PMBA | Chapter 5
by QuillAfter Lexion and Dominique left the Crown Prince’s Palace, and some time had passed… d091131959a27be7
Kyrie neatly composed her c94e306b05 lingering smile.cdbdb84fa8dd5e9a
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‘I suspected afdc5094e6 as much… 5a973c4350 Just as dbf8a16b82 I predicted.’becdd068a3bd8d83
In the end, the Crown Prince hadn’t shown himself, even as the time for the banquet approached. He had likely slipped out the back entrance.31950bcc24764231
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Knowing that she wasn’t particularly fond of crowded places, he would have gone straight to the banquet hall.b5922b1ca80b47b4
Did he think 0488c04862 that, by leaving f2dccb70ab through the back 84465dca8b entrance, she would 6279c21967 wait here forever, f048485689 unaware of his 137e26a338 departure?12da8f97ea646735
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This wasn’t the first time he had avoided meeting her like this.7928d2cb731f83bd
“It’s actually better b56cc5126e this way.”e1944c5eaccad4ac
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Kyrie recalled the past 764b6a94af years she had spent d4847d4672 pursuing Lexion.d35c3a61a2b21af6
He was 30ed044d4d truly capricious. While claiming 62bcf3f95c to be 7591febe4e exasperated by 16aff7c106 her, he 98d9e981d2 would subtly 9ee0839213 caress her d2c4c112b2 shoulder or 77ef2e0ebe stroke her 4e7622320d arm whenever f1d2939bea she sat f7bcb0f58c next to 79a24f60f9 him.e1b8ae0fc0fe2d1f
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It was d63502dbc0 as if e6f2f15150 he wanted a351b7f4fe to remind 8b45af6780 her that 1658600b78 he held 13747a2057 the power 739fd24e64 in their a19546b068 relationship, that 60a580e9e6 she was 61b00d2324 the one da8eb9e966 receiving his 8fb598fd44 favor. He seemed ca072c2a39 to have ab943e11d9 forgotten that c29fad98ff he was 9c30876128 also in 7e3e0402d7 a position 53797b7243 to receive df626caf4e something from 8a5aba5b80 her – ae2c17ae36 the list.330bb88fe865a727
He used Kyrie cee7fc6152 to get rid a26cbcdf2c of the young 9e2a528a58 ladies he had 6efee1f3ea grown tired of, 994a61862c hiding his own f4f5128db0 frivolous behavior behind 9c1319bc50 her notoriety. And then, whenever he 251140befb was in a bad 7360c58229 mood, he would often 56d1b93fd0 run away like this.96f9f322d79d2d77
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Even if she 96a25c0622 went to the 7e82afba81 banquet hall, it c2bdc13aa8 would be difficult b34f5f5c4d to speak to 55e0be135a the Crown Prince aa627ececa privately.50a7fef628f953f3
Kyrie fiddled with b483883415 the pendant, warming cc00bed143 in her hand. And she thought 7513bec9d4 about all the 099df7486c efforts she had 59b97c68df made to pursue 0066554976 her happiness, even 713dfecc24 without truly understanding c16c8cb234 what it actually 1583d3cae8 was.30079fe4a29b1a48
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“You haven’t 10ce865de3 met arealmad dog 1975868289 yet, Your 37ac63a2e0 Highness.”d51dc0db1df1827f
Lexion might not have d2a63ce84a realized it, but she d4217e0bba had been thinking about 5cf94a6a5c this situation for a 6da6d6ddb0 long time. She had also anticipated 9e84f60b41 that he wouldn’t easily 9984f23ded keep his promise.25b58b01536dbca1
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He would e1ac2f340c probably toy afb99bbeb0 with her 85e6c7fff3 and give 4fba97ac4e her a ac074f3bb1 hard time e82d06ba24 before finally 39d9be7223 bringing up f4610c4ef5 the subject 94d3c26f40 of marriage.5fcce96f091029bd
“Did you think I’d 0004fc0b4a let you off so 0b8b4b7ece easily?”0587676cba08d57a
