Chapter 8. After the Explanation

Thud. Thud.9844ce912aae0186

The heavy metallic sound 710670a49a of knocking at the 1087883160 front door made Serenia 00f50b5b0b frown with reluctance as 945539eb22 she peeked through the 580f0434d5 curtains.48e7f0e662b10de2

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She worried about the 4012fbb0bd kind of articles the cf30eb362a reporters would write tomorrow dd8f14da74 about a beautiful host e4b66ca9f3 visiting the Barishart estate 65ca06c146 first thing in the 7b5a601e3f morning.e117626ce625c678

However, to her relief, 2ad5059133 it wasn’t Ain at d53f9f1253 the door, but a 650b106b53 mailman.4e9bd602d40f841c

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‘At least there won’t be a headline like, “Shock! Betrayed Duke’s Pure Love—Host Seen Entering Barishart Estate Early in the Morning!”‘7bcb3ace80559026

With that thought, 82723e6087 she quickly stepped f86ce35f9b outside, making sure 217d39b77d to cover her 051d622ed2 face with a 634d59248b scarf.f53593422abcf673

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Even so, the sound c67a35d882 of camera shutters echoed 3f938abea1 relentlessly from every direction, 07abaddc98 so loud it almost c13edb2948 drowned out the mailman’s 38a6ddf1b1 voice.e27e4d995c6af5ba

“Good morning, my lady. I apologize for coming so early,” he said, bowing with an apologetic look.81f16b29493010b9

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Serenia noticed the mailman’s 4ce428e051 rumpled green uniform and 0924d0642d couldn’t help but feel 128cac1ccb guilty. He had clearly bd6e521cd4 struggled to make d0e46148c7 it through the 63f4123344 crowd of reporters 672638ed92 to get here.73f28b7c3e5764cd

“Huff… Anyway, this is an urgent delivery.”427b2875e3061f8f

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He said, pointing behind 491a609ab0 him as he wiped 7e1b537f64 sweat from his forehead.0129eedfa28572e0

Serenia followed his hand and saw a massive box sitting in front of the large green mail cart. It was plastered with warnings like “Fragile” and “Handle with Care” and was easily big enough to fit a small wardrobe.bf6668f6764a5d65

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Her mouth afc8b9577d fell open 816a172df1 involuntarily.f7c13ea1da41952b

‘Could it be something from Raskal? A collection of poisons, maybe?’e48f2b023a8c882b

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While she was 6ef7725b8a lost in her 3457a92711 wild imagination, the 98feca2106 mailman handed her 9a52d9268a a ledger and ed010fef21 a pen.8535b4887e789b18

“Please sign here to confirm receipt.”976d90bcf1a39328

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Half-dazed, she scribbled her 59f5170f77 signature while the mailman d157383ce7 heaved the box to 8883517e03 the front door, panting 46a35d3773 heavily.cc32c9744345fcb2

“Well then, have a good day, my lady.”d139a057302fc2c8

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He tipped his d659640d43 hat and started f969d96944 heading back toward 55325e3cb2 the cart, but 90d2e9b2ed paused and called 15c9708f45 out cheerfully.c52165de0d5cb5e0

“Oh, and congratulations on your upcoming marriage!”5681801bfe616152

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“…”86807bfd263568cf

Serenia saw him off d8cdf7732e with an expression as 6dc1361998 sour as if she’d 83cba24700 bitten into raw dandelion 028299e27d roots. Then, groaning, d2c6f2a6f1 she dragged 63a0800317 the box a1d3a42b93 inside.d94422cb5a331bea

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After locking 42e89d0caf the door d11ea8aa13 and taking 9a62b2a5c2 a deep 62b7b465be breath, she d35ed8dc86 turned to f0a44a2843 the box df84332ee5 and said 9324b71c1a coldly.7fa07d9fca12b1f6

“Come out right now.”9e454b293cc3ac34

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The moment her words cac1869985 fell, the box began 629c94680c to shake.aad02fccbc9f113d

After a few 89cccebc27 loud rustling noises, 70069b0bac the top of ee62ef93d2 the box creaked 7e7dc78c48 and burst open.d5177d5e9d33bd2d

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From within, a 6e579eb36c head of bright 7c5d55767e red hair emerged, 7a8101b6d2 dyed an unnatural, 152402fedc fiery hue.748e5952cb68bcbc

“Ah, caught already.”3125b5eea14639f3

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Ain said with 28965f907e a sheepish grin, 866d5a32da pushing his hair 02b7b28eae back and adjusting 5ac06d4fbe his tinted glasses.282ad5dc7396269b

“But how did you know? I wasn’t even breathing loudly.”66d577482a0b9b04

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“Is that really the issue here?”045c27f1aefdb61a

