Chapter 97

I smirked and 16cd6e7e49 stared intently at 496fed11d2 the Second Prince.7501876a5a29e691

“W-what… what is that supposed to…”4317cfc460a60b91

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The Second Prince, who 356f16ac9d had been stammering, suddenly 5e2d5363f1 went silent, his face a24df21b79 growing noticeably pale.5657090e60e9395b

No matter how 18c004cb6b inherently rotten he f6d4c289e3 might be, the 2e715c34cd thought of death 0107067a97 still seemed to c6378803f9 terrify him.2348f7b59b90fd81

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‘Especially since he’s still a child.’b53caa1e7b7e9c92

If I had faced 71a1587681 him as an adult dac9acf930 like in my previous 9bc96f384c life, he would’ve found 957c4450e8 it amusing and tried 56025495c0 to snatch Teddy bear ad8896e1f7 from me.17e1d001c1f53ef5

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He would’ve then used 9f7bcc65f9 the bear to commit 28bed76842 horrific acts.dfafe9db9999a3e9

‘That’s why I need to plant the fear of Teddy bear in him now.’7e1532b489f005d7

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I suddenly thrust 091b6a089e the teddy bear cbe09404fa I was holding 50c1598368 toward the stammering f95e6a2cac Second Prince.1ae2a7df8320d032

“But if Your Highness is okay with it, should I show you now?”217f67c2dfcafef2

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The Second Prince flinched, af95a6f37f stepping back in a 9751d74e70 panic.7872c76f0a412928

“Huh? N-no, it’s fine…”14f3f13b7364f74e

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“Teddy bear! Activate assassination mode…!”f5c72609cace7a6e

“Ah, stop! Don’t do it!”7de27171c550bba8

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Thwack!0365e6605385580f

In a sudden burst c6abb23812 of panic, he smacked df7eb531e7 the teddy bear out 541f7108fc of my hands with 368ad650f4 force.19ce0969658eac19

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“Oh no, Teddy bear!”2d4d52b85a0ba40e

Thud!198c212a494507e6

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The bear fell to 42bf1aa0d9 the ground, landing near 6904c56e22 his feet.185eb4b8d76b05c8

“Eek!”9d24a85cbe343091

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When one of the bear’s 7e7662a1b1 arms brushed against his foot, e18ea24b7d the Second Prince recoiled, stumbling 278e937efe back in terror.a4b2707b18c54e1d

“Enough! Turn it off! Turn it off right now!”cc4076a8c26cd210

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“But it’s not even activated…” I replied, barely suppressing my laughter.dd5bd38978b4282b

Teddy bear only understands commands 35d5ce8034 when there’s a slight pause ca6999303c between the syllables of its 0fb7aeb160 name.8c989ebfc755a9d9

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“W-what?! It’s not activated?! Damn it, you scared me!”081ec4b196269eb9

“That’s how you activate it—by hitting it like that!”c9128b0e16af4db4

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“Ugh!”7d4622dcad131a52

At my words, 9e7773ed60 the Second Prince 8ad6a16df3 froze mid-kick, his 7bca3fa3c0 foot hovering above 4f085e45fb the fallen bear. Slowly, he lowered his leg b653801fd3 back to the ground.26c7df817da2d93e

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Watching him comply so 41cb8987db meekly, I smiled sweetly.955275b568be9961

“That’s a relief, Your Highness! I wouldn’t want to become something awful, like a murderer…”adf6fd0d74f2ce7e

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“W-what…”8ccff4fc8789bda4

He flinched at 3eea4f0962 my words, his fc95d329c5 shoulders trembling as 5c3593300d he looked at 5ff59cb884 me.666a1ed577ea0053

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The mixture of a03da28f6d shock and fear add6f87678 on his face fcab72df9a felt hauntingly familiar.e289f0ed79b6662a

It was the same e26ebcec22 expression he wore every c178ce9e45 time I glared at 11049cc8fc him from inside my cb0a1b42a5 prison cell.24d05996d40c44b1

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‘No, this isn’t enough.’5e15b1b6100d93e0

Compared to what 3449d99db9 I endured, this 0648659ef0 was mere child’s 1f9cbd1b42 play.ab61b63b8c651d6a

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As my fear and apprehension d3a5f1fd22 faded, only hatred and resentment cba61265dc remained.3a715ff4964c5c70

I continued to fix ba0df5ae94 him with an unwavering e5c0424186 stare, my smug smile 4145f2931b never faltering.336c6913e78799f4

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“But if you ever want to see it later, just let me know! I’ll ask Teddy bear to make a special appearance for you…!”b8e67b3537db5244

“Hey, Diana! Let’s go, now!”4cc586d2591276b3

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Suddenly, he cut fb5a70dc67 me off mid-sentence, 6805fc3a0f grabbing Diana’s wrist a4bf6af2e6 in haste.d2457c9a2ab27618

