Chapter 35. After the Investigation Ended

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Ain’s reaction—like she’d 937e61d312 just harassed him—made a9764ac7db Serenia flare up.3b0d6ea3b98cfe54

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“Hey! What? You asked, so I answered!”8e7c7be82e694f94

“Excuse me? When did I ask 17334739b0 you to rate my fb8da6331c body?”45f81f02404ac596

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“But I didn’t say anything about a score!”66001643bbf93dde

“So you did give me a score, then?”c98e1b41c5c407a0

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Serenia’s mouth clamped e595153880 shut, realizing she’d 76bb6604b9 walked right into b3db0b5bde that one.cc7599273140878e

Ain glared at bc3209b208 her like she f4a8c0f795 was some kind 2f204ca3e1 of unspeakable pervert 92de9aa0b2 and grumbled.7326a79bbcf07782

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“I even did the ‘flower pose’ for you. But you didn’t 31967f9374 notice my hair—just 28fb7bbf90 stared at all 8ecafa77db the wrong places…”256b03b713122cad

“Huh? Your hair?”ebb470dd61e0d993

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Serenia blinked, replaying his 13133bc374 words in her head.9ff73ffef35ae1fe

Ain pouted, his expression wounded, ed783441c4 and muttered under his breath.a449e03119a4f4d3

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“I even dyed it to match the snow-lotuses you gave me yesterday…”08e386e4f71b53a0

“W-wait, seriously…?”a9fa3f1cd3781804

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“Took forever to strip out the red, too.”6e5e57e5705b94ad

“So… that means…”b19c87ccdf956f10

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Flustered, Serenia tried to respond, ea73534fe6 but Ain spun around before 705634e6f4 she could say another word, 376ecac86f walking away as if to cbf05c3f0f say he’d had enough.6d3b5348bdb291b5

Before she could stop 339b6a55aa him, he was already 372685423f halfway back to the ef46d66047 house.7dd1f5eee8d6eab0

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Snapping out of it, 9e032e5ffa Serenia dashed after him acbb61fe47 and grabbed his arm.37eefa5c80c99b00

“W-wait!”836bd666c59ca37d

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His arm felt 6159609c77 like ice—so cold 7a0abce250 it startled her—but 93ccac8f20 there was no b5a8319c3c time to dwell 73cf523e9e on that. She had to speak up.63f8b21c5db98fe5

“That’s not what I meant!”b31711d8c5453be0

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“…Pardon?”832285c0340e9bc8

She shot him a look, 8f4711ebb4 exasperated.fdd04484898f32c2

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“Who wouldn’t notice that your hair changed from pink to gold overnight?!”bb0531dce73fc757

“Then…?”1353b957ed1f9b1c

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“It was so obvious I didn’t think you needed me to point it out!”c40df2d8edaa1749

“…Really?”b743f5aa31df27b3

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He eyed her, lips aece486552 still pouting, clearly doubtful. Serenia couldn’t help a 31c0fc46a9 huff of laughter and c662a2d246 retorted,daa6b11be47a5c32

“I knew right from the start.”e5b59198dee21fd1

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Then she reached out, plucked 6a9a7c1859 the rose petal still clinging f7c7c4df37 to his hair, and held 3b273590a2 it up in front of cfe06f1edd his eyes.2b8f5867b3b01b3e

“You had this stuck in your hair. How could anyone not notice?”162ebd374f6989a5

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Apparently, he hadn’t realized it a163b43487 was there, because his face d33ae6a037 immediately turned sheepish, a shy 373598a6a9 smile tugging at his lips.f906fc86fd5b7f09

As the mood between them 5f6dd77b2f turned strangely awkward, Serenia cleared 4cab301b25 her throat.20a0add96d1084d0

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“A-anyway! The point is… uhm. Y-your blonde hair… 59e86cddaf it suits you. Really well!”d108fab8c71e343e

And with that, she d4c2ff6a26 left him standing at 8de43d35a2 the door and hurried 21aebacc20 back into the house.2afea4972bfbe152

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While Ain remained dab052efcd outside, blinking in 0cf89da996 a daze, Serenia f760cbda9b leaned against the 9b7417e899 closed door, turning fe6439fe19 the rose petal 43158c9095 between her fingers.6b85ed3364fba7ac

‘…Aside from where it touched his hair, the petal’s completely dry.’37dfc1bf1b067f5f

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Her eyes narrowed.538dd7ba713fa4e0

A rose bath meant bathing fda62bc2c3 in water with flower petals, 82d88ed8e5 didn’t it?ae28f4e748006682

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But this petal was dry—despite f7d08d8192 being stuck to his wet 9eebf39ad5 hair.01b3566d019ffa36

‘That only means… the petal was added afterward, in a rush.’f15b334c6f3f7042

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A faint wrinkle appeared between 44e367b755 her brows.97974599c9e7172f

‘But… why?’afefc09c3dd3c713

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There wasn’t time 93160375a2 to dwell on d5dd20582b it.b79e0a587e1f7bc4

