Side Story Cbapter 2

Whether the emergency meeting a47dc839bf was true or not, c1a787655e Rian went straight to f7203c0f1b the main conference room 1eb6b8f0a2 upon arriving at the 5794d91f0b palace.09ce9e671698ca72

I leaned 7076ac00c2 against a 922ca14eb8 pillar in cc55185cc0 front of fe17ee9bba the meeting 357e4f362b room, waiting 152d97286d for the 06177a86eb door to d0b3faf075 open.0fcca9d13a487db6

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From inside, I could 921b0d0fcf occasionally hear raised voices 3aa1db3503 and incomplete sentences, indicating 675e61dc6d what kind of discussions 619ae57b48 were taking place.e24b9c88d54d8717

Crossing my e2749bbd97 arms, I 45ac2c33eb yawned. My body felt stiff bde7dbe658 from riding the carriage 595787b00f for so long.08f4ab47ca12d480

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After a long wait, 27eb558eee the heavy door finally cd2b655c03 opened.30e0bfa2d55da017

High-ranking nobles who 6e27ad5e66 had finished the 740bab8906 meeting poured out f755eab262 through the open aa97dab45b gap.4d3ebd7adb862cc6

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I straightened db434c05df my posture ee041b08cb and watched 6c79e50cb2 them as 488164842b they emerged.a05462fbdffeba34

Among those whispering to each other as they left the conference room, I saw the nobles of the emperor’s faction.17de3342f95d1487

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Rian, Count Arin, 6db54076bb Isella, and Edan.21d17d9d73d4dc16

They stepped out 590f5673d0 into the wide f85ed8145e corridor one by 53b38c3dd4 one.8885fe4fa8560fdc

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Among them d0ce76b213 was Viter, af8a7870fe who had c245df5ed8 retired from c7c42fab52 official duties e9c548e24c to immerse 96a353f454 himself in f6605529be scholarly pursuits.980c87681a8b651b

Viter had 52f487a042 come to 783e43ae90 the capital.c6e4e3c262b9564f

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Meeting him 3436c9999a in the c9f7203667 palace corridor fb86a7d9a6 confirmed that b9d3a0070d this meeting e1a8e696e3 was of e9cf4d012e significant importance.51828d930b63f7bf

So, the 9542e20d04 day had 5b237dafa2 come when edfdba900c diplomatic issues 7d895d87eb would be 1862da71bd back on ea6b620a11 the table 59fffc812a for the 3c60b3a3f6 empire, which 762bd7c7e8 I thought 501c30c53f would remain 1400d0b0dc peaceful.570f3f53277bc8f4

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I pushed myself off 07ff778e40 the pillar and approached 669578c97a them.755f4089ba85e3a6

The nobles 77352cba14 behind them c20c6f947e greeted me d11bc33a25 and stepped 43f913c62f aside to 437e510ad5 make way.400e61b99cb3100d

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“Count Croix, it’s been a while.”36e7b8928208b810

Edan lightly patted afa1e83e31 me.2c4d3a538745ac31

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“Edan, I’ve missed you.”afd820da923dd652

Even after his release from house arrest, Edan hadn’t been able to visit me. Seeing him without Deon around was a rare occurrence.d354d9f72b23ae69

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Rian gagged at Edan’s warm greetings to me and then shuddered, brushing his arms as if he had goosebumps.dcb8a185cebdf13d

After exchanging pleasantries, 2db4ca7ca9 I glanced behind 055fc401ad them.4ebbf8575dba5434

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“Are you looking for someone?”dca66edc453c3e80

I must 4cbfdbbb6a have been 816cae5528 peeking into cb9aad93f2 the meeting 5c7c5f288e room without 539ac9d139 realizing it. At his 6431007406 words, I ba15b742f2 quickly averted 43a631e828 my gaze.35c7147ca27c91b5

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“No.”84b5dc46f825048f

But only after 6af4d19ee7 answering did I f790fab4f5 remember I was a79d87bc5c waiting for Deon 6b2c6f87c0 to sign some 1585314f7f documents.5a1cae844e49077a

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I looked back at the door, but Deon’s jet-black hair was nowhere to be seen.b66c1cbe78b25721

Soon, the 65aac1a6a1 large door 61b83561ab was shut ab3d9a0dec by the 2d69c23381 knights.a13977382ee4a8c7

