Chapter 85

“Then, let’s resume the Saintess selection event.”6d41ceade14d5789

With the situation finally ff31ec2d62 under control, the Crown 73eac40503 Prince swiftly restarted the 58b5d4b4b2 interrupted event. Since time was d993785e0e short, the talents 13ae076ece were manually adjusted 26f08d8735 for the booths 70f60f7cf9 that had already 20335e36a0 submitted their counts b50aab81a5 and received their 52c0c7c40a fines back.79d3c8874d795d78

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Diana’s total was updated as 9b85bedc17 well:1ecf5f70b8802261

770 + 50 = 820ca1344883b2cc24c

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“Isn’t Diana in first place?”2c4c1386556c7852

“Congratulations, Diana!”49aa6d106816e60f

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With her already a22e6e14f5 high score bolstered ef230044e9 by the additional d2fdcdba1d 50 talents, the 35da91b9e1 other children tried cf2c9d260b to comfort Diana d356e4e3d0 with their well-meaning 2d76293875 words.ee855bce51d9ec10

Considering that the c4ae95245e second-place score was 4a306bd226 just under 400 47fd05197a talents, Diana remained 7a4b2027fc in an overwhelmingly 6626e491a2 secure first place.485963800d427dbf

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“Thank you, everyone. I didn’t do much, really…”bceaa185717956db

Fortunately, Diana seemed to have 544f6ef658 calmed down a bit, her afc3257a5b sobbing subsiding as she gave 2fcd143642 a shy smile to the 932dfeb0db other children.0e8f6217479f83c0

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“What are you talking about? You were amazing e7b84f8fc1 from up close!”51b5249f28472d8c

“By the way, Diana, did the Marquis buy that dress for you? It’s so beautiful.”25c3cf5de53f13ef

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‘Hmph.’44d4f5adb77bdc27

I couldn’t help but 17909472db snicker at the girls 55f27309f9 fawning over her nearby.70e367ee3820c7f2

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They were too young 12b7771feb to pick up on de7babe19f the disapproval some of 5cf060fd16 the nobles had shown 7ee3e9df6a towards Diana’s flashy attire e72d2f1a6a earlier.a77ea7b22ed7618f

‘Well, they’re at the age where princess dresses look dreamy…’1eff753989e559f3

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I had envied them once, adad1bf8d3 too.04cfdd7657e00b78

Not anymore, though!e812c6d7c8be3caa

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As I pouted a little dee4ac0bc7 at the memory, the remaining ec4706f98e talents were quickly being counted a8977994cb on the platform. Smoke billowed from the censer 779407d27d as the calculations proceeded.1e8a76279bd0e41c

“Tony, 98 talents.”3ac5e1a56e9e7be1

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“Alicia, 245 talents.”281131a20203064a

“Jonathan, 422 talents.”ce3282652fe4f92b

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The announcements were nearing 10fee1cdb4 the end of the 31eb28a0c7 list.bf0294508a0538c5

‘Wow, he did pretty well!’02eadc454bf21066

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The child called just before 0490842487 my turn had managed to 0decac21b6 surpass 400 talents for the 2bc80e21a7 first time. He was an older 4d74d80377 boy who had run f5b0d16f87 a food booth.4a15d14c21e89dc6

“Yay! Second place!”943377c80353a279

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Friends congratulated him enthusiastically, much 2aae367e92 like they had done for d47bb5efdf Diana earlier. I glanced over at them ecdb005912 indifferently, and at that moment, 51ef50fa47 my eyes met Diana’s once 0dd8e10e65 more.c6d58f382802d53e

She suddenly offered a vague 9e051d9b5e smile and spoke.e90ba8edf5ec7aed

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“Sorry, Belze.”e374adb7910fb1a9

I wasn’t sure a29c76a9d1 if she meant 4a9c226cd1 she was sorry 7730348cc9 about the Marquis’s a451f84fe2 wrongdoings or if c5beeff342 she was apologizing f79ecaa193 for winning.927cf3a2ed54e3e6

