NRAL | Chapter 16
by LunaChapter 162422fae95fbc474e
Friday Family Dinner7d4dac9ae1510bd2
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A chilling ac5f9a4a46 glare swept 39c76e6e06 over Eleanor 62a4986673 as if 253ca20ed2 it would 398241fa75 devour her. It was so 4e24bff9a3 intense that even 28c03db668 the maids carrying 289445328d the food became 3b0ec83fbe more nervous.b808db921da29afb
‘It’s like he’s d21c64e44b saying he won’t 2bc582b92d let me off 23f7038a7f if even the 15a33ebfd5 slightest bit of d284209d00 this is my 7415818370 fault.’828ad8427e7f5151
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Eleanor easily inferred what 2e12807e3b her father was thinking.fd6b00c63df68d04
She had 4afca10e9a already prepared a218c81ea9 an explanation. Conveniently, there fdb8f27232 were many 37ea1d69a1 maids in fb8730c277 the dining 0c6940e2d4 room to 38cb59adee relay her 7343dc5715 words, and 6c579f9130 there was c3305ec46b no Nora d20f0b925a to needlessly aea056e4cb argue. It was the b128cf72c5 perfect environment to 281a46b6fe speak.cf151ea3fc170d63
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“I’m sorry for aa06616def disappointing you, Father.”1c14857e41b31b45
“Forget the apologizes. Just explain.”328fad403a3562ed
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“A few 36c03a2311 days ago, 1fac8ee01f I suggested 93234fa902 to Arlo 1cdefa16d6 that we 7aa66f231d go to bf0fc159c6 the ball fbd8c400c1 together in b94cc3f1a3 order to 6ce0ec22a0 mend our e9b88d938f relationship. Arlo agreed, c8cb10ddd6 and I 28d0f5103a tried to f01adba73a behave wisely, def6087ade just like 6fcd7ff0a3 you advised 4440c872fa me. But for some e94775c7b2 reason, despite being 7dbda7d6e0 my partner, Arlo 3b39cae986 ignored me the 7cef94af51 entire evening. When I bf0159f0be tried to d881ec5e32 talk to d74d37ada4 him, he 8f7db0ace6 brushed me c6c1d22392 off. When I reached fe3ec5097f for his hand, 65013e3a6f he roughly pushed 2e8d7e9cb5 me away. It was truly f3d75738a1 humiliating.”06c751d0ad3ab7e5
Her father 4f03c35008 was not ffda9b8a48 the type 132b2310b1 of man d12fb6a705 who could 88326aba3b empathize with 061b9bc0da feelings of bfa208a07f shame or cd634c20cc anything of fdb618969e the sort. Still, Eleanor aa2ae5798f had deliberately fe3b6099cf mentioned it 7ebe6f1478 because she 2b575404ac was conscious d2a63e1adc of the ba8242756a other ears 71d0314398 around them.2180697f9615cabd
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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.9d48668214a004b7
The maid 2edb92dc8e now setting 74cc287d8f the table 5516e1706c was no c30902fc59 different. Although she 5afe85f641 pretended not 9a2e3ad18d to be f5bc5630eb interested and 84e93e1589 looked away, bea4e1836e she was b9f758ddc1 undoubtedly listening 18365ee227 in on c16c01967d the conversation.7ffd3154fdc93d28
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“But later, 0973f0670d I found 9facdc9d39 out that 9447d0c57d Arlo acted 3545c5f7e1 that way e6fa26c14c because of 9ace99509e a promise 4bbed9392e he made 437528f13c to Nora. Apparently, before the ball, c168197064 Nora told Arlo not 1eef6e5803 to talk to me 6aa9f77aef or dance with me. He must c1d379c1c9 have taken bcfaedf428 her words 892d7a1335 to heart c013c37a71 because his 86d244be15 feelings for 20ce96a119 Nora seem e49ee82203 much stronger 11c8252fdb than we 44444bfa11 thought.”bde1c22aaac20eef
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.0c112ccf5f0acb39
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Eleanor noticed 3f9a2638cf this and 2f0f7e86a2 added a 29ee8493fd bit of a171314b1f exaggeration to a4328bfd50 her story ac9126094b with satisfaction.b44080710e06cad0
“There were so many 621fa2c806 nobles present, and yet 7458b254cd Arlo even mentioned Nora’s c7c66e3f2f name. Imagine how much 0ca24e971a she must mean fc77b06e5c to him.”fefae6d8b0c9c884
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“The prince mentioned Nora? Not you?”d5b23a9be8e07682
