Chapter 41

I let out a breath, cb4894feff as if releasing pent-up air, bbd664e546 and asked,d7524727413ace66

“Why, why…?”9ceabdc7007ff5af

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“Hmm?”0ea340687bbce4e0

“Why are you doing all this for me…?”7bdd14e991c37730

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“…”ce35bebc6b689d75

“For me… Just bringing me from the temple is enough!”3ca812d5155cc715

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I didn’t care if fdb643267b I wasn’t accepted as 9967f28cd3 a member of the 0798eff7ac Duke’s household.e843c338f5914722

As long as 737e797b87 I could stay 256dfd5a71 by their side, 3b540af023 I was content.694d2693bbd5223a

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‘But why… I can never become a Saintess anyway.’a4589959ca4c3969

Because in this novel, the 7c0ed4111a Saintess was Diana.a06f0d5ce16cf4e1

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That was an unchanging 1012ac2a96 law, even in my 8336b61c7b past life.77a3a4740316b55d

So why did 7e8966b655 he keep giving 774f2aedbb me false hope 301ed16fa1 and ambition?1cfa81ad2cd49fd8

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‘I promised myself to live without greed and to be kind in this life.’27a6f34d20c9837c

I bit my lip and 26c584301c said,8609340c6ae5c014

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“Even if you don’t give me such things, I’m fine. You don’t have to support eb02fcb119 me. Everything’s okay!”f816b8919c707ea0

“…”703bba3a49bc571f

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“I’ll still diligently heal Josh… and do everything I’m told. I’ll try my best not to cause any trouble!”e2854d7b72255075

“Well… maybe you’re fine with it. But like Edwin said, I’m not.”428342c1da51fdc5

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The Duke responded 4f3a5d336a with a playful 54e813db7f smile.4b88a474ac3a0ce6

That smile made him eab30b0b27 look much younger, like d9ad954a30 a handsome young man 97bbc82d9c rather than his actual d147aee8b0 age.35def9a6f7bc5ded

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Because of that, I found 52830865b0 myself staring at him in 7127d0fd24 a daze for a moment.aedfcd288f92501b

“If you insist on a reason, it’s because I will continue to support you, and I see potential in you, so our interests align.”93839bd57ad82e07

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“…”2ab9719cc11785e7

“And giving you such a special guardian now is because I’ve finally understood you.”b037b8bbb21886c1

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Understood me?51ea1f446d150558

His words left me e27c1f0db8 feeling strange.899469e955c17b14

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I looked up at the 71864a02f3 Duke in a daze, and d2455b3433 he erased his smile.f12886f80ed3cebd

But the warmth 0d7e9cd741 in his golden 5dc61b94f6 eyes remained.8a687059074b95e0

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“Belze, you’re cautious and reserved like Edwin. Sensitive and fearful. Yet, sometimes bold…”3f4fda84205fcf1a

“…”a26e5b38b6582743

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“And I’m not very sensitive. I can’t be called a e3d27b8545 good guardian, even by flattering 817aab657a words.”e0c12d39cea310be

He gave a wry ba614f7dfc smile, seemingly mocking himself.cfeab0a5ad0f112a

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“Edwin is destined to soon acquire the status and power to handle incidents like today. But you, Belze…”c327ead783e05dec

“…”afdae284ceedefe7

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“You’ll remain in an ambiguous position until you’re recognized as a Saintess. This means you’ll face many 2800e64ca5 difficult situations ahead.”970504b232b4dc8a

I was inwardly surprised 95645a92ba at how sharply the 314ade4171 Duke understood my situation.0902215e6734ca2b

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But that wasn’t all.9478b9c8b3a22ac6

He had grasped my personality 14b9398632 and declared himself as my d2c67b9d7e guardian.a5e352bd52db2124

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It was all surprising.053fa17eee910ff1

Thus, I had to admit 0c0c7fb92a it.8c99bb4ad47e2870

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‘The Duke sincerely intends to accept me as part of his household.’11c1996d903c216f

He didn’t take me in 58b71a15eb on a whim.e4e1af85ea76aa04

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Nor did he see me b3f7ff7538 as a substitute for Diana.7583b12270210fe8

