Chapter 1 – Part 1 (I’ll decline the proposal)

A single word was enough for him.

However, Kristin didn’t intend to end it there.

At first, she sent a reply as if dismissing him, planning to meet him again and agree to marriage upon his next response.

Then, she decided to embarrass and humiliate him in front of many nobles gathered at the wedding venue, then storm out of the ceremony.

“I wonder how the Duke will react to this kind of response. Perhaps if a woman he doesn’t even love dares to belittle him, his true nature might surface. I will show that side of him to everyone gathered at the wedding venue. Even if he appears affectionate towards me, it’s all a lie.”

After sealing the letter with wax, Kristin handed it to her dedicated servant, who would deliver it to the post office.

It would take at least a week to receive a response.

During that time, Kristin had to reconsider her plans for the future.

Raphael was like a thorn in her side in this hard-won life. Not painful enough to kill her, but a presence she desperately wanted to remove.

As annoying and troublesome as his presence was, she also had to find the one who had caused her death.

“Who could it be? I thought I lived quite a good life, but I never expected to end up drowning in the sea. I’ll show what happens when you mess with a good person. Perhaps he was laughing while watching me drown. If Raphael is the culprit, I will show him what a true villain is.”

However, Kristin’s eyes were filled with tears. Seeking revenge and wishing for a good life seemed to gnaw at her very bones.

* * *

“My Lord, a response has arrived from Lady Kristin Edith.”

Bernard, the servant, urgently spoke to Raphael, who sat arrogantly with his legs stretched out on the leather sofa in the study. He had quickly fetched the letter from the mailbox at the front door and promptly presented it to his master.

He didn’t want to disturb the Duke even a little.

After sending the proposal letter, the Duke had been visibly anxious for a few days.

Such behavior was unheard of before. He had even asked if there had been any response from Kristine Edith in just a few days since the proposal letter had been sent.

He was not someone who typically took an interest in young ladies. The fact that he had sent a proposal and shown interest had surprised all the servants at the Duke’s estate.

And today, the response to that proposal had arrived.

Bernard, the servant, handed the letter to Raphael with trembling hands, standing quietly in one corner.

If the result was favorable and they were to proceed with the wedding, another response would need to be sent.

There was no guarantee that the result wouldn’t be unfavorable, so he assumed it would be an acceptance letter.

Despite the rumors of his cold and aloof nature, there was no noble as perfect as his master.

With deep black hair and mysterious dark eyes, he had an appearance that couldn’t be found anywhere else in the Union Empire. His black attire and crimson cloak suited his broad shoulders, and even his swept-back hair seemed meticulously crafted.

As the owner of mines overflowing with minerals, his mansion employed over a hundred thousand servants due to its vast size compared to other noble estates.

He owned more than ten private carriages, each serving different purposes depending on the destination, and he was a VIP customer at the shops along Willington Street, the capital’s main shopping district in the Union Empire.

From head to toe, everything he owned was of the highest quality, from the tailored suits and cloaks crafted by artisans to the candlesticks adorned with gold and jewels.

His wealth was enviable even by imperial standards.

His ability to amass such wealth was thanks to his father, who had established a name in the empire and engaged in international trade.

Usually, when one is granted the title of Duke, their children are given lower noble titles.

But Raphael Rodney, due to his exceptional abilities and victories in wars with other countries, was granted a separate ducal title on top of his existing noble title.

And he was only twenty-seven years old.

Bernard sat on the sofa, watching the Duke open the envelope, and took a shallow breath.

He wondered how this young lady, Kristin Edith, could marry a nobleman of so much wealth.

He also found it puzzling that he had sent a proposal letter to a mere daughter of a Viscount when there were noblewomen with even better conditions.

“Now that he checked the letter, he’ll probably ask for a response,” Bernard thought.

However, his expectations were completely off the mark.

As the Duke turned the envelope upside down to retrieve the letter inside, torn fragments of paper spilled out onto the floor.