Serenia snapped, her voice 21b3bc0f8a rising.e9c085e2fa41cb3f

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She glared at 13b5efef05 him and shouted.9ddeb63fa922db34

“How could you even think of getting yourself delivered in a box?! Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?”ed0f28f6b52c84ae

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Feigning a sorrowful expression, 81fec6b0ac Ain replied dramatically.b5b3a709e2e1a66b

“But it was the only way I could get through the reporters to keep my promise. And I couldn’t just break my word to pick you up.”766142e9432eade7

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His forlorn demeanor, cf38ad98a2 like a lone be77049437 daffodil in the 8688998276 snow, momentarily captivated f26627bb89 Serenia.16ce95b02d19e69d

Unaware that she was 04a65e149e falling for a classic 2971a76dd5 act of charm, Serenia ec585fbbe6 stammered in a flustered 2c0a201789 voice.e9f32ccdf2d0e15c

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“I… I didn’t mean it that way. I’m sorry…”40359432401eabee

Taking advantage of 6a1fc4e87e her distraction, Ain 76a0a46f13 slipped gracefully out 36c4e5fb2c of the box 11a2c4be0c and brushed off 7328286245 his rumpled coat. Then, with his 8ef6b0db85 usual dazzling smile, 6270efd061 he added.388338c01d40dcb0

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“By the way, while I went to such lengths to keep my promise, you broke yours and didn’t even apologize.”862aa3094c061c1c

“…What?”e914907418676ec9

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Caught off e5e2475760 guard, Serenia 4cb267311a blinked in e9f1f4c915 confusion as 79e2c11d82 the atmosphere 3be406b6b9 shifted abruptly.0faf50a01b77be4b

Before she could 26ed5bf252 respond, Ain pretended 2e0d58c43d to realize something fef082d30c with mock surprise.994c0fba4a3b8a57

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“Oh, my mistake. I should be addressing you as the future Duchess, shouldn’t I?”2ff9ca1e0c1f4134

That’s when 5e44e599d5 she remembered 86fefa9d70 the source 2c0b9648e5 of this 92fb513368 morning’s chaos.5b0ddfbcca7f1ac2

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‘Right! The ‘extra edition’!’1cd033c6a860272f

She had been so 10dc9886af shocked by Ain’s dramatic 0d8c70ac26 arrival that she had ceb86a2e57 completely forgotten about it.b3fa8c89c3e9fab3

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‘How could I forget something so important?’d616a5169e29c9a4

Chastising herself, she frantically a1ccdbc450 waved her hands.0821af9540c72e56

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“No, no! That’s not it! Not at all!”2e1ebba17dc5920a

Ignoring her bc012318d0 protests, Ain de2db76aca casually pulled 5e9e2f72ee the extra 713669726c edition from c48eee782c his coat 5a7f0e6173 and unfolded 7a2e62fb77 it.d1f4f41d3e24096b

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The headlines, packed with speculative nonsense about “Raskal Admancanon’s Proposal,” all but declared their marriage a done deal.97948b694a6ba8ce

Skimming the article 96e67b2930 with a smirk, ee826ec9f5 Ain commented.f133e68569fbfc80

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“Well, considering the Admancanon family’s wealth, six million krovats is probably nothing.”98da47527568b4e3

“That’s not it! Let me explain! I’ll explain everything!” Serenia pleaded.2c1413985c713694

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Ain, unbothered, continued with e2261992af exaggerated despair.2d017b6c8fd53eb1

“Well then, as someone who pales in comparison to the Duke, I suppose I’ll just take my money and leave.”5b3c997a66ad1c05

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“Wait! Just listen to me!”3e56724c97c32d08

“Oh, and congratulations on your wedding. Don’t worry about sending me an invitation.”c014e79aeccd845c

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“Hey! Hold on!”336a3d6ffe9f3850

“And please make sure the compensation is fully paid by the end of the month.”771647329da5f375

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With that, 17e2ef772a Ain turned 25ff39b237 toward the 4cb680996e door, leaving 7a1e43fb6e Serenia scrambling 704a68c213 to block f2a4423ef5 his path.9e7591369f3ca322

She darted baaba247f3 forward like eaf869ceeb lightning and dac539d415 grabbed his 23e28b1a67 collar, forcing 107479000a him to 460e90fcee stop just 27ecc29624 shy of fc659ef265 the exit.780b23621e68f5b8

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Meeting his gaze through 9de785ce46 his tinted glasses, she f837611574 shouted with all her c66fb19543 might.15ffccdbcc3f7df0

“Will you just ‘listen’ to me?!”1af63468d802f7f6

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“…I’m listening,” he replied calmly.d10c28b20a3921e3

“No, you’re not! It’s all a misunderstanding! I swear!”f52125536cff159b

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“A misunderstanding?”4592e36ef01bd1d7

