Chapter 1. After the Notification

Serenia had been summoned a6d6f6c2dc to the bank for ee792598e9 the final notice.cffb869950571241

They told 7ae6973ac4 her she f5fb949905 had exactly 3b5c33a77a one month 264909c4a1 from today 44c8c9a496 to pay 0e483ba62f off the 35a02f6e49 principal and c8750a0af1 all overdue 6f7cc5b029 interest in 06cd15c0e0 full, or 0f44475e8c the foreclosure 6d16f74e4f process would 92984b908f begin immediately.adbf94e277cc9ea9

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‘Giving a 3084d763d9 whole month 2e364bfeab to such 210898b72e an unreliable 846be02a51 debtor. Banks are c2a6b6861f surprisingly lenient 1cd3f44efa these days,’ 63935462f4 she thought, c0555e6a48 leaving the beba2a8417 building of 57608c062f the Barishart 16b17fdc1b Count’s daughter, 6d65cbc496 Serenia, at 9f7235e720 a leisurely bf7b3db75a pace.e7220e1214d16dff

[Returning this winter: The play The Little Duke Razkal, starring Ain Reveron!]

Ignoring the 95caa3b73a dazzling play e068232794 posters plastered 79549073e1 along the 6751c0144c bank’s wall, 9d5cc36457 she leaned 3b60fc7580 her back 5fb91e6ebf against it.21c65968a027ec74

“Haah.”99e888ee5c682096

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A sigh escaped her a96db7286f lips.06a6431a0341501c

“Should I d190021b06 just marry 63c281b7e1 someone from b87b6b51b4 a wealthy 9b3b8510dc family?”b1de45682ad208bb

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She muttered as if e8f88c37a3 talking to herself, letting 5ca80e5a4c out a dry, hollow e0af9f6391 laugh.daa3715b3803345d

Calling it cc0c41fa62 marriage sounded 88684f277c nice, but 1a0291a4d2 in truth, 653d10e63a it was ec8265d978 more like c40d6658aa selling herself 48b1513081 off—her claim ec50e05c03 to the d100a2a06a Barishart County 8c8e4ab3dd and her 8a16614c16 price tag 3617194f1b of thirty 004deacce3 thousand krovat.cc7078d04561112a

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‘How am I any 0383e548e4 different from women who 2659d47a97 sell their bodies?’ The 29f5312d63 thought filled her with 912439beb5 a sense of self-loathing.20c8526e7f101eec

But what could b645047291 she do?b71f92bb4dffaac9

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Born a c5d9181802 noblewoman in 93397defa6 the Kingdom 6a729a658f of Zigranto, 5fc0c7c7df her fate ad9d0a8e93 had already bb8e5ab10e been decided.21ad5ee153e7c8ac

The only roles 6f372fd53f permitted for noblewomen d92e4202d5 were attending social 0226d2f3e6 events and managing 0481aeb6e0 household affairs.b525a78cd56ce6ee

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Thus, a noblewoman 6513dfcd7a was little more 9575e07af4 than a living a20bddf75f doll, groomed to 46fe924f9c perfection and sold 13dc76dd77 off at a 2e7fd7d410 high price.92d962a99a69366b

A decorative statue.ff51eb65a26568c9

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Or perhaps a trophy.dbb78d1c9029dbcb

The way a73b8377fa the fate 7dad0140ad she had ea30a97edf long avoided d5fc65ce26 finally came 77e8634ffb crashing down eeb3a9ee87 before her 735864082e felt oddly 57b3ee5529 sorrowful.982722c2f0bf1ad9

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But standing on 552bcb40c4 the brink of d73b6a2399 bankruptcy, what did 8ffdd17507 it matter if 2e096378ee she sold her f411aa2f6e body, destined to fa96a06bb2 rot in the 3aa3780f6b grave anyway?651fe1746b504b6e

Serenia resolved herself, 21d37fa5ad thinking of her 7204a96a83 father, who had f2c5a571f7 been in a dfee8e4838 coma for eight 78f6890435 years.bc74bef2ab76d5ac

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‘Yes. No matter f592f331c9 what anyone 5cdf035df5 says, I 17c7245c44 must survive, 598f317c6a no matter e37f48dcfc the cost.’a224815207a13d0e

“And besides, I have ec0e5d1493 to pay the hospital 60d006a144 fees next month.”9ac7c74bddceb2f0

