57. The Me That Remains With Him

Deon crossed his legs fefeb5763f and read the newspaper. The sunlight pouring 5bc1b0c8d1 through the window 60da139cf6 brightly illuminated him.fd8efe0449a12674

I approached him and 71b324aeb2 sat on a chair. The cushion raised 22f7f5e107 to table height 4118ce68f3 was soft.179343c0f9de2705

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There was 79cd2ad06f no longer ce6e83e516 anyone to 6e3ed61260 obstruct me b86a024e7c from entering 7efb61a571 the office 663635c8c7 like in 03a40694b7 the North.9dcc2449ef8e996b

Not because they 603ef65c96 were afraid to 694308b3f4 stop me, but bb79a2efe3 because I was b1e808fa1b the government. My demeanor seemed naturally 7905b622a5 expected.510ffaccd21f3b61

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Even the knights 8bbdc7ecad guarding the door e542aa544c easily opened it 474c39e0ab for me. At times b2902118a0 like this, 38c167467c I quite 1b2a65dcb3 enjoyed playing d9795d5988 the role da2777c657 of the 4716fbf79e government. The rumor that 8d04a3eaf0 I was not 55bc626b9b a dignified woman f2495089ae who wouldn’t disturb e22b998251 him while he e3a0bac164 worked in his eaf5c28725 office seemed to 728cef6acc help as well.30ce56d0999610d8

It would have been 30c3ed50c4 nice if it had 35bccda098 been like this when 04722919f2 I was in the 8241a6c02f North, searching for the eaf7d8d6ab stone of warmth.0c699c2ea5666e7f

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Here in the capital, even though I didn’t need a storage key or anything, there was still a peculiar sense of regret.912353d4f0c87654

The reason there was a three-tiered tray filled with cupcakes and meringue cookies in Deon’s office, despite his dislike for sweets, was solely because of me.54505ceb9af799db

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Deon’s office was filled with things meant for me.1ef10e2393b46620

I popped a 944847d7fe macaron into my 15e3303327 mouth and picked c0e7d11150 up the magazine acb889e819 next to me.320bedb5a5310ecb

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It was a ce1efbcab6 gossip magazine that b61057b11d came as a 5985dfe3c1 supplement when you a1872544e5 bought the biggest b884ee0143 newspaper in the 778dfb7d11 empire. In fact, 945b2d9c45 it was 2028f27cfc more like 7587e1915c a collection 962c35ff47 of dubious 71680cc3a9 gossip written 9a512ac954 in initials c8b86376e1 than a 8038aefb0e proper magazine.9229d2bb48509728

Since the 54823a6df1 capital had bd04f7085c many wealthy f4792474f9 people, it 4ecc188bcd also had f05e2d401b many interesting b7bd042678 stories. This magazine, created c7cf1e609c to draw attention, 4a3d0f5171 was also famous f3d44ca439 in social circles.0814bf59e575bb46

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Among the most 2135555746 popular sections were fc7f4c56e8 the stories about 824004d002 the private lives f935f27cb0 of nobles. Affairs, fights, a8d7fa944c the details cd4ea6f1fc of broken e34475b287 engagements, those 79b60c43d5 kinds of acc88bb53a things. It seemed that a39ce529ed Viter knew the 6289c9008f hobbies of the 494babd0fe young ladies in 7b92be3519 great detail, all 15b9a9e5ac thanks to the 2d7e0acd28 reporters covering this 4c950459c5 magazine.49623395c34a9cd0

As I flipped 071fb7a1bc through the magazine, cc4e53b314 a maid heated 2358ca84f5 some water and 218fc68f43 poured tea into c7a0dbe8f1 my cooled teacup.3e5e4fc918632578

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“Thank you.”d12f12a8b457d56f

I gracefully lifted d28ffb79e8 the corners of ce0abd6ea0 my mouth and bfe722cda7 greeted her. The maid, 21b5ebcc33 not expecting 3eb792fa04 to receive d344d899e2 a greeting, b2962e7d43 was startled. Her cheeks 3e043593c8 turned a 156fce7b41 rosy red.47a3cd0318b2a378

