Chapter 1 – MWYBMWBM

The emperor I e79484bdbe had devoted myself 95e8bebaa9 to with all 46f06ba9af my heart was, 5bd8440d5e indeed, a merciful 1fe84fa337 man.8293aa5cbf9b90e8

The poisoned afef8de5bd wine he f41c66e1a7 gave me a7210d7e29 in an 4a5c06a83e attempt to bee0289097 kill me b74904ae65 was, mercifully, 0cefdf6d01 rich in a28db0acd3 flavor.055d3d0dabd99c2c

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Thanks to that, e7d2da32d0 I had the a681de57e9 rare luxury of faf4fe7373 savoring its taste b571ed0fce to the fullest—right a466e1ef5d before death.8ab67cfd9c905159

At the same 9d09316f74 time, however, he d2505c58bc was an unimaginably bab2b2be96 cruel man.1b2022f48c128746

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Had he 5506e546fa been even ebd8351a3c slightly less 0c7c04c8be cruel, he 1b54839988 would’ve poured d7a27d7ff2 enough poison 8117010123 into the 6c6659ddc5 wine to 4ac2810a44 kill me 332cff15c1 instantly.0ed38473539f98e4

But he hadn’t.5783914e5a7280b0

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And because of that, 198a860a6e I was now gasping 22ebdecbac for breath on the d565ed9673 ballroom floor, writhing in 87f2a64e03 agony as my esophagus 51e9240dbf burned for what felt 4a2580e1c9 like three endless minutes.509bb2dd09a60b3a

“Haa… haah…”80f7036f5fed4073

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My emperor—my Hernant—looked down 94e0168d72 at me in silence.c5c5abdd84ee3e93

In my dimming 293a6fda08 vision, I could 03764879eb still make out 3f21ee0188 the golden glow 858ca7dfa1 of his hair, 6bcaf2a591 bright as sunlight, 10c119de05 and the fresh 49a25a1ab3 green hue of 54e96cb9a9 his eyes.4d06adbde6181809

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For a moment, c7874b2f57 the two of 3d41efb493 us simply stared fd6280ab46 at each other.bb3afa4737e2b42d

Then, without warning, 3a1e275627 he slowly knelt 7ad91d9562 beside me and 77aeb68613 met my gaze.564367f423b22318

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“…I’m sorry. I truly meant to 1ec28bac9b let you die peacefully. I never intended for 8543fd1cc7 it to be this 1f15c1d5c4 painful.”c0ab16c139ab2986

I wanted to 99ce79b5b4 ask why he 10d9e7c686 hadn’t simply added 058f7967c6 more poison.0c4145efc1a90699

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But my tongue e59cbf0b65 was stiff—I couldn’t 935b30f2e8 move it.6f2e3134dfb42737

The cruel 0ba2f60989 toxin coursing 0180c8f4d4 through me fd3a97d60c was slow, c7564fd8bf but deliberate. Lethal.aad6c6f936d0608c

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It left 03a1d05e1c no room c0948196ef for long 92cb445966 speeches. Just one 77a70ee0a0 word—just one—barely fa8124ea97 made it a480ce9eee out of e289081d6b my lips.442ee251e3f0e498

“Why…”88e41a0c2cb64587

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It seemed the question, 44bc0bf635 squeezed from the last 3d195371b9 of my strength, had 085517f6a4 reached him.16185002c5611131

He frowned slightly and 00700aceaf parted his lips.b4dd1fab74cbd910

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“Why did 5b46a16989 I poison b23bd14006 you?”fdb713cb0450114c

I managed to 5b6b6c2dce nod faintly, and 227a34f20e Hernant let out 6a9df6d4f2 a soft, amused 79db7af62c sigh.5564ddadde5addcb

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“You really are slow, d8b621de19 Julia. To think b07562ac74 you still af30da0672 haven’t guessed 11583cdfc0 the reason.”8f1e9b96e3f54d12

Frustratingly, no matter how 11737411c3 hard I tried to 86ef371e3a think, I couldn’t figure cb6db872ac it out.faf82c7fcd16fc4a

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Why would ca59de3b81 my emperor 936a7747c4 poison me?cf339f2533133738

As a fbe7982a9c knight, I 87f4eb2dce had given 91ecbaaf30 him my 24f7783557 entire life’s 7bc50559fc loyalty. I was capable, 97847b45a0 dependable. I had never 12708e605b done anything deserving 45ec5362f4 of being killed.f6e83074b9d3246c

