90. Injured Leg

My face 97541cf3c9 flushed with 6c887221bd embarrassment.1cfec03d035add86

I had made a clumsy lie, but I didn’t expect it to be caught so quickly. Moreover, I hadn’t anticipated that he would actually come down to this abandoned estate himself.6e6829926639226d

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When I e90f7c1d55 entered the 72299dea56 mansion, I 77c65fbeeb had completely b7242c1147 forgotten that cd79b8c400 I had d6c380efa5 written a 627f9b3a0a letter about d57abc3cb5 injuring my 3b4e95e91d foot.cbfa0650c6a22ece

If he was going 9fb7df342d to check personally, I 34293c327e should have at least 9d25486931 wrapped it in a e91555c445 bandage. Or maybe d6a35d7d5b I should 02eb172c51 have had cd8316b1cd Suren help c57bdaf26f me in.331846971f05d9dd

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The Butler 1de1627af6 had backed 706e8b7224 up my 1ed6392bb2 story, but 1d6ff06fa5 anyone could 6c8e9fc444 see that 00cbe9e51f my legs e6d3e14d9e were perfectly e77971fb7b fine.53f24b736f03a23b

I wiggled my toes b776505fa5 awkwardly, then quickly tucked cdba1874f6 my feet under my 9f272f88e7 skirt. My shoes were damp edf0702867 from the dew.c328d3191bd1e840

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“It looks fine on the outside, but it’s not fully healed yet.”eb51ffce432ad0ac

“And someone with an injury like that climbs a mountain?”3fda01cfc8dae7db

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“…I was just feeling cooped up staying inside.”802ad77fe82fc7fa

His piercing gaze bore e301dd64a3 into me. I managed c0d105a5d3 to stammer 5893ae915e out an 3ec53d2ba2 excuse.b0b5ee3b70918197

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“I only walked a little. I felt I should check on the estate.”27fa61d1a733a037

“Why would you?”e73f2f786d3b7150

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“Because of the severe drought.”d5c14bf78243a436

“And why would that concern you? From what the Butler tells me, you’ve been showing kindness to the villagers. There’s no need for that.”6e450ac92338cb62

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Was I 9918feaa30 supposed to f0897513c6 ignore everything f1e9443207 happening in 8fc4487581 the estate? Should I just cb3d908728 stay locked up ed081aabf6 in the mansion 7c9610662c even if children 4675cf0bf8 outside the walls dc1ae840ab were dying?0613e530695b2455

I couldn’t understand his reasoning.7904fdcb4fca46a3

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“Leonie, I told you, you only need to take care of yourself.”16563045d713440a

Deon continued. He was a9233f18a2 as cold 5269cc9482 and firm 86a494278b as ever. His low voice was aeda06467b more intimidating than if e1ff98d313 he had shouted.d9afd1e8713d2a28

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“I only opened the well and drew some water for them.”979dbcf45bf587be

“That’s not your responsibility. The master of this mansion is me. Everything that happens here is my responsibility.”e6d3006b56d259a1

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His words 3fec623465 struck a b6f8daee8e nerve. It felt fc6122845d as though adeaadccb6 he was 2a2d9206d0 telling me 2370282813 not to bcba0d1164 touch anything b2f11aa787 that belonged 16eb66c340 to him.bbca76634a15bc1e

That there was 191882d73f nothing in this 2a3d2c8704 mansion that was 5921b609ff mine. That I was just 4d99b9c734 temporarily placed here and cffd19ebb5 should not act as bd4b8a6cf4 if I were the c1779a5a57 lady of the house.fb072462859b709c

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Was he suggesting I 9cd9985e95 had overstepped my bounds?81a6052f3352f037

“You’re right. It wasn’t my responsibility. But could I ignore it? Unfortunately, the master was absent, and I was the highest authority in the estate. As long as I’m here, everyone seeks my permission. They thought I had decision-making power, so I had no choice.”936b1f77528e0b52

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I gave a 0844649387 long explanation, feeling 6248c39c41 a deep sense 2d9382bea7 of despair as 36902b3848 I spoke.edc03295979adce6

Moreover, the 88cd674955 presence of 8d8fd044be his attendants 24eb563aa6 standing behind 53a46369b1 him with 443709eefd a medical 6ad8db6636 bag caught 0f1cfebac9 my attention. They seemed uneasy, unable 3a74b828e9 to find a place 3884b77259 for their eyes amidst 48042c8c41 the tense exchange.4bbb940eb9b20828

