I Refuse This Life, Your Highness! - Chapter 29

It felt like the inevitable had arrived.

The Emperor had sought me out once before. At that time, I had delayed the meeting under the pretext of just beginning my duties as the Grand Duchess. Yet, not long after, he sent a formal invitation directly.

The fact that he had sent it via my brothers was likely a move to show the Grand Duke the strength of the alliance between the Imperial family and Airdren.

I glanced briefly at the Grand Duke. He took the invitation and read it, but he didn’t say much.

“Understood. Vi and I will visit the capital soon.”

That was all he said. The atmosphere in the room, coupled with a subtle pressure to leave, prompted me to set my glass down not long after.

“Your Grace, brothers, as there’s a hunting competition tomorrow, I’ll retire for the night.”

“Do so.”

“Rest well, Your Grace.”

Rvian’s polite tone and formal address felt slightly awkward, but I left the room nonetheless. Back in my quarters, I lay in bed for a while before the Grand Duke eventually entered the bedroom. After finishing his preparations for bed, he lay down in his usual place. As the bed was spacious, it was hard to even notice someone else settling in.

“…Your Grace.”

I turned slightly and called out to him. He glanced at me without moving much.

“About His Majesty’s invitation… What do you plan to do?”

“We’ll leave shortly after your brothers return home.”

“…”

“Do you dislike the idea?”

“To be honest… I feel uncomfortable meeting His Majesty.”

It was true. Ever since seeing him up close at the wedding, I couldn’t think of the Emperor without a lingering sense of unease. The Grand Duke closed his eyes briefly, lost in thought, before responding.

“Don’t worry. It’ll be quick, and nothing will happen. Now, get some rest.”

“…Yes.”

When he said it like that, it felt like everything would indeed be fine.

The hunting competition, organized with distinguished guests in mind, was larger than usual. It was clear that special care had been taken, from the number of animals prepared to the scale of the banquet that would follow.

Rvian and Risaeon stood beside me and the Grand Duke. Earlier that morning, before leaving the castle, the Grand Duke had spoken to me.

“This time, try to catch a black grouse. Your brothers would appreciate one each as a gift.”

“I’ll do my best.”

Whether I could succeed or not was another matter, but still…

When I wrote in my letters about hitting a black grouse with an arrow, Rvian had been thrilled. Actually presenting them with game I caught would undoubtedly please both of them, just as the Grand Duke had predicted.

Soon, the sound of a hunting horn announced the start of the competition.

“Well then, I’ll head out to hunt. I’ll make sure roast black grouse graces tonight’s banquet table.”

“I’m looking forward to it, Your Grace.”

“A grouse caught by the youngest, no less. I’m curious to see how it tastes.”

I smiled and nodded.

“Then, Your Grace, brothers, good luck.”

With that, I was the first to break away from the group, spurring my horse forward. Half of my confidence was pure bravado. Last time, I’d been lucky enough to catch a few. This time… who knew?

As I entered the forest, checking my bow and arrows on horseback, I heard the soft sound of hooves behind me. I thought it might be Risaeon or Rvian, but to my surprise, it was the Grand Duke.

“Your Grace.”

“I was curious to see what you’d catch, so I followed.”

“Well… I hope I manage to catch something.”

The Grand Duke chuckled.

“Quite different from the confidence you showed your brothers earlier.”

“Well…”

If I didn’t act confident, my brothers would worry. But I didn’t feel like explaining that, so I looked up at the sky instead.

“The weather today… doesn’t seem great.”

I had meant to say it was nice, but the sky, which had been clear in the morning, was now gathering dark clouds. It looked like rain might fall any moment.

“Rainy day hunting has its charm, as long as you don’t venture too far into dangerous areas. This spot… Yes, this spot should be fine.”

It seemed like he was telling me not to go too far. I nodded in agreement. A sharp cry echoed from the sky, and a flock of black grouse scattered as if in alarm.

I quickly nocked an arrow. My first and second shots missed, the arrows tracing weak arcs in the air. But my third arrow hit its mark, bringing down a black grouse. My fourth shot followed, striking another bird.

Feeling a rush of excitement, I clenched my fist, only to remember the Grand Duke was nearby. I glanced at him. He was watching me with an expression that seemed amused, almost as if he were indulging a child who had just succeeded at something impressive.

“…Your Grace, I’ll present you with something other than black grouse. Perhaps a badger, a weasel, or a rabbit… A fox would be even better, given that winter is approaching.”

“A gift of the Blue Wolf?” he teased.

“That seems a little too humble for such a gesture.”

“Not at all. If you’re okay with it, let’s dismount and take a short walk.”

“Yes, that sounds nice.”

I slid down from Shasa’s back, giving her a gentle pat before following the Grand Duke along a forest path, my bow and quiver still in hand. I planned to hunt anything suitable that crossed our path.

The air was thick and damp, the kind that comes right before rain, filling the forest with the scents of wet bark, grass, and earth. The trees swayed heavily, weighed down by moisture.

We walked in silence for a while, and the atmosphere between us grew unexpectedly soft. Encouraged by the mood, I finally asked a question that had been on my mind for a long time.

