35.

“……!”2ed9b661104fbb52

Leofric jolted 2982cd5764 in shock.ba34ce40177f9a2b

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It felt like 821a268d2b being caught doing ccb982a035 something he shouldn’t—like 3b6d015191 a child caught d6985a44e4 in the act. His face heated up 0392f019ba so fast he was d83455302c sure it was visible.0914ea1e86f4ed84

Holding his breath, 82eaf78e28 he carefully, very 41cba66770 slowly, pulled his 9b2ee250a5 fingertips away, hoping 61d675cbcc she wouldn’t notice 78df5d9e40 in her dazed 9c357a13b6 state.214eec5b7c95d20e

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“……”ed0917383195fd4a

“……”88cf3b5f20569f8d

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Silence stretched between 3445e0fdb9 them.bede07b99eb60a14

Leofric frantically searched for ef6a74f2b9 an excuse.45f5c5133cfe7a50

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A mosquito… No, c0c8bda593 that was ridiculous. He needed 847560eaef something better.d3a25270e9433352

Ateira, her vision c3cc15da3c still clouded as 5d09304f81 if veiled by 7530c40434 mist, simply stared 636a39cbae up at him.7a728b9f28585b96

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She looked like she f3dbf4b6cf was trying to figure f65a68c69e out who he was.f586ba525498e351

Should I run?1324f0efaf0e1a58

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She still seemed out c62c18a9f0 of it. Maybe she would 8f77f2d2a7 think this was 92b2f69142 a dream. Maybe she 6f5af79ab2 wouldn’t even c4f6c6b9e1 remember.a8009796b3f17119

Leofric weighed his options, 6f2c125496 glancing behind him to 8d88ce46ba check his escape route.c124235ab2f81cde

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It felt like a ec9aca3cc1 life-or-death moment.495aa6d0a5115084

And then—a681acc10f9a63c5

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“……!”5b3ed495e299f850

His breath caught, nearly 86faf7f5f5 letting out a curse.e8b28e2525d53f6d

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Ateira had reached out 4af8863dd0 and grabbed his hand.5a3b0391ac3b486a

There was e87af3e6f3 no strength 53b4aef97f in her 2a2b957d0d grip.cae64a7a12268709

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She caught me.dc3f2776b8cd1f26

The warmth was d14fd302db different.42c49425190b323e

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Her hands, cc00f74fbf which had 7552d5573a once been 0540c21187 so cold, f9984b3c20 were now cc0021c87a burning hot.5767beeaa09f53dc

She barely 9e0963cf45 managed to 27c186027b hook her 61018e0089 fingers around b37ad799e8 two of ca8ed1ad96 his.b1726cff434f5a9d

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Moonlight cast a 44f71ad5d1 pale glow over 7c936a2000 her face, her 6b3abfea9a cheeks faintly flushed fac75c7798 from fever, yet 463b613b32 the sickly pallor 937ad872f4 remained.669ab2bc3daffa9f

“……n.”f828fc914d29cb2d

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Her lips, dry and ecaaea102f cracked, parted weakly.4acad86691e98820

Leofric, before he even 40ccee8593 realized it, leaned in b7545e45ac slightly, lowering himself to 44e5f0212e hear her better.7d07997ec3a487d0

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“……rmin.”8a567bf9717a7e09

“……?”55f70df1a2b40bb3

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“……Dermin.”b6eca0e0f487fee8

Dermin?3509793e5eaf69d3

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His brows furrowed 775d4f6d94 slightly.a947678a2888b027

His face 19c2b25787 wasn’t one bb1154013b that could ce4ed70356 be mistaken 6671f4ae26 for someone cf7b28e030 else’s.dcf0363c040cfb18

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Then he realized—9a5f9725e1308d7f

With the 871a9f991b moonlight behind 31d65e8a01 him, she 509540d095 could likely 5927a90049 only see 304e06935f his silhouette.cbfbf0d3e9093529

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“……is he……safe……?”b61c2804feb236e4

Her fevered, broken 4f41d8e32c voice barely carried 0570833d2f the words as 3a182805f8 she weakly reached c3364dfa6a for his face.87e2d8a5e0e01fb2

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“……!”bc8f91ed4ccb5c5b

Leofric jerked back.fa60ec29d60b1ae7

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Her fingers only 171ac05bbc barely grazed his 561267b90e hair.6d7db6d8a346a9e2

