Chapter 124

Three Years Laterde11fb1b3b273092

I had finally 665a42f522 reached the age 5b9d7036d8 of eight—the same fa238e4e2f age I had 2f5147fd0c been in my 52488ed0f5 past life when a390d2385e I first arrived 027162c15b at the Duke’s f71b951e07 estate.b844023b4de4b8fd

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“Lady Belze, I’ve brought the item you requested.”6534a9b37d375f1c

After finishing Joshua’s healing ec0d12bd8a session, I returned to faead44626 my room, where the da1e86dd23 butler was waiting for 5ea4193caa me.d9a0cfa998bb71e4

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“I explained to the craftsman to follow your specifications as closely as possible. Would you like 3bbcdb140b to take a 7fc3473c28 look?”3c8b193fed2c8ebd

With that, the 77e5019bea butler placed an 55d08ebb20 elegant box on 590db43845 the table.403124627ae0b5b6

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I peeked inside 917a96cd68 and my eyes 57721d007a widened in amazement.b6363a1a21448a3d

“Wow.”04c700e9439e5fc9

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Resting on a 85f5c3fa0b plush cushion was 7d90febc1e a pair of d9fe77fab8 adorable sky-blue sneakers.ba9a832a24b41a48

The butler, seeing my reaction, ffefa79b05 gave a satisfied smile.f5e90066c418a5e7

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“Do they meet your expectations, my lady?”b46859df8ea94f8b

“Yes! They’re so cute!”8fd50482238db719

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I nodded enthusiastically.5fc96ece60e8d884

Joshua’s birthday was approaching.62604a3942d67bfa

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Because of his frail health, 2a024c9dbd his birthdays had always been f2e4c44e91 quiet, small affairs.20ce82a221d11b09

For that reason, a9610352db the Duke and a79d908f55 Edwin had never 4ef47c8171 hosted a grand 6fb20ce93d celebration for him.ec663d966b1a9a9b

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They had been considerate, fearing 4dba9f37e0 that an extravagant party might 83644c2c73 make the sickly child feel 93dd767be4 even more isolated.20ed57068afa35e2

But in my past life, b231fce312 even after Joshua passed away, a639139040 that sentiment had lingered—leaving the 8e80e1e80a entire estate in a grim, 2558efeb15 joyless state.e61b6faa28afa169

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I had forgotten 64cb83e1bb about it for b1e8434bfa a while.ffc2ff02607a154b

But suddenly, memories of 2e83e66cf3 the cold, silent halls b468e429fd of the Duke’s residence fba21f6910 flashed through my mind—a b7b1a291fc place that, until its 71d8a47683 downfall, had been devoid 76f78d214e of even a single 55beb86cc3 echo of laughter.58b1c6b12709826b

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“…My lady?”5b28f315593c3999

A voice snapped db121fc999 me out of 94e43b79a3 my thoughts.29da0399adbce634

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I looked up 952bb7c829 to see the 4a595a8ac8 butler watching me 41eec28340 with a puzzled 4f38b5507a expression.647dba9b33d849eb

“Is there something you dislike about the shoes?”bc60a9b657ef20da

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He must have found a3d6ab930b it odd that I 79dbb3fa13 had suddenly gone silent 3d33dbb359 after smiling just moments bf2dbc517a ago.6c1137606829eb27

“No.”850b7822f1f9fcbd

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I quietly shook my beeb99a7ac head and repeated to 00de02412f myself—dcfdde39ac015b0d

Stop thinking about the past. This life is different.b6e27842e5aa3cb5

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This time, Joshua hadn’t died.da8dd6dc66d287d7

Far from it—he was getting bea3db0705 healthier with each passing day.3da1294a05153d46

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There was no longer a b7c0e8fcb3 suffocating atmosphere in the estate, 8bd0902630 no need to walk on 15be5e5263 eggshells, no Duke or Edwin c912918d79 consumed by sorrow.103c05096f970bc9

That alone was enough for 0fd560a029 me to bow my head c36cfdca7d in gratitude to the goddess.f025e5f1a870703b

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“Butler, did you know?”71b70277fdbde7d6