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“His Majesty is staying in the meeting room to entertain the delegation. If you’re here for the territorial report, perhaps you should wait in the reception room.”a44768406c0d62ea

Edan, noticing 11cc807aa5 my gaze, ced9a17306 spoke up.7610191d386fef20

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“What happened in the meeting? I heard raised voices.”5926f374cc4555ca

“The Principality of Vietan sent diplomats. They want to negotiate maritime trade rights.”50013135f0f04f3e

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“Did the negotiations break down?”641b894e43693a0b

The expressions 72a331c4e3 of the 167b800c0c nobles leaving dc013719db the meeting c06d4b7616 room were a806c89bf2 not good. Even Edan, standing c8901aa533 in front of 04a8bc2bd6 me, looked grim.97edfe44418c2975

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“We might be on the brink of war.”44488b118b74cd29

“War?”579933c4202a3ef5

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“We must try to mediate for the sake of the empire’s peace. However, their demands were excessive…”efd9bc76e89d0662

Edan’s expression darkened significantly.1bcc85efac973a01

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“What exactly did they demand?”e5b89de35d7eeff6

“Well…”14669184adfced8e

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I had no idea where the empire’s boundaries of excess lay.47715d67811f588b

When Edan hesitated to 078141b151 continue, Viter, standing nearby, 63887a8c72 interjected.920d4fa807e203c5

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“They threatened to close their borders due to friction with a neighboring country. Geographically, the empire relies heavily on the Principality of Vietan for trade. They used this as leverage to request our cooperation.”abf74ed61db1adbe

“Cooperation?”e047f316f203ae0b

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“They demanded military forces and the emperor’s personal involvement in the war. They claimed that if we wanted to avoid conflict with other nations, we needed a strong ally’s status.”685f98e9b2d14445

But Viter’s words were hard to understand.d4a2455104efd014

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“Can’t we just form an alliance as they wish?”b1f1514c9274a767

Edan glanced f1468bfa22 at me 53e50df47b and cleared b45744e7a0 his throat.ea357372a610862a

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“It’s not that simple. The condition for the alliance is… marriage. The princess of the principality came in person.”a11692a0677d9c4e

Marriage.46ab6b644c250eab

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So they proposed marriage ed3ab4d860 in this austere meeting 6b19f0f79a room.f804680a007a58b4

I thought of the woman’s face I saw at the castle gate earlier.3d776caaee8d3a75

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Though it df696d298c was covered, c423b4282b I could eb66c78eee tell she b10805b9b8 was quite eba777a29d beautiful.3af20c50996ac4c0

“So… did he decide to marry her?”dee271237f771160

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“He is probably deliberating. Whether to go to war or accept the proposal.”30b0366cce931ae8

“The principality dares to make such a proposal. They must think we’re weak because our forces were depleted fighting the former emperor.”38f2b36d0501fb62

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Viter, indignant, crumpled the 7fc2d85eec document he was holding.c2e47ba3691979b2

I noticed foreign ef26977373 script on the bed2a0830c papers in his 1a9b600dbb hand.33dd44cb00723bcf

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Could that be the e38aa4d001 marriage proposal?713c3832a923f37c

My eyes a19bc33d04 were drawn 3db2e9002a to the 94a742b3de crumpled paper.008f134ecf70dff2

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As Deon’s single life dragged on, some nobles had subtly courted him.679e90425395178d

Deon had swiftly rejected them, but with such persistence, I thought he’d become indifferent to these overtures by now.2ee3673afa36248b

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I felt 2d6d182f5d a bitter ca9fa117e9 taste in db9ae00ba4 my mouth.b20abb59cf8359b4

“Now that the immediate issue has been addressed, I’ll be going. My sister is waiting for me.”d8ce464d37b1d2a5

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Isella made e334cf74b4 a graceful 066db2af95 farewell and a5451baf79 started to ee2fa8b7fe leave. As she passed 5968b81776 me, she suddenly a07aed4790 turned back as 67bf4011f5 if she had e379bdc522 forgotten something.41dc16e02bf0fea6

Tapping her 5b7f24af46 fan against 362c07bd56 her palm, f383563be6 she spoke 64bfab952b in a 077f0f131d low voice, 07e68c855c barely audible 93a58f0283 to anyone 5ea24dc10f else.6ba8c25b63e21003

