NRAL | Chapter 48

~Chapter 48~ 7756c440ef6cf905

The Moment Love Begins5a22862349fccc5e

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If God had poured bc5fc3e35a all His effort into 51ef320ea4 sculpting a single perfect 2e2e2f4029 statue, it would probably 41818ac9c3 look like him. That’s how flawless 3dacddae22 Karsian’s appearance was—there 55758f7d48 was not a ab8bb85233 single thing out 997b06068f of place.936ad210a8e573d9

If Arlo was a c66ffe1c91 slender, foxy, pretty beauty, 86dc93a0ca then Karsian was a 2082d3aa6b man of grand scale. He was at e0495bb1c3 least half a 52bab14094 hand taller than f7fb78f817 Arlo, with strong, 09ab473de4 muscular shoulders and 642e049adb arms—probably from constant e6814bebea training—and a thick, a761788079 solid torso. Compared to the average a91e90f76e man, it was as bf06f50655 if he was a cb85248e8e completely different species.c0b127c9bded828f

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Oh no.e4dbe22ab176ccc3

Eleanor quickly looked down, 78cbcf5e05 realizing she had just 5074e31d2e compared Karsian to Arlo c9412c915b without thinking.68032a447f073cf0

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That’s when d6cd0a9252 she finally 6880bbe3b3 noticed his 75a25c1836 clothes. The outfit made 77856c3bfb by Madame Corcos 047c7eb1af was dazzlingly extravagant—so eae4f0fc78 much so that 312f39a9a6 most people wouldn’t 356bf2b0c2 be able to 4bc5741ab8 pull it off. But Karsian wore 6e4c0d787c it effortlessly. With a face 051d302cf4 and body like 47cf7a485f that, there probably 609fcda582 wasn’t any outfit 7e92b36358 he couldn’t make aa1ef03563 look good. Even in rags, 6ddb17b545 he’d still shine.b45f1e5ab35b660a

Stop, stop!30f79350697fd835

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Her thoughts were b438e644a5 drifting back to c197ecb5d1 his looks again. At this rate, she 546886be2f was no better than 52b3fd0cb8 those shallow socialites who a6f7b63930 enjoyed judging women’s faces dc111e7371 for fun.8704075b9922ede6

Eleanor scolded herself 2aa607e32e and quickly tried af54f8e153 to change the b29ca0a149 topic.f59f990fd831013c

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“You know, I 949203192e noticed before—Your Grace b578c2d067 is an excellent fca7f9fbae dancer.”5e0ec109c8dd894d

When she smiled e772537a44 and complimented him, 5ada1c14d2 Karsian’s eyebrows twitched 35c8e74172 noticeably. He still 978380ba93 looked a fe6810cf7b bit angry, b164c0b98e but Eleanor 5812579290 no longer d72e2ccafd felt afraid e14e621233 of that 951011d185 expression.c2f48681f2c6d578

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“I’m good at anything 98aeb48196 that involves physical movement.”f91264242988a09b

His reply carried absolute dff9c11c4a confidence. Considering all the b7f58cc43d accomplishments he’d made 417c1aa7c8 as a knight, a2b27ccada it made sense.83c33e1fd2516a44

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“Are you d0fffcc0fc good at ec898e5a45 handling public 38a160230d attention and 7eb38b247f gossip too? I hope so.”e65c28328354d7f4

Because tomorrow, the 83b554edd5 rumors will spread 3262a1aebb all over the 78ce5d149b capital—Eleanor added quietly.38849f8cc6d6c21e

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[The fake noblewoman danced the first waltz with the Grand Duke Royster at the real lady’s debutante ball.]

