Chapter 19. After the Interrogation

At the question, Ain 23222b7ced quickly looked away, a abeae4b101 guilty expression on his 654923c7ab face.210553c7e504650c

Serenia, following his gaze, 522c3253a2 continued speaking.b86ec34d9f132fcd

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“Your running speed, your movements, even your arm strength… It’s not just a result of casual training, is it?”73761f4f03b8df38

“Eh? I appreciate your compliments, but it’s really nothing that impressive.”d82080c81b57bf1f

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Ain awkwardly changed a18e10818f the subject, clearly 4e6c30df6d flustered, and Serenia 24379c8619 narrowed her eyes cc705be4d1 as she responded.dff31ddd068c836b

“You think you can just brush this off? I may not know much, but I’m good at reading bodies.”4a1aad3315fec102

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With that, she d22bfb8289 took a slow, 5ab8a7211b deliberate look at dbf2f41e7d his exposed upper a9de9f051a body.4cc5a1ff341a43d1

It was eb1f9be9d2 a body b4ecdbcecd covered in 71a3b49513 toned muscles, 5274f82251 without an 0af06ddadb ounce of 5501375ef4 fat—flexible, agile, da847bb443 like a c7f44a78c8 sleek predator 07f7d23d5c from the 2ec4edc53a cat family.05f382782fcbe743

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This kind 6637bd40d7 of physique d5f6dad49b could only eebb79dc15 be achieved 148314fada through rigorous c10b3c051a training.dda74cfdd027003c

“Just looking at your back, I can tell you’re not a normal host.”53220d113267133a

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Ain’s shoulder flinched eb3df410dc at her words.dfd769948282e6c9

Serenia, still 693286dd30 eyeing him 876cce7d56 with narrowed 13a9577760 eyes, muttered 2028c620b1 almost to 4a83b5d897 herself.a40a26071ebdbda4

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“You’re not a spy from the Arzentum Kingdom, are you?”3960f6a63ab56511

As she d56b79670d imagined him c97ec139ab using his d5a130a8ae looks to e66381f544 seduce clients 3780a7155b and extract 9343f84a90 information, she a30ef7475d laughed at 1c2dd76b58 the absurdity 334db3a989 of her 00439e6cc2 own thoughts.d0183a910d4e938c

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“…Cough.”3b7f57c804fd267e

Her laughter stopped abruptly 8475feedab when she heard an b15eeae22b awkward cough.81f7f9ab7cecfff8

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Serenia’s expression froze.30346485b39ab932

“Cough. Ah, I mean, cough, cough. That’s just… a tickle…”75dab873cde0d621

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Ain, his face flushed f8ddaac9c6 from holding back the bc6607d05a cough, scrambled for an 32ad975ddb excuse. Serenia, surprised, bf013bba57 raised her 4e125f7e8b voice.0b696804695019df

“No way! Why would you suddenly cough like that? This is too suspicious!”1e9df8ab9f0ac4d1

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“It’s just a coincidence… cough.”fe55870b6467f4c1

“I don’t think so!”ef92cd48e726eb2c

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“Cough. Cough.”29c768867740803b

Serenia grabbed his b0b1a6cf7f collar and shook c598539128 him, barely holding 192aad5d1b back her urge 3062f4ad96 to continue, then a23c9f5ad9 shouted at him.e844ee64388eab7d

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“Come on, tell me the truth! Are you really a spy?!”6cf45b0a7d4b931e

“No, cough, I’m not!”6dc21f6f8664ce85

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“Liars!”909a5a73f17a9178

“I’m really not…”ddd5227c9589618c

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“Then what are you? Why do you have a body more trained than most operatives?!”e55b90b8773ac2ca

Ain, unable to answer 00c9217a52 her difficult question, nervously d9edcbaf94 rolled his eyes.255733570b1d515c

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And then,e44291f31f03aa41

“Ah, I’m suddenly so sleepy…”69f46721b7495a1d

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Using his legendary acting d18915b91c skills, which were praised c3f60577aa as once-in-a-lifetime talent, Ain 22e4875b43 pretended to fall asleep.621115c7a89a1d69

