TIDP 09

As I came up from the underground prison, the night air felt incredibly refreshing. The guard I had sent outside was fidgeting as he looked at me.

“I was hoping that, given how things turned out, the nanny would at least tell the truth now…”

“Oh dear.”

I dabbed at my eyes with my sleeve as if wiping away tears, and the guard seemed to misunderstand on his own, taking me for a “pitiful Lady Anette.”

Back when Anette truly was the pitiful young lady of the marquis family, no one paid her any attention. Yet now, with just a couple of fake tears, people’s attitudes changed so easily.

I deliberately bit my lip.

“Please take good care of her until the end.”

“Of course.”

What punishment did thieves usually receive again? Whatever it was, she would never be able to work in a noble household again. She would never be able to secretly torment weak children either.

Just as I turned toward my room—

Someone stepped out of the darkness.

“It seems you’ve recovered.”

“Your Grace?”

Darius’s black hair and dark eyes blended into the night. The guard recognized him and quickly bowed.

“It seems rather late for a final visit to your family home.”

He guided me as if escorting me. I slowly walked away from the prison.

“She’s still my nanny. I wanted to hear her side of the story.”

“And after hearing it, was it something you could forgive?”

“No.”

I shook my head with a deeply dejected expression.

“She only resented me until the very end.”

“Ah, I see.”

We walked slowly to my room. Neither of us spoke.

“Thank you for escorting me.”

“Did that maid really steal the necklace?”

My hand slipped slightly from the doorknob.

That question hadn’t been part of the plan.

“What do you mean, all of a sudden?”

“The person described in the report I first read was weak and timid. But the person I’ve met is… pleasantly strong.”

There were only the two of us in the corridor. In the still silence, Darius stared straight at me.

“You’re not the kind of person who would helplessly cry over a stolen necklace. Not the Anette I know.”

“So what—if someone stole my necklace, should I run up and kick them in the backside? Is that what I’m like?”

He wasn’t wrong. I was the one who had practically torn Caitlyn’s hair out. No matter how valuable the necklace was, I wouldn’t collapse crying over it—I’d go find it myself.

“It’s true your nanny mistreated you. She couldn’t deny that. But when she said she didn’t steal it… her expression didn’t seem like a lie either.”

This was bad.

The protagonists are usually on the side of justice.

If he found out I had framed the nanny, the affection I’d built up might plummet. He’d think I used unjust means.

Should I push back? Ask if he’s accusing me of lying?

Ask if he can’t trust someone he’s decided to live with over something like this?

But the words that came out of my mouth were completely different.

“If I hated my nanny so much for what she did to me that I couldn’t just let it go… and so I falsely accused her of stealing the necklace—”

I grabbed his slightly trembling hand tightly. He might be an adult, but at twenty, even a male lead pretending to be strong was still somewhat naive.

“And if Your Grace knows the truth but chooses to pretend you don’t… then that would make this our first shared secret as a married couple. Will you keep it for me?”

Instead of answering, Darius lowered his gaze.

That was enough.

Today, we got married—and as a keepsake, we shared a secret.

After escorting Anette back to her room, Darius fell into thought. He hadn’t expected her to confess her wrongdoing so readily.

“Let’s say I really did frame my nanny.”
“Then… will you become my accomplice in keeping this secret?”

She had said it as casually as if handing over a wedding ring. Yet at the same time, she acted as though she wouldn’t mind even if he demanded a divorce because of it.

In truth, he would never believe that beneath her calm exterior, Anette had been inwardly startled, wondering how things would unfold.

A pink rose with thorns.

At dinner, people had been captivated only by her lovely appearance. They must have thought she was a delicate, charming noble lady.

But the woman he met in the night breeze—

She wasn’t just an ornamental flower.

She had conviction, and she had thorns to protect herself.

She didn’t hesitate to strike back at those who attacked her.

And strangely enough, Darius found those thorns… appealing.

“Those fools in the South have rotted brains from living in too much peace.”
“Looks like there’s at least one person here who can actually think.”

He didn’t need a flower that could only grow in the South’s blessed environment. To be his wife, she had to sprout and bloom even in harsh cold and unforgiving lands.

