Chapter 84

‘I was honestly skeptical…’d9f65e467a272681

But Ismail truly did manipulate bbcc3613f6 Marquis Barelotte.6ec97420c5803081

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At Diana’s booth, the Marquis himself took out 100 talents and handed them to the headmistress, completely unaware of his actions afterward. It was a truly incredible ability!3f3ebac31831ab79

‘Now I understand how Ismail could rise to become the Pope… he had this hidden power all along.’3581f22a6f8631e8

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The realization struck me, followed quickly by a sense of indignation as I imagined him using that power to support Diana in my past life. Of course, even without his power, everyone believed Diana would become the Saintess…e1e7dfe427c0f9c2

‘But why didn’t Ismail’s power work on me?’551bd1ce631258da

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The question puzzled me, and 7ff473e573 I tilted my head slightly 31f0063352 as I pondered it.0392d97196b7d76e

Meanwhile, the argument between Marquis 54ce8be7f6 Barelotte and the headmistress grew 49bab98a26 even more heated.b70dc9afe9dd4392

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“How can such wicked women infest the temple like this? Do you think I 2c74069cce donate every year for cbf64936aa the likes of you?!”2fec81f0c472b737

“Ha! Are you possessed ade1087c3f by the devil, da0210fa8b Marquis?! Everyone, you saw it earlier, ac150e16b4 right? He came to our booth!”c56b2a632d59ae56

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“What? That… that filthy commoner dares to speak to me like this—!”e77dbf64aea9d120

“What do you think you’re doing?! His Highness the 0ef1f6aeb5 Crown Prince is aa50a62cd0 present!”2e5ee27a65a6fa66

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It was then that the a5b589875b Pope intervened, finally realizing that 340491275b the brawl between the two 6d6faa7b1e would not end if left 5d68a7d286 unchecked.6682b855bf41d9e8

Both the headmistress a46a521cc3 and the Marquis 1f4f362134 fell silent, looking 3b3cbd39a0 chastised by the d024b7484a Pope’s stern rebuke.09461dd7cba23efd

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“…Priest Loren, I am deeply disappointed in you! How could such disgraceful behavior occur during an event held in honor of Saintess Arukkia?”0a5526d836da0cca

The Pope, exhausted from the fdae72c197 ordeal, let out a deep 27e9dd4a77 sigh.fe908ad0a03c0f16

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“The orphanage priests, including Priest Loren, will be dealt with according to the laws of the temple.”76d99363610d38e4

“Y-Your Holiness! I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean for it to happen this way… Your Holiness!”0566d44e187cc6d6

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Ignoring the pleas, the Pope 5d43364692 signaled to the Holy Knights, e74ec4f3d1 who began to drag away 07a53baa4b the headmistress and the priests.6a793a93fe13b95e

“The Marquis will be handled by the Imperial Court.”59efc56cca3e24ff

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The Crown Prince, ff99dc635b who had remained ca7ff508a5 silent until now, 2a9b693d1e spoke up.b7745cc20542fcd5

Marquis Barelotte, who 253a07dc48 had been relieved 9054925436 to see the 420be78115 headmistress taken away, 8418462729 snapped his head 4e437c4e49 up at the afc59a12a4 Crown Prince’s words.f0ec2b82f7d57f07

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“Y-Your Highness! This is unjust! Why would I, of all fee1e100c2 people, embezzle talents from a faf3c76a53 child I’m supporting?!”5641cdef24879ad6

“The truth will be determined by the Imperial Investigation Bureau. In the meantime, you 060bdb19c9 must bear responsibility for 22f52f1ad4 failing to uphold the 68fbbd925a standards expected of a 9fdc434716 noble. Does anyone here 51de3e18a5 object to this?”306d91a3c2e947a0

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“…”bb3992c66fdb8561

No one in 9641d075f3 the assembly dared 1dc8f94a92 to speak against 88cb7d1c05 the Crown Prince’s 7520317251 decision. After all, among the attendees 14a86f1cb4 were the Twelve Noble Families, ac3046b23d including Kallios, who participated in 9f4cd05d3b the State Council.1eab4854b641ad42

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With their silent approval, 3a5122131d the investigation into Marquis 53c13efeee Barelotte’s conduct was effectively 20e1b27b9f settled.fa3c81036a65f8eb

