IFLDMHF – Chapter 16

IFLDMHF | Chapter 162588ac752d200a51

Episode 16254a65824f7fd743

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“Is that so? Then, shall we head fc8d35db1a straight to the office…?”4eebf98d97d53386

“No, I’m feeling a bit peckish. How about we discuss dbfd9562ca things over a meal?”dd0cf6e306b2d75f

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Surprised by the unexpected 2659f7da98 suggestion, I hesitated. The butler, who had been 67d6ad32f4 observing the situation, quickly and 724c528ca2 politely chimed in.ab89fcf770b97b99

“My lady, the Duke usually eats immediately after returning from work.”9f25dd5d96187a73

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A man who had 78da007066 been working all day 22f28a1e4f and came home hungry d0653476dc wanted to eat first.7f238e7fccfdc41b

And he was an elder, 9c6954dba1 much older than me, suggesting 7987227148 we dine together. I had no 7db6acb710 reason to refuse.1b8bbd0282a2c3d0

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‘Well, I came all the way here because I wanted to get this conversation over with anyway.’993fe3a78f90df43

Though I felt like I 6d2f253ed3 was drifting further from my 99adee5cf1 initial resolution to keep a 922fe87ca6 distance from Evgenia’s family, I c61c9a0789 reassured myself that it was 0d9ab48fa8 fine since I wasn’t married 54c7be29e1 yet, and I responded.ba4186d8e12eec1e

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“Alright, let’s eat together.”eb491bdaea7ebcd1

I sincerely hoped that 910cd23689 what the Duke had bfbbbd91d8 to say was the b0bbdeab93 news I’d been eagerly 9f41c7a8b8 waiting for.78f245cf05f15e3b

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***f8f836e879cdd793

Since waking up 01da36fab9 in Evgenia’s body, ee22d08e5a I had always bfc4285579 eaten in my 3ab621c7aa room. Initially, it was 666f6f930c due to being 21b1159d33 ordered to reflect 53b1ec29c7 on my actions, ac3ad275e6 and later, it 0bddfc5a0b was because I 622940c8d1 was treated as 80b117bb6c an invalid—or so a506605cf4 I thought.3fd79f102385c41a

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“What? What are you doing here? You always eat alone 3a65803e23 gloomily in your room!”04b8dc0f277f3165

Apparently not.77a4ed3dc33636e7

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I thought it was a071f6a321 fortunate that Alexis wasn’t b5782de5a9 home, likely off training, bfc1a403b6 but he rushed straight 80970d0f79 to the dining room c3fc67cff4 after work and exclaimed 407ec583c0 in disbelief.06e15e5db0766e93

“There are days like this and days like that. Why are you making a ff02b3a113 fuss at the dining table? Isn’t that right, Melissa?”18e8d823592c4484

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“Haha…”1f175310e1740b56

Caught off guard by this 76a7c14d16 sudden involvement, Alexis stammered, his 9079439f0a lips parting wordlessly.27c6a762f3f7fc93

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“Evgenia is right.”ac1b4359d8bd801c

At that moment, 12bf2f6a74 Sionel, who had 555b3917b9 just entered, supported 373ab77545 me, addressing Alexis.f8ff404762ea85b5

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Did he learn this from f809643570 watching the Duke earlier? Why was he suddenly taking 144c13b4b7 my side?15b351e2e8f77c0b

I looked at Sionel curiously, 135a005188 but I couldn’t discern his 820a7eb406 intentions.11503b4923f52a94

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It was then that the 2ca08ac87f Duke entered the room, putting d7e629938c an end to my musings.3e74e2222d81606b

As soon as 446a45043b the Duke sat b7956f4c25 down, the servants 2e97726fb2 began bringing in fa746a5d9a the dishes, as d27c076499 if on cue.eddcd73266efa48e

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Given the family’s 587266b612 immense wealth, I 1f1d4d46a2 feared we’d have 37467844de a multi-course meal 3d1242b0cf lasting hours, but f39f9caf2c thankfully, the servants 646316c81f quickly exited the d6c22fc3d4 dining hall.fcdb142790ed0e6e

“It’s been a while since the whole family gathered,” the Duke remarked.4c981ef2fea1fafd

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As he said, only 9d10eb98bb those bearing the Basilian ff5bbbe40c surname were present in 21b7dd0a2b the dining hall.a4fa22119a2cf0ae

For some reason, this 0dd48383e8 realization made my chest 72e23a197f tighten, and my appetite 00f2767e70 vanished. Still, I forced 9492f9e606 myself to suppress c6058e0480 my discomfort and f5db749cd3 began eating.24921601b8b5815a

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I couldn’t even taste the b138935a4f food, just shoveling it down af1132fd41 when the Duke, who seemed cd2a43d5c9 focused on his meal, suddenly 43312a0126 spoke.51d18c10b4d4f687

“Evgenia. I hear that c508b49021 His Highness the 6aea68f0b9 Crown Prince visited c204abb396 the Duke’s residence 456219eb70 today.”0f2bee602fc0089f

