NRAL | Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Wearing the Stolen Hat

Nora was finally starting to take action properly. It was what Eleanor had been waiting for. If all Nora did was put pressure on the dressing room staff and follow her father around, Eleanor would have been disappointed instead.

Hiding the hat didn’t seem like a great scheme, but Eleanor believed this wasn’t the end.

“Could it be related to Kiara’s sudden invitation?”

It wasn’t impossible. It seemed wise to be prepared, just in case. Thump, thump. Her heart beat pleasantly.

In the fierce social world, Eleanor’s way of defeating her formidable rivals had mostly been by turning their schemes against them.

Even the best strategists couldn’t devise a flawless plan. Eleanor enjoyed finding those gaps and pulling her opponents down.

Nora was clever and bold, but not a genius. So, whenever she made a move, there would inevitably be openings.

It was Eleanor’s job now to find them.

“I should have kept a closer watch. I’m so sorry, miss! It’s all my fault! How could I do something so stupid right before the party…!”

Meanwhile, Hilda was fidgeting anxiously, clasping her hands together tightly. Her short nails were digging painfully into her hands.

Fearing they might even draw blood, Eleanor quickly placed her hand over Hilda’s.

“Calm down, Hilda.”

The small touch brought a surprising sense of comfort. Eleanor, who usually avoided physical contact with others, felt the effect even more strongly.

Hilda’s trembling subsided quickly. She looked up at her mistress. To her, Eleanor’s calm face seemed more reassuring than anything else.

“Miss…”

“Yes. Take your time and tell me what happened.”

After taking a small deep breath, Hilda opened her eyes wide. Right, now wasn’t the time to tremble. She had to admit her mistake quickly and find a solution. Any punishment could come afterward.

“The missing items are the hat and accessories we bought yesterday. I’m sure the hat was still on the dressing table when I went to get the shawl from the dressing room about 30 minutes ago. The jewelry box with the accessories was also there. But when I came back, the hat was gone. The jewelry box was still there, but when I unlocked it and checked inside, the necklace and earrings we bought yesterday were missing.”

Hilda quickly brought over the jewelry box and showed the inside. Just as she said, the items they had purchased the day before were all missing.

“Only what we bought yesterday is gone. It’s strange. If the thief didn’t want to get caught, they would’ve stolen something small and expensive. If they didn’t care about getting caught, they would’ve taken everything in the box. Taking the hat makes no sense either. It’s not that expensive and it’s bigger than the other accessories, making it easier to get caught. This must be…”

“Yes, it feels like someone is picking a fight.”

When Eleanor agreed, Hilda’s face darkened even more. Somewhere, it sounded like teeth grinding in frustration.

“But it seems like a few other things are missing too.”

“Oh! That’s right. But those weren’t stolen; I set them aside. Just a moment.”

Hilda, who had been glaring fiercely towards the west, now brought a smaller jewelry box. This was something she hadn’t used while Nora was working as a maid, so she must have taken it out from the dressing room.

When she opened the box, Eleanor saw what she had been looking for. Inside were the expensive gifts she had received from her father and fiancé, including a pair of gold earrings set with large diamonds.

“These are all gifts, aren’t they? How did you know to set them aside?”

“They looked unusually expensive, and… they didn’t seem like something you would have picked out yourself. So I thought it’d be best to take care of them separately.”

Of course, Eleanor thought. Nora would have surely ordered the gold earrings to be taken, as she had always wanted them.

However, the earrings weren’t in the jewelry box, and thanks to Hilda’s caution in setting aside the gifts in a separate box, Nora didn’t know where they were.

Suddenly, a flash of realization crossed Eleanor’s light purple eyes.

Thanks to Hilda’s carefulness, they had found a loophole.

“I’ll tell the head maid right away. The hat is big, so we should be able to catch the thief!”

“No, Hilda. If Mary found out, you’ll be punished too, possibly even fired without a recommendation.”

“I deserve punishment for not managing things properly. But more importantly, we need to catch the thief…!”

“No, let’s not do that. I know how hard you’ve been trying.”

Catching the thief wouldn’t change anything. Nora wouldn’t act without preparing for this much in advance.

The maid used for the theft would simply be cut off, and Nora would shed innocent tears, claiming that Eleanor was targeting her. Or she might even turn the whole incident into a dirty scheme by Eleanor to get rid of her.

