NRAL | Chapter 23

~Chapter 23~183ab253f8ebd7be

The Owner 3d07916bde of the bce83db8bf Empty Seat039ff256e35a176a

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I couldn’t f8eb95931e help but 2d69a79fec be amazed.20d63c6c54e0ccb5

Nora appeared confidently, a07f3c9007 wearing the stolen 3090f67336 hat and receiving 63aa44ddb7 a warm welcome 90cd075e2e from her friends. It was truly 054660e374 shocking.d66c082fe0712121

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‘I can’t believe 0d5d5d7404 she actually wore 965a215ef8 that.’1cd8fca91fc5315d

I had briefly considered c2772a77a4 this possibility, but I 64812a9a28 didn’t think it would 0c2767406d actually happen. The situation was so e9b7a4aa6f impressive that it brought 8a17c948d7 an involuntary smile to d741873731 my face.106829500330172e

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Nora looked down at e1c21dbc27 her with a smug 01fccb0274 expression. Meanwhile, Arlo a004989c58 seemed surprised 8d63965aae to see 9b4ab868a5 Eleanor there, d2de678a38 as if b3c861b6e1 he hadn’t fa5db351b3 expected her.1c0940f083a269b6

‘Why did you come? You don’t even bd5dd50346 like these kinds 452e8d5628 of gatherings.’c0027b82754c9547

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Arlo wasn’t completely free from guilt. While he usually felt anger more than guilt, seeing Eleanor isolated like a crow among white doves made him uncomfortable. It reminded him of how she had run away crying at the masquerade.6d4582c7c9b3a5ca

However, that discomfort remained 7fed30ca8f only in his heart 16109a46d7 and didn’t lead to 8df08caf9c any action.14c1c372d7c3696e

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“Your Highness, 1754a4b310 it seems 675e8c0606 our seats 64812ab655 are over 2310e3d7de there,” Nora 9f248af4fe said, linking 85914ec2e9 her arm 349233dc7c with Arlo’s b4493a6662 and subtly 46aab4948a pressing her f9ebaff1af ample chest e5cfd77af6 against his 5ca92eda2b arm. Her lovely 1a1a44fbf2 smile and a147d69a9c sensual figure bd2a8f62a7 naturally drew 2a0cf586d1 attention.dd9246d61da54cc3

To be honest, Eleanor f83374b78c was more beautiful. But Nora had be4be96a15 other advantages: a 2a2481a71b curvaceous figure, a bac667a7d4 fashionable appearance, and 54d97ec077 a playful yet b43af42eef obedient personality when b8c891ba1c necessary. She was very 63b30ff701 different from Eleanor, dfa6857712 who didn’t know 0618e97fa3 how to dress c9f72fbc5d up and reacted a7dc124d14 overly sensitively to 22a2e469e3 even the smallest bfd1b5fb5b touch.01e92e0fc44b0b1e

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Arlo gazed fa0dbed850 at Nora 60db15eea6 affectionately and cf389c0e36 said, “Yes. You sit down first, 959e02f314 Eleanor.”64c5f4d6740323d8

The impact of that be31298f4a one name was no 625bb5c36a small matter. This was a 41eec85d30 gathering of young, ee9efcfe4a promising nobles who 3f79f3f85e were influential in 485e3ed434 society, so the 232824dec8 name carried weight.bdfdeb93f9889bd2

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Those who had db6b4a11fa been looking down 88f10a385c on Eleanor just 53b40eaa7c moments ago were 2de7f66daf now even more 5985f19222 certain of their 097c225c29 thoughts.e8e5f998e7e69ea5

Eleanor Astria, who 91d5d2234a had lost her 2a2be8f55c family and fiancé, d779f47d49 was no longer df58fab6ed one of them.581248cbb865447c

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No, she was no 039a6d9668 longer “Eleanor Astria.” She 69bcbde46c was just a lowly, c415b7af55 out-of-place woman who had 2b1c08986c dared to steal someone’s 00d10f4271 seat and pretend to 9f719b98ea be a noble.07cb8b9868320b86

