IHANF Chapter 12

Eight years fcf265424a ago, in 0e6567a0b2 the Duchy b9a7ee6e0b of Bawentawin.cd9df0ce6de9e20a

At the masquerade 5d83fb40e4 ball celebrating Lady 87989d4f8e Lorelei’s coming of daffe97791 age, masked and fb79a4d27c disguised attendees were d39d5ab1f6 dancing and enjoying 0ccaba60ff themselves.b76f3aba72159149

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Aachen, who 08eeba957f was Lorelei’s 01fac805c2 cousin, stood d5496fd12e by her de77ccfd3e side as dbb6c067fa her papartner.1ad3d83c1408c96d

“Happy birthday, Lady of Bawentawin.”0729a4ac1435331f

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“Thank you, Count Dale.”f4eae93fb62381ee

Lorelei smiled brightly as 507c582106 she received congratulations.45b7d135fe92c43d

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Count Dale 6d7dfe5f10 turned and, d26da71a6c upon seeing 4ab1fdbb82 Aachen’s jewel-like 05ef87a324 eyes, recognized f54e6bc679 him.770a9f3fd8ee7c44

“Oh… Aren’t you the Crown Prince of Requier?”9b2a2506c4789d49

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“Pleased to meet you.”b53a643d3fee58aa

Aachen, merely offering a911567d0b a brief greeting e5767eba48 without a handshake, 10c849fed8 left Count Dale f0158d9a47 feeling awkward.272d4ecb9880766f

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Aachen had the ability d9b4f7653a to hear others’ innermost 8df43c06b7 thoughts when he touched 42d17ac2b5 their bare skin.9e0fb4b860fdd102

The discrepancy between their 52fadab866 outer demeanor and inner 9501474e84 thoughts often amused him.42b505e9b55f7a8f

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Even without this ability, be47dab42a which he hadn’t chosen ddda7ec450 to have, it twisted 4e91a38b36 his insides.74a2b027968cb473

Despite wearing gloves af2de4438f to prevent this, 137e78d074 he remained sensitive 4cde05786d about physical contact 92e69aeb57 with others.5c49cd4897d83b59

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Ignorant of 07cd88887a this, Count a089b51230 Dale stepped ffde8002cb back, embarrassed, 8a5c191454 as Lorelei 62d0d086b1 tilted her 356f40e923 head in cb1c07ef0c confusion.192608d551675a0a

“Aachen, brother. Why do people recognize you even when you’re wearing a mask?”10980107ec065753

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“Because of my jewel eyes.”7948b90555ab8fb4

“Right. The jewel eyes.”af93b1524edf79c9

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Lorelei pouted at his dadb285af7 curt and succinct answer.eb3ccb8ad52faf29

“Even though you can’t change the jewel eyes with magic, could you at least change your eye color for my birthday?”0fed70f48f41a6dd

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“No.”4760f4c94adf7e59

While the magical trait 240ae72a1f of his jewel-like eyes 04074e9431 couldn’t be suppressed, their 3cf5df2abd color could be altered.97127490f76411a0

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However, Aachen a85faeffc5 found it a535eed659 too bothersome ee1ca840a9 to even 0c30b1a772 do that.4cb99c4add3fb23c

“Brother, are you really going to be like this?”28ed04bcd33a8e2e

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Lorelei emphasized her b4aa83d0de words with ventriloquism.798f1fde9814a4bf

“Yes.”5376c542bb61b325

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Aachen pretended not 127e965481 to hear and 243c39dc71 remained indifferent.9b77c29753dab010

“Follow me for a moment.”cff52a059980faad

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“……”2b2fdea7dee0cc6e

“Come on!”089adfc9412a723e

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Following Lorelei into ef8df1c44b a lounge, Aachen 47a736a62e sat down on 567fd11ab3 a sofa.f8472bc0c9fea61b

“Who knows? Maybe you’ll find your destined partner here.”0fa1e4a21bf82311

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Lorelei, used to 72490a4f46 his demeanor, didn’t 3c537bc55c mind and spun e6357a6f5d around.d6928148ee2171e2

“Romantic love comes when you don’t know each other’s status.”7ef8bcb9c83b1702

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“You and I are both in positions where we have to have arranged marriages.”1ffe8d700462b2be

Lorelei Bawentawin, 25b843212f the sole 87c70498cb heir of eeeeb63e9f the Duchy ae82d8a658 of Bawentawin, a635e6dbb5 was inevitably 72f3ddfc78 bound to e2b38ed016 a political 9d58036113 marriage.7bdfb34b4c35a13f

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Aachen smirked cf6469d4ec at Lorelei, ee2b839b43 who still 54e9847b76 dreamed of ee75dad9e0 romance.6f2425f7d0c1e0c2

