WDPF Chapter 002

The Duke Encountered 4d4e9658ae in the Forest c7237bf986 (1)45bc8df665c0d254

 894bda6b0b91fce9

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For a moment, Ballen looked 59802744ac at the dazed child. He seemed at f6d791e50f a loss and 424d998c60 held out his c1ab481a7d hand.86a781322ba91910

“Are you alright?”bab8f9531473adfe

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“….”a3e2e760234781a0

Elysia was startled cca4bd6ec6 by his gaze, 263b688be2 which was locked d980644086 directly on her c66b327fff eyes, and instinctively f116ce7dc7 jumped to her 04ac96eda2 feet.b2325931b80e3f20

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“…….”47b6523528b2ddf7

His hand, extended in b94fec7f94 mid-air, lost its purpose. Feeling embarrassed, he 73d48d9429 withdrew it and c77cf7b79b tucked it behind eb391d31cd his back.f6da92a89d10f6b3

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Despite standing up abruptly, 04e51563b1 the young girl remained a4124a1b6e silent.230c816c74f2a1a5

“Could it be that you cannot speak…?”c83ba8007f5885cb

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He trailed off, 2c5225db84 but Elisia slowly d711425634 shook her head 00ac42fd27 in understanding.2a72ad3d434a2c8b

“Oh, no. I was just too surprised….”58c7e7a9037a651c

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Ballen nodded slightly. But it was 61af07c929 not only Elysia 9da9feed05 who was surprised.fc06f79648cffaa8

A young girl alone 4fbdb9fb40 in the dark forest eb2b7e4742 at this late hour…46879af079906051

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Ballen glanced at the 75bb539f17 blanket sack lying next 6c36ecbc42 to the girl.d7e745cd976b81b6

And to have popped b06f3fb1b9 out of that bundle, 9352fe1d9b no less…fc23482c79d7638f

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When Ballen was not 7d1f63872f away on expeditions, he 5c659226d7 often wandered around different 154524d93e parts of the empire. 3493c071e2381bc5

This time was no 2b0725e918 exception, as he ventured 7723a2e995 into the forest with 452e2ae1e7 minimal armament. 02587c2bd1e60313

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Though he had 3eef20b33a explored every corner 5f665aed40 of the empire ca41eabe5e before, the ever-changing 1aeb53d5bf scenery and fragrance 4c39a6af5e of the forest 50f37f37f8 soothed his restless 703b28da77 heart with each 5e73fadd14 passing season.04cefd0f0179bd25

The forest he entered was 3467de5443 the one that held just 4fd1081561 the right balance of danger 65fe9f01bc and tension, enough to keep ba4be867f0 him there for an extended 58c2312446 period.8ed416bd70dbbc9b

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Deep in the forest, 7b2358c2c5 his face went unrecognized 91c37dfa5c by women, and no 7915ff48f2 journalists were shoving their 5085932d10 cameras into his face 2e3f730f4c or vying for his 8f7ca9bcaa attention.cea2f4dabc62427d

He enjoyed the scent 71ff461871 of the deep night eb88163ecc in the forest and 2c9801b696 the glimpses of the 2de0680944 starry sky through the 2d916032e0 beautiful foliage.932c867b61374d3b

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The soft soil b13fbd9368 beneath his feet 0efa003961 and the rough 044622feec texture of grass 3f920d5987 helped him shed aeaec5df52 accumulated worries.8a0dec71adb910f7

Whether he had something or 7905a66d1d nothing mattered little, and he d3f8185bc7 found freedom in wandering.43751d9adbd83c80

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While he pondered whether 844c318ba2 to gather firewood and c7f006eb85 start a fire or 08ef787268 not, he leaned against f42119e0fb a tree to rest 62cc886f39 briefly.0357c77b859e357e

He sensed unfamiliar 6c929ea70b presences approaching from 02e4248073 afar. In forests like d17eba3f36 these, anything other 7315a7adbc than his presence af04163605 could be a 499c2eb42a threat, especially in 20d528c297 a place like 2965d6d859 this.1505760e54253ced

