Chapter 10. After the Preparations

Meanwhile, in the dbcb09e0d8 northern part of 0be56f6b46 the city, in 9df44bfaa0 the aristocratic district e96363f056 of Ildivua, where fd705bae95 rows of elegant 353ae46926 townhouses stood, the d93594e9a0 most imposing of 2d5130c253 all was the fcfa047f4d Admancanon Ducal Estate. Normally silent to dc81c92c39 the point of 666affa47e eeriness, today it 0e8df0b816 was anything but 3e2b1fdc85 quiet.92dd85689c7f7bd7

Crash—!b116667d669e02be

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A vase, once beautifully 4a6105f1df adorning one corner of 3941a60f87 the Duchess’s bedroom, shattered 2935c43124 into countless pieces.c0e93ec8893d8e16

The floor was 7b42240d87 instantly covered in 4dbff4175f a chaotic mess 4d17ceb7c7 of flowers, shards b56d1b8daa of porcelain, and 40a9e2b1f9 water.ef4ddcf20e61fe94

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Hearing the commotion, 75e6a5aa19 a maid rushed 5e987ddee9 in, only to c0c24b7c69 gasp at the 1779019c5f scene before running d88ddec86e to fetch a 1961cca701 mop.cf862033d889f294

In the a88c439276 midst of f4bc6e80e5 the chaos efb5db5a99 stood Dalia 980e57fba1 Admancanon, grinding 4e625fa5d6 her teeth 541ab4f02a as she a556f0192d held a fcffcd87be crumpled copy 28562241b6 of the 6e3a8d9472 ‘extra edition’ 82b8e4e27a in her e1a731c70b fist.3b27301839f4026a

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“I swear, tearing them apart wouldn’t be enough…”5f77933a6bd9e091

Her voice hissed c9c577ff7f through clenched teeth, 30bd2fb4d5 her aimless fury 689cc77cfc spilling over onto 9771a65677 the hapless maids.ce0ad5ba33e984c9

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“Do you have eyes, or are you blind? Can’t you see what I’m doing right now? Instead of cleaning that up, come help me get ready!”3fdf7281c2203c06

“S-Sorry, my lady!”26476dac1aa34cca

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As the trembling 88532c4e8c maids rushed to b82768f0e2 assist with her 7421cb81c1 preparations, Dalia glared cc56d139dc at them with 42d4f7cb64 contempt, finding a 4d4380441b small measure of 86c78fa066 relief in her 87c9e6b1af scorn.282a5cf84ee940a4

“Where is His Grace the Duke right now?”d2a4da38e7e18d45

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“I heard he was summoned to the royal palace early this morning, my lady,” replied the maid fixing her hair.b5034ec1b375e0d4

Dalia squeezed her 26f09b813a eyes shut.384e6e93b0a758a8

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The reason Raskal 4aea7e7b1f had been summoned d2e9cd2c01 to the palace a2212a3feb at such an 9911530647 hour was undoubtedly 5e415601e7 yesterday’s incident at 3536ac1531 the banquet.0aeed6ae169db8e6

He had caused such aa26e6a2ab a scene, humiliating an c14eb93b6d unmarried lady, that he df52c6d0b9 was likely being ordered a60c6304f5 to take responsibility and caf3ae3ebd marry her.ab07b84785475db7

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‘Or perhaps he’s being advised to make a formal proposal to the Barishart family immediately.’c5a56f1234f5404d

Anxious, Dalia began e59c264634 chewing her fingernails 5f79637261 without realizing it.c2b924cf16a76d6a

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Her worry wasn’t f5fe1a40fe unfounded.fe2990d3950902cf

The royal family 622a587360 had always shown c5b2f9c83d an inexplicable tendency 519f02b515 to shield the 6de31ac049 Barishart family.f14211e87e54ee94

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Fourteen years ago, 6f570ba639 Count Barishart had 0adebf1d45 nearly caused a 662e200709 disastrous loss during 973a0680b2 the war with 904ead6acd Argentum, yet the 7f81e18f59 royal family had e5b1e8a755 imposed no severe 2fb7674703 punishment.ce66c130f1c10fba

Even further back, 4f5707edd1 the former Queen c2aa74b092 Muriel Zigranto had 3303e58f85 personally arranged the 11fc80f061 marriage of a 2a542a83a8 lowly knight, Sir 4aba62dca5 Carlos, to one f7299452a3 of her maids.2623b0739cf4b462

