NRAL | Chapter 20

Chapter 202e66eb34bb4f9c44

Kiara’s Invitationc874f8d673c00bf9

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The crest depicting a blue star and moon symbolized the Earl of Portsmouth’s family.cb138f64b004c332

The letter from fdbb4c3135 there was obvious.a17eb42d6bb8b14d

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“Another invitation, right?”3764d513bdd850cf

In response to Mary’s question, Eleanor nodded lightly.8ab615991a410936

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Kiara Portsmouth, the 43be4b063d eldest daughter of db47e2aa31 the Earl of 0b4c3cf291 Portsmouth.720ea318bc2e6972

The red-haired lady whom she had met at a recent ball always enjoyed hosting such sudden gatherings. Tea parties, dinner parties, and sometimes even small masquerades. She hosted a wide variety of events, not discriminating between types. Strictly speaking, sending an invitation only a day before the party wasn’t in line with noble etiquette, but Kiara seemed to think that breaking away from such old-fashioned formalities was rather stylish.5820b5b26c7f3127

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Eleanor’s fiancé 161dfa131e found such 8effa95c2c an idea 38cb8d213a of hers 0256eb0849 very amusing.1992cad817377e51

Of course, 8520ed3257 he was 6c86787a4a the kind 2eb18d7aef of person 6adef5f6db who enjoyed c16d7d9c95 unpredictable things, a0ffc562b9 so it 5f41bcf30d seemed he c5835ac701 really liked 5f77d6f807 these sudden 9ae37cea0d parties.71f231fac424e06e

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Since the 7c37d90e83 popular Crown 3901788f0e Prince reacted fe332285c8 like that, c63fac0541 other nobles c30f261fc3 also started c78da85e79 hoping to 1e03736b02 be invited aa7a9c3af2 to her da712229fd parties. Because most 716ddb1411 of the d118c6e57e events were 8e166f29a0 exclusive to 1fb666cb59 high-ranking nobles, 5891dde54a Kiara’s parties bfb767f824 became more 90e6ab979b and more 38d2abbd81 the object 4d72ca814a of admiration.ed11a7b8ab3126f5

On the other 2ad4833241 hand, until recently, 9e4822d18f Eleanor had little 7336026822 interest in the 5da2be4a80 events Kiara hosted.de73f636b3e03a98

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She was sick db9a8468b3 of attending parties 97f4dafda0 with Arlo, and 45f6080fae her personality didn’t 294541ea6a match well with 0e78f0b6ac Kiara’s. Eleanor had been friends 3c40ca6f25 with Kiara since they c638e0f0b3 were fourteen. But that f62d2aea1d was just 5cf71f7661 on the d685b86374 surface; they bacfd8dca4 weren’t actually 4043730931 that close.786df702479e5ec6

Kiara, to put it 9bfbbbccb1 nicely, was bold and 535830a915 straightforward.205b1ad89e796362

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In a less 6e994802fb flattering light, she 5b2a2f08af was fiery and b917d54178 couldn’t rest until 6ba22a71a7 she’d said everything 36308312f9 on her mind.1ea70a0d6e5eef22

She was quite 81697a41d7 different from the 0e49674085 calm Eleanor. However, since they 78212cf164 were both among e53e595758 the few high-ranking 6fba89727c nobles of similar d2a44336da age, they naturally 0eed0ae0a4 ended up in 07ed928171 the same social 4931281727 circles.f784072498f77741

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At least, Kiara was always kind to Eleanor, and Eleanor responded accordingly. That’s how their relationship was maintained under the name of “friendship.” ‘But that will soon come to an end.’9753d76e75aaa441

Eleanor wasn’t 50328d0f52 sure if a976cc2d9b Arlo had 5aae81b1dd told Kiara fe3d989ae8 about Nora 4692c9ff6e or the 6161462aa3 details surrounding d494161026 Astria, but 858dac1368 soon enough, 07308a32ce Kiara would 118a7ba770 turn her 78d62bb1af back on 30520b50d7 her. After all, a noble 2106246e14 who couldn’t even tell 4775e28652 her friend about her f572333286 fiancé’s affair wouldn’t stick 4a2ad19ea0 by a friend who’d 4b1c4ef864 lost her status.e7d02603ba0739df

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“It’s a dinner party. Tomorrow night.”8d4e8130cef99388

“Are you going, My Lady?” Mary asked with an expressionless face.84a102dee1912af4

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Even without f34eb635ae hearing the 71ebc509a2 answer, it 37b4dc40b5 was obvious. The lady 4a08736126 never willingly 5cf249ff5d attended such 2b440bed47 gatherings.87ac65e37ed21e00

