Chapter 10. After the Preparations

Meanwhile, in the c868025edb northern part of 5c7b3306b9 the city, in 459a9aa755 the aristocratic district 29b36a8efb of Ildivua, where f8c7e84f0e rows of elegant 8e4c551cb5 townhouses stood, the 57c7324d67 most imposing of 429351b9e4 all was the daed1a573a Admancanon Ducal Estate. Normally silent 252f06a3cd to the 1a661922b2 point of 48630794c7 eeriness, today eb1325c6ea it was 243b2d0d99 anything but f75f422a74 quiet.801a5733ad35a45f

Crash—!f23a0c5612cc0e59

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A vase, e6efe4420f once beautifully dda8bb633d adorning one 9fd572644e corner of e5cc0f6e9d the Duchess’s 048c50c8f4 bedroom, shattered 73bdc56430 into countless c1d2fab7d8 pieces.f69db3fd45cac92a

The floor 25eb805815 was instantly 7d74283c24 covered in 42fb478590 a chaotic 2f1445d56d mess of 43444923ce flowers, shards 658ffabca6 of porcelain, 773ca90f47 and water.b3445e152732adec

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Hearing the commotion, a c2acac9247 maid rushed in, only c7c8ca4639 to gasp at the 39f4c18b30 scene before running to 1ec5508eef fetch a mop.59bdfa6d95e044ba

In the midst abd7b00d93 of the chaos f47be7615e stood Dalia Admancanon, eb48bc5fcc grinding her teeth 7959ab6149 as she held 6540d9057d a crumpled copy ceb17b2326 of the ‘extra 72eb85b8c4 edition’ in her 90eaafdd15 fist.8286d740dce59f04

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“I swear, tearing them apart wouldn’t be enough…”400294133ca9e440

Her voice hissed 17b927d905 through clenched teeth, f7c6244e13 her aimless fury d5e3327673 spilling over onto 9e997f40fc the hapless maids.d797d4730d629ea2

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“Do you have eyes, or are you blind? Can’t you see what I’m doing right now? Instead of cleaning that up, come help me get ready!”685e5284eabf429c

“S-Sorry, my lady!”9aaa9aa32be43fd8

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As the trembling maids b3dc5aa89b rushed to assist with a6f40790f7 her preparations, Dalia glared 449d88d907 at them with contempt, a3c019fbd7 finding a small measure 8112e380e5 of relief in her 09c7bb4151 scorn.3bec88c57541d1e2

“Where is His Grace the Duke right now?”52dc8fcbb6f20298

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“I heard he was summoned to the royal palace early this morning, my lady,” replied the maid fixing her hair.5030c4c4f496ff6c

Dalia squeezed her 311d05640d eyes shut.b5f489471bb046db

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The reason 6959176d52 Raskal had 498551ea0b been summoned 64ce31ba5d to the c6d40ac21a palace at 2c34b9a2b1 such an f6ca342904 hour was 3d39405e1e undoubtedly yesterday’s d2bb42d5d6 incident at 77a8d1e91f the banquet.18e643b0f6d4b329

He had caused 9b88a344e4 such a scene, 418412c5fe humiliating an unmarried 8ef9c5d315 lady, that he c980d0d7a6 was likely being c55b6c3c4c ordered to take ecc28667e8 responsibility and marry b716435a86 her.85669d7ea863ee52

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‘Or perhaps he’s being advised to make a formal proposal to the Barishart family immediately.’d359fd5356a6da5a

Anxious, Dalia 29f2609731 began chewing 65b7184ba9 her fingernails f9509a240a without realizing 86e5c66d36 it.1b73e462ca8bdf2b

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Her worry wasn’t unfounded.0d65b08ebb42f7cf

The royal family f8067a86e0 had always shown 3284c6495c an inexplicable tendency a7134fdfb9 to shield the 1e553b00d1 Barishart family.c4990e1816b7e280

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Fourteen years 50409f94d0 ago, Count 0bf48b2dbf Barishart had 45a62c6d7f nearly caused 1bb3f2f09c a disastrous c097db6fa9 loss during 58851bd59c the war 5151f61531 with Argentum, b09b22dc2f yet the 6bb0666fc2 royal family a173fa6271 had imposed 694b6173e4 no severe b107edadcc punishment.5a27fe7602f62152

