52. The Final Fate of Those who Break Taboos

“Do you need a hand? Can I help?”1ec2bd23fbb70dba

As if anticipating, 356aab82ad Viter extended the b90d890bd7 basket.fa9ace41ffc1c3a5

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“We’re dividing it by family. Put the Marquise and Counts families on the left, and put the families with titles higher than a Baron on the right. Just do that for now, and I’ll choose later according to priority.”dd44ea71e5ff5b26

The left side seemed to be for the documents. It was a pity to see pristine paper go to waste, unable to be opened and likely to be burnt. These weren’t ordinary letters from the viscount’s family, but meticulously crafted ones, written on high-quality paper with names elegantly inscribed. It was regrettable to see such delicate paper.631897a6e3b7ed45

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As they began to 5b0b74596e separate things little by 5d055d5ccb little, the partition suddenly d4c14cca53 collapsed.3ad8e6a5bfcb72bb

Deon was leaning forward.083eee401ef8b995

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“What are you doing?”38cbaa55389e3aad

“Well… I’m choosing a fiancée for the prince.”2c0d1101db4d4b31

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He furrowed cc06ea1a12 his brows. Deon snatched 516bfedb11 the engagement 9029101073 proposal I eb228b9b63 was holding.b664c5c84d70a292

“What does Young Lady know?”e96ae23a8f7fda3d

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“You saw it last time. At the banquet in the north, you admired my insight.”7fc067a588bde7d2

Did it not please 1b97a2d5b7 him? His eyes 8af224a880 narrowed even da2a1c0532 further.98e5ea22ca44adb4

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“If you tell me your ideal type, I’ll carefully consider it this time.”4ac57763ce7cb480

“Young lady…”7a1b66f5c56e8983

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He slammed the a9ffe83f45 book he was 23b2aa67cb holding onto the 401ef329a7 table loudly.0c0e08566a3dc1bc

You should buy items for the charity auction soon. If there’s nothing suitable in the estate, get what’s needed.60d040b31998e423

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“Do you want to go together?”c2b7f37d7ba81fa5

“Go with Edan.”a81b0596f22ede3e

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Edan, who d29df42245 was carrying 33f779c22e the luggage, 467292a3e3 stepped forward.0364661601b05a99

“I’ll go alone. Just assign Suren and one other guard to accompany me. We’re short on manpower.”7994cc44d5b91e52

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“Don’t worry. From now on, Edan will always accompany you. I’ve appointed him as your personal guard.”7568579ec2104de3

Edan was f3ce49f8e6 his bodyguard a29d4475dd and closest d178a597d0 aide. Was it okay to 913f4cf61b attach such a person 6ca92fb416 to me?e87a7ae514445b93

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It was difficult to c1000c27da read his thoughts from aec237e3d8 his consistently expressionless face.0bcda8a3f7c82cbe

⚜ ⚜ ⚜0f8a2a6d2f6df391

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“Leonie… I heard the news. Please don’t worry too much.”1b9200e4635a9147

“What news?”c48ed8ab2b373fc7

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The rumors in the caf6bdce3c capital spread astonishingly fast. Elizabeth had 4a56f33cb7 reached the 23f688bdb9 stage of 4ab2414882 pregnancy where 1dd214f941 she often fd05c85bef declined invitations f48bc3b8e1 to big 6fdd5b8527 parties. If the rumors 12a90d6d10 had already reached 0374afad32 the ears of c92d3518f0 the ladies, it 58d1d32243 must have been 5411f4b2bf circulating for quite fdd297dc01 some time. It seemed incredible 5a3c03b3f6 that the gossip ad5157f132 that had been 5ef1b0a1c9 heard through the 51587ddcab Ladies in the 7f82c6a1ad ducal palace had 0ce49d6e33 spread to the 50ec17a87c capital even before c36762a2cf the start of 8caf1f3648 the banquet.651823351802af5e

“The Duke… is choosing a new fiancée.”5fa965b9cb032a13

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“He must have his reasons. Surely he wouldn’t marry someone else before Young Lady? Especially when he loves her so much.”c4620edd269d20cd

