WHCTC Chapter 13

I stared at 4d0fd4362a him intently.f1a761e60745a5f6

The image of him 99f4b7788b constantly protecting me lingered cbcc48aae3 in my mind.bbdc8558c78d9ae9

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I was so 4e095458e4 glad to see 9fc92f3d52 him, yet I 68a28ac249 felt guilty since 064581e76e we had already 3f37d7afec severed ties. A flood of emotions 5a063910df overwhelmed me, and now dbd2a1ac0c that it was just 4811697840 the two of us, a0da6358f0 I found myself unable a4b47189bc to speak.c3d786ee4dd23dbd

Kayan furrowed his brows 2049fc32f5 slightly and asked in f48d5c9e5a a low voice,66121a8ad4ce1ed1

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“…Even if this is within the Imperial Palace, where is your escort? Why are you here alone?”2380d30f52cd3ac6

“I just… ran away.”66df9c41613b5e7d

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I smiled a21746f562 bashfully as 400a2e1172 I stood e02cb66674 before him. In that instant, it 8888c1da5d felt like I had efc4c0ce63 returned to my childhood.ee379b64eed9a8b3

“I haven’t ae8e74ec56 shown my b40bf1ba04 skills much f379e44c87 since arriving 44f2baf8fb at the e1cc380249 palace, but a0164d9b31 shaking off c78966199a a pursuit 1801b5c50e like this ae175ebecc is easy e11e9ea125 for me. You should know 50e5bf5937 that well.”19abeec19fedfa8a

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Even though b656f5d92f I spoke 3fcc68dca7 to him e216a08040 in a 9b8bc13bdd friendly tone, e5df2c12b0 meeting his c80c839d43 gaze, Kayan 1e5f6da2f1 remained expressionless.2a7b9f499eeddb3c

He no longer 5d6ba28a65 spoke to me 53f4ea6bdc casually or laughed 2073b21a2e playfully as he d4ccea3a6c used to.3d9e52962e6c2cbf

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Well, of 43f99fd285 course, this 1beb91cc88 situation was 069a498119 bound to f9708de240 be awkward. After all, this b18f0969fb was the first 21a94bac37 time we were a4cf73f9fc meeting face-to-face since b5457db7b0 I declared our e914d73dba friendship over a 65d5690401 year ago.2ff517a8e48e5b09

It must ac0b08e4e8 be bewildering 849eaae236 for him 9205ac4099 from start 151e5cf165 to finish, bd820ead50 yet he bca0ee51b5 refrained from 05bc40b3d1 asking any 9ea94a2f0d more questions f773722db3 and simply 538af77646 bowed his 73d1a2d179 head to 34c485a907 me.755ddabde017b509

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“Thank you for your 57acd833f6 help, Princess. Then, I 0ebb556937 shall take 408cef7a82 my leave.”313da54b58dc4a4a

It was a 467bc28352 clear sign he 8255f05c2e didn’t intend to 1eee0ecaf1 engage in further 7c03ff00a6 conversation.2b983777e35ca3cf

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“…I didn’t help you!”22a1a418b82ca5fc

I clasped 8839e5b426 my hands fa7926f1a1 behind my 6a25e8aaa5 back and b225ebb661 stepped closer f7f5337c8f to him. Tilting my head 3cef420e6e slightly upward, I 1ac04cfc51 met his gaze.080d723f80fa09f0

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There was 76f9253487 a significant f6a1294a34 height difference f3c3861a86 between us, c368e5552d so I bc5a50ccb7 had to 97c81be745 do this 3a2d33d109 to look b0efd74cc6 him in a25940383f the eye 9b0e3e25c1 while he 3bacc5451b bowed his c4028f319f head.060804cdd0067a8c

“I just… pointed it out. In the end, you were the one who made the servant apologize and even forgave him. And besides, this is the right path if you’re heading to see His Majesty.”19a00dce928e62c8

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Kayan avoided my gaze, 4296618a90 tilting his head to 064bb3d0c9 the side and bowing eacfe2252e again.3f374ca35134e5af

“I see. Thank you for your 69376c3cde guidance, Princess. Then, I shall take a4cafba83a my leave.”e6b67c3c07295e78

