Chapter 3 Part 2

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“I feel so embarrassed…”288ee1b27257f87b

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Lying in the 73bc8d9ce4 same bed with 498e44df87 him made Irina’s 8af12a6b33 face flush. To hide her reddened 79eb9f4b7d face, she lowered her 2bfd698b40 head.b50201e1358d3935

Then, Rumpel gently 274f5c6679 stroked her round 15375498ba head.971345ac70e1a65e

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“Close your eyes and sleep.”774fb3ee82524135

“…I’m not sleepy.”bdd35163f15f1bf6

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“Then just close your eyes. Drowsiness will slowly come to you.”d5b74c29d7f358f5

Even though he had 37e67a2b71 already figured out that 1773d595b6 she was tired, Irina b077e16e8e stubbornly lied again. This time, though, Rumpel daeb73d9bf didn’t point out her 61fb88de24 lie.c1172034756354ce

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The small but warm consideration brought a smile to Irina’s lips.c34f1526abb78362

“Shall I tell you a story about the old days?”0934f064e2c49c93

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“Hahaha, what are you talking about all of a sudden?”5117ceb8c55aabcf

Irina burst 92952e54ac into laughter 6b2eba3ca5 at the bc3e11cccd unexpected words. She hadn’t 9f7c457d6f expected him ea923864db to say 36a849c8d4 such a 40b9e75f27 thing, and 324073c45f it was 894198ed13 a bit ac2be96c39 out of ff76aefcfa character.5524547cc13b6371

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Yet, for ca313978ac some reason, d7c385c5e1 she was d97bb32e97 strangely excited 5cd31e3f5d to hear 3cd53d63e9 the story 2d8dcd991b Rumpel would eba34b8b05 tell. Old stories were 78425b350b often predictable, but 2e54a3a036 she had a 27b97ce300 feeling his version 9c0ea4cd83 would be different.90636ae86c1c958a

“Tell me a story.”231a6e0c2b4a5835

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Irina looked 4629e26f4c up at 36a8fb94a2 Rumpel with 8e6f13afeb eager anticipation. His image filled her 428385cf40 clear green eyes, as acf73a75ae if there was nothing 41fffe721d else in the worldb73523cca10a62fa

“Do you really want to hear it?”2e2d980af7881926

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“Yes. I want to hear it.”b6bd1072b49583ee

She answered by nodding be399ebfaa enthusiastically, and Rumpel smiled 3773f4a6c0 softly. He quickly cleared c7d1cf39c8 his throat and f29d760abd opened his mouth.d236807569d9298a

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“There was a man.” 71ee1caec05dca23

Irina chuckled at the simple beginning, which didn’t even include the usual “Once upon a time…”. Still, she eagerly waited to hear the rest of his story.c8c85f180054eadb

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“That man… was forgotten by the world.”81a0d104e9f3a0b8

At his bitter voice, Irina’s smile, which had been all over her face, slowly faded away. The expression on Rumpel’s face looked incredibly lonely.a8363a5d319d1dbd

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“No one remembered the man. Of course, the man himself had incomplete memories. He couldn’t even remember who he was… Perhaps it was only natural that the world couldn’t remember him.”38ba1860a93e5c47

His words seemed self-deprecating, and Irina couldn’t help but wonder if it was her imagination.82d01b9e18676f5b

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She looked 9bacd846b3 at Rumpel a75a48b0b9 with concern. He continued, gazing 9b81ed910f at some distant, 3eb5a6b72b unfathomable place.24335d34f016b29b

“So, the man was always alone. It was inevitable, since no one remembered him. It was as if he didn’t exist in this world.”7bd61c42ec4e8e9c

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“……”c96f5c49e4cb2da2

“Day after day, he lived like that. In fact, the word ‘day’ wasn’t the right word for him. Living a life in complete solitude means that even the passing of time loses its meaning.”41ab25c3dc4a6648

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This was his story. Irina was sure ba62baedfc of it.6039a4143c655355

