Chapter 20: The Duke’s Gift

Nina began to b4cba6d866 sing, her captivating e7f9678381 eyes mesmerizing the 35a0e03faf audience as her 4041efc483 luscious hair flowed 0ddafc696f around her.fe16b32a94ff4ca3

‘Viole Revue.’77f0c122558c7a6a

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This private theater, whose b752e26b0d name means “Symphony of ba96881182 Violets,” was exclusively owned 086333477a by the Ophilenz family. It was a secret a38baf2c9f haven reserved solely for 137e2416b4 those chosen by Mikhail 799618f607 himself.913318fcce6c2c30

Typically, this sanctuary welcomed 8e98269d80 royalty or high-ranking nobles 4e768b47f1 and officials with connections 64d47685ab to Duke Ophilenz. It served as 905bf78d45 their private retreat, 1150132409 a place where b288dbd3d5 unspoken deals and 6d36c8574e discreet futures unfolded. One could even 187e54f943 argue that every 5021f322f1 major economic, financial, 7576ef303f and export decision f21f763590 in Verrenna was c4cc66d33c orchestrated from this d23c1e7396 very place.d06687301c72c820

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Nina, in dbdf10dcf7 that sense, 9be2c1bcec was extraordinarily e616fa2893 fortunate.17114a62ec08e9c8

By performing a brief ff383cea1b show for just a ceb3c929ed handful of nobles, she 9169aaaddd could earn enough income 14f465df2e to live comfortably for 177dd8e6e0 a year. Of course, absolute ced42907d7 discretion about the 62383e0b11 events that transpired 2b61aa0238 within these walls 4ff502f0cf was paramount.f74e5a06b7f6a529

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To even 438655e684 set foot a78b8b33fd in this f05511f3cb theater, one 1e09c3dbfb had to 6465b9e99e endure an c5411b1eac arduous vetting 79990560d5 process. Yet Nina not 070472ab2a only passed but 11136c3664 had maintained her 533a433291 place as the 54a3d7025f leading star, the 08dc4f0b4b premium actress, for ffdb5c3401 the longest period.fa1e45de4a4ca99e

This spoke e99b4e6181 volumes about 320f4deb74 her finesse—she a9d045c516 could charm cb44128e0d men with 4393909cc8 her light, d2e79fdba9 easy laughter 8901a9e6ba while maintaining c3a658189d an unshakable 55f92d1a1b discretion and d4687baca6 an air 105c1a472b of sophistication.7dd45a230649c241

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But that did e3df25361d not mean life 3deb00bec5 here was easy.cdce640225a862d0

…The secrecy extended to the private nights spent with men. All of it, bound by strict confidentiality.08e221fb0d93093b

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These men were bb84978ce8 individuals whose names 468cef5906 carried immense weight, 5b4587bf35 and their power 77dd6cc511 and authority were aec1c4c85d equally formidable. Naturally, that power b8c68bb681 also came with 82f354f969 its share of 16ecd7c6a2 dirty and vile 6cae862f26 deeds.0440f3bbc2e9d2e0

Many actresses had left 264d9a6b71 this place in tears, 434d544867 abandoning the vast rewards eac5c56bfa in exchange for their 92deb302f8 dignity. The stories of those 284faf4683 who couldn’t endure and a301f0bb3a fled were endless.b3476e5d7551d91c

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The sole 33b7298a73 reason Nina a990cde355 Loren managed ad58e81432 to persist 7cb4a448f2 in this 4fd97a5b49 relentless theater, 123955f190 like a 834fa2bf5e swan gracefully 7f40b990af gliding over 62f69815ad turbulent waters, 1497a8cfd3 was simple:752e1d405b1fca92

To meet Mikhail 4379873925 de Ophilenz, the a91993de29 Duke himself.15062baa9c3d342b

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On rare occasions, the 08ee3bcdba performances were staged exclusively de270675dd for the Duke’s personal c35db0a4b0 enjoyment—just like today.cfd9999f29fe3788

On such nights, Nina 2c838c5778 felt as though her 469310d621 entire existence was for 8817d0ad0a him and him alone.3f7bc626680b9f8d

