Chapter 97

I smirked and stared intently 9c968a7291 at the Second Prince.a242298a395a5854

“W-what… what is that supposed to…”d5b6b156a8e0184d

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The Second Prince, c31e1d29a5 who had been 402286349c stammering, suddenly went 7ac51cb684 silent, his face a1ee3db086 growing noticeably pale.406c173216435859

No matter how inherently rotten 11310ba5b7 he might be, the thought fd3e9e5045 of death still seemed to 36f9f58620 terrify him.bf98d32a44f2cb72

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‘Especially since he’s still a child.’f2f8c6275855646c

If I had faced 7f8e3bdfe5 him as an adult 06e8664f85 like in my previous 0788fd7818 life, he would’ve found bbc92f1ffd it amusing and tried 085c60f323 to snatch Teddy bear 5f908b6b65 from me.33d4255c484b99cc

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He would’ve then used 4164493ec1 the bear to commit c11e33035c horrific acts.bd9eed370b878b42

‘That’s why I need to plant the fear of Teddy bear in him now.’38f8b86c5f54a6a5

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I suddenly thrust the c6b20b9ad6 teddy bear I was 3c85d30ef3 holding toward the stammering a82357a179 Second Prince.6bd1884001a9f6be

“But if Your Highness is okay with it, should I show you now?”28002fb5bec050d0

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The Second Prince flinched, stepping 8b415e2df6 back in a panic.eccfcd70aa09768a

“Huh? N-no, it’s fine…”c42286d071c58afa

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“Teddy bear! Activate assassination mode…!”382142fc5bce8dd3

“Ah, stop! Don’t do it!”95dc777accf7aff8

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Thwack!50cc1896991208a6

In a sudden 0bf7fa1ad3 burst of panic, 21632e45d4 he smacked the ca48ce2eb8 teddy bear out e92386eb12 of my hands c901bf06f2 with force.8be3f0f44639f5e4

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“Oh no, Teddy bear!”300fd654c5318db2

Thud!9324d33a52a8a2ba

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The bear fell to aa6fc49165 the ground, landing near 3b0d3a10c3 his feet.d90f39e6fbbc7966

“Eek!”b23bddf0b7d3eed3

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When one of the 9ba0da0767 bear’s arms brushed against 25c64eea64 his foot, the Second 63408ad086 Prince recoiled, stumbling back 6ee54a7ac4 in terror.5a72936f8442f45f

“Enough! Turn it off! Turn it off right now!”e49fa82efd0b58c0

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“But it’s not even activated…” I replied, barely suppressing my laughter.8598a1a7c43bae1f

Teddy bear only understands commands 90697f7011 when there’s a slight pause 82fff6e9d6 between the syllables of its ddd61f2027 name.2523ab6361b8bc32

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“W-what?! It’s not activated?! Damn it, you scared me!”4e3981fc656d0df5

“That’s how you activate it—by hitting it like that!”40e856ef5534c437

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“Ugh!”7ccccc42aa74ad1e

At my words, 9449e22681 the Second Prince 4a1f995247 froze mid-kick, his d40d279242 foot hovering above 9041691bc2 the fallen bear. Slowly, he lowered his leg 8d4e865d11 back to the ground.f1ee6e057c4a36c8

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Watching him comply so meekly, 0db5c61fee I smiled sweetly.2c766f098cfe4041

“That’s a relief, Your Highness! I wouldn’t want to become something awful, like a murderer…”d255d42b8d4d4571

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“W-what…”81a02ffc880cb432

He flinched at my 5d2b3a0c72 words, his shoulders trembling 6b83e01d87 as he looked at 6f827c2647 me.e421b674c2ef4d4c

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The mixture of shock and fffcc2e1d0 fear on his face felt 02c84fb780 hauntingly familiar.07f8c9bed8189f05

It was the same 86a41f93a0 expression he wore every 3981a12807 time I glared at a2166712e6 him from inside my b75c34d6e9 prison cell.cf758f0877b86474

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‘No, this isn’t enough.’941391d127ecced5

Compared to what I d7558e6c54 endured, this was mere 41cba9d542 child’s play.63b848bf56d975c4

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As my fear and bea6da5233 apprehension faded, only hatred d9aa116c55 and resentment remained.8153c72446d7ce96

I continued to b363d9e305 fix him with d88313926e an unwavering stare, 16054fe164 my smug smile 350c74d4d2 never faltering.cdc3d3aa0e112a82

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“But if you ever want to see it later, just let me know! I’ll ask Teddy bear to make a special appearance for you…!”78fe1f2b1ba809e2

“Hey, Diana! Let’s go, now!”8447a2c1ac420d94

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Suddenly, he cut me off a06c7a64d5 mid-sentence, grabbing Diana’s wrist in 1d9f2e73df haste.798d7698baf15497