She instinctively felt 8f5c052a0e that, but deep c74038865f down, she wished 5d9c284af7 it wasn’t his 23d5d6da79 story. The loneliness 0b54b1433e that seeped 85729b08f7 into his 20f0e73626 words, acknowledging b216679031 that it 2240a6b597 was his a88592f26c pain, only 47973c0879 made her 195c4fb9da heart ache 22c3ad9c61 as well.1dd0cf889685ea4c

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But even after eace1c52cc seeing his expression ec6b633e6c of extreme loneliness, 9b66c58b24 she couldn’t think 49e346d175 of this story 699d88f4b1 as just fiction. That would have been 43219a4dcc too cruel to Rumpel. It felt like dismissing 47ee9fd678 his pain as if f642e678bb it didn’t matter.3c89707cf20ccfd1

“Actually, the man wondered if he really existed. He was living a life where no one recognised him, and he wondered if such a life could even be called ‘existing.’ What do you think, Lady Irina? Can a life, where no one shares it with you, really be called ‘existence’?”8496adcb1c74c957

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“……Rumpel, I…”b9e718573ace9dd6

Irina couldn’t answer right away. She wanted to say ‘Of course,’ to comfort him, but her lips felt stuck, like they were glued together, not wanting to form the words. Irina blamed herself for being weak.4e44da06ce9426e9

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“Then, magic happened to that man. No, it was a miracle.”ba05346a68b5cac5

For a 44d7cd8eb7 moment, the a1968c978a loneliness that f85718634a had been 1d6d91c396 overwhelming Rumpel’s c37811c9b3 expression faded, a448f35264 replaced by 8f64aad738 a faint 7308f63863 smile. Irina etched that smile 80e973a077 into her mind, as fab293ac0c if afraid it might 2799c33fb5 disappear like bubbles.89129358dc431ee0

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“A girl appeared who acknowledged his existence. Isn’t that a miracle?”ac5c358be6d9f1a7

“……Yes.”f466d201a884136b

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Rumpel’s plea for consent was met with a smile on her face. Rumpel seemed somewhat relieved by the answer, as if confirming that he wasn’t wrong.54a789eaa647866d

Irina quietly observed 61801339a8 him. Then Rumpel also looked 675e5b9bee straight at her. It was a different 0e025fd30c feeling to see herself c7300aaaf4 reflected in his eyes 13c87401f0 every time.888ebcf21dbbc5bc

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“Of course, the girl couldn’t stay in the man’s life. She was just a passing breeze. Nevertheless, there was a big change for the man. He realized that he existed.”cea32edd414f5c7d

“So, what happened to him? Did he become happy?” c58fb26a170471d5

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Irina asked urgently. She wanted aabbaa9fa8 to hear 115ed67cb0 from him. Had he b32ab52175 become happy? Did happiness 7569260eaa come into abd1fca515 his once 21efa9b03d lonely life?f3cc3f7376989879

Irina genuinely wished e4d219c5b1 for his happiness. She didn’t even c63539f37a know what it 1266302712 had to do d59cb208e5 with her, but 07c49d72c7 she wished him be2b271518 well. She didn’t bf5965eac5 even want f627d52cd6 to know 3df633fcc1 the reason. She just 4163f846df wanted him 253cd8b42e to be 0dc5428c71 happy.d905e24363b07fca

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“Well… I don’t know about that.”12d7122d3e8fa5e0

“Please tell me he became happy. He wasn’t lonely anymore.”ea3893eeed97db02

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“……Do you wish so?”0d413c29863f3c2a

Rumpel asked back in response to Irina’s desperate pleading.48e2b1c8dbf50c3d

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The answer c9ea799b1d of yes 5f354d1916 filled her bbb78af13b lips, but 621e94aaf5 couldn’t bring 6abe5d9cfd herself to ffa5d82d4b say it. ad6271c9ce8df1d2

