I Refuse This Life, Your Highness! - Chapter 18

The Duke really did come out of my room after taking a bath. It wasn’t immediately after the incident, but that night. His half-dried hair, unlike usual, hung naturally over his forehead. He looked a few years younger.

“Today, I owe my life to you.”

The Duke said. His face was still expressionless, so I couldn’t tell if it was a joke or serious.

“No… you said it wasn’t a particularly dangerous poison,” I replied.

The poison found was said to be made from grinding the seeds of the Rashi fruit. I could eat the fruit itself, but I tried to avoid consuming the seeds. As the Duke had said, it wasn’t the fruit but the seeds—specifically the inside of the seeds—that was poisonous to me.

However, it was only deadly to me. For most people, it only caused a brief loss of consciousness. The problem had been that the incident occurred in the bathroom.

In my past life, Erma had plotted to frame me for this very thing. Back then, after the Duke entered the bath, Erma urgently sought him out, and he was found before he could sink into the tub.

I had desperately rushed to stop him from getting in the bath, so I wouldn’t be suspected.

Still… I hesitated for a moment before saying, “…Thank you for believing in me.”

“Duchess.”

The Duke’s voice suddenly dropped. Surprised, I looked up, but he turned his gaze away. I didn’t get a chance to see the expression in his eyes.

“It’s nothing.”

That was odd. Trying to change the awkward atmosphere, I said something else.

“By the way, did my parents really tell you which herbs are bad for my body? Actually, my family doesn’t know much about that… and my parents aren’t the type to…”

They wouldn’t have taken the time to inform me about such things.

The Duke let out a small laugh.

“They didn’t tell me.”

“…What?”

So, does that mean he lied in front of so many people? Why? No, then how did he know what ingredients were harmful to me?

“I never received such information. But I know a little more about you than you might think. Perhaps even things your family doesn’t know.”

“How…?”

“Your family’s magic.”

He was talking about the poison. I felt my head go blank for a moment.

Every noble family in the Empire has one kind of magic passed down through generations. For both my family and the Duke’s, it was largely irrelevant… but unlike the Duke’s family, mine hadn’t lost its magic. It had simply been suppressed because of its dangerous power, with the Emperor keeping a close eye on us.

Due to the pressure from the Emperor, the threats to the heirs, and the overall suppression, my grandfather had struck a deal with the Emperor. The title of Count Airdren would be preserved indefinitely, and the Emperor would not interfere with our family, as long as we never used our magic to harm anyone.

Because of this, I was taught to view the power within me as something dangerous—like poison—and was trained to be cautious, ensuring that it was never used on anyone.

My blood is poison. If consumed in a certain amount, it would cause immediate death. That alone was horrifying, but my magic was even more dangerous. I could scatter my magical blood like mist in the air.

This was far more lethal than merely ingesting the blood. Anyone exposed to the mist would die, and the area covered in blood would turn into a land of death.

Before my execution in my past life, I had considered killing everyone who came to watch me, but ultimately gave up for various reasons. The most significant reason being…

“Duchess?”

I snapped back to my senses at the sound of my name.

“Are you listening?”

“Ah, yes. I’m listening.”

Damn, what did he just say?

“The Iser Duke’s magic was lost, but we do have a lot of records from other families.”

I nodded quietly. At least I was able to follow the conversation.

“Perhaps even more than the family that originally held it.”

The Duke said this with an air of seriousness, and I could feel my palms start to sweat.

I finally spoke.

“…That sounds somewhat dangerous.”

Hearing me, the Duke chuckled.

The Iser Duke’s family was knowledgeable about other families’ magic. That meant they might even know the weaknesses and ways to counteract their magic.

If that was true, the Emperor would have to be even more cautious with the Iser Duke’s family now. Even though the Duke couldn’t use magic himself, he was still an incredibly powerful figure. In my past life, I had wondered whether I could kill the Duke with my magic, but even without it, his power was formidable.

But if he had a way to counter other families’ magic… it wouldn’t be surprising if the Emperor feared this and took action against it.

The royal bloodline, which had been passed down through legitimate heirs, might be disrupted.

“It might be dangerous, but I’ve just gathered some information. I know about a few harmful fruits and herbs as well.”

Could it be… that Erma had used the information the Duke’s family had to combine a lethal poison against me? If so, perhaps the Duke was the one who had given him that information. Even Erma, as clever as he was, wouldn’t have had access to that level of detail.

“…Were you planning to use it yourself?”

I asked the question as if joking. But the Duke looked directly at me and answered seriously.

“Of course not.”

“…”

“Let’s talk about something else. Is there anything you’re curious about?”

I saw the calmness in his golden eyes. It was just a fleeting glance, but the moment I saw it, my heart felt like it had dropped to the floor. For some reason, I lowered my head to hide my reddening cheeks and desperately searched my mind for a new topic.

“Um, Your Grace, do you know what kind of magic the Iser Duke’s family had before it was lost?”