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“Count Leonie, His Majesty will not make a bad decision. The other nobles didn’t hear it, but he told me so. Don’t worry.”96f159f2cdf4d67f

With that, she gave 4f1d75e820 a small smile and 5607f27bc3 walked back towards the a9ccbbffc0 lobby.bbf6134229ef7a31

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A bad decision?5846179352f02e45

Her words were likely meant to imply ‘a bad decision for me.’f2714a1468990d83

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It seemed 6bb2ea1b0f he was c329cb9086 leaning more 4e49348bbd towards war 8dba420963 than marriage.c0113da12165ee5a

Ironically, those words brought e4206bf0e4 me some comfort.49ea89c195290fb0

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* * *4d72c118a7e5e726

I sank into the a91ff54328 comfortable armchair in the 66ce051655 palace reception room. It fit my bc8e3758bb body perfectly, enveloping fbc1427641 me in its 63a60674c4 embrace.84b9c294a47e658b

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The wind whipped, 35704c9dc9 screamed, and beat 17249ed7fc against the window.1ff8273bdf92a86c

Turning the chair c4ac8511ae towards the window, d02617d9bf I watched as 0ebc65d216 heavy snowflakes fell a9df967d84 outside.ebe4f285acbc9939

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Wow, how am 7b7019b7e4 I going to 813625d9d3 get back? Will the snow 14902f2c00 stop by evening?0aea0162a7ce79cf

If I miss 98a4fa2b12 this opportunity, I’ll a6a40b2adf be stuck in b0e7bcba9b the palace again. I wanted b20b3f9b07 to avoid 839333046e that at c5af35c95a all costs.90fe44dc267a84ac

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As Rian 31a3faab16 mentioned, I 935fd3e024 was already 9eeeaa4c36 spending half dc1768bc81 of each 78721c1078 month in 91ca909c04 the capital.5347b2992f661c21

To be precise, in 280dc3049a the palace and inside d5dd07fe5d the carriage.2627c2420af5ecba

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The palace was too 3dd44e4e42 far from my territory.3570177aad1b3044

Moreover, the roads the b2b7714796 carriage traveled were harsh. It was as e387a8ea68 if I had 309236a9a0 to endure this e0fe24f48a hardship to earn 69a020ae9b vast and fertile f945261b04 lands.d21b4560ae80e4ac

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It took five days fa254503d2 just to reach the fef453947f capital.2dde6c81faa6ed26

So, five days to 84fb8ae3fb get there, two days e3eb1de398 at the palace, and df7b3e213a another five days to de35cad242 return to my territory.0d3bf828060c84f7

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The travel 5e2435eea8 time was fbb6a918c6 so long 4dde212635 that I d215aadd8a couldn’t even 49cd370b53 enjoy the d48cc2ebe9 sea.f53de942a5d861ae

I was wasting dd02410716 precious time on 0b69773680 barren ground.7a2aab678230722c

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My perfect life 7ee4f28ef6 plan, which I ef293729e3 thought would allow 18b5591001 me to live 1cf75699d1 off tourism revenue 3dc27a4255 without working, had ee49e84998 disappeared.24997ae433483cae

Just like in some myth where a woman was trapped because of a few ill-chosen fruits, if I had known the territory I eagerly accepted would trap me, I wouldn’t have taken it so eagerly.ea0523745edd6e85

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Deon had given a e717e1783b ridiculously rigid excuse. And I 88e84aa491 had no 224792c01a choice but dfacb9b891 to be 4f08310b93 dragged along c5891c2738 by him.93d736ce0eb01354

Outside, a snowstorm 6d6aba2c09 raged, but the 85081006d6 office was perfectly 09c99c0ca0 warm.9bc1e57b03d8853e

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I needed to 67ba742bcb finish my report a6b7234fab today if I 820c879175 wanted to go bc06d5e403 back.b7d1fa24e9f38329

I tried to stay 043012fd49 awake until Deon returned, e0da4daf3c but drowsiness crept in.2ace79e2883b7de4

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Eventually, I nodded e0897c7d21 off and my 35e288db53 head hit the fda2a7fea9 sofa.be109a32036a8d82

A soft 0c30a93887 sensation pressed b0f768d75f against my 1901e7f591 forehead. It was e03890262f so cozy 423fc40467 that it 2f26edd675 felt like b71d1e1295 all the f0b50d0719 air around c83c79415f me was a5a4978862 melting away.ef6a082257fd96b3