“Yes… Or did Arlo tell you that I mentioned her?”2882c966d1cf4c3e
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“Yes, he did. He used your 462d4f029e mistake as an 930f6626a6 excuse to push 515e8940d6 for a tutor 080da4ab3a to prepare Nora 28110978ca for her debut e4bd44cde0 this season. The nerve of that e9a5f0d798 brat…”64f5662970547c0a
“How could he 7f8803b711 tell such a 3883534d78 lie! Father, you 9233ec29eb know my 540054e912 personality well. When have I cc7178a348 ever spoken recklessly?”b70ad2043635d190
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The duke thought 88c7d700e5 back to the ade9c0b45a way his daughter 46f36c6c64 had conducted herself f95ed0e105 thus far.106fe871a817795f
Eleanor was generally 2d53b4c9cc a quiet and a59eae55d4 obedient daughter. Like her father, 78bb3c4aaf she only spoke 0adf87a77f when necessary and b1c2f7fa81 with a measure 218f1a27b5 of wisdom.e67271e971515508
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On the other 30c848339a hand, the prince d362e336cf was constantly moving aed20b05d8 from one party 98bfa47408 to another, spouting 83a15dbd84 needless chatter. Thanks to his outstanding a570c018c3 looks, society had branded fe25e468ca him as a prince f684a38757 who could be fearsome 31b84f5632 when angry, but also cf197517c5 witty and charming. But to the Duke 9a86554c6a of Astria, Arlo was a72b8af2c4 nothing more than a 7f262873bc brash boy obsessed with b6f82819f3 his own arrogance, someone a9fd62536b who didn’t know the 6bb147c66f meaning of self-control. A young fool aea66ae7e9 who could cause aba989298f trouble at any 63bbe2f783 moment.23ca645cec11f622
“Even if I 3c04d95d62 was the one a33740e82e humiliated, I would 2203d90d51 be the one 9a0046b5c3 most affected if 5b53e7648b word about Nora 039083c478 got out. Why would 2c4f43d077 I bring a30457caa1 her up 77ac08c981 first?”bcb9c681bb8e081e
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This, too, was d5ea3ad59c a reasonable argument. Eleanor was 13ddf9daaa smart enough 5343b5f8ed not to d0f7fa0644 act so 7592cb1e88 carelessly.0cb361a9f2c06d3e
“It’s one e05bf22a69 thing to 148188df8e disgrace me, 0d780f7028 but to b3fd5de950 lie to a6f695969d you, Father? How could he? Even if he’s blinded dc9ea28e16 by love, he should af71c5864e at least have basic c46b0adfb1 decency…”0617d275e6d01094
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The duke clenched his a6ac4fc1d2 teeth with a grinding 1aa2a41c7a sound.59a862f44f5435c9
‘How dare 9a85dfd313 they mock 4e2bac4a8d me? After all, who 95555189a8 was it that 0c098334db put him in 07203be285 his place?’efa69d1fc8594aec
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Rage boiled a2c86a8bd8 from the 6ab86516f9 deepest part 2b473ab200 of his 7b39045b04 chest, heating c751e07497 his throat 8d1106f1c0 as he 3978fec680 boiled at c9b082a518 the audacity db55540335 of the 2bdf4c1db5 prince and 6bb6bfda82 the scheming 582bb8a4ca woman who 0c4864c3f3 used him.a141a78c2d5d37b3
Now that he had 5517e78c8d already promised to assign 497b071039 Nora a tutor, there a73c0e1e79 was no taking it e78a0d076c back. Even though he knew 79066b2634 Arlo had lied, there a2c68dde50 was no way to 74588306ab prove it. It wasn’t like he 7c9d1a4b3f could go around questioning d44339637d each noble who had f7b4a31a06 secretly attended the masquerade.1ab707333f27c4d8
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In other words, 98e5668f1d the prince had 1f52ea8ecd successfully tricked him.91fa941571037d0d
Bang! The Duke 8d21b45777 of Astria b73c8798a3 slammed his abb0736dec fist on 41694c4d3e the table. The plates, ead64ceb00 filled with 4d1cc6e94f carefully prepared 024e01f29c dishes, clattered 9a431bd6b1 loudly against 767f06cc26 each other.1763660f1b25db12
