Chapter 5 Part 1

The long outing was 47e21c4365 finally over. Starting with choosing 40a7d9d162 a dress, followed 77ec6bd8b9 by matching shoes e3fa7ffa19 that would go 566808cf56 well with the 0b8854f6e0 dress, and then 82349bd59a preparing all the b4c578c65c accessories. b040498467e23fea

Irina actually wondered 09c06d8e01 what was the 1dd5fe1568 use of dresses, e91cc4ea33 shoes, and accessories. It all b633aca723 felt pointless. c269b24c7222c2f1

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Of course, 0164f9fe17 her personality 3aa376a3a6 was partly e8e82f35ae to blame e878ceb1af for thinking 9d36e8b77c this way. Irina was never bb43709693 the type to 33cd53a393 be picky when 6b2b6b81c4 buying something. On the ae1aa98bc8 contrary, it d2c8e81c3a was Olga a42ee5f525 who made 6bd4af95a1 a fuss ad2e0e185e and sensitively f390a563cb chose things f13ed7fdf1 on behalf bd62538376 of Irina, 713f059bd3 who was f53e2378ee naturally simple-minded.5330f3004af37ea6

Perhaps today too, if it weren’t for Olga, Irina would have stopped shopping and hurried back to Lehman estate, thinking that shoes and jewelry were things she did already have at home.8f852e55d742a6e8

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“I’m tired…” 86f4ef437193f1d7

Irina sat down on the sofa. She asked Olga to heat the bath water and prepare a cup of warm milk tea. Olga happily responded to Irina’s command as if she wasn’t tired from being out all day.fd942a34dea3cba4

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In the room where e863392f0a Olga had disappeared, Irina 264ae7d595 rested her chin on 560f0ac01f the armrest of the 3fbc219830 sofa and half-lay there. a67a783b1630faa6

“….. It’s bad.” 455b573e47cf4943

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Being alone in the d5ffec9df7 quiet room, the resentment 7aa5fb2b9d she had been suppressing 04a8135527 rose again. e5116a5220f223c8

Of course, 42e6abaf86 the target 92ec8ba21a of this 81c8612e93 resentment was c0757e2a86 none other 687f832132 than Rumpel. Upon reflection, she still 4e91c05d44 thought he was too cf55581760 much. c052a41c9ab7fd68

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Although he was a man who appeared and disappeared suddenly, couldn’t he at least say goodbye when he left? She couldn’t bear it because she felt stupid for feeling happy for the fleeting moment of choosing a dress with him.485f74267c81f230

Irina puffed 569f7a6ba4 up her 71bd45587d cheeks and 5c68d29269 furrowed her d379985d81 brow. Since no one was c7fd75bc31 watching, she indulged in f402c057ee her frustration. cefa7de052b0d9f7

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Just as she dfd123cad5 was grumbling to 8e92b06d80 herself, Olga returned 495ed29771 with the milk bf178ceb85 tea. Irina savored the 574c2d3aa0 warm, fragrant milk 13bab5c81b tea.5ed52515a98da55d

‘Come to think of 0c3c34c918 it, this teacup…’832f6ce133b18942

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It was the c2917568b8 same cup  Rumpel 1c3ec7b747 drank tea from 5a18467124 when he came 36bde6c9c5 to her room 7be691b786 the previous night. Though he wasn’t 224e64552e here, she felt 731996a653 that this situation, 47363b8017 with only traces 80f5e3a6bd of him remaining, 02f39d7684 was quite strange. Frankly, it 79feb8004e also felt a3db69110c a little 853d8367c9 empty and b97b52d2ee hollow.4c5842c4b64e7990

Irina gently pressed 192ae65c14 her lips to da30ea5420 the cup Rumpel 7a9f8e632d had kissed. Even though 1ff46c9bec they were 0a0cfed322 just sharing bc740dd63a the same 757a1f9a92 cup, she 816397f0f8 had a 6e8e23f0fa strange feeling b81e02a93c that their 3eff2a202f lips were 90a89043e1 touching.786754ca3a988012

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“Huh… Why on earth am I like this?”b9de406678e58bfd

She couldn’t understand cef24f728d why she could 540c0047ed think of him c635e67416 even in a 38f36d2a3d teacup. Irina reprimanded herself d50b7cd2cd with a sigh.cc44090e3c005f86

