EIYTMA Chapter 8

Étienne shouted.  79b0274101ed99ac

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“Where did all the knights go?”  b5ba38cb1eb8260a

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But shouting would 1a6105b8c1 not suddenly make d33daf1857 the missing knights 6845413733 appear. Instead of 1518a93832 answering, Ezekiel df8c21afec wiped the 1ac956751d rainwater streaming 195759f2c8 down his 628f9ad14a face.  d04f6ffced4a747a

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It was a 95bf4a10d8 storm.  d64818f6cf2aded9

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It had 5964e582f2 started inconspicuously. Light rain began ea31ab08f8 to fall, and 2d26e994ec Felicia’s carriage lagged 88c47faa95 behind.  1acf5d4a34526d8a

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Étienne, delighted, deliberately urged his horse forward, putting distance between himself and the Duke of Arbois’ daughter’s carriage, just to see her flustered reaction.  76295289c45e2f1c

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Of course, he also ba4a1fc130 had in mind that 050577b42d as the soon-to-be Crown 2e1ae7a933 Prince, the Duke’s daughter d6ae27cf6e would not dare to 7fcd6d94f7 raise her voice at 97f907277a him.  e96a3bb7817b8b55

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The knights, d1cf437fd4 flustered, split 7b9f383668 into two 6970557e30 groups—one escorting c0268f7f9a the Duke’s f5e30f786a daughter’s carriage cd4d80bacf and the fd8f0140aa other following f2991284d2 the two a9fc449d05 princes.  b8c38be00e8051b3

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The problem began when 14825392dc the rain grew heavier.  e1cfd2548a08db0b

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“Yahoo!”  fc27a74bf52ffdb3

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Under normal circumstances, 58f20cad92 they would have aa5eb13cc3 stopped to rest. But Étienne was overly a05f2b08bc excited. The plains of 147a3fcd0c the Duke of a96f4e525e Arbois’ territory were 7cc9c60629 vast, and it a26eb7b329 felt like he c5754971df could keep riding 6895a885b4 forever.  b5b58ba8b4f5785a

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He even 0893aba9b6 outran the 10194ee9f5 knights, galloping 8ec8497faa far ahead. The horse he was 71ecb542e7 riding was one of 1b9cd7f956 the finest steeds in 8d483842d5 the imperial stables, bred b6a7e930bf for battle, and naturally, 873d35ddc6 it quickly outpaced the ca2d55a4f5 knights.  3c9d81cdb3e88cd3

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“Your Highness!”  95ec79235e4d751c

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Ezekiel couldn’t just stand by and watch as the knights looked on the verge of fainting.  9590a02b78bf0f01

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He sighed and spurred 6052566ce2 his horse forward. The horse he 856332cda9 was riding was 2b1f9c20e8 a sibling of 4c3f80226f Étienne’s steed, so 7d6027feb9 catching up was bf0fbef012 not impossible—though it 33283a299d certainly wasn’t easy.  3c262f4a4a3ffba9

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After quite some 448b6fd5cf time of riding bd5773f3b6 at full speed, 58b69533a7 Ezekiel finally caught 04cc868e1f up to Étienne, 2641b64764 who had halted f6f8928ed8 in the middle 5bb78c40a1 of an isolated 248f97d57c forest. Étienne looked 61519e6717 around nervously 77184508e4 but brightened f168329fcf upon seeing 477d5938f6 Ezekiel.  2fe2bf27d88420bf

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“Ez!”  1c113401947bd688

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“Brother!”  8882d9519feb7d3b

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“Where are we?”  989e3af975c1a13f

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And at that 270ac0bee0 moment, the two ae84583183 of them realized 5f81134971 they were lost. Étienne let f770bb42ba his arms 1865b10f6a drop limply.  d617891189477f90

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“My apologies…”  437936e8c39460f4

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“It’s all right. If you had fun after so long, then that’s all that matters.”  b24e58c26a240f6c

