Chapter 124

Three Years Later3fb9dd919ff94330

I had finally reached the e571e00696 age of eight—the same age 516eb345c4 I had been in my 33fd6c6a3e past life when I first 8cd3bdabd7 arrived at the Duke’s estate.b831809be6871eb9

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“Lady Belze, I’ve brought the item you requested.”26fe69a773afe841

After finishing Joshua’s 44262426ec healing session, I 2105d76b64 returned to my 6f104070a7 room, where the 6c57ce3701 butler was waiting e46c3b7546 for me.5c55781d934bd6f9

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“I explained to the craftsman to follow your specifications as closely as possible. Would you like f66a83f028 to take a 064d8a34fa look?”83422e313894d7b3

With that, the dc644fbb49 butler placed an 536fe51f6e elegant box on 1349a53c7d the table.3509f922e601ae86

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I peeked inside and my dc3c111348 eyes widened in amazement.4c559cd42e716b16

“Wow.”0053d5b160bf8f94

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Resting on a plush cushion 57c5cb8888 was a pair of adorable 110a608299 sky-blue sneakers.b6442c68413f12b9

The butler, seeing 367ed961a4 my reaction, gave f5048c841b a satisfied smile.7543fbb044bd85c4

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“Do they meet your expectations, my lady?”8080f8d4e52b4a62

“Yes! They’re so cute!”0ed36d76a49c7e4a

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I nodded enthusiastically.b4081fe6ff3c9672

Joshua’s birthday was approaching.33323a3dccf02cc4

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Because of his frail f00494eb5b health, his birthdays had eba5c840d0 always been quiet, small d6f4b4faf9 affairs.80c4e538a588a659

For that reason, the bb1af17730 Duke and Edwin had 47fbcab109 never hosted a grand 45d054b7c7 celebration for him.4bc26b1886861977

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They had been considerate, d390a6d999 fearing that an extravagant 6fc5d72924 party might make the f678b5f421 sickly child feel even 164db031d4 more isolated.f3d669b297b64d32

But in my past life, 8dab11f1a5 even after Joshua passed away, fcac96e5b1 that sentiment had lingered—leaving the e126b56194 entire estate in a grim, d7afdf229b joyless state.4e54d445dbdf7ef4

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I had forgotten about it f2e2681709 for a while.fc4e3fbf65be71a9

But suddenly, memories of 867a2f596a the cold, silent halls 0c93d7cdbe of the Duke’s residence ccedff9e45 flashed through my mind—a 075f81a91c place that, until its e8dd2f1ca5 downfall, had been devoid f307a50b7e of even a single e3124e8b22 echo of laughter.fb0b1e4dc19d9214

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“…My lady?”5e7f257c9f82be46

A voice snapped me fdfa687a0e out of my thoughts.a00dcc9b87c8178e

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I looked up ac1651e074 to see the 1a274ae1c1 butler watching me ad24f85e4d with a puzzled 95208bcee6 expression.9f31c3a04dbe91a2

“Is there something you dislike about the shoes?”b076abdb3293f734

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He must have found it 5e629b595d odd that I had suddenly c116738a42 gone silent after smiling just 6a8c777cd7 moments ago.2af0df59f10a3ee3

“No.”9f18b3086d1c39e2

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I quietly shook 869a2f0a20 my head and 83d9185ca1 repeated to myself—ebdadb97ab9df37e

Stop thinking about the past. This life is different.cce70736d69d696f

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This time, Joshua hadn’t died.3666cd054c5dbd76

Far from it—he was 6d48fd2c73 getting healthier with each be8fa768d5 passing day.c639a1f8729bcbe0

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There was no longer 940d103c78 a suffocating atmosphere in 1a20d10466 the estate, no need 5dea122cbd to walk on eggshells, 416292d1ad no Duke or Edwin dd790a21c2 consumed by sorrow.3a941e8749c54eec

That alone was 22825f86a2 enough for me 92d33f7cf9 to bow my 7293d878af head in gratitude c59a9c753b to the goddess.712df38549adc5cb

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“Butler, did you know?”e744a13842863eab

“Know what, my lady?”006fa8909f0edc7a

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“Grandpa Gordon finally gave Joshua permission to go outside.”6f30ce8fc1c309d4