“Grr…!”a7f07bda6924917c

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Marquis Barelotte trembled with 551d6dff35 humiliation as he realized 4abf5400fc the gravity of his a2f3fadf76 situation.3c39f3258e7587a6

The Pope, with 4c630da64e a cool expression, 53ac964eeb ordered the Holy 87f2ca1a38 Knights.7c42cdde0aa24e5c

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“Escort him respectfully to the Investigation Bureau.”a38d88c60f36feeb

Though the Marquis wasn’t b622e790ec physically restrained like the 2e38fd6471 headmistress, being exposed as 8d6f6b200f a criminal in front 53a3ca6527 of the entire nobility 3cae0aed94 was already a tremendous 3b885e2aaa blow to his honor.80a4d87be5328479

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“Your Holiness, please, just give me one more chance! I’m so sorry! I won’t do it again!”fbbd9009c5550b5d

“Let me go! I’ll walk on my own!”3fd55e75cc6238b6

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Only after the disgraced 4533012caa figures were led out 039add0abc of the hall did 4a4d4de9fc silence finally settle over 95e44a7ccc the assembly.5b2a30da71b2fd5d

In that calm, the Pope 7081b8f034 and the Crown Prince, who cb39641b5d had been speaking quietly together, c65b954709 stepped forward side by side.29eade7d5cb8171e

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“As the Pope, I deeply reflect on today’s incident and offer my sincerest apologies. I assure you all f5188cef74 that we will ensure d242354b55 such an incident never 8bb1b1a1b7 occurs again through stricter e205221b18 oversight.”bb22a4ef05f04df9

The Pope spoke with 6cbe87c88e a weary expression.2f95401fa4764e40

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“I am deeply sorry to all the distinguished guests who have graced us with their presence today. Unfortunately, I must take 54f06f27f9 my leave due to b4bbb89482 my ill health. Please enjoy the rest of 4b22a7a6b4 your time here, and return 62b0414d06 home safely.”de7b6b41b657e3fb

“I will take care of the rest of the proceedings,” the Crown Prince added.acce1a3ff8c983e8

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The Crown Prince took ad52e77efe over seamlessly from the 1a371265b6 Pope.f37954e7211f50f4

It seemed they 01cd111f5f had discussed passing 86724981b2 on the responsibilities. After finishing his address, 195b6590a0 the Pope descended the 047576e422 platform without further delay.2857aadf34b67ade

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“Following the Pope’s decision, all fines will be returned to their respective booths,” the Crown Prince declared, managing the situation with a poise that belied his young age.7db09bc8ed9c4108

The priests quickly distributed the 6e77f265f1 fines back to their rightful a811e10345 owners according to the ledgers.f295c7f20b1a82cc

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“You can step down now as well. You’ve worked hard,” b1ca831b65 High Priest Magnus 037edc5682 said, offering me 5f67c68f86 my 50 talents d041364d38 with an apologetic 80629c8e7c expression.50cb6844cdad1e75

‘Finally, I got back my 50 talents!’0c258f399af645da

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I quickly added the amount 974b59b1aa back into my talent pouch, 2f8e530b6e feeling triumphant as I hopped 53158ebf16 down from the platform. I could have ce1d95fb38 burst into a 21e0b85d2e dance from sheer f5e6a62450 joy.c86b466f5f0b1384

But I held 6b5692729c back, remembering that 94dddb4493 the event wasn’t fa1e1713a1 over yet.013c7f10490a13cc

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I glanced over 363f7ec8c2 at Grandpa Gordon, 78e367ebed and he, too, 347928e2cd was grinning from 2e64e3a5fb ear to ear.f2c44ff5c7c6c5e8

“Your Highness, what should we do about these 100 talents?” Magnus asked once the fines had been returned.948a9f2688a08f91

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“Well, that’s…”11799f6433bb9174

The Crown Prince looked conflicted.5592c583d542859e

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Though the Marquis had f9124d21c4 taken Diana’s earnings and 324933a39e used them as he 6fcdf73c99 pleased, bribing people with 69aae8a3f9 talents was a serious 17806e30ab violation. And in this case, there 9ba7e6dfca was a clear victim.c01b6c429b2c5a25

