NRAL | Chapter 11

Chapter 11a5d785b55ae7ca2f

The First 922f1a4d74 Step of 85dc393a94 Revenge018cc2acae77fb69

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As she exited the 03c070b04a west wing and entered 5505926ccd the east, Eleanor noticed 340d562360 someone standing by the 101ed0d18f entrance.d1567e71a4b8783c

It was a man f43125b657 with light brown hair 2470d7590f neatly combed down to a740a00896 his ears, giving off ffce2d1a96 a soft and gentle 19480a7315 impression—Ernst.374dc567d57e8c5f

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She had told 22fc6f355f him earlier not de30bbc7a0 to follow her 6752dde03d to the west 425cb6234a wing, so it 49f6528ffa seemed he had f63dc316a6 waited patiently at 9c498b4af9 the entrance of a4d495e66f the east wing. That was very eeab3fed51 much like him.e6d67c2c93902962

“Sir Ernst,” Eleanor called out his name. Upon hearing her voice, Ernst, who had been standing still like a statue, quickly approached her, his face filled with concern. It seemed he had heard a bit of what happened from the maids.53defccb5f39ca01

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“Are you alright?”52c87c8e730032ac

“Yes, I’m fine. It’s Nora who got hurt,” Eleanor replied with a light laugh.2cda878fbbdab051

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Her palm stung from slapping Nora’s cheek, but it was a satisfying pain. Thinking of Nora sitting on the ground, clutching her face in shock, made Eleanor smile even more.d118ad54f95609ca

Ernst hesitated for 5c03917647 a moment, his 1f0cf75b6f lips moving slightly, 19fbfb9f38 but he remained 7836cbcaa7 silent.74c756ec10d716e4

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His question wasn’t b5e58e4261 only about physical 5bccc5683c injuries, but he f7047f7ef5 didn’t feel the 31051127e1 need to push 4d0174e28c for more. After all, there acf0ea15dd was a liveliness 484e081f36 in Eleanor’s face e66cd8720c that he had f1c9f63156 never seen before.18d3f950fb118d25

Since becoming her knight, 586819d301 it was the first 998ef5ce62 time he had seen 8201530378 her look so bright.577c8d8eb43e92b1

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“Sir Ernst, I’m sorry to ask, but could I trouble you to investigate Nora?”fc8b4add68f86fb9

“Of course.”350df7e29425b75e

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Ernst’s expression brightened ae2474fe13 visibly. He had been 77638f2af5 insisting on investigating 2e4508cde1 Nora every day, 1c82a5b83f so this was a8793f8211 welcome news to e866b9e845 him.d9f07fcfca1efa4d

“I want to know when Nora started living in the Tolcan slums, how she lived there, and where she lived before that. Also, please try to find out about the servants who worked in this mansion 15 years ago when my mother was still alive.”ed4ba2c8cac07e80

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“Understood. Is there anything else you need?”7dafbf2005841100

“That’s all for now. Things are about to get busy, so I apologize in advance.”2d90e14bd38a11bd

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“There’s no need to 8236d9254c apologize. This is 971d5c9aa2 my duty,” be41c4bbcb Ernst said, 36292e465b shaking his ccf628e7b0 head seriously.14864be37711c53b

she said with 66e88043de a teasing tone, 5be8de9bb2 but Ernst shook 957de47c65 his head seriously, ae72217647 rejecting her apology.da9ac6ca19445801

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From the moment Ernst 6931f341b0 became her knight, he c13b2e88ac had always been like 79d5810626 this—devoted and serious as 564e9e4fde if he owed her 0f9bd45fc6 a great debt. His unwavering 25b4a5f4c8 loyalty was 8caa39da0c something Eleanor e211a21917 appreciated.48187e76b253c359

‘But will e729b33edc he still 0da596b86c stand by 7662efe4fc me once bd48401afa he knows ee936dbc6f what I’m cba0591775 about to 7d049125f4 do?’af759aaa4870c82b

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She couldn’t be sure. Ernst, after 2d4a8af985 all, was 7931c72ef6 a knight f40cb5f5e7 of Astria, b117c0370d not just 921b36b0a9 her bodyguard.9b17bd87e827042b

