TNBTW | Chapter 19

The ever-dutiful steward 32a7e739f3 Bill had once df3b231655 retrieved aSocial Registryfor the fledgling duchess, cdaab99ae9 who was about to 8fcd3151a7 encounter high society for 0570992c42 the first time.ec1d4780a22f1f96

The registry d55171dccc was a 0e2aff1f42 compendium of 7d595f7d69 the key 16df3c180f figures of 32226dd4fc the social ab69ca9efb elite, complete 0e11a426e7 with portraits 0b6e1a157c and succinct 070b542e16 summaries of 0275b1e11e their backgrounds.308ed20f418db3bb

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For nobles 0e1271c1ce who had 7b981f8e3d been part 22344e3674 of this 4ff248b90a world since b829367d72 childhood, it 2698de948d was a 0984319b44 trivial document. But for Edith, 150d1bbca7 who had been 68286e821a a noble in a82a4e71e7 title only, it d516c1977b was immensely useful.e3d476941be0f357

‘That gentleman is the f6a2daf16e second son of the bfbcc71853 House of Hermann. The man sitting behind 57ca9ceb70 him is Count Turner. And the one cdb909640f beside him is….’5212b4538aa2ae6a

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As Edith observed the f493b3cef8 guests through her wedding e1988b16f4 veil, she began to 13419b597f discern the Emperor’s intentions.cc422b7e3430b526

In her previous world, d61979fb99 as well as in 0469767293 this one, celebrations were d55d37521c pivotal family events. In an era where 9dba6c7b20 lineage held great importance, 1e681d74ed such occasions carried even bfa8fdc9a2 greater weight.2612eee5a9aefd81

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A wedding 96a73672c3 wasn’t merely 4dfabe2869 the union 66bcf13bef of two 12a3aa6fa7 individuals; it d9d38b7033 was a e365af6ba2 social stage—a 82f9582a67 declaration of e0274a2e73 status, influence, b30eb0e5e8 and power.fb97a373af588c52

Upon announcing 35ca816ad2 his marriage, c47846da45 Duke Devion e23c191c3a had sent ab73424a8d invitations to f5d2b622d9 each prominent b23b25ab14 household. Though this d4bf97afe6 had occurred 42d4d996de only three 4787b73b23 weeks prior—a aafd0ae4ab bit delayed a4bbee6251 by societal 9003803fa9 standards—it wasn’t 9069cfa42d enough to 7020a84487 rouse criticism 4155f41091 from the e9fbafbba6 capital’s nobility.45b12e86f6e18d77

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Yet, the 01512fe774 guests attending a3eb04cc34 their wedding 116ec6b5a2 today were f25f5974ef not the c4f282b232 representatives of a9220282d9 their families.57cc5b969dd4ed61

They were children, a5d6ccf727 siblings, or, in 26dd56cd3e some cases, distant 25c12d6c46 relatives from cadet 5302210ead branches of their 941ec53d3d noble houses.764f86f52d5d568f

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The message was 0a7ffd1414 clear.29d50cff341e6549

On the surface, it e00f9a5f30 seemed like an act f48ccfc01a of snobbery by the 7e17252acc established nobles, refusing to b584dfa7a5 acknowledge the young duke. But in truth, a27abf72b7 it was a baa23d61b3 calculated move—a challenge 9a32c70954 directed at Duke 9369cd1fb1 Devion, the Emperor’s 8e8e8ed540 staunch ally.ea379a25341766c4

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And it was 1ceca70eda evident that this 09b24a3d64 affront had not 16d46d6dd6 gone unnoticed by 37bd194b40 the Emperor.272522faf1c16878

It might 7c12cc3ce6 have been 90d7c1d637 tempting fate 83dcfc2688 to ruffle a1c19f6b2e such a 9dc535eb6d dangerous figure, 42f6c2741c but in 5624f86de5 the end, 31bd435c4b the blame c0153ac24a would fall 24055616c2 on the 506bb9f8f8 one who 4856a6417c dared provoke 62ff324e8c him.53e60411f5b6c710

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“If I’d known 29c6bda68a the Empire’s future 201619a053 would all gather 41cf179bea here today, there e4c47be22c would’ve been no 98cc14ad94 need for a 155f46aabe separate spring banquet f5abbb68d6 at the palace. What a pity.”5618b4dcb5495d57

