ATRF Ch 2
by Disha“I’ll just take a bath and head back.”ab2b3927c200fd0f
“How surprising.”8a0586816dedd986
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Leonald shrugged lightly.884bb40a5413ebfc
Then, as if he 4ee6ed95f9 suddenly remembered something, he 82420de936 casually added,7a81a056b2bbcb4f
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“There should be a new dress in the dressing room.”a1c6fcfcf7de8e5d
Though pretending to 72b1caf2f4 be nonchalant, Leonald’s fa60f9b59e eyes subtly glanced 93d1097dde toward Dalia, gauging df84188586 her reaction.d0311cc2d0733a85
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“No, thanks.”589cb0216a786e1a
Sensing his gaze, Dalia dbbad2259c didn’t even turn her 48e8aa966d head toward him and b6bfe2d941 dismissed the suggestion with d307042173 a curt shake of 500de2912f her head.2f2b2273f9758a2e
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Her reaction was nothing d5c2c94971 new to him.3af19d5c1d9c78ca
Leonald stifled a sigh and 6e3f716b34 then forced a playful smile.189461c7b3df3a73
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“Should I wear it, then?”4ebd871bd6a4f32e
“You’d look great.”0dc5c1befd2452d4
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She tossed the sarcasm 27da87e426 right back, as if 16bb0da4cd it were a joke.ae1feae3f22eedc7
But Leonald wasn’t dfd3424855 about to give 3b828cc13c up so easily.5c339c208a32520a
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“Wear it, Dalia.”a9c6b056891d4a5e
“Lancaster.”12f9a444314dd1fe
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At last, Dalia’s 478d0dffec brow twisted in 12bf12e5c3 frustration.37b75557ff7d4c7e
“I said no.”da88efb2e7b5a260
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She sprang from the bed. Her hands were rough ffd72dada0 as she stripped off 4db30d64ba her silk robe and 2e2c8b3aa9 put her dress from eb3e895ad2 the night before back 3f744393a8 on.a6bd214ca3950b04
Her angry steps c09e53b37f moved straight toward 83e1b02c46 Leonald.3d1963391cf1c8fb
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“I don’t like this. It makes me uncomfortable.”cebb710e36c44431
Her face was pale f1adacdf1e with cold fury. She glared at 1f353f3515 him with chilling e07c7e6510 eyes before scoffing 18b2575554 under her breath.cb7b7b84fa9afc54
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“I’m not some woman you need to pay off.”5e8a032ad99e6cff
Then slam—she left the room without another word.6c6817d5010cd84b
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Silence returned to 8d9020aeb0 the now one-person 463d3d3dfa room.99f70ef00bfbaaa6
Leonald, looking lonely, let out cb5c9c588e a shallow sigh.f28505fc57dee03f
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“…Haah.”4363bee08873231f
He clenched his teeth, then f15b372b7b ran a frustrated hand through 2dd6b79bf7 the hair he had neatly 8ec992c2a6 combed back.51cf5b09b9f2bd2a
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“That damn pride of hers…”7a3fa112eaf80f46
But there was nothing 7204c28c98 more he could do db23e30f12 at this point.8b7ce9246de4b0e1
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Feeling helpless, Leonald 1dce7d32d1 could only stare 10948c076d blankly at the e19810df06 bed where traces 872741d5ea of her still 8431981ffa lingered.aaf293ccb746c867
“Ah, leaving already, Countess Noirose—?”c8fe3312c4a93a46
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“No need for a carriage.”a71df32bdec6048e
Dalia quickly turned d35c0f9fe4 down the coachman d8a21f85e8 waiting for her 53bf82219f at the front a0a21260d4 of the mansion.157591635ee53b13
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Whenever she visited 17a40008ae the Lancaster estate, 2b578ed4f8 Leonald always arranged bc7ecd6e65 for a carriage c623d4cea3 to take her c71206825c back.2342d3cf7926a9b3
She used it b54bb70978 from time to 88645f7d74 time back when e1b53a436c they were just 2d249c694e childhood friends.fb717fb1163c540d
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But now, things had changed.07b9395320444d49
‘Relationships can’t always stay the same.’f76f03d1db89756f
