NRAL | Chapter 11

Chapter 112c9cd3f8d3198c16

The First Step of 111073b018 Revenge9e45f3d8b4b206c6

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As she ff75752026 exited the 3d66bc0dae west wing 316d9255d4 and entered 8ce79b152a the east, b92044bef7 Eleanor noticed 68acdbe139 someone standing fb37c4e693 by the 28c1976e64 entrance.6d15972781e86de7

It was 8e23f32d19 a man 013233627a with light 4e1c6ec4cb brown hair 2753f4b05a neatly combed 3c208be1ce down to 9e4cb1d4a3 his ears, f15ed27d16 giving off a5a6d4f72a a soft 3bb0094421 and gentle 865bb81783 impression—Ernst.069a3f10dab1944b

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She had 532eb941a2 told him 87160b6190 earlier not 852fd728da to follow 50a0ac057f her to 29e7e51397 the west 0e019ed463 wing, so 7b1072fa19 it seemed be24616df5 he had 97ab329ff3 waited patiently f6e52fc77e at the 752120e2eb entrance of 88a515e2fa the east 38e9d1cb1d wing. That was very much 864471b744 like him.f30283c250f0ee3b

“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.6be0c58094994a20

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“Are you alright?”c9b6794d01b4859f

“Yes, I’m fine. It’s Nora who got hurt,” Eleanor replied with a light laugh.4d95b42c57d871db

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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.15aebcd109e0f7aa

Ernst hesitated for a 8d1679f4bb moment, his lips moving 30ba62c635 slightly, but he remained 56820ba126 silent.008db968335255fc

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His question wasn’t only 64de40b43a about physical injuries, but bb2136f8b5 he didn’t feel the 4468e467dc need to push for a98486b8e6 more. After all, there a83ee86f05 was a liveliness fe3f86fba6 in Eleanor’s face 247ed945fc that he had 0467007bb8 never seen before.59ab9cac9584ec09

Since becoming c72a6ea161 her knight, eff67de947 it was 371a02f720 the first 30b44ea5b9 time he 4cae500484 had seen 96e66ac4a8 her look ef9b3e4259 so bright.18d23cc02f2b6829

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“Sir Ernst, I’m sorry to ask, but could I trouble you to investigate Nora?”1f43b33e859dbae9

“Of course.”4a8fdb71e68d6401

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Ernst’s expression b5985dc44a brightened visibly. He had been insisting 9bad9c5df6 on investigating Nora every 8edc073e93 day, so this was 215075ba75 welcome news to him.962f19f3817a70df

“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.”bea8b0cbe2a09ffc

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“Understood. Is there anything else you need?”cbc9ee8e58e63826

“That’s all for now. Things are about to get busy, so I apologize in advance.”a7b67570d10aba13

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“There’s no 644a06406a need to 7ac6cf98b3 apologize. This is f995810e33 my duty,” d77bd70162 Ernst said, 5acb78dd68 shaking his fe3c936dcb head seriously.ec2e300fc63a5d43

she said with a d0bc26a233 teasing tone, but Ernst 72338a0569 shook his head seriously, e97fb0e026 rejecting her apology.658505e2e60883e4

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From the 17cb9d197f moment Ernst a94f259d89 became her cb8f73ac8c knight, he 2d2d18aebf had always 449270a2c5 been like d5648fd7ae this—devoted and 28d3f092ab serious as 323c17ddf9 if he edfee3e92a owed her a249402845 a great 9b6a99b04a debt. His unwavering loyalty edb0d5dc67 was something Eleanor 80f2e8c068 appreciated.5359b4bc393edc71

‘But will he 0c3fc263f8 still stand by 213c85c144 me once he 835bf79fae knows what I’m ec1c1c3361 about to do?’256f96416515fec4

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She couldn’t be sure. Ernst, after all, was 19fdbab02e a knight of Astria, 25da3ba7e3 not just her bodyguard.f28249295ac394e1

