I Refuse This Life, Your Highness! - Chapter 84

“The First Prince, a Lamia…”

“Yes, my mother. Didn’t I mention before that my mother was a Lamia?”

The gap between the statement that his mother was a Lamia and the revelation that he was the son of the missing First Prince felt immense. The Duke, however, appeared unfazed, as if he already knew Lyol’s Imperial lineage.

“Then, Prince Lyol, are you saying you’re a descendant of the Empire…?”

“That’s correct.”

Lyol answered with a carefree smile. Thinking back, it made sense that the Duke addressed him informally. With the Second Prince now Emperor, Lyol’s rank as a royal was technically lower than that of the Grand Duke, whose mother, the late Grand Duchess, was the previous Emperor’s aunt.

“Did you already know about this?” I asked the Duke.

“The intelligence network in Iser is superior to that of the Imperial family.”

“I thought I’d done a good job hiding it until now…”

Could this truly be attributed to Iser’s superior intelligence network? The Duke merely shrugged, dismissing it as no big deal.

Suddenly, I understood why I had always felt uneasy around Lyol. He was the Emperor’s nephew. And now, recognizing that blood connection, I saw faint resemblances between him and the Emperor. It had been those subtle similarities that had triggered my aversion.

It wasn’t Lyol’s fault, of course. Realizing this made me feel guilty for my past coldness toward him. Yet, apologizing now would feel awkward, so I cleared my throat instead. However…

“Wait, then…”

The First Prince originally possessed the magic. If the magic could be stolen by killing the inheritor, and the Emperor now wielded it, this could only mean…

“…Did the Emperor kill the First Prince?”

“Yes, right in front of me.”

“….”

“He probably didn’t realize I was watching,” Lyol said, his expression turning cold as a bitter smile crossed his face.

“If he had, I wouldn’t be here.”

I couldn’t find the words to respond. The Emperor’s ignorance of Lyol’s existence suggested that the First Prince had hidden his son to protect him. So Lyol must have been in hiding, watching helplessly as his mother was killed. The thought was horrifying.

“The Emperor hated his brother—my mother—from a young age. It wasn’t just hatred; it was obsession. I wouldn’t call it anything remotely close to love. You know how much the late Emperor adored the First Prince.”

“Yes,” I replied.

“He was the eldest, and though he was a Lamia, he was the inheritor of magic. After he disappeared, the late Emperor never warmed to the Second Prince. Instead, he doted on the Grand Duke, almost as if to spite his own son. Knowing the Second Prince’s temperament, it was practically a slap in the face.”

“Prince,” the Duke interjected, his tone a warning. Lyol, ever unbothered, shrugged playfully before continuing.

“The ‘disappearance’? That was my mother fleeing her lunatic brother. You know about the Emperor’s obsession with Lamias. That obsession was entirely focused on her.”

“Why such an extreme fixation?”

“How should I know? There are plenty of deranged people with unhealthy obsessions with their siblings.”

I shuddered at the thought of such unnatural fixation and rubbed my arms to dispel the goosebumps.

“The Kingdom of Hasein took her in. She lived in the palace and bore the King’s child—me. But a few years later, the Emperor discovered her whereabouts.”

And then he came for her. And killed her. In front of her young son. Lyol’s decision to abandon his position as Third Prince and live as a wanderer suddenly made sense. The rumors about his mother had been vague: “origins unknown” and “died young.”

For the Emperor—the then-Second Prince—to kill a royal concubine and get away with it, there must have been a hidden agreement. With the magic already passed to him, the late Emperor likely saw no need to bring Lyol back to the Empire. However, the scars left on Lyol from witnessing such horror as a child were unimaginable.

As I tried to gather words of sympathy, Lyol broke the silence himself.

“I’m just a lowly royal cast-off. So feel free to speak informally to me, Your Grace. I’d actually prefer it.”

“…I refuse.”

Lyol had a way of cutting through heavy atmospheres before they could linger. Perhaps he was deliberately distancing himself from his painful past. There was no reason to press him further.

“The magic inheritor must exhume the remains, and the rightful heir must keep them,” the Duke summarized briefly. Lyol nodded in confirmation.

“The inheritor of the magic…” the Duke murmured.

“Are you wondering whom to send?” Lyol asked.

The Duke didn’t answer, his gaze lowered in thought. He was clearly considering his options. After all, there were numerous inheritors of magic, but very few who could be trusted with such a task. They needed to know the full truth and be someone the Duke trusted implicitly.

Sir Reon, Countess Chiara, Leia… and me.

Lyol was already looking at me, and the Duke was deliberately avoiding my gaze. He didn’t want to send me. I broke the silence.

