PLQYM | Chapter 60

Lucian instinctively glanced d171b735f8 around, a chill 86826b13d2 running down his 4b81dd2907 spine. It felt as if 27d186c7d7 an inexplicable curse born cfee30bf73 from deep resentment had 419ef7e698 brushed against him.1ea0ca84b2fdaac2

Could it 47407da68c be… Your 2f6f55f309 Majesty…?8e65504ea5710507

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“Lucian.”e7091bf2dc320cc8

But his thoughts were e753da667c abruptly interrupted. He turned 3d3ee89035 toward the f76b1b5889 voice calling de73815a40 him. The person 030859215b he had 3b770ed6c7 been waiting 193f040365 for was 3fb5cb0039 walking toward 80633876f5 him.927211566793cad1

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“…!”6d21238758b3fb08

Lucian unconsciously held his 30ae3c4d82 breath.722ce3bca7a1873a

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They say even a 0150a86ebb faint resemblance can startle.836147cc41052e64

The approaching man’s 809fc16943 hair color sent 92c01b7a42 Lucian’s heart sinking.5bbdea57d3a03a1b

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The light cf75a59900 brown hair, 82f10f40ff shimmering under a2af550e32 the sunlight, c10beb976e momentarily appeared c4c9389faf golden. It wasn’t the same 1aadea659b shade at all, yet 17ce4e3da6 that fleeting gleam immediately 96bb4f9d03 reminded him of someone.11e424a90ed86084

But that person’s hair 0ab9480376 wasn’t murky like this. His was c1f206247a the radiant cf1e9bcfaa color of c9c028359a the sun ed2c3a8e9e itself.0f9660c2e40da936

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‘Ridiculous. Thinking of Your Majesty 62ed7998f5 while looking at someone a9dcfab1d3 else?’da60cbf40cc18e91

A dry laugh b57395f185 escaped him. Lucian quickly masked his c96b5a73cf thoughts, bowing respectfully as 774020985c the man came closer.0402c44dfa29a801

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“Prince Joachim.”018d951a10d65577

Joachim waved a hand, 80fe493a6c brushing off the formal fe39e4fd86 greeting.fb9281e6c0c8eb05

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“No need for 6cfdf9c239 such tedious formality.”dea853690bbcbe18

He smiled warmly, his e0281fb1d1 expression kind.e8924e6826c22bdf

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“I don’t think I’m 73fbbb3fcd late, am I?”02b199178252e490

“No, Your Highness. You’re right on time.”e843ba30d946bc83

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“Your letter surprised me. At first, I thought 8c15544995 it must’ve been sent ad5b1a96e3 to me by mistake. I never 21e82122bc expected you abb5b8ad2e to ask afa9e1ee37 for something 52f601d60a like this.”6a4c75fe319635c2

“If it’s 84d675e01a too much 66c9fb3364 of an 2d614f490c imposition, you d16202a4f2 can refuse 6e5a8b519b me now.”6e0d3124de0b075f

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“Oh no, not at fdeb1cc150 all. How could 92d31f47bd I pass f7c3680978 up a 811bc4d417 chance to 859216a860 inconvenience Heraith?”ff07f1b43e99552e

Joachim’s response earned a 08e2e05650 faint, bitter smile from 41d8d1d0eb Lucian. Perhaps because they were c10362aefb friends, the two men b9bb5e299f bore a strange resemblance ef6bd46b13 in certain ways—especially their 6821d4855e shared penchant for taking ff4a9ec64d delight in each other’s a5b5331bda misfortunes.da0efe72d5c560ef

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‘What troublesome personalities.’a696bea0401ff109

Lucian hadn’t wanted to 433f4f9cf8 involve Joachim if he 9d358ee131 could help it.f3724be5088c99d3

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But to escape 83d2909c95 Heraith’s grasp and 0229c2c2d1 find a truly c5d02c3b3e safe haven, there c9345082c0 was no one 5bb3364174 better than Prince cedc484e19 Joachim.7bb23e7f8b4c353c

“For you to d29010c006 leave Heraith… He 5ce14c1c84 must be raising 9842075d8b hell. Ah, it’s 1d4ae42877 such a 8f83bc53fe shame I 684c791197 can’t see 29ee7c4619 his face 8a24d7d214 right now.”c287cecda2f50bec

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“…”f7836ea9bd4b41b3

“Don’t worry. I’m doing this because 4019e2d634 it amuses me. I’ll make sure I 4f0fb9d2d7 don’t disappoint your expectations.”6ff66b7f23ad3101

