After encountering the pink bell group, the journey came to an end.
Yerpi looked outside through the carriage window.
‘So this is Growen’s castle.’
Growen Castle stood tall at the center of the Spirit Territories, each divided by season.
Viewed from the spring territory, the ancient fortress perched atop a high hill appeared majestic, like a giant dragon spreading its wings.
Though the Spirit Territories were separated by seasons, Growen itself was the only place unaffected by seasonal changes.
On this ever-peaceful land, a new mistress would arrive today.
As if aware of this, the castle sky was clear and bright, like a bountiful autumn sky.
The escort unit that had gone to welcome the Duchess arrived at Growen Castle after a fortnight.
Above the carriage, still within the spring territory, pink flower petals gently fell.
As if cheering for Yerpi.
She tried to calm her heart, drawing strength from that unheard encouragement.
Yet despite her efforts to steady herself, tension inevitably rose as the castle gates opened and the procession began climbing the hill.
The towering fortress that had once seemed distant now loomed right before Yerpi.
Even the servants of the Growen family who had come out to greet her were now close at hand.
Yerpi stepped out of the carriage and stood beside Raymond.
Then the butler standing at the front of the servants met her gaze.
“Your Grace, I sincerely welcome you to Growen Castle. I am Goff Rowens, humbly serving as the castle’s butler.”
“Thank you. Lord Rowens.”
“Please, call me Goff.”
“All right. Goff.”
A brief exchange of gentle words passed between them.
In the original story, Yerpi had strongly avoided speaking with others.
Her entire world had revolved around Raymond alone.
Thus, she would have completely failed to notice any kindness directed toward her.
As Yerpi accepted Goff’s greeting, she glanced sideways at Raymond.
He stared straight ahead, expressionless, as if merely fulfilling a duty.
Since that day, Raymond had not interrogated her again.
Nor did his inexplicable interest in her seem to remain.
‘If things continue like this, it’ll be fine.’
As if to reinforce Yerpi’s hope, Raymond turned and walked ahead toward the entrance leading to the castle’s lobby.
‘So he’s going in first.’
His consistent indifference reassured Yerpi.
She followed as well, guided by the butler into the lobby.
Inside the antique hall, lined with red carpet, maids stood in a long row, waiting to meet her.
And standing before the maids was Raymond.
‘He didn’t leave?’
She had assumed he would vanish entirely, yet here he was, waiting for her in the lobby.
Startled, her eyes widened, and she nervously darted her green eyes around, unsure where to look.
Unlike the flustered Yerpi, Raymond pointed at the maids with the same indifferent demeanor.
“Choose someone you like. They will become your personal maid from now on.”
This referred to the maid who would serve the Duchess most closely.
At Raymond’s words, the maids tensed up.
Their lowered eyes and stiff expressions clearly showed they feared him.
Unfazed, Raymond continued.
“And there’s one more thing you should know.”
“What is it?”
Could it be a warning or instruction for her duties as Duchess?
Yerpi turned to look at Raymond, listening attentively.
But upon meeting her gaze, Raymond’s expression subtly shifted, and he soon concluded:
“We’ll talk about it later. Rest now. You look pale—like you might collapse again. We’ll speak another time.”
“Huh? But….”
Was it not something important?
More importantly, she didn’t feel ill now, unlike back in the tent.
In fact, she felt rather well.
Yerpi was momentarily flustered but quickly accepted his words, assuming there was another reason behind them.
“All right.”
Apparently, after the last incident, she had been completely labeled as frail.
Raymond paused briefly, watching Yerpi who had obediently agreed.
But just then, another officer waiting in Growen Castle approached Raymond.
“Milord. Excuse me, but there’s something you must attend to.”
“Very well.”
Raymond nodded, and Yerpi assumed he would turn and leave.
But contrary to her expectation, Raymond extended a set of keys toward her.
“Keep these.”
These were the keys of the mistress of Growen House.
She awkwardly took the keyring, which felt antique and heavier than its age suggested.
‘Why is he giving these to me?’
This keyring, symbolizing the mistress of the household, was something the original Yerpi had never received.
The Yerpi who had undergone cram-style education to become Growen’s Duchess had fixated on the symbols of the mistress upon entering the castle.
