Your Highness, It’s Not Me, It’s Them!

“Please go ahead and speak.”

As I lost interest in the castle’s exterior, the words the maid had said to me earlier resurfaced in my mind, particularly the rules I was supposed to follow regarding the Grand Duke. They felt oddly familiar, which suddenly piqued my curiosity.

“Um, just wondering… Has that Grand Duke ever done anything bad to you?”

My question made the maid pause briefly, her expression suddenly flustered.

“W-what do you mean by that?”

“I mean… you seem to have had a lot of bad experiences with him or something…”

Honestly, it felt like an employee venting their frustration about their boss to a newbie. Of course, in this case, the employee was the maid, and I was the newbie.

After all, she hadn’t said a single good thing about the Grand Duke. It was all “Don’t do this, don’t do that.” It felt like a survival manual for dealing with a terrible boss.

“The Grand Duke is a truly wonderful person. At first, one might mistake him for a cold individual, but he’s actually warm and full of compassion. He’s like the sunlight of this castle.”

Uh-huh. That Grand Duke certainly doesn’t seem ordinary, especially since the maid promptly corrected herself to offer excuses for him.

How extreme can things get? Then why did she warn me not to disturb him?

“Watch your step here. The stairs are uneven, so be sure to hold onto the handrail.”

Of course, no sooner had she finished her warning than I stumbled on a sunken step, nearly losing my balance. It felt like I was surfing—not on water but on stone.

“What is this?”

The stairs were terribly uneven. With the hem of my dress obscuring my feet, I had to rely purely on instinct to gauge the distance between steps.

The uneven steps were a problem, but the bigger issue was the dress blocking my view. It felt like the dress was my worst enemy.

If I fell, I was looking at a minimum of six weeks of recovery, likely with fractures. Cold sweat dripped down my back.

Why on earth do people wear such perilous clothing?

“For meals, you’ll cross over to the east wing. However, it’s best to avoid speaking as much as possible while in the east wing.”

“…Sorry, what?”

“In the west wing, you may act as you please; no one will say a word. But over there, no one views you favorably.”

“Why?”

“It’s not ‘why,’ it’s ‘why not.'”

The maid sternly corrected my phrasing with a sharp look, and I nodded meekly, rolling my eyes.

“The west and east wings serve different masters, so their territories must not be crossed.”

“I don’t really understand…”

“The east wing is strictly forbidden to women, except for you, the prospective Grand Duchess.”

“And here in the west wing…?”

“Similarly, no man other than the Grand Duke may freely enter the west wing.”

It felt like the dynamics of a girls’ and boys’ school. Having attended all-girls schools, this wasn’t entirely unfamiliar territory.

“You’ll understand in due time. Also, in the east wing, under no circumstances should you bow to anyone other than the Grand Duke.”

Her tone was firm, as though she intended to hammer this into my brain. She must have been deeply worried about me.

So I nodded again, indicating I understood and was taking her advice seriously.

“Nor should you show excessive respect. If you appear weak, your life here will only grow more difficult.”

Life here was already hard enough.

“Also, avoid showing any sign of vulnerability. For instance, no slouching as you are now. Straighten your posture.”

At her words, I pulled my shoulders back and walked down the stairs with extra care.

But the stairs weren’t continuous. I’d climb down one section only to find myself walking down a corridor to reach another set.

If I were here alone, I’d undoubtedly get lost and end up asking for directions.

Why was my room on the fourth floor? And why were there so many rooms? Why did the hallways twist and turn so much?

The labyrinth of corridors and stairs would have confused anyone, even with a map. Fortunately, I had an excellent “GPS” in the form of the maid leading me.

Following her through the maze-like paths, I finally emerged outside the building.

“Huh?!”

The moment the firmly closed front doors opened, I was greeted by an intense snowstorm. It was no welcoming ceremony—it was chaos.

“So… cold!!”

For a moment, I thought I’d freeze on the spot, turning into an ice sculpture.

“We’re going to be late. Quickly now!”

The maid grabbed my hand and pulled me through the blizzard. I couldn’t even open my eyes as we crossed the massive garden and entered another building.

Why was the garden so huge?!

The east wing, mirrored on the other side of the garden, looked exactly like the west wing. It was like a twin reflected in a mirror.

“This way, miss. Please, come in.”

Once inside, the maid carefully brushed off the snow clinging to my hair and shoulders.

My whole body felt frozen stiff. Even though we were inside, it was as cold as if there were no heating system.

The maid stopped in front of an unfamiliar door on the first floor, then turned to me with a grave expression as if we were about to face a monster.

