Chapter 15 – Part 1

As Raphael entered the mansion, Elena was the first to be surprised.

With her face painted white and her long hair braided and adorned with flowers, she held a bouquet meant for Kristin.

When Raphael unexpectedly arrived, Elena couldn’t help but drop the bouquet she was holding.

Raphael quickly picked up the fallen bouquet and spoke to Elena.“You dropped the bouquet. Lady Elena seems to be the star of this wedding, so you should be careful not to damage the flowers.”

“What? Did you say that I’m the star of this wedding?”

Elena, who seemed to come to her senses at Raphael’s words, clutched the bouquet she received from him tightly and turned her gaze to Kristin, who was following behind the Duke.

As the true star of this wedding, Kristin entered, the face of Baron Elijah Eddington, who was preparing for the ceremony, suddenly flushed.

Seeing Kristin in person, who was even more beautiful than her prepared portrait, made him fall in love at first sight.

Under normal circumstances, he would never marry a viscount’s daughter of no significance, but hearing that Kristin had purchased a mine and received a medal from the Emperor, along with the fact that she was close to the Emperor’s relative, Selena Scarlet, as conveyed by Rose, had completely changed Baron Elijah’s mind.

Rose could push through this wedding because she had already given a heads-up to Vernon.

The reason she whispered to Vernon was to add the lie that Kristin had already spent the night with the baron.

The two met when Rose invited Elijah, a regular customer of her general store, to the Edith mansion, making up the story that Kristin fell for the baron at first sight. In reality, Kristin and the baron had never met.

This is how this absurd wedding came to be, all orchestrated by Rose to avoid any repercussions in front of Vernon.

“Excuse me, Lady Kristin Edith.”

Raphael looked at Elijah, who was addressing Kristin.

He hadn’t realized that Raphael was standing before him, as his attention was solely focused on Kristin.

He thought Raphael was just another guest since the Duke hadn’t said anything.

Elijah remained unmarried into middle age because he was completely oblivious, easily swayed by others, and tended to be manipulated.

He believed that Rose had arranged this wedding for him, but that was a misunderstanding.“Are you talking to me?”

When Kristin addressed Elijah, he nodded and continued speaking to Elena.

“Hand over that bouquet. I must marry Lady Kristin Edith immediately. After the wedding, when we return to my mansion, I will prepare a special room for Lady Kristin. However, she will have to use my bedroom on our wedding night, of course. Hahaha.”

He laughed bashfully as he looked at Kristin, but she no longer saw him.

If she hadn’t learned the truth about her mother’s death through Beatrice Charlotte, she might have fallen for her stepmother’s scheme and been forced into this ridiculous wedding.

Kristin couldn’t stand the thought of becoming a baroness and being mocked even more.

Just as Kristin was about to speak to the baron,

Thud!

A sudden, dull sound startled Kristin, and she turned her gaze to the Duke.

Barely containing his anger, Raphael spoke to Elijah.

“The wedding night? You must be out of your mind. It’s truly absurd. Were you thinking of marrying a young lady who could be your daughter?”

When Raphael spoke, the baron, who had fallen and couldn’t get up, glared at him with indignation.

Rose, shocked by the unexpected turn of events, quickly rushed between the two and cautiously spoke to Raphael.

“Your Grace, I don’t know why you’ve come to our mansion, but this wedding is happening because Kristin wants it. She broke off her engagement with you to marry this man. It’s Kristin’s decision, not ours, so I hope you can accept it.”

Kristin, who had been listening to Rose’s astonishingly calm lie, spoke to her.

“Is there a foolish young lady who would marry someone she’s never met? But, Mother, do you not know Finn Declan?”

“What? Finn? You mentioned that person last time, and now you’re bringing up his name again. I have no idea who he is, Kristin.”

“Are you sure you don’t know him?”

When Kristin questioned Rose, she sighed as she helped Elijah up and replied.

“I truly don’t know. Perhaps he was a customer at the general store I used to run, but I don’t remember the names of my customers.”

“In that case, I’ll have to show you directly to make you talk.”

Raphael smirked at Vernon and Rose as he slowly walked toward the carriage.

