6. Shall We Talk, Just the Two of Us?  

“Thank you for visiting.”  

“Thank you for your hospitality.”  

The Grand Duke, adorned with his silver mask, arrived at my room, accompanied by Daniel. It was an endlessly shabby room for the eldest daughter of a marquis’ family. Yet, without showing any discouragement at the room’s humble appearance, I greeted them gracefully.  

Today, my room was decorated with flowers in soft hues of white and pink, reminiscent of hibiscus.  

“These flowers…”  

Daniel’s eyes sparkled as if he recognized them.  

“Tea and snacks are served.”

The nanny announced as she brought in the tray, her face pale. Soon, tea and snacks were placed in front of me and the Grand Duke. The snack was none other than the fruit of this flower.  

〈You want me to prepare the fruit of the flower?〉  

When I handed her something earlier and gave this instruction, the nanny had turned ashen.  

〈No! How could you serve something so common to His Highness the Grand Duke? He’ll surely think you’re mocking him!〉  

〈I have no intention of hiding my circumstances from His Highness. My room will remain as it is, and so will the food. That fruit is something I eat regularly, isn’t it?〉  

It was a ridiculous statement to her. The snack she deemed too humble for a guest was something Annette usually ate.  

If it became apparent how poorly I was treated in the household, the Grand Duke might feel pity for me and lower his guard just a little.  

The more I appeared impoverished, the better. It would help him understand why I was extending goodwill toward him.  

And the ‘fruit’ I asked the nanny to prepare was, in fact, the best card I could present to the Grand Duke at this moment.  

The Grand Duke stared at me intently.  

‘I knew you’d find this intriguing.’  

“I thought long and hard about what to serve His Highness, and this is what I prepared.”  

Crunch. Without offering it to him first, I bit into the fruit.  

A peculiar taste, sweet yet strange, spread across my tongue. Its texture was reminiscent of cotton candy, with a faintly astringent flavor.  

This was certainly no ordinary fruit.  

“The cotton flower is said to be the most precious flower because it can alleviate the cold for the people. I’m delighted to present the fruit of the cotton flower for my first tea time with Your Highness.”  

Food and cotton—these were the very items the Grand Duke sought in this political marriage.  

“I imagine camping outside must be uncomfortable, and I apologize for not being able to host you properly at the estate. Is there anything I can assist you with? I will resolve it in my name.”  

Darius let out a scoff.  

“This room seems smaller and shabbier than my tented campsite.”  

“Indeed, the Marquis neglects me so much that he forgets I even exist.” 

I replied, smiling, unfazed by his blatant disregard.  

“That’s why this is the perfect time for me to invoke the name of the eldest daughter of the Marquis’ household. Thanks to Your Highness’ visit, I’ve finally gained a bit of power.”  

I pushed the dish of cotton flower fruit toward him.  

It wasn’t hard to imagine the expression behind his silver mask.  

This fruit, abundant in the warm climate of the South, was unattainable in the North. It was something they desperately desired—the cause of conflicts between the North and South, and the only hope for the North’s harsh winters.  

Pretending to offer him the fruit, I whispered, 

“What’s the point of something that disappears once eaten? What if I gave you what you really want, Your Highness?”  

“What I really want?”  

Darius’ hand overlapped mine, pressing down on the fruit I held. His strength was undeniable.  

‘Ouch.’  

Despite the pain, I didn’t let my smile falter. Yes, it’s exactly what you’re thinking.  

Unlike during our first dinner, he ate the food in front of me.  

* * *  

Before it ripens, the cotton flower fruit has a sweet taste. Farmers often snack on the unripe fruit when exhausted from harvesting cotton.  

That’s why the nanny had criticized me, saying, ‘That’s something only commoners eat.’  

‘The Marquis household must be truly spiteful to serve cotton flower fruit as Annette’s snack, even though it ripens into cotton.’  

It was something one might try as a joke, but it couldn’t compare to real snacks.  

Could you imagine Caitlyn and my younger stepbrother Simmons being served cotton flower fruit as their snack?  

‘Thanks to this, I found a way to gain the Grand Duke’s favor without going far.’  