Making a big deal out of this theft would only backfire. That was why Eleanor said what she did, but Hilda took it in a slightly different way.

“Miss…!”

Hilda’s blue eyes filled with overwhelming gratitude.

‘My mistress is covering this up for me! She doesn’t want me to get fired, so she’s willing to overlook the stolen items!’

It was a clear misunderstanding, but Eleanor didn’t bother to correct her.

“Miss, I’m fine! If we let this go, she’ll think we’re pushovers. I’d rather be fired than let her get away with it!”

By now, Hilda had started to include Eleanor in the “we” group. Surprisingly, Eleanor didn’t mind it, and she chuckled softly.

“Don’t worry, Hilda. I have a plan.”

“A plan…?”

“Yes. Will you trust me?”

Hilda stared blankly at Eleanor. In that moment, when a kind smile spread across the face that was always so cold, Hilda made a promise. She would trust Eleanor no matter what.

“Yes! I trust you!”

For some reason, her heart was filled with excitement. Right now, if Eleanor told her, “Actually, I’m a man,” she would probably nod her head in agreement.

“Good. First, let’s deal with the party. Hmm… if I go looking like this, will they make fun of me?”

“Yes, probably.”

The answer came very quickly. Eleanor’s eyes narrowed, and Hilda, realising quickly, tried to explain herself.

“Of course, you look incredibly beautiful just as you are! If I weren’t attracted to men, I would fall for you at first sight and secretly love you my whole life because of how beautiful you are!”

“Enough with the compliments. Just get to the point.”

“Well, your dress is already a simple design without any decorations, and without any accessories, it might look too plain. The other young ladies at the dinner party might pretend to be worried about you but actually tease you. They’d say things like, ‘Oh my, is the Astria family struggling financially? Please let us know if you need any help.’”

With a sly smile, Hilda imitated the way noblewomen from high society mocked others.

Are all maids such good actors? Eleanor was impressed as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. Now that she thought about it, she did seem to look a bit plain.

“How about wearing a beige shawl and these gold earrings? Along with a thin gold bracelet. I know you don’t usually like to wear gifts, but… they would match your dress pretty well.”

The earrings that Nora had wanted sparkled in Hilda’s hands.

Normally, Eleanor disliked wearing gifts from her father or Arlo. It made her feel like she was wearing a rope.

But now, she felt like she could wear them without feeling suffocated. After all, they were just items, and she could use them to her advantage to leave this place. Thinking that way, she felt lighter.

“Alright. And by the way, do we have any black ribbon or fabric left? It’d be nice if it had some pearls on it.”

“We don’t have a ribbon, but we do have a long black fabric. I could add pearls to it quickly if needed.”

“Great. Could you wrap it around my waist, like a ribbon, and attach some pearls in the center?”

“Around your waist? It won’t match the beige shawl very well…”

“It doesn’t have to match perfectly. Just do as I say.”

“Alright, I understand.”

Hilda didn’t ask any more questions and nodded, thinking that there must be a reason for her lady’s request.

“What about the hat?”

“The hat is the problem. There’s nothing suitable…”

All the hats in the dressing room were outdated and in poor condition. It was obvious that the previous manager hadn’t taken good care of them.

Hmm… As Eleanor touched her chin, her eyes landed on a hat.

A beige hat decorated with golden flowers. She had no idea when Hilda had finished making it.

“Hilda, if you started a business, how much would you sell your products for?”

“What? Why are you suddenly asking me that…?”

When Hilda saw where Eleanor’s gaze had fallen, she was shocked, her mouth hanging open.

“No matter the price, I want to be your first customer.”

***

Hilda was embarrassed and insisted it wasn’t suitable, but with no other options, Eleanor bought the hat from her. The golden flower decoration turned out to be more elegant than expected.The colors matched the shawl, making her look even more elegant and fresh than she had originally planned. While the ribbon tied around her waist, which Hilda had opposed, felt a bit off, but it wasn’t too noticeable.

Thanks to leaving right away, she fortunately arrived at the dinner party on time.

As Eleanor entered the dining room with the help of the servants from the Portsmouth estate, a lavishly dressed woman came out to greet her.

