I Refuse This Life, Your Highness! (Completed)

“…Rain, would you mind getting up for a moment?”

In the faint light of dawn, I woke to a soft voice. It was the Grand Duke. Startled, I tried to sit up, but he gently pressed a hand against my chest, stopping me. I flopped back onto the plush mattress.

Looking up at him from where I lay, I froze. If I’d risen fully, I might have bumped into his chin—and possibly made myself dizzy in the process.

“Take your time and sit in the chair. This will only take a moment.”

Still half-asleep, I did as he instructed.

My eyes snapped fully open a moment later. The Grand Duke pulled back the covers and began lifting the slightly crumpled linen sheets from the bed.

“Y-Your Grace! What are you…?”

Seeing him personally tending to the bed linens left me flustered. I tried to move forward, but before I could, he had already gathered the soft fabric into his arms.

“I’ll take care of this myself,” he said simply.

“…”

It was then I realized the significance of his actions, and my face burned. There were no signs of the night left on the sheets—he was ensuring there wouldn’t be any rumors. And he was doing it himself.

How could he, the Grand Duke, personally handle such a task? Shocked and overwhelmed, I sat there, dumbfounded. Then it struck me. This wasn’t just about tidying the sheets—he wanted to make a statement to everyone in the castle, to show how attentive he was to me. The exact opposite of how things had been in my previous life.

“Your Grace, why…?”

“I have to go now, so get some more rest,” he said. With that, he walked briskly out of the room, the sword at his waist brushing against the bundled sheets, causing them to sway slightly. The door shut with a firm click.

“Ha…”

I slid down in the chair, letting out a long sigh.

If only he had treated me this well in the past…

No, what am I thinking? I shook my head to clear those thoughts. The Grand Duke had to have an ulterior motive. Whatever it was, I couldn’t yet fathom.

It was far too early to sleep again, so I turned on the lights and passed the time reading.

By lunchtime, word had spread throughout the Grand Duke’s estate: The Grand Duke personally tidied the sheets for his bashful spouse.

Since this was likely the result he intended, I remained silent about it, though my face burned when Resily relayed the gossip with a gleeful expression.

Still, I couldn’t allow the Grand Duke to keep tending to the linens himself.

“Resily,” I called.

“Yes, Your Grace?”

“From now on, I’m entrusting you with the care of the sheets. Treat them the same way each time, whether or not they’re soiled. Understood?”

Resily widened her eyes briefly but quickly responded, “Understood, Your Grace.”

I wasn’t sure if she picked up on the hidden implication—that the sheets would likely remain pristine. If not, she would soon enough. Resily was reliable; I had no concerns.

And so, three days passed quickly after my arrival at the Grand Duke’s estate. While I enjoyed the rest allotted to us as newlyweds, the Grand Duke seemed to spend every single day in his office.

Finally, the day of my welcome banquet arrived.

From the early morning, the staff and servants bustled about. I dressed in the ceremonial attire the Grand Duke had prepared for me and styled my hair in an updo. Though the skirt was slightly looser than in my previous life, it still clung to my legs, toeing the line between masculine and feminine fashion. Even the accessories were unisex.

Lamia.

In Ayrden, I could sometimes forget my ambiguity, but here in the Grand Duke’s estate, the reality of my nature felt inescapable. I was a Lamia—there was no denying it. That didn’t mean I was entirely comfortable with the fact.

As I finished preparing to leave, Rina approached me. I glanced at her.

“Your Grace, your belt is a little crooked,” she said.

Avoiding my gaze, Rina fiddled with the belt, her red hair catching the light as she focused on her task.

Something shifted as she adjusted it. I felt a distinct, tight sensation around my waist.

Narrowing my eyes, I noted the faint unease but chose to remain silent. Rina’s actions mirrored those from my previous life.

For now, I held my tongue. What she had done could implicate Erma, who had recommended her to me.

Once I was fully ready, I left the room. Walking down the long corridor to the grand hall where the banquet was being held, I saw the Grand Duke waiting for me.

This was markedly different from the banquet in my previous life. This time, his attire matched mine perfectly.

“This way, my Lady,” he said softly.

I walked slowly toward him. He gently took my hand and led me to the grand doors. The guards opened them, announcing our entrance.

The music in the hall paused as every gaze turned toward us. The low hum of whispers grew louder than the melody for a moment.

In the past, I had walked through those doors alone. The Grand Duke had been off in the distance, engaged in conversation with someone else, while the murmurs around me carried tones of mockery. Back then, his attire had been nothing more than an ordinary dark blue suit.

Not having to face that humiliation again made me feel a surprising sense of gratitude toward him.

“The first dance is ours,” he said, leading me toward the center.

It was time for the first dance.

In my previous life, this was when the incident happened.

What Rina had slipped into my belt was a sharp shard of pottery. The moment I moved to dance with the Grand Duke, the shard tore through the belt and slipped out, falling to the floor. In doing so, it ripped my skirt, leaving one of my legs exposed in front of the entire audience.

As the fabric slid down, revealing my bare leg, I froze. Then, clutching at the ruined skirt, I bolted from the ballroom before the Grand Duke could even react.

