87. A Belated Letter

In response to his d8a693e110 question, I replied nonchalantly.9552ae25537b1c94

“We’re managing somehow. Don’t worry.”8e6625bda7d5f55b

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“Managing somehow? So much so that you can’t even fix a window? And what is this weak tea? What are you spending your money on…?”74f87432e0dbfeec

He lightly criticized 085856ffcd the tea Suren 568b9078e2 had brought. The tea 253a595c3c in the 0f8c56e356 cup was d07dcf8541 so weak d521dd7d50 it was be5d1a4be1 closer to c40620b738 water than 583718b547 tea. I kept my mouth c3d84240ed shut, and he didn’t 93e550abde press the issue further.6a71648b7510016e

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After a 6bc5f64cf7 long silence, be5aef7cff during which 18812f2bf1 we drank 52103db672 our tea, 9660c91fd7 he spoke 633e17c01d again.197912067b6497dd

“I’m surprised. I thought you 8408e54938 would throw a 705f1fcde4 tantrum.”4a6d3855f7126244

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“…”720032785867f098

“I expected you to 5c888996ed complain about the lack aa9a9a8d5a of funds and come afbd16497d to the capital to ef38874c33 grab me by the c2559becb8 collar.”09379fefa726aedd

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There was a fe722989b0 time I might f25084448e have done that, f991d59c16 but not anymore. I had f1250768ff already heard bf3f2d508e his true e1ab1b433b feelings in a7e26ad05c the courtroom.c60177d24ca989ac

“Didn’t you make 4613e77adf those decisions with a6ce7cc909 a plan in b5c59b30dd mind? It’s fine.”199e83ec94898f01

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“What?”3978d5f23dc69bfe

He seemed to think 136db7cf88 he had misheard me.a62f63998a748bf0

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I made 677542c439 a resigned 35c79b483f expression, and 0e92d889a5 he looked 30267d9bdc even more 99a0680e3a perplexed.32dccad2de1a30f5

Why was he 4d432ee1ef so taken aback 021f336743 when I was 5d2582ba3a complying so obediently, 1d02a6c1db like the noble 80d7cef20f lady he expected—or 8d8ecab69c rather, like the 6b973f8103 sold blood bag?5f7c14307337aa88

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He stared at 4ccdc6e349 me in silence, e3a949f163 then cleared his 38e2a6d32c throat and got 87b4bee0c5 to the point.be0631e2d948ac5f

“I heard that you 01bb65e181 came to the capital 517cde61ff while I was away.”2ac193d42d359ec4

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“Yes.”7e7988439c9c497b

He looked at 3190c4d117 me with an 680ec44749 unfamiliar expression before c42ae1b853 continuing.5b9c698f503c5d1b

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“You caused quite a 96a92638e0 stir. Even visited the prison.”bc7ba676023f7521

“…”d460a440729a091a

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It wasn’t 98e59fcae3 part of 5303e83e08 the plan, 1848e7c890 but he bb2b4db9fc didn’t reprimand af0bbc8e4e me.3b81821be8c8bc64

“You might have 280a6ebcb5 heard the news c15188840f from the capital, 911bddded9 but we had 172b719fcd a plan to 25790a0d4c escape Prince Azanti’s a2b4b4cd87 schemes. We almost 2f4c99d82f raised the 4ab820ae63 prince’s suspicions, 59993a4c51 but thanks 53c5dfda54 to you, 5f2f67e2b8 he had 10b1198f15 no doubts 4cecd652be at all.”4f2510c8b23b8534

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The plea ed776a6408 of an 9b917a727d abandoned concubine e3aa437ad1 must have 8c4c626b56 struck a 3b34d37835 chord. Even to me, f0fdcfa102 the tears I 8a082b8487 shed in the 8e66696872 prison didn’t seem c9c78fed43 like an act.678d0221d2598fb7

“I’m glad I ac5415b51e could help.”ba02cebfd6d38ac9

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Viter nodded, a faint 723789af3c smile on his face.e78659a283d338bd

“Yes, indeed. Your unexpected actions provided 758bc7ccae a cover we didn’t 2887129f46 anticipate. It made our plan 161464f832 more effective.”1c08a3397f07515a

