Chapter 23: Yes, Nora, Yes

“Eh? Mistress, where are you going?”

Under Jenny’s puzzled gaze, Nola said nothing and immediately left her side, heading straight toward that pure white figure.

The hall was crowded, and to reach that figure, she had to push through many nobles, wasting a lot of time.

Yet, when she finally caught sight of the figure again, she found her already standing in the corridor.

Was she trying to leave the hall?

“That young lady, please wait!”

To avoid missing her again, she shouted toward the figure. Many nobles turned their heads in surprise to look at her, but the voice seemed unheard. The figure vanished around the corridor’s corner.

Perhaps she didn’t even realize Nola was calling her.

Nola made this excuse in her heart and hurried into the corridor. To her delight, at the corridor’s end, there was still a white figure.

Without hesitation, she rushed ahead, grabbed the girl’s wrist, and spun her around.

“I finally found you…”

Upon seeing the girl’s face, Nola’s excited heart died instantly.

This girl was not the one.

At first, the girl seemed startled, her delicate face pale, but after recognizing that the one holding her hand was Duchess Nola, she blinked and shyly said,

“Duchess Nola, what are you trying to do holding my hand?”

Realizing her mistake, Nola quickly let go of her wrist.

“Ah, sorry, I mistook you just now…”

“Oh, I thought Duchess Nola had feelings for me.”

The girl sounded clearly disappointed, with a tinge of grievance in her tone, which left Nola momentarily unsure how to respond—after all, it was her fault.

But just as she was pondering, a flash of white fabric caught her eye from another corridor. Her deadened heart instantly rekindled.

“Sorry, we’ll talk later.”

Leaving the girl those words, Nola lifted her skirt and hurried toward the corridor where the white dress had flashed past.

The girl, clearly unhappy with Nola’s attitude, stomped her foot lightly and hummed softly in place.

Yet once Nola disappeared completely, the girl’s anger vanished, replaced by a smirk.

That way, she should believe that Chrysis came from a noble family, right?

……

Passing through the corridor, Nola arrived at the garden behind the manor.

She held up her skirt in surprise and slowly searched the entire garden, but never saw the white figure.

It was as if she had transformed into a butterfly and blended into the garden, leaving no trace.

Yet Nola was certain she hadn’t been mistaken.

That figure was definitely her!

Unwilling to give up, she circled the garden several more times. Only after confirming the girl was truly not here did she turn and leave, rather dejected, returning to the manor’s hall.

As for the girl she had mistaken earlier, she had already forgotten her existence.

“Nola, you were rushing just now. What happened?” William asked with concern.

At that moment, a spark lit in Nola’s mind. She replied, “Uncle William, I’m looking for someone.”

Rather than searching alone, she figured it better to ask Uncle William, who had lived in the Imperial Capital for years.

As a high-ranking noble, he must know more people than she did.

Perhaps all she needed was to describe the appearance, and William could help find her.

“A noble of the Empire?”

“Maybe.”

She had seen her at the banquet, so barring surprises, she should be a noble of the Empire.

“Maybe?”

William repeated softly, a hint of meaning flickering in his eyes.

Then he asked,

“Does she have any distinctive features?”

“Well…”

Speaking of appearance, Nola’s previously sharp gaze softened immediately, as if entering a different, beautiful world. A gentle smile curled at her lips.

Her voice lowered but carried an unwavering certainty and passion.

“When you see her, you’ll think the moonlight has taken shape on earth. Moonbeams gather into a waterfall, becoming her long hair, starlight…”

Just as she spoke those few lines, Jenny, standing beside her, couldn’t bear it anymore.

She cleared her throat twice, cutting off her mistress, saying,

“Ahem ahem, her hair is silver, her eyes are golden, her smile is beautiful, and she probably prefers wearing white dresses.”

So shallow!

Absolutely shallow!

Nola shot Jenny a glare and said,

“Jenny, there are certainly many who look similar, but her temperament and soul are unique. To find her in a sea of people, you must follow that uniqueness.”

Her affection wasn’t for her appearance, but for her soul.

Such a soul, Nola had never seen before since childhood—pure and warm.

People who approached her felt the cold darkness in their hearts vanish under her light.

“There are some, Nola, there are.”

William chuckled, “Like the noble ladies Jenny mentioned, there are many in the Imperial Capital.”

“Is that so? But she’s special—anyone who sees her once, even the coldest heart will warm up.”

“Don’t worry, you won’t be disappointed.”

William nodded, his smile full of hidden meaning. Nola felt a sudden chill in her heart, sensing something was off.

Yet she couldn’t say exactly what.

The next day, William hosted another Noble Banquet—this one exclusively for Nola.

The attending noble ladies all had silver hair and golden eyes.

But Nola was unhappy.

She gave a cursory glance at the noble ladies in the manor’s hall. Forget warming even the coldest heart, now her own warm heart was about to turn cold.

“Duchess Nola, how do I look?”

A noble lady lifted her skirt and slowly approached her, seemingly wanting her to notice her golden eyes. She even deliberately wore long false eyelashes.

“Hmm…”

Nola pursed her lips, looking at the lady’s freshly dyed silver hair and newly applied golden contact lenses, momentarily speechless.

Behind this lady, many other noble ladies were doing the same, some even touching up makeup right in front of her.

She finally understood the source of her earlier unease.

Looking for someone?

Who? Her beloved?

Oh, so she came to the Imperial Capital for matchmaking, just too shy to say it outright—after all, noble girls usually had thin skin.

That was definitely what Uncle William was thinking, and that was why he arranged it.

“So? Nola, have you found anyone you like? I think some of the younger generation give me a warm feeling just by a glance.”

Uncle William sat beside her, sipping tea, his face full of kindness.