NRAL | Chapter 27

~Chapter 27~e3e3aa50c5073ce7

A Strange Persond146700ac4da2b1b

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The way he spoke de90903589 made it clear that 8930774179 this wasn’t just a eec3bb0515 formality.18df6e102d6cece5

For Eleanor, there c907f0aa36 was no reason 1cc56fdbe7 to refuse his 93e0f12ab2 offer. It was certainly uncomfortable 2a7b72734c being with someone who 1f6ab9e8e9 disliked her, but it da9cfd474c was far better than 889616cdb4 standing awkwardly in front 8e1b6613b3 of the Count’s front 1f7a7f185a gate, waiting for a f00e18b002 carriage.5ea77864dbb41653

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“Then, thank you.”a6464c15d54d6059

Just as Karsian a325e31ad4 had said, the cba020cd9f Royster family’s carriage 7d8ed5d345 was spacious and 376ab56597 comfortable. It was cfe3b65030 large enough 2c8268ed33 to fit 64def490a3 four or d9fb8351ce five more f33470487f people without f9b4fb12db any problem.c1f7596b5be9058e

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Yet, whether it was a2b3bf87e4 because of his large 0187220267 frame or his undeniable 4a376e839c presence, the spacious carriage 095a6a7cfe somehow felt smaller.5fcbe0515f720117

Even though 52937c12de she sat 7e0fac4a6e far from 611e0a5121 him, Eleanor 3091e276f9 was still 9cb0b85812 on edge, 64e1808cd9 worrying that 446e102e68 their knees 22e04dde8c might accidentally a5dced67d3 touch. She gulped dryly.04b18218c73046ae

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Eleanor tried to forget 78d60df7a3 his presence and absentmindedly c07bced55a looked out the window. Outside, the dusk was f6e088d132 softly settling. The streets in the c0e56bcf09 evening were quiet, with e9a4a84d3b only the irregular sound 9473704b71 of the wheels rattling.32f9ce85ffa87bc5

Should she try 4baabce7cc to start a d841460d16 conversation? Normally, that would be ea17d2027d the polite thing to 93fc1637fb do with other nobles.6a9c8de932e2a022

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But the Grand 83a8c48375 Duke of Royster ab6680070b was like her, fcbd29a5ac not someone who 45486717f4 enjoyed meaningless small 9165d56e89 talk. There was bf4b8cacfd no need 1b1d0d1f1c for fake c62838703b pleasantries.e840bfc3d1717e9e

So, Eleanor remained silent, 30314ea8de and Karsian, as if 636e7b81dc his invitation to ride bdc0a92c55 with him had never a2dc52396e happened, said nothing either.3778b6c29bf8a422

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The silence was 40e7b9bc1a finally broken when 5f7c1ae3e4 they were almost 7012fcc454 at the Duke c4b64931b8 of Astria’s estate.6ed0a6d9476e061e

“May I send you letters?”0d89878c9e738c47

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“…Pardon?”862f4fb3a73be94e

“I asked if it would be alright to contact you by letter in the future.”9e0c4b0e9bbfae37

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It was the first 6b1fcc8962 time she’d ever been e5d87c5d5a asked such a question.d5d6116addd9cb68

Even the most 86faaeb377 formality-loving nobles never 22fd2e971f asked permission to 958471fdd6 send letters. They didn’t think d1edcb1d52 it was something 7e2dfe893f worth asking about. So, was 202facda6b it Royster’s d29528bb85 sense of 6ebd8f9b01 manners? Or was he 84c20f98cd just a strange 159832d5d6 man?709134251f948003

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She had 968bd986b7 a gut 368d790839 feeling it 8c3e3b9280 was the ff8c51a948 second.849f775d97d27ebb

“Yes, of course. But in case someone intercepts the letters, it might be better to discuss important matters in person.”e943de9588fe76c3

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“…In person, you say?”bd83e5164615fd9c

