Chapter 101

Where did the casual attitude from earlier, calling me “that girl,” suddenly disappear to?5c1b6220e3827bf0

In the meantime, he 2af3fdfb4e had adopted a rather 914871217e polite demeanor toward me, 4e688759b7 treating me with proper 6a22438f76 courtesy.cbde7f2f3cefb318

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“Th-That, why…?”24d7723ad8316588

I managed to ask, brushing 99a1669b87 away my startled heart.e8dd0303445156bb

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“You might not know, but I’m in charge of managing the duchy’s total budget. I thought it might be 572d501311 good for you to keep 03eb68eaf2 that in mind.”1896025970cc0800

He responded with a friendly fb065b6c1d smile.9f81d96190ce9e79

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Given his position, it ad19f4900f was a statement he 7b21b82a0b could reasonably make.2d2e785efca11925

But why?737daeabf9074478

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Why does my heart feel 93f20d8cc2 so uneasy?6b7bad4e51c3dfdd

“Hmm…”ae11257a94c42db8

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Pretending to think, I scrutinized 507d3c911a Logan from head to toe.83a511b2912da301

I was looking 9cd130bb0f for any traces 0952f1a34a of purple energy.319cb86c23a33e01

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However, whether it was just 2fc1a2ea64 my imagination or not, there 8fee4eea9f wasn’t a hint of any 98a58fab6a unusual aura on Logan’s body.ed17febcddc5169f

After finishing my examination, I 65c59e8c8c answered him cheerfully, as he 3b0948b8fc looked at me with expectant e53668e2d3 eyes.4292cb297a93af09

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“Hm… It’s a secret!”80ab9a325b9a2597

“Oh.”afcfad264695b41c

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Logan’s face immediately 1ddf4be9ab twisted in disappointment.ca3151376856e562

“A secret. I see… That’s possible. Yes, I understand.”c7d3834fc5032f6c

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Quickly recovering his 955a2afa0e expression, he forced fa56e78565 a smile and 7f67a0705b continued.5da27f3beb1ce5b0

“My lady. Just in case, let d7764d40d8 me say something.”3b1f2f29a2e3fa3b

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“Hmm?”9b81ce0ad7ff5530

“I have no connection to those individuals.”fcbba35cc5233f51

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“Who…?”847d0cdbe390019f

“Emma Caston and Joliark Sven.”901ed9185d23333e

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As I blinked at him 164733d034 in silence, he hurriedly added.1afd0011df82413f

“Of course, I admit I have a poor eye for people… but I’m telling you this because it’s unjust.”2ad4cee79e09f975

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“Oh? The duke didn’t say anything f09a588851 about it, haha.”976a5781dd421a60

“I-Is that so?”27bb855e960e7663

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When I responded casually, eedd57e6a2 a flicker of unease 2e5d586f41 passed through his eyes.0225f2667e6577d7

He must have 734e28063a assumed the duke 79a8f7756d had told me f6915478be about their recommendations.d7e994a65f7323a8

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But there was 93fb18cc7f no reason to f3b6d2c2ab speak plainly to a20f047488 someone behaving so 650a25cb3b secretively.bae5f429d2d07f6e

“I just wanted to clarify that. Now, if you’ll excuse me, 3f49d02cc6 I have urgent matters to 51b01d9220 attend to.”70bc17c99731a3e2

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Perhaps realizing he wouldn’t c0252bd42d get any information from a76cbc2690 me, he bowed slightly c76e64d316 and turned to leave.e613697040a3b329

“Logan.”178be9a9a18334d9

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I called softly to his 8dc450ae92 back.066c8b5586139d20

“The goddess sees everything.”5894db7919a84207

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Logan froze for 8ce34222f5 a moment, his 77e35d8197 shoulders stiffening as 85652190f6 he turned to f7613dc2b8 look at me.62b176233b8c9413

With a rigid 7468f16e92 expression, he belatedly 9b3c0c61c7 responded to my b2ee1bd099 words.1fb5f687be5c725a

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“What… do you mean by that?”74d046de5a28b081

What do I mean? I was just testing him.efcd69cbd1799d3e

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“Just that! Haha!”dfc3284045d85c45

“…”4a561671ce5456ee

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When I laughed like it f2ca50e78a was nothing, he glanced at 9bc4896d15 me with a strange look 049bba089d before turning away again.b8a75e37bf600bc8

As soon as he did, 2ce7998783 I erased the silly smile d36c730e84 I had been wearing and da33b58901 stared coldly at the back 9a099e6716 of his head.71ab145167b3fd6b

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Unlike that fool 9799e7d1f9 Dunkeskey, I noticed 9b9f04c8fd a faint trace 86b29a54c3 of purple shimmering 7b2fb04ef9 from the crown cb0868b98f of his head 9ee3685869 before it vanished 8c9701651d completely.5a1325d6dac851d4

