IRATBP Chapter 04

Chapter 04

With the help of the maid Asha, I put food on a plate and began to eat. The warm soup, chestnut bread, and roasted turkey gently filled the cold emptiness inside me.

After finishing the meal, I was on my way back to my room.

Asha, who was supporting me as I walked, asked,

“How was your meal? Did it suit your taste?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. It was really good.”

“Really? I’m so glad! People from the South often complain that Northern food is too salty.”

Asha spoke cheerfully, relieved. Even though I had gone two days without food, tonight’s dinner wasn’t too heavy on my stomach.

Maybe because of my past life, I’ve never been picky with food. My stomach is pretty strong, too.

‘Maybe my memories of eating anything I could find in the slums are affecting my taste buds even now.’

I used to think eating everything was the best way to live. But even that got criticized by the Duchess.

“Try to eat like your sister — gracefully, like a bird pecking at seeds. Watching you eat makes me lose my appetite.”

The bad memories made me shake my head quickly to get rid of them. There’s no Duchess here now, and this isn’t the Duke’s mansion. No need to let such things make me feel small.

Asha looked concerned.

“Milady? Are you feeling unwell?”

“No, it’s just… a bad memory came up. I’m okay now.”

I smiled softly, and Asha let out a relieved sigh.

‘Asha seems like a good person.’

Back in the room, Asha helped me wash up, change clothes, and get into bed.

But something didn’t sit right with me.

There had been so many events since I woke up that I hadn’t had time to think. But now that I was clean and relaxed, my thoughts started to catch up.

I cleared my throat and called out to Asha.

“Hey, Asha.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“What kind of person is Lord Russell?”

He’s the man who supposedly beheaded his fiancée. The cruel and violent Grand Duke who smells of blood — that’s how I knew Russell Glacies.

But based on our conversation during dinner, he didn’t seem like the kind of person who’d chop off someone’s head over a slight offense.

‘He seemed like he had some hidden motives, but not like a cold-blooded killer.’

I know what cruel people are like.

The slums, always dark and starving, were a perfect place to reveal the worst in people.

Men who beat their wives and kids if they weren’t satisfied, hungry people stealing food from others, loan sharks who ruled over the slums with deadly interest rates.

Compared to them, what was the Grand Duke like?

‘Talk with Asha for a while and try to relax.’

That didn’t sound like something a violent man would say.

My memories from the slums and the instincts I built there told me something was off.

I was overwhelmed by trying to process too much at once. But one thing was clear: if I wanted to live well here, I needed to figure out who Russell Glacies really was — the man so different from the rumors.

Asha, standing in front of me, answered with a more relaxed tone than at dinner.

“Hmm… I’m not sure. I haven’t been working at the estate very long, not like Mr. Frater. But I heard Lord Russell grew up in the capital with Mr. Frater.”

“Russell… is from the capital?”

This was new to me.

I had only heard scary rumors about Russell — nothing about his background.

‘Well, I thought going north meant certain death. I didn’t have the time or reason to look into it.’

I clenched my fists on my lap.

I looked up and asked Asha again.

“If he’s from the capital, which family does he belong to? Glacies refers to the northern territory, doesn’t it?”

“Um… well…”

Asha hesitated, unlike before. Was there something awkward about Russell’s origins?

“That’s… I really don’t know. I think nobody else does either, except Mr. Frater.”

“Why does only Frater know?”

“Huh? Well, from what I heard… Mr. Frater has been with the Grand Duke since before he came to the north.”

“So they must really trust each other.”

Asha chuckled quietly.

What’s so funny?

“Not exactly. Sometimes I’ve seen them bicker in the study.”

“Frater… and Russell?”

That’s hard to imagine.

So Frater can get angry too. He didn’t seem like that at all.

“Yeah. When they do, it’s more like… um, they seem like actual friends, not just boss and employee.”

“I see…”

I thought nothing could surprise me anymore after coming here, but maybe I was wrong.

I was deep in thought and didn’t speak for a while. Then Asha suddenly clapped her hands with a loud “slap!”

“Oh! Aren’t you curious about what the Grand Duke looks like?”

“You already said he’s handsome.”

“T-that’s only because you asked me suddenly! I can describe him in detail!”

“No need. It’s fine.”

“Huh? But wouldn’t it help to picture him more clearly?”

After I lost my sight, I stopped caring about people’s appearances. Under the skin, everyone looks the same. What’s the point of being curious?

I didn’t want to judge people by looks when I couldn’t see them.

“Besides, I’m not that pretty myself, so I’m not really interested.”

“What?! Who said that?!”

The Duchess and my sister used to say that ever since I was little — that I was plain and moved improperly. But now didn’t seem like the time to bring it up.

I wiggled my toes under the blanket and awkwardly asked Asha,

“Then… what do you think I look like?”

“You’re adorable!”

Her answer came instantly, without a second of hesitation. I was startled.

“You’re small, your hair is curly and pink like cotton candy! Your eyes are violet, and your face is tiny — you’re just so cute. If I were you, I’d probably look in the mirror every day!”

“R-really?”

“Of course!”

It was true that I looked cuter in this life than in my previous one, but I’d never thought of myself as that confident. Still, I couldn’t help because the way the corners of my lips twitched upward at a compliment I’d never heard before.

Feeling like I was listening in on something I shouldn’t be—yet oddly excited—I carefully asked,

“Then… what does Lord Russell look like?”

Asha was quiet for a while, maybe struggling to find the words to describe him beyond just “handsome.” Eventually, she answered.

“Well… he’s about a head and a half taller than you, my lady. He has broad shoulders and a strong build. His eyes are a beautiful sunset color.”

After a pause, Asha continued thoughtfully,

“And he usually insists on wearing black clothes. Oh! His natural hair color is blond, but he uses magic to dye it black.”

That caught me off guard.

I had heard that people from the North usually had dark black hair and eyes as blue as the Milky Way. But this Northern Grand Duke actually had blond hair and sunset-colored eyes?

Even if he wasn’t originally from the North, that image felt completely different from what I expected.

From what I remember from my past life… golden eyes were said to belong only to the royal family.

The thought crossed my mind—could Russell be somehow connected to the royal bloodline?

I asked Asha another question.

“By the way, do you know why he dyes his hair black and insists on wearing black?”

“I’m not really sure… Even when we try to dress him in lighter colors, he stubbornly sticks to black.”

Asha sounded a little frustrated. Was it just a matter of personal taste? Or was there a deeper reason he wasn’t saying?

As I kept turning over thoughts in my head, there was a knock at the door.

Knock knock.

“You seem busy, Fiana.”

“G-Grand Duke!”

I was just as startled. I hadn’t felt his presence at all—how did he get all the way to the door without me noticing?

He spoke to Asha with a playful tone.

“I’d like to be alone with my fiancée for a bit. Would you mind stepping out?”

“O-of course! I’ll take my leave.”

“Good.”

Asha’s footsteps faded into the distance. When I heard the door close, I could tell Russell was slowly walking toward me.

I straightened my clothes and braced myself.

“It’s quite late for a visit. Isn’t it too late to talk now?”

“How cold of you.”

I heard the sound of a chair being pulled out. Russell sat down in it.

“We have things to talk about, don’t we, Fiana?”

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• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Freya• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •

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