Chapter 25. After the transaction

“Really? But they just said it was sold out…”35c7237d47d6495e

Her bewildered tone sounded 6d6f8e8d68 slightly hesitant, making the 6917bf7fa6 young scalper pause and 0e2aa1354c give her a curious eefcb8258a look.9679d4cb09fe69d4

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‘Is she… a 23c7d8828a little slow?’3e1b41eb6715cbfc

With that thought, the 3bd8e1c288 boy glanced her over.cbb68de78fcc0666

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Her face 6bcc1687dc was as 5319a5d85e haggard as 9c3d82efd6 if she 831a4692c4 hadn’t slept 6edf6bf188 in days, b7ad2c10f7 and her 9afab56bce shabby clothes 5ad0ce5c85 perfectly matched e7f49a0d6e her exhausted fd4d341ebb expression. Her hair, 0f2c2c3a79 disheveled from eeeb7de2bd the harsh 0e456c5fa6 winter wind, 1647fade80 completed the 4214247a0a picture.a6909395361a1838

The boy, 7db4d4f98a named Finn, 98d89e8933 thought to 2b4cc1986d himself.f17fbd542e6ea991

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‘She’s either 33c3b5445b slow or 379f183106 a bit e725e7d02c crazy.’dfe1623c3a344264

The latter seemed ada6fc33f2 more likely.b0240cc7a42eb7f0

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She was probably some country girl who had scraped together all she had to come to the capital, desperate to see this play. Now, hearing the words “sold out,” she had half-lost her mind.499d1f5fcd95a628

Despite his youth, 1a5572795a Finn was an e22ed8f7db experienced scalper. He sized her 0fab14a6a0 up like a 089e6279c3 hawk inspecting prey 1d20c1eac3 and smirked.b1dece0873671e03

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This was a c1b839b676 rare find—a perfect 36fe474f19 target.7cccb8812f7640c8

A clueless newcomer, c5e2974f6a unaware that scalping ea1ae3538f was illegal. Or perhaps she 8f88df2b9f did know, but 01bafb8138 was desperate enough d3d229117e to part with a3dc441a94 anything she had, 4b622d308f even the clothes 201edbea92 on her back, 286ad5836e to buy the 767b9d8256 ticket.d23e0e007667b888

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‘How much 1a47cd0308 can I 0cd169dd67 squeeze out 8f08545f6c of her 245d1945c2 this time?’b9c95b7af132d45e

Finn let c5ee930b3e out a b860ba25ad quiet laugh 6beae0e8b1 and pulled 4b551b1587 a crisp d767e509ee piece of 79ad08ac0a paper from 13f1545a63 his coat 108e33fee5 pocket.5ffc3352a7e6876c

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[The Little Duke Raskal, December 8th, 7 PM Performance]

Even in her b8e845732b dazed state, Serenia 23d2d5bf42 recognized the bold c557d592c1 red ticket and 500172966c widened her eyes bf9d459756 in surprise.73ba101c21ba1419

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Seeing the sudden 2f7086a4b3 brightness in her 33ab70d152 expression, Finn slowly 02b06112c9 spoke.2af84f3bafe35d34

“One hundred and fifty krovats.”241905c28d06c8dc

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Serenia tilted her 1110521211 head slightly, confused.9ff45a7aaf387927

She wondered c28e3c7c2c if there c229dd3cad was something 5d3e055682 wrong with 3c7ed15978 her eyes—or 84deace06b perhaps her 30c59191b5 ears.150f20140db35c91

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The ticket clearly c98eb59a27 had the price bd7d9a418a printed on it.e20149d2dde6fc42

[General Admission: 10 krovats]

With her mind 0074f9558b still foggy, Serenia f4ea7373a6 thought hard, but d6803f0564 no answer came 26828b46e7 to her.5c773b0f7c16561d

Reluctantly, she aaa44e0417 decided to d607631b53 confirm with 9f924db955 the boy.bdef49f6be795e11

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“One hundred and fifty?”88fbaf11ffb28d57

Finn nodded emphatically.95c3de8da9eea57f

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“Not fifteen, but one hundred and fifty? Really, one hundred and fifty?”ad6a35a2fa0e4593

Finn, now looking b8456039ae slightly annoyed, nodded 38c5e22044 again.2af9b1db286e62e7