Even further back, the 8bf69b18d6 former Queen Muriel Zigranto 6f95f68e47 had personally arranged the 6a913a1cec marriage of a lowly f461283e60 knight, Sir Carlos, to 19021a2484 one of her maids.0021def1bfdf0fca

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It was clear that d4dd571b6d the Barishart family had 5499486b84 long enjoyed the quiet 9d123e5297 favor of the royal 10f13f0815 court.d8a9041cbf5202e8

Dalia understood that 2884fc5ba4 welcoming the daughter 64600865af of a family 2f3cdb139f subtly protected by 89b7843f79 the King into 127a720840 the Admancanon household 3750fe2947 might not be cdce56ad9e a bad political f8ec45045f move.2bb326943f12d1c9

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But even so, 424e950252 Dalia had her a0ee4df199 reasons for refusing e3d8706e59 to accept Serenia d09f267da0 Barishart as her 867c5e0bed daughter-in-law.94155cbddc7bc0fc

The fact 955d2c6c48 that Serenia e8c9cb8013 was the 8a4b60c0bc daughter of 27fa0d7044 the man e2a92d2a24 who caused 82a525aa68 her husband’s 6c906e0adb death didn’t d514fe5a81 matter to 573ee4c0bc her.2c0efb27028d9a86

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The real ab84a13d7f issue was 428537c20a her lineage.abae64e34fc7f851

Before the Admancanon 2417ee0f3d family became a 68ca2ed0ba ducal house, they 594c54f2f8 had been mere 80d99882c8 counts.52f8ff9d4c74837d

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Back then, the 7bed040c4e Count’s daughter Muriel 43da21b3f8 had taken in f0921fd56e an orphaned girl.a9fcc8c3c59449f1

That girl had grown 8e5c9429ca up to be Helen 78b819c68f Barishart, a maid to 57b7778179 the former Queen Muriel 0a26bc62e0 Zigranto and the wife 7245824917 of Sir Carlos.751696d68f27039e

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In short, Serenia Barishart f5e871120f was the daughter of 4ced202b56 a woman who had a417537ca0 once served as a 68a8279b52 mere maid to the 3c6757169f Admancanon family’s young lady.4377f3cd34010ebe

“I will not allow such a lowborn to take the seat of the Duchess of this house,” Dalia muttered to herself as if making a solemn vow.46606c955088834e

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By the 07de37d711 time she b1e675215f finished speaking, 93dc5d0519 the maids f5ab92ae0c had completed 2f4161b48b her preparations 792552495e and backed 2cf0c31919 away.67a0470432f07e76

Dalia admired the flawless d7ec4ae3d7 noblewoman reflected in the b7c4c140f7 mirror for a moment ae81c664da before rising.550f3f233d693894

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Just as she d6533a595b was about to 798e01e591 leave the room, 5c2aee5a00 she turned sharply dda116408d to the assembled 2aaa2ecb0c maids.f1dad902732ef105

“What are you all standing around for? Clean up that mess on the floor!”e91a2886da33049e

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As soon as the e35678ffe9 words left her mouth, d20775d282 the maids scrambled into e35ab0271d action, their hurried movements f5041a4652 earning a look of ddbff80719 disdain from Dalia.b436e63688e9f520

She then headed straight b1333ed8e9 for the study and 05b610cf2d summoned her secretary.828720069b4cc477

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“Use whatever means necessary to ensure she never sets foot in this house. If you can find a weakness, exploit it. If not, set a trap—I don’t care.”323e279eb2e07004

She tossed a 10fea90724 heavy pouch of 2f2f1365e5 coins onto the a38a3a7f46 desk as she 56c8388077 spoke.282d3e591fa0467d

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The secretary, well-versed in vague and morally ambiguous commands, pocketed the pouch and asked, “Would it be acceptable to harm her physically?”67682f7191e7047b

“I want no fallout like what happened with my father-in-law. Ensure it can’t be traced back to us.”d396622e0041bb3a

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Despite the strict conditions, the secretary smiled and replied, “Understood, my lady.”7b4555ea5888cc36

