Chapter 4 – To The North (Part 8)

Sunlight spilled over his beaming head. His silver hair glistened and his blue eyes stared back at her, and she froze, placing her hand over his. She stared at him in a daze, but soon recovered and looked ahead.

A line of people stretched out, bowing respectfully towards her and Tartenon. Unlike the people of the capital, their hair was slightly lighter in color.

Watching them curiously, Reubellina stepped out of the carriage. Her intense red hair shone brilliantly in the sunlight, and her golden eyes scanned the crowd.

“Welcome to Speraum of the North!”

“Welcome to Speraum of the North!”

As one person led the chant, the others followed suit. The loud sound reverberated, and in the distance, the flapping of birds’ wings could be heard. While the display might have seemed intimidating to some, Reubellina was unfazed.

‘Compared to the social circles, this is nothing.’

Though the robust northerners stood somewhat threateningly, Reubellina waved her hand gracefully, smiling subtly. She had survived among the ladies and ladies-in-waiting who smiled outwardly but plotted inwardly in the capital’s social circles. Having already dealt with the knights during the journey to the North, she wasn’t intimidated by them. Nevertheless, she couldn’t help but feel a bit tense.

Only Tartenon noticed her cold fingertips due to nervousness. Tilting his head slightly, he whispered softly.

“Are you okay?”

“Don’t ask me those kinds of things. Just smile.”

Reubellina waved her hand gracefully and turned to Tartenon, her lips curling slightly in a quiet whisper. Their affectionate posture, heads inclined towards each other, suggested to any onlooker that they were deeply in love. The knights observing them from behind chuckled, and some even puffed out their chests, noting how Tartenon’s demeanor towards her was exceptionally tender.

“Are you telling me to smile?”

“Of course.”

Tartenon didn’t mind Reubellina’s casual order. The corners of his mouth turned up slightly, and his eyes rounded. As his sky-blue eyes sparkled at her, Reubellina’s face flushed. As her ears turned crimson, Tartenon’s smile deepened.

‘A contract marriage.’

Reubellina reminded herself of the purpose of their marriage to clear her mind of unnecessary thoughts. He was a grateful man who had saved her reputation in the capital’s social circles from being dragged through the mud, and she must not forget the purpose of marrying him.

A mutually beneficial marriage. The corners of Reubellina’s mouth slowly turned up at the thought of a three-year contract marriage.

She looked ahead with a bright smile. And she walked alongside Tartenon, who escorted her, matching her steps.

The Speraum Castle stood in the middle of the massive northern walls. As the grand castle displayed its majesty, Reubellina raised her head to gauge its height.

‘Unnecessarily high.’

That meant higher heating costs. Reubellina was already calculating the expenses for the interior of the castle.

‘Since we’re in this for mutual benefit, I’ll have to manage as best as I can.’

Fortunately, the outer walls didn’t seem too extravagant. Occasionally, ivory-like carvings could be seen, but luckily, they were high enough that there seemed to be no need to invest money to repair them. They were high up and out of reach of humans, so they couldn’t be vandalized.

After pondering for a while, they had arrived inside the main stronghold. Then someone approached them and bowed.

“Welcome back safely, Your Highness.”

“It’s been a while, Paddington.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Asillious.”

‘What’s this?’

Reubellina’s eyebrows twitched slightly before settling back into place. Having grown accustomed to the knights in the north addressing her with respect, Reubellina felt strange when this steward called her ‘Lady.’

“This is Paddington, the steward of Speraum Ducal House.”

“I see.”

She could have replied more affectionately, but Reubellina held her tongue.

‘Are they already trying to constrain me?’

If he was a steward, he must have been someone who dealt with the internal affairs of the castle, so his sudden appearance was somewhat awkward. Reubellina felt a bit uncomfortable, but she tried to understand.

“Is Lina’s room ready?”

“It’s this way.”

The steward led the way. As Reubellina followed slowly, Tartenon moved alongside her.

Paddington blinked in surprise when he saw Tartenon coming with them.

“Why is Your Highness…?”

“To see how Lina’s room has been prepared.”

“Oh, yes.”

Confirming Paddington’s hesitant eyes, Reubellina had a feeling.

‘Something’s fishy.’

Otherwise, there would be no reason for Paddington to be so flustered by Tartenon’s presence.

Considering how Tartenon’s people had been friendly to her so far, she had taken their kindness for granted.

‘Well, it wouldn’t be interesting if it were easy.’

Things had been too easy so far. Forgetting to be wary of people, she found herself in a situation she hadn’t expected.

Reubellina stared through Paddington’s back as he walked ahead. When they arrived at a door, Paddington opened it, but Reubellina stayed outside and peeked inside.

“What’s going on here?”

Tartenon spoke up. The room Paddington showed as Reubellina’s was a large but poorly furnished northern room that didn’t get much sunlight. The furniture inside was shabby, and it felt cold. Judging by the damp, musty smell, it didn’t seem to be properly maintained.

If they had at least opened the door to ventilate the room, there wouldn’t have been such an unpleasant smell. Reubellina realized that the castle’s servants hadn’t been doing their job properly. It also hinted that Tartanon didn’t care much about this aspect.

‘What’s all this about?’

As her lips curved into a frown..

“Oh, Ren!”

‘What’s this now?’

A woman’s voice came from behind.

– To be continued in the next volume.