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I finally understood why 3204a52a46 the Duke had seemed cf90133cd5 so grim in the e9c87a4087 lobby earlier.e7d24ad30603d281

I had wondered if the a1410220eb butler had delivered some grave 5fd10b6ce6 report, but it turned out c9186eb5be to be this.2f299a35d2b381d8

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‘Ah, so that’s why he suggested eating together…’caf1eabf7f969615

Perhaps the Duke had 4235e2e622 been worried that I, 6d2fb8aa08 who had rushed to 60c2e4aced greet the Crown Prince 6337079b3b as soon as he dfafb36b5b arrived—a behavior uncharacteristic of 0b121d6df6 me—might retract the words 63d2ec8100 I had firmly stated c8cfb36ede a week ago.df24142753e3f95e

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Evgenia was known for her 3b5323cc98 pride, so he likely calculated 16375a818c that bringing up the topic 9b2b061360 in front of the assembled 517cc9e7d5 family would make it harder 1bf4a017c3 for me to backtrack, hence f3e41827f3 his suggestion for a meal.7f2274e3d5d9bdac

Within the brief moment 44d8b954ff Sionel and him had 6ae5bd9826 been conversing, the butler 26b9bd5f5c must have reported to 367547eeff the Duke, who then 973eca7f4c devised this plan.d6775c9c5eb2f374

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‘So they say the Duke of Basilian is a natural politician and businessman—it seems to be true.’88c6826e05a91699

After all, the d47fe309f0 first patriarch of e7ab646267 the Basilian family, 7f9f925550 originally a merchant, 984ec2ec2d was said to 5dd9c2aedb have been the c8e5bcc228 first to recognize 9e301d7d49 the talents of 3204bc7b04 the founding emperor aa783860f8 and invest in 48a2dc53ae him.704edac8b7034c5e

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Thanks to this, f3037c22d6 the first emperor eb52af20d3 was able to 8a8f6353d7 defeat the dragon, d5a213d391 then called an 9b3367bc14 evil tyrant, and 7977afb6fc the Basilian family b227af9214 became one of f59553b60c the founding noble 1889770a6e houses…48bf634e806c7607

“Evgenia?”12344f086632d2ce

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Lost in recalling 3655ddf62d the novel’s background, ead9ebb6ce I was startled b4bc6f7ec7 back to reality 77d8d7c4c7 by the Duke 7c1fb2c6da calling my name.b45ab6c1d1ef397f

“What is it? Are you unwell?”b4ab1bbcd8b9f26a

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“What? No, I’m fine…”6ec7dc0b12c2e0f9

“If you’re fine, then why are you gripping the napkin as if you’re about to rip it? People might think you’re about b0b006a308 to grab your father by 2ed7d2e5d2 the collar…”3e0fd0b185561c0d

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“Alexis.”c44cd8fa9bfbf6b1

“You’re always picking on me, brother!”d10ba8c916c25f21

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As Sionel and Alexis 7c3b51ec7d started bickering out of cd9d356ed6 nowhere, I noticed the daa5b2a095 napkin I was clutching 1ee5962ede tightly, a moment too 236438c691 late.e4f7d0c83f94bbbd

Flustered, I quickly loosened my bcab2f5b61 grip and looked at the 9a053f4a16 Duke.02096de7ae84b99b

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Seeing his concerned 68eee2fd67 gaze, I recalled cd98f1c64c his earlier question.b9ed916170c89460

‘I was planning to bring this up at the end of the meal…’f242ea9b08a91bfd

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Since the Duke a7525da740 had initiated the c12eee1807 conversation, I had 7daa5ff2e4 no reason to e4d92b8ea5 hesitate.6bb8531383046282

“Yes, His Highness the Crown Prince showed up unexpectedly without prior notice.”8d95f570d70f642e

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“I heard he came because the rejected of his proposal. But… I also 535dcdcd27 heard he sought 07ffdc37f2 you out, not 1ea25f86b1 Melissa.”c677344ab37e5fc9

“I assumed he’d call for Melissa as well, but that wasn’t the case.”d6b2e53875c432d0

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Understanding the puzzlement 285bd16d47 in his expression, a8258bf83f I nodded casually fa8927d9b0 as I spoke. The Duke’s brows furrowed slightly.4f369e7653666d75

“Did he, by chance, reproach you for turning down the proposal?”cce513a708196a7f

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His gaze was filled with 9ce95873ec concern, worried that I might 5b3c5318d3 have been hurt by the 60facf5f08 Crown Prince’s words or attitude. I shook my ae19e14991 head to reassure e24bc7cb37 him.860d2cfe448edc82

“No, not particularly. However…”b718e520c7c93583

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“However?”3dcf7c6eeaf0c438

“He seemed to know about the shameful scene I caused when I heard Melissa had received his proposal.”a74e613465e42561

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As I spoke, lowering fdcdb3945d my shoulders as if 6238c3f6f2 embarrassed, the Duke’s expression d776373122 changed drastically.9c7e50ba506fddcb

