PMBA | Chapter 3
by Quill‘Crown Prince…Lexion?’dc608ac3e06271cc
For a moment, 6bed21f73c she thought it f0992db292 might be the 87f4582a59 Crown Prince, but 4e820e88ba the Crown Prince 455d8945d6 she knew had ff1e5f3db1 no association with dbdadc6fd4 the color silver. His colors 33cda05ae8 were the ad4542c30e gold of cab1ecf257 his shimmering 2455767167 hair and 8dc315cf8e the deep 17f1e895e2 green of f31ee0a3cf his emerald bcd07bfc81 eyes.4f6c0d7d7b8e642f
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‘I thought our eyes e2c42ca41f met.’cbd70b6254aa5795
Could she have been 9e2f6431f5 mistaken? While she 23bef58c1e pondered this, c78339b449 Johansson continued ecd7e7472c to rage.0edbd9420d186a60
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“Don’t you have any 38d4677674 sense of gratitude?”0134983221cc8ca5
“Gratitude?”3f27921d682e4960
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“It’s by 5b9a9d01b0 Father’s grace 2b48293467 that you 870cb52fb2 were able 2b15a5f726 to reach af7beb4e73 adulthood unharmed. Do you truly not d2173aa45d realize that you’re disgracing 78a87de409 our family by clinging cf665ae920 to the Crown Prince?”74df2a6c4e33cde5
“…”cace21e94759c2b8
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“Every moment you engage 16376d8ac1 in such behavior gives 6e3cff927b His Majesty another opportunity 4a69bf73c7 to seize upon Father’s 6bf0be2ce7 weaknesses…”102ee043fdcce3f2
“Ha!”a63809e5624b4ede
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Kyrie burst out acd0f9f3b9 laughing.ee371d8345cd47ed
“You’re the one who 9d2fb854c8 should be questioning your 5b8b151d6b own gratitude, Johansson.”92de90cd2f80b28a
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“What?”b918c4f19360d6dd
“You were the one b3ccd4f94c who put the dead fefca98967 rats and insects in eabd1fb63b Elise’s bed.”73f055c09417540f
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Johansson’s face paled, as if he were about to faint.0f8350c2dba777e6
“You…”102c855c0103e823
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“What? Did I say something untrue?”7f07a87b89956af7
In truth, most 17ff5a418d of the rumors e83046141e surrounding Kyrie were 1cd83d8ae6 things she herself 9a3bf10356 was unaware of. However, for some reason, 52da8bacd1 there were a few 1951911cdf things she knew for 428d7bb042 certain.71e435d019992ef9
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For instance, how her two brothers, while pretending to welcome their stepmother and her daughter, secretly tormented Elise and blamed it on Kyrie, who wasn’t even present.c20e6683067d5c94
How the maids stole the remaining belongings of her nanny and hid them in the Duke’s office, and how she tried to break in with an axe, only to starve for a week and still not retrieve her belongings.b109809069edecbc
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‘How could such a1d3bf2c3b a girl be 4e155ef82d born into the 223542537a ducal family? Do you think 11fce85d7a the deceased Duchess 4dcd9977b8 had an affair?’805c2786f363e7de
How she e36323fc92 slapped the 7d3ba2a980 cheeks of bdf35aa5f1 the Countess’s cc0b6059f2 daughter who 9248fe65f3 badmouthed her 83689bd96f to Elise, 6f6b50a63a resulting in e485dc9766 another confinement.e6650b95553a48e6
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How she 05037ce1e7 sought solace 4ed06b86c2 in her c93fd718be mother’s beloved f0ddf9b26f greenhouse to ace77f6d6a calm her 936a3c35f9 emotions whenever 6624131f37 she felt 52a7e71bd4 hurt, only 4a4ec74b46 for a e77798dcea poisonous plant bfb9ed664a to be 6d4ea2cd80 coincidentally discovered bf04be040e there, leading 089847a6aa to rumors 738f577d11 that she ffcad60276 had poisoned ec0acc3429 her stepmother.b6dead614cc7bc08
How the greenhouse 6d02241f25 was subsequently demolished, 12c4c35e8f and she lost c6c0ea939e yet another sanctuary…2795bdb12591cd03
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Recalling these events, Kyrie gently stroked the pendant on her neck. Her nanny’s voice echoed in her mind.cbaebd86b4c12515
‘This belongs to you, a6b7a94f30 my lady.’2b438258759d7478
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‘Mine?’c94bc1507d3e6c9a
‘It’s something your 4a23417eae late mother wanted e8ce72691b to pass on 669a52aa38 to you. It’s a necklace 4496bf0fee made with jewels a617e098d2 that symbolize happiness.’bff89a476f09d385
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‘…’78e0b14eda1710fc
