The Northern Duke’s Daughter Will Never Fall

Chapter 2: Astrid Can Turn Her Words Around

“Astrid, what did you just say?”

“I said I would enter the academy, Father.”

Wolfgang’s gaze was a mix of surprise and suspicion.

His daughter’s sudden declaration.

Despite all his encouragement, his daughter, who had always stubbornly refused to consider the academy, had now suddenly declared at this formal meeting that she would enroll. 

As a soldier, this was incredibly good news for Wolfgang, but as a father, he couldn’t help but feel a tinge of doubt.

The Miterien family had been warriors since the days when the Einthafen Empire was still a kingdom.

Wolfgang himself was a warrior, and his martial spirit had passed down to Astrid, who was even blessed with the grace of the stars.

But for that very same daughter, who had resolutely refused the academy no matter what, to suddenly announce she would go… It was hard to accept without suspicion.

“I have no other intentions, Father.”

‘It’s not like I want to go! Who in their right mind would want to go to the military twice?!’

No matter how much Astrid screamed internally, no one else could hear her thoughts.

Going to the military twice.

Normally, that would be an absolutely unimaginable and impossible notion, but for her, it was the only option left to avoid the one thing she feared more than anything else — marriage to a man.

“To repay, even in the smallest way, the immense grace His Majesty has bestowed upon our family, and to become a proud soldier of Miterien, the Frozen Shield of the northern front that defends the empire — this resolve has been firmly set within me at this very moment.”

“Oh-ho.”

Before Wolfgang could react, Kreutz responded first.

Rubbing his beard, he nodded repeatedly with a grin, clearly pleased by what he had heard.

“Well now, Wolfgang.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“You’ve truly raised your daughter well. She’s nothing like that layabout Leopold. Her mindset is on a completely different level.”

Kreutz, oblivious to Astrid’s true feelings, was filled with admiration for what he perceived as her loyalty to the empire and her deep sense of family honor.

Hearing Kreutz’s words, Wolfgang’s eyes lost all traces of doubt and shifted to those of a proud father, listening to the praise of his daughter right beside him.

“Indeed, I raised my daughter well.”

Wolfgang folded his arms, nodding his head in satisfaction, while Kreutz continued to rub his beard, smiling with amusement.

“Very well, then. Astrid, I shall grant you permission to enter the academy by imperial decree. There’s no need to submit a formal application. I’ll handle it in advance.”

Normally, she would have had to pass an entrance exam, including a document review and a physical fitness test. But with the imperial decree, none of that was necessary.

Such was the nature of an absolute monarchy.

“However… Astrid.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“You and Leopold never seemed to get along. When did you two grow so close? Every time you met, you were at each other’s throats. I was worried you might still be bickering even after marriage.”

At Kreutz’s words, Astrid’s mind filled with question marks.

‘What is this old man talking about? What does academy enrollment have to do with that rascal Leopold?’

“Your Majesty, I humbly beg your pardon, but I don’t quite understand what you mean…”

“Indeed, Your Majesty. I never imagined Astrid would go so far as to volunteer for the academy on her own accord,” Leopold chimed in.

At Leopold’s words, a sense of unease crept into Astrid.

Something felt off.

She had thought she’d researched every record about Astrid’s life after possessing this body six months ago. But could she have missed something important?

Could there be something she didn’t know?

Could it be that there was a deeper reason Astrid had been so adamant about not attending the academy?

“—to follow me,” Leopold said.

Astrid nearly screamed.

***

Since it seemed that Kreutz and Wolfgang’s conversation would continue for a while, Leopold and Astrid quietly left the reception room and stepped into the garden.

The abandoned mansion, still bearing the scars of war, had yet to be fully restored. Broken columns and crumbling remnants of the building lay scattered around. But under the pale moonlight, the ruins had a certain melancholy charm.

In the sky, grand drakes carried their riders, casting fleeting shadows on the ground. 

Although there was no sign of human presence, the Royal Guards were undoubtedly stationed nearby, watching over them without a single gap in security.

With such protection, the empire’s most precious man and woman could stroll the garden without a care.

Although, for Astrid, her mind was swirling with the urge to rip her hair out.

“Why didn’t you tell me in advance?”

“About what?”

In many ways, the ruins were also an abundance of places to sit.

While some areas had moss or mold from the passage of time, the Imperial Palace’s caretakers had long since swept away and cleaned those places.

As a result, there were plenty of clean spots where one could comfortably sit.

Leopold perched on the remains of a collapsed column lying horizontally and patted the space next to him.

Astrid didn’t bother to refuse and sat down next to him, leaving a small gap between them. 