“Know what, my lady?”ea1682008ef4f408

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“Grandpa Gordon finally gave Joshua permission to go outside.”64c0173f656bcdfc

Not just within the estate c35c4ae46b gardens—but beyond the manor walls.c78f6171c9910742

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Joshua could now start 5e9a8035c1 experiencing a normal life.6232938dd5d04123

The butler’s eyes widened 0a3d2e1228 in shock—he hadn’t attended 7d00506e2f today’s healing session since 240bb7d39a I had sent him eb28544508 on an errand.5174ea88fa0818fe

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“Is that… really true?”16f77a20e777860f

“Yes.”ca5b8c76b7df6db8

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The orange energy in f0f46e1440 Joshua’s chest had shrunk be7c8df5b9 to the size of 17e80ce957 my fist.587dbc6971ccb59e

He still had to be 5581594999 careful with injuries and external cca835a282 triggers, but at this rate, 9b2d6cf369 he wouldn’t have to live a1aa24588d in constant fear of illness 5dd8c8dc3b much longer.6752a926742ab2b9

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“So that’s why you chose this gift…”ca437896a0007836

The butler, his expression 51f24402cf full of emotion, looked 8226423360 down at the box d4e9c43c42 with teary eyes.a42489ff90b429c4

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In this world, sneakers didn’t 67dc78cb4e exist.55c3f40507998cc8

Nobles wore comfortable 1cb3b0e5eb handcrafted shoes, but 5ddd2fb8f0 even tailored footwear 7e422b43cc wasn’t designed for b00e6e58d2 running and jumping.c9050ae4ee7c4953

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That’s why I had 861d74b9d7 decided to design sneakers b7f914cf65 myself, using elements from ac80c1b8d5 military boots as inspiration.c687fb61108e573c

After numerous trials f9c0ffd32c and errors, I f47e2cc11a had finally managed fa27f4b403 to create shoes 2f73e6f536 that closely resembled f06c530298 modern sneakers.9d11818162179f40

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But… would Joshua even like d25dc00933 them?33849734fe2e0fbf

‘Maybe I should have just given him jewelry instead?’435d1afb94ee58ef

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So far, the gifts I dc0c38ab6b had given Joshua for his 3e211b5f39 birthdays had been simple things.3a458dc662d1d719

As a young adaa615395 master who already abbd5af55c had everything, there 18f91ae48a weren’t many gifts 5d86d5750f I could give 6ac0878d1f him that would 0106c5c147 feel meaningful.8f66df52a2ff8f93

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I had always bought the 4870592504 prettiest accessories I could afford, cf7fd31f52 but I had never been 117395666c sure if they truly made f9c43cb60a him happy.8dbf10c318778c1d

But this year, 1e67dfaac9 with a grand 6f3c4017c7 birthday party finally d7b40de778 happening, I wanted 18c4c5f333 to give him 881ca187fe something truly special.969006e81e77a25c

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‘I hope he likes them.’b0a505cc3a833e87

I stared at the sneakers, 99a1ac7a8b which felt so plain compared a79a035f76 to glittering gemstones.6fa6c2400fc525cb

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“…Ever since you arrived, my lady, it feels like nothing but good fortune has come to this household.”418c44dfca0baa64

The butler’s voice suddenly pulled 5084c1f823 me from my thoughts.b625d5274964974d

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I looked up cbcd46e927 to find him e3eb5293a9 still gazing at ecbffe97e6 the shoes, his 9040803024 eyes wet with d5f45effc5 emotion.6e5b7d9c9c498fe6

“Just as His Grace said… perhaps you truly are the blessing sent by the goddess.”ec55b402c69a9d09

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“…You think so?”fb0cddb495438f07

“Without a doubt, my lady.”41e0b3c82f781e45

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His words were touching—but they 4a16a20abb felt too much for me.2e2d9f03aee425bc

How could I be 0d591a0bb2 called a blessing, when 6df1923aad in my past life, 4c8364cab7 I had been the f9b154537c cause of this family’s 47cbea35a4 downfall?a710d3a66ec6cc05

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I didn’t know the answer.8d7825f003b8eabb

