I Refuse This Life, Your Highness! - Chapter 21

“Phew…”

The hot water infused with fragrant oils enveloped my body. By the time I returned to the castle, it was already past midnight. I hadn’t exchanged many words with the Grand Duke on the hill. We simply sat side by side, gazing at the stars. Coming down took longer than expected because we chose a gentler slope—a path that would have been much easier to take on the way up as well.

The sky was breathtakingly beautiful. The Grand Duke was kind…

I sank deeper into the water. The Grand Duke—he was kind. He had been kind ever since the wedding day, a stark contrast to my previous life. Why was he treating me so differently now? When I first asked, he seemed to have no memory of our past lives. But perhaps I should confirm it again.

There was no reason to dislike his kindness. After all, I… I had liked him, even in our previous life, from the very moment we first met.

Our first meeting was at the wedding. When I saw him, towering under his veil, I felt an emotion I had never experienced before: attraction. A war hero, a member of the imperial family, and the Grand Duke of Iser—Isis Perion.

Standing beside him as he silently performed his role in the ceremony, I fidgeted with my hands. I could hardly believe I was marrying such a man.

I wanted to know more about him. I wanted to talk to him. But he didn’t come to the bridal chamber on the first night. It wasn’t something that could be excused with claims of being busy or occupied.

I fervently hoped my parents and brothers wouldn’t find out, but rumors of a bride abandoned on her wedding night spread like wildfire. I was terrified of being scolded by my parents and too ashamed to face my brothers.

In most families, such an incident would have warranted a confrontation. But my family couldn’t afford to do that. There were too many reasons. I was Lamia. My veins carried poison instead of blood. This marriage had been an imperial command, forced upon us.

Demanding justice would have been seen as admitting fault in the bride and her family. And while it was true, I couldn’t burden my parents with humiliation and trouble because of me.

Then came the nightmare after arriving at the Grand Duke’s castle. I swung between hating him, liking him, and aimlessly loitering near the door because I missed him yet was too scared to run into him. In my foolishness, I eventually met Leia.

The hatred couldn’t entirely smother my affection for him. Love and hate? It wasn’t even as grand as that. I was simply desperate for him to notice me.

Perhaps, though I can’t remember, it really was me who went to Leia’s quarters. The poison that killed Leia’s sibling was identical to the venom in my veins. My blood, once drawn, loses its toxicity over time. Who else but me could have delivered fresh poison?

…No. That’s not it. It can’t be.

I didn’t like the Grand Duke that much.

No, it wasn’t that kind of affection. A love that requires someone’s death is not my way. Nothing in this world is worth taking another’s life to obtain.

‘Then, what about now…?’

Now, with the Grand Duke being so kind… I dunked my head into the hot water, the bubbling sound jolting me back to reality. What was I even thinking?

For a fleeting moment, I thought, ‘If only things could stay like this until Leia returns.’

I must be out of my mind. Crazy. I wiped the water from my face with my palms.

‘Idiot.’

How could I think such a thing?

‘He’s not yours.’

He’s someone who will leave the moment Leia reappears. He’s someone who once abandoned me and my family to die at Erma’s hands.

He’s not mine.

Perhaps it was the heat, or perhaps it was something else, but my head felt dizzy.

A few days later, the Rubes Trading Company finally entered the inner castle walls. I sat in the audience chamber to greet its members.

The Rubes Trading Company primarily dealt in luxury goods, and it was the Grand Duchess’s role to purchase such items. Although, given the current circumstances, there wasn’t much demand for luxury items except between the Grand Duke and me. I doubted the company’s leader had high expectations.

Even if the company dealt in essentials like food or daily necessities, they would have still needed to meet me since Erma was temporarily imprisoned under the guise of house arrest.

“We greet Her Grace, the Grand Duchess of Iser.”

Several men and women knelt on the red carpet, their heads bowed. The blond man at the forefront must be the company’s leader, and the third prince of Hasein, Liohl Manas Hasein.

Being both a prince and a merchant was an unusual combination. However, this peculiar prince supposedly enjoyed commerce so much that he gave up his royal title to live as an ordinary merchant most of the time.

He only returned to his role as a prince for special royal events. When I first heard that the Rubes Trading Company was visiting, I was curious about him. They said he earned far more wealth managing the company than he ever had as a prince. That kind of success would certainly make discarding a title easier.

“Raise your heads.”

At my words, the kneeling figures slowly lifted their faces.

I carefully examined the faces of the trading company members. When my gaze finally landed on the prince—no, the leader of the company—my head tilted slightly. His striking blond hair with red undertones and green eyes were undeniably princely, but his handsomeness seemed almost excessive for a mere merchant.

“Leader of the Rubes Trading Company, Liohl Manas Hasein, greets Her Grace, the Grand Duchess.”

“Vice-leader Ino Silay greets Her Grace.”

The brief introductions proceeded smoothly.

“Bohen, bring forth the item in the center.”

“Yes.”

Bohen bowed and descended the steps, returning with a tray lined with silk.

“Hm.”

The item resembled something I had seen during my outing with the Grand Duke in the village. However, this version was crafted from far more luxurious materials.

