Chapter 14
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: No Way?
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No way?
As the warm, soothing air of the greenhouse receded behind my back, the signature chill of the North burrowed deep into my lungs.
A cold I'd felt ceaselessly for twenty years, yet one I still hadn't fully grown accustomed to.
I tugged my coat collar tighter and crossed the corridor toward the audience chamber.
Of course, even in my haste, my mind remained calmly analyzing the situation.
'Leonier Baldinmar.'
Judging by Roselia's reaction, she was no ordinary woman.
The villainess from the original story who tormented the heroine and met her end...
That meant the woman who'd walked right into my castle of her own accord was essentially a ticking time bomb.
And a particularly flashy, noisy one at that.
I was deep in thought as I rounded the corner of the corridor.
That's when I spotted a knight in armor emblazoned with the Kaltstein crest rushing toward me from afar.
His breathing ragged, right up to the brink, but the moment he saw me, he steadied himself and snapped a crisp salute.
"Report!"
"Speak."
"It's regarding the Baldinmar Ducal Family's knight order that arrived at the castle gates. They're currently encamped on the plains before the first outer gate, awaiting orders."
"So they haven't been let in."
"Yes, sir. Citing Imperial Law Article 4, Clause 2—'Regular forces from other territories may not enter castle walls without the lord's permission, except in wartime'—we denied them entry. We demanded they disarm, but they insisted it's the minimal escort for the lady and refused to withdraw."
"That's more than enough."
It was a predictable sequence of events.
Who would meekly disarm and enter after dragging a knight order all the way from the south?
The fact that no clash had erupted was fortunate in itself.
Knights from high noble houses always had an excess of pointless pride.
If word had come of them causing trouble, I'd have gone and crushed the knight order first, lady or no lady... Lucky for them.
I nodded and asked,
"Anyway, so what? They're just going to wait outside?"
"Yes, sir. Surprisingly, their commander accepted our demands without protest. Everyone in the main force, excluding the two knights escorting the lady, will stand by outside the gates."
"...They accepted just like that?"
"Yes, sir. As if they'd anticipated it, they set up camp without a word of complaint."
"Camping... That means they're definitely planning to stay at least a day."
Those who visit another territory for a show of force would either demand the gates be opened or strut in arrogantly.
Yet they tucked tail the moment imperial law was invoked and waited obediently outside?
'Definitely strange in every way.'
Even if it was just for show or a genuine escort, this level of propriety didn't fit the Baldinmar temperament.
It was as if they were saying, 'We've observed the courtesies, now it's your turn.'
A clever move.
They flaunted their might without crossing the line, securing the justification.
If this was the directive of that lady called the Iron-Blooded Red Rose, then she was every bit as sharp-minded as the rumors claimed.
"Understood. Bolster the guard patrols and keep watch on their movements. Report any funny business immediately."
"Yes, sir!"
The knight withdrew, and I resumed my steps toward the audience chamber.
Reaching the massive oak doors, the elite guards standing watch gripped the handles with tense expressions.
Kiiiek—!
The doors swung open, revealing the audience chamber—usually steeped in solemn silence.
And in the center of the empty hall.
In this drab northern castle, filled with gray tones utterly unsuited to it, a woman sat in the seat prepared for guests.
Or rather, she reigned over it—that description fit better.
Legs crossed, chin propped, she stared fixedly toward the opening doors.
The first thing that caught my eye was, without doubt, her hair.
A two-tone blend of freshly spilled blood-red and the cold, pristine white of northern snowfields.
And her attire below it—what of that?
As if the biting northern cold meant nothing to her, a purple off-shoulder dress fully exposing her shoulders and collarbone.
The hem glittered with elaborate gold-thread embroidery, and the jewels at her neck and wrists were oppressively large and ostentatious.
An appearance like the scorching southern sun and its fire had been plucked whole and transplanted here.
A brand of extravagance utterly absent in Kaltstein, where simplicity and utility reigned.
Even as I, the master of Kaltstein, entered, she didn't rise from her seat.
