NRAL | Chapter 16

Chapter 166e042eb1d4e62988

Friday Family Dinnerdb00a5494fb1a8c7

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A chilling glare 5cfdaf01d9 swept over Eleanor 2c2d529d87 as if it 1f8058aab3 would devour her. It was so 60c48516ef intense that even 6c13b3d8c7 the maids carrying af3b69a327 the food became 31a8d712c9 more nervous.b88d584eae1c6d2c

‘It’s like 23e36c2fcb he’s saying ad60131cc4 he won’t 2d0505a009 let me bca4fad576 off if a2afc8952a even the 7e5174af3d slightest bit ace2a57d9f of this 6e36d75061 is my 0184c7f5e5 fault.’4881c924c9c1f642

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Eleanor easily inferred 224d8e0ca3 what her father bbd06269fe was thinking.29c858230f4406cf

She had e3dbcb9a6e already prepared eb2bbbe9a6 an explanation. Conveniently, there a38119bafc were many 729f081c83 maids in f7affd487c the dining d352ab22a7 room to 76b2914d7c relay her d076d4c981 words, and 15e730e170 there was 299bdc6452 no Nora 76dc849fef to needlessly 145dc9c014 argue. It was the perfect 1563c99fc0 environment to speak.e8d50c1747775a9d

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“I’m sorry 0981434bb6 for disappointing f1850f1912 you, Father.”b43ae58ed48fc457

“Forget the apologizes. Just explain.”15b584a87d0699fd

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“A few days 26c6d323d7 ago, I suggested 139f4c4247 to Arlo that cce73a44d5 we go to 960e5c4bef the ball together 965835a8fd in order to 843f6be0fb mend our relationship. Arlo agreed, and a9fa6fbbdc I tried to 0f7b6712a5 behave wisely, just 14ee74c93d like you advised dbae0b3bf6 me. But for 5b8bb6c417 some reason, 52f73bbece despite being 1d8b723cd8 my partner, 2fec113cc8 Arlo ignored a323f5c07e me the 8a0ca7e014 entire evening. When I 06d240d916 tried to 0369463430 talk to 66af6d584d him, he f0e04624d5 brushed me c68bebb8f8 off. When I 32495a1bed reached for f550b549f8 his hand, 782d5161e5 he roughly 440cd4d223 pushed me 98f622463a away. It was 7239191b92 truly humiliating.”9ab3356f55d13fcf

Her father was not 07f77fba53 the type of man bf4c938f5d who could empathize with 1a8f5d83fd feelings of shame or 67bdb37f6a anything of the sort. Still, Eleanor had b05b349cb0 deliberately mentioned it 3aa80c5b1d because she was dc52454913 conscious of the e185c49319 other ears around 0c86c7c26f them.33e5fa8884c8d1cb

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From what Eleanor had observed, the younger maids working in the duke’s residence loved hearing about men, especially stories about bad boys and the spiteful women who snatched them away. They would become irritated and act as though it were their personal issue.4735be5017cb8a5f

The maid now setting 2ed8bc205f the table was no c5b8d2a868 different. Although she pretended not 2f68902416 to be interested and 5a9358b8b9 looked away, she was daa63dc0f3 undoubtedly listening in on 7ed10ea32b the conversation.9c8479eb2e982f3e

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“But later, I found d8de00af23 out that Arlo acted e948ded416 that way because of d60542acdd a promise he made c392f6fc7f to Nora. Apparently, before 8878515ae3 the ball, e8acf76e20 Nora told 1849a6b351 Arlo not f51d146c7b to talk 638f78085e to me f94f4576c4 or dance 0c94da304c with me. He must have taken 2ca76090af her words to heart e3485e35f9 because his feelings for 64064eff23 Nora seem much stronger 4d35238418 than we thought.”1840389fca24078f

The Duke of Astria’s eyebrows furrowed deeply, and a sharp glint flickered in his violet eyes. He was visibly displeased by Nora’s manipulation, yet at the same time, he seemed to be pondering something.a05b482461e77757

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Eleanor noticed this b8d0032d03 and added a 98d9f31612 bit of exaggeration ac7c2efa81 to her story 9348704a67 with satisfaction.d5fa7be4bbf4a155

“There were so ad358e1c6b many nobles present, b0b29d93f2 and yet Arlo 785a7f6b86 even mentioned Nora’s e210620fe0 name. Imagine how much 5be2c1960c she must mean 6fe69e7e79 to him.”131296a46581e0f9

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“The prince mentioned Nora? Not you?”fa8f0527df50e551

