Chapter 18 – Part 1

Kristin had one thought as she attended the charity gathering.

She wanted to participate in anything she could at the event, no matter what it was. Now that she was a member of the gathering, she wished to help to the best of her ability.

In the past, she had been consumed by her bleak past and had despaired, but now she wanted to shift her focus and help change the circumstances of others. 

So when Selena spoke about what was happening at the Vincent Orphanage, Kristin kept pondering how she should act.

And when Selena asked if anyone would step forward to help, Kristin raised her hand without hesitation.

Even though this was a charity event, the nobility knew that their honor could be at risk if they got involved and couldn’t find solid evidence. If they acted wrongly, they would face harsh criticism for slandering the director of the orphanage.

Moreover, the Vincent Orphanage had children of various ages, so instead of volunteering there, the nobles preferred to send money simply. They knew that holding babies or feeding them with bottles while dressed in gowns and uniforms was an inconvenient task.

So they could only shake their heads and hesitate at Selena’s mention of infiltration.

And, most importantly, they didn’t know how to go about getting evidence even if they did.

But when Kristin Edith, who was attending this charity event for the first time, volunteered, everyone was taken aback.

However, the nobles knew one thing for sure: Kristin Edith was different from what she had been before.

While they were curious about the event that had triggered her change, they understood her desire to step forward, given that Kristin had grown up in a troubled household.

Lady Clea looked at Kristin with concern and spoke to her.

“Lady Kristin, it’s a pleasure to meet you today. I was hoping to converse with you when I heard you’d be attending this gathering. I’ve been curious about you. After all, you’ve received a medal from His Majesty and have overcome many challenges at a young age.

But given what I’ve heard recently, I’ve had to reconsider my thoughts on your character.

However, this matter concerning the Vincent Orphanage might be difficult for you, Lady Kristin. Especially if you’ve never had children, caring for them might prove challenging.”

Lady Clea was worried about Kristin.

She feared that a young lady who had never been married might struggle to manage the work surrounded by children.

Kristin seemed too noble to be involved in volunteering at an orphanage. So, she worried that Kristin’s involvement might jeopardize the situation or give the orphanage director reason to be suspicious.

But Lady Clea had no choice but to agree with Kristin’s next words.

“While it’s true that I’ve never been married, I love children very much. There were times when the servants brought children to the Edith estate. I often play with them, and though caring for infants may be exhausting, it is not right to say that I can’t infiltrate the orphanage simply because I lack experience raising children.”

Kristin’s words were true.

Just because someone lacked experience didn’t mean they couldn’t do the job.

What was more concerning was that Kristin had once collapsed at a debutante ball, raising worries about her frail health. Everyone had hesitated to bring up that incident, but Raphael Rodney, the Duke, was the first to speak.

“Kristin, you collapsed once before. What will you do if you collapse again at the orphanage?”

Despite his somewhat gruff tone, Raphael Rodney was genuinely concerned for her.

“That’s right, Lady Kristin.”

“Lady Kristin, don’t push yourself too hard. We could have one of our servants do the infiltration. After all, all we need is the evidence, right?”

Two of the nobles spoke, but Kristin shook her head and responded.

“No. If it’s a servant, the director may dismiss them. If nobles suddenly sent their servants after only sending money before, it would seem suspicious. The director would likely think it odd, and since they’ve been covering up the negative aspects until now, they would surely refuse, claiming everything is fine.”

“Then what should we do?” one of the nobles asked, looking at Selena Scarlet.

Kristin addressed the nobles again. 

“No matter what happens, I’ll take care of this.”

Then Kristin turned to Selena Scarlet and spoke again.

“Would that be alright?”

Selena Scarlet was also worried about Kristin, but seeing the earnest look in her eyes, she couldn’t bring herself to refuse, so she gave her a resigned look.

After hesitating for a moment, she spoke to Kristin.

“For now, if you’re willing to step up, Lady Kristin, I won’t oppose it. However, if you need my help—”

“No, I’ll do it alone.”

Kristin’s resolve was so strong that Selena said no more and instead addressed everyone.

“Then we’ll leave this matter to Lady Kristin Edith. But if anything happens to Lady Kristin, everyone here must help her.”

