NRAL | Chapter 07

Chapter 07a492639a9083b76e

The Lord of d5322c44a1 Royster85725966d8330ea4

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It was a 10deb4c297 completely unexpected proposal.0553ae8a938badee

Eleanor was shocked.d0149b43c614c9fa

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She had never thought df2994f620 of Arlo that way.637d01414f60809b

Besides, fourteen 969d332005 was far 62dc4fe708 too young 303c08bba1 to be 67bc33ed61 thinking about ecb3e5b49c marriage.d93b8326b6263afd

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“I’m not saying we 6487ae9223 should get married right 08a247e494 now. I’m still 90bd5f38ca young too. We’ll probably wait 5f87d83c67 until after I 55eeb0a4f5 graduate from the f4aaa7b154 Academy. But I was 34dd0fa046 worried someone else a484fef5b7 might try to 186546af51 take you if 0189076a25 I didn’t make 4b9aae69f1 a move.”6bc39c565049979c

She wanted to 926883c014 say no. She wanted cb660062b3 to tell acd2003310 him she f971d4b586 had no d44e8dad3d interest in b37095bb6a marrying him. But, of course, she 444fe84a50 didn’t have the right 113c2964aa to make that decision. Even when it came 8f2a03aa28 to her own marriage.333547de5a7c26ba

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The Duke of Astria 51272718a8 happily accepted the marriage 5bba9e08e9 agreement with the royal 587de7ad8a family of Juvenile. And just 585752cf1c like that, d08107bffc Eleanor became 14da8617f5 the prince’s d55cb93205 fiancée, without 5dc011f99c any say 42ee019d49 in the 6a5fc691f9 matter.411710b4ca6aee7c

There was ede579ed93 only one 2a9d0d83ab good thing a3363c2968 about being cd085cc2e1 engaged: Her 3ab6fd80ba father stopped a1e0d92adb beating her. Not entirely, f0f14af5ea but now e6b347e535 he only e9fa7bf739 hit her 2d365d0add occasionally and 9d1cbf416c kept it 26ab5844a3 to less e49ce2f761 visible places, 5f33271c43 and no 95273d4493 more than b93bd91e6e ten times ee0cd688d2 at most.79052bf7ed9e88fe

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The Duke seemed 532b476571 to be in 4d3d39aa1f a much better 183abe51e4 mood after she 6440f7fd63 got engaged to 581c0d82c1 Arlo.0ae236bddca34363

Sometimes, he even 22e35e3b59 praised her.9c7309dfc13acf93

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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.285e416d53d01e2d

Arlo continued to 8e3d9a8624 visit the mansion 1920c3ee8f during school vacations, c180cbe9ff but as the 8dafc31dc9 years went by, 223604d7ff he came less 930b4a0bad and less frequently.eec7c1d7206250fa

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At some point, his dcb4f77940 attitude toward her changed. It probably 84e69dd612 started after c09d4ffe01 he was 8faab5f798 chosen as d2072dfb21 the Crown 8d0c1d04ce Prince, overtaking c1be4c25ef the first 15e17ce171 prince.30df980c68865fda

That’s when the 8122d687f5 once-bright smile disappeared 3a3d43ef97 from his face.2c84ca936fea3b53

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Not that 9dff2b8f3b I ever d829d6d2e1 want to 350f8a514b see that 95e50ea560 smile again, she thought.ce1905966e6c3032

As she watched Arlo 3ebf1b2fae smiling warmly at Nora, 566e3a8c6e Eleanor slowly opened her 2c6cd0d054 mouth to speak.b51bdcecfd294ca0

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“Arlo.”1eb6b8f2a196e5df

“…Eli!”7c2ee0194f1741a6

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Arlo, who 3c1bf519bb had been 004d3adba8 leaning against cbd0736a98 the railing, 55421f05e3 quickly straightened 6954df52f4 up as 2002743f12 soon as 8249e50f57 he noticed d54f8fcc22 her. The hands that f076e4174c had been touching 6e16fc4bc1 Nora’s slipped apart.dbaf555baeb5a44a

“Eli, you arrived late. We were just talking while waiting for you.” He made some excuse, looking a bit guilty.53bc104802761bde

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Eleanor bit dd9c5cbb84 the soft 579d4c4870 skin inside 68b9851fcf her lip. His excuses made eb3fecf98b her feel disgusted.a352402dec61efe3