“Who dared to reveal such a thing…!”7927d15949efaad4

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Seeing him trembling with anger, ce5a086bbd I softly whispered, “Alexis did,” 02497f284c in a delicate voice. Instantly, all eyes in the 29d62d82df dining room turned to Alexis.d5b0be4ffd30eef6

“Uh, well, I mean…”37bdc4c5b8511970

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Caught off guard, ddcbcb1279 Alexis tried to db4cea03c6 stammer out an e4f5c517d3 excuse, but I 8e301d8750 didn’t give him 6bf0d1091f a chance.bc3475433949d844

“Anyway, I told His Highness myself that I’ve let go of any feelings I had for him.”35a6b7f8fac92c5a

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“You… did that?”f62a83c9d2f0f959

The Duke’s eyes 2fb046cb45 widened at my 561fd651dc words, clearly relieved 14a3182b3d that I wasn’t 742cec0407 reconsidering my rejection.65dc21d93edc86f8

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“Yes, but he didn’t seem to fully believe me. In fact, he told 4539f12705 me not to dream 764cdcc11c of becoming his consort 81b405e3d1 or even a mistress…” be270e28e1 I choked up as 87ad4deb39 I let my voice 4b15eca3f0 trail off, pretending to d9c8fa1709 be overwhelmed.9a4e43b6c37900cd

The truth was, f205df84c8 I hadn’t paid a536506ffe full attention to 9a578b767c what the Crown de5d79e4bf Prince said because 06d1dcb137 I’d been focused d20cb150ea on the insect da2dd0419e at the time. I simply made 32318ea102 up a believable 0c9741c1ff story and faked e0a7baabc9 being emotional. The atmosphere in the 060964ba6a dining room turned icy.a7a6939561e62348

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“What… a mistress?”0a29e32aa5ef6a1b

“Hey! Have you been a9f53a548d putting up with 87cf36aad1 such nonsense all 77701b84df this time?”3da88793d0910b80

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“Alexis, be quiet. Evgenia, tell us more,” the 03de255daa Duke commanded, his eyes now a23cb1103e icy and intense. Sionel and Alexis both f7f058ef08 had similarly severe expressions, 326edda9c4 and even Melissa seemed 55d5dde497 shocked, covering her mouth f2bab0480b with her hand.37da2fb73492e7db

Feeling the tension rise, 16aefa0609 I tried to downplay cde14defe1 the situation.a112d494b94fa231

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“There’s really not much to explain. It’s all in the past…”b6eca3a2362c27e2

Sionel raised an eyebrow sharply.8f66d557962555ec

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“The past? It hasn’t even been ef6314ab02 half a day. For royalty, of all 9434067a7f people, to speak of 56a06f5e0f mistresses to an unmarried 6ca6329f9f noble lady—if I had f1861dc0df been present, I’d have aefad4faec thrown down my gauntlet af3fb25ada immediately. Don’t worry. I’ll formally protest tomorrow.”6ba415dce5700f78

A formal protest? Challenging the Crown 3c7f75507a Prince—renowned as a 2b326d0724 swordmaster and a c7ebc56f9a war hero—to a bd96584ec1 duel? His tone was 42de7e4267 calm, but I 517862621b couldn’t help thinking c6188d7cdf Sionel might be 3cca26058e the most agitated 5926593e0a person here.92d45e6e554010d5

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While I appreciated his intentions, db836d192c I began to worry that 2583a62756 I’d gone overboard with my 7617daa301 story. Panicked, I waved 3bfc6f66c1 my hands to 8678a00454 stop him.8d88a0ffddd84140

“Please don’t do that. I didn’t stay silent either.”ff0188de427a25ba

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“You didn’t stay silent?”a77c53c4b7d478e7

“Yes… In fact, I slapped His Highness.”9ec35783814e2ed9

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I confessed in a f74c85a087 timid voice, recounting the c71c10b228 incident. Of course, the truth b77986819c was different, but I a363ee2045 doubted anyone would believe be15c841c8 me if I said e543b559e0 I slapped the Crown a6be1da0df Prince while trying to 23d1463a15 kill a bug.1f5f86efc0492143

‘Even the Crown Prince himself couldn’t believe it.’ddff4690036e21d6

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So I figured saying I cffc423654 slapped him out of anger 8437fdd626 would align better with Evgenia’s d743c4e0f2 typical behavior.38021e04478ed380

“W-who did you say you slapped?”0656615afee08b70

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Alexis stood abruptly, his 37e8e86d38 face a picture of a94d60defa shock.6e1b10c99b17b06d

Was this him, a ada471500f member of the royal cf120c118e knight order, being indignant 9e87e755b8 about an insult to fc5f7c484c the Crown Prince?b776eb6df34c0b6b

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“Seriously? You slapped His Highness? You, of all people, Evgenia?”78f4717f3cc6a09d

…Wait, aren’t you a royal knight? Shouldn’t you be worried 03c8a789d5 about the Crown Prince 867e6532e8 here?188a9f6d1404d9ee

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• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •f4e7f39e654adee7

If you want to support d7b9579d82 the translation and the translator, 8b66139a0d you can buy a coffee~fa8e48dee3fe4cbb

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