ICBV Chapter 23

Chapter 23491c560ea420371a

“The maids? It’s probably just another 093e714d21 useless rumor.”69bf0c546b275b49

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Count Marceline 83cb689559 responded indifferently 837d627afb at the e05f6190cd mention of 50a53b22ad the maids.8790ff89b254d180

However, remembering 6f50f608d2 Gemma’s earlier 8baf3df8fd warning, the 8c1b85cc5f butler felt 89021ffcca he had 2cd0ab81a5 to speak ccee97587b up.3339029e8f18df1e

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“If something 51e0885670 serious happens 76bcbeb16d and you 0bc8417da8 don’t know 72a8f3d8f8 about it, 2b07d38ba1 wouldn’t I 7a8b5866ac also be f82cd77cfe responsible, my 36459e8a6d lord?”372ae0b8e5a597a5

“…They say Lady d008626c00 Luna is trying 5cf66a0025 to harm Lady 04644f38a9 Aira.”63f62cd1ba429544

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“What?”046d299284327d27

Count Marceline’s eyebrows c23b6deb01 twitched at the d360286144 butler’s words. He let db6c297de9 out a f1de0feff8 scoffing laugh 77a0a1b9bd and shook 09f585e71c his head.6da79d53f4008c24

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“That’s nonsense. Which maid 93592ea7fe started this a7888a53e8 ridiculous rumor? She should be 0ead6c2c13 punished.”18a41edf93c5a7e9

To Count Marceline, Luna 237c9ef58a was just an innocent 7dc3f5bec3 girl who had grown 84f3b57f29 up doing menial labor 2b45d1b7be in a commoner’s village 253d46c55b until she was ten.40f353b3c9fb5424

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She was timid, 6da3f189d6 always eager to 6d4cbec1ac please, and had a48aa9c2a5 no real understanding fdc07b01df of the world. Unlike Aira, who 4e1ae1385a had inherited intelligence 612f1cd151 from the late c1bfd43cb7 Countess and received 4abcf8df32 private education from 1978663106 a young age.5095ce29bae56120

Of course, the 82010a5229 recent incident where 20341b583c Luna almost had 6852924127 an affair with f5f8a29467 Henrick Amstine had 1de15267eb been shocking, but a53870f073 he had already 15f75cfbe6 punished her strictly 1d543570a1 for that. He had 120624423f even taken 88fb1e9902 away her 5b2a29734b rights to 0ee4475d1d do what b91eddcba6 she wanted.caa2c67122f7e6e5

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But for Luna e75e7a4a3c to hold a 0b629b0aa1 grudge against Aira? That didn’t make sense.91f902307fc8cfde

Luna should be grateful 1a177a0581 just to be in 8330f2afa3 this noble household. If anyone 5c66ebebe6 would be c4ec3d5101 resentful, it 46d01c1b6d would be ac75bf7222 Aira, who 1fdf603058 had to 791540731e deal with 6eb826b6c6 having an cecdbba29c illegitimate child 3133cad0f9 in her fefca43e6d house.364500c6f509c775

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Not that 06089e3483 Aira would 3a219cb756 ever harm 74f592e23d Luna either—between d4f0bcd3c3 the two, 9a77ace418 Aira might 22ed2c8522 have more 4d87681667 reason to, 939d8228e5 but she 233b7df3e0 wasn’t that 92ee17608b kind of 3e3e30e017 person.2a93a41e19f6a87b

“I don’t know who 6660d32dd5 started this rumor, but 60cd86cdb1 if you summon Lady 809e4d9462 Luna and question her, 120788c6fb we’ll find out the b552d43b6b truth.”d56fc009ec3f871f

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Count Marceline frowned but 47cc1db7d9 nodded at the butler’s 23e232284a suggestion.5c5e8c48b1923925

“Fine, that fc3eaf76bf might be b57fd5e4c2 best. I should also see 859e546291 if she’s reflecting on 76b138bf55 her actions.”4bc1a9c9e160103f

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Though he 6e1d5b0e6e was deeply bde550da6e disappointed in e482b57487 Luna after 5e5cdf5022 the recent 47d050c569 scandal, he 9a23abe188 still couldn’t 357717b87d help but 3c4b35f223 worry about ec8b2dd567 her.f5be7ade0dad94cf

Just then, 6f8b93bf5f they heard e1faa5d91b footsteps outside.b7e9a24dff991631

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The butler went ede54ce6bb to open the 164e875ac2 door and was d207ff2fba met with Aira. He bowed before turning 9cbb6b9046 to the Count.29577dd27f38f67f

