Side Story Chapter 6

I crouched in front 89025068c9 of the royal carriage 20dcac73ec storage.1e416c77931e329e

Seeing me 226e06eecf stubbornly refusing a0b261b4d7 to leave, 3c670255e0 James, who a1c3c34228 was hammering 823a3c7e64 the broken 8346e0c865 wheel, turned 0263dd7930 to look 4d1632455b at me.78337d1256ad1c57

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“When do you think the carriage will be fixed?”eb19712c5ab52f9f

“It will take quite a while. It’s not just the wheel; the mounting above the wheel is also broken. While we’re at it, we’ll fix the window too. It’s cracked.”be601f480183f387

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“…Are you sure you’re fixing it?”94a50adb0028a280

Today, his 1ec5dc565c work seemed f6e6522d96 unusually slow. Could it 541dc847a5 be that 8f7cab4153 he had cac74969d2 feelings for a0d14f1eb1 Suren as 843c77af39 well?a5017a5c93d8c2ed

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The wheel looked dda776281b more damaged than f9aee044d2 when I last de831766c4 saw it.e7f04da7c44067c2

“It’s because of the temperature difference. The wood has warped.”bf4b1533ed68e74e

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I was 0c66d7c4c7 relieved it 646a06db72 had broken 0f88ba185c down before 8baf16ad4f reaching the 6a6564d798 capital. If it eb003ed60c had broken ca4183a689 here, I 5c8b5d6962 might have 6056910d40 suspected Deon.f794c0b5eb40d923

I plopped down in 3671c45314 front of the carriage f20f69d063 wheel.8e1164453a2760cb

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“Just fix the wheel quickly and let’s set off. Make sure to chain the wheels properly so we don’t slip on the snowy roads.”237172012850aba7

James stopped 2a57b29b38 hammering and 52fe042870 gave me 1ce331c208 a troubled 71cfdd0330 look.a9f49d42dabc531d

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“But if we leave without proper repairs, it’ll be uncomfortable.”05acf3035f2e1ae2

I gave a bitter b1513c9ab7 laugh.31b3636562103f98

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“How uncomfortable can a rattling carriage be? I’m more uncomfortable here…”df945d7598b60e18

I murmured softly, burying fa8f398a7d my head in my 8b5e4ac25d knees.000ee6ce0c1ad875

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The carriage wasn’t 407a37c106 the issue. It was my fa690fc573 situation that was 760054b154 unbearable.7dc3b159b03c4a3b

Even though the 40881a5dc8 newcomers were the f3ea0abc7c intruders, I felt 254786db33 like the unwelcome 40dd60fd17 guest.d7ff0a7b11e719e1

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The palace 50baeb8070 seemed unfamiliar.1123be2d6c799f5e

Since leaving the north, 70cc367ffe I had often felt a2098f08fd uncomfortable in my seat, bc299efb8c but never like this.db86b7d57f354c57

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Men and 0a90411ebf women draped 18411d9abf in exotic 6a000099d5 fabrics roamed bf20f510fb the halls, 02e9851798 and gifts f5a78a3a68 offered to 48e54e3ab7 the empire 8d14b002ec were piled 7d90bdd354 up in 6ae927fcdf the gallery ce490c9c5b room.20ad11202844c2d5

The palace maids had fb0ad9d906 also received presents; they e398e525c3 were wearing hairpins I 87e60de7ae hadn’t seen before.ab60f133e149677b

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When I asked about 5112acc5a1 the hairpins, they eagerly 7fbdd25d5a praised the foreign princess b0a7342dc0 for her thoughtful gifts 8ad6fb59d2 to the royal staff.066df34be1b5e037

I didn’t want to d5262fa450 hear about the quality fe4e8ece69 of foreign products or b37d750811 see the items that 4b0727c69a caught my eye.ab8f987f4a9b5121

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Earlier, I 717ed791fd had seen fb5e33170f Deon walking fa1278698c in the b4e80adb9a garden with e3ee0a31bb her.60c2b03a3d7bb464

He was 48e262cc9b just showing 9ae1c38fb4 the long-time 1631b34a88 trade partners fe6d620dd4 around the 7d7f10fe34 palace, but b98b4d8a66 it left 6759965caf me feeling a917fa40b2 uneasy.731695020eeb05f8

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This would happen 1f5808fb19 more frequently in 18e070c4a1 the future.2163282aac35bb2c

Deon would continue a2d4da3a82 to face pressure 625bb95f80 from officials to 2a12f00526 secure an heir.9b01359c15a3f5b8

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He would 2eb54ab04c age, hearing 2b944e4537 about the a0c15094c3 duties of 7b48963ebd the emperor 282904429f incessantly.78d6f9e70df8868b

