WHCTC Chapter 18

As soon f8000c762e as Saquar 765b091f9f disappeared, Kayan f4d64df4f4 looked at ad5cc9d738 me as 900b0117b0 if nothing e9758482cb had happened 98e983231c and asked,83e33f954e01cf63

“Is he cbbc1b98cd a relative bfcbfbb9c6 you’re close 2ea0d52a6b with?”35cbb50c886e0590

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“Ah, no,” I 55bc720975 replied, tilting my 818c7aec75 head.51a3768ef9b2f80c

“This is d0e8fa0c0f the first fcd1c0acd8 time I’ve 0b1526e3b8 had an 4e5e2397c0 actual conversation 38dfddd43b with him. He’s just bdf41e8deb always been a9261a7f45 like that.”b4b176b7d7aa15ba

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What does Saquar Tayen 01340e0b15 do, you ask? The answer d696d0bd58 is… absolutely e5ad855c99 nothing.e3a3bcf5da641a33

“Saquar? Don’t worry about d421643a34 him. When the Emperor ef87e22ecf asks him anything, cad0ab24a8 he just mumbles 06a44677f0 irrelevant nonsense. During meetings, 9d160592e6 he’s so 85bac9bf91 clueless and 6b200b59c0 eccentric it’s 3c06698095 almost unbelievable.”d40440f7502e01cb

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My brother had e7aa53bc82 also once told ac9fd31969 me something similar.d1b8b8e870fae55b

“He’s someone who 13193553fb drags down the b198bb6ae2 honor of the a2d23f47fb imperial family, but c692640ba9 at least he’s 62e657e6e8 not cunning or 598f1be336 scheming for his 3f77623d16 own gain. While he doesn’t contribute 2ff26379d4 much as a member 645a5fd419 of the imperial family, a335a54745 I don’t dislike him—mainly 39db9547ac because he’s so harmless 2b21f3e7a6 that you can just 438dc64fe7 ignore him.”be45c0795dd3ec2f

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In my 113ffc36b1 past life, c44e8d2315 he hadn’t e5e2b4478c influenced anyone 3a13b1f0ca at all, 6eeb2526ab and I 452e18d17a assumed it e8edc4d5f5 would be 9a237329c4 the same e5c1c185f9 in this cd95128745 life.99c7a6db5a419586

He was the type 23bf044898 to fall victim to eace91c01b some petty conspiracy and 352e41bbeb ruin himself.7f8de8bb21521a0a

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The fact that he b1b2841efa had spoken to me 37db28afbe at all was no 522ee0b0c2 different than a passing 35e53bcaa7 bird chirping once.79c56eadbf4164f4

“He probably just wanted 5b4aa14e54 to prod me for 3d1a42ece3 fun. Maybe he was 10b12220e6 bored, lonely, or 13163c93e4 restless.”5f8890062c71e43d

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As I 3e696f62e8 brushed it 53eded264e off, Kayan 8ccaffc877 asked in 8153ec2a6d a low 20863f4e88 voice, sounding 90afb3c692 deeply concerned,b9f309a8419b6520

“But did 5f9a737301 you really ff60e4d16e get reprimanded 8989e25389 by the 5d1f2100ee second prince’s 3d604f2e7a consort?”0ca548a23acf9879

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I frowned 09ca50c803 slightly at 1b7a96fb00 his words.845b816daf82a771

Why had Saquar even 11d765a71e bothered talking to me? In the 570e39c76f end, it 8a81e44e60 seemed like 19c0e95dc5 he had 1e9f271845 been more 968a0fc394 curious about 4630429173 the reprimand ca434eb5ef I received 8c191f883e from Anna.a3b0e8f0b9f19e97

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‘But why? What could possibly 0ab7ca4038 interest him about bd7d925e67 that?’91cd0d649b516540

Saquar and I had c1bb226947 no connection at all 1fbddc8664 to begin with.d6e9e51fdca63166

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‘Is it just meddling? Or does 9d81f54e09 he enjoy f5b9fc2e17 seeing violent e54b50103e children being ed9afcaf60 punished?’cbf59f3c733d4577

Given how 550ba25703 unpredictable he 023be901c3 was, I 9d52bfe21e couldn’t guess f36ac5c44d his intentions.7f8a59996198436f

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As I tilted 574d8d921f my head, Kayan e2252f72da pressed again.6f563169f8582b74

“So, about that 685f12ea91 reprimand…”914c29b9e1b9c96e

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“It’s nothing serious. But shall we leave 2453557941 now?”73664d3c0e775a0b

