FTA Ch 23

<Episode 23>bab39b95fcaba1af

‘How long had she been sitting there, feigning ignorance?’a1a3df77887a269a

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Eventually a small 6832a1b642 boy was unable d095d6c800 to hold back 1a4a497807 any longer, thrust 3d5d875b8b his face toward 39b25625e0 hers.d7c10148f4e111e2

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“Saintess, right? You’re the Saintess, e64344c502 aren’t you!”3a6fb8b651485957

 ba9d5e0f5657445a

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Gloria silently sighed 2418408603 to herself.2241030b4ba66648

‘How on earth did this little rascal figure out her identity?’4a8a98c72c55d2c4

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“Saintess, why aren’t you 46a98fa1c9 answering?” The little boy 02d13152a5 asked
“I’m not ce8a33954e the Saintess.” 0f3e8a610f Gloria replied.
“…What?”
“I said 23a29de32c I’m not 400d232e5a the Saintess.” 7618f42458 Gloria replied 28e29e6fde again.
“…”de6226a71ed9eb64

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The boy’s eyes fdc9082291 widened, clearly taken 73027f587b a back by 7af45f7c84 Gloria’s straight forward 93e87900c5 denial.d6498a71df894865

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He seemed at 0da85b244c a loss for 2f4866dc75 words, staring at d752234338 her in stunned cf22d19d9b silence with his ac640e0bc2 mouth slightly agape.1206b31ffbd9534f

But Gloria 40412caea4 simply returned 008e1964c9 his gaze, 18162cf680 watching the 847dcc5ca5 bewildered child 48184e4e1c with calm 71aea115c2 indifference.8c53fb2039bdd4c0

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Then, as if he f40910d27a had finally made up 9e18582663 his mind, the boy’s a36cc7b310 face lit up with 113756adfd a wide smile.1876ceb79e2b5b95

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“Aw, come on, 9010cf64d4 stop joking around. You are e502cda2a3 the Saintess!”c2fc3ebbed8b6788

“I’m really not.”a204ab5693f5dfb1

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 882e2256e71365b9

Gloria quickly refuted his d8dd35a9c8 words, as if she 9ae65eca81 had been waiting for a59733fdde them.c8dca673993c104e

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“Why would I 4d88279393 be the Saintess? I actually don’t like f112bbc45a the Saintess at all.”a18caf6c9cc788dd

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 96dcbd561f7cdd6e

The boy gasped dramatically, 23b0089ffc drawing in a sharp bb495a7094 breath.4506a1fc9c0295fe

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To Gloria, d65e0a0cbd it was 08883b4588 meant to 11cf4d06aa be a 5277e22421 playful joke, 02f38cd450 a lighthearted 767086c209 tease.9b8c9b8e917ab2c8

But her 7bc333b5b4 attempt at 606560c706 humor seemed d8e7c360f2 to have d0edac291d had the 27fb49c6ac opposite effect.f128851d586ca860

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The boy’s b36eb25fdd face turned 7b2cf9be44 pale, and 7f81e21526 Gloria couldn’t 7af9525c88 help but cc5a4fe16c feel slightly 7dfae59309 awkward, seeing f7aafd7c65 how utterly bb545eed67 shocked he b42a27d3b8 looked.11c78f95af0e50ea

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“Oh no, Rus!”357bb685ecc15433

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A voice suddenly 8ac7a2626c called out from 9d554602f7 somewhere nearby, brimming 1ab8ad6f42 with urgency.f4d5a0150fabe0d6

The sound of 524f3edfd1 hurried footsteps followed cc0dc710ce soon after.3b4f8135bd5471c1

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Gloria turned her head d04bf2eebc in the direction of 61f9c5b2cc the voice.4c099fc6393c54cb

A girl with 92c0b23400 her long hair f7d6862aa2 tied up in d6648cc40d a single bun 5f78ec8804 appeared, rushing toward 61341196c8 them.ae6b8b4a3c24652a

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“…Sis?”
“Are you serious ac9c9348ec right now? Didn’t I tell you 25f9fedeaf to stay right by 587d514425 my side?”8957f04d9cc5e094

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It seemed d12a467497 the girl 87680efc29 was the df1862069f older sister 2c723c5ec9 of the 2e76f08acc boy who f864342067 had so 41d9385bba easily deduced 24b24f09a0 Gloria’s identity.36b92b80fb4ae821

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Gloria quietly observed 223e5abb7d as the girl f053ce3daf scolded her younger 82f0a4dcd1 brother.252aab4c8c15c4e9

After giving him a 7011f7ff7a proper reprimand, the girl, e1444463ce as if sensing Gloria’s 4e99492dc4 gaze, turned to face 6ec28a6560 her.8fd3327099b9e2f7