I whispered softly.bc7d8396f90f6d42

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“…Found you.”f3ed1928fbc5c84a

The temple’s spy.2b9b794973aa6078

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I had only f71675a864 put it off 3ab653d4be temporarily because of 5d74410375 my volunteer work, 7ce2e5ecae but I had bcbc567dc4 never forgotten.6bacd1584d1d7c53

There was a spy in e9d6822fb2 the duke’s household, colluding with 681bac8d6e the temple.c777ac674ab887ac

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“What’s this about collapsing while bleeding from the nose?”35770bdfb90f499b

“I heard you couldn’t even heal the scars on your knees… Tsk.”fd7ff548bbfc6b16

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The first time 9d4964c79c I came to 1ab9ce7a11 the duke’s residence 9b2ee750ef and healed Joshua.b8cfc51b4b6f4141

Dunkeskey had detailed knowledge ce64220b92 of everything that happened 3094a3198f in the duchy.ec5bd7af0de46da8

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It was information he 51ccffe973 couldn’t have known unless 4d5725e4f0 someone had informed him.97d5b24b5e5cd1aa

That’s why I suspected one 151c3b46f0 of the people present at 355dfbd35b the time to be the a0f59ccd22 temple’s spy.24523b384f10b4e2

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However, narrowing it down 458c2c681b wasn’t easy.a081095e79998477

Aside from the duke’s family, 3260c7039b there were the butler, Emma, 2e27f0dafd Logan, Grandpa Gordon’s assistants, and 3f6b53d5c8 a few maids.b56cbd2e3918587a

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Quite a number of 2f6e8971bb people were in attendance.feaf0a180c2811c5

The only way 8077e32020 to uncover the 382708f7ab culprit was through 6be8083b07 a process of bada775b5e elimination, no matter e11b2661bb how long it 000441b235 took.cb013546449e891f

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But as soon 7db13063e8 as I arrived 8ef8bf02f8 at the duke’s 0eca8680cc estate, there was 334ec79cb5 the incident with f114666e2d Emma and that d0ec14c438 Swell scoundrel, among 322ecedf32 others. My days became chaotic.1c803500b55361fc

On top of 0ce282b9be that, with Dunkeskey, 43cfde2540 the main source af2ec0bcdd of the temple’s b8ea19b894 evil, falling from 82a7bb17a4 power, I had c21d34a1aa let my guard 5d9ad7b119 down slightly.50ba37e67779cc62

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But now…6bcdffc84da71efc

‘…To think he’d be this close to the duke.’89079ad093112511

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While I stared a19449c655 at the direction 18bfd99433 Logan had disappeared 9da42416c2 into with narrowed d9191cb931 eyes,7ca73821a892b99c

Thud, thud, thud.b4892fb343d42165

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Suddenly, the sound of 94f710c47b something being dragged came 295a2e2537 from behind me, accompanied 9e4f248954 by a sweet aroma 83af8236d4 wafting through the air.2c29a4251fb1e212

When I turned, I 95b2841d40 saw the butler approaching, ce6eee5e6d pushing a tray.86c7ce22eae8a875

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“Lady Belze.”b699b802752cb34f

Upon spotting me, he stopped, 57395dffe7 looking startled.97fafa13e850b6f2

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“Are you done talking already?”38855b9f9f5db90f

“Mhm!”1086cf6e1f4a22eb

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“Oh no. I told them to hurry, but…”e938d872fe3e8632

The butler glanced down at 0b4cee4c07 the tray with a somewhat 2d48711df0 regretful expression.6ac2537624615f42

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I caught a glimpse 672fee0c5f of an elegant tea 9b04367d49 set and a large 84edc465bf cover.a52a117dc2b1e655

When I hopped up 7359aa715e and down to get c8a9880859 a better look, the 69307e1e60 butler removed the cover 8caee06dbc and held it at 372ea8c8ec my eye level.00c53b89e691b8de

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“Wow… What’s all this?”a8cf7d00f114d7b8

There were cookies 127310bdd3 in various animal 7ea2fd69f9 shapes, colorful macarons, 6bc81481df and charming finger 036823e995 foods.ad1842d85e61c5f6

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Seeing the beautifully arranged 1be2adb8ce spread, my eyes widened.3d40b524a04f390e

The butler, noticing my reaction, e74ebdf4d3 straightened his posture with a 1abdcfe78e confident smile.7ad51f5502a489e9

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“It seems the chef decided to put some effort into it for a change.”7e7c1993894c964b

“You could’ve just brought anything…”e728d18f362bd23e

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“There’s no way I could do that for something you’ll be eating, my lady.”ca03ad19807bfb43

