My theory is Nora is actually a very smart person (can I say brilliant?) who lives with un-accomodating and rigid parents. Of everyone that are of similar age to Shuli, he seems to be the closest to maturity to Shuli's, who has extra years of life experiences. Even his dad is more hot headed than him.
Even though Nora doesn't believe in himself like what he opened up to Shuli in the Chapel (ch35) and though he can't speak up, the evidences say otherwise:
- know when to not say anything even when he knows about it (about their first encounter during the memorial party (ch21), and gift he received on Christmas (ch55)).
- know when to not say anything when anything he said can be used against himself/someone he might care about (when his dad asked him about the fight on the memorial party (ch24)).
- can read undercurrent flow of things (he seemed to know the crown prince's habit of snagging other kids' parents but he couldn't do anything because of their standing and the prince would not do anything worse if he didn't retaliate, hence his saying '...you are only as kind as I am obedient" (ch 22)). He also left Shuli alone after giving the black mail box because he could see the reason Shuli asked for his help instead of servants (ch43)).
- can read a sudden situation and not reacting hot-headedly unlike Jeremy (when he visited the Neuschwanstein manor and encountered Shuli's family meeting (ch31)).
He only can't speak up because his station being a *son* of a duke, and his main problems are his parents (whom you should've shown filial piety to like Jeremy to Shuli) and the crown prince of your own country.
