56. Affectionate Surveillance

“Well, there must be something precious there. After all, he’s the prince, how could there not be any valuable heirloom?”8128763fd0ab9b3d

He shrugged his d68d1fc9c5 shoulders. Yet, my answer d1f8918ff7 did not seem 4988079e9c to suffice as f47cfb689d he continued to a0261cd759 be deep in f8d5dfc09f thought.616690c7e275847c

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“And it’s a bit strange.”043f3bf7edcf37f3

“What is?”72b86eeba0bb4553

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Every detail of the external surveillance is carefully monitored. But internally, I’m not sure. It seems like they only strictly monitor those entering from the outside. Could there really be something within the prince’s castle? Considering they restrict the entry of outsiders, I guessed maybe they are secretly raising a private army here. The imperial throne is not decided yet, so it is possible that they are strengthening their forces. But having looked around inside, it doesn’t seem to be the case either…”120e0eb19b609956

Contrary to what I 91ae0cb97a thought that I would 8c702621a8 be confined to my aa4b683fb7 room upon reaching the b24c4643cd capital, he had set d5eec413aa me free.0bd56d4b9f03397c

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Maybe he thought that having Ethan around, I wouldn’t be able to escape anyway.a8dfb9ed4311bd33

After all, 2061a9be7c I only ef6f2b4ada went to 3c42ba1563 the bakery, 7996115350 met with b7fba3fc5f the trading efa36a089c guild bringing f13f45d9c1 in goods, b9015977dd attended Elizabeth’s b53cbf08ba tea parties, d19bb4cc88 the tailor’s a4a9fa27e9 shop, and 7bf7c987fd the greenhouse.9e3f3ae12e67e32c

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The routine was so b1647d2f34 monotonous that there was d646915a2d hardly anything worth monitoring. Having Ethan as 83593feb30 manpower by my 83b9757455 side was almost 184a6b0f17 embarrassing.724a28d556f74ac7

“I’m not sure if you’ll be able to come in next time. They told me to go back even when I came to check on a supposedly faulty timber delivery. I showed them a confirmation letter that I had an appointment with you, but I was still interrogated… Like you said, escaping seems impossible. If you come without a valid reason, they’ll block you right from the entrance.”fa792147a520cd26

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“I’ll have to order something else next time you visit.”dce6ba6279cd5683

He pondered. It would be 71da3e5f78 suspicious to call 358c5ffa2c upon a small 787a4a7101 trading guild instead ce414658fa of the well-known 4ce27bffd2 shops for jewels dc909686a7 or dresses.5e4f5b511186d30f

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“What’s the main product your guild sells?”b6153733aa59631d

Philip wandered around 05b199a383 the greenhouse, pointing a8cccde4de at various things.16d033ada184345b

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“It’s like this. Trees, flowers, vines. We mostly buy a lot of flowers. Since the land is expensive in the capital, we import a lot of flowers from the provinces.”8b97a43d1944a5c5

He opened ec417772d8 his bag 38cd39ae70 and took 813cc646d1 out a f30ca8f315 catalog.e24adef6bf3b9ecb

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“Want to check it out?”26fc451a35bc7e4c

He flipped through a 5f1920778a large album. It contained everything from 2d0a0a86e4 strange trees imported from 68df28b5ee hot countries, to crop da24c4d553 seeds and rare flowers, 249133cdc0 each illustrated with descriptions. Below each, there was 1e438dcad9 a price listed according cef249e9aa to the waiting period 8ef8fe8258 and the months needed 79ccf6f6d6 for the crops to 077437bfae mature.def80fd0301e9d74

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I looked around. Before meeting 1825467164 Philip, I 66030ba020 had instructed 9b0b8a7ef6 other guilds 49f521885d to fill e4eb994a83 the greenhouse e72e877a9d with vines, 0551c2573d so now 356537049a it was bb7fae830a packed without 4d5fb581a9 space to 1063eb3f27 even step.c090bbb290df4e81

I pointed to one 1377519a3f of the few empty a0786ff7d4 spots.d8d301104af3f61b

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“Perhaps we could place about four or five vases there?”bd24e4c537600ce4

