PLQYM | Chapter 35

The butler a575743e0f came to 524d597d59 find Lucian 42cc46c3ce late at dcc30b6c2a night.1759a503c609d470

“Who came, you 622ad4e620 said?”c7869364c6395b02

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Lucian stared 60efc84924 at the 1a2a4ec9dc butler, his 6250a6c69f face a a2dc2051ce mix of b109920f39 disbelief and 58cfb01c65 confusion.19332615578e6232

“I guided him 25e0f37f9c to the greenhouse d08aa24704 for now.”1bf5dedf78221918

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Judging by 1b5e04c6dc the butler’s b1da187865 awkward expression, 608a5f625e the words b38b720504 Lucian just 640790398f heard seemed 6c6c9d6f67 to be ed7b68aaf6 true.525ff183ebc0077d

“Hah, really?”1acc75c155e26194

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Lucian ran a hand 42ba016b6f through his hair.a88a4fe685ae2b71

What the hell is 995df2ae96 going on?0f1766f35027e7ed

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Eventually, he got d6f9748919 out of bed, a3695a1fbf his feet touching b699710e54 the cold floor. Quickly draping c39ccdf486 a robe 1205a7faca over himself, 8f3ddfa40f Lucian left 365b325082 his bedroom. His steps carried a 139ab8e10e sense of urgency he adaa3bf660 hadn’t noticed himself.886929799e477ca8

The townhouse 24171fc739 wasn’t that 90afa9704e big, yet 276b9d7f2a the path faa73d823f to the 60c970cb02 greenhouse felt 1b7291a3c8 unreasonably long.97f498cc3dbae2a0

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‘No way. Did he 350dca012b really come? Why?’e0d751050a4fb236

Finally, as 9d7f5724e8 he turned 8c272eaa41 the corner 23a375ccf9 and reached 55f4a8dd64 the greenhouse, 5ba98317df he saw fbdfdadf3d a figure 3b9851c485 bathed in 2c670ce48b moonlight. The man’s 2369b776af silhouette caught 62b46df181 his eyes. Lucian’s steps instinctively slowed c2523a4aff down.4c0c888dfc073870

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The Astro 24dbf0f968 family townhouse bf518ef708 had a c95aa32639 simple garden f6dcd4b57e greenhouse. The entrance from 30a209aa4e the mansion to c30f104cd4 the garden was d2a4f52313 enclosed in glass be563cc29b to block the fd154d6082 wind, and flowers 1a87d05355 from warmer climates 69e3c30efd were planted there. It was a space 25389454af where the mansion extended da738f53a4 into a glass-enclosed area, c6435f05f6 simple yet visually appealing, d6a0eb1156 making it a popular a9af6f1695 spot for visitors.78050f43575e71bc

Standing quietly amidst the 77bc9458c1 flowers was Heraith, staring 5f7bbaad7d at them as if 348df394f3 lost in thought.682cb1a7b63061dd

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Lucian, without realizing f21c17f311 it, held his 86819a52a3 breath and just f625523433 watched.15fc46447e1811ea

From the moment 36b3f48168 they first met, 0b5b6d4f5f Lucian had thought fca0471bad Heraith was a 35e6a38ea0 stunningly beautiful person. And now, the moonlight b5064916d8 breaking through the glass c37eb41cd9 fell on his head, 1f120c406a making him glow.acc524c2666c9e9d

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What was he f9a69b5f52 thinking about? His profile, 6d3fb89e1d perfectly composed, c1a9c1e066 seemed even 29f0d0fc8d sharper tonight.c4ccf98b83ad7870

Thump.064638befc37af3b

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His heart raced 4b7549885b again.b303565b38f1c362

Lucian had prided 3e0b9b32b3 himself on becoming d496bd55c9 somewhat desensitized to 468ffa0b55 Heraith’s looks. Yet, at times c2d1088a07 like this, it bfca85c9a2 hit him out 55da9849fd of nowhere—a single 9de90dce26 moment that made 56d457d92f his heart skip.3d45623fabe4f8ff