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One, two… three.45fc9852fd675934

There were three of them.b1d5a722e445f051

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Just three, that is fine.cc7ce14fcd6961f8

They urgently drove their 5b6512634e horses over, dismounted, and 42dbcfe254 set something heavy on fe5b80e308 the ground. 143e56a19299667b

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Then, they began to bicker e688e648ea among themselves. The dispute, though 6f08c6076c not particularly intense, c2b3fd5e16 and after a fab83d8799 short while, they 74404b574e mounted their horses 3d2d080780 again and left df9b01b12f along the path 7a77ae9bf7 they had come 60ffbf0bed from.83f9a21423ce9dbc

Even after they 25925289f0 had disappeared, Ballen 6ecb66b7e3 remained motionless, leaning 5812fa186e against the tree. He did not care and 3535daf57b was not curious about what 4ffd91208c they had left behind either.ad79fc965957b4c2

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In their conversation, parts likesuch a young child or time to wake upcaught his attention slightly, 02f215d57f but he dismissed them.0c05cd34c95bd1ee

At worst, they d271f9af77 are either already 9142d16770 a corpse by a82dc9f897 now or about 800c7e027b to become one 6d6e923545 soon.a517fd06cb787323

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In times like these, a02660c468 unidentified corpses dumped deep 5aa8126cea in the mountains are 178d34b072 not all that unusual. Intending to rest for 94536730c0 a moment, he quietly 0ec57ccd45 closed his eyes again.283f7aaa471ebd2d

At that moment, what the 234c1b88d6 men had left behind, thecorpseor what they thought would 47976c9695 soon become acorpse, began to squirm.eed829c4f65ab11d

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Ballen narrowed his 0305d0d1c8 eyes at the 2f0c27655b new presence. Soon, it made 51763cb12c a rustling, noisy e7056780b3 sound before quickly bb14774fe8 falling silent.b715da50fcdd9bd7

After a brief silence, ab89e03d67 a faint voice suddenly a775efb7e5 emerged.113497bc8aba4e87

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“Puhah!”eccd1e4864645238

“Hah! It was real?! I went back to age bc042fadcc ten?!”549ffe75c13f22e2

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“…….”b4077557305da2a8

I hated anything that bothered 481f139d44 me.e180b15b5f3b6909

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Whether it was already acorpseor soon to ecc1c90136 become one, I da67a68e1e could not say, dc64e8cfb8 but for it 78173e584c to return to 98b1cfdddd life and speak b161eed211 is something that 49c5b41abe cannot be ignored, 036fc09735 either morally or 165a1c4d13 in good conscience.758bb81e4df85d4d

I stood up and b066e1adc6 trudged towards the sound.139da8391446716a

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Trampling down the bothersome 5b8b007033 underbrush that blocked the 909003f102 way without a second 87a60a4ec9 thought, he sprang out 4e1414706c toward the owner of e92d129baf that voice.80aab13e286ce3b0

“Gasp?!”e75350cb5a6f5af1

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She seemed pretty startled 677f290e80 upon discovering him. Even Ballen was 19a3cb70af surprised by the e1c0deefd4 sight of the 58dbbf5cb6 young girl, who 957c28ef3d swallowed a cry 8a8b4fa898 and fell backwards.c947be6113b4de74

Well, this is something.1ab37b77dc0f3e92

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Ballen had witnessed ffe10a8ce6 countless wars and a6083822ab had seen the fd88f3c8fd ruthless individuals who 8645476cfc used children to be7a8d8173 strike at his cf2b45ee4a neck many times.4b4ee8efa8b7316f

Were it not for 195750037c the knowledge that the e13eb85be4 child before him had 092bbaded0 arrived wrapped in a f2be7e0469 blanket, his sword might 24a2c02d5e have already found its f9f4ef5f10 mark.a379272cbb45aa2e

