ATPE 03

Chapter 3

The atmosphere in the banquet hall froze in an instant.

“…Hm.”

Rascalo removed his glove and lightly touched his face.

The slap had made quite a sharp sound, but thanks to the glove, there were no scratches.

It didn’t even hurt as much as he expected.

Still, perhaps because his face was naturally pale, the spot had turned slightly red.

Looking at his reflection in the window, he smirked.

“Seems it helps with blood circulation.”

In front of him, Serenia stood half out of her mind, breathing heavily.

A ringing sound filled her ears.

Her hands trembled.

Her vision turned white.

Suddenly, tears welled up—but she clenched her teeth and held them back.

She couldn’t stand how pathetic she felt.

I said I would sell myself… and yet I lashed out just because he told me to repay it with my body…

No matter how he phrased it—

Someone had appeared who was willing to “buy” her.

Serenia lowered her head and let out a hollow laugh.

…Ah. I really still haven’t come to my senses.

A decoration meant to be sold at a high price.

A trophy that only gains value when someone’s name is engraved on it.

A statue that can do nothing—and must do nothing.

And yet I kept struggling to do something… no wonder people found me ridiculous.

She let out a quiet laugh and slowly closed her eyes.

…Fine. It’s late, but I’ll let go of everything now.

Her name.

Her family.

Her status.

Her pride.

Her hope.

Her guilt toward her father.

Even her life.

After all, none of those things were necessary for a statue.

She opened her eyes again.

And looked straight at Rascalo, who stood before her with a crooked smile.

Seeing his perfectly composed face—

She felt a small sense of regret.

I should’ve hit him harder.

If she was going to die anyway, trading her life for at least one of the Duke’s teeth wouldn’t have been a bad deal.

…Since it’s come to this, should I just go crazy and hit him again?

At that moment—

Smack—!

A sharp sound echoed like thunder.

Serenia’s head snapped to the side.

A burning pain spread across her cheek.

The sudden sting brought her back to reality.

“How dare you…!”

A furious voice rang out.

“Who do you think you are… daring to touch my son!”

Standing there was Dahlia Admancanon, the former Duchess.

Red wine stains were splashed across the hem of her golden dress.

So that crashing sound earlier was from her…

As Serenia thought that, Dahlia trembled in rage, tears streaming down her face.

“Your father killed my husband, and now you dare raise your hand against my son?!”

Serenia quietly lowered her eyes.

Since Dahlia had just helped her regain her senses—

She was willing to endure this much.

“Like father, like daughter! What a shameless, disgraceful family!”

“….”

But she had no intention of apologizing.

She had been slapped hard enough to leave a mark.

That should be more than enough repayment for contributing to the Duke’s “blood circulation.”

Seeing her remain silent, Dahlia grew even more furious.

“You insolent girl! Not even a single word of apology?!”

Rascalo, who had been watching silently, finally spoke.

“Mother. You’re in the way. Please step aside.”

“…What?”

Dahlia froze in shock.

“In the way…?”

Unconsciously, she stepped back.

Taking that chance, Rascalo moved forward again and stood in front of Serenia.

“So. Your answer?”

At his question, Serenia slowly raised her eyes and looked at him.

“If you say I must repay my debt… then I suppose I should.”

Rascalo smiled, as if he had been waiting for that answer.

“Good. Then—”

“But, Your Grace… your calculation is wrong.”

“…What?”

Looking straight at him, Serenia replied calmly:

“A life debt should be repaid with a life—not with a body.”

For the first time, Rascalo’s expression cracked.

Seeing his face distort slightly—

Serenia smiled brightly.

“If the day comes when you want it, just say the word. I’ll repay it immediately.”

With that, she turned around.

And without hesitation, she walked out of the banquet hall.

“Th-That…!”

Unable to contain her anger, Dahlia collapsed to the floor.

Rascalo stood still—

His fist clenched tightly—

His eyes fixed on Serenia’s retreating figure.

After leaving the hall, Serenia headed straight toward the carriage.

As she moved farther away from the brightly lit ballroom, the world grew darker.

She looked up, hoping to find even a small light—

But the sky was covered with thick clouds instead of stars or moon.

It felt as if everything in the world was predicting her bleak future.

She sighed softly.

Then—

“Ah.”

Something cold touched the tip of her nose.

Snow began to fall, slowly turning the dark sky white.

It was the first snow of the year—

Falling on the last day of November.

“…The roads will get slippery.”

Even at the sight of the first snow, that was all she could think of.

She laughed at herself.

Soon, she reached the carriage.

Out of habit, she reached into her pocket to check her money.

A habit built over five years.

“…Seriously. How pathetic.”

As she was about to pull her hand out—

Her fingers caught a stiff piece of paper.

She took it out.

It was the note she had received earlier.

The memory came back to her.

The strangely dressed man.

His suspicious behavior.

And the address written on the paper:

< Pledes District 3, No. 1013 >

She stared at it for a long moment.

Then nodded.

“If I die, I won’t have to repay anything anyway… so why not throw a money party before I go?”

With that, she walked up to the coachman and handed him the note.

“Not to the Bahishat estate. Take me here.”

The coachman glanced at the address and hesitated.

“At this hour…?”

Going to District 3 of Pledes at night was not exactly safe.

But Serenia, whose mind was already half gone—

Had no room to care.

“Yes.”

Seeing her firm nod, the coachman reluctantly agreed.

“…Understood. Please get in.”

And just like that—

For the first time in her life—

Serenia stepped off the path that led straight home.

Her first act of deviation.

A short while later, the carriage stopped in front of a mansion.

It was even more grand and beautiful than the Bahishat estate.

Not a dark alley.

Not a dull commercial building.

But a luxurious mansion, clearly built with expensive materials.

At a glance, it was worth at least five hundred thousand crobat.

How many people did that loan shark ruin to build something like this…?

Her fists clenched.

“At least I won’t feel guilty taking money from someone like that.”

Muttering that, she raised her hand and knocked.

Knock. Knock.

The heavy sound echoed.

The door creaked open.

An older man with graying hair appeared.

Maybe a manager working under that loan shark…

As she guessed, the man bowed politely.

“Welcome, my lady. We have been expecting you.”

Expecting her.

So they were sure she would come to borrow money.

That greeting annoyed her slightly.

“…That makes things easier. May I come in?”

“Of course. Please, come in.”

Despite her cold tone, the man remained perfectly composed.

…Was he trained as a butler or something?

Feeling puzzled, Serenia followed him quietly.

Soon, she arrived in front of a reception room.

The man opened the door smoothly—

And she stepped inside.