WBWB | Chapter 54

Why had someone bee77a7e3b from the palace 410e0a7b22 come all this 1428ad1f6a way to personally 32fe28e5af escort me in b8e633cc19 a royal carriage, 049da7917b when simply delivering ea86bf8d0c the pardon would f210bb20a3 have sufficed? b1223316ff0666b9

And why 79c7c3ac29 had the 124ba9b80c Crown Prince, e993b0d9e4 whom I ea4af44566 had never ba3c3c9e82 met, sent e66bdbaa91 the carriage?eba9970dd70695f9

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“His Majesty, after the a46ca8c9a3 mourning period, has appointed 848e0565af Prince Mael as the 7455ccc8f2 new Crown Prince.”d537cdc9c1ef64ba

It was because 39820885f9 Young Master Mael 426e207361 had become ‘His ec7e7cfc27 Royal Highness, the 9462e4f9e7 Crown Prince.’21db8995657b7a0c

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“Therefore… His Royal Highness eagerly awaits the day he can be reunited with you again, Miss Toulouse. Of course, you’ll need time to be reunited with your family first. I shall escort you home today and return for you later.”cf43bd657e00146e

And so, 49d929256e I arrived 01d463f7c8 home. It felt like c0dd4f6d05 waking up from 8bd782b0b4 a long dream. A very a68c3131dc long dream.0836e34dd63f707f

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‘Were the things I experienced there even real?’2c9fd2c1593d4a91

The coachman carried 1e3568c4bb my luggage from eaa92433bf the carriage to c07d22c3ef the entrance of 537417b4cd our three-story townhouse. I carried my 56147a858d bags up the ddd698643a stairs and stood 71a44f2473 before our door, 7d62dc3aeb hesitating. 3a24dbd806de7b1f

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Why was I hesitating after longing to return so desperately? Was it because I didn’t want to wake up from the dream?96f7d0a1442d862a

But I couldn’t stand there forever. I finally knocked. A moment later, the maid who had remained with us even after our family’s decline opened the door. Her familiar face was filled with surprise at the sight of me.173436963f741dba

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“Miss Jeanne!”75173471676bda5c

She cried out, d34d93a1a3 her voice shrill. It was a natural 857fc2e0f2 reaction. How could she 2f15ad5669 have imagined it 312f68fcbe would be me 213afdcaf5 standing at the aee833034d door?5f0f1c21eeeaea8a

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“Madam! Madam! Miss is here!”76aa403c815e6a0e

At the maid’s ad30c85484 cries, hurried footsteps 038820c63f approached from inside a2c581680a the house. And finally, I was 96fbdd296f reunited with my mother d2b4f4ac2b and sister.449b37f64f80b054

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As soon as they saw me, they rushed to hug me tightly, tears streaming down their faces, without a word. I was finally back in my family’s embrace. But instead of the overwhelming joy I had expected, I felt strangely numb. It was probably because the reality of the situation hadn’t sunk in yet. Right?7d6ac9888e2b7e1d

After a 2bb91fb5e5 while, I 4d02d07d97 went inside c759fbc829 and sat 7ac7254389 at the d088bf1120 dining table, a35584c18b sipping the 2203e128c3 tea they 4e622af511 poured for 78b2bdb9a3 me, and 39907ee571 explained how da7fc8224d I had 12282adb72 come to 20a3ca3449 be pardoned 3b290c288e and returned 9693877ac3 home.b274ec705bb25c43

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“Wasn’t there a disease d4d14930b3 outbreak there?”340fcbaaa5848e91

My mother and sister 3e778e7cdd already knew about the 880b53956b plague that had swept 91c2839200 through the court. My mother recounted 1669c23626 the events that 4626e6ece8 had taken place 4f0ccde7be in Franc while f3fd844f88 I was gone.737d33e925690ea2

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“Many people died from 2dda8dd36d the plague. Thankfully, by God’s 20d16be4fb grace, our family 03930598d4 was spared… oh, 63ca578fe8 dear, the streets 4127cc5901 were piled with a1eb2c6948 corpses, and no b63397e541 one dared to 16de2def6b remove them. It was 260a1f2fad a horrific 8822d6924c sight. We were actually acae1787c6 relieved that you cdc2cebcdb were exiled, far dbe46a95ad away from the b7cee33b1d city.”3e5e58a2c78b801c

As I dcae1d618e listened to 8df2898119 her words, 614afa3c2e the exhaustion da23a7855b from the 285a6cc0f4 ten-day carriage 192584fdc2 ride caught 51d6ef34a4 up with de5603f3c9 me.45aea37e0315af2b

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“Even though we weren’t infected, we almost starved to death, Sister. Even though we had money.”068bc9a85fdde90d

I started dozing off 15ca074a2a again as my sister 518c1578e4 spoke. Despite having 551d67cbcc slept so 7cfb553869 much in 0714c534eb the carriage, 5c9499a84c I couldn’t c5996657e3 fight off a21da47434 the drowsiness. Seeing my exhaustion, my ac2de1bfab mother and sister stopped 407c8bbd74 talking and urged me e96fad5808 to rest.09b45ec8a2b5043f