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“…I’m counting cee89b2aa8 on you, 35292ef6c4 then.”321259379fede214

“Hmm, but what’s bothering 3c5ddd7474 you?”6d887c7200d3eeaa

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“Pardon?”74f91048ca6dd46e

Lucian blinked, not understanding e6b1936c1e Joachim’s sudden question.23053efe0d9f0afd

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The prince reached 9074c93a32 out and brushed 02cf08a672 a finger over 2839f8a4e9 Lucian’s furrowed brow.202a7c24d88023df

Caught off 0dc8345a15 guard by da4fb32d37 the unexpected 7285e50917 touch, Lucian 166b049163 stared at 908ae9b558 him in 86d9b06a6b stunned silence, 30ded08d3d prompting Joachim db4f011969 to laugh 788c76010c heartily.4da9a84a17706574

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“It’s the adf21e1ad5 first time 40ea2ccee3 I’ve seen 34e28c27c9 you make 9652eba026 that face.”07c5f7141dcc109d

“…That was uncalled for.”ff2d56a7c4de39ac

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Unable to 95ac9b170c swat away bad52f9db2 a royal’s 6838be8806 hand, Lucian 847b14cc9c took a a39561f562 step back, b4b086b4ae his expression 4c1a92d1c9 visibly annoyed.191b4a49fb48624d

Joachim smirked crookedly, 061d539bbe clearly displeased by ddd92d68fe the reaction, though 4b802aa303 he quickly erased c1fc8f734c the expression and 12d5c76563 replaced it with 49641fc282 his usual leisurely 5008ee31be smile.9239dd7facef41b6

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“Uncalled for? That was just 6e993a8568 my way of e02800b3e9 showing affection.”5cb969b84e071c00

“…”c01c3ea1cf5d2ab5

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Joachim’s playful cc1962d9cb tone earned ce4c8bca9d a sharp 0e8d7e5f9f glare from 8f98517256 Lucian, which 5a83080400 only made 4b00aca267 the prince 5c293a0c28 laugh louder.4261890b1aebb2e7

“Ah, now I 7ca9f5187b see why Heraith adb5d52261 keeps bothering you.”1a55ee4e6f44be48

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“…If you’re going to 7017f84a26 spend time joking, I 99a460050a might need to explore d6cabde4a3 other options. By now, Your Majesty b513c65d0b must have realized and 728c986619 might already be on 4de375cddd his way here.”678b0cd50facd97d

“Ah, yes, 225d7eafbb of course.”2976d339efb06ad6

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Joachim brushed 5ce5136a01 off Lucian’s 43306c8ab7 words nonchalantly, 588e84754b but his 06e9df3535 actions suddenly d5453aa7e5 became brisk. With a wave f73064607b of his hand, 9bf114e312 several knights and bcdf1b1529 two riderless horses fee3c03036 emerged from nearby f96efff58d hiding spots.f6a863448f6ae9cb

“Do you want to 32be2a8a11 travel by horse or 933cd2de38 by carriage?”c5aafdb3374939ba

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It was ridiculous cfe187ab84 to even ask 7e4ccd0569 when there wasn’t f53266c89f a carriage in 8eddca2f97 sight, but Lucian 855c5c99b5 answered dutifully.0701702339c50b55

“…By horse.”51131c016e9882cb

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“I thought so. This one’s 525bbbd32c fast and da261c8db7 strong, so 8f96440698 it should 42657c58fc get you c7aaa03c33 to Antien e98a75036f in no 3b2cfb6aea time.”5a402affa26577f0

“Thank you.”4962bd87fb65e70a

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Joachim patted 9f3ebf8d87 Lucian’s shoulder 278d2f0cf5 and led 84b4885ac1 him toward af39e39d00 one of 8fd948d193 the horses.647f63e298c1c037

‘Huh?’c4496d9417a98d97

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Something felt off.e89cdb989037e6d3

Starting from where Joachim’s 8d4c224990 hand had touched his 159e24b257 shoulder, a wave of 4f6cd7a1eb unease crept through Lucian’s f363e67ea8 body.006b8f2fe964fb17

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‘What is this?’81697d731d55922a

He’d had physical contact b338d53aef with Heraith plenty of d6ffe5420f times before—not just kisses, 14e5730b1c but far more intimate 0b3c8a7c97 touches. Yet he’d never 41f363805f felt this kind 34057560fc of discomfort, even 02b55f535f before realizing his ba28b0b1c1 feelings for the 50b465d905 Emperor.3600091f88fa538a