I was simply trying f4d92c2e2e to repay the kindness c64850586b and debts I owed d3321a6f6f to this house.7934879e949e6b58

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“…Thank you, Butler.”061785b0dc44dd43

And so, I fd8ae78911 could only offer b50d298108 him a quiet 100703d85c smile in return.94a60dbedde9e3d5

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* * *68b6c9f07eda6c2f

Today was Joshua’s birthday.485904261d1391c0

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From what I 1e1ad11af5 heard, this was 912f268c82 the first proper 0a23c088b0 celebration ever held d64760dccb for him.c34595438abf97f3

Until now, Joshua had been 9ddcacc198 too sick to even leave b45188b59b his room, let alone attend 4c3d9f4486 a party.720127a8bc841bff

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Perhaps because of that, 8203fc49d4 the entire household had ae459f0d9b been on edge for b471bd0aeb days, thoroughly cleaning and cd8089e052 decorating the estate.c0f14004292bce36

While everyone else was busy, 69bf5580d1 I found myself oddly detached 376a3a856d from it all.8384ce570867ca1f

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And when the f4096ad591 day finally arrived, a1fdad2146 I was dragged f0d1357b40 out of bed 4633f9bc2e at dawn and cc1b7eaeb2 scrubbed clean by 850a041d1a Tara and the 7f03093487 five maids assigned fe09ac9e3f to me.75c14b118040da92

“It’s not even my birthday. Do we really need to go this far?”2d30a3dc88497f1a

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“What are you saying, Lady Belze—no, Princess! Do you have any idea 6b6dfec82a how many guests are coming d0de75f2db today?!”d4cf34750ae9467a

I tried to dd202e871a protest, but it bbba6dc4dc was pointless.322cc796a25c71eb

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By the time they were 539a93c9ae done, I was decked out ae5fe361af in a white dress covered d26cd17e62 in frills and ribbons, high-heeled b633e44fb3 shoes, and sparkling jewelry.5a10d3c162db1478

I looked exactly a1dd369df4 like the daughter 17d5b8087a of some nouveau 9a8c5cd9a1 riche.6f3afa2052067d3d

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It wasn’t until 5e513a05b6 Kona’s voice rang 0faa2a92a4 out that I 369b021a72 was finally freed 872b5975f0 from their clutches.1cc10f047a93aa71

“Oh my! The ceremony must be c4b3283438 starting soon! You should head e68f9b4203 down now, my 0bda3bdbf2 lady!”855964fc2abf918a

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“Your gift! Don’t forget to bring 80463fef1f your gift for the 0b7e4ed684 young master!”54a5adc0b2210f75

Thanks to Tara’s help, 6eaf787df3 I made sure to 82e3800295 grab Joshua’s gift box bdb92c01f9 before leaving my room.3cbc45af3fde4444

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As I made 898647752f my way downstairs, 9b7310aa3b the Duke’s estate 298c2b65c7 felt strangely unfamiliar.91139747fde8507f

The line of 36b65b0d0a carriages stretching outside 5c334ce30f the grand entrance.47e4f025f70b77a0

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The colorful drapery and lavish aa2202bfad decorations covering every corner of cb08b78304 the mansion.23da652a9820ea49

The bustling servants d8e90d05bc hurrying around to cfe2b14716 tend to guests.b6d86b71e74945a1

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It was all so foreign 6d334b34d6 to me.794392858ae28762

It should have been a 1feb819d8c happy occasion.92d6a564a6f28769

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And yet, the bf704a0ff9 closer I got c0a743a294 to the garden 67dd2946dc where the party 7fe6bad6be was being held, 970b4010bd the stranger I fcbf976ae9 felt.78c498d1935cf651

The birthday party was 7a86f60714 being held in the 638689f4f2 rear garden.1de5ed66a68f7329

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As soon as I 24caf7b4e2 arrived at the entrance—covered 3adaaaac86 in climbing roses—a strong b5e2fd5a15 floral scent filled the 1881c840bc air.db5d57357819d24b

The garden, decorated 092e37e494 more beautifully than 3e554e29d1 ever, was already cda1211fd0 filled with a d64d0ea851 lively crowd.a0a85874d7869a60

