Chapter 1. After the Notification

Serenia had been 58d503c248 summoned to the 0c683dce4b bank for the 973c6b5c05 final notice.c8953c962cfdfb0f

They told ed44e5b1fa her she 5421d08ced had exactly 7c9c8a1003 one month 89ff2f158e from today 9987995e39 to pay f4fd6738fc off the a2bc0fa416 principal and f2f548efec all overdue 51dc196294 interest in ed358e4e0f full, or 47d007a272 the foreclosure 9cee18ceed process would 6991e37965 begin immediately.71bb22451241eff8

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‘Giving a whole month cbbf4d08a4 to such an unreliable b09f58352d debtor. Banks are surprisingly 445af44a19 lenient these days,’ 761e2452d1 she thought, leaving 3d505cc232 the building of 7d2e96f065 the Barishart Count’s 175d279f43 daughter, Serenia, at 96c6a02ea6 a leisurely pace.3f38a16d0fbe17f3

[Returning this winter: The play The Little Duke Razkal, starring Ain Reveron!]

Ignoring the 54363ba011 dazzling play ed9bfe9daf posters plastered 8db6ec5825 along the bd05ddbf47 bank’s wall, f360c454da she leaned 085a9327e3 her back cdcbe84c23 against it.6ad46262cc145d89

“Haah.”7bbb93a8eb589820

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A sigh escaped her 95e1c5d6e9 lips.7077f94ff3cef35a

“Should I 5687364c0d just marry 4fffd5eded someone from b3e8ddac7f a wealthy d2c3b27bc0 family?”2344f0aa2f49c05f

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She muttered as 55bc88aff4 if talking to 9109f93c3d herself, letting out 6d1a8001f6 a dry, hollow 7c066be665 laugh.2db7f0c1c9ba627d

Calling it marriage 9622f8b3b3 sounded nice, but 4a17ac6b54 in truth, it ec13893087 was more like 40966c8b76 selling herself off—her 33c53179ad claim to the fa71df1840 Barishart County and beb905c9d8 her price tag 972d075900 of thirty thousand b956bb4c9c krovat.af6ceffcca727337

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‘How am fdf794594f I any 2ca9a7ac50 different from 4c7e40c13d women who 02f84f87bb sell their fdcffffb71 bodies?’ The 6ff51e0c5b thought filled e022d87afc her with 99ecab0dd4 a sense 0920ffe5a8 of self-loathing.d9777cf3913e9cd5

But what could she b8947ae05e do?472ff088f36f1372

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Born a noblewoman in 452fa42aa0 the Kingdom of Zigranto, 3adc1ee619 her fate had already 7b94e4fff1 been decided.fbbb9522e1fdfd6b

The only roles permitted 40810ad7e7 for noblewomen were attending 7b547c95af social events and managing 0623b128a8 household affairs.c30ee00359124674

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Thus, a ee38992f85 noblewoman was 80716c2a4e little more 0cdfbecaa7 than a fa4c48849f living doll, 77c9d5d5a5 groomed to 302dd96fe8 perfection and 05ea41d70c sold off 0ca23d5c76 at a 3c6eab48d8 high price.df9b838725e2f07d

A decorative statue.10e3c1aa60633c66

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Or perhaps a cfa8128fab trophy.10fb15c481e55af8

The way the fate 1943ca0604 she had long avoided 0b09da3ad6 finally came crashing down a070e6c8f2 before her felt oddly bcc1841fcf sorrowful.777882c7191b141d

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But standing db7945fcff on the 4b35a55be5 brink of 4fc31f8f8b bankruptcy, what 95eb7a54b9 did it fd1ccd680a matter if 15c19f8297 she sold 193165d937 her body, f39cbfd243 destined to 31ca3676d7 rot in 149acfab14 the grave c3f576c675 anyway?47002ea698849d27

Serenia resolved herself, 5552a843c7 thinking of her e530aed8f9 father, who had 8da7dcda9d been in a 283b462b6b coma for eight 211cc9fa0c years.05291acf2b1047a7

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‘Yes. No matter 058e5830de what anyone 95056d9471 says, I f94d6082ae must survive, 33896571bf no matter 56556373f5 the cost.’eabc8d83e500a95f

“And besides, 57258a56d3 I have 512e2e59f3 to pay 49cf9eb76f the hospital 07bc78283f fees next 52f7c6f6cc month.”aa9dcd6161e05e09

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Having made her decision, 077aaf0374 she began forcing herself 1f9ab36f44 to think positively.22faae6acd611cca

