Chapter 09
Be the Real One in My Place
After spending hours riding through the streets of Cardiff in search of peace of mind, Eleanor returned to the duke’s mansion late at night.
Her head throbbed, likely from being in the cold wind for too long.
When she checked the time, it was almost midnight. It seemed she’d need a good sleep to recover.
But as soon as she passed through the mansion’s front gates, she felt it. Sleep wouldn’t come easily tonight.
The mansion was oddly noisy for this late hour, and an unexpected figure was there to greet her.
“Welcome back!”
The cheerful voice came not from the butler, the head maid, or Ernst, but from Nora.
Eleanor hesitated for a moment upon seeing her.
It was brief, but it felt like she had stepped back in time.
Back to the days when she simply found Nora adorable and Nora eagerly followed her around, chatting nonstop. Whenever Eleanor returned from the palace or a party, Nora would rush out and bombard her with questions about whom she met and what she ate.
It hadn’t been that long ago, yet it felt like months had passed.
However, the reality was clear—Nora was wearing a lavish dress, flanked by two maids.
Eleanor remembered. Her father had mentioned assigning maids to Nora during breakfast.
It was likely prompted by Arlo’s suggestion that Nora might be the real duchess, leading him to this decision.
The duke seemed to think it wouldn’t hurt to keep someone monitoring Nora’s every move. Eleanor wasn’t convinced it was a good idea; those assigned were far from suitable for surveillance.
The maids behind Nora were Eva and Natalie, who had been friendly with her for a while.
They were around the same age and seemed to get along well, often wandering the mansion together.
But even back then, Nora always felt like the leader of the group.
Now it was obvious. It wasn’t friendship but the dynamic of power and followers.
The sharp glares they threw at Eleanor made it clear—they saw her as a threat to their mistress.
‘Looks like they’ve picked their side,’ Eleanor thought, raising an eyebrow slightly.
Not a bad gamble. If Nora turned out to be the real duchess, their loyalty could earn them positions as her closest attendants.
The difference between low-ranking maids and those attending a noblewoman was as vast as the gap between commoners and nobles in terms of pay and treatment. It was natural for them to aim high.
“Arlo is at the palace,” Eleanor said, brushing past Nora’s greetings.
“What? Oh, I wasn’t here for him,” Nora replied hesitantly. “I waited for you. I wanted to talk.”
Her cautious tone and awkward smile showed she was conscious of others’ reactions.
Eleanor chuckled faintly.
From the moment Nora tearfully insisted she was the real one, Eleanor had suspected it. Her acting skills were top-notch. She’d always known Nora was talented, but not to this extent.
“Next time,” Eleanor said dismissively, waving a hand. “I’m too tired to pamper you now.”
But as she walked past, Nora’s cheerful voice called out, stopping her in her tracks.
“Wait, Ellie!”
Eleanor froze, her body stiff as stone. She heard the sharp intake of breath from the people around them. Slowly, she turned her head.
“…What?”
“Even though things turned out this way… I still want to get along with you, Ellie.”
She hadn’t misheard.
“Did you just use my nickname?”
“Oh! I’m sorry,” Nora stammered, looking embarrassed. “I shouldn’t have done that without asking. But… I can’t exactly use the name Eleanor anymore, can I?”
She gave a sheepish smile, continuing, “Should I just go back to calling you ‘miss’ if you don’t like it?”
Before Eleanor could reply, Nora’s maids jumped in.
“That’s not right, Miss Nora!” Eva said.
“You can’t call her ‘miss’ anymore. The master said to treat you as the duchess!” Natalie added.
“That’s right,” Nora said, pretending to be in a dilemma. “I can’t go against Father’s orders…”
Eleanor stood silently, watching Nora clasp her hands and bite her lip in an exaggerated display of hesitation. It was almost pitiable.
Finally, Eleanor spoke. “Call me whatever you like. It doesn’t matter.”
It was not like anyone else had asked her permission to use that nickname. She’d never wanted it anyway. Would an additional person make a difference?
“Thank you, Ellie! Maybe we can—”
“Yes, let’s talk,” Eleanor interrupted firmly. “But this time, somewhere truly private.”
She locked eyes with Nora, her calm gaze carrying an edge. “We wouldn’t want to waste time, would we?”
“But, miss!” Eva protested. “It’s dangerous!”
“You don’t know what might happen if you’re alone!” Natalie chimed in.
Their attempts to whisper to Nora were loud enough for everyone to hear.
Before the head maid could step in, Nora cut them off. “Dangerous? Don’t be silly. Ellie’s a wonderful person.”
Nora’s defense of Eleanor would likely win her favor with the staff, cementing her position further.
“Alright, Ellie,” she said, her face lighting up. “Let’s go to my room. I’ll send the maids away, so don’t worry.”
Eleanor followed her with a calm expression, her gaze unwavering.
As they reached Nora’s room, the head maid muttered under her breath, worried for Eleanor. But Eleanor’s calm expression and the glint of something unfamiliar in her eyes told a different story.
