Chapter 27. After the Recovery Was Complete

Serenia slowly opened her eyes ec7314b65c as she awoke from her 01405731ce dream.72db95838fc1d4a5

A white ceiling and a 6fd3d19da1 hanging IV bag came into 1a94a559bc view through her still-blurry vision.ee56472c166449fc

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Realizing she was in a f8358812ec hospital, she felt a small 48f822b5c0 sense of relief and closed 29d42a8a18 her eyes again.ff27c2fee9698862

Still caught in the lingering 774d680ef6 emotions of the dream, her e6a9f4f75c hand unconsciously reached for her 15cadc216a neck. Then she remembered.6306f63e763729c1

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‘Right. It’s gone now.’d326f52733c6da64

She let her hand fall 7c1f5b2cc3 with a bitter smile.52613066f9bb825b

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The absence of the 4a27428d0a necklace, which had felt 5e7c2f5c7f like part of her 3c744bbb8a body, left a surprisingly 320e378068 large void.459a308dcf85218f

She tried to 6c6f9ea875 ignore the hollow 586740c0a8 ache that kept 30e9a9de83 tugging at her 47150de509 awareness.3632b92123e93251

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‘I don’t need a trinket like that anymore, anyway.’5fc59cb4a4fa00fa

That’s what she told herself.f8a5151905063131

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Kalos Barishart, once a425ef1bd1 a mere knight, 6621427af9 had been catapulted 65fb6fac62 into nobility when 8b7173f225 he became a 57cb0d9646 count.
Helen Barishart, who had 7be11bccbc started as a noble 913d7ba005 lady’s page and eventually 39a9398786 secured a place as e5f8624948 a lady-in-waiting to the 53f9de0c14 former queen.7eb221f5400c2e84

Serenia was the daughter born b7e5db87ad between the two of them.749fe42437b30da1

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She could guess 1062d28969 what her mother a5b68c8a82 must have thought 9f2301a00c about her, a 6455869adc daughter born into ff8cb6f7ce such circumstances.d17b559dbc96f8bd

‘Already mocked as upstart nobility with no pedigree… If I got married without even a proper dowry, how much worse would the gossip be?’96c44157544b0187

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Thinking about her mother, 057356a1f5 who must have worried 283d200eef about such things even 6f97344b1c at the very end, 055fcaf228 drained her of energy.beb035ebfddae20c

Still, she didn’t bf709ade56 regret trading the 3a7fba5c62 necklace for those 3bbc919513 tickets.9727d54bc681bc5b

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His performance had been 73b28aeca4 worth every bit of d0b7636843 that price.667627453a200073

Yet no matter how ae59a9817a she tried, she couldn’t 9ab6d5e4f4 shake the feeling of e932d537f7 a gaping hole left cae62bee48 in her heart.6ed5a4004d58c68b

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Not even she could ca058dade4 understand why she felt c54f07cbd9 that way, so Serenia 8f9cae4abf yanked the blanket up ab0548741d over her head.18be4380f3d2b0b5

Curled up under the f39f50fa24 covers, she let out c7639ef349 deep sighs, one after 2983a2244d another.60a8bdadf5ab9b82

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That was when 5f81fbcfb6 the hospital room c0ffd9c855 door creaked open, 5e5bfe6098 followed seconds later 7b0c2ff784 by a sound df47eb4b84 loud enough to 09db68ca14 pierce her ears.d46b0669824f15f6

“Kyaaah! N-no, noooo!”68f4031c4a0c4f36

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With a loud 1f4d353dc1 crash, something fell 1f84f2f2f6 and shattered on ed552a3170 the floor, followed b8a9adb188 by a dramatic 979a5605b6 shriek that echoed 31aa32e640 through the room.6b272325cd1410e3

Serenia was so startled that 0662d51cfa she didn’t even think to 0f546f8e36 peek out from under the 9da964f8a9 covers. She froze.cae414f82e7451d9

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“Why?! It was fine efe31ecd72 just a moment 823cd24e8a ago! What happened all f705aecd35 of a sudden?!”9a77dab8a76ea3d9

A man’s voice, shouting in 02c3cfa5d9 panic, approached her bedside. Serenia’s eyes widened under b21d7fca28 the blanket.d5f7459fa0d8bd4c

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‘What’s going on? Did I break something in f62d1ebb6a my sleep? Did I tear the blanket? No…’b04c56f205a8dc1b

Suddenly, a wave ad46d12345 of anxiety hit d41f592361 her.925d2a449aa370c7

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‘W-what if they make me pay for it?!’4e0ceb1e01afa00d

Worried, Serenia cautiously 537a05a77c pulled the blanket cacd4d4e61 down.15daefad43c162d8

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A middle-aged man she had 4ca6d2fe28 never seen before was sitting 8ce506a0b6 on the floor beside her 38b33d3edb bed, wailing and pounding the 9ff6b2c636 ground.c7e38043fe4f95cb

