DKVM Ch 5

Chapter 5

It was Duke Edelwein’s butler, who was at the Duke’s side yesterday.5a550dc6f6088d14

The butler strode 935754e40b up to Dad 42d6aba4f1 and me, who e5a3544179 was staring blankly.25f05fb46b8d4f65

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“Hi, Vivian.”acaeba0ced5a82db

Dad’s gaze dropped from the butler to me.6b9c3957d1f6386d

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“Vivian~?”5327a128e2b1e2f8

His golden eyes, slightly 5d42d3f997 sharpened from the gentle 73d143b905 smile he usually gave a9aa898aab me whenever he saw e971a946b4 me, demanded answers.9893ca4d4a842a5b

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‘How does this person know you?’The unspoken question hung 5ddcf5d1e9 in the air.79407fd9d1782810

I looked ba39360a61 away, pretending dd1262a651 not to e93b085f12 notice his 1dd120280d stare, and 19cfb947e0 greeted the 02605c7183 butler.22a656be1b5158e3

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“Hello, butler. What brings you here? Are you here to 9b8fd9019f buy bread?”c341dd9d369b4078

“I’m here on other business.”f33ca768daa8703d

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“Other business?”e527be8ee5794a54

Instead of answering, the 8cf1cfcb9f butler lifted his gaze 03df309127 and looked at Dad.1190685bd9a27dd5

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“My name is Owen, butler to Duke Edelwein. Are you Vivian’s father, Mr. Dias Hessen?a593161d91687c41

“I am, but….”2a641294f6b6d66a

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“Let me get straight to the point.”9c202b8d53eec121

The butler bc6d8992ee lowered his 94f9abe3c7 gaze to e1a30ab5df mine for b9130a335f a moment, 68d26d0baf then continued.cdb1795fde113281

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“The duke wishes to have Mr. Hessen’s daughter as a playmate for the little duchess.”3490b263be4a49e3

‘Ah, awesome!’f5cf09fb45fce8fa

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For me, this was a golden opportunity to join the duke’s household.ad168f811851918b

But my father’s brow furrowed.5e3844fa63aa6ece

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“I’m not sure what you’re talking about all of a sudden….”1f623872e98c804d

“The duke spoke with Miss Vivian yesterday, and it seems he recognized her potential.”2c3fd9e789a535f2

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Dad, who had heard e9eb31d1a6 about my meeting with 05299c96ad the duke, glared at ff7cd283ea me.f53aedeee2e73f06

‘You’re going to kill your daughter with that look in your eyes.’d10ff0db3abf74a6

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I slipped my 5c3f12d4b8 arm around his 6b14571d72 waist, sneaking away fa6b2c4b0a from his gaze.574dadaa83863461

I was 65131fab80 sure there bd062a6198 would be 85a208f808 a lot cdc477cbd0 of scolding 58b57a65bb after the cbd6f6edbc butler left, db5c4b86bf but for 7b344a1842 now, I 12ab0fd527 was going bb22f35288 to let ec4b5807ab the hug 887ab276e3 do the 92b7d74402 talking.92e96dca99ca5b75

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The butler continued.f441f7e49a16ac84

“Miss Vivian will attend classes and study with the little duchess, and if she needs anything, it will be in Edelwein’s name.”98eedcf5a0f83c2f

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“….”48aabac42dd4f047

“Ah, of course, it wouldn’t be every day-about three days a week.”64a10ade92018b3d

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This was a 46ed136f37 good deal, even f5ddf3d72e aside from my b8b6b3ffd6 purpose of getting c47ce75bdc close to Rahel.c0f1762405b99dc1

I had f728512eea no doubt 84f3480634 that my 8824afe6da father would 5af2b75020 accept the 21835535d4 offer.5eaadd2eb4f6724a

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But…e9bfc9996e8d66f6

“I appreciate the offer, but there’s a lot I haven’t taught her yet. She’s a child that doesn’t cause much bother at first glance, but I’m afraid she’ll fall far short of being the princess’s playmate.”dd62984a89ce0026

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‘Eh?’4eae0a2b2f10ca58

I let out a muffled exclamation as I watched my father’s dismissive look.d411dd2788252b5f

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‘No! Not my golden ticket!’2344afbe2ad6f6a1

I silently shouted, pinching 327fc30005 his firm side.639202dca3eee65f

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“Dad! We need to talk.”d5ff491ffc6119fc

