The Northern Duke’s Daughter Will Never Fall

Chapter 35: Astrid and Astrid (1)

If she had to dance solo, it would have been a disaster. Fortunately, it was a duet.

And since Leopold was a skilled dancer, leading Astrid posed no challenge for him. It also meant he had likely danced with many women before. 

The thought briefly crossed Astrid’s mind but she quickly pushed it away.

【That’s impossible. His Highness only has eyes for me.】

‘Where does that confidence even come from?’

She’d mentioned before that she didn’t attend balls often, so it was natural for her to receive fewer invitations. 

Still, after she’d woken up, she’d continued to receive occasional invitations. They were likely sent out of courtesy rather than genuine expectation.

Astrid’s mind was a tangled mess.

Instead of solving her problems, things had only gotten more complicated.

The fact that someone else had suddenly taken up residence in her mind was something she herself found hard to believe. 

At one point, she even wondered if she’d developed a mental disorder, creating an alternate personality as a coping mechanism.

Suddenly, she heard a voice telling her to “relax her body.” Startled, she’d followed the command without thinking, and the next thing she knew, it was as if her perspective had shifted like a TV changing channels. She found herself looking at the world as if she were watching it on a screen.

Her body moved and spoke on its own, and she could hear all of its thoughts and feel its emotions. On top of that, she could even communicate with it through her thoughts.

How was something like this even possible?

“Astrid.”

“Y-Yes?!”

“What’s on your mind?”

Her field of vision was spinning.

The dance had reached its climax, and her body was twirling in sync with Leopold’s lead. She spun around, reclined halfway into his embrace, and swayed along with the rhythm of the music.

“It’s nothing of importance,” she replied.

“Are you feeling unwell?”

The warmth in Leopold’s voice was gone, replaced by concern.

From his perspective, Astrid’s behavior tonight had been strange. During the opening dance, she’d been clumsy at first but quickly started dancing with flawless precision, as if she’d been doing it all her life.

Later, when they’d returned to their seats, she’d mercilessly put Akemilla in her place. It wasn’t just Akemilla, either. She’d been equally sharp with Emilie and Violet.

But just as she was on a roll, she’d suddenly started stuttering.

All of it was suspicious.

“Cadets, did you all enjoy yourselves?”

“Yes!”

A thunderous response echoed through the hall.

The cadets, who had looked so inexperienced at the entrance ceremony, now had the presence of proper soldiers after four weeks of training. Ortega glanced around at them, his expression one of deep satisfaction.

“Tomorrow morning is the graduation ceremony. After that, you’ll enter a one-month dormitory period before officially becoming cadets of the academy. Of course, you’re free to withdraw during that period. If anyone wishes to leave, they may speak with a supervisor at any time. I’m sure you all know what happens if you try to quit after that period, yes?”

Ortega’s grin widened, his golden tooth glinting in the light. His smile carried a subtle but undeniable air of menace, and the cadets stiffened.

“Well, there’s no point in dragging this out any further. That concludes the graduation eve festivities. Everyone, dismissed!”

“Dismissed!”

Repeating the command, the cadets broke formation and began heading back to their quarters in small groups.

While the other cadets moved in groups of twos and threes, Astrid quietly made her way to the terrace door at the side of the hall.

If she left now, she’d just get caught in the crowd of cadets, which would only worsen her headache. 

She figured it would be better to get some fresh air before heading back to her quarters.

Opening the terrace door, she stepped outside and was met by a cool night breeze.

The view of the nightscape was impressive. Back at the Miterien estate in the north, whenever she stepped onto her terrace, she’d see a field of pure white snow. 

But here, she saw a vast expanse of land dotted with buildings and training grounds.

“…How did things end up like this…”

“What do you mean?”

Startled by the sudden voice, Astrid spun around.

Leaning casually against the wall next to the terrace door, Leopold stood there, watching her intently.

“What do you mean by that? Care to explain?”

“…….”

Astrid remained silent.

She couldn’t exactly say, “There’s another person inside my head, and I think she’s the real Astrid while I’m just a fake.” No one would believe that.

【Switch with me! Switch with me now! Relax your body!】

The “real” Astrid’s voice was loud and insistent.

Astrid let out a small sigh and relaxed her body.

It had worked before. She’d switched perspectives after doing this. But this time, no matter how long she waited, she didn’t feel the world shift as it had earlier.

Leopold’s puzzled eyes stayed on her.

【Hurry up and switch already!】

‘It’s not working. I’d switch if I could.’

Even after trying several more times, the shift didn’t happen. Astrid realized that if she lingered too long, Leopold would start to suspect her.

Besides, what if she did switch, and the “real” Astrid confessed her love to Leopold? What if she declared her desire to marry him?

Chills ran down her spine. No, that would be a disaster.

“You’ve been acting strangely today, Astrid. Don’t you think so too?” Leopold’s voice was calm but firm, his gaze sharp as ever.

No one was more aware of that fact than Astrid herself.

But how could she possibly explain it to him?

【Ugh, why won’t it switch?!】

Leopold’s piercing gaze from the front and the constant shouting of Astrid’s other self in her head made her want to scream.

‘This is driving me crazy.’

【I’m going crazy too!】

“It’s nothing. I just have a lot on my mind lately,” she replied.

“Is it about Lady Uraid, Lady Jorgien, and Lady Autria? The rumors about them being candidates for Crown Princess?”

【Yes, that’s it!】

“…No. I’m just a bit tired. I’ll head back now.”

