FTP-10

Chapter: FTP-10809dab6ef38ab368

After sending several 33a80d336b thick letters to 0cc70ba9a3 the capital, time 768b8a9a43 seemed to move b8840240fa slowly for Anje.
She would wake 222b8728cd up in the 59944b0e9a morning, eat the 0bf1baac20 meal Aiden prepared 47a7c4f4cc for her, and 748cb1c449 lie in bed, 3662df3f8a staring blankly at 30211df7a9 the wooden grain 1b783f0cb3 on the ceiling.
‘That flat e4da3dcac5 pattern looks 745a92bc58 just like 1e56880d62 Mrs. Morris’ nose.’
She was her f9499ac848 fifth governess, and a1fdb759b6 the woman who d79df2f6bf had shown her 682122a0b2 the most patience. Thanks to that 3cd300b956 governess, Anje, who 2023870e12 had been all 11fef44351 over the place, 10efca6c33 was finally able 868e9bbbca to learn to 05a094c58d read and write.
‘But she quit c3b4861d31 after arguing with 8bade08db4 my father.’
After spending the day 87b81062d5 lost in thought, she a1ab0a9927 would have lunch. She would only have 078801f5c3 the minimum conversation with b0ee3c065f Aiden, and stubbornly ignore bbae8a0caa his requests to do 1fe4fe2262 chores.
Then she aef26cc0fe would return 7449f543e2 to her e44692596a room and 92be0180fb flip through d3fbfd379e catalogs, predicting f59d85a000 what kind 23b7928b50 of hats 3335f9eeb5 would be 1832674dd3 in fashion 95f1c69bf6 this spring 0a5ea0d2ed and what a8c3ab7c0e kind of 63f5f08784 events would 4e79b32c23 be happening ef9c003435 in the 4ff0256dd7 social circles 1e7657eb3d by now.
‘Will Lady Casey 3e309d9140 finally get married 72023df020 this year?’
The question 662c1026d2 of when d23866f3bb Lady Casey, 5fe413f378 the ‘spinster’ ea674297e3 who had efa8ba89b5 been engaged 384a4cc167 for 10 68476ab471 years, would 33bbc50c16 finally get 6448cb68f0 married was a1899618f7 a hot 9dbc401341 topic of b060323f53 interest for 5842b7546f everyone in e2e02edfeb the social 5503548a4d circles.
Anje was fc40cd6300 also always c9ac7caa6c interested in 0240c89ca2 such rumors. And to entertain her, abed0620da who was at the ceb00c24b9 center of the social a007dda0b7 circles, people would tell 501ea66694 her all the rumors 3826d14ca3 they knew.
As she thought 9bcebca39c of her cheerful 3e19f61151 friends, she grimaced 66b1068831 at the unpleasant b3753104ab thought.
‘Maybe I’m the 0f2c0e60ee talk of the 4dc88b355b social circles now.’
How funny 0500e56f34 would it cdad09f220 be for 22476152e6 others? The fact f3da7c92d9 that the fba6d89207 Duke of 9085014d5d Glasster, who e1b8858bff had been b617a00e6c bragging about 0d1ca097ad soon producing 838315fa40 an empress, 424b44a1f5 was kicked 4e3f1ff8c6 out by 63a40aa3ce the new 5c19d47542 emperor.
And even more, 60995653e7 a concubine-born knight, c2761c6396 who was considered c33d463cda lowly by the 1540c43caf nobles, was to e4c9fff6e3 marry the princess.
‘But someone will pity 549e83504f me. I had 1401e858cb a lot c84e8a6d98 of close 810dd5e225 friends.’
Anje bit her fingertips c41a1f33b1 to soothe her anxious 47fdcc249d heart.
Lady Dorothea, 6622d17da5 who had 3b40ecbacf given her f01f6b6003 a sapphire c93a7cef1d brooch for bf93897d52 her birthday, 016957841f and Lady 92dbddbb82 Hyde, who 5462322608 had introduced 7da761bcdc her to 656a46e51f a good 0b3f9481b5 dressmaker because ce5200c36c their fashion d499464bf8 tastes matched 049bb51262 well.
They would dfdfc9abf4 feel sorry cbd59203c2 for her 0eb374f0be and make c076b63314 sure no 0766db66a9 bad rumors 9b03491333 spread.