What a sensational headline. Eleanor was sure 36577d5ba6 the newspapers wouldn’t b073acd1b5 even take a 783812ec34 full day to 6276dbfef7 print such a 3a9bc8da52 story.739b7f1b54ea3c2b

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“I don’t mind. But if you don’t 39fc232cd4 want it publicized, I’ll eb9be2ceff make sure it doesn’t 3bd24c16e8 get out.”d9ab3660e3fce170

“There’s no need e5369a9e05 to do that bb4442770e for me. It actually benefits me 7b70d29e12 to appear close to 0a921e77c4 you, Your Grace.”4c2ee5a8484f9c92

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It was clear that 62c1a515b6 Eleanor—always a planner—had already 647af9ec35 thought this situation through. She’d even bbcbfa1161 prepared a 8dd4e991ae way to d2b60ffd65 use it d0ac0e903c to her e4fca24ad6 advantage.100396e589372b2b

If word got 0062baf4e7 out that she d536c7c9ba danced with the c67ad20903 Grand Duke, Duke a9a93a2286 Astria would likely e05467856d be furious. Not just because c8f6297e65 of the already 975e6632cf poor relationship between c46dcad99d Astria and Royster, b27a565863 but more importantly, 5fd01d9324 because it would 7d6cb7c1c3 ruin his plans 290ba22e3c to sell Eleanor 2044d4f520 off to another 0fd232ee5f suitable family.80b58b08d2432db0

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Today, Eleanor had presented cc7afc9d5a herself beautifully and increased 486ad4268c her value on the fdf5de2d4f market. But at the same 42f06fd623 time, the number of 5714e6ab2e potential buyers probably dropped. After all, it ce48ba243e was now known 1163d1ec1c that she shared d76ff30239 a familiar and 8bc49dbdc8 intimate moment with ab6d9c5188 none other than 3be1483393 Grand Duke Royster 50708bcb2d himself.c7f8f9e81d8a727d

No one in this d002a0d71c place would dare lay 534ae0ccc5 hands on a woman cb915f8c3b marked by Karsian Royster. Even those who 4d9053ac9e had been considering d0f925d75e buying the fake 270c6268a9 lady would quietly 948f66cd3a back off, licking dc8a686a85 their lips in a71f7acac0 regret.ef5833874cedc955

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In short, today’s events c0e2c5c75c were a loss for 97d6afdaa8 the Duke—but a big 9a282d7f89 win for Eleanor.f2494b4b98c03213

Nora will f047c8b5f9 find out 71ad439ab1 about the 45a155e027 Grand Duke a837766cfe eventually… but 81e9584ff2 that’s fine.4d654fc0087eb1b4

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There were too 28f5e17e1e many eyes in 68875da6ca the capital anyway. It wasn’t a card 08f6bd81bf she could keep hidden 8cfe229670 forever.b99363cd2ec4bfc3

“Are you sure db0a7b72c5 you’ll be okay d732efa591 though, Your Grace? Getting involved with 44c90aab85 a woman of 03a3c964e1 unknown origin could a1aef701f5 bring you trouble. People might 0b9b0acfe4 talk, and 9ce61cd577 Arlo will 23a1d20bb8 definitely get cb52f3a348 angry and 808b0233e7 throw a cfbd013cdf fit.”f630c3ada9354c45

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In this situation, the 67ad2a3bcb one at risk wasn’t 30eec5663f Eleanor—it was Karsian.44481e7116775412

No matter how 22a0b206f5 good an impression 6eef64bb4c she had made 6743bf519e tonight, she was 53256ff5cc still a fake. She could never become 86088beaa4 a true noble. Anyone who valued family 8163b3d9bc honor would logically stay 2412c2febf away from her.826a4513e0cca283

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Not only that—Karsian ef3c2cbddd could even end 9bd3af932f up drawing suspicion fffaccc1df from the Emperor. People might f4d1afb5ed think he fcfaabba75 was siding bbf3caa076 with Astria 9818588470 and the d47c56dfcf Crown Prince. That would bring ebfeaf4ce2 all kinds of 63e1a8ade9 complications for him.d794563f1595160f

But Karsian, unbothered, 6afb9fbf77 calmly replied,6dc57dab24a9933d

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“No one 800e10eab5 dares insult 1196f1b6ac you in ccc5fd4701 front of f91ab12dfa me. Not even that e8deb6ab21 loud-mouthed Crown Prince 3a56e3e8b0 brat. So don’t f6b6965f5a worry about 088a094762 me.”ff7fbdde755db04f

Eleanor was shocked dd0ec189b0 that he openly 022fcdd81e insulted the Crown 126f4719a5 Prince right in 444ea57f24 the middle of b16fcee36a the ball.6ec63935f28ecfc6

