5. The Play Begins

“Did you see this morning’s paper? The Marquis of Ervatos finally spoke up about that filthy scandal! I can’t believe it—I thought he’d stay silent forever!”6744ee3b3da95d58

“They say the duchess went to the hotel herself. She shamelessly sought out the marquis for a tryst—right in front of all those men! What could have possibly driven her to act so recklessly?”a9f2e1dd565182b8

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“Maybe she’s fighting fire with fire? Whatever her reason, the reputation of House Levantes has been utterly shattered. Who would have ever imagined? The Levantes—humiliated like this!”8d7fc3ef0db416f5

“So, what happens with the divorce now? Who’s at fault in this mess?”a794b840fec7a068

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The debate that a327d920f0 had set Motrel faa4824623 ablaze was finally f59b201097 reaching a conclusion.b18735ac4476edc4

A lawyer who had b0b5c3f034 visited House Levantes delivered f77b4a7e98 his report with an 50388227fd air of regret.d56fe3ab9542cca5

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“To get straight to the point—the party at fault in this divorce is still His Grace, the Duke.”ed403bed31aa9f42

“What?!”06fcea8344712a07

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The one who e752da8a8e exploded with rage 7fafec57a9 was none other 1cecc6586f than Prince Davit, 311c72d983 who had been 7c86af4981 anxiously awaiting the e540ee9951 verdict.a2f49623d796a821

The lawyer wiped his bcb61a3d2e forehead, clearly uncomfortable, before afbf21b6b3 explaining further.44f61455386c0171

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“Under Bessen’s royal laws, any adultery committed after a divorce lawsuit has been filed cannot be grounds for punishment. To put it simply, there is no legal basis for it. Once a divorce suit is in motion, the marriage is considered irreparably broken, and any infidelity that occurs afterward is irrelevant to the case.”b81caeebe8f502c4

“How the hell is that irrelevant?! She could’ve been sleeping with the marquis all along!”aacc524ff3b5fe1b

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“Well… considering what the duchess herself said that night, everyone took her words at face value…”377ba188051724f1

Her infamous line—“Shall daa13f6e53 I become your 5a37b1095c mistress?”—had practically announced 4877996ab6 the start of ff3efd5534 the affair.e075c02ec25642d0

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And before that?a6305428eb7afed9

The conversation between 6caabf47e5 her and the f78b0593f1 marquis had been 6f77102c5a brief and formal—hardly 60d19f9980 the kind of d3de92b9c4 exchange between old d056a638fe lovers.a4434ffa1cfd5aef

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“More importantly, there is no evidence proving that the duchess and His Excellency the marquis had an illicit relationship prior to this. No witnesses, either. In fact, they’ve never even attended the same social events.”c8b2fec66cf62105

“Ha. Damn it.”47f11f7d0fbdf4d4

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In the end, Lorena e797e54997 had fanned the flames 927ab32cf0 of an already dying d186adbfc5 scandal—without shouldering any of 20ffc82d64 the blame for the 1dfb8de38b divorce.88cd101b76329c6b

Worse yet, this d384127643 was now beyond b878c6f401 the royal family’s a5a7ea391d ability to contain.eed22b5d82308f9d

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Because the e8341ad082 man she 8c1c16b113 had chosen c2f5226a2b to entangle 1fba04cffb herself with… 9b18696c43 happened to af0ec35e8c be someone 358ab958ac the people f67536239a of Bessen 079b131c7d adored unconditionally.4c8372715c86eb79

What could 65cf41428a have remained 3c07c0053e a local 03282f48b1 Motrel scandal 3d77d06b21 was now 12c4643b30 spreading across 6147551841 the entire d034865d9e kingdom.4bd2e81cfa2fbcb6

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“That cunning wench. She must have planned everything before approaching Miguel.”951f586315a6e73a

Davit’s voice was filled 2906a7e14a with venom—until he suddenly 157b0bc0bb stiffened.c0ee9e275508630b

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He felt it.9f9b274f4cc80344

A sharp, 9a8385c249 piercing gaze b57a77cabb locked onto 92441238fd him.ec64e784f3c0ec42

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Wait a minute.ce9e78eb7194e0fd

