Darius set down his pen. He had just finished his work for the day.

‘I thought she might come to see me if she got bored, but she didn’t.’

It wasn’t particularly disappointing. He had intentionally not inquired about Annette’s whereabouts all day, not wanting to seem concerned. Just now, he had remembered her.

Although Darius maintained an indifferent expression, curiosity about Annette flickered in his eyes.

However, hearing from Annette’s maid what she had done that day, Daniel couldn’t help but smile and frown at the same time.

“She visited the training ground, but was stopped by Sir Lucion.”

“What?”

“Lucion is quick-tempered, even if it doesn’t show. He probably had some grievances against the new Duchess. But Annette managed to subdue him, and even that stern Lucion couldn’t say a word.”

Daniel added, “In a way, it’s a good thing. Since she’s deflated his pride, no one will dare to underestimate the Duchess.”

“A good thing that my wife was challenged by my subordinate? Since when did the Duchess of the North have to pass the scrutiny of my subordinates?”

Darius sharply rebuked him.

The frail previous Duke had never been fully acknowledged as the true ruler of the North. The memory of his ignored father overlapped with Annette.

‘No, it’s not the fault of the knights. This situation is my responsibility. I haven’t given Annette the authority she deserves.’

Despite bringing her as the Duchess of the North, there wasn’t even a grand wedding. With no visible authority, it’s natural for subordinates to rebel.

Authority can be established.

‘I need to gather the knights and conduct a ceremony of allegiance to Annette.’

Let them know who their true lady is.

Clutching his teeth, Darius stood up from his seat.

Annette was in her room. Perhaps because of what he had heard, Darius thought Annette’s back looked smaller than usual.

‘Annette…….’
How could he console her? Holding a ceremony and establishing authority were minor things. The important issue was that the wound in her heart might not easily heal.

‘Is this a book?’

Books were piled up on the desk where Annette sat. ‘History of the North,’ ‘History of Inkheart Castle,’ ‘The First Duke of Inkheart and His Descendants.’ All of them were about the folklore and history of the northern region.

‘What did Lucion say to insult Annette?’

It was obvious. Annette, being from the South, must have been ostracized, which led her to delve into books about the North.

Despite being discriminated against for her origin, Annette’s efforts to adapt and not give up on the North were commendable.

“Annette, I…”

“Darius!”

Just as he was about to comfort Annette, whose back was trembling, her blue eyes curved like thin crescents as she looked at Darius.

Annette suddenly stood up and hugged Darius tightly.

Her face was not filled with gloom, but rather brimming with bright joy.

“Darius, I’ve found a treasure buried in this castle! We won’t have to worry about money for a while now!”

Bang, bang, bang. Whoooosh.

As an old wall corner crumbled, a hidden space appeared. People, who had been skeptical until then, now had a look of ‘Could it really be?’ anticipation.

“Let’s wait until the dust settles.”

After the dust cleared and the broken wall fragments were removed, two jars were revealed, both filled with gold coins. Despite everything else being worn and faded over time, the coins in the jars still sparkled brilliantly, as if they had been waiting just for this moment. This was the treasure Annette had mentioned.

A worker washed a coin and bit it. Round teeth marks remained on the coin.

“It’s real gold! Pure gold coins!”

“Unbelievable, the lady’s words were true!”

Inkheart Castle was enveloped in a festive atmosphere.