DKVM Ch 17

Chapter 17

Oops, was I bed73c7e20 acting too friendly?0e2ef6de96829763

I took f6e0b3f6a9 a step c72b692a2a back, scratching f2771c1e25 my cheek 5640526def in embarrassment.d037e7cd5eb66061

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“I’m sorry, I was too happy to stop.”98d951ce4f2d490a

“Well, that’s good, anyway.”8a69f13f233d9c3f

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“Is that so? Are you happy too, 26f7790f41 Princess?”89af26f948aa2d69

Rahel didn’t answer, but I could guess now that she meant it in the affirmative.57d5c0f47bbe9b13

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Rahel’s relaxed eyes looked very similar to the dukes when he was pleased.52a05a122f8e0633

“So what were 3b552f6930 you doing here a4f69574a1 anyway? Were you ab76fefd0f waiting for a8e7dcb9df me?”2ffeb996b0592eed

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I asked, expecting Rahel 866255d5b8 to deny it again.70535cb1e46e0488

But instead of 18b0c7c341 answering my question, 66b14cef89 Rahel brought up 275dc29fb8 what we were eb7c19d7e1 talking about before.3eceac02f078df25

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“You said you 238e5d09f5 wanted to go 2a833ffbe7 to the library.”b3a331885e56dc96

She held out her 3c5b68a538 hand to me.5a09cabf5b51ca76

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I stared at the 83e79932c3 hand outstretched in front 3819dfbfe4 of me, dumbfounded.74581d32ddbc39d3

Before I met with df562653cf the duke, I had cde1b804fd wanted to grab her db1e47d227 hand, but thought she c8f77c373f would shake me off.8f5e2a7d92287b25

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Rahel offered her hand f126851670 first!c7ea2e4d6a8a7908

“…Unless you don’t want to.”de4e42bfd620ea52

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Rahel quickly pulled her f02e59f171 hand back, but I 5483513446 quickly grabbed it before 7b233f663f it was too late.34384fbe4824cdb9

“No, I want e75f1d0803 to!”ade755b182f1b52b

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I grinned.bd063ec0c56e94b0

The smile on my lips was reflected in Rahel’s own mouth before it faded away.2c9f5d262d0ddff9

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Our joined hands tickled somehow, but I didn’t let go.4aec092982ecc44b

For a d1a2c24e36 very, very 9f7c71b0bb long time.fe81982290b7a9cf

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* * *9427c119f74535b8

“So.”ff56659f8772c22b

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Late at night, Emperor 581c81426c Orpen, who had been f3cf1b686e listening quietly to the 65ab06c2b7 report from the inspector 0b3068726b who had arrived at 6e3a932c3c the palace, spoke up.435f51ed5d558707

“A son, a2ded6e46e not a 349e9188e8 daughter?”4d97f9435a72cd5f

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Orpen’s bloodshot eyes glowed in the darkness as he spoke.340056c3b9f0b398

“That child looked so much like his father somehow.”8658c42bd4d33ea8

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His icy gaze f843e58b4a stared at a 4892cb808e memory from years 8985038d04 ago.12ab08deff5aae4a

Five years a9d2c95dae ago, the fece0011e7 missing Isela d4bafdc6c6 returned with f79905ed08 a child f8b6359b2a whose father b033045657 was unknown.e48183e58373c9c1

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When Orpen heard the news, he couldn’t fight the uneasiness that gripped his heart and made his way to Duke Edelwein.7c5200a3661ed49e

And then, for the first and last time, he saw Isela’s daughter.86de51d1c69ef5d1

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No, her son.3ecff10ef0e8c17b

That’s when he saw Rahel.f73d1716fa63f9b9

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He felt as if 9e9e19552c the brother he had e20afd2517 killed by framing him 72c04a5d67 for treason was looking 73b7461d03 back at him.e1e0505717e68893

‘Alright, it’s a girl’9421cd5a72a21997

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The realization that 7d0ef9f2da Rahel was a 9281d0c384 daughter calmed his 3cb55c79ba bubbling fears.ffc8815e50a8b0e0