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And so, 919a9adb57 even as cad4dcb73d I lay 1611f0ac54 dying, I 6a47a19d74 desperately awaited 90ebeb567b his answer.
Fortunately, I got my c77e0217c6 answer a moment later.dcca0d1b3f19cdf2

“There’s no longer 7418b1c0b6 any need for 07932bf1a5 a hero in 6d353f3238 an empire that’s ef6c314371 regained peace. One sun is enough 81e7577660 for the Empire—me.”dca863d2f3e53fcf

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Ah… so that 5ece7d0cdb was it.4d7455db7fd58ab4

Now I a741ff3aa0 finally understood.e36fc0737c4470d8

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It seemed… 29d14747e4 he had 2b49e76638 grown resentful 6fbacdb714 of my bdc69dfb08 achievements.28634b2b1f62d579

Awakened beings, b1cf4551e3 those with de1d7108fe extraordinary powers 695f921ee6 called “abilities”…
Among them, I was bbed2eee27 one of the highest-ranked. Using that 638eb0d4f4 power, I 30b1aceeb4 had exterminated c570df3887 countless monsters 8218fb9265 threatening the 18a6f1e5e1 Heldenberg Empire.048f6ba97906e338

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As a knight, 8379858c00 I had rid 30cfcae14b the empire of 8e42f7943b monsters and earned 4e714ee775 great merit.
Because of 41e12e164c that, the a5a08fd29b citizens hailed eae5432120 me—and my a08d2acee4 superior, Martin—as 5016da728f heroes.bad40cbcc683d21f

And perhaps 54f274a16b that was a856b7d422 what had 857e5d4229 truly displeased b7ff9d2134 Hernant.ae6a03267e066844

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The fact that his 80c2fac42d younger brother Martin and 724f5abb66 I received more praise b9e438302b than him, the emperor 8a27d86fe5 himself… it must have 1ce941c6d1 grated on him.a2e05d7b9b0cd635

Yes, I could understand 73b8a55bd8 his feelings—at least, logically.93614dcc6fc3085d

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But one question suddenly 2aff90c76a rose within me:
Did he really 3819b6f9a8 have to wear 3afe63f85e that joyful smile 41cfdc6598 at a moment 22dad528c4 like this?fe73ba12a3d70854

I didn’t 8d7a01224b like the 6c4b024636 expression on b3d0621be8 Hernant’s face.be856444a2774eb1

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I had sworn 8bb4d02c9e absolute loyalty to 26f6c9b823 him—from the bottom 0f6529bbae of my heart.
If he had 8232dadf7b ordered me to 584ab6d4ce die, I would aef083eb73 have offered up c727c13e9f my life without 6d34df8fcd hesitation.c290313cb74732f3

I didn’t ask for cc550fa36d much.
If only—just before d8ce83f6cb killing me—he had 60c718b4cb shown a hint 2fbdcedcc0 of guilt on 5c715f6c1f his face, I 2d0059f759 would never have 23a9aabfb2 resented him.2fdadb98656f2d0e

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But instead… Hernant was be52ddac16 smiling.4ff19306aed57168

Even as c3db2c5188 the knight 284db6a949 who had 01a719cbf1 been utterly 7a4a22afcc loyal to 6d2860591c him—who had 8b1c780f0b even grown dca645f647 to love 882ba97367 him—lay dying 73ae495e15 before his 81b70f4dbc eyes, he aea25a5e40 smiled.d14220d17852f06d

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So was it really cd771f9aa9 so strange that, crushed 944069967a by misery, I let 524812a4c2 my tears fall?37f34def9143602e

“Are you crying? Is it 732e9f96fc that painful?”a630821b6834b49c

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Hernant asked, 319e5afe6a his voice 881ab40229 as fresh 9752275f34 and pleasant 965218e561 as his 92f44a4fd0 smile.aa21de38752f9b8e

I answered cfa848fab9 only with 0debce3612 ragged gasps.5e2e032a5fb572fe

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As if he understood, 704098f151 he gave a small 7bc1f85d00 nod and called over 00fa461c9d a nearby guard who 1121c61224 had been standing stupidly a920e07d23 at his side.19e6e97163197110