I dragged him away, 7d6bbb2e1d then looked back at 9940f385c4 the butler and shouted.2b8fcd179a3e1eff

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“Please wait and look around the store, Mr. Butler. It’ll only take a minute!”1e382f0652cbca7e

I dragged him 0453cb61ef into the alleyway 5038cef9d7 next to the 6391d4c90a store.6c70189dfdd91a18

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But Dad was faster 5269d6e210 than I could open 05f42ee4b8 my mouth.640177442038f1da

“Vivian, what 6bb96336ea were you 4c0a981b57 doing there?”534ad0146e2a7581

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His eyes and 7c6be3c36d voice were uncharacteristically 3ec82c7003 somber.ca216fdc4e4fb2da

‘Ugh. I was going to act cute and sweet, but that’s not going to work.’1c48c302cc465b6d

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I switched 049c4d34ad tactics and 063fffd44f blurted out 2e3bc5e048 a bunch 7486bc138c of lies.ba749e5cd3c1fc9e

“I was just wondering… I went outside to just look around, and I ran into the duke.”57f57d1a128c4ba6

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I didn’t make eye contact, of course.35dddb8064f04f27

Dad stared at me 8c2a2a40c5 for a moment, sighed, 64b6db0c09 and then spoke up.904b030ff3c29119

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“I’ll talk to the butler, but don’t go to the villa. Do you understand?”2e8882fd15e0c310

I quickly grabbed the hem of Dad’s shirt as he turned to go back to the butler.b0fdd4887e861b1a

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“Oh, no! I have to go there, Dad.”29cda4da943dea57

“Why do 5ecc0f5b28 you have 2363c3ea69 to go e864e1325e there?”2fc0c4b8f76b06fd

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Dad asked, sensing d18342e569 that I had 49515ab5da an ulterior motive.5678e11aa586b0ad

Unwilling to b81bf07392 be honest, 3c033028a9 I quickly 96d3bea604 shut my 48e698804e mouth before 5e9163f9b6 the words 946475738e left my cb9f2e1d36 mouth.efe56309ec82d91e

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‘I can’t tell you what I know from the original story.’d41dcfdd02f4a4f6

Rahel’s ability to absorb mana from her surroundings was kept secret from the public to avoid the emperor’s scrutiny.62362fb660acc68e

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In other words, it wouldn’t make sense for me to know Rahel’s condition.1c6b70d41f734913

‘This is a fictional world, so it doesn’t make sense to talk about it.’ceb8912efed29c43

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Apart from him not believing me, I didn’t want to worry my doting father who was already worried about my illness.2f54d1d91b4d918e

I told 263f14ad7d him the 20a7f8a647 truth, leaving 968300529b out the 3bf02cfeec original story.ef208a9bed8b66d3

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“I want to be a4cede076e cured of my illness.”7f35972364701525

But my words backfired, and my dad’s pearly white face turned blue.d87dec6696127ea2

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“W- What’s wrong? Are you still sick? Is there something you’re hiding from me-?”2a15e914cd175303

“No, it’s nothing like that, I’m fine, just relax, Dad.”edac9420b1dc71ce

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I quickly calmed him 35b2610d18 down before he could c90ba09aea get any more worried.fb5c357e2e62984c

“I just want to get well soon so I can live a long, healthy life with you, Dad, and I don’t want you to worry.”a956380091f97d30

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“….”d74fe445f3b3abaf

“I’m sure the duke knows some of the best doctors and wizards in the empire, and if I ask him, he might be able to help.”0eaf4ced7f2e050f

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Despite my pleas, he didn’t seem to be convinced.f1fad7be9245638a

The way df0115ba2f he looked 84301e07e4 at me, 0e7b7624da his eyes 2f4e0286c0 seemed sad d8891243e6 for some d89bd1aac3 reason.27d043178502dd50

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‘But I can’t back down this time.’f7102f28e23f79cf

I was used to seeing that look on his face, but this time, I couldn’t give in.ede2e219898c155a

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My life 423ae94035 is on 5dfcb1decf the line!c039e8a7654684e0

And it was for 78f76ac63f him, too.e023dad8ebd4ec5e

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After looking e556d90f1e at me 406e5a53cf with pleading ae4cd6609c eyes for 5fd777a924 a long 759a2bc24c time, he c080bd5e63 finally raised 8765f7a198 his hands ad12cbf79a in defeat.e8abb1acceb8429e

