NRAL | CH 28

~Chapter 28~

Successfully Becoming a Fake

[Astria’s lost true daughter has been found.]

The day after the dinner party, the Duke of Astria announced to the world that the “real” Eleanor Astria had appeared.

This was the result of a successful deal.

The deal was that if the royal family granted Astria the long-desired approval, the Crown Prince would make the woman he loved the real one.

[The “real” Eleanor Astria and the Crown Prince had felt destined for each other long before the truth came out. Therefore, the marriage contract between Astria and the Imperial family would proceed as planned.]

The woman everyone thought was a mere mistress, “Nora,” turned out to be the true daughter of Astria.

The people of Juvenile were left speechless at the newly announced news.

A fake who had taken someone else’s place for ten years, and the unfortunate real princess, who only regained her rightful position at twenty-two. And a Crown Prince, who recognized his true love.

It was a story no one could resist. The entire city of Cardiff buzzed with gossip about the three, while reporters, eager for new stories, lingered around the gates of the Duke of Astria’s mansion.

The inside of the mansion was just as chaotic.

Now that Nora had been officially acknowledged, the servants who had previously criticized her immorality fell silent as if it had never happened. The servants pitied the girl who was suddenly revealed to be a fake, but they knew they had to change their loyalty with the changing situation.

Despite the sudden cold treatment from the servants, Eleanor showed no reaction.

She had never once believed their loyalty would last forever. Since childhood, she had seen countless times how people she thought were on her side would turn against her when it suited them.

Still, she had made sure to tug on their sympathy one last time for a reason.

‘Just as they turned against me, one day they will turn against Nora, too.’

The rumors she had carefully built up would be useful when that time came.

In any case, everything was going just as she had predicted. Eleanor had successfully become a “fake,” and the results were gradually unfolding.

Her father, after the news was officially announced, came to see her and, without much emotion, simply ordered her, “This is how things are now, so don’t act rashly.”

In a short time, many things had changed.

Eleanor gave up her room to Nora and handed over all the privileges she had enjoyed as the only recognized daughter.

The biggest change was her name.

Eleanor could no longer be called by her own name. Her full name was now “Ellie Astria.”

The servants, unsure how to address her, awkwardly called her “Miss Ellie.” Only Hilda still insisted on using her real name. Of course, in front of others, she would only refer to her as “Miss,” but Eleanor appreciated her loyalty.

Meanwhile, Nora’s debutante ball was scheduled for a month later.

Preparing for such a grand event in just a month was a tight schedule, and even Nora expressed disappointment about the short time frame. But the Duke of Astria wasn’t concerned about hosting a perfect party. His goal was simply to efficiently present his “product” to the world. And so, the ball planning moved forward.

Eleanor had expected to be put in charge of organizing Nora’s debutante ball, as she had always overseen the mansion’s various events.

But to her surprise, Nora was given the responsibility for the ball.

‘I thought Father would make me handle the preparations. Does he have a conscience, after all?’

It would have been too cruel to make her organize a party where she’d have to hand over her own name.

For a moment, she entertained the thought, but quickly dismissed it. Expecting conscience from her father was foolish.

As it turned out, Nora had been given the task because she had insisted on it. Since it was her debut, she wanted to handle it herself.

As a result, the mansion’s servants were busier than ever. Nora, having no experience managing an event, made many mistakes, which meant more work for the servants. Grumblings of discontent toward Nora were beginning to grow, but she, blinded by excitement for her debut, didn’t notice.

In fact, she became even bolder and more demanding with the staff, no longer feeling the need to maintain her image now that her position as the real daughter had been confirmed.

And so, another Friday arrived.

Eleanor had hoped that maybe now she wouldn’t have to attend the nauseating family meals, but that was wishful thinking. The Duke of Astria ordered her to attend breakfast, and she reluctantly showed up for breakfast.

“Father, it’s a lovely morning, isn’t it? Did you sleep well?”

Father.

The way Nora sweetly called him was one of the recent changes.

The seating arrangement at meals had changed, too. Nora now sat next to the Duke, a seat that used to belong to Eleanor, who was now seated beside Nora.

“Yes. Is the ball preparation going well?”

“I’m working hard not to disappoint you, Father! Please believe in me, hehe.”

“I heard someone from Corcos Dress Shop is coming today.”

“Ah, yes. They’re coming to finish fitting my dress. Thank you, Father. I’m so happy to have such a beautiful dress made for me.”

Nora clasped her hands together, her violet eyes sparkling as she showed off her gratitude. The Duke’s expression softened into a smile as he watched his cute, doting daughter.

“Ellie, your dress is being prepared as well, I hope? Make sure you dress especially well for this ball.”

Suddenly, the Duke turned his attention to Eleanor.

