Chapter 12 – Part 3

“Kristin’s feet must be hurting. Could you find her a spare pair of shoes?”

As he gave this order, Kristin shook her head and said,

“No, it’s okay. Where would you find shoes on such short notice? ”

Kristin smiled as she spoke to the aide, while Raphael crossed his arms, looking displeased as he watched her.

Then his gaze fell on the scenery behind her.

The autumn lake was chilly, but the sunlight was warm, making it pleasant. However, the uneven paths were problematic.

Raphael began to feel uneasy about bringing Kristin here.

This place held memories of his late mother, and there was no other place that brought him such peace.

Moreover, if Kristin returned to Edith’s residence, he wanted to give her a chance to escape the bothersome Viscount and her stepmother, even if just for a moment.

A that moment, he found himself smiling without realizing it.

When had he started to care for Kristin so much?

Ultimately, he had come here for his satisfaction.

He had resolved to change to win Kristin’s heart, yet here he was, only being a selfish Duke once again.At that moment, the coachman, who had been listening to their conversation, hurried to the luggage compartment and returned with an old pair of shoes.

“Um, um, my Lady, if it’s alright, you can wear these.”

Kristin looked at the shoes.

The dusty, low-heeled shoes looked better than the ones she was currently wearing.

“Are you suggesting Kristin wear those shoes? ”

Raphael asked coldly, glaring at the coachman.

The coachman shivered slightly and replied,

“Well, I happened to meet my daughter while checking the carriage in town. Her shoes were very worn out, so I bought her a new pair and left the old ones here in the luggage compartment. I’m sorry.”

“So you used the carriage for personal reasons for your daughter?” Raphael asked angrily.

The coachman, shocked, quickly responded,“It wasn’t for personal use, I just happened to run into my daughter!”

Kristin, taking the shoes from the coachman, said to the Duke,

“He was just trying to help me. You should be kinder to your servants.”

“What?”

Surprised by Kristin’s sudden comment, the Duke looked at her. She was already thanking the coachman with a nod and changing into the shoes.

Raphael tried to stop her, but she seemed pleased and comfortable in the new shoes.

To think she would wear such worn shoes without hesitation and even thank the coachman.Raphael naturally thought of Princess Rebella.

As a princess, she couldn’t help it, but she always looked down on everyone beneath her, treating them worse than insects.

His feelings for Rebella had never been genuine.Recalling how sensitive and demanding Rebella always was, wanting to be treated more preciously than any other woman, Raphael shook his head.

Comparing Rebella to Kristin was absurd.

If Rebella had come here, she would have complained incessantly from the moment she stepped out of the carriage, asking why he had brought her to such a place.

Yet now, Kristin was happily walking around in old shoes, content.

Perhaps it was because this place was filled with cherished memories, but Kristin’s face radiated a beauty he had never seen before.

“I don’t understand why you’re smiling so beautifully,” he asked.

Kristin looked at him and slowly replied,

“It’s not that I wanted to be with you, Your Grace but since I’m here, I might as well enjoy it. Just being here gives me peace. The breeze brushing my cheeks feels like my mother’s touch. It makes me very happy.”

Kristin added with a smile she had never shown before,

“Thank you. I don’t even remember how many years it’s been since I last came here. Probably about five years since my mother passed.”

Raphael was surprised by Kristin’s words.

It was hard to believe that she hadn’t been to such a beloved place in five years.

It was a place you could reach by simply riding in a carriage—why hadn’t she come even once during that time?

“Why haven’t you been able to come? Five whole years! And you didn’t visit even once?”

Kristin, looking as if it was no big deal, replied,

“I wasn’t allowed to go out freely. My father disapproved of me searching for my mother’s traces, and my stepmother felt the same way.”

Hearing those words, Raphael’s expression gradually hardened. He had some idea of Kristin’s life up until now.

That was why he had been so furious with Elena, who had come to the Duke’s residence that morning.

Kristin’s father, Vernon, was even more outrageous.

Despite being a Viscount, he acted frivolously, and his interest in illegal gambling dens was something the Duke couldn’t stand.

Moreover, everything surrounding Kristin was irritating.