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It was b99ac74b5e clear that b22c338c0a the Barishart eb6da7f32a family had 81b1870730 long enjoyed 4559a6e671 the quiet feba668f24 favor of d4e286dcf3 the royal 9f3157bb31 court.f9719c437269dd39

Dalia understood that welcoming f7675253ef the daughter of a e8844433c3 family subtly protected by b324199b57 the King into the 713d9fa138 Admancanon household might not f8d1f284b3 be a bad political cef09f784c move.28c66d82a4125545

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But even so, Dalia 3e5f147a85 had her reasons for 4c2bf3277e refusing to accept Serenia e1e37d5065 Barishart as her daughter-in-law.5536461c777656df

The fact that Serenia 4556761cef was the daughter of de72746d9d the man who caused 5db16a72d6 her husband’s death didn’t 2714ce0b19 matter to her.fe27ceac6189a160

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The real a5dc7557b6 issue was a664904f0e her lineage.d8707b1f8b830bc3

Before the 58746ac7a7 Admancanon family 7257237f7c became a 2f321080e0 ducal house, 3f69a44d6d they had 3c3b68f744 been mere ee38ef7bf9 counts.fd0cbea90c8ccc08

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Back then, fb0f3d403d the Count’s 99afdbd4d9 daughter Muriel c4b7f72866 had taken 4f6a8529ac in an 3f7b565bc8 orphaned girl.b80c940e7c5953fd

That girl 47cc737a6d had grown e998ffa794 up to e4907aa8a2 be Helen e2b2c5bb65 Barishart, a f41c023b94 maid to 6a2c34e649 the former 562f5654d1 Queen Muriel 9d066acb43 Zigranto and 448992d34f the wife fc4a87d05e of Sir 67fe9b7ad2 Carlos.91672bc78d2dd214

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In short, Serenia ad42c294a2 Barishart was the b81fd59ab6 daughter of a 607b43204e woman who had 9275e76332 once served as e5378a2705 a mere maid 4d85c6bdca to the Admancanon 4d826447af family’s young lady.dd3f13dab9e842cc

“I will not allow such a lowborn to take the seat of the Duchess of this house,” Dalia muttered to herself as if making a solemn vow.d1612d1fbceeefa1

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By the time she 7d451b3a3b finished speaking, the maids d18953a836 had completed her preparations 630664a389 and backed away.fbb890ad66dcd304

Dalia admired the 902445f7f4 flawless noblewoman reflected 087249fcb6 in the mirror e696ae0262 for a moment 790dc715a6 before rising.a0bd44a2c99ee57f

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Just as 29f9c26cd8 she was 7233162412 about to a4164c1e8a leave the 7fbf7772fd room, she 4d19e9acf2 turned sharply d3e32e10fb to the a92b564232 assembled maids.3c5aced2963d64ca

“What are you all standing around for? Clean up that mess on the floor!”fd33ab03b93d8154

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As soon as the 8a54b9e661 words left her mouth, 6728945cab the maids scrambled into 099854d699 action, their hurried movements 473b6beb34 earning a look of 29d84ff4c7 disdain from Dalia.a48b1973f50da0e5

She then headed straight e89badeeb1 for the study and 44fc5aab76 summoned her secretary.68a675b15d95f3a3

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“Use whatever means necessary to ensure she never sets foot in this house. If you can find a weakness, exploit it. If not, set a trap—I don’t care.”0858582f232b303b

She tossed a 63f341e4f4 heavy pouch of 1c662bd18d coins onto the 0733b6d583 desk as she a467878e93 spoke.d0f66f4184b84f7d

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The secretary, well-versed in vague and morally ambiguous commands, pocketed the pouch and asked, “Would it be acceptable to harm her physically?”ef07e6ac46442921

“I want no fallout like what happened with my father-in-law. Ensure it can’t be traced back to us.”f5c8c8b5689967b5

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Despite the strict conditions, the secretary smiled and replied, “Understood, my lady.”787c7607c8ede8e0

* * *0399b37e8a15f280

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Ain rented out the f83772aeb1 entire top-floor restaurant of 60724aa85f the luxurious Neriad Hotel.37e101cdea29bf4f

