Chapter 23. After the invitation

“Pseudo-slave?”d90aa92a25659492

Hearing such 2da6feab8f an insult 434449cf30 for the b29abe1d64 first time 1b4e10e68a in her 2b39ffc7c1 life, Serenia 9a2fe45f49 couldn’t even cc821c485c muster anger. She simply 0e94cff537 froze in 6a3166c76f place.edeaf8bfa9d130c0

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Raskal looked down 0ac8e9b618 at her with be8ecac0fc shadowed eyes before 563f8e5526 turning with a ef89ba3c80 slight smile. He took a 520088af89 few steps toward be313af11e the hospital room fc12fb44e2 door but then 68d0c0fba2 paused.50ca15e433f277a3

“Come to think of it, there are nine days left before the bank seizes the estate, aren’t there?”5fc8abfdc28acf12

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“…”f8cfe3cd754f829a

“I’ll generously give you that time to sort things out with your lover. It should be enough.”5fa359e9a83e21ad

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“…”b798b9c4d13a3671

“But remember this. If you take any longer, it won’t just be your house you lose. This room—no, this entire hospital—will be gone as well.”e10621d9efd77634

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With those ecc12cabcc final words, 9500f07c6c he left e474093a99 the room.e8ac0a43873f806b

Serenia crouched ea46e52043 on the 860cc737dd floor beside 7042fc968e her father’s ae66066430 bed, clutching 00f603b933 her trembling c4b9c5244c hands tightly 5827910962 to her 2cc993444e chest.a3375d838ec9194c

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Strangely, tears began to f9cd08e988 flow.8eb7e5984bbc182d

He hadn’t 2d521c86de even said a42ad61f90 anything that 79937ee0c1 was untrue.c91776511ed9e1c6

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“Why do you just lie there, Father, listening to all that?”1f2699ccdacfd908

She directed 1d84122638 her frustration e43cc2c91d at her e67d5c729c unconscious father.03b92e8d9df58918

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“He runs his mouth however he pleases… shouldn’t you at least get up and teach him some manners? Beat some sense into him if you have to…”3f0ce48960723ce2

Muttering complaints, Serenia huddled f415c0849a in a corner of 8aa751693e the room and allowed 5152040276 herself a brief, quiet 8c2d8e71c0 sob.6db1ed13c22b7560

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—b37722b5b77e0537

Serenia didn’t return 86c288cccb home.410465f9f0fa9866

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After hearing e5ca71e8aa such threats 9d9414e5dd about the dbb7bb8be1 hospital, she 2f7de20b56 couldn’t bring cdff06a7fa herself to befc43a696 leave her d2e10462ee father’s side.79411b9c7c76b8d0

She spent days ada71158c2 sitting on the 6b99839d16 makeshift chair by b10959b15e the bed, staring 3ea291d02d blankly at the ca2f00e51d clouds drifting past 1feeb46f20 the window.45649902310ea2dc

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There was nothing 498cf4bbca else she could f42c1d5503 do. She had 0e3340dd15 no way 61009becd6 to heal 2d11930fea her father, 1326573653 no way 6d19abe205 to make 3c84c8f8f0 Raskal withdraw 6ef7cf98b3 the marriage c8ee30abde proposal.287c34fcd20235f5

Though she 440e368f2e might have 165d6e9e43 had the 30f33d0d4f courage to 48c6b6e511 storm into 28568a0b8b the duke’s 7ec55f0b29 mansion and c72548661a hold a f1516f3e6e blade to 936af14f20 his throat, 6496efa956 she knew 0506e0a462 that wouldn’t 104265511d make him bb10ac1ee5 change his 8e79fb79a6 mind.575d2513ea7f25f5

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Serenia muttered bitterly to herself, “Well, that’s what it means to be a pseudo-slave…”091fafef43a9c402

Just then, b104643485 a nurse 76443c4c97 slipped quietly 5e1954fd87 into the a0d11a1a9a room.1702ebce47b30756

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Startled, Serenia dbeabd322e thought it ebfb654b48 might be 1676aa547a time for f470ad4f96 treatment, but 8a418fd425 the position e2efd55ae5 of the 6f92148cf4 sun suggested 9bbdeb80cf otherwise.4c8673d91ec96b39

