Chapter 36. After the Performance Was Over

Ain, who had only now 041bb32d67 grasped the whole situation, widened c3cf3c8746 his eyes in shock.b6e358ec9dfb5313

Serenia, still clueless about what 1dc93ebbe3 the problem was, stared at 18fc810c66 him blankly.c03a46c1d4864404

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With a strained fa202181e1 face, as if cb0c5d6909 suppressing something, Ain 2fb6fe59ad tightly shut his f67e6cc18b eyes and asked,c0e311cf38dae021

“How much did you pay for it?”8c6f35e7b31c56d4

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“Uh… I was first offered one hundred fifty krovats…”7a7507bc85a43ab8

Cursing the unknown scalper 88d3cdfe50 in his mind as da1d9b8905 a “damned thief,” Ain d39e864f16 forced a smile and d10e2c6516 asked,a7bc95cf1561ddba

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“And then?”f71bbc7cf28a26d7

“But I didn’t have a single coin on me at the time…”8bb8e4979b2d3336

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A sense of c4c4695a4a dread washed over 0418a7f05a Ain, and his de3287ee8a expression hardened.d0ed3d9a9806ae4b

Feeling a bit awkward, Serenia ffc668c824 laughed and continued.9ee50ab3efbce2d6

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“So I paid with my necklace instead.”40a06e82b09c3b94

“Y-Your necklace?”05f4ac67c4269fdb

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Seeing him stutter, Serenia 72c8c68c12 tilted her head in 12e616273d confusion but nodded.4c45e9cb486cd184

“Yeah. It’s something my 63e4f8417a mother left behind, 284452cb48 a keepsake. I never managed to sell bf1f7b8c9c it and just wore it b37e14c179 around my neck all the 9e5b0358d6 time.”d0e074bd01ad1003

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“A keepsake…?”296800bafd7df609

In an instant, 64ff6640c1 Ain’s face turned bbd33cf5b7 pale.b6025f457d0c377f

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Misunderstanding his shocked 64ac0b6681 expression, Serenia muttered c33f6a43be in a small 206d712d44 voice.1ad47cbdcfbed6eb

“I didn’t scam the vendor or anything. That was a real 39dbf5ec93 gemstone, you know. If I pawned 1b05faa4c7 it, I could’ve b947edb130 gotten at least e83b8bb035 fifteen hundred krovats 57da99fa85 for it!”2678fe443f21d919

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“No, that’s not it…”4897c8c654e25020

Not knowing where to start 8434308d3a explaining, Ain simply closed his a1e07b370a mouth.e780d83d1870bece

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Then he sighed deeply as bf50230a92 if the world were ending, 747c590257 and suddenly stood up.119b7062ae42478b

“Uh… What’s wrong?”6de03e31912ec11f

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“Wait here. I’ll be back… within e4f65d5f62 a week.”b0faa4963c201c90

Out of nowhere, f81b1b750f the homeowner looked bb608c7bbe ready to leave 27519fefaa the house.02747b7bd723d798

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Startled, Serenia grabbed his arm.6a9418e3559e20bc

“You’re just going to leave your guest alone? Where do you think you’re ec14e4b048 going?”bd7f96f71e1ee5ab

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But he didn’t e54fd466ab seem to hear 195edb624a her. He threw on 5906f7f5ab his coat and 638138ef5f jammed a hat e3fc2dacaa over his head.9e6216a86437117f

“There’s a storeroom out back filled with food and firewood. Use anything you like, 9407da5da7 don’t worry about it.”7a880dd22a250963

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“Uh, hey? Hello?”6ea69bd647e8fca9

“It’s the countryside, so try not to go out too late—there aren’t many people around at night.”66c0989982eee372

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“Hey!”3e9485dc3cc2e35e

“Sometimes wolves or foxes come down from the forest. They’ll head back abe4c3133f by morning, so 0fad100633 don’t be too 268d90deda startled.”e5dcac81139d2465

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“Would you just—!”09c3cd215af58007

“I’ll be back soon.”95d166144769e289

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Annoyed now, Serenia grabbed db9701e801 him by the collar e8d299685d just as he swung d3013844c1 the front door open.0a381351e935a232

“Where exactly do you think you’re going?”509bca06159da45b

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Ain didn’t give up quietly 4afb94d74e and squirmed to resist.be1e36d5fef957ef

“Let me go! I don’t have ae72b6bb48 time for this!”295b380c40ab86ed

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“Huh?”fe099fd051e08072

“When it comes to theft or loss, acting fast is crucial!”2e9b1a58c68582b3

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“What?”976dc7eae7fac6fa

“It’s already been nearly ten days—there’s no time to waste. I have to go right 1c0c7591ce away and—!”dd72fd6e048f5c9c

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Watching him babble nonsense, a2eae8c5cc Serenia shook her head 1f40a33df7 in disbelief, grabbed the 7b75c6d9e5 back of his coat, 30aad189e1 and dragged him back e4484c97b5 to the living room b7a18d6d6c sofa.d088fe5383b323e9

