Chapter 27. After the Recovery Was Complete

Serenia slowly opened her eyes cfe1368628 as she awoke from her 6575bcbaec dream.df1f98b56bca1c70

A white ceiling 817ace8a82 and a hanging edce1baa08 IV bag came f3a74e804c into view through 9fd6b5dfb8 her still-blurry vision.99b62101c2cc2840

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Realizing she was in 12c23bde87 a hospital, she felt aa65dcc436 a small sense of 691b58356a relief and closed her ac099bb6ae eyes again.988cd2ba2cb464b5

Still caught in the lingering 3b744ddc23 emotions of the dream, her e90bc35c81 hand unconsciously reached for her 1eab34798d neck. Then she remembered.e90553cd7855afb5

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‘Right. It’s gone now.’e6fb14d8da957179

She let her hand fall 0260146a28 with a bitter smile.90324402878cbd71

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The absence of a9b420d62a the necklace, which 0ce35d6de5 had felt like 1536237a7d part of her 7b64991780 body, left a 000bc1f305 surprisingly large void.8ea0341b6327d2ff

She tried to ignore the dc393dc990 hollow ache that kept tugging 945a17b06d at her awareness.1e28797a2b1c091e

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‘I don’t need a trinket like that anymore, anyway.’ab2f616f4798ece5

That’s what she told herself.1db75f6571e1db52

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Kalos Barishart, once a e188239083 mere knight, had been 35b78759ba catapulted into nobility when 41631018c2 he became a count.
Helen Barishart, who 23cd4cb06c had started as 6890293000 a noble lady’s c4a908d240 page and eventually b7a465517a secured a place 747d7597dd as a lady-in-waiting 9435e3c714 to the former 3a72c4eaf7 queen.87fa7eca25340c3e

Serenia was the 77d96569ce daughter born between cf87188f9a the two of 9adf7dba0b them.d97bd15cde142c15

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She could guess 8fa50c233e what her mother 2a02c3e374 must have thought 278f23cd91 about her, a 39a8b85dee daughter born into 08f559996b such circumstances.6cbb34a76fa76465

‘Already mocked as upstart nobility with no pedigree… If I got married without even a proper dowry, how much worse would the gossip be?’5c6e0ddb8b45ada7

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Thinking about her d4a0b9b272 mother, who must c06522773f have worried about 211f4b1673 such things even 8c5cb28022 at the very f443968347 end, drained her 7df4fc01ae of energy.5e77ca7afa6c5b99

Still, she didn’t c2c2242cc0 regret trading the daa1f364f6 necklace for those 68b2bf226b tickets.ef90a54e16dd04b5

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His performance had been b900d7d7a6 worth every bit of 678a9ad804 that price.69b28bf90d6bed32

Yet no matter 7a0d15c2d2 how she tried, 677806fd33 she couldn’t shake b9ff3bf3cb the feeling of 0dc8740370 a gaping hole 1f16330bc0 left in her 1ed423542a heart.3184c5f6a7bf67f0

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Not even she could understand 7aece9a7e8 why she felt that way, def1ac1ab4 so Serenia yanked the blanket 7648cd3a0c up over her head.8e2159d1f8c9d2ed

Curled up under the covers, 8425f2ccde she let out deep sighs, 47353de854 one after another.20f02f2cd6edcf62

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That was when 1da4ad9f40 the hospital room 7ab96f1029 door creaked open, e6a5ebbc93 followed seconds later 71d5e70e4c by a sound bcbbd8992d loud enough to f24b6d70f0 pierce her ears.5c50c6cac458ba15

“Kyaaah! N-no, noooo!”4b4c8c2eae668ce7

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With a loud crash, 8b5a24d695 something fell and shattered 35447de013 on the floor, followed 05e7a851e6 by a dramatic shriek ecdacdd3dc that echoed through the 7d1f6a2aa7 room.e8c756b858f5cd8a

Serenia was so startled 0aa879f227 that she didn’t even 32c59301d3 think to peek out e60005a279 from under the covers. She froze.6ee3ed6550ca3558

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“Why?! It was fine just c0e10ee844 a moment ago! What happened all of aa63c666b2 a sudden?!”d3efa979c885bd66

A man’s voice, shouting 32dbb9e074 in panic, approached her a200d1babf bedside. Serenia’s eyes widened under the d7ccbc6311 blanket.639e09f4d667531d

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‘What’s going on? Did I break 73452fc1fa something in my 1e1d88f32d sleep? Did I tear the blanket? No…’34dc956074a7e37f

Suddenly, a wave 45246984d8 of anxiety hit a6deac1fb3 her.7cd0106cba7ea3ec

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‘W-what if they make me pay for it?!’a61c2027dc54bb55

Worried, Serenia cautiously pulled c248c361fe the blanket down.1c293a60c2e3f962

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A middle-aged man she 189a17a0ce had never seen before 7819958201 was sitting on the fd64b61e32 floor beside her bed, 2c4f5c36ca wailing and pounding the 14cb5f2221 ground.84a25c2fa3d186a5