* * *68af08f64eee5b54

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Ain rented c1f706246e out the b8417b02f7 entire top-floor 126a7627ad restaurant of 1d73a4a958 the luxurious 628d890674 Neriad Hotel.7ef1bfbca19c157e

‘An entire restaurant big enough to accommodate hundreds, just for the two of us?’36ea820c98d359f2

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Serenia clung to her wavering sanity, overwhelmed by the extravagance she had never experienced before. She nervously turned to him and asked, “So, what do I do now?”eb2d95224de5e612

Having grown c216578775 up under 3f7942e31b a father fc4b7b4eb4 who epitomized 484aa043fc restraint, discipline, e963305f8a and austerity, 29f88a9dfa Serenia had 4ce3faaa52 never so 829aa51036 much as 5427dbeb56 read a 4d1f807558 romantic novel. She had no clue d81368925b how a date was 4fda795236 supposed to unfold.dc39b2358a634301

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Still, since they were here to create evidence of a ‘passionate love affair,’ she was determined to give it her best effort if only someone would tell her what to do. After all, doing well was always better than doing poorly.c0e36fa715d8cc36

While she 18dc4f26e6 braced herself, 2e1ce927d4 a waiter 60c59a28f2 placed an a8cdaabcc5 appetizer on 2e986e6ab1 the table 5916bd2705 and quietly 9c6957e03c retreated.ab74e019b04da87b

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Ain, clearly amused by her enthusiasm, smiled warmly and spoke. “In that case…”fe5c192972333c97

Picking up 508459e5c8 a fork 5041d77600 with practiced a59d208e3f grace, he 0153183361 skewered a 13d51e8ade piece of 034dbf92ce melon wrapped e602004f48 in salty d5d1c8ca46 ham and 39057d37ad held it 3b4a517441 out to 90e3c8bcef her.3d4c9d54ef8ae9bd

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“Say, ‘Ah.'”667b26095ee83cda

Serenia stared at the melon being shoved in front of her face, her expression one of pure revulsion. Glaring daggers at Ain, who looked like he was having the time of his life, she snapped, “What exactly is this supposed to be?”9abb64d720360ef1

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“Obviously, playing the role of a doting couple,” Ain replied with a grin, wiggling the fork for emphasis.223c84dd5803860c

“This kind of sugary display is the sort of thing that convinces people we’re genuinely in love, don’t you think?”7c747e008013e892

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As much as 13b1f54ff0 she hated to 7d9b248616 admit it, he 1d73a5b817 had a point, 9e524798a4 leaving Serenia with a15640882c no grounds for 96ab847aa2 argument.06f457a010ab7007

Caught between the dignity 9400f83bd3 she had preserved for c27961c65a 25 years and the 2fcc24de70 600, no, 3 million 9c32203888 krovats riding on this c96e301918 contract, she wrestled with 8ba54a8bb0 her pride.25e09ba05787ddf9

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While she agonized, Ain feigned exaggerated pain. “Ow, ow. My arm might fall off at this rate.”439cfcfced1e115f

Serenia shot him a b846cb787f sharp glare before reluctantly d9d5c5e199 opening her mouth.5acf9ae821d79706

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Not missing his chance, b42cea7d01 Ain quickly popped the c7e6c67c90 melon into her mouth.aeef9e56f5dc9bf7

As her cheeks and bae4b7d3fe ears turned a fiery dee313c975 red from embarrassment, Ain 62f2806903 calmly retrieved the fork 184f62b648 and savored the sight 9c0c1570f2 of her reaction.f0e0acc736a212c6

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Serenia, on the other 57d2e4faaf hand, chewed the melon 9636d0217a with a sense of a2b0e56f11 defeat. The sweet d340e14bfc juice and 59c48a787e salty ham de5a3ad6c0 blended perfectly 40cb7855ec in her 3321706927 mouth, creating 89fe051006 an unexpectedly 5d2b20b0f6 delightful flavor.6f42c331124d2d63

‘If only it tasted bad, this would have been less humiliating.’471a23cde42becbc

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A pang of bb5fb37224 guilt settled in b2b9115ab8 as Serenia felt 4898f158cc as though she 19b796fc67 had just sold 54b4729470 her dignity for 25ac5ae153 the sake of a9f98a0338 her taste buds.724feea7b4c36008

