I Refuse This Life, Your Highness! - Chapter 120 (FINALE)

The Grand Duke paced nervously along the wide corridor. How many hours had passed already? An entire day had come and gone, yet there was still no sign of the child being born. He had been worried ever since learning it was twins. It was hard enough to imagine Yuraine handling just one child, let alone two. Now, he even regretted having children at all. What if something happened to Yuraine? He shut his eyes tightly, forcing himself to shake off the ominous thought.

“How is she?”

It was a question he had asked countless times. The ever-loyal steward bowed his head and reassured him yet again that everything was fine. But was it truly fine? There was no turning back now, and he felt utterly helpless. He desperately wished for it all to be over. If there had been a way for him to bear the children in her place, he would have done so without hesitation. Just as he sighed deeply, the sound of a baby’s cry echoed through the hallway. A moment later, another cry followed. The Grand Duke pushed open the door to the birthing chamber, stepping inside as it slowly opened.

The first thing he saw was Yuraine, lying exhausted and gasping for air.

“Yuraine.”

“…Your Grace.”

Yuraine’s face was pale, and her lips were bloodied from biting down too hard. Isis gently brushed his fingertips over her bruised lips and whispered softly.

“Are you alright?”

In response to his worried question, Yuraine offered only a faint, bitter smile. She was someone who never showed her pain, and yet this small reaction spoke volumes. It was all he could do to resist the urge to pull her into his arms. As he gazed at her, the court physician called for him.

“Your Grace.”

Turning, he saw the midwives holding two newborns. One was a golden-haired girl, the other a black-haired boy. The babies, wrinkled and red, looked forlorn as they squirmed in the midwives’ arms. Yuraine and Isis each took one child into their arms. Oblivious to the fact that they had just entered a new world, the babies couldn’t even open their eyes yet. Their tiny lips puckered as they nuzzled for comfort.

“Have you chosen their names?” Yuraine asked in a faint voice. Before the children were born, they had agreed to each choose a name, filled with love and blessings. Isis had deliberated long and hard over his choice, as had Yuraine.

“You first, Your Grace.”

“…Mior.”

Looking down at the golden-haired girl in his arms, Isis softly spoke her name. As if recognizing it, the baby wriggled slightly. Mior—it meant “forest.” Yuraine brushed her fingers gently over the wet black hair of the boy in her arms.

“I’ve named him Larue.”

Larue—the sun. Without having planned it, the twins had been given perfectly complementary names.

Moments ago, Isis had regretted having children. But as he gazed at their tiny faces, that regret vanished like a lie. From the moment they were born, they were endlessly lovable.

The two of them kissed, holding the children close.

Yuraine awoke to the stillness of the room. The silence was soft, like a whisper, and familiar. She turned her head to the window and saw snow falling once again. Gentle, rhythmic breathing filled the air. The twins, with their downy hair, were sound asleep, curled up against each other.

Touching their soft cheeks one by one, Yuraine propped her chin on her hand and gazed at them. Outside, the snow blanketed the world in white, while inside, the room was warm with the scent of wood from the stove. The faint smell of milk lingered around the babies. Yuraine felt her heart overflow with happiness and hoped that this warmth would somehow reach them. They wouldn’t remember these early moments, but…

‘…’

The earliest memory she could recall was from when she was four or five years old. Like most people, she likely had earlier memories, but this one stood out vividly. She had been staring at falling snow from inside a cold, damp cave.

She remembered clearly what she had done wrong—she had used the wrong order of utensils at the dining table. But the unfair part was that the third and fourth utensils had been set in the wrong order to begin with.

If she had tried to explain, her parents would have accused her of lying and scolded her further. Or worse, they might have punished her more harshly for shifting blame onto a servant. So Yuraine had silently accepted her punishment, uttering only “I’m sorry” before heading to the cave.

That day, an unexpected blizzard had struck. Her parents had likely underestimated the weather, thinking it would only get slightly chilly. She instinctively knew that falling asleep in the cold might be fatal. Wrapping herself tightly in a blanket with only her face exposed, she sat staring outside.

Lost in thought, she heard the careful creak of a door. It was Isis. Quickly sitting up, Yuraine pressed a finger to her lips, signaling for silence. Smiling, Isis approached quietly. His face softened as he looked at their sleeping children.

“You’re not sleeping?”

“I woke up a little while ago. The snow is beautiful.”

Isis sat on the bed, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

“Sorry I’m late. I was about to come, but something came up.”

“It’s alright. I was asleep anyway.”

They exchanged soft words about the day—mundane details, precious to them both. Yuraine alternated between stroking the children’s heads. Both had tiny beads of sweat on their hair, likely from the warmth of the blankets. She adjusted the covers slightly, letting their little arms rest outside. Both shifted simultaneously, settling back into identical positions.

“Is it because they’re twins?”

The twins often mirrored each other, leading Yuraine to wonder aloud. Isis shrugged lightly.

“Probably. If they ever act differently later, it might feel strange.”

Yuraine laughed, and Isis smiled in return. Watching the children, Yuraine suddenly broke the silence.

“I was reminded of something from long ago.”

“From long ago?”

