Chapter 84

‘I was honestly skeptical…’2511c64f74515fcb

But Ismail truly did manipulate 39600d7bbd Marquis Barelotte.2c7a3a734f560931

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At Diana’s booth, the Marquis himself took out 100 talents and handed them to the headmistress, completely unaware of his actions afterward. It was a truly incredible ability!144e859c7133bb59

‘Now I understand how Ismail could rise to become the Pope… he had this hidden power all along.’06702a7717499309

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The realization struck me, followed quickly by a sense of indignation as I imagined him using that power to support Diana in my past life. Of course, even without his power, everyone believed Diana would become the Saintess…f7189eae9c7b824c

‘But why didn’t Ismail’s power work on me?’52304134e0846069

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The question puzzled me, and 78c2140426 I tilted my head slightly 1766df771a as I pondered it.9c50eb2eb73b9e0a

Meanwhile, the argument between 89f652fb6b Marquis Barelotte and the 0a539c4a4c headmistress grew even more 338f852874 heated.1a722f08ce2ad0a8

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“How can such wicked women infest the temple like this? Do you think I donate 165caf8cd8 every year for the likes a35bf4e25c of you?!”81a80e33e8c63ecc

“Ha! Are you possessed by the 6a1616880c devil, Marquis?! Everyone, you saw 1141a310c5 it earlier, right? He came to our booth!”773478ab437c6fa2

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“What? That… that filthy commoner dares to speak to me like this—!”0b0dbf722c28910e

“What do you think you’re doing?! His Highness the Crown Prince 1e61b1e660 is present!”0923cff62eebc1e2

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It was then that d248d7ee98 the Pope intervened, finally 0a234b24c4 realizing that the brawl 0469f1dc8e between the two would e7c55b5302 not end if left caa16960df unchecked.2b2a90e08233f317

Both the headmistress f3ff461854 and the Marquis f84d4d0bb1 fell silent, looking fefb75a45b chastised by the 4f03fa5c52 Pope’s stern rebuke.d9a99dd883931e10

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“…Priest Loren, I am deeply disappointed in you! How could such disgraceful behavior occur during an event held in honor of Saintess Arukkia?”512ac577bc6dc184

The Pope, exhausted 4217b57df9 from the ordeal, bd6e134617 let out a 12b24403e9 deep sigh.891248ad9d723801

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“The orphanage priests, including Priest Loren, will be dealt with according to the laws of the temple.”8560cf185a94915f

“Y-Your Holiness! I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean for it to happen this way… Your Holiness!”f9d9b76ab083220a

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Ignoring the pleas, the Pope 9a9368aba4 signaled to the Holy Knights, 3d43b5e334 who began to drag away 30e9cae5b5 the headmistress and the priests.42b0e50a4a6375b9

“The Marquis will be handled by the Imperial Court.”b8d9c1c23eb992cb

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The Crown Prince, 01fb5d07e4 who had remained 010f7c5be6 silent until now, 71209c4890 spoke up.6ea9e2b772d995f7

Marquis Barelotte, who had been 63254dfad7 relieved to see the headmistress 20169da1a6 taken away, snapped his head 63588a2fc4 up at the Crown Prince’s 670cd4f59e words.d09761de867872fe

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“Y-Your Highness! This is unjust! Why would I, of 8d64541756 all people, embezzle talents 4163762325 from a child I’m a54e254ca1 supporting?!”de4ff7b4739be389

“The truth will be determined by the Imperial Investigation Bureau. In the meantime, you 37e0cf15be must bear responsibility for 6b29f50fec failing to uphold the 44051ff211 standards expected of a aef4f8d7c8 noble. Does anyone here object to c057d8b799 this?”79cf507ddfd2d843

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“…”63931ec847f406ab

No one in 02d26b24ad the assembly dared 861cb6eb7c to speak against 49ebf08fd6 the Crown Prince’s f1cd47da1e decision. After all, among the attendees 9ef5d175d7 were the Twelve Noble Families, 8f66b649e0 including Kallios, who participated in ed8cc1f14a the State Council.292cfe6604ca3f43

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With their silent 7b0c0c752c approval, the investigation 65a14b2e82 into Marquis Barelotte’s 95a467621c conduct was effectively bfb9436136 settled.d64cdd0c7850bb17

