Side Story Chapter 7

“Over here.”ab987e59acd86190

Lady Elizabeth waved cheerfully.ef39d9ad2befda63

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She approached and 1110d84b36 linked her arm ebbdd65b06 with mine, leading 2812fc8227 me into the b12f6b0e3c theater with familiar 84eddf0c46 ease.e54f8d3674a4f71e

Though she 67b4c4664c limped, it a6c2988973 was clear 40235fb5ae she was c770bab648 more comfortable 379ab9d6b8 having risen a5df52b757 from her e9965621ac wheelchair.1df55a457053e3d3

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The royal e4b70e13d8 theater was 4e9d1770b6 grand and 91022ad95d beautiful. A large 3eae288ef2 chandelier hung 5f2849d0f9 from the 82ba0ce6bb ceiling, and 49f52a4046 the lights 0dbf8f327e shone brightly.1812acac0c41e875

Our seats were ebf680327c in a box, 752ef7ddff providing a clear 1852d62493 view of the 6b50938372 stage below.b53273efe6fa86f7

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I scanned the 7e252270b9 area for any 9897f2ceed hidden assassins, but c73a0a98e9 soon stopped.16cefeb408f2ca47

It was 42cce092c7 a pointless db766332e0 worry. I had cf33353d7d no enemies f6e0e0e544 threatening me.c802b17d71ed844f

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After ensuring b222739dcd the area d225e6093e was safe, 8f5d20e797 the guards e6459e792d were dismissed. Most of the nobles b1d3e34447 remaining in the capital d9af44fb9a were friendly towards the 211aeb62f5 current royal family.76348b35ed37363b

Many nobles had f2fb3149ae opposed the tyrannical 4751d74e98 Azanti and the 9dce009898 actions of the 3d60f26a89 former empress. There were no a40e065621 nobles here who a8099f8800 could threaten us.024659199f8933dc

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I must 5c20cddc0c have been 8f90001814 tense out 0bbde03a43 of habit de61fde8df from the 1fcd142f7f time when 2b8d247cc7 the former 401e67757a empress was 8773f15408 around.01fb4a7dd3384591

I settled 8c483467c9 into the 51527a01d2 red velvet 46c5083d34 seat, listening b88f5c563c to Lady be263eb228 Elizabeth chatter.2bcb9de7be58a558

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“The circus held here last time was the pinnacle of extravagance. You would have loved it, Lady Leonie.”e0364a599a3ccdbc

“Really?”1f9cb4febfa3e97c

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“Check the pamphlet.”e8b6a8a2a9e0ff70

As she explained 7354fa6563 the various details d3c288f1d2 of the theater, 5a21992604 her voice abruptly 3d5bd49a78 stopped.85be8886f3f9dae2

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“Hmm. We’ve chosen the wrong seats.”182f00f4ab29e738

Her bright 7d13ce28fc smile faded 041952142e as she 88674e2a74 glanced in 8cb821e2e0 a particular 931dacb526 direction.aadbc1b3ec4658f6

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I turned to c760391a54 see where she 1943ccbf64 was looking.47c3aaea7872339d

The delegation 9c300eeddf was seated 20475501c8 in the 5e4b3671e1 opposite box, 1e448ee8e9 with their 3d39d95d28 representative, Lady c5c0f9fd06 Bay, seated 03f962ad4c right next e4c058ad89 to Deon.6490e3291a1bc499

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The woman, 9634b721b4 who had 87718dc8b5 been surveying 5160632fbd the unfamiliar d36afc0c3d theater, pulled a024d9e480 down her f562fce54a veil.52592fb009b47a9c

Her smooth, bronze skin c5448e6f0d was revealed, along with c3c9005d74 bright blue eyes and d29dbc79e7 even more dazzling jewels 8172e8af7b adorning her forehead.14baf8fac78df5ca

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The dark 9f2f756cf9 skin made 03671f7d56 the jewels 6a88c1559a stand out 28053f2766 even more.050a4cc1e6163b7b

Sitting side by side, the contrast between her dusky skin and Deon’s fair complexion was striking.990f4af139c9dedd

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Soon, the lights dimmed.93b027c4552eb359

