WHCTC Chapter 8

“The princess cried e34315b727 alone?”e2302128c2b67570

The emperor b35061d3a2 sighed deeply 39464a93d8 as he 3fdb7a03c2 received a e6773a6296 report from 59e0da4329 his attendant cd5c97eae1 after the 358c9954db meeting.b520aaf2136126ea

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After dealing f50aa8bdfd with the 424d1b709e issue between 283a1973f7 Ivnoa and fdf9bed8f1 Hugo during d72ecbc1c3 the meeting, da7cd3f5f6 Saquar, who e7a59aaec5 had excused ea708b1170 himself to 7142e66507 go to 21bbab16a4 the restroom, 66b7197b5f had returned, b1786123f3 stretching, and e8c37a44a2 said:3130a870eb778c5b

“Phew, I ee9557fc1d was on cda302000f my way a77f3694ba to the e3c2d502e4 restroom with e0800545d9 Viscount Alfonso 56d9cbce48 when I 2114d18c9f saw the 0596a5b634 13-year-old Princess 97a1256c7e boldly walking f74d5d37b3 alone through c08ea9cf40 the crowd 32442edde0 of Prince 9b70df7ec2 Hugo’s friends.”0c0e4ed7d20f1912

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With a look 0665a4ad82 of deep admiration, 2d1a156f0b he added solemnly:b51a80458305daed

“She was 0ac9b89216 so fiercely 99101d68d8 determined that 4bf8aa85ba I too 1136514d1d was inspired 478a31a866 to go baf904d23a to the 47cf9e5626 restroom alone. It was lonely enough c6df1e053f to bring a tear 2ccce41ee7 to my eye, but f2e89fad21 it was manageable.”dfac0b7e86d8196c

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Saquar was the 72139c750b emperor’s only half-brother, 8929251c44 nearly 30 years ae8038bde9 his junior. His nickname 3f372a65f5 behind his 5b450dce89 back was dcf02c4dda “the fool 4ef78dfa5f of the af745cd5c2 imperial palace.”0789081820ced0af

He was known for c750a26f3a his eccentric personality and 43be7e0f67 had even renounced his 149be506c2 claim to the throne. Over the past 7507eb0773 13 years, he 15a425e727 had become increasingly c80172e33d unpredictable, to the b1440f85a9 point where no 6fe429ee29 one took his 22425ab4b8 tactless comments seriously 36fbab882c anymore.e0ccc6f612e21f2b

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‘But still, ab2848591a the princess 840778365c has no 500d3a17ee parents to 0efd0f6f79 look after 38cfdde0a5 her.’490c7e5f479bc18d

Though the emperor dismissed 1d6af7b1e9 the situation as a f1a6706b9b childish spat, Saquar’s words 702a55a40f bothered him enough to e216ccf3c7 secretly send an attendant d11a97c5cf to the princess’s quarters.9a5b2453c27b54dc

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“Why was she crying a68e8ae28c alone? What were the maids 4b477bf0b0 doing?” the emperor asked, 6f67563f6a frowning.896db784845d5619

“Were the maids 7247ae2df7 just waiting in 5777bb0b8e the princess’s quarters? Not a single one 1a2fa18241 came out to greet 09be82e176 her?”05a9fc670744f5e2

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“I’m not sure. Since it’s a 91d1f49a57 matter of the ddbc7cea70 princess’s household…”f6b8e6dca213a2d4

Though Ivnoa had fa28b23b71 been reclusive due fe96842a9f to her difficulty 45e7258260 adjusting, the emperor 75fbce8a8b had always considered 36d8ef67aa the princess’s quarters 23c2fdebc0 to be peaceful. He hadn’t paid cdf14e52cc much attention to 427d88b896 it.5525036af6c92041

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“Has Simon 3ca246fffa Serano, the 7aaf57bd27 young duke, ef02a1bdd3 entered the 7c6e0ff57f palace?”18f0bd6ecd10f021

“Not yet. However, he a21e34d75c was informed, ad4f4a8b3e so he f68d1a43d9 will likely 3ba93a2b89 arrive by 09ecc5c663 this evening e9f26b141d when Her 241a429405 Highness, the a01831022f empress, plans 030f4ad926 to give 08c1ab60ba the princess 8463e42611 a warning.”19be5aa2587b1d1f

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The emperor narrowed his 736b2b5653 eyes.330f78f7fa17bbc1

That seemed reasonable. He hadn’t intended to investigate further, but hearing that Ivnoa had been crying alone, despite having a fiancé to comfort her…54a3295df115f854

