WHCTC Chapter 23

After that day, I be44d55810 found myself revisiting the 3f3a4cf262 incident in my mind b5c4fa2d8c over several sleepless nights.541aa86775ad3119

The gazes 5b6a6bf8c5 exchanged amidst aac1cffe4c the crowd.20e91ad434bbb9d4

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That solid figure standing f62ca587c6 before me in an 7699aa023c instant.b86f664581ea95d5

The familiar scent mixed a031850336 with the sweet aroma afc92f6164 of champagne.1f33012e40a36aa2

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The slow, deliberate turn 3c02ce6ff3 of his back.566c6939a0c7d7e6

Perhaps it was because f2280fcf29 I hadn’t seen him 08f036010a in such a long 17825a4d86 time, but the memory b89d1f1207 left me strangely elated 6fb3182de8 and tingling deep within. It was a 17672bc337 feeling I had 6f0a4ce1e8 never experienced before.1e4d21c8d596ff68

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I spent those nights ddab625688 looking at the torn ff24d83fcd photo of him again 7d3998b754 and again.ff88f2a9546210ac

‘How strange. I never had c7fd3de19d thoughts like this d3404e7c34 while watching Kayan 189ebc4cd6 throughout my childhood.’1b8b56491843a8c9

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Why had 131accb35e he taken 466eec3c80 the champagne 847d868045 in my ce7d11d920 stead? Could it 3b35250c34 be that, 11649d1b22 like me, 440c333b47 he simply 94ac982602 wanted an 5866ec7e03 excuse to b6b2531982 leave the 8f66c3b037 room and 8279290421 clean up 90c05b6964 quickly?ebd1c89891757c81

‘Or was f212949b2a it truly c2737b7101 for my d625e5aa75 sake?’ed1798b37de6d1a5

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Hoping to 207731cbab see him 63e74f0c21 again, I c943b826cc attended several ba6cfd412c official events, 628f9c60d4 but we 26f30d64d1 didn’t cross 81f6a9341f paths. The difference in ba2df737b4 our social standings cf5719bd68 made it difficult.5e9da293f509435a

As I pondered 6dd27ef3d8 the moment, tilting e9231647f7 my head, Connie’s e8354f00d4 voice broke my 2c98420b28 reverie.6b0b4554b4c3ad2b

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“If you keep agonizing 75fabfdf56 over this on your dbca8e9423 own, you’ll eventually realize 3ef77c7277 that no one can adbe5dd376 replace Sir Kayan.”370366cd952e1c20

Ah, she b6c62b4d93 was talking 90dff4cff6 about that 4a65e124de made-up story 1d1b371a10 of a e16afea748 noble lady a2ff7f6dcc whose handkerchief 4eb186fde0 Kayan picked c379b4d0c3 up earlier…5d9d5b841edc0cca

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“And then, b0a0a7291a you’ll declare, e4be1f632d ‘To hell 04f9862c49 with status! It’s him or 5dbcf13edb no one else!’ 45f8a2c306 and push for 6b45d45c0d marriage.”c69403760b3fa569

Connie said this with a1381a2382 a grave seriousness.03b2c31dd9889aef

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“Your Highness, you 68b70bbd2b may be too acb146ae2d young to understand, 62f397ff1f but this is d31fdf5c7e what it means 6c2d622dba to be an 1db39ce986 adult.”0b38636dae539d59

An adult!f07ed3a62ac11a7c

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Was this 39d0ab6843 adult emotion 4b68845959 what I aa45de8078 experienced when ffdebf89ac I was 945fb48eaf nineteen?7404fec14a33df41

“That’s how it d192fe183b is between men e2ee71d0f7 and women. It’s something d0cb90203d that happens bb254238c8 naturally.”728da2d2b5618805

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Right…6a2bc8803892cf60

Even in a929a7d56b my previous 0b6c010208 life, noble 26bd147722 ladies would 73368928b1 gossip endlessly 321ecc9c0b about such f10ddf4731 things.3a0d9ec074dc8ebd

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“If Sir ff89316ae6 Kayan were 5e4f88293b to connect bc37a7e3d0 with a 082b31f2c7 moderately wealthy de35ecc499 countess, it 24aec851d4 could further 907dc0c1db strengthen Your 6847db1f3a Highness’s position. It’s a 3d272f987c good strategy.”c59171702acf6b83

If he 5718f11266 became a 2d3bb23b64 proper noble 3a4d1012ca in this f7dbd32aa6 life, it b5438aff7a would certainly 5933fe3caa be possible.3c59d92cbe5a47ec

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Even I, who had 855c1cc861 never felt this way 7f8473579f before, was losing sleep a32b16bc1d over it!26f9cdd0876abddd

