NRAL | Chapter 113

~Chapter 113~

The Only One

“Yes. It’s me who can make it happen.”

Nora replied, raising her chin confidently.

“Eleanor doesn’t know, does she? She doesn’t know what you want, or what you’re thinking. But I do. I can read your mind, sir.”

“Really? I’d like to hear what you think I want and what I’m thinking.”

“Should I really say it out loud? Who knows, someone might be listening.”

If Eleanor hears it, things would get complicated. She added in a soft voice.

Ernst looked coldly down at Nora’s smiling face. His sharp gaze seemed to search for her true intentions as he scanned her small face.

In front of that gaze, Nora stood confidently. She knew exactly what he wanted. She had spent so much time observing him in the past that it was obvious to her.

But even though she knew, she couldn’t understand why he still liked Eleanor.

‘Why her and not me?’

Nora couldn’t comprehend it. What was so special about that dull and boring girl, Eleanor? Why had he stuck by her side all this time?

Eleanor’s father, brother, and fiancé had all chosen Nora. So why had Ernst not chosen her?

Clenching her fist, Nora flashed a sly smile at Ernst.

“Think carefully, sir. Honestly, you want it too. Until now, the difference in our status kept us apart, but now that’s no longer a problem. If you want, you can have what you’ve always wanted. That girl could be yours.”

“….”

“It wouldn’t be bad for Eleanor either. Rather than becoming some duke’s mistress, she’d be much happier at your side, living with the man who loves her. Don’t you think?”

She whispered temptations into his ear, just like when she had tried to seduce Arlo.

She could see the slight wavering in his green eyes, and she murmured to herself, ‘You’re a man too, you’ll eventually fall for my words.’

Looking him straight in the eyes, she was confident that men always gave her the answer she wanted.

But this time, Ernst said something different from what she had expected.

“You’re mistaken.”

As always, Ernst was the one person who made a different choice from everyone else.

“I’ve never wished for Eleanor to stay by my side, managing my household or anything like that. What I truly want is not for her to become my lover.”

“That’s a lie. You looked at her with those eyes, and now you say you don’t like her? Do you think I’ll fall for that lie?”

Nora clenched her fists tightly, her anger rising. She was furious that he was rejecting her offer and pretending to lie about it. But what frustrated her more was hearing him say he didn’t want Eleanor. That was the part that made her heart beat faster.

“Whether you believe me or not doesn’t matter. What I’ve said is clear.”

Ernst added firmly.

“You can’t give me what I truly want. What I want, more than anything, is Eleanor’s happiness.”

Ha. Nora let out a bitter laugh. His response was exactly what she expected from a knight—so typical, so nauseating. The fact that he still referred to Eleanor as “Eleanor” even now made her want to scream in disgust.

“Are you kidding me? After seeing that girl flirting with other men, you say that? I know what your face looked like every time Arlo came to see her. You looked like you wanted to kill him. You were so jealous you couldn’t stand it!”

“Yes. I did feel that way. What’s the problem with that?”

“What?”

“I did feel like killing him, and yes, I was jealous. If Eleanor meets another man and falls in love with him, I’ll suffer again. But the thought of her being unhappy is what truly pains me. If she’s unhappy by my side, I’d rather die than see her like that. That’s how much I love her.”

The word love stabbed into Nora’s heart like a jagged knife. The mix of shame and anger made her shiver with disgust.

“I’ve decided that no matter what happens, I’ll protect her. It’s not because she’s real or fake, it’s because she’s the person I want to protect. That’s a value that can’t be bought with money or power. You’ll probably never understand that.”

“…Get out.”

Nora glared at him fiercely, her lips trembling. With her last ounce of strength, she shouted.

“Leave! Now!”

Ernst, who had wanted to leave immediately, froze when he heard her words. He stood still, staring at her silently. Then, he began to slowly examine her from head to toe, noticing the redness on her bruised knees from her fall.

“…Once, I pitied you.”

Nora’s eyes widened.

“Actually, I pitied you a lot. Even before you claimed to be the real one, and even after.”

“…What?”

“In the past, I felt sorry for you because of your misplaced desires. You tortured yourself, unable to accept pure kindness and always comparing yourself to others, hiding behind a false face.”

Nora’s face turned bright red in an instant. Her lips, stained with blood, trembled as her heart began to race.

Meanwhile, Ernst continued speaking, with a completely indifferent expression.

“After everything happened, I saw you decide to chase after your desires, trapped in lies for the rest of your life. That life you chose is pitiful.”

Nora lost her balance for a moment, stumbling.

She felt more miserable than she ever had before. It was worse than when she was rolling around in bed with a nameless man, or when she thought of herself as nothing more than a breeding mare. Right now, hearing the man she had loved for so long call her life pitiful was the most painful thing she had ever heard.

“But now, I feel no pity for you.”

Ernst gently held Nora’s shoulder to steady her, looking down at her as their eyes met.

The whisper that followed felt like a warning, a low murmur in her ear.

“So be careful, Nora. From now on, I won’t hesitate to strike.”

It was a warning, not to Nora of Astria, but to Eleanor’s maid, Nora.

Letting go of her shoulder, Ernst turned and walked away, passing her without a word.

Ha, ha…

Nora stared at his retreating figure, feeling a strange emptiness well up inside her. Her eyes burned as if tears were about to fall, but she didn’t cry. She just smiled bitterly as she watched him walk away.

I was pitiful. My life, drunk on desires, was pitiful…

How foolish it all sounded.

But that’s why I liked you.

With Ernst, Nora thought she could give up her greed. She could stop comparing herself to others and live happily by his side. Because to her, he was the only one.

Not arrogant, not selfish, not violent. He treated her like a human being, beyond rank and gender.

But he was someone she could never have.

So, in the end, Nora chose to give up on love instead of greed. It was the easier and more comfortable path.

Nora slowly turned her head and looked out the window at the hallway. The morning sun had risen, and its light was spilling through the window, brightly illuminating her.

She stared at the sunlight for a moment, lost in thought, before finally turning around and walking back to her room.

A new man would be coming tonight. It was the most likely day for pregnancy, and she had to endure this beastly mating. She needed to try to conceive.

All I need is a baby.

Once she had a baby, all this misery and emptiness would be over. The pain she was going through now would just be a temporary hardship for a much greater happiness in the future.

She muttered this over and over, walking back to her room.

The room that had once belonged to the Astria Princess.