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You are standing upon a smooth marble floor in front of a grand wooden door.

Every inch of its dark frame displays a pattern or shape, skillfully carved into the rich walnut

surface. You reach your hand towards it and trace the outline of fan shapes, semi-circles,

and the glossy vines that twist around its centre panel.

The wood is smooth and cool to the touch, and though it's firmly closed, it almost seems to vibrate

beneath your fingertips. Gazing at the door, you make out a row of elegant roses,

proudly displaying their petals carved into the wood.

The shape of the roses seems symbolic and comfortingly familiar, though you can't quite

place where you might have seen it before. Below, in the centre panel, is a majestic domed crown,

jutting out beyond the edge of the dark polished timber. It has an ethereal quality about it,

furthered by the letters E and R embellished beneath it. Could these be the initials of the

crown's great owner, you wonder? Captivated, you turn the polished brass handle of this enchanting door.

It creaks open, leaving you standing at the entrance of a grand and opulent room.

Lancing around, you realise it's a library, and yet it's almost cathedral-like in appearance,

with thick stone columns reaching up to lofty heights. At the ceiling, they come together to form

an intricate lattice above you. The room is brightened by many stained glass windows. They decorate the

walls, creating a walls of moving colour upon the white marble floor. Above your head,

...