“Grr…!”f8bf146abdaaeb11

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Marquis Barelotte trembled with humiliation 24b26c0ea9 as he realized the gravity 2cdb5dc65c of his situation.b2e102b3c5ebac26

The Pope, with a cool 5ef6639aae expression, ordered the Holy Knights.8b3cd450aaf3d404

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“Escort him respectfully to the Investigation Bureau.”59b806f2b526d029

Though the Marquis wasn’t 05b951554d physically restrained like the 32ea4df380 headmistress, being exposed as 17eb1ed92c a criminal in front 5e3ea586d1 of the entire nobility 74690b5d9c was already a tremendous b9cbb57354 blow to his honor.ca82e28341575eee

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“Your Holiness, please, just give me one more chance! I’m so sorry! I won’t do it again!”120ab941378a6f0a

“Let me go! I’ll walk on my own!”8e8f8b741931cbc8

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Only after the disgraced figures cac9bf719d were led out of the 2aebb30c9a hall did silence finally settle 9e2d4d3540 over the assembly.9d276a885adf7634

In that calm, the Pope c51801c350 and the Crown Prince, who df8030bb8d had been speaking quietly together, 82862589f9 stepped forward side by side.207f3695d7944894

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“As the Pope, I deeply reflect on today’s incident and offer my sincerest apologies. I assure you all 6122551726 that we will ensure a39e4b2550 such an incident never c84e89b5b7 occurs again through stricter 694f4dae46 oversight.”f8214d060fd5be21

The Pope spoke with a 86cb4dba77 weary expression.bb92479f6cc9563c

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“I am deeply sorry to all the distinguished guests who have graced us with their presence today. Unfortunately, I must take my 0c8cb3b0aa leave due to my ill a7ec8c5ac1 health. Please enjoy the 916c9be732 rest of your 99cfea3e70 time here, and e3d83758bf return home safely.”e26f4890a3f24c66

“I will take care of the rest of the proceedings,” the Crown Prince added.39868e5206d54dd0

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The Crown Prince took over 1a99daad01 seamlessly from the Pope.ced18eba80a80f37

It seemed they 6d5cb39463 had discussed passing 4bf881ef8b on the responsibilities. After finishing his a25bb6e2ab address, the Pope bdd7476fcf descended the platform 098a9899d3 without further delay.b59ab17fae4ec8db

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“Following the Pope’s decision, all fines will be returned to their respective booths,” the Crown Prince declared, managing the situation with a poise that belied his young age.94f794b10c085aac

The priests quickly distributed 4d84b687bd the fines back to 8f197609a5 their rightful owners according 615eac574e to the ledgers.914c72c1fd8d20d7

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“You can step down now as well. You’ve worked hard,” c9b7c24a4b High Priest Magnus ec62fe76d2 said, offering me 4f795147d0 my 50 talents 336e753898 with an apologetic 7d54b57eb4 expression.32aaa6b28a3388e6

‘Finally, I got back my 50 talents!’19fb4b9f7e5e0fcc

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I quickly added the amount 3ec6c8eb22 back into my talent pouch, c43928ca16 feeling triumphant as I hopped 3654e82648 down from the platform. I could have burst f6718a0200 into a dance from d79c02be60 sheer joy.4636d35af122c6ca

But I held back, remembering 2fa299b002 that the event wasn’t over b5f32c95ca yet.08895c1f9e3b7950

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I glanced over at Grandpa 6f39ae1e21 Gordon, and he, too, was 82d3bf2381 grinning from ear to ear.76b3197cb285305e

“Your Highness, what should we do about these 100 talents?” Magnus asked once the fines had been returned.c3b48baab535eed9

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“Well, that’s…”3180a979b448c4c5

The Crown Prince looked conflicted.21c3d62f9ba2f5ef

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Though the Marquis had afc76715f8 taken Diana’s earnings and cbea888ba0 used them as he d4b7a9bef4 pleased, bribing people with 6c874ab8db talents was a serious 864c90e359 violation. And in this 8e6adc4b68 case, there was b5d8ed0b42 a clear victim.67979d22e2ee36bf

While the Crown a6cdab5d28 Prince and the a7c9d3b0b9 priests deliberated over 0db1bb6a6a how to handle cb1a310944 the situation, an aa55c4ad27 unexpected voice rang fa67075b6a out.b2258f7428d9312c

