I Refuse This Life, Your Highness! - Chapter 92

“Is the smell gone now?”

I asked, pressing my nose to my arm, trying to smell it for myself.

“You’ve washed up enough.”

At his words, I laughed. Considering the long bath I’d just had, the blood smell must have been washed away by now. I hadn’t even realized I was thirsty until the Duke handed me a cold cup of tea, placed beside a small bathtub with flowers floating on the surface.

It was a leaf tea with a faintly sweet taste. It was so delicious that I felt grateful just to wet my dry throat. After I finished one cup, the Duke had another for himself and looked at me as though asking if I wanted more. I nodded and took another cup, sipping it slowly.

By then, I was feeling a bit exhausted. As if I had melted into his arms, I collapsed into the Duke’s embrace. He kissed the spots where his lips touched my body. The tub was smaller than usual, a bit cramped for both the Duke and me, but that only meant we were pressed closer together. The feeling of our wet skin touching and rubbing together was comforting. I didn’t shy away from entangled legs, leaving them as they were.

The sound of water splashing, and the sensation of flowers and peeled oranges drifting gently along the water’s surface, brushing against our bodies, was oddly satisfying. Soon, though, I forgot all about it. The tub was cramped for two, but that only allowed us to be in closer contact.

I hugged the Duke tightly in the small tub, and time seemed to stretch as I lost track of my thoughts. The Duke, still tangled with me as though he were part of me, gently combed my wet hair and spoke.

“…We’ve been in here too long.”

The bathwater, which had once been lukewarm, had already cooled. But my body was so warm that the coolness felt refreshing. I only remember the Duke lifting me up and standing.

The next thing I knew, I had forgotten everything that had happened that day and had fallen into a deep sleep.

That afternoon, people gathered once again in the reception room. I had just woken up, barely two hours after passing out from the events of the morning. The reason they had gathered was because of the remains of the deceased First Prince… and his bones.

I hadn’t yet told anyone about the truth of Revien. It was still something I hadn’t explained, so people only knew it was the remains of someone they didn’t recognize. But someone had to go and retrieve them, and it had to be someone with magical heritage.

“I’d like Your Grace to go.”

Revien pointed directly to me.

Of course, I was the only one who could handle this task. Revien should have inherited the magic after the First Prince’s death, but he hadn’t. Sir Leon and the Count were busy handling matters in the castle. Sending Leia, who was weaker than I, wasn’t an option either.

“I’ll go with the merchant guild. Don’t look at me like that, Duke.”

“…That’s not possible.”

The Duke sharply rejected Revien’s casual suggestion. The plan was for me to take a carriage from the Rubes merchant guild, then disembark near the tomb to retrieve the bones.

The bones of the First Prince, which I had thought were in the Hasein Kingdom, were actually here in the Empire, not far from here. They were located near the Baron Ceres’ domain, along the road.

“Why? Do you not trust me? With the mercenaries and guards our guild has hired…”

“It’s not that, Prince. No.”

The Duke raised his head and looked at Revien, his gaze intense.

“You should be called ‘Your Highness.’”

“……”

At the Duke’s sudden words, everyone’s expression froze for a moment. All eyes turned to Revien. It seemed no one else had known, except for the Duke and me.

“The missing First Prince and the son of King Hasein, Revien Mana Hasein. You are now someone who must be fully protected by the Duke’s estate. If you had reliable martial arts skills, it might be different, but you’re not someone we can use for this mission.”

“…So, you’re saying the Prince will become the next Emperor?”

Leia, who had been silent, spoke with disbelief. It was the first time I had seen her expression change so drastically. Her face was one of pure shock.

“Indeed.”

Sir Leon had his mouth wide open, while the Count was calmer, though no one seemed to speak. The Duke’s matter-of-fact tone gave the impression that no further explanation was forthcoming.

“You should just treat him the same as you have until now.”

Seeing Revien spread his arms and speak so openly, everyone turned their eyes away. It almost made me laugh. After all, someone we had known as a foreign prince suddenly being called a highborn prince… And now, after having killed the Emperor in the war, he would be crowned next. It was completely understandable that we were all stunned and momentarily wanted to deny reality.

“Your Grace… I know you won’t explain it fully, but is Prince Revien truly the highborn son of the First Prince? The son of the missing First Prince?”

“You’ve already explained it quite well.”

That was the Duke’s way of saying no more details would be provided. The story after the First Prince’s disappearance was complicated and sensitive. He had vaguely explained that Revien was the First Prince’s son, a Lamia, but there was so much more left unsaid.

Yet, realizing that it would be hard to make sense of everything without explaining it, the Duke finally told the full story of the First Prince’s death, the inheritance of magic, the bones, and the tomb.

