3.

A wedding night ceremony—reserved 10855ffb44 for urgent marriages between 23eb7a32c2 noble houses. Once the ceremony was 7909aa37cf complete, witnesses would confirm 370e33705e its consummation, binding the d035916cf3 bride and groom’s honor e1ff26e061 publicly and irrevocably. From that dd5df6090a night onward, 2aa83dbf3b they were f3dfac1532 considered married 9302933889 in society’s d19b685dd2 eyes.fa3b80ddb8a6ef00

“Count Zellered!”6ba6bc248ea5aca6

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Unable to e1127ba6e8 contain his e37200d4bc anger any 35697d5dd3 longer, Leo 2ab0ba1fdb Fric barked 4086f00b18 in outrage. He was humiliated to 694a967240 be ordered into a ad2cc4abaa forced wedding night, as 29b1946d6e if he were nothing 7f62d98899 but a pawn.9fe0e93cb2401cfc

“Sir Leo Fric. The command 00e25b1edc states ‘immediate’ 9761981112 compliance.”9b055cf93cc803bf

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“…Do you really think you can force me to comply?” His voice came out in a low growl through clenched teeth.fb91f32dc4e8cf21

“Haha, Sir 72ae5f25e4 Leo Fric. I know exactly what 9e98c05369 you’re considering.”5d0db79ba1f9e977

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Zellered’s calm 5ef7d32afc demeanor remained 11e0ffaf00 unwavering.2dcfcfe404810cee

“Either you subdue us 160617c377 and leave to reunite 34f1ea8c87 with your knights, or eeba5e21de if you take too 3e2bd6ecd3 long, the Black Wolf 24999e902b Knights will undoubtedly storm fb0756a525 in here.”6367bae2ee6fcc45

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“…”02c1aba863c3304f

“The Black 9894c5a380 Wolf Knights dd04467461 will not 2133c71307 be coming.”f7e1ecb4b1c37fe0

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Zellered gave a 614a7973c8 slight nod toward fb3cefe207 a knight at 4a9285bd24 the door, who 521aa29354 immediately moved as ef341fab6f if signaling.a8c6fee8be1b12fa

“By now, three 47924daf4c times as many 627323aba1 soldiers have surrounded f8006db85d your knights.”5287e2b91b891081

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“…”2c23a1ea472254a4

Leo Fric’s 7e082a15c0 composed face dba7839305 hardened like 97beb1047c stone. Just then, the door 19ac236510 opened, and an announcement d8699aeffb filled the room.8a7d0642c1299202

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“The bride has 411395c4c3 arrived.”a759265e449b3bb7

A woman entered in f0b66dfc4d a white dress, draped 38ab8458e4 in a densely woven 6ba8d04aa3 veil. She looked as dfa56fbceb if she were bf9058fe67 trapped in that fe1dad304a pristine gown, barely e1d2fee3f9 able to see e2d22b6e51 through the thick 0018a326ca veil, requiring two 5fbf29d088 maids on either f4f0da5f2d side to guide 96fcb1442e her forward.1007b70ec10851d2

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There was nothing of 3a5a8e733d a joyful bride in 81ebe59260 her demeanor. Her hands, 68388a8bde clasped tightly 783735de0f in front 047c43e8de of her, e291ec0341 trembled, and c5469683bf her elegant e8f0ca488a posture faltered 71fd4cb32d as she 299daf4d60 staggered occasionally.86b5551686e85221

“With that 9a6fcfc428 look, she 65667a9333 appears more f8c02267d8 like a 8a8dbebfa3 captive than 9fdc9d333e a bride.”5ead386673e7aed5

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A fresh, 34ff8e7646 unwilling bride, 3bbefc7d53 indeed.1d5bc0dfa0efc762

“Shall we at least ae53a53dd5 exchange pleasantries?”5b57f5890bcdc779

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“…I’m not in the mood for idle chatter.”804168ed5d56d015