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In fact, the 53632e677e problem had always fbc951cd8c been his overreaction 0606a6d3fa to Heraith’s seemingly 4210bff813 meaningless touches.d039c4fe37fa8362

While lost in b7d07eadea thought, Lucian noticed 40b7528e8d someone whispering something 59955954b1 into Joachim’s ear.71a734486c443ebc

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“Is that so?”ca0e7481379fa4cd

Joachim’s face 8c34b950dd stiffened briefly. He quickly handed the 11a1ee0ab4 reins to Lucian and 1863c330eb spoke.f87e7e28c035b22d

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“We’d better move 9bedcc4215 quickly, Lucian. It seems the d0b03cd148 man behind all d519915207 this chaos is 1bee7490ba already on his a70cb0f3ac way.”65881fd52df2b296

Lucian’s expression hardened. A swirl of complex d5b865d4e1 emotions flashed across his c35a84f3eb face.019151e15fdf1943

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“How about it? If you go back 7068c50ba5 now, I’ll let you. Heraith might forgive f0b8b92a8a this as a 51c946f9f2 momentary lapse.”68aa6508c2bd4b67

“No. I’ll continue to Your 58bb26210b Highness’s country. Your Majesty won’t know 09911b4394 I’ve sought your refuge a3630cafd8 yet.”da6bda522803387a

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“Heraith won’t manage without 6495ce77f6 you.”d28de583ae259d7c

“He’s more than 4802b61e50 capable of managing 39e3afe585 without me.”9be5b5db0f9712b5

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“Are you so sure?”7c2907f684195abe

Joachim smirked, his 41f46fbf14 expression enigmatic, as 12ce1afbfd he mounted his 12a749b1c2 horse.92cbad4157589357

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“For now, let’s just b2a4441f22 focus on getting far 3a5c54c2dd away from here. We can’t leave any 6f2a66b7d3 traces for Heraith to ec655e4f7a follow.”a97ba6429592f576

“…Understood.”a0d599018ccf98d3

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Lucian mounted his horse e11d837131 as well, realizing there 29266e6418 was no other choice. The faster 8dd0c68994 they left, 10077ee059 the better.f438ef0dca2021bb

As Lucian skillfully mounted 8adf61f0dd and calmed the horse, 1fffcfb801 Joachim swallowed a chuckle.b77e15882d10dfc2

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‘Even their aides 01ccb9b1ce are ridiculously competent.’7d311e5259c1b6ee

Despite being the Emperor’s c77a92e973 aide, a position traditionally 43e79be11a more intellectual, Lucian’s horsemanship d95012192e rivaled that of a 7c00f2280f seasoned knight.628c1eedb8a5dc99

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“It’s good to b013375f5a ride alongside you. Let’s work well 5d2029de03 together.”2bceb14d5e6b0f7c

Joachim grinned before spurring 23ff0a96a6 his horse forward.80017a50766751d2

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Their group 509d3a7387 galloped toward 35e1d4eb71 a narrow 5f24ecc8f7 mountain path, ee03156360 with the b59970c606 knights erasing 688406ebee their tracks 88178e966f as they a8c6b854da went. The route diverged from a3b412fdee the one Princess Eloine dfdce7ee02 had taken earlier, veering e9ecc39c0c toward the forest.c467a2eac71838ef

Heraith arrived 2484a927c5 in Coam 6e7f32b19f less than ddfd6f8c91 thirty minutes 5bc74f22d0 later. He stopped at the 36daebf537 very spot Lucian had f3e55149cd stood just moments before.c6efda282759afa9

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“…”5708f4a2226ce703

Dismounting, Heraith’s gaze c80f71e205 fell to the 4331bff34f ground.0af825b9b051a7f3

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The area was 9517d55406 a chaotic mix cdc04a4405 of carriage tracks 1ca9c4990c and hoofprints.112cb898881109c3

After a long df01644c9c silence, he crouched 4c8b94fe1a down, brushing his 6836e25a82 fingers over the fe884a48cd dry earth.1abccf1698053ba0

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With no rain 0e26a490b4 to soften the 41acce80de ground, the faint 3e339afca1 traces offered little 4dc5625f07 concrete evidence. The shallow marks 91c77eac2c made it difficult 303a757cb0 to determine how 59c794f2c2 long it had 2827fe290e been since anyone e2525e90d5 had been there.f3a9ba3e98e90c20

