NRAL CH 10

Chapter 10

Take Revenge on the Villain

Nora’s forehead wrinkled sharply. She had been standing there like a fool with her mouth open, but quickly regained her senses and glared fiercely at Eleanor.

What? “Thank you?”

Nora couldn’t understand what was happening. 

For years, she had meticulously planned this, imagining over and over how Eleanor would react after being betrayed. But never once had she pictured this scenario.

Anyone else would feel the same.

Who could possibly know?

How miserable Eleanor’s life had been as the Princess of Astria, how many days she’d spent in tears and resignation, and how desperately she had longed to escape this dreadful place! No one could ever know unless Eleanor told them everything she had gone through.

And Eleanor had absolutely no intention of explaining any of it to the person who was now offering to take her place in the swamp.

“Hah!”

 Nora let out a cold laugh.

She interpreted the laugh as nothing more than the desperate struggles of a cornered mouse. In her mind, Eleanor was just pretending to be proud because she didn’t want to lose.

‘Well, of course, you have to at least keep your pride somehow, right?’

Nora stared at Eleanor with disdain. The sharp glint in Eleanor’s eyes was strangely chilling, but Nora refused to back down and raised her chin higher.

“Would I have lied? If I intended to, I wouldn’t have burned my thigh myself.”

“Oh my, that must have hurt. But isn’t it a relief? If the scar had been bigger, it would’ve been unbearable.”

“It’s fine. The pain is temporary, but the scar will last forever.”

“We’ll see. I wonder if that’s really the case.”

There will be many more painful moments ahead, Eleanor muttered.

Nora misunderstood this to mean that she wouldn’t be able to take the position of princess and raised her voice.

“Let’s see how long that dignity lasts. By the looks of it, I doubt it’ll be for much longer.”

“Sure, do your best. I’ll be watching.”

Even Eleanor hadn’t realized it, but she had quite the talent for getting under Nora’s skin. She would be lying if she said there wasn’t a hint of sarcasm in her words, but she had only spoken the truth. Yet Nora’s pretty face flushed red with anger.

“You…!”

Nora dropped the formal tone and was ready to start a real fight. But suddenly, she stopped.

Thud, thud.

Footsteps echoed faintly from beyond the door. Someone seemed to be approaching from the end of the hallway.

‘I thought I made it clear that no one should be eavesdropping. Who could it be?’

Eleanor looked toward the door with a puzzled expression.

And then it happened.

Smack!

A sudden, loud sound burst out right in front of her.

When she quickly shifted her gaze, she saw Nora clutching her own cheek. But it didn’t stop there—Nora struck her cheek again.

Smack! Smack!

“Aaah! I’m so sorry, Miss! Please forgive me!”

Nora cried out, self-harming and screaming, and Eleanor’s face twisted in disbelief. What kind of stunt was this now?

“What’s going on here?!”

The footsteps drew closer, and soon, Duke Astria threw open the door and entered.

Eleanor was mildly impressed. How had Nora known her father would come? She must’ve tipped off her maid in advance.

‘Well, if she wants to become the princess, she has to be able to plan something like this.’

Eleanor smiled in satisfaction and turned to face her father.

Duke Astria looked around, clearly confused by the situation. Nora wasted no time helping him understand.

“Hic, I’m so sorry, Miss… I dared to call you by your nickname… I thought it was allowed since you gave me permission earlier… I’m really sorry.”

The reason she made up wasn’t bad at all. Earlier, Eleanor had shown her displeasure when servants used her nickname in front of others, so this explanation seemed believable enough to anyone listening.

Allowing the use of a nickname in public but punishing someone for it in private? How petty that would seem. And since Eleanor had suggested they talk somewhere private, this was the perfect setup for nasty rumors to spread.

“Elli, what is going on here? Did you really do this?”

The Duke frowned as he asked.

Despite Nora’s hopes, it seemed he didn’t suspect Eleanor at all. After all, she had always treated the servants with excessive kindness, and to him, Eleanor had always been his quiet, doll-like daughter.

And besides, Eleanor was still the person Duke Astria needed. It was only natural for him to take her side.

Eleanor smiled softly at her father.

“Yes, I did.”

And without hesitation she swung her hand.

Smack!

This time, the sound was even sharper and louder than before, echoing throughout the room as Eleanor’s hand struck Nora’s cheek harshly.

“Aaah!”

“Eleanor!”

Nora screamed and fell to her knees. The Duke was equally shocked and shouted in alarm.

But Eleanor, who had caused all this, remained as calm as ever.

“I’m teaching her a lesson. She spoke out of line.”

“What could she have said to make a princess like you raise your hand? Did she really call you by your nickname?”

“It’s not about the nickname.”

“Then why…?!”

“Nora just said that whether or not she’s the true princess, Arlo’s heart belongs to her, and that she will become the Empire’s moon. She also claimed that if that happened, she’d be able to control Astria’s fate as she pleased.”

“…What?”

“I couldn’t let her insult both Astria and the Juvenile Empire like that. I was trying to handle it quietly, because if she said this anywhere else, it would cause a huge scandal. It’s my duty to correct my servants when they’re wrong.”

Eleanor shook her right hand lightly. She had hit Nora so hard that her palm was now stinging. It wouldn’t be surprising if it bruised by tomorrow.

Of course, if her hand hurt this much, Nora must be in far more pain. See? I told you there would be more pain to come, Eleanor’s eyes seemed to say.

“I never said that, Your Grace! I swear, I would never say such blasphemous things!”

