I reincarnated as the Duke from the North.

The Duchess

 

8 days later

 

An orphanage.

 

“And the holy beings brought down their power upon the demons, bringing the evil beings to their knees. But their strength was as great as their evil. On our world, the battle wrought. With each blow, an ocean formed. With each strike, a continent rose. With every struggle, a mountain rose to the sky. As the angels brought life, the fallen turned it all into dust. Life, death, and rebirth. Again and again, the cycle of existence turned as they fought for aeons. Till one day out of trillions, one angel thought of a plan. A plan to cage the demons once and for all. A plan much hated by the proud angels. And so the rebellious angel worked in secret to enact his plan. Modelled after the Costeliation's servants, the wise angels work day after day, ignoring the forever war. There were many failed experiments and successes but there was only one truly perfected.”

 

“The saint!!” A child shouts.

 

The cardinal smiled. “The wise angel snuck out as war waged, descending into our world for a moment to bring the demons a single gift.”

 

“Interesting lore you have.” A deep voice said by the door and I turned around and a tall warrior smirked, leaning on the door frame with arms crossed.

 

“Tarion…” My heart went pitter-patter like the first time I met him. Kelly ran from my lap to hug the duke.

 

“How's my little survivor!” A gale picked up the giggling girl. Juggling kids around in air currents, his eyes land on me.

 

“Sorry, kids didn't come to play this time. I am in need of the duchess's help with work and stuff.”

 

The children moaned. “But you're a duke. Just say no.” Kelly said, stubbornly.

 

“Even a Duke has responsibilities he can't shove away. Vanessa?” Floating the children down, he put out a hand.

 

With no hesitation, I took the hand of the man I hadn't seen in a week.

 

“Apologies for interrupting your, lecture, Cardinal.”

 

“Mm.” He grunted. Still not on good terms? Tarion did blackmail him into officiating a vow.

 

"Mother, can you-?”

 

“Sure, darling.” She said with a sleeping toddler in her arms. She winked and smiled. “Have fun!”

 

“Fun?” Tarion pulled me to his hot chest. Beating with such strength. My legs feel weightless, dangling on nothing.

 

“Oh…”

 

Metres in the air I watched the children gawk at us from below.

 

“Much smoother flight, huh.”

 

Scarlet Eyes looked directly into mine as we Flew higher. Above the clouds with still rose. “It's astounding.” His eyes traced to my lips and to my eyes again. "How do you become more beautiful every time I see you.”

 

I sank into his lips as we swam in the deep blue sky.

 

*****

 

“Did they talk?” In commoner clothes I wore for comfort, I walked down a field of pink, white, and yellow flowers in full bloom.

 

“Yes. But not as much as I would have liked.” The Duke bent down to pick flowers. “These white ones would suit you well.”

 

“Anything about their goals? About why they would want me so." I joined in the flower picking.

 

“The summoners were forest dwellers, it seems.”

 

“Forest dwellers? The people of the spirits?”

 

“Yes. Once thought of as almost extinct, they simply changed into a more vengeful form.”

 

I picked up more flowers. “For what the old kings did to their kind, I do sympathise with their anger for Friedland.”

 

Tarion nodded. “Their anger is understandable but their actions are detestable. Doing as the old kings would do, and to innocents doesn't make it right.”

 

Tarion indelicately twisted the picked flower into a crown. “Based on their old ways, the summoners have also somehow figured out a way to take souls and make them into an ingestible pill. Harold brought him there in a desperate attempt to increase his power by using the village's people as fuel.”

 

“Ingestible…They could be out there, doing the same thing in an unnamed village and we would know a thing.”

 

Tarion's hands paused and he looked to the ground. Tarion rubbed his head. “Countless lives… Unable to ascend. How can they just…”

 

I pulled his hand from his forehead before he made his face sore. “When you kill a curse, you don't kill a curse, you kill the body it possessed. They could have returned back to the state they already were. ”

 

“Yeah, yes, that could be.” Tarion returned to make his crown.

 

“Instead of stressing about what you can't control, you can use it as motivation to utterly destroy the bastards.”

 

"Oh? Who is teaching you such rude words, young lady?

 

I smiled at Tarion with an eyebrow raised.