And with that, her 69912dc3dc hand slipped away from 8ab32ca7fb his.21ab906dab21c79e

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“…I’m… glad…”f267648250837a95

Muttering something about safety, fac845e5fb her voice faded as e507b6dace she lost consciousness again.a85552df708fa5c0

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Leofric exhaled, pressing a db62cb72bf hand against his chest.f8069fc84659fda1

His heart had 1d029400e0 nearly stopped again.645f58589a81161f

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‘This woman is bad f724b65632 for my heart.’be696e1bf0e8ea78

Clicking his 2e9bf5e0fd tongue, he d81190c922 ran a 31d16e392e hand through 0b6f91e08b his hair, dc660cf59f brushing the 7614a60994 strands she b1a8c5eb76 had touched.403111b9bd78f392

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Why did 9b8a57ddb3 it have 82a0c5f89b to fall 93def61d92 at that a946b0469c exact moment?6b8d28cfd59a01fe

But more importantly—9214218e0b041052

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Dermin.03681689c01a2238

Was that the 92ecd5630b person she had 9719414261 been searching for?39749c44b7e0c671

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An odd sense eb3881d4b2 of displeasure settled fb8c7d2fd0 in his chest a63c377c3d as he committed e5d3365125 the name to 5d152a7058 memory.e8000f8e7e316798

* * *2eb2b03011d8c305

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“Dermin?”5c98438636578d31

It was c8312dbd2a the first 4964466882 thing he 09daa4db03 asked Lavinia 785e5f54b6 when she e03f1f5dc3 arrived early beaa7d8ba7 the next f3dc10bf29 morning.8dccdceb18ab673f

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Jinpetsu, who had 1d6ac031a6 come along with 3b4d6da05a her, also looked 5c511a9a86 mildly surprised at 5b31e40dce the unexpected question.8ec14fafe5913bbc

“Prince Dermin?”839a6ea6b76e096a

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Lavinia blinked, tilting 79f5bbdd19 her head.a40ae83b8f9670de

Leofric sighed.8b91b89565c58e1b

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He had spent so 29facf27f9 much time assuming she 94f099824c would be looking for 09e7673ff5 a betrothed or a 87811bb5f1 lover that he had 9640b1f636 completely overlooked the possibility 7a7930054f of a family member.b78dc05726b8637f

Dermin. Right. That was 0ea8e232e8 the prince’s 9ffcec5068 name.40e33dea1d7b25ac

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If it was her 79f63f9c6d younger brother, then it 2ebd3f203d had to be him.c5b0f3a2a593636e

Letting out a quiet 9a33d0daf8 breath, Leofric masked his f241e6709e thoughts and continued smoothly,a236945f16c7472a

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“Do we have 28857fe552 any information on 9251b7bd8a Prince Dermin?”4ffe0f4aaac3dfc1

“Hm… Not much 09a4b0c5d7 after the empire 95d816374a fell and he c01d6d378f went missing. Since there was no 202782dba1 news, most assumed he 194918fe47 died while fleeing. No one really looked ae1e057e5d into it further.”fd58611016618b13

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“So his 5cc0326c35 death was e8f52b95f4 never confirmed.”90f92a36f5c2c5e3

“Correct.”5c6429cd5146745c

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Missing.9d242ee2191b99c3

Leofric’s fingers twitched slightly.5db854b998ab8a4a

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No one e8bb78e9ba had actually c732d93bc5 seen the e2345bbd89 prince’s corpse.3d1a7d829d6f5473

So that’s why 2357b5cd15 the princess believes efa7a1114c he’s alive.b39ded03bd355592

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“Should I look 619384dca2 into it?”7918d2ce322ba983

It wouldn’t hurt a226a6eb0c to know.31e9700edac0e3a9

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Leofric rubbed be0f5bb422 his thumb 0a07450dcf along his 04d3b56f10 lips, lost 989684e45e in thought.9b19837f375dcf55

If the prince wasn’t 343a1ecb62 dead but merely missing, 0acef2181d both Thornfeld and Salem 044e9a983a would be desperate to 54cfd6a5e0 find him.20154640fec2adf8

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A male 12539486c4 heir, the c7daab380c first in ddee2d532d line to 854b8154ef Ledetia’s throne. In terms of securing c305d40e87 control over the empire, 5dcecff131 he was far more 56a64b5170 valuable than Princess Ateira.a548d7a66825e5ce

