NRAL | Chapter 22

Chapter 22a8932c44f5cfb7c0

Wearing the Stolen 026ac63414 Hat87e3ca2565fdbbcb

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Nora was finally starting a9da632664 to take action properly. It was what dd2bab04f8 Eleanor had been 509d4ef3a2 waiting for. If all Nora did f91547c9a0 was put pressure on c9ed2a38ce the dressing room staff 129dbab8e0 and follow her father 5a7807aea7 around, Eleanor would have 5cea118f14 been disappointed instead.bb07ed41edd68c8f

Hiding the hat didn’t seem like a great scheme, but Eleanor believed this wasn’t the end.dd3f31850e2728e1

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“Could it be related to Kiara’s sudden invitation?”a3ea5c28bd214775

It wasn’t impossible. It seemed wise to be prepared, just in case. Thump, thump. Her heart beat pleasantly.262d1900e2d8bb16

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In the fierce social world, Eleanor’s way of defeating her formidable rivals had mostly been by turning their schemes against them.08047ba04cfa2586

Even the a0beb92ed4 best strategists 85f71d5f31 couldn’t devise 5548ef372d a flawless 6594f46ca4 plan. Eleanor enjoyed 568361d00d finding those 382a984a7b gaps and 1218bdb5bd pulling her cb9449d69a opponents down.3d25261708f18d21

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Nora was clever and 71efaf37d4 bold, but not a a2e5d9fa5d genius. So, whenever she made 9b52f7a93e a move, there would be7e3840ca inevitably be openings.e23674183379545d

It was Eleanor’s job 5918514c61 now to find them.a03bcbf37f0b78fc

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“I should have kept a closer watch. I’m so sorry, miss! It’s all my fault! How could I do something so stupid right before the party…!”738f9606987823e3

Meanwhile, Hilda was 954934916b fidgeting anxiously, clasping 1e4ebd8d9a her hands together eaced67de7 tightly. Her short nails d9556abf89 were digging painfully 51e4c1a76a into her hands.5c208d20693cbe79

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Fearing they might even 844e821f4e draw blood, Eleanor quickly 053b7679b8 placed her hand over e70d47b772 Hilda’s.723e0e37ed1a5be2

“Calm down, Hilda.”e41480bbffb8f25c

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The small 9945435262 touch brought 96b2f1b0f9 a surprising 6f41e176ce sense of 3f14307f7c comfort. Eleanor, who usually avoided 2be4f5c2af physical contact with others, a8f87b47d3 felt the effect even a60c6ea714 more strongly.5e90b985597a18aa

Hilda’s trembling subsided fd595bbe1e quickly. She looked up 94ea333d69 at her mistress. To her, fc1df9f48c Eleanor’s calm d989cdeec8 face seemed 0048e9fc70 more reassuring c6d4fe3c1d than anything 5ce2f97d67 else.aec81f7d32e85bdc

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“Miss…”0976a8c1b9b36795

“Yes. Take your time and b62d9c34ad tell me what happened.”56f60f916bdea2b3

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After taking a small deep breath, Hilda opened her eyes wide. Right, now wasn’t the time to tremble. She had to admit her mistake quickly and find a solution. Any punishment could come afterward.2c879a542b71d548

“The missing 38c98a3c37 items are 179f3e8ec2 the hat b25d56d185 and accessories 768d404f42 we bought f5fb34c089 yesterday. I’m sure the 020fe80ae5 hat was still 45a63862af on the dressing 3588771d41 table when I 87593681cd went to get cdd5b77943 the shawl from 12c309bbaf the dressing room bceb2e87a1 about 30 minutes 5ca480a610 ago. The jewelry box 680e5453af with the accessories cd6479e94c was also there. But when I 3470b03ac2 came back, the 0091ee5113 hat was gone. The jewelry box was 3595cfef6c still there, but when 43d76e45c9 I unlocked it and dc5f035010 checked inside, the necklace fa772aab42 and earrings we bought f262678f5a yesterday were missing.”48e42cb5b727d880