‘If I had known this earlier, maybe such a tragic event wouldn’t have happened.’864182e69522cd07

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The realization, too late, gnawed 7864d38441 at my heart.cfaabdb60c4247cc

While I stood frozen, 7ef6e03d62 unable to speak, the 53b706aee5 Duke continued calmly.4c8a0e87c431f3ca

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“Even if I declare myself as your guardian, I know I can’t prevent everything that happens when I’m not around, like today.”8f1222be87122db5

“…”b157cbe39e79831f

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“There will be countless incidents you won’t be able to confide in me about in the future.”5ed15b75c39276e6

“I-I’m sorry.”24c9c0438705aaf5

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I barely managed to 548665d524 squeeze out the words.71890d3f676e7c6e

I couldn’t promise 553ae1f4be that such things bf5a9e42af wouldn’t happen.711fdc1a2003e6f7

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Because I was a hated 197f121cf9 villain.48ca2e0c50993b11

Even if it 4201430d40 was unfair, that 273c132f9f was the setting 4914370bd3 of this novel.72c4eeab9db28d68

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No matter how good 8bf0287faf I tried to be, 4c655e3c3b there was no guarantee e8cf02b929 that people like Emma 3403e443bb wouldn’t appear, disapproving of 548bf227cf me.0d3246116a1c22d5

‘So, there’s no need for you to treat someone like me so well.’565a70770251101a

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I looked at 721a3c4bf0 the Duke with e5089da32e a gloomy face, 9ff450f8c4 but he shook 2c94817a3e his head firmly.5228d81ffeda1374

“I’m not blaming you. If you don’t want to 1a66fb9697 tell me, that’s fine. I’ll respect your decision.”a8925dd84a73954e

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“But…”0c78a9d81348b55b

“But, Belze.”c98029de0e0bb388

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The Duke naturally continued fc63416fb7 as if accepting my fcc391ecd6 words.e4a5c945a5205fad

“Never forget that behind you, there is always me, and there is Kallios.”2332306f53f474e4

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“…”f94e14828d8e1f5a

“This doll is proof of that. Simply put, think of it 6445927172 as my substitute.”e7ac109271a3ad59

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I couldn’t hold back any longer.03feb4220afdfc00

At those words, my face 880878598c crumpled, and my vision blurred 502e4ac526 with tears.cd75e657ad4f127c

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“Hii…”fc739a6011364bf4

On the verge 6b69eeb6dd of crying, I 49fd386514 pouted, and the fecf30d560 Duke lifted Teddy-Teddy f5fd390709 bear’s arm to a79b19ad05 gently tap my 626bfc8066 left cheek.4d731544f23e93be

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Avoiding the gauze that 58a0096bdd Gordon had applied to a89e4a2399 the scratch from yesterday, 24b48b0072 he softly poked my f7be75eccb cheek with the teddy fc0007e220 bear’s plush hand before 2797519d83 suddenly hiding his face 70d5847581 behind the doll.9d31d11be98a3eec

Teddy-Teddy bear, in the 33df7ee21d Duke’s voice, said,bf55d8591dfcf869

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“So please, let no evil enemies easily hurt you, Belze.”ec7c62f31c768296

“E-Evil enemies…?”a8ce25cadf1c88d0

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“Yes.”9b47bf97198fd0e3

Teddy-Teddy bear nodded.d7ff8f1999d126a6

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“Anyone who hurts you is an enemy. Be it me, or Edwin.”1d5cc4a345a1ebcd

“You are… you’re not my enemy, Duke!”fd1449f1c29dcb82

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I shook my a16ef521a5 head frantically, almost 9799077b7f in a fit.2d1c04e658f15d77

“Neither is Eddie! Nor Josh, Tara, or Grandpa Gordon…!”bb222aab5378caa1

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I included Gordon at 2d5646088d the last moment, thinking 65366f5cef he could be a bd105a39cb future business partner.d1e8e35e3bba9385

After listing those precious 301a7583ab people, tears of sorrow 79610286c0 I had been holding 27772db1c9 back started to fall.6977214e1ef5e788

