Heaven's Will in Winter Castle
I had no idea just how harsh the winter that had come to Winter Castle under heaven's will truly was. With a guest arrived, it felt like the heating had been turned up a notch. But rather than a warm breeze, the castle still brimmed with biting cold. Of course, I'd adapted to it somewhat, so it didn't bother me much anymore. From my perspective, though, it probably wasn't nearly warm enough for someone from the south.
"Alfredo, you stoked the fire in the office just right, didn't you?"
"Yes, Your Grace. Are you still feeling a bit chilly?"
"No, it's because our guest is sick. I thought raising the temperature might be better."
"You worry too much, Your Grace."
"She's from the south, remember? That's exactly why I have to worry."
Dorgon was still fast asleep, but for a southerner, this weather was bound to be brutal. I had to consider every angle like that.
"By the way, Your Grace."
"Yeah? What is it?"
"How have you been sleeping?"
"Just crashing wherever, same as always."
"You're harming your precious health. Why not move to the guest room now?"
"No. Leave it."
I was in the middle of sorting through paperwork in the office when Alfredo, who was in the room, asked cautiously. It had been several days since Daniela took ill and collapsed. I'd squeezed in somehow at first, but now I'd adapted—no discomfort at all. That was the strangest part. How did humans adapt like this?
"If you order another bed prepared, we can have it ready anytime."
"No need. I'm comfortable now."
"Hmm, Your Grace. If it's not too impertinent, may I ask about your relationship with the guest?"
"...She's a guest. What else?"
"No, I just wondered if perhaps this guest had caught your eye."
"Are you joking with me right now?"
Alfredo said nothing, just stared at me blankly. It felt like he had something to say. I tried my best to ignore his gaze, but it was growing too burdensome.
I finally had to ask. "What? Spit it out."
"Actually, there are rumors circulating about our guest here."
"Rumors? What kind?"
"That Your Grace has finally brought in a new Grand Duchess."
"Come on, rumors like that already?"
"Your Grace, you know I've served you since your childhood and the previous Grand Duke before that."
"Yeah."
"And yet, this is the first time you've let a woman sleep in this room."
I had nothing to say. Truth be told, I could have shoved her off to a guest room. But I'd kept Daniela in my room on purpose. Even if I tried to explain why, it felt like something beyond reason. I didn't know the exact reason, but it just felt right to keep our guest here, in the Grand Duke's quarters.
"Everything has a first time. Let's call this the beginning."
"Your ministers will always welcome it."
"Keep talking like that!"
"A Grand Duchess... It'd be the first in nearly thirty years."
"Alfredo."
The moment I called his name, Alfredo fell silent. There was a taboo I'd enforced since childhood—one that northerners and my ministers had to obey. Simple rule: Avoid talking about the Wintergard family or the house unless absolutely necessary. It seemed Alfredo realized it and clammed up.
"I'll fetch the medicine for the guest, Your Grace."
"Do that."
"Just in case..."
"Nothing will happen, so don't worry. You think I'd fall for a frail woman like her?"
"That's how big trouble starts."
"A northerner wouldn't go down like that. Go on."
Alfredo bowed and left the room. Lately, his stares had been unusual—like he was expecting something. But making Daniela the Grand Duchess out of the blue? That felt off.
...Though maybe not.
"Daniela?"
I called out to her from behind the office partition, but no answer came. Still asleep? I approached the bedside cautiously. Suddenly, the heating felt stronger—the temperature rising cozily.
"Daniela?"
I sat on the edge of the bed and quietly observed the woman lying there. Alfredo was right. If you'd watched me since I became Grand Duke—or even from my early childhood—you'd know. I'd never let any woman, or even a servant, sleep in my room. Servants had no reason to, and women never just showed up out of nowhere.
"Keep sleeping."
I studied Daniela. Her eyes were closed, but her skin had that noble pallor anyone would call ladylike—flawless, without a single blemish. The exhaustion still clung to her, though; that was unavoidable. I gently brushed the hair from her face. Golden blonde locks, cut short like a northerner's.
"Gr-Grand Duke?"
"You're awake?"
She called out to me urgently but couldn't sit up. The moment she realized I was there, though, she struggled to rise. I tried to stop her, but with grunts of effort, Daniela propped herself up.
"It's time for your medicine. Hang on a bit."
"Th-thank you."
"You look better than a few days ago. That's a relief."
"Th-thank you."
Just the two of us in the room, and yet it felt a little awkward. After nearly thirty years without a woman here, no wonder. Alfredo probably saw it as a historic day.
"So, Daniela. Calling you that—is that rude?"
"No, Your Grace."
"I can forgive the Bart family's rudeness, but mine..."
If things were normal, what could you do about it? You might even push back a little. But not with Daniela. She froze for a moment on the bed—not from the cold, not from shock. Her thoughts had just stalled.
"Your Grace, forgive our rudeness."
"Normally, I'd send you back to the Barts. But right now, that doesn't seem necessary."
"Yes, Your Grace."
"It feels like they sold you off. Doesn't bother me much, though."
"Thank you. Truly, thank you."
The Bart family's rudeness. Nobles weren't supposed to tolerate that. But the North wasn't so petty as to rage over it. If a northerner sent his daughter like this, he'd be the useless one, cursed to the heavens. Yeah, this was fate too.
"Can you forgive a father who sends his daughter off to die? I couldn't."
"There must have been a reason. I had no choice but to follow my father's will."
"Yeah? And what reason's that?"
"It was all... politics. The realm of politics."
The realm of politics. Such a sad phrase. It violated what the North held most sacred. Heaven's will. That transcended noble codes. How could a father abandon his daughter? Sure, looking back at our history, the North had no room to talk—wars where blood washed blood away.
"So, what do you think now?"
"R-right now, I feel very at ease, Your Grace."
"Speak casually. You're a guest—be comfortable."
"I-is that really okay?"
"You're accepting too quickly."
"I'm sorry!"
I was teasing. I wouldn't go so far as letting her call me by name, but I could offer this much grace. And she was a character from a romance fantasy novel. Seeing her felt like spotting a celebrity. In the book, she was the vicious lady, but now she just seemed innocent.
"Fine, call me casually. 'Grand Duke' or something."
"Th-then..."
"Not so fast. Reject me once first."
"Uh, um..."
"Kidding. Call me Grand Duke."
"R-really?"
"Yeah. Grand Duke."
Daniela nodded. Who knows? I might end up as the protagonist in this romance fantasy too. I didn't remember the plot well, but as far as I knew, Daniela's death was near the very end. Anyway, that had nothing to do with me.
"Coming to the North like this—in those clothes, in that state. Impressive."
"No, Grand Duke. There was a road, so I followed it and made it."
Before we built the roads, there was barely a path between North and South. Side trails? Perfect bandit bait. The area crawled with them—we even had to send troops. Nomad-hunting forces made short work of the bandits.
"Lucky. A woman alone on that road would've been doomed."
"Heaven's will, perhaps?"
Heaven's will. Music to my ears. We'd probably strayed far from the set path by now. But one thing was clear: I liked Daniela's take on "heaven's will."
"Beautiful words. Mind if I borrow them later?"
"Y-yes?"
"Heaven's will. I'll use it sometime."
Daniela gave a tentative smile.