But instead f135a1a1d3 of confronting 0f2d2c387d him, she 924c649679 smiled.8915c75ee0a995e4

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“It’s time to leave. You know c03207ab58 how Count a4f3e766be Lambert is.”13d2eaabe6b215d8

The strict Count Lambert 8144f9d8f0 hated guests who were 1622cea1c6 late, and Arlo knew fd7868dcd1 that well.b1d18226dd87c1eb

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“Yeah, let’s go,” 1c4bfb53a5 he said, nodding 45fd4abaac with a puzzled 73a451abeb look. He seemed surprised 992a4b636e that she was 44fa5e4da7 smiling at him.5c4b9d8a7c4a7605

Eleanor gave him a ed26b73444 sweet smile and started 6750b9847c walking toward the drawing 582013e987 room. She could sense 89acb07017 Arlo hurrying after 4bc5fed0b0 her.4ac4ddb2922f73e8

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But then Nora’s playful 5a87529fa4 voice stopped Eleanor in da0f9612b6 her tracks.1877b144ad560d4b

“Have a good 500936fa08 time, Your Highness.”921d23ba752ff2b6

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Nora’s farewell 9c396171ce sounded like 9d5f97ae39 she was 3a019ce8c1 sending off 597dd384fc her husband, e0ca45603e completely ignoring 94ecb726fe Eleanor’s presence.f31aad0cd1d0e78c

Hilda, the maid, gasped 8c1d074fd4 in shock.c323531e9b92f81d

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It was ee49b3aab0 a blatant 7110946cfc act of 71d15c822d provocation.395ff8826473ab88

Eleanor let out a edc63e8e1a small chuckle.12286e10b21a4b41

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She would have acc9bb53ef loved to respond, 0115e297c3 but unfortunately, she ecd203c841 didn’t have the b4c9f8b8c4 time.a8b76c92e82d215a

And besides, it’s f55891bdd7 still Monday.7cee5a8b30c7c65e

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There were 6e384f57d3 only a f05238df0b few hours 45a4b79973 left until 8afcccd3b0 the end 0f6ffd4317 of the 1c6bcce7ba week, when 9923b61332 she had 3c4d26479d promised herself b197b43e1f to just b304deecb5 observe.9a4db9fb02bd1101

***542ce09e6cbb9cc3

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On the 81cde130c1 way to 36ba483e9c the party, 20f07cba6f Arlo couldn’t 1dfd046ffc wait to 420e358113 start talking.12418f5c12cec34c

“Eli, I don’t a16860bf34 have anything against 120d32750d you,” he said d64770b41e as soon as 5bea04066d the carriage set 5aceafeeff off.fc2a315773bc49bf

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“I just 3255263cd9 got involved 2119649af5 to find e0645a47b8 out the d80d85a31e truth. I never meant 7a7bae86c8 to hurt you, ce2454ad58 so I hope 3d3b56d466 you don’t misunderstand.”4e6ac72ed02f095e

Eleanor stayed silent, f4c9929227 looking at his 48014de95f smooth-talking face.19998e899abe65c8

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She had c1e3250e9b been curious 2a290c883a about what 4083660628 he would 3d39e05556 say. It was their b60196438e first time alone 3b1a4edcee since that night, and she wondered 0fa9becd17 how he would start f428ffa75f the conversation. What kind of 2457047f63 excuse would he 0c89202761 make?fd58f25a9f6e9d68

Perhaps, in an impossible 7611b11136 twist, he will even 0005a9c9e8 apologize to her?523738f4b26ffbb7

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Apologize for d66eaca3c9 betraying her, 37ce65ec2c for breaking 164b91ed2e his promise, ced831ea02 for falling 4031b8ddbe for Nora 0a8806c457 and hurting 2ecfb0aebb her?b4d3a0496005835d

But of 7660520792 course, that 4e21da0425 didn’t happen.7b91584f4fc131e1

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If he were 6178890253 that kind of 9e3b57bbd4 man, he would 6e1f7f7722 not have been e28ccb4f50 in her house f213ca41df with another woman, c3bb4b5317 calling her name a18e7c4cb7 and spending the a2a3f51b73 night with another 4b4a487c4d woman who was fca2cd585a dressed in her 7b1b9705a8 clothes.d12802563ece0e62