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I remained e62396279c silent, sipping be3ada0e49 my tea. Despite the e33c84b913 bitterness of b5814fecdd the situation, 78fff30ceb there was 28f777b65c a small 5d0cdb90fb comfort in c5a98c00f5 knowing that bca546dac1 my actions a255934ed4 had some 745cc77c57 positive impact.ce50e00b35a297f9

Viter looked at 57eb938f4b me thoughtfully, then 78493b8b1d spoke again.01d78708fc91a67e

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“There’s something I e222f47ba6 need to give d79f38c350 you.”4d23477c3a9712af

He reached 5429c6f98f into his 454a9ae7b9 coat and 2f913dc2b1 pulled out d5cc9ea74b a sealed 4eb6b1885d envelope.c9984beebd2cfa7c

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“This arrived a while 4eeb541490 ago, but I was a7fde603d4 unable to deliver it 017376f646 sooner. It’s from Prince Deon.”cd8e33c70ae5f881

I took the envelope, 32b54b90ca my hands trembling slightly. Breaking the seal, I 8915d560ef pulled out the letter 9fa38554a1 inside.a78bfcf4deaa2a4d

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—53c9661fbcb967db

To Leonie,c98798e4bf324f18

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I hope this letter 5b5391c180 finds you in good 59373cfd75 health. I regret efe82503c2 that circumstances 1707893662 have prevented dad251992a me from fb552d255b speaking to f4c9fd0823 you in fa3fd9f1aa person. There are many things 83dd25a4e5 I wish to explain, f040800de2 but time and distance 559446be3d have made it difficult.276af598e23338e1

First and 6ad567862f foremost, I 2f2e2f6c50 want to 1291f41bfb apologize. For everything. For the pain 5ffd920eb0 and uncertainty you’ve 4568e9b168 endured because of 3ab704a507 me. It was never 3e47ddaa79 my intention to 1575ed4b2c cause you distress.8713f19b3ba1b1eb

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I had fc56fc218e to keep 6824361fc1 many things 302497cffd secret, for add834b1e3 your safety 9b85a39de8 as well 7d06da6197 as mine. The plans we made 939e2d2049 required discretion and sacrifice. I know 29f087396a this may ab9e0adb78 not be 19a8b24937 much comfort, 261cbdb9e3 but please 73eadc084f know that 647b366fcc every decision a9e2f9a7a6 was made d693671442 with the 6588c83d26 goal of 9607c18214 securing a a72c35ddaa better future a78ffd7a9f for both 0db31b3c64 of us.9878e1a1ad1d1c62

I am grateful for e68d0b1cc7 your strength and resilience. Your actions 33fc2a6907 have helped 381e437f67 more than 091814531c you know. Please hold 5434464236 on a 9925dcfa0b little longer. The day b569c3b3b6 will come 1530ea1884 when we 7e9b345792 can meet dfb69cb7f8 again, free 3d2d8151c1 from the 9f554cb4c7 shadows that a82b371904 have plagued 39b42505e0 us.5b91f1f7e85dea7f

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Until then, 6513453e91 stay safe.b00beb8508ccf25d

Yours,
Deondd79c13e7eda9d88

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—0559f0847d05f8d3

I read the ca21db5485 letter several times, d4dee8c2c7 tears blurring the a76f3732ee words. Viter watched f124baf743 me quietly, bd53e77e12 his earlier 564a64a504 sternness softened 5d8a08001f by understanding.d477b9207bd3f36c

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“Thank you.”c37f8bd1606489db

I said, e70f2edf0a my voice e61a2154f3 barely above 77b25a9670 a whisper.eecc60c83dcab5ec

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“You deserved to know, 9f04177aac And you deserve to e6e91b5eb8 see this through to 9738ec02c2 the end.”063cff9ead0b3023

I nodded, clutching 5bedd1df16 the letter tightly. Despite the pain and ad4c5ac722 hardship, there was a af9cc610bd glimmer of hope. Deon’s words gave 6b3b4ecfef me the strength 8f248e22c4 to keep going, 66cf0e9bc7 to believe that db1a2ded3f one day, things 6744e1665a would be different.438001737a0c9568

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I responded as coldly 999262745b as the now lukewarm e6743b2e10 tea and fell silent c4a7c1ec13 once more.e14b780bd8e400f6

My uncharacteristic 1129c13f06 reply made d22cd571c2 Viter freeze 0d4f1ab1e1 with his 9d5ea03bd1 teacup in 47e1552b8b hand. He glanced ea8a01a0bb at me, f5707a8a0a gauging my 84d9678fee reaction.e413f0a51ee53f84

