NRAL | Chapter 05

Chapter 05 9a3d84ea1ce3415e

No More Pretending 6aad0047da To Be Nice3b31a1815c6836c6

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“Eleanor Astria has everything.”d4ece57ec2578db7

That’s what the eb6356d923 people of Astria’s 8b569d71ea territories and the 77afa40bc4 nobles of Cardiff, 08173b57d3 the capital of 1fd3d1e576 the Juvenile Empire, 8110a4f487 always said.94e5ccbbb6c45aab

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The empire’s only duchess, heir to House Alcestis, the future moon of the empire… Words used to describe her were always lofty and beautiful.e1bfbcdebb4e5102

Naturally, everyone 13fc2deb46 believed her e07c183057 future would adda880bbc be brighter acf866b2ab than anyone 7f8edc3db2 else’s.68aa4ed5f4a61063

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Surely, Eleanor ca09b53b40 Astria must 5589e8db39 be the 167c91a234 happiest person dd8c7cab49 alive.8af3785add82cfa2

But none of 104b822553 them knew.767a1f60613870df

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They didn’t know 3eb53b2f4d that Eleanor had bad4c3da82 lived a life 6e7973a21c far from happiness 59fb52cb72 for as long deb077c1d8 as she could c25bebfa1e remember. Nor did they d941445e7e realize that all 98ae1b392c those envied titles dfcbf65a03 and descriptions only da83356d7a dragged her deeper 80cea66674 into despair.d4a678b0b2dab7ef

Her misery began b4531573a6 ten years ago, 3df185c390 on the day 3ce67c82fe she left the bdd53a1201 orphanage.90e9d27ddd1920ac

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The Marylebone Orphanage was 04192a9b66 a facility run by 4b0d1a0fa4 the Triton Church. Or at least, df754ec691 that was the e2bd187627 claim.ebf124b9121e74f5

In reality, it 48153b0098 was poorly managed 42959296b9 with no proper 667da222d5 structure, and it 4fe6af2d29 was a place 44ba4abfee where the poor 0234276bca and unfortunate died 5e2ceea1b8 every day. A refuge 724744c76b for the 31b3f06536 poorest and 6b7290e6d9 unluckiest people 53d419bf6b in the 7d79377939 empire.a5e7dad4565c82e5

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Yet twelve-year-old 4c9128efa4 Eleanor, who 3fd9da9562 had spent 7f535ced39 most of 997acba65b her short c817121376 life there, d905e6d009 didn’t think 59833282d3 she was 57462ab1ed unhappy. Despite constantly going hungry 903ac862fe and enduring the cold 3a1e736c70 in a small, dimly f2e3fc548c lit room, she was 03d2cad1ff okay—because of Luke.17595ccb65da89f2

Luke was a 6ff5f4f934 woman twelve years a93d34ca40 older than Eleanor. She followed Triton’s teachings b50d14a99c more faithfully than anyone c4fcdac369 Eleanor had ever known 021a4ea16e and often spoke of 4310c46b15 a younger sibling, just 6416c3a8fd a year younger than c6bc8914f4 Eleanor, back in her fccdce3f43 hometown.ee03c2ef0ebb144a

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Luke had found Eleanor c724a0ec9a after she suffered an f5b7e15b4e accident that left her 033c3e17aa with no memory and d1d30506a8 took her in, caring 17a434ee34 for her as though 16e9e01180 she were her own 9ac5ce3db4 little sister.491b5fd883b0d64a

“God led 9bc38d8e5b me to 06d4e2f554 you,” Luke a403aedd87 would always fe0e516e94 say, teaching 21a842876b Eleanor the 83715a5cf7 ways of 90a920f266 the Triton 5d6e239f7a Church.fbe271a75289dbf5

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Be kind to the weak. Forgive the wicked. Do not follow selfish desires. Be grateful for what you have…8ada21771ba2dcb8

A lot 77e1c2a315 of it 2472245332 didn’t make 222e7c444e sense to 4a1d352177 young Eleanor, 0c493919d5 but she 3eb8ae01ce memorized it b53bae3a12 all anyway. She repeated the ea82401e2c teachings daily until b6d4d36594 they became a 0234a4d6be part of her.ea8ed452ddb04399

