NRAL | Chapter 75

~Chapter 75~

It Was Inevitable

Today, the road to Karsian’s townhouse felt unusually long.

Was the carriage always this slow? Or is traffic worse than usual today?

Eleanor stared out the window, frustrated that the scenery outside seemed to crawl by.

‘I’m insane. I must be insane.’

She was certain of it now.

She had run out of the mansion without a single escort or maid.

If she ran into attackers again like last time, she definitely wouldn’t make it out alive.

Why am I doing something so irrational?

Eleanor couldn’t understand herself.

She closed her eyes and clasped her hands tightly.

Her heart was beating fast—whether from fear of the unknown or from some strange sense of anticipation, she wasn’t sure.

“…Please go as fast as you can.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Not knowing what these emotions even were, Eleanor hurried the coachman.

Somehow, she felt she might understand once she reached Karsian’s townhouse.

Soon, the carriage arrived in front of the white gate.

Eleanor flung open the door and jumped out.

As her feet hit the hard ground, pain shot up from her wounded leg, but she didn’t care.

Just that morning, the ache had been nearly unbearable.

Yet now, even running didn’t hurt as much as it should have.

She hurried across the small garden and banged on the door.

Bang, bang!

Coming here without notice and pounding on the door like this—if any noble saw her, they’d be horrified at her lack of decorum.

“Is anyone home?!”

Eleanor called out, but no response came.

The house was utterly still.

Not just Karsian, but even his servants seemed to be gone.

Bang, bang, bang!

She knocked again. Still, silence.

I knew it. I knew this would happen.

She had known from the beginning that Karsian likely wouldn’t be here.

He wasn’t a man with spare time—and she hadn’t arranged anything in advance.

Eleanor let out a dry, self-mocking chuckle.

What was I even thinking?

She had believed she might get lucky. That maybe, just maybe, she’d find him here.

Even though the chances were low, something had made her feel like she could beat them.

Hoping for coincidence…

How foolish.

She hadn’t indulged in such wishful thinking since she was a child.

Clearly, learning that Nora was Luke’s sister had shaken her deeply.

Or maybe—it was Karsian’s dreamlike words and behavior that had thrown her off.

Let’s go back.

Eleanor let out a hollow smile and slowly turned to leave.

She had just started to cross the garden again when—

Thud, thud, thud—BANG!

Suddenly, heavy footsteps sounded behind the door, followed by the loud creak of it swinging open.

Startled, Eleanor turned back, only to be briefly blinded by a burst of summer sunlight.

She instinctively squinted, then slowly opened her eyes to look up the steps.

“…Lady Astria?”

Bathed in the warm sunlight, the man standing there looking down at her was undeniably the one she had come seeking.

A breeze blew, and his jet-black hair swayed softly.

His thick eyebrows curved, and below them, crimson eyes wavered slightly.

Bathed in the bright light, those red eyes looked like blooming flowers.

Karsian stared at her like he couldn’t believe she was real— Like he was dreaming.

Eleanor, too, was taken aback.

She hadn’t expected to actually see him.

So the two of them stood still, as if time had stopped, gazing at one another— As if trying to confirm that the other was really, truly there.

“Karsian.”

Her red lips moved slowly, letting out a soft voice.

“Why are you here?”

It was a completely unexpected question—but Eleanor was genuinely curious.

She couldn’t understand why fate kept bringing them together in such unbelievable ways. Why did coincidences always seem to favor them?

“You’re busy enough with Royster’s affairs, so why haven’t you left the capital? Why stay in this townhouse, when you have a much larger and better one in the center of Cardiff?”

It was a strange thing to blurt out so suddenly, but instead of looking confused or interrupting, Karsian calmly waited for her to finish.

“If there’s other business in the capital, you could stay elsewhere. So why here, specifically?”

“…I thought a moment like this might come someday.”

“What…?”

Eleanor squinted at him, frowning slightly. The sunlight still poured down on her, making it hard to open her eyes fully.

Karsian didn’t answer right away. He stepped down the stairs.

He stopped just in front of her and reached out his hand.

Was he about to touch her face? Eleanor flinched slightly—but didn’t pull away.

“I had a feeling… that someday, you’d need me desperately.”

But instead of touching her, his hand hovered just above—offering shade to her eyes. He spoke again, gently.

“That’s why I’m here.”