“If someone notices we snuck out, it’ll be a disaster! Damn it, why did I even come here because of you?!”cefa6029c7ec2fbf

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Without so much as a d4094f4c24 goodbye, he stormed past Edwin 9484b006d8 and me, pulling Diana along 63825504ca with him.f5bd780658fc2b4b

His ears were bright red—probably e65b8a6ea6 from the embarrassment of being e7048e885a humiliated.8a8bfbf366be7644

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“Ah, Your Highness! P-please, slow down!”5e52ad1f67591791

Diana, who had been bc7ae0fcef standing still, was dragged 20043c5772 away awkwardly.c822819a354e3fae

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As I watched them 0f82b82b77 leave, a hint of 6ac4a4b56f amusement lingered in my 6f647bba52 gaze.fed961e06664c2ec

“……!”b94746d93aa4275b

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My eyes widened at the 20b4813bc7 strange sight before me.fcd80e70098d88a9

The Second Prince’s body, as a3dcd190ba he walked irritably away, was 5030144a94 filled with an ominous, dark b552b052ca purple glow.56f0a6ae761cf6b5

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‘What… is that?’65ee86f8a7525a0a

His head, arms, legs, torso—his bfd88b7e86 entire body was consumed by 5394bc9b0d a deep, sinister purple light, 9dc8466e99 so overwhelming that his physical 0ded4f2c80 form seemed to vanish beneath c67cd3f2a2 it.98622b0244cb09d4

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In all my lives, I 1bd4d29596 had never seen someone so 4b4dfaddfd thoroughly engulfed in such an 28b0a1cbfc unnatural aura.0263125d56c85ff9

“Ah…”4fb051d7c8648a77

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A chill ran down cc5c9a2207 my spine, and I 969c1e4147 instinctively rubbed my eyes 95ed3765c0 with both hands before 3c2c02bd5b looking again.6e6a173dad149e68

Flash!fa2b5166d8db3b97

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Like a lie, d02879d3af the purple light 8dbc0e3171 that had filled 781e6fcab8 the Second Prince 1b75be5d13 vanished without a c509bb52e9 trace.b1645e3943c9a6ba

“Huh…?”d64422d846cf6642

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I stared blankly at the 5776b8a2ce retreating figures of the Second 996720015e Prince and Diana, my mind 2d5b03de77 clouded with confusion.267e9fd690ad14ec

‘Did I… imagine it?’f1445347f65e2bb6

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But brushing it off felt 6f42d99b45 wrong, especially with the memory 6bd38e1cab of Diana’s healing powers lingering 6acdb8ecf7 in my mind.bd4e7880e097a161

The purple light 0fab849855 that radiated from cf6f202e71 her hands during 2c82e76272 healing.64e69efa3f12d36e

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The stray dog’s forehead, changing b899333c0d from orange to purple after 2dd3f759ea her touch.dd7f78adb2630132

And the Second Prince, who eb9cbbc1b8 allied with Marquis Barelotte in dffa28d454 my previous life.19795809c2df89b0

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‘I need to go back to the temple.’fc7e734ad244951c

I had to figure 3acf7d7497 out what that suspicious ba1d72668b purple energy was.ba6bd78b96679f0d

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‘And I hope the Crown Prince doesn’t receive Diana’s healing before I find out.’c1529c002a2b79ca

Though that was 8948d4a052 unlikely to happen.85f7d76ad6a34a6f

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The Crown Prince 1e688498b2 had no reason 74ca3b3922 to refuse Diana’s d3d4117c14 healing, given her f128f4b138 reputation for extraordinary e799bb5b3c healing power. And truthfully, it 2a97771bf5 was better for e7c78454ae the original story 5b06f135ec to unfold as 5ba61e832a it was supposed 0e16128bd9 to.4763d285d319d5d0

‘It can’t be helped. I’ll have to 1adf44f180 settle for the 4d05ce27c1 fact that Diana 5759bd3629 hasn’t healed Joshua 500862034b or anyone from fb1d9c7dd3 the duke’s household fe68824004 yet.’8da9be241f61641b

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As I gazed at the e26e4d9422 hallway where Diana had disappeared, 51157007b5 a bitter thought crossed my 42c7084534 mind.f6b05a219d70275f

Then—e2ca5ab5c7835a8e

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“Belze.”99b66b05cfe120fb

Startled by the voice, I 422406a67d turned around to see Edwin 6ebe167f50 holding up my fallen teddy 223123be01 bear.8352db787ae123f0

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“Here.”9947bf98976a1b32

“Oh… T-thanks, Edwin.”459a0029db974ff8

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I hugged Teddy 46dcbb3333 bear tightly, feeling 12e90f112a guilty. It seemed like 3287cd5472 the bear always e4e375f9bc suffered because of a855c16af3 me.2a3d1bc390f9439d

