You are at the End of the Downfall

The North was a land conquered by the Empire hundreds of years ago.

Although natives and immigrants now coexisted, the Emperor, who strictly prohibited moving to other regions while allowing migration here, continued to have a poor relationship with them.

The northerners claimed that the Emperor, who ordered them to stop the evil dragon Gusalante, was constantly provoking Gusalante. They were proud people and hated the Emperor for throwing young Peon here without proper support.

As closed-off as they were, they were also very territorial, and at the same time, had a strong sense of victimization that the central government would ignore them. The target of this victimization became the young Grand Duchess who had her title stripped and was exiled.

At least with Peon, they had the pride of raising him. He came as a young child and literally grew up rolling around with northern soldiers and learning northern traditions. He was a proud son of the North and also someone who could advance to the central region.

But the Grand Duchess who came to Lusenford in her twenties was not. To them, she was just a sophisticated central noble who looked down on them.

“You don’t need to receive greetings or anything. Don’t worry about it,” Peon said firmly to the new Grand Duchess, his face already hardened.

Those damn blockheads. Swallowing the curse lingering on the tip of his tongue, he slowed his pace in case the Grand Duchess trailing behind, dragging her heavy cloak, might find it difficult.

With a crowd of Lusenford Castle people lined up behind as well, he deliberately used honorifics when speaking to Kaela.

After regression, many things became visible that weren’t before. Peon ruthlessly judged that he had indeed been a hopeless idiot who needed to die properly at least once to come to his senses. And the people of Lusenford were even worse.

Starting a power struggle against a Grand Duchess seven years younger than the Grand Duke by leaving her out in the cold?

Even though before the regression she was a Grand Duchess without background whose family had disappeared, now she’s the only daughter of the wealthy Duke of Ostein and the next Duchess of Ostein!

‘They just don’t like the Grand Duchess, regardless of whether her background is illustrious or humble. I see.’

I get it. I understand exactly what they’re thinking. Peon was now sick and tired of it to the point of nausea. It wasn’t easy for him to boost their pride and coax them into becoming an elite force while pandering to these narrow-minded people.

Sometimes he knew they thought of him not as the Empress’s son, but as a son of the North, a child they had raised. Still, he endured and endured again. What other choice did he have?

But the Grand Duchess had also been enduring. Hadn’t he known that? He did. There’s no way he couldn’t have known. Nevertheless, he remained silent, aloof, and indifferent, so he was guilty. There were no mitigating circumstances.

“No, I should do what’s expected,” Kaela replied docilely, and Peon tried to recall what she had been like ‘at first.’

Before the regression, when she first came here, what was she like? He remembered her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm, eager to do her best at everything. But it was the first time he had seen her murmur so expressionlessly and indifferently.

“You must receive greetings, Your Highness. If traditions and etiquette are broken because of me, you will be criticized.”

“Blinded by a woman?” Peon chuckled, and Kaela flinched.

“What does it matter if I’m criticized? I don’t care.”

It sounded as if he had heard a lot because of Beatrice, so Kaela lowered her gaze for a moment.

Inside the gloomy and cool Lusenford Castle, everything was familiar and exhaustingly boring – from the stone paths that echoed with every step, to the frost forming on the specially crafted windows, to the early setting sun.

But it had to be done. Kaela, who was seeking a way to die that would cause minimal harm to her father, knew well that she had to do what needed to be done.

That way, she could die with a clear conscience. It was truly tiring to have to worry even after death. Couldn’t she just die? But Ostein weighed on her shoulders. She couldn’t.

“Still, I should greet them.”

If the Grand Duchess insisted, the Grand Duke wouldn’t stop her. However, if it had to be done, the Grand Duchess should sit in her designated place in the audience chamber of Lusenford Castle and receive greetings from those who would serve her.

She would receive them while wrapped in the Grand Duke’s cloak, which he had personally draped over her, urging her to keep it on because of the cold. Beside her sat the Grand Duke, who had complained of fatigue from the journey, watching people with piercing eyes.

“Sincere congratulations on your marriage. Welcome to the North.”

The audience chamber was lit with fires and bright lights. The wealthy Princess Ostein, wearing the Empress’s large ring, received the greetings of the bowing northern nobles without enthusiasm.

She only wore a formal smile, not as radiant as Beatrice. Yes, Kaela had a powerful point of comparison. Beatrice, who had briefly come to Lusenford when she had to sell even the building materials of Monde Castle.

“She’s plainer than Lady Ravalley.”

Immediately, whispers could be heard that Kaela wasn’t as pretty as Beatrice. Women’s beauty was always subject to evaluation.

“She doesn’t smile much either.”

This was a jab implying that, judging by her expression, she didn’t seem to like coming to Lusenford.

“She’s supposed to be the Princess Ostein. They say gold overflows there, but does this meet expectations?”

In the end, her wealth and status as the Emperor’s niece were thorns in their eyes. Disgruntled murmurs spread like a hazy poisonous fog, creeping towards Kaela.

“It seems His Highness is already favoring the Grand Duchess?”

“If Ostein provides military funds, even I would do the same.”

Peon carefully observed each face of those whispering far behind, who had come to ‘view’ the Grand Duchess. When should he behead them? When should he remove them from their positions?

He could see those who, while cursing the Emperor more than anyone, secretly took money from Crania and tried to sell out Lusenford to debut their children in central social circles; spies originally planted by the Emperor; those who raised their voices saying they should fight but fled as soon as war broke out.

They all needed to be weeded out. Peon would raise his sharpened sword against these petty, irresponsible men who were all talk and no action. Would offering their heads to Kaela lessen his guilt even a little?

Of course not. Peon just needed to protect the person by his side safely and send her back to Ostein. He had to send her away before the storm hit. He had to promise an eternal farewell.

Even if just thinking about it was painful.

****

Perhaps only healthy and energetic people feel anger or vengeance when seeing faces they dislike again.

Returning to Lusenford Castle, where she had invested so much effort, and seeing those old faces again, Kaela just felt extremely tired. She was tired because she knew well that no matter how hard she tried, sometimes getting angry, sometimes pouring out her sincerity, what wouldn’t work simply wouldn’t work.

All the disregard, harsh words, contemptuous looks, and shame poured upon her would bring even a proud king to his knees. What could a Grand Duchess without backing have done?

“Your Highness the Grand Duchess, here is the menu for tonight’s celebratory banquet. Would you like to check it?”

The head maid, who had persistently followed her, caught up with her. ‘Check,’ indeed. The Grand Duchess had no authority over this menu.

She was just to look at it, nothing more. It seemed that tonight’s banquet would be full of distinctive and traditional foods from the northern region. Kaela smiled bitterly as she scanned the list and said,

“I’m allergic to tour berries, so I won’t be able to eat this dish called ferenco.”

At those words, the head maid, who had been bowing her head politely, suddenly looked up.

“But Your Highness, this is Lusenford’s traditional welcoming dish for guests and a main course. You must eat it.”

She was in her 50s, wasn’t she? As Kaela tried to gauge the age of the head maid, which she could barely remember now, she smiled faintly.

“I know, but didn’t I say it would harm my health?”

“Perhaps it’s because you haven’t tried it enough? If you eat more, you’ll likely build immunity. You should try everything.”

Kaela stared blankly at the head maid, Doris Windgood, who had always tried to teach the young Grand Duchess.