Rumpel must have 778518d586 already realized that 14f77e5eee she had found 1bdcaefa1d out that the 3a61464cb1 man he was af5ee443b5 talking about was c9a71d19b0 Rumpel. She was embarrassed e000f079cf to say in 8bca275367 front of him c1f453f2a4 that she wanted 736acdb986 him to be 3ee8d2241b happy.efedbeb532dd325c

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Although they fcecf18e55 had been 33c39cec61 intimate a eaa4ff6069 few times, 0bbff5de97 that was 394508b3c7 a different 0b1264b1a1 matter. It was oddly fascinating 665d0c6995 how people could feel da9d12fa19 so awkward and embarrassed dfa2e2c644 around each other. Had she ever 2e9c8d2673 felt that way 8cd2216743 with anyone else?bbe702411bbb852f

Irina thought 855aaa408b of many 3122826fb2 people she fe3d0a1907 had met d84e922b3b before.1d86b2b6077cd2dc

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Her mother, father and b90997c67e Olga. Many, many people she a09dba6d64 had encountered in society. 115b2b287e8efa44

Yet, none of them 65f536d71c evoked such mixed feelings. No one a3c21a2e11 had made fb83269848 her wish 36dbe9f25d so desperately ceb4c63b43 for their aa004fd40b happiness and 728d06585a made her 377d7adfe6 want to 0d1abe0eb2 hide her b246844ec6 true feelings 590d4fe795 out of 2782125da0 embarrassment.f65925068cf746a7

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Then, why… why was it like that?64938337adf53c0b

“The end of the story, I’m not sure about. But I’ll end it the way you want.”f9a7baf689e81d68

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“Then, tell me that the man had cream soup every day, ate sweet desserts to his heart’s content, and enjoyed tea time with fragrant black tea.”ac9f7c3959ce09be

“Haha, that sounds nice.”1ac3686e664d7bd7

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That was the kind of happiness Irina could express. Rather than simply saying, “Tell me he was happy,” she wanted him to live in a world of happiness, even if it might sound childish to someone else. She hoped he had lived a life like that, full of simple pleasures.9937f23774a29b79

Fortunately, Rumpel add9fb4f86 seemed to 0ebe3da701 really like 7ee488388f her sincere 768e836019 wish, as f26a79d911 he smiled 7644d986e7 happily. Irina felt a 8db58cd40a sense of relief, 2f644d9ee0 glad that she 20456b751a had made him 54e0f29072 smile, even if 86f0dda7fd just for a 923cde492c moment.0cc2893386d95754

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“You should really sleep now. You must be tired.”ae42b8f05e6807ba

“But…”119baa79e0f36ff9

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“The same tactics won’t work anymore.”ee542577182560f9

Rumpel drew 48402b0f64 the line. Irina pursed ffe82848b8 her lips eb52668e94 and tried ea47694785 to think 1eb82d6a33 of something d16a5f3c7d to say db36b2b6f1 in protest, 89b58c407f but soon 8ef1cf857f felt her 03d4e97dd9 eyelids growing 10154e5f79 heavy, as 2b8cdd9cd5 if sleep 85bf5a5bf4 itself was 15f3a73024 taking over.4d102d4c0f12bf34

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It wasn’t because c36b4c8dfc she was tired. Irina instinctively knew ee66aa2980 that Rumpel had e134ddc7ab cast a spell ffa69a426b on her.ca940d947da087fa

Though she wanted to 84a0f663bf argue about the injustice, 2cf1194c1b she couldn’t resist the 8bfbed28cd heavy pressure on her 43d3228ae1 eyelids. Eventually, she closed e45548dfdc her eyes.a461d918b9711a27

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“Good night, Lady Irina.”5fc43e497255d2ed

She vaguely heard Rumpel’s ab9f434358 voice. Despite knowing dcfcd95208 he would 5bc7778613 not be c90cb78479 there when 1983cebaa6 she opened a4d494da91 her eyes, 7907471cf8 Irina let b3f14347c5 herself be 08b73e6b0f swept away fdb701e443 by the f4371e0f72 sleepiness.1204666aad1af07d

