Chapter 4. After the Proposition

Clackae570dbc0ae53923

Footsteps echoed through the 5a740498f6 marble floors, breaking the 4ec1cd0f48 stillness of the grand 34b1db0ed2 mansion.43b3871c9abb22f5

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The sound made the aa655b6e57 man sitting on the 01acc587d3 sofa, his back to 706db315fe the door, rise to fa5145f60b his feet.7763817df1c04977

“Ah, you’re here…”bbbf89f57e84c37f

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Adjusting his attire 0897a2d8b7 as he turned, 8b853ff3a3 his words faltered 782d94e87b when his eyes 309bec1c23 landed on Serenia’s 8d4d60534f dress. His gaze moved 392ddbabba to the faint d2fb1ac863 bruise on one 4beb15cb6c cheek and the 5206136b6f split on her 29f38e2c83 lip, narrowing slightly.02dfee6be507cd6e

It lasted only a 5cb5f1658c moment before his face b20c79db51 softened into a well-practiced d165a97fd4 smile.cf6e47bdc8c75811

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“I’ve been waiting for you. It’s an honor to see you again, Lady Barishart.”1b618d214c02eff9

His bow 6dcb20c178 was courteous, 082f0e0cd9 his manners 421c8b5cbb impeccable. Unlike their last meeting, 6df5b8127b his attire was considerably e730a59b8d subdued—no flamboyant wide-brimmed hat abfa7bfc14 or long flowing coat. Instead, he wore a e939d8f0b6 simple shirt and trousers, 58559c5fb2 which suited him surprisingly 35cbf1557a well.1b94d11a4bb6d38d

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However, the violet-tinted glasses 245ed56cb2 remained, and his previously 2ef3df23a8 pink hair was now c53be10120 dyed a striking crimson, a35eb7bb9c making it even more 07cbeab8fb conspicuous. Serenia’s brow instinctively 24de943a83 furrowed at the 0ee21a4723 sight, the color f33eebeb1b reminding her of e6d5824cb4 someone she didn’t e1754fbb01 want to recall.1f77da8cbf171efe

She forced herself to smooth out her expression before replying, “Thank you for your hospitality, especially at such a late hour.”ebead3d277dbd53f

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“It’s nothing at all.”47ecf7dddc350a00

He replied smoothly, gesturing d8deee26a8 to the sofa.6deab3772536e57d

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“Please, have a seat. It’s a modest offering, but still.”e557a734fcda08ea

The sofa f6cfe87410 he referred a4a5249893 to was af053cf379 anything but fd50bcd390 modest. Crafted from the finest 2c7d18cd02 leather, it was clearly c125f00c2e a luxurious piece worth 4690ffad2b at least a thousand 052650d9c7 krovats.cc630fdc4f23490c

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‘If this f698155dd6 is modest, 129bec843e then my 8bd71265bb house must eac44c27ce be a 488bf41014 ruin,’ Serenia 5bc28bb74f thought, suppressing 85005edb39 the sting 55e9bc0645 of pride e91cf0da66 as she f6e7470549 sat down.0ffecea8b5a8b4cc

“Since it’s late, I’ll get straight to the point and skip the pleasantries,” she began.af8955ce028b4a56

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“Of course. By all means.”96ce465def7f8a2c

He replied with 35504e378e an easy smile, 9aae2d8be2 leaning back slightly ae256a6342 as he gestured c35a4391ea for her to bc0bac2758 continue.ccdabaaa8ba35574

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“I’m here to sell something priceless. Something no amount of money could usually buy. How much will you give me for it?”62b47eefc4670835

Her words gave him b37a7d9901 pause, but only for 7b0acc7b8c a moment. Then he df002dd005 replied with 9ca88a1d11 a polite b1e77cda6e smile.672008a3981a2c7a

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“My lady, I must apologize. This isn’t a pawn shop.”d12bd80fcacb3f26

“I know that. But isn’t there little difference between a pawn shop and a loan office? You lend money against collateral either way,” Serenia countered.662cfe37b252be98

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“…A loan office, you say?”4c3f6e8cbb4d6980

His expression 7371d1bb04 flickered, just a6a082ae37 slightly.a75d5c7d2f860bc8

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Unperturbed, Serenia continued.690875ace3651dda

“I’d have gone to a pawn shop if I could, but they wouldn’t take what I have to offer.”a06d3a0e8404b095

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Realizing where this 560b3ccded conversation was headed, 84724adec9 the man nodded ace8202fd7 slowly, his curiosity 3ef6cecd2d piqued.eb937b2898b622c4

“Something a pawn shop wouldn’t take… You’ve certainly captured my interest.”13e5cd2d743db3c1

