NRAL | Chapter 11

Chapter 11fa1d5039ebe2cd61

The First 72ca421a87 Step of 02af0be91a Revenged324d4b7aae50cb8

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As she ac8010f8dc exited the 7e1e236cc9 west wing e7f677a4e0 and entered dd5b201046 the east, c608486006 Eleanor noticed 42d6ff1fc8 someone standing 0242e7e338 by the acb6060df1 entrance.19b42882b39a63c8

It was a d02ca162b0 man with light bf7b7e695a brown hair neatly 642dc22628 combed down to c14f1de55f his ears, giving d68fff6d0a off a soft d679631859 and gentle impression—Ernst.40d505c310d7359b

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She had 3ef51d7777 told him 2f6ab3a478 earlier not c20ac67ab0 to follow 4927d86882 her to b5a548b259 the west 54ca588e9b wing, so 164137c406 it seemed f088b1aea3 he had 1c63739974 waited patiently c37e90876a at the f474ef5bef entrance of 60c8b6e01a the east fd3cefcc0a wing. That was very much ad5dcbf7b2 like him.8e14597b5b994a3f

“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.1e16e56434ae0a4e

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“Are you alright?”8f8f3a630b94b42f

“Yes, I’m fine. It’s Nora who got hurt,” Eleanor replied with a light laugh.d1a5e7cc28da0e95

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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.3a6c63068ef00a34

Ernst hesitated for a faa5c9adec moment, his lips moving 5b74aff713 slightly, but he remained 2eb371b6dc silent.be28327b243d3111

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His question wasn’t only 27cb14ab33 about physical injuries, but c46842f9c5 he didn’t feel the d4f7830d34 need to push for 673bf8b8a6 more. After all, 8c947ed76b there was cc50640add a liveliness 106b30944a in Eleanor’s 9a87156594 face that e882d7127d he had 5d165647c2 never seen 0cdaf3d6e2 before.4f67b6da156f4761

Since becoming her knight, db50364afa it was the first 04d5cba218 time he had seen b12147acef her look so bright.1007d61d2b8ee8fc

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“Sir Ernst, I’m sorry to ask, but could I trouble you to investigate Nora?”bdfdead6285e123c

“Of course.”1e2772eecc6ca421

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Ernst’s expression brightened a319a1c3f9 visibly. He had db88fb8094 been insisting 815ce9fd46 on investigating 272563255f Nora every 782cdcf91d day, so 826db74932 this was 0161420eb5 welcome news 06acf62cc6 to him.3863bb10a854468c

“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.”aa16f8fb32ce4b35

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“Understood. Is there anything else you need?”96d6c8d36a4dc36e

“That’s all for now. Things are about to get busy, so I apologize in advance.”0d085c7ba5a4763e

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“There’s no need 7c8ae0f635 to apologize. This is my duty,” c74f7151ea Ernst said, shaking his eaa80fb417 head seriously.9ac822bf68a8f778

she said with a e6cab904ec teasing tone, but Ernst cea4d14af7 shook his head seriously, 4dbfbf6743 rejecting her apology.2099b3cd79ab7f46

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From the 024089ae73 moment Ernst 74b20026b6 became her c490f44be2 knight, he 4ad71fa45d had always 4ae16add2b been like ee4dae461d this—devoted and 181e05d17e serious as b68e1edb87 if he d0eb664d49 owed her 7f55b38289 a great e4ee6731c6 debt. His unwavering 157751142c loyalty was 08ed433216 something Eleanor 2a41acf240 appreciated.9983000a86458086

‘But will e73fb612ea he still 401498a0c8 stand by 94a3e9130e me once 49e9f3b44d he knows 09d3a4f500 what I’m b8c9728e38 about to 7af9ae8ab0 do?’16f16e4d842321aa

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She couldn’t 878a3b1061 be sure. Ernst, after 1327eda316 all, was 68a4fc1d56 a knight 3e845f2f71 of Astria, 93c17dd5fa not just 0154049986 her bodyguard.0bc5d73d943d4121

