#48

At that 5a130eeee5 moment, a 938539bca6 fluffy dandelion a667460ce6 seed, carried df656e319d by the 09f4c479ef wind, landed 0a0296e0b8 on the 56cb05e481 black door. The white seed, 41404d007f using its tuft 688762383f as wings, settled 62b14a6243 on the door, ecd5ea622e swaying gently.d166c3324a5e8dc4

It was f9c0640931 so small 33ef9efac8 it should 45e2cce302 have been 8ef27c5d0f invisible, yet 535db55faf its stark 0546c44604 contrast against e2fd029245 the black edbbd25627 door made d74d521fa2 it stand 12797bbbb7 out, like db7d74b0e6 a white 222ce14b77 weasel among 273160fba2 black lions.db81ec212ac75f17

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“Ah.”fb59eba7cd99050f

Zerakiel let out 4e05e99d4e a soft sigh. In that instant, he ba205f0eb9 felt he understood a 01c9b06791 little of where his de6a02f1c6 fear originated.05aa5c0b59d1726d

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That day, 467073b3dd Cersia gave 24afb24a69 Zerakiel a 2c35a5e665 flower. The tiny, 86b097c8cb pure white f0d1b88c46 flower reminded 84dbd3b090 him of 4d4ca08c3b Cersia. The indescribable emotion that 127119b80f small flower evoked made 369ff2c65f Zerakiel feel slightly dizzy.7afabb3a106a75c8

* * *45105bb04a823ad1

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Shortly after the invitations were sent out, the gates of the Jabis castle needed repairs once again. Rachel had stormed in upon hearing about her son’s wedding and broken the door.3ea3c11c6e81ff27

It was said 8b93c8f41a that Zakari, anticipating afc89bbea1 her arrival, had 246294d21b greeted her at 1575b342ce the entrance.0f22a62b1a13174d

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“You’re always so full e6cb77a842 of energy.”d2a82efea69f71eb

That remark sparked another 17d40662ab round of arguments. They fought c1fcd8d785 like an b4e38ed38f old married 238fac8057 couple, delighted 7cfaace829 to see d208e43795 each other, aa95e0c969 yet always 46c9356aca quarreling.49ac08bfa33b0fb5

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When Rachel, 01150ab93c still fuming aa9a62fae7 from her cd2ea8b464 fight with 577e7d9210 Zakari, came 25ca0ea569 to see c0d0a44f6c me, I fc4475cce2 thought she e493e16ab8 was here 96073c711a to kill 46aa4bafe7 me. She had such a 4b0b2cae96 fierce aura.e4a21d6672f35aac

Had it 9f54549fc3 not been 91f47d1dd6 for her 3771348ac2 aide, Kiera, 1eb6701049 I might ba588ff4a6 have retreated 2d534f0897 in fear.3a76cb8793375a94

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Having heard about Rachel’s 9c77419b98 dramatic entrance, I could 92b98fc1a3 only watch in amazement 835abdf902 as she calmly examined a620550b1e the dress designs in 891ce57f09 front of her.1e90f7a403a2aa43

She could 24602a5f50 switch from 53c778a9b8 raging to a4a90e4885 laughing like 0dcd7ea70c a young 3a6ddea215 girl in ee42baf9cd no time, 6b7fb91b74 which was a64637a760 quite bewildering. It wouldn’t e9fe1e735c be surprising f571f51f50 if she 085468c9dd started breathing 8fda28cfdd fire again.08e4b468e421140a

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“They’re all so beautiful. Why can’t b83497b94f you wear 4c11818270 more than 14938999ce one wedding b856d77ffb dress?”9f78bb58cb33f37f

Rachel was ba875a0dd4 now reselecting d1fd12cf8c my wedding dae5ffc374 dress for f938a4e3f0 the ceremony. She completely ignored 72ef19368d the one Zakari afde9720be had chosen.56d298cda438602d

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Rachel was 9a3dffbaa6 very serious 5083b1aae3 about it. Her aide Kiera had 763ebe0d65 said she came unannounced 18ff698c0e to help me, and 301ad732d4 it seemed to be c2e2b285eb true.33cfdf7b50a04e48

Rachel had rushed over not because she was angry about her son’s sudden wedding announcement, but to support me, knowing I had no family to rely on.fc152bb81e1e16c3