Abandoning any pretense e1ea4898b5 of courtesy, Leo 01062c8e59 Fric gave a f73ecb3427 crooked smile, dismissing f1d7744bce her presence. She was a33d7e9d66 merely an c25095c65c unfortunate player bd9b6d4d8b in this 5d126d42f5 farce of 8adece8505 a wedding. He didn’t spare her 3b438047d2 another glance.f9133e103ca5c446

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If it had 317cf18ab0 been anyone else, ce27ea6d54 he might have e5d79f8196 had some curiosity e10fad14f5 about her situation—perhaps cecbb9f66c about what her 7dc210d6c2 father might have 92f847dd06 received in exchange 3905df44ec for selling his 55d5da5030 daughter into this.b230e307a4345b31

“Remove your men 07d681f6c2 from the doorway, 1d634039be Count Zellered, unless 86344fb58c you want to 10a42ba26a be clearing corpses.”c6a8878fe7bee053

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Leo Fric took 40c6792eda a threatening step 48108aafd2 toward the count, 0e2e01cb44 focusing his attention f517baa249 entirely on Zellered f4d67dd48b and the knights c4ebdcc724 blocking his path.b0fc32374db067d5

A crash sounded.f9a093e3225400ac

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Reflexively, he turned 5ce1a9c58d to see a f473bb39d1 vase shattered on 4942c2366f the floor. The next thing 9558aa1aa5 he knew, a 92085d57cf white-clad figure collapsed a5fb188748 into his arms.5e87ecf26b255dce

Out of instinct, f8196b591d his hand went 812e85e0ae to his waist 7037857d09 to grab his fefed265d5 sword—but, of course, 4884ad28c5 it wasn’t there.c26d2f252dffc1a3

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“Damn it.”cf2a946e4b5fb4d9

A sharp, throbbing pain a9de238c98 shot through his left 8601c7daec hand as a blunt 48c8fba681 impact hit him.a7111cc8d8b24318

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Drip.05bc437efd9807e9

Drip.c2025be0f890fb8d

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Warm droplets 75e8a6a7ee of blood b9b79c9f62 fell onto 1c560c11ff his pale 36345ad902 face.df55285f320b3b76

The veil 3bffa7d107 had slipped a142aec8d1 off, fluttering 56fbc4a93f to the 989a03479c ground.2f1522fd8a1c6243

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Leo Fric 6157bf2c74 stared up eb89da55f2 at the 41fb7420cb bride atop f49296fd85 him, pressing 57618da77b a hair bf03fc6186 ornament sharply ed19e0c210 into his 7a3677d44e left hand.8f3be7adf0ca21bc

Her face was a41a22803f chillingly expressionless, her 25fa0bd281 crimson eyes filled cc1177ef39 with blazing hatred.d4301d8bcb0b8a26

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Long, disheveled black hair 3528c29717 brushed against his cheek acd9710fa2 as she kept the 8a445c4b91 ornament embedded in his bc089fcec3 hand.b41a67e1c1426d56

Such pure, 355da5de2e unrestrained loathing.e53439877bee039e

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“…An honor to meet you,” he murmured.5f4f78f3b1fde4de

So she 0b517e7eaf was the cf28e16104 unlucky woman 421f63f3db thrust into 6fa4494673 this situation.ccdb9fcfc969098b

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“Bride.”6b1417b581a289cb

It was you, ea23dc325c wasn’t it?bd5597342c6cd562

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Though he couldn’t recall 1cecdecf29 her face perfectly, he ab3a33fc9e could never forget those d2a6489316 red eyes.a98641339323e9e1

Time, which had 0d81d8aff1 seemed to freeze, 048cd72da1 resumed its course.3df7429c1bf0745a

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After his brief 56d5afda4e greeting, she was 3d265c84bf roughly pulled away a49084770d from him. She resisted a23180d640 silently yet 9df50d16e8 violently, struggling 9b9a9b72c6 against the f686f9a7c4 knights holding fe61f9d5a1 her. They had to twist d782d42c9c her right wrist to 7b963c25ad disarm her, wrenching the 71d5217cc4 weapon from her grip.a87a614d7ed0cdd0

