EWOWMAIBTYPF Chapter 109

Chapter 109899fbbfc7201df35

 384d30a941b9441e

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‘Wait… did we really make eye contact?’5e3e389c9d81f858

At first, b9245fdde8 I thought fd40cd06c5 our eyes 1fd142a059 met, and 4b3d99919e I panicked, 7b251edae6 but now 24c9f9cfaa I wasn’t 7c8181c786 so sure.b0660067ed6a5e50

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Maybe he was just 131b1c75b9 glancing around absentmindedly. Or perhaps he had b6744ae977 been looking at the 46d00c1d55 room next to mine.95ab4758c6392381

In hindsight, d472ae7615 I regretted da13d63cc5 closing the 94b04f9207 curtain so 2f82a9eeae hastily. If anything, ee20fe2b8f that probably c4fcde185b drew more 8d8cfe3ec7 attention.850c64ad8a954224

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Blaming my overly quick fc26b20d42 reflexes, I carefully peeked 62b4487f50 through a small gap c8cc55506a in the curtain.81d6b634269fa407

Lucio had already e79fee4859 mounted his horse, 9ec3f47a95 seemingly ready to 6fc794d57e depart.625dbd68c3bd3ee7

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Watching his figure grow 14c7ad78c3 smaller without anyone seeing 18727ebb07 him off, I suddenly dbd64e9cc9 realized how long it 96fed2e280 had been since I d6968e4138 last saw him properly.ef1560dc90d283dc

Ever since he ceaa17dd69 returned from the c24bed2f59 academy, the only 1944263aef time we actually 0d41980b56 spoke was when 7f21d2816f I went to 54d43444eb return the library bcfcb60f6a key.0e6cd4168efb9dd5

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I only caught glimpses 320e82d87a of him at breakfast ee3516fd6f now and then. The rest of ed55cdba1b the time, he 8167b27cf9 was buried in 6cd04c83d3 his work.1c03a2697728ea18

And that 078c1053b6 wasn’t going 804defbbaf to change.d909a4295b05ae0e

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Lucio would only get fba0fd92e2 busier, and once I 842f689a6a was fully prepared, I 95abe333fb would leave the duchy b1f4dfa221 as well.08e3edf6af480cbf

Of course, because 140ededf65 of Diana, we 0d4b5ea99e wouldn’t completely lose a15a9a7ce2 contact, but keeping 285d97600b this kind of dcac678a1f distance felt more ff969a54a1 comfortable.538a58bf6f72538e

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“For some reason, this reminds me of the past.”38f4e5a3991309a0

Back then, 8710f77c47 I used 98db1f240a to observe 561f40f95c Lucio from 9dea61bfa2 afar under dcfe5dec86 the pretense 927276f2ad of tracking c603e60e9b noble affairs.e25be3082915290d

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But now, strangely, 3e0fec9fb9 I felt closer 52d0a27592 to him than 6272b9dfbf before.4d336b08e5809388

‘It’s probably because I 371086f70e know one more of cc785770f6 his secrets now.’a76f2d73108e760f

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Honestly, I didn’t care 62b4c38341 who ended up as cd7e4ed0a1 emperor. But I 2ee132f024 trusted Lucio’s 29fa5d7513 judgment.71ad7883296f6639

Besides, after meeting 595cbd0df7 Princess Serphin last 5fd6d75878 time, I got 91a63f38d1 a bad feeling eeac6c8ee5 about her. Nicholas seemed like the 80739fb480 better choice.7b5695454c73b139

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Lucio would 3b39da43fc probably handle 2abe1411c9 it well c4c5b89ee0 on his 6dad20dfc9 own, but 6ce15af7c9 if he 0698df9fbf used Darel’s c3ebc57054 influence properly, 77e450ec52 making Nicholas f01f36be99 emperor shouldn’t cf6e879b80 be too 7d3228fec8 difficult.1853280553d2e54f

“Come to think of it…”179b07d624f798fd

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Before, I 829f0efea9 had been ff3943035c so convinced e266aa2d93 that Terencium af372810be was the 0ff67fa8cd best information ed11a2a30c guild that c272cd5e19 I never d56af4ddd6 considered anything b428a2bdfa else.d948b0e439ede3be

