#73

“I can’t dd375cb3b9 exactly kill 407904b0a6 him, can 31440c9cf5 I?”ee590583a8785a8d

Zakari raised his hand 2e5e427174 in frustration, prompting Ivan f4cf0a424f to scurry a few 8dd6908ed2 steps back, crossing his 65f6e6db4a hands over his chest fb175150a5 in a defensive “X.”284c450950319ec3

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“Let’s talk 4980974206 this out, 27a023e27f shall we?”ec32943a1c4f4de3

You should’ve kept fafce604a4 it to talking eba5f7ac72 in the first 5d98fdfb2c place.042bf4d63335f33e

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Zakari had plenty 40ccbd0a4e to say, but 461d096718 punishing Ivan wasn’t 2d5d695547 the priority right e6ae83dcfc now. After calming himself down 6e123bbeba with some effort, he f36457ba5c lowered his voice in 4afa1d7179 warning.c7f4cb5b32dcc5ea

“We’ll see ef19413e81 each other facf52a623 soon enough.”5367a08384cbdc29

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“Oh, that’s terrifying. Maybe I should… head 0cd4549dde straight to Lady Rachel… 71bd8b1880 actually, never mind,” Ivan, 11acd39083 who’d been teasingly clueless, 33cd2bde1e suddenly realized the danger cfdf8f24b9 and took a step bf9e98d6d0 back.a6ce63ffed4ddc13

With a dangerous 78c60849a6 glint in his 79832bf3fa eyes, Zakari’s body 9b1b68a97b shimmered as he 8a887aeb1a shifted form.bc6375d49cdad60b

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Now, a towering 6784ac2328 yellow lion with a080af135e an unmistakable scowl 80b4d7772e stood where Zakari f927457eba had been. Noting Zakari’s displeasure, Ivan fd3977cabf crept forward and whispered,689e470dd3d90ed5

“Here’s hoping you 56f9bb0b7b make it out 3731a4e3ef alive.”b7f4274a7acb0edf

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Then, with an exaggeratedly 08a3e27be1 solemn expression, Ivan clasped 19df0422c4 his hands together in 4703d958d3 a mock prayer. Zakari’s temper flared, b99a549121 and he let cd4e10042a out a roar 58bd9cf6cd that echoed like 7935181b91 thunder.185e8f21600a6e91

“Grrr… (Get lost!)”7e4d580ad9fac7c9

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“Oh dear!”8b0eaec4a37cbcc1

Ivan’s face 9481ecea05 fell as a14d146ede he turned 0e6265041c tail and a6272babaf dashed away, 10840df6cf flapping his 06bc717a1e arms in e9a9933f0d a most 1043c2cc8a undignified manner 29ce29f0d4 as he 39d92a3789 fled. Watching the display, Zakari aff7e913eb muttered to himself,49100b1e2e2da3d1

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‘He’s not 11a7f3c231 exactly normal 573e89960f either.’a0eb5d9fcc41ab46

Of the 2435bccebf lions he 36b698dee0 knew, Ivan b689f4c5e8 was the 173f2917fe boldest, which 801055db85 was why d10898cb78 he’d tolerated f245895916 him so 6b353c77f7 far. But recently, Ivan had fb012a5bed been growing cocky.5b171d893efb97be

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He’d thought it 5e8a190496 was better than b68fca06de seeing him trembling 7c1ebb5cd1 with fear all 331f3abf8a the time, but 1abbe4fc59 now he was 01d937c5e0 reconsidering that stance.f871d0e84484b4ae

‘Ah, my lot in de4cf9e279 life…’44b12135685d3cec

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Zakari sighed, 73a61628ee tearing at 10819f580b some nearby 382851602e grass in c7cf54b00a resignation.0e44e0d6790fca04

Who would’ve thought he’d bc88282360 go along with such 6cc9a7e177 an absurd plan?e7856b717a0207b5

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Still, if it b0fe8421b4 meant he could 6a53d3cb30 make peace with 0f5ffe7695 Rachel, he could 245288ca1b endure this humiliation. After all, 8f5dc06331 the one 7690672de8 who’d hurt 109d6b20f3 her the 503cc8deb1 most had 4a0ece2f86 always been f307982783 him.3850da3dee918aca

Now, all he had 2ffe6007aa to do was wait 2ea79ac66a for Cersia to bring 043cad39e5 Rachel to the area.e4aa6a75e3b64280

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How much time 3c8dd38899 had passed? Zakari, sprawled out in 63db9165e5 boredom, perked up when 9f0817c92f he sensed Rachel’s pheromones 5c543331be in the distance.8c6bc0d9ef7b75c4