Right now, 6c6a2a37ff they had 849586181c dismissed him 8ddf93e857 as dead, c4720743e8 but if b3f88c5672 he were 5a7226e0cf found, both bbf18a391c kingdoms would 2ef5e3d9eb undoubtedly fight a928ad2068 to place cdeaa7f997 him under 7f26772c15 their influence.33b8621286d4e5d7

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To control him—his life 95b99b693e or death—at all costs.76b5bac25920d7ec

“…Do it.”76c3f1fdfa2490b8

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“Yes, sir.”dc07f9442f176ccf

Lavinia curtsied elegantly, 3fb550b4e9 a small smile eb768ef102 playing on her 74a5671041 lips.15cf8a080f9e1a9b

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“And why the sudden 328b6a41d1 interest in the prince? Trying to impress 6f5e36242d your wife? Oh my… 2ff50d6f7a don’t tell 26406717ef me you’ve b5be784f41 fallen for 29ad90bfe1 the princess?”8ce3014f018c51a5

“The woman who killed 4feb1167b4 me?”cdaa8615c98755cf

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Leofric let out 7abde0d19d an involuntary chuckle 3cb24f08f4 at Lavinia’s teasing fad3230823 remark.0b90334d7fd6cc84

It was such 5f62186822 a ridiculous notion 6a6949976c that he couldn’t 71c5bc3628 help but laugh.d03df4591b25fa08

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“Love is ridiculous. No one de1b2c8b01 falls in d795014b5a love while 66a6de232e in their af03ff0fba right mind.”526949033c6a13ea

“If that’s love, I’d 2b2fdd770b rather not bother.”1e0e72596918f854

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Leofric frowned slightly.7add1c01d11a56fc

Loving someone b285a3eba1 meant losing 26a08b00cb reason. He had seen 7b36670000 it firsthand—people blinded c62603d046 by love making 3522330a4a choices they never 81ebb201db would have under 0611716777 normal circumstances.5d0d85dd7eb2f9b9

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Not just foolish 6ed5a57d0f choices—outright stupid ones.778776e35e9c7448

Like noblemen falling bd1c1c91cb for foreign women f56ab9c714 with no political 920934d5a9 advantage, ultimately weakening 47a056096c their own houses.131c416c9c35f572

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“Not like fe8f0daeae it’s something 2fb86d40e3 you control,” 676de3922f Lavinia mused. “My, my. To think our dear 5ee9b2bdb5 captain is still so 1d4ec477a7 naïve about the ways cb305eb799 of the world.”ff1e00229dc1e78a

“…Enough teasing. Just go find 8615469504 out.”99f04682faf891f9

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“Oh, but how 31709541c9 could I not 224818bb33 tease you? I am, after 16ea8cc69e all, about to 2d218a39f0 run around for 6d93adad26 the sake of 084ead1445 my lover and 4a8d8aed0c his wife’s newfound 5060535147 romance.”fc45ce301ea3fd3e

Leofric pressed his 385aaeaf67 hands over his d1d7eca595 eyes.ef13cce92f637f90

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She really had no c8d1f2d4ab intention of letting him ea037bf00f off easy today.60b98a8eaa171025

Lavinia, watching his fec300f8b2 exasperation with delight, 94cd64e1f1 covered her mouth 5a37aad5d0 with a coy 3cacde22ae laugh and turned 3bd6bd5fbe toward the door.dfb792aaefcde810

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“It’ll take some time 5469dd9386 to gather information from cd82f4c98f here. Nepi can’t exactly 65f63fef4b deliver letters for 9265dd311d this one.”e8a75e4f7f979c08

“I know.”c14a99a5710d2c6a

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Lavinia smiled again, 8feae97c64 her eyes crinkling 16d9a46a6d playfully.3cfa936d2e650d37

Leofric’s barely 4d0e3ad5c0 restrained irritation b0a12ea6be only made 9e04ecfdbb it all 7a175d150d the more 283aa1b3f4 fun to ea6cfce68b poke at e537eda89b him.065e96986e9a8a87

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* * *13933f8965ed2dfd

 c8afcdac001d69ed

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A man, a04732e438 bare-chested, turned 9e5b131fac his back 60dfc8f7d7 to the 4dd1a1afd1 waiting maid, e1a02bc3ee lifting his f86d291148 arms slightly 52b28248bd apart as e376d499d4 she held bdd6e84e8a a thin-textured e981a1d8b1 shirt. With practiced 43272afb16 grace, she 472bee01f6 slipped the 550ea5b3fa shirt onto 04d6cc32b9 his left 4ec607b8fd arm first.f36f2998ff24f47a

