Chapter 12. Residence of the Grand Duke

Three years ago, the long-awaited marriage ceremony of the heiress of the Astrological Order and the eldest daughter of the Duchy of Carter took place. It was a wedding that, without exaggeration, many people throughout the empire had been waiting for. When members of such famous families married, it always caused great excitement.

People openly praised the marriage and called it 'created in heaven.

'The future successor of the astrological order and the Duke's beautiful daughter stand side by side, how well they look together!' — is what was most often repeated from the mouths of the inhabitants of the empire. The magnificent wedding of representatives of two noble families was discussed in all corners of the empire. The newlyweds became a symbol of the ideal couple, uniting two influential families.

Invitations to the wedding were sent out to the highest-ranking people in the empire, including the imperial family. Remesis, to her surprise, was also among those who received an invitation to this wedding. However, upon receiving this beautifully designed invitation, the girl simply ignored it.

Remesis decided that these people would somehow do without her participation in this ceremony.

Of course, the wedding itself wasn't too much of a surprise to her, as she already knew it was going to happen.

When Remesis had learnt of her sister's marriage, the pinching feeling had only settled in her soul for a very short time. After all, based on her knowledge of her past life, she should have known it was inevitable. But that didn't mean she wanted to see it with her own eyes.

Besides, at that time, the northern region was at the peak of its rebirth, and the princess of the northern castle had a lot of things to do on a daily basis. Remesis had too many different worries for her to still be thinking about something like this. In other words, three years ago, she had never attended that wedding that the entire capital of the empire and beyond was buzzing about.

But now, when Remesis mentioned it aloud, green eyes, like a forest of nature, fluttered before her.

When the young head was about to open her mouth to say something, she didn't dare to do so in the end. In fact, based on common sense, there was no point for Liana Daehsin to justify herself to her right now. And was there really any need for it, given that there had never been a so-called 'special' relationship between the two of them?

Had they ever had a relationship in the past? No. Had the young head unfairly abandoned his soulmate to marry someone else later? Also no. Accordingly, they had no apparent commitment to each other. Nevertheless, a certain suffocating atmosphere was still present at this point.

Liana Daehsin cleared her throat after a while as this strange silence prevailed. She spoke first.

— Since you're in such a difficult situation, it's my duty to help you. Does your highness mind?

Remesis nodded briefly. She also decided not to dwell on the subject.

— I am most grateful to you, Lady Daehsin, ' the princess of the north smiled kindly at her, and Liana involuntarily swallowed the lump in her throat again. Soon she turned away and muttered embarrassedly:

— It's quite dark in here. Please stay close to me, princess.

The young head turned her head and looked around to make sure there was no danger nearby, and then followed ahead. Remesis followed quietly behind her, trying to keep up.

With the help of the Order's successor, Remesis managed to safely escape the forest wilds she had unwillingly found herself in, and they walked through the forest wilderness in silence for a long time. Liana orientated herself in space quite well, so after a while they managed to come to the very place where the attack had taken place.

The cold wind carried the smell of blood, and Remesis squinted when she saw the corpses of her soldiers. At that moment, her heart clenched involuntarily. She had known each of these men personally in her lifetime and was convinced that each of them had served honourably. The Northern Princess's determination to find out the identity of the person who had ordered this attack only strengthened her resolve. After all, she truly could not believe that such an incident could have been a mere coincidence or accident.

At the same time, Remesis was relatively relieved not to find the commandant of the fortress among the dead soldiers of the north. Surely, she thought, Hannes could not have been among the dead. How could this man have died so easily? Most likely, right now the loyal knight of the northern princess was tirelessly toiling in search of his mistress.

— Princess Rania, this way.

Remesis recoiled slightly after Liana addressed her. The girl's gaze shifted smoothly in the direction the young head pointed her.

Not far away, she spotted another carriage. A luxurious carriage drawn by four horses stood beside a wide forest path, and several guards were gathered near it, obviously waiting for Liana's return.

As soon as they approached, the guards immediately fell silent. Several of the young head's escort looked at Remesis, who was standing behind Liana. Their curious looks almost burned a hole in her face.

— Mistress, excuse me, but who is it that you have brought with you? — A young man with blonde curly hair stepped forward and looked at Remesis confused.