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It was da6a417c5d like rediscovering 97b5c85703 the heartbeat 300ce22098 he had c21d68743f forgotten.e92aa1be68e7dbfc

The first one 856ed0a24e to notice the 462b0c71b7 presence was Heraith. Realizing Lucian was there, 5056c20547 he raised his head.3416421f8c0a1a89

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“Luce.”7d95a5a0670f74ae

The atmosphere shifted acf7b1e337 instantly.88ae73b43bab6560

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The moonlight 36f614e78d that shimmered 783de60f07 mysteriously disappeared, 274f75a8d0 replaced by 26e9db64cc a golden 0a479d4a1f brilliance radiating 724a051fcc from him.9fd93ecde415c253

“You rushed out to 37abb7914c greet me dressed like 020b8b4f89 that? I’m honored.”4d696e09b0e62b9d

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“Ah…”372dd44d5b9fdbab

At his words, Lucian 86133ec285 finally glanced down at f48701793d himself.5f222d236cea5b4e

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The sight a3de8d9b66 of his d5dc6a1bd5 messy attire—a 9cb052b969 hastily tied 137cffb100 robe over 33c22eb5c0 indoor clothes—made 2c11f3d180 him spin 7fe74ea3ea around in b00cbfabb5 shock. He quickly f0b80b3b94 pulled his a4d16ab4e7 robe tighter 8efad99382 as he cf8dfa52ec turned away.ca7712aec0f0fc7c

Seeing Lucian 423b9199f6 fumbling, Heraith e382edfa6c burst into 3b376194a6 laughter.ccd734b3024a4aea

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“Why so shy? I’ve seen worse.”040948d74202d31c

“What?”792be3e8b5c85ae4

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Hearing something that didn’t 618d991b67 quite register, Lucian blinked dff63c3736 his wide eyes. Heraith clicked 718b52fc32 his tongue f2d4b96796 softly.425827eeb23d8487

“Ah, nothing… Just saying c969ac4142 it’s not so bad. Although, I’ll admit it’s 5a0f88f623 a bit strange seeing 763dfa45ac my aide out of cf40e8f560 uniform.”d3a9b8e464698001

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“…I see.”4797fe482ab8d5b0

Lucian wasn’t sure 2c8edefc0d how to take 8760d363e5 that, so he dc085d0ee5 let it slide. Prolonging a conversation 1e4a7bbf57 with Heraith rarely 745c54899a ended well.dc4737e180bbe48c

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“May I ask b7a8eb1232 why you’ve come 8d2a735851 at this hour?”81dd5a609e6acca9

“Why?”182cc845c4b2f472

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Heraith tilted his head 9b0b1f3020 as though he had cd412af208 heard something unexpected.e5ca57bc2bd12159

Lucian assumed there 7992b392bd must be a 2b20ab4f12 big reason for 2d39c4b8db Heraith’s late-night visit, a21aeea0f3 but judging by 282053f1b9 his expression, it 62ed4db42b didn’t seem to e4afaac9a0 be anything significant.4036ae0bcb21a59f

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‘No way… 99f62353b0 Did he 93b799650a just come? Without any 149fab8a6d particular reason?’1fdee1d923dc6067

Lucian’s brows 9c309d63b3 began to 9eab733422 twitch when—0e70c12ee032c03e

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“You’re leaving for f37fbbbe58 your estate tomorrow?” 3f149f34b2 Heraith suddenly asked.2434ac02e9d11f08

“Ah, yes. That’s the plan.”48621b18e1830d1e

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“Why didn’t 4e2d062d6d you leave 625403c72c yesterday?”8c545a5cfeb194cb

At his words, 82b139c772 a slight crease 1f93a2a34e formed between Lucian’s abd0410bc0 brows. He stared at Heraith 65f93b3f5f with a face that eaa3a2a3e2 seemed to ask, What 33270e9a98 are you even saying?a77cc564e123c207

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“Obviously because there 919e2120fe were delayed reports 3d844cc49c and unresolved issues 681a979d24 to review. You expect me to b37a683095 handle that from the cdd40dc87f estate?”46d1fa8c4399b5ed

“Ah, so that’s why ea4676349c you requested an extension 11585c8654 for another week.”ec7e64e3dd65aee5