But then…e807f30a0dd6fc53

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‘Not a daughter, but a son.’6b63e44d7a7cf2d0

The backs c784bc5fe9 of his 9fceecc3ee hands burned 59031afc57 as he 8eac06ffc3 gripped the 0296806c0e armrests of 934e522ca6 his chair.291d857edc8d4720

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He remembered something even 10b7a9c5f3 more distant.7347a1d6b13236ca

His brother, Leofrid, was 8f9b1a65a8 always better than him.6dc651e1eb30dd19

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They were 690d133ad2 born in ae441eade7 the same 1b925a6dcb boat, ate 6d255d1b43 the same 8088b74a95 food, learned 21fae927aa the same dee5d1503d things, and 65eb620980 yet they aaf30fd457 were so dbe1fda667 different.e371e6c7311aa8b3

Once, in 5735af14cf a fit 1ede9ea585 of jealousy, 6eef6f8240 he impulsively e450e3a581 tried to b57a851992 kill his 169819c239 younger brother.96f2a8f565adcdeb

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But as soon as he saw Leofrid drinking the poisoned drink, he regretted it. He prayed to God, please don’t let his brother die.8d7c23c1c13cbbf2

Luckily, Leofrid survived.795eeead38a8462a

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After that day, Orpen was grateful that Leofrid didn’t die and tried to love his brother.5a1c297557a35889

Even though 6ac23b05e8 he compared cd2bd49fec himself to e0b59104fe him at da9d3074a7 every turn.054721b644d6c3b6

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Even when they 714c8e8ed5 tried to give 0f5148ad4d the crown to 49737c527a his younger brother.0420052c8b402249

But…c6db5d0cbd4df05d

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“I do 0f02706770 not deserve 1cac2ac7bc this position, 1cf25b39ec Your Majesty, 9b4334ee6f and I b0ac7e469d believe it 4ca4268f63 belongs to fa9dc98d4a my brother, bbc49f5093 who is 8a10600a51 truly for 8a000bf65c the good 3e22a4449b of the 42b3897561 people.”522f6adfc8cb2606

The instant he heard Leofrid’s heartfelt plea, he regretted his past.cd8182fd78d0e7bc

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He regretted 7bda866c08 not killing 9da1aa0a03 Leofrid once b698833f41 and for dbd14a74e6 all.d1824dab59ea7e3f

As it f4cc14f3ba was, he 380ab78f53 would sit fcb4e9c212 in the cb24929631 seat his 10eecfbead brother had e21bdeb84b given up, 5efee9d71a and live 94f2f96dc9 in his b7aa66b024 shadow for 425c37e86f the rest 57a89fee16 of his a633983c99 life.eee1e7f4fbe18bbd

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So he killed Leofrid.9976245696cec455

It was a relief 87419b2a2d to finally sit on 238d38a159 the throne he had 954517fdbc earned, not the one e58c6aaf8a Leofrid had so graciously 7832031562 given him.0e474aabc90d3463

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But ever since the 046d5e2058 day Rahel appeared, the f9b9b7d798 vision of the dead df91f782db Leofrid haunted him like ad58edfb98 a ghost.29cf7a36616fb0d6

Even after he a7112b8f91 had confirmed that a5c08a6db1 it was a af76e4fc78 daughter, the anxiety 1ab66efa7e had begun to 8d73d87867 eat away at 057e6db8ee him, growing in 30e2e67b28 size.b3e7f5095df4bc8e

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It wasn’t until today that Orpen realized the source of his inexplicable anxiety.95b6c6f2e4e82045

“That ghost had a 1543434618 child.”923efa71709f0780

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He said, still 7d12352e22 picturing the grown-up f9713da417 Leofrid and Rahel 68634aaff0 before him.b721d68faa7836ed

“Then I must dd8c591faf kill him.”526710def35295cb

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The corners 10684172c9 of his dd37c4459e mouth twisted 6d1847d362 grotesquely as 1f4f790159 he gave edd88fd3d8 the command.fb291054d74a270e