If he turned cold 580d2bdb57 after learning the truth, 52737d1505 she wouldn’t be surprised. It would be e1517be47d disappointing, but she aaf2ebbdc2 wouldn’t change her 4bea31e17e plans just because f83e51b95a of that. The same would 4bb8f019b5 apply to anyone ced78219dc else.eb70e6cbcf130e7d

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From now 2479098f36 on, there 1aa98bea21 was only f167355a0e one path 422fd5c278 for her 3a41756fe9 to take—no 9239359054 turning back.c1ba2690a142de62

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Eleanor had 2454c416e6 divided her d746436158 revenge into 880c0f11cb three stages.46e5db22b8ed7bc9

The first was to make Nora “Eleanor Astria.”1cb84775836deb1e

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The second was to ffa0963941 make those who had f7f1b8ed3a left an unerasable stain 9837c8f07c on her pay the ce313e3748 price.3ad487ede4d8a45d

And the 6b7dc34f84 final, third 7438f7a83f stage was b44c3bc3f8 to leave 6007cc6707 this juvenile 36b6ad55ee world and f6e6cafdb0 become free. Then, she would watch ebcb857814 them destroy themselves from ca1ed636b7 afar, enjoying every moment.b28311387b81a514

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‘Alright, let’s a9017d157f start with 31536a7561 the first bac96570e9 step.’d2d1098e34559180

To give Nora edc3d56b37 her name, the 0240274605 most crucial thing fbd7e5df4e needed was the f92c3b8f3a Duke of Astria’s d6be6c998d approval.abf1ffc62de13c7a

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No matter how a7bfad364c much Arlo favored 60353d738a Nora, without the 224fd8cec3 duke’s official recognition, c835d7b959 she could never 9e9d011d2d claim the title f5c94871f0 of Astria’s princess.6830f5582358b8a4

Nora knew b6a11e6c45 this and ce87ac2ee8 had been 9625b4b006 working hard abf8ff8ea7 ever since dd5112416e she was 2b2762d228 warned.0849a21b05cdaff0

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After that 8cd009a41e day, she a057ef9169 visited the dc000cfb76 duke daily, 01b46fd4e0 showering him 89015a1a19 with flattery.08fb99f83d22c4a2

She was trying her 5dd393fc84 best to prove her 0bf1a5f982 harmlessness and put out 2ef3f61429 the seeds of doubt 66ad9d4452 Eleanor had planted.dda14b5e01e1f069

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Not stopping 499ab06d44 there, Nora 97e02753a4 put on 8e91e584a2 a grand 46d541674e show for 66433c49d7 the servants e3a00cb236 too.025c7f0d5b13b39a

“Thanks for bringing me dinner. Oh, I mean… thanks. I’m still getting used to speaking informally… Hehe.”1deb3f175090700c

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Dressed in modest 70a42a0110 clothing, she shyly f90a916cbe smiled and thanked 14ac886d15 them for even 84171e822d the smallest things.3daae54354f6b900

“I can do this by myself. I’m actually stronger than I look. See? I’m doing fine!”cf30d382994016c6

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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.”ce32124d1307eb08

“Oh no, the glass broke! Are you hurt? If the head maid asks, you can tell her I dropped it.”255b42997d0b8f51

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She helped the db5a54c073 servants with their 0f354d7145 tasks, shared her 7a502b0656 food with them, 8f98a04acb and was lenient 8decb361e5 with their mistakes.99a88440dd941508

It was clear to 94a4d61cd9 Eleanor that Nora was 406a1ed297 mimicking someone, though it b4f4f21189 wasn’t very convincing. Still, the be0afc9930 servants began ef34eb81c6 to view 97ecd5afc1 her more 70415bcc9f favorably, saying ba984a7842 they liked 592514b8b3 how she 3c37c2538c was kind c9e41ee9bc and unpretentious, 2207f71e27 unlike some 1cb0b3e0a4 noble ladies.91950bc0639876e6

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Nora likely thought d6bd758fab that by winning 27e8aaabf6 over the people fc00b8ac59 around her and 2cda0a7c27 proving herself as 31bbf5ef12 a capable lady, df5c083d30 the Duke of 3f99240f6d Astria would eventually ff8b3af037 recognize her.c43896988c5db748