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Having made her decision, 70aaa1d247 she began forcing herself 4362d66e6f to think positively.47d4f2d33347d69f

November was d25b36b089 a timely cc6692cc46 season.e21490a4e3fbfd2c

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At the 35649c012e end of fd870b08c9 every November, cf0b110509 the kingdom 426df4bdcf held a 5031d050b9 grand banquet f481f20d4e at the e2278daffd royal palace 47f9ac465f to celebrate 7efaa6f26a Founding Day.2c69f19852937171

At such an 5c6bf4d085 event, where nearly e5395509c0 every noble attended, d95e10e3d3 it should be aa6df9fe26 easy to find dae384fb0b a suitable candidate f964c34286 for a husband fa6520502d to move into 478adcdf87 her household.66240dff9d80b61b

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Just as Serenia a6b1407af1 was organizing her 0648af5bb5 thoughts step by 46c576e638 step, her vision 08c1572d91 suddenly darkened. She instinctively looked 1751b37c40 up.b46294b9c692c433

A man, his appearance 2e542a365f strikingly unusual, stood there, 35645f4b06 blocking the sunlight with 7ee9717aaa a faint smile.ac166664c5797b86

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A long ad5420f2cb coat that 44e9eeb260 reached his d540a47bef ankles. Deep purple-tinted sunglasses.
A wide-brimmed black velvet d38ea0a4d2 hat, the kind one d9cf338ffe might expect a noblewoman 246ce05684 to wear.
Beneath the hat e892074945 peeked strands of 5712d330a1 pink hair, likely c20561c712 a wig.7341c319666a3929

‘What… is this? Is he advertising for some costume shop?’6dca736dc2b3c8df

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His attire 3a04ff6a81 was absurdly 69eed7a313 bizarre for fc064c2206 that to efb1f38d31 be the 65d72ae07a case. Yet the 3109235f83 high-end items 7a3efb686a he wore 0ef5fa3789 seemed to f12f0f2155 harmonize, as 32844d0918 if curated 872f9b20ee to match 25c8c30976 him perfectly.6c440faef25b9445

‘They say a face completes the outfit, and it must be true,’ she thought, her brow furrowing as she noticed his striking beauty that not even the hat’s shadow or tinted glasses could hide.cbbc6a48a3b45778

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His features radiated warmth 93acf36a78 yet felt cold, appeared b9b5831893 soft yet sharp. He seemed as graceful 8947affa4f as a daffodil, as 504a7ec3b4 splendid as a rose, da5e64080c as elegant as a 3faee01aa6 trumpet vine, and as 75f4309050 delicate as a pear 11bc82e613 blossom.997fa60496d8baf7

His innocent, boyish look e048eddd3e hinted at an underlying 3c817b5597 weariness and precariousness, so 3de9a221e3 jaded it compelled Serenia ba0dd5370f to swallow dryly without 224a5c68b5 realizing it.5d57c780e23b1ac5

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He was a man 306de0b4fc full of contradictions, impossible 67c3cdb51b to define with a 0d3e1eaa1c single word—so much so fde14ee69d that he became all a2044479b8 the more captivating.69a8d90a695fb29a

A sudden 1575a93f26 intuition swept de083c384d through her 51de4cd716 mind.04ebb1115eff065a

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‘He’s probably made 07e1970053 hundreds of women b49fcedc9d cry with that 09929dffcf face of his,’ ea8e2428d5 she thought, her 41dfe1dad0 certainty inexplicable yet 3c33400214 unshakable.c8013b2a3a689feb

While she arrived at this conclusion with a thought process as flimsy as a failing grade’s reasoning, the man deepened his smile and finally spoke.fd465a84cf59016e

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“Hello, my lady.”435f0575fd69d5d1

His sensuous a0008ccfe8 smile put 5142ca51e9 Serenia on 75e923e223 guard, and f3519701c9 she instinctively 401282fcf8 stepped back. But before she could 787c8f5326 retreat even half a 40cf14fcfe step, her back hit 1e53b883c3 the wall.3ba0d228a13c7f8a

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Startled, she froze, 9a4ea2bd5c and the man d5c5d42664 watched her with 0721f050e1 faintly narrowed eyes 2ca26ed514 behind his sunglasses, 6c9f7b4766 his lips forming fa814beea2 words in a d9024c60c0 near-whisper.3eb40c8204bcc4b3