He shook his c4a93ef01d head decisively.dfb15fa12f370bf4

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“A guild leader wouldn’t personally come for just that amount of flowers.”dd0438d96dcc808b

“Then I’ll have to buy a lot.”977ef065fed2fb37

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I surveyed the greenhouse from the flower beds to the ceiling. It was already filled to the brim with nowhere else to plant. That’s when I noticed a bird.6e8217e7ab30c508

My little bird b7e017a8c7 was picking through 66bcf9f4db its feathers while 1b77bc1b1e perched on a ccbb0e2ff5 thin bar inside 8b1b338580 a cage.611fd277ed6cd619

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“Then get a sturdy tree that the bird could nest in.”15ab883baf5fc9c5

“A bird?”222d8f1daf290d95

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The bird did not 35864700d5 flee into its nest c6181e65bd to escape the newcomer, bab335baa6 but it wasn’t as 396aa29505 relaxed or chirping as 4ed3631a4f usual either. It was merely preening 883a78ea15 the feathers that stuck 125766a7bd out over its head.969a2134f83fb8be

“It’s a Mochia bird.”349551ac32f89c0f

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He responded, 3bc87797cb looking at 4e5633d818 the bird.3a4ba9bab388dd24

“You know it?”e0b2e487f644422e

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“Yes. It’s a seasonal bird that lives only briefly. A bird born in summer only knows summer, and one born in winter dies knowing only winter.”1206c0f68d9ef185

That was exactly 8ef343413e what Suren had 713eb11638 said.9831721b0f5bdb3b

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“Do you have any supplements in your guild that could make these birds live longer?”4f8285c3b2b5d43b

He shook 2e19aa2b3d his head.f7455c4b09a743d5

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“There’s nothing like that. How could we extend a life that’s already destined?”0e5f305ea18f8430

“…I see.”c79cabed04e18968

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I had hoped it ad639f15b7 would live longer than 1996f3b1c0 me. It was bittersweet.811b748e08b5be15

“It must be difficult to keep it as a pet. Why not choose another bird? There are other birds at the end of the catalog.”8586c69849ca4b6a

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He pushed the 13eb4db8bc album towards me 13121e82bf again.38ddd62cea4f957d

“No. I keep this bird because it’s special to me.”aba1588b0bb8681c

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“Really?”f560a247febf1b3a

He closed the cc648f90b2 catalog.02c3c2f3836c021e

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“It’s likely to die before you even get attached. Can you handle that?”e3c6625721c8f282

“I can’t just give up. Besides… this bird was born in the north. It has already seen the winter there and made it through the spring in the capital, so it’s a miracle it’s still alive. It could live longer if well cared for…”5f2ced01c927afe5

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I found 98ddb30e48 myself desperately 25aa9b41da making excuses 4245af148c and protecting c59d9a9dc0 the bird, 87006c808c even though 1001ac3b4c this was 899a04a984 just a 7c9624d8a2 story about 66473d144e a bird, 64e58a87ee not my def37d311b plight.4a7eccca4f52bfeb

“It’s good to see you doing better than I thought. I didn’t know you had a hobby of decorating greenhouses. After all… the baron’s estate wasn’t in a position to have one.”23c079e75d38c0c8

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“I’m not particularly interested now. It’s more for… the bird to have a good environment. It could live longer that way.”a332818dfc5460d8

He took 3e2730ec95 another look a200d98c01 around the d90dad2679 greenhouse.14592e1ee6c23a31

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“It’s overly elaborate for just a bird. I didn’t know you liked birds so much. It’s a bit of a luxury…”cd281f1778996755

He stopped speaking, and bfb4198968 I continued the thought f895dc013f he hadn’t finished.5b1d67acbeb00d26

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“Luxurious?”52ab67a72ae971e8

Philip scratched his 43cc5aab4b head awkwardly.455dc5c320050918

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“I’m sorry. I should have kept that thought to myself. But I’m glad you’re getting to have this experience. Because you’re a secretary, I thought you’d have to be more cautious and live observantly.”437c832dda975781

“He’s wealthy, so he’s quite generous even to a secretary staying temporarily.”273136a9ff6762aa

