I Returned as the Obsessive Duke’s Wife Once Again

Chapter 7 – Part 4

“Quickly, bring more shovels. If we all grab a shovel and start digging, we can clear this debris quickly. We need everyone from the Oakley region to come and help. My knights have brought tools to break the rocks,” Winston shouted.

“Shall we try lifting those boulders in front with this pulley, Your Lordship?” one of the knights asked the marquis.

The knights who came with Winston were also deeply engrossed in their work.

“There’s water here, too; take a bottle for each of you.”

Kristin herself couldn’t stay idle, so she started distributing the tools and water bottles brought by the Merchant Association merchants.

Seeing Kristin’s actions, the Merchant Association merchants also took off their jackets and grabbed shovels.

They began clearing the dirt, wood, and stones from the mine entrance with the workers using the pulley system.

Kristin gazed at the entrance and prayed fervently, desperately hoping the workers were still alive.

Just then, Beatrice and Lenci arrived at the accident site again.

“Kristin, the rescue operation is in full swing,” Beatrice said.

“My Lady, here you are. We went to convert all the jewels to cash. And just in case you might be hungry, we bought some sandwiches,” Lenci said, handing her the food.

Kristin took the sandwich but she couldn’t eat them right then. She was grateful for the thought, but she couldn’t afford to eat leisurely while the rescue was ongoing.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I thought you might be hungry since you haven’t eaten anything since breakfast,” Lenci said apologetically.

“Thank you, Lenci.”

“You can’t eat right now, can you?” Lenci asked.

“I’m hungry, but I’ll eat later. Please put it in the pouch for now,” Kristin replied with a soft smile.

Suddenly, cheers erupted.

“The entrance is open!”

“We should be able to find them one by one now.”

Excited voices echoed around as people cheered. Though the condition of the workers was still unknown, the opening of the entrance was a hopeful sign.

As they continued to dig, one of the knights shouted, “I see someone here!”

“Hurry, get them out quickly,” Winston ordered.

Not caring about the dirt on his uniform and cape, Winston approached the collapsed worker. He carefully checked the worker’s condition and consciousness before moving him.

“Can you hear me?” he asked.

There was no response.

“Wake up!”

But the worker remained unconscious.

At that moment, another knight shouted, “I see an iron door here!”

“A door?”

At the mention of a door, Kristin slowly walked towards the mine entrance.

There, she saw the iron door, slightly dented, but with a visible space that seemed passable.

Seeing that door, a glimmer of hope suddenly emerged.

If there was a shelter inside, the workers might still be alive even if the front part of the mine collapsed.

Kristin turned to Winston.

“We need to open that door, My Lord. The workers might have created an emergency shelter in preparation for such dangerous situations.”

“You’re right.”

Winston nodded and instructed his knights.

“Attach a pulley to the door and lift it slowly. It should open that way. Hurry up!”

Even if it was an emergency shelter, the amount of oxygen inside wouldn’t be much, depending on its size.

Kristin, feeling a sense of urgency, looked at the worker found near the door and then spoke to the worker’s family.

“We will save them. I am the new owner of this mine and I will take full responsibility for compensating you. Once the workers are rescued, we will send them to the clinic we have arranged.”

Her words brought tears to the eyes of the workers’ families, who thanked her profusely.

“No one was willing to conduct the rescue operation before you arrived, My Lady.”

“Oh, please let my husband come back alive.”

“Damn this mine. I should have stopped my son from working here.”

“They will be okay. Please stay strong. You must not lose hope.”

Kristin comforted the families.

Kristin comforted the families. The fear of death must be terrifying for the workers, but the anguish of the families watching must be hell as well.

Kristin wanted to save all the workers. Unlike her own experience facing death alone, she wanted to help them.

Thud-

“One more time! Slowly. Sudden force could cause the inside to collapse along with the door, so as soon as you see an opening, start tearing it apart. Focus on just lifting the door for now.”

Winston’s kind yet commanding tone directed everyone present.

He exuded strength and composure, but his warm heart for the weak shone through.

Thud-

“The door is lifting slightly.”

“A little more.”

Thud-

The firmly closed iron door began to open slightly.

The pulley seemed to be taking too much strain, as the ropes were starting to tear.

“One last time.”

Crash!

“It’s open, My Lord.”

Kristin moved to the side of the door to look inside.

What she saw was the sight of workers kneeling and praying. Though covered in dirt and with injuries to their limbs, there were no unconscious workers visible.

“Now, let’s tear this door open.”

The Marquis commanded loudly.

Through the gap in the iron door, the workers became visible.

Just the light seeping into the dark space was enough for the workers to realize that this was not a dream.

At first, they couldn’t help but rejoice as the door slowly opened.

They were too weak to celebrate, suffering from lack of oxygen and hypothermia. But as the door opened and they heard the voices of the knights, the miners finally had hope that they could get out.

They used their last bit of strength to crawl toward the door, crying out.

“Help, please. We’ve been in this space for over three days… Ugh.”

“My wife must be waiting… Cough, cough.”

The dust that had filled their throats and noses over the past three days made it difficult to speak. The miners collapsed one by one, unable to finish their sentences.

The injured workers were already cutting their clothes to tourniquet their wounds or lying on the dirt floor, struggling to just breathe.

Kristin addressed the merchants who had gathered.

“Please bring blankets and water. They need to wet their throats at least.”

