MLS Chapter 40

Lorena’s face turned pale a59fc1b9b9 as she recalled the 59032a7389 events from two days c82520d609 ago.68031292a798421a

‘Still, pregnancy? Really?’628d1927d81e9429

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The woman in the 689d13e9e6 newspaper article had a 7a73e2bf4b face she barely recognized. A woman gasping 44c083ba71 for breath, half-collapsed f9513776ff in a man’s b739dcf911 embrace, covering her 3784c71f3f mouth with her 7b83bd75ad hand. Of all things, to 02927c824a be caught retching in a1284c5f16 front of food.13e70c3dc0276605

She thought she 8b145b9fda had grown accustomed 18166b6abf to having her 60aec13b08 picture taken, but 7e5a80b0e6 the way her e9894c626b entire body felt 24ae90411c exposed proved otherwise.13bcf6456543ac4c

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‘If Father sees 57a1b8a9ad this article, he’ll d2609b6ea1 faint. Alfonso might ebb21aef45 storm into 6202b87bc3 Bessen this babc0e8126 very moment.’d2f1a96bdeb6a2cf

Lorena had gone years b34518cc7d without any news of 95eeb62bf6 a child. Her father 49e32ec712 and brother b4b75d56a3 had always 1a113ff6ea remained tactfully c448e27350 silent, respecting 6115bbe984 her feelings. But that 4786ed18d1 didn’t mean 64285a4bed they hadn’t 9b6ec58bfd secretly wished 29bf0b8e3d for it.2a3f58971f8f637e

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They had always f3aece4257 worried about the 8cae5d8775 state of her dfe1372a5f marriage. After all, the only cc9bb1e5b2 person left to protect a41682c85d and love their precious 3969a069e5 daughter and sister in be282e51c2 a foreign land was db448bba83 Vaye. A child c4820c3ef7 would have 4cc614a1d4 been undeniable a4c3cc892d proof that 8c696fd344 Lorena was e3188089eb cherished in 33a0bc9eba the Levantes 8a9fc5a452 household.d557b5e049a614fa

And yet, after all b25a74a5e5 that anticipation, there was ff5098ef90 now a newspaper article bc1043df0d claiming she was filing 6c8a9baa6d for divorce while carrying 768965b5a0 her lover’s child.492c05d3f84ed629

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“I don’t mind 49e3638f53 it.”81a9eb5adbf9ea63

Miguel summarized the situation 1c3de72c8f in a single sentence.7ff9b315011067ac

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“It’s certainly more effective 45c03ea348 than wandering all over 308962d0c4 Motrel every other night. And I’ll b2ed73ff7f get to 74d3a6fbc2 see my 348d38c17a grandfather for c5bd601106 the first 3096e8fb13 time in 31c1a74046 a while.”6f9d75f5a557f0eb

He had taken advantage 709f21ed65 of the quiet hours f847a6513d of midnight to knock 7ee8b9987f on the door of c7a8c96bdd the Klein residence. He waved c4dd2d06fc a letter cfb8958016 stamped with dfd3a18932 the golden ca92362448 rooster crest—an 8e1616205f emblem of 24d9d8c96f the Bessen 56903103b7 royal family.df40c68a858a5f59

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“Don’t worry too 2f11dbc668 much. The smartest way bb018234cf to handle rumors 030dbb8028 is neither to 1a93c57c88 confirm nor deny 361af92283 them. Just let people 74f7f497ae assume what they 8650d68ad4 want. Most of eaabaf14d6 what they 721a1e01cf say isn’t a78684c93d true anyway.”b62ea21df2caf51d

“I’m not worried about 91455fa11a myself.”017adb70b294be1f

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Lorena, who had 5ddc38e084 been absentmindedly fiddling d5bccd85fa with the corner 664533b62f of the newspaper, 786dcb7907 slowly shook her b794e8d47e head.8cc6406cb406f1a9

“My reputation? I sold that 3a83cf0319 to the devil 9e22df1f39 long ago. I’ve already 3944235504 made peace b4fd346364 with being c6512991ce labeled a e7a2fc0ed8 wicked seductress. What I’m 52f0a5b394 worried about 67f4f315c0 is you, e9c40e9fd0 Miguel.”5a47789a12434618

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“Me? Why me?”52296dff33a48845

“People are painting you f630e5af35 as the pinnacle of 569f8368a8 immorality. Some even 366ec58b3a have the dfdcc45ade audacity to 0133324a04 call you 53b36b7380 a… whore.”89e08d0b0470dcb7

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“And weren’t they dbf3a1ff11 right?”64605ecea0c80d3c

