Lexion read the contempt in her violet eyes. She was an interesting woman. He wasn’t the type to be captivated by a woman’s beauty, but he found her intriguing as she bristled and openly displayed her emotions.

“Ah, and I haven’t heard your name yet.”

He flashed a splendid smile that would charm nine out of ten people. Indeed, regardless of preference, she exuded an atmosphere that would make anyone want to embrace her at least once. It wouldn’t be unreasonable for any man to be interested.

“Your Highness… it’s not worth remembering.”

Though she was gritting her teeth and shrinking back, she firmly refused him. Despite looking terrified, she rolled her eyes like a child who didn’t want to lose. She must be looking for an escape route.

Surprisingly, Lexion thought she was cute. He had never found even small creatures cute, yet here he was thinking a person was cute. She was enough to please him beyond just the s*xual aspect.

“That’s for me to judge.”

Lexion ignored her firm will to not even give her name.

“I have nothing to say, so I’ll be going now.”

“Lady Arcis, are you being so rude because you don’t know who I am?”

Rude? Estelle looked dumbfounded. The one being most rude right now was him, not her.

“My father will be looking for me.”

Estelle lowered her body defensively and quickly passed by Lexion. But before she could take a few steps, he grabbed her wrist.

“……!”

Estelle roughly struck his hand as if she had forgotten he was the Crown Prince of the Empire. The difference in strength was too obvious, so she couldn’t completely remove the hand wrapped around her slender wrist.

“Why, why are you doing this!”

Such a ruffian-like attitude. Estelle was confused because Lexion had never shown such forceful behavior to someone he didn’t know.

“Have you not considered that your behavior is provoking me more?”

‘What nonsense……!’

Just then, as a trumpeter in the hall began a magnificent performance, Estelle’s eyes wavered. The Emperor had appeared.

“Let me go right now! Or I’ll scream!”

Estelle twisted her wrist in his large hand and raised her eyes threateningly. She needed to move before the Emperor’s congratulatory speech ended. This was no time to be wasting with him.

“Name.”

Unaware of Estelle’s urgency, Lexion stubbornly nodded.

“I still haven’t heard your name, Lady Arcis.”

‘What a completely selfish madman!’

“It’s Estelle!”

She said irritably, as if telling him to take it and leave.

“Now let me go!”

As the trumpet sound stopped and the solemn voice of the Emperor was heard, Estelle began to feel anxious. She needed to leave now when people’s attention was focused elsewhere.

“Estelle……”

Estelle glared at Lexion as he rolled her name on his tongue, pulling her hand with force, but he had no intention of letting go.

“One more thing.”

“What else……!”

“Why do you bare your fangs at me? No matter how much I search my memory, I don’t think I’ve done anything to earn your resentment.”

“I haven’t done that!”

“Yes, you have.”

“Your Highness! Please let me go first! Later, I’ll tell you everything later.”

As the Emperor’s speech was coming to an end, Estelle felt darkness before her eyes. She was doomed before even starting.

“Miss Estelle, let’s talk comfortably. I’m certain you’ll run away if we postpone this.”

Estelle was filled with rage. This damned person was determined to ruin her life to the end.

“Damn it! Let go, you son of a b*tch!”

Estelle’s other hand slapped Lexion’s cheek.

Slap!

A crisp sound was briefly heard, and his red eyes widened.

“……”

“Let go!”

Having already gone too far, Estelle demanded boldly. Though her hand stung painfully as if she’d struck iron, she seemed to have dealt him a psychological blow. This was the first time she’d seen such a foolish expression on Lexion de Herais.

Noticing his grip had weakened, perhaps from the unprecedented shock that left him dazed, Estelle quickly pulled her wrist free. Before throwing open the curtain, she turned her head and spat out one more line.

“What an unpleasant person! Go die!”

Her criticism toward him flowed freely because she realized this life was already ruined. She wanted to pile more insults on him as he stood there frozen, but she had places to be. What was ruined was ruined, and she needed to discover at least one piece of information during this opportunity.