The theater was ff0a92a289 enveloped in darkness.81bbb7a1dec775ca

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I was supposed to f68f3d3876 focus on the stage c8ad692ce7 lights below, but my 0fe0a46599 eyes kept drifting to ecfa014bb9 the opposite box.f058a9fddda1ef57

Lady Elizabeth’s earlier comment about the audience not being visible in the dark was a lie. I could see their faces clearly.a2661ae3a3e22bb0

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Lady Bay kept 33e17c2d52 whispering and leaning 371eadc341 towards Deon.df8cfc6cbd675640

Deon, frowning as if he couldn’t hear well, leaned closer to her.905eaf9b5ddcb0bb

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Hearing her whispers, 6b9285aa28 Deon smiled softly, 921fb9b741 his lips curling 67f9eb06b9 upwards.9e9c67c71cf5c3de

I felt as 5caa78e323 if I could f96ab53e9c hear the lazy 3f742dc939 sound of his 7835f1f8f4 laughter echoing in 5081a154be my ears.723dba2aad75accf

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It was obvious 7730f70ea0 what their conversation 1d4b1c0e1d was about.e87eae0e068c03b9

They were likely 66dbcfe665 discussing the dialogue, f11f1cec94 unfamiliar to her 8bfae49ae5 native language, or 2b0c15b165 asking about the 448e59c259 actors.7b6c303a396a571f

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The nature of b9284c3533 their conversation was 2b8885ffcf clear, but their d4f75ac892 seemingly intimate posture 7c2be6fc17 annoyed me.69253d3d2a7c2097

He was becoming acc3000060 a good emperor.52b307f34b20375a

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Fair, kind, and 81ab99211f a gentleman who 42f3556b20 knew how to 39e972f89a smile warmly at f35416354a everyone.f9528b5f8165aa3b

But I didn’t 16f015d746 like seeing him 3415206d6e change.83ed9d9f19f5f798

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I wished he wouldn’t be so kind to everyone. His kind demeanor towards me now felt like it was shared with everyone.1502f752ddf0fa4b

His smile bothered 6006f10d90 me. The selfish b41d280a1d thought that 139cb38f33 I wanted abbceb819f his smile 67257de95b to be 83c9cc1166 just for 268cf750b4 me welled 08f76d9036 up.419a0097157ebee5

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Even though I 72e72280b1 had drawn a 582134266e line and sworn e9d74ec0e1 to be a 639a7c8c09 loyal servant, these f20f6c2687 were not thoughts 8d77441f61 befitting a servant.831d38913640e459

While I was 198db416ca distracted, the opera 48f980e2ad reached its climax. It was the part e8d63e350b where they swore to 005683d794 revolution and unity.c449881109f06200

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The hall 5beb224d4d echoed with 588f7ada8b their powerful ad8259b5ce singing.609b40811deb4f67

The soprano f55da86f0a standing at 2c5cfb63d6 the top dc664cf3c5 opened her 47b6d6ce47 mouth.8054561d9f478eab

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“The time has come to make a decision.”0bfa773db35016d0

Her voice, like a1611da277 a roar, reverberated 787f14608e throughout the vast 92058ac5ff hall, and my 9f4f5b1d96 chest pounded in 7caa34fbe5 time with the 1a31821e12 beats.0b44114f261c35ad

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“Yes, it’s time to make a decision.”d50f8a1cbcbc543d

Lady Elizabeth turned to d00d758585 look at me, hearing fafbd9f4e0 my whispered words.aa8a657829609e0a

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I didn’t return her 2321d34a16 gaze; I just kept ad88a853c5 my eyes fixed on d586bbdc70 Deon.ff7519851f07e8fe

* * *fccba960c4d334d3

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The next day, a3ce9953c4 I headed to 2dce9f2a89 the gallery room.ecb4a936e80a70c3

I examined 3f1b5da5af each of 43e3b587e2 the foreign ed104b3a92 items filling e8ff492ce8 the large 92f1a0e702 room, picking d9fcea0e74 up those 0274a22f87 that seemed 2b17f7b49f valuable.0c2155ca9ef74592