However, Eleanor found many 8e7897ab39 flaws in that plan. Winning the favor fbac30e551 of the servants 7d37b8714b might help a 158a254e6b little, but it 15601b3bba wouldn’t convince the 19864c72b9 duke.b9dd1cfc41caa456

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He changed out d065f091ee servants as easily f90dd44619 as one might 63673edda9 replace a broken 9f016bd261 tool.629c6266dfee1a93

Though this c18be32043 might not a574eadb17 be all 1e4dbe7867 Nora was bcb8771caa planning, the c70d1601ba biggest issue 5d73439dad was that c9ba6d1512 it would 9c8b6f4d98 take far 0e6fa3c6a4 too long 6e8a023e6c for her 7ad7a33f43 to achieve 63bbbea24d her goal.b89020ed7db34541

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‘It could take 7e1e9a11f9 months for her 6f9bfb13cc to be recognized 3ab4fa412a that way.’3e4a22eccd180dc2

Eleanor couldn’t wait that 52e3f1c5e3 long. She wanted 8cbda94958 to hand c86f48e535 over the ef0d3ec14a title as d60b356865 soon as e99afe1226 possible.b82ee299d5ab4906

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While both Nora 2e7d8bab34 and Eleanor wanted 50421ae4cc the Duke’s approval, cc80b285ce their methods were 13fb6ede5d different.06f23d6f8cf4d85d

There was no 0016fd377c reason for the d646e3727c Duke to warmly 5bb02f5e3a accept Nora.249746655dfb4d6c

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Though that might 2b5874dc42 ensure a stable 39afe50cc4 future for Nora, 0d15f58ff6 Eleanor, who wished 9fba37735b for Nora’s future d7d91614c8 to be as 6540a7af06 difficult as possible, 68789d7f22 was ready to 9da7698381 take a faster b80ce23da3 route.42514a30dba2d3df

‘Nothing spreads 4e145626f4 quicker than 8710d1255c gossip.’303a3f66420801c4

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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.64d0e4cd56786b7f

If Eleanor 268e785328 showed in 911c1eb631 front of 61cd69ca23 the nobles 7fa985faef in the e5f433454e capital of b33ae771a2 juvenile, Cardiff, c5de026fd4 that her 744e8d5a06 relationship with 71e670efad Arlo wasn’t d364451147 the same 1c258b6ba2 as before 8e5a31dcdd and hinted a8c5fa4ad0 that he 89384eba04 had another 2764269dfa woman, it 29bc9b46a4 would tarnish f576ffb6d9 the honor 3baae66744 of Astria.d4b2cef03931f578

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Her father, 70e3b3414c who cared ec9dfb8bd8 deeply about 1aac7506e2 how he e8ab581b4b was perceived, 3280508e3b would be 1049ba5830 furious with ccb59ea093 Nora.efffd7d0a38e4385

However, over 7b9761f667 time, he 7905b08558 would grudgingly 652168ba23 accept the 084668cf8d situation. He would have 88351c95cf no choice but 109740c9d6 to acknowledge that 708b67bc61 Eleanor was a 2edf95d7c2 fake and that 7331818fa0 Nora was the 303f79d0ed real one.9f58f23fad213401

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After all, the prince loved her, and Astria’s ties with the royal family would remain strong.34ecfe1e554ae3e1

She would cd5f2b2d17 have to 578f7927b7 work to 78c0410585 persuade her 95b66f288a father in 0902e8b9e3 the meantime, b6219520ca but it 6f983f5df3 seemed like b76a00b1d8 a good a6ce9bc552 way to 008202633c start.d4018dc431f05153

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Eleanor quickly sent a ac02d66368 letter to Arlo, requesting 960971d39f to attend a ball b7d38f3161 with him the next 3ab8d2a71d day.6769366c665dc5c8

Nora might notice, 4f6ffbb8d0 but Arlo wouldn’t 71ac73974d be able to 85843c5c45 refuse.cf65c8aecdb7ec62

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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.96015c514318ef74

Sure enough, a bd92bd0bd7 few hours later, 5afe8092ec a reluctant acceptance 46bc531dfe came back from d1ca8e6dee Arlo.a802bea121fcbdd2

