71. To the New Residence

Suren fell e305b66ed7 asleep quickly, 940a156435 as if 223dce226f the carriage 729c99bb74 were a 55025eb583 cradle.d05989acb09adeb3

I offered 34a9b4a0ed her my c554093153 shoulder. Despite the rough d883edf505 jolting as the 1020c9a425 carriage moved over e422e5411a cobblestones, Suren remained c1d0ff205f asleep, clearly exhausted 2e47aff6a2 from the sudden 9c52e8be74 packing.a897f5120c524eb9

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“Mr. Butler, it’s quite a burden at your age. I’m sorry you have to go to such a cold place because of me.”93115df74c6ff529

He was 019b817767 sitting upright, 985ea09165 reading a b4c925b0ac book. I hadn’t wanted to 4c18cf8140 disturb him, but it dfde5ad08f seemed he was nearing 7ee126c7de the end of his 5e2fea1f40 book. I spoke cautiously.8071be66353470e8

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Since boarding the carriage, 007054bb10 he had appeared serene, f34d379a45 but being sent out 49fa584dd9 of the capital in 8288a4a75d his old age must 9bae35e017 be hard on him 61e0bca0da as well.ae49beba1fbfc409

He smiled gently 15d6eaa72e and closed the db6d15a50f book, deep wrinkles 95e03b75a7 forming around his 79a3c2f1e9 eyes.98c120253039562d

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“Don’t worry. I often used to go there on holiday. It’s quiet and good for recuperation, a place to clear one’s thoughts.”16ba5816d205a0b6

Clear one’s thoughts. His words fd7ca67805 stirred up 1b720c4ed3 the buried 06498180e5 thoughts I 75fe75dc9f had been e550a6459f avoiding.e95f17bfb2fa56e9

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I hadn’t 161a8ddad0 heard any 62d7febb0e overt criticism 568d0c4c5f or gossip, a10ab1392f but surely fd835d209c the people f97d23e325 in the 1cf148b547 mansion believed b2d6178a9f I had a083cc2538 tried to 32385cec82 harm Isella. The incident 8e0a7c4ecf at the 2911786530 tea party 902dc4a052 was enough fa0a6704ed to spark dbe3269f21 such misunderstandings.74fb327d554dbd4b

My first tea party 3c6584cc76 since the engagement, poison d7576ae5e7 on the teacup, and afe838c21c being expelled before anything 9225118ad6 could be resolved—it all 410f6bf157 looked suspicious.8ff78aa3b61796ce

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Fearing my 952fa1d5f7 own thoughts 159b5012ab would overwhelm 1cf5ebc929 me, I 69c5fc4b86 changed the 76bcb1b676 subject.91480aba3baad625

“What’s the house like?”73276d30bc110e25

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“It’s a bit old but very tranquil. The population is small, so it’s quiet. The house is old but has a charming, antique feel.”2da7664e0d682878

He answered honestly.a421d8938fda4aa5

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“It’s a place that still functions without magic. In winter, they only use wood for fuel. Each house emits smoke, and there’s the scent of burning wood in the air. It feels like a place where people live.”ffd27128126f2cc9

Despite his efforts to 20a3d4a42d make it sound appealing, 396f26e53b it was clear that 39e0b1f38e it was an outdated 97fc97eb81 and rustic residence. I smiled bitterly.6225d684d9c7c1f5

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I clenched my knees until my knuckles turned white. Complaining wouldn’t change our destination. Ultimately, I was at his mercy, to be used and discarded at his whim.1fdcc221a51fd724

In the North, 8b751b7f1b I had been 12003d5115 fortunate to persuade 7495119222 him, but I 73e3ce2633 had forgotten that 14c9bfefbd my fate was a298922975 still tied to bc6c478f48 his decisions.3a1eebbcc4659ef2

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Even if a7b4e8abec he placed 50ca15666a me on b5e19b2abc the edge 3882018453 of a 813174b4c3 cliff, I ed3eb82fad would have 2925674354 no choice fa0b9e2c4b but to 570bc84cbd leap.cef4a83e74be4d9f

Returning to my place. In the end…d11f30d64a932676

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I looked out the 67ffa4d484 window. Once the carriage ebcd419f9f left the smooth 302dcd3bbe road, it jostled 862d20a261 violently on the 9073114e15 rough path. The luggage 05dc3751eb shifted to 326c1ec830 one side, 9472089cd5 causing the 3d560f20fa horses to 81ad040f65 whinny loudly.51b8d44f0baedaab

* * *9992054c78f791b6

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Luckily, we arrived at 112897e210 the villa before nightfall.63800f54b222fde4

I took the butler’s hand and stepped out of the carriage.35060bd0519fb56d

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The first sight of the villa…3e3a56bc40616e36