“Welcome, Ellie. I was worried you wouldn’t come, but I’m so glad to see you. I was just having some pre-dinner champagne. Would you like to join me?”

The woman in the sparkling red dress, adorned with emeralds, was none other than Kiara.

Eleanor found herself puzzled by Kiara’s unusually warm greeting as she followed her into the dining room. Familiar faces began to greet her one by one.

There was Viscount Cunningham, Kiara’s partner, Vanessa Patel, the second daughter of the Earl of Patel, Darcy Wickins, the eldest daughter of the Viscount Wickins family, and a few other noble men and women. Despite the talk of inviting special and noble guests, it was the same group that always attended these parties.

‘She said there was someone she wanted to introduce me to. Haven’t they arrived yet?’

Looking around, Eleanor noticed that a few seats were still empty. Two seats directly across from her and one next to her were unoccupied.

“Oh my, Ellie! Why are you so dressed up today?”

As soon as Eleanor sat down and received a glass of champagne, someone loudly commented on her outfit. It was Vanessa Patel, another one of Eleanor’s so-called friends.

With her golden curly hair and blue eyes, and known for her good heart in helping the poor, Vanessa was often referred to among the nobles as ‘Angel Vanessa.’ She was always smiling at Eleanor and offering her kind words.

“After all, you usually wear the dresses my grandmother liked so much.”

“Hahaha! Lady Vanessa, such a cheeky remark!”

“Oh my! I didn’t mean it in a bad way. I love my grandmother, you know.”

However, for some reason, today there seemed to be a sharp edge to her words. Vanessa, with her pretty face, insisted she didn’t mean any harm, but any woman familiar with the language of high society would know better.

“I was just… a little worried because you always wore the same style. I wondered if the Astria family might be going through hard times. But now, I’m relieved to see that’s not the case.”

She even threw in that comment.

‘I should have Hilda lay out a mat for this fortune-telling,’ Eleanor thought, stifling a small laugh as she sipped her champagne. Since Eleanor didn’t react much, another friend took the opportunity to jump in.

“This champagne was newly brought in from the Mori region. It tastes good, doesn’t it? You should drink a lot now, since it might be hard to find in the future.”

Boom. A large champagne bottle was placed in front of Eleanor. Kiara, who had brought it, smiled kindly as she patted Eleanor on the shoulder.

Soon, soft laughter echoed around the table. The only one not laughing was Darcy Wickins, one of their friends, who seemed to be nervously looking around. She was too timid to join in.

‘So, they all know. That Nora is the real Eleanor, and that she’ll be taking everything from me soon.’

Of course. There’s no way Arlo, who treats lower-class people like insects, would introduce his woman as a maid to his friends.

Instead of feeling humiliated or surprised, Eleanor just nodded to herself as if she had expected this.

From the moment she received the invitation, no, even from when they last met at the ball, she had anticipated this situation might happen. The only reason she came today was to confirm it for herself.

“It’s just a joke, Ellie. You’re not upset over something like this, are you?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“I’m glad. It’d be troublesome if you ran off crying like last time.”

After returning to her seat, Kiara leaned forward, placing her hand on Viscount Cunningham’s as if showing off. Viscount Cunningham smiled and accepted her gesture, though his lips tightened slightly.

Everyone in high society knew the story of how Kiara Portsmouth aggressively pursued Timothy Cunningham and eventually won him over.

Some thought it was romantic, but the hidden truth was that Kiara, who wasn’t particularly attractive, had used all her power and wealth to win the handsome Timothy. It was also a well-known but quiet secret that Viscount Cunningham had privately cried to his friends about being sold off for money, though most people pretended not to know.

“My lady, your guests have arrived.”

“Ah! Finally, the special guests are here.”

Thanks to the timely arrival of the guests, Viscount Cunningham was able to escape from the unwanted affection.

Kiara jumped up from her seat, rushing past the servant to greet them. Phew. Viscount Cunningham let out a quiet sigh of relief as he watched her leave.

Soon, the door opened, and the guests everyone had been waiting for appeared.

“Everyone, please welcome the soon-to-be Crown Prince and Princess!”

As the nobles rose from their seats and bowed their heads, Eleanor lifted hers and looked at the familiar faces.

Her eyes were drawn to a black hat decorated with a large ribbon and small pearls.