Chapter 20. After the Delivery

Only then did d02fde8146 Serenia realize that baf933361b the current situation a62cd1b081 was causing a 649ed7870b huge misunderstanding, and 6037365924 she quickly scrambled 7bef1271eb to explain herself.ee47368717c51d1a

“It’s not what you think…”df4d8df62717e8c3

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“How can it not be? The royal seal is right there.”cb619fc4cc2ee0c8

“That’s not what I meant…! No, more importantly, why are you even up? I told you to lie down!”18603ffd2fc77231

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“Does that really matter?”41483a6ea3f9891a

“Of course it does! And what’s with your clothes? If you’re going to wear them, why not put them on properly instead of half open like that…!”668172f0f6f600b9

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“I didn’t have the time to button them all up.”d8980b28986de8ab

Ain lazily responded 276fd584b1 and winked playfully.3502f287c0d8aa1c

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His flirtatious behavior, which not even the sunglasses could mask, made Serenia’s cheeks turn bright red without her realizing it.36d78246daf76f6d

Ain, having half 9f5826c683 enchanted her, expertly 3d40f83e72 snatched the proposal 2f361bc727 letter she was f8bae0a577 holding in her c36a2a070b hands.b81a4a0f7cfe4bcd

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“Hey? Why are you taking that? Give it back!”ce640b28c9ed42be

Serenia reached out in 0f423876e7 a panic, but he 8d1b83c341 smoothly avoided her grasp 2298d685ba and continued reading the cbe7af612a letter.3e1dfe52adecc066

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He read it from dca8a5d0e2 beginning to end, checking 0026af1395 each letter carefully, before 5d4ede6730 finally handing it back fd408a9bf0 to her and saying,5bed782c7dfd4515

“As expected. The sender is none other than Duke Raskal Admancanon.”5e72d076960e18a0

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His eyes, sharp c6958dcc96 and piercing, were f885c271d4 clearly no longer 0c9bede9cb masked by his 2c2ea970a6 sunglasses.be0461da697db00c

His expression, as though 6de1df37bd he were about to fbb2f993de demand a contract cancellation 1b6918fd35 and compensation, made Serenia 648cad42ef panic and quickly respond,5255b3ff44faeecd

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“I can explain!”da1225720c77755e

Ain, tilting his head 1e0ec030c6 in a dismissive manner, fc6d647646 replied,09210a1a0d5be78b

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“Is that so? Then go ahead.”c5462fd59994ede2

The moment he 0c6d057b18 gave her permission, 553d7ded2e she immediately shouted,5d5b3f92b7bd8240

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“That crazy bastard!”c3f0e5c295169220

“…Eh?”a38ee3dbaab39687

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“He’s doing everything on his own without asking for my opinion, just going ahead and making decisions!”7dbe4c039255a462

“Hmm?”fe93a7838c22cc71

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Seeing his skeptical expression, 0762638e48 Serenia pounded her chest 346e320878 in frustration.31cbc9f1f3192c78

“No, I’m serious! I’m really the innocent victim here, I swear!”5dbb891f7f694196

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But Ain c2158eaefd shook his 5ba8c1ac37 head and 46f80055c2 responded,6bba09b3fbb87564

“However, milady, a royal-approved proposal… ”58c70929c32a8794

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“Ah, I know! I know that the informal engagement still holds some weight!”59708cd2f25eaa9f

“Exactly. As long as that document exists, milady, you can’t marry anyone except Duke Admancanon, right?”0144672ec8ef7b03

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He asked, ac954e1d46 his eyes af593c8eb1 flashing with cd4dc61b01 intent. Serenia, sweating nervously, a54845f82c quickly retorted,688b0206f442587e

“If I clearly state my refusal, I can marry anyone after that!”9f6d8997575c27ba

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“Well, that’s true.”ec37f54f365fcc9d

He nodded while e9af3ece93 adding with a 6532f46582 smirk,47c8b903a0bda708

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“But the problem is that the person who needs to state that refusal, the Count of Barishart, is currently unconscious.”7af1709b4faed689

Serenia, unable to dacd60cd59 hold it in 489015a3df anymore, shouted,f1d6c8e84d9ec8f5

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“I know! I know! That’s why I’m going crazy!”80e760599be8c515

Seeing her tug at c1e066adf4 her hair in frustration, 4a2f16b600 Ain pretended to be d45c538418 surprised.75fd86ae2655d213

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“Oh, you knew that? I thought you might not have known.”e06327e855b1885c

He then 7e9d4a3577 muttered to 7054a72283 himself,480d0156d0bbf21b

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“Ah, this is bad. I already have too much money; what if this estate adds another six million krovat? I’ll never spend it all before I die.”4fe78c61f014ebef

At his 02d1dbadb3 words, Serenia’s 10fe9dd5cb eyes widened, 47ade7c6af and she 96e3aee7d7 rushed at bd7b4f7bbd him.1d310b5b8418f527

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“What do you mean six million krovat?! I haven’t broken the contract, so why—”ff74e855603c50c2