Though he kept his head lowered, the sound of the torn pieces echoed loudly in the otherwise silent room, almost like a thunderous roar.

Bernard, unconsciously, cleared his throat several times, busy trying to gauge the Duke’s reaction.

As he started to walk slowly towards the door handle to leave, he heard the Duke’s low voice.

“I’ll decline the proposal.”

“What? Oh, I, I didn’t hear anything.”

“Reject my proposal? How dare she reject my proposal?”

Raphael Rodney couldn’t believe the situation unfolding before him.

He had heard that Kristin had been involved in a carriage accident, and the carriage she was in had plummeted off a cliff.

The news shocked Raphael to no small degree.

This news had left the Duke quite shaken. Even though he had married Kristin Edith to inflict significant loss and humiliation upon his rival, Winston Zenon, strangely, he couldn’t easily forget the news of Kristin’s accident.

Driven by a sense of responsibility towards her, the Duke had gone to investigate the scene of the accident.

At that moment, he too was involved in an accident caused by someone approaching from behind.

The moment Kristin also thought she was unjustly killed, opened her eyes again on the bed. When she checked the calendar, she found herself back in early autumn before marrying Raphael.

Raphael Rodney was convinced that there must be a reason he had returned to the past, and he had to find the one who killed him.

However, he couldn’t begin to guess who it might be.

Kristin and Raphael had nothing in common. They had different noble titles and different values.

So who could it be?

Someone who held a grudge against Kristin and himself.

Raphael had to meet Kristin and set everything right. If he left things as they were, she would likely die as she had before.

He hadn’t concluded that it didn’t matter if she died, but he was feeling uncomfortable and strange emotions.

“Your Grace!”

“Yeah. Alright. I was going to meet her again through the proposal letter, but to ignored my sincerity like this. And to tear up the proposal letter like this. She’s not the Kristin I knew before. I need to find out why she changed like this.”

“Then should I send the letter again? If you write a letter, I’ll send it to you. If not, I’ll use the carriage to deliver it to Kristin’s mansion.”

“No, there’s no need for that.”

After gesturing to Bernard that it was okay, the Duke smiled and said,

“There’s no need for the letter. I’ll go myself.”

“What? Oh, yes! Very well, I’ll prepare the carriage right away.”

Bernard’s eyes widened at Raphael’s words, but he hurriedly left the room to prepare the carriage.

* * *

“Duke Raphael Rodney is here.”

The quiet Edith estate was thrown into chaos in an instant. While a visit from a typical noble would have been no issue, a visit from a Duke was on a whole different level.

It had only been a few days since she had replied to his marriage proposal. No one had expected the protagonist of the letter to come in person.

But Kristin was the only one who was prepared for it.

Kristin, smiling with raised corners of her mouth, watched Raphael getting off the carriage from the window of her second-floor room.

“That’s right. I knew it would be like this. Looks like he’s quite angry. He couldn’t bear the anger after tearing the letter like that. But it’s quite amusing. I never expected him to come like this.”

Knock, knock.

“My Lady! May I assist you in changing your attire?”

“My Lady, the Duke has arrived. You should get ready quickly.”

The maids rushed to Kristin’s room, knocking on the door and speaking urgently.

Kristin briefly pondered how to react to such a response, then wiped the smile from her face and hastily opened the door.

“Oh? The Duke has come?”

She had to act as kind and innocent as she used to be.

Kristin, following her habit, swept her hair behind her ear with her left hand and flashed a shy smile at the maids before speaking again.

“I feel so embarrassed when you come like this all of a sudden.”

“That’s why you need to get dressed quickly. Hurry.”

The maids grabbed Kristin’s hand and led her to a chair, applying her makeup and fussing over her as they changed her into the best clothes in the dressing room.

Kristin didn’t reveal her true feelings in response to their actions, instead maintaining a faint smile.