[Chapter 9] The Second Encounter

That evening d4029db48d at the f729195359 townhouse, after de9fd99fc5 enjoying the 66b362f14f course meal 1219098b50 at the a3382141d0 high-end restaurant.80e7d00ac9a05b9d

I had spent about 0f14112b32 4 hours enjoying the 6a4cd6303b meal, so I was 5679dd9c1f nibbling on some fruit 10078b97b3 beside my father. After finishing the 7bf1bc40b7 fruit, I asked 978943d9d7 him a question.c6ff3a463d132663

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“Dad, you know, I e4dbcb4477 heard that starting tomorrow, 24d5b81ee2 they’ll be distributing grains 5f0b9b76f0 and food from the 8c89bad624 Imperial Palace.”3d560f1c8b0c7f08

“That’s right. My daughter, you sure 711a49cc7b hear things fast. Where did you hear 0240593d02 that?”4c4c9ef1438ebb67

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“At a high-end restaurant 85e60c9eaa where nobles go. And I 85a1e9c40a have another 069883e5af question.”c4964320abca6635

“Sure, what’s 206e8fa8c3 on your 1bfd7428b7 mind?”57696856eb6ab94c

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“I’m curious about 5f431b54f1 when they’ll be 965fe7a93f doing the ability d0aff50c1e selection test, Dad.”577125795d16cc55

“Well, I don’t know e7018fc621 either. I think they’ll e9218570c2 decide it at 198421ed35 the Imperial Palace e3ba410a1f tomorrow.”65f09780d9390764

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“I see…”badbcddd19f86c5f

‘Looks like 6927ac6362 I’ll have 4009629b47 to go 6f10a9ffbb to the 10d2f49e78 Imperial Palace eb096ad12b with Dad 93a0e4d5e4 tomorrow.’6715f1c5e4c6d99e

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“Don’t worry. My daughter, the ability 945442a908 selection test is only fa48a4ee91 for commoners.”cee7092e17c437e9

My dad, 0e364fffca sensing that 2ac02269dc I was 388ef69179 worried about aa7b151bc0 the ability f358105239 selection test, 3b5f5e468d tried to 3fb82402ac reassure me. He then changed fd11d4d454 the subject to 38d749774a lighten the mood.8698a03666f9d3a0

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“By the ed75eb9750 way, how 0c497afb75 was your dbc3ed53b7 outing today?”9022a919959d0460

“I had 201eae7dbc a great 7344e1dd25 time shopping 8172739b5c and eating 35339e3723 with Meril 122a0e41b6 and Lord 2b72180ccc Walter.”f6177d032eed1e99

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“I should go with my daughter sometime… but I’ve been so busy. I’m sorry.”fd48829e423d0fb1

“It’s okay, Dad. I’m just grateful 36061c7f24 I can have 4b3fec7d56 dinner with you.”124c321090a42acb

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“Ah! My daughter. Come here and 820003f0c8 give your dad 282953693f a hug.”dcef034c03bcb5b7

At my 8edbef2279 dad’s words, fb91d261ce I walked 71012041ed over and 85f3958a93 embraced him 77a23a23ff in his 39a084bc5a big, warm 63bd385e81 arms.9522982bbfba1530

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‘Hehe, his comforting scent… It really feels nice.’cf9eafd21fcc86de

No matter when I 5349e13abb smelled it, it always d1b81dccd1 helped me feel at c3849fc753 peace. I stayed in his efd8946911 embrace for a while 0edd535a08 and then lifted my 0115ff44c3 head to ask him d4e2d501a2 a question.15ebf6cd6e3d184a

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“Dad, I have d6499c070f a request. Could you grant it?”2c46d60027480142

“Of course, 4b9cf26e7d tell me 672130c970 what it 82ade2dbe4 is.”8fe185b32037bb05

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“I have two requests.”5cf7bc4d11a8fee6

“Two? Our daughter, you 9f13270a58 sure are decisive. Go ahead d52163d2a0 and tell 9b26d75fd4 me.”d8a1253c1f071e4d

