Chapter 3 – Part 3

After finishing the conversation with Kristin, Vernon’s face was filled with tension and anticipation.

Coming out of the study, he hummed a tune softly as he descended to the first floor, where Rose, curious about his sudden change, gently asked him,

“What happened?”

“Well, it turns out that Duke Raphael has done something wrong to our Kristin.”

“What? What do you mean, My Lord? What do you mean by something wrong?”

“Well, there’s no need to go into detail here. The more I think about it, the angrier I get. Right now, I just want to shake off the bad mood with what Kristin told me.”

Suspicion clouded Rose’s face.

What could have happened for Vernon, who had been so angry and unwilling to listen to Kristin, to change so suddenly after their conversation?

Could something new and unknown to her have occurred?

But alongside this curiosity, she felt a twinge of unease.

Seeing Kristin suddenly change overnight, she realized this was not the same naive and kind Kristin as before.

Kristin, with an expression that seemed like a different person, showed no signs of being intimidated by her or Elena.

Kristin seemed different. Carelessly provoking her could potentially incur her wrath.

Moreover, the fact that Vernon, who had never been affectionate towards his daughter, was acting this way made Rose think that a single word from Kristin could get her expelled from the Viscount’s estate.

But was this just an absurd thought?

Kristin’s confident attitude, cold tone, and scrutinizing gaze, despite not having married Raphael, made her seem like a little villainess.

‘Still, how could you possibly defeat me? Because of your dignity and grace, you probably won’t be able to do anything properly. I don’t know what information you gave to the Viscount, but I will find out, Kristin.’

Rose gently placed her hand on the arm of the anxious Elena beside her.

“Elena, it’s okay. Kristin could never beat us anyway. She might seem triumphant as if she discovered something great, but since she hasn’t even married Duke Raphael yet, how good could her judgment be?”

“Mother, don’t you think Kristin is acting strange?”

“She’s always been strange. She’d tremble and stutter whenever she stood in front of us, and she even had to be forced to attend her debutante ball because she didn’t want to go out. I still can’t understand how she was ever Winston Marquis’s playmate.”

“There’s that, but she seems different. Like she’s a completely different person.”

Elena snuggled into Rose’s arms as she continued.

“Even if she has changed, Kristin is still Kristin. And besides, since things have turned out this way, I’d like to meet Duke Raphael. He’s almost my perfect ideal type.”

“What? Duke Raphael?”

“Why not? If Kristin can do it, then surely I can too.”

Although Rose was surprised by Elena’s words, she lovingly responded to her daughter, as if she found her adorable.

“When you talked about Marquis Winston last time, I thought you were in love with him. But now it’s Duke Raphael? I’m a bit surprised.”

“Well, back then, the Duke absurdly chose Kristin, but now he’s single. I’m going to take the Duchess position for myself.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that. Just in case, I’ve set aside the dowry meant for Kristin in your name. You’ll be wearing a beautiful dress to the upcoming debutante ball.”

“As expected, Mother.”

“My lovely Elena.”

Rose and Elena embraced each other affectionately, speaking tenderly. However, Kristin, who had been listening to their entire conversation from the second floor, smirked and muttered to herself.

“You think you can marry Duke Raphael, Elena? Marriage won’t be easy. You won’t be able to handle it at all, Elena.”

* * *

The next morning, Kristin set out for the Oakley region. By now, there should be a mine available at the Oakley real estate office. She wanted to see it with her own eyes.

Even if she knew the future through her past, unexpected things could still happen. To inform her father of the mine owner’s name and purchase conditions accurately, she had to confirm it herself.

The coachman, who worked exclusively for the Edith family, was startled when Kristin said she was heading to the Oakley region and spoke up.

“Why are you going there My Lady? The place is surrounded by mines and there are rough people around. You could easily get lost.”

“I just want to get some fresh air. I’ve been feeling too cooped up.”

“But, My Lady, there are much nicer places to get some air.”

The elderly coachman, with his white mustache, looked at Kristin with a worried expression.

Just as she was about to continue speaking, a dark shadow appeared in front of the coachman.

“Oh no, this can’t be. His Grace is here!” the coachman exclaimed in shock as he saw the Duke.

“Hello Kristin”

Kristin couldn’t help but drop the handkerchief she was holding. She had anticipated that he might visit her at least once after the humiliation at the wedding, but she didn’t expect him to appear so suddenly like this. Seeing Raphael so unexpectedly, her mind couldn’t remain calm.

Kristin tried her best to suppress her trembling heart as she spoke to him.

“I didn’t think you wouldn’t come. But seeing you like this, it’s not entirely pleasant. Your Grace.”

“Why are you talking to me like that?”

