Chapter 21. After the raid

Upon seeing the photo taken head-on, Bianca clenched her fists tightly.

‘Finally! It’s over!’

Completely unaware that an official marriage proposal had been delivered by a royal messenger while she was sulking in the darkroom, Bianca laughed gleefully and sought out Dalia.

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Dalia Admancanon’s face brightened upon seeing Bianca so early in the morning.

Bianca dismissed everyone from the room, then slowly laid out the photographs in front of Dalia and said, “We didn’t even need to do anything. Upon investigation, she’s been digging her own grave, tarnishing her reputation.”

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Dalia immediately recognized the woman in the photos.

There was no mistaking it—Serenia, under a bizarre disguise, spending an intimate moment by the Pfenn River with a mysterious man in the dead of night.

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Dalia’s face twisted with contempt, disdain, and the satisfaction of holding a significant advantage.

“So, who is this man?” Dalia asked.

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Bianca, as if waiting for this moment, pulled out the final photo.

The moment Dalia saw it, her eyes widened in shock, then immediately furrowed in disgust.

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“She chose someone as lowly as herself! An actor, no less. How vulgar.”

Clicking her tongue sharply, she quickly gathered the photos, careful to avoid being seen. The thought of summoning Serenia, throwing the photos at her, and dousing her in water made Dalia smile.

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“That should be enough to make her crumble.”

Dalia was still savoring her victory when a knock came at the door, followed by an urgent voice from outside.

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“Madam! Madam! I have urgent news!”

Dalia, frowning, gestured for Bianca to stay quiet and opened the door.

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“What is it?”

The head maid, bowing repeatedly, relayed the news.

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“A royal messenger visited the Barishart Estate yesterday.”

“Oh? What for? Were they reprimanded for their disgraceful conduct that day?”

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“N-no, it wasn’t that…”

“Then what?”

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“They delivered an official marriage proposal!”

“What? An official marriage proposal?” Dalia’s eyes widened.

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An official marriage proposal. Such documents required the king’s approval and were so difficult to obtain that they were often skipped altogether in modern times. Only archaic noble families, such as the Duke of Riberton or the Marquis of Tefsha, bothered with such formalities.

‘No… it can’t be. Surely not them.’

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Though uneasy at the thought, Dalia masked her concern and exaggerated her disdain.

“Who in their right mind would send such a thing to someone like her?”

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The maid, visibly troubled, glanced around nervously before answering.

“Um… our Duke, Your Grace…”

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A heavy silence followed.

Then, “WHAT?!!!”

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Dalia screamed, all decorum forgotten, and shoved past the maid, rushing down the corridor to Raskal’s study.

“Raskal!”

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Dressed in his morning regalia, Raskal was busy reviewing documents and didn’t even spare her a glance.

His adjutant, Joshua Milton, stepped forward to greet her instead. “Good morning, madam. Did you sleep well?”

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But Dalia didn’t hear a word he said. Stumbling forward, pale and trembling, she reached Raskal’s desk. Still, he didn’t look up, his pen gliding steadily over the papers.

Grinding her teeth, Dalia snatched the document he was working on and flung it aside.

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“Duke! Is this the time to be reviewing documents? An official marriage proposal? What is going on?!”

Finally, Raskal lifted his gaze from the desk, though not toward his mother. Instead, he looked at Joshua.

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“Has the document been delivered already? I thought you said we missed the chance.”

“We did, but it somehow made its way to their residence.”

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Joshua replied nonchalantly, adding with a slight pout, “And I told you about this last night.”

“Did you? I must’ve missed it amidst other matters.”

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Showing no remorse, Raskal pushed his work aside and stood.

“Well, it’s done. Let’s call for—”

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Bang!

Unable to hold back any longer, Dalia slammed her hands on the desk, interrupting the conversation.

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Her eyes blazing, she unleashed a torrent of words. “Raskal! Are you deaf? I’m asking what this is about! Did His Majesty order this? If so, why wasn’t I informed?!”

Raskal stared down at her with a detached expression, the tension between mother and son filling the room with an almost oppressive air.

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As Joshua tried to slip away unnoticed, Raskal finally spoke.

“Do you wish for your only son to go deaf, Mother?”

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“What… what did you say?”

“My hearing is perfectly fine. No need for concern.”

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“Is this really the time to be saying such things? What on earth were you thinking? A marriage proposal?”

At those words, Raskal furrowed his brows.

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“Are you daring to question something that His Majesty himself approved?”

But Dalia was not one to back down.

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“Question it? How could I not? Are we to blindly obey every command from His Majesty? After the humiliation at the banquet, you should have used that as an excuse to reject this outright!”

“…Humiliation?”

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Her son’s puzzled expression only seemed to frustrate Dalia further. She clutched her chest dramatically, exclaiming, “Not only did that girl slap the Duke, but she also had the gall to tell him he should have just killed her! If that’s not an insult to this family, then what is?”

“Ah.”

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“And besides…”

Dalia hesitated momentarily, glancing around with an embarrassed expression before mumbling, “I… I slapped her in front of everyone. How could I now accept her as my daughter-in-law? What would that make me?”

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“Ahh.”

Raskal let out a dry chuckle, the sound dripping with sarcasm. Dalia’s face reddened with humiliation, and in an attempt to regain control of the conversation, she raised her voice.

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“Regardless! Even if this came under the king’s orders, I cannot allow it. Withdraw that proposal immediately!”

Raskal looked down at her with cold indifference and spoke.

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“It seems you’re laboring under a severe misunderstanding.”

“What… what do you mean?”

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“The proposal wasn’t sent because His Majesty ordered it.”

“W-what? Then why…?”

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Raskal’s response was laced with a mocking tone.

“I personally convinced His Majesty, repeatedly and earnestly, to grant his approval.”

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“…What?”

Dalia stared at him in disbelief, frozen in place. Her son, however, remained unfazed as he delivered his next words in a voice as icy as his expression.

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“So no, there will be no withdrawal. As for your concern about your reputation… well, that’s your problem to deal with.”

In an instant, Dalia’s face flushed crimson all the way to the nape of her neck, and she exploded.

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“No! Absolutely not!”

As Raskal frowned at her outburst, Dalia hastily pulled out the photos Bianca had given her, practically throwing them onto his desk.

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“I didn’t want to bring this up because it’s too shameful to even mention, but I have no choice!”

The photos spread out across the desk, and Dalia pointed at them in righteous indignation.

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“Look at these! These disgraceful pictures!”

Raskal’s eyes narrowed slightly as he recognized Serenia in the images. Seeing his reaction, Dalia took it as a sign of triumph and pressed on.

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“Even if her family has fallen, she is still a noblewoman. And yet, look at her—meeting a man so brazenly in the middle of the night! An unmarried woman!”

As she spoke, Raskal calmly sifted through the photos, pulling out one where Ain Reveron’s face was captured clearly.

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Dalia, as if waiting for this moment, exclaimed triumphantly, “Do you know who that man is? He’s an actor! A common clown playing ‘Ra’zkal’ in that play based on the events from 14 years ago!”

“Interesting.”

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Noticing her son’s intrigued expression, Dalia eagerly continued, “Look at them! Birds of a feather, the fraud spending time with a fellow fake! How utterly pathetic!”

“A fake, you say…”

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Raskal let out a soft chuckle, his gaze lingering on the man in the photo.

Though the image was in black and white, he could tell that the actor’s hair was the same shade of red as his own.

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Staring at the photo, Raskal muttered under his breath.

“…He does bear a slight resemblance.”

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