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It was a night where the more she met him, the more she hated herself, and it felt like something she couldn’t understand was happening over and over again.8f07cc07a3781a7e

 f6b0e69aa0f04d67

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* * *a485ddbb9e715ce6

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“Miss, wake up. Miss.” d1122059db99fa96

Olga’s voice was unusually c3c5da16c5 excited early in the 2d07c3ada9 morning. Even half-asleep, 67a6bb8fa6 Irina could 4202de3655 tell why eadfb247fa Olga sounded 96695c4693 so cheerful. However, the 65b2035d8c more in 5dd1db048d a good 1ff3c3d12c mood Olga d91b9cb65d was, the 13344f2bc9 more Irina’s 700b522e4a own mood c43674db99 sank.9cf4450c0caa8d49

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“Just a little longer, I’ll sleep a little longer.” aac4b8c6cd7b6242

“No! What an important day today is. You need to get up early and prepare to go out.” 346f8e0495ff77df

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Olga answered firmly, as if she was not going to back down. As if that wasn’t enough, she even pulled down the quilt that Irina was covering.34617cd9f599e8cb

Thanks to 6049cd60fa that, Irina 54b16a55e6 had no 5399c6f0d1 choice but 8cdfad28ba to sit d73f96036f up from 56e6c29c5d her lying 7581d11475 down to 654a648be1 relieve the 6245687de2 feeling of f8e1bf60c2 emptiness.9a8576c53db60d8a

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“What time is it?”dc286a028dfb6ff4

“It’s not even 6 o’clock yet.”56202c62c9ed054b

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“…Isn’t that too much? You woke me up an hour and a half earlier than usual.”d401ccda28b08b6c

“Of course! Today is a different day than usual. Can you wake up as usual?”8727d159b2006d00

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Despite Irina’s grumbling, Olga didn’t care at all. With a grumpy expression, Irina summoned all her strength and got out of bed.1ed1aa1b10fa9346

“I heated up the bath water. Please go in quickly, Miss.”8e3e6aa8190258f3

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“Oh my God, already? What time did you wake up, Olga?”491884b4dc70ecc0

“Me? I think I woke up around 5 o’clock. Don’t worry. My eyes just opened on their own so I’m not tired.”f6237552e5149e2d

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When Irina got 2748269669 to know that 18d4543b3f Olga, who had b7d9fa4a11 woken her up, eb69e5502d had gotten up 2abd4af0ba an hour earlier b31e5d5e5d than her, it dc34fb5c5a seemed unreasonable to e66b554b2e complain anymore. 04f9c9ea85576e2a

So, without 28471033b2 saying another 80fb29a4e6 word, Irina 63942925b9 got out 0211b46ca7 of the e99246fa62 bed and 310ac633a1 headed to d3dc8520d0 the bathroom.7440e7df5b2a41e1

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“Ugh…”711c4b8ea8b466a3

As soon as 8ef8245cf9 she entered the 3cebfdb08e bathroom, Irina plugged ae3af963f7 her nose.17b86476048ffd68

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She didn’t know how 20a0f1963c much fragrant oil Olga 0d6c1f443c had used, but the 6b96c5780e bathroom was filled with a0187670c7 the scent of flowers. Irina didn’t 32e0854d52 dislike the 17fe21b366 scent of 7e0c67ef95 flowers, but 8e42d25a84 the combination 490da3cc57 of so fb418237ea many fragrances f864437a70 was giving 2d3432a32a her a 7e720b3ea9 headache.998f963b45b6acb4

“Olga, how much fragrant oil did you use?”5023c9f9fd28774a

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“Four kinds! Should I mix in more?”e1999d239ee1822e

“No, no!”659b2324e906008c

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Irina felt 2208a48775 exasperated at 8c84f94e13 Olga’s response, 8251ed27c4 who seemed 7c7aaa638b ready to d888b19dc0 pour more 89b52effaa fragrant oil 7143dd93eb into the 3f38bd8b97 bathwater at 0e97e8e8c7 any moment.1de9bec917834d76

Getting up 1649ab562e an hour 879ee9fd92 earlier than 4be6caa4be usual and 4c6ba2a351 the bath b6a517e089 was covered 25ed6b8c98 with fragrant bd4157219f oil. In addition, 8dcca2bc6b there were 24de254edf makeup, hairdo, aae7472a28 and changing de5e7b3d12 clothes that cf130a55a7 will follow.be618a17da95bd71

