Chapter 154

I thought he’d either 7d07993bb0 ignore me or just fe2c86c249 walk off without a b71798d27a word.0fa0e2b2c5ea4fac

But when the Marquis 68a6ff357e suddenly spoke up, I 818015afd8 turned to him in 4880e81a71 surprise.397d6025ac565a90

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‘He… hates peaches?’c4b3e40936f488c5

From the dd44232037 deeply furrowed 2d61f5e8ff look on 1e67ea6b03 his face, 48f4098d68 it wasn’t e15ae678a3 just a e3b36531a8 matter of c82ebf4392 disliking the ba4042013c taste—it was 686d7842a0 more like cc3ad64528 outright revulsion.3cb44596453a2f53

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“Why…?”c4902e93616addb3

I asked cautiously, watching 41c7e5360e his expression.d184a1e92360a0f1

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“Is it because 6bccd14852 of an allergy?”44dad6a002114b69

“Llewellyn was the one b5a40d83da with the peach fuzz 6bf462a062 allergy.”fce33d3598645e28

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That’s why the fuzzless 8766a1f952 variety was developed in 16770766d4 the first place.b0f96d879c38b416

Shhhhh…b27ba18eec120716

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The Marquis 60da2309f5 murmured bitterly ce9681ac7d as he 0463ff09c8 stared at ceef9764db the ever-flowing acfcec9765 fountain.b18aca3cda753b95

‘Llewellyn…’31f232f870c1f4a3

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That was the c5ebf10fe9 duchess’s name.a292684db170720c

Born and raised in ad529fd1ba Tebron, she’d been famously bdb074b31e fond of peaches. I hadn’t expected 5efcbec450 this.44b1c8638c8a42d9

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‘Well… Joshua has 9954225ed3 some fruit allergies 6d3192641d too.’5a67b6461af90bfb

Most memorably, 351d4a41dc apricots, which 057a7390f6 gave me 40541461e4 trauma I’ll 7f6d01cccb never forget.487a6735b00b932f

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As I 228fb0b18d recalled that 7f45d5ca48 episode and c4aaf7bbbd winced slightly, 0b3c6a2b0c the Marquis 4addf919f6 also scrunched bbc1ce2750 up his 11f13213fb face and 2a60de011d muttered,a22ed9fd38db49c1

“When I c33f608d92 was a e299a918a8 kid, I ad836e9772 choked on 5cf02bea27 a peach 644bf1f9ef pit once 9b3b85690a while fooling 2f27a96c1b around. Almost died.”93f805ba9552793c

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“Gasp… a pit?!”46d68111d046ee39

“Yeah. And that’s not even 8df1fb335c the worst of it. My father went out 7468a66a9c during a stormy night 1527ab8ed6 to check on the d146115ff7 orchards and was stabbed 2fe508934d to death by a 2d66bece48 drifter stealing the harvest.”6e818eba59ba15ad

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“Oh…”22532522a973a5d3

“And the wife ddd6380f9a who supposedly married 718d8c3181 me because she 9c78f9d1cd loved peaches—she couldn’t 2707808c01 even look at 0ae1b624ae them during her a67db8e953 cursed morning sickness, 735899fbab then died of c2c1676ac2 postpartum fever.”36f67f6a6d0e6b25

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“……”94a9503cde44764b

“And Llewellyn, born 0d84798c9e after all that, 495da46c29 suffered horrible breakouts df8955743d all over her ebc15449cf body every harvest 8e9e81076e season because of 16bc6508aa her allergy. So yeah—when it comes 20c010865f to peaches, I’ve had 7cc095869e enough to make my 86849409bd skin crawl.”10a54fad9a61753c

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The Marquis 4a5741eb34 spoke in ac8a2bbca5 a steady d6e4abd009 voice, listing 5413f02839 his grim 8be45bf961 memories, and 27893ab2f0 a heavy 801c9369c0 weight settled 7ae0dacc5d in my 6e9b834bd5 chest.c761764c17f49ab8

As I fell 436f58d172 silent under the 848ca027d2 somber mood, he 07147993b9 muttered to himself,e8b408d3f381e622

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“…All my memories 582b2a5b4a of peaches are 77f4f2f179 wretched.”6a5d66b25ac2e15d

“……”49c4310384c0b320

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“And the one 7bc5040860 who changed that… 2432cecf91 was Llewellyn.”a0b3719df08cda8b

Was he remembering d03c37ceec her as a 736c6af1b2 child?335223f7b1e112ac

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For the first 6214f53bab time since I’d bf1ccc0852 met him, a a21728e7bb gentle smile spread 06d7eabd81 across his face.dfc528c298651dc4

