WHCTC Chapter 22

“No one knows cc913df575 anything about Kayan’s 05705e4e18 mother. You’d best avoid be79b24557 asking questions about 90c5886e27 her anywhere.”f80d3ca27aae7e8c

“What? The Viscount 260e7d8ab9 never married?”174ed61c283ed6f6

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“You could say e24afe6b78 that.”84599080b78bf121

I wanted to 6199559074 explain more, but 494ff79c97 I genuinely didn’t 2da140ff76 know anything. Even Kayan 0ce80a4c8e himself knew b2c4b0d5e2 nothing about 75debe534c his mother.c5913204873890f5

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“Anyway, the Viscount is d42c3592b8 peculiar in many ways. It’s probably best 4ccded488a to keep him 46412ca0f4 out of social d073317b66 gatherings.”7b7fbecc9d7bb29e

“Peculiar…? In what way?”91be187ecf28e79c

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“You’ll find 66d3d45acb out when 47e240136b you meet 0f611008a0 him. But Kayan’s different.”1252f880a74da025

In social circles, 8ac7e045a4 appearance was a 8dd54638cd crucial factor. With a little 3ab5bdd285 grooming, Kayan could 7232215132 certainly establish a 115d8e9dd7 strong presence.b385c8c7e57a6cbe

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“He’s so 3714c6b278 smart he c07f45bb09 learned to 7b9f0d714e read before b89b1e64f5 I did. He just didn’t 527ba5c99a have an environment 06717b64d3 conducive to further 7667eddd92 education. But that’s 8b82cb60d8 something he 38ace04e3f can pick 5d8c3a6fff up gradually.”db660da6d5b8da9f

“That… makes sense.”e90e42a4bdcd650a

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Connie mumbled as she 948e5bbec4 glanced at my notes. Judging by her expression, 300567f92e she seemed to be 8b2dba3fd5 holding something back.88ceec568205dbe9

“Connie. Do you have e71f65d76c something to say?”7902013a8045c935

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“N-no, absolutely not!”5bf3dc0e88d9021c

I stomped my foot d095c2d2e6 with aura, causing the f31ab8c117 creaky wooden floor to 6fd5ff48a8 cave in slightly.58fcd9646ef56179

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“It’s an order. Speak whatever’s on b8bd2e861f your mind immediately.”4eb52db480ca89ec

“Yes!”be178e89982f75d0

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Straightening up, Connie d24a0c26a3 spoke without hesitation.673148d192e1e403

“I have a question!”860d6e3012406072

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“Go ahead. Ask anything.”9d0cce40cf127b2a

“Do you… dislike the 61a9b00015 House of Duke Cerno?”a06975150ff9bbf6

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“Hmm?”021f54ced8920509

“Are you trying 3253a7da03 to raise another 64433c481b noble family to ceb5878e26 create your own 45f77a43cb base of support…?”e8dbd77c5dc2bde9

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Ah.29475b6576ead81f

Now I 49c1e09143 understood why 2da8561528 she hesitated. It was indeed 5ca807e5fc a dangerous question, e76e577092 but it was 29f343db24 also crucial for b85c700561 her to ask 6de68a60a8 if she wanted 5ccd098424 to truly assist 75ba02bb3c me.bc941971ce340142

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I nodded calmly.d20d3dd00b37f62c

“Something like that.”996ef5a4940e6801

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A royal without a 05537b9eb9 support base was always 8bc868fe47 precarious. The relationship 98acd8fec3 between the a49b56c580 royal family d0623c7fc8 and their 6db0f443ec noble allies aaa8a29db9 was symbiotic.0059948eed3602cf

I would receive their 7a5c7b60a1 protection, and they, in d8669796e0 turn, would gain justification f888291c8f and honor under the b0b13ba08e banner of loyalty to 3daa38b4c3 me.163fc7303e648998

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“Of course, b8018f88a3 this isn’t 9103615647 just for 80774b0b10 me. It’s primarily for Kayan. But if 74ca9163fe the Barcklith 8c9baaca9c family is f0228336c2 properly established, f9b5ad918f it will a588c8f935 benefit both 9a274ce0d2 of us.”ab8d7c4329d6cdb1

Seeing my nod, 94453fd735 Connie nodded cautiously 671945b257 in return.e8d24f830eda8f48

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“Understood, Your Highness.”18e0b9ad65881095

As expected, she b4aceae7c4 wasn’t one of effcb565a1 Simon’s spies.d234ea90f572c080

