Leonhardt failed to grasp the situation and spouted astonishing words.

“Daphne, I never knew you were so calculating. Was our relationship one that could end with mere money?”

“You really don’t care about anyone but yourself.”

How selfish he was. She saw him in a new light.

“Calculating? You’re worse. You’re a shameless man trying to hold your fiancée in one hand and your fresh lover in the other. It’s absolutely outrageous.”

“Daphne, let me be clear—that woman and you are not even comparable.”

“Of course. I’m not someone you can toy with.”

Daphne’s family, the House of Marquis Armin, was the Emperor’s closest confidant and one of the wealthiest on the continent. In contrast, Anaïs was a princess from a kingdom so small it was embarrassing to even call it a country.

“Young Duke, isn’t it fortunate? That for now, this can be resolved with money.”

For now, that is.

In the future, the two families would become enemies, fighting until one was destroyed.

Daphne rose from her seat and said:

“Ending our engagement with compensation is the last courtesy I’ll extend to you, Young Duke. Farewell.”

Daphne left the reception room, leaving behind a dumbfounded Leonhardt.

Bang!

After forcefully closing the reception room door, Daphne placed her hand on her pounding chest and took rapid breaths.

‘This time, I left first. I turned my back on him.’

In her previous life, Leonhardt had left her while she wailed.

Daphne squeezed her eyes shut.

If this was a dream, she prayed not to wake up; if it was a vision on her deathbed, she hoped it wouldn’t end.

After her fervent prayer, she opened her eyes again.

But the massive mansion and the long, splendid corridor remained unchanged. No, they were too vivid and clear.

Guards on patrol passed by, giving her respectful nods, and at the end of the corridor, a maid was walking toward her carrying a large vase.

‘…Was it Margaret?’

She even remembered the maid’s name.

‘Have I really returned to the past?’

She recalled the strange voice she had heard just before dying. If she had returned as payment for selling her soul to it, it was worth it. No, it was wonderful.

‘What if this is just a fantasy I’m experiencing while wandering in h*ll?’

What did it matter? She would do what she wanted until she woke up.

Her previous life had been stained with regret and self-blame. She couldn’t afford to hesitate and ruin everything again.

Absolutely not!

Soon, her father and two older brothers would die, and the family would collapse. When they fell, she and her remaining family would be thrown into a harsh world.

This time, she had to prevent it.

Daphne hurriedly took a step forward.

At that moment, the reception room door burst open. Leonhardt, who had followed her out belatedly, shouted at the top of his lungs:

“Daphne, I’m not finished talking!”

It was so absurd that she couldn’t help but laugh. Only she had changed; Leonhardt remained the same.

The guards who had turned the corner after hearing the loud noise reappeared. They glanced nervously between Daphne and Leonhardt.

The atmosphere was too tense to be a simple lovers’ quarrel. Above all, the two lovers had never fought before.

Daphne sighed slightly and gestured to the guards.

“Go tell the head butler.”

She commanded with an indifferent expression:

“Send word to House Mücke. Tell them the Young Duke has found a woman he loves, yet has the audacity to be angry with me.”

Their eyes widened in surprise, then quickly turned to anger.

“While the Marquis is absent, he’s causing a commotion. What insolence! Tell them that if House Mücke doesn’t come to collect him, we might handle it ourselves. And don’t tell anyone about this except the head butler. I’ll speak to Mother directly.”

After ensuring their silence, Daphne turned away.

One of the guards quickly ran to the head butler, while the other two crossed their spears to block Leonhardt’s path.

By this point, Leonhardt had no options left. One wrong move could lead to a feud between the families.

‘No, it has already begun.’

He sighed deeply and gazed endlessly at Daphne’s retreating figure.

Daphne approached the maid who stood in shock. She hesitantly bowed while holding a vase full of fresh flowers.

“Miss, g-good morning.”

Good morning to the miss whose fiancé had found another lover. If her hands had been free, the maid would have covered her mouth.

But the miss, who was kind and gentle to everyone regardless of status, smiled brightly.

“Yes, the flowers are very pretty.”