Seeing that Remesis was still standing behind her back, Liana decided to clarify the situation to her people.

— This girl is the princess of the north. You must treat her properly. She will come with us to the duke's residence.

This statement caused not only the escort of the order's successor, but also Remesis herself, to be surprised.

— I beg your pardon? But when did I say I was coming with you? — The northern princess asked.

— Didn't I?

— What?

Liana squinted her eyes, looking at the girl.

— Is it really... Would you really prefer to stay here? — She asked with doubt in her voice.

The moment their gazes met, Remesis dropped her guard briefly, but soon found something to answer.

— My knight is still out here somewhere looking for me. How can I just leave like this? — she said nonchalantly.

It was reasonable. If Hannes Wrightly was really turning the terrain now in search of her, he would surely return here sooner or later. The girl wanted to wait for his return and go with him.

Liana Daehsin raised her thin eyebrows.

— In that case, you can't know for sure when he will return. Would you be willing to wait for him, if necessary, for a whole night? — After hesitating, the woman made an argument that was hard to resist.

— ...

For a moment Remesis, who was about to contradict her, hesitated. She really couldn't know exactly when her knight would return, and that was a problem. Liana, who noted every change on her face, soon added:

— Don't worry about it. If the person who serves you is smart enough, he will go to the Carter residence first if he can't find you here.

— ...

— Trust me, I will get you to the Duke's residence safely, — Liana Daehsin once again insisted.

Although this was not at all the company Remesis had hoped for on her journey, it seemed to be the only option she had left at the moment. It was foolish to deny that being left alone in this forest, a noble lady like her would only expose herself to the greatest dangers.

Again, going back to the young head's previous reasoning, the girl couldn't help but agree with it. Remesis could not call Hannes a shortsighted warrior, on the contrary, in her eyes he was a more than wise man. In that case, everything would really be alright, wouldn't it?

Sigh.

— Well, if it is. — Remesis calmly read the emotion on the young head's face for a while, then took her gaze back to the road. It was humility. — Then I apologise in advance for the inconvenience, Lady Daehsin.

— It's all right. It's an honour to be of service to the princess.

With those words, the matter was put to an end. After hesitating for a moment, Remesis Rania Ashelot sat in the back seat of the spacious carriage. Making sure the princess of the north was seated comfortably inside, Liana closed the door behind them.

'Let's depart.' — Giving the order to the people outside the carriage, the eldest daughter of the Supreme Astrologer sat down across from her and, a moment later, the carriage began to rattle.

Remesis had imagined countless times, in various ways, how her return home would go. Now, however, events were unfolding drastically differently than she had drawn them in her mind. Well, sometimes life happens completely out of your will.

The girl could only mentally reflect on it, and occasionally glance furtively at the young head who sat across from her.

Liana was quietly looking at the passing scenery, leaning one hand against the window. She looked rather unperturbed, as if unperturbed by the fact that they were alone in the same space for the first time in a long time.

Since any possible topic of conversation in the current situation had already been exhausted, they drove in complete silence.

At one point, a faint chuckle touched the northern princess' lips. Even though she hadn't originally harboured any special hopes, she still found it amusing. After all, human hearts are fragile, as well as their words.

'Please wait for me.'

Did Liana Daehsin remember that ridiculous childhood promise after all these years? And did it have any meaning to her at all?

***

The Remesis' journey was a bit delayed by this emergency, but they were soon well on their way to their final destination. And by the time the sun set the next day, the carriage finally came to a complete stop. Shortly after, Liana Daehsin's voice rang out.

— We have arrived at the mansion, your highness.

— Thank you.

The successor of the Order got out first, and then slowly turned around and looked at her. The woman then gently extended her hand to her. Remesis was a little puzzled by this at first, but soon realised the purpose for which the gesture was intended.

Remesis, who had hesitated a bit, soon took her hand and stepped out of the carriage with her help. 'Well, isn't that what Liana Daehsin is all about?' — grinning, the girl thought to herself. Even after the passage of time, the young head's excellent manners and etiquette remained the same as before.

The Northern Princess shook her head slightly to chase away the remnants of drowsiness that had come over her during the long journey. A refreshing cool breeze touched her face and made her feel much better.