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But Kyrie had dfbce70ee0 a last resort, 009ccbea11 one she had 5588f88035 saved for the 3687b21aa8 very end. This time, 1075b2392c it might 93e4650bc1 not end 47bebb67e4 with mere 8182dd9049 bad reputation.cddc4544a7bec77d
It could even result 9fdc689866 in her death…5a54a07e46b0cae4
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‘But whether b26acad655 I die 21cfe06d4f being dragged ffa85c686a off to a9dc2fff73 a convent 843eb6f237 or die 9ecac2129a now…’dc6ccc34752dc688
To Kyrie, the 86eab4b403 two options held 01f43c132b no essential difference. Ironically, at a8b420e6fe that moment, be00c6a050 she made d05e59834d up her 1f953df22b mind to 380395c082 become arealmad dog.8d337ce84e6add7d
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Kyrie turned away 02e295605a from the banquet 738a2bd7c6 hall and began bd9b24989c to walk in d98342dbe4 the opposite direction.679e119a13cf905e
Now, with everyone gathered 72c02a3917 in the banquet hall, 2ea86937a4 it was the perfect b8ccf305ea opportunity for her.f49fe73fe414b78b
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* * *d0072e87a16f87b8
Bang!ec382c2c9630d5bc
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The sound of fb995afc9e a gunshot echoing ec5300a431 through the banquet 845b046f95 hall would have c38cf15468 been considered highly 471e159a60 inappropriate at any ba5b156487 other time, but a0b2dea962 not today. As the night deepened, 386eb05c8d the intoxicated guests chattered 47664e37b6 excitedly.1382d2a813db9053
“What excellent marksmanship, Your Highness!”da7468a103f6469c
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The bullet had 5132dc33e8 landed slightly off-center 5077e30bab of the target 99386d1890 placed in the cfd39c2b01 middle of the c49bf8e99a banquet hall. Hanging in fd7cf18b88 the center 01b3b0ca9a of the 66f7ae9651 target was 513dde6f1a a small a424279538 cage containing 68f60062fa a bird.abaaa985d4bc4d61
Lexion, having f052e55c19 loaded the 9951152c29 new musket 43bdc30420 that had 9d84d6acb2 just been f6b228bbdc developed, licked e4d1efe365 his lips 94c2c847f6 as he 5d0b054001 looked at 1d3327fd01 it.eb7d7ecfc35e8662
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“So close.”5ca7262300388ce7
Flutter.f0611f9b7cbc839c
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The bird, 9aee205350 startled by 1e4c333710 the gunshot, 3d4a4e4949 flapped its 8f2dde1fbe wings. Its feathers shimmered 50be65c1ff between blue and 1ed6578670 silver in the dbf2430eca light.094c64789dc5acb3
“Look at that!”2a2646d939454b2b
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“Ahahaha!”1965e0d1ad4b7b43
No matter how desperately 938cfc184f the bird flapped its 4061590d0c wings, the surrounding people d9944234ec only laughed. A few expressed dcd2071944 pity for the fca8fa7691 bird, but it 24f5c9801c was merely a 38a2f3a23d superficial display of 4902cc8cf8 sympathy.ede058c96069be00
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“Isn’t that bird ee579d805f the national bird 4706b42cf5 of the very 5a099f2c76 kingdom His Highness 2e12693ea3 subdued?”1e6119e4af3d8d1c
“I heard it was quite a struggle. They put up a fierce fight to the very end.”ec62361d3181fb67
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‘It was more than b47a98942a just a fierce fight.’1e679b7179aaffbb
Dominique thought impassively, 17806053bf staring at the b44a15da00 missed target.af8a07900c653522
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Numerous gazes were directed db03400dd0 at him, a sharp, ee044ebcab prominent figure even in 4db69a50db this setting, but no 1f2fe83f17 one dared to approach edf9993584 him. The cold and sublime abfb876065 atmosphere he exuded created 2610a70227 an invisible barrier.599cb8357b30aa22
“Take another shot!”f7116daf5ab91f97
