73. Visitors at the Mansion

I placed some f411e1053c wood down and a303e171ac filled the space d28f8bec49 with dry grass 6ebf712db5 to light a 6ae05a59fb fire.12eb83157a31f61b

There was nothing to do in the abandoned estate. Watching the fire until it completely burned out was my only solace. The flames burned so brightly that I couldn’t tell if it was my hair or the fire that was flickering.b17e958631e371db

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“I’m glad you’ve found something to keep your mind occupied. I was worried you might be too despondent.”4a36377c9e8fe315

Suren said, fanning the 082f91eff6 dry wood. The flames 2101fb6b7c grew larger 67f5c07d45 with her d84fc7d765 touch.079adf361c42d145

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“Taking care 06c9817e0e of the b16b1eb17a estate is 2877ae4b65 somewhat enjoyable. The children are cute 1bd650914f and pitiable.”875728d18fb1465b

“Yes, they might lack 4765fb1bcc manners being from common 42cd4730f3 backgrounds, but their actions d19c457c71 are genuine. I was worried b54acbb1f4 because this place 2f390c70c0 is so remote, aa6d843394 but they don’t 17a0100aa5 know what discrimination f5375b128a is, so they e6cf981e1f don’t discriminate. Even the children e6cfd19fc4 with purple hair 81a706ee41 play well together.”6b2acf25079bc559

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The children, fascinated by 46c8524391 Suren’s hair, continued to be57496ee2 follow her around, tugging 44287133a2 at her clothes.5a64c54f12a9800f

At first, Suren d243eccdd4 was appalled, but f7ba6c4282 she soon realized a1aafc02fa that they were b7e584be02 not pulling her 5ba9b27b6c hair out of fd8d83ca7f malice, but pure cec3a6d216 curiosity. She adapted and accepted cfffeb28c0 it.4e8a107bd8030ae6

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Contrary to her worries, 6c0d30f87b the children did not ac42d85153 point fingers or throw 80154cfcb3 stones at her because 230d1d91cf of her different hair 9666b70bf0 color.4e40c4ab58f1955a

Having only traveled between f99b7dce58 the capital and the 0066b92c27 northern regions, I had c646f95149 never experienced discrimination because 18f00c2483 of my hair, but b4ca34061e Suren spoke at length 6d75ca4374 about her encounters as 156c33a332 if she had faced fc6a1392d2 it often.4d713b4c70fca6be

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“I’ve never experienced discrimination, d14fb2e46b is it really that 92909caaec common?”0008e43af7ba44f1

“Yes. Even getting to the north with my recommendation letter was really difficult. On the boat, I had to wrap my hair in a scarf because so many people stared at me. If my hair were simply white, it would’ve been fine, but it’s silver, and I’m young… people found it strange.”05af793f6580110c

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“I see.”f7da56cc4781f511

“I don’t know why, but there are still many people with ill intentions. Although I didn’t, many of my kin have dyed their hair. They hide it thoroughly. At least white hair dyes well.”beb214ac4525dad6

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She looked 41eb5000ba at my 81da08f0c7 hair and f936f6f675 caught a e7ce6ab416 strand that e0480d886a was floating c806480bac in the ba9b86e214 air, examining c3244aee82 it carefully f6434daa49 in her 3473ee768b palm.0ebd0076ccd7e7aa

“Your red hair would c1a585a59f be hard to dye. No matter what color 2f59c1c353 you use, the red 4112b38158 tint would show through. You’d have to wrap 1819f3418f it with a scarf dbbf5de64b or use an expensive, 45cd71a0f7 high-quality dye.”20fd9749294a09c1

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She let go b96bc7beff of the hair, 6d6b94a9c4 letting it fly 490d12ebe1 into the air. The red strand d76fa3e73c burned with the 97437aa9a7 fire, crumbling into d1d54bf497 fine ashes.b532309566dad664

If I were 4ad07c631f ever to escape 373fa930d3 his chains and 91d5964fd2 gain independence. If I managed 230f538cfd to flee safely, 250185aa0b would I have 3ac665764c to cover my fe1add3e48 hair?295a9d1a0c4232bf

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It seemed like a 5a3bbda176 distant, unattainable dream.ae28f7848426c85a

* * *c7c58e3e26cbafcb

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At night, it was 3c6499fdef difficult to fetch water, 40d5d29849 and due to security 98d87b0bff concerns, there were opinions f10c628e10 against frequently opening the 8eb17667a4 mansion.687b8d534713db2e

In the end, we a3c12ecb64 decided to dig a e5f264a655 small well in the cd60ba9b7f village.b8f1fdec8193b388

