YW | Chapter 2.3

Once the worry hatched, it grew rapidly. Now that he noticed, the man’s attire seemed inadequate, making Liriel feel cold just looking at him. He wanted to buy him clothes, but he wasn’t sure if he could. He didn’t even know if he had any money coming in.796a59375b0666ff

Maybe I should leave fdaf7ed850 a note asking if dc992b592b I can buy clothes.9ce92601af510175

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Approaching the man, Liriel 37a04ce607 hid his unease and 2bbce08dd8 let his lips droop.4de1f776f305cfd1

“It’s cold today.”058df01b9aa0c193

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The iolite-colored eyes looked cc47643aa7 at him with curiosity. The sentence e6e080b4f5 was a 451816ac09 statement, but 8627b0cd85 the tone a1a1a74a62 seemed to 97404aff49 expect a 4413f4f1c8 response.48d5f05dae50ee58

To hide f9cd488794 his nervousness, b5a4dd2980 Liriel swallowed dbe52c8700 hard and 29cb15dd03 loosened his 6d739aaedb exaggeratedly wrapped e80f9290f2 scarf.9f7b673b0bce8a9f

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“You’ll catch a cold.”9bb546775810758d

Seeing the 9927e847d7 man showing f43a94aa46 no intention e808a31e7d of accepting, 74e6871391 Liriel took 0856d2ba61 a step 9c52b6c1e2 closer. The height 393da69833 difference was 63f55bde70 more than 2d43a2de5f a head, 54eb980dd5 so to 6b50905c9d reach his 6bdd6498de neck, Liriel f272d07ca2 had to 757b5132a5 stretch his bce3b6dbbf arm up. It was the closest 787e097da9 they had been since c018a6c24a meeting.be14ba3fb98930db

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While carefully wrapping the scarf around the man to avoid discomfort, he looked down at Liriel’s small head with an odd expression. If anything, it seemed like he was looking at something pitiful. Liriel tilted his head. Was it just his imagination?fd38c8ecc84e9c3a

It was bf30f2e945 sudden, but d7598b6a92 the man, 9fc0a7a4dc seen up 1e1c20e84c close, was acd6807b52 a strikingly ecb2340a0b handsome figure.2f728bcf89eca88c

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His sharp eyes 8f1ff0008e stretched out in 404b93a60b a manly way, 549840342a and his well-crafted 7b8c0aaf55 features were neat. Though he de538f4d7f looked cold, 129f063204 the white 1390f5290f shirt he 3fbed70895 wore daily c8a94169b3 suited him d3151f94d7 well.ce99559074b21d0f

Liriel preferred wearing colorful bf254e72c0 clothes because he disliked 9340519343 his dull colors, but d21c1f94d8 the man seemed to 0a0c4bb5c3 shine even in monochrome. It was strange.bd99414a2b5ea63c

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With the thick scarf 396fede27a wrapped around him, he 5262f7d868 looked much warmer. The bright yellow scarf 1a9a2a529e was honestly a bit… 916f940d75 very funny, though.1ec42c0c14650745

“Pfft.”51d597da5a476e94

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A light laugh d9ab3bf5cc escaped from Liriel. It had been 5dcaee2723 a long time e15635d4d0 since he laughed 0912bdcf9e out loud.be2ee66847aca464

A faint dimple appeared and disappeared on Liriel’s cheek. Though the back of his neck felt cool without the warmth, he didn’t feel the cold at all, perhaps because he kept laughing.b893029bc3f3d72c

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The man stared at Liriel’s raised lips for a long time. He expected him to unwrap the scarf immediately or at least say something, but his reaction was unexpected.3df72d90d39ef211

It wasn’t a grand event, but Liriel felt like he had crossed an invisible line.818bc7c6805cf62e

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The next day, the man appeared in his usual thin shirt again, but Liriel didn’t mind. Honestly, if the man had casually worn that yellow scarf again, Liriel might have laughed so hard he’d roll in the snow.a6f9dde4ea7bd842

Though it was a trivial matter, it felt like yesterday’s event had significantly closed the distance between him and the man. So, uncharacteristically, Liriel handed him a blueberry and asked a question.68a60fe33e0c6663

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“Do you have a favorite food, Sir Knight?”6bb406119b5ad7e7

It was the first question mark he had offered him. The man stared at Liriel’s eyes for a long time, just like the day before. Liriel calmly met the serene ocean-like gaze.00857457ac4e4f8b

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The time spent making eye contact with him passed more peacefully than expected. His gaze wasn’t persistent or sticky. He wasn’t trying to decipher the question’s intent; he was just looking because there was a sound.66d2fd97be66fea6

