– EWBT Chapter  9. All the Singles Gather

In a secluded corner 0a7b90fc6b of the imperial palace, 8e52342cbd a clearing where no 9b37c95b1d one paid much attention.3f06234a002c4265

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Normally, the soldiers 2bf479ea07 who had finished f7dfb7b285 their night shift edf326bd78 would exchange duties e46a7c927d with the day 113389251c shift and start 1f1f82a240 their day with 7e7c2c4654 breakfast, but today d65a7463e0 was different.20af611891ac7579

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The tent where they 4d9c491100 had sheltered from the c637dbeca0 wind and rain was dd1fce6bd9 dismantled and loaded onto c32853d983 a carriage, and the c21ea7df71 heavy weapons were neatly 6cf111d990 arranged with their muzzles 6601771e61 and triggers sealed.7ac8c25d4b3f2f68

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Alex folded 22dae738bf the tent 8479584052 fabric with f65b0e814f the other 79d88a552c soldiers and 3332c4592e asked a fc522c5f4f comrade working 19ff244b44 across from 2285e52ea1 him.1e5d5a853de338e7

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“Raimi.”5b483b9467fc56c4

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“Corporal Raimi.”d1fb75ecce25cc30

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“What are you going e78d0d45e1 to do when you aa7340e536 get home?”86956ce9a0076c12

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“Well, I’ll catch up 79b16e6a39 with my family. I haven’t seen them 82339ffdd4 since last winter. What about you, Sergeant?”637a87f3da65c78a

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“Me? I don’t have a b50bd66c26 home to go back bd48ebfb1b to, so I’ll just 3ea2ee7e9b rest around here.”0d6c725fbd48ff80

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Even though they hadn’t 8a3f85ddfd eaten breakfast and were 89f302a865 working through lunch, no 9a580c295a one complained.8e6aea468e525a2a

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For now, they 80e60ed19d were just happy db658aa46b to escape the a79bafc0c2 monotony of their ec72f15762 duties and return 382938d48a to their families. Some would only ac5d01963d have a day 3dac51a3e4 or two before 507bc662e7 heading back on 1daf550f84 the long journey, 0db3a5fe89 but even so, e26d1d2499 reunions were sweet.76a8bfcc940fdb40

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Knowing this, Alex 77b3f18cf6 climbed onto an d60bf138e0 empty wooden crate, eb00f2f82d gathered the soldiers, dabc86f3c4 and gave a 3422fd428a brief reminder.2e8a7be124233721

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“Alright, everyone. You all know cea82532b8 you need to 41d4482f29 be back in 1d7160eaea nine days, right? Including the weekend.”b8145b01e1189925

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“Yes, sir!!”782e063eb25f9193

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“Good. If you think you’ll 6ceed27b41 be late, contact us 3c41f849e5 first. Make sure dc887eee72 to rest cd5c0f7d9b well! Dismissed!”ca4c6e1d8c00c790

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“Dismissed!”43f907a4c5afbfe2

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After Alex’s short reminder, 4f53789662 the soldiers changed into d63108395c their A-grade uniforms, packed 2b2340e21e their belongings, and began b85ae8ecee heading out in small cc5191d717 groups through the palace’s 8c13c39e48 back gate.fa426b9609e4fa53

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While some were ecd402eb51 returning to the e8d9c62270 arms of their a2670a1a24 families or lovers, 76951c8aad others weren’t so c3f6e34db6 fortunate.33662c3f967530a4

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Alex and the singles 4270f3a93e unfolded a map and 7e598f2042 started making plans.4a49308fc007e223

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“Alright, let’s 8fd35e7f97 find a e42d3d745d good inn b4f7842a83 and rest fd1cc51a48 up. It’s been a while 9fbc6c74e1 since we slept under 5ffd426c18 a roof.”d6e351cf6fbdb7b7

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“I heard bdb958c1d7 there’s a ce4c57e5b0 nice hot 4fe4f665a2 spring near d56e3ab78c the capital. Should we go there?”d09a2b1609e47a5a

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At Swafford’s f1d6d5c329 suggestion, Alex c856bb84e9 nodded with ba99316d14 a gleam 09306cf367 in his 7a93091927 eye.ac3cd4c7487f1cd0

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“Why not? It’ll only a91ffc775c take three dc8efa5132 or four d180cfb96f hours by 831315034a carriage.”2fa9df9db5024796