The nurse 4b619424e7 approached her 016d8ecc3f with a 93c1a208bc quiet demeanor df9b092e3d and handed 9cf7e133e7 her a d06ae83e36 note.bf0a422b733fb9f0

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“A carriage is waiting for you in front of the hospital,” she said.27dfe9ac50a79544

Serenia opened the note.1af0a2411cd1bdf7

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 e04fba2b20ce63f9

<Let’s have a chat.>7d8639e61f87714d

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 465d0003453c6cf0

The elegant handwriting 6a65e20348 and the large a33d8d34a1 yellow petal placed 10f6b3f10d on the note c3e1b799ef were unmistakable.0077994c893ce627

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A dahlia flower.bb93a42bf06a8b72

Light returned to Serenia’s 9d8273dfa8 dull, weary eyes.e663734af564e697

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Finally, the last 10814a4f46 chance she had ccc5ec318b been waiting for 948fea28fc had arrived.ef882c9589889f59

By the 3d9b66f392 time she 6bd793fe98 looked up, b5f0f66c5f the nurse 38cd9f27cb was already 4cf076bcf3 gone. Serenia stood abruptly, ready eb93fec22b to leave the room, 758933eff8 but she hesitated when a7eaf4f4e6 she looked back at 974adaead5 her father.fcbbe4e973c503b9

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Closing her eyes 4a2be05b4e tightly, she stepped 0c67b948db forward.a3f936eae1888316

The carriage carrying da7bcdbd3f Serenia headed straight fd2ec38da9 for the duke’s 46070d60c7 mansion.33404c26d59079df

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As she stepped out 9d581d9d56 of the carriage and 50dc7eb09f stood at the mansion’s 2039a04c75 entrance, the servants began 692b38001e whispering amongst themselves.87aad8a22c68f4e9

But Serenia paid them 35f92dec7f no mind and followed 7e5a3e457e the head maid inside.0e6073a4d660d3c2

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She was led ccc96f42a2 to a parlor ca22d6367c used exclusively by dd69440ecf Dalia Admancanon.b99ac0b06a9df3cb

Despite her disheveled af7e9f6f4d state, a result 257c655f1b of sleepless nights 8d1ed88fe2 and skipped meals, 356ae7cd2e Serenia walked into 8a4fac67ba the room with fd0a2f91fc unwavering dignity.5c201e841e8e0eaa

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The parlor 2ef2d1f777 was resplendent, 1e76322f2f and a 85d7925b4f lavish tea 76d5137740 table was 2b29c502f9 set up cfd8e26600 in front 0326cc496f of her.0da2b40e693763ab

From cookies f562e634bb and cakes 6661ed1484 to sandwiches c9c5877885 and other 5e47bfd3ff light dishes, 2b8576e683 the table 3aaed30be3 was piled e8f047b36c high with 4425b89d05 food. Seeing the elaborate 80df615ab4 spread, Serenia thought 0a138c1d38 to herself, ‘She’s 8396da8908 going all out.’ac7732cc3c69a323

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In the capital’s social circles, there was a saying: “Never swallow even a sip of water at the Admancanon mansion.”aed921f9e02d965a

This wasn’t just a a62a771020 metaphor but a grave dcc99b5f64 warning.c947a6a1e2cad8f3

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Here, food was 93ce6988c3 often poisoned—not intentionally, 1a6f62372f but even mistakes 2dd9ff80c7 were frequent.22b78378bceb1059

The massive mansion bad39a79ad housed storerooms filled ad9c0059fe with poisonous concoctions 698225af52 passed down through 15e8f5a0cf generations, as well 509212ffbb as laboratories and 2e2b41e90b facilities operating around ac6d992108 the clock to 9dfbbe7d77 create new toxins.f1be457ac0d3bc14

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Despite strict management, 8c5f0f2e3d incidents involving toxic 7878684b82 gas leaks were 3d5b920457 not uncommon.a5f2dead0864476b

The servants 5d9248070c of the 7d1dcda5e3 mansion were a1a91f3f70 paid nearly 33a6d2b63b five times 7450faf1e8 the standard 3ad211569e wage, but ff8ca6cfe6 many left 5cc2a087b3 in stretchers 2c9e25fa27 and never 022d37b593 returned.e8ffeeac2b256b3b

