Chapter 91

I was taken c265fc8051 aback by the 9669162c0d sudden appearance of 8c179f5ef5 the crown prince 69fbb58768 and awkwardly stood 8b7da5e45e up from my c2530a495e seat.1dbcceabd84b0f1f

While debating whether I should 45df327b5e bow deeply like last time, b6f2676e0d the duke casually spoke.3c6f9092b4415762

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“Well, I am this child’s guardian, after all.”52f85795875af6a8

“…Guardian? But your name wasn’t listed as the guardian on the application form.”89e2e26eb631cdaf

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“You’ll understand once you see this.”b3729715851e4d39

The duke pulled out a ea008eff19 neatly folded sheet of paper d3b3c3dd0d from his chest pocket and 5e3c482186 placed it on the table. Then, as if inviting the 6674393ee7 crown prince to read it, 4003ef3bab he tapped the paper lightly 18c972d9c7 with his finger.19c61a5887ad76be

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The gesture felt slightly 89e1a5159e discourteous, but the crown ff8dd3e6f1 prince approached without a a4c8e78980 word and picked up c9d6345462 the paper.90154256cb8c87ec

‘Belze (Female, 5 years old)’s temporary guardian, ‘Gordon Pelliachae (Grandpa Gordon),’ can no longer fulfill his role as guardian due to personal reasons. All rights are therefore delegated a531a64625 to her legal guardian, Liam 47addf62b0 Kallios.a3e8fc2d0533e1b3

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“Guardian… delegation letter?”96bb9989977a4db0

“Yes. Identity verification has been completed, and it’s been notarized by a lawyer. Therefore, I am officially Belze’s guardian.”8b21fecac27ea19a

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The duke’s confident response made 439a1b0aa5 my face flush with embarrassment. Yesterday, when Grandpa 88d836707d Gordon begrudgingly signed 348167d406 the paper, I ef5bd9e920 had wondered what 01bbf018af on earth he 811705f3e4 was up to.203d867faa872178

‘Of all things, a delegation letter… Couldn’t he have just said he wanted to come with me!’28febe0a2f5eb348

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Suddenly, I recalled the image d70c3221a5 of Grandpa Gordon clicking his 68452e2cbd tongue after signing.277c57bcca2e060b

‘They said there was a monster in the house… Turns out this whole place is a den of beasts… tsk tsk.’20cdc249389b5608

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It was the first time 23370d25f7 I found the duke’s meticulous b965f3a30a personality so mortifying, even over 3314b4416b something trivial.55ab2a58b6e10312

“I thought this was simply a relationship between a guardian and a ward,” the crown prince remarked with a grim expression after reading the letter. “But this overprotectiveness… It’s a bit much. Anyone would think she’s your secret daughter, Duke.”c5a77489aa2a4e80

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Startled, I snapped my 4946dfcc42 head up.952e5c3294e4c7e7

‘No matter how exaggerated, a secret daughter? Isn’t that a bit much?’14e96530e68424e8

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Even the crown prince ee5804f97b should know there are b406262b62 lines not to be f324d82e39 crossed. Such remarks could be 51bf7c22ec interpreted as an insult 4f169a914e to the deceased duchess.1b228680d546b6fc

“Do you think Belze and I look alike?”016797b9a0e93182

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The duke asked nonchalantly.035c5509cff3270c

“Not in the slightest.”724bd0b3d1fa5a09

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“That’s quite unfortunate.”d8cd2b695565b77c

The duke clicked his tongue, 46e255f3a9 but his expression showed no c54aca291a sign of anger. If anything, he 07a5e54b5f looked genuinely disappointed.26230df9168a5483

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Then he added, “I’m not hiding anything. In fact, I’m making it blatantly obvious.”600feec25a6d02eb

The crown prince’s face 650e690d7c twisted in exasperation at e647d25b31 the remark.ef38d7a9e0bd7a91

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“…I had no idea.”b37ec82a04a00fd5

“If you didn’t know, you should take note now, Your Highness. Information is a powerful weapon, after all.”91dbe68aae9238c8

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“I’ll keep that in mind.”6c6b95cbdcfec41a