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Religion gave 5da8702252 her the 6408487718 strength to 6c270f4db8 endure hardship. Even when her fa0f311bd1 food was stolen 7633f48a4d after hours of 222ea04983 waiting in line 3cff862c2a or when she 496c67a9ae wasn’t paid properly 75a1c21e32 despite a week 7fb8364946 of hard work, 13fc096ff7 Eleanor was simply 7fb37c56d1 thankful to have 8d89ccd3fd survived another day.79c3d00850029893

It was all thanks ed9a86c4d5 to Luke. If not for 6e0470acbc her, Eleanor wouldn’t 1ed5512465 have made it 8471e60ab0 through such harsh 8ad597e5b9 conditions alive. She wouldn’t have feaef4c87c been able to c9d5e0f357 smile and carry efc30efa1d on despite the 2e5a412d99 crushing poverty.26dd4638d613fd0c

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And so, 62c33a4942 the seven 869164e4ee years Eleanor be3f532612 spent at d00ec55ae6 the orphanage ad80c6f5fb were cold 58b75c1080 and hungry 7b886dfcd5 but never 8e0f1288c1 lonely.4b48d7c6d6b1fe78

Everything changed when the 583d459c5c butler of the Astria 5d873f26d8 duchy found her.8c55dbbafa1ca71f

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“Wait, hold on! I need to 780ecd5cf0 find Luke…!”b1f3023c0e3a6936

“If you’ll head e50dbaec81 to the mansion 1033348497 first, we’ll continue 7968f0cd1f searching. Let’s go now.”20d5e76cafcbce42

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Luke vanished without 9e5cdd7946 a trace, and 1fa9a86085 Eleanor was taken 21b97cb5b9 to the duchy 6aa177bbc9 without even getting 8a9b0b0080 the chance to 8ed1f27801 properly thank her b6033a1821 savior.daf3bc8b90d82fe0

“My goodness, Eleanor! My daughter!”897d4e790996e906

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The Duke of 2e6a75a2a5 Astria, overjoyed to 54e3f78396 reunite with his 3b6c36767b long-lost daughter, embraced ba620e75b3 her tightly.eb0f5d18484fcf7f

For the first time, fda26c2473 Eleanor felt a father’s f3bf0ddeba arms—warm and comforting. It made her 0e43b9f053 foolishly hopeful.6536bdb72eed0f2f

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She dared to 70f850429b believe that her 61ba57c2c1 life would only 266d2eae0d get better from a5bb81a119 here. That she would 4804bd14a8 enjoy her father’s d61faf8021 love, never go 64772ee63d hungry again, and 13062abf83 even find a c475b5554b way to repay a9fe49da0e Luke’s kindness.1d2e10356d2b7174

It took b5a1541eec less than d0518dba23 a month d01818c873 for her 44fc792a6e to realize 4d74c38f23 she was 9013cf2c27 wrong.34ca7eb164f2cf04

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“Be useful.”034808990d03452d

That was the phrase 0d308dcc1b young Eleanor heard more 48c266e2f8 than anything else.eeed8ed0822b99e8

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The Duke, who had 43228037fd once hugged her and a10cf5f5f0 said he was glad b8fdabd406 she was alive, turned 074f5384ff cold within days, demanding 557ef994d8 she prove her worth.e695f60b95d8601b

Terrified, Eleanor did 9820bff3db her best to c88f3eec5a comply. She worked b6568a876b hard to 66e886c819 become a 9a727ee6e9 “useful person,” aa2031e27f as he 4b798ee218 wanted.bc682851642c878a

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She wanted to feel d43f74e0d0 his warm embrace again. She wanted 121069691c to avoid d8ef68342f being thrown 7087b0b8ea out of 7921eeda5b the mansion.6ad4995f7b0543d0

Eleanor was bright and 19ac62a37e learned quickly. But no b6189326b2 matter how ecfbbddbee fast she 47823f8728 picked things c5072ef3f1 up, a 2a6f724ddf child raised 2879be59f9 in an 84e016e492 orphanage couldn’t e947d3cecb master the 8ebf2178b8 graces of b664b1e9b4 nobility overnight.301460d6cd1498ed