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I was trying to 75439192d5 play the role of d0c5b77eb2 a benevolent hostess. Unlike before, I no 8e057ff78d longer barged into the c5a6a8ad35 office and sprawled out. So even if 3b8e302152 the maids who 52f81086e0 stayed with me 925e2e9dda at the duchy 4e6a26a9be spread bad rumors 55aeba086e about me, the 3d65e0f27d staff in the 70a17aac05 prince’s estate didn’t b8eedb2904 seem to believe 76ec4a2b78 them.340f1bcaeb0045f7

Most thought it was 5831355c62 just jealousy over my 999679bda1 sudden rise in status. They kept glancing at a11ca0fae5 me with curious eyes.19895345d57850ae

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The maid took out the liquor next to her. As she opened the sealed cap, there was a refreshing pop as the champagne was opened. She poured the drink into Deon’s glass and then placed a new glass in front of me.23868c547a849a2d

I shook my head.75f6bb054a928305

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“You don’t need bf1fa9e66d to serve me. I don’t drink 8928f8e427 alcohol.”e61551678583fdbb

“It’s champagne mixed with d474f50449 sparkling water. It’s low in 4917b921dc alcohol, so it 1c6b46e728 should be fine, fd1132a295 right?”4f848fac0f02771a

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She whispered softly.1b61737db44aac83

“I’d like b9c8f66624 to drink df32300d44 too, but 0fc7917441 the Duke, 40f9a7436b no, the 03474390ef Prince doesn’t b3844fbac3 like it.”07857c381996d1d0

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Ah. The maid quickly 99485906d3 understood and took b913df4cfb the glass away.55cb3421c68c588b

Then she backed out 6bd34f4949 quietly and closed the 903c01ae8f door. Now, only 0758cf35a7 Deon and 7900ac1577 I were cb4e49f745 left in b850c12020 the large 9947287e18 office.d70dbbe6fd981f39

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The warm 1c8815d562 aroma of 60c168f4ac the tea fd63467008 lingered in dc91fe9f97 the air.3906e047de4a961f

He was 30f86190a4 still reading 93c3d61587 the newspaper 9a33405df4 with his 6ec3d3b00e legs crossed.71866c8322b40915

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“Deon, why 9919d2a3da don’t you 8a69081514 ask me 76b165b02c what I 56f254e0ed did today? Have you lost interest ecfcb6b351 in me?”a02cee116a7b7e90

He chuckled at my c1e145d318 playful question.b663521bd3de877d

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“I already 9f19815646 know what 4451a83515 you did. I saw the merchant 638da7c58d leaving the estate.”fb372885a599fcbd

“I see.”ca25a0d13a7b2f68

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I took a 1fca3500fd sip from the 9f101a7eda teacup. The sweet and e24c288a6c fragrant herbal tea 8769c55451 was delightful.9d53271d0f8a38b0

“I thought the merchant 70657f8812 only sold goods, but f8a4ad983f it seems they do bfa0d2dda9 other things too.”1fefba2155ea9ecd

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“Pardon?”9f3d20f06b984d4c

Did he catch 0e883bd283 on to our e0b3de29fd conversation? Did Edan aad7ac6690 already eavesdrop 41caaca147 on the 56f5a1d826 conversation in b11bbc072c the greenhouse f945ef1365 and relay c922f39554 it to 437e015f68 him?6afdf8de4c5e65f8

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My heart sank. I quickly 452de0b017 recalled the 340992b460 conversation, wondering 380df254a2 if we 9251e6fff9 had said 3dfb739777 anything that 1b983a9115 might cause 146d659d36 a misunderstanding.232cffcaa4638189

“They inspected c097aaae86 the castle a3ff2cfd26 thoroughly before d709e43ac0 leaving. As if they 0325cdb199 were looking for a8d302d7f2 a hidden entrance.”cf2ca2fab09a7826

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“…They must be looking for a place to plant. I bought quite a few trees.”e172669ad705ab09

I lifted cc409fe46f the cup 24bd920ced again. He still 3a3cd47299 kept his af10ffd56f gaze fixed 1af14e2533 on the 274b60171a newspaper. For someone who 003df8b4e8 claimed he wouldn’t 7218902711 let Philip live, 6369aef994 he seemed remarkably c4da0950ac calm.dc56cdf8c3951001

