10. The Wife of the Northern Grand Duke  

“It doesn’t matter how dangerous the demonic beast is. Suddenly, a demonic beast appeared, and Your Grace drew your sword, and then in an instant, blood splattered everywhere…”  

“Annette, you’re trembling.”  

Darius placed his hand on my trembling shoulder. Without realizing it, my body was shaking uncontrollably. It was the first time I had seen a demonic beast, and it terrified me.  

“Did it scare you? I’m sorry.”  

He tilted his head slightly to meet my eyes. Annette was reflected in his black pupils. A sight I would have to grow accustomed to.  

“It’s all over now. You’re safe.”  

That’s not what I meant!  

I was about to retort, but strangely, my head drooped, and I couldn’t lift it back up. My lips tightened, and all I could do was let out a faint, “Ugh.”  

What is this? This isn’t fair. Really.  

After a moment of hesitation, he awkwardly hugged me. It was so awkward that it wasn’t even a proper hug, just something resembling one.  

The arms of the man who had just taken a life were surprisingly warm.  

“I’m better at startling people than comforting them. So, I’d prefer to stop here if that’s okay.”  

Of course, he would be. Male leads are always too busy fighting monsters and dealing with paperwork before they meet the heroine.  

Even if they have no prior experience, male leads can provide perfect comfort to the heroine. But before meeting the heroine, they lack any points in the ‘kindness’ stat.  

“…I never asked you to comfort me.”  

But seriously, what’s with this? His tone was like coaxing a child, as if I were some noble lady whining about being scared of a mere demonic beast.  

“Ahem.”  

A small cough came from behind us. Startled, I turned to see Sir Daniel and the coachman.  

“Ah…”  

For some reason, their faces held a satisfied expression, like they’re apologizing for interrupting a good moment.  

“I’m sorry, but if we delay any longer, we won’t make it to the castle by tonight.”  

“Y-yes! Let’s get moving right away!”  

My face turned so red, I couldn’t even describe it.  

“Apologies for interrupting your pleasant time together.”  

What do they mean by ‘pleasant time’? I was just worried about the male lead’s recklessness.  

Without responding to Daniel’s comment, I returned to the carriage, feeling embarrassed, and turned my head away.  

‘When the demonic beast attacked, I couldn’t even move a single step.’  

My heart was still pounding painfully. Was it out of frustration?  

‘If I ever face an assassin, will I also stay frozen and die just like that?’  

Just like the original Annette.  

Laughing and chatting with the male lead wouldn’t solve everything. In fact, heading to Inkheart Castle might bring me closer to my death.  

‘A place where I never know when or where the assassination flag from the original story might pop up.’  

So I had to think of a way to ensure my safety… But as my startled heart began to calm, my body grew sluggish, and sleep started to take over.  

I had a dream.  

<Sylph, would you move the wind for me?>  

As soon as I spoke, the air on the battlefield changed drastically. A clear breeze blew through the space filled with evil energy. The small gust grew stronger, and I could feel the demonic beasts becoming disoriented.  

<The path is open. Now’s the time!>  

As I altered the air on the battlefield, the people behind me moved swiftly.  

A man with a silver blade and black eyes locked eyes with me.  

He seemed to say something, but…  

* * *  

“Annette.”  

“Mm…”  

“We’ve arrived.”  

Someone’s touch woke me. Thud. Something heavy and warm fell to the ground.  

I must have fallen asleep. I instinctively picked up what had fallen from my body. It was thick leather. It looked warm enough to use as a blanket.  

Darius, who had been waking me, suddenly turned his head away, just like I had earlier.  

“Did you cover me with this?”  

“I warned you in advance that it would be cold here.”  

Thanks to him, I slept soundly without waking up.  

“Thank you.”  

“If you catch a cold as soon as you arrive, I’ll be the one suffering.”  

The tips of his ears turned red, though his tone was curt.  

“Then I won’t thank you.”  

Darius narrowed his eyes, and I tilted my head innocently.  

“It seems like you don’t want to accept my thanks…?”  

If he didn’t accept my gratitude, it was his loss.  

But I couldn’t help but chuckle softly. Darius, realizing he was being teased, sighed in exasperation.  

“You’re impossible to figure out.”  

“We’ve only been married for a short while. I can’t show all my cards just yet.”  

Mystery is key to romance. Not that I intended to have a romance with the male lead, of course.  

‘So this is the North.’  

The main setting of the novel and the male lead’s territory.  

I opened the carriage window and saw the distant blue ice wall. It was the great landmark, the symbol of the North, and the source from which monsters descended.  