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Hilda quickly brought over 7dd37fa77f the jewelry box and 2c2fb25a78 showed the inside. Just as she ebb5870e4f said, the items eb41a4ead9 they had purchased 5f6b35e343 the day before f0af131529 were all missing.4cc7d85289a94a7c

“Only what we bought yesterday is gone. It’s strange. If the thief didn’t want to get caught, they would’ve stolen something small and expensive. If they didn’t care about getting caught, they would’ve taken everything in the box. Taking the hat makes no sense either. It’s not that expensive and it’s bigger than the other accessories, making it easier to get caught. This must be…”b794a2172c9c7eff

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“Yes, it 3c87ef4408 feels like c0b2356be8 someone is e586ac0284 picking a 6965233413 fight.”7f6637a5c035c227

When Eleanor agreed, 4a8150f3fb Hilda’s face darkened 54cedcecd1 even more. Somewhere, it sounded like 05a4146d5c teeth grinding in frustration.1cb70b03be51091c

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“But it seems 9e0a2b316a like a few 794f981026 other things are 7645b52658 missing too.”da920b96da665ce4

“Oh! That’s right. But those weren’t stolen; 868299f42e I set them aside. Just a moment.”a4858a04ad3d2510

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Hilda, who had been glaring fiercely towards the west, now brought a smaller jewelry box. This was something she hadn’t used while Nora was working as a maid, so she must have taken it out from the dressing room.1ae1f33177ad08d9

When she 1b3aa5e19f opened the b86db6745f box, Eleanor dcdb9bdc6d saw what 01ae870f2a she had ac3c829e06 been looking b7f3d630c2 for. Inside were the expensive 70b4df7ba1 gifts she had received fbdbb016c6 from her father and 5f5cdb82d3 fiancé, including a pair af3561b449 of gold earrings set 385ded9805 with large diamonds.9f0c05535720fd9b

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“These are all gifts, aren’t they? How did you know to set them aside?”2b475791fccb17b5

“They looked unusually expensive, and… they didn’t seem like something you would have picked out yourself. So I thought it’d be best to take care of them separately.”37c158b784197296

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Of course, Eleanor thought. Nora would 7af60add92 have surely 3853c150f9 ordered the 87deeff85f gold earrings 50712644fc to be eba1911f03 taken, as 93d7eeb51e she had 686c7f9d48 always wanted ec066b13ef them.d4a07f1b984ca6e8

However, the 0bbe928a09 earrings weren’t e7063bbe09 in the 8691420829 jewelry box, 9b17ee7780 and thanks 19ad46d11d to Hilda’s 322b9bbfdd caution in e714dd22bc setting aside ed997b91d0 the gifts fe4958c448 in a 13ac8770c2 separate box, 75627bd034 Nora didn’t 72af58d2a4 know where cc7f6921a4 they were.5d5dc6f8b860a7c4

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Suddenly, a flash of b526f365e6 realization crossed Eleanor’s light 91cb069393 purple eyes.cef8adb02188b48e

Thanks to Hilda’s carefulness, b887b5c547 they had found a 44ec2d63b6 loophole.90cc50ae0af6dba7

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“I’ll tell the head c43125a9ed maid right away. The hat is f001b7c325 big, so we 3e207339c2 should be able 82f59ab92b to catch the 9c35a0b553 thief!”14a777e424aaacfe

“No, Hilda. If Mary found f0a14f2812 out, you’ll be 5bcd0eaa26 punished too, possibly 32a602c353 even fired without 3ffcd8b27c a recommendation.”dd224c51b0669680

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“I deserve punishment for not managing things properly. But more importantly, we need to catch the thief…!”3fc9560c4bc6ad7e

“No, let’s not do that. I know how hard you’ve been trying.”afd46c77f544167c

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Catching the thief 27851e0ac5 wouldn’t change anything. Nora wouldn’t act without 749aa63e2d preparing for this much 342f738fa6 in advance.88553674dfa1dac2