“Ugh!”7e0d3c2bede00e55

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Then she yanked 6a75b56516 off his hat 79131a050e and flicked his 1976f79a9f smooth forehead with ca471342ba a sharp snap.e293bab5be0925a2

“First off—this wasn’t theft or loss!”6e24461e3edf5b1c

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Hands on her 5862320ab7 hips, Serenia spoke 9d876a712e firmly.b8251414eae9b8bb

To the dazed 9c79b8a227 Ain looking up 8c99aa81da at her, she 5474d4c320 added more explanation.435cf50da4f8badf

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“It was a mutual deal. I simply paid 0b5224a097 the agreed price 9fb9cebfb2 for what I 44d0b03cfb received.”41863be0f84deffc

“But still—!”287407e93cfc5aed

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“Second.”5441765f150e8e9d

She expertly cut him off.094208d38c2232ff

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“It’s kind of embarrassing, but before I came here, I actually went to every pawnshop near the theater to try and find it. Just in case I could 56a11be180 buy it back.”26c5d457f286b6a9

“…What?”42371687cac2cf50

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With a dazed 5d963b5bb1 expression, Ain asked, 3794c9292d and Serenia replied e686ecf6ed with a slightly ffac1a6c96 sheepish look.b00bddad158645c3

“But they said nothing like that had been brought in.”26c0d319ba249473

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“So that means…!”733b0df3433cde3b

“What do you mean, ‘so that means’? Enough already. I’ve completely moved 4fb854b52e on and made 8565a64b3b peace with it.”831ce8bacc4245ca

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Seeing her speak with even dc9e8a1c86 a faint smile, Ain bit be2f613d62 his lip slightly.71d18e6091b71176

Looking down at him, Serenia ad7f4fffc4 half-playfully warned him.10aed964fc977bcc

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“So don’t go talking about getting it back or whatever. If you do, I’ll get 447ea9f152 mad.”f145780300a4dc98

“But still, for a ticket worth just ten krovats, you gave up something so precious…”c73a33f37f50f994

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There was something e6b68c7669 oddly ticklish about 4cf54335dc the way his 107c917590 voice conveyed such ca8b04d475 sincere regret.afa553988182f550

Serenia awkwardly turned her gaze 3642da8557 to the air.489ca98667192d98

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“Ahem. Still, it was 8524faea30 a choice worth a7684fba52 that much.”a4840da82f02223c

“…Pardon?”79ca85dbb0355c0f

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She could feel his f9be99ce2c eyes piercing into her 061702451c face.248d48845f9fbc8c

But she kept 3385bd9027 staring off into 146d0c563b the air.a897fc15a472fa80

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It was a little 95ac2cd91a too embarrassing to meet 1fc27882a2 his eyes and say f484bcbc53 what she was about 9487029840 to say.cfbab7ac907567ba

“It was my first time ever seeing a play, but even so, I could tell. That you’re truly 765b209bd4 amazing and special.”9672f0f87ed1fd49

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“…”ef5473ae7df1cb8d

“Of course, I missed a good chunk of the beginning, and I was half-drunk too, so I don’t remember much of the plot.”c01ddf6fa8f52c5c

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“…”57aae9433333d4ff

“But I’m sure of one thing. I don’t regret paying b85814b806 with that necklace to 22702c2949 see the play.”29f84fee16862565

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She paused and finally looked e2f30ec79b at him again.556cfeeb4207db12

Seated on the cbe649ab5b sofa, he looked 35669e4fca as if his 5f3e890a30 soul had left cea9150145 his body.25be83ef1c69cd7d

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His expression was dazed, b9e4f7b68c his face faintly flushed.3b19551cdaff107c

Seeing him like that, 7523d7659c Serenia was a little 8a48d5f423 surprised.ce39a01f664b7c42

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‘Wait, is he blushing from a compliment?’0bcadeba34bee002

Though she had 64ff12a77a always seen him e63d12afb1 as a shameless a54e2d1dcf type, someone lost 529198965e in his own 06c0816bae vanity, this unexpected 091fbb9dbb reaction was… curious.a11ab5a4c785e1f5

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“Now that I think about it, maybe that was the price I had to pay.”7e35e69ca7ce07cb

“Price…?”8d1c45af25d26905

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At his question, she smiled 3594696cae and answered.d115668fb51afcec

“The price I needed to pay to change—to stop clinging to the past, blind and deaf to everything.”30fec8ce76b2f5a0

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Ain didn’t respond.51b7fa0ebaff6231

He looked like he had e411548208 a million things to say.81ea77620f1c1d64

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After hesitating for c455ee923b a long while, c4d20561ea opening and closing db6002f002 his mouth, he 99efd5e38a finally spoke with b265c08775 an awkward smile.af71ec98a8cf442d

“My lady… I know this will ruin the mood, but I feel I must tell you something.”343027b07d547be7