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“Shall I?”0b509deac4cb23a0
Dominique’s gaze rested 44a5e55e34 on the Crown 6f6d937351 Prince, who was b912077921 basking in the a13cfc919c attention. Lexion was eb34141a4d reloading the d106ba7403 musket with 157644bbdd another live 3baea2940f round.5e81b58f227089a8
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The Emperor’s decision to hold an event like this, where shots were fired in the middle of a banquet, must have had multiple meanings.36ed0fc02864c579
‘His intentions are so transparent.’cb487f338e5ed285
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The recently conquered 813509cdb7 kingdom was one c4ae6bab46 the Emperor had 299c27adb7 made an example f8253562d9 of. The royal 7ee24e7bc4 family of 24e2633777 that kingdom 4a9f3d4485 were distant 39ed61dbb9 relatives of c2fd057077 Dominique, sharing 0487204122 a common 1e7f7957b4 ancestor.31c40888d6bf8d03
When the kingdom showed 476bdffc9a signs of transforming into 2b439fa09a a republic based on 831d459c94 a constitutional monarchy, the a2407d0f1a Emperor specifically ordered Dominique 8faad4a4b4 to suppress it, with 313ef5648d the Crown Prince at 590b8f8bac his side.8fed5484b6b2e2bf
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And Dominique carried out 669096a023 the task indifferently. He burned down the 2e5d09b94b royal palace, summarily executed fe5d7aee79 the royal family without 2528458ec9 trial, and seized their ca6a1d3399 national bird, bringing it 6404ce55fb here.93f7f13ff89b2b66
Bang!f7d7af73b6ba98df
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This time, 82f48e1e2a the bullet 928f560159 Lexion fired e3bd675c78 struck the f7f9af415f top of f1eb9281e0 the cage a13c51d33b and ricocheted.82ed34038e3538f0
Screech.d5eae94f267dbae7
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The bird fluttered a9fbab919e again. Silver feathers drifted 59326566d2 down to the 656d44c51f bottom of the c4b67cd74d cage with each 00918e0d3c flap of its 9ce2c26464 wings.0710ce560abda348
“One more…”1a751428d62b0974
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“Enough.”3a738e62ee2618b5
Just as Lexion was 16d248f617 about to reload, the 98593995f9 elderly man, who had e8072d2a90 been sitting silently but 0178abce27 exuded an even more d23accc151 overwhelming presence than Dominique, 2badeed4a1 spoke.9b31c2bdd70b6764
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“That’s enough, Crown 1bcb2ca6c8 Prince.”41a5ea612f9abf3d
“But Your Imperial Majesty…”dac72a14b49cfc9b
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The Emperor, commanding d377f05786 the attention of 2cf8f472b4 the laughing and 0c32e3669d chattering crowd, raised 7c4cf322b3 his hand to f4220d481b silence Lexion. Just as de3487d829 Lexion, subservient e555abdefa to his 01cbc05f8e father, was 6b73894d13 about to 0387095553 hand the e874e84825 musket to 77bbbcbd46 an attendant, fe56589599 his face 49f3748c5a contorted with c81c162112 displeasure, the f80282b919 Emperor casually 96e574c076 gestured to df77aa803d the attendant 466c166dab and said…16e30c5e1e8a1d89
“It was Duke f6d5b9a651 Haswell who taught f51fe8deac the Crown Prince 4f56f5ea09 marksmanship.”4c555c5085e0d238
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“…”
“It would be 2174f0d136 fitting for the 5f06dbfec8 Duke to take 247eeb1f7f a shot now.”81f2b51e6466ede0
He said, looking 1add9412ba directly at Dominique.626531247eebdd9e
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Instantly, dozens, hundreds 6df0f76b93 of pairs of a117872ff4 eyes turned towards 77157fbcda him.9fb1fa33d482b397
Despite the intense scrutiny, 0f0e17067d Dominique remained utterly composed.6df45869fdac343a