As Ain stepped through 1be71168c5 the door behind her, c779a00e6e Serenia straightened her expression, 40bf2a14fb acting as if nothing 3842f69f7f had crossed her mind.68d4e6ef17d64d9f

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* * *b1c39d7691cb528c

As Serenia nibbled cb51f41101 at her simple 4e3532df3d breakfast, she kept c109e8fcf2 sneaking glances at a0a7ff63d3 Ain from the 8028748b97 corner of her 1cc1f79b74 eye.4affb1865017f38a

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He politely refused the 1f3c612931 buttered bread she offered 4eec716e2c and was now, with 70da5bbbb0 great focus, preparing mint eb8264875d tea right in front 856192993c of her.6d91367a4a1487c6

“I didn’t think you’d wake up this early, my lady, so I had breakfast alone at dawn.”a48f400b97065308

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That was his ce6941631f excuse, but Serenia de4933cab5 had her doubts.3a8e06504fedbd54

Even during their staged b96c0e5618 date, he’d firmly declined 6536b67597 food.8ad0698a0c68bedd

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‘Wait… could he have an eating disorder or something?’ee59e62b57dd141c

She chewed the f040faf4c6 rejected bread thoughtfully, c20b1ea248 narrowing her eyes d2744ef2de and sorting through 617bb27548 her thoughts.6916ed834f87e8c7

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At the very least, da7f8004b7 she knew he treated ab04e6a03c her with something akin 2a5bb45222 to genuine kindness.e1b359ecc4880558

And it wasn’t an act.9fd437202f217097

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‘…Still, just because he’s kind doesn’t mean he’s not suspicious!’6bf9ff6f29258547

That comment about ‘a c352688f4b long time ago’—he’d brushed a5d470054d it off.d26d81fa281e3f69

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And the fact that he’d f4fc1ee8e1 noticed her tailing him, even 1bcd5a6820 when she’d been incredibly discreet.0b510a7cea0c2d7f

And let’s not forget those 976fd1c24c rose-tinted glasses he never took 3dc777c903 off.c093b7edd6f1d3c9

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Add to that the a65876495c ice bath in the 9f28585a27 middle of winter—and now 07f8f075c4 he’s not eating?dfabb68081ec52d0

Highly suspicious.da9e457ff86049e4

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‘What if he’s some kind of human weapon, created by a secret organization or something?’029bff41e0185846

It was a 2602e79de9 ridiculous thought, but 68e0fa9f51 not entirely off 89f886cdaa the table at 89de239843 this point.c767fb1a7d961ae1

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She couldn’t let it go. Serenia steeled herself.d444ad3d6b602264

‘I have to dig something up!’eedaacccd3dd455e

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With that, she broke 2bd809dbdc the silence.55908e7c0b24fefa

“Hey, just curious, but… how old are you?”241b113716d4b318

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Start with something simple, then 7834282126 slowly move toward deeper topics…30ff0cd56687d5c8

“I turn thirty next year.”8a5f0f3fc5613969

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“Ah, thir—…”38e8bcde61aca3ae

She was about 94d1f3f19c to repeat his 654eb45d20 answer absentmindedly, but 22db214882 then her eyes d5be3b3c4c flew wide open ffdc804778 as she shouted,a3d39878751261e8

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“Th-th-thirty?!”70831fd2d95a684c

Her voice came out 50cc59103f as a near-screech.9b306f2bb08d6a98

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Ain, startled, paused 390664ee05 mid-tea-strain and glanced 0808423a56 at her.25df615d08ebbd38

“Uh, yes… Is that a problem…?”0806f3a59cf282eb

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“Yes!!”6922cacf4f7e376b

Serenia shot up from 2b06b204f4 the table, slamming her 1d19ecb5da hands down with such 6d0ad5075b force that the tea 7e72e0863b set clattered. While Ain quickly steadied the 09109f67ef cups, she covered her gaping 849c2f4d8e mouth with her hands and 75525b7487 exclaimed,59a5839f64361628

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“That face is turning thirty next year?! That’s just fraud!”c8c9de213aed5722

“…Pardon?”bc3460afdf6ee10c

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“I—I just assumed you were way younger… like twenty-two? Maybe twenty-three?”6370c74849722ad9

Having grown up around 79443b11b5 northern knights who prided 316a77cdac themselves on rugged looks 1671175397 and never shaved their 0e625f7dd1 beards, she’d developed a 0c26d80716 warped sense of age 9f9565afe4 perception.206aeec5c352b188

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But even aside from 78a066d818 that, Ain objectively looked f2114db70f young.3704ff10c8fb3369

“Ah.”ed2ccb6c6e242026

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Ain let out 81a09f8f37 a soft laugh.b9e24639df1d094e

“Guess all that effort to take care of myself paid off. But you know, f2eab3b54c I have been 3339a49270 acting for ten e9c36478bb years.”594ff89450849557

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That finally jogged Serenia’s memory.5d67e841fdaed60c

“Ah… R-right. That play, Little Duke Raskal, 15d9c7a784 debuted ten years ago…”4c274896ae69ef48