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No matter what, c926dede5e the people of d3dba34f46 the Duke’s household 7eaabf1149 could never be c0b6f962db my enemies.a40cbce3e5154f7e

I could still b4023c35c3 vividly remember Edwin’s 25ae01e49f face, who had fc77ba1c2f come to save a5df98fa3e me and died d578c63840 in my place.5c64b6e7ab05c681

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“They’re not evil enemies! So… so please, don’t say that.”6d7793c417765e6b

“…”3cee524b12e230b6

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“I’m scared…”6334d3d1c68f6892

Crying miserably, the Duke sighed 85c8085e12 softly.b8466ec955126d13

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“Oh dear.”99a9342213c80ec4

He lowered Teddy-Teddy b03c01d543 bear, who had 84e31729b7 been hiding his ceb2f512ec face.5e52ac5100f89e3e

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Then, to comfort me, he 430cb46d46 swayed his arms as he dd68efb1a7 walked.b1f8eb18a0dc568e

“Alright. We are not enemies. So don’t cry.”271b1c827978a872

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“Hii…”720d01ec0cd7924a

“If not enemies, then what should we be, Belze?”f12d3f96c5ad0d99

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Seeing that my crying 3ed618bd23 didn’t subside easily, the c1098b0b8e Duke quickly changed the 2086aa93ff subject.812da4e6feaae76f

It was a 4620c15caa tactic often used ad057c6930 to handle crying 3ac94b7ffd children.c28f839493a82370

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“Uum…”55901df1242e2fe3

Embarrassingly, I fell for it 6ed8bf9d96 and pondered while still sobbing.982a8eb5d7c4280b

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“How about… servants?”2159dddf05cc6081

“Hmm. I have no intention 15864c0201 of making a crybaby 8c35d4050f young lady my servant.”aa0fbcf2db260adc

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His words made fa0f661368 my face heat 22cc155ad7 up.233d5a5e76746bf3

I rubbed my face 24cfe506f3 with my sleeve and 8aa01b4e12 hurriedly shouted.7d35def2e7f12584

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“Then… friends!”6875838422f47763

“Isn’t the age difference between you and Gordon too big for that? Well, 65 is also 7174780c24 5, so maybe it’s 82796ed596 not a bad idea.”db22ecf95e7f3fa9

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“I don’t want to be friends with Grandpa.”acd3564a6688d74f

“Neither do I.”78ccb5b59c687fd0

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The Duke agreed promptly.364d3e726d30a768

Before long, we reached 5784161ab5 the passageway, having crossed 6597db88d1 the entire secret space.203642ff5f9be854

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If I had cfc159da9d walked on my bc0e492b51 own, it would 16d287e5c4 have taken a d3be0782fc long time.5ee2d49e0b4457fd

The Duke’s long stride b44cf40300 made the journey swift.8a150c7dbcaf4143

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Because of that, the stairs 8490d8a425 leading up the passageway didn’t fa435faf0a seem so daunting anymore.57587b3c4561c570

Just as he stepped b77480ef57 onto the stairs, the 860bd21746 Duke pondered aloud.e94c760acf46decf

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“Then what remains…”52cefaf33f7fb1b9

A pet? A servant? Or perhaps a 7204bb6511 sword and shield, 2a82c46d5c as the Duke ddc5970551 had mentioned?45593306a6b3c43a

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As I thought 985241e0e3 about all the d5627bf184 things I had 3c641e3df7 received from the 6d1a33654d Duke’s household and b844b36d3e what I could 86bc09a081 do in return.6ae5949eeb8b98a7

“…is family.”550c9392e313f1b0

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The low voice made 843dba18bc my mind go blank, 1ba200181e wiping away all the c4b793d8e7 thoughts that had come 75eedd2bd7 to me.bb4a9c3a70afc12c

‘…Family?’fffe8438e6fc9c92

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I stiffly looked up b2e7d9fd25 at the Duke like e2af709a1a a robot.11723f7b8ce44983

“W-What did you say…?”b5a6533253429208

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The Duke didn’t smile. He didn’t say f4732658a2 it was a 092a34b13a joke.b554c8d0a9853e4a

Instead, he spoke to me 587a68f28d with a very serious face.a9e2f7785c05f6ac

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“Now that you are also part of our family, you need to consider the family members who would be upset if you got hurt.”0915d853b7c08f35

