༺ Lermian Winterfell ༻
The Third Grand Duchess of the North, Lermian Winterfell.
She was the youngest daughter of the Winterfell Grand Duke family that ruled the Northern Commandery, with two older brothers, two older sisters, and a widowed father.
She was also the protagonist of the 56th Engagement Battle, a feast of the Northern Commandery and a venerable tradition of the Grand Duke’s family.
Moreover,
She was the mysterious woman shrouded in veil, called the secret of the Northern Commandery.
“Who could the Third Grand Duchess be?”
“Since no one has seen her, how could we know?”
“Who knows? Maybe she will reveal her identity in this Engagement Battle.”
“Rumor has it that she was disfigured by a plague. You know, the epidemic that spread a decade ago.”
“Nonsense. I heard it’s because she’s so beautiful that the Grand Duke is keeping her hidden.”
“No, that’s not it. I heard she’s deformed, missing an arm.”
Secrets breed rumors.
And rumors typically polarize into extreme opposites.
A beauty of the state, a disfigured woman, a one-armed deformity, alike.
It was natural for the negative rumors to dominate due to humans’ innate craving for sensation.
Thus, the spread of the rumor that the Third Grand Duchess was a “one-armed ugly woman” was a natural progression.
Of course, her family, the central advisor Gelwood, and the maid Marien knew the truth about the rumors.
Neither disfigured nor one-armed.
And contrary to never having revealed her identity to the world, she had once attended the Royal Academy, unable to contain her thirst for learning, under the guise of a countess from a distant frontier, Erinysia.
Even Logan Winterfell couldn’t stop Lermian’s burning passion for learning.
From a young age, Lermian loved to explore and learn. As soon as she learned to read, she became engrossed in reading.
Her interest in academics began to show, and she started to suffer from a thirst for knowledge.
Consequently, Logan’s worries deepened.
He couldn’t satisfy his daughter, who showed no interest in toys from across the continent nor in ancient texts, which she would decipher quickly.
Eventually, Lermian set out to quench her thirst for knowledge at the Royal Academy, a repository of knowledge, after months of conflict and opposition.
As a father, he couldn’t permit it.
It was because of a curse placed by the chieftain of the northern barbarians, who disappeared into the annals of history after a long war.
“Didn’t I say no? I told you that you can’t be exposed to the outside world until the curse’s duration ends.”
No matter how much Lermian pleaded with tears or resorted to stubbornness, Logan Winterfell firmly refused with a stern heart.
But like a flower losing its light and dying, Lermian began to wither slowly from her thirst for learning, and eventually, Logan had no choice but to allow it.
What father would let his daughter dry up and die because of an uncertain curse?
“Never reveal your name. You mustn’t let your identity be exposed. Understand?”
“Dad worries too much. Who would think I’m from the north with my hair dyed red like this?”
“Alright. Just be careful. And if anyone bothers you, contact us immediately.”
“Yes, don’t worry! I’ll send a letter when I arrive~!”
Thus, Lermian Winterfell enrolled in the Royal Academy and spent three years immersed in the cradle of knowledge she had longed for.
Of course, three years wasn’t enough to quench her long-standing thirst for knowledge, and though she wished to pursue a doctorate under a renowned professor, she unfortunately couldn’t.
The time agreed upon with her father was strictly [3 years].
After spending three years buried in libraries and laboratories, she returned to the Northern Commandery with another longing in her heart.
“Our daughter, congratulations on your graduation.”
Logan was overjoyed.
His daughter had returned safely, and he believed the curse with little time left would pass like this.
Logan couldn’t see the three years of hell recorded on his daughter’s body, so he had no choice but to rejoice.
Lermian also chose not to show it to her father.
“Ho ho, just words? You should give me a congratulatory gift!”
“Yes, yes. What would you like to receive?”
“Kyaa~! I made a list on my way here! Here!”
“…What is all this?”
“Basic materials and tools needed for experiments!”
Thus, Lermian returned to the Northern Commandery and began to immerse herself in experiments rather than learning, setting up a huge laboratory in the upper levels of the Second Grand Duke’s castle.
To her,
“An Engagement Battle? I’m not interested in such things…”
The competition to find a match for marriage could hardly catch her eye.
It seemed childish, uninteresting, and bothersome.
“Now that the curse is over and it’s time for marriage, it’s time to find a marriage partner.”
Having no grounds to refuse the long-standing family tradition, Lermian had to become the protagonist of the Engagement Battle, and while casually flipping through the main list that Gelwood kept pushing at her, four names caught her eye.
Deron Kelid.
Blund Rospel.
Kyle Bellion.
Elden Rapellion.