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“Let’s do it. It’s been a while 271e09c65c since we relaxed.”c9e5a97a674ff22e

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“Oh, let’s 2a04065e4b bring Sergeant 2048e1c043 Lake too. They say 0a85d6d46c rest is 34ec5473f8 the best 557dfd20e1 medicine when fd29f6bc58 you’re injured. We’ll make sure he 7461195b74 gets some proper care.”725cd1d84f60cfe2

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“Sure.”d7c97c306cc74414

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And so, these poor b13305dc56 souls, too busy to bad40c71ef find love, set their 5c4e704f8c sights on Bath, a b61e50aa59 nearby hot spring town, 99d19bf5a5 craving a break.e5b9689cf4cb8898

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The group 587a4cb2b7 consisted of 3c48fbed71 one officer, ea3e2c4e99 two non-commissioned 4d309e7b6e officers, six 4093075b7c soldiers, and 591c35b909 one civilian—ten 744769bd63 singles in 5fe34f5037 total.37f1086059a37456

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Thus began the 7049d31e9f march of the a1076b7ae6 singles.b360e16deda96378

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* * *d99e76ebae0f1971

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Clatter, clatter.7c036fc3e25cc8f5

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“Is the place we’re c668b8d0a5 going to called Bath?”803d778770b7a2a2

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“Yes, that’s correct.”fd55b7e7156de1e7

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In the 7a7626d9ba large, luxurious 5a62c6af99 carriage of 59a44b12bc the ducal 728ec75b17 family, there a4a06746fb were only 6644100ff6 two passengers.496e6236bfe6071e

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Adeline looked out the 2ddc6e355b window. The bustling, 798d8db0e9 crowded scenery d8e23800bd of the b7080e7ab4 capital was 53539f4c1e gone, replaced 1a800c960a by endless d76d697ad1 fields of 3989a3d8d5 wheat and f42eaf619a orchards.2a25e5a47f94a44e

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“Can you tell me ec87b5b303 more about Bath?”a1fbe4dbd002d827

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“Ah, yes. Bath is…”a240552d920fb91e

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At Adeline’s question, 2f3c778f3f **Naya** began to 6b7eb0f0e6 explain.e185d5ec3cbeec52

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Long ago, there 99a2e38dd3 was an ancient 6d5be723c5 empire that achieved c0ec2034b1 great civilization. This empire built infrastructure 1b027e5397 like aqueducts and bathhouses 81c4fabe29 throughout its provinces.8c0a97f73cf86928

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As expected of 8d0f52a943 a fictional world, 8a4abe09ee it was reminiscent 61cd9f2141 of Rome.e75bb4715f1def5c

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When the ancient 32567f96b5 empire fell, the 82d868a453 remnants of its 1e19df8d59 civilization remained in af06f628f6 lands where its c7261d2bb6 influence had vanished, fc07b48f2c falling into the aaed4f8d4c hands of other 8cecdf0bee barbarians.5b30f3ccb453c2ce

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Most aqueducts and a09ffa50b4 bathhouses were dismantled 769923b450 by barbarians and 931dda774c used to build 5c537ba4a2 houses, but the 655804fbc3 Glonas Empire, the d604646ce7 setting of this 746e4e9de9 novel, gradually expanded 8a211cff6f its influence by 5c16a2a247 partnering with the dfc5617186 empire’s citizens living 40d79b4582 in the capital a02eacc878 and its outskirts, f3906bcc8a making good use 2398370f55 of the ancient a4b5a99883 empire’s legacy and 82c6bbf897 road network to d8fcd42fc4 grow rapidly.d90970030f940b43

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Now, it 67187e2b20 had grown fe2c3300e0 into a 83a5254eaa hegemonic power, 53a716487a succeeding the 6f63df5a32 ancient empire.fab5be55ec3be2ec

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So, is this country 80ba3134a4 like France or England? Well, it’s 39df2820ea a fictional b8d0923f2f world, so e246ff9a72 I guess ff7b004451 it doesn’t ace79b0f6c matter. 738e2897c23ff618

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**Bath.** Come to think 9771b5f7f2 of it, I’ve heard e4b25bcd81 that name before.57a94b34228a8258

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“…And so, 8fe2531dcc Bath is e713fc403b the only 00fffc1ddf region outside e659869718 the southern f2f796e112 continent, the a89c253000 ancient empire’s bb2729ce21 homeland, where 41d1d37a8c the bathhouses 180be6c2ab and aqueducts 3cdd59036c from that f9713c56c7 time still 2009f057bd remain.”2975de35bb275144