If he turned 9b22d36756 cold after learning b32aa3a545 the truth, she ba6ce7885b wouldn’t be surprised. It would be ffda3e5b30 disappointing, but she b18bde5c38 wouldn’t change her 2e8956f648 plans just because cb987461ba of that. The same 75a263ea77 would apply 0a2ff79a60 to anyone bfb7df5822 else.a11bafa6cde33bbf

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From now on, 649d943dc5 there was only 48bdf1c658 one path for 1c0193bf80 her to take—no f8ee430804 turning back.23c5169603e08870

***180f0b8a97e915dd

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Eleanor had 575d6c7e39 divided her ea1a5104a5 revenge into 926181a08f three stages.069828c429a7a3ea

The first was to make Nora “Eleanor Astria.”267a04df3d2215b1

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The second was to 7787123877 make those who had 7426d4c999 left an unerasable stain 4eb7bcdddd on her pay the a4d01f4467 price.d68944a5b7fb790f

And the 797a8c8fb4 final, third afa05bfae5 stage was 4736a5464f to leave 0c5ddf673a this juvenile ff63071d32 world and d2935d58c8 become free. Then, she would 655b61a9db watch them destroy 7c4b5e881a themselves from afar, 83f2c0da0c enjoying every moment.493e8daf5b38d5de

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‘Alright, let’s 2900da0ec8 start with 9005af9a33 the first f34383de82 step.’4044533e6191eb40

To give Nora 88257a1570 her name, the 837090c0ee most crucial thing 37eaf837e0 needed was the b78629aa99 Duke of Astria’s ef10486db8 approval.39d9fbd53552fede

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No matter how much 08fc5a5ba8 Arlo favored Nora, without d821a34cd7 the duke’s official recognition, d870af6bff she could never claim 099af43ddf the title of Astria’s 658aa3d565 princess.e6d2e87e8ca98cc1

Nora knew 302edd5c74 this and 61e7b35f98 had been 5d3c962b52 working hard 805a3397c8 ever since 55749f7887 she was a0a83ded5e warned.5f9205a36772c3f3

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After that 48d6b7374b day, she 87e6856421 visited the db9372f7da duke daily, 4bada03604 showering him 0977f6874e with flattery.0684b4bca7b2322d

She was trying 3115d4b508 her best to 8ecd0d43de prove her harmlessness c875f20448 and put out 4775201ec2 the seeds of 3a711f2d15 doubt Eleanor had 74cd83b92d planted.7ce62a04d2cc001e

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Not stopping 1f53968fe4 there, Nora b99a4a8184 put on c199a6b0b8 a grand ecf9ae4366 show for 6cd03287a7 the servants 2f34e07343 too.e3f56bec754da954

“Thanks for bringing me dinner. Oh, I mean… thanks. I’m still getting used to speaking informally… Hehe.”f2552cabca5ce88b

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Dressed in modest clothing, 7741ec7649 she shyly smiled and 8b62e167ff thanked them for even d1dd380e8a the smallest things.f5aaa5ed88812fb2

“I can do this by myself. I’m actually stronger than I look. See? I’m doing fine!”d574141c4c44669d

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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.”aace7ef630da9112

“Oh no, the glass broke! Are you hurt? If the head maid asks, you can tell her I dropped it.”f05d3e2e9b66b0af

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She helped the e5f4481f7e servants with their 165738c34f tasks, shared her eae90a7100 food with them, 956acf6453 and was lenient 578d554b1a with their mistakes.f02ca43001fed9fc

It was clear 2c2580c899 to Eleanor that 6768177ba0 Nora was mimicking 2266a388de someone, though it 82306fc221 wasn’t very convincing. Still, the servants 51203d4972 began to view 3be074800a her more favorably, d6927a4c55 saying they liked 2caafa484a how she was e5366df8f4 kind and unpretentious, f3629559d0 unlike some noble 9cc18e2974 ladies.63f3100947801fd0

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Nora likely thought that a71ef3de45 by winning over the 2495146058 people around her and e6d502a899 proving herself as a 60feb0e0da capable lady, the Duke 42d3c9fd12 of Astria would eventually 5798e7718c recognize her.2832d8879323b7ee

