17. The Story of the Ruined Feather Pillows  

“Lady Annette, I apologize for the inconvenience last night as I was unaware of your preferences. The room has been prepared again, so starting tonight, you may formally stay in the Grand Duchess’s chambers.”  

Perhaps because of what happened last night, Lady Ygret seemed upset, as an older maid, rather than Lady Ygret herself, guided me to the room tonight.  

Instead of the bright and lush southern-style arrangement, the room featured a static and orderly layout. So this is what the northern style looks like.  

“This room was also personally decorated by Lady Ygret.”  

“Did Lady Ygret also personally hang that painting?”  

Even though it wasn’t the once-a-week visit he had promised, Darius was already in my room.  

“Yes, she said that vibrant flowers suit a newlywed couple’s room well.”  

“But using Anne-Marie flowers… Remove that painting.”  

The maid, flustered by Darius’s displeased expression, hurriedly took down the painting and left.  

“Is there something wrong with the painting? It looks pretty to me.”  

“The flowers are beautiful, but they’re called unlucky for couples hoping for children because they don’t bear fruit.”  

Ah, it’s like the peony flowers associated with Queen Seondeok in our country.

“It’s strange for Lady Ygret to make such a mistake. Or perhaps Lady Ygret, being childless herself, wasn’t aware of the meaning.”  

‘If it’s the latter, isn’t that even scarier? The person who constantly talks about heirs and successors might actually be cursing us to remain childless, like her.’  

Regardless, I started neatly arranging the pillows on the bed.  

“Annette?”  

“I’ve never shared a bed with anyone before, so I feel uncomfortable. I think it’s better to divide the space.”  

Why should we sleep glued together when the bed is this wide?  

“I’ve divided it favorably for you since you’re taller, Your Grace. Well, it’s a bit unfair to me, but I’ll endure it.”  

If I go this far, surely we won’t wake up stuck together again in the morning!  

“Good night, Your Grace.”  

I quickly pulled the blanket over my head and closed my eyes. But then, I felt an arm sneak over me.  

“Your Grace!”  

Darius answered with a bewildered expression.  

“The water bottle is on that side. What am I supposed to do?”  

“If you drink water before bed, you’ll need to go to the bathroom at night.”  

I handed him the water bottle with a disapproving look.  

“Here, satisfied now?”  

“Wait, what if you get thirsty in the middle of the night?”  

“I don’t get thirsty. From tomorrow, I’ll place water bottles on both sides of the bed so we don’t have to move around.”  

“What if one of us knocks over the bottle while sleeping?”  

“Are you going to knock it over?”  

“No. But there’s no guarantee someone else won’t.”  

We glared at each other irritably.  

“Stop being childish over water.”  

I hugged the pillow as if it were my lifeline and protested. I couldn’t let another morning disaster happen.  

“I’d like to make it clear as well. I don’t want to hear you blaming me for waking up in an embrace again. That’s why I’ve drawn a clear line with the pillows.”  

“I told you, it wasn’t me! How many times do I have to say it?”  

I snapped, throwing a pillow at him without realizing it. Darius caught it with surprising reflexes, looking amused.  

“This pillow is mine now.”  

Who described this male lead as a serious, lonely, and wounded northern Grand Duke?  

“This is ridiculous!”  

I grabbed another pillow and started hitting him with it. Darius picked up a pillow himself and retaliated immediately.  

What? Is the all-powerful, talented male lead seriously attacking a frail extra? Where has the morality of this land gone?  

“Just take one hit, will you?”  

The purpose of this large bed surely wasn’t for this, but regardless, we charged at each other with pillows. It turned into a midnight pillow fight.  

Poof, poof.  

White duck feathers, torn from the pillows, floated through the air like snow, creating a romantic scene if you ignored the situation.  

When I finally ran out of energy, I dropped the pillow and collapsed into Darius’s arms. It was inevitable.  

Thump. The bed shook violently as two adults fell onto it.  

“Hah, hah…”  

“….”  

I thought Darius would tease me again since I had lost, but this time, he was strangely silent.  

‘I don’t care. I’m so drained I can’t think of anything.’  

I wasn’t even noticing how firm the male lead’s abs were as I lay against his chest—proof that I was truly at my limit.  

“You said sharing a bed with someone else was uncomfortable.”  

“Huh?”  

He lightly hugged me. The male lead’s solid body, which I had mentioned earlier, pressed against me, asserting its presence.  

“Looks like it really was you who embraced me in the morning.”  

What kind of unfair accusation is this!  

Darius smiled smugly, his face radiating inexplicable superiority as he pushed me away. Ugh, how annoying.  

“Annette.”  

As I regained my senses and prepared to move away from Darius to get ready for bed, he called my name softly.  