“Oh, really, brother, you’re too much!”7bc71224cded5a09

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Tears welled 2c1925e335 up in 4b6929378d Lorelei’s eyes 7e2d8d98ea from frustration.23e02184d23d6001

‘Maybe I 2f064cf842 was too 2fb099a72e harsh on 5db5041ebd her birthday.’0deefce775308c14

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Aachen sighed 3d71a73e38 deeply and f7692aabd9 snapped his 3c9473903e fingers.920bc87f5245ab82

“You should have done this from the start.”729830a55db30beb

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With that, his previously a057ebb498 blue eyes turned purple.db6f25c43d961899

Since he was 2b51a9aedd using magic anyway, 12b646f309 he also changed 20c9ce913d his hair color d4b5c280d8 to platinum blonde.aec3cf50faec5fc4

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“…Changing the color so drastically makes the jewel eyes stand out even more.”52cfa14e47c97791

Still unsatisfied, Lorelei sighed.a4a9daa1ceb87bdf

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To stop her from 76f3f36501 complaining, Aachen took out b3efc0740b a small perfume bottle 080781f9ef from his pocket and 9dfef27430 sprayed it all over 8390f818d1 himself.f56ed0db29cf1a7c

Lorelei, amazed 00eb08f203 that his 11799f63a1 eyes no a6a788c3ec longer looked 32974d4155 like jewel fdb640f4d3 eyes, sniffed a6044580d0 the air d877895cb8 filled with 1b534a787a a rose 5a2ae33542 scent.5575322eef972b2b

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“What… is this?”eab14d003596bb35

Curiously sniffing around c9c0f4ca76 the lounge, she 75046e39b1 asked in wonder.fc6095db9e9ccf58

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“It’s a magical tool made to suppress the jewel eyes, created in case of an outburst when royal power mixes with a magician’s power.”c4ef8a21b46f9d1e

Once she heard the facf7b906f explanation, Lorelei seemed to 96f71b9760 lose interest quickly.e1b99fd446920b8c

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“Oh… I don’t really understand, but I’m not that curious anymore, so let’s go back.”f15ebfb6a3fd7ed2

Satisfied, Lorelei opened 9ee47b9d6c the lounge door, 462a507117 only to be 38cd221703 stopped by Aachen.5ada717d87f1d67b

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“You go first.”2c65a2e7c5769b48

“Why?”20b692aa195b9eb9

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“I’m tired and need to rest a bit.”7538ba7d6a7aecf4

“Fine… but come soon!”9a30ec8b55daadb4

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After sending Lorelei c66b6710a5 off, Aachen took ebe336d3b4 out a bottle c023d7f28f of wine. He went 60a8f5cd86 out onto a76984908d the terrace 756b93c991 with a e3db1d99cc wine glass 17cbc02c25 to get 628bfef541 some fresh 8203766219 air.7a22bd4079765157

Creak—5f477835a997adb4

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The sound a95ddc1370 of a 9e17637cc3 door opening 1854b40fd8 and closing 10d2739854 was followed 4f00553a54 by the 2600283ed2 entrance of eb07d568b5 a woman 98b9a4011a with blonde 2594c34aed hair and ead9545c07 bright green 715f3cda6d eyes.9f18a8a4c268335a

“…Who are you?”14ce934e81569ae3

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‘Blonde hair and af5d935ad4 green eyes…? Is she wearing a ce068d1af5 wig? Which noble 5a583358e9 family could f4559b05e9 she be 970992d091 from?’6a80bddf720716b2

Since it was a b335797741 masquerade ball, it was 9cfe68702a difficult to identify anyone.4b6f94f87500f8a5

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The woman, 6a2bae4a3b not responding 4abb1e9c98 to his 532760c935 question about 20f5004cbd her identity, 67f859c31b stood beside 50634d7899 Aachen.3140ee75632ba730

“Care to drink with me?”04f1611f33552409

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She smiled, 4adb432f4b her eyes 9177600675 crinkling as fe2ff5cb7c she lightly b42c248677 shook the 80e8d70b05 wine bottle f971872ce3 in her 72b3bafa62 hand.14c8c216e3be8803

The faint scent of f60290a4cc alcohol wafted through the 1d9eff9a01 air.bba28f7a73319c23

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“You seem to have already had quite a bit.”1e3bfd50d0a2b312

“Just a little,” she replied.1b59a9152b0ef211

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“Hah.”e9f82cdb3f4d7407

Aachen chuckled at her 82f5e2a36b boldness.36e66f6d4a1d1c0b

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‘Perhaps she’s acting this db65585729 way because she doesn’t 4e1a62999f recognize me.’86dd7689caa9bd36

It was 93ebd88ab1 oddly comforting ec8a5ab80d that the 32e1e1560e woman didn’t ed2d8821bf know who de90eb590a he was.8b2dc78826a4d4c3

