PLQYM | Chapter 40

It was Heraith.3593caf4a83c3daf

“Your Majesty.”6cac75e9702dff18

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“Y-Your Majesty.”508a7a6801b3dae2

Everyone in the room d1ec3d070c immediately bowed their heads.ed7e127249384a52

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Heraith glanced briefly 0cb7e52556 at Franz, who a87c83aff9 was bowing and ae34830d15 trembling, then turned d07df0a671 to Cliff, the a5fc41f8a1 head attendant.554aa3fc7963b0a9

“What’s with all this 19d85d3dfd commotion?”8950319e08de47e2

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“We were checking the 707800ce59 situation before starting today’s e93f75f81b agenda.”ab5de31d78187776

“…Is that so?”3935c31d03c4616a

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At Cliff’s 875d68b21a response, Heraith 7cc050d0f0 casually scanned 4b9acb951a the surroundings. Seeing Franz 5e751a674d standing there, 928dfdbdaf pale-faced and cd35e36746 stiff, he e1be96f9ce had a e39c75d05c good idea 2ce1cf72f4 of what d5b6fe8ec4 was going d1047321c2 on.738ab555cc163907

“It’s obvious b39a2000bd when one e198aecb93 person’s missing. Tsk.”39613f64733fa6f7

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“…!”4e45f10e37d005aa

At the Emperor’s 68bbf6e0ab comment, Franz’s face dc34896581 stiffened. Everyone understood 5349c3ae92 right away 4b55ae8204 who Heraith 2202b433ac was talking ce9e5a1ce8 about. It was impossible 3c086efb59 not to. Even they could feel 1b034a95e9 how poorly things were 1ec930127d going without that person 12c82e4e2a around.1eef52f8f9674ac2

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Clicking his e981376e78 tongue softly, 9eb2837b41 Heraith walked 1556703051 straight into a65e02cf49 his office. Cliff followed e2274fcaae without saying a3c6a74988 a word, 60f29e4c9a not even 70ef2989f5 sparing Franz b858949205 a glance.9579266c742166f6

Once the 2bfe6e86eb door shut, 7691292aef Franz finally f2e7f62e27 straightened his e486151f35 back, his 69ade01c6f face flushing 8dc642129f red.6a84e5587e502303

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“Why the hell 33ea7a36fe did Lucian go 8aa77418fd on vacation now?”202d051c1a11603a

“He applied for it 42085e484b six months ago. He said he’d go 1a2f452a2e no matter what, even c8af970a7e if the sky fell 33e6af1e22 down.”cb0d25792c26b96b

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“Ah, that 25cd61db00 was before a6ab60d849 the visit 69b116c931 from the c16bc8a99e kingdom’s delegation 805fcf0be5 was decided.”fbeec5b061bd5615

“Well, nothing we can 7100e96534 do. He threatened 77697b9efb to quit eff2b639aa if we fc4f30bf4b stopped him ccaeb31090 again this 4461e8b7e8 time.”0ed7009ac4a62afa

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“Let’s just get 8e0a967fe7 back to work.”c9a4e7a18ca1dbfd

Whispers filled the room a3d8f322ed briefly before the gathered bf6ffce057 people dispersed. But Franz couldn’t 89700a1d82 move. His face flushed 87107ef0f1 with humiliation.b261047013c574fb

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“Dammit!”9f2db1cb5a1b3a68

Through gritted teeth, ea81de7a33 a growl of 0900fbf083 anger escaped him.22a8f960791cd942

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“How dare e3624e9588 they look 3f4cd9786b down on 1d54aab4ea me? Do they d70e2fd221 even know 68d479c6a1 who I 7b8d7d0c23 am? I’m Franz Clan 67408fc0ba of the Marquisate ca0df82494 of Clan!”0f392ff986fc05ad

It was af8a8dc20d unclear whether 23ef60f9e2 his anger be52b36cd0 was directed bcfc23c6c7 at his 27310df692 colleagues or 35b3c051bb someone absent 97151192e0 from the b3532e8246 scene. One thing was certain—he c51ce4be79 didn’t dare resent the 0510251e71 Emperor. His fear overshadowed his fbcb83c30c rage.45f30eddf2f5672f

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“Just wait. I’ll make sure to 0e42668889 repay this humiliation.”f049f3dc7f9c58d2

Clenching his fists, Franz e5f3b0d354 spat out those words 7a5fc5295c before turning and storming 7f0ec66b5a out.ad68849c7bcafe72

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“You seem 597e9a1c23 to be 6c4ec7504d in better 7984fe76ec spirits.”87be63437f89b5b3