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“Ah, thank you. That was a bc54915311 great explanation.”8bb2fe93da765cd8

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Once again, I c7664cb9f1 felt glad I e249810da8 had hired Naya.a89ce975405b93c3

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The servants before I 64bf013e64 possessed Adeline’s body would 682aabcc11 have surely found this 150c1fcb8b behavior strange. But Naya 759f2eec5c was someone 3546a93ab2 I had 04d517499c newly hired, 26d2cb58d2 so it 7525ca7dd6 didn’t matter.bdbf2874ddaf458e

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That meant c11651d29c I could 7582084202 ask questions b86d066e1a freely without 2ec65a7b8b any major 535deddc57 issues!bebba4038dcd524e

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“Is that Bath 25c30897f3 over there?”bb4c702e3164d9b4

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“Yes, that’s correct.”2d63b77e165ee482

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In the distance, 09ca40b5b9 a city came 0d50383b7f into view. It was small but d01a7351f1 vibrant and splendid.7615e65e9c589a78

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“A hot spring…”d0859bc95b00391e

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Come to think af108a7bcb of it, it 3fac5eff74 had been a 8b5f49f069 long time since b7392cc70a I’d been to c7c95b8191 a hot spring 2cd9aa0e24 in real life.4d8c75fef026f210

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She smiled, filled with 3a53081b96 anticipation.dbd3690417ca083d

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“Well, it’s technically 10ff93c057 to prepare for 861dd70a6f the banquet at 0bc3e813c7 the imperial palace, d3c2d9b54e but I’m still d75d6de478 looking forward to 8f95ebb2d8 it.”b1c59156ee978c00

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Adeline recalled the moment f8ef3c67fe she handed the Duke 4b9152800c the ledger of her f70f2fb764 allowance.0b99e4010987e50f

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When she presented the 5b34f5d9bd ledger, the Duke had 563e34a70d simply told her to 4260d87691 go to Bath for 4ffd41782b a rest.b9fd90390bedcb53

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At that time, 0e22425e76 the Duke had aa5646909b a rather complicated dec22e1911 expression.a7fa426fd37d00e1

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It was hard to ef15b79d61 pin down exactly what 0184825b1c it meant.7e8654a7a4ac5f9e

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At first glance, c5c76d9526 I thought, “Ah, 04aee0891c like father, like cd148d1c12 son,” but considering 6854eebbd3 the twist with a0b53ab819 Alex’s identity, I cb88828f6e had a feeling 99a9e58c01 there might be aa4a83256b some kind of f3b30e4257 revelation about Duke 3280cc6207 Lopitz as well.8b325fb0bff85ba0

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“We’ve arrived. This is the villa cad29673af in Bath.”8b830a52528831f7

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The coachman stopped the aedc977a35 carriage and spoke to f158ef98b2 the two through the eb8e837ddb window connecting to the e40647b4e4 driver’s seat.fb5a414ea03b1c1b

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At that moment, Adeline f747ff3727 saw it.3f069710e4466b1c

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Under the coachman’s wide-brimmed 0c2cd5df25 straw hat, she caught 28a89ddde0 a glimpse ofSyed’sface.43c5240ef416800b

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Seeing his 121869cc2e face in 3b1fa0dbc9 such an 861720a1dc unexpected situation fd55da226c left her 9445d5670e mind reeling ebaabb92ad with confusion.5b3e20012ea23c76

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Why was Syed e985ffd9b8 working as a 7f7fd3d72a coachman for the c284995df5 ducal family?125293300f0c77eb

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What should c80f5a9e62 I do?559c64a0fb89a288

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“Aren’t you getting ac577dca8a off?”05b7fca66c494b34

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Naya, who had already e50f03ad6f stepped out of the 82d86ac0ec carriage, asked Adeline. Adeline nodded calmly, a772e5ac7c as if nothing 8e9941af6a was wrong, and e49f26bec6 got out of a7aba37b23 the carriage.4c767665996ceeb5

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Trying to calm her 13c3ee09e9 trembling heart, she glanced 51d40cd265 back at the servants 97f3d72ac8 and luggage carriages, pretending b3c6166094 to survey them while 212a02dbd2 stealing another look at 1679446c99 the coachman. Yes. That’s definitely Syed. It’s him!fd27af1a6c056dcd