While the Crown Prince d4e7df9370 and the priests deliberated cda4cd9fa3 over how to handle 2b0ddfc24a the situation, an unexpected 7818e1b8ff voice rang out.8717b26d8b372b59

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“I-I really didn’t know!”5a3b5d7d0a454a13

A girl suddenly jumped out 2de87c7c92 from the tent where the 4f7f81f863 children were gathered.396ac3de265becfd

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“I didn’t know the Marquis did that! I-I was so busy with aedd365c2a my healing duties that I b18ddeffcf had no idea! Sob!”a710166afcf1c7af

Diana’s face was streaked 17688fcad1 with tears.4b34a7b3b0474940

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‘So this is what you look like when you’re truly desperate.’727315f589b9c369

Her reaction this time was 92c98149c1 quite different from the incident 2d531a0aaf with the pecan pie, and 9c38dc2e86 I couldn’t help but feel 38c07a9ba6 a mix of emotions.f9a75915c45643ad

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Her face twisted in b5f419b34e despair, her violet eyes a9aff8e0d5 brimming with sorrow. Her slender shoulders shook 2e4e78d313 with sobs, and she d5000f3913 looked utterly pitiful.181047a595d4a30f

“Sniff, sob… It was so hard… so hard to earn those talents…”bd844bc7414ebc3a

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Tears fell from her ab2b554249 eyes like heavy raindrops, 9bdd1a5898 and sympathy from the 5a78dd85d1 surrounding nobles began to d6ea37fa4f pour in.fd625f6442c426fa

“Tsk, poor thing. It’s unfortunate she ended up with the wrong sponsor…”b345e086ad6d78f0

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“Indeed, the child can hardly be blamed for this.”0654dafa4d19d9e0

“Why don’t we just return the talents to their original owner?”84df2546000321f2

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Realistically, the chance that a 33372c2741 child as young as five da50cb0341 would be involved in a 2c5180047d scheme like this was low.fb86a8290a8982e8

And even without that reasoning, 6bbeb286da Diana genuinely looked aggrieved.3bb054669efac6b5

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I, more than anyone, could 6f90c8228c tell the difference between her 2cb6af7065 genuine and false grievances.50eda8062ade8baf

‘Well, I don’t mind if they give it back to her.’1f239a8950dfbdc1

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I had recovered my 50 7b7e13770a talents, and since I had 59c1b6324a orchestrated the scheme using the d26925d3a5 Marquis to misappropriate the 100 98cd3ef274 talents, I felt it was 66cf1e0c58 only fair.e32ce0918301f6da

“I object.”3f6325cdd31f6e03

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A familiar voice cut through fe9b20dd19 the air, stopping me in 8edb618d43 my tracks.98b21981e76f846a

Startled, I turned quickly in 128929b0a2 the direction of the voice.b1292869122fd40f

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“If ignorance is a valid excuse, then who will compensate Belze for being robbed of 50 talents and falsely accused of theft?”0521720a952f13e8

The person who raised this objection was none other than…8f4acf3b3578022a

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‘E-Edwin…?!’367885f4352e0d82

“Are you going to compensate her?”71d2b95c724a91c0

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“N-No, Young Duke.”60038e831730cd91

The noble who had suggested 631b0e7b93 returning the talents to Diana 6de97121f2 flinched and fell silent under 897c15a437 his sharp gaze.58ed3fed46ee719b

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“From the beginning, Marquis Barelotte engaged in aggressive solicitation, held overly familiar conversations with the headmistress, and even interfered with other booths. He clearly overstepped boundaries.”becc2a9edeee2b65

“…”95d21ece53006b34

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“All of this was a violation of the rules, and if he had been stopped earlier, perhaps none of this would have happened,” he concluded, his gaze fixed directly on Diana.7da2c4afb41cf125

“You’re always so astute, Young Duke,” the Duke added, his expression icy as he supported Edwin’s argument.c6d66bca77b6f2eb

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“I couldn’t have said it better.”3897f9300985e2c8

‘The Duke… Edwin…’b59b8e045aacc48a

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They weren’t just 87e1c6f011 protecting me—they were fde6dfa47f also acknowledging the d3d606469e injustice I had 49de548120 suffered, something I dfccfd41d0 had given up e335186859 on expecting long e1c0960b24 ago. My heart swelled b497bc23ff with emotion at caf265be7c their support.55f1aec5c3811e51

