In This Life, I'll Assist You (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 13
Half a day’s walk, perhaps.
All around lay gentle hills and rolling slopes. Above that low, soft horizon, tiny sprouts began to bloom like a carpet.
Was the long winter finally ending?
I sighed in admiration alone.
‘How pretty. How beautiful.’
For the first time since gaining this new life, my heart felt at ease.
Just knowing the ones leading ahead were knights of the North made breathing easier.
Though all the knights rode horses, I was no knight—only a walker for half a day straight. Yet not once did my legs ache.
Freedom.
Because I had gained freedom.
Just then, someone glanced back at me.
“How could His Grace call something so hideous ‘the one thing I desire’?”
“That southern girl tipped us off—they’d use poison.”
“Hmph. Even so… I’d have asked for the pink diamond mine myself.”
The chatter of two common soldiers reached my ears.
They weren’t alone. Even among those silent, eyes kept flicking toward me.
‘They probably don’t approve of me.’
Why had the Grand Duke chosen me, when I wasn’t even among the offered choices?
Truthfully, it puzzled me too.
His Grace gave his own reason—that he needed talent—but it still didn’t quite make sense.
There were far better options: diamond mines, gold mines, imperial favor. Any one of those would benefit the Grand Duke of the North far more, especially since he couldn’t possibly know whether I was truly talented or not.
‘Could it be that he’s particularly fond of me?’
I shook my head sharply.
Impossible. That couldn’t be.
It felt good, but it was just wishful thinking.
The Grand Duke himself said he didn’t yet trust me.
[This is the timeline separator]By the time the sun reached its zenith, we arrived at the Ibeirn Plains.
A place where, with a gallop, one could reach the Southern Grand Duke’s stronghold within hours. There, amid that vast green expanse, stood the Northern Knights’ encampment.
Nearly ten white tents rose grandly over the pale green plain. People rushed toward the Grand Duke and Arcadia at the front.
“Your Grace! We heard you were poisoned—are you well?!”
“We were ready to charge in at once, but you told us not to come—and so we couldn’t!”
To their shouts, the Grand Duke offered a breeze-like smile.
“I worried you might come. But this is civil war, after all.”
“Hmph! That’s too cruel.”
“Did you properly punish those southern scoundrels? If not, I’ll do it myself right now!”
Men with bandit-like appearances whined like children.
One middle-aged man, whose beard was so thick it looked like shrubbery, complained the loudest.
With his brown beard and rugged face, he resembled a grizzly bear—and seeing such a man pout was both strange and amusing.
Noticing me watching, he turned toward me.
“Who’s that masked woman there? Was she burned?”
He pointed at me.
The Grand Duke looked back at me.
“…She’s the one who saved me.”
Our eyes met. I quickly bowed my head in proper respect. Belfast spoke to me.
“Send her friend to the infirmary tent. Arcadia, I leave it to you.”
“Huh?”
Arcadia stared at me with a sour expression—no, not just sour, but filled with suspicion and irritation. He grumbled.
“Your Grace, I don’t even know this woman’s name. She claims to have warned you of the poisoning, yet it feels off. Especially since she was Medea’s confidante.”
At Arcadia’s words, the crowd began murmuring.
“Medea’s confidante?”
“Why bring someone like that along?”
‘Does Arcadia dislike me?’
It might be understandable, yet it still stung a little.
But there was nothing I could do. I couldn’t just say, “I’m the one who saved you from the Black Worm.”
If I did, they’d discover I was an assassin—and suspicion would only grow.
“Estelle. Her name is Estelle, Arcadia.”
Zion Belfast spoke.
Hearing my true name spoken aloud pierced my heart gently.
‘Estelle—my real name.’
Arcadia, whose platinum hair suited elegance, wore a sulky, childlike frown.
“And Mobi.”
The Grand Duke called out to the man with the bushy brown beard.
“The half of her face she revealed… I suspect it wasn’t burns, but something like black magic. We’ll need Adrian’s expertise back in the North to be sure.”
“Black magic?”
Mobi asked, surprised.
“Yes. Likely inflicted in the South. If they’d treat their own confidante this way, perhaps she helped me, Arcadia.”
