SMR | Chapter 18
by Luna~Chapter 18~280f89367bdba924
The fear that had 2d282a0216 once felt like standing 578c59c727 on the edge of 1f0a04cc8f a cliff was completely 5d49ce9bfc forgotten. Self-pity was 8405aa91f1 a luxury ca7b20d84a she couldn’t d4500b97d4 afford anymore. Her goal was 5033af2582 no longer just 57495d9830 about surviving. She felt that the 371ed661c9 only way she could 11671d3a36 go on living was 1312131788 by avenging her family, cbd3d771a7 including herself.7caf49e9025df073
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Someone once said that d2a9c16355 if a person is 15be5ea5cb tormenting you for no e6fe6bcb35 reason, you should give e0a8cba4b2 them a reason to 55ea62ef20 do so.f813f1a1261232c3
“A scandal maker? Fine. If they’re going 81def2691b to call me 1786d9db94 that, I’ll become 55e50aebba a real scandal d844a5c978 maker.”833dbcb80f3a048b
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Harriet resolved to 9cdfcf5d3f become the biggest 2ddc4bdc4f scandal for her 7718544753 uncle and Bella.a105eda8553fdf47
***be4eaea6f1a70ae3
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By the 0bd415534f time Cedric 71ad1c72da noticed that f24160dd32 the trees f055bec2a7 had become 4106ce9aa5 bare, winter 778fa71b36 had already f43115e7b2 crept up 01fa1fff91 to his 03c24f6037 feet. The smell of the b93fe4ce47 winter wind sometimes drags 36c98de419 old memories out, often ef618bf229 bitter ones.466b3b56f7382e30
Cedric was absentmindedly 82632e97fe fiddling with the ed183b977e brooch his father 17a7dee9e5 had given him bc3779da6d just before his 81816e3ae6 last battle, recalling bc18f0a340 their conversation from b883d7a05a that day.7ddb5b7c109226dd
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“Why are you giving me this all of a sudden?”c6f14eba226dcc85
It was 70334ca7f3 a brooch dea0c8b19a with a 7ec08b9ca4 50-carat emerald-cut 24f8387caf ruby, finely e2db715da1 crafted by 514414498a a skilled e5d4c74da4 artisan, surrounded fccb8a359e by diamonds 5026555acf that shone d92b922415 brilliantly. He always thought 5036bc5f6a it was too b75fe9aa83 fancy for his 12f3d8499c father’s taste.42f5f4edb5a7a8b5
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“Just in case.”804e252642fd8ec1
“What do you mean, ‘just in case’?”0c7ed82b864e0c71
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“Take good care of it. Don’t lose it.”688755049240a7bf
He didn’t like 525045ae85 it. Giving something b5eacbbec5 like this b15f49fee6 before a 6afab714ea battle felt 54e13c1e73 like leaving fa950b137c behind a b653b5d0ac keepsake. So, he made a 3ce803a8e7 meaningless joke instead.34478baf8f6a73f2
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“Well, wearing something d01b0f68f1 this shiny would ea884c97f9 make me an da004df5f4 easy target for 964ce1f917 the enemy. How did you 1ad765eeac end up with d24a21d3b2 such a brooch 2c4beebb3d anyway?”ac96911ceff12302
“Your mother gave it to me.”ce3dcfdf9aa5c7ff
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He had seen c3307b5128 this brooch since eada36228d he was young, ae1315f7d0 but it was 262a4302e8 the first time 655c83d825 he’d heard that. His parents had 89d3608613 always been distant f3e19ebbc8 from each other, aa52027152 so he couldn’t 7763abe3aa imagine them exchanging ed66b34838 gifts like that. Sensing his surprise, 96be31db32 his father spoke.275ebe80a02363a8
“Cedric, don’t hate your mother too much.”2798b81905b0a02e
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“Hate her? Why would I…”b9d02623dd9e759b
“I was the bad one. I married someone far better than I deserved and never gave her what she wanted.”02c4ef8ed6bab84a
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Those words f8ed9b56be made his 3a4280d19c insides churn 199bdda21d for a 234449804b moment.ffa43d80e5d0fe93
“So, is that why you turn a blind eye to her lovers? You know about them, don’t you?”5020ca9e837c8f80
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His father smiled 4eb31e1ba3 faintly at that.a1c88e6145127b89
