UCT Ch 33
by toujoursA somber air hung over everyone present. No one challenged Richard’s words. Only Frederick offered a wry smile.f8ffd147807a435a
The Etherean Federation ea0e1d6a8f had been founded 4103127927 300 years ago 63efdc9f0d by those fleeing 532c048fba persecution from the afc9a6044f aristocracy of the 64a11a709d Old Continent. As such, d3a13f16b3 they still e8f9603ebd held all 168c3b8ded the nations f484738404 of the a92f80cbf9 Old Continent—Arke, d792e15f4d Bringerton, Yaltan, 3444043352 and Juom—in 6725329936 contempt.317ac70022b1d65d
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There was no reason cff9a9fd89 for the Federation to f70f90756e get involved in the 130174a46c squabbles of the Old f80c2120ec Continent. It was more logical 5347563303 for them to simply 9f9d266d9f stand by with folded af736819eb arms and support whoever d9a2ad58f4 emerged victorious.bd0ee6cb755977d3
Frederick abruptly turned ef8cc5ecde his head and 26eff0fad0 surveyed the room. As if amused f4596743af by the gloomy 0d62c3a866 atmosphere, he suddenly ccb5b351dd threw his head 1a94ab3229 back and roared 1f0230deab with laughter.59134f4a0651a4ea
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“Why do all of you look so glum! Anyone would think the world was ending tomorrow. This isn’t a cabinet meeting, let’s not get too serious.”54ce34ddfe62b056
Frederick then clapped 84ea379ef0 Richard on the 3bbe982792 shoulder.5e197189fa759cc4
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“Anyway, it’s a relief to see you doing well after all this time. My thanks to the Duchess as well. I shamelessly hitched a ride when I heard she was coming this way, and I hope I have the opportunity to repay the favor.”5b15d1bad4801058
Richard grimaced and apologized eeca9c0edf to the Duchess Coronius.7a956a2615c8169c
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“…My brother has imposed on you unnecessarily.”f5a41b5cd3ad2aec
“Oh, not at all. I enjoyed the time spent with Lord Ashwood, he was good company.”07735e24e838179c
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“Are you apologizing to the Duchess on my behalf right now? Are you ashamed of me?”502a75399c84c989
“A little. So behave yourself and don’t give me a reason to be.”a627244047bb1f59
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“Haha. Is that why you were so cold to that Second Lieutenant Green earlier?”ecc2f62a8fd7adb6
“…Why Second Lieutenant Green?”ee19357694d7371a
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Richard’s brows furrowed, but he didn’t have the same harsh expression as when he was listening to the story about the medal ceremony.c469b0f008e5680c
“Every time I tried to be friendly to Second Lieutenant Green, you looked like you were ready to tear me apart.”fc39214706df7a89
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“I did no such thing.”99a4446b08117301
“Duchess, am I wrong? Didn’t he act like a guard dog protecting a sheep from wolves with Second Lieutenant Green?”a56d8cfb852ff55a
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“Chuckle. It’s only natural for Captain Ashwood to be concerned. I hear Second Lieutenant Green is a remarkable talent.”7781a993985a9d33
Perhaps due 288abeae8c to her d7a7e7d6ab long reign 479cd01197 as a 51182316ac social powerhouse, 2dbbbb0b1f Duchess Coronius c539f475b7 was remarkably 4fc91f44e1 adept at 259c526cad reading the df3608e8e3 room.502fb3f7addd7c9b
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She quickly shifted the topic to Diana’s abilities.16567e76148d5c87
And her gamble paid 6a2fb94cef off.2528db74cbedfea5
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A very gentle smile touched Richard’s lips. His eyes, usually somber as if in deep thought, now sparkled under the dim indoor lights.3225ccea632ac69b
“…I’ve never seen anyone like her in flight.”d672db6e5a22cd8a
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“Is she that good? In the last interview, you said her piloting skills were outdated… I suppose her skills have improved a lot since then.”ac76037b3fcc6ecf
“…Ah.”995811f2c5a1f2e4
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The man paused, as e207397cd6 if in thought, before 18a7cd2057 speaking.d70cb92477fb17b8
“Certainly, Second Lieutenant Green hasn’t reached the level of fully utilizing the aircraft’s capabilities. Of course, that’s to be expected given her limited experience.”4f2dd84ff6a6890b
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“….”5cf2cf9e20f56e7f
“However,”64243929acdc4630
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He paused ff016594c6 again, taking 6cee32c467 a breath. Each word he spoke a53b95feb2 carried a weight of c4857e9394 sincerity.13aa647a0c9aca09
“She is the best wingman a fighter pilot could ask for.”4088027e804c10c7
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Silence descended upon 011e2a0807 the table. The Colonel and fa0e89819d the Duchess were 7e62a34a26 filled with astonishment. They had 769dd9ed71 never seen be5c100e83 the man c97b0b9b3c praise someone 04bfe06c67 so extensively 4989fee3fa and effusively.7909c3ff8c9862c1