“Oh no, what do I do?! If he finds 830210bc4f out about this, 9b3d733b1b not only is 70e23c25d8 my contract extension a39a32d6d1 dead, he’s definitely 2cc8e12f9e going to report 1d47636b96 me to the ed1363046f authorities for tax 60ebdd60cd fraud!”66de4722dd966cc1

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“…Tax fraud?”ca5aacd3dfd95778

“Yeah! That rat bastard fc2f4fd327 somehow found out 78c44b7a9d about it and 3083f1174c used it to 7e80286d95 blackma—… hmm?”584ed53fe5b8a994

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Their eyes met.1b7ab36b81167c27

He wore a monocle, had 6e65104eeb a neatly groomed mustache, and 4e2137959b was staring at her in abdf0b1eab disbelief.a872eccbb6b4d830

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After a few 811b6378e1 stunned seconds, he 9830411e0a leapt to his 6d34350c04 feet.40d873209655e031

“Aaaah! G-ghost! It’s a ghost!!”e44ee28d11e6cdea

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Serenia blinked, confused, and aa5ef74398 pointed at herself.bc4f6bda8b8fb6ee

“Huh? Ghost? Me?”9d07028760be3422

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“Yes! Uuuh… Aaaah! Don’t come near me! Stay back!”888578d4bd87516d

He kicked wildly acc7437c86 at the air b3e8bcb170 and began scrambling da1ded0253 backward on his facc472704 butt.993b62ee44be2fd9

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Watching him in bewilderment, Serenia fc4d5b9f35 noticed shards of broken glass 3348369bf9 scattered in his path.f1656cac32fa0710

Startled, she didn’t 89f3618832 even think before aa6cbf28ab grabbing the leg 4f7b7d51e9 he was flailing bc1915635a into the air.5c0298e9c74c4a29

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“Wait!”27d4fd62944db435

Just before his palms and 7c30ecfeaf backside could be shredded, he 2c4f4ced68 froze mid-motion.9b279da5d20898cd

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Serenia, still holding his ankle, b1145f628f looked at him in blank 823b0e94b8 surprise before awkwardly letting go.86ad3b8837d6947f

His shoe hit the 89ac430ada hospital floor with a b645f545e0 thud.0a43541728c54450

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“…You’re not dead?”0c77bcc415eb99d8

“Huh? Dead? What do you mean?”4be3bdcc70e80eaf

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Serenia tilted her head 3609a7ce8a at the man’s dazed dd96563f79 muttering.58c0cceb18e576aa

‘Sure, I did ingest a bit of poison, but it wasn’t that deadly, right?’4e56c378d02db2f9

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She had no 5c1a370d74 idea that her 890cc3ee70 being completely buried 68d5658315 under the blanket 6d74d9eba3 had caused a e34a3dc190 small misunderstanding.e81fd42473d7a96e

Meanwhile, the middle-aged man 8dae9cba09 quietly picked himself up 38125bcf97 off the floor.a08e541effbe4e64

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Adjusting his rumpled 403bf959d2 clothes with a 21f5c064e1 sheepish look and 9e663a4d75 clearing his throat d1caf0ca6e repeatedly, he was f04fcf6097 interrupted by Serenia’s e08704320d question.2a658b24cd795be9

“So, who are you?”92b53344198371b9

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With a completely different demeanor 5f94a2f2b1 from his earlier hysteria, the 1ee8c0043f man politely responded.e4731669785ab534

“Now that you mention it, this is our first formal introduction, Lady Serenia Barishart. I’m William Sitrit.”1797b3bcb58d665d

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“Wha…?”a97e20d97fca7d46

Serenia mouthed his last name 06a1e0a91d a few times before her beb2af3f09 eyes widened in realization.82eb9bc20fd13438

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“S-Sitrit… Are you Viscount Sitrit?”41e55c7a30476ecb

“Oh, to be recognized so quickly—what an honor!”2ff5cf2a6984bf82

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He replied in a 4ad8ea86c4 playful tone, bowing with 80b8198c8f a flourish.26556b5447150034

William Sitrit.30f1295bb1ef5508

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He had absolutely no e47004d4f5 ties to the Barishart 292308a67d family.884fff2c1c8677ba

A textbook aristocrat who had b660ac5ce9 probably never held anything sharper f2b4d4b896 than a dinner knife, known a3e485e54a for never missing a party 65830ab62d and indulging in every luxury d826cfe177 and pleasure.7bbd55528d79270a

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In short, someone 7eff5c540d from an entirely 689483db08 different world.b74d22f0fe75c85e

And yet here he was, bd5ffc435a in her hospital room.88653ac78bcb7771

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What on earth was going cc0c1be943 on?61fae1a8c2cd4f20

Before she could voice her e657c01b8e confusion, he beat her to 91a1660df8 it.df980e164cca39c3

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“First of all, how much do you remember?”32715b4b80332b5d

