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

So, I glared at that insufferable man with all my might and abruptly stood up.

He blinked rapidly, seemingly caught off guard, as I marched past him and flung the door open. Then, mimicking his earlier actions, I turned my head slightly, shot him an exaggerated smirk, and said:

“Ever heard of ‘ladies first’? Seems like you’ve got some learning to do. I’ll go ahead first. Take care.”

With that, I added a little flourish by wiggling my fingers in a dismissive wave and didn’t give him a chance to respond. I stepped through the door and slammed it shut behind me.

‘Hmph, you can open the door yourself and come out later.’

Humming a cheerful tune, I sauntered off to the next door and pushed it open to head outside. As soon as I exited, I spotted the maid waiting for me and immediately dashed toward the west wing, ignoring her entirely.

Because my life is precious, thank you very much.

The weather had worsened since earlier, and the wind was now howling with a fury, carrying stinging snowflakes that whipped against my face. I fought through the storm, shivering, until I finally made it inside the west wing. My body trembled violently, and I couldn’t stop coughing. My nose tickled incessantly, and I rubbed it with my fingers in frustration.

‘There’s a 99.9% chance I’ll catch a cold. Do they even have cold medicine here?’

Just earlier, when I boarded the plane, it was summer. Now, I was in a full-blown winter.

Though I prefer winter over summer, facing a snowstorm without so much as a proper coat felt like a death wish.

“It’s unusually rough weather today. Here, take this if you’re cold, my lady.”

The head maid draped a thick blanket over my shoulders. While it helped a little, it wasn’t enough to ward off the chill completely. Goosebumps crawled across my skin as I shivered uncontrollably.

“Did you enjoy your meal? And did His Grace say anything to you?”

I rolled my eyes at the memory of his crimson gaze, filled with cold disdain, and his face, as icy and unrelenting as the blizzard outside.

What’s the use of being beautiful if you’ve got a personality like that?

“I’m starving. I barely ate anything. Do you have any snacks or something around here?”

“…Every time you speak in polite language, I feel like I gain another gray hair. Surely, you’re not planning to turn me completely white?”

She already had quite a bit of gray, so what difference would a few more make…?

“Fine… I’ll try… my best.”

Speaking informally to someone older than me went against my nature, so even as I tried, I couldn’t help but add a soft “yo” at the end of my sentences, barely audible to anyone but myself.

Still, the maid didn’t look pleased, her furrowed brows refusing to relax as she shook her head slowly.

“If you didn’t eat properly, I’ll have some food prepared for you.”

“Oh, that would be amazing!”

I clasped my hands together and gazed at her with sparkling eyes. She merely responded with a faint smile, lowering her gaze briefly.

“I heard you haven’t touched your fork during meals for the past five days. Even with your memory loss, some things never change, it seems.”

“No, it’s not that! They kept taking the food away before I could eat… yo.”

“Taking it away?”

“The Grand Duke—he’d put his fork down, and they’d just whisk everything away. Even mine… yo.”

“I’d appreciate it if you stopped with the ‘yo’ altogether.”

“…Fine. I’ll stop.”

Feeling annoyed, I pursed my lips and gave a curt reply. Only then did the maid’s expression soften a little.

Looking more at ease, she stopped another maid who was approaching from the opposite direction and whispered something to her. The other maid nodded briskly before dashing off in the opposite direction.

“Who’s that?” I asked.

“One of the maids assigned to the west wing.”

“There are… more maids here?”

“There are four maids and six housemaids in total, all employed for your service. Call on them whenever you need assistance.”

‘Is this what it feels like to live in a mansion owned by a corporate tycoon?’

I had never expected something like this to happen in my life. It was all so surreal that I couldn’t quite get used to it.

But right now, there was a bigger problem at hand.

“…Is it that difficult?”

The maid glanced at me, visibly struggling for breath, as I wiped sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand and dragged my heavy legs up the stairs.

“Huff, huff.”

Finally reaching the last step to the fourth floor, I fought the urge to collapse right then and there.

Though they called it the fourth floor, the high ceilings made it feel like climbing twice as many stairs. On top of that, this body’s stamina was utterly lacking.

Now that I thought about it, this body was strangely skinny, without an ounce of muscle. Yet somehow, it managed to have a surprising amount of curves in the chest and hips.

“My legs… feel like they’re going to break… ahem.”

“When the wedding takes place, you’ll move into the room designated for the Grand Duchess. That room is on the second floor, so you only need to endure for another week.”

“Oh, so that was already decided?”

“The third floor will be reserved for the future Grand Duchess, and the fourth floor is for guests.”

