The Northern Duke’s Daughter Will Never Fall

Chapter 36: Fool and Fool (2)

Vacation.

No matter how many times you hear it, the word “vacation” always feels new and exciting.

And this time, it was a long one—an entire month of vacation.

Michelburg, also known as the Academy City, wasn’t exactly a place with smooth transportation connections to the rest of the country.

While there were convenient routes to the capital, Persangte, there were no direct routes from Michelburg to the northern territories where the Miterien estate was located.

But since the Miterien Grand Duke’s residence in Persangte had its own private carriage, Astrid was currently riding it alone, on her way to the capital.

【So, tell me—why exactly won’t you cooperate with me?】

It was Astrid’s voice, sounding notably frustrated.

Since this morning, the “real” Astrid had suddenly started speaking formally. When asked why, she claimed it was only natural for the daughter of a grand duke to maintain proper etiquette. It didn’t matter to Astrid either way, so she didn’t argue.

With the real Astrid’s dissatisfaction plain in her voice, the current Astrid frowned and rubbed her temples.

It all started last night.

【As I said, I’ve spent my whole life dreaming of marrying His Highness. Nothing else matters to me.】

‘I’m telling you, I have absolutely no intention of doing that. Honestly, I have no idea how this situation even came to be, but I’m definitely not going along with it.’

Astrid briefly considered revealing that she was originally a man. But after recalling how the real Astrid had thrown a fit about how she shouldn’t rub her face with a towel or use a cleanser incorrectly, she decided against it.

If she told her she was a man occupying her body, she had a feeling the “real” Astrid would throw an even bigger tantrum about her “purity” or something.

【Why? Do you think His Highness is lacking in some way?】

‘It’s not about him being “lacking”—’

The thought “it’s just biologically impossible” came to mind, but she stopped herself before it could fully form. 

It was a miracle that she was able to do so, but apparently, she could shift her thoughts to a different topic at will.

She still wasn’t sure if every thought she had was transmitted directly to the real Astrid, or if it only happened when she intended to communicate. Until she figured it out, she had to remain on guard.

…The “real” Astrid didn’t seem to have any such caution, but that didn’t mean she had to be the same.

‘More importantly, why do you like Leopold so much? If you’re that obsessed with him, shouldn’t you have followed him to the Academy and stuck to him like glue?’

【What’s the point of an Academy like that? It’s meaningless to me. With my abilities, that Academy holds no value. Besides, I already had the perfect plan in place, so there was no need to bother.】

‘…What plan?’

She had to hear it.

Honestly, the “real” Astrid didn’t seem all that smart. But there was something about her intuition that couldn’t be ignored. 

She had a knack for coming up with unexpected moves that caught people off guard. If her plan turned out to be effective and Leopold actually started to fall for her, things could get really messy.

If that happened to coincide with one of their body-switching moments, and Leopold proposed to her while she was in control, it would be a disaster.

【It’s a plan to show His Highness how devoted and homely I am—a perfect “ideal wife” strategy.】

‘…And what’s this perfect plan of yours?’

【I’ll visit him every week while he’s serving as a knight in the order. I’ll personally show him how devoted and homely I can be.】

She’s definitely going to get dumped.

Honestly, if Astrid just let her do whatever she wanted, the engagement might be broken naturally. 

Even if it wasn’t officially called off, Leopold would probably end up falling for someone else.

Suddenly, she pictured Leopold walking down the wedding aisle with Akemilla, Emillie, or Violet one after another. The image floated uninvited into her mind, and for some reason, it irritated her.

She didn’t like that image.

No, she definitely didn’t like it.

Meanwhile, the “real” Astrid’s voice was filled with smug satisfaction.

【You must be amazed by my flawless plan. Well, it’s only natural. It’s foolproof, after all.】

She could practically picture the “real” Astrid’s triumphant grin.

After hearing that so-called plan, all she could do was sigh.

‘…Anyway, let’s get back to the experiment we talked about before leaving this morning.’

Today, they hadn’t switched places even once.

Astrid had a theory. Based on her observations, it seemed like they could only switch places once per day.

So now, it was important to figure out how long one of them could stay in control after a switch occurred. That way, she’d be prepared for any unexpected developments.