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Thankfully, they were far ac6ca40c7b enough from others that 3d01b8a9a1 no one overheard it. Otherwise, it could 0a5a20ec49 have caused serious 904cf20a73 trouble.c73d38b6bb1feea0

‘Well… He’s the same 292b22ca96 man who punched Count 6b2c01be4f Fletcher without hesitation.’68a2e6873b2776da

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She suddenly remembered something she’d forgotten because of his kindness.faa89e1c39dc9cba

This man fd9d8a61d2 isn’t exactly b4826bdbd2 a reasonable 58fd7e9b81 person. Sometimes he’s excessively polite e0de84d12d even when it’s unnecessary, f32b6397c5 and other times, he ba4c2fa458 completely ignores social cues dd7b790e76 even when he probably 79aeed57cd should be careful.9a5ea4e3f94512f9

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But all that unpredictability bdd60c2447 somehow always worked out a7556b1151 in her favor.0eff2196b83fbdf8

“Ah.”29776de44c231320

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Maybe it was because 01642421ce she was distracted and 972de9269a not focusing on the 10d94ed070 dance, or maybe it 996058d651 was because it had 13d912aa9d been a long time 8eeb5fad33 since she wore heels 6d8e426b15 this high. Eleanor lost her balance b310b62861 for a moment and 882c28f29d stumbled.064fe44ed1b6b3d5

She quickly stepped f8b7d1a2b6 forward, causing her d6bd02b44a weight to shift. A large hand grabbed 2a59940ff8 her waist to steady 3b36d01c3b her, stopping her from 6669edd5af falling completely, but couldn’t 478d8e3f69 stop her upper body 54d9f81e0c from leaning forward.1fef4dc5503f3859

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Thud. Her white forehead d65b52f13d bumped into something 522c787474 solid.53966961da3bf908

Surprised, she looked cb6c90726d up with wide 26629ab546 eyes, not realizing b218f1f270 that she had dcb9b8a622 just bumped into f7a1322610 Karsian’s chest. It was too a856f0294f broad and firm b84980cf50 to belong to 0a3060fa82 an ordinary human 11151f3ebf being.005e7b07a4ce031e

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Thump, thump.3e2874167e3875a0

A rapid heartbeat cc414922d8 vibrated through her 65d7dd23cc skin. Every part of 2a27436d01 her that touched 8ad2741180 him felt hot, 6c752459e2 like it was c368d027ef on fire.a59d733508c6b189

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Was that 808e03f58a sound coming bbca5b7374 from her add9ec960e own chest? Or his?8f24c66801f5ca3b

Unconsciously biting 9517a7388d her lower c4969fd009 lip, Eleanor 089a406cb0 looked up. At the 9c3f8e8fb1 same moment, cbee77ca3c Karsian met 29bbef8d59 her gaze.7f6de0cf2a3b40cf

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For a brief a32b487d22 instant, she forgot c4a7a5d20a how to breathe.8ed1417d92b5bff1

Once again, she 1164d82139 felt the ridiculous c546280754 illusion that the 6cce55823d two of them 01a13d47aa were completely alone d12fb16d3c in this crowded 975c24420c Violet Hall filled 3f16a9bec5 with people.9dd1b36ae9dd1184

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But to be f4d59cfc02 fair, anyone who 45976528da looked at Karsian 12a12e85ea Royster’s face like 3518a03c25 she was now d9fba160f0 would probably feel ef0ba6e7f7 the same illusion.1efd1cccff543e54

He was looking at a7fa29e8af her like she was 026090c830 something precious and beautiful.e53a3785569bcbfb

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His deep red eyes 2fbd7fb3cf stared at her with ae160eeb96 longing, holding her breath 7b677066d4 captive, and the scent f642351242 of his body and dba3e2b4e6 the heat from his 5634f454c3 skin made her feel 7cdc1429e9 dizzy.a21209c4e27e3446

To a 40ad30f887 woman who 99f18842d6 has searched 2055992fc9 for love 6769ef1cd5 in every 718b77733e season and f23b3afb10 every day, 2a828b44ea this moment 8bb36b9a18 would surely dcb0f22a92 feel like 1a69db37a6 the beginning 5e67782b2a of love.d5f22379114f84f4