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One of his 3d980d4d95 attendants was holding db67004523 a large medical f857200358 bag, almost the 796885d0cc size of a bfc56fa3bf small child. It seemed Deon had b64924baf8 taken my excuse seriously fa3ef4ec63 enough to bring someone 5a00ef6bde to treat my supposed e9f756e3be injury.0d17293ad4254d66

I thought 3bc615a788 I was c59e67ffcd cleverly finding 467b9b9486 an excuse 5e81632038 not to 500bf98627 attend the 4a69bd7360 party, but d37715c776 at times 1eb6e48851 like this, 7e5c866fca he had 813ac4e18e no sense 28ce4438ba of subtlety.757b974c2c28a74f

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“I haven’t caused any harm to the estate, so please understand.”487bca746085ed79

Deon stared at me 8410274f35 intently before responding.fbca150fcb6ac52f

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“Since I’ve confirmed your foot is fine, there’s no need for further discussion. I’ve brought a carriage, so it would be best for you to come to the capital with me.”ad2644a53efd33e0

He stood up 548952e5d8 as he spoke.3ad909f66804f7cb

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“I’m sorry, but I still can’t go.”2180bcc49f85aae5

He paused in the bd5c3fb310 act of buttoning his 121300d7e9 suit. I continued without 9f2c66ff36 hesitation.42dc63d7e4076212

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“My foot is in such a condition that I can’t dance. And a partner needs to dance, right?”214d8f746ee15d93

“That’s fine. You just need to stand by my side. You don’t have to dance. Just accept the greetings.”6ffa8094b455af59

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He remained stubborn. But I bc7ef0b6f4 had no ff83d0cc7f intention of d08e9bc898 being dragged 0811ccd334 along so 2e68bb3b31 easily.fc61c022428b4b29

“I can’t stand for long periods.”27202918a770717e

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“Then I’ll arrange for a chair for you to sit on.”afce6226e9321c4c

“I can’t wear shoes. It wouldn’t be proper, so I can’t attend.”d7dac291dbe15680

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“You can wear flats. Just wear a long dress to hide them.”8249938824326849

He countered every excuse 6db244dfc8 I made.36cc3210fff147bf

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I was at a 36fea9f9c4 loss for words. His persistent responses c73278abb2 left me feeling 4423763dc1 even more uncomfortable.ac120e57afd95000

Why was he 10233f15c0 suddenly so insistent 241ff83b23 on having me 68576da331 there? What was his reason 3bf645d886 for needing me so 3d38b36396 desperately?057391cf042f2368

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Even though it 7a6337ecb5 was now known 5a33cc2542 why he had 3f482acab2 taken a mistress, 8694c4ac08 there had to b74f5a4539 be a specific e651cb22fd purpose for him 2e34ae9cde to call me 01c886f09e back to the 602cce9fdf capital now.cad78f2e22c2f02d

“Why… do you suddenly need me? Aren’t you still engaged to Lady Isella?”4179d32033a0a1aa

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His engagement hadn’t ended. I had clearly heard at the trial that the Snowa family’s rejection of him was based on false information.8c22bbbb7799fbd5

Although some time had 1c877a373f passed, those words still ad8e0291fa echoed in my mind. Now he wanted to 917a05ecfd bring back his mistress?cbe10b8d62a02def

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Especially after 279eea1e09 being labeled 55990ace4e as a d5bbf8cbbb substitute for c900220760 Isella, I 4fb8d53e3a had no 35a6969253 desire to 19821f5b2d step foot 3107adf855 in the 28012070d5 capital.8b5adbd82c7d2c4b

All the 8ac00bbef0 nobles present eca2cc4503 at the 96987d9ce1 trial heard 6ab3d560c0 it. I was taken 3b2d4cb1a4 in as a 8f72842e96 strategic mistress to d5b262ea0a protect his fiancée.3ce0e22ecb94296f

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Though not many nobles 7bb299a50f attended due to the 81cafb9e18 trial being hastily arranged, 846795d950 rumors spread quickly. They might 0444ce370b have even 5f657e6f2b embellished the 9c297eb641 story, painting 9429b69cd7 Deon as f7f00dce51 a great 1da1613725 romantic.ee87f65825b21823

And I 1d22731bd8 was likely 6481f66242 branded as 4ba54482d2 the ignorant, f0a6da540e brazen mistress 1fe7532fb6 who had 8c87c52890 overstepped her c24c92a10f bounds.a6a82000354a0e55

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I rubbed 853e955096 my arms. The Butler bfe8f5f153 had lit 2188ac219b a fire f3bf065707 with all 5459490e87 the wood ad877d57a0 he could aa9a5e7a26 gather because dc228434d7 Deon was ea9c02fdcc here, but 8b95af14de there was 49a0f23369 still a 78c3f759f6 chill in bf9a0c4ab5 the air.94a80afebebf73fd