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He leaned back further, 07b3911055 crossing one leg elegantly 209ff90f77 over the other as 4ed63373e2 he laced his fingers e64efdcb7f atop his knee. His demeanor shifted slightly, e4d69bc8ec his tone taking on ee2cb50e9b the sharpness of a 63f4ef604d seasoned moneylender.3ebf47892169e047

“Still, I’d need to know exactly what this collateral is before I can provide a valuation.”8afd6e53d8a37213

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Serenia met his gaze steadily, her face blank as she delivered her answer. “Me.”7b291c8ad3e3ad04

The single 9a156f5457 word froze 2f31c0a483 the man’s 7e76bf951e practiced smile d84018ecbe for a 1ab57bd323 fleeting moment.7de458566abdf0ea

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He quickly masked his 87a312727c reaction, his lips curling c3273808b0 back into a faint 34a49d76c0 grin as he replied.37575bc00c10dd7d

“Hmm. You do realize that the sale of titles is illegal, and anyone caught will face execution, don’t you?”c12e9b2002c46539

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Despite the veiled threat 0daf411042 in his tone, Serenia 86d0e5be2f didn’t so much as 9fd67d1654 bat an eye. Instead, she countered boldly.f96689934e0981de

“Sale of titles? I’m not sure what you’re talking about. I made it clear—I’m here to sell myself.”b9417bdc64b033c5

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“But human trafficking is just as illegal…”2d8fc2e55a47bc7c

“Ah!”5737163b2eab70db

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Serenia cut him 2500ced509 off with a c256e550ae dismissive wave of c2b5e8893d her hand.0263df7d8550561d

“Then let’s say I’ve fallen head over heels for you. I’m giving up everything—my title, my family—because I’m madly in love. There’s no law against that, is there?”3e90438926f18833

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His eyes gleamed with 3adc1bd20c mischief at her words.ff803cb5e45df7b0

“Oh? So you’re offering everything for free, out of love?”4de520a34e0ec3b6

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“Do I look insane to you? I said it’s just a pretense,” she snapped, narrowing her eyes.9518bce5c102d7ba

“…Ah. That’s a shame.”4fdfce1202ad3796

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He replied with exaggerated 4cc0d420f2 disappointment, his smile turning d019dd7701 playful.8e18705b1159e8cc

“For a moment, I thought I’d struck gold.”aad69cdf479b3fdd

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He clicked his tongue d1cc37ef6b softly, muttering to himself.ca954837dcd5e319

Despite his a7def1b711 words, there f17a6b91ad wasn’t the 6d9c4b1605 slightest hint 356ae7db81 of regret e9bbbf23c9 on his 22b322adfc face.cb41ff3e1c3cd548

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Serenia narrowed her 3ce111fca8 eyes, watching him fdbfe6bade carefully before letting 44b04d6cfa out a soft a65be6e848 sigh and breaking 71eb778141 the silence.4189a277312807b3

“So? How much are 1088f09a04 you willing to bc2fcddcd7 pay?”48ac76ade0bec350

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At her e3186089c9 repeated question, 13189a8cda he smiled 61705ec9b7 faintly instead 90170fcca2 of answering. Rising from 4cc31c815b the sofa, 09b9cf785c he walked dc46dc6929 to a eb952692ea desk and 0954e80d5b retrieved a d640a70b01 checkbook from 4ba09ee4e6 one of 820ed57f6b its drawers. Returning to his c52404485e seat, he scribbled 07b62be673 something quickly with 4257ecf650 an expensive-looking fountain eba62ec1a9 pen, then tore 214869b512 out the check f59aa6aede and handed it 473db356b6 to her.3a3eca7331fdbd80

Serenia blinked ade10dc458 at the da6d5f2043 long string 381a84944e of numbers c3792e68e2 scrawled on 9d3afdc0ca the crisp 000e75d909 white paper.fc464e90b02b9e9d

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3,000,000 krovats.3b1dffabb099fe42

‘Huh? Did I read that 18ef8b4de7 wrong?’8563e95d15ca55e0

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She rubbed her eyes, 88c752030d double-checking the check. No matter how 1f97764f20 many times she 489c1a0f00 reread it, the 3c4203469a figure didn’t change.8b19aa8c50138324

‘Let’s see… one, 00526e4ecf two, three… six 5c64ad077a zeros.’3ceebf458291db02

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Ten, hundred, 5fadcde4ba thousand, ten 5f43d3eb82 thousand, hundred 60a2c16562 thousand, million.384d36f7daf80a2e

