Chapter 03

At the same time.

The Millidren Mountains of the North.

Clang—!

A deafening boom rang out as a massive sword blade collided with the sickle-like foreleg of a magical beast.

“Kiaaaaargh!”

The hideous insectoid monster, nearly three meters tall, screamed in pain and was sent tumbling backward.

Its severed foreleg spun uselessly through the air before plunging into the snow. At the same time, dark-red blood sprayed across the white snowfield.

“Do you want to die?!”

Valkan, who had effortlessly severed the monster’s foreleg and landed on the ground, roared at the knight who had nearly been struck by the monster’s attack moments ago.

“Are you not paying attention? Who taught you to turn your back on a magical beast?!”

His single remark was sharper than any curse.

The knight who had fallen into the snow hurriedly answered, his face turning deathly pale.

“I-I apologize, Your Highness!”

“It’s coming again. Get up and grab your sword!”

“Y-yes!”

Valkan charged toward the magical beast as it came rushing at them once more.

There wasn’t a single wasted movement in the trajectory of his sword.

Every thrust and slash was so relaxed and fluid that it was almost eerie.

Even while fighting a magical beast with countless unpredictable variables, his expression suggested that the battle was nothing more than an irritating and tedious problem whose answer he already knew.

A short while later, the magical beast finally breathed its last, and a brief silence descended over the mountain range.

The knights, having been given a moment to rest, settled down in a clearing within the forest.

“His Highness is so scary these days, Commander…”

Rudy, a young knight who looked close to tears, spoke to Deros, the commander of the knights.

Deros let out a short sigh and patted Rudy on the shoulder.

“Try to understand. He’s on edge because of the princess from the enemy kingdom.”

At those words, Rudy sniffled and asked,

“So… is that crazy princess really going to become our Grand Duchess? The princess from Delmar, the kingdom that killed so many of our comrades?”

“……”

Deros couldn’t answer immediately.

Instead, he slowly turned his gaze toward Valkan.

Valkan was wiping the blade of his sword beside a snow-covered rock, his back turned toward the corpse of the fallen magical beast.

“……Who knows? I don’t know what His Highness is thinking either.”

It was a bitter answer.

In truth, the wounds of the war had yet to heal in the North.

There were many who had lost their families, those who had lost comrades, and those who had left an arm or a leg behind in Delmar.

And yet, in this North still boiling with such grief and anger, they were being given a princess from Delmar.

Had they really expected them to show sympathy simply because she was supposedly not in her right mind?

Delmar, which had sent the princess, was infuriating enough.

But the Emperor, who had thrown that princess at them and ordered the Grand Duke to take her as his wife, was even more contemptible.

If Deros felt this way, how much worse must the Grand Duke feel, as the man responsible for his family and territory?

Swallowing another sigh, Deros walked toward Valkan.

“Your Highness.”

The hand wiping the sword blade stopped for a moment.

“Since the battle is more or less finished, wouldn’t it be better to call it a day and return to the Grand Ducal House?”

But Valkan didn’t even look at him.

He continued wiping the remaining blood from his sword as he spoke.

“Why.”

Deros continued carefully, looking troubled.

“Well, today also happens to be the day the Princess of Delmar is arriving—”

“So why?”

Shing—!

Valkan sheathed his sword and rose to his feet.

Then he turned toward the dark forest once more.

“What does her arrival have to do with me?”

“Your Highness.”

Deros hurried after him.

But Valkan was already looking for the next magical beast on which to vent his frustration.

“It pains me that my beloved Grand Duke is still unmarried. Therefore, I bestow upon the Grand Duke the Princess of Delmar. Whether you make her your wife, use her as a maid, or make her scrub the floors of the stables, do as you please.”

That was the Emperor’s message.

But it was nothing more than deliberate mockery.

Valkan tightened his grip around the hilt of his sword.

A frost-like sneer appeared in his black eyes.

“Since His Majesty the Emperor has ordered it, as the North’s loyal hound, I suppose I must gladly obey.”

At his unexpectedly compliant response, Deros’s expression brightened.

