The Northern Duke’s Daughter Will Never Fall

Chapter 4: Astrid is Annoyed

Tap, tap-tap, tap.

Astrid’s fingernails lightly tapped on the wooden desk.

Red flames flickered in the fireplace, which was surrounded by layers of iron mesh.

The Grand Duchy of Miterien, which occupied the northern territories of the vast empire.

Although this region had a climate where snow storms raged for more than half the year, thanks to the fireplace, Astrid’s room was filled not with cold but with a cozy warmth.

“Nothing here, as expected.”

Astrid closed the small booklet she had been looking through.

The cover, made of well-tanned deerskin, had the name “Astrid von Miterien” engraved on it in black.

This booklet was a diary that the original Astrid had been writing intermittently since she first learned to read and write as a young child.

“Nothing… nothing. It’s nowhere.”

Astrid opened a drawer and pushed the diary inside.

The drawer was packed with dozens of diaries, stacked one after another, a testament to the passing years.

After shoving the diary she had been reading into the drawer, Astrid let out a long, deep sigh.

10 years ago.

It was the same incident that had been on her mind yesterday, ever since she returned to the mansion with her father, Wolfgang.

The more she searched through her diaries, the more of a labyrinth it became.

One thing was clear: her relationship with Leopold had deteriorated rapidly starting from that incident 10 years ago.

Even in the diary, there was an entry saying, “Tomorrow is the day I’ll meet Leopold. I can’t wait to see him,” filled with the excitement of a young girl. But the very next page was consumed with seething hatred, vowing to “definitely kill Leopold.”

What on earth had happened?

She couldn’t ask outright, so every time she tried to bring it up with the servants or even the nanny, starting with, “About that time, 10 years ago…” they would flinch, claim they knew nothing, and shake their heads. With that reaction, she couldn’t press the matter further.

If only she could find out…

‘Would anything change, though?’

Would her relationship with Leopold improve?

That wasn’t something she particularly wished for. Improve their relationship? Me? With him? No way. Absolutely not.

Her relationship with Leopold was already strained.

This was obvious from a simple look at Astrid’s diary. And yet, she still checked her diaries frequently to prevent even the slightest possibility that Leopold’s feelings toward her might change from animosity to affection.

In short, she wanted to preemptively block any shift in Leopold’s emotions from resentment to affection—

“Company, attention!”

Her train of thought was abruptly shattered by a powerful command coming from outside.

Peeking through the thick blackout curtains, Astrid gazed outside.

Through the frosted glass, she could see the training grounds clearly.

She had once wondered who thought it was a good idea for the view outside a girl’s room to be a training ground. But as she read through her old diaries, she found it made sense.

Whenever there was a raid from foreign tribes, Astrid would ride out with Wolfgang.

In fact, it was Astrid, not Wolfgang, who displayed even greater martial prowess on the battlefield—a realization that often made her chuckle.

It seemed that another raid from the tribes was underway.

It had only been half a year since Astrid recovered from her sickbed, and next week she was supposed to head to the academy.

Wolfgang hadn’t asked her to join him this time, but she had still been worried about what she would do if he did.

Astrid’s gaze slowly shifted to the greatsword hanging on the wall directly behind her desk.

Its length was about the same as Astrid’s height, and its blade width was roughly the same as her waist.

It was so heavy that even lifting it with both hands seemed impossible. But Astrid reached out and gripped its handle.

Because it had been hanging for so long, the room’s warmth had banished any coldness from the blade.

With her hand firmly gripping the handle, she lifted it.

A faint sense of weight.

Just “faint” was all it felt like. The greatsword moved lightly, tracing arcs that matched the movements of her hand.

This greatsword, clearly designed not for thrusting but for slashing, hacking, and smashing, reflected the flickering light from the fireplace, making it glow a deep red.

”Divine Strength…’’

One of the two blessings of the stars that resided within Astrid—Divine Strength.

This blessing granted her the power of a giant, allowing her to wield this enormous greatsword with a single hand, a feat that most people could not accomplish even with two.

Step.

Her left foot took a half-step forward.

Then her right foot took a large step forward.

Whoosh.

The greatsword traced an arc from upper right to lower left.

She followed up with a sweeping strike to the left.

Pivoting on her right foot, she spun around—

Thunk.

The greatsword stopped just shy of touching the ground.

It halted with only the thickness of a book’s space left between it and the floor.

Although the blade had stopped, the weight of it still pressed down on the air, causing a heavy impact to resonate against the floor.

”Divine Arms…’’

The second of the two blessings bestowed upon Astrid—Divine Arms.

Like a beast that prowled the snowy plains, it granted her instinctual combat prowess.

Without needing to think, her body would move on its own, guided by a supernatural battle sense.

This blessing’s nature allowed her to grow stronger the more she fought.

Both blessings, which were ideal for a general of a nation, had taken root within Astrid.

But she was different from the original Astrid.

She was still lacking in many ways.

No matter how much the body remembered the martial arts, it was useless if the mind could not keep up.

Even if the body remembered the basics of martial arts, combat was still difficult for the current Astrid, whose mind was not yet in harmony.