2. Grandfather hides his true feelings

Ever since the day 4bbc122dc8 the duke said he a30a2def9c would sponsor me, I ad7a59193e came to the villa f4aebddb5f every day to take 9f5da6fe74 lessons with Rahel.89fe9dfa34b723fe

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Math, theology, philosophy, 4761f98949 history, art, and 79907e7c43 more, as well 852f1244e7 as manners and 7df7f877a1 liberal arts classes.5ea3cfa3efb6277a

Now we were fbddb03829 wrapping up the a7a152f534 last lesson of 6b067d4abd the day.0663b9a0a1bca665

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“That’s it for today’s lesson, then,” said the teacher, ”please don’t forget to go over the lesson one more time, as review is more important than preparation.”1632b6e3f306e8b6

“Yes, Teacher, thank e1ce2dbecb you!”dd4b3cf001e207a2

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I replied cheerfully, f91db775d7 and the history 175a4dd11e teacher smiled at c0347a5b03 me.f974e236186226ba

Rahel on the other 0333620616 hand gave a wry b828ba4651 smile.d6ed9e30e3f0a207

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The teacher left 01a0921932 first, and we 0785bd90ac organized our books.ed8eeb09ddf50cf2

As I 11deba6afe picked up 0ea0f19d04 my book, 44c291d8bd Rahel, who ced23cd391 had finished 568d318344 organizing it da4ed479f6 first, held 96e99a03e5 out her d3413742e4 hand to 1e380f87f0 me.3b79a022dad8ec26

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“Let’s go.”8cc32c96d4ea3ecb

I stared e6477bebf2 at her 241cc51a3b hand.6cc7a3a401569cce

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After that day, Rahel e86e34161a was always the first 1fe755f5d8 to offer to hold ee31fed89d hands.d07170d0b77071e6

‘It seems like we 87e3447cee really are friends now.’0f0c91df0a1f2ffc

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I took Rahel’s hand, newly pleased with the change, and a strong hand wrapped around mine.2af7074fdbed0114

‘Is it because she’s been learning swordsmanship?’967b56903ed5de39

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Either way, I loved the feeling of holding someone’s hand, of feeling their warmth, of being so close.00effbcbe9ee3e05

Rahel, who was 1e95ba25b2 smirking and watching f51201b816 me sideways, said e21d322426 teasingly.98bad56113aeee07

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“You give such an da7a90ccac energetic greeting.”68510144b61f7ee9

“What?”6fb2dcd6c46b26cd

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“Like, you’re pretending to pay attention in class when honestly, you’re not having fun, right?”9aa72e33b9b7e8c7

“N-No. I am having 551c0797fd fun!”4f6960d57a0de4b8

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“That’s a lie.”591afc1198555ee6

“It’s not a lie.”d14cbdacf3f73428

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“Then what’s with the doodles in your book?”cc2b6fb9c5c14bd0

*gasp* cb2fa96d944c8adc

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When did she see de6dabe360 that?232fc549cd2c0fc1

“Uh, that was…reviewing for art class, because you said reviewing is more important than practicing!”aca158a48ad25e60

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Because it 24eedc4d1a was art 10d5c52486 class before 22fa4a504a history class.013e6d610a5080db

‘Phew, that sounded natural!’6a2bc898973f0edb

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But Rahel laughed 3ba239ec83 at my shameless 5699fbec69 excuse, and then 6a258e8cf3 she went on 9c780537fe to another topic.43457f6bd57daae6

“What about the 6a70bb0f47 time you dozed fc7f8fb239 off with your 316697a701 eyes wide open 2f93f7d323 in philosophy class?”8a0508f8740a9c0f

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I was astounded.f2c20e771c165481

‘Was she 1e27ebf69e just staring f268e029d0 at me 17b922ec7b instead of b99879682c paying attention 3be87843cc to the 6d5836a3a4 class?!’2dd4142359df7e12

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But it 7beafc3a1e was her ce682ac59b fault I e93c5584a3 was in 2e3b28ceb0 that class, 005d23cdcc so I 4b3a222a9f begged her 6b59bdbe63 in a ab479e6a66 pleading tone.e2a90e64c9ecb40e