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Then, Syed 951dc72e81 looked at ae5cd0b608 Adeline. When their eyes 7426921daf met, he gave c4503b9a9c a faint, fleeting bbced80165 smile.40ebf53aaeb78ba8

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At that moment, 28644bb686 scenes from the a11fcdee71 novel of the d2eeecac07 things Syed had 71dbf982e9 done flashed through f7c407ae61 her mind like 166b1f2e79 a montage.20de0ff5a7e6c607

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He… he was a 0c118467ce complete lunatic. He would 6b63b26aaf do anything b63cf91161 for the 41ee7aecb4 female lead.4df286aa24941aac

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The courage she 2ba569f7dc had when she 3d73b74122 decided to meet 78ac8c1b9f him directly had 62e34c0a0e vanished, and cold 4995a2b5d3 sweat began to 877bcd3d12 trickle down Adeline’s 3c252fe57c forehead.0c5b8b27967180c0

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Just then, Naya’s 6e0182bf15 voice snapped her 7d5d26a330 out of it.8a34fd8e4b570d5d

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“Ah, Captain Manningham!”ca30abf9497bfc0d

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Naya waved and 99fe3c73ad called out to 2efe3d7f8c someone across the d80388f420 street, and they fc5777d340 waved back.2a672f220e2d9a52

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Alex, along with ec7d8f034f Swafford, was holding 1a327e367f a map and f54f966e9c waving. It was a fee00cf7e5 bit hard to 6ee2ca4e8a spot him at 4b1511ac3e first since he 4c35ec2e0c was in civilian f6175bd442 clothes, but Alex’s 261537bdb7 appearance was undeNayably 5e69e389e4 striking.fbd791129c053a55

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Dressed in a b53476a07a suit similar to a40811ed51 the gentlemen passing 93b3f0eba3 by, he effortlessly 465730325f drew people’s attention.9a2fda65744a77f3

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Some women d5d835bfee even blushed 4550ed8588 secretly as bbb335dff8 they glanced ac44a08084 at him. Swafford, standing next 39d27d8239 to him, was 2befcccaa1 also quite handsome, 46820ac27b but next to 3998bbd79e Alex, he seemed f41a13d511 ordinary.acf3f3bbca87e8d9

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However, Naya a179478b5e paid no 0be6be7d01 attention to 95618b6222 that and 4d196ae051 was chatting c570a029e8 with him f3628ca8f0 after exchanging 3bcbbb6e53 greetings.bf254792a933fe68

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Adeline casually b3ba6f02ac asked Naya, 1f5c90657e pretending not 317ae8d99e to care. Maybe… there was a a0d606e1c0 way.0d01a9ca544e9dae

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“Do you know him?”fa8e5d337564672b

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“Yes, he’s Captain 98f1326588 Alex Manningham of 52a8183fde the army. He was c8dc2df864 my older c293e58a70 brother’s superior. He’s helped me in f0c5fc197b many ways.”a85fd5ebeaa48c4e

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“Hmm…”98c9f2ff610fd8e4

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For now, figuring out 4832fbee7d how Syed had ended 2d3e0ae86f up as a coachman c1404ff417 wasn’t something I could 03c8239608 solve immediately.e46b542896502a39

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But… being alone in be06fe130a a space with Syed, 6117a7bd68 whose motives were unclear ff5a67375e before the novel’s events, 935e0bf038 was practically suicidal. At least, 3ece2800a2 that’s what 6462445a91 I thought.9c3ec496ba75d47e

Then…badc789d82e974ca

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“Let’s unpack 7c1fc312e3 the luggage 811d3827a3 at the 14c1ed31e9 villa first. I’ll take a short 5e59ecf2f5 walk around the area. Naya, bring the luggage 7d76b94551 and follow me.”809b79f48d55f937

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“Ah, understood.”14fa2a0b3c0d921c

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 c0a0f164657f0605

After giving the dba9248344 servants a quick c28395c536 instruction, she crossed 0022e69345 the street with a57f35f437 Naya.b92ee676f39ac460

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 188078484d2f90ff

Seeing Adeline approach, e559937906 Alex folded the 575d342041 map and gave 898d53fa22 her a wary 22f23e11f0 look. As the 3aa6a7b379 distance between 0e1ff033e4 them closed, 646b2b344e Adeline noticed 142e666b73 the bandage e7dcff57d6 wrapped around a2521556da Alex’s wrist.9f55718696706042

