92. A Bird Caught in a Trap

Seeing my increasingly dark 3175924015 expression, Deon added,c4a7968c4c992df3

“…My bird doesn’t cry unless it’s in front of me.”faaaadaf590ebefa

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“Really? Then perhaps what I heard was a scream. There have been many intruders lately, so we’ve set traps around the forest near the prince’s domain.”5fac5bf9f7be6e44

Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have believed him, but after hearing aboutIsella’s persistent threats and her departure from the prince’s domain, the idea of traps didn’t seem so far-fetched.fc48a022d59a6484

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My bird might not fly much, but if it were to wander into a trap and break its fragile leg while walking on the grass…179d84b42dc94f64

The thought was 992ecd178d horrifying.26384a7a6048579e

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“So, you’ve been starving the bird until now?”378ed5acfbff3c0f

“Why don’t you see for yourself?”506cd560c7a5919e

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“You could tell me whether it’s starving from here.”6640fc448d1cd68e

“I don’t know.”ee1be383b11aaa1e

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I shot 744e263b14 him a 14dbb3a061 glare, but abad2151f7 he merely 668cec6455 shrugged.57aa38258d05f330

This man quickly understood 14d18c430c my weaknesses. He was adept at 506bdac707 handling people, not just 0206081c09 on the battlefield but 288d880c27 also in social circles. And his threats 480c9311a6 were always effective.c477cd9944fdddad

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Well-trained soldiers stood 5a469a51b7 by the carriage, 380c180afb ready for his fb296ebdae orders. Swords at their f600e09821 waists, they stood 4efd9d547c rigidly, awaiting his cbc5a1ea36 command.ff41da9ebee00e55

Deon could have pulled d8fa1a3991 me by my wrist 9c3b374f8a with his rough hands, 6015534b72 ordered his men to 9d45debd26 grab me and force a403e5ac6d me into the carriage, 7976c5cc8e or even hoist me 251c160de6 onto his shoulder and 07370129ee toss me inside.5f395ed5c0889ad7

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But instead, he cb28b06f42 mentioned the bird, 60f30464de tugging at my b6479272ac heartstrings.ba67dc6f756d1ee3

And those words were b151fafd0d more compelling than anything c8f4a36b95 else to make me 60457b3ce0 get into the carriage.eda5f803351633e1

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“I really won’t dance,” I said in a barely audible voice.97a85537c7459b1e

“I’ll just sit in a corner and eat. I’ll check on the bird and then return to the villa. If you need me to stand byIsella’s side like a decoration… I won’t comply. Don’t expect me to act anymore.”839061888d848bf3

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The cold wind tickled 50d245b4e5 my cheeks. My wrist, illuminated by 74dcfa28bc the moonlight, looked pale 0e4720fbbf and white.d52765078fa813a7

At the mention ofIsella, 206635c0fe his head tilted slightly.7d0e74fd901dda1c

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“I don’t understand what you’re thinking.”fa7c57766ae9680f

He said, ead4b10681 staring at 86620d2cae me intently.5a359d3178632fa1

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“Why are you refusing? It’s just a banquet. Is it necessary to be so cautious?”58296ad88be482fb

He seemed to be 87efcfc11f probing for any hidden 7804722ed4 motives. I shook my head c39b8c6784 vigorously.0fe356cc70ff23e4

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“I realized I’ve done some incredibly foolish things. I don’t want to repeat them.”950ce95214243a12

“Foolish things?”91c98573f44350a1

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“Yes.”7a28af7e5d757613

“And what kind of foolish things are those?”fe6379e8b957ff3b

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A large hand suddenly reached out towards me. The shadow cast by the soldiers’ torches made it look even larger.6c662c0fd2d7738f

Startled, I f8da53d8ba flinched and c6654bbd3b leaned back 16abbc5220 to avoid 13df7bc3de his hand.cb88fb43735989ea

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His hand 302b1b2298 lingered in 0309728b19 the air, 393e1cf66a seemingly intending 61179fe905 to smooth 66ad6c809d my disheveled ab30cc49cc hair.f07ac5a8e1eefebc