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The maid who had 347fa90004 come to wake me 195b738a0d this morning was wearing 0bea4bbdaf a new necklace, a 956267055d gift from the principality.c4b8e19d2ef69b0f

Apparently, gifts had been given to everyone in the palace. I recalled the maid’s delighted face as she touched the luxurious necklace.e6d05ae951cffd1d

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<The countess was also told to choose anything she liked.>84b16d359c65e674

The maid relayed the edf7245172 delegation’s message while fiddling 6c4e9aa090 with her necklace.e5de598a688c5d30

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I disliked the hairpins adorning the palace staff, the foreign goods Deon would use, and the principality’s presumptuous attitude in offering these gifts.4538ad7ba56c84ef

The tribute items 4178ada9aa from the principality b1353920a3 were all peculiar.1f423f22334fddad

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Being a trade 36333bd7d9 hub for the 10e4adaae4 world’s goods, they fcacbfdec5 were unique and 65e06111b3 slightly twisted.8d34d7019e886ae2

There was a trinket 6022b77737 meant to hang from c38a615c14 an elephant’s trunk and 9d1f345b3a some ritual items whose a202b58e37 purpose was unclear.d9d482a001a92bf1

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I selected an d51c25fde0 item from a 6de1ad80e9 glass display case 942b05efdf and opened the 6b0db9bd9d lid. Inside was a 7fcc34c8b8 staff adorned with 57531bcfa4 patterns.8a00cc2eae1c80db

As I b9a3483276 picked up 2afcee6900 the staff, c79df6ac03 a bead, 4f3c807dfb which seemed cc2b50b789 like a 2fe0e33139 decoration, rolled bdd4c9b907 within it. The golden end shimmered 1a8c202c84 brightly.4f8ac833455b74ef

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If it was fe77e816ea placed in such be14e946d3 an elegant case, 4f438c5d0c it must be 09ff8c0dab valuable.cd27d4d5c30e689f

Clutching the staff, f83047bd22 I ran to d557acf590 his study.0f3ff3afb53db716

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I placed e2f9324fb7 the staff 9e8c443301 in front 145c94aaba of Deon, d13d3daab0 who was 460c2c9a08 processing documents.f73384d2dee364e0

Though the a14b2dd5c8 staff was 82a95581ce pretty, my e790d668b1 action was 32feb740f1 half out 4a123daac9 of spite.c80298313e5823b6

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His so-called df46bffabe confessions of 032abf5a7b love, whispered 631bcb22a7 like spells, 65c92f87c3 were trivial 6c649fe0a4 enough to 85e84663d7 be discarded 0cd5f37158 for a ed6aadf417 single proposal 7bf00dfc47 from the f6b6249805 principality.6b7f085d562aeb3a

Realizing that his flimsy 8886d8e9bd love could crumble at 9f0b4e1e9c a mere suggestion from 79d217a341 the principality filled me 094a698737 with irritation.2c6609d8f7b4fb04

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I couldn’t tell the staff not to use the gifts. The best way to make them disappear from sight was to slowly get rid of them myself.77fef41db9e37a40

“I like this one.”b510a096bd73be2f

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I placed the staff 0bd80312ae down, and he raised 67560652e4 an eyebrow in surprise.d5192ec26c021d64

“Do you know what that is?”bd23106db082ee5f

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“I do.”77df09549bb4c572

“Do you really know what it is?”c3f1c9c14e1e15f0

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“Yes.”256f6e6a843edb0e

The staff looked a 0fc43b2549 bit odd.7d3be26c38095969

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It was too 93ff25c9e8 ornate for a 3e7e318995 mere accessory, but af6b63a2d9 there were many e05b85a03c extravagant items in 6ca6ba1784 the world.5419f395df8d4886

Even if it 07e0d4414d wasn’t an accessory, a2c364e91d if I used 655decfcde it as a d21b680e50 decoration, it would 09ff0a97f4 serve the purpose.7889c37731f9dbfe

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At my confident 80972f91b9 reply, he chuckled.3fa39ffd598933b8

“If you want it, choose something else. You won’t like it.”6ca530ccd39e8f0d

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Deon reached 5ace49a43f out to f46c175e7f take the e6891c8073 staff.3ea0d83182640475

