I Refuse This Life, Your Highness! - Chapter 17

The next few days passed calmly. The Duke still came to my room every night, drinking heavily and then falling asleep. I was worried and asked Lesilia and Bohem about it, but they told me the Duke didn’t have any particular fondness for alcohol, let alone to a worrying degree.

Even on nights when state affairs kept him busy and he didn’t come until after I had fallen asleep, I would wake up in the early morning to find him sleeping beside me.

After he left early in the morning, Lesilia and Bohem would change the sheets, replacing them with fresh ones, which they would wash themselves.

As a result, strange rumors began circulating in the Duke’s castle. People whispered that the Duke and I were incredibly close, that we were enjoying our honeymoon to the fullest.

‘Far from being close…’

After drinking, he would only sleep and leave. Considering that there were three adults sleeping in separate beds, it was almost like using two beds, which made me wonder what they would say if they knew.

Sitting at the desk where the evening sunlight fell, I was reading some documents when I suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of unease.

‘What is it?’

I stared at the date.

Why did this particular date bother me…?

I thought for a while, then suddenly jumped out of my seat. The ink-covered quill tipped over and rolled across the floor. This date, this day. It was right around the time I had first arrived at the Duke’s castle when a big incident had occurred.

Without bothering to pick up the quill, I grabbed the hem of my cumbersome dress and ran out of the room.

Servants I passed looked at me in surprise, but I didn’t care at all. I had to hurry; I couldn’t waste time!

The Duke’s room wasn’t very close to mine. Even if the rooms were near each other, the size of the castle meant it would take about five minutes to walk there.

Just running that distance left me gasping for air. I caught my breath and told the guard standing in front of the Duke’s room.

“Tell His Grace that the Duchess has arrived.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

The guards seemed a bit startled but quickly informed the Duke. Immediately, I heard the order to enter. As I staggered into the room, the Duke looked up in surprise.

“Gah, gah… Your, Your Grace.”

I was still struggling to breathe. I wiped the sweat from my chin, and the Duke gestured for me to sit.

“You look pale. Please sit for a moment.”

“Y-Yes… Thank you.”

It seemed like I arrived just in time. I sighed with relief and sat as the Duke had suggested. He ordered some lukewarm tea and snacks to be brought in.

Before long, a quaint tea table was set before me, but I was still too startled to eat after running here. I sipped a few mouthfuls of tea, and only then did my nerves begin to calm.

“What on earth happened that made you rush like this? You’re usually never in a hurry.”

“Ah, well…”

I glanced at the Duke’s attendants, who were quietly tidying up behind him, handling large towels and oils.

The Duke was still in his cloak. I had arrived just in the nick of time.

“Were you planning to take a bath?”

“Hm, I think I’m a bit tired today.”

If I had been just a little later… Cold sweat trickled down my back.

“By the way, what’s going on?”

There was concern on the Duke’s face. He probably suspected that I had suddenly gone mad. I would have been startled too if the Duke had suddenly rushed into my room. Though I doubt he would have thought I was crazy.

“Ah, well…”

The Duke, leaning on the armrest, looked at me with a puzzled expression. I decided I might as well say it.

“Your Grace, would you like to take your bath in my room instead?”

“What?”

“Ah, hahahaha, it might sound strange.”

Strange? It was probably enough for him to think I had lost my mind. I quickly added more explanation.

“It’s just that… I had a bad dream. Well, I dreamed that you were sinking into the bathtub…”

Oh no. I shouldn’t have added that. The Duke’s expression became even more puzzled.

The truth was, it wasn’t just a bad dream; it was something that had actually happened. The Duke had fainted while taking a bath in his room.

He hadn’t actually sunk into the bathtub, but the attendants discovered him quickly. However, traces of a minor poison had been detected in his body. It was an attempted assassination.

At the time, I had been startled, but I had followed Erma’s instructions and stayed locked in my room until the commotion subsided.

During that time, I was accused as the perpetrator.

Erma and my attendants testified that they had seen me sneak toward the Duke’s room.

The poison was also a rare one, one that no one in the Duke’s castle had encountered before. The suspicion grew that it might have been a poison mixed with my blood.

Since there was no concrete evidence, the Duke ordered the matter to be quietly swept under the rug. The amount of poison was not lethal; it only made him briefly unconscious.

However, rumors quickly spread throughout the castle. It was said that the Duchess had tried to poison the Duke, and that the magic of the Airdren family was fearsome.

I never did such a thing.

At first, I was locked in my room, unable to defend myself, and after that, no one believed my words. I repeated the same explanation hundreds of times, but I grew more and more exhausted. The Duke, from the beginning, showed no interest in my words. The feeling of helplessness, knowing no one believed me, completely consumed me at that time. This sense of powerlessness later led to the failed poisoning attempt on Leia and ultimately to my execution.

Though the Duke had covered up the incident, he never addressed the rumors.

By then, the rumors that the Duke disliked me had already spread, and the way people looked at me grew colder. In particular, the servants and knights who favored the Duke began to treat me with contempt, as if I were a pest.

…The current Duke was staring at me intently. His golden eyes seemed to be deep in thought, then flicked briefly toward his desk before narrowing, only to return to me. His lips parted slightly, and I thought I heard him make a sound similar to “Ah.” What did that mean?

“You wouldn’t come to me just because of such a dream.”

“I-I’m sorry, Your Grace. I shouldn’t have bothered you.”

“I mean, Duchess… Roxen.”