Three million.53c67cbecf265ee1

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Counting the 0b25c6fc80 digits with 51b5356b08 her fingers 7c8d359aed again and c3f63e878b again, she fa33f2c125 finally accepted cce6ac0f3d the reality a37c4bf87a of the 242afc5369 number.af843d3531e228e0

‘It’s real. Three million krovats?’7c84a1b4899d2b47

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Expecting no f83d4eeef3 more than cec9cf46d6 a mere 6bedc77774 hundred thousand 3e425c5642 at best, f8d1407ea7 Serenia was e4ccc4ea8e completely stunned b561e4bdd1 by the cf5d2a6f5b staggering sum.f592fbd244d0636c

To put f67580d1c8 it in 104e3afc75 perspective, a 11deb23d89 middle-class family c59728a5ae of four d8f0c64def typically spent 5cbd8a0ddc about 250 bd23d2b424 krovats a cfba66fdd7 month. Three million krovats 8451b3afb1 was enough for 86b4be6d9c such a family e03d6d0d0a to live comfortably d5b9c36de6 for a thousand 849dd7d1bb years.46f5bdc7efe87621

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‘No, wait, that’s just 214d205456 the principal,’ she corrected a4bbdf47cb herself.1203f5cbc322a74e

If deposited into a f4abe49cd1 bank, even a modest e24a701dc0 annual interest rate of c6456144eb 5% would yield 150,000 a60b30b28a krovats a year. The interest alone could 157956ca3f sustain fifty households annually.a74c43146e37d261

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This was, ce44e92372 without a 04a86a18c7 doubt, a 8950802b5f fortune to a74fd354e6 celebrate with 49f69fb38b open arms. Money was always 67482f0ee1 welcome, after all.cb7451e19ed1f5dd

But three million 35fa39fae7 krovats for a cac4ef3581 powerless, honorless, and cf657166fd tarnished countship?a7961f4bb5cb70ba

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‘Something’s not right.’1be25e0fc2dcf7a1

Her sharp instincts flared, 9d77347c02 her eyes narrowing as 8d118c4b91 she scrutinized him.c69e8ac0f3e8b763

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There was 2b2c6fd6d1 no such 029b965abd thing as a532e167c8 a free 6118189f5e lunch. Serenia had 6ae4346b01 learned that a074054bae lesson long 17253d4a11 ago. Raising her guard 74f0898fb6 to its highest 9fda404079 level, she asked 965c3623f8 bluntly.d6f5bdd75d56d415

“What’s your a0c541cc8b real motive?”164e9cfcab2e3003

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Still smiling that enigmatic 4d858a6db7 smile, he replied.4d9a9c6696a8795c

“Motive? My lady, I’m simply 39d1a1654c a man with precise 9534c1a5e0 calculations.”bc10eac58cc87857

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“What?”c17f8e11e3d45306

Serenia’s expression shifted, incredulous df5ffcc8bb at his bizarre response.f2202eafd2693cda

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He chuckled lightly 35d26731fd and added.27a5f2a658722af1

“Besides, it just 3f70292a1c so happens that 0a4a6c81ab I’m in need 34bcff730d of a title.”0567aed55a84cbec

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Though his words 34474e1d40 were accompanied by 4d46135a2e a smile, there b982837376 was a subtle 0b48c3a7e9 chill to his 1383f5dfd6 tone that didn’t 94fa47b234 escape Serenia’s notice. Her brow furrowed 46c102ed47 as she pressed bc5e48614f further.1387707295d46964

“You don’t ‘want’ a c8c352a2f5 title—you ‘need’ one?”3737de9bc6a77866

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“Exactly.”284644186a4e1a9e

He said, 8820104bad nodding without 32a3f67b5b hesitation.aa15453c38794b10

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“That’s the 8a2703aef5 very reason 34fdcdb413 I approached 7ebce6ecb7 you outside 7953b4a2b9 the bank.”e593c4d7fda74f8f

Serenia’s already 3914b528f4 tense expression f8789856d3 hardened further.6b0160216c5e679a

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She had suspected his 006fac918f approach was deliberate but 39faf8631e never imagined it had f4530ffe7a anything to do with e3ff00a678 her title. Taking a moment c9d8a2dd28 to choose her c14df89811 words carefully, she c8e4dff316 finally asked.83cd46a33f880df9

“Why do 0341108634 you need 8f4051bab8 a title?”37a18b66c492e981

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He studied her quietly 064a5d4842 for a moment before 2802779788 flashing a bright smile aa3258b3f1 and replying.5096ded046c53d58

“To retire.”cf0a9049caea4335

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“Excuse me?”2a072a350ab82599

His answer was so 1502c97a15 far removed from her 6f623bcc7b expectations that Serenia was 49828918f1 left speechless.f39c31d37fd4a7f4

