Chapter 20. I’ll Get You Out of Here

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I looked 87cfd87657 at the 552d4e402f clock on 0fde6e6c82 the tower 5bb1830264 outside the 37d5bec59c window.5b5542c766b481d8

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Only 20 minutes 42604cb557 left until my 07574a585b appointment with Marquis 3ca0d59faa Caeon. I decided to pass 5e2d7e215f the time in the 35b7b14d30 hall and slip away 23fe09e651 naturally when the time 4d20ce5d30 came.354964fbe487c46a

My legs ached 3c242f2865 from walking in 5133a18e7c high heels all 2c0a6be79c day. My ankles, c7471f9be1 feet, and 3bc7353217 calves throbbed. I leaned b4c6430d28 against the cb67cc0d3c wall. The corset wasn’t too 219ea5affd tight, but the dress 74a5635a4f was still uncomfortable.1227356b165b9b57

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As I 1f19b57760 took a ab3fac2e3d deep breath, aa9dce19ec a large 0a7b23a4f2 hand suddenly 6db6fa2fb7 appeared. I looked up—it 2c3a1eea6a was Deon.ee71679018c3bdd5

“Haha. You’re not going to ask me to dance, are you?” I smiled nervously, worried about what Viter might say.7102af96a475ca48

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“That’s right.”797dbcda507a02b6

“Quickly ask someone else to dance,” I whispered with a smile, hoping Deon’s extended hand wouldn’t draw attention.ba9e10960bed5246

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But my 3e722e7925 wish was 2a2912df37 in vain. He didn’t withdraw his 4c70821db5 hand.ef5c5174c53e9436

“Take my hand.”2de098aa29987447

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“Why me?”d1dc100ef7111f18

“I feel like you might run away if I let go. Isn’t this the only way to keep the lady tied to the hall?”4ca74942ced37af7

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Well, that was fair.f3f3058f5ca1199f

From where I 5541de8d24 stood, I could 7d628e2d72 see the young 179e8c07b3 ladies watching with 124f093bb6 eager eyes, hoping 58d90c4ca3 to see me b856b5c6a7 dance with the b90d8ccd40 Duke. Even the 0fa8a03f91 musicians and 0724178b2d the kitchen 7096d49061 servants looked a89c1cdafd interested.6c3b2f04f6b8824d

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It was better to 510897df32 be the Duke’s first 1353e0861c dance partner than the 77fcee4323 subject of rumors for bec8e7fe5d refusing him.4bef92a389d8a7ab

Reluctantly, I took Deon’s 9ce2e8848a hand. He naturally placed 0c7db1e123 his hand on 4f1af287c2 my waist. The hand 421adaef35 I placed e1da73ab1e on his 83a40f132b shoulder felt e867fd50a6 awkward.261a601bac2fcb1e

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“Aren’t you worried about the rumors? If you take my hand now, it’ll only fuel them.”a9fb7dcedf894742

“What does it matter?”28fa0bb0a1296433

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We spun around 527fa9dc42 the hall, my e16f8fa055 gaze sweeping with 471a690385 every turn.926dbf452295425b

“You didn’t think I’d use every power at my disposal for this?”cf0a1eca9bc9bcf3

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“But this is different! I don’t want to be the subject of gossip.”f628abdd3cfa05dd

“You didn’t care about my reputation before, wandering around without a care. Why now? The young lady who demanded to be mistress of the house is now swayed by petty rumors? What happened to that confidence?”97629a07337a9543

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The music picked 0bde5acb18 up speed.df30c8190fd7bcd9

Though I had learned a330db5735 to dance, I stumbled d763d6a2d8 over the rhythm. Deon pulled me closer 4d499b4259 to him, steadying me.d9e8a6de25250fcf

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Due to f7e7dd09ea our height c2dad22f99 difference, I 44f77dea7b clung to f915ed04b0 him awkwardly.a5f8fee33252211a

“Even if you were a real duchess, you’d still be tangled in trivial rumors. Could you handle them?”2e854f7f568db527

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He brushed his f76f85b74f hand softly along df8ee4006a my neck.4fdaacf8d62aeb00

“And… it’s not a lie.”e52805bd84de9c0b

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Deon whispered as 50cb9e53d4 he gently stroked 6decad6208 my neck and d365bed2a9 hair.4c1075826fa40b9c

