Eleanor put her hands on her swollen cheek, “I didn’t mean to, Father,” she says softly,

           “Excuses! Excuses!” Count Arden shouted, “Lock her in her room! Don’t let her out until next week!” He orders a servant. Eleanor didn’t fight back. She couldn’t. Because if she did, punishment will be worse. 

            “I apologize, My Lady. Count’s orders,” a servant apologizes to Eleanor as she locks the door. 

            “Finally,” Eleanor rolls her eyes. She likes being in her room, she doesn’t have to see the Ardens’ faces.  She jumps in her bed. Plop! She then snuggled with her pillow. It was the only comfort she can ever have that cannot be taken away. 

            Eleanor spent her time wisely every time she was confined to her room. She would study history, liberal arts, foreign languages, laws, physics, economics, sword fighting, advanced etiquette and manners, geography, writing, acting, and a lot more. Her goal was to be clever and deceitful before she can be let out of her room. 

            She practiced, and studied the whole entire week. She would receive her food outside the door. And would only allow herself to eat if she memorizes a whole paragraph in the book and be able to recite it out loud, or if she learns a new sword fighting technique. Even if she was called “the useless child”, it was incredibly inaccurate. Eleanor was extremely smart starting at a young age, but no one really saw it because she had to hide it for her safety, not even the Ardens know.

            “My Lady?” A servant knocked on the door,

            “Yes, what is it you need?” Eleanor yelled out,

            “You haven’t touched your food. It might get cold,” that’s code for ‘Please eat, I don’t want you to starve.’ Even if Eleanor was an adopted child, servants were still kind to her. So she wasn't that miserable.