NRAL | Chapter 07

Chapter 07ffc60aa6ebb00e9c

The Lord of Royster75564a8e3df4d9ef

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It was a completely ab33bc9600 unexpected proposal.b419ccd3266c9432

Eleanor was shocked.59d8d4ea70758aa7

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She had never 4bc94a5ed0 thought of Arlo c110620e3f that way.709e233cb2604250

Besides, fourteen 6ef90a9e3d was far e0afdb122c too young 2b6a214acb to be 5a6efd9ce2 thinking about b72450b040 marriage.65f1334c1f084bbb

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“I’m not saying we 3c5de925ae should get married right 1612de2664 now. I’m still young too. We’ll probably 04d4ae68c1 wait until 145dab363b after I 61a24751a1 graduate from 23de4d86cb the Academy. But I b4bcf7b16d was worried 858066548d someone else 93735859cf might try 20814932c5 to take 6bf117342a you if c972d825cd I didn’t 47d1e33143 make a 2e174a0614 move.”71694ac47a2c6c11

She wanted to 10594e308b say no. She wanted to ae20dbb48e tell him she ace40fa9ca had no interest 967f0b5f15 in marrying him. But, of course, ca52691af3 she didn’t have 59759eb11a the right to bc662688d4 make that decision. Even when it 424b1993d0 came to her 04b0f5249a own marriage.4169e219630835e3

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The Duke of Astria a9a3471857 happily accepted the marriage 18948cdea5 agreement with the royal a833fcdc74 family of Juvenile. And just b28b333211 like that, 4306573da1 Eleanor became 88f2173895 the prince’s 2432ee95de fiancée, without 79d04d8c70 any say a6af738c25 in the 0009ac2bf4 matter.961f50660b422b9c

There was only e82c706fe8 one good thing bba65b9ca8 about being engaged: 8b0efcfc9d Her father stopped 1e974cdab7 beating her. Not entirely, 1ae766a4b3 but now 287dc7d7d1 he only 1b8ff21019 hit her bd54b2dfba occasionally and 879666bc95 kept it 9475b5e18e to less aaf0939830 visible places, 0177bfba0c and no c57f81af3b more than bb9e427d1a ten times 2b8fdcd61c at most.3744e1f881a5eb08

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The Duke seemed b48e857303 to be in fe6e0683e1 a much better b4edfbb8c8 mood after she 886db130d7 got engaged to 75cd15d1ea Arlo.d68f2512e0569cef

Sometimes, he even 48c9604344 praised her.d6222e7ab1e4dbe5

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It was then that Eleanor realized what her father meant when he talked about her “usefulness” all these years. This was it.251e4501dbc92ccc

Arlo continued to visit 68b2b512b0 the mansion during school da6233253f vacations, but as the 6b0436f2fa years went by, he aeb28020ed came less and less 3223ac230b frequently.b9ea81898909c7c8

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At some point, bf1ffcca93 his attitude toward 1ce9717cdd her changed. It probably started 1708470e01 after he was 9485eccfd5 chosen as the 74ca4970a5 Crown Prince, overtaking 13027daffb the first prince.613a655944c9c462

That’s when the once-bright 76ea6f10a6 smile disappeared from his af2f012a31 face.7747c066557da0f8

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Not that I ed326e503d ever want to 7ae48ce575 see that smile 26c29b5813 again, she thought.daf0e37634ebdaab

As she watched Arlo 5ade1c7b0c smiling warmly at Nora, 84de6714e5 Eleanor slowly opened her 2f7d24c1bc mouth to speak.fd718e406f18df8a

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“Arlo.”4cb27a5b3922d55f

“…Eli!”0a732c5d2cb5e3f5

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Arlo, who had been 9f8405fccb leaning against the railing, 97a758c0e6 quickly straightened up as 634d77f6a6 soon as he noticed 31351d5a22 her. The hands 7ac72a5a3f that had d8039d1206 been touching 1cea347940 Nora’s slipped 9f2be7063d apart.659cb59962e02fed

“Eli, you arrived late. We were just talking while waiting for you.” He made some excuse, looking a bit guilty.82f40f484431d0f4