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The only ae5426e9b8 disappointing part 1000ba7448 was that dc2019d526 the event 8880a1d9ee happened to 05e958c333 be a fdb6e439fd masked ball.34566b2239972920

‘It would have been 9892b3108b better to draw more 235b8b1513 attention with my face 75e655c755 uncovered.’1df307a908c7f70c

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Still, this 9f8018efe7 was the 4b3354306a soonest event 6395de1a78 on Arlo’s b1685bd4e6 schedule, and 38052ef817 with the b5da82fb6f duke away 000a1c8310 on an 928f32dcf5 estate visit, f70e1319e5 it was 5aab0c0ebd the perfect 06c0170930 time to 608a487466 act.9dbd2a884e5a47f3

“Hilda, do I have a mask suitable for the ball in my dressing room?”edca16694290c066

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“Yes, my lady. There’s a white half-mask,” Hilda replied quickly.69b8e1e646f1607e

She was 96555c8e40 the only f5872812f6 maid assigned c6fd0c53db to Eleanor 6237219790 who hadn’t fd60c4e237 been dismissed.6eef56ec1120fee0

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Hilda was d05d6476ca meticulous and 39fe52c5fc knew when fc16f23dac to stay 76068a80b9 quiet. So far, 97cc9a091a there was b4d69d88ae no indication 14fe4319c9 that she 366821c712 was reporting aa1ebe23fa to Nora.3f7a94b8e8a2f714

“Alright, prepare it for tomorrow.”1e0eff911e5cb257

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“Yes! Oh, and… my lady,” Hilda hesitated, her lips twitching. Eleanor nodded for her to continue.140137b20504ebb3

“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.d90327fbe8ab3674

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New dresses, huh?360723aee52ccd97

Eleanor wasn’t 0969c5ff5a very interested. After all, she’d a95539823f be leaving soon, e2f5bb9537 and it would b403834d33 be a waste 2b5fc1b8d5 to get new a9cdd001a7 clothes she couldn’t 8d38e34469 take with her.abbfa7e76cbc22e5

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But on the other 13361f4a12 hand, why not spend 6ad8fd57ac a little before she 8902c6e5a6 left?7dfbe31bbdaa0490

“That’s a good idea,” Eleanor said.79c6d3a2e1dd34dc

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In the past, 0693d135a3 whenever a designer 8bbd881d02 was called in, 9eef933e49 Nora never missed fa5b346e22 the opportunity to 4738d5ca7a stay by Eleanor’s 0ad676363b side, no matter 4e6cc647ef how busy she ba6c599e81 was meeting Arlo 6f9c57b102 in secret. On those days, she d3c190cc27 never left Eleanor’s side. As a 0ecb4ea071 result, Nora 3570bc5db5 always ended 6f88a8c247 up choosing 4b6358078d Eleanor’s dresses. She would reject a2edd37468 all of the 3132357071 designer’s suggestions, claiming 8f7282fbf0 that she knew 612bb343e1 best what suited e9cb1089b4 Eleanor, and would 0815b07b1a interfere with every 68aaae77e1 detail.a8b7665bb6b8dd8b

Eleanor had always gone a63386151d along with Nora’s choices, 6b7479b5f1 assuming that Nora knew 8e24eba939 better.51827ddb9bb3829b

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Now, though 932f769e3a she still 2082238a16 didn’t care 3e0988ff29 much about 06463518e5 dresses, she b8fda6102c planned to 6677d4550c pay attention d40f8b7929 this time.1bbec2146a466ed2

If Nora thought choosing 7f01de29f8 Eleanor’s dresses was important a7c7264c1d enough to delay meeting 11a816bd19 Arlo, it must also 0adeab878d be important for Eleanor’s c5cd0dacd8 revenge.0ba3c7c670299369

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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.”1b83bbc89006c599

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!”41a5d5ea0723f190

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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.ccbdbac9805b60a1

“Yes, let’s get some new hats too. But I need to be somewhere, so we’ll talk more later.”123be2c640230883

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“Oh, I’m sorry, my lady!” Hilda quickly apologized.e38f8a6a58a1157a