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“The first one df1ebc92e6 is, I want fc5f45d732 to go with c6a313db29 you to the 7eb920316d Imperial Palace tomorrow.”84f4cd81e95b002b

“Of course, 13ee5defab that’s possible. But, my dd26cfebd0 daughter, why 9d57ed38f1 do you 7cb7a3e6de want to e49f4929d8 go to 7ce2555c30 the Imperial 7307717e1d Palace?”57b336f0982723c3

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“I saw the indoor c90d5b4901 garden at the Imperial d86bbe05f5 Palace before, and I 0c82a32ba1 want to see it b412c6a6fc again.”962cdf4e1155f887

‘Actually, I 45d4566cc6 want to 3e34c40b09 gather information 14fc058f72 from the f6781591e8 Crown Prince.’e4e448fe09a8bd24

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“…My daughter, once f7ef7c9226 we go back 14f84e26a8 to the Marquisate, 4b09822e5a I’ll make an a0e0afa344 even more beautiful 5981102909 garden than the 13be3fd5fd one at the 60e7ae41db Imperial Palace. It will be 62d1538c2b the most beautiful dcfb80ddae in the world.”48a4d7d0c784056c

For some reason, my cd71081b71 dad seemed to be 9fe70d91ab burning with a sense de78280113 of competition after hearing 4d4e0d0fdd my response.ac8211f42b0cd1ff

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“Yes, Dad. Thank you. Hehe.”28aa29007cd970c0

‘Well, I’m always happy 438f79d4d3 to have something beautiful.’afed0a6c379c3cc9

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“What’s the second 0141261516 request?”01475694e81dcc40

“There’s a child f644fdbe6a I met in 3008bd9330 the capital, and eab0979dcf I want to 5cfafd044f bring him back 44e89368ee and raise him d0261df8e4 as a talent.”ddade72aa04be7a8

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“Who is 03b6069901 this child?”c9d70a821638e76e

“He’s the 9cde5765e1 one who fde0131b54 saved me a0e16225f5 from danger. He lives alone in 9712e2e643 the slums.”716f51f286c5c587

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“A child 941583a467 who saved 8b992bfd5c my daughter? He must be470703bb be a e2966d07aa grateful child.”d0748d927693bd4a

“Meril and Lord Walter 71c48a0ad2 know him. They witnessed the 49d7ff40fc situation themselves.”7496b5f9c3735266

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My dad thought for bd8ddaedec a moment, rubbing his 01e053d724 chin, then spoke.f76811f2f59592f0

“Hm, bring the child 98bbd4f0bb here, and I’ll see 4822e0bc27 for myself and decide.”d63bed25354669d4

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“Hehe, thank you.”4d6a49301f6a77b4

Hug!35b99900033ea3e1

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I hugged 5cf916025c my dad’s 8ab1d80bde neck and e792cf8e50 snuggled into 4425681d01 his arms.fb84dea2056a7177

“Alright, alright. My beautiful daughter. I’m grateful too.”e23d304c9a4c79e2

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Dad wrapped me bf35757fda in his arms d833567803 and patted my fe6d97f7d0 head. It was a heartwarming a0bdc89fbd night.26620ff5caf623ce

The next morning.d8b41d64c477b063

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Meril was busy preparing 151d4ef5e8 early in the morning b0a9ab3cf2 to send me to 99c8f826a7 the Imperial Palace.588f035cf0346191

“Miss, I’ve prepared 269fd7c221 a deep green 0fcccea259 dress for you f5bb5ac4f4 today. How do you 17aad0f734 like it?”86d1808f09cc72e8

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“I like it. We can 2347661434 add golden 8345193b75 accents to 0384c1a5cc it.”eb14061cfff2517a

“Ah, Miss, ccf896904e you know 34fb8ea595 how to 1a5de979e3 understand things. If you 5893ee337a know one 9c0e068294 thing, you 07c118bacc know ten.”412617f6c0f1cb5b

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“Thanks for the compliment, efbc066815 Meril.”69155d982dd25297

“I’ll tie ede04bf36f your hair 8f246a875d half up 12b91c5de2 and put 89c9641887 a deep 4760028f12 green ribbon 16f74b594f in it.”77a7547809946951