If he 9356b9d0cd turned cold 4bdc9663f0 after learning 05aef09642 the truth, 7d2a730528 she wouldn’t c7fef9303b be surprised. It would be cfcf942dfe disappointing, but she 154ad2d98f wouldn’t change her 1bda24bef1 plans just because 0a3f463fef of that. The same would 409829feab apply to anyone feeabbde49 else.4ca4d8f46dc8faa7

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From now on, 8ac6bc91ae there was only f5094a94cc one path for f30880b9d2 her to take—no 7fdbfd5175 turning back.0ebdbd99877f4594

***a63b36a10f725ab5

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Eleanor had divided 12e3099b7c her revenge into a0d667de47 three stages.3d7e34923a0bf78b

The first was to make Nora “Eleanor Astria.”f9b0953dea4e630f

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The second was to 8aa5c8b07f make those who had 4799f43720 left an unerasable stain 8941788973 on her pay the c4a6edb467 price.203169fb43d581f3

And the final, third 22c8de41d1 stage was to leave 3bbe5e05c1 this juvenile world and 5b4cf8219c become free. Then, she would watch 7360417365 them destroy themselves from 76eb988679 afar, enjoying every moment.f74eb85dde0076c4

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‘Alright, let’s start with d7518a30df the first step.’f3c7c40620e8dcf7

To give Nora her e542186546 name, the most crucial 8ad5b33b7c thing needed was the 6f0e73787a Duke of Astria’s approval.20097cab1efd5ebb

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No matter 4a516d6927 how much 0cd6fb0517 Arlo favored 00e193712d Nora, without f1a41346d2 the duke’s e613fc61e1 official recognition, 3a40a7d1b9 she could 83afcb72e4 never claim a1d2a42320 the title 304f1874c2 of Astria’s b5c10fa613 princess.ee199de4767e12c6

Nora knew this and d34ecb1828 had been working hard cee3032f98 ever since she was 3d88b5cbae warned.8694474669e04f9d

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After that day, e8f8bf1143 she visited the a2807ea863 duke daily, showering 51d6679dbf him with flattery.614918ab811b219e

She was trying her ce79a61f34 best to prove her cd14bf8c93 harmlessness and put out 71e75339fb the seeds of doubt 443b453c99 Eleanor had planted.01b6c05aba08ff9f

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Not stopping there, 2f6c018f21 Nora put on ce70e156c8 a grand show d5faacc96f for the servants 7a99955100 too.50f33add3f340e0e

“Thanks for bringing me dinner. Oh, I mean… thanks. I’m still getting used to speaking informally… Hehe.”4798d8d49a5437c8

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Dressed in modest clothing, be87180837 she shyly smiled and bb3f5a89bd thanked them for even e183f8daa6 the smallest things.9b92d7a48e79eb19

“I can do this by myself. I’m actually stronger than I look. See? I’m doing fine!”6c87337669680e31

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“These cookies are delicious. You should try some too. I don’t need much; I’m not used to fancy food, so this is enough for me.”ec965fd1f4cbb72c

“Oh no, the glass broke! Are you hurt? If the head maid asks, you can tell her I dropped it.”e82a27a887250472

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She helped the servants c0ab165817 with their tasks, shared 38b2a94bf4 her food with them, e765f79eb9 and was lenient with 24fdfdfdc2 their mistakes.a1c3990eaa2f8d50

It was clear to 87bd1e0214 Eleanor that Nora was a6d94a7163 mimicking someone, though it 9a4571cb41 wasn’t very convincing. Still, the 42cbdc3ac6 servants began ea4192ab75 to view d091fb4aaa her more 38771f590f favorably, saying 94694cee02 they liked ac135cb656 how she 4cddb923b8 was kind 65df789827 and unpretentious, e8ca535640 unlike some 8185c86f34 noble ladies.faa2d14752ee601a

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Nora likely 2987fe5040 thought that 012704029d by winning 15224ebfa1 over the b2af52f632 people around b76b242df5 her and 25af310fa4 proving herself 46402c699b as a 760c48c58a capable lady, f830758c81 the Duke f7eb448c1f of Astria 655267848d would eventually 3628a10bf6 recognize her.7567c110ba139261