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Not political ambitions, business 48f83ec4e7 expansion, or social prestige—retirement?b118b4ca7ba86712

Her mouth 7325e92cb0 opened and f0e643e47e closed wordlessly, 96722f1477 unable to 8915c32eb5 process his 4e5f0323ad reasoning.8a1e21027b92f4a9

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Shrugging, he continued.9e79242d949eb4fe

“Honestly, this 5085c4fa6d job has 37ed607542 a very b6fdc31a42 short shelf 444f8b596e life, and e75dd1fd99 let’s be 615dd33aec real, it a66ef00042 doesn’t exactly c4b8ebf894 have the 81dfc6b271 best reputation.”2232a66989780b61

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‘A short shelf 0a0c5a40f1 life? But there are loan 18e7ca371e sharks who’ve been at a9d95222a4 it for decades…’0987e2df298bf6d3

Serenia thought, unable to 7309d7b101 hide her confusion. She nodded reluctantly, 1d4eff3f3b however, at his 2064d13387 comment about the dd171cc228 job’s poor reputation.738c8d5c6d80e6e0

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“…Fair enough. That part makes sense.”a8b52ac462f36e2f

“Still, if 544c8bd627 I may b078a5847c say so 41fc8daef8 myself, I’ve cad7864506 been quite 0a9061c84d successful in 6b22d00955 this field,” 96ca4d55ad he said, c45b035749 his tone 5a1f1f67a1 taking on 558b590633 a boastful db4d0aa174 edge.f0a491bdf058d6d1

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Serenia gave him a dd8379b392 sour look, unimpressed.8c9611885620504b

“Oh, really? How nice 218b98ca50 for you.”f7b8d69b73b9cdbb

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Unfazed by her 7ef0495b5c sarcasm, he continued 41852a24a6 cheerfully,5988cfe5e808aabe

“Yes, very much 1ba95614c4 so. In fact, my dcc4566221 superior constantly tells 2ebb507e2d me that this 0d396ebdea is my calling. He says I was 480ca57313 born for this work 6631bf5d69 and that dedicating my e8827a4491 entire life to it 483ed28cd5 would benefit both society e65fc50d61 and the country.”dff4e45569013ea8

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“Uh-huh,” Serenia c701686b4a muttered, her 8cc576ea39 voice flat.17a2ae13b76e8f91

“Which is why he 2dc0e1ad28 insists that unless I 2d3cee24ea somehow become a noble, 44343a7a88 I should keep working 93f6c0290b tirelessly until I drop 0ed866b968 dead.”d4b28d5e4990ae1e

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Finally, Serenia realized why fe105e2344 he had spent so 438eda85b8 much time bragging about 4e7a80dd9c himself.627c2d6e7f442ca5

“So you dc5e7ef0f0 need a 4b7d9ce941 title… to 7f26b467e0 retire.”d2e864e3ae359058

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“Exactly.”f2e7d608946e9ec7

His straightforward 80c9341c90 confirmation made ae888b9177 Serenia scoff 5639adc462 as she 1496646837 smirked.39e062bbf2f998e0

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“Wow. Can’t even retire cfb418719e without a title? Your line of 825a142bf8 work sounds more 220cda6332 like organized crime d960da92ff these days.”c5200a79181ae8ea

To her surprise, c5e7d8c986 he laughed loudly 42a05f6bf1 and nodded.d3f81c45850160b6

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“In some ways, you’re 2e6aaddaf6 not wrong. Both involve 41f617db06 squeezing money 752942dd2e out of 3c9e4af221 people over 1ccdc0fd6d nothing.”1e3d07be698878ed

She cast him a 48085f74be sideways glance, her expression 9d2cec19f9 skeptical as she mulled 886269cd94 over his reasoning.0bf3aeb996b90abb

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‘It sort be8cfa802c of makes b8fc4ae783 sense, in 7242ab9490 its own 2dd033d0b2 ridiculous way. Though spending 220976d4c3 three million 09ed10e824 krovats just c66081f719 to retire 0b704ec2d0 is absurd… 4a4025174a If he 38807214c2 has that 465f971a65 much money, bccc357af7 I guess 00fec982e3 he can 8d41400612 afford it.’80606c90afa2e28a

As if sensing 3dea809b51 her thoughts, he 8490d58cf4 watched her with 9add68ff38 a foxlike smile 3679085fad before asking.“So, do 01cf2c4158 we have a 7d403fd8e9 deal?”a1d86e3730e9712e

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Serenia took a deep adba3069a1 breath, exhaled slowly, and babc5e4968 answered.4f0dc45fad102928

“…Deal.”eff1732db4f46667

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