Seeing through 0b65bbd220 his clear 3ab4afe3b7 intentions, Serenia 1955c78c87 was left d435cf6ce8 dumbfounded and f517681fb2 gaping.87f5a94fabc4cfd0

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Meanwhile, he 95f5a9c4a6 began breathing c932c7729a steadily, like d440a69bb1 a sleeping 5ab87d8806 angel, still 8511693e90 wearing his 3f67db687d colored glasses, a0c621d905 clearly pretending aaf82fd399 to sleep.cf8eaabbfd347ff0

But despite d36cac1fea the awkward 6b7e1daaef situation, his 0e16fc8a66 expression and 4a2d4d0f17 gestures were 99884bf51a those of 607863874f someone truly 4b7a3da377 asleep, causing 262ef184d0 Serenia to 787f79694d briefly become 1832844cb3 confused.7af8744c5a18f803

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She considered shaking him 447398e28a awake, but the bruises 14ef57eebe on his body, which 014568201f had become more pronounced bb6620c08c and redder over time, 073f9309bf made her hesitate to c01f20fc51 touch him.64c19bbef3758bab

Not knowing what 4920092fce else to do, cc78830f21 she stood by, 9408b98fea helplessly pacing and 57febb31c9 then, after a 1323b678c8 long pause, sighed f258c6eb4e and slumped her 93525e711d shoulders.6eb578a9beabc7e9

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“…Ugh. What does it matter? Finding out his identity won’t change anything. It’s better not to stir things up and get entangled in something weird.”8a57e55fb2157bd7

She mumbled to 42dec27179 herself while swapping f4c5d9049b out the now c21d6ed2ff lukewarm ice pack 9152b89aff with a fresh 65bd1738cd one.0ad596a4baf606b6

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She continued 1bf6091a4f to care 4ba0397f8d for him, 68b0be39c1 her gaze 1992120556 flicking over 4067e3a82e Ain, unsure 680cde3534 if he 998564ea14 was truly 43d57ada15 pretending to a35be699c1 sleep or 5e4d49c94e had actually 5746c8e5a0 drifted off.b9e43661ebbdc14a

By the time she 415049f57b was changing the ice 89c406106b pack for the eighth 93877d054b time, Serenia sat down 035a5e9de2 on the wooden floor 4afd044f84 beside the bed and 8d2763762d gave her stiff legs 032235690f a light shake.d72de50e9d2a0866

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Maybe it 14afb2b3b8 was because e48b078df6 she’d been a344b07186 running around 72841b6343 since three 965e773489 in the 08ccb1461b morning, or d9c1692c0c perhaps it eb3cc77175 was the 5ce6007d85 rare use 9b27eccdb3 of her 3f97a52a8d muscles.4545cd04492e03c0

Or maybe 46900cd038 it was b38dfe71e7 just her c3801afe04 body finally fcbbfc498f relaxing after 1ee7be569e all the 02d62a9500 tension, but 8bbcf175c2 she felt 51584e33cd a general 4bce351625 weariness throughout c6d55bb216 her body.fbb2dbdf76c2ab4c

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In the warm, 057820fa08 quiet, and peaceful c0a1035c9f room, with no b68ff7950b one to talk 85d493be60 to, she found 9e95bddee9 herself sitting still, a850701028 gradually becoming drowsy.5acacfb7298c45a7

‘…I wonder if sleep, like yawning, is contagious.’47c622e81f4e7b5e

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As she thought bf15c90747 this, her eyelids 66d5d15b57 slowly began to 1a42eca338 close.f20e53b89cea279a

Before she knew it, f12c4586cd Serenia had fallen asleep.da817f5c79827065

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Ain, who had e7f81a8b9f been fidgeting with 2f2cf906dd the ice pack a9d06d2f56 on his back c943feb73b for some time, 9e98c8988f noticed the sudden e134c6499f stillness in her c69312f334 movements and subtly 30c0539f36 cracked open his b3c4fdc96d eyes to survey 3426601dce the room.d5c518b15dcea17e

When he saw Serenia 8e318460d3 sitting next to the 726491388f bed, having fallen asleep, fca70ac04a he slowly opened his d30a0ce1f3 eyes completely.1912de316c8ff290