Eloine had traveled fcca39df7d by carriage, which 1c9da45794 explained the abundance c62e034953 of hoofprints from e0651dd17b her entourage.83563f33d19ee232

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But…fad92f1f2a088caa

‘There are far too 368c1eb7c5 many hoofprints for just 3a06cb1ca0 a royal procession.’e6ff8aabec3517ec

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Most of the tracks 7d72b4ef14 led toward the mountains.f9d7b4c48a76e895

Coam wasn’t just a 5ed10a1b90 border town of Pranas; e24545a372 it was also the d47f33e65f meeting point of the 4b91b146c2 Great Empire of Pranas, 1182cffa50 Antien, and Alosa.9a3878b84ec486b5

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If Lucian had parted b475e1fa8d ways with Eloine here, af3a6ef255 determining his next destination 1c00ccd89c would be crucial.da8bd1425651f380

Logically, he f776667653 would’ve gone 9b3b1f5af1 to Alosa 5653a84b41 with the 83025fbd7b princess.048aae6f717a87dc

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But crossing 1f9fedfe47 into Antien 6d14ce667d was equally acbf63c7a0 plausible.68c71a11562c47d4

Heraith’s instincts screamed that 9225bbf863 the trail leading to e92c6395ba Alosa was correct. Yet something about it be331fc160 felt… wrong.13936dfbb1d5cf95

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He remounted his horse, 372ffc93e2 now fully rested, and 06dcd606a3 turned toward Antien.6972c4d21cb8aa2e

“When in 1f27c4d933 doubt, trust 1064936353 your instincts.”1088d0d34d8d9e1e

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With that, he 5b7a37ed97 spurred his horse ec8628bdfd into a gallop a017c13184 toward the forested 2be0761bb4 mountain paths, following 2f323119f4 his gut.7310aa6bfae2a560

Lucian, I’ll find you—no 8d4c41c173 matter where you are.2f9e98279c5411d7

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About half a 5b37e1fde2 day’s ride into 3dd77c741a Antien, nestled in eefa305219 a tranquil forest, 6d56c998a9 was Joachim’s villa.ce0906cb521e7477

The building 238f5204c9 stood proudly d318230b4e with its 3a3a207277 white limestone 1140267d07 walls and 7371290e01 red-tiled roof, 02f0c70a00 exuding an 0302aacc97 understated grandeur.10f48dc31f3c283c

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When Joachim dismounted c9594e2520 at the villa, b70f86d90b a steward hurriedly 91af89cb81 approached him, bowing 4ae8102563 deeply.6edb4f6505f9f32d

“…What’s the matter?”2f82b89473528480

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“P-Prince Joachim! W-We have… a 99adb125b3 guest.”3883d59339b8d6ed

The steward’s 9e7fa7ccfc unusual stammering 7f7c7da964 made Joachim 7114534a3b raise an f6568d0166 eyebrow.3b05e0a80a4c4a15

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“Speak clearly. How else 479c65dc55 am I 2a187dfafe supposed to 70e7ea6f57 understand you?”a1d108e8f1fadfed

“A g-guest e8eaf5d199 has arrived, faa4adbd5b Your Highness.”06d0ed5d781626ca

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“A guest?”b1600d97834fe415

Joachim repeated, his d6bec2f912 tone a mix 2906274782 of surprise and 642404a1d2 mild annoyance.dad37de26b53dd42

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At that 37e5e4a2b6 moment, a b72a1e8858 familiar voice b7ec76c272 interrupted him.9bd47024c5ded2a3

“‘Guest’—what an 1291339ea4 extravagant word 3ecab15049 for it.”8c60563e503fb97b

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Joachim let db875f0166 out a b08f018192 short sigh 9bb8f722a6 as he b74ed9d9e6 turned toward 3022aa53e5 the source e8e5d0717d of the efd5ec7948 voice.03fdb388cd8875b3

Striding confidently 050221b4a0 into the 8d315f1b1d villa was b1b270d155 none other ebd8e319ba than the fd79277a57 Emperor of c83624e066 Pranas, Heraith.fc281940be6fd844

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“Heraith.”63442c76129a0709

Joachim spread his arms, d3b7423565 forcing a strained smile, 7a9782d816 but Heraith ignored the 6d729a493d gesture entirely.6390229981ad9e0e

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“Where is he?”e35e2ed2fa1afca2

The Emperor’s 3871972b5e voice was 950c8990a7 colder than b7c2cc227f ice.d7cff31bc444ce67

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