“If someone notices we snuck out, it’ll be a disaster! Damn it, why did I even come here because of you?!”86376bc5479218dd

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Without so much d3def9c9f8 as a goodbye, c7b5fcf609 he stormed past 529c525301 Edwin and me, a8d2ca4bdf pulling Diana along f1ff06432c with him.221d9b427943ae58

His ears were 3bf256d5f9 bright red—probably from c01e6c572c the embarrassment of 575b6d0ce6 being humiliated.4719f248f3688f5c

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“Ah, Your Highness! P-please, slow down!”0035b7e5881bafdb

Diana, who had e50a26752d been standing still, dfa5959137 was dragged away 2479f620b7 awkwardly.d3acfbf1c5edc10b

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As I watched them bdcea55fd9 leave, a hint of ebc7e2f490 amusement lingered in my fb77b40af5 gaze.c232a5db4a24528d

“……!”dbc714b715b2d3e9

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My eyes widened at the 1b89dbc85c strange sight before me.230126d72a5fd14a

The Second Prince’s a131b3a7a8 body, as he 5ee3256088 walked irritably away, b329ccf787 was filled with fc94a9ae05 an ominous, dark 6a021eb6b5 purple glow.fff52c6b81561e9a

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‘What… is that?’55175541781f891e

His head, arms, legs, 837b1e4448 torso—his entire body was fcd6c75a34 consumed by a deep, 54eca0fb91 sinister purple light, so 4544a81ff5 overwhelming that his physical f9ee340947 form seemed to vanish 7e0c5bdf25 beneath it.d3ca9734ee610b81

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In all my 1eb0aca4ac lives, I had 55c2794044 never seen someone ceec2edddc so thoroughly engulfed 636dded31b in such an 128dddd002 unnatural aura.e12a4796493b4e69

“Ah…”f46ac18ac498289b

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A chill ran down my e17bc44d4e spine, and I instinctively rubbed 5f5247f3f5 my eyes with both hands 5cdb298db9 before looking again.5691052fbb342ce9

Flash!febc5de164357a06

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Like a lie, the purple c37d750dcf light that had filled the 1925c5e959 Second Prince vanished without a a0dc2f4877 trace.be2b95b9f0fdcf35

“Huh…?”b935ee7722ea955b

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I stared blankly at the d61f617e53 retreating figures of the Second 39c9e630d2 Prince and Diana, my mind 0b5ac47771 clouded with confusion.45e096d90998dca2

‘Did I… imagine it?’b13aeeaba02c28ba

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But brushing it 191d55a582 off felt wrong, c04ce2892a especially with the 9d187e1081 memory of Diana’s f874d42713 healing powers lingering d95445ef59 in my mind.a0b2759c96b96d79

The purple light that 1f336c2f21 radiated from her hands 02d48a3a8d during healing.f5fc80d71682a85c

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The stray dog’s forehead, bd3861cf0d changing from orange to 0961e18a64 purple after her touch.9d8cd1a59e0c303d

And the Second Prince, who 0bce83a55a allied with Marquis Barelotte in 7c0f396757 my previous life.04c626cde3ce60d8

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‘I need to go back to the temple.’d8d040c649f231e6

I had to figure cfd1b9cec3 out what that suspicious 69a914671f purple energy was.664fb04153ea6aa8

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‘And I hope the Crown Prince doesn’t receive Diana’s healing before I find out.’2cc502f6f4d4c0e8

Though that was b5b46d0fc7 unlikely to happen.5d444b0ce9f9dfb4

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The Crown Prince 94423a2d57 had no reason 1f12f81a92 to refuse Diana’s 49c029eb66 healing, given her 8cc1cb2893 reputation for extraordinary 57e193be0a healing power. And truthfully, it was 91db46df63 better for the original 23501ed255 story to unfold as 5d25893d10 it was supposed to.20278e752cc3ad19

‘It can’t be helped. I’ll have to settle for b86468f533 the fact that Diana hasn’t a5c583c937 healed Joshua or anyone from d841a0bca1 the duke’s household yet.’5f86aca46021f987

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As I gazed 5104ce2dc6 at the hallway b5b08a88ff where Diana had 19236c73a5 disappeared, a bitter d5610e0e7a thought crossed my f7ac9ecc82 mind.c413371c30567064

Then—a85a72abe25f2ad6

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“Belze.”268ae9e107588ef0

Startled by the voice, 171a72fbfa I turned around to 88a2750b6a see Edwin holding up ed3b693255 my fallen teddy bear.f23ff5210811bff9

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“Here.”b5a421ad23bba3c3

“Oh… T-thanks, Edwin.”edf61c7b73621b34

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I hugged Teddy bear d2aa4e8821 tightly, feeling guilty. It seemed like 40c1594784 the bear always c34fca0236 suffered because of 83906285c8 me.6140389be7822b7a