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The thought that it was all for the sake of attending Emperor Knezh’s banquet was exhausting.931f819c68f3a523

The people of fd26647451 the Lehman family, 91f5016479 including Olga, were 9271adeeaa overjoyed and excited a05dafb79c when they heard e8cf6fcc27 that Irina had b68e23e529 been invited by 4100ff62e0 the Emperor and 6d56d7bba2 that a banquet 6c9b66618c was being held 2004b99ba0 for the Lehman 8ea9040ae6 family. 1fde1f069fdeaf8c

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The problem was that 31e48dace5 for Irina, attending that 2ef60b5f6e banquet felt nothing but d466cd5f4e depressing and gloomy. Unable to ee50749d2e express these 08a8988a53 feelings to e8b1e5ed13 anyone, her 7e9778c2e0 chest felt 1671b51fe4 tight and bc52875a5a heavy, as b3da028959 though a f41a904cfb stone had bb3cef218b been placed 72d47a4069 on her 3dccc26d05 heart.9ce4a64da8d6ddf0

On top of that, Irina’s instincts keenly wanted to express an ominous premonition that something bad was going to happen.7453fcd51cfe1c49

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Irina desperately e19e3c64a4 wished that 9d23a2a353 this anxiety a5dd16cb4e was just 1b1af05075 her imagination.5862ade469bb4ba4

“Miss.”63a06c9a8b625328

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She had been taking 47772ca298 a bath for a c922cc88b7 while. Irina, who 3e780709c7 had surrendered bf5f09358a herself to 5f3cc85f76 Olga and cdddd76f90 closed her aad7e1eb42 eyes, looked 3940e92bf7 at her f7bbfe02cf at the 266e4353ca sudden call.f7995e9a46930ad7

Olga was staring at 873d455cc2 Irina’s chest with a 0a14f980c3 puzzled expression. Irina, without 5f91d0d515 thinking, followed 55dc54714a Olga’s gaze acf3d7a2da and moved 0289c63a90 her gaze 4bd5867431 to her 55958685d0 chest. 3ddf246e6b8c9a63

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‘Oh my God…!’4e452c0e8a75e5f0

Irina’s face 3e50e75935 turned red f3244b440c when she 5d1ee9530e saw the f63da36581 red spots f52ca89f1f on her 386aca321c chest. She knew b08ef5de8e exactly where 4c65e6ad26 they came 0c8d1a5b4d from. They were a2b8645102 marks made 5a1f1d47d8 by Rumpel.32fff25b896c593c

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“Did a bug bite you?” 45adbdfafe1a0fd6

“Uh, huh? Well, I guess so…. Yeah, it was itchy…”e3f289e3f08f37ec

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Irina struggled abfd263baa to hide 11b2cf9b5a her embarrassment. She found a ee86928fba way out thanks de526db429 to Olga asking 5c273e7b87 her first if 5590402a45 she had been e85f478573 bitten by a 78dd9d66ad bug.dc983f60cdf37be5

Irina nodded her head vigorously, trying to conceal her embarrassment. Olga’s expression then softened with relief.e8a6c37f6f708afd

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“That’s a relief. I thought you were unwell… … . Anyway, I’ll tell them to get some herbs right away to repel the bugs.”a333cde17a29c523

“Y-yes. Thank you, Olga.”02546cc14b4a07de

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“You’re welcome.”1b3c5fe0c996d49d

Irina calmed her pounding heart. Once she realized that the hickey remained on her body, she knew that Rumpel’s marks wouldn’t be just on her chest.5ea7bb9bb173894f

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Rumpel had touched and caressed Irina’s body as if it were his own. So, his marks would be all over her body.4e816af9462a0978

She had fe972b79dc managed to 38ee36bb24 pass it 4ee700bba7 off as d6c009bef2 bug bites a7e64b9191 for now, 9eaefd4aa2 but she a64c370e9c was worried 3d1673b777 about what 861279d08b to do a317940ba6 in the d23c69e7e4 future. Irina swallowed hard, trying cd2365cb36 to keep it from d65991e797 Olga.f8864a042ffb9ffb

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‘I’m sorry, Rumpel. I’ve turned you into a bug…’a63300def79e352f