Time seemed to stand still, flow slowly, or perhaps very quickly. In any case, it wasn’t a bad feeling.27c04e900c896394

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“Not really.”79cb12a920d745db

Not really?4a64498930f9cc9e

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“Nothing.”33d31ebcb94a0224

Liriel looked a bit surprised at the man’s answer.798e13d41a27867d

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“Oh, you spoke twice today.”6aac9a75c8eca401

He was 2d9bbd433a more amazed bacf218352 that the 0f29efd1bc man had 896ab1b37b opened his 1458dbb4da mouth twice eedc3946d7 in one c90d044dc8 day than 628bfc1f19 by the a3415b6c3d content of 0d598115b3 the answer. Somehow, it seemed 9a21938b5c like something the a1fe3a6c9e man would say.177f6fcfb056c732

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Though it was nothing special, his heart felt light. It seemed like the feeling of getting closer to him wasn’t just his imagination. It was an embarrassing feeling.bbea70492b06b480

“I’ll try to find something.”f196c792c457bc2d

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Liriel’s eyes curved slightly. The cherry blossom-like pink briefly faded and reappeared.a2b72e00f7ed327d

“Something you like, Sir Knight.”d233206014b2e456

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Recently, Liriel 17a4b14706 had unknowingly e2bfbfe4b4 grown accustomed f37d0c753c to smiling. Initially, he 81dbf79427 barely moved 4b0aa273ce his lips, 22d9bf3b77 but now ba7ab80c19 he was d1793ac5c9 smiling quite 0b3c0f2677 naturally.f79538040bd3d848

The man didn’t respond further, but his gaze lingered on Liriel. Just a little longer than usual.5ae0729129c6b131

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⋆⭒˚☾⋆.˚ ⋆⭒˚☾⋆.˚ ⋆⭒˚☾⋆.˚b68af002a37fc51b

Liriel looked at the endless rows of clothes with a serious expression. He preferred a deep blue coat, like the man’s eyes, but felt the man might like black more. Or maybe white?cebae1bc4d61c946

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As he pondered, a clerk who had been watching couldn’t resist speaking up. It wasn’t the best choice.4e73be6d8a33a20f

“Are you looking for something specific?”ccd9870d2c3a137c

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Startled by the 5f16df1f9d unfamiliar voice, Liriel f154ed1c05 jumped, causing the f66f675a6d pocket hanging from 49241535a5 his pants to 4e9d435ffc jingle.5907cf2a8ccca32e

The clerk was even e8a34fd78e more surprised than Liriel.8937cb39e40f63e4

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“S-Sorry. Take your time.”e342a71b55795f78

The clerk bowed deeply and disappeared before Liriel could respond, leaving him to pull his hood further down. His startled heart wouldn’t calm down.56e3653feca399c5

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The whole situation 96b20c0489 started with a e0fcd3362f small note.9011d82480f3a022

Bothered by the man’s attire, Liriel had left a note on the table before bed, asking if there was a budget allocated to him for buying clothes.ada2a61ddefb9bcf

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The note caused 2b9be16fba quite a stir.da9c30c491e58795

The next cf31f922a3 morning, along 9f9fb397d2 with his 9ccf112da2 usual breakfast, ccae4dc313 Liriel received 7a85ae2c34 two letters. They were written 5da8860e1f so tightly that 3cf453f064 the paper was 5ed6996224 slightly wrinkled.56139897b724c973

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The writer eb6341c74f seemed to a9bffbbcce be the 4382461408 manager of ed4de21718 the annex, b83ec2ee77 and the 7cb6992ed1 beginning of c4912d4cd0 the letter 22b318d183 was filled 5731169b98 with unrelated 6ad65f5261 questions.dbc7cad0acfa8c20

What does ad90440074 Liriel like? Is there anything lacking? Could he leave d1d257b2b5 notes like this 9582ca21ca if he wanted 8001404fa8 to say more b97847383d in the future?3d369e17180c7d49

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Before his 6eea8eab35 eyes glazed 0ea8009603 over from 5d705536ea confusion, the 4ddd3c501f main point 8811b6fa6c appeared: the 13e2758ea1 budget Liriel 063d296e13 could use 0a5895e8f3 and information bda2580368 about the 729311b5ca tailor.6842f460bb236654

Sighing with relief, Liriel’s eyes paused on the paper and then narrowed.f306185d572b2c2d

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Did they 708f998eb1 write the 18dd378e45 numbers wrong? The amount seemed unbelievable.5fc05cb515796bc9