“That girl… even though 6e71adbefb she had an allergy, 7e1dc98a4e she adored peaches just eab261b09b like her mother.”22643458ddaba50d

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“……”cbdaa2288eb5a900

“Since I wouldn’t 42ba768ac0 even go near a23c9c178c the orchards, she 933167002f handled everything herself—from 2a29e6aa49 cultivation to harvest, cc8fda3249 sales, distribution… the 304dc07093 whole process.”8d2f0768e3601658

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“……”01b31b4ff17bff4b

“And that 833e86dc50 wasn’t enough 867f23ec7c for her. When she got older, 2b7bde8004 she started trying all 917fab3cf2 sorts of ways to 198bd2aa9e get me used to 6914ec49e4 peaches. She mashed them, juiced e14bd3c5ce them, baked them, fried fdebfa7474 them… She did everything 058e013e55 you could imagine. Thanks to her, our 702cee223a domain ended up with 544cd73769 all kinds of peach-related d184e0ef69 specialty goods.”c36b177924fdca3b

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In a voice 1e16d19ac5 softer than I’d 0b52409f04 ever heard from 8961003fba him, the Marquis 36c165b0a6 spoke of the 8dcbd29f13 past with such 4e32aa70b8 affection that I d8f22e1c2e could see his 9c6827ae6e happy memories come 5c782665c7 vividly to life.bde4b4484caa6197

She had e06dd7df19 been the b68e1bce86 one person ac5acb3452 who could 1021d5d835 make a 85fe828a41 grieving man e1c3a744d3 smile after 12633ec3fb losing his 1a66995976 wife.2a6b8f9807768165

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I didn’t need 4522d2837e to see it 354e0b146e to imagine how a0fe5a1667 sweet and lovable 72cfe85150 the duchess must’ve 1ff9ad86b1 been as a ce8d0b77c9 child.0c4bff5d382f9d24

As I smiled 9194ef6247 without realizing it, 46ab468468 the Marquis gave a0ea62afbf me a sideways 225b106ab1 glance and added, 2ee70652b2 almost proudly,565c810366b0392e

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“She was 04a87936ff the one fc0f63d469 who made dd8f692de3 the fuzzless 5b045d02b9 peach variety c15f0f9b45 too.”516d7c058b47cd39

“She’s amazing! That’s seriously so cool!”d557ee71524abff7

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I had been 6c7a017fb8 quietly listening up 0166040911 until then, but f0b15d29bc I blurted out 53090509b7 my admiration without 03740bd085 thinking, and the 31ad663e38 smile on his 769fca2333 face deepened.e0a6b278d1da2093

But it 8229aa7318 lasted only 6dcfe27a85 a moment.d1008240bb065f86

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Suddenly, he narrowed d3ef919fbb his brows again 6bba371d31 and muttered grumpily,dbd7f88290391309

“That precious 26e6404e82 girl, who ab4d98bf4c barely left 1b049b5ec0 the territory, 9825fbe7c4 said she 178bd564cd wanted to e668795fb9 visit the 58b2aecb49 capital for 78dd379f5f some social 876eda56d2 experience—and then 2b40f0f45d came back c8c9a0bbe5 saying she ee69a6520f wanted to 7c570c6279 marry some 4e54be7aa3 punk she’d 5a46468395 met there. I swear, it shattered c28165f4e6 me.”81baf102bdb9d024

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Thinking of the duke, 3be052612a the Marquis ground his 6011b4e7d0 teeth as he glared f130e31e37 at the air with 13b189394c fury.811bfec98b3244b1

“That insolent bastard!”6d2117bdadc51fbe

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“You’re right, 37d48e8767 you’re right.”34488685f26c5c40

Sensing the shift in f401f3c5dd mood, I quickly chimed 5118536d4a in with agreement.c0b1278a2e1540d0

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Fortunately, the a3dd97212e Marquis continued, 235a57bb2d his expression 22b1fb0521 a little 23a9df092b more relaxed.0ea22773702af21b

“Losing my wife was 382de4b705 bad enough… but when b16049d502 I thought about losing 617dec6e6b that girl too, and 42958e788d being left all alone ceb3b90f20 with those damned peaches 12c33d8634 again… I’ll admit, everything b55cc8fa65 just went dark for 3f1a1232b5 a while.”8ca6d0bdd6c99b9d

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“Of course! I would’ve been heartbroken 45e769d0af too.”8922de2fcec78273

“You would, right?”e6f4281c8cd5712a

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He looked momentarily comforted 5c87123718 by my understanding words.038d8e2cf565c815

But soon bcd188f77c his shoulders 10dfe36270 slumped again, 5c4d912c11 and he 44beaf17c1 muttered,6a0b4cd7aeead973

