Chapter 3 – Part 4

The carriage carefully came to a stop in front of the Begonia Café.
Before Kristin and the Duke alighted, the coachman checked the ground and then spoke to them.

“I thought the ground would be muddy from the early morning rain, but it seems fine. You can step down now.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Should I stay here, or come back later? If you tell me when to return, I’ll come back at the right time. I have some errands to run for the head maid at the duke’s residence.”

“Uh, um.”

“All right. Come back in two hours. Kristin and I will have a cup of tea and discuss our plans. Isn’t that right, Kristin?”

Raphael extended his hand to Kristin as she prepared to step out of the carriage. Reluctantly, she took his hand and descended. He then offered his left arm to escort her, silently indicating his intention to guide her.

Seeing Raphael’s gesture, Kristin turned her head away.

However, with many nobles watching, she decided that showing anger would harm her image. So, she reluctantly took his arm.

‘Kristin, just bear it for today. Just today. You won’t have to see Duke Raphael again after this.’

“Thank you.”

“If you had refused my escort, my pride would have been hurt. Let’s go inside.”

As Kristin accepted Raphael’s escort and entered the café, they found a completely different world inside, contrasting with the bustling street outside.

Once Kristin and Raphael were inside, the staff drew all the curtains and hung a ‘CLOSE’ sign at the café entrance, making it seem as though the café had been reserved entirely for them.

Just moments earlier, Kristin had seen other young noblewomen contemplating their orders. Seeing the staff’s actions, those noble ladies left with disappointed expressions, folding their arms.

Observing this, Kristin cautiously spoke to the café staff, “Excuse me, but are there no other customers besides us?”

The staff looked surprised at her question, then managed a smile and replied.

“This morning, His Grace reserved our Begonia Café for you both. He paid the rental fee early in the morning and said he wanted to have a quiet time with his future wife. We only kept the café temporarily open until your arrival. We will not be accepting any other customers besides you and the Duke.”

“We were worried because of the rumors that the wedding had been canceled, but it seems those were just rumors. It appears they weren’t true after all.”

“Rumors are just rumors. There is no problem between Kristin and me.”

“You two look so good together. The marketplace was abuzz with rumors, but I’m relieved. So, are you two getting married? Congratulations from the bottom of my heart.”

After finishing her words, the staff member bowed to Raphael and added.

“Thank you very much, Your Grace.”

“There’s no need to be so thankful.”

Kristin found Raphael’s behavior both irritating and overwhelming.

Being alone with him was already uncomfortable, but the fact that he had rented the entire café for her was unbelievable.

By now, Raphael should have met Princess Rebella from the neighboring kingdom.

He would have been cold towards Kristin and developed a romance with Princess Rebella.

But why?

Kristin couldn’t understand why he was smiling so warmly at her now, unlike in the past.

As she watched Raphael brush aside a lock of his black hair, Kristin paused and took another look around the café.

The Begonia Café.

It was the most popular place among the nobility in the Union Empire, with the price of a cup of tea close to 7,000 gold.

A baguette cost 1,000 gold, so the tea was more expensive than the bread.

Compared to tea at ordinary cafés, the price here was more than three times higher.

The café featured an artificial stream and small fountain, plush leather sofas for the nobles, and curtains for privacy.

They also displayed seasonal flowers, making it a dream for wealthier nobles to rent the place for tea parties.

And Raphael had rented such an expensive and famous place just to have a conversation for a few hours.

“I’m here to take your drink orders. What would you like? The amount you paid is more than enough, so feel free to order anything you wish.”

“Let’s find a seat first. Kristin, why don’t you go sit down, and I’ll bring something you’ll like.”

“You two seem close. It looks like you truly love the young lady.”

“This is nothing. Then please bring us two café lattes, a glass of water since Kristin might be thirsty, and some tea cookies and chocolate chip scones.”

“Yes, I’ll prepare that for you right away.”

Watching the staff member speak to Raphael, Kristin settled down on the couch by the fountain.

If she could, she would have left immediately.

She wanted to ask Raphael outright why he was doing all this.

‘Why are you going to such lengths? Do you despise Marquis Winston that much?’

As Kristin sat on the sofa, clenching her hands and taking a short breath, the Duke took a small box out of his jacket.

The moment she saw the box, she knew.

It was the very wedding gift they had not exchanged at the ceremony.

Opening the box carefully, she saw a ring with a red sapphire shining brightly.

Beside it was a matching ruby ring, presumably the Duke’s.

Kristin couldn’t speak for a moment.

When she first exchanged and wore these rings with the Duke, the happiness she felt was indescribable.

It was as if she had gained the whole world.

She couldn’t believe that the person she loved was Raphael, the greatest Duke of the Union Empire and that she had become his bride.

He was like a ray of light to Kristin, who had nowhere else to turn.

But that light soon turned into darkness.

The ring she wore before she died, the ring Raphael showed her before their wedding, and the ring she saw again after rejecting the wedding all looked different to her.

Yet something stirred within Kristin’s heart.

Had she been searching for a glimmer of hope from the Duke who had betrayed her and ultimately chosen another woman?

After being brought back to life, she had made every effort to avoid feeling such emotions and had steeled her heart.

Because Kristin had genuinely loved Raphael, she knew how dangerous this sliver of emotion was to her plans for revenge.

All because of a ring.

She couldn’t let those memories, which she had mistakenly thought of as happy, ruin her future.

Kristin quietly looked at the ring before closing the box without taking Raphael’s ring out and handing it back to him.