Yet, in his past life, these circumstances had allowed him to easily win Kristin’s heart and use her. At that time, she had few people to share her feelings with or to comfort her.

Suddenly, Raphael realized he wasn’t much different. Yet, unable to contain the boiling frustration and anger, he continued speaking.

“Are you not allowed to leave the mansion? And you couldn’t even cherish the memories of your mother after her passing? If that’s true, what kind of life have you been living, Kristin?”

“I just couldn’t go out,”

Kristin answered Raphael, then remembered what she had heard in Beatrice Charlotte’s boutique.

The handwritten letters from Dr. Declan and the medical notes that had to hide her mother’s death.

Back then, she thought her father’s actions were just an attempt to help young Kristin move on by preventing her from seeking out her mother’s traces.

Initially, Kristin had a favorable view of Rose, the new stepmother who entered the house.

She could never have imagined such a hideous truth existed.

Her father had certainly said to young Kristin:

“Even though your mother has passed, you shouldn’t worry. It’s not like you’re completely without a mother. Rose will treat you very well. Besides, don’t you have Elena? How wonderful it will be for you to have a sister after always being alone. You can go shopping together, and enjoy desserts, and for you, Kristin, it’s like being given a new life. Don’t be too sad.”

Believing her father’s words was her mistake.

Naively, she had thought it was for her good, and she had been unable to say anything when her father brought Rose Veronica into the mansion.

Since then, she has been influenced by many of her father’s words.

Furthermore, she had been unable to properly oppose him for the sake of his happiness. She couldn’t even harbor anger toward her father.

Her mother’s death was an incredibly painful event, but she had wished for her remaining father to be happy. Kristin did not want him to remain lonely in the mansion.

But recalling that her father and Rose had been involved in her mother’s death, Kristin froze, unable to respond to Raphael’s words.

“Kristin?”

A moment of silence followed.

Seeing her unresponsive with a hardened expression, Raphael called her name again with concern in his voice.

“Kristin Edith.”

“Ah, yes.”

Kristin finally relaxed her serious expression and smiled slightly, as if it were nothing.

“I used to think it was natural to be restricted like that, so I endured it. I didn’t have the strength to oppose it. As a result, I always thought of it as something I would just pass through. I don’t want to live like that anymore.”

Kristin glanced at her changed shoes and continued nonchalantly.

“I think it was a good idea to change my shoes, Your Grace. I don’t understand how noble ladies can walk around so well in high heels. To be honest, I find flat shoes much more comfortable. When I entered the ballroom, everyone was wearing high-heeled shoes, but I always found such ballrooms uncomfortable.”

“But didn’t you also attend the ball? ”

Raphael asked, smiling at her. Kristin pouted slightly as she answered,

“That’s because I didn’t want to be labeled as a shy lady anymore. I was surrounded by such unpleasant rumors. You wouldn’t understand even a tenth of how I feel.”Hearing her answer, Raphael stopped walking and looked at the lakeside of Lake Matejo.

Kristin, the knights, and the aides following behind also halted.

“By the way, I want to ask you, is there any particular reason why you’ve been avoiding me for all these years? Or did you find my proposal letter absurd and deliberately push me away?” he asked unexpectedly.

Taken aback by the sudden question, Kristin hesitated to answer, lowering her head.

If it were simply such feelings, the situation would have been easier.

Such emotions were not easily changed.

Even if she explained her reasons, he would not believe her.

She feared becoming the Duchess of Raphael Rodney and facing death, but more than that, in her current state of mind, she wanted to escape a life where she relied on others, gave her heart, and expected things from them.

She wanted to live, relying solely on her strength.

“That’s not it. But do you realize that you’ve changed as well, Your Grace?” she asked.

“What?”

In any case, Raphael would never understand, no matter how much she said. He would never know how many wicked things he had done in his past life.

Yet, despite all of that, Raphael would never understand how deeply she had loved him.

“Anyway, that’s enough. We can put the past behind us now. Just know that pushing you away wasn’t because of something absurd. I hope you understand that.”

She swallowed the rest of her thoughts.

‘God has given me a chance to reclaim my life.’