There was also a northern grand duke in ‘Princess Flora Is Lovely’. The difference, however, was that this northern grand duke was not the male lead but the villain.

A collateral member of the royal family, Grand Duke Norhart, constantly clashed with the crown prince and male lead, Michael, resorting to schemes and plots to tarnish his reputation.

‘He claimed to be testing whether Michael had the qualities of a ruler, all while spreading slander and fabrications.’

In the original work, he was portrayed as hot-tempered, highly suspicious, and violent, with a love for bloodshed.

Despite being a northern grand duke, he had no connection to the female lead, making him unpopular among readers.

‘Sure, he was described as handsome, but in romance fantasy novels, even the passing extra’s grandfather is good-looking.’

And yet, of all places, his territory had to be close to Meldorf.

‘I thought coming down to a remote mountain valley would keep me away from entanglements. I thought that since the original story had already ended, I could just live out my remaining days in peace…!’

I decided to seek Dame Gwendolyn’s advice again.

“So, was there any exchange between House Norhart and Lure?”

They were the two major villains in the original story, yet I couldn’t recall a scene where Odelia and Grand Duke Norhart confronted each other directly.

“Well, Lure is a noble family of the capital, while Norhart is a powerful provincial noble. Politically speaking, they wouldn’t have close ties.”

“So, since he submitted a petition to my father, I don’t need to send him a thank-you note… right?”

I cautiously asked with my past-life’s Confucian mindset, and for the first time, a faintly amused smile appeared on Dame Gwendolyn’s usually cold face.

“…My lady, you have truly changed a lot recently.”

“Haha…”

Given what she knew of Odelia’s personality, the idea of sending a thank-you note must have been absurd.

It wasn’t hard to guess that she was mentally filing this as yet another case of a sudden personality shift due to my terminal illness.

“Besides, Norhart wasn’t the only one who submitted a petition, so there’s no need to concern yourself.”

“Really?”

“For a ruling against a founding contributor’s family, the verdict came incredibly fast. Even if it was a treason case, Lure was one of the empire’s pillars. There were a lot of questionable points in the evidence as well…”

“Mm, that’s true…”

As a reader, the swift and decisive conviction of the marquis who had enabled the villainess had been immensely satisfying. But from an objective standpoint, there were procedural issues.

That’s likely why they spared Odelia’s status—completely wiping out a founding contributor’s family would have been politically burdensome.

Even the confiscation of property had been somewhat lax, and they had left Meldorf in my possession.

“Moreover, because of that incident, an entry ban was imposed on the grand duchy, so they should be in a period of self-restraint.”

Dame Gwendolyn’s logical assessment reassured me greatly.

‘Thank goodness. No entanglements. I’ll live quietly until the end. I must never run into him.’

For my peaceful exile, I had to avoid any involvement with the original story’s characters at all costs.

Especially the main villain.

***

“Baby, have you been well? Did you listen to the nanny without crying?”

“Oh my, she’s getting heavy, my lady.”

“Kyawoo!”

The baby’s face instantly brightened the moment she was in my arms.

As I held her close, the blood flow that had felt like it was reversing while dealing with the baron, the pounding headache, and the suffocating tightness in my chest all seemed to subside.

‘Ah, cuteness truly is the best…’

I showered the baby’s plump cheeks with a flurry of kisses.

“The barrier is intact?”

The nanny, who had heard about my conversation with the baron, sounded surprised.

“Not only that, but it was reinforced before I arrived. He must be trying to monitor me in case I run away.”

“That couldn’t be…”

She wanted to deny it, but since it was a reasonable suspicion, she couldn’t find the words to do so.

“I heard that if the baron were a grand duke, he’d be able to break through the barrier. What does that mean?”

“The grand duchy carries the same first bloodline of Arcadia as the royal family.”

Hundreds of years ago, when the firstborn of the legendary archmage Arcadio received the divine oracle and founded the Kingdom of Arcadia, the second-born, who had assisted in the founding, became the Grand Duke of Norhart.

It seemed that the magic barrier cast by Michael could be broken by a grand duke, who shared that bloodline.

“So, unless someone is of royal blood, they can’t deactivate the barrier?”

“Yes, exactly.”

“There’s no way Grand Duke Norhart abandoned the baby here. Oh, by the way, about that beast incident…”

“Pardon?”

The nanny’s face paled—clearly, my sudden question had caught her off guard.

She must have intended to keep it a secret that the intruder back then was a beast. It was an unsettling topic, after all.

“That happened when I was staying at this villa with Prince Michael, didn’t it?”

“Well, um…”

She grumbled under her breath about Baron Alterman, clearly flustered by my question.

“But you weren’t harmed at all, my lady!”

She hastily dismissed it in a flustered tone. It was obvious she didn’t want to disclose the full details.

This place was supposedly protected by a barrier, so it seemed like something worth investigating.

‘…Or maybe the nanny is hiding it because I don’t need to know?’

All that mattered to me was living out my remaining days in peace and comfort.

If the barrier was strong enough to keep out both beasts and human intruders, then wasn’t that actually reassuring?

In this terminally ill possession life, I had no time for anything other than happy thoughts. I decided to push away any troublesome concerns.

‘Anyway, the real issue is the baby…’

The gentle rhythm of the baby’s breathing as she slept, her tiny chest rising and falling, was like ASMR.

“Why were you in a place like that?”