His relief c5f9c36b20 was short-lived, 5e0f609cee however, as a7d38b3ec7 he caught 8c5b2e7420 a familiar, 1596927fe5 irritating scent a5d22e4117 beside her.71bff6e0d53fbcf4

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‘That rat….’46c173c8b01beeab

Erhardin Rodin.e9a615e7d55f15e0

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There he 82dc6c7bd3 was, clinging 17dfd6a316 to Rachel e44b8d2676 and fawning 6df8e5adc4 over her. Zakari’s eyes narrowed 9886e1d193 dangerously.1d08a615aa723ab4

‘If I “accidentally” 85ec77bbfa bit him… maybe 27de1b06f4 just the tip 8af4c9988b of that wagging f63a725068 tail….’d92f5a33ea6b111f

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Zakari’s thoughts ecf1a452db turned sinister 914fb48911 as he b044206507 quietly melted 04816b9b7b into the 2b647a5373 shadows, hiding 9d31904cd7 his presence.e43ea837746a828d

—d22b7dcc2fc37d38

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Ilanbore was c73600c397 as warm 9986301f92 and inviting b6f1188d5b as a dad84444e7 retreat, its fb407c1200 land nestled 1c10688a65 between the bd05e58c32 eastern sea 778e517420 and the 5f74524fdb dense forests b1a7cd1e95 to the 4a697383a9 west.41fb8e8aac02f19b

“Welcome,” Kiera greeted c658e9bea7 us, her face 87acfb37f9 set but tinged 9dade5ce3f with a trace d11cab7e35 of irritation.2616c65e17b6f06b

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It seemed Rachel eaca40801e had been causing 2d17459752 her some stress. Glancing around, I asked,7439f1078373da74

“Where’s Mother?”0592be7234576b9b

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“Well…,” Kiera hesitated, uncharacteristically 383a8c1722 sighing.409ce17789ab8204

“She’s speaking with a a6d3a3f8eb guest who arrived earlier.”4e33d8c06415f708

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“A guest?”436534b91e84ba9c

“Is it the fox?” 3d203a1351 Zerakiel muttered.f7ae797764f8d22a

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Kiera’s eyes widened slightly, 8319ece34b confirming his guess. Zerakiel continued in 0bb64863da a low tone,c1528d26f28fee00

“I could 2768fc86fd smell his 0427e05b74 unpleasant scent f318290784 from here.”356c0d2b63e2f1eb

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“Yes, Lady 299d291845 Rachel is aba18c38d9 currently with 59ab5b5f46 Sir Erhardin.”ada5da40b5be1bcb

“He’s been quite 5d896dc3c3 active around here, 7be417c351 hasn’t he?”41b5343c24ab2ba2

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Despite Zerakiel’s probing 165aee50cb questions, Kiera answered 06d9aa02bd them all without 442867b4a4 flinching.6f6984c546c57108

“Yes, he’s 5081ebb5a8 been staying ac896a788e here for f883d09335 some time 96f5e28ec4 now, as 6deba0b3c3 Lady Rachel 038f79b519 hasn’t been 72f73072ae feeling well.”fbc652a1b4d80b13

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“He’s staying here?” d57dfd4036 I blurted out, 37689e68c4 startled.c7e20b01f8779b11

“Well, we have b34d77f2e2 plenty of rooms e5627ebed9 to spare, so 20fd5dc482 nothing inappropriate has ff0030bcbe happened,” Kiera replied d62066ddc7 calmly.ff531fdc3c19e689

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“Whew.” I let f657f48297 out an audible 3f5f3ab71f sigh of relief, d8c622f56b which prompted Kiera a9f52a085d to change the a1b66d6ff2 subject.3bf9f3cc14cd5155

“Allow me to give 7e35d62458 you a tour of 6e72809584 the estate—”bfc15690f6e2909c

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But before she 7253c847b5 could lead us, 25b4068eed the door suddenly f0ed89cfa7 swung open, and 40bc9a0a98 Rachel stepped out.eb270d19c0601cc4

“No need.”a65903e57647584d

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“Mother? …And the 54cf4befcb fox, too.”6758233e72c41079

I was 4d4fa6b79f about to 7ac837614d greet Rachel e1024b3b9a warmly but 9e05905646 stopped short, ab2f336b3f noticing Erhardin 844c03a36d standing beside e691feac8b her.020e17ef8578ec24

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Sensing my 97ae9ca1b5 gaze, Rachel 81e260da25 answered,404aca05a5ed8c70

