[Cassian’s POV — Ashcroft Manor — Midnight]
The manor had long since fallen silent. Only the soft crackle of the fireplaces and the distant howl of the winter wind disturbed the midnight stillness; a single lantern swung from my hand as I walked through the dark corridor. Its warm glow spilled across the polished stone with every measured step.
The knights stationed outside the Grand Duchess’s chamber straightened the instant they saw me. Surprise flickered across their faces.
Understandable. In all the years of our marriage, I had never once entered my wife’s chamber after nightfall. Both men lowered their heads immediately.
"Your Grace."
I acknowledged them with a slight nod before placing a hand upon the door.
Creeeak...
Warmth embraced me as the scent of cedarwood drifted from the fireplace, chasing away the bitter winter air. The room was peaceful, far too peaceful for someone who carried the Empire on his shoulders.
My gaze found the bed.
Lucielle slept soundly beneath a mountain of blankets, one arm wrapped around the tiny white fox cub nestled against her chest.
The little beast cracked open a sleepy eye as I approached. Instead of baring its teeth... It quietly climbed off the bed; the tiny paws padded across the wooden floor until it stopped before me.
Sniff.
Sniff.
"So," I crouched before it. "Even you know whom your mistress belongs beside."
The fox answered by rubbing against my boot, and a faint laugh escaped me. "Wise creature."
As my fingers scratched behind its ears, the cub immediately leaned into my hand before shamelessly climbing into my lap, curling there as though it had belonged there all its life.
"You resemble her."
Stubborn, cautious, and incapable of resisting warmth.
"...Mmm..."
A sleepy murmur drifted from the bed, and my attention returned to Lucielle. Several crimson strands had fallen across her face; still asleep, she caught one between her lips and frowned.
"...Too long..."
She mumbled the complaint so quietly I almost missed it. The corner of my mouth lifted as I reached toward her, slowly and carefully. My fingers brushed the loose strands behind her ear.
She unconsciously leaned into my touch, and silence settled over the room. For a long moment, I simply watched her; there had been a time when even standing this close was impossible.
She feared me and avoided me. Locked every door she could between us. Yet now even in her sleep she no longer recoiled from my touch.
How strange, the woman who refused to look at me during the day now sought my warmth without knowing it. My hand drifted lower; her fingers rested atop the blanket, small, cold, and fragile enough to disappear inside my own.
I enclosed her little finger with mine; she did not pull away, and a dangerous satisfaction settled deep within my chest.
"You’ve finally stopped running, my beloved."
She had no idea how many nights I had stopped outside this door, how many times I had reached for the handle before turning away, and how difficult it had become...to leave.
Tomorrow we will go to the Imperial Capital. A nest of vipers, a city that still whispered another man’s name whenever they looked at my wife.
Lucielle Ashcroft, born Lucielle Duskbane, the little girl raised to become the empire’s future crown princess. Every lesson, every dance, every smile, and every expectation had been crafted for one man.
The Crown Prince.
But then House Duskbane fell, debt devoured their name, and just like that, political alliances shifted and promises became worthless.
And a frightened ten-year-old child was handed to House Ashcroft. She had not entered this manor as a bride; she had entered it grieving the future stolen from her.
The Empire believed the Grand Duchess still loved the Crown Prince.
Even I believed it, perhaps because it was easier than admitting the truth. I had never given her a reason to see me as anything except the husband fate chained her to.
The manor has not changed. House Ashcroft has not changed; only you have. I find that I prefer this version of you.
My thumb brushed gently over her knuckle, and my voice was little more than a whisper.
"You belong to House Ashcroft. You belong with me. I have no intention of surrendering what is mine."
Lucielle shifted in her sleep; she rolled onto her stomach, one bare leg slipping from beneath the blankets. The fox immediately abandoned my lap and curled against her side.
Stepping closer, I drew the blanket back over her shoulder, tucking it around her with practiced care; she hated the cold. If she caught so much as a chill, she would spend the next morning pretending she wasn’t ill.
Stubborn woman.
My hand lingered for a final moment. Once more, I caught her smallest finger, this time... I didn’t let go immediately; her tiny hand looked absurdly delicate against mine.
Mine.
The thought settled over me with dangerous certainty.
"I care little for who occupied your heart before me. History cannot be rewritten, but the future can. The Empire may remember the Crown Prince...but it will learn to remember only one thing. You are Cassian Ashcroft’s wife. Stay beside me...and I will never allow anyone to take you away again."