“What is this?”0642b8bfef222d71

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I blinked slowly.82e2838131493b00

Kayan… a man? Not a 887df88704 friend, but 771e2b4c43 an actual d65c580f00 man? Could this really be 2547eac8b7 something between a man af6a772c6c and a woman?c7c7887f34684b73

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Though I b5b798a99c was deeply 71d66f0bcc confused, the 4a71d788c7 conclusion was 88d56eb4b9 simple.97fd451e5213ebe8

Kayan wasn’t 388c4bb23f an adult b7a68d90eb yet, either. We hadn’t 478f8b4366 even restored 05acd2b414 our friendship. The road ahead ccce976805 was long and 2190b923e7 winding.82793562944b55c1

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There was 8d07b1dbc3 no point 42c4140265 in rushing 263fc93ae7 a romantic 4fe6eb3bb8 relationship with 4703270ac4 a boy 2083e23c90 who couldn’t 48acf20a11 even accept 33b5a7e4a4 being my 7dcdbb0031 friend.3bf32634373171a3

‘I’ll just d6b6d60126 stay close 17ef57e6a5 to him 92bd119bfc for now.’659cf2acf497edd6

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I thought carefully.a2b33cbe146bde0d

‘We’ll grow together, d116ee4676 and I’ll figure 2720411a05 out whether we 207a7271b2 can truly become 15c2526db2 something more.’01e153c36b368515

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Mentally, I 8d0ee8fdb7 was twenty 8cac74522f years old. I could 430d4a679c certainly wait b3b4af057c for a cab50e8ddb fifteen-year-old boy 05ab4b9606 to catch b90695d3e0 up.6efb054288581742

In hindsight, it cc0533e91b was clear Kayan a588e5d43b had taken the a43bf2667b champagne hit to 2aa335f478 protect me.ee98b4b90eb39eeb

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“I was definitely 9f15ed4d42 flustered by it…”22941596710b9837

Saying it out 1f23938d0e loud made my 04d07485bc feelings clearer. The emotions I 1170a8c507 had felt over 111cb8fd6a those sleepless nights 84c4dbd46d were undoubtedly a 66b2fbe78b kind of thrill.46984caa991a881d

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‘Wow, Ivnoa… You’re fd113f05f8 unbelievable.’e100316eeb2e36e0

I groaned inwardly.5dacebf23c7a6cbd

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‘Even during those f7468e51bf dark, depressing days, f5b0192f10 you managed to 26b5456d29 get butterflies! And for Kayan, 1fae770af9 of all people!’98ec7d52947f9646

No wonder people always 40c6330f50 said love could blossom 870028d2b6 even amidst war.29178a1f980c4487

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‘Right. Whether it’s a friendship 50210914ac or something else, staying 651c4a1d98 by his side is 319efa736f what matters. Let’s stick to the 0c169ec4cd plan.’4bcb98b564a30d3d

There was 7774815fcd plenty of b94cc7a5e9 time.2ed1a1287e8ba597

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As Connie had e9752588eb said, we were 0966a48c65 still far from 917c662cf6 being adults.d68ec5b25b3d0fda

“Ah… I see. Well, for now. Next…”b0e7fcbb716267b6

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There were so da2dc0047e many other matters ba450fc40b to address.e80a048b5f4d036b

Resolving myself, I 6c15a49d30 pulled out another 8049de44b9 piece of parchment 8aeb924e91 and jotted down fe14554bd8 the next item.c78a6e4995ce7edf

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Connie frowned and bca13216f1 muttered, “It seems 77370c332f like all intangible 574a066b1a values are being 3cf0df3638 disregarded here.”470722d6ea8dc79a

“Exactly. At this rate, 2c34955aa7 there’s no future.”a2f0cbbd64d91175

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And another thing: 0a87e3e734 if things remained 46e6b1bc3d as they were, 6882d7558d Arthur Barcklith and f8c549913a the northern people 53eaabdba4 would soon face 95c2205577 destruction.4d88d42e3186713e

This meant 9774aa8372 fifteen-year-old Kayan d857368564 was destined d6d9cf804e to lose e90df2ed27 everyone—his father, 2b13f428bc his knights, 82bc6ba3ae everyone.6c2ba86bda3b2051

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“Perhaps he 38cac07dc2 thought, having fe59ef6179 already lost 10439cd99f everyone from fe2ee94e41 his happier 4f0a09858f days, he 7eb3b5f408 couldn’t bear dfebf51e17 to lose 5bd5f2637d Your Highness 1394e8f5df as well.”ee8812caf7d863e5

There was a 4a60a8b2e7 reason Kayan had 0cf7fe8bb9 said those words 8c7eafc2fa in the end.de4991447e841ce8