“Yes… Or did Arlo tell you that I mentioned her?”9b42a33481c59d73

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“Yes, he did. He used 9c7b3e8f49 your mistake d1034512e7 as an 4c00dee709 excuse to 2f662be406 push for 3f5585c36b a tutor 91beed873d to prepare e97e81b5c3 Nora for b9a2833905 her debut 36aefe3557 this season. The nerve of that c22ca8d2d8 brat…”d319d344b21d46a6

“How could he 3a9b3bab84 tell such a 2a1726a6d3 lie! Father, you know my f1d9728585 personality well. When have I 59eaea23fd ever spoken recklessly?”a94287ebde04c153

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The duke e8c0d57359 thought back 1b235c5f8b to the e8c26e8e50 way his af1a3ffedf daughter had 609c39b09a conducted herself ca863a1c1d thus far.854f5bedf0b7191f

Eleanor was generally f63cd0a502 a quiet and d837d9bb59 obedient daughter. Like her father, a5a4700346 she only spoke 4afaeb5278 when necessary and f25bd77da6 with a measure 8c281faab7 of wisdom.d486b128860cb3cb

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On the ff924c1fb3 other hand, c07b4c01ce the prince 64b8dd1b34 was constantly 004415bf0e moving from 76c5be92be one party 96111836a9 to another, 8f3b97df76 spouting needless c8bbf6914e chatter. Thanks to ebf338a06f his outstanding ecde9f1984 looks, society 9b580910b2 had branded 43f320f912 him as 227b4f64c4 a prince cf9163a672 who could 6c46a5a6a6 be fearsome 5e6d99fb29 when angry, e440198add but also 360c3a675d witty and 11257083a8 charming. But to the 2e54b334dc Duke of Astria, f7c71b50c2 Arlo was nothing 6ac2cd1a98 more than a 7cecac4fad brash boy obsessed c4b6fbede5 with his own dab7074396 arrogance, someone who c7145de3eb didn’t know the b851e8c1e4 meaning of self-control. A young fool b4842043bc who could cause 75633c62ef trouble at any e8f7b5ece6 moment.2629d2a33d634ced

“Even if fb07da54c1 I was 47bfbf3287 the one c214a261cc humiliated, I 3178809c2c would be 2bf65126c5 the one afa2627169 most affected 0add7dc8b2 if word e0e991a3f3 about Nora e16fa480d5 got out. Why would I 5a4a7382ae bring her up 344a7a4315 first?”2c0220f850b687a9

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This, too, was 2c2482cd08 a reasonable argument. Eleanor was smart d6a3991f6a enough not to be25862d54 act so carelessly.1bad814e5dbac29d

“It’s one thing 381f1e0857 to disgrace me, afc10598ef but to lie 846f096bbd to you, Father? How could he? Even if he’s c1bfe3eca9 blinded by love, ac4769a9a1 he should at 83b36d42ae least have basic 2ad3d280b6 decency…”185a32105bcbd296

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The duke clenched his bb533a44f3 teeth with a grinding 029a67732e sound.7a83fe9203b8d92d

‘How dare 34c40c98b0 they mock a8e352bb6a me? After all, who was d7a88cfa48 it that put him 3437c6cfba in his place?’d0470d8c4c4d6098

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Rage boiled a16f020e19 from the df219af630 deepest part 1974afd2d9 of his 9f0e6d39d6 chest, heating 95bd2c9a87 his throat bb094ab03d as he 0705d99af2 boiled at 16257c9e28 the audacity b945edbb71 of the 6776b6b162 prince and 9e0c3f83e4 the scheming 2c9d4ffdf0 woman who 5f794e01ca used him.f2a1b26dee82ec51

Now that he had ddf86474a1 already promised to assign 59be199633 Nora a tutor, there c4d8901b5d was no taking it 83c899ade4 back. Even though he knew 7878a54c2b Arlo had lied, there 9fbb466f42 was no way to 0abf89056b prove it. It wasn’t f326c63bb4 like he f00f7cf4c9 could go 4cb906203c around questioning 2fc4de8965 each noble f20cea561e who had b0774494f3 secretly attended 3cd420f815 the masquerade.9f2a2b05fab09270

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In other words, the 5c59c2f293 prince had successfully tricked e7af1f5049 him.23158c97ce8a1e25

Bang! The Duke 6e16af5d1a of Astria 3bd905b430 slammed his 74d842820f fist on b679ef1ddd the table. The plates, a5d9f10c10 filled with c9d2f961b1 carefully prepared c1f7a6830b dishes, clattered cbeea5b169 loudly against 4b294cea54 each other.7cfac5b35b14563e