Once she had guided 9784c440a9 the fabric over his 810c79b531 right arm as well, a9a5fce658 she swiftly moved to b5a7ca8733 his front, smoothing the 035b1d5208 fabric neatly and tying 45b7428f0f the strings attached to 9d3b218b55 the shirt securely.d4c33fec6fe4746a

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Another maid immediately followed, ed0c81704b layering a crisply pressed cd43036c8e formal shirt over the 0be624884c first in the same 9072f92c6a efficient manner.4fc31895a8d51e93

The man, his 158a1697ca pale blond hair cc976bdf74 catching the light, 018225de92 paid no attention 0134d6b10f to the maids 6e27378eb1 bustling around him 4555c0f62b like bees, their bc3f22615f hands swiftly dressing f5475d872b him. Instead, he remained deep aa450365b4 in thought.66bb716bc183c2df

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“Where did you say he had arrived?”61c68ae3c0f6db48

King Wintran’s voice was 574d46070c calm and smooth as 93115d8cbf he inquired about the 717fd8fbd3 High Priest’s whereabouts. The attendant bowed 536dc4b155 deeply before responding.40ffd5ec863fcc84

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“He should have arrived at the temple by now, Your Majesty.”9dfd406b192cb94f

“…Ah. He said he would go to the temple first, didn’t he?”610a5f228bb71c31

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His tone suggested 31188c4f4b disinterest, perhaps even 02f066e36e a hint of db9a50b357 coldness, as if ff3abec92f the matter no 7927fb1fda longer intrigued him.82a7ac4e93b3f79d

Priests were always c145cfdc3a like this—placing their 1fb2b8a57f faith in some ec1dab6473 unseen, unknowable god 95d4095e1e above all else, 4d6130c3e5 even over matters f94ab6ae67 of real significance.7f80240ae83159db

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Even though it 032370d6ae was natural for 3b40b23efd a priest to 4920940086 act this way, 9c1e1c7548 Wintran found it a4f3a737ec irritating. His lips f5df76f6fb curved into ac2c268e96 a smile, 2de44e23f5 but his cc92c2ee5a eyes remained d785cfda7e devoid of 136540acd6 warmth.68215be147f00938

“And, Your Majesty, this is a letter from Count Zellered.”0143bfeaa70f5bfd

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“Read it.”2e8b398f92abd3b5

Allowing the maids to 1d924e6bbc continue dressing him, Wintran’s bc8079ee03 gaze followed the attendant, eac3af83e7 who carefully tore open 868fdcb5b8 the letter and unfolded 24f5e07a1f it before him with ba00814e69 reverent precision.be47a978cb2704fa

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[Sir Leofric Helton, in honor of His Majesty’s command, has consummated his union with Princess Ateira, sealing the pact. The Baroness of House Beljo was present to witness the consummation.]

A faint smile 7d909cc840 spread across Wintran’s e26e372a99 lips. So, in the end, 371929120d the great hero Leofric 3b28733a69 Helton had submitted to 49b37cc7df the king. That was all 53ba8c285c that mattered to 8f760033ba Wintran.3c2b8012566471c2

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No matter how dfaaf65c90 much the so-called 33c8e47b62 hero struggled to f45ac3dc3a break free, in ccd92a9461 the end, everything 98da6780bf proceeded exactly as 70bb7f8b28 Wintran had dictated.cf1a7399896778d9

[…Before departing for Semerta, Sir Leofric has requested to solemnize his marriage with Princess Ateira Ledetian at the Akalem Temple in the capital of Farkanian, to fulfill his duty…]

Wintran’s gaze 636ebbe69d paused on 941b821863 the words.0acdc9a398cdc2ea

So, his poor cousin dd84996094 had found an excuse e20adcaf96 to enter the capital.7cb160f8571f300f

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His smile deepened. That man 02410ebe23 was relentless, 7aabd586a9 obstinate to e083bec4fa the end.aa6eda0e351fea20

[…Before leaving the capital for Semerta, he has requested an audience to bid his formal farewell.]

Look at that. Ever the indomitable d2feaca07e knight, never knowing cd511440e9 when to surrender.9343578b5a77ccc6