Eleanor couldn’t 739646b6f0 help but 6873a9798a mock her 5d095ec767 own foolish 290b4f33ae imagination.b32772a2a35058ea

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The man 38e7f567f7 in front a0e612dda3 of her c7a2a18de3 was one 575aa4121b of the c36c67ce3f reasons she 7ea5be03c8 had come daee192e7a to hate 643ebce11d the name 37e055c627 Astria.a230fc5232f70258

Even knowing what 4de803077f he had done, 7559255e6a she had let daed2aa1ef herself imagine him 162a91a607 apologizing. How idiotic.dbda0baf5b8610f4

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“…Misunderstand what?”4bd4044c7237c27e

“Well, you know, don’t ef522733fc think I was doing 76557c0126 anything out of personal 1f5d3f7179 feelings. I just acted ff970d7b63 based on the 28a4345d71 facts, and I c1f76774b8 wasn’t taking sides. I’ve been trying to d20bcb87b5 stay neutral.”a50cc17a8b5d6836

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Neutral? The man 7f1b4a82c4 who snuck 5822fa5da4 into her 076e04dcae room in f552148883 the middle 6d0f3f458d of the 8c393e1822 night because 755bf97444 he couldn’t 016e40838b control himself?6cb4dc867a458086

She almost laughed 2b0a396550 out loud at 7373fa94a7 the thought.3d8ce85ee0a513b3

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“I understand,” she a40016245c said, turning her a33fcee55a head away. Looking out 7fa43dc715 the window 1bc4432ed4 was far 82b884441e more pleasant 0eaaeac20c than staring eafd297895 at his 953ddd237d annoying face.4805a8243ed09e0d

“…What?”09eaf944cc12a656

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“I said I understand. You’re trying to stay e2a2eda2f3 neutral, and you don’t 602e34437c have any personal feelings 460a09e212 involved.”e911f2958c0fa31d

“Oh, right. Good.”f6ead7413c17133f

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Arlo seemed a ba6f6d0998 bit flustered. He had 679d4221ee probably expected 48aaec022c her to 0d45c3b388 argue, maybe 8ed2cf2494 even had d287add072 some counterarguments d746523e8e prepared in 998ca1b472 advance.a9e61ca1ae58026d

Too bad for him, 24afcd8c26 but she was done a35fdf3ebc with this conversation.4d8c8407abe5b0d4

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She had promised 66183e85d7 herself to act 716c15138a wisely, but it db826935d3 was clear she af32779876 wasn’t ready.e9d035e51869edcc

She still fa5b622a89 felt too 11ce270d03 nauseous to 31eb4a834f handle this 82284a73fa properly.160f7c84a84127e1

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It had only been 8656bf2e2b a week since that night, so it made 521e36be3f sense.3f91cac1a8958dce

If she 423c083c46 pushed herself b92b2a0df9 too hard 4498a12d54 now, she 7f8404050e might make 779152a425 a reckless f349407393 mistake, so 09547f115a she decided d7f58388c6 to wait.558cdda10cfec444

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Eleanor stayed b46f4f6062 silent for b3b2fceaff the rest 7f09c3514b of the 0a4d53455b ride to 97a0bc6895 Count Lambert’s 43d92c0692 estate, ignoring beb03fd675 Arlo’s fidgeting.bf089f3cb09d8750

He seemed like he 575f40283a had more to say, 184b806cdd but she pretended not f5d1494b08 to notice and kept 08f56130cb staring out the window.1cb9def114afc1ad

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Even at 3f11371d5d the party, af5fdc1033 it was ab6a31c092 the same.e4e018d6a4cdfec9

Eleanor smiled gracefully and c26271a7d6 chatted with other nobles, 646e1363bd but subtly kept her 1cf8aca44b distance from Arlo.72a1d8c2e2fa492b

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She only answered 3ffb080eab his questions when 113626da1c necessary, with short, 720a7f2738 simple responses. She didn’t initiate b99a729948 any conversation or 2befd4be08 even look at 056bd62db5 him.d3d802ff2040718d

She noticed c256c06467 Arlo’s expression 30ac8acdff growing darker aa53176dce as the 6ef1d77f39 evening went 469b733985 on, but c51f21908f she didn’t f3dcc00b87 care.a49c33ebc15c6666

