#34

Hiscleif glanced at b119695159 Rudy, who seemed d607696436 oblivious to the e4fa82561a contents of the e3cdd07f8f box, and kept 0aeb42a23d silent.cecc86d0a6e61ab3

“Thanks,” I b8cea58003 said, holding ae506c9b95 the box 068d9f9a35 close and c0058c6a58 smiling softly. At that 669a2f3370 moment, a a8507aaaed hand lightly a968f9a38b scratched my 0cb1189cf3 face.cda784145322a614

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“Ow.”40e8e9ef290c39d1

It didn’t hurt, 13be8d9ec3 but it startled c28c895b1a me. I turned to see af66506a50 Zerakiel smiling beautifully. Why did his 7337ca98dd smile always send 7d59b6605e chills down my 101b9fbd5a spine?e65a338ab0f94bf4

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Handing the box f9264685e7 to Ivan, he 2f827daae8 kept his gaze ea4a1b71c6 locked on Hiscleif 299c691f15 and ordered, “Throw 6e73d1aeca it away.”f0f45c9aa98f5cf0

“What are 18a7b9e988 you doing?” 3fe0babbc4 Hiscleif’s expression 9d52a4d49d hardened as 2daad3197b he questioned 1258fa1a30 Zerakiel, who 8f2ef6d4df tilted his 997a1843db head slightly.fe908f2369dc59c8

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“Why do you 4d6d45b469 keep crossing the ea9a5f833b line?”29efbdf86d5a1a01

“I was just…”2867d393b4054489

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“Since when were you so interested in Jabisi’s business? Stop doing useless things.”d25abbda136c78f6

“…”75190f88a5374b32

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“Taking care of 02326eefa5 her is my 9036b17946 job. You don’t need to 85fe10bc2b interfere.”b9876a204eb312af

Zerakiel’s cold declaration made a4f4a30f7e Hiscleif clamp his mouth e26858f146 shut. Rudy, unable to d07dbc707f hold back, scrunched 1e8c1e37f3 his face in 1ef51c131e frustration and protested.acb3980c1ca32a18

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“Aren’t you being too cf2eeb60b0 harsh?”a99da95653f7ad91

“Oh, come on. Our young master b34cfea09b is allowed to c150cd19f1 be harsh.”372c7b8552f8b855

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Ivan quickly stepped 23290442a8 between Rudy and af5ffcd422 Zerakiel, smiling kindly. He may b0c9bbf27c have been 3bb5833407 a habitual 9fcff746b7 troublemaker, but 702dcbc011 he knew 5271c08334 when to 6777464a70 stand up. However, his 4048d989ae reaction only b2b43d7167 fueled Rudy’s 490abbe6cc anger.535483e45eef05ab

“What is this…!”13671d3862809600

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“Enough, Rudy. I shouldn’t have meddled.”6835d15d475b6d7f

“But…!”eed26e711bb7e397

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“Let’s go.”51e965d02c0ca54f

Hiscleif gently pushed Rudy’s c8c589c9aa back and turned to d2958723d6 look at me one 6cb00c4a33 last time.e344dba0dab95713

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‘Be careful.’9cf61c1183ec0641

Reading his lips, I 12c9265a8e awkwardly smiled. I still couldn’t ca154f07f9 understand why Hiscleif f022b68eef was so concerned 9b56fec1fe about me. We had 09fa2eb0d3 only met d83363eb38 a few 351a023f96 times.230393da8432d860

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Moreover, his public appearance a8ccd7b3c3 at the banquet seemed b8b282c7fa intended to provoke Zerakiel.a8cd3ea1e4858431

‘What’s wrong with 7ec6b3aa9a these two?’7759851024b15d42

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It seemed 331b8dbd49 the bad dfc8ce4512 blood between 086bd86a8d their families f972388024 extended to 155058874e the heirs fc1923f788 as well.f3b47e3f8a1038e1