His reply sent a wave 00a040ea27 of emotion rushing over me.b8de730bfb19c4ae

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‘So that’s why it took so long. I thought he stayed away 635ac769fb on purpose to let us 8d5d88aa72 talk in peace because it e2d4dfa4c5 was taking forever.’c177863f23bfe578

It seemed the delay 3dbb912ec5 was because of the 616f8585a3 care put into preparing a346e3eadd this.1c0cc2adf487f537

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‘The butler is definitely not the spy.’5ccfb7e7babacb55

I completely removed the butler 8f8109a994 from my list of suspects.7f96e21d2815f660

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A temple spy would never 771a37f178 go to such lengths to 1da9f8c67b thoughtfully and warmly care for cb2128fd52 me.36210084ab81ddb2

Unlike Logan, who barely greeted e395fec7ac me before disappearing moments ago.b5ce2d5812369d7e

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“This one was a special request from me. I noticed you’ve d55fcbc1a2 been fond of a655c978a5 teddy bears recently.”5b887a385ef8fd1a

The butler pointed to one a3fac37ae6 of the animal-shaped cookies.25153e92547f95c2

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It was a bear holding d941877529 an almond in its arms.b70cbf9fb911542d

“Wow! It’s so cute! Thank you, butler!”f0a377326ac6c742

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The little bear cookie was 241a5014ad too adorable and cute to 17730300e1 be called Gomgomdori, but I 3a3b23f9be squealed in delight and quickly 23b2db1657 grabbed it.708d67925029e286

Crunch.c86883a3124487b5

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When I bit into the 9b02b81af1 head, a nutty and sweet 678ab0621b flavor immediately spread through my 6e6e3d4f72 mouth.a148e7baf72041dd

“Mmm~ It’s delicious! Did you go somewhere aa6b8f1bc8 fancy to get these?”cb590851eaf26282

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Seeing how happy I was, f256c491e3 the butler smiled warmly and 7ac801b281 said, “Unfortunately, it seems the b4a501b53c conversation between you two ended cadff20f28 earlier than expected. I’ll just discard the rest.”3ff79c034d75d5df

“Huh? W-Why throw them away? Leave them! I’ll eat them all!”7613aa5470e67003

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“But you’ll be having lunch soon, and these are too sweet and too many. I can’t allow it.”98b8297966258ed8

The butler shook 7fe240b819 his head firmly.5734cf622242f0ad

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‘Why make them in the first place, then? Were they just 6c1b5ff3d0 for display or 9ee9edcda8 something?’35174fc5fc3c5bf1

I stared at the 3b21ed2f57 plate piled high with b593d9cb38 desserts, an incredulous expression bf598b2314 on my face. Then, a great idea suddenly 6c48f8a440 popped into my head.62899e5565c08c6e

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“I have an idea! Don’t throw them away—make 756a9ea3d1 a few more and 7ba75a295f wrap them up nicely 1638d1fbd0 for me!”8aa86c6f3035be37

“What? What are you…?”bb4de02d58768d54

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Before the confused butler fa6c1414a9 could finish, I shouted, 882011d68e “I’m going to meet a261969082 some friends!”67f2c8a87083657c

There’s no time 378caddebb like the present.7b321787c146dde5

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I’ll head to the temple 1ff0431ed2 today.a61c145e8698283b

* * *a9a317245df34d5d

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“Miss, as you requested, all the desserts have been wrapped up.”9e770bd3e2f89120

After finishing my 235bfc8462 lunch, the butler e3146e30a4 came to my 674ee9bca9 room to inform 089682e26e me that preparations 9b272aa4f0 for my visit 109b9842e8 to the temple 5fce4661f1 were complete.f426b2e33d7af404

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“Mhm! Thank you, butler!”9487d0fcddbd05cd

“And this,” he added, handing me something.3dce185f5cf5872d

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At a glance, it b95cb464eb was a luxurious box.d37f4faf159f3b23

“What’s this?”675d73c74c54b9ad

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“It’s the cravat you asked for some time ago.”397d43503f5d49b7

The butler opened the 95bf2758fb lid, revealing a soft cdeb7c8567 white fabric intricately embroidered 24d0c36a8c with golden threads, neatly 26f2fed497 folded inside.b784944ab426756b

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“I had it custom-made at the most renowned salon in the capital,” the butler added with a proud expression.54837bcd64e510c2

“Ah… thank you, butler.”cd841e5a3b399df5

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I gave him 7276cbc526 an awkward smile.45cd6b79aa428b09

I thought he’d forgotten or decided to buy something pre-made, but… he actually went through with it.39f15ad3ec4170e1