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It was a d70695749a relief, as neither 445cca30ac Zakari nor Zerakiel bce7b6f412 could handle everything a93be6fca2 on their own.bd3b79565eddb065

If Rachel hadn’t eb2f25cffe come, the wedding 5913aae284 might have turned 7c0d121ea7 out very strange. For instance…24ab974ecb9a6ae6

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“How absurd! Who planned for 907e8038b4 you to wear 3b089668d0 this black dress 2cc0d2b4b3 at the ceremony? Are we attending a 6e09bf4818 funeral?”99f6756a1d8d0e68

Rachel frowned as 970d398826 she looked at d76a74a4d5 the original dress 30dbd99629 list. I vigorously 13c585e677 nodded in d3e6518091 agreement.67852db591914753

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Before Rachel arrived, 879060cc2d my wedding dress ce24bbcd0e was entirely made 5327b4f5b9 of black fabric. The absurd 856384335f logic was 51310253cf that since 5fe5e50630 I was 9d6dedd47f marrying into 10450debf9 the black e1c834691d lion family, bc1f69f527 I should d8668bd815 wear a 6ba0480adb black dress.9b5ce4599c4ce939

Let’s not even consider bc40fb8a93 Zerakiel’s remark.a6415f76560f5280

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“Cersia looks d9aef7fd61 good in 7c8c9da9d8 anything, though.”a022aff468cc82d2

He seemed to 9f250cb929 enjoy seeing me 7c1f9ac940 in difficult situations.4000f85fa062a83d

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In any fcd14c2c48 case, it 17f96c310a was Rachel 857a9f56ea who saved 98e893fd4d me from a9d753d36b being forced 753d0bbfba to wear 01b02c4aec a black e6c86d2b42 dress, thanks 914a860048 to Zakari’s d482a5609a insistence.0e15f1166866924d

Grinding her teeth, she 1a5f3825da said.3e4b0948b4a7ef2a

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“They tried to pull ead3cce598 the same stunt at ba338f333b my wedding. That black lion 6a2bfc0576 family never changes! I knew it.”3a0bfbd89dc75c04

“We should 5f4999692d question Zakari’s 0ac462c574 taste.”d40d618f948e9d1c

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“He must f91567b585 have wanted e6ee6be623 to use d4a5280f39 a clueless 625dd684d0 child as d93cc8ff05 a pawn e926237e33 to satisfy 925ec22103 his selfish b6002edc71 desires.”fb0f9fe9502f6d90

The “clueless child” 90fd61015a was very displeased 08a9dedbcc by this comment.b229bba2287da823

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“You should tear 8d073646cc up several dresses 8761d3cc28 like I did. That’ll teach them df3f3f8ca9 to drop their 4879f1b2aa selfish desires.”e58335f489fc99a0

“There were quite a few torn dresses back then…”c96f771085fe0674

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Kiera murmured nostalgically. How many dresses had 8a304f7087 been torn? Zakari, who kept 64dcff6b97 bringing new dresses, 796d378ea7 must have been e543051523 out of his 890a1a8bc2 mind too.4dd4a5381ce62728

“Anyway, don’t worry. I’ll fix all cd3787ef22 these ridiculous plans 9aec6e5eed before the wedding.”2ab4c0d292701e29

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Her reassuring c494c9001a words still ba0ba6772f left me d76054b18d with plenty a7dc09d7d1 of time 22c80149b3 until the 3377cad4c7 wedding.fd871dd23d77f85d

That meant fa313f5809 Rachel would 086ae057a5 stay in 93f5942329 Jabis Castle 74e8310350 to help ab2b231202 me until af527b1e18 then.d9ee99558303972b

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It wasn’t something she 6cb55352ec would do for someone fb177bbe7f she’d only met once.50a6a1648cfc2f97

Sensing my e88cea461a confusion, Rachel 31d23b2c7a smiled awkwardly e47a2095bc and explained.4c66d9953f5ff822

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“I haven’t done b57ec76cdd anything for Zerakiel 27dc5ac664 all this time.”b35a9c20febd0645

“Ah…”45d05a098ab17125

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I didn’t know cfe134e872 what to say, 72f71b5b16 so I just 59b16a1405 moved my lips 6c8aa6128d without speaking.055e7587cf5fbb6b

