Chapter 91

I was taken aback by af32604dcf the sudden appearance of the 4836bcb20d crown prince and awkwardly stood 0db0bd9aee up from my seat.32355713477537a0

While debating whether I should 9bae839f23 bow deeply like last time, 4240710e50 the duke casually spoke.7d662b43cd55d171

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“Well, I am this child’s guardian, after all.”f69d5289bcd0d612

“…Guardian? But your name wasn’t listed as the guardian on the application form.”3a7518193d238ead

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“You’ll understand once you see this.”bac8b1dcd4d60334

The duke pulled out f5c515dfe4 a neatly folded sheet cc295f2be0 of paper from his 3b51909aba chest pocket and placed 702002278e it on the table. Then, as if inviting the 5f6613c561 crown prince to read it, 9bc2687053 he tapped the paper lightly 86c398bf2a with his finger.a2f38057975e9642

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The gesture felt 9cf7f801af slightly discourteous, but bf70849c9b the crown prince f7dbcb0861 approached without a 8b6b8015ea word and picked 4039632c5e up the paper.5dc622a56b3793de

‘Belze (Female, 5 years old)’s temporary guardian, ‘Gordon Pelliachae (Grandpa Gordon),’ can no longer fulfill his role as guardian due to personal reasons. All rights are therefore e6ff10fc0e delegated to her legal 2c625e3d38 guardian, Liam Kallios.ad489a8b7b82f068

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“Guardian… delegation letter?”cd8e461c35a332ab

“Yes. Identity verification has been completed, and it’s been notarized by a lawyer. Therefore, I am officially Belze’s guardian.”a885784a5e525332

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The duke’s confident response made 650002987d my face flush with embarrassment. Yesterday, when Grandpa Gordon 8428f954d4 begrudgingly signed the paper, 08eeb4171d I had wondered what 04679f01e4 on earth he was afa8fa8d22 up to.485c03b66d750791

‘Of all things, a delegation letter… Couldn’t he have just said he wanted to come with me!’e86c6f35318622b6

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Suddenly, I recalled the ab4e468a4f image of Grandpa Gordon 91c971d95e clicking his tongue after 9bd62bce8d signing.a1c58b6022b640c5

‘They said there was a monster in the house… Turns out this whole place is a den of beasts… tsk tsk.’0f5a808a5ac4df45

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It was the 847cd8fc27 first time I ddeab0ebc0 found the duke’s 9808e98f91 meticulous personality so 2755644eab mortifying, even over 836e4f1191 something trivial.55bcdd4c2ba767af

“I thought this was simply a relationship between a guardian and a ward,” the crown prince remarked with a grim expression after reading the letter. “But this overprotectiveness… It’s a bit much. Anyone would think she’s your secret daughter, Duke.”fa9045cd18e1e27c

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Startled, I snapped my head a81a11b5be up.1be641d6fbdaf8a0

‘No matter how exaggerated, a secret daughter? Isn’t that a bit much?’47b9d97d547b75d7

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Even the crown prince should e60ef5d0fd know there are lines not 06f3cbe297 to be crossed. Such remarks could be 1b70bcfa0b interpreted as an insult 91198559b5 to the deceased duchess.1d6dd9badda51529

“Do you think Belze and I look alike?”397de2f00885f1db

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The duke asked nonchalantly.b9cb76263506a560

“Not in the slightest.”44e1e28dcc96e5a5

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“That’s quite unfortunate.”8392d46f1a14574c

The duke clicked his 1799dd1b85 tongue, but his expression 566becaedd showed no sign of bc4de19e2b anger. If anything, he looked 6ed8c07c60 genuinely disappointed.ac812b5b611d83bd

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Then he added, “I’m not hiding anything. In fact, I’m making it blatantly obvious.”f60783038fb97f4e

The crown prince’s face twisted c4fdbe4cf7 in exasperation at the remark.4b595bb823ade8e7

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“…I had no idea.”438dce6ddefa388e

“If you didn’t know, you should take note now, Your Highness. Information is a powerful weapon, after all.”91e81d3ff5dd6df9

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“I’ll keep that in mind.”1d60ec62770a70c8

