Chapter 73

‘Breaking the rules?’7ff5ebc509255cf3

I was baffled by a2f7fcb704 the sudden accusation.56684e440d99d30f

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But it seemed the headmistress 2929181571 wasn’t making this up, as dff04eafa6 she looked quite triumphant.b09a7bee8bbda2ac

“What rule do you think we broke?”5f6e9c6c295d4ae4

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Before I could step forward, b057b9f53c Edwin stood protectively in front c87d4f2214 of me and asked.165e183513dca6eb

The headmistress smirked and answered, “Young Lord Kallios being here is the violation.”8492a8d338469d13

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“Me being here?”81aaf0556e19a504

“Yes. According to the rules, each booth is allowed only one assistant.”3c5e2f28d53ec1fc

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She then looked 7263e372f9 at me, flashing c693531ffc a smug smile.13a3af854111d54b

“Didn’t you say that old man was your assistant, Belze?”f32f6eae78cef216

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“Tch.”b9c216797947289e

‘How petty.’eca64b0738465c87

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I puffed out my cheeks 228d94a5e9 in frustration. Edwin had been c1c020b026 here for less 3fb58e2bd7 than 30 minutes.4667461fd1f74d01

It seemed the headmistress was still holding a grudge from the earlier incident about her “constipation.” Her expression was full of malice.8bb4287c869ef816

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“But they’re blatantly having people help gather customers over there,” I blurted out, unable to contain my frustration.9bda5f7c0b9e8a63

Unlike me, Edwin c301365e82 remained calm and 35e0fa6503 reasoned fairly.b21cbde1f777366b

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The headmistress glanced f61080e86e in the direction 2354514e18 Edwin pointed, then 2ab952c17c responded nonchalantly.25e4dde51186eefc

“What are you talking about? From what I see, Marquis Barelotte is simply engaging in friendly socializing…”4705289a5b1cc6f5

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“So if I stay outside the booth, that’s fine?”4df8e97fd3b94954

“If you’re engaging in social activities, of course, Young Lord”6d3c69b9797beb4f

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The headmistress said with a faint smile. “But, since you’ve already been seen helping Belze, I can’t guarantee there won’t be more reports coming in.”870c7f1aea0a996b

In that moment, 4f8d507e8d I realized exactly ca3c3a5f67 who had reported 84eea6dad1 us.cfeb9438759d1984

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There was only one 7453d39e56 person who would do 8ccc6ab034 something like this. It would have been d62d26f196 strange if I hadn’t 90c540c522 figured it out sooner.67eefb51b7b7c33a

‘That cockroach of a man.’a86810af37be697e

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I glared at 994ebd0f68 Marquis Barelotte, who b01a1c7a12 was happily chatting fd12db2724 away with nobles 58006b8845 in front of f1c819f1d9 Diana’s booth.5822a399c9e6855a

It was unfair, 8ce2d25c21 but there was 7eb0ddfec5 nothing I could a3c5d8dc3f do. With a heavy sigh, I e5e0cf6f05 looked at Edwin.43f1d1905a365e30

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“I’m fine, Edwin! You can go play with your friends now.”65d965400c3797d3

Edwin frowned.0246d4f04c2f187e

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“How are you going to handle things on your own?”c653f2e170e45566

“I’m not alone. Grandpa’s here too, right?”5663f196e5c76799

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“Exactly. You should’ve chosen someone who can actually help from the start.”b801c899e3b3066f

“Please stop with the ageism, Young Lord,” Grandpa Gordon muttered, but Edwin ignored him.2d4aa88678c4ab42

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His expression was 3a3f89b64e full of dissatisfaction e71cd16510 and worry.194a0249b0ccbe3d

‘Ah.’d0bec6082f0a5281

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It hit me a bit 4ed07fe6c1 late.5c1ab3fb9e212233

He was upset c6917f53be because I hadn’t c551213772 chosen him to ab093533ac be my assistant.6272929571897801

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‘But… Grandpa Gordon is my business partner, and assistants are supposed to be adults.’5ca2a332bc3fed12

Plus, choosing someone who could 370a34c47b cause discomfort due to their e103380857 high social status would also e53e7b816a be a rule violation.46e0e77a9bd5dbe5

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I had plenty c94b8465c1 of reasons why 714c47cf91 I couldn’t make c6e800f12d Edwin my assistant.869bb83a462635e2

But seeing the a9cb9c34e0 irritated look on 2bf2800ceb his face, I df84a24ff1 couldn’t bring myself 9a40653484 to say any 2aa1f789eb of them.61c1ce392db546f3

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‘He just doesn’t want to leave.’245cb89944485ff2