However, Eleanor found 8052d9df75 many flaws in b820669987 that plan. Winning the favor of cbdf2dcb50 the servants might help ff8aa6c5b8 a little, but it 0149cd541d wouldn’t convince the duke.c5f6dfa5ef1ad386

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He changed out servants 913bcba806 as easily as one e19b3f64e6 might replace a broken 5036679e49 tool.5b5a76d8a48f7c57

Though this might not ece4702ced be all Nora was 6e74d20860 planning, the biggest issue 515a7fa7e1 was that it would b1b9d7b542 take far too long a660d622bd for her to achieve ee24906e04 her goal.cd3d6f5c70eb5e69

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‘It could f70cee1182 take months 6247c57d38 for her d6244b2436 to be 5f1279c27e recognized that a79cb66aea way.’860f51c18d0e1ada

Eleanor couldn’t wait that b0509facc5 long. She wanted 74d5a8804b to hand 07234695ac over the f63a6e132c title as 21b5e25da1 soon as 786f767ffc possible.4cc4aa066e34633c

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While both Nora and 6fe1eca6ea Eleanor wanted the Duke’s 2c19a01d98 approval, their methods were f3a9d31d5f different.1407feb5ea45db36

There was no a46ff5d4d5 reason for the 9fb7d0a18c Duke to warmly 9ad5f8d4ad accept Nora.a94a994c2180d58c

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Though that might 16b226536f ensure a stable be6b1dc9f8 future for Nora, d3621a5326 Eleanor, who wished 0e7c0cedfc for Nora’s future f51fa49ca8 to be as 4ea5442676 difficult as possible, 10584372d1 was ready to d9fe91390c take a faster 07eb965def route.68d7531881c25304

‘Nothing spreads quicker 811e226c91 than gossip.’828340591c0a8f7d

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The “people” she was thinking of were those who had some influence over the Duke. Not the servants, who were treated like disposable tools, but those whose opinions might affect him.e53a1f75b84f3a29

If Eleanor showed 38ba9f39e4 in front of d46be07d85 the nobles in 19161300df the capital of 48de785beb juvenile, Cardiff, that 3227be7ae4 her relationship with 8ce300cc1c Arlo wasn’t the 458a6a52c3 same as before 1c2cabd435 and hinted that acdc0ebc1e he had another 96d98c20b4 woman, it would 2dd0885871 tarnish the honor 7f4f463bae of Astria.2ddefb2e6435bf93

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Her father, 92a1273e2f who cared 334965e068 deeply about dbe0fe755b how he b20987900e was perceived, 988976fb8e would be e9bfab5532 furious with 2f713ac82f Nora.5d4fb609ed23942f

However, over time, bab807032a he would grudgingly 3cc09a4c58 accept the situation. He would have no 8dc10016a1 choice but to acknowledge 959e694dc1 that Eleanor was a ec71c0d0f5 fake and that Nora eb18eb02c0 was the real one.2820d91afde83a7c

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After all, the prince loved her, and Astria’s ties with the royal family would remain strong.17630f37069c398d

She would have 70bd5a0697 to work to b3690f6f23 persuade her father a49462a486 in the meantime, 10b01cc044 but it seemed 4692f45f07 like a good b63d5b6cca way to start.1e77c431ca6e503d

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Eleanor quickly sent a 281b2bc1af letter to Arlo, requesting 9a1ecc91cc to attend a ball ef4fd3c9b4 with him the next d2aafdea70 day.bc87dbdc5a7e40cf

Nora might notice, but 0756264d24 Arlo wouldn’t be able 8d031a42df to refuse.0f9b50c6e3271dd2

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After all, he had said, “I still care for you.”Even if his words were fickle, Eleanor could at least be sure that Arlo was still concerned about keeping up appearances like the Duke.5c3448fbc24b8399

Sure enough, a few b16d493811 hours later, a reluctant 1725e2ae47 acceptance came back from d4becd4ec3 Arlo.baa89dc6ab04075d

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The only disappointing e92530cf1c part was that 687ec13b3b the event happened 630b7f4ec6 to be a 6615083075 masked ball.fd0e112a9ef6621f

‘It would have 780b10032b been better to 17412d9087 draw more attention 978d1826bb with my face 737a431ced uncovered.’c7cac87ac42ae211