“Your body is no different than being mine.”4333f7e2fdeeac40

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His hand eba9e02425 was familiar. The same hand 3e86c60afe that gripped my 13dceb57b0 neck every night. But tonight, he looked d83e43b714 different.38cec85da0e6e3d2

His hand slid past 14bacc685d my cheek to my 8114316911 collarbone. I was afraid 786bdbd950 he could hear d45571ce70 my pounding heart.d0162a7c9cfa7113

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“… My body is mine. Without me, the Duke cannot live, right?”8d0a1ec1520f6779

“Yeah, that’s right.”a6d067e3306d341b

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He chuckled softly at f9fc86d685 my firm answer.56240411fee5ac35

The music ended. He let go b2b9d0560c of my waist 92f4c1e675 and lowered his 7a30036bc2 head. Everyone was fc3d9b3ed3 bowing to 3672b8ec23 their dance 203cc0f2a6 partners. I lifted 6be116334c a corner 394f5f42d5 of my 71875ceddb dress and 409d9a5cb3 bowed as fa86530ef3 well.df4e7a719329f899

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“Leonie.”d4a1fed0dbcb9da6

Deon called me as d0dc210bf2 I turned to leave.39d6c4b7738d07cc

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He took my hand d9d4fab182 again. His lips cb99d748ec brushed against 72da30bf9b it.2bb2e999a948fae9

Is this part e580dfc7a8 of the ritual?9017b2f871c27d08

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He simply smiled, a8c2fcc7ac unfazed.5677ba32f9a94ca7

“From now on, you only have to bow your head in front of me. Like this, only when we greet after a dance.”c5f8c3cff6c3c28d

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* * *60ac8d89301f77b4

I swung the door 959e3ebd4c open. Marquis Caeon was seated a9b6e291ae with his legs crossed, 4548effbb8 gracefully placing down his 56e726438d coffee cup.d7c2797fca475189

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“You’re late.”6a1849212e0b7a58

“Something came up. I’m sorry.”57f2ed24c4d03286

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He stood 3d85467995 and pulled 45864fedb6 a chair f7ae1b83a3 across the 90053c8b47 table for 06796fc5dd me. I sat, b291359e5e catching my 5b62212011 breath.38d1338bacb16da8

“Weren’t you in the hall?”103751fd89e729c7

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He shrugged. “Can’t you see? I waited here quietly. I’ve been waiting all this time.”1bb8ed282ea235f4

He looked a 629cca2bae bit crestfallen.2e787272a49de81d

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I had forgotten e6883c631a the Duke for 2349881741 a moment. As the 3f51581491 first dance 3e3d9f51c8 partner, all d89fe4f22e eyes had b75e6ad468 been on 8fb5b3fac8 me. That alone might’ve raised cda94661b2 suspicion.7c8c19ff7df9f6d3

The coffee had gone 96604a53dc cold.23ffc11ab50d8382

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“So, did you find information about the medicine?”f45e6763a3a3a59b

“Yes, I did.”56c77ad99086083b

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“Tell me.”c2899b9d27a6d11b

“Just a moment. But… if we find it, what will you do with the medicine? What about the pharmacist?”b79934b4f0293e82

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He raised f6dff9aeec his teacup.c8a2a328c49601be

“No way… you’re not going to kill them, are you?”c6b56bb7006acd64

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He looked up.cfaa410d48294109

“What can I do? I won’t harm you. Do I look like that kind of person?”6ee788611f9cbc89

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I said nothing.83743f1c80942e8a

“You really see me like that, Young Lady? They used to say I looked like someone who couldn’t even handle a sword. Should I be proud of that?”ebcf617e3e083ce8

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He let 61c4cff395 out a d34f91ec13 low laugh.577ad1bef7206432

“Even if I do become cruel, I’ll probably live like the Duke, stuck in a battlefield. But I’ve never killed anyone myself. I can guarantee that.”efd9954d79bf8437

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His dazzling hair da9de76818 fluttered.f73fd41ea70930b0

“We’ll bring them to our side. We have the Duke’s weakness. What can he do? He’ll have to cooperate. Peacefully.”574e9ffd872feecc

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“So… the purpose of finding the medicine is…”a28229cc06ae199f