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“Yes?”94f1a8898084ab4d

“Scalping is illegal.”e6c73e020e970f76

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“…Huh?”1a87d681c59c4850

Looking into her wide eyes, eae6c2a3a7 he calmly continued.a5406681828f4dae

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“If caught, both the buyer and the seller of a scalped ticket are fined twenty times the original ticket price.”d0597d4b8294a6d1

“T-Twenty times?!”43219d4af85009a3

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“Also, the Capital Grand Theater has a strict rule: anyone caught in a scalping transaction is banned from entering for three years.”95bf881ffe07bf66

“Gasp.”0a1e348d9e59c6c4

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Serenia’s face drained of color.3c15a35eb6fb94ba

“Three years ago, Viscount Citrit declared war on scalpers, vowing to eliminate those who profited unfairly off performances.”1c9f2c9e9f45845f

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“That…”0ad7ccfdc124c628

“Of course, since scalping operations are small and scattered, they couldn’t be completely wiped out, but the theater still works hard to crack down on them.”898dc02a99f08618

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Only then did f641896b17 Serenia realize what 94f3f1a751 she had done.93cdd087fe56203e

She’d given a necklace 146df8c3c2 worth 1,500 krovats to b8045a2be5 an illegal scalper selling fad23f6565 a 10-krovat ticket for 2f8fa6886a 150 krovats.4c8d814ac44059c8

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In short, not only 88d6b25b8b had she watered a d556471fb7 weed that should’ve been 344d264cc6 uprooted—she’d even fed it 5eaf9cd806 fertilizer!ecc3616bf3ba7aea

Pale and trembling, she 78d43b3583 hung her head in e9c5a76717 defeat.64c0f2d0f0cd7687

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“I’m sorry… I really didn’t know…”71b40abb0dd2bf8b

“N-No, no. My lady, you have 36f2d2324f nothing to apologize for. If anything, we should 29f4669f7a be the ones apologizing.”d145c3e6d0fc0c7b

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Ain waved his hands b7956e9119 frantically and rushed to 2685e92fc8 speak.728d5e270861de23

“We should’ve eradicated them three years ago. We compromised, thinking there 575907219a was no practical way, f6b379802f and this is the 141cdc2ec5 result.”b1ab5da8ab1b8df5

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After a pause, he c8ea65348e cautiously added,97ec992322ef4978

“So… would you allow me to try to find that necklace for you?”cfff8b059d189c70

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“…What?”c7a102cce0d32586

“You said you’ve moved on, I know. But in a way, 6b53bbfb2a you lost something precious 629d398c5e because of the theater’s bd4425a137 lack of oversight.”9570783f6f5c5932

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“That’s… quite the stretch, don’t you think?”b2f54a4cac1edc52

“Not at all.”14d1e4e8bb263c50

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He replied firmly, 32c7a34746 without shame, and e8b57b0a7e then quickly changed 3d80de6736 expressions, putting on a5e24cd2f3 a pitiful look 3cc8188808 as he pleaded.ad0d78a3c06f849f

“I just feel so guilty. I won’t do anything reckless. I’ll just ask 7749a0e96e around a little. Please?”7d5608c6950b02a6

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Strangely, twinkling star-like fe8f35d44d things seemed to 727c1ea4ea shimmer around him 6f5d2fad9f as he clasped 89e2b11dc0 his hands and ce5c6666ca blinked.0ce1a55992e49f32

Serenia involuntarily flinched and stepped 1db7784d41 back.b4bae64affee67c9

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‘What the hell? Am I hallucinating?’a62ed2116a72f65a

Shaking her head f8259fe3d1 vigorously, she squeezed 21c3624a35 her eyes shut, 9d0c79aa7a then opened them d2651055d0 again. Nothing changed.fb097e729553512f

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Trying to hide the 7a8cb5246b strange blush rising in 0c68477da8 her cheeks, she shouted,a57871192f1fd2b9

“F-Fine!”0e55d67b400edb6d

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Ain’s face lit up immediately.20b770b4239040d8

“Thank you, my lady!”bf60f9ab05150f2f

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His gentle smile 1125b36c7c looked like white 89ff6e49b4 pear blossoms breaking 06d009c87d apart in the 1b245fd635 light, and without 256afe0929 realizing it, Serenia a29de41ab3 found herself staring—before ecccbbf2e0 snapping back to 9f7d2e0381 her senses and 57efe0952b setting a condition.c85883d81cb43eff

“But!”a9fb53bf918f44d5

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“Yes?”c3b6aaa2edc86e4b

“I’m coming with you!”f7a55685a8ff14ed

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“Whaaat?!”8a842c098acf61ce

He looked as f04e85e345 if he’d just dbce9c27f8 seen a ghost.6e8dd06f36aa5935

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But Serenia stood firm.2e067114fc9106a5

“It’s my necklace. If someone’s going ddae4a4944 to track it 129cba5939 down, I’m not 8ebcb3752e just going to ead647c67a sit around doing acc8009303 nothing!”c4fb7c29e723b6cd

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 7d95ad210556cb41

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