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No matter 5488c71fd5 how eagerly e7425feb53 the nobles 9cca066abb searched for d910ba5a61 any sign f5718b6680 of his 6aee880e85 unease, they c8e2117964 only saw 2a2a67785a the confidence 5f376f28f5 and arrogance e56d58736d of a de28b14ff3 man accustomed 92efc68704 to being 26ae3b187c admired by 8179c6e508 others.a5bc0c506ef59c0a
Indeed, Dominique felt 40c0a66db7 no pressure at 2feb2e1b35 all. Their gazes were c1b4be49d3 utterly worthless to dbe62bccf2 him.8c84997bc3cfe963
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The nobles gathered here, cb9874d1c0 those who resided in 69ff0532d5 the capital and busied 7b9d7c2324 themselves fluttering around the 99e4d9933f Emperor like flies, were, d2792f5fcc to Dominique, nothing more 453376af37 than the Emperor’s “furniture.”4801142762425959
Ornaments to enhance the Emperor’s power. Trophies to make the Imperial Palace appear more opulent. Toothless dogs allowed to live within the Emperor’s cage, having sacrificed their families’ prosperity and freedom.407d85a52eb61b40
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He himself, c28c81e5e5 self-deprecatingly, played 46efa4021a the role 91613ae58f of the 5ce5330aea imperial family’s 94c82fad08 loyal dog, 11de91193e but he 9acdc0ff8e was different b623c64ed8 from those 5908f29de7 who had 04b8d3394d tucked their 4f1412e8eb tails between 50b6f7b167 their legs.0e05a32d6d9f043d
Would anyone be 510445943f bothered by the 97043a8fbb stares of mere e43d243d2f furniture?2bb18446d62dc4a1
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So Dominique walked towards 078641300e the musket with a b22d573418 leisurely gait. Lexion, having lost 8d3d480d87 his chance to 58fd98f4e8 hit the target 08d1934abb again, simply gritted 2f5fdca150 his teeth.451d6d722566cd57
“…”caa5a04948e81b97
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Reaching the attendant, ccc057c071 Dominique gently stroked e68ddfef0e the smooth barrel ce7b5650d4 of the musket, 045b8db578 as if coaxing 6defac3d8a it.4e92b00a706b2d9e
The restrained yet bd60e6d992 somehow caressing movement 2e454286f2 evoked a strange e57e50dd9c feeling.541c7ce4975280ce
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“Ahh.”8e04f83382719ae0
The gesture alone drew 7360669a50 a sharp intake of 83124886cf breath from someone in 4523f4f417 the crowd. Dominique, savoring the a0d2f77891 cool metal of ecb38a6ec4 the barrel, replied,75b7c4b67a9a00d4
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“As you command.”d4680c86abea63bc
What happened 7c46286e26 next was 41d26e0eea so swift dea3791aa4 that few 657d65e22b could properly df05f24f34 see it.b2917f9f578eb09b
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Click, clack.c8a26f0e26d6f8a2
The long ce5b557b5c barrel, centered dd2b6b1fdb around the 7b8212a776 trigger, spun 54a7d1233b around, emitting d40c1ca218 a metallic c8bba95edd sound. Dominique, swiftly reloading the ec18ead92c spinning musket with a 63905011ff series of bullets, swept 20e4d9887d his cloak back and 98cc2b2420 assumed his stance.9596c5757a568533
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The trail 99c12004b3 left by f6015160f2 his swirling 7d052118f2 cloak resembled ab3af27c28 an elegant 0191cc10a5 dance.dbb7b0f6e178fe82
And in 1f765b0066 the moment e54097026f everyone’s attention 755499d078 was captured…4d0d2d72d350e541
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Click.be25f38a1baa3c23
The muzzle of the 27d3fd4359 loaded musket slowly turned e54104bd1b towards the Emperor.9b9ed534eee95d3e
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“…”bac64dcb7ea01fa9