Well, my lady. We’re not that close. Besides, Deon doesn’t love me.8860e58f4be653de

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Seeing my silence, she 2b953f66e5 placed her hand on 3601be0771 the table, perhaps interpreting b8570f6aa7 it differently.8747bd95d1a3a17b

“I’m the witness. I’ve seen the way he loves you enough to rush to your rescue at dawn. I’ve explained it every time at the ladies’ tea parties. He’s not that kind of person. Don’t worry about baseless rumors.”6e1b4cc531c22a3f

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Tears welled up in Elizabeth’s eyes.548c28d40039acbd

During the short time we spent in the northern estate, Deon and I didn’t show such affectionate behavior. It was strange to hear about witnessing the love of the century.113b608bbe7395b0

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Lately, when I visited 37b68052d8 the Count’s estate, I 8607af768c often encountered Elizabeth and 1bafdc98b4 the Count standing side 91f91b026b by side.f871dd2e55aa1b90

The relationship between the couple wasn’t as bad as one might think. It was just subtly awkward.daf520d97bd4f496

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Even holding hands didn’t come naturally to them. While there was mutual respect, love wasn’t present.0652a475a55b08d6

Despite being e8c20f0157 a couple 85f097084e soon to 82f96705e7 have a 5fb1d5d463 baby through e0fa15aa28 strategic marriage, b6aac7f61a they still 307263662d seemed awkward. Somehow, it seemed f0debc6677 like the love 24ef151063 for Deon was a1ef293136 greater than the a181218074 love they had 31f361dc36 for each other.484c6921819532e4

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Perhaps that’s why they easily handed over the young child to the ducal palace. If their relationship had been deeper, they might have poured more affection into the child.a35890a03b5c1600

Perhaps they 94d38ba105 even hid a88565697c the fact 664c13131f that the 5e9a8f6eb3 child born 20d1b316e8 out of dba9b92542 love was 1c2091d79c the successor c180abb914 of the 0073269c54 ducal lineage.60ae8ecc85156675

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“What about the charity auction? Have you decided what to put up for auction?”1cb5933435d8f3ae

Her visit today wasn’t for cheap sympathy or comfort. She couldn’t grasp what kind of items were usually offered at charity auctions in this world.c08c81e52cf8e02c

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“I’m considering it. And you, Leonie?”86a8a1870731fd80

“I don’t have much… so I’m thinking of putting up some jewelry.”12dfe63d94ccae2a

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Despite my efforts, I couldn’t find anything of value to me except for jewelry. The dress I got from the Baron’s estate was already worn out, leaving me with only one decent item: a bracelet adorned with poorly crafted and inexpensive gems, passed down from the Baron’s family. Who would be willing to purchase a bracelet bearing the Baron’s emblem?7364f6f7e35d03d6

“It doesn’t have to be something expensive. Some young ladies even put up items they’ve made themselves, like handkerchiefs they’ve embroidered.”d4f656876b873828

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But I wasn’t exactly a great artist who could put up a scarecrow for sale. There were limits even to packaging it as performance art.02493d35515b649f

“I don’t have anything particularly valuable either… I have some fabric left over from making dresses, and I’m thinking of putting that up. Trends change after childbirth, and I think this fabric will be out of fashion soon. It’s quite valuable as it was imported, so I don’t want to just let it go to waste.”0183743bce1cbebe

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She adjusted her a3479e0a53 clothes. She had 4f4e5d79b8 newly tailored 450d3cf444 clothes suitable 71219bac0a for a f5803dde9e pregnant woman. Elizabeth, wearing d296896b77 custom-made clothes, 465173d6b0 looked much 28e65a833b more comfortable 47ede7be6c than she 54414ab48c did when ac507a7cf8 she was 2787d572cb in the b46484b249 north.180c66859df007b3

“Isn’t there anything else? We could bring some of the things that originally belonged to the Count on your side of the family, like something old enough to be called an antique….”653a99fd92f4f468