“Wooom…”

As if answering my question in her sleep, the baby murmured softly.

‘Either way, I need to find a proper place for her. She can’t stay with me forever…’

***

[Looking for the parents of this child.

Silver-haired, estimated to be three months old, female.

The reward will exceed your expectations.

Any information should be reported to the Blue Roof Manor in Meldorf Castle.]

The next day, I had flyers posted around Meldorf and the surrounding territories. The hired workers, paid for by selling Odelia’s jewelry, handled the distribution.

I even sent Mathias to Norhart. Despite sharing a border, the grand duchy was quite a distance away, requiring a long ride on horseback.

‘Posting a notice isn’t illegal, and there’s no reason for me to get involved with the grand duke…’

Unfortunately, there were no leads.

There were people who claimed to know the baby’s parents or even insisted they were the parents themselves, but…

“What color are the baby’s eyes?”

“Uh, well, they’re… blue…”

“Hans, Paul.”

Before I even finished speaking, Hans and Paul, who had been waiting nearby, each grabbed one of the man’s arms.

“Let’s go.”

“Wait, no, maybe I saw wrong? Green…? Teal?”

“Come on now, let’s go while we’re still being nice.”

Not a single person had correctly guessed the baby’s eye color, which meant they had all come hoping for a reward.

‘Golden eyes are extremely rare, so no one would randomly guess gold.’

The nanny, who had been holding the baby wrapped tightly in my shawl, clicked her tongue as she watched the scene unfold.

“Another bust today.”

“Tell me about it. Some people have no shame.”

When I took the baby from the nanny, she immediately laughed upon seeing my face. Her soft golden eyes shimmered like sunlight.

“Kyah!”

“Oh, baby. We came up empty again today. What should we do? I only have a few months left to live, you know.”

“Oh dear, my lady…”

The nanny glanced around, worried someone might overhear. It was no secret that my health was frail, but for the sake of the servants’ loyalty, the fact that I was terminally ill remained our little secret.

Ignoring the nanny’s concern, I met the baby’s eyes and did my best to entertain her.

Which, to be fair… was barely a movement.

“Kyahu!”

“Oh my, do you like that?”

“The baby must recognize how beautiful and kind you are, my lady.”

Beautiful, sure, but kind? That was some serious bias.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, I pretended not to hear the nanny and focused on entertaining the baby while she lay in my arms.

“My lady, please don’t overexert yourself.”

“We should just live together… Cough!”

“Dame Gwendolyn!”

As expected, I suddenly coughed up blood, and a few drops splattered onto the baby’s face.

At the nanny’s sharp scream, Dame Gwendolyn rushed over and let out a long sigh.

“I told you not to push yourself. No matter how much the baby cries, we’ll find a way to soothe her, so from now on, please stay apart when you’re out for walks or working in the garden.”

Yes, the baby’s separation anxiety had seemed to improve—but only for a brief moment.

‘Baby, I’m just going for a short walk, so be good and stay with the nanny, okay?’

‘Waaaah…!’

Whether she actually understood me or not, she wouldn’t listen unless I pleaded with all my might—and even then, she somehow always knew when I was lying.

That’s why I always ended up carrying her around while taking walks or tending to the garden.

Because of this, Dame Gwendolyn, who prioritized my health above all else, was quite strict when it came to the baby.

“Why is she so attached to you, my lady?”

Like I was some kind of mother bird, geez. Dame Gwendolyn clicked her tongue while checking my pulse.

“No, really. My migraines have eased up, and I don’t get as winded anymore. Even while carrying her, I can walk for an hour now! And you told me to do things that make me happy, didn’t you?”

Spending time with the baby makes me so happy!

Dame Gwendolyn gave me a look of disapproval.

“…Your stamina has improved significantly. But your body could just be tricking itself because you’re enjoying this too much.”

“Could this be… maternal instinct?”

Even as I said it, I thought it sounded ridiculous.

The baby had only been staying at the manor for five days, yet I had already grown so fond of her that I could joke about such things.

That’s just how adorable she was—and how much she clung to me!

However, Dame Gwendolyn gave a thoughtful nod, as if my words weren’t entirely baseless.

“According to the theory that maternal instinct isn’t innate but learned, it’s not an unreasonable thought.”

“Right?”

Encouraged by her response, I decided to show her firsthand how the baby benefited me.

Taking the baby from the nanny, I spoke confidently.

“Look, just watch. When I’m holding her—”

Then, in that very moment, I abruptly stood up.

“My lady!”

Oops. That was a mistake.

Thud.

I promptly collapsed due to orthostatic hypotension.

‘…Right. How much longer do I even have left to live?’

If I couldn’t find her parents, the best thing to do would be to find her a good home.

***

“My lady, my lady!”

A few days later, Mila came running back from town, completely out of breath.

“I- In town, there’s, um—”

“Catch your breath first.”

Huff, haah. Following my instruction, Mila took a few deep breaths before blurting out her news.

“Grand Duke Norhart is here!”

Pfft—!

I ended up spitting out my medicinal tea in a coughing fit.

“A-Are you alright, my lady? Dame Gwendolyn!”

“No, it’s not… I’m f-fine.”

Mila, who had rushed into the manor like a storm, quickly wiped the tea from my clothes.

Forcing a calm tone, I asked,

“So, what business does he have in Meldorf?”

“Oh, that’s the thing!”

No way.

Mila’s eyes gleamed.

“He’s looking for our estate!”