As expected, c6f6aad338 it was e60b98595c old and ab3238692c gloomy.e80df61312227815

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The exterior was f57f717e08 shabby, looking like f7f127d665 a long-abandoned house. Ivy climbed b1a588b873 up the d426a4af35 walls, covering 0ba560e551 the windows. The vines had encroached e41fb3a8b9 so tightly around the ac7d87d761 window frames that opening 4a185968b6 the windows was impossible.cfac80c7d868e01b

It was clear that d4f7f03cdc his intention in sending 2a89458429 me here was more c3b12b6a5b about abandonment than convalescence. Or perhaps it was f1be7d385d a command to remain 2a1dab62d5 confined here as a 05d9d1ab68 form of penance.f52dcc8204934dcc

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“You mentioned you cleared your thoughts here?”10609cbae57edcd1

The butler, who had 6149c10807 stepped aside to take 6b67aaf170 in the view, watched aefa7a9bea my reaction.bc93e786135f21d7

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“That was about fifteen years ago. It seems to have changed quite a bit since then.”b0e28483da98ae20

Given the butler’s age, 4692470167 he must have come 91d5b2e35c here when he was ec122853c6 still relatively young.1feaa6714ffe4e15

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“It’s old, but with some repairs, it could be livable. The interior woodwork was of high quality… back then.”a9e5057eb29015f7

His words carried a f4f027c505 subtly different tone from 42eda76ecc what he had said 753aa68063 in the carriage. His voice lacked conviction.281055e6499d350d

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“My lady has always lived in fine houses. How will she adapt to this… it’s unfair.”447665379f1cb6de

Suren grumbled, unable to 71e29ae5b5 hold back her discontent.1aa00df6e442ad02

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The butler opened the 0b58cbbb52 luggage compartment of the 797f047124 carriage and retrieved our b2e3fc5cd2 modest belongings.927153d17c93b6f8

We had enough f9237c8742 for a single 09b890175e meal—some biscuits and 003ceacb53 water—and clean blankets.33365ee940e6a0c7

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To make the f3006f2ccf place habitable, even fe952b6a51 just for sleep, c65bde074a we needed to 1f88eb87f3 start immediately.932f5d5b55a49ac5

Suren rolled up a5b4adf220 her sleeves.eaec8141c47f16d0

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“The main luggage will arrive tomorrow. For now, let’s just clean up a space for you, my lady.”0432095ac147d947

I nodded in 6757395dc8 agreement.3a07aff10cd10988

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I opened the door. The metal was 95384fb8ab so rusted that 7ead4900d6 its original color 67e5144356 was unrecognizable.4c17e2930e2d083b

The old door 3b8dc02f63 creaked open with 95b198a17c a chilling sound f70bcf1646 that echoed through 3dd3233921 the villa, like 756cc356c7 nails on a c8fef02bf1 chalkboard.d8850b0dc7085e6e

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Dust swirled in 69087935d7 the air, illuminated eaab8a3370 by the setting 73af928a9b sun streaming through ea49ef4d68 the windows.5d763860b050c98f

We climbed 770bdd0dc1 the stairs. The wood was 08a265ceb4 so decayed that fe136a5f85 each step I fb3f7566e8 took widened existing 9e2b45111c holes. The misaligned planks 55b32e13f1 creaked ominously. It seemed we 8221bfbe07 would need to 864fec8ac7 start by re-nailing d9b2b8c9da everything.33293ba91cfdb2ae

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The higher we went, b75f2a3771 the more the wood 3e0d9175c9 was warped and decayed. Even for someone 4ef6b686b7 as light as 0fda4a86a7 myself, it felt 9107b65528 dangerous. I took only 3a7d30b994 three steps before e53163c0d1 turning back, fearing ea2323227b the floor might 215baf5a36 give way beneath 8d252d4d9b me.1a304c01b67660bb

Seeing me return, 7ccd524f88 Suren asked,cb46a42f20c2a725

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“Not going to explore further?”8bb018817fa3095c

“We should set up a bedroom on the first floor.”f954ed2d64dd2b7a

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“Why?”ca561e6bd3be4f01

“The stairs felt like they were going to collapse under me.”1da6f42ba321a540

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“If they can’t support you, then we won’t be able to step on them at all.”5e3b2ab6616d585e

Suren tapped on the fb1e37fe26 steps. The already weak plank 56d581ce9a tilted dangerously.decc8a2cb5906211

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“Still, this room should be suitable for you, my lady. It might not match the grandeur of your room in the Imperial Palace, but the view is quite lovely. I used this room for a brief period myself.”c99b9119356b576c