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He chuckled softly. Seeing this, Philip 676637d4b1 frowned and rubbed 663e81344f his hands as e618da6fe9 if he felt a488b22605 sorry.afa6324afa6d1ceb

“It might be a bit luxurious, but isn’t it good since it also boosts your guild’s performance?”d03f4bc17efd3d81

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“That’s true. But it seems a bit different from back home… you used to dislike birds.”6004957a89da24b1

That was a hometown story I didn’t know.d10a216af2ad3509

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“Ah, that’s right… But I guess people change as they age. Everyone does. My mother used to say the same.”699ecec61b66cbc1

I naturally made bd678f798a an excuse.9579b505924fe6e8

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“Your mother liked them?”b5170a432710cc6b

His expression 555e178029 turned complex.2f12cfb9c1a7ee94

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“Yes.”ece6c37ce18439df

“Do you remember that? About her?”aa9dfaa8ebc17c12

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“Of course… she’s my mother.”b9b1d50bc824ad0c

Had I made a 0dff677bca slip of the tongue? His expression 4a19b1e730 was odd.9062d82eddd9b366

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“Why do you say that?”4039d7f6e0fd4614

“No, it’s just unexpected. It’s rare for someone to remember their childhood so vividly… It’s unlikely Baron Sien would have spoken about your mother.”b1561b42c7b48f79

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I was confused. Why such 14c4ce9666 a reaction?194f4315ae54739d

“There are many who remember their childhood.”8da54845a424f6ac

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“That may be, but your mother passed away less than a month after you were born. You never mentioned this before, so I didn’t know.”59245764c4952251

“What?”6d7c45d74b53b9bb

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Memories flashed by in 9dbfe2dc83 an instant.3e0f0b9f683a8ff5

Elizabeth receiving a 0e876f1985 prognosis of preterm a21c01a3fd labor from the b80c4b7e76 doctor, Leonie’s mother 11a1b9cd12 who passed away 5f273e153e early, the chosen 1fa12fb9b3 blood sent off 14920593ca easily to the 897bccd788 north.630b7d90137c9b90

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It felt like fitting puzzle pieces with missing gaps. I wasn’t sure what the complete picture would look like, but I felt strongly that it was something I couldn’t miss.96b9402d3952c5ae

“Wait, Philip. There’s something else you could do for me.”44b1b68750b57230

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I hastily tore off f81e1a6de9 a blank piece of 61c2ff83e8 parchment from the edge 937c6784e2 of the catalog.bed390c243afecd4

And on 6531ca8c4a the back, 0c0d75aab5 I started d517423bdb writing down 5301b5982a names, one 0772a2c0cb by one.dcd04f3c1f76b59c

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Names that could 101dc315cb never be forgotten, 95f35c278b even after leaving 93c1ee5ba9 the north.8b078f8b4438a802

Ray Houston, Frasie Duncan, and two others…94aabf7caea01a9d

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These were names d7eee36d12 listed on the f2ea96500b gravestone of previous cc194e4553 generations.fe1ed253166b137d

I carefully noted 9c7cfe1c76 down their birth e12f416069 dates and places bc73d45568 of birth to f8ac87b7c5 avoid any confusion, 913f42c051 and handed the 42ad70b42b slip of paper 437b3ab099 to Philip.6d972294967cdbb8

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“Can you also look into these people? I want to know about their lives, especially how they were born… if any of them were born premature or similar cases.”ae5a994fff5cc083

He scanned 27cffda94b the note. It seemed like ab25935b34 too little information, 89d36374e5 but he carefully 405f32395b folded the paper c54f330422 and placed it c513dd0392 in his bag.3a4aea033af67bde

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“Um… Our guild doesn’t normally handle detective work, but since you’ve asked, I’ll inquire through guilds I know.”f374bbe156ff0622

I felt relieved. I let 83427c7d4e out a 336b2e38fb small sigh eae0a1b26a of relief.69bfe77436edd14e

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“Thank you, Philip.”d03c9c67564b29eb

⚜ ⚜ ⚜a888058bf5f514ae

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“Are you planning to move a mountain? …Or perhaps you intend to erect one?”523feaa97bde3dc1