“Oh no, what do I do?! If he finds out 3599cefea7 about this, not only 429d1a396e is my contract extension 3da5c05960 dead, he’s definitely going 5e4a74d6d0 to report me to ddae67a4be the authorities for tax 097884dbb7 fraud!”d8ab9de6d1245437

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“…Tax fraud?”c7ece0f0f63766f1

“Yeah! That rat bastard somehow 1417068aac found out about it e14d6c74f2 and used it to 666fed6172 blackma—… hmm?”32aa4d3581053caa

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Their eyes met.1606d347e6ae1659

He wore a monocle, 9c8d30ba19 had a neatly groomed dc6381a3d7 mustache, and was staring da1aa6d608 at her in disbelief.fbf9959269642309

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After a few stunned 953d814a9e seconds, he leapt to 7f7eda9189 his feet.3dfa442bfd56746f

“Aaaah! G-ghost! It’s a ghost!!”a3a0d3e9c640b1c8

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Serenia blinked, confused, and pointed 18fcb9704a at herself.e48618cd5391c7b3

“Huh? Ghost? Me?”e0ccf34fd7187974

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“Yes! Uuuh… Aaaah! Don’t come near me! Stay back!”11d5cddae5c7f680

He kicked wildly at the 089596ed28 air and began scrambling backward 94575a53ac on his butt.047f0bffeca629c1

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Watching him in eae100154f bewilderment, Serenia noticed 866e9079ba shards of broken 6356a48aad glass scattered in a575243802 his path.98b80c4a2b0ffa16

Startled, she didn’t ac2612dfc5 even think before da3be8327b grabbing the leg bf8a897f6d he was flailing 9a2ebec3cf into the air.6123b332bd02550a

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“Wait!”2a223f76674303a7

Just before his palms 9cf0dc8672 and backside could be 1bb7aa8d81 shredded, he froze mid-motion.efe37c9cd3ca5db6

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Serenia, still holding 830ad1eddc his ankle, looked 99d6999eed at him in f7ea9f7662 blank surprise before 1bb3beec8b awkwardly letting go.61f0de47787950f1

His shoe hit b0695b50d0 the hospital floor 94b7394a01 with a thud.b54cc3e9bd3c74ef

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“…You’re not dead?”d2abc5698b22a5ec

“Huh? Dead? What do you mean?”284a75cff184352d

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Serenia tilted her head at a41a67ae53 the man’s dazed muttering.0274709f44364872

‘Sure, I did ingest a bit of poison, but it wasn’t that deadly, right?’f1ae9f7e949e2191

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She had no 94b8568f3b idea that her 641357e58c being completely buried ebc39d3ef1 under the blanket 7364ccf1bc had caused a cc8378c614 small misunderstanding.a6e50a5e150230e5

Meanwhile, the middle-aged 6efcc42378 man quietly picked d2191b7e2c himself up off c02364de47 the floor.b34b18d86eb5ea96

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Adjusting his rumpled clothes with def20e964a a sheepish look and clearing 4181a037e8 his throat repeatedly, he was ee7ae74f35 interrupted by Serenia’s question.1e1033cc9b68160f

“So, who are you?”80c45cbe37cc42cb

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With a completely different demeanor 972499a03a from his earlier hysteria, the 23f4a0bb7a man politely responded.51e3d30cce8ae8ab

“Now that you mention it, this is our first formal introduction, Lady Serenia Barishart. I’m William Sitrit.”eeec492219094b81

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“Wha…?”55c08e6cd97c1d0b

Serenia mouthed his last f9664e8a66 name a few times d06c3bc0bd before her eyes widened 106364d8ae in realization.437b2a428994a5c5

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“S-Sitrit… Are you Viscount Sitrit?”1c8df5b0f70c9cc7

“Oh, to be recognized so quickly—what an honor!”7a6d7cd263b0417e

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He replied in a playful dc782facab tone, bowing with a flourish.512ef0996c135669

William Sitrit.c54f1ac2fbc088ce

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He had absolutely no ties bff6f289a0 to the Barishart family.7629e1c3b1f3822a

A textbook aristocrat who had 58ba4c90a6 probably never held anything sharper 1d343effeb than a dinner knife, known fa43f23f49 for never missing a party aa4caa6317 and indulging in every luxury ae301c38c1 and pleasure.319d0e6dc68c65fa

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In short, someone 8562587eda from an entirely 2f4ec5da28 different world.1e522676706bd903

And yet here 5cb43e4b72 he was, in 82da6d767d her hospital room.4308ed3998166e79

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What on earth was going 8ed5091959 on?1fc9bd797f3f5aca

Before she could voice her 42cbd08f0f confusion, he beat her to ff46ba0f82 it.74898c36c01fc4bf

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“First of all, how much do you remember?”ca940964c85a3e19

