I Refuse This Life, Your Highness! - Chapter 85

For a moment, I thought they were snowballs. But their movements hopping and bouncing made it clear they were living creatures. I stared blankly at the fluffy white figures.

They looked like cotton balls, but upon closer inspection, they had thin, thread-like limbs. At the ends of their limbs were tiny, barely noticeable points that seemed to serve as hands and feet. Hidden within the fluffy mass were small, almost invisible eyes that made it difficult to believe they could see anything at all.

Their sizes varied, some as small as a fist and others as large as a human head.

“They’re monsters,” the Duke said. “Completely harmless. Killing them… it feels wrong, so we leave them be. They don’t breed excessively, and they coexist with humans without issue.”

“Monsters? These are monsters? But they’re so cute.”

The thought of killing them and feeling guilt afterward made sense; they were far too endearing. The little fluffballs hopped around the snowy field, glancing at us curiously before cautiously retreating into the bushes. One straggler, however, fell behind, floundering uncertainly. The Duke deftly lifted it with the tip of his scabbard. The little fluffball wiggled, almost as if it were protesting.

“Hold it,” the Duke said.

I quickly extended my hands to cradle it. The sensation was fascinating—its exterior was covered in soft, airy fluff, while the inside felt plush, like wool. Its weight was nearly imperceptible. I didn’t dare squeeze it, fearing it might get hurt. The fluffball rolled slightly in my hands before floating up momentarily and settling back down.

As I turned it gently to look into its eyes, the fluffball blinked its tiny black dots.

It was impossibly adorable—so much so that I almost kissed it instinctively. However, the thought of it dissolving like spun sugar in my mouth made me pull back quickly.

“You can set it down. It’s light enough not to get hurt,” the Duke reassured me.

“Really?”

Still cautious, I crouched low to place it gently on the ground. Before I could let go, the Duke approached me on horseback, reins in hand.

“Your Grace?”

Without warning, he leaned in and kissed me. Despite the cold air, he was warm, radiating a comforting heat. I wished I could return that warmth—to make him feel as cared for as he made me feel. That thought lingered as his lips pressed softly against mine.

When he pulled back, a soft cloud of white breath escaped between us. Startled, I opened my hands, allowing the fluffball to float upward like a dandelion seed. It landed lightly on the ground before scurrying away into the bushes, as if it had never been there.

“It moves surprisingly fast,” I remarked.

“It’s light.”

As I watched the fluffball disappear, the Duke reached out to pull me closer again. But his movement was interrupted.

“Your Grace! Your Highness!”

The sound of frantic hoofbeats came from the direction of the castle gates. The Duke’s expression shifted briefly, annoyance flickering across his face, but he quickly masked it and turned toward the approaching figure. Sir Leon was riding hard toward us.

“What is it?” the Duke asked.

“It’s Sir Reseon…”

“What about him?” I asked, my concern evident.

“Why my brother?” I added.

“Sir Reseon has disappeared!”

Four Days Later

“Please don’t misunderstand. This isn’t an escape.”

That was all Reseon’s note said. For someone who could barely walk, leaving without a trace and leaving behind such a cryptic note felt absurd. The Duke hadn’t confined him, nor had he ordered guards to keep watch. Yet, no one could have expected a man with such severe injuries to disappear alone.

Reseon had left through the main gates—boldly, even borrowing a horse. How he’d managed to mount it in his condition was beyond comprehension.

“Which direction did he go?” the Duke asked.

“…Toward Ayreden,” came the reply.

The Duke paused, seemingly contemplating something, before nodding.

“Leave him be. Do not pursue him.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

As the knight departed, a sense of unease settled over me. I grabbed the Duke’s sleeve, my voice tinged with worry. “Will he be alright?”

He was heading toward Ayreden of all places. I couldn’t begin to fathom what Reseon was thinking. Was this all a lie again? The Duke gently pinched my cheek, his touch light and reassuring.

“Don’t worry. He’s your brother—he must have his reasons.”

I didn’t respond. I hope so. I don’t know. I wish he does. A torrent of unspoken thoughts swirled in my head.

Moving to the window, I stared out toward the direction Reseon had disappeared. Only the cold wind stirred in the distance.

That Morning

Four days later, chaos returned to Iser—and once again, Ayreden was at its center. At dawn, two figures on horseback entered the castle gates. I was in the middle of dressing when Sir Leon arrived to deliver the news, and I felt my knees nearly give out.

It was Reseon—unconscious—and cradled in the arms of Rvivien.

Hurriedly finishing dressing, I rushed to the reception hall. On the way, I passed a doctor who hesitated, bowing.