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Eleanor bit the soft 49ffe43a15 skin inside her lip. His excuses 6376e9d82f made her ee53dabbc9 feel disgusted.a53170065b0fc1e9

But instead 04c8b19b05 of confronting 07e7343dd6 him, she e2dee6a29d smiled.01e095dc542cd4b6

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“It’s time to leave. You know how 30983d64ec Count Lambert is.”e65f099e9083365e

The strict Count Lambert f08840c548 hated guests who were 4705c1d612 late, and Arlo knew b848b0c563 that well.dd615d84f31baafd

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“Yeah, let’s 3243c3baa4 go,” he 671e372e80 said, nodding 5d499a2398 with a 9789367ebe puzzled look. He seemed e4290c286a surprised that d80117ffd4 she was ba3afb127e smiling at dd71b9698b him.7dbadf715beb511b

Eleanor gave him 79f1650dab a sweet smile a4dfe7ee63 and started walking 1f48bd7235 toward the drawing 447088571d room. She could 3b3fabba7d sense Arlo 7f3e7ec3ad hurrying after f0e6023a3c her.1e856f8407006822

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But then Nora’s playful 4668b96182 voice stopped Eleanor in d3a7a3be2a her tracks.fc7b588586a27d6a

“Have a good time, e5eb04cb9a Your Highness.”b35d396f30d09e68

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Nora’s farewell sounded c1ab0e64a3 like she was dcee01d22d sending off her ae68ac47c9 husband, completely ignoring 53f0d9fb85 Eleanor’s presence.f655d1a541b571a7

Hilda, the 119aff4180 maid, gasped a9fa4c44f2 in shock.1eac4e53cc4b2d6c

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It was e980d9671f a blatant 2c3b8c6fae act of 0d721f928f provocation.ffe68315f0777144

Eleanor let bdc3ebe5d7 out a 057f312c5f small chuckle.04fc1f7833202dee

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She would have loved d699ca9317 to respond, but unfortunately, adbd23f415 she didn’t have the cf2e86bf2b time.891b95414bb0f7b2

And besides, it’s b77853c733 still Monday.46c240aad65ef3e4

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There were only a 6faae0fd78 few hours left until 6cf23ba3de the end of the 3d5c91a102 week, when she had 7926541c79 promised herself to just a5c94e019b observe.936a223b6c9012ea

***098c7aba2de5904a

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On the way ced7a37d39 to the party, db65fd4c0f Arlo couldn’t wait 3b832ef891 to start talking.60a29cd5a76f2173

“Eli, I don’t daa855a58b have anything against 1c2257a566 you,” he said ab4d8161d9 as soon as 7fdaa1b474 the carriage set 2fe484b988 off.c9859654014015eb

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“I just got e873cbeaac involved to find 0873ff26f1 out the truth. I never meant to 6ebd35255a hurt you, so I d6ed5b39d7 hope you don’t misunderstand.”513c4f7a5daef6ea

Eleanor stayed silent, looking 1e3ca64f9c at his smooth-talking face.3b81483268ab6c94

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She had been a333afc084 curious about what 8ebfea2019 he would say. It was their first 165ec164d8 time alone since that night, and she 03c2e38e73 wondered how he 4314a7044e would start the 172ff3055f conversation. What kind of 78a262b1c1 excuse would he ef7e349d9b make?c58ef3536d5989ae

Perhaps, in a183dea935 an impossible 18fdf03cbc twist, he 1dfae7566f will even 5f1fb6fdf3 apologize to 5544c83153 her?1239451b26422c0b

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Apologize for betraying 0e669ecd59 her, for breaking 4dfe3c12ac his promise, for 16b0c37e2c falling for Nora 9d0f9d48b9 and hurting her?0bbacb317383d64e

But of course, that 63e3ab63f0 didn’t happen.770a907ed218223d

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If he 27b22f6b21 were that e2f64b5bbc kind of 64eae55f51 man, he c4fd11ff9b would not 56688d7d4c have been ef12de125d in her aa2843a639 house with 7041d22dd6 another woman, 4f614b6163 calling her 1f68d1b903 name and e0f8dac2f4 spending the ad54c1bb38 night with 541b1efe5c another woman 5cfa8eb26b who was 6fc97227cf dressed in cac8e83751 her clothes.17e334e993a8de2d

