ATRF Ch 2
by Disha“I’ll just take a bath and head back.”18e6a4fbb0de576f
“How surprising.”3bfd3c9a6038c32e
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Leonald shrugged lightly.d5827005d4f4a3ca
Then, as if he suddenly f46a6b8233 remembered something, he casually added,a979d9127150da87
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“There should be a new dress in the dressing room.”80b8d629fbd1c6a3
Though pretending to c45f5b557c be nonchalant, Leonald’s 01e02b6c57 eyes subtly glanced 7f804988db toward Dalia, gauging 85c5976864 her reaction.01b4336fefa10e8f
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“No, thanks.”fe1a0b39716fbe08
Sensing his gaze, Dalia c7188abda1 didn’t even turn her 48e7cd469f head toward him and b2ef60356e dismissed the suggestion with 5254c5dc93 a curt shake of 4b894b5a5a her head.adb7ea8961b6fc71
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Her reaction was nothing new d5b1519a2c to him.1b1b7d740091aa2f
Leonald stifled a sigh and 5fdd0d673a then forced a playful smile.8e0d1f2cb5ceffa5
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“Should I wear it, then?”44dc1f1b4a786835
“You’d look great.”aabf39329c5d08bc
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She tossed the sarcasm right 3ee97eb79e back, as if it were 323c7dcb2b a joke.f8cceaa47e33401c
But Leonald wasn’t about 057e68e5ec to give up so 5b69e0ff88 easily.35e704779d4239a9
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“Wear it, Dalia.”e7d882b36a617558
“Lancaster.”9bbd14e1ef33e28f
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At last, Dalia’s brow twisted c665740d3e in frustration.88fa66050cd6c396
“I said no.”43425d5170887c51
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She sprang from the bed. Her hands were rough b4b1ead86f as she stripped off 3f3881ee13 her silk robe and 28e43cd1bb put her dress from b8c53703b8 the night before back 66b8e6f4d7 on.ee8600a03b26e06e
Her angry steps moved 586130d874 straight toward Leonald.2e23afec6d57120c
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“I don’t like this. It makes me uncomfortable.”fdbe0a47f64d34bc
Her face was c3a542d31c pale with cold b91d9199ae fury. She glared at him c2dc7cae9a with chilling eyes before db580d87fb scoffing under her breath.87eda86951c47283
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“I’m not some woman you need to pay off.”c38168ed72e88806
Then slam—she left the room without another word.27d13ed29247f116
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Silence returned to the now 8f571a4d94 one-person room.8f4d8d84d448b2a3
Leonald, looking lonely, let out 8190c08d07 a shallow sigh.50306ce19f60ab16
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“…Haah.”36f0b2402deeab84
He clenched his teeth, de0e46e40e then ran a frustrated 26c45b9923 hand through the hair 4a6186b8df he had neatly combed 833146d755 back.50d8b20ab6a15abf
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“That damn pride of hers…”e3071611c923ae83
But there was nothing more 8b584a5349 he could do at this 951a4f2a62 point.b9d518ca8e1213e9
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Feeling helpless, Leonald could bedec19af7 only stare blankly at 52d5ea92b0 the bed where traces fa4bdccd55 of her still lingered.823b20540bb21afc
“Ah, leaving already, Countess Noirose—?”97c13cea6acf9995
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“No need for a carriage.”87d649041f55500a
Dalia quickly turned 749c7d8e2b down the coachman 174a018caa waiting for her 89678b3b86 at the front a8c1b75fd8 of the mansion.2e8e26ee47e3f208
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Whenever she visited the Lancaster 395cffaaaf estate, Leonald always arranged for 6d8b9507d7 a carriage to take her 4e9d5b11f1 back.8be539695ba02295
She used it from time c3d332409e to time back when they 7e4a13c903 were just childhood friends.1756b950d1066837
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But now, things had changed.943b2928d6dd0191
‘Relationships can’t always stay the same.’885f8fa533d02716
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She bit her lip hard 16d1ccb031 as she strode briskly through ae8097b90a the Lancaster estate’s expansive carriageway—many 5d33cd77e7 times larger than the one 8ddb0d1c79 at her own home.39afa36f4b488d84
