NRAL | Chapter 104

~Chapter 104~

A Glorious Mission

After Damien met his tragic end, Nora went through a difficult period.

Every night, troubling thoughts filled her head, making it hard to sleep. Even when she did manage to fall asleep, she’d wake up suddenly in the middle of the night for no apparent reason, rushing to call for a maid to check on Damien’s condition.

During the day, she was just as anxious. She would go about her usual routine, but suddenly, a sense of dread would overwhelm her, making her heart race and her breath quicken.

The reason for Nora’s anxiety wasn’t because of guilt over Damien’s death.

If she had guilt, she wouldn’t have been the kind of person to orchestrate such a large-scale scheme in the first place.

What really bothered her was the fear that Duke Astria would eventually learn the truth behind the whole affair. Eleanor had assured her that she’d handled everything perfectly, but Nora didn’t fully trust her words.

How can I trust her?

Eleanor was the one who had turned her fiancé into a eunuch.

Eleanor had constantly denied knowing anything, but Nora knew instinctively that Eleanor was behind it all. She had even planned for Countess Anabelle to use the item Eleanor gave her as a weapon. Nora, who had once been closest to Eleanor, was more certain of this than anyone.

The same was true for this recent incident. At the time, Nora had been too panicked to realize it, but Eleanor had calmly dealt with Damien’s body as if she had been waiting for this moment.

Damien’s body was torn apart by a pack of dogs, and only then did Nora realize how intentional it all had been.

Arlo, who had tried to assault Eleanor, was made a eunuch, while Damien, who killed Eleanor’s dog, was killed by dogs.

It couldn’t just be a coincidence.

As she pieced it together, she felt a chill run down her spine. Then, Griffith Baron crossed her mind.

Damn, what if Eleanor has already dealt with Griffith Baron too?

Griffith Baron was already under the control of Duke Astria. It was rumored in society that he had fled Cardiff because he feared punishment, but Nora knew that faint screams coming from the mansion’s basement belonged to him.

If Griffith Baron confessed under torture that he knew about Arlo and Eleanor’s first meeting, Nora would fall from grace and become known as a swindler. She’d end up dead with Griffith Baron, her body rotting next to his.

So that’s why she used Griffith Baron… to take revenge on me!

Realizing all this, Nora couldn’t believe she had agreed to Eleanor’s plan to make Griffith Baron the scapegoat. She had been so easily tricked by her enemy.

She racked her brain, trying to figure out how to silence Griffith Baron, but guards under the Duke’s orders were watching the steps to the basement. Any attempt to break in would only raise suspicion. Running away was out of the question; Nora refused to retreat now.

Time passed quickly. While Eleanor spent her days happily and without worry, Nora felt like every day drained her of life. She walked through the grand hallways in beautiful dresses, eating delicious food, but the fear of being dragged into the basement for torture haunted her every step.

Then one day, a maid sent on a mission returned with good news.

Griffith Baron had died after enduring severe torture.

Done!

If Griffith Baron had died without revealing anything, it meant he hadn’t been able to spill his secrets. He wasn’t the type to hold up under pressure. Nora felt a huge sense of relief.

That night, she was able to sleep soundly for the first time in a while.

But the next morning, to her surprise, Duke Astria summoned her to his study.

It couldn’t be anything serious. It was in the study, not the basement, so it was probably just a conversation. But then again, Eleanor had been punished in the study…

As her thoughts spiraled, Nora reluctantly made her way to the study.

“You called for me, Father?”

She entered, trying to sound calm, only to see Duke Astria’s personal physician standing beside him.

The physician’s here, does this mean…

Her heart began to race faster. Cold sweat trickled down her back as her fists trembled.

In the tense silence, Duke Astria spoke in his cold voice.

“Sit down. The physician is here to examine your health.”

Nora was shocked. The Duke treating her like an object to be examined was strange, but she had no choice but to comply.

Unlike what Nora had expected, the physician carefully examined her, using various medical tools and devices. Though it was embarrassing to answer questions about her sex life in front of her father, it was more bearable than feeling threatened with death.