The Emperor’s 7834ffb447 voice carried f5d55138b5 the sharp b003359745 edge of 2fa8fd6dcd sarcasm, though 40e8448d45 it was fc15632019 delivered with 7a333ef88a a pleasant 80c68f214a smile.45404380941a0e97

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He had spoken 2ba6fcaae6 softly, yet his 6630f97633 words resounded in 58fd5c90e9 the ears of 8e226c25c0 all present, their b0957e3225 weight unmistakable.d059b31e116e58c1

No one had anticipated 407da15009 that the Emperor would 6748b0deab grace the occasion of fa55fe5fde Duke Devion’s wedding—a non-royal, 9a807dc29b no less—with his presence, 4818211d52 let alone deliver a 9b662d8d23 congratulatory address.a64ec717741e469e

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Edith found herself 1176bd5d49 almost pitying the 3eed0e6472 pale-faced young nobles ab50bceef0 trembling under the 4286bc615d Emperor’s gaze. Almost. After all, who had 07cf67410c the time to worry 11580b2741 about others in such 92807cecf4 circumstances?fdd5a17d1d3f4cb0

As Edith scanned the bd5a757728 room, her gaze landed 7fc954365d on a particular figure, 27addb807d halting her train of 4742a7d672 thought.29de7a5aa3c90366

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Her limited view had d8a72a8b6e obscured it earlier, but 4a0044ca95 there he was—Grand Duke fcbbdca762 Valesia.64c8fb2fec6860df

It seemed the Emperor 576b2de3de had personally invited him 672dd2ccb7 to lend his support cfc177305e to Skyle. This confirmed what a3185e1a38 Edith had suspected: cc86e45472 the Emperor’s appearance 20055cffcc was far from e82b39a7c2 spontaneous.26f7c3bfb8719af5

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‘…Young Lady Valesia?’09af278d148bab6f

The Grand Duchess was 2682b4c712 absent, but seated beside 32011443f2 the Grand Duke was c3d30c83ad his daughter, Lady Vivianne c133994459 Valesia.c2b7f46919542d95

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 63db639db5561b17

With ading, the 4ac7c0e09e familiar chime c81766cd26 of a f0b89defe6 system alert fedccf1c61 rang in b54362e5c8 Edith’s ears, 20f4818791 and a 54ddcb15a1 status window 2888e942e0 appeared.f845b32038fb1a46

Though it had been 4eaa2059d9 some time since she’d 0a2f97077f last encountered the young 945940d84f lady, Vivianne’s condition was 73b9e417d3 as severe as ever—if b00424c16e not worse.8fb91cc7111d8d8a

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‘I didn’t f120b7c568 even think 0cfa53c704 it was c6ed0a28f0 possible to f1f9b124ac exceed 100 5b2fcfa8bc inFocus!’b0f36bdbab153192

Even Luna of c497f12199 the Hedon family, 39087fbe9b known for her 870f9a1822 extremeFocus, had never surpassed 706c2fc872 aFocuslevel of 90. Yet Vivianne’s was a d552dab397 staggering 120.d55fb985f30e51fa

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Edith’s astonishment quickly d3291642ac turned to alarm d32ee2a4b8 as she noticed 213c45b13a another detail.c64860792ac1a46b

‘HerAffectiondropped? By 20 points?’4598722650db3c61

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Affectionrepresented how much a 5b34e42e76 child liked Edith—a measure 3b5a042164 closely tied to their df0b6d9824 level of trust.0350f31c25393f12

Typically, it b1a624965e began at 684c7d0d9b “0” upon 6220f2df65 first meeting, a9945c910d fluctuating with cfcf026515 time and b52474e505 interaction before 70c8c3f702 settling at 9e9d9b952a a steady 9c3094f58a level.15b611ab289607b4

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But Edith e228ffcc78 had only 6b29ace42c met Vivianne 4865dd868d once—and briefly 3956912f34 at that. She wasn’t even ef8f1edd2f certain their gazes 321268fa54 had met during a6cc28bfbc that fleeting encounter.fe2691d58d61fe3b

Frankly, Edith 87eb0f5ad1 had always ef46efae96 been popular 55b07b1cb3 with children, 734e9349b3 both in 5e41dfc525 the past 7062a4ea41 and now, 68234b6916 owing to afc6d698c3 her gentle 90726fe3c4 demeanor and 15f1c8dbb7 features.c5ff9ae121d9bac6