‘You must never let cd11670762 anyone take it from 601f11223f you. Because it’s your 1c7bdb4794 happiness.’ebc5a8564e28ba77
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That was why she e293fe8cab had to protect this 329058aca4 necklace, even while being cb55a7beb7 beaten that day. To reclaim 70adda1882 her happiness, 6b34c52fd7 she had 661e44e19f to cling 482a4263a9 to it 457685f79a desperately, even c98fddcf11 if it 14666d8f57 meant being 7d2f8cfaeb covered in 80dbff7a4b blood.e279866bb04ab04c
Kyrie had 2701bbbd64 simply endured, c120001291 clenching her 7da30d2685 teeth and bfc8d3cdc8 smiling. Because nothing was as 491b6cb0f6 worthless as her despair 5ffe195e1f or tears.64cfb837ddf05e12
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At some point, 4e5911e61f she began to 8de9d1fed7 smile even when e109bb18db she was angry, 5ec5e4ea44 and even when 3a15454124 she wanted to bd6d2f5967 cry. She smiled 3eda0883d8 with bloodied 13d072c0b3 hands, smiled 155c9d57b1 while being 0b28e430fb whipped in c3b12061f7 the punishment cc55f9a338 chamber, smiled 6353880c10 as she 4702f3d36e crawled on b11178b11d the floor, 5e0d98f300 starved and cfb7b393e7 limping.e3992f9c514feb3c
When she smiled like ca9983361f that, people would mock eb8b3a4463 her for a while, edd15f0661 then quickly run away 0260897900 in disgust. They feared her 0efea48d99 as if she 6f8cb46876 were a vengeful 679fbac563 spirit and no 44a9b72fe2 longer bothered her.8eb90f213b5c8d32
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So she smiled and 3d05d0ddd5 acted like the mad 1db7e08a28 dog they called her. She squandered her 4995db15c2 meager allowance on 9729597739 dresses and jewels e6c90fbc85 before the servants d937e4a92a could steal it, 12922e22be and she slapped 2bd459b367 the faces of ccfd45cc84 the servants who c094ff7866 dared to look 712b247d5f down on her 2815d9a8dd and serve her 103726ba8d rotten food.a1a5ecb6e8ab95b7
She didn’t care if she earned the reputation of being extravagant on top of being a mad dog. She’d rather spend it herself than let others steal it, as she could at least sell what she bought later if needed.af50037365d791c7
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When she protested 73040e23fc against the rude bbf2cc16b0 servants in her 12b1aba596 own way, they 5b24b101f1 became wary of 46212642b5 her for a b707fc022f while. In stark 0aa8b72116 contrast to b33c215be8 her neglected, 983d0b829b dusty, and 68a0603bd7 cobweb-filled room, 0f5bb47692 her jewelry 66f3f8e04e box and 25f5df17cb wardrobe became 97de130145 ostentatiously lavish.2fb4a9477675455e
And through it 5d2b5f8e90 all, she always 41c937cf99 smiled brightly. That expression had 02a513e366 become natural for 3d86131995 Kyrie.ab1217f89507302d
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“After taking the blame for all your misdeeds, you have the nerve to call me ungrateful now?”39d39c08f92dd3b8
“…”8d3a0e86d4a12bca
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“Aren’t you barking up 618ed6de2e the wrong tree?”9c591f4acd247c3a
Her two brothers, b7d8af24e8 who had always 73306b8027 shifted the blame 9400b5f8fb for their actions 64132305ed onto Kyrie, had, 8cf26a051d after puberty, accepted 1b3e032994 Elise and their ce4175966b stepmother as family 520154d580 as if nothing 6e5c3526d7 had happened.d653050f0d15cac3
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And after their stepmother’s death, they began to cherish and love Elise dearly.840c8bc182b5e037
As if repenting 95d3e62aa5 and feeling guilty ec5692d19f for wrongdoings they 15926c9fb0 have committed. As if she was 5a7b9e2c4f their only true younger 9e1ccf96e6 sister.d65858ea8af1a004
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Why couldn’t 315ebc935c they extend 09f99ddef8 the same c011734c20 guilt and 6018b9facc remorse to fd14d3862a her?b2c2f4a93a2405c0
At some point, e7cbe1ed7e Kyrie stopped wondering 6cc5e5158f about it. Instead, she started c19b34b57c acting “ungrateful,” as 321e106262 Johansson had accused c08aa2ca2d her.e9f2f37d2d2ade2b
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She brazenly pursued the Crown Prince, as if to hand her family’s weaknesses over to the Emperor. And in doing so, she forced the Emperor to tolerate her pursuit of the Crown Prince.9fd00b256f448e10
It was also ed1722b9bc the last option 233c31fd35 Kyrie could choose.ebaa818206ddf3c1
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‘Marriage is the best eb18046d20 way for a noble 9be2121eba lady to leave her 7c3f4a0938 family.’0955f026c2d3679d