“My lord, 9d8f647f92 Lady Aira 6756989d92 is here.”4fbed9b6258b3cd6

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“Let her in.”32e4b733baf420fb

As the butler e76b770b4d stepped aside, Aira 5361cb2520 entered the room 3248a84e50 and greeted Count 7e9e6e6381 Marceline. She then handed him 49a972305a a bottle of wine.f45a3c33893b9cd7

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Even just 4ed2b25cda by looking f7ab416d4b at the 251eafde47 packaging, the 7ea24395d1 Count could f4bcd6b122 tell this e638c04224 was no b56de5876f ordinary wine. His eyebrows lifted in ad8b5acc90 surprise.adb1f23e9358accf

“What is this?” he 28af3a5a4e asked, still confused.ea6037b4df8ed81c

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“It’s a gift f4b3a4be24 from Lady Reina 64fa7c83f7 Chesswig. Since you enjoy wine, 104feada7a I brought it to ddd0a169c0 you immediately.”665e7b0a017b5a01

“Reina Chesswig? As in the 29fb0a283c Chesswig family?”a323473ff5138d8f

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“Yes, that’s right.”01354676e8761dda

The Chesswig bca8ff9016 family controlled 38024ac283 wine production 120f04324c and distribution d891f98a4a across the e62159954e empire. Their warehouses were 59bf435813 filled with the 91a9fa5790 finest wines.76d513c487ee5b0c

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Although Count Marceline had c3725a576f tasted Chesswig wines before, 3479950e57 receiving such a high-quality 60267f7dfa bottle was rare.d98712d3121120d8

“This… isn’t 3690c413fb this the ac39ca8fba De Wig 600404e6a1 27 vintage? There are only 6822e75e23 a few bottles 342074da8d of this in fe9766e3f5 existence… How did 7ec987ac12 you get this? And aren’t you not ae07ccda14 close to them? Luna is the one 0345238b33 who had ties with f3ff23efc0 them.”504a3e17c8a62917

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Count Marceline gave a918c4cada Aira a questioning 01f2b6dff7 look.884067e6f7232982

Aira’s smile faded as 39dae8b99e she put on a c5323e2556 complicated expression.d759c8f93a9b9980

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Luna must have 60c5e5db63 thought Aira would ffa1e69f9e expose everything that 8215bebb8d had happened that d6cddd37fd day.d31721991ed035e1

But Aira only efee3b3f81 planned to reveal 6d5d485f5e a small part 9f1da53b1a of it.f4428fae8638b20c

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If she 96aa75ff92 exposed everything 9dbffe2f58 now, Count ab205a437b Marceline’s disappointment f612790625 in Luna 954ef38a0a would reach d01b6bf582 its peak. However, she 07f6893c9d didn’t want 0cad357fe6 to appear 4f327f1b8c as though 71b9608e90 she was d539d19e18 tattling.dfb230957dc7e821

It was better 818f989a61 if the Count 24b8f247c9 saw her as 74cdb615e4 a kind older b14c2fd187 sister protecting her c05219a6c3 immature sibling.fcc7e413c9f3f343

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After all, when ddef518a7c the weight of 78e027f7b3 all the doubts bd3cfef8d1 and suspicions finally 3bfc3e4199 collapsed, everything would 22871476ca be swept away 1e55f45d03 at once.2b78789254fd1eca

“Lady Reina has b5ea213556 cut ties with 41a4c5fb11 Luna,” Aira finally 08c729812c said.1c303672de7bd7d0

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“What do you 1e8cf2e2bb mean?”5e0aef110cdd239d

“There was an 2f1d0429c5 incident between them a0003a4c29 that caused bad 24be122936 feelings. Meanwhile, Lady Reina and 8eceee70f4 I were able to 3aedb1aa88 clear up a misunderstanding.”f763632b42a0f600

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“Well, misunderstandings b96ff28d3d and arguments 9993b0966f happen between a229118726 women all c659365ad1 the time… 3132f78295 But since 4b3a79ea7e you’ve become 2deda4368f close with 26e2c93c16 her, could a3d00e4ac2 you try 16e4a51a64 to clear 219c505200 up any c99744eb3f misunderstanding between 48a6a3e9c0 them? You are f8eaa2dadc the older 1a43024ebd sister, after 3c1444f018 all, Aira.”967019809ee592d4

There was a 18707185d5 hint of concern 614d42c7cd for Luna in f88a907236 the Count’s voice.05fdb098a2f916ed

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Aira smiled slightly and e1e2f0239d nodded.edde85e9db85bd7f