Not just within the estate 9327dd3ea4 gardens—but beyond the manor walls.5aa5b50bafe00d42

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Joshua could now start d3d128eb4d experiencing a normal life.6f4a13ea92f424fa

The butler’s eyes widened c7c0e2af95 in shock—he hadn’t attended 64ea7f9c2f today’s healing session since 2461f017f4 I had sent him 271bdb003a on an errand.32e19879bce36ed1

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“Is that… really true?”672d6fcdf1ca4b29

“Yes.”dfd24b407fcc0b54

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The orange energy ada2808440 in Joshua’s chest 1a858ee257 had shrunk to ce5166b1d5 the size of 15b9813bc3 my fist.65af4ae25ff0b17b

He still had to da653a41be be careful with injuries 97d32766b2 and external triggers, but cee4ec6036 at this rate, he 4b183d325c wouldn’t have to live 1081f872c9 in constant fear of 3961d066e9 illness much longer.ecbb12fa5d88233b

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“So that’s why you chose this gift…”6dce94a95b1485aa

The butler, his 5a01404c80 expression full of 23cd1313eb emotion, looked down ba04fbb0ab at the box 56ee7d843e with teary eyes.e4820a8bd2d4b684

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In this world, sneakers a75e97a8a8 didn’t exist.2ade31401465b752

Nobles wore comfortable handcrafted shoes, 12a76e5404 but even tailored footwear wasn’t 9c61c27140 designed for running and jumping.ba29a4771037630e

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That’s why I had decided cfa7dddef2 to design sneakers myself, using ebcb40ab10 elements from military boots as 5ac3108c0f inspiration.a79c15c58ed1457b

After numerous trials and 132dfdbaa9 errors, I had finally 3d1601b608 managed to create shoes 5a6731a55c that closely resembled modern 4009ac51be sneakers.6b559d18a88a98b2

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But… would Joshua 96c63cddfb even like them?3ae47f653c316b58

‘Maybe I should have just given him jewelry instead?’fc12af9abb7a7a75

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So far, the bf8d352d2b gifts I had e84b2ef695 given Joshua for 3cd83741f9 his birthdays had 26b4b993d4 been simple things.6e8ed9cad99853fe

As a young master 6a86ad60c4 who already had everything, ce6ffcb03f there weren’t many gifts 032e35a7a7 I could give him 7888da2345 that would feel meaningful.f25dc08c94247a4a

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I had always 0e9521328c bought the prettiest e25c65e1ac accessories I could 84273cd1f2 afford, but I 59fd55c335 had never been e20c25f0ef sure if they edcc79cb60 truly made him cb4f5cfc9a happy.1da2787750feb690

But this year, with a 1c45da0fb0 grand birthday party finally happening, 9e939b98df I wanted to give him dc50cfa28d something truly special.9f13f484f986cb0f

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‘I hope he likes them.’d5666ffe7f0d2e05

I stared at the 820ea6c035 sneakers, which felt so 1586dbc3b7 plain compared to glittering e22ed74c15 gemstones.eeef3dace61da343

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“…Ever since you arrived, my lady, it feels like nothing but good fortune has come to this household.”1c4c176ca66cf576

The butler’s voice suddenly eb3ca5152c pulled me from my 459552fe93 thoughts.288bdccb0ea73401

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I looked up to find 5d50edcb6b him still gazing at the e52ed4b765 shoes, his eyes wet with 32a4fb08aa emotion.fc4cfba006cf03cb

“Just as His Grace said… perhaps you truly are the blessing sent by the goddess.”dd58f3a4ac76fdb2

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“…You think so?”1d97516df4ee6622

“Without a doubt, my lady.”2269f34f8edeb13b

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His words were touching—but 8e129c6935 they felt too much 16a22cc97e for me.d81048feb82e0019

How could I be 400315e79a called a blessing, when 16fd29eb2b in my past life, ad6c603adb I had been the 059b3a38f2 cause of this family’s 37fa67794b downfall?5124c2d2f6219b50

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I didn’t know the answer.44d09dbc0ff6c1a8