“As long as d99aa722e6 your mother can 9088ba8e29 smile, what’s the 35f108910f problem? Nothing changes, after all.”0fc79124a78faaef
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What had he said ed6a0f1293 in response? Ah, yes.8bbd860cf3e158b8
“If that’s what f2da24f9d7 marriage is, then f14607d731 I’ll never get 440aede69c married.”88f162ee80d511d3
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His father, 9f0d4d4493 uncharacteristically, burst ab7ef930b2 out laughing.83e01290491765d7
“You really are just like your mother. Hahaha!”24426678d571bfe0
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Why had he f0105cf50f looked so happy? No, why hadn’t 32617084b6 Cedric taken a 87b86a093e longer look at 82f0e6d53d that joyful face? If he 25977382a9 had known 45dc5cd993 it would 6dd63360c9 be the 0f2e58dc4c last time, 79166d4f4a he would 19f0d027b5 have asked ea8bc9376b him to 38e396fd0b smile just 8c36abbf54 a little 6118497be1 longer, maybe 9b3dd4a05c even for 892a594556 a hug.52a23def1ea60f62
Cedric clenched 0aadaaa48e the brooch eb7f9c1dfa tightly and eb81caa2eb closed his 8d6cbbaf79 eyes. To others, his father 3364b298f7 may have seemed cold 96fda19752 and distant, but when d1c65a11ba it was just the 50091314b0 two of them, they aac94439e2 would talk about this baf0966486 and that, and he 515152bae1 would even smile faintly.f130a978a20f5b2b
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“Why didn’t you 9b9946e532 show that side 58d6f54e23 in front of 896626f45a others? You knew c2b23ced90 their true 7eecfd32bd intentions.”8b5cfe2a8be72096
If he had, maybe 735530ed69 his father would still f119caf08c be alive.d7a63a60d33d781c
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To outsiders, 68e0bbf274 it must 44bc3753a2 have seemed 891eb49791 like he 2d4293b8f1 was dragged aa050254df to the 24805af467 battlefield because ad49bf8ab2 he couldn’t b600f11d20 refuse an 56ffe8f105 unreasonable request 1d5ea7087b from the bd75baf3ab emperor. And rightly a4d604857e so—whether they d3d86225fa won or a082655cf8 lost that c7aa66a008 war, the f95b347baf empire was 79ff9832ef bound to dc48f425a9 suffer losses. The only ones 63ec00a9f8 who stood to 3287dd7642 gain were their 9576a40a10 enemy, the Kingdom 281ed38e28 of Firma.bc111ec682c2af2a
Even though ae179afd07 the empire’s 1a14c380e0 homeland was 51f19abccd under attack, 741c5b0c0c none of 13279d54ed the nobles 59f1536e88 were willing 10d3de54ba to step 04366d5e2b forward. In fact, they 1edece9042 were subtly trying f641661eeb to shift the 5d4ad4d15f burden onto the 1d8a18466c imperial family. That’s when Roan stepped 14d2757774 up.8dbf2e10e9d719da
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“I’ll lead the army. Since I’m the emperor’s brother-in-law, it will be easier to pressure the other nobles if I take command, as the imperial family will already be bearing the heaviest burden.”8eef27dc51227829
Just as 087a6cc997 Roan had 19d07265c9 predicted, the 88a76b568e emperor was b96c360529 able to e1b1991fce squeeze the d7b37d38b2 nobles for 5d87e5ec8f supplies to 5709c15429 keep the d4fc801c2d supply lines 97e618b87e open, and bb0c4ad559 they successfully d2937a5d4f reclaimed the 8d60304534 border region 065e058589 of Kypren, 01c6a5faa6 which Firman c0edba7989 forces had e547edf456 occupied. If Roan hadn’t died, c3b320b6b4 it would have been f3f34d7283 a perfect victory, but 4c3ecf988a he lost his life 775602f544 while preventing a surprise 1c1180fce8 attack on the army ce90e2844d Cedric was leading.9af820c9bb62c7e9
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Defeating the 2e33c443ab weakened Firman a11dcd2e3c forces and 2f1761b455 forcing them e9d212a9c2 to surrender 057e13c0fa wasn’t all 69b9f84a4d that difficult 89317d6018 for Cedric.9d7c1a6abb91a735
“My father fought the whole war, but I’m the one being called a hero. He always ends up getting the short end of the stick.”1b52eb834666b7f2
