༺ Lumia Winterfell ༻
The Third Northern Duchess, Lumia Winterfell.
As the youngest daughter of Winterfell’s Grand Duke, she had two brothers, two sisters, and a widowed father.
She was also the protagonist of the 56th Grand Ducal Betrothal, a venerable tradition of their house.
Moreover…
She was also an enigmatic woman, known as the ‘Ghost of the North’.
“Who do you think the Third Duchess is?”
“No one has ever seen her, you fool. So how could we even know?”
“Well, she might appear during the contest?”
“Heh, I heard that a plague left her completely disfigured. Do you remember that epidemic a decade ago? I bet she got sick with that deadly disease.”
“Nonsense. I heard that the Grand Duke keeps her hidden because of her incredible beauty.”
“Hah! You’re wrong, my friend. I heard she’s an ugly and deformed thing, that’s missing an arm and leg.”
Secrecy breeds rumors.
And rumors will give to absurd tales.
A stunning beauty, a scarred wench, a deformed monstrosity, and so on.
Given human nature, it was natural that some negative rumors spread around.
Thus, the idea of the Third Northern Duchess being an [ Ugly Woman ] was somewhat accepted.
Of course, her family, Gelwood, and her handmaiden, Marien all knew the truth.
She was neither scarred nor deformed.
None of those rumors were true.
Contrary to the belief that she was kept hidden by the Grand Duke, the Duchess enrolled in the Royal Academy, unable to contain her thirst for knowledge.
However, she didn’t enroll as Lumia of Winterfell, but as the Countess Erenscia from a remote territory.
Not even her father, Logan Winterfell, could stand in the way of her quest for knowledge.
Since she was little, Lumia loved to explore and learn new things, and as soon as she learned how to read, she became utterly absorbed in her books.
Later, as she developed an interest in a ‘higher education’, her thirst for ‘knowledge’ grew.
As such her father’s worries grew.
Despite gifting her all manner of toys from across the continent, she never showed any interest in them, choosing to master an ancient text instead.
Eventually, Lumia set her sights on the broader world, and on the knowledge confined to the Royal Academy. Because of this, she spent months debating with her father.
But a father must protect his daughter, so he did not allow her to leave.
Because of a curse cast by the chieftain of a northern monster tribe, that was eliminated after the long war.
“Haven’t I explained this already? Until this curse is dispelled, I cannot allow you to be exposed to the outside world.”
Even when tears streamed from her eyes, even when she begged on her knees, her father remained firm.
But just like a flower will wither without the presence of sunlight, her own thirst for knowledge tortured Lumia, and eventually, even the Grand Duke had no choice but to give his permission.
After all, what father, entangled in an uncertain curse, would let his daughter shrivel up and die?
“You may go, daughter. However, you must never reveal your identity. No one can know who you really are, do you understand?”
“You worry too much, Father. Who would even think I’m a northerner if I dye my hair in such a vibrant shade of red?”
“Indeed. But I must insist. Be careful. If anyone bothers you, you must contact me immediately!”
“Yes, yes, don’t worry~! I’ll write to you when I arrive~”
And so, Lumia Winterfell enrolled in the Royal Academy and spent the next three years consuming every single speck of knowledge she could get her hands on.
Of course, three years weren’t enough time for her, and if she could, the young woman would have pursued a doctorate under a renowned scholar, but sadly, she could not.
The agreement she had with her father only allowed her [3 years].
Having spent those three years buried in libraries and laboratories, she returned to the northern territories with longing in her heart.
“My daughter. Congratulations on your graduation.”
Her father, Logan, was overjoyed.
His daughter had returned, and he believed that with a little more time, the curse would fade away.
But as he was unable to see that these three years of suffering were recorded in her body, Logan had no choice but to rejoice.
And Lumia, like a good daughter, didn’t show her suffering for her father’s sake.
“Fufu-. Are you congratulating me with just words? You should have prepared a gift!”
“Indeed! What would you like to receive, my daughter?”
“Kyaa~! I made a list on my way back! Here it is!”
“……What is this?”
“These are all the basic materials and tools I need to conduct my own experiments!”
Thus, as she returned to the North, Lumia set up a large laboratory in the upper levels of the Second Castle, becoming even more absorbed in her studies.
And, a woman like her…
“A betrothal contest? I’m not interested in such things……”
Couldn’t care less about a contest for a marriage partner.
For her, such an idea appeared to be childish, uninteresting, and above all, troublesome.
“Now that the curse has faded and you are of marriageable age, it’s time to find you a husband.”
With no way of refusing a long-standing tradition of her family, Lumia was forced to become the protagonist of the 56th Grand Ducal Betrothal Contest. And as she flipped through the list of finalists that Gelwood gave her, she noticed four names.
Deron Caelid.
Blund Rosfell.
Kyle Beallon.
Elden Raphelion.
Those were four names that didn’t belong on the list of finalists.
“…How?”
Lumia Winterfell.