“It’s a beautiful piece.”

“Thank you, Your Grace.”

The leader of the company bowed his head with a satisfied expression, but his shoulders flinched at my next words.

“I hear it’s already trending below the castle.”

“Y-Your Grace…”

“As the Grand Duchess, I cannot lag behind the trends.”

Traditionally, selling goods to outsiders before presenting them at court was prohibited. However, such rules had never been strictly enforced. It probably hadn’t occurred to them that I would raise an issue about something they’d done so casually until now.

Originally, the leader of the trading company would leak small amounts of their flagship products into the market to generate buzz, and then the ladies and gentlemen of the Grand Duke’s household—starting with the Grand Duchess—would showcase the items, setting off widespread trends. But I had cut off that process midway.

“However, I do like this item. What should we do about it, Leader?”

Resting my chin on the armrest, I asked. The leader, Liohl, looked briefly troubled but quickly regained his composure.

“Of course, Your Grace. While it is unfortunate that the item was leaked, I cannot let Your Grace have anything less than the trendiest item. Instead, may I suggest that we embellish this hairpiece with even more intricate craftsmanship?”

“More embellishment?”

“Yes, Your Grace, something that would perfectly suit your beauty. Naturally, we would not charge extra for the work. Additionally, we could release a more affordable version to the market. What do you think?”

“Hmm…”

He was taking responsibility for their mistake by proposing to incur the loss himself. Making excuses about “customary practices” wouldn’t help him here. However, simply forcing the trading company to absorb the loss wouldn’t benefit me or the Grand Duchy.

“Very well. But isn’t this too much of a loss for you to bear?”

“You are too kind, Your Grace. The fault lies with us, after all.”

“Even so, it would weigh heavily on my conscience. Hmm… I know. It happens that the staff uniforms for the Grand Duke’s household are due for renewal.”

“…!”

Bright expressions spread across the faces of the trading company members. While some reactions were calculated, not all of them were. Even excluding those who wore their own clothes to work, the Grand Duke’s household employed hundreds. And even those who wore personal clothing needed aprons, gloves, or other accessories, not to mention that no one was provided with only one set of garments.

Supplying that many uniforms, aprons, shoes, socks, and more was no small deal for the Rubes Trading Company. Additionally, being able to claim they provided goods to the Grand Duchy of Iser was a significant marketing advantage.

“There aren’t many people in the castle who require luxury goods at the moment. However, since it has been a long time since the company’s last visit, I’m sure there are plenty of items we need to procure. Let’s take our time looking through them.”

“Thank you, Your Grace.”

I purchased a suitable amount of various silks, leathers, and accessories to create clothes for myself and the Grand Duke—not too much, but not too little either.

After dismissing the trading company members, I returned to the study and collapsed onto the sofa. Wearing tight formal clothing since morning and dealing with unfamiliar yet formidable people had left me utterly exhausted.

“Bohen, please tell the deputy chamberlain to send the Rubes Trading Company a case of wine—the kind we serve at high-level banquets.”

“Understood.”

After Bohen left, Resilly helped me change out of my clothes and massaged my arms and legs with a hot towel. The cold tea, supposedly good for restoring energy, helped clear my head a little.

Still, my physical frailty was a serious problem. I couldn’t count how many times I’d suppressed the urge to gag from nervous tension during the audience earlier.

“Your Grace, would you like to rest for a while?”

“Hmm… Just for an hour.”

Without a chamberlain to share the load, the work had been piling up. The deputy chamberlain was doing his part, but I was still new to my role as Grand Duchess, and the workload was overwhelming.

Once I changed into my nightwear, my body felt as though it would melt. I sank into the soft bed, clutching a pillow, and drifted into a deep sleep almost instantly.

“Turns out we made more profit than expected, didn’t we?”

At the vice-leader’s words, the leader, Liohl, smirked, lifting one corner of his mouth. His thoughts were on the Grand Duchess of Iser, whom he had met earlier.

He had underestimated her, thinking she was just a naive, twenty-year-old Lamia. He had planned to lowball her at every turn… and yet, she had allowed the trading company to make its profit while also securing her own gains.

If rumors spread that the Grand Duchess negotiated with the company to obtain trendy accessories at lower prices, her popularity would subtly rise.

“She’s impressive.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? Don’t tell me you’ve developed some inappropriate feelings for the Grand Duchess?”

“I have a weakness for beautiful things.”

“Shut up. If you mess around and cause trouble for the company again, I’ll personally kick you out!”

“My, how bold. You dare speak to a prince of Hasein like that?”

“Then act like a prince, you scoundrel!”

The vice-leader shouted, shoving Liohl. Then, as if recalling something, she added, “Oh, by the way, it’s about time for you to reapply the medicine to your eyes.”

“Already? How annoying.”

“Deal with it. You know you have to.”

“It stings.”

“Not my problem. I’ve warned you, so don’t forget.”

Liohl waved her off dismissively, and the vice-leader stormed out.

Alone again, Liohl chuckled to himself, his thoughts returning to her. The beautiful Lamia, seated on her throne with her youthful, delicate face.

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