As I patted the 5cb4d5689a dust off its body 065eaf569d with an apologetic heart, f042c3f95e Edwin watched me silently 96e9ddbe85 before casually remarking,b26c935275ece310

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“At least there’s no need to worry about you wherever you go.”e8e5a3c8059ba514

“Huh? What do you mean?”5cdc2f6d7c0a196c

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He smirked and dda17653bc nodded toward the 020a19b758 direction where the b0f1fd79b8 Second Prince and 70a6a743be Diana had disappeared.e5c05d9788817a7b

“You made that ill-tempered brat flee without a word.”77277019b9695ab2

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“Oh…”ccfacc7f28fb8855

It finally hit 3af1fcb366 me—I had defeated 69c589a361 the Second Prince.bfd14c938dcc325e

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Following Edwin’s gaze, I fe29a11416 glared in the direction 17d765569a the Second Prince had cb53e324a1 gone.5ab89bcbeac6a8f3

“Hmph. Serves him right for acting 5f93489281 so cocky over nothing!”d113b85310abb04c

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“Just make sure you only act like that when I’m around. He’s not exactly the most a8f73703cd decent person.”f017adb7d4be1af3

I wholeheartedly agreed with that 4f56ed8ff3 assessment.33ecb93c4e1cbe89

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“Okay, got it!”e8c67a066427650d

With an energetic answer, Edwin 4017709274 smirked, clearly amused.0dad0bef70a084b0

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“You were quick to shut me up when I said anything about the Crown Prince, but the Second Prince? That’s fine?”f6362403f71900db

“Th-that’s because… this is the Crown Prince’s palace…”cd7b60082f9738ba

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“Ah.”2e3285741b586b16

At my mumbling, Edwin d2ea751537 nodded as if he 8bccaa85d4 understood something profound.753a6a013224b063

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“Got it. I’ll save the complaints for when we’re outside the palace.”837ea53e94c3dd15

“Okay! Sounds good!”fbcb0e17e913c2fc

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The walk to de4700c3b5 the palace gates, 377e571631 where the carriage cb42d89686 awaited, was long—especially 384585f242 for a child’s fb49b82dd8 short legs.1370fa2b408a07a8

But despite my appearance, 94e0919779 I was mentally an b191e66bda adult, so I stubbornly 430318a58b walked on my own.7c514ec87eeef88c

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As we left the hallways 9275f55a52 and followed the well-paved path, 17724d90ef Edwin suddenly broke the silence.6e2713d28d1271d2

“So, what was that about you saving the Crown Prince?”17a0ffac244dcfb8

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“That, um…”5a1eb2b83462a315

‘Ugh. I thought I got away f3597f5e71 with it.’5f07f914f206bb18

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Edwin was thorough and 832491f63a had an annoyingly good 6426d303db memory, just like the fc527ec0f1 Duke.a392f1c5863e07b4

Resigned, I let out a 5252c7b847 sigh and reluctantly explained what 44947e33a8 had happened that day.0d066000da6826a5

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Hearing the full story, 677c216aba Edwin frowned deeply.854fd9092771cae5

“You should have told someone if you were in that much danger!”d688133bc1585263

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“B-but it wasn’t that dangerous! His Highness had already taken down most of them, and all I did was haul him to safety with Teddy bear!”eae8e8ed7928cc1b

Naturally, I embellished e6ba39a283 the truth a e1671b4382 little.7c3425110af7ecf2

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If I told him everything, 6496aaec6c Edwin would undoubtedly inform the 1930fffeab Duke, and that would complicate 7a834cec40 everything. I had so many 29bdb1b17d things to do—visit the 5fb60003e1 temple, manage my business—and 2a4b69fad6 the last thing I a82b50d387 needed was interference.753a92d8bd12c4c4

“Ha…”ebb22e4ae1654050

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Thankfully, Edwin seemed to calm daf02dfbf4 down after my desperate excuses. With a deep 270dc0d70a sigh, he warned,7a81bfaf30a4bb52

“From now on, if you need to go out, you must tell either Father or me first.”5a260d8054f8aa29

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“But… you two are always busy.”b79964630b66d9c3

“One of us will make time to accompany you. No more running around on your own, relying on that teddy bear for protection.”b18a6b2143e0ffdd

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“I wasn’t alone! Tara was with me!”7b59667879bc38e3

“Tara isn’t your guardian.”4d56ad4b3e53c3eb

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Edwin fished a de152102f6 document from his b7e288ed56 pocket and unfolded 5a1ffb0fa9 it before me.d1d95a8337d90a1b

