I Will Seduce The Northern Duke

“That’s right, it was an accident. I never thought for a moment that I wanted to be loved by the Duke, and I never thought that I would fall in love with the Duke.”

“Yes, so did I.”

So it was an accident… because no one wanted it, and no one expected it. They were filled with the joy of confirming their love for each other, but at the same time, reality gripped them. Kalcion first mustered his courage.

“I know that saying you love me doesn’t mean you will be by my side.”

Selina squeezed her eyes shut and squeezed the tears out. She squeezed them out hard, but still, her eyes were not clear, as if the blood in her whole body was pouring out the tears.

“I can’t choose either way.”

It was a little easier for her when she didn't know her own feelings because it was only a matter of how much she hurt him.

It wasn't easy, as her own heart was at stake.

“My heart is important, but the things I left behind in the other world are also very important… My everything is there, and I am nothing after throwing it away.”

She would rather not have to worry if she had a debt in the other world.

“Are you not here right now?”

She was in his arms right now, but why did she keep saying it was nothing? Selina shook her head at Kalcion’s question.

“This is me, but it’s just my body. The me that I’ve built my whole life, the life that the world recognizes is there.”

“What is there?”

She gazed at him with teary eyes.

He probably couldn’t even imagine, as if he couldn't imagine this world from the other world. Still, Selina began to stutter and explain. Only then would Kalcion be able to understand the weight that was being placed on her scale?

“As I’ve said before, I was an actor that everyone in the other world knows. People speak different languages in each country, and even people from countries so far away that you can never go there on foot or on horseback.”

Kalcion calmly listened to Selina's words and nodded her head.

“Actually, it’s not just about looks. You have to have good acting skills, you have to have connections, and you have to be lucky. But I had nothing but my looks… no, my appearance was not like this at first. Training, fixing habits, managing. That's why I made it like this.”

He knew that Selina was working hard to maintain her beauty, watching from right next to her.

Most of the ladies live by the maids’ help most of their lives, but few people manage themselves that they even exercise every morning. She has followed his rigorous training as well. Only those who have followed it know how hard it is to train with the same pattern every morning, yet Selina participated with guile and diligence.

Kalcion was also amazed at her persistence every time. That persistence doesn't come from suddenly making up her mind one day. It ess because she has lived her whole life like that.

“Even if you increase your abilities, that's not all. The rank and strife that takes place in it… it is said that the social world here is mild and gentle. It's just a battle of pride here, but where I was, it's a matter of livelihood. We had no choice but to be fiercer and dirtier.”

Kalcion knew well how far humans could go when it came to their own interests, even if he was rather dark when it came to social circles. Wealthy nobles were also impatient because they could not kill each other for a meager profit.

For those who have the same goal and livelihood, there was no way they couldn't do more than this.

“There, I endured, endured, and endured for almost twenty years. There were people threatening to kill me though I lived alone for twenty years in a place where there was no existence like the Duke to protect me.”

Among the words that describe Selina, ‘hard work’ had never been omitted. Selina worked so hard that she could be seen by everyone.

It had been twenty years.

It was a time when the political enemies who were jealous of Selina disappeared, and the people who rejected her had no choice but to accept her.

“The results of my entire life are there. I endured and persevered like that, and I was engraved in people’s eyes, and I made money.”

Although she used most of it off paying off her parents' debts, she still has much more money than the average person. Now, as long as her family didn’t go into business, she had laid the foundation for a stable life.

She started her career as an actress because of her parents, who recognized that their young daughter's beauty would make money, but fortunately, she also had a good aptitude. Even if she wasn't necessarily making money, she was greedy for acting herself.

“Here, I am, at best, the Duke's woman. Even if the Duke gave me everything I had in the other world, in this world where I have achieved nothing, I am nothing.”

Kalcion wanted to deny it.

Even if Selina erased Kalcion's name, she was a powerful figure in the social world, and as time passes, she may gain greater power with her own abilities. Here if she wished, she would be as popular and successful here as she was there as an actress.