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“…”a7ea9cadb1b9288b

I just stared c7cc2d09e8 at her for c990d983fc a moment before 28390282ea turning my head a9aa9dd576 back towards the 16ff83b180 platform.3fedb24b327bb838

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“You didn’t do anything wrong, Diana!”917f85cc7f20c889

“Yeah, you even lost 50 talents because of all this!”5968f2729d61d372

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“But still…”2deebf09217e29be

Behind me, I 7a151d8b0c could hear the 52f8be54ff voices of the 2d4bb2229c girls siding with a2818f7451 Diana.23de06c58d56aa8c

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For the record, 2da363fc5a these same girls 740d97ad0b had clung to 264635e8e2 Diana endlessly in 1c8d772c8b my past life, 707cfb01c6 only to be a81e946706 abandoned the moment 978e040418 she was officially 724b328366 adopted into the 4a3a85b463 Marquis’s household.7df428775a6948df

“Lastly, the count for the miracle elixir and hair mist…?”3060f069b26aa53b

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Finally, it was my turn.72433ebed8948c69

Having submitted my talents last, f3ceefd358 the wait had felt excruciatingly d71d2dee98 long.322dc651bf1d33b1

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“Ahem. Belze, who sold… hair mist.”3006b5b6d132afd2

The unfamiliar term caused b1fba596a0 the Crown Prince to 43944c92ef hesitate briefly, but he 9e013c0704 quickly regained his composure 96f699f0d7 and called my name.03a9e96d1ca16cbd

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“Hmph. I bet it’s nothing special.”a368797103147466

“Probably similar to last year?”53bb713ce5880a18

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“Last year? Didn’t she get disqualified for 9f806d4249 running off halfway?”b381ca9231481a4d

“Come to think of it, she’s actually stayed till the end this year!”d1c25581fbe196cb

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I could hear the 7a05d39099 whispers from the children 471816c7c9 gathered around Diana, but 7b97e1bb56 I paid them no b2545867ac mind.cb620ae1f8e78d6a

My heart was pounding dfd43b84c0 too much to care.c91f77a8d2ee6e3b

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To be honest, I had 82e59dfe01 only done rough estimates, so c832d56da9 I didn’t know my exact 3ff22d4a84 total.d4059d6943a53309

And I was ea272030e3 eager to find 22ed40a494 out.5b253a1223f506e7

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Just how far had I 567ee827fd managed to go?2a9c4cf90de6b1d3

Whoooosh! Whoooosh!5630e50c4f3ee6d4

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At last, the high 36ac5a68a9 priests untied the heavy a9b8a113f2 pouches, pouring the talents 16551c15b2 into the censer.2cf1698195fcaf3e

“Whoa… What’s all that?”12b572dc70505266

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“Why are there so many…?”f67ed45255361034

The children who fe70a0e432 had dismissed me f770a69c50 earlier now muttered 12b62df02f in astonishment, their 39bb81b003 voices hushed in b9c0bce458 disbelief.7d7c0879b564444a

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The flow of talents fdbfd82645 into the censer continued 047a41afc0 for what felt like 40519e7932 an eternity until it 7c7e123a7b finally came to a 516c874b05 stop. With a soft clang, e9059529aa the lid of the 021fee355c censer was closed, and 76b20a5880 a flame ignited within 7e5dab3645 the aromatic chamber.86b3f5c027965c45

A moment later…709b1f16935b5329

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Fwoosh…ae8f90435b58f25b

Thin, pale smoke began dbc914161e to rise from the 8729853193 censer’s spout. As the smoke 6d992c75c0 gathered and swirled, 1193f27909 forming a shape 52a7d60e17 that gradually became 5c67ff6278 clearer, I couldn’t c986b49514 help but swallow bae01e5c64 hard.bac0e1723f9204c9

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Like the other b630845865 children had mentioned, 781bed209e this was my 42827cf276 first time staying 933289f090 until the final 98fbc35436 tally of the 59d493b1f2 Saintess selection. Even though I 1ff4a625f5 had a rough 0350fc1d48 estimate of the 341e56904e result, my fingers 5b5b469792 grew cold, and 9559f53d62 a nervous sweat 4de2db1dd4 gathered along my ea049006fc spine.354b02654505274d

