“It doesn’t matter how dangerous the beast is or isn’t. Suddenly a monster appears, and Your Grace pulls out a sword, and then blood splatters everywhere…”
“Annette, you’re shaking.”
Darius placed his hand on my trembling shoulder. Unbeknownst to me, my body was shivering. Seeing a monstrous creature for the first time was terrifying.
“Were you scared? I’m sorry.”
He tilted his head to meet my eyes. His dark pupils reflected Annette. Now a familiar sight to me.
“It’s over now. You’re safe.”
That’s not the point!
I meant to protest, but strangely, my head wouldn’t lift, and I only managed a faint groan.
What’s happening? Really.
He hesitated and then awkwardly hugged me. It was so awkward that it was barely a hug.
The arms of the man who had just taken a life were surprisingly warm.
“I’m better at surprising people than comforting them. I wish it ended there.”
Typical of the main character, dealing with monsters and paperwork until meeting the heroine.
Even without experience, they can offer perfect consolation in front of the heroine, but until then, kindness isn’t part of their skill set.
“I didn’t ask to be comforted.”
But what’s this? His gentle tone as if soothing a frightened noble lady, troubled by a mere monster.
“Hm.”
A small cough came from behind. Startled, I saw it was Daniel and the coachman.
“Ah…”
Their faces, somewhat pleased, seemed apologetic for interrupting a good moment.
“We must leave now, or we won’t reach the castle today.”
“Ah, let’s go! Quickly!”
My face flushed immensely in an instant.
“I’m really sorry for disturbing your time.”
What’s there to be sorry for? I was just worried about the reckless Duke.
Without responding to Daniel’s words, I returned to the carriage and awkwardly turned away.
‘I couldn’t move an inch when the beast attacked.’
My heart still hurt. Was it because I was upset?
‘Will I just die without a sound if I ever meet an assassin?’
Like Annette in the original.
Laughing and chatting with the main character doesn’t solve everything. Going to the Inkheart Castle could bring me closer to death.
‘Who knows when the assassination flag from the original story will pop up?’
So, I should think of ways to ensure my safety… As I was calming down, sleepiness overcame me, and I drifted off.
I dreamt.
As I spoke, the air of the battlefield changed dramatically. The space, filled with evil magic, was swept by a clear wind. The small breeze grew, confusing the beasts.
As I changed the air of the battlefield, people behind me moved swiftly.
A person with silver blades and black pupils met my eyes.
He seemed to say something, but…
“Annette.”
“Hmm…”
“I’ve arrived.”
Someone’s touch woke me. Thump, something heavy and warm fell to the ground.
I must have fallen asleep. Reflexively, I picked up the heavy object. Thick leather, perfect for warmth.
Darius, who woke me, suddenly turned his head away, just like I had earlier.
“Did you cover me with this?”
“I warned you it would be cold here.”
Thanks to that, I slept soundly without waking.
“Thank you.”
“If you caught a cold as soon as we arrived, I would be the one suffering.”
His words were blunt, even with his ears turning red.
“Then I’m not thankful.”
Darius’s eyes narrowed, and I feigned innocence, tilting my head.
“I thought you didn’t want to accept my gratitude…?”
If he doesn’t accept the thanks, it’s his loss.
However, I soon chuckled. Darius, seemingly outplayed, spoke in a deflated tone.
“I can never quite figure you out.”
“We’ve only been married a short while; I can’t reveal all my cards just yet.”
Mystery is the essence of romance. Not that I plan to romance the main character.
‘So this is the North.’
The main stage of the novel and the territory of the male lead.
Opening the carriage window, I saw distant blue ice cliffs. A magnificent sight of the North, a symbol, and the source of monsters.
Following the Lord’s carriage were wagons carrying wheat and cotton from the South. A sight more welcome than any grand procession.
With this food and cotton, the North can survive the winter.
“Lord.”
“Your Grace.”
People doffed their hats and greeted the Lord. My future people. I watched the street curiously, pressing my nose against the carriage window.