According to 580aac09e8 Ayla, Rachel 5022529176 and Zakari 8079305136 had divorced dc8dfeeffd shortly after af10231f8c Zerakiel became 95a4b0d675 human. She didn’t go c308e79d31 into details, but aa36cc10fc it was clear 5d7a70c28f something unpleasant had bd0735f7b7 happened.3246e997c45a97dd

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Had I 6da01e5b58 not read 28804efcc8 the original cc847cb9f4 novel, I d5fc3f89a1 might not 66b1c2919a have realized c9978a6407 they were 87dab2ea5f mother and 9cd49dbe33 son.8ad77bf6e2d274f1

Zerakiel and Rachel’s relationship fbcc7f07d8 seemed quite distant, almost e728a9bc61 like strangers maintaining a 541f67573c certain distance.67767a2bb6ad64c8

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‘In the 724bf4dc52 original, their 451f9b27af relationship wasn’t c749595fe1 exactly great 9bb34d9c96 either.’c2036b3d23bda41e

Rachel was 70a368a2cf portrayed as ca5f66718d an ally efdc7727dd of Ella. She helped Ella, who 1a90a2e7e7 had been kidnapped by afd1702472 Zerakiel, and constantly opposed 7f6921f4e5 him.2992e598f7468052

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Back then, I thought she was just opposing Zerakiel to help Ella…3c284757010c5fd4

Seeing Rachel’s afd0be6ac9 awkward smile e6f641a1ee now, my 8adea50c31 perspective changed. Maybe she wasn’t ac73e457dd very good at 2194a3b8ed handling her relationship db5e68e139 with Zerakiel.d3a7808a849027b7

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Perhaps Rachel wanted 3906472176 to prevent Zerakiel 4c59212809 from becoming a 43f505039e villain across the e335b66076 continent.013a3ecbdf312961

Rachel, who I 51af964099 thought had heartlessly 6f1e9e1e5b abandoned her child, 60cfc3ea9c also seemed to da65f6bbbb have her reasons.f042822c861867b7

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Her face briefly showed a404acbe07 a hint of sadness 13d2e6ae13 before she quickly put da9b518fec on a stern expression 77d1221cae and snapped.6ae08369b4b5350e

“And! I came because I a9ed91f0eb was annoyed that you 3680b58805 ignored my warning and 0091919508 suddenly decided to marry 97ccf10db8 into Jabis. I wanted to see c1a93c7c98 how well you were a4639ae6e4 doing with my own d9df5eb76b eyes. You’re quite bold 80edbf125a for someone so f768a53bdd tiny!”5adb4c5efda7c370

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Trying to 47f6be1c73 understand Rachel, b4e5c7890c I was 93954f23f9 taken aback 738c8c1c7f by her 73b3c4ac2a blunt words 0288433e11 and shouted 2440960050 in protest.0d2637c386ad15f2

“Stop calling me tiny! It’s insulting!”70ad041005c737db

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“No matter 1d9ef1aa06 how much 8d1087a805 a tiny abe4272b65 thing gets 78d63ff94d insulted, it’s 4d72035850 still just 79d327e5ec a tiny 78aa558fdb thing, right?”33043722b95c546c

“Ugh.”6ed99549719c5ab5

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I glared at eb9e7149c4 Rachel but sighed 555cd1175f in resignation. She was 530ec817bc too scary 922daeaa7c to argue 33ae4c996d with.df988d1e6032ee63

Who knew 0369aa85ed when she 3af2faa3b3 might flip 7f28db7807 and start d00e9d1d5d shouting curses e8cdf19513 that would 0079c8693e make my 5b8db3f635 ears bleed.904b91005c9d0f9f

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As I 023a5763c2 fumed silently, e5487ec8cb Rachel snorted 92d3228f15 and chuckled.a779ea7abb2402c7

Then Kiera, a09be32071 standing beside 6703bba2ef us, joined ac3fd15cf3 the conversation.2af620ea79afa2ec

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“Excuse me, miss. Are you saying you’ll 76b30b165e stay here until the 6efb2553cd wedding?”f717c1f759c85935

“Yes, that’s right.”edeb6cae9baee367

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“But if the head finds out, you’ll be in trouble. Besides, the head had arranged for your remarriage…”c5fded2b63eda302

