The next morning Michael Carter returned to the duchy after finishing his urgent business in the capital. The first thing he wanted to do when he arrived was to meet his youngest daughter, whose arrival had already been reported to him.
Remesis, who herself wanted to talk to her father at the first opportunity, went to his office in the morning, as soon as she woke up.
The Duke's office, which the girl had not been in for many years, was cold, though the weather outside the window was fine.
The eyes of Remesis and the Grand Duke met, a tense atmosphere in the air. Seeing his daughter, whom he had not seen for the last twelve years, the head of the family tensed up.
Remesis only looked at him indifferently. Involuntarily, fleeting memories of what had happened to her earlier in the house flashed through her mind. But they were nothing more than vague shards of the past.
— It had been a long time.
The first to speak to her was the Grand Duke.
— Yes, long time no see.
She replied calmly. Duke Carter looked at her, and the emotion that was reflected in his topaz eyes was hard to predict. His cold, dark hair shone in the sunlight. Although the man looked young enough for his age, his face was now covered with wrinkles.
— Michel informed me that you came here to honour the duchess. Is that really true? — The awkward silence was broken by the Grand Duke's question.
Remesis, when she heard this, could hardly refrain from laughing.
The grand duke of the Nadal Empire was still the same. He hadn't changed in the slightest.
Even after not seeing his daughter for so long, Michael Carter's first question to him was not concern for her affairs or well-being, but merely to clarify the reason why she had returned to this house. It really was so much like her cold father that the girl remembered.
The Grand Duke had always been cold to Remesis. Ignoring his daughter, all he did was ask fate with a resentful look as to why exactly he was the one who got the cursed child. Even when he first saw his daughter after her birth, his gaze was full of cold contempt.
Remesis remembered that look well. Because it was the one that was what the girl had first seen after coming back to life in this body again.
In her previous life, Remesis, who also felt guilty because her father didn't love her, had tried her best to earn his favour. In the end, she had even agreed to her wife's assassination attempt to do so, and had ended up paying for it with her life. Now, thinking back on it, the girl only once again realised how futile and worthless those efforts had been.
After all, it had all been useless to begin with.
— Yes, it is true, ' Remesis replied calmly, 'Since it is the anniversary of the Duchess's death, I thought that as a member of the family who had borne the Carter surname in the past, I should visit her and pay my respects. Your Ladyship has no objection to that, has she?
— Paying homage to the Duchess?
Duke Carter chuckled quietly after these words spoken by his youngest daughter. All because he found it ironic at the very thought that this child had come only to visit her mother, whom he had never even seen.
Remesis had been born after the Duchess had died, and so she had never had the chance to experience what it was like to have a mother. For the same reason, she couldn't feel any real affection for the Duchess. Mourning for a dead person in this case was more of a formality than a genuine show of affection.
In any case, it was hard for the duke to understand what was really on this child's mind.
— ...I see, ' Duke Carter's eyebrows drew together, 'If that is your decision, I will not prevent it. This house was once yours too... You can stay here as long as you see fit.
Remesis looked at the duke, who had a nonchalant expression on his face. She was more than aware that those words were actually nothing more than tinsel. The reason Duke Carter had allowed her to stay here was not because he had been moved by Remesis' words of filial reverence.
The man simply did not want to cross the Lord of the North.
After all, otherwise, if the Duke were to kick the Duchess of the North Castle out of his estate, it would be tantamount to him declaring war on the entire northern region. And who in their right mind under the current political situation in the empire would go for such a thing? So, this was nothing more than a display of common sense on the part of the head of the family.
Cold calculation and unwillingness to get into trouble. That was the real motive behind Michael Carter's behaviour. But... On the other hand, if it were not so, would the Grand Duke be called a man 'made of stone'?
Before leaving the study, there was one more thing Remesis wanted to ask her father.
— Your Lordship.
Ever since she was a child, Remesis had addressed the duke by his title, rather than using the word 'father' like the other children of the Carter family did. It completely reflected their true relationship.
— What is it?
Remesis's face remained calm. She was about to ask the question that had plagued her throughout her past life. Just to be sure of something.
— Have you ever... Ever once regretted sending me north?
'...'
Actually, there was one answer Remesis had been expecting all along. But she still wanted to hear it specifically from the Duke's lips.
Had the man ever regretted sending his young underage daughter to the cold north, where more than likely she would have met an imminent death? Did the Duke ever think about how hard she had to survive in those lands? And did he ever regret his decision?
The silence went on for quite some time. The moment seemed like an eternity.
Finally, Duke Carter broke the silence. The answer came out of his mouth without hesitation.
— Never. I have never once regretted it.
The corner of her mouth lifted, and the Duke's youngest daughter smiled, her eyes seeming to reflect bliss. She was as lovely as a rose, but sharp as if she had hidden thorns.