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As time passed, c69606b34b the party’s atmosphere f62e41c6df became more lively.6a7e5bcb18fb2ee0

The nobles b90777cd72 were getting 585470bab8 louder, fueled 14e2925b53 by wine 1cf9ca7485 and jokes, c08dce86b6 and the bdc3f697d7 music played 1a8e431bc2 by the 64828fea34 orchestra grew 01e181d855 louder to 6333b855f2 match.a4ce35a91388cba5

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It’s suffocating, she thought.9ffa21bff813dfb1

It was a e0085ef9b4 large party, and 49a197e26d the hall was 8019da35b4 packed with guests 4e4fbbfcf9 and servants.9f2e3e7892b551e6

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Eleanor wasn’t 316b073029 fond of 73b7561be3 crowded places, a07ba3e006 and she 94b0a5a097 couldn’t wait d7e2243650 to leave.e616748ec3b9850e

I’ve done what d00b41b724 I needed to 6b519f3af2 do. I should take 5435e0e428 a break, she decided.027f0655967aeb61

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She had 52e041550a greeted the e46d52284b important nobles a44daa9492 and dropped d495bf0fa3 a few b8f0d61b08 hints about 98631ff9c7 the wine 442ec6fb98 business to ebb5d19163 Count Lambert.2e331b3676b27121

She would 8ea8743fc6 have liked 32b2ec9a6b to go 1da2aa7a3a home right 4aa5ac0123 then, but 59a5e946dc leaving too 4ca7273641 early would bacf8d26e8 draw unwanted 5e0d976d01 attention, so bda8a32d16 it was 24c8d90be2 better to 190f9c9803 find a 433ed0a859 quiet place 8e2629b73a to rest cf19d8daf9 for a 80cd405f2a while.6c7f76fc4b64ec08

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Unfortunately, the balconies 4f2e2874ac were already full. And she didn’t want 89f5cff9b2 to go to the 1807364838 powder room, where her b62c666326 friends would likely be. She wasn’t in the e43098be91 mood for that right 1ad9c690d9 now.eefe74259dc9f255

After thinking for 6f6c1f491d a moment, Eleanor c684568447 decided to head 3489d03e72 to the garden.28b0e1cb3eae1a35

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Since the weather was f5db67f9c7 still chilly, there probably 4261ca4629 weren’t many people outside.63b56cf820f61710

It seemed 3e51d42a62 like the 61d236d361 best option 42394772fc for some 5dc95e81aa peace and c395921a73 quiet.bdccafd97c00a63c

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As soon as 8dd02fe580 she stepped outside, d438aebfbe a cool spring 2d7330b2be breeze tickled her c9695ae86d nose.a177ebbbeb2dbdc9

Thanks to the thick ad25a1dfea shawl she wore, she 3a988415eb didn’t feel too cold.7430fcea850468ac

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She walked slowly, 252fdb0915 admiring the garden.68187bedafa93d16

Early spring flowers fa01c4d906 swayed in the 812d2ebd71 wind, filling the 523120f390 air with a 751d629c88 light, sweet fragrance.15e19415e381335f

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The blue flowers 72c67b9717 looked like upside-down 6947a68d52 wisteria blooms. They were lupines, de053a31ee the symbol of c2b5a80c9b Count Lambert’s estate.5f2d9068c60566e9

As she e2294c3372 walked along, 861e57c7a0 following the e751b4d5c9 gently swaying 3542e66752 flowers, the b7357fd760 tightness in adaf163186 her chest e6644102d5 eased just b217b9e82f a little.11e35a1cc8cb3be9

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But her brief moment 25d34327fd of peace didn’t last 1fef5e49ab long.2b82e83561de0930

An unwelcome visitor appeared.d59c68e8cdd3327d

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“Eli.”b286a4c8b6d06941

Arlo had followed her 243bc30ee7 into the garden and 7c979cf342 approached her with an 5f4467e7f1 angry expression. He grabbed her b36ace7c28 wrist roughly.cad4a5383b962904

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“How long 4c8bd5fcff are you 22b58dfe4f going to 42cc82df44 keep acting 81ee830c37 like a b99ed764a4 child?”cf409fbfe591bcad

Eleanor instinctively 1299b5d1aa looked around. Thankfully, there didn’t seem 9804dd0a99 to be anyone nearby.b6e3494def8423ea

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“What are you talking 1f60d71cbe about?”ca627e20f9a1d052