But Raymond had consistently ignored her demands, and Yerpi, obsessed with him, had spiraled into insecurity and emotional deprivation, ultimately going mad.
While she stood bewildered, staring down at the keys in her hand,
Raymond, apparently having finished his business, had already begun following the officer away from the center of the lobby.
“Oh.”
Yerpi swallowed her words, deterred by his retreating back and the servants still surrounding her.
It was too late to ask why he had given her the keys.
Conversely, the butler and maids seemed to think receiving the keyring was simply a natural part of becoming the Duchess.
In fact, the butler, believing Raymond had shown consideration for his bride, couldn’t help but smile contentedly.
“His Grace clearly worries about you, Your Grace. I’ll now guide you to your quarters. After you rest, I’ll introduce the maids to you.”
Yerpi wanted to say that wasn’t the case, but she feared disrupting the pleasant atmosphere, so she simply smiled and gave the answer the butler expected.
“Please do.”
“This way.”
Following the butler, Yerpi climbed the staircase connected to the lobby.
The central staircase split into two wings from the center, dividing the massive castle into east and west wings.
The butler guided Yerpi to the second floor of the east wing.
Stone-carved stairs, antique carpets laid upon them, and intricately carved ornaments along the way enhanced the ancient castle’s grandeur.
‘It’s on a completely different scale from the Baron’s estate.’
Though the Deilang family was a noble house in the capital with its own prestige, it was nowhere near the level of the Growen family.
As she listened to the butler’s explanation about the castle’s layout, she soon arrived at the Duchess’s chamber.
Opening the carved door, she saw a bedroom decorated in calm green and soft gold.
The elegant, antique furnishings resembled priceless treasures, as beautiful as they were old.
Seeing Yerpi look around the room, the butler spoke.
“If you’d like new furniture or a different arrangement, please let me know.”
“No, this is wonderful as it is.”
Yerpi shook her head.
In Growen, it was tradition for a new Duchess to redecorate her bedroom.
But unlike her dreams, the green wallpaper felt warm, not gloomy at all—so she felt no urge to change anything.
“I see. Please let us know if you change your mind. The maids take turns waiting in the room next door, so if you need anything, just pull the cord beside the bed.”
“All right.”
Yerpi listened calmly to the continued explanation.
Perhaps because he had been briefed by Raymond, the butler seemed to focus only on essential information and soon reached the end.
“Lastly, His Grace’s room is down the left corridor.”
At this, Yerpi looked surprised.
‘It’s closer than I thought.’
In the original story, upon arriving at Growen Castle, Yerpi had frantically searched for Raymond, receiving no explanations from the butler—and that had remained so until her death.
“Thank you for the explanation.”
“I’m also grateful you listened so calmly. You’ve come a long way, so please rest well. I’ll return to greet you again by evening.”
After a brief farewell, the butler withdrew into the corridor.
Soon after, the maids waiting behind him cheerfully approached Yerpi, offering various things.
“How about a bath to wash away your fatigue?”
“We’ve prepared a variety of scented oils.”
“If you tell us what bedding you usually use, we can prepare it right away.”
Their words were kind, but unfamiliar, and coming all at once, they felt slightly overwhelming.
“Then just prepare the bathwater, please.”
“We’ll get it ready right away!”
The maid who had suggested the bath happily ran off to the bathroom.
The other maids quickly followed, eager not to be left behind.
They probably hoped to impress Yerpi and be chosen as her personal maid.
‘Now that I think of it, the original Yerpi’s maid was….’
Yerpi was in the middle of recalling her memories.
The butler had left, saying to call if she needed anything, and disappeared down the corridor.
And so, in the Duchess’s room, filled with green hues, Yerpi was finally alone.
‘I’ve truly arrived at the castle.’
Even while inside, it hadn’t felt real.
But the heavy weight of the keyring still in her hand reminded her this was reality.
While she waited for the bathwater to be prepared,
was the door open?
Yerpi turned her head at a faint movement visible through a small gap.
‘Was that my imagination?’
But the slight stir quickly vanished.
Then, a maid’s voice called out to Yerpi.
She answered, “I’m coming,” and turned around.
At that moment, the presence she thought had disappeared was watching her back as she turned.
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
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