So, because the wedding hasn’t happened yet, I’m being treated as a guest. And they’re already planning for the future Grand Duchess?

“What if it’s a boy instead?”

“If it’s a son, the young Grand Duke will move to the east wing after he turns five.”

“Why?”

“This place has been designated a female-only area for centuries. It’s an unchanging rule.”

Finally, the reality of this world was starting to sink in.

Marriage, of course, comes with… certain expectations between husband and wife. And from that, children are naturally born.

But all of that hinges on whether or not I actually marry that arrogant, infuriating man.

Am I really going to marry him?

And if I do… what will my life be like after that?

“The Grand Duke seems to be going out.”

“Hm?”

“Despite the heavy snow, it seems he’s heading out on a patrol, as usual.”

The maid muttered while looking out the window. Her words piqued my curiosity, so I peeked outside as well.

The barren, snow-covered grounds outside barely resembled a garden. The fierce snowstorm obscured everything beyond the edge of the garden.

Then, through the blizzard, I saw a man with black hair appear. He was wrapped in a thick fur cloak and mounted on a jet-black horse.

So, they ride horses here. Does that mean they also use carriages for transportation?

“In this weather? Does he want to get buried in snow and—uh, I mean, it must be quite cold. Isn’t it dangerous?”

I cleared my throat, quickly changing my words, realizing I should tread carefully.

Now that my thoughts were more composed, I started piecing together what I knew. In my understanding, a “Grand Duke” is a rank close to royalty. Judging by the atmosphere here, this place likely has a strict class hierarchy, where rank outweighs age. Speaking ill of someone of high status could have dire consequences.

‘I need to be careful with my words. What did I even say to him in the dining room earlier?!’

The memory of my impulsive actions resurfaced, and my mind went blank.

At that moment, the Grand Duke, who had mounted his horse below, looked up. His crimson eyes met mine through the storm.

I felt my heart drop.

“What’s wrong, my lady?”

“…I think I understand how a fugitive feels.”

I pressed my back flat against the wall beside the window, clutching my chest as I tried to steady my racing heart. Sweat beaded on my forehead, and I quickly wiped it away with the back of my hand.

‘This is bad. How am I supposed to face him now? What if he decides to take my head off in one swift stroke?!’

Swallowing hard, I shivered as goosebumps ran down my spine. My trembling hands instinctively went to my neck as if to shield it. Without another word, I hurried back to my room.

“I’ll have some snacks prepared for you shortly. In the meantime, I suggest you rest and take some time to recover your memories.”

“Wait!”

I caught the head maid just as she was about to leave me alone, clutching my chest to steady my erratic breathing.

As far as she knew, I had lost my memory. She didn’t suspect for a second that I wasn’t the original owner of this body.

I had no idea who this body’s owner was or what their life had been like, but I desperately needed information to navigate this world.

“I think it would be faster for you to explain things to me than for me to try and remember. My memory… isn’t coming back. You’re the only one I can rely on for answers.”

It felt like speaking a foreign language in a foreign land. But if I spoke informally to her, I feared being branded as an ill-mannered woman.

“If you can learn how to address me properly, then I’ll consider telling you more. Don’t you find your current manner of speaking awkward?”

“…Fine. Got it. Better?”

Giving in, I decided to humor her. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. I didn’t know where I was exactly, but following the rules here seemed wise.

Satisfied, the maid smiled faintly and gave me a slight bow. Then, she guided me to a long sofa, where she had me sit down.

After kneeling on the floor beside me, she began her explanation.

“This is the northernmost duchy of a vast empire. It snows here almost year-round.”

“Almost year-round?!”

“Long ago, warm springs would occasionally come.”

The way she said “long ago” made it sound like it wasn’t just a few years back.

“When was the last time there was a spring?”

“It’s been ten years since His Grace became the reigning Grand Duke. During that time, there hasn’t been a single spring.”

“…I see.”

This truly is a kingdom of ice.

“There are only two things you absolutely must remember, my lady.”

“What are they?”

“First, never set foot in the east wing without permission. Second, never upset the Grand Duke.”

“You already told me that. Is there nothing else?”

“To be honest, this marriage is more of a formality… It might be wise not to expect too much.”

“And what about me? Tell me more about who I am.”

I asked urgently. If I wanted to survive while living in someone else’s body, I needed to know who I was supposed to be.

The more I learned about my circumstances, the more I could plan my next steps. The real issue, though, was whether this frail body could keep up with my plans.

The maid squinted at me in disapproval. I quickly corrected myself.

“…I mean, tell me. Okay? No, tell me, please? Or should I say… tell me, ma’am?”

The maid let out a silent sigh before finally softening her expression and continuing her explanation.