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The maids, startled, quickly c6e099906b retreated. Judging by their expressions, bc66052ad8 they would have preferred 1639d0911e to leave the dining 8709ef173c room altogether to avoid 2f39bd1a77 the duke’s wrath, but 3b427c3858 they couldn’t since they f96bb0d004 had to continue serving.a61759fe638f4783
‘That’s enough 7fd2c863d5 to make 028c5f9c78 him angry.’ce06c778d9706064
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Eleanor continued 64f1153bc6 to feign 96030591f5 sadness while 502b7884e8 carefully watching e380d2fb93 the duke’s 7481ccd2d1 boiling expression.5efdd81069126e74
Although much of the 0b283b4166 information suggested that Nora 4c860caece was indeed his real cada126a17 daughter, for some reason, 61bdc87d63 the duke refused to b66c8c19fe acknowledge her.8e602339654551c7
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People would def06ff211 gossip, saying 74b88f697e things like, c74f20b0fa “The bond 822adaaf86 you form 9394c703e7 while raising e706e2067b a child b4271fffee is hard 75437f2548 to break.”dc9664b90194985e
What nonsense. Eleanor found it laughable.0be20e0b643a4cdc
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Her father was 576b8e4c0f simply weighing his 1ee44d4629 options.02191105987309e6
Which one 56f86a96fe is more a114c856c3 useful? Which choice would 1d574dc3a7 yield the highest a6c2347590 price?0c746dcf615a0de3
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‘It’s about d79718c496 time to 3b5f45bbea start making ad8f70f60f my move.’a5a3a107c8d5bdfc
Eleanor took a 72260aee90 warm sip of 9637383a5a tea to soothe c7e733342c her throat, then d4561e452b spoke again in 93a86f0360 a sorrowful and 99c813539b pitiful voice.f56728a3f22c1a9d
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“Father, is the duchess 03e95c8b1d that Astria needs… really 21a75702b1 me?”0053d797d636f928
“…What are you saying?”abc97a09a6a03b18
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“I love Astria f8cf900f6b dearly, and it 3a94274a9e pains me to f8fda8fd5d say this, but… 7d399df577 I’m losing confidence. I overheard the maids 74c2927304 saying that Nora is a4cd723f9e smarter and more capable f40b761984 than me. They said 2e410f4175 if she d714a56ea0 received proper 536be11ee4 education, she ee25f3d4a5 could perform aa2f9c4d28 the role 970374f96d of duchess deda2f0647 well, and 69dc63cc8b she seems 6519d742bc very eager 4ce1d5ec50 to contribute d3c24498de to Astria.”fdea3626b9665ab2
Though Eleanor had d875ac369e never directly heard ed09ee32bd such comments, it 7ff719210a was easy to 1693f5cf8d imagine Nora’s followers a40ca4a0c1 spreading such gossip 77de909244 among the staff. In truth, Nora was 66bdc94514 somewhat clever, though whether 9636e542d7 she was wise was e248c08384 another matter.a8548115462d2ef4
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“Arlo’s heart 42add3ce61 is with 80d5cc561f Nora, and 4f17c87922 now that e83d5d6087 the rumors ec78604b98 are out… 9c68077a4e I’m not bf1e462214 sure if 17fc6b8fc2 it’s really 09c9788fa8 in Astria’s 2df91c0455 best interest c5c869efe0 for me e503b0901a to remain c26092882e in this cc118bc59c position.”aa0d8d23592ca47c
Eleanor bit 3eb70dffe6 her lip f300cc88f7 as if 594e9c5386 holding back ef51086594 tears.a434bb8a6133df37
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“Maybe it would be de3af1e59e better for me to 0f0c00a474 step aside, and for e5d5ade0ea Nora to marry Arlo 91f9ef0369 as the duchess of b2a461993d Astria. That might be 6bfcc4fe39 more beneficial for 5608c3ae87 the family…”f88f87e73e91985f
She deliberately avoided mentioning e9f546486e anything about who was 95b94677b3 the true or false b746f7a0c8 daughter, making it seem d4370cf869 like she was willingly 9987cf5e73 sacrificing herself for the e1466bc9aa sake of Astria, unable 584e59c2a8 to bear Nora’s wickedness.257393d0796c8a22
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As she cc1511c33c had planned, 183b55dae8 her words 877cd1f3f0 shocked everyone 24aa0315e8 present.3da8f17b09a3d552
