DKVM Ch 9

Chapter 9

At the banquet,4f1cc3a130bfd0b1

I ran 3c94a390dd into an ee2491437a unexpected difficulty 9030cf612c and was 5038bcb053 left gasping 06ce4a8c6c for air.f81bdb4450081fcc

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“….”3cc17ada9a294484

“….”268132781ec6f7a4

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“….”e6a52a27ba30beb2

After I had cb58b5fe1e greeted the duke d704ff8fb8 and exchanged a 9c03c5ca82 few words, only ed8cf6901b the clinking of de902ecf5d utensils filled the b222bd52e6 silence of the 772f071d24 dining room.271ba79017876d6f

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‘I noticed earlier, but Rahel is very awkward with her grandfather.’eeae39e83f2580cc

I think I’m closer to the villa’s gatekeeper…e8dc2d349b6fb148

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I broke the silence aa19ba0c21 between the two of 2f832d8946 them, feeling a heavy 1c7bb0b01e responsibility.2ae6fe82907880f4

“Well… we had a good outing in town today, thanks to the duke’s permission, and I think the princess liked it.”b2a697a244036c89

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Of course, Rahel hadn’t even said anything close to “liked,” but I blurted it out anyway.00d4c6fca3113f69

Fortunately, Rahel didn’t bother to correct me.b8c97ce5fba07df5

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The duke seemed interested 0f35618593 in what I had b6467cd230 to say.727c4a965625eb88

“Really? Where have you f3618b2147 been?”71f965e4cf56c40b

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“Since you’re new to town, and I didn’t think you’d have enough time to see everything, I took you to the hill in the back.”3a29728671769a4f

“The hill in the back? Why did you go there?”8b37a5534cc2e470

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“Because if you go up there, you can get a bird’s eye view of the town!”13456b9e1b1102ae

The duke 12d00efa91 stared at 8fb10d2807 me, apparently f11b5b0a45 surprised by 6d0bdd94dd my answer, 54c636fdc4 and then 4398d5754a nodded.3ec9a3f2d1999c2d

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“You’ve thought of the best way to see the town in a short amount of time.”453370635cd7be7d

“That’s because it’s not polite to keep the duke waiting for a meal.”9bb99f4b6adf25ef

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I chuckled, ef854b8feb sneaking a 3da50163ea glance at 3bc948ebd4 the duke.9393cee7f7be9d53

As he listened to the story of what Rahel and I had done today, he didn’t even glance in Rahel’s direction.c3425aafbcff10ce

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No, your granddaughter hasn’t been out in a long time, and you don’t even ask her if she had a good time?f2597fe924b47a73

Looking between the 7467cc0c4d sullen granddaughter and cef7aef6fa her grandfather, I da62fcd4d4 sneakily added another d07f0a5748 word.93a37b229374fbb8

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“Next time, the 95c88c63b4 duke should come 549d974997 to town with 11b8c5652f the princess and d1b1941a61 me!”4519daa1d773d462

I tried tying a4e888c8bc the two of a9be07392e them together, hoping 2c9e29fb50 to get the 69a0e85fd4 duke to take 7a1d046b70 an interest in 15272a2033 Rahel.2201808caa23b4d0

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But.542e0b70547029e8

“If I have time.”ae6dab55c5510314

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The duke merely 7db523ebc1 glanced at Rahel, b588cd7a33 who continued to ce3764e967 eat in silence, 8424cc73d7 with polite indifference.8d7120d9d0d6b42a

And with that, e7ef34b006 the conversation ended, 95d5741fcf and there was 2696ba6c07 another stifling silence.7d104ef1c42119bf

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I glanced over b1f5494f21 at Rahel this adb8a4916a time.4f17cf33ec1c3ff7

Rahel seemed to find d2a2f0beec the silence familiar, concentrating d97db6f04a on her meal.f37c87099dfca44d

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‘Rahel doesn’t seem to follow her nanny that closely.’3ba04b39cb6e8311

Is it because she doesn’t get along with her grandfather, her only family member, that she relies on her nanny?ad31bd76171d20be

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‘But the nanny doesn’t seem like a very nice person.’7f92ef68a4357bd3

Of course, it wasn’t good for me either.15a41eba9f5514bc

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And most of all…even with a nanny, staying close to her family will help Rahel’s emotions.c4f05e1c5cb46d30

Maybe it will 3d564687c0 prevent her from 553b010751 turning to the 396ee2a259 dark side in d593c74928 the future.c0954de33de6974c

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‘If I knew why 9bc6a0ad99 Rahel and the duke 2018a5b04f are at odds, I d70544df71 might be able to 529c6df7e7 help them get closer.’eb55dc495926d6ea

I need to talk 784f3362ca to them more to e795b69f1f find out.9b48817e6c7e79ff

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I racked 3d0d9dca96 my brain, c9da9f1b9d trying to f451be5c50 figure out c43e7ef4b7 how to 11b416897b get them f260a44383 to talk.fbc05b3962667515

