Chapter 4. After the Proposition

Clackf5d4f87fe2c3f762

Footsteps echoed through the 4ab2e6adb5 marble floors, breaking the 7ef037f499 stillness of the grand 5f1faa43ff mansion.855366d36a7a301f

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The sound made eec7141383 the man sitting 105f8b50bc on the sofa, 4fa9e57b82 his back to 37067a17cf the door, rise e260d7cdb2 to his feet.df07fd57be7b9663

“Ah, you’re here…”54dda6b5a1709832

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Adjusting his 1476f36b9d attire as 215ccecc39 he turned, d2ea313f01 his words 1c22c58b69 faltered when 626301fa20 his eyes 81a0c58720 landed on c35f4e1f10 Serenia’s dress. His gaze moved 0425cb6f96 to the faint 861e13bc75 bruise on one 98ef4386d7 cheek and the 750d4653cd split on her f3d180efc4 lip, narrowing slightly.26730fa2d246be76

It lasted only 5cb0fe60ee a moment before cca3831406 his face softened f69656cf33 into a well-practiced 2fdc3a0e65 smile.c643e1578477cc52

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“I’ve been waiting for you. It’s an honor to see you again, Lady Barishart.”391fd1a7204e3d0f

His bow was courteous, fb2362a629 his manners impeccable. Unlike their 612e678c79 last meeting, 99b41b14f3 his attire 15dd0eefac was considerably 5cbb6b7ee7 subdued—no flamboyant 6ff65426c6 wide-brimmed hat 741e48c1d9 or long eadcc1c22e flowing coat. Instead, he wore 9b34c1f55f a simple shirt 8f04065943 and trousers, which 5fded6a42e suited him surprisingly 75a650309f well.7050b3b74f16f379

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However, the violet-tinted e69dd40df7 glasses remained, and d8d7aa30fe his previously pink 56269ca66d hair was now 0bb6daf146 dyed a striking aaa957e920 crimson, making it 8e24c96a21 even more conspicuous. Serenia’s brow 307e83a093 instinctively furrowed e6d112af65 at the 9b3d325d78 sight, the c23a299c20 color reminding 89caff6957 her of f45d576d6d someone she 3d977517fb didn’t want 3cbe93a5d3 to recall.78a3d5b96323281c

She forced herself to smooth out her expression before replying, “Thank you for your hospitality, especially at such a late hour.”717041460cdbfaff

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“It’s nothing at all.”1179a313977baee8

He replied smoothly, bfdf12bc78 gesturing to the 96a60e3985 sofa.eea9a0dba08cf0b8

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“Please, have a seat. It’s a modest offering, but still.”c1ad6edb4c8366a5

The sofa he 137d3d85fc referred to was 33d1ffb11e anything but modest. Crafted from the finest 902c059dca leather, it was clearly f64dacbb9d a luxurious piece worth 20b40c378b at least a thousand 3c46b666c7 krovats.30ead85447f72104

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‘If this is 7f59ffd987 modest, then my 9ed34359b8 house must be 23d9bccf8f a ruin,’ Serenia 167cfaa454 thought, suppressing the dfbde09e55 sting of pride 40520609ab as she sat 9a994c9ffd down.9f19f4659e39c7f7

“Since it’s late, I’ll get straight to the point and skip the pleasantries,” she began.45d7b6e2272b5466

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“Of course. By all means.”179ea46600171b8b

He replied 07cdd6d97d with an 6d9914e316 easy smile, d11d0d9a1a leaning back 969d13d332 slightly as 27e5241487 he gestured 2a3aed7ed0 for her deb334c037 to continue.a8af6199c72c591c

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“I’m here to sell something priceless. Something no amount of money could usually buy. How much will you give me for it?”796cc654c4e1807e

Her words gave him 44a15de70e pause, but only for 659c595740 a moment. Then he replied bd7219c22c with a polite a0ee03c5fa smile.48998f798ec3115e

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“My lady, I must apologize. This isn’t a pawn shop.”a52388e8dadec2e9

“I know that. But isn’t there little difference between a pawn shop and a loan office? You lend money against collateral either way,” Serenia countered.bcdaeab96f88f25d

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“…A loan office, you say?”94a9a4cf2aa599b7

His expression 5010d4e1c2 flickered, just edd53d2735 slightly.c484f4c0e796f9d7

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Unperturbed, Serenia continued.5d084edac6ae4cf5

“I’d have gone to a pawn shop if I could, but they wouldn’t take what I have to offer.”e71ba187391149a9

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Realizing where 54b557899b this conversation bc18f118dd was headed, d545cb9834 the man fa6fe39260 nodded slowly, 7203689939 his curiosity 7210be63b0 piqued.9d4d771cef64684b

