It was always quiet in the Carter estate's home library. With rare exceptions, maids might come in to dust the shelves. But for the most part, this large and luxurious room, filled with various books, remained untouched.

And the reason for that was one person.

In the center of the hall, at a round, massive table, sat a child. She had rosy cheeks, fair skin, and a cute face. Her eyes were blue and resembled topazes; it was impossible not to look into them. And her hair was black with a bluish tint.

This girl was the Duke's youngest daughter, Remesis Carter.

Despite her charming appearance and high birth, she spent almost all her time alone. People didn't even dare raise their heads to meet her gaze. Such was the fate of a child cursed by the stars.

"Ah, well, this story sounds too tragic. Actually, I'm not living so badly."

At least, compared to what awaited her in the future, Remesis was indeed living quite well now. She had warm shelter and food that she didn't have to fight for. She could also sleep peacefully at night, without fear of being pursued by assassins.

Considering that she had spent most of her life in the harsh North, where any day could be her last, Remesis was now truly experiencing her most peaceful times.

Which, by the way, would soon end.

Remesis took a shallow breath, turning another page of a thick book. The only thing she could do now for her future life was to gain as much knowledge as possible.

The next few years were going to be extremely turbulent for her. Remesis remembered well that in the first years in the North, she couldn't even find time to eat properly. Constant attacks by barbarians, assassins sent by the Emperor…

So Remesis was using this opportunity to acquire as much useful knowledge as possible.

For this, she was even dubbed the "young prodigy" of the empire…

Although, in reality, the girl did not strive for such a nickname at all. Moreover, Remesis did not consider herself that "genius" at all. She had spent her first life being completely illiterate.

Because of her origin, the Duke had not even bothered to hire her teachers. Why waste resources on a "defective" child who would be useless anyway? Especially since Michael Carter had three other "normal" children.

Until her marriage in the North, which turned out to be a real disaster for her, Remesis did not possess even the most elementary knowledge of this world. All she could do was write and read a little. And that was only because she sometimes secretly snuck into lessons intended for her older brothers and sister.

In the North, she also had no opportunity to get an education. For the first ten years, Remesis cared only about her own survival. And then, when the situation more or less stabilized and she was able to peacefully "settle" in the castle, the girl got her first teacher.

The master of the northern castle, a kind old man who had once even taught the offspring of the imperial family. In his old age, when he became useless to the former Emperor, he was exiled to this place. Since then, the old man had lived idly in the northern fortress.

He was happy when, for the first time in a long while, he got a student.

Thanks to her mentor, Remesis finally learned to read and write. She also mastered the basics of geography, philosophy, arithmetic, and other subjects. In other words, at the age of twenty, she received the ordinary education of an aristocrat.

Based on this, Remesis did not consider herself in the least "gifted."

Essentially, she was just an ordinary adult who had regressed to childhood, and because of that, she was already considered a genius. Although, perhaps, she really had "slightly" overdone it.

After all, a five-year-old child being interested in books about state structure might indeed seem strange… Remesis sighed. There were still many gaps in her professional knowledge that needed to be filled as soon as possible.

Remesis was the Princess of the North. However, since she didn't know how to do anything, she had no responsibilities. The girl was simply a burden to her wife and the people of the North.

To properly rule the lands, a standard education was not enough. And to achieve her goal, she should not be as useless in this life as in the previous one…

So this time, Remesis decided to prepare for her future role in advance. The first books she began to study were on financial management and estate economy. She also found much useful information about the North.

In this life, Remesis would no longer be a helpless and weak child who had to face a cruel fate. Now the girl was ready to meet the obstacles in her path with her head held high.

Remesis remembered the date of her wedding well. August 374 of the Imperial Year. In other words, her departure to the North was in less than a month.

Remesis tried not to waste time on useless things. Completely focused on her studies, she spent from morning to evening in the library. The girl greedily swallowed any information like air.

It was around noon when Remesis finished reading a chapter of another book on the structure of the northern lands. At this time, she usually took a break. A maid would bring a cup of tea and cookies to the library, and for about ten minutes, the girl would take a break from work.

As usual, Seila arrived on time. But instead of a cup of tea, she brought unexpected news.

"My lady, His Grace wishes to see you!"

The maid's eyes sparkled with delight. Remesis, however, did not share her joy.

Not a shadow of surprise flickered across the girl's face. Today was supposed to be that day. The day her father informed her that she would be sent North as the spouse of the deposed Crown Princess, and she had no choice but to accept it.

Remesis closed the book with a expressionless face. Her voice was clear and firm, like a transparent diamond.

