NRAL | Chapter 109

~Chapter 109~

The Things That Must Hurt

Lady Corcos chuckled as she watched the two women argue, and then excused herself and left the room.

Only then did Eleanor release Hilda’s mouth.

“My lady! What on earth are you doing?”

Hilda gasped, her breath still heavy as she raised her voice. She knew it was an impudent tone to use with her lady, but right now, there was no time for formalities.

“What are you doing, Hilda? You’re throwing away such a good opportunity. It was Lady Corcos’s offer, after all.”

“I know it’s a good opportunity, but… My lady, you don’t need to do this for me. I’m just your maid, and the most important thing for me is serving you. I don’t have time or energy for anything else.”

“You’re mistaken, Hilda. I’m not doing this just for you; I’m doing it for all of us. Listen to me.”

“Huh! You’re going to try to distract me with some ridiculous argument again…!”

This won’t work anymore! Hilda furrowed her brow and shouted.

Over the months that Eleanor and Hilda had spent together, she had learned a lot about her lady. She was elegant and kind, but also very peculiar. Eleanor could manipulate her with her clever words, and Hilda had realized this more than once.

For example, Eleanor had once insisted she drink a health juice that was awful but good for the body. Before long, Hilda found herself drinking the juice instead of Eleanor. After this happened multiple times, she realized she was being controlled by Eleanor.

“That’s a harsh word to say. And I’m not trying to do that this time. Just think carefully, Hilda.”

“Ah! All your arguments always start with ‘think carefully, Hilda’! Even before drinking that healthy juice, you said the same thing!”

“Then think it over, Hilda. If we move to the Duke’s estate, we’ll need money to live, won’t we? I have some saved up, but thinking about living together for the rest of our lives, it would be more stable if we had a steady income.”

Her voice sounded surprisingly serious. Hilda was a little taken aback by the mention of “living together for the rest of our lives” but tried not to show it.

“I’ll think of ways to make money, but I don’t have a talent like you, Hilda. Do you remember what I said before? About doing business together? I was serious about it.”

“But… do you really think I’m talented? What if Lady Corcos is mistaken, or if she was just being polite?”

“Lady Corcos isn’t the type to say things like that without meaning it. If she mentioned talent, it means you truly have it. And more than that, when you make lace or decorate hats, you seem so happy and comfortable.”

“My lady…”

“The ability to do what you love is rare. I don’t want you to throw away this chance, Hilda.”

Hilda’s face quickly turned sad. She looked at Eleanor with teary eyes, then suddenly threw herself into her lady’s arms.

“Thank you, my lady. Thank you so much.”

“Thank you? I’m just a bad investor who plans to rely on your talent for the rest of my life.”

Hilda, who was crying, laughed despite herself when Eleanor whispered in a deliberately scary voice.

The mood had just started to feel pleasant when—

“Excuse me.”

A maid from the townhouse knocked politely and entered.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but His Grace the Duke of Royster has asked to see you, my lady.”

Oh no. Eleanor realized she had kept Karsian waiting for too long and looked flustered.

“Go quickly, my lady!”

Hilda wiped away the tears in her eyes and smiled warmly, pushing Eleanor toward the door.

Eleanor hesitated for a moment but then left the room.

There was something on her mind, and this time, her steps toward him felt heavier than before.

‘It would have been nice if the last time I saw him had been on our date.’

Yes, if it had been then, the feeling in her chest would have been full of pleasant excitement. She would have been thinking about how to treat someone who was her first love, the little concerns of her heart.

But unfortunately, their last meeting had been a cold and brief encounter in front of the Crown Prince’s palace. After that, about a week passed without them being able to meet due to their busy schedules.

‘I hope he’s not angry.’

Standing in front of the door, Eleanor bit her lip.

Considering what she had seen of Karsian, she didn’t think he’d be upset over something like that. He had promised to be with her, no matter how difficult it was, and this time, she hadn’t hurt him that badly.

So there was no reason to worry… but oddly, she still felt nervous.

“Karsian, I’m coming in.”

Eleanor cautiously opened the door to the room. As always, Karsian was standing there, looking like he had just stepped out of a painting.

“You’ve arrived. Please, sit down.”