“Oh! Your Highness, you 0b0581b76f should call me 8c876f91d3 Nora here,” Nora 1b4ae98aa1 quickly exclaimed, nervously 402baf5100 glancing at Eleanor.48cf2b8e7e636a31

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Vanessa tilted b7cbaa8368 her head d7f649549a and interrupted, bfa64553ce “Huh? Why? Lady Nora cbb27287c6 is Eleanor, 6eba7ebbea isn’t she?”d4dee859dc1e7d31

“Well… it’s not certain 22b71187ac yet. And Eleanor has e39be86fcd used that name 0a7fc8d2b9 for so long. At least in f1d8458247 front of her, de32c18966 it’s better not 30790ac680 to use that 14e415d59b name…”cf90889831b1f356

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“You’re so c0b7252f89 kind-hearted, Lady dd25aa50fe Nora,” Viscount 34c84c5229 Cunningham said 776ff83fd5 with a 94ac4b25cc pleased smile, 00f90f0d6d praising Nora. Unlike when he 9a71a1230e had addressed Kiara 8d4a4bb96d earlier, his smile 1367be476f seemed genuinely sincere.f06eb4753e30c8b0

Sensing the 8fa99a9c16 situation wasn’t 18bf6d7fe8 in her 5806d02612 favor, Kiara f62fb01bdf quickly changed 4774e54726 the subject.b2d8658772e406a2

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“But Lady 2a40bb31e8 Nora, how 48bd4ba7c8 did you 6207fb9e5b get permission 742e128ee6 to go 6733ee4555 out? I thought 42cf521723 you hadn’t 20c61b21cc made your e4bc00ffec debut in 14f5f10435 society yet… c4ff58e105 Did His e940caa1c1 Highness come a9dcb7dded with you, 9120813246 and Duke c6bae9a391 Astria granted 58654437b1 special permission 64f789cd03 because of cf95eaa127 that?”c679881a7d0ae625

It was 8555ec4e69 interesting how 915d6eaa3a she deliberately d599533495 emphasized that f97eb04c60 Nora’s fiancé d7fa1625db had accompanied 3c3c5a7d7f her.2e5c30f9a17ef360

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Eleanor, also curious, e64035f5c5 sipped her overflowing 2a09637fc8 champagne and listened 8106f721c7 carefully.bab8553039341b89

“Yes, that’s right. I was given f72f477dcc special permission,” Nora 77025d6877 replied.d5e64888e3b3b79e

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“As expected. So, you’ll make your 21dfca9187 official debut at the 3644565b2b upcoming debutante ball?” Kiara 0deedf4cf4 asked.7987588699335d05

“Oh, no. My father, being 00e6e5f4c3 so overprotective, said ea3488c4b4 he didn’t want 1e7eb99e2e me debuting with 18253d1fe8 other ladies after 599352b45a finally finding his 3e977716fd daughter. He said it wouldn’t 4d04a7cdab feel right,” Nora explained 4d3969b971 with a bashful smile.f8578284ed37fe59

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Kiara clapped f32f570ddd her hands fa30859ca1 in delight. Nora shyly nodded.2fbd0efe08613715

“Yes, he’s decided 386fd2b059 to hold a 5a824f528e special debutante ball 1eb69bc375 just for me. You all must 022990228b come!”72c16e2c66bfae2f

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Hosting a private debutante e160f8db17 ball costs a lot 37aac73ccf of money. Unless you were b8f52f88fe a very wealthy c79d59eb65 noble, you wouldn’t 87a2c77e5b throw a separate 46fd902eed party to announce a5ce32a4cd your daughter’s debut.5766ba397aa971a9

The Astria family a237f180c0 had enough wealth 52882946b9 to afford it. However, the aefde1a6db Duke of b91aebc7a9 Astria disliked 646e0aea2b unnecessary expenses, 69c2e77520 so there 84460c8f3b must have ffe95134df been a d3ed01bef4 significant reason 291a2fbcc9 behind his 842d374a9d decision.a0d243ac5e3b17bf