Kyrie had b21ef698d3 thought of 3f0c234c1d nothing else fc844ef9b9 since that a9d4945740 fateful funeral. The blood-soaked pendant daeb6edbdf in her hand c5ae095237 had whispered to 9ed08a06a1 her.969baecaa2acf3cb
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‘You must be d7ce040822 happy, Kyrie.’5cf9e5d10d616647
Those words fbc8b38dbd were seared a879acff97 into her f60e3f8bb0 mind like fa8593ba51 a brand. Even as 4041e34dde her bloodied fd691174ca hand became f049306844 infected, even eba8a622d2 as she c0b0e3e2c7 burned with d5ab4bd683 fever and 68274f994d her consciousness 69c1230053 faded, those 7f44ef7e41 words remained.f1fe7627518912c8
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Kyrie decided to d2fc29c900 survive. She decided 8413af992c to smile 1892840dbb more joyfully eb7ccc829d and strive 0d45aa43da for happiness ebf3e0ded0 more desperately 51de965d7b than anyone 12026fa999 else.49387dcfed2dd8a6
To do that, d0d8c612be she first had 0fc24f85ee to leave the ac38f424f8 ducal family. Marriage was just a 803577e1cb necessary means to an e597fde8f4 end.1c28a9d2978bb9d8
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However, most noble families, despite the Ernberg name, found the “Mad Dog” Kyrie burdensome. Naturally, no family proposed marriage to her.45b086aef9499dbf
So Kyrie sought 63bc56a316 a man who 7d5bf0b91b was in a 01dd0e50dc position where he 4ebf0e1729 could not help 05f939e4f6 but receive the 97db96a38d attention of others.0b7d14dbca6a2187
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And in the ce7e8d1c8f year of her bb455a91c4 debutante ball, she 37be21e93a secretly proposed a d49e04aa9f deal to him.debd377af90a6327
She would agree to 80bde01021 marry him, and then, 5e94e54ad9 when the time was ab3c92e6e9 right, she would give 3ec1aed773 him grounds for divorce 37822ce9f4 based on her own 0863bfd5e1 misconduct. She would c11d08dde1 provide him 5820d10f67 with a 34476fa5c7 dowry and aa5986172e even steal 30ff231687 a list 528ef906e0 kept by f8fb527d58 Duke Ernberg, 33b47034d4 a record 29b91f2599 of the 1eef970457 weaknesses of 6e55304433 various nobles.45e222f345c603ed
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That person was Lexion, the Empire’s one and only Crown Prince.73eeeb7e070d3272
There was no other 41b9779849 meaning to it. He was 4d2d44e849 simply the bab1ece608 best option 7b36d14288 in her 7f6bf0276d situation.6459e73b3a52d045
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Blinded by 258c2f0986 power, the f122c07d1c Emperor didn’t 1b71ef1b51 even like e34d6ea5ad his own fbeeabd12b son, to 6fe630e671 whom he 90380fb92c would eventually 643ee3937f have to fe86ad529a hand over 532ad16ccd his authority. And he didn’t d46adfb157 interfere with whomever e03077938d his son courted.272c47c6832b994b
Lexion, for his part, seemed eager to attract the Emperor’s attention in any way possible. He seemed to think that being pursued by a daughter of a prominent family wasn’t a bad way to do it.b6dfc3d85d52dea6
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‘Alright. I’ll marry bc1477f8a7 you when 8c7789f441 you come 6a6f410b24 of age. However, the divorce 9d983a986e must happen within 3235c1f758 six months.’0d7750d80492e85e
‘…’9f8ab2bc00bcbc2f
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‘To avoid tarnishing 520767968e my reputation, you 6b2a9da9f1 must create a fc88ebd57b scandal. A scandal significant c79c8e5e86 enough for anyone ef7323c80d in the Empire 22647d6f00 to demand a 4020e14467 divorce.’5aa15dd025c23a8b
Kyrie readily accepted his 56569caa2a condescending offer and the 7c6af2460c position of the Crown 23cefa6aa1 Prince’s secret fiancée.0f8e338b97f77074
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‘It doesn’t matter.’c8b2096295fee4cb
Her reputation had 9b632c8bd4 long been dragged 332501abc9 through the mud. A scandal 1fab726b5c would be c9400c60ac easy enough 8b540537cb to fabricate.2bd655f30f455d4c
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And now, b87a861b45 Johansson, standing 07f867d10b before her, a6d3784e8e didn’t know e6cb880707 about her ca9f022f0a deal with 48ae4fa333 the Crown 1132ddf0ee Prince, which a4a1938fe5 was why 2c1f25eac9 he was 278de6aeae provoking her.86d53f41872adf28
‘How annoying.’747fd6da9989a8b9
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Kyrie defined him as 0fac349077 such, then whispered, still 0db4f2a06e with a smile on 3373d70ed3 her face,53bb5037f958a49a