“I don’t think this wedding gift is still needed.”

“Kristin.”

“Our relationship is over. I cannot marry you, Your Grace. Have you ever considered that coming here early in the morning without even a letter is a sign of disrespect?”

Kristin stared directly at Raphael as she spoke.

She didn’t want to show him any sign of her wavering.

Just as Kristin finished speaking and was about to look back at the table, a staff member, sensing the tension, approached them.

Carrying a tray loaded with drinks and desserts, the staff member forced a smile and spoke.

“Here are your two café lattes, tea cookies, chocolate chip scones, and two of our most popular items, the lemon cake and cheesecake.

“If you need anything else, please let me know. If you find it uncomfortable to call out loudly, just raise your hand and I’ll come over.”

“Thank you.”

“…….”

Kristin responded to the staff member with a polite smile, and as the staff member hurriedly left the table, she looked at the tray full of desserts.

Lemon cake and cheesecake.

Looking at the cakes, Kristin recalled old memories.

When she received Raphael’s proposal letter, she immediately thought of this café.

She had always dreamed of living with Raphael ever since she received his proposal.

She imagined embroidering for him at the Duke’s residence, managing his office and bedroom, and strolling through the marketplace with him on weekends.

Even though he was known throughout the empire as cold and stern, the words he had written in his proposal letter were incredibly tender.

So, she thought he was a kind man despite his appearance.

From then on, until the day of the wedding, Kristin only thought about Raphael.

But the result had been nothing but betrayal.

“Let’s eat. I’m not sure if you’ll like these, but other young ladies seem to enjoy these dishes here. Of course, I’ve never come here with anyone else.”

Kristin didn’t care at all.

It didn’t matter anymore whether he had come with someone else or not.

She looked at Duke Raphael, who was offering her a fork and knife and pondered.

She wanted to escape this place as soon as possible.

However, she feared that if she left, he might come to the Viscount’s residence without notice again, so she reluctantly picked up the fork.

The fresh scent of lemon cake and the rich aroma of cheesecake wafted to her nose.

The steaming café latte and the cookies sat invitingly in front of her.

She felt like she might choke if she ate these with the Duke, so she hesitantly took a small bite of the lemon cake. As she did, Raphael gently pushed the plate with the cake closer to her.

“I don’t like sweet cakes. You can have it all, Kristin.”

Then, the warm gaze he had been giving her disappeared.

The Duke, holding his mug of caffe latte lightly, looked at the gift box with an expressionless gaze.

“Can you tell me why you changed your mind so suddenly?”

Kristin had been about to eat the lemon cake, but she had to put down her fork at his words.

She slowly answered the Duke, who was staring at her.

“The Edith family may be a Viscount’s family, but it’s still so different from the Rodney family. That burden felt too heavy for me.”

In truth, she wanted to say this:

‘How can I marry you knowing that you will betray me? I already know the future.’

But unable to say the truth, Kristin continued.

“I thought it would be better for you to marry a lady from a more prestigious family. And for me as well.”

“Is it possible you have feelings for another nobleman? Perhaps Marquis Winston has caught your eye.”

As the Duke spoke with a hint of possessiveness and suspicion, Kristin met his dark eyes and answered.

“I have no plans to marry anyone in the future.”

“No plans to marry? Does that mean you can’t trust anyone?”

“It’s not that I can’t trust anyone, I just prefer being alone.”

“Ha ha ha, strange. I don’t understand you, Kristin. From what I know, marriage is the greatest goal in life for most noble ladies.”

It was true that for most noble ladies, marriage was their greatest goal in life.

In the Union Empire, the wish of noble ladies who had completed their debutante was to elevate their family’s status by marrying someone of a higher rank. If that was difficult, then marrying into a better family than theirs was their goal.

Living a life superior to others.

They were accustomed to looking upwards rather than downwards, and Duke Raphael assumed Kristin was no different from those other ladies.

However, the one thing that set her apart was that despite Marquis Winston’s favor, she had not reciprocated his affections all this time.

And that made Raphael curious.

As he saw that Kristin had chosen him, a duke, over the marquis, Raphael’s feelings towards Kristin were clear.

‘After all, Kristin is no different from other noble ladies.’

That was why he couldn’t help but smile in front of her, even as he was amused by her now saying she had no plans to marry.

This was just an excuse.

There must be another reason.

There had to be another reason why Kristin, who had once chosen him, had so abruptly become a different woman and rejected him.

For this reason, Raphael decided to ask Kristin once more.

“If your feelings are genuine, I’d like you to prove it in a way I can understand. For example, by writing a statement that you’ll live alone from now on. If you write such a statement, I’ll consider the penalty fee you owe me as void.”

Kristin was taken aback by the mention of a statement.

Seeing him still acting as if he owned her made any lingering affection she had for him vanish.

A statement?

At that word, Kristin looked at Raphael and replied.

“A statement? You must be mistaken; I am not your servant. I am not a loyal dog that you can command so easily. Do I seem that easy to you?”

Kristin emphasized the word “loyal dog” with added intensity.

Then she stood up and continued.

“I tried to understand why you brought me here early in the morning and questioned our canceled wedding. But I can no longer understand you. And…”

“If you leave now, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life. Right next to me.”

“Really? I don’t think I’ll have any regrets. Send the penalty amount to the Edith estate by letter, and I’ll repay it. So don’t come to see me again. Your Grace.”

Leaving the duke behind, Kristin walked out of Begonia Cafe, looking at the staff who quickly bowed to her.

As she stepped out onto the street, a figure approached her.