NRAL | Chapter 49

~Chapter 49~

Do You Like Me?

A maid who stole everything from the lady she served—Nora Astria. Even dressed in expensive gowns and jewelry, she couldn’t hide her vulgar nature.

On the other hand, Eleanor Astria, who had lost her name and fiancé to that maid, remained elegant and composed, as a noble should.

The nobles at the party began to see the two ladies in a completely different light. The shift in opinion mainly came from the fact that one had left the party, unable to handle the situation she caused, while the other stayed until the end and helped bring the event to a close.

The noblewomen gossiped negatively about Nora even before it was confirmed that she had been Eleanor’s maid. Many of them had experienced unfaithful husbands themselves, and throughout history, a favored maid was always someone the lady of the house had to be cautious of—so it was easy for them to sympathize with Eleanor.

Meanwhile, the gentlemen praised Eleanor’s beauty and grew curious about her relationship with the Grand Duke. If she wasn’t involved with him, some looked ready to pursue her themselves. But Eleanor gave vague answers that discouraged them.

Just when she felt she had answered enough, Eleanor politely excused herself and slipped away through the crowd.

More than ten minutes had passed. It wasn’t long, considering the number of guests, but it was enough time to have kept the Grand Duke waiting too long on the balcony.

She walked quickly, avoiding others’ eyes, and saw the curtains to the balcony still closed.

Thinking that Karsian must be waiting anxiously behind those curtains made her throat go dry. The memory of dancing with him and locking eyes earlier returned to her.

“I’m sorry. Did I keep you waiting? You must’ve been cold.”

But when she stepped through the curtain, Eleanor acted confidently. She pretended to be relaxed to hide her embarrassment.

Karsian, who had been standing with his hands on the railing, looking at the moon, slowly turned to face her.

“I haven’t waited long. …Are you cold?”

His gaze, emotionless yet tracing her bare shoulders and arms, made her unconsciously clench her teeth.

Her fake calm was quickly slipping away.

Eleanor truly wasn’t used to such kindness.

“Oh, I forgot to bring a shawl. It’s okay. I’m used to the cold.”

Unlike the warm Royster, Juvenile was chilly throughout most of the year except for summer. Still, with spring ending, the weather had become warmer. Though it was still too cold to have bare skin exposed in the evening wind.

Karsian slightly raised an eyebrow and began removing his outer coat. Eleanor, who wasn’t used to such gestures, only realized his intention a moment later.

“I’m really fine…”

“But I’m not. Please wear it.”

He almost forced the coat into her hands. Eleanor held back a laugh at how different this was from what she expected—she had imagined him placing it gently over her shoulders, but he simply handed it to her instead.

This was the same man who had once grabbed her muddy ankle without hesitation, yet now he was being modest, keeping his distance. She appreciated the lack of pressure, though her opinion that he was an odd person didn’t change.

“Then, I’ll wear it gratefully.”

As she draped the soft coat over her shoulders, warmth spread across her skin, which had been chilled by the air. She hadn’t realized she was cold until she wore it.

At the same time, a familiar scent surrounded her. It smelled like fresh wind, yet strangely alluring. It was his scent.

“I feel like I’m always receiving help from you, Your Grace.”

She smiled as she spoke, and Karsian opened his mouth as if he had something to say.

But at that moment, someone passed by on the other side of the curtain, interrupting their conversation.

“Damn, I should’ve noticed that body earlier, don’t you think?”

“What would you have done if you had? You think Arlo would’ve let you mess with a woman who was almost the crown princess? You know how that guy is.”

Eleanor immediately recognized the voices. It was Rupert McDonald and Ronnie Griffith, Arlo’s close friends—men she had little to no interaction with because of their notorious reputations, worse than even Kiara’s group.

“What does it matter? Arlo didn’t even care about her. Damn, I should’ve made my move when her real identity came out and she was left all alone. I could’ve stepped in and had her pregnant already.”

“Haha! And what then? She’d be clinging to you, demanding you take responsibility.”

“With a face like that, I’d consider keeping her as a mistress. Maybe then I’d be even closer to Arlo. Hah!”

As expected, their words were even more vulgar than she had imagined. Eleanor scoffed silently at the kind of men Arlo kept around.

She didn’t feel the need to pull open the curtain and confront them. Causing a scene wouldn’t help anyone.

She simply thought to break the tension first, so Karsian wouldn’t be put in an uncomfortable position.

That was all she planned to do—

Until she saw his expression.

“…Your Grace?”

Until now, all the kindness he had shown felt like a lie—Karsian’s expression was cold and fierce.

The energy flowing through his glowing red eyes in the dark was unmistakably filled with killing intent. Even though she knew it wasn’t directed at her, it was so intense that Eleanor got goosebumps all over.

It felt like she was looking at a complete stranger, and she froze without realizing it.

Karsian walked past her and reached toward the curtain. His steps were so firm and threatening, it seemed like he might seriously kill someone.