“Since you’ve used up your energy before sleeping, don’t roll over to my side tonight. I’m scared to wake up in the morning.”  

“Ugh!”  

So you really want a second round of the pillow fight, huh? Fine, I’ll burn my flesh and blood for this.  

Letting go of all dignity, I grabbed the edge of the pillow and started hitting Darius furiously with the feather pillow. Darius, curled up in the bed sheets, laughed quietly as if he found it amusing even while being hit.  

* * *  

“Annette, did you sleep well?”  

“Yes.”  

You’re the only one who slept well, just you.  

Suppressing my complaints, I gave a vague answer. Darius asked in a puzzled voice.  

“Your eyes are completely red…?”  

I quickly rubbed my eyes.  

“They’re just dry because it’s morning.”  

I hadn’t slept a wink last night. My plan was to stay awake and catch Darius if he rolled over to my side in his sleep, then shake him awake and present the evidence.  

But what happened? Darius slept soundly, like a baby lamb, with excellent sleeping habits.  

I wanted to bite my nails in frustration.  

‘Then why did we wake up so sweetly, facing each other the other morning? Could it really be my subconscious? My greed for a handsome man I can’t have in reality?’  

As the most likely suspect became clearer, I buried my face in my hands, denying reality.  

This can’t be true. How do I punish my subconscious? If it were Darius’s subconscious, maybe I could.  

“Annette? Are you okay?”  

Just as Darius placed a hand on my shoulder and leaned in to check on me—  

“Good morning, my lady. Your Grace.”  

Knock, knock. The maids entered the bedroom to attend to us in the morning.  

And then….  

The maids’ eyes widened at the sight of the ruined bedding.  

“Oh my, what happened to all the pillows…?”  

“Ah, well…!”  

There was no way I could confess that this mess was the result of a pillow fight we had like children.  

“Um, well.”  

“Come to think of it, there were thumping noises coming from the bedroom last night.”  

Are they casually admitting to spying on the lord’s bedroom? Even if it’s only the second day of our marriage?  

The maids looked at Darius and me with sparkling, expectant eyes. Darius sighed and lowered his gaze.  

“The new lady of the house is already so fond of me.”  

A smug glint shone beneath Darius’s long, dark eyelashes.  

“Kyaaah!”  

Whoa, whoa! What is he saying? Is he implying I can’t deny this because I need to maintain the appearance of a good relationship with him? This is shameless media manipulation!  

“H-hohoho. Of course, I l-like Your Grace…”  

“Every night she begs me to come, and in the morning, she clings to me. Sigh, I don’t know how much of a newlywed’s affection I should tolerate.”  

“Oh my, the two of you seem so close! You’re such a well-matched couple!”  

The truth! Not being able to tell the truth! It’s so painful!  

The truth is different! This is clearly slander!  

Taking advantage of the maids not looking, I pinched Darius’s waist hard to express my feelings.  

And when Lady Ygret heard from the maids that six premium feather pillows had been ruined in one night, she said,

“There are no more pillows to give, so the loving newlyweds should just use each other’s arms as pillows. You don’t need any, do you?”  

* * *  

“Is there any unused land within the castle? Somewhere quiet and out of sight.”  

“Hmm, unkempt land, you mean? There’s quite a bit of that right now.”  

Today, Darius suggested we take a walk in the castle gardens, but I declined. His suggestion reminded me that I had to plant the cotton seeds I had brought from the South.  

‘Farming is something you have to try to know.’  

While fertile land is ideal, since this is a secret matter, it seemed best to grow them within the castle grounds rather than elsewhere.  

“Last year, we had a vegetable garden, but since it’s still winter, nothing has been planted yet. If you’re planning to plant something, feel free to use it.”  

“Hmm, that sounds good.”  

‘If it’s about growing plants, I should call a gardener to ask for advice.’  

“Could you call the gardener?”  

“Ah, Gardener Hans is…”  

But the maid, who had been guiding me without hesitation, suddenly darkened.  

“Last year, the castle’s finances were tight, so we had to cut staff. Lady Ygret decided the gardener wasn’t necessary for now, so he was let go.”  

‘Oh dear, the finances are that bad.’  

<It’s winter, we don’t have visitors, so can’t the servants just tend to the garden as they pass by? It’s not like we’re creating some grand decorations.>  

That’s how Lady Ygret had justified it.  

The North has always been a barren and impoverished land.  

‘And yet she plans to scrape away every last bit of what little we have!’  

In the original story, Lady Ygret didn’t take from an abundant estate; she plundered what little there was. Even if I were to strip her of everything, it wouldn’t make the North wealthy overnight.  

The heroine was considered a blessing because the North had suffered so much.  

‘So I need to see for myself just how poor it really is.’  

Until the heroine arrives, this land is mine. I’ve already poured all of my dowry into it! That’s my entire fortune!