As he called, the loyal chamberlain stepped forward and bowed his head.

“Go check the bathwater.”

“What? Your Grace, there’s no need to go that far.”

I immediately reacted and watched as the chamberlain turned to leave. I couldn’t help but jump inside. Wasn’t this an unnecessary inconvenience just because of my ridiculous dream story? The chamberlain didn’t show it, but he seemed somewhat uncomfortable too.

“I’m concerned about your dream as well.”

“…”

This was unexpected. I never thought the Duke would actually order an investigation into the bathwater. I only planned to prevent him from entering the bath.

Bothering the servants was one thing, but if they actually examined the bathwater, they would find poison… How could they know? What if they questioned how I knew?

Would simply claiming it was a dream be enough to explain this?

As I fidgeted, a commotion arose from the direction of the bathroom, and the chamberlain and servants emerged, pale-faced, in a rush.

Suddenly, my complexion drained of color.

“I-I’m sorry, Your Grace, but….”

“Don’t hesitate. Tell me.”

“Poison has been detected in the bathtub.”

The Duke’s castle erupted into chaos, just like in my past life. This was not what I had hoped for.

Soon, all the soldiers and servants gathered in the courtyard of the castle. Erma made an announcement in front of them.

“No matter how long it takes, we will find the culprit!”

It was shameless of him to speak like that, considering he was the one responsible. As I glared at him with cold eyes, I heard him speak.

“Duchess.”

“…Yes?”

“Thank you for saving me.”

His quiet voice uttered words I had not expected. I froze, unsure of what to say, but Erma stepped closer.

What was he planning this time? I looked at him with suspicion, my face full of wariness.

“Duchess.”

“What is it?”

“I beg your pardon, but I must ask you something.”

What was this about? I had stopped the Duke from going into the bathroom. There was no way I could be accused of being the culprit. Still, I watched Erma cautiously, my anxiety rising.

“I humbly ask… how did you know about this?”

Ah, don’t panic. I thought, but my face turned pale in an instant. I knew Erma wouldn’t believe my flimsy excuse about a dream.

It was strange that the Duke had believed it in the first place. Was he trying to trap me? As I stared blankly at the Duke, he maintained his cold expression, just like usual.

Emboldened by our reactions, Erma continued.

“Perhaps, Duchess… this was all a scheme to win His Grace’s favor…”

A self-made plot to earn favor, he implied. My mind went blank. Why hadn’t I thought of that? How could I explain how I knew about the poison in the Duke’s bath? It wouldn’t be strange if they thought I had already laid the poison myself.

I didn’t know how to respond, my face growing pale, when the Duke interrupted Erma.

“Erma.”

Then, the Duke did something that left me dumbfounded, and shocked everyone around us. With an authoritative face, he stepped forward, drawing his sword. The sharp sound of the blade leaving its sheath broke the eerie silence.

Without hesitation, the Duke held the sword steadily and brought it to Erma’s throat. Erma stiffened, his face drained of color as though he had encountered a massive predator. Trembling, Erma stood frozen as the Duke spoke coldly.

“How dare you insult my wife.”

“Y-Your Grace!”

None of us—Erma, myself, or anyone around us—could hide our shock. Erma immediately dropped to his knees, and the sword hovered just inches from his neck. The Duke’s posture made it seem like he would strike Erma down at any moment.

“I-I’m sorry. I have committed an unforgivable crime. I didn’t mean it…”

“Didn’t mean it? How dare you speak to her like that in front of me? How have you served my wife all this time?”

“I…”

Erma’s forehead nearly touched the floor.

‘…Haha…’

I barely stifled a laugh. Even though some still thought I was strange, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction. Erma was like a foster brother to the Duke, and their bond was deep. In my past life, I never saw the Duke treat Erma this way.

“If anyone doubts the Duchess, listen up. The composition of the poison has already been identified. It contained seeds from a particular fruit. Normally, it causes a fever and causes someone to lose consciousness for a while, but for the Duchess, it would have been fatal.”

At those words, everyone, including myself, was left wide-eyed.

“If the Duchess had used the poison herself, she would have avoided it. The fruit turns into a deadly toxin when it comes into contact with her blood.”

The noise around us grew uncontrollably. I was also surprised and asked the Duke. My blood was highly toxic, but its effect could be mitigated by herbs. Certain herbs or fruits interacted with it, which made them highly poisonous for me. In my previous life, Erma had exploited this to his advantage.

“Your Grace, how did you…?”

When I asked in surprise, the Duke briefly glanced at me.

“I heard it from your parents. How else would I have known?”

My parents? They were not the kind of people who provided such information so thoroughly. If anyone, it would have been my brothers.

“Your servants know this fact as well.”

As the Duke’s gaze shifted, Bohem and Lesilia quickly answered.

“Yes.”

“We knew.”

“Then how come the chefs or the chambermaids don’t know? If it’s a lethal poison for the Duchess…”

“Erma.”

“Yes…”

“Are you asking me to announce to the entire Duke’s castle what is a deadly poison for the Duchess?”

“No, no, that’s not what I meant.”

The Duke stared at Erma for a long time. Even though I was standing beside them, I felt a cold chill. It was as though a massive carnivorous beast was glaring at him. Erma trembled in fear, unable to do anything. After a long moment of silence, the Duke sheathed his sword and gave his order.

“Leave. Stay in your quarters, Erma.”

Erma bowed his head again, almost touching the ground.

Support