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I went to my 459aeb7410 room, collapsed onto my 301d8462f3 familiar bed, and slept. A long, 6fb96ed21f deep sleep.84ac2197682266ba

When I woke up, I was no longer in the Duke’s mansion.c0a929270278fa41

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For the next 4e53689ca4 few days, my 96a56b28c7 mother, my sister, 283fa3bf58 and I talked d14a5e0c3b endlessly, as if f6c04718d9 trying to make 7bb0f4613d up for lost 169a02760e time. Information poured a085766854 out like 49dfd69cd6 a tidal 6835af7304 wave, and 54ecc81492 I learned 6783e444f0 about the 4c51e36b25 many things 72406216fe that had 16780af368 happened to d0c1a84d59 them.3d1083ab36b1e412

The most surprising f9eaf62c44 news… was that 2ddd63f874 my sister had 16d1cdf753 found a job.8a7fd5266e0a9da4

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“You write novels? And you earn money 18e6d952d2 from it?”4877de4d836e58eb

“What? Did you think 536c3e610b you were the 4a4cc22efb only one who 53e34e13a6 spent time in 8857642917 Grandfather’s library?”429614e9b7da748b

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An de Toulouse 1cd5d8deb7 had become a e7370e9245 writer.36afc7f45bb61764

“I started writing short 8f57c54d58 stories while you were 5fb063b135 working as a tutor. Mother would 0dcde153a2 read my fd55fc39ad drafted work a6aecdb79c and point 20003e7b68 out areas 8c15ea014c for improvement, 4778638374 and after 73c1ecac6a revising, I bd44e4c23b would submit af81affa22 it to 293678e6aa publishers. Sister, my novels 5c6e0c313c are quite popular. The one I wrote 4e9d7850bc based on the court 1e900c06f9 stories you told me 9f35a7c837 was a huge success. Of course, that alone 92e479a4f3 won’t be enough to dbcad8a4ab make a living for 070352d531 the rest of my b6d2741f60 life, and I’ll have 7ffb55b7a3 to write more.”317f73aef63d5c1d

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An spoke confidently.4196263b3c3132e4

“So, Sister, you don’t 7dec215193 have to struggle alone bf6960fe36 anymore. We might not 6fa76c0752 be able to 575c95cb4a live as lavishly 168c59bc7c as we did 2f23d78cb4 when we were 17603b7ebe young, but… you 5216da9b16 can do what 47072369de you want now. Use your 63f656817a money for 2dfd2adf89 yourself, not c8961ce7e1 just on 194de375ab us.”4c05bf31730ae174

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I was speechless. It felt as 51b92a24af if my younger 462cf2050f sister, whom I daebbd78b7 had always felt d29a7b8cd2 the need to 7251fe3caa protect, had suddenly e58383950a grown up in e6d139c00f my absence. I looked 5347a36cd3 at her 06056aefe9 intelligent, bright 05584bc10d brown eyes 65c65266c3 and asked,1277880e90b11202

“Don’t you 5c993ff42c want to a6b322e74c get married?”127e87eaa1a4ad26

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“Married?”d79feb7fa5db21af

My sister scoffed.4088de3220bc87a5

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“Marriage? Unlike you, I don’t 5020e6f106 like children. What I 414f5a9f17 want to 6826086425 do isthis, not get 42e6257293 married.”e94eb5c12d768295

An’s dream was to earn a lot of money from her novels and buy a small house to live peacefully with our mother. So, while I was gone, she had started building her own life. I looked at her with admiration.e0b1142c97a65790

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“Can I read 134be1b3c9 your novels?”d1431b8059cfd3cb

“Of course! I’d love for you 54a57f05c8 to read them. You inspired me, fc947e4f01 after all.”3f350b32b2cc6514

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She handed 4f8f9e2a24 me her c994a21126 books.b8ab56385e5c1b04

I spent most a977446aea of my time 92f9e75569 reading them, except 512c1cdcc8 for meals and 764172abba walks. The more I read, a44b39f2e2 the more impressed I 8422ceb929 became with her talent.630810def2f4fc16

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‘How can she write so vividly about things she’s never seen?’c3ab02026e0c940b

Her novels were b2c641f545 so engaging, so 8fd151bc4a it was easy 0346f9bbe3 to see why 4e493177bd they were popular.02d80588d3b152f8

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‘Grandfather left an intangible legacy not only to me but also to my sister.’ac4dbab981a8de19

But even d2ba7780dc as I bd0fdf54d0 read, thoughts 9c43819484 ofhimintruded, wedging themselves between c45f401c7f the lines.436b5ce9bab5c697

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‘What is he doing now?’130c83396f28a3df

I felt guilty for thinking about him more than Lady Ana. But once the thought entered my mind, I couldn’t stop. I tried to shake the thoughts away, but it was no use.0a196b014dc6a16c

