NRAL | Chapter 54

~Chapter 54~

Not Nora, But You

Nora pushed away the memories that flashed through her mind. She also ignored the uneasy feeling growing inside her.

They say marrying into the wrong family—especially with a terrible mother-in-law—can ruin your life. But that was only true for the lowly commoners. It had nothing to do with someone like her, who was about to become a proper member of the imperial family. She firmly believed that.

She had already expected that the Empress wouldn’t welcome her warmly. That’s why she couldn’t afford to show any weakness now.

“I, Eleanor of Astria, greet Her Majesty the Empress of the Empire. I’m truly honored to be invited here, Your Majesty.”

Nora smiled brightly and gracefully lowered her head, her large eyes folded in a sweet expression.

No matter how hard she tried to look elegant, she would never match that girl who had grown up her whole life as a noble lady. So rather than pretending to be elegant, she decided it was better to just stick to what she was good at—acting harmless and lovable while observing proper manners.

And her judgment was right.

“Um, I brought this gift for Your Majesty. It may not meet your fine taste, but… it’s the best I could prepare. I hope you like it.”

Nora giggled shyly and handed the elegantly wrapped gift to the empress’s maid.

The Empress Genevieve and her maid exchanged a subtle glance. It seemed to signal that the new daughter-in-law candidate wasn’t as bad as they had expected.

“Alright, Nora. I’ll accept it.”

Still, the Empress didn’t bother to change her cold attitude.

She didn’t even open the gift and casually waved it aside. Considering she received so many gifts each day that she couldn’t possibly open them all, her behavior was still quite rude.

Moreover, she called her “Nora,” even though Nora had clearly introduced herself as “Eleanor Astria.”

There was no way “Nora” was being used affectionately. Empress Genevieve was making it clear—she didn’t yet see Nora as her true daughter-in-law, Eleanor Astria.

‘When I become Empress, let’s see how long you stay in your high and mighty seat…’

Nora continued smiling sweetly, but inside, she was grinding her teeth. If she could, she would have gladly used the ribbon from the gift box to choke the life out of her.

‘Talking about how messy Astria is? Please. The imperial family is even worse!’

And it was true. The Duke of Astria was a horrible man, but at least he never had a mistress. Not while his wife was alive, nor even after her tragic death. Even when young, beautiful women tried to seduce him, he turned them away coldly, saying he only had one woman—his late wife.

But the Emperor? Even after having two sons with the Empress, he took in a mistress twenty years younger and even had another son with her. He let them live in a separate palace inside the imperial grounds—fully aware that they could bump into the Empress anytime.

So yes, the imperial family’s situation was even messier than Astria’s, yet they acted like they were pure and proper. It was ridiculous.

Of course, Nora couldn’t show any of this, so she sat quietly, pretending to be the sweet, obedient daughter-in-law.

The breakfast that followed was pure torture for her.

The Empress kept rambling on about Arlo’s childhood and his supposed genius, which Nora didn’t care about in the slightest. Still, she clapped and laughed as if it was the most delightful story she had ever heard.

The Empress judged every little thing about her, yet showed no real interest in Nora as a person. She only cared whether Nora was fit to be a daughter-in-law. Nora had no choice but to act like a doll, giving only the answers the Empress wanted to hear.

‘Surely I won’t have to keep doing this even after marriage… right?’

That uneasy thought kept circling in her mind.

Your life’s going straight into the gutter… the gutter…

A sharp voice echoed in her head, but she forced herself to ignore it.

***

Eleanor got into her carriage shortly after Nora had left.

Her dress, unlike Nora’s, was extravagant. While not quite as grand as the one she wore to the ball, it was still covered in glittering jewels and didn’t seem very appropriate for meeting elders.

But she didn’t care anymore. She wasn’t going to see the Empress anyway. And even if they met, she was no longer the Empress’s future daughter-in-law.

‘Is it really okay for Madame Corcos to invest this much in me?’

The dress she wore today was also from the Corcos boutique.

After seeing the overwhelming reaction to the golden gown Eleanor had worn to the ball, Madame Corcos had continued to send her more dresses and accessories. Most weren’t made by the Madame herself but by other tailors in her boutique—yet each piece had its own charm and beauty.

‘She’s not secretly charging Duke Royster, right? I need to ask him the next time I see him…’

At that thought, Eleanor blinked in surprise.

