“What did you just say?”

Kristin already had negative feelings toward Princess Rebella.

Despite being a princess from a neighboring country, her past behavior of associating with a married duke was far from dignified.

Moreover, Kristin believed that Princess Rebella might have also been involved in the cause of her death.

To someone who wanted to marry Duke Raphael, the presence of his wife must have been an obstacle.

However, just because she was a princess, Kristin didn’t want to cower and act as she had in the past.

Thus, she replied once more to Princess Rebella’s words.

“If you have an issue with Duke Raphael Rodney, I suggest you address it with him directly rather than holding me here. I believe you are well aware that your current behavior does not reflect well on the nobility of the Union Empire.”

Kristin spoke clearly, without a hint of trembling in her voice.

Her calmness and the evenness of her tone made her appear completely unfazed by the situation.

Seeing Kristin’s demeanor only fueled Princess Rebella’s anger to the point of madness.

To think that the daughter of a mere viscount would dare to talk back to her, a princess from another country—it wounded her pride.

“Well then, I will take my leave. I don’t want to waste any more unnecessary time. If you desire Duke Raphael, I sincerely hope you both get married. I will take my leave now.”

“Wait. Stop right there.”

As Kristin stood up and pushed her chair back under the table, Princess Rebella grabbed her wrist.

At that moment, just as she was about to slap Kristin in a fit of rage, a man’s voice rang out.

“What is going on here?”

It was none other than Duke Raphael Rodney.

Raphael approached the table where Princess Rebella and Kristin were seated, looking directly at the wrist that Princess Rebella was gripping tightly.

She was holding it so tightly that red marks were appearing on Kristin’s fair wrist.

Seeing Princess Rebella’s hand raised high in the air, ready to strike Kristin, Duke Raphael intervened.

“We met earlier at the palace, and yet here we are again. Didn’t you mention you were heading to Sharon Boutique? Why are you causing such a disgraceful scene with Lady Kristin Edith in a place like this?”

At that moment, the young noblewomen who had been observing the confrontation began quietly leaving the café, one by one, through the exit.

They could tell that the situation was not looking good, and merely being present would likely lead to a warning to keep silent about what they witnessed.

As the noblewomen gradually cleared out, only the three of them—Kristin, Princess Rebella, and Duke Raphael—remained in the Begonia Café, aside from the staff.

Finally able to speak more freely, Princess Rebella met Duke Raphael’s gaze directly and responded,

“Disgraceful, you say? How dare you use such words toward a princess of a nation? Lady Kristin Edith and I happened to meet at Sharon Boutique.”

“And do you know what this young lady said to me? She told me she sincerely hoped Duke Raphael and I would get married. Ha! Isn’t that ridiculous? A young lady who says such things without even realizing she’s the one getting in the way.”

At Princess Rebella’s words, Duke Raphael Rodney turned to look at Kristin.

Kristin shook her head as she met Duke Raphael’s gaze.

It was her way of telling him to let her go and choose someone better.

In Kristin’s expression, Duke Raphael caught a fleeting glimpse of the woman who had once loved him so deeply.

Though Kristin denied it, her actions revealed a selfless and caring heart.

It was this very realization that made Raphael even more determined not to let her go.

As the two exchanged glances, Raphael finally spoke, addressing Princess Rebella.

“A young lady who doesn’t even realize she’s the one getting in the way, you said?”

“Yes, that’s exactly what I said. Is there something wrong with that? How little respect must someone have for one of the few dukes of the Union Empire and me, the sole princess of the Praga Empire, to say such a thing?”

But Raphael’s next words utterly shattered Princess Rebella.

“I had assumed a princess like you, who received a royal education, was quite intelligent. But it seems you’re rather lacking in perceptiveness.”

“What? Wh-what did you just say?”

“In my relationship with Kristin, the one who is truly getting in the way is you. As I mentioned earlier, but which you seem to have conveniently forgotten.”

“Forgotten what?”

“I made it clear that I intend to marry Lady Kristin Edith.”

Raphael fixed Princess Rebella with a sharp, mocking gaze and continued,

“So perhaps you should look for another nobleman from a different empire, Your Highness.”

Though Raphael’s words were directed at Princess Rebella, they carried the weight of potential danger for the diplomatic relationship between their two empires.

No matter how high his status, speaking in such a manner was highly improper.

“Duke Raphael, fine. I’ll leave for now, but mark my words: you will marry me. And when that happens, I won’t spare Lady Kristin Edith. I’ll have her exiled from the Union Empire.”

Princess Rebella glared fiercely at both Raphael and Kristin before storming out of the Begonia Café in a huff.

Seeing her leave, Kristin, her legs trembling, almost collapsed to the floor.

Raphael caught her by both arms and gently spoke.

“Let’s head to the ducal estate. Even though the viscount’s estate has guards, I can’t feel at ease knowing that you’re there.”

* * *

“Lady, would you like a cup of tea? Oh, by the way, the two servants who were waiting in front of the Begonia Café have already returned to the viscount’s residence. The duke sent them back. We also have plenty of servants at the duke’s residence to serve you.”

Kristin sat alone in the garden of the ducal estate.

Though she had traveled to the estate with Raphael from the shopping district, the duke had gone to his office to attend to pressing matters, sending Kristin ahead to the estate.

Unbeknownst to Kristin, Raphael had also gone to issue an order to monitor the viscount’s residence.

While the ducal estate already had many guards, he hired additional ones to secure the Edith estate as well.

He knew full well that after completely humiliating Princess Rebella, retaliation would be inevitable.

He anticipated that she would either come after him or target Kristin, just as she had in the past life.

One of the two outcomes seemed inevitable.

The power of the Praga Empire, one of the neighboring nations, was formidable, and eliminating a duke of the Union Empire would be an easy task for them.

Moreover, if they had internal connections with the emperor of the Union Empire, there would be no issue at all.

However, for the time being, it was Kristin, not himself, who was in greater danger. That was why Duke Raphael sent her to the highly secure ducal estate.

Meanwhile, Kristin, unaware of Raphael’s concerns, lightly touched the pocket watch hanging around her neck and stared blankly into the air for a moment.

She had spoken confidently to the princess, but if that turned out to be a mistake, she considered using the pocket watch to turn back time.

However, even if she could turn back time, it wouldn’t completely resolve the situation.

She knew that at some point, she would have to face Princess Rebella again.

“What should I do now? Duke Raphael might be in danger because of me. If, in this life, I don’t die but Duke Raphael Rodney is threatened, how am I supposed to live then?”

Kristin felt a deep despair.

At that moment, a thought suddenly came to her mind.

The diamond mine.

Owning just a portion of it would ensure wealth for a lifetime and could make a nation even more prosperous. Kristin had a hunch that the diamond mine might be the key to resolving everything.

Since she had embarrassed the princess from the Praga Empire, the only person who could stop the princess’s actions was Emperor Lucas Aedon of the Union Empire.

Kristin believed that Emperor Lucas Aedon could protect Duke Raphael Rodney.

However, since the mine hadn’t been properly excavated yet, the best course of action for now was to extract diamonds that could serve as evidence to present to the emperor.

‘Time is running out. I need to hurry.’

Determined to expedite the mining process, Kristin rose from her seat in the garden of the ducal estate and addressed one of the attendants.

“Prepare the carriage. Quickly.”