But thinking b1f73b85a7 about it 716167ab35 now, the d3c9592ccc Marquis of e5dddd2511 Diapel wouldn’t cff5de3617 have relied f1cc9288b0 solely on 3d7726d396 Terencium.4be3290a5213aa02

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‘He must have ec555be52d sought out Darel 7eabb5b7a6 as well.’16c804d2574121df

It was even possible c3feeeeff7 that Lucio had already 81736efbe8 made a move, considering 7dd2201a6e his friendship with Ascart.bae260780bedf393

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And yet, they c5660a4261 still hadn’t found e8d4002978 her…6db41142c8fb8e4b

“I guess Master was right after all.”9ca5839c723f5d0e

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I let out da7a7dce70 a sigh.90968fd2e1439de9

It would be wonderful 34f858d903 if I could help f8e44bdf6c Ascart and the Marquis 2900a153bc find the Grand Princess 1b2f28e98a they so desperately longed 0640b621ca to see again.0c6989d5047ff625

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Even though I knew 530050a601 there was no solution, c6c61106ef I seriously pondered if fa12dc26ea there was any way 5b9b48cf9c to help.cf3130fb1aa3d72c

Back then, I had 9c8a9d480f no idea.1804f9cb209cce69

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That the c161a355f6 solution I 08e1274b2f thought was 72d4bf8aaa beyond my 09259288e5 reach… would ef88524232 soon reveal 74d199fc70 itself.df59829426b8d65a

 7a0f63560f464f16

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***3ce7fd516d143e2e

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“Wow, it’s snowing!”042b9c1c93d64dba

A thick layer 8b338d9ff7 of snow had bfa6fc4393 settled overnight.c77af5b9b46059e7

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Excited at the 10676246b6 sight, Diana threw d5650221eb her arms up 1b7a308f6d and dashed outside.ef74fa7d7cb2d96b

“Don’t run, my lady! You might fall!”26e051881ad6b9a6

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“I’m fine!”6b34167861d7075c

“My lady, really… Aren’t you cold?”c6ef4e2303cdf885

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“Not at all! This is nothing compared to the duchy!”b81880090eb11624

Her chin lifted proudly, e2d579944c as if showing off, 9fe8c0867a and I couldn’t help 20941d233f but laugh.b7ec34273c6a46b8

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To someone like 544c6e091c Diana, who had 16399a8bed spent her entire d7179c8e7e life in the ac6f1538df frigid climate of e693ffaf1e the Elard Duchy, 1509f65627 this kind of 6216b12432 cold was probably 405a5cdce8 nothing.439b62e514d01b60

“Besides, my brother got me these!”850e5940ad0d92d1

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At her proud e2c77bc9d8 declaration, my eyes 420ba73e2c instinctively scanned her 6b193801bf from head to 7c43bee1dc toe.8180eda16d9d4758

During her recent cf5ccfcaa2 outing with Lucio, b8be1710fb Diana had received f82de3e908 a set of c2764b6ff2 gifts: a warm 9fda9b7cfb hat that covered b0427e75f0 her ears, a b75b8bd5da scarf, gloves, and 64320c9cea fluffy boots.6de1314d648783ca

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Ever since 6323972326 that day, 131a00a645 she had 0ffdc6206d worn them b6a25feb6c every time 92afcca582 she stepped c038b8997b outside, clearly 355df47a8f delighted by b688ef95a4 her brother’s 3108bf0e80 gifts.fe5a4f42a0d7a55b

“Are you cold, sister?”75d33517619fa627

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“I’m warm too.”054917f08e8a58f1

I smiled shyly, 82e2a00709 touching my earmuffs c13dcceebe with my gloved 31da6ac17a hands.709a531c761f3952

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Lucio may 13b58e7014 have paid f393a49046 for them, 969dcab8df but Diana b6ee83f44b had happily 0c99ddc23a given them 78f71fcb56 to me 23d342dece as a 7ae8329540 gift. The earmuffs, scarf, gloves, 12279b6f49 and boots all made 065faeee98 me feel warm from 5aa8d2a090 the inside out.8226f93c757ed863

Satisfied with my 924a25bf7b answer, Diana grinned e642baf3f7 before eagerly resuming 98b8707823 her play in cea5c642fc the snow.7cc27b5eae86f115