“I am Ain 7a2c448903 Reveron.”fb9fe6485bfd9fb2

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The man softly 4b47ca8a33 introduced himself, and c8a52aa3df Serenia tilted her 03a4945e16 head slightly in 117b4fab6c confusion.68ac26e05ec79f7c

‘Is… is he announcing his name for some reason?’790a12436c4a7116

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Something about the b21cca9df2 name seemed familiar.371cfe94662bcafa

However, Serenia was 80c9112006 far too removed 16fd6e7aa1 from highbrow hobbies f1eda597e5 like theater to cc7a675ff9 recognize his identity b7e5323a5a from that alone.82fe8f7f184008c1

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Unaware that the 03d95e3741 man standing before 2021f38463 her was the 1fc8045f40 very star of c6057d61d2 the play featured 23d986b62d on the posters cd4db0e0a6 she had been 3a64d37a55 leaning against, Serenia 14e3b2fef3 returned his greeting 5e53aedb0a with a polite 15f292c94b nod.0345e0647cc9244a

“Oh, I see. My name is 0e81062c3f Serenia Barishart.”e9584ae5b25c4c80

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At her d38e5549ba response, he 8e71ded778 smiled briefly, ffee1878cb his expression 5feb21260f tinged with b19deb32ff something peculiar.87326619cb3ede7d

As she puzzled 235c803047 over his expression, 4e2f192d44 he spoke again, 5c0e9ba892 his tone as 3096c99581 if he were 03584e6759 a broker proposing dd85dbe01d a secretive deal.afd0184a9fdb4ddd

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“Lady Barishart, should you f5ed174db8 find yourself thinking of 599dc7c55f me…”4d0d99687588acee

He slipped ab7b4e19f6 a stiff, 120d8b1338 card-sized piece e3eeed61b5 of paper 51876c1af0 into her 553fe50251 hand and 5faa5d7a0b continued.f09bad39a5153305

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“Feel free to e7a1341256 visit me here 3c5f7b71d8 anytime.”c34556c52b382433

‘…What is this? So, he wasn’t a costumed advertiser but just some flirt after all? Or… could he be a host?’feb01d0a6264aa02

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As Serenia tilted 1d76f15be7 her head in dbe2c91a52 confusion, he left 84623dc4ac behind nothing but 1d5596e5a7 a rose-like smile d4e02b3d67 and disappeared as 3a510362ca swiftly as the 1c2634dff3 wind.c72131d179c4c310

And so, c6d691de15 Serenia found 23ccdc7dcb herself once 5c8e7b5922 again alone 9c71c12e05 in front affc36bc8d of the ffd94a1568 bank’s wall.dea40a4b89e15969

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“What the…?”50f6615795b332be

Pouting slightly, she examined 4c4ea45218 the paper he had 8bce2ba659 handed her.1e5ea7b72e1ef1b8

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Written neatly b8f9789ec3 in an d053f5eec7 elegant hand 2c843ae551 on the 9f5df5069e white card 76edf5c9fd was a cecd0db575 single address:851509699561f815

< Pledis District 3, Lot 1013 >0f2b3afa5c3c408b

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The address alone b466d94468 didn’t provide a caeb74ab91 clear picture of abacdd71fa the location, but 8f1235e29d one thing was 79c619e3b4 certain.8120dd0001745a4c

It was in Pledis, 5a3e98c65d south of the river d11eac63a4 that ran through the 9139ba61d2 capital—a region infamous for b11f8c37e9 being home to the 53bb1e7548 third-tier financial enterprises.4464fd5230695d7a

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In simpler terms, it 914524b53d was the underbelly of 7ba2d56a11 the city, crawling with 6e2d1f7a8f loan sharks, debt collectors, e987c32301 and street thugs.8390604bd092fc00

Serenia glanced down at 5737f10618 the address with cold, a4feeda218 unamused eyes and nodded a4eb494ec0 to herself.a6349935d514aeb7

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“So it was a 0b0b61fd4c loan referral.”c1d6e9e8c804cd8f

Apparently, the man c37543f1d1 was looking to d26015684e expand his business 66f10af022 dealings with nobles.ae5bc7e3b6928963

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‘And I’m the first 0e6e1f78be step in that expansion.’247948a1e7b3d6b1