“Well, only if it’s not inconvenient for you.”78e67638df10525f

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“It’s not inconvenient.”70cc3b654b9309d5

“Then that’s good. Ah, could you let me off just up ahead?”9d79ebd2b3e2429c

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Eleanor pointed out the window with her finger. The gate to the Duke’s residence was now visible, not far away.58b0a95d4bd7063f

If the bd72b711d1 servants saw 2d40bee880 her getting cda61d5301 out of b7e203e23a the Royster 3f66e42f11 family’s carriage, 21cc2e214b things could d4b87b2141 get unnecessarily ced270b91c complicated.3fa321db29cbbd75

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Karsian Royster 2fa539799f had become 8a06d21c73 a new 2271abb355 card in 24c659804c her hand. Whether she 8bd1a46815 could actually de5f85ad29 play it 98898e5f25 or not 3079c4cf15 was uncertain, d61321470b but it 0fcdb1c82f was better 6ccddeff5a to keep 33542e30fa such cards 9ae9cbccc0 hidden for 77b4641dd7 now.631f656ae8da108f

Seeming to c638c8cd32 understand her 8dddc99056 intention, Karsian 5a270c6bec didn’t press 8f0b1f4fbc for details a599638126 and instructed a061ed0a30 the driver a9e42fcfc9 to stop ae92fdbd29 the carriage.32a4072e31c170d9

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“…I hope you stay well.”dfb0ac632ca5b8f0

“Yes, Your Grace, please return safely as well.”9b61b6b27b16ed77

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At least da992ec542 their parting 73ef26e9a0 words were 40abb96e8b polite and 9e4662d384 proper. Eleanor turned cf81e6d7cd to leave 6042b5d6ca the carriage, f8280c9215 bowing slightly.b1483b312dc0f0b9

The door e5ba1850e2 opened, and 0b23fd35cd a coachman f4533a2768 extended his 1670a68929 hand to 5ad2eec5ef help her 7d0bca7789 down. Just as she was 4b230bb93b about to take his 05b4dd8507 hand, she suddenly remembered ce07c285b1 something.16ae1b50dbe4a3ac

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“Oh, wait.”f06d961a6f674d65

A thought crossed her 3b92dc6a82 mind.2cdd08e760cba7a2

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Eleanor turned back 2e44270765 to Karsian with 5775075164 a bright smile.663a5c3a0e01392c

“Thank you. For saving me last time and for bringing me here today. I won’t forget it, and I’ll repay you.”fef73c0818cad8e6

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She had nearly forgotten to express her gratitude again. Even though there was no need for pretense, she couldn’t allow herself to be rude.1a67810432132449

Karsian seemed 8ce9604e72 slightly surprised 1e49b0d09f by her 42d6f2a184 smile. His red 8bef6bd0dc eyes wavered 2d3a2a3cdc subtly.734271e0cf701c41

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But it was 6292d94970 only for a 6eb0df6291 brief moment. He quickly 0c3f9c33a9 returned to 8780b702bd his usual cd2acaa9b1 cold expression, 7fd6c309b8 turning his 6138ec79cf head away db3ded9912 instead of 0695670c6e replying. Eleanor wasn’t surprised and 24e353c06b smiled to herself as 0d1e2d2dc6 she stepped lightly out 817a83e9cf of the carriage.bbb825414f31aa9b

‘He’s a strange 7c81179f94 person.’a7e7c9f0619c0143

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From his sudden appearance 0b659d798e to his unexpected offer 5d6285c347 of alliance, and even 5ae4d1bd3f the quiet ride in 99585d482c the carriage—none of it fb245135ba was anything she could 5c5222ebbb have predicted.f5343951902aeaf2

In the 3fd1d6dbda end, all df2024db32 of it 07d2e5118b had worked 9e98f7e38f in her df97e3e483 favor, but 526023eef9 instead of 947bfd84db welcoming it, abc70c32a3 Eleanor felt 280fd48b1c cautious.cf9c968e28751f77