‘What should I do…’

While holding the greatsword precariously just above the floor, Astrid’s thoughts grew deeper.

“You seem to be itching for action, Sister.”

At some point, a man had appeared in the open doorway, clapping his hands with a grin directed at her.

As Astrid pulled back the greatsword, she spoke with a blank expression.

“Ashray. I told you to knock.”

“I did. You just didn’t hear it, Sister.”

With that response, there was nothing more to say. It was possible she’d been too focused on other thoughts to hear it, so Astrid didn’t bother to argue further.

“So, what’s your business?”

The man, taller than Astrid by a full head, stepped into the room.

The clanging sound of his iron greaves echoed as he approached.

The man, now standing in front of Astrid, had short-cropped hair and a thick scar running across his face.

He had the build of two Astrids put together and resembled a black bear with his massive frame. Yet, he looked at Astrid with a soft, amiable smile.

“Another incursion, it seems. Right before deployment, I figured you might be bored, Sister.”

Ashray Miterien.

Although he bore the Miterien surname, he wasn’t originally from the Miterien bloodline and had never been given an official house title.

He was a former orphan from a conquered region, picked up on a whim by Wolfgang. He was three years younger than Astrid, and though they’d grown up as foster siblings…

“How thoughtful of you.”

Alongside Wolfgang, he was one of the few family members with whom Astrid felt completely at ease.

Astrid von Miterien, known as the White Snow Leopard of the Snowfields.

Ashray Miterien, known as the Black Bear of the Snowfields.

Their nicknames were opposites, just like their personalities. Despite that, Astrid regarded this bear-like man as a true younger brother.

“So, the deployment ceremony is underway. Why are you here?”

“Father’s speech is still going on, isn’t it? It’s just going to be another long, boring speech. Standing around in the cold for that… Oh, mind if I sit for a bit, Sister?”

“…”

Astrid didn’t respond, but she did step aside to clear the way.

A silent invitation to enter and sit.

“Then, with your permission,” Ashray said as he strode into the room and plopped himself onto the sofa.

“How many times do I have to tell you to sit down gently so the sofa doesn’t sink?”

“It’s a habit, Sister. Sorry about that. Anyway, standing there listening to speeches in the cold is just a pain. I’ll go down when it’s time to leave.”

‘Yeah, standing around in the cold really is awful.’

Memories of standing on the training grounds, stomping her feet to stay warm during the battalion commander’s speech before winter training, suddenly came to mind.

Shaking her head to dismiss the memory, Astrid nodded at Ashray.

“Fine. Make yourself comfortable.”

Ashray’s eyes followed Astrid as she walked behind her desk, greatsword in hand, and hung it back on its rack.

“To think you’re swinging that heavy thing with one hand like it’s nothing. Every time I see it, I’m amazed, Sister. Your strength is truly extraordinary.”

“Indeed.”

The conversation was abruptly cut off.

Normally, when someone spoke, a response would follow. But Astrid’s “Indeed” was so curt that the flow of conversation simply died.

“Oh, come on! When someone talks, you’re supposed to respond to keep the conversation going! Do you always have to give one-word answers? His Highness, Crown Prince Leopold, must be having a rough time with you, I’m sure.”

For a brief moment, Astrid’s gaze fixed on Ashray.

Her mint-green eyes, now icy cold, locked onto him, their sharp glow unmistakable.

“Say that again. Just once more.”

Ashray, who had been lounging on the sofa, flinched and sat upright. He averted his gaze, pretending not to notice her glare.

After glaring at him for a while, Astrid finally spoke.

“I’m sorry, Sister.”

She didn’t dislike people who acknowledged their mistakes and apologized.

Satisfied that he’d learned his lesson, Astrid pulled out her chair at the desk and sat down.

“Take care of yourself. Make sure you don’t get hurt.”

“Yes, I will.”

“Sons of Miterien!”

The voice was so loud that it penetrated the thick window and reached Astrid’s room.

It seemed Wolfgang was delivering a speech to the soldiers before deployment. Astrid, curious, pulled back the curtains and peered outside.

The training grounds were lined with soldiers standing in formation.

At the front of the formation stood the standard-bearer, holding the Miterien family’s flag. The soldiers, arranged in five rows, stood perfectly aligned.

Standing atop the platform was Wolfgang von Miterien.

He wore not a cumbersome full plate armor—which would freeze with sweat in such harsh weather—but a suit of Miterien armor. It was padded for warmth and covered with interlocking lamellar plates that resembled fish scales.

With a shield in one hand and a morning star in the other, Wolfgang was delivering his speech to the soldiers.

“Ashray, you’d better get going. If you’re late, they might blame you for delaying the deployment.”

“Ah, but Sister, your room’s so cozy that I don’t want to leave. Ugh, but I guess I have no choice. I’ll be off, then.”

“Alright. Take care of yourself.”

“Yes, Sister.”

The clattering of Ashray’s greaves echoed as he walked away, growing fainter until even the sound of him descending the stairs disappeared.

Astrid closed the door and gazed out the window once more.

Before long, she could see Wolfgang, Ashray, and the soldiers marching out through the gates of the training grounds.