***
[Lucielle’s POV—The Next Morning—Ashcroft Manor]
I slowly peeled one eye open, and somehow I do not know why I slept so ridiculously well.
Usually, I woke up feeling as though I’d spent the entire night fighting a death match against my blankets... and somehow lost.
But today? My body felt warm, comfortable, and relaxed as though I’d been wrapped in the world’s softest cloud and personally blessed by the God of Sleep.
. . .
Suspicious, extremely suspicious.
I squinted at the ceiling. "...Did somebody drug my pillow? Or had I finally unlocked premium sleep?"
Slowly pushing myself upright, I glanced beside me; the tiny white fox was stretched so dramatically it looked as though it had just finished a twelve-hour shift before immediately flopping onto its back with absolutely zero shame.
"Morning..."
"Yip."
"Lucky, you don’t have responsibilities." The fox blinked lazily before letting out another enormous yawn. "Actually...neither do I."
A slow grin spread across my face. Life was absolutely beautiful: no office, no endless overtime, no boss breathing down my neck and no emails marked URGENT at 2 a.m.
I pressed both hands dramatically against my chest. "I love reincarnation."
Whoever invented this world...thank you. You have my eternal gratitude.
Stretching both arms high above my head, I let out a long, completely unladylike groan. "Aaaaaaaaahhh~~~"
Crack.
Crack.
Pop.
A glorious symphony echoed from my spine. "I can actually feel my soul reconnecting with my body."
With newfound determination, I threw the blankets aside and swung my legs over the edge of the bed—time to greet another wonderfully unemployed day with a journey toward the capital.
***
[Lucielle’s POV — Later --- Near the Carriage]
I was...ridiculously excited. Today wasn’t just another day of lounging around Ashcroft Manor while pretending to be an elegant grand duchess.
Today... I was finally leaving the North, the imperial capital, the heart of the Aerath Empire, and the place where our stolen—ahem—donated treasure was waiting for its rightful owner.
"Just you wait," I quietly clenched my fist. "I’m coming for every single gold coin."
And...If luck happened to be on my side... Maybe I’d finally figure out where the original novel’s plot currently stood. Because as far as I remembered... I wasn’t even supposed to be here.
By this point in the story...Lucielle Ashcroft should have already been dead, poisoned, and buried. Turned into nothing more than a tragic backstory mentioned in passing.
Yet here I was, alive, healthy, and financially optimistic.
’Which means...I’ve already ditched the novel by five percent, ten if I were feeling generous and maybe...’
I glanced at Cassian; Ashcroft was already seated, dressed entirely in black, a heavy fur coat rested over his broad shoulders, its collar framing his silver hair. The top button of his coat had been left undone, exposing the dark high-collared uniform beneath.
He looked exactly like the final boss who appears after you’ve already used every healing potion.
’...Had I unknowingly begun changing his as well?’
Almost as though sensing my gaze, Cassian slowly lifted his eyes; those calm ocean-blue eyes met mine.
"Did something happen?"
I blinked.
"I’ve been wondering, why are we truly going to the capital? I am sure we are going to collect our donated treasure, aren’t we?
Silence filled the carriage for several moments. Then...
"Yes, we are going to the capital for Heat Mana Stones."
I tilted my head. Cassian’s gaze shifted toward the snowy landscape passing beyond the carriage window.
"This winter will be harsher than any in recent years. The forests have become too damp for usable firewood, and without heat, the people of Ashcroft will not survive the coming months. We require Heat Mana Stones, and only one noble family possesses enough to supply an entire territory—House Eisenhart."
. . .
. . .
My heartbeat stopped.
"What?" I stared at Cassian. "Did you just say...Eisenhart?"
He looked back at me. "Yes, Baron Aldric Eisenhart of Ironridge."
The name echoed inside my head.
Eisenhart. Ironridge.
That surname... I knew it because there was only one Eisenhart in the original novel.
Lily Eisenhart.
The heroine is the only daughter of House Eisenhart and the woman destined to steal the hearts of nearly every important man in the story.
. . .
. . .
A cold shiver slowly ran down my spine as I finally realized.
This was the beginning.
The original novel had started when Cassian traveled to the capital to negotiate for heat-mana stones. That journey eventually led him to crossing paths with Lily Eisenhart.
The heroine.
That means the original novel has started, and without realizing it, I had survived long enough to arrive at... Chapter One.