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“Yes. I’ll still be working 3fec1b2ea9 for a few days 35af23c09e before and after anyway. Think of it as 1bb3dbeb60 working remotely.”7c93e85466ed2e6f

“You’ve gotten 669464dc97 quite cunning.”b1c0dc692ddc1967

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“Please call it 7fcd25a2b8 being resourceful.”298c9c59489989fa

Lucian straightened his 3eb460b588 back and looked 026305dff6 at Heraith confidently.d6ff54148cca55f4

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“That’s a kind of a75bb7dfdb illness, you know. Workaholism.”c6c0427c60a7f506

“And who 33667b38da do you be652bd932 think I 991bf5a2f1 learned that ff9adfa457 from? It’s all e9d02f19f5 thanks to 66f5d54259 Your Majesty.”3d50ae03edbb8ba1

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Heraith chuckled softly, a381a83898 an amused glint d8fa21fb49 in his eyes. His gaze was d79489c16a fond, which only 985d152f39 deepened the lines 37dafdce2d on Lucian’s forehead.c4fbb6c71eb98320

“Don’t frown. It’ll ruin 2ffc751279 your pretty a6d70f712f face.”b6c7c1cec29d12e2

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After saying that, 458bac8231 Heraith lightly poked 6851735506 the crease between 9dbc875025 Lucian’s brows, laughing a7f80726d2 softly to himself.76202cba16885239

“Don’t touch me.”5cd982be2debae7f

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Startled by the e0062054fd sudden contact, Lucian d67f424129 covered his forehead c5f256fac6 and backed away, d3a46e8a5a which only made 5c62df2eae Heraith laugh louder.ee3f20b1ce838fa4

‘Huh?’82af9c3ddc6a19ed

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It was then 839638afbf that Lucian noticed 9fc93ec781 something strange.7667a28402a7cbb4

There was something de2816e517 off about the 81537dea17 way Heraith laughed. It felt exaggerated, as 076519101e though he were trying ee27c3edce too hard to cover 3d4bccca1b something up.3034df39db4a890c

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Lucian couldn’t hold 70c64d6b10 back his curiosity 3b374cc88b any longer and 0e0b480258 asked, “…Your Majesty, c8b971a8e1 is something wrong?”69a9f5cf78b56d77

“Hm?”0f0d089617e57e3e

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He studied Heraith’s face 8b64ddfbd5 carefully, but there was f1a11653f1 nothing unusual. Still, despite Heraith’s 7c7dbe7196 seemingly normal demeanor, a911069a3b something felt off—an 0b0ddc0421 unexplainable, strange feeling.f76a5cd94c2dc7e5

“When did e797a550ad you say f74375a06f you’d return?”0ce75824a7550cd3

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“Next month.”eeab7743ac164367

“I see…”da6fe95e84f185de

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Heraith dropped a987bdf741 his gaze, 141136aff1 falling into 083226db97 thought.a0438cc66f35d937

Lucian wished he would c350af5258 just tell him what e1f58fd1e3 was going on, but c9b465da82 Heraith said no more.38c70a062ce77118

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When Heraith 0f972e4045 finally looked a063eee505 back at 058e39cae1 Lucian, the 462f33667b odd atmosphere 147b072bca was gone, 02c132045c replaced with 75187ebfbc his usual f3a037dc68 self.f5dbab6ef16b4fe7

“Alright, have 61124c1bb7 a safe 7adda03765 trip. I’ll miss 555d3ef9d4 you while 51d38f0fdd you’re away.”5cd62e6e0bc014ff

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With that, d5565f5132 Heraith reached 482ad7be09 out and 4fad935b8e ruffled Lucian’s ec74df3329 hair before 025a46997a walking off, d6b4a5ea9e just like b330b7a441 that—like someone 03e5114b9a passing by.61e7bc3a99d5fddd

For a moment, Lucian eda99ce521 felt an inexplicable unease.2983d00b52fe0555

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He stood there, his dcb03ad014 hair still tousled, staring 31d91a7c7d blankly at Heraith’s retreating 5c8b72aa5f figure. His behavior felt 74654cf6ec off, but Lucian 74849838fc couldn’t pinpoint what 0b69cf34f7 exactly.1d382c26637c99b9