“Your Grace.”

“Hm?”

“Why did you agree to this marriage?”

Surely, he could have refused if he’d wanted to. At my question, the Grand Duke furrowed his brows slightly, pausing before replying.

“There were… several reasons.”

“Do you regret it?”

“Regret, huh.”

He smiled faintly—a smile I couldn’t quite decipher. Just as he seemed about to elaborate, there was a rustling sound. Both of us instinctively stopped in our tracks.

The bushes trembled for a moment before a black figure darted out. It was a rabbit, its fur sleek and jet-black. As soon as I saw it, my eyes flicked to the Grand Duke. I could already imagine how impressive his winter cloak would look trimmed with that fur.

Holding my breath, I raised my bow. To anyone watching, it might have seemed like I was hunting a ferocious predator rather than an oversized rabbit.

I nocked an arrow and pulled the string taut. As I released it with a soft ping, the rabbit bolted in the opposite direction from where it had emerged.

The arrow narrowly missed, and I couldn’t hide my disappointment. Without thinking, I gripped my bow and dashed after the rabbit.

“Wait, that way is—!”

I vaguely heard the Grand Duke shout, but all my attention was focused on the rabbit. I had to catch it. Pushing through the humid air, I sprinted after it, barely keeping up.

“Yuraine, stop!”

At that moment, my foot sank into unusually soft ground.

Before I could react, the loose earth crumbled beneath me, and I slid down the slope as if carried by a landslide.

“…!”

In the chaos of falling, an incredible sight caught my eye—the Grand Duke was jumping after me.

He landed ahead of me, and just before we hit the ground, he grabbed me and rolled us together across the muddy terrain. The falling soil cushioned some of the impact, but the tumble was still jarring even as I was held tightly in his arms.

When the debris finally settled and a cloud of dust rose around us, I looked up at the Grand Duke, panting. He seemed entirely unaffected, his gaze calmly fixed on the collapsed slope before he stood up. His usually pristine clothing was a mess of dirt and dust.

Straightening his hair, he extended a hand to me. As I took it and stood, he quickly assessed me.

“Are you hurt?”

“No… I’m fine. But, Your Grace, are you okay?”

“I’m a warrior, Vi. If something like this were enough to injure me, I wouldn’t be fit to stand on the battlefield.”

“Well, I’m relieved, but still…”

“For now…”

The Grand Duke glanced upward. The sky was darker than before, thick with storm clouds. It looked like a downpour was imminent.

“It’ll take time for a search party to reach us. I’ll explain more later. For now, gather dry branches—ones that look like they’ll burn well. It’s going to rain soon.”

“Yes.”

We both bent down and began collecting branches. My arms were soon full, though the Grand Duke’s pile far outmatched mine. After gathering enough, he led me deeper into the forest.

Not far from the collapsed slope, we came upon the entrance to a cave. Inside, the space was dark, and the air was damp, likely due to the weather.

The Grand Duke stacked the wood in a pile and lit a fire. The flames crackled to life, driving out some of the cave’s moisture and bringing a welcome warmth. Gradually, the tension in my body eased as the heat seeped into me.

Looking back toward the slope we had fallen from, I realized just how high it had been. It was a miracle neither of us had been seriously hurt. The loose soil must have softened the impact, and the Grand Duke’s quick action to shield me had likely saved me from severe injury. I marveled at how he had come away with barely a scratch.

One question lingered in my mind. Why had he jumped after me? He could have simply called for help. Instead, he had risked himself, and now we were here, waiting in a cave with no immediate plan to climb back up.

“Your Grace, about what you said earlier… that you’d explain later…”

The Grand Duke’s gaze shifted toward the cave entrance.

“Look outside.”

“Outside?”

I turned to look and saw raindrops beginning to fall. Within moments, the light drizzle turned into a torrential downpour. The rain lashed at the ground, but the cave entrance, elevated above the forest floor, kept the water from flooding in. Still, the rain was so heavy it blurred the world beyond the cave.

“If I hadn’t caught you, you’d have been injured. And if you were injured, you’d be out there now, exposed to this storm.”

He tossed another dry branch onto the fire.

“The path down here is treacherous. It’ll take time for anyone to get here. And no matter how skilled the knights are, searches are suspended when rain like this falls. You’d have frozen before anyone found you. I’ve seen it happen before.”

“Seen it…?”

I repeated his words, confused. The Grand Duke didn’t answer, prodding the fire with a thick branch instead. Had I misheard?

Suddenly, the cave was lit by a blinding flash of lightning, followed by a deafening clap of thunder that shook the ground. Startled, I turned back to the storm. The rain continued to pour relentlessly.

“It feels like the sky’s been torn open.”

“Eseré’s downpours are harsh. Even on familiar paths, accidents happen. That’s why we suspend searches in weather like this.”

“I see… Everyone must be worried. My brothers, too…”

The Grand Duke gave a faint smile.

“Your brothers…”

“Yes?”

“Never mind.”

He trailed off, poking at the fire again. It was rare for him to stop mid-sentence like that.

Outside, the storm raged on, its intensity unrelenting.

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