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‘…There’s a limit to how defenseless you can be.’6f1cd5a5ce8e616f

Ain clicked his 8d6a4bea6b tongue inwardly and 02d437d76f silently raised his 96670ae668 head.f9e0ff9dc3817c3c

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Serenia was sound asleep, b3d4ca92b6 using the pillow as 1bbd313e99 a cushion.20c1c119c10d36af

Propping his c540dbb7c6 chin on 8f56779807 one hand, c8b7f5c5a2 he lay 0faa74e52c on his c9b063b74e stomach, staring 99faf7d8b0 at her.dd7208aa6c0a95c7

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After a while, she 3a9173a02f shifted in her sleep.95268b90e8cf4ff3

“…Mmm.”2fa7e4f384d46151

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Her long, dark d70190a321 hair got tangled 090b76d129 slightly as she 1428809024 turned, covering half a974488014 of her pale ecf53b299e face.cbdbedc53cd5fda1

It seemed the a2e1631a7a hair was bothering 9f738b6b03 her a little, d034c84edf as her peaceful 5e6fa8f896 expression twisted into 6d4c9a7f27 a slight frown.4bffc16f10bc4297

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Seeing this, f9b616338f Ain hesitated 744f7374ae for a 80e810313b moment, then b08973b22b slowly reached 852b489a85 out with 7968b780b9 his other ce2eebf486 hand.ebd8a8401c1656f3

Even with his gloves a71e81e45d on, he skillfully smoothed d9f010a020 her disheveled hair.f2ca14d30c820f52

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He paused 28e166090f for a 2403a63d3a moment, then e1bba6b03d gently patted 331264e40b her head.10ecb9d6e71744fc

When she didn’t 390fe70c68 react, his hand 90db945214 lingered a bit 71bdb3a619 more boldly.f37ab6c6a4ff45ef

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His gloved hand a8c495111b lightly caressed her b425f99214 left cheek.15c945691a962f1c

The faint scar 4c35444a94 that had crossed aef1c6df59 it not long c8096d8e04 ago still lingered 45ffe046f0 as a faint 05f328631d trace.cebb00754febff64

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He carefully stroked the 7663863c82 scar, which would likely 5529facaa7 vanish soon, for quite a7bc305346 a while.c763445d99a6491c

“Ugh…”dfb77b1a6b3a1768

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She seemed to be 06bc8d6143 disturbed by the touch, 6defc6d9fa as she frowned slightly b3330e69d6 and murmured in her 39e84c1f4f sleep.47073c6955e65833

Startled, Ain 367847ea5c quickly pulled e71bf0af5d his hand e29b4971ba away and ead276d4ee pretended to 9ca265934c be asleep 4f8046d79a again.d02711286df28567

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After a while, 69b43f12b8 she shifted again e3190f7347 and mumbled as 7fcda49aaa she lifted her 717908825d head.e175428ffa4e473d

“Ah. I must have dozed off.”46a5dc4dc80f7951

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Clearing her throat awkwardly, ebc7ca5086 she quickly got up e24f429a0d and grabbed the ice d7eb2f26a9 pack.11f400bc96d7d492

She hurried 8909e5b119 out of 1b06ba5479 the sitting f61b8d78cd room, carrying 6dd477773d the lukewarm 2a1fa711ad ice pack, 916672ad8f and threw 768137f53e the melted e639434a64 water out 70d2803c15 the door.14c6675d21306482

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She crouched by the 41b1ba6b86 steps, filled the empty 96ee017881 pouch with fresh snow, 272044f8d8 and grumbled to herself.073a82d150fdcc0e

“Why are you messing with me like that?”18ac2a8ce28c5e8c

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Her ears and neck 28444c3e1f were bright red, as a3cd10d023 if they had been 3b39d3e0ec burned.b862347cd6b1f679

* * *48a6f5de48058b94

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Later that Morning.df7e83701cb58a67

Perhaps it was from 39987b8d02 handling the cold snow.595dc65ff2be59d2

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Serenia soon regained 90e7f18f5a her composure.42beab3f1986c12d