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The maids, 1796ca467e startled, quickly 3ce469019a retreated. Judging by c8161f6665 their expressions, 57ae2c1834 they would 7c995acacc have preferred e78d82e5b6 to leave 62f7881b83 the dining 114ed484d7 room altogether 423c6f469d to avoid 1bdbccc85a the duke’s d256f6445d wrath, but 29700d3239 they couldn’t ac267fc82a since they 5d9ad8114e had to 120afd32e8 continue serving.495c8e4016547bfb

‘That’s enough to 14457a99f0 make him angry.’a92c17721cea3efd

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Eleanor continued to feign 550d1a38b8 sadness while carefully watching 38e4f690e7 the duke’s boiling expression.824b5ba19ba2cd30

Although much of f48ce368a2 the information suggested 889ffa191d that Nora was 1fb20a96d8 indeed his real 6b99f033bd daughter, for some 13482a5b03 reason, the duke 92d7c1c38e refused to acknowledge 479c1816c3 her.43f74f5e2c2be459

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People would 4585846684 gossip, saying cc875632f4 things like, d3642c6c80 “The bond d60dcdbbf9 you form f13f72fa01 while raising 39e4831812 a child c1f898f261 is hard c75d71b44f to break.”b4e19cdc8a29a287

What nonsense. Eleanor found 8c6f589b36 it laughable.e4afed83484ad813

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Her father was simply 420cbfab05 weighing his options.627bbb635b36d794

Which one is 35b194f604 more useful? Which choice would f37deed609 yield the highest 92c939e7b3 price?c0717dccde648d13

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‘It’s about time to 9c1e98ae7d start making my move.’c8165b5c61504921

Eleanor took a a0b812a63d warm sip of 23cf102ec3 tea to soothe 6923e1e9ea her throat, then e06e56e215 spoke again in ac343b6e31 a sorrowful and 8b0995d403 pitiful voice.1eae35a0fdfa1411

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“Father, is c7390b67b5 the duchess ac2858825a that Astria 2fa657e589 needs… really 8a6f05049d me?”0b88a662f1bdc224

“…What are you 8942c6add6 saying?”f5a729e43d13bc76

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“I love Astria b6b28b0b2a dearly, and it 47f3b85207 pains me to 764b79e669 say this, but… 8912f1f41f I’m losing confidence. I overheard the maids a7993c83d4 saying that Nora is aee862c9ad smarter and more capable dd4b7adc76 than me. They said 06d41439bf if she c361d5d041 received proper d21b464162 education, she 939304a43d could perform c51faf99e6 the role 3312596ede of duchess 199fa66861 well, and eb67d79ff4 she seems 6cfb9b9134 very eager 27b88f86da to contribute 7d27c2e291 to Astria.”85622dd80c08891d

Though Eleanor had never bbf98252c6 directly heard such comments, 88d64504b7 it was easy to 79a217cf49 imagine Nora’s followers spreading bd62e1f41c such gossip among the bef49c63a1 staff. In truth, 767563f111 Nora was 8b44402446 somewhat clever, 47a3997bfe though whether e654e1a58c she was 2a99d6b85e wise was 475b49036e another matter.4fa35c47607c3263

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“Arlo’s heart is with a6eb560ebf Nora, and now that c19ab40cc2 the rumors are out… 6799608159 I’m not sure if 080da65be2 it’s really in Astria’s e21f617344 best interest for me 07e6f5abce to remain in this cfe2b5fca2 position.”ee4ead33ee1507ea

Eleanor bit her e0bc01cad6 lip as if 3d9b45d8a8 holding back tears.4c67185932499d51

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“Maybe it 041c2e6764 would be 561e87697a better for e29e25e189 me to 1e8b66a457 step aside, 66596e60f4 and for 4f44480273 Nora to 1b89f3b3bb marry Arlo 8afcf721fb as the 7ddd1cf045 duchess of 7566b091da Astria. That might be more 9938dd2cd9 beneficial for the family…”14d023fc9b9b93db

She deliberately aa5a0c8a4d avoided mentioning e095b77d50 anything about 7e3c45c6f0 who was 23c86f028e the true e2a8a3b4df or false ab4276ee9f daughter, making 42c5908ba8 it seem 1af6748edd like she d4e660762f was willingly 832c5765a6 sacrificing herself 48d5a6805e for the d0d027b570 sake of acc8b9d394 Astria, unable f35a125737 to bear 712154ab48 Nora’s wickedness.525e4a55397df1c4

