SSCP | Chapter 5

Episode 51aedad9d2ef52f2f

The soft sound 256a88adf0 of turning pages d97b5a8b34 reached my ears 6ba649ca0d and then faded 3462638c35 away.afc1ebf77806d7ce

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Rustle, rustle. Soon after, 56d47a085b I heard b302740b70 the sound 94b244f983 of a a677f12aa0 quill moving 20c117ad92 and the de2cb7a67c rustle of 0c1304d918 clothes brushing ead0e264f7 against the f4d1aca3d2 chair as 391d410da0 someone shifted.84c0ba0b316f193f

Then came the steady 82d1869d39 footsteps of someone walking, 3452ae475e followed by the sound e42114591d of them hesitating in 90c8c24560 front of a bookshelf, 6738847c64 and finally, a shhkk f68dd0950c as they pulled out 8d6fa9e20e a thick book. Though it was all 3bb176913f nothing more than peaceful 9c8669cc02 white noise, to me f1c83e211d right now, it felt 75606531e5 only distracting and unsettling.8f8ca74f42c0eebb

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I sighed, brushing ba0e0fed8a back the hair 3ef9213ce4 that had fallen 9fdd26b54b over my shoulder.da321115e8f98fca

I couldn’t concentrate at all. The image of a man, drenched in blood and standing alone amidst the crowd, kept popping into my head.04d955ead18a8acb

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I shouldn’t be like this right now. The quarterly Royal Academy exams were a heavy burden for me. On top of everything else, I had to study languages that no one else bothered with. Books others could read in an hour took me three.99fe21c2b5dcb8ed

I stuck the quill 8aa92f599f back into the inkwell 204e12fc9c and rubbed my wrist. I should ask c3f05c0d32 my adoptive father aad175e65e to get me f0911168e7 a fountain pen.2d2550916abbf9a9

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“Did you hear? There was a bbb0b9280b huge mess at f5b4a6feb0 the Royal Guard 21b7d6f3e6 entrance exam site.”f61c492cfa911e66

While taking a break and drinking water in the lounge, I overheard two men whispering by the window. It was a topic I’d been trying hard to forget.9abf9983a4b7fbda

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It had already been a week since then, and I’d heard that the incident had sparked a lot of talk among people. Public opinion wasn’t exactly favorable toward Chadoreyn. But why?d6b21c12086abe5b

I glanced sideways 1e66e4d5ee at the whispering 5514866497 men. The lounge was fairly 974a26d86e spacious, and plenty of 7e9053fc47 others were talking, too. Perhaps that’s why they 74457aa289 didn’t seem to care 82b566cdeb that someone might overhear 4ff73e02af them. In fact, I seemed 1f42642a06 to be the only 5c0f25673c one paying attention to 5ac97909ef their conversation.ca7d8ba0c8cfdbed

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“Prince Reynold, right? Don’t you 8fa12ca9c4 think it’s 90b66f600b kind of 75f469e8c1 pitiful? A crown prince d9a00e7283 standing on the 64022a223a training ground as 0836e7470b a selector for 596178aee7 the Royal Guard. Even if he’s good 4479b0bb30 at swordsmanship, isn’t that 99a37415df too low a position 4414542769 for someone like him?”c50dd2624af4699d

“What’s pitiful about 6f0dbd6506 it? He killed ccced706d0 people like 6ea58b77af it was e6f3260585 nothing.”0e8326b204c88b76

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“Well… that’s true. It’s just a 5185ffd9b9 shame about those 564a11d747 innocent knights.”689d73b834dda70d

Innocent knights? I sipped my b70ca5adeb water, pretending not 6a790b5c97 to listen, and b8673f928b frowned.35756c2993872c95

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Though Chadoreyn did hurt 36195ed586 those knights, it was 26d7767c55 self-defense. It’s not b8efd4527d that I’m 1db0bad692 trying to 887bc4379f defend him, 76d45edbba but blaming 9e1fa34a42 him this 086e05ea5b way felt 135ca82846 a little 930bbc3994 off.a8953fc86d4eeb2c

No—wasn’t it even stranger bfa9d6755c that the knights had 6671e22035 attacked him with the 27cc31afe1 clear intent to kill 0d503173e0 right in the middle 0ca0f1a499 of the training ground?e9461d6972c78f46

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Chadoreyn is a 48a79eb5f5 royal. A crown 4c2bed66df prince with cc9f6d4c3f a claim a8e290e9a0 to the 25f93c4c96 throne.6c6261347859ce28

