7 Shocking Spoilers And Plot Twists In The Grand Duke Of The North Manhwa: Who Is The Real Selene?

The Grand Duke of the North has captivated readers with its unique blend of Isekai, dark romance, and a terrifying marriage contract premise. Unlike many "cold duke" stories, this manhwa throws its protagonist, Yumi, into a nightmare scenario where her new husband, the Archduke, is actively hunting the "witch" whose body she now inhabits. As of the current date, December 18, 2025, the manhwa is actively being adapted from its completed novel, meaning the most shocking plot twists are still ahead for webtoon readers.

If you've been searching for the ultimate spoilers to soothe your curiosity about Archduke Varas, the fate of the real Selene Belias, and how the actress Yumi navigates this deadly dark romance, you've come to the right place. We've compiled the most critical, game-changing spoilers directly from the novel's path.

Character Profiles and Manhwa Production Details

To fully appreciate the spoilers, it's essential to understand the main players and the creative team behind this highly-anticipated series.

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• Manhwa Title: The Grand Duke of the North (북부대공과 계약 결혼하러 갑니다)
• Alternative Titles: I'm Going to Marry The Grand Duke of The North, The Northern Grand Duke
• Original Novel Status: Completed (Main story: 134 Chapters + Side stories: 10 Chapters)
• Genre: Romance, Fantasy, Isekai, Dark Romance, Historical
• Author(s) (Story): Hauibam, Too Much Tension
• Artist (Art): Kko

Main Characters & Their Deepest Secrets

• Yumi (The Transmigrated Protagonist):
  • Role: A modern-day actress with no experience in love who suddenly wakes up in the body of the novel's tragic heroine.
  • Secret: She is living as Selene Belias, the woman destined to marry the "Monster Archduke" in the dark romance novel she read. Her primary goal is survival and avoiding the original plot's tragic ending.
• Selene Belias (The Original Body Owner):
  • Role: The tragic female lead of the original novel, but also rumored to be a powerful, malevolent witch.
  • Secret: She is the key to Archduke Varas's curse, and Varas is actively searching for her true identity, not knowing Yumi is inhabiting her body.
• Archduke Varas (The Grand Duke of the North):
  • Role: The feared and monstrous Archduke of the North, known for his chilling appearance and terrifying power.
  • Secret: He is afflicted by a powerful, crippling curse that has twisted his life and reputation. He believes only the witch Selene can break it, which is why he agreed to the marriage.

The 7 Biggest Spoilers and Shocking Plot Twists

The story is a masterclass in curiosity-driven conflict, where Yumi must constantly balance her growing affection for Varas with the fear that he will discover she is not the "real" Selene and, worse, that he will realize he married a witch.

1. Archduke Varas's "Monster" Identity is a Devastating Curse

The Archduke is not inherently evil; he is suffering. The "monster" reputation and his cold demeanor are a result of a powerful, long-standing curse. This curse is not just physical—it affects his ability to feel warmth, making the North's cold a constant torture and isolating him from the world.

The Twist: The curse is directly tied to the Belias family line, and Varas believes the "witch" Selene is the one responsible, or at least the only one with the power to lift it. His initial kindness to Yumi (as Selene) is a calculated move to get close to the source of his suffering, not an act of genuine love—at first.

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2. Yumi is Not a Witch, But the Real Selene is a Powerful Mage

Yumi, the actress, has no magical ability. Her fear stems from the novel's plot where the real Selene is a dark figure.

The Twist: The real Selene Belias was a powerful mage, possibly a descendant of a Grand Witch, but her intentions were complex, not purely evil. She was involved in a long-standing magical conflict. Yumi's presence is not a simple transmigration; her soul is occupying a body that is a nexus of powerful magic, which is why Varas's curse reacts to her.

3. Varas Falls for Yumi Before Discovering Her True Identity

Despite his initial, calculating motive, Archduke Varas genuinely falls in love with Yumi's personality. He is drawn to her warmth, her genuine fear, and her attempts to be kind in a world she finds terrifying.

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This is the central conflict: the man who married the witch to break his curse ends up falling for the innocent woman who accidentally replaced her. His love for Yumi makes his quest to find the "real Selene" an agonizing internal struggle.

4. The Political Conspiracy: The Imperial Family's Role

The curse on Archduke Varas is not just a magical event; it's a political weapon. The Imperial Family, particularly the Emperor or a rival Prince, orchestrated the curse to weaken the powerful Northern Duchy. They used the Belias family's magical history as a tool.

The Twist: The manhwa shifts from a simple romance to a political thriller, with Yumi and Varas having to work together to expose the Imperial plot, which involves a deep-seated rivalry between the North and the Central Empire.

The Climax and The Final Ending

5. The Truth About the Real Selene and The Curse's Resolution

The climax involves Yumi finally confronting the truth about the original Selene. The real Selene's soul is either dormant, trapped, or has passed on, leaving Yumi as the sole occupant of the body.

The Climax: Yumi uses the residual power in Selene’s body, combined with Varas’s genuine love, to break the curse. The curse is often depicted as a binding contract or a dark spell that requires a sacrifice of love or life. In this story, Varas accepts Yumi's identity as a transmigrated soul, proving his love is for *her*, not the witch's magic. This pure love acts as the catalyst to break the curse, restoring Varas to his true, un-monstrous form.

6. The Happy Ending: A Family in the North

The novel concludes with a definitive happy ending for the main couple. After the political threats are neutralized and the curse is broken, Archduke Varas and Yumi (Selene) remain together in the North.

The Ending: They get their true, loving relationship, free from the shadow of the 'dark romance' novel. They often have children in the side stories (extras), solidifying their new, warm family life in the once-cold North. This is a satisfying conclusion that subverts the initial dark romance premise.

7. The Actress Retires, But Not Alone

In a similar "Grand Duke of the North" novel with a transmigrated FL, a major twist is that the female lead returns to her original world to announce her retirement from acting, and the male lead follows her back.

The LSI Twist: While the primary focus of *The Grand Duke of the North* (Yumi/Varas) is their life in the fantasy world, the concept of Yumi's original life as an actress is revisited. Her growth from a terrified actress to a powerful Duchess who saved the North is the core of the story's resolution, proving that her "acting" skills were the perfect tool to charm the cold Grand Duke and survive the political machinations of the Empire.

The manhwa promises to be an excellent adaptation, delivering a story that is far more complex than a simple marriage contract. It is a tale of a woman defying a novel's fate, a duke overcoming a deadly curse, and the power of genuine love to conquer political and magical darkness.