Behind the lord’s carriage, wagons filled with wheat and cotton from the South followed in a long line. It was a more joyous sight than any grand procession.  

With that food and cotton, the North could survive the coming winter.  

“Your Grace.”  

“Your Highness.”  

People removed their hats and bowed as the lord passed by. These were the people who would become mine. Curious, I pressed my nose to the carriage window and observed the streets.  

Though they didn’t appear materially wealthy, their faces weren’t clouded with gloom.  

‘The lord and his people resemble each other.’  

They survived winter with nothing but pride.  

Heh. I breathed onto the carriage window and drew a heart in the fog.  

“What are you doing?”  

“Preparing myself for the life ahead.”  

I liked this city.  

‘This is the male lead’s land in the original novel. I’ll develop it well and leave with a fortune when we divorce.’  

Any wealth accumulated after marriage would be considered joint property.  

“These are the cotton seeds I brought to the North. I’ve been collecting them since I was very young. I roughly counted, and there seem to be about 1,200.”  

Before entering the city, I took out the pouch of cotton seeds from the carriage. Since Darius didn’t seem likely to lock me in a separate palace as in the original story, I had to keep my promise to him.  

“The North has only ever imported cotton. It’s never cultivated cotton seeds. Either the seeds themselves were faulty, or the Northern climate is completely unsuitable for cotton.”  

Cotton was the South’s main crop. No one wanted a profitable crop to be exported.  

“Even if we plant all the seeds in this pouch, half of them won’t sprout.”  

Darius’s eyebrows twitched.  

“And among the cotton that does sprout, half will freeze to death, unable to withstand the Northern cold.”  

“Then will there be anything left at all?”  

“Yes, very little. If we plant all 1,200 seeds and only twelve flowers survive, that would be a huge success.”  

“Are you joking with me? Do you think I want a mere dozen ornamental cotton flowers?”  

In the cramped carriage, his face was so close that the intensity of his gaze made my skin tingle.  

“But it’s fine. We have time.”  

“Time?”  

“How long can the North endure the cold with the cotton I brought as part of the dowry? If everyone makes new clothes, it’ll last three years. If they mend the worn-out cotton, it’ll last another three years.”  

Even with additional cotton purchases or other variables, the North could endure for at least six years with this supply.  

“Six years is enough time to research seed improvement.”  

Even if only twelve flowers survived the first year, those twelve could produce more seeds the following year. In five years, the numbers would grow exponentially.  

“So even if most of the 1,200 seeds die, it doesn’t matter. The few that survive will gradually adapt to the Northern cold and become a variety suited to the North.”  

Of course, if not a single seed survived, that would be the beginning of true despair.  

In that case… I could only hope that by then, I would have built enough goodwill with Darius and the North through other means.  

A pouch full of cotton seeds.  

The possibility that none of them would sprout.  

Darius remained silent. The longer the silence stretched, the drier my throat felt.  

‘Surely he’s not going to tell me to take them back and return home, is he?’  

“There’s something I need to say.”  

“Yes?”  

Please, don’t tell me to go back home with these.  

“I owe you an apology for something I kept from you.”  

An apology? My ears perked up.  

From him, not me?  

Does this mean I won’t have to compensate for the cotton seeds?  

“I was aware that the South didn’t propose this marriage out of genuine respect for us. That’s why we planned to leave the bride behind after the political marriage.”  

“Yes. …Ah, yes?”  

I already knew that. Was that what he was talking about?  

The surprise on my face must have deepened his guilt. His expression now resembled that of a male lead whose conscience had momentarily resurfaced after being forgotten in the flow of the story.  

“…As a knight and lord of the North, I acted shamefully. I didn’t consider you, who would be sacrificed by our plans, even for a moment.”  

Well, I am just an extra.  

No one cares about the circumstances of an extra who gets a single line of description.  

The Poche family gained the honor of marrying into the Grand Duke’s family, and the North obtained the resources it needed to survive.  

I already knew this marriage was purely transactional from reading the novel.  

“The retainers will be surprised by my decision. They wouldn’t have expected me to return with my wife.”  

So the look of surprise on my face was due to Darius bringing up something disadvantageous to himself.  

The fact that he apologized for something I had already accepted without issue…

“I apologize. Truly. For deciding to send you away without even meeting you, despite your desperation to escape the Poche family.”  

Ha. I laughed.  

“Alright. I’ll accept your apology. But surely you’re not just going to apologize with words, right? I’ll consider it a debt. Pay it back later.”  

Flustered as I was by the male lead’s change in attitude, I couldn’t let the opportunity to gain something slip away.  

A successful division of assets begins right here.