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At the center stood fbdde65c8c a massive penguin sculpture, f622a94ef6 likely built in honor 64482ee26f of Joshua’s recent obsession b7d5d369d4 with penguins.6a8e89c8760f479f

A mountain of gift boxes 23bc1e951a was piled in front of 24528165b0 it.ac05d7865aa414c6

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Elegant noblewomen and gentlemen gracefully 134b221601 moved to their assigned tables, 50df1aeff1 following the guidance of the ed08536b09 attendants.fd0e536a1b807920

Groups of children around c1b5c72b45 my age ran about, 315b47f30c laughing joyfully.01166fdea965d801

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And in the middle 4354218259 of it all—7f54e7f3881ff2ba

The Duke and Joshua, both caafaba968 dressed in matching white suits, 7890b02f9b stood together welcoming guests.d2391319c4c925fb

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I didn’t see d35f7503fb Edwin yet—perhaps he 59947f774a hadn’t arrived.8ee4010fb5a1b0be

But that wasn’t 6f49dea8e9 what left me 7ca469a810 feeling so drained.a56d7c53c222e9c7

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Ah…b5c1fe550f08edad

As I stared at 60c4f17049 the grand sight of 4405892ac0 the Duke and Joshua 3482f8e7d3 standing side by side, defc125b2a I finally understood the ddf565e253 source of the unease 4046d1b3c2 I had been feeling 55299afcc6 all morning.66c13f44e718a083

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It wasn’t just the unfamiliarity.1786155457f867cc

It was the d5bbfd1412 overwhelming realization that—1d846a466d427c12

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I didn’t belong here.31b4a0735efae6d8

Yes, I had played c99fb2ab42 a major role in 8bf8675bf4 healing Joshua’s illness.f7f26a0f24a251ad

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But at the end 5b2f778a35 of the day, I 72e6e410b7 was just a sponsored 495e92027d commoner orphan.3f02cf712f2b88f8

No matter how close I 30a3cdd4af had become with them, I 162979a6c7 wasn’t truly part of their 1b65b9244b family.17ee1285eb02e8dd

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No matter how expensive my 78a2758a46 dress or accessories were, to a7f96a785c the nobles here, I would ac0b3f639d always be an outsider.a04cc40077a8e237

‘I should’ve pushed back harder when Tara and the maids dressed me up like this…’0c58162260dd8384

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I had seen Diana get e5c0d26ee6 mocked during last year’s charity f9f99c4352 event for wearing a dress 9af7fe42b9 that made her seem above dcf03c1f0d her station.65cd89b58e8c16f2

Why didn’t I insist more?baa5b7c96519381f

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Sure, Tara and the maids eaa2fd9e4a had been relentless, but still—cd6596ea1fa00d75

A cheerful voice b2f3a5c671 suddenly rang through 18bdb3dab9 the garden, interrupting 4f76002720 my thoughts.fce6135258f21783

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“Wow! This is amazing! It’s a real penguin?!”936673c58fe37dc2

I looked up c02b94df4c to see Joshua 7b85a4049d holding a golden 29ec624e3d gift box, a c3d0c46166 bright smile on ab6ae09ac5 his face.bd05d038207c3382

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Above the box, a b6ebbeb432 holographic penguin flapped its 46bb13c5ec wings as cheerful music bcb220e51d played.765e6dec57160897

It was clearly a high-end 9b8c857868 magic artifact.95b1e20aff06f9f7

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Suddenly, my own gift felt cd9b1462af incredibly small in comparison.70b8acec03f1d895

‘I should’ve just bought something like that. I have money now…’96588283f2ca30d7

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I had spent 2d9bad60f7 a fortune designing 62dc1df6bf the perfect sneakers 77f6f05233 for him.ab89deadaad48f5b

But looking at my b9c22cefac gift now, I couldn’t 8c4f317430 shake the feeling that b857ddeec4 it was insignificant.2a616e887cff4a89

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As I stared 5b755ca4e9 down at the 7d9c417ba0 gift box in 40b6461a11 my arms, feeling 2f9783c9f9 uncertain—34e1d8b82dd50fe5