Was it because she had just mentioned “next time”? She had assumed she’d see him again without even realizing it—even though they hadn’t made any plans.

‘What do you mean, next time? Get a grip, Eleanor.’

It seemed like the Karsian Royster had managed to get under her skin. She poked at the carriage seat beside her, trying to calm herself down.

Lost in thought, she soon arrived at the palace.

And surprisingly, Arlo was actually there to greet her. The same man who hadn’t cared one bit when she used to visit the palace before.

“Welcome, Ellie. I was waiting for you.”

With his red hair neatly styled and dressed in a golden outfit that suited him well, Arlo extended his hand to help her out of the carriage.

He looked like the kind of man who could melt any woman’s heart—but to Eleanor, it was just pathetic.

She coldly rejected his hand and stepped out of the carriage on her own.

Her flowing blue dress rippled like waves, and her loosely tied hair swayed gracefully. A delicate necklace sparkled on her slender, deer-like neck, and Arlo stood there, staring at her in a daze.

She looked like a fairy—mysterious and breathtakingly beautiful, both objectively and subjectively. It was like she had become a completely different person.

“You’re… You’re so beautiful, Ellie.”

A pure, innocent smile bloomed on Arlo’s face. Even his cheeks were tinged with a soft pink blush.

‘So you’re showing me that expression again. The one you only ever used to make when we were kids.’

Eleanor scoffed inwardly.

“Did you put something on your lips? Your makeup doesn’t seem heavy, but you look so beautiful—I’m surprised. Why didn’t you dress like this before?”

“If I had dressed up, would anything really have changed? After all, I’m not the real Eleanor.”

Eleanor said quietly. Arlo glanced away and cleared his throat awkwardly.

Normally, he would have been angry if she talked back like that. It was funny how just changing her appearance made people treat her differently.

Eleanor held back her sarcasm and walked beside Arlo through Blenheim Garden.

He spoke kindly and naturally kept the conversation going. Eleanor gave short, uninterested answers, but that was enough to make Arlo happy.

“By the way, I heard you danced with Duke Royster at the last ball,” Arlo finally asked, bringing up the question he really wanted to know.

“Is it true he just came up and asked you to dance?”

Even though he probably already knew, he asked to hear her say it. He wanted an answer that would please him.

Eleanor usually didn’t meet Arlo’s expectations, but this time she decided to.

Not for him, but for the man who had helped her.

“No, that’s not true… Actually, I asked the Duke in advance.”

“What? Why would you do that?”

Surprised by her answer, Arlo stopped walking. His gentle tone turned harsh quickly.

Eleanor avoided his eyes and hesitated. Arlo looked irritated but didn’t push her this time.

After a moment, she spoke sadly.

“Because that way, Arlo, I thought you might finally pay some attention to me.”

Was there a better thing to say to please Arlo?

Using Karsian to get noticed—that was something any man would feel proud about. Especially Arlo, who was oddly competitive with Karsian.

True enough, Arlo smiled widely and reached out his hand to Eleanor.

“El… Eli, wait—”

Smack!

But Eleanor pushed his hand away roughly.

“Don’t do that. I’ve given up now!”

Her voice rose suddenly. It was almost time to finish the meal.

From experience, Empress Genevieve usually kept breakfast short. They would leave the palace soon.

“You ended up following Nora that day, right? Do you have any idea how I felt watching that?”

“No, Eli, I—”

“No matter how much I dress up, it means nothing. Even when I dance with the Duke, you don’t even stay in the same room. Because you… you don’t care about me at all.”

Behind the confused Arlo, a figure appeared not far away. Seeing this, Eleanor pushed harder to get his reaction.

“That’s when I realized I had no chance with you. I came here today to say I’m giving up on you.”

“No! Listen to me, Eli!”

“What could you say? What words will hurt me again…?”

Arlo hated being interrupted. If anyone cut him off or didn’t pay attention, he would shout to get their focus.

That habit showed even now.

“I wanted to be with you, not Nora!”

The Crown Prince’s loud voice echoed through the garden filled with blooming spring flowers.

Even the women who had come to see the yellow flowers heard him.

“…Arlo?”

Empress Genevieve called her son’s name, looking startled.

She stood there with several ladies-in-waiting, the future daughter-in-law, and Nora nearby.