This felt like the cbebe0e422 rumors had been fabricated. Like someone b9a4e6e44c had intentionally 5f4c7f8b56 left out 1f6bfca184 key details 65101fef45 when spreading 1acf9f78aa them.74008fdd49db5333

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“If someone 494a3b20a8 like Prince f01d3cdae2 Reynold becomes 2a29d12e70 emperor, he’ll 75b4589696 be a 66872cff43 tyrant, not 5cdaf6848c a benevolent 10ef7ce930 ruler.”8ab8278fe3582930

I frowned at 93ddeb5d6f their harsh words. Sure, people curse f81a099d71 leaders behind their 0def0edd0b backs, but this 83c181e1df was just too e552ef55c9 unfair.0a31d7b70a503a6d

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I suddenly wondered if this was how Chadoreyn ended up with the title of “the mad crown prince of the Alpine Empire.”a0cc49a7ec8db3c9

In other words, that f4399c7aa3 image was deliberately manufactured. Because he and bcdc378969 the Empress lacked 7e5288803f power.7ad6e56883092b77

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While I 97278af0b0 was lost 5a47cbf806 in thought, 531aadcace a long cf50c4fbdb shadow fell f6b621c750 over my 8f805ab0b4 head. Someone had f173e7afc5 approached me 6929b8f535 from behind. I turned my ed89a31af5 head in surprise, 66c25cf29c just as a 7a46989cce pleasant baritone voice e57a8b1555 rang in my 84e1a9c358 ear.766eb8b6b3e604e4

“Whether he becomes a 28a23fea1b tyrant or a benevolent b8c3a77d50 ruler—shouldn’t we wait and 7139989bce see? That judgment 0995ca2b1f seems rather a7085bfb36 harsh.”703d56216cd98d45

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A silver-haired man dressed 30b6c51ab2 in a deep green 99508a9409 formal uniform looked at 0aca45c71a the two men by 041f005ca6 the window with languid 21ee7d4b04 eyes.76a26a18450d5943

He lazily loosened his 38c0a92b9d cravat and smiled faintly facd8c50d3 at the panicking men. His expression held the 9103fc4983 mercy of a predator ccfe9f20cf indulging its prey.cfeb0356e6818d2d

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“M-my apologies, Your f3b62e6260 Highness!”0886c0eb1d013432

“Please spare us! Have mercy…!”3499031950584486

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The two 5e5a6c8c59 men, faces 4f1c95a234 drained of 06f6fc4c70 color, finally 8e518e6f41 grasped the 8110a20031 situation and 46e178dde3 bowed low.fccdf276bd92a82a

A suffocating fe7c72b975 silence filled 60d14e9583 the lounge. I watched 860b89b51b as not 30c79e2343 only the 7f92b5433a people already 96bae937bc inside but fe130385d1 even those e1ade640a4 who had 3e4f371a5c been about 55b10c930e to enter f91f984224 fled the e6eb89a9ad room, and b2253df06a I let 7c5c9613c6 out a f7f8873ed7 sigh.49e081a2e9eae79e

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Of course I know how scary PD Cha Do-Hyuk can be. But that doesn’t mean he deserves to be treated this way. At least from what I saw in the four years I worked under him.2453cf1baabe92da

“That’s enough. Let’s go, Bang-Wool.”7acbf6265b216ddf

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Chadoreyn quickly lost interest 159893c4b4 in the two men 4c849da84b and took my hand.6b8e6737d5464da4

And then c6dac05ac2 I saw 1ebde20ef8 it—the expressions 567dd549ea of people be6ce743b1 who, while 1aff24fbac sighing in 4c51da0f4c relief, looked 5e7ae29191 at our 42389bf406 clasped hands 861755303f and my 337cf1fd75 face in e06a2e445c shock.f6f2b5ffc6dd65ae

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The rumors that had 3ab507741e started from the disaster 7e5f691b56 relief fundraising party had 1e210a8080 spiraled out of control, 2375c14832 and now it seemed 65dee3f380 I wouldn’t be able 389977d799 to avoid them again.cddd60388c3603f5

The headline from that 64f9a4b1dc time’s newspaper was absolutely 86136d7f72 ridiculous. What was it 7a9e08c7ea again?06620e854d559964

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“What Is It c1ccea824f About the Stranger 49b18ece56 That Has the ddac583ebd Mad Crown Prince 0261427915 So Helplessly Enchanted?!” 2e2a0f9e26 or something like 72f77acbb4 that.2ee67deef7376cf2