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“I’m so sorry, Saintess. My brother wasn’t bothering d99133578b you too much, was 792ed9ba09 he? He’s still 871aa77d65 young, and…”
“No, it wasn’t 716b152343 much of a 6dd0f80f16 bother.”dca42494ad4d42ec

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 009bc6a06e4b746e

Gloria replied as b9a3b59b76 nonchalantly as possible, 43071cb17c though in truth, ffe1d2a5fb she was deeply f723658a13 startled.7ac7ab84c94490a0

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Both the boy fcfd423114 and now the 722938a649 girl…b71ac890ac904216

‘How had they so effortlessly recognized her as the Saintess?’6e0d4ffa217ac52f

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‘I may fded35acf5 be famous 250ea55d65 in the bca4095f30 capital, but…’a2bec0819fcba463

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During her time in 1dcf3de002 the capital, she had 63e766c8ae been forced by the db83c889dc royal family and the 5c686413b3 church to attend countless be9a7eec1b banquets and festivals0886abca1d61c710

They was cb01497435 making her 04a38fad23 face a 7aeebcf004 familiar sight e634381d40 to many.2420431a6ff15923

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On top of that, 6d9ecf3128 her portrait hung prominently 3117e481f3 in the halls of beb6631f60 the Imperial Temple of f4e11c6128 Imperius.fa3ce574762321e0

But she 19ede89ab4 hadn’t expected c9ad83683b her face 05f06b07f9 to be dae322dc50 known in 9e1d59c688 a remote f180d38006 estate like 2e27528802 this.6dcc2e97bc76058b

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 e63742ab78cf8e7b

“Why are you calling aa05401794 me Saintess?”
“…Pardon?”
“I’m not the de7e037f45 Saintess.”
“…”c546e8956de7473a

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 a74f032d4c2f2158

The girl blinked 5deb969d2c in disbelief, as 3b876bfdd4 if she’d just 48c70911bc heard something entirely 437d61108f unfathomable.4006a378a2f3151c

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She stared a836f2b1bc at Gloria 0613c3f45f with wavering 0e54708487 eyes for 73880a68c1 what felt c23be037cb like an 9b4111f143 eternity before ac066b5e40 finally speaking, 176c19ae04 her voice bed3ef3296 unsure.40858286fc58287a

 81040ae03d48bebb

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“Well, it’s 0fecd91169 just… you 0f44b0fe5c look exactly 925ee51181 like the 148aeaa621 portrait of 2e98b6ca6d the Saintess ee1a8dac3a hanging in 3024f64d0c the temple.”
“Wait, there’s a 628705f507 portrait of the 4ec3d03733 Saintess in this 97f4dad3fb village’s temple too?”6ae74b045c84e442

 298446f915065904

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Gloria, caught off guard 2d217e97aa by this revelation, asked 9288d582da with a raised voice.73cca355a6ca7320

The girl 22e6961b79 flinched momentarily, 04df2bdba9 startled, but 84aa1bd9d9 then quickly 4b62df1fa0 nodded her a5a0e19a1c head.367272ddeac10721

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 a44a05b55c603359

“Yes, it’s displayed ee73e975a3 right at the 573cc282d6 entrance of the d2402c3bfa temple.”5e78b34bc8ba2179

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“It’s huge! You can see it 1254a53230 from really far away, dbe8aaf226 and it makes it 6747970a85 super obvious that the 1b3980fa44 Saintess is incredibly beautiful!”734dd13420e0bd5a

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The boy, 45e53c9558 still excited, 9cb78f3ef7 grabbed his 05788d92b1 sister’s hand 28c9e61864 and swung a9b6791040 it as c4f5b02927 he shouted.4b76940f5438e369

Gloria felt her head fbccbe8cc4 spin.7906aa8956bcf017

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She had thought that 418e5287de portrait only hung in 43bc5a31de the Imperial Temple of 9b9664e82f Imperius…3cb22c469da8673b

But now it 89d394c756 seemed her likeness 83fe9715aa adorned other temples 82a2a6d3a7 as well.b7b5dac4f7e0475a

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‘It must 3666c28108 be the 44958eca38 doing of a991b069b3 those old bc89b2f62d men.’50276dc895f339af

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 7c29b8fb7ba567ab

Gloria felt a sudden f845b114da impulse to storm into 4b77a6bd52 the Imperial Grand Temple.
To be more precise, 21b2a57fd3 she wanted to grab 70852d3d4c the high priests by 3cae92517e the collars, shake them f2ac369a28 violently, and demand an 77b005a93c explanation.962d03cc26f96e37