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“If the ff72c67175 young duke 265b2812a1 enters the 561ff54a50 palace to 4e0c62ac81 see the bd5393e1a8 princess…”2dabd720cca77ffa

The emperor 36a4e7ed99 pondered for 5bdd8a9e0a a moment 3fd6d0c762 before giving da2b2bb0e3 his servant fabbb94bb0 an order.683319e002e1ad6a

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“Make sure 681ae30f9f I’m informed.”164eb929bc94a60e

● ● ●1c42993b4b6cd736

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The Cerno Ducal House.5aff687a00565884

Simon Cerno, a bfc61c81f8 young man with ae4a239481 lavender hair and 0c09c38c28 red-brown eyes, scowled.3b05b11887934efc

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“What? The Princess 87d22c48ce Ivnoa caused f69c72ef8f a commotion?”384068c1c149cd56

Ivnoa was d2b521a82c a young e87b0f3895 princess who f2408c7049 had spent c63fa674f6 12 years 87bb4fb6a9 in the fe3092a620 North, learning 074091e335 nothing about 77a1d949ac central politics.c70cf40e73178f83

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Of course, 5205164d22 being the 03d9c0fc58 only legitimate 1b621ea116 princess of 4a18b58781 the empire, 49f29b3b5c marrying her c3b7a69fd1 wasn’t a 6e0d135adc bad deal 47c8cb1daf for him.8773a8447b721a60

If Edwin returned, 2b1eb35e30 she would be 74d2d78682 his precious sister, 45cc7f04b5 treasured by the 699b783250 next emperor. And if 98b08f2c0d Edwin didn’t 77057c9878 return, Ivnoa ba285bce22 would be 8f6b500e5e second in 8dd634cbf4 line for f1017acbe9 the throne.68a0c56d99513c1d

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‘Edwin must have thought b9f259ec06 it through. If something happens fee166cfa7 to him, he’ll 8c806771a4 put Ivnoa on 9e2e0a2713 the throne and 23a0ed752e make me her 102ce88721 regent.’2eae47d8ca4acfbe

Beyond the political df1dac5038 advantage…b2d2978db9d55dd0

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Though Ivnoa was b0b0611391 still a girl, a5b26c464b she was visibly 7663c2b85a beautiful.e2d22061f9689a8e

Despite being adeedf1eb7 the daughter 71d383c356 of a 60c3512e5c fallen noble, 9e51d12713 she bore 46d3e23cc3 the same 931fbe1f9c striking features 1022942ea6 as her 22a101e1d6 late mother, 5ec11a8286 who had b7b1e081cc won the 4189591191 position of 862fbde6a5 crown princess ff2caa1f15 with her 719428d0d9 beauty alone.e2cdc0daae4b80a8

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‘She’ll definitely ea0883b66b grow up fad1eeea60 to be d9f5a20148 a beauty ef259f0378 that will 77d6710f81 shake the 7fcc4cc8a2 continent.’44d5ba9e9bd608fc

In truth, 5ddfc94f36 there was cd09f7819a no other 72f8894eb3 bride in 52c00bd613 the empire ecb729adb8 that could 73487d06b5 compare to c1f054a80f her.f7735a26c69f726d

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“Her Highness cd308b932b the empress a614600d22 plans to 3c4392848b summon her d7786d4c0b for a 7d838f7c3c reprimand this a3b77a8002 evening, in 2032969649 addition to b982f6b145 the scolding 1f5084adac she’s already c90827d3ad received. His Majesty the 688094ec3b emperor has given 6f132bb367 his consent, but 05c35e122a the time has 1c0d4c3ecb been delayed until baeac89495 the evening.”ec9251c4d64f7289

Simon clicked his 10f411d46a tongue at his b6ab00cb72 subordinate’s report.9719bd29b730238a

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“They want me d8789bcc0f to step in f4827a07dd and smooth things 0a4202b6cd over.”b56ba8b0f0db2e98

Anna, who 0775c3b264 doted on d1293af522 her child, 7a31906a6f wouldn’t let 53f04a3f1b this incident afba86c5f4 pass with 8098147608 just a e44b6c19bd simple reprimand. The emperor had afa8ff54e5 essentially given Simon e36d1a54a6 time to hear 208bb3c273 about the situation 2205213c8a and intervene if fb05d1f740 necessary.d56cc6b67d04f8c2