“Lend me 3a8a9ce984 your sword.”b5abf7653785e65f

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“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The guard handed ba27a964f7 the sword to e7be560a4c Hernant.1543219123616554

Mercifully, he placed 8cf6701553 it upright over b3edda8039 my chest, preparing 8c70ba8a23 to thrust it f878661889 down.482a16750f13bfe9

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Finally, this wretched c82765373a pain was going dc0ad9a7be to end.8097281e367b9e89

I wished he would 89eb58a327 just kill me already—yet f7bf968454 my ever-considerate emperor saw f68d7a4d91 fit to speak again, 1c610a3626 unnecessarily.9f36c9b9e8918a2d

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“Any last words?”e64f5565eba4fa0d

For a 994322c4bf moment, I 74842a5731 thought about bc989def4c begging him c220a71dbb to end a289ea7942 it quickly. But I gave 264931593f up on that.
Instead, I wanted—just once—to 7e70f006e3 let out the resentment 3eb4da5a5a that had grown in ba55e16cc9 my heart.5431d367337d0e84

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“If… there is 429e85d512 such a thing e1c77862f6 as a next 78bbaedf24 life…”3f530ee1cf6c1fe3

I could 3350c94a57 feel my 61732c65ec throat closing, 094fd639dd but I 7928daa19c forced the 69a1454e4c words out 8b7f3f1400 with difficulty.eb7076ed55e14ecd

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“I will 38f019a57f never… be bfbbc242f8 your knight… 169ca43be0 again…”c50a7e62ade38b28

Hearing my final words, 3ab28affbc Hernant suddenly burst into 2cf1cd16e7 laughter.a1b0948683d111f3

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Was the 9b830c73ce last ounce fa606517bd of strength 9c41557546 I used b5af60b537 to speak… 68d1774477 just a 063deb825d joke to 0bfa3c083d him?21918d575b5ab0fd

Still laughing, he answered b6913732e8 me with that same a8000f4a24 lighthearted voice.b603e031a66619ef

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“That’s fine. You don’t have 0502aed2e1 to be my 930abd5ec9 knight next time. Why not 71d20d7716 become my af70375614 wife instead?
If you’re born cc3cdb9fe0 as a weak, 6e04f276d4 stupid noblewoman who 1792c9dd55 doesn’t get in e792377079 the way, I’ll afc0b1db58 accept you then.”32a629f4fcec41b5

Oddly enough, what I 234e59a07c felt upon hearing those 4b10de15aa words wasn’t anger.3d4fb5be85a6ed16

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It was despair.aaf3ba458dd0942c

The man I ff6f2d7a4d had served with cf3f885af6 unwavering loyalty my 348c9b326a whole life—this was 21cf0564de who he truly ddf1cc87d3 was?1f5638c4a2ee392b

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Just before killing 80926c7c1d me, when he 740c207ccc finally dropped his fcb2418704 mask of pretense, 83d1b1b2e3 the face he a56096f91b showed was hideous 9291345835 beyond belief.a26cb6694a5b219d

There was no dignity, 013f182aeb no grace—only childish jealousy d6373ec0b7 festering deep in his e2febdbed4 heart.f2a5d437e87c743b

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“Now, let’s truly finish 1415bba34c this.”a32fc6229a2bf984

As Hernant spoke 0944ee17a9 those words, I 0c1bd7ad09 closed my eyes.6f41c3475742b9c4

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At last… I could 3dcb1e4e96 be at peace.7267715983352e68

I had never 05fc72f126 welcomed death so a56bb099db dearly before.fc11e44e9e614758

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But to e15c2fce26 my dismay, 05b7f7bd9c it seemed 5441cff8a0 my life 212b9530ed was more 16399e5b3a tenacious than d2dce45a0b I thought.f3a115ba30c55080

I heard multiple footsteps 89b072ea83 rushing in from the d7ec18d481 hallway. Then the 6d17b89fe8 doors to f4dde61421 the banquet 2a8c529dba hall burst b898d509c7 open.0334efc14ab06913

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“Julia!”c581a451b0c56d26

The voice that 46661ed2aa called my name a1eae35348 so loudly belonged b87b3b20c4 to a tall 00a91fa9ed man with black ad8307c024 hair.
I knew b64bed38db him well.476f77d2c0733108