His large hand cast a soft shadow. The blinding sunlight that had been hurting her eyes finally eased.

Only then could Eleanor look at him properly.

He looked a little disheveled, like he hadn’t had time to tidy up—his bangs covered his forehead instead of being neatly slicked back, and two buttons of his white shirt were undone.

‘This wasn’t a coincidence.’

Their meeting wasn’t by chance. Not just today—but every time before.

He had always appeared exactly when she needed him.

And when she realized that, the tension in her shoulders melted away.

“The sun is harsh. Please, come inside.”

Karsian gently led her in. Only after hearing his words did she realize how hot the sunlight had been on her skin.

Inside the townhouse, he guided her to the coolest and most comfortable seat, then headed to the kitchen himself to bring cold drinks and snacks. It was something a servant would normally do, but he didn’t seem to mind at all.

“All the staff here are on break today. I apologize if the service is lacking.”

Living here alone, after giving all his staff the day off—that was certainly unusual. But Eleanor had seen so many strange things from him that it didn’t surprise her anymore.

If anything, not having others around made her feel more at ease.

And so, she spoke openly.

“Did you hear? What happened at Hotel Mercedes?”

“Yes, if you mean the incident with Countess Annabelle and the Crown Prince.”

“Did you also hear… that the Crown Prince is now impotent?”

“No… I didn’t. So, that’s what happened.”

“Yes. I did it.”

There was no starting point—just a blunt confession. Karsian simply blinked slowly, not reacting much.

“To be exact, I set things up so that it would happen. I gave the Crown Prince an aphrodisiac and handed the Countess a weapon. I made them hurt each other.”

Even with her added explanation, Karsian showed no change in expression. That calmness irritated her.

“What do you think about that?”

“I’m just glad you weren’t exposed, and everything ended safely.”

“Is that all? Don’t you think I’m cruel or despicable?”

“No. I’m sure you had your reasons.”

His answer came without a second’s hesitation, and that made Eleanor’s heart stir in an odd, unfamiliar way.

“What if… I had no reason?”

“I doubt that. But even if so, it wouldn’t change how I feel. I wouldn’t walk away from you.”

Why is this man so certain? Why does he like me this much?

She felt gratitude—but also fear.

Eleanor clutched the cold glass in her hands tightly.

“…I’m not normal, you know that?”

She hated how often this fear returned.

So as a way to get rid of it, she decided to drop her pride—completely.

It was a deeply emotional decision.

“I hate the world. I hate the people I’ve spent my life with. I hate darkness… but I hate light and brightness even more. You’ve only seen my polished side, but in truth, I’m a very pessimistic person.”

“I see.”

His voice was gentle, but his warm gaze never wavered.

So she went even further.

“I… might be infertile. No, I probably am. I drank several kinds of strong poisons in the past.”

This time, he did seem shaken. For the first time, his calm voice turned slightly urgent.

“Poison? Are you alright?”

But even now, all he did was worry for her.

“I’m healthy otherwise. Just… likely unable to have children.”

“…And your heart? Is your heart okay?”

That was a strange question.

Why did her heart matter?

She bit her lower lip and looked away.

“I’m fine. Either way, I’m infertile. Even if we did end up together, I wouldn’t be able to give you children. You said you’d never take a mistress, so you need a woman who can be your proper wife. But with my background and body, I’m not fit for that.”

“Not fit? Who could possibly say that?”

Karsian looked dead serious.

Eleanor didn’t respond.

“…As I said, I know my place. I won’t push my hopes onto you. But even so, whether you can bear children or not… you are far more than I deserve. Please don’t ever say things like that.”

Again.

Karsian always treated her like she was some noble, magnificent person.

And he always made himself seem small in comparison.

At first, she thought it was just humility. But the more she heard it, the more she realized—he meant every word.

She didn’t understand it at all.

He had everything. Even the Crown Prince was jealous of him. So why did he see himself as so low?

‘That I’m more than he deserves… He says that because he doesn’t really know me.’

He had brushed aside her awful personality and the fact she might never bear children—like they didn’t matter.

But if she showed him the one truth she’d never planned to reveal… maybe even he wouldn’t be able to stay.

“Karsian. I’m not the precious person you think I am.”

She really must have lost her mind today.

Impulsive. Irrational. Emotional.

But despite knowing all this, Eleanor couldn’t stop herself.

Just like a confession, she reached down—and began to lift her skirt.