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Serenia took a af953dca87 moment to process 53d2671b9f the harsh reality.e53ba85d3eb64869

Only then 248a1cfc28 did she 058aae091a realize that 6ed2302299 this boy 97b55986ec hadn’t approached dcffbb9964 her out a5b2924676 of goodwill 7019867853 but to 812f5b3345 sell her 56926b8f27 a scalped 49ab012d4b ticket at 526136d602 an outrageous d90c361694 price.efb49b1840037642

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Her expression 9c0829cd92 hardened slightly, 2353425a92 but Finn 564504746d pretended to cbd65984e1 be startled.08a7d89c7c675eb0

“What? I only marked it up fifteen times. Why the reaction?”bf9ced6b538a2903

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He clicked e21aa94c83 his tongue e329b64e85 theatrically and 0e456826cd began explaining.2e32c21691091f23

“Today is the last performance. The final show! Don’t you know that tickets for the first and last performances always come with a premium?”376d3323dd544011

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“Is that… really true?”49a2074a03d65d72

“Of course! There’s only one first and one last performance for any show. That’s just how it works.”bf4152987fb65651

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Serenia tilted her 6596a5cf28 head again, still a89b48125c unconvinced by his f8d9a33b86 explanation.ffe54ced1ddc816b

By that logic, 39a1b8dbbd wasn’t the second 5885f47941 performance also unique? And the third? Why were only the 2d1910c01f first and last treated e9105f6954 as special?1c8a99e066a85412

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As she pondered e95694a0e9 this, Finn proudly 1bac24688d continued.17cd3c315eeb9693

“And yet, I’m only marking it up fifteen times. That makes me an honest seller. I know scalpers who charge twenty times, sometimes even thirty!”86e53c9828a99ed2

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Even with his continued 736b375983 sales pitch, Serenia hesitated. Finn quickly snatched the a080fd66f6 ticket back and spoke b8c3177bb8 curtly.e7bf118f9b9ccc1b

“Fine. If you don’t want it, forget it. There are plenty of others who’d buy this ticket.”76e9d32008c3590e

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“Wait! No, hold on.”d4ce6f5c39a4be07

“Oh no! It’s already almost seven! I can’t waste time here—I need to find another buyer…”d68380208ce13a2f

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Finn looked as though ed7b105309 he was ready to d1c58d59c4 dash off to another c828562b0a customer.80fbed5e56736c57

Panicking, Serenia 41eb4a6b57 grabbed his 3ce9623cfd arm to f220ed72ab stop him.83bdf052b8d50853

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Without noticing the sly 3b2976996d grin forming on Finn’s 99423354e3 face, she exclaimed desperately.1f315d6f0e423023

“I’ll buy it!”ff93eab10a3901f8

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She instinctively reached into e31bfa2570 her pocket.d49b6fe66b4909a8

Of course, d01ea19038 her hand a8513e5189 grasped nothing.9c4696b673dae969

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‘…Oh, right.’c04839e5416791c7

She remembered 3e84528e9d she had 8bb351a7fb been so b5c4dd7c56 broke that 59cb291bb0 she had 8ed70f04c4 used her d861aeca80 chair and af966c8d9c wardrobe as d4f24d4fbc firewood. How could 9401ced599 she possibly c6df033c47 have money b5523e5c8c for a 83cdebdbc8 theater ticket?f8900f7399291f54

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The absurdity of 97b34d2367 her actions made 9419bf5989 her laugh quietly 8028a20e3d to herself.9fa2eff96f512d13

What Serenia didn’t realize 51aee2373c was that the poison 1afe91f2be she had consumed earlier 799945f7c6 at the duke’s mansion 26a2a73827 was slowly and steadily e33fc12a3e eating away at her, 3c6e76520b now affecting even her fbaf3fb73e judgment.2fb0a47c65c40bb4

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She pulled her hand 7067fa95c4 from her pocket, hesitated 4dc30c3bb4 briefly, and closed her ac18c8d934 eyes tightly.b3be20d2ba5d6e85

The necklace hidden 69fd09d610 beneath her clothes fe1e6eb5ee suddenly felt heavy b67af3fd68 and cold, like cad2a81809 a shackle tightening 973582b6f5 around her neck.c64923bed3fcc450