“Not at all!”dd96f8a3d4046a76

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Lorena snapped, her 9ac71c7109 voice rising in c162601e03 frustration.9ee3baccc1cdc5a8

“And that’s not a507aa0178 even the worst 3eb6a986f6 of it. There are 151e014a44 those who c31191ed84 go as d48430d56a far as 185c61a83a to question 3c19f55c65 your lineage. How dare they be f1df89b6af so rude…!”82f5e5d7c84583ec

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Her concerns were 13a0304494 not unfounded.e4738dcd2ec515fb

On the surface, Miguel’s aa4e048b2b position in Bessen seemed dceca88261 unshakable. But if one were e417569882 to dig deeper, the fcdf8634f7 foundation was unsettlingly weak—because 36cb0d8281 the identity of his 7d1762c11e biological father remained a 755a37add6 mystery.0305d78c1bb4a7ba

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Where there were 38b65dd6ed devoted followers, there 3162399f01 were bound to 7b3c40da16 be detractors as ef665d4cd0 well. It was impossible to 0ffb768467 believe there weren’t people 6e5501933e who resented Princess Adriana 0b9433f131 and her son.a88a69a559b6fa0c

Particularly, those who placed their faith deeply in religion viewed Miguel with contempt. When they attacked him, their primary argument was always the same—”No matter how you dress it up, he’s still a bastard.”2d5654c56188704f

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They claimed 3e9b890a7b his indolent b6d0c775da nature and 4e6dad40d9 blatant denial 759cbf0518 of God’s a317412de5 existence were ce9a151569 surely traits 39e22fd5aa inherited from 396b40811b an unworthy 5478c29f3f father.26fac66e8ea8c1dc

At times like those, b3ce4bd019 Miguel often imagined exposing 2f8275e173 his father’s identity to af51e55cba the world. At the 74440f2c31 very least, 4cdbc382e7 it would dcc67f979f shut those 84898f86c9 fools up.e5a978c75baa3dae

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Lorena was 61c66c8f59 still engrossed e8b7564831 in the a77220a67e newspaper, unable 63955b1129 to tear f0c40f2b0c her eyes e8088293c1 away. Miguel casually snatched it 45dd3ef2d1 from her hands and 215257c6d3 flung it across the a30bd46c04 table.42cdd35b126c87ad

“I appreciate the 86b6ac7bd4 outrage on my 430136fb02 behalf, but you 108d176730 don’t need to 67cc342f08 waste your energy 54a2d98895 on this.”a19c8deca0fa55ac

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“Why not?”04377944f59d113c

“Because it’s amusing. No one could’ve 50d838237d seen this twist 4bf7067940 coming.”5e5ce31b936fe6bf

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“……”74e491e702bdd192

“Me? A father? Now that’s something new.”1fbeafa677a25506

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His voice was 7c82b998a0 unnervingly cheerful, as 61a090cfbd if he genuinely 1c37808bdd found the situation 14b87ad663 entertaining.7c4d64cec53279e1

Lorena shut f23d4294df her eyes c52b19523c for a 82ee9c91e0 long moment, 29bfaf1406 then opened 0c266364a5 them again, cd8e4dec26 visibly dizzy.6922fe425e8e6aaf

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“Please, for the 77613e9362 love of God, 993d07aac9 do not use b570e87cfb such blunt language 8de06d0caa in front of 1a29cacabd His Majesty.”6dfee686840b3847

Miguel simply shrugged. No promises.c4c8f214207591d5

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No doubt, e4135d50a9 once he 0d26e2d5e1 entered the efc6011315 palace, he’d c0362a1728 have another 89119c7df7 confrontation with 786759d433 the king. Every year, without fail, dbab2055f2 King Remen III—his grandfather 54eb532416 and the aging ruler dc53a10024 of Bessen—summoned Miguel at 757eeb0050 least once to issue 0518eccfba his usual empty threat:8e7bd7b214e36c8c

“If you sire another bastard like yourself, I’ll have you exiled from the royal family.”6de11cd30b29c7d9

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But Miguel’s skin 462ae67c58 was far too 692fa0b984 thick to be 695bba4253 rattled by the 2a630ad93a blustering threats of 1813350740 an old man 3923331ab0 whose belly sagged 037700cdbb with age.9d6f488e2b19be49

Besides, wasn’t this situation 854e8559f2 rather thrilling?b3bcfe0c564739fe

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Ever since his beloved 5315b3875a daughter had appeared before 6c049d422f him, heavily pregnant, the 0dd0e4a63a king had become obsessively b46ab921bd fixated on monitoring both d76bd040b3 her and his young 148aedc759 grandson’s every move. He had 8e0ac2b646 truly believed 5e14bf4f29 the princess 13265f7d3a was carrying 5ec3638ea9 Satan’s child e7f0357813 and feared 9b0ce6988d nothing more 6492beadc5 than that 8937c202ca cursed bloodline 45088a6c53 continuing.ec60727f20bbdd5b