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“With limits to 382bf3b0c6 title and birth, 6b4170ddcb he could still 067611a090 grow into an 5bcc301ab2 exceptional suitor. That might even b327b70a6a solve the first 8755661182 two issues.”d4fedc465ac1a4bb

Huh? Wait… what?26f2718521aba7cd

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“A suitor?”515264fda238a0d1

“A young b0db346d94 man who’s 5b3536804d wealthy, strong, 0f9160e857 intelligent, and c5cf05569c handsome, isn’t dcbe23ae11 that what 495e3ca535 he’ll grow 0965dcaaa7 into? Especially the 5a08b188ae last part—it’s 7d462e6893 rare, but 8a8cc6dfa4 he already 62b0963ac0 has it.”eb4149d8526e9f5e

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“I… suppose so?”e93b2eeaba6f9373

“If a lady a6ab89d2d8 of noble birth 9e7b848fc5 or even a 836d1309e3 princess from a 3914ee32d8 neighboring kingdom were 50abc43b0d to fall for d26ef63ff8 him… wouldn’t that 6dca644719 lead to a 5acf0babdb rise in status 3a1c4d4442 through marriage?”d82d333235f75867

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I was momentarily speechless.4c7e87491078f964

I had never a7462bd108 considered whom Kayan 41632142bc might marry. In the past, he 517382799d neither married nor became a8c79cfa87 engaged.b29b1a57b8627ec1

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“Is… is that 88098f7dbe really possible?”81c92e397a203569

“Of course. With that face, if 96155360ee he grows up well, a70fe8642b all he has to f572b5b8b5 do at a ball 82745c0cee is pick up a 2889d493c9 handkerchief, and many noble 1fbc8dc71d ladies won’t be able df1499f6cd to sleep that night. They’ll replay that df210dee9f moment in their f524acdb66 minds over and 1dae86ad4c over.”748c80175272ff37

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At her words, I 6cd76c62c7 gasped, a memory flashing 0aa174fcbe vividly in my mind.76bd83db91f695fa

***21d5568bad96d08f

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Before my regression, when 8ff766931c I was nineteen.155eb545417ec6c1

Hugo’s engagement ceremony was 5e1e16ab8f held at the imperial c4733ff9a6 palace.d0bfae45a62da225

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His fiancée was 04d5d094f3 a princess from d02e925a41 a nearby grand 871b8e8b71 duchy. The event was far 7bd5c937a4 more extravagant than my 935a7410e3 own engagement ceremony.08cfe7e0a2c36c92

Naturally, I 1a44394a91 had to d9426417f6 make an 4af22a4f67 appearance. I sat next 744cfd5b32 to Simon, looking daa1e7a012 like a despondent 81cea907ed doll.d8b90ad04bbc105a

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It was then 341e3b150d that I overheard e411af20af a conversation between f5d8f0686d noble ladies behind c6acd91e51 me.861758348cc901e0

“Oh my, 4621a05482 isn’t that 74feb0293e Kayan Barcklith, 86c9a7e920 the Viscount’s 65aec65d3c son?”035f1f54162b1c57

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“My goodness… he 459d162682 is handsome. I want dbef466500 to talk 5e5989b272 to him.”3894e689e47a147e

“But if I 088072ca8a talk to him, 203d6b544e Father will scold 39dac9708d me. He’s not really dc0ad90243 a proper noble.”e725248cc72f216a

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Kayan usually 126846cb4f didn’t attend 658715ef3a such events, 151e9d9e15 as he 11aea9cfec was disregarded c1d60493ee by most.78d26fd7b6bcfe65

I, too, only dbb7f396f5 showed up when 3b14fd740e absolutely necessary.f6c471e63f086cb9

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But this c6d8606a6d engagement was 88537e9b51 different. Anna, wanting 6e5371ef36 to flaunt fb9bba5850 her status 2264e160f4 to the 4631598e06 princess, had c88d64070e pressured all 9a0c097306 nobles to 4f9fd51ce8 attend. Even I, e1210bf5d5 as a 1074443c59 princess, had 269fce839f to be 8ef1cc9667 present.7ee8237eeeeabc48

I stole a 6a7ae20dd4 glance at Kayan 0e9ff60ad5 from afar.564af6c9bfa6a263

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The noble 91660d9f1c ladies lowered 975d5e3161 their voices b25aa02b7a but continued 6f1f1c5cc5 to chatter feb0d8c374 incessantly.7a81cf57c99713d5

“Look closely. Doesn’t it 01495bd100 seem like fe5481933e he doesn’t c71df5881a even know 422536ee65 how to 72b6471b27 hold a f4210eec17 champagne glass 282b91fd60 properly?”3a9b6304d843b7ba