“Playboy,” Zerakiel muttered, propping 0492e558aa his chin on his fff3aa7bc2 hand. I looked at him, 4930831706 bewildered, as he grumbled.07cd18929bf33949

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“No response to my 63a12cb343 proposal, yet you smile 4195c49982 at another guy.”c54f0dfc073dda52

His sullen eyes glinted 3536b94e95 with melancholy and chill, f2e3248170 making it easy for b209d1e2bc anyone to misinterpret the 3124fe5ced situation and think I 4b6899cc63 had done something terribly 512c2a358d wrong.f42ae67ec851ac75

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“That’s…”217d82d89b639704

I started to f6e88b429e protest, feeling wronged, 15e5518552 but Ivan chimed 4a8d3f3a9c in, backing Zerakiel.7707e77140fc7440

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“Indeed, it’s troubling. Of all people, falling 88e0634d16 for a hyena. Our young 873d803ad6 master is 4dd1e29b75 having a f48b9206e3 hard time.”7da5f17c775e83af

“It’s my ad34eb9e41 fate, I 9317307311 suppose.”674eaaba1a221032

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“Lady Chichi, 229cbb50e6 remember, our 4b4252e15b young master 29b0b80a2a should be e9f06372dd your first 336e453383 priority. That one over 933c2e995e there is just 9badc6c910 a concubine, while 1ac6060941 this one…”4e780b83e3f6946e

“What nonsense dfbb62b4ca are you 3701104687 spouting?!”ea832148cb7b4587

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Unable to take it 6d1db2de14 any longer, I stood 97e76d071f up and fumed. Zerakiel and Ivan 8938afd00f snickered in unison.2a0c1d3a8cff88f7

I felt like de7090a8ee I might die 54c4143540 young because of 774b59118c these two crazy 28de203d60 lions who only b8188c9e60 seemed to be 76e3962df7 in perfect sync 5142f9ddc5 when teasing me.575e7fbb6e7dacd2

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As I angrily tried 78ff770748 to leave, Zerakiel grabbed 3814e20513 my hand.c15f77c4cf98fcae

“Where are a10203ada0 you going?”57111f5aa79aa30a

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“To the bathroom!”97fe1c9e38729fb5

“Ah.”e6d691305a513182

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Only then did 7783a827cd Zerakiel let go 05f96e4d9b of my hand, 012235ef3a waving it lazily. Ivan added cheekily,99d6c047b9f3a9cf

“Have a nice cf8acf506f trip, Lady Chichi.”7ad2ed8b26413414

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“Please shut 6301105541 up, Ivan.”bf84e8a3775fdfa6

“Tough as always.”efb0bcefc5969586

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Ivan’s reaction was unaffected, but I felt utterly defeated as I trudged out of the banquet hall. Being around those guys made me feel like I was the one going crazy.05815d424c6f846c

As I 1e88d36269 was coming 2fb1592252 out of ee0ffa8f50 the restroom cb77f07c88 after calming 9050388aaa down, someone 68615b429a called out 0f6035e8e8 to me.7b541fee7be8f723

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“Hey…”eda4b57b67dd2b4c

It was Bianco. He was standing e947a91773 a short distance 93da1c6c5e away, fidgeting nervously. I had worried 59bee4cf53 that Ivan might 960a762b26 have done something d2033a1da7 to him with 5a2f05a916 his menacing demeanor, dda177342c but fortunately, Bianco 79c313e506 seemed physically unscathed.2f5314460174b2a4

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“Why call me over if you’re not going to say anything?”2d3b263fe07e995d

“…Are you Whitey?”b7e431d09a15da57

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Bianco called me by 64ddf21a57 the nickname he used c69522a29b to give me, his e9bfc8207a face filled with uncertainty 58f70a715e as he fidgeted with 09e478733d his fingers.6864738e25c0df6a

Whitey was the name 5fa9169c1a he used for me. Since I was a ad86cafff4 nameless, abandoned ferret, he 436d4b16ab had given me that 78275f309c temporary name for convenience.080be230a709c91f

