I Refuse This Life, Your Highness! - Chapter 13

“I-My name? …Your Highness?”

He was silent. It seemed as though he had fallen asleep. I sat on the bed, lost in thought, trying to understand the meaning of a name.

“……Ah.”

‘Ishis, call me that.’

I had tried calling him once at the beginning, and after that, I intentionally avoided using his name. I hadn’t called him by it. But could that have been the reason? The Duke wouldn’t have any reason to feel that way, would he?

His voice had sounded almost as if he were disappointed.

Could it be…?

I shook my head. But then…

‘Yurein.’

The voice calling my name lingered in my ears until I nearly drifted off to sleep.

When I woke up in the morning, the Duke was already gone. He had left before the sun fully rose, as usual. Lesilli was brushing my hair as she spoke.

“The tailor will be here soon.”

“The tailor? Why?”

“You need clothes made for the hunting festival.”

“Ah… right.”

I had forgotten about the hunting festival.

“And His Highness said you should join him for dinner tonight.”

“I understand.”

I barely paid attention to the mention of dinner.

The hunting festival… I had experienced quite a lot there. In fact, during my time at the Duke’s castle, not a day had passed without me feeling some form of embarrassment or humiliation.

The only skill I had was archery. Erma had shown me various kinds of bows, saying they were prepared for me. In front of everyone.

But they were all too heavy for me to shoot with my own strength. When I managed to lift a lighter, smaller bow to string an arrow, I could hear laughter from the crowd.

‘It looks like a child’s bow suits the Princess perfectly.’

Someone commented, and the laughter grew louder. The only bow I could lift, among all that Erma had prepared, was a child’s bow.

And of course, when I tried to string arrows meant for hunting, it only seemed ridiculous.

Lost in thought, I didn’t notice when the tailor arrived. Unlike the tailoring of other formal clothes, the hunting outfit was light, so it didn’t take long.

Afterward, I spent the morning and afternoon in the library.

My destination today was the west wing library. It would take a long time to read the ledgers from the last several decades. I wanted to go through everything, but I decided not to rush.

The west wing library had many books on the history of Iser and biographies of famous people.

The Duke had promised to grant me a divorce in three months. But, given the unpredictable nature of situations, there was no guarantee, was there?

To avoid such complications, there was something I had to do. I had to look into the duties of the Duchess that Erma had been handling. To do that, I needed to gain knowledge.

How long had I been sitting on the stone floor between the shelves? When I turned the last page of the book, my eyes were blurry. My shoulders were stiff, and as I stretched, I noticed the sky outside the window had darkened.

The Duke had said to join him for dinner, and remembering that, I hurriedly stood up. My legs, having been in the same position for so long, were numb.

“Your Highness! Please come and sit here.”

Lesilli, who must have been eagerly waiting for me to return, urged me. Bohen and the other servants were also bustling around.

Although it was just dinner, it was a formal one. As the Duchess, there was a lot to prepare.

The servants washed my face and hands with rosewater and dried them with a warm towel. Then, they changed me into my clothes, sprayed a faint fragrance, and braided my hair, pinning it up.

After putting on the long lace cape that draped behind my chair, the preparations were complete. I led the servants to the dining hall.

The Duke arrived slightly later than I did.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, my lady.”

“It’s fine.”

I took my seat again, following the Duke, and the meal began.

“I heard there’s a hunting tournament.”

The Duke looked at me as he drank his wine. He seemed surprised that I spoke first. Had I never spoken to him first before?

“Yes.”

“What kind of animals do you hunt?”

“Well, we release many animals. From pigeons to wolves.”

Iser’s territory had many mountains and forests, and hunting was a popular activity. The Duke’s northern forest was home to a vast hunting ground, and the tournament would be held there.

I had been warned not to go into the northern forest at first. Even when there wasn’t a tournament, wild animals roamed there.

Thanks to Erma, I had learned that the hard way, wandering the forest all night.

Really, my only good memories from the Duke’s castle… were almost non-existent.

As we continued talking about the hunting tournament, the conversation shifted to the southern watchtower. It was said that the southern tower had a perfect view of the northern forest.

While discussing that, I suddenly remembered something important that I had forgotten for days.

“Your Highness!”

“……”

I had called out so suddenly that the Duke almost spat out his wine.

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

“Did my wine have poison in it?”

“No… it’s not that… What happened to Viscount Bihen?”

The Duke calmly took another sip of wine and tore off a piece of bread.

“She went to the border.”

“Excuse me?”

“She went to defend the border.”

“Suddenly?”

What happened? Bihen was supposed to be my teacher.

Bihen was a scholar and a knight with vast knowledge. She had been chosen to teach me both etiquette and martial arts.

She was stricter than words could describe. If I couldn’t keep up, she’d make excuses and have Erma punish me. It was obvious that they were working together.

Why did Bihen suddenly leave for the border?

“I see.”

Luckily, the Duke accepted it without much thought and resumed eating.

“Would you like me to bring something else, Your Highness?”

The servant asked quietly. I shook my head and brought the fish to my mouth. The sour taste and fragrance filled my mouth, but I couldn’t really savor it.

The meal dragged on.

During the course of several dishes being served, I hardly ate. Whether it was because of the Duke’s attitude or the memories from my past life, my nerves were on edge.

My stomach began to ache. I lightly pressed my hand to my stomach under the table. I asked for some water and then had tea, but it only made things worse.

When the meal finally ended, the Duke escorted me back to my room. It was a kind gesture, but one I would have preferred to decline.

“I’ll send a doctor.”

“Pardon?”

“You don’t seem well. There’s no need to push yourself.”

“……”

I felt embarrassed, realizing I must have looked unwell. As I hesitated, the Duke opened my door himself.

“I still have work to do. I may be late, so after seeing the doctor, go ahead and sleep.”

“I will wait.”

Not long after the Duke left, the doctor arrived.

“It seems you have indigestion, Your Highness. I will prepare some medicine.”

“……It’s a bother, but make it in front of me.”

“Of course.”

Though it seemed like a strange request, the doctor nodded obediently, gathering herbs, crushing them, and adding sugar and water from my room before boiling it into a medicinal drink.

The herbs were common ones known to help with digestion. I took the medicine without a word while the doctor filled a bottle and handed it to Lesilli.

“Take one dose every four hours, and double the amount before bed. If possible, a hot bath would be beneficial as well.”

The doctor bowed respectfully. After I nodded, he gathered his tools and quietly left. While Bohen prepared the bath, I sat back with several pillows stacked behind me, waiting. Gradually, the discomfort in my stomach started to ease.

“How are you feeling, Your Highness?”

“I think I’m feeling better.”

“That’s a relief. Oh, and… there’s a letter from Airdren.”

“What? A letter?”

I sprang up from the bed.

Support