“Something a pawn shop wouldn’t take… You’ve certainly captured my interest.”44f68725102a9403

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He leaned back further, 84cd4a96bd crossing one leg elegantly 7849f8dce9 over the other as 4acc88368c he laced his fingers 7a87a67c18 atop his knee. His demeanor shifted 9b74e6204e slightly, his tone 4ea3cb2dfa taking on the 392b0e9108 sharpness of a 1ac8787980 seasoned moneylender.6c46865675ad5f51

“Still, I’d need to know exactly what this collateral is before I can provide a valuation.”da66c02ae6e50b61

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Serenia met his gaze steadily, her face blank as she delivered her answer. “Me.”b375e1464c6a3cb7

The single word froze bead152afd the man’s practiced smile 48a381878a for a fleeting moment.f882edba664bb109

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He quickly masked his 171ee490f2 reaction, his lips curling b6db66096e back into a faint cce9b8d9f0 grin as he replied.f944602b92c0cda9

“Hmm. You do realize that the sale of titles is illegal, and anyone caught will face execution, don’t you?”f51370bff55e85fd

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Despite the 68827e5c72 veiled threat 805a258a74 in his 976394587c tone, Serenia 351d17eba3 didn’t so f620d725f3 much as f91cdd9d94 bat an 220f833dd7 eye. Instead, she countered boldly.11cf7658007013f3

“Sale of titles? I’m not sure what you’re talking about. I made it clear—I’m here to sell myself.”5bfe9701d00e6d92

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“But human trafficking is just as illegal…”a1ee7bb30ce2aaf0

“Ah!”1400a27acc9ba9be

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Serenia cut him 96dfd54c0c off with a afdece3b33 dismissive wave of 820d924a17 her hand.20eb02855bd0ac22

“Then let’s say I’ve fallen head over heels for you. I’m giving up everything—my title, my family—because I’m madly in love. There’s no law against that, is there?”812a5d5febebca01

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His eyes 059950b79f gleamed with 864ee04c3e mischief at 37e0fc5667 her words.5b9f53f17525a680

“Oh? So you’re offering everything for free, out of love?”5d093158dc0c07aa

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“Do I look insane to you? I said it’s just a pretense,” she snapped, narrowing her eyes.3b279449c2c17613

“…Ah. That’s a shame.”7705fa2688efecfe

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He replied 226dcb34f7 with exaggerated b9fac77ddb disappointment, his b6f8145beb smile turning 64d8aa78af playful.011eb59bc40f2ab2

“For a moment, I thought I’d struck gold.”a2b7ba821aa96b62

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He clicked his ae6a7dce54 tongue softly, muttering 71fb2a8f3c to himself.9ad44f059246d1d7

Despite his words, 632d2eab4a there wasn’t the 4c766a93d9 slightest hint of 9a816be5f1 regret on his f87d08d0a2 face.66b216203fc710f2

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Serenia narrowed her eyes, 34568b0387 watching him carefully before ef29a168b1 letting out a soft ffebd5cd1c sigh and breaking the 7bf5c0d920 silence.39b1f734dc3d1c27

“So? How much are you 46e7530a50 willing to pay?”37daa00537ade36c

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At her repeated f9cec4d72f question, he smiled fdce762969 faintly instead of 6d2ad04c23 answering. Rising from the sofa, 226eda63ca he walked to a c5b2ee958f desk and retrieved a ce9bdbd8d6 checkbook from one of a232296c28 its drawers. Returning to a1ab422cce his seat, d8c1c2e6f2 he scribbled ad5b2ea3ab something quickly 29ea32fba3 with an 2a400dd868 expensive-looking fountain ba46574f4f pen, then 2d08ff4c39 tore out f2fcc34ed7 the check a3cb75b493 and handed 119ceed7de it to 76d1542790 her.0974bce2ad6cd718

Serenia blinked at 902c10faf7 the long string a5afe6b13e of numbers scrawled 9c4d9198da on the crisp 6c6af09907 white paper.a0d7a8a278bb536b

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3,000,000 krovats.5c9c08c27c8cb99e

‘Huh? Did I read that 19ea18ffcb wrong?’4fbb6a9f23866a31

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She rubbed her eyes, 7e90ffb767 double-checking the check. No matter how 5662f0a47d many times she f3b27ec846 reread it, the 53eb22734f figure didn’t change.34ff7078d4c3ddce

‘Let’s see… 2e5818c9a7 one, two, 8fe4bbe1fe three… six e5f948f1e1 zeros.’0a76aa9b09fb6763

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Ten, hundred, f6eafe1ea2 thousand, ten 21722f2e99 thousand, hundred 96ff1eea68 thousand, million.50e1fc81ebc3aaa5