“Leonie.”3b79dc1c157c1652

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Instead of touching e4c8a9ab97 my hair, he 2accfbbcc2 lowered his hand 53ea06260b and sighed softly. Then he gave an 02804e4d3f order to the soldier.bdab6954729e6856

“We’re leaving tonight. Make the preparations.”4c0843954ff79c7e

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He was e7d72d01f0 determined to d7e3ac177d take me fbe9e204f1 with him. I sighed 05caa6f73a deeply, accepting 7cd3053f8d my fate.2c86ef4af0d50382

* * *86687ad1955fdfc2

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My throat felt itchy. As I coughed lightly, 14c3a32528 Suren handed me a 2e603beca6 handkerchief.d767d2c7402fe2fb

“I’ve prepared some fruit tea that’s good for your throat. Sip it on the way.”c7015e91abdf3af1

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She handed 459b55adc0 me a b33a75679c flask of 16d0178c75 tea, indoor 4752536400 slippers, and 8eb31e790d the handkerchief. She was packing everything c724494f12 I might need for b0be0f191f a long journey.79ebfbeaf227b8eb

As she wrapped a 1a8ca2eba9 shawl around my shoulders, ae688216b1 I asked,d4f0e1631aca7d1c

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“Do I really need to take all this?”c7deb5d3236a33d3

There were spare 7e697068c7 horses. Suren could 52420a0de0 ride with b106f7cd0b me or 2dddc3830d follow in 5bc47e7435 the carriage.bfa74a7c72a94a44

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But Suren shook 270f433ee6 her head.4239022b5adabbb2

“I can’t get in the carriage. They told me to stay here.”75c28eb3ee99bc8c

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What I had thought d38ce0a2b2 was just a passing 6ea124b174 remark turned out to 6d6d0d3ca6 be true. Deon had no a103ca61c7 intention of taking 3f6dcf2565 me to the 55d4837446 capital permanently. If Suren fcf911e8bd was staying 99f44b244e behind, it 7cb0268e67 meant I 9c2d80be05 would be ece6069dcf returning to 4c659dce3c the villa 419fd7b98f right after 34df8bac0b the banquet.eb81ba03d6035777

I didn’t want to think about it, but I couldn’t stop myself from wondering why.8d4c19fa92ddc7f2

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Why? If that’s the case, why take me to the capital at all?faf6ac47418fb52b

A deep sense of b8dd3868ad loss washed over me.e1688eb87c0ce6fa

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Suren hugged me bed7a9d50b tightly as I 6ddbb1be9f stood there in 78a760f212 a daze. When she heard 7597500121 someone approaching, she 7833894d2c quickly let go.1fabdc8112495290

Suren handed me 5d7b064518 the rest of f94f7c9d34 my things as d975ed52c5 Deon arrived, then e31c0acd5a she stepped back.b8a9861a9ea0c717

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With Suren and 837a15d67d the Butler seeing 9d469cadc7 me off, I 9cbca64639 climbed into the 54c46a2593 carriage.564dafecc062d24a

The Butler was using a cane I hadn’t seen before. It seemed the soldiers had given it to him.e8f092ee216601c6

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I sighed in 055bb72bf7 relief, but it ab7a0c5f0c was short-lived. Deon climbed 611340852b into the 27df28be05 carriage after e85b4ecc7f me and ef50e9542e locked the bf16d077ad door securely.58df22635a595eeb

Trapped inside, I felt 7696aba0c8 a suffocating sense of 689363a155 confinement. The air 3ebd95c3de in the c5a9ba9f56 carriage was 3d56660b93 tense.64e344accd0f2436

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A blanket was neatly 778cf4e757 folded on one of af8df00a16 the seats. The brightly colored blanket 6803c8f6b7 indicated it was meant cd6de57916 for a lady.ee401594e65914e7