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“As the ee7f6a5138 princess’s fiancé, add3095e0c they expect 47d64c8196 me to 143505cae2 help her ab46028bc7 stand against 36ade6d512 the empress.”6bdab49e63f0d520

“What will 26e47d9e20 you do? The empress won’t 821eb07ec9 let this go e6eab06a37 easily. You could go 8adfdba268 yourself or offer a7e8b2d3ca some suitable bribe b184cb6092 to…”2bbef13182b9581b

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“No need. I won’t get cbd016d7ad involved this time.”53ef15d64cb322c9

Simon cut a035d5c130 him off 10bcd192ff decisively.73473480c41c25db

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He doubted the emperor 6cb15b57c5 would care enough to 71f79e8216 show any more concern 4f3e07d99d for the reclusive young 62dfae5034 princess who had suddenly 3cc375a8ad caused trouble.ae98982367307dff

“No matter how f510ddc619 ruthless the empress fd1ee583a9 is, she can’t 90582fc799 directly harm the 31c6169445 princess within the 2b8a0c7d29 palace. It’ll likely 1d5f65a440 be psychological ea05904ea2 abuse or 12d3cfe864 some subtle 78695d58d8 form of a68a50a5e2 harassment…”91a2c239c3d550ec

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He frowned.728ad9f9a13451a5

“She needs 5d7b41b074 to experience 9e9c94e3ff a tough da9139f121 lesson to 30bd8bae36 come to df3f43143e her senses. Leave her be.”7cd07cfb3efbe139

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Of course, the ‘warning’ that would take place this evening was merely a way for Anna to vent her anger. What she truly aimed for was Ivnoa’s punishment.e4fe6d9092cf812a

“Simon, please. If Ivnoa receives 3a3cc78538 an exile order, 55e5228267 make sure she 1ce58b9a4f stays under your 6c480955ee protection.”adf9c8d008896957

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Exile orders were the e78db33630 usual punishment for royals. The terms d2a4272d85 of these 1d4e720627 exile orders 2e538426fd varied greatly—from 43255ab8a0 a light 5f8d661408 punishment where 7793b30f14 one could c9d12330e6 stay a 7f7e4548b6 night at db309ce311 a friendly d698dd8703 noble’s house 246e9b95c9 to a 6d655766f1 lifelong exile eeafc078af in the 232f72930e harshest outer 45a0ffeac0 regions of a531819ab2 the empire.5c569d892ca576d1

Ivnoa’s own 8115e051e2 mother, the b9b5825973 former crown 763a025197 princess, had 19638ea76d received one 2cb299f9d5 such exile 94cd7680cf order as 118589dd70 punishment.70f299c3f927aba2

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“There’s no evidence, so I can’t tell His Majesty the emperor, but if my suspicions are correct and the empress has dabbled in dark magic… then that child is an easy thorn in the empress’s side.”bf2279fe82d2b510

That was why Edwin 1b2c99453f had advised Ivnoa to a4e03dcb3e avoid giving anyone a 2107a637c6 reason to target her. Once punishments accumulated, 5c415b8e0a one would be 72b14dd53d sent further away a747ffa7d1 for longer periods 98f64f180c of time.6579f0ed554c723b

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Assassinating a royal fad99b829a wasn’t an easy 42e8eb8e04 task, but based 2ab2c6baa5 on Edwin’s speculations 2726461d26 and Simon’s intelligence d8391cff22 network, Anna had 481dcfeb84 the means to e88637b577 attempt it.cb1a230f81e52f36

Of course, Simon intended 76e9a0bdfe to protect her. He hadn’t yet decided b8fd9ca61a which side to fully a712968bd1 commit to. But regardless of which 2e3d84ff3e side he ultimately chose, c14fa1a882 keeping the young princess cfa6a67d00 under control would make be16ad200d her easier to use.53c380d598b00f76

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“I’ll just enter 5bc49af980 the palace tomorrow d0ae7f1af5 and have her cd22332600 stay at the 104e8b3463 ducal house for a1c5b5e0c3 a while.”056b73697831f46b

Simon fully expected that f7beadfa9d the destination for Ivnoa’s 9e6b70c538 exile would naturally be 17e42caefe the Cerno Ducal House.4a38f7e3ec4bc10b

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“I hope 8604a3e737 the empress 84e3b180ed gives her 13f248d611 a proper 55edeb571e scolding this d8e9b0d213 evening so 476643040b she’ll feel 1473a95e86 grateful tomorrow.”7f0f7935c4c12eab

He lazily propped 35c293b824 his chin on e9ea6291f6 his hand as 0cac74646d he spoke.038594f6cb7fac3b