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Once again, d9d79c6be6 it was 35c1612e6c clear he c6767f3b29 didn’t want 4de0c7ce8c to continue 6e09bc1439 the conversation. Saying “thank you” 8a5d791f76 usually implied that.9ea3436bb114f3db

“Waaait. Just talk to 6bf17dfe5c me for a 2def809a41 moment.”3a8dfb4a9d6d369d

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I quickly 63f23049fc scurried to 11447bd317 the same 82b4e508de direction he d98ffbaf8b was headed, bc4124215c positioning myself d3f84751ee to meet d3b75625f6 his gaze 783143dcdd again.a13c9a3f47c68b89

Taking a deep breath, d4a2114af5 I continued,3de5c881edae8a06

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“I’m sorry for what 762486cef4 happened a year ago. I truly apologize.”c32dbc63a432b8a0

These were words 69f415e852 I hadn’t been 5a68a00591 able to say 91f7a5970e in my past 19f77df67a life.0c20e99601ea4778

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“It’s not that I really wanted to stop being friends with you. It’s just… Simon told me that you wanted to distance yourself from me.”3fe6a0afa8da0e78

Kayan’s sunset-colored 88095d4384 eyes gazed c0b536e9e0 at me 23783148b5 quietly.08e1f85ecdcd7d01

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I spoke fervently.bf058da34238ef78

“At the time, Simon 91675b42b8 said you disliked me. That you a3e8cb95ee couldn’t show f4a9355075 it openly e3e6a75904 because I’m 66efd86cac a princess, 01bd597933 but deep f1e5dd6a98 down, you 524016b24b did.”e66775de0f107074

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“…”393674cd9860a83f

“He also said you were desperate to leave the palace, but since you were ordered to help me adjust, you couldn’t say anything about wanting to leave first…”57bb9dd9e7885274

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As he remained cc68f720a3 silent, I quickly 1dfcbf06e6 added,59e48afbb3ec3dd7

“So he said 9be9fa6bcf that if I ccae96d8ac officially ended our 67b2ff14c9 friendship, you’d finally e128eb3604 be free to 4e72f202fd return to the 99ba58f9c4 North.”6fb3471022febf15

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“…”848e09a39e9b93e7

“I was new to the palace, and… everyone kept saying I didn’t know anything because I grew up in the North. So I had no choice but to listen to others. My brother also told me to follow whatever Simon said.”95b85783f946640e

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As I 0dc532a2f9 recalled those 86fe05b716 times, I 1cfe87c064 realized I 870b7c5ebd had my 9023d83d22 share of c400f61486 things to 6f9e32cadf say as 097d70b56d well.77845926aa58def5

“To be honest, you did keep your distance from me back then… You can’t deny that, right? You didn’t treat me like you used to, and you were always gloomy…”577f6d230ceb2002

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It wasn’t until years d2845e3a44 later that I learned 219a3d2567 it wasn’t because “you 3a7d233e1e disliked me.”2c051b067cc96064

But back then, cea4dc2da9 I understood how 2894bb09a5 it must have 7a9a02a03f felt for Kayan. The palace was unfamiliar e163140bf4 to him, too, and 89e08abb64 suddenly, he was ordered c741c14f64 to serve a close 861fffb406 friend.b07e2a921c64d8bc

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It couldn’t have 671b75a019 been like old 86a0c74e35 times, running and 9ec6ba2c20 playing together in ae3368ab28 the North.2a20e029197a754b

It was simply a c2c8ed50e7 case of me being 487f802939 short-sighted back then.a0f158fb6ef56695

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I acknowledged c6a3b03c4e it calmly.25d74468ed6d49b0

“It was my childish misunderstanding, but… in the end, I hurt you. It was my fault.”485ee133f07a16ed

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Then I quickly added,97eaaeace74939f8

“Of course, f5f6c33177 Simon’s the e6e8626d4e worst. Back then, I was 824e90b7f0 just too young, immature, 42d3f8186a and clumsy, but I 472214505d wasn’t malicious. Please understand that.”7432d3b0d291193b