The Grand Duke spoke lightly, like a spring breeze.
‘He’s protecting me.’
My chest tightened—pleased, yet startled.
And for another reason, my heart began to race.
‘Not burns, but black magic?’
Yet Arcadia wouldn’t yield.
“Still, it’s said once a traitor, always a traitor. I find it deeply unsettling.”
“I understand, Arcadia. I don’t fully trust her either.”
The Grand Duke replied again, carefree as ever.
‘He openly says he doesn’t trust me—yet shields me anyway.’
Complicated.
Perhaps the Grand Duke I knew in my past life was only a fragment of who he truly is.
In truth, I realize now I know very little about this man—the Grand Duke of the North.
Lost in such thoughts, my expression must have grown odd.
“What’s with that bizarre look?”
Arcadia frowned.
I quickly lowered my head.
“I apologize. Everything is still unfamiliar. I’ll work hard to adjust quickly.”
Arcadia snorted.
‘He clearly dislikes me.’
[This is the timeline separator]I brought the still-unconscious Yellow Caterpillar to the medical tent.
Inside lay soldiers wounded in battles against barbarians.
Somehow, rumors about me and the Yellow Caterpillar—rumors I couldn’t trace—had already spread. Their glances were far from friendly.
Just as I was asking the healer to care for the Caterpillar—
“Why did His Grace bring in that monster? And a southern spy, no less!”
“Is this wretched creature really the reward for our sacrifice in battle?”
Soldiers’ voices drifted from behind.
My chest sank coldly.
‘Is their resentment toward me turning against the Grand Duke?’
That mustn’t happen.
I politely entrusted the Yellow Caterpillar to the healer and left the tent. Arcadia called out, almost snatching me back.
He led me to a small tent.
“I went through the trouble of setting this up just for you. You’re the only woman here. Unlike the plush southern stronghold, this is a battlefield camp—so please spare us any unnecessary demands.”
He emphasized the word “demands.”
I offered a quiet smile.
“This place is far better than the underground cell where I stayed in the stronghold. Thank you.”
“Underground?”
“Yes. True confidantes aren’t usually treated like that. My bed there was a pile of hay—but here, there’s a real bed. This is my first time in such a room.”
I didn’t want this man to hate me. I wanted him to know how grateful I truly was.
“His Grace rescued me from the South. I’m sincerely thankful.”
Arcadia muttered.
“I don’t know how much to trust. But I’ll find out soon enough. I’ve sworn my life to His Grace. Whatever you do, the moment you act, I’ll catch you. Be ready.”
“I hope you’ll come to trust me.”
“Whether I trust you or not is my decision.”
Arcadia cast a cold glance with his icy green eyes.
Back in the Azure Annex, he’d seemed like a cheeky pup joking with the Grand Duke.
Was this the diverse temperament of Northern men?
“And now that you’re here, you’re not planning to idle, I hope? Since you came for ‘the one thing you desire,’ you’ll need to prove your worth.”
He spat out “the one thing you desire” with bitter resentment.
“…”
“What are you good at? What did you do in the South?”
What could I say?
Cooking? Cleaning stables? Laundry?
I’d never done any of it—but I wanted to be useful.
I asked instead.
“What skill would make me useful here in the North?”
Arcadia’s eyebrow twitched. He exhaled as if dismissing me.
“Hah. Quite bold. Well, the most useful skill is clear. We face the Suntus Empire to the north and monsters to the northwest. We must hold them back. Fighting well—that’s the greatest worth.”
“Then… yes. I can fight well. That’s what I’m good at.”
In that moment, I decided to be honest. Aside from the sword, I truly had no experience.
Claiming skill in cooking or laundry would be exposed instantly—earning only the label of liar.
So I’d simply say I was skilled with the blade.
Just enough—adequate for my age, lacking yet showing potential—to be believable.
After all, I’d already faked it well enough to fool the Black Worm.
If I ever wished the Grand Duke to entrust me his back on the battlefield, this gamble was necessary. Later, I could “achieve” Sword Master status through diligent practice.