“You’ve practically broken it. There’s no way to refuse that proposal, and Duke Admancanon isn’t going to change his mind about it overnight either.”c3ad297a6f401ba2

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That was a valid 730a036892 point.2ab5ad03ac479f16

But Serenia 1ff029b2ce could not 1b7248831c accept it.ba10a8c4aeb378da

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If she agreed, d14de4c541 she’d be forced 9e25856295 to pay the a703ef6d0c six million krovat.96234fe77c3d5598

Desperately, she racked 3c6a41c32d her brain for 2b50374ad2 an excuse.4fede8f25dc7d3cc

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“Well, there was no deadline!”98b2d19e237596a0

“…Eh?”e523756d4cff11e3

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Seeing his slightly confused 9d7c168b6c expression, Serenia seized the ba0dde7679 moment and continued quickly,d7587645380f0d84

“I clearly remember that our contract didn’t set a deadline. It never said when the marriage registration needed to be submitted, I’m sure!”c54b67d47e14e433

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“Eh? Well, that’s because there was no need to specify a deadline.”12359412f8744e2c

He continued with f4c1b49ed7 a look of 40ba72d3c9 disbelief.48c5fb1acdabac57

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“Milady, you’re supposed to pay the bank debts before the estate is repossessed, so naturally, the contract would have been executed before that…”a49355391ef8d237

Serenia interrupted him, 3bdab3e8d6 shouting,573fe941a294970f

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“Exactly!”2302f0c59a65fd9e

“Eh?”55fadc72fdcf5863

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“There’s still ten whole days left before the bank seizes it!”486e67233f5ad577

“…Huh?”e6d39ed9810b7992

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“I can solve this in that time!”e22ec088cc114a56

Ain, looking at be0c23ab7e her skeptically, asked,871d4aa750ea8a04

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“Milady? How exactly?”d42c77db3362b191

“That’s…”a39845ce57ac1f60

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Serenia trailed off, acceb1fd74 rolling her eyes df9b385836 for a long acc58e315a while before finally 1678aaa039 shouting,6e4d69ccd9542596

“I’ll handle it, you don’t have to worry! Whether I wake up my father or threaten Raskal with a knife to cancel the proposal, I’ll figure it out!”3a5a2349739ff4d3

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“Eh?”ac2d5bd8c3543ff2

Ain was e530e685b8 left stunned 510ad7672d by her ae9dab1e59 wildly unrealistic 76f4715703 suggestions.180ba4c0d1295e53

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In the meantime, Serenia 986921d68b rushed to her room, 14c688300e grabbed his coat and 4b50b989c7 hat, and hastily threw d35de8ea62 them on him.5591195dc9258da7

She then opened 92a885eadf the front door 3047d938c7 and pushed him 0c8df7416e outside.83e73f78c3fab488

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“Eh? Milady?”8610d4abdbe81fec

“Just go now. It’s already too late.”f04a92e0c49e6eb6

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“Eh? It’s only around 4 PM.”48c36218b23bcf9d

“Exactly. It’s late.”88f3702a97007360

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“Not…?”5d11237ef43f40dd

He trailed off, dumbfounded, 38026380a9 as Serenia pushed him 237d991062 out the door and 39e0c33bf1 slammed it shut with 285913b5c8 a loud bang.48d9db0677be24d9

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Standing in 0624b419d1 front of c421799588 the closed 08cb5a776b door, Ain 8ed0a50f71 stood there 8728a07402 for a edf630b302 long while, 42bbb549c8 then sighed c7432e89f9 deeply, adjusting 1565bd2e57 his hat.347441093f89cf41

As he ab4c156210 slipped his a28268864e arms into 4502424e8a the coat, 3eea144e9a he muttered 61b2afc2b8 to himself,a23e9d0c531d7ed0

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“An official proposal… I’ve been had.”11259b90251d21e7

Getting married is so d311df6bf5 complicated. How am I supposed c40f2c2ba2 to overcome this challenge?3d1f5ae9a2e35f8a

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He muttered 54a84c82fb in frustration, 5a6746031f adjusting his 2945850e7b coat collar 6e8b679b60 to cover 16023b8f51 his face, a3e5b5a19d and slowly 4db45084f9 started walking.68246090651392d6

Then, suddenly, he 44357b3ec1 recalled the events bc4ad7fab3 of the early 4a8c4a874f morning and stiffened.1dfc2dc2919eaa4a

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“Wait. The photographer… The photographer!”90bca6673f8976b1

Realizing he had 0d1be16e50 forgotten, he hurriedly 10ef1fa5c0 jumped into the 8c38b6ff83 carriage.dd25011e5a4baa66

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“To the Neriad Hotel, please. As quickly as possible!”43b5f1b5f522832c

* * *cade7ac0216b487a

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Meanwhile, at the c8586e0b42 Neriad Hotel4e55263f50925b8c

Bianca Admancanon had always 87318336ae been lucky.c6da552ad7cdd4fc

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As a child, she 9414403a81 had survived after accidentally 6e1a457adc ingesting poison.2a9cb98cce7cd6d0