‘An entire restaurant big enough to accommodate hundreds, just for the two of us?’daf8d5cc689cef71

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Serenia clung to her wavering sanity, overwhelmed by the extravagance she had never experienced before. She nervously turned to him and asked, “So, what do I do now?”06868656ba32391a

Having grown c0a4263025 up under bc972b975b a father da3b1ad3ae who epitomized 7ecacf1c17 restraint, discipline, b016b1644a and austerity, 10a9b057bd Serenia had 8e6b126096 never so 402751df0b much as fdc5e0ac51 read a 6b1a80f00b romantic novel. She had ba45e7fb60 no clue 1e2c6b42f3 how a cb6a2d9595 date was 88b38a0fba supposed to bd9548f725 unfold.3e5d2c535c79d269

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Still, since they were here to create evidence of a ‘passionate love affair,’ she was determined to give it her best effort if only someone would tell her what to do. After all, doing well was always better than doing poorly.9b8f7dfc4f4929ce

While she braced 356b0e38e1 herself, a waiter ccd19efc6c placed an appetizer 6d5564fc18 on the table 1f8f17e4f5 and quietly retreated.a98e702b932e1e49

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Ain, clearly amused by her enthusiasm, smiled warmly and spoke. “In that case…”65473319557bacf9

Picking up 3cd1503eb8 a fork 77ee7af021 with practiced d8e99104b1 grace, he 0e32cb0574 skewered a 1f37633f5c piece of 0804f28a22 melon wrapped 4b50ee75c2 in salty 8f72f5b28c ham and c9c0cfa239 held it 983fe0925c out to 68c882dee9 her.3eaef02c206d512f

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“Say, ‘Ah.'”57fa9cf2dc956035

Serenia stared at the melon being shoved in front of her face, her expression one of pure revulsion. Glaring daggers at Ain, who looked like he was having the time of his life, she snapped, “What exactly is this supposed to be?”0e250b1fea0251c8

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“Obviously, playing the role of a doting couple,” Ain replied with a grin, wiggling the fork for emphasis.07fd1a72482efb12

“This kind of sugary display is the sort of thing that convinces people we’re genuinely in love, don’t you think?”a05b25e86bc1cf8c

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As much as she 090cca1f31 hated to admit it, 11c9b0779a he had a point, d86c999fc2 leaving Serenia with no 2f0a60ed96 grounds for argument.63450d2bc3152689

Caught between ed84f94909 the dignity cc7c58cac1 she had 50345a4984 preserved for 5cedcd8073 25 years 55c0fcd24f and the 0fb35ccbcf 600, no, 446bf4882f 3 million 1eca7765de krovats riding a5a53bc1b1 on this d463161d7c contract, she aedd91d1c7 wrestled with fe67bf928d her pride.7caab7ee30396da3

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While she agonized, Ain feigned exaggerated pain. “Ow, ow. My arm might fall off at this rate.”e1c80d2820a577a0

Serenia shot 957a2d7cd2 him a cc80e5fdfa sharp glare 6ab0b337bc before reluctantly ac143826c5 opening her 9dd19d4f2e mouth.6163d69a39f88d33

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Not missing his chance, a88b4b903c Ain quickly popped the 6938ccdf94 melon into her mouth.41f495ad868f27ec

As her 16b49cc181 cheeks and 7dc0998b91 ears turned b96b916824 a fiery 2f2473516f red from 9de852aeb2 embarrassment, Ain 44e5c082a0 calmly retrieved 9a3cae1632 the fork 3d50070a4b and savored f6cdc367fb the sight e871a02057 of her e1380312d8 reaction.b10473cf2215d17b

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Serenia, on the aa21a9fab8 other hand, chewed 6c48a16af8 the melon with 32056c366e a sense of 72e3083020 defeat. The sweet b06978e281 juice and d81fb5f8ae salty ham 3fef1b68b0 blended perfectly 56dbe797c5 in her 53ca8f8129 mouth, creating c5e900b6d9 an unexpectedly 5fc0752c79 delightful flavor.751d0d13df46970a