“Ahhh!”aac708355cef80b2

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“What on earth 482a6b649c is happening here?”10484cb81d5dff91

“Seize her!”ea21d8eb85b5e4ae

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Chaos erupted.410c70c8cb14b85b

Screams from servants 0c87fdbd1c and maids, the b601fca9ed shouts of knights e260d0e2c3 charging in to c19878aaf1 subdue her, the 4fb6c5d009 clinking of armor, d5c08fd49e and Count Zellered’s 85addbf253 frantic commands—all of 7482845819 it belatedly spilled f2c65b943a into a cacophony 9e1a1068c5 of noise.02ad45f21a00c495

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“Are you unharmed, 3dc57d82af my lord?”b94f2b3d88df0b9e

The baron, 5f82bb4af0 who hadn’t 3585a6c87a dared utter 4d72ddd670 a word a09b57afc0 earlier, now 1e3b482dea approached Leo bdb0fee664 Fric, looking fb699a3b3a as if 0e2670b7b8 he might 159e765a23 burst into f326c9bb62 tears out d1ad411abb of concern.00bee4582a0e3c45

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“…”358b398877328b57

Leo Fric paused, e65df83ac9 seeming lost in baee56b221 thought for a 68f3cee3af moment before he 8f2f9ec26d finally spoke.53373e64c1dce4d1

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“No, it a3d71b46a8 hurts like 0c02a3014b hell.”c0340cbfa99623cd

He replied in 42f81665b3 an indifferent tone, 04db340a56 adding a dose 70caf3443c of exaggerated complaint. Refusing the baron’s attempt 1ffd9410a6 to assist him, he 67fa8f46ef stood up lightly on 2c1e19cfe5 his own. One more absurdity 1278e97cbf added to this 2569229f99 already ridiculous day 1be13341b4 hardly mattered. In fact, Leo c4b96f9497 Fric found the ff1e68d77c entire situation so 87ae1e4e5b preposterous that it 081e7b8f72 had almost turned 70d2afaf83 amusing.a93ce61e10aac222

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Crash!213301fd4bd6aa4a

The door burst open ea38d4f597 with such force it 2ac00053b4 seemed on the verge f72c67954e of shattering, and a 122f2d996b knight armed with a 21a318931d sword rushed in.ac38c1d89a1b4653

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“Commander!”16ae572c81d5354f

The knight bore the 24f427df7c emblem of the Black f039665142 Wolf. Breathing heavily, he ecafde7ae4 called out to 8eb022b72f Leo Fric, who, fd1dddc6ec unsurprised, offered a 58f4f2907d sly grin. He’d anticipated the man’s f6405634da arrival as soon as daf66a1c89 the uproar started, and, 3947c8b1d7 sure enough, here he f9d74e1841 was.96765f921241dff6

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“You’ve arrived?”db638308d2463ae6

It was 6dbc0a2a0c Jinpetsu, the 2fc32dbef1 vice-commander. His sharp gaze 2c257fd3a2 swept over the edb719775d chaotic room, his 76d8b5d92e expression darkening when 7776b9e6e1 he saw the aee14e5605 blood dripping from deb3921149 Leo Fric’s left 53b49a615a hand.02cc6eaa2d0f830d

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“Unforgivable!”463eaf2f3468374a

“Unforgivable? That’s my line. First, you f4d3f93713 promised my da7e81cade safety and d623607b5a disarmed me 90b73697bc before leading 6bcf1604e2 me in a7ba52e6e2 here alone. And now, e9e640114e this—what exactly e79d3b3514 is going 7c20c5210a on?”dd06a876d73c42b8