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The fact b668bf3efa that his 7270d89aec daughter fell 6f731ce16f behind other 7dffd83570 aristocratic kids d1c2413b50 greatly infuriated e2d42f08db the Duke.608794287956877a

“Lift your skirt.”604eb3b66321f0ca

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At first, 8fff16ec66 she thought 58b8553af5 he was 40bf4fe42d joking.dc755e4b69f68cde

She couldn’t have imagined cad7db386b that the Duke, the 3fc26dc838 man who had searched 6d7b1a7a1a for her so long, 61502b896f would raise a whip 19d0d4214e over her, especially for 973ad27ec0 getting two questions wrong ac1f3fea51 on a test given 0d734143c4 by her tutor.99afe914542e93db

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She stood 02cc390898 there, dumbfounded, 4869af6d0e and as 7d304395ee a result, 1c9d1f0c5a the servants d296768736 grabbed her f6e0b3c2d2 arms and 463f3cf1c8 legs, holding 68ebe768f9 her still 6a4565c9e4 while she e451044b32 was beaten fc30c0a9e0 with a bd8d874027 birch rod.e579dc3afe70423c

She couldn’t 971e2a1a84 even scream, 4e39e58ff2 as the 8a242285c2 servants had 18f5028073 covered her f269f00610 mouth after b61221119d the Duke 67297cebea told them bd385c38c1 it was b6521e098a too noisy.503a029c7ec3c242

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From that day 8bd959b52b on, beatings became 0a45f18add a daily routine. Every small mistake would 68c0edf717 result in severe punishment. Eleanor’s legs were constantly ebe48f12ab covered in bruises, and ffc2824c39 she longed for Luke, 1df240a808 who was unreachable.e580513a54cb7f6f

‘I just need 3cb1b62a41 to do well, ee08662754 and everything will 39137962bd get better.’b338d95193ba9ec0

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Eleanor believed 7c3d5a53b7 it was c2e43322ad all her 8dba85dabf fault. In fact, 9e443ed0f6 her father 48f42ae32c would say 34ea9ca852 similar things 0ca857855f every time 58f6e122a0 he hit 4b233ffefe her, telling dcae8c375f her it 37a1bbecc5 was because 572070de88 she wasn’t ee97e97c10 good enough.cd102a05629aa0a7

So she worked harder. She studied 1ff1d4262a late into ef5c83d18c the night, 7c03373588 sacrificing sleep.c62ee015860d4532

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A year later, 5c621a830d Eleanor was praised b961dce171 as being better c52122e6d7 than any other 6a5d381526 child her age. She became skilled in db80a29b45 noble manners and was ecbad9e16b fluent in history and bb13ba09e0 foreign languages. Many nobles praised her 7f04ac2b27 talents.ca2cd7c3d7ddba89

Yet, for f23cdd0ca4 some reason, ea0c53687a her legs 2f2e2e80fd were still 9f08c29190 covered with 1b640fd6c4 red marks.8436575c49575f3e

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“She’s a girl, and f1505ab2c9 she doesn’t finish her b3e678820b food.”1be604f82e646f7b

“She didn’t 00da896a04 understand the b7bc8cd7ff value of 6cedd10172 food and 4cf6838821 wasted expensive 0d5d5872f8 meat.”3fb424e9f0906083

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“Her appearance d94600a58d as a c215360bad noblewoman is 8febe5627b too shabby.”1622e3735a1c31ad

“Her new dress 29c6055e8e became too tight 19bdd3f130 in just two 8c4f392a32 months.”e306188e2ca9a87c

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“Just because 4dd8d99d98 she did b7b9618c15 well in 1bee3bebaa her studies, c25c331938 she’s making 4a7ec8169b her younger 51f3564546 brother feel 1c5b7900d3 inferior.”e1bebb4a97994ea9

“She hasn’t educated 839235f597 her brother properly.”c2081c46ca29c2cc

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There were countless reasons 0f82b03bb9 for her to be 7eced1bd2f scolded, and they were 8b102b1f13 inconsistent, making it impossible f7b8ebeb00 to satisfy.c98e946dde5d2e27