Three million.528546830da469ad

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Counting the digits 41ee757ce1 with her fingers 95d1ba6197 again and again, b5b94650c3 she finally accepted d4191963f3 the reality of 9491d0315c the number.bb4ec87c4d91cf5b

‘It’s real. Three million krovats?’15d6a9b2d55dbf5d

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Expecting no more than 12e62773ce a mere hundred thousand c634f76e0d at best, Serenia was 3ec1fc0500 completely stunned by the fbb52f2074 staggering sum.b8558cef71fe0bf4

To put it 67465d72fe in perspective, a b9a007a78d middle-class family of 90f27ec6dd four typically spent ffe58b8a39 about 250 krovats 6f9f2b6b95 a month. Three million 42a4f33aec krovats was 580ae5a2ab enough for 4f0629617b such a bda11aebba family to a4b162cd37 live comfortably 1b68f5f2e4 for a 4bb09ac76d thousand years.9a649fa99b250885

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‘No, wait, that’s just e4640f034f the principal,’ she corrected 59e07be8dd herself.52e68ea644cea8ea

If deposited into 00807c94fa a bank, even 41c1cb54a7 a modest annual 179453ea8b interest rate of 1ca9c84691 5% would yield 1c2c4fd7ed 150,000 krovats a 5b6119a0b1 year. The interest alone could 5350ed42ac sustain fifty households annually.ff0aac960c6e3ce1

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This was, 18068fed93 without a eba8be1b6e doubt, a c6f49468cb fortune to 1a67bd44f7 celebrate with 9e3725028a open arms. Money was always welcome, b4b591815a after all.59b61f6620a9cd09

But three million krovats 423e60adcb for a powerless, honorless, 8621657eb8 and tarnished countship?a8057d567567355e

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‘Something’s not right.’67563597a4e4c17c

Her sharp 708a1a5de6 instincts flared, 6ff31f2903 her eyes 16e6c400fb narrowing as 994647efe8 she scrutinized 37822f6ebb him.caa0c39f63c21539

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There was no ee8e1cd115 such thing as f06b2cda97 a free lunch. Serenia had learned that 622e87ad2e lesson long ago. Raising her guard to 990601da7c its highest level, she 13b2069f35 asked bluntly.7c4ff7dc0cbc8c6b

“What’s your 105a1b1483 real motive?”c9f6a7d8e776fc7a

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Still smiling that 225bbb8c3f enigmatic smile, he d9a1b2e4e3 replied.d36a242c75faa49c

“Motive? My lady, I’m simply fc3cadaa0e a man with precise 51d3688bb7 calculations.”0c81af8f7531dca2

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“What?”324d7c19e7ade0a9

Serenia’s expression 23441e5e31 shifted, incredulous b3555e0ed0 at his 759ed3c17b bizarre response.9056e7eded9bc904

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He chuckled 0b0e78bbc8 lightly and ef0619dd00 added.381867946481bea5

“Besides, it just d2d9c7c4b2 so happens that 2a4f83b353 I’m in need e1df61f152 of a title.”2e763d4fac62a881

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Though his words were 8d8e5bc472 accompanied by a smile, bac7be9cb8 there was a subtle 25b134b134 chill to his tone bf81cc25d8 that didn’t escape Serenia’s 7ac9e1e430 notice. Her brow furrowed 748887ba35 as she pressed eb726e769a further.7843b1b94d4c8125

“You don’t ‘want’ a c21ef83db6 title—you ‘need’ one?”672206d406d3122e

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“Exactly.”586af9e2784aff9e

He said, a84554bc1b nodding without bd499a923c hesitation.3b0af0d4824e685b

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“That’s the cd349e2783 very reason d3810261b8 I approached 9c7de4d1ec you outside 4e7417a671 the bank.”444a416637220c38

Serenia’s already 66c330842d tense expression 01152c80e5 hardened further.45e7dfad3ce228a7

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She had 8dbe2373e6 suspected his 8b96bebe6c approach was adc11d9675 deliberate but 641a73417b never imagined 30821e02ad it had 04a810566f anything to d51bf76cb5 do with e0ed910ac6 her title. Taking a 8eb6cbc01c moment to 1252b72a00 choose her 385d5b40fa words carefully, 20d213cc07 she finally 2350ed973a asked.ce29f1fbfed73b9c

“Why do f1aaa86a30 you need 67e89d8277 a title?”781a60ec769ff0c0

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He studied her quietly ad81bcb134 for a moment before ed53bf463d flashing a bright smile 2ef9af9d11 and replying.abce0a5963a178fc

“To retire.”81ab1f523fa604d3

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“Excuse me?”ed8bc87fc09d415c