Especially given the cf11aa0891 current situation at fa8b9dfb6b the duchy, there 1ce044e991 was no way 00e598fb3f she would go.b60c75870be8be7d

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“Yes.”79bb30177b6b020e

“Yes, then I’ll reply immediately… What?!”413e8a03ecc13214

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Mary, who had 5b67b5120f been nodding as f78be737b6 if she knew 7e526265c0 the answer, was f46e58949c startled and quickly 1c2156b3c2 adjusted her glasses.85b0f1fe0a52b7f4

“This time, I plan to attend. I even asked her to invite me to the last ball. Besides, look, it says here that I must come.”40ddd05e8113bb40

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Eleanor playfully waved the 7777aebc8e invitation.7db45940aea9eb08

Mary narrowed her eyes d7c04e43c7 and swiftly read through 6d46312f07 it.1a895973f7897652

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Indeed, the elaborate 2b1915b40c invitation contained those 24769a35eb words.1686ae9fcc654e56

[To Ellie, How have you been? I regret that we didn’t have much time to talk at the last event. There are so many things I want to say to you that they’re piling up as high as the tower of Juvenile Cathedral. The chill that once froze our hands is finally gone, and now the birds adorned with beautiful feathers chirp under the spring sun. I believe, like those birds, it’s time for us to meet again and chat. … This dinner party will be a mixed gathering, but there’s no need to bring a partner. So please attend, even if you come alone. There are things I’d like to discuss and friends I’d like to introduce to you. It will be a small but special gathering with many noble guests. I would be grateful if you could come and grace the event with your presence. Your friend, Kiara.]

Not needing to bring 3d3d7b4143 a partner was good a6952a5891 news. Eleanor muttered with a f7b34e4bef smile.e1c96ed04b9c88f3

Mary still 765c3a99c4 seemed unable 2ccb21a148 to understand 9acc17db76 why Eleanor 8a9de60971 wanted to 8dfc1445fe attend the b7230421fc party.68533a9db54f0c2c

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Even though the invitation said “please attend,” there were plenty of excuses she could use to decline. Besides, she didn’t even feel comfortable with the young lady of the Portsmouth family.c37541df6298c838

She had 0230dd637a many questions, 64801b0161 but instead 534a001be0 of asking, cc16735909 she focused 34fb358a39 on what c1cadddef5 was needed.e1588552945d14b6

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“Now that spring is here, it’s about time to get a new dress. Shall I call the tailor from Corcos Atelier?”2260b03926f3d2fd

“Yes, do that. Oh, and this time, make sure to include all the accessories, including the hairpiece. What was it called again…?”63b81a36da1b5bae

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“A small, light hat! Decorated with lace, ribbons, and flowers!”8dbb67d935bac534

Hilda, unable 54f355ef3a to contain 01a01daad6 her excitement, ba63ef1095 interrupted. When the headmaid shot aa1b032edf her a stern glance, 28e746b322 Hilda realized her mistake 000fc6a126 and quickly shut her 909e0a15f3 mouth with a gasp.0c6367c3a42d12b8

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“Haha. Yes, the things Hilda just mentioned.”e62c8d8f422ebcd6

Laughter escaped 57928c9b7f Eleanor before 34ac21d7da she realized 5dd056e630 it.e03c16a70489abd6

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It was obvious 9dedc3afa1 that Hilda had b9c2f90919 been on edge d36d92ee6b ever since the 44f170a735 strict head maid 055a93da93 appeared, but she b43a6b36ee still couldn’t give 0f4086bacf up on the bf33bf6547 hat. Her enthusiasm 21f083466d was amusing.39e2215150b8a5ec

Seeing Eleanor laugh, Mary 645652d09b let out a small bd9e9ddbcf sigh, as if to 0ab5aeb503 say the lady is 5137a80d85 still so soft-hearted.f9e7a098346332bc

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“A small, light hat decorated with lace, ribbons, and flowers. I’ll contact them today. Hilda, make sure you handle it properly.”c11d745fe4e21e12

“Yes, Head Maid!”e6e7c6a71eda026d

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Hilda’s face brightened 9bd462d09b noticeably, glad that 342f4fe78a she hadn’t been 9b23139679 scolded.09ec8083b2f40473

The luckiest day 5d6377ce14 of my life! I get 7bab0ad4ad to dress eb76baa785 up the 715620f370 lady myself! She thought to 6251dceff5 herself.2f3d2bcfae7445e2