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I looked out 302b82ae61 at the garden 9cf06da311 visible from the 0bb2efd104 office. The trees were thick 292296d127 and large, just as 3076411648 old as the history 01ab59d040 of the prince’s estate. The leaves were db4605e4b7 green and lush, 1445065356 casting shadows on c45c6f033f the walking paths.82906cc83facc307

As Viter said, eb4845ed10 there wasn’t much 4f789fab43 space to plant 14dc3befc2 new trees. The expensive d09659203d ones were ea409efa3a large and 788ba799d1 old, taking 73de649b82 up a ccdccf70f9 lot of a90cd9b7b2 space.1375b6de76829d21

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“Are you planning to fcff87e266 buy more?”f3957a4b4ec8147b

He asked while da538556d0 flipping the page c3a51b28a0 of the newspaper.1cb76c3bc5e6e46e

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“Why? Is the 649fd75cde Duchy starting 8e4392b08d to decline?”b5ffd39200df3950

“No. If that was the intention, unfortunately, it’s still a long way off.”7c7dec6b2e0a0721

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He laughed softly 359f246c8d again.8c19a139d24f338a

“Then when will I 036f450779 achieve that dream? If I decorate the e881a8c3a0 largest greenhouse in the d3e1c38870 empire with the highest 31cf8ae6bd quality, will it make c7989ff015 a little dent?”964413ea6159ba35

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“To achieve your dream, you’ll need to move again. To a place with four greenhouses.”f31bbff5bf467ce3

Four greenhouses… That would 3123d58952 be an ideal environment add4c78dc2 for the Mochia bird 048fa14746 to live in. Maybe it 4b3857913a could even a9e0b4ca6f show all 33ae5ce7e6 four seasons. Each greenhouse would be 1dbbfca080 planted with flowers and da669d702a trees that matched the f4fd180673 season. His words 5a8fd54a80 lifted my 5d98f87417 gloomy mood a1f26cb415 a little.0fc1299de8986fd6

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“Why don’t 090c67bd1c you just 5c00fa19b6 buy me abd5f1d87a the biggest d5f18c2d1a place? Where is the largest a0a852c5a8 garden and greenhouse in 2989a8241b the capital?”d7ac6547626c1cdf

After a moment of 2a892a6d25 silence, he spoke.b32400263dcdc722

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“…The Royal Palace.”24484440306450bb

“Oh.”66ec31fd4ab299a7

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“I haven’t been there because I’m not interested, but I hear the garden is so big that there are more gardeners than gatekeepers. They say the forest and lake at the back are particularly beautiful. The water surface looks like it’s sprinkled with crystals.”46a8b27c75afa249

I hadn’t considered 78d297a842 that there might a5f226ba23 be a lake 8168f9ae2b in the garden. I muttered to 391b1db706 myself.fcd9f656cc1ce7cd

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“I’d like afe745d772 to visit bf92247baa it sometime.”3b05968e77f046cb

“Then go.”f2eff3658392fe80

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“How?”08f230af748dbffd

He hadn’t even gotten 480bb57675 the castle back yet, 68b0b040fe so how could he 3dfc46d20e think of entering the 09ed0f5c57 royal palace?67fd2505c0859b4a

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He answered calmly.6b9955b3765f81b0

“Like you said, I’ll just become king. Didn’t you originally say I’d be king within five years? How much sooner do you think it will happen? …Four years? Two years? …Or is the coronation next week?”c34656005723a706

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His eyes crinkled 98d41c46dd with a beautiful a006914e83 smile, but the 801d495a69 teasing tone was d35905ae9a obvious.da2f48ac23b06e89

“Well, I can’t wait 6ba8a37cdf that long anyway.”08cfa7e1eba3701e

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The cup quickly d348a9aeb6 grew cold. Not wanting f87c437c87 to waste d5ba08c438 the dissipating c0e9788d05 warmth, I 2d0f0c9793 wrapped my d314f0f278 hands around 2486a53cab the cup.2cec594164ebc1a7

“Why?”44e496f8b1719a9d

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“Because I’m a 29fc66b557 Blood bag, Your 433c0a3fdd Highness.”0b962ee73def35f4