“Yes! I can explain everything, from start to finish, perfectly!”2c41665a6a24338f

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Ain studied her desperate f66d40ac06 expression for a moment f82c8d947e before his lips curved 098b48dbc4 into a sly smile.72ed0652d438ed48

“Alright.”ca6b8f0a532d7c6b

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His low voice carried 21b9d89ce9 a strange resonance that 418cd1e5e7 made Serenia flinch.4b0498cf336cdbab

That’s when she realized 49f88763c5 how close they had 080e9d925e become.93311aa00670a090

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Flustered, she 9534dee21b tried to c6d46b316f back away, dfeb9ea255 but the 0f7962eb79 door blocked 0dec5b11c2 her escape.a8e34cafd06341e7

In the brief moment of hesitation, Ain slid his gloved fingers between hers, gently prying her grip loose as he whispered, “Then let’s hear it.”7aa36fefdb255731

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And then—40213aa97f6e57b4

Wham!80f35384c3f7215b

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Ain stumbled back, 6a2b0e8ef7 clutching his chin e33ebb5fac where Serenia’s fist 1b7b64aed7 had instinctively landed.0b01bda02981e6ed

* * *7712a09a7340e505

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Serenia handed 93b53214d9 Ain an 17a345e536 ice pack 731797a990 filled with ecba1cb348 snow she afb4839ffa had scooped c93b3dea75 from outside.33f5790b280aa446

Ain, sitting on e0e1dcf215 the worn-out sofa c910b76145 in the Barishart f53dacca97 estate’s parlor, accepted 709c7beb83 it without protest 7ed63da566 and pressed it 9afcc64f37 to his bruised, 8393f92096 purpling chin.424bec252013fe8d

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Watching him, Serenia hesitated 115d03e939 before speaking cautiously.770f505565918c2e

“Um… I’m sorry for hitting you. It was just reflex.”00cfc498fc0d1c3c

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“…No, it’s my fault.”528a5ceb0f6fefe4

Serenia quickly agreed.a4ab199084c90f5a

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“Exactly. Why would you do something so ridiculous?”8c7974bf5af06967

“…”fa1ff76193213207

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“Ahem. Anyway, at least nothing got broken, dislocated, or fractured. That’s a relief.”0da1b97ad653dcec

“…Yes.”b4b5c90ad897534c

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“And the bruise… well, you can just cover it with makeup, right? It shouldn’t interfere much with your job.”bc8539c441971d1d

That much was 1ef3aa4c5f true.2d34cde783ec0c93

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Except the makeup a4acda9efe artist would probably e76f1836fb freak out and 228ac3f822 report him to 2e8fc58edc the theater director, b9e6ac3ded who would then 3e9dd694dc storm over, ranting 5a06e1b3a4 about how he 7f6f8ae6fe wasn’t taking proper b23f035e07 care of himself.5eb0dea9f2fe047c

Suppressing those thoughts, Ain replied gloomily, “…Yes. Thank you for your concern.”a85f3bfb85d2d1e2

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His lackluster response 7cc2acc227 made Serenia feel c732ef0746 a twinge of 4318d40812 guilt.9fb5c21c66f21553

But since there 406f8cb7f9 wasn’t much else 53dbc4817a she could do, 17217e3241 she decided to 1efadc9b28 change the subject.5148739e975896f2

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“Anyway, I just wanted to clarify that the ‘extra edition’ was completely fabricated.”293bbbc8fc42fa17

Still holding the ice 73bdb3dba0 pack to his chin, 399a697ba3 Ain narrowed his eyes.b518b2c9c21772fb

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“Completely fabricated, you say?”bd1e3485947bbd3b

The subtle 0964fa4f72 emphasis in fb388ca354 his tone db805dd92c made Serenia 4c6a843185 laugh awkwardly 672d4c90ed and correct 0d47cb0761 herself.54688e234a7acba5

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“Well… If we’re being technical, it’s not ‘completely’ fabricated. Maybe about… ninety percent false?”abe1f9961976ca96

“Oh, I see. ‘Something like that happened,’ you say. And what exactly might that be?”4a3c9b1f088d778f

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He tilted his head 141eea8be2 slightly, his sharp gaze 2b7d2f12d0 paired with a crooked 7dc6e00c9b smile.f16630a03f4881ac

Serenia avoided his eyes and stammered, “Well, you see…”d1c9958c254013d1

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“Yes?”7e4041124aea92a5

“There was… sort of a proposal… kind of?”5f6c8450f6cdf8a5

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Before she could da820f29af finish her explanation, e4b540c153 Ain interjected.591393ec91050fc2

“My lady, just in case you’re unaware, double contracts are a textbook case of fraudulent deception.”24204f67c21f10b5

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