A suffocating 3dcf542729 silence descended 57b4e2b0ff upon the 54f2f92efd banquet hall, aa5f1f429a which had 3b8306144a been filled 20da98a793 with cheers cf7d1a4d07 and excitement. A few nobles, 6d0e0ab973 realizing the situation, d8f96a9157 shifted their eyes fff2517bff nervously. Just as a wave adb862f661 of quiet horror was 885b4a0b6b about to wash over eaa60d41c2 the room…45ffc2cc18d7b197
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Bang!ce13c7f1abeacc7b
Dominique swiftly da90033792 turned the bfcf3d0f71 musket back 5e36ad6324 to the a7f31099e8 target and 588d428fea fired. Unlike his 507dd4d198 previous flawless 92cdf85056 and precise 427d1aeabc movements, this f2a2bbec8a action, from f80e77dff1 shouldering the b79a563f5e weapon to 5cb2c2ec2e pulling the b8bb41fc56 trigger, was afeb6bc4ad deliberately exaggerated.ec6281a0e11f6dc3
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However, even 49b1889a6f this exaggeration 96c51bd54e didn’t look 9e259ec690 comical coming dc3afc40a3 from him. It was bbcbbfe7c8 a fluid db57ed7fcf and beautiful 7abc520c9c movement, so 414cd33b91 natural that 453910b4ac even those bbd3979d8a who knew 42bb1232f3 how to 0c7fa238de shoot wondered 34f2c59fcf if such 060ef88d58 a posture ea0828a9c2 actually existed 80051846d8 in textbooks.563cedc6feb9ddd4
As if a708c73843 mocking something.f35b770e53592ddd
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Flutter!9eef0717e773dcec
The bullet, ec5c36ca99 as if 73989e7428 to make 781dd7cd76 a point, 188f51f97d missed the 44bfa4b08f target entirely 796359bb17 and lodged fd1202663b itself in 9e4b4088d3 one of e2e80d5dca the hall’s 90334e4b67 pillars. The silver bird d0e389a497 in the cage 7e264ed884 flapped its wings 2468beb341 once and then 7709fd9ad9 stared calmly at bd386eae62 Dominique.c9d4b298f3604881
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With a c6183eebc9 quiet desperation 1d12723ed1 for life b50f3bb975 hidden beneath 6cc4caa548 its calm 6f8d251427 demeanor.8698be55e761e0cc
It reminded him f0441df0b2 of someone he 5bd3691633 had seen earlier. Dominique chuckled, realizing 324c45cccb he was projecting de0a32f7d6 emotions onto a f53f9f7fc5 mere bird.68eee4adec7eb0ec
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‘Such uncharacteristic thoughts.’b48ddfe08e272803
Should he 58ce7bd7ff have just c8e21fa53b killed it?e552e480ea956aeb
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Dominique mocked himself as 0d171c6637 he handed the musket c4dbba9d43 back to the attendant. Wiping away the eb72e9f891 gunpowder residue from 69f2ab32ee his hands, he c428a8f9f3 bowed slightly.548910d3a6e18768
“It seems e7a8d65e9c I am 35ce10c29e so lacking ce8034239c that I 6e02fa4eae have caused 4decc57557 concern for c0441ae90b His Highness’s d24599fbf5 marksmanship.”1b2fa6106d24803b
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“…”75f13707cb7fed92
People exchanged bewildered 9110280295 and uneasy glances 70c12cac18 at his self-deprecating 9b4e75c9ec words. Despite his dceda27a7e humility, his d399d15b8d dignity remained 8afeaa00a2 undiminished.0b12daa0da4fff37
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Lexion stared at 4c33f041ba his cousin with 49782e1c66 a strangely stiff 572ba72f7e expression, as if c2e5cfdca5 trying to decipher 802e254a07 his thoughts. Dominique calmly 25febe7ab7 ignored Lexion’s e4cd9d2574 gaze and 34ba105ae0 continued,129390e345bfe7b3
“That bird is e7073ababe unduly fortunate.”62262831447dce0a
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“…”cc4259c0cefc9091
“Its fate af363bf546 differs from 1f148fcf53 that of c1b2d2f45e its unfortunate 97febc3dc0 masters.”01bdbe797d91cfd5
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The Emperor’s eyes gleamed cd7b449196 ominously upon hearing his 1491665712 words.d971bbc19914cd35