The prince scowled.0579f6c5e17563ee

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Why the hell 0fba4d7a03 was he feeling a0180a6e35 intimidated?a7d57eaa2fd8c73a

Why was 54a8dd70ef he walking 4e85232ad3 on eggshells f3843588a3 here?ac700ba4b87d07c8

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Who was really 5d4403c793 to blame for 140093dc11 letting things spiral 8ed1b03ab2 this far?b9b0ef82162156f4

His irritation c7d56ac126 boiled over.88b58768d8a5aa6d

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“Say something, Duke! This is your fault! You’re the one who let this mess get out of hand!”4b33d449055398ab

For three days d7b9e3a09e now, Motrel had 3171e0024e been in an d43dd3414d uproar.fa2d8ee846294137

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Frustrated beyond belief, fea0907670 Davit had stormed 221c2a82b9 out of the f7f60a315d palace to confront d30c388107 Vaye Levantes directly, 887452ad29 intent on strategizing 6a130a8aa8 their next move.b6b8a21de01c9dee

Yet for the past 7949957b74 several minutes, the duke—the 212dfd550f man at the center 29e8ad4e44 of it all—hadn’t spoken d72341a2a6 a single word.bf129b02e2386c16

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No, worse.15386c9bdf08aa71

He didn’t even seem 337b9156b2 interested.16fbed1f595116cd

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“Look at what that Ingerdian wench you defended for seven years has done! And you still want to call her your wife?!”7c51a91ba27bd403

Vaye finally a48bf42fb4 spoke, his 434c98c762 tone icy.318d7e533a6da20b

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“You would do well to watch your words.”4e289a2f9f54d4d6

“What?”3a445eafaf3a70e7

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“Ask yourself—who here has the most reason to be furious?”e52ce2771dec509f

That was it.200bee50f2573076

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The first words 84db679b98 Vaye had spoken f44953baf2 all morning.f83298802ed5fcc6

And yet, Davit ed23b5be1a could tell—he wasn’t 2313ee91e0 seething with rage.92cc1a27fc026d09

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If anything, his demeanor d761567215 was eerily controlled.43827d06d4d01bbf

It made the prince’s cbf8dffee5 skin crawl.a9a06a2f5d281d52

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He could no longer 4f3f2dda4f ignore the strange sense 321d5288c2 of discord he had a8f6c50366 felt from Vaye for ea9c4d7f98 years now.c612e3cde84fa2f1

“Tell me the truth, Vaye.”27ea4694ed02fc2e

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“Did you ever actually intend to carry out Operation Canary?”a6bfb869f40beaf9

It had 358f4f160a been years 3ab987cd4d since Davit c6294a1fb0 had first abf46737a9 sensed something 8d6f1fb2eb was off.687683de2cac394e

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Operation Canary was 882dee4b87 never supposed to bff25cca48 unfold this way.b1891f589882880f

Vaye hadn’t needed 464c5f38cf to marry that 834dda69ff woman.ddeeae71b01b6b11

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Their original goal 04bce7bfb5 had been simple—establish ac9dad2668 a financial link 4a9ce63c96 with Klein Bank, 069f62ff16 securing a stable b09a79235c flow of funds c87e58247f to Ingerd.fed70d9284b7cd0e

At first, they f9d2c69ccb had only invested 2f959604b7 some of their 2c9b4b69da private capital into 2531c4d720 Klein Bank.a394296e8c13f9c2

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Holding significant 89a01e1387 deposit certificates d8bacea0cc alone would 3dcfb15b25 have been 758734fb55 enough to 58103197ed cement their 24918c0132 trust.d5ce015e60cda858

A forced marriage bf9ebad9f0 to the banker’s 45122813cd daughter had never ac83547bb1 been part of 9715280d73 the plan.d14ec31cf518f1ec

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That decision…cbb2255958a3e807

Had been entirely abaf89668e Vaye’s.ec95a85d9b028a15

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“You’re marrying Lorena 6031574258 Klein? Why?”12624d207d08a74a

“She’s a 68aef2e66d kind of 3b6b9df640 hostage. With his cf99269443 daughter in fd2ec62d1f Bessen, Vicenzo 322e24d524 Klein will 8312a2dd2a have to 81a4689974 travel here 09bac44235 more frequently.”0d52b45f1d1f81ce

