After a series of years spent in the cold northern lands, the Lord of the North and her wife had been through a lot.

  The children abandoned by their families lived in madness, mired in the chaos of war with monsters and barbarians. They didn't even have the opportunity to spend time together as a married couple, because Remesis vehemently insisted that it was not the time to relax until Asil had consolidated her power here. And so they lived for a long time, overcoming hardships that not every adult could handle.

  The story of the cursed princess who was cast out empty-handed, and the duke's daughter who followed her, spread in the north like folklore.

  The northerners, who had seen them for a long time, sympathized with the young couple's pain and praised them for their endurance.

  They did not recognize the authority of the Emperor.

  The master of the north was not the emperor in the distant capital, but the lord of the winter castle.

  Remesis was filled with confidence that sooner or later all difficulties would be left behind and they would achieve victory. And in the end, she was right.

  Just as her words insisted, after several years of hard work, what they had so long strived for finally came to pass. From a neglected region, the northern territory had transformed into a powerful domain that could not be ignored. And compared to their previous life, this time this victory was achieved through joint efforts.

  While the princess, together with her army, waged wars and expanded her influence in the north, Remesis was engaged in improving Fortress Nord, over time turning it from a dilapidated iron fortress into a magnificent castle that could proudly be called the residence of the Lord of the North.

  The young Princess Consort did not neglect her subjects either. Remesis personally took part in organizing the delivery of humanitarian aid to the population and raising the minimum subsistence level to help the poor residents of the north who had survived on the brink of poverty for years.

  Although Remesis did not plan to live in this castle until the end of her days, nevertheless, as long as she held this post, the north and its inhabitants were under her responsibility. Unlike her former life, the girl did not stand aside and conscientiously performed her duties, thereby relieving Asil of this heavy burden.

  Over time, Remesis became so deeply immersed in her role that the residents of the northern region began to call her the "mother of the north"...

  When Remesis first heard this nickname, she considered it a clear exaggeration, because in reality she was only trying to diligently fulfill her duties as the mistress of Fortress Nord. Nevertheless, it could not be denied that sometimes hearing such things was very pleasant. Remesis was encouraged that people truly appreciated her good intentions and efforts.

  From a despised and useless princess in her past life, she had become a person whom those around her truly valued and respected. Remesis could not help but be proud of her successes and the work she had done. And in fact, now only one thing remained that troubled the girl.

  And that was...

  "Wife, I'm so glad you came to greet me."

  Her "spouse" smiled happily, like a demon who had grabbed an enemy by the throat and cut off his legs so he couldn't run away. Asil Nara Ashelot, after her return, was in high spirits and looked at Remesis with the shy smile of an infatuated teenager.

  "What a warm welcome you've given me! This makes me willing to fight barbarians for a few more years."

  "Oh, just stop with this nonsense."

  They sat at the table in the dining hall where a celebratory lunch was being held in honor of the return of the Lord of the North. Right now, the knights and other servants were also having a good time in a separate hall. The princess, although she could have spent time with her subordinates, instead preferred Remesis's company. Although the Princess Consort herself would have preferred she didn't.

  The servants had been busy for several days tidying up the castle, preparing for the triumphant return of the lord.

  Usually, it was the mistress of the castle who was supposed to oversee this process, but Remesis showed some negligence in this regard, citing that she currently had more important things to do than decorating the castle. And thus, the senior housekeeper took responsibility for the return ceremony.

  In other words, all the beauty that had been created in the main hall, dining room, and other halls was not the work of Remesis's hands. However, even if the girl tried to tell her this, Asil didn't try to listen and merely continued to praise her wife.

  Remesis sighed and looked at the princess, who sat before her and smiled at her with an innocent face. This face before her eyes promised unprecedented troubles in the future.

  In fact, Remesis couldn't understand how everything could have turned out in such an incomprehensible way.

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  Some time ago, their life had been so dangerous that Remesis couldn't even think about it. But now that their daily life could be called relatively calm and safe, the girl couldn't understand why the princess continued to behave in this manner. This was the only difference that drastically set this life apart from her previous one.

  Remesis still remembered that little dirty child. Asil had been so thin that both her wrists fit into Remesis's palm when she bathed her in the tub.

  But the years passed, and the wolf cub raised by Remesis had grown up a lot. The current mistress of the snow-covered territories looked just as Remesis remembered her from her former life.

  The princess's gaze was as cold as a blizzard in the worst weather, as sharp as a hawk's, and the pupils of her amber eyes were like those of a wild beast. Nevertheless, every time Remesis met her gaze, Asil smiled at her like a blossoming flower.

  The cold-blooded and merciless Princess of the North, the strongest warrior of the Nadal Empire, the woman who had earned the nickname "Northern Devil" for her cruelty... Rumors had it that she could kill people with just one look. Could anyone believe that this person could have such an expression on her face?

  Remesis couldn't fathom why this had happened.