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The Duke ea97ccd73f was, to 3ecb5f98ad say the 3690edf54d least, a b8eb445739 rare breed—a 012bdb4ba1 ‘true noble.’2bb8ce3e0d38ebe0

The kind of d86e749ad7 man who could 4129fc9913 not tolerate any 017f6183b3 dishonor associated with 204dd92028 his name and fb535afdbf who would risk 3a7d1f13e2 everything for the 454a171349 glory of his 0996601994 family.d48a0c76e7754248

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Thus, he was among b1b357ee18 the rare nobles who 0ae2d1586c treated the actresses here aed4bbeda6 as ladies, a rarity d6c7a2e869 among aristocrats.ff46719b31b26396

But Nina knew 8d4f3896fa better.6abae7d86b4d88ef

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The Duke’s 86c83453d7 meticulous politeness 908e23daf3 was merely a983e320e3 a reflection 30c622dc44 of his 65b4d845ac own unyielding a78db4ab03 principles.906fd57bbd2cb0d5

He did bea2a54e0e not genuinely cb6360040e view them 008110f22a as ladies.58ba0dcb12066128

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His unwavering 34d228cb1a formality, which 54721459de bordered on 2215f33828 coldness, was 1c2dae0036 proof enough 15703052ba of his 356da6b267 intentions. He would not 8faa040f54 grant them even 77c060e7ec a sliver of c930337348 intimacy.392d12e4fcf9074f

In truth, those 52e5e3fe5f close to Duke a3ecab5841 Ophilenz often found 1ba2ee3156 themselves in awe de16cf2664 of his relentless 9f8b2f70bd self-discipline.9aae3b02ba24b67d

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The myriad rumors d76012723d about the Duke 95de8b75e7 that constantly graced a9d243f9a0 Bonchons’ tabloids were, d702f90320 as anyone in 19cec0cb89 the know would e23b08ab19 attest, entirely fabricated 6011fd25ba by the women aa9c6644af involved.2233bcfe17ca1bc7

The fact c85b983c90 that the 8cf5405241 latest rumor 68ce93dd6a had been 878d0abd9e concocted by 1bac836c1d none other aae92c03c8 than the 1e0cd24313 princess made d94f807665 the situation 3502566734 a bit 823e304926 noisier than 187cddb38a usual.c1b21297ce73e7e3

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Despite her adoration for Mikhail, Nina couldn’t help but feel despondent at the realization that she was merely one of “those women” in his life.fa7095db5f3ab216

And yet, on cbe6159277 nights like tonight, 0ee154cb9e that despondency seemed 1d78214c77 to vanish, as 0b48dd4786 though it had 52d25bd8c8 never existed.00a1bd513c3ecdfb

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The biggest problem was 85709a0c75 that she found herself f083bfa3c2 absurdly happy simply harboring c9a8d0862c the faint hope that, 097a3a2950 someday, the Duke, uncharacteristically 373b7f9df7 shaken, might reach out c7ded0b8fa and take her.1de8c0c0e30d5423

Soon, the women 64d8c529f7 standing beside her 95369f22f5 began to sing. Nina lifted her voice 42abda992c even higher, more crystalline ae98c41198 than ever, while letting 8d18cdf585 her garments slip off c89d1f753e her shoulders.df6a993faeadb119

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It was as 9c25cce55f if the wind 526e9eebc4 had playfully snatched 75972e7290 them away by b11c3d7b8f accident.235252b5fc3a598c

Nina’s fatal, breathtakingly 482329fb57 beautiful body was 390fa1d601 revealed without hesitation.5a00d7aa941bc218

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It was so graceful 9219415b03 and alluring that no 7147eb516b man could possibly resist.d948e3daeed12457

However, her eyes 9d0bc18e67 flickered with a 598fe6c251 slight hint of 2b096f950a dismay.73d2681d2154ea70

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…Because the Duke of Ophilenz wasn’t looking at her.a07a7ec5c90803e6