However, Eleanor found many a7b0100e78 flaws in that plan. Winning the favor b9717b3629 of the servants 0bbc63b3aa might help a 63b3203392 little, but it 64f9cad759 wouldn’t convince the 811810423b duke.016a4fa3a53ee844

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He changed out servants 8231a4fab0 as easily as one 65c743c425 might replace a broken 9622afbb7c tool.8ddd6cb08e1f4cf4

Though this might 34d40d905e not be all 2fa7d91d61 Nora was planning, c6b4c20464 the biggest issue 4083493f8d was that it 61f9dd3157 would take far f48b403977 too long for 0fd88d9d69 her to achieve 6a1c2704b1 her goal.b58e19c7683cd613

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‘It could 3a1c44ca34 take months bb067f198a for her 7bab68890d to be 99aa7e1405 recognized that 0432f847d2 way.’4ef773fd34a12c7a

Eleanor couldn’t wait that 108a274d9c long. She wanted 78d5e959c6 to hand fdb3b64f6f over the 1b2f4f5345 title as 909d4c2fc0 soon as 67c4d19a3c possible.4662d1312cbdcf82

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While both b38d919a61 Nora and 68ad62af71 Eleanor wanted 9feaeb5df5 the Duke’s 02cc7b4f48 approval, their dfbef56ab9 methods were 2f8c9464e7 different.3ea111cbb329d833

There was 429a46b27b no reason 146d00c86c for the c4698abce7 Duke to cc39318430 warmly accept d15c86f7df Nora.707d9def1c58b7e9

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Though that 1a061a16bf might ensure 8228036250 a stable 877624f18d future for e8b32f76ad Nora, Eleanor, b065078b44 who wished 512e705006 for Nora’s 5c2a9eee7d future to 9cc06d597d be as ea8640c43a difficult as 52894286a8 possible, was 1143bcbc8e ready to 6f9c06fc9d take a 636b19cf9e faster route.0624c6d2842f8d41

‘Nothing spreads quicker than 1420c444a3 gossip.’e11f8b9a4be78668

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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.8e8ae8549666596a

If Eleanor 6cc1c6ee21 showed in 3b8562836f front of a937db04b8 the nobles 2efbc4a0de in the bd3d88cfbb capital of cda5256bf8 juvenile, Cardiff, 62a2a4cfca that her 57cd21cda3 relationship with 389eff64d1 Arlo wasn’t 075938aa34 the same 3b412abb51 as before e4dd6cfa02 and hinted c2539fedd7 that he 4d43f4d14b had another f0655e07cd woman, it ca67f828d6 would tarnish 585a8b8a0b the honor c3184d26a0 of Astria.5a079467be8c6270

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Her father, who cared f65b6ee3a5 deeply about how he 8c1ca17bac was perceived, would be 385a60a1b0 furious with Nora.80547b4638d4945d

However, over 1c6ab607dd time, he 2484506d88 would grudgingly d4885ef4f0 accept the f70dcf9d85 situation. He would have 628c6b9771 no choice but 2b4ff7ffc7 to acknowledge that e725934f93 Eleanor was a 47f5e2053c fake and that 63d0033d08 Nora was the c4d2c9486a real one.59b4e654f5e4e041

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After all, the prince loved her, and Astria’s ties with the royal family would remain strong.7b4d278bb9f5f681

She would have to e33de365e5 work to persuade her e44c6b1c89 father in the meantime, a991b496a2 but it seemed like 8ba55d3906 a good way to b667d3f97c start.8b9ed73374ace676

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Eleanor quickly cfcc26cf22 sent a 15f1f011b5 letter to 1c74fc6dc7 Arlo, requesting f59db76fc7 to attend c35bad5a38 a ball ded7c977bd with him ebbddd8ee5 the next eff7be4ece day.44b3ccb77eba4636

Nora might notice, ef96f40977 but Arlo wouldn’t ad7e4f968f be able to f7738e4170 refuse.ae3d91f9c315c4b3

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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.8f8f210b4adfe1cc

