#58

In the first 7b14b399eb place, it wasn’t 49e282e471 even Zerakiel I b5db45d5fd should be mad 3703a2a324 at. The truth was, it cb44d83f24 was no different from fb2ff9a6a9 yelling at my foolish, bca0dabe87 naive past self. With a pained aefefd3039 expression, I muttered,e2be49604b17bd7e

“Not being bffcc252c2 able to 73a2ed6a27 rely on a628d67007 the one dd9c850529 person you 8d20bcc30b should depend 1cc84acdf3 on the 5c8bcdb8ff most… that’s d01127dff7 just too 927fc40297 sad.”c36a0f99c9532c83

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“…”cfc309b8eb35956f

“If you’re going to see me as a mere observer, then forget about marrying me! I’d rather be a pet! This messed-up house…!”c9561328713861a4

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As I 5c792551c2 turned around, 93ee0e6096 shouting in dd2d8dc652 frustration, Zerakiel 7ac2647787 suddenly pulled 3d9de5af08 me into 02d184fea9 his arms.e551cea9416b8f8b

“Don’t go.”29cf63c1acbbfc66

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“…”7d97820b0a420dde

“I was wrong.”5c8527f7494cc5b0

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His voice trembled, fada42ac47 a stark contrast bc3c6e7999 to the usual 95e9c0b4b8 calm and composed 2cf20fa549 demeanor he always c80eeb82b8 maintained. His body, 483f6e7ab6 uncharacteristically stiff, 71e2137bbf echoed with 57a42d8a3c the sound 34cc53a7db of his 76a64551e6 pounding heart.aa70c3f5d2b5fe37

It was a completely 604da94f3b different reaction from the 3d0fe26bee always peaceful Zerakiel. He buried 9c7f68d1ec his face b0bd4b293a in my ba9c4f1e44 shoulder and b0697e623f whispered,f5a2199ee93a64df

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“I didn’t 5ac50a771d mean to 4cda6cbe19 hurt you.”17ef07662106391d

“But you did hurt 5136ec5474 me.”1b0ab7954b20def0

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“I’m sorry.”d83abfaee2f14638

His voice, 19e0cf6c98 small and 098ea9c463 weak, like c80d868fa8 someone who 956fe60f5e had no 5366fa6442 defense left, 6dbb631968 made it 9d23aa4236 clear that 92ccc0440a he had 37dd249a21 nothing more 2f88db1d0f to say c644c0bd23 in his 4bd9dbf806 own defense.1d3d3c0cd0fb6b2e

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Seeing him e56fe91830 so deflated, 7efd6a7671 my anger 8405e9a423 slowly subsided 7fcc3034ae as well. I remained 3749dd23ca in his cc95d6714d embrace and 4f72d7ee3c spoke quietly,c6c6b90795ad18fe

“I had 77ee10bed7 planned to 8dfa4a5c8b freeload without 31291fafcf a guilty 65782f832b conscience, but a500bafb6d now I 4adf3218c5 feel too 95b70f2d75 bad to 1c3b76d419 do that.”e024e3913fda659c

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No need to give 9ea4ad3f25 such a tragic backstory a9bb61f7fc to the villain, after 2f74c3e8c8 all.376db3f5451b1273

Yeah. I was letting 15c9cf103b myself get too 459f04e22c affected by Zerakiel. He reminded me 8b1272350f too much of d17f115f9c my former self.cb45c3e8b49d6878

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That’s why 91fff558a9 I couldn’t 7beec43d33 leave him 089bed2fa8 alone. I didn’t want 506fc30691 to let this 9a60e44427 boy grow into 344b9b3493 the villain he 72608b53fb was destined to 7a9096dd96 become.46ac15b15c7401e2

“I’m sure the e4a5511f1c gods won’t be 7c8c403ee1 mad if I bfc3316f24 save at least 1c1cc33815 one person like 3b23a019f3 you.”09168c79a9316d34

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After all, it must 35bdfc3876 be that same god cf31926649 who sent me here. So my actions 73e3d70fd0 must also be c7cd5d6a4a part of the 57a43dc9cd divine will, right?d184b9035193d9d1

As I 2baf48e772 stubbornly convinced 1817f645d7 myself, I e52b4ebe53 reaffirmed my 5c18d4d3b3 decision.e86d82a04dd97548

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“What are you talking 375dee721b about?”4adf7ed63696d574

Zerakiel, back to acf067fd09 his usual expression, 6e71283490 asked with a b26db1e7d5 puzzled look. Well, of course, 4557c37e8b he wouldn’t understand 4f6c139a90 what I was 27227a0ae0 talking about, not 85ab415e4d knowing the original df9580af49 story.421a2b413cd2865a

