"Here's your tea, your highness." Lipika, the maid from that day prepared her breakfast. Eleanor rarely drank tea before coming to this world. She didn't quite like the bitter taste, Caffeine was her source of energy. Maybe because the people here make the tea differently, it is quite appealing. It has a calming aroma and flavor. "Yes, Thank you." She took a sip and enjoyed the feeling.
"Umm.. princess." Lipika kept fidgeting beside her as if she was unsure whether she should speak or not. Eleanor gave her an encouraging look.
"Are you feeling sick, by some chance?" She asked timidly.
"No, I am fine, why?"
"well, … you seem a bit different from usual. You seem kind of down, too…" Eleanor felt a chill down her spine. As she was adjusting living in this strange world, she completely forgot to maintain the character of the original owner.
"Its nothing, I would like to go out for a bit today," she replied hurriedly, trying to change the subject. Although the person in front of her is only a maid, she was still not familiar with this world yet. It is better to be as careful as much as possible. "I have been wanting to go out for a while already, I am tired of being cooped up the whole week."
"How many people would you like to bring with you, your highness? Should I call in the senior maid?" Lipika was already by the door by the time she completed the sentence. Eleanor hurriedly stopped her.
"Ssshhhh…. I will go alone. You will have to cover for me."
"But princess, it is dangerous outside. We are currently at war with the Mughals. What would happen if an enemy spy catches you? Moreover, the queen wants to see you during lunch." nowhere was the timid girl, Lipika has completely transformed into an overprotective mother hen. She laughed in her mind. She didn't think that her maid was quite a character.
"Who else will be there?" She asks her lightly. If she was going to meet her parents, she needed to prepare carefully. The maids may not be able to notice anything but her parents will surely do, especially her father. If it is really wartime, she needed to be more cautious or she may be assumed a spy. The maid still did not reply so she looked at her imploringly.
"Umm…" Lipika mumbled
"My father?" Eleanor crossed her fingers hoping it was not true.
"Yes, the king will be there too."
Eleanor did not stay waiting, she hurriedly left the palace. She needed to go outside and collect as much information as she can of this world.
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It was afternoon, but the sky began gradually darkening. Not long after, thunder roared, followed by pouring rain.
A teahouse in the capital was fully seated, and the people drank hot tea to disperse some of the chilly air.
A hot pot of tea was placed on the table near the window. Eleanor dressed in common clothes sat in a chair trying to make sense of the information she gathered all morning. Her slim and long fingers toyed with a small exquisite rim of the teacup in her hands. She kept feeling that she was missing something very important.
The people below ate snacks as the storyteller's saliva spattered in all directions with a look exultation.
"Speaking of the Mughal emperor, Aurangzeb when he was fifteen years old, he escaped death when a powerful war elephant stampeded through the Mughal Imperial encampment. He rode against the elephant and struck its trunk with a lance, and successfully defended himself from being crushed. Aurangzeb's valor was appreciated by his father who conferred him the title of Brave and had him weighed in gold and presented gifts worth Rs. 200,000."
A man proudly spoke: "Not long ago, Our team of ordinary warriors also killed a war elephant. What is there to be envious of? Isn't he a Royal? With his power, it would be a shame if he was defeated by the elephant."
The storyteller interrupted," idiot, I am saying he was fifteen at that time meaning he did not have any power at that time. Because of this incident, he manifested his power ahead of time."
The proud man lowered his head and kept his mouth shut after the rebuke. His friend tried to help him, "why are you praising the enemy? Are you trying to lower the morale of our army."
The storyteller exasperatedly sighed and said," that is why it is said bird of the same feather flock together….. The army of such a strong emperor has been beaten black and blue by our army. Don't you understand? I am praising the strength of our army okay!"
The teahouse was very lively, but Eleanor only continued toying with that small cup. The rain got lighter, but the patter of rain did not stop.
Eleanor appeared unconcerned, but she was slowly frowning. She kept thinking… Aurangzeb.. The villain...world conquerer…. world-destroyer….. her name Eleanor…. The body name noor…. Villain.. .. bystander….. Son.. ..cannon fodder ...Banu niece. As soon as the thought reached her mind, she stood up. She felt as if she was struck by lightning. She was transmigrated into a novel and as a bystander no else. She does not even remember the title of the book. It is all because of her best friend's fault. She made her go on that stupid date and she also told only half of the story. She doesn't even know the male and female lead name. Her best friend was just trying to vent her frustration by sharing some tit-bits about the book and she didn't even pay much mind to the story.
Eleanor tried to remember the scenes of the book.
One day, her best friend came to her holding a book, "Nora! Look at this stupid writer….. She does not even know a thing about history. I am an Indian….. she should have just asked me...... how can she make Aurangzeb destroy the country... I am going to kill the writer….this book is full of loopholes and all our customs are wrong…. What did she do… and Nora… see there is a character named Noor just like you… and in the book, she only appeared in the first chapter… the author created you.. Then forgot about it… this stupid writer…. It was a succession story of the Mughals after Aurangzeb died and your niece was killed by the villain's son along with her husband... I am never going to read this type of story again…. Stupid, stupid, stupid."