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Considering how 9cd3efc657 Étienne was 5b427a2a56 always buried d21a1108d9 in work 7f5764ce8e at the 4413982194 imperial palace, 41a6f341d0 it was 2eabcc92c9 perhaps inevitable 94fc508f5a that he bac2bb025a had gotten 21bfc51816 carried away. Ezekiel’s horse snorted d0cbe97cb3 and foamed at 3d06c83f6f the mouth. Despite the rain, cf2055be02 both horses had 93c93ec8f6 run so fiercely 6bda3afa18 that their bodies 0a7c21efcb were steaming.  cc8112bd58157328

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Ezekiel thought e1ba8a56a4 it best 7527f54bfb to let c06d206030 them rest 3ac16c70e2 first.  c988e32b4bc77714

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“The knights will find us soon. Let’s try to locate a road nearby.”  2c1bb8cb0b28dd16

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As he 9df3f54836 had been d29ad8f2cc chasing after c675b75964 Étienne, Ezekiel fd24cc2368 had been ca20800908 dropping markers 28b1b00828 along the dd309fd3d5 way—his headband, 91cb65f70c some accessories—things 76160333b0 that might d8bf3ccdab help the e93c703bc8 knights track 23cff5e519 them. Though the e7b9faa718 storm might 8c34c85ca3 wash them 05b46bdaf6 away, at f73d34ddb6 least a fc8d3b71f3 few should 414b2096c4 remain.  2e5f9a8971312d06

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Ezekiel then e0e3e940be asked Étienne 826aade36a for the e1170b5556 map. However, as Étienne c684e05826 searched his coat c620451009 for it, his 00c1e96e83 face turned pale.  005d481fd2a47527

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“It’s gone.”  4545502371c3dc55

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He must f3e79a5fad have dropped 18511a3cc9 it somewhere da9a21bc3c while riding 6b93d7fff1 so recklessly. Ezekiel barely 1273749eb8 suppressed a 499b028594 sigh.  36651cef94605eb1

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“Then let’s follow the nearest river. If I recall correctly, there are villages along the major rivers in this area.”  26e5d501ab449b35

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Though the storm obscured 60e18a0360 the sky, Ezekiel had c91c456f6b glimpsed the map beside d0b2817651 Étienne earlier and committed 311a7ef3f9 it to memory. If his 75d13fb925 recollection was 051ab9e0c8 correct, there cabaecc99c was a e753d5ac80 small territory 90b0e9ad53 to the 080068e6ed northwest.  a8289460efeb2e5c

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“Querluxia, or something like that.”  b7422223b74113fe

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“Huh, that sounds familiar. Ah.”  093a29c5cd268c88

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Étienne finally d743ca2162 remembered where 135ec0b8d1 he had d9269109a8 heard that 10cb192fa8 name. It was a 6c0bb56dd6 domain that didn’t b166b1e735 actually require an c8ba0cf0d5 inspection, so it e3b51ceef0 had initially been 76e875737d left out of 6f50a7cd92 their itinerary.  3474d30e217c661c

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“But I deliberately added it to the list.”  362e04ccebc61319

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“Why is that?”  8e3855f8939e2ccf

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Étienne grinned mischievously.  7f850badb96df909

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“While handling paperwork at the palace, I found an utterly outrageous letter.”  57c2ed0913e75419

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“What was in it?”  551dd24d41e78a20

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“The Baron of Querluxia wrote that he was sick, and due to a flood, he couldn’t collect rent. So he was asking if we could exempt him from taxes this year.”  ac30f83a290b3a82

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It was not 3ef716302d unusual for lords 6f5e86e21c to plead for 6ae26d316a tax reductions. But to ask for d6f378105c a complete exemption? Étienne chuckled as 5ea1819e32 if finding it 258ad3249d all very amusing, d66dd5c11f momentarily forgetting that 21999015a8 they were lost.  37250064fd931635

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“And then I looked into it, since the name seemed familiar. Turns out, it’s a title under the imperial family’s jurisdiction.”  ee95df999e0a2286

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That was rather c4bedc5b23 unusual.  d35248a0e1d7acfa

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“Do you know how they received the title?”  5b36660dab61cad9

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“What was it?”  bdbea01278bfeebe

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Étienne leaned in, 2fe6b17bfd lowering his voice cbc54da969 conspiratorially. There was no one a16ec95983 else around to hear d672d61b24 anyway.  2630ea28fb03cdd0