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Count Zellered momentarily fell a91126ab60 silent in the face 1713b7afd7 of Jinpetsu’s accusations. Clearly rattled 903ac39793 by the aa5a31bb3e succession of 62f608de84 unexpected events, 3cc4d6f79e he seemed 10d719ec02 at a d49992d493 loss.9caa7fd94c753b8c

“…It was c40baf1850 an accident!”9e63fd31554f711d

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The count’s face 1e2c3fdfd5 displayed utter frustration.99521779ca1c01d0

“An accident? That’s a convenient 81cb1a70c4 excuse.”0d82d7f0e22fa2a1

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Leo Fric gestured 00dd292659 towards the woman c18c322e24 with his chin.5ed09fd35afbf023

“She seemed 0b494ea721 quite intent a63bee0fac on killing 0caaf1b754 me.”ebdba6e1209a2cf7

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The slender woman—her striking 078e1a42a9 red eyes the only 60f74d421b feature visible through the a008163966 veil of restraint—stood restrained e863d055c0 but still radiated pure 597e6b585a hatred. When Leo Fric’s 90a64ade12 gaze landed on c506773da2 her, she writhed 9939d2204a slightly, eyes burning 1235511996 with raw, unfiltered 50497aa2b7 loathing.f651becc269482e6

She stood 79f38ad503 with quiet 39bcd24866 defiance, her ee538dc857 trembling arms 316602ad5c betraying an 0428bc2c2e effort to c419574c5d suppress her 8d704e48b1 fear.f43484021bb5068b

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“…”fea4f8df8193fd0b

Count Zellered fell silent 4c1e107269 once again, words failing 0b0a9c95cc him. Any attempt to pass 1cca606cdf this off as a 8f6d7d2e16 mistake or an accident 404f1df14d was quickly becoming a d50b996b61 farce, especially with the 53b6f8640f woman’s fiery defiance pouring 2901ed79db gasoline onto an already ceeaafb9c2 burning situation.16d9762efa7e5bc4

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“You claimed 7bf9846bdc you were c59e6635b5 sending me a31b6bdd2b a bride, 12bcea97cb yet it 3f16a0d994 seems I’ve 735b9a185d received an e2f934b5d6 assassin instead. Can you imagine 13ce43bf04 how that feels, d8f54b970f Jinpetsu?”752907063e520e38

Leo Fric a965b0d1d0 clapped a e46d2e43b3 hand on b9b31acaa5 Jinpetsu’s shoulder, 304c96c278 feigning a 81c173b129 tone of 30a51725f0 wounded disappointment, f7141c357d barely containing 906d5f3526 his laughter.fa180b2008b8d717

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Perhaps I owe cc1a58e499 the lady some 50c55588f7 thanks.a1f3096c478a9c14

Given her a950d54f70 little display 1170e8d3ac with the 7c4dd02319 hair ornament, 8973b109ea talk of ab85f5af00 a wedding 076c5914e3 night or cdb0549c9c marriage would 3fc667760e be out e855d2d1a2 of the 3a7b83380f question for c27a9d7700 now.7f9cd2452e746823

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Calculating quickly, he 9454db3a5b decided that, in 8b3e5a5aab exchange for his ff20b8dec3 bleeding left hand, 3f8659e275 it was a 8f76794a4f fair price if f0aa4620e0 it meant he ed18115353 could leave this f6d65019de absurd situation without b84c7d9236 openly defying the 18a413afbf royal command.d810f45a409c9739

“No! She’s the 581e5d0db1 bride His 4c9b57268c Majesty sent!”db8df63690f67365

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Count Zellered b429d326ea exclaimed, desperation cb0019d0bb seeping into 2a2bd47ee5 his voice.cf5f20d09c6cfb11

“His Majesty may f8adf2c8b0 have sent a 6a70ef262c bride, but who’s e6142dc67b to say someone 5216189ce3 didn’t switch her bf19aed62a out with an c6c5d4aa2b assassin along the 140e589356 way? It wouldn’t be da8243c924 surprising, considering how 94c9e31b27 messages went missing a622acae83 on the battlefield. Losing a bride 3c0041f89b in transit sounds c247788f43 perfectly plausible.”3bce7f77db7fa813