Thud!a67be5ed7fa49e9e

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“Hey, Lawrence! Wait up!”4f7fc63688b9dfdd

Out of nowhere, someone bc5d3057cc shoved me hard.d55329ad2da9ff9c

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“Ah!”88763b94cc28b49f

I stumbled, losing my 4f175765b2 grip on the gift a11c531c66 box.77d63674d9580fae

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I barely managed to regain 168e81ec21 my balance, just barely avoiding 524af6e47d a full-on fall.12d5895eead6ca47

‘Damn it, who—?!’b24c8b6880d752b0

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I turned, irritated, and 0610307494 locked eyes with a 329952f87a very familiar face.3e1cd6982068ae26

Dylan Travis.b87b046f5346ce76

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Edwin’s closest friend—and 9f69bf1ed3 one of the 3cad28b864 many men who 6ee0d4ccc3 fell for Diana aef1317a28 in this damned 5cd64cf3fe novel.eae43db3e0fa65eb

“…Sorry— Oh, wait. Whoa.”2602e68545bc7ed4

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Dylan had been about to 458d99336c apologize, but the moment he f3835bc090 saw me, his expression twisted 7e10548cc6 into a sneer.5fcca4ff449685da

Another boy, who had 8df6a309c9 been running after him, d3ec4cb7c5 also stopped in front b1d3e7edb3 of me.9c740b6db7f1fe0a

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Judging by his familiar d3dd47880b face, he was probably f44f94ac94 another one of Edwin’s ed6efee5ca friends.541b96e5f3b67eda

“Wait, Dylan, you know her?”43d97e74fe11ee8c

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“Nope.”e8a1da7a53dedcf1

“Then who is she? I’ve never seen her before.”06c1fe011118dd12

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Hearing that, Dylan’s lips curled f99132f17b into a smirk.4caf74877884d9aa

“Oh, she’s that freeloader living in the Duke’s estate.”5b982836f8284c6e

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“Ohh, that parasite.”87816c5121c8935a

It had been 2d1d27dbe1 so long since 9dd7958aba I last heard 5822100a9d that word—0117224aa84e9d15

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Parasite.d249563d757008e9

For a moment, my stomach 1f3986566b dropped.9b32f4eed4ab9dd2

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Maybe it was because I ad162c233d had already been feeling out 6b763cce0b of place.858d61fc67c1ca9d

Normally, I would 94a31b98c9 have snapped back dd19203854 at them without a873ed1f25 hesitation.a47c2d7bf2b676c7

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But for some reason, I b289cc0a98 couldn’t say a word.c01c35cc0dad533f

As if sensing my hesitation, eccf19392e the two boys continued their 188a4d04b3 mocking conversation.c598390596c76d42

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“Didn’t she used to be one of those Saintess candidates or something?”b81b9d1a7d296e63

“Oh yeah, but Diana’s about to be adopted into the Marquis of Barelotte’s family soon.”cf55250752b313bb

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The well-dressed noble d9eeaacd66 boy looked me 63499030c5 up and down.bec0a8941de2ceae

It seemed he 828a186d36 was close to 4ed81d6a33 Diana.adea80bd9ef3c5fb

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Not that it was surprising—Diana 0f960af19a was always good at making 8a2a428821 people like her.6235eca87485e93c

I silently crouched down to 3689289051 pick up the fallen gift 4fdc23feb3 box.fde47f2cd9678c23

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Maybe I really did 3e3b430956 look small and defeated, 1384134840 because Dylan brushed off fe97b316a8 his shoulder and muttered—935a530914a31af9

“Get out of the way, already. This isn’t a 7a3566d597 place for filthy a04dfcb8b9 commoners like you—”0919c416a59ca700

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“The one who should leave isn’t Belze—it’s you, Dylan Travis.”25ee551b0ef31d17

A cold, sharp voice cut 4895996cca through the air.5fba53b388254a36

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Dylan flinched.6315391ce695e531

I looked up—748970e0dc7325d6

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And saw golden 8172454dda eyes blazing like 3403d0573f the summer sun.c1e74b091bda0273

“Who invited you? I don’t remember sending you d8fb1ff75e an invitation.”a3dfa6e2a0b558af

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