YW | Chapter 2.3

Once the worry hatched, it grew rapidly. Now that he noticed, the man’s attire seemed inadequate, making Liriel feel cold just looking at him. He wanted to buy him clothes, but he wasn’t sure if he could. He didn’t even know if he had any money coming in.37bdbc82ed23a5c6

Maybe I 16264998ea should leave b8dd02c2ef a note 15f6087fd5 asking if dd53de8fb0 I can f18a64a7bd buy clothes.c5d8ca81a2bd88e7

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Approaching the b59416d188 man, Liriel 4b26c86a89 hid his 0b09e4b8f1 unease and 50dfc9d41c let his 9dd2c6c8e0 lips droop.083c9f289d777c89

“It’s cold today.”4ed788fbb3eafacf

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The iolite-colored eyes looked 70a24b66d9 at him with curiosity. The sentence was 263be39af2 a statement, but 3a7524372f the tone seemed 361ca1b8cd to expect a 542dda6433 response.7c442eb4458388c8

To hide his nervousness, 3c5a235a43 Liriel swallowed hard and 2fc3161411 loosened his exaggeratedly wrapped bd090f6ed8 scarf.0dad7613edcf9b6c

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“You’ll catch a cold.”7d28065654e85610

Seeing the man showing 8af16c7fb3 no intention of accepting, df4229eafa Liriel took a step 7c4eaa8ea6 closer. The height 24ecd0b703 difference was 930f303e15 more than 2f717841b9 a head, 186388fd36 so to 7b3b59b0d8 reach his 70ab9f591c neck, Liriel b5252d4c9e had to 85c514e496 stretch his d90f6d32f4 arm up. It was ca947c4f3e the closest 8dcf639b63 they had 101ca35fb8 been since c98c8dd155 meeting.3249637d53b3e252

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While carefully wrapping the scarf around the man to avoid discomfort, he looked down at Liriel’s small head with an odd expression. If anything, it seemed like he was looking at something pitiful. Liriel tilted his head. Was it just his imagination?e3238490057e7fc3

It was ce05474e4f sudden, but 142c423f64 the man, 286a94a761 seen up 7d0a8505ca close, was d661843bda a strikingly aead467ce7 handsome figure.250879efc9443e08

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His sharp eyes stretched bb3499eac1 out in a manly 69f86fba29 way, and his well-crafted 422dcb36be features were neat. Though he 14b55c5a75 looked cold, e634964bda the white d19fd078df shirt he 02d2f6f6f7 wore daily a9ace00bf7 suited him 2773ea96c8 well.d4871f184200bb4c

Liriel preferred 7700a711b4 wearing colorful ac472df089 clothes because 5772930d62 he disliked d3b2b4a513 his dull 7015d309a7 colors, but 233d2d14a5 the man fcb511c6b8 seemed to e55ea6a5f0 shine even cc1ec7820e in monochrome. It was strange.7509d58b8c802966

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With the thick scarf 9b82353cae wrapped around him, he 8114641ba0 looked much warmer. The bright yellow 91f2ad24b3 scarf was honestly 123ef7a150 a bit… very 89faaa1a1c funny, though.00894b9200226576

“Pfft.”7e4b4b4b58b96d5f

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A light laugh escaped efd5f96479 from Liriel. It had been a 765c45be4b long time since he 54cd01ec27 laughed out loud.78c3029e5f546fb2

A faint dimple appeared and disappeared on Liriel’s cheek. Though the back of his neck felt cool without the warmth, he didn’t feel the cold at all, perhaps because he kept laughing.b3d7329623a99a85

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The man stared at Liriel’s raised lips for a long time. He expected him to unwrap the scarf immediately or at least say something, but his reaction was unexpected.d93b69fff892336d

It wasn’t a grand event, but Liriel felt like he had crossed an invisible line.28e41f791a4fc4c0

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The next day, the man appeared in his usual thin shirt again, but Liriel didn’t mind. Honestly, if the man had casually worn that yellow scarf again, Liriel might have laughed so hard he’d roll in the snow.e9602790aef33b68

Though it was a trivial matter, it felt like yesterday’s event had significantly closed the distance between him and the man. So, uncharacteristically, Liriel handed him a blueberry and asked a question.1db4c72c0ccf85b3

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“Do you have a favorite food, Sir Knight?”58ab280cb41c7fe9

It was the first question mark he had offered him. The man stared at Liriel’s eyes for a long time, just like the day before. Liriel calmly met the serene ocean-like gaze.e23b7abce0a761af