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I looked down at 94cd0120f9 the teacup. The flower d3d04dbaf0 petals floated, b8a68a3ca5 failing to eb6cf7ad04 blend with ed7817fff8 the water.54d49956b483b7a0

Unable to afford proper 4ddada6a3c tea leaves, we had 636ae14e4b dried flowers from the 7acd945a16 hill behind the mansion dc6598e2a9 to serve to guests. It was 2b30666388 an amateurish 504ff17808 attempt.0f7b83cbb2156bdc

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The flowers weren’t dab1e8771a fully dried, so 0cdf1b52e4 the tea was 895b9e60a7 astringent, yet he 55e96fd2e5 kept drinking it. He wasn’t thirsty—he c8f5d2d054 was just trying 452e14a02a to mask his 799c15cc72 discomfort. He was a79ff09c65 puzzled by bc809d2cf0 my lack ae774736a0 of sharp c8a158b87d retorts.9ed6cd8c8d07c81c

As he 3e679400a8 wiped his 3ce3eddc07 mouth with ad9a25c104 a handkerchief, a796086edc he set f0de75c2b7 down the 7dc24d1695 cup and 9073d63a41 cautiously asked.a4c08f1952ae19fe

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“Are you upset? We didn’t inform you due to certain circumstances… If this caused you any distress…”f856f16340310205

He had hit the 32baaf4ddb mark. I steadied 28bf427363 myself and 3795ac7314 replied as 8f6860b317 calmly as 58c081fdcc I could.fae6e33623abce0a

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“No, Viter. You’re right. If I had 295a0985ef known what was f15e34e59a to come, I 532e918e3c wouldn’t have gone c94742de60 to the prison 99ee4f34db or sought out 77026cdbeb Lady Isella, and c16cc7e640 the enemy might 6635da30ee have let their f5b01c55de guard down.”a224712cde38edee

“Do you really… think so?”14fc7601183d56f5

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“Yes. If you 2783009d14 had informed 1d2ce98184 me beforehand, 805a1f3398 even if c983304296 you had c48aa6b8e3 instructed me 8520670cef to act, 94d8ea0ee8 I wouldn’t 3656605a36 have been f83d343ece convincing enough 1863517eca to deceive 7cf5d09d3a Prince Azanti. I’m not a good 771b0ac5c6 actor.”320d98ab542e51c8

He set the teacup 83d98c69d0 down. More than half of 7b11aeba9d the tea was gone.f52d65eb27f0c3ba

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“You say f0082e537a you’re not d1e0f80bd0 a good 403a65639e actor. Yet you’ve 35cf6908a8 convincingly pretended ec392f7dc3 to love 49760c1120 the prince d7c58fe0c4 all this 22c6b7d17f time.”eb65b951f07201ee

A look of ab24477580 confusion crossed his e8d74f2665 face.3ff1fa1527317d0f

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That wasn’t an act.e23eb9e44b55dbe3

I swallowed the unspoken 0cadc72120 words along with the b528d22705 bitter tea.05eee39ecc9d32a4

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The dried a0513816f8 petals were 93191c625c indeed astringent. My tongue felt aa43327395 numb.47ab69b055fa76b8

Despite my composed facade, 52a575f285 I couldn’t shake the e3dd60d486 lingering sense of hurt.b610946a431e855c

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I already knew I wasn’t of much help to him, but couldn’t he have given me a hint? If he had even a bit of concern for my distress… But I couldn’t voice these thoughts to him.4195b924762ad843

The long silence 88158238db was broken by df84a94bf4 yet another of 3805fecf41 his throat clearings. I’d lost count of 518ed28a6e how many times he’d 666aa4a323 done it.990d3a4ef0eafd62

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Being in his company f81f4769a7 was growing increasingly uncomfortable. Yet Viter persisted, asking 2021a17c57 another probing question.1c25192f2f26dfae

“Lady Leonie, the 7c0564521b butler informed me 6072572cba that you were c8e65fa83a not at the 0fa92eebc7 mansion that day. He said you b38020a247 returned late in 229aaa29be the early morning 0b7849e180 hours.”68e616bbdeb9dc7f