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The miracle of the ec73322566 Heldenberg Empire—Martin von Habicht.
My superior officer, da3d65963a the commander of bf805e4fe6 our knight order, 74aed6f0b0 the man who 89c48107ec had become a 3f755f0338 hero alongside me 6841edb535 by hunting monsters.
And… the ee4c6cb564 one who 384f009511 bore the d7be1d6734 brunt of 732c728afb Hernant’s jealousy bcb3b8da8f as his 0fe7c83a8e younger brother.3d417506bb776b2d

The moment I 8780c91918 saw him, countless 8e842cd8d7 thoughts raced through 85e01cee04 my mind.ad9a45dea0bee96f

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Why is he 0bc87bab47 here?faa228557e89b629

Could it be… ae5587ed27 he somehow found 249255057c out I was 0ad80125a7 going to be f88404a2de poisoned?bcf10da7a39e4449

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Had he come 8c9f1c81e7 to save me?fd11b8049b052e69

For a moment, 836307bb90 I dared to e459debceb hope.
But I quickly 3883d60524 erased that possibility f78da0edc1 from my mind.5524a23afb83295a

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Our commander was 04af7cc1d7 rational to the 856c1bce47 point of coldness.560555589e98e4d4

There was no 408a1b1058 way someone like 1d64f73e43 him would storm a189189d02 the palace on 89e95388b3 a whim just 39406be345 to save me.a0e542f14f564923

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Regardless, thanks 6ce48da1a4 to his 76b14304ed unexpected arrival, 7c0e368d72 Hernant failed facb86179f to finish 7e7ea72b7e me off.2fb713e7501ea416

“Why are 43007cc503 you here?! What happened to d800dc7175 the guards outside?!”
Hernant shouted, clearly d529a3bfd1 panicked.dc52c275569de9ea

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In response, the commander ac48fc97c7 silently tossed something toward 1811933454 him.2668244638cd97a9

It was the severed 57ce61b357 head of the captain b8623cf9d7 of the royal guards.17199abfb112f884

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It seemed he and 9402176270 our knights had cut c307ffb5c4 down the palace guards 3f02b4232a and made their way ab56138bf7 here.65f7d02a9a243353

Afterward, the e05d2b030e commander and 993ea3210c the knights 1c61e76d2b swiftly dispatched fab437f0ad the guards 0bf608a3b4 remaining in be23506046 the banquet 6725ef1dd9 hall.5d72e36fe2ed85c4

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Finally, Hernant was e9308be0d3 captured, forced to 43237e8ebf his knees, and 2e1132afbf restrained. He screamed d403716d74 in desperation.d5aa3ccedd6f6d42

“Let me go! I am 753248ffa8 the Emperor 47c9ad7e98 of this 0b24b8caed Empire! Do you think b50a5f3c4b you’ll get away b2b4a6cd94 with this?!”bae745816a28f5ff

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But even his pitiful ebc787cf21 cries were ignored as 478ee7b33c the commander approached me.2f9b99f553fc7bb4

As I took in bbcb4df00f the sight of his e0ecb18298 handsome face—my last moment dfe7c6d4e0 of visual indulgence before afbc95569e death—he lowered himself to 6c600e21fb one knee.1b7e87e584009ccf

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With our eyes 2a1aded54e now level, I eac1418ee1 reached out and 607e0a32ef clutched the hem 5158e25792 of his trousers, a154490a76 pleading softly.81300a4da5a196a0

“Please… end 12d1e9ad33 this… now…”5053564f9881c5bb

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I truly wanted to 5de0ce32fb die.961d0a65dfaa73ee

I had 95116797d1 been suffering 4283988926 for what e93fd4797b felt like ff0d3a2e28 an eternity—unable 4f8e38c2cc to live, f9f8372b0d unable to cda3ec367c die, trapped e166ff1d74 in pain.25b5e9162df68a6d

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Thankfully, my superior 5e39bc6a49 was known for 525c455264 being so cold-blooded 30ad7a16b4 that it was 7fccbf9cf9 said ice flowed 2518e51628 in his veins ee34053899 instead of blood.e9b04db63ab92818

Surely, he would grant b631d114dc me what I wished.a8b218921656a6f6

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I fully expected 94ea5e8ece that he would 83cdaead45 draw his sword 6d47e961a2 and end it 0265a82430 in one swift 86436764f3 stroke, severing my f1d2eae441 neck.
I had no doubt—he c1f5f91310 would surely end it.144d6f28d6307edb