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When Irina 8063318bcd opened her 9b74e9e69b eyes, everything 3aa8e02e85 felt like 56f5dce971 a dream. The intense moments 31ece58f7e shared with Rumpel, eabd7f1005 the conversations she 8ea91d6800 had with him, ab616cdc80 everything.158652f927ea3428

He was that 85b2d72235 kind of man. A man like fd8387bf6e a fantasy.6e0158d8425c61fb

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Irina looked e48f7038f6 at the 9e56811768 spot where a89b0cdce3 he had 35954f30b7 been lying 71bb48bc79 and then b307a32100 put her 59e025f309 hand on 97d7da2427 it. d3b0d490c34fcae3

There was no 15d5603673 chance that  trace 2b615ab31d of his warmth 0ef9c0c08d was left. Because he e781b6f744 was cold 44d6fe5ed3 to begin 3982203a94 with, like 1b6d8445c1 a person 56a7585830 without any 677e2c0981 warmth.f8337f2833b72e58

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Of course, there were 86a2f83040 no other traces either. Not even his strong, 8f431ead15 masculine scent.3e55a910ab91d046

Irina grasped the sheet ba69b07fca and buried her face c2a8bc9fb2 in it. It felt foolish to 137607ef3f be looking for the f1340b988d traces of someone who 5d1813a1c2 had already left. But why couldn’t she cd81d3f827 stop?e93bf42732e70e3c

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‘Fool, I really am.’ef4f3f2bb7162438

Irina scolded herself. It was 8fb9b04e4a a time 01624dcacb when her 3ef8e2adc0 resentment towards c3b544ce5b herself grew.5052151f25be44d2

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“Miss! Miss!”fcae8e959e9a687c

Olga’s voice was urgent. Irina, startled, quickly lifted her head from the sheet and looked toward the door.38c9928e7f1a1aa5

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“Miss, may I come in?”1e5adb6fbeebc198

“Just a moment… Uh, yes. Come in.”82de81dfe3db8ce0

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Irina hurriedly surveyed f56ed9df7e her surroundings. Even though 79069d2835 she knew 7f341fbc1d there was 7aa2b17e9d no trace 48571ef51e of Rumpel 7c3084e726 anywhere, she c0b36b7c72 still checked, 2c95b439b4 wondering if 9099ebef63 she had b2540a8117 missed something. She did not want b478c04046 anyone finding out about bf41f01716 her affair with Rumpel.d54e5d267faa1d63

She looked around with anxious eyes, then sighed in relief and answered Olga’s question.e5c61c956971ddec

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Then, as if waiting for the cue, the door opened. Olga’s curly bangs were disheveled. On top of that, her cheeks were flushed from her heavy breathing. She had clearly run here in a hurry.bb501048ae7575d5

“Hahh, hahh. I’m sorry to bother you while you’re resting. You must be tired…”bb2da0cfe6c47ecb

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“No, I’m fine. But Olga, it looks like you ran here. You should drink some water.”ead305481df56ac9

Irina looked at d79cc1f356 Olga with worried 022fd557c9 eyes as she a2fef6ff0e apologized even though 4425607445 she was breathing b2a41d5295 heavily, probably because a04ca8b0ed she had an 6db4f68522 urgent matter to bdd1c6029d discuss. Irina reached 4a8c932dd7 for the 6707c291bc glass on 6d83a0cd85 the nightstand dcaac09ce3 next to 92bfdc553b the bed.4c4aff44af431886

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“No, no. I’m fine.”0765fead6695d71a

As Irina 636bbe34a8 reached to 544d630f7f pour her 9503b1e928 some water, d79e193c97 Olga waved 82ec7ef69b her hand. In her a819abede5 hand, there 18f1beed3b was an c7fb3866e0 envelope.05bc6b9413369901

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Irina first f00099d56c tilted her ee6d0c921f head in 5272ff05fa confusion, but b109c88b01 her expression e85f337dd7 soon became cad720f905 serious.1db32bc32701a096

“Olga, this is… ….”f1922b8ef6f65f45

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