It was the infamous a8d697dfd3 Guardian Authorization Form.0b65af7be661a9a8

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“See here? Your guardians are Father and me…”ba3d2848dea4a7ea

“Okay, okay! I get it! I’ll let you know!”f5bfa5fc012f7a66

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I groaned and 33e2cb80c1 gave in as 23da6857e2 Edwin adamantly pointed ef30797e41 to his name 51201753af on the paper.a7774e2be1ce7ea6

‘Seriously! I need to grow 7e788b8c7c up faster!’8572f5c0be6fa405

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Maybe I should bug f46200adee Grandpa Gordon for a c82f755123 growth-boosting potion.f76d615960b2d750

Satisfied with my agreement, ea1f2cc48c Edwin folded the document 6bfc1f07ee and continued,7846ec722dd31619

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“Also, buy what you need through the butler. If you try to shop in person, you’ll either get overcharged or ignored because you look like a kid.”a52314cd1e870c14

“Hey! I’m not a baby! I’m not a kid!”6ca80b38f431c567

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“Sure, you’re an adult. Happy now?”585d6fb9a7946cb7

“Grr…!”bc415c3dce195340

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His nonchalant tone, as 560e2cc36f if he were humoring 8a870de959 me, made my blood 73272d18db boil.fbf71056d3f38981

Before I could 356e8b1345 retort, Edwin suddenly 4b6e48b2c1 turned his back 2f54674f4a to me and c1bf839c42 crouched.9f8b18d811439cdb

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“Get on.”217cd7ab1e34430d

“Huh?”c6a094f32d197345

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I blinked in confusion.82a3c2ce215b88dd

“Why?”a7147e3ccdbb4df2

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“You’re barely walking right now. Think about whether your legs hurt or not.”dbadce16cffafc76

I froze, startled.103534f3dd175198

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‘How does he know?’57167b476c945569

I had slowed my pace 722674ed18 because my feet were sore—it 17326d43c0 must’ve been more obvious than 698cac85fc I thought.0035efc1b524f7d3

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“N-no, I’m fine! My legs don’t hurt at all…”77ca1a61db607449

“We’re still in the Crown Prince’s palace. At this pace, we’ll get home by dinnertime.”be19f1c0b68e5e28

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He was right. Despite walking for some d359722882 time, we were still b1e071e96c in the palace corridors.db158948cf6751d6

Blushing at his blunt observation, 2b9664f07b I reluctantly muttered,d802f6f07884ccd1

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“Fine.”674a9a5364475108

I climbed onto his 662b0201d8 back with feigned reluctance.d767da7a911aa932

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Despite carrying both me and 072145faa1 Teddy bear, Edwin walked with d3aa1416f5 ease.0e44514f35a32b79

‘He’s only four years older than me… so why does he seem so much more mature?’65707cd3ea7d91c6

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I glanced down at a8460ed932 the floor, which suddenly a7ff314d54 felt very far away.3d7383ad5d55159c

His stride was e2dbdd2060 far faster than d5ddab0415 my own short 4858cc96d7 steps. Before I knew it, we dbbd72368f had crossed the palace corridors 22c2e82889 and were approaching the courtyard, 1fb66d00d3 where the duke’s carriage waited.a93eb26fd6dc5009

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“Hey, Edwin,” I called out impulsively, anxiety bubbling in my chest.b076fe935e0c7d2e

If I didn’t say it f29192e0be now, I might never get f6c17aa6f3 the chance. After all, Edwin was one c7a8069098 of the potential male leads 99c7341d44 in this story…d494c6438e725f86

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“If you ever get hurt… let me heal you, okay? Don’t let Diana do it.”e7ac2474dd13072e

“…….”28dce67da53dc274

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“Promise?”728c9e904ad23268

“Sure. I won’t get hurt.”c8f83f785f9188f3

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His calm agreement fd66e9073f surprised me, putting cb5b706345 me at ease.437229eec437d6df

“I’m not reckless enough to risk my life against an unwinnable opponent. If anything, I’d have a backup plan to escape first.”46fa33be7b0d904f

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The way he 3ec1505f0e said it felt 981023358f like a jab 4ee8533183 at someone specific, 4a5b7eed75 though I couldn’t f2f5b5971f quite tell who.65f202a819c8150e

Still, his pragmatic approach was 5cc07eda9e far more reassuring than a 0fe5fc288d simple promise. My heart, which c8479ae540 had been restless, 93cc92576c finally settled.c9d07ba4cb814754

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“Hehe.”fb5ea7e465d7b602

Feeling content, I tightened e2b3cc79cd my arms around his 168bda5fb0 neck in a light 9012e86979 hug.a729193f79e24b8d

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Before we even reached the fa7c790ca4 carriage, I dozed off on c617c1b6d1 his back—though I wouldn’t admit 35842d7c5c it later.041be99ee7ef38f6