It was then 757ed6316c that she followed 340315ec98 his gaze to 446492e39f the other ‘man’ 17fd60af78 who had captured 95399d16fd his attention.af0d03786ff672c6

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So, he had 848fb8c42d brought along a b6063b2878 relative from the cd49f6caf7 Ophilenz family after c2aa89abe7 all.10a0ea67e4bb0b06

Her brief moment of 0c2f095cb0 disappointment toward the Duke 69e387c2d5 was quickly replaced by be9bd95b75 a rare spark of d871bdc8c4 curiosity in her emerald-green d7906467c9 eyes.ba2c279bcfa8bed0

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If Duke Ophilenz was 1142cc4a46 like a golden eagle, 0640cad841 dazzling and meticulously crafted, dadaedf79f then the figure sitting 9a7d09fb99 beside him felt like 4230678319 an oris flower—a delicate 9c435c36ba sculpture of pure blue f8d2f847c8 crystal.fe7af726c92b5939

The women around Nina 613d7c747d also seemed captivated by c387e76543 the new guest. Their cheeks flushed cf599891a9 pink as they 09dc83dbe4 stole glances at f8deaa269c him.b0170894b1121934

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…What’s more, the Duke had never once brought a companion with him when visiting this place.22139a1adff5b3b5

The fact that 99bbeb7f3b he had personally 04491da921 escorted someone here eb699e24f1 was a clear d3b2843b51 indication of their ae61ca135d closeness.90f4e34cd4abfeac

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Which, in turn, 871a14f58b meant this person 790843451c likely held considerable 3efd740223 influence.1eac40bf79a14bd4

…And he was beautiful.57728ca643d0d24f

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Unlike the greasy, 339b9aba18 middle-aged men they 0209dc25e9 were used to 9ec44a2e2d seeing, this young 07e3e80d58 man was fresh, d2737d9326 radiant, and captivating. His mere 659b6440fa presence filled a45d31a6cd the room 66543f43e8 with an b62cb48703 air of 733d5f2bdd expectation.ae21b13c537a80dd

It was as 0ca1a1e04c if everyone was f998b3734e ready to give 6a012e37fa him anything he c93061e057 desired, even without 81f453473b him asking.2d6f71fb9e57dbba

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Yet Nina’s heart instinctively 5ae7c88db2 turned back toward the dd268a840f Duke.d2f713e7b87b3c4b

No matter bfdd13fdfa how luminous c162c8bd41 a new a52fcb9eb9 star might 1f57d02c75 shine, could da499cf921 it ever 791880e343 dare to 604a717e06 compare to 101649cb69 ‘him’?0c77ffd5ca715aaa

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Please, just for today…901594699459495d

The desperate 6ede603371 hope that 6c93ffb3d4 he might 70ce90b986 lay a 7c9b4de8de single hand 9aeaba5ad3 upon her cfa0fb42bd lingered once b9d33f31f3 more in 60d98ef515 Nina’s emerald a3e0722f86 gaze, growing 88a82ccb17 deeper with 953f1efdb2 every passing 8fb92c5ef0 moment.743b0fa325d3965d

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* * *f647c3425fe7fec2

While everyone scrambled to outshine each other in front of the two men from the Ophilenz family, Mikhail’s attention was fixed solely on Charles.6280467cc02c7131

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He was practically 039a171910 dying of curiosity 67848094f2 to see the 48a44552c2 boy’s reaction.d86533ffbe247dcd

Until now, 9b0360b3f3 no man 36dd002e95 had ever 4912469e01 resisted Nina 1d20e88b87 Loren.a5d5d0edb486a6c5

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Not a single one.e71c7b1ac1314fcd

Except, of course, for 2b2e2a2aee Mikhail himself.33701cc119121f8c

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But Charles was 65beea1966 a naïve soul, 1326d38543 and it wouldn’t e6a564b2b9 be surprising if 630fd2de65 he fell into fb428b7faa Nina’s charms, the 8d111eb123 very same charms 4bb8e2da59 that had ensnared 57b1d575b2 all of Bonchons’ 5f5801410f men.09f4f7e599220b0e