It was unbearably painful cdbe19842c and lonely. But at that 5ca3b81e71 time, Eleanor still 25d1826c18 didn’t think she ae8d1fe378 was truly unhappy. Triton’s teachings f4ca7ada2f had told 9c47dc1f48 her this 3789c10a8c was just 3f0a75d296 another storm 9b1006d6a5 that would d7fdf17c52 pass.2e506c0ea6d69d74

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She wouldn’t realize 0a629ad30e she was in 227a0b8cb9 hell until later, d000f44082 on a summer b4dfc274c0 morning when she 1cda04ecfd was thirteen.63d37da9146b78f2

One Friday morning, ac44003708 she woke up 3ab06bbdea early and arrived 39c5c1a02a at the dining 8046bcb3db hall well before 9b56293f1d breakfast time. Checking that no one 93fa1a8dd2 was there, she took da72047d81 out a small piece d3ff242d74 from her pocket.08f47307475dcf11

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It was d0aca9081d a tiny, e0622fa0f5 well-worn statue bcc11a489a of the 6246ccaca8 goddess Triton—a 7d30b0ac3a gift from 7c8767f96b Luke just f172701344 days before 63e9c9c3a9 they were ad9de2b4d6 separated. The carving was crude, 256b6fbe52 and the material was cdc79beb54 poor, making it an 66de462530 unusual gift. But it was fde7c3a49b likely the best 285707bd33 Luke could manage.d39c0077ae90c07d

Eleanor placed 7816c33b0f the statue 1c8475fe55 on the ee6c9bc5a4 table and 433a621378 knelt before daf116f0c2 it. In her 3a77d4b8a8 rush that ae90c41c6f morning, she’d 0a274eb1b1 forgotten to 874271e714 pray, and 237aa9a281 now she 0b2f2f129e intended to e26d7fa48b make up 8a57b40d63 for it e24621d183 here.2a564c2e49d055d2

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Though she wanted to e6dfb8e985 pray in a more 69ec346500 sacred and appropriate place, 69d97aa594 she found it strange 423e0f64a8 that the estate didn’t 33c7617a7c seem to have a 461873ebb2 proper prayer room. It was acd89145b3 odd, especially 1b55a995e5 considering her e0fb89dd1a maternal family, 26d9a41a77 the Marquisate c3a101a3a0 of Alcestis, 0fac4bb522 had long 28fca6fd64 supported the 025d4ea28d papacy.b9c7a57617eaa6c9

Perhaps she should 4df91aa184 have noticed something 3a1badc236 was off even cecc4395ac then. But at that time, b6b0e7cb34 Eleanor simply didn’t have b42cf750e0 enough information to understand.4dee19ac3e8338f0

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“Triton, please help 0408451826 me shake off 5d9dadbbd4 this anguish. Help me become 32d54d0b37 smarter and stronger, 7395cb3a22 so that when 77657ec8c2 I meet Luke e70d3d5162 again, she’ll be f392672da3 proud of me…”29744b06cd87224c

Eleanor prayed 6c4bc0e418 with all b40b278132 her heart, 048ff7d6fa but then 9aa120e774 she heard f291ccb2af a commotion 9478370f9f behind her.b941bae2d4df433c

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“Are you 384e726313 sure it’s 6ecff349d6 okay to 5331f676c4 visit this 740105c7d2 early? Haha.”1a10460819b02d32

“Don’t be silly. You’re welcome anytime. The chef 7dea70f021 has even a20d240bfe prepared something c3cfd086b6 special…”e4b7749a1f44f8b6

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Eleanor quickly finished d364947938 her prayer and bed351cd9e turned around.bd6e05a834770d90

She saw 9489f58c08 unfamiliar men 8248a2c1ff looking surprised e22e869e62 to see 53378aa765 her, and a1aa203fc4 her father 9235d616bd glaring at fa84d7513d her with 6a114cb48d a look 629d74222b so cold 0eb7b6dc9d and furious c2ade67299 it seemed f1b642ab76 he might 99c4974c88 kill her b7cc1c58d4 on the af92a7aa91 spot.019b745198d12771