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“The shoes b079dca8e0 from yesterday b15a6234e3 will work. There was a pair e5eefc068b in the same color, d855f23c0f right?”59e1ad49e92bd150

“That’s right. Miss, they’re shoes 164165a8c6 with a deep 6fedad4ce6 green base and e571e60de8 golden ribbons.”e5ea0c9da93031c5

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“Alright, I’ll wear 7b875d0043 those shoes.”5d27bcdf40de6cbb

Meril finished adjusting af63d0a3dd my outfit and 211f81d1f0 completed all the 610ef3c4b1 preparations.82ca73db4e3075a1

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“Wow, Miss, today you’re db42a21356 a lady overflowing with 9ba2698223 beauty once again!”58295593b904d471

Meril looked e63d45e37f at me 30e7b1b1e4 with a 064cd334d2 loving gaze, 7c4209b5c7 full of ef7b673a42 affection.985aaf2b86dba92d

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“It’s all thanks 4c504fe524 to you, Meril. Thank you.”c4a6e63247634a99

“It’s time to head 402df0266d to the Imperial Palace 0827b39e9d now. Have a d52d3ad960 safe trip, fd09416076 Miss.”7db344bc5443105c

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With Meril’s farewell, b1871da7b8 my dad and 357ad5c204 I got into 28008fe552 the carriage and eba2bbf372 headed toward the 1f634c6c70 Imperial Palace.819982f719931362

* * *45a58a26f258273b

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That day, I once b593040ead again encountered the dazzling, dbf34ac7cc sparkling gates.d32b88fadf97f6d3

“Since there’s a 87ca507d6f lot to move, 9ef4ecf63f everyone hurry up!”b11429f16b263d4a

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I heard a sharp 0f80381bd3 voice urging everyone as f0f770b678 I got out of 97df01d65f the carriage.8c08bae8e9f23736

I looked toward af2bbcacfa the source of 08b1a3470b the voice. In front 5efd6a711c of the c33b74066e Imperial Palace’s 506941f159 main gates, ece142081d a pile 0f02bb38f8 of grain ababd203a4 sacks and 8207a51dd5 containers filled 74473afc9c with food 17772695a7 had been 976b400ebe stacked neatly.bb16dcad6eb5c150

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In the distance, 7373a7081b workers were carrying 68583eddd1 the luggage, and 836180b3db coachmen were gathered, 802396e869 creating a busy 5b716bae14 scene.8007f7c5f444ba95

‘They’ll start distributing ef80048e02 the food soon.’6ae4cd517ec0d292

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My dad and I 2180582207 entered the main palace.5c722251d0da97aa

“My daughter, I have 3437cf1ea9 to attend the main 2814833040 meeting, so we must 300b824f07 part here. Enjoy yourself in 48b1c27f2c the indoor garden.”30e097f024a6d53d

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“Yes, Dad. Have a good df805054a2 time.”8ed24b3a2a0a676f

I hugged 4cbe95dabe my dad e8554deb4b tightly and 843511233f walked through 7fa61a6681 the long d8489a07b7 corridor toward 17c9a0bde5 my destination, 2f911ba7bb the indoor aa551458ad garden.d329d176de8fc039

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‘According to The Iron-Walled 73c4aea45e Princess, the Crown Prince’s fb65c58fa9 favorite place in the 6362c843c8 Imperial Palace is the abd39f4a7f indoor garden, so he b16fdf8af1 should be there.’2d28037ff4b95b43

Softly, softly.36180ae58aad6088

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I pushed open dbfdae7d0e the door adorned 647b934003 with snowbell flowers. I breathed in the 3c5d0f8045 fresh fragrance between the e8e216712b young green trees planted 80a634e2d0 in the garden.aeb3bf126a8731da

‘Hmm. Ah, the phytoncides are 03271a9102 so refreshing.’6a074fa255417c3b

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Step, step.f7be098c9a10c60f

Following the stone cedf090dde tiles laid out 38cae6cb76 on the path, 4e466fa9f4 I headed to cb137fa3b8 the place where 7a7f4e5c18 I had seen c1bcc0bfe9 the evening primrose 7659b2cb8a last time.5379416e7bc5ee95