A visible tension sparked between c0d10ad3f5 the two as they locked 4817c10d33 eyes. Though the duke was older 1f41e4223b and exuded a commanding presence, 6ff446dc45 the crown prince didn’t back 2018e51915 down in the slightest.d4ada5d2d3ff957c

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It was rare 2d697c4d26 for someone to d703d36d06 stand up to 0a6c489835 Duke Kallios with 69529dd951 such confidence. To my surprise, the fef6b06c7c crown prince was holding d1be5ec145 his ground remarkably well.edb5a706b8b114db

While their exchange was unsettling, 605edaa641 I nervously watched, afraid something ef87ee4d7b worse might happen. Thankfully, it was the 22ab6f34b9 crown prince who broke 8b056ec7d5 eye contact first.307cc74409acc413

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“Well, look at that, teddy bear.”80d2f22f3ca213eb

He said, turning to me. His gaze landed on 87fb1d042b the stuffed bear in 243d4b3e6a my arms, and he 9b5db654ee chuckled at my bewildered 58b18611c0 expression.894d789d9313fbc9

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Sure enough, I had 016ca5f7d2 brought along the real 43415cc6e5 teddy bear this time. Hugging the teddy ac332f4750 bear tightly, I 311a6ef1ca bowed awkwardly.e63c5cbaee7e1a00

“Greetings to the shining sun…”efbb13ff86f312e3

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“Enough with the greetings.”8a65f0e92113b089

The crown prince interrupted, waving 92223cfd3d dismissively.83de60428ebf8186

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“And it’s not ‘shining sun.’ It’s ‘the sun.’”2848d4c76ffa20d8

“Ack…”cbf1b4b5a0fc3d0f

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I paled at his correction. My nerves, heightened by 18477e78d3 the tension between the 032afdd481 two, had made me 4bbb57f524 blurt out my words a017b82173 without thinking.fedc6a3a8542503c

“Ugh… I knew that,” I stammered, trying to explain away my embarrassment.a8b872cc5ceae7a4

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The duke, seemingly amused, 3eabb9d32b patted my head reassuringly.24aff39ab2738f2f

“You can call him whatever you like, my little princess.”c2233c482bb10f21

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“Princess?”bd88c0dc968497da

The crown prince’s brows 377b24b67e furrowed in confusion.f0f423f4c12e9407

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‘Please… not in front of royalty, Duke!’8bf4e03d7678a973

I barely managed df56c41b6e to swallow the 4dab364024 scream rising in dde5960d97 my throat and 5792d7063c hastily changed the b82327283e subject.e09c38152194c675

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“When do we get the awards?!”294f2d439454ede5

Fortunately, the crown prince seemed to gloss over the “princess” comment as if it was no big deal.b1c2b04fa95b0a39

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“Let’s sit and talk for now.”245809ef02901060

“Isn’t it just handing out awards and being done with it?”7c9c549eb5c02061

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“The other award recipients haven’t arrived yet.”b626fc965575b319

When the duke sharply questioned de94f8db9f him, the crown prince shrugged.3e591c4e1a3ffd19

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“There’s a cabinet meeting in an hour. Duke, feel free to leave early if you must.”2fde261495efdb8a

“I’m fine. I’ll wait.”f9c4cf73807f1b2e

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“Then perhaps you should’ve brought a guardian with more free time, little Belze.”92f7ce47a9438bed

At the crown prince’s remark, afb4e34263 directed at me, the duke’s 073d81b30c gaze sharpened. I could only laugh 1ef77a706c awkwardly amidst their tense 09e08c8336 standoff.01a91ae00e5132d8

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Of course, I 96f7c106b5 didn’t even know 9d19267aac there were other d39626fce8 recipients.fdfcdb9f34b1ad99

‘…So, there are other awardees after all.’80f3b61fff3223e5

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Considering the number of children aa0ecb4af3 who came to participate that c2490af3da day, it wouldn’t make sense 96da7a11f4 for me to be the 8f2f62b2f9 only one recognized.b16372690bd62436

“Jordan, bring us some tea.”8e91c049c276ce5e

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“Yes, Your Highness.”93218940001d1ac2