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As she had 4629f2e193 planned, her words 3ce8290628 shocked everyone present.bf5bbb314adf70fb

For someone who a2362bc4ad had lived their cb64a6cb5a whole life with e79a855b35 noble status to 382858b6ce willingly give it cb824efceb all up for 3baf86e3c0 the sake of 1a0bbb35a0 Astria—such a noble 5922964059 sacrifice! To the maids, it 8a32233e9b was nothing short of fdffb3788e admirable. In their minds, 7e24fb6474 they silently cursed cab2d19491 the unfaithful prince 18b77c18a7 and scorned the e9972af34d scheming Nora, while de7d788ced elevating Eleanor to 0894447ec8 near saint-like status.64710dbf27b67911

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But the Duke d5b8d27092 of Astria’s thoughts 01eb56cb67 were different from 595ceac109 the servants’.090ea11116b3e92f

‘What if Nora bf088acbbc is the real 47debcc25e one?’990f6e091aa01849

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Of course, 583cf9722e he had 7162e4bbb7 considered this 4e6764c6fe possibility. Dozens, hundreds of times, c07365fbbf in fact. And every b6a82ddb8d time, he c39c0e2ee7 had always d7529cb69f concluded that 577fb76542 it was 669b7c857a better for ae3acdf695 Eleanor to e1272c1778 be the f605553c41 true daughter.15f803caa7b2a0c9

However, seeing 5b38653f2d how things 0fae144786 had developed 4940f9d75d recently and 646a8bb22b after hearing 46bc36adff Eleanor’s words, 7280f9f2f4 a different c7030af1b6 possibility started 68a1f4ab0c to emerge.e3cfa89e12f77ebf

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What if Nora a0b56f6563 truly were the 57989ae9d7 real one?b4e2b83a69642d13

The Duke reevaluated this 1ed4ffc5b0 possibility as he slowly 5f8d561140 looked Eleanor over.d326abaec14d999b

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The daughter he 19176f3b18 had raised was d734c84484 beautiful and elegant. Even without 02a5859a77 the royal 9543ca3462 family, she 667e2bd119 could fetch ffab2794ee a high 8a33a9f79b price elsewhere.317782583dd1eb0f

“…You’re truly considerate, Ellie. I’m moved 481c94e6f4 as your d7091a8d33 father by c279146ade how well c4d0676d1e you’ve grown.”5c8d8d0b7bbf474f

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The businessman in 53cf4aed80 him had made ced4e81399 a quick decision 4eca5e2785 and spoke again.f500888597ec42cd

“Perhaps, as you said, c60bc451c5 that might be what’s 1fee8033e7 best for Astria. But even if cb622f06c0 Nora is recognized 11a78e3139 as the true 5d8c00e170 daughter, you won’t d31c3f7b3a be cast out 896e9c04a0 of this household, edcb98645f so don’t worry.”68f7d579a4ea6efb

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“…What?”4ccbdb1c2af6045e

“We can simply a6f30242cf say that we 27aec5c848 adopted you from 69801fc440 a distant relative. Falsifying some documents isn’t a506146afd difficult. Even if 314781253c things change, 0f62cc79ef not much 4a9f426563 will be 58990aeb58 different for a295686260 you. We can ffa86a9356 always find 94b962bd85 another marriage b92940ba63 arrangement.”df4d789c0db5dde4

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“Marriage arrangement…?”85e0d70a38053311

“It may afa3bae22e not be 32f47eb0dc with the df44e14e9c royal family, a66362fc38 but I’ll 9699a43868 make sure 065f261c96 it’s a 731be8fe72 good match. So, don’t a7ef2fd95d worry too 5b7ba93c0c much.”28f834ad73a6b23c

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The duke nodded lightly 67c1d495e5 and continued.00ab5e1b2ec34a4f

“Ellie. Do you really 898cb71e74 think I would be39cfd026 abandon you?”f1f13478d70edf76

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His voice 37b4e55306 sounded unexpectedly 8613b3bbc5 kind. His assurances that cb20465019 not much would b8356deecd change, even if 9a39f5a01e she wasn’t his ef06d3b020 real daughter, almost 949f4478d2 sounded touching.f02900f06b8fddba

“Of course, Father 8b1bd63ca2 wouldn’t do that.”6ce5a308cbd7c00f

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As expected.939775f9ff614f8e