“I-I just picked them from the greenhouse. They’re for decorating the gallery, but if you like them, I could decorate your chamber too.”

“Yes, give them to me. I’ll carry them.”

“What? No. I’ll bring them for you.”

“You must have other busy tasks, and I can handle this much.”

“But it will be heavy for you.”

The young lady of the Marquis family, seemingly obsessed with being kind, had previously been scolded by her two older brothers for helping the maids.

“Will you be alright?”

“Of course, why wouldn’t I be?”

She gazed steadily at the maid. Her lips still wore a smile, but her eyes told a different story. They were so cold that the maid felt compelled to obey without question.

As the maid carefully handed over the vase, Daphne staggered significantly.

“Oh my, Miss. You’ll hurt yourself. Let me…”

But Daphne turned away with a bright smile. The maid watched pitifully as she struggled to carry the vase.

‘Ahh, so kind… our poor Miss.’

But there was something the maid didn’t know.

Daphne was no longer kind at all.

In her previous life, after experiencing hardships, kindness had become a tactic to be used when needed, and she had become someone who would ruthlessly eliminate anyone who threatened her, regardless of who they were. And until just recently, she had been physically fit enough to run while carrying something like this with one hand.

Not even half an hour had passed since her death, so “recently” was accurate.

‘I need to build up my body first.’

Daphne turned around, groaning. It truly felt like she had returned to being a delicate young lady.

As she passed through the long corridor where sunlight streamed in brilliantly, she stopped in front of a family portrait hanging on the wall.

Everyone was smiling, unaware of the terrible tragedy that would befall them.

‘This time, I’ll definitely save you all. Let’s do well from now on.’

She hoisted the heavy vase and headed toward her father’s office.

Daphne’s father, Marquis Werner Armin, was a hero who had protected the Empire’s seas. After retiring from the navy due to a shoulder injury, he had ventured into maritime trade, utilizing his expertise.

No one knew the sea better than Werner. With his superior navigation skills, he traveled the seas faster and more safely than anyone else.

The war hero now received praise as a god of trade and was amassing tremendous wealth.

‘If he dies in two weeks… we’ll lose everything.’

Daphne bit her lip.

Currently, Werner and her eldest brother, Ludwig, were on a ship heading abroad together. It was the largest trade mission since the founding of the nation.

But they would all die in a sudden pirate attack, and the ships carrying goods worth more than Werner’s entire fortune would be completely looted.

Afterward, her second brother, Zenos, would hastily assume the position of head of the family, but he too would be assassinated before long.

The memories that followed were too painful to recall.

To avoid experiencing this again, she first needed to protect the ship carrying her father and brother. For that, she had to enter his office.

The problem was that when the head of the family was absent, no one, not even family members, could enter the office freely. But seeing the flowers had given her a good excuse.

The guard at the entrance to the office was surprised to see Daphne and tried to take the vase from her. But she pulled it slightly back and smiled brightly.

“The flower language of these blooms is ‘peace.'”

Of course, that wasn’t true. Daphne didn’t even know what kind of flowers they were, let alone their meaning.

“I thought if I decorated the office with these flowers, Father and Brother would return safely……”

Daphne trailed off, the corners of her eyebrows slightly drooping.

Despite being the marquis family’s only daughter, the guards found her pitiable and sad.

The marquis and his wife barely paid attention to her, and her two older brothers were busy bullying her. She had a good relationship with the youngest young master, but he was still too young to be a significant shield for her.

Nevertheless, Daphne was kind-hearted and friendly to everyone. The servants were no exception.

A person as warm as sunshine. Yet ignored by her family. Poor Miss.

This was how the marquis household’s servants felt about Daphne.

Bringing a vase larger than herself, struggling and panting, for a father who had never properly looked at her. The guards couldn’t ignore the beads of sweat forming on her forehead.

They opened the office door on the condition that she would only place the vase and leave immediately.

As soon as Daphne entered, she put the vase down randomly.

Then she strode over to the fireplace. She pushed the large frame aside and pressed the brick behind it, causing the wall to slide open smoothly.