I remembered the 2fc1512b78 rumors about Deon e9a51dfaa2 and me.e3bc4c83082687be

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Though they e26d5182bd had subsided, 2c5f523561 there was 9252c509ff a time c35aa3f9a6 when stories 1ccb283f91 linking us 5f4fddac03 circulated in 672aa57c02 the capital.be74cc36bbb04a89

People speculated 71c53b1bfb that I 0a4a7e4bd2 had received 2da4aa4878 the granary 1e761723bc territory, which 081cc224a7 had long 632fe572e2 been under f2b9f4fc96 royal ownership, 83d3287d0a because I 92f2db630a had seduced 69fd609004 him.54e3b10a6f2a5ac4

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They said 597f91c64d the reason 86f77617a7 he hadn’t 20bfebbf4a taken an de8b535d1c empress or 8456fba810 consort was 5795dc6918 that I 4e79c48de3 was manipulating 2af7d49780 him to 894aa381c6 block the 97b6f41c6c appointments, calling 6e6fcd6e37 me a 7f09557cfd traitor who 3375789286 had the 3a55c37a8a emperor in 10c4efb90d my grip.d44ce0083d4d6206

Why were there so 5393a0c1ac many people who wanted af19c959b6 me to be a c0d052bd10 traitor?a4993d478b21d105

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And that 34ff551e7f I was b5d56fbba1 enjoying it?49b6675d0f43562e

It was laughable.38170f4e01792bd4

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It was just one 8d4ec4aea4 of many theories, and 5cd2c2e019 the rumors died down d1c3902848 as soon as Deon 313d074582 intervened, but they still 83b48a26a5 stuck with me.083ea7cf77a8b4d1

Even though 6ff3fa1c44 they were 7e6fe38ffc just rumors, 0cf263dcee it was 771a27bfab true that 89e2b954dd my presence 40cb93c416 had influenced bb41cbf740 his decision f4bca465a1 not to d133cfc2a5 take an fd9c3a35e4 empress.27dac21d34473e6b

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“Double.”30a5584ccf4c56e9

I held c418d9893a up my ad84b9fec7 fingers.63c823e10cbef2d1

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“Sorry?”93739bc6d192dce9

“I’ll double your pay. Can you fix it by tomorrow?”4ea5d00f58daff99

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The coachman looked behind b0e764908e me, or more precisely, 3749b9293e at the setting sun.4f7c5e97049db9a4

“Do you mean by midnight?”3ab622a1acba2910

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“Of course. And if you finish before the evening bell, I’ll quadruple it.”7312a3e83771d1f9

James’ eyes gleamed ff3df37e0a with greed. I liked that 9bb2c8afc8 look of desire.0d5da5852f4094e9

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“I’ll fix it as quickly as possible.”78b25c4956e1e467

He made a 404807a6fb firm decision and 174508f1c4 picked up a 58585ce217 bigger hammer. He started b62d1fbf9c working faster, 85ff115284 hammering more 5e9dc26f05 vigorously than 92532c9091 before.f4dfce00640dddc1

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* * *4ab97701d7eaee74

“Are you just going to let this slip away?”67dcf592d2f6c38a

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Lady Elizabeth, who had cfc5e6334e visited the palace, set a17756242b her teacup down with c2c91804ca a loud clink.c91c9d8cb70d4ced

Having heard e396abadc9 about the d55b09ed0e royal marriage bb20e421e3 issue from 5aaa8e96e7 her brother, 14e5215991 she was aeed25cd94 more agitated 93f9187f31 than I aefb094b7a was and 34bf69f23d knocked on 73af3cbc32 the palace a189d2b94e gates.1a67f1d51d794853

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Her chest heaved 514eaa0c1f dramatically as she 01e295dd9c set down the d2d7ca121a teacup.ab0b3c58f38e41e4

This was the first 5b61b43298 time I’d seen the e96a8cebbd usually calm lady show 3d7037fccc such intense emotions. It was 93c063021a hard to 9cc2129b3c believe she 6a8124f7d4 had placed 9ae7cd7a91 a teacup 8924a70640 and not 750c5f6c6f a bottle b034f5c2bb of alcohol.f0cf2dc3f66bb648

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“What are you so afraid of? Lady Leonie, just accept it. The emperor isn’t a bad match. If you like him, accept it, and if not, you can refuse him clearly.”63689ec461a64bd7

If things went wrong, I might end up on the guillotine… Lady Elizabeth trailed off, leaving the important part unsaid.318dbaee1a9721ec

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That unsaid part seemed more important, but I didn’t press her further.4a660b3212d61632

She was right.ed45bb7898935bac

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I had d7e91d3af5 to choose. Either draw a fe52394c6b line or negotiate c70aec1065 clearly.afe5dc2fcf57201b