“It was on a snowy day like this. I had made a small mistake and was confined to a cave…”

“…”

Isis’s brows furrowed, but he said nothing. He understood. The fact that Yuraine could now speak of it so easily was proof that she had overcome that part of her past.

“It was already cold, but with the snow falling, I thought I might actually die there… Truly, at the time.”

Yuraine clasped her hands together in front of her knees, her gaze lowering.

“I wished anyone would come, leaving footprints in the snow, and bring me a warm fur coat.”

At dawn, the steward and servants came trudging through the snow to find her. None of them had anticipated the snowstorm, and their faces showed their shock. Even on snowy or rainy days, being confined to the cave was the same, but at least during such times, they would ensure she wouldn’t freeze to death by giving her extra clothes.

Wrapped in layers of fur coats and drinking warm chocolate in front of the stove, her parents had come to see her.

“I truly didn’t expect the snow to fall like that,” her mother said, her expression filled with concern. At least in that moment, her worry seemed genuine. Her parents hadn’t entirely lacked love for her. But it was the rare and occasional glimpses of love that made her life more miserable. It left her yearning, unable to wither away completely, like someone trapped in a box who desperately awaited the hand that brought sustenance.

Suddenly, an arm reached out to her. Isis had moved closer, pulling her into his embrace. He kissed the top of her head and whispered softly.

“I wish I could have been there for every one of your memories.”

For every one of her memories. Yuraine leaned into him, letting herself think back on her past. She had always thought it was only natural, the expected consequences, the burdens she had to bear. But what if Isis had been there during those times? If so, perhaps everything would have been much… different.

Raising her head, she kissed him lightly and then called for Lis.

Since the twins were born, Lis and Feya had naturally taken on the role of caring for them. The two entered, each taking a child in their arms and leaving the room. Left alone, Yuraine and Isis embraced quietly, their lips meeting. They had kissed hundreds, perhaps thousands of times by now, yet each one remained as sweet as ever.

Isis carefully undid Yuraine’s nightgown. As her bare skin was exposed, a brief chill ran through her, but it quickly melted away as she nestled into Isis’s warmth.

Their kisses deepened as Yuraine’s fingers worked to unbutton Isis’s shirt. He pulled a fur-lined blanket over her shoulders and tenderly ran his hands over her. Yuraine, in turn, traced the firm muscles beneath his skin. Their hands, so different in warmth, met softly, gently overlapping.

Yuraine’s pale legs, draped over the bed, trembled slightly as Isis grasped her slender ankle. Her shell-like toes, cold despite the warmth of the room, fit neatly into his large hand as he gently pressed warmth into them. The chill in her feet dissipated under his touch.

Before long, their undergarments were damp, clinging to their skin. Isis pulled her close, slipping his fingers beneath the ties of her underclothes. With a few deft movements, the intricate knots came undone, and his length sprang free.

“Ah…”

Yuraine’s face flushed red, her eyes glistening as she brought a hand to cover her mouth. Isis, still partially clothed, opened his pants to free his arousal. He pressed the two together, holding them both in one hand as he began to stroke gently.

“Mmm…”

A small moan escaped Yuraine’s lips. Her body, already heated, grew even warmer under the direct stimulation. Reaching out, she tried to wrap her arms around him, but he caught her hands and slowly guided them downward.

“Here. You try.”

“Ah…”

Obediently, Yuraine wrapped her hands around him. The heat and slick texture felt strange, and the moment she pressed them together, a jolt of pleasure shot through her body, making her shiver. A soft whimper escaped her as she intertwined her fingers, moving her hands up and down. It felt like sinking into warm water as heat spread through her.

The sound of Isis’s breath, mingled with quiet groans and the intensity of his gaze, served as the ultimate aphrodisiac. Yuraine’s movements quickened. Together, they reached their climax. Panting softly, Yuraine looked up at Isis through her tousled hair. Her violet eyes glistened, damp with unshed tears. Isis, gazing into those eyes, leaned in for a slow kiss as he gently laid her back onto the bed.

With a soft thud, the two collapsed onto the bed, their hands entwined.

“The future I saw…”

Wrapped in warm blankets, with Yuraine nestled in his arms, Isis suddenly spoke. The crackling of the fireplace punctuated the quiet.

“You were standing in the garden, smiling at me. Maybe that future has already arrived… or maybe it’s yet to come.”

It was an ordinary scene, a simple fragment of daily life. Prophetic visions of the future were often intense and vivid. But to Isis, this simple moment didn’t feel trivial. For so long, he had only seen Yuraine’s death in his visions. To finally see her smiling, happy and alive, was a revelation.

“I can’t visit your past, but you always appear in my future.”

Yuraine smiled softly at his sentimental words.

“Honestly, it’s alright if you don’t visit my past. What if… what if something changed back then, and we never arrived at this present?”

“Hmm…”

That would indeed be a problem. Isis tightened his hold on Yuraine, pulling her closer.

“Even so, I’d find a way to bring us to this moment.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Yuraine nuzzled her forehead against his chest, playfully. In the quiet warmth of the room, they shared whispered promises of unwavering love, of eternity.

Outside, snow continued to fall. Like the snow, their happiness quietly accumulated, creating a perfect moment.

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