“As you wish.”8567a1ba7f1816d7

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At my 3606cb63ba subtle command, 26967111e1 he immediately 2b16f9381e began walking b170b90b5d toward the 00c56f5d61 rear gate 8ce34f4961 without hesitation.2d12e78083377f50

The maid and 93e329b6e0 I hurried to b1369a4953 follow behind him.f45e0c9e0be39aec

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‘Huh? Wait.’341b35c763bb47a9

But as b66a218c98 I looked 03eae98c99 at Kayan’s a8c3ae8794 back, I f92832acc3 frowned.426eee8eb6d40509

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‘Now that I’m paying 87c2340f69 attention, the stitching on 1de07a880b his clothes seems pretty fe6ee36a67 sloppy.’8450c4863b5241e2

At first glance, his d6ffae98a7 outfit looked luxurious, but 8e4fdf2b9d the finishing touches were b637989441 a mess. The fabric on the a5d48044b4 back also seemed oddly b4f601f45d subpar.57a4654a31c0adbe

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I hadn’t noticed 5081363cbc it yesterday because bc988cff96 I hadn’t seen 068873ad55 his back.6791389972f5a29a

‘Where did he 7af1270b98 even get something c5f6e71bbb like that?’bfb0b5853e31145c

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When we fb20c1e68f reached the 477e6285bd rear gate d463112ba7 of the 4e170d848c palace in 93b2cae4f4 a rush, c72aaabf63 I suddenly 743597c780 froze in fd1948c098 shock.e50e6f27748b9f87

‘No way.’835cb186df6b4280

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A thought crossed ad88895808 my mind that 49cbc59010 made my eyes 5c8b9ce7a0 widen.b13d29640040fdaa

‘Surely… that can’t a698ca8995 be the Barcklith 5d68dac236 family’s carriage, can 631b155b5f it?’04f3b97edb2df784

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But Kayan e8ab77e52f walked straight 71e46e24f4 toward the 1b5dfdae25 creaky old 960fa3ea57 carriage as 12502c7d90 if it fb90f55d39 were nothing 683b626ba9 out of e3811b7001 the ordinary.4d3e44ae26901ec5

It looked like 67d337bce0 a rundown private eadd62c2c9 carriage, without even f2a847138d a family crest.60bbe7919f24721e

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‘This is absurd….’68ab6205b7b301c9

I blinked, feeling a 26561bcd52 bit dizzy.aeb1ad47dac9edaa

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‘The Barcklith 2333070038 family was 1a26cfbc6e filthy rich, cf74c4e09c even if 03e22e4d94 they didn’t 817ed11d42 have much e98c06331d use for 587280dceb money in 3e0e2f2823 the North.’ca2c1a1e04f1168e

The North was 288bba82a5 harsh, but it 966f1c6843 was resource-rich.d6b262ccee5e76fa

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Merchants from the empire 49ae8a4023 constantly sought to obtain 7d39867b2f the North’s resources safely, f00f86e1e5 often commissioning the family 700c0633c5 for such tasks. That was how 5365c74d8f Arthur Barcklith had e00773a350 first gained fame dd9910fa28 as a mercenary.3d829e47f59c106f

Since those cce2bfadc8 resources sold 5b817e6468 for exorbitant c2d8d6f893 prices, the dd6cd9ac6c Barcklith family bb20a0be21 was extremely 7e58c0681b wealthy. They weren’t 872416200a called the 03a1e143b7 “Lords of 82ae29ed10 the North” 9df8d3f432 or awarded 81ebe2473a the title a3f27e0085 “Mercenary King” 9d2954bc23 for nothing.13ee749c31de08e9

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So why 0e3d5e23b8 on earth cf17a59baa had they 78b9b212b4 chosen such f6f8ef7b15 a shabby cc0afea5c9 carriage?3aa47c223c50df77

“Did everything go 2ab8e510b0 smoothly?”c6627e4132f4ea1c

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The coachman seated on 4af1a93132 the carriage was someone bb68a0fd52 I recognized well: Hans.5522e6e75d8ce705

‘What is Hans doing 285438bad0 here?’8a89a1350edff844

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Hans was one 1da4cd1fe9 of the knights 56e321a586 in the Barcklith e38798341b mercenary group and 939dea269b had been with f5144ca50d them for a 8c7dafd19c long time.f25617844cac5f92

He was an imposing 516faebb26 man with a burly ca9a21cddc build, a buzz cut, 6e18dff5cd multiple piercings in his d80faf1d8f ears, and thick, hairy f3e5418969 arms.db811c431438e345