Behind me, I heard shocked whispers and stifled laughter. What a spectacle. What a disaster. The mortifying comments and giggles followed me like an unwanted shadow.

I had stepped on the shard in my panic, breaking it into pieces. At the time, I didn’t know who was responsible. It was only later that I realized it had been Rina.

The memory surged back, making my face flush. My heart pounded in my chest. No, it wasn’t the same now. That had never happened—it was undone.

“…Yes,” I said, responding to the Grand Duke as I took his hand and let him guide me to the center of the dance floor. In my previous life, this was the moment when the belt would snap.

The Grand Duke’s hand rested just above my belt. If I let the shard fall naturally, it would end without incident.

But if I handled it this way, Rina—and by extension, Erma—would likely escape serious repercussions. I decided to act differently. With a subtle motion, I pressed my fingers against the belt, guiding the shard to fall along the inside of my leg.

Thunk.

The shard fell to the floor safely.

But the plan wasn’t without flaws. I had aimed to cause only a minor scrape, yet the sharp edge nicked my skin deeper than I’d intended. Blood began streaming down my leg.

I tried to conceal it, but the thin fabric of my dress betrayed me. A red stain quickly spread, catching the Grand Duke’s attention.

To my utter shock, he knelt before me.

“…!”

His cloak flared as he dropped to one knee, the sound of fabric brushing the floor echoing in the suddenly silent hall. All around us, the audience seemed to hold their breath.

“Y-Your Grace!”

An Archduke, kneeling on the floor? Panic rose in my voice as I tried to stop him, but instead of standing, he gently lifted the hem of my dress.

Blood was pooling around my foot, staining the fabric and my shoe.

The Grand Duke’s brows furrowed deeply as his fingers brushed the crimson-streaked skin of my foot. His hand felt warmer than my chilled skin, almost startlingly so.

“I…”

Before I could finish my sentence, he stood abruptly, shrugging off his cloak and wrapping it around me. Then, without hesitation, he swept me into his arms.

The sudden sensation of being lifted off the ground made my mind reel. Dazed, I could only mutter, “Your Grace… Your Grace…”

He frowned, his golden eyes piercing as he looked down at me.

“What is the meaning of this? Were you already injured?”

“No, I wasn’t.”

His gaze sharpened. “Then how did this happen?”

“…There was a shard of pottery inside my dress.”

“And why did you let it injure you?”

“…What?”

Caught off guard by his stern tone, I faltered. Of course, the shard had injured me because it had been inside my dress. What else could I say? Before I could respond, he shifted his focus.

“Where is the shard?”

“It should still be on the floor…”

Carrying me effortlessly, the Grand Duke stepped carefully aside.

Sure enough, the bloodied shard of pottery lay abandoned on the floor. Unlike in my past life, where my exposed leg had drawn jeers and whispers, the ballroom was now deathly silent. The tension in the air was palpable, largely due to the Grand Duke’s grim expression.

“Take that shard and investigate it,” he ordered curtly.

“Yes, Your Grace,” came the immediate reply.

With that, the Grand Duke carried me out of the ballroom.

As we disappeared from view, the stunned onlookers began murmuring amongst themselves.

“They say he treasures her so much, he even tidied their sheets himself…”

“I’ve heard he visits her chambers every night.”

“Well, she is captivatingly beautiful…”

“I just hope this works out in a good way for His Grace.”

“But who could have planted that shard? It seems deliberate.”

The whispers continued, centering around the faint traces of blood left on the crimson carpet.

The Grand Duke said nothing as he ascended the stairs and walked down the long hallway to my chambers. When we arrived, the physician was already waiting.

“Fortunately, the wound is not severe. Please avoid bathing for a few days, and take these herbs to prevent infection and manage the pain,” the physician explained.

I nodded, listening attentively. Though the wound had bled profusely, it wasn’t serious. Once the crushed herbs were applied and the leg was wrapped in bandages, it looked worse than it actually was.

After the physician left, the Grand Duke spoke.

“Do you know who’s responsible?”

“Me?”

“You’re far too calm for someone who’s been attacked.”

“…”

It was clear I couldn’t deceive him, even if I tried. Letting out a small sigh, I admitted, “It was Rina. She’s the maid who adjusted my belt earlier. She slipped the shard inside.”

The Grand Duke’s frown deepened.

“Why didn’t you react immediately?”

“I thought she was simply securing the belt.”

“With a shard of pottery? Why not use a dagger for the buttons while she’s at it?”

His sarcasm made me shrug lightly. The atmosphere was starting to grow tense when the Grand Duke called loudly for one of his knights.

“Did you find the culprit?” he asked as the knight entered.

“I was just about to report, Your Grace. We discovered the remaining shards of pottery in a servant’s quarters. Under questioning, she confessed.”

“Her name?”

“Rina, Your Grace.”

The Grand Duke’s sharp gaze shifted back to me.

“She was recommended to me by Erma,” I said slowly.

“…Are there any other servants Erma recommended?”

“No. The others were chosen by me.”

The Grand Duke’s frown deepened further. Though this incident alone wouldn’t destroy Erma’s credibility, it would plant the seeds of doubt.

And I intended to ensure those seeds grew into something much larger.