Of course, I was happy 8dde872910 he had stayed by my 978afe4688 side. Truth be told, 6fa202cd9f dealing with the 5086d36ae4 Marquis had been 66541b09ce tough, and having 05ed16d39a Edwin nearby made 7aaa9e05a4 me feel both 2bbbbfe695 secure and proud.b92cd941f30f5aea

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‘But rules are rules, after all…’1666af43a0101b76

As I hesitated, 9eda0f2cc0 I squeezed my 4665e2749e eyes shut, stood ba5bae4c28 on my tiptoes, 72138c5fa6 and quickly leaned c78b141c5a in.fa15a093bf9c3c1c

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Something cool and soft brushed cbd6d46141 against my lips.452df7ab7f5a0e64

And then—4c5200c6c0602496

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*Smooch!*25a4d54aa54eb3c2

“…Thank you for staying with me, Brother!”9904026926a83edc

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I planted a swift kiss cb0c4cbb95 on his cheek and, hoping d1b77a402f to ease his frustration, hurriedly f67a60a3fe blurted out my thanks.11f6d00be528433c

“You…”0ffbe5048bc2c838

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Edwin stared at 78299c4c3f me, looking utterly 6005d10b64 bewildered.a2456e896891f109

It seemed he hadn’t fully 17f2eb9b1a processed what had just happened.b393536d656683a2

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Slowly, he raised a a37fe50bce hand and touched the 38d557388d spot where my lips 84b4d7b2b8 had landed.d8452655f5c81fb2

Suddenly—d6b28d55e28d6455

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His face turned bright e418b89881 red, as if it 910bae0f19 were about to catch 34cf2aa3a2 fire.17658d24c634f56b

“Brother…?”8555ba17ebedf19c

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I tilted my head, surprised 4edb0159a9 by this side of Edwin 77ca47830e I’d never seen before.81d44db08cec1a4e

Then, in a 6c87103e7b rush, he covered ad474f3305 his flushed face 0de9710a8b with his hand, 0d727768b3 hiding his burning bbe19e6edf cheeks.a444cf15cc3070fb

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“Didn’t I tell you not to call me that?”8c7de43b834e2dc3

Edwin snapped, his eyes flashing 27f8e60434 as he glared at me.bdc4532fd4f5a481

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I had suspected for a while now that Edwin really hated being called “Brother.”efdd212bf555a3ae

‘I just wanted to show my gratitude…’9e86e8b22040997a

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My attempt at being cute 0f0a5d4125 failed, and I puffed out bf81322022 my lips in frustration.bf179d026d89042a

Then, he suddenly f36cabbcd4 narrowed his eyes 074d41fd4e at me again.77e305ddf1503b85

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“Don’t even think about saying that to anyone else.”9d1be4d7e438270a

“…I won’t!”54aecc7f33a3e337

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“And put those lips away.”9456daf670a15a88

At his command, I quickly e012807807 tucked my lips inward, feeling 0d55e4e2f0 both embarrassed and annoyed.e8e0dda6463765a8

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‘Well, what’s done is done. What’s he going 424ca9b8d6 to do about db7fb631e6 it?’45efcbd1259833b2

I looked up at him d65a17d074 with a defiant expression, and 35ad6c6cd9 he let out a long 66a53e4fdd sigh.f10500daa6dff854

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“What am I going to do with you…?”c4ebc92b64a64126

He often mumbled things like c5b4c396d7 that, as if I was 79110d8c82 some sort of puzzle he a023ac3504 couldn’t figure out.fd7382c4ce8ee76b

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But I was the one 650d8d2752 feeling wronged!fb629cb27bbb8b69

‘I’m the one carrying you through all this, you know!’adb84a0a05dbf84c

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Still, I was always 2f695555a4 the one at a 69f5ba0aa7 disadvantage with him.8fe08438688118be

As he turned away without 99b28e540a so much as a goodbye, e11182a13f I awkwardly waved after him.252f0e65af89589e

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“…See you later!”08246907aeb48c24

He paused for 22ff12224c a second at 9979ce32d4 my words but 3f18617bbd then quickly started e1facd5941 running off.8677f3b2ac669d35

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I watched him go, feeling 263739c143 a bit disappointed.a1afa0a268c6a319

“…Was the kiss really that bad?”76b4acda27ae2974

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“Hah!” Grandpa Gordon let out a disbelieving laugh.f77388ca07b16f13

“Grandpa, do boys usually hate being called ‘Brother’?”3fee4c09c4f7a4d5

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“Good grief… It’s like the Duke brought a little enchantress home.”fdc706ae154e7732