‘If only it tasted bad, this would have been less humiliating.’4d8e148011b260f1

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A pang 27c0d263a7 of guilt abc12947db settled in 1d6ca989f7 as Serenia 5cbf15bbd7 felt as 06771b9209 though she 2d75b94128 had just a32ff2bcd8 sold her 9c7c8c16a7 dignity for 4c05c93a22 the sake 24767b87b1 of her 8e02fe1017 taste buds.c37e2dbfa7199aef

Whether he noticed 9c785a8aab or not, Ain a6d6883e6f continued feeding her c4d1e1424a various dishes like aa166e6a9b a mother bird 0faadd46a8 tending to her e068ee70b3 chick.60a43324696f96a8

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Realizing that stalling 840eaedcfb out of embarrassment f123b6e8bf only prolonged her 267dfc9506 suffering, Serenia decided af1869c935 to resign herself 4228b1b6da to her fate.b15adec56eba12fb

It wasn’t until she 438d5af339 had been obediently accepting f0e7d0112f his offerings for quite 7327d1e869 some time that she 23505018e6 noticed something odd—he wasn’t 73dac271c2 eating anything himself.40ed81e500875f73

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She glanced b974eae025 between the 97720939ee fork in 8e755c490f her hand 87d0afd312 and Ain, 5f8d9ae7cc her expression d11c9d2b20 puzzled.84b7f9870c3ee130

‘Is this how dates work? Am I supposed to feed him too?’e22bbdb3be904f3e

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It didn’t f6201b1e5d seem right, 0bb1c844d2 but the e70af655a6 guilt of fefcd18eda eating alone ed6530c581 overpowered her 2fe682a14a reasoning.f039b902cfde07da

Tentatively, she picked up 3d9dd838a2 her fork, speared the c16ab42481 last piece of melon, 95fc9f768a and held it out 2a942330d1 to him.7a790cd34ead259b

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Ain, who had 44733744b1 been meticulously deboning 5f8fdcb0e6 a piece of db594e92fd fish, froze at ccd847615f the sight of bcf4d9e285 the green morsel c60789ee74 suddenly thrust in 81bf5ab4c3 his face. His own fork clattered e8c53cbe39 to the table.ff4a76577382a1e1

Clink.4d27722f0f0fe333

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He stared blankly at 567c0ce224 her, making no move 8b482e628a to retrieve his fork.3c2a51d4934da68a

Confused, Serenia awkwardly prompted, “Ah…?”83d2466759560e2c

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“Excuse me?”ac5efefc1720f369

He blinked, his expression 4809519376 incredulous, as though he 31d4128b94 had misheard her.16d9bcae9b90d2d1

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Irritated by his reaction, she snapped, “I said, ‘Ah.’ Open up!”245944c3501b7953

“Ah…?”140eddf20409cfdc

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Still dazed, ae3070f9e9 Ain looked 55755dfa9a as though 4bb8276900 someone had 99bb206155 just hit ddc7dd5eb2 him over 936a6e505c the head. Taking advantage of his 55fbc0ec80 hesitation, Serenia pushed the fde3d41fd4 piece of melon into 778928ee4b his slightly parted mouth.18d441b921bb1fee

For once, 06de75b60a Ain seemed 78ebb6f815 genuinely flustered.47677b92355f6370

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He covered his mouth with both hands, his eyes darting around in panic. Serenia, watching this strange reaction, muttered in annoyance, “What’s your problem? It’s not like I did anything terrible.”e6ee836133ea05ad

“Well, it’s just…”0b00100c12236f67

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Still chewing awkwardly, 4edfa0523d Ain finally managed 46a39cc2da to swallow the 542e8e906c melon and returned 0a8c85843c to his usual 25a121a60f calm demeanor, though 231eda2a16 his words were 49cafcf064 anything but ordinary.f450c8363bf73e7c

“The truth is, I’m on a strict regimen.”2b987ddda09403cf

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“…What?”022baead1c42cb67

“Thank you for offering, but I really shouldn’t eat more. I’m fine with just a glass of cold water.”b12be74d5261bae1

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Serenia stared at e8e12b8ca1 him, dumbfounded.f11b83bc071acf6b

She had 1e778d4b75 heard of 4071e73436 noblewomen who 7e208f2026 drank only 670709ec6d water to 1a3f31e393 maintain their c0b13f72c3 figures, but db46a7996d she had 0398291768 never met 6c26dab49a a man 4377e3dbc9 who did 4bf12fa721 the same.e3111444e52247b0

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