I Refuse This Life, Your Highness!

“…”

This couldn’t be real.

Only moments ago, I had convinced myself that everything I’d experienced was nothing but a vivid, terrible dream.

“Are you sure? …Me?”

“Of course! Look, your wedding attire is already prepared.”

Lis gestured toward a corner of the room, where the ceremonial outfit lay waiting. My gaze followed his hand, and the sight of it made my entire body freeze.

The lavish white silk ensemble, intricately embroidered with silver thread—it was the exact same attire I had worn at my wedding to the Grand Duke.

“…”

A wave of dread surged through me. Something was undeniably wrong.

My mind scrambled for an explanation, clinging to logic like a lifeline. Perhaps… perhaps I had imagined it all. The tension and anxiety leading up to the wedding must have triggered a long, harrowing dream. And the familiarity of the outfit? Just a trick of my overwrought mind.

But I needed to confirm it.

“Lis, what jewelry am I supposed to wear today?”

“I’ll show you! Let’s start with the necklace!”

Lis hurried over to a small table where a collection of jewels and silks was arranged. He carefully picked up a velvet box and held it out with both hands.

I closed my eyes, forcing myself to recall the necklace from that day—a platinum piece adorned with three large diamonds, surrounded by smaller translucent and shimmering stones. It had been a wedding gift from the Grand Duke himself.

The soft click of the box opening echoed in the room, and I opened my eyes.

“…”

My legs buckled as my vision swam.

“Master!” Lis cried out, rushing to steady me as I swayed on the spot.

I tore my gaze away from the necklace, refusing to look at it any longer. Forcing myself to speak, I managed to say:

“Lis, I’m sorry… but can I rest for a bit before we continue? Please?”

“Master…”

Lis hesitated, his concern obvious, but eventually nodded and stepped back. I must have looked pale enough to warrant his understanding—nerves before a wedding were something he could excuse.

As soon as he left, I collapsed onto the bed, clutching my stomach tightly.

“Ugh…”

A wave of nausea surged through me as I curled into a ball beneath the covers. My stomach churned violently, and I heaved dryly, my throat clenching against the rising bile. A dizzying fog clouded my senses, amplifying the sickness gnawing at me.

Something was terribly, terribly wrong.

Even when I was nervous, I had never been the kind of person to lose control of my body. At most, my hands would sweat or I would feel a slight tremble.

But this—this was a reaction I had developed after becoming the Grand Duchess.

Before the wedding, I had been perfectly healthy. However, during my time at the Grand Duke’s estate, constant abuse had slowly withered my body, leaving me fragile and brittle, like a dried-up branch.

Now, I was collapsing under the weight of a future that hadn’t even happened yet.

What’s going on…?

What had happened? Why did the wedding attire and jewelry from my dream appear exactly as I remembered them? Why had my healthy body deteriorated into this fragile state?

Exhaustion drained every last ounce of energy from me. Even during my time as the Grand Duchess, there were days when I couldn’t get out of bed, overwhelmed by a suffocating sense of helplessness. That same powerlessness now consumed me completely.

The wedding attire, the jewelry…

Every detail, even the smallest embellishments on the sparkling pieces, was etched vividly in my mind.

I bit my lip, trying to process the situation. The moment of my death was still crystal clear, as was the instant I opened my eyes and found myself three years in the past. I knew exactly what was supposed to happen after this moment.

Then, one chilling thought surfaced in my mind.

Time magic.

Every noble house in the empire possesses a unique form of magic.

Some, like the Grand Duke’s family, have lost their magic over the years. Others, like mine, the Airdren family, choose not to use theirs for various reasons. But many houses still wield their magic.

And among them, there had to be one that possessed time magic.

Could it be that one of those families had used their time magic to reverse the past three years? If so, why? What did they gain from this? And why had I been brought back to this particular moment, the day of my wedding, just before my life fell apart?

It could be a coincidence. Maybe some noble reversed time for their own reasons, and I, caught up in a powerful moment of emotion, was swept along, remembering everything.

If that was true, then this wasn’t a dream I had woken up from. I had simply returned to three years ago, to relive everything as it was before.

I buried my face in my hands.

The three years I spent as the Grand Duchess had been nothing but torment. The Grand Duke had been indifferent to me, and the people of the estate, judging me for my origins and personality, had treated me with disdain and cruelty.

And then there was Erma.

What I suffered at his hands had stripped me of my strength and reduced me to a pathetic, helpless fool. The thought of him filled me with both rage and paralyzing fear, emotions that were impossible to ignore.

I spent those years in solitude, nursing a hopeless affection for the Grand Duke, chasing after his cold, disdainful gaze. It was a miserable existence that ended in a tragic conclusion. Now, I was being asked to face it all over again.

“…”

Slowly, I lifted my head.

My eyes fell on the olive-leaf patterned blanket. Revien had picked it out himself, believing it would bring good fortune to a new bride. It hadn’t brought me any luck the first time, of course.

In three years, I would lose my parents and brothers and face the guillotine once more. Until then, I would endure unimaginable pain.

…But why?

A sudden surge of clarity hit me. Why should I accept this fate?

I knew what would happen after the wedding, after I went to the Grand Duke’s estate. I remembered everything.

Even if Erma had tried to lock me away and reduce me to a fool, my memories were intact. I knew exactly what had happened in that estate.

Knowledge is power.

This wasn’t a time for despair. This was a rare opportunity—a chance to change everything, to rewrite my story and break free from the past.

I wouldn’t live the same life. I wouldn’t face the same tragic ending.

This time, everything would change.

And I would make sure it did.