NRAL | Chapter 60

~Chapter 60~

 There Was a Family

It was obvious she didn’t belong in a place like this. So when the noble lady called his name, Mr. Smith, the homeowner, widened his eyes in surprise.

“Who is it?”

A cranky voice came from inside, and a plump middle-aged woman peeked out from behind Smith.

“Mr. and Mrs. Chestnut, I have something to ask you. May I come in?”

Jane Chestnut was startled by the noble lady’s polite tone and quickly opened the door.

“Yes, yes, of course! Come in. And you, why didn’t you open the door sooner?”

“But how could I open the door when we don’t even know who it is?” her husband grumbled.

“She’s obviously a noble!” Jane moved her husband in the side, and Smith awkwardly cleared his throat before leading Eleanor and Ernst inside.

The Chestnuts’ house felt oddly out of place. There were many things in need of repair—cracked walls let in the wind—but the decorations inside and the cup of water Jane nervously offered looked surprisingly expensive.

Maybe their finances fell apart suddenly, Eleanor thought as she naturally took the best seat.

Meanwhile, Smith studied the noble lady in front of him—probably the closest he’d ever been to someone like her.

The way Eleanor crossed her long legs and took a sip of water looked so elegant, for a moment their shabby home seemed like a grand mansion. Just as Smith swallowed nervously and tried to sneak a look at her pale ankle—

—a cold glare shot toward him.

It was the knight, Ernst, standing firmly behind Eleanor, eyes icy and fixed on Smith. Terrified, Smith shrank back.

Trying to read the room, he cautiously asked:

“So, what… do you want to ask about?”

“It’s nothing too serious, so you don’t need to be so nervous,” Eleanor said. “If you tell us what you know about a certain person, we’ll leave right away. And if your information is useful, we’re even willing to offer a reward.”

The word reward made the couple’s eyes gleam.

“A reward? Really? How much?”

“Hey! Don’t be rude… I’m sorry, miss. My wife’s not well educated. Of course we’ll tell you whatever we know. Who are you looking for?”

Jane raised her voice excitedly, and Smith scolded her harshly. But despite his scolding, the greedy look in his eyes wasn’t any better.

Eleanor erased the smile from her lips and slowly pulled out a portrait.

“You should know her. Her name is Nora. She’s twenty-two. She grew up in your care, so you couldn’t possibly not know her.”

The couple’s bright expressions turned pale the moment they saw the picture.

They glanced at each other, clearly panicked. It was obvious they were hiding something.

“We don’t know her.”

Smith stated seriously, but Eleanor let out a small laugh.

She’d already expected this reaction. Nora must’ve warned them—whether by threat or persuasion—not to talk. She would’ve made sure of it.

“Mr. Chestnut.”

But Eleanor wasn’t worried.

Threats or persuasion—she was good at both.

“It’s best to answer honestly. I can’t stand liars—”

She said in a low, almost whispering voice, and the couple stiffened.

“—and I’m not exactly known for my patience.”

Eleanor fluttered her long eyelashes and signaled to Ernst. He quickly caught on and placed a hand on his sword as if ready to draw it.

“Eek!”

Smith immediately jumped back and hid behind his wife. He had mistaken her politeness for weakness, but now he realized—she was a noble after all.

The couple began to tremble, as if they might scream at any moment. Sensing it was time for a bit of kindness, Eleanor casually continued.

“This woman, Nora, committed a serious offense against a high-ranking noble family. If you protect her carelessly, you might be seen as her accomplices. Be careful.”

“A… a criminal?”

Smith looked quite surprised, as if he had heard something completely unexpected.

It was clear that Nora hadn’t told them the truth about her circumstances. If this couple knew she had truly been recognized as a noble lady, they would’ve definitely tried to cling to the Astria family, demanding compensation for raising her. But the fact that they were still living in this rundown house with only expensive dishes showed that they had no idea what name Nora was now going by.

Eleanor nodded slightly and continued her lie smoothly.

“Yes, that’s right. I can’t reveal the exact charge yet, but I can say for certain that it’s a very serious crime.”

“Oh my…!”

“This criminal lived in your home from the age of five to thirteen. I already knew that before coming here. I’m only asking about her now to make one final confirmation. As long as you’re not involved with her, there’s no reason for you to be in trouble.”

She added with a gentle smile.

“Unless, of course, you and the criminal were working together.”

The couple exchanged hurried glances again. They seemed to have a lot to say to each other, but sadly, they weren’t close enough to understand each other with just looks—and they couldn’t exactly step outside to discuss things in front of the nobles.

In the end, Jane, unable to hold back, spoke first.

“Alright, we know her. We knew that girl. She threatened us! Said she was favored by some high noble and was about to marry a very important man. She warned us that he didn’t like us and told us to leave Cardiff if we valued our lives!”