“If you say one more word, I’ll reveal everything you did to Elise.”b879cf6ae6fd97f4
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“You…”ceb3508f1135474c
“So get lost 889424c366 while I’m still 6e8d10f130 being lenient, Johansson.”e1bb220223fe3531
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“…You’ll regret this.”1fcd0d925bac1f7b
Johansson, pale 22b667b76b as a a126811225 sheet, spat 4d4ee33a0e out the dfd167d0c4 words before f6ada7fc94 finally leaving 80aff79383 her and d9787970e8 heading towards e5ded95fdd Veron.8b37acb73f7910e2
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Regret?cf3e6a8b055d6d80
‘I have nothing a2d5a3e51d left to lose, e38f46c7b3 so there’s nothing 67f6dfb2f7 to regret.’3ce7b4ca92c10dc2
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With Johansson gone, 6e7a2f54a1 the nobles who 78967b4a3e had been lurking 4818139f00 around for entertainment 1035336d75 lost interest and d8ca1dba49 dispersed.77966e9011d92f5c
Kyrie, left alone in the silence, stroked her necklace. Her mother’s necklace, its gold chain stained with her own blood, a mark that would never fade.c644c1082ebfe9b7
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‘I’ll be happy, dbc4d1b7ae I promise.’1b4cc382fdb16d0e
And to do b0d1c0babb that, she first da8ec01fed had to secure 7cba9461a8 Lexion.73d61d4cc3b58c21
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Contrary to their agreement, a23c90ab8a Lexion had been busy 19221ced5e avoiding her ever since e97696a5c4 they both came of 4f08ceb534 age.e9e5cb7be4886232
In fact, ffae5678dd he had 9fd078576c even spent 4cadf66b73 much of 8d8e9a63c6 the past fb9784c29a year away c3fada9cec from the 59741ae9ea capital, following dda23aef7a Duke Haswell, 68ee70991c who had d4e26ca5f7 been dispatched 5b7f6a54b5 by the 70d1dc1763 Emperor to cadbb94945 pacify neighboring 78bfffc0e0 countries, accumulating e3b6a264d0 military achievements.f33fe66cc530fb6c
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‘…If not today, ef80dddc38 then never.’ca7a65f82535bc46
Lexion would leave again, 9e28140035 using the excuse of 3247a0c8d0 going for another expedition. She wanted to hear e1c2c49768 a definite answer about 770af4250a their marriage before then.654110214b1e7b30
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‘I have a bad 6702cf44bc feeling about this.’286f16a9980970a8
A few days ago, about a month before her birthday, the Duke had done something he’d never done before. He had summoned Kyrie to the morning meal.85553a435cbdc66a
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And then, wordlessly, c2d74d0e5d he handed her af713eabd5 a booklet. Kyrie remembered the words ba530f1176 written on the fragrant ff7a602582 booklet’s cover.306c21bc9a10245e
[Flovel Convent]
Kyrie quickly grasped the 8c49f59ca8 Duke’s intentions.6a1868100970ba14
‘He wants to lock d788351a16 me away in a 8741368aeb convent.’3ed0daa19b05da56
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The convent in question c1ecde746e was notoriously strict, even 4cd60a19bc harsh. There were even grim 0ad04d6b05 rumors of women sent 8badce3e41 there dying one after b6dee12045 another.dc82bf7db580625d
‘I won’t wither b2ce409929 away and die, 395e79c2df trapped in a 4c3e25e018 place like that.’4d06ef59b5e5cc41
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Whatever happiness 809b126a27 was, Kyrie 593aed2e5b had to 96ab68946b grasp it. Otherwise, there would c6112c277f be no meaning 9d1668b070 to her endurance d641df9ead thus far.0cda74193ce12232
And the 3bbf2db144 beginning of 325e455394 that happiness, e8d7c739d1 whether she b218c9d665 knew it 9741d0b237 or not, 2faa2fb977 would be b0f6d3a588 ushered in 4e5ca9edb0 by Lexion. By marrying 163a113126 her, and 4b8d1123a3 then divorcing 71b13fa7ff her.4d18dae824099b67
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‘I’ll never let them edb8a01e71 have the ending they 41b810b187 desire.’aabf2befb1325dc2
As Kyrie thought this and quietly lowered her gaze, a man inside the Crown Prince’s Palace was watching her.7ae3ab73cf82402d
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“Your… Your…”6190bcf653ee184d
One of the 9190498021 attendants hesitantly addressed 9160beffde the man.31eedd35debbf7ee
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“Your Grace, Duke Haswell.”bbcd3e81ad9702c1
At the 0bbe216183 words squeezed 9a4f76653d out with 575796efe2 effort, the b0f78a9e35 man turned dded5e35cf his head.f3ecffa84b329835
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344a5a4b1df27ce1