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She had experienced enough e7701a4894 to know not to 6f98e9e060 blindly welcome good fortune. Luck was just b1ff782751 another name for de71f5d85e uncertainty, and it db06bb02dd could turn into e39ff43374 misfortune at any 84f8d68b0e moment.7f6cd231cec49dda

Though she was grateful a81cba97c7 for his help today, 33849c22b3 she planned to end 095a5fd447 it there.cdc378d176584627

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‘I did agree earlier, but… if I don’t contact him, that’ll be the end of it.’53e0e6dc4863cace

Karsian Royster ee3f3aec61 wouldn’t reveal 609c91bfcb her secret.e0c3dd00a3395209

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From his behavior today, c2323a5586 Eleanor was confident of 0f1938e2d9 that. Whether she 473365c758 asked for 8df92045d8 his help 675e1a418e or not, 38d78ae512 he wasn’t 2b714f34fa someone who 148325f01c would go 3e1e25c954 out of 5f99a280f3 his way d0f763b468 to help eef04c7c93 the Crown 1f96859498 Prince.e2728274e033aa3e

‘It seems I won’t have any reason to see him for a while.’22f5928e7fccf222

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When Eleanor glanced back, 9b63380c94 she saw the black dd04fa950e carriage still there. Without hesitation, 264c7b07c6 she turned d5c85d370d away and ce2faf1b2f walked through 5e520e568f the front 333a07019b gates.3c80c9cfc5c80e67

The Royster family’s b2a30f3fb5 carriage didn’t leave 2214307931 until she had 14b2ba1a03 completely disappeared from e5a442e206 view.f663e244aad299b6

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There was quite a 8c16903163 commotion at the Duke 1564e07535 of Astria’s mansion.bd3fae9e01be47ad

The fact that Lady 76516fd686 Eleanor had returned on fc2ae15deb foot, rather than in e5009e18b2 the carriage she left 466a68b29f in, caused quite a a714ba841b stir.59a9f93aefaff7d7

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The surprised servants hurried bfc9dc0946 to greet her, and 22278f4596 when the head maid, 5e72dab149 Mary, heard the news, e305e448e8 she rushed out to 847097aa87 check on her condition.48177d2dead90eb5

“Lady Eleanor! Wh-what in the world happened? How did you end up walking back here?”7f4dd63616f75c48

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“Well, there wasn’t a carriage for me…”05c1d6dfcfd02458

“No carriage? What do you mean? That makes no sense!”29af964595c8ada2

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Eleanor glanced around and 7d3c25273b noticed that a few 27ce36cbb0 of the servants were e5c2d6b96b pretending not to listen, 8199c645f1 but they were clearly c67e34e03a eavesdropping on her conversation bdf1188bf1 with Mary.45d4b54eff60226d

With a 39f136ff45 sorrowful expression 11ead6a361 and a b32163a01a bitter tone, ddb68e055c Eleanor muttered 3b2f373f0c softly,d27843d9c7856328

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“Nora sent my carriage away. She said she could just ride with Arlo and didn’t need it…”8831ee13e52819c5

“What…!”0dd068b515674f85

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Mary’s face contorted 368a1b8e82 in shock and 3758c1c61e anger. She looked like she cf4d332824 wanted to hurl insults f8494a7984 at Nora right then 9f405f5270 and there, but since d000e82048 the Duke of Astria a4d3f214b9 had ordered them to 8e66f040da treat Nora as a 9a7dded264 noble lady, she couldn’t, b52538e96b and it was eating 04865f4cfd her up inside.b4d72331bf28f344

“So you really walked all the way from the Count’s mansion to here?”b33bd59831106693

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“Yes, they wouldn’t even send for a carriage. So, I ended up being a little late.”1aaddae0a778489f

In truth, 4829d6c766 she had 8457d9e67c only walked 3db5a3c42e for about 9dac68d00b five minutes, 694ce54231 but Eleanor 7d83bd126c pretended it 69e996a98f had been a6ffd94ecb a much 5ed5e10e8a longer, exhausting 55bd9195a5 walk.b3e3a0d9087f11c0