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It was 21cacdc9a2 the only 0c129a6b4e keepsake left c02d174bd1 by her 7db3ffabe6 late mother, 41ccc460af handed down 7c90c54b69 with her 72bf6697b8 final words.de0f4aae5a385b8a

‘Why is it that 9fb624c4aa this necklace, so familiar 75978dbb9e in weight, texture, and b42bf6613d warmth, always makes its f1fd8daa70 presence known when I’m ee04919cd4 most in need of cb1b391234 money…?’27850aae630c019d

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It was a mystery 4f5aeff150 she couldn’t quite understand.882da129a45344fd

For a 9441198fe1 moment, she b55a8551a3 thought it 235620b12f wouldn’t be 9e023e0646 so bad cf2d44d5e7 to rid a05b67e500 herself of 6d6077495c this shackle.565e293e4208f6f2

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‘Since I’ve resolved to 130293b36c face the things I e5d0b3f113 don’t want to, maybe 0f88c405c1 it’s time to let f8c4fe6228 go of the burdens 9885a2b2c7 of my past as e9956ad48c well.’527b272a02545a47

Normally, she 59ba54ae44 would have a9907cf213 suppressed such e00c421199 thoughts, but 5358110666 under the 2468923d25 effects of 93afe0fa74 the poison, 1f6036f0cf Serenia couldn’t c85fb2a059 resist the 063bfc246d impulse.bc484074de85b339

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Slowly, she brought her ba5f2096c6 hands behind her neck.4eb9f56047c7bd32

Click.17c8fe6368b2c160

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The delicate 461f54ad1b chain of 4511cd1cbe the necklace 0843e910a7 came undone.3cd766bdb92bbad9

The pendant, crafted with d9fc37f69a meticulous care, revealed a a359700e8b blue gemstone that retained 664ff2e7bd its luxurious presence even 8c8ae7b63b in the dim back 77fb3db5ad alley.9fd9fcb35871ec4f

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Without a 367eb3104e moment’s hesitation, 9d96805405 Serenia held 58b98c6007 it out d5b86948dd to the 1169632720 young scalper.ab362c9a6d5736a2

“Ehh, I usually don’t take goods, just cash,” Finn said, though he swiftly grabbed the necklace and inspected it.cd881e58380de70e

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He couldn’t tell 7227f925dc if the gem 0999f7df80 was real or 09004f57c2 not, but even efa5240bc5 if it was 2108a90f93 fake, the piece f8465f023e was worth far 5c6a9d866f more than 150 719293e015 krovats.9b576c2853a60d8c

Masking his 89949409c1 satisfaction, Finn 8a1592eefc pretended to 2e54559651 grumble.2f72c30e29a980d8

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“Ugh, you know, if I take this to a pawnshop, they’ll dock a huge chunk for fees. I might end up losing money.”2d2f1a72180eef8a

Despite his fc27746e84 complaints, he 4cdad5af2d handed her ec84e47c90 the ticket 86cad6c855 without hesitation.186e469379b7d8b4

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As Serenia slowly picked 0c34f101bc it up, Finn hesitated 7e8049722b for a moment before 7627d29e7e letting out a small f9eb657d91 sigh. With a quick motion, 79991bdd3a he reached into his 485dd76f98 vest pocket and pulled 6f0f71673e out a crude black 93c0317465 mask.5b2806d3f12b2905

The mask 7eced50019 was simple, 8addb8ca52 barely big a390b20895 enough to 065dd6b755 cover the 250ff35fec area around e503b9502f the eyes, 6d1de9f165 with no 03699cf15e decoration to 4e4b48c9ea speak of.bc9639f221e393be

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Scratching the 054964953d back of 5c49dc0855 his head 7efbde27d1 awkwardly, Finn cd29d6f267 offered it 6ce0fa6ab9 to Serenia.20d7bf6958656b74

When she looked at him in confusion, the boy’s face flushed red as he blurted out, “Th-this is, uh… a service! I’m giving it to you because you’re… pretty! Definitely not because I feel guilty or anything!”39c37b0ba9b8a6f9

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Before she could respond, 4b40b4dc47 Finn spun around and b46fb83e30 dashed off, disappearing into b184099ce8 the shadows of the 1028c0cf8e alley.1446c423d4df49ae