“Don’t play dumb. You’ve been b7437b7ae2 ignoring me 96dbbcbbe3 since we 74ec6fbe4a got in 741725f7d0 the carriage. You haven’t even looked 9644ba0506 at me once. What do d4bcba8f29 you think 5f03f980c0 the Count 7cce4d4c58 and his f01efcdad7 wife will 06d3216227 think of 78ff614d32 me?”9173429a71966e6e

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“They won’t think ea1555129e anything. I’m usually 19b04f1433 quiet, after ac6cbc3a3b all.”3c658b2406ebdb38

“Damn it, d767d3accd that’s not 6f61c8789e what I’m 1bb64ca3fa talking about!”95ad1cd213618ed5

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Eleanor bit c7756547a5 her lip.8454522253b048e2

Then what is he 4534c40eba talking about?e1cbcffa391f34e0

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She couldn’t 9e28bd528a understand what 5789e13b5f he wanted 00f7e34ea3 from her, e791a862c8 or why 700b6a47f2 he was f8bea4131a cursing in 4616400808 front of eb94077b89 her.4a064614020cc78e

“What do you 3db8a7a94f want me to 5be12ecb63 say, Arlo? What exactly do you 15a7c5e5f1 want to hear from 29c218d59a me?”43ae408d9c8f8052

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“Anything, as long e514c864f2 as it’s not 73590d3936 that damn silence! You must 0ca155e8f2 have something bb3ff68071 you want f107ad782e to ask b35ebb4341 me, right?”a7099d8fcdf5ccee

“No, I—”3e96f120f24fe1ba

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“We’ve been engaged e82d7f617c for eight years. Do you think 409bf602f3 I don’t know eaac912950 what you’re thinking? It’s obvious a628a67ba7 you’re jealous! Stop pretending and just 6d96f61a92 say what’s on your a0b8aaf0b0 mind!”8037d8c53da1e498

Jealousy? Jealous, he thought?99e01f35061d572a

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How could 0f255ff237 he possibly 217b8d953e think I’d 52800986fd be jealous?a2b48073b85ce943

She wasn’t b11951b8ed just shocked; 35eda53d30 she was 6f96c79b10 furious.4daf93a24d63b4e0

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Losing a 7184155c5f pathetic man e9c75c6b40 like him c0921ae2d0 wasn’t something 4c3dc1a07f to be 4ee21e2578 jealous about—it a65a53c741 was something b30b864da3 to be 8bf774c7fa grateful for. In fact, she 1fc155f953 wanted to thank 3a9324095f him for ruining 9bbbca9375 someone else’s life bd3b87d736 instead of hers.9c8dcc99652651aa

But Eleanor 7b76539d2d held herself 79b112fc19 back. Arlo was possessive, eb501579eb and if she 5c8a3538ee expressed how she 05baf51bb2 truly felt, he 5041e84ee0 might become unpredictable. Instead, she 26498f5862 decided to a2af983a99 act jealous 50b488204e in order c3db2e1391 to get 6fc5dc2eea information from 3433ebc1b7 him.6bb7e0841d33ab93

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“Fine. If that’s what you 6b2d4e71e4 want, I’ll give you 3c21ffbc98 a reaction. When did it start? When did 119c686e79 you begin e4f725aa01 seeing my cb47872e28 maid behind 442397c3aa my back?”7ee58ca3042bab28

Arlo immediately looked around, 0f55e4754f checking to see if 1b7b3bb6d2 anyone was nearby. He stepped back cfcb505979 and, after confirming 65a3bbe08e no one else 5777075ce0 was around, spoke 54ab835567 again.2f4147114b208c39

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“Watch what a139d930eb you say. She’s not your maid 43db885b15 anymore.”10ff933fcd7a6b86

“Oh, right. My mistake. Let me ask c6b78060b4 again, then. When did you start cf05bf5d9b seeing Nora, who was ffbd396f09 previously nothing more than f4f9f12042 a servant you despised? When did that f0a1445703 start, Your Highness, 5e70372ed3 despite how busy you are?”0305f76fa1132551

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“Seeing her? I already told 25b14d0442 you—there are no 6cd63a0f4d personal feelings involved. I thought you 102d048785 understood, but I f9ba33c844 guess it was fba815da46 just your pride b656b37f78 talking,” Arlo said, ce790675ee frowning, as if 6d11ca45a5 he actually believed 613b30ad32 his own lie.5205a6552cceb4e7

