Chapter 2 – Part 5

Kristin smiled softly as she watched the Duke reach for her.

She raised her arm slightly and offered him her hand.

The Duke kissed the back of her hand lightly, then bowed his head in greeting.

“Well then, let us begin the ceremony. This is the wedding of Lady Kristin Edith of the Edith House and Duke Raphael Rodney of the Rodney House. The wedding blessing shall now commence…”

The High Priest looked at Kristin and Raphael with narrowed eyes as he continued his speech.

But Kristin heard none of his words at the moment.

Even as she gently held onto Raphael’s arm, she desperately wanted to escape this place. The space felt suffocating, unlike before.

Moreover, she could not bear the occasional soft gaze Raphael cast upon her. She simply couldn’t understand him.

How far was he planning to deceive her? Since she already knew his heart, his lingering looks felt burdensome. She purposely avoided meeting his eyes, keeping her gaze straight ahead.

‘Please, I want to get away, I want to run away from Duke Raphael.’

But the right moment had not yet arrived.

As the wedding ceremony reached its midpoint, and the High Priest’s blessing ended, it was time for the exchange of vows and rings.

In a normal exchange, a handmaiden would bring the wedding rings and pass them to the bride and groom so that they could take their turn.

This time, a handmaiden was bringing the rings.

This was the chance.

Kristin held out her hand gently as Raphael tried to put the ring on her finger. But as he attempted to put the ring on, she withdrew her hand behind her back.

The eyes of the nobles in the hall widened in surprise. They couldn’t tell if this was just a playful jest or an act of shyness from Kristin.

Unsure whether this was a prank or a mistake, they couldn’t tell if Kristin was playing a prank on the Duke or deliberately withdrawing her hand out of embarrassment.

After rising from their seats, they could see no trace of a smile on Kristin’s face.

“K-Kristin, what’s wrong? You should accept the Duke’s ring.”

“I think you’re just trying to play people. You’re quite the funny one, aren’t you?”

Viscount Vernon’s face had turned ashen.

After rising from his seat, Vernon, looked contemplative. He had expected a joyful wedding, but the situation unfolding before him was far from normal. Seeing his daughter’s serious expression, he grew even more anxious.

Was there a fight between the two? As Vernon was about to speak up out of concern, Kristin removed the tiara and earrings from her head, handing them to the maid.

Taken aback by this unexpected action, the maid barely managed to collect the items.

Kristin then spoke slowly to the maid.

“I’m sorry for the trouble.”

“No, not at all, My Lady.”

“Kristin, what on earth are you doing right now?”

Raphael addressed her, but Kristin spoke to him firmly.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t go through with this wedding, Your Grace.”

“Just the other day, you were talking as if you were going to marry me, but now you’ve changed your mind so quickly? Could it be that you had another young man in your heart?”

To Kristin, his words sounded cowardly and narrow-minded.

Was he thinking that Kristin had ruined the wedding because of another young man she fancied?

But he would never know.

She alone had been sent back in time.

Judging by Raphael’s behavior, it seemed that he hadn’t changed.

“Do you realize what you’re doing in front of all these important guests? If you behave this way, you won’t be able to return to the Edith estate. I won’t take you back, Kristin.”

In response, Kristin ripped the hem of her dress, from her legs down to her ankles.

The tightness from her legs to her ankles made it impossible for her to walk with a proper stride.

She tore her dress to make it easier to walk, and Winston, seeing her in such a state, was so concerned for her that he came forward to put his coat over her. Then Duke turned to him and said in a fierce voice.

“Marquis Winston! If you take even one more step towards her, I will hold you responsible for disrupting this wedding. This is a matter between Kristin and myself, so you shouldn’t interfere.”

Hearing Raphael’s words, Kristin let out a mirthless chuckle before addressing him.

“The Marquis has done nothing wrong. I simply do not wish to go through with this wedding. So, I will take my leave now.”

With that, Kristin brushed off Raphael’s hand as he tried to grab her arm, and walked out of the Grace Hall.

The look on the faces of all the nobles gathered in Grace Hall was one of stunned disbelief as the bride ran away like never before.