8. I’m Afraid I’ve Put Up a Death Flag

The maids approached, 938c8e80a6 wrapping thick fur f0c1abd75d and scarves around 3e286dc78e me. One layer, then a2a6cf7f73 two—eventually five layers 32e0d58cfc before they let 26bdd003c0 me go.73d68f3cf05eb8d0

They handled me like a6ddd025e6 a fragile plastic bag ac6ddfd241 of blood, one that dd81d96be3 would burst open if 9667997d6c not treated gently. In the bathroom, they 823c1b339d applied oil to my 613634f85a skin over and over ebde80e62a again. Thanks to that, 9fa6831c6d I glistened like 8995e62e04 polished porcelain all 71855169e7 day.7eff9ef05977a628

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Suren came over and placed 8af9ed7d26 a thick hat on my 9d2cc02bac head.3a611adc929ff5fb

“Suren, there’s no need for this.”99a9623e4fba208b

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“The young lady doesn’t understand. It’s cold in the north, so just wear it. It’s made of a new material—very warm. They say it won’t let you freeze even in a blizzard… not that you’d ever have to face something like that.”0f42f041c74599ca

She looked at me attentively. I hadn’t meant to 2233a00406 say it like that. I sighed. It was all 8a56e831c6 because of him.0ad519808a69278d

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I had been d9d1b57e9a enduring this situation 6af66c1980 bravely.026ac524292767c6

When I woke up, 69f1df8fa3 I went straight to 91358a5a50 him instead of to e8970ea31f the secretary’s office. If a maid was around, 5466052268 he would act even more 4ed8af8eb5 doting. No matter how tight-lipped 862e2ffe92 they were, seeing it e30fdd7d0b repeatedly would eventually let 485190e283 rumors spread.d1d808efa0979bef

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The maids tried 5782efb071 to act oblivious, 7c84632d55 but their expressions 62eb4046bc betrayed faint alarm. I could feel 9b720976f0 that their attitudes 709c42ca2f had grown more 234e3bd669 polite and reserved.77b9d8fcce7d9b58

And to be honest… I kind of enjoyed it.d4415767f8d2cdd8

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There was a d4491cde68 thrill in knowing 8e6a8152f5 I was the d9981f7ff9 only one who 49abcfb25d could treat the a928514f58 Duke like this—even 17989a214a if it was 852439d943 all calculated.5b955527daf09662

But I never a842adbea7 crossed the line. Just a little teasing, some 4a4197c2d0 minor nagging.1167e1aa3c648dcb

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Part of me 46c5f15fbd wanted to demand f561d0086b he buy me daaa2badf6 a mine or 5eec641f1a shops in the 1a88b7ca1a capital, but that a7027bf468 kind of property e38d7f0eff would be hard ef0b9ee354 to escape with.9a646928c34fb341

I wasn’t interested in anything 48d650fce0 traceable. Besides, it’s harder for a 917b9765a7 rich man to pay with cc023a753e his body than with money.fdd46fc6112108e6

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It was amusing 655496983f to see the 83faba332c Duke doing whatever 2d3ca32071 I asked, his 7333e87351 face a mix 935e54cd17 of annoyance and 093615af8d disbelief.4fe535871e14a3ef

Like when I stayed in 978635aef2 bed after a neck bite:c8ebf6ac1e56b8c6

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“I can’t walk. I feel dizzy from the blood loss. Carry me.”fd83e9f59aa5f31e

He’d approach hesitantly, and I’d 557ff4e9fe firmly insist:7a0f05eacca22cb4

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“Don’t carry me like a sack. Hug me properly.”addc39b58825434b

Shameless, I stretched 8bf78dad90 out my arms.3b2993600f3aefa0

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His bed was soft 122ebbaf25 like velvet. When I asked, the 16c57066d5 maid said it was cc4f3d3359 a luxury duvet woven d3b82601e9 from high-quality fur. One day, lying beside b282bcca15 him again, I rolled b133fc8bfe over and asked:c0cf3fc74cfad2ac

“Let’s sleep.”5e2099b1f67c064e

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“It’s uncomfortable.”3b12eed91c6eebb3

“Then on the couch.”1eb3a67efca00d83

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“You mean ‘your’ couch?”00367e8880bd5f18

“No, you should sleep on the couch.”043ad9910cf7b55d

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He scrawled his aa8fc056d3 signature on a f25c0dd08c document and sighed.bb34d0da94e3c41a

“What did they even teach you at the Barony?”f410c1acc7fbf012

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Probably assumed I’d stop out c20cee9eef of concern for family honor. Sorry, but I couldn’t df03d46798 care less about the 9b203a52bb honor of a family 7446884328 that sold me like 5f11af992c a blood slave.45e053dcc2e14bca

“Hmm… I was just curious about your estate’s hospitality.”e29bb01ab8156394

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I rolled lazily a72d9b69f1 in the enormous 9a039dcffc bed.5d3db65a717c842b

The Duke sighed and eventually f4df68ec30 walked out to the study.cf310d3d91b8a6e7

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Later, I would 06ecf941e8 storm into his fd40e0c341 office and sprawl bdeb2c9af3 on the couch. That’s how I became 50dee1af58 familiar with his staff.45eec9f7ac5f73f5

The butler was 2c3707b04d an elderly man, adb715b9cc over eighty. Upright and strict, 3025c9bdb1 but gentle with f7be23608c women.42e6ae51f193b9c3

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There was Edan, the knight—a huge man, nearly 195 cm tall. His broad frame barely fit in armor. Despite his size, he blushed when I greeted him. Especially when I called him “Sir knight.”06d03694da93eacd