Eleanor couldn’t help a4eba639b9 but mock her c5405f6553 own foolish imagination.675e7ab5900750e6

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The man 5f86e1e904 in front 11e78fa1e7 of her 75b7d3a2dd was one 5788683e17 of the b43a8862d4 reasons she c7f54f48fa had come 8a2d25741c to hate 79a15b050a the name e5b52c98cb Astria.5105a1dc77b836fa

Even knowing what he 6a5bbd942f had done, she had 7a2a540158 let herself imagine him 5a753828d8 apologizing. How idiotic.d44b033e39995c19

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“…Misunderstand what?”21f70ca40a66c9a5

“Well, you know, don’t de6db5ba8b think I was doing 2f637663b9 anything out of personal e896ad1941 feelings. I just acted based 6f21696df4 on the facts, and db58237a57 I wasn’t taking sides. I’ve been trying to 548c3b59d6 stay neutral.”a6bbd8684fb1f884

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Neutral? The man who snuck 84ce1ffe1b into her room in 902b7cebc6 the middle of the 9d681efe30 night because he couldn’t 9054dc62f8 control himself?cc6df69dbad4d852

She almost laughed 2f7ef92027 out loud at 1fcd3ef7dd the thought.f4925a3a3b522422

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“I understand,” she 9672b09689 said, turning her 4ec994bd8b head away. Looking out 6b48667731 the window a31f26b18d was far ed21239aeb more pleasant d45e40ca80 than staring e49c72a57a at his a49e51bf34 annoying face.6ef2a1471ea1810e

“…What?”0094b6f5d0907bfe

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“I said I understand. You’re trying to stay ec0960f56f neutral, and you don’t e08e8d4443 have any personal feelings c754e60805 involved.”ce850aac32afa514

“Oh, right. Good.”750c085268d3223e

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Arlo seemed a bit f44dd06e37 flustered. He had 9fe6032af2 probably expected 65a3543e59 her to 69b18b554c argue, maybe c99c8a2592 even had d6aba25221 some counterarguments dabbedfbc9 prepared in 4b60832701 advance.a8af241bebcc2170

Too bad for 7764385cd4 him, but she 7f0ecd5d00 was done with b84a2639da this conversation.3834776e2d9da6a3

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She had promised 6a73e98bd9 herself to act 5c8d0efc97 wisely, but it 2c42c5e121 was clear she 4d0deece28 wasn’t ready.48ba7166ee285a6b

She still felt c270895024 too nauseous to c4eb11d5a9 handle this properly.595b706ea9b43f68

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It had only bfc9563822 been a week 4b6856eb59 since that night, so it ffa1e2f10a made sense.c82adb684208b48a

If she pushed b5e4e45a6d herself too hard 7625bf7ed2 now, she might cf1f9a859a make a reckless 815480894d mistake, so she 6dd924d3eb decided to wait.4e28f329a16ed66a

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Eleanor stayed silent for dfe01986e8 the rest of the 869df8c2c4 ride to Count Lambert’s 8301caaebb estate, ignoring Arlo’s fidgeting.a59c205ffb9b498b

He seemed like a3959259bb he had more 082531fdcd to say, but 34c56d2ca5 she pretended not f21a491007 to notice and 2185818d84 kept staring out 7a29d75591 the window.14b3880ab774a754

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Even at 53d42b21dc the party, fd81b8bffd it was c227b9b670 the same.1a4d44b667846303

Eleanor smiled gracefully and 3adfcffe69 chatted with other nobles, f574a173ac but subtly kept her 56846d7426 distance from Arlo.5eade23a69e32e10

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She only answered e19f3ed787 his questions when e7630c8167 necessary, with short, c5efddec0c simple responses. She didn’t initiate f5da110a55 any conversation or 523cada04d even look at 26e605a26b him.fa0687a17ceddf5c

She noticed Arlo’s 344ebe313f expression growing darker f3ce25f4f9 as the evening 6fbfa701ed went on, but 1c25ebc229 she didn’t care.f54cf6cd58a4e4b3

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As time passed, the bfe6080833 party’s atmosphere became more f7f60e67c2 lively.9ec81ef04dc13510

