I Refuse This Life, Your Highness! - Chapter 19

“Your Highness…?”

“I thought something was off about you sitting like that.”

“Um, Your Highness, are you alright?”

After confirming that all the books had fallen, the Duke straightened me up and examined me, as if checking for any injuries.

“I’m fine, but if you had been hit, your bones would’ve been broken.”

…Was that a joke? Should I laugh? It certainly wasn’t a situation where I could laugh. I glanced down at the books scattered on the floor. If they had hit me from above, I probably would’ve had at least a bruise, if not worse.

But the Duke stood straight and unharmed, as if nothing had happened, like he had just been tapped by a flower bud.

“Are you really alright? Are you sure you’re not hurt?”

“I’m truly fine. This is nothing. Luckily, it wasn’t leather-bound, so there shouldn’t even be a bruise.”

It almost sounded like he was saying that even if it had been leather-bound, it would’ve only resulted in a bruise. My gaze absentmindedly drifted to the leather-bound books on the opposite shelf. They were so large I could barely lift them with one hand. To say that getting hit by one of those would only leave a bruise… Did the Duke have some kind of steel body?

While I was thinking that, the Duke started picking up the books.

“Ah, cleaning up…”

I quickly sat down and began gathering the scattered books. Even if I called the servants to clean up, I couldn’t leave them like this until they arrived. I was moving quickly, but while I was still struggling to stack three books, the Duke had swiftly organized the mess as if he were tidying up a collection of pocket-sized books.

“Thank you.”

I wasn’t sure what else to say. After awkwardly thanking him, I tried to gather the neatly arranged books in my arms and head back up the ladder, but the Duke grabbed me.

“Are you going to fall again?”

“No, Your Highness, I won’t. I won’t fall twice.”

“There’s no such thing as ‘maybe.’ If something happens once, it’ll happen again.”

Saying that, the Duke took the books from my arms with one hand and quickly placed them on the high shelves. In no time, the once chaotic shelf was completely organized.

“Are you planning to take all of these books with you?”

“Yes…”

“Is there anything else you need?”

“Just one ledger here. The record of the transaction with the Rubes merchant in the fall of 879. There are a few more in other areas, but I should be able to find them quickly.”

The Duke reached out and took one of the ledgers.

“This one.”

After I took it and flipped through it to confirm, it was indeed the record of the transaction with the Rubes merchant. I glanced at the Duke, took the ledger, and made my way back to the shelf where the books were stacked. The weight of the books made my arms tremble as I tried to lift them.

“Thank you so much, Your Highness. They’re not particularly valuable, but I’ll bring some herbs for bruises as a token of gratitude. I’ll be on my way now…”

As I tried to leave quickly, the Duke’s voice stopped me.

“Are you very busy?”

“Yes, very busy.”

“Still, you should be fine for a moment, right?”

“…”

Why did he ask?

The Duke took the books from my arms once again, placing them on a small cart by the shelf. I hadn’t noticed it before, but it was there. If I had known about it earlier, it would’ve been very useful.

“Have you ever been inside the inner part of the library?”

“Inner part?”

Was there such a place? I tilted my head instinctively, and the Duke extended his hand.

“This way.”

I followed him wordlessly. In the quiet, high-ceilinged library, only the sound of the Duke’s boots and my shoes echoed.

We passed through several shelves, and when we reached what I had thought was a wall, I saw a small passage carved into the middle of a shiny wooden wall.

The passage was so small that the Duke had to bow his head to enter, and a clear light streamed from inside. It was sunlight, not the diffused, misty glass or the curtain-covered windows I was used to seeing in the library. I followed the Duke inside, and the moment I stepped in, I had to close my eyes.

I had been in a dim place and suddenly encountered bright light. My eyes, unaccustomed to the sudden brightness, stung. After a while, as my eyes adjusted, I looked around.

The ceiling, as high as the library, was surrounded by marble columns. Detailed carvings of grapes and angels decorated the columns, with thin layers of gold around them that sparkled in the sunlight.

On the round ceiling, vivid frescoes painted with precious pigments adorned the surface. The smooth ivory-colored stone walls had beautiful landscape paintings hanging on them, all without a single flaw.

Long, narrow windows lined one of the walls, casting the shadows of the round flower-patterned window bars across the floor. The sunlight, as bright as molten metal, streamed through those windows.

In the center of the room was a large ash tree table, and beside it, plush armchairs that looked incredibly comfortable. It seemed like a hidden, secret space, but it was as clean as if it had just been tidied up yesterday.

“This is the space where the Duke and Duchess read.”