Still, he couldn't say that. Even if she had as much success here as she did in the other world, it wouldn't make up for the twenty years of hard work.

The relationships built over twenty years were also included in it.

Selina here had to start all over, even those relationships. It couldn’t be the same, even if Kalcion compensated for it to the fullest.

Nonetheless, Selina said she loved him, too.

If their loving heart is the same, the mere thought of her moving away from the dimension will feel the same way as having a knife lodged in his stomach. Realizing that even this moment when Selina said she couldn't give up her life over there was a pain for her, Kalcion hugged Selina tightly.

The fact that she had to deal with the pain alone was terrifying, with her small and slender body.

“…If only I could make your choice instead.”

Selina's hand squeezed Kalcion’s clothes.

Could it be? Would it be more convenient than now if Kalcion decided on the answer and forced it?

She shook her head. It can't be. She had lived her whole life searching for herself so as not to be swayed by others. Now, giving her life's autonomy to Kalcion’s hands couldn't lead to happiness.

“…Then, can’t I convince you?”

Convince?

Selina lifted her burrowing head.

“I guess the reason you're in so much pain is that you're not clearly tipped on either side of the scale.”

She only blinked.

When she did not deny it, Kalcion smiled so thickly that it seemed sly.

“Then, it wouldn’t be a sin to persuade you to stay with me… right?”

What on earth was he thinking that the atmosphere surrounding him changed drastically? As if he had found a clue that would turn the tide of battle, Kalcion's whole body began to overflow with confidence.

Why was he doing this? What? What was going on?

“…What?”

She asked again, thinking that it was not something, but all she got back was a meaningful smile.

* * *

Although they encountered the advance party, the time of departure was similar.

Selina didn’t need to ride a horse because they were traveling together. One carriage was emptied for the two to ride. It was not the carriage she rode in as she headed for the capital Mion, although it was rather narrow and rattling, it was much more comfortable than on horseback.

“Is there anywhere uncomfortable?”

Kalcion asked through the window, driving his horse alongside the carriage.

She turned the inside of the carriage into a bed so that Selina could comfortably go alone rather than having to squeeze two people into it. It was obvious that it would have been a very laborious task. It was fortunate, however, that in her present condition, riding her horse would have been an ordeal.

“Yes, it is comfortable and nice.”

As Selina was sitting on the cushioned back, he thrust out the bouquet, which he was holding in one hand.

“It is a flower that blooms only in this season though it is fragrant and sweet when eaten with a lot of honey. They say they even drink it as flower tea.”

It was a gift that combined flowers and food.

The flowers were good, and the food was good. Selina readily accepted, unable to hide her laugh and good spirits.

The bright red flowers were as dainty as cherry blossoms. As she put one bunch in her mouth and chewed it, fragrant honey exploded in her mouth. It was a scent she had never tasted before. It must have contained a lot of nectar in the small flower, and the sweetness was thick when it landed on the tongue.

“It's the first time I've tasted it. Wow, delicious. You say you take it as tea, but why have you never tried it?”

“You won’t be able to eat in Mion. It blooms only in this latitude.”

“Ah… that's too bad."

“But you can have it in Silenza.”

Kalcion proudly informed her.

‘Ah.'

The time has come.

Indeed, Selina was also looking forward to how Kalcion would convince her. Regardless of whether or not she would fall for it, it was clear to her that his persuasion would be sweet. It started with, ‘You don’t have this in your place, right?’

With his cute trick, she chuckled and put another flower into her mouth. The scent of honey that spread throughout her mouth was as sweet as Kalcion's handiwork.

“Do you like it?”

Could she say no? Her playfulness slowly rose, but it was true that she liked it, so she passed it off with a laugh.

“Would you like one?”

She took several of them to her mouth and held out one to his staring gaze.

Kalcion looked at Selina's hand, which was reaching out to him, and at the red flower held in her hand, he bent down. Surprised by his sudden approach, she pulled her arms, but she was soon caught.