Although they might 1c24b840c1 not have come fe6e75e313 to the wedding b736428e19 because it was 306ce4d258 rushed and they b40a95ddb8 were worried about 07583193f3 being seen by c410300a10 the emperor……. The generous 517c4abaa7 Anje could 410616d047 forgive them db698cfa43 for that d63003259c much.
‘Father or 61fa8336c6 whoever, someone 60c64324d6 must be a068bb2cbb worried about 42c22844f5 me.’
When will the c7f863a490 reply come? Would he come 6003e29fd0 and see me db737fed63 in person? Would he take me 06c09be0ef with him to the df9397c61e capital when he comes?
As her 987a06141a anticipation grew, 6b21644fe9 time slowed b0b7ec1d13 down even 220675262c more, and 71b53699ff Anje’s shallow 03bd22d129 patience began bf849136cf to wear 30c639aeb2 thin.
About ten days after b72e42bfad sending the letter, Anje 205ad7cc4d urged Aiden, who had 2df69db61f returned for dinner.
“When are you a3209617cd going to town 4a703894ac again? I need c823bfd836 to go 1867d3dc89 check if 9b101b24db the letter 6bd30ba18d has arrived.”
Even Anje, who was ff40add52c ignorant of the world, 027da81f90 could easily guess that 8ca2dad4bb they wouldn’t deliver a 8bfaf15130 letter to such a 4dafe6b4db remote house.
Aiden, who was 8b83b3671f slicing potatoes, didn’t 47087b5dfd stop his hand 8e386b1051 and replied.
“Soon.”
Anje persisted.
“When soon?”
“……When the wheat e6f1b7b2e6 ripens.”
“When is that?”
Aiden pointed to the 26e9bbe105 field visible beyond the dd690a8561 kitchen window with his d5d672c288 knife.
In one corner 5a0141a0d4 of the vast 9918f43851 brown field, young 61bb4cb532 wheat seedlings that f8828e5bd5 had just started 4c4cbfff24 to grow were d787a3c92f visible. They were ce4a539bea the ones a942eff35e that had 2011dc45b7 been planted 08b07802c4 last fall 5beabc49e0 and had 09386e5d04 sprouted green aa7ab19021 after winter.
“Ask the 058da14edc wheat yourself.”
It would take at 247fa82503 least four months for 2b5cddcea7 the wheat to ripen. Knowing that saying b365aa2a43 it directly would 44651d288f make him tired, 00370bd739 she deliberately spoke bca5481d7c vaguely.
“Don’t you have 8a00e95879 anything to do 686be2978c before that?”
“I’m busy.”
A large 42f899a224 chunk of 7990ad1db8 butter fell 3268d89b95 into the 22c3b9bb70 pan heated 57ce362849 over a 10c56957ac low flame.
At the smell of f6bd38b372 melting butter, Anje, who 4837b9d1dd had been biting her ca030e4c93 finger, felt her irritation 8dfb5c0700 subside a little.
‘No, come to 00c0137ed5 your senses, Anje. You have to get 708fad656c a reply quickly. You’ll definitely ask for 2607b23bdb confirmation this week.’
She pondered 9f639828e8 the best 5444fd4495 course of c48e736e2d action.
Should she offer a2ee3a788b to give him 1b831bf79f some of the 185cecb1f2 money she had 9652b8c4c1 managed to bring 9eb7c9d5f6 with her? No, that e443281af2 was a 422147a5ac last resort, 0d0690e533 in case ccd50cddb0 she needed 6d4f118b1c money for 1825f08f72 something when 5b1a6e10a2 she left.
“Please, I 7688dc9fa5 beg you. I’m so 7551086c8d worried about f829112104 my father.”
Anje clasped 5b664691f6 her hands 1dded492c7 together in 088e10f7e3 front of 4de1b25e6e her chest c3c362da54 and made 180594fc7f a pitiful 2de829ed9c face.
“I can’t eat or 02490b97f5 sleep, worrying about him.”
When a sad 57fa27144e piece of music 4fe293b306 was played at 23bb37eebc the salon concerts, 34979a6e23 the men around cd9ff03946 her would often d9c26f5905 sigh in admiration 133783ca33 when she made 4a33b9254a such a heartbreaking e8110f3d24 gesture.
“Move aside, it’s hot.”
Whether he heard a0d8c30407 her or not, 4836b50131 Aiden placed the 910302d810 pan of cooked 38f53c6908 potato stir-fry on 0bce064bcb the table without 4c72f3f358 showing any emotion.