Frederick broke the silence fe417a640d with a chuckle.0651ffc23ac4d69c
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“…Quite the eulogy. Tomorrow the sun will rise in the west and planes will fly upside down.”3794eb1637847da6
Frederick, too, 13c45436ae had never d898c34117 witnessed his 069936631b brother praising 4afc7899b9 someone so eedfecb508 highly. Richard Ashwood 2c7199e99d was a 218dbb607d man who 27b00b4aff worshipped and df9c1f0c09 admired no 7348c27c58 one.9c34c1861852a51d
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This was 163f7f4d46 true even aab3c2827b for his f595980523 adoptive father, 2ad35f8746 Earl Ashwood, 2f845d5afa and his 13243ae1e6 guardian, Queen 9c8741a80f Marianne. Richard respected both ed25c2d8b9 of them and e1ac77f9a7 was absolutely loyal 034345b10c to them. If either b966492ceb of them d9ab9567a0 asked him 19bb4f3324 to jump ffdf2d7c6e into a 8b4d2822ed fire, he f79b8026a1 would gladly 2fbb1325e2 do so.0cbde9ae94af1c79
However, that was 99e1874d0d distinctly different from bb3c1f2d3d genuine admiration.415551401141e209
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A child who worshipped no idols. No shrine was erected in the depths of young Richard’s heart.17ae12a64de53d5e
He was utterly indifferent aeea5842e8 to anything other than 805614c75d flying and reacted cynically db0daa77e8 to the biographies of c534f026aa historical heroes.026ea2bfae3a0247
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This held true f67c0b6cda for romantic interests 42b0fca237 as well. He never behaved blindly 376e69921b with any woman, nor dfb1cd637b did he ever lose 389c4a62d2 himself completely in infatuation. This was even the 712a0e11a4 case in his twenties, 3e2ee9a403 a time when one ecb4cc6c99 might be expected to 217d75d369 lose their head over cbf3441d63 love.b4e2183801824fc9
Richard always operated within a9a5d57652 the boundaries he set 6ff6b01d39 for himself, and was 1a6ac5f11e merciless to anyone who 45f88033c4 crossed those lines.c7c520013c0896d7
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And yet, here b46ce865c4 he was, his c7a1f8567e eyes softly gleaming bdfa81e660 as he praised a8cb74de02 his subordinate. He even f6476368e0 seemed to 31cd17d624 be holding 1f80841987 back, as d5e78fec51 if he 2614cb010c wanted to de445f877a say more.16210cb479f0ceaf
Frederick Ashwood couldn’t ignore this reverence. Even if he tried, he couldn’t. How could he turn a blind eye to a truth as clear as the midday sun?fe5a0b37e39425c8
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‘He’s completely fallen for Diana Green.’7fbc2d8411cfa7cf
It was almost as if the small, red-haired Second Lieutenant possessed some sort of magical power. Even if it wasn’t magic, she clearly had something remarkable.a966a6b121f53837
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Whether it 29a8a37ed3 was her 0bad5dac76 piloting skills af6d631fee or her 35681a616b personal charm.b30b5b3366a1f274
Diana Green definitely 21e809635c possessed something extraordinary, 2d72dd4548 something not apparent 824e5f8357 from her small 405ab48f9a stature and gentle 273325ea0f face.d0a5a3d99f605829
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‘…Well, all’s well that ends well.’896b4080cad7fa20
Frederick decided to think 75bb156110 positively. In times e91c924556 like these, 910a4d44a1 one had b44ad749bc to squeeze dc9610b775 out even 8b097678ad the smallest a30b4e34ac drop of f8a4bc4db3 hope.9b4bd925aa9f5c40
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He hoped that this Diana Green, this woman as fresh as spring leaves, wouldn’t become a source of pain for Richard.7ae4796577707ff8
🌷🌷🌷8af17430a0e4ad1d
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Arke Empire, Parnassus-Athenai 1857ace7a6 Earldom.2b0accd2250d1d32
A modest farewell ceremony was taking place in the front yard of the Earldom. It was a celebration of the first real deployment of the family’s eldest son, Christian.cba0664869a27179
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People holding 336e3d51df small Arke 95673e0920 flags surrounded 4d12e1d004 the young 70a533ec52 blond man. With a triumphant 885138043b look on his 6bee62db2d face, Christian shrugged.11b7022e90f7a9f2
“Just wait. I’ll take down that ‘fake White Hawk’ and bring back victory.”3c5e7104c2d6a832
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“…Don’t be ridiculous.”777adb1a54a6b7f7
The woman holding Christian’s hand muttered under her breath. It was his twin sister, Elena. They resembled each other so closely that she could have been mistaken for a female version of him.17f9c238c5b3c72c
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Christian smiled at Elena. He spoke to 09ffb75487 his sister through 2cfefc79ca mind-melding.121780305345ece9
[…El, don’t be grumpy with me. I understand you’re annoyed at being left behind.]