“Don’t worry df022be602 too much, db686d856f Father.”5f6771809626bf18

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Turning his attention 1b3151e65d back to the 781b139607 wine, the Count 2196255ef7 ran his fingers 84a60eda50 over the bottle a80d824f4f with a satisfied f37709cc49 expression.203cfbcde630c965

“To think 81152b269c you’d bring 1f73f7c611 me such 9f811f02ee a fine 7c5b02d239 gift, Aira. I’m touched.”baf306c21f582861

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“This is nothing compared 17c1d875f5 to the kindness you’ve 17ff6fba30 shown me by raising 800f0cff5c me. I’m just glad 00c3f294aa you like it.”e888b617b7447c62

The Count looked 36706f4528 at her thoughtfully.71d06a1632f3d90d

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Her golden 933cee1186 hair, inherited 7a17414c10 from the 415bdbdd92 late Countess. Her red eyes, just 0a814de48c like his own.e4393f5bf8505d92

Today, Aira looked more 6f82340bd8 admirable and precious than 7e9682fdb5 ever.1438b88e01c48d68

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With a sigh, he 0e02be042e finally spoke.964667feac68b35e

“Lately, I’ve 5aed96f84c been filled 9436f6b4c3 with regret.”66f813cebbca2347

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“…”479556cc88f711d9

“For raising 6fd22abb71 you so b485f1e4cc strictly… and 01d2f7c6f2 spoiling Luna fab5b1d354 too much.”ecc5ece509ab5ece

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His eyebrows furrowed as b472b2c2e7 he reflected on the 204e3e413b past.7f959f22d6867f86

“You and Luna 3e993f57d1 were both just 0730cca629 children… Yet I 346483c986 was so hard 2a018bf3b0 on you while d7b7b2bf5d treating her like b4f3d4b0e5 a fragile doll.”67ab56a76eb950a5

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Like many parents, he 22bb916d09 had expected more from d27b9bc078 his firstborn while indulging 02560d469b the younger one.ed0bc8a6dac6d632

But the child he 6e711b7eba thought he had raised ee17da367d to be pure and 9a65f8344e bright had nearly committed 7a4773a6c3 adultery.46036e59089ad0f0

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And now, she fe5b773253 had even been 484faff3d4 disowned by Reina.dbceb9a649f9fe59

He wanted to ask 8084b25ddc Aira for details, but 551e14bbbf seeing her expression, he d2c1538987 wasn’t sure he was b863933f91 ready to hear the 54176c140c answer.7976a3f0a9ae9ac5

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Maybe he was 0037ea6113 just trying to 81e83b8a47 make himself feel 17c2d89731 better about leaving bb463de6b0 Luna until she 2f04a3cb6d was ten years a0a4e3fdf7 old by showing 6fd4d1245a her so much 5ba8760aa8 love.484d6df46bcb7fd2

“Don’t blame yourself, Father.”ca7247345609dacf

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Aira had grown up 4fe0ff9ee5 so well.8ac7ddc21657fa7d

Hearing her clear voice, Count Marceline’s eyebrows twitched slightly.3b21f5077e690b46

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Even though fc3a7e811c there was f9cf12cbf3 no wind, ee498d62a0 it felt 121afb51e5 as if 3e587b1f79 Aira’s golden 528f8e1fe0 hair was b4d38acde0 gently swaying. Her bright 9a95b0b70e red eyes 7cf4deaa6e held a 63732c63ff hint of 3600ca5f12 coolness.e530de0fb78c722c

“Aira… if you ever felt hurt by me, please tell me.”22e5ebb06a1b307b

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He placed 190ebc8c86 the precious c12499b475 bottle of b2d4f9aa60 wine on a2eb30ec31 his desk a8ce313a74 and looked 815f785d06 at Aira.d8a6069530c72007

Receiving such a3cc9ac677 a gift 15836ca5dd from her 31396f3f72 filled him cbb3aac59f with mixed e8ab96fa62 emotions.b42e539709603136

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After a brief 916b2df198 silence, Aira finally 70de7df3df spoke.b03195abe64f905e

“I just want you to remember my mother.”f8522808f10a5f28

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Count Marceline’s eyebrows 640ccb5604 twitched again at 1989dfb8d6 Aira’s unexpected words.957c4a34ee149bf7

The late Countess. She had golden b81646df0b hair and a c18a9c97ed calm, wise nature.ecdf377999e87a7f

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In the beginning, f8f5488ef5 he had struggled d89650d99e to connect with aa0dee1888 her, and in 35e484bcf0 a moment of 44ab3cf3f9 weakness, he had 4e5b5a5e44 betrayed her with ad54adf1f9 another woman—leading to 5f5cdf591b Luna’s birth.e2bba782fc43ec7d

