CH 33

“Long live His Grace, Grand Duke Inver! Long live Her Grace, the Grand Duchess!”

Leaving the aurora behind, they moved forward diligently once again and entered the center of the north at dawn.

Even though it was fairly early, the area around the castle was crowded with people who came to greet the northern ruler.

The closer they approached the entrance to the castle, the more people cheered.

They were all smiling and waving small flags symbolizing the north.

“You are a very loved ruler.”

Adeline, who was watching the people through the window, said with a slight surprise.

“I’m sure everyone came to see you, not me.”

“Me?”

“The seat of the Lady of the North has been vacant for a long time. For 20 years. They have a grand duchess now.”

Adeline’s eyes opened wide.

Kael’s mother, the former grand duchess, died of an illness when he was a child.

His father, Grand Duke Inver, did not remarry, and shortly thereafter, he too passed away.

Kael immediately succeeded to the title, but he was not of marrying age, and he delayed marriage even after he was, so the position of the grand duchess was vacant for a very long time.

“I didn’t mean to burden you. You don’t have to do anything as the grand duchess. You just have to fill in the position as promised.”

Kael expected absolutely nothing from Adeline as the grand duchess. All she had to do was fill in the position.

Adeline was well aware of this, and she did not intend to play the role of the grand duchess in the first place.

It was Vanessa’s position. She did not want to leave traces of her when she was just passing by.

However, the weight of the time the position had been vacant was heavier than Adeline had expected.

“Everyone must have seen Isis at dawn. Even if they didn’t see it, they must have heard about it.”

“Ah…”

On top of that, the aurora had appeared. It was obvious how greatly people’s expectations would swell.

“So, it’s going to be noisier for a while. But you don’t have to mind it.”

Adeline nodded in understanding.

“We have arrived, my Lord. My Lady.”

Running through the large crowd, the gates of the north were opened.

The carriage stopped, and Zion opened the door of the carriage, announcing their arrival.

Kael got down first and reached his hand to Adeline.

Adeline took a big breath, then carefully stepped out of the carriage, holding his hand.

It was the first time she had ever set foot in the huge northern castle.

‘Wow…’

As soon as Adeline got out of the carriage, she was overwhelmed by the size of the castle.

The eastern territory where she grew up was also a large area, and the castle that governed it was also huge.

But the sense of intimidation of the north was unusual enough to surprise even Adeline, who had spent her whole life there.

“I greet His Grace. I’m glad you have returned safely.”

While browsing around the off-white walls where the temperatures of the north were permeated, some nobles, including the count who was in charge of the castle, approached Kael and Adeline and greeted them.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Your Grace. I am Count Geraldo, who manages the castle.”

“It is nice to meet you, Count Geraldo.”

Count Geraldo kissed the back of Adeline’s hand, and the Countess held her skirt and bent down slightly, greeting her.

Not only the nobles who had come out to greet her, but also the people who worked at the castle were looking at Adeline with glittering eyes.

She had been preparing herself since she saw the many processions that greeted them, but after facing such huge interest and expectations, Adeline’s mind became complicated.

“There will be plenty of time to say hello in the future, so take it step by step. The Grand Duchess must be very tired, so I need you to guide her to her room.”

At Kael’s words, the people in the castle were surprised and exchanged glances.

They seemed excited that Kael was taking care of the woman first.

“Yes, Your Grace. I will guide her. Please come this way, Your Grace.”

Grinning, the Countess hurriedly guided Adeline.

Adeline walked slowly behind her and swallowed a sigh inwardly.

***

“Leather was added to the walls, so it will be a lot warmer than anywhere else. His Grace asked me again and again to pay attention to the heating.”

The Countess added the story about Kael with a slightly mischievous expression.

Adeline responded with a pale smile, then slowly looked around the grand duchess’ room.

The spacious room was decorated old-fashioned and neatly, but it was connected to Kael’s room with a study in between.

“The castle is really big.”

“It feels bigger the first time you see it. But once you adjust to it, you’ll feel comfortable, Your Grace. It won’t take long until you do.”

“Oh, what should I call you? Countess Geraldo?”

“Please call me comfortably. You can call me Isabel, Your Grace.”

The middle-aged Countess looked around Adeline’s room with a gracious smile.

“I prepared a warm bath for you in advance. The road to the north is very rough, so I thought you would be exhausted.”