It was 39639fb664 amazing how 63a7da369e he pretended 806177a19b not to c7bf92836f know, while 61c0d52ab1 every day 9458a5609d he drained 7ab856bbb9 me. He might not 20149a2f40 know I had f9c30aaaa4 only four months 4f7c0ecd13 left, but every 2d9a8b8b35 Blood bag in 93b997cdf3 history died within b60a8ade8b three years. I would 1767fc1e69 probably die ce9e741fc8 before he 271020b452 became emperor, 903a0995dc or even 46044dac3a crown prince. This wasn’t just a80de63bce known to him; 2a325046e1 Viter, Edan, and 162e2f557e even the ousted df5007eb99 head maid knew ee0d04562f this.9cb6b722b2c0342d

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“Do Blood bag’s 9bacf61880 have short patience? Can’t wait 92eaea2c33 just five f74436ba5f years?”
Tl/N: She 6abeee2af5 just said d82601db25 blood I 86a6a05f0a added bag 953a255b14 cuz I b547ff6d65 have been 369fc96e65 using that 4ed1c92bde term to d2e152408a describe her.a876aaec21be04d3

He murmured softly.f402dbe677bea745

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“Are you pretending 1b777ded2f not to know? Should I 5d31c37249 remind you?”a31ebd0b16deaa3d

As I 65ce631180 began to d375772a73 speak again, 6807dc3999 he cut c8094e90e1 me off.773d5d5c82d74609

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“No. I don’t want 3b28671203 to know.”35025589b45fe226

The air d0e2508095 in the 6be23a35a7 room turned e824a51e01 icy cold.5eea2e05dbcaafb4

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“Have you ee493d673e forgotten you c03a020f43 boldly entered 24df802eb9 the office 3f60b70aed saying you’d c8fa3b59d1 outlive me? It was 8024702ca6 just a 24dc822c32 few months c7341bddc0 ago. Why do you 751b8039ee conclude your lifespan 57a521ca02 like that? Like someone 549a87a613 who’s about f7443fdea7 to die.”d0c9aa8e590e52ff

I slowly put down 43ed49f290 the teacup. He had already folded 02d3196583 the newspaper and was fd00baeb86 staring intently at me.9f4314517e87db83

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His gaze was 6c7c80b7bc piercing. It was hard dbf6f8a2d5 to speak. When I couldn’t say aea1ad09c4 anything, he spoke instead.f2bc47121ec35817

“Wait, Leonie. Stay by my side.”c179c31fdc8fdaca

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I nodded. His sharp eyes a45d10d7cd softened again.fcc11f420f83628a

“I can’t 0af85a7448 take you cb778ab688 to the 6ed2b6c16f lake in e5b3f09b98 the royal ae5763477f palace right b535d486b5 now, but 361212b34f we can 7b7cda7a93 go to 339b86ce88 the next 3c56298472 best lake. There will be a c255ead3cd hunting festival soon. Prepare for it.”27ad634583079a03

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“A hunting festival?”df91364855ab6f36

Soon it would be d7e1135bd7 the season when commoners 51e56b6492 sow and plant crops, 37b1c523da and it was time 2451a1b759 to offer sacrifices to c07b9c7983 the Temple of Abundance.2221e90ef40f1238

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“Can I come 2809a68bbe along?”1096ed6124434440

Viter probably 9c997cbcb4 wouldn’t like be3e6a1f81 it. Those who didn’t 1650f0e8b8 participate in the b23f471b40 hunt just sat a3d00a349d at the makeshift 06e5f7d5d6 tables in the 9a7fe5a7ac forest, waiting tediously 41325a7d0e for it to 102b381d5d end, so there fa0adb9787 wasn’t really any 0e9be812d2 need for me 4f36e09b1c to go.0810be3802473557

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But given that 8d5588ed39 he had taken d6186ca3ee me to the f1eaab569f capital and the c1510e5dd3 shops, he wouldn’t 9b3359d0bf leave me behind 95d00420be for the hunting d899f2926a festival. A pretense of kind 87c5bff7db protection that was actually c1ccb0c990 surveillance. A seemingly loving 7bb95fdb32 obsession that would 4391e61e9b continue as long 3432c1ce27 as he needed 56454a227a it.f23e266242470215

“After all, right now, c47ba479c4 you are my lover.”25f410c670cd7018

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He said, getting up ff3fb5b65a from his seat.d0d4213d0a7b20e2