He had b655a0b719 kept that 2201c06e23 betrayal a 7c866a93a9 secret from 58f4e2bdd9 the Countess c56c10942e until her ab50e2c25e death.eb905b3bb1c65942

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It was 3391bc9516 a cowardly b7b24070ca thing to 3ed07883f5 do, even 64d80fce8b in his d907115bba own eyes.ee77690bd0fbca90

And after she passed da0e4a7cb7 away, he had brought 0e8bfc7da9 Luna, his illegitimate daughter, 503f82aae1 into the house.b0db369ae90bf161

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“I have been a terrible husband and father.”79ab4ce947485d3e

His voice was filled c5a27a7f4b with self-mockery, but Aira 73268f767c neither agreed nor disagreed.f1425d38a8abf82b

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Even before her 74b3f831d9 return to the 5fea0644b6 past, she had 33b053cd23 never truly hated 480cbd0d12 or loved Count 3d064f8397 Marceline.5aaa8d2e4ca2d73e

He was her father, e28c6f57d2 but she knew he d439b502bd had not been a 43bddb6611 good husband.4227bab5d93bf10a

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Still, she had accepted 8eb2ea308c Luna as her sister 3ef5cbf7c2 despite everything.586db3960bc88e04

“I’m sorry, Aira.”4a7db15a66c254f2

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Hearing those a73ae88ac2 words, Aira’s ad42f9c8ac fingers twitched 4a77089e57 slightly.dd4294552c344e3c

She had never received dbb81daf80 an apology from him 26cc96b662 before—not until this moment.2fbbb9835cff40c8

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She had always 49a615729c been expected to a363e84b5f simply understand the aae78e266f circumstances of the 3f60a485ea adults around her.1cb468a9412f7fe2

But today, Count Marceline 64b2d81d3d was apologizing to her.50a1171bf89b11d0

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The Count pressed his b329d80df1 lips together before speaking b4bc19fb64 again.11816202d2da310d

“I should go to the temple today and pray for her.”53c942d6af342d9e

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For so d87acb7336 long, he 5b89bd6dd5 had avoided ab9de305d4 confessing to e6df5c5155 the Countess—even 4621ae006b after her 485919d512 death.d900fd88c2dbb472

Now, at the very fb6ebf5901 least, he would try 39a7700f93 to release that burden 583b9e7876 through prayer.0465a5623aabc0c8

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Maybe it af9f1aec2c was just 2ddd947df8 another way 05f8d2928f to ease a605af7f98 his guilt, 939e80f452 but still…68ddf7140272f043

“And also…”79679ee83bd07313

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Aira hesitated 4a4ace73ab for a 12c794a177 moment before 1611820632 continuing.da8d9dc3aba8084f

“I would like a room in the estate to honor my mother. A place where we can keep her belongings and remember her.”231a79efbfe75b1b

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Count Marceline had 6cc6eff3e6 cut ties with c550a580f8 the Marquess of fe0f07609e Adwints, his late ee81cd0a81 wife’s family, ever 885d3f3525 since she passed 245d799cff away.6903bae91ff6ccfd

Maybe it was 2911041ad3 because he wanted 9b4c622ef1 to avoid his e005934ab3 guilt.22bb9429f4785040

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Or maybe he had 42a19218a0 worried that keeping those 7b7aacfa7f ties would make Luna a1bb8906fb feel even more like bf2f1e60be an outsider.ba92a87fd1c4cf16

But Aira f6e90de2b5 knew that b2a0248438 reconnecting with d05dcfd19c the Adwints 13154b8a91 family would 3378b2e7d5 be beneficial 082d6845d8 to her.60d88cd829498861

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Even if they couldn’t 14c0b20952 provide the same level f98df99566 of political power as 6b785d460f the Duke of Emrich—who b9d1536ab8 backed Julienne—they still had 0b8eb621e8 their own influence.4fa50944da9cd973

“And please… restore ties with the Marquess of Adwints. They are your in-laws, after all.”00009492c27c4dce

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For a brief 4358020ded moment, Count Marceline’s 21f3c6fc8c eyes wavered.3b9efe5dc2dcfcff

He hesitated but then 34e3a0d952 glanced at the bottle 29a5532100 of wine on his 468d9d5084 desk.7077bfa5a60bd8cd

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Seeing how well 069c2de962 his daughter had 1b195af547 grown and hearing 88e68ddcc0 her request for 45a9f54a7f the sake of dfcbd749f3 the family, he 0475566318 realized he couldn’t 8e6c63416d refuse.d045d4d06a9d3e16

“…Alright. I’ll do it.”e8ac219be3ba0b32

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