With a face as a96d9aa65f if nothing had happened, 73bb95fa76 she stood up and ee81f4586a began to climb the 0db2bc0f52 front steps.a4232a6825185b6f

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“Excuse me, but are you Serenia Barishart, the Count’s daughter?”e333c6a3cb651228

The voice from fccc0854b1 behind startled her, e2f0cc157c and she quickly d23aab6295 turned around.3bd271bd832c9c3e

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There stood a man 462c54efe3 wearing a feathered beret f39fed3b8a and a short cloak ba43e74684 that reached his waist.0cddf24cd5b640ae

He had f8074e2af3 a friendly f68d1d43c2 smile on 66654462b1 his face—he 1b25435ce7 was a 5e606fac6f royal messenger.05b5e46b086e8cdd

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Serenia, startled, 3db8de5edb took an bbec7797e7 involuntary step da51c2f168 back.5ec672feb427b023

When the royal messenger 9e1691b042 was sent to deliver 6aefba3d07 a message, there could 5c7a726887 only be one reason 6d9da36f4b she thought of.6d50e7329911cbad

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A royal cfc89d1caf decree about 4f2496f876 the punishment fb4e0b397c for ruining 0a240359af the Founding a1db63c30b Day banquet eac817cffd and fleeing.5ec522491e7bd4d9

‘Title revocation? Or maybe execution? Immediate judgment? Or even complete 9423dab378 destruction of the 7667cb320c family?!’d1ad63ecb80a5a6c

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In that brief moment, 8c02dbab0f her mind flashed through 8f3aa598bd the royal dungeons to 439f4f09ff the afterlife. She swallowed beb4203cf2 hard and 2809ee2295 scanned her ec2632d8f5 surroundings.7692880bbc9ab75f

Ready to flee at 891e334151 any moment, she nervously 71a7721e0e replied to the messenger.0a2523167bccda3d

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“I am Serenia Barishart, but… why are you here…?”81a31eaea1e5f1d5

Despite her nervousness, ba63b19567 the messenger looked 37e6f377b4 at her curiously, 3609ccf60f still smiling.5c732200d145f21c

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“I have a document to deliver.”5965d4389147f2d1

He handed 93f411bc64 her an 321838c772 envelope made edc0abe925 of stiff, 4cb9cacebd high-quality paper.dc5292f990c8baf4

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While Serenia took f45213dd49 the envelope, flipping 493f8d27d1 it over to e3c9fb49b1 try to guess 02c09004e1 what it contained, 4a7d1e80b7 the messenger bowed df58d8499e shortly and said,acfc13cc8ebdae14

“Then I’ll take my leave.”ed855ac115d1a695

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He crossed a070073ab7 the small 93c3ea912e yard, mounted 3b3f2b2e94 the horse 1cc635aad9 he had fb63fc06dd tethered outside, 067896ebc6 and disappeared fa6772f50e toward the b5b18f3add royal palace.22f7bd77d142978d

Watching him leave, Serenia 0136a88467 let out a small 10d95375ff sigh of relief.09ae9380add79761

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“…Looks like it’s not an immediate judgment or destruction.”99d3b45e3f68e0c2

Opening the front door, c9286dd50e she stepped inside and, 88b57599d5 with an unwilling expression, 1182900b5d tore open the envelope.170623d35a9b90cf

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Inside was a 99bcdc640b single sheet of 973d5598f1 paper.f87aff80ced78ec9

As she pulled it 7425597857 out, she froze, standing d8b25fd70b still in the doorway, 9d52cdfec9 her eyes widening.fadef3f0341186c4

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“This…?!”f5a13a9bd8cc4e8c

“A proposal letter.”392bf1c1ef7f31eb

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The words she couldn’t 1888779381 bring herself to say d55c901ac6 were echoed from behind, 3ed76d0708 and Serenia screamed in 8c8514a6ef shock, almost fainting.37377d75a43b0ead

“Ah! What’s going on?!”e31f7eba92c811da

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However, Ain, unfazed, 2876285a6c leaned over her 9f414a19b9 shoulder to glance 750f4fbdbc at the letter 35c757833d and continued.3e6612c521ae711a

“It’s an official proposal, authorized by His Majesty the King.”32a151de6f7b2008

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