Inside, Eleanor glanced around at the well-furnished room. It was clear from the packed belongings that Nora didn’t expect to stay long.
Admiring her boldness, Eleanor broke the silence. “Where’s my dress?”
“What?”
“The one you wore that day. Where is it?”
“That day?” Nora tilted her head, pretending to be unaware.
Eleanor sighed. “Fine. Let’s skip the useless questions. Why did you lie?”
“Lie? What lie?”
“The lie that you’re the real one.”
Eleanor wanted to hear Nora’s reasons directly, no matter how predictable they were.
“It’s not a lie,” Nora said earnestly. “I’ve only told the truth. I understand if you don’t want to believe it, Ellie. But the truth is… I’m real, and you’re not. That’s just reality.”
Eleanor smirked at the audacity.
Nora continued, “I didn’t mention the scar earlier because I didn’t want to cause misunderstandings, like now. I waited until I remembered everything to speak up.”
She looked at Eleanor with a mixture of pity and confidence.
“You’re the one who needs to think, Ellie. Are you really Eleanor? Or have you convinced yourself of that because you wanted the title so badly?”
At that, Eleanor laughed softly, her eyes narrowing.
“Let’s stop the pointless talk, Nora. Drop the act. Let’s get to the real reason we’re here.”
Lavender eyes met violet eyes full of tears.
Time passed in the heavy silence, but neither of them looked away.
Slowly, the sadness and frustration on Nora’s face melted into a smile—calm, deliberate, and chilling. It was the kind of smile that made it seem she could devour the person in front of her. This was Nora’s true nature.
“Well, shall we?”
She sat casually on the soft bed, crossing her pale legs and brushing her hair back as if she owned the place.
“Let’s see… What should I answer first?”
She tilted her head playfully, then smiled.
“Oh, your dress? I threw it away. It was filthy, covered in… all kinds of stains. Probably in the incinerator by now. Want me to send someone to fetch it for you?”
“…”
“It’s no good keeping something so… stained, is it? That’s why I got rid of it. Now, as for your other question—why did I lie?”
She tapped her chin, pretending to think, then playfully swayed her dress toward Eleanor.
“Look at this, Miss. Isn’t it beautiful? His Highness gave it to me.”
The embroidered dress looked expensive, far more fashionable than Eleanor’s.
“And this bracelet too,” Nora added, shaking her wrist. “It’s so heavy because it’s solid gold, but His Highness likes flashy things. What do you think?”
Eleanor bit the inside of her cheek, saying nothing.
Nora clicked her tongue, unimpressed with her silence. She got up, taking long strides toward Eleanor. The face she used to see as a little sister was suddenly right in front of her.
“These suit me better, don’t they?”
“What?”
“The fancy dresses. The expensive gold. Standing beside His Highness.”
The bracelet jingled as she waved her hand in front of Eleanor’s face.
“Even your life.”
Thud. Thud.
Eleanor’s heartbeat quickened. She could feel her lips trembling.
“So, I’m going to take it all. That’s okay, right?”
Nora clasped her hands together, smiling sweetly, her expression cute and innocent.
“You didn’t even like it that much. Always so indifferent, acting like nothing ever mattered. Do you know how much that annoyed me? Oh, how I wanted to rip that pretty little mouth of yours right open.”
Her words were sharper than Eleanor had expected, their venom far more cutting than anticipated.
Eleanor turned her head, glancing at the clock. The minute hand had just moved slightly past midnight.
“Good things should go to those who can appreciate them, right? Same goes for good positions. So…”
Nora’s long fingers poked Eleanor just below her collarbone, her whispering voice like a snake hissing.
“Stop squirming and get out, Ellie. This is my place now.”
Dong. Dong. Dong.
The sound of the clock’s chime signaled midnight.
Tuesday had begun.
Eleanor’s week of silent waiting was over.
A shiver ran down her spine, spreading through her body.
“Ah…”
Eleanor let out a small gasp, lowering her head. Her hair fell forward, hiding her face, making it look as though she were crying.
“Aww, Miss. So weak, aren’t you?” Nora scoffed, her tone mocking. “What’ll you do when things get even harder?”
She clicked her tongue again, pitying the pampered noblewoman who’d never known struggle.
Leaning closer, she tried to get a good look at Eleanor’s face, eager to see her fear. She wanted to relish the sight of someone so proud, now trembling at the thought of losing everything.
But what she found instead—
“Pfft… Hahaha!”
—was laughter.
Not sobs, but clear, unrestrained laughter.
The sound echoed, just like the laughter that had faintly reached her ears on that night, far away. The one she had assumed could not be Eleanor’s.
Nora froze, her face stiffening with shock.
Eleanor, still giggling, reached out and gently took Nora’s hands in her own.
“Thank you, Nora,” she said, her smile bright and cheerful.
“For being the real one in my place.”
Her whisper was soft, yet sweeter than ever before.