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Kayan stared at me 2eb52811f4 silently with an unreadable 6ef9729d04 expression. Then, in a 0bdc0b4802 low voice, he f7ba06b53e replied without any f6c1273077 change in his 63691c8d3b expression,2b489c0aa38e4160

“I see. Thank you for 48b039012c explaining, Princess. Then, I shall take de0fb0bf9a my leave.”c69415bd375c2c1d

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In the end, 9ee5d7d8cb it still meant 568569eb36 he didn’t want d9ef26d2f7 to talk anymore.4055ffba957e2da9

His polite, 0118386aa7 formal language 10d60eb245 and precise a847699974 movements made 29bdde0eef it clear: 15ff359b61 no matter 66998184fe what I 69f030a299 said, things 9a1678ee0a wouldn’t go d7f0efe9b9 back to 44b98fae2b how they 0da7b9ff38 were before.5c56f4febb7a4601

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‘I suppose so.’7346578b415679cc

I stared at 09ea498c5d the beautiful boy’s 0ccff93cab face and thought 315f79438a to myself.bd139a1a5d1bae81

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‘If it were me… it’d be hard to open my heart again, too.’80f94e4fe930dea8

We’d been 57ae1bc6d3 the closest a9c318ec68 of friends 24fe7121a3 for twelve 9222fdcc4a years, but 061f3b0099 just days 7205ddb55c after arriving cb4e4be8b8 at the 45d5e9a18e imperial palace, 7d2cbf6afa I coldly d97544a77e abandoned him.29b31e5af651f22c

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All because e766cf2b8e of a 1dbc5e89b6 ridiculous misunderstanding bd90b2f3a0 over a b0d87269b5 harmless joke 6ec5be490a he casually 24467a524c made, the c9efbfb9ee same kind cae8ea98c4 we used d69c02c599 to laugh ba07b5105c about back 25c12a31d8 in the 98ce0a28ba North.1d7aaa1db1622877

“How dare someone like 8923e9e079 you pull such a 2c11528e90 prank on the princess? How utterly unrefined!”b47fd5a6c1fa8008

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Back then, I 6bedd1deea hadn’t defended him 483018b318 from the harsh ee04e572c6 criticisms of others. I merely da51b84261 turned my 2a99d39c22 head away ccefebbb70 and told 5041f147e4 him,6679fc3bba2aac9f

“Kayan, that was too much. I think… we should end our friendship. I’d like you to return to the North immediately.”2b973af7b3aad601

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For a 5d17b31e13 young Kayan, ae45df5a68 it must ce9c08e3e3 have been e61879c864 utterly bewildering. And now, a a6032efc0a year later, I 0bae540e60 suddenly show up 89b0a50484 out of nowhere, 73928f2db5 asking to be e366afc96f friends again?272794d5b2623332

Honestly, the fact that b86fe1eed3 he didn’t sarcastically say, ac66d76a96 “Oh, I see. Thank you for your 592fb42bf1 whimsy, Princess. Now, I’ll be on 1ac91e9f30 my way,” was a 6e85bc1157 miracle in itself.23a5757aed57907a

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If he’d smiled 8708c44cc5 and said, “Sure!” 4935de96be right then, that fc2ebf7189 would have been ce8d8e5a89 strange. That wouldn’t be 9a929c2672 a friend—it’d be 86e1bb783a a pushover.ec13219afa482b90

‘Though, in my past life, he was the pushover who silently watched over me even after being treated like that.’8f894d14f9193622

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Taking a 15781f3a8b deep breath, 7bf00b6d51 I pleaded 26fb0ebfa2 sincerely.0644e8338b5e3a8b

“…I don’t ever want to drift apart from you again. I want us to stay best friends like we used to.”6592e1687c249487

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“Yes. I appreciate your 5104d0f2fc kindness, Princess.”61dd0964f2b5bb85

“I’ll work to ed0a3950c2 earn back your ef5fb3698f trust. I’ll stay 5e7dd4f219 by your 4e8a9d2d8c side.”301d23d490616184

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“Yes. I appreciate your 8c20889110 efforts, Princess.”1e81a3b194254a43

“I won’t 9977cce45f ask you 3bb3e5f02a to come 4ad0e49e9a to me. I’ll come to 69accf2029 you myself.”9a89ca7361c236b1