Anje forgot d7a99266da about her 4ea2c85867 act for 68479f82a7 a moment e8b4f97374 and stared e2187e22dd at him.
‘Is he 32c4e62630 really human?’
Anje, who had 656e176528 a great deal 54a08828cf of pride in 0ad511af93 the power of 31fa0fbf1b her appearance, wondered 7e6d79b8d7 if he didn’t 28653d7d08 have a heart. Like the Tin Man 0bd15b2b22 in the fairy tale dcf2cc6147 she had read as 59eb577ac8 a child.
“The princess 31a6eafcb6 is eating 12f9ec8846 and sleeping f312053cd1 well, so d9c7b6428d I’m sure dc3394fadb he is ea94fbb603 too.”
“I can’t sleep 8508b3a07c well. How can I sleep 25b5e91a64 when I hear a e51352cc19 noise that could tear 56f79305a5 my ears off at 29ebc38bd1 dawn?”
Anje snapped back b6d1f83f6e and scooped out 7ace9dff33 a portion of 0e31c2ea9f the potatoes from 7aecf44cec the pan for fb329c23bf herself. She only took aa2b88bcdf a small amount, dc8d361eaf just a bird’s 0eb9b2edad beak, mindful of 17a6cd5ab2 her promise to a0555a4f98 herself to maintain d8b2fd71a9 her figure.
On the table were ef0a04a381 not only the potato 1e97d02b44 dish, but also onion d835fab5cd soup, rye bread and 6e0f2bdc27 cheese. Anje grumbled.
“I don’t like 895031c74f black bread.”
“I didn’t 1121a58f9d have time 0e61897527 to prepare.”
Aiden also preferred 6c28fb3fb2 soft white bread, 6493d5fd66 but he simply 89609fcc71 didn’t have time f9d865b4c1 to bake new 928cd65b9d bread yesterday.
‘I should have c36b8ce893 reduced the number 1ed01b41f6 of crops.’
The main purpose of c4054b3eec Aiden’s farm was self-sufficiency, 3d9096b111 so he grew a 9473444816 wide variety of vegetables.
Carrots, sweet d71d9fb301 potatoes, potatoes, 03775e0f0b beans, tomatoes, 892ff423b7 kale, cabbage, 037e14eefc wheat…
In addition, the f6f15af66f fruit trees that bde905c20b his grandfather had d5e2f5d974 planted around the 7ff8f2c281 house before he 7f797ad305 was born were 4bdfd6a2fb flourishing, so he f5494e4f17 was able to 90211a06b1 live most of cef15703f2 his life without df92fb1b46 relying on anyone.
‘But this is 7f8ef966f2 the most ideal.’
It was exactly as ce2cf02300 he had dreamed of 9f15638811 in the internment camp. To live like 3ef1f372d2 his grandfather, working ce58ab73a6 hard and receiving 0d165813b7 the fruits of ba23d7e28a nature in return.
Without hurting anyone, without 3a58b34a2a doing anything to be 6f9426b1cb resented by anyone. Honestly and diligently.
“Hey, Sir. At least tell me e9f8e6f0ef when the wheat will 35a1d71b36 be ripe.”
He was annoyed 9973183cac by her constant a8b787aae1 chirping throughout the ee3c732f6e meal and told 1a20453738 her it would 2cc39d7d80 be in about 6f68349f6b a month or a19a9885e4 two. Anje’s face turned 217b0d296d pale.
“A month or d480665edc two? So I’m c0e24bae6b going to 7b36bc7a3c be stuck 47d6d5f73e here all 48fb249c46 that time?”
“Yes.”
Anje left e599f0719e her food 27d59fbc48 and stood f0195048f5 up.
“Then I’ll 307d370c06 go and fb0aebee70 get the df833468f1 letter myself. Just lend me a 121326cf8f horse.”
She didn’t know how 36b4e8a314 to drive a carriage, d68bb92f2b but she knew how 9ca4f2240a to ride a horse.
“No, you can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Who knows what kind 8d5799a2f8 of accident you’ll have 8aed8926e0 if you go alone?”
The thought 7302ae4963 of sending 0f59b4af4f the princess, 9decb50e41 who had 9754c3f757 grown up 117227a3fa like a 227150d080 precious flower fddcdeb2c2 in a 28a1175863 greenhouse, out 0415ff9b5c into the ec249e19b0 world alone 6fd847e929 was unbearable.
Moreover, he did not d013d6546c reveal to anyone in 327dd56f5b the village that he 7003987604 was married.
