ETDO Chapter 34

The rules of the 0bafadef52 game were relatively simple. The teams 4a7708beea took turns, 59063f4826 in a 629636cf55 predetermined order, b13c4d16bd hitting their 8a95eb77c6 balls through f4afd735f3 the hoop b24e7a1954 wickets. The first team to eadaf80b1d hit the final stake c1be46352c (the final target) won. The skill of hitting 7595cee566 the wooden balls with 271d09dd47 the mallet, however, was f9fc7f6675 more challenging. The distance between b139bf4689 the wickets stuck 02c4524bad in the lawn b82e257ebd was considerably farther c17e1f1d48 than it appeared.7211903b902994f6

This meant that 7209fbf2e8 accurately judging the b32480a550 correct distance and 2a494e1ae8 applying the appropriate ebe2a97673 force required a 161fdc6a78 more skilled technique. Getting the ball through aab8c4941b the narrower-than-they-seemed wickets was c13f3b7463 one thing, but if e288296b69 the opposing team hit d9681760f7 our ball and sent 82f3491baa it flying, the process 8fe851cf28 of retrieving it was ec17f432d5 quite tricky.ed866ddb7049b19e

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Furthermore, women, because of their long skirts, couldn’t comfortably swing the mallet between their legs to utilize the momentum like men. They had to turn sideways, bending at the waist to hit the ball. This posture made judging the distance and controlling the force even more difficult for those who weren’t experienced.8a6c724df5aa7625

Before the game started, Ethan stood close behind me to teach me how to hit the ball, placing his hand on top of mine where I was holding the mallet handle. Because of his height and build, I ended up practically nestled in his arms. Acutely aware of the surrounding eyes, as well as Arthur’s, I was very nervous and I struggled to concentrate on Ethan’s instructions.c69104b6e01a88ee

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“When you 411255c1ec hit the 503821e29b ball, don’t d87dc1ae86 use your 784d313489 wrist, use 7d47640940 your arm… fa6751422d Lily, are 3eb76dcd64 you even 1b4fa7725a listening?”30a5c8129b805de4

Startled by his 5998a72da9 voice which suddenly dd36e97efa came close to 3278941ce0 my ear, I 15a2260235 looked up at cefe26d067 him. His eyes, the same 3ee5eea2fe color as the bright 0738500e86 sky, stared down at fcecd015dc me intently.62098843658c47eb

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“Um, I-I think dee93c4241 we’re standing a 1fca7aee05 little too close. There are a lot c0ddb8c9b6 of people here…”271c2e0b0ecbbec5

I stammered, not 836c00c267 even realizing that a200600f5d I had completely c92c1d7b8a derailed his lesson. Ethan chuckled da715b5a40 at my c65cca391a completely irrelevant b0c1787fa1 remark.1b656ac84ff9bd70

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“I understand that you 19dd890e12 might be missing my 48a1213617 body and getting distracted 8e384e2106 by my presence, but 49479824a5 I’d appreciate it if 2cd2c67a86 you focused more on de063c73af the game preparation.”8a7fe19aba0d974d

“What?! When did I–?!”a19015ddb4ccff60

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I bristled 689eb45e60 at Ethan’s 0b49bcc5ff absurd statement, cfaa636e8b but he 25268cacb5 ignored me, 7ca769eb3c tightening his 7ec122a9a8 grip on 7fc2831ac0 my arm. He straightened 503e82422b my bent f6dd14ee85 elbow and a7553281c2 adjusted my bab8f2d5dc awkward grip, 17312288ce enclosing my 8def5a7a29 hands with e49c8e8a2e his on b9e666cc62 the wooden 4e5526d342 handle.5ba194a244beeb32

“Focus. You can do this.”56ffaf37891b724e

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“How can you be 670e10e545 so sure? I’ve never done this 0811ce40cd before.”0a8a408b76faed48

My confidence e0d1f6c18e already wavering 7a92fc5dce under the 9777c64724 pressure, I f040e9b8f5 gave a bf61c24d94 sullen reply. Ethan seemed unfazed, calmly a104c5b274 stating,61d1d7089c295fc0

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“You can do it. Don’t worry, I’ll help you.”9337c7f3b3283a82