Nora grabbed her throbbing cheek and desperately cried out her innocence. She was probably feeling wronged—after all, she’d been slapped again when she shouldn’t have been, and this time, hard enough to make her head ring. But unfortunately, no one cared about her sense of injustice. In any case, her father didn’t care about whose words were truthful.

“Enough!”

A thunderous shout echoed through the room. Only then did Nora, who had been pleading her case continuously, shut her mouth.

“Both of you, stop it! Ellie, is this really the time to be causing problems like this? Why are you acting out now?”

“I’m sorry, Father. I will control myself from now on.”

“And about the servants. Have you forgotten my orders? Treat this girl as if she were a noblewoman. That was not a command I gave only to the servants.”

“I forgot your orders, and I made a mistake. I will remember and follow them from now on.”

Eleanor bowed her head in apology. Seeing this, the corners of Nora’s mouth curled slightly upwards. She thought her complaints had worked.

“And you.”

Now, the Duke of Astria’s gaze turned to Nora. Unlike before, his eyes were filled with suspicion.

“You should always keep in mind that I’m watching you.”

If his words to Eleanor were a scolding, these words were a warning. A warning to be careful of her behavior. The reason for his cold attitude toward Nora was clear—what Eleanor had brought up earlier had angered him.

The fact that, even after Nora was revealed not to be the real one, the Crown Prince’s heart still leaned toward her. Or the possibility that Nora was, in fact, the real one and could end up marrying the Crown Prince.

This was the situation the Duke had been most worried about recently.

In the first case, it would damage the reputation of the Astria family. The Empress must maintain the trust of the people, yet how could a woman who couldn’t even control her husband be fit for that role? It was common for nobles to have mistresses, even after marriage, but in the royal family, such behavior was much more likely to be scorned.

The second scenario was even worse. Nora, who had grown up as a maid, had no attachment or loyalty to the Astria family—she was clearly the Crown Prince’s person. Without a proper education, she was foolish and naive, making it likely she’d fall for the sweet promises of the Imperial family after the marriage. If such a noblewoman sided with the Imperial family, it would be a disaster.

It was Astria who had helped Arlo reach the position of Crown Prince. and in return, they had been promised many things. But the human heart is unpredictable. Once someone from Astria stood on the side of the Imperial family, new desires would arise. After all, once something is in your hands, you no longer want to pay the price for it.

As these worries swirled in his mind, Eleanor’s words had planted a seed—a seed of doubt about Nora in the Duke’s mind.

“…Yes, Your Grace. I will always keep it in mind.”

Nora belatedly realized Eleanor’s true intentions, but there was nothing more she could say now. She simply gritted her teeth silently, vowing revenge.

After delivering a few more stern warnings, the Duke left, his face still angry. As soon as he disappeared, Eva and Natalie, who had been watching from a distance, rushed over.

“Miss Nora!”

“My goodness, what happened here?”

Eleanor lightly stepped past Nora and the maids as she left the room.

‘If you’re going to plot something, you should have done it more thoroughly,’ Eleanor thought.

If a plan is sloppy, it only brings harm. Today, Nora’s mistake was that she didn’t know her enemy well enough.

Eleanor had been thrown into society at the age of thirteen. While she hadn’t made her formal debut yet, even at that young age, she had faced countless noble snakes. 

After getting engaged to Arlo at fourteen, the difficulty level had increased. 

Some already disapproved of a girl raised in an orphanage who had no proper manners or education acting like a noblewoman. 

But now, having secured the spot beside the Crown Prince that so many had coveted, there were bound to be many who resented her.

The nobles constantly tested her, playing all sorts of tricks. Some were so petty that they were laughable, while others were so cruel that her hands would shake with fear.

But Eleanor had survived this warlike society and secured her place. She didn’t form cliques or spread gossip, but no one in high society dared to look down on her anymore.

Of course, Arlo had contributed nothing to her success. In fact, it had been a relief that he hadn’t made things harder for her.

In other words, Eleanor was already well-seasoned in dealing with schemes and tricks. Nora’s move today, while unexpected, was predictable.

‘She probably didn’t expect this reaction from me,’ Eleanor thought.

Nora had only ever seen Eleanor being overly kind and tolerant, so she probably thought Eleanor would be helpless this time too. But sadly for Nora, Eleanor no longer had any reason to treat her with special consideration.

Starting today, Eleanor planned to act more decisively.

Nora might have hoped to replace Eleanor and become the true noblewoman of Astria in her place, but Eleanor would make sure to ruin everyone’s lives in the process. She wanted her father to realize just how much of an obstacle Eleanor had become for Astria.

The fastest way would have been to simply let Nora’s schemes work. Not in a way that would get Nora into trouble with Father, but just enough for her to fall out of favor.

‘But that wouldn’t be any fun,’ Eleanor thought.

Her goal was no longer just to leave Astria.

To completely eliminate threats, you must deal with them thoroughly. That was a lesson Eleanor had learned living here.

Father, Damian, Arlo, Nora…

She had been bitten by them all while living here, and now, it was finally her turn to bite back.

Eleanor didn’t just want to leave Astria. She planned to ruin everyone’s lives. She wanted them to stay in this mess and regret it bitterly once she was gone.

“Be kind to the weak. Forgive wrongdoers. Do not follow selfish desires, and always be grateful for what you have…”

Suddenly, Luke’s voice echoed in her mind.

But Eleanor only sent a brief apology to her past mentor before continuing to walk.

The teachings of Triton had long disappeared from her heart.

Instead, she now believed in being cautious of the weak and seeking revenge on wrongdoers.

Don’t ignore your burning desires, and break free from what you have already been through.

Ten years in Astria had been more than enough to change her beliefs.