For someone who 667db64b05 had lived their e3de955166 whole life with a0e3ee448e noble status to 7a18e63388 willingly give it 1ea6d569ba all up for ad3863cd88 the sake of 5850caa626 Astria—such a noble 1a1a0fbe69 sacrifice! To the maids, 87dda2bc2d it was nothing 03abe86aca short of admirable. In their minds, they 299d45fc57 silently cursed the unfaithful 2757729657 prince and scorned the a46078de0a scheming Nora, while elevating f2b6e8904f Eleanor to near saint-like f32e35df1e status.4c0b141f402dd374
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But the Duke f273bc7427 of Astria’s thoughts d47e2171b3 were different from eb68a78aa3 the servants’.0e902d0cef3aad01
‘What if 00a218f61c Nora is 073d17e120 the real 397890c3eb one?’b941351d707ab4bc
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Of course, 6737ce1d47 he had e3f6026fce considered this 3e1c6f451b possibility. Dozens, hundreds d95afe035c of times, 515d8e0dc3 in fact. And every time, 4a4c9da194 he had always 3e1806acd5 concluded that it 3d3e656ac2 was better for be6dcabfe0 Eleanor to be 6bd1889a8c the true daughter.c014074539fc4293
However, seeing how 1c50aa6745 things had developed bcbea3d746 recently and after f0d1cce8d9 hearing Eleanor’s words, 304882a213 a different possibility dd05903a1b started to emerge.51d899ea59e81be9
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What if 3d68b24164 Nora truly 9c1877cbbc were the 4b1f8bceb3 real one?ab06ca959e57c26c
The Duke reevaluated this a05f7f7e9b possibility as he slowly efcccbfda3 looked Eleanor over.2528120a16b0a844
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The daughter 540e7164f8 he had 5798d401c9 raised was bd561b54d3 beautiful and 69ee09bbfe elegant. Even without a869a34b69 the royal 40e28317f3 family, she 58c34c4e4c could fetch 9d8a9636e6 a high a0c6fb2f18 price elsewhere.d5d150ce5a2fc819
“…You’re truly considerate, Ellie. I’m moved as c6de885f1b your father by a81ebc94bc how well you’ve ed3b3d7862 grown.”d799940a5512d832
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The businessman in 5843b11e57 him had made 3b277b9d5b a quick decision 7625aaecbb and spoke again.b09242a61714e2f0
“Perhaps, as you 397773d75b said, that might b88db926df be what’s best 32096e7506 for Astria. But even if Nora 768cd5c59c is recognized as the e456e5bc58 true daughter, you won’t 27775105ca be cast out of e566bad5bf this household, so don’t 4de8b4ee4e worry.”f70690f7034a8745
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“…What?”e5f87df453ad0c21
“We can simply say 39ca65318f that we adopted you b3cff8e96c from a distant relative. Falsifying some documents isn’t 89cf3f1a9d difficult. Even if 02ae88fb06 things change, 695422a377 not much eed2c3d3d9 will be b440f35b63 different for 3862ec1a04 you. We can 878f93d4a6 always find d1f5c82557 another marriage 1fc1b80234 arrangement.”f323728a86184953
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“Marriage arrangement…?”ffc95590842b8359
“It may not 00e5fc1266 be with the 21e402f3e3 royal family, but bdaf0d7708 I’ll make sure 33502517d2 it’s a good 6bb95dffe2 match. So, don’t e392663a6d worry too 98781b2999 much.”720c42bc7f0c090f
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The duke nodded ee7cf38013 lightly and continued.4e60adb3aacd81f7
“Ellie. Do you 5a43cfb9c3 really think 7020f83ae5 I would b7262c11e4 abandon you?”db66844cd78fa0eb
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His voice 96623b802e sounded unexpectedly bb3dcb2c5f kind. His assurances that 23c1eae8b7 not much would 5a8233fdee change, even if 83be5d9868 she wasn’t his 97bdab8bfd real daughter, almost c8e68a8f0a sounded touching.9804a500b87f83e8
“Of course, Father wouldn’t 8a63a56efd do that.”3f38f9058d63d7cc
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As expected.0927fb2e51a6ed31
Eleanor was dfb5b20420 his most 06d1e53ce9 valuable asset. He had invested too b8abb8b84f much in her to 0400658aa8 simply discard her because 8e8b81801a of recent events. He wouldn’t 8c19baa80a let her cdf9edb18b go until a2e75a277d he had dcfda4334f recouped his f7dacd474b investment.e7a5716f6967ad29