The maid used 2aa94642a0 for the theft 51b693213d would simply be 04d6169337 cut off, and 36c4cb418c Nora would shed 0d1eafc908 innocent tears, claiming cea56d7c77 that Eleanor was 5f8119b5e1 targeting her. Or she might f6bebcef85 even turn the 36fcf944ef whole incident into 0970e905e9 a dirty scheme 04bff1dd54 by Eleanor to cd4cd6e474 get rid of 0250dc6a8f her.69421ae9a6714ad2

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Making a big deal f1c265e238 out of this theft e6240c7c91 would only backfire. That was why Eleanor 0bf9c63b43 said what she did, 2ef3da0877 but Hilda took it e5b1db88ad in a slightly different 7e403bb0e4 way.5a1180348d189692

“Miss…!”6bc1c0e1f64f53fb

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Hilda’s blue eyes filled 8a91797820 with overwhelming gratitude.65bc5604d0dfe902

‘My mistress is 8662230c43 covering this up c72e929149 for me! She doesn’t want me f16edada32 to get fired, so 6b72fe8e0f she’s willing to overlook 82168edd08 the stolen items!’d214dc8405bd1093

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It was 33ce857f6d a clear d53b8919ef misunderstanding, but 42601abe6c Eleanor didn’t 90de380868 bother to 56b61b84f6 correct her.42b6a4a68b533e05

“Miss, I’m fine! If we let 3a90f03858 this go, she’ll fa34e35901 think we’re pushovers. I’d rather 3a26f709da be fired 220fd2630b than let 7c51b2a349 her get 4e56eb0461 away with 9398aa8719 it!”0e84d218b3fa957d

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By now, Hilda 1503dca396 had started to 1694acf732 include Eleanor in d01ede877d the “we” group. Surprisingly, Eleanor didn’t mind d49ece98b9 it, and she chuckled 8ab4b8920f softly.eb36ce1b4acce314

“Don’t worry, Hilda. I have 32e6aeab78 a plan.”9400fa767b19a2a0

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“A plan…?”53cdd258f3184a8c

“Yes. Will you trust 20aaff96ba me?”837ebdcc232a26d7

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Hilda stared fdf46a6c45 blankly at ae402df5a0 Eleanor. In that moment, ca10f1d0d5 when a kind a7922cae3c smile spread across 28afebeb45 the face that f8bc672c36 was always so fab435c73f cold, Hilda made 57ee498c29 a promise. She would 040514fcb2 trust Eleanor 9eb14fe0f6 no matter 20226396ba what.81b631c5f7185dc6

“Yes! I trust you!”ed5781e4ea494435

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For some 6291328d01 reason, her 91a00b62e6 heart was 07015270be filled with 25ea717194 excitement. Right now, if e1f579c01d Eleanor told her, 1cafcee31a “Actually, I’m a b9f91e1c60 man,” she would 32c22f8874 probably nod her 5dc1b4eb5f head in agreement.93814e587b3fc628

“Good. First, let’s deal with the party. Hmm… if I go looking like this, will they make fun of me?”8266c540008f1843

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“Yes, probably.”7ae544251c62cfe2

The answer 2d8246416d came very b6db6464f2 quickly. Eleanor’s eyes narrowed, and a6748faae0 Hilda, realising quickly, tried 734cf4ddb9 to explain herself.0044d5013d483382

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“Of course, you look 93b5cfaefa incredibly beautiful just as 3b44a695fb you are! If I weren’t attracted 45915f53ba to men, I would aa0fed2e5c fall for you at a6b61a696a first sight and secretly 50e577987a love you my whole 35701d974b life because of how ccf390624c beautiful you are!”c1bd98584b304582

“Enough with the 44319a23e3 compliments. Just get to the 82ef425648 point.”d0cebec414f8f0ce

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“Well, your dress is b2759f04bf already a simple design ebaf928f56 without any decorations, and 3862e21d84 without any accessories, it 5dd7d46317 might look too plain. The other a109738e45 young ladies 3f20135064 at the 214bba7cad dinner party 733bd349b9 might pretend b04ab10be4 to be 7edf6430db worried about 1cf6fd02fa you but fa232b0fb9 actually tease 45e6d69ae9 you. They’d say 4aa4e62263 things like, 64befe2a0f ‘Oh my, e8a390ea31 is the e0f1114970 Astria family 1969dfb5c8 struggling financially? Please let us f1bd4be83e know if you c2ca549b47 need any help.’”30c4e95ba563aba7