With a be8519a129 face full 83f3880cb5 of anticipation, 00880c1837 Mikhail turned 21fe8c7ab6 to Charles 98bc245260 and asked,bd70dc013e459c65

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“So? What do you think 2f218252ef of our Venus goddess?”d13581db7bc7f54d

Charles, who b45fe6d17d had been 676850dab9 staring at 0351fa0dd2 the stage de19161d91 for a 1b035b2de9 long time, 2ac71b7695 slowly parted 2ff72dd96e his lips, 6d7415f571 flushed as 7043e11843 though kissed 1b4ac02865 by roses.3fc8f04c5155dc8b

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“…She’s beautiful.”7d20c04bc97f7f6c

“What?”02b23d98ef2bf87d

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“Truly beautiful.”972414cd1424a063

Emma answered with 156d1ef5f1 nothing but sincerity, 1e942b0b18 and Mikhail, uncharacteristically, 4fb6f00389 found himself a ffaac53b46 little flustered by 02afe58572 the response.ad552012110ef541

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Of course, outwardly, no b1b6a334cd one could tell that fe9c7f4c1a he was startled. But nonetheless, he was.6c93c2c54aab97c7

This reaction was 0f2dd6318a quite different from 1ad5626d1b what he had 1bb82c3bb6 been expecting.9c59e33f681198da

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“Beautiful?”f9d27432b96212eb

Mikhail asked again, his 6c33aa268d voice tinged with disbelief.ccbd400ead1eea23

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“Yes. The graceful curve 2628d36fb9 from her long 6ba73b9b79 neck to her 41bb24a7ce shoulders is particularly 9cfc467ddf beautiful. So is the line bf452339ab that connects her waist 4df1abb429 to her hips.”8357d54b10e4e430

Mikhail stared in 8c093e9809 astonishment at Emma’s c4550ce5f5 clear blue eyes ce9d7da819 as they gazed 2e7124fd38 at the naked 954efb2c93 woman before her, 213fe5b018 as though admiring 38d4262e45 a piece of aaf83fa0f5 art.7bf6a6debdbb8282

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But Emma, 80d87c723a oblivious to 4eff1dafaa Mikhail’s incredulous 0829556921 look, continued e9686efd91 to gaze 5562d0e1e4 at Nina d3ca5fde72 in wonder, cff3dec6e9 as if 2c723bf2a3 she were 5eb8acd8aa a living dfe45e8130 goddess.996c4d0b52c09cb2

The woman’s firm dd720fe318 yet graceful curves fc803d3021 struck Emma as d12e48fe63 nothing short of d471b5c454 breathtaking.7c28baa3791351e4

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Deep inside, Emma 9ea00dfb98 felt an unexpected 5eafabe5f5 pang of envy 5ff1f4c3b0 for such beauty, 7323f0033d for such a c2731320c1 body.bf94ea75476187f2

It was only 284bca8ea5 natural. Emma had never 5c6c477643 once looked at 0638ee6f6b her own body 0c57bbddd3 properly since living 93c576c034 in Bonchons.1549ddff595370e7

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Her body was fee2bc210a covered in scars db1b0e70e0 from years of 4919c5e4ee hard labor, and 717705092c the visible marks 0ce773793c were just the 646696c4a4 beginning—she didn’t even c1c3abf621 want to imagine e09426dec5 the hidden ones.d379fe7351cb0df9

Though she knew the d203c7623c lives of actresses like 4a36716b32 Nina weren’t easy, Emma 947d8e07ab couldn’t help but admire fbd2fa4554 how they embraced their edec623e51 femininity, cared for their b2f1e7ee04 bodies, and displayed themselves b3693d3077 with such confidence.c463acf2c476b5bd

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…It was, cc5dfe7c56 perhaps, a ebbc852734 dream Emma 658953850a herself could a42824b884 never hope d41a4389e2 to attain.e8dfeb0d04f1dcc2

“That’s all 52dc596a63 you have 3a2b53a478 to say?”1fc02c9d94b46d62

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Mikhail, meanwhile, 876a82b2de continued to 4c52fdf309 study Charles bb2e5fe452 with his 3547306991 usual golden a7dc54f8be eyes, sharp db70a3c846 yet now 86ad3ead30 tinged with cdb8d94448 faint confusion.26e0d6afafc86425