“…Huh.”

When the story ended, Sir Leon let out an odd sound and stared at Revien’s face. It was a rather rude way to look at someone who had just been revealed as a prince.

“Now that I think about it, he does look a bit like the Emperor.”

“That’s not a compliment.”

“I agree.”

Even Leia quietly nodded. Revien scowled as though he had truly heard something offensive. But I, too, couldn’t help but notice the faint resemblance to the Emperor in his face. Though it wasn’t his fault, it was still an undeniable truth.

“So, why is it that Yuraine has to go? If it’s a matter for someone who inherited magic, Sir Leon could take a moment to go instead. He would actually be more suited for it.”

“It’s my mother’s last wish.”

“…A will?”

I wondered if it was a joke, but Revien’s expression was surprisingly calm.

“If something comes up where we need to retrieve your remains, then you must send a Lamia.”

“Why?”

“I wasn’t told the reason.”

The Duke, who had his hand resting on his chin, sighed. He seemed resigned, agreeing with the situation reluctantly. After looking at me for a moment, he turned his gaze and moved on to the next topic.

“One more thing. A messenger from Baron Ceres’ house has arrived.”

Leia quickly looked up.

I had heard that after Erma’s disappearance following the amnesty, Baron Ceres’ house had sent several letters to the court. As someone who had lost their son, it was only natural for them to be upset that the perpetrator had been pardoned without any reason. But then, perhaps because of the Emperor’s intervention, the letters suddenly stopped arriving one day.

A messenger from such a household arriving was hardly a good sign. And, as expected, the news wasn’t pleasant.

“They’re asking for Leia to be sent home.”

“Was it the Baroness who sent it?”

Leia asked in a cold tone.

“I don’t know which side, but the letter was sealed with the official seal of Ceres, so it probably reflects the Baron’s will.”

“Let me see it.”

The Duke took a letter from his cloak and handed it to me. Leia snatched it up, reading it quickly. As she read, her expression grew more and more displeased. After finishing, she let out a laugh.

“Haha, it seems the sight of a single Lamia, unmarried, being kept like a mistress doesn’t sit well. How does it feel to hear that, Duke?”

“You’re not my mistress, so I don’t have to care.”

Leia seemed to try to ease her bad mood by teasing the Duke, but when his response was unexpectedly mild, she seemed a bit deflated and instead crumpled the letter in frustration.

“What should we do?”

Leia glanced at the Duke briefly, her face showing a lack of ideas. If the family was already making such demands to send her back, refusing might imply that she was being kept secretly as a lover, a situation neither of us wanted.

“There are plenty of ways. We could bring up the Millen Isle story.”

“…”

“Or, we could say I’m planning to have you engaged to a good man here.”

Leia’s face grew even colder.

“Where is this ‘good person’ here?”

“Oh, you always aim so high, don’t you?”

Revien said with a chuckle. Whether he was oblivious or pretending to be, he glanced at me with a mischievous look. But when he saw that no one else was responding, he fell silent. Leia sighed before speaking.

“There’s one more way.”

“What is it?”

“I’ll go back to Ceres.”

“That’s…”

I was about to interject, but I stopped myself. In Ceres, Leia had a stepmother and a father who wasn’t interested in her. There was no way she’d be welcomed back there, so why…?

“I’ve thought this through. You said the tomb is near Baron Ceres’ territory. We must move very discreetly. But if I’m in a carriage going to Ceres, no one will suspect it.”

“…”

The Duke’s face remained calm.

“So, my suggestion is for you to secretly get into my carriage and come along. On the way back, you can blend in with the Rubes merchant guild’s carriage.”

“If you’re going to sneak into the carriage, we might as well just use the merchant guild’s carriage from the start.”

“I know that the Rubes merchant guild doesn’t usually travel to Ceres’ area.”

That was true. Since that area was inhabited by impoverished peasants, the merchant guild didn’t usually send large carriages in there.

“If we make two trips to such a place within a short period of time, considering that His Highness Revien is in the Duke’s estate, would the Emperor really not be suspicious?”

“…That’s true. If it was just one stop nearby, it would be fine, but staying there for several days or visiting consecutively would look suspicious.”

The Duke agreed. Revien sighed.

“Indeed, that’s the case.”

“Then, Your Grace, I suggest you ride with me in the carriage.”

Leia quickly turned her gaze from Revien and spoke firmly. Revien acted a bit sorrowful at first, but when no one responded, he returned to his usual composed expression. And so, it was decided that I would accompany Leia halfway to the tomb of the First Prince.

And the carriage…

Support