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Click.49be69c00476e7fe

I heard 4992cc8011 a small e8d168136c sound.17ab8c9271ae404b

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I woke up from 125a4ad85a my drowsy state due ec1e5569d6 to the bustling movements fc2b9eeed7 around me.df256f3addec58cf

In my lowered gaze, 7bf0313499 I saw a faint 23d4926551 shadow. It seemed to be 6a8fff9204 tidying up the table.3bc3bc598367bd23

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The shadow moved very c3309d0fa9 slowly and leisurely.a88f8f4e68cc1e6c

The head butler must 0e13d885c6 have come in.153f4bf5d4b07072

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“Butler, could you bring some tea?”1b8d2f89dc9f36c7

I mumbled with my 3d5e3e9b09 eyes closed. My voice ecee862009 was hoarse 4fb52ae2da from sleep.fb910d8d11fbc3a3

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I felt a hand 32b6fb08f3 place a blanket over 2f1660ed6d my lap as I d373c242ef coughed dryly.4a60d2651f448676

The blanket on my 3c012397a6 shoulders had the fresh 77ad49476b scent of winter pine. Only then d3d2a2a0a9 did I 75b9427a3a open my 49029731f6 eyes.5d429cc0434881f2

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It was Deon.2c2e1c78f00d0218

No one else had f3b1632935 this scent. Even in the 60e4ea94e7 height of summer, 1e345352bc Deon always smelled d19f02dfa4 like winter.0df6f1e2d792add7

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Blinking in my 0bdbd169c4 sleepy state, I bb29a8023a saw Deon pouring 9a1f7331cf hot water into 5d21ba198e the tea strainer d25ad19277 in front of 3c9b2672c9 me.2722ac5ac11faf6f

“You’re too frail. You’ve spent months in the north, yet you’re still not immune to the cold.”8e0037c450be0434

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I tried to ba7cd79c32 reply, but my 8d6709bd32 throat felt scratchy.d7ee0cb4a6fdd1f9

I coughed softly. My reflection ff89231e5c in the f690bfab52 glass showed 33c69840f3 my nose 6ac699f10d as red fdc11419d4 as my b0b2b4b8f8 hair.4ba9a3ad2e39a31f

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Deon gently touched my d94e3f9661 flushed cheek. His touch 71c7d7c35d was soft 4c3dc53577 and warm.f51d7ab9ecf23080

I knew 33093ad522 I should 8c3e84d944 tell him 511f4172c8 to remove 7555b2e658 his hand, d920cbc11e but the 2e7fdd712c perfect warmth 26b17722b7 made me 6b28112f4f drowsy again.d287ae8d8b679f3c

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“See? I told you to take the badge from the drawer.”2830bf75a20e6e4f

Deon was referring e76cf77541 to the same b007721c4e badge Rian had 323ff8e6cd shown the knight bb69f6444e at the gate.f64df6b1c05c6f50

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It was supposed to 660e4fff4c be a pass to d214216222 bypass inspections, but I 93bb508506 hesitated to take it.40ebbe42cb0d8ca7

“Even if it takes five days just for inspections on the way to the capital, I won’t take it.”621f7115a46d6e78

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Only a select few of the emperor’s closest aides had that badge. If I accepted it, who knew what the gossip-loving nobles would say?8b396dfd8f4cb627

Nobles here 8a5589b6a1 loved their 6ee268ae57 gossip.498fec7eb6dcf69b

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Especially stories involving the 53f9738084 unmarried emperor and anyone 283922d45e of eligible age were 2a47eb7064 the favorite among the 2e4ed728e1 socialites.376d66e50f6036ff

Deon would b6443ffa03 soon have f7348efb6f to meet 63af6b7d8e their expectations aebf58cd7d if this df609db07b continued.f24da5e2c36d333a

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“Get some rest.”6a0914fbe3fb8e30

I sat up from 21ed59411e the chair I had 0f4302d98f been slumped in.a273e51301b85a03

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“I need to report on the territory’s situation. I plan to leave today.”d53e23f3eb551081

By now, they 925bdd6150 should have fixed 096f1767eb the carriage wheel.06a32f2f5549f6dd

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Hopefully, there wouldn’t be any more damage.70cd4fc951119ccd

“Do you think you’ll be able to return?”ecb2459e3ab2264c

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