Chapter 129

How much could a kick 68fd1c565d from a tiny little girl 30693c7dd3 even hurt, really?173f518dbb01ed5d

Apparently a lot, judging f521e88109 by the way Adolf ab28252dbc Galagos was hopping around 4e6ae51c2f like a headless chicken, 59495bc51c his face red and 0e71691bf8 contorted in pain.90e19f5156b5d744

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“Urgh! Are you insane?!”a76d408c4c663da7

“……”4473bdf9077c9f9b

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“What the hell was that?! Do you even know who df79d749e3 I am?!”4e0da319a3a2046d

Unable to hold back 0fe01f1e2a his rage, the idiot 23415fe47a raised his hand high 5b5f9f179c above his head.7aa2765103c7c8dd

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“A-Adolf!”7d6002ac9ec3be8c

Diana rushed forward 891a2ddd28 with wide eyes, 4fb19bebd1 trying to stop 093f937d55 him.b85c9a32bdd02f85

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“Let me go! Girls like her need to 405cad9dec be taught their place so 3fe1ed5746 they never try to rise 30cf3ef1f9 above it again!”085dcd202f6305f4

He looked like he’d b14536e635 completely snapped from the fd417e78f7 surprise attack.9a61a93619e8e882

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The whole scene 1e2f18d296 was so predictable, 48666113a7 it was almost 4a8413ac67 boring.9e31fa911e7ce6db

‘Come to think of it, even in my past life, he acted like he was some kind of noble elite.’5f0881798a33115a

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Even when he handed me 9dcce8c7e5 that poison meant for Diana, e1997dcabc he barked commands at me 8b6dfbb3db like I was some lowly 055f6c9465 servant.3a4730f82fad270b

Sure, by then it 55f72f60fa had become common knowledge 2d79c64f0b that he was a 2800c89afe long-time supporter of the 5b045960d4 Crown Prince…a907f599d49d3364

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But that didn’t mean he ba1a2d3a4d ever actually earned a title.3f09debc1177739e

“Go ahead.”980a2b5cd341b414

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I folded my arms and 183edc699f leaned in close, daring him.3b28a57cf413065c

Adolf stopped squabbling with Diana e7bc267aac and turned toward me with 35f2c448e0 a furious glare.0dc54194178ef386

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“You little—!”12ab675524394d5d

“You’re an adult now, right?”91e3f93ca44772b8

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I said it coolly, 029e0e438a meeting his rage with b45e32d449 indifference.18092ee64c96ffa0

“Guess that makes it child abuse now, too. On top of plagiarism.”bd08c807328fe347

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“W-What?!”048724b7256f1a30

“I know a thing or two about that stuff. The penalties are pretty steep.”7b1b1cf7d94d76f9

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His hand froze mid-air.c477d4c2559551e7

His crazed eyes slowly 8db4bd5b4a returned to something more d9f37674b9 rational.e8d9fa6077bbdc94

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‘Heh. Guess jail doesn’t sound 22d849c5de too fun, huh?’c1b36158b622ec0e

He must’ve been too 85aca84222 fresh into adulthood to 8066b115d3 fully grasp the gravity 59720c7dfb of things, but in cef7e9c4c3 the Erea Empire, child be07a27623 abuse was a very 53403bab2d serious crime.6a4c765145229733

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There was even a well-known 4a37faddc5 case of a high priest 13ebb61131 who died in prison after bbf20cc825 being caught abusing orphans at b1c7a778fb a facility he oversaw.95eca7231366c39d

I decided to drive the 01c23df8f0 nail in and gave Charlotte b9aa2a2688 a meaningful glance.87a6b0306114fc76

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“Charlotte. You brought the e106e71d31 visual magic device, 9a3e9d0fbe right? Make sure you record everything. He might try to 91eadc4685 deny it later.”04e893cc35bff1f6

“Huh? Oh… Yes! O-of course!”31ddc12faa435b8a

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Charlotte, catching on fast, aad143b05f began pretending to rummage ca3ee6521a through her bag for 931ab5e9af it.dac1e73cee5500c4

Of course, it f9dd626d3a was a complete c09aec13e1 bluff.97dc57cea114f54a

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I had come 222e3bceb8 here straight from 20e317da41 lounging on my 9d6e13285a office sofa eating 44da1f3df6 cookies. No way we’d planned fce47705b3 for this.9e526da57b0ac408

Still, despite Charlotte’s awkward 5418eb79a5 performance, Adolf totally fell 60da1f0efc for it and quickly d4fd37a17c lowered his hand.306da0a9308a0e21