“You’re overall healthy. You should get more sleep, but other than that, there doesn’t seem to be any issues. It looks like you can conceive without any problems.”

“Conceive?”

Nora instinctively raised her voice.

“Don’t worry too much. You weren’t able to have a child, so it’s not like you’re losing anything. Didn’t Anabelle Countess tell you? The tea she gave you was meant to make you infertile.”

Eleanor had told her that, and Nora had foolishly believed it. She hadn’t even considered meeting with a physician to confirm her condition; she had just assumed she was infertile.

“Yes, that’s correct. Any problem…?”

The physician seemed relieved and explained.

“I know about the poison Countess Anabelle used. It can cause infertility, but you won’t see much effect from drinking it only a few times. Unless you already had issues with your uterus, you should be fine. I’ll give you some medicine for your uterus, just in case.”

Nora scoffed at this.

To think they would go this far with a lie—it was ridiculous, almost laughable.

Do they think I’ll cry about it?

The idea was so absurd to Nora that she couldn’t help but laugh.

She didn’t feel devastated about learning she was infertile. Initially, it was shocking, but over time, she had just accepted it.

In fact, it felt oddly natural, and she didn’t even bother checking with a physician.

Anyway, Arlo is incapable of having children. What else could go wrong?

She didn’t even need to worry about it. As she thought this, she laughed lightly.

But then, a chill ran down her spine.

She had forgotten about the potential consequences if she wasn’t infertile. The thought of what could happen, the “dirty things,” suddenly crossed her mind.

“Nora, do you remember? The day the Crown Prince became impotent, you said, ‘It’s fine as long as the word gets out.’”

A large hand suddenly gripped her shoulder tightly.

“Back then, I brushed it off, but now I see the point. Foolish people always believe what they see. We just need to make sure they can believe it, right?”

“…Yes, Father. You’re right.”

“As you know, neither the other nobles nor the Emperor know that the Crown Prince is impotent. They believe what I’ve made them believe. But, Nora, one day, they will start to suspect.”

Duke Astria leaned in close, his face now at eye level with hers.

When their eyes met, Nora flinched, clenching her fists.

It is worse now. The Duke, who had been high above her before, now felt even more imposing, even though he was physically closer.

“Still no children? It’s strange. Maybe one of you has a problem. Or maybe, the Crown Prince was really castrated. In a year or two, people will start asking questions.”

His rough voice echoed in her ears.

Nora bit her lower lip, avoiding his gaze, but she couldn’t end the conversation.

“There’s only one way to remove these suspicions.”

At this moment, Nora wished her sharp mind wasn’t so quick.

She had a pretty good idea of what he was going to say, but she didn’t want to hear it.

“You need to have a child.”

There it was. The moment she had feared. The possibility had become a reality.

“About a month before the wedding, I’ll have someone brought to your room. Someone who looks like the Crown Prince, but with no serious flaws. If you have preferences, we’ll try to match those too.”

How considerate of him.

Nora couldn’t help but laugh bitterly.

Thankfully, the Duke didn’t seem to notice.

Or maybe, even if he did, he was too busy talking to care.

“So, get pregnant, Nora.”

That was the most disgusting thing Nora had ever heard from the Duke. Still, she had expected this, so it didn’t shock her as much as it should have.

It wasn’t a shock, but it was an all-too-familiar form of submission and humiliation.

She thought she could bear it.

But then the next words came, and everything changed.

“You need to have two children.”

“…What?”

“You need to have two children. The first will be the heir to the throne. After that, get pregnant again as quickly as possible to have a second. The second doesn’t have to look like the Crown Prince, but it would be best if they had black hair. There are a few distant relatives with black hair, so I’ll arrange for them to be brought to you.”

Nora couldn’t comprehend what she was hearing.

Two children? With men she didn’t even know? And they expected her to have two, one after the other?

It didn’t make sense.

The children had to be male, too, or she would be forced to keep having children until she produced male heirs.

“This is your glorious mission,” Duke Astria said.

Nora felt sick to her stomach, but she didn’t regret anything yet.