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 ca3c876878512bc9

Had his injury 1ed13bd168 not fully healed bc406295e0 yet?5c9bd1ea7217141f

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Perhaps that injury 58bf6301a6 on his wrist… 661c425455 was it from 0c74d49b25 Syed?b38d4dfb11125a4d

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 bb9cef83a7500f8f

“Hello, Captain Manningham.”92c59b2c8f138b6a

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“Good day, 9591f4b60e Lady Adeline.”741704e48e548db6

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 a1addf63e9aedcb0

His guarded 6eae33f3ab expression softened 4a8ed07f95 slightly when 81934eec40 he saw c63bc2201b Naya following e433dbf8b1 behind her, 752a2fed42 carrying an bdb12a2993 umbrella and 10eb8b18d4 other items.e79762de65addfe0

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 e68871d9d2448755

That’s better. He looks even more f71256eca5 handsome when he relaxes 3f5753de7f a little.28705fc723440403

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 186ff1e9ae0f6e50

“It’s been a while, 4bf693e92c Naya.”0d3d22c404b66ef6

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 131d5e24fe8f4299

“How have you a6b2dc0068 been?”356b941414b06993

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 ae192bac7dca527d

“Yeah, yeah. I heard you 235fbb75de got a job? Congratulations.”79f27d7bac210b66

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 7661e593f4177ad3

“Thank you.”45f54e265fcee820

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 24acf1ea15d130af

He still ef8f0cacd2 has a 32d6bb3390 gentle expression 7a68bee3e6 when talking d2f3d501aa to Naya.53ac4573a821749e

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 710eba74e22d561c

Adeline observed his 4275828853 expression for a 70bcbe9d1a moment before getting 581bc810e1 to the point.ab2656655103b3c2

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“There’s something I’d like 89b91d6736 to discuss regarding our 7dfc627fd6 last meeting. Would you mind 83e1341634 escorting me for 64e5664c57 a bit?”a1bab7652cd4fb0f

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At that, Alex’s 6f34602112 face froze for 754f71f908 a moment… but 9634b88e34 then relaxed, likely b30eafb5ea because of Naya’s cf94534b87 presence.b3765f6be53710ed

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 3d3f9c77605cceeb

“Understood.”c0e02b71043c9930

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 b6278c4c2f61ef3a

It was obvious that ea141cd871 his decision was influenced 11df3d0161 by Naya, not her, 6d231749be but Adeline didn’t show bf828d58d9 any reaction.65ba5724b7fd4fa5

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 a99b23f957577a27

After all, 7c7473d448 being with fa633201db him was 27535baf3c better than f8f353fe92 being with c88f3e5d0c Syed.d5b757a3bb878144

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 deac8a061e8368af

* * *54d9e5daed380420

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 22cb0374787bff51

They walked through b78f241386 the streets of 34df528479 Bath for a 5038c3eb8e while, but Alex 45bc0eb1b0 remained tight-lipped.27e7db3c78a7f3c3

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 59b003bc454fe774

He walked bc8dab1283 half a b0373b8748 step behind bb479f9555 Adeline, keeping 63f68ee23b a careful 1b86a1bf6e distance. When she turned right, d4499188b3 he turned right. When she turned f3e069aa54 left, he turned 8efd43bc69 left.46fd4d8abefc9dac

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 b57f69372b3e7b95

People passing by glanced a41ed9b200 at them. To be precise,9498bd74cdc78346

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 c0a0553fd03d6465

“Shall we go in 8dcb23b4fe for some tea?”9fdcaf79d1032791

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 3eaf54cae1a74061

“…As you wish.”3c399d59365e7cf6

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 a5b3bfb290d3f2cc

Despite being dragged 2d029ff7a3 around on his ca6427d377 day off, clearly 635dd083cb annoyed, Alex still 47519a6570 drew everyone’s attention.dbfed396fd67b901

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 fb99aec7e166a437

“Then.”d91f6866ba250d67

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 b419c43a0834db4a

To escape the prying b7605ae064 eyes, they entered the 07025596a2 nearest teahouse.5862fa6144cc3974

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 21af73e2f4c82e34

“Welcome.”63744259441cde5e

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 7e4f7d4b0a0d427e

“Three people. Do you 4503664816 have a 8038aa55ab quiet space d8edc4f395 where we 7d382bf212 can talk?”b8b4df3cdbd3a8c5

