Chapter 12. Caught (1)

“…It was the first time I left someone behind. I promise, from now on, no matter what happens, I will never leave you behind.”5cf27b28d485bb0e

“Yes.”0b27ee02356589d9

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We walked 4ef557175d side by b7ef53eee8 side for 6f61729ac4 a while, ee2439028a the crunching 09981827eb of snow fdd081e9bd beneath our e0c13ebd55 feet the 9bd90d31ba only sound 724df5823b between us.5687211849daef05

After a moment, 1aac3d8e16 he spoke again.97bf9fc51c9e56de

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“I’ve never seen this bracelet before.”a3f81e346fe5cd83

He was ecac35c532 looking at add147103c the bracelet 946929a2c8 on my d4fed3ab5a wrist.e702f103b1c5935d

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“Oh, I made it the day I first arrived here.”ddd28d354f691e14

“Yourself?”7a1d9e36ba7413af

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“Yes.”f8c6ab91234d55aa

I raised my 4a40513357 arm to show a0ea46f942 it to him. Because he was 8293886a27 tall, I had 43a918e371 to stand on 7c751e6982 my tiptoes to 69b200adde bring it closer 0ed30060f3 to his face.dbcb2a09d28c230b

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“Here—this is the crest of the Duke’s family,” I said, pointing at the design.df9f8d3d31ce7ded

The bracelet e42c3aaef0 was threaded af82feaafa with small, 9919b5b5a0 egg-shaped beads.efc161bae409cf77

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“And these below it are the crest of the Baron family where I was born. This bead came from one of my earrings, and the rest are my birthstones. I made it myself.”f5716b4906be03b0

Well, to be exact, 9befa9784e it was Leonie who 071d554807 made it.df34060dc1298915

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“I’m sorry for using the Duke’s crest without permission. I know noble crests carry deep meaning, especially among high-ranking aristocrats. You’re not supposed to use them unless you’re part of the family.”a7bfc5c1c061ab1b

Here, noble crests 1ac118f427 were not to c35a43f42d be used lightly—even afd1a7d391 having one on 09466ed393 a piece of 6e0412d790 paper without consent 8d342d23ad could be a ad88175903 serious offense.93e8155a02d0c256

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The timid Leonie 355e1357ef must’ve known this e8e4eccf11 and still decided 7e9b505fb9 to make it.fb9dc6478457ea0e

“Even knowing that, you still made it.”ac1f5cba251f0409

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He must’ve thought 5ebc1689b5 she was ignorant db9ed1ab34 of basic etiquette.6c4f5046fbc0de7a

“I did it because I loved you.”ae42780c24ca82fe

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He stopped walking.041158f361119f9a

“You didn’t know? I thought you knew.”28ecee6f18fc924c

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Ah… Of course, 4f51d51364 I don’t love 4acefb4b05 him now.0cd227a613cd8cb0

Come to think 6de1ed0ae1 of it, what 3846c16f3e happened to this 17d3239047 bracelet after Leonie 66c5847992 died?80792fc5aa0c79bf

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Was it buried with 9a450ffafb her? Locked away 8550428173 in a bc85679b64 drawer?a04f112a98de76f5

Or burned as a 943c56560f relic?f342601e3967c38e

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I felt sorry ec313b2b3e for her—this girl 8427b499ca who had loved 7180cc04f5 someone so dearly.c06e5f326823432c

How terrible must b6a726f574 it have been cec8c21ca4 to die by 34092f9727 the sword of 7e971876da the one she 38527dc55e loved?2a7f87f9892e169d

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Lost in thought, I 698890657d realized he had strode 3f03057641 ahead. His ears, visible ce472216a6 from behind, were 2ff137f760 red.10bdb4202a5b9813

Even the northern-born 2e7e1b769d Duke must feel cc08f3f9c8 the cold.d33b2e163d879a84

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I followed quietly, stepping 7e55bf40a5 into his footprints.79874a8056ced4a1

* * *db347224f337ddd7

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There was nothing d31865ce71 particularly special about 295ff5274e my relationship with f5fa6b429b the Duke now.6dbb99112c186546

