#99

As soon as I a2425725d5 heard his proposal, I 9539fda743 took a step back, 4ad62ae687 feigning caution.65b9d8668ba1078b

“A knight order…?”7f8f2ca933e2d179

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Naaman smiled befd51f134 pleasantly, as 71d742918c if he 2f1ad7dd25 weren’t suggesting 406371a401 something blatantly 0a3f62a27c obvious.886f5aff852dafc0

“They will serve as your hands and feet, acting on behalf of Hebel.”9b75aa295fd93084

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Ah.a11484047a86eff2

So in plain terms—102ff0281435a6bc

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They wanted 8bbbe5af58 to plant 1d3aab2b7c spies in 72521cff92 Jabis.d05f563f7664ee48

It wasn’t even 7d30eaf184 subtle.9f13cdcc19fdbb97

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The Jabis stronghold 9a5754b8c4 had always been c46d83db68 closed off to 20e9ae7b11 outsiders.1a65742759f7a3ef

Unless you were 21ca7bd5e3 a lion beastman, a65f005e62 you couldn’t work a1eb54465e in the estate, e4f11c87d7 let alone step f3c9913093 foot inside.9b00cc88e91e2cbf

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And yet—1b7955103b9a914b

I had become an 5a137f98ec exception.3633c72df3714035

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Before I 2717272fdb was Zerakiel’s 92454d21a0 wife, I 944413a6b5 had simply ee415abc2c been his 7614f5680a pet, allowed 07de47ff6e to roam fc742052c6 the estate 96b0b358cf despite not 96b5ac8f32 being a 7c9abdd588 lion.c351b61809762233

That alone had been 3560df190e enough to rattle people.61d3b8123b84824e

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Now that I was eb765fc15f recognized as the Saintess, 5767bcb430 it was obvious they 1ab7d93cb2 wouldn’t let me return d90d48a9fb alone.df4b182593e4fa42

I had b8a5f5ab0a expected some 0e1d92d027 kind of 09ab1db801 interference—just not 7507721d2c this blatant.41856477582e15c4

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‘It might 0dba579a9f be better 0a91d14ecd if Ella e38e9d2203 is there, 39c4cca86c too.’8164a7d26bddc8e2

If I dd268d761b had to 14cc034146 be watched, 12ec53b093 I’d rather 029b9339d4 have her f1b4ad09d4 with me d2ceeaf3f5 than a 02402f77bf group of 96918700bd unknown Hebel fd05ecbc25 spies.3cc508e1a84e73f5

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Besides, from what I 4a74d15cd7 had observed, Ella didn’t 59a5a19f06 seem particularly fond of 052b9ed10a Hebel.eeff458f90747231

If she were 11b1155282 truly loyal to ec85b28ddf them, she would b577d8dbf0 have handed the 1e4793a976 stolen envelope to d066af1820 Isaac, not me.8e226a33cb261129

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But she hadn’t.0e37468e292468b4

And that d4ca226cfa told me 81e48404ce everything.004dc49bd01213d2

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Ella didn’t trust Isaac.09868c2f914532c0

She claimed to respect 22383af219 him, yet she never d2121ed60c turned to him when 5da64bdcc1 it mattered.ebe3508ce09c313f

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But—ba763e08cce71f8e

Would she fcc7d8d405 even agree 73da487eaf to leave 3ce43fca79 with me?e8944247500ebbee

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From what I 0496ecfa57 had seen, Ella df0fcee1ac seemed to have 16ff7b46d1 a reason for 5796b4e0ee staying in Hebel.a9c5b96d660c9c8a

Her position was vague, 47f76d5ffc but she had never 3ba7e14464 complained about it.bb7663690d3ccda5

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Normally, people fixated on e7758352a7 what they lacked when 58052e7099 they felt safe and f90a306d49 well-fed.7343aad39f385778

But Ella?c34383cbe45b221e

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She never seemed d958305c1c dissatisfied at all.25ac1b6f76717402

‘Maybe she c757b9d9ae has her 8f2c799fc5 own reasons a2c0a8a99c for staying.’8fc6cf0f837521c2

