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Chapter 45

Author: G A Rose
last update publish date: 2026-08-21 14:56:47

Aurora

We returned from Vienna cautiously optimistic, though Lucian insisted on maintaining every security protocol we'd established since the gala, unwilling to let the promising tone of our meeting with Dmitri translate into any relaxation of vigilance.

"Optimism is useful," he said, the morning after our flight landed, "right up until it becomes complacency. I'd rather we remain overly cautious than underestimate how quickly this could still go wrong."

I understood the wisdom in that cau
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