Chapter 2. Harbinger of adversity

After a succession of years in the cold northern lands, the Lord of the North and her wife have been through a lot.

Children who had been turned away by their families, they lived in madness, mired in the chaos of war with monsters and barbarians. They hadn't even had the chance to spend time with each other as a married couple, for Remesis had vehemently insisted that it was no time to relax until Asil consolidated her power here. And so they lived for a long time, overcoming hardships that not every adult can handle.

The story of the cursed princess who was thrown out empty-handed and the duke's daughter who followed her spread like folklore in the north.

The people of the north, who had seen them for a long time, sympathised with the young couple's pain and praised them for their endurance.

They did not recognise the emperor's authority.

The master of the north was not the emperor in a distant capital, but the lord of the winter castle.

Remesis was filled with confidence that sooner or later all difficulties would be behind them and they would be victorious. And in the end, she proved to be right.

Just as her words had said, after years of hard work, what they had longed for had finally come to pass. From a neglected land, the northern region had turned into a mighty power that could not be neglected. And compared to their previous lives, this time, this victory was achieved through joint efforts.

While the princess and her army fought wars and expanded their influence in the north, Remesis was busy improving Nord Castle, eventually transforming it from a dilapidated iron fortress into a magnificent castle that could be proudly called the residence of the Lord of the North.

The young princess did not neglect her servants either. Remesis was personally involved in organising the delivery of humanitarian aid to the population and raising the cost of living to help the poor people of the north who had survived on the edge of poverty for years.

Although Remezis did not plan to live in this castle for the rest of her life, nevertheless, as long as she held this position, the north and its people were under her responsibility. Unlike her former life, the girl did not stand aside and faithfully fulfilled her duties, thus relieving Asil of this heavy burden.

Over time, Remezis became so strongly embedded in her role that the people of the northern region began to refer to her as the 'Mother of the North'…

When Remesis first heard this nickname, she thought it was an exaggeration, for in truth she was only trying to fulfil her duties as mistress of the North. Nevertheless, it was a pleasant thing to hear sometimes. Remesis was elated that people really appreciated her good intentions and endeavours.

From being a despised and useless princess in her past life, she had become a person who was truly valued and respected by those around her. Remesis couldn't help but feel proud of her accomplishments and the work she had done. And really, there was only one thing left now that bothered the girl.

And that was…

— Wife, I'm so glad you came to greet me.

Her 'consort' was smiling happily, like a demon who had grabbed an enemy by the neck and cut off his legs to keep him from running away. Asil Nara Ashelot was in high spirits after her return and looked at Remesis with the shy smile of a teenager in love.

— What a welcome you've given me! I wouldn't mind fighting the barbarians for a few more years because of it.

— Ah, just cut the nonsense.

They were sitting at a table in the dining hall where a festive dinner was being held to celebrate Lord North's return. Right now, the knights and the rest of the servants were also having fun in a separate hall. The princess, on the other hand, though she could have spent time with her subordinates, instead preferred the company of Remesis. Though the princess herself would have preferred that she didn't.

The servants had been busy for days tidying up the castle in preparation for the triumphant return of the lord.

Normally it was the mistress of the castle who would be in charge of this process, but Remesis had been somewhat negligent in this regard, saying that she had more important things to do right now than decorating the castle. And thus, the head housekeeper took charge of the return ceremony.

In other words, all the beauty that was created in the main hall, dining room, and other halls was not Remesis' work. However, even if the girl tried to tell her so, Asil did not try to listen to her and only continued to praise her wife.

Remesis sighed and looked at the princess who sat in front of her and smiled at her with an innocent face. That face in front of her eyes boded unseen adversity in the future.

In fact, Remesis couldn't understand how things could have turned out in such an unfathomable way.

Until a little while ago, their lives had been so precarious that Remesis couldn't even think about it. But now that their existence could be called relatively calm and safe, the girl could not understand why the princess continued to behave in such a way. It was the only difference that was drastically different from her previous life.

Remesis still remembered that little dirty child. Asil had been so skinny that both of her wrists fit in Remesis' palm when she bathed her in the bathtub.

But as the years passed, the wolf cub raised by Remezis had grown tremendously. The current mistress of the snowy lands looked much as Remesis remembered her in her former life.

The princess's gaze was as cold as a blizzard in the worst weather, as sharp as a hawk's stare, and the pupils of her amber eyes were like a wild beast. Yet, every time Remesis met her gaze, Asil smiled at her like a blossoming flower.

The cold-blooded and ruthless princess of the North, the strongest warrior of the Nadal Empire, the woman who was nicknamed 'The Devil of the North' for her cruelty… She was rumoured to be able to kill people with a single glance. Could anyone believe that this person could have such an expression on her face?

Remesis couldn't understand why this was the case.