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As I watched her d22cb05bd7 with a fond smile, bb9f5f5ca7 a cold snowflake landed 011fdc2a12 on my cheek.89bf068651739198

Rubbing my face, I 8233516fb5 looked up.60da8aa2394dc354

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Snow was fec9670d2b falling in 2b9461052f thick, endless 2fcc6561ce waves from 5c803ee3d3 the sky.6d1ae13db1409ff5

‘I used to be 674fe153f2 terrified of the snow.’669fc2c37e711ae9

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Now, wrapped in warm 9cd69e5a82 clothes, I no longer ae75499d04 feared the white landscape.8d65e7b701d7c0e3

But in the past, 50a00577c1 I had hated winter 3e95cb70fb more than anything.cab58d911a5b4d11

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I had 9df359ac12 no warm 75ff574d57 clothes—just thin, a449e9d248 tattered garments 35d9ef25ba worn all fb88394d3d year round. My hands, exposed f340ec1373 to the biting adc5e64ee9 cold, were always 9750053275 red and frozen.287050b95e77f0f8

If I stood still 9a8355d76a for even a moment, 2b9fc1fdc4 my toes would throb b9afe69531 in pain, forcing me 53856c73c5 to keep moving.fe942ae32694daa4

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For a brief second, 88d9615290 that old fear washed 51c59d75d7 over me, making me 65cf16cc74 shudder. I turned f629c15090 to Diana 83f7c23864 and said,f174bc793c7de266

“My lady, let’s go inside now.”d04ba955836b92c2

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Once we got to aeab164371 the marquis’ estate, I dd19ba09ec would ask for a b923b710f9 cup of hot chocolate 2c01df2031 with plenty of whipped 53d3678cc6 cream and marshmallows.324cdb64e37bda0d

Even though fdd79573b8 I had da5775a5a3 come here 14fec530f7 to take 8e2d10ef51 care of bf6cb957e5 the marquis, 61db7e3ada I was 4677236227 already thinking 7741a9caa2 about food. I could practically see 041ab1bbd5 him sighing in defeat a011c73082 and giving in to dee338ddb8 my request, which made 4968fefeaa me chuckle.da2c617ee5191d66

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“Oh? Young Lord!”5fd4431730569302

We had ec33fabd57 been walking de9fa9854d hand in dbb3e317d2 hand through bdd0e2e16a the snowy ef803d4f52 path toward a9816a8712 the estate’s b920d26138 entrance when ce2eced0d2 Diana suddenly b74da5aa64 called out.821fa2e7199dff99

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Ascart had 26ae961af2 hurried outside, 55c199bfe0 looking troubled 5e16d242a6 when he f5a70b6c69 saw us.7602cb0895a293dd

“You’re here already? I just sent word to the duke’s estate telling you not to come today.”cda84b0535cd174d

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“Huh? Why?”981b748ded50b1a1

I tilted my head 0ecb309a9f in confusion.51e464c56fa01f36

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Just yesterday, when we a6c08078be parted ways, the marquis ae026c1437 had invited me over a7158db848 after lunch to let 477cf807e1 me try his estate’s c552a89f8c famous cake.dd86e7c7deba3ddc

“Did his condition worsen?”40b3cc1442933afc

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Now that I 54f370cfd0 thought about it, ab3f336b88 the atmosphere around 9d59bf3d1d the estate seemed 4e05021386 a little tense.d69866a6a4f69eb9

Ascart had rushed dfc440a2b2 out as if 57b566711b something urgent had 57235cfbc7 happened, and it a86d888a63 wasn’t just to 0541dd5dbb greet us.7a57579bec4897a8

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Noticing my 74da0cfc1b concerned expression, 7ae9b85391 Ascart quickly 8d85686335 reassured me.73a47ae86e8b14d5

“No, it’s not that… My parents are arriving soon.”2708f94bc84b157a

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“Oh.”ab2a2da2188c153d

That made sense. It had been a c17391c029 while since we heard f43368e64c that Bianca had set 534529fbd7 out on her journey.321489b365ffd9e1