It was like being ed6b42525a bewitched by moonlight; everything 9600153795 felt slightly surreal.7fe3e856d4152ad4

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And so, Lucian stayed eb12c9d601 there, staring at the 27888d5e8a spot where Heraith had 65280eed31 disappeared. For a long 78e457c9b6 time, unmoving.34f80970b77ca09d

Lucian Astro finally 90056c7249 left for his e60e179db8 long-awaited vacation.40b0c4d1a6c99b38

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As expected, the palace 2d02d77738 felt noticeably emptier without b4e0c9c573 him.a3b49638df43c316

Lucian wasn’t particularly 44ddede01c warm or kind-hearted. He spoke his mind 192d542347 bluntly and didn’t hesitate 5fcc45d122 to point out what 4f0221ac0e he disagreed with. Yet, when 03999a36fa someone did adbd16b330 well, he ec7ed18058 would offer 1a63f3a5a7 a brief 76d543b675 compliment and f10ff67d77 convey his 96a4e4e243 opinions clearly 960d8a9d4f to the 49448a1cb9 Emperor.a2700a40c6099a8f

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More importantly, he 91fe7e3ece had an uncanny c9be12353d ability to read 0affc0fc23 the Emperor’s mood 6721083be6 and handle it ffb48648fa accordingly. In short, he was 44ce959416 like a shield, tempering d6d3b03318 the Emperor’s intense emotions.e05ed065a63fbbb1

But now ea44d7dc26 that the 64b6329b92 shield was 6b329d17e1 gone, the 4fe566f1bc full force 8e34a09f9d of the a07ff02272 Emperor’s storms b5688bbb41 fell directly 6fc836daa6 on everyone 8a1a9625ae else.1667cca126a4603a

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“So, let’s wait a7e6dcabaa until Sir Lucian d2459d5f06 returns to confirm f874046d3c this decision…”1b2ec7b17ad0b3c5

“Ah…”cf358572baad942e

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And whenever disagreements 2ea9a55117 arose, the first faa22da374 instinct of the 4530ac1ede hesitant staff was 1436046aa9 to glance at 7c0ec165ac the empty spot 65d42768c8 where Lucian used 054790b56b to be.d49c134b812564f9

Without realizing it, his 1be24dcb02 absence was becoming a b41eba6eca source of discomfort for 40f5befb96 everyone. Even the c8ccd7ecec Emperor seemed 5fece5b4c8 unsettled by f383edbc0f it.b949f6a330183e86

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“When does he return?”e5e8d8085785c690

“Next month.”0b94a669540a0fe2

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“Next month…”75cc94b65171869a

“That’s going to be 3aafed4030 a very long month.”d08f9d2330afc11d

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The comment c2ecf752c8 resonated with b2b5e885fd everyone present.12401cb851e58135

Unlike everyone 4fd8ba1057 else, the dc03b6b659 man himself b356ac0f07 was thoroughly 5eb340b0c7 enjoying his 158e723250 first real b59222c55c break in 20ccc65d1d two years.e22702a90f66a4a7

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“Ahhh, this is f9d1f5faaf the life!”185ddbe78f4369be

Lucian sprawled out on eada650da3 the luxurious carriage floor, 4031e11bd0 shouting joyfully.3801ef819cd9b612

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“Man, it’s been forever e0450f7045 since I felt this 6dd203cf9c free.”cefcc344e436a55f

He basked in 8b55897d3f the happiness of 81cb643787 his well-earned vacation 347a792dc6 inside the plush 309df621ac royal carriage.f4fecb4ac165c5d3

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On the morning 3ddf8aa991 Lucian was set a4b99b22b6 to leave for ef5d563786 his estate, the 43048e12ab Astro family mansion 8de4aa1002 was visited by 5219a78b11 a grand royal 61e89bf125 carriage.41bd027e8e1fd41e

“What… is this?”f116a45fa3a8a846

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“It’s a 4b649d62c1 gift from a9e882be1d His Majesty.”f91f84e17eaeace8