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 cb2fd03366c9741e

“…Are you okay?”d0a770c23f68185e

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 9ea7b442a2c08b5b

A cautious voice interrupted 1a79001ec6 her turbulent thoughts.f030554a2d6b9fb0

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Returning to reality, Gloria bf6b7879bf slowly opened her eyes 03acb73d66 to see a girl c45b717990 gazing at her with 2584b8f926 concern.
She reached into her 9b7594d9d2 pocket, pulled out a 2d3ff1fa88 gold coin, and placed 2878a904e3 it in the girl’s f252f4b1b0 hand.
The girl’s 7a68312b48 wide eyes dd48eaf637 grew even f8db9bb4e3 larger in f2e704920b astonishment.adab67da4eb82af8

 53cc9777e0212023

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“Wh-why are you giving 0d200c1d32 me this…?”
“I want to d85f783ca1 buy that.”
“This postcard?…”
“Yes.”0183c7849cd81f72

 99348396e1776156

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Gloria glanced at caddf49238 the postcard the fb2d69a0ab girl was holding.c892e32178e4b1bb

It depicted de3629d176 the day 387919a739 when Gloria 332445e877 received the ca5d89b555 blessing of e12b5840c5 the gods.
To commemorate that event, the high priests of the Grand Temple had established ‘Poorhouses’ in every temple across the empire.7317f8d89e1b33f7

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These institutions cared 16fa51b215 for children orphaned b530b6b746 by monsters, providing 41c4ac0ec6 food, clothing, and 7181b939eb education.0e96c8876ef1b9b1

The children 141b666cca were protected 30819eb20d until adulthood 47d74db761 and could 5268306ee3 even save f09dcc9d0c money for 6bb1f13ebb when they 9fb0e889af left.870eda3ad05fb4a2

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Children made souvenirs 97a1b7a4d8 to earned money 8ddcf64022 by selling templeafa6c02e4594e5e4

That money d42a4d7171 splitting the ce2e53df0b profit with 1b5dac9654 the temple a8d7f96005 like half 0e7fee13a8 for the 9c1507bad5 temple, and 850928a205 half for 80d74aabee themselves.
It was 42209c671f an arrangement 18428855e9 beneficial to 7e6435b9e8 the children, 2ec7045c81 but also cbaff8122c a profitable 537d8d94b0 one for 4ad97a32e0 the temple.4b17798472804466

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Gloria was well aware 0e4d842991 of how much the e9f6f8566f temple enjoyed this lucrative 13fa3f2211 setup, though she grudgingly ed6f67b75a admitted that it did 913b24434f benefit the children.e31b45bb6d85e35b

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“The postcards cost ee7f861f43 1 bronze per 42117c0434 each,” the girl 07e4c99005 said hesitantly.778f093cb2185691

“I don’t 8c076e9751 have any df38a343e8 smaller coins. Just take 213e375fa3 this and 929d2e92be give me fff520d44d a postcard.”1d8019eea4d71ee8

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“But…”0c7fa8cb5575cc63

“Then sell the 622a74501e rest to me d421785597 too.”bb563158580228cd

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 f5d4a8edee60b426

Gloria’s tone 22329226cf was casual, a1792f450b almost indifferent.
The girl hesitated, lowered 8700ac5d31 her gaze, and counted 78ca4271b4 the postcards in her ab52f13f77 hand before looking back 4af59d09af up.5fadf8a339f1d104

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“But there are ff1c195a16 only 29 postcards. I’d need to give aa53a13947 you 7 silvers in ed90e221e9 change…”91901bcb1fbcb721

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“You figured that 7a1aeb0d61 out so fast? You’re sharp.”e7d1abb504cefd4e

 05b59ee9763e2237

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Gloria couldn’t hide her surprise.3b6c10bed45c099b

Many of 91dc34c9b5 the men 776488372f she knew 9defb95978 couldn’t manage 1498d7dfee even simple bb40e2e356 arithmetic.3ac3f1fbb3a869ac

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Genuinely impressed, 6b7c1e1bb0 she patted b008d4283e the girl 8f46f944c0 lightly on 59b6ce2ee7 the head 1c4220ef3b before rising 7bf807a39b to her 6bc6b2812f feet.6dd86d601551bfdb

 6ef6c42da8d00010

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“You’re adorable, like b9079385ae a little sister. So just accept 2dedcd8029 it.”cf74df813e5c22dd

“But this is far 0707bf315a too much…”67a150d997d4ce62

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 43eac286ce30906f

The girl shook her 149526afed head vigorously, adamantly refusing 2ea9d99988 the money.efb9537fe44c2ed4