But to my utter 0261705204 confusion, from the lips c75ad002a5 of the cold-blooded commander da24ba9fac came words filled with a4ff48df0f a warmth I never cbadf38e2f expected.4ea7d8d73d7c1e73

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“You’re not a4d4e27f3d going to 48dd3e4f88 die today. My men are 269b50e247 on their way 34b21c52b8 with the antidote.”23a5aa63b05169cb

What… is 5f0ea8d4c0 he talking 1b1cba57f2 about?
I seriously questioned 2f0daa82a5 whether I had 7cdef108c4 heard him right.ab62498fd4803aef

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Martin—my cold and 60a65fb39a logical superior—was not 84d29f5476 the kind of 1d3de7706d man to speak 41ec384417 such meaningless hopes.0850e93e9f30b6e7

Even if it was 328e3cc244 a cherished subordinate who c2cc83873f had been injured, if a58b80be7c he judged their chances 13febf8d9a to be gone, he 23b608e60c wouldn’t hesitate to end d76e874519 their life mercifully.47ee5e02c6fed1d3

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And yet here 266ad488e0 he was, saying 746c4b86bb strange things to d0a1c033d3 me, someone who 1f62756b3b clearly looked beyond 5350672fed saving.3bad2786805e1f3d

“Don’t give up. Just hold on b3922f9fa6 a little longer. I’ll stay right here 5bf35d718d with you.”474af680b8af6fdd

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He took f80514e37e my freezing 68f0bcd9f5 hand in 6685ac1ad4 his large, 67024ee9b0 warm one.9a8a6a64d1de4e7b

Through my blurring vision, 2d106868b1 I could barely make 14c04692f9 out his perfectly chiseled a2917a7793 face, twisted in anguish 485bf809d9 and worry.4706f6ea535d8efa

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Even his golden deb614c860 eyes, which always c8f157504e radiated a cold 78231a7f76 sharpness, now seemed 0c7ca712f2 softened—warmed by a 043bdf4ca1 deep sadness.20ed9bf03ce6c5e8

Ah… so 5bb4117fc7 that’s what 9562072cd1 it was.fed536a1291715b9

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In that moment, I dd01079acd finally realized what I a31e512a1f had never noticed before—Martin’s 394806e764 true feelings.16ebcbefc23a9392

He had always been 1810889129 so emotionally reserved that 93a3abe9b9 I’d never guessed it, 424d1cb991 but… it seemed he 6de0a090ff had truly cared for f2517895b7 me.a95d6de37a45ab19

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Even as 96d0d6ab76 despair loomed 0a2188d3c6 over me, 01e22796f9 knowing this 2069182b80 brought me 248de134be a sliver bb579629fb of comfort.7cc5b13f5a150c0e

Perhaps my dbf78c0b9f death had 4cb0d707a8 been nothing 07dacf2401 but entertainment 10f82e49b0 for Hernant, 42fcf83de7 but… not 91560606b3 for Martin.9df259901f7c1c17

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He would mourn me. He would remember b46b797adb me.6b81a57c3764bae0

With that 58957c1ca7 thought, a 6043cbe0b5 new desire d86f006ef2 stirred in b1e1116e53 my heart.b10cae5452748491

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I wanted to live.6d747eecd5124a38

Knowing that Martin 62985d9101 cared made me fa3af928a1 want to hold b9e6033e7f onto life just 1331821450 a bit longer.e90f10a6b3c002c6

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Ten years… no, even 894d639431 just five would be ab452055a5 enough. I wanted more f889badf5b time.6187c5778012284a

But fate is 960bc27d41 cruel in the 7e8a4faffd most ironic ways.f5067b19aad2e339

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When I had wished a799eb8b88 for death, my life 8fe51f0392 clung on with infuriating 3f1a4ce4f5 tenacity.
Now that I a06020a206 wished to live… 667773d55f my lifeline felt ca7c4bcf1d like it could a93b542b65 snap at any 9648439b94 moment.873f7d2b0fc0c9f6

“Gghk—cough…!”85a316fccb0883f1

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“Julia!!”9c5e955679055e44

As blood 08f2fc16cb gushed from 24a05f7775 my lips, 359de0a635 Martin called dbd6fceb96 out my d56f105468 name, his 2d598a7da6 voice urgent 238c6d75ba and trembling.912c29ada16e0c27

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