“You’re attentive. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. It is my job to make sure you don’t feel uncomfortable. Please let me know if you have any questions or need anything.”

Adeline smiled softly and nodded.

Adeline was very good at identifying people and figuring them out.

Isabel’s sincere treatment of Adeline raised expectations for the managers and servants working in the castle.

‘Even if I look at Zion or the knights, there seems to be a lot of good people around the Grand Duke.’

Throughout the long march to the north, Adeline was amazed at the nature and loyalty of the people gathered around Kael.

Their support for Kael was amazingly absolute.

It was something he would have never gotten if he were the ‘terrifying northern predator’ he was widely known as.

‘No wonder. When he’s gentle, he’s really gentle.’

A memory flashed through Adeline’s mind.

He had a cold atmosphere so he looked infinitely fierce, but Kael was surprisingly gentle when it came to it.

“I tried to pay as much attention as possible, but you may feel uncomfortable using a room that has been empty for a long time. Tell me right away and I’ll take care of it.”

“I heard that the position of the grand duchess was vacant for 20 years, but was the room empty throughout that time?”

“Yes, Your Grace. That’s correct. In fact, when it was rumored that the North might have a grand duchess, no one believed it. It felt too remote for us.”

Isabel smiled broadly, as if her reaction at the time was vivid, and continued.

“Besides, we couldn’t believe His Grace had fallen in love. Everyone laughed, saying things like, ‘You don’t know His Grace.'”

“…”

“But as soon as the news of the marriage came, and the order was issued to prepare for the grand duchess, everyone cheered and was happy.”

“…”

“However, on the other hand, I couldn’t fully believe that His Grace had a lover, so you don’t know how surprised I was to see him looking at Your Grace today. It was as if I was seeing the Grand Duke from the old days.”

While listening to her excited rambling, Adeline’s ears twitched at the words ‘from the old days’.

‘The Grand Duke from the old days? Does that mean he’s completely different now?’

It was just something that couldn’t be overlooked.

“Oh my, I was being thoughtless again. I can’t believe I was rambling like this to someone tired. I apologize, Your Grace.”

“Not at all. It’s fine.”

“I will take my leave now. I’m going to let the maids in right away, so please warm up and rest well.”

She was going to ask how Kael was before, but Isabel smiled awkwardly and quickly left the room.

Adeline let out a small sigh, thinking there was nothing she could do, and immediately headed to the bathroom with the maids.

As Kael and Isabel said, she needed to rest first.

***

Adeline’s plan to wash away the fatigue with hot water and to keep her eyes closed for a moment failed.

Whether it was because her head was full of thoughts or because she was nervous about being in a strange environment, she could hardly sleep even if she lay in a fluffy bed and closed her eyes.

In the end, Adeline moved up a few meetings that were meant to start tomorrow.

It seemed that it was better to just deal with the schedule.

“I’m worried you will push yourself too hard, Your Grace. His Grace also told me to make sure you rest well today.”

“It’s alright. I think it would be better to move like this.”

Isabel looked at Adeline with a worried look on her face, but she was determined.

Adeline changed into a purple dress and headed to the hall where the guests were waiting.

She was supposed to meet a priest who was sent to a temple in the north, and two older noblewomen who could be said to be the center of the northern social scene.

“I greet Her Grace, the Grand Duchess.”

The door of the hall opened, and upon entering, the priest and the noble ladies politely greeted her.

Adeline greeted them with an elegant gesture.

However, it turned out that there was one more person than Adeline had planned to meet.

An old man dressed in a black priestly suit, indicating that he was a retired ascetic, was with them, shivering without saying a word of greeting.

“Who is that priest?”

“I apologize for not telling you in advance, Your Grace. This man has been in the northern temple for fifty years…”

“Leave now!”

Just as the priest in the white robe was about to introduce himself urgently, the old priest, who was shivering, pointed his cane at Adeline and shouted.

“F-Father!”

“The dark clouds are coming to the North! Why didn’t anyone stop her or kick her out?! Leave!”

The priest tried to stop him, but the old man, who seemed to be possessed by something, repelled him and shouted at Adeline.

“It’s a curse! She is cursed! She will destroy the North! There is a wicked curse behind her!”

The old man, who had spoken of a curse several times, fainted as soon as he finished speaking.

While the priest was carrying the collapsed old man out of the hall, none of the others opened their mouths.

Not even Adeline.