Chapter 3
Grand Duke of the North
Selen had managed to walk this far while struggling with a dress that felt far too wide, a heavy coat, an excessively long cloak, and shoes that were just as uncomfortable.
Fortunately, she was beginning to feel confident that once she got used to them, walking would become much easier.
When she finally reached the doorway, she looked up at Varas.
If he started walking away again, she intended to follow him as best she could.
What surprised her was that, despite watching her so closely, he didn’t seem annoyed.
She had taken an embarrassingly long time just to walk a few steps.
Even if he said nothing, she had expected him to be irritated.
His face remained expressionless and cold, but there was no visible anger.
Beyond him, through the open doorway, she could see part of the corridor.
Carefully, she peeked outside.
It looked like something from a foreign historical drama.
The windows were deeply recessed into the walls, making it obvious how thick the castle’s stone walls were.
The entire corridor—from floor to walls to ceiling—was built from cold gray stone.
It suited the title of “Northern Grand Duke” and “War Demon” perfectly.
Varas shifted slightly, opening her view.
Thinking they were finally about to leave, Selen gathered more of her clothing into her hands.
She lifted the hem even higher than before.
Then Varas extended an arm toward her.
Or…
Did he?
His arm was definitely there in front of her, but he didn’t say anything.
Maybe he was simply standing with his arms folded, and his elbow happened to be in her line of sight.
Selen decided to wait quietly until he actually started walking.
If she misunderstood and did something foolish, only to lose her chance to step outside entirely, she would regret it forever.
Varas had assumed that if he offered his arm, Selen would take it.
Her movements looked precarious even from a distance.
She clearly seemed to be struggling.
According to Zart, his former adjutant, when a woman was wearing uncomfortable clothes or heels and a man offered his escort, she would usually take his arm.
Unless she was married, engaged, or absolutely hated him.
Selen and he were husband and wife.
They certainly weren’t close.
But they could at least be considered people who would get to know each other from now on.
Judging by the way she occasionally met his gaze, she didn’t seem to despise him.
Had he simply imagined that?
Varas’s expression cooled.
Looking down at the top of Selen’s head—so far below him that he had to lower his eyes considerably—he wondered what he was even doing.
She was a woman brought here to bear his child.
No.
Not brought.
Purchased.
Since when had he started treating people as people?
On the battlefield, the only people who mattered were the true subordinates he had brought back to this territory after retirement—
The Shield of Velias.
To protect their lives, Varas had willingly become a demon.
To him, enemies and allies alike had long ceased to matter.
They were tools.
Objects.
Numbers.
And since nobody else saw him as human either, what difference did it make if he treated others the same way?
That same mentality had led him to buy a wife.
The purpose was simple.
To have a child carrying his bloodline.
Varas hesitated.
Should I stop this nonsense now and simply lock her away?
Selen had absolutely no idea what was going through his mind.
All she could think about was finally seeing the world beyond her room.
It must be completely different from a movie set.
Perhaps staying inside the bedroom had made everything feel unreal.
But standing before this endless corridor of gray stone made it impossible to deny that she was in another world.
Still…
Why wasn’t he moving?
She tilted her head upward to look at him.
He was so tall that she had to crane her neck just to find his eyes.
As luck would have it, Varas was already looking at her.
Their gazes met instantly.
Selen flinched.
He had looked cold earlier.
But compared to now, that had practically been a spring breeze.
Unable to understand why his mood had suddenly worsened, she began to fear their walk might be canceled.
No—
she feared something worse.
Perhaps today would be the beginning of her imprisonment.
The anxiety slowly crept up on her.
Finally, unable to bear the silence any longer, she spoke.
Praying her voice wouldn’t shake too much.
“Should we go back inside?”
To Varas, her dejected question sounded less like hesitation and more like a complaint asking why they hadn’t left yet.
Her tone was undeniably subdued.
Yet for some reason, he interpreted it as surprisingly bold.
Either way, her words helped him make up his mind.
He had already agreed to take her outside.
One walk wouldn’t hurt.
Fine.
So she disliked him enough to reject his escort, yet still wanted this walk badly enough to ask for it.
Varas decided to indulge her wish.
The way one might indulge a cow destined for slaughter.
After all, beginning tomorrow, she wouldn’t be setting foot on grass again.
He started walking.
