Chapter 16 – Part 4

Marquis Winston?

Upon hearing this, Raphael sprang up from his seat and shot a fierce look toward the door.

However, Kristin was already preparing to greet Winston, who was walking toward the mansion from the front gate.

What if he hadn’t come to Edith Mansion today and heard about this incident through rumors? Or worse, what if Winston had arrived first and he had walked in on the two of them having a deep conversation?

Raphael, the Duke, couldn’t even bear to imagine such a scenario.

“Marquis Winston? I didn’t expect him to visit today, but perhaps it could be a good thing.”

As Kristin spoke to the butler, Raphael sat back down, pretending he hadn’t heard anything, and slowly sipped his tea.

He thought it was better to remain where he was than to watch Kristin spend time with Marquis Winston.

“Um, Your Grace,” Kristin spoke up.

“Yes? ”He responded.

“I think it would be best if you left now. I’m sorry, but there are things I need to discuss with Marquis Winston, and I think the situation might become uncomfortable.”

Kristin felt burdened as she spoke to Raphael.

She knew that Raphael disliked Winston, so she didn’t want to create a situation where the two would confront each other at the Edith mansion.

Moreover, having seen them both trying to outmaneuver each other at the debutante ball, Kristin cautiously made her request, but Raphael seemed to take it differently.

“Why should I leave? ”He asked.

“What? ” Kristin was taken aback, her eyes widening in surprise as Raphael continued.

“I don’t see why I should leave. I think if I act this way, you might finally understand what I’m feeling, Kristin.”

Yet even hearing these words, Kristin couldn’t help but think that Raphael was the same as he had always been in the past and that nothing had changed.

His stubbornness didn’t make her heart flutter; instead, it made her uncomfortable, even though she was grateful for the help he had provided.

“I’m saying this because I know you’re uncomfortable around Marquis Winston. And honestly, I don’t understand why you’re acting this way towards me,” Kristin said.

“You don’t know how I feel right now?” Raphael asked.

At that moment, Winston entered the mansion, led by another servant.

“Have you been well?”

As Winston’s soft voice reached her, Kristin brushed past Raphael and headed toward him.

Raphael had never seen Kristin walk toward Winston like this before, which left him feeling a bit flustered.

When she even smiled at the Marquis, that fluster quickly turned into jealousy.

“Yes, I’ve been well. Thank you for the bouquet you sent. Lady Selena Scarlet also visited the mansion today.”

“Ah, and I see Duke Raphael Rodney is here as well.”

Though Winston smiled at Kristin, he couldn’t help but frown when he noticed Raphael behind her.

“What brings you here, Marquis?” Raphael asked with a sharp tone.

Raphael spoke in a somewhat sharp tone, prompting Kristin to respond cautiously.

“Perhaps he’s here to ask for my opinion about the charity event. Right, Marquis?”

The Marquis nodded at Kristin and then turned his gaze to Raphael.

“That’s correct. I’ve wanted to invite Lady Kristin to the organization for a long time, but the timing wasn’t right. However, after what Lady Kristin has been through recently, the other members of the organization have changed their minds. They would like Lady Kristin to join the organization, especially since Viscountess Elesia has done many good deeds for others in the past.”

“Is there any other reason than that?”

Raphael spoke again, as if envious of the Marquis of Winston.

“I mean, really, is there no other reason than that, for there is no one who does not know how the Marquis of Winston feels about Lady Kristin.”

Then, as if waiting for the duke’s words, the Marquis of Winston replied.

“There are plenty of other reasons. Yes, I like Lady Kristin. I want to keep her by my side. But, Your Grace, I don’t think you need to concern yourself with this anymore, do you?”

The tension between Winston and Raphael was palpable as they faced off over Kristin. She caught between them and found herself unable to say anything.

Both men were exchanging hostile glances, and she just wanted to escape from the tension surrounding them.

“Is that true?”

As Raphael pressed for another response from Winston, the Marquis replied with an unconcerned expression.

“I have had my heart set on Kristin ever since we were playmates. I was the one who saw her first, even as a child. My feelings for her are genuine. However, those feelings aren’t the only reason.”

“What?”

Raphael interrupted, grabbing Kristin’s wrist as if to pull her away.

“Ah, sorry. Seeing an unworthy rival brings out this side of me,” he added, trying to recover his composure.

“Then why are you here, Duke Raphael? If you’ve been rejected, you should know when to let go.”

The Marquis struck at Raphael’s vulnerability.

Winston was not pleased that Raphael had sent Kristin a letter of marriage proposal. Even though the two had seen each other, their hatred had only grown.

He also had a rough idea of what Raphael thought of him.

Moreover, Raphael was not the kind of man who would be satisfied by a mere noblewoman.

For months now, the Emperor has been saying that Raphael should marry Princess Rebella of the neighboring Empire of Praga.

Instead of sending his sons and daughters to the neighboring kingdom for the wealth and honor of his Empire, Emperor Lucas Aedon of the Union Empire decided to use the unmarried Duke Raphael to his advantage.

Rather than sending his son or daughter to marry into another empire, Lucas, who had a deep love for his children, preferred to keep the imperial line within his domain.

He wanted to ensure that his heir would marry someone from within the empire so that there would be no blood ties to other empires.

Furthermore, Raphael had never been in a proper relationship, and his divorce from Kristin had made his image within the Empire look ridiculous.

Lucas Aedon took this opportunity to propose that Raphael marry the Princess of Praga, aiming to strengthen ties between the two empires through marriage.

The Emperor was not pleased that Raphael had sent his proposal to Kristin’s family, a woman from an insignificant family. When Raphael first met Princess Rebella, he hadn’t thought much of it.

However, the power of the Praga Empire was immense, and Raphael saw an opportunity to leverage that power.

Being a duke was prestigious, but marrying a neighboring empire’s princess would solidify his position even further. There was no downside to such a marriage.

This led Raphael to shift his focus from Kristin to Princess Rebella after a year of marriage. At that time, Kristin hadn’t stirred his heart at all.

However, his current situation has changed.

Every time he looked at Kristin, the subtle feelings that had never stirred before were now overflowing like a great wave.

Seeing Winston declare his feelings for Kristin, Raphael finds it strangely impossible to contain his anger.

He could no longer deny what he had previously refused to acknowledge—he had fallen for Kristin.

Now that he recognized his feelings, he couldn’t stand the thought of losing Kristin to Winston.

“It seems there’s no room for you to interfere in my relationship with Kristin.”

“Is that so?”As Winston spoke sarcastically, Kristin, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, stepped in to intervene.

“Please stop. You didn’t come here to fight at my house, did you? If you want to argue, please leave my mansion.”

Both Raphael and Winston, startled by her words, immediately apologized.

“Oh, I see. My apologies,” Raphael said.

“Lady Kristin, I apologize. I should have sent a letter ahead of time before coming. It was thoughtless of me. I believe you must have heard about the charity organization from Lady Selena Scarlet. I would like you to join this organization. Everyone there is trustworthy, so you don’t need to worry.”

“Yes, Marquis. I would like to join that organization as well. It might be a hasty decision, but I’ve wanted to be part of such a noble cause for a long time.”

“Really?”

“You mean you’re going to join it?”