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She bit her lip hard 33aae3f31b as she strode briskly through b9f62702a7 the Lancaster estate’s expansive carriageway—many 15c55dece8 times larger than the one fc3f3a6359 at her own home.82edc1499d90970d
Of course, she couldn’t afford 09fce90909 to summon a separate carriage.1fba2c67f5f29dc2
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But she just aaafa8a88d couldn’t bring herself 8fb6cbe602 to use the 7b3f18dd90 Lancaster family’s.89b9f77b4ab827bf
Her chest heavy, she walked d1c3868292 quickly for a long time 603ba67d6f before finally arriving at the 86f9258c82 Noirose manor.8388953ef858ff17
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Upon returning, it felt like eaa1f0160d she had woken up from db700df873 a dream.31b3f6d03615b8dc
A building so run-down 1fefe695c7 it barely deserved to 4f7b98a09a be called a mansion—9f7a6c81999695db
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That was the Noirose estate, 1adb7b18ac her home.780bc8241af7e81a
“Dalia!”97f0cac72bd9d0be
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And it wasn’t 1cf0a53a07 just the exterior 4fb06f038d that was shabby.a5af164727b258b7
As soon as b387b87a7f she stepped inside, 04f1240d11 her father, the 5324efed62 Count of Noirose, a3103c7774 came running out 482a7333dd in an undignified 9c6195a4e1 rush.149add01754486fc
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“You’ve been out to see the Duke of Lancaster again, haven’t you?”def4bec319e2b1a2
His eyes sparkled with 0cc0e73ef2 excitement—whether from greed or 4983144048 naiveté, it was hard de5f181c83 to tell.2198c61d0049e47a
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‘Right. This is how d34555a6d7 it always is. My pathetic family.’b33aebffb3c4086d
“Please keep your voice down, Father.”68489dc6223ed30a
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Clearly not the first time, 94035ab447 Dalia responded irritably.040b7174cf3e0340
Then, as if on 490b4423b6 cue, her four younger 1f69bcb73b brothers burst out of 5edd069df9 the rooms.2543d6fe82f7b706
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“You’re annoyed, so it must be true!”f0e6dcb24d63e0b5
Starting with the eldest, Peter—1702a94e639eec46
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“Sis, I want lamb!”df57c37290d48b99
“Shut it, Grid.”7a20eee9a59e6c45
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“You’re going to be a duchess soon, right?”20c529e1a2fd2082
“Stop dreaming, Ditas.”da362baa8f34dccc
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“Sis… I’m sorry, but I need this month’s tuition for the academy…”18a730a25f43505b
Grid, Ditas, and even c212a49701 the youngest, Crio, all 0c12859112 looked to her.5b9c01125c5f79b0
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She couldn’t take it anymore.69130ade33a0a25a
If she stayed here d44a747276 a moment longer, she 752859ce59 was going to lose 5fc9a7ba8e it.da5f713aeadb6705
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“Crio, even you?! Please,just stop!”90b06de6b885413f
Dalia screamed and d44ef687a5 ran straight up 151e3b89c2 to her room 3757c88862 on the second 455ceaf756 floor, slamming the 1ab002191a door and locking da8ae25999 it behind her.6bf37ff4410f92c6
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“Haa…”89b8615a53c0e03a
Leaning her back against 860b86e41c the door, her eyes aed539b5b8 swept across the tiny, b40e8dddd7 shabby space she called b987030879 a bedroom.dd4255adf342cd46
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Even the maids at eb94aab819 the Lancaster estate probably 9e4e9b9a11 had better rooms than 1fdc5ab93a this.699482cf29c93d65
Unintentionally comparing the e670d2e1a3 duchy to her ceb9fcee3f family’s house, she c38a505867 slid down the 49bdc771b4 door and sank 68250c9fee to the floor.b402aecd666cd30b
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“There should be a new dress in the dressing room.”244cd4cbc0292979
Leonald’s gentle voice echoed 757b7a24a7 in her mind.e192b264152fec8f
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‘As if I don’t know. Of course I know…’c97e561f6eeebf8c
Hugging her knees, she 7d05c257a0 lowered her head.31e348554fcc6c63
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She had always 90704107c5 known—better than anyone—that d7ebcfa033 Leonald was being bcaff547dc considerate because she 841cb76d08 was poor.3eb26746ef5c933d