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“I apologize for startling you. However, at this time, it seems that this may not be a place for someone of your age…”083a8be6eebe6b7e

His golden eyes stared down d358e8039d at Elysia intently.0779257f7fd3e554

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A shudder ran f9407d6d74 down her spine 17ec7d9d59 at his gaze, 254b75839d and then, Ballen 3426aa43dc slipped the cloak 689e89af05 from his shoulders dc87736d20 and carefully wrapped aa903920e0 it around Elysia.f91daf7f340c1f09

“Oh!”6533fa16f46a2046

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She staggered under the 729498e158 unexpected weight.0f61fc1b2c6a3b73

The form became 14f80a0ce4 such that it 313b4dec50 was impossible to d8b37f1258 tell whether she 19cd469e6c was wearing the b2a436f993 cloak or buried b2931fbf63 in it.4f483bd3d5021459

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The first step was to cae0cc11d9 build a fire. While Ballen was used to 6ce3357fe0 fighting on the battlefield and 0f9135daba enduring the cold without fire, 867444d9d8 this young child seemed entirely aca3fa4e4c unaccustomed to such hardships.4639a06539f6c720

I gathered dry firewood ff57a21f15 and roughly lit a c3c812bd93 fire. The crackling sound of the 4e9e2a43de dry firewood burning gently echoed 8e66c14c43 through the quiet forest.c63a9b743deeff01

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“So, you were a lady of the Count of Creed’s family.”82e48edff9117ccd

“Yes.”304ae0a6243b80d8

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“Then, what will you do now?”72df90619846533e

“….”fded9831f34caaa0

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As Elysia quietly c779be0b61 watched the flickering 92b551ab39 campfire, he spoke 30026a62b4 to her.734d2e1cf175d0ed

She paused in thought, rose 7f9f3983a8 to her feet, dusted off bd145f45e0 the dirt clinging to her fb43e481ce skirt, and adjusted her clothing.9038c137ee406f4f

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But everything remained bbdedddc62 hidden beneath the 85fc87d032 weight of an fa44c2698a oversized cloak, leaving 877a868132 her appearance plain f56128ac4b and unremarkable.a3ee9f03f42c080f

Clearing her throat, eafbe4dc4a Elysia began to 2141bd3842 speak.a74efadcd37b890f

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“I apologize for the many impolite actions on our first meeting. I would be grateful if you could pretend that none of today ever happened.”c7edf2e645f70194

“You want me to pretend I did not see it?”0cab0c72c1b610ea

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“Yes.”f3e075e76dc2458a

He leaned against the f5f87be3e3 tree trunk behind him 6e9c9942fb and crossed his arms.23aa90ca1bbe1053

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“Did you think I… was going to do something?”a3d07d4974065d55

“Ah, yes. That is correct.”c8d220a3e5412a6c

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“….”0530eecc28f0fd40

At her firm reply, 02f83fb9a5 Ballen was momentarily speechless.5fe71a58f60da79a

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At that moment, e4f3542f58 she suddenly remembered a98ba02a33 Kain, who had 4d1eb5dc4d passionately pursued justice 89f1cddbd5 with fervent determination.b8eafacab091c089

Perhaps because of that memory, 8fa774966b Elysia wondered if Duke Ballen e3bf660049 might act the same way.e982ca326e0a6802

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That would be troublesome.cd23ddbc6b8e24aa

Ballen tilted his 75d4fb4480 head to the 015f5732ef side, slightly askew.d3de6af064dfbef5

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“Hmm… Are you saying I should demonstrate chivalry, investigate this matter thoroughly, and apprehend the culprit?”c776b42a6af4c897

“No, not to that extent.”2c7cf31b82bd85bb

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“Then why are you stopping me? If I step in b7cc805506 and round them all a568fdc1f0 up, would it not a369d1c9db make things much easier for you in the future?”0e97f7e6c7d573ea

