Chapter 10

The Northern Grand Duke’s Wife, I Can’t Do This Because It’s Too Cold

“Madam, I’m getting nervous just thinking about it.”

“Why?”

“It’s your first time going out into the city! You must be nervous, too, right?”

“Haha… Yes.”

I gave Lara an awkward smile as she spoke as though she were deeply moved.

‘Actually, I… this isn’t my first time going into the city.’

I had been in such a hurry when I ran away that I hadn’t gotten to look around properly, but I had already seen the marketplace and the people of the North passing through the streets.

Looking at Lara’s expectant eyes, though, there was no way I could tell her that.

I looked in the mirror and ran my fingers over my already-styled hair a few times before fixing my clothes.

Sigh…

I had put so much effort into dressing up, only to have to wrap myself up from head to toe because of the cold.

I had even put my hair up for what was practically the first time in my life, and now I had to wear earmuffs?

And the beautiful clothes I had dressed up in were almost completely hidden beneath my thick coat.

“I think it would be better to put a fur hat on Madam as well.”

Mikhail had apparently entered the room at some point, because his tall figure appeared in the mirror behind me.

A fur hat?

What kind of thunderbolt out of nowhere was that?

Meanwhile, the maids hurried about and actually brought out a whole collection of fur hats.

Apparently, none of them knew how to take a joke.

“What are you going to do if I lose even more of my dignity? Let’s just go.”

“Why? It’s cute.”

I looked up at him from the side, utterly dumbfounded.

Mikhail chuckled and firmly pressed down my earmuffs, securing them even more tightly.

Then, as if nothing had happened, he grabbed my hand.

Before I knew it, we were making our way outside.

The entrance to the estate was already wide open.

‘Whoa.’

Servants were lined up on both sides to see us off.

We were merely going to look around a festival, yet they were standing there as though they were sending their master and mistress off to a battlefield.

“It’s quite crowded because it’s the first day of the festival. We’ll move with the minimum number of people necessary to avoid causing confusion.”

“Ah, yes.”

I walked casually between the servants, only to find several carriages lined up outside.

…Minimum number of people?

“……No matter how I look at it, we’re going to stand out.”

“It’s for safety. It’s also your first outing, so—”

What?

Why did he trail off?

When I stared at him with wide eyes, Mikhail’s lips curled up slightly.

“Come to think of it, this isn’t your first outing.”

I probably hadn’t been able to look around properly while running away in such a panic.

Mikhail covered his mouth and chuckled quietly.

Forget it.

There was no point talking about it.

I shook off his hand and strode toward the carriage.

Mikhail easily caught up and took my hand again.

“Allow me, Madam.”

He spoke in a playful voice as though he were gallantly escorting a lady.

Now, of all times…

‘Fine. This is all my own fault. My punishment for clumsily running away and offending the Grand Duke.’

I climbed into the carriage in silent despair.

Come to think of it, this was my first time riding in a carriage, too.

My first carriage ride being in the luxurious carriage of the Grand Ducal House…

I wondered if that meant I was lucky.

The carriage began moving with a rattling sound.

“Mikhail, what’s usually famous at the Ice Festival?”

“Other than the bizarre sculptures, not much.”

“Eek…”

“And the aurora you can see at night. Other than that, there isn’t much to see.”

I stared at Mikhail in disbelief as he spoke so matter-of-factly.

The aurora?!

Wow…

I had never seen one in my entire life.

Well, of course I hadn’t.

I had lived in a country where seeing one was impossible in the first place.

And now, somehow, I was about to see the aurora for the first time in my life.

My heart was already beginning to race with excitement.

“We’ve arrived.”

The moment the coachman spoke, I jumped to my feet.

We were finally here.

I stepped down from the carriage and took in the entire street at a glance, completely forgetting about the biting wind blowing outside.

The energy of the people was incredible.

A huge crowd filled the streets among the street vendors loudly calling out to customers.

Despite the freezing weather, everyone was smiling as though they didn’t care about the cold at all.

‘Am I… the only one who’s cold here?’

For some reason, I suddenly felt strangely out of place.

“Madam! I’m here.”

“Oh, Chloe.”

“I’ll stay one step behind.”

“Tch.”

Chloe grumbled as she moved toward Lara and Aron behind us.

I looked around once more.

The streets were filled with works of art carved from ice.

Mikhail had called them bizarre, but now that I looked closely, they were incredibly intricate.

‘I thought the North would always have such a chilly atmosphere.’

For the first time in a long while, I was surrounded by such a lively, bustling scene.