Nora’s eyebrow twitched harshly for a moment.

‘Why are you even worrying about the fake’s dress?’ was clearly written all over her face.

‘There’s no need to be so wary.’

Eleanor clucked her tongue inwardly. It was pitiful that Nora still didn’t fully understand their father’s nature.

The reason the Duke was asking about her dress was simple.

The ball was not only Nora’s debut but also an event where he would scout potential suitors to marry off Eleanor. His insistence that she dress well was akin to polishing up a product to sell it at a good price.

Of course, this wasn’t something Nora would want to hear, as she wanted to be the center of attention.

“No, I haven’t gotten a dress yet.”

“What? The ball is in three weeks, and you still haven’t arranged for a dress? What are you talking about?”

“I’m sorry, Father. But all the famous dress shops are fully booked, and they said they can’t make me a dress. Isn’t that strange…?”

The Duke’s eyes immediately hardened into a sharp glare.

The Duke of Astria was not a foolish man. He quickly grasped that the situation Eleanor mentioned was contrived.

He was also a man who valued efficiency above all. What mattered most to him was maximizing value with minimal effort.

For someone like him, anyone who disrupted this efficiency had to be eliminated, even if that person was the daughter he had just found.

His sharp gaze immediately shifted to Nora without hesitation.

“Ah, it must be because I ordered too many clothes from different places,” said Damian, who had been quietly observing the situation from the other side, stepping in just in time.

“I’m sorry, Father. I must have been so excited about my real sister’s debut that I completely forgot to leave room for others. I guess I went a bit overboard with the reservations.”

The Duke of Astria, who was about to scold Nora, turned his attention to Damian. After a moment, he sighed.

‘Of course, now that it’s revealed she’s not the real one, he’s already trying to make things difficult for her.’

The Duke concluded that Damian had pressured the dress shops to cause trouble for Eleanor.

If the culprit was Damian and not Nora, the situation changed. Unlike Nora or Eleanor, Damian wasn’t a “product” to be sold off.

“Damian, transfer one of your reservations to Ellie.”

“Yes, Father.”

“And don’t create unnecessary conflicts in the future.”

“I understand.”

When Damian responded politely, the Duke didn’t press the matter further. After all, nothing had been lost yet.

“Thank you, Damian. You really saved me. I almost had to attend the ball without a dress.”

Eleanor expressed her gratitude with the face of a kind sister.

She hadn’t expected to catch Nora with this issue anyway. She was surprised that Damian had the sense to step in when necessary, but she didn’t think much of it—after all, he had always been good at causing trouble for others.

Meanwhile, Nora bit her lower lip, swallowing her frustration. She clearly hated the idea of letting Eleanor have a dress for the ball.

To further irritate her, Eleanor gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, revealing the extravagant gold earrings dangling just below her earlobe.

“By the way, Father, I was thinking of wearing these earrings for the ball. You gave them to me for my last birthday, after all.”

“Do as you like.”

The Duke’s reaction was indifferent. He was not the kind of person who cared about his daughter’s jewelry.

There had been no special meaning behind him giving Eleanor those earrings. As valuable as they were, it wasn’t like he could sell them, since they were a gift from the royal family. So, the most practical thing he could do was give them to his daughter. That was the most efficient use of them.

While the Duke didn’t care much, Nora’s eyes burned with fury. It was almost as if Eleanor could hear the grinding of Nora’s teeth.

Nora’s sharp gaze landed on Eleanor as she put on a pitiful smile.

“A birthday gift… how envious. I never got to celebrate a birthday, so I’ve never received a present before.”

Damian tilted his head in confusion. Wasn’t Eleanor supposed to receive presents every year? Regardless of the truth, Nora looked quite pitiful, bowing her head and pretending to hold back her sadness.

“Father… could you give me a gift as well? I’d like to receive something from you too.”

A father who had just found his long-lost daughter after twenty years would naturally be moved to nod in sympathy. At least, that’s how it would be in normal circumstances.

But the Duke of Astria wasn’t a typical father, and his response was as indifferent as ever.

“I’m already getting you a dress for your debut.”

A dress as a gift for the debutante ball? Nora thought, holding back her annoyance. For someone so wealthy, why did he have to be so stingy?

Suppressing her irritation, Nora continued her act.

“Well… I was thinking of something smaller than a dress.”

“Something smaller?”

“Yes, something I could carry with me all the time. Oh, how about earrings, like the ones you gave Ellie? I could wear them all the time…”

Though she said “something small,” she was really asking for jewels.

With a sweet smile, Nora looked up at her father with her violet eyes sparkling like stars again.

But instead of smiling warmly at her, the Duke slammed his knife down on the table with a bang.

“Do you know how much money is being spent on your debutante ball right now?”