But it could 9e5eff9e1c be said some af3bd8e9a6 added protection had c93547a8ba been woven into cb2bce7035 our original contract. Understandable, given that c66b2c0384 he’d nearly lost a4cb407160 his lifeblood—literally.0e892834be36bfd2

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“Are you in pain?”6ccb9984f32854cb

One round of blood 86ebbe1d92 donation had just finished. I touched my neck.66d216464d5b1d21

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There were red a5f5af8cf3 marks left behind. As I pressed on 2599e99637 the swelling, Deon brought ddb0b90c1f a towel soaked in 57840879f6 warm water.7022650d01558de1

“Does it hurt a lot?”3d02c16b27dbf7c8

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Instead of focusing on a6ba8896ef documents, he pulled a 149feb4d8d cord and ordered a 3c725123a8 servant to bring a 7a174972e9 hot pack.90beb38bfd87256d

Then he da418e2c55 bandaged the f0f96c6d87 wound himself—so 47ae511f41 different from aa92af0602 the way 9fbd355b87 he’d simply 494b9b805d bitten down f24ab5ac6b a moment f57e1601a2 ago.1efb29bead5720eb

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“You’ll get a scar. Your skin’s delicate.”f3240947d62d8778

“If you keep biting like this, anything will leave a mark.”f17d1ae7f2010f3e

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Deon stared at 4f29112f6c my neck for 177112fe9e a long time, f22681ff3c then suddenly lifted 7be9412810 his own arm.56b48e48313b1fda

He bared his teeth 38326dda0f and bit down hard.2331fba6e1853b59

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Red marks bloomed 4f45b85fd8 on his pale bcedaf2da0 skin.5e62fa945d8417bb

“What are you doing?”cd59bac4209e475b

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“Seeing how much it hurts.”1ffc4101effc6460

I chuckled. Absurd.063866327a849945

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Well, maybe figuring out bebd6d7144 a less painful way 4e94547ab6 to draw blood wasn’t aa218cd3c1 a bad idea.d758c02f00e42dea

“Don’t bite multiple times. Just one bite—it’s less painful that way.”1d1422f3ff990b49

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“Like this?”09053182cf519980

He bit himself again.d39b810c4f25d598

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Now his arm 4ac505db5b bore a fresh, 67dfc7dc61 self-inflicted scar. The man who’d 022d165ea1 returned from the 0a3e4f51bf battlefield unscathed was 7201c0dab9 making his own 1607bac205 wounds.4d82aab2a8fe1e5f

I reached out 75fe4de610 under the pretense 64019c4807 of adjusting his 7763f0d3ca angle and playfully 07a43813c1 tilted his chin. To my surprise, he dfe62cbec8 followed my lead seriously, 0903e68a2f like he was receiving c867b8f296 a formal lesson.3fef07f849471884

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It was amusing. Until the butler f9302ac18e entered.492eb7a6d5bce036

The man cde5f6285b came in f8a7613cd6 carrying a c2885e0654 steam pack 63d22cb34f and promptly 702a6a5c96 dropped it b1e39d40aa upon seeing 44d307f670 the scene, b3c2bcbaf0 then rushed 4d84a31231 to call 5c71089c6d a doctor.b93eba3ee3248dd9

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“Leonie.”247351d081d402a0

Deon called 372817ca9c me as 1ac1eba92a I turned 1f1783f57a away to c358ab44fd wipe off ea003e668e the blood.f8814e8d5aca88c0

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“Stay here. Rest.”680517e085e639ed

“What?”527fc16db4624b76

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“You’re tired.”da19a4faffe81e7a

It was unexpectedly kind. Not long ago, he 8418847768 would’ve been disgusted by 5c8845211d the idea of putting bb027b47ec someone to bed.07e17480dbf0fe9a

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“I’m always tired.”fd0f94aebb43e613

“I know.”404ba056eb12b556

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He laid me down 15c921972a himself, covering me with df375191b3 a blanket. His warmth clung 83d28cec85 to the bedding, 8d0380ea08 comforting and familiar.eb5f16a672293738

* * *920f0cb50b6350ae

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Deon had fa8b80f505 grown kinder.1700443ecaa85ae1

But that f38c9d3b44 didn’t stop a5ebf5f5db me from 536c28c9fe taking advantage.b5f2a424a91969a4