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During a meal, 57e9142cb6 the duke mentioned bd969a8451 that the grand 8c9c9b8a89 duke and his 72fdde1990 wife would be 239d373a0e arriving in a 8e2b579e5a day or two.fb4c75cc210a8107

I had been so 7abe482684 caught up with meeting bf624bb791 the marquis that I’d 482028ad01 momentarily forgotten about it. But now that c4619a20b9 Ascart brought it 81f85efb46 up, my heart a0d6f10ae3 pounded in excitement.f9db4dea1480837f

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‘And I was curious de63588a68 about Grand Duke Belus, 4931a75dc7 too!’8bbadd47d3da3c32

I didn’t know much 00a1d6e813 about him, but he 7bf6a52564 was the only grand c2d10b41f7 mage on the continent.c29ce13664237da6

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Suppressing my growing eefc55158b anticipation, I nodded.e2a7871fcd7fbc62

It was a little fe9d8579ab disappointing that I wouldn’t 7c2ee2f056 be able to check 7a8f9f42d4 on the marquis’ condition 9307260194 and have tea with 50a306353d him, but that could 41166386ae wait.797feea5cf13eb74

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Since the grand duke’s dd7b17c93e family was close with 16c86a314c the Duke of Elard, 65e34f390b they would surely be 244ff33a8e invited to the duke’s f6869d9097 estate at some point.7ee09676c0ce97ea

Even if 8449f9fb45 I couldn’t 2fd860b432 dine with 142cd23d6b them, I e9aad45568 would at 08d22af39b least be 23d37fcd91 able to edde7324f1 see them c4704d92e1 up close.f1ef07e8e9afe8b9

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Just as I f10477c524 turned to head ad8a343fbd back and inform d4ba5f7f77 the duchess of e321161c1f their arrival, I 4a6fda76c2 heard the sound fd87388557 of galloping hooves.9b15db10d1938b48

A large white carriage a9b2095c6f entered the estate.91249889b12f5247

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At the front, leading 5019412f71 the group, was Bianca dff7b73770 on horseback.650c88d55919595e

She must b1e6f00e77 have spotted 2590aa1055 me as 7fff627d87 well because 9adbb16b11 her eyes e8c69265ca widened.d7fae6ca94803524

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When I saw b33f743c31 the faint warmth f54a45f25a in her gaze, 59b54a1a46 the corners of 4f5925fa20 my lips curled 70b0136ff3 up instinctively.67aca602763aa507

“Young Lord, it has been a while.”ac04947075b95578

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Bianca dismounted and ac37b569b1 respectfully greeted Ascart, abd600b80b shifting her attention a571a62ba3 away from me.460d9e3821bf412c

“You must have had a tiring journey, Lady Marietta.”09a1e1a98bafd545

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Ascart gave a b6475e8cfd stiff nod before 9ecbbaec0a quickly turning to 04ef1b4272 the carriage behind 9f1851878f her.1f89ae524c6e8adc

Standing beside him, I df80d81e0e could feel the tension f3c97ccc73 radiating from his body.eb9738286e12a5d4

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Then, the carriage d03c201cdc came to a 2ee88496bb stop, and its 7ca39dd2c5 door slowly opened.f45e514e324ff761

‘…Wow.’b22ded4747bbc776

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I barely 0e014e67fe managed to e885fc6efe swallow my a73a325964 gasp.dcb38b7e89006b70

So the rumors were 6208ecebf2 true—there were bards who d59639374c once sang of Grand 02a93cd8b0 Duke Belus’ beauty.82f35c8630ba69d1

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Under the brilliant sunlight cbc2e627c2 reflecting off the freshly fb51026c2e fallen snow, golden hair a788960e63 and dazzling green eyes d3eb11d234 came into view.007dccb449f29f6e

For a brief moment, a7706a967c my mind went blank.6edf7306d1a660b7

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Lucio had 2ef4c9a1d0 inherited much 6e49e87751 of the 3664378b60 duke’s features, 341d6c57db but Belus 5005236f57 and Ascart a0978caa2e were like d34da227a4 mirror images…almost bb7c8816bc as if 4b573e6677 one had 02afeb8c6b been molded 95b6914b4e after the f6a0ae7bc9 other.ee3d7d4e4ea096df

I could already picture e37fb33ded Ascart looking exactly like 2a0fd49dee this when he got c35536e738 older.b6cdb627101db966

