“What do you mean by that? I heard that you were engaged but were jilted by the lady. Are you saying now that there is another lady involved?” Rebella stopped eating, her knife lying idle on her plate.

Today’s gathering was not only meant to strengthen the alliance between the two empires but also to serve as an opportunity to foster a connection between Raphael and Rebella.

Emperor Lucas was hoping for a favorable outcome from this meeting.

If an alliance with the princess could be formed, it would greatly benefit the economy of the Union Empire.

However, the current situation was turning out to be a mess, contrary to his expectations.

“There is no other lady. I am simply resuming the engagement. I will marry Kristin Edith,” Raphael said, shrugging as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

He then turned to the Emperor and continued,

“A lot has happened between Kristin and me, and we have decided to proceed with the wedding. The breakup was a result of mutual misunderstandings. Admittedly, it’s my fault for letting my beloved misunderstand me.”

Rebella felt increasingly irritated as she listened to Raphael speak to the Emperor.

It bothered her immensely that the woman Raphael intended to marry was that same viscount’s daughter and that he referred to her as “my beloved.”

She couldn’t stand the thought that a wedding between such an unfitting pair was going to take place.

Determined to find a way to disrupt their union, Rebella shot a glance at the Emperor just as Raphael was drinking his water. The Emperor caught her look and responded slowly.

“Is that so? When is the wedding scheduled to take place?”

The Emperor’s voice was strained, revealing his displeasure.

Raphael, already aware of how the two had used him in his past life, pretended not to know and spoke nonchalantly.

“The wedding will take place next weekend at Grace Hall,” Raphael said.

“We haven’t sent out invitations to the other nobles. We want to keep it quiet among ourselves. Kristin will probably want that as well.”

Raphael’s statement to the Emperor and Princess Rebella wasn’t intended as a genuine declaration of his wedding plans but rather as a means to lure them into his trap.

On the day of the wedding, Raphael planned to show them something else at Grace Hall.
If it was the Emperor or Princess Rebella who had ordered the assassination of Kristin and himself in their past lives, then going through with the wedding might mean their deaths.

Raphael couldn’t risk endangering Kristin while waiting around to expose the perpetrator. He needed to identify the culprit quickly.

What if it turned out to be the Emperor who had orchestrated his demise?

Raphael knew that the Emperor only permitted remarriages among nobles when there was a valid reason. If Kristin were to be killed without ever marrying Raphael, it would cause a scandal, forcing the Emperor to set up an investigation with the knights, wasting time and money. It would draw unnecessary attention.

However, if Kristin were killed after marrying Raphael, that would provide enough justification for remarriage between Raphael and Princess Rebella. Given his young age and the lack of an heir to continue the ducal line, the Emperor could play the role of a benevolent ruler, pairing Rebella with the recently widowed Duke out of pity. No one would object to such a scenario.

Yet, something didn’t quite make sense to Raphael. He couldn’t find a reason why they would need to kill him after he married Rebella.

Why would they have killed him as well?

Raphael had initially focused on the Emperor as the suspect, but he was beginning to suspect that Princess Rebella might not have been involved in his murder after all. She stood to gain from his presence and needed the support of the Union Empire. There was no reason for her to kill him.

That left Lucas Aedon, the Emperor, as the prime suspect. But even then, the motives remained unclear, leaving Raphael momentarily puzzled.

He continued, “There have been threats against Kristin, so I plan to bring her to the ducal estate for a while. I can’t risk leaving her alone at the viscount’s manor; it’s too dangerous.”

Raphael observed the reactions of the Emperor and Princess Rebella closely as he spoke. He lifted his gaze, making eye contact with them. Despite his words, neither the Emperor nor Rebella showed any change in their expressions. In fact, Rebella even smiled, her demeanor entirely different from before.

The atmosphere seemed quite calm, but the situation was anything but pleasant for anyone involved. Yet she was smiling.

Seeing Rebella’s reaction sent a chill through Raphael, and he chose to remain silent. The Emperor, as if having made up his mind, spoke to him in a deliberately composed tone.

“Duke Raphael, why are you so intent on marrying Kristin? As I mentioned earlier, it is well known that she has ties with the Marquis of Winston,” the Emperor said firmly.

“I mean no offense, but there isn’t a noble in the Union Empire who would look favorably upon a marriage between you and Kristin.”

