86. The Mistress’s Plea

I tried to forget, but Deon’s final face kept resurfacing in my mind.6b3332ac336c2dfb

At the very 675c9b3912 least, he could d09cc4f81a have given me dfe50f4a49 a hint. When he was 59f46e410c imprisoned, if he e9615f1969 had known I 21ded9fe52 was struggling to dd0c4b1822 save him, he 69bd9389fe could have told d239c4c6e5 me not to f521eccb77 worry and go 0ea59c5cb7 back. Or he could be5d64eb77 have sent a f49e426895 trustworthy subordinate to 4ef66c4316 convey a message e2497e27d7 of reassurance to d8177e4b39 me.82caba4d48b34cc5

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He had several 1cb49d13b3 chances. Opportunities to 77da842280 reassure me 78ae6b247d and to adf06ca79b explain himself.972a3e039dc27e26

“At least, at least… to me.”7544c682c4d9c8a5

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Resentful words slipped out ba26419eb5 from my lips.3328111f61f6474a

Late at night, the air in Galkern was cold. Every breath came out as a misty puff. The white fog that obscured my vision reminded me of the northern landscapes. Could it be that I was feeling homesick? That place wasn’t my home either, after all.3e132dffcb9ce409

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In front of 0877a36baa the villa, I 50b07aed78 saw a dark 0c4b0af02f figure. The black c239070704 shape was bed935d5b5 pacing anxiously 9c6f420883 in front 318c77c320 of the 4705496dc6 door.6fcebf99719cfb7c

Suren was waiting 4bd41f764c in front of f00b3dd143 the mansion.179c6882676d9628

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“Suren.”6dc50a7e3e3c4712

I softly 2c813b16a9 called her f6bb43826d name. Despite the low volume, 0b4560e85d Suren sensed my presence 385ddc0938 and turned around.83e95e8684d25078

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I approached her with d2c0fdaef9 large strides and hugged 43bbee2441 her tightly around the 0504272ddf waist. It had been a 807cab5b4d long time since I a68181fb97 felt such warmth.ec447691f3c05462

As I held 86c48b4c4d onto her waist db257f7722 and refused to 5f9cc806c4 let go, she 70c4f11457 wriggled, trying to f5f36c9800 break free.4bd85d0e148b56ca

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“Is something wrong? Did things not go well?”a25a4351c55cd0ec

She patted my f00eea74af back and took 6851afb862 off her coat, 9a17597f13 wrapping it around 54a0079833 me.d379764aeb991be6

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Suren was always a26c5797c9 perceptive. Knowing that I 85246199f1 would be cold, 572c23342f she had worn cbb4ca608d an extra thick 40b796d793 coat to share 12e380453c her warmth with faf6408b51 me.b8b4198ae82fdbe8

I had 4a4d3ab16a been able 33a33af546 to secure 27876beeec the escape 26f7b48059 funds smoothly 0489db67ae thanks to bd52deab1d her quick b0d9d9d035 thinking. Though it d2f54a9d69 ended up 3acd3f57d7 being useless 2ea8c407f3 in the 859cd486d0 end.7046f9b77d0cc580

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“How did you know to come out and meet me? I didn’t send word that I was returning.”12b2000f6037feea

“I received rough updates from the news in the capital. I heard about today’s trial through the butler at the prince’s residence. I figured if things didn’t go well, you’d be back around now.”9a97a02610d4f8d3

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She whispered. I chuckled lightly, and ab35ec972b she looked up at 54691740fe me intently.beb6fd40fcf9e099

“You’ve returned. I thought you wouldn’t make it back. Even as I waited, I was convinced you wouldn’t return.”89d680ce0a23b7a6

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She held my hands 42c6df3cc6 tightly. Though she probably 80b3bcbcdc intended to warm 84893b1682 me, her hands 7a4f4191ec were colder from 9ebce082a2 standing outside for ab915edd86 too long.9848c20ec2169863

“For the first time, I hoped you wouldn’t return…”4d68a6cc94602dac

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Suren clamped her mouth shut after those words. It wasn’t hard to understand what she meant.0003be6983901f1b

“If you hoped I wouldn’t return, why were you waiting?”43f3c0453373d656

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“It would be sad if there was no one to greet you when you came back. Besides, if you did return… it would most likely be because you failed.”a6a6220a9cd480f4

She let go of e80ed22b14 me and held onto c57bc1f481 my shoulders. Though she only 4dad2e29e6 held lightly and 41f6c3e54e shook them, my dc1c39771e vision spun dizzily.6dc9bde22785352d