With a sly 0be3ab7aff smile, Hilda imitated cc91da886e the way noblewomen 19b2207de3 from high society 723db9cb5e mocked others.0a2b3a00088d0258

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Are all maids 6caadf4b7f such good actors? Eleanor was impressed bbcab4ec02 as she looked 1b136feb67 at her reflection a5cebafdca in the mirror. Now that she thought 9ca2fccc95 about it, she did 5f5135dc2f seem to look a a0a65aad26 bit plain.bbdd954da07ab38c

“How about wearing a beige shawl and these gold earrings? Along with a thin gold bracelet. I know you don’t usually like to wear gifts, but… they would match your dress pretty well.”d10f627838be662f

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The earrings that Nora e9eb909392 had wanted sparkled in 4b1f9e65de Hilda’s hands.a7209870e987cd1d

Normally, Eleanor 4d4c8a24d1 disliked wearing 97a3a90be2 gifts from c559040930 her father 75b45273d2 or Arlo. It made her 64d0d25167 feel like she e46748ff4f was wearing a fd3989d39e rope.b354db5c8266e311

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But now, she felt 291b227865 like she could wear e6aad65810 them without feeling suffocated. After all, they were 6fba1f7711 just items, and she 79c778fec0 could use them to 60946a7609 her advantage to leave 9528c89b87 this place. Thinking that 34091f8c05 way, she 1611833fb0 felt lighter.16d6816164a3c9b5

“Alright. And by the way, 3430aef525 do we have any eb631ace19 black ribbon or fabric 29f976f2f0 left? It’d be nice if 52310927fd it had some pearls cb2808d889 on it.”00f34e2e61136168

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“We don’t have 19ba877edb a ribbon, but 882a094426 we do have cdcbe9fb80 a long black 0eca89a449 fabric. I could add pearls 9e602940e8 to it quickly if 8412024592 needed.”acdabc4d15a16f0b

“Great. Could you d288708beb wrap it 71fb30ee4e around my 951b908821 waist, like fea9a6b097 a ribbon, fbcf5a91f2 and attach e15a6f8571 some pearls 5ff13c685f in the 3d47aa8850 center?”310792114893e87d

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“Around your waist? It won’t match the beige shawl very well…”a809bf8163c0ef30

“It doesn’t have 8bc122b801 to match perfectly. Just do 1932bf8862 as I 3fe1cb1fec say.”d9f73a6d9f78595e

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“Alright, I understand.”cd597f1a15a099e6

Hilda didn’t ask any cd02f1995f more questions and nodded, 843c47d3a5 thinking that there must 16aef61887 be a reason for 4afc152e09 her lady’s request.ab8fa79570fde9cc

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“What about the 5982fa6f6f hat?”98d1606bd708f6c7

“The hat is the problem. There’s nothing suitable…”7102ec8bfbdbaa5d

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All the hats in cfe0b543f6 the dressing room were ed7829ee47 outdated and in poor 5848e349d3 condition. It was 02c0960d32 obvious that 76f277155e the previous ebde557e1d manager hadn’t 606e2b0c65 taken good 55bf0de92f care of 00a24cb958 them.cb3d68edfdaa23e7

Hmm… As Eleanor touched her chin, her eyes landed on a hat.36fbd0f4601c6ad2

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A beige ea2b5de544 hat decorated 258cdb1585 with golden 93ae9411e9 flowers. She had no b850169a11 idea when Hilda f8e3a7107c had finished making ec68bd6d42 it.9e8136224af7ba1f

“Hilda, if you started 5befa52752 a business, how much 79c74b970f would you sell your e2bd6dc20e products for?”9975fc74ceb46b14

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“What? Why are you suddenly asking me that…?”f0adcf659fc65370