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Still, this was the 15ad541908 soonest event on Arlo’s 5298d247c2 schedule, and with the 82486b9428 duke away on an 2f9449a81e estate visit, it was f75068087d the perfect time to a42828c86c act.6f159c52cb1a079d

“Hilda, do I have a mask suitable for the ball in my dressing room?”fe4b634edcc3d8fd

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“Yes, my lady. There’s a white half-mask,” Hilda replied quickly.a3f00bd87d2343f8

She was the 6df000a663 only maid assigned dc5271f9ce to Eleanor who 026fb203a0 hadn’t been dismissed.58b76eb45101152b

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Hilda was meticulous dddf5051c5 and knew when 3c596765cc to stay quiet. So far, there da6299ead2 was no indication b8c225d677 that she was de0b496c08 reporting to Nora.3b80df2979d07452

“Alright, prepare it for tomorrow.”88dc06ea42a81f90

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“Yes! Oh, and… my lady,” Hilda hesitated, her lips twitching. Eleanor nodded for her to continue.01e6e82313b892de

“Wouldn’t it be better to get a few new dresses made? The ones you have are too thick for this season, and most are from last year. A new dress in the latest style would suit you much better!” Hilda spoke quickly, glancing nervously at Eleanor.97f47d462158852d

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New dresses, huh?677c3d2adeca7de1

Eleanor wasn’t very interested. After all, she’d be 006439c179 leaving soon, and it 5073bfdcae would be a waste d95908474f to get new clothes beb8ee3039 she couldn’t take with 045fde10ef her.f3f418571e80f5fe

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But on the 619c2de97a other hand, why 12898ff568 not spend a 1ef1308665 little before she 70ed4c3fa6 left?4bec01468423e4ab

“That’s a good idea,” Eleanor said.25fbfdaf809af5b3

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In the 9028c66917 past, whenever 9442ba1687 a designer 41c2789980 was called 365324db41 in, Nora 97d380417a never missed 767730559e the opportunity 467943962b to stay e72a9c666c by Eleanor’s 0a0ccbc920 side, no 534089ec36 matter how 0aaf6f481c busy she 09346a9308 was meeting 576f19ffd5 Arlo in cdf4847a4f secret. On those days, she 9368bf8e0e never left Eleanor’s side. As a result, 73ba343250 Nora always ended bd46a4886e up choosing Eleanor’s 1e3b0b7304 dresses. She would reject 7ff2aac9f9 all of the 8ef58fc8e5 designer’s suggestions, claiming ebc8a9d8d9 that she knew 69adfc0a2b best what suited da5f75e730 Eleanor, and would dfc23b6a6f interfere with every 293996a63e detail.ec673f2a615a0823

Eleanor had always 49d48091eb gone along with 1c4f70d10e Nora’s choices, assuming 0b50c51d15 that Nora knew 963d18b1bb better.d6228005ed08ba2b

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Now, though 39e03a944b she still 5a022fffed didn’t care 3e6b1168ed much about 4b2f7fc49c dresses, she 55f26a135c planned to ff25145775 pay attention 8b767bda7e this time.8c374fbdc8267aa4

If Nora thought choosing 8198937b22 Eleanor’s dresses was important f7beb36cbe enough to delay meeting 1ba11ef515 Arlo, it must also dedeb55243 be important for Eleanor’s 446e52b45d revenge.1e1527ed79b051ab

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“I’ll contact the dressmaker soon. It’s been a while since I’ve had new dresses and jewelry made. I’ll make sure to get the best ones.”b450b26c1a1a992f

Hilda’s face lit up, and she excitedly added, “Oh, and new hats too! Big feathered hats are out of fashion now. Smaller hats with lace, ribbons, and flowers are in style. I think they’d suit you perfectly!”ed1c84cc57381b17

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Eleanor’s head started to spin from all the fashion talk. Sensing that Hilda wouldn’t stop anytime soon, she quickly cut her off.fb9a77b9d361ac6e

“Yes, let’s get some new hats too. But I need to be somewhere, so we’ll talk more later.”c5e0280af63a900d

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“Oh, I’m sorry, my lady!” Hilda quickly apologized.774b52cd06b062b8