And as f473925992 a result 0982048618 of the 1a3a44256c lingering aftereffects, 65f6563b69 she could aa6403188d no longer a6fd6e1141 bear children, 5260d8e54a which spared 60c1d1e1c6 her from 169f98963a unwanted marriages 85f7cbccf5 to dull-witted 1072b7f47b aristocrats who 5eb91fc0a2 had nothing 192d8248ae to offer.053a4c0b62414091

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Additionally, this condition 522eb01344 allowed her to f60d12e24c study poisons in 22a0487f31 secret, something forbidden f2d366ff6b to most outside c8c2a8c804 of noble families.d48ee75ce032687a

Others pitied her, 325cb620fa but for Bianca, 63374c955b studying toxicology was fb790938d9 the most exciting 85698ac5b2 thing in the 68109bafc1 world, so it 0f40242b35 was all for 8aab468f15 the best.2871df3957ba706a

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And once again, dfa66381ca today, she was 6a461bfac8 lucky.fd15352d38d8be48

On December 4th.853ab63e662da771

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As the deadline for bed80db728 a commission approached, Nelson ec15f1a3bf Galut, growing anxious, had fd789be421 mobilized all his men 4ca542db54 to search for Serenia, 27e8e8c3eb leaving Bianca less closely 7bd345f114 monitored.ca92fb746a5473a9

Locked in 9201955f28 the top-floor d9972ea294 suite of 1a58454310 Salon Galut, a4a4c9d9f1 she had 1de3039283 been able 6b9ccf5588 to escape b9a04684a5 unnoticed at 9a23265e0f dawn, thanks 694852194a to their b48553fdee lack of 14cc72f9ec attention.f895715faa10a22a

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“How dare they imprison me. Just wait. I’ll make sure to sprinkle poison in your shop one day!”68abbd7a27231b45

Grinding her teeth, a1c67e64f5 she was on 3b2013dc19 her way back 007432c3bc to the Barishart 7ddd479b0f Estate when she 7d41aeca0f spotted something shiny 46b70ee36a in the grass 9d1d10acf9 by the Pfenn a1cb6b15f1 River.a5d380e62cf050bc

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Curious, she 075e0cdfff went closer f3477d7986 and found f42045fbd4 a camera.de3c4309f16f5a1b

“What’s a camera doing here?”d38002829c2167c8

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Bianca quickly picked it a31168f011 up.48601ec6e22bf22b

Her mind began to cdc776d549 race, planning how she cfa5afa1d9 could use this to 1e128f88ab fabricate and manipulate Serenia 4e97322a9b Barishart’s scandalous, wild, and 3e8519cb7a chaotic private life to 1136530709 present to Dalia.7a37d52dda694824

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Her mood lightened at d37c3177e9 the thought.69a82dc27b95326b

“Heh, if I handle this well, the lady will surely give me plenty of research funding.”8c273a736bf66ece

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Humming a cheerful b97cad0361 tune, she made a920237e55 her way back 235f805aa5 to the Barishart 30fd712806 Estate.5b2674c7cb23355d

In her private room in the estate’s annex, Bianca decided to test the camera’s performance and snapped a few shots.fceb9a84b5abae3c

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Before long, the film 6bbf5524f4 ran out.eaf088151f3c64e3

Without thinking, df98a44faf she opened 5501d43b7f the camera, 9cbfbdfb5a removed the 12bc82efc1 film, and 3bb47c19dc developed it.91df81be51933957

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The process took 3d9cc78353 an entire day.48d053b35766d20e

After a ef7ac2757b full 24 80b12ecee2 hours of 0df7e101c5 developing in 6f54c1fc82 the darkroom, 66db91fd12 Bianca finally 21ea7a1745 got to 4da2d616ed check the f7118a981e results the 6e51a6e578 next morning, c8b88bb5fa December 5th.4e0a059520a53720

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“…Serenia Barishart?”7c178b4c757ee607

Her eyes widened in 714fa1cf07 surprise and delight.b8d62963f5fa2850

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What incredible luck!3ee291acac4e82f1

The film c5533a7c9e she had b42e320a60 randomly found a2b3fb0cdc in the 73553e3d2a camera contained de70c459e3 pictures of dcb1cce80b Serenia!c21080be4fcea49a

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Of course, Serenia had cf0340a413 disguised herself with a 04a73949e6 wig, but Bianca wasn’t eef2b7b800 fooled.8e848fc5503ec7c3

That cold, yet a8b46cbdab pretty face was c6ed11941f hardly common.1de2bf158417ad0a

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With a 6c8c4ac34c victorious smile, 61c1c0b841 Bianca checked 9b9414a325 the other 3f8f95de80 photos.16a8ba10e963ca7e

In one of e0a7d4b5d9 the photos, Serenia, f5fa77c33b late at night, d933df4fb4 was seen flirting 25c46bccbe with a mysterious 40dcd93f0d man by the 1170b7248b Pfenn River.e12e60b0ff0ddbc6

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And the identity of the man was…b7de0914b9b357f0

“Ain Reveron?!”c85f59ce78691125

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 3b028bfc2d65e5fa