 

“Hahahaha!” He inspected his art. “Ah, shit. That looks terrible.”

 

Gently, he placed a crown of lilies on my hair. “But you make everything you wear stunning.” A smiling Tarion looked down at the crown I made and chuckled to himself.

 

“If my old self could see what I am doing, he would flip.”

 

“Old self doesn't like pink?”

 

“I was more used to red.”

 

He bent his head, letting me put on the crown peony. Cheeks plumped by his innocent smile laughed cheerily. “Do I look cute?” He jest.

 

Recently shaved, his sharp angle popped. Pale shone In the midday sun. Womanising eyes flirt with me.

 

The most beautiful man I have ever seen.

 

The duke.

 

2 weeks later

 

The capital.

 

Surrounded by golden banners and golden men, I bowed to the king.

 

“I flew here the moment I saw your letter. Your Majesty.”

 

“As you should, Duke.” The King of Friedland lounged on his golden throne. Leaning his chin on his left bejewel hand, crystal blue bore down, a subject sought to control. “I allow my subjects some leeway. Disputes and petty wars are to be solved quickly. Even with your problem with your stepmother, I turned my eye. But the bullshit you ingrates are causing up north is stretching my patience.” The King leaned forward and his white beard hung to his chest from a wrinkly face. “Return your armies to Osberg at once.”

 

I stood up straight. Turning around, I swished my cloak and began walking out. The audience of advisors chattered amongst themselves as they watched me go to the throne room door.

 

“What-Where are you going!?”

 

I stop, still facing the door. “I have decided I have heard enough and will go back to my men. I see that you would rather side with the enemy than cleanse your country clean of evil.”

 

“Guards!”

 

“Father.” A flirty voice spoke from the crowd. “Let us hear the Duke out. Perhaps there is a reason for his insolent actions.” A blond man adorned in red, white, and gold sat by a colourful glass window with wine in his hand and several women around his arms. “I have followed your numerous incidents with great interest, Duke Greystone. A determined man such as yourself would never waste manpower on something he is not confident about.”

 

On the page and in real life, the wry grin still pisses me off.

 

“I appreciate the praise, Your Highness." I bowed slightly.

 

Pushing women aside and off his chair, he walked to me, peering into my eyes.

 

“Talk.”

 

Feeling a fear I hadn't felt since the horn, I took one step towards the ninth circle. “You know the rumours. Why talk when you will ignore the warnings anyway?”

 

The ninth circle smiled arrogantly as he sipped his wine. “You came anyway.”

 

“Cos’ there has to be someone with balls in the court. And I saw the king did not possess any.”

 

“Bast-”

 

“Father.” He sipped his wine as he assessed me. At the sound of his son's voice, he calmed his rage and leaned back on his throne.

 

Just like his father in many ways yet so full of high-spirited youth. At the age of twenty-eight, his fit build and height almost matched mine. The mother must have been a strong lady for a strong son to come from that heap of bones on the gold throne.

 

“I acknowledge the position you are in,” I said. “Vioden is in control of our nation's food basket. With a single order, the Wolfburns could cripple us. Cripple Freidland. We are at their beck and call yet they partner with cultists and work strange magic on your subjects?”

 

The Crown Prince sipped his wine. Seeing that his cup was empty, he held it out for a lady to fill it up.

 

I stepped closer, my hands trembling.

 

He is even more handsome than in the manhwa. I thought to distract myself from feeling the pressure from his hue.

 

"Kyros, do you think they will stop at Osberg?”

 

The audience around me shouted in uproar as I spoke the prince’s name.

 

The prince burst out laughing, quieting the crowd. “Tell me! Tell me what you want.” He said with a smile, showing his white teeth.

 

Got him.

 

I stepped closer until I could smell his grape wine breath. “Let me run free. Let me destroy the parasite that sucks Freidland dry!”

 

“Heh.” After taking one last sip and a glance at his father, he strolled back to his chair and his waiting ladies.

 

I turned to the weak king. “Your Majesty.”

 

King Tiu sighed and said, “Back to your siege. Duke Greystone.”

 

I bowed as low as I could. “Thank you. Your Majesty.” A gust from my hand blew the doors open. Hearing the prince laugh joyfully, I saw my job as done. And with a gust of wind, I soar out of the royal palace and back to war.