A woman who had no interest in matters not related to her pursuit of knowledge, a woman who gained the reputation of bookworm during her time in the Royal Academy, suddenly became interested in the absurdity of this contest from that moment on.
**
“……Come again? There’s been a withdrawal?”
Lumia’s blue eyes were filled with astonishment when she heard those words from her father’s advisor, Gelwood.
It was a shocking piece of news.
For someone who had cast all their pride away for a chance to become part of the Grand Duchy, someone who had gone through all the preliminaries, and main tests, to give up on the finale was completely unheard of.
And since Lumia knew that in the history of the Grand Ducal Betrothal Contest, no finalist has ever withdrawn, her eyes wavered a little.
Tomorrow, the last part of the contest, the cohabitation will begin.
This was her chance to erase every suffering she had endured over those three long years.
“Who… declared the withdrawal?”
After checking the list, she had crafted a plan to erase that pain.
But now, a change in plans was needed.
So, it was only natural for Lumia’s gaze to harbor both interest at this sudden change, and a spark of dismay.
It was at this moment,
“My Lady, the contestant who wished to withdraw… was Elden Raphelion.”
When Gelwood revealed the name of the person who declared withdrawal, doubt crept into Lumia’s eyes.
Elden Raphelion.
Perhaps that reckless scoundrel has noticed something?
But that was impossible.
Among the four, he was the only one who didn’t bother with a mask, considering it cumbersome to mask his true nature. He was brash, feral, and violent—a man who wouldn’t hesitate to dirty his hands with blood at the first opportunity.
The fact that such a man was participating in the contest to rebuild his fallen house only made his withdrawal more incomprehensible.
Or perhaps, something forced his hand?
‘But…Only Lord Father, Gelwood, and Marien know that I was Erenscia.’
And only her handmaiden, Marien, knew of the painful scars she had accumulated over the three years she lived as Erenscia Velroc.
Such things were kept hidden from both her father and his advisor.
Family, advisor, and handmaiden.
None among those three could have spilled her secret.
Even though her time with Marien was short, she was sure her handmaiden was a trustworthy person.
The thought that her handmaiden had something to do with Elden’s withdrawal was inconceivable.
“What did Father say about this…?”
“Given the exceptional circumstances, he has allowed you, My Duchess, a private audience with the candidate, should you wish for it. Even though this goes against the customs of the Betrothal Contest.”
“……Is that so?”
“Indeed. He said that the decision over this matter is to be left to your judgment.”
“……”
Lumia pondered deeply about this matter.
She knew that any meetings with a candidate before the cohabitation was an impossibility.
It was a strict rule of the contest, something forbidden.
The withdrawal of a candidate was such an unprecedented act, that such long-standing rule was allowed to be broken.
“What about you, Advisor?”
“My lady?”
“Have you noticed anything unusual about him?”
Lumia Winterfell was aware of Gelwood’s abilities as she inquired about Elden.
Even though his encounter with Elden had been brief, he may have perceived something.
Perhaps with his insight, she could find a clue to his absurd declaration.
And with it,
“As I confided in His Grace, Elden’s behavior….”
Upon hearing that his indomitable spirit seems to have melted away, much like the Northern Regions in May, Lumia rose from her seat.
She settled a flask filled with a red liquid on her table as she spoke.
Lumia was a curious person, this was something engraved in her very nature.
And her curiosity was akin to lava, if not cooled down, it would lead to severe trouble for those around her.
It was because of such impulses that she ignored the potential risks of the curse and enrolled in the Royal Academy.
The sudden withdrawal of a final candidate stoked intense doubt in her, and the impression of having turned like the May of the North had become lava that needed to be quelled.
Above all,
‘He can’t have changed.’
Lumia Winterfell knew best what kind of man Elden Raphelion was.
The thought his behavior could have changed to resemble the May of the North was absurd.
It was such an inconceivable notion that Lumia doubted Gelwood’s insight for the first time in her life.
He mustn’t change.
She hadn’t made all those plans just to hear some nonsense about atonement.
Even if his reserved punishment was the lightest among the four, a sin was a sin.
And atonement ought to be performed by the sinner.
For that reason, Elden Raphelion must not change.
‘I have to see him with my own eyes.’
Certainly, there was something wrong with this situation.
Her gut screamed at her to solve this puzzle.
“Let’s go meet him.”
So, Lumia took a step forward, donning the mask she would use from tomorrow onwards.
However…
“……I didn’t anticipate that our first meeting would be like this, Your Grace.”
As she looked at Elden Raphelion, Lumia was unable to contain her inquisitive nature, blurting out a question.
The sharp retort she had prepared, and the carefully crafted script she had created went awry from the start.
“What is it?”
Her question was driven by her emotions, not by her reason.
A question urged by her necessity to solve the puzzle before her eyes.
And Elden, confronted by such a question,
Scratched his chin as a single thought crossed his mind.
Hm?
What is what?