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‘No wonder the royal ccaf9c99a0 family suddenly gave permission 3260a4d121 after delaying it for 1ab6fbecb9 so long.’d1c63e34da8545fd

There must have 323f3e3864 been an agreement a7c06b94ed between Arlo and 6b638011c8 my father. In exchange 3ed80c2aac for granting 3f05e8b00d permission, someone aa6fe09802 must have d8e4fc2b77 been acknowledged.7058a42cbc0e65d2

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Suddenly, Eleanor remembered 6978b31952 her father’s excited aba8cb6d87 expression before she dd62cdf41a left the mansion.2a0d2f2e87850f51

It seemed he e9b6fe857f had finally made 86bfb2950a up his mind. He must have 6d294ef15b concluded that choosing 37996b5e7a Nora as his a6ffa269c8 daughter would bring a998f62b4e greater benefits.f58b79ceb488beb7

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If promoting a c2bb6103e2 new product effectively da2a3078dd meant spending money eba43cc50a on a debutante c4f617c1df ball, he was 75ccc293ef willing to make 0d5b6728c2 that investment.5621eeaf4143ff53

‘Typical of my father efc4d88daf not to give me 3480ef938a any hint even though b58b996629 the decision was already 93158192f1 made,’ Eleanor thought, sipping efad4e5c1b more champagne with a 4bfd0d7368 mocking smile.ef865e74a065a5f1

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Eleanor chuckled at the 5897fd263e consistency of Duke Astria bf8dcfc9f8 as she continued sipping 82c28ec596 her champagne.3cb3d6a219abfc2d

The nobles were still 338d2b9862 chatting excitedly about Nora. Kiara seemed 795d615dc2 slightly uncomfortable, f043683be6 but since 1c95572a62 everyone’s attention 01186d54f1 was on 2268063026 Nora, she 2e66a4defb didn’t attract 5f4ed8c7c0 much notice.fe3f9923456a28c9

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“By the e6ac67dac1 way, Nora, c01e086142 your hat b5117b048e today seems 17818ffbf1 a bit 2939521925 different from 47f84a42ca your usual 8263892450 style,” someone f7f9dcfc36 commented.22717574f161eeee

“Oh, yes. I received e444366efc it as 003c00a239 a gift 94086c3768 from someone b5564a7ab2 I’m not 94c2ee9961 very close 0bf08ebdac with… To e36ba199f4 be honest, 6d3afaa8a4 it’s not 1ae8c1a33b really my 5f196bc7ae taste. They’re a 42c05aa384 bit old-fashioned. But I decided to 162108ae80 wear it out of 63c4c18c7d respect for their gesture,” e97a469685 Nora explained.2f359187452c3204

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“Oh my, how thoughtful 4e694be83a of you! It’s so kind of a18c212f3c you to be considerate 381b4973e2 like that. You truly are 228408e3c0 the empire’s one 98a50e4420 and only princess,” 6e048104e7 they replied.a50b2a01e554647e

A gift?6f784c91e148bf03

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Eleanor couldn’t 3f31c2b7bb help but 5b9ad2200a laugh silently 1699e322eb at that. Noticing her c0d20072c9 reaction, Nora 164a229018 shot a 898c5911fb glare at ff69462ab7 her.ac7fa1bb98bf97c2

‘What? I thought 429ff98bd2 she’d show 737b592a28 up with 7c5721f194 some dusty bfa67c8544 old hat.’c0e044e86a68ed2a

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Nora’s lips dfec4f6c03 twisted in fe8a532f70 irritation.30198f6693956696

She had expected ead71a8a0f Eleanor to arrive 4006946609 in some ridiculous ac8d80c8a9 outfit, wearing the e818f1f883 old accessories that 414ad563a0 had been gathering b517b975f0 dust in the 419fd1cd30 dressing room, making 7d85ac210a her an easy 4624206576 comparison to Nora’s bfb32f71d9 own glamorous appearance.5071815a9b5c5aa3