“Jane!”

‘Why would you just blurt that out like that?!’ Smith’s eyes clearly conveyed his frustration.

He quickly glanced at Eleanor and Ernst. But to his surprise, their expressions didn’t look particularly displeased. In fact, they simply nodded calmly, as if they already knew everything.

Relieved, Smith sighed and continued as if he hadn’t just scolded his wife.

“Y-Yes, that’s right. She said if we ever said anything about her or tried to return to Cardiff, her lover would kill us. That’s the only reason I didn’t answer honestly before. We’re victims too!”

“I see. When did this happen?”

“Well, it was a few years after she ran away from home… maybe five or six years ago now.”

Eleanor slowly nodded. Her gaze grew slightly colder as she looked at the Chestnut couple, but since she quickly moved on to the next question, they didn’t notice.

“Tell me everything you know about Nora. If it’s useful, I’ll reward you.”

“Yes, yes! Of course! Let’s see… that Nora girl, she was a troublemaker since she was young. Never listened, drove us crazy…”

The couple, excited by the idea of a reward, started spouting off everything they knew—mostly insults about Nora.

After putting up with their pointless ranting for a while, Eleanor finally gained information that was actually useful, enough to make the long and nauseating trip worthwhile.

“Her older sister left that wild child with us and then stopped sending money after a while. Honestly, we were saints to take care of her for so long! Who raises a kid that’s not even blood in this day and age? And after all that, she runs away! So ungrateful!”

“…Older sister?”

Eleanor, who had kept a neutral expression until now, finally spoke.

Afraid they wouldn’t get their reward, the couple jumped at the chance to answer, thrilled that she was finally reacting.

“Yes! She had an older sister quite a bit older than her. She used to talk with my wife sometimes.”

“Oh please, it’s not like we were friends. She came around a few times asking about our son Jasper since he was the same age as her little sister. Then one day she just left the girl with us and disappeared. I barely remember her name!”

“She was kind of pretty, though. What was her name… Lucy? Sia?”

“You! You really were involved with that woman, weren’t you? That’s why you took that brat in! Aren’t you ashamed in front of our son?!”

“What the—! How dare you yell in front of a noble lady?! Shut up already!”

“Fine, I am crazy! I must’ve been to marry you and walk into this hellhole! Oh, my poor life!”

Their noisy fight went on, but Eleanor wasn’t even listening.

She simply clenched her lips shut and rounded her fists tightly.

Nora had a family.

That girl who always cried about wanting a family… she really had one all along.

“…Ha.”

Eleanor let out a bitter laugh she couldn’t hold back.

The low, hollow chuckle made the Chestnuts stop fighting and look at her.

“D-Did the information I gave just now help you?”

Smith gave her a groveling smile. He was clearly asking for a reward.

“Yes, it wasn’t bad.”

Eleanor readily placed a small jewel on the creaky table. The bright red gem sparkled, and the couple’s eyes lit up with joy.

“Now, let me ask. Is the reason you’re still living in such a miserable place also because of Nora’s threats?”

“Y-Yes! That’s right. That girl warned us—said if she ever saw us again, she wouldn’t let us live. Told us never to step foot inside the city again.”

“…There doesn’t seem to be much work around here. How have you been getting by?”

“W-We managed with the money we had… but as you can see, we’re at our limit. We can’t even afford to eat properly.”

Doesn’t seem that way, with all those fancy things around here… Eleanor swallowed the thought with a faint smile.

Nora must’ve given them money.

She had probably worried that if she only threatened them, they’d come crawling back. So, she must’ve also handed them settlement money to help them restart elsewhere.

And these foolish people, having no plan, must have spent it all recklessly—causing the money to run out sooner than expected.

Eleanor felt pity for Nora, who must’ve wasted all the money she’d saved up while working as a maid, and continued speaking calmly.

“As I said, Nora committed a serious crime. That truth hasn’t come to light yet, but it soon will.”

“Serves her right! That ungrateful brat—she brought it all on herself!”

“Yes. And once that happens, innocent victims like you will no longer have to live in a place like this.”

“D-Does that mean… we can go back to central Cardiff?!”

The couple’s faces instantly brightened. Strictly speaking, they’d never actually lived in the center of Cardiff, but life in the outskirts had grown unbearably dull. The idea of moving closer to the capital was extremely appealing.

“Yes. Considering the harm you’ve suffered, I may even arrange employment for you.”

“R-Really?! Oh, thank you so much!”

“However, the timing isn’t right yet. I’ll contact you later. When the time comes, come back here—and I’ll provide proper work.”

This time, a white handkerchief was placed on the table.

It was clearly expensive, embroidered with an image of two swans—one flying toward the sky, and the other diving into water.

It was the crest of Astria.