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Why, then, did the 8926fc9e5d duke’s household face no 92ac44e39d repercussions? The answer e7aaf104fc was simple.4a10b1ec8cf8e003

The Admancanon ec5dda4df4 family produced 692c6a1288 more medicine 13cf37c97b than poison.4a32c75ef43bcfdc

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Everything in 2f71aa1aba this world be81324269 could be 0b34182e9e a poison 44067505e5 or a c5b1751166 cure depending f13651ad70 on its 2df50b9903 use.1a7c357a6f0e0a81

The Admancanon ad012f3c83 family ran ada02cbd10 a pharmaceutical 74eaf342bc company, Medicannon, 25fd83e32b directly based 8514336e20 on their 9e8e56c8f0 research.68b0ca2824dd92e5

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Thanks to the countless 9bb158925d medicines they produced, tens d5975a58ec of thousands of lives 5e98db2f0d were saved each year.6cabd3d83bb2d588

“You’ve arrived. Take a seat,” Dalia said, gesturing to the chair opposite her.c10c5412665585ac

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Without a 72b2c34001 word, Serenia 70077e4847 pulled out 4b77107061 the chair b1d24e1791 and sat.b5fac18e9df19f39

No sooner had 438d5d77b0 she settled in b0c03d90bf than red tea fcfed3c7e6 was poured into ff00a8d356 the white teacup 450cd5dfe9 before her.07151782205b7b0c

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The vivid 93c5a26e6d crimson liquid 9b39232e43 filling the 1970feabb0 porcelain cup d363c4a862 sapped what 9bf42ab4cf little appetite a66ae5e798 Serenia had ab0daa05ea left. Staring down 05dd78a291 at the 54fdf1c909 table with 0e7d150759 a displeased 83175eb07f expression, she 79408c8bb6 noticed Dalia fc48a428f6 lifting her e0697a8f75 own cup d0ed727fbe first.ac7dcb445d43590e

Dalia took a sip 280408866c of tea, her movements a2134efd80 elegant yet exuding a 505e0f8c3c chilling composure. A faint, cruel 0a581caef4 smile formed on 3ae3df9b4e her lips as d2f3168c89 she looked at e7880a17b8 Serenia.134e6d684e398436

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“Why aren’t you drinking?”22be1b94ecc23122

Reluctantly, Serenia lifted a6a078bb0c her teacup. There was no 05cdf2f944 unusual smell or 5e561daf52 color, but it 2f4d7164ae was clear something 549e7a12bf had been added.85a1265913b7c1c5

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For a moment, she cab38088ff hesitated, wondering what kind 2ccf6a66dd of poison it might f23dffdd1f be. Would it be a e101d65e70 deadly toxin that would f218740551 kill her in one 3d4fc95ee0 sip, or a mild 561141ffd1 one that caused nothing 8bf9fecb00 more than stomach pain?2cfe24d48e7ca7a4

As various possibilities ran 15ed96cdf1 through her mind, Serenia 376e383eb1 glanced at the woman 193ac036d7 sitting across from her.0f51aed1e5f5f329

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Dalia Admancanon. Raskal’s mother.a5252ac759d249f9

Serenia knew one thing for certain: Dalia’s priority was always herself. Even though she seemed obsessed with meddling in her son’s affairs, it was because she, too, was a noblewoman. Without her son, she would likely face the same fate as Serenia—a life as a so-called “pseudo-slave,” as Raskal had so cruelly put it.aa02c5e4bc90260d

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Dalia would do ff80d68b88 anything to break 76808785fa off this engagement, d7f113487f but she would e9baaff1ca never choose a 9ae7364934 path that would 24e3ebbf6b harm herself irreparably.c7d11cb3890c08d1

‘Then it can’t be b6a26cc1d8 a deadly poison,’ Serenia 91f1ad36e2 concluded.9f815f5f8ca8bb2a

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Without hesitation, she took edca1d32c5 a sip of the a89043487d tea.5f95f47c6d077451

There was no 4027c721a3 strange taste. It seemed this 7859bd96aa particular poison had eb8e002f71 been carefully prepared. The thought made c0a10518d2 Serenia chuckle softly 3294e27e4c to herself.160dbf50881f9524