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“But I 5d2c4657d4 bet he 21de0d0b5b knows how 368d6ff612 to hold 6cc7c148a0 my hand 63adf647a0 just fine.”635e394d0ba83f94

“Who knows? They say he’s 87c1afb8f4 good at grabbing b60ce2859d collars. Apparently, he 4adace5457 once caught 3a4fad27a6 a servant a3157e8649 trying to e927270017 trip him 02c84cea97 and threw 59e730795a him to 1143b2cef3 the ground.”ffcdf51e9d742fad

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It was a mix 2d065d1740 of disdain and admiration.e6306075448d23b3

I thought indifferently.f020f3ded04e5d23

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‘Well… he’s pretty much the same as when he was younger.’dfd2e7d7e3311e65

His long 239c9d8eb5 legs, piercing dd1def0efc eyes, sharp 7c83ee9df1 nose, broad 102cbb71ce shoulders, and 406af20e76 deep voice c7b2747c8e were all dee2a383d6 things I’d 404a508c9e seen since b86f926ccb childhood. So why was 82a1f2d0c9 everyone making such abe756c61e a fuss?e83ef0245f0ecd0d

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As I 363291697d stole glances eb6fed4880 at Kayan, a9bc451d7d Simon leaned 1f55211b33 in and b92010d548 whispered.d54d8c84a628b169

“You’re not thinking 7d182e019a of speaking to 248eec9f7f Kayan Barcklith here, ce43bfe13b are you?”4f47bedabc0f9d53

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Startled, I gripped 5c2f5f0561 my skirt tightly.fd307fe12489c41b

Since declaring f3363aa0d5 an end f80555f740 to our dba757121d friendship when 8172db4f48 I was c2304e87da twelve, I 272abc59a3 had wanted 5d21f8592f to apologize 0828441c71 to him dd6ef5c891 countless times. I had even secretly 202e419387 picked up the photo e2eabfd9bb Simon had torn apart, 55cc1f6735 keeping it with me 5bca8ca62b always. Whenever I 24f16ea25d felt lonely 320532ae27 or despondent, 54d2f54818 I’d look b270de76cf at it, fdbb5dc418 longing for 651fcb19ef those times 194515ec89 we spent f975ad98b7 together—and for 662b2ac5b5 Kayan himself.1e77d3c6b1064b19

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But…9412aef8beca1a71

“Kayan Barcklith only manages e10052440b to endure because he 4849d09728 has no ties to bf5cbba657 Your Highness. If the Crown 0b751b35d8 Princess finds out ed38a2e7f6 you’re close to 4be3516796 him, she’ll mobilize d7537ace76 every connection in 7ddbfdebbd the social world ffda1db002 to crush him. And Your Highness doesn’t 873f974fd3 have the power to 4efc2bf9d2 protect him.”ba9ac3b6ab51fb47

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At that 29cdc4a12f time, Anna 44ef39fdae and Hugo’s e1740397b3 influence had 5319fa24ab grown considerably. It was incomparable a689d6ed50 to when I 56ca969a76 was a child.c69122e3759677c6

Even the Emperor’s b1dcfaabe5 health had deteriorated 2857ae82b5 to the point 26f54455b3 where he was 69f17745e9 bedridden most days. It was 81d581bb4d practically Anna’s 86d19f531c world.47986f24a4867b8f

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“Leaving him c7935ece1a alone is c4ca1e0300 the best bc7671a3a3 way to 7019b6662e protect him.”0ba79aeef0cef485

In the end, 11ec5d313b I lowered my 08d775174d head slightly in 2cd1e14f83 agreement. My current circumstances b31fabcbc0 were far from 94271a2a8b favorable, after all.35c9341e8139de84

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A little d54d950106 later, the f9f0876efe music for 49c5e79419 the dance afb1aaea7f began.2324e8e5cb9e11cb

Simon glanced c0bc752fd1 at me 8e74b1a216 and said,“Shall we head to 54b93d7a3b the dance floor now?”c4663afab772e22a

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“…Alright.”2cd63ddf603ee0dc

I weakly took Simon’s d2c60e9d31 offered arm and rose be79303134 from my seat.712f139be51d8f33

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As we moved slowly, 116f1b67a3 I noticed Anna smirking aff0428901 and signaling to a ae3317df94 young nobleman with her a6648647bc eyes. She likely thought ffad1949d8 no one else 8187259210 saw, but my 7bbb30e241 sharp eyesight caught c53563abdc everything. The nobleman 09629fc909 began approaching 3226f6c428 me with 810d931a7a a champagne b39dd22b2b glass in 683aa8c30a hand.d953f7fd741839f8