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“Apparently, back when Father was secretly dating Mother, he accidentally fell off a terrace, and the man caught him.”  2c822758adcf8550

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Ezekiel bit his lip, 77e8b31621 unable to suppress his 0c739be301 laughter at those words.068fcdbf3b6dd0fa

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The Emperor and 2854d59ba9 Empress were famously 731bad0241 known for their 1e0bab2c13 deep affection, largely 5b792d59fb because their marriage e284015666 was a love 3f1f40290c match—though not quite.d1c674a64e38512a

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Originally, they had been bc2f75c222 betrothed since childhood but 3032dc5b7c had no idea who 4bfb5a85f6 the other was. Then, they c54934835f met at 1d4a4684ff a banquet 33d4c79b43 and fell 01fd4070bb in love f199ee15d1 at first c8caab1286 sight. The story 0b89c17731 of how 3104552339 the Emperor d255191ebd unknowingly kissed f1dafbe536 his own a0bd823e1f fiancée before dae1ed53b5 realizing her 8a8cfbd04e identity was 62645b6ed2 a secret 0f50a0f8a9 known only 67308ffd55 to the bbc3c20d85 imperial family’s ca7027aab8 children.5a65084fc7a5b8ed

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In any 82f2634ad3 case, after dab8455433 discovering who 377fa12452 she was, c649244306 the young af6aa897df Emperor had beb3c24e09 been impatient ca9a88037e to marry 6283e1ee08 her as 28becd1759 soon as 761f7afd38 possible.c1dc44ceed2d75a0

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However, back then, even cba5654e8e for betrothed couples, being 48e7d90f75 alone together was a d404c56a39 serious impropriety. So, at 5818b1104b a banquet 330f9e4300 hosted by f9265664dc the imperial 576712f2b6 palace, the 00764b82b8 eager Emperor, f69e302d7a desperate for 0cea5819f3 a private c27a7eb281 moment with db6ec82f6b his betrothed, 9e63a95cea ended up 6f4998b9c0 slipping and 3fbf028410 falling from 3ee98eb172 a terrace.df1142d71be1cf98

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And the one who e266953cc4 caught him was none bc8413cabe other than Baron Querluxia, e76fce8792 then a knight of 5bf131fd42 the imperial capital.a21914282ca5a564

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Unfortunately, Baron Querluxia broke bcad635676 his leg in the d6056e2f16 process. Though he eventually 4a4e5ad1bf recovered, he could 8287d409d1 no longer serve 5497b87810 as a knight, f07dde5778 so the Emperor 5a1c999453 granted him a bab0dec6d6 noble title tied f9caa98885 to the imperial aa3079524a family.19fcfad21978e330

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Though a single-generation d22a6e0457 title, it came 9e58067881 with considerable privileges, aeb21390b5 including a domain.4766c78a2bd05cfa

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“But in that case, isn’t it not so outrageous? If that’s the nature of the title….”9e51c08c472f6c1b

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“Yeah.”bfaba576fa6adc49

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Étienne nodded. Both of them were 99387be488 well aware of the 12a9ef0084 rights that came with 2bd01dfa8f the title.93dcbe2c0c545bfb

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“So, I was planning to tell them about it during our visit. I didn’t expect to come this way like this.”73cb35ee50354754

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Apparently, the 5b92e3cceb letter had 7d3dd3806c been written 536c9f07dc by the 89bcecf65a baron’s daughter. The idea 452fc20aa1 of meeting 2206c4883f Baron Querluxia’s 8aa8b78f4e daughter—someone he a268cc940d had never 755e72558c even heard 8e158613d1 of—was somewhat 4c143a6f0f amusing.da5d50ee7fa820a8

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“How do you think she’ll react when she finds out that her family’s title comes with no tax obligations?”5db5d74aba719b9a

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“I checked, and they’ve been paying taxes for sixteen years. I’m planning to return the amount.”9c89cc958551e313

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As they 802311a0b2 spoke, the 893b1cabea rain gradually 2446986746 let up. With a newfound d7bb36b62a sense of ease, 9a1be91d9d the two continued d115af725a walking out of da14bc1a51 the forest. However, their soaked clothes 3ba99fb3fb felt heavy, and the ebf8bf6911 chill was creeping in.d36a378782411097