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“But they say no a402be5907 parent can win against 9e768e5a03 their child… What could 9e222627c7 I do? That sweet girl 9e9749e969 was so insistent.”8eda58a049527d15

Stories of dbcaf1c801 the duke’s 575ba4b8b2 marriage and 01c342884b the Marquis 7369a5befc of Tebron’s 7ec62ea189 fierce opposition 8496712065 were still 396cb32a44 talked about a2c1f491a2 to this 6a9adfc517 day.1339daa8998cd554

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I wasn’t born f55513c45a yet when it c9a51464c8 happened, but it d3c2cc7b55 must have been 99e838a9d7 such a scandal 8c86de08fd that it shook 36c773466f all of Erea.1d69b5ead3683b4f

“Still… when fb37e9bbbe I saw 0130a8261b her living 60ad00dcdd happily with 74769876e7 her child ada04b637b and husband, 2407808dfe I started 74428a940d to ease 19832b99d1 up a 969403b6bb little.”6dfad8cd603cdd72

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“Marquis…”3d8fa35afd7085ad

“I misjudged 53eccf4880 her, thinking 87bc8711e9 Llewellyn would 8ef60c2c9b leave me 9006af2335 for good. But that 44412d3c2f kind child 6f3e654fe4 kept inviting 628d9e6cec me up 3c2e210623 to the e2ec3e4faa capital, worrying f3a6a362b0 about her b77b308295 widowed father 7b220ae31f rotting away 4492c9fdd0 in the 4149364a1f countryside—even if ffbeccf7a7 it meant 1c9fcc84bf dealing with 4a6960b3f5 her husband’s e97c603182 disapproval.”cff2f7857a1f2fc0

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Of course, I never 0959c1a1c4 turned her down and acbbc5f272 visited as often as e227538809 I could.5bd88ef2b12fa3f2

The Marquis’s expression turned e80c9b106a a bit mischievous as 763ac0d51b he added that last 7b6393caeb part.aa5ec813963b3bf5

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I couldn’t help but 1beb818813 burst into laughter, picturing 2d6f84de7b the duke scowling while 576211a246 the Marquis shamelessly barged 8260eb7eaa in, stirring up trouble.721cba718c14308f

Seeing my reaction, 673c2cab43 the Marquis seemed beef6348da delighted and began b398d40a41 to speak more 7be7aa78e4 freely.081f5bbb14a1f1ff

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“Every time Llewellyn brought d2bf3883c6 home a bundle of 3978b2a34c peaches, she’d whip up 0cae06e50a all kinds of dishes 26345389e4 just like she did 5fdc0cfc05 when she was little. If I efcd5b728d refused to 8f2ccc3bdd eat or 69dd4e170e just picked a84dc032d3 at it, 85bd0b8023 the rest 75e36949d6 would go 1c43b59b1c to that aa5476e143 guy.”50e33f1b5267b6de

“The duke?”bd56c86f9162c820

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“Yes. But he 45c7cecfcc doesn’t even 836baa3638 like sweets, ef8576fdb7 you know. I figured 2f57759691 him out 78c6ad68ae the first 8b2902c8f2 time he 1d4ce2a59b came begging 12ae9386ad for my fd96a8c0d2 blessing to 07181ab662 marry her.”586dd550851fa085

“That’s true! The duke doesn’t 949147c208 like sweets at a964fe0d45 all!”fb602c61c8bc2ef7

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“Right?! But back then, he dedd6d3815 was trying so hard 4d8ea6e28c to impress me, he be00a5e05f couldn’t show it. He forced a0914e4726 it all efee883497 down with 57446f1852 that stiff 45efd47404 expression of 1e9c6988db his. It was hilarious! Hahaha!”639e2c19becd2463

The Marquis burst into fd90ab135d hearty laughter, clearly amused 53f0d06584 by the image of f9d1ae45f0 the grim-faced duke choking fdd8d1086b down peach tarts.cced18cb5e75274a

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After a good chuckle, 7f82984b3a his smile slowly faded, 4c128d716a and his gaze drifted 2713b0c394 off into the distance.24ed229ac8bb01b3

“Tarts, madeleines, Mont f83b3d3f3e Blanc… She was 3e576d33b6 always so excited 9e53549f9a to bring me f495c6bbe9 back these strange 9299104bbe new desserts from ceafce4389 the capital. How could 73b4a23a61 I just 19241bc5f9 throw them a5b76a76b8 away without 39adbff592 tasting even e7707e21ff a bite?”52a0d8f74bb36454