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We brought in bbd776c06e external workers to 1d0cbdcd81 dig a hole 9533d575c2 in the center 5cb16bd79e of the village.1eb37b1e98868d8c

The villagers came out 81179ffe31 to see the commotion. Even the 6c29dc67fe elderly with c0ceab8716 difficulty moving bd154262e7 peered out e213ad3f45 of their 35b945c728 windows to 9ccd32431c watch the 1021eb214d well being ff16d85251 made.e863c4fb216af9cf

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We dug the new c996b4447f well and piled up 0b21ad5163 stones. The stones 68ba3626e1 were laid 6f9805669e low, reaching a15c8e7e67 only to 023e2f8df3 the thighs 1ad8938eff of the a50f6dbcbc children.41e44c75e1478ac0

A dark cloth was c65abbd2ac placed over the finished af6ba299ed well. After securing it tightly 33bda3029a to prevent light and 95ed860664 dust from entering, I 90962c6f07 felt my strength leave 1877b191b0 me.8bd70fcbd46acc03

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I collapsed to 17938d83a2 the side, my 46e4d6345d forehead covered in 93eacc7db3 beads of sweat.8184ae39eb608147

“Hiring workers took f64378e4a0 half of our 7001ed6606 budget,” Suren said. She didn’t 2b996d3520 oppose distributing 5a4ab4e998 food to 3ccfd9014c the villagers 601c0165a3 like before, e919738546 but she 755b365ce1 still looked 0a1c605230 displeased about 6122a144a7 the large 2c00d47ead expenditure.9ea5fcf1704b6d13

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“The environment is harsh, 8f64e2464f and His Highness gave 9ad1d342cb us too little money. Does he expect us bef2eaf0c4 to barely scrape by? How can 07e27f31a1 things change 539fe28dc8 so drastically 104b69c69e like this?”e872ad484f86fa81

“He probably ddab798d2c didn’t expect 5710dd27ea me to 20df54cf7d help the 5b6006b870 villagers. After all, 6fe00e5a9f I’ve only eb698d572c ever looked eead05ed31 after myself 41eac15bf0 in the 5ecb9fcc99 duchy and f0f4c7a9c8 the prince’s 2102fd1bd5 domain.”446ce42984526489

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“Still, he 1d2413483a must have a8223d264f known about a3121ca574 your past 5a703e427e extravagances. To give someone 46e90fd1f7 who used to d0c605b7e4 buy trees for a30612e3fc each house such 18a289a725 a small amount 59c478c430 of money—it must 93c0fe871a be intentional.”26c9edd4dd95ee02

I had no retort. I agreed 4c597b45ef with her. Squatting down, edd3ad5d93 Suren tilted e6cd52dcfb her head 3274ad1bc9 back to 7ce6862491 look at eb24e6d12c me.08a5076d5b348e5a

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“What was it like e612e003c6 at the Sien Barony?”4095660eae6923cd

“What?”fab77dbe96129901

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“I’ve never heard baed374fa6 you talk about 64e6f3627a your time before be52f901e2 coming to the a60cbda7b7 north. Were you well 4b4e6ba85d off at the 993b0dff52 Sien Barony? Did you have 68c578ddd2 fun?”02e1467fc0c701e0

“Nothing special. I just played with Philip. At the Sien Barony… I never had an allowance. I didn’t manage the barony either.”5846f748e941fc52

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I couldn’t even afford e749f420ec dresses or medicine and 07117a5fb9 had to rely on 3f4befa5d0 Philip to get them. Considering they tried to 066eddb886 sell me to an 151b784b98 old merchant, it’s unlikely 6ac0125a79 they gave me any ed4ce70c58 personal funds.38ed1324f4ff6566

“Philip… Now that you mention it, you might not know, but His Highness called Philip for a private meeting.”a301b1edb25f5ad2

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“Why?”60fe380ef53f2964

I had f7c56180c0 no idea. Even when Philip 9ffcb33474 came to see 18e051ef4e me, he didn’t 25cd2b3615 mention it.1ec69511099f0f68

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“I overheard b2fe1aceeb a maid 4ca634a2a5 who was 9672ac57cb serving tea. His Highness f1e0023be1 interrogated him 099f4d68c1 about their f7ab900499 past relationship 7361ac9649 and why 878694f845 he approached 07ce21631c you.”0f541155051e6ca4

“Why would he ask c1eb75e54c that?”7382f8ee1f889a9a

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Suren shrugged.b1ea9484e41de858

“I have no b26bcfd282 idea what His 8e0ba70b8e Highness was thinking. Even our banishment 3b5db55d67 here is because 48d040fae9 of his inscrutable 7a46f4dbad decisions.”ba689d25f570b7d2