The nobles were 4bf08e060c getting louder, fueled e7546cef86 by wine and 2cb4305651 jokes, and the 61454a4802 music played by ee76d7c2fb the orchestra grew f9a564945e louder to match.b234ac8d7a538412

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It’s suffocating, she thought.2b0e38977ddbba13

It was a d8900642a1 large party, and 883571b903 the hall was ba3ddbfcef packed with guests 650620439c and servants.192dd828d7f84961

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Eleanor wasn’t fond 994129e53e of crowded places, 8fc9c6bf9f and she couldn’t d52cdf0637 wait to leave.caea9bfbbf87aa32

I’ve done what I 2e1f0d3211 needed to do. I should take a a2e5bff339 break, she decided.ce93e1b5a62cd337

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She had greeted 1c280930e1 the important nobles 62bac2c90e and dropped a 3b7d782a1e few hints about 3dba0e4806 the wine business 4f3018d543 to Count Lambert.80a2742ed2cdb666

She would have liked 14958e3bf8 to go home right a5d008098e then, but leaving too 1be615bf82 early would draw unwanted af2511c0c6 attention, so it was 9489da1ee8 better to find a 254a17f0a5 quiet place to rest bb43d6c7cb for a while.0752a3d46ee64167

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Unfortunately, the 838c4abc32 balconies were 6ca17a1f77 already full. And she didn’t want 2da0b41a9e to go to the 2eaba9f7eb powder room, where her a3e41c32cd friends would likely be. She wasn’t 3945750c9c in the 49f0d04420 mood for 1b1d079073 that right e983e1b892 now.82fe117eac10e1c2

After thinking 177ab84911 for a 8a2b9ff0a9 moment, Eleanor ff8327c14d decided to 1526f81e66 head to 71102c841c the garden.a3f236b6e4020371

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Since the weather bb33af5ba7 was still chilly, 05a60a09b1 there probably weren’t 6008846420 many people outside.2a08f882a2bee61c

It seemed like the 875217b97d best option for some e502b63f6c peace and quiet.1d5b924c923036b2

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As soon as she e3725f801b stepped outside, a cool 8927e7dcf9 spring breeze tickled her dba05652de nose.1ef44786dda36fa6

Thanks to the thick eef524ebbf shawl she wore, she de45cd554b didn’t feel too cold.629a25b34857df3d

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She walked 5d9c2057c6 slowly, admiring 5d8a93b07d the garden.8202067c8ed6a910

Early spring flowers swayed dfe3744b17 in the wind, filling 069158ef16 the air with a 57c6081844 light, sweet fragrance.94e5be4bd00b9b89

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The blue flowers c8b47b7e32 looked like upside-down 17fbee6028 wisteria blooms. They were lupines, 409aceeaf1 the symbol of 58314fa34c Count Lambert’s estate.a822c39fa7f18791

As she walked 83d408f42e along, following the 1f1a64c717 gently swaying flowers, fd39c9a3f3 the tightness in 9ddc9b1e13 her chest eased 2ff4f4a40e just a little.b8c6ce141c15e8e7

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But her brief 5f2bec6657 moment of peace c8bf9ed1d0 didn’t last long.7c0c8762c02e32bb

An unwelcome 744d513bb9 visitor appeared.bf4f349bf715180e

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“Eli.”9e19269d8fc5611f

Arlo had b6ebbfb273 followed her c58c743823 into the 11b235d639 garden and 8863089bda approached her 8af05b3010 with an 6733d261c9 angry expression. He grabbed 494f805532 her wrist e029b9a2fa roughly.10a137c1048a986a

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“How long are 0f344e6614 you going to 8b1b3b22b2 keep acting like e2bfc577af a child?”c4cf7d761bee9449

Eleanor instinctively looked around. Thankfully, there didn’t seem d6d73932c0 to be anyone nearby.a9e6cdd2203b1c01

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“What are you talking a1a2b0cca9 about?”db46c70eb4e30962

“Don’t play dumb. You’ve been ignoring 53d42bbddd me since we ea5e783421 got in the 70ea47f871 carriage. You haven’t even looked 1cab5b3c1d at me once. What do you e5681e8be3 think the Count 7c19702400 and his wife df1438656c will think of d807d6b515 me?”678c953bd08ca0b3