“Yes? Th-then if that’s the case, shall we return to the Grand Ducal House immediately so you can welcome Her Highness the Princess—”

Valkan cut him off in an indifferent voice as he charged toward another magical beast.

“Give the princess a mop or something.”

“……Pardon?”

A week passed.

Time sure flies.

I sprawled around on a luxurious bed covered by a billowing canopy.

The mattress was so soft that my body practically sank into it, and even the blankets smelled of sunlight and some unfamiliar flowers.

Compared to the shabby house I’d lived in back in Billot Village in the South, this place was so luxurious it almost brought tears to my eyes.

But that was only amusing for the first day or two.

“Haaaaah.”

I stretched out lazily while staring at the ceiling.

It had already been a week since I’d entered the Grand Ducal House.

And yet the man who was supposedly the owner of this place hadn’t shown even the tip of his nose.

At this point, is he personally creating magical beasts just so he can go cut them down?!

The princess in the original novel suddenly seemed incredibly impressive.

How did she actually manage to marry the Grand Duke in the original story?

No, first of all, shouldn’t the man actually appear in front of me before I can seduce him or do anything at all?

For an entire week, all I’d done was eat, sleep, bathe, stare blankly into space, and eat again.

For the first two days, resting had actually been pleasant since I’d only recently come back from the dead.

But starting on the third day, I began to get restless.

This body had spent every single day climbing mountains, crawling up cliffs, and digging up medicinal herbs.

Being forced to sit around quietly like a statue in the corridors of the Grand Ducal House was driving me insane.

At this rate, I’m going to die of boredom before the Helvine in my stomach gets me.

I sighed and placed a hand over my abdomen.

The first thing my palm touched was the smooth fabric of my dress.

But whenever I thought about what kind of sinister thing was lurking underneath it, my mood immediately sank.

I sat up on the bed and opened the first drawer of the bedside table.

Creak—

Inside was a small glass bottle.

The empty glass bottle I’d finished drinking yesterday had been replaced with a new one, neatly placed inside and filled with a sedative that gently sloshed when I moved the drawer.

It was the sedative that suppressed Helvine’s activity.

Who keeps bringing this here, and when?

Every morning when I woke up, it had mysteriously been replaced with a fresh bottle.

Medicine that keeps me alive.

At the same time, it was an unspoken threat telling me that I was being watched.

It was proof that the people from the guild who had forced me to swallow Helvine had deeply infiltrated the Grand Ducal House.

Isn’t this exactly what happens when the head of the household spends all his time running around killing magical beasts?

Hmph.

Creak—slam!

I closed the drawer and sat back down on the edge of the bed.

I need to get rid of this thing quickly…

I’d come to the Grand Ducal House intending to find some book about Helvine, at the very least.

But the Grand Duke, whose permission I’d need to enter the library, refused to appear.

I’d casually mentioned to Hendrick that I’d like to look around the library, but all I’d received in return was an impenetrable refusal.

“It would be difficult without His Highness’s permission.”

Then, the bedroom door opened.

“Princess! I’m here!”

A young, cheerful voice rolled into the room.

I couldn’t help but burst into a smile.

It was Celine, the ten-year-old maid who had been assigned as my personal attendant when I entered the Grand Ducal House a week ago.

With her light-brown hair neatly tied back and a white apron wrapped around her, she looked every bit the maid.

Except she was so small, with such tiny hands and feet, that she seemed less like someone who should be waiting on me and more like someone I ought to take care of.

She followed me around everywhere, constantly calling me “Princess! Princess!” and somehow reminded me of my younger sister from my previous life.

I’d grown rather fond of her.

“You’re here, Celine?”

“Yes, Princess! The weather has warmed up a little today! It’s still too cold to go into the garden, but the sunlight stretches all the way down the corridor on the garden side!”

Celine’s eyes sparkled as she clasped my hand tightly.

“Let’s go! It’s stuffy when you stay in your room all day!”

I had no idea how she could always be so energetic.

There was no reason for her to put so much effort into attending a mad princess, yet this child genuinely seemed to want to take care of me.