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‘Hehe, I was 4161274043 right.’1f4212b05aad1226

Crown Prince Nocturne of cff24b7d75 the Dominique Empire was b1808d6420 sitting on a bench. When he heard 0c05e6bd65 my footsteps, his 182c89c9bc luscious golden hair, 29ec9a467f like it was 66e3794950 dipped in honey, 202dc8411e turned to look a0ebda170b at me.83bdfeecb80d5301

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“…Lady Elach!”3740885713d3c57b

His calm yet 971177d396 gentle voice called 0857fb12d5 out to me. Surprised by my cff8a61269 sudden appearance, the 58b4dfa76c Crown Prince’s eyes, 70ebdd5209 the color of d1aab4eed3 light green leaves, b2befd9921 widened.da2e195018de4460

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“I’m honored 0163a2b843 to meet d1fb60b110 you, Your f89f051390 Highness.”6ac98e9d5f3c9681

I met his 0115d0ad0b light green eyes 71ddf1230b and greeted him 65cd26c709 with the proper 888f887b66 imperial etiquette.6fade395c83310fe

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“I’m so happy 69ca4d2f68 to see you 0c370ea1ed again like this.”5bee980561c729b7

The Crown e8cf3da59c Prince’s eyes f8aa3152a2 curved into d068455bdb crescent shapes, 31fcec48b2 and the d9d004d6c9 corners of a072c92245 his mouth d356927a31 rose as e165f280d0 he genuinely 6b40fdee54 seemed pleased 544c81a574 and happy b9a59e1c63 to see 7288542fe9 me. He stood from his c9e8b04182 seat and approached me, 6671fc0a39 asking,6c4e1ecb9e13b0cd

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‘Today, he’s wearing a 932fb45aa9 justacorps.’f039b04febc443ad

The Crown Prince was 042add1b83 dressed in a soft 81f7f6e9f1 light green justacorps, adorned cce0fc2d14 with golden decorations, looking 0136649be6 more comfortable than the 260492ac11 uniform he had worn b4923a8b4b before.677077be81a9c1c1

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‘What’s this? The colors c1524fadc8 are so ec188cc36b similar…!’542ff8a380639914

Deep green ce5a89e193 and light 4903533388 green, and 6ec7fc9aa8 both with 6bddef6252 golden accents. The outfits we were 3d76f85d55 both wearing looked like 65c577c652 a couple’s matching attire, bd050aeb9d which made me feel 8a8b6a305f strange.16fe44e614ec59c2

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‘…I’ll definitely never 262bf98349 wear this again.’7ca6cd4e8faa1ccb

“Welcome. What brings you 49b23254d7 to the Imperial e52f288fd7 Palace today?”2dcf7660ce4a5879

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“I came to see cc2811c000 you, Your Highness.”496c9e017d057d5d

‘He’s probably 37a4d9031e here to 46058d5253 ask when a0c1e46bb1 the ability 36b82d9cb7 selection test c151bb53b8 is happening 270a6325fd to help 4c37c20def save my c535fb8d90 baby!’43d85a35483337f4

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At my response, 021be6021c the Crown Prince adde69e533 smiled brightly, as dd040b1c4d if the trees cb816fceee in spring had 9cd39da003 bloomed with flowers.00096cc41c3e2c8d

“It’s an honor f16598c976 that Lady Elach ffcad29939 came to see e67763262d me.”f0327f2e59b90684

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“It’s an honor for aa8bbdcd68 me as well that edff58450a you care so much.”2b4e4d19b1b65b8a

“We didn’t have enough dea6952671 time to chat at 27b92b6efb the last luncheon, so eed13290dc today I’d like to e690ad6bc9 enjoy it slowly with fd899b1c28 you. Would you like to 81442438d6 have lunch now?”1cf152d5bdab384c