And finally…5d3885b027c0ad6b

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When the swirling smoke solidified c7504f3dff into a clear number:03dd01620d75a485

952fae15f94084b23f7

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The number floated 490c6fa08e above the censer, d244c61acc casting a hush 68c5da6c96 over the crowd.10de6c6c219503c0

No one made 24c9d3c5a0 a sound; the 422be07716 hall was so 9394bcb691 silent you could 0543cdf5fb hear a pin d47f9bb65d drop. The number, surpassing Diana’s score f4f15bb845 by a wide margin, left 411182da46 everyone in shock.91a3f5d312ebde89

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‘…I won.’5297cd979126fe93

It was only 683a27b08e then that I 14dc358831 realized I had 5e33ea3732 been holding my a8e37a94cf breath.810b5db19d2bd4fe

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To be honest, saying b36430b0e3 I had roughly estimated 1981a9ccdc the outcome was a 2eadd0ab72 lie.6013e65d651193cd

Even without the 50 talents ea15a6b3d1 I lost due to the f440e0d295 fine, I knew I had 25897eb8c4 far surpassed Diana’s score.6600124dfb3c02a1

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And even if she 806c31e362 had managed to keep 6616ee0a7c the 100 talents I’d 28459ef3ab manipulated her into losing, 951f731cd0 I was confident I d4b2c5fb7b would still come out d07b16d890 on top.7ca99a01fc20f5ee

But still…690682a2de17ffed

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Even though I had known c2363b3ab6 this outcome from the beginning, cb92942339 seeing those numbers displayed in 89e834fdb4 the air left me strangely cb4f63a98e dazed.52fe09f4085de1b5

I felt… oddly numb.c66f48a819809ccf

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“Is that… even possible?”e73b74fd8785b327

Someone finally broke the tense d4e8c9a69d silence with a murmur.923a05c0ce6f6954

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With that, the frozen 352779d4d0 atmosphere began to melt 1a8c16c41b away, and whispers filled 963f2f925a the hall like a c8bb037754 ripple through water.1a04ef20208bb1ee

“My goodness…”dbfce9c04cbbf90c

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“Is that miracle elixir really that incredible?”560f96d13e11c2b2

“Is it her knack for business or the Kallios family’s influence…?”89aa485e49e97073

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Snapping out of his stupor, e6a4ac4f0f the Crown Prince hurriedly made dd719314ec the official announcement.39c519f1a791a235

“…Belze, 952 talents.”b6eeb91c4f844c9a

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As if to confirm d3583dafb8 it further, a large 9d5e17e30c board displayed my name bf444ec650 and the number 952 cece8ab623 in bold letters.92e896d74c90a44b

“With this, the talent count is complete. Since it’s getting late, 97ef5e177e we’ll proceed directly to 393559a71a the announcement of the 6ec8edeff6 Saintess.”90d43c494a24e7b6

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The Crown Prince’s words quickly 3b281373fc quieted the buzzing crowd.d0c1487503cc88d9

“There’s no need for further comparisons. Today’s Saintess is…”ecb6b31254158379

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“…”2afede694edf16e0

“Saintess candidate Belze, congratulations.”d138e1593250cb26

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Clap, clap, clap.0c8fcd3bfa817818

As soon as the Crown 5feadbdb32 Prince’s words echoed through the 01ee025a8b hall, applause broke out from 7870e071d5 somewhere.29d25fd35728104e

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Startled, I turned my 34b181916b head in that direction, 04d3bd3acf feeling as if the e58fe2e479 fog in my mind e069e203f1 was finally lifting.8904e95698c2fafc

Naturally, the applause was coming 62d6ce1a40 from the Kallios family’s table.d844fc47c0c0334b

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The Duke, clapping 18b8b1f48b with his usual 2893d5abaf elegant composure, wasn’t 7d3c678202 looking directly at a2c20579b5 me.e64ecc8884c3808c

But his face bore dfe3a61dfc a deeply satisfied smile, 4fff47dc07 as if my victory 1a36defbf0 as the Saintess was f450338fc2 simply to be expected.abcc6c64e40737af