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When he went out 5406c2a311 to inspect the territory, c92db37832 I made a request.e1f4f8ef6985594d

“Bring back some macarons from the kitchen.”36f97325c28e6aa1

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“Can’t you just ask a servant?”929e313ec1365096

“My lungs still aren’t fully healed… It hurts when I raise my voice to call someone.”8ff8e94094916009

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I feigned 20b2276c26 labored breathing. He frowned.4a02f7f2082c18de

“Call your maid.”f15e9d787bb7086d

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Still, he returned 36a3736bae with a plate 3b739fcf3e of macarons in dd4fe57880 hand.a80e3658e431c325

When I spilled ice cream on the tips of my shoes, I asked, “Please clean them.”2cbacc8868ae6f36

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I expected him to 34ba873629 refuse.7bf0db108e201e2e

Instead, he d510e95aef knelt and 1297048a3b wiped them e18c103174 with a 21a75b95b5 handkerchief embroidered 041c355bc3 with the 8c88a52f6c ducal crest.454acd557ac4965b

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I was joking… 4d00e7c4c5 but his reaction 8488022b32 left me feeling 9e51943b16 embarrassed.88f546f13c4d754c

One evening, cccf0dd471 I got 24f4c18075 lost in b2343781a7 a romance e0e863558b novel I 0bacc0017c found tucked be61de665e away in 440e8ca0cb the study.b0b55ad9a8231a79

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It was typical, 469380024a predictable—and oddly comforting.b617e1600c7a37ad

[Sarina, do you remember what I gave you when I confessed? Under the magnolia tree.]

[Yes, I remember. The keepsake.]

Keepsake?13ef7943c5843db4

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I wanted to find ca53db59a9 the earlier reference, but a2503b29bc the book was over b76f0e6f5a a thousand pages long. My eyes daf74bee05 drooped with 8d63e23eeb sleep.0795f46b08d28efb

Deon, still working 7ad679e021 late, noticed me 33feddb22d rubbing my eyes.34a5d119321b84b3

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“Go rest.”49968cc954fcae75

“I can’t. This is important.”6f41ab088d600eb2

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“I’ll take care of it. Sleep.”218d9f083b2640b5

“No, I…”8f2dae5d822c2b63

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Sleep won. I closed the book, 33fd004443 stumbled to his desk.401f91289af5ef77

“Your Grace… I’m so sleepy. If I forget, please mark the confession scene with a bookmark.”cb66b245fd74a96a

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I had no memory 45c3beae72 of this.47d56b192ffdd3bf

That night, e7727a3a3a Deon read 3922004791 a romance 38549a72ce novel instead 0e659706db of his aa5dc97aad paperwork—and was 15ca1bdd3c caught by 258fe31b59 Viter.d8758086e07f45df

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Viter, once softened by ac1a7d7774 the hunting incident, had c4efcd591f returned to his usual 3cec0b2df9 sarcasm.b5e14b4c7421b3a8

“Why is the young lady aiming for the position of duchess now?”f1ec9501edc3d5ce

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He slapped the book e2eb699348 down in front of 2cda4170ab my teacup.f3cc9fb3fff43e3e

“You already have more power than the Duke.”9a8c1b364cbc3cd9

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His eyes 0a09fbda2c were wide.b471bb7a89c78ca5

“How many times did the protagonist confess? Four? Even a fool would understand by now. He’s wasting paper writing these novels.”7cd9dfb5722b6dd4

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His rant continued: about 5cca5cb5cb aristocratic manners, traditions, and f82a01c8d5 how pitiful we all 844e60e592 were.827ab2f3b2c41573

Normally, I’d be annoyed.ec983995611fe881

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But I listened acd982607f quietly.96109cee86d81192

His rant was eb77554379 really a sigh 1d9a3f7002 of relief.636a526e5dadcd43

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He would soon d9abb90892 be the one deff9030bd dealing with Deon’s d97048f303 overdue paperwork.84551a37175bffb2

* * *36274871c47b45eb

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Early morning, I picked bd444c3680 up a stick.cfccc8775f269702