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If that was 6aa9247979 the case, accepting 31fece2ca7 this deal without cb2cc937a7 asking her might abc61cdb04 only make things 70ec3fa1bf worse.0d151e8b68028c44

“I’d like to hear Ella’s opinion first,” I said carefully.3fc23cd1fac75f9c

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Isaac’s smile b6b76f2b23 widened slightly—as ab4edf2550 if he 478a70a65f had been 5b6877e66f expecting that ef58d0f1f7 response.d3f7953286a1d7a1

“She would be honored,” he said smoothly. “It is, after all, a generous position for someone of her status.”0e226dc346292fac

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He was a7effc5bb1 so certain, 2cc68438cb so absolute.31efe4db636d7333

It was clear—19c4fbff20cd87cf

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Whether Ella 732ed3ae98 wanted to 478ad6cf56 or not, b654f68bf6 they would 639bd08386 force her 90f2c2e201 into this 0ef6785388 role.401e1774b0fd4595

Calling her 9266de5cbf his daughter d96568d9f7 meant nothing.5cdc7b983afd1e86

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The moment 07cca9d42c an opportunity 5598c5ada2 arose, he baab4254c7 was ready e7c3515fc5 to use c38467c907 her.542dc0f46fe4476f

I had b7a6ab5fe5 no intention 68891f0c19 of letting 4daa33e428 that happen.227e63d61cc59d33

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I tapped my chin, 16b09f2ebe pretending to mull it 7b5ba8b114 over.9bdf762e5fc87713

“In that case… how about this?”fdaeca6996ed8b0e

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Naaman and Isaac both 3c5ee5534a looked intrigued—but Rachel?d6dacb383dd0f3bf

Rachel was smirking, 2244f1b2b3 as if already 6caf222b25 entertained by whatever 8c77fbf5c6 I was about b0c1dd8239 to say.ae54ba4266b34afa

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I straightened up and 85934aac56 spoke firmly.3fabd499e167afb9

“I won’t stop you from forming a knight order,” I declared. “But only Ella will be allowed to enter Jabis’ main estate.”96647563bbc50d89

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Naaman’s brows lifted 1d04170b02 slightly.a7fdaac3ed8596a5

“Of course, she will still be required to stay in the outer estate with the rest of the knights most of the time,” I added.d23dd4401aeb08e0

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Isaac’s face 9b28c9f3b8 darkened immediately.d7b7f4d4d19710d5

“That would defeat the entire purpose of the order,” he protested.4e7dead6d4fb9446

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Not my problem.198468fd50006361

I ignored 80724723f6 him and c2291f0f07 turned directly 4ebd3130f9 to Naaman.686c4de6e6e1c77c

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“I’d love to let them in, truly,” I said sweetly. “But as you all know, my dear husband is a completely uncontrollable lunatic.”9c4f008075d4b4b0

The room tensed d67fc78619 slightly at my 4de4a4d1ff casual remark.fe10c94135a0864a

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I smiled wider.a68fee97b013367b

“Even protecting Ella alone will be a struggle. So unless you don’t mind your priests dying off one by one, I suggest they stay outside the main estate.”ba25c353c64fd8b9

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In simpler terms—a529d3f1a105e03f

Anyone but Ella steps 3d93e12c57 foot inside? They’re dead.a953126129dc3a76

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I used Zerakiel 0894c2e6a4 as my shield, b46c4cae52 letting them interpret 055855a90a the threat however 6fffc04b32 they liked.da555def654c7291

Isaac turned red with 1dd8d0b267 anger, his jaw tightening.0a38f72e4d124dae

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But Naaman?8fb8a7bd2b931fa2

Naaman only 282f000130 laughed quietly.0cabfaf51a67d5ca

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“If that is your wish, then so be it.”7f18df35e5ee8377

“Really?”423a87622a80fc37

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“Yes. The priests of Hebel cannot stay outside Hebel for long anyway, so they were already planning to protect the Saintess by rotating shifts with minimal personnel.”3b8d16166d962207