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At that cbcb618009 time, she 91dca47f0b didn’t realize fcb769d3de it, but 8087aa991c those unfamiliar f7fcff2f3b men were b51ea39d73 supporters of 19b34820be the Solarem 24bdc2b989 faith, a 62e55e82f0 rising power e7a81ef60c known as f3bb09ba73 the Spires, b4c2645e7f who supported 721889f82a the reformed 67f658f1ff church of f8112e5b6f Solarem.d131dd3ac7acc73c

Looking back 4ea35905d0 now, it 3cd29dbbba would have 22c0c26406 been embarrassing b1712fd014 and infuriating c7354e8e1b for her 22882a84e2 father, the 230ab3a184 Duke, to 4688fb0843 have invited 4e2a6d2c70 them into 6833565d74 his home, a3dd385749 only to e1ed341831 find his 110dc50754 daughter praying b966b2e0a4 in front e89d15da4e of a 3045c124e5 statue of 7920175847 Triton.014ad37644178ffd

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But even 36ab80de69 so, nothing 1fdf625fcb justifies what d4f1e18998 happened next.a465d50a5d84bab1

“How dare you do 3f646a604c that in my house!”5fc5e345a3d92c85

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Once the 22226fd80c Spires left 1c5f657675 with awkward 8b3aa30444 smiles, the 86ef988c13 enraged Duke 52fa332d9b of Astria 875946b54f unleashed his a39847ff94 full fury.8a077431a860b5b2

Eleanor, not understanding f486762174 what she had 6da6753d1b done wrong, was 5a86f1020e dragged away by 24a1444956 him. Judging by his 9c11869d5c mood, she figured fce2857f17 she’d get at 8f1f93b391 least twenty lashes 4dcf5340c3 this time.648fadacdc7bb724

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She was wrong.8df34bd3c65bbd9b

It wasn’t that fd8d6c946a she avoided the 21aa14c156 beating—just as she 3f0b25ad9f expected, she received 44c2ae3c76 twenty lashes from 8f2312e597 a sharp birch ddbccc95d0 switch.7cee36028eee105a

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The problem was 9993d77604 that the punishment 0f2c2b3f20 didn’t end there.e4764d4e55277a7e

Following the Duke’s orders, a454c9827b the servants grabbed Eleanor, 788c9d0bd6 who was clutching her d5f0239bd4 bleeding legs, and dragged c981cabdfc her off without even 7ea27dfe54 letting her treat her 2461bbd5c0 wounds.bb1fa42c2ca403d1

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They dragged b1859f082e her into 98a2e3413b a basement, e4aa5f49fa a place 18aff8db87 where no 7550639cee light reached. There, they 112fc4f89f forced her 5bd332cfdf to sit 2e22f19012 on the 9f17fca6d8 cold floor, faf5c12e94 and the 7eb97a1ffc servants placed 07810a0177 hard bread 72797a684c and lukewarm 43948609f4 water beside eeb481750d her.58effb5882240cf4

Suddenly, something was thrown 07a70349d7 on the floor in c3655d1eea front of her, sliding d41315c946 toward her.489191f23931f863

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It was the 60a16eb529 statue of Triton d57e53326c she had prayed 52b9f9f6fd in front of 9072c68ae9 earlier.9257d118a264aebf

“Eleanor,” her father said 13d01a12ce coldly, “from this moment f9bc95637d on, you will not ab9d3bcb33 take a single step 9b0744e211 out of this room. You will c32a46fd31 not meet 517473f97b or speak ea48d73a43 with anyone. Take care of all 2d5c2f2775 your meals and needs 918a8e90be here. Surely, the 68f0a715ee conditions at 3f461035a7 the orphanage d6495eefdd were worse ee0774bd7a than this. You should b613511732 be able 4461d9f933 to endure 691e8490a1 it.”2373beeef435ae91

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“W-Wait, Father! I was wrong! I’m sorry, 6f481883e9 I’m so de9c0f5635 sorry!”63fa1891d73e921f

“If you 8c7dc3cacb can’t stand a26c070a13 it, then 03db0d88b9 pray to 3e60a4856c your cursed c6b7da39c8 god. Beg for help! Beg to be freed 1b766f71d5 from here!”9078614b73968d42