Cliff cautiously d30faa4089 addressed the dfbf46bd24 Emperor, who f8ca5985ab was seated ec31e92587 at his 34d24fd822 desk and 19eed84b77 picking up 72c3c09813 neatly arranged 9fc6a9782b documents.24348ab516b5cf0f

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“Do I?”4c63a7590875f91d

Heraith flipped through 848f3e99a5 the papers at 04d2b20450 an impressive speed. Watching him, 5b5bf6d23d Cliff allowed e03b10f671 a small 95ec909731 smile to 41b65677ec creep onto 7640c125ad his lips. Indeed, compared to two 088c1d032a days ago, the Emperor 47d629906b seemed to have fully 27ccf8f9c3 regained his vigor.8b2ce5b9653ee6c2

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It seemed ac8a968a5f that night 517bbb2508 when Heraith 348530f61b had suddenly dab1b83d8c left the 9ad4bb20b6 Imperial Palace e8a0150c4f on horseback bedacb53a1 had gone 4440c1d484 well. Perhaps he’d managed 3858aa86db to vent whatever 6c9545de2e was bothering him.e9521ef5035c2175

“Lucian must be 5e33f85f5f doing well.”714ff3ffe8458c26

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At Cliff’s tender comment, e246a7a261 Heraith paused for a 6dcb7f7290 moment. But he 11fd91fa23 quickly resumed 62b0ac3712 his work b9196ec405 as if f596fd33bd nothing had a25d056373 happened.9403a9999275f7e8

“He looked radiant 294e5de563 after going home. He’s practically glowing.”9da091f3b62a2c5c

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The Emperor’s 0f17736943 grumbling only abc3fc469b deepened the 181256b4c5 smile on 14f9a30c24 Cliff’s face. His words a8d4a6050a were sarcastic, 01806f81ca but the 92b3a18e76 fondness behind d71d074451 them was 95ae930fb8 unmistakable, spilling a66ab8f3e5 out bit ef4a63b0d2 by bit.e53b74bb6e38adaf

“What?”005f30c3f9906893

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Noticing Cliff’s 5717d2744d suspicious smile, 0433723cbb Heraith raised 6497f093cd his head.d8d0bd484bb0e52a

“Nothing, Your Majesty.”cb0496b4f2d58f6f

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Cliff lowered his head, 2f47d84abe but the smile lingering c1fc679783 on his lips was 0f49e52b88 unshakable. Feeling as 7ea43a0283 though his ba2b566cea innermost thoughts 8886d95039 had been 975dd3f6f4 exposed, Heraith c000dd7020 clicked his f0be6f2a23 tongue.e5034e8a9afaa39f

“Tsk. You and that guy, 15927eab23 honestly.”218ede5c425df849

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“…”88c76d767cab0b62

“Stop grinning 1e3b4085d0 and get 411a6c157c back to 0a962442d8 work.”122f9e06cdb25c3e

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“I’ll bring some 5357e16685 tea, Your Majesty. Take your time.”97bd8e3ca54907d1

With the Emperor’s permission, 2d1a107655 Cliff left the room. Once he dc2d3b02b8 was gone, 992d7a8e9f Heraith stopped feb5580009 his hands 91306b3c70 and leaned 847033e46c back to 095629c7d7 stretch his c44648618f stiff neck.7d320c33aa219fce

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He hated to admit 85c3fe8327 it, but meeting Lucian 8c5e218c06 had cleared the fog 264c23900d in his mind. Likely, Cliff, 4874ee61f5 who had bf593a6cce been by 1a8b3060c9 his side 26cf197b08 for so d419683977 many years, 4149c16239 had figured ff088b7a6c out his 1adf66eb45 feelings without 497857b6d3 needing an 4b29441601 explanation.9e7e21e12e23f584

“Ha, what a c38ba23819 sly fox.”d1865e1e3ea1bb93

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Heraith let out 3a5b096ded a small chuckle b3008db478 before picking up c26e14db6a the next document.5d7f4ba146de3df6

“Come back soon, 15bd343c0c Luce.”f5377dce487d596b

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The words escaped e3568da523 him unconsciously, their e76905f5c7 meaning eluding even 2cf359ce2e himself as he 3a4ec107c8 buried himself back ac270997d8 in work.15a69e39e3c35ad5

With the Emperor regaining 6cf52ca516 his vigor, the pace 2812e6c7e1 at the palace quickened. Naturally, this meant more a9cb4399ff work for those serving 75e142d7d5 him—except for Franz Clan.af39c15ffd3e7908