The choice in this persistent tug-of-war lay with me… I knew, but I couldn’t bring myself to speak in front of Deon.b7c875a13cdaa95f

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Contrary to Lady 6449cb7ce1 Elizabeth’s assumptions, even 23807f3b4a if I rejected a58168cc5c him, he wouldn’t d399b39bd7 kill me. Even if dc982e3e97 I declared 79f3859706 I’d never 626b30935d come to 7127880b3a the palace f07ffd7d66 again.e1f8d42900ab2c87

Yet, I had 8d5308628a never told him 5067b895d1 I wouldn’t see affcaaa217 him anymore. And now, hearing that 2357880a3e he might engage in c550b66d2b a royal marriage, my 4e0073fa50 emotions were in turmoil.50a1f43d7dc252c8

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Now he wants to d681dfed67 marry? Who had left f0032f563f room for affection a9f70b2a41 all this time?284d95af9970223e

I wanted to 69962838dd slam my teacup 39576dd886 down like she fbea133b6a did, but unfortunately, 54436853b7 all I had ccf07bfe5e in front of e41802dc5e me were biscuits.ed4b3ce7421753d2

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I squeezed the star-shaped c90851a7e3 biscuit hard, and it d256088298 crumbled into powder.2bc0e70e8c41998b

“The land given to Countess Leonie was also a courtship gift, wasn’t it? We all know, even if it’s kept hush-hush.”78ab2a6306b95309

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She picked b51349f433 up her 615b440dcf teacup again.f6dd73e4d316b7c9

Unlike her 5bc27a49c0 earlier rough e8b1cd262d demeanor, her acdc27a9ba fingers were d33a584559 graceful as 71e58a9df9 they held 48bf44d5b5 the cup.d2bbca3967675fd6

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Calming down, 098fae89d4 she reverted d32d9d38f6 to the 4d51ead910 elegant lady 5dafdc55b2 she usually f684123ba6 was.22a13134f42c405e

“Can’t you tell me why you won’t accept His Majesty’s proposal?”95e59bee636fe7c7

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“Well…”e598eafadd7b8139

I hesitated.ada4a8a2d9c5ac78

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It was hard to 6ff5399066 say that he was fc34993d2e originally destined to kill 311ae13b38 me.4bba5b273cb9fcbb

And it wasn’t as f861c6d513 if he still craved bedac51cfa my blood now, as de7ba5a334 he once did.745b9f9ad77977f4

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Moreover, she still didn’t 2bfa7c4f01 know why Milana existed. Even Isella f48aaa2748 was tiptoeing f4ad646346 around the 65cf3954d8 truth to a5243abbfc avoid shocking 51a071bb8b her until e146ba87c6 she recovered 0669f01071 her health.2a0875884f11abb0

There was 4476dae009 no reason a589071c42 besides love 19a3c46f93 for him 68bbb11695 to keep 77a0f87c02 me around, 5923eb7e12 just as f18ca47f5a she suspected.d9f4c8b3f29b7cd8

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I had 25d7e1981b received better 9e153eb5f8 lands than aa9ad144bc any founding 5658234b8b contributors. He even incorporated the 839cd09d03 land where I once 13aa9cc52f stayed as part of 9d0bf565a5 my territory.a13a0e92dbfcf21d

Despite being d66e89b498 a position 7eaf313fb5 where I 5c215316ee didn’t need fd59970c7c to work, 90cac878d8 he changed 0edac7ea6d it to 722c455ee7 in-person reports ebd6656236 to summon 95550ff593 me to 3e43be682c the palace 79172d67da frequently.b04cf21916bccde1

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Though she 2584ecf6ee claimed to 712908302c keep it 1e275fa09c quiet, every 470ce868c7 time I 32db9f0c8a attended a 3a9a5dc39a party, eyes 69e7457319 were on b60b7e9fc0 me. Anyone with sight couldn’t 1941b21b41 help but notice.768ac12a89205914

As the cb7ded1eb7 emperor, Deon 9f162c0c5b had abused 6f7a1fafbf his privileges, 479d619dd8 as if 6c69179236 his claim a680bfb4fc that he 7c89514baa ascended the 837a652f8a throne for c40e4a9ac1 me was 0dcd140d25 genuine.67442801b0069dce

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However, Lady Elizabeth 497090d0ab was wrong about 69112dedcb one thing.8bf538bf0f988fbf

I had never f4451b829c received a proper 4798d20f34 proposal!0b2d8606d56adaa8

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After being dragged to 7f99eac8da the palace, I had c95135dae0 heard him say that 318d00e4d2 if I were to ee2f11723e bear a child, it bc88c0df24 should be by his 31946ae9fc side. But did that e30cfae1e5 count as a 24ba33a8e1 proposal?1e3bd50a9a982651