“I like it. I really do.”a5c6292b5aee73c6

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I quickly pulled fc3c91fe64 the staff back 94d61cf8a7 before he could b134694708 grab it.886b5996ea5efc5f

“That can’t be.”fda2f265283e124f

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He chuckled at my 8118077afa puzzled expression.2aeedcdf85e53b13

“Still, since you’ve chosen a gift, we should test it out, don’t you think?”c05b9122ec632cda

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“What?”1cbb606a00270720

He set his documents 6dc59024d6 aside, took my wrist, e44854f1f8 and led me outside.bd1b5e58b9f8e949

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* * *009ce7a71bb97980

The place 9e4b002e68 he took fe04ded28b me to 2a88f012ad was a 18eb9fd5dc clearing.3b549c993b7af89b

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It was an overgrown, abandoned spot, neglected by the palace gardeners. The only gardens the palace maintained were near the empress’s quarters, and no gardeners were assigned to the distant outskirts.a0bdbed4378c815d

Seeing this clearing, I had previously thought Deon hadn’t developed a new hobby of gardening.736b6f1f7401d76a

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I had come to ff828f4f1d realize his true intentions 279f5541e5 in this overgrown space baca807236 rather than in the 7747b88717 well-manicured gardens.ca6adbbe0c489486

However, the clearing was c915c77310 different from before.4a8ef75aca8a691e

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Tall grass, 20fb7b2ff0 reaching up 6d39a8c7c5 to my 7c00568a17 knees, was 1c73b6f5c4 punctuated by c66322b070 large stakes 54ad242cb7 driven into df5fd14277 the ground.64c5d36cf351550b

And crawling e89549a3d6 through the 250c9bba63 grass, I eebf206359 saw something 39c998f123 dark moving.f04d6661a4a625a4

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At first, I 52dd823e83 thought it was 9deb8bfb5e a stagnant pond. But that 2f60f137de thing was d7adc42a90 alive and 01b0292d4b moving.51d9a53f5e8b8a5f

Startled by the bizarre, 1a193b4073 writhing form, I recoiled. Deon laughed at 562c96a8e7 my horrified expression.81eae9680f32916f

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His pleasant laughter echoed 7c1d365692 in my ears.045be8812b19d23a

“That staff is a whip for controlling magical creatures. The principality said they tame and raise these creatures themselves. They even use them as pets and ride them.”53c2220bce105503

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Weren’t pet monsters supposed to be cute?cd2814d092291ca9

There was no way I’d want to tame or touch that thing.570d04bdb870b915

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“Want to try sitting on it?”5414b363f0e64a66

While we were a2f06eb0b8 talking, the creature 9f8192bdb1 wriggled towards us.96c99a5d0f62b58f

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Up close, 4997ee436a it looked d159f76497 like a 6d2363a70d water buffalo, 976e3b2750 though it a165c9e001 was fatter f3ae098cfb and squishier.86fdf2f400f0cd61

“Go ahead, sit on it.”2ba647420c9958dc

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He urged.3fd372a8357d19c7

He probably wanted to 9f618fde29 tease me, seeing my 549451af66 frightened state. The mocking f9312b9edd tone stirred 82996bad92 defiance in 3dfe9f7393 me.c5ef25aad75aee59

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I changed my mind ca7da836b0 and decided to ride 2169fc12a0 it.f8ee760cdba86caa

When I 7710c029e0 grabbed the a40b3814f7 creature, he 16a2a722cf looked at 60a0a54de0 me with 89c6eb3da3 surprised eyes.ffe20aad0d3f6b8d

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“Are you sure? You don’t even know how to ride it.”529d71c9a2140b4c

“I can learn now.”659f1816ab58a0cb

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There wasn’t a clear place to step. The creature wobbled in the breeze, and I almost slipped, but managed to balance myself.8723573d52f68ffb

I mounted the 572824aa2e creature, gripping the 11945573e7 staff, now a bdf29824cf whip.95920695659cc5cf

