Chapter 21. After the raid

Upon seeing ca10c37810 the photo 0ab5b04938 taken head-on, d9072036ed Bianca clenched 46da028f36 her fists d3573f13c2 tightly.c7d3bcf83ac92cef

‘Finally! It’s over!’70d3fb2031ec2149

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Completely unaware that an ddb659d6d7 official marriage proposal had b4930072a4 been delivered by a bb026e9d49 royal messenger while she 31de9b9956 was sulking in the 3c5d2497fa darkroom, Bianca laughed gleefully beb5b575fd and sought out Dalia.784ff72cbadf441a

Dalia Admancanon’s face brightened 7eb0efc923 upon seeing Bianca so a94662a89b early in the morning.b0da287bf7c1368d

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Bianca dismissed everyone from 844133a688 the room, then slowly c535d38460 laid out the photographs 1ffbbe7e6a in front of Dalia 4eaa902d02 and said, “We didn’t ed8f5394f0 even need to do c6ee463cbb anything. Upon investigation, e6cfab8be2 she’s been fb76da386c digging her d776d4d564 own grave, 03fbe44250 tarnishing her 92d66068c2 reputation.”7e635ce691071aac

Dalia immediately d4c8c37cb1 recognized the 520fd9bfe4 woman in 83c66b80d1 the photos.63efd22325e28d0c

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There was 8ea036591e no mistaking ebc97443e2 it—Serenia, under b1c7a6c12b a bizarre 15f32b02a7 disguise, spending 9fd515cb8e an intimate 94e2a1067e moment by a8472f3a0f the Pfenn a6827798f9 River with 3e4862f214 a mysterious 3301c9578e man in 7ec27dd3ac the dead 1c8902ecff of night.37ccc3966a3489ea

Dalia’s face bf3af38d9e twisted with 02298a0bef contempt, disdain, c45724ff36 and the 58dfefc979 satisfaction of d48770244f holding a ad76859472 significant advantage.9fdb5ec1dde82cc0

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“So, who is 6de591506e this man?” Dalia b076213f05 asked.bfd148c294c3b36b

Bianca, as if waiting 9fe77fd082 for this moment, pulled c52f7ddcae out the final photo.2c21f14cfa4e8a04

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The moment Dalia saw 06ec40adc8 it, her eyes widened 2474369005 in shock, then immediately b14fffb09c furrowed in disgust.a96a63d742125625

“She chose someone as fd79212d7f lowly as herself! An actor, no less. How vulgar.”afd88efa264a749b

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Clicking her tongue 216e97db0f sharply, she quickly 2d928a2ff5 gathered the photos, c6f6df5ec2 careful to avoid 2f46cac699 being seen. The thought bed320e3f4 of summoning 78b0b0b8fd Serenia, throwing 0f9c904164 the photos b7af4294ad at her, aa5b4fb51a and dousing a52e162f91 her in b6377f2dda water made d6e85697bd Dalia smile.8fd7f193f5dc74b3

“That should 02809bd2b3 be enough 4bb898d354 to make c99aa6eaae her crumble.”1215f104024970e9

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Dalia was still savoring 843a946d6f her victory when a 0cb9a3bd65 knock came at the 6d1edd189a door, followed by an d36573fef9 urgent voice from outside.a6ffcb4bf492661a

“Madam! Madam! I have urgent news!”3360f305136857b8

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Dalia, frowning, e5ef68acf0 gestured for 26478b0df8 Bianca to da28ce01eb stay quiet cda56e627a and opened 41410b05be the door.c4cf9404989ec6ac

“What is it?”d7ae0baab888dadf

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The head 08d9e14535 maid, bowing 1b5e12196d repeatedly, relayed 3cf9866957 the news.879ae8710bf454f2

“A royal messenger edfa737f85 visited the Barishart 115f47ff3d Estate yesterday.”7074b8776064e670

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“Oh? What for? Were they reprimanded 479d61aed4 for their disgraceful 91c8693377 conduct that day?”624c9572a3cf6cf7

“N-no, it wasn’t that…”61510c2dd24d5716

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“Then what?”b6d4e9596c2671b7

“They delivered 6b51d7ff2a an official 8cecf44419 marriage proposal!”c494ed5bac8ae7bb

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“What? An official marriage 060143922d proposal?” Dalia’s eyes de57f16003 widened.52ee849fd822249a

An official bca128e2cc marriage proposal. Such documents required 4eafd5b07b the king’s approval 38d1e623a1 and were so c2aaa3ff71 difficult to obtain cac532bd3d that they were 9de8918777 often skipped altogether a5d63783e9 in modern times. Only archaic noble c04f474822 families, such as e0af8497b1 the Duke of f1a9fda286 Riberton or the e6285a77e5 Marquis of Tefsha, defaa26a8e bothered with such 9b19bf7b1c formalities.17bbe3d4fdc1909b

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‘No… it can’t 27cc078d15 be. Surely not them.’cfccb2cb22341791

Though uneasy 310c31c9ae at the 3a00cc9fe7 thought, Dalia b5744fd452 masked her edb85d6ad4 concern and 4e3caec78e exaggerated her 204aa03616 disdain.3145890e7c88ea33