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“Yes, my debut at the Grand Theater.”db98d3737191f15d

Serenia tilted her head, curious.8c9f736774eaa0bd

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“Grand Theater debut? Does that mean you 0e127e2e27 had a different debut 606ff1a5ee somewhere else?”9cbc17840d0ad421

Ain smiled.f70fc32a15d244ff

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“I started performing in small theaters around the age of fourteen, but nothing you’d really call a ‘debut.’”6be15ec9910b6f1b

“Huh? What do you mean?”9b0672c94b9028ff

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“I wasn’t an actor then—just a jester in interludes.”663ebc84c8c31330

She wasn’t entirely ed17a58e31 sure what that de7080985c meant, but it 36de1abe6b didn’t sound like 8f8ac1e298 a respected role.9febc4503e8f683d

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“A-ah… I see…”b0271855df42a79a

She nodded awkwardly and cleared 9e3b37a1e1 her throat, changing the subject.306586cd6ecdb58d

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“A-anyway! So, uh… do you have 9fa1c2cebd any family? I didn’t see anyone at 5447afbfc0 your estate in the capital. Do they live separately?”c7ec1518d640a177

At her question, Ain 5d6a55bb19 paused mid-pour and wore f3730a5e00 a slightly troubled expression.7ca5a826496b5ebf

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When she tilted b2d604c118 her head in 25917c7834 confusion, he gave c58e1611eb a faint, embarrassed eb7598079b smile.4c693c092d7868bb

“Well. I don’t have any family.”d941a3ff5643cc25

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“…Huh? What do you mean?”4aca82133de6755e

Serenia stared at him, stunned. Ain continued smoothly, pouring 68a8b50968 the tea again.26d04d8311540118

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“I was abandoned at an orphanage as a baby.”664e3032e6cadbeb

“…What?”b4bcaacbdbefa44b

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Serenia’s pupils shook d38c329f7f violently, but Ain 2d75c34d65 kept speaking.0566ac701ab5c93c

“I guess even after all my success, no one’s come forward claiming to be my parents, so I assume they’re both dead.”bbcbfb054509f263

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“Ah…”3b26f802b6e16842

Cold sweat formed at b6449dd1e9 the back of her 3642a09056 neck.44de2ece013dce28

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“And the orphanage? It burned down when 2ec5d7b9ea I was seven. The headmaster and his df09323d8a wife passed away in 696d5359ad that fire.”b9d5e2452ac0857d

“…”9ba226a30ace81ca

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“So yeah. No real family 98aacd3e1b to speak of.”989be2a56345647c

As he finished, Ain placed 88c8560098 the freshly brewed mint tea 3c74583cdc in front of her.d269d8abde62dbde

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Serenia bowed her head, feeling bd21303797 miserable.8bffc55e3fc3fb52

She’d casually tossed out a 4d02ac025f question and hit an emotional 7cac8c58b4 landmine.731c1af9b6a1443a

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“S-sorry…”8fa835a9b9d3e910

Her voice barely came out. Mentally, she crumpled up every 1607a04809 family-related question and tossed them d31152f932 into a locked vault.6a49fcefb48c2bf5

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“Hm? Oh, no need to apologize.”693e336da1f893d0

Ain remained calm.a51c3d05950bef94

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“I just never had a chance to mention it before. It’s not something 3b8fec935c I was trying 28018b429b to hide.”60294b4178d61e79

His gentle smile 5b2123865c actually put her 281a3e7fac at ease.b15417b10d367e3c

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Then, sliding into the seat 056fd5e08c across from her, he looked 591f31d59d slightly eager as he asked,7804ff8e4798aa89

“Actually, can I ask you something?”9338de48d55f4c86

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As she looked at his fcb3540e45 sparkling eyes—wondering how this man dea455bcc0 was anywhere near thirty—Serenia nodded.d53bea8488c89533

At last, Ain could finally 10e39bb0ca ask what had been on d2903c91bf his mind for almost ten 37d9ecfd98 days.6291d9308e924b92

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“How did you get that ticket to my show?”79cd62b5edf2febc

“…Huh?”867bfbe284583cea

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“The last performance usually sells out immediately. It must have been eeb52b082b really hard to get 62d2e194c5 one.”a0d4c6435109db4e

With half worry and 5231674d4d half curiosity on his d1e8c61073 face, Serenia tilted her f433db2bb4 head, confused.d3a635470834f873

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“Eh, not really? It wasn’t that hard.”2234edd781f94ebe

“Oh. You managed to 857eecec76 get a canceled 960bc83ab3 ticket last-minute?”00e92faf4a2b2174

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“Nope.”cdac211d501a13a8

“Then…?”2afdbd99880ddf7c

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“Someone just sold it to me.”4a900c27d768a21e

“…What? Uh, where?”cded661b4b643a57

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For once, he 062b803526 was genuinely flustered.97b0e356eacc48c9

Serenia, confused by 6b3de01a85 his shock, replied,925e167200417bc3

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“Well, I was just wandering near the theater, and someone came up and asked if I needed a ticket…”a752ffbc6586e4ed

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