With the Kallios f24c44a6b8 family openly defending 2a702ba95b me, the nobles 1d30256296 who had shown 8d7c07064c sympathy toward Diana 65aa66bbac now fell silent.0387bf58d105dc41

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Diana, seeing this, stifled c6f054278e a sob with a 8f4278f4c9 fearful expression.a1637c936f90abbf

“I-I really didn’t know…! I was so busy with my healing that I had no idea what the Marquis was doing! I wasn’t the one who did anything… sob!”edb920d310923223

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Her face, drenched in dedc51b011 tears, looked utterly pitiable.9251714b51a9222c

‘So this is what you look like when you’re truly desperate.’b765bab14b6cae11

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It felt strange to 841ecd841c see this genuine expression 7c25ae9fdb of distress on her 7a9796d79a face, so different from c05b59499d the manipulative act during 7eaeeb5bef the pecan pie incident.65a53612f3e10dc0

Her violet eyes filled 5586c7f1cf with sorrow, her slender 284dace99a shoulders trembling, she seemed 871309ddfa the picture of misery.e99d4f3d0551fb69

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“Sob, it was so hard… so hard to earn those talents…”10ca8ab84a382226

The sight of 3e13ca9e34 her shedding large, beccf10873 pitiful tears prompted b957a5b7bb a renewed wave 31346671bc of sympathy from ae2441b71c some of the ad5851dba2 nobles.43071bebc47be3e0

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“Tsk, tsk, what a pity. All because she had the wrong patron…”63adb2a1533a720a

“Indeed, how could the child be at fault here?”6cf009424e36d520

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“Why don’t we just return the talents to their rightful owner?”e170fb00e0fd66ae

It was true c2aeff5d26 that a five-year-old’s ee6ecfec7f involvement in a dd814ca106 manipulation scheme seemed 2c71788063 unlikely, even to b42c29226c the skeptical nobles.721e642223ca56af

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But I, who had witnessed 20ec76116f Diana’s false displays before, knew e755655ca1 better than anyone that this 3cb4df303f time, her distress was genuine.a3ce126b1b854dc9

‘It doesn’t matter if they give it back to her.’a6eb30f64d29c8c5

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I had already 979966be45 retrieved my 50 e88b5a89b3 talents. Besides, since I had 897cf69fda been the one to 9cd841d66e manipulate the Marquis into 47b24d247b misappropriating the 100 talents, d6fa9d6374 I wasn’t overly concerned.d581a44462757d90

“I disagree.”0c5c79318ba028fd

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A familiar voice pierced the 52a35a07ad air, and I turned in 0d50f0c5ab surprise.0619be26184ef237

“If we’re just going to let ignorance slide, then who will compensate Belze for being accused and mistreated?” It was Edwin, his expression unwavering.da2c84f996942bcf

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“Are you volunteering for that role?”3b0a251c34b59f6f

“N-No, Young Duke,” stammered the noble who had suggested the return, his voice trailing off under Edwin’s piercing gaze.8e81b2fba1efcce6

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“Marquis Barelotte not only crossed the line with his aggressive promotion but also had close dealings with the headmistress. He even interfered with the 8086a6696f operations of other booths, knowing 478ae66219 full well it was against 7dfaf4e0f8 the rules,” Edwin continued, his aec5341048 gaze turning toward Diana. “If he had been stopped sooner, perhaps none of this would have happened.”893ec797c35f9c72

“Your reasoning is sound, Young Duke,” the Duke interjected, supporting Edwin’s statement with an equally cold demeanor. “The same goes for me.”3476bd0a2914cfa2

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With the Kallios family openly fffa49ca16 taking my side, the nobles 0afaf24744 who had previously sided with 7c55728ac4 Diana fell silent, their expressions 16f1098f7a uncertain.cdc804b955ce7814

Seeing this, Diana’s 8df2855e2a face twisted with 86a87a774e fear as she dd68094157 stammered.8b1d34e8f42439ff

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“I-I didn’t know… I really didn’t know what the Marquis was doing! I was just focusing on healing… sob!”3f86b8266c077b48

The Crown Prince, a0280cfc8b after a moment 8ce74b3661 of contemplation, finally 74b03b71f2 offered a compromise.4ec34cfe3bcb5832