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“……”ca7bb3eb88ab7fcc

“And that’s how those cb37cd3cf2 ridiculous rumors started. That the Marquis 36f8f707be of Tebron was c122bf64e4 obsessed with peach bb032b9b1a desserts.”3c6e39b658fd774f

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“Ah…”cd4f8b2a3d16cebb

Only then did I b9522508ed truly understand why everyone b27dccbb03 in the ducal household e82f3ffdda believed he loved them.9cf1184933ec9aa3

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It was ff70c8cb10 because the 4c07df64ba duchess had 0b1a7ec3dd poured so c1547c96d2 much effort 5b32f5ff00 into healing 30ab5a1ee2 her father’s 8eb2752526 trauma.9e68f91e0333df8f

And at that realization, a2ffde222c a new thought crept 6cfc258f89 into my mind.c8d4cc6dcecdc5c3

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‘…Maybe the duke was a9308d6364 messing with me.’5b8e9f2f2a51dc3c

I suddenly remembered the b7bdf4576b playful smirk on the f63c61f4e9 duke’s face when I aba01dfb4a asked what kind of f6a02fc5b7 food the Marquis liked.0942449148e9f077

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He had 591d21276a lived through 1f6bf99c3b that past, 19eadd9a5e too. There was b01c846d0b no way 82b8281148 he didn’t 4442de7834 know about cac662b86c the Marquis’s fb78235c33 distaste for 995a7169c1 peaches.015ba1a548523219

He must have ca3730b769 imagined the Marquis’s 487f6ab204 reaction when I 423a32fa8d showed up with ae90f14138 a peach Mont 52e0a91acc Blanc and decided 298d9f755b to pull a 6749e2576b prank.49844ce35b6a1a0f

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Unfortunately, he hadn’t aea0aceec1 realized it would 9487e03771 poke at such 561e51d6d0 a deeply buried add07031f4 wound.c7efca7829b1bdf2

“That day, 32a6d30d5a too… I a16fe85d74 was just 7795bfe3cc about to d78bbee14c head to 61c99adf25 the capital 950b442a55 with a 4683d4b829 cart full ba6a553219 of fuzzless bf67e59bc8 peaches.”ce99acb8586b7aa0

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While I was c934552cff distracted in my 6a149e33d2 thoughts, the Marquis’s c73ac179f1 tone had turned b2c80ccb41 solemn.b5bdc388e5e28e08

The faint 136ba94fa1 smile had 638df5eeb3 vanished, and a04ba9854d his face, f5d413ecbc so full 327968f4c4 of age 7d3ecb8442 and weathered 9cac783bbc by life, 7f32cec6e4 settled into 3354ad8861 a deep fcbb857955 quiet.3bc6e4e4653ed1b5

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“Then out of nowhere… 0a3446cfb0 the news came that b2aec622db she was dead.”db90bb72e7e52dc1

He was 40e5c2d30a speaking of cfe1fede3f the duchess’s d13d8a2339 death.7dca10382fe63179

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I held my breath 2b94d53927 and listened, knowing instinctively f9c6309da2 that this was something 3f39779ab4 he’d never told anyone bb29f9b1d2 else.32efafb61efe72ff

“She was weak, like 26366566f2 her mother… I know 99870a1b34 I wasn’t the best 97cfa1175a father, but I never 82c5011452 thought I’d have to bf2e3e589b bury both my wife 998312bdb0 and my daughter.”c7e96772b617ec75

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“……”cdacae4ff1bd3c10

“I was furious. Heartbroken. If you take 419f27be9c someone’s beloved daughter, 000dca0c37 you damn well b9449745a2 better make her d57458ff7a life one worth 72db33a289 living. But those cursed a0208eb9e2 Kallios bastards… I 7943f9cb06 didn’t even want 09edce935d to look at d956b35bd5 their faces.”ca10b1cf43d9e9e9

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“……”8418dcccf9f97e44

“That’s why I ce018f5276 didn’t show up 2e5865ff70 when I heard 69ecf65e79 Joshua was sick…”a84962ace0f43999

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For the first time, 5ed53d2295 the gruff and sharp-tongued 802a3af9d0 old man looked so 52ea56c27e lonely and small.0d6f56a1f3c5e8ab

“Truth is… I ee00e365c0 was afraid.”bad2bbb63054c808

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He spoke again, 6884cc4c2f his voice quiet 6850303b1d and worn out 281bd8c47e like someone at 822ab798a6 the end of 3fd2794b32 a long race.0d6aff4f969df927

“I’m too old and 2b513417cf tired now… I can’t 2b834f2b10 bear the grief of 470247e4f6 losing someone I love 5d0aedc3fb anymore.”30a1adfed5da44af

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 d71a8da1248e6496

 7c9d9e4f6b6c8186

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