“Go on. Remember everything I told you.”

“…By myself?”

“I can’t enter this place. Only those personally permitted by the Grand Duke may step inside.”

“Ah, but still… alone…?”

“Hurry, hurry!”

The maid pushed me forward as she opened the door. Reluctantly, I entered the room with a distressed look on my face.

Fortunately, another door stood firmly closed on the opposite side. I glanced between the two closed doors before taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly.

‘Alright, calm down. No matter where this is, as long as I can communicate, it shouldn’t be a big deal.’

I used that reasoning to steady myself.

I wasn’t sure how or why this was happening, but one fortunate fact remained: even though I thought in Korean, the words that came out of my mouth weren’t Korean but the language of this land. Likewise, the words I heard weren’t Korean either, yet I could understand them perfectly.

They say communication is key no matter where you are. This foreign language I’d neither seen nor heard before felt as natural as my native tongue, and that was enough for me.

Of course, the situation wasn’t exactly easy to swallow.

Most of all, here I was—a blooming young woman in her twenties, far from thinking about marriage—suddenly dealing with talk of husbands and weddings. It was absurd.

Still, whether this was a remote corner of the world or a figment of my imagination, people were people. Dream or reality, I told myself not to lose confidence. I’d figure things out somehow.

Having braced myself with this resolve, I walked confidently toward the closed door and boldly grabbed the handle.

“…Wow.”

The moment I opened the door, my jaw dropped, and my eyes widened in astonishment. The scene before me was entirely unexpected.

‘Who is that?’

In the center of the room stood a small round table, designed for two people to sit face-to-face. Seated in one of the chairs, a man with long legs crossed sat in an almost doll-like stillness.

Sensing my presence, he turned his head toward me. I nearly hiccupped on the spot.

‘Goodness, can someone that handsome even exist?!’

It was undoubtedly a man. An incredibly beautiful, striking, and flawless man.

His slightly reddish-black hair and cherry-red eyes shimmered under the light, giving off an almost otherworldly glow.

It felt like looking at a live photoshoot. His stunning appearance was so surreal it seemed as if he wasn’t from this world. I had never seen such a breathtaking man in my life.

It was a beauty so overwhelming I couldn’t process it. The radiance surrounding him was enough to make me feel blind.

Could he be… the Grand Duke?

“I think I might have entered the wrong room… Excuse me.”

First things first: I had to stop my heart from exploding.

I quickly slammed the door shut and tried to catch my breath. Then, I opened the opposite door I had come through and stepped outside.

“Uh, miss?”

“Who is that? Who’s in that room?”

I hurried over to my head maid, who was nervously waiting near the door, and frantically asked. The maid tilted her head in confusion.

“Who… do you mean?”

“The one inside! The one with the black hair!”

But the answer didn’t come from her.

“Lady Vareian. I’m certain I told you not to be late for meals.”

Lady Vareian?

A deep, heavy voice sounded behind me, and I felt an oppressive weight settle over my shoulders. My face drained of all color as I slowly turned my head.

‘Did… did he just call me? Was that him?’

The man I’d seen earlier was now leaning against the open door, his posture slightly slanted. His perfectly styled black hair fell softly as he tilted his head, the silky strands gleaming under the light.

His expressionless face, devoid of emotion, was unnervingly flawless. He looked like a being so perfect that even a needle couldn’t draw blood from him. His cold, hard expression carried a subtle menace.

Instinctively, I averted my eyes in fear. The way he stared at me made it clear he was addressing me.

So this was what it felt like to be pierced by a murderous gaze.

“…Lady Vareian.”

That low, terrifying voice called out again, and I reflexively crouched slightly. My ingrained survival instincts from living in a harsh world kicked in automatically.

The atmosphere was so tense it felt like walking on thin ice. Without thinking, I had already prepared myself.

‘If he tries anything, I’ll go straight for his…!’

At that moment, his perfectly sculpted face twitched ever so slightly. His crimson eyes flickered intensely as though they were alive.

This absurdly handsome man stared down at me intently, and for some reason, my heart started racing uncontrollably.

Then, the maid—who had bent so low her head was practically touching the floor—spoke in a trembling voice.

“M-my apologies, Your Grace. There’s something I neglected to mention…”

“Enough. Do not interrupt.”

The man raised a hand toward the maid, silencing her immediately. She quickly pressed her lips together, bowing even lower before scurrying away.

And then, he began striding toward me. His long legs closed the distance with elegant, deliberate steps.

‘He’s coming!’