Despite not appearing materially prosperous, there was no gloom on the people’s faces.
‘The Lord and his people are very alike.’
They live through the winter on pride alone.
Hmm. I breathed on the carriage window and drew a heart on the foggy glass.
“What are you doing?”
“Preparing myself for life ahead.”
I liked this city.
‘This is the land of the main character. I’ll develop it well and leave with a fortune when we divorce.’
After marriage, increased assets are considered joint property.
“This is the cotton seed I’m bringing to the North. I’ve been collecting it since I was very young. Roughly counted, there are about 1,200 seeds.”
Before entering the city, I took out a bag of cotton seeds in the carriage. Since Darius seems unlikely to confine me in a remote house as the original story dictates, I should keep my promise to him.
“Until now, the North has only bought cotton wool, never grown cotton seeds. Either the seeds were bad, or the climate of the North is entirely unsuitable for cotton.”
Cotton is a staple crop of the South. No one wants their profitable crop to be exported.
“Even if all these seeds are planted, half won’t even sprout.”
Darius’s eyebrows twitched.
“And among those that do sprout, half will likely perish, unable to withstand the cold climate of the North.”
“Then, will anything survive?”
“Yes, almost nothing. If only twelve plants survive from these 1,200 seeds, it will be a great success.”
“Are you joking with me? Do you think I want just one or two ornamental cotton plants?”
In the narrow carriage, face-to-face with him, his aura of anger made my face tingle.
“But it’s okay. We have time.”
“Time?”
“How long can the North withstand the cold with the cotton wool we’re bringing as a dowry? If they make new clothes, perhaps three years. If they repair old cotton, another three years.”
There could be variables like buying more cotton, but at least six years can be sustained with this supply.
“Six years is enough time for seed improvement research.”
Even if only twelve survive the first year, those twelve could produce more the next year, resulting in a significant number after five years.
“So even if almost all the initial 1,200 seeds die, it doesn’t matter. The few that survive will gradually adapt to the cold of the North and become a suitable variety.”
Of course, if not even one survives, that’s when real despair begins.
Then… I can only hope that by then, I would have earned enough favor with Darius and the North through other means.
A pouch full of cotton seeds.
The possibility that none of these seeds will sprout.
Darius remained silent. As his silence stretched, my throat dried up increasingly.
‘Surely he’s not going to tell me to go back home just because I brought these seeds?’
“There is something I need to say.”
“Yes?”
Please don’t tell me to go back home just for this.
“I owe you an apology. For a fact I’ve hidden from you.”
An apology? My ears perked up.
Is it Darius who needs to apologize, not me?
I don’t have to compensate for the cotton seeds?
“I knew that the South wasn’t truly respecting us when they proposed the marriage alliance. Therefore, we planned to have a political marriage and not bring anyone from the Porshe family to the Duke’s house.”
“Yes. …Ah, what?”
I already knew that. Was it about his side of the story?
The surprise on my face must have been interpreted differently by Darius, as his guilt deepened. It was a look of a main male character regaining his conscience, which he briefly forgot in the progress of the story.
“…As a knight, as the lord of the North, I have done something shameful. I never considered the sacrifice you would be making in our plans.”
Well, that’s because I’m just an extra.
The plight of an extra, summarized in a single line, is not something anyone cares about.
The Porshe family sought the honor of marrying into the noble Duke’s family, and the North needed essential supplies.
The marriage, purely for mutual benefit, was something I already knew from reading the novel.
“My vassals must be in shock. They wouldn’t have expected me to return with a wife.”
So, if I looked surprised, it was because Darius unexpectedly brought up something disadvantageous to him.
He didn’t need to apologize for a point I had already accepted.
“I apologize for deciding to send you elsewhere without even meeting you, truly intending to escape the Porshe family.”
Ha. I laughed.
“Okay, I’ll accept that apology. But you’re not just going to apologize verbally, right? I’ll keep it as a debt. You can pay me back later.”
Confused by the main character’s change of attitude, I couldn’t miss the opportunity to gain something.
The successful division of assets starts here.