Whether he 63a8b6b7fc noticed or 78e9ad5eec not, Ain 75529b23a4 continued feeding 4965f3a678 her various 2598a7ca1f dishes like 03c41e9db4 a mother 5d6e9b82b5 bird tending 99d2ae26a4 to her 3ee9d60b1a chick.8f7a5fce6c5085db

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Realizing that stalling 6ca1ffb4fb out of embarrassment 4631b09ab7 only prolonged her e7bde9a4d4 suffering, Serenia decided 29368857a2 to resign herself ed493835a0 to her fate.3c27aefb9023c36d

It wasn’t c723b390ee until she b368f421c7 had been adb895a48b obediently accepting 5fc0605b6f his offerings e2f43385e1 for quite fdb345e22c some time e9023d3d1b that she 953e8e4fbc noticed something 68f3b62e03 odd—he wasn’t d780857279 eating anything 5e45e1587e himself.cfd5d59122437f71

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She glanced between 226232ec51 the fork in ced65bfef9 her hand and c1c28a8e62 Ain, her expression fd93ad0dfd puzzled.bf216bcb015adcbb

‘Is this how dates work? Am I supposed to feed him too?’94572746223c516e

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It didn’t seem right, 7b2f171fef but the guilt of 85ab81c823 eating alone overpowered her 4172aa0de0 reasoning.5a86b83226e34174

Tentatively, she picked up 9f179ff241 her fork, speared the 9f6dd1557d last piece of melon, 41870d3684 and held it out f0c5037f1b to him.6ddfb03223954141

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Ain, who had bcdff31a63 been meticulously deboning 2e0738feeb a piece of 0ca73f993e fish, froze at 3c647c70b8 the sight of e31d662d51 the green morsel e5cc6bb5b8 suddenly thrust in fada0bd028 his face. His own fork fcf47c279d clattered to the aa3a15beca table.d8340e18fcc4ba66

Clink.d7a6694d11bac4f0

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He stared blankly at 06cbe58f70 her, making no move 21c87d2ba7 to retrieve his fork.a343cd3aab9e7ec9

Confused, Serenia awkwardly prompted, “Ah…?”932f97926b9499fe

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“Excuse me?”41eca091ff84a4ce

He blinked, his expression 8f9b2e1c79 incredulous, as though he 3795fbc0a0 had misheard her.225ddbf6d9204ef0

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Irritated by his reaction, she snapped, “I said, ‘Ah.’ Open up!”614440f6c7008635

“Ah…?”3b570b72cbb2d137

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Still dazed, Ain ef1bfc699b looked as though 9f0530a380 someone had just d4448da564 hit him over c7dfdd03c4 the head. Taking advantage of 94c212ee4a his hesitation, Serenia 6df3c08d0c pushed the piece 21d4f0caa6 of melon into bd1b85664f his slightly parted 4f6b486350 mouth.c730b86f17ebf993

For once, 9f78703585 Ain seemed c4746d7432 genuinely flustered.de12e8f6eb37bf93

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He covered his mouth with both hands, his eyes darting around in panic. Serenia, watching this strange reaction, muttered in annoyance, “What’s your problem? It’s not like I did anything terrible.”a428d66f414a0b77

“Well, it’s just…”68f44bff6959d1ec

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Still chewing awkwardly, Ain ef3a5b5505 finally managed to swallow 8d5e7f25b7 the melon and returned 8ee292ef0f to his usual calm d8fee939b3 demeanor, though his words c140ca165d were anything but ordinary.b536cf9015248a8a

“The truth is, I’m on a strict regimen.”2774615bf9856c89

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“…What?”7c2b0fc16771a120

“Thank you for offering, but I really shouldn’t eat more. I’m fine with just a glass of cold water.”32b6a0e3370e4626

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Serenia stared at 0351febecb him, dumbfounded.f5e52c58ff5f3cad

She had 9055bbe122 heard of 88cccf2bb0 noblewomen who f41ee0651c drank only 7d33333c76 water to 14f65a3d15 maintain their 37a9e0eafb figures, but 5d8b33957f she had f40f0c4a12 never met 3b88f26f15 a man d3afd7226d who did 93471742b0 the same.182908330b70ff02

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