November was 6f6449856b a timely c190ce5439 season.56ca553a59e4f937

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At the b67d621a64 end of 0695894067 every November, c4ba0eb0d3 the kingdom d710f89cc5 held a ce7f123663 grand banquet 5859694ac9 at the c4f36081a5 royal palace ac03aa3c43 to celebrate c1eccd1b81 Founding Day.df6a7010af302281

At such 005ad3507b an event, 505dec317b where nearly a725ebc469 every noble d5fafa771c attended, it 5d9dd7abe7 should be c47f25428d easy to b9ff090674 find a 555bd2d23e suitable candidate 9ba8a16f25 for a 8a0ce5a8b6 husband to 1dc860cd23 move into 18878b63e9 her household.e4297a132602ccba

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Just as e51628dcfb Serenia was 29b0b068ec organizing her 9441dfc746 thoughts step 4d56cafaaa by step, e915d62863 her vision 1cbe660f51 suddenly darkened. She instinctively looked up.4872ff14afb24b53

A man, his appearance 99d6918081 strikingly unusual, stood there, 438867697d blocking the sunlight with 6ffce6c4cb a faint smile.4ed4b2369603c85f

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A long 57a4910393 coat that 80269fc7ef reached his ed7bfa9e3b ankles. Deep purple-tinted sunglasses.
A wide-brimmed black velvet 45892d8182 hat, the kind one 2e016558c5 might expect a noblewoman bb880f6c9c to wear.
Beneath the hat 02bfa371cd peeked strands of f8d875679a pink hair, likely 80ee508262 a wig.8127ff4bc720d797

‘What… is this? Is he advertising for some costume shop?’a95dcc1812a94413

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His attire b1f8718d22 was absurdly 1353d86fbe bizarre for fcff8ed40c that to 443d6aeed0 be the 8f279d31bb case. Yet the high-end items 3b9697866d he wore seemed to f5b59afc03 harmonize, as if curated 97f1e1913b to match him perfectly.34d11f50a5d1ae87

‘They say a face completes the outfit, and it must be true,’ she thought, her brow furrowing as she noticed his striking beauty that not even the hat’s shadow or tinted glasses could hide.fe750c367c5faa1e

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His features radiated warmth c29cae258a yet felt cold, appeared b57dce4201 soft yet sharp. He seemed as graceful dc8ef8bc86 as a daffodil, as 477f453b9d splendid as a rose, 337bc6dc8e as elegant as a 6d6336a83a trumpet vine, and as 36c70b7149 delicate as a pear 460807f981 blossom.e9c6f224573503e3

His innocent, boyish ab533d88d9 look hinted at 3bc160529a an underlying weariness ba8eba68f8 and precariousness, so c39daf294f jaded it compelled 93cc52082e Serenia to swallow e07e08eab3 dryly without realizing 9ce7e03fa3 it.4d692649740506f0

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He was a man b08cf28693 full of contradictions, impossible a0ba2c62fa to define with a 11dd57d96c single word—so much so 72b73ea9ec that he became all 55aa326a83 the more captivating.5d031b2c6b4edbe4

A sudden intuition swept 920ba18e3a through her mind.7e90fa6398bb04b5

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‘He’s probably made hundreds b14267dd5e of women cry with 5ea34718b4 that face of his,’ 7172462bea she thought, her certainty 3afba95c74 inexplicable yet unshakable.70c145b032ae7abf

While she arrived at this conclusion with a thought process as flimsy as a failing grade’s reasoning, the man deepened his smile and finally spoke.ae5d22afb23ae055

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“Hello, my lady.”fc412963820b1c3d

His sensuous smile 0ef9b6c65c put Serenia on cd74ee41c0 guard, and she 17e4d3ffd4 instinctively stepped back. But before she could da893e9b4f retreat even half a 83f62a0f71 step, her back hit 2d33ab87d3 the wall.e1b725bc99cd30f5

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Startled, she b8095dc87f froze, and 3caf3a8a10 the man 7be718333b watched her 5fd6bcd642 with faintly 1714f524a1 narrowed eyes 2df88ba330 behind his 4f345c0c0b sunglasses, his 515b5bddf0 lips forming 5f07753e76 words in 462da1465c a near-whisper.0c3a1778c9b4ef72

“I am de60f8b009 Ain Reveron.”115785ef73a5b929

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The man softly introduced 63ce898022 himself, and Serenia tilted 8246a465c3 her head slightly in 016d42e389 confusion.f8e451a3d37e72e6