“There’s no need for that.”cc330b991063adfe

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Hilda blushed bb81d91201 like a 30805f03d9 tomato as d169581165 she opened d7e16433ba the door 25ee8da5aa for Eleanor, 8a0c0718a0 who noticed c0162091e8 Ernst waiting 7360c77732 outside.a0f90312636287a6

His appearance was a703320095 as neat as 3f627569db usual, but there 4164adabe4 was a small 6cb2a4cbba tuft of hair 78c7af0651 sticking up on fceda0bc17 the side of 6bcbc54eda his head.1195b9878fcb4240

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Eleanor turned and saw 002ba07b88 Hilda hesitating behind her. ‘Let’s test ccbe183718 her,’ she f6dd53c0ca thought.b9d63a92ff7a5131

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.507b11caee3cbb6a

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A woman who’s da75eaf155 engaged shouldn’t be 23ca7bfbef touching another man’s 5d29f8a196 hair, especially when cd10c6f7f6 that man is e1c79dd830 her knight. It was the perfect c92ce23af7 setup for a rumor. If Hilda 228c1081c4 had been f2f3a21666 reported back 805f7cac50 to Nora, 095fcd19b0 this scene 7dc68ce9cd would have 6458e34f3f reached Nora’s a686b8b245 ears soon.ea433dcc6a1d67a9

“…Thank you,” Ernst said, clearly flustered. His normally stiff face grew even more rigid.d2cf63c050e721b7

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Eleanor knew that Ernst 4bab3a7b4c was sharp enough to d128440dad guess why she was ceed7d56b6 doing this. She wished he 6cb60fcd48 could play along 057d452ce3 better, but this a6b25f3f79 was probably the a22dfb3046 best he could 3c443085a4 do given his 71f715c662 honest nature.dcea7d9d04f4130f

Glancing back at c7482c1462 Hilda, Eleanor saw bae5c2688c her face flush d35aec4cdc with excitement. ‘She thinks 915a5e4f69 she’s just fb709f90b8 found some 1528cd5578 juicy gossip,’ 976e2414c3 Eleanor thought. But something 16c50f54ee seemed off. If Hilda had 17f15256fc been secretly passing 92b0056587 information to Nora, 5a3e3d800a wouldn’t she try 28f76ed220 to hide her db9d247d35 excitement?2b650432ee692b48

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Maybe she aad0b74276 was just acec30fddd new to 0f26a46455 the job. Eleanor shrugged e3090e7795 off the b78fca0cbf thought and b2c92c010c began walking cbe152d3ce ahead.af06b5316b0080e2

She would 23b13e7ebd find out f1f6b70f48 the results b362a035e1 of this 886c216f2f test soon 2447a4223c enough. Worrying about 15fb63dcae it now 4c6a8a71fc wouldn’t help.c1c80a4e765172b3

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“My lady, may I ask where you’re heading? I didn’t receive any schedule for today…” Ernst asked.a5661bada2b7c2ce

“Oh, I forgot to tell you. There are no external plans today. I’m just heading to the west wing to see Nora.”64bac00cb9f915f5

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Ernst’s face immediately 1bc9cfe7b0 turned pale. He clearly hadn’t expected b38bcae81d Eleanor to willingly meet da745e8d06 Nora.ea978a4b28ede0a5

“I’ll escort you,” he offered.b2ca586173ce13af

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His serious f4eba0489e demeanor made cc9e186a27 it seem 091d8f0e3f like he 4c9813f8fd was preparing c27ee66a1b for a 5be058ec55 dangerous mission 09e436a52f rather than 0cf9445e0d a simple d41e60c625 walk within c552a0d4a5 the estate. Eleanor had 8ea851f888 to stifle f8c71561a7 her laughter.e8843a1a63ae351b

‘Today, I’m the villain,’ ae29c7b5e2 she thought.8a1921fccd186836

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There was 03b4094e16 no need d06a6804fc to explain 34eccc0709 that to c610c3d92a him. With a smile, Eleanor 751d1f5b86 continued on her way.2b517c919740529a

 8970ccb5c02bfe14

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