Chapter 6

Grace had a fit and lunged at Emily. A man standing nearby pushed Grace away.

“A… corpse?”

“Yes. That girl is dead. So step aside!”

“D-dead…?”

A shock hit her like a weight dropping in her chest. Grace stood blankly, staring into space, murmuring to herself. Even after they carried Emily out, Grace sat there for a long time.

Emily is dead?

“No… no…”

It can’t be true. It mustn’t be true.

Grace shook her head wildly. Emily had been her only family. If she was gone, there would be no one to share warmth with in bed, no one to look at her with concern after being bullied by her brothers.

“Ugh… Aaahhh!”

Grace tore the bed sheets apart and screamed.

She wished none of it had been real. Emily having a high fever, no one helping her as she got worse and eventually turned cold, the men carrying her body away—she wanted it all to be a bad dream. She hoped Emily would return, open the door, and smile as if nothing had happened.

“Emily… I’m… scared…”

That night felt endlessly long for Grace. She couldn’t sleep, terrified by the reality that Emily was gone and she was all alone.

Trembling, Grace waited for Emily, tears filling her eyes. But Emily never came back.

“Hic… hic…”

Grace cried through the night, and only when dawn broke did she finally fall asleep. Hours later, when the sun had risen high, the door to the room creaked open.

“Ugh… What is this mess?”

The moment he stepped inside, the foul smell hit his nose. Baron Fabers wrinkled his brow at the white dust floating in the air.

A place where beast-like creatures lived—it was just as filthy as expected. The creaking sound every time he stepped on the floorboards annoyed him too. He wanted to leave this dirty place immediately, but… he had work to do.

His scanning eyes stopped.

“……”

Grace was curled up in a corner of the room, fast asleep like a dead mouse. She hadn’t heard the door open or the footsteps. Her face looked completely exhausted. Baron Fabers approached her and cleared his throat.

“Wake up.”

Though he spoke quietly, Grace didn’t move.

“Stop being lazy and get up now.”

He wanted to nudge her with his foot, but Baron Fabers held back and spoke patiently. After all, she was to be married into a ducal family now, so he could no longer treat her like a common servant.

“……?”

Grace stirred at the unfamiliar voice and opened her eyes. Seeing Baron Fabers, her eyes widened.

She didn’t know his name, but she had seen him around the mansion, usually alongside the Duke. However, this was the first time he had ever spoken directly to her.

“I have something to tell you.”

Grace didn’t respond. She just stared at him blankly. She hadn’t slept properly for three nights while taking care of Emily and grieving her loss.

“Your marriage partner has been decided.”

Even when Baron Fabers said that, Grace didn’t fully understand what he meant.

“You will become the Duchess of Winstaine.”

Emily’s death was quietly buried.

There was no one to mourn the mute maid whom the other servants ignored. As she had no family to claim her, there wasn’t even a funeral.

While wandering the ducal estate aimlessly, Grace had seen Emily’s body, her face covered with cloth, being loaded onto a cart and taken away. That was the last image of Emily she had.

A few weeks later, Grace boarded a carriage heading north.

“I believe we’ve arrived.”

After a long ride, the carriage gradually slowed to a stop. Baron Fabers, looking out the window, spoke up.

“Get out quickly.”

Grace, who had been curled up in the corner of the carriage, jumped to her feet. Her body, trained to obey orders, reacted quickly.

“Follow me.”

Baron Fabers stepped out of the carriage, and Grace silently followed him.

It’s so cold…

The northern winter air was freezing like ice. The wind brushing against her cheeks made Grace shiver.

She followed Baron Fabers around the snow-covered carriage. Their escorting knights had already lined up in two rows. About five paces ahead, a man in a dark uniform stood with two knights.

“Greetings, Lady Grace.”

As soon as he spotted them, the man stepped forward and bowed his head.

“Thank you for making such a long journey. I am Baron Wilhelm Maynard. I serve His Grace the Duke of Winstaine closely.”

His face was pale and bloodless. His tone was flat and emotionless. Northern people were known to be cold and blunt—he certainly fit the description.

“……”

His gray eyes stared directly at Grace. His gaze was piercing, and her heart started pounding.

“H-h… Hello…”

Hello. My name is Grace.

The sentence Baron Fabers had made her practice echoed in her mouth but wouldn’t come out. She tried to force the words, but nothing followed. Even a simple self-introduction was difficult for her when facing strangers.

“I am Baron Wolfgang Fabers. The lady is tired from the long journey and nervous, so she’s having trouble speaking. I ask for your understanding.”

Seeing that Grace couldn’t respond properly, Baron Fabers spoke on her behalf.

“Ah, of course. It’s perfectly understandable. This land is quite rough.”

Baron Maynard nodded without much concern.

“Where is His Grace, the Duke?”

“He had to leave urgently to subjugate monsters. I was sent in his stead to welcome the lady.”

Ah… Baron Fabers let out a short sound. Grace noticed a hint of amusement in his voice but didn’t understand why.

“The castle is this way.”

Baron Maynard pointed ahead. Only then did Grace notice the castle and gasp softly.

The ducal castle looked like a giant beast. It was all black, with sharp angles that resembled fangs, and the wide-open entrance looked like a gaping mouth. The place had an eerie, haunted atmosphere.

“This way, please.”

Grace trudged behind the man and entered the castle gate. Baron Fabers walked beside her.

“……”

Maybe her impression of the castle came not from the structure itself, but from the rumors about its owner.

“They say he enjoys massacres. Smiles while killing people. Loves the sight of blood.”

“If a battle doesn’t go well, he tortures his commanders for days.”

“He captures pretty boys, torments them, and kills them if he gets bored. They say the place is filled with torn-up bodies showing guts and all.”

Grace already wanted to run far away from this gloomy place. But she couldn’t escape.

She had nowhere to go, and before she left the mansion, Baron Fabers had warned her that if she ever ran away, he wouldn’t let her live in peace.

“This is the main building.”

Baron Maynard led them to the central structure. As they entered, they saw two women and one man standing in a line. One of the women and the man looked middle-aged, while the other girl appeared to be in her late teens.

“Greetings, Lady Grace.”

All three bowed their heads at once upon seeing her.

“These are the staff of the castle. This is Dorota, the head maid, and Hughgrant, the chief steward.”

“We are honored to serve you, my lady.”

“It is truly a privilege to welcome someone of your status.”

The two older ones bowed repeatedly, their faces flushed with excitement.

Grace was flustered. They were supposed to be servants too, but they were so different from the ones at the Reinheim estate.

“N-n…ice… to… meet you.”

Grace spoke slowly. She was less tense than she had been when she first met Maynard, so short phrases came out more easily.

“Lady Grace! F-formal speech?!”

Dorota and Hughgrant looked shocked, their eyes widening.

“You don’t have to speak so politely to people like us!”

“Yes, please feel free to be comfortable. You are nobler than anyone…”

Even Baron Maynard joined in. He also seemed surprised by Grace addressing the staff with respect.

“Polite… speech… is… more… comfortable… for me…”