The Crow That’s After Me - Chapter 2

As they went ahead, the road became rough, and snow piled up and melted repeatedly, so there was no mud. If it had been the old carriage, it would probably not be able to withstand and they’d be left stranded. It was fortunate that they switched to a strong northern carriage. Or misfortune would have struck.…

After 15 days of following the Barthian knights, the carriage finally stopped.

“Excuse me, Lady Elena. We’ve arrived at Barthian Castle.”

Sir Arthur, who announced his presence with a dry cough, opened the door. Elena, who got off holding his hand, faced people who came to see her in front of the gate. She took a deep breath, returned Sir Arthur’s cloak, which had been useful in the carriage.

Sir Arthur was right. Even after being covered by the fur cape, Elena trembled the whole time in the carriage. The weather in the north was much harsher than Elena expected.

She took the first step toward the gate. Her silk shoes quickly became dirty when she stepped on the soil covered with snow. It couldn’t be helped. Elena, who gave up trying to save them, raised her head proudly and made eye contact with the people in front of the castle.

Here, where black hair and black eyes were the majority, Elena’s light blonde and blue eyes were too prominent. Their eyes filled with curiosity towards the new stranger were fiercer than the cold wind in the north.

Elena walked forward proudly as if she didn’t feel the cold.

“Duke Barthian is waiting for you. Please follow me.”

Following the butler who came out to greet Elena, they entered the castle. Unlike the imperial palace, which was colourful to every corner to show off its wealth, the northern castle seemed to be decorated only for practical purposes– to prevent the cold.

“How was your journey here?”

“Thanks to them, I didn’t get sick.”

Elena’s silk shoes alone were not enough to prevent the cold from rising from the floor. Her gaze was fixed at the thick leather shoes worn by the butler. She came to her senses only when she arrived in front of the hall.

“Young Lady Elena Selum is entering.”

The gatekeeper made a loud announcement on behalf of the butler. The murmur inside stopped at once. The eyes of those who were staring at Elena were prickly like needles. Elena slowly crossed the large hall, feeling her whole body shaking.

Was everyone not breathing? Elena could clearly hear the silk cloth she was wearing, sweep the floor every time she walked.

After a long time that felt like eternity, Elena finally arrived in front of the high chair where Archduke Barthian was sitting. Elena bowed her knees and bowed.

“Greeting the Archduke Barthian. I’m Elena Celum.”

“Stand up.”

Elena, who stood straight, flinched at the man in front of her eyes.

Archduke Barthian was a much more elegant man than expected. However, his dark black hair and cold eyes were enough to make Elena frightened.

No one would fit better for the title of king of crows. And what was up with that stare? Will he always be that cold? Elena thought to herself.

“You’re not dressed appropriately to be the wife of the Northern Archduke.”

Elena was truly seeming shallow among the northern people covered with black fur.

She wore a white silk dress like a lily. It was the traditional wedding gown in the south. The only problem was that it was not suitable for the northern weather.

Archduke Barthian looked at her with a look, expecting an answer.

“And yet the cold in the north did not break my heart or make me fail to be polite to the Archduke.”

Unexpectedly, he burst into laughter. It was only when he got up from his seat and approached Elena’s front that she could see his large physique. When she looked up, her eyes couldn’t shift off his face, and his arms looked huge enough to hold three Elenas at the same time.

“Decorating is much more important to you than life. My bride is indeed a southerner.”

Elena’s cheeks turned red. The gatekeeper standing far away over there would also notice her hot cheeks. Frustrated, Elena couldn’t say anything. She didn’t know that Archduke Barthian could say this much with a polite face.

“I’m looking forward to how my bride will be able to overcome this northern winter.”

His words sounded very meaningful.

“You must have been tired from the long journey, so please relax before the wedding ceremony.”

He beckoned at the butler. The butler, who was waiting, approached Elena.

“Follow me. I’ll show you to your room.”

Elena bowed politely to him and then turned around. Somehow, she felt like the people gathered in the hall were laughing at me.

She couldn’t believe she was treated like this by him on their first meeting. A sigh came out at the thought that he and the crown prince were not much different. Elena’s desire to have the nanny by her side and the relief that the nanny would rather not have to suffer this humiliation together crossed Elena’s mind.

“This is the room where you will stay.”

Elena looked through the interior with her eyes. Except for dark tapestries and a few furniture to prevent drafts, it was desolate. No matter how you looked at it, Elena was reminded of the dungeon of the imperial palace.

“We’ve been looking forward to the arrival of the Barthian mistress, and so we prepared this hoping that there’s nothing lacking.”