“Well, unlike Ella, the others are bound by Hebel’s restrictions.”33bfb02398370469

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From the beginning, beastmen e2dd732731 who had formed contracts cd7621b455 with Hebel were mostly f0be82fd6a unable to survive outside 6687fead1f Hebel.b2c2b44390c1efd2

Those with weak pheromones, b84637a978 abandoned by their kind, a4b67f8e8c were sometimes able to 8e07b1611e move outside Hebel for 70e729485d short periods. However, those a2e951e282 without pheromones 00028b2da4 at all 2561a532b0 wouldn’t last aff40ac475 even a fe0f2f31f4 day outside—they 7a2caad003 would simply 379f8c2505 die.a141e6b5dc9a9182

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‘Wait a minute, does that mean Ella has pheromones too?’9500a97e92119f00

I suddenly noticed the 93e4f40f4d contradiction and tilted my 1b63bd6586 head. I had never 04d967d442 once felt pheromones c8a782de9a from Ella before.354b835ea5172ab3

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“But Ella doesn’t have pheromones. Is she really able to leave Hebel?”6293604d04ea01be

“Ella’s case is a little different.”b3d851bee08eee01

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“Different?”c90cd633f8f41cc2

“That child lost her pheromones later in life.”4ffcfc1036d5c97d

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“What?”2a4bc90e77ad6846

Is that even possible?270a57e2fd5a297f

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I was 92e77132f6 about to 2c748db805 demand an 3bb7d214a0 explanation, baffled, 662f2017a6 when Ella 6b917eaee5 happened to 995dffe62b arrive.4163bfb06164360d

“Did you call for me?”85fa5e4af874cb8d

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“Ah, come in.”743b3ce5eede4c72

Isaac welcomed Ella and 52d9784f81 led her to stand f4312ba928 before me. I gazed at her 4747fdecf3 quietly.836038476812cb2e

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I had been worried 48c8c33370 since I heard she b61606e7b0 was being disciplined, but ce6ba518e5 she looked relatively fine.4b84dda8700ee8e6

“The Saintess wishes to have her first dance with you.”0fa9cfa70e4a1617

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“Oh, it’s an honor.”2d1ad1e0ab870b11

Ella smiled 139cda7579 awkwardly and fd70cc64ec bowed politely 30ab2eda7c before me.b3daa1c2e16cf31f

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By the time Ella 9ae4ec3c53 and I reached the d9f059e781 center of the hall, 7ccb0a7752 I noticed that her 3c50e41482 hands were unnaturally cold. I frowned. They were c509abe2b2 ice-cold, as 1a9c116af8 if she 1c3022abe5 had just 6f35e6bac9 come out 1505b5daf3 of a bfd41560f3 freezer.82d3d470238ac778

Now that I b158757461 looked closer, her d711f29cf1 lips had a e20de0f3c9 strangely bluish hue. Though she had 7a6fc80d93 tried to cover 5c325a4212 it with rouge, 3704bdb564 she couldn’t completely ec55c2b8da hide the faint 964fc730e9 purplish tint.f84e4837a76dd952

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“Were you scolded badly? I heard you were punished for breaking a promise.”379f026ca63c151d

“Oh, it’s fine. The punishment was lighter than usual. I just had to endure a bit of cold.”73757b6387f14d1c

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“…What?”c2df01142d7d58a3

“Huh? What did I just say?”9c0aee901e47c132

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Ella blinked, as f46ac3f54d if she had dcba4c7a2c accidentally spoken too 8130486d5b honestly.20ec843f4a762855

That innocent 68e9826190 expression somehow ec1f00ed2c made me 5132297993 even angrier.cfa8b0bb29c5f276

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“Hey, Ella. That wound I saw last time—are you sure you just tripped?”3c3752c1f9887972

“Lady Cersia…”96d9b22e7b267768

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“Did Isaac hit you?”a092eaf4b836f057

“…”615d1a21916bf724

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“You have to tell me the truth so I can help you.”61bea77b8efe505d