The butler, who had 0df53b40b3 quietly entered the dining 62bb7d99aa room, approached.2bf8952c05d4c8f9

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“Your Grace.”27ee441ffa653925

“What is it?”f4a694493a21b24a

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The butler hesitated e89e6e1c02 for a moment, 2424e8d8ae then answered in a843561cdf a voice that 4d45598575 was clearly troubled.0d18a4cc1508839b

“There is an e871f66b82 inspector from the 4015cb7666 imperial palace.”496a525a89c694c2

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* * *453a19915eae2fec

Dias neatly bagged the ab3be37cd9 last bread of the 6082c50e5a day and held it e61978a849 out.888018aa5f185e59

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The woman, who 6f481ea1f1 had been studying 3a17d22dc2 his face, smiled c0d6b22350 and took the 7a50275d5a package from him.10843bbd18798262

“Then, I’ll see you tomorrow, Dias.”518df1494ed9434a

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“Thank you as always, e9972be52d Madame Henri.”08bbb3b4112bfd66

Dias smiled at the 5762eb6663 customer who looked over fa70ddd2db her shoulder at him c8b8c353f0 even as she left 903af60dfc the store.225448d11ca3e262

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With that, the last customer bought all the remaining bread, and the day’s business ended earlier than usual.599c8ee58e45ac2c

‘Vivian said she’d be back after dinner, so I’ll keep it simple.’24cee6de7ef50765

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He thought to himself c7bec73b12 as he prepared to e0dcf47b55 close up shop.6a75935eb4bf1f0a

*ding*632d53fe96cf3fb9

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The bell on the e0612220ea shop door rang.5f3e0c1e62449d0f

“I’m sorry, but we’re closed for the day-”fa12e6519e37ba9c

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Dias started to say to the customer entering when he noticed who the “guest” was.3246c2d92e428a69

The visitors behind aca45e68a6 his back were 9fb1bb5c96 not guests.db1a4dc06245103b

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It was a hunch he’d honed over the years, one he could tell without looking.dd2af48142982d52

“Are you Dias 822f7d4178 Hessen, father of 1ad15e2689 Vivian Hessen?”9a1e1647893bda21

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He recognized the f1dc3a48dc crest on their bdf1539052 arms.84b657c9d7254935

Imperial Knights.60d03e3c0a045e0a

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Dias’s eyes flickered with recognition.c374766bef0f60b3

‘Did they come here knowing Vivian’s identity?’740520266e8c7125

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He hid a nearby 040b136640 bread knife behind his 25797b573a back, a move that 193a2c15c6 was eerily deft.f726a183cf13e024

“What brings you 5a0ffc8ecf here?”6a051e65b106e0da

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Then a man 0569ddfe78 who appeared to d1bf82e004 be the leader d44eaadccd approached the counter 64a95017a9 where Dias was 80437d16ed standing.b8cb1227cce7a941

“My name is Curtis Rohan, an Imperial Knight. I’d like to see your daughter for a moment. Is she home?”10f7ae17a27ac314

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As Vivian’s name came out of the knight’s mouth, Dias’s eyes narrowed behind his glasses.8b8ae21fbdd341a3

At the e789e0f80b same time, f9d02fd8a4 his grip 3d45f6b81e on the feab16010d knife tightened, 2a2e6872ef and the 23f368c929 veins on 9a783fb763 the back 5aa4a27864 of his 14263608c6 hand stood 5078e0da18 out.2a8521e506e7c59c

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“Why does e103e4857e the imperial 48f52afa02 family seek eeffe66f8e my daughter?”f6431f891e77fc87

“I hear your daughter is a playmate of Princess Edelwein’s, and we’d like to ask her a few questions.”140059a75f73da55

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Fortunately, their target seemed cda4d9544c to be Princess Edelwein, 4cefe703d2 not Vivian.8e9f73ffd8aa4b66

But even if it had nothing to do with Vivian, he didn’t want to reveal her to the imperial knights.292e4c839f9a8372

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He didn’t want to create the possibility that they might realize her identity.da5a2ed6ddff0500

‘It’s a good thing Vivian isn’t here right now.’f4d3c71d833c8932

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He hurried to chase 4e074e4379 them away before Vivian 4d3c4f9b9f returned.2d62692a6e6ab607

“I’m sorry, but Vivian isn’t home right now-”86f50297241d40af

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But just 87e371b9f6 as he f304393e01 was about 7bbbf04f6f to say 02e3073630 that, the 2b8324a0af bell on 093b1faac1 the door 03d0866048 rang and be08d91161 Vivian burst fa28b1c37a in.401cfd6bf74cdb12

“I’m home!”b828c3c07f8a2828

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* * *fff05ad3fd29db5b

I walked 0489fc08e0 in with c05874fd51 a flourish 5cbce97bb1 and stopped 76afc1484c dead in 4298d99d9e my tracks.a8f28a5bbc6439ef

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‘What the heck is 2b2c3813a4 going on?’702211c41e82a080