‘Is… is he announcing his name for some reason?’d67dff4e1903e658

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Something about the name 7213eaaa12 seemed familiar.23bd5f8e3439fcfc

However, Serenia was far 8261672536 too removed from highbrow f8084901af hobbies like theater to 31a5392974 recognize his identity from 6010a217fb that alone.ae8cb8b38779d973

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Unaware that the man 05bc13bd65 standing before her was 22eaeb3644 the very star of 8124edc240 the play featured on 367ef3a100 the posters she had 3915f9d18b been leaning against, Serenia af72e8c307 returned his greeting with 37855703db a polite nod.8545949804a0e230

“Oh, I see. My name is e8e94f178a Serenia Barishart.”5a221299425888d4

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At her 42c1ea41d3 response, he 91d7407725 smiled briefly, a9199b2663 his expression f5b0274488 tinged with d54523360e something peculiar.b10845291b631939

As she puzzled adcb2bf521 over his expression, a01dfa8ade he spoke again, 6aefd767e8 his tone as 4bf2debb4f if he were f084106c6e a broker proposing fc15042d2d a secretive deal.9e18c21a10db429b

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“Lady Barishart, should fc040f2af6 you find yourself 435f8aafcb thinking of me…”352f1759e5f23fe0

He slipped a ca127a2dcb stiff, card-sized piece bf47264b91 of paper into 23a39a0fdb her hand and 2d0de3825d continued.de0254da68d61f5f

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“Feel free to 9e2a50f026 visit me here 63200b92f4 anytime.”dcc3c5a08a268242

‘…What is this? So, he wasn’t a costumed advertiser but just some flirt after all? Or… could he be a host?’171b7ca56efd133e

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As Serenia tilted 90a363efa6 her head in ddd776d360 confusion, he left 1ed62e3fab behind nothing but a094dbf24d a rose-like smile ef9f3f515a and disappeared as 120e9559f8 swiftly as the 3763a67149 wind.517cfdde3996dc3f

And so, Serenia 35524470f5 found herself once cfd30b1639 again alone in 215b710010 front of the 3b9180c8a7 bank’s wall.83937a4c5f4bf65f

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“What the…?”c9a2537e6fdd5597

Pouting slightly, she examined 6d4970bdb5 the paper he had 84c6b4c4df handed her.b142ad096c9aeba4

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Written neatly in 9e7d6583d1 an elegant hand 17b09e9f46 on the white 7d1eb3f491 card was a e4dd4e2c07 single address:47d0d28200eed1eb

< Pledis District 3, Lot 1013 >928ff9a9093f1228

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The address alone 2bdc432504 didn’t provide a 2b27f699c0 clear picture of 0e2a7a620e the location, but 4954ee1f8a one thing was 5110ce66d5 certain.08f90f7ec4aea758

It was in Pledis, 8567a5cb5c south of the river c2b70120ba that ran through the 7cda1377e2 capital—a region infamous for 0bf0013fcf being home to the 332c1589ee third-tier financial enterprises.e522b0b82c091115

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In simpler 27bc186c91 terms, it 20f9d0715f was the c70fdc13cd underbelly of edd6c4c33e the city, 1f652cb17e crawling with 9e112ddeef loan sharks, 9a5b4ef53a debt collectors, 8139d45634 and street d8c0ada6d2 thugs.b28961f0f58b4b71

Serenia glanced 919e5482be down at 9cebc22cea the address ced59906a5 with cold, 35b99c9a0d unamused eyes 3359e52e3f and nodded dbe3bf6125 to herself.26dfc9bd891e4b07

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“So it was a 9b6762bc86 loan referral.”c3f8bdc0e1ac589a

Apparently, the man 71edd00e49 was looking to c7723a9e90 expand his business 4427bedf19 dealings with nobles.75aa8f8ed1f43cbe

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‘And I’m the f2c8d17d60 first step in a1dd379cb4 that expansion.’3799e40edfb39883

With a faint ab02684422 sigh, Serenia gave 71025d963a a small shake 19daef6d95 of her head. Recently, rumors about 4868fe7c0d loan sharks running 912d2273f9 rampant had been 049e544366 circulating, and it bd6439d14e seemed they were 6c12898d58 true.2d33e01a2151561d

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“But no 174a9005ab matter what, db2cd46dd8 I’ll never fa1c3de0e6 resort to be6ae3148e loan sharks.”c189a6add914adea