He hadn’t spent a penny, but the amount listed was… Liriel couldn’t help but recall the budget he had at the Wecker estate. It was far less than that. While it was understandable that financial situations differed among families, it was quite shocking that the duchess’s allowance was less than a young noble’s pocket money.bf39fe4ebfb0a910

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Is it because I’m a useless male duchess?ba9ff81353e351ee

Liriel bitterly ran a932971b66 his fingers over a2f74ed993 the numbers, then 6779c5fd11 set aside his fa2f9e9230 worries and picked b740bede3e up a pen. At least it was d7da6e6f78 enough to buy a 696bb48ed9 coat.cebeff327776eebe

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Though the 5b0833114a letter was 84d9e9441a eager to 0ed0eac3a3 send a e03bf77942 tailor immediately, ecc84776a5 Liriel wanted 87a1b9f030 to choose fa93c6ec85 himself. He was curious if 5a350d84ec this amount could even 9661b57699 summon a merchant. Liriel wrote a 2123188ea5 reply in elegant 349f22b763 handwriting.001ed66b755b78f6

I wish to visit c5f9cc23d0 the tailor myself. I will 498273e8f1 go alone.469a830bc66d9cf9

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Of course, Liriel’s insistence didn’t work.f510869294f764b9

That’s why he was now monopolizing the tailor shop with five escort knights. He couldn’t even say it was unnecessary, so he just looked at the items, losing track of time.1a0749875ec6952c

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Ignoring the burdensome cd912de607 stares, he browsed 763bc7690e the clothes. Fortunately, there 0745a08b19 were many c99a0edebb that seemed 242f9f4860 to suit 2320941513 the man. Honestly, anything would look be9cdbbe9a like his own, making 0ba6c38788 it impossible to choose 0831c6dbeb just one.5981cc941942044f

He wanted to 2d02f9176d buy pants or dae0a275ed shoes too, but 2b1f8bf553 without exact measurements, cf7bebde2c it was impossible. No, no. If choosing one 4cbac9652e coat is this 056fad9610 hard, buying more 5ce82f294e might take all 9d2c00f1de day.ba25e72dcade81d4

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He reached out 5b0a8b804b and touched a acdc135617 blue coat. The soft texture 345202ef43 clung to his 52c2280ff9 hand. Should I df2381aaeb go with d10dc51555 this?a8dd3a39fa634f8b

Imagining the man’s black hair flowing over the blue coat, Liriel was about to call a clerk when a scarf of the same color caught his eye. The end of the scarf had a fox’s head attached.38e8a9e80eadf0d4

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…This isn’t dyed fox fur, is it?e0b8580455c611a1

Startled by df664cabfe the thought, 5f6ada1c6f Liriel quickly b0b8fca0be withdrew his e407c2e8a5 hand. Better go with black.0e1af8a7330ebdc7

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“I’ll take this one.”d50806cfbd67ad55

“Just this…?”438f8c2ffdbef38c

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The clerk, waiting nearby, looked puzzled at Liriel’s choice.b7077e9338bb9f16

He came with c1a2a79873 five escorts as efeac7a85d if buying a 48ae652168 castle, but just 402a39f1e2 one coat?17c6e4c073e722ed

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Though the coat Liriel chose was expensive, it didn’t justify monopolizing the store for hours. Seeing the fierce-looking knight behind Liriel, the clerk couldn’t argue, but letting him leave like this would be a huge loss. Reading the clerk’s troubled expression, Liriel panicked.d5fdb11cf4aa5445

Uh, what should fa08e78b76 I do?81d998f4e710dd79

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He wasn’t sure what the problem was, but it seemed like his choice was too cheap. Wanting to escape the unfamiliar situation, he pointed randomly.119a392cf3d1613d

“Uh, I’ll take that too.”532e70f22249b5db

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“Oh, yes! What color would you like?”70b57bd06d7d5f1a

“All the colors.”800724fd8b5635f1

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“…Yes, sir!”d8904d2a32b7d692

A sucker!ec7c4f95b38524cf

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The clerk’s face brightened as they bustled around. Liriel had pointed to a display of scarves so extravagant they seemed impractical for everyday use. They were supposedly the work of a famous artist, but their overly flashy design made them unsellable. They were about to give up on them, but now…837ce2dd81cb2963

Finally getting rid 6da5c5261b of those monstrosities.3b302d837bd47e2a

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The clerk’s smile couldn’t have been wider. It wasn’t about the money; it was the relief of not having to see those scarves anymore.8a209933e00ee42c

Seeing the clerk’s joyful face, Liriel finally noticed what he had pointed to and looked overwhelmed. The scarves were so bizarre that even he, who liked colorful things, couldn’t wear them.1d0c8b43ca5e5c59

