“Diana, are you alright!”

As soon as day broke, Duke Winchester flung open Diana’s door without knocking. This unusual behavior indicated he had undoubtedly heard about the previous night’s events.

Diana, who had been sitting on her bed unable to sleep, immediately rose to her feet.

“I’m fine.”

The Duke approached her, embraced her, and patted her back reassuringly.

“I don’t understand how this could have happened.”

“Have the culprits been identified?”

The knights would have completed their report by now, so the Duke must have learned who the perpetrators were.

“They both committed s*icide the moment the guards looked away, so we couldn’t identify them. From the looks of it, they seem to be connected to someone dangerous.”

“Someone dangerous?”

Wasn’t Clive the culprit? No, it had to be him…

Though Diana believed Clive was behind this, she had doubts. Previously, he had attempted to assassinate the Duke and Duchess Winchester to obtain the Duke’s title as quickly as possible. But now, their deaths would bring Clive no benefit whatsoever.

Therefore, Clive had no reason to harm her parents. The disadvantages outweighed any advantages.

Would he have reason to take such a risk? Why would he commit such an act when he couldn’t become the Duke of Winchester?

If anything, if it became known that he had tried to harm her parents, the entire Orkney family would be in danger. Would he take such a risk?

Diana didn’t fully understand what kind of man Clive was. Though she had experienced his betrayal in the past, she couldn’t definitively label him the culprit without knowing his character for certain.

If not Clive, who would want to harm her parents? 

Few people in the Empire would dare to touch the Winchester family. They were not only favored by His Majesty the Emperor but were also close supporters of the Crown Prince.

Could the Second Prince be involved?

In her previous life, Clive had sided with the Second Prince, and she suspected he had helped when her parents were harmed. So there was a possibility that he was involved in this incident as well.

But what could she do? Without evidence…

It was frustrating to have suspicions but no physical evidence. The perpetrators wouldn’t likely back down after this failure, so what should she do?

Lost in thought for a moment, Diana looked up at Duke Winchester.

“Do you have to go out today?”

“His Majesty has summoned me, so I must go.”

Diana wished the Duke and Duchess Winchester wouldn’t go out. Even if it was an appointment with the Emperor, she wanted them to prioritize their safety.

“Someone is targeting your life, Father. How can you ride in a carriage in such a dangerous situation?”

“The carriage has been repaired. I’ve checked it, so it’s fine. Knights will accompany us, and they’ll help if we encounter any danger.”

“Can’t you make an excuse about being ill and not go? Please, just for today…”

Diana pleaded, clutching the Duke’s arm, but he shook his head.

“I cannot lie to His Majesty.”

“Then can’t you tell him about what happened today and reschedule?”

“Today might actually be safer. We can’t predict what they might do next time. Don’t worry. The Winchester knights will protect us.”

The Duke stroked Diana’s head reassuringly.

Having failed to persuade her parents, Diana couldn’t stop them. How could she argue when he told her to trust the Winchester knights?

Telling her not to worry, the Duke boarded the carriage with the Duchess, accompanied by more knights than usual. Diana watched from the window as the carriage disappeared, letting out a deep sigh.

They’ll be fine, right?

She wanted to trust the Winchester knights, but thinking about her previous life, she couldn’t shake off her anxiety.

Unable to calm her mind, Diana canceled her lessons for the day and devoted herself to embroidery. Nothing was better than embroidery for calming her thoughts. Stitching one thread at a time would eventually make her forget her anxiety.

Diana sat on the sofa in her room, embroidering tulips, the Winchester family emblem. She planned to give it to her father when it was completed, around the time her parents would return.

“My lady, something terrible has happened.”

Just as she was nearly finishing the pattern, Marie suddenly opened the door with an urgent expression.

“What’s wrong?”

Her unusual expression immediately stirred Diana’s previously calm heart.

“Oh no. The Duke and Duchess had an accident while returning to the mansion.”

“What?”

Hadn’t they checked the carriage’s condition before boarding? How could it suddenly overturn? What about the knights? What were they doing?

“They’ve been rescued, but both hit their heads and lost consciousness. It’s uncertain whether they’ll wake up.”

The unbelievable news made Diana feel like the sky was falling. Her legs weakened, and she staggered. Marie quickly approached to support her.

“Are you alright?”

“…”

Her mind was too confused to respond.