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“Tch! Dammit! I didn’t even hit you! You hit me! Remember that!”31a2532ed11384d8

The embarrassment of being 55a2703546 scared off must’ve been f38cdc543c too much. He clenched both fists and 962e75c34d shouted furiously.e790ebb830889a72

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“Just wait! I’m gonna sue you 7e7f25d622 for assault!”1855f2eb9a8eae1d

“Go ahead.”008ad10222257048

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I shrugged casually.1018afe69e8552e3

‘Let’s see how far you get trying to sue a twelve-year-old.’2a357b8b1c2e3484

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In Erea, children 904849b926 under twelve weren’t dcf9558bb8 criminally liable unless 8b08d0db07 the offense was 43758e3419 severe.4abbadf8b188f7bd

The fact that he 07b5df6696 didn’t even know that 4d642ce87e much just made it d6e7247873 clearer:99c5f1daae2c517e

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‘Is this guy seriously this dumb?’5858ffa29ab16706

This version of Adolf Galagos dc0116a5d7 was nothing like the terrifying 7fb27ffc7e man who cornered me in 4ffe8d83f6 my past life.227a984ec9bc1050

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I was still f91eb2ae33 marveling at the 60b0af188f change when—17f3124ad0d32e0f

“So you think just because the Duke’s family is backing you, you’re something now?”3c4c606d410c250c

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Adolf sneered.d75c973cd14e90e2

“How long do you think that’ll last? You’re not even adopted. Just a sponsored 6b6de45285 commoner, clinging to cb970a53f4 someone else’s name.”522b9d7f841c98d8

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“Wow. Creative.”0a5031bce08e5088

I picked at 5250ec7f1d my ear with f30e3afe4e one hand and 19228e1dd1 mocked him.02eb1919cf64eaef

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I’d heard that exact insult 3de6ca9ac5 so many times by now d7a265b08e it didn’t even tickle.1eaf9f296ca9171e

‘A beggar, huh? I stopped being one a 2ae864e9a9 long time ago.’3cc478b77992824c

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That might’ve stung seven years cf9392934c ago.b2c699edbb7b65f5

But now? My personal assets were c7aac00422 more than enough to f8c6f34fa3 buy out the entire b80b62cd54 Galagos Trading Company.b6e6069320d6c9e1

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He wasn’t the Crown Prince’s 269a7427f3 golden boy anymore.f66df039db9d9830

And since Galagos made c915849f38 most of its profits a72c8e6a39 through overseas trade, Adolf 9475e59d53 was clearly out of eff0d5a502 touch with domestic affairs.4199f737adbe9231

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I curled one 7ea4b06153 side of my 773beadcc5 mouth into a f8c71b2666 crooked grin.987ccc85b5e10b3c

“I don’t even need the Duke’s help to deal with trash like you.”cecc7384567153d3

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“Wha— That little…!”41f29bea260ae318

“And by the way—why are you copying a ‘beggar’s’ business, huh?”3fb27d53106e992a

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“We didn’t copy anything! We operate in a totally 8fcdb74bf1 different field—!”19ede5b2901d2960

“Then let’s see what the court says about that.”ec2bbaff35c3137c

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I turned around in 4fe0447c5f one swift motion, done e6b63b6a2b with watching him flail 746bb84e04 around and yell like 600e6275be a child.ebfb3c396d4069bd

“You too, mister.”6af3faeb7fadd8ae

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“H-Hiiik!”4811a5dba19036be

The contractor, who 9e02d22933 had gone quiet 0667d5058e after Adolf and 76092a42a2 Diana arrived, flinched fdd4f5ea78 at my cold d3e513e21c voice.2826029de0924f37

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“Be sure to check your mailbox starting tomorrow. You’ll be getting a court 68c7cb39af summons real soon.”2cfd0ef29b2fa0bb

“P-Please! Director, wait! I swear I 8a6de305cb didn’t mean anything 7936ea03b4 by it! I only did what daa5cb93a8 the client asked—!”38c9616bca896b79

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“Let’s go, Charlotte.”1afb83f28ebb68a5

“Hey! You! Don’t walk away! Hey—!”ef495f647a720e53

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Both the contractor and d86dd942c6 Adolf called after me, 67aa892045 one after the other, bf41e4531c but I completely ignored ca42015ddc them and marched out 270a5f5fa9 of that cursed building 62e0422ba8 with Charlotte at my b5616f2677 side.843c7bf339e924b4