The Emperor’s words were unmistakably blunt. He had already been displeased by what Raphael had said earlier, and he aimed to provoke the Duke further, belittling the Duke in front of Princess Rebella by implying that a Duke meant nothing in the grand scheme of things.

It was Rebella who reacted with visible surprise to the Emperor’s words.

“Th-the Marquis of Winston?” she stammered.

“I’ve heard rumors. Occasionally, I hear news from neighboring countries that he cares for Kristin. So, are you saying that Kristin is seeing both Duke Raphael and the Marquis of Winston at the same time? Is that sort of thing even acceptable among the young ladies of the Union Empire?”

Despite her words of surprise, Rebella was not genuinely shocked. In fact, what lay beneath her outward reaction was pure anger. The thought of a mere viscount’s daughter daring to lay claim to Raphael, someone she believed should belong to her, filled her with rage.

However, Princess Rebella knew that revealing her true feelings in this situation could leave her vulnerable, so she played ignorant as best as she could.

Supporting her stance, the Emperor then spoke up.

“Even if she’s just a young lady from a fallen viscount’s family, if she’s ambitious enough, she might try to use both the Marquis of Winston and our Duke Raphael to her advantage. Considering her parents, it’s not surprising.”

The Emperor’s words were completely unfounded.

This was the same man who had once awarded Kristin Edith an honorary medal for her involvement in the Levi Mine affair, changing the way the nobles viewed her entirely. And yet, his current words conveyed his hostility toward Kristin.

This was proof that Emperor Lucas was openly showing his two-faced nature.

Though Princess Rebella and Emperor Lucas might not realize it, Raphael had seen through their deception clearly, thanks to his return from death.

Should he consider this a stroke of luck?

Raphael knew he couldn’t show any sign of weakness in front of them. If their deaths were indeed linked to these two, he would need to find a way out of their trap. He had to firmly plant in their minds the image that he truly loved Kristin.

With that resolve, he finally spoke.

“Your Majesty may not be aware, but Kristin is not the type of person who would use someone merely for gain. She’s told me so herself. If anyone is clinging on, it’s me.”

“Is that so, Duke Raphael?”

Princess Rebella was now curious to see the face of this Kristin Edith, whom the Duke claimed to be so attached to. The desire to slap that face was almost overwhelming, but she controlled herself, deciding instead to reveal her intentions more openly.

“But, Your Grace,” she said.

“Yes, Princess Rebella?”

“I have come to see you today, Your Grace, and while it may be a great disgrace for a woman to do so, I wish to speak my mind. I wonder if you might be able to help me in my endeavors for the Empire of Praga. If we were to marry, it would strengthen the ties with the Union Empire, which would be a tremendous advantage for me.”

She spoke clearly, looking directly at Raphael, who simply shook his head in response.

“I’m sorry, but that’s a request I cannot fulfill.”

At these words, the Emperor stood up from his seat.

“I hope you’ll reconsider, Duke Raphael. Princess Rebella of the Praga Empire is not a woman one can meet so easily. I understand that you have feelings for Kristin Edith, but those might merely be out of pity. The desire to protect her could very well stem from sympathy for her unfortunate situation.”

Lucascouldn’t fathom Raphael’s actions.

This was the Princess of the Praga Empire—a woman not only graced with beauty and intelligence but also backed by a nation growing ever more powerful with its abundant resources and thriving tourism. Not to mention its military strength, which had never once been overrun by another nation.

Yet here was Raphael, refusing such a remarkable princess, looking almost foolish to the Emperor.

After Kristin Edith had broken off her engagement with Raphael, the Emperor had ordered the council to punish her with a marriage ban. She had humiliated a noble higher than herself, and this was to prevent such an incident from happening again. Yet, it seemed that the Duke of Rodney was unaware of the punishment she faced.

The Emperor hesitated for a moment.

The most effective way to completely undermine Raphael was to inform him of Kristin’s situation. Should he reveal the consequences she was currently suffering?

Kristin has already received a punishment that prevents her from marrying for three years.

So, what if he lifts the marriage ban to make Raphael give up on her? What if he proposes that Kristin Edith marry the Marquis of Winston instead?

For a woman, being unable to marry is akin to bringing disgrace to her family.

As the Emperor of the empire, preventing the Duke is not only a matter of power but also a matter of using the law to confine him within its bounds.

“Duke Raphael, I have something to tell you.”

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