Reaching into her travel bag, she pulled out a small hourglass.

Once all the sand in this hourglass fell to the bottom, it would mark ten minutes.

The moment she set the hourglass, she initiated the switch. This time, she planned to measure how long the “real” Astrid could stay in control.

‘Got it? We’re going to know how long you can stay in control of the body.’

【Alright. That’s a necessary step. You’re more competent than I expected.】

‘I’m probably smarter than you.’

【That’s an insult. I can’t let that slide.】

‘Stop talking and just switch already.’

【…Relax your body.】

With those words, Astrid let all the strength drain from her body.

The familiar sensation of turning a channel dial hit her, and the world spun momentarily—

Suddenly, she saw Astrid digging through the travel bag.

【Hey! What are you doing?!】

‘What do you think? I’m checking to see how much damage you’ve done to my skin.’

【The hourglass! Check the hourglass!】

There was no way ten minutes had passed already, but still, it’s better to be sure. She didn’t know how much time had passed during the moment of switching control.

‘We’ve got plenty of time left. Hm, it’s not as bad as I thought. You’re a woman too, so why do you treat your body so carelessly? Using just any old cleanser, scrubbing your face with a towel… You’re as rough as a tomboy.’

She had a surprisingly sharp tongue.

【Never mind that, just check the hourglass!】

The 10-minute hourglass had to be flipped six times.

One hour.

【This is ridiculous. It’s my body, yet I only get to use it for an hour a day? What kind of unfair system is this?!】

‘I don’t know either, so stop whining about it.’

One hour a day.

That was the time the “real” Astrid could be in control.

Should she keep the real Astrid away from Leopold during that time? Or would it be better to let them stay close?

If she let them stay close, the real Astrid would cling to Leopold like glue. Judging by the way she’d been talking, it was unlikely she’d be able to confess her feelings properly.

Instead, she’d end up getting jealous of other girls like Akemilla, Emillie, or Violet and launch into a full-scale rivalry.

It’d backfire, lowering Leopold’s opinion of her while ruining her reputation among her peers. This could lead to a broken engagement.

But if the engagement were broken, who knew what this girl might do? She could throw a tantrum or even try something extreme like suicide. If she died, so would Astrid.

No, letting them stay close wasn’t an option.

But keeping them apart wasn’t much better. If they were separated, who knows what stunts she’d pull.

On top of that, since Astrid had no control during the switch, she’d be forced to just sit back and watch.

It was a headache no matter how she looked at it.

Round-trip travel took two weeks.

The total vacation was four weeks.

With two weeks spent on travel alone, she’d only have two weeks of actual vacation.

But Astrid wasn’t too upset. If anything, she welcomed the solitude. It gave her more time to reflect and sort things out in her head.

【Hmph… Come to think of it, I haven’t informed Father about my vacation.】

‘…Father?’

Was she talking about Wolfgang?

Big as a bear and all smiles whenever someone called him “Dad,” Wolfgang was a lovable figure in Astrid’s mind.

【What are you talking about? Why would I inform that old man?】

‘Then… oh no. You’re not talking about…’

【Of course! I’m talking about Kreutz von Einthafen, the father of this empire and my future father-in-law! I have to report my vacation to him, don’t I?】

That’s like a new recruit going on vacation and filing a notice directly with the president.

It’s unnecessary, but Kreutz probably wouldn’t mind. Still, who’s calling him “Father” here? Since when did he become “Father-in-law”?

But Astrid’s mind sparked with an idea.

After all, she was currently the official fiancée of the crown prince. Kreutz had also acknowledged her as a suitable daughter-in-law.

The crown prince’s fiancée, and future daughter-in-law of the Emperor of the Einthafen Empire—

She had never considered using that title to her advantage.

‘…Hey, Astrid.’

【Don’t act so familiar with me.】

‘Who’d want to be friends with you, anyway?!’

【Hmph. So what do you want?】

‘I’ll make you an offer you can’t refuse.’

【An offer I can’t refuse? That’s not an offer; that’s coercion. Are you stupid or something?】

Being called a fool by an actual fool felt especially infuriating.