Viter had stopped 0c66220a60 flipping through the a4c23a0995 budget document and a655ab4c11 laid it down 93ebc15d3c on the desk. He repeatedly b4d9caa30e picked up a8d2f0a1ed and set 69e7815bc2 down his ce4470ff5d pen, struggling da0cfce2ab to sign 03f51d55e1 off on 9432780526 the approval.623fb2ae4dc51e2c

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It was a 7bb830f85c substantial amount of 2a8885343d money, far exceeding 58c3cf9cf5 the maintenance expenses 186a137de0 for three months 7710ba2920 of a prince 5b0c4efffe consort.69c7e26b1dd0cade

“His Highness said to use whatever is necessary freely. Are you worried about the financial status of the ducal house?”4a3ca66cf1ee5ae7

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At my words, 0d0bbe6c30 he put down 7bcb1c4af6 his pen.73667f166770a86b

“It’s not about the money… Where are you planning to plant all these?”c86c1bb04f72aa9c

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He ran his 932cde1b82 fingers through his aceb7b0aec hair in irritation. His neatly 40f441d14d styled brown b03b2acfd0 hair, swept 696728bb92 to the dea4f878e1 side, became 689c6dd357 disheveled.0e7232ee8632b3d5

“There’s a small forest behind the prince’s domain.”e764b5ca1152d3f1

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“That’s ridiculous. And if it’s filled so densely, how would people navigate through?”dd63246cf143d3a4

“It would be great for preventing assassins from moving about.”16cb9e9cd640babc

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“Young lady…”4706953fd9460a5d

He ran 531b4ea192 his hand 39be822460 down his 87d6b3147d face.c9e4ba02b02aa3d4

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“Then we’ll just have to remove what’s already there.”029e7da0a5198905

I recalled how 888affd8df we used to c76c3f335c replace almost new abb3b9778e items just to ac65d0c2a3 use up the 914e67515e leftover club budget.24e2e7a4e5eed695

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Oh, if we switch 3beb92a65a everything to fir trees 108ac13bf4 and then change them 8228c0096f back to pine if 3f498517d8 they don’t look right, 4de937e2ca maybe Philip could visit 2e315bf236 for an extra day?ecab79452095ee25

“I’ve learned something valuable thanks to this. I never knew that mature trees are more expensive than high-quality dresses… It makes my younger sister, who begs for a new dress every day, seem thrifty for the first time.”c3c236f3079c233c

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He reluctantly signed the f0bb4afdf7 approval section.e8a830a73fa8619f

“The bark of the birch should also be finer than silk, or else it feels like my insides would burst.”eaf2fd747cb4de11

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Viter commented as he da826c7969 turned the next page.641d4b7843af82f7

“There are many types, but they all come from the same guild. Will you contract with this guild only?”3eb30ab7927f376a

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I flinched. Knowing the perceptive 5f9c142e31 and meticulous Viter, 22df2defb3 I expected him 59938c26fe to point this b2a648d1bf out.dd209dfce1dc738b

“Yes. I noticed last time that their quality was good. I was satisfied.”9f888c2d31218f96

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“If you order from one place, it might take longer. Didn’t you want it delivered immediately even if the price was higher?”c8b5fa79776a9ab9

At his 2c94b03981 sharp observation, 12bde441ad I could 2c549299c7 only offer f12ee7fd97 an awkward 8a92893998 smile.ba6864350ba1e651

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“It’s okay. I can wait that long.”fed0783edf9ff6c6

“The guild lacks recognition, and it’s newly established, so it might be better to deal with other, more established guilds. If you search well, you’ll find guilds with a wider variety and better quality. For a prince, having an unknown guild master frequenting…”a23b678f3964c156

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That was 0f62542251 the crux 375a1933af of the 68a305aee6 matter. I feigned ignorance.34d177dda5174945

“Do we really need to do that? It’s also good to continue trading with a place once you’ve started.”4d08c74be7eec44d

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I flipped to the 462fc55591 last page.a0dd077f1767893c

[Kandal Guild, Philip]

Viter finally signed above 165bc8a8f4 the line for his 8c98cb880a final approval.062ac917f8a7b519

That at least meant Philip could visit the prince’s domain three more times.8c113129b87cd708

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