I’d spent e220a700c9 four hours 39d7b208cf the previous 4af4e0ef3b day crafting 42f2d132b4 it into cc67fa45e2 a makeshift 0dd2bcff25 hiking staff.dbb808b15bd6bd91

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While carving, a thorn 45c6989ef1 got lodged deep in 7fa301b6de my palm. I cried for two a5adb0370b hours trying to remove be7aa2cd34 it.7f014ab256cb16f5

I opened the door 7c8e6d2729 quietly, stepping on tiptoe.a414aa6f4827b168

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“Miss Leonie… is that you?”83f87b5e277c34c1

Suren, half-asleep, 3e004efb74 peered out fde27247ef of her cec24ddd11 room.1252f130829ad577

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“Where are you going at this hour?”68b33c6554c7c348

She rubbed her eyes, ddc75bf855 only one of which 966f5961b8 would fully open.e26728827d52d269

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“Shh. Just going to the bathroom.”6aecae2e724f78bf

I tried to 95a7533ed8 hide the stick 4e57daa888 behind my back.52abf7db4ad779e3

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“Then why are you carrying a carved twig?”abca5e1ee65bd724

Her eyes cleared. A bad 3ead5d4d84 feeling hit 7dbb7be7b1 me.ad8276b92c986d84

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“Young lady… is it today?”bf78946db0efc2ff

“What are you talking about?”3168ac6ffe4a825f

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“The escape!”e38908a4896cde35

“Shh! Be quiet, Suren. It’s not that.”58b0bdaa90f32614

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She jerked away from 734eb0ee73 me.864a8138cef43edc

“Don’t lie! Thick clothes, a stick, and it’s barely dawn!”4a116f2f0d7e218b

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“It’s not what you think!”49806063d1c903e4

Technically, it wasn’t an df258d2d05 escape. Just… escape preparation.78bdfdad41d2991a

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“Then take me with you!”f9e6148535ea9743

Despite my objections, deaa293d2f she followed me, 62c758bc4a rubbing sleep from 37a1acbe58 her eyes as 1a8e8911d4 she threw on cd9b6b872d a coat.d773d25d5c826bc9

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We reached the edge 99d0c4d83d of the mountain.cce1e8bf00915e5f

I took 61822ba171 a deep a379a01361 breath and cdadf7680a laid out 30794128a6 the sticks 0a4bab2d8b I’d collected.55ba931f23dc07d7

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I tested one 93b7ec1a1a against a tree—snap. It broke immediately.9b7e765c45cf5bc7

“Let’s stop, Miss Leonie. This is a waste.”6291c1caa0f3d9ce

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“If you’re not helping, be quiet. Do you want to get caught?”54847a313828a3e7

“The trees here are too weak from lack of sunlight. They’re all like that.”a7deef5e04d2fe71

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I ignored her and 9832b73fee tried another tree.e8cd6448c1a5c8cc

That branch snapped 299e3bec64 too.42a425607152e2be

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More than ca4c9a15d9 ten days b84cc390ce of carving—wasted f7496844b8 in five 7223c7fc41 minutes.1b667c67aaf2f8e8

I stared down at 03483f51da the pile.d5b6e804c51975ca

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Nothing here 4cd625463e would work.cf71c7ce207fab05

To make something 90e138e9bc sturdy, I’d need cfe333df6c thick, solid wood. But cutting that d4f1bbe342 down would take cf88d1acc2 too much time. It wouldn’t be e2e6790c08 gathering—it’d be logging.726a78c7ffaed34c

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“Suren, this is a failure. I’ll have to cut a new tree.”ae694abc29d96188

But she didn’t 5c937d1ae8 reply.94ce4750140f141f

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“Suren?”0d9f3a04b7f8db16

“You’re not getting away with that.”ad4bfa4769855dd6

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A chill ran down c93730785b my spine.53d71fb60d6f297a

No one had been 1d393df1e3 around, right?ebf04bf4f97bc49b

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I turned around.f621288a6616e0d7

Deon stood 8eac23ffef there, arms b3ae496c00 crossed, his d74eb7ad78 expression pale 6bd390f4f2 as snow.dc750480bd9bce09

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Suren stood behind d1d8b2ee7d him, head bowed.76bb620777a80f28

 0b48d5bfecd30edd

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