Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The room Grand Duke Monsel had prepared was spacious and clean, befitting a Grand Duchess’s quarters.

The problem was that the spacious, clean room was horribly cold.

Thick fur and carpets covered the floor, and wooden shutters were firmly fastened over the windows. A log fire blazed in the fireplace, and tapestries hung on the walls to block drafts. Layers of thick, heavily padded quilts were stacked on the bed.

Every conceivable heating device had been put in place.

Yet, the air in the room remained chilly.

“Oh my goodness, how can this be?”

Who knew the ducal castle would be this cold?

She must have been overly romanticizing stone castles all this time.

‘When I wrote about it, it just sounded cool.’

The castle she faced in reality was a place where a chill wind preceded any romance. The tightly stacked stone walls held none of the midday heat, and a subtle draft seeped in relentlessly through tiny, imperceptible gaps.

She huddled close to the fireplace, unable to move.

She simply stared blankly at the flames until her frozen fingertips and toes thawed.

“Haa, what… what do I do now?”

She knew she needed to organize her thoughts immediately.

But her mind only grew hazy instead of finding a way to resolve the situation. It was because of the utterly chilling cold.

To be honest, it wasn’t entirely due to the cold.

‘I saw Lionel with my own eyes.’

The feeling of actually encountering the protagonist she had meticulously created was incredibly surprising, baffling, and somewhat unsettling.

Yes, she had wanted to write about a handsome, young ruler of the North.

But…

The man was excessively massive.

Broad shoulders, a thick chest, hands as big as her head.

‘And his thighs, how solid they were, like living stones.’

Though the armor and cloak made him appear even larger, his imposing physique was enough to make her shrink back just by standing in front of him.

On top of that, his gaze was incredibly fierce.

Each time his piercing eyes flashed, a chill ran down her spine.

‘Is being handsome all there is to it? That kind of man, I don’t know him.’

It felt like she was facing a completely different person who just happened to share the same name.

Before meeting the Grand Duke, she had been confident she could manage well enough.

After all, he was a character she had created.

His personality, his speech, his appearance, even the way he smiled—she had crafted it all with her own hands. Even the scar on his back was a detail she had written into the story.

He would never know it, but to her, Lionel was almost like her own child.

Of course, she hadn’t given birth to him, but she firmly believed that the pain of creation was no less than the pains of childbirth.

…At least, that had been true once.

‘Strictly speaking, the Lionel I created is the Lionel of six years from now.’

The man whose heart had turned to ice after being betrayed by his former wife.

Yet, a man who silently protected his subjects as if they were his own life.

That was the protagonist she had created.

Arrogant and cynical, but harboring deep wounds beneath, making him all the more mysteriously captivating.

‘But now… he’s just violent and ferocious. Could his personality soften with age?’

She covered her face with both hands.

The problem was that this man would become her husband in a week.

Marriage.

As the word floated into her mind, a heavy, unsettling feeling settled in her stomach.

She had always harbored a deep distrust of the institution of marriage itself.

Her parents in real life had divorced when she was young.

Her mother, with whom she lived, treated her like a trash can for her own emotions. Her estranged father only reached out to her after he was diagnosed with cancer.

Even after she became an adult, managed to gain independence, and secured a small room of her own, the situation didn’t improve.

Family ties always felt like a noose around her neck.

So, she had vowed never to marry.

‘That’s why I wrote the novel.’

She wanted to create a world where no one would freely dump their emotions on her, demand hospital bills, or try to control her in the name of family.

She sat in front of her keyboard, diligently crafting interesting and captivating stories.

It was just that.

‘What on earth did I do so wrong to deserve this…?!’

Knock, knock.

She startled, holding her breath.

Someone had knocked on the door.

“Your Royal Highness, may I enter?”

“C-Clea—hm, you may enter.”

The person who cautiously opened the door and stepped inside was an older woman.

Her navy blue dress, with its closely spaced buttons, gave her a very tidy impression.

Behind her stood two maids, heads bowed low.

The woman knelt before Veronica, paid her respects, and then spoke carefully.

“It is an honor to meet you for the first time. I am the Head Maid of the Grand Ducal Castle. These two young women will be Your Royal Highness’s personal maids.”

Her tone was calm.

But the tips of the woman’s fingers, clutching her skirt hem, trembled slightly.

The young maids standing behind her were even more distressed. One clutched the towel she was holding so tightly that her knuckles turned white, while the other kept her lips pressed together, as if trying not to make a sound.