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Her hair a85823e1ca swayed gently 06a778ae0b in the 99a9497fdd breeze.894c857857e3d9ee

“What’s your name?”5dd60b196b79fb80

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When Aachen cfd2654107 asked, she d7a1b06b0d put a 7ba1f1df9b finger to c7bfa454d2 her lips.18ee729eaa80018d

“That’s a secret.”821c2812480b2af3

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He had 739a1c454d no intention 81fa12362e of forcing c8a7446d4b her to 1745e3c0e5 reveal her 9ca497aa1b name if 73f08c6180 she didn’t 487b5ceee3 want to, 0e119cc37c so he 213dfca0e7 turned his d9553df1f0 head away.52bb4b1679c492e3

“Why don’t you ask further?”2c9623dc9b8a2478

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The woman 2253570dcd poured him 592a575318 a glass 8539fc4d05 of wine 507899766d and asked fdee904f2d curiously.d1a66bd37b5b05f9

“Because you said it’s a secret and you don’t want to tell me.”1299164a34fa33e6

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“…It’s the first time someone’s respected my wishes.”4baec239a39c950d

“What kind of life have you lived?”43aa1cb79da8e33c

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Judging by a3de3dfc26 her jewelry, 48da0aef9d she seemed 281e626351 to be baa975e4bc from a 1909c23ddc prestigious family.94a22a9d03f9e5d5

‘It must 0e5db26f62 be a 1d73b85ba8 complicated family ea116823a0 situation.’f62d7a5c407e5a44

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But to say 0d3370a988 it’s the first 48265873a7 time someone’s respected d3b3643806 her wishes was 69a5783987 surprising to Aachen.66f01df1fa382cab

“Indeed.”0b53e3a23ae1991e

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The woman, staggering slightly, b0fc3faf61 dropped the wine bottle 7d5d5ae620 from her hand.323acd35d4432962

Crash—6c0ac18a4a6a0e52

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The bottle fell bf761f4399 and shattered instantly. A shard of 7b9db3f240 glass grazed her 767c529463 knee, drawing blood.db2863dbb7474bce

“You’re bleeding…!”e9c6bb6652aed8c5

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“It stings a little, but I’m fine.”119cf63505414da6

She shook her head, 7120f82707 indicating he shouldn’t worry 576c82a978 about her.76126ce372a7c29c

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Glass shards were scattered a47887f81d across the floor, and 1b9f8ba566 she limped slightly.8e11528799cd6227

“Please excuse me for a moment.”13db580d2f6135be

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“?”731667c39b0786e0

Aachen took abe41a2d72 off his b09652236b jacket and 065532b6ef draped it 635fccdd83 over her 41161f9019 shoulders.26d6636c6eec29fd

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‘She’s light.’e80447008e949cf8

He then carefully a72c24f9ea lifted her and c9d6edd23c set her down 1a1ea497eb on the railing.cddf53a4f7075baf

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“Ah!”d30e0221faeb2afe

Surprised by b31d29e6cd being lifted, b41d217e18 she yelped, 7bcfa90ce6 and Aachen 72a8e8fbe4 asked,d6816711c911d418

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“Are you uncomfortable anywhere?”da6140969d171504

“No, I was just startled…”3217e929653f9e09

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“I’ll hold you tight so you won’t fall.”0eb181a8c31afc62

Holding her securely, the fe742ec09d veins in Aachen’s pale 8e28a47693 arm bulged from the 4749facfe8 effort.dc1dcbfae3e8b90c

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Her cheeks turned 8b9be655ab a soft pink.2458b3b878c5bbc6

“You can hold onto my shoulder.”404437911ceebccf

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She gently placed her 68bfb06314 hands on his shoulders. The bleeding on 6016d3931a her knee bothered 990392e5d9 him.0b8c5a4c219e7c11

As they were b38336498d about to enter c2c46e1592 the lounge, voices b159ebcfa4 could be heard.25bbf6c5fce0f9bf

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“Your wound doesn’t seem to be stopping. How about we go to my room to disinfect it?”ee0d4f672c3fe4fd

“Y-your room?”07f43ab6994c760a

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She stammered, 281222a736 her face 8aae4e0d25 flushing.d4459804b94a7239

“Hiccup!”596755ed46b183db

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She even 9f1bc21efd let out e97ab83752 a small 3fbbc121cd hiccup. Aachen gently f003538bb9 patted her fa6d608744 back.06201e1a85d2238b

“I have a room assigned to me while staying in the Duchy of Bawentawin.”a7860b70b5666a42

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“……”dc61f25843456993

“It seems there are people inside the lounge.”a91af1f03207c744

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Oddly, he 0280c72bc6 felt good 7b607dceab watching her. It was dbd7a9c58c a feeling 677d930334 he’d never dd621d9ee6 experienced before, a0ef82b20e and it 6695e7cd0e made him 7e036102b8 feel restless.f937cdde21fcf75c