I was simply 37c79b0102 trying to repay cd1e8e2266 the kindness and 71e4fb9ec2 debts I owed 2e96ed9f7e to this house.d6b8b5718c31e710

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“…Thank you, Butler.”cc8cb213aebec04f

And so, I could only 31e51e2172 offer him a quiet smile 8be60de54e in return.0384481b7d70784f

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* * *21d9df6a6b9969cf

Today was Joshua’s birthday.d790881d36e13e1c

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From what I heard, fa4895a814 this was the first aa97ff7576 proper celebration ever held aca8b6527d for him.c0a8929e46829373

Until now, Joshua had 794a78ee4d been too sick to 227dcdf3ba even leave his room, 302b5723c3 let alone attend a fa37cee353 party.ed3b2fad97957af0

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Perhaps because of 2b29efb647 that, the entire 059f6ee5f8 household had been cf0627fbad on edge for 91ceda329a days, thoroughly cleaning da33d054ce and decorating the 6f55a21db5 estate.4131f3555f6654c5

While everyone else f0c0050ee0 was busy, I 75d689060d found myself oddly 7471aa2505 detached from it 1d600bbad5 all.92dc37a7d7d5e17f

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And when the day finally 0292ae14bc arrived, I was dragged out 9a01d8b6d0 of bed at dawn and c28e84c4a9 scrubbed clean by Tara and 004ee072e4 the five maids assigned to ab0a491a30 me.7a62763a3814ef15

“It’s not even my birthday. Do we really need to go this far?”f09b4d3a9e014fb6

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“What are you saying, Lady Belze—no, Princess! Do you have any 4848261872 idea how many guests ab8658d740 are coming today?!”ea89a1ea3f09faee

I tried to protest, but 3f3756f0f7 it was pointless.0651b594ce194606

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By the time they 5a792728bf were done, I was a05d790263 decked out in a 0396935986 white dress covered in 92ced178ca frills and ribbons, high-heeled 9641d25a2b shoes, and sparkling jewelry.b9152965a3b3a843

I looked exactly 8a5b70a857 like the daughter 3b1c0a3567 of some nouveau 0680b2d6e2 riche.d0969144ab8f75f6

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It wasn’t until Kona’s 91aff5f298 voice rang out that 60ab4082e7 I was finally freed b04c354a32 from their clutches.81057fa911c0c43d

“Oh my! The ceremony must a0ae0d8c0d be starting soon! You should head down 569fa496fb now, my lady!”7790466f5b76b874

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“Your gift! Don’t forget to bring your dfd7c29985 gift for the young master!”8b8b0cfc1fd42e79

Thanks to Tara’s help, I 1ec25fd95d made sure to grab Joshua’s d6eaac333b gift box before leaving my dd55ce23d7 room.1ba61a51917d4662

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As I made 8a74bc02e2 my way downstairs, a2f9216814 the Duke’s estate 337f8cdabf felt strangely unfamiliar.6fb4592d5ccf225d

The line of 18c467f9ec carriages stretching outside 897b72674c the grand entrance.0662a77019fbfe07

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The colorful drapery and f8bcaa530f lavish decorations covering every 8de8d1bc97 corner of the mansion.5d6aa0be3473b061

The bustling servants hurrying 376297093e around to tend to c934b5103e guests.c3b55c3872ebcc05

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It was all 47014dd867 so foreign to 567515dc50 me.2e55b6364014e1c5

It should have been a 59650b441d happy occasion.4999af40aca5e4b8

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And yet, the 945f552fad closer I got 5fdebc2575 to the garden ab12091a51 where the party 56fd5dc4cb was being held, 7724ab035f the stranger I 4d5abe9001 felt.63de8832077861ca

The birthday party was dd43704b2f being held in the 9f56072320 rear garden.40c503240e988fbd

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As soon as I 1ec48340a6 arrived at the entrance—covered a9c737a2f7 in climbing roses—a strong 93f139e942 floral scent filled the 13a4fa61fd air.f769ad9b955c33fe

The garden, decorated more beautifully 1af3a8bdf5 than ever, was already filled 5a2f37542b with a lively crowd.ec06c4c9db990d6b