After two or three steps, he heard the rustling of fabric behind him.
A few more steps.
The rustling grew more distant.
Clearly she was struggling.
Varas rolled his shoulders and looked back.
The moment he turned around, their eyes met.
Startled, Selen hurried forward.
Too hurriedly.
Her body pitched forward.
This wasn’t a bedroom.
The image of the hard stone floor flashed through his mind.
So did the pale skin he had glimpsed through the loosened laces of her dress.
Before he could even think, his body moved.
One moment later, he was catching her.
He had stepped directly into her fall, dropping to one knee and acting as a cushion.
Her arms swept past his ears.
Her long hair brushed against his face.
A soft fragrance enveloped him.
Too sweet.
And despite the fact that her entire weight was resting on him, she felt astonishingly light.
At this point, she couldn’t weigh much more than an actual rabbit.
For a brief moment, Varas felt as though his soul had left his body.
Then he forced himself back to his senses.
Rising to his feet, he wrapped an arm around her waist, lifted her effortlessly, and set her gently back on the floor.
She must have been badly startled.
She still hadn’t opened her eyes.
Varas glanced down at his hands.
Even through all the layers of clothing, her waist had felt impossibly narrow.
A single handful.
Suddenly, she seemed fragile.
Like a glass doll.
No—
a sugar doll.
The scent had been too sweet for anything else.
Spring might be manageable.
But when autumn arrived…
Wouldn’t she freeze?
Before winter came, he’d need to make sure she ate more.
Put some weight on her.
Then he paused.
Wasn’t he supposed to lock her in her room after tonight’s walk?
If he hung more tapestries and kept the fireplace burning…
Yes.
And perhaps add another layer to the windows to block out drafts.
That would be even better.
The contradiction was strange.
He was planning to imprison her for his own selfish reasons.
Yet at the same time, he found himself worrying about whether she would be cold.
Still, the thought didn’t seem strange for long.
Looking at the woman who still had her eyes tightly shut, he understood.
She simply looked like someone who got cold easily.
Selen squeezed her eyes shut and tried desperately to calm her racing heart.
It was impossible.
If she had simply fallen onto the stone floor, she could have dusted herself off and continued following behind him.
But instead…
This man had rushed forward and caught her.
And she had ended up embracing him.
Earlier, she had thought he resembled a giant tree.
Perhaps she had been right.
When her face pressed against his neck, she could have sworn she smelled wood.
After that, she barely remembered how she ended up standing on her own feet again.
All she could think about was how solid and reassuring his embrace had felt.
The sensation lingered.
Her body refused to forget it.
She lowered her head and frowned deeply.
Was it because he was exactly her type?
Or because this was the first time she had ever been this close to a man?
Either way, the fact that her heart was still racing over what had essentially been an accident was ridiculous.
Had she fallen in love at first sight?
With the one person she absolutely shouldn’t?
Selen remembered something from the novel.
She hadn’t finished reading it, but one passage stood out clearly.
Varas Velias was a man who lived and died without ever understanding love.
He spent his entire life lonely, yet never realized that what he felt was loneliness.
He was a pitiable man.
But why?
The imprisoned Selen in the original story had developed Stockholm syndrome.
Slowly but surely, she had opened her heart to him.
At some point, she had even become romantically attracted to him.
Most telling of all, she had been completely satisfied with their life together as husband and wife.
But Varas had never felt the same.
Up to the point where Yumi had stopped reading, Selen remained nothing more than a purchased possession.
A woman meant to bear his child.
She had never finished the novel.
But surely…
Surely it had ended tragically.
Finally regaining her composure, Selen lifted her head.
The familiar feeling of being observed met her once again.
“Thank you.”
Varas gave no visible reaction.
He simply turned around and resumed walking.
Selen gathered herself and prepared to follow.
Earlier, she had only stumbled because he unexpectedly turned around.
Now she was ready.
Or so she thought.
Without warning, the man who had already walked far ahead suddenly returned.
He stopped directly beside her.
Then his arm appeared in front of her once more.
The same thing had happened earlier.
And afterward, his mood seemed to worsen.
Was this some expression of irritation?
Selen froze, unable to understand what he wanted.
At last, having run out of patience, Varas spoke.
“If walking is that difficult for you, then even if it isn’t entirely satisfactory, wouldn’t it be better to hold on to something?”