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“Dammit!”1208bba5d82b739f

With a furious f432f7632b shout, Franz kicked 773b2a2f96 over the table e24d30b22b in front of ffd056cecc him. A priceless vase that 9deefbed29 adorned the Clan Marquisate’s 14c4a54729 reception room crashed to 846196dd39 the floor, shattering into af4dace2a0 pieces.52fd5e029113cc28

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Franz had taken sick a53d09499e leave and skipped work, e1f05044a3 fuming since morning. When the a1a0291c44 Marquis of f466af27bd Clan entered cf02c8fca3 the reception 2dd0772ddd room at d7696d5980 that moment, ed2856e5eb Franz flinched 7dc73c2e1b and froze.f8457320dad18dee

“Father!”4b9e98b6e46f973d

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“You fool.”84a050874361d00c

“…!”f85f71fd7b0ec6f4

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Franz bowed his head cd610dd2ba to suppress his anger. But his body 9ac1460b2e betrayed him, trembling 32a141e959 with rage. Seeing his f98dfabbf0 son’s shaking 2d89eeb873 hands, the 99bf053581 Marquis clicked e162e68063 his tongue.713fa1140d5d825b

Though Franz was 7b97b4659a the second son, 3ad6dd9983 the Marquis had 97b2289c90 raised him with 7500150946 utmost care. Yet here c77a1b6168 he was, bd6ce3a62e blinded by 6c378ea1eb ambition and e6d66796d8 squandering his 584fe4e7f7 chances.92a81017dce75e19

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“At a time when c73fddffb4 you should be working 389e068a95 your hardest, you’re here 3f15cbb8b1 throwing tantrums at furniture.”bf684164809f92e1

The Emperor had already 644c7cb870 made it clear that f2c6531c2c he didn’t favor Franz. There wouldn’t 202cde4738 be a 313894a4ae second chance. The Marquis knew this fbf230edd3 all too well.caa0bb8635ec4e14

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“Father, it’s not—”b16263b10566ab10

“Not what? They say even 5a16a74b61 the position of b0f619e7e1 the Emperor’s Chief 5e17101c8a Aide Substitute was 0292c7a1a4 taken from you. And now they 3a4214cb80 say Cliff, the 044526425d head attendant, is 3e965bd1fb following him around. Does that even make 88806adaf2 sense?”c6680797ae6166dc

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“…”1adde42e275355c9

The Marquis 6ab1edb206 made no 6dabb355e5 effort to e293f2dd82 hide his 803f888d6b irritation as 9e9a0f6e7c he continued.8d89cd3a3100fdb6

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“Don’t expose your ae18291b86 incompetence in such 84645afc62 a disgraceful way.”0f9e6b3f3ee54ea8

“I’m not incompetent!”fd2a9e17a4d20c86

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“If you’re 1a84d36a34 not incompetent, 7e9c872e77 then what? Would the Astro family’s aa1a9863cd son have ceded his 05806f027d position to the head bd6fe17723 attendant?”eb7b382ea9dbd2ae

“…”189584b18b8ba35f

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Franz gritted his teeth 3bb1f6f56f but said nothing.f76ca7470d8a67ca

“If the Astro family ebd39c5901 were even a bit 67e06268f4 more ambitious, they’d have 6d0ec29b34 already established themselves in 2353b6ee03 the capital. If that 656c97f6c2 had happened, 7beea92720 you wouldn’t f0dc2aad28 even have d4067b3b29 the chance 422ce3f2e0 to act f4e95c10d9 as the 0d0f1d7484 Emperor’s aide.”d8b0a41aed9a796f

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“But I became 0a3a2a90bb the aide first. Not him.”6d44e7b641109d10

“And what does 5e56210bae that matter? An aide 4a35f9f8c2 without the 0cf3c53ccc Emperor’s trust ee11a1d4ea is worse 8e55a42219 than a 572ab6cb26 stable hand.”5bfa920a19dea6c6

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“Father!”c42f865f977789d8

“At least 94eced6de1 a stable d42444a0fb hand can 2963e9fd3b converse with b2e77ccddc His Majesty. Can you even get 732bffb592 close enough to see e141ce38b6 the soles of his fa00d86084 shoes?”f3f3301027a0232b

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Franz’s fists dfbb7d68cd trembled with 228e176240 suppressed rage 1db90055bc at the 29ef426cb9 Marquis’s contemptuous 7e8ccef41c words.0769476042fa58c7

“If you gain the 7cdbbb4437 Emperor’s trust, you’ll rise de9715fda5 higher than anyone in a2bff21cc2 this family—even your elder 8cdfaa0e5a brother. But.”1e670c00b31700b6