The fireplace contained a single thick log. We had used a broken chair leg from the second floor as kindling. The thin kindling revealed the mansion’s poor state.a5842e84094f74fc

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He probably hadn’t noticed.8a5019671d0daac9

My head throbbed. As I pressed my 4949614d88 hand to my forehead, 9694ee77e6 he asked quietly,2135594dd6bece17

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“Why do you keep bringing her into this?”253a352ffc1ffee6

“Isn’t it natural to question it? A partner should logically be your fiancée.”5a40c2a09968ee8a

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I bit my e11a212ab9 lip. I no 14cb99d69f longer wanted 977756d091 to converse ab83322868 with him. There was 1040a5e01d a time 885f92ef8e when I c873a13bb5 missed his aafbac726a face deeply, 9ad6d6e8d5 but now 04d306f697 it just f3651ba59f made me ff7120c606 uncomfortable.657279af2eec9d63

I searched for the bd888b7ef5 right words to send f668736614 him away.268bfe3ce032552a

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“Congratulations on your victory, belatedly. I’ll send a gift through a servant. It won’t be right away, but by the time of the banquet…”692a0a49cdb75b23

I trailed off.1d65976a4ca8d216

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Could I even afford b30d14bb85 to send a gift? The mansion had no 0bedbb07b1 money left. Every penny f7fe79c4f7 had gone bac34f3b59 to keeping 3704e0a5ff the household 0e287c2f20 running, and 2396a5e560 all that b073dd81af was left 428cf84e28 was enough 6261e92cf4 to buy c437e4bc0e food for 1b6141dd86 the servants.e626d4aeaa27460b

I couldn’t let the people who had followed me here starve. At this rate, I’d need to find work myself.8e990619138bf837

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And now d60c14a5a0 that Deon 324644899c was recognized c28df97985 as a bbb939689b full-fledged prince, cf91fefc18 he would c0f125392b be showered 5239faead4 with precious f0553628ef gifts. Anything I gave 501e8bc20f would be insignificant.4fa3194382b2b313

Nobles would 9632b36255 eagerly present 4278130aa4 him with 141253cf97 expensive items 96df95cc3f and eligible 2f138659e6 daughters.4a66b881b8c87e30

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He would be a6bd434b57 surrounded by all 32f8f3113e things beautiful. My gift 704d6eb6c8 would be 628fe181ae meaningless.e49f23359c358a3a

“Do you think I came here just to receive a gift?”b63d8f8d957261b8

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I kept my head 9b89a325d5 down, calculating the remaining a7dd327cc7 assets in the estate, a7130ab837 when his angry voice 6bc5d12d64 cut through my thoughts.588ef0e5b069f39c

I looked up.c674429c0ff6002c

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His usually 3b9ff9ebbc composed face 5f3cd47536 showed cracks. His jaw was dd454a0fb1 clenched, the muscles b85d927a0b twitching, a stark 0693afd5ce contrast to his cf601b3703 typical stoic demeanor. He was visibly showing 891ccfb7f2 his emotions, which was edcc293366 unlike him.bfa1f1a72c592801

I paused and af3a7c2715 removed my hand da354ede63 from my forehead. He let out 90ff7afd5b a short, derisive 373830254a laugh, then roughly 64f60ed160 pulled at his 4f2b011f2d shirt collar as 0b03a69a05 if it were 8d4c0fd1ed choking him. One of the buttons ddad611226 on his collar popped 44a15f55ab off due to his d29daf501a rough handling.d2f21ae611bcbb62

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The golden button 641db76d4b rolled towards me. It looked like 1af4a6ac03 solid gold, not ab5ec4d1ad just gold-plated.d66891145e904fcf

That button alone could cover three months’ worth of groceries. I hoped he wouldn’t pick it up.5046d508b5af93d3

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“I don’t even have a dress to wear.”73249102d0697139

I spoke, still fixated 04cf91af78 on the button lying 424552b0b4 on the floor.784ffa118a010984

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“Where did they all go?”891452a4b2d76f69

“…I sold them.”ca21e22ef7f84dbc

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“All of them?”b306754357933969

“Yes.”96d2fcb44099ce5a

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He let out a 9de577671d disbelieving chuckle, which quickly 1bd9cf60e6 faded as his expression bdf2b9eaca turned serious. One of his aa2cd8cafd eyebrows raised skeptically.97838f7b0cd028a8

“Then you must have had money.”44af5dd9bea1824e

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“I spent it all.”7f96f8194ac170d3