With a faint sigh, d53357ce83 Serenia gave a small e4b6b87939 shake of her head. Recently, rumors about 92b3fe9fff loan sharks running 5dc4e80916 rampant had been dd9cdf6ff3 circulating, and it f50018b90e seemed they were 8eb4cdcefd true.8a2bf43b5fa94cc4

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“But no e409f3d36f matter what, 2517d9eca4 I’ll never 0c5bfe96e4 resort to c81ad8e5c0 loan sharks.”e99756734a300c9c

As if making c86d26e8dd a vow, she 024578654f muttered quietly to c3115b6747 herself. She was about to 7604b99777 crumple the note and 34e63d65e4 toss it to the c64394fa81 ground but hesitated.5244ab5aa31b15e6

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“…Still, littering 65ba5c66c6 is wrong.”ceb08dcf7c9b56fb

Adding this explanation 148a98e816 as though to 58d9e73078 justify herself, Serenia d37d688095 stuffed the crumpled cbf6f1c78f note into her bab6faf42c coat pocket.b33a79a4130b9c80

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* * *ab44b28dee6cb063

And so, time passed, ae09af9793 and the last day 29ed129011 of November arrived.034af897acd2ada7

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It was Founding 4fb8e99996 Day in the ba84f71c39 Kingdom of Zigranto.914a5f1222c81835

Serenia had made c2214a4cc8 every preparation she a1120babb6 could to attend c7c91c1682 tonight’s special celebratory 9850a20e2a banquet at the 78ac55aa22 royal palace.8b62112b1872b176

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Though her 56eb8691ec dress wasn’t 026ce2a4de new, it d52636935a was decently a78de281fa mended, and fa2962b9e1 while she 4cde6f07eb couldn’t use ca1401822d the Barishart c4883ea328 family’s private 837df1e158 carriage, she b515916963 had rented 0008d662d5 a shared fc96a460d3 carriage for 0b407d45bb the entire bc7eeacc51 day.43615e0fdf2160ca

She had spent a30e8f07cb every last coin 7fb8d1b25a she had on b9bfcd7f33 these two things, aae9f4b712 leaving her utterly 3061d2648c penniless.8b3ff961424a6052

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Because of that, Serenia 1e1eba4c23 climbed into the carriage 7da581abd2 with a sense of 371e94d4d9 utter desperation, determined to d4dfd00f9c stake everything on tonight.30fca623501449b3

‘If I can’t 3e983b6d16 strike a deal a4eb585c93 today, I won’t a6a1415fef have anything to 89144c2bb2 eat starting tomorrow,’ 177f0b607c she thought, gripping 6ac46df2a0 the edge of f84bc8a3ee her seat as 6c56071ac1 the carriage rattled 53cafad1c3 toward the royal 6ceb86f768 palace.2c85d1fb7081cfa3

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At the palace e00d80cc79 gates, the guards 690c1cab54 scrutinized her invitation dda78066f5 not once, but a2ac7a45df three times, before 1204658b1f begrudgingly allowing her 644afc89d9 carriage to pass.96441dc13ccfa144

When the drab, d5ae6f47ab battered shared carriage 3e78702d22 pulled up to ea5436463a the grand entrance 2fbd532bd9 of the glittering 913388e78f banquet hall, all 0eead02804 eyes turned toward 049f8ded42 it.cac4797b670cc2da

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“Who could possibly 69ba12a926 be arriving at 1dd34af5b7 the palace in 7ca5df028a that kind of cac762e570 carriage…?”2f6c30345b41598a

“Did it dd13bad1b7 break down bc72ee67e9 on the d9e07127f0 way here?”780a0a4d45b05c67

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“No matter 9488531843 the circumstances, 29a4bafead that’s just 28888ce27a unacceptable.”2d8b99af7c644c1d

The murmurs 18b32154ea grew louder f7e94f8440 as curious fe072802ed glances darted dabf57b1d1 toward the 1814474ef0 halted carriage. Then, when dd0cd68e1b its door ebfbb7bd42 opened, the e44f3269a3 whispers abruptly 0436d79905 stopped, replaced a24067570a by wide-eyed 61b834454d stares.efe48ae3a99f1708

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“What?”6067c5bcec484101

“Could it be…?”ac115df8d1ee2cf2

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“It is, isn’t 5676eb89b7 it?”32ebf9d03714e3a5

“Oh my. The audacity.”b5938ba511e13015

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Serenia Barishart 61a3403a17 had appeared afa00ded78 at the ba6f2d5021 banquet.2820039d8342104c