As if a41d27646d making a 0a6960934c vow, she 4c830e8a8b muttered quietly 34705eeae4 to herself. She was about to 76f67b083c crumple the note and 6e14ab33a3 toss it to the 6f9b88da0f ground but hesitated.fb12b44ca15f06b2

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“…Still, littering ba84a47e55 is wrong.”73ea19c5f81abf36

Adding this explanation a8619e55de as though to 9c6fd8a87f justify herself, Serenia 9acdea4b1a stuffed the crumpled c5c719e7ce note into her 3e56cd8af2 coat pocket.0a665ee8c8f91fca

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* * *1c65ebfa61ae7977

And so, time 203477c7a1 passed, and the 207296c159 last day of 024d389ac5 November arrived.4bd68dc5be0440a2

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It was Founding ed8d351006 Day in the b80804baef Kingdom of Zigranto.170b26c2ce216530

Serenia had made every d6326cc9f2 preparation she could to 9c5094cc8f attend tonight’s special celebratory 00322fa432 banquet at the royal 9ce8972a89 palace.c3a97f2b2de2f812

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Though her dea9af5988 dress wasn’t ba083c08d0 new, it ab687c6923 was decently f54b766e72 mended, and 9b044db12f while she e8b60c1136 couldn’t use d179ee3e85 the Barishart 69dca22270 family’s private 7b883a2821 carriage, she fe8eaf63a7 had rented a96ccf0093 a shared 28aaa8b731 carriage for ca879bdc83 the entire 69f5be32b0 day.1e11be84914f4da1

She had spent 9e976f2b0d every last coin 428af21ec9 she had on 35dc745527 these two things, ee5d604fda leaving her utterly b984c8426d penniless.bb304ebcd0158f96

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Because of that, Serenia 31a761268e climbed into the carriage e4f5e95cff with a sense of 3e1e615748 utter desperation, determined to 3146414f62 stake everything on tonight.4fa7334cf2ec0878

‘If I c14e0e1eeb can’t strike f9f3b1d9e4 a deal 9a293af5ca today, I 620fbe8223 won’t have 4129c65ade anything to 570cbbc4a0 eat starting e6f174da73 tomorrow,’ she 6d9454d63a thought, gripping e74583a323 the edge 26de043bd3 of her 800f42a9b9 seat as 41e797037d the carriage fc0cc9d604 rattled toward e1d6ea3901 the royal 13bf99db47 palace.9abffde2d87f46fc

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At the ab21fb3cd0 palace gates, 3f26c08770 the guards b1e43c5235 scrutinized her d7ed2f2a7a invitation not ea9860a64a once, but a8402d4f67 three times, e3198d6128 before begrudgingly fb948342b9 allowing her 23e24bb555 carriage to 0d453d849d pass.babfab49d53b2d0c

When the ce354af038 drab, battered 2c01568cf4 shared carriage 0ff3605c2b pulled up a1aac2344e to the 77a5a8f13d grand entrance 3aba90162c of the 694942c1dc glittering banquet 2a6cf715c8 hall, all e4a3bc6371 eyes turned 3ad2110e88 toward it.d5fbb0a94ef8c5db

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“Who could 2e3bb3d8d0 possibly be 5226bd7d81 arriving at bb77586abd the palace e37d643bb1 in that cf50943a07 kind of abcd718059 carriage…?”bb3a77e961473c87

“Did it 85cad93c7f break down 71b2b6ef9c on the 871525bffd way here?”3f3058dc467cb848

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“No matter be9f2c93d9 the circumstances, 4ccba9ad94 that’s just 1951c88acc unacceptable.”e2064fda585fbddf

The murmurs 34cf4f3722 grew louder 50aceb85a5 as curious 28d662dbf4 glances darted 2fb514368c toward the 8f20a0661f halted carriage. Then, when d3bfce76bf its door 3021ef0bd1 opened, the 021ab7dac1 whispers abruptly 6fd1603c47 stopped, replaced 8c1b2a709b by wide-eyed d3be2449c0 stares.d6a96b018e562a82

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“What?”be5aae58be5b6684

“Could it be…?”26c44fec282c02c6

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“It is, c870bf238e isn’t it?”5ca787c5b066864f

“Oh my. The audacity.”a31fd293c1f81bfc

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Serenia Barishart had appeared 88275d0968 at the banquet.bf37b0571d675bf8