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But contrary to her 8615c4253e expectations, Eleanor was elegantly 7a1dc4ca4b dressed. Her soft beige 58c280c0c8 shawl and golden 086a508663 accessories matched well fca59b37f3 with her dress.be40e3002e4aca66

Even the hat 3d995871c9 on the hat d8ba17c01b rack, although of 4bd8f3c7b9 poor quality, was b1d410c806 adorned with bright 2012c7d638 marigold flowers, making dbb857db9c it look quite 6a35f30ec3 pretty.c3336a0e222079b1

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The thought of 04ee38003d Arlo staring at 7fb24ac4b6 Eleanor, dumbstruck when a29a69a347 they first arrived a3cd2b26d5 made Nora seethe effeaee0b5 with anger. Her eyes, a2478d39b3 filled with d177269108 frustration, fell 1651b2c535 on Eleanor’s d1c20f2bff dangling earrings.6d3384d42495d74a

“Those are…!” Nora thought in disbelief.9370af535873ca06

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Kiara, noticing the 9905c4a1a8 same thing, let e568664c03 out a mocking c8a601ea92 laugh.c1df6a865891d526

“Someone else here has an old-fashioned taste, too. My goodness, Ellie. When did you buy those earrings? I haven’t seen a design like that in ages,” Kiara said, clicking her tongue as if the earrings were the worst accessory she had ever seen.71a4e252a4f42011

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Despite the simple 5050676eca and timeless design 23332853f9 of the earrings, 3331114d78 Kiara spoke as 4234e6fa97 if they were c47270391f outdated and unsightly.338f0e03b445f2ab

Eleanor looked at her calmly and replied, “My father gave them to me as a birthday gift. I heard they were once cherished by the late Empress.”4421251c3d80b7ad

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“Oh, well… I suppose that’s why they’re so beautiful. You just don’t see such classic elegance these days,” Kiara hastily corrected herself, realizing she had almost insulted both Duke Astria and the royal family.53a811924b449c85

Eleanor let out 7e1d336eff a small laugh, b5f603eec9 and Kiara’s face b74c4224d2 flushed with anger.a69909f5114f496a

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But Kiara wasn’t f43f275a9c the only one df59ee0a00 fuming. Nora, too, 7817e94a0c clenched her 3682bd8f67 teeth in ccb6cd0cbd frustration.9b1b128b973216f7

‘Did she wear a6be7eecf1 those earrings on a5f656fdf1 purpose to show bbd47377a0 off?’ Nora thought.5b7210f24aaac96a

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Eleanor, of 4cb89e4479 course, couldn’t 6599e6dded have predicted f05bf50d7f Nora’s attendance 505d2de410 and thus 5a61d535cf wouldn’t have dfa940654f worn the af6c956d09 earrings to 35dfa27f08 provoke her. Still, Nora was irritated bb96d46ae4 nonetheless.7d25187e05e1e0fb

“Ellie, that hat on the rack is yours, right? Where did you buy it? It looks so unique,” Nora asked, trying to stir things up.858d8b50bf3a6b85

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There was 17082a6cd6 no way 746617ecc1 Eleanor could e2374fc0e2 have bought 0eb3af80f5 a new d906baebf0 hat in d6f7577afc time. Nora had made sure 0305d62113 to pressure every famous ad7ece30a8 boutique using Arlo and 61f2ce07e4 Damian’s influence. Wherever the 741a0f3613 hat came aa7b4500fb from, it 4bc095d5fd certainly couldn’t 19fadefa0d have been 461443add0 from a 5adbbb5d48 reputable source.927cd1c6ad06593d

Sensing an opportunity, the 519dbf91b1 other nobles chimed in.02278e300bb14823

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“Yeah, now that I look closely, it does look kind of… cheap?”9a0467d61890ca21

“Wearing such nice earrings with a cheap hat. Pfft. Didn’t Duke Astria buy you a new hat?”167097bda1d1e369