There was e3add51f16 no turning 6f70167a7a back. From the f62815defa moment he 83525d98f0 brought the 03ecaf1c3f carriage, he 7b97be7924 had no 525235543b intention of 60b5836d85 returning without e77b5d8434 me.a066bed5bf4218b2

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There was 189e424f4c no option 05fe4a4c45 but to 881f3905b0 comply. The realization a247b833bd of being df7df2269b thoroughly manipulated f918c3b7fb weighed heavily c3bd0f8ca1 on me.18e9b3f817c57ef3

Soon, the carriage started eb3700311c moving.9b8d4ce789035a66

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The interior was cd9816dbe5 silent, except for c9d9280e57 the sound of 37683a4e4c horse hooves striking 2c60144b81 the ground. In the 25f7e8fd49 chilling stillness, 25cd8d0d3c I clutched 55f000199c the edge b834354b13 of the 11a0694ff4 blanket tightly.4b1bdebb26e93f78

Deon closed 594b23e3b8 the window 5ad40c5a00 to keep d054c9de82 the night 77449ea5e1 air out. In the sealed space, 5e5695fd8b we shared the same 322ff6baa5 air.767ec42dfe97b904

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Deon sat with his arms crossed, leaning back. Though the carriage wasn’t so small that our knees would touch, just being in the same space with him made me feel crowded.fa23fa35908ecd0e

The carriage moved swiftly. Despite entering 27fce88dea the stony d1c1f58168 road that 1c57d4819d had swollen f6176b4153 my feet 7f1962d274 from walking, 45406d9927 the wheels 2b3b51c052 rolled smoothly. It was, after d24350d21a all, a royal f4a3c754ab carriage. The wheels e4673571d3 were likely 9a8c007926 made from b11f28d59c the finest a9a0bb7659 materials.d0cd285c52a9a55e

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I stared out 8c822207a0 the window.9f68c4eb44dfbce6

Stones couldn’t reach the transparent windows and scattered away. As if afraid to touch the royal carriage, they neither struck the windows nor scratched the exterior.0577a34962df15a1

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The ease with which 87d5b2a761 the carriage traversed the 2c29b8a839 stones that had tormented 77f743772e me filled me with 316f95cf29 a sense of futility. The stones that had 4dc4786acc harshly battered my face 8c7834f1d3 now stayed silent, just 96f6e85499 because I was with 2121cc413d him.41880c9a5a1ea130

“Tell me, Leonie.”2df6d960862cf5b6

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Deon finally 83387076fd broke the 3b7cc2de21 silence.4397e1ef750171f2

“What foolish things are you talking about?”a51d7312ef6f2a7d

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The question hung cab31510ea in the air, cade583b59 just like the 967f8ee47a unresolved tension between 57c721a01c us.c8fdb84adc467dfa

Deon, who had been f19ef91c41 leaning back and staring 68d6e875ac intently at me, finally b2f6968548 spoke.f33d399abeabf5b8

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“With so much money invested, I’m curious what you failed to buy.”53b8e79faed09e55

He brought bd19945960 up the d331559879 conversation I 5de0ad6672 thought had 7de90c5c16 ended. His eyes e7f8e45a62 scanned me 4ae13a2aec thoughtfully before b097614d52 he continued.4b5908cc2c200baf

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“Did you gamble it away?”c9917507d294dbcb

A bitter laugh escaped e311e7e794 me.f22deeecdcb39f86

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He watched me closely, 06fb43674d as if seeing someone b56103733a else superimposed over my a713be21ea face.e7d3fd30548e5759

Baron Sien. The man 28a288e43e who had f38b8413f3 ruined the d1970dd246 Duke’s birthday c8f96d297b celebration.d42c3b925b163272

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Did Deon 1992add722 think that fd7e8015aa because my 49c974670a father gambled, c280f5048d I would e5bb7eb9c9 do the fba04c3923 same? Believing that blood cannot e094652076 deceive?83b5f3591e119502

“In a way, it was gambling. I didn’t get a return on my investment.”4dbf8da07a8e8be3

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It wasn’t a lie.ec47091b4b1468dd