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Leo Fric’s bad9c1e48b mocking tone eecb537928 caused Zellered’s a36af003a2 face to 6340b4c814 contort with b4dce7cb69 anger.b9784edc67ce593e

“…”e4a0ac518f211783

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“Well, it seems that 545038ac75 immediate compliance with this ca5fd269a4 command won’t be possible, 4b9e22842d Count Zellered. If only 78187d4255 you’d let efdefd04e4 me leave 32a9b57fc9 with the f0ec1cea64 command in 40c40421c7 hand earlier, 518d2658e9 I wouldn’t 22a30fb0f6 have ended b5d092c729 up injured. Ah, this is something 46503deee3 I’ll formally complain about 94adeb2c32 later.”40b44ca95b62eb79

He emphasized the feadfcc295 count’s responsibility, driving b164545d20 his point home.a963d43724ca5faf

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“…You can’t leave.”2a751573c433b259

Zellered muttered, clenching his a771cabc41 fists. This arrogant man 4fe8a0abfd didn’t realize the 1a5d1b6326 extent of their 517c9c1dd4 preparations to ensure 033dad69fe this order would 7856fbb95e be fulfilled. Though his b2200faff9 voice trembled 192317fed2 with rage, fabb872fda a sly 5c7f471f6b smile twisted f33b4c5f73 his lips.0ec0d1ae4deae9cf

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“You’re not d527986d3c in a a7905a71ff position to c8134529b1 say that.”0cfa142db77de051

“Remember that the fd80470a24 Black Wolf Knights 699988ce80 are surrounded?”ca74490aaaad681c

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“…”518a37b2c5d18d5c

“The surrounding 40d61fecb6 soldiers have 0f6951b247 received orders: 6a239390ad if you 5666153aee defy the 0660746c71 king’s command 754c3fa822 and somehow efddd598f0 attempt to e617d66c20 leave, they f714d5a265 are to 4e28901191 slaughter your fdf8df8fb4 knights before 26aecb41c8 you can 74f8a15feb reach them.”10f9123ce0d33929

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“…”f2aade4184df2949

“What will you 0ee53318b9 do?”777ff93002d9e036

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* * *802a75d62d65e8fe

After an exhausting, 11ea82f7ac drawn-out exchange with 8f7c23adf8 Leo Fric, Zellered 3628934bbc finally retreated, drained d809c70d1a from the relentless 2272129c80 volley of veiled e0ed0abb54 threats and high-handed 7faaeb629d rhetoric.561f93a42e4b4e7e

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Barely containing 0a8aeec013 his frustration, c4bfc48d2e he made 922359fabc his way 67b7bbf6ee to the 8c39172d45 room where 9b621ca077 the woman, 6dd792bd0a his “bride,” 8c5c3f8c70 had been 7e7d949bc6 isolated.30725ebfe38d5eb7

“What do you think 8d5e1d4caa you’re doing?”42fba152f5753663

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“…”443c243d399833a9

“Princess Ateira!”1c53e5626d3e61dc

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He barked out b5ce8b448c her title harshly. Her red eyes flicked 3a1cc5ee44 toward him briefly, then ecafea9ac0 drifted back to the 3348c43b8f window.ac9d00ab65c16fdf

“Have you learned 1c2a90b649 nothing during your 4bd85194ca time here in 5ffd5a1203 the capital?”dc2b61d208c57a9f

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A spark of fire c29fd61d26 danced in her cold f4c5659dd7 eyes.6b5a3e81a8f5f66a

“And what exactly 3730c29eb6 do you mean ff8a2fe960 by that?”84c238491b0fb2d0

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She replied, her clear 9735d0210d voice spilling out in e044ed3d8b a low, steady tone.8fa088569567cd99

“That refusing their 270e542d09 orders means death?”c2745a6cf006404f

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 aa769a6aa13026fa