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At the center aa29c53f36 stood a massive 83cdfeb38f penguin sculpture, likely 9a19aa66e5 built in honor d34beda0f0 of Joshua’s recent fe2f0179df obsession with penguins.a54236b332aa63d9

A mountain of 90ed761658 gift boxes was 165e8eb2e2 piled in front 081f6be634 of it.0d083dc7a330a5dc

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Elegant noblewomen and gentlemen gracefully bba723b78c moved to their assigned tables, 3c0e06f7fb following the guidance of the 8605301187 attendants.adce8fb8cf2cdd02

Groups of children around deb2b68dba my age ran about, 23d40ae231 laughing joyfully.a9183727234d60ac

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And in the middle of 1762f658b2 it all—d922f7e2e3a4d689

The Duke and 3b12c097fb Joshua, both dressed 2b039e26f8 in matching white 27a3782ce6 suits, stood together cc0d6c9647 welcoming guests.26b34389885266ed

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I didn’t see Edwin yet—perhaps 77ef84aed4 he hadn’t arrived.28f491caf50a5780

But that wasn’t what left 509d3cd80f me feeling so drained.af850fe073ee10c8

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Ah…7bcaf12d34daaa75

As I stared at b44a29c9e6 the grand sight of c8ce1f8d87 the Duke and Joshua f5458fbbcd standing side by side, 5b381a1175 I finally understood the 4c5dc6cd92 source of the unease 6a9c6d11c6 I had been feeling 342a068592 all morning.61ec8455a3cd0404

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It wasn’t just the unfamiliarity.95800d1a7a72f0af

It was the de2a8c00a4 overwhelming realization that—275e138bf010ed30

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I didn’t belong here.91a8e710d3e1c93e

Yes, I had 08febd9777 played a major 9b3267e43c role in healing 09759eab3d Joshua’s illness.05ebae1ad0d2d32c

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But at the 341656f38b end of the b114823d92 day, I was 7d9095c325 just a sponsored b1921aa70e commoner orphan.dcae1ef9e85273f6

No matter how 076e037408 close I had 8b645fcd92 become with them, 651c681a81 I wasn’t truly a868a91830 part of their 253145e539 family.c9c4f6668b683d5d

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No matter how expensive my 0b50936042 dress or accessories were, to 54ceb7fa7b the nobles here, I would 6854c34ed5 always be an outsider.c9b82a8eb3808f7f

‘I should’ve pushed back harder when Tara and the maids dressed me up like this…’741887820dc0947b

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I had seen Diana get 88fe529919 mocked during last year’s charity 8092fddb65 event for wearing a dress 86551a934e that made her seem above f580da9474 her station.a56beccb62c4f2ac

Why didn’t I insist more?916180a90d5b80c4

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Sure, Tara and 34dcda38b3 the maids had 3c6cd05368 been relentless, but 9929b0e0b2 still—ee0c7b2396b1d496

A cheerful voice suddenly 21550b9bb7 rang through the garden, 5d21f45249 interrupting my thoughts.97d7d9259e68b0ae

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“Wow! This is amazing! It’s a real penguin?!”9c91fd24d4f18637

I looked up to see 095a93d441 Joshua holding a golden gift 90f53c6b66 box, a bright smile on 4410aa7c1a his face.bb9e53dcc3dd6195

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Above the box, ed475c3551 a holographic penguin 6855d7a9a7 flapped its wings e4aadb3ef9 as cheerful music 4b1baee765 played.83ef53363cb59e7a

It was clearly a high-end d94363020e magic artifact.622220146d0659c4

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Suddenly, my own gift 6c9698dafd felt incredibly small in 374a6f76c7 comparison.dd77db3df6144117

‘I should’ve just bought something like that. I have money now…’72bd79063205bd78

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I had spent 5ccb0a0569 a fortune designing c43ee634b7 the perfect sneakers 317ac2f88f for him.4db5a4c01ffe91f1

But looking at my gift 59857537a2 now, I couldn’t shake the 18b77fbe44 feeling that it was insignificant.1956e26f9e61359d

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As I stared down 25c75d8424 at the gift box 0777f58f5f in my arms, feeling 75803c15de uncertain—0f79f486dd9a0031