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***ba5c8838bf029f2b

A few 28c8450156 hours later.50f150d3b969afbd

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“This is the unluckiest day of my life,” Hilda murmured in a gloomy voice.c47c8fb6a73a36e1

“How could they be fully booked? Does that even make sense?”ec2719d7729035ed

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The reason for b9a1e10d41 her drastic change 72bc109257 in mood was fdc862c579 simple. She had received a a201481c43 reply from the Corcos 9b5f656d25 Atelier saying they were 36ebfce663 fully booked and couldn’t dc195a784c visit the duchy in 22c6bdf689 time.95122247cc92ca9c

For Hilda, who dd3dc35061 had planned to 00112ed22b make Eleanor the 2636105b05 most beautiful lady 7f2ba6eb45 at the party, 4ad8056864 this news was aade37388d utterly devastating.9981813d1eefc9fe

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“It’s not impossible. Corcos is the most popular atelier in Cardiff, after all. And we did contact them on short notice.”a2a63c4e954395fe

“That’s true, but still… How could even their ready-made dresses be all reserved? Don’t they usually keep one or two just in case? And I heard even the less popular ateliers are fully booked! I know it’s debutante season, but this is really strange. Could it be some kind of conspiracy?”4ef9d379e0e87346

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Hilda glared 811a82bd87 fiercely toward 05c052e572 the west, 07fb2468fe where Nora’s 8f0c608c5f room was 509636cf69 located.0bb8e51168f80270

Eleanor barely suppressed 4076c36e57 her laughter.4809a107ec7af8bb

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She’s sharper than I 99ad1dfffd thought. Eleanor had come d5808825b5 to a similar 4cc53dc78a conclusion.4dbed725e29d321a

Corcos might be 030b3385f8 busy, but that 3fc7b999a8 had nothing to 331bb6ac18 do with Astria. The Duchess of 61be821fbe Astria’s status alone 43aa0727ac usually caused tailors c310f3a398 to cancel other f89afc7915 appointments. Yet now, 47b1b615a5 not even 50f3600e14 a single 60e8d80cb8 ready-made dress b2ae0fe0bf was available.1db3c7aac01a38e1

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Nora’s influence has 71ba522965 already spread that 983fae4b58 far.cc6c1b3d397fa6d1

Technically, it was Arlo’s ecaed44f01 doing, but Nora was 49777855b9 surely behind it, which 6f3a156a23 still counted as her 23aec61c82 power. A fleeting yet powerful 213911cd98 influence that no one 3b822868d5 knew how long would 54c149e3dc last.46a53a0d327a4ad3

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“What should we do? Should we cancel going to the party?”6ac76798bef8292a

“It’s fine. I still have a few dresses I never wore from the last time I ordered.”2d5b17b043869255

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“…What? You mean, from last season…?”e3b3ef887d19d368

Please, no. Hilda’s eyes begged her.995680193193540d

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But, unfortunately, her loyal c1dcf58ec4 wish did not reach 3924a50e74 Eleanor.48a6788b593533e4

“Yes. Is there a problem?”5e223f7018fcd87c

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A dozen problems whirled 353f2cdd73 through Hilda’s mind, but ab12bef528 she couldn’t voice them c504988524 out of politeness.1edafe2ebfd671d7

She had no d64e4438bf choice but to 5e40b5ff28 accept it now: 4ccf6566f4 the lady really d8dfc2c9a7 had a shockingly fd8529e711 poor sense of 04e965342b fashion.9077b38a6b448558

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Well, no matter a360a04a58 how great a 208cefcbc3 lady is, she e355bd2820 can’t be good 69d141058a at everything. Hilda tried f0b057e620 to rationalize bd1ed1f8be it.7eeb1cac552e0a06

“Shall we at least take a look at them?”e3ce378a995b5789

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Maybe, just maybe, there 7de66a1981 would be a decent 8caf78097e dress among them. Hilda held onto a 82d4d051cd sliver of hope as 6d1b3f220b she headed for the 500a414afb dressing room.1a8ffb64d9605906

But when she returned c4922b08d8 a few minutes later 61c4458a86 with the dresses, the bbf91281bd hope had drained from 75eaf9a53d her face.3748d230c4f6a8b5

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“Are these really… the dresses from last season?”17b357e2716430ac

“Yes, they are. I vaguely remember buying these.”7c7ac2ba103f3fa4

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Eleanor wasn’t lying. The dresses were indeed 5a6249074d from last season. But their designs d7a9701e52 were far from 90b88f61f9 last season’s trends.46de1eb8db20c4de