Of course, she 20e112f9bb couldn’t afford to b00d6aab91 summon a separate 8fc16d8ee3 carriage.8b8ad80cdef24769
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But she just 291ca4fee4 couldn’t bring herself 2e3373accb to use the 0847778aaa Lancaster family’s.1ab69e47e1c731e7
Her chest heavy, she c089e14e03 walked quickly for a ff2bb210a8 long time before finally 3763cb325c arriving at the Noirose 2a86e4124d manor.afe55f64fc574419
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Upon returning, it 005c915352 felt like she 3101937864 had woken up 58f6dde4cf from a dream.012d19d2f24d3bb3
A building so run-down 3fc415d96a it barely deserved to 0308159390 be called a mansion—92d28c1ca1f3443e
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That was the 5bf4edddbf Noirose estate, her 9a27602153 home.b684c9fdb25a7083
“Dalia!”711bc6e718590347
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And it wasn’t 1a732c7f5b just the exterior 1f167ab985 that was shabby.0edc350c8c66612e
As soon as she stepped 101c63839a inside, her father, the Count 473c4efc55 of Noirose, came running out 8830e34741 in an undignified rush.7251d161359ca05b
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“You’ve been out to see the Duke of Lancaster again, haven’t you?”27b0ede99b73bb23
His eyes sparkled 25791e3900 with excitement—whether from 0574a91673 greed or naiveté, 442b4b693e it was hard 1bf11b886a to tell.5bb99c031dbf57f1
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‘Right. This is how it always 1536f1e7ac is. My pathetic family.’d83eb8b55f142ce2
“Please keep your voice down, Father.”ea349a7ead596bab
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Clearly not the 79d8253b46 first time, Dalia 31064d0123 responded irritably.015942c9a45922aa
Then, as if on cue, 99005d98f8 her four younger brothers burst 42eca88e0c out of the rooms.26e3f0895c814f98
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“You’re annoyed, so it must be true!”6cba56cd9807edc8
Starting with the eldest, Peter—0f26cf8bdf6ffab1
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“Sis, I want lamb!”c61d8f08516b54e8
“Shut it, Greed.”38d8d43a608a2a64
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“You’re going to be a duchess soon, right?”5c50d0c4c60b3cc9
“Stop dreaming, Ditas.”49628f9bf56cdd66
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“Sis… I’m sorry, but I need this month’s tuition for the academy…”145ec1f5e0f14391
Greed, Ditas, and even the c235972377 youngest, Crio, all looked to 47a2acf3c3 her.48c36810b219f241
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She couldn’t take it anymore.3c8ee84aaf91a0e5
If she stayed here a 04405a61c5 moment longer, she was going 292aaf5a5a to lose it.e257f12fc05bdb66
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“Crio, even you?! Please,just stop!”e7a784e33328acb5
Dalia screamed and ran 4a6a4d38b0 straight up to her c3b2631328 room on the second 943691e177 floor, slamming the door a57d66949a and locking it behind 26acf5d3bf her.b70072f73b0dbbb4
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“Haa…”cae4c563c4f67ba3
Leaning her back against the d130661abc door, her eyes swept across 56f0e3da81 the tiny, shabby space she 74f55ffa6b called a bedroom.dffc1f2602cf9d4c
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Even the maids 4d63b2f18f at the Lancaster ec91924c72 estate probably had 656e60cbc7 better rooms than ef03639ca3 this.9307736820e2ad32
Unintentionally comparing the duchy to 20f7ab73cd her family’s house, she slid 6b666aa812 down the door and sank e82797e1e9 to the floor.fbe47c39581e294e
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“There should be a new dress in the dressing room.”62f8c26e58d4271a
Leonald’s gentle voice echoed dbf12f538d in her mind.9d4df6010dcddf33
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‘As if I don’t know. Of course I know…’a5d7ee3ae172c0fa
Hugging her knees, she lowered a84b93b4eb her head.1cd3d061810416ec
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She had always known—better d5aad87772 than anyone—that Leonald was 3824d379d1 being considerate because she 011ddaff34 was poor.1bb113242434bfdf