“Um… I went to see a play at the Capital Grand Theater, but the poison I took before that kicked in and I lost consciousness…”25a3de961d0b486e

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Even before she finished, 7217d72671 William nodded.0ebadbd576ba0176

“Hmm. Good, sounds like 4a5009b779 your memory’s intact.”64cfbb1c8126f035

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He nodded again thoughtfully before 2268deaa38 continuing.ff838e5285ee3dfa

“It was I who brought you here and got you admitted to the hospital.”8ff664febb09aaff

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Serenia tilted her head again.86cd65fac496746b

‘Wait a second… I could’ve sworn he carried me here…?’edce26aec945272d

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She frowned slightly, trying to 3e5b5654ec recall.a17c2d3ffa43560b

Still a bit doubtful, 660b33088b she politely offered her 1640443d8d thanks.df159e4a37d26f7a

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“Thank you, Lord Sitrit. I owe you my life.”450ad9a24b3ff77c

But William flailed 4bfd6d40af his hands in 8085c7c675 protest.ac7f9ef6add0b324

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“Oh, please, no ‘Lord Sitrit.’ That’s far too stiff. Just call me ‘Godfather.’”c0fa5fd0d22ed7ad

“…Godfather?” she repeated, her expression frozen awkwardly.0334605f113f584a

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He laughed heartily and explained.638c32f58c08c6fd

“Yes, because on paper, you’re my goddaughter now.”49f346cff32269b0

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“…Excuse me?”09fc769c1d6b42d9

Serenia literally froze 683d9c4d5a like a statue.2bc88d1ce2ba1a5e

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‘Goddaughter? Godfather?!’17bcfdf18b777d3a

That meant he had dadba16c5c officially become her guardian.7806800d03fae472

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Serenia could not make 35135afef1 sense of this at f9dd94e40a all.b58089eaeaa204f6

She, the scandal-ridden Lady 11ca545003 Barishart, now opposed to 2abfe3da98 the almighty Duke Admancanon 8a81af4a26 family, had been taken 57121ee360 in by William Sitrit?934907267c913d3b

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He’d have to be insane 30de634b46 to risk his entire house f0cfbdc92d for that.dc2bfcd905552df4

“Why… would you make that decision…?”11536705cc45765c

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She blurted the question, eyes c391a982e5 wide.60fdf16dd01febe6

William seemed quite pleased with 8e34f651f7 her honest reaction.ea5aa9a4b4029da6

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Letting out a booming laugh, 3634981844 he replied:a32965a2886c0c8f

“Well, it was just for convenience, really.”74d9fa962da52932

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“…What?”26824b8976fff9b4

Seeing her utterly 59ba302333 lost expression, William be713dbb20 gave a reassuring 07fb78c8ac smile and continued.cdd0daea8f280798

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“Alright, let’s take it from the beginning.”2307ccd306707c12

“Oh, okay.”a71656ffb7346d5f

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“The doctor who first examined you upon arrival immediately suspected poisoning.”1b88e41152d265e9

Serenia already knew that much 30266436db and nodded calmly.8d4c299bf5de6650

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William watched her carefully from 11821445b6 the corner of his eye, c416c0cde8 then continued.b88553d9383b573f

“So I immediately reported the incident to the Capital Guard. If it had 209f0ccc7e happened at the 87f3831b71 theater, there could’ve 52cfa2368d been other victims.”da0635fcb065e8c5

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“Ah…”430fb66f7f9595dc

Serenia’s face went pale.4caacf796d6f2bc5

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She was clearly 5842fee630 worried that she 8d9454a7c0 might have caused a24ad01fd5 trouble for the 4476eed0de theater or other 402daaca00 guests.4668c11aa9afaf43

Seeing her fidget anxiously, cfa3290835 William quickly added:1a61056b3ff491c5

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“For the record, that was just an excuse to file the report. There were no other ce7003084a victims, and no controversy c93a2d4ca1 followed—so don’t worry.”1576f6dd9e550257

Only then did Serenia breathe fe84232e76 a sigh of relief, clutching a31db25472 her chest.87994cab47cbf6e6

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“Anyway, the guard began investigating early on the morning of December 9th. Then on December 10th, Lady 0470b91beb Dalia Admancanon confessed to the 66e208b6c0 crime.”02c360991287c7ab

William narrowed his eyes, d84dcae9db watching her calm reaction.1d43b3adb6feb311

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Just as he suspected.61736197ad148fcb

This fearless young 831a0a8ae5 lady must have c44da465d0 knowingly attended the 51ca7d61b9 Admancanon tea party, 63e019b47f despite understanding the 17f042d06a risks.760088967a2cd510

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Though he didn’t approve, 76889fb5dc he kept a polite 3ae4f92be8 smile on his face.a85cd4ead5e1728f

“At any rate, her confession nearly caused an uproar with the Capital Guard—but who is she? None other than the 8eb3c30f0f mistress of the powerful ae91d29e81 Admancanon House.”507fbd45465a95b3

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