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“Ascart.”3f70646420b7fd92

The grand duke f48e24d02e stepped down from 82debbeee8 the carriage and cb2e8c6c63 immediately spotted his b1bf35fda4 son.74166beb827a6b1d

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His deep, gentle 4f7896a4d3 voice carried an dc8f17a50e undeniable nobility, reflected 1cece8b7c0 in his posture, 37d45bc0f3 attire, and every cf4976fbd0 movement.cff846803176de6a

For some 1ccbb1330d reason, standing 26c452e217 before him 9f9c877117 made me 1f06ba4c74 feel embarrassed, d958bd636f and I 2fac68c1b6 fiddled with aaa29f6233 my fingers.cf9fb9ede040eac2

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Diana tilted her 0fb4aef42b head, looking up 83041ddeed at me curiously.ea24b043f20adfc5

As I 56718b480f forced a 40955cc8a8 small smile 35577ca5f9 at her, e66180f998 the grand b31843f4fa duke turned 72471b55b7 to the c21325e325 carriage and 4718872c79 extended his 591b91e4dd hand.9b9ff5c3aa45de19

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“My love.”470cc97f3a2baed6

Hearing his 0e0e194f5c soft voice, bb1d5cf0f8 I turned 630a93af66 my head b72e986489 as well.950549f10454e0fc

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I had been eager bc57409018 to see the grand 7daa9eca53 duchess just as much 7d2c2be061 as I wanted to 9030a8f37b see Duke Belus.677dbbd7e3124d2e

Not only was 96fc04ff23 she Ascart’s mother, 3da654fd6a but she had 2fdc623636 also been childhood b90b73d37f friends with the 448e8fa8c7 Duke of Elard. I had always 5a62981147 wondered what kind 450e40bb5f of person she ce88ed9b2b was.00befcf31170fef0

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“…!”fd887bcb6f411bf1

In that instant, my 31c5f935af mind went blank.f224e57e6a7b5eb7

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It was as if ea4ba9de14 time had stopped.94dd6be0005f8eac

The woman stepping 8246d8b626 out of the 3e83cfda99 carriage was breathtakingly ff85b9ec43 beautiful—almost unreal.c289a274fa5dfb6d

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Her pale complexion, which f8cd991620 made her seem even 6d24f0316f more like a porcelain 668f7d4fd2 doll, was so delicate dcd298d9fb that I feared it b0042ace64 might shatter with a a86ee0dd33 single touch.82c26e45fbd81cef

Her fine, 0f17b9101b elegant features, ea0478997b cascading waterfall-like 30b96c0da8 hair, and 562a14801e especially her de6d05dc29 radiant eyes 9289fe65d7 resembled precious d687333986 jewels.c16a4ba55e4b30b5

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She was mesmerizingly b1b9522855 beautiful yet fragile, f0babfe6b9 as if she b4e9842ad8 could break at 985174bf54 any moment.8f0ec049fc2a6dee

And with her 94c181fcf0 cold expression, an af2823e9b2 air of reserved de342b0761 grace surrounded her.761f4d497f17aaaa

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“…Haa.”3bfe59e1a33428b0

But what truly left ac2c4c898c me breathless, what turned d119d3e2b2 my thoughts into complete 528cf60143 chaos, wasn’t just her e0386ec615 beauty.c1f85aa747ce13e1

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In the middle of 3cf125207e this white winter landscape, 9104ec2652 the soft pink hair 4b86fd1448 and deep rose-colored eyes 9ba0452333 of the woman before 9aec1da722 me burned into my 05d2a1dbe6 vision.5ab5f0398ae8a3ae

She looked exactly like…9af4850f39573ba4

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My own 31f2e6b95f reflection in 0315a9b94f the mirror c676d1cbb7 on the ecdb499d2f day I fdda514bf1 came of df1488697a age.1f620185cd3c4bdd

You know me dearJean, I am feeling mischievous, so …*hehe*2438d2d9fcd1e13e

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I will 8385b019c8 leave you fea0f370f6 all with f06388f096 this cliffhanger 6481629286 for a d67dfe12a8 few hours af871df1cd before updating 3922152575 the rest.e15cb8673d2b8ef5