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“My goodness, the road is so far and difficult!”b6d46bb5701c95ec

“I’m fine, Mary. I guess I’ll have to get used to being treated like this…”3eaba5653d3b6f0d

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“Miss…”53a42ac460ba0929

“I’m tired. I’d like to rest now. I’ll head upstairs.”330ab1c34a053fe3

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Eleanor, her adaf7ab251 head bowed 60ebf36ee1 like a b31aa25308 sorrowful figure, 1ba62ed8d6 began to 5f160bd1e7 climb the 212ad21997 stairs. Mary followed cd6951c34e her, looking d0ea6a733d like she 53d56e8689 might burst 97bad4d51e into tears 5039f9d1c2 at any 778c46989c moment.170a1e3803dea677

Not long after, the 45c59557af sound of the maids d32e4046ca whispering to one another c84a8741f9 began to spread.72e933d86cd80b62

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“Did you hear that just now?”7c3fb3bce41b05fd

“They said Nora deliberately sent the carriage away! She wanted to ride with the Crown Prince and made Miss Eleanor walk back all by herself.”ad093e3e63e136ed

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“My goodness, how awful. She’s lived her whole life as a noble lady.”57d61b19e876e19c

“But do you think it’s true?”8d8652b46445895e

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“What do you mean?”b7025279fe7fd5c2

“Well, Natalie said Miss Eleanor has been secretly trying to bring Nora down with lies. Could this be another one of those lies?”5241dadaf8569d72

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“Impossible!”cc427c5634990dfa

“Let’s go ask Tobias! He was the one driving the carriage. He’ll know the truth!”44555899bc1a76d8

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The group 08960a2bc9 of whispering cc4fef1aaf maids quickly 5e03bc6cc3 ran off 2db206f1be toward the e9af369875 stables. Tobias, the coachman 642ff22ff6 who drove Eleanor’s 95dd5cb14b carriage, would surely c5970ef972 know what had 3e9a05fcfd really happened. It wouldn’t take 47e4610985 long before there a52b6dc9e5 was a new 90f94cf166 rumor about Nora.c9ee767a0b94f8b9

‘Good. I played the poor 2348ca6f19 victim well again today.’cf9ad45a218c79f9

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Eleanor continued toward 33b2a94f23 her room with dfb17ffbf0 light steps.162828b545c98360

A little later, she 03560eb189 encountered Hilda, who came 792851a061 running toward her with 467a82241c a rag in hand.8a44f597ad42bb6c

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“Miss, how was the dinner party?”d56b41fd295c32ce

Hilda hadn’t yet heard 9e0bd2e472 the news that her a998720f6d lady had walked home e1a5429e2b without a carriage. She’d been busy cleaning c7759d6e92 the room, a task 9ecd6de2df she still enjoyed even 4c720ca3c4 though, as Eleanor’s personal 5b44494f45 maid, she no longer 6d156da844 had to do such eb9813b142 chores. Cleaning helped 76741f1e10 clear her 43c7bb3f15 mind.4ef70159de0fa34a

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Eleanor glanced at Hilda’s face in surprise. It had only been a few hours since she had left the mansion, but Hilda looked much paler than she had earlier. The reason was obvious: she had been worrying about whether Eleanor had been mocked for wearing the hat she had made.de7919a18a3d8916

“Everyone said I looked more stylish than usual. They also said the hat was beautiful.”fd2c7848ae0ca73f

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“R-really? Oh, thank goodness. I was so worried…”455b2da88c06ac03

There was da60b2ca6d no need d8b1064797 to spoil 2d76a4841a her mood 86b346b87d with the 075b2c1775 truth. Eleanor told 7dccd9a32d a small 9e04577349 lie out c3b118d0d7 of kindness, 34b5493a97 and Hilda 60bfc09c7b finally let 4f0bc5ab72 out a 3a5b914375 relieved sigh.996c4f3989da0e93