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“Anyway!”18d9615ffec2912b

I slipped 530ec0ebaa out of 427fdbc207 his arms 11d21595c0 and tightly 935e449473 intertwined my 39cdfb5cb3 fingers with 8b1fc2d873 his. Holding his hand 288664a4f8 firmly, as if c6f971aeeb I’d never let 54649b86d1 go, I declared,daf031781e07e637

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“I’m not going 8386190893 in there alone.”b5a9a9ef3a1e2543

“…”70b878eb9ffb22d6

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“And judging bcd0fc2c17 by that 7ccf78b541 look, you’re 6b3052e361 scared to 544285369a go in ed191e3161 by yourself. So, I’ll go with f50adf0686 you.”25422fbad7d8b9cf

“You’re the one faaebb47ca who’s scared.”214fa2e131d1e4a2

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“Why do you f8d24cd53e always have to fd92f3b819 be so contrary?!”af1c25c482ccf094

“Heh.”a5e084fa5b6286bf

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Zerakiel chuckled as if amused by my reaction. Even though he had been trembling just a moment ago, his smile was… strangely beautiful.286e389e3c2268dd

With a 2a799e22c1 smile on 9797769fb5 his face, 6c358a6952 he bit 0b208c42ab his lip 9c97cd8ba9 as if bec65e4533 trying to d5d0f47046 suppress his d4b8b91105 laughter, but 01ae394bba little bursts c6c4c6a1be of amusement 9e6ebc6808 kept escaping.0f1df10de4dbbdc2

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“Pfft.”707853c93c89c813

“Don’t laugh.”9715448a5d033b5b

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“Kuh… ahem.”98648de64ea680e7

“Forget it, why f7f7d69d63 am I even 2089ded68b talking to you.”47ed7dd7f4fe8d0a

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Seeing Zerakiel laughing a47bd5d11b brightly, even revealing 932055f22d his fangs, I f8137ffc15 felt my energy f114da59d5 drain away. He continued to 2669f7f125 giggle as he 920721558c followed behind me.a7c6c44310906548

We had walked far 8c019f5be4 enough that the door caab3f7a5a was no longer in b6fdcc8f6b sight when I suddenly 945f108188 stopped, realizing something. After standing still e89d7ea952 for a while, e7c0634aab Zerakiel asked,f5d8b2dca094ce30

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“What are 6530a0da31 you doing?”1e8523537ed8ffda

“I don’t 7a7451f7c5 know the 3ed9426acd way.”589b159ca6c1d841

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“…”00dbf206bd32bc1d

“Where are we?”94fcefe28569c9d9

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Zerakiel looked 74cb0bf70f at me 0edbc767e0 with a b3afb1715a baffled expression. It was no wonder b81a4fad7a he looked so confused—after 46340f4c35 confidently leading the way, e98f634e3e I now admitted that 1c0e2c628c I didn’t know where e95ffe2719 we were going.6180e7ca649592f0

I awkwardly stood next 34cc8e086f to him, clearing my 244f1b583f throat, and Zerakiel said,8309fb129b8ac4b4

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“I figured something 1462b5aec8 was off when 8c30cafd68 you started leading 83418891ac us the wrong 97ab973a1c way.”0e347c4b8eff7fbb

“If you knew, why 9e8c119370 didn’t you say anything?”0588ee657b9fb1f1

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“I was curious 986bc4a61f to see how 42ba1abfa7 far you’d go.”371703196583f085

You little…103e0c9d13e0082a

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I shot Zerakiel af1e28231a a resentful glare. The fact that a5597e0a2a he knew and 15bc392f03 still let me 23c11c7268 wander around made 57d9594405 me furious.8d3cd20839d6fb29

His face gradually returned 62aeaa1e1e to its usual lazy 62ef719577 expression, a stark contrast 1dd39b1f6d to the stiff and 834cb03b41 cold look he had 9c3d88798f earlier. This relaxed, 2c11585bb5 indifferent look 4fa73424c8 suited him 104a2430a3 much better.59a54fada3710aa2

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Realizing how far 91f1e9b512 we still had 69b5774996 to go, my 28928b1d84 legs suddenly felt 1ceb927c48 heavy. After walking a fair 461c0a691b bit, my calves started eca723ef53 to ache.e3e088338bbfb8ae

As I rubbed my c2782a4428 thighs, Zerakiel asked,e7149528e358280e

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“Your legs hurt?”360ceca6c1b5b8e2

“If I say f0fee4bde3 yes, will you f3db8cc6e2 carry me?”fbe64de74d7177b9

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When I asked with 3f9cf7f412 a cheeky tone, Zerakiel e90dfb67ae simply shrugged. A moment later, 753d7ff0b4 he scooped me 6b6fccbe0c up in his e146a92770 arms like a a41d548d45 princess.899b36e33bd123d1