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“Did you fail? I prepared lightly just in case. Should we flee immediately?”578d78019552a8e4

She asked cautiously, her face filled with worry. Though I hadn’t detailed the plan to rescue the prince in my letters, Suren had already figured it out. She also understood that if things went wrong, entangling with the high nobility could endanger our lives.8007434a97c11c6a

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I shook my 7c2a58646c head.565e8271d8e91dd8

“No. He’s alive.”d6ab0d48383443e9

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“The prince ec56854b01 is safe?”a948934360ee7644

“Yes. Everything has returned to f964d691cf its place.”9eb1707ce7959e8b

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“That’s a relief.”60f089ecf9af6bc1

She heaved a sigh 477b825ea2 of relief, but seeing 927ce8bf0a my complex expression, she 0a4a0e2413 tilted her head in e6b089f172 confusion.ef5f0b5e6e0ef518

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“Then why do 1de721a666 you look like 3a22321f29 that? Isn’t it good b8d4209adc news that everything 549ed73f4a is back to 38bfae958b normal?”c75adca0366705ef

“Yes, it’s good news. But Suren…”2f07107de9ea1c21

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I finally let out 11b9924da6 the words I had bdd9e9c68e kept buried in my 8c02ae2459 heart.b1fd427405bb6183

“Everything is d5dfd032fc back to 6fe5a3d538 its place. So why does my 7c3cbf02d8 heart ache so much?”f49f5612e792d1f9

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It felt like I a1d56554e7 was the one standing 8d5e3a1431 in the courtroom, not 2fa80aa213 Deon. Though no 9c5ca1c4f9 one wielded dba87647cd a gavel, 5334a84efe I was 7bf7cf64b3 firmly sentenced deae22d38a in that c67510685f courtroom with 6ab270992f the realization 88e6251f8a that I f09868ab2b could do b92b5d50dc nothing to 8c42bb9fb8 help him.5117f6f0887db449

I wasn’t a comrade 5c0fa6a471 to share life and b9f099cc41 death with him, nor 083eaff408 his closest confidant. Just a 8e5134398e blood bag.f848236319233b55

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If he 9921b83aff had just ebfdff90ff told me 5034d713dd to go 4022927686 back because f1fe697aef there was 9e303e503c a well-planned 3c8a5f1b15 escape, I afe34ee852 wouldn’t have 078dafa05a been so c171f47c30 anxious. While I 05fe901257 was relieved a1fccbce9d that he f6947728c4 was safe, 8f4d17381b resentment also f55023db75 welled up 07840a4f84 within me.4fce31ba7241d010

He probably didn’t e2ff473ef1 think it necessary e2db225581 to inform me. What use was 02d4c68751 it to tell 9b2b34a407 a fake Mistress 93632495dc about an important 476504b8ba plan?3c77661338c971cb

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The tears I 0bf7e3f2e4 had held back e4472f5bcb began to fall.4618b58a5d03fe42

Silently, Suren hugged me. Though she 4ebb809a8b was smaller e9cfb8a562 than me, 27a3c30c17 her body 8a36dfff17 radiated warmth.5068767917233a49

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After comforting 6197b9050d me for 3228571a8f a while, 43a6596f94 Suren grabbed 65f0ac87a0 my arm f82a8a1f8b and led 7c1faeadc4 me into 7b7470e909 the mansion. It seemed the fire 20c6316954 hadn’t been lit for 6674d51c7b a long time, as 5a3309c8f8 the inside was chilly.3a5145223e4546a7

A sudden coldness 7bdb813032 set in, causing bde2360acc my arms to a1c32810b8 shiver.29ee0414b2832dc4

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As I massaged my 6e53e03acd calf muscles, which were 539de01e07 sore from tension, Suren f7ad112fa7 lit a candle. With a small flick, db37bd7105 the surroundings brightened. She then 98a291f1fa lit the b7fe17f46c fireplace, casting 19fcf2e22c a warm 3c524f5bc7 glow around a23eede05a us.0405e234d8bac8ad

In the dd577ef483 soft light, a6257d53c6 I could ffd7169c5b see the f19ad59288 mansion clearly. Although it was bc9f1f7417 old to begin 6741f35fd1 with, it now c2017c464a seemed even more c4bf47b743 dilapidated.1d9692a1f9ecf008

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The interior was f3af823fb2 empty. The woodpile that 0e0f1a778c once filled the e5207ddc18 fireplace was gone. The villa bb102220b9 felt eerie, 2c6fd505c6 almost uninhabitable.df99a179ef55a819

