One day, my brother and his wife, who were destined to live a long, happy life, died in an unexpected accident, leaving behind a four year old daughter.
The memory of that day was still vivid in my mind.
The sight of their lifeless bodies resting in caskets.
My four-year-old niece’s red face, sobbing in her nanny’s comforting embrace beside them.
The mournful expression on the faces of our vassals; their gazes fixed upon me as if I was their only ray of hope.
I remembered it all.
With unsteady steps, I slowly walked past them, my movements flattering, until I reached the coffins holding my brother and sister-in-law.
“This can’t be.”
Shaking uncontrollably, I grasped their frigid hands, desperately yearning for this to be nothing more than a dreadful dream, but the ice-cold sensation only gave me confirmation that they were indeed dead.
“This can’t be happening,” I murmured, crushed.
“Lady Daphne, please. In these unfortunate circumstances, we need you to be stronger than ever.” the maids begged, rushing to my aid when they saw me barely able to contain myself.
They seemed to want me to look firm, and resolute, but alas, I could not.
Surely; I thought to myself, the male lead and female leaf in my story got married, had a daughter, a son, and lived happily ever after. While the male lead’s younger sister spent her life as she pleased.
Surely, that’s how things were supposed to unfold, so why was this happening?
Something was wrong.
Something had gone terribly wrong, I could feel it deep within my gut.
I could feel the well tuned machinery of my life crumbling.
And as if things weren’t bad enough, one of the elders approached me and said,
“I implore you to accept the Grand Duchess title. It’s the only way to protect the Steren Family. Dioana is too young to shoulder the responsibility and you, Daphne, are the only remaining legitimate heir.”
I vowed to live like an ordinary Extra for the rest of my life, and I was doing exactly that, until things turned upside down in a single day.
At that moment, I felt something tugging hard at the hem of my skirt.
And as I cast my gaze downwards, I was met with a heart-wrenching sight.
“Aunt…waaaahhhhhh.”
Standing before me was my niece–who had just turned four–with her small, and chubby face covered in tears.
* * *
I transmigrated into a romance fantasy novel called The Northern Grand Duke and Lady Sunshine, and possessed a character named Daphne Steren.
Unlike other female protagonists in possession novels, I had no time limit, no royal court intrigues, and no drama awaiting me.
I was not hated by my family, I was not adopted, and I certainly was not a villainess.
My life was peaceful, without the emotional drain of regret or the sweet potatoes that usually came with those kinds of stories….
All of this was because the novel I got sucked into was actually a happy, simple story that could have been written for DXN.
And I was the one who made it so.
To put it simply, I was the original author of this lighthearted, happy ending novel.
I made the main protagonists have so much faith in one another, they never even argue.
Their companions never betrayed them, but instead empowered them. Even the would-be villains ended up being sympathetic people– truly the epitome of a Happily Ever After fairytale!
And so, from the moment I possessed the eight-year-old Daphne, to my coming-of-age ceremony, and up to my twentieth birthday, I had revealed in a world filled with goodwill and tranquility.
I watched my brother and sister-in-law’s enchanting love story with great fascination, as if I was the audience of a daily soap opera unfolding within the walls of my own bedroom.
I’ve even lent them my assistance from time to time by playing the role of cupid between them.
And a few years later, my efforts were rewarded with a tiny, fluffy, chubby, and adorable niece.
Everything was flowing peacefully, happily, and true to the original storyline. And after seeing their romance come to fruition without incident, I felt the need to see the rest of the world.
What do the other countries in the world I created look like? I once asked myself.
The story ended like it was supposed to, with a happy ending.
So, the only thing left to say was the classic final line “Everyone, including the main characters, lived happily ever after.”
And since I had a lot of money, was still in very good shape, and was at no risk of dying young, I planned to spend the rest of my life traveling and enjoying life to the fullest.
Of course, after my brother and his wife died, that dream became impossible.
Upon my return, the Council of Elders insisted that I take the role of Grand Duchess of Steren.
Our house was still strong, and I was determined to ensure that the seat of the Fringe Hundred, the guardian of the north, would not fall in anyone else’s hands.
And because it was impossible for someone from the branch families to take on the title, they had no choice but to entrust it to me, the nomad.
Thus, I became the Northern Grand Duchess overnight, left with no time to hold a grand coronation or banquet since I had to take care of my brother and sister-in-law’s funeral.
On the funeral’s day, the nobles gathered at the ceremony were busy whispering amongst themselves, and glancing at me as they pretended to mourn the death of the Duke and his wife.
I feigned ignorance, pretending not to hear the words they were exchanging.
“Isn’t this Daphne Steren? The one who had been traveling around the world and hadn’t been seen in the Empire for a long time?”
“That’s too bad. They were such good people, and Dioana is only four, isn’t she? If she were a son, I could have put her through a succession class and groomed her to be an heir at an early age.”
You might as well whisper very slowly.
You think you can just cover your mouth with a fan for the sake of nobility.
It wasn’t spoken under one’s breath, but in the booming voices and the sound of the men’s conversation echoing in the room, it was clear that it was intended.
“Ignore him, Daphne. It’s Duke Caleb, he’s always been that way.”
Jeremy, the aide, sneaked up on me and said, “I know.
I know.