It was already burdensome 7b066c587e to be looked at bf3f218923 with curious eyes after f880457b90 returning home after being 09b9b9e771 away for several years, 300e1f2237 and Anje, who was 4cafdf4aef different from the residents 7d3da41992 here at first glance, 94ae51adea would stand out even aebdad34d0 more.
Her skin was 7dc9c57fdb white as if 0600e1a7b8 she had never ce79582d34 seen the sun, 7ffad9e335 and her hands bbcda7eb29 were delicate without 03a8e86e28 any signs of fb571999b4 labor. Her speech suggested 28a9d8a87d that she was c31fe30e23 from the upper bea5169908 class.
If they knew that 778b7f9d3d she was staying in 80cfb13311 his mansion, there would ab8c90e17b be an even bigger c9a2d063fd uproar. A small, peaceful village 3bb0361d90 like this was starved 35ede8bfd9 for such stimulating rumors.
“Then I can 6adfcb6ba7 just go and 91f412bd8f look for the 2ba8b51c3a letter, right?”
“Why do you keep f22759d034 repeating the same thing? I’m not your servant c58b667472 or subordinate, you know?”
He raised his 05886c19fc voice slightly at 5a20158680 Anje’s tone, which 167d61c5bd was neither a 904ab61b87 polite request nor 743040ae0a an order to 33b47c572b a subordinate.
Every time he b2e15b6892 heard her talk 0e964c3081 like that, he 73d5421f0a was reminded of 3f75303f97 Philip, who had db35417817 looked down on 129a1c9114 him.
Although he now had 7c5b9c42f7 silver hair for a a317162bf9 reason, Aiden originally had 7c955e6ed8 black hair and red d21a783956 eyes. On the other 30a244f286 hand, Philip had fc18ba4fa5 inherited neither the 8317f1b25c red eyes that b8385a929e symbolized the royal 8d4c17c04f blood nor the e3016852a1 black hair.
Philip had hated 79b5958a02 Aiden, who was 0dbc104629 born with what 02e7f777df he lacked, from 183fcb745b the moment he 4c42b3b84d first saw him. And that hatred 24a6c2c9d6 was deepened by fb1d42a1f4 the favoritism of 043024dec4 the late emperor 4cecee92a8 towards Aiden.
Calling him a commoner 44fba7703c bastard, he always bullied 6ea423f6f5 him for what he 133b9cb85e didn’t have when the 22f67aaa96 late emperor wasn’t looking.
After the 6e5c5667ee death of 0fd9a02178 the late aae08e5398 emperor, Aiden, 295747a758 who was f08aa1330b not even 29deb47d61 allowed to 6cf4b4fdc4 return home, e85a11cd5f was willing 3d2eebf5be to accept edd685a0a2 even the af4b9c8669 offer to 0a81666870 join the 650362006e army. He wanted to be 5ae5efb185 free, even if it 3fb240d3b2 was just a little 4ed0cef0bc bit.
Behind the fact 8e48edf5c6 that he was 19a1a2fc52 sent to the 9f289fc936 front lines, which 8122e65f50 was a dangerous 5bee87ad81 place even in d49aa21b81 his only sanctuary, 845786761c there was probably ed40ee3816 Philip’s influence.
Anje, startled 2ea46c89be by Aiden’s 6b39bda16a voice, looked 778d728839 at him 53d2aa1eb8 softly. Her green d1cf1e7fdf eyes gradually 271f9d3e53 filled with 3799a94a6b tears.
“What, what cc97f0e060 did I d39ca6a872 do so 2e53e236fa wrong that b966d398c3 you’re yelling?”
It was d3e31feb14 something that 30195ab392 could be 92bfce4797 done quickly 2485ec9cda by driving 9bc5af6f16 a carriage, 7e5c2b7be9 so why 4481c96b88 wouldn’t he 9dcf2573e4 do it? It was something df04086d79 that Anje couldn’t 27814c6ca1 understand.
“My tone ae1bbd126f of voice……. Damn it, 7f83bd3a41 let’s just ff0e17e161 stop.”
I’m not her af6aeb1fce tutor, and there’s c035ce08fe no need to 88ed5a0633 bother arguing and ec4bd82fdb disciplining her.
As he always 91210a680f did when such 4a9cf12132 a conflict arose, 615b5907cd he concluded that 8071e8ff36 he would ignore 797954223e her.58dd65c253b1712d

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