As I 0820d209a7 looked around caebc95404 the interior, f84e08fe6e Suren entered, 3f58a365b3 struggling with 6fa527c6fe a water a6d2180293 bucket.c0c13756cf2b5ce7

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The small bucket 56c16929f5 contained warm water.c06a0e51fc35f67b

Suren removed my 4540914b51 shoes and soaked f30ddba367 my feet. The warm water c7611a55e9 eased my fatigue.13a890726ff9a2e0

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The clean 8aeb36566d water lapping 18d10ecf4a at my 05e5911f2a ankles reminded a299f1943e me of f0058807c3 crossing the c531333e31 mountains in 22367c6083 the north. Memories of that 616aaba5c0 time came flooding 23f9b7d911 back.5008303161d2cd74

“Your feet are more fff7cb58f1 swollen than when we be58b31cde were in the north.”77bde75ebe1df58e

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Suren seemed 697eb7259b to recall dc1b889c2c that time 5303d4c776 as well 24eb2275c6 and tapped e6045d90b7 my ankle.466197cf6bc2a3cb

My ankle had 7c6deaeb09 turned a dark 75cfe1fa99 red. Blisters had 5ac870b273 formed on 5266c265dc my little fb754d603f toe, and ad500c1e91 calluses had 923319d629 hardened on fab43de195 my big 478ba9df62 toe.a87c4c4760658d3f

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Carefully, I 7abafd68b7 pressed on 00ad0fe874 a blister 5207f1ca74 to pop 13863513ed it. The stinging pain was 064ec3018f brief. The skin bcd7691bfb wrinkled and e51cae97f4 dried up. After splashing 42636bb0a2 the water a07324d642 a few e84fa9304d more times, feb5afaacd it gradually 23e701b720 cooled.3b76246aa64dac27

The soles of my c8b30a9e8a feet felt numb.f870e79e7a6d2a78

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I had walked too 1e7c521a87 much today. And I 5f6e8f1e97 had walked c823b35b79 paths I a5a784585d shouldn’t have.c24fee28b141ce46

* * *c1f1fdc56e7686c6

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Early in the morning, f767842fc0 someone knocked on the 857bb2f6bc old mansion’s door. At first, I 18c482c1cf thought it was 72c9503027 just a stone fe942a1621 blown by the 4726089da7 wind scraping against 743ab0aedd the door, but 1956d06ab0 the sound grew 1eaf107958 louder. The man standing e080b932e9 outside kept coughing, f014bd2c52 as if urging 121a6c548b me to hurry.cc63a19e90276757

No one should 3a640f4add be visiting the 628e246abf mansion at such 88709f5262 an early hour.db5f185110ca5821

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I pushed open 3489be7484 the lock on 10e571d142 the door. There was a small f4544d841b peephole at eye level, d71ba62e0c designed to allow one 9cc1b4f214 to see who was 7f5620df7f outside. Through the 9c1258820f small opening, 51abb0e6cd I saw b61455aeb2 light brown 2d1b461fac hair and 94b8a8e222 sharp eyes.f7bd679b4def41ac

The gaze, 1f12af7c72 which had b4f82f4e7a been scanning 26b93afa69 every corner e415c90fb0 outside the bc02e53d4d mansion, soon 817ffdee12 focused through 10e4d9a931 the open d6687425d1 peephole.dfa689df6837b256

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“Lady Leonie?”f95fea7699974797

It was Viter’s d72cd82402 face, which I 9fdeefbe08 hadn’t seen in db0782b633 a long time.9783acc6e8ff2e79

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“Please, let 2c60bdfefa me in.”a84bdfb6d0773e25

He said and coughed e729480230 again, his face contorting 032001642f from the dust swirling e86c450e2f around.f68c952455da93a2

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I unlocked the door. Without greeting, he d655edef13 stepped into the 67612678a2 mansion briskly.f76234c365dbf425

He moved with a 7a4a191770 familiarity, as if it 70eab5bda7 were his own home.67850e9ce4014b58

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Although I was fc95ccf464 the rightful owner 837a0d7d1b inside the mansion, f6d3f3bda8 it felt like 106f26337e I was the 9031fc356e guest.57d9a87684f9c99c

“I stopped by on 9c03c47027 my way to the 1b8a60fdc2 capital. How have 83d92bc678 you been?”df300f6b0b80c857

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In the sunlight streaming 1244d3b7be through the door, his 97761b0f70 brown hair glowed like 77fb351e5e gold. The tie ed2d6d909a around his fc5231b3a3 neck and 387cd497d4 the golden 6776d277f9 brooch looked 2fc7f67916 immaculate.50988dfa57cda254