During the reign of the late Grand Duke Inkheart—Darius’ grandfather—there had been a territorial war over cotton, which grew only in the South. For the North’s harsh winters, Southern cotton was more precious than anything.  

However, they lost the war, and the Poche family, representing the South, and the Inkheart family, representing the North, became sworn enemies.  

Now, I had subtly hinted that I could give him the cotton that had driven them to war.  

Seeds and cultivation methods.  

Wouldn’t it be better to grow cotton permanently in the North rather than importing it from the South?  

‘If my guess is correct, the Grand Duke will visit me tonight.’  

Unofficially. Discreetly.  

Knock, knock.  

As if responding to my thoughts, there was a knock at the door.  

‘Already?’  

It was still far from late at night.  

I opened the door with anticipation, only to be disappointed.  

“The Grand Duke sends you a snack.”  

It was Daniel, the Grand Duke’s knight, holding a basket of treats.  

“He said today’s tea time was memorable.”  

So, because the tea time was unimpressive with just cotton flower fruit, he sent a snack basket himself?  

“I should thank him, but I’m not pleased.”

Daniel’s soft smile froze at my words.

“Tell His Highness that while the snacks are sweet, my feelings upon receiving them are not.”  

Knowing it was rude, I slammed the door shut as soon as I took the basket.  

The neatly packaged basket was tossed onto the floor.  

“You know what I mean.”  

Exchanging pleasantries with the Grand Duke wasn’t enough. Even if I did nothing, the marriage between us would proceed without issue.  

But I needed a solid connection to avoid the planned isolation in a separate residence after the wedding.  

I had to make myself unforgettable to him.  

So he couldn’t think of me as just an extra.  

* * *  

I woke up in the middle of the night. Knock, knock. A low, rhythmic sound reached my ears.  

At this hour, it would either be an assassin or a thief.  

But what kind of thief knocks so politely?  

‘…Could it be?’  

Without waiting for my response, the window suddenly opened.  

“You have a peculiar habit of using windows as doors,” I remarked, unable to suppress a smirk.  

“If one wants to have a private conversation at a private hour, this is the best way to come and go.”  

“This is the second time you’ve entered without my permission.”  

“I apologize for my rudeness once again.”  

What a smooth talker.  

Standing against the window, bathed in the light of the full moon, he looked dazzling.  

Ignoring my nightcap attire, I gestured for him to sit at the table. The flickering candlelight cast shadows across the room.  

A cold, crisp scent wafted from him, fresh from the outdoors. It wasn’t unpleasant. The sharp, cool fragrance cleared my hazy mind.  

“If we get married, I think I’ll have a lot of your habits to correct.” 

For example, his habit of being picky about food—or entering without permission.  

But he quickly got to the point.  

“Will you truly betray your family’s territory?”  

The cotton seeds. The one thing the North desperately desired.  

“You are the eldest daughter of the Poche family.”  

“As you said, I am the eldest daughter of the Poche family. I will carry my family’s crest and marry you, and after the marriage, I will be your person.”  

I would marry into the Inkheart family as a daughter of the Poche family. I didn’t misunderstand what that meant.  

“The curtains are worn out, and the security of my room is so poor that you could enter at will. Surely you’ve noticed. But even so, let me ask. Do you think I am cherished and loved in this household?”  

The Poche family treated Annette as a disposable pawn.  

That’s why Annette had died so easily without anyone’s help and was immediately forgotten in the original story.  

This was a world for Darius and Evangeline, the two protagonists.  

Why would the death of an extra matter? The audience was too busy following the lives of the protagonists.  

But you know what?  

It matters to me. Because this is my life now.  

I don’t want to die. It will hurt no matter how I die. Even if I die in my sleep, I’ll probably struggle to breathe.  

‘No matter how many nights I go to sleep and wake up, this isn’t a dream.’  

Unfortunately. The tantrum I threw shortly after my reincarnation, hoping I’d transfer to another body, was born out of the hope that this was all just a dream.  

But days and days passed, and whenever I opened my eyes, I was on Annette’s bed. The girl with pink hair, something impossible in reality, stared awkwardly at me in the mirror.  

She looked at me, and I looked at her.  

I realized I was Annette. This was my life to live.  

So I decided to live.