âI didnât know you two had such a good relationship.â
âWell, I just realized the importance of having my only sister when she was far away.â
âAnyway, itâs Nadiaâs own business, itâs none of your business. She volunteered to go to the North, so she would have expected that.â
âYouâre rightâ¦â¦.â
The Duke said so and beckoned his aide.
âYou have to conduct a tax investigation on merchants operating in the North. Secretly dispatch investigators.â
âYes, sir.â
âThe Northern merchants? Is there any problem in the North?â
ââ¦Callaiene.â
The Dukeâs brows furrowed. Why did a girl who couldnât even help him butting in on everything?
He spoke in a cold voice to his second daughter, who later shrank her shoulders.
âI donât have time to play with you. If you have nothing more to say, leave.â
ââ¦â¦Iâm sorry to disturb you.â
Callaine had to leave her fatherâs office at his command while pouting.
But unlike her dejected expression, she didnât feel so bad.
âWell, thatâs a good thing.â
Her herbal tea business could not have been good even if she came home now because she made an excuse to start a herbal tea business.
All the dowry was taken away, and the reputation of the family was buried in the mud.
âWhy is she that was stupid?â¦. If I had taken some of the dowry away, I would have lived well at least.â
There was no way that the Winterfell family would treat a disgusting outsider nicely.
Callaine felt bored living in a mansion for a while, but the news from the North seemed to blow away her depression.
She hummed down the hall. Then her eyes met with the person walking from the opposite side.
âOh, Sir Jiho?â
âItâs an honor to meet Lady Callaine.â
Walking from the opposite side was Lee Jiho, a knight who came from the other world.
It was no wonder that he, Duke Balazitâs hand and foot, to be in the mansion.
Like a knight dealing with his noble love interest, he bent slightly and reached out his hand. Itâs a gesture of asking for a kiss on the back of the hand.
Normally, Callaine would not have allowed physical contact with strangers from her family member, but the very pleasant Callaine gently reached out.
âDid you come to see my father?â
âYes, he told me there is something I have to do. Did you hear what happened?â
âNo, I donât know. I just met my father, but he only talked about my sisterâs letter.â
At that moment, Lee Jihoâs expression hardened noticeably.
âDid you receive a letter from Miss Nadia?â
Wow, look at him
Callaine thought as she opened her eyes coyly.
He called a married woman âMiss Nadiaâ, not the Marchioness of Winterfell.
Intentionally or unintentionally, it was clear that he was not happy with her marriage arrangement.
âWhat do you think, a woman who was supposed to marry you ended up confessing her love to someone else in front of everyone?â
No one didnât even told him in advance that there was a change in their plans.
It was a weird sight that the bride was taken away by a rival, and to see the Dukeâs order got ignored.
âHow is she doing? The North wouldnât be a good place for a fragile lady to live.â
âThere are a lot of difficulties, but she doesnât regret it. Thatâs her personality. She doesnât regret her choice.â
At first glance, it sounded like a word to cheer up her half sister, but the meaning was completely different.
It was as if he was saying about her sister, âDid you think Nadia would marry Glenn for nothing?â
Then his forced smile began to shake on the corners of his mouth.
Lee Jiho replied, trying to manage his facial expression.
âWell⦠Iâm glad she has adjusted well.â
Did Lee Jiho know that his relieved and thankful expression wasnât so convincing?
Callaine laughed brightly, hiding her degrading gaze.
She would welcome more than one antagonist against Nadia.
âHe wonât even be able to check the letter himself anyway.â
Besides, wasnât it obvious that Nadia didnât want to marry a stranger?
Considering that, this time she didnât really lie when she said that Nadia adapting well.
âDidnât my father call you? Hurry up and go. Oh, by the way, my father is not in a good mood right now, so be careful.â
âYes, thank you.â
âSee you next time.â
Callaine smiled and passed by Lee Jiho. The steps back to her bedroom seemed to bounce.
She felt like she was recovering from her bad mood at once. She smirked as she recalled her half-sister in the North.
âShe deserves it anyway. She is going to go through a lot.â
* * *
At the same time, the office of the Winterfell castle.
âThis is the budget for repairing the walls. The monster strike could explode anytime soon, so repair it in advance.â
âT-thank you! You are indeed a benefactor of this estate!â
âNext.â
As the captain of the castle wall guard received a gold coin pocket, he bowed his head so deep that it almost touched the floor and.
It was Nadia followed by  the administrators.
âWe had a bad harvest last year, so it will be hard to survive just with the production of the territory. Buy the grain with this money in advance. No one should starve to death.â
âWell, Iâm so glad you came to the North at this time of year.â¦. You are indeed a blessing from heaven. If the late master had seen thisâ¦â¦.â
Nadia raised her hand to block the administrator who was constantly praising her.
âAll right, just leave me alone. Thereâs a lot of people waiting for the budget.â
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âOh, of course!â
The row of officials was looking at Nadia with chick-like eyes waiting for food.
If she told the rest of them to go back, they might shed tears.
Thatâs true, the Winterfell estate, which had long suffered from budget shortages, now had a lot of money to spend here and there.
She was almost amazed at how they had endured so far.