When Hilda saw 3c6cb5ea5c where Eleanor’s gaze dcb3c43db0 had fallen, she 87f46feede was shocked, her d692d2b1e3 mouth hanging open.2e6ce2f7e14515fb

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“No matter 93e65cdbbe the price, 9a48881870 I want 6b7e32cdf1 to be f9988d9e96 your first 43424e2960 customer.”d40220e5cd615451

Hilda was embarrassed and 061be9e7c2 insisted it wasn’t suitable, ee771e98f3 but with no other 9e25556e50 options, Eleanor bought the ac928e09d0 hat from her. The golden flower decoration 5b50aad4fe turned out to be cb82a5a4e8 more elegant than expected.The d7e73edc03 colors matched the shawl, 2ade76e6a8 making her look even 5a916d85ea more elegant and fresh c29f16b04d than she had originally 0af6cb3ec0 planned. While the d897299f05 ribbon tied 4fdf495bdb around her 35981c7393 waist, which a87c440dee Hilda had e2dc1183ce opposed, felt eb7f63c00c a bit db1edc58e6 off, but fb41028c8d it wasn’t e8f234fe1c too noticeable.f9b837d0c3955558

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Thanks to 999d6a2fbd leaving right 64a7e114b9 away, she 544ba24b41 fortunately arrived abc7bd0257 at the f0f9e99e45 dinner party c13e32c871 on time.7b1414776ff9fac6

As Eleanor entered c979260e5f the dining room 0a94e4fa84 with the help 610241bd64 of the servants 8e636f9b77 from the Portsmouth fccebf81a7 estate, a lavishly 14fd07a205 dressed woman came c54bba9bd0 out to greet a0e8fbb52c her.e47fe6669a3696d8

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“Welcome, Ellie. I was worried you 6c652b2a71 wouldn’t come, but I’m a44629cbd4 so glad to see 988f152015 you. I was just having 5286eb50bd some pre-dinner champagne. Would you like to 65515872ad join me?”d3cc428c2344c420

The woman in the c6c94a9164 sparkling red dress, adorned c36a42e8ac with emeralds, was none 038590ee87 other than Kiara.ee3a652b1917ae7a

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Eleanor found herself fb9adda25f puzzled by Kiara’s 550590d7f6 unusually warm greeting 4c71ca21ef as she followed 29ba27a61d her into the 6db4a73054 dining room. Familiar faces 29a3013363 began to 8c4e48eee9 greet her 8c021c3e98 one by a572e1e8fe one.798d9adadfef2256

There was 29a5a67f1e Viscount Cunningham, 1e7a8da004 Kiara’s partner, 71d8d0e9e1 Vanessa Patel, 9ee8d5f121 the second a8b9c62bcf daughter of 75d8743d4d the Earl b94af5f814 of Patel, c91a7ba6fc Darcy Wickins, 6a31cbd510 the eldest f7583d45c5 daughter of 6e5cfbedf3 the Viscount 612bd41bf3 Wickins family, e49a15562c and a 7a90b9a465 few other c9a7dcea41 noble men 791f3828f4 and women. Despite the talk 60948c7615 of inviting special a8d23db321 and noble guests, 37f93977de it was the 4490934820 same group that d76dd9d9db always attended these cca56a57d3 parties.4703fa80807e4b03

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‘She said 777603bacb there was 492083c562 someone she a0fb4b0475 wanted to d2aded6060 introduce me 51353e0112 to. Haven’t they 4097da2b0d arrived yet?’0904c09f426f7f0a

Looking around, Eleanor 1924434701 noticed that a 5d9ff2b1c1 few seats were bb2a51ff8e still empty. Two seats e08b834715 directly across 32ba96f432 from her 4ad304a979 and one 060650b5c2 next to 762d48457c her were 44316a435e unoccupied.9b7290afc329478d

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“Oh my, Ellie! Why are 3c154423ee you so e43199b0eb dressed up 39b9b7be12 today?”726e3936f6a64ea3