“I’ll go.”

“Good. That’s what I was hoping for.”

“No,” the Duke said firmly.

“Who else is there?”

“…No. It’s too dangerous. I won’t let you go.”

“Your Grace.”

The Duke knew, just as I did, that I was better off without an escort. My blood’s power—the deadly mist that turned the land around me into a graveyard—was my ultimate defense. Assassins or attackers wouldn’t stand a chance, so long as no allies were caught in it. I hadn’t used it yet, partly due to fear and the stigma instilled in me since childhood. I wasn’t even sure if I could wield it properly.

“You’ve faced enough danger already,” the Duke said.

“It was my duty. And now, we’re all in danger.”

I hesitated, then spoke again.

“…We’re on the brink of war.”

This mission was perilous and would require traveling mostly alone. The Duke couldn’t leave the estate, nor could his elite knights. Sir Reon was vital as a messenger in the estate.

And Leia or Lyol? They’d only hinder me if I had to use my magic.

“My mother’s grave isn’t far from here. It’s a journey of about two days.”

“Not in the Kingdom of Hasein?”

“I didn’t want to leave her there, so I took only her remains with me.”

“…”

The Duke’s expression remained somber.

“And for part of the journey, you can travel with the Lubes trading company. You’ll only need to go alone for four or five hours at most. Even then, are you still so worried, Your Grace?”

His last words carried a teasing tone, but the Duke didn’t rise to the bait, letting out a short sigh instead.

“I’ll have to think about it.”

“I hope you’ll consider it favorably.”

“I truly am fine, Your Grace… Please think as a Duke should.”

At that, the Duke looked at me as if I had just struck him. For a moment, I regretted my words, but I held his gaze, refusing to waver. A faint smile eventually spread across his face.

“Yes, you are stronger than I sometimes remember.”

Hearing those words in front of Lyol was slightly embarrassing, but if it helped sway the Duke’s decision, it was worth it.

“Prince, you may go now,” the Duke said firmly.

“Of course. Enjoy your time together.”

Lyol winked at me before disappearing from the room. Perhaps my irritation toward him wasn’t only because of his resemblance to the Emperor. His cheeky demeanor certainly didn’t help. Even Leia wasn’t particularly fond of him.

Once Lyol had left, the Duke moved to sit beside me.

“Today, don’t do anything. Just rest. Take a nap if you can.”

“I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep.”

It was true—I felt strangely alert, likely due to the tension and fatigue piling up. The Duke studied me for a moment.

“Then how about a ride?”

“Now?”

“There won’t be many chances to ride out together in the near future.”

He had a point. I nodded, and together, we headed out on horseback. Instead of leaving through the main gates, the Duke led me to a smaller side gate on the northeast side of the castle. The guards immediately opened the gate for us.

Beyond the gate was a narrow path just wide enough for two horses, flanked by sprawling fields of untouched snow. I couldn’t help but gasp in awe. Despite the cold air visible in our breath, the thick fur-lined coats we wore kept us warm.

“Do you know where this path leads?” the Duke asked.

I assumed it was part of the northern hunting grounds, but I’d never ventured here in any of my lives. I shook my head, prompting the Duke to tilt his head slightly as he answered.

“A monster habitat.”

“…Am I being offered as a sacrifice to them?”

The Duke burst into laughter, the sound so rare that I found myself laughing along with him.

“Not all monsters are harmful. Come on, let’s go.”

The horses began to move at a leisurely pace. There was no rush. Since we’d come out to enjoy the moment, it made sense to take our time. Snow-covered evergreens lined the path, the ground below shimmering with frost. The grayish-white sky stretched overhead, while the crisp, cold air felt invigorating.

“They don’t clear the snow here, so this is how it looks all winter,” the Duke said.

The main gates and paths around the castle were meticulously maintained, with snow shoveled and melted away. Even inside the castle grounds, snow rarely lingered. Seeing such a vast, untouched expanse of white was a rare treat.

The world seemed entirely white. Though the sky was overcast, the reflected light from the snow brightened everything. The space, though not truly vast, appeared as boundless as an open plain.

“This way,” the Duke said, guiding his horse off the path and into the snow-covered field. The prints of our horses trailed behind us, etching a long path into the pristine white landscape. Near the edge of the woods, the Duke dismounted and surveyed the area. He seemed to spot something, crouching near a small thicket.

With the end of his sword’s scabbard, he lightly nudged the underbrush.

Rustle, rustle.

The bush trembled wildly, and moments later, a flurry of white creatures burst forth, scattering in every direction.

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