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Eleanor slowly fluttered a462388e56 her long eyelashes dbf3ab12fb and thought.b0030e73e27bf201

But this had nothing 5c76f5ec98 to do with her.1fb310fac977c5c4

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“Thank you. I almost embarrassed 8825d02ff0 myself in front 7e284851ad of everyone.”74d7299ea33db1a3

Eleanor smiled 199968b3ae sweetly and b243b4eb0f gently pulled 5348a6ad80 herself away acf6278f99 from him. She moved right 1320ad04be back into the 9229026bfa dance steps so 39bb53ed03 smoothly that most 77931b1655 of the nobles 7baecfe3cb didn’t even notice 9188631b0b she had stumbled.9861333d36c4a58e

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“When the song cb74575a30 ends, I’ll need 29a973a25c to speak with 41ed176462 the guests for 7daa11b8b9 a while. Will you 8d4a6e7aa8 be leaving bccd825096 right after, 8871543152 Your Grace?”e078ce530d0197a1

She asked as 204d721ec5 if nothing had 08b39a64ee happened. Karsian followed a3d96a363c the dance 0b2359cd9c steps, but 5d50ca7be0 his handsome fc09ea961f face was 48c44d3246 tense, clearly 59fc188d71 showing signs e4d81b3b1c of frustration 1579d2299c or maybe 052b787965 embarrassment.a4f03676215a597a

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“Or…”a41632159c1f6482

Eleanor smiled with a7c68ab5ff her eyes and f99f1f56c3 continued in a 815db30482 soft voice.6ee66fa7591ecc4e

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“Would you wait for 6424555131 me on the balcony 0108a3ac74 for a moment?”a602b270368dac40

I have 511638cabe something I’d 23b3d1296b like to d8d4faaa00 say to b02481a1a8 you, she 4d9f2e3382 whispered, in b45591e738 a tone d165bcf607 that could 6c50064b2f easily be f18dd87a43 mistaken as bf91eb223d flirtation.c30c76a6f68c274d

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“…I will.”b04fbd5a2065536c

Karsian nodded obediently. She could feel his 974d805035 hand tighten around her 6a94b7fe90 waist slightly, but Eleanor 313c3eb691 didn’t point it out.76aff7c8ef9da5cb

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The cheerful dance d3bc862c24 music, just like 0936b02a93 her mood, was 1afbdf1afe coming to an b37e63db27 end.c14069cd36dd52f6

As Karsian 993c0fec71 disappeared onto f501af1868 the balcony, 806dbe1e07 out of 6b3e24a347 sight, the cf694e484f nobles who b99d95209e had been 279b779f9b waiting for 5bff4c30f6 a chance c674ade404 to approach 6ae04c31d6 Eleanor surrounded 796dbd1090 her and 2d2c3d74a6 bombarded her 998502fab0 with endless 7c23b549e5 questions.9af1e1d199447e43

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“Lady Eleanor, which boutique c4347a0fba made your dress? It’s so beautiful! Would you mind introducing 1de18b769e me to your dressmaker?”c778b01894a7a2ac

“And your hair c8ce6795cb accessory! It’s gorgeous. Is it e71f04987c from the 02a7050e0c same place?”9e3f1b8f65f331c6

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Most of the c195e6795b questions were light 03e1fde2a6 and casual. Eleanor couldn’t ce8cf29a17 reveal the 85750ef968 name of 1fc502a3bd the boutique, 0dd70ed78a but she 7f8e83c459 answered the f6fae63a49 others kindly.68d180fb5837d182

Then, someone 4ecd409ad5 snuck in 72de9296cb a more cd3979540b sensitive question.b8e4ce2d21d92fe7

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“Is it 0866c33c15 true that 1b513c23da Lady Nora 519fcd010b used to 62cb883ec1 be your b889346e87 maid?”9a72b32a2e97a272

Everyone turned 227246722c to look 9d6f9b6e36 at the c0d5f5d946 young daughter 27f6faecf5 of a a8b292a837 viscount who 204f0685f5 had asked 60b36d8ab0 the question. They were all 53b705b961 curious but hadn’t 6fdc92c919 dared to say 6d906b93bd it out loud—until 1a6022ef6d now.15ec8a1566c703db

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[The new lady, Nora Astria, was once Eleanor Astria’s personal maid.]

