TIDP 10

Chapter 10

“It doesn’t matter whether it was a dangerous beast or not. One suddenly appeared, Your Grace drew your sword, and then blood splattered in an instant…”

“Anette, you’re trembling.”

Darius placed a hand on my shaking shoulders. Only then did I realize my whole body was quivering. The first magical beast I had ever seen—it was terrifying.

“Were you startled? I apologize.”

He tilted his head slightly to meet my eyes. Reflected in his dark pupils was Anette—myself, a version I was supposed to get used to by now.

“It’s all over now. You’re safe.”

That’s not the point!

I was definitely about to argue back, but for some reason, my head dropped and wouldn’t lift. My lips stiffened, and all that came out was a faint groan.

What is this… seriously.

After hesitating, he awkwardly pulled me into an embrace. It was so stiff it could hardly be called a proper hug.

The arms of the man who had just taken a life were surprisingly warm.

“I’m better at startling people than comforting them. So I’d prefer to stop here.”

That made sense. Male leads usually spend their lives fighting monsters and doing paperwork before meeting the female lead.

Even if they can perfectly comfort the heroine despite having no experience, before meeting her, “kindness” isn’t exactly a stat they possess.

“…I never asked for comfort.”

Still, what was this tone? The gentle, coaxing voice, like he was soothing a child—or treating me like some noble lady whining over a mere beast.

“Ahem.”

A small cough came from behind us. Startled, I turned to see Sir Daniel and the coachman.

“Ah…”

For some reason, they both wore faintly pleased expressions, as if apologizing for interrupting a nice moment.

“Apologies, but if we delay any longer, we won’t reach the castle today.”

“L-let’s go! Quickly!”

My face turned bright red in an instant.

“Sorry for interrupting your time.”

What were they apologizing for? I was just worried about a careless male lead.

Without even responding to Daniel, I climbed back into the carriage, awkwardly turning my head away.

‘When the beast attacked, I couldn’t move a single step.’

My heart still ached. Was it from frustration?

‘If I encounter an assassin someday, will I just stand there and die without a sound?’

Just like Anette in the original story.

Laughing and chatting with the male lead wouldn’t solve everything. If anything, going to Inkheart Castle might bring me closer to death.

‘A place where assassination flags from the original could pop up anytime, anywhere.’

So I needed to think of a way to keep myself safe…

But as my shock faded, my body grew heavy, and sleep overtook me.

I dreamed.

< Sylph, will you move the wind? >

As soon as I spoke, the battlefield’s air shifted dramatically. A clear wind swept through the space filled with sinister magic. What began as a small breeze grew stronger, throwing the beasts into disarray.

< The path is open. Now! >

As I altered the air, the people behind me moved swiftly.

A man with a silver blade and black eyes met my gaze.

It seemed like he said something…

“Anette.”

“Mmm…”

“We’ve arrived.”

A touch woke me. Something heavy and warm slipped off me and fell to the floor.

I must have fallen asleep. Reflexively, I picked up what had fallen—it was thick leather. Something warm enough to use as a blanket.

Darius, who had woken me, suddenly turned his head away—just like I had earlier.

“Did you cover me with this?”

“I warned you it would be cold here.”

Thanks to that, I slept without waking once.

“Thank you.”

“If you caught a cold the moment you arrived, I’d be the one suffering.”

His tone was blunt, though the tips of his ears were red.

“Then I’m not thankful.”

Darius narrowed his eyes, and I tilted my head innocently.

“You didn’t seem like you wanted to hear thanks…?”

If he didn’t accept gratitude, it was his loss.

But I soon chuckled. Darius, who had been teased, sighed helplessly.

“I can’t figure you out.”

“We just got married. I can’t show all my cards already.”

Romance is about mystery. Not that I planned to romance the male lead.

‘So this is the North.’

The main setting of the novel—and the male lead’s territory.

When I opened the carriage window, I saw a distant blue ice wall. The North’s spectacle, symbol, and the source from which monsters descended.

Behind the lord’s carriage trailed carts full of wheat and cotton from the South. It was a more joyful sight than any grand procession.

With that food and cotton, the North could survive the winter.

“Lord.”

“Your Grace.”

People removed their hats and greeted him as the procession passed. These would become my people. Fascinated, I pressed my face against the window and watched.

Though they didn’t seem materially wealthy, there was no gloom on their faces.

‘The lord and his people really resemble each other.’

They endured winter with pride alone.

“Hm.”

I breathed onto the window and drew a heart in the fog.

“What are you doing?”

“Making a resolution for how I’ll live from now on.”

I liked this city.

‘This is the male lead’s land. I’ll develop it well and walk away with a fortune when we divorce.’

Assets gained during marriage are jointly owned, after all.

“This is the cotton seed I brought to the North. I’ve been collecting them since I was very young—about 1,200 in total.”

Before entering the city, I took out a pouch of seeds. Since Darius didn’t seem likely to lock me away like in the original story, I should keep my promise too.

“Until now, the North has only bought cotton, never grown it. Either the seeds were wrong, or the climate didn’t suit them at all.”

Cotton was a major southern crop. Naturally, no one wanted profitable crops to spread elsewhere.

“Even if we plant all these seeds, only half will sprout.”

Darius’s brow twitched.

“And of those, half will freeze to death in the North’s cold.”

“Then will anything remain at all?”

“Barely. If all 1,200 seeds produce just twelve surviving plants, that would already be a huge success.”

“Are you joking? Do you think I want a handful of decorative cotton plants?”

Inside the narrow carriage, the killing intent radiating from him made my skin sting.

“That’s fine. We have time.”

“Time?”

“With the cotton brought as my dowry, how long can the North endure? New clothes could last three years. Repairing old ones gives another three.”

At minimum, six years.

“Six years is enough to research and improve the seeds.”

Even if only twelve survive the first year, if each produces twelve the next year, the numbers will grow enormously within five years.

“So it’s fine if most die. The survivors will gradually adapt to the cold and become a variety suited to the North.”

Of course, if none survived, that would be true despair.

In that case… I’d just have to hope I’d built enough goodwill with Darius and the North in other ways.

Darius fell silent.

The longer the silence stretched, the drier my throat became.

‘He’s not going to tell me to go back home now, right?’

“There’s something I must say.”

“Yes?”

Please don’t say that.

“I owe you an apology. For something I hid.”

An apology? My ears perked up.

From him?

“So I don’t have to compensate for the seeds…?”

“We knew the South didn’t truly respect us when proposing this marriage. So after the political marriage, we planned not to bring the bride to the Grand Duke’s household.”

“…Yes. Wait—what?”

I already knew that. That’s what he meant?

Seeing my surprise, Darius’s guilt deepened.

“As a knight and as the lord of the North, it was shameful. We never once considered your position, being sacrificed in our plan.”

Well… I was just an extra.

Extras in stories don’t get their circumstances considered.

The Marquess Foche gained honor, the North gained resources. It was always a marriage of mutual benefit—I already knew that.

“My vassals will be confused. They didn’t expect me to return with my wife.”

So my surprise wasn’t about that—it was that he brought it up first, even though he didn’t have to.

“I apologize. For deciding your fate without even meeting you, when you were trying to escape your family.”

I let out a small laugh.

“Fine. I’ll accept your apology. But you’re not planning to repay it with just words, right? I’ll keep it as a debt—pay me back later.”

I might be flustered by his change in attitude, but I’m not missing a chance to gain something.

After all, successful asset division starts here.