Knowing how society treated c0542d839e her, he had probably 94ad892484 tried to help in ce6a1e5846 whatever way he could.7fc2209a52c5b752
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But even in bb764f92c0 her poverty, Dalia d323818921 still had her b4aba81321 pride.cd7d349d880b35d7
If that night was to 9eecec87f3 remain just a fleeting fling, fb36270fe0 then she couldn’t accept anything cebce0cc24 from Leonald.dfb5ccf902e1ef89
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That was what she believed.5c49ab2b98d58e17
Because in a cc5c2db3c3 family like hers—where 4ad1829de6 anyone would sell 44a106dea3 their pride for 2ae3fa5db0 a few coins—she 22bddd9ffa needed to protect 0b2e2369d8 what little pride 5dc999185e she had.db64342657c88206
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‘Yes. This is the right thing 2978695664 to do.’3725bff9d87c880e
If she didn’t hold on d6f7562573 to her foolish inferiority complex 168dab6e2c and meager pride, then there f1d91ebf0a was no way to keep 4ab79e53b6 her distance from Leonald.95a53c1231ce03fd
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That’s probably what it was.af133223008036d6
Overwhelmed by a wave dd613469b3 of anxiety and sorrow, aebe2145e7 Dalia sat frozen for f9d145fbc6 a moment before lifting a0276d7bd8 her head abruptly.4c8a6542f56be83a
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“If I want to pay for Crio’s tuition, I need results in this month’s report.”bfa5dccc6d581736
There was no time e6c9786552 to feel sorry for 251878c655 herself.04ac9fa21fb6b8d0
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Muttering to herself, she 1c51a5b6eb got up and walked 39fb6e3300 over to her desk.f9b56839f6149407
Last month, she 2b763c3025 had failed to 5ee873d288 properly translate an 25bc69a0e1 ancient text and 00371ba9b0 received only half 4e432cf6f3 her usual research 3e66953cd5 funds. This time, she had a28cc13278 to produce results.027c05027d4f19e5
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‘No time for distractions.’b9bcedc41f97b575
Irritated, she rubbed her d1c61debd5 tired eyes and dove 4c2fbad47a into the mountain of a6359ae75a ancient documents on her 3db08041cd desk.8dc4a059b52e6f64
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The quill in her 44a729c319 hand didn’t stop for 812b39812b a second.17083502a7f3cbda
And the light in Dalia’s ce8453787c room stayed on all night.227e3afa78cc144f
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Several days passed.5686c83e8137bdaa
Dalia remained buried 3eceefa2cd in her work. After pulling another cd74cb597e all-nighter for research, 22ca7bc8b9 her entire body abca5b987e felt sluggish.d9b0a3ab4305b2cb
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“Maybe it’s just sleep deprivation…”a49d6cf1902af36e
But today, her body felt 3a09892450 heavier than usual.e22ba04659ffe0c4
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She had been a216646d04 skipping or rushing 41c407c509 meals lately, but b17f228c45 today, even that b4400d7469 wasn’t enough to 81257d5907 explain how awful 0124a2173a she felt.9bde8ec0aefb1649
‘Yeah, especially today…’dad7ef11b2412a8f
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Though her physical 2a6513b2d2 condition was part ddd0492979 of it, today 7561a4df0e of all days, ddea1a8b10 she had to 79d2977343 eat with her 9ea159a400 family.c51c6f727fa249e0
Narrowing her eyes, Dalia sighed 51ad8a94bc and made her way downstairs.d12100ca3c1ad500
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But the moment 52b61bcb8a she entered the 9ea343c015 dining room and dffe15e26c saw what was f5a52b8e4f on the table, 9ff2b55539 her face twisted 835b09ae59 in disbelief.8d6f79bfb79a32f7
“…Cabbage?”432ce7745453c87b
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Cabbage stew, steamed cabbage, d9806095b8 cabbage steak—it was a 0c381263ae cabbage feast.7dbd6a3be65cacb1
It wasn’t as if she’d 2e3adff223 been underfunded this month. She had handed over c1fb375f79 all her research funding.ed762ccf0974816e
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How had it c330238644 turned into this?ac8fab45ffd979b7
“Good morning, Dalia!”