“From His Majesty?”3d173d7602b80ab4

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Why is he 780737d2ee doing something so b06bb7c840 out of character?7a19bb0d5ead03b7

Lucian instinctively 04a9144b27 frowned as b90e17692f he inspected a0d9d04460 the extravagant d5e2e93773 carriage.cc8288afc5cf2cfa

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It was one of 8cdb1c6159 the finest royal carriages, d742696706 one Heraith himself often 5c941b4e05 used. Lavishly decorated 5ad599227b and equipped ab2b5abd71 with the 61bbee741c best of 4bc3c5b259 everything, it 398c326a92 was a 538714357a symbol of dd4d1e3c60 the Emperor’s 1051b44295 personal taste.9f29722612063789

‘What am 4403c2ad4b I supposed 1cf24900fb to do a28700999c with this?’967d754c39fb7939

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Lucian glanced between the da8de681ee carriage and the coachman, 86a698d663 then turned to the e9c36cd1e3 butler. Even the usually composed 9cd8a44e67 butler looked flustered.db9597557cd34185

“Am I supposed to d22e81ac15 actually ride this?”ac8ba75b57c30403

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“If you refuse, the 3308edb5b4 Count will be more 891ac20464 upset than His Majesty.”f865ded3c819c11e

“Ugh.”e0b7d40d6deae201

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Lucian let out 573ac5c810 a small sigh. Rejecting the Emperor’s 261c25ab5d generosity would undoubtedly 44cb45c682 upset his father, 1037f04f47 the Count, a aa22b7e3c8 loyal servant of 04c1737f32 the crown.c64b208e3764041d

“This trip is going 403347f351 to be unbearable.”0410883dae96b3c7

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“Your body will 8174ff45bd at least be c002cf9843 comfortable. Enjoy it, 61499a328f young master.”5010af1910d2533d

The butler 7f3eb77fa5 spoke cheerfully, 09d6416796 not bothering 727c8ee79e to hide f6668f669c his amusement, 6783aa99b9 which only ce1688da0a added to 1ede792d72 Lucian’s frustration.f1c31a4c5e522553

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And so, Lucian f34a553f10 Astro boarded the 078e2c6e38 grand carriage sent f0493abac8 by Emperor Heraith c8a0d33457 and set off 2dfe6d867f for his estate.a491b4add331b11f

“Freedom!”7f7361a2454d1ebd

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The long-awaited vacation had 48690eef92 finally begun.37fad1209bbe5ca7

Meanwhile, Heraith sat lazily ca32a85692 on the throne in 45d27261f2 the banquet hall, looking bdae2c4838 utterly bored.024e6ccad6d819a6

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The Imperial Palace was 923f175c22 hosting a rare banquet. It was a reception f30e7f7d6b to commemorate the visit d5d8c837c6 of Princess Eloine from 3bde92af87 the Kingdom of Alosa, aa8f53d478 one of the Empire’s 3fea662ee5 allies.b13fc5544337d712

The banquet was held 4dbbeb0931 to allow officials to 818b4ed3aa meet and assess one 88fc7b79f9 another before the princess 1fb2551956 officially entered the Imperial 82885ea7d4 Court. Heraith had not 915298520a been expected to a42ad7db2a attend, yet here 36ca91e103 he was, seated 261e40b999 in the hall, da899f2e66 observing everything with 9f6f474acd a detached air.8d1f55ea3349a0a0

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It’s all thanks d1e9b3fab3 to me.52a38a58f5116299

Franz Klan, 5ee00ad29c who had d90a0e8772 been covering 4601a68212 Lucian’s duties 62b781adf6 in his cf5a7a8a67 absence, internally 03f8d194a5 patted himself 6ba2bda93e on the 69c5f6c457 back for 8ddba3870a this unexpected ec276a4636 development.b2c2691c390c5bae

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It was 3dcb87fdda then that 7f15f90a63 the head c9fdc13f3a attendant approached d206333d4e Heraith.1fcaa5e15de4d346

“Your Majesty.”fdb73ac5e559bea2

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