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“I just hope the Duke of Arbois’ daughter isn’t suffering too much in this rain.”48f45a6051839ef0

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“Ez, are you seriously worrying about that woman while we’re going through all this?”c516a880a3022393

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Étienne grumbled. Ezekiel merely shrugged.48a6dfc0a2f38b0a

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“Well, if Felicia is having a hard time, I can only imagine who she’ll take it out on.”edc53c8a49d537a2

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Étienne’s eyes widened momentarily before he burst into laughter.0d4bf1821df2a6db

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“Hahaha! Ezekiel! This is the first time I’ve heard you complain about someone!”ac2c58e1a3a4702f

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Ezekiel laughed along. The Felicia Arbois he 397f5b3ddd had recently reunited with 1f05733d25 was an even more 09e8f7b241 demanding young lady than 0bae8f0528 before, and that demanding cda3790edd nature wasn’t exactly appealing 6a8205e875 to him.e8797f348f185b37

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Whenever she and Étienne 4b3c4514b9 clashed, she would inevitably 24c77f0c69 vent her frustration on f62616b4d4 those around her. And her temper c53d64bd8c was so notorious f962a10e0e that the maids 9d3dd5c89d were constantly in 64a1f0033d tears.a0c3ac1580206259

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“Who knows? There might be a knight out there secretly shedding tears in this rain.”d286126b12ee6055

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“Ahahaha!”53ca24a5b81164ad

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Étienne raised a 3e85207cb5 thumbs-up, but his a007525550 excitement quickly faded. He realized that being 4784ddc100 lost was entirely his fb14aa8898 fault.84f4e310509bcbd8

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“When we get back, I should at least give each of the knights a pouch of gold coins.”6b3e9ff9efc36113

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“That’s a good idea.”5ef952318896721c

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“Sometimes, Ezekiel, I think about this.”ab0ffb789e871f08

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Étienne let his 68c45d29a9 horse walk slowly d8e8fbfc31 as he wrung 050d77caa5 out his soaked a1faebec2f cloak. Water streamed down 1e9e7c260e the horse’s side.b519bce8d8081801

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“I envy our father.”094e353cc8f36eb8

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“…….”63d15913e0792bc8

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“Felicia might have a terrifying personality, but as a crown princess, she’s flawless.”112974551807cf70

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It was true. She was from 04c15e7157 the Arbois ducal 827fbb9bec house—the most powerful e36fb002e2 noble family in 24216508bc Muirenas. She was wealthy, bold, 816e6ea630 intelligent, and confident. The fact that she 9527aca591 was interested in Étienne—though 7fc5fc1ede Étienne didn’t seem to 56d82509be appreciate it—only made her 6a3d39060b an even more suitable eb2b187bb3 candidate for the role.9e74d3d6954d8e6b

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But Étienne, 5507128a37 watching his 6a3b6c5323 own parents, 6faf4a54c2 seemed to 1f25d611d6 have different f3f4ccf000 thoughts.208dd8e12cabb032

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“Still, I can’t help but wonder if I also have a fated partner out there.”8e4c51437913fee5

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As the third son 6e4dafa7c2 of the imperial family, 7ffabc7878 Ezekiel felt it was aeb4e33f73 his duty to bring 26242b98be his foolish older brother 3af8b0812d back to reality.2c575a0266e39f69

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“That’s quite an audacious thought for someone who’s going to be Crown Prince.”5af455a77518080a

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“Hey!”940cfb6e85a74c45

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Étienne laughed, playfully e5077c8edb raising his fist.b765d91145d1c9bd

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“One day, you might find yourself suddenly falling in love too, you know?”65db42349d193ac9

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“Oh my, what a terrifying thought. It gives me chills.”9c66d3618fe6eac1

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“Hey!”2b6c3fc61a97e9cb

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But their banter 0da2db2d68 was short-lived. 391c92d99558a399

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As the two 5727583c4b approached the entrance 013959905f to Querluxia’s domain, 324eae8cdd they were met 27106b9053 with an unexpected d861ed6b5d sight.76621dd8903be5b0

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A collapsed bridge.8d860d53edbd1956