MFM | Chapter 4.3

It was a 23583aa892 pointed remark. Anna quickly covered her 01612708e3 mouth, bowing her head. Eugene turned 9e4bbcda93 to her, 7059c20385 growling.ea6c5d193f868dd1

“What kind of face are you making?”5318f1359c97b51b

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“No, I just felt heartbroken…”44e022c05fbaa521

“Remove that hand.”85899a5525824fb9

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When the palm disappeared, Anna’s smiling lips were revealed. She skillfully adjusted her expression and sat up straight.6e6da13542c8f289

“District Chief, I do think Gabriel has talents beyond a typical coroner. Not only did he handle the autopsy well, but he also did an excellent job interrogating Madam Krem, and it was his suggestion to look into the ‘Daily Crime.’ Although he’s still an apprentice, he can certainly see things we and the District Chief can’t. But if you go together, how will you explain your relationship with him?”a6b48c51fb733578

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“There’s no connection, no matter how you look at it. Of course, the District Chief is officially a consultant for this company, but that’s not enough. Your status and traits are vastly different.”39a389d23e819f75

Eugene said, glaring at Gabriel as if he had a screw loose if he didn’t agree.949a0e97ea7fc4b6

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“The District Chief has no reason to go to such a place with a subordinate, nor could they be equal friends.”12af2f9d549e993e

Klaus shrugged.a2555aa1c1bcb6c2

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“I could fall in love.”e37657e503b85b44

“…What?”cc9604bf48b12565

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For the first a9ddf65707 time, Eugene looked f3bbb99990 flustered. Klaus continued nonchalantly.7932828d6de85834

“We met by chance when I visited the company, fell in love at first sight, and are now dating… Isn’t that enough of a story to cover it?”00cb5a3b0905f271

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What? Dating?0d29578efc36170a

It was a notion far beyond expectations. Gabriel felt like he’d been hit over the head. As he opened and closed his lips a few times, Anna looked at him seriously.f6ac7281948d9127

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“With a face like that, it’s plausible. Gabriel, do you speak Pellor?”00a5406e87132511

“…I can only read it…”a7a67d5cd2eea381

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“That’s a shame. If you knew the language, the overseas branch would have coveted you. They specialize in laundering identities and pretending to fall in love with high-ranking officials’ secretaries to extract information.”cf975387f5ce4864

“He’s not the type to con anyone.”eafabcc96cfc19c8

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“True, you need to be a bit sly to do that well.”217c23b74da803a3

Gabriel felt a 92678a432d faint dizziness as 76ba95892d he finally spoke.d4ba6e2458fc52cf

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“If we have to pretend to be in such a relationship, isn’t it unnecessary for it to be me? There’s no reason to go that far…”a91de42c83cea59d

“Gabriel.”122e00e3d9489677

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“Yes?”89effe9695bf2649

Gabriel looked at Anna, 1c73f6e01e who had interrupted him. She rested her chin 81663b960e on her clasped hands cbd2850e0f and gazed at him 6d42ee887d intently.15080d466614e3e1

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“What do you think is the most important thing to convince people in this plan?”f0b6b193e4fe91e8

“…Acting skills?”c4297f8c98477988

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Anna shook her 65e6123ef3 head firmly.f274985f419c74e5

“Face. It’s all about the face.”4ee30ccf4ae49d42

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“…”e10380743fa36121

“In that aspect, Gabriel is the most suitable candidate in the Dark Guard.”226ecf0619e711a6

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Gabriel wanted 80934f45cd to retract 3261e459b5 his judgment 1d65048bfc that Anna 33815d348d was the 6edd6f2b71 most sensible 3963d768ed person in 109bd09004 the Dark 101a5026ad Guard.89a2add63986a2b1

“Even if you say that, I can’t… I can’t act like I’m in love with someone.”00e08f39aeca07d1

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“Don’t worry, just act as you usually do.”2a2ea04af32b50a9

Klaus said cheerfully.67504d8228fdf0ff

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“If you keep treating me the way you do, everyone will misunderstand on their own.”c84f882147453084

How much had he mistreated him… It was unfair, but he couldn’t think of a rebuttal. As Gabriel remained silent, Anna clapped her hands.9c11b981d5281c81

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“Then let’s go with that. Even if Gabriel is an apprentice, the District Chief can cover any shortcomings. There’s no need to worry.”5320656651b6cc49