A visible tension sparked 2d281f3506 between the two as 2b03ad9162 they locked eyes. Though the duke was older 14c2bf38aa and exuded a commanding presence, df0b085263 the crown prince didn’t back e41277e479 down in the slightest.f222c23ee3683c51

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It was rare for someone 752ead23fd to stand up to Duke 363bee87c4 Kallios with such confidence. To my surprise, the crown 52990f3779 prince was holding his ground a30a9a023e remarkably well.c1ef0085101b878d

While their exchange was e96306de6b unsettling, I nervously watched, ea46da4ed5 afraid something worse might 57e061a16f happen. Thankfully, it was the 005431e085 crown prince who broke 0695381dec eye contact first.99baf546a142ccbf

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“Well, look at that, teddy bear.”319995d7f43b2733

He said, turning to me. His gaze landed e0b57ad949 on the stuffed b29f42cfa7 bear in my ee839a62bd arms, and he 6dbe660cfa chuckled at my b421b563fd bewildered expression.a7c738648606fda0

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Sure enough, I had brought bbee6252be along the real teddy bear eb8c3e09c9 this time. Hugging the teddy bear tightly, 2d6ea87af5 I bowed awkwardly.3a2aca2024d44648

“Greetings to the shining sun…”d4ac03aef8eb952e

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“Enough with the greetings.”2009a7f085563605

The crown prince bdff987d2d interrupted, waving dismissively.716445bf2f03717e

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“And it’s not ‘shining sun.’ It’s ‘the sun.’”2403bfbaecbb92e5

“Ack…”3b67b67ca6b181fb

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I paled at his correction. My nerves, heightened ac68f45ac3 by the tension 61b5a76fd3 between the two, a419798e84 had made me 363b49933b blurt out my a811820469 words without thinking.360f1814c442de08

“Ugh… I knew that,” I stammered, trying to explain away my embarrassment.f0683b4e887b3530

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The duke, seemingly amused, 039020df3a patted my head reassuringly.460715040b142a77

“You can call him whatever you like, my little princess.”c006ac25faa954cf

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“Princess?”bddcec7b9c7ff2d2

The crown prince’s brows 0a289ebbc5 furrowed in confusion.74e1352a7a1c9695

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‘Please… not in front of royalty, Duke!’7eee2673e8f33309

I barely managed 1918fbb266 to swallow the d77230adf7 scream rising in 3ac27bcf50 my throat and 9631292ba9 hastily changed the cfbe6ab0fc subject.015cf9cc0b47f0ec

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“When do we get the awards?!”47c2b221c5538557

Fortunately, the crown prince seemed to gloss over the “princess” comment as if it was no big deal.021758a9330b4e43

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“Let’s sit and talk for now.”c9b87a348fba5a8c

“Isn’t it just handing out awards and being done with it?”0692e2ea90313efb

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“The other award recipients haven’t arrived yet.”88f24005364d5956

When the duke d85463f35c sharply questioned him, 9c55bf8ff7 the crown prince 46da335bdd shrugged.7dd18fde4f2ed26d

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“There’s a cabinet meeting in an hour. Duke, feel free to leave early if you must.”b58ff29521ec8393

“I’m fine. I’ll wait.”17718149a589bfe4

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“Then perhaps you should’ve brought a guardian with more free time, little Belze.”6b36650e78168d7d

At the crown prince’s remark, 657da2121e directed at me, the duke’s f3402591f7 gaze sharpened. I could only laugh 9a7cd610ce awkwardly amidst their tense 6e6cd42b9f standoff.c12f363efbb97178

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Of course, I 125ed070f9 didn’t even know 73f82a3c36 there were other 3e04abc210 recipients.fcb2ee30b459b81f

‘…So, there are other awardees after all.’2c25f39151ade30f

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Considering the number 2f3ea3c4c2 of children who e9b3f30b70 came to participate 4430fbcd6a that day, it 209504053f wouldn’t make sense fb2d99075f for me to f846034089 be the only 37b29e55ba one recognized.a3c0c1769adb4221

“Jordan, bring us some tea.”cb0db226f7d0a3aa

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“Yes, Your Highness.”79e981dbac0f345a

