The groom selection for the Duchess of the North turned out to have the most unpredictable outcome of all.
Among the many young nobles, some of whom were sons of respected officials and scholars, the princess's choice fell upon a completely unexpected candidate.
Jeremy Seybel, the seventh son and concurrently the youngest heir of the baronial family. A recognized "loser," he had received rejections on engagement proposals from noble families a total of seventeen times. Not a single noble house from more or less wealthy circles wanted to marry their daughters off to him.
By his very nature, Jeremy was the true embodiment of the word "outcast." A completely ordinary, mediocre appearance. A fool who couldn't even score the minimum passing grade for academy admission. On top of everything, also poor...
His own family despised him, and his peers openly mocked him. Only a desperate woman with nothing to lose would agree to marry him. Or a crazy one. When Jeremy was sent to the ice witch's selection, no one expected him to return alive.
Even the hapless Count Zilo, who was only slightly wealthier than Baron Seybel, had been too stingy to enter into an engagement with him. Let alone someone powerful, like the princess of the north? But unexpectedly...
"I choose him."
These words from the ice witch's lips sealed his fate.
While Jeremy stood frozen, unable to comprehend what had just happened, the servants had already grabbed him by the arms. The guy could only open and close his mouth like a fish thrown onto dry land.
"Congratulations, my lord, you are now the designated consort of Her Highness!"
"Oh... I..."
The baron's son muttered absently, thinking this was all just a dream.
"Thank Her Highness for the favor shown."
"Wh-what?"
Jeremy stammered when he realized he wasn't actually asleep. The servants made him kneel as a sign of respect to the ice witch. The girl on the throne, in turn, did not utter a single word.
Like an ice statue, she didn't move, and her expression remained just as impenetrable.
When the baron's son touched his forehead to the cold floor, he finally understood everything. One part of the servants stayed with him, while another went to notify those gathered that the selection was officially over. Along with sighs of relief, surprised whispers also rang out among the crowd of nobles.
The last to enter the palace was the inconspicuous red-haired guy, whose name many didn't even know. No one could believe he had actually been chosen as the princess's spouse.
However... What difference did it make who would ultimately become the calf destined for slaughter?
No one really thought about it.
"No! Wait! I want to go with you!"
When the line of nobles in front of the main entrance began to disperse before his eyes, Jeremy wanted nothing more than to follow them. He helplessly stretched out his hand, but the tall ice doors closed before him like a cage.
Trembling from head to toe, Rufus, the accidental transmigrator, turned around.
He was left alone with the ice witch.
After Jeremy was "appointed" as the groom of the Northern Princess, some time passed. Throughout this period, Jeremy was kept in the Edelweiss residence and wasn't even given the opportunity to see his family.
It seemed this ice palace had become his lifelong prison.
The guy couldn't believe he had actually ended up in such a situation. Apparently, reincarnating in the body of a loser in another world wasn't enough. Fate decided to "finish him off" by gifting him a monstrous bride.
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And that's exactly how he saw the Northern Duchess, Selina de Lun.
This frightening woman seemed to experience no emotions at all. He couldn't understand why she had chosen him as her spouse. Jeremy had neither money nor position. Any young man from a more or less noble family would have been a far better candidate than him.
Jeremy could even have assumed that the duchess had fallen in love with him at first sight.
But...
This theory didn't match reality. After that day in the throne room, the girl had never visited him. Even then, she had looked indifferent, and there wasn't a drop of interest in her eyes. This wasn't like the behavior of someone experiencing even the slightest sympathy.
Therefore, Jeremy genuinely couldn't understand the reason for her absurd decision.
Although this was slightly better than simply dying, deep down Jeremy wasn't happy about it at all. In exchange for death, he had received a life sentence in the clutches of this woman. His carefree bachelor existence had come to an end forever.
Though the conditions of detention here couldn't be called all that terrible.
The apartments where Jeremy was housed were twice as spacious as his previous ones. Good food and service, where servants for the first time didn't look at him like trash. His father and brothers could no longer bully him. It seemed the miserable position of the worthless heir was finally behind him.
But... Despite this, the guy suddenly realized that back then he had felt much calmer. At least then he had known what to expect.
Now his life was more like a continuous minefield.
The horrific scenes the baron's son had witnessed on his first day here seemed to haunt him every night. Jeremy knew that one wrong step and he could follow those unfortunate people. After all, only the ice witch held absolute power here. And he... was still a nobody.
The atmosphere in the Edelweiss residence was gloomy and oppressive. Unlike ordinary aristocratic homes, there wasn't even the chatter of servants to distract from what was happening. Everyone was silent and solely occupied with their own affairs.
Despite the fact that the servants here didn't humiliate him, Jeremy realized he feared them more than the workers in his own home. Because those, at least, were people... And these, like their mistress, were more like ice statues.
In the end, the baron's son found himself in a rather difficult position.
The engagement had already been concluded without his consent. And the wedding ceremony itself would take place in a month.
Jeremy clutched his head, trying to understand if it was even possible for him to get out of this situation.
The servants watched him around the clock. While he slept, guards also stood by his doors. Even incoming correspondence was carefully checked before reaching his hands.
In a sense, Jeremy truly felt like a prisoner here. He had no personal freedom whatsoever.
The first week, he was even afraid to leave his room. Everything here was foreign and unfamiliar. And then, losing patience, he finally gathered his courage and went out for his first walk.
For several hours, Jeremy wandered aimlessly through the ice castle, certainly not harboring any false hopes of escape. It's not for nothing they say the first thing to do when taken prisoner is to study the lair of one's "enemy." During his wanderings, Jeremy accidentally stumbled upon the local library.
He didn't even know what guided him when he decided to visit this particular place. After all, Jeremy had never been a particular lover of reading.
And yet, his feet led him to the icy citadel of knowledge.
Considering he hadn't visited many libraries in his life, this one was definitely the largest. After wandering past the bookshelves for a while and even going up to the second floor, the baron's son thought about going back to his room.
But...
Suddenly, a chill ran down his spine. Shuddering, Jeremy Seybel slowly turned around.
By one of the bookshelves stood the Northern Duchess, who had almost immediately noticed his presence.
They met face to face for the first time since the day Selina chose him as her groom.
At that moment, Jeremy barely restrained himself from screaming. How had he managed to run into this particular woman, here and now?!
It seemed he was truly "lucky" in this life.
However, the ice witch didn't grace his presence with any special attention. Soon, her blue-eyed gaze returned to the book she held in her hands.
Nevertheless, out of politeness, the guy couldn't just remain silent and leave. After all, she had already noticed him anyway.
"Good afternoon, Your Highness...!"
Jeremy stumbled, barely managing to utter this greeting. This was, essentially, their first face-to-face conversation.
She was the one Jeremy feared most in this ice castle. After all, this woman was the most powerful sorceress on the continent. Who knew what she might want to do to him at any moment?
However, given her indifference, the baron's son didn't expect any reaction from her.
Jeremy hoped to hastily express his greeting and run away.
But...
"It's already evening, not afternoon."
"Huh? R-really..."
Her sudden brief remark threw Jeremy into a stupor.
"Yes, it seems I was mistaken..."
While walking around the residence, the baron's son hadn't noticed that several hours had passed. However, that didn't really matter.
Deciding that this would be the end of it, Jeremy was eager to get out of there as quickly as possible.
"Your Highness, forgive me for the disturbance. I'll leave immediately...!"
"Wait."
When Jeremy was about to slip away, he heard a cold voice behind him. Selina de Lun was looking at him with a cold and extremely serious face.
"What? Did you want something...?"
In an instant, his heart sank into his heels.
"Come here."