The Merchant Association members and the workers’ families quickly sprang into action. With the help of the nearby shop owners, they were able to gather blankets and bottled water. The merchants waited anxiously for the door to be completely opened.

“The door is opening now.”

The knights who had been prying the door open used their spears to secure it, then walked inside. Winston followed them.

The workers’ lives seemed to be in less danger than he had imagined, but any further delay could worsen their condition. After being trapped in this space for three days, they must not have been able to have a proper meal.

“We… we…”

“Don’t strain yourself. I understand the situation.”

“We prepared… this space. If we hadn’t, we thought we would die.”

“I see. All right, let’s move them to the clinic immediately.”

Following the Marquis’s orders, the knights and nearby coachmen moved quickly. News of the rescue operation at the mine had spread quickly throughout Oakley, so the coachmen had gathered with their carriages, ready to help.

Although their primary job was to serve passengers, in an emergency like this, carriages were the only means to transport the injured. They had come to Levi Mine as soon as they heard the news.

Kristin breathed a sigh of relief as the miners were carried out one by one.

“You’ll be all right.”

“Our knights will transport you to the clinic.”

Kristin and Winston offered words of comfort to the workers’ families.

Meanwhile, a reporter from the Oakley newspaper was taking photos of the scene, unaware that Kristin was being photographed. Winston had also arranged for the Imperial newspaper to report on her actions that day.

Kristin had no idea how much her reputation would change from a single photo taken in front of Levi Mine.

* * *

All the miners trapped in the mine were safely rescued and transferred to a clinic in the neighboring city.

The knights and coachmen later reported that some miners had lost limbs, some had developed lung infections, and others had broken bones. However, none of the miners had lost their lives.

Kristin was still concerned about the condition of the first miner she had seen at the door.

An hour later, she heard about his condition. He still hadn’t opened his eyes or regained consciousness. Even when he did, he couldn’t recognize his family. The doctor said it was likely due to the brain damage from the lack of oxygen.

Despite hoping for his recovery, his condition was far from good. Kristin resolved to compensate them as the mine owner once their health improved.

“My Lady.”

It was Lenci.

But Kristin didn’t hear Lenci’s voice.

“…”

“My Lady, please drink some water. Oh dear, your clothes are so dirty.”

“Ah.”

Kristin finally snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Lenci’s tearful voice.

She looked at her. Lenci, wiping her tears with her small hands, handed Kristin a bottle of water and a small paper cup.

“I’ll prepare a bath for you when we get home. How could this happen? For you to be in such a harsh place…”

“I’m fine, Lenci.”

But Kristin was worried about who to choose as the new mine manager. Suddenly, she thought of Lenci’s brother, Oliver. The diligent florist who ran his shop day and night with great consideration, according to Lenci.

He was someone she could trust. In the past, she had often visited his flower shop and even sponsored it. Because of this, Rose and Elena spread malicious rumors about his flower shop, causing it to go bankrupt. Lenci was so shocked that she even developed aphasia for a while.

Kristin couldn’t just stand by and watch Oliver’s flower shop go under because of her.

‘What should I do about this…’

Although Kristin had become the mine owner, she needed a manager to oversee it all. Between the flower shop and the mine, Oliver would probably choose his beloved flower shop.

Kristin planned to meet Oliver. If the mine yielded diamonds, she needed a trustworthy person like Oliver as the manager.

News of Kristin becoming the mine owner would soon spread throughout the empire. If Rose and Elena found out, they would likely try to take their share by any means. She had to evict them from the Edith mansion as soon as possible.

And her father, the fool blinded by love – he and Rose needed to be punished.

Kristin felt overwhelmed. She had taken a step forward by becoming the mine owner, but there was still so much to do.

Feeling a headache coming on, she rubbed her temples, when Beatrice suddenly spoke up.

“Kristin, I have something to ask you. Are you sure nothing is going on between you and Marquis Winston?”

Caught off guard by the sudden question, Kristin carefully replied.

“He was just my childhood playmate, and now we’re just ordinary acquaintances, nothing more.”

“Is that so? But everyone here has been whispering that Marquis Winston is helping the lady mine owner so much. What exactly is your relationship?”

“Well, that’s because…”

“If this continues, rumors will spread throughout the empire.”

“Lady Beatrice.”

“Kristin.”

“Yes.”

Beatrice spoke carefully as if she had made a firm decision.

“Ever since you and Marquis Winston lost contact after your childhood, he has always longed for you, Kristin. He often visited the Sharon Boutique. He didn’t attend royal banquets and, as a Marquis, he didn’t need dresses. Why do you think he came to our boutique?”

“But I…”

“He stopped eating properly when he heard you were engaged to Duke Raphael.”

“But the Marquis and I are not meant to be together… He deserves someone better.”

“Kristin, the only lady the Marquis loves is you, and only you. I can say for certain that the Marquis is a better match for you than Duke Raphael.”

Kristin shook her head after hearing Beatrice’s words. She thought she didn’t match Winston and never allowed herself even a small hope.

“Even so, I can’t accept the Marquis’s feelings. I can’t tell you why.”

“Why on earth not? Wouldn’t it be better to be with Marquis Winston instead of Duke Raphael?”

At that moment, Marquis Winston appeared and spoke.

“Kristin and Countess Beatrice, are you all right?”

“Well, we…”

Beatrice spoke to him.

“Shall we return to the capital? I had a new dress I wanted to give Kristin. We came here so suddenly because of the incident.”