Then, as I looked into Celine’s round eyes, a thought suddenly occurred to me.

…Could she be connected to those men too?

Maybe that was why she was taking such devoted care of a mad princess like me…

No, come on!

I shook my head.

What am I thinking, suspecting a ten-year-old child?

Feeling guilty for having doubted her even for a moment, I smiled brightly at Celine.

Then I took her hand and stood up.

“All right. Let’s go.”

At my answer, Celine’s face immediately lit up.

I left the room and walked down the corridor with Celine.

The dark wooden molding and old paintings lining the walls weren’t particularly flashy, but they gave the place a dignified, weighty atmosphere.

The carpets covering the floor muffled our footsteps, making the entire place even quieter.

Then, as Celine walked beside me holding my hand, she carefully asked,

“Um, Princess.”

“Hm?”

“Don’t you feel cooped up?”

Celine’s gaze fell toward my gloved hand.

In truth, I’d been wearing gloves since before entering the Grand Ducal House.

It was a precaution in case I accidentally injured someone.

If I weren’t wearing gloves, I wouldn’t even be able to hold Celine’s hand, much less pat her on the head.

And it wasn’t just gloves.

Ever since the blood flowing through my body had become poisonous, I’d protected myself by wearing clothes that left as little skin exposed as possible.

It was the same after I entered the Grand Ducal House.

At least it’s fortunate that the Grand Duke’s territory is in the North.

Because the North had harsh winters with snowstorms raging throughout the year, nobody found it strange that I wore thick, long clothes.

I smiled faintly and said,

“I want you to live a long, long life, Celine.”

“……Huh?”

Celine blinked her round eyes, seemingly unable to understand what I meant.

Eventually, perhaps taking it as nothing more than a blessing from a mad princess, she started chattering away again.

“Princess, that building over there is the western annex. And the spire behind the annex is still being repaired, so you shouldn’t go too close to it. And then—”

Celine moved her little mouth tirelessly as she continued explaining things to me.

So cute. She was adorable.

Whenever she laughed brightly while explaining something, a tiny dimple appeared in Celine’s cheek.

“And, Princess, over here—”

It was just as Celine was about to continue.

“How can you say something like that?!”

“……”

“……”

Celine and I stopped dead in our tracks.

The voice had come from beyond a slightly open door at the end of the corridor.

Apparently, some maids were talking while cleaning.

“Then what? Are you planning to disobey His Highness’s orders?”

“No, that’s not what I mean. How are we supposed to tell Her Highness that His Highness ordered the princess to do maid’s work? She’s still a princess, after all.”

Celine flinched at what she heard.

“Hah. What princess?”

The mocking voice continued.

“She’s been abandoned by her own kingdom, and His Highness doesn’t even want to look at her, so he won’t even come back to the Grand Ducal House.”

“Ah, whatever. Still, I can’t do it.”

I slowly blinked.

What…?

They told them to make me do maid’s work?

The corner of my mouth twitched, and my hand naturally clenched into a fist.

What a stroke of luck! I’d already been itching to move around!

Doesn’t this mean I now have legitimate permission to roam around the Grand Ducal House as much as I want?!

When I clenched my fist tightly, Celine mistook it for anger and hurriedly grabbed my arm.

“Wow, Princess. Let’s just go back to your bedroom for now and—”

Before Celine could even finish her hurried whisper, I strode over and flung open the door to the room where the maids were gathered.

“You there!”

At my booming voice, the shoulders of the two maids jumped.

“Eek!”

“Pr-Princess?!”

The two maids turned pale when they saw me and immediately flattened themselves against the floor.

“I-I’m sorry, Princess! We were only given His Highness’s orders! We never meant to insult Your Highness or—!”

“I’ll do it!”

I cut off the trembling maid and shouted brightly.

The maids, who had been pressing their foreheads against the floor, lifted their heads and stared at me in bewilderment.

“……Pardon?”

“What?”

I pointed enthusiastically at myself with my finger and shouted,

“I’m really good at it!”

Come on, let me do it! Please? Let me be a maid!!