‘…They’re afraid of me.’

A strange heaviness settled in her chest for a moment.

In a way, it was natural.

Her origin was the Ruadel Royal Family, and she was soon to become the Grand Duchess. To them, she was practically heaven itself.

The Head Maid spoke.

“The bathwater is prepared. May we bring it in?”

“Now? You want me to bathe here?”

At her words, one of the young maids standing behind her flinched. The color immediately drained from her face.

The Head Maid quickly stepped forward.

“The tub will be moved in front of the fireplace. If you are uncomfortable with….”

Her voice remained calm. However, it was clear that she found the situation awkward.

Veronica quickly shook her head.

“No, prepare it.”

At her brief reply, the tension in the room subtly eased.

The Head Maid quietly turned and looked toward the door.

Soon, maids entered the bedroom carrying a large wooden bathtub, buckets full of hot water, and bottles of perfume and essential oils.

They moved the armchair by the fireplace and gently set down the wooden tub in its place.

They were exceedingly careful, as if trying not to make even the slightest sound from the moving bucket handles.

Then, a young maid flinched while pouring hot water. A few drops splashed outside the tub.

Immediately, the maid’s face turned ghastly pale.

“P-Pardon me, Your Royal Highness.”

She immediately knelt on the floor, bowing low.

Veronica was more surprised by this sight. To kneel just because a few drops of water splashed?

“It’s alright.”

The maid paused at her words.

“As long as you’re not hurt, it’s fine. The water is hot, so be careful.”

“…Yes?”

The maid looked up at her in disbelief, then quickly startled and bowed her head again.

“Th-Thank you.”

The room became unusually quiet.

The Head Maid’s gaze lingered on Veronica’s face for a moment. A flicker of doubt crossed her eyes, but the emotion quickly vanished.

“I will help you disrobe.”

At the Head Maid’s words, Veronica silently spread her arms. It was a great relief that she had described such a scene in her novel beforehand.

The maids hesitated, not daring to approach. They seemed afraid to touch her.

The Head Maid said in a low voice.

“Serve her with care.”

“Yes, Head Maid.”

Only then did the maids quietly approach and begin to remove her cloak and dress.

Despite being prepared for it, entrusting her body to others felt incredibly awkward and unfamiliar.

Moreover, their touch was exceedingly careful. They flinched whenever their fingertips brushed against her, and they broke into a sweat just to untie a single string.

‘Am I really that scary?’

She wasn’t a monster, yet they struggled so much just to undress her.

No, more accurately, it wasn’t her they feared, but Veronica.

‘How much would they trust me from the start? I just need to be careful.’

Finally, once she was naked, a shivery cold enveloped her entire body.

“Please come this way.”

The maid quickly led her towards the bathtub, lest her body grow too cold.

As she dipped her feet into the steaming water, her fingertips and toes tingled with a sharp sensation.

She gritted her teeth and endured it, and soon, a warm sensation permeated deep into her body.

Only then did she feel as though she could finally breathe freely.

“Is the water too hot?”

“It’s perfect.”

At her answer, the maids holding water once again exchanged glances.

She needlessly added, “It must have been difficult to move the tub all the way to the bedroom, so I appreciate your consideration.”

“…….”

A strange silence filled the room.

She realized belatedly.

The original Veronica would never have thanked her maids.

‘Well, that doesn’t matter. I’m Veronica now.’

The maids dropped rose-scented perfume into the bath, then carefully poured in some herbal essential oil.

A bitter yet sweet steam rose from the water, tingling pleasantly at the tip of her nose.

“Haa…”

A languid sigh escaped her without her realizing it.

At that moment, a maid flinched again.

She seemed to have misinterpreted her sigh as displeasure.

“No. This is just because it feels good.”

She said it almost reflexively. It was embarrassing to make excuses for such trivial things, but she couldn’t ruin her first impression right away. These were the people who would become her hands and feet.

Only then did the maid cautiously bow her head.

“Yes, Your Royal Highness.”

The maids meticulously washed her body and applied essential oils, slowly relaxing her tired muscles. They didn’t forget to refill the tub with hot water from a steaming kettle whenever the water cooled.

With every touch, the tension that had gathered in her body slowly unwound.

The Head Maid subtly asked, “May I inquire about your preference for dinner?”

“Serve something simple and bring it to my bedroom.”

“As you wish.”

The reply was immediate.

She hesitated for a moment, then added, “And… you all worked hard.”

The maids all stopped moving.