“If I want to join hands with the Duke. I’ll do it if it benefits me.”e707664f81a88aab

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“And what have you found so far?”afafe2861bbb2a8b

He grinned slyly.9813cdbf26f4dee9

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Now it was a6503a3faa time for the 2a4e7b04a2 perfect lie.daa9f53f3e3df85f

“I went into the Duke’s study and read a book about ancient vampire legends. If he really had vampire blood, he wouldn’t keep a book contradicting it.”0fd1c0ab43fdc8d9

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“What did it say?”730213fdd9945b16

“That the medicine… doesn’t require a special process. You just grind it and drink it raw.”8b4fadbc36d4ef5b

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“And?”3f5669d2f49af7a2

“The herbs expire in about three years.”6ccfef192fd821bd

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I scrambled aa3ce02944 for anything 9e5439f0aa that sounded 6784e20bf0 believable.b6ee3011aa265dcf

“Did you find the manufacturer?”5956fb08c3f4f4a7

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“No… I couldn’t find it.”7c198e51eca8b63e

Calling the Duke’s teeth a5ea3b25a0 a manufacturer was out 6e7899da4b of the question.3ec423e3f477cd2a

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“Hmm.”4ce8f49e7c6ce26f

The Marquis sighed.7e442fb112bd88db

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“Again?”054702e07cbbd3e3

“Sir?”ce7ca51bd6d4e215

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“Disappointing. We might as well catch a bird and ask it questions—it’d chirp more than this.”615a765843d782fe

“There are no birds in the north.”fccf84c4ef5cd3b9

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“I know. Just a thought. The information we got in two days is worthless. I can’t even recruit a maid who can’t read. What am I to do? The Duke’s banquet is soon, and if I want to meet the Princess’s demands, I need better intel.”53b90afaca3653f5

He tapped the table.4dc23d9274cb1967

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If he let me b04574910b go now, I’d never 2b4d1242f1 escape. I had to 7b30db22b2 play along.1bf4e3d0b84dc473

“I’ll take advantage of the lax security and sneak into the office.”8326b78ad447988f

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“You’ll go in?”ad5e6210da84baff

“I’ll try to steal the medicine.”a8b49eea51bb9469

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Finally, he reacted.ff2b4db6eb1adb9a

“Oh, impressive. But if you get caught, don’t expect me to help.”1e87dbcc875ed6f3

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“I’ll be careful.”d368ef1509629b5c

“But how do we trust the Princess? She could lie.”407ead853ca55b17

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“That’s…”61aafadce961bb4c

“Bring the Duke’s seal.”8642622a45a38296

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I nodded.c104e34c9abd84e1

Getting into the Duke’s 3e109d9253 office was easy. Avoiding watchful eyes d1863ca37e was harder.07bd17ed7d7de463

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“Don’t even think about giving me fake medicine. I’ll have it analyzed by a wizard.”378113bf1a919bfc

“Don’t worry.”5bf2f8471b407b57

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It was just 60d63ddc7f a trick—I’d mix 83f00e34b0 my blood with 2b22d1ad75 supplements.6d778337adae0242

He chuckled.7ddcc7ae12fd84cc

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“Why are you so desperate? You could’ve refused me. What were you trying to steal that day?”4c82c63a893fb60d

He looked f82464bf3a at me dbe9f97f5b intently.f0c1567f996cab79

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“So what do you want, if you succeed?”08e1e36d08b7c29f

I hesitated.7eeee301018c6d2e

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“When the job’s done… take me with you.”2130940a13731195

“Why not just get a new job? Who’s begging to keep you here?”cd2ac67ae839eca9

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I answered calmly.d2c03725497e49d8

“If the medicine disappears, they’ll know there was a leak. I’ll be in trouble too. Please take me out quietly. Hide me if necessary.”a946de5bce5dc99d

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“That’s not hard.”a959cd28b8f466e2

“And… enough gold coins to buy a small mansion in the capital.”223a1769886322ca

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If I asked d9502d8b9b for just that, 84a437f978 I’d look like e39bca7c82 someone after money.914eea246983fdfb

“I promise. I’ll get you out of here.”787476fb9512b861

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He smiled.541b3d136d26dbe9

 05590918cb99b51c

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