The Northern Duke’s Daughter Will Never Fall – Chapter 107

Chapter 107: The Road Back (1)

‘…What? That’s strange.’

Inside the carriage, Veracien tilted her head in confusion.

She was sure she had blown it away.

Since Astrid was roaming around inside the self-replicating tower, Veracien had played a little trick to make her settle down.

With Astein’s little pranks already in place, there shouldn’t have been any issues. Everything should have gone smoothly, and in fact, it did.

But Astrid’s presence remained unchanged.

It seemed like something had shifted, yet it also felt the same.

How odd.

“Is something wrong?”

“No, nothing. It’s nothing.”

Well, does it even matter?

Veracien decided not to dwell on it.

Something might have changed, but it didn’t matter.

If Astrid remained as she was, that was fine. If something had changed, that was also fine.

Watching Astein’s half-closed eyes, Veracien shrugged as if nothing had happened.

To her, it truly was no big deal.

“How much longer until we get there?”

“How long has it been since we left? We’re about halfway there.”

It hadn’t been that long since they had boarded the carriage and parted ways with Akemilla, who had worn a somewhat anxious expression.

It had only been three days.

The journey was at least a week long, so asking how much longer there was to go felt rather out of place only three days in.

“But I’m bored…”

Astein glanced at Veracien before turning his gaze away.

Her inability to endure boredom to this extent was practically an illness.

When he had first learned that she was the Grand Duchess of the Demon Realm, he had expected something grand, maybe even helpful. But helpful? Not at all. He would be grateful if she wasn’t a hindrance.

Matters between men and women held significance only when experienced firsthand.

He couldn’t understand what meaning there could be in merely watching.

Astein’s goal was to extract the Blessing of the Stars from Astrid, and soon, he would begin the process of absorbing the blessings he had already gathered into his own body.

Once that was done, he would only need the last few blessings, including the Divine Arms and Divine Power. When he absorbed those, no one on the continent would be able to stop him.

He would become a literal monarch.

Such ambition was worthy of being called a goal, but that succubus was nothing like that.

When he heard her goal was to watch a sexual encounter between a man and a woman up close, Astein had been baffled.

He couldn’t fathom what she was thinking, setting such a trivial thing as her goal.

She didn’t even want to do it herself—she just wanted to watch.

He wondered if all succubi were like that, but somehow it didn’t seem so. In any case, she was an incomprehensible demon.

Meanwhile, Veracien was also laughing inwardly as she looked at Astein.

The Blessing of the Stars, well…

It was good.

Veracien understood that well.

The Blessing of the Stars was a divine favor.

It granted incredible powers to its bearer, enhancing their abilities dozens of times beyond human limits.

But whether that power would truly—

【Lady Grand Duchess, it’s Parienne.】

Veracien’s thoughts were cut short.

The train of thought she had almost completed was abruptly severed by Parienne’s voice.

‘Yes?’

【Um… She just collapsed.】

‘Really? When?’

Parienne sounded quite flustered.

Her voice trembled slightly, revealing her obvious confusion.

【Uh… Just now. She seemed really panicked, and after about an hour, she just collapsed.】

‘…Collapsed?’

【Yes, she’s sleeping like the dead.】

That was strange.

Her presence remained unchanged, yet she had suddenly collapsed?

After rampaging with such vigor for three days, now she just dropped?

How odd.

No matter how much she thought about it, it didn’t add up.

‘Hold on… Let me see…’

A map opened up in a corner of Veracien’s vision.

On the map, the movements of those marked by her were displayed. Astrid’s marker remained right where the self-replicating tower was located.

And nearby, Leopold’s marker was moving steadily toward the same place.

‘Hmm, I guess I’ll handle it appropriately. Is Astrid still out cold?’

【Yes, completely.】

‘Get closer to her.’

A moment of silence hung in the air.

No matter how she looked at it, Parienne felt afraid.

Every time Astrid struck the wall of the cavern, it seemed as if the entire self-replicating tower might shake.

What if she approached her, and Astrid suddenly woke up?

What if, with that immense strength, she grabbed Parienne by the throat?

As just a mere succubus, Parienne couldn’t even imagine escaping such a crisis on her own.