“Of course. She’s one of us, after all.”

“If Lady Kristin steps forward, it’ll make things easier for us—oh, I mean, it’s because she’s younger and smarter than us, so her approach will likely be different.”

“Lady Kristin Edith handled the Levi Mine incident well, and I’ve heard she cares about the common people. The commoners seem to have a favorable opinion of Lady Kristin Edith.”

As the nobles continued to speak favorably of Kristin, Raphael let out a faint sigh, unfolded his arms, and raised his hand.

“As a Duke, I will also participate in this matter.”

Kristin looked at Raphael with surprised eyes, and at the same time, Winston also raised his hand and spoke.

“I will join as well. If the letter from Father Benjamin is true, this matter is too large for Lady Kristin to handle alone. We must tackle it together.”

As Raphael and Winston spoke to Kristin, Selena Scarlet cautiously asked her.

“Lady Kristin, who would you like to work with?”

But Kristin, without answering, stood up and responded calmly.

“I cannot work with either the Duke or the Marquis. Both of you are already busy handling matters of the Empire, so I will do this alone.”

When Kristin said this, Selena Scarlet nodded and spoke again to conclude the meeting.

“Then this meeting is adjourned. And Lady Kristin, I will visit your estate the afternoon after tomorrow. I would like to discuss this matter with you further.”

“Yes, I understand.”

* * *

With that, the meeting came to an end.

Kristin declined the offer from Winston and Raphael to escort her home and immediately boarded her carriage.

Right in front of the entrance to the Winston Marquis’ estate was the carriage from the House of Edith. The coachmen were busily going back and forth, ensuring no one could carelessly approach the carriage.

However, there was a very peculiar letter placed inside the carriage.

Kristin decided to open the red envelope and see what it contained.

She couldn’t help but be shocked by what she read.

—

[Dear Lady Kristin Edith,

Please live quietly as if you were dead from now on. Stop stirring things up.

And one more thing: your life doesn’t have much time left.

Yes, rather than engaging in hypocritical acts of helping others, I suggest you focus on clinging to whatever life you have left. In any case, don’t ignore my warning.]

—

Upon reading the letter, Kristin couldn’t help but recall the carriage accident that had nearly killed her. The letter slipped from her fingers and fell to the floor of the carriage.

Even though she had boarded the carriage, Kristin could not give the order to depart because of the unsettling warning in the letter, her hands trembling.

For a while, she had forgotten that someone out there wanted to kill her.

In her previous life, she had failed to accomplish much, so she resolved to live this life for the sake of others.

That’s why she believed she had returned.

She was certain that was the reason for her return, but now the thought that she hadn’t truly escaped death filled her mind, and Kristin couldn’t help but remember all the pain she had felt until the moment she died.

As she sat there, reflecting on the past, a question came to her mind.

The nobles who attended the charity gathering had all arrived before her, and none had left during the meeting.

Therefore, it was unlikely that anyone within the gathering held such deep animosity toward her.

Since the carriage accident, Kristin had suspected that Raphael wanted her dead.

If she disappeared, he would no longer have any obstacles if he wanted to remarry Princess Rebella.

If it became widely known that he had used her, he would be the one to suffer, so Kristin couldn’t help but suspect him.

However, the current Raphael had become oddly kind to her, making it hard for her to continue suspecting him.

After all, it didn’t make sense to follow someone you wanted dead around, helping them solve problems.

So, who could it be?

Kristin hadn’t noticed any carriages following hers on the way to the Winston Marquis’ estate.

The route to the estate passed through a shopping district along a large avenue lined with trees, so it would have been impossible to miss a trailing carriage.

Even if someone had followed her through a small forest road, concealing themselves would have been difficult. But for someone to boldly follow her to such a public place and leave a letter behind meant they weren’t just anyone.

Paralyzed by the fear of death that she had nearly forgotten, Kristin found herself unable to do anything.

It was then that she was spotted by Winston and Raphael.

Despite Kristin’s refusal, Winston had been watching her carriage.

At the same time, Raphael had been watching to see her carriage off, but when it didn’t move, he grew concerned, and the two of them approached her carriage.

“Lady Kristin, why haven’t you departed yet? Is there a problem…?”