“Hmm?”

The Duke, who had been resting his temple on his hand, looked at me. The warmth from earlier was gone, and his eyes were as cold as usual. Suddenly, I wondered: Did he ever look at Leia with that same kind of gaze?

My heart grew cold.

“It’s nothing. It was an overly bold question. Please don’t mind it.”

“No.”

The Duke poured himself another drink. Today, it was a thick fruit wine made from magpie fruit. The sweet scent wafted through the air.

“It wasn’t too bold. After all, you’re now a member of the Iser Duke’s family.”

“…”

I was caught off guard by his words and lifted my head.

“Would you like a drink? If it’s too strong, I can mix it with water or juice for you.”

“No, it’s fine. I can drink it as it is.”

For some reason, the Duke seemed to think I wasn’t good with alcohol, but that wasn’t true. Compared to others, I didn’t know if I was particularly good at it, but whenever I drank with my brothers, I was always the last one standing.

“Then.”

The Duke poured the wine and handed me the glass. The deep red liquid smelled sweet and rich. It wasn’t like regular wine. I took a sip, then another. The sweet and delicious drink slid down my throat.

The aroma rose to my nose, and I closed my eyes to savor it. The Duke poured me another drink.

“As I said, you are now part of the Iser Duke’s family. However… it’s still a bit complicated. When the time is right, I’ll tell you more.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

I slowly emptied my glass again, which had been filled to the brim.

“You should go rest. I still have things to do.”

“Of course, Your Grace. …Please don’t overwork yourself.”

After a polite exchange, I went to the bed first. Through the half-drawn curtains, I saw him sitting at the desk, spreading out some papers with the wine bottle beside him.

More alcohol… I really wonder if he’s okay with that.

Tonight, the effects of the drink hit me quickly. I didn’t resist the drowsiness and fell into a deep sleep.

In the early morning.

After finishing his piled-up work, the Duke straightened up, slowly rising from his desk, and walked to the bed. Yureine was sleeping deeply, her body slightly turned to the left.

Her chest rose and fell gently with each breath.

Since it was dark where the Duke was standing, his expression was not visible.

He slowly reached out a hand toward Yureine.

In the quiet office, only the sound of a quill scratching the paper filled the air, occasionally accompanied by the sound of pages turning. I had been so absorbed in my work that the tea Lesilia brought me had long gone cold.

The Duke’s question, “Wouldn’t it be overwhelming?” was correct. The Duchess’s duties were more than I had expected, and I had been immersed in work from the moment I woke up until dusk.

A deputy was necessary for these duties, but I hadn’t found a suitable person yet, so it couldn’t be helped.

At least, there was no family to manage in the Duke’s castle. There were no concubines, sons, daughters, or close relatives who might add to the work. If there had been, things would have been even more complicated. As it stood, the only purchases I needed to make were for gold, gemstones, and silk, so that part was easy.

Salaries for the employees, managing the production facilities in the castle, and budgeting for various household affairs.

After taking over all these tasks, I had to admit one thing about Erma: he had done a remarkable job handling both the Steward’s duties and the Duchess’s duties without a single issue.

That’s why the Duke trusted Erma.

After checking a request to replace the bakery’s oven, I stood up. I didn’t know when the oven had last been replaced. I planned to go to the library to look up the records and some of the other materials I had put off.

The eastern wing of the library was quiet. Always maintaining a comfortable brightness and humidity, the library was a place that made me feel at ease as soon as I entered.

The smell of old books, the dry air, and the dim but not gloomy atmosphere. Outside the windows, there was no sound at all. The high ceilings gave the library a feeling of stillness.

As I entered, my footsteps echoed far and wide. I knew no one was around, but I still tried to step lightly, starting to look for the books I had written down on my list.

Books on the replacement of production facilities with the most up-to-date records, lists of silks owned by previous Duchesses, and lists of merchants currently trading with the Duke’s castle… There were more than a few.

Since they were all records, the books were thick. I was worried about how to carry them all as I flipped through the merchant books. Fortunately, they were divided by merchant and time period, so they were thinner.

The books I was looking for were all on the top shelves, higher than my height. I had to fetch a ladder, then sat on it to skim through the content.

The only sound was the rustling of pages turning under my fingers. I had become so absorbed in the books that I didn’t notice anyone entering the library.

‘It’s not here…’

Just as I was about to reach for the next book, I heard a voice calling my name.

“Duchess.”

“…!”

I was startled so badly that I almost fainted. At the same time, my hand missed its mark, and the books I had been holding slipped, tumbling to the floor.

Thud. The ladder wasn’t that high, but it wasn’t low enough to fall without feeling it. Yet, I didn’t feel the expected pain. Something seemed to catch my body, and I saw the books tumbling around me.

“…?”

Only then did I realize that someone was holding me, pulling me into their embrace.

And I knew exactly who it was.

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