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 e72320ea726c789a

Even though Adeline, 83a124cb26 who looked quite bf7307dbaa young, spoke informally, 008a8d9f7a the elderly teahouse 3d5113f46b owner nodded familiarly ca690555de and led them fc6feae8ad to the second f3ee002300 floor.68a57397d87049fc

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 57e084040526ea77

The three were ec1eeecc6d shown to a 4f9dedc92b room by the 78756ba919 window on the 1ff50f477b second floor and 3aa2112125 stepped inside.df99de31449a419f

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 f76622b7d074e95c

“What can I prepare 505cb86665 for you? Our teahouse serves 7d393df155 green tea from 0efc39f327 the Rainbow, which 0409c12e0f won second place 6a01833203 in the last 5f4b5999ab tea race.”ff19636c97fea28f

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 6025df3e3acbce4c

“Then we’ll have 58a801197f that…”58a122cf8cc865dd

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 d22ab9fe749e8911

“Wait.”53c130d257e22cbd

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 d86212b387f37e8a

As Adeline was e17645a16e about to order e41a0a7512 as the owner 1cce2ff9a0 suggested, Alex raised 80f65f0b53 his hand to 5f5805528d stop her.56b6ce48e6f69269

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 1c7823b5d4aff213

“The Rainbow 363a6b6f1f didn’t even d0eec213de rank in b74da932f2 this year’s ebf7dbc6c8 tea race, ae09434574 did it?”d61228864c17754f

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 015f2dba975e8a73

At Alex’s words, 4c584241e5 the owner began 513160dfc6 to sweat.e1458bfc4baf1e7c

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 45808bd820ce04b6

“But the quality is aa174f25c3 still…”1fc531b1baad9176

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“15th place. It took about abe12b4aa1 120 days, right? A pitiful result.”ba8e6a7bc38ca8bc

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 9112b72682f770f6

After saying 2f6d229397 that, he 8fcc04bbd3 sent the 7c5b4ad54b owner away 1b256284a1 with a d05ec47d00 curt, “We’ll 862a26b486 have Assam.”69df6512cc5978dd

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 6136fd954f6cf41a

“…You seem quite interested 6b4f1cffd0 in tea races?”c34438e4d1003347

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“Ship technology 8008bd3d68 is something 49df6c3cd8 the military dcdecd3603 keeps a f11f226a37 close eye d1ceb0b801 on. It’s an area where f42f2638f0 a lot of funds dbf0bff63d are invested. Don’t noble families also 8afcc02c68 value it highly? Especially if they’ve 50087157df invested directly.”6e2f3bcb05813413

 54bdda5245a695bf

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As Alex bad10c1e44 said this c20ff75817 and looked d5f8ee125f at Adeline, 78990aa3b7 she finally b08451d6b1 remembered that c3de6d054a the Lopitz 9afa564e32 ducal family 6a0aaae156 was involved 82c7ecffe5 in various 8affc67ab7 businesses, including 3585b4300a tea races.6e97b55d270a49ad

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“That’s… right.”3553625fd0d2282b

 b8a44aa9df3760d0

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“I thought so. The profits from c7e29ecde4 winning a tea 5704a72de5 race probably don’t 41b3c2a797 make up a 935669bc75 significant portion of 0acd735a51 your assets. Given the 9a22667d03 scale of 0e950a7b36 your family’s 17fbea2ef8 wealth.”0034fe4a595a25c2

 643c29b96336e68c

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Wait, was ed879a8017 the winning 5309ca81ce ship from b8910e09b7 our family?f379be86a4501a93

 6dc1c3d2f10e2456

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This made the aaaba0b7db conversation awkward. Here she was, the 1f5a4f889a daughter of the family, 21b7fd14df knowing less about their dbd9ff1593 business than a soldier 6122c59773 in front of her.56140328b775d53e

 9e0646c56b838761

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Her face 0fee8f0837 flushed, Adeline 68f736d923 coughed lightly 482114840f and looked 46ab99f7a1 at him.e500df076fa62e54

 8ef6ebb4e9bc3135

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When the ordered tea d26499c141 and snacks arrived, Alex eca04d6001 picked up the teapot d850ac8139 and poured himself a b49f9166bf cup. After savoring 4a27f00605 the aroma 2cabd67fb8 for a 1fa116eb70 moment, he 8085394a00 dropped a 081a47167f sugar cube 4913d9fccf into his 10cd6ded50 teacup.aeae6e1b75b2c43b