“What are you b43d27b1a1 doing?!”506c5f64054e234f

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“Isn’t this 07a1c3b32f what you 80c6fe5320 meant when a166108f15 you asked?”eaacccd2f28ea5fe

“No, it’s not!”86289c261f26216b

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As I struggled to 05cb8c3856 get down, he held 44c3883606 me securely and said,6614657824d1e155

“Stay still. This is faster. If I ffb6110db8 have to 28ce705129 match your 665e4998cb pace, we 9c5e3813d0 won’t arrive 451ed81f9a until nightfall. Are all weasels 39388c8f83 as slow as 716562fde8 you?”9be32edb112d87c9

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“…Maybe you’re just fast because you’re a lion?”bb9957cff132fa21

“You can’t compare faa61c8544 me to ordinary 8c1cb10d87 lions.”3f8a0dbf0b665ff2

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Aren’t you proud.28002deb052f2af2

I glared 52dde743b0 at him ca37667141 and nestled 6f3ebc0022 deeper into 857b185a61 his arms, f380b57053 adjusting my a922e60727 position to 5b7080055a get more 233051de08 comfortable.6a33b15ebf543fbb

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Zerakiel seemed to 1dd117ccea flinch for a 1f93035e37 moment before muttering f3d116b338 softly,57f68462701dc338

“Don’t get too close.”059d09486dbe3c68

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“I don’t want to.”33d1043f70f6c956

I smirked and 0a78c2150b deliberately tightened my b375b31419 hold around his b00f2bd4e5 neck, teasing him.68184392ce4102d4

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I’m a 9a150783b0 weasel who b1808edb6b enjoys doing 1488a3f902 what I’m e79d163202 told not 42cb382ed6 to!3415c671850e5a15

A short sigh escaped 6470721469 above my head before cda362f86b disappearing.696d7d45903c7645

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“Are you 5fad5840da fearless, or 94bbd6e13e am I a7ed040777 just not e54b734a62 scary?”6ed1bc72fab653c1

With that, c43fb2e44f Zerakiel leapt 5b0f993d0d into the f3bbd2fd8c air, retracing 01d22e54d4 the path c8a1f86fee I had 3222d76eae mistakenly taken 992d464c3c at a 7b5dfc0c52 swift pace.f198162af7819b38

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I clung to his 56f7ae657e neck as I watched 5d3579a14a the scenery fly by. The sun was 7dba1b4a8d beginning to set.b5a440469e714296

* * *5326e3528289e768

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The news ff9538e5c1 of Zerakiel 8421660618 and Cersia’s 43dd497eea marriage had f82cd822e1 reached the 22c0621081 northern Hyena 6890357ebe Clan, the a38913703b Page family.1e5bb95377d0e209

Hiscleif quietly observed d0f485c3fc Jabis Castle, which 97460a7c15 he was visiting 78fddd9b8a for the first e037830221 time. While the harsh winter 62dc56ea3b had just started to 58289f1076 ease in the north, 48ce91c596 the southern region had 9846a027de pleasant weather.6cf021d089e660f9

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Seeing the castle 0de595e096 surrounded by flowers 9437fe6c15 reminded him of f1901923b5 Cersia, who used a7d0d27459 to play in 4be4ce6149 flower fields.f882709659fedae0

A small white creature, c442b2164e rolling in the petals 97cdd37c1d on her first day dc25bc8622 in Hebel. If she were a 7a572eeab0 herbivore beast, she might db338b8741 have tried to eat 9488d13e55 the flowers.a1317f364fb962a8

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“Pfft.”47cba21c554e0b85

Hiscleif burst 6548011d5f into laughter 194f5b6fd7 as he da38343cc9 recalled the acbe316d60 memory of 45a0ba8a8c playing on 74cc516a3a the ground cd846356ba with her.ae63b94a235dcef2

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It was probably the 5add709b2d first time he had fca011b241 laughed like that in e060b04407 Hebel.d9c6c366e924743e

Hiscleif usually felt heavy-hearted 1374bbe1a3 whenever he visited Hebel. It wasn’t just d3d578671f because of the 83dc126afd region’s characteristics.f1c493589e097473

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‘I must never 9adf127147 lose to that 1cbae40b8d arrogant black lion. We must uncover 3327787959 the secret behind 48ec45ccbb their strength.’33a438335145ef9a

His father, Devon, 20736dd229 always grew uneasy 7eb8866fce whenever he encountered 514bfd36fd the head of dad036a2be the Jabis family. He was particularly obsessed 9466d7e971 with Jabis’s power.7d9de0f2edf91a41