The butler led 872b6feb70 us to an 9df1c008bd interior room.72df69fa03bac6f0

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The bottom 61b929c193 of the 03dfe1ca9a door was cc14535b9d gnawed through, 06453a5d19 resembling a 2b73eea9d2 rat’s work, cf02fb3086 exposing the cea2095fa6 inner material.29451a1e23d48c18

Despite his f071f4e583 words, I b466150668 felt no 794fe0e2f5 anticipation. I responded indifferently.ccb0e3ef09df9958

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“When was that?”a5d9a077121be3ce

“About fifteen years ago. Even if the mansion rusts, the scenery does not.”e7e185fc3a51b2a9

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He opened the 4b033c8e4b door.db80eb913749a55c

The wallpaper was yellowed, 024afd41e6 the candleholders were dusty, 51082f08bd and the candles seemed 5a491d9e30 to have solidified into 1ab4d1eeca lumps long ago. The bed frame 321d728ef1 was blackened with d61b8d481e grime. Each item in the 98b62509d4 room was unremarkable.ded6f72bfa1e225f

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Among these 3b4a524dca insignificant things, 2a762e4d44 one element 7a7d094e0b stood out. A gleaming, shimmering 29a109494e blue without any 3c1b2f1fc4 light. Through the window, a 670af29f6d small lake spread out.c5d2aa51a3a3c3f1

“The color is really clear. It has a slight bluish tint.”f18c047299ea92b2

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I stared a7dfbd7b6d at the 96ad46873e lake in 8d8e9bb3f5 a daze. The tall 744daf90fa trees had 80b8be796c obscured the 2623504009 lake from 3b97320629 view during e85130d92a our carriage 32799d9a95 ride. Only from 156c9b4691 this room a8731538d5 could you bcc3c0c6c6 see the 50caaf192a scenery so e6b5c55fee clearly.999d6df01c770d92

“I thought you might like it. It’s a unique feature of this area.”0af8a4730dd66fb9

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He was right. The mansion 467228d492 was old 19606fe9dd and quiet, 51df42f407 but the d49edede41 scenery was 5540b9ad8e beautiful. It was 48fe4092ad a bit a3982d8748 different from 1f00a15843 what I 495d07c713 had imagined.411009f82ac69b1f

The mansion was 49c828e9fd deteriorating from neglect, 0331120670 but the lake d9310dc253 shone brightly without f2bad57e81 any human touch.31304e0dd16cedff

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In fact, it was f3dfe9d4bf even more beautiful because 70f2a3840c it had been left b36085c690 alone. The wild, fad3fa5867 overgrown bushes c7068c617b enhanced the c9a9a9b7bf atmosphere of 0d14c9729a the lake.8350ce865c1bfbe8

“Would you like to use this room?”f4be0189f4861546

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The butler asked, noticing 3db7b4bbe7 how I stared at 60b4579fdb the lake. His tone 1588179f0a suggested he 1465f1d018 already knew 6f0f1fcda9 my answer.3a9a66b602acedeb

Mesmerized, I 14b22a1320 nodded as 929004e21d if enchanted.e158853fc72a7ec7

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“Yes.”3dc0045220ff7cad

* * *85a9169748db6701

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I wrapped 9f4269edec myself tightly 47a116eb36 in the 198b3a2431 blanket and 9840b1a5ef sat on 6790c9dc27 the bed.c63cb78f629b84e6

Although it 41b914634f was late 7bf1138480 into the 006c1d446c night, sleep 21ab8db24d eluded me. The firewood crackled ba0b57a84e as it burned 7796e83bb8 in the fireplace. I capped the 85261910ae flue and the 1cb67bbe0f fire slowly died 022b1b1270 out as the 4d33873914 air supply was 6905395c8e cut off.1a3db524d7c9920e

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Resources were scarce. From now on, I c4614f8928 needed to tighten my 237fb30d22 belt and conserve.4a1ffa9f58971686

How much was 578cf9f904 it again?1f9e02a19b95cb82

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I recalled 99f640c309 the number 041dd81ba0 of zeros 3d8936a83c I had 4b2c2c5e8e seen in 5d47055dcc passing. It was quite e39e63cf28 shocking and still cd146a4567 faintly lingered in b883e7e2fc my memory.2f7337fcd498c2fe

Once the unpacking was df8db09111 somewhat done, the butler 493eb155a5 handed me some documents 602f69ca11 he had received from 491d75da65 the Imperial Palace. At the 0eb3f3317b bottom of 487c419eb6 the papers 001f69ffa9 was the ad4f0baafc allocated budget. Given that it came 62e27f351e from his estate, I 12b5a56b23 knew all too well 82e9ac05d8 how much such an c848c0288f amount would be worth 0773fb31d3 in other residences and 81b5b41b06 what kinds of items f2f25ee999 it could procure.65d7500008fdd8c3