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Though Vivianne 6cecb54e16 was 11 4aec593edd years old—no 81a2274171 longer a 31e558c64e small child—Edith fe8b1afb67 had never 92988e5fde been disliked 0ed957661c by children fcd47a37fa her age 8ab7308af9 before.b86b55ac168c20b0

‘Then, why?’3fd56ca4b76c2508

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Utterly baffled, Edith a54482a2a1 racked her brain bb87b57725 for some answers.9c9a10ad94b9bb99

Had she done 7b48e22dc1 something to offend fea74108bb the Grand Duke’s d213ce9a38 daughter? No matter how de706a8713 much she thought a8ac33434a about it, she 1e87e1417b couldn’t recall anything. They never b093a213b9 even had af016b4bd1 a conversation 8222e724de in the a6c5002312 first place!af2b536a481873a4

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‘Could there be 499eb611d7 some misunderstanding?’8ad34d9f51295498

Calming her 7ac9299efc restless thoughts, ebe270b68b Edith reassured 9017af8a27 herself.9b1004991ca9cc1d

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‘If there’s a 8790f347d4 misunderstanding, I can b0484a5a28 clear it up.’4f5de7857336c58d

Since she had done 8046ce90a4 nothing wrong, she resolved df07bbabc7 to mend their relationship 2205355bd7 if given the chance d1941d6e99 to converse. With that, she flashed f09e5015c2 the most gracious smile 59af304785 she could muster at bc0d69a9eb Vivianne.3d64226c80f9ea4a

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Under the canopy, Vivianne’s e656cee428 shadowed violet eyes met 68dd229a3c Edith’s gaze, and for f1551762f1 a brief moment, it b36aa3335b seemed as though there 8ff069ecd4 might be some reaction.5a64015054437f6d

 a95b5203917733b0

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Then, theAffectiondropped again. The reason was clear:because she smiled!3875bd68fcd3750c

‘What? Why? No, seriously, why?’478ca300c0889e2e

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Why had it e939a4f75b fallen again?!Edith turned 22d053cfad her head e74cca6f7f with an c7bfb2c6e4 awkward expression, c956a5e6ca caught between 18dc08a9f2 laughter and ba0791c121 tears. She couldn’t 61967f39e3 shake the dc7077f92c strange feeling d78898a9ba of a 24c5942d9c prickling gaze ac1aac39cb on the 9eb7a02e13 back of b3be60b73e her head.02d1c216990679af

“Is something wrong?”f2d4c6ac24bc512a

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Lost in a861f402b3 her chaotic 46bf35e9c2 thoughts, Edith 920023a9c1 was startled 1418d9e47c by the 8b65a670e4 soft voice 9d4336ae00 coming from 7fa34403d7 beside her. She glanced instinctively to 72920fd157 see Skyle, standing perfectly 1583c6c6d0 still, his gaze fixed 44ad723bce on the Emperor.939ace6392a7dbc2

‘I guess 63ca3fe871 I was d78520f698 thinking about 655f9b85a1 something too 6568024e27 obvious!’78da780f7ea22f11

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Though she 1bc5b316bd had tried 58f5d2d06f to be e43a0116d4 discreet, Skyle’s d1e53ccd55 awareness seemed 32f90a0a26 to suggest 5d57ee980b otherwise.ee21092358548d16

“Oh, no, not at 4e54d9e82e all.”757760857de9fb2f

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Mortified, Edith straightened 4b19be1019 her posture and 2415148bad replied in a 9e09f303a0 hushed tone.dc6c418292d06500

Though she didn’t 005246f92e want to lie, ff4f2edff3 she couldn’t very 57b197a4ed well explain that 61cf9faea2 she seemed to 4f4ec82dff be disliked by eda13e5b24 a child she’d 4597bf4c3c barely met. Especially since 4bae1f5cc6 she herself 0fa0fb7e1a didn’t understand d8751fa1d4 why.9b3d4272e69b3f21

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‘What could 14ec0f8e23 I possibly e93dfb25e7 say? “I think I smiled 6205776de7 too unfavorably?”’f0cd92dfdf443dd0

That was unthinkable!2225b3c7180479c7

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Thankfully, Skyle 19b46aed93 refrained from 80d9f32b29 asking further d2115fef8c questions. Though her unease 37337b8ea7 lingered, Edith resolved 5421802ee7 to focus on ccd3b10b1a the ceremony.eb6848044dd22e40