Grandpa didn’t answer my question 87ad7ad6ee directly, only shaking his head 56aa976c1a and muttering something under his eceee73eab breath.cf6148d2560c8cf7

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I guess asking someone d7d7ddef34 like him, clearly inexperienced 362c3acd2a with romance, was a 873d89c7b0 waste of time anyway.15b1b11eaf144619

“Ahem! So, what are you going to do now?”f2ae567729c11b35

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It was then that a 46c380f133 familiar, unpleasant voice interrupted.ced431e696a54468

I turned to see 146619986a the headmistress still standing 3ee3969308 there, watching me with 80125aa458 an impatient expression.4b725d6201463f9b

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“You’re still here?” I asked.c605fa003675575a

Her face twisted with annoyance. “Where would I go?! You broke the rules, so you need to pay the fine!”b11f62225d2d2c10

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“Fine…?”7a77eaf52c375468

“Yes! Unless you want to be disqualified and kicked out!”6f0c502a9fc64c89

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“I didn’t see anything about a fine…”fa2a476c5ad190ec

The headmistress waved a paper 29182c3af9 with the rules in front 8524601982 of my face.2893dade5c37376b

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**Rules for the Temple Volunteer Event in Celebration of the Goddess’s Birth**15de94e03906ff18

1. The organizers strictly ab5d14be31 control access to 93e0587945 ensure the event 0f74fc8496 runs smoothly.bd4dda4cb608a134

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2. Each child participating in the 27352941b3 event may use only one 55b1469598 assistant. The assistant must c912833739 be an adult 3e613466a7 who does not 792ad196f4 cause discomfort to 960c317a02 other participants.805b8a1b30b336b2

….9bb15ad18748912a

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14. Anyone who violates 1b5004a11d these rules will 81d1e5e87d be disqualified and c85135d316 expelled. However, as this event is c5dcee45f7 for children, the rules can fc95a6633d be applied flexibly depending on e67c25a480 the situation.2ed850d6d79c3eed

“See? It’s right there!”3fb1173f82b7faf9

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She said, pointing 9dc4e7fb82 to the small ac3ba08bae print with her 682f9bb8e8 finger.98a75c9dbf96c480

“I’m being lenient by not kicking you out immediately and settling for a fine. You should be grateful!” she added, clearly trying to appear magnanimous.01fd5c851788c961

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Reading the rules again, fe9e51865e I wasn’t entirely convinced 2470cf39cc I had broken them.d675c66f151eb4c6

‘It says I can have one assistant, but it doesn’t explicitly forbid a friend from helping for a short while…’c8164bd375ca7bfe

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It seemed contradictory, 3e78e1691b and this was 951fc5a473 the kind of ebd34c5299 situation that should 0d2e670351 have been flexible, 0cb39670a3 as the rules 5db48c03d5 stated.a4c3582f8cf20f0b

“And how much is the fine?” I asked, deciding not to argue for now.7d9c63a57f60c041

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If it was a 03acb7533b small amount, I figured dd073e65f8 I’d just pay it 704bc5a14a and be done with de1f72d016 it.04cf70190f6af737

But then, the headmistress 20b6a2a3b5 spread her fingers wide 1ebafb57b0 with a smug grin.86cf7692bda732ca

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“Fifty talents.”97e4df5ec626eb9b

“F-fifty talents?!”1b60433607472920

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My jaw dropped.a4527359852e0624

‘Is she insane?!’3e6553d1d83ae8e3

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Fifty talents was the a9e3c53a42 price of one bottle 689ea10ee9 of Fairy Herb Hair 792b44456c Mist! That amount was 16d736ccb4 outrageous to demand 391aecd61b from a child.c2c3170c688e54f8

‘Not to mention, I don’t have that kind of money!’07423b30f2386287

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Shaking my head furiously, I shouted, “I can’t pay that! I’ve only just started selling. How am I supposed to earn fifty talents so quickly?”4b51d5e083d48d4c

“Oh, stop lying! I know the Duke gave you 100 talents. Don’t think I’m unaware.”fed065d2beb73f50

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“Ugh…”e7c0a585ebe942db

Her words hit f112be0c73 me hard, and d862df193c I instantly shut b2472a0fe2 my mouth.53a69b440a157953

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‘Damn it.’3ac89e6f9e260e8c

I hadn’t realized the 3cd7b0318f rumor had spread so 65baba30ae quickly.24e6ab39ba0160c0

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“Humph! If you don’t want to pay, fine. But you know that if you get disqualified, we’ll confiscate all the remaining talents too, right?” she sneered, watching me stammer in shock.1395c7a59c3bd08f