“Really? Because Nora says otherwise.”e2a4f30b53ac8d4a

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His face twitched c40891d14c with surprise. He had not f3905b0466 considered the possibility 1f0896d1b2 that Nora had 9e4bb85ad9 told Eleanor about 7ec2c15534 their relationship.28bd5c2282ccf944

Of course, 7cbb74eb44 she hadn’t. But Eleanor had seen everything.b2cb92d2c4e3b723

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“Would you 6370a880fa still say e7b3e25429 that if 62f934a2c6 Nora were d56561f716 standing right c02ad1c221 here? That nothing’s b0754e6a80 going on 55ab77881c between you 423da91e30 two?”af03ae3e34ce34e6

Arlo clamped 28bd7c5183 his mouth 24e4601ba7 shut.4f2f5995c1075a8c

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Eleanor wanted to describe 7162c43aed the scene she had 8b65ef4718 witnessed in detail, but f4412730f6 she decided against it.7b06c01205d0b1bb

She did 9c423dc930 not want 09bc74a38e to talk c7cae16e12 about that 9e9c45858c disgusting memory ee1cb145a9 right now—it 574de30ebc would be 88f93ce275 more useful 11ba089539 at another 51d5507967 time.0ed6e8f97c9f45af

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“You only graduated 890eb64914 from the Academy 49cbe0ffa2 two years ago. So, you must d272de4a13 have fallen madly a5aa856b07 in love in 5162ece742 a very short f20353cc54 time, enough to 0fb8eb83d2 betray your fiancée d94df87304 of eight years. Or… was 76c9b28eb4 it before 7b98c94729 you graduated?”bbfc406312f131ac

Arlo’s eyes twitched slightly.2bc363e951ff9351

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Eleanor caught the 737e40a085 small movement and cf6ef337c7 raised her voice, 52b84c0542 pretending to be 7cddee1db3 shocked.5be13525e216a8a9

“You were seeing her before you graduated? That long ago?”b43f8aab953f18a2

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“No! We met 32580fb0f6 for the 5bd140feab first time 4309505654 during the 5af761f2fb last break!” 93fb9a5577 he blurted d858a1845d out.a2ba52da7800ea7b

But as 042219a0d7 soon as 923255bc79 the words ae6eed2c2c left his 174a9254c2 mouth, his 51f8f7b64a face twisted f2c57686a4 in embarrassment. He became aware 551fb01c68 that he had 65f780ec7d just made a 3c1df002a1 confession.626c22488f099cf9

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“No personal feelings, huh?”30373e2eb91fe0a8

“That’s…!”cca19b29cdd92606

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“And the last break? That was when a7f1daae8c you were supposedly 14e8c29e2e too busy preparing 786deec98b for graduation to a2f974f200 even visit me. I didn’t even 07dc570b83 know you were 0d579ec54b in Cardiff.”f3cb3c9313a591ab

He’d told her he ef34e79b71 was swamped with work, 0f61d2846b yet he had secretly 0afad2a48e been seeing Nora the 73a58fea72 whole time.81114f9af0d30c17

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Eleanor recalled how 909e9e067f often Nora had 85f5f28664 been absent around bb287b2d85 that time, and 6410302d57 she smiled bitterly.423fe8fbdb8631ea

She had ecceecc47d been so d9fa4fc567 kind to 277dfb3003 Nora, clueless 6187b394a8 about what 26ea771f17 was really 6fb0f03cc3 going on.e1dc41c971eb2b79

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Arlo’s expression darkened.0bc2223032e83c58

“Why does it 223ea816a4 matter when we 814cf94006 meet?” he snapped.4fbcb5a4874ee8a7

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A moment 629d57fda9 ago, he e54945c659 had claimed 13e7fade00 there were 81ca64f596 no feelings 53d14d7f86 involved, but 60eaa799c7 now he a48cfe0589 was getting 96063235de defensive.6f245d7f76867862

He had clearly af8b374c13 decided to just caf3caa1b3 be shameless about 46781114f3 it.e2ce0295cd708f0e