Names that shouldn’t have been on the main list were listed.
“…How.”
Lermian Winterfell.
A nerd who knew nothing but academics, an enthusiast who preferred research and experiments over men, became interested in the childish Engagement Battle from that moment.
**
“…What? A withdrawal?”
Surprised by the words of the central advisor Gelwood, Lermian’s mysterious blue pupils filled with astonishment.
It was inevitable.
After discarding all pride to participate in the preliminary and main battles for the sake of becoming a part of the Grand Duke’s family, someone withdrew at the finish line.
And knowing there had never been a final candidate who threw in a withdrawal in the history of the Engagement Battle, Lermian’s gaze wavered.
Tomorrow, the final evaluation camp would begin.
It meant that the time to erase the records of pain carved over three years was approaching.
“Who… declared the withdrawal?”
After checking the main list, she had formulated a plan to erase the painful records.
But now, there was a change in the plan.
It was natural for Lermian’s gaze to mix astonishment with confusion.
And then,
“It’s Prince Elden Rapellion.”
When the name of the withdrawer came from Gelwood, Lermian’s gaze filled with suspicion.
Elden Rapellion.
Did that shameless scoundrel notice something?
It couldn’t be.
Among the four, he was the only one who did not wear a mask, considering it cumbersome, and he was a violent brute who did not hesitate to engage in dirty work for gain, happily wielding a sword.
Especially since his participation in the Engagement Battle for the restoration of his declining family, his withdrawal was utterly incomprehensible.
Or, had he heard something?
‘But… only my father, Gelwood, and Marien know I’m Erinysia.’
Even the painful scars recorded during the 3 years spent as Erinysia Belloc were known only to the maid
Marien.
She hadn’t shown or revealed them to her father or advisor.
Family, advisor, maid.
None of them could have disclosed it.
Even if they hadn’t spent a long time together, maid Marien was also someone who could be trusted more than anyone.
It was impossible that she was involved in Elden Rapellion’s withdrawal declaration.
“What did father say?”
“In light of the exceptional circumstances, the Grand Duke has granted permission for a private meeting with the candidate, even before the final evaluation begins.”
“…Is that so.”
“Yes. All decisions are left to the Grand Duchess’s judgment.”
“…….”
Lermian was lost in thought.
She knew that it was impossible to meet with a candidate before the start of the final evaluation.
It was a strict rule of the Engagement Battle, a forbidden sanctuary.
The withdrawal declaration of the final candidate was an unprecedented event that violated that long-held sanctuary.
“What did the advisor think?”
“Are you referring to Prince Elden Rapellion?”
“Did anything seem off?”
Lermian, aware of Gelwood’s ability, asked.
Even though they had only briefly encountered each other during the main trial, Gelwood had seen through Elden Rapellion and expressed his concerns.
Perhaps he had found a clue to this absurd withdrawal declaration.
And then,
“I have informed His Grace the Grand Duke………”
Gelwood’s impression, as if the Northern Commandery had changed like the month of May, prompted Lermian to stand up from her chair.
As she placed the flask filled with red liquid down.
She was a child born with a natural curiosity that dug into questions.
Her curiosity was as hot as lava, and if not cooled, it would cause problems.
And that curiosity alone had led her to risk the curse and head to the Royal Academy.
To her, the sudden withdrawal declaration of the final candidate became a strong suspicion, and the impression of the Northern Commandery changing like May was lava that needed to be cooled.
Above all,
‘It shouldn’t have changed.’
Knowing better than anyone what kind of person Prince Elden Rapellion was, to Lermian, the “May of the Northern Commandery” was something not even worth joking about.
Was there something wrong with the advisor’s eyes? That’s how unbelievable it was.
And it shouldn’t have changed.
She hadn’t waited for tomorrow to hear some nonsense about atonement.
Even if the burden of sin among the four was the lightest, sin was still sin.
Moreover, atonement should be made by the sinner.
Therefore, Elden Rapellion shouldn’t have changed.
‘I must see for myself.’
There must be something.
The sharp intuition of an inquirer told her so.
“I’m going.”
Ultimately, Lermian had to move, wearing the mask she was supposed to wear from tomorrow.
And then,
“…I did not expect you to come in person. Nice to meet you, Grand Duchess.”
Facing Elden Rapellion behind the mask, Lermian, unable to contain the desire of an inquirer, blurted out with the sharp voice of an enthusiast whose carefully prepared experiment was on the brink of going awry from the start.
“What on earth is it?”
A question driven more by emotion than calm.
A question as if discovering a challenging puzzle to solve.
Elden scratched the bridge of his nose, pondering.
Hmm.
What is it?