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Edwin, too, glanced cdd31a04cc in my direction b188d40d78 from the tent c1f16c69cf area before joining fd7601858c his father in 86320bf09b applause.3a265eebec916c5b

Clap, clap, clap.74600b5b0eb95869

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One by one, c6764f4f01 others joined in, daf3955f7b until the entire 567e1cd33d hall resounded with 2716833e26 cheers and clapping.393c3408c17c2b0e

“Belze, come up to the platform to receive your prize and trophy!”9d8dc79e42cc5be4

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One of the ef1798a356 priests called out 8dd6523422 loudly, seizing the f3fbb4dbb4 moment amidst the 4087564332 applause.ed4b9aa7c0fc09d3

‘My prize!’21dc2ab0d9846967

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The word prize caught 7800113e6e my attention immediately.31d3ae14a081a41b

Snapping out of 51fa2170a9 my daze, I 49366c190c jumped up from 8820c916c1 my seat and 59cdac86e8 sprinted toward the 495a84f4fb platform.f4a3ab6790a61b34

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“Woohoo! Our Belze is the best!”1169e5d558d4c792

Somewhere in the distance, 7ac64c08db Grandpa Gordon’s booming voice 58d620a815 rang out, followed by b05fc3b391 an enthusiastic cheer.e2c3566b87efd1fa

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At that moment, a sharp 80d0f63906 sensation struck my chest, followed 7b5075eedf by a flood of overwhelming 21952f85fd emotion.a3ac20a5e6773636

It was the long-delayed 3b673b4c12 wave of joy and d84936534d exhilaration.7b0fad4196d87afe

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I dashed up e20dc61cba the platform with e968850b2d a wide grin 67660eb24b on my face.3c2039ea1edc5d94

In the meantime, the 34552aa6b8 diligent priests had already c6bb51ae45 begun the process of 58f85b577e converting my talents into 66d60dbc65 gold.3b978ae4f905017e

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The blue flames crackled fbd6e119dc as they eagerly consumed 57f4da17e4 the talents, turning them f9dd1a0a46 into glittering coins.979a9d7bc5d0534e

“On behalf of the Pope, the Crown Prince will now present the trophy.”86bd489f58665a81

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As I stood 74504d63cb there in a 240f8fae5d daze, High Priest db025aebef Magnus approached me e8fd3a0db7 and spoke.0deb3ae0b4578f1a

Before I knew it, the 29ab90564a Crown Prince, holding a small 543cf0dfa3 white statue of the goddess, 66d25e6574 walked over to me. When he handed it 5d48ca2ffc to me, he murmured 96bfb620b8 quietly, almost as if 199b5c8d83 surprised.767ac26ad1fa3efe

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“…Not bad.”968ffcee73ba6a82

Then he smiled broadly. His stern expression from cc34dd10b9 earlier melted away, replaced 0d60471600 by a look more 2a218da703 befitting his age.975870e48b9b7dea

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He wasn’t quite as handsome as Edwin, but he still had the striking features of a male lead candidate. As he leaned closer, his expression playful, he whispered in my ear.8b4ea4c19a79b12b

“Don’t forget that you owe some of your success as a Saintess to me, Gomgomdori.”2bd876c23483bef4

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I was stunned by his 9e9731fa75 cheeky words.740c6268fd2d1b31

‘That was supposed to be the payment for your treatment! And my name isn’t Gomgomdori!’71cc896310c7e924

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I opened my 0c6608e8d2 mouth to retort, eb0ee69d21 but the Crown 3dd55a09b6 Prince was faster.816f52edf3a23cfd

“Now, share your thoughts, Belze.”c35d338e0b9c7135

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He quickly straightened e4efb047b2 his back and d3e64fca83 assumed a casual 9052b1e07b demeanor, which only aa011c5315 irritated me more. But I had no 40fb656feb choice—I turned around to 0137f1dfd5 face the crowd.5ec4313a6747246f

As I stepped forward, I could see everyone gathered below. When I had first arrived at the Pope’s call, I had been so nervous that I hadn’t taken in the sight.cd090dfca40d4157