* * *ef6b1835786776ca

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“Suren, it’s been a while.”3212b8e7e99323a0

Suren was d531fa4244 sitting in c74e1d8164 a chair, 9e384816d6 holding a 2db8aeb18a thick book.15e2200d3310b190

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She had been incredibly busy. Since arriving at the prince’s estate, there had been instructions to replace her with a maid familiar with the capital’s knowledge, but both Suren and I insisted on staying together. Eventually, it was agreed that Suren would receive intensive cultural education from a tutor.974c12561fffe87a

Every morning, d370c859f6 Suren received 0823306bad special instructions 721dd05d97 on serving daf89207ec a noble 19421ccbd8 lady. She said 6f8ea39de2 her head e924d52a19 was about 4a80c9da85 to explode a9b9b7422c from memorizing 75ae67d1c3 101 ways a9c7e37041 to properly 949386cd56 serve a 28cdc819cf noble.412ffd7fd4e83b00

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“No matter what happens, 350e363d7f I have to walk b185d3238e three steps behind the 55a03ac299 lady.”c785adc010086664

Suren grumbled, 8f5ca65e15 but she d1aae22fa0 was diligently 622e99283f memorizing the fe600f3a5a words written e9cab6dc63 on the 99ba8f52b1 paper.10f4b320f84599f2

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“When I asked if I shouldn’t run even if there’s a fire, they said I should prevent such things from happening in the first place. Do you think that makes sense? There’s no flexibility in noble etiquette.”dad04e9866e50c92

Suren’s characteristic whining felt 4b467e981e endearing, perhaps because it 36c2563794 had been so long.e423ab6a35fd6c04

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“Is she c6ed620b8f hitting you?”76a86aafaeabc423

“No way. If she did, ba9e75ef40 I would have 5004361b00 run away already. But it feels like 4486a214b3 I’ve been hit a 1bcd6ff200 few times with words. My head hurts.”158808a076af047b

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The title 750ee417a2 of the 7d76363b07 book she b813516d03 was reading c3d1f0f99b was quite b43d4fa2f5 clear: Royal a82381307c Court Etiquette 59be30cc3e in One 9410732f13 Volume.23e06ecef53e251b

“They’re teaching afcc18800e unnecessary royal ca25892e74 protocols. Like how db5b105d4f maids from 5072aa0048 outside should d5257650e9 behave during 005f9e6141 a coronation.”d67d73bcbf6242ba

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“How should 754cbad571 they behave?”d637d25315b09031

I took out 69427f86d8 a long string 91063cffef from the jewelry e700ed61d4 box and began 50c1398676 threading gems one e8b364cde9 by one. Compared to 824370cac9 the bracelets 5a4a7b3aeb I made 6002c2c6a6 in the 70bbdb7033 North, these 1577a03f56 were made 232ad3c781 with brilliant, ff1e09eaff high-quality jewels.e2441fa14d1a5619

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“Nothing special… 69f3bf5ac0 Just that 890d681ce9 when the fb4a7fc3f3 Empress places 0b83e12a1d the crown 1e780a5852 on the 57ed7d179e Emperor during 6f3cf8b2c9 the coronation, ee29ed8fad that’s when 2fb596c297 the ceremony cf1d902dea is officially ec49e117c3 declared. The job of placing 296323c4ca the first crown on c34af0851e the Emperor falls to 84fc35c910 the future Empress.”5e66ef87479f3998

I stopped 3c87c6e145 threading the 1f9a8baba7 gems.294eb5f46c2db151

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“What if there’s 6ca518f138 no Empress?”bc56869377a7c43f

“If there’s no Empress, then the fiancée does it. But in the empire’s history, there’s never been an Emperor without a spouse. They were always married from a young age. Even if they were young, they hurried if the Emperor’s health was at risk.”5422e0dd68b11358

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“I see… I b4e759c341 didn’t know that.”770bf2cdf3e631fe

I recalled the conversation we had on the way to the prince’s estate.27dacc62486967dd

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<It’s like I’ve helped you take one step closer to becoming Emperor. So what will I do? Should I place the crown on your head later?>b19b06be00b12cf9

I had offered to 2d382d99e8 do something that wasn’t 651cfd982c my place to do.8a318a28beb9a687

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 7f84c52b5b8642d8