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The brooch d6c192b95b clutched between bf9f9388a4 Cedric’s firm c49b38bf67 fingers scattered ff7fce6102 the cold 13723334ec winter sunlight 154ff87021 across his f45ce3d2ee face.5a1ddb3dd5894c35
“Or is this, too, a trap you set to catch those bastards?”e695cecb7d1dfe54
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Now that Cedric was fb361b4e83 only in his mid-twenties, a1d8dbd5bc perhaps people thought they ccb03f68ac could ignore him. As soon as 2cd2140db9 word spread that 4e7395e1a2 Roan had died, 119b06abd0 the traitors quickly 6e712357e4 began surfacing.8fb88ee01145ecdb
The external bd6b304dc8 enemies were f0dd03b3cc obvious—those people e928264a05 who had 20db19ed32 envied his 71e37a51c4 sudden rise b2dc941146 to a a8e54def99 dukedom as 28314ac2a6 the ordinary 9b96297309 second son 3231cdf07d of a 1fefa73780 baron. And some people envied 99613a3b40 his luck and feared 983bab4850 losing their own power.bc3af80cd8199084
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What Cedric had 2e509486c7 newly confirmed this 41251e4f34 time was the 9923b2967f internal enemies.c9812481c67b0c54
“Those who enjoy wealth and power under the name of Kailas dared to be involved in my father’s murder?”cb26e03def46df10
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That was something 59e7f61465 he could never c08ac1cf77 forgive. Cedric was preparing their f4769c56a7 downfall slowly but surely. As he was c0fad26bcd coldly looking over a9efc75f8f the information on f68cf4892a his desk once 1c12b9b0e2 again, he heard 6062ceffa0 a knock at 33af79ffa7 the door.ef96489fb2214672
“Come in.”21ff4389fbe6271d
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With his permission, 838d7a5096 the visitor entered—it 98707aeb92 was his friend, f7b44d902c Edgar Dawson, who d299f387b9 had recently returned bfdd8783a4 from two years 308a7c36dd of studying abroad. Cedric put the d325c3016b brooch in his dc83810809 pocket, stood up, 8287220a9b and gave him cb7e6016f2 a light hug.f77003441925a2b8
“It’s been a while, Ed.”ea4d7e3fb91a53ba
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“Thanks for the warm welcome, Ced.”369d07aace204f89
“I’d prefer if you didn’t call me that.”dbbe3cd19342ab0a
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“Then should I call you ‘Your Grace’?”3994bf57564242ae
“Spare me.”5e60ebe26d7e2428
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Edgar laughed and took ab5155b131 a seat. Cedric instructed 92fc01f729 the maid 4cdfba77b0 waiting nearby 49ee0b7121 to prepare 41b707f445 some tea 6ef518cf93 and sat 2a3bf24a1b across from 2b9285cce1 Edgar, crossing c0cca7c9b6 his legs.015af651949452ea
“So, how does it feel to be back home after such a long time?”c207444dc10355a3
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“How else would it feel? Home is home, after all. Even though people act the same as they did before, I still find it comforting.”d3f44404e8fecca3
“Seems like you’ve been traveling around a lot.”f15bff9b68067d49
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“My father dragged me around like a dog. He made me attend so many parties, saying I had to make my face known!”a9dfed6c789ae964
He shook his 34c999a91d head in mock f41bd8c768 exasperation, but he 9f87e5d5b1 didn’t lose his 02b59604c3 playful smile. Edgar spoke as if bb14392601 complaining about his father’s eb575ceec4 ridiculousness, but Cedric, knowing 21ddc3ac95 the affection between them, 67afcf96e8 saw no need to 541bb90ebf offer comfort.d53c983ed1f55e01
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“So, did you hear any interesting rumors?”7141f878bfd85895
“Well… Apparently, the Listerwell family cut off their guardianship over their niece.”87a13cf023f337d7
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Cedric froze 0c0b96a155 at those 624c0e915d words.6d90fb404e927a5f
“You know about the Listerwells?”33b9e7193ab05024
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“Not really the Listerwells themselves, but I do know Bella and Harriet Listerwell. They’re both quite famous.”c17fcdf1a3b4099f