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“I-I really didn’t know!”0ab45b81d1ffaef7

A girl suddenly jumped out 7c2b67fd00 from the tent where the 2de23b084b children were gathered.3acbaca102308501

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“I didn’t know the Marquis did that! I-I was so busy with ccf10b6b97 my healing duties that I 1c710827a8 had no idea! Sob!”b0f7fe3374bce543

Diana’s face was streaked cd554b769d with tears.a9c4210623e55a52

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‘So this is what you look like when you’re truly desperate.’eb75be5e68995f47

Her reaction this f02db48d40 time was quite 3665855547 different from the f274431bb5 incident with the 1f049112ab pecan pie, and 35260de258 I couldn’t help 148701e8ea but feel a fca93cd8fa mix of emotions.e589a52c9f08fa01

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Her face twisted in 973ee229f2 despair, her violet eyes a7190e67c2 brimming with sorrow. Her slender shoulders cbe9871dd4 shook with sobs, 80dec9a716 and she looked 3e86a12674 utterly pitiful.5d40ca17f73790fe

“Sniff, sob… It was so hard… so hard to earn those talents…”779bb7399b6982dd

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Tears fell from 4e858efa36 her eyes like 6b207fe60b heavy raindrops, and e611e99b82 sympathy from the 108c516767 surrounding nobles began a4d4380018 to pour in.e157e52dfd1c9aa6

“Tsk, poor thing. It’s unfortunate she ended up with the wrong sponsor…”3cb559e61e91a821

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“Indeed, the child can hardly be blamed for this.”528df7a58791c451

“Why don’t we just return the talents to their original owner?”e2dccf6732b8ff61

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Realistically, the chance that a bc0e1073f7 child as young as five 22d2166c72 would be involved in a 540b890d57 scheme like this was low.b6f038867e13cd22

And even without that d03541745d reasoning, Diana genuinely looked a71427e633 aggrieved.ec79174829850875

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I, more than anyone, 732b46d542 could tell the difference f5c08e443e between her genuine and cb1d1f5f06 false grievances.67826f1997e2a4bc

‘Well, I don’t mind if they give it back to her.’006f067084ec6a05

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I had recovered 91b62785cb my 50 talents, 1847538e04 and since I 3605c7c485 had orchestrated the fbb60ba992 scheme using the 2bb1580c6b Marquis to misappropriate f70904e14c the 100 talents, 3c4e8b0686 I felt it f17e7e40ce was only fair.5e3d23fdf6be186d

“I object.”213b133fd2197da4

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A familiar voice cut c172404b8f through the air, stopping 77665b0f39 me in my tracks.fab2648d7c93d094

Startled, I turned 6a12028a33 quickly in the 1387bcd9fd direction of the f7a07b2ee5 voice.7a3a166724c2c41d

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“If ignorance is a valid excuse, then who will compensate Belze for being robbed of 50 talents and falsely accused of theft?”5e6b2f1ce133cd71

The person who raised this objection was none other than…510d58e301231fed

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‘E-Edwin…?!’f1eba108f278f8b2

“Are you going to compensate her?”aac25c1e83da7a5e

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“N-No, Young Duke.”ded14fcc447d1f2d

The noble who had bde2277158 suggested returning the talents 9989115531 to Diana flinched and 80cbf7d2e2 fell silent under his 30375d2b13 sharp gaze.9f51b5ed67128f56

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“From the beginning, Marquis Barelotte engaged in aggressive solicitation, held overly familiar conversations with the headmistress, and even interfered with other booths. He clearly overstepped boundaries.”bc83a46c225b3cb5

“…”f19a98503d9977a0

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“All of this was a violation of the rules, and if he had been stopped earlier, perhaps none of this would have happened,” he concluded, his gaze fixed directly on Diana.396e4833063e235a

“You’re always so astute, Young Duke,” the Duke added, his expression icy as he supported Edwin’s argument.fc0c2bf0583b7445

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“I couldn’t have said it better.”3380ee1650c75721

‘The Duke… Edwin…’4c5392fb83ec9c05

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They weren’t just protecting 1ab2e2588e me—they were also acknowledging 39a6d78d69 the injustice I had a2cc635b76 suffered, something I had 5c03f12318 given up on expecting cdac804d67 long ago. My heart swelled 1ad6b2da1b with emotion at c925931d72 their support.f99f9d0a95bf2107