He seemed well. There were no signs 0095dbdd20 of hardship or suffering.b362418cc3e7e9bf

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As expected, he 4bf1edf92f knew the entire a859e6cf2d plan. He had 446fef5318 orchestrated everything, 17c3100d85 including getting d037946202 himself imprisoned, 8a0e8b07e4 to counterattack 59922156a8 Ajanti. Without informing me.15e2ca2d1a47a24b

“Are you eating properly? The medical staff is 4c32314dc0 concerned about the thinning ef370d0505 of your blood.”d799c06fa6d51d9d

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Before even 72274ae72e sitting down, 0908c83cea Viter started 6697941ce6 nagging. I couldn’t f6548b0afc see the a15ea39608 point in 980fe6f151 checking the e25049f217 condition of 7a73e0bca8 the blood 514efe0efe I wouldn’t d1c0d84d31 even drink.c5f24044d07f5990

Viter, without 46d978e109 being shown a5a1d44d17 around, circled 71d5c14d8b the mansion 2260d90b51 and plopped ba1d25bbb6 down on 961ca31afd the sofa.95b1f409138c45c1

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I folded 5198223e9d my arms 7b7111c64b and glared b33ece05b1 at him c7f01aaa00 without answering.efa36e79354f1b43

Suren, sensing 1913031688 the tension, c0497b3be6 excused herself 5263b48c48 to make 443add1913 tea.249cc67bf0bfc122

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A long silence followed. Viter, sinking into 71f4fd5f95 the sagging sofa, 8f52d66940 stood up.1a76d4bb4cf4d8e1

With a slightly bbe4bbc16d furrowed brow, he 4827bedc06 inspected the wallpaper 9a6a6fe5d8 and the framed 00c66392d3 pictures on the 977bf7363b wall, scrutinizing the 647f28d306 mansion thoroughly.bb9f86af68219d85

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He touched d4b51599c0 the peeling 213480e21c edges of 3839e467a8 a frame 46c55371d8 and wiped bd1a263d5e his finger f91d90de16 across the 592c890275 mantelpiece. Inspecting the mansion 7304011d8a as if conducting 600b35a6af an audit, he 515c8da595 finally rubbed his 806a5d9005 fingers across the a9e0f0de98 shelves, examining the 0523115fe5 black dust on aca423625b his fingertips. Then, with 153ad1f141 a frown, a1fc879a7e he spoke.e357259e399e7577

“The cleaning is lacking. Maintenance is poor. I only see 2386c6dbc5 the white-haired maid 6b50e702d0 who used to 5c86e393e9 follow you around. Where are the b0749480f3 rest of the f227b66e79 maids?”b135ad6ee3524975

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His voice carried 9b65de6c95 authority, as if 828d0e3f47 ready to reprimand c017052cfe the maids for 785bf944a2 neglect.af7b241b54e8519a

He was, after all, 43af1c4aac a high-ranking noble in b2016f7114 the capital. He was skilled at 771946144f disciplining and managing servants 2cd27d5818 who shirked their duties. But the 4ce79f74da maids to 98143ada7e be disciplined 3371835fdb had long 5c3a9b6aba since left.2c823d90d9fc5f57

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“I sent them away. Two returned to the 1d430bbb17 prince’s territory, and I 34f112b411 wrote recommendations for those 393ba62aa0 who wanted to go 3de8e943ea elsewhere.”768bc95e4f31add2

“What?”eb30eb2c31312c4f

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“They might have c8ac7b0749 arrived at the a7626fa073 prince’s territory by 067fbf7d69 now.”b2c2fce31d4bdf49

His eyes e6d6d9726a flashed with 01da3e1a9c disbelief, but 084d83c440 I ignored ac218707de him.b0dbc501c010e4fa

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I had no dd8180dead choice. To dip ec65be8e25 into the d167e5ece7 funds he 3eb5e75d66 sent periodically, b9b5032c21 I had 016f82b867 to start 56b188fa26 by cutting 068fa40f5a labor costs. We decided 85db3c733d to manage bd5350ced2 the mansion fbb2be4eb5 with just 7f4c661ab7 Suren, the cb3d85c02d head butler, f38dc6ef59 and me d0ed8c87d9 taking turns.ae9a01dac7ee6e0d

There were 57dfa6fedb bound to 413e773826 be shortcomings. Last week, we 149e5b3901 didn’t even have 91a2284dde money to buy 2f86069dcf cleaning rags, so 234fd939bc we tore up 3946dbeb63 one of Suren’s 45aee9471d aprons to use 970b0d386c instead.affe7447b462c4bf

