┌── ⋆⋅ Synopsis ⋅⋆ ──┐
A young woman is dragged into an unexpected adventure and given a new identity. She knows who she was, but has no clue who she is now. Our heroine endures many advances, opportunities, and situationships which eventually led h...
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On the other side of the door that Eleonora walked through was a hallway. The corridor was engulfed in a cascade of light from every direction. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the difference in lighting. Each of her pupils became pinpoint. For a split second of time, she was blinded. She took a step of faith forward into the fullness of light. Her squinted eyes searched for the noblewoman but became distracted by her surroundings.
There were rows of large glass windows on both sides of the hall. The curtains of each window were drawn. Light illuminated the corridor without restraint. The pale white of the walls allowed light to flow in such a way that the hall glowed. There were candles in the chandeliers throughout the hall for when it was dark. They made the floor of sapphire diamond-shaped tiles. Within the same space, the palace had a vaulted ceiling painted with the stories of Triena. Above Eleonora's head, they covered the ceiling with elaborate painted scenes of important pieces of history. Some she recognized, but many she did not. The first painting depicted the story of the first Royal Ruler of Triena; a queen who was dragon blessed.
To her right was a corridor to the throne room, and she considered making a run for it. It would mean going back through the passageways, the guards had guided her. At present, she was more intrigued by the palace and the prospects which came with the noblewoman's deception. Eleonora was becoming more inclined to be the Duchess than she was to a return to the marketplace, her stall, and her likely stolen lacework.
She stared into the vastness before her, admiring the intricate detail. Eleonora moved herself further from freedom and deeper into the ruse the noblewoman had pulled her into. By now, her eyes had grown accustomed to the light, and she caught sight of the fleeing figure of the noblewoman gliding down the hall with regal authority. The distance between Eleonora and the noblewoman required applied haste to catch up.
The laceworker turned Duchess did not have the time to spare to give as much care to her progression through the hall as the noblewoman had. Eleonora walked as fast as she could in the gown, which restricted her from sprinting. If she did not want to catch up, she would have taken the time to admire the sun-filled hall even more. She hoped to be in it again, with time to study all it had to offer.
Eleonora for the time being was far less than graceful as she worked her way to the noblewoman's side. There was a clear contrast between the two: the noblewoman was dignified whereas Eleonora was rash. The figure she followed was picturesque, like one of the paintings on the ceiling. Every servant they passed greeted the noblewoman. If they were male, they bowed to her. If they were female, they curtsied. Throughout, there were few who did not react in some way to the noblewoman.
Agreeing to be part of a lie and deception was already turning her stomach, and she had not even truly started her impersonation of the person she did not know. She tried her best to simply exist, but she was a flight risk at the first sign of something beyond her comfort level. Eleonora kept pace once she caught up. She held her head high, mimicking the posture and authority of the noblewoman before her.