At that moment, the 531af8ca11 crown prince addressed an f4a9bf3523 aide I hadn’t even aba29bf673 noticed was present.80a58d2e7dd0e4ed

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“Bring chamomile tea for Belze.”3a4183fc3fc08e65

The duke sat down 8cc280fa4d on the sofa with 9316679153 an irritated sigh.e8e77a622bdc7d17

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“Chamomile has a calming effect.”0cf68fe20f0da9aa

Perhaps I was too d5d477bc85 distracted by the unspoken 58b995f577 battle of wills between 3897d119ec the crown prince and 639e134287 the duke. Thankfully, the strange 267653bddf symptoms I felt a70e1aca54 upon entering the 7233de0fc1 palace seemed to 74de51028c have subsided.ae6593daa663a2c2

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I was so 7803cc238b touched by the 3323d0718e duke’s care for 3e9a222434 me that I 709905cabf couldn’t help but f75961d03d giggle.05cfe435e0a21782

“Hehe.”17d86d2eadaf9d81

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Forgetting my embarrassment, d50a86140a I let out faa886c4b1 a silly laugh.302e416835175206

A short while later, the 1cdb62f3a1 crown prince’s aide returned with 852e162689 the tea.a20e8cadd03ed38f

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“Don’t you have any child-friendly teacups?”b8bb84f6bf3d7d5b

“What? Oh, uh, no, we don’t…”6389ffa66ea0ab84

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“Tsk. It could be too hot, so be careful.”c6489ae8b3e07f10

With a dissatisfied click a18c1f6203 of his tongue, the ef0e01e488 duke poured a small 80c99c179a amount of chamomile tea d24dae237f into my cup. He must have kept the d23c08d41e tea from being too hot f6915603b7 to accommodate me.982a73d50999a773

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“But…”433ca48a01c47c24

The moment the 3182a95ce6 duke and the d67fbc92e2 crown prince took 86e0c7b488 a sip of 25435ca65d their tea, the ae4d9821db tension reignited.e911361140268a40

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“You seem to know teddy bear. Have you met Belze before the charity event?”aa31083a0f9f29dc

“Yes. We’ve known each other for quite some time.”eab6d8c656d0f96e

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“For quite some time?”8735af6c7ae4fc50

The duke’s eyebrows twitched.09d244d08b7dba65

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“When I went to register a trademark at the guild! That’s when I met him!”04a9cec1d128ed1c

Fearing the duke might misunderstand, a73e5c5e9a I hurriedly exclaimed.f3436706eab973cc

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“I didn’t know he was the crown prince back then! Really!”0c18d69c909f1e3d

“I see,” the duke said with a nod.6b347d72ca84ed72

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“I had no idea you were participating in such an odd competition. Had I known, I would’ve supported you in every way possible. It’s truly regrettable.”68b269a62d445679

The words “truly regrettable” no longer sounded ordinary coming from him. Shuddering, I quickly stammered, “I-I forgot about participating too!”3444e8a40d9e8f38

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And I genuinely 3c6c1f0198 had—until the duke bf7a122ddd showed me the 78af9082ea official document.6e716716e498db8a

“I knew all about it,” the crown prince interjected casually.74df9589d5cc7477

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The duke’s eyebrow shot cddbbb154d up in annoyance at 5841400675 the prince’s smug tone.fc508559644992c1

“Is that why you bought Belze’s items at the charity event?”2078aca9d3fa2056

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“Well, partly. It was also to repay a favor.”47d17cca887f4e83

“A favor? What favor…?”07324951ee945dd2

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Knock knock.d4edde334e66f92b

The sound of a d7e2c8bb22 knock interrupted their escalating 6b8f9f6f17 conversation.ed5dff94aa00e2f1

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It seemed another 19a64d8e69 award recipient had db4e5ac70d finally arrived.bdf008a3aacf2854

“Come in.”5fbeb779367ae7ff

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But instead of a child, cd08448569 it was an adult man—a 477c2c0672 familiar face to me.9b2a5adf23382afe