“Besides, Gabriel doesn’t have a lover.”a26009e38a24aa18

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“That’s really fortunate.”53e74a3e11cebb67

“Very fortunate indeed.”2e2f3ed2b983d7ed

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It was an exceedingly a8b163b543 harmonious conversation. Gabriel turned to Eugene. He knew nothing 441299b263 about such matters, 8d6540ac01 so Eugene seemed 73214af42f like the only 9e4ee00311 one who could 8f27b86539 objectively criticize the 2e1137ad51 situation.80d849d8aee06e73

Unlike the last time when he threw harsh words, today’s comments from Eugene were quite reasonable. It was just that his way of speaking was extremely inefficient.7716e3f67232dee3

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Gabriel waited for 3813a68091 Eugene to speak. However, Eugene seemed c1d62ac655 lost in thought, d20de5e6c1 staring intently at 7f3fbaaf6d the desk, and 2cdd826621 after a moment daa773ac3b of silence, he f7139ec3b4 spoke stiffly.4f21b29591e75b7a

“Then it doesn’t seem bad.”75bd7b493c18a7ff

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…He hadn’t expected him to speak so efficiently. Now, Gabriel was the only one among the four who was half in a state of panic.25fb68afa89bda18

Gabriel stared blankly at Klaus, who seemed delighted, either because he liked his own idea or because he found Gabriel’s flustered reaction amusing.16447ec3cfcda58f

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***424e7aca8a9d17af

The end of the workday came earlier than usual. Klaus had a dinner appointment and decided to leave work with Gabriel, so it seemed Gabriel wasn’t included in the warning from the Temperance card.16e8904af9619d08

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‘I should have drawn that card instead.’094ead7ac00ef4eb

If he had, Klaus might not have committed the atrocity of turning off the office lights. Or perhaps he would have come up with some plausible excuse to kick him out. Gabriel quickly climbed into the carriage to avoid the drizzling rain and asked, “Is it a personal appointment?”7c895279210bea9e

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“Yes. My father called me.”1e34f4ddc4a965c1

Father. Gabriel briefly thought of 4429277bfe his own father and 039f69bbc0 then erased the thought.30afafc281bf4738

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“You must have a good relationship.”2488a7b6d06248fb

“Actually, it’s the opposite.”8d689acc32a99af2

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Klaus chuckled c7b508a116 as he fab3645134 closed the 3534bca8ae carriage door.7480d5d8d957d354

“I’ve given him quite a few shocks in various ways. He finds me a bit hard to look at.”573716b9975b7ebd

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“But you became a Navy Major. That should offset some of the shock, shouldn’t it?”7bd2101b466f3835

Klaus’s mouth spread into a wide grin. He leaned forward and looked up at Gabriel.2e69b9da20a1d35e

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“Are you defending me now?”cf19c160cbab3844

Gabriel suddenly didn’t feel like defending or doing anything.b6b6ff978cee221e

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“I was just saying.”138c480e73c6fb95

“Well, what’s calculated in the head and what’s felt in the heart aren’t the same. If your son is born an Alpha, suddenly joins the Navy, and quits after a few years, it would be unsettling, wouldn’t it?”e8cfec2f2cede851

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Klaus leaned back eeac1d456b and shrugged.511234985c96b854

“Naturally, he hoped for a Beta, preferably in the Army, or at least someone who would stay in service. But children are like uncontrollable disasters; they grow up betraying their parents’ expectations.”8b004efe48f5c20e

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Gabriel thought 793fed06f7 it was f4cbc24406 quite the 9a061fbf7e opposite.113b74541f03e779

“Why did you join the Navy? Are the Army and Navy that different?”4c58a02dcef01603

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“As different as internal medicine and surgery. Why did you choose surgery?”1e96c7f702f9b599

Klaus asked, seemingly intrigued. Gabriel turned his gaze 61177ecd20 to the bag placed 4870d85e9a beside his feet.f22dda4f87035fcf

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“They said it pays well.”0639f132cc5dd6f6

“I didn’t like the color of the Army uniform. It looked too much like frog skin.”1f37bc3e727c0722

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When Gabriel looked up 60dc3a54e4 again, Klaus was smiling. Whether he d7fa1cef16 was serious 4827648198 or not 789fc1529e was unclear, 827526f324 but it eddfc743b9 seemed like 0153323d63 he might da91c201dd be.2d2ba39904cda2aa