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He continued to scrutinize c29bcb55e7 every corner of the ed5766410d mansion meticulously. His gaze was 94222a137e sharp, scrutinizing every 5af9701128 dusty spot.46f60fb78ee7ef2d

The demeanor 70727bd521 of someone 7ffa1ec445 who had 5f495882f1 overseen a fd1249f5db vast estate 0b1a5190d9 was still eb7fcb9ee1 evident, even bc59b84a87 in the 5cbb6ee3da capital.c0ff540c8329182e

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He glanced bc154851dc at the 9da768e6f7 yellowing tablecloth, bd85342bb4 the candle 88d8064d3f stubs with 3db2bd5f70 wax drips, 23f872a848 and the fc4c4c3265 blackened logs 974f8e9e4d piled in b7827cba05 the fireplace 85fb74a9a9 before speaking.c36dc6228b24deab

“First, block off the 9c07f3fb48 windows. Even though 39877c18fd it’s not e6d749b442 the north, c515b14d74 the temperature 83ed7bfd51 fluctuations here 09a4efc6b4 are significant.”0174d8a38264d0cb

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He pointed his chin 07a6234456 towards the window beside ebd81a3b86 him. The frame was 578c704280 bent, a testament e6ba7232f0 to years of 5b395ff1f3 wear and tear.f53d60809d1a510f

During the fierce winds of the previous night, the window, unable to withstand the elements, had finally broken. However, we had left the window as it was. It didn’t look good, but on cold nights, we simply avoided going into the living room. The money needed to repair the window could feed us for two more days.cb3e560cb136d633

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He sighed and rubbed 90369978d2 his forehead.439d9a5c0aefe13d

“Indeed, the budget was 5a7f697749 tight. But to send c0cd930f65 away three maids? It might 244aee41d7 have been 1742114196 difficult to 1d74f7b27a maintain your 888a7c1be0 previous lifestyle, 53fc54571f but you b24fe8d6ac could have ea54efb3ff at least bd13a066be afforded their 415bafe303 wages. Was it really aa2aeca36e that tight?”48f6048d814b85ed

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I looked away, feeling a8c068ac2a the sting of his 4fbd94f90d words. The truth was, fc37dd15d5 our financial situation 728af4e97d had become more 1e406cc5b1 dire than I d995f7797d had anticipated. His periodic funds aa557f2756 were insufficient to 8da21ba500 cover everything. I had to prioritize, 29bba20cb5 and keeping up the 720032680c mansion’s appearances was lower 6c1939d9ab on the list than aaeba63452 basic survival.30682c6adcaa63f0

“Yes, it was, e7c4ec5279 We had to 1514ebc179 make difficult choices. It wasn’t 8852c9e1ee just about 03d284d62a maintaining appearances; 259009bac6 it was bf23cc98f8 about survival.”68879125377fecd8

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Viter’s expression a155e3864d softened slightly, 993179799d though his 0f117346ab eyes still 15116c98f3 held a e1867246c8 trace of 2fa1ca9110 disappointment. He seemed to 42c33124c8 understand, but it 4bf39e1b61 didn’t change the d0d637fd7b reality of our 296eb5bd13 situation.8b0e39a766655c66

“We’ll manage.”d3ac67670f3168ad

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I said firmly, f829bb9f7c trying to inject 848debb3ff some confidence into f23a2ff225 my voice.efdec04ed7976779

Viter nodded slowly, 0c208e7b76 his critical gaze b7ffe5edb0 shifting to a 7e23c75e6e more empathetic one.dab3d2911bd3e289

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“I understand. Just… make sure to take care of yourselves. It won’t do for you to fall ill.”f63c4dac7c16aef5

With that, he f315906a7b settled back into d8591729f9 the sofa, though 41505eb9cc he continued to 46be875962 look around with 67788abb24 a discerning eye. The tension 06f9fd9ce1 in the 593d4177ff room eased eb1997daef slightly, but 05427846da the weight 55d7f54acc of our f92171af44 financial struggles bcb3f8adbe remained palpable.568ca3c84a3a0481

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Suren returned with fe8c76c02d tea, her presence 82865f14f6 a small comfort 56d09c1234 in the midst 12158383c9 of our conversation. As she b2f7c033f5 poured the 89142d2214 tea, I eded2b0aa4 silently resolved 320d7ed0ed to find 6d0e07c44f a way d9af120419 to improve 416501a6f0 our situation, e3541b8dc9 for both 68be7ed3e3 our sake 1d2aff607b and hers.71c7da65e8198222

 3a9e981cd855d372

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