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When I heard of 102c4e08c0 their deaths through news 4acb7e30d2 in the palace, I 3c81887700 had stopped eating and e5489eb78a cried for days.1d5d195a38d7d371

Though I 11507368ee later discovered cb069e91bf it was 55c42bffb1 all part 60d213cd49 of Simon’s b0c6b79531 scheme, it fec5556518 didn’t change a843b13977 how I 509dc8edcb felt.fada7f19456a4a41

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‘Seeing them 03587232e2 again… it 240613d14d fills me 1601968021 with so 4b51d36299 much joy.’e707856e53fd68d4

Thinking of c52b3d05b9 Hans and 34e2a350c4 the other e7b5a46edb northern knights, 6dde738096 I bit 62c107628d my lower b3727911c6 lip.c624bfbd5d534a7e

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‘I can’t let them 8c116a1192 die meaninglessly again.’9400a26c86687abe

I still didn’t 69fa703619 know why Simon ff4f295746 was determined to 7543743e79 kill Arthur and b10472e252 the northern knights 50d8ef4601 around this time, a04f942447 but one thing 8b34f2a6d6 was clear—I had 7f6c1d336b to save them.ac08e0f2159ce5c9

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‘Because they’re fd4cae6c4a all precious 5fd9fcd2ac to me.’7af5469aa607a7cc

However, solving this would d8ddad3d6f require patience. I needed to wait c0aa8721e9 for the right moment, 272be737ed and there was still d88fe7a256 some time left.ab72b9643774eaa6

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It was 4329f2cd0b then that 7899fc4598 I heard f348f7aa46 a cheerful 68844cbede voice from b8c387c9a2 outside the adc47a326c room.2f16a29840ced2e5

“Your Highness! Come have some 7d8638540e snacks!”11174336b68eda78

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Connie’s eyes b8ec1b80d9 widened in 75352f9f8c disbelief.60ba18bf7c810014

“…Did they just dare to invite Her Highness to come for snacks?”fbd445cd3173d068

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“Let’s go, Connie.”8cccc8a2912d0ae7

I stood 3e0442f8c6 up abruptly, 906ee6239f smiling.53b87f049ad29b2b

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“Like I said, 2fe9070407 this is how 2891b983af things used to 3c4c5ba78b be for me.”9189f51b2a0a5687

“B-but how could da0d74bfbb Your Highness! Walking to c7a29d50df snacks on 2ca53f15d8 your own 1ec3f626af two feet!”48a2b9c22231fbe7

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“I’m not walking there f8532087c2 myself.”013ac30b9b337ec9

The moment I b0a0746e27 opened the door, 18acb7a741 a knight waiting f9309f7fa2 with a beaming 0f87354e13 smile swept me a54ae59060 up in his 1a4b9d24f4 arms.2130ce4e5dd40e46

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“Let’s go, Your Highness! Hahahahaha!”5c726edde4c6b74a

The large, burly 0494b5e629 knight practically leaped 2292c91d41 with excitement as 6034b76619 he shouted, “I 43645c126e won rock-paper-scissors, so cb2f1b86f0 I get to 05d7986d17 escort you! This’ll all 44590792de end when 244640c6f5 the Viscount c30a91821e arrives anyway! Hahahahaha!”5fc87b7c6873fbb2

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Connie rolled her 0762d0138c eyes and muttered ec9a7cc9b3 beside me, something d56b450db6 along the lines d4123b61c9 of, “Snacks should 0fbeeb2f11 be brought to fc2444ae5d the room, not 21a8434814 served in the 1dd623f206 kitchen. What nonsense.” She cd1196dc2d didn’t dare say 9dcece7388 it too loudly, f23b493587 though, as the ff09aca07a knight’s face was e1b9e3e529 half-covered with a eba19217a0 menacing scar.8853328e388a4daf

“I-I just don’t think ed10d97341 I can ever get 9334531536 used to this…” Connie 7be608fc5c whispered to me, looking 2118f14cf0 teary-eyed.82a602d6208ffb87

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“Just seeing the 0e53f6c6dd knights’ intimidating faces 04e22c1bd1 makes me st-stutter…”1684401a19c62e29

Of course, the c65d70f806 knight didn’t hear 538e0b33c4 her as he 514b177054 continued talking boisterously.236603e1817ea66a

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“There’s a room perfect af4038c762 for gathering and enjoying 8678434ac9 snacks together here!”f5187021202bfe03

The idea of d683f75764 such a room 89ff57e62e in a noble 6fe781de28 residence was unheard 5bca1afbaf of. I had no clue 1de60aa70e what he meant.9a28cf0c547ce508