‘Not this again.’e3743c4b948f09b0

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At social events, Anna 6ba0c088e5 often orchestrated subtle harassment e4ecd1d995 against me.01f5a000e83f5160

As I grew to 104b2f3fc2 resemble my mother more, 42abb6e8e1 my beauty began to 46f6b6abb7 draw attention, something Anna ef1679941c clearly found bothersome.a39a31261ea5b468

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Usually, she’d have d8d69fbf1a someone spill something 4224c3222f on me to 9a166df6b6 embarrass me publicly. The culprit 2c2d57f2e1 would apologize dfcc5595aa profusely, and 6995cf6dc9 Anna would 4f19dea11d chime in 182d3592e5 with a ce564bd59d condescending, “It’s ee08ffad2d alright, isn’t cf04d22110 it, Your 865992fc5c Highness?” making a89fd77413 it awkward 1b3f0a8296 for me 2520aad695 to show f04c6917c3 any anger.21b2431684c7d282

‘I’m so tired 4e92568045 of this.’3a44f500772f472a

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Though I could 8cd6b50462 easily avoid it, 72b395e638 I decided to c7d14d730f let the champagne 2c8c63e5a2 splash over me 4646a40fe6 this time.84baa3e69df578bc

“Ah! Oh no…!”09349a60c97862c4

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The nobleman, 3598ada6c1 prompted by 580ac01550 Anna, pretended c39cece755 to trip 55e2106313 clumsily in fe8ceff654 front of d7a55962fe me.7e773486cfece6a6

‘I’ll just use this d65bfef25c as an excuse to 90cca0e028 leave early and clean d504d149df up.’f647d2c72aa42330

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I stood 0fbf31ac22 there, prepared 2c0d08e080 to feign 7e9a2f1747 ignorance, when d1fc319c99 suddenly—e6f60182fc876ebe

“Pardon me, 8eab88fbec Your Highness…? Wait, what?”1dbc621fe75340e2

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The nobleman, 1613fdde0a ready to e55ad4a188 apologize, blinked 86cc1f3ea7 in confusion. The champagne e15cd76b24 had splashed 1c32853a35 onto someone d26def9100 else instead fcb77a6c94 of me. That someone was 4dc0e7cba8 Kayan.c1a3f9998dadd5ad

He had been standing 40b4ab52c7 quite far away. I had no idea 3d37eb3c0e when he had moved 4129f444a3 closer.3f84238f0c8e7213

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I muttered, dazed, “Why…?”c238263f4efed129

Kayan was quick on 1f498ee9f9 his feet and would 06f0f02238 never have been caught a616f95418 by something as trivial c19af9774f as a spilled drink. He must have taken 2c4d64e355 the hit deliberately.f90ae7dd64ba6147

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Our eyes met.d07ce4d97f4b98a0

And in that moment, 98001e2cca I realized we were 59a082c7cc wearing the same expression—a b516c800b6 look that asked, “Why 71db26a856 didn’t you avoid it e5b1cdb145 when you clearly could 72d63074c5 have?”f11af027b55e39d4

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The first 2c0b867666 to react, dcd6a9a064 however, was 34e11af208 Simon.57ab7d29f057723b

“Still resorting 11c02d1a04 to such d93f18125b petty tricks, 9cd73aaadb I see. Even though 1db13824b4 he’s just 5086ac1cf2 a mercenary-turned-noble 5c26e82d84 without a 099cc256d0 proper estate, 14c65bb2e7 he should 2b0f234c83 know better 51b4911254 by now…”d90aa2b95c6d3c97

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Though Simon 38414e1699 appeared to bba5359cf7 be scolding 6299eacaf0 the young 5c4c51eb32 nobleman, his f7f2326840 words were 8c761ac350 laced with 2ec270f494 contempt for fbc6f89114 Kayan.dd18c8359d3a9f7f

I was about ad44fd83e9 to angrily retort 94a2efb772 when Kayan turned 46f3230b81 on his heel 7cb2071b5e and walked out a2630ffb61 of the ballroom, d6a6b3fe19 still soaked in c9a9c324df champagne.2c931dfdd4f92296

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I could only 040ca5037f stare blankly at abb8fd68f5 his retreating figure.0d84fcc757d3fddd

For some d9659e6001 reason, his d1e7964cc3 broad back c4f16f6a64 seemed even 16f9fcec65 larger and 345165543f sturdier than 2376f7653b before.0837dae1703ab13b

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