"Alright, I'll be back soon. Tidy up here for now."

The maid obediently bowed her head.

"Yes, my lady."

Seila was her only personal maid. While the other children of the Carter family were assigned a "whirlwind" of maids and nannies from birth (Michel set the record with twelve), the Duke's youngest daughter had only one.

And even then, initially, Seila served her with great reluctance. She thought she was tasked with caring for this little cursed girl only because she was new and had no say in the house.

As a result, she treated her duties the same way. They had no relationship in their first life. Seila perceived the child entrusted to her as a "job" and nothing more. The contempt and anger that were in her gaze initially gradually gave way to indifference.

The maid satisfied her basic needs, but she didn't care at all how Remesis herself felt about it. Oversalted soup, an uncomfortable bed, or drafts in the room. None of that mattered as long as this child was alive. After all, whoever she was, she was still the Duke's daughter.

Seila considered caring for Remesis a burdensome duty. She treated her badly, but the girl, in her naivety, still hoped to befriend her. The rule of treating others as you want to be treated doesn't always work.

Remesis learned this well in her first life. So this time, she set clear boundaries with her maid. It took some effort to "re-educate" her, but now there was even a trace of respect in Seila's gaze.

Having instructed the maid to tidy up her workspace, Remesis left the library.

Mentally, she was ready for the conversation with the Duke.

The girl walked along the corridor covered with an expensive red carpet. The architects had done a good job; inside, the Duke's estate looked no worse than a museum. Remesis, however, passed by this beauty with a completely indifferent air.

One way or another, she couldn't even call this place home. Everything here, from the table spoon to the magnificent tapestries in the vestibule, belonged to the Carter family. And Remesis had nothing to do with it.

Speaking of her family…

The noise coming from the courtyard heralded the return of the masters. Remesis sighed heavily. She had to stop to greet them. In any case, this encounter in the corridor was inevitable.

Unlike her, the older children of Duke Carter were already leading an active social life. Every week they went to events where they mingled with their peers from other noble families. Remesis, of course, was not taken on these "outings."

This time, Michel, Katrina, and Livius were returning from the birthday party of the Count's daughter. And why at such an inconvenient time…? Remesis simply hated meeting them.

And yet, as long as she lived in this house, she had to show them respect. After all, all these children were quite capable of making her life difficult. Especially Michel, who, as the successor of the family, knew no bounds at all.

The servants hastily opened the front doors on the first floor, and the three entered with no less pomp than the Emperor's own heirs. Although, this was almost true. After all, Duke Carter did indeed wield very great influence in the empire.

"Little sister, what an unexpected meeting!"

Remesis clenched her teeth. She couldn't stand this nickname Michel had given her.

Three children of noble bearing appeared before her. Michel had recently turned twelve, and he was increasingly resembling a youth. Impeccably dressed, and the scent of his perfume was just like an adult's. Although Remesis compared this smell more to sewage.

His short, light hair was perfectly combed and styled to the side. His narrowed brown eyes looked unkindly at his younger sister.

"Little sister, what are you doing here? So unusual to see you outside the library."

"Answering my elder brother," Remesis bowed her head. "Father summoned me to his study."

A fleeting flash of surprise was cut short by laughter. Michel didn't believe her.

"Who? You?"

The Duke's youngest daughter nodded briefly.

"If it's just a pretext to leave your room, you shouldn't have invented such a ridiculous excuse. It's not good to lie."

The tone of the precious ducal heir sounded warningly.

"Brother Michel, it's not a lie," Remesis calmly objected. "Father really did call me. I'm going to him now."

"…"

Michel frowned and looked at his sister. Katrina, for her part, declared:

"Even if she's not lying, Father must be planning to reprimand her. There's been so much fuss around this wretch lately…"

Katrina wanted to calm her brother, but the opposite happened. Michel got angry.

The news that a professor from the Imperial Institute personally came to meet with Remesis had infuriated him. He couldn't admit to himself that even theoretically this nonentity could be better than him in any way.

However, as the family heir, Michel could not afford to lose dignity. Especially when so many people were watching them. With an unpleasant smile, he tried to hide the fact that this topic bothered him at all.

"Ah, the party at Count Bratsvik's estate was so tiring… All those people wanted so badly to talk to me, and now I'm completely exhausted. But nothing can be done. How could I refuse?"

Intentionally drawing out his words, Michel pressed on Remesis's most sore spot, and a mocking grin appeared on his face. But if he only knew that the girl herself had long ceased to care about this.

"I'm glad you had a good time, brother."