First, Kristin met with Oliver to discuss things.

Typically, it took one to two months to train a mine manager.

Oliver, who had previously excelled only in running a flower shop, had no prior knowledge of mining and had been undergoing continuous training. However, thanks to his passionate efforts, he completed the program faster than expected.

With Oliver in place as the manager, they could begin mining operations.

The first task was to recruit workers for the Levi Mine.

Kristin placed recruitment ads in every newspaper across the empire, announcing the need for miners.

Having left the ducal estate to revisit the shopping district, her entire day was nearly consumed.

Instead of returning to the ducal estate, Kristin returned to the Edith residence to meet the attendants waiting for her.

“You’re back, my lady. After what happened earlier, we were so worried. There wasn’t any trouble with the princess, was there? We were so anxious, wondering if she might have shouted at you.”

“We were really worried, my Lady. And now, even more guards are stationed at the Edith estate.”

Lenci and Cindy greeted Kristin, their voices filled with concern.

The two examined Kristin’s face and arms to ensure she was unharmed.

Since the murder attempt on Kristin, they had constantly been on edge.

“We’re so relieved nothing happened to you. But, my Lady, how long will the guards be stationed at the estate? The atmosphere here is so different from before.”

It was then—something happened.

The butler of the Edith estate, Alberto, rushed toward Kristin, holding a letter.

“M-my lady, t-this was just found at the front gate of the estate.”

Seeing Alberto, sweating profusely as he approached, Kristin immediately sensed that it was another threatening letter directed at her.

“Yes. Please give it to me.”

“H-here it is. One of the guards found it and asked me to deliver it to you. I thought it might frighten you if he brought it in himself, so I decided to bring it.”

“Thank you.”

Kristin, trying to steady her trembling hands, opened the letter Alberto had given her.

What she saw were words written on red stationery, the ink not yet fully dry.

—

[Dear Lady Kristin,

I will be watching your next steps closely. I also observed your involvement in the recent matter with Vincent Orphanage.

Despite the warning I sent in my previous letter to remain quiet and live as though you were dead, you have chosen to disregard my orders.

Very well. I will soon show you the consequences of ignoring my words.

Look forward to it.]

—

Reading the letter, Kristin’s entire body began to tremble as if she were a leaf shaking in the wind.

Lenci and Cindy, who were beside her, started reading the letter over her shoulder. By the time they finished, they couldn’t help but scream.

“T-this is the kind of letter you received before?”

“Isn’t this a clear warning for you to stay quiet and out of sight?”

Lenci and Cindy had turned pale as sheets.

For them, this was the first time they had encountered such a threatening letter. They couldn’t fathom how their young lady, who had never harmed anyone, could become the target of such malice.

At that moment, Cindy seemed to recall something and spoke up.

“Could it be that Lady Elena sent this? Only a few days ago, she stormed into the estate and caused a commotion.”

“I-it seems like it could be Lady Elena!”

However, Kristin didn’t think Elena was behind this letter.

If it were Elena, she wouldn’t bother with a letter but would instead appear out of nowhere and slap Kristin outright.

The Elena Kristin had known so far never planned anything on her own unless she was with Rose.

Elena was nothing more than a spoiled child who had been coddled her entire life.

“Elena wouldn’t do something so obvious. She and I have the worst relationship, so she wouldn’t want to draw suspicion toward herself.”

“Then, could it be Lady Rose? Oh, wait, she’s no longer a countess. My apologies for the slip of the tongue.”

Kristin considered Lenci’s suggestion that it might be Rose, but she ruled her out as well. Rose was in prison and, as far as Kristin knew, had been sent to another region for forced labor.

Having ruled out both Rose and Elena, Kristin began to think about other potential suspects.

Her mind turned to the ladies she had once hosted at the estate for a tea party: Isabella, Venice, and Ellen.

Kristin believed one of these three might have been behind the letter.

With that in mind, she decided to invite Isabella, Venice, and Ellen back to the estate, planning to meet with them individually.

This time, however, she resolved to extend invitations to all the other noble ladies as well.

Kristin had never really engaged in proper conversations with those young ladies before.

She had no desire to build relationships with them, and even if she were to extend an invitation, it was unlikely they would respond.

Still, Kristin wanted to confirm all her suspicions.

In her previous life, she had simply met her end, but in this life, she resolved to meet with the potential culprits among the noble families while also seeking the emperor’s intervention.

Amid her thoughts, an idea struck her.

Her reputation and standing within the empire had already shifted significantly after all she had been through.

But that alone wouldn’t suffice.

The notion of being not just an ordinary mine owner but the owner of a diamond mine could potentially make her a figure that all nobles would want to align with and support.

With that possibility in mind, Kristin decided to halt the letters she had been preparing for the nobles and instead deliberately spread rumors that she had become the owner of a diamond mine.

Of course, this would only work if diamonds were discovered at the mine.

In her previous life, Raphael had discovered diamonds at the Levi Mine around this time, so she was confident that once mining began, diamonds would inevitably be unearthed.

Since her return, only six months remained until the time of her death. However, the threats against her life had only tightened their grip.

She had made no missteps so far, yet these events continued to unfold, indicating that her would-be murderer’s intentions had not wavered.

She had to escape, no matter what.

After sending Lenci and Cindy away, Kristin looked out at the soldiers guarding the gates of the estate late at night and made a vow to herself.

“I will protect not only myself but also Duke Raphael.”