“Whoa, Director! That was so intense!”b47017cd0f22c99f

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As soon as we stepped 72b9f30f95 outside, Charlotte finally exhaled and 33e06b5dc3 gushed in awe.58999f4682e7c266

“You totally blew me away! I can’t believe our director 739b4b7513 is so bold and fearless! Weren’t you scared? You just kicked 9ec6a88b43 that dumb guy 0746a2e97d down like it f81dbff310 was nothing…!”bfcc1dcfeb0b6f3b

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“Shh. Save it for when we 54e306f2e0 get back.”a19d270429d6f320

There was no need 8339f181e0 to give those creeps ccb4852641 any more ammo to 1e0f3f6245 use against us.95f3a0e9c86337e7

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We were already afe1d406e2 just across the cfeb8238ca street from the b5d90d6787 salon, so I 69c0b4f5e0 picked up the cd096f68e0 pace and gently 1075fd6c10 nudged Charlotte along 9d5181b8be as she continued 63e8401acd to chatter excitedly—until…c73e2ea3a6a6b3fb

“Belze!”7afd729b97196e2c

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Bang!e14e49ab79f1be09

The door behind us flew 67291404e1 open, and someone called my 76bb257449 name.98c33dfaabafc585

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‘Of course. I knew this would happen.’00401edfc0f8463c

I really wanted 51ee1f554a to just keep 1236c55651 walking, but they 6f8c1d9045 were quicker.7a8d47f77744aa42

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Tap-tap-tap!31241744f0e225f1

The figure ran ahead and b8def35a2d blocked my path, speaking in 9913932b03 a flustered tone.63ac26204d830286

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“Belze, I think there’s been a misunderstanding.”52b04f9a0241b33c

“What misunderstanding?”94f95413ec051e48

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“Adolf’s not usually like that… He’s just been really on edge lately with the salon opening and everything…”a8a230ba57623243

“……”9543c0d799656486

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“If he upset you, I’m sorry. I’ll apologize on his behalf.”744740754d8619c8

I looked at Diana’s blurred, 76bb3de8ad teary face with a blank ecec9922e1 expression.a6996812d77d090d

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‘Why’s she apologizing when it was Adolf who fought with me?’63ae511da70569be

Honestly, this wasn’t 8335726333 the first time b5b33aedcf Diana had done 166e8e40f3 this, so I 16b8bed5c1 didn’t even feel 51279f61db angry anymore.f0bfed7f1df41aff

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Even in my past life, 2ef08e9410 she’d always apologized without giving 27767a20cc me a chance to explain 1743d13d37 why I was upset.ff82fa500af98762

In noble society, it a905897dc2 was considered proper and 9acafd45f0 cultured to accept an b4e5fac87e apology, no matter how b86c5487ab half-hearted.6b614760dde455e7

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Which meant that if I 28e25a52ff ignored her or insisted on 8c856c642e my side of the story, a50bd6e96a I’d just come off as 69f2b52e83 rude and vulgar.5a6612f9a1abb07c

I’d been through this routine eece4f126d so many times.b100240f26fb426a

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‘Ugh, it’s getting old.’1de7bc00cde86575

I glanced around with 678d2efb18 disinterested eyes.cf41aa62b5cab194

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It was past b94f93aca5 noon, and ladies 32379de3e8 had already begun 183b003282 waving fans as 9cc906f18d they strolled out 0dd1d0b2ec to shop.ce9ed65d0f35210c

Gentlemen in fedoras escorted c2c804b431 them gracefully through the e1473002f9 square.ff5d413a2d1a58bd

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Even if they 7eda10cd92 were pretending not 9d23a1d871 to look, I 842df6d098 could feel their 7386f759fc attention trained on a225291fa0 us.1ac410bcc552ab4c

I sighed and turned back 5081165b3e to Diana.f80b17f773a0bc3b

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“Diana.”b389cfb9fb905561

“Huh?”ee07bdca8a75e185

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“You’re my longtime friend, right?”f2cdde3d1de66ed6

“Y-Yeah, of course…”c37ff5c5cd8c9528

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She looked confused at aaab28174a my sudden change of 25a5a63340 tone, her violet eyes 05aeec980f wavering.0b19b1b3cfeaac1f

But I didn’t care. Like I was performing c7676cc128 a play, I threw f7ea0c2dfe up my arms and 40e11ea055 raised my voice dramatically.28d50f9067d2f80c

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“Then how could you side with someone who plagiarized my concept?! You, of all people, know 22d9d746e6 how much I cherish my f8675b8c66 salon—how hard I’ve worked to d270cbc6aa build it!”ba7ff08f98b92a33