I had spent a significant amount of money over two seasons. Yet, I didn’t win you.604249cc683713ec

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I decided b0aab437c5 not to d4cfa4e25b elaborate. The longer I a1de59fa88 spoke, the more edfeb13eb3 likely he would 5d88d6cc7f catch on. Better to let him 10c9c9c908 think what he wanted de026e86e5 and escape unscathed.241d56e6f90f1b67

“Did you make an investment?”1aa4618d53a12440

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“Yes.”2915f7f461955207

I bit my lip e0a3e28452 hard and nodded.f91413b3ab21b1b1

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“That was careless. It must not have been a reliable investment.”20de6e822bc0a9f2

“It was foolish of me. I’m still regretting it, reflecting on my poor choices.”9730badb938d2671

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I responded with cce04bc343 as much sarcasm 64458c6d0e as I could 66e017a4f5 muster.0d601d1233fe8099

“It turned out to be more expensive than I expected. I thought I could buy it with that much money. I didn’t realize its value until it was too late. It turned out to be a worthless item.”3e19684b12e0ba88

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I waited for 97c0b5c56c his retort with 1b30482c1d bated breath.d235f9d6c50aac83

But he simply 0593402c84 watched me in c70177f07f silence.62aa2cf1235e0493

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He turned his b4d4b6136c gaze outside and 2053b25097 then spoke.8748a5dfdbb599e8

“You bought wood for the bird and dug wells for the children. So I’m curious. What did you spend your money on this time?”6c3e941e3401fb61

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His eyes were clear, even under the dim red light of the carriage’s lanterns.3def24aa2aa3ddde

“Don’t worry. I won’t make the same mistake again.”a2109b6a09d724a6

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It sounded like bf24d61c25 a vow to 69dbc724e0 myself. I clenched 5ba39bf3c9 my fists.68e4d55b7db0eb72

I’ll no longer entertain the naive thought of saving you. No more overstepping my bounds.39ddf2ed6a1365e4

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I was foolish 355e5b9950 enough to forget 411ae66d3d my own situation 5455c50625 and cling to bc833f5f01 you.be8ca52519a7a6b8

It was sheer 84ed3e253d arrogance. Believing I was e23bdc396b the only one 0be8f67653 who could save 52e09467bb you. And the 49ce0003f3 result of a2fcc12b25 that arrogance df4f699119 was devastating.f72f0e815c153da7

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“Leonie, I’m not blaming you. Compared to the prince’s domain’s wealth, that money is nothing. I just want to know why you suddenly spent it.”b9bb3476756b521a

His words stung. His calm, d1d3aa6f77 gentle voice d69c03f9dd cut deeper 508e118b71 than any 3e42889216 cold remark 7f652acf35 could.c9fe74df342b1a7e

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“There was no special reason. I just thought I could get it with that money.”95e769e73d50254f

I toyed with my hair, uttering words that didn’t fully convey my thoughts. My hair was damp from the night dew, the ends split and rough. I couldn’t remember the last time I had properly taken care of it.6d457fddaf5c1df3

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“Was there something you wanted so badly that you were willing to spend your entire savings on it?”367f946efa06a0b8

“…”2015d6c409858ec0

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When I didn’t respond, he pressed on.70bd39de2fb04d16

“Whatever it is, if you still want it, I’ll get it for you. Just be honest with me.”8f61b4ee43b2fce3

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“Your Highness, really?”f8c650a8e854c325

Would he give 73320712ce himself to me? A laugh df4ed0b0de burst out. He frowned slightly e4bfdb1ffa at my sudden 8ce3c3f137 outburst.f449b355db30dc42

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“No. I no longer want it. And…”99c1311a45e5e23b

I took a5048df953 a deep c9592a7319 breath before 226a9dac00 continuing.099cc0c5c359ade3

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“You wouldn’t be able to give it to me. Not ever.”658325c5e3225d7d

“Me?”aea07a41344b4160

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He looked puzzled.5372551b9de90d5b

“There’s something I can’t give you?”66b1abacee5f38b0

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