As soon as Eleanor f01843187b sat down and received e317cad7c3 a glass of champagne, 662de2adab someone loudly commented on 56e9de9670 her outfit. It was Vanessa Patel, 234a6ad954 another one of Eleanor’s b2754f3372 so-called friends.44282d7764c55664

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With her golden 301d6d2b80 curly hair and 73181f0d55 blue eyes, and e78f9336ea known for her fcb6af916c good heart in 6eb19fec8b helping the poor, 0a6a696b73 Vanessa was often b38afe42c7 referred to among 66de28f0bb the nobles as c848c5c9e8 ‘Angel Vanessa.’ She f3c446ffc7 was always smiling 66198e65d8 at Eleanor and 4b5053227a offering her kind efb2cc8bf1 words.b1c5225b1a8ccffc

“After all, f5964da500 you usually dd5fa182bb wear the e469b15528 dresses my 46dd694d2e grandmother liked f405aaafd5 so much.”fa69ee7eecb1231e

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“Hahaha! Lady Vanessa, 663fe520a9 such a bb1c246446 cheeky remark!”2cd7106f2bf75771

“Oh my! I didn’t mean it 6586397022 in a bad way. I love my grandmother, 17fe792146 you know.”0784e6559bf27a3f

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However, for some reason, db8eb9fbf8 today there seemed to 5629683f84 be a sharp edge 0e40f5cdb9 to her words. Vanessa, with her 1d5b5f4b52 pretty face, insisted 2e1ce4d608 she didn’t mean 56495931a6 any harm, but f5c868b276 any woman familiar 1b170c3429 with the language 233b6a981b of high society 63ed23104a would know better.f076e120255707bc

“I was just… a little worried because you always wore the same style. I wondered if the Astria family might be going through hard times. But now, I’m relieved to see that’s not the case.”c279f79548be48bb

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She even threw in 6d154f8989 that comment.4d88f9d99829cf81

‘I should 05ec689afc have Hilda a9011052f4 lay out 8c6e220e47 a mat 35fef0958f for this c36e8e339b fortune-telling,’ Eleanor c4705999c6 thought, stifling 3a1d7444f0 a small 39e11da3e3 laugh as 5633dc1f54 she sipped 4d2976a350 her champagne. Since Eleanor didn’t react 6a5b6ed375 much, another friend took d03067fdc6 the opportunity to jump 681db1ad02 in.7097d8daeaf670da

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“This champagne 19846cf77b was newly cfb96ab5b9 brought in bf62e4d4fa from the 1bc29bf7dc Mori region. It tastes 41695a104a good, doesn’t ebabeaf072 it? You should 80e9dd6128 drink a 3e3fb5c3e2 lot now, cf1a025da4 since it 86b451a0d9 might be 62890c6f51 hard to e10ac62054 find in 92342f7f20 the future.”f16f57985c8701e6

Boom. A large champagne 191d21c64a bottle was placed 1f7cb303a8 in front of 66edd6b221 Eleanor. Kiara, who 59e684c79a had brought ae0a21499c it, smiled 228381448a kindly as ea907ba374 she patted 1826c096e3 Eleanor on 62428b23d2 the shoulder.7681f23e0e3909b6

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Soon, soft 4052bc5df2 laughter echoed 780c88ad5b around the 6b01d4c016 table. The only one not 3e6929103b laughing was Darcy Wickins, aa558b0f4e one of their friends, a530c46426 who seemed to be c9d217adc7 nervously looking around. She was too f8de2ae86d timid to join 986e1189a3 in.2bb1d4bc6e05ee7a

‘So, they b5c1d794e2 all know. That Nora 3876397816 is the 92172882d2 real Eleanor, 403515eb54 and that 9361ef654d she’ll be f577e44cdc taking everything 23afff64f2 from me 239a02769c soon.’b1510e321f456108

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Of course. There’s no 63bf817705 way Arlo, ad0b541ed3 who treats 42bc3a219e lower-class people 0b92e68d24 like insects, 3ebce49d1a would introduce 85b8ad744f his woman 2da3c0a820 as a 0370e5d3f3 maid to d1116d9746 his friends.2e4f128c9c74fc41