“There was such a place?”

“There’s another one in the western library. You can use it if you need it.”

“Yes… Thank you, Your Highness.”

As I answered, I couldn’t help but look around like a country bumpkin in front of an extravagant sight. It was lavish, yet there wasn’t a single unnecessary decoration, and the chairs looked so comfortable. It was truly a wonderful space for reading, but also quite luxurious.

“Shall we leave now?”

The Duke bent down again and started to exit the passage.

“What about the other books you need?”

“Oh.”

I pulled out the list I had made and tried to read the titles of the books I hadn’t found yet. But before I could, the Duke took the list from my hands. His eyes quickly scanned through it.

“Wait a moment.”

“No? Your Highness, I can go find them myself.”

“Is this enough?”

“Ugh, Your Highness… How did you manage to do this so quickly?”

“I roughly know which books are in which section.”

“Do you have all of them memorized?”

“I grew up here.”

Indeed… that was true. I also knew the locations of all the books in my family’s library.

“Thank you so much. When Your Highness visits Airdren in the future, then…”

I was about to continue, but I quickly closed my mouth. Why would the Duke ever go to Airdren? I, myself, had never been back since before I was falsely accused.

And even if he could go, there’s no guarantee he would.

“Now, I suppose we’re done here.”

“Yes.”

Fortunately, the Duke pretended not to hear what I said.

“I’ll send someone, so wait until he arrives. Don’t try to carry it all by yourself.”

“Understood.”

The books were so heavy that I had planned on making two or three trips, so his offer was a welcome one.

“Then.”

Just like when he appeared, the Duke vanished as quickly as lightning. No, perhaps I didn’t notice when he appeared because I was too focused on the books. As I walked back into the corridor and looked around my beautiful private room, I heard the sound of a bookshelf door opening.

“Viscount? Are you here?”

“I’m here.”

I leaned out from behind the bookshelf, and one of the Duke’s knights was standing there. I was surprised. I had expected a servant to be sent, not a knight… The knight quickly picked up the books that had fallen to the floor and looked at me.

“Shall we go, Viscount?”

“You’re making me work unnecessarily when you’re busy.”

“What are you talking about? It’s an honor to be able to assist you, Viscount.”

As I stepped out into the corridor, I saw the knight, a young man with dark blonde hair and brown eyes. He looked to be around twenty-six years old, older than me but younger than the Duke.

“Viscount, I’m Leon Rustis. The Duke said he would send me whenever there’s an errand related to you, so I’ll be seeing you often.”

The lively young man said this. Now that I think about it, I think I’ve seen him a few times in the Duke’s knight order. I didn’t know his name before.

“Please take care of me from now on, Sir Rustis.”

“Please call me Leon.”

“…Alright, Sir Leon.”

After Leon helped move the books to my office, he gave me a cheerful farewell and left. I stared at the door he had gone through before sitting down.

Although the Duke’s unexpected visit had eaten up some of my time, his help in finding the materials saved me an equal amount of time. As a result, I returned to my office exactly on schedule.

I sat at my desk, laid out the materials, and began working diligently again. Since I had to go out in the evening, my hands were full. A few times, Resilly came by to change my tea, but I think I only managed to drink half a cup.

I was busy and flustered, but strangely, I was enjoying the work more than I expected.

By the time the sun started to set, I had finished all the tasks I had planned for the day. The bright yellow sunlight still spread far across the western horizon.

I called Resilly and Boen and asked them to bring me the simplest and plainest clothes from my wardrobe. I also needed a robe with a hood that could fully cover my body.

Soon, a large merchant guild, the Rubes Guild, was scheduled to arrive in Iser. It was run by the third prince of the Hasain Kingdom and was famous across the continent.

Before the guild arrived, they would sometimes distribute goods inside the walls of the village. This was because people who wanted to lead the trends would go out to meet the guild before it formally arrived and purchase items.

Of course, such transactions were officially prohibited, but since they were small-scale and didn’t affect the market much, enforcement was usually lax. I wanted to see the goods being traded firsthand. Although I had seen them in my past life, I hadn’t been able to inspect them closely. Also, since some things had changed since my past life, I needed to verify whether they were the same items.

I washed my hands and face again and picked up the clothes. They were hunting clothes, but after removing all the embellishments and changing the belt and leather straps, they looked like ordinary attire.

I put on the robe and quietly left the room. The guards in front of my door had temporarily left with Resilly, and Boen confirmed there was no one in the corridor. I planned to leave as discreetly as possible.

As I pulled my hood up and rushed down the hallway, someone grabbed my arm.

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