From the moment she regressed to three years in the past, Anneliese had only one goal.
‘I’m absolutely going to have a political marriage. I’ll spend my whole life in a cold, loveless marriage with a husband who doesn’t even know the color of my eyes.’
She didn’t care if it sounded like a twisted view of marriage.
Her previous married life had been that horrific.
[Anneliese. I love you. Marry me and help me rule this country together.]
Being born the legitimate daughter of the noble Count Solaritzen family, descended from the first Saintess, and becoming the Crown Princess had been fine.
But after the wedding, the Crown Prince changed completely.
[Why don’t you love me? Hm? Anneliese, what must I do for you to love me?]
That damn obsession with love.
The Crown Prince constantly demanded her love.
‘As Crown Princess, I managed state affairs well and fulfilled my duties as a spouse. What more could he possibly want?’
It was absurd, but he was still her husband—and the future emperor.
Anneliese tried to deal with his tantrums.
She comforted him, got angry, even tried to love him as he wanted.
But none of it worked.
Because feelings weren’t something you could force.
[You must have another man, don’t you? Otherwise, there’s no way you wouldn’t love me. Look at everything I’ve done for you!]
He refused to accept that she simply didn’t love him.
Eventually, the Crown Prince devolved into a severely paranoid, jealous man.
Their marriage spiraled into ruin.
One day, while suffering from stress-induced hypertension brought on by that marriage—
Anneliese returned to the past.
Right before she accepted the Crown Prince’s proposal.
To a point where she could change everything.
She didn’t even have time to be stunned by this unexpected fortune.
If she stayed still, she’d once again be pressured into becoming Crown Princess.
‘If I get married first, even the Crown Prince won’t be able to do anything. I just need to find a husband.’
It wasn’t easy to find someone who met her conditions, but she eventually found the most suitable candidate.
And today—
Anneliese hid herself in the bushes of the imperial garden, waiting for someone to arrive.
It was unbecoming of a count’s daughter, but she had no choice.
The man she was to meet today—the Grand Duke of Apherhis—was someone even royalty couldn’t summon casually.
So instead of requesting a formal audience, she had to resort to this rather inconvenient method.
Soon after—
Just as she expected, loud voices approached along with the presence of two people.
A red-haired father and daughter were arguing.
It was Lord Ramier, the consort of the empire, and Princess Roselia.
Holding her breath, Anneliese eavesdropped.
“Roselia. The Grand Duke is waiting in the reception room. Do you have any idea how much our empire stands to gain if he becomes part of the imperial family? You must sacrifice yourself for the country.”
The consort had invited the Grand Duke today to propose a marriage with the princess.
Even though her potential husband was being discussed for another match, Anneliese remained calm.
‘This proposal will never succeed. Because it’s that Grand Duke of Apherhis.’
As expected, the princess cried out in disgust.
“I said no! How do you expect me, who’s lived delicately all my life, to adapt to a barren land where it’s always winter and not even a single blade of grass grows? I’d rather die!”
Anneliese nodded in agreement.
The Grand Duke of Apherhis—the empire’s strongest warrior, protecting it from monsters in the northern mountains.
Though technically part of the empire, his northern territory was practically an autonomous state—essentially another country.
Even the climate was completely different.
The empire was warm year-round thanks to the blessing of the Sun God Ainan, but the north was not.
‘I heard the temperature is always below freezing, and frozen rain falls. They call it “snow,” I think.’
People of the empire, who lived even in winter wearing light cardigans, could never adapt there.
‘No wonder the princess is horrified. Sending your daughter there… even for power, that’s insane. The consort’s not in his right mind.’
And that wasn’t the Grand Duke’s only flaw.
“How hideous must he be to walk around with his face covered by a mask?!”
That was right. Even if the land was harsh, it would be fine if the person was decent—but the Grand Duke was rumored to be terribly ugly.
He was even nicknamed the “Monster Grand Duke.”
“Tell me! What noble lady in her right mind would want to marry him? You’d have to be unbelievably naive or completely insane!”
Every word the princess said was true.
‘A noble lady insane enough to want to marry that man… would be me. How fortunate.’
She was genuinely glad that the women of this country were mentally sound. The nation’s future was bright.
The argument ended quickly.
In the end, Princess Roselia was dragged into the reception room by the consort.
After a while, Anneliese confirmed no one was around and stood up.
‘Unbelievably naive or insane, huh…’
She mulled over the princess’s words briefly, then shrugged.
‘Still better than marrying the Crown Prince.’
No matter how cold and barren the north was, or how terrifying and ugly the Grand Duke might be—
None of that mattered.
What mattered was that she could give him something he was searching for.
And that she could make a deal—marriage in exchange for that item.
‘The Grand Duke’s house is known for faithfully honoring their contract with the first emperor even to this day. If the contract is properly established, I can live safely until the Crown Prince is dethroned.’
These days, the Crown Prince was pressuring her for an answer to his proposal.
She had sought out noble families that wouldn’t be intimidated by the imperial family, but every single one rejected her proposal of a contract marriage.
‘Is it really that hard of a promise—to not love your wife during the marriage?’
Well… it was.
According to imperial statistics, less than 5% of marriages were political.
Everyone in this country was obsessed with love.
They found Anneliese—who demanded a loveless marriage—far stranger instead.
And so, her last hope remained: the Grand Duke of Apherhis.
‘I hope it’s true that he lived unmarried his entire life because he had no interest in romance. If even he refuses, my only option left is an international marriage.’
The foreign travel ticket carefully stored in her mansion flickered in her mind.
Standing in front of the guest reception room, Anneliese looked around.
‘Where did all the attendants go? And what’s with this chill?’
There were no attendants guarding the door.
Despite it being broad daylight, an eerie atmosphere lingered in the corridor.
As she tightened the shawl around her shoulders against the inexplicable cold—
The reception room door suddenly burst open.
“Please wait a moment! Grand Duke Apherhis! Roselia, get a hold of yourself!”
Inside the room were three people:
The flustered Crown Prince,
The unconscious princess collapsed on the floor,
And a man standing near the door, his figure partially hidden.
Even without seeing his face, she knew.
‘That’s the Grand Duke of Apherhis.’
As she stepped aside, Anneliese froze.
“How could I take as my wife someone who can’t even stand properly before me?”
A low, deep voice flowed out of the room and pierced her ears.
“That’s enough. This isn’t even worth discussing further.”
Though his tone was calm, it carried an overwhelming pressure.
As the Grand Duke stepped out, her vision suddenly darkened.
Standing against the light, his shadow alone was enough to completely engulf her.
Her eyes wandered over the long cloak that covered him from head to toe.
Tilting her chin higher, she finally saw his face.
‘As expected, he’s wearing a mask. I wonder if I can at least see his eyes.’
She was curious what kind of gaze he would direct at her.
Luckily—
Perhaps because he had rushed out, the mask sat slightly crooked on his nose, revealing a glimpse of his eyes.
If it slipped just a little more, she might be able to see them fully.
‘But why is my body trembling like this?’
Why did it feel like this?
Breathing was as difficult as climbing a high mountain.
Without realizing it, she staggered backward, her body trembling.
Her shawl slipped from her arm and fell to the ground, but she didn’t even notice.
In that moment, Anneliese lost her balance.
Her foot had landed right on the fallen shawl.
Instinctively, she reached forward to steady herself.
In an instant, her wrist was firmly caught.
And then—
Anneliese reflexively closed her eyes, then opened them again.
“What is this…?”
A pair of golden eyes—like those of a bird of prey—were looking down at her.