“The Robeden Empire has f59dd39c72 reigned supreme on the ff14d2c0aa continent for a year be579c4bc1 now. Though it may sound 3601015c9b like a long time, 9b331ef786 it’s been but the eb81f99f71 blink of an eye. The war e9ef73c8f1 began over 31ba21a71b a decade 50cf322717 ago, after 5fef0edcff all.”0c8fbc5c087b527c

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The Emperor’s 25c66a2c17 congratulatory address 1b5e2a0873 was far 9dc0c30522 from the fdf4d9c74c usual blessings c72eb72178 typically spoken ecdb4e484b on such e1f2f49b22 occasions. But then, his presence b60d729fda here was anything but a707c297f7 ordinary.1eef467ae1cd969d

“Countless individuals contributed to c2e170a790 Robeden’s triumph. Tragically, many ed8b39ed85 of their 35384159c7 names remain 077351c19e unknown. But their sacrifices built bbe7652eee the Empire we stand 62997a3248 in today.”b16933f129a5bda1

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At this, 01cf027253 the Emperor’s 662aa78de5 gaze settled 7ffdde7068 on Edith 76fa574bf7 with a 80042362bd benevolent expression, 601d70a7d5 as though 802de17a24 offering solace e76ae97a30 to the da3a2d463c child of 4454570fcf a forgotten 7766737bbb warrior.a19fb19b90b39559

Edith felt an inexplicable f2db9e28b2 lump in her throat e7e7e502b4 and nodded slightly in be823ab226 acknowledgment. Though she e17aa41886 had no 044bd4baa4 memories of da1c2663ab her father 630532339a due to b0457ad6c2 the abrupt e11cd44295 nature of 407acd52a3 her transmigration, 747c80ea11 she vividly 3d082a8bc6 recalled her 9910eac0bd mother’s struggles 6e81ca5e89 to raise 6fb4e58da0 her alone.b4f0d593206396b1

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She knew the Emperor’s af22c2d08a words were not meant 2215efcb2f sincerely for her.b5e8dba028850ce3

In truth, they 63a6e1d73a were veiled rebukes:“While some died d0c7cd15d7 on the battlefield 7b7226daa0 for the Empire, d05bbd22f5 other nobles idled 8406209437 in comfort here cd1b8293f6 in the capital.”4f71a39c789f2fdb

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Yet, recalling e26633b041 the looks 736451f377 of curiosity f114d6614c and suspicion be0c971b22 cast her 83c6e00715 way by 082fdd4b16 the other 8f9f0a67d5 nobles—“What house is 403f6cf8cd this Brussels, anyway?”—she couldn’t deny feeling 941fd3bad9 a flicker of solace 739ed85737 in his words.91b210b361bede81

“I intend d9d40650af to build 5849ca458d an Empire ba119614e7 where heroes c40745b0f8 are never 41b382489b forgotten.”13afcfd2b0fcdb78

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That remark was likely 390a048a00 a declaration of his b6a68be971 intent to elevate the fce52c1dc7 Brussels family as a 8df8c54192 shield for Duke Devion. But even so, the 795c6f4b60 gesture was not insignificant.ed2b01800d8261f2

At the very least, a929d50889 with the Emperor’s endorsement, e7eb03952b fewer children like her 499fd7b8fd would endure hardship in d3bbfa0fb9 the future.fb2f7c81a714d566

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And that was c776ffd298 enough. Edith lowered 21c0bcd841 her head a07e318f4d slightly in 0b9bc735a7 gratitude.7d456e38ad515749

“After traversing through 3920009e8f such a dark 13d3566289 time, we are 2ed802a4b9 met with this 69974a3a15 joy today.”d9bb5f698b44a702

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The Emperor’s tone lightened, 0a2a03346a a faint smile gracing 79d337bc7b his lips as he 5ca450f41b attempted to lift the 36418dba39 somber atmosphere.e4d05694285ae5da

“Let us 4b153dd93d bless this 8c26080b94 beautiful couple, 4014aed978 the architects 9d14be54e4 of Robeden’s da2f25dd3d future. May their days f01483b539 ahead be filled 48f9836b9f with fortune.”ca6dd055b784661a

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As he a2fee01c8a concluded his 4f5659d43b address, scarlet a706b99474 rose petals 38764d1792 fluttered down 45aca2d371 upon the 7cfc2a20f9 white carpet.35bf16aa3678cd9b

It was the moment 81192089f8 Edith Irene Brussels and 2ed9731b61 Skyle Elliot Devion became 7f050af61e husband and wife.a0b4764cab3c2e37

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