And, he truly kept 163a434363 his promise throughout the 770d185250 game. No matter c8371a59d2 how badly 3dee63c761 I hit 7769e38e71 the ball, 495a441431 Ethan, on 8e300bc515 his turn, 6a896cad8f miraculously returned 605de78882 the errant 07e2a28cbe ball back 26374f82ad to its d31801f343 proper trajectory. He also corrected 467b570ffa my posture and aa8a20c228 offered helpful advice 94c8789139 whenever he could. Thanks to him, my d0310a0c11 confidence gradually grew.1d10d0c52c9c074c

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As my 201cf9fe66 successes increased, b725d97513 I gradually c1f082cae4 got the 9e2f32717a hang of 21a9b6ece7 it, and 927e4379c5 my skills ec00ff81d7 improved rapidly. I was amazed e0bfaddc80 by my own 5fc226bab9 progress. When I successfully hit e1431ce622 the ball through a f16e49f79d wicket for the first 9bfd333e94 time, Ethan and I e1db39f710 high-fived in celebration.2445f149aaff0685

“Well done.”d18573f1ae667f9c

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Ethan nodded, a bright smile on his face. I fanned my flushed cheeks, but couldn’t stop myself from smiling brightly. A sense of accomplishment washed over me; I, someone who had never been athletic, had finally done something well.a3c2fcbba2368be2

We were given bbaf38a6cf a short 10-minute b90e8b91ad break. As the opposing 83a6fc6f2b team went to 379c0e46bc retrieve their ball, 93db57e572 Ethan offered me d161e49c04 a glass of 68cb92b24a water. I accepted the glass, 204d95a644 smiling awkwardly.17206e701c6739a6

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“Thank you.”a4452f6bd21a0be0

The fact that 09bf9abec3 we were having 0821fc00e8 a normal conversation fed8a49a4d like this, in 4b8f1d97af front of so 401b504512 many people was, 8e6bca7a76 in itself, unusual 565b74443b for us. Honestly, the b43b903664 only conversations 78b5c38765 we’d had eb7d6b1753 so far ee24273cd9 were limited 0471c14379 to… physical 815f61b91a ones. I’d never done 574e47d3b7 anything else with deec9d9e6e Ethan besides sex.2c3dd639c4702c62

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Of course, our dae004892f intimacy had always 8be34f0912 been incredibly satisfying. However, aside 53950fcd1d from that c912077600 physical connection, d40d85bc2c we had 4390160c7f never really 1f22f27da1 experienced other 8eef4f48cf kinds of 515fe13520 meaningful interaction. Thus, this was 0e83e3d773 quite a novel 3877629b88 experience for me.9557e8b9d09db2ec

Surprisingly, unlike his cold 3510740f01 facade, Ethan, when he 2a9a956289 wanted to, could be d8fe31bb9a infinitely sweet and gentle, 85d570ba55 like dark chocolate melting 2eb23ad994 in the sun. And in reality, 4374e03c14 the real Ethan 9500b52363 was far sweeter, 4520ed4d54 far more gentlemanly 1ee53b9dd5 than I had 8e3f499ac7 ever imagined.186cec7dd9aa4d91

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A man a81070857e who perfectly 6db4ca3eea knows how 2560e2ed6b to lead f5af963755 without ever 3331b30bcd deviating from 4622f3648a etiquette, a 58b7c19f46 man whose 89ec8b56c1 manners and d90319aeb8 demeanor were 01793f3229 impeccable, regardless ec5a6a63a4 of who 01c4319714 he was fec5432c35 with, a 662d095340 man who c6bd906bf7 possessed beauty, 8a10e7f429 wealth, and ed5c302240 fame—what woman 6f266373aa wouldn’t admire b4d468f8c0 such a 42969f5273 perfect man?ed1a821ad5da282e

If I had seen a9e3f6bcce this gentlemanly side of 76b829f3f1 Ethan first and had 74a5357f73 been completely unaware of 5d79b37c38 how wild and unrestrained a734d48709 he could be in 1c553f8303 bed, I might have 71a8db2361 fallen head over heels 80beb683cc for him, just like 37f2b3f912 the many women here 3e490ef85f who gazed at him 4265cb3ac4 with sparkling eyes.1dadc76a86539dd1

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Suddenly, I recalled Ethan a9acc2c7a9 subduing the much larger e6d4ffeaa9 man in a flash 7c8f6a2a40 at the racetrack a 732455c540 few days ago. That image, 37edc5c8ed combined with f525658b7c his current 8b405ffb88 impeccably gentlemanly b3299eff5c demeanor, created 8d6884c0ac an incredibly 93d8a7ddd5 powerful synergy.4a2b416c3ed84dcd