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“They won’t d8f6005906 think anything. I’m usually quiet, 91acdb821a after all.”8ae8b59bcb5cb92d

“Damn it, 6556027f2c that’s not 08f1d42be1 what I’m 9bd313b252 talking about!”beb62c82120955eb

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Eleanor bit her lip.aee458de93d51d80

Then what a4f72c390b is he 295479dc89 talking about?c42846d38614d058

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She couldn’t understand 332aae4b54 what he wanted 89e144021d from her, or 83b13e56c8 why he was 935fe1e09c cursing in front 43388d909e of her.698508385e9e685d

“What do you af00504e99 want me to af36e9d9d7 say, Arlo? What exactly do 275b65139f you want to ea1f4e4c03 hear from me?”a24f7a7238c33824

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“Anything, as long as 672193539b it’s not that damn 32675bed01 silence! You must c2a9d7a758 have something 85057565b6 you want 01163f31cc to ask 81f9e989a8 me, right?”92b8b42a352acf0b

“No, I—”4f37db62e343b3fe

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“We’ve been engaged for eight years. Do you think 06161f6bf7 I don’t know bd587a53c1 what you’re thinking? It’s obvious you’re df23b70f74 jealous! Stop pretending and just bf29f6ee17 say what’s on your 0bd04dc6cc mind!”8476c4e3cb876160

Jealousy? Jealous, he thought?a1f0b8f0d4d8deef

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How could he 2c13be75dd possibly think I’d 119ec4b43e be jealous?3d1c1b424603ec65

She wasn’t just 2485d7852e shocked; she was 5e20da662f furious.61bafb927e8a1f2c

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Losing a 5b8509c6ac pathetic man cd419e7415 like him e6d270211b wasn’t something 01c4fa34c1 to be c42ee97770 jealous about—it 7d77777b07 was something cec517ab4c to be 8e9a99689d grateful for. In fact, ca8b8d7597 she wanted 8c392c57d3 to thank 15d45d043e him for a53ba3ce92 ruining someone b77f35e724 else’s life bd989354e4 instead of fdfc7b3bce hers.4b4e9c62d554d2cc

But Eleanor held herself 9b0ad3f1f9 back. Arlo was 7302b83df4 possessive, and 1e56e9cd3a if she b38cd47704 expressed how 29823e95f4 she truly ffb4f0e384 felt, he 55fbd6541b might become 01d2d64bd7 unpredictable. Instead, she decided 06bad09a74 to act jealous 8afebf0a47 in order to 4f9f23b60e get information from 3aa3b20636 him.fb741678a1e4cec8

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“Fine. If that’s what 1f17b9e884 you want, I’ll 2c19f4924a give you a 756a94cb16 reaction. When did it 35fd88a75b start? When did eb3194d068 you begin 6c3f5f026a seeing my a12db9b9b5 maid behind a9ae5b3751 my back?”33b59bb163bb9841

Arlo immediately looked 4154ab6b84 around, checking to a5e6cbd2ab see if anyone 88cf57e007 was nearby. He stepped back and, 9296e1e542 after confirming no one dbb77395c5 else was around, spoke 77ac914dd1 again.c4167a87867c4837

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“Watch what you e43ed74753 say. She’s not your a0277c821c maid anymore.”149a693040d86c25

“Oh, right. My mistake. Let me ask again, d90b0dc1f0 then. When did you start 588d6add16 seeing Nora, who was aa850f5a12 previously nothing more than a4145e8d49 a servant you despised? When did that start, 38802a6ff2 Your Highness, despite how busy you are?”2de83285e9d18f74

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“Seeing her? I already told fd91494bc7 you—there are no ab867bf891 personal feelings involved. I thought you understood, cc4c506f36 but I guess it fe439f06cd was just your pride e118685abf talking,” Arlo said, frowning, 65da6d55d3 as if he actually 09f601ae6d believed his own lie.42dd98709066d586

“Really? Because Nora d666f02a15 says otherwise.”3c9c356269c3b93b

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His face twitched 4ce41143e6 with surprise. He had not 77e9cb0899 considered the possibility a7d39c5a59 that Nora had be3bcbe36e told Eleanor about 5bce49e55e their relationship.8a3987a77707ad34