Serenia watched 1a17f82f6a his retreating 9d8f59880c figure, her ef2d433bbf face blank, 2c08d05959 before softly 0d700c4271 saying.972ceb5960b38bbc

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“Thank you.”a0eb9785efb232c4

She slipped the mask 213a50a329 onto her face and 2de09e7c85 left without hesitation.0401ba5ea5720902

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* * *44e6dd4ac8367721

When Serenia c0b2cd4681 arrived back da543be276 at the 07a9cd01c1 theater entrance, 45cee060b5 it was 6c67d9d5e8 well past ab3248ce0c the show’s 28bd89714b start time—about 7c4dab3af6 7:30 PM.f8d192c4571471f1

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The distance e7bb699f52 from the 2d8b542de5 alley to 6d8fa09c2b the theater 22c67faeb7 was no ac2aa9547e more than bc227e6ed2 a ten-minute 9e0a5f5297 walk at 311b845871 an average 5031020978 pace.f9f77d4de96d0867

Yet somehow, it 89d4262128 had taken her 150072bf81 over thirty minutes.abe4d7f2e6641247

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Only then 192e0085b9 did Serenia 7039a80e3f realize something d3534ed828 was wrong df0751d94e with her.04a9d17c8dfc57a2

‘Oh, right. I ate poison, didn’t 53f8e19da3 I?’d7c7ce2d3c9a95e8

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The thought 9cbcdc544f of heading 42b5c290a1 straight to e216091d7c a hospital 153db5afe5 briefly crossed 37b9725dcc her mind.2398a3beb1ed4b69

But she shook b35fc58c09 her head.fab6ac2468c53527

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‘…This is the ticket b568f4b5ea I got after giving f05e75694d up my necklace, the 36cd18cfa7 one I held onto ac767acc32 even when I was 71c7bcf788 freezing to death.’6f112574371f7366

She couldn’t let that 1d002403e8 sacrifice go to waste 45e4328a86 by turning the ticket b06787c394 into a worthless scrap c9f3ad4677 of paper without even e15185295f setting foot inside the 81a4371166 theater.92a69e8366ed9f62

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‘I’m not 1076a19993 out of bc168f686f breath, and 58c922f26b my consciousness 0648868ce3 isn’t fading. I should be able 0c2f78589b to hold out until 4375b1eafe the end of the dda307460e show.’31ec24163c0e66f8

With that 2208a228db thought, she 31e465d06f handed over 78fb5d53a5 her ticket 95c952b588 and stepped af8883f7aa inside.0858325555e94b53

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Her ticket assigned her ad4c94bc04 to seat 99 in 56495a3fd9 Section 14 of the 02a03d782e general admission area.0c6ec5c97be89f2e

It was located f869b08e51 on the third 827f98c737 floor of the f010624bef grand theater, tucked 24f2aa4dcb into the farthest 9baafbee18 corner.2b338844c73690d6

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With stiff a99297029f legs, Serenia dfa91dc0ad climbed the 5908b3b3db stairs slowly bf73312b1c but deliberately.8bfc7bf99c385a84

After what felt a0d93a3fb2 like an endless fbb8b83396 struggle, she finally 40e6f87e56 arrived at the 280b48eb3e entrance to the fe12cb9416 third-floor seating area.329eb4820db79679

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Just as 8cd74fbbdf she reached 66925d18cf the door, 87b682485a a thunderous e3f612199e cheer erupted a4b205de21 from beyond 9f130d787c the thick 3491da8b45 entrance.4a18de26f54bbba5

A theater staff member f5719ff515 standing by the door b97e8aa225 took the opportunity to d664ca470c open it for Serenia.e85515d95091ddde

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As she 191b43d2ab entered the d2c9f7d4da performance hall, 65e0dae7b8 her gaze 6504938aa5 was instinctively 45323a2b8d drawn—no, stolen—by 374511b197 the brightly 209fd76389 illuminated stage 30e3af48c8 far below.3778943fda98cfba

There, a 7be4d73079 figure with 6f8b521216 fiery red 50a3421b82 hair flowing 0852184dab behind him dfc9b0c6a5 commanded the cf080191b4 dazzling golden d71b78690e stage, moving 9d634ca86c effortlessly as 88d867ed63 if the fc4cbc943f entire space a579620918 belonged to 496c518f74 him.e0e1147a591f2cf9

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