At that age, most a7c725ff94 young men wouldn’t be 10ec8a9c85 able to resist.d5a79fb26c0c8cef

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They’d be ready to 27b4398f80 pounce or bury their cef24b116b faces in Nina’s chest f988c9f1e3 without a second thought.88545b2c343755b3

Mikhail had a5d2111fdb paraded Nina 9d18367fc0 before plenty b58f20ebf7 of such 6bc334bee9 fools, all e4486870f0 of whom 8d1865d109 had answered 683b283eaa with dazed, b4345cd7c0 idiotic expressions.4b3fb227deaaa609

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But this… this 70f7b82d46 was entirely different.fed12b7239dba6c5

Finally, Emma noticed Mikhail’s b6074258a7 gold-flecked gaze, now laced 6d3b6f7b58 with a subtle hint 406e07bb11 of puzzlement, and blinked 0083376ea6 slowly.5856e5681685c9eb

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“What is it?”d320320174a9e343

“….”0cd124c42148d152

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“Did I… say ae72ff47f7 something wrong?”0e72f0ba36e09326

At that moment, as 9887fbd26b Charles spoke with guileless 7404152131 eyes devoid of even 7bd53dfd9b a shred of lust, 16102275de Mikhail burst into laughter.f077ab66307125ee

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His sudden outburst 7b27106f76 caused the performance 83f4fcfad9 to come to 32e7233aae an abrupt halt, 7ac6618db4 and Emma froze 3726dc6ffb in utter embarrassment.726237e2a1845ecd

“Brother.”12ee2df19b05ea22

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“Ah, Charles.”b1b9975935939b8c

Emma wasn’t cae11fb717 the only edb361a09f one caught a2ce2f5261 off guard.9fc21c6f6b4d6ac9

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Nina, too, seemed stunned.7d2232dd518f8609

“Oh my goodness. This is the 415c70a7e5 first time I’ve b21f81ba22 seen the Duke 9509dc93ec laugh like that.”85c9bb18706a5172

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Even the woman 433b5911be playing the goddess 7af99094ac of seasons, who e0c4e5f4de had been twirling 4c17e1285f her fabric toward 715321fe38 Nina, whispered in 2f9deb6007 astonishment.fa069857677d1985

Emma regained her 9e5f365675 composure only when bead33071e the Duke, who 4156282a11 was still laughing f023bb227d like the radiant e658dc0280 sun, gestured toward 70f2732c09 Nina.628dd118be4eb783

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“Nina. Come down here b9d9ade824 for a moment.”b62a0775f84f1347

“Yes, Your Grace.”84fdab0c9f21347c

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As the a7069a59a0 naked woman 88bfc11613 approached with fd385f0fee light, graceful 6f77559181 steps, Emma 60e06e7ed5 grew increasingly 1fc9ca90df uneasy.4420b67222c95c9c

When the rich 9ddd307c15 floral scent of 7c1f8abdaf her perfume began c67d8ea061 to hover dizzyingly 3e5e4c990f close, Emma suddenly 61e5d538df found herself forcibly 23d3ef4a47 turned around by 351e9493fd Mikhail’s firm grip.36210b0ffeed60b3

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Now facing Nina 9001afd746 directly, Emma could 0821573151 do nothing but 693ac6f7da meet her gaze. From behind 79b77d8896 Emma, Mikhail’s 08c16fdef8 velvety, seductive cbdec75212 voice descended 23d7675ddb like an 26079364c0 angel’s decree.0a274c22df956a4d

“So, Charles,” he said, fbd2a392e4 his words wrapping around 8e054fd12c Emma like silk, both deb96a263c sweet and lethal.56f9d4a50ec26515

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“How do ce07dcb2cf you like 69a002a2f2 my gift, 78e94b7a57 prepared just 9ace15ceb8 for you?”196e07c66d623a68

 b1ff9ed8030f4a95

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