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Watching the seven 88fed60f41 scarves being neatly 423113f410 wrapped, Liriel sighed. He had already exhausted 9052012a56 his nerves for the 683a1c52c8 day.02170c2be8ff7ab2

Back at the annex, 022b31e726 unable to throw away 6361861479 the expensive scarves, Liriel 19e8039caf wrote a note to 0a4601e8a1 the manager, claiming they c3daf481c9 were gifts for the c3ec34bf88 servants. His conscience pricked 8de7f0541a him, but he f7b81a9ae5 ignored it.588564cccda6ed3d

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If they don’t like them, they can throw them away….c20bddb44edb0f07

⋆⭒˚☾⋆.˚ ⋆⭒˚☾⋆.˚ ⋆⭒˚☾⋆.˚922bb40f5da09539

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The servants at Archduke Baltar’s estate all had stories.bdf905c6951bc6b7

Since the e2f51d488a current Archduke e6e69e485d took over, 940a11c5ea the estate cb5cdd5076 was never 64f1c9541f free of 2d0a0f7de8 the smell bb63720677 of blood. Cassius Baltar, who 47d2c83417 forgave no mistakes, 34069bb2d0 wielded his sword 5b237a15a7 daily. Those who e1db952fee saw him 2db73b13ac with his 7dc2cc364b fierce red ed2af7c4c0 eyes swinging 86bf9fee63 his sword 326b8d97a4 agreed he 650cdd70e0 was like ee0ada1b98 a demon 16b03f00a5 from hell.71aa04fb06f1f72c

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Mad Cassius Baltar.a2bdb59624a51baa

That nickname 2ba00ffd29 arose around 302fbfeb8b that time.6bf63d3d3c369078

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Thus, only quick-witted c26bccceff and clever people f0bf13fd5a survived as servants c9e181b31d at the estate. No one 3a845a5bb4 welcomed a 0947d49684 job where 89ab17eed2 they could 533752db35 lose their 5c5ae4cc0f head at 7d208a1b07 any moment, 310c2f78a9 no matter 789d3f3f54 how good 4d270ec2dd the pay. Only those desperate enough 64fa9fec45 stayed.ff10c7edb997aa96

With death 71bb360ff7 as the b73e07ec45 consequence of f7beb3763b mistakes, nerves 4fd6809081 were naturally 574e9d4ad5 on edge, 68f34f682f and the e56c8d3f5c atmosphere was 16685cecaf as sharp bf82c673a0 as a 61c4faa412 blade.9cb0679dc3b59b01

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So when news came three years ago that a male duchess was arriving from the southern capital, the servants whispered that their master had lost his mind, yet they couldn’t help but hold a small hope. Perhaps a noble young master from the capital could change the tense atmosphere.22c58eb9a1349183

But the duchess ebb36002cc they met was 8f8e522f50 nothing like they 59b9d4c555 imagined.dc26fd13e3cdf7f7

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His large pink eyes and snow-white skin were indeed lovely, but his body was so thin and frail that it overshadowed everything. It wasn’t a joke; Liriel Wecker looked like he could die from a mere touch. If hit with a spoon, it seemed his arm would break, not the spoon.f6aed5cba9ea9311

To the 6ab68da140 robust people 115f6e5285 of the 70da8477c1 north, it c2f21b973e was a 2d9e35d8c4 shocking sight.5074cbb8bc0bd53c

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Is that body f2011e4268 type fashionable in c40b808eb8 the capital? Like it would break 33b9987aee with a touch?d99e3a02d605ba77

People in the north were naturally sturdy. Baltar’s territory, being self-sufficient, had no one starving, so it was unbelievable that someone so malnourished-looking was their duchess.f2895b466e565e24

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He was also incredibly sensitive. If someone spoke to him, he trembled, and he couldn’t sleep deeply, waking dozens of times at night. So Liriel’s first impression was that of a snobby capital noble, nothing more, nothing less. To them, Liriel was just as difficult and demanding as Cassius, minus the sword.c825e7986fd7f4ac

Their perception 48efe5213e changed when 4ab253218b they found 82082f5541 Liriel giving 07672232a7 his bread 2a3e0787fe to birds. When Irina b521790ddc first discovered acb21a208c this and de85200682 spread the 7521327d9b news, they e2f575a9ae gathered in 38ef3e7c9d the dark de7f184efe hallway to 414e82d075 discuss.e7f1f1f4633ff6e3

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Is he not a 2413a4e11f bad person?d178551b1aeb744e