Chapter 29. After the Hospital Visit Ended

“…What?”

Serenia’s expression froze instantly.

The 16th?

The last date she remembered was December 8th—the day of the final performance of Young Duke Razkal.

Eight days had passed since then.

‘…I thought it was just a mild poison. Was it worse than I thought?’

Tilting her head in confusion, she furrowed her brow slightly.

‘Don’t tell me I’ve got some kind of lasting damage from the poison? Is that what the compensation money is for…?’

As she puzzled over the sudden appearance of the money pouch, something else struck her.

‘Wait. The bank seizure date…’

She had received the final notice from the bank on November 14th.

Given a one-month grace period, the seizure date was December 14th.

Two days ago.

Her face went completely pale.

William, noticing her reaction, gently patted her shoulder and pulled out a document.

It was a Notice of Auction Finalization.

Not only had her estate been seized, it had already been auctioned off.

Just as Serenia was on the verge of collapsing in despair, William quickly spoke.

“The seizure happened as scheduled on the 14th, and the forced auction for the estate and its contents took place on the 15th.”

Then he pulled out another piece of paper, about the size of a theater ticket, and handed it to her.

Serenia instantly recognized what it was.

A check. More specifically, a check worth 2,740,000 krovats.

She stared blankly at William, completely at a loss for why this check had suddenly appeared.

He tapped the bottom of the auction notice she was holding.

As she quickly turned her eyes to the spot he indicated, he continued.

“The moment the auction began, someone—identity unknown—placed a bid of three million krovats on the estate and all its contents.”

“…What?”

“Hard to believe, right? Must be some fool with too much money.”

He gleefully mocked the mysterious bidder, then suddenly clamped his mouth shut, realizing his words could be taken as an insult toward the Barishart estate.

Coughing awkwardly, he hurriedly changed the subject.

“Anyway, no one bid higher, so the estate was sold at that price.”

Though William continued explaining, Serenia still looked lost, her head tilted in confusion.

“After deducting taxes, the bank loan principal, overdue interest, and all the additional fees incurred after the due date, the remaining balance was exactly 2,743,755 krovat and 814 tiling.”

He recited the number precisely and then lifted the money pouch slightly.

“Since amounts under ten thousand krovats can’t be issued as a check, I brought the rest in cash.”

“…Huh?”

Still bewildered, Serenia blinked at him, unable to process it.

With a cheerful smile, he delivered the finishing blow.

“Congratulations, my lady. You’re literally a millionaire now.”

* * *

After that, William was practically chased out of the hospital room by the doctor and nurses who stormed in.

While the medical staff busied themselves checking her condition, Serenia sat dazed, trying to sort out her thoughts amid the commotion.

She didn’t need to ask William who had won the auction for the estate—it was obvious.

There was only one person in the world who would spend a strangely precise three million krovats on a house that wasn’t even worth fifty thousand at best.

‘But according to the contract, the payment should have been made after we registered the marriage… Why pay now…?’

Tilting her head in confusion, Serenia suddenly froze and furrowed her brow.

‘Don’t tell me… Did he register the marriage while I was unconscious?’

As she panicked over the possibility, the doctor completed his examination and declared her fully recovered, granting permission for her to be discharged the next morning.

Serenia decided she would go find him immediately after discharge and demand a full explanation.

But she didn’t have to wait that long.

That evening, he came to visit her.

It was just as Serenia lay in bed, bored out of her mind, counting the patterns on the ceiling.

Knock knock.

A light knock came from the door, and when she answered with a “Yes,” it opened quietly.

He entered the room with his face completely covered—hat, tinted glasses, even a scarf.

Without a word, he closed the door, removed his hat and scarf, and greeted her briefly.

“I heard you woke up, so I came to see you.”

His tone sounded colder and more rigid than usual.

Though she found it strange, Serenia greeted him warmly, then immediately bowed her head.

“It’s all thanks to you. Thank you.”

“…”

He said nothing, only stood in silence.

His lack of response felt awkward and embarrassing, but Serenia pressed on, recalling what William had told her.

“I heard the gist of it. You moved Viscount Sitrit to action despite the risk of blackmail… and you bought the Barishart estate. It was all you, wasn’t it?”

“Well, yes.”

Though puzzled by his curt reply, Serenia bowed again, slowly and sincerely.

“Thank you. Truly. I’ll make sure to repay this debt.”

As she raised her head, her eyes met his.

Behind his tinted glasses, she couldn’t see the color of his eyes, but she could sense the coldness in them.

Chilling, emotionless—unfeeling.

She had no idea why he was looking at her that way.

Wide-eyed, she retraced her words, wondering if she’d forgotten to thank him for something.

As she mentally ticked off each point, her face suddenly lit up.

“Oh! The photos!”

She rummaged through the bedside drawer, pulling out the thick envelope William had given her.

With an awkward smile, she held it out to him.

“I didn’t get a chance to say it earlier, but thank you for understanding what I meant.”

But he pushed the envelope back toward her.

“You can keep it.”

“Huh? Why?”

She blinked in confusion, and he answered coldly.

“It’s useless now.”

“…Oh.”

She let out a small, absent-minded sound, but quickly understood.

Of course. The photos had already been exposed.

They were no longer valid evidence for a scandal.

‘…But why does he seem angry at me?’

Serenia furrowed her brows.

‘Is he sulking because the photos are ruined? But it’s not my fault they ended up in her hands…’

Trying to calm herself before getting defensive, she changed the subject.

“More importantly, what exactly happened?”

“What do you mean?”

“The auction. You’re the one who paid three million krovats, right?”

“Ah, that.”

“Why did you do it? I mean, not that I’m blaming you! I’m truly grateful. It’s just, according to our contract, payment was supposed to come after marriage registration, so receiving it now feels… wrong, I guess…”

He watched her with a cold gaze as she stumbled over her words, then finally spoke.

“Do you feel guilty about that?”

“…What?”

Seeing her flustered expression, Ain paused, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath, suppressing whatever storm was boiling inside.

When he opened them again, his face was cold, emotionless.

“You knew, didn’t you?”

“Knew what?”

“That it was poisoned. You knew and still drank it, didn’t you?”

“Ah… That, um…”

Her inability to respond made his gaze even sharper.

“Are you out of your mind?”

His voice came out icy.

“If you’d taken it unknowingly, that’d be one thing. But you knew. You told me you’d handle the proposal situation yourself. Was this your solution? Attempted suicide?”

Startled by his accusation, Serenia rushed to defend herself.

“No! It wasn’t like that! I had calculated everything, I thought it through—”

“Calculated.”

He cut her off with a bitter laugh that wasn’t really a laugh.

“For someone who loves calculations, you sure failed to calculate the risk to your own life.”

“That’s…”

“You calculated and drank it? Fine. Let’s say that’s true.”

“I—”

“Then after you left the duke’s house, you should’ve gone straight to the hospital. Why did you go to the theater in that condition? Why?”

Serenia hesitated, then shouted in frustration.

“Because it was the last time!”

At that, Ain’s hardened face slackened into stunned disbelief.

“…What?”

Serenia flailed, trying to explain.

“I found out what your job was while I was at the duke’s mansion. Then I remembered your name, and I recalled you said your last performance was on the 8th…”

Ain let out a heavy sigh.

Still unaware, Serenia kept rambling.

“I kept avoiding it before, but I didn’t want to anymore. I couldn’t miss it—so I didn’t think of anything else…”

She glanced at him and fell silent.

His face had darkened even further.

Gone was the cold anger; in its place, deep despair and resignation.

After a long pause, he finally spoke, quietly.

“So… it was because of me.”