Karsian stood up and, in a kind voice, guided her to the seat. His neatly styled hair, wrinkle-free clothes, and perfect appearance were just like usual, but there was a strange darkness around his eyes.

Perhaps he hadn’t been sleeping well due to his work.

Eleanor subtly observed his expression as she settled into the sofa. On the table in front of her were two cups of coffee. One was hers, and the other had clearly been his, as it was half-drunk. It wasn’t too cold, so he couldn’t have been waiting long.

“I heard you came to get your outfit for the hunting festival. Are you attending this year?”

He didn’t seem angry, and to her relief, he opened the conversation in a relaxed manner. Eleanor, feeling relieved, let out a deep breath before replying.

“Ah, yes. I’m planning to attend this time.”

“That’s rare. I thought you didn’t like hunting festivals. Oh, by the way, I received a letter from you asking for my help. What’s it about?”

Oh no. Eleanor realized she had forgotten about the letter she had sent him, asking for his help right before visiting Arlo.

After the awkward meeting at the palace, the letter had reached him, and Eleanor hadn’t even remembered it in her distracted state.

What would Karsian think of her asking for help after breaking her promise? She hoped he had received the letter before their last meeting.

“Actually… I was hoping you could meet with my father.”

“My father, the Duke of Astria?”

“Yes. I’d like you to meet him in person and propose a contract. I’ll become your mistress in exchange for the money you promised me. We’ll write up a deed and have it notarized.”

As she said it, Eleanor knew how ridiculous it must sound, so she quickly added more explanation.

“Of course, I’ll never actually give that money to my father. I’m planning to include a clause that will void the contract. So, don’t worry about that, but if it bothers you, I can make a separate contract with you—”

“No. I’ll do as you said. There’s no need for a separate contract.”

What? Eleanor was stunned. She hadn’t even explained what the clause would be or how the contract would be voided, but Karsian nodded without hesitation. She had worried that he would be shocked, but it was she who was shocked instead.

She had intended to explain everything, but he had trusted her completely without question. While she was grateful, a part of her worried that he was too trusting and might get taken advantage of.

“…Karsian. As I’ve said before, you really shouldn’t be getting involved in business matters. Always check with your secretaries first.”

“Yes, I’ll do that.”

His immediate reply made her even more doubtful. She couldn’t help but add:

“Be careful with women too. If you end up with the wrong one, it could be a big problem.”

That was a mistake. Given that she had confessed her feelings to him, this was definitely something she shouldn’t have said.

His warm gaze immediately turned cold, and his lips stiffened.

“…As I’ve said before, that won’t happen. Eleanor, you clearly don’t trust me.”

Karsian finally looked away from her and took a sip of his coffee. He looked elegant as he drank, but there was something fierce in his expression.

“No, that’s… I’m sorry. I misspoke.”

Eleanor quickly apologized, realizing there was nothing more to say.

“It’s fine. You have nothing to apologize for.”

He put his cup down on the table and met her gaze again. Although it wasn’t as warm as before, there was still affection in his eyes.

“By the way, is there anything else I can help with? Please, feel free to ask.”

Despite his kind offer, Eleanor hesitated. There was one more request she had, but it was related to the palace, and she wasn’t sure how to bring it up.

After a long pause, she finally spoke.

“Karsian, would you consider attending the hunting festival this year? Would that be alright?”

“Yes. I had already planned to attend as soon as I knew you were going. But is there any particular reason?”

“I think if you attend, it will be easier to draw my father into the festival. And…”

Eleanor swallowed nervously.

“Because I promised. I promised I wouldn’t be hurt in a place where you are.”

This meant she planned to be hurt at the hunting festival.

Karsian immediately clenched his fists, his face twisting into an expression much fiercer than when she had mentioned another woman.

“Is this really something you must do?”

His voice was slow, filled with desperation. He wanted to hear her deny it, but Eleanor shook her head firmly.

“Yes, it’s the only way to end this.”

She extended her hand toward him slowly.

His face, twisted in pain, seemed even more tormented than her own. She gently held his clenched fist as if to comfort him.

“There’s not much time left. Please, just bear with me a little longer.”

Yes, the end was almost here.

This revenge didn’t require much more preparation. It had been planned long ago, with a great deal of pain.