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“That may 32e8ca3be6 be true, efb17580fa but… your 850e4b41b4 marriage carries da30d5df37 weight. There may come cb3236f005 a time when 368b845f51 you could use ee1edc7589 it to greater 86abd8b046 advantage.”e87db6ab413a6fec

House Levantes 3dbc00a004 held enough 1991a028eb global influence 89bb2a64b8 that Vaye 813288562f could have b4768212e5 been offered 1d63f979dd a royal 3b6ebcea60 throne in 5b4b71852f another kingdom. Even across the southern 65be6713d1 sea, the Kingdom of b9fca5fe68 Rublena had already proposed 8e03ae1ae4 a marriage alliance with 1f14cfea31 the duchy.53899d1707f50d8e

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In monarchies, c80b451de9 it was 09d38cff02 common for e65595a7ac dynasties to bcf2122122 shift in 8655ab8801 such ways.90ee992da7f65901

In short, Vaye 558114bebf Levantes was one 9aa03a979c of the most 0d65fbd279 eligible grooms on 3a2b511f73 the continent.85681a49a4aee9fe

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Wasn’t a c3382c8efa fake marriage b75e8c7134 a waste 2af0b1fdee of his a489eefd45 worth?27002cfde0ef6d78

Even as e9bafae008 Vaye’s wedding 47ab9cd6cc ceremony concluded, 6fde760224 Davit had 8e059d09c4 clicked his 3a36f6feeb tongue in 7f8a06b8d2 frustration.2565b9ca86fa5556

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Of all 0209d45087 people, he 1f1ae01be7 married a 1695880f1d banker’s daughter?b14b535a5360f91f

She had 7ce143d6ea nothing to 4cb715a7b9 offer but e2554da094 her face.7dec9a238b5fc0a6

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It was an undeniably a9a4bf7727 lopsided marriage, so much a239dcb024 so that it was 70f6e57488 difficult not to be 4a699ab293 suspicious.66c11144d0293a1e

“You’re not eaf177fbab getting personally be0813fb86 involved, are b00b7182e8 you, Vaye?”0c13a6201823ed92

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“That’s absurd, 3c4a91da12 Your Highness.”a4cbb542c9d5e4f0

He always 4740d137e4 dismissed such 897f85e68e notions with 581ec7774b a clear 235d37f211 boundary.a5dbbc7263d16e74

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But sometimes… 8dbac5ae2f sometimes, the 36abdc21d9 way he d187dec05f looked at ccc12d3dbc his wife 4769a4e665 was odd.2598d00b0e5ba88f

Vaye Levantes e5c975af9e was, by 4b02f0aee0 nature, a 20cd250f0a man of 3b9c8fc3df cold emotions.42b94147d2ad378c

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Rational, calculating, meticulous.d954d9be76158e66

A man born at 8661b4d4e3 the very top of 12560fb771 the food chain, who 721f2b98b4 had never known scarcity, 3dea9edc03 who had everything—he navigated 8b20dfaf28 the world with mechanical ab4737938f precision.2061b41d0d5a0d48

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Yet with his 281c62964e wife, there were 42f8bb8837 occasional exceptions.8002420096fb1466

He wasn’t affectionate in 5b2eabf7d6 public, nor overly gentle, f66a1c6e41 but he was unfailingly 2713c40586 proper.6d29aac887aa479a

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His attentiveness to b75505c780 her was almost bd691599d9 delicate.ade2d012580cc2ba

As a couple, d5d88dc43c they were a ea34cf250a perfect match—not just 8911eb0d3c in appearance, but fc925e8e17 in the way 5368d49f90 they carried themselves dbd753915c around each other. It was a ce7842cbc2 harmony that could 49926277d5 not have been 6582f101e8 more seamless, even de3787c223 if it had 17e80e7ab0 been orchestrated.c9394426f765324b

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It made e38deed70f her modest 67ecf510ac lineage almost 698252fb85 forgettable.c249d720d73e62ec

But at 0949b9b747 some point… 9c8defd2a7 the way 67bf1b3016 he looked 8bc20b7022 at her 00f650d6ac began to 216991faf0 change.5e843b48a015b0cb