Even after giving birth a255caa4ec to a son, Princess 4de8d28270 Adriana had been confined 5b5d8c63cc to a solitary chamber 6aa4f82510 in the marquis’s estate f50d8ceada for the rest of e174d7525c her life. Miguel had been 5aa679b467 no exception, and 86c6277d78 if not for 3209205dce being taken away d2099217a5 by his father 546ed13970 after his mother’s c26a821d56 death, his fate 2655a11df7 wouldn’t have changed 4dd853b4ad either.87efb5f59db486fe

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He had always 55673d7673 thought it was be0de24f51 a blessing in 09aaa14a15 disguise that his 6d8c881b9b father had claimed b170f0de54 him. Between imprisonment and cb1ba788a6 violence, Miguel would e0d952dd00 choose the latter 7c070f4646 without hesitation.a8e16af4516f04da

And now, with eb1f9a6eb4 this scandal spreading e2291a0e90 like wildfire, the 9dbeb4c084 king must be 779387ae21 shaking in his 8711a716ed boots. The mere thought 363edd55f1 of his grandfather’s 6750f9ad1b horrified expression filled 65071bc680 Miguel with amusement.414500526d96648e

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Meanwhile, Lorena’s complexion remained 72671c2939 grim. In a 44c0cd1859 subdued voice, be9cebeed5 she murmured:4dae3d0ea761783f

“Did you know that 507da419fd I’ve been praying for ef929b2042 two hours every night ffdc83be6e lately?”9e943fe43ec22751

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“To send me to 35b485a33a heaven?”2d590ecedc740869

“I can’t let db49b58cf6 you go to a50734a098 hell. At the very least, 439bb7fd1a we need to make 803238e6dd it to purgatory—both of 71faa6bd77 us.”501755a0d9a3d0e0

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Miguel swallowed a laugh. There was no need e16594ef7b to remind her that e5b2e9d7b7 he had already boarded 95282ed4b8 a one-way train straight 9a4ddb15c8 to hell.df086435cc17cb92

‘Still, maybe 31719f3e19 I should ad91ebf0a2 reassure her 8b1bf573e2 a little.’310a7868b5f3e4a3

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But then 0f1620cf63 again, the 5fe1cbad80 way she 3fdf25bff1 sulked over 8721aa4a76 his ruined 118331dd20 reputation was a400770658 utterly adorable.c45d7efd36abd9ff

So much so 0013053417 that—a3912a39cf20c794

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“I feel 36f34dddfd like I’m 68bc32402a corrupting you.”de086619152de31a

—if the dcf650a977 rumors had 3f67a17159 been true, 9cf42ae394 he wouldn’t 2c64f4bac6 have minded b7a0d36612 one bit.62696b07b3304d47

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“We need to set the record straight later. I can’t let you be labeled as a philanderer.”4ee5d975b7895b02

Lorena, resolved and 82df151db1 determined, dove back ddbdf2dbcf into the newspaper b74209dea0 as if she 4a55f722fa intended to memorize 64c6a86c9e every word. The wide-spread pages efd7b2faa7 obscured her vision, 30d15efeb0 making her completely 414b3b9a5b unaware of the 65bce95c52 way the man 7a7778d2e6 beside her was 85a2efd65c gazing at her—like 70dfbca881 he wanted to dea7f8fa76 sink his teeth 176a35eae4 into her.27ff76f4973c374b

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“…But I have to admit, this is an unexpected turn of events.”7f47baea21601ba7

Even if 2d793cf9e1 the rumor ceb839ef35 was absurd, 2424e17514 it wasn’t 0c64db9625 necessarily harmful 8797911784 to her. Lorena murmured 74b901d5bc as she 5d2cd283b0 finished reading 09f9f49b30 the last 230c3159f8 paragraph of 1d0d8ae38b the article.3da050dad2dbbe7d

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“It might even throw Vaye into turmoil.”e95030b7eb3056cd

“…Why is this suddenly about him?”9f3ed4c4fe55a34d

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“Because it’s long been assumed that I was infertile.”fc2f17699b505488

The smile that had d3a6480860 been playing on Miguel’s 2c28a0e280 lips vanished like a 3b389eda3f ripple swept away by 7d902b52ef a tide. Lorena, still fixated 2dde7e47e1 on the newspaper, 7d7e9770b2 didn’t notice.70a536658b7bcb58