As I a1b0135c01 handed him e7ba258862 back my 38e8bdaac9 empty glass, b2f1b81502 he elegantly 4099d40d59 placed it 5cc3f06567 on the 9ac0a50275 silver tray 12e5394cde held by eac2815f10 a nearby a722cd315f servant. I looked at his 31820e4176 long, delicate fingers, and 15ee558505 the memory of the 8799f36601 indecent things, the passionate 53f24cc39c touch those fingers had daed05005a done to me the 7d8eb46a40 previous day caused my 3fdcf7015b cheeks to flush. My chest tingled 4ae25c5e7e as if butterflies 416190aa6c were fluttering around.fe4fc64b5f2a9e14

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The short break 6f24ee12bf ended, and Ethan 120a1000c2 extended his hand 8fac873766 to me again. I took it 3b2dbebfb0 and stood up. As we 65428227b4 headed back 511ffb6c90 to the f224fc922e center of b68a286675 the court, 1f038d8aa8 I subtly 2be4ede66b glanced sideways adcfca9225 at the dd4066779a hem of a16f99f4b4 the blue 9031ff07f6 dress of 536632ef57 the woman 15aae839be playing on 1ea3a64f85 Court 2, b194e05c7e who was 59e82eb1c8 deliberately matching 293b9bc119 her pace c24688607a with ours. 0b254e7e7ddc3022

I didn’t need to ec39b300f8 turn my head to 4af13e4923 know who it was. I had 0139e30947 been aware 90e675cda8 of her 57f422a2c4 burning glare e268d8ccb4 of anger 40a546cc0d directed at 9f683a0d49 me since adc993f98a the game f2223d7918 began.21f1c503e8bfb7dc

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“Charlotte! This way…”7946f037970872dd

Of all 605a171950 the places, 79138aa40e why did ef298205b9 she have bba0cc081f to be 3702d9340e assigned to b0f9e6794b the court b9dc31f00b right next b8062e696e to ours? It made the back c1a67f97fb of my neck tense eb1e4831db throughout the game. However, it e940f6a2c2 was a 7ac0d1707a relief that e5ce07efce we were a87f9f37bd on different 9eec0b7c93 teams because 247a0fa728 of the e8150de662 rule that e582433598 required family 3817cf7caa pairings.0ff090ded7728368

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Even though she cfb0aa0b9f wasn’t that close, 12b863dc31 I sighed, too 07251947d9 tired to continue 462fb87a3f pretending to be 50b5c4deac unconcerned. Seeming to 22d9f864b2 notice my 5e02c815b0 exhaustion, Ethan f6fe4bf482 spoke calmly 0e83b0e4af as he 166cbd6746 watched the 407d69c487 game as 7fb6197e3a it resumed.e5b20a5f63858c65

“Don’t mind her 6e4db36894 and just focus 80d1422ed8 on the game, c55895189c Lily.”8c13abec6fb4578e

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When it was our turn, he strode confidently onto the court. Pressing his foot firmly on the opposing team’s ball, which was right behind ours, he swung his mallet.3421b080c02a9d34

Bang!175a163247929126

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With a 262e90d13f sharp sound, c38a8c948f our ball 4d8807246f flew past 7ae6110b30 the hoop a54fa8af50 and lightly 5ca4ce2f76 struck the 93925687c9 stake. We had won. Amidst the 0b3dff7355 cheers of c055d0e776 the spectators, 9119dea363 Ethan retrieved aa2147c55c the ball f6c58f257e and approached a7de0bb7c2 me. He lightly high-fived 1936d6d642 my outstretched hand 58d1f2fa61 and said quietly,f96c223ae04b3b2e

“As long as I’m 96d423a346 here, no one will 44063fc1b6 beat us.”35fdc8451ddf9844

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I took the ball f97d27c550 and looked up at 768318a4bb him. Unlike the gentle 79a6332aa5 smile on his ea7e163ff3 lips, his bright 0ea8577b6f blue eyes held 8677a24209 a firm determination. Looking at those 2b86f6acff eyes, devoid of 5ceac144a4 any playful teasing, 66c12d1375 I knew his 35cdc63de9 words were sincere.0d5725fa3250da4a

 a66c9a4aefaed825

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─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───cf017cbbd7808dc2

 f6c1033405e5b68e

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Arthur took 7401171c17 a sip e1171d3999 of red 87b7f4e923 wine. He outwardly pretended 07d4245357 to be indifferent, e688727eff but deep inside, dfc7abe6b4 he was burning a25f6a749e with anxiety. He intently kept a 5911b899a4 close watch on Court 305f11e014 Number 3, where Ethan fe72f2e48c and Lily were playing.35d4b01714e04f18