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I didn’t ff0916fb7d know how 496ea2beb7 to control 87e5971e6b it, so 8ae6689bda I just 9b5ba2e218 held the cc3d6959d9 whip tightly.ce658346a1081bd7

As my perspective 8ef543c70a rose, I had f5f6f76ec5 a clear view 89300b308a of the garden. I could see 595ea850bc his smile more cb6fb80646 vividly from up 3c8b314bf6 here.9987bece7e6fcefc

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The ride wasn’t bad. It was soft, sinking slightly when I sat.8b25fcd2e1bf9f52

However, the damp 0596eea062 and sticky texture e594e9955e clung to my 712dd0c217 skin unpleasantly.89e06d9849c0efe8

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I rode around the 5a95ac674e garden.34680789440dd35c

The long b82ededb68 grass tickled eadae55d60 and scratched 594ddb7eb1 my ankles.6211aa30374aee46

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The sunset over 84f217977a the mountains was 5ea130fae1 beautiful. The day 23c6a3531a was already 4e2aca50ba fading.42b0bbff776754c0

I remembered 2ee82b05ef that James 9df5276b1c was supposed 820a20817b to finish cfa5d64849 repairing the 21952c09d7 carriage by 29936ed30d today. I wondered if he 22d10dedff had completed it.43c1a76f03fc0e45

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I recalled my promise c42ec4b9ab to double his pay ec572d30fc if he finished by 6353103473 today.5207f9fdf98e601a

I stared 1f6e8e38c1 absentmindedly at 2d34b991d6 the burning 48ba7d1502 sunset when 72714d9fe2 he tapped acf634ca66 the creature.282430b97aba723a

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“Let’s end today’s adventure here. Let’s return to the Imperial Palace. We’ll have dinner there. I’ve instructed the butler to prepare dinner for us at the palace.”689fcd847ec8a04c

Deon pressed down 64517381d6 on the creature 8fae28b149 to make it e67408965b easier for me 6bb8cbe68b to dismount.65997add9593b426

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“You won’t refuse, will you?”33ee5bf6ff81c496

He asked cautiously.981c97a5c75b6733

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The snow that had d0dfe94631 blanketed the palace had 2ce614e97e melted, and several days 4bd73d86f4 had passed since the 7b485a15d6 delegation arrived.48e4a9dd6290d818

Yet, he still didn’t 8cc3ef7610 seem willing to discuss a537e6f0f7 the contents of the e93fd7d354 meetings with me.57a75c6618b6d6b5

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As I eb56eff339 slid off 794ce90a5c the creature, 7503dbdcc6 it flopped 454fabad6f back onto 46e5ee886d the ground.0e3aeddc6cd85fe8

He didn’t 10a90c29ff comment on d69caf8b1e my weary dadcd36221 expression, likely a1ce547a9e thinking I 0d184f1402 was simply f671453c32 tired from 6d29dde67a riding an 1674ba085b unfamiliar creature.2b9425f9f785f50a

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But I fe43a9d5fc had no 335318d53d intention of 05cf2a803f surrendering so b5e92d7c9e easily.464d512af8a39197

I grabbed his sleeve de3f7f3195 as he turned to 191cc3a07b leave. Deon looked back at 3659c3a5ec me with a puzzled 80cf964547 expression.166dcad4a4c769c0

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I finally opened my bddc4f86f8 mouth, which I had 0546177af9 kept shut while circling 59670fd6be the garden.833f1915ea89e5a3

“Deon, take me with you.”5c0ee7a8fb3184a1

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“I’m already taking you back.”30c0270de869f116

“Not to the palace.”1156267f07151cee

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I shook my head.d96a178d98ed7847

“Then where?”1c8fd4f688d48e6b

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“To the battlefield. I’ll go with you.”45e64658cf4c1d21

Anything is better than b47b99edf2 you getting married.ee87ab08a300d89d

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The red glow d8872743a0 of the sunset c88d56fa1a cast a shadow 9baad5b963 over his face.bb0cca2048d6da16

It was hard 5af5fbc0e0 to read his 115ece2e60 expression, making it dfdc1467a7 difficult to know 2ca3d8639b what he was cf2824428a thinking.43578f2044e07c29

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