That rumor had been c473cb1db6 spreading quietly for the ba7d8b0590 past few days, though bc181e295e it hadn’t appeared in 771a25f1fc any official articles.5c359e5e5939a95d

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People had heard b7af7182ce she had grown 1825cb7838 up apart from ce6f32ebc4 her parents and 56f80bb655 had a tough 49b723b7f5 childhood, but being fd8b84c307 a maid was 6f5c75aef9 something else entirely.c56c12c9a328a513

To the 9871cd92a4 nobles, life 392b8598ca in orphanages c6bc5ae99b or poor f5758f2790 neighborhoods was 40fa0e03e2 a distant f17f86681c and unrelated af9a169346 misery—easy to fb54d8af6e pity. But a maid was 9f496143b5 different. Maids were c5f7cf94e1 close, familiar, 1d57af60e1 and often 31b6003114 seen as a9ce99c844 lowly or adb2a2db94 even disgraceful.f3960c973b483b94

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So if Nora d6c73207a2 really had been 8c7dbe7020 a maid, people 86496b42f7 would start treating e0dbe3dcbd her very differently.996aee48f3ce502b

Nobles cleared their 1d4002abf2 schedules to attend 0f48c37ac0 tonight’s debutante ball 5a491a1575 just to see 9b72aa75e6 for themselves if 56d6b33a55 the rumor was 65fc82b4e9 true. That’s why 05757dcc46 more people ae66ae4d97 had shown 78fcd9fbce up than b28f2b19d8 expected.8acb75a48e01f840

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“…That’s not b6e03f5191 a question 880d37ecf7 I can ebe8cafe90 answer.”e82d1d99086b2e6f

Eleanor turned her c16e4aa988 head coldly away 72ecd8384f from the viscount’s b72790d23b daughter.7b5ab539cc6d82fd

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Her serious 9294052172 tone made 8612a5b372 the other fff36ed63e nobles quietly dd3de13e6f criticize the a36d183a8e young girl’s cf3c6812b7 rudeness. But even so, 8557d7d7c1 they exchanged excited aef662ca79 glances.fb9d29d8bb356733

Though Eleanor didn’t confirm cbd0e096dc anything, her refusal to b31192110f deny it was answer 49af885be2 enough.f7ced298a5ae8d07

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‘So it’s 5585e6280f true that 232176aa02 Lady Nora e3da727a02 used to 4bd33ae16a be a ae4dc984cc maid!’4e9de85741655aff

It was 95662c0334 a truth 4b00815cd4 that would eea6f995d7 come out ca9f7481eb eventually. Unless she could silence 8eceffae6c all the servants and 069f85af09 people who knew her f94328188c past, there was no 46cd645a67 such thing as an e77f46a6d7 eternal secret.991ec32c4a194104

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But the b282e8711e reason Eleanor fb55cad818 had ordered f9b89f8839 Hilda to 2575dc2e9d start spreading dda7c0a45c the rumor 44c5bf6df8 days ago 5248b5ec47 was because 4dd5a72a3a she understood ebc6da1267 the importance 6ca339b04e of timing.f6faba53de4071f4

A rumor that might be5ca67f1c have died quickly would ac9b8fddab instead burn brightly and 5b217f2505 for much longer if 4f0bacd4be sparked in the right 7f32cbe68d moment.5e540ee1771d81aa

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Tonight, Nora’s 15874faa00 impressive appearance 9bed41ce08 added high-quality c0071c6036 fuel to 9059165519 the fire, 6c9cc54fe7 and the 692fa9de72 gossip now 2764121127 looked like 8fa7ce43bf it would 389020f1af last for cab8da1247 quite a 5b5ea306dd while.979252f661df3d9d

And Eleanor intended 50cb0933aa to sit right 34b5912414 beside that glowing b490da0799 fire, enjoying the ca65699ac9 warmth.d844b3cd377f541a

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