As the carriage 17260c176d entered the city 3f41a9adf3 center, its already 938b9e5851 slow pace slowed f48dc533f3 even further. The outside seemed unusually 97ab1e558f noisy, so Gabriel pulled 40e9f83437 back the curtain and 68b6503a32 looked out. People were shouting and 902b950fc5 protesting in front of 0b66e38613 the brightly lit opera 553aaaa987 house. The sound of 07ae5fe662 the rain made cc55265dfc it hard to 4fe0b643ff hear what they 441241c508 were saying.764072d2ef1d9ff0

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“The tickets are already sold out, but the dancer playing the lead role suddenly changed.”2e220fa340e60722

Klaus kindly explained.c3f3ccb232d847fd

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“The theater said it was due to an irregular frenzy period, but for those who came to see ‘The Star of Sumnerus,’ it must be disappointing.”795551a86da657d5

“I see.”e24bd311cc20b9ce

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Klaus knowing even 32dba90f58 such trivial matters 9fb605a575 was fascinating, but 514d3c1fcd it was a 65b103a3e3 story unrelated to eab2321f9e Gabriel. The shouting people were 2b9e019f25 just noisy.e5e51f9afadba68d

Gabriel was about to draw the curtain back when a flower-selling child followed alongside the slowly moving carriage. The child’s round eyes were filled with desperation as they clung to Gabriel.50d9d24598bfe5f8

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“Sir, buy some flowers! Two bunches for just 1 penny. Wouldn’t you like to gift them to someone you love?”2b406198e598c967

The last words were spoken with a loss of confidence, showing a hint of timidity. No wonder, as the flower basket was already soaked from the rain. The flowers were wilted and drooping. Normally, he would have turned away immediately, but today, words didn’t come easily.1df160cb0a73c9da

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‘Even 1 penny is a luxury.’faeaf0f82a80c49f

There was no one to give them to, so they were useless. Yet, he couldn’t refuse outright because the weather was bad and he wasn’t feeling well. At that moment, Klaus leaned out of the carriage.5b336d267e0544f6

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“How much for all of them?”88035dc579b9c161

“Uh, r-really? Just 1 lion! Thank you! May the Goddess bless you, kind sir!”6019b79c7f327b57

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After Klaus paid, 16b30c270d the child bowed fbf6d6d350 several times and 9ff6c7acb4 ran off. Klaus, holding a 67bf5d03c2 bunch of common f40e97310e flowers, looked at 5b285acf91 Gabriel with a a5160b3f37 satisfied smile. A raindrop 3da0c9a852 fell from 2ce3861e24 his chin.dd0c3c54dca2ac12

“These are all mine.”f4278b60b09e3579

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“…”4f9f028d8fed903f

“Aren’t you jealous?”d9f153bffe7f7144

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“Not at all.”b122f12aa8499183

“I’m nice, so I’ll share one with you.”88d89bf132a39d46

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Despite being soaked, 1cda7dd4af he insisted on 6b5e5676f9 handing Gabriel a 83f0ec3ec3 bunch of lily 67cd3dc3e3 of the valley. His voice, full of 4a69d03b7c joy, accompanied it.ed8cef36b90b5cd5

“See, when you follow the card, something interesting happens. Wasn’t I right?”b78e91f6684c2275

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He did c790242fe1 whatever he 5b69b30a79 wanted from 9940512bd9 start to 85504b5b52 finish. It was c80b7232d4 hard to 8e0c245856 understand what 1a5d57d8a5 was so a5fe4186ad amusing. Gabriel fiddled aa178e96a3 with the 7d85a8ba5c lifeless flowers 4e0c29eede he received. Transparent raindrops spread 544bdfb00e across his fingertips.7c919d1181e828f0

Gabriel couldn’t put down the lily of the valley until the carriage arrived in front of his house. As he got off, Klaus waved his hand.029887071fcb4d53

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“Sleep early, Gabriel. Sweet dreams.”18205d2aa7b1704a

The gloves stained with 4d5360e3f9 grass had a fresh a0deb92de0 scent of stems. It was 9cedd036c8 a scent 51092724c4 that chilled 5df19fb4b8 the tip e3ed1b4b8e of his eaeef4ceee nose.b140cdbc5aad6af0