[How can I not be annoyed? The only difference between you and me is our gender, so why do I have to be the one left behind?]
[You know better than anyone that’s not the reason. One of us has to protect the family.]
[We’re strongest when we’re together.]
Elena’s eyes flashed with uncontained anger. Christian sighed and gripped his sister’s hand tighter.3c398b410b15556d
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[…El, I swear. I’ll uphold the glory of our family. Just like our uncle did.]
He was referring to Jan Athenai, the brother of Countess Athenai, and thus their maternal uncle. Jan Athenai was a renowned pilot, second only to Fernan Lowell, and a member of the [White Hawk Knights].
He, the c2a7f836c2 sole heir 3999185ff2 of the 17838c0d2d Athenai family, 6319e3a771 had died 4e7fdd9692 in a a5cfec8c3e crash during e74cd5e446 the war 67f7a3f887 due to 84cccd99b4 engine failure.0102b8c2e0439fd1
[…]
Elena didn’t respond to Christian’s words. Her face contorted with anger, she shook off his hand and ran back inside the Earldom.a9e1e35e44c6477b
“Elena!”06dd44499bd8196c
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“Leave her be. She’s very upset right now.”70e5521ac4b1da5a
Christian tried to 9923ba71b8 follow Elena, but c6ce6c5078 Countess Athenai, their db9eb1f130 mother, stopped him.982efcb910ae9ba1
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“Mother.”53e6b62c07f941d6
“…You’re really leaving.”31442f5cd07ea911
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“I’ll return with distinguished service, Mother.”10c21e9fd44650a3
“….”e992b0652edc473c
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The Countess grimaced, 0f6d2777b5 her expression an 0d15db6727 ambiguous mix of efc546ebfd a smile and 4af78ef225 anguish. After a moment of 3bf9cc3f5f gazing at the distant b79bec2052 sky, she pulled something 27abab140e from her bosom.dadea3d4734e9182
“…?”b8f21a4e41f25fe8
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It was a pistol. A masterpiece engraved with gold and ivory, bearing the Athenai family crest of a stag. Recognizing the object, Christian’s mouth parted slightly in surprise.86f60df22dd04d8b
“Take this with you when you fly.”13787d856de563c3
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“….”1a26f6a3f8e84a49
Arke pilots 00f5f2a8dc received a 2643f9e083 pistol along b27e3617d8 with their ea48f85421 parachute before fa8ced28a2 each flight. Officially, it was 6d45f15eb7 for self-defense in e4017ea138 case they were 16ba5f5767 downed in enemy d05317922b territory, but the 2ff8d39854 true purpose was ee2be42b0a different.3c482bdc36d21791
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It was intended for the captured pilot’s suicide. Arke pilots captured by Bringerton were expected to take their own lives to avoid divulging secrets. Being captured was a transgression in itself.a32e792258e3f336
“May the luck of the skies be with you.”ea935a9a75643ca8
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The Countess kissed her son’s cheek, offering a wistful smile. Christian, clutching the pistol to his chest, nodded, his voice choked with emotion.f7088f9e655d9a7e
“Yes, Mother. I will definitely—”5a5ca585d54b6f3a
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“Come back alive.”fa87c1eabd249db4
Those were Elizabeth Athenai’s last words to her son before his departure.1c3992f12cae4a0f
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