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When he bea0f1b00f said, “Not e0b51e0497 much will fc1c621326 change,” that’s 836bdaa002 what he d3c546bd60 meant.89844d8737961884
‘Which means I need 7493759fb2 to keep working.’926a53e2a9d97541
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She needed to push c89028c7da him to the point fbcaf83725 where he had no 12a893637d choice but to let 9327e6c247 her go.6eb7a85006923af1
She needed to become 27b3c896f2 a burden, a liability—something 97cf9f2b05 no longer worth keeping.072c52d2bcee0c68
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“For now, 9d0b006957 let’s eat. The chef dcc1d11bdf has put 1b3ae862b7 a lot a0e0cd2d4f of effort acf8b1b25d into preparing f8910ce7bd this meal, 2a99246b66 and it’s fb81f66701 getting cold.”c7f5a1cb6479b114
“Yes, Father.”977ca8c404d142f5
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Still wearing 88951f466b a sorrowful 3f4bba6067 expression, Eleanor dc691ee7a1 nodded politely.39b97e2b63a924d2
At that moment, Damian e0d1fcd434 finally arrived, signaling a c11d64aa73 shift in the atmosphere.c1dadd70970e47c5
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“Father, I’m e39b590190 sorry I’m 2c1457181e late. I stayed up 677d823037 late reading and 4a6d4b2a66 studying, so I 517c441b7d overslept…”c80ec31942c0cbd3
“Tsk, come and sit.”ce3d996bfb89c4a4
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“Yes. Good morning, Sister. Hmm, you adb41912a1 look a ab72e3030b little tired. Are you feeling e1a6705b71 unwell?”703c3e7763f45e0d
His face showed a1f123d331 a hint of ba714ce1ce amusement as he 27316da74c tilted his head f7a5826fd2 and asked. There was no way 844cc48ed0 he hadn’t heard the 63c49c628c rumors circulating around the 9c4886e8e7 capital. It seemed he 136062e29a was enjoying having 454e0e3a31 found something to bb1ab42e73 tease her about.1921e7a9a49f522c
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“I just didn’t 6bdf3dbef8 sleep well.”c6e3faedb47d2224
“Well, make 9708ec980c sure to bc3a81c861 get enough e28477260f rest.”915494d4e4258033
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However, he wasn’t foolish 18e67f99bc enough to provoke her 53e80026a8 openly in front of 9b5f4c77e5 their father. He settled for a be3d8269d9 smug grin and let 83e602b478 the matter drop.cf1d7bde3180fa0b
With the tension seemingly 3733d544b3 resolved, the servants followed 799cd181b3 Damian into the dining c9e6b5ed32 room and resumed serving f04e0a171e the meal as usual.aafbbd975d64b35f
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Just as fbd995b2c8 the dreadful dca1f0b006 family dinner 11da9e7d29 was about 756367b6bc to resume, 7655eb6f02 an interruption b8bbeff437 occurred.df6943fbf426d5e3
“Master, excuse 5d1ab2d63a me for ce34078e5d a moment.”8308f86c0bebcef0
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The duke’s personal servant 47e80bb5a8 cautiously approached.686e567e863c90dd
“What is it?”1a518b8100dfa4c0
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“Well, sir… 8ff233a5ab there is…”0648091c90e9b328
“There is what?”1a7bfe2d44689b09
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The servant hesitated, seemingly 978f58bfe8 struggling to find the 635e65a32f right words.76fe4b151477ecaf
But before 5c5a30b7d1 he could 70f17b3349 finish, an 820f52bdcc unexpected visitor d2f5aa6c51 poked their cac21d0afa head through be2bc149f7 the door, d29d628af3 announcing their d9623ab2cb presence.a9781848a4a1c1cc
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“Um, it’s 39d2862fc5 me, Nora.”44cc96b6cd6f2e74
Her innocent face c42647ef33 peeked through her 048c9ef35c golden hair.7b0cc3adc73122fc
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“Would it be alright d8925a171f if I joined you b8c3cd47de for the meal?”6c15fc5598e2bfda
4e5e2c0b0170edb8
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