Sure enough, a few fd4c71b774 hours later, a reluctant 216157c416 acceptance came back from 8d2513b52e Arlo.87b0302a6dd84d86

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The only 7cd90aa6ef disappointing part e5e247edec was that ab2e41dd62 the event 38c2688244 happened to bb5c26331d be a 2554e56834 masked ball.5f7b3124c0eeb75c

‘It would have 4ab8683e2f been better to 588d39705a draw more attention edd5a4d618 with my face 2171011598 uncovered.’445096b9df0087f9

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Still, this was the e486a67b92 soonest event on Arlo’s 4e9e1ed91f schedule, and with the 2b7e96a87e duke away on an 31dc37ba35 estate visit, it was 642146a907 the perfect time to 9e5b9f660a act.bbb0ca51e137eb95

“Hilda, do I have a mask suitable for the ball in my dressing room?”b5e2020c68da0c5e

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“Yes, my lady. There’s a white half-mask,” Hilda replied quickly.48049dc2f22a8153

She was 3b064b3035 the only 045ba89e21 maid assigned 38cc911693 to Eleanor 39f45f9e9e who hadn’t 1d328bdc89 been dismissed.537b0bcb1ac59a7f

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Hilda was 0d3d4ed8c5 meticulous and bc654d0dfc knew when 77e2a77848 to stay 39ff15f40c quiet. So far, 81fe643938 there was 764e423999 no indication 0d26b8416f that she f3f64ac7ff was reporting 58b6626fdf to Nora.652d3c3b2907fc40

“Alright, prepare it for tomorrow.”d6d7b050a38b5d2f

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“Yes! Oh, and… my lady,” Hilda hesitated, her lips twitching. Eleanor nodded for her to continue.4debe5b85345fa56

“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.f901f754cfb5ede4

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New dresses, huh?2fa7adfeb46c4651

Eleanor wasn’t very c4c73a18f0 interested. After all, she’d fad79ca6c2 be leaving soon, 15931955d7 and it would b5339102ff be a waste 31d68c758d to get new 73402a3057 clothes she couldn’t 745f1a7577 take with her.ca4d18c637540e2d

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But on the other 98aeea4ba8 hand, why not spend 1315065e75 a little before she 026d3b0d64 left?283cbb169717280c

“That’s a good idea,” Eleanor said.0f291868e059efbb

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In the past, whenever a280ef05c0 a designer was called 33ab48aa96 in, Nora never missed b8c8cfd37d the opportunity to stay 5472b1cd0b by Eleanor’s side, no 6bf022a563 matter how busy she ed599abd03 was meeting Arlo in 6d7710fd60 secret. On those days, 1abf900d9d she never left 60c4742e1f Eleanor’s side. As a result, Nora d389fab5c2 always ended up choosing dec07cb827 Eleanor’s dresses. She would 7dfca1b0b5 reject all 8a223cc526 of the cf80f096b8 designer’s suggestions, 6a526aa0e9 claiming that 695215eed1 she knew 2f0f78a8d6 best what 38a55826c8 suited Eleanor, f2c64bbaf1 and would da2a56dfbe interfere with 9ab516cf6d every detail.4df26ae737290bca

Eleanor had always 1b07f81d43 gone along with 595bf182f6 Nora’s choices, assuming a16a611f0d that Nora knew 1f2696afde better.a47a647be39b07e6

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Now, though she 05ea4cbd73 still didn’t care 28cab26625 much about dresses, 444c112cc1 she planned to 71965dfd0f pay attention this 23ae2c48a9 time.ae37cf82bf6f64cd

If Nora thought choosing 5f3a102d82 Eleanor’s dresses was important 80ece3120c enough to delay meeting 12f6f31884 Arlo, it must also 299a0b70df be important for Eleanor’s afbd3af13e revenge.82aac90a67e317f2

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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.”c5eac4b5dbeddf1f

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!”98e0cd2a71d91e92

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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.a4da4ddf076c882a

“Yes, let’s get some new hats too. But I need to be somewhere, so we’ll talk more later.”e1f6cc0480590506