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“I’m just so glad you didn’t get any bad comments because of me,” Hilda said this while smiling brightly, but watching her innocent face somehow made Eleanor’s heartache.99020144cb3b98b3

“But guess who else was at the dinner? Nora and Arlo.”cc94293de809cfd1

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“That crazy…! So that’s where they went!”a4627a744ab9939a

Smack! Hilda threw the rag 7588735cc9 she was holding onto 708d261ced the floor and cursed. The pure, innocent smile 1e4252d006 she had moments ago f9b9fea9a9 vanished in an instant.fdcf77db0fae127b

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Her quick 8855ffe647 change in d09eaee56b demeanor was 4c1f698a5b startling. Eleanor held 27c869f7db back a 9ff975aacb laugh and ea3123ef96 continued.3d9efb38614b5863

“She even wore the hat she stole. And she said someone without any fashion sense gave it to her as a gift.”80013249b7713f5d

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“Wow! What a complete lunatic!”ec441f56e5650968

“Pfft, that’s pretty harsh.”8726032218448c12

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Eleanor couldn’t 4f77ecd824 hold back 6c6c89969e her laughter 0b04cf32d4 any longer. She had never cca9bbb566 felt this way 0db18a8efb before. She was starting to 2516ae3589 understand why the aristocrats f2a3167d80 enjoyed gossiping about others 08ac82733a so much. It was 4dcbc5d2db surprisingly fun.23b2fa9966405103

“Harsh? That’s me holding back! I mean, it’s true that my lady doesn’t have a good fashion sense, but what did she do to deserve this? It’s ridiculous for a hat thief like her to be talking big!”e06031b84acf62be

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Even though Hilda 8007c71339 was harshly criticizing 9e0a742767 Nora, she couldn’t 77ed2890a0 quite defend Eleanor’s 4a81993efa lack of fashion 6d06316209 sense.a573a8cbec6de79e

‘Am I 132e110e2f really that 5b44b06460 bad?’ Eleanor b2ad5b5c33 pursed her 5bc4beeb27 lips.1628355a1955b297

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“Ahh! How should we get revenge? Maybe we should burn off all her hair so she can never wear a hat again! But that might leave too much evidence… Oh! How about we slip some hair-loss medicine into her food? If we add a little every day, no one will ever notice.”152037d0ce961be3

“That’s a good idea, but…”52f64bca6150baf5

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Hilda’s methods of revenge 89689122a6 were much more vicious 9f18bf6b02 than expected. The sinister 448114d556 grin on 65bfb589fe her face 7d4cdb74db as she 88585a760a plotted was e1399e4224 a little f3a2df56bd creepy.a0651cd0b7006e57

Eleanor made a mental 5519a0774a note to never get 67b7ab3afc on Hilda’s bad side.7856ba0841a34c4e

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“But I told you I have a plan. I’ll need your help… will you help me?”577e5158ac21eac8

“Of course! Whatever you need!”f3b89d2278862e3b

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“First, I need you to get close to the postman who delivers packages and letters to the mansion.”033efa22e6d1f8db

“Oh, that’s easy! Actually, the postman, Mr. Jay, has a bit of a crush on me. He’s at least ten years older than me and already has kids, so I’ve been keeping my distance, but if I act friendly, he’ll do whatever I ask.”6fc653a5ef692115

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“Hmm, I don’t know whether to be happy or sorry about that… Anyway, I’m counting on you. And I also need you to place an order at Filling Heights Jewelry under someone else’s name.”56b633502047da5b

“Okay! But… why Filling Heights? Are you going to buy more jewelry?”9943db1b5a56114d

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Eleanor shook her 14e86e2dd6 head lightly. A smile 6d7dd9797b of anticipation c05d235566 bloomed on 730f36d951 her face.8a76817b61d3d49d

“They do custom orders, don’t they?”3e7fe19ddcf0b8d2

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