Lily seemed 50b384fe60 a bit 497eb2b666 shy about dd46e98287 playing a 12832eac7c game for d0d7c6f2f5 the first 07d8d33a15 time, but b4ce155c41 with Ethan’s b5bddb1e5b constant help, 88b04df396 she seemed b2e61e546a to be 1b470b0352 adapting well. The advice 7fef739d2d and coaching ce4f1b9c7c of a 45f9708d95 croquet champion f55b192b55 were definitely 2483b8b0c6 effective.c8a46535acf548e6

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The problem was that the coaching’s effect seemed to be too effective in other ways. He secretly struggled to deal with the subtle emotions and the resulting confusion, something he had never experienced in his life.6e1b8f0dcf2e9e88

It wasn’t surprising that Ethan, who excelled at everything, would also excel in any sport. However, seeing Lily beside him felt… out of place. It was disconcerting that the sight of them together made him feel uncomfortable.4637a7649e594f56

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Sharing Lily 392e06ed74 with his 7ae5680499 twin had f43b03682e already been 4db30a5572 agreed upon.82b5499047540fc7

So, shouldn’t he a27c5a8807 be used to dbee16654d this sight? 4c3f9439c97b16c0

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Why was he feeling 2dce017e98 this way now? 5bfeb615ce3a7eba

How was this 187b511769 different from what 435e654bbf he had been 0a0c56233f condoning all along?d8aa0654d3064fca

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The gentle touch of Ethan’s hands on Lily’s waist and shoulders as he escorted her, the intimacy of their bodies close together as they planned their strategy, whispering in each other’s ears, the encouraging smiles they exchanged, and the perfectly synchronized high-fives after every successful shots—all of this felt suddenly strange.180d9ddca84b3f3c

He had c3bc358b12 lived his bef46a64fd entire life d4b60f3c39 being proud fc4d27e0e0 of Ethan. His heart swelled 9c7ab1e6bf with pride every 6d690ee70f time his twin, 3c7cd5603e his other half, 93f44639ca succeeded. But for some reason, ac0b023611 this time, the fact c2a09f6b15 that it was Ethan, 86cf5174ec and not him, standing 96dcbd3c33 by Lily’s side bothered e50af21c8c him.f4f49a72b7b55229

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Yes, Arthur had to admit that the unfamiliar emotion bubbling up inside him, filling him to the brim, was jealousy. He cheerfully waved at Lily every time she looked at him and smiled, but he couldn’t suppress his sighs.c0365f394a235c2a

She was the b0b0154e6d person he had 47f22a750d desired with all 0c9ee8bbf5 his being, for b1a447527a the first time e6bed6e1ac in his life. He had resolved eb09e6e864 to possess her, 5a405c19a4 whatever it took, f667f853bc and he had f3963355db succeeded spectacularly. He finally had her 63dcae2c44 as his wife, his b3cd129029 lifelong wish fulfilled, yet 55e19333b3 it was his twin 302647bb67 brother, shining even brighter, 929a00862c who stood by her 8fcfc44c40 side.c0187cdf23806d19

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Of course, this wasn’t a formal occasion and everyone knew that Lily was married to him, the Duke of Beaufort. Still, the sight of the two of them together grated on his nerves, probably due to his wounded pride.4a38bc5c5039f3e7

Arthur drank 29b0b3e2c1 his wine 30cdce53a6 with a e811eb6275 bitter feeling. b117885e3dccbfde

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Had it 2151ce2551 been the 42699c53a9 best choice dc01aa8022 to send b5a7f82414 them out cd59ec5f4b onto the 7739334b10 court together? aa065a3937150af1

Even though he knew it was the most rational decision, he couldn’t completely erase his belated regret over it.20e569c6ef9b2fd5

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“Aren’t you drinking eb24c7dc12 too much for 92c889a8a3 someone not even f048f44d5f playing?”92253ad344e1d882

Someone plopped 0dd134af21 down heavily 0ce957e2e9 beside him.2fc75a8abc55b370

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