 2333a1cc45ba98e3

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He looks aea3a9a2c1 like the 83083fe718 type who 8818c10f7d wouldn’t even 3f0db49315 use half 1acfdf5f4d a sugar 8c85dd46be cube, but 3c580a8bdd he still 15f7bd4a06 adds sugar. Adeline thought this as bab2dd0aa8 she took the teapot 758a1467eb and placed it next fe8568a640 to her cup.0b9d2f55717ea34b

 063cf55fb2356339

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“You don’t add milk, 650e2399c1 do you?”8582d758255ef515

 2fb856422b700bc2

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Adeline poured milk 8dc6219a27 halfway into her 35839fce2e cup, filled the 2b712dc177 rest with tea, b1b500d6e3 and added two 5b00f09333 sugar cubes before e0a373f78e asking. Alex sipped c576678a99 his tea 981d95788b and looked d9f5e28ecb at her 01ca4995c9 as he 603109b2eb answered.c9812b06d79db2ff

 255fab66ffd61e7a

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“It’s a habit.”b7d52be17ed00603

 4fa7fb37289d1e71

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His decisive tone made 8a5e42f782 Adeline feel a sense 7aee8ed274 of distance.dd44b2b526f15f8c

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After sipping her milk 57d5b7aeac tea for a moment, 241e6d33fb she asked Alex,29e0e04082929b9e

 2297abfd7ff499a1

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“Have you decided d0b95f994e where to stay dabe0b8a14 in Bath?”548aab71bc21b7a6

 fcd6bc65bfe0ea25

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“We’ll figure it b13691cf11 out. It’s not like 94c836b911 there’s nowhere to 1521dd34dc rest.”e322053c0618c0c2

 904ffa0db6a3b29d

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Adeline quickly realized b8b105cb81 from his words 6d0ea06972 that they hadn’t aee1426c4d yet found a e745d9a080 place to stay bfc2e86386 in Bath.fce0c67de7c420d2

 c4e0738f7468fcfd

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Then, an idea 2d02540679 popped into her 6e6417e0eb head.5cecf29bd71cbf54

 ba9f6d4d325553a5

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A way to 7e0bb46859 feel safe even df4ece9564 with Syed around.09f425c782d29509

 caacb56eac23ffe2

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“Then, would you and dba3a5711c your group like to f2fef8d06a stay at our family’s 91e7bcd7fb villa? There are plenty of 09ea819ea6 rooms.”e9fc99066d405323

 374bf996fb473943

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“……”de264cdb65262447

 e28a0164634e265d

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“Bath is 45937b0f94 quite crowded b5aad13307 right now. Many young ladies are 33fcee72f3 here to rest and 8a0ab3d154 prepare their appearances before a755d4d226 the grand banquet at 8bd2be4446 the imperial palace.”559c212d80d1bbe4

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At this, 65ab40a8a9 Alex’s mind 7a8c33c449 was filled 0de0e58837 with conflict.fc06f52afa3bac35

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Was it wise to ac054483fe accept Adeline’s invitation?f93c9dabeb934d2d

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Knowing exactly what he 95bb8ee8a9 was worried about, she db725bcfdd added,56414f445dfdfce1

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“Don’t worry. I won’t ask b2e0ffd278 for anything in 04ba1bec69 return. This invitation has e0828f3f07 nothing to do 32f78a4501 with what we 05c061b1bb discussed last time.”16ec6c1e463c0560

 96ef10eb6b94688f

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When Adeline went 5b19ea6baf that far, Alex 240189701f thought of his 038c6ca746 men, who were 018f65eaaf still wandering around aa61b3a5bd looking for a 27b2f8a4ce place to stay.d087f7cf509f027b

 a544f3171f1999d1

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Alright.f9da719ad860dea4

 c283298f81ff9c8e

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If anything f78c8db5ee goes wrong, 5d5145105d I’ll take 129a1bd6d1 responsibility.1b8f1324030d6955

 68678ad48992566b

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“…Alright. Thank you for the d2348c074f invitation.”2f9e8c97720f9d7a

 ecf17009c90c29be

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“Thank you for cf141b47a1 accepting. I’ll make 8dc4f03fae the necessary 9072221f79 preparations.”782b324a45c176f2

 888f012fce298138

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Yes. With Alex around, 8a6323cfa5 Syed won’t dare 7a735cf082 act recklessly.4428505f0aee3b53

 e3326a057f0c930f

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