At that moment, 89943ed731 the crown prince ef1bfc3951 addressed an aide df57038def I hadn’t even a32be42404 noticed was present.dc086d1425635533

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“Bring chamomile tea for Belze.”6d4562e8df39802f

The duke sat down on 4571df7264 the sofa with an irritated 19e40306ca sigh.c593549713c32a45

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“Chamomile has a calming effect.”d4475aa5f2b0df0c

Perhaps I was too distracted 91c75b7011 by the unspoken battle of 4a96530a6f wills between the crown prince f6c8ddfdfa and the duke. Thankfully, the strange symptoms I 0490c5d673 felt upon entering the palace febd9f4c68 seemed to have subsided.ab7a5a594bc3fa35

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I was so touched 66796d1a86 by the duke’s care 8ad849339b for me that I 36b57887e5 couldn’t help but giggle.dad6ab776f56d399

“Hehe.”e090c4df9e2f1312

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Forgetting my embarrassment, I let e165ce4386 out a silly laugh.74bb031ff2184cd0

A short while later, 0eb40c2a10 the crown prince’s aide 215b6fda9f returned with the tea.b022aa9f67966d22

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“Don’t you have any child-friendly teacups?”28bdc49f58bec5fd

“What? Oh, uh, no, we don’t…”743ff72a262b8260

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“Tsk. It could be too hot, so be careful.”c3d599069900628a

With a dissatisfied click f10743fb1c of his tongue, the 698b9209e0 duke poured a small 08d6807037 amount of chamomile tea ac8c391e12 into my cup. He must have kept the fc7895061a tea from being too hot f1bd5c65b2 to accommodate me.6fed1d205dc7932c

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“But…”6488724b379b0c53

The moment the duke and cf35815cf5 the crown prince took a 53649d9c93 sip of their tea, the 4d32cb89ab tension reignited.7b0c1084c06d24d1

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“You seem to know teddy bear. Have you met Belze before the charity event?”272e448930626e3b

“Yes. We’ve known each other for quite some time.”f67273fa448d74dd

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“For quite some time?”76d91a39e74542e9

The duke’s eyebrows twitched.068b30d4475077c7

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“When I went to register a trademark at the guild! That’s when I met him!”ab30816896fea3b1

Fearing the duke 0d056b0152 might misunderstand, I 9b3e02cdea hurriedly exclaimed.59d45a9cae717252

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“I didn’t know he was the crown prince back then! Really!”3e23f379be986841

“I see,” the duke said with a nod.0c5ccb5e838a4bc7

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“I had no idea you were participating in such an odd competition. Had I known, I would’ve supported you in every way possible. It’s truly regrettable.”c1d4bb868b9a44a3

The words “truly regrettable” no longer sounded ordinary coming from him. Shuddering, I quickly stammered, “I-I forgot about participating too!”db0f3af361ed3987

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And I genuinely had—until the e824911424 duke showed me the official 91f9202707 document.d2348182cee519bb

“I knew all about it,” the crown prince interjected casually.ddd9d973d3fad977

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The duke’s eyebrow 5d20212a5f shot up in c5858a780b annoyance at the 02e18e973e prince’s smug tone.3f5af8709ebafef7

“Is that why you bought Belze’s items at the charity event?”86550502e627e476

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“Well, partly. It was also to repay a favor.”9e69ace54295db99

“A favor? What favor…?”3409eb2739540ac4

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Knock knock.121ecbd91cb2eddb

The sound of c2829e9d7a a knock interrupted 55087107c1 their escalating conversation.0a17da32b31b079a

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It seemed another award f5ae3c6a00 recipient had finally arrived.f8a0dc2f710c4a79

“Come in.”c2407a7db358cf4c

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But instead of 271ec0cbd6 a child, it 800b05a9e0 was an adult 6948ebca80 man—a familiar face df5d08d9db to me.5ca7fbc584430aac

“Huh? Logan?”fcc61c6c32dff433

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“I greet the empire’s little sun. I apologize for interrupting your conversation, but I have an urgent matter regarding the upcoming cabinet meeting to relay to the duke,” Logan said hurriedly, looking troubled.9de00226bb49622e