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‘I think about him this much.’34bb0125a7cf0fdb

I had thought that b6365cb25c leaving that place would 4fc9943725 mean leaving him behind a418ed31b5 too. That being this 0360bbfdb7 far away would aa1378ab9a be enough to 06802b4ac3 free me from 273af93efa these thoughts of 213e9537c8 him. But I was wrong.d80f7aab74370a04

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‘Even though he probably cb30dd0f2d doesn’t care about me b835332131 anymore.’0b79de7661a6a0a8

I thought 435f5610c2 about him adcb2759a8 constantly, and a7f5020cf0 each time, e65b878933 I would 8308405bc9 have to 7d555694ee stop reading 25dbf68e05 and take 4acf15f2bc a deep 5039bb4f2e breath.81ddb73c0f07a0c2

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‘Physical distance is meaningless.’97ed8829c008df35

I was still in love with him. The brief sense of relief and lightness I had felt after confessing my feelings wasn’t because I had stopped loving him, but… because I was no longer burdened by the pressure of hiding them.4917ff78279325ed

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During my 30d5327de7 exile, I 8ec11b6721 had often fdf519a80b been tormented f55f5e9a04 by my 54df888585 longing for 452d0b9647 my mother 7df62bfd74 and sister. But now, 20f921b800 reunited with 2bc50e62b6 my family 7bf432f3b3 in Franc, 0edd605312 I was 46461f182f inexplicably tormented 3b2f5d338e by the fa0bbcd238 fact that c6dcd7d626 I would 9468dc6103 never see b20532d335 him again.93a2b3ee225156ca

‘It feels like I’ve f9f762ead1 left a part of 10f908bc25 my soul behind.’cf86d92d619c6a7d

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Thinking about f37a4060c4 him felt 0eeddcd1d5 like a a26e9abee9 tear in ae3d448fb6 my heart.d7719e17187cdfb8

‘How can I ever escape this feeling?’2ef8402ef9e32640

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Would time heal 1c5a700227 this wound? Only time f75f3a4b8b would tell.0c29df1480a7eb79

* * *562aa62834136507

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A week after I arrived home in Franc, the attendant returned. He brought me an invitation from His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince. And the invitation wasn’t the only thing he brought. He was accompanied by servants carrying numerous pots of white irises and a large gift box.1cd736a308296174

“These are 87c959cc29 gifts from 74393a1161 His Royal 99289817c5 Highness.”e0ff66f84b0735ca

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I accepted the large 27bbc2f6b1 gift box, still feeling 2545689d9a bewildered, and thanked him. The servants cd6eca46f0 carrying the 2ad6248e2d flowerpots filed 7ab2f1cbcc inside and a05e737f26 placed them 02c974a68d around the 6f452530f4 house.70945ab0133bdb4f

Suddenly, the entire c4b2270017 house was filled 3d9515959e with an overwhelming 4c4c13806b number of irises. The white iris, bc4ed44ecd its petals resembling b932f09102 the shape of fd59daa1ea a sword, was 9bf30360a2 the royal emblem, d4965c7d55 cultivated exclusively in 0c6fdcab8a the royal gardens. Its rarity 4225e2fcec and symbolism 4f03de4f5b made it 5cf3c4e184 a highly 6e06050d82 prized gift 9db6139bac from the 48f972c44e royal family.ad612bc65cc04ddf

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The individual fragrance 126fc82dd5 of the irises 0912d57ca1 was pleasant, but 396fd8e57e the sheer quantity, 5b3561143d filling the house 4f1959ef10 almost to the 9083b871f8 point of being f1c68ee2ca suffocating, made the ce4142a776 scent almost overpowering. My practical c2bd5e6036 sister opened 318fe3dce6 the windows 6f7d74c7ba and grumbled,0af4624b942052ab

“What in the world 3924e16e13 is this? This isn’t c33ae90cb3 a house e197310d7b anymore, it’s 28f733894a a flower fcbc87a173 shop. What are we supposed d3dabec377 to do with all af297366ba these? If he c83d0e646c wanted to 54e73a799f send a 36238c0b1e gift, food 42f7e13da5 would have 33e7bb4d76 been better. And what’s in that afa37257fd box, Sister?”d35a012e8bf990eb

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I had received two 80c4aa8b3a boxes. They were surprisingly 6676dde41b light for their 3eae88a18f size that I af04ee30a0 wondered what it fe56c329a9 contained.d947b606a191e3fe

With my 3aa5b92f57 mother and a3ee0f7c14 sister watching, 5ea60040b4 I opened 8f612d3b0b them one 110c74bbec by one. I untied the 2e5b237802 ribbon of the f4b58569e7 larger box and 9e41a259fd lifted the lid. Inside, wrapped in 9d5b75262e a thin paper, 7ef866e1a4 were a dress, 2ff7c3d93a gloves, and shoes. They were exquisite, b1828ab01b breathtakingly beautiful that c4439d4cd0 left me dumbfounded.515bb0f9f37bf139

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