The moment she sat, a chill from the stone seeped into her body, causing her to shiver slightly.

“His Highness the Crown Prince is also enrolling in the academy.”

“I have no idea what you mean. Didn’t I inform you of that over a year ago? I told you I’d be enrolling in the academy, so our marriage would take place after graduation. It’s surprising you’d forget something like that.”

‘Well, that’s because I’m not the original owner of this body!’

Of course, she couldn’t just blurt out, “I woke up in this body, so of course I wouldn’t know.”

She had realized early on that this was some kind of “possession” situation. Unfortunately, she couldn’t access the memories of this body’s previous owner.

The only reason she could even pretend to be Astrid right now was because she had read plenty of romance fantasy novels and was already familiar with the tone and mannerisms of a villainess character. 

That, combined with her frantic efforts to gather and read every bit of information available on Astrid, allowed her to blend in.

But there was a problem: she couldn’t know the details of verbal conversations that hadn’t been recorded anywhere.

“Well, I guess you are human after all, forgetting things like that.”

“Of course I’m human. What else would I be?”

Leopold’s piercing blue eyes stared directly at Astrid.

She couldn’t read the emotions behind those eyes.

“Is that so? You are human, indeed. It seems I asked a strange question.”

With that, Leopold fell silent.

Astrid had no intention of breaking the silence either. She sat next to him, gazing quietly at the moonlit sky.

There’s too much missing information. Way too much information is missing.

As soon as this introductory meeting ended and she returned to the mansion, Astrid resolved to collect and prepare every bit of information related to the academy.

Surely, this world won’t tell me to buy a K-2 rifle before enlisting, right?

A grand sky drake crossed the moonlit sky, its shadow briefly sweeping across the ground.

***

“The academy, huh.”

Kreutz muttered, picking up a piece of jerky from a platinum plate and tearing it into smaller pieces with his hands.

Wolfgang snatched one of the smaller pieces and popped it into his mouth, leaning back in his chair.

By now, they’d emptied more than three barrels of alcohol.

This meeting wasn’t a formal, stately gathering between the Emperor and one of his vassals. It was a casual get-together between old friends — and future in-laws.

“Hey, Wolfgang.”

“Mm.”

“Is Astrid doing better now?”

“Doing better, huh… Well, I suppose you could say that she is.”

Astrid von Miterien was infamous for her blunt speech and fiery temper. She was also known for having many enemies in both high society and other circles.

Wolfgang was well aware of this, but he didn’t mind.

As the second most powerful man in the mighty Einthafen Empire — right after the Emperor himself — Wolfgang von Miterien had power.

And with power, one could afford not to care about petty matters.

Not that Wolfgang cared much for power, anyway.

Rather than having Astrid become a social butterfly gracing noble banquets, he preferred for her to become a white panther prowling the frozen tundras of the northern front.

The time was fast approaching when they would need to subjugate the untamed northern lands and incorporate them into the empire’s territory. For that, Astrid’s strength would be indispensable.

However, half a year ago, Astrid von Miterien suddenly collapsed at the family estate. She had been coming down the stairs for a meal when she fell, hitting her head in the process.

She remained unconscious for a full month before finally opening her eyes, and when she did—

“Well, at least she’s learned how to sugarcoat her words. All the Miterien warriors are rough to the core, and Astrid learned from them. Thanks to that, she’s got a real knack for making enemies with her words. But after she woke up, I noticed she’d changed a little. I found it fascinating, to be honest.”

“Is that so?”

At that moment, a loud shout echoed from outside.

“How dare you say that to the Crown Prince, Astrid?!”

“…I apologize. But was anything I said incorrect?”

Leopold’s voice was loud and rare in its agitation, while Astrid’s voice was soft, but she said exactly what she wanted to say.

Kreutz and Wolfgang slowly rose from their seats, approached the window, and peered outside.

There was Leopold, holding his favored weapon — a rapier — in one hand, looking like he was ready to swing it at any moment. In front of him stood Astrid, not the least bit tense.

“Leopold, what is going on?” Wolfgang asked.

“Uncle! Do you know what Astrid said when she saw my beloved sword?!”

The “beloved sword” in question was the rapier.

A weapon with a thin, narrow blade, specialized for thrusting rather than slashing.

It was Leopold’s primary weapon of choice.

“And what did she say?” Wolfgang asked.

“She called it a weapon for cowardly, unmanly wimps!”

Silence fell.

Kreutz and Wolfgang both shut their mouths.

Well, she’s not exactly wrong, Wolfgang muttered internally.

“…Hey, Wolfgang, didn’t you just say she’d learned to sugarcoat her words a bit?”

Kreutz didn’t seem to think so.