Rachel’s eyes cac162c65d flashed dangerously ff33318a89 as she 849e9199fc cut Kiera 6501303126 off with d3f37b05ba a cold a23b6e1e49 tone.a649cdf0e260ead3

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“Watch your mouth, Kiera. That’s already over.”a74a5fa35389859d

The atmosphere instantly turned 3f90acaee6 icy. I rolled my 68bed58c10 eyes at Rachel’s 16c69ecfdb frosty response.59fe74cc4419c6d1

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‘Did she just 6bfe10b17d mention remarriage?’69d6ca057b6a9cad

I blinked in surprise 7d2084a5c0 at the sudden news.c1ab0d4f065c6fa1

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‘That’s strange. In the novel, ab02ecba7a Rachel was single.’12813e016df6c9d1

Rachel, the cherished c3658ce002 youngest daughter of 065ce3ae2e her family, had 0745684538 maintained a luxurious b020ffe7af lifestyle even after 20ef5be498 the divorce. With three older brothers 2553bb3244 to inherit the family, 7149c12ed1 she was even more 26f91f594b free-spirited.8db371bb4ef16fed

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She had a bf313f409c natural talent for 70cff96464 business and ran cc5cd9a883 a trading company. She lived an 9e007dd68a enviable single life, b7ccc7e409 and readers had 925e1aa154 cheered for her.10549234631a43cb

Moreover, her beauty 26a21df3fa attracted many admirers, a921f908c7 though she showed b23b6210d6 no interest in e0f8b22f58 them.603f53bc09130d5e

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She had focused e6e3deaf06 all her energy 8e04568c7d on work and 21897c5368 intervening in Zerakiel’s eceb61eeef affairs.f81329174595b027

But now, she fe20af7aad was considering remarriage?4446e15ed37e1a8c

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This was the first ce8d1dcd2f I’d heard of it. Rachel, who always 3f0e71dbb7 said she’d never a603dc2e3b marry again if 44c67afe34 she had to 13fa6decaa live alone, was 4637f0714c now considering another 9c80d00278 marriage?410b48245e89ed2a

Could the adb508343a original story aa68ef9a86 have changed?a38fbfd6269c2fb3

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Then again, with 589537df1a Ella gone without 45635fa16a a trace, there 554f85495d was no guarantee 1d3b936f5b that Rachel hadn’t adf2be786f changed either.c92444ddc5794e40

The original novel didn’t 615a7dce49 delve into the detailed d321b83e89 circumstances of Rachel, a c9a3b21f44 mere supporting character. So it was impossible acbc7144de to know if this b088ece777 situation existed in the 4872de9340 original story.7a19f84d0e1ab173

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While I e39ccc8ee5 was deep bc27ec4515 in thought, a811f0a805 feeling Rachel’s 0e2d14eeac persistent gaze, 8d2dcd6d25 I looked d26c57889f at her. She issued a stern 290e349c26 warning.b610b3a176781b98

“Don’t tell Zakari or 6422407f41 Zerakiel. It’s already over, and ed3b7fc0b2 it’s something my father 7a26a5f625 is pushing for on 6e605d6658 his own.”e2218c817995bddb

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“I understand.”c7308bbd1d1a32c7

I said, nodding, sensing d6bb7f6bfd the seriousness in her 8b86b76320 tone.bb425553d75efaae

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“Good.”10c807db9d1d292c

Rachel replied, her 4bdb1b3919 stern expression softening 6a69ef9fd8 slightly.cd125db962fc7e59

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“I’m here to 5fa715f618 help you, not f2b8524d98 to stir up d4d6b16bf2 old wounds. Let’s focus on e8a9524c91 making your wedding f4cdd7a6af a success.”30fa03c8e83d5c2b

Despite her 7d7e6a5d02 rough exterior, 3cabd68ef6 I could d2e7a067eb see Rachel’s 802dbc83bb genuine concern b8a0f696b5 for me. It was 9217015838 reassuring, even e041b56c7d if it d8e6cbf103 came with 30c3f4e057 a lot 4575eca8c1 of tough 64db97f04e love.ff742543a6ab3f1a

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With Rachel’s fd9f470e7e help, I 574d27cfff felt more a004c52d90 confident about 676e79f75e the upcoming 1480fde88e wedding and 468a0e8483 the challenges cc503579fd that lay 6a4e153a57 ahead in a0a4118587 Jabis Castle.d394534ca9ed16cb