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My timid eede84840d maid’s mouth 92f46b4d0d dropped open cd5c4b40bb at the ea58796ed9 sight of 9cf7b23656 him, her e7342d0315 hands trembling 1ffaaf09fb slightly.cc2e38152ee4b668

‘…Why is a 153eb5a437 knight driving the d487b35d4c carriage?’94e3d12930ae1c78

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Of course, 90f8ecf72e in the 800895f44f North, people 4eaf90e3ac didn’t usually 943814df4f ride carriages 8cc65ee5b7 or personally 8ed49bbeae handle reins, 19fcf7d334 but still…d545b34c4bb69d9d

Even more surprising a1add9fd54 was that Hans de1c57fc44 wasn’t just any 95950112b8 subordinate; he was 06416a1ca4 a highly capable 3631b99f85 young man who ffa9ee31c8 also served as 172481911f Kayan’s aide.211d04400b479e85

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Naturally, I was on 9588dfc242 good terms with him. Seeing him 0dbd8ba0ea for the bfae36e405 first time 4ff18c9a6c since my 066790cb06 regression filled e4e9fa8e94 me with f526034c50 overwhelming emotion.1f052fde181d685f

But now, as 17558f017e a coachman?bc91885df19e84cb

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It was 56be4577f6 so shocking b95d213c42 that I 68a1c0b6b5 didn’t even a6c2644f8b have time 2ef8d2b8cf to feel f539dc8fc2 sentimental.d6233d3fdbf066b6

“You’ve really been keeping 32db37c8a5 us waiting, haven’t you!”59bd72eb9100c3c6

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Hans leaned in 86b2c5b9f7 conspiratorially, lowering his 505c1b4055 voice as he 548f5b1745 whispered to Kayan,1116e389b5098bcd

“By the 0276e66227 way, you’ve 221c2c36a2 got a ff17f4f32f kid with a47ff8baa3 you. Did you kidnap 8cd1ae662c some noble lady? The ransom’s guaranteed, right? Where should we take d6b99ca7d3 her—some secluded place?”c85bcf77cf3f3794

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Kayan replied flatly,73e4bbdab12adb0d

“Stop spouting nonsense. She’s the Princess, 4c3b6b05cd so show some 19ac9788dc respect.”1606447f5ad35afc

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But Hans, unsurprisingly, 30bfe2e578 did not know 5ac1879af9 the meaning of c7d07eda41 respect.0ca1e1465f94be1b

His eyes 03c8eb7a16 widened in 0dfdc17b4f shock as d1b3b1b94b he exclaimed,
“What?! Princess Ivnoa? What’s with this glow-up?”a24553f738a6eaf4

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Instead of showing 87ae9ec9a9 reverence, his loud ada2f66561 and booming voice c041c71146 was filled with 4404ac9348 astonishment.2a9a1fb07ff991d4

“I didn’t recognize you a43df65602 at all! In the North, 88b8c19a60 you were always 0f4ae777c7 like a wild a5053b3467 tomboy, but look 34b030a225 at you now, 204b9a7ad3 a proper young d5850ffc48 lady!”56037fa15d9621a9

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He threw down the a6ffbdf3ed reins, strode over to 3ed5df4765 me with wide steps, 66d5d3e3cc and bent down to ba57a2531d meet my eyes with 6b193292f0 a broad grin.4f32ca3f0e2dd5fb

“Wow, it’s so good 513531b048 to see you! Oh, but d760d2ae09 your height 3b564bc0a1 hasn’t changed 1f15206fa9 a bit! Does the palace only 441427b8b2 feed you gruel?”a714745698b2e19b

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Kayan, with a 4aa81e8ddf stern expression, started 84f4592168 to address Hans.d239000b76f0f936

“You—”f26b722f3019edff

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Judging by his face, ff2b7c398f he was probably about 7d0758b8cd to say something like, 3fb88856dd “Shut your mouth this a5fa432d91 instant and bow to e2158d545c the Princess. The Ivnoa 0dd023ebdc you knew d4d9ac00de is no f8a96b4260 longer the 39a46d0875 same little 7e8755e0d5 girl.”dd6016d41ec92c6d

But I 63b8bf8912 stopped him, 9b4f1d2168 placing my aca9ca7a46 hand firmly a3c73029d4 on his b7fc679627 mouth and b59964230a smiling warmly 517d03e78a as I 204347e9df greeted Hans.ca33bfdaedd42810