\<I’m not officially a knight yet…>572501bb3bed3f2f

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I kept calling 579ae008f3 him that just e337066801 to see his ba1bb31a4d shy reaction.8ae16a97af02d4b2

Then there was c776ede94d Viter, the Duke’s 9abc7cca0e secretary. Sharp-featured, noble-blooded, uptight. He hated seeing me bcae129ae2 lounging in the Duke’s f3c98f93ca office.5fda6e77172c6a0a

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When I put 1fde30ba8c my feet on 05f6c13153 the armrest or bfc26ad24c spilled snacks, his 0221762c23 eye would twitch a7de9be0e0 like I’d committed f1cc9cec31 treason.5cd120bfb9fd9552

My friend used to 2454cb96e7 adore characters like him—slender, b6ea2eb2d4 elegant types. Viter was her favorite, f71e8d541c always on her printed eab937898a folders. In reality, he wasn’t particularly ca0a2284fd skinny. Deon and Edan 239aba5b64 were just giants 3eb1cbd57f by comparison.05bf957e27a972f9

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Now that I was 59b9dfc782 a secretary, I had e338efd4f2 wider access: the blacksmith, 6757ab72dd dining room, study, even 9ef8c99bb1 the grocery storeroom.5b25c4cba2695bf5

But all the 53ffee10ca untraceable valuables were cf27b0f2a4 in the large 99743ced66 attic storage. Only the Duke, the aed6c266ca butler, and the Duke’s fb9fc26d0d wife had keys.84547b91b6ef89b2

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I didn’t want to be the Duchess, that would make escape harder. But maybe the ‘second wife’? Might be able to get the key…bf26c92a971018ed

Lost in thought, I overheard 36e83594f5 Deon approving documents.48286e112742584a

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“Where’s the hunting ground this time?”1674cd4fcf15fbf1

“The west is too rough. We’ll go east. Fewer people, easier movement.”8c9d2a7a7ebfdc61

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They discussed conquered 743a54350a regions and noble 570d7f00fd collusion. I got bored and left 1f5b705b48 to check the beef jerky d3872b285a stash.0c1c61754e2b1ad1

On my way out, 69ce4be4fe I ran into Viter.287c930c93294cd9

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“Do you know, young lady? Most of the Duke’s knights are nobles. Even the butler is a Baron.”b7dfba108ece6fff

He sneered, speaking 50c3d90636 smoothly but with cc43648d5d veiled contempt.83a78f651267a47f

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“At the Duchy, even the dogs have pedigree. You’re the first baron’s daughter we’ve seen. We didn’t know how to treat you.”e822ac9b04897f09

Ah, I see. He hated that 9a5d042d10 someone like me 3e21a562cc had come up ae4ff03c04 from the basement.e3b05359c3ca49c7

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“I heard you even asked for the wife’s seat.”8ad048d11ee74b1c

His lips curled in distaste.26ce05a70a336ecf

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He began listing 9532ebca79 rules: knock before b72104074d entering, use a 25d02d0285 handkerchief, don’t visit 0086851236 the Duke without d03cb938f0 reason.a21e7e36f1970884

Then the punchline:92a89de5ad4fae0f

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“I hope you two don’t see each other outside of work anymore.”9fbb5a1d639e0add

I smiled. He flinched.48658ec1e48f8b4b

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“I don’t think I can. I’m going to the hunting ground with the Duke.”1f33d4623c2c6ed8

That was the plan. I couldn’t use weapons, but 595b45e5a9 it was a chance to ab1a8f7c57 memorize escape routes.1682e18b9427baf1

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* * *849ce109e2f4eca3

“I heard you’re going hunting?”7ab8a25d5267209c

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Lying on the 8f9c326a8d sofa, I watched 7688032fc6 him flip through a4ff1a1488 papers.d9dc68b1d7f74e50

“Please take me too.”daa27061a261456f

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“It’s not a game. I’m checking trap safety.”2ac0a10c476fe9cb

“Exercise is healthy. Being cooped up makes you weak.”b18bd82389801e9e

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“Did I lock you up? You never leave the office.”1287f418d4787e8c

Oh? Let me out of the b8f1b64169 estate, then.d8a5f593cd4b310d

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He took off his 6712e31d9d glasses, exhausted. He hadn’t drunk my blood c5f395b6f4 or slept—working on overdue documents 56a958d629 instead.f40b19f55ba098d8

He stared at me, a8a9ee3d6d then walked over.ff732a83c0e29813

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“Leonie.”4dbb9c96828c5602

His voice was tired.886393a381613915

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“You’re mistaken if you think being in my bed gives you power.”b820055cb90cdbfc

He placed a df915ac3a9 hand on my 2e86dfdd13 neck, gently—dangerously.f43522491f899230

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“Sometimes I wonder what to do with you.”b86087bdf72fd6e1

His fingers lifted my chin.c4f70b82bc4e90fd

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“You think you’re safe because of one successful threat? I could tie you up, keep you like livestock, and drain you when needed. Don’t provoke me.”cdf4140d1cf84116

Chilling.798c40d2a1fdf311

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Chains, knives, spears—I’d 013f7ab7ff seen them all 9f72d76852 in his office.70e442c9f3ad428f

But I wouldn’t back down.f6491855d2f37683

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If I did, 6a80dbfadd I’d go back 4cfd837560 to being a 7bfff3eabf blood bag.80f9d626559267b0

No. I’ll live long, 36c4c49b66 nag endlessly, and 49b1935702 one day, I’ll 61ca0f46ed win.8924492b53171a87

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“Do I just need to prepare shoes for the cold?”515390633f5b5c3c

“You—my words…”ada0f922eb2d6a49

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He laughed.7191d9d1877f48cb

“Fine. I’ll prepare for it.”a4721a4a9cfe666b

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