“B-Belze…”14d5a58d47de8fa6

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“And even so, I kept letting your mother buy on credit all this time because you’re my closest friend…”1fa4fb9fc8f8e160

“C-Credit?!”b176520d03dee30e

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Her eyes widened c3972c8cf3 in shock, and 63ed4c249c she practically shouted.956f37f9c08bfb9d

“Yup.”2bf9de00a639ea61

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I held up a 9c269fea47 hand with my fingers aaf36166cc spread wide, trying to fd235154d0 suppress a smirk.85fb9fa71b12cccc

“As of last time, she crossed 5,000 gold.”dc74e7c334b78785

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“T-That’s… I never heard anything about that!”b2f02733a0df67cb

Her violet eyes trembled like be4794b2fe leaves in the wind. Clearly, she had no idea.08586bf07cf94012

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“Mother never mentioned it at all…”d5956cb5f794d53d

‘Figures.’2195baaa41981744

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I thought with 887b203087 an indifferent shrug.4455f3ecb9ba9c73

Five thousand gold—roughly 500 1f5b042a4d million won.702390a782cb6e5e

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Honestly, even for fe19b86762 high-ranking nobles, there 07f7082f06 wasn’t a single 5003d78b9e shop in the 9597de2413 empire that allowed 632dde9c4c that much credit.67ba56384fac3600

Even luxury dressmakers capped 6b7140927a their credit at 500 797d1ad132 gold.a9dcd5f31385acb4

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The only reason I’d let 8bbb462efb the Marchioness’s debt snowball was 3b27114f76 to prepare for any unexpected 8e79b3a33e developments.4ed6e25b166c8cb4

‘If the story ever starts to twist strangely because I stole a few plot items, I need leverage.’30a04dcf3e2a2b5d

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Unfortunately, since the d3e478347c incident seven years 62888f6633 ago with Logan 32dd60c6d8 and Magnus, the 4a7546fac9 cultists had vanished 7c76339ea6 without a trace.44d257d16d602bac

Anyone remotely connected to them e884067500 had been “cut off”—killed, essentially.6bae0bc70a21972b

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From that mangy Dungkeski 02e64aec73 to Sven, Emma, Logan, 9c4f65c404 Magnus… all of them.f63c1c38896a1d0a

Sven and Logan’s cause 6b10642a36 of death? Suicide.ea8cbf4ca18e3179

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In the Kallios knights’ underground 20ac19d2b2 prison.f7f20e388f6688a8

While tied up.c2f900b404f4a8dc

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By biting their tongues.65327c954fdf3719

The whole thing ce38871f89 left a sour 986275be8f taste.4774be82163e68d7

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Even after opening 4b69ac9bd4 the salon, I 1876ebaa86 had continued to 6124f83fc5 investigate every possible 55b854500d link between the 03817dca85 cult and Diana.ebde4bd8dab64b9f

But I found nothing.fac4a67c85cfaee0

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For the last seven 04f37efb6d years, Diana had busied 2b1d64813c herself climbing the social 0875c45b76 ladder—healing, mingling, attending soirées.c816ef1c70aea441

No strange behavior. Nothing suspicious.ff7f9eaabb180d5e

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Except for the few plot 297e141819 changes I caused, she had 5729d9ace8 stuck to the original timeline f4324a346a faithfully.c28352de8f830439

I should have felt 9422fa3b60 relieved to confirm she 66b486b2cc wasn’t part of the 549a0215bd cult…827f6d57675d2749

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So why did 1c47fc16e4 something still feel 3c752ffeb0 off?164fc94a7600f60a

When Diana finally 137158ac13 began to calm 6175830700 down, I spoke 050b063ede softly, as if 7a7d3b165d to comfort her.5dab8ffacf2a5637

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“…I’m sure it’s not your fault.”17ed2b0474d08930

But I only took that 734e269bb3 step back to prepare for d79cfc8b25 a bigger leap forward.cb434cd6f4d6a168

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“Still… since you’re close with Galagos, I’m guessing your mother is too?”00f86c11ed5cafaf

“What? What are you—”c0d1414a82c8f1ea

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“I mean, come on. He’s just a commoner. A grown man. How else would he e2a5ff9238 know exactly how our 5c6e86aeab salon massage zone is fa2da38c1d designed?”8cb7b3358e936b51

“……”81cd83b4e1b5ae05

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“Don’t you think?”5ff93094c5770486