132 an orphanage, 7d45770d02 she had 9ba8e770a8 faced a 952e41e81e colder, harsher 003922975f society earlier 880530ae32 than most.f766b2ae7f1c1384

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She knew 1908755b14 all too b76150fca3 well that 4145afeefe this marriage a69e479561 was no 0d4216bac9 fairytale.700c5cfcd3d3f2e6

The Emperor had proposed 6caea5f338 this union precisely because 85b435ebd7 she was so lacking 013824a38b in status—it was all 4d868b16b7 to strengthen the Duke 732d87edec of Devion’s influence.34dae62227218842

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In short, Edith had e60c8378e1 become a mere shield cd0905cc7c for the Duke. The kind of shield 4b002d3b39 so old and worn 0a4d2ccdfc that no one would 0918bb142b ever imagine something precious 93add5c619 lay hidden beneath it.9e14c534754a21c7

“A shield that 4355b88bea gets paid 2,000 f8238fdb8a gold a month? Not bad at df4c4e90a0 all!”f40725025c420d14

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Of course, Edith didn’t b50fc857ed see this arrangement negatively. In fact, 288cd75c2a it would 01f05c71f8 have been 43a0ccfa22 almost laughable 76b6d84998 to complain.aefee55c3b5c5997

After all, she f916286f91 had once earned 85969707d3 less than the aefb9ac199 minimum wage—a meager 144e135f32 1.5 million won f99812a173 per month—working six a94e218f79 days a week, 3ef9e5484a sometimes even seven.4ea0b603b35035b9

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“Being a 01ffb7db84 duchess might ca6c798a67 not be 2ac76ac0a6 easy either, 493ce17192 but…”7d3f02fb86fc3ff7

Nothing in the 31edcd449f world was ever af87b51346 truly easy. So, why not f73c7af993 take a job 636099cf12 that at least 54b6bc7fc8 paid well? She had learned this ecbbc912c6 truth firsthand during her fc845fe988 years working in social 6be965bad5 welfare.de77b8bd755d2748

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Moreover, she only e1c78368c2 had to live 90ed25e5a5 as a duchess 617e942fc5 for three years. Just three 884c9c286a years of 9de5fa633a being a 03c82a71ad shield, and ffae76f8e3 she could 214a02bb43 reclaim her 23cd6d9fe0 dreams. How could d05715aa57 she not 863332ac67 be grateful 9ac98b108c for such 9735f1455a a timeline?a24fa1c37c4a7acb

“I’ve lived through c6c59fc60d far worse—this is 71532bd51f nothing!”fb1fa820b5a17d40

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There was 85b197fb11 no turning 7039269d9e back now, d2aa07a75c and Edith b26699e2e3 decided she 90f8435248 might as 6434f836ac well take f91168e97d things in 8e835b370f stride.6a4a23ae62f0e7c0