As I patted the dust 0a39352257 off its body with an e439cc7c2d apologetic heart, Edwin watched me a1afc58976 silently before casually remarking,dce491ea0c6138b6

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“At least there’s no need to worry about you wherever you go.”69d9faee1709f75e

“Huh? What do you mean?”97fe17d2caf05766

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He smirked and 71283a5ab2 nodded toward the f4de84cb90 direction where the c33a07ddf0 Second Prince and bbcf7b4a79 Diana had disappeared.7e85e0e3a31be694

“You made that ill-tempered brat flee without a word.”1d38c779fb341e0f

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“Oh…”eee6fab5008e79d9

It finally hit 8ad353894c me—I had defeated 6f46f64865 the Second Prince.864fdbd2a6239abb

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Following Edwin’s gaze, I e7991dedf8 glared in the direction f27d88d8f0 the Second Prince had b1d28acfa5 gone.9815ad590885fd0d

“Hmph. Serves him right for acting 71f3a45917 so cocky over nothing!”b78bc980d96e6429

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“Just make sure you only act like that when I’m around. He’s not exactly the most 1a1feab736 decent person.”4de0f81bb6534935

I wholeheartedly agreed 57276f203b with that assessment.7f980137d6cd0487

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“Okay, got it!”44d2aa0aa79eedb1

With an energetic answer, Edwin cbd48a9d7d smirked, clearly amused.cb21b5cedd26d93e

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“You were quick to shut me up when I said anything about the Crown Prince, but the Second Prince? That’s fine?”8ca0db9fe1db24c5

“Th-that’s because… this is the Crown Prince’s palace…”194c4035c5a1861c

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“Ah.”1fff922fc07b7e62

At my mumbling, Edwin nodded 279a24bab0 as if he understood something 401c976f3b profound.c1a9c8b8598d09cb

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“Got it. I’ll save the complaints for when we’re outside the palace.”477a49c549d34e43

“Okay! Sounds good!”3d1eecfb204d3da9

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The walk to e27fafb496 the palace gates, f86387506f where the carriage cde039a7da awaited, was long—especially 239e0075fd for a child’s 9a8b663f7e short legs.ee9a18969b894a0e

But despite my c216f998b3 appearance, I was ce2a1fcb09 mentally an adult, 6db61aaa51 so I stubbornly f4c3efbd0e walked on my 9cf08c4d51 own.1c0909ec0f612805

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As we left the hallways 288b354e57 and followed the well-paved path, a632f752d6 Edwin suddenly broke the silence.c6d7c2abbb2918c9

“So, what was that about you saving the Crown Prince?”998301b7b580ad5c

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“That, um…”b300edb43f1e5883

‘Ugh. I thought I ed0dc414bd got away with f41f9268e4 it.’05db53604fa388fd

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Edwin was thorough and had a3e52f82cb an annoyingly good memory, just e0d4d77b81 like the Duke.2327944fa0b489f9

Resigned, I let out 80cff4a811 a sigh and reluctantly cf06288167 explained what had happened 5c4b83e0bf that day.362a9e3ece950a21

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Hearing the full story, 0b820a1b8e Edwin frowned deeply.632c58cad6c7ec0f

“You should have told someone if you were in that much danger!”1b25fdc4c3455b1a

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“B-but it wasn’t that dangerous! His Highness had already taken down most of them, and all I did was haul him to safety with Teddy bear!”97eb8b9dc595f776

Naturally, I embellished the truth 79fa6d544e a little.1b645ab24e98200e

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If I told 5b6f512c8a him everything, Edwin 03a451b20c would undoubtedly inform b119a8548e the Duke, and e2991d80d5 that would complicate 7ddfbfad57 everything. I had so many things 6cec64bf2e to do—visit the temple, manage f112a4699c my business—and the last thing 0160c8627a I needed was interference.a8e1a24e495b55e3

“Ha…”a6fe04c71a3bde78

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Thankfully, Edwin seemed to 74f87033cb calm down after my 5c14e78c79 desperate excuses. With a deep sigh, 76abc02cea he warned,e859332de7e8a32a

“From now on, if you need to go out, you must tell either Father or me first.”3178f22969c48b6d

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“But… you two are always busy.”3db6a7a7d9e6e5e1

“One of us will make time to accompany you. No more running around on your own, relying on that teddy bear for protection.”e9475765386f0724

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“I wasn’t alone! Tara was with me!”6c7026f64dd7b138

“Tara isn’t your guardian.”4df33d57569ae513

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Edwin fished a document from d76a2c92e8 his pocket and unfolded it 3990adba29 before me.92aa17df34f5d928

It was the infamous Guardian dc685d23e8 Authorization Form.993dc19fe22fae55

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“See here? Your guardians are Father and me…”ed386541145d67d8