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● ● ● cf66ecf628577906

2. The Emperor’s True 8f2f8635c7 Feelings7ca8bf210781f246

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 06ce693bee795008

The next morning.c071fd8e4c5561f9

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As soon as I 3e4de4f4f1 rose from bed, a 0465233fc8 maid quickly approached to 42cabd74e4 assist me.4c0890f07b7cff3d

“Princess, did 4c0a94bba9 you sleep d82014868f well?”af1db6528244feab

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“No… I didn’t sleep well.”ce83f1b24274f3b0

At my answer, 6f0972d43f the maid nervously d60546b80e shifted her feet, 0c2b0317cf clearly uneasy.25e7e44797672d44

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“Princess, about yesterday…”72056420ab83fb8e

I slowly 2266df8ed0 sat up, 1cf4181b5f smiling as ef3ef99559 I did.22210fdb7af4508f

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“It’s alright.”bb77baad361a2c31

“But, Princess, you look 9df669c59d unwell. Are you sure you’re 90fbf752c4 alright?”77aa2a2dcb5b82da

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The maid, still worried, a1676b7710 anxiously shifted her feet.b1a3f7961e83e5bb

I answered calmly, though 2ed4bce16c a bit somber.401bbb0fe3fb8c45

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“Of course, my ce531409c4 mind, my emotions, c8b060a2e3 and my mood e1d48c83a4 are all absolutely 4064f09f8e terrible. But physically, I’m 1da803a301 fine. After all, this is c792ccb170 the imperial palace. No physical 7ebaf778c3 harm can f410b081e4 come to 2a0f84853b royalty within f8d8b8c503 these walls.”68a767283f54ab7e

Last evening, as predicted, Anna had summoned me to her chambers and delivered a rather severe ‘warning.’ Of course, Simon hadn’t shown up.e3fadf6f507eacca

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‘I knew 0cc3bd69c4 he wouldn’t 46bd6a84fa come.’ad0c54d4a29c3aa2

The emperor wasn’t 89c3567e58 in a position e0c599a352 to intervene in 3b62cc1532 the squabbles of 097c4a1bb9 children.8ac965f8d97a0773

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That was why he 7abc65e009 had left Anna as 6bab1acf27 Hugo’s protector and Simon 637692bc13 as mine, likely expecting ea8b9b6f20 them to handle matters e8bcf70853 quietly.32137922d9a6c920

‘Well, His Majesty 9858214550 believes Simon is 4b2a0d6aca on my side.’b4383db205b44991

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Even I 4db8a4ae1d had thought d6caab9f13 that in b08ee4e2c9 the past, fc2f1c3bbd so it b4e854530e wasn’t unreasonable 450df0cf7b for the 7290330d18 emperor to 4526b24530 be under 66f2c9746c that impression.85b613692215e80a

‘In truth, f148876a7f Simon hasn’t efd5ad014e completely aligned 2f337453c6 himself with 556b8bea53 the empress 3659a97709 yet.’51524f018ecf9d29

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He was 6b47bfd52d still carefully e05e2d20b5 weighing the 43a73bd5bf situation with 33a3f4b3df his snake-like 518cdfb0b0 eyes.c645a45f5f066157

I slowly got 852bf0a839 up, allowing the 62a86398d8 maid to help 00839f85eb me wash and 4f83364ba8 dress.2dc2186b35bfe4d8

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As I ate bbc8c132e8 breakfast and read fd36cf8442 the newspaper, the fccb538026 maids gradually gathered 948261d37b around me.e5519ba80a55a5fa

“Princess, did you ebbf0ce0f5 sleep well last 375bd2d893 night?”c78362d4c8a837c7

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They approached with d195c380bf the same friendly 5a9ee58ada smiles and gentle bdd4b62170 voices as usual, 0474cc2598 but it was e32a56585e clear they were 94fd21f6ff all watching my 0908653f44 every move.6ec5656d43da8b02

“Princess, were you 5ab297eb3c alright yesterday? We couldn’t b33d4cb7d2 enter the 319bd750fd empress’s chambers, 72e695f7a1 so…”6571f88e4bd3d61f

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All the maids assigned to me were daughters of noble families. They were always kind and affectionate. But…08df944ecdb120c9

‘They’re all 025705ce92 people Simon 4907da26b5 placed here.’0d583b3bad9e3513

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They served as Simon’s 3edda161f7 eyes and ears.90a82150268e59ba

‘Hmm…’91861341b4d9b277

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