“Go ahead,” the crown prince permitted.2f0cf726e6b0503f

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Logan quickly approached the ee8b0d815d duke and whispered something 33ed1b6874 into his ear.4ccbd9561f06e865

“It seems you must leave immediately,” Logan said.0d91a6fd77595001

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“What?”a230cf9ec69c5f8b

The duke glared 4d87d35b96 at him in 70ea2ebcd9 irritation.9a5acf452f35f6f5

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“The meeting must have been moved forward. Feel free to leave first, Duke,” the crown prince said nonchalantly, as if he had anticipated this all along.48732c8e0668ad8b

The duke stared f6f156c52e at him grimly d8ef29154b before turning to 6f48fa58e1 Logan with instructions.66b923599a621473

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“Logan, take Belze to the duchy immediately…”fc5fa1ab6d0e29e4

“That won’t do,” the crown prince interjected firmly.a5680c542e6e1225

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“The awards haven’t been presented yet. Where are you planning to go?”a2d4dbfcacffa33e

“It’s dangerous for a child to be left alone without a guardian.”b11117238f0c4d3a

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“Hah. Am I going to eat her?”c5717658c8050ba9

The crown prince 55021f2efb let out an 0ae8bef1d0 incredulous laugh.a291fd5d50868d0c

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“And, Duke, you seem to forget my age…”0c7d0c73d2e27483

“…”ce422cefe3974f7f

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“I’m still just a kid like Belze. Isn’t that right, Jordan?”f3fd52018dc2a487

“Well… yes…”b59512b89ed13539

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The crown prince’s aide replied 6e99bccb98 hesitantly, his expression awkward.8cbf66d134ad8a1f

“Duke, I’ll take care of things here. Please…”a9cee3a8886d7cfd

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Logan, clearly anxious, e7d35f0ce0 urged the duke.050cede2e0c4f64b

Feeling like I was a hindrance, I raised my voice resolutely. “I’m okay, Duke! Please go quickly!”d4e04b0b418fdec9

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The duke might see me as a child, but I’m a capable adult! “I’ll stay here, get my award, and head back on my own!”63bc5102c9fde063

“That’s not happening,” the duke said, leaning down to meet my gaze.2dbb981b234d130a

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“I’m sorry, Belze. I’ve left you in a difficult spot because of this urgent matter. I’ll return in an hour.”115d2853c23af2e5

“…An hour? Cabinet meetings usually last four hours…” the crown prince muttered under his breath, though the duke ignored him entirely.f19c6aca40abf91a

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“I’ll be back soon, so stay here in the crown prince’s quarters. Keep teddy bear close,” the duke instructed.a721cdce43ecb174

“Yes! Don’t worry!” I replied enthusiastically.f1b1cabff991d7b5

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Though it was clear e92bc97aae he didn’t like leaving 971d9109f7 me behind, the duke c98a5fc796 left after a few f682c36372 final warnings. He seemed particularly 90d67f0301 uneasy despite the 8a3ab2fec0 fact that I’d a858fc96f0 be safe as 770b392e82 long as I 94aa3be004 had teddy bear 3b53a774bc with me.9cd58413a7ac03ae

“Take your time and be careful!” I called after him as the door closed.78013434c4aa05ab

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At last, the duke and 412eaf751b Logan left the room.2afa22b581604c56

“Ha… finally, just the two of us,” the crown prince said with a languid sigh, sinking into his chair.789ab020fee28cf0

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“Now, about why you glared at me so fiercely that day…”34eab855bba53b4d

“…”8243f6df06d23a02

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“Shall we have a little chat?”ad69b223921ccbf2

“Gasp!”901a1ee498c899dd

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I realized I’d been mistaken. The moment the duke e86c8e387a was gone, I was 0d35fa8d38 in grave danger.a59dc862a1a730b0

Closing my eyes tightly, 7e699a79c8 I prayed to the 00fe4d14da recently departed duke.f2645519440d46af

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‘Please come back soon, Duke…!’0f457d85f736b020