His answer f50a34ac23 was so 9b2196622e far removed 4313e97b99 from her 5d41ea7553 expectations that d0294af8e7 Serenia was e2c9a959f8 left speechless.7c52ec5c44e5f7da

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Not political 78ee2c89ee ambitions, business ea07a165ee expansion, or edced6038f social prestige—retirement?1038ae337de60630

Her mouth opened 9703630f2e and closed wordlessly, e0061f81df unable to process e71758aa31 his reasoning.53c29075c6f0d5de

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Shrugging, he continued.a178604e22de8677

“Honestly, this job f0294658c8 has a very 31ade9d5e1 short shelf life, 539874a2c3 and let’s be ba4a834447 real, it doesn’t eb9e52f2ee exactly have the 027bd13019 best reputation.”7d6e1a16f5ff9a47

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‘A short shelf 1bfba9008e life? But there are loan ed166d1324 sharks who’ve been at 54e703d9f3 it for decades…’a596439278a53bdc

Serenia thought, unable 42f2956fc5 to hide her fbc459b023 confusion. She nodded reluctantly, however, 76c7df351a at his comment about 611d8c401a the job’s poor reputation.bdb946d2f57973f5

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“…Fair enough. That part makes sense.”15428fe8b5993fde

“Still, if I may 34f6358bd3 say so myself, I’ve 116e95fd1d been quite successful in a1becfb8fa this field,” he said, 469471cda2 his tone taking on 82f701a7d7 a boastful edge.19677cec24dfb709

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Serenia gave ab506f5b49 him a d4368d8fe0 sour look, bcf466f095 unimpressed.5361bc0fa70b4bc6

“Oh, really? How nice for you.”95481efe148cc766

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Unfazed by her b1bd3ed8e7 sarcasm, he continued cd9322b0b4 cheerfully,b6e0b7f41c687377

“Yes, very much 388f22c447 so. In fact, my superior 4bec0d6c51 constantly tells me that abc061864f this is my calling. He says 74b306dc8c I was c2a333cdd2 born for 3626a95ef5 this work 8e1fa1cf68 and that 0ea04720cc dedicating my b8ddc3455e entire life b708652eaf to it a56a23f766 would benefit 5cfc3ecb36 both society 415e9ee2ce and the 6628904c4b country.”449892fd1df5d171

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“Uh-huh,” Serenia f8cbe79086 muttered, her 3a6d0433f7 voice flat.c04025fb22c69a3c

“Which is why he 59c988a66d insists that unless I df46292973 somehow become a noble, dd6728b03d I should keep working 257e4e48b7 tirelessly until I drop 961b93ceb3 dead.”c0c003f8517f100c

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Finally, Serenia 8e84747638 realized why ba88a8ccd6 he had fa80921170 spent so 67f50e195a much time 6baffd400d bragging about 0a78a36156 himself.c8855ba95fe48e08

“So you 85c763566d need a 9f686bdc28 title… to 5f70e44a7f retire.”e40f3115be89c1e7

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“Exactly.”c97cc4040c958cb8

His straightforward 4580d14c90 confirmation made af98f203b9 Serenia scoff 803f7b5d0e as she 6a95284938 smirked.cf086a1c28e63fb6

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“Wow. Can’t even retire 1074d0aced without a title? Your line of 953f4aa1ab work sounds more 706cee9dc2 like organized crime 02631b8f57 these days.”a42c2cf8311cbaa9

To her surprise, he 66e1c84919 laughed loudly and nodded.7cb476ac77769685

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“In some 8d9c8decea ways, you’re ace2121e17 not wrong. Both involve bf72515ade squeezing money b89cae58a0 out of b09a503f67 people over 3ab489e90a nothing.”3b4517e36c400782

She cast him a d77cfa5c34 sideways glance, her expression 568733be47 skeptical as she mulled 458de6166b over his reasoning.dab2b5692e4f09b9

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‘It sort 17c4fa031d of makes c9b0775824 sense, in c08efb62ee its own b271f78a07 ridiculous way. Though spending three 1aa9ac7eaa million krovats just d127abeadf to retire is bdc3442098 absurd… If he e17d57da06 has that much f3653ed0a9 money, I guess 10183767d9 he can afford 78cad76289 it.’a5e2bda3a2f759a7

As if sensing 19944ed041 her thoughts, he bceb7b449f watched her with 23176ad48a a foxlike smile dbab2b0c52 before asking.“So, do 4d91b72256 we have a 9400576d87 deal?”d8020f42c0bfdd08

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Serenia took a ab755917dc deep breath, exhaled 928425c298 slowly, and answered.cbd10981617e9473

“…Deal.”41594ab9cbfdea51

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