“Don’t bother with formalities. Just go in,” I urged.

The doctor quickly entered ahead of me, and I followed. Reseon lay sprawled on a large sofa, his complexion ashen—beyond pale, almost corpse-like.

I had only seen faces like that on the dead. If not for the faint rise and fall of his chest, I would have thought he had already passed.

“What happened?” I demanded.

“It’s a long story…” Rvivien replied, his gaze shifting to Reseon. The doctor was busy at work, holding incense under Reseon’s nose and administering herbs into his mouth.

Reseon’s thigh was soaked in blood. When the doctor lifted his tattered clothing, I instinctively turned away. The wound was gruesome—nearly bisecting his leg—and far worse than the last time I’d seen it.

“What happened?!” I repeated, almost shouting.

“I’ll explain once His Grace arrives. But, Yurein… you seem unharmed.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” I retorted sharply, glaring at him.

Our eyes met, and I faltered. Rvivien had been an active participant in the family’s plans, even going so far as to imprison me in a secluded villa. But his eyes were different now—free of malice or corruption.

They were the eyes of someone untainted.

“Viscount, look at me properly.”

A faint bluish glow flickered between the two. After a long pause, the countess nodded her head.

“The viscount is in his right mind.”

“Are you certain?”

“Yes, I’ve examined even the oldest traces of manipulation. Everything is completely undone.”

“…”

At the mention of mind control, Rvivien lowered his head briefly.

“I don’t even know where to begin…”

His voice carried a hollow laugh, tinged with exhaustion. Although the countess had assured us he was of sound mind, he seemed utterly despondent. I grabbed Rvivien by both arms and shook him. A man who normally wouldn’t budge even if I hung on him now swayed like a straw doll.

“Snap out of it, Rvivien!”

“Ha… Yurein.”

“Explain why Reseon ended up like this!”

“No… Before that… I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Yurein.”

Rvivien muttered the apology repeatedly like a broken record. Before I could get another word out, the Duke stepped in, gently pulling me aside and standing beside me.

“You need to gather yourself, Viscount. The person in front of you is not just your sister—she is the Duchess of Iser.”

“Ah…”

Rvivien slowly raised his head. His face and clothes were a mess, smeared with dirt and streaked with Reseon’s blood. Yet, the Duke’s words seemed to reignite a spark of clarity in him. Straightening his posture, he replied with a hoarse voice.

“My apologies, Your Grace, Your Highness.”

“Can you explain? Let’s start with how Sir Reseon came to be in this state. Did someone in Ayreden harm him?”

“No, Your Grace. Those wounds were self-inflicted.”

“What… for what reason?”

I barely stopped myself from reverting to the tone I’d use with my brother. From the sofa, a faint groan escaped Reseon’s lips. Rvivien glanced at him briefly before continuing.

“Two mornings ago, Reseon returned to the manor, bleeding heavily from his leg. As soon as he arrived, he demanded our family’s magical tome from our parents. When they refused, he took a kitchen knife and further aggravated his already bleeding wound.”

The chilling description made me instinctively shut my eyes before opening them again. The family’s magical tome. Every noble family has a record of their magical lineage, documenting spells and techniques passed down through generations. Ayreden was no exception, though I had never seen it. All my knowledge of magic came from what my parents had taught me.

“Why would Sir Reseon demand something like that?”

“To bring it to Her Highness.”

“What…?”

He did all that just to bring it to me? My head felt heavy, as if struck. My gaze drifted to Reseon. The smell of blood was thick in the air, reaching even where I stood. Reseon hovered at death’s door.

“He said he wanted to correct all his wrongs, even now. To return what he had taken from Your Highness.”

A heavy silence followed. I barely managed to stay on my feet, struggling not to let it show. After what felt like an eternity, I found my voice.

“Viscount.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

I deliberately addressed him formally, not as his sibling but as the Duchess of Iser, to establish distance.

“Were you in your right mind from the beginning?”

His eyes had seemed clearer earlier, but I couldn’t be sure. He had always been someone who prioritized the family above all else. Even without being manipulated, he might have committed those acts in the name of the family’s interest. Yet, a flicker of hope pushed me to look at him.

After a moment, Rvivien slowly shook his head.

“I don’t know. But I don’t think so.”

“Countess.”

The Duke turned to Kiara Countess.

“He was under mental control until recently. It seems something triggered his return to consciousness.”

“A trigger?”

“That, I cannot ascertain.”

All eyes naturally turned to Rvivien. He hesitated before speaking, his voice low and trembling.

“It was probably,  guilt. Guilt toward Her Highness.”

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