“Okay, okay! I get it! I’ll let you know!”e90d903729866d9a

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I groaned and gave in 083c7937a0 as Edwin adamantly pointed to a493fcb648 his name on the paper.d7005e2d02996ed7

‘Seriously! I need to grow 5b9e361504 up faster!’dd6d74dca6add727

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Maybe I should bug f90118947c Grandpa Gordon for a ecdd910e8d growth-boosting potion.1628c26f2bf8ea72

Satisfied with my agreement, Edwin 8836e06af6 folded the document and continued,7fae99706c1ab913

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“Also, buy what you need through the butler. If you try to shop in person, you’ll either get overcharged or ignored because you look like a kid.”15ab86c94da431e3

“Hey! I’m not a baby! I’m not a kid!”30482157538b729b

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“Sure, you’re an adult. Happy now?”4d36c1aeecf4400a

“Grr…!”6d2a8521ef5bdf13

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His nonchalant tone, as if 8b997d9ff0 he were humoring me, made b714bf007a my blood boil.da9b5f8442160535

Before I could 9e5823ff24 retort, Edwin suddenly ef73e752f8 turned his back 92324dbbab to me and 0b68ced815 crouched.c1c62d5447719b68

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“Get on.”7a2b41fcf9890376

“Huh?”6eff07c9a17f1c65

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I blinked in confusion.f4ea16cefe77fca0

“Why?”330f7d5bc3da21d2

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“You’re barely walking right now. Think about whether your legs hurt or not.”acb0a528468a98a4

I froze, startled.72556f4c04848694

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‘How does he know?’ec3d21903194cff4

I had slowed my d035b515f4 pace because my feet cf9f05a4e4 were sore—it must’ve been c0b56aa858 more obvious than I e0c784e8b5 thought.d0199317b6f00750

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“N-no, I’m fine! My legs don’t hurt at all…”29b2e4c145ab4c9e

“We’re still in the Crown Prince’s palace. At this pace, we’ll get home by dinnertime.”a713fe9619abde78

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He was right. Despite walking for some c24df14a07 time, we were still 8978d7affe in the palace corridors.8a43c463e9f1d6c6

Blushing at his b42196b429 blunt observation, I b74739dd86 reluctantly muttered,161e0f3a133f3e2e

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“Fine.”5438c5d06da1b826

I climbed onto his back 5d91440b22 with feigned reluctance.f7159825e5cb0fb4

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Despite carrying both me and c24cbc66a7 Teddy bear, Edwin walked with 87eb6fc891 ease.35ab2f514efdf83d

‘He’s only four years older than me… so why does he seem so much more mature?’1c396f8d5feab938

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I glanced down at the c10511e0d4 floor, which suddenly felt very 2f025fa0c2 far away.929e330dabf98c4d

His stride was ed60e29156 far faster than c936aa1dec my own short a38823fa3a steps. Before I knew 37bfd4f641 it, we had 2020f5624a crossed the palace 05c7f252cc corridors and were 818f92ddaa approaching the courtyard, 441dcdf101 where the duke’s 690ad2f524 carriage waited.37d37beea6cbce56

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“Hey, Edwin,” I called out impulsively, anxiety bubbling in my chest.789a07cd8e4f2352

If I didn’t 2c0871c1af say it now, 3ede88deba I might never 3fba353232 get the chance. After all, Edwin 286505953e was one of 9c308a81b9 the potential male cec9920240 leads in this cf38a149fc story…2d680746e6750dd4

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“If you ever get hurt… let me heal you, okay? Don’t let Diana do it.”d120d7f66d4342df

“…….”eb5de221ab5d4a03

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“Promise?”1f4f0ea1f7a6f26b

“Sure. I won’t get hurt.”4dd3eb795edc76e4

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His calm agreement c4ea9f28dc surprised me, putting 7df7097895 me at ease.95cbb7cb95969440

“I’m not reckless enough to risk my life against an unwinnable opponent. If anything, I’d have a backup plan to escape first.”d0a621140253ea3f

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The way he said it b5b7aa3b74 felt like a jab at 748b22628f someone specific, though I couldn’t 85cb717413 quite tell who.d2d3a03ec4dfd716

Still, his pragmatic approach was 41b66c3e3d far more reassuring than a a8379c0846 simple promise. My heart, which 75e35e6b4a had been restless, 54e888d561 finally settled.064b5f409d464bcc

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“Hehe.”e7ea4c007f5d916b

Feeling content, I tightened my c01ba02e04 arms around his neck in 9d291ef3dd a light hug.623a25cef13c5c36

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Before we even reached 54d1400d74 the carriage, I dozed a7922820c4 off on his back—though 1b7cd192ff I wouldn’t admit it c453da4ef1 later.0eb9de682fa379fa