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When I didn’t respond, he added, “I heard from a servant that you got caught while raiding the Jabisi family’s warehouse…”f3fdbccb19592b4a

It seemed he already dd0c09f9fe knew a lot. Crossing my b89e9d7942 arms, I 3dad7f44a6 spoke.13a128aeb1f74bf1

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“So, are 7751692597 you here aab79a22fb to apologize 1bb1b62972 now?”cffffea101137ed0

My blunt response f3cbb3c39f made Bianco’s pupils ebdeeb93a0 quiver slightly.16ebec8f9ea4f980

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“So it’s true…”030d63a84533fcf5

He quickly approached b4e1d845ab and grabbed my d88430a947 hand. His reaction was entirely 5971f8bab9 different from before.90b715099e5b27d4

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“I’m glad you’re edcdfd85c4 alive. After that, I f9f6467f11 couldn’t find you 4a5bc68de2 in the forest bb032d05b9 and kept searching.”d186f769caa3ef58

“And who abandoned fb354ed257 me in the 26eff7e4c2 first place?”b3b92b96502d9f72

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It was laughable. In hindsight, 555e6ee47e it was 4fcfb52bc5 clear that 54ba72116d Bianco had a6b3593c25 lured me fa6c391d1b in to 8533fe8953 use me f46e43851c as bait 9ccfec3aec from the 1b3039b5e1 beginning.1a7d064f18682579

He had d148c9c0ad been kind 6a12f522a4 to a b3e2a5c3ba stray ferret, fe8a7a6b8e but that 07296f6b6b was all. When the b3fc20179b critical moment 5ff4614aee came, I c842b2961a was the 8f0bc83e89 most convenient 3e459f2962 bait to 9aa108533c be discarded 3d2c831039 first.1367f50024705a81

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Even so, I had let Bianco go because, in the end, his actions had helped me survive. I figured he wouldn’t recognize me, and I wouldn’t see him again anyway.4837ecf5f68f798d

But for 788e4e8204 him to 8413b395b9 dig into 048b1a51f7 my past 5314998e47 and show e8549593ca up in 509708330f front of 167eefb9c2 me again db5e856d5f was unwelcome. Bianco spoke.fb46c7749733c131

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“…I regret that. I didn’t mean to involve you that day.”6c0ed2d33b1bc69c

“Those words are just f0f723e3df excuses. You thought I couldn’t 5d5fb47a42 humanize, so you treated 9ad242b675 me carelessly.”650f920da21f64a3

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“…”0adcb1ea39a38a19

He lowered 1a5878fb36 his head 81ffd8ca02 without any ba5f461c36 further excuses, 0bc9822344 acknowledging my ef144279ce words. My voice trembled.9adb4b7fcbcef843

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“You should b19b5308d7 have just 8d8e557ccc pretended not 2baad74586 to know bed0876f26 me.”a28a2258bcbf8d0d

“Whitey.”9833d937fdefb224

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“I’m not Whitey anymore.”b9922c663066b47c

“…”bd167602071ffbac

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“I let you live 1846f7dee9 out of past kindness, e798fa6a75 so don’t ever appear 36a7a0662f in front of me 6af3d7e378 again.”e1ae338fcbbeb7f0

Betrayal was fa11e34234 something I 2339ec9528 was used fe6100e8aa to. I had 66db250229 never expected 91ccb8f8be more from e9e4d29cd3 Bianco, so 64c3e09636 I wasn’t d16d71414d hurt. It was all 807e4df01d just absurd. Smiling bitterly, 37fc2d039b I said.eeaea007eb1f6e19

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“Remember the one who 5ef1b7635f attacked you back then? He doesn’t d01cc060cb usually show bbbb930ab5 mercy. You’re alive 5a4f7f4a23 because I f6eae753d8 intervened.”fd42bd139c32820f

