Yuis lowered her head in silence. It was an impolite gesture for a servant to make towards her master, but Terian decided to overlook it this time.

“We’ve already discussed everything with your parents.”

At those words, Yuis felt a hollow emptiness settle inside her.

Her father was undoubtedly thrilled, even though he didn’t understand the situation. Her mother had probably never cared about her life in the first place. In fact, she might even have been pleased to hear that her daughter was marrying a duke from the Empire. Perhaps the house had already been emptied by now.

A bitter laugh escaped her lips.

Terian simply smiled sweetly at her and held out the documents.

“There’s no need to read them. After all, this is the greatest opportunity you’ll ever have. Just sign them and prepare for your departure.”

The day Yuis Everett drank tea for the first—and last—time in the Lady’s grand drawing room, which she had cleaned and polished every day, she was told one simple truth: Your life will only sink deeper into the mire.

Even after Lady Terian had left, Yuis remained seated for a considerable amount of time.

Slowly, she raised her head and looked around the drawing room.

Terian Johannes — the woman who had everything Yuis never did.

She could refuse marriage if she wished.

Even if the man in question were Kalang’s sole duke — the rising star of the empire.

Meanwhile, Yusi was nothing more than a disposable maid: someone who could die if exposed and whose death would not be mourned.

Only after being left alone did tears finally roll down Yuis’s flushed cheeks.

Why had she even tried to hold them back?

She quickly wiped her face with the back of her hand, then calmly picked up the elegant quill pen.

In the small signature box, she carefully signed: Yuis Everett.

And just as she always had, Yuis quietly left her seat.

***

Edric Descartes had never wanted to get married.

Frankly, he was sick of war.

The deafening roar of cannon fire, the screams of those whose lives had been cut short, the cries of soldiers who had lost limbs and could not accept their fate, and the desperation of having to kill or be killed — it had all become tiresome, even for him.

He hadn’t sought it out; he had merely acted to survive. Before he knew it, he had followed in his grandfather’s footsteps exactly.

“That’s your portrait in Darec’s newspaper. I hear it was painted by a rather famous artist. Amusing, isn’t it?”

He could still hear Richard’s laughter as he pointed to the portrait. The artist had depicted the Duke of Descartes as a hulking monster, which was the complete opposite of Edric’s true appearance.

“It’s time you got married, Edric. I’m sorry, but I couldn’t refuse Darec’s offer when their king came to us first.”

The foolish, weak king of Darec had proposed a marriage alliance.

It was such a small, insignificant kingdom, tucked away in the southeast, that Edric wouldn’t even have remembered its name if not for this proposal.

“What a pointless, foolish move.”

What kind of family, upon hearing rumours about him, would willingly offer their daughter in marriage to someone from such a distant, powerless kingdom?

Soon, he would probably have to watch a trembling girl being led before him, as though she were about to be executed. Or worse: a desperate girl clinging to him. Neither option appealed to him in the slightest.

“Wouldn’t it be better to accept the proposal, Your Grace?”

Recalling his aide Noah’s words, Edric yanked off his gloves and pressed his fingers to his temples.

“A noble from a small kingdom might be preferable to Hetar’s princess.”

Edric was a man who rarely appeared in public. Even within Kalang’s social circles, he only attended events when absolutely necessary. For foreign affairs, he sent his aide in his place and avoided travelling whenever possible.

However, he was forced to attend a conference in Hetar to resolve matters arising from the war. It was there that he first encountered Princess Amelie de Flanderen.

In sharp contrast to her elegant and composed demeanour, she stared at him openly.

Not long after, Edric received a marriage proposal from Princess Amelie of Hetar.

The message was clear: he should consider it an honour to marry Hetar’s only princess.

Edric had chuckled dryly as he read the absurd offer.

‘These lunatics dare offer marriage to the man who sent their crown prince to his grave.’

“The one desperate now is Hetar, Edric. They lost the war, yet their princess still holds her chin high. Wouldn’t a noble from Darec be a far better choice? But the decision is yours.”

Edric leaned back heavily and closed his eyes.

Everything was tiresome.

***

Things proceeded swiftly—just as swiftly as the decision that had been forced upon her. Yuis Everett had little to pack. The enormous dowry had been fully funded by the royal treasury.

Watching it all, Yuis was once again reminded:

‘I am nothing but one of the many tributes being offered to that man.’

Yuis Everett had heard that Duke Edric Descartes had arrived in Darec, but she hadn’t seen him. Even if she had, it wouldn’t have made a difference.

Yuis accepted this calmly.

There was no way out.

“They say he’s a man without blood or tears. If he doesn’t desire your pretty face, your future will be painted in blood.”

Terian’s words echoed in her mind.

She had seen clear contempt for the people of the barren north in his eyes, mixed with jealousy and a hint of fear.

But Yuis remained silent.

Even after that, Terian continued to insult Duke Descartes for quite some time.

The royal family of Darec insisted that she travel in a separate carriage.

They even assigned one of the king’s aides to accompany her. This aide acted as her personal etiquette tutor, constantly lecturing her on wedding customs.

He ranted about how improper it was for the bride and groom to see each other’s faces before the wedding night, and about how tradition dictated that the bride’s blood be displayed as proof on the wedding night — an outdated tradition that few still followed.

The whole thing was laughable.

Yuis knew perfectly well what the royal family feared.

Even if the man truly looked like a monster, she was confident that she wouldn’t flinch.

Of course, her feelings meant nothing.

With Terian seeing her off, Yuis quietly climbed into the carriage.

As she settled into her seat, a young girl with a short bob haircut climbed in after her and offered a polite greeting.

“Hello, my lady. My name is Laura. I’ll be escorting you to Kalang.”

The closer they got to the north, the colder the wind became.

Whenever Yuis opened the window in an attempt to ease the inexplicable heaviness in her chest, Laura would approach quietly and ask, smiling, ‘Feeling a bit stuffy, my lady?’

Yuis would soon afterwards close the window again, pull the curtains shut, and step away quietly.

Once Laura had left, Yuis leaned back against the carriage wall.

Edric Descartes.

The man who would become her husband had left after her, yet he had already arrived in Kalang before her party. In contrast, although Yuis party had left earlier, they were travelling slowly, resting every other day and barely making any progress.

Instead of travelling with her, Duke Descartes had sent his aides to escort her.

Only one of them had ever spoken to her directly.

A man with deep black hair and ashen grey eyes.

In this entirely unfamiliar world, he was the only person to show her any kindness.

The people of Darec feared and despised the northerners. Yuis had expected the Empire’s people to be no different.

Although this was a grand union of a kingdom and an empire, it was a marriage that neither side truly welcomed.

In such circumstances, this man’s polite gestures were her only source of comfort.

He guided her to the finest hotels and, when none were available, to the best inns in town.

As they neared Kalang, they stayed in increasingly splendid hotels, as they did tonight.