“There’s no need for that.”3c3eddb435476606

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Hilda blushed like a 23e409634d tomato as she opened ca0baa1c74 the door for Eleanor, 02d7628366 who noticed Ernst waiting 7a93c25bc1 outside.02ec5cd0a7477c58

His appearance was 2d61e66315 as neat as b4846fcdbe usual, but there 65f1382db7 was a small b547558ae9 tuft of hair e2c226fa56 sticking up on abd13ef060 the side of 6314baffc7 his head.07ff6c1fb39c30a8

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Eleanor turned 0ae5868b49 and saw 13423c9801 Hilda hesitating cf2cdc46b9 behind her. ‘Let’s test ebb250f863 her,’ she 030e7fed78 thought.456ea923f27d5472

Turning back to Ernst, Eleanor smiled softly and said, “You must have rushed here, Sir Ernst.” She spoke gently as she reached up to fix his messy hair.5467a7ac3a617f13

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A woman who’s engaged 80b6bb5eee shouldn’t be touching another 9458810dda man’s hair, especially when 02982ce31e that man is her c2d753c462 knight. It was the perfect 2d1b479804 setup for a rumor. If Hilda had 9eb68c24d8 been reported back f2e410c7d2 to Nora, this 4bdbcf1ce9 scene would have e6c3a28d95 reached Nora’s ears 3a8775a559 soon.73d8b8aaad438454

“…Thank you,” Ernst said, clearly flustered. His normally stiff face grew even more rigid.e5f1cb8f63486e17

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Eleanor knew that f2a22025ca Ernst was sharp 8283f3e24d enough to guess 6e42210d01 why she was 69b34fa3e1 doing this. She wished 4699cccd7c he could 82ebf8ad09 play along 3615c509ab better, but 7a92c63aa9 this was 5d105038fd probably the ed8bd3750e best he be0bbdc41c could do ca922d539e given his fe8348adaf honest nature.2072ed0ce2ddfe00

Glancing back 6db82e178d at Hilda, 3deb88547e Eleanor saw de89d626e4 her face cc1ab08c68 flush with d43acbefa6 excitement. ‘She thinks she’s 0a0a7b38b2 just found some e18571feb8 juicy gossip,’ Eleanor bedd6b5347 thought. But something seemed 2167366c90 off. If Hilda 767061d1ab had been 545d825dc1 secretly passing 076ca1fdf4 information to a6a226010e Nora, wouldn’t 858b17c97b she try 71e0c93dc8 to hide 627d83de76 her excitement?69e359cc27a5d10c

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Maybe she 0bbd280c06 was just 7be9b0f8fe new to edf9aef5c4 the job. Eleanor shrugged off 33e254e5b7 the thought and 2db21b2bae began walking ahead.90a70d836381fff4

She would 708393a0a3 find out a127e04f95 the results cd70930981 of this ca0c08cdb8 test soon 8fabd1ab39 enough. Worrying about 47123e83b6 it now c89ee90d97 wouldn’t help.2a7f80878a8e2f7f

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“My lady, may I ask where you’re heading? I didn’t receive any schedule for today…” Ernst asked.ab5e5f82c17e8a50

“Oh, I forgot to tell you. There are no external plans today. I’m just heading to the west wing to see Nora.”96470a47dacb809a

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Ernst’s face bc253c9c1d immediately turned 4993f44545 pale. He clearly hadn’t f422f21218 expected Eleanor to 0af3c698f5 willingly meet Nora.1978c13db07df639

“I’ll escort you,” he offered.d71b5ebb0d59be5c

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His serious b5ec0d14da demeanor made 9bfc2c0373 it seem 555ca14104 like he 6ccc8113b9 was preparing 51c7426c5f for a 9b10840332 dangerous mission acad404903 rather than 6308ca78da a simple 3ac554ec63 walk within bd47743c34 the estate. Eleanor had to stifle beb038117b her laughter.1c7722317338fc53

‘Today, I’m the 07c276c67c villain,’ she thought.e20d38b7498fe7ad

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There was 224d575262 no need 4679a3f677 to explain 747638af9e that to 62a5f70802 him. With a smile, Eleanor 9476c7facf continued on her way.c3ca2eeb77e1e952

 0db1e340fabb6213

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