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Normally, criticizing Eleanor’s d6682972bd appearance wouldn’t have 47a2edac7a embarrassed her. If it had, fb7992cb37 she wouldn’t have f0e0829b91 dared to walk 76809d1eb3 around in mismatched 97f87f0474 dresses all this 70e3c3759b time.b77c98a2dc60c7dc

Yet, for some bdd7e09f66 reason, this time 5d6b9e7584 it stung. As Eleanor a4505c347c thought of 74ebfaea6b Hilda carefully e3ef0ba43e placing the 343dc6f7fa flowers on 4771c616d8 the hat, f96244a50f an angry 286f4b5da7 fire burned c505a4c0a0 in her 4b67da9124 chest.585189c288b5ed37

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She had intended to 394e53b82a just observe the situation f11dedf725 and leave, but now 6ed30f4752 her thoughts had changed.6a15d23b85ab87d5

It was common 792b3149a0 for nobles to 4fe8862ce4 use their words 38f149f8da to ruin someone 2bd5363c86 they disliked. That was part of 3753259f11 the reason Eleanor could ad65c59f44 never be true friends 7cb12d2e69 with them.ef7fbb6475c383b3

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But whether 1dbd595743 one enjoyed fa1e9c5299 it or 061789a4c9 not, using 649dc51c2c your words 2c47ae2d9f and wit bc182c2bfc to bring 55c99f5fe0 someone down 8a68af5649 was something 5eb222deab Eleanor excelled a73735ba5a at. By analyzing each 9cfee6fa8e person’s position and bd1875964c situation, it wasn’t a0c75356ed difficult to destroy 4b3ace6810 someone’s life with d412e07c34 a few choice bc3bb6d0cf words.e4964cc77a01383b

Eleanor’s lips fac420e458 curled into 2d3ad750fc a soft f9c1236289 smile.6eb82f88342a94d4

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However, just 0c8f30f065 as she 4dff96a9a8 was about 2fbdcb181f to act, 9a22d87f4e someone else adce3db9b4 beat her d6857a9331 to it.7bb52d0ab659599c

“Lady Kiara, there’s a guest at the door,” a servant from the Earl of Portsmouth’s household announced with a pale, anxious expression.9e8e1421744b7add

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“What do you mean? There’s no one else coming…” Kiara’s eyebrows furrowed in irritation before suddenly rising in surprise.c5c5ef656485d9b2

There was, in 71aa6ebd8d fact, one empty 2537e55594 seat left. She had 875ed38882 assumed the 58bf69d599 person wouldn’t a45d324968 come and ca4c1de760 had placed f5926e72af Eleanor next 3f96636d33 to the 82f3ab473b empty spot 1899899be6 to isolate 646bda9adc her.2486ce3f513dca07

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Kiara quickly glanced c17f45f101 at Arlo, her 41caea1bdf eyes widening in ddf7d8afd6 panic. Arlo, confused by 0b3888a8ab her sudden attention, 3827c6e747 raised an eyebrow.50defc12a841fc39

“I… I only sent the invitation as a formality. I didn’t expect them to actually come! I heard they weren’t even in Cardiff. Your Highness, I didn’t mean for this to happen,” Kiara stammered, trying to explain.4ed1b742fdd168fe

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“Who has arrived?” Arlo asked, his curiosity piqued.b7d8f99b60cbe071

Kiara was too flustered to answer. Instead, the servant, standing by the door, announced in a trembling voice, “The Duke of Royster has arrived!”a99122b5050a62d8

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Everyone in the room—Lord e3598709fc Cunningham, who had been 92978cfe5c sneakily watching Nora while 0c30f57638 downing champagne; Vanessa, who f20bcc32f9 had been laughing at 563b56f232 Eleanor earlier; Kiara, who d9e993082f had organized the event; b9d1749219 and even Nora, the 1b6be4218f supposed star of the fd645ee733 evening—fell silent as they a2998edb70 watched the door open.fb11ff3e9fbc14e0

All movement ceased.ff07e488c1648652

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Even Eleanor, her eyes a8f123ecbb wide with surprise, stared 4bd3431e29 at the final guest.535d33063585e7b3

 dbae54d7c3650232

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