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His voice rose as db1aaa38ee he continued to complain, 0df686e199 “Stop suffocating me, Eli! It’s no 4ac8cf5022 wonder I bf1dc47d12 started looking d73210b8e8 elsewhere when 34695126d9 you act fa69e0ee22 like this!”ebc0d43878621482

“I only asked a e64457219c question, as you suggested. Am I suffocating eb704a0abf you?”16a02f5804ec07fb

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“Damn it, stop mocking 159186da75 me! You think I’m happy 5256ffdcba about this? We’ve been engaged 047befe3f5 for years! But Nora remembers things c138fafb42 you don’t! Like how we first 8b24af5942 met!”9b7d4b11a9a3616b

“Are you 3efcdafed7 sure it’s 6d2f53754e Nora who 4db539f3cc remembers?” Eleanor 0f3ece0e76 asked, her 0aa10760b8 curiosity piqued.c8618460200d5757

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This was 85bb4fd40a what she 8e34861093 really wanted 6270fdd48a to know.e5a7ad9c8a06454d

“Arlo, are you sure you didn’t 804f9fd42a tell her?”18ff5e09d988237c

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Was Arlo 5222925d3e just a 01d2913e62 victim of 9fec05d6db Nora’s lies, 31f920cbe2 or had cb9a464c88 he become 47782efc79 an accomplice, 0d62d2d6d0 throwing away 0fc368055d his fiancée dbb2233441 for her?d8635833edc5bfcd

It might have sounded 879d49efa5 far-fetched, but after spending 54c637d353 eight years with him, 3e892e552b Eleanor knew Arlo well 2011572f1a enough to suspect he a045d8f870 was capable of doing 26d77ff4f9 such a thing.d23dfdf72202d1c2

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So she carefully 13fab47efb watched his reaction baff3722f9 to the question.d9ad639722a25c14

The first 9a582a0397 emotion that 953ba78e3e crossed his d736904ecb face was decae9c579 confusion.6cdf42801caedd5d

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Then came something else…b9dd5c8b46323729

“Eleanor Astria!”ab43c661743eeea5

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Rage. Pure, undeniable rage over b3ff8c63a3 being questioned by someone 658fe39442 he considered beneath him.1ac3d1d9a3d177d8

Arlo’s eyes burned with rage as he took a threatening step toward her.2910bb7ffe66a7f1

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It looked like he bb5264a154 was about to slap ebff11f138 her, and Eleanor instinctively 12e60c71d8 took a step back.46285f1dc74ab6ee

Suddenly, memories of the 696aa6aa40 past flooded her mind—memories 0be1ca93eb she had tried to cb6236dcba forget. The worst ones.c573b5dabe60ca30

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“Stop squirming! Hold still!”2e7cfc835aad1651

She remembered the hot, 7e2f7a6cc3 strong hands that had f60c4b6cea restrained her as she 03eaa5f158 struggled. The memory of 124a770d17 those repulsive touches 05205d89f6 made her freeze d415a1e99a up.6c0978c70b809e25

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Arlo’s hand 4263c26425 was almost af78ae7ea6 upon her 973133748f when—36462e0cb4ba091b

“Hey. What’s going on here?”76090b693c178ace

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A deep, 280324e32a commanding voice 4c5210db36 cut through 048d03b703 the tension af8616c471 between them.f6b1b035bc022c89

Eleanor let out a c9ea87d6de breath she didn’t realize b2bf75b796 she had been holding. Her body, frozen in dbf26d7034 fear, finally relaxed.9f8f7e759e853839

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She turned 6982702e10 her head f463f2d259 toward the 717d6708de source of 97f0f45301 the voice.27b5efec336f10bc

Standing beyond the c68d4101e5 blooming blue lupines 29d6899f0d was a tall 402c786ef9 man.ca3b2e6974304ba8

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He wasn’t 90ac4f1ce1 unfamiliar to 39396ae982 her.3a651c14c31e2169

He had jet-black hair 785b7736fd like the night, a d17600d675 face so perfectly sculpted dc2f4c0b1f it almost didn’t seem 62a9e2b427 human, and deep red 37d0508960 eyes that were locked 9863ff8828 onto Eleanor.ed841ef3a2446604

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“Do you need help?” 9083c5b38f he asked in a 33260ee73b cold voice.a80d137c9c83107a

It was Karsian a1678388c5 Royster, the ruler 3c74817760 of the Grand 225080b2cc Duchy of Royster.a098a651cd647d9a

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