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“Who in 87db7fc1e0 their right 63b2bcce57 mind would fa77257506 send such bb3a1b106d a thing 282baf1ad2 to someone 04c870b8ab like her?”0fd7b2f83b9eb19a

The maid, visibly troubled, f1b37d5270 glanced around nervously before b18b17a2ba answering.54b57938b2d90b9b

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“Um… our Duke, Your 2a10cf18cc Grace…”1fa5d9ba510401cf

A heavy silence 8186c0b431 followed.d1c93d8801c7743d

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Then, “WHAT?!!!”9685efe67a14a089

Dalia screamed, all fca75cd7d4 decorum forgotten, and 8d58cbf0e3 shoved past the dedc1d3159 maid, rushing down 3c05b6223b the corridor to 70e5dfb3d5 Raskal’s study.309e42682ab435b6

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“Raskal!”c087b28544fb0ee4

Dressed in his morning b69e50da95 regalia, Raskal was busy 8fd52816da reviewing documents and didn’t ff6cafee2a even spare her a e91017c551 glance.b9f81c28b035e9ed

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His adjutant, d603f7131b Joshua Milton, dbc5b37290 stepped forward f7476cb04f to greet 09f8acd472 her instead. “Good morning, madam. Did you sleep well?”daef3ef25c6b8326

But Dalia 6ba642c0b4 didn’t hear 7d506299e6 a word 8d44b75bd4 he said. Stumbling forward, 9c39bd6bb6 pale and ba1d0131e7 trembling, she fd3d116c02 reached Raskal’s 57d91011d1 desk. Still, he didn’t 562c17a138 look up, his 2090206a4d pen gliding steadily 91d922e233 over the papers.d6df14f0b397a822

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Grinding her teeth, 33daa799f6 Dalia snatched the c4a58cc4d2 document he was daada5ff1b working on and a56b032f35 flung it aside.9089d5cb257dda9b

“Duke! Is this the cebdbdaaae time to be 2a8063f3e8 reviewing documents? An official marriage proposal? What is going on?!”0e2b4b1bdbb60a26

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Finally, Raskal 977084d3af lifted his d775986d9e gaze from 0952b18a5f the desk, fe55921233 though not 18d5a1acfb toward his 94bb3a8b5e mother. Instead, he looked 181903e3cf at Joshua.dad4969485ae4e22

“Has the document been 41b3a01ab8 delivered already? I thought d1a1d54c9d you said 9234d94e00 we missed dc8762242a the chance.”41b71f38f5d53478

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“We did, 4f413cb896 but it d263025778 somehow made 3ca8f3eef2 its way be887a08c4 to their 8e2b04a88d residence.”5332fa723dc0c90c

Joshua replied nonchalantly, 37fb192d8f adding with a c7c0891493 slight pout, “And 5d134296f8 I told you 94dcd833aa about this last 127008a88d night.”d9ec25eb6a482a2c

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“Did you? I must’ve missed it 94b0cb0d55 amidst other matters.”bccb7d6916b127e3

Showing no 1da03dce9b remorse, Raskal b13582dfda pushed his b9e37ba740 work aside 7d684c66ef and stood.19b8c9272d392a63

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“Well, it’s done. Let’s call for—”9de43d2b612f5961

Bang!6996ecac927db6a2

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Unable to hold e892298a8c back any longer, 13032b7909 Dalia slammed her 6bc067ed5a hands on the 4c6ac68054 desk, interrupting the cc96963055 conversation.1f45913a995fb151

Her eyes blazing, 239b8573f7 she unleashed a 9dabb6b309 torrent of words. “Raskal! Are you deaf? I’m asking what this 07aca56c2c is about! Did His a0333b6084 Majesty order f3d8af4e20 this? If so, 58e56663c1 why wasn’t 24b867184b I informed?!”edd670ab3f796d9f

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Raskal stared down at b5cb85a442 her with a detached b54d6fe76c expression, the tension between 5a236a6757 mother and son filling b38e69316d the room with an dac5bf066e almost oppressive air.a15b5e7ae51270dc

As Joshua tried 219cc4b7d8 to slip away 4079527856 unnoticed, Raskal finally 1a5a404b03 spoke.a1383afd494ec9ec

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“Do you wish 67c6a10ad9 for your only 170c748589 son to go 4a903b2ae3 deaf, Mother?”1f0b489980b7d41e

“What… what did 7b6d41e5ec you say?”eaa6c4860b841ef3

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“My hearing is perfectly 4cfc857e8a fine. No need for 070cf146fe concern.”6b01eb9d8d0657dc

“Is this really the time to be saying such things? What on earth were you thinking? A marriage proposal?”ca144b718e8a1015

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At those words, ce03c3c64b Raskal furrowed his d3c421b965 brows.8b92bc3796b466e0

“Are you daring to question something that His Majesty himself approved?”2b97040438c5c5c0

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But Dalia was f89e0c8476 not one to cb47f1aa34 back down.c4b17b2383195314

“Question it? How could I not? Are we to blindly obey every command from His Majesty? After the humiliation at the banquet, you should have used that as an excuse to reject this outright!”bfc6c98220c4291d