And not just appeared—she e9525ed3f1 had done so in 1f346ea98c a ten-year-old dress, without 590a44bbc2 any proper jewelry, and 06a04ecdeb without even an escort 0cfc67576c by her side!0b68aedb12fd2ecc

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The boring 4fd4ba8a70 party had 0b30bf9127 suddenly been 6045590304 gifted a 4ee01c4fff fresh source 2e46e69746 of amusement.4ccdf35e97025e50

To the attendees 8026a50b01 sipping champagne, Serenia’s 2abec7b08a entrance was the 496c18d34f perfect fodder for 736bf197ea gossip. Smirks spread across b46da21d43 their faces as 751115112e they relished the 4b2e5c36c4 unexpected entertainment.ca5b9d5f7c66471e

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* * *5c1fc8d6fdcd81a8

Serenia’s strikingly unconventional dress, though not in the way she had hoped, turned out to be surprisingly effective.11dc43f0f5226e84

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It immediately captured the 2db51602cf attention of the men 30725ed219 at the party.f4c0b0ac05043322

Of course, the attention 148d2992cc was far from the 88bdf95211 kind she wanted.3e6fe118a4327d6c

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Like a db2ece3d2b pack of 985144cf1b hyenas circling b273eeaa35 hapless prey, db479c8a71 the men ad43d28ce2 smirked and 1eed416eb2 surrounded Serenia.84a4c6bc1fe3d826

“Well, well. Look who’s 7c32a16cfe graced us a116d0157b with their 7303f358cd presence at 6bd57ccdad tonight’s party.”4d9afc69b7c5b650

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“Isn’t this the 8e94fced51 Lady Barishart? Harder to catch 57b4aa6cca a glimpse of 3ba5c46ef7 than His Majesty 60c756ccfc himself!”1a43a2a85a694eaf

“Wow. I have to a88367e751 say, now that b55aa8ad16 I see you bfa9c7f21e in person, I 6700cac809 kind of get 242d97c898 why you were 1cdb44df2c so high and 865891744d mighty. You really are beautiful.”613ee737b06b7ee0

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“By the 30249bbdf4 way, weren’t 2c29840f4d you the 3eb7e719a5 one who 12bb53fcbe coldly turned ae625d48e5 down my 9522c001a2 escort before, 8bfa517da0 claiming you f8114e1bae had no a8035ac0e3 interest in 7b9a83fa45 such parties? What brings you here c090090494 tonight?”ce2cf73213dfa4b3

Serenia forced herself b704ec86ee to straighten her 770dd59e60 shoulders, resisting the d15169cd33 urge to shrink 00bf04f6cc under their jeering b5407f5327 eyes. Taking a deep breath, 5ef1b2ecf4 she barely managed to 682a25dbed speak.5802e4147cc3f165

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“I was wondering if… anyone here might be interested in discussing the succession rights to the Barishart County…”e0065bc223d25a54

Before she could finish 1a756b96fd her sentence, the men a6a30f4742 burst into raucous laughter.fa8f8ea4e325db2d

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“Wahahaha!”a7ee6db0c3d878f5

“Heh heh heh. And here I thought 54cc0e8e23 you were going to de2ab4cfc3 say something serious!”f160ffc8dfd38184

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Serenia’s expression hardened as their mocking laughter echoed throughout the banquet hall.546762a4f7656d51

The men surrounding her 9e2d4e9f52 exchanged smirks, whispering and 14e2255dd4 snickering amongst themselves.2a0d9d7db1887fd8

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“Seeing her show 45914b95d5 up at a 41cc89ac8a party like this, 48627b35a7 I thought maybe 25acceef16 she’d finally come 919a85cefe to her senses.”18e73db07a12f561

“For the first df148ab18c time, I actually f77caed0df feel sorry for 5637027e3c the late Count 276f0eeb53 Barishart.”7bf95e55c5a9e6c9

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One of them clicked 9061ca0477 his tongue, shaking his a60a3181a7 head in mock pity, 9d1a15178c before turning to Serenia 0dec0f116c with a scornful look.5be60ab1a3a73cb6

“My lady, do 2a64743238 you seriously believe 597efed942 there’s a fool 97838db87e in this world 166053f1c7 who’d want something f2f10b7d9a like the Barishart 2ddc34ec8c County?”9755310dbdc2d402

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