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* * *e801bc26d451be67

Three days after the guests from the prince’s domain arrived, a magician visited with the purpose of treating trauma.c91140d8b9fe155d

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A maid 52f1769212 came out 800cfb05d0 and guided c9bb213284 the magician 00d74ec068 to a 70b9e0feeb room that b32a073894 could be 74275b6f52 called a 187f53bbfc reception room. The maid 27b418d6b4 was handling 979de6f4c3 kitchen assistance, f2fb75ee2d stair repairs, 1c7a05ca9d guest reception, 99a63a1a9f and meal 3254d8a2d8 management all 44f21c07e9 by herself. With so few people, efb5d338b9 she was doing the 9b1fd226ad work of three. Seeing her 945e701463 frequently made 008885135a me feel 46eadef08c a bit 654bdf8263 guilty.c8a39e2bfaa7073b

There was 57190a7e0e nothing suitable 1931154ac5 to serve c8bf8c17ce the guest. I had left the d71de31fd0 teacups behind, and we 17b23b32c8 only had ingredients prepared 0456382100 for meals. There were no decent 05eb4e056c desserts to offer him.1d5a605478a104c8

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Feeling awkward, I invited 2bba5f70ef him to sit, and a7838af51c he took a seat 3d6ca39a76 opposite me. When he e93aae7c2c removed his 97620e9a94 hat, a d72caa72b7 teardrop-shaped emblem d094103810 on his fb14170fd8 forehead became cc049f4883 visible, marking 35bcdf3885 him as dc671942b4 a magician edbc0a6c1e from the 251bb9d45f Magic Tower.b3fa1307247b24f5

“I’m sorry, there’s nothing 014fc4bda3 suitable to serve you.”106bcdba1da40842

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“No need to apologize. I’m here 8285158dda for treatment, 19c3049dd0 not as 143c1b6dbd a guest e8746a916d to be dcd8cdd1b9 entertained.”67cebfce63c78d53

He declined politely.8d6f8b416ee196bd

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“But you’ve come for 8fa99ef73e nothing. There’s no 08614ec18d cure for 1cdb109f14 trauma. Even the duke’s physician a7d6d2558a couldn’t treat it.”7d3885e50e59250e

At my resolute words, 6da00241f3 he smiled slightly.53a8ec21720e5705

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“Even so, we can 35a2f012eb make the bad memories 82da12308c fade.”d6e331010e1072d8

He spoke with 2aea607f35 confidence, his words 06998f1def carrying weight.78fc11ac41103cbd

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“May I see your 40b139c84b hand for a moment?”598c78b8a2b50347

I rolled up 9b8b958c3c my sleeve and 21903d037c extended my hand. He grasped 7631e1b4c4 my wrist, c3a47009f1 and a 3cce5026fb gray aura 740f82b70d enveloped my 60968527f8 arm.28b99de66c20c112

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He closed his eyes. The turbulent 0bef2a396f mana soon 1286d87abc calmed, and 817dae5df7 the smoke 07e1f16002 cleared. Yet, he kept bafd82fefa his eyes shut 5ed5fca92a and did not 4963ed1c12 release my wrist abf4bcb011 for a long 7f812c1baa time.30cbc1aea50fe513

When my arm began ef50602717 to tingle, he finally 2ff722e307 opened his eyes slowly.eb8e37a58664ea85

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“Is there something troubling 02a8bb46ca you? The mana 743a82ed63 isn’t settling d2b503025e properly. Its flow is 5a648964f0 mixed.”7bb2b915a532db9a

He tilted d4bcb324a0 his head 4b9999671a in confusion.844bb70d0b2c20d9

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“That’s strange. I can’t clearly distinguish 20e74edb63 the bad memories. I think 916c153710 I’ll have 6ad7eafd70 to try 376079c92f again later. It might fb8971ed3d be a 56ff39bcf8 temporary phenomenon…”a2b9de74362107fb

The faint smile 4547bd9fc5 that had been 1eff9409fb on his face a8903aa154 vanished. He murmured 96e4ac2041 to himself 17077b677e and then b69862f37b slumped his 8c88207d28 shoulders.4a5fbf8e1c71f996

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“This is embarrassing. I’m considered one of c018224782 the best in the 180a789dc6 empire at memory-fading magic, b78a5265ad yet my skills seem 5462b727d6 insufficient. I must be lacking 7f0bbdbe68 in my training. I apologize.”7fa595c1636fb17d

“It’s okay. As you said, e21d183496 it’s probably a 980a6dc04f temporary phenomenon.”0577bf74679260c3