But—
Arcadia let out a soft laugh. He pointed at me with his finger.
“You? With a sword? With those thin arms? That bony frame? Haha. Come on, lies have their limits.”
“…”
“Hm… maybe pointing was a bit rude. Sorry.”
“No, it’s fine. But I truly wish to help the North. I’m not lying.”
Arcadia tilted his head.
“Why do you want to help the North?”
“Because the South is wrong. I grew up there, but I never liked it. And the Yellow… ah, my friend still has no name. I heard her homeland is the North too. She must feel the same.”
I hope so.
“Now you sound even more suspicious.”
Arcadia said.
A long silence drifted between us.
Quietly, I removed the mask covering half my face—revealing my unmarred, original features. Pale sunlight from the tent entrance touched my face, with its sky-blue eyes.
Arcadia’s eyes widened at the sight.
“This is my true face. I don’t know why my left side collapsed—my memories before age five are gone. But… the South surely knows. That’s why I dislike them. That’s why I wanted to come North.”
“…”
“If proof is needed, I’ll prove I’m someone of worth.”
Arcadia let out a low hum, unable to tear his gaze from my face.
Just then, the tent flap parted, and a familiar voice entered.
“Good spirit. That’s enough to earn a chance at proof, wouldn’t you say, Arcadia?”
“Your Grace!”
Arcadia straightened instantly. It was the Grand Duke of the North.
I hastily bowed toward him.
“Lift your head.”
He said.
I raised my face. He looked into my sky-blue eyes, his own blue gaze burning like a lake aflame.
‘?’
“Arcadia, assign this young lady to serve at my side. That’s an order.”
Male lead is a clingy little husband
One-line summary: The male lead is initially an arrogant, noble, love-deprived brat, later a cute, clingy, scheming little jealous one.
Introduction:
One day, Lu Yuner’s soul transmigrates into a female-dominant world. She enters the Imperial Academy and takes up the position of a doctoral instructor, teaching classes and grading schoolwork.
One day, she encounters the young prince Su Qingwan secretly skipping class from the male academy.
As a result, Su Qingwan is punished.
From then on, Su Qingwan sees Lu Yuner as a “thorn in his side”.
But before long, this “thorn” becomes the person he cherishes most, and he goes to great lengths to win Lu Yuner’s affection.
Mini scene 1:
One day, the sun is high in the sky but Su Qingwan still hasn’t gotten up for class.
Servant Xiaoyuan: “Young prince, it’s time for class. You’ll be late otherwise.”
Su Qingwan says arrogantly: “I’m not going. I am the esteemed prince, my status is so noble, why should I suffer this hardship? Besides, isn’t learning all this just to please women? Hmph, they’re not worthy!”
Mini scene 2:
After Su Qingwan falls for someone, he completely changes. He no longer skips class and diligently learns how to be a good husband and father. But he discovers that Sister Yuner is always surrounded by admirers.
Drunk and overcome with jealousy one day, he clings to Lu Yuner, crying beautifully like a pear blossom in the rain.
Su Qingwan: “Qingwan likes Sister Yuner.”
Lu Yuner: “Young prince, you’re drunk.”
Su Qingwan: “Qingwan isn’t drunk. Qingwan likes Sister Yuner, likes you so much, likes you to bits…” Before he can finish, Lu Yuner’s eyes flash with emotion and she leans in closer.
[Reading Guide]
1. The female lead is gentle, gracious, humble and polite but not weak. The male lead is initially an arrogant, noble, love-deprived brat, later a cute, clingy, scheming little jealous one.
2. 1v1, a bit torturous in the beginning but definitely sweet later on.
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They are deeply concerned and confused and hurt from the past….they just can’t overcome their fear from the past…it is deeply rooted…it will take time…in the mean time they are hurting each other…and Arcadia is also feeling twisted inside…what are all they can do…
This chapters sentences were really weird to read so maybe someone should proofread to verify. It was a lot of broken up words to complete a sentence. like they were talking on a radio.
why did we switch into caller her a he again. Does anyone Proofread. I love the novel but I really wish that you guys would pay better attention. I paid for this novel, I expect it to atleast be done correctly