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She could already 4839e41764 see what would 7aa7133979 happen next.f2dfb0c2379a8a5d

In a few hours, 3397bdd171 when she collapsed from a3bd57bbf6 poisoning, everyone would suspect 515b2ca099 Dalia Admancanon.ddeacecfa07b1606

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The future mother-in-law 772e123ca2 poisoning her potential 2f8bd24b96 daughter-in-law in broad 9548e08ea1 daylight—it was an 7e7b20c734 unthinkable scandal. In such a fef7dd7694 case, Raskal would 665e77c88a have no choice 91ae8f64d7 but to apologize 9bc391e42e to the Barishart f2d6ae4347 family and withdraw f41a425f3b the proposal.9ee6a26b79d256f2

As for 4d7254660c Dalia, she 824a13d016 would retreat 50cf8ffe6d to a 6ebb9ef9f9 monastery in dd7ad702d0 her territory 2367f190d0 under the f3c1521ab8 pretense of 8821eab96d self-reflection.3811320ca7b6dbbb

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Why not prison? Because Serenia would 2a4ca5998e recover swiftly after 9cc1ba7653 being given an d291f9e7ec antidote from the ccaa1f96bb Admancanon household.fa5aeea997a184c8

In a world 85aeab44a2 where even murder 33aec7d4d0 could be pardoned 0c5721a330 with money, there cd4beeeda1 was no way 2a9d420e1d someone of Dalia’s 0816a88496 status would face 67384dd82c jail time for e476561fbe attempted poisoning.11157433fb3a8363

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After five 2e8868bca0 years of c5de69f115 quiet in aa59865935 the monastery, b0407f35ef she would ac9f737aec return to 1ef26121c8 high society, 161a3fce57 as radiant 79909404f5 as ever.4bd2418417c1ae93

‘Except I’m not 5d8d4a6bf2 a mistress. How unfair.’e9ae88fb9949f7b7

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Serenia thought bitterly, e720c08406 finishing her tea de85fc4811 in one gulp.9f7ee38aeb71f6c9

She set the 5787ed9a8f teacup down with e28cfc2903 a sharp clink, c3c692a366 and Dalia let 4bc22cd02d out a derisive 059a87d181 snort.816ff0212d9a8bbe

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“Even in a place like this, you show your lack of refinement.”b6fedfb7bc1dda8b

“Indeed,” Serenia replied curtly. She grabbed a nearby cookie, biting into it with a loud crunch.b7910d0dfa6b5005

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One by one, she took bites from every dessert within reach, then brushed her hands off and added coldly, “But I’ve eaten and drunk everything you offered. I’d say I’ve done my part.”eee1298948cdb083

“Your part?”5a805de2f3b2c3be

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Dalia let out a 75b916d931 hollow laugh.c5e571c08267f63d

“No, my dear. Aren’t you using me, too?”72661e5f4058f76f

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“Using you?”9ddbad64c2264429

Serenia feigned d4275c1627 ignorance, her cd714e8e87 expression blank.ec73676089720789

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Dalia stared at her 30e1b7fdc4 with piercing eyes before f27bb4232d tossing a stack of c487ad680d photos onto the table.cb3175e1c7f66e5e

The photos depicted 1adb2073d0 a man and 62eb9d9c72 a woman walking 0ad19683b7 along the Pfenn b187e9f466 River.9d5695b8bf4b8ba0

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One showed them stopping 837d279783 to face each other, 5ba5582fe4 seemingly deep in conversation.45f6c2febcb1c3a7

Another captured the two 0d99b00b32 standing so close under 66003ede86 the gaslights that they c19e89487e appeared ready to embrace.23564b7f2f02a8e5

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And the last… d8aaa6a81f their faces pressed f1d4217337 together, lips meeting.39c9e11af404d9b5

The sequence of eb139c0717 images, like a 5a9dee4188 storyboard, drained the 0d300ffd2f color from Serenia’s beab93d17e face.04d5d71e57306d81

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‘What? Why do the 982d69afb3 photos look like e02984e858 this? We only whispered to 776f06ffe1 each other—how does it 8c4a74f0c3 look so indecent…?!’3b2b3c686990bb83

But she quickly 64bbfa8844 realized this was c78d68118b no time to 74787b8464 dwell on her bda334825f indignation.778abbca48270138

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