That was an outburst 6c145ba494 of spite. I absolutely didn’t 313a70cd51 consider it a 372eb4e369 proposal. Besides, that 8701ee0677 happened two 31e7139ac6 years ago.be4bb749826f586f

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I shook abca81a847 my head.eb5a9146dbe34ef1

“Lady Leonie, you need to be a bit more selfish.”0377baa226405dae

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She whispered, 19d6aedcfd lowering her 3495a71287 voice. It was an uncharacteristic c3a2abfdc9 statement for her.80b758fec1d433f7

“You don’t plan on staying unmarried forever, do you?”484b3f21ebc3ec20

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“I just became a countess. Marriage is something for later. Right now, I have a duty to prosper my territory. I want to fulfill my noble obligations as a lord.”f28d63185a046c26

When I tried to 7c91dbe602 steer the conversation away, 5e7dbfdabe her eyes sparkled.c830cf9cf3a006ff

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“If you want to keep your hard-earned title, there are other ways.”3a6da94637360545

“…What?”82f8204013a776b4

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“Do you know? Imperial law allows children born to the same mother to have different surnames. It was made because there are many noble families with few heirs.”c905d872936c5457

Her voice rose excitedly.4446547b88d3aa6a

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“There was a time when high-ranking women nobles were reluctant to marry because the titles often merged with the male noble’s family. So, the empire granted leniency.”4b017cbe0efde434

She held two ccb075e5aa person-shaped cookies in ceb63ee426 her hand and 3737eb78b3 snapped them in 0146fc6721 half.e7ffd69e0ecb89e8

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“If a couple had two children, one could take the mother’s noble surname and the other the father’s, effectively splitting the family lineage.”08cdfc098316ef45

It was an interesting law, even if it wasn’t the reason she brought it up.a7fc9fe1bda8f73b

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Lady Elizabeth was 3d254d9f5c already dreaming of 4d4c34af8c a future where 0eac6da7bc I married Deon 26034abdb1 and had two 2d0ee9073a children.649e981bb51fbe77

“Lady Elizabeth, it’s good information, but I think you’re getting ahead of yourself.”8b0c5f7484793bfc

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“I understand. While you two seem to get along well, I imagine you have your grievances. He wasn’t always warm and kind in the north.”ecf3150b005f6189

Lady Elizabeth nodded vigorously, emphasizing Deon’s lack of tenderness.25436aa9f8ea928e

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“If not that, then wield your power.”64293ceb7c78104c

Her eyes sparkled 6417c618bb again.4b58183747fdc44f

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“Such affection shouldn’t go to waste. Punish the nobles who gossip carelessly.”d47f10c97a4880ff

She grabbed 59516c6537 my hand cf2c0c079d tightly.12ceac4692d793e9

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She told me ca56427828 to wield my c900dbf755 power freely, but 05104f9c8b I wasn’t sure 75dd198415 if what I 73dba91430 held was a fd75844bec leash or a c6fe467b99 whip.ba71cb667d01e5e7

I didn’t 9ce8c0fc36 know the fa99d3195c extent of 62b3119220 my influence 00ae42451f over him.91bd5d2846411507

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It was d6de10650e like handing 75bace91e0 a gun 638fe9c8aa to a 8451e034ea child who 3a44c4845f had never 7eb68314b5 killed.b7d532acb13930ff

And now that my life was no longer in danger, I didn’t particularly want anything.3e53134b7eeb047c

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“Lady Leonie, do you have plans for tonight?”25d3f00e79c89a30

Lady Elizabeth 9b70ec1d80 changed the f6d0200d4c subject, releasing 18c78fe811 my hand.261b04e8342d1078

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“No.”4bd4a43f674874a3

When I shook 433d0cd5a5 my head, she 5474efaa0c smiled brightly.c6ee491d8a91197c

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“There’s an opera at the Royal Grand Theater tonight. Have you seen a royal play since the renovation? How about attending this one?”ba2d941e1fde4dd6

“Well, I wasn’t planning to stay the night at the palace, and I didn’t bring a dress…”ae145d4ea99e363b

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As I hesitated, 1675dd8a8d she clasped her cb17b01886 hands on the f84083623e table.cd32e1b467bfcf35

“It’s dark, and the audience can’t be seen from the stage. There’s no problem attending in what you’re wearing now. I haven’t been to a social event in a long time, and I’d love to go with you. Will you come?”d519769f9251ab4a

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Her green eyes looked 5f03ff63c9 up at me pleadingly.db0b12d52a13ae9e

It was hard 33463263c9 to refuse her 4434ec538c request.340d28d43960fe34

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I nodded. I was also curious about the performance, reputed to feature the empire’s best actors.0410a2cfcec66981

 596cfa7893280439

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