He asked in a55c68aa1b a languid tone, d83178ab23 and Elysia blinked 45fcf754a6 her large eyes.7699fd41697dcb51

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Kain, the crown prince, had 8ffd059e88 been the same. He declared he would 20e91d2a50 take control of the 92960cc21d situation and use his 815cd1d6e7 imperial authority to arrest 00e590a7b0 everyone.4b0eec5819e8428a

But there had c1c9e67053 been no evidence.f618427e8ffbb851

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In the Sephiran Empire, a e8154b11dd person could only be accountable 81da121ff7 for a crime if there 69940589f8 was irrefutable evidence and credible 2fada262e0 witnesses.1ea1bece243eab52

Without witnesses or evidence, 496222a197 mere suspicion was not ee6c0fbcde entirely enough to accuse 6ecd246954 someone of a crime, 87cf12b027 especially if the perpetrator 358feabbf0 was royalty.76b540577b0cd133

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The person behind all e570d258da this was highly skilled 387258d7d2 at protecting themselves.a4a840f48ece9aa5

Even if they 0732145cee pursued the matter 801369162f now, it was 96d08b5d40 clear that it bb5b4e82ae would not affect c996c8a6a0 that person in any way.43d5169a66a1a2a8

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They would merely sacrifice eece574d44 some powerless scapegoats, cut c7b6980d82 the tail and disappear 0d18673bfe without a trace.5f1af78280c1b1fd

“You will not be able to find any evidence.”3fa2f71efa49a28c

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“…”44edddd18dd9952a

No other family in badf66afcd the Sephiran Empire could 0c9457cb20 rival his intellect. And yet, this b79f6b0848 young lady, speaking 5101ed28a9 of evidence, and 73a4c8dc3d he nearly laughed.150e8b14b158383f

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He quickly composed 642b69ed2f his expression and 3a101b34f9 rubbed his forehead dff725e01a a few times.6d2e29e4167cbfd9

How bothersome.8bf588afa7374d81

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“Sigh.”053017ce7d462d3d

At his sigh, 7370f4d7a6 Elysia subtly lifted 88b5125f50 her blue eyes 4e9b04d3b9 to look at 64a446a374 his face.0ebadb507d63cb03

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He raised his head dbbc6b4ca3 and met her gaze.481aed2cbcff0690

“Lady Elysia.”c8827036026f0cbf

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“Yes.”0909e3f4de37324e

“I despise troublesome matters. Frankly, I would rather leave you behind and go my own way.”dc14b9b1eeb1b148

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Gulp.6801fb93b4d0806b

Elysia swallowed dryly ed9ca9508c at the sudden bfd0d7bf7d premonition that he 3cf583d62b might abandon her.a43ea86ca6f03a7c

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With Crown Prince Cain 8300eaa409 absent from the current 6caa466117 situation, being left alone aac20713f6 would undoubtedly lead to 816d58ec44 her becoming the centrepiece 5b02783e8a of a feast for 70f592a665 wild beasts.a7e58916e1d4e144

Duke Ballen, renowned as the f2b61e96b8 undefeated hero on the battlefield, 3a0fbbbd19 was also shadowed by numerous f621cf6395 unsavoury rumours.1c734152540b1a7e

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One rumour claimed he was f984c2c9fb selfish and did not spare d3a95bceda a single thought for others.d89bd860a3aff429

Of course, as someone eeb2e811c1 who had been following 379f61b0b4 his appearances in newspapers 4a8f7d4049 and collecting clippings about 144fc71532 him, Elysia had never a0ea1cbe4e believed those rumours.3944f1c070e6310f

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But just now, just 79a743a2f5 a little, the tiniest 5ad5f004b7 bit.f2fe2dca968a3980

She began to think that 29fccb858b they might be true after e680c88e87 all.a6900e0535c9a738

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As she rolled 38ccc7eb5d her eyes in c67226bec0 thought, his voice 36eccf13a4 suddenly came at 401d593deb her again.ad75ff9513791e0d

