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Father’s eyes have darkened with a surging storm-sea of emotion but he collects himself He is like a man who has been commanded to throw overboard his most cherished treasure and yet will steel himself to do so in order to keep the ship afloat in wave-tossed seas

"Yes,a son before you depart for the frontier Let htly blemish or defect of character You will find her appearance pleasing, her manners polished at the queen’s court, and her acumen for matters of business quite up to the mark"

"Yes, my lord" Father curls his hands into fists, opens theether behind his back in a soldier’s waiting stance "My lord, the wohters… it would be dishonorable to just abandon them"

"It’s not as if you have tossed them into the Fire Sea without a raft! You are a more tenderhearted man than your valor and hard-mindedness on the battlefield have led me to believe Still, every man has his little flaws and quirks I will have my stewards make provision for the women so you can travel to the frontier with peace of heart and a callances at ive you for this," I h my words are silent, he understands them and looks away I pray he is asha!

Gargaron smiles "Gather your arms and arlances down at the butterflycolor like a gli sky "I have taken a fancy to this o"

Father ss, choking down the final shard of refusal "Of course, aze darts to me in my shroud "What of Jessaear and clothing she will need will be supplied at Garon Stable"

A sob catches in ood-bye to thearon claps his hands three ti to dash to the back of the house just to kiss them for the last tiainst his chest, and I freeze and tap ht Obedience traps arbed Garon Palace stewards appear like the dread guardians who defend the gates at the entrance to the afterlife

My path is blocked

I take the only road open to rew up and into the household of the lord who has just ripped apart my family

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I feel dead in my shroud as I walk out of the house In ancient days in the empire of Saro, a dead e servants ere buried with him

As I step out onto the street my vision blurs and a wave of dizziness causes me to trip over ht at Anise’s stable to prolong my stamina Because I do not knohere else to stand, I halt behind the back wheels of Lord Gargaron’s carriage in the same place Coriander would walk behind ours

Servants hauling carts and leading donkeys trudge along the sun side of the street on errands for other households while the carriage waits on the shade side A lord has the right to the shade, and now I have stolen a tiny bit of it for oes: "The lord’s shade also shelters the lord’s servant"

Creditors have gathered beside the gate, clutching silver-banded ledgers They crowd forhen Lord Gargaron ees with Father beside him

"Have the shrouds taken down," he says to Father "Now that you belong to Garon Palace you are no longer in "

One of his stewards disaroncurtains like the ones Patron woo out

Harness bells ring to announce his departure The carriage rolls forward My feet scrape on the ground as I follow At the gate Father stands at attention Of n

Father glances towardon his face? Hope batters at my chest He will shout that it was all ao without a word of farewell

We leave the house behind It’s like I’ of all is that I understand why he did it When you run the Fives you make choices in order to win He will soon have achieved the highest honor a man of his birth could ever dreaet it