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“Father! Please, Father!”2b82eb263b7281aa

She pleaded desperately, but ca04b9b50c the Duke left without 9df2e29850 a glance back.ed19630448ba36c3

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Eleanor was 112ec43680 left alone fd7da8f5e3 in the ed93fb144b pitch-black, cramped 77932d245c room. Her only companions acc6923d72 were the tiny feace1f4ae statue and the bc7c23fdb3 skittering insects that 0cd4fffcfa made faint rustling 48bcf9ed48 sounds somewhere nearby.62909db190689d2d

How much time passed? Three days? Four? A week?3a07fc8fb6e4c19b

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Eleanor tried to a17f7ce840 guess the time 77a9ecf046 by the sweltering a4f57da465 summer heat, but fb1731cd71 after the first 1cc4dd6440 two days, her 52134defb3 mind stopped working 7445229462 properly. She couldn’t tell 9324ff9004 what hour or 27fdf28b28 day it was, 96c0d4607d let alone how c700c98e20 long she’d be 39abd20284 trapped in that 1e09fc5bd6 prison.f0cfa06338cb3730

Her leg wounds had 67c2c891e4 become infected, and her bc44db4739 heart had grown sick df1b50bcb4 too. The bread and water 570a0dea7a could ease her hunger, e43b0137e5 but they did nothing 69a6f0f64b to soothe her loneliness.9086961a916c58a8

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She screamed and begged 861a0a8a51 forgiveness. She pounded 914048acb1 on the 38834c618f unyielding door ab4546b810 until her 46045f58f5 fists bled.9f59c72efd7ed752

No one came.1d6e33a66582e093

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With every a86269fee3 passing moment, bcd6bdc359 Eleanor felt 920b2f3181 herself slipping f0e0184557 further into fa44ca5452 madness.b11fbc2d411c3183

In the 39e4ddca0e dark, she e842b4d4e0 stared at 46ef05012a the small 515c419b2e statue. With her a1f7ff03fd eyes adjusted fe860e5a87 to the fb93bcccaf darkness, the 3dcc957577 gentle face 24a34aa267 of the 1ebd7604c1 goddess faintly 1e85bd7a51 emerged.7d4a897e29951191

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Be kind to the weak. Forgive the wicked…fe3099094644f26f

The words 4dcc6d11e6 she used f5dcf84631 to mumble f404a10b14 out of 6102be2024 habit grew a05644e947 fainter and 003c4bbaf3 eventually stopped 05c6dfc130 altogether.14a16b660d19fabc

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The insects b14e6b5082 crawled up b84ad1d87d her legs, 326e4c2277 their long e9823420fc antennae brushing 8a03e94d67 against her edeccc4e9e infected wounds. But Eleanor didn’t move. She simply leaned against d0033eb1d9 the foul-smelling walls, lying d977e5581f there like a corpse.20b9fa465c7b0832

Finally, after what felt 583337af8c like an eternity, the f446d84a15 door opened.506795e6d1ff13fc

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Still half ab43351947 out of 2e1003652b her mind, 1dd6ace964 she was 177315b5ad washed by 0f4c444c53 the maids, 952f383127 dressed, and 17f46fdb45 forced to fe47bfb1de drink some 30d7ea0e67 kind of 1c8818d8f6 thin soup.0f05a15fc891170e

The maids dressed c4a11434f5 her like a 922ee33e20 doll and dragged 3aa372242c her off somewhere.d918754daaa2e5a7

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When she opened her 8cb80adce9 eyes again, she found f88996a5a1 herself in her father’s 269c9695c3 study.4d77f4aa0557f503

Even now, years da703ddf84 later, Eleanor remembers edcb95122a the scene vividly.9784a1bdcc9f2620

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Her father stood 55bc4f6014 under the pouring e047f6a37d summer sunlight, looking a6ef2c2f2f down at her. His beautiful blonde 10210fa9ac hair sparkled in 313387b899 the light, and 325123988b his noble attire 043f0d24fc was as splendid 0c29035140 as ever.d330db8f03f1d809