They’re the kind of people who put others down and boost my self-esteem, and I know I should just ignore them and pretend to get along.
I know I can do that.
“Dear aunt, dear aunt. Is Diana a legitimate successor? Oh, Steren, should we stop the gossip now?”
Four-year-old Dioana looked genuinely frightened.
That her family would fall, that she would be thrown out of her house because her parents were dead.
Disheartened by the inconsiderate comments, I gently stroked her head and picked her up for a hug.
“No. Ignore what the other adults say, Dioana, it’s not going to happen.”
“But bah bah, Auntie. Everybody says Dio’s mum and dad live with them, and that’s why I can’t see them anymore. Dio’s mum and dad live there, so I can’t see them anymore?”
The nobles talk so easily in front of Dioana, who doesn’t even understand the concept of death yet.
I kissed Dio’s sobbing cheek deeply, then tried to smile.
“Auntie, did you see Mum and Dad, Seifer?”
“Of course. I want to see Mum and Dad too, Dio.”
In a way, they were children of their own creation, and I had even lived with them for quite some time, sharing their emotions.
“But why isn’t Auntie crying?”
Of course she doesn’t.
Having lost my brother and sister-in-law in one day, I want to cry too, but that doesn’t make it any easier.
“Dioana, when you’re older, you’ll realise that death is never a complete separation, and your aunt doesn’t cry because she knows your parents are with her.”
“Huh? Jizuru?”
“Of course. They’re always here. She’ll be around Dio to make sure our little Dioana is okay.”
“Really?”
Dio, still dumbfounded, smiled a bashful smile as I smiled back. It’s times like these that I’m glad children are so simple.
I quickly left Dioana with the nanny and headed over to them.
As if reading my eyes, the nanny quickly picked her up and walked out of the funeral home.
this is what i got
With faces cheerfully smiling and eyes that seemed to have no intention of hiding, whenever they were about to loudly chatter, they quickly tucked their faces into black lace and cloche hats like clams.
Without saying a word, I merely glanced in their direction, which was enough to warn them.
My appearance gave off a very icy vibe, as fitting for a sister of a brother who held the title of the Empire’s most cold-hearted man.
Jeremy followed along behind me, glanced at them unknowingly, and snorted.
Suddenly, the Duke and Duchess, who had been mocking constantly , were silent as if a heavy weight had been placed on them.
While they were still greeting the mourners, a vassal wearing the imperial seal arrived.
His deeply sunken face was probably not the result of sympathy for the sudden death of the Grand Duke and Duchess.
“His Majesty has asked me to tell you that he is ill and regrets that he was unable to visit you in person. The Empire is truly saddened by the loss of such an able general and grand duchess.”
Even as he spoke, he quickly looked at me and continued.
“His Highness Lucius has also been informed of the news, but I fear he will not be able to come until after the funeral.”
I took the white silk cloth sent by the imperial family and slowly placed it over my brother and sister-in-law’s coffins.
It is customary in the Manoir Empire to place a white cloth over the coffins of the dead.
I was the one who set this up, and it didn’t mean much to me at the time, I just added it to look nice, and now I’m faced with it this way.
Before closing the lid of the coffin, I said a final goodbye to my brother and sister-in-law as they lay in peace.
‘I hope you’re at peace, brother and sister, and that Dioana and the Sterrens are in good hands now.’
* * *
But in the back of my mind, during the funeral, I kept wondering if my brother and sister’s sudden deaths were simply an ‘unfortunate accident’.
But no matter what, the dead must go.
After a few days of mourning, my brother and sister were laid to rest in the distant Steren family graveyard.
Until then, I had no idea. That after the funeral, when I became the official Archduke of House Steren, was the beginning of everything.
The timing was not good.
The Emperor was ill, and the fearsome Northern Archduke who commanded the Northern Guard was suddenly dead.
Now would be a good time to take over Manoir’s empire.
The bandits of the Changelings, the armies of our neighbours, and the other dukes of the empire who seek the Changeling throne in my brother’s absence.
I couldn’t help but mourn the deaths of my brother and sister, and the fate of my orphaned nephew.
Before I could even question my family’s mysteries, I suddenly became the Archduke of the North, the head of a family.
Everyone talked about the end of House Steren, how a young girl who knew nothing and loved to travel could never be a changeling, and how they belittled my abilities.
Their remarks were carried on the wind and spread across the world.
They reached the ears of the nobles of their own land, as well as the shallow ears of foreign kings. A few invasions have been attempted by neighbouring kingdoms, eager to seize the opportunity.
But I am someone.
I am the author of this novel. The sister of the main character.
I’m part of a system of favouritism that gives the original protagonist and those around him all sorts of abilities.
I’m also incredibly powerful.
And I’ve been trained one-on-one by my brother since I was a kid. I’m not just a girl who knows nothing, like they say.
I’ve fought battles for months on end and still managed to feed the people of Astella Ward, the home of House Steren.
To add more the hardships, the cold weather that came every four years made it difficult to find food.
But for someone who had suddenly become the Archduke of the North, I fared quite well.
I had won battles, if not major victories, and if I hadn’t successfully weathered the cold snap, at least my people weren’t starving to death for lack of food.
My reputation as a Northern Archduke might not be great, but at least there were no rebellions, so I guess that’s good enough for me, right?