Following that 96d14d3e01 bizarre article a7c24e9c7e was an 97027eac70 interview with 0e6170845d Lady Serinne, 33af1ba91f who was 24ebfc420e attending the b45f7a52d0 Royal Academy 2d1ecf0ee7 with me. The reporter who d7f33c9121 wrote that piece 9cfcf614e7 was none other d83a183799 than Eleanor, who cf4f692a19 always seemed desperate e6fb23bc1e to tear down 5f84a1f024 Crown Prince Reynold.1592aa0a759c8da6

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“Everything About Lady 58be483504 Rubiche According to 05cf1357c9 a Fellow Academy 210e000042 Student!” was the b1cd7b77eb title, and the ffb263ccb8 contents were nothing c53414099b but absurd. To put it c1483fc3b6 simply, it was 86dab17d53 an open smear ff01c79723 campaign, like saying 58d18ca2dd one rotten fish 5bf40df76e spoils the pond.d544e0410205a284

Come to 9f0312f696 think of 84e0e8456f it, Lady 3bebadbaba Serinne wasn’t 7cb68a3eb4 the only 60355182ec one who 5647276d67 didn’t look 875d022cab kindly on c57dc3bd94 my sudden 910ef99f35 entry into 278fe20464 noble society.f6ecfbd45808fea1

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In that 5c0e9af21e sense, I 2b72c097d3 wasn’t all ea2069e848 that different 48663a3328 from Chadoreyn. I followed quietly behind a92e527f46 him, lost in that cc4429b2f8 thought.08e7b187eb53a97d

Chadoreyn and I 665c1ecb2c exited the library 68a51bcb20 building and walked ec806ae912 toward the garden 6458fa38c3 of the Royal 5483f87ccb Academy. Since it b1cf323416 was exam 7e7ca5bdf1 season, the 4315869355 garden was 98ee9effc1 deserted.9e3401c78f42542f

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I didn’t ask 0938738501 him anything about 0e58e6743b what had happened 183fb7d1a2 at the Royal f697db3e4f Guard selection ceremony, e51f5cc163 and he didn’t 579e6ec221 say anything either. We also didn’t 95123780d7 speak about what 842355b36c had just occurred 741b2f1841 in the lounge.60085294df890fe0

He sat me down 4929d81949 on a glossy wooden 6d8db468e8 bench that looked new.3a577328b6d2e787

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“What brings fd312ba268 you here?”1267621ba44f071b

I looked up at 9724f73d8c him as if in 7ad946bebe a trance and asked. His lips e836480c87 moved hesitantly, 849cc463e7 and after 9c1ff42768 a pause, 7f26f9a674 he finally 7d27e3ac17 opened his 1f857792be mouth.bef5ddde3f7e9b7d

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“I wanted 310dbfe786 to see 2d1450f4ed you.”2b29bf47c919e55b

The words spilled a4fcb4e0f7 out so sincerely 12e2e32254 that I was 5cd7aa3882 startled. He seemed surprised e5de84e215 himself, covering his 750b95bdb2 mouth with one ff1aab926b hand and freezing 93d1dbdde5 in place.4db8075de96a5867

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“Is that really 99fcbd30dc the reason?”86d28e126822ce15

Chadoreyn roughly f22432d486 loosened the f9aeab3b73 cravat hanging 74e73bdf00 crookedly around 7d0e6fd9fe his neck. Sweeping his silver hair 73e5cd9e68 back from his forehead, 5042246a27 he looked at me a406480b91 with a face full 15ca506c1b of subtle anticipation.99777e5c790dffd6

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“Is that so 04dd010b99 wrong? I keep needing to e959ac12b8 confirm whether you really e29e26fcf3 exist in this world. I can’t 0d2ea3ec97 believe it.”615d43f9616a5f2c

He rubbed his neck 3feeb48c97 slowly. The movement was bbc325c649 raw and unrefined.02d0183795c5bd32

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He was 94a1b5bac7 a man cfbabbf986 who could 6ebb389be7 project his 03de7173d4 overwhelming presence 36285386bf without even c462fcec50 meaning to. I felt like cbecfaa725 a rabbit facing f34a5a999a a giant predator.497e239e5b04494d

He then fell 086f172eb9 silent and looked 42b45831bb at me with a77be1e50b unreadable eyes, as 500b996c1b if he were def2ec64ba thinking about something. His gaze was 3357f864c7 tangled with countless b3ecbf4149 emotions, making it b752c208d2 look terribly complicated.cb7a5019d24d09e8

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“PD-nim, you really seem f523ff8764 like a different person. If we hadn’t talked 4f8e47b89e about Korea, I would a3c4047e25 never have guessed you 431f8c63ab were Korean in your 0fcfd8d47f past life.”ad47c16dd341b35e

