NRAL | Chapter 112

~Chapter 112~

Nora’s Predicament

As a child, Nora often saw women whose lives became even more miserable after unwanted pregnancies.

In the Tolkan slums, many women lived by selling their bodies to survive. Their lives were mostly the same: one day, they found themselves pregnant by a man they didn’t even know. Unable to do anything, they either gave birth or scraped together enough money to receive an unsafe abortion from someone with no proper medical license. Then, they returned to the work that destroyed their bodies, only to die of illness shortly afterward.

But this wasn’t limited to prostitutes. Even among the poor and uneducated, the instinct for love and sex grew, and many young men and women ended up with children they couldn’t care for, making their lives even harder. Contraceptives were a luxury they couldn’t afford.

Nora remembered when a friend of hers, visibly pregnant, cried and said she was scared to have and raise a child. Nora had thought it was pathetic. How could anyone chase love when they couldn’t even take care of themselves? It was foolish.

At the same time, Nora became aware that getting pregnant seemed incredibly easy. Despite her friends trying to avoid pregnancy with methods like timing or taking herbs, they still ended up pregnant. It made Nora think that pregnancy could happen to anyone, no matter how careful they were.

But one day, a doctor from Astria gave Nora a different perspective.

“A woman’s chances of getting pregnant are highest only two days each month. Considering you’ve had a few infertility treatments, you’ll need to try harder for a successful pregnancy.”

Try harder? Nora didn’t understand what he meant, but the Duke of Astria seemed to have understood something different. Worried that she might not bear an heir soon, the Duke decided to move things along faster than planned.

As a result, starting about two months before the wedding, men whose identities were unknown started coming and going from the Astria mansion. Sometimes disguised as servants, other times as guards, these men snuck into the mansion during the early morning hours when most of the household was asleep. They always left before dawn. Every time, the men looked the same: red hair, golden eyes, delicate features. They spoke and moved like lower-class men, and their faces became the embodiment of the karma Nora was now facing.

Click
The door closed behind her, and Nora slowly opened her eyes. She turned to look beside her, but the bed was empty.

The pain that had shaken her body earlier had faded, but a more agonizing quiet now filled the room.

Nora lay silently for a while, staring at the ceiling. Slowly, she sat up. The thin blanket slid off her body with a soft rustling sound.

In the dim morning light, her body looked as if it hadn’t eaten a proper meal in days—thin and frail, a stark contrast to her previous, fuller figure.

With a dazed expression, she walked slowly to the vanity and stared into the mirror.

The reflection she saw was nothing like the one she knew. Just days ago, her face had been tired and marked with scars, but still beautiful. Now, her cheeks were hollow, her eyes darkened with circles beneath them. She didn’t look alive anymore.

It reminded her of the face of a woman from the slums of Tolkan, who used to come home at dawn, her face just like this.

She laughed bitterly.

“I used to laugh at women like that.”

Yes, she remembered—she’d once thought it was foolish for women to sell their bodies just to survive. She believed that if life was going to be that miserable, they might as well die peacefully. She had prided herself on never selling her body, even if she had to beg.

But now? Now, she had slept with men whose names she didn’t know, all to bear a child. She couldn’t even leave the house, forced to stay inside, as if she were nothing more than an animal bred for reproduction.

“No…”
Nora quickly dismissed the thought, shaking her head.

She was a noblewoman from Astria, the fiancée of the Crown Prince, and in two months, she would become the future Empress of the Empire. She wasn’t some prostitute or breeding mare. She was someone special.

“No, I’m not!”
She screamed internally, trying to drown out the thoughts that haunted her mind. She grabbed her hair and yanked it, gritting her teeth as she struggled to clear her head.

Around her were expensive tapestries, sparkling jewelry, and luxurious silk robes—things she had bought to try to comfort herself. But no matter how much she bought, nothing helped. Money couldn’t buy happiness, especially not when she still feared that someone might come to violate or kill her at any moment.

Nora bit her lip hard, the taste of blood spreading in her mouth. She needed to leave the room. She needed to go outside and see the grand mansion to remind herself that she was blessed.

Believing this, she hastily got up and ran down the hallway. The cold stone floor echoed under her feet, and she looked around nervously, hoping no one would see her.

She expected someone might find out about the men who came and went from her room, but her butler had already ensured no one would know.

The mansion was grand, glittering with wealth, but oddly, the more it shone, the more it disgusted her. The wealth didn’t soothe her; it made her feel even more uncomfortable.

“A!”
Suddenly, Nora tripped and fell hard to the floor. Her knees and elbows stung with pain as she landed. She clenched her fists in frustration. How could no one be there to help her up?

As she lay on the floor, she heard footsteps approaching.

Clomp, clomp. Someone was coming down the hall.

Nora scowled, already planning to order whoever it was to help her up. But when she saw who it was, her heart skipped a beat.

It was Ernst Pavel, Eleanor’s loyal guard and Nora’s long-time unrequited love.

Why now?
Why was he here of all places?

Despite having tried to push him out of her heart countless times, seeing him now still made her feel miserable. She didn’t want him to see her like this—on the floor, barefoot, after giving herself to a man she didn’t even care about.

What if he noticed the marks on her body? The thought made her panic.

Ernst paused when he saw her, but quickly continued walking without even looking at her.

Nora’s lips trembled in frustration. Of course, he wouldn’t help her. He would just walk past her, pretending nothing had happened.

But then, just as he passed, Nora could no longer hold back.
“Stop!”

Ernst halted, though he still didn’t turn to face her.

“Are you a knight, yet you walk by when a lady is on the floor?” Nora said, her voice sharp. “I thought knights were supposed to be noble. But I guess I was wrong?”

Ernst sighed quietly, and his sigh stabbed at her heart. But Nora held her ground, glaring at him.

“…Help me up.”

His pale, beautiful hand extended toward her. Nora stared at it for a moment, then grabbed it.

Ernst pulled her up effortlessly. She wobbled for a second but managed to stand.

The warmth of his hand felt like a comforting fire in the coldness of her soul. It spread through her, filling the emptiness inside her.

Ernst let go of her hand and started to walk away again, but Nora couldn’t let this be their last interaction.

She suddenly called out in desperation.

“I’ll give you what you want!”
She didn’t even realize what she was saying, but it was out before she could stop herself.

“I can help you achieve what you desire. Please, Ernst, help me. I can make you happy in a way Eleanor will never know.”

She regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth, but she didn’t take them back. She knew it was the best way to get him on her side.

Ernst stopped and looked down at her, his eyes full of emotion.

“I’ll make your wishes come true,” Nora said with a faint smile.