Hearing my serious 5e71965f05 tone, Ella opened f858e17386 and closed her 5b567bdcde lips a few 636b43062f times before finally 9756507e24 whispering,5c577cb060ba28c3

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“You don’t have to help me.”0a707cbf9fec5ed1

Her face was 520357da69 more rigid than e0fc0aeafa usual. She didn’t seem 5744bc65ba to realize that 80c958cca9 it made her 5dec96cc2b look pitiful.d1f0775288d35459

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“Why not?”d6ca77b4fada41dd

“I’m fine. You don’t have to worry about me. Especially not you, Lady Cersia… I’ve already done so many things I should apologize to you for.”ce95697ec02dc539

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When did we c759055931 even meet long 821f03528b enough for her 5032a5a20f to feel sorry 9dd89f776d toward me?4b09e5bdcdfa3913

Ella had b40376caef never wronged 2be930fb0c me, which 099dbed6c3 made her 339a3897a2 response even 4b4834b843 more baffling.802189ffda45b727

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“When have you ever done anything wrong to me?”5bc59cb7d6a1c227

“Someone like me is nothing special. If I stay by your side, I’ll just be a burden. Once you really get to know me, you’ll regret ever saying you’d keep me close.”ed84d452ab4a82bf

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Ella spoke 4e41a15435 defensively and 8b3e7f600b then pressed 21693479d9 her lips 3dfb4edb24 shut, as d0879a7efd if she 4c8d983d46 truly believed 2156679b2f she deserved 5b851f8feb whatever was 47bccd97fe happening to 33cf8d2cec her.0514858a94c5a13e

She had a20d5a1b1f no idea 87ff166605 how infuriating 3d94d51437 that was.11aa28a43ecce4c4

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I scowled and muttered, “Why is everyone around me so obsessed with pretending to be fine?”78fccf9d107d84bd

Zerakiel was like 9f71d5565a this too. And now Ella.010006b2e237f335

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What kind of 9fab686bb9 world was this, 9a78334f70 where everyone only 9ee73c9fdb knew how to 3bf387ac0f hurt themselves?a406cb1647cf6e76

And why couldn’t I 9010e437d3 just ignore them?8defceb8afcf5b29

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“Lady Cersia?”b56b037ee843df90

“Stop that. Apologizing for nothing.”38db4dff046d098e

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It only gives the d15b72ac08 other person the satisfaction 25e28f5954 of feeling superior.ed57b9bec861b21b

Ella looked 0d917cfc80 nervous at c95ef94dce my scolding. I gently squeezed ffa21b7111 her cheeks—not enough f5dedcc41a to hurt her—and 8297869ae8 spoke firmly.d6a88e72b2dcfb1c

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“Don’t say ‘I’m fine’ either.”1dd2b8e2da0c47fe

“…”07fdef54ef5a4d79

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“Because you’re really scared, aren’t you? You’re afraid that if you ask for help, they’ll reject you.”f8d33aec3e1b63dc

“…!”89f621ff58d51023

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“If you keep adjusting to others and blaming yourself, you’ll lose who you are. Is that what you really want?”9d99f035dd5babb6

Ella’s eyes widened at my words. Soon, her sky-blue eyes welled up with tears.638a287ef2ef4ad3

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“I… I don’t want that.”7aefb24a457dd6ea

“Of course you don’t.”8faf327d8d06ad19

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“I really, really don’t…”9c90e7d0cd94e095

Ella started crying, seemingly f5199589e7 unaware of what she e0a527a617 was even saying. The beastmen watching df32a2b698 us began whispering, 7d52890985 assuming I was cd0003c743 bullying her.21b93cd56735309c

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I ignored them.eb7cdd3603b79fa5

Instead, I e505961de1 gently wiped 599dda5dc1 away Ella’s 6848175305 tears and fe45f2ffe3 firmly declared,a34f3abea00f8ad6

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“Whether you want to or not, Isaac has already decided to send you to my side. So stop being stubborn and just stay with me.”4ff93c5f5b491a56