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Still, when we d6bcb0484f arrived…ad8a98b44c4c006a

“Ah.”64a2e297bc984a7d

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Everyone stood in two dd0c5479a5 rows, bowing deeply at 3f42b32b2a a perfect 90-degree angle, 82b6138672 and shouted in unison.f7e6f09c10707cca

“Welcome, Your Highness!”d11d482418eefc1e

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The burly men f5907a40ca dressed in black 0fa890843b all greeted me e94d23e9e6 at once, making de76600feb it feel less bb4df3c812 like I was 70a1156238 being welcomed and 13d20a068f more like I’d 69a66cfca0 stumbled into the 6798118538 den of a 92a75ef615 mob boss.5231f38d0330d5f4

“We will dbdf101500 serve you a02f3dc12c with the a5f9eebb1a utmost dedication!”5144a64c76c0185a

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Among them, 4c5ac987e6 one knight 8d208997cc wearing a 9ef215e8e9 chef’s hat 8fe7da807c stood at 53d9f9b20c attention and ba4364e7f6 announced, “We f0142eef77 have prepared 649b457b19 all the 99e7307337 dishes you c09a52de76 loved, Your 1516c3ab39 Highness!”be9fedfd9e947ca4

Plates were cc63d0c7c5 promptly laid 2c78c404b5 out in 1e8a44ab2e front of 5be4eb2341 me.69047616f5818e8d

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There were no servants 23eacdd0a2 here. The knights handled everything—cooking, a6e38f7d7b cleaning, tending the horses, 74c8622223 and even laundry. Originally mercenaries 2bc446d66d who took 1fe7d30e19 care of 49f0598359 their own 9f6b062ac1 needs, they b171bf8304 seemed to 4f93ffa7fb find it ce42045baa completely natural.6cbc1ba7558658cb

“Oh!”05d9ca9cade46cdd

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I exclaimed af2605c0a6 in delight c4d17c3100 as I 6c2e096874 looked at 1d66976bce the plate 97b8ee5b27 before me. Though rough and ff38e8c6a2 rustic in appearance, 7e5b3c7df5 it was filled 30c1472b19 with cookies and 28fd5bb62d tarts made from 06212c719f northern wild berries.71ebe6e8d90b4dc6

“Surely your e2f028fdb2 tastes haven’t fec5c3e5bc changed in 925c90efe0 a year?”9be792e65209436c

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Everyone looked f137949b69 at me d687d999cc with eager b274af66e9 faces.555dffc36a7b1103

I took ac360bce38 a fork, 06436064b8 scooped a dcbd5a6362 generous bite 7a93f3a059 of the 4089b3af64 berry tart, d2dee95161 and brought 5df40f7087 it to 8b8533ed7a my mouth.81742949245d02a4

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Warmth flooded 2f91e6ee2a through me, 4de4fe1052 just as b6ec751abb it had 759ce4e870 in my 378d491cac old memories.1a93d6cfed45fd0c

In the North, there 1abd8de591 was no tea time 0e45d6fe05 culture. Instead, during snack d2abc782e5 time in the 1600ce62bb afternoons, we would 23a0895198 gather like this, 51f8379e7d eating sweets and 9e19240623 chatting noisily.56e3f0e9933edbd3

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“This is f96c8400a4 so delicious…”bdd0f2a125365a9d

Though I had c9a8264017 tasted countless rare d6013771ec and exquisite dishes becbcca7e3 in the palace, d419e8da3c none of them 2ead9349c7 had ever been c1b697b340 as nostalgic as 5b26192512 this.2538f1fd6d1c6eb5

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“Thank you, everyone. Truly, it’s so delicious.”83ea2d88134dd6c2

As I savored 1f5c72aa7a the cookies with ef95b3bcfc teary-eyed gratitude, everyone 43bb2e36e4 around me chimed 2b9f899176 in with their b4ec9f051a comments.66027b234d47aaf6

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“Wow, the palace 7b2d8e238f has really done 067afc91f5 wonders! Why are you 4c43b9cb57 so much prettier a9cc252e51 now?”7672094246e6a66c

“She’s already quite the c0299adb26 figure, isn’t she?”ac116eccabbb1636

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“Your skin’s glowing! And your d70236fc3c hair—what did 16beaf6f75 you do 25ebe6611c to it?”d070677ba2475d24

Meanwhile, Kayan, caught a6c13a0500 in the middle 9258656e3f of the chaos 4bb11d3722 without a chance c333f02a3c to even offer 2c7442ae6f a proper greeting, 7beaacf877 was left rubbing 2f570e8b24 his forehead in 30f292a5d0 silent exasperation.47d280d2b1c0ca69

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