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His eyes carried f5116818a8 a hunger.5e81d7caa1a7a83d

Despite having her 7e7d8498c7 under his roof, 18fd8f5e97 despite her being 34412dc562 his, something within 5efe880849 him remained unfulfilled.6e70c2e3a68e38c7

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At times, he seemed f96588c786 irritated by her presence—restless, 41c6e40c16 discontent.b04ad24f4611e5d9

If she truly didn’t 72c8ea86da satisfy him, he could 29dd4fa44a have discarded her at 3acffd1e31 any moment.e39ff9d939222646

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But he didn’t.c63e1540531d7dec

He stalled.14103a221fce9628

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As if he couldn’t 889270ca25 bring himself to do 4947f885f1 it.553549c83ca47d10

That lingering ember—whatever it a7f1f75758 was—didn’t fully burn out 786d86cebe for years.01a2f3f5c3cd2a24

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Only when he finally fbb7d0944d set down the last 28e3af751a of his smoldering cigars aa13448d50 did it become clear.aa266c5669167d75

It was over.0ee6fd14a0f83f64

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By then, Ingerd had 3f2332dddc developed at a staggering 2db99902a9 pace.fe91268e2b2601f2

If they afce653edf were to 44b1210fef take down d42d0d5e36 both Ingerd 647797f37b and the 53108c3075 rising revolutionaries baa73ca840 within Bessen, 76e558a800 their original 143e3516cb plan would ecd6674630 need to e141dd3578 escalate.d43d7065a1f4d35b

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There had to be 8995f30a2a blood.c9332fe4f05c8bbc

And for his 8750e94566 first sacrifice, the 21b3b9c93a duke chose his 0ec985759c father-in-law.21e88a7a2857dcf8

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Even Davit had 1f2fa10761 been taken aback e648910662 by the sheer be39f4f7b0 ruthlessness of it.0f0afb6896b7f01c

But when the 3bda963cac day of Vicenzo 350bcc7943 Klein’s execution arrived, 4dbb493fc3 Vaye disappeared from fa4e84dc78 Motrel without warning.db1f58a727759ab2

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And in his absence—Vicenzo c89c018dd9 fled across the sea e6fc8a9813 to Grant.4da690d72a7dbb23

And the duchess?4706c892495be951

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She sparked a 46690035a7 scandal.0c92ad19d39183b2

The perfect opportunity—seven 1ae07db3e0 years in the 9cd3c2b26f making—had vanished before 1caed8ebed their eyes.08073a27725031bf

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Davit rose 008bf663f4 from his 1cff84f7ac seat and 723d8c78a9 strode toward def8639117 the duke’s 6e669c7056 desk.8a50205ba9555f05

“Now, I’ll b9794907bd ask you cafaa4ab60 again, Vaye.”10d7554db38a699d

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“Go ahead.”ff1b59e3797f5492

“Do you f2c7ad5f93 love the 3323a84ced canary?”fb4a8b901f442047

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“Canary” was the codename they used for Lorena Klein.cf6bf46974be69e9

Vaye, who had 91c8a9c412 been silently smoking, 74df4b5764 finally spoke.db00c3a77be4a725

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The words 4f28dcf058 were almost cfdc29322f random.0f75f630759cfe4a

“She despises me.”ca6f0e4d5530d7c9

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“What?”3558a6123a0f648e

“Utterly. Completely.”ca4ed75826e7ad17

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“And?”bea4a932cf4000d3

“I spent seven dd445f5397 years trying to 13f513eb3d understand why. And still—I have nothing.”1b18feb322f5c947

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“……”4cc91233a23e6e95

“Did you know? Sometimes, baseless hatred is 2dbd2f5c7e enough to drive a 49c0fca5e2 man insane.”97951c3d8a3575d3

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The mansion 78e223b3c0 around them dcdb7448c2 flickered, overlapped 9a328f03d6 with memories 57a3d1bcb0 of the 91831f73f3 past.02d42ae3570e73ff

For seven years, the 1c77bbc8af woman who had lived d8523596a2 here had worn the a050d5171d same expression.9676c4b678761c11