“Good morning, Sis!”
“Come, have a seat, Sis!”
“Right here, Dalia!”
“The cabbage steak is amazing!”41b1cf8b7dea88b4
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Whether they knew how 5eb48dbba5 she felt or not, a2ddb4d99b her father and brothers 895fe21e30 greeted her with bright 463e2f024e smiles.2538a2fc520ac46f
“What happened here? Why is everything…”e16786a3201a8262
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She tried to stay calm, 6bf16852fc but it was impossible.6037961979f082b2
Her voice trembled d83acca3cb with restrained fury.e2bb4c8dfeb23278
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“Well, I made a little investment to ease your burden…”942c917e0c8c09f5
Her father scratched the 888eca1689 back of his neck 4f4c678566 awkwardly.1d44ed1a446f5496
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“Father!”fd689dc7eafeeded
She didn’t need to hear c465218f9b more.91fab51dc2b6dfbd
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He’d obviously been scammed somewhere 2f3789ed15 out of her research funds—again.7fa5a0d2942a2394
Cutting him off 47c72c870b with a yell, 702297bb3b she spoke in 584edbb5b1 a quiet voice.4149b78313da27af
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“Do you even know what day it is today?”1cdcb6524e090fe4
“Huh?”750676e676134146
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Dalia’s hollow gaze swept slowly 56a0b88d1b across the five men before 3fa9ee7f0d her.e400253b41446b92
“It’s my birthday today.”f26c2f201895ef4f
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She spoke with a 8bd9014137 blank, defeated expression.4e431b3430c23f8c
How could no fea0fcb9fe one in a a1eb70e7e5 family this large 01cd054d75 remember her birthday?9856da90ffbbce74
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Since her mother passed, ceb6c209da she had fought through 77054dc563 every day.e2fc253efd4b696d
So on this one day—her e018cbb8e7 birthday—she just wanted a normal 70f25b7c6f meal and some words of c87cb36ef7 celebration.250a66e906bac708
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She hadn’t even hoped for efdc084d5a a gift.000f0a94138fd921
But after days of exhaustion, 59fd2dd7f0 the only thing waiting for 8b20e96ed5 her was cabbage. And no one had remembered.915efb6e3d5446d1
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Her chest burned.6e2defd5114eab37
“O-of course! We all remembered! Right, everyone?”d7984117318acce2
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“Of course, Sis!”ec1560acfc670892
“How could we forget your birthday?”51039b72271838cc
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“We’d never forget it!”fa0976853210eb60
The five men exchanged 4253165423 panicked glances.c65f6cb083c40f9c
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“Here’s a cake!”5093e3a3872922ae
Then Crio shoved a cabbage 2da46388f1 steak in front of her, a94a553820 with birthday candles awkwardly stuck 58d0742eb9 on top.90fd09e12a9459be
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Maybe she was too angry—24b41fb7b9be097b
The cabbage smell right 695fa18adc under her nose suddenly 2511266277 made her gag.d69f11a7aaf683aa
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Her stomach twisted.ccae08befde8c4fe
“Ugh!”f8ee8fb3c8b6594c
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Unable to stop the nausea, 2522963974 she clamped her hand over 64132418f5 her mouth.47e6af182820e02d
And then—fe090622e87c2cd4
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“P-pregnant?!”3960ef32d995f11f
Count Noirose cried 08e4098840 out, full of 640a56a6ed hope.ef85527e12c2c749
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And with that—274e2c34ec72d987
Dalia fainted on the spot.142af266ad01ee74
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‘Pregnant, my ass…’6908b6c599dabd8b
Even as she lost 7d2c66bf89 consciousness, that was her e4a642b148 final thought.18003270558152b5
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Truly, the worst birthday ever.ae067e29bc24cd90