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Chapter 5
As soon as Erno left the room, Diana collapsed onto the floor.
It didn’t feel like she had just met a person—it felt like a storm had swept through the room.
“…That man is my husband?”
She could still hear his strange way of mixing polite and rude speech in her ears. His formal tone was nothing more than a pretty wrapper hiding a sharp blade underneath.
He was so tall that when standing next to him, Diana’s head would probably barely reach his chest.
She remembered the way he looked down on her, his proud and condescending eyes. Shivering at the memory, she rubbed her arms.
“It’s okay. I did well.”
Taking a deep breath, Diana comforted herself.
Even though he misunderstood her badly, at least she managed to stop him from canceling the marriage.
Three days—if she could just hold on for three days, she could fix his misunderstanding and not worry about being thrown out.
“People live here too. It can’t be that bad.”
Thinking that made her feel a little better, and once her tension eased, the exhaustion from the day hit her all at once.
She barely managed to take off her heavy accessories before collapsing onto the bed.
The large bed was soft and warm—nothing like the clothes chest she used as a bed at the Lapin manor.
That night, Diana had a very strange dream.
She dreamed she was a sheep… and she was eating a huge wolf.
She bit into its fluffy tail and thought,
“Isn’t it usually the other way around? But dreams are opposite from reality, right?”
Whatever the case, it felt great to bite and ram into a giant predator while being a small, weak sheep.
Suddenly—flash!—her eyes opened from habit. Diana groaned and sat up.
Her body ached all over, like it usually did from sleeping on hard wooden boxes. But strangely, today she felt light—almost like she could fly.
Blinking a few times, she realized, Oh right…
This wasn’t the Lapin manor. She was now in Fenril Castle, in a room made especially for the duchess.
“Oh, you’re awake.”
There was a knock, and before she could fully respond, a group of people in black clothes entered the room.
At the front was a young woman dressed head-to-toe in elegant black, very different from the maids behind her. Her dress was plain but clearly expensive. The black veil covering half her face showed she was wearing mourning clothes.
Why mourning clothes in the morning? Did someone die last night?
Feeling nervous, Diana gripped the blanket.
“Good morning, Lady Fenril.”
“G-Good morning.”
Who is she?
Diana looked at her with curiosity and caution.
Was she a maid? But her outfit and confident attitude didn’t match.
“Excuse me… who are you?”
The woman’s thin lips curved into a small smile behind the veil.
“Oh, my apologies. I’m Veronica. I’m not related to Erno by blood, but we’re like siblings. I manage the affairs of this castle.”
Veronica calmly introduced herself, and Diana finally relaxed.
“I didn’t get to greet you last night. Was your journey here too difficult? Since you’re from the South, I tried to make sure the room was warm enough. Was it?”
“It was very warm, thanks to you.”
“From now on, these girls will be serving you.”
A few maids in simple uniforms stepped forward and bowed.
“Thank you for arranging this. But… is it alright if I pick my own personal maids?”
Diana remembered how unfriendly the staff had been the night before.
She wanted at least her closest servants to be people she felt comfortable with.
“Of course. Though I hope you don’t mind if these girls assist with your dressing today?”
Diana nodded—no reason to refuse that.
“So… did you come here just to assign the maids? Or…?”
Diana trailed off.
“That, and I really wanted to meet you. If it’s alright with you, would you like to have breakfast with me on the terrace while looking at the sea?”
Surprised but curious, Diana nodded.
After getting dressed with the help of the maids, she stepped out onto the terrace.
“Wow… it’s beautiful.”
The sky was crystal clear, and the deep blue sea stretched out endlessly.
At first, memories of the night before made her hesitate, but soon she became mesmerized by the view.
Then she looked down.
Sharp rocks, like knives, lined the cliff below—stretching endlessly. Her eyes widened, and she gasped.
If I’d fallen there…
Just imagining it gave her chills. She began to understand why Erno had reacted so strongly the night before.
Still, what a ridiculous misunderstanding. I have to clear things up soon.
“Thanks to you, Lady Fenril, I can finally breathe a little. My brother is always away at war, so I’ve been handling the castle alone.”
Veronica smiled sincerely as she spoke.
“By the way, are people from the South usually so slender like you? I think we’ll need to adjust your dress.”
Veronica looked slightly worried, placing her hand on her cheek.
Diana knew she wasn’t being insulted, but still looked away, feeling a little self-conscious.
“Don’t worry. I’ll handle the alterations. You should just rest.”
“Huh? But don’t we need to take measurements…?”
Diana blinked in confusion.
“They can measure you just fine. No need to worry.”
That wasn’t what she meant. Was it normal here to do fittings without the bride present?
Confused, she hesitated, and Veronica tilted her head as if to say, Is something wrong?
“…Alright, I’ll leave it to you then.”
In the meantime, while the seamstress was called, Diana decided to go for a walk to help digest breakfast.
The maids immediately stood up to follow her, but she waved them off.
It’s just the courtyard. Nothing will happen.
Besides, having three strangers follow her around would just make her feel awkward.
Outside, she found a different kind of beauty from what she saw on the terrace.
The phrase “the sky is so clear it hurts the eyes” wasn’t just a saying—it was true.
The cold air made her eyes water, but once she opened them again, the view was like a peaceful painting.
Except for the wind, the place was silent—so quiet she could barely believe people lived here.
Each breath she took filled her lungs with crisp, freezing air.
The snow crunched loudly under her feet with every step. It was such a fun sound that she kept stepping in place just to hear it.
In the South, it got cold too—and sometimes it even snowed. But compared to the North, the Southern winters felt like a mild spring.
Icicles longer and thicker than any tree branch hung from the rooftops.
Diana stared in awe, mouth half open, and walked slowly, mesmerized.
Then—
“Lady Fenril. What are you doing out here?”
A sharp voice with elegant pronunciation—and a rude tone.
He still called her Lady Fenril, but his golden eyes were full of suspicion and distance.
It was her husband—Erno.