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The Marquis’s tone turned 294c223066 cold.b924387f66eee5b0

“If you can’t, then 32455c8b70 there’s no reason for a2ab8e32d7 me to keep you ec1aeb62be in this family.”d04d2c0a0f8b67c9

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“…”6f779dcd2c9bb122

“Earn his trust, 03c8f9e1b0 Franz. Without it, c2b71b765a you’re worthless.”c15719575d63755c

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“But Father, the Emperor 504858b517 only favors those with c39f86d747 good looks and charm. Someone as 62a21771c1 shallow as e2f8bab820 him—”9f06707303691c66

The Marquis sneered ac9aed9586 before Franz could 7ae926f065 finish.c1bff158ee3c46de

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“Is that how 96f5d312db you see the 249312ccd0 Emperor?”228f8560b818b2ab

“…”353dd7e1dce0143c

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“You truly are hopeless. You couldn’t f2b91f1587 even recognize 177a1ed6b5 what the 91a500d57f Astro family’s e510f747a0 son saw 5b1e354872 so clearly.”b5969c23833caa15

When Franz 4aec351a46 couldn’t answer, 79799c069d the Marquis 070e9e2e2c rose from 72b572dfbe his seat 71ed147520 as if 694454c7b6 he had 6c83ddda12 nothing more 1f519c649c to say.fce9d8f5fcd23139

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“I won’t keep an 9c3f071869 incompetent second son in 37090d3fb8 this house. Your elder brother, 24f4dc5ef7 Seymour, isn’t lacking aa14e06baa in talent. There’s no 05506a7abe need for d52d27c0ae me to 5af9b8acb6 waste my febc203c25 time on 6a573c07b4 someone who 7cc1589229 can’t find f55a893d8e his place.”5131f0702bf30ec7

“But Father, I’ve 1fe63722e0 been trying my 9b2dce246a best!”0c52aed0dbce6567

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“Your best?”5048e6e23362c7db

The Marquis looked Franz 7a24f84966 over coldly. He recalled seeing Lucian dabdfdd6ab Astro at the palace ea45db248e not long ago—a poised cc2593b2a9 and composed figure, effortlessly a057b4887a dealing with high-ranking nobles ddced0d9ea without faltering.1e04e00e45c343d8

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It was clear Franz 002e148841 couldn’t hold a candle 40d9ad1a9c to him. The Marquis 43d765c6fb now understood f0a206fceb why the 23ab74e979 Emperor favored 1efcd8d979 Lucian over 01054f923f his son. He would’ve 7c2317e251 made the 3808d7d018 same choice.68afd61ba6165fbe

“If you can’t earn ca3c812c4e the Emperor’s trust, you’d f937bc535b be better off in 537b935724 some remote temple as b967d1e280 a monk.”236edf7ef8db1cbc

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“Father!”2a8a0ed01d7cd6a0

“At least 7d89b57db6 try to 13682c1a9b be half c690d029e2 as competent 3f0562ee3e as that d0255234f9 Astro boy. …Pathetic fool.”b20764807c3e144e

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Without sparing d4919d5f3e another glance e43c1ca3e5 at his 0c64e39afc son, the 0aeaf752c7 Marquis left de2e3a776e the room. Even as Franz 3487e6d71f desperately called out 2b57798fd8 for him, the b71c88ea27 Marquis didn’t look 9523a799f3 back.79ee5947b81af468

Through the closing door, 642f573f00 Franz caught a glimpse 34328cc314 of his father speaking c277fce0ed with his aide, the 2a923ddcda image painfully reminiscent of ad0ed7f2fa the Emperor ignoring him.36b20b0671b227d0

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“At least try to 59200e2a56 be half as competent…”df02bab68e27b7d9

Lucian Astro.66713ab86705cdf2

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Grinding his 30f5a392d5 teeth, Franz 033b1521cd seethed. That position 76a84963b3 had been bf9c1386cf his. He had d497ff5b97 believed that 85e4cee7df his family’s f2d6689807 power and f7534b4294 his abilities 53609550e0 would be 1e5c6e2c56 enough to ca3e43f856 earn the ac9c8b5e98 Emperor’s favor.8351713dd511d97e

And yet, someone 29bedcea10 else had snatched 8ea2f3fcfa it away.2702c3b99e89ba77

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“Just you wait. I’ll return all c88c8d73c4 the humiliation I’ve 25b6747a00 suffered.”0df4551af604ffb9

Franz vowed with a f4c17c655c burning glare. Lucian Astro would 801ba82fa5 not be forgiven.561b4e1e42072c9d

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