“Father Benjamin?”

“Didn’t you visit here every Sunday? Did you write a letter accusing Director Blair? If so, this is no ordinary matter!”

The people questioning Kristin’s words began to understand the situation with Father Benjamin’s appearance.

The children, who had been staggering weakly just moments ago, and Winston, who was helping to send those same children off in carriages, now made sense.

Even the appearance of Raphael, who usually avoided such gatherings, and Kristin, dressed in tattered clothes, became clear.

They now realized that Kristin hadn’t acted alone to falsely accuse the director; this was far more serious.

As the nobles slowly began to feel anger, one of them picked up a stone from the ground and threw it at the director.

The thrown stone hit the director’s leg, and the noble spoke up.

“So, the money we send is being used for your gain? You’ve been running the greatest orphanage in the Union Empire while abusing the children?”

As the noble expressed his anger, others began to follow suit, throwing stones as well.

In an instant, Director Blair, who was covered in wounds, looked panicked and started to lie flat on the ground.

“Did you ever feel even the slightest remorse for what you’ve done to these children?”

At Kristin’s question, Director Blair attempted to rush at Kristin as if to blame her for everything that had happened, but she was caught by Raphael’s hand.

After beating her chest in frustration and resentment, she slowly opened her mouth as if to give up.

“Let me just say one thing. Do you think I alone used the embezzled money while running this orphanage?”

Kristin understood the implication of those words.

It could be seen as an attempt by Blair to shift the blame onto others, but her words implied that a powerful noble had been taking bribes to cover for her, which was why the orphanage had operated without issue for so long.

Despite being the largest orphanage in the empire, no one had ever reported any wrongdoing. That suggested that even the staff at the orphanage had been in on it.

Perhaps those in the shadows who had supported the director had been complicit in covering up the truth.

Kristin, calming her mind, turned to Raphael and said,

“There may be others involved in this. We’ll need to investigate thoroughly.”

“I will handle the investigation.”

It was Selena Scarlet who spoke up.

She smiled at Kristin, raised her hand, and continued.

“Lady Kristin, you’ve done enough. You handled this situation very well. And since Duke Raphael Rodney has also worked hard, you both should go to the royal physician for treatment. The rest of the matters will be handled by me and Marquis Winston. His Majesty already knows of the situation, as the marquis requested investigation rights.”

Selena Scarlet gestured to the coachman atop Raphael’s carriage and spoke to him.

“Please take them to the royal palace physician immediately.”

After arriving at the royal palace physician, Kristin was hit with shocking news from the doctor.

Raphael’s wounds were quite deep, and there was a possibility that he might never be able to wield a sword properly again.
After hearing this, Kristin looked at her arm. Though she had been cut by a knife, her injury wasn’t severe, thanks to the thick clothing she had been wearing. Only a small piece of skin had been scratched.

As Kristin sat outside the treatment room while Raphael was being treated, many thoughts swirled in her mind.

If Raphael hadn’t come today, she could have been killed by the knights, including Rain. Worse, she could have been killed by Director Blair.

Just imagining it was horrifying, and Kristin could only shake her head. However, deep inside, she couldn’t help but worry about Raphael’s injury.

He had always been accompanied by bodyguards, never going anywhere without them. But today, to save her, he had faced five masked knights alone, with no one to protect him.

Why? Why had he done that?

He had risked his life to save her.

Kristin hadn’t wanted to accept his help. She had felt too guilty to ask him for anything more.

As she wondered about Raphael’s actions, he finally emerged from the treatment room. She immediately spoke to him.

“Your Grace, are you alright now? If you can no longer wield a sword because of me… I don’t know how I could live with myself. I couldn’t bear it.”

“Kristin.”

“I’ve already hurt you by calling off the engagement, and now I’ve caused you this terrible injury. I don’t think I can face you anymore. I don’t want to cause you any more discomfort.”

In those words, Raphael finally understood the depths of Kristin’s feelings for him.

The woman crying in front of him was the same one who had wept for him in his previous life.

He had once used her for his gain, and even now, in this new life, he had been about to do the same.

Perhaps this wound on his arm was simply his punishment for the sins of his past.

“Calling off the engagement was a mistake. But regardless of that, I will always be on your side, Kristin.”
Raphael lifted his bandaged right hand and gently patted Kristin’s head as she sobbed, speaking softly as he did so.

“This wound is nothing. I’m just glad that you’re alive. If Blair had killed you today, I might have followed you in death.”

“Your Grace…”

Kristin couldn’t hold back her tears any longer and broke down completely.

She had been holding back her tears for so long, trying to stay strong.

In this life, she had fought to survive, to avoid the death that had haunted her before. But the fear and tension had never truly left her.

Since the day she received that threatening letter, she hadn’t had a single peaceful night’s sleep.

“If you feel so guilty about my injury, how about you grant me a favor?”

Raphael brushed the dust off his clothes and gently lifted Kristin’s chin with his hand, tilting her head upward.

With the significant height difference between them, Raphael had to look down, and Kristin had to tilt her head back just to meet his gaze.

Startled by his sudden touch, Kristin hurriedly wiped away her tears and responded.

“If it’s something I can do, I’ll do anything.”

Then, the duke smiled gently, curling his lips.

“Kristin, will you grant me anything?”

“Of course, Your Grace.”

“If you allow me, I’d like to go on a date with you. Not like last time when we went to Lake Matheo. That place holds memories of my mother, so we went there more for my sake than anything else. Although it’s also a place tied to memories with your mother, I want to give you a happier date this time. Looking back, I proposed to you but never took you on a proper date.”

Kristin nodded softly, recalling the past.

Life in the ducal estate after marriage had always been lonely. She couldn’t even dream of a date, and just seeing Raphael’s face had been a rare event. Every night, she would wait for him until the moon set, only to be left alone.

His words were so kind and gentle that Kristin couldn’t help but tear up.

Seeing the tears roll down her cheeks, Raphael spoke again.

“If you don’t want to, we don’t have to.”

“No, I want to go on a date,” Kristin replied, meeting Raphael’s gaze with a smile.

—

For the first time since returning to the past, Kristin found herself genuinely excited about the date with Raphael, eagerly anticipating it from the night before.

She replayed his words over and over in her mind—that he wanted to give her a happier date.

Just a few months ago, she had been tormented by an inability to forgive him, but now those feelings had healed.

She had once thought that to him, she was nothing more than someone to be used. But now she realized that Raphael’s actions toward her were sincere. She had tried to ignore it, to not read too much into his actions, but after he had risked his life to protect her, she could no longer push him away.

“My Lady, do you have an important appointment today?”

Lenci asked, noticing how much more dressed up Kristin was than usual. Kristin looked at Lenci and smiled.

Her cheeks were flushed, and her lips looked noticeably different from usual. She appeared vibrant as if fresh roses had just begun to bloom. Lenci looked at her lady again and asked,

“My Lady, are you going to meet Duke Raphael?”

“Yes, I am. I’m meeting him today.”

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