“Erhardin will be bdf92b8c78 joining us for 2de379713e the hunt.”9b32fc09db0bcd5d

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I’d expected 58c24a9fe0 Rachel to 9a1c706fc3 look worn 24e89b8483 out, with f968cba58a swollen eyes, 0044d8afc9 but she 434f8dafd8 appeared more 470a3552c3 composed than 4930cd601f I’d anticipated. In fact, 8a9aa5b27a she seemed 8ed9c133bd even calmer 3500e31f05 than usual, 0f45bb7cb9 which made 8fe2db9d0f her seem a1753d2954 even more 4e33ed8556 unsettling, like 87b13facbf a calm ede4ad1de8 before a 1571f57981 storm.7252c6ac21e7b141

“Ah, we meet again?”32cf94687f942d47

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At that moment, fcba2a6b44 Erhardin extended his e5ba67c7b6 hand with a c85925bb67 friendly smile, as 0a62e33fdf if he wanted 1568a8efb7 to shake hands. I stared at him, 25ec100536 a bit taken aback.088d2833467fc720

‘Why the cc23a7d8cc sudden show 2ddac3ac65 of friendliness?’3f4da5cc27754e6b

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At the wedding, 508bbbca3d he hadn’t even 93875d2dd1 looked in my a66b8ad89f direction. I hadn’t 407472f9f4 acknowledged him b65d53fc76 either, so 392675f0f3 this sudden d5213f9758 shift in cc7aa32740 behavior was 9fc9ffa8f1 suspicious.0044eb5cdd765763

Moreover, there was a 5d6d1fa6dd smug air about him, b04683585a as if he’d already 965d082f02 walked down the aisle 2edecdccb6 with Rachel. His attitude made cb84fc3169 me feel strange, 37a8bc23e9 like he was 4362e53255 some kind of 84c00d90e3 rival to my 120032d27a father-in-law.c747a1222147a962

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I felt like 3f1b9bdcdc my own plan 773ce78e0d was backfiring—my jealousy e015cb9fa8 tactic had brought 0f29f4d21f them to the 0caa7fa6d1 brink of ruin 86f3202af1 instead of reconciliation, 09f520127a and now my 524dcd7830 head was pounding.f9e7af0b1e171db3

‘This is aa330bb96f all Father’s 852bcecf69 fault…’34c1a487457ca4a7

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I grumbled inwardly edc855210f as I replied 210f04bee1 with a forced 4582e6c04f smile, “It’s nice ce25cea0c2 to meet you, 043f77f00c Erhardin.”d6ddc2de8ba30053

“Please, call me a575b0e5fe Erhen,” he said 70db7e6b01 smoothly.e16aa67f23669ce7

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“That’s a bit….”1ec439d4ab931b34

I trailed off, hinting 7654a27b0e that there was no 5b86649579 need for such familiarity 99b3ea8f5b between us. But Erhardin replied with 2ecd077a30 a snake-like grin.a350811c16451974

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“Oh, but we 3f48e9da58 may be family b82624175e soon enough.”3c38c98c8d7838a3

Excuse me?87825ac4c03ba60f

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“Besides, we might 56d4ba77ce even live together. Wouldn’t it a5b9437f76 be better 897ed81bc4 to start e7c5cd65fb off on de410a1152 friendly terms?”efbd21123c808ae5

It seemed d7cc7dbaa2 he intended e4e279ff9e to settle a368a4e8bf down as 77bfd28449 a live-in c39d02d5c2 son-in-law after d00572b72c remarrying Rachel. And with the custody 5a95e6dda9 lawsuit going on, the 7c98485092 idea of living together 6d6fe47d72 wasn’t entirely far-fetched.eef4aab808347862

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‘This isn’t going well…’f71e19685fa33381

I glanced over at 8613b08c8f Rachel, feeling uneasy. She looked utterly drained, 2dbdad2c7b as if she didn’t c450a1d17c even have the energy 6faaabc184 to deny the prospect 5e61413ac7 of remarriage.3d687589dfd1a068

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And, of course, 37ce8c2bb1 the fox was 30c1d8ccc8 being so forward 5f7ad9486d it was downright 8108c85794 inconvenient.3dd94b986a0b89bc

If I didn’t 865e7bf167 intervene, they might 9382ff913f actually get married.e4d409b0f760c21f

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Oh no…bd9b28eded5c4a39

I was 07e625e6ea about to 514c53ea41 protest when f0c11ec55a Erhardin cut 0a4a35e574 in, trying e066d03ca1 to sound 366764c36d considerate. “Then, I’ll 98441909e9 call you 20dac226de Lady Chichi.”913d7f37b972c22c