Instead, she narrowed her red eyes, scanning me from head to toe.
An attitude dripping with arrogance.
Yet strangely, that arrogance didn't grate—perhaps due to the overwhelming aura she exuded.
I walked slowly to the seat opposite her and settled into my place at the head.
"......"
"......"
Our gazes clashed tautly in the air.
As the suffocating silence filled the chamber, she spoke first.
"The master of the house keeps his guest waiting far too long, Duke Kaltstein?"
Her voice was lower and huskier than expected.
I leaned back comfortably against the chair and chuckled softly.
"For an uninvited intruder, I think the tea was prepared rather quickly."
"Uninvited intruder. Well, barging into the master's bedroom unannounced does make it look that way."
Pink-smeared lips curved into a smile as she slowly rose from her seat.
The rustle of her lavish dress trailing across the floor filled the chamber.
"My greetings are belated. I am Leonier, the sole daughter of the Southern Baldinmar Ducal Family."
She lifted her skirt hem slightly and dipped into an elegant curtsy.
But she didn't lower her head.
Her eyes stared straight at me instead.
A greeting that felt more like a declaration of war... Must just be my imagination?
"And you must be the famous new lord of the North, Duke Noxion von Kaltstein?"
Her eyes gleamed with curiosity, wariness, and a fleeting, enigmatic emotion that flickered and vanished, all fixed intently on me.
So I stroked my chin, adopted an arrogant expression, and met her gaze.
'So this is her style.'
I could roughly grasp the image of the villainess Roselia had described.
Definitely no ordinary woman.
But at the same time, there was a slight disconnect.
Somehow, it felt a bit over the top?
Like she was exaggerating her gestures, expressions, and tone to emphasize that she was the villainess.
'Well, I'll figure it out as we talk.'
"I'm honored you even know my name. I can't even begin to guess what brings the Lady Baldinmar all the way to this distant North."
"I'm hurt you can't guess. Obviously... to build a new relationship between Baldinmar and Kaltstein."
"...Pardon?"
For a moment, I doubted my own ears.
What did she just say?
"Hehe."
As if savoring my flustered expression, Leonier bent her eyes into crescents and smiled radiantly.
"Just kidding. Your face was priceless, Duke."
She plopped back into her seat and crossed her legs again.
"Skip the preamble and get to the point. I'm a bit impatient by nature."
Leonier snapped open the fan on the table with a flick and leaned toward me.
Her red-and-white hair cascaded down her shoulders.
"Protect me."
"...Pardon? Protect you? What do you—"
"Yes. Very safely. And discreetly."
Her red eyes sparkled with intensity.
"The Crown Prince of Loen proposed to me. But I don't want to marry him. And in the empire, you're the only one who can stand up to that crown prince. So here I am. Still annoying no matter how I think about it."
"...."
Wait. Hide Lady Baldinmar? Who? Me?
Her utterly unexpected declaration scrambled the mind I'd always kept composed.
And that last bit—"Still annoying no matter how I think about it"—was definitely Korean, not the language of this world.
Wondering if I'd misheard, I casually lifted my head to glance at her face.
The lady was still wearing that inscrutable smile, waiting for my response.
"What's wrong? Did I say something off? Anything strange?"
"...Nothing at all. Just sorting my thoughts for a moment."
'Whew... So, to sum up the info I've got:
The original story's male lead, the crown prince, ditched the original heroine Elina and proposed to the original villainess, Leonier Baldinmar?
And she's another presumed possessor who speaks Korean, fleeing to Kaltstein to dodge the crown prince?'
Ha, what is this? Is Kaltstein the original sto— no, the crown prince's shelter?
Why is everyone coming here?
This is going to draw the heroine next... No, wait.
I'd barely regained my composure and tried reorganizing the situation, but it only made my head ache more.
Still, one thing was clear.
Unlike my first meeting with Roselia, this one promised zero amusement and a heap of headaches ahead.
'Haa... This is driving me insane.'
I couldn't even begin to grasp how to navigate this mess.