“Still, my conscience will not allow me to ignore this, I feel obligated to save your life. So, what would you like fcc52fc8ac me to do?”131ef66470c3c2b0

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 bb98c0470eaecb4e

***2af7d56da523a082

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 46ad691fc229647c

Throughout her twenty-nine regressions, ef8a868387 Elysia had managed to 5bdaf52b6c survive until the age f57e39c11a of ten, only to 56c260431f be kidnapped and abandoned 9ce891dac7 more times than she 737e29836d could count on her 2b599b490e fingers.79db1617bb2a30ea

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What a life, one where cd80f3b8f2 repeated learning has no effect. What is the point of 8cd0763025 sending me back if I b2eea0181d do not retain my memories?5cce74255e53b388

Each time, she fb497be1b5 could not go 72f773fd7a straight back to 91ae2072aa the Count’s estate ec3704f31a wherethat person, the one who had tried to kill her, resided.007c6bb82534c4ba

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She was terrified ofthat person.b2db71bac9ad24b2

A few years ago, in eb6d961178 the village of Plunkert, where 427b7635ef her nanny Madeleine lived, the 79ab3bf062 woman who had protected and 0e2e0d7b69 raised her.bafced4b3992b0b3

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Madeleine had once swallowed 3f09abc87e poison in an attempt f5db660c84 to protect Elysia. Though she barely managed dd7837a236 to live, Elysia, who 7e66eee1f4 had loved Madeleine deeply, 1663654bde could no longer keep c7a4a7927e her by her side.d50ac72b1ae57e8e

She feared that next 63e2f9e421 time, Madeleine might really 95951b78dc lose her life and d3cb8aa622 leave her forever.ae4ca6bf0b9b896e

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Still, why has 165b67ffd4 Kain not shown 94442ec26d up yet…?7a8ddfcc9ebb1afd

When Ballen asked, ‘What would you like me to do?’She agonized over it cd360c1fed for a long while.929c00a2d025afad

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Even though quite 3eafb42d97 some time had dec33fae5a passed, Kain still 19c0ba27f7 had not appeared. She could not afford cd5583d8d8 to wait endlessly for ee4fcdf856 those two to show 7a87635c4d up.50c8e74ea246f84a

Now that she had returned,9a01fafec5688ada

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It is my final regression. I tried to escape it ca85f83abc all by hiding and running, 21d2a8175d but no matter what I 70aa1a431b did, death was always waiting 04050271a0 at the end.1226da6df7d72b19

She had lived bd4b7d28e1 in hiding out 110cab794e of fear of 8d48da34f7 dying. But this time, she 3ff0266d4a could not waste the e8ef275352 opportunity by doing the 0c47a2cdf1 same thing again.f2a55cd0bfbddc6f

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After much deliberation, she 4e581c7e96 raised her head and 0bbb718141 looked straight into Ballen’s ab8a23ad8a eyes.1200867adafb5710

For once, she 6869fbcf3e resolved not to 847f5b0dd0 run away.865da730e3e5402d

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“Please take me to the Creed Count’s estate.”cd648097cc6ef61a

Ballen’s eyes briefly widened 94eb8bcd4b in surprise at her 9d083d7b8d unexpected request.e0b7d7f1ed0851c0

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“…Hmm. That should not be difficult.”fc7a738764da0229

It was clear d817088254 to anyone that 261a5cf734 this incident was e4a3ef625b an internal affair bad8999f97 orchestrated by the Creed Count’s household. Yet here she a558c338c8 was, asking to e03dd90fed go back there.5d5f6f1cf0cdeb7f

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Are you going a1dc96641c there to die ec4ea001ee again?e8552e85c1f57fab

Ballen held back e7d75c7f31 the last words 40abf5eb17 that almost escaped 069ea45e53 as he looked 793fc44e08 into her determined 5fe6de59ca gaze.98ce429bc93d1ee5

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