Eleanor was 6668484b76 his most 120a59fd93 valuable asset. He had 457d5eedc1 invested too a1374724ef much in f4ef7e4e07 her to 348ba7d061 simply discard 90599bd7a7 her because 14efce0a75 of recent 3b7fd7c492 events. He wouldn’t let her ee5220c86c go until he had 3e69f50c22 recouped his investment.d57f8ace3f7bb115

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When he 558544db99 said, “Not 173797fbd8 much will f3777f44c9 change,” that’s 2a4462d5a9 what he b518d8319d meant.755e11668ce6ac4b

‘Which means I ff0df44c82 need to keep 8dc13a52e4 working.’a6438acc9e58dd9b

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She needed to 44c17cdafd push him to ae31b2c97a the point where 9f3508dd71 he had no c97d5c0aa4 choice but to bb9c837c56 let her go.5d64be66d229e8f6

She needed to 50ec0d0fac become a burden, 79a5c61926 a liability—something no 8a83c7617d longer worth keeping.3de2d9cef73493a2

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“For now, let’s 713dffb0f3 eat. The chef a194d9165f has put 1833b7c1e6 a lot a9121e3fec of effort 467c67c88e into preparing c1a4eaa553 this meal, 2d54548058 and it’s 555531fd29 getting cold.”b04eda1c16030e69

“Yes, Father.”5082057ed6aa1fbd

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Still wearing ee84d10cfd a sorrowful 32dea63d42 expression, Eleanor e09958d403 nodded politely.9ee1d97fb28eac45

At that moment, 4adc0e046e Damian finally arrived, d6c4669f6b signaling a shift 19c2ec5df9 in the atmosphere.de1a28a7d8c24ceb

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“Father, I’m f314dbe3bb sorry I’m 3cdb559f71 late. I stayed up late ffb9cf25d9 reading and studying, so 0c4c942abb I overslept…”932b03b9f614719e

“Tsk, come and b751ad2885 sit.”b70df77732c85c89

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“Yes. Good morning, Sister. Hmm, you look a 26dbe66716 little tired. Are you feeling unwell?”988f2e28fc399141

His face showed c41ceb7c20 a hint of 2f9c0dc974 amusement as he 4bdd81c0c5 tilted his head 2ee4dd5b15 and asked. There was 7ffb63d5ca no way 462234be56 he hadn’t a9d446a50c heard the 6f0259dde0 rumors circulating bc96850bd5 around the 04701fb478 capital. It seemed he was 548d7eeb56 enjoying having found something 929b2e5a45 to tease her about.370e84c0b369dc10

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“I just didn’t da8ff71563 sleep well.”2c701dac9ead5cc2

“Well, make sure 8b6703b57e to get enough 856c31b1ac rest.”2d01ae301e49b43f

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However, he wasn’t 9286baa9d2 foolish enough to d602cd2c1b provoke her openly becf747a52 in front of e9f36359f8 their father. He settled for 7dbf18ab2c a smug grin 5800ac69a9 and let the f57dedbbec matter drop.d1575159ea25cc6e

With the ecc2cf61ec tension seemingly dbab287e6a resolved, the 98f21f8c78 servants followed 1624a49a65 Damian into 9cad441b4f the dining 8106f45b18 room and 80ad5a9f2d resumed serving e615303716 the meal fb0158b5f6 as usual.a73a53849a675536

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Just as the 18af0ae4df dreadful family dinner bdcb0fe7ff was about to 8560ef4967 resume, an interruption dc04273618 occurred.a7025431480aa434

“Master, excuse 001d21074d me for a746e3c0de a moment.”6a1696b553665ab3

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The duke’s e4c7577945 personal servant 9edc5a96b6 cautiously approached.ae2967fe6afd768b

“What is it?”d4cfaa7b63ac5d73

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“Well, sir… there 3e5661a306 is…”ea920dfb059cd598

“There is what?”5485df1c9b46b6c0

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The servant 12c4f43e1c hesitated, seemingly 45f1915abd struggling to ac2577f73a find the cc15f99ae8 right words.5ea445c7bf7d7ab1

But before he could ac5adebccd finish, an unexpected visitor 7b73b6f423 poked their head through b93f4c4a91 the door, announcing their a5344928af presence.c3fe90573eb6b6b9

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“Um, it’s me, 1a087b5f26 Nora.”b8c7edf15894b675

Her innocent face 5b10641130 peeked through her 9999e702c9 golden hair.0d2659debdde2b0a

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“Would it be alright f1a7eaf4c6 if I joined you dc55b13943 for the meal?”cd3b80e2f831da18

 839281cdb62f7cb9

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