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Isella’s belongings were considered valuable antiques. Before it came into Deon’s possession, the sword had been mere old, rusty, and insignificant.3dd9192ebabedbf7

“Antiques? There aren’t any at the Count’s estate…”f3ee9a6ac51a8160

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She trailed off.2ed96e782af9a972

Think carefully. There’s a sword, isn’t there?9e4ebb0ae00a2148

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“Well, what about treasures? Aren’t there any old items that could be passed down through the family?”3c6547bfdbe3d0c4

At my urging, 4c5c56079d she answered. Her expression seemed to 9aab002b46 brighten a bit.2bf27d76bfb1b307

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“The Count’s treasures? Well… hmm… Originally, it belonged to my younger sister. But now, isn’t it my childs?”ada77f70a117fbec

She absentmindedly stroked 450e0e4305 her swollen belly.36f20f2f8260f2a3

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Something more 9a29857fa9 tangible than 3b5aef6a4d that!baea4c9cc51fc026

I always appreciated her sensitivity, but today it wasn’t helping.a110679db3c67ac6

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I desperately wanted to da52fe93a7 bring up the topic 6ef879275b of relics directly and dd50978e36 search every nook and ef8d8675a1 cranny of the house, 5427844367 but I suppressed the 514a55ac90 urge.ee3f6d8240983ae8

At least I had to maintain some dignity. Right now, I was supposedly an unmarried noblewoman and Deon’s fiancée.
T/N: It really e9f909c799 said fiancée not a3299277d9 sure10d945ca8809da50

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“You could go to an antique shop, Young Lady. There’s a decent one in the city center. Shall I tell you about it?”9a29bc355f0a7be2

Elizabeth said f35d9c1958 kindly, unaware 028213a880 of my 17620b92ab frustration, and 8102111a53 rummaged through f19037214c the drawer, fcb466c279 pulling out d0be9693f8 a map. It was a map 540fa94a4c of the capital.545b8d69c838cd8d

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I responded 72c9765897 with a 4c398132cb sigh.94d5cd98a1c637a8

“Yes, please do.”9e988aaacf35934d

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⚜ ⚜ ⚜6c72a9e9b7b91c4e

With Edan, b3b2d45382 I headed 4015d5e842 to the b7f5e502f9 shop Elizabeth 4c6443ebb4 had mentioned.80a94ed12367469f

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An old antique shop.e9b0469a9f5fdda3

I could 586f5caaa8 just pick 3d61cb1c42 out some fcac53eaa8 decent items 136798d9f4 and loosely e600254fca assign meanings cef0696752 to them.1134bbe42b72ae14

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There wasn’t a suitable item that could inflate the price with a narrative as old as the items themselves. Aging could be wrapped in a sense of elegance. And I could actually pick out some really good items.d0dfc2d6ca5bbcf2

Clang.dd413bf5e1b55ddf

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The clear sound b49fbb2a62 of a bell 61a18cf267 echoed.75392ab221554d52

While Edan e317d1b085 parked the 5c6683bb65 carriage on ea580d0be1 the rack, 54efbbf8a2 I decided f21a7087d4 to go 7c1c3a398f in and 226f9bf9d0 browse through 35de79a097 the antiques.2720d66f529ed976

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On the e3d31773a3 shelves were 7d855b7732 various items 9242033509 that looked 9043aa1efa reasonably old. I casually examined ce27b45880 the items, picking f40ab419a6 up and then f2a239dfbe setting down the 17fd82b190 decent ones.2fdb7943e5be8fcf

Then, a certain 8e7ec3bf14 antique caught my 5448d452c3 eye.db88ff0b780e618e

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It was a 2f9f9a1004 rabbit figurine on a42e7aaea0 the second shelf. It held a eadb4bf61f carrot in its 0dd72e3bf1 left hand and 98581dbbf9 a sword in 07521ee3e7 its right, reminiscent 0f50997415 of a depiction 6a5a0109e3 of a goddess 53233aee77 of judgment.97f54084fada2142