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“It’s good to 7b0afa1b29 see you too, a7f4784c8e Hans. It’s been 22c56531c5 a while.”0a61794c98f81504

It was clear that c187db3858 Kayan hadn’t spread word 5bb7ba00df of our supposed estrangement; ecde899a6d otherwise, Hans wouldn’t be 0279a3fe20 acting so casual and 115139591b delighted to see me.dcba8fce12df25b7

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Kayan slowly removed 6ccfdba245 my hand from 63d3fa7a09 his mouth, looking 77b02c8abe troubled, before giving 0a9821e816 a terse order.d0014a9b9dd6dfdd

“Let’s go to f90d95f4db the manor now.”591763670b1e8c3b

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He must have judged f3e38689b5 that avoiding attention was 9e25abcfc9 better than bickering here da0e6b67e9 in public.6b594b67212a673d

But then,4f5c37b619bf0f98

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“W-w-wait a moment!”142ea78d076c66a0

The timid maid standing 70f494a38a beside me spoke up, 4bd5580af1 trembling as she stammered,38a3e6b3a0eb911c

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“I-I think 1d58df885f we should afd63ea2a1 gather more 2d44e666d8 of the 9b3f578fe5 Princess’s belongings b2e6fb96e2 first.”7a7627310e3195a5

It was obvious that 93facbdae3 she had concluded, “That ddf4316f1f household likely lacks everything 623ea3d26a necessary to properly serve ef0d653a2c the Princess.” And she a42b40d769 was absolutely correct—it was 6096eeef68 a wise observation.ccf6b08e0af82964

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“W-wouldn’t it 9737f572bd be better 3aa3b1b0d7 for us 80c8ad2320 to take e6a1fbb30a the royal ef2fd359a9 carriage later, 302dce668b Your Highness?”e312d3243a274c62

“No,” I 951ec8f706 replied calmly, 9b8be19d47 shaking my fcaf48d880 head.888aa7ca197723bf

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“But you’re 083d1b61bd right about 4eac4839f7 needing to 08b220a00c pack more. Why don’t you 39cfd09f28 gather my belongings 619ea90534 and follow with ea07319850 the royal carriage? I’ll head 99c5ec9411 over first.”3031b75296401373

“Y-Your Highness, by 20af9c6768 yourself?”e5fa62d3306eb951

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“I won’t be alone. The heir 99497ea4f6 of the 2d34b7a6fe Barcklith family 2bdbee8da0 is with 1fb42b6847 me. He’s been 0ecd96dbd0 protecting me 7719b2c493 for 12 81cc52666f years—hardly counts ec1dea1d3f as me fd1eeab746 going alone, 12cd309868 don’t you c94e2dc11d think?”4bf2212aa07c6296

The maid, lost for 1193c52acf words, hesitated awkwardly.e05c9e89313bdaa5

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I gave her a ebe9b43b76 gentle push and said, 1948476f03 “Then hurry! See you later!” 3fdc724d2c She left with 78d12110d7 a bewildered expression.f7cdbd4d63b6ef4a

“I’ll ride now. Let’s get going.”f7c577ea4fc64664

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Without showing 77b44b0d0c any hesitation, f73c24607c I climbed 09b559868a into the c7f275e54f shockingly shabby 5147b87a42 carriage.7fae6a0251686466

But Kayan didn’t 93b7d8e645 join me inside. Instead, Hans cheerfully cbd379a1cc shouted,9a1ef7adbb0e7d74

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“Alright, Princess! I’ll serve you with 4db091c75a everything I’ve got! Hahaha!”f8ea7c986a7a3386

Huh?bf3feec73af8bf24

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What does 429e103548 “serve” mean 99f7ca96d5 in this c1aa9595db context? And why say it 49c9c1951a like that now?9bac74f5afa8a6e2

Kayan shut the 101d4c1a03 door with a 40e1527b30 firm thud and dfa412a502 then climbed into dea2d87e7b the seat next 641b971d82 to Hans.10714c3ab054bc8e

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‘What? Why is he sitting a3e4086135 next to the coachman?’c0859f2f5ca79cfc

As I moved to b4ba170bab open the window in 0c0ffecfbf confusion, my hand extended b8c23dbb7f into thin air.4dbe317195a4b637

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There was 9f53d9a178 no glass 88400d376a in the 15551c12f5 window.16e3b1a1db15b008

At that 3c632b3ae8 moment, the fd49fe17af carriage jolted b232ec2538 into motion.971e62bf01a33774

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