The Duke was greeted warmly by his people on the day of his arrival in the northern city.

"Our hero has returned, duke of Astrid and his vassals, thank you to the Goddess of Light Dragon," thousands of men gathered on the street shouted. It is a chant that is heard all over.

Rachel is mesmerized by the crowd's chant as she and her friends are walking down the street to see the parade.

'Wow I saw this in the tv, it's amazing to witness it in real life. This is real I'm part of if even though I'm super extra'.

"Rachel! Come on over so you can see the parade better".

She is urged by Samantha to stand next to her at the front.

"Omg Sam! This is amazing! Look at the knights' outfits! Gosh it's superb!".

She excitedly exclaimed while savoring this historical moment.

"Rachel you're talking those language again".

When Rachel makes a comment, her friend Bianca just smiles.

She speaks in various languages constantly, and her reactions only increase their admiration for her.

Their lives changed after Anne introduced Rachel to them. With her cute laughs, suggestions, and counsel regarding their love life, she added color to their lives. They find it impossible to imagine their lives without Rachel.

When they learned what had transpired in the south regarding the infamous poisoning of the crown princess, they thought that Rachel had been set up. How could they treat Rachel in that way? Their adorable Rachel. In addition, the crown prince turned his back on Rachel, his first fiancée, in favor of the reigning crown princess Ara.

For Ara to take the place of Rachel, he must have an eye condition. The disparity is enormous! Rachel is unlike anyone else when it comes to beauty. A goddess of the empire. She adds color to an otherwise gray world, and her smile slows your heart.

She has an unmatched combination of intelligence, humor, and kindness toward everyone. She always lends a hand to those in need, especially the common people. The proceeds from her sales were once given to the temple to help feed the homeless kids who were without food. They were there to assist her in feeding the kids, and since her cause was so well-known, whenever Rachel was out and about in the city's center, she would frequently be stopped by numerous people who wanted to take her image.

In this world, a photo can be engraved using a device powered by mana stones. It resembles a camera in the earth world.

She is so well-known that she frequently appears on the front page of the northern daily news. She became a trend-setter, and the noblewomen buy everything she wears because of how well-known her outfits are.

"Rachel when the Duke passes by you must bow your head and avoid looking him in the eye until the general declares that everyone is free to stand and exchange greetings".

She nods in agreement as Samantha speaks in her ear.

She was aware of Sebastian Astrid's power. Although he didn't claim the title of King of the North, he is regarded as such in the kingdom.

In fact, one of his generals orders the troops to prostrate themselves as the duke arrives. She is currently very impatient and would have asked for his picture and signature if it weren't against the law because she really wanted to see his face. ('fan mode activated')

She sensed the Duke passing by, but she refrained from looking up until the announcement.

"You may all make peace. Please do not hesitate to greet His Majesty, the Duke of Astrid.".

She immediately lifts her head to look at his face after hearing that. Does this even exist? My favorite character. Her mouth is open in shock at how stunning her favorite character, Duke Sebastian Astrid, and she nearly drops her jaw.

Handsome is underrated. That face, with the midnight black hair and the savage Ruby eyes. 'Holy! He could be the upcoming Armani Ambassador. Like the gods of Greek mythology, this overrated beauty is unbelievable.

"Ahem, Rachel close your mouth and convey our best wishes to his majesty."

When Bianca noticed Rachel's expression, she grinned.

"Hail to his Majesty, our protector and hero. We extend our best wishes and love."

Greetings were chanted by the crowd, and Rachel mimicked them as she gazed upon Sebastian.

And then...their eyes met for the first time...making her heartbeat faster. His eyes lingered momentarily and Rachel was unsettled that she felt goosebumps at the back of her neck.

Sebastian gives her a quick glance before continuing to ride on his stallion horse.

What a terrifying appearance! If appearances can kill, I'm already dead. She is aware that she is the antagonist of this narrative. The previous Rachel poisoned his ex-girlfriend; let's cancel the photo and signature fan mode, damn I have to stay away from him.

This guy is so frightening that I can't offend him. He is, after all, the final boss, she reflected.

"Rachel his Majesty looks on our side. Perhaps he had a memory of you."

In response to Samantha's statement, Bianca agreed.

"Yes, but I'm just a minor subject. His majesty won't waste any time on someone like me. I need a chai tea, guys, let's go back to our favorite spot.

*a chai tea is a combination of matcha, tea with milk and it's famous in Asia*

She made a first statement that the two people seemed to disagree with, so they left the group and followed Rachel. The three are going to her coffee shop to enjoy their preferred matcha milk tea.

***

Sebastian observed the three women leaving the crowd. Being a guardian of the empire, he has the power to hear what they were discussing and filter it whenever he focused on that topic.

He is taken aback when he sees Rachel surrounded by the well-known daughters of the northern noble families. His curious how she ended up friends with them.

He was unable to explain the itch in his stomach when their eyes met. He was well aware of her beauty and had frequently observed it in the southern capital, but he has never found her to be interesting. In fact, he finds her repulsive.

'After seeing her today, there's something different with her eyes. It is unadulterated and teeming with life'.

'Hah, what I'm even thinking about her. Since you haven't had a woman in bed for a while, I believe it's normal.' When he gave it some thought, he realized he was contradicting himself and made a furious face.

His knights noticed a change in his expression and realized something was wrong when they noticed how he was staring at the notorious Rachel.

***

The Duke and his group then entered the Astrid Palace. The palace is the same size as the Carlyle castle in the southern capital. The building is surrounded by stunning architecture, and it is divided into four sections inside: the residence of the duke of Astrid, the administrative and military areas, the military tower, and the magic tower.

The northern region is a vast area with an abundance of resources. The north and south's economies are supported by the mana mine that belongs to the Dukedom.

Almost everything in the north belonged to the Dukedom, including mana fuel, minerals, diamonds, rare metals, gold, and silver. In comparison to their southern royal relatives, they are extremely wealthy.