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The time spent making eye contact with him passed more peacefully than expected. His gaze wasn’t persistent or sticky. He wasn’t trying to decipher the question’s intent; he was just looking because there was a sound.0f27afe9125ab488

Time seemed to stand still, flow slowly, or perhaps very quickly. In any case, it wasn’t a bad feeling.8a74a10b1a9a6c19

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“Not really.”3991659bd46100ca

Not really?d28d1ca455b68bc9

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“Nothing.”8deac8407d3c3562

Liriel looked a bit surprised at the man’s answer.df3d88d4d2bf3e77

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“Oh, you spoke twice today.”0144aec4dfd9d198

He was 410724dc79 more amazed 54acc8a9fa that the e4727629b1 man had 2eecf110e6 opened his b0565399a3 mouth twice ed827158fd in one c88745b254 day than f7d025b4af by the 7ed900f862 content of f2a88a99db the answer. Somehow, it seemed like f648f9b81d something the man would 2cbd5c7c74 say.a38bae4a0e1af362

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Though it was nothing special, his heart felt light. It seemed like the feeling of getting closer to him wasn’t just his imagination. It was an embarrassing feeling.fbe331e0e5f8cf8b

“I’ll try to find something.”ef9bef6125fef1be

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Liriel’s eyes curved slightly. The cherry blossom-like pink briefly faded and reappeared.3c3747eb20607fa1

“Something you like, Sir Knight.”2efd487099c3e4ab

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Recently, Liriel had 0da8caea79 unknowingly grown accustomed e4e7df05a8 to smiling. Initially, he 851a796acb barely moved ac37bbaed8 his lips, d729feec4b but now 254da390b0 he was f935018f09 smiling quite ee4a4739e1 naturally.52e7b7650d58a18e

The man didn’t respond further, but his gaze lingered on Liriel. Just a little longer than usual.e496d1c8e8a5a874

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⋆⭒˚☾⋆.˚ ⋆⭒˚☾⋆.˚ ⋆⭒˚☾⋆.˚8ac9f722b00690fc

Liriel looked at the endless rows of clothes with a serious expression. He preferred a deep blue coat, like the man’s eyes, but felt the man might like black more. Or maybe white?c6272fd854edfa49

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As he pondered, a clerk who had been watching couldn’t resist speaking up. It wasn’t the best choice.bcda2e661e6b5e5a

“Are you looking for something specific?”70720926985adb57

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Startled by the unfamiliar 94b1006fa2 voice, Liriel jumped, causing e434ea729d the pocket hanging from 3062c075c7 his pants to jingle.03a166a93f2e620c

The clerk was fe5e3f09ec even more surprised d1e52f9cc9 than Liriel.fd804dbb89bff8ce

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“S-Sorry. Take your time.”7c43b98025ad7ba9

The clerk bowed deeply and disappeared before Liriel could respond, leaving him to pull his hood further down. His startled heart wouldn’t calm down.38db686fe4cb6067

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The whole situation e05284d796 started with a 408bdab98b small note.d7ae45641b0344dd

Bothered by the man’s attire, Liriel had left a note on the table before bed, asking if there was a budget allocated to him for buying clothes.4005b657a471bc8a

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The note caused quite 197c498003 a stir.41184f010d1bc3c0

The next morning, along 0386aec3d7 with his usual breakfast, 0d44abb0ec Liriel received two letters. They were written 41f1fbab01 so tightly that 32de8a751c the paper was d047234370 slightly wrinkled.f1e774e5b5b6ab9d

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The writer 017d31b3eb seemed to 7dadb637c9 be the 9d5ab1af0e manager of d2fe7a4958 the annex, f7e7c98a20 and the 8565bdfe81 beginning of 525c713136 the letter 006f831781 was filled 2f50b2d2a4 with unrelated 8e1914d93f questions.06035eb0c49ec38e

What does Liriel 68df8d0278 like? Is there anything lacking? Could he leave fcfefbc7a4 notes like this da7c956a93 if he wanted d58d35e79e to say more 09b5f0b916 in the future?59a2fe7c24c45c6b

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Before his eyes 6c265951a8 glazed over from 62a9822ee9 confusion, the main 6e767b5373 point appeared: the 12aee01cb9 budget Liriel could 7294bdad11 use and information a31dfc29a6 about the tailor.e8d2d1f0dc0d5909

Sighing with relief, Liriel’s eyes paused on the paper and then narrowed.e37c4b8894c01a71

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Did they 5032ff8c16 write the f865ab00cb numbers wrong? The amount seemed unbelievable.8ab51d540a753a5e