“Huh? Logan?”e264504ca5afa9ba

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“I greet the empire’s little sun. I apologize for interrupting your conversation, but I have an urgent matter regarding the upcoming cabinet meeting to relay to the duke,” Logan said hurriedly, looking troubled.31a9627309ef094b

“Go ahead,” the crown prince permitted.58eccbf36a5c7b92

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Logan quickly approached the duke 83d10cb7f6 and whispered something into his 629574bff7 ear.3a48651966db8fe3

“It seems you must leave immediately,” Logan said.c6a7e89334cb58f7

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“What?”c427b2a35a96f07d

The duke glared at him 6a76be25c7 in irritation.f86d1f477c1770be

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“The meeting must have been moved forward. Feel free to leave first, Duke,” the crown prince said nonchalantly, as if he had anticipated this all along.2efeedcb7e2e0d7a

The duke stared 4b24f8eca8 at him grimly c58ccff339 before turning to 61b711acae Logan with instructions.b2369fb269b7d1c2

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“Logan, take Belze to the duchy immediately…”51e3030dacc848d9

“That won’t do,” the crown prince interjected firmly.6d8fa3e171792589

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“The awards haven’t been presented yet. Where are you planning to go?”2441806dcb5f4621

“It’s dangerous for a child to be left alone without a guardian.”62611b2069a2d4cd

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“Hah. Am I going to eat her?”a5bbf4bc66fbafe4

The crown prince let out ad674dc9ce an incredulous laugh.55bb35d54d0a1f63

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“And, Duke, you seem to forget my age…”bc0837ce6cd18f76

“…”0d75206286e6bb42

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“I’m still just a kid like Belze. Isn’t that right, Jordan?”a9809c85309d1191

“Well… yes…”1914f5c20ece5158

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The crown prince’s aide 99ebc5e650 replied hesitantly, his expression a5e3873ebd awkward.d92d5ffc9605ea0c

“Duke, I’ll take care of things here. Please…”24cfa957b613ce60

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Logan, clearly anxious, 658df48eac urged the duke.6393a422e801d994

Feeling like I was a hindrance, I raised my voice resolutely. “I’m okay, Duke! Please go quickly!”edee9dbe1faead02

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The duke might see me as a child, but I’m a capable adult! “I’ll stay here, get my award, and head back on my own!”5947499508fc2287

“That’s not happening,” the duke said, leaning down to meet my gaze.0fcc0ca6ffa2a879

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“I’m sorry, Belze. I’ve left you in a difficult spot because of this urgent matter. I’ll return in an hour.”35994b3b5eeb993c

“…An hour? Cabinet meetings usually last four hours…” the crown prince muttered under his breath, though the duke ignored him entirely.4ba0d212eaba1e12

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“I’ll be back soon, so stay here in the crown prince’s quarters. Keep teddy bear close,” the duke instructed.14451db5f0b3e6b7

“Yes! Don’t worry!” I replied enthusiastically.db73f9ce196e8de0

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Though it was de5464d615 clear he didn’t 953b5d250b like leaving me c4468a1486 behind, the duke fca9a1ca7b left after a 38ca7f5aeb few final warnings. He seemed particularly uneasy despite 45e19863a4 the fact that I’d be 63f9f433d6 safe as long as I 539267b2f1 had teddy bear with me.75ed102cf245a1b9

“Take your time and be careful!” I called after him as the door closed.fb4a9499ab13dee5

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At last, the 89c29a603e duke and Logan 4676fba6c4 left the room.0997c0c3d534da7f

“Ha… finally, just the two of us,” the crown prince said with a languid sigh, sinking into his chair.e47bde60d332e550

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“Now, about why you glared at me so fiercely that day…”caf2ace9938b28fb

“…”35c390d774d3d77d

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“Shall we have a little chat?”5c8feb56cfab7d80

“Gasp!”fb523474f4ec7d09

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I realized I’d been mistaken. The moment the duke 893c36c697 was gone, I was de0e8d1a78 in grave danger.60982a8d8cf20984

Closing my eyes tightly, I 87c2666c93 prayed to the recently departed f44572a3f5 duke.ca64a08cb71d4520

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‘Please come back soon, Duke…!’9543486e7d42d1ae