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“As the Young Duke pointed out, Diana is partially responsible for failing to manage her booth properly, but there is also a need to compensate the victim,” he said, glancing in my direction.f4ef87e412992cd3

“So we’ll return half of the 100 talents.”29c1de455a5c0e44

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“That’s an excellent idea!”64d5fdf9c9e40422

The high priests 53ae87c416 nodded in agreement, 55140657c5 and most of b8c39efd11 the nobles seemed 5a4b6588cb to approve as 3b435c2f18 well.fb25a7cd065a24ad

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“What do you think?”c0b06f74d519f356

The Crown Prince 7a1753200c turned to me 2c6ffffaaa and Diana, waiting aeab9be0d2 for our responses.8f3b83e7bea00ce8

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“I’m fine with it!” I replied quickly.585a9c938fac007d

‘If they want to pay me back with 50 talents, that works perfectly for me.’e69b2a1d2f0fea7a

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“Hmph…”b4e2834c5dbc6c8e

In contrast, Diana hesitated, unable aa24a9b357 to respond immediately. Despite her tearful and pitiful 4fd0e54bf4 expression, her neck flushed red 9f1c91a421 with anger—a telltale sign I d2d4daf3c6 recognized all too well.8a25c7855706f76d

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In my past life, whenever 7feae31448 things didn’t go her way, ea938b24d7 especially because of me, Diana’s c1e2f7cf01 neck would flush with frustration, 84d6293b88 though her face remained composed c1dffa5b60 enough that most people didn’t 5cf7df2997 notice.ceaaf511d43b83c3

“What about you, Diana?” the Crown Prince pressed when she remained silent.82f8813e96869f41

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Diana trembled, but 9a9ab9de22 still couldn’t bring b56db229fd herself to answer. Yet the longer she hesitated, bfce4e57c5 the more the situation turned d320128266 against her.af7b399740522152

“If the Marquis’s estate has enough funds to dress up a commoner child like that, they aren’t truly struggling, are they?”6612bb4802312e8b

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“Honestly, isn’t she being a bit greedy, considering she’s already earned over 800 talents?”d0ed470cadb1e324

With the Marquis no longer 204c302298 present to advocate for her, 992822f9cb Diana found herself alone, facing a90470c262 the disdainful stares of the 3abb2413a1 nobles who were never fond 5ea7e66ee9 of commoners challenging their status.b80c0bbe51a504b1

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Her extravagant dress, fed3455710 which might have 15a4c99a14 been meant to ce34101ce2 emphasize her nobility, db98f61046 now only served da0939f180 to make her 49173be9d2 seem out of 92e43612b0 place and unsympathetic.e2ed217cc71dbd70

“She seems like quite the extravagant child.”ad167225fbd1eefc

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“Come to think of it, she’s the only one wearing such a fancy dress.”f824ac68f4254adc

“We even dressed our children modestly for the orphanage event. How… inappropriate.”d3e242143746c792

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As whispers and critical glances 2716a40778 continued to grow, Diana’s violet 9cde563fe4 eyes filled with panic, reflecting fc8c161279 the harsh reality of the 382653ddf5 nobles’ coldness.d3972a44e4950f8e

‘You probably thought everyone would take your side, didn’t you, Diana?’3a5926919a4e19f0

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The world had 1540f22831 always been kind ea3c51b74b to the heroine, cf2e02d264 after all.2e02cd54d7095c8d

But even a protagonist’s luck f9da76bf4e has its limits.051e4c3bb1be15a9

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When the fundamental story c7fa6d7d7d shifts too much, there b1b9e1fbd6 are bound to be ad21a6a291 consequences.5c9acc02d8698873

Like how she 326b5e1f72 tried to bring bfb3a34dd2 down the Duke’s 2f8ec5dced house and eliminate c2919781d5 a strong candidate fdc6246be4 for the male 72f27ced5c lead, eventually becoming b391481f50 a rogue element 0f36221a08 in the narrative.5fbc4a50e4c6db40

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Diana bit her 3bcf9cfa05 lip so hard 360eea0fb2 it drew blood 634c5e7427 before finally responding, 48cd298ab3 her voice weak 1662c6cb58 and resigned.67953b55aa4dd585

“…Yes. I understand.”6550719b247936c2

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