Days and weeks seemed to blend into one indistinguishable blur as Eloise became wholly consumed by the unyielding demands of her studies and the relentless nature of her training within the imposing walls of the Van Alen mansion. The mansion itself, with its grand architecture and maze-like corridors, seemed to pulse with a life of its own, every corner and crevice echoing with the whispers of generations past. Despite the beauty and luxury that surrounded her, Eloise could not shake the feeling that she was living in a gilded cage, each day meticulously orchestrated to mold her into a woman fit to stand by the future head of the illustrious Van Alen family.
Yet, even as she dutifully navigated her way through lessons on etiquette, history, and combat, the memory of that fateful night lin