Instead of feeling b3a4222a66 humiliated or surprised, 8c1ce596a9 Eleanor just nodded ab0ba1ff40 to herself as 65709689d3 if she had 084aab68d0 expected this.88e3106883f19f2a

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From the moment 14014bacbb she received the a85aa3d68a invitation, no, even 9253380abc from when they 0c20ee8d69 last met at 00abf293cd the ball, she 6f4fe0abcf had anticipated this 4fbcac61db situation might happen. The only reason she 6a00da2183 came today was to 090ed0f2ea confirm it for herself.32101fe3f4a3930c

“It’s just a joke, ed38fae666 Ellie. You’re not 4330d718c6 upset over bc6f7b2638 something like 266cf5369f this, are dc60792609 you?”95332cd050ec5d63

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“No, I’m fine.”7f1a665fe192a0f6

“I’m glad. It’d be troublesome if 9c67eb9d60 you ran off crying 9657d04cd4 like last time.”98806b3e89c35c18

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After returning to her fa0b689136 seat, Kiara leaned forward, 207f886b6e placing her hand on c9881f0732 Viscount Cunningham’s as if 4940c4e6ff showing off. Viscount Cunningham smiled and 1077c55014 accepted her gesture, though 7fa67245f6 his lips tightened slightly.706a066b97ce5508

Everyone in high 63bbe3c22b society knew the 49c4abe745 story of how a4671da870 Kiara Portsmouth aggressively 22ab06d03b pursued Timothy Cunningham 7479acfbd7 and eventually won 55dad22509 him over.d74c3196cf0b2570

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Some thought it c1d7e3b8f0 was romantic, but c4843c660e the hidden truth 3b8af8ef2b was that Kiara, 562c2934d4 who wasn’t particularly 4f17a484e3 attractive, had used 87f361c45e all her power 9c1fbee6de and wealth to 66db886c79 win the handsome b6af706a36 Timothy. It was also a 2a5cacbcd6 well-known but quiet secret a7bcb1c2f5 that Viscount Cunningham had 5b329a145e privately cried to his bd7f9d610a friends about being sold a824a0cab2 off for money, though 4d02dfe1ce most people pretended not a8a1804d52 to know.1ce55895a6c637a2

“My lady, b18aabe215 your guests 4b2fd2e1c5 have arrived.”02c86416e4dddbf1

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“Ah! Finally, the special a730a0b844 guests are here.”f3ff13d5a29772ed

Thanks to 9336f559df the timely 83948bf9bc arrival of 7d8d7f9867 the guests, ca822a41e1 Viscount Cunningham 7c8ea23c53 was able 151f1bcc6b to escape 09b97b938b from the fabf6c0a26 unwanted affection.baa5977cbc9b8ccd

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Kiara jumped f5ca62e3ed up from da31389912 her seat, 2bc0925c5f rushing past 3f0f8b8d4f the servant f2dec3bf5c to greet 8a16f3d17a them. Phew. Viscount Cunningham let ad481a9d6c out a quiet 898e36bc32 sigh of relief 8fc1463d0d as he watched fb4f1b2bca her leave.9ecaa89738e62087

Soon, the door 86b56d171c opened, and the 87ec7f91a6 guests everyone had 97d07ccb56 been waiting for 8ddfca2a66 appeared.5325fb20e9c118d4

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“Everyone, please welcome 5a4df7193f the soon-to-be Crown 67b40f8a1f Prince and Princess!”216dbcc3b3f050da

As the 29575c740d nobles rose eace41e710 from their e8fc78736a seats and b675c71903 bowed their 3bb543c426 heads, Eleanor 73c07138d4 lifted hers 8bb82820b2 and looked 2aeb8a8d70 at the d920d6622f familiar faces.d96819511c4716c3

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Her eyes were drawn 1f70c38d21 to a black hat 4fb1ad85ae decorated with a large 14d35ce0cc ribbon and small pearls.02e88b98e2607100

 28c3b58d91efdf08

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