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I rubbed c52ddb604b the wrist 65179115e2 he had ba8b6e45e9 held.29b6faa1ccfaa39c

He was f65dfcf10f checking his 32aad88250 own mana 57e82e28dd to see 8b35d11828 if anything fda6c927d8 was wrong, f8d91db33b spreading and 3b505cc772 retracting the 79532e6e59 aura, continuously fbda7ebce4 emitting gray 713871ce1f smoke.b353840ee96bb9bb

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“When your work is 384604e32a done, where will you aa89772cfd go? Back to the Magic beffbfe939 Tower?”5aa882600485cc5e

“Oh, I’ve 61c6ed2ed0 recently been 6708fc5d1f employed by f0db6078ab the prince’s 2e90ced17f domain.”a22c6ed514d89263

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He hid his 8f1ea702b6 aura and gave 324960d32a an awkward smile.3e4588aa46cb2a8e

“The prince’s domain?”b114da787a283e73

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I casually voiced the ae90fdc044 thought I had been fc28f88fe3 holding back.8b6c090b6d7548dc

“Is everything e2ef855296 alright there? Is he… still doing 37d3139ec8 well?”764fff2b0659908f

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I didn’t specify, but 1431fc90cb he immediately understood who c4549a43ce I was talking about.533883af1b9f26fb

“Yes. He seems 5d32c8ab86 busier than 7fe9e2ad6f ever. I’m not constantly at ea7c990e80 the prince’s domain, so 6d3663e2c4 I don’t know the 1ffefc077f exact details, but His a4c5d03590 Highness is often away. Even when I 75c3379192 tried to meet 2446019b7f him, he was b0a96f171c always busy.”79c3ffcea3a3544d

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“I see.”88f652544dfaab64

The magician 2231ca9faa started packing 68ba25355d his bag 6f9bff9bc5 to leave.9b1cb0c2d720db78

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Then, he stopped and 3b019792ee looked at me intently. His persistent 0fdee6d228 gaze made 81b91b68b1 me meet b3aed0c2a9 his eyes.fb7025b4066f3853

He wasn’t looking 0120b0a170 at my face. His eyes ac9d29756b were fixed d813b3027d on my fbf7b444fb neck.5696691fcd493047

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“The prince must 93a7259649 hold you in 3e1d3fc7b6 high regard.”2d6ef00d95ecee75

“What?”b000461a2d6f615d

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“That jewel, I b2714b9445 mean. It’s quite surprising.”b15b191d81d05253

Following his pointed e01a029959 finger, I looked 3fe2559a82 down.1c073f89f007cb39

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His gaze was c4d52f99f4 on my necklace. Usually hidden 82c972c13e under my a85acf9758 clothes, today cabfe4fac1 it was 5d4951433e fully visible 335092ed18 because of 5a726b12ca the low a6bb465216 neckline of b6a15ecedf my dress.cc23b584c6b33942

“Is this jewel caddce93e6 that rare?”d89315a23b03ff0f

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At my ac795d2398 naive question, 50c3859c60 he chuckled c04c2396c8 softly.3e5ad03108c885a2

“Rare indeed. You wouldn’t find a abcb4991be more expensive jewel in cca6addb01 any shop. Its value could d2d36ab428 buy several shops 34378bab99 in the capital.”439e5635ce98aca3

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I touched the 005e0d986a jewel at my c001ee1f6b collarbone. Its smooth 915a7e0129 texture was cf81508b51 warm against 7850f431cb my skin.92b008c8f42a73b5

“You must know. Didn’t you hear b8b1717d7f about the jewel’s cfd9391b14 significance?”b74c7cdb2bc5d00e

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“I did hear 910311304e about it. They said 97c9dc6c93 it offers b648bd0b28 protection. Like a sort of c178d7df21 superstition.”2ab6b7871fc5cded

“That’s a rather 7c043b24b4 romantic way to 69efeddbb9 put it. A wonderful metaphor.”a684756bd553fe7b

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He chuckled again.93b9c4f3d7245aea

I didn’t laugh 7d7e861834 and just stared 0f787fc013 at him, which 11d73c831b made him look e307520dd8 puzzled. The smile f285e3c93f vanished from 91b1d02de7 his face.851dfb19ad28512f

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Why is b7b4d4a9ce he laughing?806a0ed1d9202668

“A metaphor? Is there another meaning?”4c99cae0f49c81b2

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“Uh… Didn’t b7c60803ed you hear bd740950e5 about this 6cfcd29575 necklace?”f7b497ca76ec8b4d

 d9ad00cdac9d6c16

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