The Kristin who used to shyly confess her love and dream of a future with him was nowhere to be found. The gentle smile that once graced her face was completely absent.

Seeing Kristin look away slightly as if she had seen something she didn’t want to, focusing only on the carriage wheels, something hot stirred within Raphael’s heart. He tried to understand this feeling.

Raphael did not consider that this emotion might be interested in her. It was absurd. She had once been nothing more than an easy plaything.

And so, he came to realize a bit. Since their return to the past, their lives had been reversed, with Kristin’s and his feelings swapped. He didn’t want to admit it, but he had to. Instead, he had to stay close to Kristin to find the culprit who had killed them.

Ever since his return, he couldn’t think rationally. he had come recklessly just to see Kristin’s face once more.

“Kristin, where are you headed so early in the morning?”

Kristin forced a smile as she looked at Raphael and tried to respond slowly.

The chilly autumn morning was quite cold, and as she lightly hunched over, Raphael, without a moment’s hesitation, took off his jacket and draped it over Kristin’s shoulders, which were only covered by a thin dress.

Kristin, momentarily flustered by his gesture, tried to hand the jacket back to him, but he extended his large hand.

“The weather is quite chilly, and you’ll catch a cold for going out in such a thin dress. I don’t want you to get sick, Kristin.”

However, Kristin didn’t hear Raphael’s words as sincere. The suspicion that he might have been the one who killed her in the past hadn’t disappeared.

She believed Raphael might have planned the carriage accident to prevent her from acting out of spite and to protect his new duchess from any harm. If she found out she had been used, no matter how kind a woman, she wouldn’t stay quiet.

Even standing in front of her, she couldn’t fathom his true intentions.

Whenever she looked into those dark, unfathomable eyes of his, she couldn’t discern the nature of his gaze – whether it was cruel, cold, or indifferent.

She couldn’t trust him like she used to, where he would manipulate without mercy if things didn’t go his way.

She can’t trust him as naively as she used to.

Kristin took off the jacket that Raphael had given her and handed it to the aide standing next to him, speaking with a blank expression.

“If you’ve come because you’re curious about my actions on our wedding day or to claim the penalty for the broken engagement, don’t worry. I’ll find a way to pay for it.”

However, Raphael did not take his eyes off Kristin as he slowly replied.

“No need. You don’t have to pay the penalty. The only thing I want is you, Kristin Edith. Just you.”

At his words, Kristin lifted her gaze to meet Raphael’s eyes. As she tried to speak, a thought crossed her mind.

‘Why is he so desperate to use me like this? If not, does he see me as nothing more than a mere toy to be disregarded in this way?’

Raphael’s gestures, attitude, tone of voice – they all seemed false to her.

Given the situation, Kristin decided to be more resolute with him. She had never once shown anger towards him before.

To be precise, she had never shown anger to anyone.

Even when her situation was disadvantageous, she never confronted the young ladies who disparaged her, nor Rose and Elena, who always slandered her in front of her father and tormented her when he wasn’t around. Not even the shopkeepers who subtly looked down on her in the boutiques, nor Raphael, who planned to marry her just to break her heart and remove an annoyance from his life.

She had never properly stood up to anyone before her death.

Looking back now, it was foolish.

So Kristin no longer wanted to show her kind side to Raphael.

Mustering her courage, Kristin addressed the Duke.

“Your Grace”

“Kristin. But first, rather than standing here, it would be better if we move somewhere to have this conversation.”

“Move somewhere?”

Kristin asked, and Raphael, as if checking the temperature around them, removed the leather gloves he was wearing and placed them on her hands as he answered.

“It’s autumn, right before winter. I can’t let you stand in this chilly weather. We should move.”

“If you’re planning to take me to the Duke’s estate.”

“No, I won’t take you to the Duke’s estate. There’s a café I know. Let’s go there.”

“There’s no need to go anywhere. I’m not going…”

Before Kristin could finish her sentence, Raphael lifted her and placed her in the carriage. The act happened so quickly that she couldn’t even resist. As she was about to speak to the Duke, he continued.

“It’ll just be a moment. You can spare the time to have a cup of coffee with the person you’re going to spend your life with, can’t you?”

“Your Grace! What are you doing?”

Kristin looked at Raphael.

She wanted to get out of the carriage immediately, but it was too late. The Duke had already boarded the carriage and closed the door, which had a lock she had never seen before. It seemed designed to prevent her from escaping.

She reached out to unlock it, but Raphael gently stopped her.

“Wemington, head to the Begonia Café.”

“Yes, understood, Your Grace.”

At Raphael’s command, the coachman cracked his whip, and the horses started moving. As the carriage jolted into motion, Kristin shifted to the farthest seat to avoid being close to Raphael. Ignoring his gaze, she looked out the window.