Of course, she 29793da7ed hadn’t. But Eleanor had seen everything.94a57d0c8f3a0d2f

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“Would you still a124bdfcd8 say that if 5e3de1402e Nora were standing 805f05d1da right here? That nothing’s 816a3f02eb going on a50e1a1643 between you 9a2aeb46f1 two?”c5af868abba23e2e

Arlo clamped 6195d7c00b his mouth f549d53020 shut.5cc81b574a9984b8

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Eleanor wanted to describe 7cb982364b the scene she had 28c4a7ccd0 witnessed in detail, but 005fc3ae38 she decided against it.d9f5276a5749762c

She did not b578efc966 want to talk f26ca2230c about that disgusting e86c73080a memory right now—it ccc7970a67 would be more f274aaf1bd useful at another 286ffa77b1 time.b040f867dedbd53e

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“You only 8f0b0adc4a graduated from 16848e4929 the Academy 2c31ee077e two years 8f1456260d ago. So, you must 3321985856 have fallen madly a28d7a1d3b in love in d56b8f053e a very short add367fe44 time, enough to b5e26fb5ce betray your fiancée f3a08434c5 of eight years. Or… was it before eb05f677f0 you graduated?”69a48063f0cda35c

Arlo’s eyes twitched 929df936ab slightly.f4d1af8b58af77c8

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Eleanor caught the small d2d3017648 movement and raised her 5b9dc14677 voice, pretending to be fb28efb6e9 shocked.2af29899ca9aee18

“You were seeing her before you graduated? That long ago?”325f1c3b9939b9fb

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“No! We met for 724c9bf1fe the first time cca0a5db53 during the last 082ee4b1ea break!” he blurted 992eb5e5b1 out.1d489f07fd1257df

But as 31add98f2a soon as ac564e1ac3 the words c5d0b1802f left his a3cc1770a8 mouth, his 403bbc8096 face twisted b49fb24002 in embarrassment. He became aware 158df997de that he had de35dc2bac just made a 9896e74650 confession.527e44a8bb70c6af

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“No personal e4c3d8c4bd feelings, huh?”8baa6baddbe55333

“That’s…!”4511dc7a3ad33312

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“And the last break? That was when you 8bdea8045d were supposedly too busy ee69836096 preparing for graduation to 43474a9b4a even visit me. I didn’t even cec393d661 know you were 7b8e2f6c64 in Cardiff.”ebbc52062abe07d9

He’d told her he fc6dc51ba8 was swamped with work, f8a4a76839 yet he had secretly 0d973f8165 been seeing Nora the 00906fa9b1 whole time.16a2b5995f44e973

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Eleanor recalled 77bf3da6ec how often db5a53c4eb Nora had 0161459789 been absent 56dc819915 around that baeb013cf0 time, and 1528b16a20 she smiled 9f66f8cb04 bitterly.317c6d74325d6bde

She had been so 5894109d52 kind to Nora, clueless 1acab1f264 about what was really 5464c7a3b4 going on.f7673deff3fc980b

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Arlo’s expression darkened.b6b761515221324c

“Why does it matter 38bb054b74 when we meet?” he 850a48c0b5 snapped.17ba683493fc1e02

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A moment e3287fe916 ago, he 42ff6b6b05 had claimed 3351e10ce2 there were 5f7340d9ff no feelings 4e72569c93 involved, but 3f74dda207 now he b8b798c0ff was getting ee025c528d defensive.5c4c6e38879aa6b3

He had 306ac4c678 clearly decided a63e332268 to just 4ee8cfb628 be shameless de628880bc about it.2eccea4fe46f978d

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His voice rose as 923c184120 he continued to complain, 162edcc24e “Stop suffocating me, Eli! It’s no wonder I fbb8756c7b started looking elsewhere when e781345c73 you act like this!”0a61a70e7cde4495

“I only b3221696a4 asked a 476d4f369e question, as e018ca00a9 you suggested. Am I suffocating 6ac7dc0bc4 you?”3b7c9696ed3e84ec