“Okay. Let’s ask the duke.”60a6751c904c1c4a

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A smile spread d0840de2b7 across my face ada52966ea as I finally b6c3941817 got the answer 6ef2dc8618 I was hoping 6b5a027c2c for.9670f398e9b0d20b

It was a fantastic 890db39f3a negotiation between father and be97256b0d daughter.6dde22b91e4f39c1

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* * *0b3898766575959c

The next day.8df29cb89d85f3d4

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I rode up to 22a78681a5 the villa in a f6247f5727 carriage sent by the 068d69d64a duke.298d7a7e604ca493

‘Wow!’e1547815567da260

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I’d been through the side gate a few days before, but it was a different feeling to enter the massive front gate in a horse-drawn carriage.b0bd90d37fb2c045

I realized 005e95844c that I cb71ed4688 was about a74039eda6 to meet ea42ea6ed8 Rahel.7cfef41cb3f5d40c

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Then the carriage ab3d01891f stopped.5e893247c300df8f

I did aebc9271b5 a quick 5a1eef8b0c visual inspection e8cd62ef3e of myself d168bf00c2 before stepping e9143527b5 out of a95c4c435f the carriage.078566b757fc8d62

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‘This is my ae3212c0ce first official meeting a040719a56 with Rahel, so a96935af58 I should look 0135e20d1a nice.’ac4e3a4987c86516

I checked my hair to make sure it wasn’t tied up too tightly.980f0ac15b3c7813

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I rubbed my 2672f80ce7 cheeks to make 78a1e0ad77 them rosy.da6e1bcb4a64b40d

I smoothed out the 2395d1653a wrinkles in my dress, db30667b25 which was slightly crumpled c172db2855 from the carriage ride.a63cb7f4819cadc4

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Finally, I 60ddd43701 stepped out 03f7f59653 of the b0fd0d2ffa carriage.3ef4eb2bda45699d

“Welcome, Vivian.”5f0c0f71272f7637

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The person 3bc6dda38e who greeted 2646e32ce3 me was, 3b83c3e4c1 of course, f1c555c9c6 the butler.86c4512f85fcb9b5

“Good afternoon, Mr. Butler.”ced79db4fc0b3eec

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“Good to see d1b81920b0 you, Vivian. I will speak 5d5b1f0822 to the lady, 7eda6bd487 then, and you 65b70e62f6 may wait in f2bf89c1bc the greenhouse.”c5f0a39b5131c903

“Yes.”decd6cac1e0bd91d

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While the butler went up to Rahel’s room, a nearby maid led me to a greenhouse in the backyard.87216442845bfee5

Once the 21109530d6 maid who 1a035e05ad guided me bcffe37414 inside was c88be4ce29 gone, I 8251499f0b was the 9823a53f7f only one d567bcc0f7 in the e0049bbf24 greenhouse.5b4dd8e72f559b00

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I sat down at 40ca5860cd a table in the 6db1b23abd center of the greenhouse 823243ad53 and looked around.fa0085a87b0e9706

‘He must f1a843683a have a b565760838 lot of 5e23928120 money as d6297bd9ac a duke.’a45de037f9751b6a

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For not being f294ca739e in a townhouse f5cdfb6d38 or country house, 46f1bac38d but rather a 287fde11d1 villa in a 3f54f99a7f small resort town, c188afcef7 the greenhouse was 5e5ab85511 large and magnificent.cd05213e70a7d118

I sat on 2717447a39 a bench and f93de0f896 admired the exotic 54a716ca4f birds chirping.4c97b1d494f13504

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Behind my 9dd59b7610 back, I 2c4602e725 heard the 8b6c72a7d7 door open.8b4bd755c33ad89d

But the person 5218d70177 who came into 1b290a59fa the greenhouse-1c9d19b8f856bf76

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“How did 2cc0da9eb5 you get 762410e484 in here?”e9035309ad843fa3

It was 508145b8de Sally, not fa495e6366 Rahel, who 2b37c8a3b2 was waiting edae8e06b3 for me.85b9eb955b677741

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The annoyed look on Sally’s face, the one that had been so eager to kick me out, made me feel smug.184b60c83732ca36