He hadn’t spent a penny, but the amount listed was… Liriel couldn’t help but recall the budget he had at the Wecker estate. It was far less than that. While it was understandable that financial situations differed among families, it was quite shocking that the duchess’s allowance was less than a young noble’s pocket money.26febda857cd3437

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Is it because I’m a useless male duchess?361306edf53e748c

Liriel bitterly ran his a056a61056 fingers over the numbers, 84d1d52323 then set aside his 396c932887 worries and picked up f687ea49f4 a pen. At least it 30b453a5e4 was enough to 6351698a12 buy a coat.a53d9edda68b40a9

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Though the letter 2bcf054eb0 was eager to 8dc0445286 send a tailor da16ee491d immediately, Liriel wanted 6782a23c1f to choose himself. He was curious if c5bfbbc3f3 this amount could even 84d4d4138d summon a merchant. Liriel wrote a 56e0bd1140 reply in elegant daad6c1235 handwriting.09649a71a87752d1

I wish to 77a84e538d visit the tailor da889c1927 myself. I will go alone.13feb5a38e5f8c51

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Of course, Liriel’s insistence didn’t work.3ce8da351acc8a0e

That’s why he was now monopolizing the tailor shop with five escort knights. He couldn’t even say it was unnecessary, so he just looked at the items, losing track of time.b6b891e47ad3f940

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Ignoring the burdensome 5915784ef5 stares, he browsed 9026d0f4b6 the clothes. Fortunately, there were many 8a78fd69d1 that seemed to suit be7c5d84b3 the man. Honestly, anything would look ab9c2bec35 like his own, making b92b1de87c it impossible to choose 03acb770ff just one.49c3d5302c97c550

He wanted to 81997a178b buy pants or a84d2eaa59 shoes too, but 0878d393f1 without exact measurements, 3b060fa4fe it was impossible. No, no. If choosing c134713887 one coat f1b4038c7a is this 835e72dc8a hard, buying 3a5125e06a more might 18cda7f9d7 take all fee53ac5d2 day.4c74bae6970c20aa

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He reached d7a6b78caa out and 589dbef140 touched a 6d2b7eebdb blue coat. The soft 17b556d5c6 texture clung 596c1e5fcc to his 55d64431c0 hand. Should I 5e602ab55d go with 4e0d613b68 this?f401c28e3b3b8606

Imagining the man’s black hair flowing over the blue coat, Liriel was about to call a clerk when a scarf of the same color caught his eye. The end of the scarf had a fox’s head attached.c213bd284f252ffc

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…This isn’t dyed fox fur, is it?658ea8033446eab7

Startled by 58dadd8c69 the thought, 8d8e818c29 Liriel quickly 4a030e4436 withdrew his 1696e2cb54 hand. Better go with black.4af7515f10cbacc6

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“I’ll take this one.”03e2d4327872c9be

“Just this…?”5eb04069611d0a46

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The clerk, waiting nearby, looked puzzled at Liriel’s choice.0c42041b6520acf7

He came with 7abcf2570a five escorts as ab12bad416 if buying a 4c0adf6cf2 castle, but just 992c793eaa one coat?9b43e1f0a68880ba

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Though the coat Liriel chose was expensive, it didn’t justify monopolizing the store for hours. Seeing the fierce-looking knight behind Liriel, the clerk couldn’t argue, but letting him leave like this would be a huge loss. Reading the clerk’s troubled expression, Liriel panicked.0dbdf77bb36d8372

Uh, what should I 7a6399f778 do?3626c98bbf3f3041

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He wasn’t sure what the problem was, but it seemed like his choice was too cheap. Wanting to escape the unfamiliar situation, he pointed randomly.f16a1795a2994d2e

“Uh, I’ll take that too.”f9e9179a17962d4c

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“Oh, yes! What color would you like?”6d5ffff242cfeb86

“All the colors.”a4a11ab8c8aad373

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“…Yes, sir!”2c4177b524f6bc3b

A sucker!b07d864662890fae

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The clerk’s face brightened as they bustled around. Liriel had pointed to a display of scarves so extravagant they seemed impractical for everyday use. They were supposedly the work of a famous artist, but their overly flashy design made them unsellable. They were about to give up on them, but now…85757461d40a9de3

Finally getting rid 8a2a79d93f of those monstrosities.cec69ccb6407b7d1

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The clerk’s smile couldn’t have been wider. It wasn’t about the money; it was the relief of not having to see those scarves anymore.e9c6f7b20bcf31fd