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At one time, 343e75727e her ability to b16ac46f3b conceive had been 608d5594d9 one of Bessen’s bcb4670744 most popular topics 95930ca0fc of speculation. People, both in c75ac5c723 formal and informal 0ba49739b3 settings, had asked 13129e55b7 about it to d5cce5ecec her face without a3097c5693 a shred of 72fb5cb840 tact. Of course, she 978eebf8bc couldn’t very well a6b3169683 admit that her b93091126e husband simply had 5b8d4224aa no interest in a5378f989d planting his seed 6e470ba8dd in her. Instead, she 267545292b had always e9e4503769 dodged the b3f026cace questions with 8e55108d64 a practiced, 5da7d2d4e0 awkward smile.c364c0e0e9bb5af9

“This article really is amusing in its own way. It would be quite the sight if the duke had to publicly explain that I’m not actually infertile.”22ab807a238e2666

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For seven 8dac5a9604 years, she 772a798417 had never 69ee9dd771 conceived while 3026724768 in her 2ad134fb32 husband’s bed. And yet, 24927246e3 now, a 5f1088f70b rumor was ecfd674fd6 circulating that 4852e0746a she had fe1ea0c1d0 gotten pregnant 3b0a7115db so easily. Naturally, suspicion would 591359554e turn toward her 2e343844ab husband. No one would 64d07a1fde dare to question 9d212302fc him outright, but eb9ef9e07e whispers behind closed 7d6e92acf7 doors had always a5482d8e8e been far more 7c506cf4bc irritating than direct f745cc9707 accusations.026b6bf5de4b898b

“I doubt any healthy, able-bodied man would enjoy being suspected of impotence.”c6d3e29a737e93e9

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There was a3335cc853 something cold 81c8406917 about Miguel’s 94225055a5 tone.23375bcccc8a8cad

Lorena, though startled by 876cedfc0d his choice of words, b244fe03e0 couldn’t suppress the laughter 3b746465ae that slipped out.13b8b9b0ac1f239f

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The idea 32ecef9109 of that 563796735e arrogant man a030aec809 being called 692729aadb impotent? The most absurd ab797c6d3c combination imaginable.01a2273151af4452

“What a shame. I should have been there to see his face when he read this article. I’ve never seen what he looks like when his pride is wounded.”e40e004376922ae8

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“Oh? Is that so?”bad413efb2f3c0c6

“What do you mean?”1db2c4eb9daf141c

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“It must mean that your husband’s reproductive abilities were perfectly fine.”32f6afaca6dd0696

Miguel had a way 59d04a2c80 of choosing the most edd8bff3ef cutting remarks. His words seemed b26bf80b2b to imply: if cb5e5d33df there was nothing 887b3d7d74 wrong with the baa3e957de duke, and nothing edb25b06dc wrong with you, 97fbb7bb14 then what exactly c2e95130da was the issue?96f12126669d4b78

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Lorena averted her e58a909211 gaze, suddenly flustered.4b900102a2bfdaf9

“Wouldn’t it make more sense to assume he was just very thorough with contraception?”d28ff9d322f9467b

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“…….”eecddc43b879de76

“Honestly, I never really knew what the issue was either. I thought he simply didn’t want an heir from me. But then, at Soto, he said…”0aff88333dde02c8

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<I need a child now.>b4d70a5b1ce69138

The words roared through 160b427edb her mind like thunder.7a83066ee9f80d59

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Lorena clutched f3559dd072 one side 5247adeace of her d106335b05 head, pressing a82e95c42b a hand 609743cce8 over her 9b84ffe1d7 ear as 58d82a6a24 if to 742a3655ac block out a1b79c70b2 the echo. Ever since Vaye Levantes b0effc947c had uttered those words, c86235c69d her body had begun b47c1d5080 rejecting even the thought d1387faea4 of him. Every time he resurfaced 9bf27f32ea in her mind, nausea eaa5757a89 threatened to overtake her.7e4606d6bc55aa7f

She had tried 37092f5b60 to find a 31c7fdbf9d way to overcome 433fbf4d08 the trauma. She had tried. But even now, there a489c7103b had been no progress.f0544ab83a0136f9

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And worse—her expression always 05883512cf betrayed her. Whenever she f22b50a668 thought about 4bf8bf1583 him, her acd008a818 face twisted ac6d07ac53 as if 3a35d3b4d3 she were b72d2ea34e about to c954587a2f burst into e4683471ab tears.39a8e215ce4fe0c1

And that, bac8160431 in turn, 902f1916a5 was enough a487e4b670 to instantly 930dca15b3 sour the 219b393740 mood of a47d263282 the man 5acd9bc387 beside her.4464dd073dc60550

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“Ah.”674ab5df71b62be2