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After a few 98d1709a03 exchanges of polite dbd1af8efc words, the Crown eec2625714 Prince offered me a9b331b045 lunch. Since the 60be40027e author of 650a469282 The Iron-Walled 5962ba0491 Princess was ee4e1977bb Korean, some c8d8ed52ca elements of 57923a5de6 Korean culture fe9e5a4f2c were woven 67cb212a7e into the eb49954696 story.8a5e8b31efc7d293

‘As expected, a98413c1d8 Koreans start 75b5592f0a with food. Gotta feed 83bd3724db them first.’6eaa15cebe0232eb

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“Thank you for 0d8de9f8dc your warm consideration, e03489f8a2 Your Highness.”0b8f1fa77d3fd464

I accepted 1afe08c654 the lunch 6347a1bb37 offer, and f4baef0264 we headed 779e10c040 to the 6a74420fe4 Crown Prince’s 26ce02c768 room.64ade000e2b63354

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* * *d48d7c5f06bfa26b

The Crown Prince’s 8505573500 room had large 9bf4c0b20d windows, and sunlight 876fc21c00 poured in, filling dd3e7f22ae the room. Despite the room aebb770264 being vast, it c8cc7b5a25 looked like the 15d5ba0997 light could reach 1fd826f3b5 the opposite wall. The dust in 1e2c7b96a0 the sunlight made ebca8f2dc3 its presence known.19c4a51c1045ccb8

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‘It’s warm.’a40d829dc457f916

Although the indoor garden dbafed677b had been a bit bda8eb5481 chilly, it felt warm debfa75bdc now, with the sunlight 3fcaa9bef2 pouring in. The attendants 9083115e1a and maids e8f5647280 swiftly moved e0eabdda95 the trolley b75d737303 and placed 9aa364ed1b the food 725870f7b9 on the 2a0b91f733 table.c937152a04c25c4a

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The Crown Prince and 484b75b73c I washed our hands d2e534316c in the water basin 6d69499cde and began the meal.9915a7ed1326f001

“Your Highness, I have 3ac7f4cdab a question. Is it alright fd72370572 to ask?”ad1b0624a0516f6b

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“Of course. If it’s a question 9c70f90ba6 from Lady Elach, I’m 132c8edf07 always ready to answer.”fdde7ed65d3b2a69

“I saw f06838f661 the coachmen 99e0dd9a49 gathering on 7c00a8a25c my way 77785a5c71 here. If the food 7a9aeefd4e distribution to the 3797387737 Empire’s citizens starts 4ce0a9ade1 today, when will 8fb31531b0 the ability selection 7017dc6cbf test take place?”0f2b97c9ebec290b

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The Crown Prince answered 89f9c24e7d with a pleased smile bd77c30ae0 in response to my 8a45eec710 question.8f39b4acb80e1e05

“I’ve noticed before, but 254e72f0ce Lady Elach seems very 58025ee6ef concerned about policies affecting cf410c556f the people. It’ll likely be in f267bd6200 5 days.”65ce2cff44de4f1f

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“Likely?”c80c72bc8b921c0b

“I’ve heard 7d3d922d4b His Majesty’s 9ac4150605 orders, but 26247ad40d the date 07a5269cef will probably ec81f75222 be decided 58ab51d381 at today’s 606b51277b main meeting.”5253e7dafe4d395a

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His words 7736b1f1cd made me c4157a8d8b feel uneasy. The ability e57ba5c5c2 selection test 39440706bf being carried 3c34f62238 out sooner 3b6ad79c3a than expected 1193de4ad9 could cause 28d63c989b issues that c4e5c745f9 differed from 289bd875d5 the original 164baf8eb8 story. And with only 7378feb8de 5 days left aeb0468196 before the test, dbefbdde11 after the Founding 25723f78c0 Festival ends, I b2fe88ecff would return to 9cf9f67729 the Western Marquisate.03b7870d8e85faed

Although it was 5d8fc0d557 before the events 98aec04474 of the original 37f79e8b82 story, there was 368ad09fa5 no guarantee that 152808e186 I would meet 0e028e9faa Leon again, even d4d2715e92 if I returned 483eba0677 to the capital 86c2ba6180 next year.19f14354bf8af5fd

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‘…This might be my last chance to bring my baby home.’3e67503479b5e001