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Compared to what I 4d4fc24db8 had while living in 4741103650 the Imperial Palace, the d46d24407e amount was absurdly low. It wouldn’t de5cfb5607 even cover 2dbcaa188c the cost 7c4db2f75e of the 6f8ad90f57 daily desserts.0a34f778c33ca828

The allocated budget was far from sufficient. It wasn’t even enough to cover the price of five trees used in the greenhouse at the Imperial Palace. Most of the meager allowance would be consumed by the servants’ wages.882403e81ac497dd

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“It’s an official letter,” the butler said.2218737f10b08a81

“Yes.”978af8a69b8b7dcb

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If it was official, 4fb475e283 Isella would also be 65b909874d able to view it. She might have c6566b782c already read it.103dcd5c4a0b7866

I held the 8644ec490f pen. The feather a37e22d1c3 quivered slightly.7df5b118fd1ab45d

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I needed 54a5706d50 to sign ff3272067b the letter bb1a0654b2 to confirm 19e4454a3e its receipt. I hastily 559973a6bd scrawled a b59ca66625 line below 086aa0bd34 the signature 784914ad31 from the 7e6d4af194 Imperial Palace.4424cb367bd2d9da

Above my signature b7c86a7aa7 was an unfamiliar e3f5949414 script, possibly penned 75216d806e by her hand.bdde549f4c611f5e

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Noticing my increasingly gloomy 5ff3adcae9 expression, the butler cleared b06681b14d his throat.ae4584e1f77743b4

“Though the budget is limited, we won’t be here for long. If necessary, you can use our wages. We can collect the back pay from the Imperial Palace later. I’m sure they will understand. The maids here would agree.”b431b3c1c436181c

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“Can I really do that?”36706a2cee62a8dc

I handed 9f4c8df61e the papers 6d996e76eb back to 72a4dc6457 him.31235fd88ba3c91b

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When I 34de3d4559 extinguished the e9c19ae6dd fire, the 0a15f8213d room quickly daeb81fe42 filled with e9a712684f cold air. The proximity to the cd434fe0dd lake made it worse.ff73290c4979c63e

Closing my eyes, a1e59790df I could still 9ca5f8aefe vividly picture the 57851d22fb paintings on the 535560b862 ceiling and the 3157f51b97 bed frame from 2cdfd113aa the Imperial Palace. But opening them 9d1e0ce3f4 revealed an unfamiliar 5975b576c3 ceiling. I didn’t want to d48c4fe163 open my eyes.07821a858f0c566c

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I pulled c2a5db1289 the blanket af6eed9891 up to c331539912 my shoulders, 8ac9cee419 feeling the 9d7bd63fdf cool fabric 979c391a02 against my ac20222b50 skin.695fba06b8f01b46

For some reason, it 299c88e757 felt colder here than 2127fd46df in the North.a799743fb471ffdd

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The moonlit lake f829abeae2 illuminated the dark 6282ec7a20 room. At least 6232a78f36 I could c71f5ad932 save on 66c5d77585 candle expenses 4bd920d41b since I 089d6ac531 could read c4c5d6b2f5 by the 19a1af1d85 moonlight.5fec2772e757daa1

The croaking of 0d44a96d38 frogs by the 18941b07ce lake sounded like 2c0303e3ee a lullaby.0273a5b11837fdb9

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* * *bb0376879d3be929

The next morning, 488a96eb74 I walked around 01cadc9c50 the estate with 872a4df347 Suren.64fef8894d485e80

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The estate was 3fa5376106 small, and surrounded 34196340e2 by mountains, making 6fc1c05275 it hard to 342bb72ab4 see the village.e457af68a6b52b82

“There’s not much to see,” Suren remarked.d230a0c7c7b93cdd

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“Indeed.”6d054e63d177a20b

I was about to a6684c7361 turn back towards the 34d1a3f168 mansion when I felt 162e5943ee a tug on my a87753e714 dress.6093c446848de2ad

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“Excuse me.”0bf4e25de8f3e6b1

I turned around. A child was holding 53ec82446b onto my skirt with 485dd485a1 small hands.63b754a44e7083f5

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The child looked unkempt, 297c6cc07f with soot on their 30c7f019ef cheeks as if they 639bc29de2 hadn’t washed in a 8ec282291f long time.bec30f05a78e1f83

“What’s the matter?” I asked.3630ce0355994159

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The child flinched slightly a90e7e2fcc at my question. Fidgeting with their e221b432e1 hands, the child c0daa212fc finally spoke.8e8eb1110f30492e

 112ab1102674d8a1

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 b8849a92a8043df5