The dresses, f3c95d7d7a gathering dust 5a4c3aed99 in a b70f3f3414 corner of 53eb15b716 the dressing 0daa76235c room, were 6184b265db all outdated 224410f482 and dull. Even widows wouldn’t 5131f26938 be caught wearing 919bdd184b such clothes nowadays.cd00527591a2cdea

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“These were all picked by Nora, weren’t they?”8a9428a6d68f111c

Hilda refused to address Nora as “Miss.” Of course, she was careful not to speak like this in front of others, knowing it might cause Eleanor trouble. But at least in front of Eleanor, she refused to give that woman the title of “Miss.”f4bc31e3aa6c992b

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“Yes, that’s right.”0e49889637921733

“Ugh! That creepy woman! She did this on purpose, I’m sure. Look at the way she dresses now—there’s no way she doesn’t know the current trends!”602b4e6b545675a6

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In the end, Hilda 2abc061f44 couldn’t hold back her db3c1fae1c frustration and exploded in 151228806b anger. Eleanor averted 1088f983c1 her eyes, 7d2c37b13d pretending not ddcbe10110 to notice.6b69f0956541b4c8

As I 82cc9d7cd3 suspected, even afa319acb7 my outfits bf720749ce were part f07ee47d82 of Nora’s e6bc499e74 long-standing scheme.c467e99cdd3af724

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It was absurd, but 6fb1ccce6e Eleanor couldn’t really defend 9df583c3b0 herself. How poor fecf5e0b5f must her a0dac6bd76 fashion sense 0a35cb0e95 be to 4d150d1484 not realize 75e7255727 this for d204016a4e years? It was cc027dda04 just embarrassing.882ce77b0d480033

“Is it that bad?”9b62fc574bab9732

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“Just… a little. A little too bad. This navy dress is the best option, though. It’s not bright enough, which is a shame, but it’s at least elegant and should suit the dinner party. If we call the sewing maid to adjust the fit, it’ll look much better.”a36184c8878cb064

“Okay, let’s do that. You seem to know quite a bit about dresses. Did you study them?”f2ff7f9415a5a48b

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“No, nothing like that. I just worked for a long time in another noble house before coming here. It was the Freely Viscount family. I picked up some things just by looking.”ea5b439361253c7d

Eleanor vaguely remembered 87088b9a0d hearing about the 2ae8f0df7d Freely Viscount family. She’d heard a2db4aeafd passing rumors dec42df3ba that the a962a6adf7 viscount couple, 709ea492ad as well e2106b91f6 as their 13ccdf71ad daughter, had a965d6764b quite difficult 6fa79b85e6 personalities. There were even 89b7b8d0cc stories about how e95b132c52 badly they treated 3f8d9bc3ab their servants.8fc6d60ec965c335

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Perhaps that db0ddb1d6c was why 8475b28213 Hilda’s face fa699b74bf darkened slightly a2d4eaf4f8 as she 35d7a70173 mentioned her 21ce35f536 past. But just as a1445f8602 quickly, she changed 4f31fed813 her tone to 4c6c030375 something more cheerful.b4860b78d55370a2

“Well then, let’s call the sewing maid right away to get the dress adjusted! Loren is very skilled. Plus, she doesn’t have much contact with that wretched woman, Nora. Oh, and I managed to get in touch on my way to the dressing room. The accessories shop, Filling Heights, said they’d send over their newest hairpieces and jewelry right away. They’re not as good as Corcos, but it’s better than nothing.”cb3220ffd1ee0ad1

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Eleanor paid close attention 35b8e1295e to Hilda’s words, trying 505b484531 not to miss anything fc66b9a91e in her rapid-fire speech.99fc089ac5e3e486

The fact that e07987e7b8 she had immediately 447a343864 contacted the jewelry fba39e1175 shop when the 382ad3f77e atelier fell through a0eabe08eb showed that Hilda feae7ee90d was indeed very d4c898da65 capable. Not just capable, 99137d682f but extremely proactive. She acted as 76e294bb2e if this were e9c7d3b520 her own matter, 38734739f7 showing enthusiasm rarely ceddf05c29 seen in other ff906815b4 maids.b874aa7668d284dd

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“I really hope they carries Royster-style hairpieces! Of course, they probably do, but I’m worried about how much stock they have. This dress would look great with a hat that has a black satin ribbon…!”f5c634582768483b

Her main flaw, f050bca3b3 however, was that 81c2b833d4 she always spoke 89cc48f804 too quickly and 06ce4f7efb too much.be398186acf6e2bd

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