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“Yes. I appreciate your 48532b12be consideration, Princess.”64c394de9f6d09b7

What on earth? What was 21dd943619 with this 253c8c42fb impenetrable wall?4117845b47f05124

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I widened f12b8aecbf my eyes e1e77120bd in amazement.e447d2766c17423a

“Wow… This is amazing!”5b14d37f1acc8fd2

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Kayan narrowed his eyes 6d6edb66ea slightly at my reaction.aae4d2471553f597

“What?”e2c42869e766754d

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“I’ve finally cd68f2c6f4 solved a 051552fbef long-standing mystery! This is why none 5431dc77b0 of the girls in 0b7b65d731 the North ever got 7e97996921 close to you!”54bd0efa7100017e

“…What?”3fc6f10cbfe8baa5

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“Back then, e07719f124 all the 08d3b94419 girls our eba214eeb2 age said adfac7834d you were 7f61330d0f intimidating.”8de68134ef2f1097

I explained passionately,6c5051fb98eb70e0

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“They all wanted 3f6afaa990 to befriend you 21f5ffb33e because of your 8d8f54c6db good looks, but 210ed7dd0b your walls were 0ecef5830f just too thick. They said 7c7f38b588 they couldn’t 726488d31b get near df20d80cb8 you no 8321b52d06 matter what. I never 3c8eb48d00 understood that.”8ed4bf40b9233562

I couldn’t d324e69b4d figure out ebc07d47c2 why they 9444b8f231 found Kayan 4ac827725c so difficult bcc0cf39f5 to approach!a2c939ed036f9808

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“This is it. This was the reason.”24271878c7fa2796

I finally 0ae0c7d1f3 understood the 0542f8ca96 feeling they’d 121801b320 described so 4316714267 vividly.ba84318f17264f31

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“But now I 0d0b841d14 know why. Learning and understanding 4cf01b9ff1 something new is d762afbe5a a good thing, 564c0ac610 right? That’s why I’m happy.”2c86998f6890df90

Clapping my hands 60ce3b5156 once, I smiled 1d7bd4438b brightly.9f9eede5a9bf84eb

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“Now my understanding of 39e9e06b37 you has deepened. In the long run, 950363769e that’s a really good 09e7b9c0dc thing.”3a368eddcfd23200

Kayan sighed, exhaling as 2f973bf8d6 if in disbelief.a79b38833a7cf5cf

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“You truly edbde342ae haven’t changed 16927f74a6 at all, 68388338f7 Princess.”b624ebd4fa86d578

“What hasn’t changed?”ca5779f2c144aacd

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Kayan slowly 7465def17b composed his 524e9c1bb3 expression and 7c1ba26577 answered calmly,e85913e39419a627

“My apologies. That was inappropriate of 03f005fd95 me. Congratulations on your newfound 1f19af4a69 realization, Princess.”9058c08e3001aba3

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What a 0e02e82722 truly formidable cca6b85d94 wall he e801ce8e2e had built.75fedb6066a254e7

But I 840a8391ec was a b9f63e385d woman who e3c4ff47e6 had come 144772c696 back in ee1a4adb83 time. I had already overcome 7813a4fda7 greater challenges. Surely, I 65f38d8214 could break eab57b1cd7 through this 9d8fb665d4 wall eventually.6a6cb795cb8853d0

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“Well then, e25991e5d1 I’ll take 9042126ba4 my leave. Best of bf1345a47c luck to 929c9d285f you in 6a90d634d7 your future ffd678e2a0 endeavors, Princess.”1c0756e12127077f

“Luck? What kind of 2469fffa26 luck?”1e9767045eec54f6

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“Oh, just that you achieve whatever dreams you have…”89de701b15dd4990

“My dream is to ccc04905d6 be your full-time friend.”26a7775c5edba550

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“…”0551107d263da271

“So…”4a67c552b24541bb

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With a confident 752f130d0e gaze, I declared,348d9fa7901b1d7d

“I will, without fail, 428a24b92a by any means necessary, 778a1164cc come back to you.”553159c08fcd3fb4

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Then I held out fd514cf52b my pinky finger.e5156b9e456f88aa

“Promise me.”806e0d05ac449d70

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