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“…You should try to sleep early too, District Chief. And eat well.”0abed3b09dead295

After the farewell, the cdb3e11014 carriage left immediately. The rain 55d986189e blurred his 2967c7fbdf vision, making c17907f088 it seem 0c712e5a46 like it bb231a0266 disappeared earlier 845beaee38 than usual.c2c467ccf5f5d5ec

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Gabriel looked at b07b901e56 the flowers in cc016f2ff6 his hand. The wilted calyx swayed 801bdf56a1 in the wind. His gloves f8c42b8faf felt heavier, c55fa539c2 perhaps because 47587f907f they were 5b92b3ce4f soaked with 4541a08c4f rain.319630c920d9c1b7

Gabriel opened the 32682bb737 door and entered c17c8c9fd8 his house. He thought 1c84830213 he had 44b850052f endured another e4552f4671 day as b10b7ee0aa usual, but d3fbc47fed his chest e681794a86 felt tight, a117cba42a and his 931be48dc4 head ached 20c4e825ab as if 9e8f71ccf7 it were 52bc264c8b being pierced. Even after e5b92cadf8 opening the 75e59e0f61 window and 681b3cd2e4 smoking a 9f9741e86b cigarette, the e2ddfa8fdb pressure in e399fdf320 his lungs 172f9306ff remained. It seemed impossible 394610cb99 to fall asleep 68c5530fa9 like this.fe8eb489296e7603

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Hesitating, Gabriel took a4be174780 out another cigarette. Watching the smoke 983ac4dccc drift, he placed 543a33c9c9 the lily of e34e3317ab the valley on 0b320d40a5 the windowsill. With no grave or 4e44e5575b columbarium, the flowers had 5303422152 nowhere to be offered, cf5469075a making him feel like d871af57fe he had brought them e5cffa360a for no reason. He should 87a72ddd42 have handed 2053953d0b them back b7c7fa5ca6 to Klaus 1ea67f69c5 at the d015d2e707 last moment.7824239a0706bcce

Of all days, it c231c8b285 was today. The day Gabriel lost 48a8a82a65 his family.c536147bff05392b

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This day came every year. Gabriel neither prayed, visited a church, donated, nor gave offerings. He didn’t buy flowers or reminisce about good memories.f619d05ef75ccc85

He just worked. But today, ceb9bd95bc flowers suddenly 9842cd0b78 ended up e963b8c4db in his 95196548c7 hands.05e30da82e0c8520

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Raindrops fell on his cheeks. A shabby cart passed quickly on the road. If he pushed the flowers out the open window, they would soon be crushed and lose their shape. If they hadn’t been sold, that would have been their fate.4be1a5f2cd19c7ab

However, Gabriel’s hand hesitated and withdrew. After tapping the cigarette ash into the ashtray, he left the wilted flowers on the windowsill and closed the window. The rain hitting the stained glass no longer reached the flowers.e7a23630a5f9ec34

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The rain intensified.e4924c46a30e2a98

Somewhere in the 1f9733c2d9 ceiling, the sound 1be6141f48 of dripping water 2cacddbbe4 could be heard. Gabriel lay on the bfb802e662 bed, avoiding the clinging cf2ed63c1a cat. Turning to his side, 4b54a29e19 he saw the damp 7d709da0c2 lily of the valley.c2d4d27599f9df32

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Gabriel closed his eyes immediately. He felt he would soon fall asleep due to accumulated fatigue. However, even if he fell asleep quickly, he wouldn’t sleep deeply tonight, just like any other night.d739bd1cc78b69b0

Since one 6fdd98fc30 autumn night 3b63461e0a at the 16a4d71fe0 age of 45e75701da nineteen, Gabriel 8bad02ed9c always had 98ca729ec2 nightmares. The nightmares always began acc03161fc at Berkel Street No. 37.440401eaea892c3c

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A house with a 7cbe95abac piano, sunlight, and a 2c90833d2b laboratory. Where breakfast included 43455b886b softly cooked bacon, b161d1cb75 and the faint 580ed6fbc7 smell of medicine d2765a4c85 lingered in the 73684f8738 hallway wallpaper.3329b7587b0aa74e

Gabriel was born acfc3094f0 there.2f7288a7b272aad6

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