A bunch of older 4bb2aa2c6f men surrounded my dad!2f9f525076d054c4

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I didn’t know the details, but I instinctively realized that something serious was going on.732fefc6b5e7f1c8

While I 8ad66062af was still cca83203ab trying to 6a5943eaf7 figure out aa4220cb46 what was bda1f1c310 going on, f26209efc5 I was 96b5eb8641 approached by dbe9d4f2bc a man e1eed7ae81 who looked 75ca781c93 like the ef07808799 boss.2fddf9d24c6ebd11

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“Are you Vivian?”2ffdbdd25f446417

His mouth was smiling, but I could tell it wasn’t real.a1738304d7757101

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You should be 702ae8e87d wary of anyone f502819584 who smiles like cf7f7b535e that!b828fd032276cf96

I stared at him cf8726b41d warily, ready to run 88b5af4d6d away and call for b2104489e1 help.3b292453ddbc5f97

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“Yes, who are a4d603e048 you?”b14909ed7a56bd0c

“We are the Imperial Knights, sent by the Emperor’s command.”c9075cacf343b12c

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Suddenly, I 01f2473512 noticed the cdb24f6084 embroidery on bb5427091c the left 6fb09c006c sleeve of 160a772fd4 his top.90dbba4619df0e14

‘That’s….’4d84113eec342673

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It was an 2d73d81a81 imperial coat of 4cdf8aa03f arms that my 90061f29bd father had once 6d6872da5b shown me.ad02d77c612f557b

“If you a1981790d7 see anyone 85111a72ab wearing clothing d4fe51fdc1 with this 6bff71f3f5 crest on a9ccf1f50c it, Vivi, a2e7f1d462 get as d53e8efb47 far away 69068b80da from them 76d95a0aca as you b3dcb4ad0a can.”bd3e47f44a49304b

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Dad told me 1b36bb7fab to avoid imperial e0d2c72926 knights and nobles 79d7a9586e as much as 246f2d19d0 possible.3520b3d9f6b37c4d

There are good nobles, he said, but the bad ones might take me away to punish me even if I didn’t do anything wrong.fb3a90633c3c1a81

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The closer you 311ec052f3 are to the 16f330e67a emperor, the greater a3dc39f932 the punishment.41b37570f0238b55

At the same 32959a6091 time, I remembered 43f0d0efcf the situation at ad47e9cec7 the villa earlier.bce19270e1ce76bd

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The duke and Rahel’s faces hardened at the mention of inspectors from the imperial palace.f705ae8c2929029e

‘They’re here to keep an eye on her.’1848c32ec5ecd359

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They’ve heard that I’m Rahel’s playmate, and they want to find out about Rahel through me.670d2cc08f4cc534

“I’d like to ask you a few questions, do you mind if we step outside for a minute?”3aebb1679050991d

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At that moment, my 63ba10b0fd dad, who pushed through 1777025d18 the crowd, wrapped his 8696f5e88c arms around me.d011ddda8ac3a432

“Let’s talk here.”275afe71699203b0

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The boss’s brow furrowed.d3f343a03c3cebce

“Ha. Do you really 93845ee94b think I, a c7bd4c6fc6 knight of the a88b7937c5 imperial family, would 0ddf1c74a8 kidnap a child?”b7a2dfd2bb23ef2e

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“You seem to be still single, but that’s how a parent feels. I ask for your understanding.”78a3c43c558f1cb6

“Hey. As a knight of 48bd39c49f His Majesty, my word 7138ec3387 is law. Going against 557b375a04 my word e7a10b6cd8 is tantamount 667db86a80 to treason.”6052de56c0bcb25c

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Despite the boss’s dire threats, my dad was understandably unwilling to let me go.12dbbec89083f1aa

I swallowed d6d97f05c2 hard as cbeaa05b05 I watched 9f78358d5d the tense dd42a4b5ca exchange between f623bf2293 them.6b36dc32f87f3879

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‘If they fight, my dad will definitely lose…’d986be2369b6b45f

My dad, he’s an incompetent fool who is fit but can’t fight!3c80153c63a3e3e3

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‘I have to protect him.’38935a5fb60f3ab0

I quickly a49d460150 interjected before e8887c4d39 the mood 379e166c47 turned more bf28f97b51 serious.947915417f4f2d04

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“W- What are 76f227b9c7 you talking about?”b0d11de629ffd03f

“I heard you’re the princess’s playmate. We thought we’d ask you about her.”c3f90c7e3ef4c7dc

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Predictably, the 604825156d men approached, c341b4b27e trying to 7be3f813c0 interrogate me.a70c9f6e105d3e34

‘But as Rahel’s friend, I can’t give information to the emperor’s people.’9877856c38cd32bd

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I looked at them e4f9c4aab3 and smiled wickedly.c0b33ca661567152

‘Looks like these guys aren’t even married yet.’e51177e25e9d1424

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I’ll show you how fast a conversation with a nine-year-old can go!387a8307bcaa6310