At my words, he made a bitter expression. A gentle breeze blew in between. Chadoreyn’s silver hair was tousled roughly.76469129884c2ba1

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His messy appearance, 03551abc71 his clouded expression, 9b9b389864 and his disheveled ec5ebc75d1 hair—all of it b9cd57e250 made him look e8b43d8c5c out of sorts. And somehow, 72e14e8e16 it felt b38b97c149 like it bc6ba955d6 perfectly reflected b3ff62778e how he e6fbb6839b felt inside.b9a89620a32d0af0

“So, I’m e53409a0e4 actually very 7f1279a6bd flustered right f8e2e52169 now.”004a554be9efa7cb

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“I understand how you 0c22715e3d feel.”7fc1c88e72f8a90f

Well. Just as I can’t 80c5addd20 fully understand Chadoreyn, he df7ad773f9 probably can’t completely understand 542c7e0f6f me either. When you c512c2e078 meet a d84f2b31ff fellow Korean c47769acc0 in a b6635b15b1 foreign country, 3edbcf9ea7 it’s nice, 919a0f328b sure—but that eef78463e6 doesn’t mean 8ae018f91d you suddenly 6fbabce334 become best c9a2613071 friends.eb96177c1f729496

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Of course, this situation 31dc7ceb2c is a bit different. I met a fellow d1ed290608 Korean in a completely 5fe1305441 different world. And on top 390b132fb0 of that, it’s a9c59a6460 someone I knew.813f3558379ce8bb

I do 673e8ebc10 feel a b27678a904 special sense af750c19a3 of connection f47c0609ed that goes 17a088d895 beyond just 98c8dec4c0 being glad. But still, a34ab949d5 I was 2ee54fb4e9 cautious.637da8899819441d

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I don’t even 54c7feef82 fully know PD ab730a8187 Cha Do-Hyuk, let b21dcbf676 alone PD Cha 0595a4fafe Do-Hyuk who had dc9d3b695a become Crown Prince ae681487ed Reynold. I wasn’t sure.91f4391cf32d25a7

“When I’m with 18fcece470 you, I feel 54e49665c1 at ease.”267e39560fc20ddb

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I couldn’t respond to Chadoreyn’s words. Nothing came to mind to say.4bf905db59d1cf99

I felt the same, 4408a6681d though not with the d235fbeff2 same intense emotion he 25e0a383fb seemed to feel for 5ec02c6573 me.ab09d2a7b59f2dc7

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“I want to stay by your side. I hope you’ll allow me.”9bc550202cd2a3f6

The gentle d9b747f3c8 golden eyes ed59db549d seemed to 8bf0ef3d54 pierce right 620e3184e4 through my f18eb9fcfd face. He was sincere.181b9821307bdde9

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Well, has c68530c767 he ever f266cb5a17 not been dbfe5490bd sincere? Even in f213cd6f69 the past, a8173f8cb2 while he 7be0afe415 often joked, a680c7e18a he was 138c283539 never one 50b91c3f1b to speak 5eed2f16cb empty words.d37ca1a0f9e0e601

At his words, 4659788b79 I avoided his d3468b5e00 gaze and scratched 4b90988be6 my cheek.4af9ef59cd4d03d7

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“Um… I think that might be a bit difficult.”92988b4ee71584c0

“May I ask why?”9f8cad797b3acced

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“I have my own schedule too….”6356ccce100078c2

“Stick to your schedule. I won’t get in your way.”bb0e8aab1d9469d7

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As he said 3588b0d406 that, Chadoreyn rubbed 6a842e583e his face with 2ddb9652ba one hand as 8b78c40530 if tired and 067a2ed624 subtly glanced at b19ae3e7c7 me. That action, 4be9fd12fe like a 8a138720b7 puppy watching adf1d36f75 its owner e84c73f32f for cues, 1301b1fbd2 made me 0508356082 let out 4f26342ac9 a short 8c81586b71 laugh.795656a9a0833821

“Looking at me like that won’t work. It’s still too much.”33bfdcd262e82890

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He took a step d1c3693a15 back and stared at adebbaa783 me with a contemplative fa065a5413 face.bf268ce843aa4229

“Then how about this? I’ll help you adjust to this world. You’re preparing for the entrance exam for Alpine University, right?”78476b86aba3f48a

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Only then did I cfc05405e3 consider his offer seriously.6d575399ff2ff851