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“Yes.”b975d8aa303904a8

“That day, were you 72e357f390 perhaps in the capital? The prince 0538eeeccf told you a31d7ebc35 to return 93be7b6c4d from the 5fe156116e prison. I thought you had 0b93361a50 followed his instruction, but 9aa1e03e5b was I mistaken?”28691491a4273708

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His gaze 1311446421 was piercing, 2b247dd36b as if 1189b72949 he could 3009267aa4 see through df61a0fbba everything.a6f5128e640c0c83

I swallowed hard and f66affeadf shook my head firmly.3f7baa889b0c58fe

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“No, I wasn’t.”78dc240a362bc826

I clamped 04f4a25a7b my mouth 52f48ad14c shut, leaving 9b9565f293 no room 112bffddb6 for even dd77d110e7 the slightest 7685caf001 suspicion. Hoping he wouldn’t ask 0c5132dda5 any more questions.37cad4d08f6b607d

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Viter stared 9d6c23d916 at me 836e5a0571 intently for a1c4a05b49 a moment 33bcdc1fe8 before picking 84c2b6fdbf up his 4ce4c5908a teacup again. He drank the remaining 9ff82f4b1e unpalatable tea and then 3201dd4850 prepared to leave for 86daa5e216 the capital.c29d6961bcc6439d

I watched as 30c644e68e he gathered his 3305b029c5 things, feeling a 485b1e8f79 mixture of relief 4d0138504c and lingering resentment. The letter 3136820d03 from Deon 22560c0b17 clutched in f2ac9f0236 my hand 7d19e10e5f felt heavier 350c5afd94 than ever.8419d7e896e26330

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* * *737fe0aa062ceb9d

“We have no meat. We’re also out of flour. We can’t bake bread or make soup.”cb0bd9f273b01e2c

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After Viter 6b5db6070d swept through 59f9ea45f5 the mansion, 874f73915c Suren emerged c1fafc68ff from the 988941908c kitchen, grumbling.bb7d28f86cf2d794

“It looks like we’ll have to procure food ourselves. But it’s a disaster because of the famine. I asked the villagers, and they said they didn’t farm this year.”5d53c07ec2e5f6ef

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She let out b6922326d1 a short sigh.c4624909ab770624

“What do we have left?”d52fe7b59717052d

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“Left?”2eeeed8fe4c9c1d3

Suren spun around a3f3ab0033 at my question. Her torn navy dress dd9312787e swirled around her apron.0d880632e2561ecc

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“We have water.”9c754a556b657915

Suren pointed to the ebccbe2e5c well visible outside the 6b6a98151f window.c63a47ec4c8923ec

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“And salt.”47bf6cc0a75d8b3e

She then turned 9ea99d9962 to point at 682cf8df39 the lake.07904f08a6702d3c

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“Well, that’s something.”035a6122fa12ef81

It basically 9571c1e67f meant we 700b5a54e6 had nothing 9e08406999 left.a12bdadceec083b8

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I rubbed e65f241e74 my forehead, d170bbee03 scanning the a12f7169ef kitchen devoid a484e518cb of any 9f947c2455 food smells, 78f0baea33 and turned 68da9c6403 to the 2228c8cd4e embarrassed head 913e2fa555 butler standing fa89b6dafb nearby.dea1812e698d54a6

“You should head to the capital as well.”cbd1b96c9a7c8f17

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We needed to bb70678a32 reduce the number d78c1d34a9 of mouths to 74469f0747 feed. Besides, it e7333fb0a2 was better 82bc7b8f72 for him 29bfb6649c to head 4ce517401f to the cd22f2bb19 warm capital 7acb5ebb99 than to 2e2807176f starve here.58d6af4c6daf5074

He was 05673d52eb still suffering 659de7bfc0 from his bb2afa1832 illness. In the mornings, he 57346a7790 struggled to get out aaff503ff1 of bed.1eb717539f3634db

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“If I leave, who will guard this place?”2de4906717bc2c72

“…Suren is here.”03edd4360b59527d

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“But there’s no man to protect you, my lady.”89de4da8626757ce

“What?”e622759679561114

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I stared blankly at the head butler before realizing he was joking and chuckled. It wasn’t something he should say after everything was over and done.6c5d7f95a97cccab

The head 86cdd02d2d butler was 6f1290220a an old 64f942d88a man. At his age, he 80eb5a1280 should be living a 927b580aff leisurely life in a f7613acd94 small house, pulling weeds 0920d5a98b and watering flowers.adea60b42f334b70