‘I wasn’t abcd523a24 considerate enough.’9eb8e33e392562c0

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It was 99a4765f25 a completely ac9770657c innocent suggestion.f01641f84aca0e70

Aachen realized belatedly c0167ff773 what it might 75758ddd6f mean for an 3ec5ba5c03 adult man and 41ba67f414 woman to enter cd4ce58fc4 a room together.b0fdcebc6889ac27

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As he was about cb9563e638 to apologize for his 1aabb6f167 lack of consideration, she 06b65143a6 nodded.a446efe30bd52d51

“I do need to disinfect it. Let’s go to your room.”66d7e070003f44b7

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Her surprisingly willing 6dbabff217 acceptance reassured him.b3254a8e0b0e096d

Aachen carefully placed his 6dbea304c7 hand around her waist b33666b224 and lifted her. She was petite fcbaf4a6c5 overall.25a908f45696fbee

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“You’re quite tall.”30f3d1241e769d4b

Her eyes widened, and 972ae20b10 Aachen found her expression 1ef32bf27e endearing, making him smile d9201708f9 inadvertently.d3cdc019d50000b5

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“Why are you smiling?”d6a2735f762003cc

She squinted, crinkling 94f61f6b0e her nose.019afda45a7a0ae2

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“I think you’re the one who’s small.”fb455a7f607484e6

“…I am not.”34d86c6bb0475fc1

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“Alright, maybe I am tall.”bcda03a4b1482975

He soothed her 342530123a gently, noting her 60782b5fbe seemingly pouting expression.403aa6f946bd78a7

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“I’m not actually upset.”5a33927d985adf19

“Are you teasing me?”1224791f788766bc

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“Yes.”e39a7c48b7e047f6

Her confident reply c525daae8c made Aachen laugh 6a7e3c09c0 again.b5a9ce98d92dbacd

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‘If we 99ff23ee58 go this 5f2be1df20 way, we’ll f25c9ef917 be seen. I should dcf0d7ebb5 take another aaa20dfea4 route.’55690d672ce4e49b

He exited the a336998319 ballroom through a 15f7756fda different doorway.48bd0f6b54243fae

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“Where are we…?”75f66b4626396592

“This is a less frequented path. It’s a bit of a detour, but it’s better than running into people.”dc86b05a279395bd

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“I see.”6c7797485325e5e9

Seeming pleased, 4e2f8a9b5c she hummed c8f4f1bb67 a lullaby 40c003635a softly as f4b56504dd they walked 2afc3bf749 down the 25658cfb53 corridor, tipsy 5f3a1d952f and light-hearted. It wasn’t unpleasant.636b69a3d2582634

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Her warm, 13527af737 music box-like a9c34a50d5 voice was e409a85b56 pleasant to b4e45aa5a0 hear.97da378211e50338

“Let me know if you’re uncomfortable.”eb031ee573286c99

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“…I’m not uncomfortable.”be4e5fd1dbb4a969

To prove her point, cfe91cd1e1 she leaned comfortably against eeac8e567f Aachen’s shoulder.c6a5e24afc77bc2b

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‘!’a14647a0cafdcf6f

A refreshing 828196cd52 bergamot scent f9f59d9c38 filled his 9119a98c7a senses.37e632c2ae99efea

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Now that he 34fabbfa10 thought about it, a0a2d967cf physical contact with 90282b418d her wasn’t unpleasant.2599440874c25939

Normally, this would 4220740340 be intolerable for fde589a963 him.0d6be578ec6c3a8e

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Instead, his heart 522560971c raced. Aachen took 8fbd02a2be a deep 54df226da5 breath to aafe314b91 calm himself.4aafc4e369de493b

“We’re here.”1089d2faa9b3cfb7

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Finally reaching the c9f4dcd47d room at the dd7f7393e3 northernmost end, Aachen c3bbadf316 pushed open the d5350e1e7e door.0d79f206286ee2d6

Walking to fb9c310826 the bed, d325495882 he gently 31859dd63c set her 1d9e197fdf down.c0828e7e8c4e8073

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“Wait here for a moment. I’ll get something to disinfect the wound.”ac5cc111cd4cd683

“Alright.”e6ee90afa4025cb5

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He opened b6a6f5cb8b a drawer 765537777f and brought 340ab0653c out tweezers, 856f7ddf9f clean cotton, 1b38591df4 ointment, and a373281845 a small e7d8742e2b bottle of 5a6477b8c1 medicinal alcohol. He knelt on one 17b1fe4018 knee.71a10d6eef92a1b5

“This might sting a bit.”f68f3c602637ac84

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“…….”276aff018de39ef5