  In her previous life, the crown princess had never behaved like this. Initially, Remesis thought that Asil felt some kind of attachment to her, since she was still a child then. But as they grew up, this childish attachment would naturally weaken, and they would become no more than partners in a deal. At least, the girl assumed that's how it would be, since she vividly remembered the cold-blooded character of her spouse from the past. Any close relationships between people were alien to the princess, as she considered them merely an obstacle in her path.

  However, for some reason, Asil continued to behave just as strangely. Moreover, she constantly called Remesis her "wife," which the girl herself categorically disliked.

  "Your Highness, didn't we agree long ago that our relationship would only be fake? So why do you continue to behave in this manner?"

  Remesis, who for her part had adhered to all the agreements made between them, was extremely vexed by this.

  "But aren't we currently married? It's true when I call you my wife," the princess defended innocently.

  "We are married, but only officially, and it means nothing!" she protested indignantly: "Have you completely forgotten what we agreed upon?"

  "Agreed upon?" The woman asked absently: "Yes, yes, of course, I remember everything..."

  Remesis had tried many times to get Asil to talk to her about it, but without result. In the end, Remesis had to resign herself to this annoying nickname.

  "Wife, why do you look so cute? Did something happen to you during that year I was away?" Asil asked slyly.

  Remesis, preferring to ignore her another annoying phrases, spoke of something else.

  "Your Highness, the castle has been quiet and peaceful all this time, thanks to your hard work at the front."

  "So this is my wife's way of expressing her gratitude to me?" Asil chuckled softly, not taking her eyes off her, and cut a piece of steak on her plate with a knife.

  The ability to use cutlery was one of the things Remesis had taught her back in childhood.

  "It's what I was supposed to say. You really did a tremendous amount of work in the war."

  "Wife, it's very touching to hear such words from you," Asil smiled and looked at Remesis, who again grimaced at the sugary words she heard.

  The events of this life were in some ways definitely different from the previous one, and this was especially true of their relationship. Back then, their relationship had been on a fine line between strangers and enemies. However, now Remesis found it difficult to describe her current relationship with the princess in any acceptable words.

  Asil's behavior sometimes drove her crazy. "I will love you, no matter how you treat me." That's exactly how the relationship between the princess and the princess consort looked from the outside to everyone around. Many sympathized with the poor princess who, despite all her efforts, was still out of favor with her wife. Some maids, unable to bear this sight, even gathered the courage to approach Remesis and personally tell her this. "Your Highness, the princess treasures you so much... Couldn't you be a little kinder to her, just a little bit?"

  Every time Remesis had to hear such things from people, she just rolled her eyes. Of course, no one in the castle suspected that their relationship was actually exclusively fake. They didn't need to pretend to be a loving couple to achieve their goal.

  At first, Remesis even assumed that Asil's ambiguous behavior was explained by the woman wanting their relationship to look natural and not arouse suspicion. But no. Even when they were alone, as now, Asil continued to behave in this manner.

  And the reason this could be connected to, Remesis truly found difficult to find. In this life as in the previous one, the thoughts of her wife, the northern devil, still remained an incomprehensible mystery to her.

  Remesis opened her mouth as if she had something to say, but then sighed and maintained silence.

  "So, let's talk about something other than such nonsense. As you may have heard, the Emperor's condition has worsened lately, and the coronation ceremony of the crown princess, as they say, is not far off..."

  "Wife, while I was on the military assignment, I heard that the Mediterranean is the most popular resort people go to during the summer season. What do you think, should we go there this summer?"

  "No, do you even hear what I'm telling you..."

  "Wife, what do you think about a vacation?" Asil continued to talk about her own: "I don't want to go on another war anytime soon... Isn't everything fine now? And we already spend so little time together. Besides, last year we didn't even celebrate our wedding anniversary because I was at war again. I think going on vacation would be a good idea..."

  "Your Highness!" Remesis couldn't stand it and raised her voice: "Why don't you listen to me at all? Weren't you planning to start acting after returning from the war this year?"

  The coup d'état was the main goal of the deal Remesis and Asil had made back in childhood. According to this agreement, Remesis would help the princess until she overthrew her father and took the throne. After which Asil would in turn help Remesis take revenge on the Carter family, that is, completely destroy it.

  And now that the North's influence and Asil's personal army had reached the same scale as in her past life, Remesis felt that the ideal moment had come to finally do it.

  According to the planned scheme, they were going to start the coup after the princess returned from the war with the barbarians this year. Could the woman have forgotten about this?

  After Remesis's words, spoken loudly enough, the northern devil, who held all of the North under her control, blinked her eyes in confusion.

  "Ah... A coup d'état?" the princess recalled this as if it were something insignificant that she could have forgotten: "Yes, okay, I'll take care of it... But maybe before that we could go on vacation first?"

  "....."

  Remesis, having involuntarily lost her power of speech, could not believe that the woman before her truly considered their summer vacation a more important matter than overthrowing the current state authority.