Its perky ears were 0a03b2595b adorable. It was 9b555e6c42 a small 6db1188b13 figurine that af2ae95964 could decorate b8eababbca a bedroom 5d029c3adb even without a8c1a78db3 being put bcbf555a33 up for 861f696bf6 auction.51b7e35b96d81868

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“Excuse me.”23684833c9521abb

I called 6e6c9d4fe8 the clerk. She was wiping 784e94d4dc the antiques with e677bfb369 a dry towel 56d1536e2a at the counter, c458eccfcf which only staff 124325bae3 could access.50b6e1f3e95ce4b2

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But the woman didn’t respond.379acffd87a9eea6

“Excuse me!”d8504fa339b2bb16

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When I spoke a 12ddab7152 little louder, she turned bd886aa523 around.e088fc74488288e0

She looked familiar. Where had I seen 9632ec3085 her before?4a2a8114a7b641f9

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“Is this item for sale?”adcc2b14aa8f9534

She stared at me 4a6bbf1db4 without a word.803df14707dd97f1

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Her gaze 8706d64807 was peculiar. It seemed cloudy and 7c1d0e5a6b vague, yet she was d343daeca6 staring at me sharply.d8aec8c3ac5badb3

I set the item 3de65b814d down. She was unpleasant. But oddly familiar.7020cf827bd1dcd4

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I stared into her eyes. She didn’t avert her gaze and looked straight back at me. Our gazes clashed in midair.497945fdfe206833

Then, it clicked. I remembered where 214436c486 I had seen af07d8165f her.672387a1222265f5

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Her long wavy hair 231ba2e218 was now cut short, fd698fe8bf making it difficult to 9e6e45ce2c recognize her at first d30285bd0d glance.40a6653f3847ea70

How could I e9e6278626 forget that face? It was her.336c7eaa37fde16e

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The head 7a8617808e maid of e1efb1018d the blood 1aad621bad department that bd4f30cc35 had betrayed a67d1e06ea me.24d86322cc3355ca

As I looked 6651c6d9dd back with surprise, 43b67b363b she opened her 7c18b6f130 mouth. Her tongue a3e27243d1 was cut.878eef321ceb50c8

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Her tongue looked neatly 1f08aecf0b cut, as if it 1d8accffc5 had been sliced off.41e1a923a19fd599

As memories of 2a2d19d550 her flooded back, 4c42719123 I remembered other ca0a5e1797 things as well.ed2e0e46a7fa7559

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The pact Edan 6e012b183d had mentioned in 31ceec1960 the carriage before.025d2fa09563553a

<The pact would come into effect in case of external disclosure, so even the maids wouldn’t be able to gossip freely.>9a535194456bc727

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And here she was, saying things she shouldn’t have said.72d8992caff92c12

I didn’t know the extent of the pact’s influence or what the taboo words were, but I could guess.220cf8b7cf561da8

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She spoke. Perhaps about the 168ae15c97 relationship between me 8058b6a8b5 and Deon, or 140c6e3a2b maybe even about 80109f7ee8 the existence of d079668d13 the blood itself.c8af9b3af44a877a

I strongly felt that a9b58bce74 it must have been a50939a2df an accident or some b861bf7fe7 other event that had 3ad3df08c5 caused her tongue to 178050f997 be cut.425c180eeeffb41a

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Perhaps her tongue was cut due to the whims of some eccentric noble. But her face had been perfectly fine until she boarded the carriage. I couldn’t imagine what could have happened in such a short time.f08af3608490ef3b

Would she remember 6eb8f0f1bc me?2baf24f64b22c4a9

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The woman facing me didn’t seem angry or fearful.60e47062e1f41551

She just seemed listless, a57280497e like someone guarding a e6e9729083 shop at the end 1dc46ac6f1 of life.41847a437628988e

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She opened her mouth, 92edf04e69 but no sound came 212af7be85 out.59c9f34eaea281e9

“I-I was just asking about the price of this figurine… I’m sorry.”5465f4419a315dd4