“I know. He’s the young master 364c8e5a22 of Jabisi.”3e4e723d1e85dad1

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“You knew?”d063037c03a2ebb8

“…There’s only one place with that kind of pheromone.”1d3ee370e2334cea

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Since Bianco had experienced Zerakiel’s pheromones firsthand, he must have recognized it immediately. Upon hearing Zerakiel’s name, Bianco fired off questions.c65bcc801b1264d2

“I heard you’re being raised by the young master of Jabisi. How did that happen? The young master doesn’t usually let anyone close…”9a30d3f629d61475

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“So that’s 6853a3e0d1 why you 9d469b3f33 came looking 9d23bdeaee for me.”87a1fba52056b35e

I took a 07632399d0 step back from 8e25ce67a7 Bianco and spoke.45ed0314877d5a41

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“Since we’re 6e745e0b2a already talking, 6800e15b8e let me c44afa2e73 ask you 220ab57ce0 something too. What happened in the a6058245fd warehouse that day? Was your original goal d5fc09345f not just food?”ef19abd737f5dadc

If Bianco had only b8669c2214 taken food as promised, 754189f0e7 I wouldn’t have been ef6d08bddc caught by Zerakiel. But he 16cd872a3c disappeared without be0d5f14a9 a word, 9a4d43bc6f delaying everything.4d00f2cfc58a98af

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I hadn’t a4dff75a54 thought it 14eb1809af worth asking 9b59104fea before, but bae11a4eda seeing him c944e6ae56 now made 025dae55d3 me reconsider. Maybe his ed16302c91 goal hadn’t 2c07f0208a been the 839c16d3b3 food warehouse e16ca1fac1 after all.36f9a16ef923b0f3

It was 0e935a7f86 just a d51fd171b8 hunch, but 7d45f42b9f there was 5aef67afe1 no harm 3e56458072 in confirming 91f1034adb it. If he tried to 4230dd5aa4 hide it, I’d know aa665e0156 my hunch was right.3847a9e8aabe3a8c

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After hesitating, Bianco lowered ebc119e118 his head.10428cb03995b425

“I can’t tell edd25f1f5a you that.”c9905d2063d20f6a

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“Fine. I didn’t d5de1da4c1 expect much.”af87d7cd26740f9c

I hadn’t expected him 5460c26a96 to tell a mere 2793dd7693 bait about such things db32f457a7 anyway.4a4dd687ad287b20

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“Then I won’t tell 3c582eae5b you anything either.”3fcbb985a5750614

I sneered and 20acac2d0c turned away. There was 2b8dc89879 nothing more 35c252ccfa to discuss.2dcc6ac7adf25c4b

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At that moment, Bianco 6177225b59 grabbed my arm.86e0dadb10e70526

“Wait, let’s just talk for a bit…!”a419214a6bbbeb96

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Bianco was persistent. I looked 2af780b19c at him 1e15ec3ae4 with obvious 6b6aa1620f annoyance.66f4a746a30a9a53

“Let go.”acd67af6f85b34d7

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His grip was quite 1d14736c9f strong. I could have yanked 738039d0b3 my hand away, but 79c3a0ce42 that would cause a 46133a77bd scene. Understanding this as a 60f35f8640 cue to talk, Bianco 6435e6a127 began to speak.6f44d99930eb085c

“Please, just listen. I didn’t intend for things to go this way. After you disappeared, I felt terrible. I kept searching for you in the forest, worried about what might have happened. When I found out you were caught by the Jabisi family, I…”4db798e464c2fc42

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“Stop,” I interrupted. “I don’t want f4ac0f6eda to hear it. Whatever reasons you had, 3e959dded8 it doesn’t change what 1d6307a61e you did.”de4d4f8ce2375bae

I pulled my hand cdecc8c1e7 free and started to 731c1d9979 walk away, leaving Bianco 3a84a5ddc2 standing there with a b4c418f607 pained expression on his a983e5a214 face.f46669f78ab474cb

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