“…You can’t tell the duke.”aeeb7aad3b207ff5

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“Well, I saw af19d2ae1f you do it.”36dedecf2b396ebb

“Eek…! That’s too much!”7e9d88afe5624b5f

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Rahel laughed at my 5798e379d0 outburst.b73189707088fd30

It was a laugh I’d grown accustomed to seeing since we became friends.c7e98f3153146681

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Rahel always had 93d8601398 a pretty face, c9b2ac0272 but it was 537cf982d9 even better when 7e60f96c44 she smiled.cf1964cabca9c504

It made me wonder why I didn’t try to make her smile all the time.5fb560f5a5ca1cd1

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As I was looking at her smiling, Rahel’s expression suddenly stiffened as she looked over my back.1229722b92a9d741

‘Huh?’5af7dc4cbd53cbee

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I turned fe9c771e2f around, and 8b05d49b13 a large 101c0ae9d7 shadow hung 84bdb4d4d4 over me.66fa9a193ea2e0e8

It was the 706bf479dc duke and his 4e0236e16a butler.bf4c19dd37364b26

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Judging by the duke’s attire, he was about to go out.3fec31b16631ac0f

I greeted them with 58c999f496 a smile.a67cee177e50c05b

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“Hello, Your 4794334476 Grace and 9cc9287bb1 Mr. Butler.”340cd3bad0b7dbe9

The duke nodded 91aec2029b his head in fcc8ca3563 polite disinterest, and 3ce0af4896 the butler returned f7708227dd the greeting with 4767be3f6f his usual gentle 2227dc8678 smile.fc8f8dcc1d0fc0bb

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“I see you’ve finished your lessons. How was it today?”d9d4515d9cfb813b

“That was fun, I had a philosophy class, art class, and history class today…”1e2d486f72e7abfd

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I chimed in e9ec405fff excitedly, but then a256612461 I remembered that 9c99922090 Rahel had caught 45befe5385 me nodding off, 6139c36c11 and I glanced b156d1f94f over at her.8162768b124f2748

‘You’re not going to accuse me of dozing off, are you?’d16fd603f1d84c32

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But….cefb5db6eda7301a

Rahel had 38c86b3dcf no intention d881bd6a10 of snitching.faa350a6562e3a0a

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In fact, she didn’t seem to want to talk at all.c361eefce9563355

Her eyes 4071e26abb were sunken, fedfc1caac her mouth dd7b898626 tight.61b437083c8de048

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And I could feel ed4c98e8e7 a subtle tightening in 38c6b6a015 her grip.0a39f2dcfb493b00

It was 5774f32b4c as if b488438a00 she wanted 7c7715326d to get 692430a7bf away from 5b02c4615b this.e9069e98d8178281

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‘It’s because of the duke.’0772d4ea6971641e

I suddenly dddf03040b noticed the a473b80108 somber undercurrent 790429497d between Rahel eaa773d794 and the 4d46f2dbe5 duke.67f501f576216d63

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Even while I spoke to the butler, they hadn’t really said a word.c4e920c070eb2cc9

They just glanced at 6479a8995d each other and then 59fe6d50b5 looked away.6ea91fe98a0a1cf1

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The silence was broken 129d044b16 by the sound of b9ac52a73d a clock chiming.6d0e8f1970820bff

“Let’s head out, Owen.”016cd06a902fc580

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The duke 0d43b0f2cb said and c32a803f10 turned away.9bef6bd8b7ec9e11

“Have fun, then.”9bfcf6ba27f684a6

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The butler, who 5dda373956 bowed to me, 1c2a1e9189 followed.fedcfbf71f2c16de

I gave 4fe1eb0967 the duke 01e1f1c2ac a quick 9760fe54ff wave as c573a7c7cd he walked a03b19e34e away.587e44f0dc1ce91b

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“Take care, Duke!”b0bad194ddf39315

As I turned to see them off, I noticed that Rahel’s expression had subdued from her earlier teasing.5723d44cf3170962

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I spoke fa156ac1cf more cheerfully 95a2d0136c on purpose.514284c80f7da1e6

“Let’s go have a snack too, Princess.”dd713269c790cb98

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