Grab!

Snapping out of it, Eleanor quickly grabbed his collar.

“Please don’t do that.”

Karsian slowly turned his head, revealing his tense profile. Frowning, he looked at her as she shook her head.

“If you do, I’ll be the one in trouble.”

The words she chose wouldn’t have meant anything to someone like Arlo, but they were surprisingly effective at stopping Karsian.

He stood still, clenching and unclenching his fists several times. His temples and hands bulged with veins—he looked so furious it seemed like he had been insulted instead of her.

“You said you didn’t hate me, Your Grace.”

Eleanor gently pulled him back onto the balcony by his collar and continued.

“Then… do you pity me?”

It was a sudden question—but it was also the reason she had invited him to the balcony in the first place.

Karsian didn’t answer right away. He let out a heavy breath, clearly struggling to control the rage boiling inside him.

After a moment of silence, he roughly swept back his hair and replied in a low voice.

“…Are you asking if what I feel for you is just pity?”

Considering how angry he had just been, he calmed down surprisingly fast. That, too, set him apart from Arlo.

“If you’re asking that, then no—I deny it. It’s not such a simple feeling.”

He turned to face her again.

He looked slightly disheveled—his hair ruffled by the wind, his eyes faintly trembling as he looked down at her. He seemed rough, intense.

“I’m angry.”

“…What?”

“When I see you being insulted and mocked by such worthless men—men who deserve to be torn apart. When I see how calmly you handle it, like you’re used to it. That makes me so angry I can hardly stand it.”

His voice broke into pieces, word by word, as if emotion was boiling over like molten metal.

Karsian gripped the balcony railing next to Eleanor’s arm so hard it seemed like he might break it.

Maybe because she had pulled him closer, now his face was just inches away. Eleanor unconsciously held her breath at how close he was.

“So please, in front of me—or even when I’m not around—don’t let yourself be treated like that.”

Please.

He added that softly, with a sincerity that made it hard to believe this was the same cold, stoic Grand Duke of Royster.

“Your Grace…”

Eleanor barely managed to exhale the breath stuck in her throat as she looked at him.

“…Do you like me?”

Eleanor Astria wasn’t foolish. She wasn’t oblivious.

But up to this point, she had ruled out the idea that his kindness originated from affection because the idea was so unfamiliar—and because she thought it was unlikely.

She had never even had a proper conversation with him. Could someone like that really have feelings for me?

She had always thought it was ridiculous. Even teenagers just debuting in society didn’t fall that fast.

But now, she couldn’t help but wonder.

“…If that’s the case…”

Karsian clenched his jaw and furrowed his brow. His face looked more like he was confessing to a crime than expressing love.

“If I do… is that unpleasant for you?”

Eleanor blinked in surprise.

In her twenty-two years of life, she had received a few confessions—some even from men who knew she was engaged to Arlo.

But none of them had ever cared how she felt about it. Even the least attractive of them demanded an answer with arrogant confidence. Arlo had been no different.

What a strange man…

He didn’t have any flaws, yet here he was, worried his feelings might upset her. She couldn’t fully understand it, but she found it deeply touching.

Eleanor took a quiet breath to steady her pounding heart.

Was his affection unpleasant?

No, not at all.

If anything, she found it somewhat flattering. No one had ever liked her so sincerely before, and Karsian was attractive both objectively and personally. It wasn’t quite love, but she did feel something.

However, she couldn’t say that honestly. She couldn’t accept his feelings.

So, if she truly cared about him, she needed to make things clear—give him no false hope.

“No, it’s not unpleasant. But… please don’t like me anymore. I’m saying this for your own good.”

When she said that firmly, Karsian’s eyes wavered. He seemed to be trying to understand her intentions.

For his sake, Eleanor added gently, with gratitude in her heart.

“You saw me today, didn’t you? Wasn’t I awful? I used someone else’s feelings for my personal revenge, twisted things to cause fights, and set everything up so people could watch and mock them. And I pretended I didn’t know a thing—when in truth, I enjoyed every second of their downfall.”

Revenge is never beautiful. It’s always miserable and cruel.

The worst part is knowing that, yet still being unable to stop.

“There will be a lot more days like this. I’ll keep using innocent people to drag others into the mud. And I’ll keep pushing them down until they stop breathing—ruthlessly, relentlessly.”

She looked him straight in the eye.

Maybe it was the spring air or the cherry tree visible from the balcony, but his clear eyes reminded her of cherry blossoms.

“There’s nothing more painful than seeing the darkest side of someone you care about. And I think I’d be really sad if I disappointed someone who said they liked me. So…”

She let go of the collar she hadn’t even realized she was still holding, then gave a small smile.

“I think it would be best for both of us if you let go of those feelings today.”

That should be the perfect, gentle rejection. Eleanor believed she had ended things clearly and kindly.

“Thank you—for everything. I’ll make sure to repay the debt I owe you, little by little.”