With the Kallios 14af552f02 family openly defending fce6843a75 me, the nobles 991fdc0e43 who had shown df60f2dd04 sympathy toward Diana fcd5391dff now fell silent.f26615d4e035fd00

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Diana, seeing this, stifled a 879e647b97 sob with a fearful expression.0e279460492a4995

“I-I really didn’t know…! I was so busy with my healing that I had no idea what the Marquis was doing! I wasn’t the one who did anything… sob!”be1515e9d58b561f

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Her face, drenched 00cbb9e10c in tears, looked dc2b1ccfb9 utterly pitiable.e7f163382a279c4b

‘So this is what you look like when you’re truly desperate.’1f48f7f0a5e3a5f9

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It felt strange to see 271359c392 this genuine expression of distress 5eb660b8ef on her face, so different afbb625d1c from the manipulative act during 85749480b6 the pecan pie incident.fb0e582e5e44ebb8

Her violet eyes 7691b6d628 filled with sorrow, 2707cdb5bf her slender shoulders f43ec4b007 trembling, she seemed 428a970fb3 the picture of 12fb1c6af9 misery.c1c5a595aa0bb8af

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“Sob, it was so hard… so hard to earn those talents…”3950c116da447ec5

The sight of her 7a3cf4ba02 shedding large, pitiful tears b9c7ed6a28 prompted a renewed wave da2f869554 of sympathy from some 49cc7c7510 of the nobles.3620ba26798f598c

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“Tsk, tsk, what a pity. All because she had the wrong patron…”b244009d0a43fba1

“Indeed, how could the child be at fault here?”6c049ecfbdb31bc1

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“Why don’t we just return the talents to their rightful owner?”6e0182e06f0bcf24

It was true that a 22626cfc48 five-year-old’s involvement in a manipulation 28d6cc0b58 scheme seemed unlikely, even to 359bad7eef the skeptical nobles.9c9e1bb66f09ed10

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But I, who had witnessed 5fdbe9a3bf Diana’s false displays before, knew bd593e42c3 better than anyone that this c4f9cbd0aa time, her distress was genuine.d5a49ac3685a87d1

‘It doesn’t matter if they give it back to her.’f42582a347b7235a

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I had already retrieved my 7144e86321 50 talents. Besides, since I had a00e9d41c7 been the one to 81ccb36776 manipulate the Marquis into e932a55da9 misappropriating the 100 talents, c7b1792648 I wasn’t overly concerned.84f39fa046afd07c

“I disagree.”55775221ecbf4dc4

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A familiar voice ce86bc20b3 pierced the air, 02eeb1993d and I turned 1222ea38f0 in surprise.b62ac4f76ebe3cae

“If we’re just going to let ignorance slide, then who will compensate Belze for being accused and mistreated?” It was Edwin, his expression unwavering.ff04ee209bbfc14f

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“Are you volunteering for that role?”eca276e6169ccd7a

“N-No, Young Duke,” stammered the noble who had suggested the return, his voice trailing off under Edwin’s piercing gaze.6088b0bd2056445d

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“Marquis Barelotte not only crossed the line with his aggressive promotion but also had close dealings with the headmistress. He even interfered with the e90139e19e operations of other booths, knowing bdecf2a792 full well it was against de11cbd2cd the rules,” Edwin continued, his d6550af78c gaze turning toward Diana. “If he had been stopped sooner, perhaps none of this would have happened.”2a7b43011daf6eae

“Your reasoning is sound, Young Duke,” the Duke interjected, supporting Edwin’s statement with an equally cold demeanor. “The same goes for me.”32db6042f29a757d

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With the Kallios family openly 36b0f49201 taking my side, the nobles 05ea309092 who had previously sided with 745c241915 Diana fell silent, their expressions 3ac34febec uncertain.1683e3301402dff7

Seeing this, Diana’s face twisted 21633ce2fb with fear as she stammered.3a0e95d4c30654b5

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“I-I didn’t know… I really didn’t know what the Marquis was doing! I was just focusing on healing… sob!”2017581892a22beb