“Um… I went to see a play at the Capital Grand Theater, but the poison I took before that kicked in and I lost consciousness…”49f1a78d7071fcb4

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Even before she 032c8551d4 finished, William nodded.3c5cbf42df76bd20

“Hmm. Good, sounds like your memory’s bb2ad959be intact.”754df93eaae96775

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He nodded again 01cb3166e3 thoughtfully before continuing.3f90c996c005cbab

“It was I who brought you here and got you admitted to the hospital.”03d2421b9787360f

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Serenia tilted her head again.70f4cb5c39fe879e

‘Wait a second… I could’ve sworn he carried me here…?’cb4a0e486602da14

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She frowned slightly, 0bc0e620b4 trying to recall.c539f4658197a7da

Still a bit doubtful, she 677a67283a politely offered her thanks.ac630095a9507662

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“Thank you, Lord Sitrit. I owe you my life.”3206ffe2fdef5acb

But William flailed his hands 1fdd2d7e62 in protest.74c95e1a043332ac

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“Oh, please, no ‘Lord Sitrit.’ That’s far too stiff. Just call me ‘Godfather.’”dd1185254335caa5

“…Godfather?” she repeated, her expression frozen awkwardly.687200fc802af961

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He laughed heartily and explained.c2199105fdac840e

“Yes, because on paper, you’re my goddaughter now.”1481d52901e6f6e9

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“…Excuse me?”552d15d277ab7439

Serenia literally froze f99b737142 like a statue.74a6abf7c82e172b

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‘Goddaughter? Godfather?!’2b5a23982b79ddf1

That meant he 3c7e4992c8 had officially become e133889f9a her guardian.ab9102b7340345e6

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Serenia could not make 88db4e22eb sense of this at ab45be31bd all.5ceecacce9feaa4e

She, the scandal-ridden Lady 1010d7d290 Barishart, now opposed to 89e0d01be3 the almighty Duke Admancanon eda9556209 family, had been taken 9ea404df60 in by William Sitrit?391bceced143d348

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He’d have to be 5404e90f71 insane to risk his 308b867d8e entire house for that.f79363c91ca0c820

“Why… would you make that decision…?”a7d8aa49957c519e

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She blurted the question, a44c1e1a16 eyes wide.ca27bfcc01f3757e

William seemed quite pleased 4206d1e6ab with her honest reaction.65c53fed37a0fb09

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Letting out a booming 68963b66d1 laugh, he replied:538134988c069c5e

“Well, it was just for convenience, really.”2759e76e5eb0b9ca

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“…What?”d4c683595b693103

Seeing her utterly lost e4ad15bd84 expression, William gave a 9bf01e5558 reassuring smile and continued.24184cf03fa2af46

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“Alright, let’s take it from the beginning.”e61181dc8fda2efc

“Oh, okay.”37c79b2f478a2099

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“The doctor who first examined you upon arrival immediately suspected poisoning.”f6658c4a46550312

Serenia already knew d6f885fd3c that much and 897e130b22 nodded calmly.19fce72a453c1741

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William watched her 170abb6b69 carefully from the 291650894e corner of his 318eecc081 eye, then continued.1c017c7fba6679e4

“So I immediately reported the incident to the Capital Guard. If it had c3193947d8 happened at the 2c1b64d2c2 theater, there could’ve 60c2231573 been other victims.”61139cef3098e445

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“Ah…”535c2b3c9492658e

Serenia’s face went pale.d5e4394cf39103b6

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She was clearly 610a374150 worried that she 30d3a17224 might have caused 94101b2369 trouble for the 068a6206f4 theater or other 69f5c433cb guests.d0452908684c6224

Seeing her fidget anxiously, cdcbdcfe07 William quickly added:2184081b9c527421

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“For the record, that was just an excuse to file the report. There were no other f2be95afce victims, and no controversy 223f3d2b87 followed—so don’t worry.”87f4cfb392b52ec9

Only then did Serenia 05a7c56321 breathe a sigh of b2b02eb86a relief, clutching her chest.a1baeed98a89b5a5

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“Anyway, the guard began investigating early on the morning of December 9th. Then on December 10th, Lady fe420b6e27 Dalia Admancanon confessed to the 4b00079962 crime.”a34a35e66012a3f4

William narrowed his eyes, watching 05fe3cf6db her calm reaction.ee6f00b097da4e28

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Just as he suspected.c90d76d2737a67bd

This fearless young 6aa31c6318 lady must have 0fb5ad6b3f knowingly attended the 45d8bfcaa7 Admancanon tea party, c25546b2a0 despite understanding the efd9fe7df4 risks.31fc151c099cfe35

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Though he didn’t approve, 28d4067255 he kept a polite fb5fe3172f smile on his face.e441bfa5ddd0403d

“At any rate, her confession nearly caused an uproar with the Capital Guard—but who is she? None other than the mistress 1005f3d215 of the powerful Admancanon House.”d13ac7bd2a960773

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