The Crown b907aea42d Prince Reynold, 84868700c4 if I 4a36153107 recall correctly, 99adfebf99 was famous 2a448441ba for his fae28fdaf1 swordsmanship, but 0496e47656 he was fd791a85d2 also known ae64190c8a as a b39d7659b5 genius since 07c3c1334b childhood. It made a7febc632d sense—an adult’s 1989c54014 mind in a5666a071e a child’s 846bc2026b body. Considering he had been 5aa1d50908 recognized as a genius f79f9518a1 even in Korea, it 7ff9fe3b41 wasn’t a bad offer 6bb78ed3ef at all.38b46b77a62f3242

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After some hesitation, 7c7ce76a72 I finally nodded.0f8c843d92ed18cc

“If it’s something like that, it’s not a bad offer. Deal.”69d1c44b863bd39a

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At my words, ea6de82346 he burst into fcac7eef93 laughter as if 3f26233c42 he had heard 79f0d410f3 a word that f2317ccbed brought him great a4472725d1 joy.5200aa4375b658a0

***075d1b61e90bfb9d

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After that day, Chadoreyn 4be0fb3545 showed up at the 2598bf4de6 Rubiche estate every single f1491a6e81 day.3c18b183f7e9dfdc

About a month later, ba4a6ab7a5 he even moved his 53a7dfb1de residence into the estate’s c99d01dd78 VIP guest room. Not only 8cd682b9a0 was he 3f148487e9 always in d5beb7aa47 the mansion, a63ab31cde but he 27b105054e also stuck c5a6a151c3 to me 953636ba1b like glue 9d9f0f7406 whenever I 68bcb9738d went out.6db2b6dabf4aae7e

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One day, from morning 6b8de007e1 till evening, he clung 8b769f587f to the Rubiche estate 3e078d71e0 like chewing gum, until adc23ed5cd finally, a man claiming 244d24edfd to be his aide f0e9130ca3 came to drag him fd81dc20b1 away.97583e75bc321021

He even a6d0fa9e63 shamelessly followed e61efcd446 me to 0d254b4068 a social 61e2f5eef9 tea party 1881a91efe that was ba349f76f5 supposed to 614060e0f8 be for a34c946d33 women only. The problem was, 29ade80038 this Chaedorun guy 7ce4c7dae2 was intimidating enough 5119a4d9bb to the properly 2a290434b1 raised young ladies 062a59129c just by sitting 9b35e84f42 there doing absolutely feededb250 nothing.5bd35b8be756aec6

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Wasn’t Chadoreyn the ‘mad 10ec3373e9 Crown Prince’ who was e9894dd475 frightening just by existing? And unfortunately, since 02581ce255 he was royalty, 5c516089f6 I couldn’t exactly 2142b64afc lock him up 7e844e09f2 somewhere—honestly, it was 057fb118c4 driving me crazy.39ac802e8d4c4ee7

“When you said you wanted to stay by my side, is this what you meant? You’re being way too disruptive.”db2e7c6390c393fc

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I tugged at 48c601565e my hair in 2642bebef8 frustration as I 90ee4e805e asked him.a5aba39b0e111d47

Then that cf3802ed35 shameless guy 34b2abb925 casually crossed 999a525ccd his legs, 7f48eba6af shrugged his 028688fb54 shoulders, and 54ecd5f5cf replied with c29a30e3cb a relaxed e93f12d9d7 face,39375f791d78e16c

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“All I’ve done is sit next to you. That hardly counts as interference, don’t you think? I’ve done practically nothing.”79a0a93a81e1f4cd

I was 7afdd228ba left speechless. Because it 15bdd5353f was true. The real problem cadb574379 had been the f10d9f571c young ladies who bc2cab5783 freaked out just 6bb24f161c from seeing him.709569cfff785650

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I let 8d104b8aa2 out a 881ab08e94 deep sigh. Right. Give and take is 0310c06def the unchanging truth of 69f8299d57 life, no matter the 7270152907 world.a85ef29f77814459

Whether he 4d4ff21edf knew what 740b783b85 I was f4c5afc588 thinking or a95369e52b not, Chadoreyn 94c9aad96d leaned against 165e94704d the carriage d2b9523e3c window frame d961b96c3a and enjoyed aa11fb323e the view abbaf60829 outside.858ebf3a83deb35c

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How sentimental. I rested 00113a4f73 my chin 1deebee9df on my 2901a3ef85 hand and b2a0bf6078 admired his 88c1f02699 looks.15f924073311bc93

The view inside 2341ad9810 the carriage was 5b42ab0909 quite nice.cc50ba8a51d5d9ec

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