Entering the hall, Estelle quickly tiptoed to the terrace near the door, avoiding the eyes of Count Merlin who was looking around, perhaps searching for her. Glancing back cautiously, she breathed a sigh of relief when she didn’t see Lexion following her.

Of course, it wouldn’t look good for him to emerge late from the terrace while the Emperor was giving his congratulatory speech. The Emperor cared deeply about image. That’s why he had even permitted her marriage to Lexion.

Normally, she would have exchanged greetings with a noblewoman she was acquainted with, but being later than in previous regressions, she didn’t encounter the noblewoman.

Estelle headed straight for the terrace at the corner. She slipped through the open curtains and lifted her skirt. A small dagger secured with a leather belt was attached to her thigh.

Without hesitation, Estelle tore her cumbersome skirt and threw off her shoes. When she had jumped from the railing before regression, her high heels had caused her ankle to twist, leaving her immobilized, so she needed to run barefoot.

“Ugh!”

Sprawled in the garden planted with evening primroses, she groaned in pain and jumped to her feet. There was no time to feel hurt.

“Huff, huff……”

Estelle frantically ran toward the clock tower in front of the main castle. Along the way, she encountered several nobles who looked at her as if she were crazy, but since she planned to turn back time anyway, there was no need to be concerned about appearances.

Whoosh!

Fireworks lit up the festival night sky, and cheers echoed from people throughout the castle.

‘Thank goodness. Thank goodness……’

Estelle was greatly relieved to see no one in front of the clock tower. It was close, but she had arrived well during the brief period when the guard had left his post to relieve himself. She immediately opened the door and climbed the tower.

“Ah!”

While climbing the spiral staircase, Estelle lowered her head at a sharp pain and saw blood streaming from the soles of her feet. Something sharp must have pierced her flesh, but she had neither time to examine the wound nor could she stop walking.

“Intruder!”

The voice of a guard who had entered after finding the open door suspicious echoed from below.

‘Just a little more. Please just a little more……!’

Previously, she had met her end after being caught by guards before even climbing the stairs. Breathing roughly, she finally reached the top of the tower.

On the stairs with one floor remaining, she saw the holy relic she had so desperately longed for. The hourglass placed on a hand sculpture made of gold looked exactly the same as before.

“Stop!”

As footsteps drew near, Estelle limped forward, but ultimately had to give up. It was clear she would be caught by the guards before she could reach the holy relic.

‘I was so close to succeeding… if only my foot hadn’t been injured……’

With a bitter laugh of frustration, Estelle turned her gaze to the window.

The method to turn back time. It was her death. When her life ended, she always woke up on the same day, at the same time.

To fail again.

Estelle abandoned her fleeting hope and decided to turn back time. Rather than struggling against the guards and being stabbed by a spear, it was better to die from falling. Because she would lose consciousness before hitting the ground, there would be no time to feel pain.

She didn’t want to know such things, but Estelle had now mastered the art of dying. Without further deliberation, as soon as her eyes met the guards’, she opened the window and threw herself out.

Whoooosh!

As blue flames decorated the sky, marking the end of the Founding Day Festival, Estelle’s eyes closed, and her body was enveloped in brilliant light.

The manifestation of the saintess.

The goddess’s will, severed for hundreds of years, was blooming within her. Hearing the sound of fierce wind, Estelle repeated inwardly.

‘Next time I will surely succeed……’

As her consciousness grew comfortable… suddenly her body stopped abruptly in midair, as if blocked by something.

“…Huh?”

Estelle opened her eyes slightly. Her body, wrapped in white light, was truly floating.

What had happened? Estelle broke into a cold sweat from anxiety, and meanwhile, her body descended slowly like fluttering petals.

“I wondered what gave you such confidence……”

Lexion, who had used his special ability to stop Estelle’s fall, effortlessly caught her as she fell slowly. He looked at her shocked face and smiled elegantly.

“So you were hiding such a secret.”