Framing someone wasn’t right.

And yet, for some reason, sharing that sin with her didn’t feel unpleasant. If anything, he began to feel a budding sense of expectation—perhaps they could become good partners.

“We haven’t even held the ceremony yet… am I already softening because she’s my wife?”

Darius scoffed at himself.

Secrets bring people closer.

Without any miracle that would free the wronged nanny, we left the South.

“The North is a cold land. Colder than you imagine.”

He fastened my coat more securely as he spoke.

“It’ll take over ten days by carriage. It’s cold, barren—and there are even monsters. We fight to survive every single day.”

A kind man.

There was both pride and bitterness in Darius’s voice as he described his territory. If only those strong people could live on better land. He truly was a good lord.

“The North is very different from the South you’ve known.”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s where I’ll be living from now on.”

“You’re brave. When I first met you, I never imagined we’d end up like this.”

“You hated my Poshe family, didn’t you?”

“Yes. I still don’t like them.”

Thud.

My heart sank.

Being “the daughter of an enemy family” was my built-in disadvantage.

“To be honest, sometimes I still can’t believe I married someone I had sworn I’d never take as my wife.”

So he still didn’t trust me.

We’d shared a few meals and even a small secret like mischievous children, but we hadn’t known each other long.

So don’t rush it.

Don’t get discouraged. As long as I don’t die, I can earn his trust eventually.

Just as I was steadying myself, he spoke again, awkwardly.

“Now that you’re my wife, I’ll do everything I can for you.”

His cheeks were slightly flushed.

“You may find much lacking compared to the South, where everything is abundant… but whatever I can do, I will.”

He turned his head away, unable to meet my eyes. Seeing the tips of his ears redden made me smile faintly.

“Yes.”

<My lady has died.>
<That woman from the Poshe family?>
<That’s unfortunate.>

I remembered the original story—how Darius had spoken so indifferently about his wife Anette’s death, erasing her from memory with a single line.

So the fact that he now said he’d do everything he could… was a good sign.

Even if this beginning has a fixed ending, let’s make the most of it until the original heroine appears.

“Your Grace! Lady Anette!”

“Ahh!”

The carriage suddenly lurched violently. Daniel, sitting in the front seat, shouted toward us.

“It’s a monster attack!”

A monster?

As my body swayed, Darius caught me.

“Stay inside. Don’t come out under any circumstances. Daniel!”

Without a hint of panic, Darius drew the sword at his waist and rushed out.

Why are YOU going out?!

Screeeech!

A boar the size of a house bared its tusks, snorting fiercely. Each time it stomped, the ground was gouged deep as if plowed.

“It’s a boar corrupted by monster energy! It must have been influenced by a nearby creature!”

“Enough explanation. Guard the carriage. I’ll handle it.”

“What? That’s too dangerous!”

Ignoring Daniel’s shock, Darius charged at the boar.

“That’s dangerous!”

A scream escaped me before I knew it. I knew he was the male lead and a skilled swordsman—but in front of that massive boar, he looked far too small.

The boar opened its jaws wide as if mocking him. For a moment, I thought those sharp tusks would crush him whole—

Flash.

Darius was faster.

Like slicing paper, effortlessly, he cut through the boar’s neck.

That enormous neck.

“…That’s insane.”

Why are protagonists always so ridiculously bold—and so willing to gamble on a whim?

My heart pounded wildly. I glared at Darius as he calmly shook off the blood and walked back as if nothing had happened.

This is bad for my heart.

“I’m sorry your first impression of the North turned out like this.”

“You said you’d do anything for me, right? Then start by listening to the people who worry about you!”

I know the male lead won’t die—so why am I, an extra who could die any time, worrying about him?

“I judged that stepping in myself would resolve it faster.”

“Don’t you know people say trying to save five minutes can cost you your life forever?”

That saying might come from traffic laws, but it still applied here.

“You were surprised since it’s your first time seeing one, but it wasn’t that dangerous. It wasn’t even truly a monster—just a boar driven feral by monster energy.”

“That’s not the point—I’m saying I was worried about you!”

Darius blinked, as if hearing something unfamiliar.

“You… were worried about me?”

As though no one had ever said those words to him before.