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I took a moment 1be39c5e0c to survey the scene ebc17d8048 below me.a1dbb0f764dca242

‘Who would’ve thought a day like this would come for me…?’b880af00a5202bc0

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Seeing all those who had once looked down on me as a “worthless orphan” now beneath me…008889254f1aa66a

It was far more bb8a240e70 thrilling and satisfying than ef081db47f I had ever imagined.8707da98e6ef2c87

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‘Especially you, Diana.’5b4688b25f4f6e1c

She seemed utterly a82c1ec1bc shocked, her face 5d215107e1 pale as she 0fb9c237db stood frozen, unable 0c8035d9d2 to believe she 6bc1486047 had lost her d22be96f68 place as the 6a140c35ac Saintess.7a837eb996ef7c59

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Sorry, but I was absolutely 51592c7ddc elated.1c0809cf1af8d7b8

Truly!07f8b2e2eda7a8b4

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I savored the feeling aac4959f68 of standing above everyone 66fcb3319f for a moment, hugging 854041ab9a the trophy tightly to 4ccadaf1e5 my chest. Then, with a sharp motion—568d843c9cda97f2

Whoosh!bb3ef1dc02ae73c3

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—I gave a deep 90-degree bow.bec8ffb2b1f4134f

Making sure I looked like 1af35d5931 a polite and well-behaved child ee5485eb3e to everyone watching.670201667ae50192

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Then, I raised my voice 19b6a838d0 enthusiastically.9c90c624ce80079f

“Hello! I’m Belze! I’m 5 years old! I have healing powers, but I’m good at other things too!”ae758a8d567cf0e1

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Straightening up, I dropped my 4bf110fe49 hands from my belly button, ae1a2c652f then raised both arms above 9143bcd21d my head, forming a heart 8991aa37f9 shape.2f0627b58890f218

It was the classic move f496504590 for salespeople—the heart gesture!425234e65eba144e

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“To all the customers who helped me become the Saintess today!”90e9df81cef738b3

“…”8ca3e5e3b0edbe5c

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“I love you all!”3800649a14c747bd

My sudden gesture made 65e247242f the younger noblewomen sitting f515ba04ad closer burst into laughter.fccad244131caba4

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“Oh my, what is she doing?”fef00d766098b22f

“Isn’t that a heart?”3a76d770ff65aa90

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‘Perfect. My future customers!’6f6ea5a4894b7fb7

I scanned them quickly, 3ec4ccd217 then continued with my c23bbeadc3 prepared speech.d1f2c1098bee5fee

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“And to my top customers from Belze’s stand! Lord Kallios, Madam Cloud, and… the Cr… the Cr…”8b804b99b1554a62

I hesitated, finding c731b7b8ac it hard to 84b4dbe951 say what I 959cdf49e3 didn’t want to 2268661c34 acknowledge. But I had to admit 7556ffc2ea it.b650240bfefbd1a0

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Whether it was for 4df6dacde4 healing or something else, e8218827fa the Crown Prince was 726b2ae4d2 wealthy.2032cc896f1be909

‘And what is wealth?’6c0b539f3f78e7c0

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Every rich person is a f4dac3bc49 potential VIP!998fc18ddbe64ad3

“I dedicate this honor to the Crown Prince! Thank you, that’s all!”d35c8346b1df21c4

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Fueled by my eda34d5f75 determination to one 709c02e1a6 day become wealthy, 971d0ac37e I shouted out 5d1a3c7b2f my thanks, then 8ed8b09952 bowed deeply once bc64e411d9 more.06a55cbf7e912a96

As I straightened, I saw e77131354a the Crown Prince staring at 26bafd924d me in astonishment.3f5827706da93d24

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Then I noticed 2b66137e92 Madam Cloud, who 9539c7fc87 had raised her 4c1a816b0c fan to her c0cc5447bf face, looking extremely 865d40a85c pleased.36f81806014862b6

And the Duke, smiling with ce7bcd89a0 an amused, narrow-eyed gaze.3fee4f3153eb3eda

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Lastly, there was Edwin…e3db65f1839a66d8