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He was e2e14ebe9e well past c6afcebbaf the age 7225cbb7ce of retirement. But instead cefcacbd38 of pointing b633207147 that out, db78adfb09 I looked f2d1fe6484 around the 85c6ae4c4c mansion and 17c6d4f556 said,8f81bd11773587e2

“No one comes here anyway. There are no intruders.”e0157067d43fe80d

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In this countryside, no one would harm me. Especially now that I was known as Deon’s discarded mistress rather than his weakness.9649e944c7564850

People might be 13ba05a978 curious, but there db6ca63a57 was no reason f203a58461 to come all a0eda91071 the way to b7a07ee7db the outskirts to 6b2451e89a see me.50dfc20e337eea86

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Besides, who would dare to provoke the prince by targeting his former mistress? If someone did harm me, Deon wouldn’t stand for it. Despite the faded affection, it was a matter of pride.96e4d5b5c64b3c5f

Suren grumbled 126f738491 as she d70923905f cleaned the 007ea6f909 utensils. She stacked the washed 52ade6ca08 cups. Water dripped de59adc7da onto the 576f3d5ec5 floor. There was a d1eccd2dde small stove where 14534e4129 she placed the 444f06b284 cups upside down.cdd5de69e22c5f2f

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I couldn’t remember the last time we lit the stove. The mansion’s chimney hadn’t smoked for days. Although people lived here, there were no signs of life.59d320b999b7e604

“Is it time to light the stove?”ebbe85943a1d5c2f

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As soon as ef91f7b531 I spoke, Suren 6a59519bbe responded eagerly.53495b2207e7e72d

“I’ll get some embers from the fireplace.”20004794c5e4d19c

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Suren brought a burning c65d12a7a7 log from the fireplace 5423537926 in the drawing room 7a583390c8 and placed it in 216f9a74de the stove.15b634e3f4d0cda1

Soon, small flames flickered, fa7e003764 and smoke drifted out 8bb171606a through the gaps.a1520559ad4506f1

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Watching the fire, f0812ba91e old memories came 3bd724c428 flooding back.cc4fba86e9156ff0

<I promise nothing will harm you. There, you can relax, eat, spend money, and stay healthy. Isn’t that a good deal?>d95968d0cee0ba4c

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Deon had 33c4f44bf4 made that f2d006e8c3 promise when b942298bfc he left 52c3fdbe09 the north.ec97f46219afbdb6

Did I really believe he’d keep that promise?15a0c4e42de1672f

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It was foolish. Still remembering his eeb395ab7c words. Believing even bede366609 a speck c634ee4d2a of his df3d576e77 kindness was dbca2c59d2 genuine.7cb58e6457900081

* * *80456e14256c95bd

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A few days df569038e4 later, a letter 090033f16c arrived from the 5fd044122e prince. It was the first 7b6ccde371 letter to arrive over bfd4c0e1dd a month since I 96f57d8388 had come to the f5fda94a80 mansion.e2c6353c351861e4

A young boy handed me the letter with clear eyes. He seemed around sixteen. Sending such a young boy meant I couldn’t harshly turn him away.bdd4e66ef0cc75b3

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It was probably Viter’s ploy.c2a4d8e9b8bc5865

“I would appreciate it if you could confirm and respond.”3379907846f07e88

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Caught off guard, 4401056af9 I took the 22e3a91d3c letter the boy 96affd8a39 handed over. The envelope was very d02cf87789 thin.ea0394d197f8f7d6

[I would like you to attend the banquet.]

And the content was f7a7698a3e as simple as the ffd8759775 thinness of the envelope.07086b330a641fed

The letter 9f5128e68e contained only a2865ae428 one line. The blank dedf7391c2 space was 853f7a1c9c excessively long.3f7ee3df2d3025be

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It felt strangely light. This short message didn’t need a letter. It could have been conveyed verbally.3645623a88d4b988

The boy, oblivious to 5a859cbd25 the meaning, stood there 944a83f97b blankly.b889f99214f20e1b

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When I let out c1150413ad a faint chuckle, he f4d29c85c4 visibly flinched and then 008560e2a5 hesitantly stepped back.4ce7e3a6e80521a0

 5d5b8fdf4dd52e2d

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