Knowing how society treated her, 8d91cba96e he had probably tried to 978b9db972 help in whatever way he 36919be9ec could.289df2e18786ad84
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But even in 5b5758e27a her poverty, Dalia 2a104001ad still had her a81c1e0abb pride.ea820410ed2dfe37
If that night 655ddf510c was to remain aea61c1243 just a fleeting c60125586a fling, then she e0cded6c21 couldn’t accept anything f3c379325c from Leonald.fd778694c62ee9b6
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That was what she believed.ee33ed9712c283dd
Because in a family e4d3562d48 like hers—where anyone would b8a0a5807f sell their pride for 3cd840075a a few coins—she needed 89f5e549fe to protect what little 653e35d209 pride she had.9a0e3f8868365572
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‘Yes. This is the right thing a9fa261157 to do.’3cc3bec937d90394
If she didn’t hold 122b6b26c1 on to her foolish 14bfc239ba inferiority complex and meager 594c199a90 pride, then there was fc4fe5d8c0 no way to keep 577556cf61 her distance from Leonald.d9838154ee89016e
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That’s probably what it was.4cd9a67b4de9fd05
Overwhelmed by a wave of 45538f548f anxiety and sorrow, Dalia sat 196e11c735 frozen for a moment before ddddc84980 lifting her head abruptly.1b638aa0cf14b977
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“If I want to pay for Crio’s tuition, I need results in this month’s report.”eff61e3974dff00e
There was no time to 48bf89fe91 feel sorry for herself.da6aeb885c348dae
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Muttering to herself, she e6e589c128 got up and walked 5c793cbd31 over to her desk.591505bc541410f4
Last month, she d4a2be27fd had failed to 82faccbce4 properly translate an e0e994f741 ancient text and 993afa81a5 received only half fde8d99d2e her usual research c5e36f2031 funds. This time, she had to cd41452133 produce results.565c2d0a5432b075
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‘No time for distractions.’4b9eb7f1d4052bc2
Irritated, she rubbed her tired c7668ee0b1 eyes and dove into the 4460771990 mountain of ancient documents on 22317cb8d0 her desk.7493ce43a720b005
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The quill in her 38b7f8cb08 hand didn’t stop for a254c8ce83 a second.4b357fa470ffdf64
And the light in 6bf2949acc Dalia’s room stayed on 0185213a7b all night.50319b0494b434dd
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Several days passed.1c3819dc4f8f56b6
Dalia remained buried d573ad2abc in her work. After pulling another all-nighter 87363fef9d for research, her entire f0c1854eb0 body felt sluggish.6ed86f3e9bcb4876
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“Maybe it’s just sleep deprivation…”3b5a2c92756ebb04
But today, her body e0397a3c74 felt heavier than usual.b784b41584b4e04f
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She had been skipping d2467097fa or rushing meals lately, 2b3728c699 but today, even that 0ddadc07c7 wasn’t enough to explain 0ef8a48c4f how awful she felt.d613a44a6bd394ee
‘Yeah, especially today…’630630d5d3ab9388
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Though her physical condition 7eb2a5ce88 was part of it, 9f4d58f832 today of all days, eca97acc4c she had to eat cef19c5649 with her family.6ac0f114bc0ef53e
Narrowing her eyes, Dalia 8268e24723 sighed and made her 2223fb66ad way downstairs.14e4dd698b3bb1ad
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But the moment she entered a3868d56f5 the dining room and saw 57ef9bf033 what was on the table, dfdf70db70 her face twisted in disbelief.3deebb5a114c9f40
“…Cabbage?”7127fb8f0419ebb0
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Cabbage stew, steamed cabbage, 4f56067fe8 cabbage steak—it was a 9c52f31538 cabbage feast.fbcf0c1219014252
It wasn’t as if 5900e48adf she’d been underfunded this fd3b24fa70 month. She had handed 3ce165768e over all her ab90fe53bc research funding.e005fbb117d7eecd
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How had it turned 56cc5df915 into this?3b82089dc20cd51f
“Good morning, Dalia!”