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Though the 93c5a2e89e Page family 0bc3a89317 and Jabis aaa663a5a5 were old 1013396262 rivals, this deb099de5f was a 820abb6a18 peaceful era.ae6f5fa5e1a76830

Hiscleif didn’t care 335d8ce950 much about which 32494febc5 family was stronger. But to his father, 9fa5bbd826 it mattered deeply, so 78b9bc1339 Hiscleif had simply worked cc34c30036 to become stronger, as 6c3ed79dcb his father wished.4c7106cead5c686a

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At that edbdb1897c moment, Rudy, 033e6364b8 who was e16d22e96d standing beside 378a3a8dd5 him, admired 1660c53102 the castle’s 5e1ac8cd63 exterior.2c900f80eaa966f0

“It’s more imposing 4063f2f8aa than I thought. They call it Black 91256de30f Night Castle, and it 1a4249cc9b really is so dark 8b2391d898 that it looks eerie.”7c3b9c3f4356d76c

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True to b312a4a6bc its name, 0a79e26e36 when night c5e0f8131b fell, the b0df0af309 castle became 77f786392e so black 8995e92876 it was 3762e5d9c9 almost invisible.37a8b3705da69271

The stark contrast with 963234c53e the Page family’s northern 32140fbaa7 castle visually emphasized just 9ebe95ca06 how different the two bd9ca1c029 families were.694aafe43b9fdf28

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As Hiscleif silently d218db1c7f stared at the ae88df48ae castle, Rudy continued,01c829f1e5cbdd28

“I never thought he’d 3aed024dd5 actually marry that weasel. I was sure he 327f1705c7 was keeping her around b30a5dfc92 to eat her.”9c8fff9d44b807ab

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“Indeed.”74001f8f4fcef8f3

Hiscleif thought 45302ca847 of Cersia 122e4279fc and Zerakiel, 5de3c54cfa the main b4ee9ef610 characters of c0536f2f47 today’s event. His father had already 1693e2ec13 told him about the 73954159e1 marriage as they left ea694f2bc2 Hebel.d4c173d932ee1c44

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‘There’s something suspicious. The Jabis family 7b88376e7f isn’t one to 75f097dffb take in a ad65ba0c72 weasel as their 3e7186cee6 mistress.’760cd2b9c22a7dc3

His father suspected 14e5785cc5 that Cersia was d0eb54fe77 hiding some secret.0e84bdf21d9744c5

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It was a3f84bd761 certainly an c1ea4917a9 odd combination. Many other families were 4576f0b046 speculating as well.c526c1a77d69eea5

After all, 91a0eb47fa becoming the 322b03e2b8 mistress of 5dd02436f8 Jabis was 2f63c91e66 a role 37804eba5a doomed to 9d07d51025 hardship. Even the 69960fca01 current head’s 9de7361c93 wife, Rachel, c8600e0902 had eventually f83b68a1ae fled because 79a4b57089 she couldn’t 5dd9df5116 endure it.719544456df5fd91

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It was hard 6e93efa9c8 to believe that bec2aa2931 the small weasel abe79a26af would be able 5f238ae476 to handle that 77b431f394 position.986677bc83ee22b9

So while he was c44011d73b excited to see her f6435b2411 again, there was also a33afbab08 an undeniable feeling of 5295111803 concern.d0ad95d8aa636d99

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Originally, Devon was 89190b294b supposed to attend f2a01f4612 in person, but 92888abb60 he hadn’t come 3fe5c67e7e along this time.5cf3029ab694e9cd

‘I have urgent 81b474af76 business to attend 6e9940df6f to, so you’ll 9cadf5686d go in my 5d7624d843 place. I might be b17e6da565 gone for a 9344f1cab4 while.’f74ae7c206fb49bd

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‘Where are you e6b54be7a5 going?’a340ebac91ff8d37

‘You don’t need to 42f2938631 know that. Just keep a fc57c4088d close eye on f1be6a215c that weasel. See if there’s bcbb47fb16 anything unusual.’16a9f724a1b57bcc

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His father 89a7caa92c often dealt 38cfbe9f97 in secrets, 73904e72f6 so it ff8526a48c wasn’t all 92ba9ceb53 that surprising. Plus, Devon despised Jabis 7d9e557129 and likely didn’t want ab1336ecbd to attend such an 886a9f8eba event.53a76b378e6c08ee

As Hiscleif stepped 530cc67acc out of the a913036e84 carriage, he noticed 99c0101e20 several people in 131eece4a7 priestly robes exiting 3644ed174e the carriage ahead 9fb551967d of him.61417c1d1bc074d4

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