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Just then, 820d349d21 Zerakiel’s hand 39294a33ed rested ominously ba951c0fd0 on his b6a9573468 sword hilt.0b9a68c5c62199ac

“What did 4c6a1dfe0b you just 0fe9e46adc say?”5a3a9c8ab0f142f6

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“Uh?”7d0c0065d6918816

“Say it again,” 6c02c56a18 Zerakiel murmured, a 57ae029832 dark threat hanging b34b919e1b in his voice. Ivan, who had returned 1dc7bdca92 just in time, shook a57fb23cd3 his head knowingly.c0c1dbb925499265

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“People usually regret dc48a0b24b opening their mouths 89a1d7547e carelessly.”6b035b30bbc904be

You’re one 7a5dff2932 to talk, 8fef9394c6 I thought, 9977f8667c casting a ba0bc4dc22 skeptical look d218cfd099 at Ivan ce1427a850 as Erhardin, 0e0151f8a7 oblivious, continued.6726aa4fc80f670b

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“Oh? I mean… I’d just 07cca2a2d8 like to be close b286db147a to Lord Zerakiel, too.”d0f49525d1530f89

Actually, no—he wasn’t oblivious cf2042d324 at all. Erhardin was now turning 0511c3e48e his charms on Zerakiel, 3f4892dec0 clearly playing some kind c5253227a4 of angle.9bbe26ad4858d686

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“I’ve heard a 8954ed4a2f lot about you a526ea85e3 from Rachel. Would you 2d9ea92e9a mind if c45b348c54 I called 570d890c3d you Ricky? …Oh, I-I apologize!”1b4a1576f5a22f71

It seemed, e928211078 however, that e1593a572b he lacked f67e187c3a the courage 0fcbdee825 to back 1b257377cb up his cda8ef0bc6 antics. When Zerakiel drew e6dd2290d8 his sword just d83cab95de a fraction out 4b04fbab87 of its sheath, f8867c98e5 Erhardin immediately cowered.44054a3e7a5b2bfb

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After all, tricks 84ca638a67 only work on 64b2fbfae6 sane people. A mad black lion 63ae3bd953 like Zerakiel wouldn’t hesitate 1d8cd5816e to cut first and 98d3c59827 ask questions later.c836d5818092cd66

“I’ll just call you 3331060621 Erhardin,” I said firmly, 54c900baed trying to establish some 5143dddda7 boundaries. He accepted, albeit e4528ab840 reluctantly.0b7ab31c854fe5db

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“Yes, understood. But, there’s b7e77d29c4 always a c0a6375f04 chance to c3e758ce95 grow closer, 9aa87d0770 isn’t there?”0963350b7e2c5af1

Clearly, he wasn’t one fd88d6c9a2 to give up easily.d72328f7a632a3a1

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No wonder he’d 87fd95aa6c persisted through all 1037d8a591 of Zakari’s interference.e26af90def9b3a61

Soon after, we 9c0f9e3e76 headed to the 9cb5b142df hunting grounds owned da72e9ca47 by the family. Located west 45548dee87 of Ilanbore, cb786cecf5 it was 1f0ced1e1f known for 6cabaceb55 its dense e1d0cfdee5 forest cover.6b2480e5a013682f

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“Rachel, come 4ff9423c10 over here. That harsh 077993ac23 sun might 9cbfc3c5c6 burn your fad0d78d4a delicate skin,” 8a5f17a1f0 Erhardin cooed, 7facd71508 pulling Rachel 23bea011e1 close in 9af4bea339 an overly 7c7b317c58 affectionate gesture. Strangely, Rachel didn’t b39b992b02 push him away.e204ba40337fa3a7

‘Mother’s being unusually docile…’0a915db46c70dd5e

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Normally, she’d d5e2c91293 have scoffed 1d250511bd at such 75cdbf48d5 sickly-sweet words, 337045504c but she 4af845959d showed no 2498475d3f reaction this 9c1189962d time.fc8b3898cdd8e87f

And it wasn’t just 9f1cfbb113 me who noticed—Zerakiel didn’t 77c95381b5 look pleased either.be72ab6badc4cbd0

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I glanced at Kiera, f06b18d8dc who merely shrugged, indicating a485f10222 she was as puzzled 5b7e026445 as we were. The more I f6dfc63de7 thought about it, edfa495b63 the more suspicious c6b385baee it all seemed.beee44e11baa5847

‘Something isn’t right.’1c577bcede56f987

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