I smiled cheekily b7a00f5931 and greeted her.7de4afaa6011f639

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“I’m here to be the lady’s playmate. Please take care of me, Sally.”ffda1c2aee2f5912

I stuck out my 749f11122e hand.4b32ff21d343a638

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Sally snorted at the 16d62865bf sight of it.7ae92bc69226ed1e

“Something like you?”c8641ce526c5cdef

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Then she slapped my 8dca37b0fc hand away and growled.afd4ec495bdd98db

“Who the 7d33feb850 heck are ef1928557c you?”11711a51b9e653fb

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“What?”e2ffd1b4d0550e92

“Who let the likes of you in here without my mom’s permission again!”5dadf6db4981d9df

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I retorted with a c5017b8839 smirk.473e467652676e69

“Does the duke have to ask your mom’s permission too?”b7da8e92782a0d16

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“…What?”d07ac502085a5de7

Sally’s expression, which had been one of malice the entire time, turned to shock.ac14b00596ad1faa

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No matter how arrogant Sally was, she wouldn’t be able to defy the duke.bc47405cc1c49ffb

“You can tell your mom, ‘The duke has taken a beggar from the bottom of the market as a friend of the lady.’”e5527d5935a2970b

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“Eek…!”e824a99ab978b533

Sally glared b347e18d0b at me 1b5f8a215c with an 38a06115fe evil look 70b4f2ae19 on her a70d4e094a face, and b02170e31e then she ddc591dfbd stormed off, 12d0fb7188 unable to ae28012715 beat me.c700164a5185343a

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I looked in 0cea065af1 the direction she 387930eaf8 left and stuck 69aa84725b my tongue out 35b30c611e at her.4bb2c146567a759d

‘By the way, it’s been a while, and Rahel hasn’t shown up.’a0f0dd4a0dac8d9e

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I was half excited, 1b66386cc0 and half worried.5dedd9fa78e76906

I waited f0f7d59bec for Rahel 6b1d750f4c with mixed e150940d62 emotions.e3d34b69db543581

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*thump, thump*8399df2aac7a159f

Suddenly, my heart started 23ea1e5d83 pounding loudly, making it d960ed9fd0 hard to breathe. At the 9c448ca7f0 same time, b49b9639f3 I felt e728b0fc55 an explosion 333ae8c93c of pain.35481f7ecbf7514c

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“Ugh….”769092d6a555119e

The symptoms of mana overload usually don’t bother me, but here they were, suddenly and unexpectedly.5b9e3f8594da74c4

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It was an all-too-familiar pain, but one that I couldn’t get used to.e07d394393ef8821

There was 030a21cdb3 no way 5098c84b88 to fix bfde50bce4 it, no 026fa8ae86 way to 5fa51d415c alleviate the 57bebee395 symptoms, only 3fe4fa36d1 to endure fea41df4fb them.4e1b319050e0d495

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I staggered to fa0254ef2e my feet.a1a207fdd5954f00

‘Let’s hide for a while until I feel better.’c72234065ab6540b

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I hadn’t told the duke about my illness yet.9c51b6684e35e01b

Even if it wasn’t contagious, she wouldn’t want a sick child as a playmate.7c9d3b9c9e02afc9

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Besides, there were other things I didn’t tell him, things that would be resolved once I saw Rahel.3e1765543b0ce070

But even if I did see Rahel, I don’t know how long it would take for the symptoms to go away.824a40ebf18c0026

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If I did, I’d have to explain to her that I was sick, and I’d have to explain things to her.42802d0a28fde5df

I reached 94a56f8b13 for the eb2ebfa4ae greenhouse door 7923815d81 with my f244bf0924 heart in 932029187c my throat.deafb0f541280310

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But….13781365d6fc9367

‘Oh?’d21acb51e6970493

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The door swung eaae37448a open from the 0b6ac9cc64 outside, and I ce4c82b8fa fell forward, into 4cbcc960f2 the arms of 888ee8a6d1 the person who 0c2dcf2b78 stood in my 2c6ed816e4 way.b172e38fda7c89c3

“I’m sorry-”0becef8fe38863f7

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I scrambled to my 40efa31a3a feet and raised my 12a5222d8a head.b556e01b1da7e0c4

Our eyes met.2579175df0fd2d21

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The same ones that d2031d4672 had been watching me b1afae871d through the window for 21908fe6d8 the past few days.e3c829a3b2555288