‘Come on, you think I’d let you die? Don’t be scared and just go check.’

【Y-Yes… Alright.】

Even so, Parienne’s voice clearly betrayed her reluctance.

What else could she do?

After a while, Parienne’s voice came through again.

【W-Wow, she’s completely unconscious. She’s breathing, though.】

Veracien already knew she wasn’t dead.

‘Hmm, well… Maybe the effect was just delayed. Alright then, bring her over here.’

Veracien then explained the location to Parienne.

It wasn’t too far from the self-replicating tower, and since there was still time, it wasn’t a big problem.

If Leopold continued heading toward the Miterien Grand Duke’s estate, he would undoubtedly find her at that location.

Veracien had already decided to end her contract with Astein.

From now on, she would act solely according to her own interests.

Seeing Astein’s furious expression and witnessing the romantic union of Astrid and Leopold—their coupling as a beautiful pair—

These two things were the new thrills and joys Veracien anticipated.

***

“Ugh.”

When she flinched and opened her eyes, a familiar ceiling greeted her.

She stared blankly at the strange floral-patterned wallpaper, where oddly-shaped flowers intertwined endlessly, then slowly sat up.

Having eaten ramen before bed last night, her body felt sore and unrefreshed.

“Ugh…”

She wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth with the sleeve of her tracksuit, and it came away quite damp.

“So gross…”

She muttered, then looked at the clock: 12:40 PM.

For her, who often went to sleep at dawn, waking up at this hour was relatively early.

‘I’m hungry…’

She needed to eat lunch, but first, she thought she should go to the bathroom. She placed her hand on the floor and pushed herself up.

“What day is it today… or does it even matter?”

When she entered the bathroom and turned on the light, it instantly brightened.

Her disheveled appearance stared back at her from the mirror.

No matter how neatly she combed it before bed, her silver hair always tangled and knotted into a wild mess by morning.

She had gone through quite a hard time because of this strange hair color that wouldn’t change no matter how much she dyed it.

To strangers, it might seem beautiful, but after hearing “how unique” it was followed by subtle ostracization, it wasn’t something she could easily enjoy.

Her appearance, which didn’t seem Korean at all, made her sigh as she stared into the mirror. She finally stepped into the bathroom.

She squeezed toothpaste onto her toothbrush, grabbed a comb, and began working through her tangled hair.

Her hair was so knotted today that it took real effort to brush through, and it had been a long time since she’d felt her blood pressure rise over it.

“Should I just chop it all off…”

Though she said it, she knew she wouldn’t.

It wasn’t because she had grown it out with great care or anything like that.

‘How am I supposed to go to a salon… Ugh.’

Talking to strangers was scary.

Even if she went to a salon and asked to cut her hair short, if the stylist said, “Your hair is so pretty, why not just trim it a bit?” she would only nod, unable to insist.

And then, the inevitable, “Why haven’t you been taking care of it…!” followed by a bombardment of hair and scalp treatments, would surely empty her wallet.

After brushing her teeth and washing her face, she opened the refrigerator.

She was definitely hungry, but the only things inside were a few bottles of water rolling around.

“I really need to go grocery shopping.”

She would rather not if she could avoid it.

Ordering delivery seemed like the better option.

“But that dream was really weird…”

Living alone made her talk to herself more often.

Since graduating high school, she had lived alone and minimized her trips outside. If she didn’t talk to herself, she might go days without speaking at all. So, her monologues were probably odd enough to seem strange if anyone else were around.

“A Grand Duchess, huh? Pfft. Maybe I should stop reading romance novels.”

And not just any Grand Duchess, but a beautiful one with incredible strength and exceptional combat skills.

It was funny to have such a dream at her age, a dream one might expect from a teenage girl.

“Ramen again… Ugh…”

She wished she could eat something else, but her financial situation didn’t allow it.

Though she was relatively strong and made some money doing part-time loading and unloading jobs at a delivery company, it wasn’t sustainable long-term. She had to be cautious, earning and resting in cycles.

“Ugh…”

She set a pot of water on the gas stove, turned on the burner, and…

She felt as if she had forgotten something important.

Something crucial, something she absolutely shouldn’t have forgotten.

What was it?

What could it be…

“Ah!”

She had no eggs!