Thud!00a87dd723a989ec

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“Hey, Lawrence! Wait up!”abfca3be4cf4ce61

Out of nowhere, 346afcd03f someone shoved me b8760562b1 hard.dc2305bda9b4e2c9

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“Ah!”4c7b78969410a73c

I stumbled, losing 8bc6fa299b my grip on 2db996d559 the gift box.b625f7590f56a2d2

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I barely managed to b7310aec2e regain my balance, just 4a563bba82 barely avoiding a full-on 29c3a7901d fall.39078a3b3a9253af

‘Damn it, who—?!’8b619658486dc4f0

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I turned, irritated, 7fd2f9eb0a and locked eyes e6bdb8dfca with a very 71052e1b67 familiar face.6c1ace14221c21f5

Dylan Travis.5336cdd1b7aca4e5

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Edwin’s closest friend—and one a42139a1bb of the many men f28c57ae3c who fell for Diana 9763248761 in this damned novel.22103f4fd3021c47

“…Sorry— Oh, wait. Whoa.”7711ada8dd25fcfa

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Dylan had been aff0110ca5 about to apologize, 70e18f3aac but the moment ca177a6602 he saw me, 3f642b8009 his expression twisted cf8ab9837f into a sneer.bc15259d0811b967

Another boy, who had been f165b84e2e running after him, also stopped 18456cf1bb in front of me.26007f7b4ce75441

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Judging by his familiar 466cb79443 face, he was probably 296d4a8acb another one of Edwin’s dfc932ba89 friends.ee63acb8ddcb4ca8

“Wait, Dylan, you know her?”eddf2aa5f63e3c4a

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“Nope.”f728bb401ee5386f

“Then who is she? I’ve never seen her before.”0652bb7f4857281a

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Hearing that, Dylan’s 1838e744a0 lips curled into 2331c964ef a smirk.402f929a267c564d

“Oh, she’s that freeloader living in the Duke’s estate.”a1c39bacdf8a5166

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“Ohh, that parasite.”f005fd7f274d1703

It had been so f5f8c446cd long since I last 26c516044c heard that word—7ec72928ff3e23a7

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Parasite.113c26512ba0318b

For a moment, my stomach 2e8de6679d dropped.7bb1b4225ceac6c1

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Maybe it was 29a690f0f0 because I had 9934ddb495 already been feeling 3fbb06e8a6 out of place.aeb8cc41a6bd1f4d

Normally, I would have snapped edce92e732 back at them without hesitation.7213e1c6ce85778f

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But for some reason, I 685b662824 couldn’t say a word.818ab9d27b797908

As if sensing my hesitation, 5b3d2505f8 the two boys continued their bd08a27680 mocking conversation.95ad61d826b91b66

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“Didn’t she used to be one of those Saintess candidates or something?”5396930d6b6e2ed1

“Oh yeah, but Diana’s about to be adopted into the Marquis of Barelotte’s family soon.”1777b6ead706e1fc

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The well-dressed noble boy looked 02196dba9c me up and down.df0ed396f6aa5522

It seemed he was close 4762149aa6 to Diana.826b5871abc1f37f

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Not that it 65ab9dce5b was surprising—Diana was 7e87498598 always good at cb1eda8eb3 making people like b776e767a9 her.c0709bb4ecd86cc5

I silently crouched down to 0eb49ed3c4 pick up the fallen gift 0aa99ad316 box.0281fe4a9fccccd6

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Maybe I really did look f601b452ce small and defeated, because Dylan 2c54217f6a brushed off his shoulder and 2477238969 muttered—663604de4e432f18

“Get out of the way, already. This isn’t a f90f292350 place for filthy 7240fa1008 commoners like you—”b9e08a418e716a43

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“The one who should leave isn’t Belze—it’s you, Dylan Travis.”3556dec0d097345a

A cold, sharp voice cut 6724c0b93d through the air.473ed826b49cde79

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Dylan flinched.2c5aa429903d5ae5

I looked up—f5a8e60b04c48a89

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And saw golden 72b19e4e95 eyes blazing like 0792242535 the summer sun.7e777427be81a6af

“Who invited you? I don’t remember sending 2fa416583b you an invitation.”90d3ba801458fc0d

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