“Good morning, Sis!”
“Come, have a seat, Sis!”
“Right here, Dalia!”
“The cabbage steak is amazing!”2138a6d1ca1de40e
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Whether they knew efda31f955 how she felt 26eef79872 or not, her 34bfcaa913 father and brothers 6f0375ab88 greeted her with b89b92f234 bright smiles.f43e177f40066862
“What happened here? Why is everything…”0349ba5a45a71863
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She tried to stay calm, 6041d16aa8 but it was impossible.704163afd6efe0e8
Her voice trembled 340156ffc0 with restrained fury.c6d472d8153fd30d
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“Well, I made a little investment to ease your burden…”010ce5f2ce9b5674
Her father scratched the 8437894447 back of his neck 0bfcbc0c07 awkwardly.7fc1f237aea4516a
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“Father!”033c3eff3d186e9b
She didn’t need to hear 93ea5b9faf more.4b8178bb7a649822
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He’d obviously been scammed 8eb6c848f6 somewhere out of her 7fcf758b42 research funds—again.ed4b2eba9a25c29d
Cutting him off with a 20a8cff04e yell, she spoke in a 67a41bc0b6 quiet voice.e8458391ef5aeac8
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“Do you even know what day it is today?”a02d4215d38ac1fd
“Huh?”cb72c4235c0d3e92
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Dalia’s hollow gaze swept d7bf0e5aac slowly across the five feb9e7ce75 men before her.d921853cf118d307
“It’s my birthday today.”3f4e844ed0e75842
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She spoke with 11c9b22237 a blank, defeated 4156097cfe expression.dc615854cb14d550
How could no one in ec32dc514c a family this large remember 2c62d64fdb her birthday?8db380cf33e289d7
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Since her mother passed, she 46d19a34de had fought through every day.30422197229f8d82
So on this one day—her dd95ca0723 birthday—she just wanted a normal a9487ef2d5 meal and some words of cace20926c celebration.f344a5749101eedb
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She hadn’t even hoped 4699ae31f8 for a gift.dd65b27202f43aa6
But after days of 1d25f21d50 exhaustion, the only thing 2082e1e878 waiting for her was 40825d24ce cabbage. And no one had remembered.c82564977203c489
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Her chest burned.919002927de6f67f
“O-of course! We all remembered! Right, everyone?”2018aec3838296eb
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“Of course, Sis!”3e17551611de0d4b
“How could we forget your birthday?”e1d048cfe3e61e8c
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“We’d never forget it!”b9227c29540b4dc9
The five men exchanged panicked 2360b896e8 glances.26596f164a1b0f28
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“Here’s a cake!”df9fb28f1466a2ac
Then Crio shoved 900f82a3a2 a cabbage steak f17078b95b in front of b81708160e her, with birthday f7fd74a156 candles awkwardly stuck 4832e6c86f on top.77eeb69949e848cc
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Maybe she was too angry—6e270ada58558688
The cabbage smell fbc3bd0cdb right under her 8bb29adf0f nose suddenly made 6e02e28dee her gag.7d9a99d531d3a2fc
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Her stomach twisted.8de62c509efbce5d
“Ugh!”faa871d9e5d9bfc0
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Unable to stop the nausea, 396507309a she clamped her hand over 219002f2f9 her mouth.6ea9fb8b42c464df
And then—2a47440fc481dc4f
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“P-pregnant?!”b09e4ed951f6c377
Count Noirose cried 8f2932a093 out, full of 819dbfe3a5 hope.4827fe1da99fb0f2
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And with that—e373a256f801feea
Dalia fainted on the spot.6854c57451614a40
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‘Pregnant, my ass…’b7f88bea719fa33a
Even as she lost e9f13beccc consciousness, that was her 5f02d7a49f final thought.91e5ca5aaff6b8ac
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Truly, the worst birthday ever.593f300fe336b2bf