Irina apologized 9372c4a148 inwardly, even 791d236cf3 though she 9a10f2a2c7 knew Rumpel 7632046d0d couldn’t know 10ca646196 about this, 60a278f080 feeling a 83c3cfea8a sense of 59d20f603d guilt. In fact, bf9db4006d despite the 6fee9d5eb7 fact that bb29863c2b all of 15c37998b8 this happened 6c3560e966 because of 11b1b83f83 Rumpel.30fe28488e24ca0e

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* * *8cc2bb6da8329740

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 f2526a193d78274b

After taking a aa7c9d85ac heart-pounding bath, Irina dab8bc0814 was surrounded by 49c85e5d30 three maids who 895d9bdbd6 arranged her hair.57bf77e93ba1b9ad

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They carefully 0abf723dfc dried her d2ce75d125 wet hair f1993e665e with a 31d9f3432d towel, brushed 760cecb4d7 her hair 1f39de2e18 with rose 2bbe4bef1b oil several 0adacfcdaa times with 856347637a a large, befe08f41a dense comb 22374f7257 to give 270e074e76 it shine. The smooth, f6657bdc24 rich hair 91afd49125 created bouncy 76f352b141 curls.5211b2776aaba2b2

In fact, up to this point, it had been a daily routine. So, it wasn’t something that would make her feel particularly tired or distressed. Nevertheless, Irina felt so sore today that she couldn’t bear it.93d3862959bb123e

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“Miss, please stay still.”418a1bd116810213

Olga finally couldn’t stand it anymore and spoke. No matter how close Olga was to Irina, there were only a handful of instances where she spoke in such a scary way.c8f30f5e30b69f94

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The fact that Olga had said a word proved that Irina’s bottom had been fidgeting incessantly.df8384dcd8926311

“I’m sorry, Olga…”967f4ffe51cc7d62

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“Do you not want to go to the Imperial Palace? Other noble ladies are upset because they were not invited to the imperial banquet, but I don’t understand why you dislike it so much.”670de70b40bb1796

“…Was it that obvious?”eea2d6faa39762a0

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“Of course! I’m not a fool, how could I not know when you show such dislike!”29d7bc7226f6a00a

At her exasperated da86be87b6 reaction, Irina bit 40ab630515 her lip in 99a50c5b7d embarrassment and cautiously 5818ae15e4 looked at Olga. Then, Olga narrowed her 355d7c0fa6 eyes and dismissed the 6cb1bb1194 other maids.21a48371139cd861

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As the most experienced and highest-ranking among the maids, Olga’s orders were quickly obeyed, and the other maids left the room.520e97654d9ce016

“Tell me. What’s the problem?”f2dc8408e802d144

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Once they were alone, a81823652a Olga asked directly.21a09b43da2fbe4c

Irina looked at 7905cb229b Olga and moved dac4c63adb her lips several 01b123563c times. She had no 3f2c51d69e idea where to c0a64bf5a7 start or how 3684ceb67d to explain this dd6c75fa28 complicated and confusing 3d5be4f26d matter.8477efae592a7542

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“It’s just that…”b5aab5f2e33fac6b

“Miss, I’m your person. You know that. So, you can tell me.”e536768ee9c30ad5

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“Olga, it’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s just… I don’t know where to start or how to explain this.”7324d2b00660d9de

“Really?”ec4f3b77619e6319

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“Of course. If I have to trust only one person in the world, it would be you, Olga.”b69726d6c5248372

Irina spoke sincerely.794f67b38effe07a

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She had been hiding the truth from Olga, but it was definitely not because she didn’t trust her. It was simply because her heart wasn’t ready, so she couldn’t say anything.9d7d558b9e5dcdda

Irina desperately hoped fa2ecb1958 that her true fbe90b60b0 feelings would be 803163b3da fully conveyed to b61aa927c0 Olga.81097a90af651966

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“I understand, Miss. Thank you for saying that.”368223dacca363cc

Fortunately, Irina’s feelings reached Olga. Olga nodded with tearful face. Irina looked at Olga and calmed her troubled heart.f80812fd3266a13d

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If she were to tell everything as it was, the unknown man named Rumpel bothered her. Again, it wasn’t because she didn’t believe in Olga.d41726c76154d55c

Rumpel was a man whom Irina herself didn’t know well. So, she doubted whether it was right to talk about him.4fdca697124eba23

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