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I tightly de2771508b pressed down 84c60ce7e4 my hat. It was fortunate that ec1d98c14c I was wearing a 366ff9834c hat with a wide 248008c652 brim.0805ec6efb31cbb0

She stubbornly kept her 018de5c3dd mouth open.38c815ef0fec77c8

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It seemed ff26585e6c like she 811f4ed815 wanted to f66a0b9f74 say something. I tried to f6885a6c85 scrutinize her lip b6fcd74a04 movements, but my 28467bfe3e eyes kept shaking.8c6d1622fb58d419

Even she f1e1c32e2d seemed to 671493302f be not 4ca22e7b50 yet accustomed 759de674ce to her 2841a7ed25 own situation. Her forehead be5d4638a2 wrinkled, perhaps 23017f1361 due to 3493b145ad the tongue 7c524b2f9b being recently 295c40ad72 cut. It may not 89036ed37e have been long 81b929a654 since it happened.8463f785ba78eeeb

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Frustrated, she grabbed a 239c26d7ce notebook from the counter.22994e11208f0908

Flipping through f4e9bb0869 pages filled da22fd3205 with scribbles, 8440fa7568 she wrote 69fe07befa something with b7d32d57ff large letters.17902c4ecce1415c

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Scratch, scratch.e658b595b4312253

Each stroke of 63cb1c4613 her pen made bc40afe6de a squeaky noise.027f344492b5fcf6

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It felt 2dff66dcac like my 5592d21d91 tongue was 66732a440f being sliced 3e2de5e43c little by 78ac15fa80 little. No, was it my 9635a67c19 throat?9cf3854f757fb8c5

I could have fcd20a634a ignored her actions 10d911e8f3 and walked away. But my body 6445845371 froze, refusing to 3c47013c40 move. I felt I had 1ef1b9a5be to see what she 23772b32d6 was writing.ff0b297fc9ed26cf

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She turned the bc0c4a1266 notebook around and a8fde6b2fd pushed it towards e866dbe41e me.1b82aeb16b4cc7df

[You still haven’t escaped.]

I stared blankly 69049cf6a0 at those words 749754f95f as she grinned.16e4690f8a1c1e69

Did she know ac59f4465a what I had 2f427aec39 said before? This time, it 813e6ca38d was crystal clear.c05f668650d22cae

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[How do you like the duke’s meal now?]

She said ac4d05e2ec that and 8d045dc29c chuckled.7a7f9b4083a2911a

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A chill ran 77ac952f36 down my spine.8edbd1ee1de01c93

As if being pushed 605bf21c64 aside by the crooked 4533d931c7 writing, I took a 06897c64b7 step back. My breath quickened. I felt a 1ac38af6ba latch behind me. I hastily turned b539850fbf around and fled 1ad5d661e8 from the shop.bef91dd2378a97c2

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The bell rang. The clear sound now e5c342cd41 seemed like a warning 7f5616d3c0 bell signaling danger.a6ad9a28424e3cfc

TL/N: I made a 9dafbb6e60 list of names, so 97d98cd3e2 we should follow that a4a726ce56 from now on to 3ef639a5ec avoid further confusion.
Fl: Leonie Sien Baron
Duchy: Arnett
Ml: Deon dc397ab6b1 de Larote 1f2fe9d44e Kirventia AKA 31b50c2f08 Asmodians
OG FL: Isella b169332a56 Snowa
Maid: Suren
Friend Countess Elizabeth d0faa68579 Arin
Aide: Viter Oakom
Julia Oakom
Bodygard: Edan
TL/N: I 9d4adfa7f6 apologize for 022f2f5515 the inconvenience, 15cf4212bc but I f07a51a873 will be a8338bcddb making changes 0dd2b192fd to the cc33895b9d chapters and 41a693e5d0 adding more 1cdf385650 names. As I focus on 96de70c1b0 editing, please feel free 262efc610c to inform me in 7e05461a5e the comments if you 5bd6b50016 notice any errors. Thank you d3a459b62b for your 64a070fd44 understanding.47aa972c850408a8

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