I didn’t want to misinterpret it, but…ba34f89a3525ba9e

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His words sounded as 87fd7c262f if he would be 46f66a66a5 upset if I got 7dc30c4b14 hurt.7418e9a1e34b92e1

“So, from now on, try to avoid getting hurt as much as possible.”d4be4e244198e7fd

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“Huu…”bdb6ad6fc38f66f2

The tears I 991890570e had barely held 161d607a5e back started to 1b6b0cca34 flow again.d0105737dd422377

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“Duke… Huh, I… I…”ae921110803676d9

I wanted to say that 041266db51 he didn’t need to do 39aa21446c so much, that I could 68b8cc3dbd give everything I had in db6c6994d0 return.037c41224cb4358a

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“Oh dear. No more crying.”816905ad22a2a5dd

But the Duke ce434fa2f6 sternly admonished me.5372b73689ac85e3

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However, despite his b778ff3b99 harsh tone, he 694b709bdf gently wiped my c4cb8e5a64 tear-streaked eyes.0bb5092a02e8f73a

It was incredibly 6642da4ee6 soft and warm.7789a2801e380d87

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So much so that 476063d9fa I felt like I 1834780512 could bury my face c91b7927a9 in his hand and c1c325a9db cry forever.4a4ed9b0b979ae4a

“A member of Kallios should never show their tears easily, even in front of family.”0b526645ed25bb10

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“…”aef3852412c60368

“Understood?”833ba7b2f050084c

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Unable to speak, I 52458cdf6c just nodded, clutching Teddy-Teddy 3fcb9ffaf3 bear tightly.0c4df0d873199c8b

The Duke didn’t push me d8e79a6453 further.470e14830d9a9459

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He simply waited for my 5290277e2a sobbing to subside, silently wiping a942428990 away my tears.6e36ad3fb1fc20ed

In this way, 1d0854e7bb I found a 97c8b1d07f new family.a7a13301a135a2e3

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* * *c58790868791e655

After having a good 5ce46e26f5 cry in the Duke’s fbbfc58cca office, the sun had e052343f47 already set by the d694dd07fa time I stepped out.8e7193e4958467d7

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The mansion was quiet, b622c05545 likely because it was 4a9783d966 dinnertime.5ba4cc22ba86e098

‘Even so, I shouldn’t have cried like a child in front of the Duke.’6ff693b0a9cdabd7

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Once alone, embarrassment flooded in.8aaf99e23b28132f

My chest felt strangely warm, 5715315905 so I hugged the fluffy 5a10f1ec63 teddy bear I was holding f25984dd32 even tighter.1a9cab8732e5eae8

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Teddy-Teddy bear had become warm 17a7e73a48 from my body heat during 5f59628234 the crying session.00d3ca185495879a

Seeing it reminded me cec2b0b825 of how the Duke 869eae9758 had held me tightly.9d339dc3a0afef8d

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‘…I’m part of the family now.’9b6f9432d1e1a663

Despite having cried so e16f73c904 much, a laugh escaped e5761c61df me without warning.9aa66f90724a4a34

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“Heehee! I need to 05555d5815 go eat dinner 40253debcb quickly!”28089ae9398597dd

With Teddy-Teddy bear in d78b19a561 my arms, I walked 9886226191 excitedly.df384ac8ddf07bfc

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I soon reached the first-floor 71a72bb07e lobby.b08d0c54bc4c29ec

Just as I was about ea4b624de0 to ascend the central staircase.e26f18e69e7cd126

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“…Huh?”06fe0f943a526bd9

Suddenly, I saw a 70b3d36c0d familiar back disappearing down 766870e95a the hallway used by ad44dc687c the servants behind the 70d919e906 central staircase.cfd3a43dcf0eea76

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There was only 5e5f66b806 one person in 74b229fbd6 the mansion with 487aa6f39d a back that 783125f17e was as dark 66b9c6d378 and round as 26731181d8 the night sky, 343a7b4b9a just like the 04e27b861c Duke’s.4673af797408562c

‘…Edwin?’c9c1631e95158e69

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