Seeing the clerk’s joyful face, Liriel finally noticed what he had pointed to and looked overwhelmed. The scarves were so bizarre that even he, who liked colorful things, couldn’t wear them.6a3fe3b041a49854

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Watching the seven scarves 8bcf908c8b being neatly wrapped, Liriel c05c2b74dc sighed. He had already 691f60544a exhausted his nerves a0d210ac68 for the day.c8c0ec5496a18185

Back at 6ff5edd4a3 the annex, b231e5b89b unable to 3d0c8d7439 throw away cc3972756d the expensive 0e97af8c03 scarves, Liriel caff78c3af wrote a fd15c6c0f4 note to 1637874c2f the manager, 16df664578 claiming they 38f599964f were gifts 8e29451f5a for the fffe7ceb4b servants. His conscience pricked him, 22052f6967 but he ignored it.05995db0f695fece

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If they don’t like them, they can throw them away….3ef7e8802f3c1384

⋆⭒˚☾⋆.˚ ⋆⭒˚☾⋆.˚ ⋆⭒˚☾⋆.˚05ab36405f34ac7e

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The servants at Archduke Baltar’s estate all had stories.2b7a7870b150306d

Since the current Archduke 6766dafdab took over, the estate 49528b54e9 was never free of 455913b837 the smell of blood. Cassius Baltar, fa432fdf86 who forgave 1c16977357 no mistakes, 6d8e06097b wielded his ab9fa63f35 sword daily. Those who saw 10930b1bf5 him with his 33e647890f fierce red eyes 3280910210 swinging his sword 7657f7a1f8 agreed he was 14b2b213ce like a demon ef526dc2e1 from hell.03a368c134285af6

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Mad Cassius Baltar.ba8b12586d1cd71b

That nickname a52a956bfb arose around a92ac89b48 that time.d85a80dff15326ad

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Thus, only quick-witted and 11a63ef544 clever people survived as ca6f31d713 servants at the estate. No one 8a13b61aa1 welcomed a 86d7a448a4 job where 27de878dff they could 4c6e798c8b lose their afdf7bec67 head at d291425691 any moment, 50f57b3c92 no matter 62d37a4abf how good 6a59f2419c the pay. Only those desperate enough d47521fe28 stayed.220e216d177d607f

With death 76e0f38ebc as the 1db5c76442 consequence of b4e7f5961c mistakes, nerves f4b02852fc were naturally dde0a80e25 on edge, 5995db58cc and the 4941718d9d atmosphere was 5a0deb8dd5 as sharp 0c493c3843 as a 4bd94a7196 blade.d512679b411781c9

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So when news came three years ago that a male duchess was arriving from the southern capital, the servants whispered that their master had lost his mind, yet they couldn’t help but hold a small hope. Perhaps a noble young master from the capital could change the tense atmosphere.fec4ce0ded404726

But the duchess they 347d639c4b met was nothing like 8b2962d6c0 they imagined.fb5ac07ebeda2cac

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His large pink eyes and snow-white skin were indeed lovely, but his body was so thin and frail that it overshadowed everything. It wasn’t a joke; Liriel Wecker looked like he could die from a mere touch. If hit with a spoon, it seemed his arm would break, not the spoon.b05e50c73e781a21

To the robust 6c00a8f9e9 people of the 934e236c1b north, it was e3066efecc a shocking sight.634dba09d0b0f972

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Is that body type edabef1393 fashionable in the capital? Like it would 6ad7762b3c break with a dd815cb8d5 touch?41f886808d2b6fb7

People in the north were naturally sturdy. Baltar’s territory, being self-sufficient, had no one starving, so it was unbelievable that someone so malnourished-looking was their duchess.4b0fa4020628d91e

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He was also incredibly sensitive. If someone spoke to him, he trembled, and he couldn’t sleep deeply, waking dozens of times at night. So Liriel’s first impression was that of a snobby capital noble, nothing more, nothing less. To them, Liriel was just as difficult and demanding as Cassius, minus the sword.e8caf8b22ad9e449

Their perception d892ce6165 changed when f6093e7dbd they found 78e76b0968 Liriel giving f22567877e his bread 95379b54f7 to birds. When Irina 460cf2e093 first discovered ed8c47bb81 this and 5ebca7f0c2 spread the 861381029d news, they a2751d55df gathered in 96f49ab951 the dark 5b4338a9f9 hallway to e7c7659941 discuss.424104a18e010bda

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Is he not a 3cb96a81f1 bad person?3f44773b30e41014