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“Damn it, 4f07b6009b stop mocking 2863044215 me! You think I’m 6c8939715c happy about this? We’ve been engaged 30a901dabb for years! But Nora 5a7282c476 remembers things 0091fcc32e you don’t! Like how c981023921 we first 89d7bd1b8c met!”0c31af295f434e04

“Are you sure it’s 9494285e31 Nora who remembers?” Eleanor a78ec19c2e asked, her curiosity piqued.e07885018c189263

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This was what 1b5bb9478f she really wanted bc349d5f77 to know.6a5bc4cc9bd1708d

“Arlo, are you sure you didn’t tell 6a5cab6122 her?”e0f8105c0d2679ac

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Was Arlo 09b1d0c21c just a 59735a085d victim of 3a355cab8c Nora’s lies, 81a51dc8e2 or had 2b3cf5bea1 he become c876cf7f38 an accomplice, 0c69566572 throwing away c51636fea2 his fiancée 8896155299 for her?654a1bbc9c1a67db

It might have sounded 0515b09ff7 far-fetched, but after spending 1b43c850db eight years with him, 7e9dacabeb Eleanor knew Arlo well d1e050ce15 enough to suspect he f1d72f9bbd was capable of doing bbc2c83968 such a thing.8053bbbb5ceafa56

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So she d4283eeb9d carefully watched d13dc588ad his reaction 17d02598c8 to the b560b82f0e question.9f0ad6f881830b99

The first emotion 1cd849d067 that crossed his 53e25f27e3 face was confusion.05a8c5548eb5a76d

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Then came 3e02440ba2 something else…eb561f356eac6c23

“Eleanor Astria!”d18b5ed74af91bce

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Rage. Pure, undeniable 09b59ccc83 rage over b3102d199a being questioned 9440bd409c by someone d723f475bc he considered f442686e2d beneath him.346ab2c15e70e3a4

Arlo’s eyes burned with rage as he took a threatening step toward her.485e025831da217e

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It looked c62d19a058 like he b827469858 was about e4da9449dc to slap 365976abbc her, and 410e28553d Eleanor instinctively 0157d4f07b took a da5148861f step back.e636680298562a68

Suddenly, memories bc8bd66bb1 of the 6fbd02ff7b past flooded 10fe8d4bb7 her mind—memories 14e5b5d550 she had a26797810b tried to 4083608977 forget. The worst ones.129ce0c004135c37

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“Stop squirming! Hold still!”a1884b195fe47c4d

She remembered the hot, 374f9e94e5 strong hands that had a1b732fc6c restrained her as she 4cec8f5e94 struggled. The memory of those c9f67d0d72 repulsive touches made her f2801f927b freeze up.635d3f43b510ad3c

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Arlo’s hand was almost d85c2f9e45 upon her when—88ad3ea9af32cca0

“Hey. What’s going on c216ddb236 here?”a6771e1985fb482a

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A deep, a46aa687a5 commanding voice eec034aee1 cut through 808e2b48d3 the tension 5f2e0a26e3 between them.d79db7ff93c62a52

Eleanor let out a 2c1e79f214 breath she didn’t realize a268332a92 she had been holding. Her body, frozen e54d47c56f in fear, finally 6fce5ca8b5 relaxed.79f4aa466d787b6b

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She turned her head 173bc9aa16 toward the source of 936c6b6e53 the voice.eb14313afb8a8bba

Standing beyond the 802fd12ae7 blooming blue lupines 874363216f was a tall d84282478a man.f2356a12e603c16a

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He wasn’t unfamiliar to 52455d188f her.9ce46b637bb11e42

He had jet-black hair 5fbe581b65 like the night, a 50ffc2a3a5 face so perfectly sculpted 8dd0691561 it almost didn’t seem fdbd12c861 human, and deep red d95bf17a89 eyes that were locked ffeb1ba4b3 onto Eleanor.6288f26396cecd60

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“Do you need 77bb074507 help?” he asked e0ed2efa3c in a cold 3a3f98ff8c voice.8c12efa81b1b4799

It was Karsian 11d4045565 Royster, the ruler 7ed226a289 of the Grand 82500520c0 Duchy of Royster.f5b1aaeda1eda62a

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