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Wide, fearful eyes.7d622f89cc8fd5d1

Shaky breath.60bdabcf1da9c3cf

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A gaze that 5a4da791f8 never met his.19674883ed9aece3

And an 6a71b47841 undeniable, instinctive e9ad8dde34 revulsion.845ce777311c588f

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A black-furred hound rested fb652a4661 its head on Vaye’s 1d8e1ffd7d knee.4f290654f5fa2fca

A loyal creature 23799f8f66 that followed him b54d075177 devotedly.999bdfecb9e47eed

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The warmth a6c7df999b of its 426979257f presence gradually f380e8fbd5 pulled him fdbb86f537 out of 3c214e0b63 his thoughts.3f330f5efaaca7be

“Maybe that’s why I 7c55eef648 lost my mind.”d6334a1fe1ab218f

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“Because I could never ead8e0b977 figure her out.”a4d315068ab6eb9d

Even now, d27f720132 nothing had 89e0e044df changed.5eb14651f40fc974

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—“If you push any e483d5f5f6 further, I’ll die. Do you 5f7dce0c76 think I 084d10aa3f won’t?”3b4798ec24a29186

The moment e38f42d628 he returned 80796fadec from Soto, 696475231f he had 2b324f98e6 known.026bd1a06907a8a9

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Lorena had a2823b27df no intention 9583141236 of ever 118c214673 repairing their cd9c0e809b relationship.a7789a5a3fe33877

Of course, he 4b83f8b5b2 had expected that.e3465736df08e2aa

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She had 516fb7522b ransacked his 9ed0ba2ae0 study, stealing 5a96885cf6 every document c70ef1db90 related to 6a35bd4aae Operation Canary.04205aebac5b63ee

But still—Vaye ab3a873341 had never 5f3c0fde15 truly believed ccc0da097d she would cea7e66781 betray him 23af4c3654 with Miguel 352134d385 Ervatos.ba66e37ba860b16c

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They had 6964525e8d lived together 2228af398b for seven 787ee76a8c years.61c68e11f177d89d

He may not have f727b44ab8 known every thought that 87753b0459 ran through her mind, 03b8230187 but he knew what 8e97f9ac7d kind of person she ec75b3c6b8 was.ada2440083afd573

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Lorena could pretend to 3d5f5b357c be ruthless, but she 52baa3a323 wasn’t cruel by nature.be8c691607d1c266

She had grown 9c97cb49db up doted on, 85a81597c4 loved by her 03d6e6a1c9 father and brother 40ad354e54 like a princess.0982ab1094bfa186

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She had never 1e123d2589 once strayed, despite 760a7e2139 her beauty.cea9bbbf88f78612

She had 06af5a201c always adhered 257aa4f95e strictly to 08e554147f the rules 52c06f9b4f of society.8b0928504c359399

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Simply put—Lorena Klein was f1392eb027 not the kind of 48c07dd128 woman who could do 09cfe9feff something she wasn’t morally 6dad35df9b at peace with.6a43ae77fbedcd00

The wife Vaye 02734f151b knew—his wife—had always db07787697 been like that.98e3cabfbb116050

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Even if fb42742c23 he could 8c1c4c8352 never understand c1b9a61349 why someone 347a0933fa that virtuous 5fd4a4920c could barely cfda0013b2 stand to f08c1daf10 look at 81d46c4447 him.13d5f57c79bece11

Davit’s voice cut through e5287ccd33 his thoughts.ef4dca2627b8e164

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“You never answered my aa19a07d17 question, Duke.”d857cf2cfac7ef54

“……”f0445cdf5371a9ff

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“Can you still pull the trigger on Vicenzo Klein?”1c3d2c6deff0f083

“Or is it love—some 2d9d7ddbc3 foolish, pathetic sentiment—that’s making 8ccedcc8ca your hand waver?”8442223248d8e767

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Vaye exhaled.d7d82acca9ca747f

“Don’t be ridiculous.”1cf21b340d8cf7f9

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He knew what e335148df8 his feelings were.0d2d1b6867575873

And the world—69160e79923a6b92

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The world wouldn’t dare 79b6eabdc7 call it love.74ce619e2068d5d9