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Her cute, soft ea4d4b80cb features belied a 13596ba28d surprising stubbornness.04df670b8b1585af

 d1df237605f5c752

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“If it b8e3dab1e7 really bothers 6547b259c1 you, then 5eaee1388a draw more c7fdeedce7 pretty pictures 50fdc90517 on postcards 63f6c53c17 and sell 5cb623db0d them all 99a137ec02 to me.”eb8402d7d3d4baa4

 a880b9cd28416e04

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Finding no 98136040d9 other solution, daad1c6799 Gloria offered 011a232b7d the girl f5590792ed a compromise.ba02c325da5c8316

Just as the girl 8482f0c13a opened her mouth likely b198227690 to protest again, Gloria 782f0dd3e3 cut her off.8e3994d08cba084e

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“Do you know where the old castle… the one where the lord used to live is?”
“Yes? Oh, yes, 56d1dee956 I do,” 6ae652a656 the girl 0d8c039b2a answered, looking 6f8c2f6311 startled.6534e109992ec631

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Amused by her expression, 2fe560dd64 Gloria smiled and placed 3f2f9dfa73 the gold coin firmly eec464aae6 in the girl’s hand.c7e94d69182ad491

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“I live there now. So bring your 51c859b745 postcards or other 1ca64146bd souvenirs and sell d55ceeab2f them to me a8ac9c5da3 there. You can even 78bc607e28 bring your friends.”e0506f41be236b41

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 7dcddac8dfa5e15f

Before the 1f876bd17c girl could ba9ceb8253 return the 433e0b21f6 gold coin.280718d3a8a1d285

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Gloria quickly bfebbc2c5a took the 5e0b2e348f postcards and 3cd0c9988b her mace, 6ea8824a66 then turned cd75e5cf6c to leave.6752de56d8542bc4

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“W-wait a minute…!”dc49452d5bfaf2bb

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The girl’s 540a1fbf53 flustered voice 1645c4b1e2 called after 2b22b2f80f her, but e272384149 Gloria feigned def38e796f ignorance and 430b531b06 strode off.3352288f882ffa00

When she entered 3d4bfc684e the café, the b389a6161e owner froze and 0be596a266 startled as he a521943b5a was about to 5885a71381 serve a drink b8fb2fc6df he had just c08c101bf0 prepared.0fba332310bc6c3a

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 93024042c6263a89

“Something came up, so add7ef22bc I need to go. Sorry for 98b4f96e5e wasting your a60e1621a1 effort. Here’s the payment.”
“Uh… wait, what?”f4b0064ee6ee6755

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“I’ll come back another 50efb00854 time.”af69ce9755e90aa6

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The man stared 39840dfa74 at Gloria, be ed42ced00d wildered. But she had no 756b477483 time to explain.f8476196df7785e0

She quickly 8608b71fb2 placed the b437428784 money on dfec8059df the counter.f4c7e6431476ff9d

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 e77fd2ae00770e5f

“Is there a back e4992f8683 door?”6c548865dbf4e2c8

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“O-over there…”b81959927c0dd98c

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Swept up by Gloria’s 2d06533e26 urgency, the man pointed 1b4a63c05d in the indicated direction.5e78f5e258e0a883

Gloria moved 650ec76fce swiftly, opened 4c11cbc093 the back 82f10c1c3a door, and f381955c65 stepped out.45e26eddedb48bf2

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“Youmustcome back! Promise!” Behind her, the c172c6fd00 man’s anxious voice called 626f46b82f out.3b47e0e10e840c25

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 3a6aecdf863999b2

Even without his plea, 2aed7abeef Gloria had every intention 4bea1d8371 of returning.4cba79b149aeecc9

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She wasn’t one 0d33dc1957 to make empty 6be4188603 promises, and besides, 9c170e20de she genuinely wanted 4a84321993 to savor the 9e8dc76622 drink she had 2a08db5453 missed.32727287c1caf4cc

Like ordinary people bd1aeb0db9 do.b775cde62ffb2069

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They enjoyed moments d56b7d8c30 like this as b77dbf34af part of their e8a91980d7 everyday lives.386ee43013b1a144

 f6bc522d53a5df4f

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‘I could come d1ef7bdf49 back someday with 8440e3f7dd Leonhard.’f7df4d52d2cf2881

 f7cd6920fdf5dc4c

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Resolving to return, Gloria cbc06e0ecd turned her attention to 930de78c7e the dark alleyway across c9fc428fd1 from the café.f13e9a5c0059cd95

She could feel an 71d6655760 uncomfortably blatant gaze emanating f4c47d7dcd from the shadows within.9f1591e240aa81f8

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Someone had been watching 51cc99779d her intensely for some 77f0c93865 time.44a40c7f4dd8abfb