The Crown Prince, 434ab54b78 after a moment 478d41bea8 of contemplation, finally 4902340d7d offered a compromise.0694942010145ed3

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“As the Young Duke pointed out, Diana is partially responsible for failing to manage her booth properly, but there is also a need to compensate the victim,” he said, glancing in my direction.f74a2d850df7328a

“So we’ll return half of the 100 talents.”a3b026a66657f47b

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“That’s an excellent idea!”f5a327d014670dcf

The high priests nodded in a4ea3bd5f7 agreement, and most of the beea24df9d nobles seemed to approve as 874693e829 well.da71843ea591be09

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“What do you think?”9e9a79de30a6ccea

The Crown Prince turned to 9893d5268e me and Diana, waiting for 815e7a274a our responses.93165ac55c52dbb9

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“I’m fine with it!” I replied quickly.64fcc7a7ecabdd48

‘If they want to pay me back with 50 talents, that works perfectly for me.’6783c67b19a70ef3

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“Hmph…”f49a9c5c2d1c9e93

In contrast, Diana hesitated, unable b141823d68 to respond immediately. Despite her tearful and 42edde8fba pitiful expression, her neck 53dfcfeb1f flushed red with anger—a b9aca6eb51 telltale sign I recognized bed5ab3449 all too well.aaa38f2b5dd1ce4d

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In my past 2d0a00d3f4 life, whenever things 4104c241a9 didn’t go her 3705464747 way, especially because 9c5eb1b53c of me, Diana’s d1edd0f684 neck would flush 4aac22e656 with frustration, though 8b3dfea035 her face remained c07ce0732e composed enough that 19413b7883 most people didn’t 9e55646fcb notice.5056d460139fa13a

“What about you, Diana?” the Crown Prince pressed when she remained silent.c7a50f8e7b1941e4

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Diana trembled, but 84e94bbecc still couldn’t bring 95cac2aa71 herself to answer. Yet the longer df527a6332 she hesitated, the 90f416245c more the situation e57df2f25a turned against her.9f9947403ccb851a

“If the Marquis’s estate has enough funds to dress up a commoner child like that, they aren’t truly struggling, are they?”a2ac2c9864799356

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“Honestly, isn’t she being a bit greedy, considering she’s already earned over 800 talents?”912cf4bd47ba434d

With the Marquis no longer 9e6aa69afc present to advocate for her, 6d14124a7e Diana found herself alone, facing fea9c85e40 the disdainful stares of the 67b002f999 nobles who were never fond ef29681cac of commoners challenging their status.4f2c6e4e0439d7dc

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Her extravagant dress, which 5323890947 might have been meant 211ddffc14 to emphasize her nobility, f55bf2ca87 now only served to 27fbb22863 make her seem out 820166267c of place and unsympathetic.55e453e62f9cfc34

“She seems like quite the extravagant child.”9ca6a0e9ae2b19ff

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“Come to think of it, she’s the only one wearing such a fancy dress.”3a2c31039faeaba6

“We even dressed our children modestly for the orphanage event. How… inappropriate.”564b8c82e86ed436

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As whispers and critical d4696494c0 glances continued to grow, 9913649153 Diana’s violet eyes filled 4ee4408dea with panic, reflecting the 3e076c4ff4 harsh reality of the 3e189e9dfa nobles’ coldness.6fea554d8260a6d8

‘You probably thought everyone would take your side, didn’t you, Diana?’150296a7f776f407

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The world had always 35974d8144 been kind to the 883af41081 heroine, after all.c049c95e46d503be

But even a 3802f5a8d8 protagonist’s luck has d5b35d9820 its limits.04490cad7f9cc39c

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When the fundamental story 0162b3fdc1 shifts too much, there 507ad69404 are bound to be a5499e9c49 consequences.33801d67857e7123

Like how she tried to 4e8410cdd7 bring down the Duke’s house ab9c630ec9 and eliminate a strong candidate c58ca0b26b for the male lead, eventually 5382272cab becoming a rogue element in d93fcd07c6 the narrative.6c8f02114ad37e4f

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Diana bit her lip c8ac953630 so hard it drew d9f0a8f6d0 blood before finally responding, 594f3b77f6 her voice weak and 7a5a681b4a resigned.a43cd84d114a64a4

“…Yes. I understand.”b06b4593f5a42465

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