— Thank you, Your Grace. That is the answer I wanted.
The girl said it in a convincing voice, smiling. Even the grand duke, who could be surprised by almost nothing, widened his eyes slightly.
Still smiling, at this moment Remesis was like an angel. But no one suspected that right now the girl was only thinking about the destruction of her family.
Michael Carter looked at his daughter strangely, as if not recognising her.
***
Remesis quietly left the Duke's office after she had finished talking to him. She thought about nothing else and her thoughts ended up strengthening her resolve in destroying her own family.
The girl wasn't going to change her mind from the start.
However, she needed this conversation to finally set things straight in her head. Therefore, from now on, there wasn't the slightest hesitation left in her.
— Ahem...
Walking down the corridor for a short while, Remesis suddenly bumped into her former maid, who was walking quickly towards her.
— My lady!
— Seyla? What's wrong?
Remesis wondered why Seila looked so agitated. She stopped to listen to her. After that, the maid took a breath and finally told her:
— ...The thing is, a man has been asking to see you since this morning. The guards tried to stop him, but he said he knew you.
— What? Who is this man?
The girl's expression became puzzled.
— He... He said he was a knight of the northern castle. That's why the guards couldn't chase him away before waiting for your judgement...
Seyla's further words were no longer so clearly discernible to Remesis. The girl was so excited that it took her breath away. Was Hannes Reitli really back?
— Well, thank you for letting me know.
Before the maid could say anything else, Remesis was already hurrying downstairs at a brisk pace. Finally, when she reached the main entrance of the manor, Remesis saw a man waiting for her there. The knight with greying bronze hair was being held back by several guards, but at the sight of his mistress, he immediately shook them off.
— Your Highness!
To her relief, it was indeed Hannes. They came face to face, and only then was the girl convinced that it was really him. His steel armour looked worn, which meant that the previous night had not been an easy one for him.
— Hannes, you're here! — The princess could not contain the joy in her voice, - What happened? How did you get here? Are you unhurt? — she continued to pester the knight with questions.
— Your Highness, I'm sorry I couldn't protect you properly... — Hannes lowered his head as if he was ashamed to even look her in the eye, - It all happened so suddenly that while I was fighting the invaders, I didn't think I would lose sight of you. Princess, how did you get out? You're all right, aren't you?
— Yes, I'm fine. Luckily, a man was there to help me.
— Who is this man? — The fortress commander quickly looked up at her, - When we return, we should definitely reward him for saving you!
— Hmph... There is no need for that. This man is humble and doesn't need any extra honours.
— Oh, so that's how it is...
— More importantly, are you really unhurt?
The knight readily nodded.
— To prevent pursuit, I eliminated all the mercenaries who didn't manage to escape, and after that, I immediately went in search of you. And I also sent a letter to Nord Fortress to report the attack on you. We definitely need to conduct a thorough investigation into what happened.
— Yes, you're right, ' Remesis sighed, 'But that can be done later. You must be pretty tired after travelling here all night. You should go and get a good rest.
Hannes Wrightly looked at her seriously.
— Surely I don't need to accompany you?
It was a hidden assumption about whether the Carter Manor was really safe, and it didn't carry any threat to the princess of the north. But this time Remesis was really sure that the fears were in vain.
The Carter Duchy, as one of the four great families, was under heavy defence. There were more guards within the residence than any other family.
Even if someone was able to enter the grounds, they had to get through all the guards before reaching the main estate. So any unforeseen attacks from outside were then ruled out. Or, even crazier, that this threat to Remesis could be her relatives.
— Yes. Everything is fine now, ' she assured him, 'You can rest and not worry about anything.
— ...
But Hannes still looked at her worriedly and bit his lip. In any case, the princess was not going to give him a chance to object.
— Please take good care of my faithful knight.
Remesis had handed Hannes over to the guards of Carter Manor to take care of him and escort him to the common room.
— Yes, lady.
In the end, after that, the commander had no choice but to abandon his worry and follow them.
— Your highness, call me immediately if anything happens!
— Of course.
Remesis escorted the knight whom the Carter Manor guards were about to escort to their barracks with a glance. Only then, was she finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.
At least at least one weight had now fallen from her shoulders.
***
That night, Remesis quietly entered the library. Everyone else in the manor was already asleep.
The library of Carter Manor looked the same as it had years ago when Remesis had visited it as a child. The window was ajar, letting in the cool night breeze, and the chair she always sat in was in the same place.
'.....'
The Duke's youngest daughter stood motionless for a while, indulging in nostalgia for this place. After all, this was where she had spent the most time as a child, aside from her room. The girl idly looked around the quiet library.
At that moment...
— ...Sister.
Remesis heard a quiet voice calling out to her.
Turning her head, she met her gaze with Livius, who was already here waiting for her.
***
Chapter 27 is already available on Boosty: https://boosty.to/meredit