Because of the suspicious individuals this morning, they would have inspected the carriage more thoroughly than usual. The fact that there was still an accident meant it wasn’t an issue with the carriage but rather an external physical impact.

This implied that someone deliberately attacked her parents’ carriage. Who would do such a thing?

“They’ve been moved to the Imperial Hospital. Shouldn’t you go there yourself, my lady?”

“Of course I should. Prepare a carriage right away.”

She had no time to collect her thoughts. As she was about to leave the room, Marie followed, holding a shawl.

“My lady, you shouldn’t go like that. You should wear a shawl. I can’t let you go alone. I should accompany you.”

Marie, who had been following, suddenly moved ahead of Diana and opened the carriage door to escort her.

“My lady, please get in quickly.”

Diana’s hands trembled despite only holding Marie’s hand.

“You’ll be fine.”

Marie firmly held both of Diana’s hands to reassure her, but it didn’t calm her. Having experienced this once before, her fear was even greater.

Please, let nothing happen.

Until they reached the Imperial Hospital, Diana continuously prayed with her hands clasped together inside the carriage.

She couldn’t forgive herself for letting this happen when she knew a carriage accident might occur. Even if her father had said it was fine, she should have stopped them from going. If the worst happened and both died, she would regret it for the rest of her life.

While lost in thought, the carriage rattled over what felt like a gravel path. Wasn’t the road to the Imperial Palace smooth? There was no reason for such shaking.

When she looked out the window, feeling something was off, Diana realized the carriage was heading in the exact opposite direction from the Imperial Palace. No wonder the road felt bumpy.

“Where are we going?”

Diana called out to the coachman, but there was no response. An ominous feeling flashed through her mind. For a moment, she recalled the scene just before her death in her previous life.

Hadn’t she driven out the traitors? Perhaps the problem was that she had only expelled those who had accompanied her to the villa.

No, the situation now is different from then.

No one would dare betray the Duke of Winchester. What fool would betray her father?

But looking at the current situation, there was definitely a traitor. Who could it be? The only people with Diana now were the coachman and Marie.

The coachman wouldn’t betray her father, no matter how much money was offered. Marie had also always stayed by Diana’s side. So she wouldn’t betray her either.

Then what was happening now?

Her mind was confused, but she needed to think carefully. Diana tried to recall if she had missed something.

Now that she thought about it, there was something strange. She had felt discomfort in the expressions of the maids and servants she had encountered in the hallway.

If the Duke and Duchess Winchester were in danger, they too should have been anxious, but they weren’t. Instead, they looked at the bustling Diana with puzzled eyes, wondering what was happening.

Judging by their expressions, they seemed unaware that her parents had been in an accident. How could they not know when Marie would have entered the room making a fuss?

Could it be…?

At that moment, an ominous feeling flashed through her mind.

What if Diana’s encounter with those men last night wasn’t coincidental? What if everything was planned? What if it was all designed to make Diana anxious and unable to think rationally?

Since discovering those trying to sabotage her parents’ carriage, Diana had been in a constant state of anxiety. Wasn’t she afraid that something dangerous might happen to her parents, that they might die in a carriage accident like in her previous life?

She could guess that whoever planned this had exploited Diana’s feelings. Only someone who knew Diana well could have done this. Someone who knew how she had repeatedly urged the Duke and Duchess to be careful with carriages…?

Diana looked at Marie with anxious eyes. Despite the carriage not heading toward the Imperial Palace, she remained calm.

Her expression, suggesting nothing was wrong, felt disconcerting. Diana didn’t want to believe it, but circumstantially, Marie was the only one who could have orchestrated this.

“Marie, was it you? Did you plan all this?”

She wanted to maintain composure, but couldn’t. Diana’s voice trembled slightly.

“What are you talking about, my lady?”

Marie smiled with an expression of incomprehension.

“The carriage is going in the opposite direction from what you said… Why are you just sitting there?”

“Oh, is it? I didn’t know.”

Her expression changed instantly as she pretended to look out the window. The bright smile had transformed into something sinister.

“So you’ve finally noticed. But it’s too late now.”

It was an expression Diana had never seen before. A chill ran down her spine.

How could Marie betray her?

Marie had been a maid by Diana’s side since she was young. She had been there in moments of joy and sorrow, and Diana had relied on her greatly, considering her like family.

Diana thought Marie felt the same way, but was she wrong?