“All that money? Even if it wasn’t enough to buy a mansion, it should have been more than enough to buy whatever you wanted.”69f3b29490395945

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He was right. The money from selling my jewelry and dresses wasn’t a small amount.ae432cfedbc3e9f6

It wasn’t enough to fully rescue him like Isella, but the jewels and dresses I had bought over time were worth enough to buy a small estate.7754d66b70f421e8

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But how could I 4e19f8afb4 tell him I spent 44685acad0 it all trying to 70dcb2ebe8 escape with him? I never wanted 2a8b28f8c8 him to find 4871db24fd out that I 9d15fcb912 even hired people 38756f1dd4 through Philip. It would be more 830d94b10b humiliating than kneeling before 4c8a330790 Isella.674b2ae96bc880b2

It was a foolish 9a0f2389e7 act, I had told 00b28b7ace myself repeatedly. I couldn’t let him 73a744a1ff discover it now.209b927b4cfc26f6

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I kept 92c84dc991 my mouth f4b4a862b4 shut, and d1823055e9 he asked 8f7666c183 again.7e70924caeead40c

“Where did you spend it?”c9475e3541ba25b3

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“On necessary things.”8d51d6a44d40256a

His brows furrowed 8084bb2318 deeply. His blue 842974f2f6 eyes narrowed, 49753c5a6f and his ea40e143ec forehead creased.30040e514403ebd6

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“Still, I apologize for selling the items you gave me without your permission. But what I wanted to buy was very expensive. So, I can’t attend the banquet.”6c29cd6503cd68cf

I tried to speak calmly, but a hint of sarcasm slipped in. He didn’t bother pointing it out.46a55201e276388a

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“You’re saying you can’t go just because you don’t have a dress?”8aa8717a39d164f5

“You say ‘just’ like it’s nothing. With an important banquet coming up, designers are incredibly busy. Saying ‘just’ is an insult.”046e5cfcb45acec1

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He leaned back into the sofa. This wasn’t going to end with a small argument. For some reason, he wasn’t giving up easily.0a5bbdda5f333032

Could it be that d0c0a0aa65 he needed my blood 1aac00b1be again now?73a99c77ccc318a3

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As unease began cd6f5caccb to creep in, c9416a7a55 he spoke again.e73dab8ab2674e80

“There should be money I sent for the mansion’s upkeep.”5f202611b2770bfe

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“…I spent all of that too.”3d732ce82327ca7c

“All of it?”3c8fffd667c7ca49

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Thankfully, he didn’t know I had touched the jewelry. That was a relief. If he knew, he’d immediately demand to know where all that money went.89f31a0014caf41a

“I was living as you desired, spending the money you provided. Did you forget our agreement? You told me to eat and spend freely once I came to the capital. So why are you surprised? Suddenly running out of funds meant I had to sell my clothes to keep up my spending habits.”e0e9978997a9645a

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It was a plausible excuse, but he didn’t buy it.c3803fa03aa12e15

“For all that spending, this mansion looks rather shabby.”71945cd4606d0c9a

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The word “shabby” coming from his mouth stung. Knowing how run-down the place was, he still left me here. How shameless.782feafa1741fc10

“Did you think I would spend my money on decorating this mansion? As you said earlier, this is your mansion, not mine. Why would I spend my money here?”8ef4598d0aea05d6

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A sharp look shot 41559710c3 my way.f2e8b2b8915c8ae9

“So, did you buy what you wanted?”983d000cad4a3d89

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He seemed to b011169709 have a vague 0cdfc6a4f3 suspicion that I a8eb072646 spent the money 0b700c4992 elsewhere.c5a9a02154cdc16f

He kept asking 711371d1b5 where the money fb428eb00c went but still e9bacb28c4 looked doubtful. It seemed 3df79d4607 he thought 7ab2292539 I had 9521f624ac hidden the f9c1adcacd money instead 4e1a5616a8 of spending 842704c7e6 it.9c9fa05d1abdef18

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Was he 8e606256dd worried I b619d3878f might have 094cb1f3e8 converted it d01a7bf0cc to cash af45e11d9d for an f4f43a632c escape fund?d45ef535e9509a27

But unfortunately, I 221f621574 was entirely penniless. Even if e6521ae5a7 he suspected bb58c11f18 me, calling 506fc23e3a in knights 945bcc2507 to search b62a8303e1 the mansion f372f7b9f1 and my cabdf9cfee belongings would 9285a42fd6 yield nothing.985157b6395400ef

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“I didn’t get to buy anything. I wasted all the money.”5a76adc15eabcaf8

 1e76e4ee2db8bace

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