And not 2f28f0f6d6 just appeared—she 53d6c5868f had done 9830c8b6af so in edf5d64261 a ten-year-old 2a907e769b dress, without e359d4c22a any proper 1d4587c1cd jewelry, and 8784532183 without even 104233084d an escort 78150af07a by her ffa1dda34d side!abae3db5e8669732

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The boring da00888f73 party had 197ce5a049 suddenly been 55f7eec063 gifted a d1dc15ccb7 fresh source e909b1a86b of amusement.6fdfac0b12ab3e22

To the attendees 5c9b277241 sipping champagne, Serenia’s 4817c7f366 entrance was the 1bae16f9d9 perfect fodder for 90b9f7dd09 gossip. Smirks spread across 471cb4a7ca their faces as d7e1995f31 they relished the 84821a061b unexpected entertainment.9a7be0d9d061baa1

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* * *5d9d4a6fe4ced218

Serenia’s strikingly unconventional dress, though not in the way she had hoped, turned out to be surprisingly effective.3012c7baab4d83ec

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It immediately captured the b98263cc6a attention of the men 5429286c36 at the party.be16abb61e36c044

Of course, the 9d96afcf96 attention was far 3e30c9dcdf from the kind 616e7e8691 she wanted.a6bc7784e4c17e6d

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Like a pack a3cbc6d806 of hyenas circling 3684ae223f hapless prey, the 6fb1a84a28 men smirked and 6d60ffc2f6 surrounded Serenia.0e713f87bc71624b

“Well, well. Look who’s 7cdac5a8af graced us ed7e501c52 with their 72bb69f6f1 presence at 2fabf81fc5 tonight’s party.”e65369d3c919ab9e

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“Isn’t this the 8a659e3bf8 Lady Barishart? Harder to a2e7591eee catch a 79b1d4f69e glimpse of 2d27df1476 than His 848b596b03 Majesty himself!”29511a7dfc6c2ee7

“Wow. I have to a3ed6a3f2c say, now that 619aee10b4 I see you e8326f75b4 in person, I 240f694cb9 kind of get 9fdca86e96 why you were ac1c47c8a6 so high and 72ef17e6a2 mighty. You really are 58818954e4 beautiful.”b41396a2c9a9c36d

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“By the way, e548d01d98 weren’t you the d65a15e9e1 one who coldly 5cc5a13d79 turned down my 0ce0a53bba escort before, claiming 36b80aca5f you had no 2fb53f3b59 interest in such fff40f530a parties? What brings you here ce6667561d tonight?”ae19ad4d2d8ce0ad

Serenia forced herself e2acedaa48 to straighten her e574a6e89c shoulders, resisting the 1016b6de93 urge to shrink c046d59648 under their jeering bdcf994576 eyes. Taking a deep breath, 077e7f7a06 she barely managed to 8c7549532e speak.c241e1ba9890432a

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“I was wondering if… anyone here might be interested in discussing the succession rights to the Barishart County…”f6646729d9e47818

Before she 0f41ebd225 could finish fc4ae2caa8 her sentence, 564a6cd669 the men 2b55b0bbea burst into 6fc3874b9a raucous laughter.6dcab84ef4ace880

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“Wahahaha!”b92b05feea35ade4

“Heh heh heh. And here 1ad05d4bbb I thought 631c51b013 you were 0207c6f62b going to 8f4a08df3e say something 8e88c5fdd3 serious!”f2a520a1617ddf90

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Serenia’s expression hardened as their mocking laughter echoed throughout the banquet hall.cb9a20f065ff8873

The men surrounding her 0e12b382e2 exchanged smirks, whispering and 657aed1663 snickering amongst themselves.14e64458644b20ff

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“Seeing her show up e3cf84fbf3 at a party like d349137197 this, I thought maybe dc9626c63c she’d finally come to e434d422c4 her senses.”872369120d1c7dd2

“For the first time, daba235732 I actually feel sorry 0b724c89d4 for the late Count fb5625c53d Barishart.”45b991c05dbd66d1

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One of 0d415b6ae5 them clicked 2466984310 his tongue, 1fc907d1c4 shaking his 1cc20c4205 head in 0184c33443 mock pity, 2aa35a5c5f before turning ff67f23bb4 to Serenia 66dfa595af with a 2915af4b35 scornful look.e8b1d10761a070aa

“My lady, b1100cc2be do you 33a71cc371 seriously believe 7ab34b0aa6 there’s a 3e3cfa5b99 fool in ac26c934c9 this world 9907ef98e5 who’d want 276648e0e9 something like 28f4835511 the Barishart ff990fe9a8 County?”86f870056ac707b5

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