Remesis was faced with a mansion that she didn't think she had seen in a lifetime. It was a magnificent building that completely matched the vision of a grand duke's residence.

'...How long ago it was.'

Her last memory of this place was saying goodbye and leaving for the north as the princess consort, almost twelve years ago. But it seemed that much more time had actually passed since then. While Remesis was unknowingly indulging in her past, Liana Daehsin turned to her.

— What is it? — The young head asked, noticing the strange expression on the girl's face.

— Nothing's wrong, I was just a bit brooding, — the girl came to her senses and shook her head slightly, — Let's go inside.

— Yes... Sure.

As they approached the mansion, Remesis was able to get a clearer look at the tall doors of the magnificent building.

At the front entrance hung a family emblem with an intricate sword and eagle pattern.

It was the symbol of the Duchy of Carter, one of the four great families in the Empire.

As the girls approached the mansion, they saw an old butler waiting for them at the entrance. He had neatly combed grey hair and a dark suit. It was Geraldine's butler, her father's loyal subordinate, whom Remesis still remembered. There was an unconscious expression of excitement on the old man's face as the dignitaries approached, and especially as he met Remesis' gaze. Of course, the old man couldn't help but recognise his former young mistress.

In any case, the man hurriedly suppressed his confusion and politely introduced himself.

— Welcome, lady. This servant honourably greets you... — The old man ducked too low in front of them. The sight made Remesis grin.

— Ah, Geraldine. How long ago it was.

The butler flinched perceptibly at her words.

— Lady, no, I mean... Your Highness. You... You've changed a lot, ' he said hesitantly.

— It's only natural, it's been a long time, ' the girl opened her mouth calmly, 'But isn't it wonderful that some things in this world are still the same?

Remesis looked at the butler with a serene expression. Back when she had lived here, they had rarely seen each other and the butler had only greeted her briefly at most, so the girl had always been sure that Geraldine didn't care about her existence. Nor, for that matter, did almost everyone in this mansion. However, he definitely couldn't ignore her existence now as much as he had before.

It was a pleasant change, only possible after a long time.

— I decided to visit my family for the first time in a long time. But I don't see any of them coming out to greet me, ' the girl said slowly, pronouncing each syllable clearly.

Compared to the past, the Duke's youngest daughter was no longer an outcast who could be easily ignored or neglected by other family members. She was now a member of the royal family. And she is also the wife of Lord North, a man whose name is now rumbling throughout the empire. With a modicum of common sense, even her arrogant relatives should have taken that into consideration before attempting to disrespect her.

And now that remark made the blood rush to Geraldine's face. He immediately hastened to explain himself.

— I apologise to you. His lordship has left the mansion on urgent business. The other young gentlemen are also temporarily absent from home. We didn't expect you to arrive at this time, so we didn't have time to prepare properly. I apologise for the lack of hospitality.''

The butler quickly concealed his reaction and hurriedly excused himself.

After listening to the butler, Remesis let out a short sigh after a while. She read the restrained fear and trepidation in the servant's voice. Since it was counterproductive, she didn't want to keep pressing him.

— Well, there was nothing to be done about it then.

However, the girl's nonchalant reply served to cause a blush to appear on the butler's cheeks.

— I apologise to you. I can send a servant right away to warn the lord as well as the young lords of your arrival...

— Oh, no, that's all right. You don't have to worry about that.

Remesis suddenly thought that it would be nice to surprise her relatives with her sudden arrival. At the very least, she would like to watch the look on their faces when they saw her. In that case, she shouldn't have informed the duke's family in advance and thus spoil the surprise effect. The butler meanwhile still continued to watch her with a pale expression on his face.

The girl had no more questions for the butler, and decided to close the subject. But Geraldine, flustered by the rather long silence on the part of the princess, looked up.

— Your Highness. You must be very tired from the road. Please let me know if you need anything. Come with me. I'll show you to your resting room.

— Um, yes. That would be kind of you. I do need some rest.

She calmly replied in return. Because it was so unusual, Geraldine swallowed convulsively. The twinkling eyes of his once younger mistress, shining and cold at the same time, were like jewels.

Times had indeed changed.

***

Chapter 18 is already available on Boosty: https://boosty.to/meredit