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| Chapter 27 | Book 7 • Chapter 28 | Chapter 29 |
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Main Street
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Malleus! Malleus, where are you? |
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What's this? It's spring; how can it be so cold? It's even snowing... |
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...Malleus! |
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Hm? Ah, Silver. |
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There you are. I've been looking for you. My father's farewell party is happening right now. Would you please come and spare a few words for him before he leaves? |
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So the celebration's already begun. I did receive an invitation, and I must certainly give Lilia my blessings on his journey. They say the Thorn Fairy once bestowed a gift at a royal party that was so remarkable, it shocked everyone present. As the head of Diasomnia, I must live up to the Thorn Fairy's good name. |
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Sir... I think Father would be perfectly happy just having you there. |
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I've been thinking for a good while about what gift I should give him. ...... |
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Rgh... Now a blizzard's coming on. Malleus, it's very cold out tonight. We should get back to the dorm soon. |
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Is it cold? Oh, my apologies. That was unintentional on my part. |
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(The blizzard stopped?) (Everyone in Briar Valley knows that Malleus summons lightning when he's angry...) (Did he also cause the blizzard, then? Is he that distressed?) (Malleus doesn't show his emotions that much, but I suppose Father's departure must be hitting him hard.) (I mean, of course it is. He's known Father far longer than I have.) (I've only known him for 17 short years...) ......*sniff* |
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Hm... I suppose brooding over things out here won't get me anywhere. To the party, then. |
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Could you...go on ahead...without me? |
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Silver? |
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I'll be...right behind you... *sniff* |
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What's the matter? Are you crying? |
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I'm...very sorry. *sniff* I'm ashamed...you had to see this. |
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There's nothing to be ashamed of. All children cry. |
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I'm 17 now. I'll be coming of age next year. Though I'm sure to you and Father, I'm still essentially a child... 17 years ago... Father found me as a baby deep in the forests of Briar Valley. |
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...... |
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Father is fae. I'm human. I'm not related to him by blood, and there's no other reason for him to be responsible for me. Yet he took me in. He raised me as if I were his own. He fed me, he trained me, he stayed with me all night whenever I was sick... Humans and fae are different in every way, from our constitutions, to how fast we grow—all of it. Barely anyone in Briar Valley knows how to care for a human. And Father lived alone there. I can only imagine how hard it must've been for him to raise a human baby with no one to turn to for help... I can never thank him enough. I was ready to spend the rest of my life repaying him... But I haven't given back a single thing... And now he's planning to pass on in a faraway land. |
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...... |
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Even if Father loses his magic and grows frail... Even if he forgets everything, I still want to be at his side, supporting him... |
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...Lilia has a fine son. |
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I'm far from a fine son! I can't grant my father the one thing he wished for. He wanted me to send him off with a smile on my face... But I... I just... *sob* *sob* |
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...... |
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| Chapter 27 | Book 7 • Chapter 28 | Chapter 29 |
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