Without realizing it, I began walking a little faster.

That was when someone suddenly grabbed me from behind and pulled me straight into their arms.

“I know you’re excited, but it’s a problem if you disappear from in front of me.”

Mikhail looked down at me, his face still filled with traces of alarm.

Why was he so surprised?

In a hurry, I lightly took his hand.

Only then did the anxiety seem to leave him, and his expression returned to normal.

He soon began walking as though nothing had happened, introducing me to the various places around us.

“This is the plaza. Unless there’s a major event, there isn’t much reason to use it.”

I was sorry, but none of his explanation was reaching my ears.

Was he really not bothered by all these piercing gazes?

People had begun recognizing Mikhail one by one, and before long, they were looking at us and whispering among themselves.

The sensation of being watched weighed heavily on me, and my steps gradually slowed.

Of course, Mikhail didn’t seem to care at all.

He continued explaining this and that to me.

He really was impressive in many ways.

“Welcome, everyone, to the Ice Festival!”

A sudden, booming voice rang in my ears, making me jump and look up.

The voice was coming from a stage in the middle of the plaza.

Wait.

Who was that?

A man dressed like an emcee encouraged the crowd to respond, and the people around us immediately began cheering.

“Before we officially begin the festival… Oh? Wait a moment! I see a familiar face over there!”

He stretched out his hand and pointed toward Mikhail, who was standing some distance away.

Uh…

Was this really okay?

I looked back and forth between the emcee and Mikhail with wide eyes.

Mikhail spoke calmly.

“He’s doing this again this year.”

“Ah… You know him?”

“Every year, he volunteers to host the festival like that. No one ever asked him to.”

And they just let him do it every year?

Something about that seemed strange, but I simply kept my mouth shut.

I supposed this was another one of those peculiar northern traits.

Even though the emcee had once again drawn everyone’s attention toward him, no one seemed particularly shocked or frightened.

They merely glanced over and whispered among themselves.

Somehow…

Their gazes seemed particularly focused on the hands Mikhail and I were holding.

Was I imagining it?

“Our Grand Duke has really grown up.”

“I’ve never seen him hold a woman’s hand before. It’s such a relief that he got married.”

“Exactly. He’s always been so stiff and reserved! I was worried about him.”

At first, I thought I must have heard them wrong.

They sounded as though they were talking about a son or younger brother…

So this was the kind of familiar image Mikhail had in the North.

“And everyone! Our noble Grand Duchess has made her first public appearance!”

“Would the two of you please come up here and say a few words?”

“Waaaaah!”

The moment he finished speaking, a roar erupted from the crowd that was incomparable to the cheers from before.

A chill ran down my spine.

‘What…?

He wants us to go up there?’

I was so flustered that my eyes simply darted around.

Then Mikhail’s low voice reached my ears.

“I told him not to do things like this.”

“…But we’ve already been seen this much. There’s nothing we can do about it.”

Just go up there and say one thing.

Mikhail looked slightly surprised by my response before slowly nodding.

‘As the Grand Duchess, I should probably do at least this much. I don’t want to ruin the atmosphere, either…’

I took off my earmuffs, coat, and thick gloves and handed them to Lara.

“Madam!”

“What are you doing?”

“It’ll only take a moment. Let’s go.”

Mikhail clasped my hand, looking worried.

I was freezing to death, but I still had to be polite.

Just endure it for a little while.

Just a little.

“Under the name of Mikhail Rithervan, I guarantee the safety of this festival. Enjoy yourselves to your heart’s content today.”

The moment I finished speaking, another deafening cheer pierced my ears.

Combined with the cold that bit into my skin, it made my head throb.

The headache kept coming in waves, but I clenched my teeth and tried to relax.

Then it happened.

As if by magic, warmth began spreading throughout the area around me.

‘What is this?

I’m not cold at all.’

I suddenly turned around.

Lara, Chloe, and Aron were still looking at me.

But then why did my body feel so warm?

I looked down at the hand I was still holding with Mikhail.

Was it because of Mikhail’s body temperature?

I didn’t know why, but as warmth spread through my body, the tension inside me began to melt away.

Countless people were looking directly at me.

Facing all those expectant faces, my heart began pounding again.

I took a small breath and spoke.

“…I’m Aisha Rithervan. I hope everyone will be happy today.”

It was only one sentence.

Yet the people erupted into cheers as though they had been waiting for those very words.

At the same time, that pleasant warmth continued to surround me, melting away the cold in my body.

For the first time, I felt that the North wasn’t cold at all.