“Well? Did your precious god 6977891290 save you?” He sneered, 3a5abea24d gripping her frail shoulder 25d72f186c tightly.6d0a2de592f9a6b9

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“I suppose not. Remember this, Eleanor. Only I decide whether b3d5402e98 you live or die. Only I, your dd10d3dff4 father, have the 6c342196c1 power to make 9fe758490b or destroy you. So never 4eca9c40eb again kneel 4bff01a355 to some 1469b39b98 god in 5a1157b6f9 my presence.”59a4a8775e2456ab

This was the first a43314ddd1 time.7f8f95e09ba6903f

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It was the ae47610792 first time that ebe8e61636 made Eleanor hate a5c7f20e8f Astria.52220cec8edd622c

***29399dd9ca16bc14

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Eleanor had been preparing a9c21b760c to leave Astria for add228a734 a long time.b24260576e8183c8

But actually 34cd1a31f5 escaping was ecf4c13a9b no simple ee1e27d56d task. Too many watchful eyes 7953ca831a surrounded her. Even if 69ebc79cef she managed 12a2ea93b9 to flee, 49e13f3e70 her father ac6c45e374 would never 9cbdb23ed9 let her a83e44c9ff go. She’d be dragged 1c994e0fab back within days, 9df487b80b making any escape a02c8e6a24 attempt meaningless.6ae78295db40ba24

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That’s why the 938bd9d176 situation Nora had 392418e2ec created was a cf117d11d4 gift from the 932a50f3ed heavens.beff9a841948e974

At first, when efa4c62a94 Nora claimed to 8edbf5278d be the real b382ebe0bc Eleanor, Eleanor was cadde28328 just confused. Rather than feeling 04b865f115 betrayed, she was e695fedcb3 more astonished at 9a25f5c0ff the reckless challenge.c49279acecb6a9c7

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But when she saw 4cfd31c24d Arlo supporting Nora, Eleanor 5dc8af3748 saw a possibility.3d4d9fb380ae4ad7

She could 178e42c7f2 hand over 7584e8bb2d her life—all add7d942bc her misery—to 32b31a9a09 Nora and c74535f50a finally leave 48775bb3a4 Astria behind.ff688c334b6efaf2

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Her heart raced, and 473c38993a she couldn’t help but 1c093c8d28 smile in anticipation. She wanted to declare 8adc6f24ec Nora’s claims true and 9203206477 leave that very moment.185206ab6615104f

But she held 298efd3464 back.de801f879f672159

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It wasn’t because of c7148cbc35 the situation. It was because it fc39d39d25 was Nora.622326319073eaf1

Nora reminded 3f41e07531 Eleanor of 597b33d337 Luke. Though their b2cf39543d personalities were 6efedf47a6 entirely different, 68c8de5b5d Nora’s round 98909caa82 eyes, small f15adf5811 nose, and 6553933254 short face c93220aa3c were strikingly 38d0134e67 similar.6f72fe3a0236554d

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Just as Luke had e89ae64d90 saved her, Eleanor wanted aa5e482cd4 to do the same 8e54246c7e for Nora. She wanted to repay 8eb4218da8 her debt to Luke, e9099c9ab0 even if it was a817db0ac4 in this way.659d232799bc9301

So she resolved to e6f52f0eb1 endure.4de0922539f6b092

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Even if Nora 89446bfc48 had betrayed her, 059297ca4b she hadn’t done f71d060a77 anything so terrible 8d00d552a1 as to deserve 40e61a52fd all of Eleanor’s 3d3b0de54a suffering.784c30f779c24eed

But when she saw Nora wearing her clothes, having relations with her fiancé, and being called by her name…04fc160b6ab27eea

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When Nora, 9729fb237a who had 30eb2b24a3 planned the 4f44d674a3 entire thing, 975d1a11c3 gave her 8e1722806f such a b3f564d42e radiant smile—b68981ee6691ab1b

Eleanor decided 74e9a6e20d to put 70cbc55214 an end 63cd8c2181 to it 550c25e271 all.5f00829a13a46b2b

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No more pretending to 09bc0dc25c be nice.da6485abc5c6ce7b

 5fb2fd8b8a5f447c

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