Then, as if frightened, he pulled out Finn Declan, whose face had turned pale, and showed him to them while speaking.

“You’ll recognize him when you see him. Finn Declan will be taken to the Imperial Palace today to face punishment for the crime he committed six years ago.”

At the words “the crime committed six years ago,” the gentle expression on Rose’s face began to twist.

Meanwhile, Vernon dropped his champagne glass, which shattered into pieces on the floor.

Finn Declan, led by Raphael to stand before Vernon and Rose, couldn’t even lift his head.

It seemed as though he was trying to avoid making eye contact with Vernon, who was doing the same.

Kristin, observing the three of them, struggled to speak.

“The reason my mother died is because of you three. Don’t you have anything to say?”

“Sister, what on earth are you talking about? Didn’t you say your mother died from an epidemic? Why are you bringing up the dead now? And why are you accusing our mother? What did she do wrong?”

Elena spoke angrily, glaring at Kristin.

Elena’s expression became quite vicious, but Kristin let out a sigh of pity and responded.

“Elena. This is not your place to speak.”

“What?”

“Kristin, we don’t know what you’re talking about. Is this man Finn Declan? We’ve never seen him before.”

Vernon spoke to Kristin as if trying to soothe her.

Vernon couldn’t understand his daughter’s current behavior at all. He thought that by doing this, she would end up denouncing her parents.

With no evidence to back her claims, he believed Kristin’s actions would only make her look foolish in the Empire.

Maintaining his composure, Vernon asked Finn Declan.

“Look at my face. Have you seen me before?”

He gazed intently at Finn Declan, but Finn Declan couldn’t easily answer. His shirt was drenched in cold sweat, and seeing this, Kristin spoke to her father.

“How long will you continue to deceive me? Do you think I don’t know anything?”

“Kristin.”

“I, I have something to say.”

Finn Declan, who had been quietly bowing his head, finally mustered the courage to lift it and spoke to Vernon.

“You have something to say? Fine. Are you going to claim you don’t know me? Go ahead, say it.”

Vernon spoke as if offering kindness, but Kristin could see that her father’s composure was almost shattered.

There was a palpable tremor she could feel. Her father was trying hard not to show it.

Kristin calmly addressed Finn Declan.

“Yes, please speak. I have much to say as well. If Lady Beatrice Charlotte hadn’t told me, I would never have known the truth. And these medical records, this notebook, and handwritten letters—all of them are about my mother’s death, written by this man.”

“What? Do those still exist?”

Vernon glanced at Kristin and then collapsed to the ground in shock.Lying on the garden floor, he couldn’t immediately get up. His mind seemed to be in utter turmoil.

He finally managed to pull out the handkerchief he had in his pocket and wipe the sweat pouring down his face, a sight that made Kristin feel both pity and resentment.

Finn Declan cautiously began to speak.

“Six years ago, Viscount Vernon came to our hospital with the Viscountess. He specifically asked us to take good care of Viscountess Elesia. After examining her, I initially thought she had symptoms of the pneumonia that was prevalent at the time. She had been coughing continuously and complained of abdominal pain as well.”

Listening to Finn Declan’s words was extremely painful for Kristin.

Facing the truth about her mother’s death again and again made her wish it was just a dream, but she couldn’t deny that it wasn’t.

Perhaps understanding her feelings, Raphael gently held Kristin’s wrist and spoke to her.

“Hang on just a little longer. I know it’s hard to hear, but right now, you need to stay strong for your late mother.”

‘For your late mother.’

These words struck Kristin’s heart, and she nodded at the Duke.

Although Raphael was partly responsible for her hardships, at this moment, his presence beside her gave her strength.

Perhaps he was also thinking of his mother, which made it even harder for him to endure this situation.

Kristin believed that the Duke was there not for her but to handle the situation for the Empire.

In the Union Empire, murder was considered a grave crime, and the Emperor had a strict policy that no matter how long it took, the perpetrator must be caught. The Emperor had also issued orders to knights and high-ranking nobles like dukes and marquises to help unjustly wronged citizens.

Therefore, Kristin thought that Raphael was acting as a duke for the sake of the Empire, not for her.

“Yes, I understand, Your Grace.”