In her previous life, the Crown Princess had never behaved like this. Initially, Remesis had thought that Asil felt some sort of affection for her, after all, she was just a child back then. But as she grew older, that childish affection would naturally weaken, and they would become nothing more than partners in a bargain. At least, the girl supposed that this would be the case, for she remembered well the cold-blooded character of her spouse from the past. Any close relationships between people were foreign to the princess, as she considered them to be nothing more than a nuisance in her path.

However, for some reason, Asil continued to behave in the same strange manner. In addition, she constantly called Remesis her 'wife', which the girl herself strongly disliked.

— Your Highness, didn't we agree a long time ago that our relationship would only be fictitious? So why do you continue to behave like this?

Remesis, who for her part had honoured all the agreements outlined between them, was extremely annoyed by this.

— But are we not at present married? It's true when I call you my wife,'' the princess innocently excused herself.

— We are married, but only officially, and that means nothing! — She was indignant: 'Have you forgotten what we agreed on?

— Agreement? — The woman interjected absent-mindedly: — Yes, yes, yes, of course I remember everything…

Remesis had tried many times to get Asil to talk to her about it, but to no avail. Eventually Remesis had to put up with this annoying nickname.

— Wife, why do you look so cute? Has something happened to you in the year I've been away? — Asil asked slyly.

Remesis, who preferred not to pay attention to another of her annoying phrases, spoke of something else.

— Your Highness, the castle has been quiet and peaceful all this time, thanks to your hard work at the front.

— So this is my wife's way of expressing her gratitude to me? — Asil chuckled softly while keeping her gaze on her and cut off a piece of steak on her plate with her knife.

Knowing how to handle cutlery was one of the things Remesis had taught her as a child.

— That's what I had to say. You really did a great job in the war.

— Wife, it is very touching to hear you say that, ' Asil smiled and looked at Remesis, who once again grimaced at the luscious words she had heard.

The events of this life were definitely different from the previous one in some ways, and especially their relationship. Back then, their relationship had been on the fine line between strangers and enemies. Now, however, Remesis found it difficult to describe their current relationship with the princess in any acceptable words.

Asil's behaviour drove her mad at times. 'I will love you no matter how you treat me.' This was how the relationship between the princess and the princess looked from the outside to everyone around her. Many sympathised with the poor princess, who, in spite of her best efforts, was still in disfavour with her wife. Some maids, unable to bear the sight, even plucked up the courage to approach Remesis and tell her personally. ''Your Highness, the princess cares for you so much after all…'' Could you be a little kinder to her, even just a little? '

Every time Remesis had to hear such a thing from people, she only rolled her eyes. Of course, no one in the castle suspected that the relationship between them was actually purely fictitious. They didn't need to pretend to be a couple in love to achieve their goal.

At first, Remesis had even assumed that Asil's ambiguous behaviour was because the woman wanted the relationship between them to look natural and not arouse suspicion. But no. Even when the two of them were alone together, as they were now, Asil continued to behave in this manner.

And the reason why that could be due to, Remesis was indeed hard to find. What in this life or the previous one, the thoughts of her wife, the northern devil, were still an unfathomable mystery to her.

Remesis opened her mouth as if she had something to say, but then sighed and endured the silence.

— So, let's talk about something other than such nonsense. As you may have heard, the emperor's condition has deteriorated recently and the crown princess's coronation ceremony is said to be just around the corner…

— Wife, when I was on a military trip, I heard that the Mediterranean is the most popular resort where people go during the summer season. Do you think we should go there this summer?

— No, do you even hear what I'm telling you…

— Wife, what do you think about the holiday? — Asil went on talking about her own things: -I don't want to go to another war anytime soon… Isn't everything good now? And we don't spend much time together. Especially last year we didn't even celebrate our wedding anniversary because I was in the war again. I think it would be a good idea to go on holiday.

— Your Highness! — Remesis couldn't bear it and raised her voice: ''Why aren't you listening to me at all? Weren't you going to start acting after returning from the war this year?

A coup d'état was the main goal of the deal Remesis and Asil had made when they were children. According to this pact, Remesis would assist the princess until she overthrew her father and took the throne. After that, Asil will in turn help Remezis to take revenge on the Carter family, that is, by completely destroying it.

And now that the North's influence and Asil's personal army had reached the same proportions as in her previous life, Remesis felt that this was the perfect moment to finally do it.

According to the outlined plan, they were going to begin the coup after the princess returned from this year's war with the barbarians. Could the woman have forgotten about this?

After Remesis' words were spoken loudly enough, the Northern Devil who held the entire North under her control blinked her eyes in confusion.

— А… A coup d'état? — The princess recalled it as if it was something inconsequential that she could forget about: — Yes, alright, I'll look into it… But, before that, maybe we should go on holiday first?

'.....'

Remesis, involuntarily at a loss for words, couldn't believe that the woman in front of her actually considered their summer holiday a more important matter than overthrowing the current state power.