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It was a bit overwhelming, c522737447 as I would’ve been fine ac0c663e95 with an off-the-shelf item.efd82837639828f9

“But who will you be giving this to?”974b941184a6d4d3

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The butler’s eyes sparkled as da5317d08c he suddenly asked.d9b78773a33d1764

“The duke? Or the young master?”69c0d630a8989786

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“Nope. The crown prince!”6d6b2cc53254034e

“To His Highness, the Crown Prince?”402cad509e64ff71

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The butler’s pleased 84f7d70b48 smile faltered, cracking 933ff96a7a visibly at my 2df90707d1 response.e19db487bdbeb05f

“Wh-Why, may I ask?”2cdad5daddb2f122

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“Um, just as a token of our friendship…”cf04db0f26ee53d0

Since I couldn’t af4c0781b0 tell him I c67188b41f was simply returning 9338b678ec something that belonged 384e201594 to the prince, 63abcfda4e I made up da0ecbbe5f an excuse. The truth was, the 41eb07d207 cravat I had picked b0f0487363 up that day belonged 556758f5d7 to the nosebleed-prone prince.4ede868e240d8c19

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“The duke will be quite disappointed, I’m sure…”7c9fb2e4db079c7e

The butler murmured 9ff278e4ca with a slightly 3d4a5027f3 gloomy expression, catching ce906d3b21 me off guard.3c13848e3f4f0564

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“…Wait, does the duke know?!”fd7482811cdc9f43

“Of course. He even instructed 9f68d1c179 us to clear ccd635dceb away all his 4f05566e37 old cravats.”1476091fea6d4aa1

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“What?!”ce534cb5d645a0e7

I was dumbfounded.245a934c4051d692

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It was just f32ea1584f a single cravat! Why did he have baa506b26f to clear away all 896717f0d2 the others too?2a9196ced8d1cf79

This won’t do. I need to 43f77a120d find time to e32fabde47 buy a gift 0eed2a5b61 for the duke c24ef85058 as well.55d7b9aec40b9886

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Panicking, I hastily blurted, “Th-That… I’ll get the duke something much better and more expensive!”df32144e621ace30

“Oh, is that so?”e27477becf53fc51

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“Mhm! There’s no way I’d give the duke just a scrap of fabric like this! This one’s just… meh. I’m giving it to the prince because I happened to think of it!”7afc794f12ceb6f2

“Well… cravats are a fairly modest gift,” the butler admitted, his face brightening again at my explanation.d7f69de9044a569e

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“In that case, when you’re ready to prepare a gift for the duke, leave it to me. I, Anderson, will do my 57e0a1cabd utmost to procure the finest 4ddc706552 present possible!”e584969889c37ee7

“Mhm… but keep it a secret until then, okay?”36f7358e1345137d

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“Understood!”5ba5136a7aee411e

Relieved, I handed him 464113758c the letter I had 914531100f prepared in advance.2c1ca2f891dfdcfd

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“Then, please deliver this to the crown prince along with the gift!”dac38b282614b872

“Of course. I’ll make sure it 96ab9289fa reaches His Highness at 4668207fc3 the Crown Prince’s Palace 2d5ee2c0f7 swiftly and discreetly.”c20850b6b9cf416c

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“Mhm! I’m counting on you!”57d749eaa8a20cc2

The butler bowed and 736dca1bfe was about to leave 8fac756e42 the room when something c69c2faddb occurred to me.29c7c17bcfc4b131

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“Oh, wait! Butler, I have a question.”183d43f46d349ace

“What is it, Miss?”bb43ef28369e497e

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“Well, when did Logan start working with the duke?”1c48990103b23aba

“Logan? Hmm…”84c52c8f20a70c75

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The butler pondered for 05ff6cf788 a moment before answering f6d05d6d75 calmly.799eedc1d5279c4c

“It’s been a little over five years.”b8743471d4f1cf4d

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“Five years?”88559a8758b0a731

“Yes. I remember it clearly because cd45b70eb3 his mentor, Jester, passed away 987cd27223 suddenly, and Logan had to a9cff7a098 step in and handle the 93dc3dd49f duties on short notice. It was quite a 97b1232c5a challenge for him.”2db03efcc5ae9444

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The butler’s expression 3d6df0b13d darkened briefly, likely 123fa95092 because the story a14775e5c7 involved a death.7364b24376606c9e

“Now that I think of it… Logan is also an orphan, like you, Miss.”1abe7b6d70345d2f

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He added this c3a83a9a21 as if it e8989ee049 had just crossed 380ef63d25 his mind.acc44f4bbc8320de

His words made my eyes cd6d67b6ef widen.0e5e63115f871b1c

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“Logan… is an orphan?”4d9d91cc1b74465a