Leopold quietly watched her retreating figure.

Her behavior has been changing lately. Ever since Akemilla declared herself a candidate for Crown Princess, Astrid had been showing sides of herself that he’d never seen before.

Maybe, just maybe, Astrid never thought he’d actually consider other noblewomen as candidates. 

Perhaps she’d never imagined he’d really follow through with it. Was she struggling now because of the sudden addition of two more candidates for Crown Princess?

Perhaps I’ve hurt her again, Leopold thought to himself.

“So, how was it? How was it?!”

“What was?”

Eranya bombarded Astrid with questions, giving her no time to catch her breath. The exhaustion was plain on Astrid’s face.

How was what, exactly? It’s not like she’d done anything worth talking about. Astrid waved her hand dismissively at Eranya’s incessant questioning and turned away.

“I’m talking about Leopold! How did it go with him?”

“I don’t know… I’m tired.”

Eranya’s hands moved deftly to the buttons on the back of Astrid’s dress, undoing them one by one with soft clicks.

The dress wasn’t too extravagant, but it still required help to take off. There were buttons in places she couldn’t reach on her own, especially the ones along the back.

Astrid felt exhausted.

Her body wasn’t tired at all, but her mind was completely drained.

The constant chatter from the other Astrid in her head about how she should’ve handled things differently, or how dashing Leopold looked while he was deep in thought, was endlessly irritating. It had left her mentally exhausted.

“I’m going to wash up first,” Astrid muttered.

“Oh, alright,” Eranya replied.

Placing the dress neatly in the return box, Astrid grabbed a towel and the provided cleanser before heading into the shower room. 

She turned on the water, and soon the sound of rushing water filled the room. Warm water flowed steadily from the faucet.

She filled a basin with water and splashed her face repeatedly, making a soft splashing sound.

【W-What do you think you’re doing?!】

‘What now.’

【Why are you scrubbing your face like that?! You’re going to ruin your skin!】

‘…’

She had nothing to say to that.

How else was she supposed to wash her face? Was there a “correct” way to do it?

【If you rub up and down like that, it’ll cause wrinkles! You’re supposed to rub in one direction only!】

She didn’t even want to respond.

What kind of face-washing technique was that? Besides, scrubbing her face this way felt refreshing.

Astrid poured the cleanser into her hands, rubbed them together, and began lathering the foam onto her face.

【What brand is this?! And you call yourself a woman?! Your skincare routine is horrible! Are you treating your body like it’s someone else’s?!】

…Well, technically, it wasn’t her body.

‘Shut up. Just be quiet.’

【You insolent little…!】

Ignoring the protests, Astrid rinsed the foam off her face and dried it with a towel.

Of course, this prompted another round of scolding from the “real” Astrid, who insisted that rubbing the towel against her face would ruin her skin. Astrid ignored it all.

After finishing her shower, Eranya took her turn, heading into the shower room while wrapping a towel around her hair.

Astrid sat on her bed, her mind filled with thoughts.

‘We need to talk.’

【Funny, I was just thinking the same thing.】

‘When did you start watching me?’

This was one of the most important questions she’d been meaning to ask.

When had the “real” Astrid started observing her? Why hadn’t she spoken up until now? And why was she suddenly unable to switch control back?

【I’ve been awake since the moment you took over my body.】

In other words, she’d been watching the entire time.

【I tried talking to you, but you couldn’t hear me.】

That much was true. She hadn’t heard a single word from the “real” Astrid until recently.

【But I could still see and hear everything you did. It was like watching a dream—hazy and unclear—but I could still make sense of it all.】

So she hadn’t seen or heard everything with perfect clarity.

That was a relief. There was nothing Astrid needed to hide, but knowing someone had been watching her every move was unsettling.

‘So what changed? Why can you talk to me now?’

【I don’t know either. Suddenly, everything became clear. I could hear your thoughts and see your actions as if they were happening right in front of me.】

‘It just happened out of nowhere…’

【That’s right. Anyway, I know you’re trying to avoid marrying His Highness Leopold, but I’m telling you now—give it up. I’m going to marry him no matter what.】

It was a warning.

No matter what, the “real” Astrid was determined to marry Leopold.

But the “fake” Astrid was just as determined to make sure that never happened.

‘By the way, why does your tone change so much whenever you’re talking about Leopold compared to everything else?’

【Isn’t it obvious? Why would I treat others the same as His Highness?】

No response.

A dull throb pulsed through Astrid’s head. It felt like she’d just received a heavy blow.

—Click.

The shower room door opened, and Eranya emerged, her head wrapped in a towel like a turban. 

She had a mischievous grin on her face as she glanced at Astrid, who was still sitting on the bed.

Seeing Astrid’s dazed expression, Eranya took the opportunity to strike up a conversation.

“You know, Leopold’s eyes on you were a little different today. I’m telling you, it’s proof that my dress plan worked. Don’t you agree, Astrid?”

But Astrid was too absorbed in her mental debate with the “real” Astrid to notice.

【Just wait. I’m going to marry him for sure.”】

“Hah… What kind of nonsense are you even talking about?” Astrid muttered to herself.

“Huh? What was that?”

When Astrid snapped back to reality, she was met with Eranya’s puzzled face.

“Oh, if that’s not it, then never mind. I thought you were agreeing with me. Well, whatever. I’ll stop tricking you into wearing dresses from now on, so you can relax.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah… Thanks.”

If Eranya said she wouldn’t deceive her again, that was a good thing.

Astrid gave a small nod and left it at that.