Are you serious? 

Elena stared at the butler as if to gauge the authenticity of his words. However, when she saw a truly proud expression, she wasn’t willing to interrogate him. She had no choice but to adapt to the atmosphere here.

“I’ll show you the bedroom. Let’s go.”

There was another room that looked like a bedroom, behind the drawing room. The bed with a red insignia in the middle of the room, stood out.

“This room is also connected to the Archduke’s bedroom.”

It was not much different from the South, since the rooms were joined. Elena, who nodded, asked, “What about the key?”

The butler smiled with an awkward face.

“If you’re talking about the key to your bedroom door connected to your room… The Archduke has it.”

She didn’t think he’d hand over the key to her. Elena nodded again, without revealing her displeasure. The key was what she needed to get one day.

“And this is Mary, who will be serving you in the future.”

“I greet the Barthian Mistress. It’s a great honour to serve you.”

Elena flinched when she heard the maid’s greeting. It was true that she will soon be the wife of Archduke Barthian, and now she has to get used to not being called Lady Selum.

But, there was only one maid… This seemed to outline how she would be treated here in the future.

“Get up.”

When Elena ordered, Mary, who bent down and bowed, straightened herself. She was a girl with freckles on her nose. Perhaps because she was still young, she looked cute while expressing her curiosity as she stared at Elena.

“I look forward to your kind cooperation.”

Elena gently held Mary’s hand and made eye contact. Mary’s eyes twinkled.

“I’ll leave you alone so that you can rest comfortably. If you need anything else, please tell Mary. If you tell her, Mary will prepare you a bath.”

“I’ll get it ready for you soon!”

Mary bounced like an arrow even before Elena ordered her to do it. Elena smiled quietly because she seemed to be quick. The butler left the room after promising to pick her up before the wedding ceremony.

After a while, Mary, who had heated up the water in the bathtub, removed Elena’s clothes.

“Do you really dress like this in the south? If you wear clothes like this here, you will freeze as it is.”

Mary was surprised when she touched the white silk dress Elena had worn.

“The weather in the south is very mild. There, it doesn’t snow.”

“Do you mean you don’t have ice there?”

Mary jumped. When Elena laughed at the sight, Mary seemed to think that she had lied to tease her.

It didn’t matter either way. She was not going to go to the south and check it out herself. Mary shook her head. The northern people also took it for granted that they were born in the northern part and planned to get buried in the north as well.

“Is the water warm?”

When Elena immersed herself in the cylindrical wooden bathtub, her body’s fatigue, which had been building up from travelling for the past month, disappeared. There were no such things as dried petals and bubbles floating in the water like the capital, but Elena was very satisfied with this alone.

“Mary.”

“Yes madam.”

Mary, who pretended to check the temperature of her water, secretly touched her long blonde hair, and asked in surprise, letting go of her hair as if it was on fire.

“What kind of person is the Archduke?”

She added that it was okay to touch her hair. Mary blushed when she heard Elena’s addition. She did not take her hands off Elena’s hair. It was a rare hair colour in the north.

“I don’t know much about him either. I just saw him from afar. I’m sorry I couldn’t answer what you wanted.”

“There’s nothing we can do.”

“It’s just…”

Just? She waited for her to finish talking, but Mary soon shook her head as if it were nothing. It was obvious that she wouldn’t say anything, what could servants even say about their masters? In the first place, Elena had also asked this without much expectation.

Archduke Barthian. A man who was the opposite of the sun. He was known to be a fierce man, like a crow, and she was skeptical about whether she could accept him.

Of course, Elena has no choice. Tonight, Elena and Archduke Barthian would belong to each other. Elena slowly closed her eyes as she felt the droplets rolling down her shoulder.

After taking a bath, Mary and other maids also came to help for the wedding ceremony. Mary’s eyes sparkled when she saw a golden comb being used while drying Elena’s hair carefully.

“Will you wear this? But you had it on when you arrived at the castle, right?”

Elena dissuaded Mary from looking for other accessories.

“It’s fine. I’ll make do with this. It’s something I cherish the most.”

“Did you get it as a present?” Mary asked in an innocent voice. Elena smiled quietly, thinking of her nanny.

“It was a gift from my nanny who raised me. We split up on our way to the North, but……”

Elena’s smile was already bitter. She wanted to wear the comb that her nanny gave, as a reminder for her, who was alone here. Mary didn’t ask more.

After dressing up, the maid brought a mirror. Instead of looking at her face, Elena checked if the golden comb was placed well. She gained some energy because she felt like she was with her nanny.