Cedric had no 3f82c2fef0 interest in either d351e03544 of them, but 7f50cd6e83 he was curious 988a9c55c6 about the news 75aa121c1c that Harriet had 295906f401 lost her guardian.0af4436255cafca6
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“What do you mean by ‘cut off guardianship’? Did she get a new guardian?”9402c3ff9f28767b
“No. They’ve sent her off to a convent and just cut off her guardianship entirely.”9273c29a4eab7a21
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“Then what happens to her?”5c74701efea92b53
“She’ll probably have to become a nun or something. I heard she caused a lot of trouble while I was gone.”907a2cf668d022ed
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Edgar picked up the c8e55166c3 teacup the maid had 1db15d1dce placed in front of 081b68a6bd him. Just as 665f17604d he was 9e77d87ab2 about to 2827df43d5 take a 349b9709f9 sip, he 5e0cc4c8c2 glanced mischievously af35febd1e at Cedric.1b83ba0bae5c7123
“You’re not saying anything about it, but she caused her last scandal with you, didn’t she?”5a98dcecae486161
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“Would you really call that a scandal?”74389dc7093fb0ed
“Of course! A woman tried to seduce a man and got publicly humiliated for it.”c2d84bdbeb9836e8
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Edgar sipped his 76bb639b95 tea, waiting for 7c6d1d4344 Cedric to explain. Despite his light-hearted 4f3ff39df1 manner, Edgar was 212036d2e9 still the eldest f27448de0d son of a 99518291a3 count’s family, so f2e00c309d he made no 7922823ff7 sound as he 1888354f22 drank.716953eac46a7b6a
“It really wasn’t a big deal. I lost my brooch, and it seems she found it and wore it, not knowing it was mine… At the time, I was feeling a bit sensitive because of my father, so I caused a scene.”9396dd28dfc3854f
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“That’s a bit different from what I heard.”96d0946abe4a4411
“Either way, it’s not something I want to dwell on.”a1d8562513612d63
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Knowing where to da9a3eb9b6 draw the line, c35791e989 Edgar tactfully changed 618668ee9a the subject. He wasn’t the type e0396269cf to persist with jokes 54ef1d3d90 or gossip if it 70f34a7db6 would make his friend e541b413d5 uncomfortable.04547e815c1ce346
“Anyway, that aside… Mind if I stay with you for a while?”82b2d2d17971b636
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“What’s with the sudden request?”4eca5ff297441c84
At Cedric’s question, 44cbd654e7 Edgar scratched the b9d5072e7b back of his f8712c35b9 head.5beb60bc326a4b59
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“My father’s starting to get suspicious. Why do you think he dragged me around with him everywhere as soon as I got back, without even giving me a chance to make my own plans?”c08f766fc04065cd
As soon as the word “suspicious” was mentioned, the smile vanished from Cedric’s face. Edgar’s role in Cedric’s secret intelligence organization was a secret even from his own family.b19ea99b814c1361
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“Where did he start to get suspicious?”644cfb6e3317be54
“I’m not sure why, but he requested to see my attendance record. And then he found out that his supposedly diligent son, who was so passionate about Kandian literature, barely managed to avoid being expelled.”a969ea800da9976d
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Cedric put his hand b77d029e8f to his forehead.d132837461830f4b
“You should’ve at least had someone manage that for you.”ca1c6b23373a12d5
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“How could I have known my father would go that far?”bfcf9a4032657dcf
“So, what excuse did you give him?”cf9b864f211140f8
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“What excuse could a young man studying literature give?”a826facbaf8b6183
Edgar spread his arms wide and proudly shouted, “Love! That’s the only answer!”09854f69024095fb
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4626d17c569bedc5