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“Oh, I’m sorry, my lady!” Hilda quickly apologized.98fa04f937712ac5

“There’s no need for that.”d2af4cacc1708152

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Hilda blushed like a 16c7c6c2f0 tomato as she opened 16d7003e89 the door for Eleanor, 70e62ce137 who noticed Ernst waiting 18c5e87f10 outside.89acb85bebe42886

His appearance b61f86a6d1 was as 1242e3e6a0 neat as 930ad769fb usual, but 932e673043 there was 17bc8f5b4b a small 1699e98f6b tuft of 51ca1a2088 hair sticking 255d011f50 up on 2d0d7b4281 the side f3998c7637 of his 8e99ac76a9 head.ce88ac4ca04c2772

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Eleanor turned and 112c147597 saw Hilda hesitating b449c16c86 behind her. ‘Let’s test her,’ cdee3ec2ff she thought.c05e5ae2d2988006

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.75f20ec826df539d

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A woman who’s engaged 450041c1a3 shouldn’t be touching another 75b9daa1ba man’s hair, especially when 1893c6748e that man is her e183a8d037 knight. It was the perfect 278a48652f setup for a rumor. If Hilda had 680d01fd3f been reported back 2dd62af28b to Nora, this 776beb651c scene would have 1e65d1813c reached Nora’s ears beab409617 soon.044c1e6900f33bf8

“…Thank you,” Ernst said, clearly flustered. His normally stiff face grew even more rigid.41ac37692e66e219

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Eleanor knew that 7576470d64 Ernst was sharp a0c57bd60f enough to guess a480ca4b06 why she was b0a94b01ce doing this. She wished he could b919f2f992 play along better, but 5ed5650f5d this was probably the 4ca6b59fa3 best he could do 2ea46d9165 given his honest nature.217feedab91622a5

Glancing back at cef709b5f0 Hilda, Eleanor saw 13b55d6702 her face flush 44a8527b75 with excitement. ‘She thinks b4ae741aeb she’s just 1142dfc444 found some 116b0ac981 juicy gossip,’ ddbad16b28 Eleanor thought. But something seemed 98368142c2 off. If Hilda f5b8137d8d had been 2741ce9ee7 secretly passing 498151723d information to 6e4bbeadbc Nora, wouldn’t c831381a56 she try 0092e933f3 to hide 3202179517 her excitement?b96c98672f268df6

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Maybe she was just 666d215988 new to the job. Eleanor shrugged 1d8b81f9fc off the 2c3db6d666 thought and 4c22c77fea began walking 6da98df86b ahead.1251bcb31177fc7f

She would find out 761ffef678 the results of this 5ae0606ace test soon enough. Worrying about it 825f71c6d3 now wouldn’t help.d1bbc9912d5f8b18

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“My lady, may I ask where you’re heading? I didn’t receive any schedule for today…” Ernst asked.356749c4d4bbef86

“Oh, I forgot to tell you. There are no external plans today. I’m just heading to the west wing to see Nora.”970bf05184bd6f10

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Ernst’s face 4661dbb047 immediately turned 69ba622e2d pale. He clearly 7ca2fd59a9 hadn’t expected 156e79b2a3 Eleanor to 8cd77a46f9 willingly meet 920186cd69 Nora.202e7c389af15151

“I’ll escort you,” he offered.cfd1c78bbe48953e

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His serious demeanor d5e3962aeb made it seem 4dc25f5bb0 like he was a23d0a33dd preparing for a eb717134d5 dangerous mission rather 9695348a41 than a simple 901ca0cb6b walk within the b0ea8a13db estate. Eleanor had 7d676cf2b3 to stifle 6612b73462 her laughter.e994c5a4bc3803b3

‘Today, I’m the villain,’ 373d4f05fb she thought.2b615a48031dffe0

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There was no need d5c286a1d9 to explain that to ed4ac9179c him. With a f1a17071d5 smile, Eleanor 213233e027 continued on dd61fe06b0 her way.9a9713729d230ada

 d697806cb6f4d2f3

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