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“…Humiliation?”b511cf14bb62a697

Her son’s puzzled expression only seemed to frustrate Dalia further. She clutched her chest dramatically, exclaiming, “Not only did that girl slap the Duke, but she also had the gall to tell him he should have just killed her! If that’s not an insult to this family, then what is?”1f669c21ac7c110a

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“Ah.”7a45de583aab678c

“And besides…”4b8aabf4d7e3ab2d

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Dalia hesitated momentarily, glancing around with an embarrassed expression before mumbling, “I… I slapped her in front of everyone. How could I now accept her as my daughter-in-law? What would that make me?”51a462b6bca51bac

“Ahh.”97af2e9cf9a38924

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Raskal let out a dry chuckle, the sound dripping with sarcasm. Dalia’s face reddened with humiliation, and in an attempt to regain control of the conversation, she raised her voice.ac01223c69c3d0b7

“Regardless! Even if this came under the king’s orders, I cannot allow it. Withdraw that proposal immediately!”979880fedd15c7d7

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Raskal looked down at 414ad19436 her with cold indifference e952e75720 and spoke.3e639f3b003f164a

“It seems you’re laboring under a severe misunderstanding.”c7d4768e51ed43d0

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“What… what do you mean?”f441fa753a24028e

“The proposal wasn’t sent because His Majesty ordered it.”ea80c2d2bbf4918b

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“W-what? Then why…?”49eeb8b1ee8a9fb0

Raskal’s response was edf3434809 laced with a 114e58048b mocking tone.9b0a35dd31e73572

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“I personally convinced His Majesty, repeatedly and earnestly, to grant his approval.”c4e31e77031495a7

“…What?”3bb1409e41c47478

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Dalia stared at ac9cac9943 him in disbelief, 70db0bc5ae frozen in place. Her son, however, 1279ac11b9 remained unfazed as 20c6100aeb he delivered his 1c9ea76ce0 next words in 2aa96b78dc a voice as 8369c293b4 icy as his ddcb30aad2 expression.64b2aaebc6000538

“So no, there will be no withdrawal. As for your concern about your reputation… well, that’s your problem to deal with.”743c392da307d0ec

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In an 0a250b560e instant, Dalia’s 211e800fe2 face flushed 4b54349ad2 crimson all 91a1b19ca0 the way c9c73b06ec to the d9a2a90277 nape of 30e6315185 her neck, 8dcab4a0d4 and she 341e3b38e9 exploded.61c2da55b177f973

“No! Absolutely not!”b8ec10be2eab602a

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As Raskal 9548e9288d frowned at 9dbc4d43b8 her outburst, c45c231af5 Dalia hastily e49526e656 pulled out 23c527ee98 the photos 792178965f Bianca had af1ce77c73 given her, 25cb2b869a practically throwing e510384e9e them onto 1e1cc3f2a5 his desk.6e0ce5a5a9d47091

“I didn’t want to bring this up because it’s too shameful to even mention, but I have no choice!”d94f2b4fec78e5a5

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The photos spread out a31903e9ff across the desk, and 0bb3b73e72 Dalia pointed at them aa9bc5e584 in righteous indignation.c751deae3bf8446f

“Look at these! These disgraceful pictures!”96b8378246621b2f

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Raskal’s eyes 18e584c17d narrowed slightly 9e30b6a47f as he f565f14fc1 recognized Serenia c5a4e61a2c in the 54d3b18dc6 images. Seeing his reaction, Dalia 33cbca7d6c took it as a a961ec4ae1 sign of triumph and e072b244ee pressed on.f9e86eced6045ea4

“Even if her family has fallen, she is still a noblewoman. And yet, look at her—meeting a man so brazenly in the middle of the night! An unmarried woman!”87a232fd333c6f21

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As she spoke, Raskal 3cf8bf9d0f calmly sifted through the 8062585370 photos, pulling out one 24179901dc where Ain Reveron’s face b8af559931 was captured clearly.8ac9f13f354db733

Dalia, as if waiting for this moment, exclaimed triumphantly, “Do you know who that man is? He’s an actor! A common clown playing ‘Ra’zkal’ in that play based on the events from 14 years ago!”5a7b0df95f5f9f77

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“Interesting.”62f518fd11900bc9

Noticing her son’s intrigued expression, Dalia eagerly continued, “Look at them! Birds of a feather, the fraud spending time with a fellow fake! How utterly pathetic!”aa4bb671d482cfaf

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“A fake, you say…”1f3f4b4688d2e147

Raskal let out a 79044ae8bc soft chuckle, his gaze c5f4e8bb3f lingering on the man c1370e3246 in the photo.ae675c85bb07b353

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Though the image was 8f029b3b73 in black and white, 132a871c41 he could tell that b595bd51c2 the actor’s hair was fb56ff2ba2 the same shade of 30865da307 red as his own.ca221c53ef653f75

Staring at the photo, d95f89f7dd Raskal muttered under his 5253251d98 breath.20ecb13e11b1640c

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“…He does bear a slight resemblance.”448fe757b851a4cf

 a1d97ca1dc34b109

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